A cafeteria miracle

I worked on Saturday the 4th. And it was a good thing I did. For the only time our cafeteria does what EVERY OTHER PLACE that does Southern Fried Chicken does normally is on the weekends:

I present to you all: Fried Chicken, mashed potatoes with gravy, and corn on the cob.

EVERY TUESDAY, our cafeteria has Fried Chicken. And NEVER does it do mashed potatoes with their fried chicken on Tuesdays. NEVER. It's always rice, and some kind of odious potato concoction. But, because I wanted to make some hours up, I got lucky and got what everyone should get whenever they go someplace with fried chicken. /end rant

The chicken was pretty good, the flavor was confined to the skin for the most part. The potatoes were tasty, the gravy great as usual. The corn was merely ok, it had a flavor in there I couldn't really identify, as I was really just expecting corn, butter and salt. It definitely needed more butter, which I didn't think to get at the time and we didn't have any in the office fridge.

On the to Greg's, I stopped off at McD's and grabbed some nuggets and fries. The nuggets were really good and the fries were pretty good. I had to add some salt, as apparently that location was going easy on it.

Another Leonard's Trip

On Friday, we ventured out to Leonard's again. I went with the usual country fried steak, fried okra, mashed potatoes, but added a little corn on the cob on the first trip:

On the second trip, it was pretty much the same thing, except I subbed baked beans for the corn.

The steak was really good. Nice and tender and it had a great flavor. The corn was very juicy and tasty. The okra was cooked about perfect, nice and crunch, the breading was just right on flavor. The baked beans were very tasty, good amount of texture and the flavor of them were a nice contrast with the super sweet barbecue sauce they were cooked in.

A pattern emerges

Sunday after church, I stopped by the parents' house with the intent of taking (at least) Mom to see Spider-man. She wasn't there, so Sis and I went to get some lunch before catching the movie. We went to Chili's where I had the "Chicken Crispers" which is their battered chicken tenders. They come with a corn on the cob and another side, which I chose mashed potatoes and gravy (big surprise). The corn was ok, not as good as it usually is (needed more butter), but it was cooked very well and was surprisingly juicy (at one point as I took a bite a gout of juice shot across the table. The chicken was ok, a couple of the pieces were very well battered and cooked, but some of it was barely battered therefore almost over cooked. The potatoes were surprisingly good considering, and the gravy was merely ok. As you've probably gathered, I forgot to get a picture of it.

I had a kind of late dinner, and since it was running later in the evening, I decided to go with the somewhat quick (but very easy) fried rice. This one I did all myself, and managed to not screw it up too bad:

It could've used a bit more soy sauce or garlic, as I didn't have any salt (still) to add to it. Overall, though, it was good, especially considering I thought I over watered it in the rice cooker portion.

Roasted Chicken

On Saturday, I brined and roasted a couple of chicken breasts. Well, technically I started the brine on Friday night. I went with the usual corn and mashed (instant) potatoes with them:

The chicken was really good. The skin was outstanding, and the meat was very juicy and flavorful also. Not the best I've ever fixed, but far from the worst. The corn was nice and buttery and not overly salted, and the potatoes were good. I got just enough salt and pepper and a bit of garlic in there. The roll was a Sister Schubert's brown and serve roll.

The beginning of a decline

For Father's Day, I had planned on taking Dad (and the family) out for dinner. Dad didn't feel like going out, so it's been postponed. As a late lunch/snack that afternoon, I went with some chicken flavored ramen:

It's chicken ramen. It was tasty, for chicken ramen.

Since dinner was a wash, I debated with myself on what to eat on the way home. It ended up being Captain Grease D's. I went with the 3 piece fish dinner, corn on the cob and fries.

The fries were freshly cooked for me, the fish wasn't, but it didn't taste like it had been sitting out for too long. The corn was nice and juicy, the fish was tasty, not quite as salty as I would've liked. But that's probably for the best.

Friday Food

For lunch, I had the leftover pork chop and corn from Wednesday night:

The pork chop was plenty juicy, as I kept it stored in the excess from the baking, and reheated it in that same juice. The corn was fine too.

For dinner, I had a Red Baron Meat Trio pan pizza. As far as higher end frozen pizzas go, this one is my favorite.

They have some kind of seasoning they use with the cheese and the crust has a great flavor, thickness and texture. The toppings are usually plentiful and always tasty.

It evens out, right?

For lunch, the cafeteria had their superb country fried steak. I was rather hungry, so I went with 2 sides, both potatoes and gravy (the other sides were stuff that I don't like, and I can't remember which ones).

The steak was good, as usual, but I'm going to have to get them to start putting some gravy on both sides. The crust is a little tougher than plastic knife is good for, and I'm afraid that I'm going to end up going through the foam container. Crust is great, otherwise, it's actually not too thick or crunchy, it's just the interaction with the container. The potatoes were ok, not very well seasoned, but not bereft of it as they usually are.

For dinner, I tried to even out the heart attack of a lunch with a baked pork chop, roasted zucchini and some corn:

The pork chop was very good. I went with my usual mix of salt, pepper, garlic powder and a little bit of onion powder this time. The zucchini had the same, but instead of onion powder I added some butter as it was almost done. The corn just had some salt and butter.

Friday Feast

For lunch on Friday, I ate at the movie theater before watching Prometheus. I went with my usual of a corn dog and a frozen coke. The corn dog was about as cooked as you could get before hitting over cooked. It wasn't bad, but it was a hair past really good. The breading was well done and the dog was just past pleasantly tough. I don't want it to sound like it was bad, but I think I've been a bit lax on my descriptions in the last few posts. This was a good corn dog, just not as good as they have been in the past. The frozen coke was very good, however. A nice mix, not too icy and not too syrupy.

For dinner, my sister wanted to go to Cracker Barrel, so that's where we went. I went with my usual, CFC. But, as you'll see in the picture, I hit up the corn instead of the dumplings.

I'd love to say I was trying to be healthier, but that'd be a lie. They were out of dumplings.

I KNOW, Tab. Travesty of the highest order.

My okra was very good, not the best I've had there, but better than usual. Meaning it was fairly crunchy, and not too ... gooey inside. I personally love my okra very crunchy, so this was a plus. The corn was nice and buttery, very plump kernels. Juicy and pleasantly salty. The mashed potatoes were really good for the old Crack House. I prefer mine more creamed than mashed, and they usually go more mashed than creamed. The gravy was good. The chicken itself was very flavorful and juicy, the breading not too thick or overcooked. The biscuits were good. A nice thickness and held the butter well.

The day after

For breakfast, we hit up the local Cracker Barrel. I went with the "Country Fried Breakfast" which in my case was the chicken fried chicken (big surprise), scrambled eggs, and biscuits and gravy. And I forgot to take a picture of it.

After that, the gang broke up and most headed back home. I hung out with Tab, Furey and their kids as I was heading back on Monday (12 hr drive wasn't happening after the day had started). So, we hung out in the pool for most of the afternoon.

For dinner, we had some hamburgers, corn, and finished off the crab that had been leftover from the party:

Yep, look at that, I tried to healthy up my usual fare. Went with corn for the side dish and tossed a couple of leaves of spinach on there. It was pretty tasty, and the spinach added a nice texture without being too bitter (last few times I've tried spinach on salads or such it had been really bitter).

And there were 3 blue crabs left over (yes, they really had a blue hue pre cooking) and a couple of clumps of snow crab legs, so we dealt with them. And they were tasty.

And for dessert? Key Lime Pie:

Very tasty, sweet with a little bite of tart.

Monday Meat and Potatoes with a guest star

Monday was a meat and potatoes kind of day. I started it off with having that for lunch, from the cafeteria. They had some rotisserie chicken, which I teamed up with the potatoes and gravy, and today's guest star, some corn:

Their chicken comes in quarters, so it was a breast and wing, which I had attacked before remembering to get the photo.

The chicken was ok, the flavor managed to penetrate into the meat fairly well. The corn was really good and the potatoes were just ok, but the gravy managed to save them, as usual.

For dinner, I cooked a beef roast in the crock pot. This is what it looked like when I was leaving for work:

And I forgot to get an after photo of the whole thing. But, I whipped some gravy up from its juices and some instant potatoes to accompany it:

The gravy was nice and thick and REALLY rich, more so than I intended, but still tasty. And here's what was on my plate for dinner:

It was great and I was stuffed.

Pork Tenderloin

Monday was to be my friend's last day at work. So, in honor of her leaving, I planned to do up a nice goodbye lunch. I tossed a big pork tenderloin into the crock pot late Sunday night / early Monday morning:

Along with the tenderloin, there was some salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, sage, Worcestershire sauce, some Dale's seasoning sauce, and meat tenderizer powder. I let this baby cook on low all night (2a - 9a, told you I had to stay up late). This is what I was greeted to Monday morning:

I know you can't see it too well, but trust me, it looked and smelled great. Now, to go along with this bad boy, I tossed some Sister Schubert's Parker House yeast rolls into the oven (after applying some butter to the tops), made some instant creamed potatoes, corn and green beans:

While those were cooking, I drained the juices from the crock pot into a sauce pan, added a mixture of flour and water, and made that into gravy:

Once the gravy was made, I added it back to the crock pot and tenderloin, and transported it all to work (where the last 2 pics were taken).

That was the tenderloin all cut up and ready to be tossed onto a plate, with the rolls above them. And here's what was on my plate:

Everyone loved it, and raved about how tasty it was. I'm glad they all enjoyed it.

Friday Night Light

For dinner tonight, I stayed in and went with something stupidly easy. Preheated the oven, then stuck this badboy into it for 40 mins:

And after 40 mins, this is what I got out of the oven, and put into my mouth:

Tasty, yes; healthy, most assuredly not. But it was an easy Friday night dinner.

Beef Roast

I'm a sucker for meat and potatoes. One of my favorite dishes (seriously like top 5, maybe 3) is a good beef roast with some nice thick gravy and the old reliable side dish of creamed potatoes. I'm sure I could eventually get sick of eating this for every meal, but I don't like to think about how many months or years it would take.

The preparation of this bad boy was browning it in a skillet in the morning, then tossing him into the crockpot. I dumped some salt, pepper, rubbed sage, meat tenderizer, Worcestershire sauce and Dale's seasoning sauce in there with him. Then left him alone while I went to work.

After getting home, I attempted to pull him out of the crock pot and he came out in pieces.

Then the juices were poured into a sauce pan and turned into this luscious gravy:

Tossed some corn into the bowl with a little extra water and butter and salt, and then the creamed potatoes and Sister Schubert's to finish the meal out in tasty style:

I love this dish.

Thanksgiving 2009

For Thanksgiving in 2009, I stayed home and celebrated it myself. I had a marathon of all 3 Lord of the Rings movies, and prepared my first roasted turkey breast.

This is it, after I oiled, buttered, salted and peppered it. Toss it in a bag and let it cook for a movie and a half, If I remember it right. It came out looking something very similar to this:

I thought that was about perfect, and to be sure, I got a closer up shot for you all:

Yep, looks great, and it tasted it too. I had some corn, mashed potatoes and rolls to go with it. You will probably realize that is my #1 veggie combo, mashed/creamed potatoes and corn, so get used to seeing that combo. I may even make an annoying acronym or nick name for it. The standard, old reliable, who knows.