tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53811557026837594152024-03-05T03:45:31.852-08:00It's Not ChickenTen Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.comBlogger17125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-58300877157328377382009-06-24T08:52:00.000-07:002009-06-24T09:41:51.100-07:00Blueberry Muffins<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1vzM6MlspE7mSppDOuRpXWnRHwXKmrhmO9SdyZduSRLwmjZpXbZhauwqiNcOF7molMQ4xj6Ps62pvWBOB-DEHDNPieQ7TvyTiBu19rm1GWFGYqrhbvl71udn670XBNBEE1AkjwUiGXk/s1600-h/0624090948.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv1vzM6MlspE7mSppDOuRpXWnRHwXKmrhmO9SdyZduSRLwmjZpXbZhauwqiNcOF7molMQ4xj6Ps62pvWBOB-DEHDNPieQ7TvyTiBu19rm1GWFGYqrhbvl71udn670XBNBEE1AkjwUiGXk/s320/0624090948.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350933874315964754" border="0" /></a>It's been quite a while, but I should have a few new posts up over the next week or so. One of the reasons I was able to post so frequently at first was that my coworkers at the time (big ups to Jebs, Hurley-Bird and Dredle) got some sick enjoyment out of watching me try to eat things I didn't like. Now that my NEW coworkers are aware of this, don't be surprised to see a few more posts here and there. Back to the case at hand... Rita manages the Twitter account for the magazine and we've been keeping an eye on the growing Followers list. It was decided that when we hit the 200 mark we would celebrate - and nothing says celebration in MarComm like freshly baked tasty treats. Rita is known for the high levels of deliciousness reached with her chocolate chip cookies but when the topic of the celebration came up yesterday someone threw out the idea of having blueberry muffins. I mentioned that I don't eat blueberries (or any berries for that matter) so Rita went above and beyond and made a batch of BOTH... baking at home last night even with a broken air conditioner. With that kind of dedication, there was no way I couldn't try out the muffins... after eating about 7 cookies of course. Let's see how it went...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Muffin batter and sugar sprinkles.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Berries of any color, but in this case... blue.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>Rita brought them in as a healthier alternative to her phenomenal chocolate chip cookies (of which I usually eat way too many).</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>The muffin itself was incredible... probably one of the softest and tastiest muffins I have had in years. The flavor of the blueberry that seeped into surrounding muffin parts was great as well. But there were honest-to-God whole blueberries and I've found that I am still not really a big fan of the whole berry-eating experience. I picked around the berries themselves after trying a couple and ate the rest of the muffin, so I think we'll call this one a draw.<br /></dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-17374294857551482972009-03-02T14:11:00.000-08:002009-03-02T14:27:08.094-08:00Pecan Pie<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWoLs9VTLxFpwJS4Y2bcCZBHIuDcBarKJbTC4Xz5AAdprNRsfeIoJLhbanu_ZrlQEDybOChghU-F_ANE0Q7Pu_sSnSxOpZrNnhsJ2mb70FSZtmG7zsxr_lxNB2GtBjoJCsn2WCwmyKSM/s1600-h/Pecan+Pie.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoWoLs9VTLxFpwJS4Y2bcCZBHIuDcBarKJbTC4Xz5AAdprNRsfeIoJLhbanu_ZrlQEDybOChghU-F_ANE0Q7Pu_sSnSxOpZrNnhsJ2mb70FSZtmG7zsxr_lxNB2GtBjoJCsn2WCwmyKSM/s200/Pecan+Pie.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308720513836357058" border="0" /></a>This one goes hand-in-hand with my salmon post, which you may or may not have read yet. At the same restricted access dining option on campus there is a dessert area in addition to the main course options. Both have to-go containers sitting there for your convenience, but we only decided to take advantage of this for the post-meal sweets. By the time we got there we didn't have a lot to chose from though. There was some sort of bundt cake type thing that looked alright, and there were two slices of pecan pie. Dave decided to go for a slice of pie and I couldn't deny that it looked pretty darn tastey, so I went ahead and took the other. We brought them back and ate them at our desks, and here is my take on it...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Pie crust and sugar.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>I tend to enjoy nuts (no jokes please) but the pecan has never really been one of my favorites. If they were in a mixed nuts medley then I might eat one, but I would usually skip them for the alternatives. I don't know why, but they always make me feel like I'm eating a cockroach... is that odd? I'm also not really a big "pie" fan (again, no joked please) because it seems that in most cases there is some sort of fruit or berry involved that I would rather avoid.<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>It was mostly me again... it was there and it looked like it might be yummy.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>OK, now I really need to start going back to the gym because I found another unhealthy sweet that I enjoy. Damn it! My saving grace has always been that while I don't eat a lot of healthy things, I also don't eat a lot of junk food. I tend to lay off the snacks and sweets, but now I have another option and I'm going to need to make up for lost time. Shoot.</dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-69660103616061106442009-03-02T13:54:00.001-08:002009-03-02T14:11:31.173-08:00Salmon<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCE1sfcXY9OKC5K2O9gOZhvkW24FimSXntG1MgAi47n_4KDINq_mdrjKCVoSow1xxpTXom441mY-QZom5zu7oDphrK3PCyk5_qCiP_k9KzWzgBDmGCD_RDCvjFoMp93TCBd0P5gnE9fzE/s1600-h/salmon_dill.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCE1sfcXY9OKC5K2O9gOZhvkW24FimSXntG1MgAi47n_4KDINq_mdrjKCVoSow1xxpTXom441mY-QZom5zu7oDphrK3PCyk5_qCiP_k9KzWzgBDmGCD_RDCvjFoMp93TCBd0P5gnE9fzE/s200/salmon_dill.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5308714430322373682" border="0" /></a>There are a number of foods that my parents have been trying to tell me that I should like for what feels like ages. Salmon is pretty high on that list. Seafood was never a staple food item between my lack of interest and my sister's allergy, but my folks love it so they have amped up the frequency of its preparation since they became empty nesters. Every time they eat salmon they tell me that I should try it and every time I tell them no. Well, last week was the first week at my new job and on Friday my team had lunch together at an administration-only eatery on campus. The buffet (for lack of a better word) items that day were salad, salmon, rice and stuffed shells. I knew I would be content with stuffed shells and salad but decided it might be time to finally bite tht bullet and try salmon. Here's how it went...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Lemon and herbs... and rice (on the side).</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Creatures of the sea that rhyme with "ham on".</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>While my parents have been telling me to try it for years, this is another one that was mostly on my own. I was debating it while in line but didn't want to be "the new guy that eats wierd". Also, I overheard my colleague explaining that he might need to try it too, so I thought I wouldn't be alone. I think I was anyway.<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>Alright dad... you have written proof posted to the world wide web... You Were Right. I liked the salmon, damn it. I enjoyed it enough to try it at other eateries in the future too. Are you happy now? You better be... oh yes, you better be.</dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-34657930050439844912009-01-31T14:29:00.000-08:002009-01-31T15:02:57.364-08:00Avocado<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-afqdqGbSJAg_N9-Ml93s8D7hFp-VT52SPv9nWMPciQy2KiAFIXYVlQlOMgCnf_aBTbbO2vh_hZbqRGKHGL1klyF6_9Vw8uOCPuM_8cu_4mB5HEWjJTzVlDxyhgLDROE4KBsixSBXijY/s1600-h/avocado.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-afqdqGbSJAg_N9-Ml93s8D7hFp-VT52SPv9nWMPciQy2KiAFIXYVlQlOMgCnf_aBTbbO2vh_hZbqRGKHGL1klyF6_9Vw8uOCPuM_8cu_4mB5HEWjJTzVlDxyhgLDROE4KBsixSBXijY/s200/avocado.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297597203052708306" border="0" /></a>The avocado has puzzled me for some time now. I feel like it came out of nowhere and suddenly everyone and their mother was eating. Is there an avocado promotion board somewhere that brought this about? It could juts be my coworkers though who are again the primary influencers on my recent dietary expansion efforts. Several of my teammates bring in at least one avocado a week it seems and put it on their salads and sandwiches, or just eat it on its own. Yesterday, someone brought in a Dominican Republican avocado, which apparently is some special kind that is double the normal size and half the usual fat content. (Side note... how does a vegetable have fat?) They sliced it up and put it on a plate for the team to share, so I decided it was time for me to bit the bullet and go for it...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Salt an pepper. Also Salt 'N Peppa... Shoop!<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Avocado... normally. Although I will sometimes take small tastes of guacamole.<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>Stringee and Hurley-Bird.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>I'm still not sold, but I haven't given up. I was told that this variety doesn't have the exact same texture/taste as the traditional avocado - it was very reminicent of a hard-boiled egg - so I think I might have to try a regular one next chance I get so that I can compare and solidify my opinion.<br /></dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-76374629784332322842009-01-31T14:15:00.000-08:002009-01-31T14:26:37.083-08:00Falafel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydVWCCLiOIDFPiEuJVo7L65UJr5Ru4A7h7v1Ezynm57SyMLKt6ZmSrp6QavVuE93a2bWRIRw1NyJ05F4HYztdprLN9UIJwlG47IGtFvaspVcAmZRf9PLkbjnRpTlw-gf0yJI0oQc6ILw/s1600-h/big-falafel-wrap.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiydVWCCLiOIDFPiEuJVo7L65UJr5Ru4A7h7v1Ezynm57SyMLKt6ZmSrp6QavVuE93a2bWRIRw1NyJ05F4HYztdprLN9UIJwlG47IGtFvaspVcAmZRf9PLkbjnRpTlw-gf0yJI0oQc6ILw/s200/big-falafel-wrap.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297586412261906482" border="0" /></a>This is the other major milestone for me the night I had baba ganoush (see the last post). I don't know where my coworkers ordered the food from but there were all kinds of odd things laying around - and I say "odd" because normally late-night office food is Chinese take-out or Panera (there's one right next door). Anyway, the falafel I think might have come on top of a pizza but, if I remember correctly, it also had cheese on it which they had asked to have it without for the sake of our friend with IBS. It was in sliced strips and looked like some sort of deep-fried goodness you would find at a carnival or state fair. Even with the warning that it was mostly (or entirely) vegetable based I decided to give it a try. And here's how it went...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Fried foods... to a degree. I refuse to eat a deep-fried Twinkie or Oreo... they are too good on their own and it seems like a bastardization to fry them. The Monte Cristo sandwich, on the other hand... now THAT is food improved by boiling oil.<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Fava beans and chick peas... although I do enjoy the hummus-state of the chick pea.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>Why, that would be C-Meri!! (Told you I would give you credit girl.)<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>I am officially requesting a name change for this food... instead of "falafel" it will now be called "falawesome". Seriously... this was really good! I dipped it in the tahini sauce and that was pretty awesome too (but condiments don't get posts... sorry). I am actually very anxious to try the street-meat version of falafel now. If nothing else, It's Not Chicken is opening my eyes to new choices from sidewalk-based food vendors. Yay!<br /></dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-68741655627704380152009-01-31T13:58:00.000-08:002009-01-31T14:12:42.492-08:00Baba Ganoush<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_KrWqiBzgQmDCMqUppY-wA6SwwRTiCd2TYQKehePiOoY9W1EtL4IC_t07NVhsB5-EDCs3J83pxo9geAAhgi2wREgrfKQeeZjWEed06wp6mdQ065OAoDfZiBS42ryXbgXSqN94fcIfDc/s1600-h/babaganoush.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 180px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_KrWqiBzgQmDCMqUppY-wA6SwwRTiCd2TYQKehePiOoY9W1EtL4IC_t07NVhsB5-EDCs3J83pxo9geAAhgi2wREgrfKQeeZjWEed06wp6mdQ065OAoDfZiBS42ryXbgXSqN94fcIfDc/s200/babaganoush.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297584005784172642" border="0" /></a>There are several coworkers who have taken this "make Bill eat new things" to heart so with the amount of time we've been spending there lately it shouldn't come as a surprise that I've been dabbling in exotic cuisine. One evening in particular I tried several new items including baba ganoush. I didn't know what was in it, and I'm still not completely sure, but it looked somewhat similar to hummus and I was too tired and hungry to argue so I gave it a try. We had some very nice pita shells for dipping purposes, and I'm not sure if that is standard but it seemed right to me.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Bread... more specifically... bread dipped in things.<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Aubergine, and whatever else they had mixed in there. According to wikipedia, it could have been onion, tomato, or other vegetables... I may never truly know.<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>Credit for this one goes to COURTNEY!!! Thank you buddy.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>It was pretty darn tasty. As I mentioned earlier, I like hummus and this wasn't too far from that. the flavor was nice and the texture wasn't an issue at all. If anyone doubted the potential success of this blog (in terms of new foods tried, not site traffic) then please feel free to open your mouth and insert your current footwear.</dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-13126602885920333462009-01-17T07:39:00.000-08:002009-01-17T07:54:04.243-08:00Raspberries<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihglJr1QU7wD9nTVXEaFnANV-k09ZP6wd2LNYwF1HnRvJ7YmNAdipmLyRIyGeO0FllqCnFu7oXiVZT7MHGE0ltf_gkfQ2KHw9JHyRFNEvj-ypPP4am4Fr1F4AV0BXE-e8ZuoNPv553riQ/s1600-h/raspberries.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 142px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihglJr1QU7wD9nTVXEaFnANV-k09ZP6wd2LNYwF1HnRvJ7YmNAdipmLyRIyGeO0FllqCnFu7oXiVZT7MHGE0ltf_gkfQ2KHw9JHyRFNEvj-ypPP4am4Fr1F4AV0BXE-e8ZuoNPv553riQ/s200/raspberries.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5292291489283946322" border="0" /></a>The title of this post might be a little misleading. Instead of "Raspberries" it should really only say "Raspberry". I'll get a little more into that below though. As you've probably noticed, the posts here have slowed down a little. The holidays provided a lot more opportunities to try new food than my everyday life does, but being sick for a week and rarely leaving the office lately haven't helped either. I'm back now though and ready to keep things moving. Since I am not going out to new and exotic restaurants to try most of this stuff, I'll likely be having more basic posts like this one. There are countless foods which people assume to be commonly eaten but still have not passed my lips... such as most berries. The raspberry is one that I've historically been even less willing to try due to its odd look. That changed yesterday, so let's see how it went.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Raspberry Pop-Tarts, but unfortunately that was not on the menu.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Raspberries, and the urge to enunciate both the P and the B... "Rasp-Berries".<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>Hurley Bird strikes again. She stopped by my desk with one of those clear plastic containers I always see at the grocery store and offered me some. In the spirit of It's Not Chicken, I couldn't say no.<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>I'm still not completely sold on these things, but I will be willing to taste one again. The flavor was really good of course, and the texture was interesting. It actually had the feel of a gummy snack (a la "Fruit Gushers") but the seeds were a nuisance. Do they make seedless raspberries? If those exist I think I might like to try one.<br /></dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-35734663978318555302008-12-25T12:40:00.000-08:002008-12-25T13:09:59.360-08:00Egg Foo Yung<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdpuy1CoCDWuY6zDr_YpRRYE_J8rxOtb6WfWyhyphenhyphenrXcqLU8HNk2cSDhbRvJd8-LQs1VpTKYFx0_Gm3ieLRFMzUSpIKj0P3z22ZD58Gtxmna1E6O2iWMZrfdfXqBpvFxNwomag8LWXvQf0/s1600-h/EggFooYoung.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 166px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdpuy1CoCDWuY6zDr_YpRRYE_J8rxOtb6WfWyhyphenhyphenrXcqLU8HNk2cSDhbRvJd8-LQs1VpTKYFx0_Gm3ieLRFMzUSpIKj0P3z22ZD58Gtxmna1E6O2iWMZrfdfXqBpvFxNwomag8LWXvQf0/s200/EggFooYoung.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283837671129636962" border="0" /></a>First and foremost, let me apologize for the potential butchering of that spelling. I am not well versed in most Asian cuisine and there were about fourteen different spellings online, so I just went with this one. Growing up, this was one of the regular items ordered by my family that I would refuse to touch... I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that they called it "Brain". Yeah. Anyway, egg foo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">yung</span> is an <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">omelet</span>-like dish that might have Cantonese or Polynesian origins (this has been debated) but is commonly found on American Chinese menus. <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Primarily</span> eggs and vegetables, it is often also available with meat or seafood included... I think we had the chicken variety. This was part of the (in hindsight) unnecessarily large order of Chinese food that was part of our low-key <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">Christmas</span> Eve. While I had my standard sesame chicken on the table - and another egg roll for those that have read my earlier posts - I decided to be <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">gung</span>-ho and try Brain for the first time. Let's get on with the details...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Eggs, chicken, and flavored sauces.</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>I still don't fully comprehend everything that was in there, and the world wide web did not give me a concise list of standard ingredients, so I will just name the one thing that was so obvious it hurt... onions. I don't like onions... and I mean I REALLY don't like onions. In this egg foo <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">yung</span> they were large and plentiful... boo to that.<br /></dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>I'm the one that put it on my plate, but I was strongly supported by my dad. I don't think he thought I would actually try it, so he can put this in his pipe and smoke it.</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>Houston, we have a problem. Perhaps it was just this recipe, but I did not like it. The egg portions of it were good and the sauce/gravy on top was tasty, but the onions were over the top. I felt like there was more onion than anything else on there and that was annoying. Thankfully I had <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">plenty</span> of sesame chicken, white rice and an egg roll to fill me up... even though I was still hungry an hour later.</dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-55465140150039784092008-12-25T12:24:00.000-08:002008-12-25T12:39:16.709-08:00Shrimp<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuiDmkB2XbFg1xIYYokLhfpt8NbrHRjhsaGp9Yr0geKG33ZP6D1-MlW6n2QpnEbM-Oegsi5XaG9uOz9vvrhSmXlFOfK2i2KGmw-D1BteBMUSD9DLvEcXvxRfYyzYshd6AaDEUiP5YEGw/s1600-h/cocktailshrimp.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 181px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMuiDmkB2XbFg1xIYYokLhfpt8NbrHRjhsaGp9Yr0geKG33ZP6D1-MlW6n2QpnEbM-Oegsi5XaG9uOz9vvrhSmXlFOfK2i2KGmw-D1BteBMUSD9DLvEcXvxRfYyzYshd6AaDEUiP5YEGw/s200/cocktailshrimp.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5283829946726786786" border="0" /></a>The holidays are upon us, so you can probably expect to see a few new posts from me within the next couple days. I am in my parent's house with alcohol a-plenty and all kinds of foods that I would normally never try, but am slightly more open to thanks to the combination of this blog and inhibitions loosened by booze. The first attempt? Shrimp. Growing up on the eastern shore of Maryland there are two things you are supposed to love... corn and seafood. I don't like either. I didn't get too much pressure to try various <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">seafoods</span> growing up since one of my sisters is allergic, but it still found its way into our house and as I've grown up (using that term loosely) there have been exponentially more opportunities for me to try it from year to year. Unlike most of the entries here at It's Not Chicken, shrimp is one that I tried before and did not like. I remember vividly being at the house of my parents' friends on a lovely summer evening with a variety of beers and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">knoshy</span> foods available. One of these foods was your standard shrimp with cocktail sauce for dipping. I tried a bite, hated it, and spit it right into a napkin. BUT... I tried it, and that was enough for my parents at the time. After I got home yesterday my folks laid out a bunch of snack-type foods to tide everyone over until dinner and leftover shrimp from their holiday party was one of the options. I decided to go for it. Here's how it went...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Cocktail sauce.<br /></dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Shrimp.</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>This was a wicked combination of my mother and <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">Yuengling</span>... or what I like to call "the one-two punch".</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>Still not really a fan... sorry. I had a very generous amount of cocktail sauce on there for the first bite, and that helped, but I am still just not a big fan of seafood... especially cold seafood. It still tasted to me like whatever body of water it came out of. That might just be something I need to get used to though now that I am on this mission. I was willing to take the second bite necessary to finish that individual shrimp but I vehemently refused to take another piece. I'm not going to change overnight people and I think I have made a lot of progress so far... this was just a smaller step than some of the other ones I've taken recently.<br /></dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-42810779447641977112008-12-20T06:14:00.000-08:002008-12-20T07:08:14.094-08:00Artichoke Chili Dip<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97WjshVymWNy5au81fNFJYpj0fxgboyugAWY7Oc7TCGvvMyRz-zAY6MNQO48QYGWXswaaNTOvuM8U646d9JenRmmlSHf9kMW1sr-UpBGGMp3VWZ9NC2kOwESj9viiw1EC8dvEjb5wPDo/s1600-h/artichoke_chili_dip.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 160px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg97WjshVymWNy5au81fNFJYpj0fxgboyugAWY7Oc7TCGvvMyRz-zAY6MNQO48QYGWXswaaNTOvuM8U646d9JenRmmlSHf9kMW1sr-UpBGGMp3VWZ9NC2kOwESj9viiw1EC8dvEjb5wPDo/s200/artichoke_chili_dip.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281883343035744370" border="0" /></a>This is another milestone tasting for me gang, and something that was said could never be done. A little background first though... my parents host the holiday party for my dad's office at their house every year and one of the staple menu items is the Artichoke Chili Dip. This is a served-warm dip that includes chopped artichoke hearts and diced chili peppers (it's not like "beans and meat" chili) and is generally consumed with tortilla chips or some sort of bread stick - pumpernickel is recommended. When possible, my sisters and I have been responsible for helping with the cooking and other prep efforts for the party and making this dip frequently fell on my shoulders with a certain sense of irony and pressure. It isn't easy to be in charge of making a popular dish without being able to do a taste test yourself. I must have managed fine though since I was asked to make it repeated times over the years.<br /><br />This week was the office party at my job and people were asked to bring in appetizers and desserts to snack on during the gift exchange and booze consumption. I decided to step up and make the dip for the first time outside of my parents house, with the hopes that my coworkers would enjoy it (or at least not projectile vomit). It seemed to go over pretty well and since many of my coworkers are readers of It's Not Chicken I knew there was no way I could escape trying it... so I did... and here's how it went.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Mayonnaise and Parmesan cheese.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Artichoke and chili peppers... which is mostly why I never ate this before...<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>I really should credit my family members and my dad's coworkers who have been trying to make me sample the dip since the days of Underoos. The climactic tasting was of my own accord, but fueled by years and years of attempted pressuring.<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>I make a pretty mean artichoke chili dip!! Now, keep in mind that I've never had it before so I don't even know what it is supposed to taste like and my parents weren't around to test it and tell me if I got it right or not. But it tasted GOOD... good enough for me to have several bites of it and to look forward to making it again. Look out world... there's an incomplete albino with a new-found passion for the culinary arts coming your way!<br /></dir><br /><blockquote><span style="font-style: italic;">Editor's Note: In lieu of actual photos of the dip, I used this one that was found online. While the ACD has not traditionally been served in a bread bowl, you can bet your sweet ass that it will be next time.</span><br /></blockquote>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-35447340163663868172008-12-18T04:38:00.000-08:002008-12-18T17:21:02.348-08:00Peas<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGRsWrpGRxdsg1tAoQFJJQE02ZglJFDN-bBsttIWbopwMV2OL2ckYI1NI9mJqEeMyHCjgJtFvxs_TxoD-3QkDeRyrebss5nQTNCRxhUBalesBT8QntfVl3adqYeWw3yAzbbK5XExJGKg/s1600-h/peas_pasta.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSGRsWrpGRxdsg1tAoQFJJQE02ZglJFDN-bBsttIWbopwMV2OL2ckYI1NI9mJqEeMyHCjgJtFvxs_TxoD-3QkDeRyrebss5nQTNCRxhUBalesBT8QntfVl3adqYeWw3yAzbbK5XExJGKg/s200/peas_pasta.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5281305014863345186" border="0" /></a>I'm a little excited about this one folks... let me tell you why. My parents both eat just about everything. My mom only dislikes one thing... ONE (that I know of). And that, my friends, is peas. I remember one Thanksgiving when she stepped away from the table to answer the phone and we thought it would be hilarious to dump the entire dish of remaining peas out on her plate. There are not that many times I can recall my mom being angry but this was one... she was NOT amused. So I am finding a little extra satisfaction in my pea eating (not to be confused with pee eating... that's just gross) because this is the thing that I know my mother - my creator and the biggest food enforcer in my life - won't eat unless it contains the antidote.<br /><br />Getting back on track, I'll tell the tale of this latest cuisine conquest. The building I work in has the occasional lobby event with free food of some sort. It ranges from ice cream to seasonal meals, but it kicks ass every time. This week they had - and I don't know why - free food around lunch time that consisted of two pasta varieties, salad, desserts and punch. I partook in the pastas and deserts because the salad had pear in it and I can only try/post so many things in one week... I'm not a machine people. One of the two pastas was your standard ziti with marinara sauce and the other was bow tie pasta with an alfredo sauce, peas and what I later found out was bacon or ham of some sort. It isn't out of character for me to have taken both types, but normally I would pick each individual pea out of the bow tie pasta and dispense of it. That's the old Bill... the new Bill breaks a two-by-four with his head and then eats some of the peas. Let's get to the basics...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Pasta, alfredo sauce and bacon<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Peas.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>I'm becoming more and more willing to try things on my own, but this was inspired and supported by Dre.<br /></dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>I ate most of them! I don't know if it is because they were doused in alfredo sauce, but they didn't bother me much. The texture was a little odd (or at least new) but combined with the other elements of the dish it wasn't completely noticable. I don't think I will be asking for a side of peas in any upcoming meals, but I have decided I'm ready to try pot pies again now that I'm more willing to consume the various ingredients. I honestly never thought I would be trying this many new foods in this short amount of time... all thanks to the Internet. It provides me with employment and has succeded in motivating me to do things that neither my parents or any of my girlfriends have ever been able to get me to do (eat).<br /></dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-21343518553489971562008-12-15T17:04:00.001-08:002008-12-15T17:58:38.159-08:00Cranberry Salsa<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5cWa7S1mNdg35UpSlg0jUHimU2dwbIxByP_Zy26cRwXg_OtGQQZtZ4yV2Cnok4OjUTlO7JQbLZYshw7Mbmqvkob29-qnJAYAjVXERfz7UIPNHGDIFKBDjoGF0rCpdenl1LIN7clXRqE/s1600-h/cranberry_salsa.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5cWa7S1mNdg35UpSlg0jUHimU2dwbIxByP_Zy26cRwXg_OtGQQZtZ4yV2Cnok4OjUTlO7JQbLZYshw7Mbmqvkob29-qnJAYAjVXERfz7UIPNHGDIFKBDjoGF0rCpdenl1LIN7clXRqE/s200/cranberry_salsa.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5280201463459651426" border="0" /></a>It is pretty common for my teammates at work to bring in a variety of snacks (or "sniggies" as we call them) and pretty common for me to not be able to eat them. We have a Vegan-by-choice, a lactose intolerant Hispani-Jew, and a slew of folks that think "organic is a food group. Now, there's nothing wrong with any of that and a lot of the food they bring in honestly looks really really good. Generally I don't partake unless its some form of cookie and even then I ask four separate people what's in it to make sure they aren't trying to sneak anything by me. Today was different. My buddy Andre is a big fan of this blog so when Loinsy-Boy put cranberry salsa on the table today he lept at the opportunity to make me try a bite. I tried to put up a fight but I could tell he wasn't going to leave me alone until I tasted at least a little bit. Let's see how it went...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>I asked for the ingredients so that I'd be able to give an official list here and in the next category. The parts I like include apple juice, green apples, sugar and chopped up cilantro. Let's get to the longer list...<br /></dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Cranberries, red onion, jalepeno peppers and sweet red pepper. He didn't say anything about tomato, but I'm pretty sure there was some of that in the mix as well.<br /></dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>Andre strikes again! I got pressure from other folks nearby but it was Dredle-Dre leading the charge... that bastard.</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>I have to say that it didn't taste too bad. The cranberries added a really interesting flavor that I did not see coming at all. Even with that though, there were still a LOT of chunks. I added another chip to the top so that the chopped medley wouldn't overpower the one I used to scoop, and that seemed to help too. Now, I only had one bite but I would be willing to maybe have another bite in the future of this or other salsas.</dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-73745858234816477442008-12-14T10:08:00.000-08:002008-12-14T10:43:33.537-08:00Eggroll... Egg Roll... which is it?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbd8JQoKqcv5P7p8HXv38cJ8plbwpiRuDRI2gsNJ0A90937v9WIv0913ozml5AkVYDolhGEuPqUXI0kl5vXscac2ejuEfSvmut1g2bfJLynEShuYUUIGXNmxnZEnBBHzppOnMziRwvQbw/s1600-h/egg_roll.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 188px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbd8JQoKqcv5P7p8HXv38cJ8plbwpiRuDRI2gsNJ0A90937v9WIv0913ozml5AkVYDolhGEuPqUXI0kl5vXscac2ejuEfSvmut1g2bfJLynEShuYUUIGXNmxnZEnBBHzppOnMziRwvQbw/s200/egg_roll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279717995280557778" border="0" /></a>Chinese food is a staple for college students and twenty-somethings living in the city that don't feel like cooking and really aren't in the mood for pizza. I am currently the latter, but my tale of Asian cuisine begins with the former. When I was growing up my family would get Chinese take-out every once in a while but (as I'm sure you've guessed) I was never really willing to partake. I pass part of the blame for this one on to my family who would order things like moo goo gai pan (which we affectionately called "brain") and neglected to tell me you could order certain chicken dishes without the veggies. If they came in the same container as broccoli, I wanted nothing to do with them. So I would usually be stuck getting the god-awful chicken "tenders" that truly should not have been provided for human consumption. Needless to say, that left a bad taste in my mouth - pun intended.<br /><br />Hop, skip and a jump through time to my college years and my man Danny D reintroduced me to Chinese delivery... this time in the form of sesame chicken WITHOUT the broccoli. I was in love. It was meat in a delicious sauce with white rice... perfection! Since then I have continued with this order as well as a few similar ones (orange chicken, hunan chicken, etc.) and been a happy boy.<br /><br />Leap forward through time once more to last night. This is me now in my "not wanting pizza" moment and my roommate came up with the brilliant idea to get delivery before heading out to a holiday party. As I stood there looking at the menu and feeling pretty proud of myself for pushing my normal limits by getting hunan beef, it hit me. I'm feeling crazy and I'm gonna go for it... "I'd like one egg roll please."<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Fried things. Not all fried things though... I think carnivals are taking it a little too far. I mean seriously... why ruin a perfectly good Oreo cookie by frying it? Just dunk it in some milk and enjoy. I digress...</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>I have to say, I had no idea what was in an egg roll. Marty was going to tell me but I told him to wait until after I'd eaten it (just to be safe). He wasn't even 100% sure what all the ingredients were post-consumption I was still at a loss, so I decided to ask the experts. According to Wikipedia, the contents generally include chopped vegetables (most commonly cabbage) and some combination of meat and/or noodles. Thanks for nothing Wikipedia. Despite my Irish heritage I'm not a fan of cabbage and I could tell that was in the mix so I guess that counts for something. There were shades of red and green in there too that I don't think were for the holiday season, but I could not tell you what the hell they actually were. I'll just assume I don't like any of it.</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>This one was pretty much my own decision. I don't think Marty expected me to get past the first bite though, since he offered to finish it if I didn't like it. </dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>I ate the whole thing! I have to say that it wasn't too bad. I think I might even get egg rolls again from time to time. I'm blissfully ignorant of the contents still so that helps, but who am I to argue with the fact that I didn't spit it out? I'm telling you folks... this blog (or web log for you non-web-savvy individuals) is opening me to a whole new world. Great... now I have that song from Aladdin stuck in my head.</dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-89174062852375925692008-12-10T18:37:00.000-08:002008-12-10T18:56:38.364-08:00Really Chunky Tomato Sauce<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6V9qrqTE9QnP8IgvLfrDiDZXHvkSKIUFOWHK9f5PP3DXbBS3pqKEbZwd73aj6DfiiPx_jCsUeUccNXQ4966nyzvTnBK8d_HA9dDjQeMz_WSSekapv-CjvuL8CkgnD1GwU316puu-NcFk/s1600-h/tomato_sauce.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6V9qrqTE9QnP8IgvLfrDiDZXHvkSKIUFOWHK9f5PP3DXbBS3pqKEbZwd73aj6DfiiPx_jCsUeUccNXQ4966nyzvTnBK8d_HA9dDjQeMz_WSSekapv-CjvuL8CkgnD1GwU316puu-NcFk/s200/tomato_sauce.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5278360300405478498" border="0" /></a>Pizza is the Two-Face to my Batman. Sometimes it has absolutely incredible sauce that is flavored right and is liquefied enough to pass through a contact lens (Harvey Dent, or the good side). But sometimes... nay, MANY times it is chunky to some degree. Let me take this opportunity to say that I can detect any chunk in any sauce or dish at any time... no matter how much you Normies (that's what I call normal eaters) think I "won't notice" it. There are some tomato sauces that have little chunks and that is annoying enough... its like the pizza is teasing me. But every now and then some bastard puts damn-near full tomatoes in the sauce. It's "sauce" people!! It's supposed to be a liquid!! If I wanted that many chunks on my pizza I would have asked the nice likely-not-really-Italian fellow making it to just throw salsa on top. Pizza should not taste like you threw shredded cheese and croutons on top of a whole tomato, but some jerks still feel like making it that way.<br /><br />Case in point... a few of us are working late, so a couple pizzas from Uno's were obtained. I wasn't all that hungry so I wasn't planning on having any but a slice was forced upon me when it turned out that they screwed up the order and we were getting an entire other pizza for free. I was told it was a "meat and cheese" pizza so I walked up to get a slice and I saw a lot more red solid-looking things than I had expected. Upon further exploration, these were in fact baby hampster-sized pieces of tomoato (now you know what goes through my head every time I bite into a chunky something in my food) and I decided to decline. Little did I know, the choice was not mine to make.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Like:</span><br /><dir>Catsup, Ketchup and Chef Boyardi pasta sauces.</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Any solid form of tomato.</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>My buddy Dre convinced made me try it... is that a hate crime?</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>My pulse is still at about the same level that it was prior to consumption, but I think I might have a slight surly face on now. I was quoted as saying several times "I can tell they're in there!" It wasn't awful, if only due to the fact that the pieces of sausage were larger than the red chunks of death. I won't be ordering anything at Uno's any time soon though... especially this.</dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-61117580034654993372008-12-07T14:10:00.000-08:002008-12-07T14:49:46.558-08:00Celery<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRkM2lCV5lqJIkLfetWLInVbPi76wzGHHpmBholUcbw5M7sxj7JITlySGKUqlpDo-hFedCsNLPvNpHDAvk4u8ISVn7vbHwNihYysjsp-VjXg0SVMv53Tz1Cou9kKf96EASvbbE5TzWaE/s1600-h/celery.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSRkM2lCV5lqJIkLfetWLInVbPi76wzGHHpmBholUcbw5M7sxj7JITlySGKUqlpDo-hFedCsNLPvNpHDAvk4u8ISVn7vbHwNihYysjsp-VjXg0SVMv53Tz1Cou9kKf96EASvbbE5TzWaE/s200/celery.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277184054672568994" border="0" /></a>This one has a bit of a back story to it, so I'll get started with that. Years ago at one of the Thanksgiving meals of my youth my parents decided I needed to try celery again. I refused. I think something was said to "motivate" me (couldn't leave the table, couldn't have dessert, or something like that) and still I refused. I just knew that if I took a bite of that celery I was going to vomit. Nothing was more certain to me at that moment. So I continued to refuse... "If you make me eat it I'm going to throw up!"... and still they made me take a bite. And you know what happened? That's right. I threw up... from celery. To this day I still got mocked for that at home, but I also still stand by the fact that I was right.<br /><br />Flash forward probably twenty years and I found myself at a similar crossroad... this time with two good friends and a few good beers in me. I sat there with the only remnants left on our plate of wings being the standard side of celery sticks and two people who seemed VERY determined to make me eat them.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Well folks, that would be celery.</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Do Like:</span><br /><dir>A good back rub, but that has nothing to do with the topic at hand.</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>Hurley-Bird and Jebs, during a much needed weeknight distraction consisting of tree decorating and a few rounds at Muggsy's.</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>You know what? It wasn't bad! It helped that I was dipping it in a little blue cheese, but I actually ate several bites. I'm actually happy that I tried it and look forward to future orders of wings and maybe even some of those celery-stick-filled-with-peanut-butter things I keep seeing. This whole blog thing is already a success! Oh, and in case anyone isn't believing any of this... I decided to include photographic evidence.<br /></dir><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPzdZqH-_PFpQrI5bVOmhPgQf-KNnW-ikLU_-C75tmf4e7JFx36leAqTl0mW6vx1GT9_LVex0g9yctPi363kz0bvwWWN0p-I7etWdxdhTFJdVgkgqbmmWhb7Qsp5TJjY4PhcPYyjGd-A/s1600-h/eating_celery.gif"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 202px; height: 273px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibPzdZqH-_PFpQrI5bVOmhPgQf-KNnW-ikLU_-C75tmf4e7JFx36leAqTl0mW6vx1GT9_LVex0g9yctPi363kz0bvwWWN0p-I7etWdxdhTFJdVgkgqbmmWhb7Qsp5TJjY4PhcPYyjGd-A/s320/eating_celery.gif" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5277183375647673202" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Sorry for the low resolution... it's form a camera phone.)</span></span><br /></div>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-36605907455758184122008-11-29T03:54:00.000-08:002008-11-29T04:24:02.672-08:00Family Shrooms<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OLihLxjCnsh5nby_GGZFDvOdSBJoUzS2ng06QjUbtWqKoyH2Esjt2eKX_xfxWVvHSkaaUtcpL2YMmlg_ZfUBINZ9shRQdyzqG7fiess1btpn1IhufK1ORf63bUA7lRustPbkBaWo5og/s1600-h/123059_f260.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 213px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OLihLxjCnsh5nby_GGZFDvOdSBJoUzS2ng06QjUbtWqKoyH2Esjt2eKX_xfxWVvHSkaaUtcpL2YMmlg_ZfUBINZ9shRQdyzqG7fiess1btpn1IhufK1ORf63bUA7lRustPbkBaWo5og/s320/123059_f260.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274053871992133106" border="0" /></a>The paternal side of my family has a mushroom recipe that has spanned generations and is a traditional addition to the Thanksgiving table. I don't know how to describe it other than this is what I imagine a pile of Smurf diarrhea must look (and smell) like. Since it is a family recipe I won't go into extreme details here but I will say that it involved peeling a shit load of mushrooms, throwing part of them in a pot with some wort of liquid and throwing the rest of them in a pan to (what looked like to me) sautee them. It's a mushroom base with a mushroom accent and a little bit of mushroom zest for added kick. So what the hell made my family think I would ever try it? Well, thanks to the wonder of the world wide web and this nifty new blog, i finally found the cahones to step up to the plate (pun intended). And here's how it went...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Umm... mushrooms. Of any kind. I won't even try that hallucinogenic ones. (Not that they often find themselves in the same room as me anyway.)</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Do Like:</span><br /><dir>Salt, pepper, and water. If there are other ingredients in the recipe I don't think I even want to know about them. The mushrooms are bad enough, so as far as anything else that could be in there... well... ignorance is bliss.</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>That would be my parents. They've been trying to make me sample the family 'shrooms - among countless other things - for as long as I can remember, and I finally caved. I'll get them for this!</dir><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>My dad will probably wet himself when he sees this in writing, but they weren't that bad. The taste was alright, bordering on nonexistent. It's that damn texture that got me again though. I felt like I was eating some type of seafood (don't be shocked that I don't like most seafoods) or something else that had gotten soggier than intended. I didn't throw up but I also didn't eat the second piece that mysteriously found its way to my plate. Baby steps here people!</dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5381155702683759415.post-15630190949746198512008-11-27T07:14:00.001-08:002008-11-27T07:25:14.904-08:00Nana's Apple Cake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_V32qrfCekfTGPNHCz0tLh9RUsV2BseizJqd2K6PhKg2eHssOn2RfdzRjYa8auAJX8MLCKDlj0zcICdM-zA153vqWtYPTORWWj7hmSC56LwcNk5uBlGYNNo0QJ0FiZnZXUZfxcNavSiw/s1600-h/NanasAppleCakePK.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 102px; height: 187px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_V32qrfCekfTGPNHCz0tLh9RUsV2BseizJqd2K6PhKg2eHssOn2RfdzRjYa8auAJX8MLCKDlj0zcICdM-zA153vqWtYPTORWWj7hmSC56LwcNk5uBlGYNNo0QJ0FiZnZXUZfxcNavSiw/s320/NanasAppleCakePK.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5273356158453785394" border="0" /></a>Nana's Apple Cake Mix comes from Tastefully Simple and came to my parents' house as a Christmas gift from one of my mom's students I believe. It has honest to God apples (two whole cups of them) peeled and cut up into relatively small pieces. The apples are then mixed with the contents of the box and a couple other things I think... I didn't cook it... and baked for some predetermined amount. If you really want to know more about that, then check out the product details <a href="http://www.tastefullysimple.com/Cultures/en-US/Products/NanasAppleCakeMix157108.htm?CatalogNavigationBreadCrumbs=ClientCatalog%3bDesserts&ShowTop=true" target="_blank">here</a>. But that's not why we're here, so let's move on to the tasting details...<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Don't Like:</span><br /><dir>Apples. More specifically, cooked apples. Give me an actual apple and I will take as many bites out of it as humanly possible. Put that apple in any source of heat and you might as well just throw it away before handing it to me. As is the case with most of my food issues, the texture of apple after it's been heated/cooked just doesn't sit well with me.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">What I Do Like:</span><br /><dir>Bread-based desserts. I love me some pastries and cakes and whatnot. Give me anything like this that doesn't include fruit and I will probably eat more than my share. To clarify, I enjoy fruit flavors in desserts... just not actual fruit. The more processed the better.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Who Made Me Try It:</span><br /><dir>I'm home for Thanksgiving - the worst holiday EVER for picky eaters - and my mom prepared this treat for our holiday breakfast. She baked it the night before and I'd had a few drinks so she was able to convince me to try a piece. At first she handed me a chunk about the size of a golf ball and all she got in return was a blank "you've gotta be kidding me" stare. After tearing it in half and smartly handing me the smaller of the two pieces, I bravely shoved the whole piece of bready/appley "goodness" in my mouth.</dir><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Results:</span><br /><dir>I survived! But I also haven't eaten any more. It wasn't terrible and I might consider having another bite at some point, but I think that is because the ratio was just right. The bread greatly outweighed the apple and the pieces of apple were small enough that I barely noticed they were there. It's important to note the key word there... "barely". They weren't in-your-face pieces but they definitely had a presence. The other flavors... I'm thinking cinnamon might have been involved... helped to distract me from the apple as well, so I have to give props to the proportions of ingredients in the recipe.</dir>Ten Dollah Billhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00884073825523542469noreply@blogger.com2