11 Temmuz 2012 Çarşamba
10 Temmuz 2012 Salı
9 Temmuz 2012 Pazartesi
Charley's Grilled Subs
Location:575 University Pkwy
Orem, UT 84097
(801) 762-0888
Price of Meal:
Steak & Fries $5.00
Fry Sauce $0.25
Steak upgrade $0.20
Total cost of meal + tax = $5.88
Critique:
I think I have a preconceived notion about mall food court food, that all food purchased at a food court will be more expensive with smaller portions. In the case of Charley's Grilled Subs I would say that the price was actually pretty good, but the portions were smaller.
Charley's Grilled Subs has a Steak & Fry deal for $5 bucks. Not a bad deal at all. I upgraded my sandwich from the standard sandwich of steak, grilled onions, and provolone to the deluxe which came with steak, grilled onions, green peppers, mushrooms, and provolone. So basically upgrading added mushrooms and green peppers, for only $0.20 cents (That's a good deal in my opinion). Once again I had to pay for fry sauce ($0.25.) I could rant about having to pay for fry sauce but I honestly think this is becoming the standard now, so instead I will praise those who still offer it for free.
My food came out in a timely manner. The first thing I noticed was that the meat was not overflowing the bun, but rather nicely fitting within its bread home. I thought the sandwich was dry and needed more moisture, usually in the form of grease (I have a hard time with dry sandwiches.) I think there is something to be said about a sloppy sandwich, they just seem to be more appealing to me. If I have to pull out my fork to finish off the sandwich that is a great sign. Overall I wasn't that impressed with the sandwich, the dryness killed me. I guess I could say it was right on par with what I would expect from a mall food court or fast food Just remember you don't go to the mall to get food, you go to buy overpriced merchandise and when I was younger to pick up on girls. Would I ever go back to Charley's Grilled Subs to eat, maybe if I was in the mall already and needed to eat, but I doubt I will head there just for the food.Rating:
Today's Sandwich: 6
Customer Service: 8
Overall Satisfaction: 6
URL:
Charley's Grilled Subs
Road Island Diner - A Step Back in Time
Location:
981 W Weber Canyon Rd
Oakley, UT 84061
(435) 783-3467
Price of Meal:
Cheese Steak $8.99
Soda $1.99
Cherry flavor shot $0.79
Total cost of meal + Tax = $12.60
Critique:
We had just gotten done backpacking in the High Uintas and decided that we were hungry enough to make the 20 mile drive out of our way to try out the Road Island Diner. I had heard they had a mean cheese steak and wanted to give it a try. The diner itself is an old 1939 O'Mahony Dining car. Which in of itself is impressive. To read more about the history of the diner car go to Jerry O'Mahony Dining Cars.
The cheese steak was nice and juicy with large slices of peppers and onions. The steak was an interesting one, it was actually smoked brisket, a new twist that I wasn't sure about at first but in the end, ended up liking. My brisket was pretty good, but my brother seemed to end up with a lot of crispy over cooked pieces. Overall I really enjoyed my cheese steak. It was nice and messy and I needed a fork to finish it off once my sandwich was done. I ordered a cherry coke (made from cherry syrup) which had to be one of the worst drinks I have ever had. I don't know what the problem was with the drink, but it didn't taste like coke and it didn't taste like cherry. I couldn't finish it and asked for a Dr. Pepper instead. I was a little surprised when I got my bill and saw that I was charge $0.80 cents for the cherry syrup squirt.
For the side that came with my sandwich I got the toasted mac-n-cheese, which was actually very good. I am not a huge mac-n-cheese guy, but I would order this on its own any day. It was that good.
Overall I enjoyed my sandwich, but didn't care much for the service or the cherry coke. Our server seemed to try, but just missed the mark. He had a corny sense of humor that I didn't really care for and would have rather just been left alone. I do wish he would have informed me of the price for a squirt of syrup rather than letting it surprise me when I got the bill. The cost of the meal was a little on the high side, but the atmosphere in which I ate it made up for it.Even if you don't like the service or the food, it is worth stopping by just for the atmosphere.
Rating:
Today's Sandwich: 8
Customer Service: 6
Overall Satisfaction: 7
URL:
Road Island Diner
Arby''s Best Philly next to Philly?
Location:
910 N State St
Orem, UT 84057
801-226-2117
Price of Meal:
Sandwich: $4.99 + Tax
Critique:
Well Arby's is Aryb's. I have always enjoyed eating at Arby's. People say that if you work at a place you won't be able to eat there after you quit, but I worked at Arbys as a teenager and still love it today. So you might ask "Why review a fastfood chain" well because of the above mentioned commericial. That their Philly Cheese Steak is the "best Philly sandwich outside of Philadelphia"
I am going to have to say I don't agree with him at all. Although it had a lot of taste I just don't think thin sliced roast beef works that well for me in a philly cheese steak. When I eat a cheesesteak I need chunks of meat dripping with greese and smothered in hot melted cheese. What I got at Arbys was thin sliced meat with swiss cheese. Don't get me wrong, the sandwich was actually pretty good. The meat was flavored well with seasons and pepper (I love me the pepper) mixed with grilled onion and peppers. Perhaps they went a little over board with the name. I wouldn't call this a true Philly, but I would call it more of a cheesesteak. Overall for five bucks I won't complain (much). If I wanted a good sandwhich while on the go, this is the one I will pick. Rating:
Todays Sandwich: 6
Customer Service: 9 (They were so fast I didn't even have time to fill my drink)
Overall Satisfaction: 7
URL:
Arby's
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Native New Yorker
Every time I pass through Show Low Arizona I have to stop by the Native New Yorker to eat. The tradition started with the day the restaurant opened (I happened to be around when it did) They had great grand opening prices which made me buy a lot of wings, and I have been addicted ever since.
Location:391 W. Deuce of Clubs
Show Low , AZ 85901
(928) 532-5100
Price of Meal:
Wings: $0.65 each (normal)
Wings: $0.39 each (Tuesday & Thursday)
Critique:
Over the years that I have been going to the Native New Yorker it seems that my infatuation with the place has been dwindling. I haven't decided if it is because the food/prices are changing and I no longer think their wings are the best thing since sliced bread or if local places closer to home are finally catching up.
They have a wide selection of wings which I love and depending on the day they can cost anywhere from $0.39 cent to $0.65 cents each. When they first opened they were only $0.25 cents a wing. I was like a kid in a candy store. I order a few of almost every flavor they had.Here is a list of their wings. I have tried them all except the Suicide (I love hot and spicy things, but I strongly believe the spice should never distract from the over all flavor and experience.)
Mild This sauce is butter flavored with no spice! A.K.A. Wimp Wings! | Medium Zesty with a little "bite"! |
| Hot Straight hot sauce, they'll make you sweat! | Suicide Non-returnable! Need we say more? |
| Barbecue Hot A tangy combo of our Hot and BBQ | Honey Hot Sweet then spicy…tantalizing. |
| Spicy Honey Mustard A unique combination of our home made honey mustard and hot sauce | Honey Barbecue Sweet and BBQ-eeee! |
| Barbecue Homemade for our BBQ lovers | Oriental Garlic Delicious Asian flair! |
| Pineapple Teriyaki Hawaiian pineapple and teriyaki | Asiago Parmesan Dusted On our mild wigs |
| Strawberry Hot Sweet Heat! "Dad's Recipe". | Mandarin Orange This sauce is the perfect blend of citrus and spice! |
From the list above my favorites are the Spicy Honey Mustard, a flavor that I haven't been able to find at any other wing shop I have eaten at. I think you have to somewhat like the flavor or mustard or you may not like these wings. They are a lot sweeter than you would think, but with just a touch of heat and bitter (from the mustard). They really are a thing of beauty. 
The Medium wings are always good. I like these wings because they are of the Louisiana style of wings which are my favorite. They closely resemble the kind I make at home and love. They have a nice butter base with a little heat and a taste of vinegar... Oh my mouth is watering while I type this.
The service is always different when I eat at the Native New Yorker, sometimes is pretty good other times it leaves me wishing I had a glass of water. Because of the up and down nature of the service I don't think its a restaurant culture thing, but more so luck of the draw.Over all I enjoy eating the Native New Yorker. I heard they have other food there, I think I have even tried some of it, but I don't go for the burger or steaks. I go for the wings. So if you are looking for some great tasting wings and you are in the White Mountains area. This is a must stop.
Rating:
Overall Wings: 8
Customer Service: 6
Overall Satisfaction: 7
URL:
Native New Yorker
The Philadelphian - Sometimes things are better as memories
I use to work in Sandy and I would often eat at The Philadelphian weekly. I have been looking for a time to go back and eat again, but the 40 minute drive has always deterred me. I have been craving their Philadelphian style cheese steak for a while. I remember it being the closest thing I have had to a "real" Philly cheese steak since moving back to Utah from Philadelphia. Well that time finally arrived this past weekend when I was in Sandy for my Nieces birthday party.
Location:9860 S 700 E # 13
Sandy, UT 84070
(801) 572-3663
Price of Meal:
Pepper Steak: 6 inch $4.25
Onion Rings: $3.55
Total: $7.80 + tax
Critique:
I don't know if my concept of a "real" cheesesteak has been skewed with time, or if my own standards of what I expect from a Philly has changed, but I walked away from The Philadelphian extremely disappointed.
I am not even sure if I could call their "Philadelphian" a Philly cheesesteak. It was nothing like I remembered. I think my closest comparison would be the Arby's cheesesteak. The meat was pleasantly seasoned but was thinly sliced which doesn't lend well in my opinion to a steak sandwich. Deli meat should never be described as steak. One problem with thinly slicing the meat is that you loose a lot of the natural flavor and juice of the meat and it ends up tasting dry. I love a nice juicy cheesesteak, one that as you eat it juices drip onto your hands and into your plate. Consequently my sandwich was dry and the small amount of provolone cheese didn't help the cause. The rest of the sandwich was topped with what I can only guess were fresh vegetables like bell peppers and mushrooms (Their produce sat in open boxes in the dinner area for all the customers to see, so I can assume this is also what was on our sandwiches.) and even though they were fresh they had a very odd flavor to them that both my wife and I noticed.
One bright note of my experience was that I ordered the home made onion rings and I really liked them. They were hand dipped in a homemade batter and deep fried until crispy. I like the batter they used and it was very refreshing to have some onion rings that didn't seem to be store bought. The ironic thing about the onion rings is that most people don't like them, but love the sandwiches so maybe I was having a backwards day.Usually I wouldn't comment on the cleanliness of the building but in this case I feel like I have to. I haven't eaten in this dirty of a restaurant since I was in Tijuana Mexico. My wife commented that she wondered how they passed their health and safety inspections, this place made a truck stop restroom look clean. The tables were not clean, there was food all over the floors the garbage cans were overflowing and I didn't even dare to touch the counter-tops. Oddly enough I don't think the place has changed in all of those years since I ate there while working in Sandy, the filthiness of the place didn't bother me back then, but yet it did now. It might have had something to do with my family being there with me.
Overall I went home greatly displeased with my meal and embarrassed because I had talked up The Philadelphian so much to my wife and she couldn't even finish her 4 inch sandwich. The best part about having eaten there is that now I don't have to think of ways to make it back like I did before.
Rating:
Today's Sandwich: 4
Customer Service: 5
Overall Satisfaction: 4
URL:
The Philadelphian
8 Temmuz 2012 Pazar
Vegetable Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
Vegetable Turkey and Wild Rice Soup
http://savoryseasonings.blogspot.com/
3 cup onions, diced (or a combination of 2 cups onions diced and ½ cup frozen minced caramelized onions)
2 ½ cups celery, diced
2 ½ cups carrots, peeled and diced
Salt
Pepper
Oregano
2 bay leaves
Thyme
Sage
3 cups shredded turkey
6 cups turkey broth
1 cup Long grain and wild rice blend
To make a creamy soup
2 cups Rice milk (or your preferred milk)
1/2 cup Potato Starch (or your preferred thickener)
Dice vegetables , then sauté over medium heat until onions are transparent and celery and carrots are cooked through. Add in seasonings to taste. Then stir in shredded turkey and turkey broth. Bring to a boil, then add in rice. Cover with a lid, reduce heat to low and simmer for 25 minutes or until rice is fully cooked. Remove bay leaves. Serve as is for a clear broth soup.
For a creamy soup, reduce recipe to include 4 cups turkey broth, then add 2 cups of rice milk or your preferred milk. In a separate jar mix together potato starch and cold water. Seal with a lid and shake well to combine (this is called a slurry). Slowly pour the slurry into the soup and stir over medium heat until thickened.
*****
This is a really easy way to use up the small bits of meat leftover from Thanksgiving dinner. After carving the turkey, I remove all the small bits of meat off the bone and freeze in 3 cup proportions until I’m ready to make this soup. 
Vegetable Beef Stew
Vegetable Beef Stew
http://savoryseasonings.blogspot.com/
1 LB beef (your choice of cut), cut into ½ inch cubes
Olive oil
Peppered Roast Rub
Water
1 onion, diced (or 1/4 cup of caramelized onions finely minced)
6 long carrots, peeled and diced into 1/4 inch pieces
3 celery sticks, diced into 1/4 inch pieces
8 russet potatoes, diced into 1/2 inch cubes
Over medium heat, add 1 TBSP of olive oil to your pan. Once hot, sear the beef on each side. Season generously with Peppered Roast Rub mix, approximately 1/2 TBSP. Add in enough water to cover the meat, reduce the heat to low. Cover with a lid and allow to simmer for 1-2 hours. While meat is cooking, dice onions, carrots and celery. After 1-2 hours, add in your vegetables and an additional 1/2 cup of water. Cover with a lid and allow to cook for an additional 1-2 hours or until vegetables are tender and beef is tender.
Remove 1 cup of vegetables and liquid from the pan and puree in a food processor or blender. Process until it’s creamy and smooth. Add the creamy vegetables back into the pan of beef and vegetables. Stir together until the beef stew is thickened. Add additional water if you prefer a thinner stew. Taste and adjust seasonings to your preference, adding up to an additional 1/2 TBSP of Peppered Roast Rub.
Easy skillet bread goes along perfectly with this dish.
Freezes well.
****
This is a common winter meal for us. It’s simple and very hearty and tastes wonderful. We have purchased our beef from Utah Natural Meat for the past several years and have been so pleased with the quality and taste. It makes such a difference finding a reputable company to purchase meat from. The cattle are local, all natural and grass fed.
Corn Tortillas
Corn Tortillas
http://savoryseasonings.blogspot.com/
2 cups Masa harina
1 1/4 cups hot water
¼ tsp. salt
In a medium bowl, mix together masa harina and hot water until thoroughly combined. Add a little more water if dough seems to dry. Turn dough onto a clean surface and knead until pliable and smooth. If dough is too sticky, add more masa harina; if it begins to dry out, sprinkle with water.
Preheat a cast iron skillet or griddle to medium-high.
Divide dough into balls. Using a tortilla press or a rolling pin, press each ball of dough flat between two sheets of plastic wrap.
Immediately place tortilla in preheated pan and allow to cook for approximately 50 seconds. Turn tortilla over to brown on second side for approximately 50 seconds more, then transfer to a plate. Repeat process with each ball of dough. Keep tortillas covered with a towel to stay warm and moist until ready to serve. Makes 16 tortillas.
*****
These corn tortillas are so fast compared to rolling out flour tortillas. From start to finish, I can make 16 tortillas in 15 minutes! You can find a corn tortilla press at most kitchen specialty stores.
Arroz con pollo
Arroz con pollo
http://savoryseasonings.blogspot.com/
1 TBSP Olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
1/2 of a (1) LB bag frozen bell pepper strips (or 2 fresh peppers), cut into 1/2” pieces
2 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1” cubes
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1 (14 oz) can of diced tomatoes or (2 cups of frozen roasted tomatoes), drained
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 bay leaves
Salt
Pepper
3/4 cup frozen or freeze dried peas
3 cups chicken broth
1 cup wild rice blend
Over medium heat sauté onions and bell peppers in olive oil. Then add the chicken breasts and sear on each side. Add the minced garlic cloves and tomatoes. Then stir in the paprika, thyme, oregano, salt, pepper and bay leaves.
Add in the frozen peas, chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil. Add rice, then reduce heat to low. Cover and cook according to the rice’s directions (between 20-50 minutes depending on the rice blend). Taste, then adjust seasonings as needed.
*****
This is a simple and quick dish but has a lot of flavor. My daughter even enjoys the blend of seasonings. Recipe adapted from “Everyday Easy One-Pot Meals.”
Corn Tortilla Chips
Corn Tortilla Chips
http://savoryseasonings.blogspot.com/
Corn tortillas
Olive oil spray (I use Misto)
Salt
Paprika or a mild chili powder (optional)
Stack tortillas and cut into triangles as you would cut a pizza. Arrange tortilla wedges on cookie sheet pan with 1/4" of space between each wedge. Lightly spray with olive oil, the sprinkle with salt and a mild chili powder.
Bake at 400 F for 12-20 minutes or until chips are crisp (after 12 minutes, check every 1-2 minutes). After removing from the oven, wait 5-10 minutes to allow them to fully crisp.
*****
These are awesome if you cook them just right to get them nice and crunchy. Not so great if you get impatient and take them out while they are still a little soft. There is also the option to pan fry the tortillas before baking for additional flavor.
7 Temmuz 2012 Cumartesi
On Loss of a Sibling
The mirror shows no reflectionYet there is a "shadow mourner" that no one cares to seelet alone me.Siblings rule when they are alive.yet when one dies,the world only seesthe parents cry.The tears in sissy's eyesmust be dried.Someone has to serve the chickenthe macaroni salad and the pie.Not to say of cleaning up the mess after everyone says their goodbyes.Yet the beastof griefstill lies within.Crying, dying,caged, with ragejust waiting,hoping,to be let outto be held and heard. ©-Copyright December 2011 L. Soady-Lutz
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Shopping with Wayfair for my Football Fan Family
Wayfair
I am proud to say that we are a family united. Together we stand. With one exception.: Football.
When it comes to college football this FANMAT would describe our household perfectly.
We are divided 3-3.
When it comes to the NFL, all six of our family members have our own favorite team. It is not easy to find everything for everyone. In fact, I used to hate shopping for NFL items. Not anymore. Wayfair makes it easy and at reasonable prices. No longer do I have to run around all over town trying to find something a store ultimately does not carry or wants to charge me an arm and a leg for. Giving me more time to get home and watch the game. Thanks to Wayfair ( AKA Santa Claus) my son received
this
NFL Jets Throw Blanket
and this
NFL New York Jets Face Off-Hat
He is absolutely thrilled with his new hat and throw. The hat fits hims perfectly.The throw is 60x 90, extremely plush and comfortable.
I am pretty sure he would take them both to school with him if it was allowed.
(He did take them both on a 3 day trip over winter break)
He does fall sleep with them. As you can see in this photo:
And "DD" does need his sleep. Because football can be brutal. Especially when your team doesn't make it to the playoffs. In fact out of the 6 teams we root for in this family,
only 1 team has a chance of going all the way to the Superbowl this year.
That would be MY team:)
If you are looking for some great NFL or sports items, or pretty much anything for your household ,
I highly suggest you shop at Wayfair.
I am sure that you can find something for the numerous fans in your life.
Shopping at Wayfair. is always a WIN!
Disclosure:
I was contacted by Wayfair &
given the opportunity to review the items of my choice.
All opinions are expressed in this review are my own.
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