Food Digest

This Missus whipped up a pretty fantastic pork chop dinner in a...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 18:21:49 -0600

This Missus whipped up a pretty fantastic pork chop dinner in a matter of minutes. I mean, one moment she was on the couch watching “Sister Act,” and the next moment we’re cutting into a juicy piece of pork with couscous and brussel sprouts on the side. Thanks, Whoopi Goldberg.

Late lunch — 2:45pm. Two slices bologna, one slice salami,...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 14:45:00 -0600

Late lunch — 2:45pm. Two slices bologna, one slice salami, two slices American cheese, toasted on wheat bread with a smear of Ranch dressing. Definitely was missing a key ingredient that could have made it, I don’t know, less boring. Maybe mustard? Could it be that simple? Very possibly.

Powered up on an apple fritter and a cup of coffee at Caribou...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 11:30:00 -0600

Powered up on an apple fritter and a cup of coffee at Caribou Coffee in Winnetka, Ill. Had a morning assignment and wanted to hammer out some copy before eating lunch. It’s hard to hammer on an empty stomach. Call this a late breakfast.

For some idiotic reason, I decided to splurge on dinner. And...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 18:45:00 -0600

For some idiotic reason, I decided to splurge on dinner. And this pile of sloppy leather-bites inside a halo of broccoli is what I got.

Went to Hunan Chef, in Northfield, Ill., for some Chinese food. Was initially going to get something cheap-o, like lo mein or cashew chicken, when the “crispy chicken” caught my eye on the menu. It sounded akin to my favorite dish at my favorite Chinatown restaurant — dry chili chicken from Double Li. Figured it wouldn’t be as good, but wanted to give it a shot.

FAIL. I mistakenly though Hunan Chef’s dish would be dry. It’s not. At least, not like Double Li’s. It’s coated with a not-spicy-at-all sauce. What IS dry is the actual chicken. Was sort of like chicken jerky in a goo. The only positive was that I ate some broccoli with my dinner, and broccoli is good for me.

This dish cost a whopping $13.25 on the menu. With tax, that totals $14.44. Since the place was completely empty, and the waiter was a nice dude, I left a $3 tip. Can you imagine? $17 for THIS? Oh, the humanity. To add insult to injury, I had to go BACK TO WORK after eating half the plate.

Luckily, the dog loves eating garbage, so she’ll love the leftovers.

Popped into Panera Bread in Skokie to make some phone calls and...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:30:17 -0600

Popped into Panera Bread in Skokie to make some phone calls and grab some free wifi. Oh, and to eat a roast beef sandwich and broccoli/cheddar soup. This lunch was almost late enough to call it an early dinner. Got plopped into a story mid-afternoon, so today felt more hectic than it actually was.

I’ll freely admit it: I bought a product based on an...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:37:53 -0600

I’ll freely admit it: I bought a product based on an advertisement. I’m a big fan of Marc Maron’s WTF podcast, and the coffee hippies up in Wisconsin behind Just Coffee named a blend just for him. There’s something about the gravelly nature of Maron’s voice that makes me assume he ought to know a thing or two about good coffee. So I bought a bag, and tossed some beans this morning into the grinder.

I’m not a huge coffee guy, but it’s definitely got a dark flavor to it, which I like. Just Coffee says it has “rich hints of brandy and vanilla.” I guess. And I’m not going to argue with them that these beans were grown in the Honduras shade. It tastes like good, dark coffee. I’m happy with it. To quote Maron: “Pow. I just shit my pants.”

A pile o’ pizza. Leftovers from Friday night’s...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 20:12:56 -0600

A pile o’ pizza. Leftovers from Friday night’s solo-feast. (And three leftover boneless hot wings, which are essentially just chicken nuggets, right? Who is Pizza Hut kidding?) I’m here to tell you, the “wings” don’t age as well as the pizza.

Back to the work grind, back to the lunch grind. Two slices of...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 14:59:52 -0600

Back to the work grind, back to the lunch grind. Two slices of salami, one slice of bologna, one slice of American cheese on wheat bread with mayo, and a side of carrots and red grapes. A perfectly fine way to celebrate a Monday afternoon. Besides, you know, working for a living…

Snagged this mini-box of Golden Grahams cereal from the ski...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 13:15:49 -0600

Snagged this mini-box of Golden Grahams cereal from the ski lodge breakfast buffet before we left Alpine Valley yesterday. Ate it this morning, the extreme way — by pouring it into my open mouth as if it was a big bottle of Mountain Dew.

Having just returned home from our Wisconsin ski trip, we were...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 19:09:16 -0600

Having just returned home from our Wisconsin ski trip, we were in no mood to cook, so I picked up some food from Manee Thai. I always get the Pad Thai, because it’s always so good, but I decided to try their massaman curry this time, just to mix things up. Delicious. Not very spicy, but had a robust flavor.

Chicken tenders, seasoned fries and a little cup of buffalo...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 12:16:32 -0600

Chicken tenders, seasoned fries and a little cup of buffalo sauce. I’m done skiing for the weekend and I didn’t need to be airlifted to a hospital. This all adds up to a win.

Everyone at the table with me agreed: These homemade donuts...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 09:52:59 -0600

Everyone at the table with me agreed: These homemade donuts deserved special recognition for their awesomeness. Far exceeded the food standard set by the rest of the buffet’s offerings.

Breakfast buffet before the Alpine Valley slopes open. Great...

Sun, 19 Feb 2012 08:38:55 -0600

Breakfast buffet before the Alpine Valley slopes open. Great donut, crappy pancakes (which I didn’t help the cause with, by accidentally spilling Tobasco on…), eggs, hash browns, bacon and sausage. Lots of food. The rules of physics say I ski faster if I weigh more, right? Seems logical.

Beef filet, with sautéed onions and grilled asparagus in a...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:46:13 -0600

Beef filet, with sautéed onions and grilled asparagus in a vinegar sauce. Surprisingly good, considering dinner is included in our room fee at the Alpine Valley ski resort.

Dinner salad with French dressing at the Alpine Valley dining...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 19:09:23 -0600

Dinner salad with French dressing at the Alpine Valley dining room.

Lunch at Alpine Valley! Four trips down the slopes in my first...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 15:01:17 -0600

Lunch at Alpine Valley! Four trips down the slopes in my first time ever skiing and no falls. Miraculous. Stopped to grab lunch with the rest of our group. Had a serviceable southwest chicken wrap and seasoned fries in the lodge lounge, by the fire. Getting ready to suit up and head back out.

The McMuffin wasn’t enough, so I ate a beefy crunch...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 10:22:08 -0600

The McMuffin wasn’t enough, so I ate a beefy crunch burrito from the tollway oasis Taco Bell on the way out. This might be the first of several bad decisions this weekend….

Road trip! Egg McMuffin, hash brown and a coffee from a tollway...

Sat, 18 Feb 2012 09:36:01 -0600

Road trip! Egg McMuffin, hash brown and a coffee from a tollway oasis McDonald’s. Bring on the Wisconsin slopes!

A rare evening home alone, and I used the opportunity to indulge...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 20:08:10 -0600

A rare evening home alone, and I used the opportunity to indulge in a guilty food pleasure: Pizza Hut. Ordered a medium “Thin N Crispy” pork sausage pizza and some boneless hot wings. Going skiing tomorrow, for the first time in my life. The way I look at it, this could be my last supper. In the grand scheme of things, I guess this could be considered a pretty sad final meal, but right now I’m OK with it.

I decided to treat myself to a midday McDonald’s shake....

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 14:10:00 -0600

I decided to treat myself to a midday McDonald’s shake. It’s Friday, and I had a little bit of writing to do this afternoon, so I figured I’d reward myself a little. I had a hankering for a chocolate shake, but as I drove up I realized that the Shamrock Shake was already in full effect. Nonetheless, I stuck to my guns. I’m not a part of your system.