Who knows how some family traditions get started. I think the tradition of eating oysters on the half shell Thanksgiving Day got started when I brought a couple pints of already shucked oysters to Bunny’s to make scalloped oysters. Mark and Granddaddy started fishing them out of the container and I had to bat them away.  So to protect my precious scalloped oysters, I bought a couple dozen fresh oysters and a shucking knife one year.

That was at least five years ago. This is how the oyster shucking session goes. It has to be at least below 50 degrees, of course. Coats are required and mittens would be, too, if we weren’t afraid of getting fuzz all over our bivalves. We always eat oysters outside because Bunny just can’t abide them. Mark starts out shucking them, using one of Bunny’s dish towels (we don’t tell her an oyster-juice-soaked dish towel is thrown in with the rest of her laundry). It can take a lot of muscle to shuck an oyster, which is why I hurry back and forth getting crackers and paper towels, so as not to actually have to shuck one. Granddaddy busies himself raking leaves in the front yard, so as not to actually have to shuck one. Noah has to be dragged away from a computer game. He always arrives after almost all the oysters are shucked. So, as you may surmise, Mark not only starts the shucking but finishes it.

The cocktail sauce is homemade, of course: Ketchup, horseradish, lemon juice and Worchestershire sauce. If you want to make your own, start out with about a cup of ketchup and add two teaspoons of horseradish. Add about a 1/2 teaspoon of lemon juice and a couple shots of Worchestershire sauce. Now taste it and adjust to your liking.

We always eat our oysters the same way: Saltine cracker topped with an oyster and a dollop of sauce. Noah says some foods just make your stomach dance. Fresh shucked oysters on Thanksgiving. We are doing the hokey-pokey all over the yard.

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Whenever you go to a fast food establishment, be it McDonald’s or Arby’s or Wendy’s, and you get your delights to go, they always give you those obnoxious, tiny ketchup packets.  I have several qualms with these petit sachets.  1.) They are made of a very slippery material, rendering them terribly difficult to open.  Especially when your hands are covered in grease and ketchup.  2.) After successfully managing to open the slippery packet, ketchup inevitably explodes everywhere, making opening the next one an even bigger struggle.  It is a slippery cycle and a vicious slope.  3.) Most annoyingly, once liberated, there is only enough ketchup for about two and a half fries.  At the end of my meal it looks like I’ve eaten a dozen Big Macs and a pound of fries, when in actuality all I had was a Fruit and Yogurt Parfait.

With all the technology around these days, one would think that the giants of the ketchup industry would be able to come up with a better way of providing consumers with travel sized portions of their product.

Ketchup, Catsup, Getsup.  Whatever.  I hate it.

And that’s definitely not the case for the daily facts they put up on Learn Something Every Day. UK design agency Young is behind this website filled with funny comics with random facts. You can order the prints and t-shirts here. Cool is that you can submit your own fact at fact@learnsomethingeveryday.co.uk and they might just use it!

Since I had a very intelligent tweet about ketchup today, this one made me smile:

I love to read

Test

Want to stay trim? Just eat lots of tomatoes, says a new study. Previous studies have shown tomatoes, rich in vitamin C, can help heart health, with regular helpings of ketchup and tomato juice sending cholesterol levels plummeting in a matter of weeks.

Now, a team at Reading University has found that eating the fruit leaves one feel satisfied, suppressing the urge to snack, and also help one shed the excess weight, the ‘Daily Mail’ reported. According to researchers, it could be because tomatoes are rich in compounds that alter levels of appetite hormones, making them an easy — and cheap — way to keep hunger pangs at bay. In fact, the study is based on findings from research into the benefits of enriching white bread with fruit as well as vegetables.

A small group of normal weight women aged between 18 and 35 were offered cream cheese sandwiches that had been made with either white bread or bread enriched with carrots or tomatoes. It was thought that the extra fibre provided by the carrot would make the carrot-bread lunches the most filling. Instead, the tomato bread was the most satisfying.

According to the researchers, further research will focus on whether eating tomatoes alters levels of appetite- regulating hormones, including ghrelin. A lower level of ghrelin makes people feel full. However, it is not known which part of the tomato dulls the appetite, but it may be lycopene, the pigment that gives tomatoes their red colour.

Lycopene is already credited with a host of health benefits, from warding off cancer to boosting fertility. It is thought to be particularly effective at combating prostate cancer, protecting against the disease and slowing its progress when it does develop

OMGosh, people, it’s almost Thanksgiving! Where has this year gone? Really, now!

But with the autumn and winter, we get some really awesome seasonal foods to play around with–one of my favorites being the sweet potato. Now, granted, before I lived by myself (i.e., a few months ago), I never cooked sweet taters. My mom always did. And they were damn delicious, too.

I would always fall into the trap of Burgerville’s seasonal sweet potato fries, and I was ALWAYS disappointed. They just weren’t special.

So this year, in the absence of both my mother AND Burgerville, I decided to try my hand at scratch sweet potato fries.

First, peel your potato:

Then, if you don’t have super-duper sharp knives, I can tell you right now that you won’t be able to cut these bad boys. I was SHOCKED at how hard they were. I had to stick them in the microwave for a few minutes just to soften them enough to cut.

When you can cut them, cut them into fry-shapes, however thick or thin you want them. Then place them on a baking sheet that’s been greased or sprayed:

What you do next is basically up to you. If you want them super crisp and delicious, toss with a little bit of olive oil. If you want to be nice and healthy, use cooking spray instead. Add some salt and pepper. If you like them spicy, sprinkle with some cayenne pepper.

Bake your potatoes in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 45 minutes.

These sweet potato fries will be different than the ones in restaurants. The high sugar content will make them get a little charred around the edges, but it’s really delicious that way–they get crispy and almost caramelized. You’ll see for yourself!

For a finishing touch, I dipped my delicious fries in some Tribal Moose Cranberry Ketchup. This stuff is freaking AWESOME, and was perfect with the fries. Also, it’s great because 100 percent of the proceeds from this product go to the Salvation Army. So you’re eating something fantastic and healthy (no HFCS, here!) and doing something great for the community.

Mmm!!! Delicious!

I also used this on my spicy black bean burger with provolone, mushrooms, and avocado on a ciabatta roll.

You guys have to try this. It’s one of my favorite meals so far.

So Max asked today : “What does the ‘57′ stand for in Heinz’s famous slogan, ‘57 Varieties?’” -

I decided to check it out and see so in case you were wondering :

the Heinz company’s official Web site states: “While riding a train in New York City in 1896, Henry Heinz saw a sign advertising 21 styles of shoes, which he thought was clever. Although Heinz was manufacturing more than 60 products at the time, Henry thought 57 was a lucky number. So, he began using the slogan ‘57 Varieties’ in all his advertising. Today the company has more than 5,700 products around the globe, but still uses the magic number of ‘57.’”

I should have studied today but there is always tomorrow ha. ADRIANNA COMES HOME TOMORROW TOO WOO!!!

Song of the day: Hurricane – bob dylan

lmh

Ahhh, the pleasures of the weekends! I have to share what happened on Sat. morning. We woke up late and I had to run to the gym before we had a chance to have breakfast. Guess what was waiting from when I got back?!  Eggs with tomatoes! Remember the recipe? My family got it from the blog and prepared it! And it was yummy, too.  Ain’t it nice to have a blog?

This is a weekend post not because it’s hard or time consuming to make. It’s really easy and yummy. Dinner,  though, it is not.  I’m posting it as per my daughter’s request. You see this is an improvised recipe that I made some time ago using leftover puff pastry and named it after my daughter. She loves “Melinakia” and she made herself the ones we had on Saturday! Now my son wants a dish named after him…

Recipe

Ingredients (for about 9 squares)

• pre-cut square puff pastry pieces or regular puffy pastry sheets cut in squares ( approximately 9 squares per sheet, 18 total for a packet with two sheets)
• a few tablespoonfuls of ketchup
• 2 big tomatoes cut in small cubes
• half a pound crumbed feta cheese
• finely chopped parsley
• salt optional

How to make: Put the puff pastry squares in a baking sheet (about 6 fit in mine). Spread ketchup like you’d spread butter on your bread.  Put a tablespoon or more of cubed tomates in the middle of each square. Some salt optional. Add a teaspoon or more crumbed feta cheese on top and top it off with the parseley. Bake in pre-heated oven (390 F) for about 40 minutes or until the pastry gets a nice golden color. Remove from the oven and put the next bunch.

Notes and tips: We made “Melinakia” on Sat. before we went shopping. A rare moment that I wouldn’t have parsley in the fridge but there you go, it happened. I used oregano instead, which you see in the photo. You use parsley, please.   Before posting this, I search the web for ’sfoliatakia’ (reek word for small puff pastry).  I did not find this particular recipe but I found other recipes for what you can put on the pastry. I’ll post them when I’ve tried them.

leftover beef stew

It’s happened to all of us. While eating at a restaurant, you notice that you are in need of ketchup, mustard or any other sauce to complement your meal. As you reach over the table to grasp the bottle of sauce, you are sure that the bottle is full because of the color that it is painted. Many times this ends up in disappointment.

The ketchup bottle is painted completely red (mustard is yellow respectively) to show what sauce is contained inside. Unfortunately, that strategy of identifying contents only serves to deceive the poor hungry customer. By painting the bottles a solid color instead of leaving it as a clear bottle, the restaurant successfully tricks me every time into thinking empty bottles are indeed full. I get mixed feelings when this happens. I first feel sad and disappointed that I will have to stand up and walk around to obtain my desired sauce. Soon after that I get angry because it could have all been prevented if a clear bottle had been implemented. If you ask me, I would much rather have a clear bottle with a label stating the contents than have a colored bottle that doesn’t allow me to see if it is empty or not. Right?

Four hungry stomachs, equivalent appetites and a penchant for trials led us to the burger place Bembos. This was one of those rare occasions where everyone agreed instantaneously.  The South American (who knew??) burger place has two distinct seating areas – the inside part which is clearly for the afternoon hangouts and the outside part where a burger can be enjoyed whilst overlooking the bustling city traffic. So as we went there during lunch, we decided to grab a table inside before anyone else could!

The four hungry stomachs that I mentioned earlier, grabbed a different burger each with me trying the Grilled Chicken Burger. They generally have two sizes for almost every burger except for the Mutton Burger and the Grilled Chicken Breast (I guess chickens do not have different breasts sizes??). The large one I had was worth INR 99. Bigger than anything you get at Mac or at KFC but smaller than the ones at Gostana! My friend also ordered for a small pack of fries which according to her was more than what is served at KFC.

This burger outlet is the only place known to me which serves mayonnaise sauce along with ketchup and chilli sauce. Besides the mayonnaise another highlight is the fresh veggies used in the burger. The patty too was freshly made. The four hungry stomachs really enjoyed the burgers with some saying it was the best they have had till date! It took a not-so-well-known Peruvian fast food chain to bring out a statement like that!

I did like the burger a lot. Infact it was a lot better than the last time we tried em’ here! I hope they keep up the good work and keep churning awesome burgers!

This Peru-based burger place was an interesting find. According to Wikipedia they have another outlet in Delhi and in Panama City besides the many outlets in Peru!

If anyone knows any other South American eatery do post here! Would love to try it out!

(Image linked from http://www.brandsoftheworld.com)

Address: 34, Manorama Chambers, Opp. Indian Bank, S. V. Road, Bandra West, Mumbai 400050

Ph No (For Takeaways): 26415599, 26415600, 67100625

A staple meal in our house.  The recipe varies a little each time I make it but this is tonight’s recipe!  There’s not much to say about it really, it’s a simple warm filling year round meal. 

Serves 4 (with enough for seconds ;o) )

750g minced beef
6 thick cheap pork sausages
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
herbes de provence
2×400g tins chopped tomatoes
2 tbsp tomato puree
1 tbsp ketchup
~200g mushrooms, sliced

- In a large bowl mix together the minced beef the insides of the sausages (discard the skins), half the onion and 1 of the cloves of garlic along with 2 tbsp herbes de provence and salt and pepper to taste.  Get in there with you hands!
- Shape the mixture into balls with your hands and place them on a floured plate or chopping board. 
- Lightly dust with flour and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes, preferably in the fridge. 
- In a very large deep frying pan brown the meatballs, in batches if necessary. 
- Once browned on both sides tip in the tinned tomatoes with a quarter of a can of water.  Add the tomato puree, ketchup and mushrooms as well as another tbsp of herbes de provence. 
- Gently stir the sauce to mix in the space between the meatballs and poke the mushrooms down into the liquid. 
- Put on a lid and leave for 15 minutes until the sauce is bubbling. 
- Take the lid off and  continue to simmer for another 45 minutes on a gentle heat stirring occasionally. 
- Serve on top of spaghetti all covered in cheese!

I’ve done a vegan Friday, yesterday was vegan Thursday. 5 more days to go and I’ve knocked out a week of being vegan. Not too shabby, eh? This time around, however, I was much less prepared; I literally decided I would be vegan when I made my breakfast and chose not to put a greek yogurt frosting on the oatmeal.

Pumpkin Oatmeal With Pepita Sun Butter, Nog And Cinnamon Soy Yogurt

It was good, albeit not 100% what I wanted, though that’s my own fault for not properly stocking up rather than anything else. All I can say is thank god coffee is vegan, because I would not have made it through Greek class without it. In class, we translated about the courier at Marathon who ran 136 miles from Athens to Sparta in a day. Yeah, I think I have a bit of a ways to go, but how cool is it that running was someones job?! When I got back to my dorm, I scrambled to think of what I had that was vegan lying around. Thankfully I got that wonderful package from Wildwood on Wednesday so I had options.

Southwestern Wildwood Sprouted Tofu Burger With The Heat Is On PB Over Broccoli

Strawberry Wildwood Soyogurt

Like I said, BIG thanks to Wildwood for saving me on this one. Plus, I got to get a ton of reviews out of the way, such as this yogurt and this veggie burger. The yogurt was a bit thin; I think after greek yogurt everything’s a bit of a let down. The burger salad was quite delicious and spicy! I enjoyed this while watching Days. Would you believe me if I told you I’ve been watching it on and off since 7th grade? I saw an episode while eating lunch at Foxwoods around Christmas time in which someone got murdered and it’s been my crack ever since.

I tried to pay extra close attention to see how my vegan eats made me feel as opposed to my regular meals. This lunch left me stuffed much longer than most I have, and I don’t think it was much of a calorie increase at all. If anything, this meal was heavy on fats, which makes me think I should increase fat intake in place of some protein and sugars in my regular eating. I wasn’t at all hungry at 3 when I went out for a little escapade.

Blue State Decaf

I’m low on coffee in my dorm. Like, really low. Thankfully, I have a few bags waiting for me at home to pick up, but I decided to buy some then so I had some left for this morning.

Thanksgiving Cards

I also swung by the mailroom and found Thanksgiving cards from my mom and grandmother(by which I mean 2 from my mom). It’s so much fun to get mail, even though she wrote out in the cards how they’ll be seeing me for Thanksgiving(hell, my mom will be seeing me tonight…). I worked a bit and wasn’t hungry for a snack until into Oprah.

Peach Wildwood Soyogurt With Grain-Sweetened Chocolate Chips

Unfortunately, this was a bit of a compromise yet again. What I really wanted was some nice, thick greek yogurt. Or at least plain soy yogurt that I could play with. On the bright side this was one of the best peach yogurts I’ve had, ever. And with high protein, fiber, and omega-3’s and low sugar, it was a healthy option too. After 5, I grabbed this and went out:

Banana Nut Kardea Bar

I’ve had this bar to review for quite some time; I was so happy to see it’s vegan, too! I liked the spices and earthiness to it, though neither the banana nor the nut played a very large part. I had gone out for some more coffee and to pick up some veggies dinner. I also looked around Thayer street to find if anywhere sold plain soy yogurt. No luck But I did find an elusive pomegranate Chobani to not be enjoyed yesterday.

Wildwood Savory Baked Tofu, Broccoli With Ketchup, Carrot And Zucchini Slaw With Steak Sauce

Again, a bit of compromising and a big save from Wildwood. In my mind, the carrot and zucchini was going to be part of some great, creamy slaw, until I remembered no greek yogurt. Ugh. The steak sauce was good but a little strong for my tastebuds. The broccoli with ketchup, on the other hand, was genius and delicious. And I enjoyed, though didn’t love, this tofu. I’m not even sure what “savory” should be like, so I hesitated reviewing it in the first place. I think the flavor ended up reminding me of whole wheat bread, in a good way. I’m not going to lie–I’ve eaten plenty a slice of bread straight out of the bag to much enjoyment.

Survivor was sooo good. There has been so much gameplay and twisting this season, I just love it! And once that was done, I had the real reason I participated in Vegan Day.

The Vegan

You know it; it was so I had an excuse to get The Vegan from The Cupcakerie. It’s a vegan chocolate base with vegan vanilla bean buttercream frosting–yum! The bit of food dye on the top probably isn’t natural but that’s the extent of the .1% artificialness I let in and it won’t kill me. I like to eat my cupcake like this because I take tiny bites and otherwise the whole thing gets top heavy. Plus the frosting to cake ratio works out much better on those last bites

Grey’s Anatomy was great last night; I hope someone else out there watched it instead of The Office(you can watch both online afterwards anyway). It was holiday themed and NOTHING goes better together than holiday and drama. I mean, c’mon, what can be made more tragic than the holidays? After I finished all my homework for today(which I’ll admit didn’t look like it was going to happen), I made one last vegan meal.

Pumpkin Oatmeal With Mighty Maple And Tempeh Bacon

Have I mentioned how much I love Fakin’ Bacon? Again, I wasn’t prepared for today, I just always keep this stuff on hand. It’s so delicious and much easier to prepare in a dorm than the real stuff, not to mention healthier. It goes great with the sweet, maple flavor. And personally, maple is the best sweetener. Who needs honey? Let the bees have it. I’ll take my sugar from a tree, thank you.

This morning, I woke up a little zapped of energy. I grabbed the densest, perkiest bar I could find.

Amazing Grass Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein

Much better. I still didn’t feel 100% so I kept my pace very slow. I also had planned to go 13.1 miles but decided to stop after 12 in 1:43:16 because I just didn’t have time to do more. Oh well, I’ll hit that half another day. When I got back I was ready for some very non-vegan eats.

Pumpkin Oats With Butter Toffee Peanut Butter And A Vegan Pumpkin Molasses Cookie, Pumpkin Chobani, Chocolate Amazing Grass

Butter toffee peanut butter. Yum. I’m almost out, so I need to reorder from Naturally Nutty and soon. The cookie actually is vegan but it’s nothing without the peanut butter. I also enjoyed some yogurt(thank you, oh thank you) and my first taste of Amazing Grass drink! I went with the 8 gram chocolate supplement. I used plain water since I don’t have milk. Overall it came out a bit watery(duh–because I didn’t follow the directions) but had great flavor and outstanding nutrition. I could definitely get into this stuff

I’d like to say that looking back Vegan 4 A Day was a wonderful experience I absolutely loved but that’s just not the case. The first time around that’s how I felt, and I really understood my relationship with animal food products. This time around, however, it felt more like self-deprivation than self-learning. I don’t like learning things twice. I even get annoyed when I teacher recaps what they taught in the last class. Definitely try the experience once, I’d say, but that’s about it.

In spirit with the day, I thought I’d mention you can go to P.B. Loco’s website and now buy their Dairy-free pack for 4 vegan flavors they offer. Best yet, add the coupon code DAIRYFREE and get a free Munchy Crunchy! I think that’s something vegans and meat eaters can appreciate

What to make of a food product no one knows how to spell, and whose every pronounciation sounds like a sneeze? Ketchup! Catsup! Catchup! Kitchup!

Bless You!

Seemingly as American as hot dogs or apple pie, the slow, sweet, red sauce we grew up on reveals origins murky as mud.

British explorers first encountered ketchup in Southeast Asia in the seventeenth century. It is surmised that ketchup style sauces were similar to fermented fish sauces. Both ketchup and fish sauce contained salt and vinegar, which acted as preservatives, and disguised the flavor of less than fresh meat.

The first known English language recipe for “Katchop,” published in 1727, included anchovies, shallots, vinegar, white wine, and spices–mace, ginger, clove, pepper, nutmeg, lemon peel, and horseradish–but not a mention of tomatoes. Other eighteenth century British recipes contained various combinations of kidney beans, mushrooms, walnuts, and anchovies. Still no tomatoes.

Nineteenth century cooks experimented with ketchup’s primary ingredients. Lemons, cucumbers, oysters, cockles, or mussels all took center stage. Eventually the spotlight landed on tomatoes. Tomato ketchup’s popularity grew throughout the nineteenth century, but never replaced walnut and mushroom based sauces, which remained household staples. All ketchups played similar roles at the table, primarily adding color and zest to fish and meat.

Locally, H.J. Heinz began selling bottled products in 1869. Horseradish, Heinz’s first offering, was concocted according to his mom’s recipe. Pickles, sauerkraut, and vinegar followed. In 1876 Heinz tomato ketchup took its first bow, eventually joined by his non-tomato ketchups–walnut, curry, grape, and something called “tomato mustard.” By the 1890s, published recipes for ketchup peaked, signaling the rise of commercially produced sauces.

Among Del Monte, Heinz, and Hunt, the three major tomato ketchup manufacturers in the U.S., Heinz has led production since 1900. Ketchup remains the most famous Heinz product. The secret recipe has remained almost unchanged for one hundred years. Though the commercial formula is guarded, visitors to Pittsburgh’s Heinz History Center may examine an 1883 recipe for “Tomato Catsup” written in H.J. Heinz’s florid script.

For further reading:

Pure Ketchup: A History of America’s National Condiment, with Recipes by Andrew F. Smith.

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The Good Provider: H. J. Heinz and His 57 Varieties by Robert C. Alberts

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H.J. Heinz Company by Debbie Foster and Jack Kennedy for the H.J. Heinz Company, “Images of America” series

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The Heinz Tomato Ketchup Cookbook by Paul Hartley

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–Julie

Okay, so my fantabulous bagel melt for lunch wasn’t quite enough food to keep me going through a 4 hour lecture, and the commute home from school (and really, I knew that would be the case). Good thing I’d packed up a mighty fine snack for the afternoon.

Yogurt & granola mess, featuring quince! Remember those beauties I bought earlier this week? Well, I cooked them up with some water and agave nectar into a sort of compote/paste/jam thing.

They turn a very pretty rose colour, and keep that lovely floral aroma. I decide they would make a good yogurt topping along with some pomegranate arils.

I really like the quince, but man, they are a pain to work with. They are SO HARD to cut and core, and they oxidize (turn brown) so fast! Plus they take quite awhile to cook. So while I’m not against them, I’d have to be in the mood for some hard work if I were to buy them again.

Class today was…trying. I was not impressed with my group. We have a big paper that’s due at the end of the term, which we only get to start on now (not our choice, it’s how the course is). It involves us going into some schools to interview them about their food system there. So we only have 2 weeks left of classes, which means these visits need to happen ASAP. And not everyone in our group has even contacted their schools yet to go in there. Not to mention some of my group members haven’t read the outline for the paper, and had no input into our group discussions. It’s like pulling teeth, I tell you! ARGH. I was so close to walking out of there. I would much rather write this paper on my own, because I bet I could bust it out in a weekend, and get a decent mark. Alas, that is not an option. Le sigh.

Getting home from school took FOREVER tonight as well. And it was pouring rain, so my feet ended up soaked through my runners This, coupled with my trying class, did not make for a happy camper

What did make for a happy camper was the garlic bread I found when I got home. If there is one thing I could probably gorge myself on, it would be garlic bread. Is that weird?

Obviously, I had some with dinner.

As well as leftover shepherd’s pie, ketchup included.

And some salad leftover from my parents’ dinner earlier that I only half ate – it wasn’t doing it for me.

You know I totally went back for seconds on that garlic bread though

That plate looks like a crap ton of food, but it’s actually not a proper sized dinner plate, so it’s not as much as you think. I’m just saying.

My mom must have known I’d had a crappy day, and that my tootsies were soaked from the rain, because she said we’re going down to the mall this weekend in search of good boots – early Christmas present. Hurray!

I chillaxed on the couch, watched some Survivor and CSI, and drank some tea – Silk Road Lychee Fruit Double Happiness Tea.

I’m going to be sad when all my Silk Road teas are gone. I guess that just means I’ll need to head on over to Victoria for a visit!

Time to get some shut eye. Only one more day of early mornings this week, and I’m determined to not be late. Night!

So,the was a spike in readers on the 12th, and it’s been going down but still way up from before in every sense.

So, how does one find new readers for a blog like this?  Any ideas or suggestions?

If you’re reading this, and an pass the links on…  I’d really appreciate it.

I need to write back to Mr. Jones.  Perhaps franchise journalism would be a fun venture…  no idea how I could turn that into cash flow though.

Oddly enough, drjohnhayes started following me on Twitter today.  His Bio reads…

Bio Everything franchising. Published author/speaker. How to buy, start, expand a franchise. I facilitate franchise masterminds. Join me!

Weird coincidence?  Maybe.  I dunno though.  Too weird.  His URL links to this site:  Franchise Mastermind

I tweeted @ him to ask advice.  Why not, right?  Although it could have been some sort of SpamBot add or something.

On another subject entirely…  What do you think about me revisiting my Ketchup packets letters?  While I go about it in a goofy way, I really do find this to be a real (albeit minor) problem.  Don’t you?

I keep thinking about FastFoodFail.com.  I need to get it going too.  Have any thoughts on what you’d like to see there?  I had originally thought of it as a photo-driven site… but I think stories could work there too.

When I was younger, my brother LOVED ketchup.  He put it on everything.  Spaghetti, pizza, MAPLE BROWN SUGAR OATMEAL.  Gross, right?  I think that we eventually figured out that he used ketchup to help cool hot food down, and eventually figured out better substitutions (um, like maple syrup).  Regardless, ketchup was always around growing up, I still love the stuff.

For some reason, I’m also remembering a time when my mom poured ketchup on my brother’s head.  Justin, did that happen or did I make it up?  Oh by the way, want to see a picture of what my little baby brother, the doctor looks like?  Solomon and I were at Yankees Stadium with him and his amazing, adorable girlfriend Robin.  How cute are they?

Anyway, back to the ketchup.  The other night I think I was channeling Justin, because all I wanted was ketchup.  For dinner.  While one could argue this is in fact a vegetable, I very strongly felt I could not justify this as dinner, as much as I wanted to.  Besides, ketchup and a spoon?  Yuck.  I dug around my kitchen, and came up with 2 things to cook that would perfectly maximize my ketchup usage.

First, I looked to my ton and a half of potatoes.  While I really wanted to bake french fries,  I was feeling thoroughly impatient and didn’t want to wait that long.  I like to let them soak in water for awhile before I bake them.  I figured roasted potatoes were easy enough.

I took a few potatoes (5 or 6?) and cut them into cubes and other little bite sized pieces.  I also threw in a half an onion I had to use up.  I tossed all of this with a little EVOO, tons of minced garlic, oregano and salt and pepper.  Spread into a Pam’ed (is that a word?) casserole dish (a mini one) and let it bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes.  The result?  Amazing potatoe-y deliciousness.  Perfect comfort food and perfect for ketchup!

I also had some kale I had to use up, so I went with Rufio’s favorite, and made kale chips!  I honestly believe I could eat these everyday, plus they are beyond simple!  All you do is wash some kale, and rip it into small, bite sized pieces.   Spread them out on a cookie sheet, drizzle a little EVOO on top, and sprinkle on some salt and pepper.  These then went into the oven for the last 10 minutes of the potatoes.  They were perfectly crunchy and delicious.  What’s best is that Solomon loves kale chips too!  It satisfies a salty craving, gives you a nice crunch and is chock full of vitamins!

This was quite honestly the most perfect way to satisfy my ketchup craving!  Maybe not the most healthful/balanced meal, but hey, you only live once right?  If I want potatoes and kale for dinner, I can (not that it’s such a bad thing!)

For the record, while I love ketchup, my heart will always belong to hot sauce as my #1 favorite condiment.  I think it might be one of the most perfect things on earth.  Really.

Oh yeah, want to see something cool?  Check out how my kombucha is doing.  Science at work!

Today, Solomon and I (and a few other friends!) are going vegan for Vegan Week!  I’m really excited to go vegan for a day.  I’m not too worried about this challenge, because I think it will be easier than I expect!  I’ve had the idea of veganism in the back of my head for a long time, and think one day will be a great stepping stone to trying a week or a month, and seeing where that takes me!  I’ll post my eats tomorrow (I’ve never posted a whole day of eats before!)

Are you participating in #VeganWeek?

What’s your favorite condiment?

Don’t forget to enter my Zevia giveaway!  6 winners and 5 ways to enter.  Not too shabby!

Head to Naomi’s blog for a ridiculously amazing giveaway!

Check out the gorgeous earrings Nicole is giving away, made by her and her sister!

This afternoon my dad brought home this interesting package.

Obviously, I had to try one out. I’m not generally a liquorice fan, but I figure mango flavoured might be different?

Meh, it was alright. I’m still not a liquorice person. Plus they get stuck to your teeth.

I then had a nice long nap. Curled up under my blankets, Sienna beside me. It was glorious. Of course, it meant I totally slept through dinner. Oops! No worries though, since I wasn’t hungry (lunch was pretty late). Instead, I went downstairs and sweated it out with Jillian and her No More Trouble Zones DVD. You know, it’s tough going through it, but so satisfying when you are complete. My sister has been enjoying it as well. Not bad for a $10 investment.

I was ready for some dinner after that for sure! On the menu tonight – Shepherd’s Pie.

Mom made her classic Shepherd’s Pie, with ground beef, onions, corn, and mashed potatoes. I always eat it with a little ketchup.

I was in the mood for a little salad, so I whipped up a quick Caesar salad on the side.

Looks like that salad is taking over the plate!

Lots of TV watching later (ANTM, Criminal Minds, and CSI:NY), and it was time for a little something something.

Ambrosia apple with creamy peanut butter for dunking. Such a simple, perfect snack.

And now, it should be my bed time. But of course, since I had that nice long nap, I’m so not ready for bed. Doh! I think I’ll go contemplate what to have for lunch tomorrow at school – a bunch of our campus eateries are offering special Fall Harvest menus this month, and there are alot of tasty looking options. I figure I should try some out before they are gone.

It’s a bit hard to see, but…

What do you think I should have for lunch tomorrow?