Tuesday, September 29, 2015
Peace Day Burger
It feels as though every day there is something attached to it making it a day to celebrate something. I.E. today: National Coffee Day. There's also a day that is linked to White T-Shirt day, national grilled cheese day, there's even a day linked to socks. I get it, we live in a world that is driven by social media and therefore the hashtag is now woven into our fabric. cool. whatever. it's our generations thing we can claim was ours. With that said, World Peace Day takes place on September 21st every year. If you would like a history of how this day came about, here is a link and you can go nuts: World Peace Day .
But what i'm here to discuss is the Peace Day Burger. some of you might of heard of this. In a nutshell, Burger King reached out to McDonalds in an attempt to make a hybrid Burger that would combine the Whopper and the Big Mac ( McWhopper )and they would sell it on World Peace Day. Burger King started this with buying add space in national newspapers in an attempt to get this ball rolling.( if you would like to read more on this story click here . )
Sadly, McDonald's declined and went a different route by teaming up with other organizations and launched an ad campaign instead to raise awareness. Ok, fair enough. However, that was completely boring. Way to go McDonald's on being completely unoriginal and being a pussy about it. What you should have done, was accepted Burger King's offer and made a fucking gnarly burger for all of us post about, THUS making yourself apart of the positive side of the treading stick instead of keeping yourself to the old man balls part that no one cares about.
With that said, Burger King still went ahead with this awesome idea and made a Peace Day Burger with the help of some Fast Food Chains: Krystal / Giraffas / Way Back Burger / Denny's . For some of you not familiar with these restaurants, that's ok, you're not missing out. BUT for them, now they got some much needed street cred to folks didn't know. Except for Denny's ofcourse, you all know you've been there late night. Unless you're place of choice is Waffle House, which is mostly a southern treat for those living in the south and most of the east coast. The ONLY catch was... these were only sold in Atlanta. Why the ATL?!?! Because Burger King said that was the location that was equal in distance to their headquarters and McDonald's. Luckily for me, I happen to reside in Atlanta for this quick moment in time and my friend happens to work for a large news company that did a piece on this event. SO, she was kind enough to bring me home a burger to try.
Now the part you've read this far to hear about. . . What was this burger like?!? Well, as expected, due to the nature of this beast, it had a lot of ingredients going for it. You will see here that this is what consisted on this monumental cyborg of a burger. Pretty harmless right?! Well, there are a few things that might throw those with the faint of heart off track: the tiny square patty from Krystal, the slice of Ham from Denny's, and Mayo was also thrown into the mix. Personally, Ketchup would have been a better option due to the nature of this. It's not until you really get to the middle of this thing that you actually get a bite of ALL that is going on here. It's not terrible. BUT again, if these were products that were high end and NOT of the processed kind, then we would have a hybrid burger to shake a stick at.
Look, the burger wasn't all that bad. I also have one of those gnarly pallets that enjoy a lot going on all at once. To really boil it down, it's a fucking double bacon whopper with a different bun, a slice of ham and the second patty is smaller than other. It only looks weird and most people are afraid to try shit they don't understand. Also, since when does any of the burgers or sandwiches look like the photo they promote? Here's what they make it appear to look like:
This is actually nothing too far off from the idea genuineness over at Jack in the Box, with their awesome line of Munchie Meals they serve late night. I mean, who wouldn't crush a grilled cheese sitting a top of a Jumbo Jack after a night of hard liquor? With that being said, if you got to try it, cool. if not, whatever. Either way, it was definitely a cool marketing device that Burger King got right, and McDonald's missed out on. As we all know, if you get your topic to trend, it's a good thing, even if it's a bad topic. After all, We are all just a Pizza Rat trying to get it's slice.
Tuesday, April 14, 2015
Sandwich of the BreakFast Kind
If there is one thing I know, it’s sandwiches. That is one
thing that I could never get tired of making, eating, or even just looking at
pictures of all the live long day. Why? I don’t know, and don’t really care.
All I know is that sandwiches are awesome. There are copious amounts of ways to
make them too. When it comes to making a
meal, I would prefer it to be between bread or wrapped up in a tortilla. Call
me lazy but, I’ll tell you what, it’s easier to just eat a sandwich than have
to use chopsticks or dirty up a fork. Also, if you ever need to get out of jam
and want to take your food on the run, then a sandwich is your best option. They
are a bit tricky to eat while driving though…just like trying to eat a crunchy
taco while driving, that’s a rookie mistake and a fool’s errand. One bite and that fucking taco shell is
cracked in two, your lap looks like a taco salad, and now you’re distracted with
your mistake and not paying attention to the road.
Next thing you know you got
one hand wiping off your lap and the other on the wheel steering through
traffic… all the while the song “Saturday” by Ludacris is blasting out the
speakers. Thus… making it hard to hear the horn of the semi-truck alerting you
to MOVE BITCH GET OUT THE WAY!
In the last final seconds you jerk the wheel to
the right causing you to fly off a ramp like you’re Clark Griswold in Vacation.
Lesson learned kids, don’t eat a crunchy taco while driving, sandwiches are
safer.
Which brings us to today.
The Breakfast Sandwich that would make even the crankiest co-worker shut
their pie hole for one second to give it a try. BUT FIRST COFFEE. Make a big
steaming pot of COFFEE. Basically I just
took all the breakfast fixings I had in the fridge and made something special.
Remember my post Chicken Club Con Queso ? The main theme for that was to use
what you already have in the fridge and create something rather than going to
the store and spending more money on food you don’t really need. LISTEN TO YOUR
FRIDGE. There are ingredients in there that you can make something with.
DISCLAIMER: there’s a slim chance that there is probably NO WAY you can make
something out of nothing because A: there’s literally nothing in there. Or B:
you have a craving for something so bad that no matter what’s in the fridge, it
won’t suffice. You GOTS to get your Chipotle on. No shame in that game.
In this case, I was really in the mood for
something along the lines of a ‘Moons Over My Hammy” that you would find at
Denny’s. What is a Moons Over My Hammy you ask?! It's only one of the best drunk foods you can order! Take a gander at this:
If I lived a tad bit closer to one and actually felt like putting on
pants, that might have gone down that day. However, that sandwich is best
during Fourth Meal while you still got a little buzz going on. It’salso good sober, but again, pants. I really, really
wanted to avoid putting on pants and actually being
a part of society. I wasn’t in the mood to go out and
possibly be put in the situation of a “Stop and Chat” with someone I know.
All the usual suspects are there: EGGS, HASH BROWNS, BACON, WHITE TOAST & HOLLANDAISE Sauce. That’s right, this ain’t no
eggs benedict. But I put it on there anyways because I knew it would taste
awesome and every sandwich needs a condiment. A bone dry sandwich is seriously
a crime. And I know there are people out there that aren’t fans of mayo,
mustard, special sauce, whatever. For once, I would actually recommend that you
dig down deep and find that eat pray love side of you and put some damn mayo on
your burger.
Timing is what you want on your side if you want to actually eat it hot.
You can still enjoy it cold, but cold eggs personally make me
dry heave,
so this had to go down as a hot b-fast sandie.
I made the hollandaise sauce first, because it’s
the most complicated part of this whole process.
I just had a packet laying around and followed
the instructions on the back. It was one of those
packets you can buy individually at the store.
Much like taco seasoning. Again, if you’re going to make tacos or are going through the drive thru, get a soft shell ( tortilla ), not crunchy.
Once the sauce is done, you can at least keep it on low heat and
continuously stir it so it doesn’t burn. I then made the bacon next. As we all know,
once bacon is done cooking, it’s still hot from the grease sometimes that is
still cooking it as it sits.
Hash Browns are followed, because those don’t take
long and demand a lot of attention so you don’t burn them. Eggs and Toast can
follow. The amount of time that it takes to make toast is about the same time
it takes to make a few scrambled eggs. I chose to make scrambled eggs because I
wasn’t in the mood to have the yolk and the hollandaise sauce all in one place.
You can choose what order to put them all on the toast, that part I could give
a shit less about. If you want to stop there, that’s, cool. I put it back on
the grill for a bit as a sandwich to marry them all together between the toast.
If you so choose, add cheese to this
culinary marvel. MIND YOU, that the depending
on the cheese, the hollandaise sauce might not mesh well with melted
cheese.
I wish I had some Tapatio or some hot sauce around to add to
this. That would have added a little more flavor to the hollandaise sauce and
given it that extra kick. Usually I always have some Taco Bell hot sauce in a
drawer for emergencies. You know the drawer I speak of. The drawer that screams
bachelor pad. You can also find packets of other condiments from other main
stream fast food restaurants in there.
These drawers exist because NO ONE, especially people living on a Mini
Fridge budget, likes to waste their cash on condiments. It’s right up there
with having to pay for toilet paper and paper towels. They’re necessary to
have, but son of a bitch, you rather have that money for other things.
So the main point here to remember is, it's always a great idea to turn your breakfast into a sandwich and don't eat crunchy tacos while driving.
Wednesday, March 11, 2015
The Buffalo Chicken CALZONE
“ A delicate little dough pocket filled with tomato sauce,
cheese and seasoned meat” – Ben Wyatt on Parks & Rec. NO better words have been said when describing
what is honestly one of the best things on earth. . . the Calzone. WHY IS IT SO
AWESOME? Because it’s a FOLDED PIZZA. Although
there are many comfort foods that deserve their time to shine, I choose to
create a calzone that was able to silence even the mightiest of beasts because I. WAS. STARVING.
Although
I don’t have the healthiest of choices when it comes to food, I wanted to make
something that was just filthy with flavor. Then an idea struck me like a billy
goat to the groin. . . A BUFFALO CHICKEN CALZONE with BLUE CHEESE DIPPING SAUCE. . .
I had all the ingredients already in my fridge EXCEPT pizza
dough. So immediately I went to the store and picked some up. And I’m not
talking about the crappy Pillsbury kind that you see some lame family making in
those commercials. That stuff seriously sucks. If you like it, that’s cool,
just know, that for half the price you can buy better pizza dough that won’t
suck. There is ONE exception to Pillsbury dough... and that is with the creation of the PIZZA CAKE. Please & Thank You.
Also, when it comes to buying this type of dough, you can make all sorts
of different meals with it, if you don’t end up using the entire batch. However,
in this case, I went huge and used the entire thing.
Once back home, I got everything out that I needed:
*Chicken
*Red’s Buffalo Hot Sauce
*Blue Cheese Dressing
*Pizza Dough
*Mozzarella Cheese
*Cooking Sheet
*Olive Oil ( optional )
*1 Egg (optional )
*Flour (optional )
*Tin Foil ( optional )
Personally, I chose to make the chicken first and I added
some of the Buffalo Sauce to it so it can cook into the chicken so you won’t
lose that flavor with any bite, YA DIG?!?
Once that was done, I made the
Buffalo Sauce by just pouring some blue cheese dressing and Red’s Buffalo Sauce
into a bowl and mixing it together. I continued to add the hot sauce until it
was as hot as I enjoy it without it burning every taste bud I have.
NOW, turn your oven on to 425 degrees. It’ll take some time
to get to this heat, so while this is happening continue with the process.
Shredding of the cheese was next. You can buy the already
shredded cheese if you prefer. I just got a block of Mozzarella Cheese and
grated it because it makes the cheese pieces thicker.
That helps it melt and
hold everything together inside when it’s cooking. I then rolled out the dough.
I added flour to it and then took some egg yolk and brushed it on the outside
corners. I also added it to the spots that were a little thinner than the other
spots to help for consistency.
Once all that is done. .
ADD your chicken / cheese / and Buffalo Sauce to one side of
the dough. You can even mix it all together in a bowl and then add it that way
if you feel it’s a better way to make sure you mixed it all up evenly.
NEXT… FOLD IT OVER! Take the side of the
dough that doesn’t
have the stuffing, and fold it
over the top of your mix of chicken and cheese.
Make sure you roll up the sides of the dough
securing that nothing will spill
out while it
cooks.
SLICE 3 holes on the top of your creation.
WHY?!?!?!?!? This
allows it to breathe while it
cooks. You’ve all seen cartoons eat these things.
Make it look like that if you need a reference.
Grab your cooking sheet, tin foil, and olive
oil next. The tin foil and olive oil are optional, not everyone has these in
the house, so it don’t worry about it. I put tin foil on the cooking sheet so
if any food burns or melts to the foil and NOT the pan, so it doesn’t ruin your
pan and make it look like shit.
Place the foil on the cooking sheet and pour a little olive
oil on the tin foil and place the calzone on the oil. The oil will make a nice
crisp brown color on the bottom of your calzone creating a great base for this
mammoth of a treat you’ll be eating.
The oven should be at 425 degrees at this point in time. Set
a timer for 15 – 20 mins. KEEP AN EYE ON IT. Every oven is different than the
next. Once you notice the cheese and sauce starting to boil out of the 3 slices
on the top, that’s a good sign that it’s probably done and you can take it out.
Once you take it out, IT WILL STILL BE COOKING ON THE INSIDE. You know those
Hot Pockets you crushed at 2am in college and burned the top of your mouth
because you ate it too soon like an asshole? SAME thing here. I know you are
STARVING or your kids are BITCHING at you to eat. Take another swig of booze or
turn on another cartoon episode on Netflix and wait it out a bit.
It’ll be worth
it. When it’s all said and done and you’ve woken up from your food coma, you’ll
be craving these things like George Costanza’s boss Mr. Steinbrenner!
Wednesday, January 7, 2015
FUDGE: Because it Exists
I don't care if you're allergic to milk products or have a vendetta towards a cow, you have tried Fudge and you liked it. If you don't like Fudge, that's cool, no judgement here. None the less, you're here reading this. Fudge is awesome year round. It can be used a thousand and one different ways. This post is mostly about a few different ways you can use it. I don't give a shit if it's the NEW YEAR / NEW YOU right now. We all know that's Tom Foolery when it comes to dessert. I had some left over fudge laying around after some of my holiday baking, so I got creative with it.
But you're ''not creative" you say....POPPYCOCK! Everyone is, and hopefully these will spark you to do your own twists.
FIRST of all, here is what I had in my kitchen to work with:
*Strawberries
*Whipped Cream
*Cookies
*Ice Cream
*Chocolate Chips
*Bananas
*Peanut Butter
and
*FUDGE
Let's begin with what I call THE INSIDE OUT CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY
It's EASY!!!!
Take a knife ( BE CAREFUL ) and hollow out the middle of the strawberry. That part is worthless anyways. Take your fudge and fill it up! I added whipped cream and put a chocolate chip on there for good measure.
NEXT an all time classic: ICE CREAM SANDIE
This is just self explanatory. I took the chocolate chip cookies I had left over from the previous post and placed the ice cream ( cookies n' cream ) and fudge in between them. It does make a mess from the very first bite, but who gives a shit.
We are savages and when it's something as good as this, you can by pass the fact that you look like a wolf going hammer time on it's prey. If you got it, add some cinnamon to it for good measure.
If you want to make a twist on the old after school favorite of Peanut Butter and Bananas, ADD FUDGE. Chop up the bananas as if you're throwing them in one of those protein shakes you make after you "work out". We all know you make them because it helps you feel better about yourself...Or you're actually doing it for your heath. That's good too.
Once the bananas are chopped up, place your favorite PB on them. It doesn't matter how much you choose to put. I enjoy chunky PB. WHY?! Because the creamy kind has that weird texture. That's just me though.
NEXT, I poured the fudge on them. POUR as much as you want.
THEN, put them on a tray and place them in the freezer.
OR
Place them on a tray BEFORE you pour the fudge on them. THEN place them in the freezer
Why the freezer?! because it helps them become ONE and not be a pain in the ass to eat. You can eat them right away, I don't care how you do it.
If you do put them in the freezer, keep them in there for an hour or so. Once you pull them out, THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID! let them sit for just a minute and then just go to town on those little bastards. They are addicting. Great drunk snack as well. With the banana being apart of this whole thing, you can kid yourself that this is actually a healthy alternative to most drunk snacks.
There you have it, THREE different ways to use that fudge that is just sitting in your fridge leftover from that one time you wanted to make an ice cream sundae. MAKE GOOD USE of it before it becomes one of those ingredients that you use ONCE and it becomes apart of that trash you toss.
I would love to hear and see other ideas you come up with as well! Now Go and GET YOUR SWEET TOOTH ON!
Thursday, December 18, 2014
Fridge Does Dessert: Cookie Cup w/ PUMPKIN ICE CREAM
Well, it's the most wonderful to the year once again. And besides all
That none sense hipster stuff like spending time with family and friends, the best part is all the holiday eats. From desserts to appetizers and meals to snacks we love them all. Even all you healthy hippies out there agree that it's ok to cheat on your diet every now and again. Why is it ok?! Because you're human damn it and it tastes awesome. Don't neglect your taste buds during this time of the year. No one can judge you for going to town on Brie Cheese or Candy Cane Fudge. If they do, tell them to go put on the Jamiroquai album and go kick rocks!!!!
I had remembered seeing a dessert months back that was a cake cup with ice cream in it. BOMB DOT COM i know!!!! So I wanted to experiment with how to make something similar before taking it to the party and have it be a total Pinterest Fail. That's right I said it, PINTEREST, I'm on it, and zero fucks are given. I'll Pinterest while drinking whiskey and watching The Walking Dead. What's Good?! Anyways, so I made my over to the store to buy my ingredients. As I'm enroute to the store I thought about making the cup out of cookie dough instead of cake and because cookies are awesome. ALSO, because it's fall, the ice cream must be Pumpkin. Because you know... the fall season means PUMPKIN EVERYTHING.
I came home with:
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough
• Pumpkin Ice Cream
• Peppermint Whipped Cream
The only thing I used was a cupcake sheet and spoon to get the ice cream out of the carton.
I buttered up each individual cupcake thing, and placed the cookie dough inside making it into a cup. Use your own judgement on how much dough to use. Make sure the bottom isn't that thin of a layer. I heated the oven to 375 degrees so you can keep an eye out on it. I placed the sheet in the oven and around 7 mins I pulled them out. THAT'S WHAT SHE SAID!
What you'll notice is the cookies have started to fill in and not looking like a cup like you had it. That's fine. That's why we pull them out at the 7 minute mark. Take a knife and gently push the uncooked cookie back to the sides of the sheet so it creates the cup shape again. Let it sit for a minute. I then put cinnamon and a little fudge in them at this point. After a minute I put them back in the oven. Another 5-6 minutes, pull then out, and again take the knife and push the cookie around if it still doesn't look like a cup. Then let them sit for a good 5-10 minutes. Once cooled down, you can take them out of the cupcake sheet.
Now that they are out of the tray, you can the ice cream! I chose Pumpkin Ice Cream, but add whatever you like! It's your taste buds that your satisfying. Once you add enough to fill the cookie, then take that whipped cream, put as much as your little dessert loving heart desires. Finally, add a little cinnamon to the top for good measure. You don't like cinnamon?! OKKKK BRO, then you don't have to. It's there for presentation to make it look good. Kind of like how sesame seeds are added to a bun. They don't add that much to the bun, but it sure makes it look more appeasing, don't it?!?!
So there you have it folks, an easy way to make a cookie more useful. Not that a cookie wasn't wanted before, but now you can also use it as a means to hold your ice cream and leave no evidence behind. Unless you are a messy eater and you get it all over your shirt. In this case, wear one of those cool bibs with a lobster on it that way you can toss that when you're done, THUS leaving no evidence behind. And if your friends give you shit for wearing a lobster bib during a holiday party, draw a Santa hat on him... THAT'LL SHOW THEM!!!!
Friday, November 7, 2014
BBQ Bacon Brie L.T.
BBQ BACON BRIE L.T.
Earlier this week, Monday
to be exact, it was brought to my attention that it was National
Sandwich Day. Being the foodie that I am, it was a tragedy that I didn't
know this information. However, in my defense, in our culture today,
literally everyday is a day to give a shout out to something.
Whether
it's a cat, a bamboo plant, or sing like Akon Day, there's something.
But in my realm, National Sandwich Day is pretty epic because there is
nothing better than the almighty Sandwich. I have also chosen to make
this week:
Fridge Sandwich Week on my Instagram account: http://instagram.com/minifridgeblog#
Why is this topic blog worthy? It's because every human on the planet
can relate to some kind of sandwich. And just like being a human, every
sandwich is different from the last, much like a fingerprint. We all
like ours done a certain way ( that's what she said! ). From the many
different options of bread to use to the condiments we chose to add, or
not to add if you prefer yours dry. I'm personally a sucker for the
Mustard/Mayo combo.
• Side Note • There is a sandwich chain called 'Port of Subs' located in Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and some spots in Southern California that has Mustard and Mayo already mixed together, so when you ask for that on your hoagie, they already have the spread. Why is his awesome?! It's because you will get an equal amount of both. Unless you like a little more than the other, and that's cool! See, again, another exams of how every sandwich is different from the last.
• Side Note • There is a sandwich chain called 'Port of Subs' located in Nevada, Oregon, Utah, and some spots in Southern California that has Mustard and Mayo already mixed together, so when you ask for that on your hoagie, they already have the spread. Why is his awesome?! It's because you will get an equal amount of both. Unless you like a little more than the other, and that's cool! See, again, another exams of how every sandwich is different from the last.
So here it is:
• 5 Grain Bread
• Tomato
• Lettuce
• Bacon
• BBQ Sauce
• Brie Cheese
- the next thing I did, was put the bacon and Brie on the BBQ sauced toast. To make sure I got a great covered piece of toast I covered each piece differently.
• I put the Brie down on the toast first then then bacon on one slice
• I put the bacon down on the toast first then the Brie.
it's not top heavy
with cheese or bacon with the ingredients in between. And it's a great
way to make sure the Brie and the bacon melt together without making the
lettuce and tomato warm. It keeps the veggies crisp and not soggy.
There is LITERALLY nothing more gross than anything soggy. Seriously, it causes
people to dry heave.
Now that the oven is up to speed, put the toast you just made with the bacon and Brie on a cooking sheet in the oven. EYE BALL THIS!
Once you notice the cheese is melted up to your standards, take it out, and put the lettuce and tomato onto which ever side you prefer. THEN, I put some extra BBQ sauce on it.
You can then choose to cut it in half or
just eat it as is like the beast that you are. There you have it: The
BBQ Bacon Brie LT.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Chicken Club Con Queso!
Chicken Club Con Queso!
The best meals come together by a little creativity and what you can find in your fridge. The other day, I had ZERO motivation to put on pants, let alone go to the store and buy food. So I went to the ol' fridge to see what i could scavenger up. First thing i saw, beer. Beer is good I thought, so had a few and picked something off Netflix to add to my being lazy. As I was sitting there, I remembered that I noticed there was bacon and queso dip in the fridge. The queso dip was left over from a previous cooking venture, and begged to be eaten again. But I didn't want to just have boring ol' chips and queso ( which is NEVER a bad idea by the way ). I wanted to put it on something more worth while.
I went back to the fridge to get creative. I eventually found all the right fixings for a chicken club sandwich:
- Tomato
- White Onion
- Chicken
- Lettuce
I chopped up the veggies, grilled the chicken, made the bacon, and was ready for lift off!I had a few Ciabatta rolls left over from a previous garlic bread idea I made earlier in the week. PERFECT! Not only is ciabatta an AWESOME bread in general, it will work great with tying this sandwich together. Don't ever understate the power of a good bread choice folks! It will ALWAYS make or break any sandwich or side dish.
I put some butter and garlic salt on the bread, set the oven to BOIL, and placed them in there for a little bit. I watched carefully until I noticed the bread was at a toasty level. You don't want it too be too CRISP to where you cut the top of your mouth when you eat it. NOTHING, besides burning your tongue is worse than eating mistake.
Here is the order of which I chose to make the final product:
- Bottom half of the Roll
- Chicken
- Queso Dip ( i chose to place the queso on top of the chicken rather than adding it last. i did this because i didn't want the hot cheese to make the tomato and lettuce warm and possibly make it soggy. )
- Bacon
- Onion
- Tomato
- Lettuce
- Top half of the Roll
You can choose to construct it anyway you want, but this order worked really well. On one of them I choose to put the bacon on top of the chicken, THEN the queso. Either work. So go ahead! Give this the ol' college try and if you think it's missing a little somethin' somethin' and it works, LET ME KNOW! i would LOVE to try it!
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