Debonair Dude Says Goodbye

My friends, I have packed up my typewriter and my knife and fork along with my Chop Sticks and I calling it quits as far as blogging is concerned. It's been lots of fun both over here and over at my main blog, "Our World As We See It"
Take care of yourselves and stay safe.
Until we meet again at the table and share a bottle of wine together. Good bye.

HAPPY MOTHERS DAY TO ALL MY FRIENDS.

The Chopping Block': Do We Really Need Another Cooking Competition Show?

I watched the first episode of The Chopping Block, the new cooking competition show hosted by the famously and showman British chef Marco Pierre White. In their attempt to suck us in the producers pulled out the all too familiar bag of reality show tricks: internal team squabbles; heart-string-tugging family situations; heated arguments (replete with multiple bleeps of the “F” word every 2 minutes) between contestants; secret visits to the competing restaurants by a critic (Come on now if this is not a complete rip off of the combination of Hells Kitchen and Top Chef together...than what is?
And just look at this guy....good chef or not, he looks like me after I haven’t had any sleep for 3 days.
And you know what? After watching the first show I found myself not caring about any of them. I just didn't buy into the whole thing. I know Marco Pierre White is supposed to be this cool and charismatic Chef, but I just wasn't feeling him last night. Does that make me a heartless, jaded serious eater with a rotten food television palate? I don't think so. It just shows me that there isn’t anymore room on television for any additional cooking competition shows. We do have several real dood ones and I’ll admit to watching 3-or 4 of them, but I say, enough is enough. Especially if we are going to start getting these “Rip-Off”

What say you, you serious eaters? Do you have room in your busy day for The Chopping Block?

How To Fry An Egg

Eggs Benedict The Perfect Valentines Breakfast

About twice a year I make Eggs Benedict. Anymore often than that and I'd have a heart attack. And weight about 300 pounds.
This isn’t really to hard to make but takes a little work.

1. First thing is to toast your bread and cut in cubes about 1/2’ pieces. Also prep your avacado, and set to the side.
2. Secondly, saute the pancetta in a small non stick skillet, after a couple of minutes and the shallot and cook until soft and the pancetta is slightly crispy. Should only take a few minutes. Set to the side.
3. Now the sauce. In a small sauce pan melt the butter then add the flour to make a roux. Cook a minute and then add the milk. Bring up to medium heat to thicken the sauce. (This is a basic white sauce) Then add the wine and cook until warm, add some salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and keep covered. Right before you serve the sauce add the lemon and dill and stir.
4. Now the eggs as the sauce cooks. I like to make mine in a large 2 or 3’ deep fry pan. Fill with approximately 2” of water and add the vinegar and some salt and bring to a medium heat … almost boiling. Slowly drop in one egg at a time. The vinegar will keep the eggs together. PUT THE LID on, turn off the heat and let simmer 3 minutes. Perfect every time!
5. Now to put the glasses together. Fill each brandy glass or wine glass with 1 slice of the bread cubes, top with a spoon of the pancetta and onion mix, then top with a spoon of the avocado. Top with a poached egg and then drizzle with 1/4 cup of the white wine and lemon dill sauce.
6. This is a perfect morning breakfast. Remember the sauce except for the lemon and dill could be made ahead. Also the pancetta and onion mix as well and just heated up in the microwave. So don’t panic, it is absolutely great.
7. Tradition says that Benedict is served with an English muffin, Canadian bacon and a poached egg

I wonder who was the first person that thought that the white thing that came from a hen's butt was eatable?
Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

DreamFields Pasta

This pasta is a boon for diabetics.It has only 5 carbs that have any effect on your sugar levels.The other carbs are called digestible carbs and do not affect blood sugar.
My husband is diabetic and we experimented on him.we checked his blood sugar 2 hours after eating and it rose the normal amount.
The website has great coupons.

If The Shoe Fits

The shoe inserts pictured here were purchased as a way to "spend" down Ms. A.'s flex account. Orthotics are an important part of this forty-something female's footwear philosophy. There was a shortage of support for casual and dress shoes, so it made sense to spend on some form of support that could be used with flats and moderate heels.

The athletic inserts that go in Ms. A.'s sneakers run about four hundred bucks -- generally not covered by insurance. The high price was part of the reason that a dress variety was not sought. However, sore knees and arches signaled that it was time to do something.

Lacking a lot of time to get to the podiatrist, but still wanting a quality pair of inserts, Ms. A. went to a local Good Feet Store. The inserts she picked were just around $230. The carbon soles were included. An additional purchase was a device called a "Strassburg Sock." This will help stretch out tight instep muscles that can cause plantar fascitis -- a condition this fit female encounters in the warm months when running mileage is increased.

While cheaper insoles can be bought in shoe stores and drug stores, Ms. A. opted to spend more for this set. They should last indefinitely and because the expense was reimbursable, it made sense to spend rather than lose the funds all together.

Anyone looking to spend down a flex account might want to consider arch supports. They are rather costly -- but they also do a great job of relieving foot and knee pain, back strain and other pesky issues which crop up in middle age.

The Little Owl. New York City

Located in New York City in the West Village and it is (Highly Recommended.

I've been wanting to dine here for a while now, especially considering that their meatball sliders were featured in nearly every food publication last year. I ended up taking an unexpected lunch reservation and running into a old friend of mine who happened to be our waiter . I will admit that knowing the server DOES alter the dining experience. The menu is fairly small, but all the options sounded amazing.

I was there with two business companions and we shared three appetizers, the ricotta cavatelli, a duck breast salad and the meatball sliders. The kitchen was nice enough to split the three dishes up for us so we each had a slider and a small portion of pasta , we shared the salad family style which is easy enough with that type of dish. The meatball was worth the raves, perfectly balanced meatiness enrobed in sweet, rich sugo, The proportion of bread to sauce to meat was perfect; I could have easily put away more than one. The cavatelli was outstanding as well, nice al dente fresh pasta enhanced with a fluffy ricotta base. The bacon flecked red sauce was a winning accompaniment. I can't honestly speak to the duck breast, as I did not partake, but my dining partners were less enthused with this course.All three of us had the burger as an entree and I'm so happy I did. I love a good burger, and when I find one that is perfectly cooked and appointed, it is a true pleasure. This burger was flowing with fatty goodness, beefy juices flowed with each bite. The flavor of the meat was fantastic and so were the fixings and fries.

We also ordered their pork chop, which supposedly is one of their trademarks and we were not dissapointed.

This is a great spot, unpretentious and well-executed dishes in a charming space...in a charming neighborhood. We all left wanting to come back for dinner.

I know this is sort of a dull blog to read because I do not have a bad word to say about the menu or the service or the food other than it is too small. But its size does add to its charm. So yes, The Little Owl is a new favorite restaurant. It appeals to me first and foremost because the food rocks. Then it gets me cause of the energy for its soul and the welcome you get from all the people when you dine there. But then, I also like it because it is a dream come true . And while my job here is review a restaurant’s food, and to tell you about it.. I think it’s appropriate, once in a while, to take a moment to appreciate more than the food, and to acknowledge the effort and the dreams and the hard work of someone’s accomplishments.