Showing posts with label restaurants. Show all posts
Showing posts with label restaurants. Show all posts

My Caylee Anthony Opinion

Alright, so here are my thoughts on the whole Casey Anthony thing.

I don't really care.

I feel bad that a baby died, be it intentional or by accident, but babies die every day by both causes, and this just happened to be one that we focused on.  I won't play the race card and tell you that I was intrigued by an opinion piece that asked, "If Caylee Anthony was black, would we care?", because truly... I don't care.  Sorry. 

I know, this sounds harsh.  I guess I hate saying "I don't care", but I know so little about the case, its hard to form an opinion one way or the other.  Since 98% of Facebook got their law degrees on the same day of the acquittal (why else would everyone else have the right answer?), it would be easy to ascertain that Casey is guilty... though a few rogue opinions say its Grandpa.  Heck, I didn't even know the baby died in a pool until after the verdict was read.  So, instead of coming late to the baby party, I figured I would just... well, not pay attention to it.  Or for lack of a better term, not care.  That's just me.

So the other night, its all kind of raining, and The Lovely Steph Leann comes in from her weekend away with Mama Ruthless, and we are both pretty hungry.  What to do?  Order a pizza!

Hop onto Papa John's online and order our pizza... now, I'm easy when it comes to pizza.  The perfect pizza for me includes four things... first, pepperoni.  Not too much, don't kill it, but some is good.  Next is mushrooms.  Next, black olives.  And its all baked atop a thick layer of extra cheese. 

We typically go the Papa John's route because its more often than not cheaper than Pizza Hut, and neither one of us are fans of Dominos.  Little Caesar's is only a choice if you are desperate, broke or at church . Or all three.

Anyway, The Lovely Steph Leann makes it easier because she is very low maintenance--she just wants cheese on it.  She used to go pepperoni, but now its just cheese.  So when I order, I get extra cheese on the whole thing, pepperoni, black olives and mushrooms on one side.  That's it, that's all, order, click, submit, and wait for the pizza to get there.

Forty five minutes later, a ding at the door tells me it has arrived.  I tossed on an overly priced 2 liter of Coke... it was $2.29, when at CVS about 1/5th of a mile away, its $1.09, but that would require me to get up, and we can't have that, can we?

The bill was just over $16, I gave the guy a 20 and told him to keep it (if that doesn't seem like a big tip, please know that I could walk to the Papa John's in about 15 minutes--and I only mention the bill and tip because this parlays into the story a little later).  I immediately walked it into the kitchen, pulled out a couple of cups, iced them, poured in some refreshing crisp Co-Cola for myself, and some lame caffeine free Co-Cola for her, took the drinks and napkins into the living room, then went back to the kitchen for pizza.

The aroma of cheese filled the air, the heat from the box emanating and warming my hands even before I touched that sacred cardboard, that holder of dinner, that box that would soon bring forth, upon opening, a cornucopia, nay, a cavalcade of wonder, flavor, fat and taste... I opened the box and immediately took a whiff of the cheese, the pepperoni, the onions...

(cue record screeching sound)

...the onions?

I glanced on the right side, and its just cheese.  Doesn't look like extra cheese, just cheese.  But on the left side... there are onions.  And peppers?  Peppers!  Peppers!!  I don't do peppers!  Peppers!  Not only do peppers infect the entire pizza with their spicy destruction, the mere presence of onions signifies so much time spent rooting and pulling out onions...

I called Papa John's immediately, was put on hold, waiting about 90 seconds, hung up, called back and predictably was put on hold again.  Finally, they came back to me, and I told them, very nicely I might add, "So, I was delivered the wrong pizza.  Wanted to call you back and let you resolve it."

Was put on hold.  Again.  Finally, a dude that sounded as if he had a little more authority came back on.  He asked my address, and I answered.  He asked me what was actually on the box that was delivered, and I replied, "Martha Calen, 1124 Inverness Cove Lane.  Not me."  He told me they'd send another one out pretty quickly.

I knew The Lovely Steph Leann was hungry, so I cut her out a piece from the cheese side of the mistake pizza... she expressed concern, but my argument was simply that they delivered the wrong pizza--surely they weren't going to take it back.  I certainly wouldn't want any pizza that had been in someone else's house... I mean, I trust us, but I don't trust strangers in strange houses.

I brought her a plate with a few pieces of cheese pizza, and sat down, awaiting the other pizza, the right pizza, to arrive.  A few minutes later, I got a phone call... from the driver.  He asked me what the box he'd delivered had printed on its front.  I told him the Inverness Cove Lane address, and he said, "Yeah, I'm sorry about that, I only had two on this route, yours and theirs... and I must have just grabbed the wrong one.  You mind if I swing back by?"

"I hope you don't mean to pick up the other pizza, cause... well, eew," I replied.  He said, "Naw, I was just going to drop this one by."

Now, I know mistakes can be made, and certainly it is to be expected that anyone delivering a few dozen pizzas night after night is bound to make a mistake.  But at the same time, I did pay for my pizza, and I wanted it to be as hot as possible, and by this time, it had been at least 30 to 40 minutes since he'd dropped off the wrong pizza.  Meaning my pizza had been in his car for at least 50 minutes, maybe an hour.

"Well, that's fine, but I already called Papa John's and they are supposed to send us another pizza."  Got a "Oh" on the other end.

A little while later, our delivery guy showed up and rang the doorbell.  When I opened the door, he just kinda tossed it at me, said, "Here ya go, no charge," and walked off.  I actually cannot be positive it was the same guy, he was gone so fast.  I closed the door, and The Lovely Steph Leann looked up.

"I would sure hope its free," she remarked. 

So, dinner was finally here, and it was tasty. 

You may not care much about my pizza story, but I really didn't want to talk about Caylee Anthony.  Partly because I know so little about the case...

...and partly because... well, I don't care.  Does this make me a bad person?  Hope not.

The Summer of Blogging Day Thirty Six

The Subway Fresh Conversation

Walking into Subway, wanting to eat fresh, picking up a sandwich for myself and for my awesome manager...

Habeeb, in broken English:  Can I help you, sir?
Me: Yes, I need to get two sandwiches.

Habeeb, in broken English:  Yes, what two sandwiches would you like sir?
Me:  I need to get two sandwiches, both are six inch.  One is turkey on white, the other is chicken on parmesan oregano

Habeeb, in broken English:  Okay, turkey. Foot long or six inch?
Me:  Six inch.  They are both six inch subs

Habeeb, in broken English:  Okay, turkey on six inch.  What bread?
Me: White

Habeeb, in broken English:  Okay, cheecken?  Foot long?
Me:  Six inch.  Parmesan oregano bread

Habeeb, in broken English:  Turkey on white, cheecken on oregano.  Both six inch?
Me:  Yes, both six inch.

Habeeb gets bread and cuts.  He places chicken on one bread, turkey on the other.

Habeeb, in broken English:   Cheese?
Me: Yes, please.  Cheddar on both, please, and both toasted.
Habeeb, in broken English:  Okay, cheddar cheese.

Habeeb places cheddar cheese on the turkey.

Habeeb, in broken English:  Cheese on other?  What kind?
Me:  Cheddar.  On that one too.

Habeeb, in broken English:  You want toasted? 
Me:  Yes, please.  Both of them.

Habeeb, in broken English:  Cheecken toastes.  You want turkey toasted?
Me:  Yes, please.  Both of them.

Habeeb places both sandwiches in oven for 15 seconds.  Both sandwiches come out, looking fresh. 

Habeeb, in broken English:  Okay, what on turkey?
Me, speaking each ingredient slowly so as to allow him time to build the sandwich:  Mustard... Lettuce... Tomato... Banana Peppers... Oil & Vinegar

Habeeb, places all these things on the turkey sandwich.  I cringe as the same gloves used to pick up banana peppers with the juice dripping off are now placed on my own chicken sandwich.

Habeeb, in broken English:  Okay, what on cheecken?
Me:  Mustard...

I watch as Habeeb uses an almost empty bottle of mustard to squeeze a blob of mustard onto one end of the sandwich, accompanied by that farting noise an empty bottle is wont to make.

Me:  Mayo

I watch as Habeeb uses an overly full mayo bottle to squeeze out a line of mayo, from one end of the sandwich to the other, a line that looks about two inches wide.

Me:  A little bit of ranch

I watch as Habeeb squeezes the ranch bottle a little too tightly, giving an enormous amount of ranch on one side, then realizing his mistake, he uses just a trickle to cover the other five inches

Me:  Black olives

I watch as Habeeb grabs a few pieces of black olives and drops them right in the middle of the sandwich.

Me:  Would you mind adding just a few more?  Thank you.

I watch as Habeeb now grabs a handful and covers 94% of the sandwich in a inch and a half thick layer of black olives.

Me:  And just a few pickles

I watch as Habeeb then grabs all the pickles his hand will hold, and drops them onto my sandwich.  He's been burned already by having to go back to the black olive well, he's bound and determined to make this single pickle allotment the only pickle allotment needed.

Me:  And that's all. 

I watch as Habeeb folds my sandwich, using gloves that are drenched with banana peppers and black olive juice and pickle droppings.

Me:  Okay, just make one sandwich into a combo, if you don't mind.  Thanks.

Pause

Habeeb, in broken English, now standing at the register: Okay, what sandwiches you have again?

Anybody else? 

The Summer of Blogging Day Twenty Six

How to cook (and freeze!) your greens



Gonna go running in a few minutes because my mom sent me an e-mail to inform me that I should “eat and exercise well to be healthy.”  

Just kidding, I was going to go run anyways.  Thank you, mother, for the advice.  I didn’t have a clue about how to stay healthy until that e-mail.

Saluting to all mothers who give really good advice.     



Wife’s Cancer Costs Husband His Job –Fired After 14 Years at Firm

BOSTON (WCVB) — A Natick man is facing unemployment because his wife has cancer.

Accountant Carl Sorabella got a raise in November for a job well done, but despite more than 13 years with his company, he was recently laid off after his wife’s life-altering diagnosis.

“I got a call saying I had 55 nodules in my lungs. I collapsed. I absolutely collapsed, because I thought, ‘That’s it — lung cancer. I’m dead,’” Kathy Sorabella said.

Being told they had only months left together, Kathy and her husband, Carl, began life’s worst roller coaster.

“I’ve known Kathy longer than I’ve known my mother. My mother died when I was 18, and we’ve been married for 23 years. She’s my life,” Carl Sorabella said.

With Kathy’s health fragile, Carl knew he’d need time to be at her treatments and tests. When he shared the news with his boss, his employment of nearly 14 years was terminated.

“She said, ‘It’s business. I’m running a company here, and I need to make sure the department runs.’ And I argued that I would make sure the company runs,” Carl Sorabella said.

He said he offered to work nights and weekends, but his boss said no.

“And I’m like, ‘You just can’t do that. I mean, she’s on disability. We have no income now. And unemployment — they cap you at $625 a week,” Carl Sorabella said.

“Fourteen years with the company and they just let him go like that, and that’s what terrified me,” Kathy Sorabella said.

Carl’s employer, Haynes real estate management company in Wellesley is a small office employing fewer than 50 people, so neither state nor federal employment laws apply. There is little Carl can do about his situation — other than collect unemployment.

“I just don’t know how to get my head around something like this,” he said.

“And now he’s on unemployment, and I’m on disability, and we don’t know how our bills are going to be paid. But we keep telling each other as long as we love each other — it doesn’t matter,” Kathy Sorabella said.

There is a bit of good news — Kathy’s been told her cancer has not spread as far as initially believed, and her prognosis is now years instead of months.

5 Tips On How To Lose Weight In 2 Weeks!:

http://wee.fm/47vj Check out 5 Tips On How To Lose Weight In 2 Weeks! by my fellow tribepro member, [author], recently posted. Thanks, Ray



DOH Fines 804 Restaurants For Hiding Their Grades

I decided to eat steak tonight to change things up a little bit. I always eat chicken or vegetarian so I thought I’d be a little different. I marinated the steak and made a quick sauce with the marinade. It was delicious. I also used Flat-outs, a 90 calorie flatbread that was delicious! Hopefully you enjoy :)

Grilled Steak Wrap - 300

Juice of 2 limes

1 cup cilantro

1/4 jalapeno (or more/less to taste)

1 tsp cumin

4 cloves garlic

Salt and Pepper to taste

(I added 1 tsp Xanthan Gum to thicken but not necessary)

1 Skirt Steak (or whatever type of cut/meat you like)

1 Flatout Flat Bread (or pita bread)

1 tomato sliced

1 Lettuce Leaf

1/4 red onion

Directions

1. Combine first five ingredients and blend. If needed, thin out with some water

2. Pour mixture over steak and marinate for at least 20 minutes and up to overnight leaving some aside for saucing later

3. Grill Steak and allow to rest for about 5 minutes

4. Slice steak against the grain

5. Arrange steak, lettuce, tomato, onion, and remaining sauce on bread and roll

6. Eat and Enjoy!


About the blog
This blog is about health, fitness, and self confidence. Negativity, starvation and purging are not supported or promoted here. I am making this blog to hopefully inspire and help other people lose weight, in a healthy manner. Feel free to ask advice, I will try to answer all questions back.

About the owner
I’m biz, or you may know me as http://repress.tumblr.com. I have lost 85lbs myself in a healthy way; I’ve become quite knowledgable when it comes to nutrition and exercise. I am a college student studying business management and marketing. I love to cook, hike, learn new things, and of course..blog.  



Well here’s the first post…lunch!

Quinoa with red peppers, onion, broccoli, and some lime soy vinaigrette stuff from whole foods. :D

*Note - If not needed, don’t cook your vegetables. You will only receive the full nutritional benefits if they are left uncooked. Makes sense right? Cooking vegetables is the same as killing vegetables.

Summer is a most excellent time to widen your knowledge of greens. Let’s face it, greens are a good foundation for ANY AND EVERY diet and if you haven’t branched outside of the lettuce family in awhile, it’s really time that you do so.  And, trust me, you’ll probably end up liking it!

While you can certainly eat your greens raw (and you should), I found that when I ventured into the more exotic greens like kale or swiss chard, I liked them better if I cooked them.  Learning how to cook greens is a necessary skill.

Well, lucky for us there are two good blog posts out there on how to cook greens and then how to store the extra greens you either grow in your garden or buy at the local farmers market or supermarket.   

First, some good insight on how to cook your greens - courtesy of Kitchen Table Scraps:

I’ve got three rules for green cooked vegetables: 1.Cook in lots of water. A large quantity of water helps the vegetables to cook evenly, and it also helps dilute the natural acids in the vegetable. 2. Don’t overcook. You really have to watch your greens carefully just a minute or two can make the difference between tender bright greens and overcooked mushy ones. Don’t trust times from your recipe, keep checking your veggies as they cook. And remember vegetables are all different, just because three minutes worked well before, doesn’t mean it will work again. To illustrate how cooking times affect color, I steamed ten radish leaves for varied amounts of time. Each leaf shows the number of minutes it was cooked for. Notice how as the cooking time increases, the green gets more intense, then darker then finally dulls and becomes more yellow. (NINJA NOTE: That’s the picture above!) 3. Shock in cold water to stop cooking. If you’re not going to serve the vegetables immediately, then have a big bowl of ice water ready to plunge them in straight out of the boiling pot. This stops cooking immediately, and right where you want it.

Second, some instruction on how to store your extra greens - courtesy of The World in My Kitchen. Notice how the directions really aren’t that different…same basic cooking process but shorter cooking times (aka you blanch before you freeze).  Here are the steps (I paraphrased  a bit from the actual blog post):

  1. Prepare your greens - wash them in cold water and roughly chop them if you are going to be using them in recipes down the line
  2. Blanch your greens - blanching means you cook the greens in boiling water for just a couple of minutes to stop the bacteria and enzymes from breaking down when you freeze. Start the timer as soon as you place the greens in the water and use the blanching times below
  3. Shock the greens in ice-cold water - submerge the greens in an ice bath to stop the cooking and keep them there the same amount of time that you cooked them for
  4. Squeeze out the water - once cool, squeeze as much water out as you can and drain them a little
  5. Portion the greens into one-cup sized balls - so you know how much each packet is in your freezer and set them on a paper towel to drain some more. Get as much water out as you can
  6. Store in the freezer in a Ziploc bag - be sure to label and date each bag.  Greens last between 9-12 months when frozen

Suggested Blanching Times:

  • Beets - 2 minutes
  • Chard - 2 minutes
  • Collard Greens - 2 minutes
  • Kale - 3 minutes
  • Spinach - 2 minutes
  • Turnip Greens - 2 minutes

There you go.  Become a green queen this summer and your body will thank you!

Stay healthy my friends!