darell eats

Testing mobile

2009-07-13T20:11:00.000-06:00

I wonder if this works?
Sent on the TELUS Mobility network with BlackBerry

FFWD: Calgary Court

2008-08-20T14:56:00.002-06:00

This court is in session!
Calgary Court’s vast selection of Chinese cuisine overwhelmingly delicious

August 21, 2008

by Darell Hartlen

A few weeks ago, I got an e-mail from a co-worker. It went something like this:

“You guys are invited to a very special gathering I am planning this week. Many of you have expressed that you want me to show you what real Chinese food is. I have decided to organize a trip to the famous Calgary Court Restaurant. Just show up, and I will decide what to order. The likes of ginger beef and deep-fried squid will not be ordered, but you can rest assured that the food will be good. Please prepare yourself physically and mentally for this gathering!”

With an invitation like this, how could I not accept?

Click here to read the whole story on FFWD's site.

DarellEats On Vacation: Travellin' BBQ

2008-08-19T20:21:00.003-06:00

When I made my ribs and pulled pork a few weeks ago, I froze a bunch so that I could bring it with me as a "Thanks for letting me stay at your house"-type gift to my in-laws.

I also decided to try Atomic Buffalo Turds, which despite the name, turned out amazing.

Here are some pics... the frozen stuff reheated amazingly (good to know) and the ABTs were eaten within minutes of being unveiled. Good times!

First you seed some jalepenos and stuff them with cream cheese, cheddar cheese and some spices.

Then like all good foods, you wrap them in bacon.

Then onto the grill... about 350 degrees for as long as it takes to cook the bacon.

Soooo good!

The reheating ribs and pork.

Stay tuned for more vacation eats...

FFWD: Choose your own chocolate adventure

2008-08-09T21:51:00.002-06:00

Choose your own chocolate adventure
Choklat owner Brad Churchill’s customized treats
Published August 7, 2008

Have you ever thought about where chocolate comes from? Chocolate is a dominant part of our culinary lives, but do you know anyone who has ever actually made chocolate from scratch? Before I met Brad Churchill, owner of Choklat, opening Friday, August 8 in Inglewood, I had not. It’s not too surprising, as Churchill’s company is only the second in Canada now doing it (Soma Chocolatemaker in Toronto is the other)...

Click here to read the whole story on FFWD's site.

Miracle Treat Day

2008-08-06T22:01:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow is Miracle Treat Day at Dairy Queen.

My understanding of how it works, thanks to the small print on DQ's Miracle Treat Day website is that all "Blizzard proceeds from participating North America locations will benefit your Children's Miracle Network hospital. Proceeds are sale price minus cost of ingredients. BLIZZARD, DQ and ellipse shaped logo are trademarks of Am.D.Q. Corp., Mpls, MN © 2007."

Nothing says "It's all about the kids" like trademarks and "sale price minus ingredients."

Out of curiosity, I checked out the nutritional information on a large Oreo Blizzard.

Holy crap!

Now I'm conflicted. I mean, I love kids. I believe the children are our are future. Teach them well and let them lead the way. Show them all the beauty they possess inside. Give them a sense of pride to make it easier. Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be.

But I digress... I want to be alive when my kid grows up, too. Eating 1,000 calorie desserts is probably not the way to go. And this is coming from the guy who cooked over ten pounds of meat last weekend. At least I can pronounce what went into that food.

Ever wonder what's in a Blizzard? I did too...

Ahhh, who am I kidding? All self-righteous, healty-eating propaganda aside, I've eaten Blizzards many a time before and I certainly will again.

Maybe I'll get a medium though...

On a final note, here's a funny commercial with Chris Farley's brother that makes me giggle.

Protect your bananas!

2008-08-05T20:26:00.004-06:00

Don't you hate it when you go to pull your banana out of your bag only to find it all bruised and inedible?

Well, I sure used to. But not any more. Not since I found the Banana Guard!

It's one of those simple ideas that leaves you saying, "Why didn't I think of that!?!"

At work today, someone said, "They should make one for apples or peaches, too."

Well, I guess they were listening, because when I got home tonight and Googled their website, low and behold, there they were already promoting the Froot Guard. Now that's customer service.

Tubby Dog

2008-08-04T13:11:00.002-06:00

There's a recurring theme starting to develop here: I finally got off my butt and did something. Well, know what? It feels good. I think I'll have to keep this up.

So for lunch today, I took a drive down to 17th Ave here in Calgary and finally paid a visit to Tubby Dog.

Located at 103-1022 17th Ave SW, Tubby Dog is the type of place that you'd see—and most likely will someday—on The Food Network.

After a cursory search of the internet, I found Tubby Dog's menu and was able to weigh my options ahead of time. As a side note, thanks to my amazing grasp of simple math, I was also able to calculate that for $62.25, you can buy one of each of their signature dogs... but that's something to ponder for another day.

It was really hard to talk myself out of Sherm's Ultimate Gripper: a hot dog wrapped in bacon then deep fried, topped with ham, homemade chili, cheese, mustard, bacon, hot peppers, onions and a fried egg. Don't you fret though, I'll be heading on back to Tubby Dog soon enough and will post pictures—possibly even video—of that adventure too.

I decided that on today's trip I would sample the A-Bomb. Topped with cheese, bacon, mayo, mustard, ketchup and potato chips, it just sounded like the right choice for today.

Wow. Just wow. I ordered mine to go, envisioning me sitting in my van, windows rolled down, enjoying this fine summer day. Well, there was no way that it was going to happen. When they say toppings, I think they might mean that the hot dog is the side. There was overflow of toppings that ended up on the other side of my container when I opened it and I had absolutely no idea where to begin. I must have sat there for 30 seconds just staring at this thing. At that point I made the executive decision to get out of the vehicle and eat outside.

There was literally no way to pick it up without touching toppings. So, I did the only thing I could. I championed up, picked it up and took my first bite.

It was amazing. Adding potato chips to hot dogs is something I've been doing for years. The extra crunch adds a texture profile to the hot dog experience that I really enjoy.

The balance of all the flavours was well done and the dog itself had a really nice snap. The bun, or what I could find of it under everything, was also very nice.

Tubby Dog is also fully licensed and has DJs on Friday nites. According to their website, they're open "really late".

Here's the full menu. Lots more options to try in the future.

Smokin'

2008-08-03T09:53:00.006-06:00

Well hello there!

I finally sucked it up and bought the BBQ smoker that I've been talking about for months. After just one use, I can safely say that this is one of the coolest things I own.

I assembled it yesterday afternoon and then, as per the instructions, I had to season it. Basically, you just run it once for about an hour, with wood and all, but without any food.

By then it was about 4:00 PM... Really, I should have just called it a day. There would have been ample time and opportunity to cook both the ribs and pork shoulder that I had bought the next day.

But, I'm not really very good at being patient, so I decided to make the ribs anyways.

Here's a shot of the smoker itself. It's a Great Outdoors Smoky Mountain propane smoker.
That's one of our cats, Jack, in the background. He weighs in at about 27 pounds.

After looking at about 50 rub recipes, I ended up taking some common elements and making my own. I think it needs a little tweaking, but for a first attempt, I was really happy. Now I can join the ranks of BBQers everywhere and deny others my rub recipe because it's a "secret". If you'd like to know it, I do accept PayPal.

I ended up trying the 3-2-1 method for cooking ribs, and I think that I'll be sticking with it for the forseeable future. It was really easy, I was happy with the results and low maintenance.

This was right at the three hour mark, just before I wrapped the ribs in foil for the next two hours.

Unfortunately, I don't have my digital camera right now, so all of the pictures were taken with my cell phone.

By the time I took the ribs out of the foil for the last hour on the grill, it was too dark outside to take any more shots.

Here's a shot of the final product. I was almost 11:00 PM, but it was well worth the wait!

I've already got a pork shoulder on the go today as well.

Good times!

Back on track

2008-05-08T14:32:00.003-06:00

Well, it's just about time to dust off the old keyboard and start up the blog again.

Stay tuned...

Drumsticks

2007-05-21T15:40:00.000-06:00

I just ate two.

Spicy Seafood Goodness!

2007-01-23T14:24:00.000-07:00

johnny k's corner

Hello, Kiddies! This first post will be my attempt to introduce you to the spicy goodness that comes from the Gulf Coast region of the U.S. of A. This region is roughly considered to be everything that borders the Gulf of Mexico, but I want to focus on the foods that come out of the New Orleans-area and the Mississippi and Alabama gulf coasts. One thing you must understand about people down here, be they Creole, Cajun or just good ole rednecks: if you can drag it out of the water, we will eat it. If you coat it with something really spicy, even better. If you do the first two steps and then fry it... look out baby!

Last night, I came up with a tasty little casserole that's quick and easy. I made enough for two. You can double it for more people. Here's the recipe:

Spicy Cheesy Crabmeat Casserole
1/2 box Seashell Pasta, cooked and drained.
1/2 cup Creamy Caesar Salad Dressing (i used Ken's Steakhouse brand)
1 can medium pitted black olives, drained.
1 can real crab meat (or 1 cup fresh lump crabmeat, if you can get it).
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper (more if you like it spicy)
3/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese.
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella/cheddar cheese
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp ground marjoram (or oregano)
1/2 tsp Tony Chacere's Creole Seasoning (or Creole Crack, as i call it).

-Prepare the pasta according to the box. Drain very well.
-Put the pasta in a casserole dish and drizzle with the olive oil, then stir.
-Mix in all ingredients except the cheddar/mozzarella cheese.
-Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly.
-Eat it up. I totally pulled this recipe out of my rear, from stuff that happened to be in the pantry. I do this often -- somtimes it's just o.k. Sometimes it rocks the house. This one rocks!

Next up: my very own Red Beans and Rice recipe that will leave you smiling, all the way to the bathroom. Spicy good!!

Better Blog, New Cookware.

2007-01-20T14:06:00.000-07:00

So I've enlisted the help of a couple of friends and we're going to try and get the blog rolling again.
For now it'll stay the same format, but we're working on a new look and possibly a new name.

In other news, we bought new cookware today. At 50% off, it was hard not to!

It's Rachael Ray's (Yum-O!) Hard-Anodized Cookware, in a ten-piece set.

All I've used it for so far was to heat up some soup, but it did a bang-up job of that. We'll keep you posted as we use it more.

Queso Fundido

2006-12-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

Queso Fundido

1 cup white wine
1/2 pound mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 pound Monterey Jack, grated
1/2 pound goat cheese crumbled
2 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 pound Spanish chorizo, grilled and finely diced
6 cloves roasted garlic, smashed to a paste
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Bring the wine to a simmer in a double boiler. Add the mozzarella and Jack cheese and stir until melted. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 5 minutes. Place in a fondue pot and serve with flour tortillas and blue corn chips.

BACON GOOD FOR YOU!

2006-11-20T22:50:00.000-07:00

Bacon Good For You, Reports Best Scientist Ever

ROCHESTER, MN-Bacon, long believed to contribute to heart disease and obesity, possesses significant health benefits, according to a study released Monday by Dr.

Pizza Sandwich

2006-05-26T13:12:00.000-06:00

I ate a pizza sandwich for lunch.

The Ground Meat Cookbook - 204 Intriguing Recipes

2006-01-15T14:30:00.000-07:00

The Ground Meat Cookbook - 204 Intriguing Recipes

Deep Dish Pizza

2005-12-14T20:21:00.000-07:00

IMG_2038
Originally uploaded by bobloblaw.

We tested out our new deep dish pizza stone this evening and it works just dandy.

Sarah made some whole wheat pizza dough this afternoon which was ready for me when I got home.
One batch is good for two pizzas as well, so we've already got enough for another pizza sitting in the freezer for another day!

I started by rolling out the crust and emptying it into the new dish. I slightly greased the dish with pam, too.
I then added a layer of fresh minced garlic and a thin layer of pizza sauce.
Ok, I just lied. I used some basil & tomato pasta sauce as that's all we had.
Then I added chopped mushrooms, red peppers and ham.
Then I topped off the whole thing with a mixture of shredded mozzarella, shredded cheddar, parmesan and a bunch of italian spices.
Next stop was the oven!

18 or so minutes after being in the 425 degree oven, it was done!

It could have used just a few more minutes in the oven, but overall it was great.

Pea Soup

2005-12-04T19:44:00.000-07:00

I made some pea soup tonight for the first time in quite a while. It was awesome.

poutine

2005-11-19T14:39:00.000-07:00

One of the best foods ever thought up is poutine. I can't remember if I've already blogged about it, but that doesn't matter. It's easily a food worthy of more than one blog.

Over at the wikipedia, they describe it as:

Poutine (pronounced, roughly, poo-tin, or peuh-tsin) is a popular junk food snack consisting of french fries topped with fresh cheese curds and covered with hot gravy.

While I admit it's not the most appealing food ever made visually, it certainly tastes like heaven.

I should blog more

2005-11-17T19:33:00.000-07:00

I really should be blogging more. I'll do my best to post new stuff soon. If you've got any special requests, please let me know.

Cheers,

Darell

this is what Darell dreams about at night

2005-11-03T15:01:00.000-07:00

Someone with a big stomach and an even bigger deathwish just made and consumed a monstrous sandwich packing almost 30,000 calories.

Here's the breakdown:

Food	Calories
Fried Mushrooms – 15	450
Bacon – 14 pieces	990
Onion rings – 18	1140
Ground Beef – 1/4 lb.	293
Corndogs – 2	540
Swiss Cheese – 4 slices	425
Provolone Cheese – 4 slices	397
Cheddar Cheese – 4 slices	455
Sliced Ham – 1/4 lb.	184
Sliced Turkey – 1/4 lb.	181
Pastrami – 1/4 lb.	394
Sliced Roast Beef – 1/4 lb.	200
Bratwurst – 1	510
Braunschweiger – 1/4 lb.	580
Wheat Bread – 1 lb.	1030
Lettuce – 1/2 head	25
Feta Cheese – 4 oz.	350
Italian Salad Dressing – 6 oz.	480
Oregeno – 50 grams	438
Salt & Pepper – 50 grams	0
Butter – 1/2 lb.	1600
Parmesan Cheese – 100 grams	465
Canola Oil – 154 Tbsp.	18,432
Total	29,559

Hey, at least it's got lettuce on it. That makes it kind of good for you, right???

Full account here.

buffets

2005-10-27T20:28:00.000-06:00

I went to a buffet a few weeks ago and they had tons and tons of good stuff.

They also had a "kids section" which had hot dogs, mini-hamburgers, pizza pops and lots of other fun stuff.

How much is your blog worth?

2005-10-27T15:50:00.000-06:00

My blog is worth $2,822.70.
How much is your blog worth?

With a name like Birria, it's got to be good.

2005-10-07T09:56:00.000-06:00

birria

So it's no secret that I have a serious addiction to Mexican food. It's also not that surprising, seeing as I was born and raised in San Diego. But in the last couple of years, I've really tried to combine my love of Mex with my love of cooking. But, like so many ethnic cuisines, making a dish that tastes truly authentic can be a real challenge.

About a year ago, my family and I went to a birthday party for a little girl that lived on our street. The family is from Mexico, and every time we'd go over there, the smells from the kitchen would make me drool more than my 7 month old son. On this day, while the kids ate cake and sandwiches, Maria served up for the adults the most amazing birria I'd ever had. Birria is essentially Mexican pot roast. Same cut of meat, same cooking style, but thousands of miles away from the comfort food that I grew up eating. Believe me, you've never had pot roast like this.

Birria (Mexican potroast)

Note: There are no spice measurements, as Maria doesn't measure, and does it all by instinct. When I make this, I use about 1-2 tablespoons of each.

- 2-3 lbs. chuck roast (or carne pescueso)
- 2-3 guallilo chiles (I've also used ancho, pequin, and New Mexican chiles, or a combo of multiple types. Have fun with it, but just watch the heat. A great guide to dried chiles can be found here.)
- cumin seed
- black pepper
- thyme
- mexican oregano
- 4 large garlic cloves
- .5 inch peeled ginger
- pinch of salt
- 2-3 bay leaves
- .5 cup fruit vinegar (apple cider vinegar will also work great)

1. Remove stems and seeds from chiles. Cover with hot water and let sit for half an hour.
2. Into a food processor, add rehydrated chiles (skins removed, if possible), garlic, cumin, black pepper, thyme, oregano, salt and ginger. Process with just enough of the chile water to make a thick paste.
3. Put meat into a slow cooker and liberally coat with the spice paste. Add the bay leaves and vinegar and enough water to create an inch of liquid in the pot (you don't need too much liquid; the meat will make and release quite a bit as it cooks).
4. Cook on high for an hour or two (until the liquid is near boiling) and then turn heat to low. Cook forever (or at least, 4-6 more hours). The longer it cooks, the more tender the meat will be.

To serve, use two forks to partially shred the meat into big chunks. Dish up meat into bowls with generous amounts of the cooking liquid. Serve with diced white onion, chopped cilantro, lime wedges, hot sauce and fresh corn or flour tortillas.

Note: if you don't have a slow cooker, heat the meat and liquid in a Dutch oven on a stovetop over medium-high heat until the liquid is near boiling. Then put the pot, covered with foil, into 350 degree oven for 2-4 hours.

Pizza Fork and Cutter

2005-09-22T11:15:00.000-06:00

Check out this awesome gadget.

You can order it here.

Kraft Pizza

2005-09-14T13:41:00.000-06:00

IMG_1688
Originally uploaded by bobloblaw.

The make your own Kraft pizzas are good when you add extras onto them. We used pepperoni (cut thick at the deli counter), green peppers and cheddar, mozzarella and asiago cheeses.

yummy!

another tasty blog

2005-09-02T12:13:00.000-06:00

2 matt blogs in one day!!! Can you believe it?!?

Well, I just came across this link, and it was too good not to share.

the Chippie!!!

Now this is a blog that I can really get behind. Good stuff.

Chicken Stackers

2005-09-02T11:37:00.000-06:00

the final product!
Originally uploaded by matt.

This dish was the product of one of those "what do I have in the house that I can throw together into some semblance of an edible meal" times. Luckily, the final product was not only edible, but so good that it has been added to my permanent repertoire.

Directions:
I like to use boneless chicken breasts, as they're the easiest to stack upon. I also cut them in half to maximize the chicken to toppings ratio. I marinate the chicken in an olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper marinade (a good balsamic dressing works well, too). While the chicken is marinading, I grill up some thinly sliced eggplant brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with s&p. Then, I grill up the chicken to the point where it's just underdone.

Now it's time to stack. I've experimented with some different toppings, but this is my favorite combo.

In order, from bottom to top:
- chicken
- eggplant
- fresh basil
- roasted red pepper
- thick slice of mozzarella cheese
- tomato slice

After you've assembled your stackers, you can put them back on the grill, but be careful! In the interest of time, I usually use jarred red peppers, and they tend to be a bit oily. Oily middle stacker component = slippery sliding stacker mess waiting to happen. An easier solution is to just assemble your stackers on a jelly roll pan and then throw them under the broiler for a couple of minutes. Everything is cooked, you just want to heat them up and melt the cheese.

Enjoy!

Sarah cooks too!

2005-09-01T20:02:00.000-06:00

IMG_1637
Originally uploaded by bobloblaw.

Yup. We're pretty lucky around here in that both of us like to cook.

Here's some pics of the meatloaf as well as the chicken pot pie that Sarah has made lately.

The (First) Really Big Cook-Off

2005-08-20T21:08:00.000-06:00

Tonite, we took part in The (First) Really Big Cook-Off. The idea is great and simple, a recipe is posted and everyone makes it. Then the results will be compiled and posted. It will be neat to see how different and yet similar everyone's turned out.

This was a really cool experience as this was something that I never would have tried without the encouragement of this event, and I'm darn glad I did.

Here's the recipe I followed:

Ravioli with Potato, Watercress and Cheese
Serves 4-6

Make a point of using 2 delicious, contrasting cheeses, for example a strong cheese like Gorgonzola or a creamy taleggio and a hard cheese such as pecorino or Parmesan.

6 sheets fresh pasta (cut out into 36 circles or squares, or use 36 wonton wrappers)
2 pounds all-purpose potatoes
4 cloves garlic, peeled, chopped
4 or 5 good handfuls watercress, large stalks removed, plus extra for garnish
1/4 cup butter
10 - 12 oz. cheese, extra for garnish
Grated nutmeg, to taste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Wash and peel the potatoes, put them into well-salted, boiling water with the garlic and cook until the potatoes are just tender (it is very important not to under- or overcook them). Drain them and let them sit for about 5 minutes to enable the excess water to evaporate (if you overcook them or don't drain them correctly they'll be too moist and your filling will be too wet).

Sarah and I went grocery shopping this afternoon and got all the stuff. We ended up switching the watercress for arugula, as that's all we could find and went with ricotta and asiago cheeses.

Making the ravioli was much easier than I would have thought (especially using the won ton wrappers) and we'll certainly be trying this with other ingredients in the future.

I made the first ravioli. Here's a pic of it with the top off.

All you do then is moisten the edges with the egg wash and top it with another won ton wrapper.

Sarah was so into it that she made way more raviolies than me in the end.

Here's a picture of the end result.

Steak

2005-08-15T21:02:00.000-06:00

IMG_1458
Originally uploaded by bobloblaw.

While we were on vacation, we cooked up some super tasty steaks the one night.

Extra special thanks to my awesome in-laws, Vic and Anne, who picked them out for us!

Fresh Approach Cooking: The (First) Really Big Cook-Off

2005-08-14T08:15:00.000-06:00

Thanks to the people over at Fresh Approach Cooking, I will be participating in The (First) Really Big Cook-Off!

The idea is simple, a recipe is posted and everyone makes the same thing, sending in their submissions. It should be neat to see how similar, yet different the results are. I'll post up mine when I male it.

where matt?

2005-08-12T20:54:00.000-06:00

Matt had gone missing.

He was last seen going into a 7-11.

Upcoming IFOCE events

2005-08-11T15:52:00.000-06:00

Here's a list of some upcoming IFOCE events

GoldenPalace.com World Grilled Cheese Eating Championship Circuit
15 Event Circuit throughout the U.S.
$1,750 in prize money is up for grabs at each circuit event. There will be $20,000 in prize money given out at the end of the circuit.
Must be 18 or over.
Register and view at http://www.ifoce.com/goldenpalace.php.

Bluffs Run Casino World Smoked Pork Eating Championship
Sunday, August 21 at 1pm
Council Bluffs, IA
Must be 21 or over. $3,750 in cash prizes.
Register at http://www.ifoce.com/contests.php.

Midway Slots World Crabcake Eating Championship
Sunday, August 21 at 1pm
Delaware State Fairgrounds, Harrington, DE
Must be 21 or over. $5,000 in cash prizes.
Register at http://www.ifoce.com/contests.php.

New Jersey Tomato Festival Pizza Eating Championship
Sunday, August 21 at 1pm
Camden Waterfront, NJ
Must be 18 or over. $1,000 in cash and prizes.
Register at http://www.ifoce.com/contests.php.

National Buffalo Wing Festival
Dunn Tire Park, Buffalo, NY
Must be 18 or over.
Buffalo Resident Wing Eating Championship, Friday, Sept. 2
U.S. Buffalo Wing Eating Championship, Saturday, Sept. 3
Buffalo Buffet Bowl Eating Championship, Sunday, Sept. 4
Register at http://www.ifoce.com/contests.php.

Waffle House World Waffle-Eating Championship
Sunday, Sept. 4
Last Blast of Summer Festival at Stone Mountain Park, Atlanta, GA
Must be 18 or over. $7,500 in prize money
Register at http://www.ifoce.com/contests.php.

Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship Circuit
Starts Labor Day in Chattanooga, TN, with $22,500 in cash prizes given at the final championship event. Registration will be posted soon.

Strawberry milk sausage sales set to sizzle

2005-08-09T11:55:00.000-06:00

Here's a link to a article about a new food product available in Japan. The first paragraph really tells the story.

In a bid to boost declining sales of fish-meat sausages, Nippon Suisan Kaisha, Ltd. (Nissui) has come up with a new flavor designed specifically to attract children -- strawberry milk.

I can't wait until these are available domestically. Nothing says "new and improved fish-meat sausages" quite like "we've added strawberries and milk."

Sriracha

2005-08-07T14:15:00.000-06:00

Sriracha

Sriracha is my favourite hot sauce by far. No matter what other ones I try, I always come back to it. It's so good that it could make a paint sandwich taste good!
Here's how they describe it on Huy Fong's website:

Sriracha is made from sun ripen chilies which are ground into a smooth paste along with garlic and packaged in a convenient squeeze bottle. It is excellent in soups, sauces, pastas, pizzas, hot dogs, hamburgers, chowmein or on anything else to give it a delicious, spicy taste. Like all our sauces, we use only the highest quality ingredients and never any artificial colors or flavorings.
Available in 17 oz. and 28 oz. bottles.

Their chili garlic sauce is also fantastic.

Blog on vacation

2005-08-04T14:50:00.000-06:00

Hi everyone!

Sorry about the lack of updates, but I've been (and still am) on vacation. There's been some good eats already--both home-cooked and at restaurants--so I'm going to post a HUGE update when I get back. The only concession to that is that I still have to be able to reach the keyboard over my gut, which may or may not be possible.

In the meantime, Matt is still around (I think) and maybe he'll post something good!

Cheers,

Darell

Porta-Pizza

2005-07-27T10:10:00.000-06:00

Are you ever stuck in traffic on your way home from work when you're struck with an uncontrollable urge for fresh baked pizza? Or maybe the drive home from the supermarket is unbearable knowing that you've got a bag full of DiGiornos, and there's nothing you can do with them for a full TEN MINUTES! Or perhaps you like to go camping, where you can get away from the pressures of the big city, yet still like to retain your connection to the comforts of your kitchen.

Well, friends, we finally have an answer to our prayers.

The In-Car Pizza Oven

If I could only find some way to legally mount a keg-erator in my trunk, along with this, I may never leave my car again.

(Note: the staff of darell eats reminds you to drive responsibly.)

Hungry-Man

2005-07-24T17:14:00.000-06:00

Just for fun, I tried Swanson's Hungry-Man Sports Grill Buffalo Style Chicken Strips for lunch.

According to their website, the meal is described as:

Tantalizing chicken breast strips coated in a floured Buffalo style seasoning with a side of French fries, corn and a heavenly Duncan Hines brownie for dessert.

Overall, the meal was ok, but I'm not sure the word "tantalizing" is what I would use to describe the chicken. Maybe "extruded" or "whitish-brown" would be better descriptors. "Salty" would be a good overall summary of the meal as it's left me unquenchably thirsty.

I think it'll be a while before I get another one of these, but for five bucks, it was alright I guess.

thank heaven for 7-11

2005-07-22T17:11:00.000-06:00

First some background: my wife and kids are out of town for a couple of weeks. I normally do most of the cooking in the house, but since they've been gone, I haven't been inspired to do much kitchen wizardry for my sole benefit. So as a result, I've been eating out a lot more, and when I do eat at home, it's nothing special (read: crap). Another side effect of my psuedo-bachelorhood has been more late nights out, going to see bands, hanging out at the neighborhood bar, etc.

I posted this on a messageboard last night:

"So I have this thing....

When I go out drinking (which I did tonight), I usually end up with the drunk hungries by the time that I get home. If I'm in my neighborhood, and unsupervised, I get this great idea to walk over to 7-11 and get nachos. Packaged chips, machine spewed cheesefood and pseudo-chili topped with room temp jalapenos, and I'm alright.

I just made that mistake, like I've done so many times before. Why do I do this? I know that tomorrow will be hell on earth (or at least, hell in the can).

Why does everything wrong seem so right?"

Well, I didn't need any precognition skills to know that I would wake up today, having my innards feel like a 5 year old can of cuitlacoche. What surprised me, however, were the responses that I got to my post (including some from our host from the Great White North, darell). Praise upon praise was given to that inner city oasis, that neon beacon of hope in the midst of urban blight. Yes, my friends, regular people like to eat at 7-11. All sorts of advice was given, from the proper way to make nachos (chips - cheese - chips - cheese - other toppings of choice), to the other gastronomical delights housed within the fluorescent escape from reality.

I've always been an advocate of hair of the dog, but seeing as I couldn't knock back a shot or two during work hours, I decided to return to the scene of last night's food crime.

Lunch consisted of:
- nachos (done "lasagne-style" per the recommendation of the Canucks)
- a Monterey Jack taquito
- an orange creme Slurpee

I ate the taquito on the way home, and it was indeed quite tasty and not nearly as vile as I was expecting. The fact that they had about ten different varieties (including Buffalo chicken!!!) means nothing but good things for me. My nachos were good. The layered preparation gave the maximum cheese to chip ratio. So much, in fact, that I had cheese to spare when the chips were gone. Unfortunately, I consumed so much cheesefood that my body started rebelling against it. Where I normally would have been scraping cheese remnants out with my fingers, I had to quickly toss the container, as the smell was beginning to unnerve me. My saving grace was the Slurpee. It provided the perfect counterpart to the nachos. The cool to it's hot. The sweet to it's spicy. The ice to it's...... corn?

I'm just glad that I was alone for the experience. Eating nachos alone is like eating bbq ribs alone. You can throw all propriety out the window and have at it, no holds barred. By the time I was done, I had cheese all over my face, and nearly up to my wrist. Later, I did find a spot of cheese on my earlobe. I'm not quite sure how it got there, but I did black out for a little while during my meal, so anything's possible.

I'm going out again tonight.... wish me luck.

Alton Brown

2005-07-21T13:21:00.000-06:00

What else can I say? Alton Brown is probably the coolest guy in food tv. If you haven't heard of him, he's the host of Good Eats, one of my favourite television shows (food-related or not), ever.
When I grow up, I'll be happy if I am 1/100th as smart as Alton. But let's face the facts here, he's good at science and I suck at science. Oh well.
Check out Alton's personal website by clicking here.

Google Search: octoburger

2005-07-19T21:13:00.000-06:00

Just for fun, googled "octoburger" in google's image search. Guess what came up? Pictures of me! Click the link below to see the search, or click this link to see the original Octoburger post.

Google Search: octoburger

how to build a panini

2005-07-18T20:00:00.000-06:00

How to build a panini...

by darell and sarah

good ingredients are key

add the good ingredients to the bread

yum

make a second sandwich--so you can eat too!

add to grill

don't close the lid on your thumb

so good!

are you hungry yet?

melty

Edible Tortilla Decals

2005-07-18T19:53:00.000-06:00

Here's a link to Disney's edible tortilla decals. They kind of scare me, but maybe that's just me.

Wakin' with bacon

2005-07-06T08:24:00.000-06:00

First off, I'd like to start off with a heartfelt HOWDY to all the fellow food whores out there on the interweb. Secondly, I'd like to say THANKS to my other brother darell for inviting me to contribute to his little artery-hardening piece of heaven here.

And what better way to start things off than to showcase a product long overdue and pretty much required equipment in my house...... the bacon alarm clock.

WAKE n' BACON

This is just a prototype, so don't pull out your credit card just yet. My daughter got an EasyBake Oven for her birthday last year, but she's still too young to use it. Would I be a bad father for breaking it in for her???

The Hot Sauce Blog reminds me of a funny story

2005-07-01T22:47:00.000-06:00

Here's a link to The Hot Sauce Blog. Their motto is "If it's not here, it's not hot enough!"

I can't help but be reminded of a funny story...

If you ever make spaghetti sauce and add some killer hot sauce into it, and then your new girlfriend (who's now your wife) comes over, be careful how you explain things to her before you let her try it...

"Would you like to try my spaghetti sauce? Be careful, it's hot" probably won't cut the mustard. You'll probably end up with a girl running around your apartment, flailing her arms everywhere looking for something to cool down her now-on-fire mouth.

Perhaps, "Would you like to try some of my spaghetti sauce? I should warn you that I added some very, very, very spicy hot sauce into it," would be a better way to explain the situation.

Bullying restauranteur: People should keep their blogs on paper

2005-07-01T22:07:00.000-06:00

According to a link from Boing Boing (one of my fave sites, btw), a restaurant owner in Helsinki has sued a man who complained about the service he got at the restaurant in his blog, demanding 80,000 Euros in damage.

Here's a link to some more info on the case.

welcome, matt!

2005-06-28T21:35:00.000-06:00

i've taken a huge leap of faith and added my buddy matt as a member of this blog.
matt's tipped me off to a few of the site's i've featured on here anyways, so i figured it was just as easy for him to contribute.
welcome, matt!

The Cook's Thesaurus

2005-06-27T21:39:00.000-06:00

here's a link to a great resource for all you foodies, it's called the cook's thesaurus.

darell drinks

2005-06-21T21:21:00.000-06:00

here's a link to the beer blog.

it's a great site for all you beer enthusiasts.

the burrito blog

2005-06-18T23:28:00.000-06:00

'nuff said. check it out here.

a long-since overdue update

2005-06-17T22:09:00.000-06:00

hi everyone. sorry about the lack of updates. i don't really have a good reason, but perhaps i have a reason now to start posting again...
i went for my annual physical last week and as part of it i had some bloodwork done. yesterday, my doctor called and left a message on our answering machine to call him. i called the nurse and was informed that my cholesterol is higher than it should be and that he wants to see me next week.
just in case there's actually anyone who reads this that doesn't know me, there's a few key points that you should know:

i'm only 31.
my father died at the age of 50 after having multiple heart attacks. he also had a quadruple bypass a bunch of years before he passed away.
during my last visit, my doctor told me that i could comfortably lose up to 30 pounds.

so i'm not sure what the doctor will have to say next week, but i'm fairly sure he'll tell me to change my eating habits and to get more exercise.
maybe i'll be able to use this crazy blog thing as a way to keep it fun and to track my progress.

stay tuned, kids!

thebrainfreeze.com

2005-05-29T21:45:00.000-06:00

check out thebrainfreeze.com for some summertime fun!

Starbucks Gossip

2005-05-28T13:32:00.000-06:00

not only do i love food, i also love coffee. here's a link to Starbucks Gossip, a site devoted to all things starbucks.

How I got busted -- for harbouring ham

2005-05-25T22:59:00.000-06:00

here's a link to a funny article written by a journalist from the chicago tribune.
on her way back from spain, she picked up some expensive ham, but was hounded at the border and told she could not enter the country. this quote is awesome:

"Consumption on the spot is not necessarily illegal," she said. "but we would have tried to keep the situation under control. And because the ham is so salty, I think you might have regretted it for the rest of your life."

click on the link above to read the full article.

Beer Can Chicken

2005-05-23T20:08:00.000-06:00

we thought we'd try out our spiffy new beer can chicken doo-hicky.

all i've got to say is FAN-TAS-TIC!

also, the veggie grilling basket is awesome too.

My New Grill

2005-05-22T19:21:00.000-06:00

we finally got a new barbeque. i can't even really explain how excited i am! i got up way too early and built it this morning and then made some chicken wings for lunch. i forgot to take pictures of the inaugural use, but i did snap a bunch fo supper.

expect a heavy bbq-oriented theme in the future!

Battle of the Giant Sandwiches II

2005-05-19T15:50:00.000-06:00

Here's a pic of me eating the octoburger™ compared to some crazy guy eating the world's largest burger...

the similarities are kinda scary.

darell "dr. rock" hartlen tackles the octo-burger™.

Battle of the Giant Sandwiches

2005-05-19T14:26:00.000-06:00

i've had a few sites sent to me with links to giant hamburgers and whatnot, and i thought i'd share them.

this first one seems to be a "i can one-up you" type of battle. here is the link to the first one, called my high horse.

so these guys thought they'd create my high(er) horse:

while i think i could take a shot at eating one of these, it seems like a lot of work to make it yourself.

Haggis Hunting

2005-05-07T12:44:00.000-06:00

this is just hilarious!

click here for the link.

special thanks to iheartbacon for the pointing it out.

a toilet themed restaurant

2005-05-05T22:16:00.000-06:00

it's a restaurant in taiwan with a modern decor and a full-on toilet theme. the thorough implementation includes toilet chairs, urinal sconces, and even commode shaped serving pieces. probably not the best place to bring a child in potty training... you can read more about it here.*
note: all this text is stolen from the linked site.

World's Best Places to Pig Out

2005-04-22T23:52:00.000-06:00

i'm up right now watching a show called
the world's best places to pig out. sure enough, i googled it and found the list.

there are a few places on the list that i'd like to visit. i've always wanted to try a 72 oz. steak, that's for sure. the 12-egg omelet didn't look like it was too huge. i'm reasonably sure i'd be able to eat that one. the 5 lbs. of pancakes doesn't interest me at all, but that's just a matter of personal preference.

now the 3-lb. "lowry" burger. that's my type of quest!
i have no idea how much meat is in one wendy's patty [note to self: find out], but the octoburger was honestly not that hard to eat.
just a few weeks ago i ate two papa burgers at A&W (2 patties apiece) and knew that i could eat two more, easy. keep in mind that would have involved extra buns.
now this lowry burger only has six patties, but they are bigger than at a fast-food joint for sure.
i'm making myself hungry.

BK's Enormous Let-down

2005-04-22T09:39:00.000-06:00

i had one during a layover at LAX and was disappointed to say the least.
it's served on the chicken sandwich bun, and that's not called the enormous chicken sandwich.
it tasted ok, but i know one thing for sure from the whole experience.

i prefer mcmuffins.

The Enormous Omelet Sandwich from BURGER KING

2005-04-13T10:04:00.000-06:00

The Enormous Omelet Sandwich from BURGER KING�: "Wake up to a mouthful of breakfast with the Enormous Omelet Sandwich. Two slices of melted American cheese, two fluffy eggs, three crispy strips of bacon, and a sizzling sausage patty, piled high on a toasted bun. The Enormous Omelet Sandwich from BURGER KING�. So big, breakfast will never be the same."

What's for Breakfast?

2005-04-10T10:38:00.000-06:00

this morning i made what i call: eggs on waffles, surrounded by bacon.

good times!

Who you callin' chicken?

2005-04-07T12:33:00.000-06:00

McDonald's plucks A&W's feathers in legal food fight

By JOHN PARTRIDGE

Saturday, April 2, 2005 Page B7

McDonald's Restaurants of Canada Ltd. has won at least the first round of a real game of chicken with rival A&W Food Services of Canada Inc.

The Federal Court of Canada has thrown out a lawsuit in which A&W was seeking to force McDonalds to drop the name of a grilled chicken sandwich it sells called "Chicken McGrill."

Vancouver-based A&W alleged that McDonald's, which introduced the contentious item in 2001, was infringing a trademark it registered back in 1988 for what it calls its "Chicken Grill" sandwich.

Through the use of this "confusingly similar mark," A&W alleged, McDonald's had "preyed upon its goodwill in the marketplace," Mr. Justice James O'Reilly of the Federal Court recounted in his ruling, which was issued last week.

However, even though A&W went as far as bringing in a linguistics expert to testify about likely consumer confusion about the sandwich names, Judge O'Reilly dismissed the suit, ruling A&W had failed to prove its claim.

But he likewise dismissed a counterclaim in which Toronto-based McDonald's Canada -- which also brought in a linguistics expert --alleged that A&W's trademark on the Chicken Grill name was "invalid because it lacks the essential element of distinctiveness." McDonald's, too, the judge ruled, had failed to prove its case.

Whether the two companies plan to continue to rattle their drumsticks is not entirely clear.

A&W chief financial officer Donald Leslie said the company has not yet decided whether to appeal the ruling on its claim. "It takes a little time to digest these things," he said, in an unintentional pun.

However, at McDonald's, spokesman Rob Christianson said "obviously we're pleased" at not being ordered to drop the Chicken McGrill name. "We're really just looking forward to getting back to business."

The Sneeze - Half zine. Half blog. Half not good with fractions.

2005-04-05T11:42:00.000-06:00

i'd like to thank my buddy matt for this link. The Sneeze - Half zine. Half blog. Half not good with fractions.

the site documents the ongoing trials and tribulations of a guy named steve who eats things that you probably shouldn't. here's an example:

Potted Meat Food Product

There aren't too many products that feel the need to reassure you that they are, in fact, "food." Already not a good sign.

The list of ingredients is long and horrifying, coming right out of the gate with "MECHANICALLY SEPARATED CHICKEN." Oddly enough, I'm about to be separated from my lunch, and I haven't even opened the can yet.

Other ingredients include BEEF TRIPE, BEEF HEARTS, AND "PARTIALLY DE-FATTED COOKED PORK FATTY TISSUE" How does one de-fat fat? Bizarre. God knows what else is in here.

Okay, I'm going to go try it now. If i'm not back in ten minutes, call Poison Control...

Pate D'Ass

I'm back. Oofah.

Okay, here we go-- Pulling back the lid (not recommended) lets loose an odor that punches you in the nose like a stinky fist. If you've ever smelled a can of dog food, it's just like that. Only imagine you are opening the can while your head is wedged in a horse's ass.

Inside is a smooth, oddly pink meat paste. So smooth, in fact, I dare call it "creamy." (I actually got a little gaggy just typing that.) Surprisingly, it was a little spicier than I expected. Although, that sensation may have been a by-product of my tastebuds dying.

The can shows a serving suggestion of the Potted Meat being served on squares of toast. I would also suggest squares of toilet paper. Or maybe a nice diaper.

All I can tell you is, I survived the first installment of "Steve, Don't Eat It." And I have to admit it may have even been a little educational. I know I learned at least one thing from "Ralph's Potted Meat"-- Ralph is a fucking dick.

Not surprisingly, I've come up with a little slogan the peeps who handle Potted Meat Marketing can use (no charge, as always): POTTED MEAT FOOD PRODUCT: Made By, For, And With Assholes.

What I Made For Supper

2005-04-01T20:04:00.000-07:00

i tried something new tonite. i have no idea what to call it, but it sure was tasty!

i started by boiling a couple of frozen chicken breasts in water with a bit of garlic.
next, in a frying pan i cooked up some chopped onions. i then added mushrooms, fresh red peppers, tomatoes, spinach and garlic. i also added a bunch of salsa and some salt and pepper. after that all simmered for a bit i added the cooked, sliced chicken.
i threw it all in a casserole dish and mixed in some ricotta cheese, topping the whole thing with grated cheddar.
i baked it at 350 degrees for a while and served it in bowls.

goood!

Butter Sculptures

2005-04-01T14:13:00.000-07:00

i think the title is self explanatory for this one. you can check out their stuff here.

darell eats

2005-03-31T11:03:00.000-07:00

while looking at my own blog, darell eats, i noticed that the butterball turkey bacon packaging and the spam packaging look eerily the same.

wieeerrrd.

Turkey Bacon

2005-03-29T11:20:00.000-07:00

i'm a huge fan of bacon, but lately i've been eating turkey bacon. it cooks up in the microwave in seconds and is super tasty.

easy. tasty. yummy.

that's about all i need!

you can find out more about the butterball™ brand here.

Spamburger™

2005-03-26T20:07:00.000-07:00

years ago--back in high school, actually--we used to skip out on nice days and head to my place, fire up the barbeque and drink beer. one day i whipped out a can of spam, sliced it it in three, threw it on the grill and served it on a bun. i thought i had invented something new. sure enough, within a month i saw a commercial on tv for the same darned thing.
sometimes i wonder if the spam people have satellites that monitor these things, but it was probably just coincidence.

check out their recipe here.

Meat Crust Pizza

2005-03-20T08:41:00.000-07:00

here's a recipe that i found. it was originally listed as a south beach diet recipe, but you could put whatever you like on this as far as i'm concerned.

meat crust pizza
preheat your oven to 350 degrees
brown about 2 pounds of extra lean ground beef
put beef in a large bowl and mix in 2 cups of low-fat mozzarella cheese
spread the mixture out like a pizza crust on a cookie sheet or baking stone
put one cup of pizza sauce on the mixture
top with 1-2 cups of low-fat shredded mozzarella
top with canadian bacon and or low-fat pepperoni slices
add anything else that you like on pizza
cook 15 minutes or so, when the cheese starts to brown, it's done
note: put tinfoil on rack below to catch any drippings

Lay's Salt & Pepper Potato Chips

2005-02-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

Lay's® Tastes of Canada™

lay's canada is always trying out new flavours. the salsa ones are ok, but the new salt and pepper ones are simply awesome.

IHEARTBACON.COM

2005-02-21T17:46:00.000-07:00

after finding the pho-king blog, i started following a few of its links and i came across tons of other food-oriented sites, for example: IHEARTBACON.COM.

i'm intrigued by all of these. i've also picked up some pointers on how to make this blog more exciting--hopefully.

what a great world we live in!

pho-king

2005-02-19T12:52:00.000-07:00

i just found the pho-king blog. we've been trying more and more of this stuff lately. sarah has even made bun (vietnamese vermicelli-style noodles) with chicken a few times and it's been really, really good.

Garlic Shrimp with Rice

2005-02-15T09:36:00.000-07:00

last night i made garlic shrimp with rice for the first time. it was awesome.
it tasted like red lobster came over to our house.

i ended up going with a combo of these two recipes:

this one

and

this one

Chicken Wings

2005-02-02T13:51:00.000-07:00

i've got a huge craving for chicken wings. one day--when i get that deep fryer--i'm going to try and make my own.
in the interim, i'm going to continue to eat them in grungy smoke-filled dives as they have the best, cheap wings.

Euro Pro - 5L Digital Stainless-Steel Deep Fryer - F1066

2005-02-02T11:18:00.000-07:00

i really, really like the euro pro - 5L digital stainless-steel deep fryer - F1066. i haven't been able to find it in canada yet, but haven't given up all hope.

The Octoburger™

2005-02-01T16:54:00.000-07:00

for those of you who know me, you're probably aware of the octoburger™.

one time a few years ago, i had a conversation with my buddy sean. it went something like this:

sean: "did you know you can double the beef on any wendy's hamburger?"

me: "really?"

so a few days later i ended up at a wendy's. sure enough when i asked, they said you certainly could double the beef on any burger. as it turned out that this particular wendy's served their four-patty burger, so i promptly ordered one, and said "double the beef!"

here are some pics:

for the record, i ate the whole thing but didn't order fries. that night i also ate a burger as part of my supper--just an old-fashioned one-patty burger though.

Looking Backwards

2005-02-01T14:26:00.000-07:00

i was just looking at these pictures that i took quite a while ago, and the food loooked good, so i thought i'd share.

burgers made on our panini grill. since this picture was taken, i've switched to making mini-burgers. i'm close to perfecting my recipe too.

some pork that i grilled up last summer. it was good.

International Chili Society

2005-01-31T13:34:00.000-07:00

here's a link to the international chili society. over the years i've made some pretty good batches, but i'm not sure if i'm ready for the world of competitive cooking yet.
also, making chili within a limited time frame seems odd. i've always found that the longer you let if cook, the better it turns out.

Fried Chicken: part II

2005-01-27T13:34:00.000-07:00

has anyone ever tried to make their own fried chicken at home?
i haven't, but would like to.

send me your recipes!

Canadian KFC

2005-01-26T10:18:00.000-07:00

there's a board meeting at work today and they've ordered in some greasy goodness.

Canadian KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken Family Restaurants, Menu, Ontario, Alberta, BC, Canada

Superbowl Snacks

2005-01-25T15:14:00.000-07:00

apparently the superbowl is coming up. i probably won't even bother to watch it, but i am looking new snack and munchie ideas.

email me your favourite snacks and i'll post some of them up on the site.

Hostess Twinkies Sushi

2005-01-24T13:06:00.000-07:00

here's some fun from the Planet Twinkie - Recipe Box:

Hostess Twinkies Sushi

Japanese animation, Hello Kitty, samurais, ninjas, and Sushi are really popular right now! Here's a wild recipe that's super easy to make and super fun to eat as a light and fruity snack! This recipe transforms the much loved Twinkie into a hip and tropical flavored treat.

Items Needed:

* 3 Hostess Twinkies
* Assorted dried fruits
* Assorted fruity candies
* 2 green fruit roll ups
* Dried mangoes (looks like pickled ginger)

DIRECTIONS:
Slice Hostess Twinkies into pieces about an inch tall. Slice fruit roll ups in strips to be long enough and wide enough to wrap around the Hostess Twinkie pieces. Wrap the fruit roll ups around the Hostess Twinkie pieces. Place dried fruits and candies into the cream filling. Place Twinkie rolls on a plate or in a bento box. Garnish with strips of dried mango to resemble pickled ginger if you wish! Serve with chopsticks if you wish.

© 2004 Clare Crespo

Oatmeal Cookies

2005-01-24T11:03:00.000-07:00

sarah surprised me with homemade oatmeal cookies yesterday.
they are simply awesome. i'll get the recipe from her asap and post it for y'all.

News: Sonya Thomas Brady-Like in Barrick Burger Event

2005-01-24T10:02:00.000-07:00

from: http://www.ifoce.com/news.php?action=detail&sn=200

1/22/2005

The Plaza Hotel's famed nine-pound Barrick Burger was put away by America’s top-ranked eater Sonya Thomas in 48 minutes and 10 seconds. Rich LeFevre took second, Badlands Booker took third and Ron "Hizzoner" Koch secured an impressive fourth. The fair Carlene LeFevre placed fifth, and in sixth place was Philly’s Bob Shoudt. The final cash winner, in seventh place, was Frank Wach. The total prize money for the contest was an impressive $9,000.

Ray “the Bison” Meduna acted expertly as head official judge, and was instrumental in the weighing process. Upon completion of the event, the Bison said: “Sonya showed the poise of Tom Brady and the horse sense of Bill Belichick. The burger was gargantuan, but she showed it a lot of different looks and got it down.”

An amateur contest was held beforehand, featuring the 'miniature' three pound Barrick Burger, and was won by David Stringfield.

Soup

2005-01-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

today i made soup.

darell's unnamed soup

1 box vegetable broth
1 box low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups soup mix (beans, barley & all sorts of stuff)
1 cup frozen corn

bring broth to boil, then add stuff.

simmer until beans are tender.

i added fresh ground pepper and some frank's red hot™ to mine.

yum!