[ Wednesday, November 19, 2008 ]
Fry Daddy
I have to admit that one of my favorite evil pleasures (there are more than I want to admit) are french fries. Yup, I have to try really hard to resist their temptation, knowing that they really aren't very healthy for me. Well, anyways I could go on and on about their golden yumminess, but I'll spare you the gory details. I was having lunch yesterday at my favorite french fry place and came up with the idea to rank my favorite fried potato places.
1. Charley's Grilled Subs - I love how crispy and flavorful their "gourmet" fries are, and still tender and fluffy on the inside. Also they've managed to make their fries crispy without being greasy. Even when they cool off, they're still crispy without being hard. Great with or without ketchup.
2. Chik-Fil-A - Their waffle fries have that unique shape that really allow you to taste the golden brown crust. They have a really nice light crispiness and tender insides. Good with or without ketchup.
3. In 'N Out Burger - These "Cholesterol Free" fries are so light and fresh tasting, that the really complement their great burgers. The only problem is that once their fries cool off, the flavor really escapes and they get soggy. Nothing worse than floppy, starchy fries.
4. Arby's - Their seasoned curly fries have one of the best blend of spices. I've had several different kinds of curly fries, but theirs has the best balance of savory and sweet. The only downside is that when they cool off, they get pretty hard.
5. McDonald's - I had to give old Mickey D's some props since those are the old favorite, even though they aren't spectacular. Like most french fries, they are best when hot out of the fryer, but quickly lose their flavor when cooled off and need lots of ketchup to hide the greasy taste.
6. El Pollo Loco - Surprisingly, this grilled chicken place has some very good fries, that have good flavor from the skins left on and are fried just right.
There are probably many others that have good fries, as these are just the ones that come to my mind first. What are your favorite french fries?
Day 19yam [9:34 PM 2 comments ]
[ Tuesday, November 18, 2008 ]
Mindstorm
Tonight Matthew was lucky to be able to participate in a session of robotics where the kids got to learn about how robots work and how to build and program them. He had fun!
Day 18yam [9:00 PM 0 comments ]
[ Monday, November 17, 2008 ]
Cranberry Pumpkin Bread
Even though it doesn't really feel like fall here yet (we still have temps in the 80's!), I have been thinking about autumn treats, so tonight I made this recipe that definitely made me think of fall!
Ingredients
* 4 eggs
* 2 cups pumpkin puree
* 1/2 cup vegetable oil
* 1/2 cup apple sauce
* 4 cups sugar
* 4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 4 cups cranberries
* 1/4 brown sugar
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In bowl combine eggs, pumpkin puree, apple sauce and oil. Add dry ingredients and mix well. Add cranberries and mix well. Divide dough into 2 (8 by 4-inch) loaf pans (I actually split mine into 4 mini pans and one 8x4 loaf pan, so I could give away the little loaves). Sprinkle brown sugar on top. Bake for 50 minutes.
(It's in the oven now, so I'll add photos of it after it's done!). Whoa, those fresh cranberries were really tart! So, I think next time I'll use 2 cups of dried cranberries instead.
Day 17yam [8:25 PM 2 comments ]
[ Sunday, November 16, 2008 ]
The Aftermath
I went to bed last night watching all of the brush fires burning on TV, and woke up this morning finding everything outside covered with soot. Since my car is black, it really showed the aftermath of the fires burning east (about 40 miles) of us in the Orange County foothills. Actually, many of the fires were still burning out of control in the morning and we could see another huge brown cloud of smoke coming our way.
Later in the morning we drove out to Santa Monica to attend a birthday party and then drove back into Gardena for Matthew's basketball game. He didn't have much of an impact (scored 0 points on 0-1 shooting), but his team won 49-25. This team we played was 0-10 in the recent fall league and we beat them twice.
Day 16
The Wall Is Falling!
yam [9:15 PM 0 comments ]
[ Saturday, November 15, 2008 ]
Apocalypse Now?
It was a rather bizarre looking day today that started out pretty much like any other Saturday. We got up early and went outside to Matthew's basketball team practice at 8:00 AM and it seemed like a fairly normal day, except that by 9:00 it was getting hot and by 10:00 the temps were pushing 90 degrees. In November, no less!
After going home to rest and relax for a bit, we headed out to get some lunch and run some errands. I should have guessed that something was up when I tried to use the drive-thru car wash at the gas station but it was broken. We noticed that next door to the gas station, a local toy store had a sign that it was going out of business so we went though to try and find some bargains, but didn't have much luck. By the time we got out of the store, the sky was getting quite brown and we could start seeing ashes begin to fall. There are several brush fires burning in the SoCal area, although we are a good 40-50 miles away. But the hot dry Santa Ana winds that are fueling these fires, are blowing all of the soot across the entire LA area. So it made the skies dreary and smoky.
We were planning on going to the Wings Over Long Beach airplane exhibit over in Long Beach, but because the air quality was so bad and really nasty smelling, I decided that it probably wasn't going to be a good idea to be outdoors too much.
As we continued down the street, there were no less than half a dozen "Going Out Of Business" sign holders, waving their signs to the passing vehicles for Mervyns, Shoe Pavilion and Linens 'N Things. It was very sobering and with the dark, sooty skies it definitely cast a pallor on the day. But we did take advantage of two of the three places. I bought three pairs of shoes for under a hundred dollars at Shoe Pavilion and Matthew got a bunch of socks, underwear and a jacket for about $45.
Also on our list of errands for the day, was to get a new set of special shoe inserts and new basketball shoes for Matthew. He's been having serious issues with his ankles over the last several months. We went to the Podiatrist and found out that he has really flat feet which has caused a lot of strain on his ankles, so he needed the extra support for his shoes, and also has to wear ankle braces while he plays in his games. So, I also went and bought him some expensive Nike basketball shoes since I figured that it wasn't worth it to be cheap on M's feet since he's been having such problems with them.
Day 15
Yes, it was a very creepy sky out there today, making me think the Apocalypse was upon us.
yam [9:26 PM 3 comments ]
[ Friday, November 14, 2008 ]
AlmostWhoa, I have barely 10 minutes left to make a effort at continuing my blogging every day for the month of November! I've been so busy at work every day that I definitely don't have time to blog, although we did take a little break to run over to the window like a bunch of children and watched an old B-52 bomber fly into town for this weekend's airplane exhibit for Air Force week. All over the LA area, there have been fly-overs, and visits to local airports to celebrate the Air Force and their impact on the Southern California area. Tomorrow is the Wings Over Long Beach and we're gonna try and make it over there.
Day 14yam [11:46 PM 0 comments ]
[ Thursday, November 13, 2008 ]
Sick or Not SickThis crazy weather we've been having for the last 2 months has definitely put a strain on our immune systems. At least every other week the temperature has been venturing into the 90's during the day, and sliding back into the 50's at night. Normal for this time of year in SoCal is usually in the low 70's.
So, on Monday Matthew started sniffling and talking like he's inside of a box, but has been able to do OK thru the days. And last night and into today, I've been feeling less than chipper. My head hurts and even my face has been hurting between and around my eyes. So last night and today I've been taking advil and swabbing my nose with Zicam to hopefully ward off a cold which I really don't need right now (when is it ever good?). Tonight Matthew had a late night basketball practice abut we we both fell asleep after dinner, before heading out to the gym. But we worked pretty hard during practice (OK, Matthew actually worked harder than me, but I played a lot of defense on the Pick-and-roll) and hopefully we'll be OK by the weekend. (Posted from my smartphone again!)
Day 13yam [11:33 PM 0 comments ]
