Well, as you may see from the title, the pancakes in the blog's title have been retired. Anything I do on this blog has a thoughtful reason, and this change is no exception. I have always been a breakfast guy- I am one of those people that advocates cooking breakfast food for dinner. Hell, I had a breakfast dinner twice last week. But at this point in my life, cooking gives me this cathartic release- it's something I know I do well, and breakfast is not a meal where I get too adventurous.

Now baking- that's where my stress goes away. Making something really good and cheap that I can share with my friends is a great feeling for me. No matter what's going on in my life, baking will make my problems disappear in the meantime. Cupcakes are at the top of my list of things to bake, and as you've seen from the last few weeks, it's something I love to make. Now everybody wants birthday cupcakes and the like. I kinda feel like that episode of Arthur when he keeps asking his dad to make cakes for school functions so that Arthur can be popular.

Anyhoo, it's a lot of fun for me, and I genuinely feel at home when making cupcakes. So the blog's name has changed...for now.

Farrrr From The Tarrrrget

So I have new employee orientation today. One awesome thing about being in government orientation is that I get a 75 minute lunch; on normal days I get just 30. Springfield has a lot of food options available, but one that caught my eye was Long John Silver's. I haven't eaten there in about six years, so I decided to give it a go. Two things you should know about me before I tell you about my food: One, I love to cook; Two, I love to pan sear fish. It's simple, heathy, and if you luck up, affordable as well.

So I happily place my order- two pieces of fish, fries, and hush puppies. It took longer than I expected to get my meal, but I knew it would be worth the wait.

So it came in this really neat little box- this was very cool and compact....except my food was hopping around in the box. Take a look.

Now just about everything in this box was fried, so it didn't mean a whole lot to me for it to come like this from a "my food can't touch" standpoint. But are you serious? Just about all of the meals at Long John Silver's are the same; there couldn't be a compartment for fish, one for fries, and one for the hush puppies? I know fast food isn't all about presentation so much as it is about selling the product, but this is kinda bad. I barely got any fries, the ones I got were soft, and if you look closely, there's a bunch of deep fry crumbs in my box. It's like someone said, "Hey! You know what I think you need? More minuscule crunchy pieces!"

So I delved into the meal, hungry as a bear. Everything would have been incredibly tasty except for one small problem: Everything was WAAAAAAAY too salty. The fish was salty, the hush puppies were salty, and by the time I started eating the fries, my taste buds were devoid of registering anything less than super salty. It's a real shame too, because everything except for the fries had a great texture. The hush puppies had this nice hint of garlic, and the fish was crunchy on the outside and hot and flaky on the inside. It's almost like they were trying to mask flavors with salt. Fast food isn't very healthy to begin with, but I'm kinda scared to see the nutritional value for that meal, just because the sodium level has to be extremely high.

Just as a word to the good people who run this company: I'm no professional cook, but I'm pretty sure fish doesn't need a whole lot of salting before it's deemed "too salty". Now I see why I hadn't eaten here in so long. Disappointing, to say the least.

Salmon Croquettes w/ Wild Rice

I love salmon croquettes. They're such an easy dish, and they're not half bad for you either. Take a can of pink salmon, about the size of a soup can, and debone and deskin the fish. Take what's left, and mix in two large eggs- this is to keep the patties together while they fry. Throw in some onions, green peppers, tomatoes, or whatever else you like, too. Canned salmon already has a salt in it, so you shouldn't have to season it too much, lest they become salty.

Coat the patties in a mixture of flour, bread crumbs, and lemon pepper seasoning. Lay them in a pan of hot oil until brown and crisp on both sides. Like pancakes, you should only have to flip once. Flip too much and they may end up soggy.

A can of salmon makes 3 to 5 patties, depending on how big you've made them. Serve with rice or pasta (I just made a box of Uncle Ben's Wild Rice), and serve.

Personally, I like my croquettes plain, but some people make a tartar sauce or other dip to go along with them. If cooked correctly though, these should taste fine all by themselves.

Sent from my Windows Phone

A Look Back At Friendlier, Tastier Skies

I love to fly. I hate paying $350 to do it, but I love it. I don't know why, considering how little added value I get for my money-especially compared to 20 or 30 years ago, when flying was an experience. Now, it's no different than the Japanese bullet train- pack 'em in, get 'em there quick, and charge a new crop of suckers. There's very little hospitality, and I'm sad that I missed that period of American aviation; you didn't need a first class ticket to feel like a first class customer. Check out this United Airlines commercial from 1984:



Now granted, this was a commercial dedicated to grabbing customers, but it also shows that airlines back then showed a different caliber of respect and loyalty to their customers. Now, it's so impersonal that I might as well take the CTA across country. At least then I get the awesome CTA guy doing voiceovers. (ding-dong...DOORS CLOSING!)

I Scream, You Scream....

On Wednesday, April 27th, Baskin Robbins will run their 31-Cent Scoop Night, which has become a yearly tradition. It's a great way to take the family, friends or significant other out on the cheap. More importantly, however, the night is dedciated to donating to the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation (NFFF). If you have a spare buck or two (as I imagine you would, since you're getting ice cream for next to nothing), please donate, as all the money donated to each Baskin Robbins goes to helping local fire charities.

As a result of this event, the Flavor of the Month is called Firehouse #31; here's a description of the ice cream in the words of Baskin Robbins:

We're bringing the heat with a crunchy hot cinnamon ribon laced through red cinnamon ice cream and packed with hot candy pieces! Vanilla ice cream puts out the fire.

By the way, I just want to point out how cool Baskin Robbins' logo is; it's been out for a few years now, but I just wanted to point out how cool it is that the initials are colored so there's a pink 31 right there in the middle. It's definitely one of my favorite logos from the last few years.

The 2010 McRib Reunion Tour

Ladies and gentlemen, pandemonium has come about America that has not been seen since the Beatles made their way across the pond. That can mean only one thing.

The McRib has returned.

For about a month each year, the McRib re-graces the menu at McDonald's. The sandwich started as a Midwestern test item in the early 80s, only to go national and be discontinued in 1985. Currently, Germany is the only country that sells the McRib year round. It was brought back as a promotional item in 1994, but it turns out that diners craved the McRib. So McDonald's made it a yearly tradition. Thus, the legend of the McRib was born.

Let me make this clear: I have NEVER had a McRib. NEVER. But this year, I will experience the phenomenon. I'm actually really looking forward to it- I mean, people wouldn't flock to this sandwich like this if it wasn't good. In addition, none of my three roommates have had one so we're going to head to McDonald's before December 5th, which is TECHNICALLY the final day the sandwich is to be sold.

There's a reason why I say "technically." Some stores still have yet to sell off their whole supply by that date, so there are actually groups of people out there who turn into nomads, sniffing out the Mickey D's who sell after the end date. It's like following a rock band, or those people in post-apocalyptic movies who are desperately searching for food and rely on rumors alone to set their paths. Let's face it- the only other McDonald' sandwich that has gotten this much publicity is the McGriddle, and they sell that year round, so it's not as exclusive. But I bet you if they sold it in spurts like the McRib, the same thing would happen.

Let me just say that the marketing is genius by McDonald's. They're taking an item that would undoubtedly sell well if sold year round, and giving it to people in spurts. they are holding the figurative "carrot on a stick" (although this is the farthest thing from a carrot) here, and they have it at exactly the right height. That, potentially, could have been risky. Another fast food joint could have offered a similar sandwich to fill the void left by the McRib, but nobody has stepped up to that plate. Also, for those of you who complain about why the sandwich is year round, consider this: Every restaurant would then have to increase storage capacity for the custom buns, McRibs, the special-cut onions, and the barbecue sauce- I'm pretty sure they don't have any other menu items that use those onions or a steady stream of barbecue sauce. That costs extra money (and possibly takes storage from better selling menu items), and if the McRib doesn't exceed its costs, then it's not smart to keep it on the menu. Having the McRib for a month requires a temporary shift in stock count, as well as no permanent changes to the menu or POS system.

So hit up the closest McDonald's by December 5th! Experience the revolution! Take part in the pandemonium! Immerse yourself in McRib Mania!