NINE HUNDRED DOLLAREEDOOS?!?!?

This afternoon Travis and I  hopped on our bikes (a perfect fall day to do so!) and went to Ants Pants cafe for brunch. Despite its awful name, the food was really great and affordable.
We started out with sweet potato fries that came with a side of sour cream and a side of that sweet Thai chilli sauce. I’ve knocked sweet potato fries in the past, but upon first bite I took all bad words back.  Cut super thin and crispy,  they didn’t even need the sides but those were an added bonus for sure.
As my meal I got a cheddar, apple, and bacon scramble. It was equally awesome and the home-made fries were just as good as the sweet potato fries.
The place is pretty small, some might say “cozy” or “intimate” but I think using those words to describe food is weird and gross. They have an extensive coffee/latte/tea selection, if you’re into that sorta thing.
You should also know  that  I spent most of our meal quoting “Bart vs Australia”.

Surgery update

So, in case you live under a rock, you should know that getting all four of your wisdom teeth removed at once is a terrible awful surgery with an even worse recovery time. Here is a list of my triumphs and fails thus fair with eating. Yes, this is far too much information for anyone, but at least i’m sparing you the ugly gross details. Also someone somewhere down the line might appreciate this.

Maybe.

Applesauce- easy to eat, but gets boring after the first bite
Jello- see above
soft boiled egg- kind of odd because At that point I still couldn’t chew or move my mouth much, so I kind of just had to suck it down (lol). The texture is uniquely… egg-y, so you can imagine.
Lynell’s home made soup- awesome, and really yummy, except for the escarole. That was kind of hard to chew. TMI?
party cake ice cream- obviously TOTALLY AWESOME.
home made mac n cheese- took me FOREVER to actually eat, but with enough persistence and slow chewing, I conquered the shit out of it. And enjoyed it immensely.
edamame- my worst idea yet. epic fail. I thought it would work but it absolutely did not. You don’t want to know why.
Brie- PRETTYYYY good. Had to let it sit for a minute so it got soft, but so far so good.

Pumpkin Foods have arrived!

I love the fall not only for the perfect weather and awesome holidays, but  also because of the reemergence of the pumpkin. It comes in all sorts of forms, food wise and other, and I cannot WAIT to get the fuck into it. I think most people are either pumpkin lovers, or haters. No  in- between really. What do you think? Here is a list of my favorite pumpkin items, in no particular order:

Southern Tier Pumking Ale

This beer epitomizes fall in one sip. Equal parts pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and DELICIOUS all rolled into one, my mouth waters just thinking about it. The perfect fall beer to sip wearing a hoodie on a porch or stoop. I highly recommend this if you have never tried it. Beats any and all other pumpkin beers, believe me I’ve tried them all in a quest to find one as good as this.

Tastykake pumpkin pie

For real the best 50 cent pumpkin Pie out on the market. TastyKake  does not fuck around when it comes to their products, and their pumpkin pie is pretty damn awesome, especially considering its so cheap and widely available. Holler at your local wawa for one, you’ll thank me later.

Rita’s Pumpkin Water ice

I stumbled upon this flavor last year, and though it is PRETTY pretty good on its own, I highly recommend you get this in gelato form with some vanilla. Or chocolate, if you’re into that but I’ve never had it that way so if it sucks blame only yourself, loser. Just kidding.  Gelato just means that the water ice sits in between a scoop of thick gelato ice cream. Uhm, duh.  This way, it tastes much more like a pumpkin pie, and brings out many of the flavors in the water ice that alone you might miss.

Pumpkin Ravioli
I don’t have a photo of this, but during one of my many restaurant week outings last fall  I remember having tried pumpkin ravioli, and nearly dying. It was strange and familiar and delicious all at the same time. I’d like to try them again, but I’m afraid they just won’t be as good. The idea of it still sort of weirds me out, only because my feeble little mind sees pumpkin as a dessert thing, but if its executed well it would make my day to eat them again.

Straight-up roasted pumpkin seeds

From when I was a kid until now, as a grown ass woman, whenever I carve a pumpkin around Halloween time, I’d sift through the guts and meat of the pumpkin and pick out the seeds to roast later. It is easy and fun and I’d imagine a healthy snack, if your into nuts and seeds and shit, which I am. all you do is take the seeds and clean them off.  Put the seeds on a cookie sheet and sprinkle some butter or oil on them, then either salt and pepper, or whatever other spices you like. Stick in the oven, keep an eye on ‘em so they don’t burn, and ta-da! you have an easy and pretty yummy snack.

As soon as my stupid teeth heal I cannot wait to eat any and all items I just talked about, and hopefully some new ones as well.
Welcome great pumpkin!

MORE TERRIBLE NEWS

I have to get all four of my stupid, shitty wisdom teeth taken out later this week. Though I’m pretty nervous about the whole surgery, I’m more concerned with what I can eat, and how soon afterwords I can eat wings again. I really, REALLY love eating wings.

I’m wondering if I should just drink tons of jamba juice smoothies (oh man they are so awesome!) , or take ingredients I would normally make in a meal for myself and just throw them in a food processor and make a meal out of that… though I’m PRETTY SURE Homer Simpson did that in an episode.

Also, you bet your ass that I will be eating some motherfucking party cake on the reg during the whole recouperation period. If you haven’t tried this yet, you are not living.

Any Ideas or suggestions? What do you guys think?

Know your broiler!

A few weeks ago I got this really delicious cuban style mojo citrus marinade and was eager to try it out. I called my dad and asked how he would cook chicken that had been marinating in this sauce without a grill, and he suggested using the broiler. I’ve made chicken this was a few times now and it is fan-fucking-tastic. The key is to keep an eye on it. For chicken its about 10 minutes total, 5 minutes on each side, but for fish it’s a bit more tricky.  It all depends on the kind of fish you have. The tilapia I used took maybe 6 minutes. It was also awesome.

Not so funemployment

Two things

1) Is it just me, or is ceviche the new cilantro, bacon, pumpkin beer, hype food item for 2009?  I’ve always loved it (holla at your traditional Spanish dishes) but on top chef, iron chef, etc I keep seeing “reconstructed” ceviches. At first I was super stoked but now I’m kind of over it. Watermelon with some balsamic over is does NOT make a ceviche.

Speaking of iron chef, Jose Garces is a challenger on this particular episode, and I know he is like the foodie IT dude for opening a bunch of new spots in town this past year.

Which brings me to a sad point:

2) I decided that I can’t afford this years Philadelphia restaurant week. In the past I would budget it in because I fucking love food, especially from places I couldn’t ever afford even with a job. It’s just so sad to me that I have to give this up because of my shitty money situation.  No more luxuries, no more fun. I can’t  stop paying my electricity or gas, and as for my other vices (booze and smokes) I’ve cut back and worked around those errr…roadblocks. I wish I could visit one of Garces’ new joints this year, or a few others on the list of participating restaurants,  but alas it will have to wait until the next restaurant week, or someone decides to buy me dinner.  If anyone reading ends up going anywhere please let me know about it! If I can’t enjoy it myself I still enjoy hearing about others good food experiences.

recession steak!

Butcher & Singer has done it again! Their $6 lunch burger was such a success that they decided to add a 24oz steak to their lunch menu for $16, and for dinner its $18. The thing is a BEHEMOTH and definitely the best steak I have ever tasted in my life. It’s a steal for that price, and Fred Flinstone sized. If you are anywhere near 15th and Walnut Sts in center city and you love steak, do yourself a favor and check  this out. I guarantee you will not be disappointed! I have been daydreaming about it since I got it last week.

so much food, so little time

My Internet has been SUPER WHACK as of late, hence the lack of posts recently. But fear not loyal readers. I will be back with a vengeance soon enough. Just don’t hold your breath…

xo

Rachel

Worst breakfast

This morning I heard a woman order a whole wheat bagel with mustard on it. FUCKING MUSTARD. Gjgksajdgajgpioajhglkahsgiohasioghaio. It succesfully ruined my day. Mustard should be left on pretzels and kielbasa; not on a bagel. C’mon people.

Food rules

One of  my favorite, and most important food rules is: If it’s got vegetables in it, it’s healthy.