Adventure-food

This weekend, Mom & Leyton & I went to Des Moines, Iowa, for a weekend of fun & food.  Cuz, what's a road trip w/o food?  : )

We ate at Perkins twice, Bennigan's, IHOP, BK, Adventureland... Some things I did well to get pictures of, and others... not so much.  But part of my excuse is that my camera charger broke our first day!

Friday for brunch was our first trip to Perkins, in Iowa City, netted Orange French Toast.  Delicious French Toast stuffed with orange marmelade and cream cheese, breakfast potatoes, eggs over medium and bacon.  Mmmm!  I admit it, the FT was the best part!  The next time we ate at Perkins, Saturday for brunch in Des Moines, I had Hawaiian pancakes (no photo, boo!), which were pretty good!  They had coconut, mandarin orange slices & marischino (sp?) cherries.  Didn't even need butter or syrup!  : )

Friday night's dinner was at Bennigan's, which was attached to our hotel.  Mom & I hadn't been to a Bennigan's in years, and so of course wanted their famous Monte Cristo sandwhich.  There was also another sandwich on the menu we wanted to try, the Day After Thanksgiving, which of course was turkey, stuffing, cranberry sauce & mashed potatoes.  We decided to order both & split them.  The MC was delicious.  The DAT, not so much.  I can't recommend it.  Of course, to be fair, I don't think anything can compare very well after Capriotti's.  Still, I had high hopes, but they were dashed to pieces after the first bite.  On the bright side, the pretzel roll on which the sandwich was served was tastey!

Saturday we went to Adventureland and got to partake of two fair food staples:

The corn dog, in this instance a foot long version, and it was enough for the three of us to have a little mid-afternoon snack.  Cooked to perfection and accompanied by a little mustard, a little ketchup and a Sprite, we were good to go!

And of course, what would a day at any fair (or amusement park) be without the funnel cake.  This delicious concoction is just fried dough sprinkled with powdered sugar (and, in our case, topped with vanilla ice cream), but it is a must have, and is the reason I started eating my waffles with a scoop of ice cream!  Heh.

On the way home, we stopped at I-80 Truckstop for dinner.  My cousin Brandi works there, so we got to say hi, which was nice.  I'm not sure I can recommend the food, however.  Leyton ordered mini corndogs, and they came out cooked well on the outside, but cold on the inside.  : (  I ordered the fish sandwich, fried mushrooms and cottage cheese.  The fish & shrooms were okay, the tarter sauce was good, tho.  I never got the cottage cheese (and it wasn't on the bill, so that's good).  Mom had the salad bar, and THAT I can recommend.  Her salad fixins (including cottage cheese, hey!) looked fresh and she said it was yummy.  Also, Leyton ate her broccoli.  : )

All in all, a good trip, and the food helped make it a fun one.

Until next time - what's your fair food staple?

Steak & Shake Frank

Good evening, blog buddies!  How's everyone doing tonight?  I'm just peachy, thanks!  Gearing up for a trip to Des Moines tomorrow w/ Mom & Leyton.  Phil's watching the house & kitty, yay!  : )  Hoping to have a post about funnel cake & corn dogs when I get back, but we'll see.  *grin*

Tonight we went to Steak & Shake, after WM grocery shopping & Toys R Us (more at the other space, ya know!).  I ordered the delicious Guacamole Frank & cottage cheese, mom had a Guacamole burger and Leyton had a hot dog - even though mom tried to order him a hamburger & he said, "Hot dog."  LOL  The waitress, I give her mad props, because she paused and waited to see if Leyton actually wanted a hot dog, instead of just automatically taking Mom's first order.  I'm not all about kids getting everything they want or anything, except for when it's time to order food.  Cuz we all know, order a kid something they don't want to eat & that's just a waste of money!  Try that at home when you can put the leftovers in the fridge, k?  LOL

This was seriously delicious.  Yes, just a regular hot dog w/ guac & tomatoes.  But TASTEE!  : )  My only complaint is that the guac used some spicy red onions that are still causing me some issues!  Blah.  But next time I think I'll be trying the chili cheese dog (no onions).  : )

No complaints on the cottage cheese w/ pineapple, tho!  I did add a little pepper before eating, tho.  Also, notice the placemat to the right?  Apparently you can buy S&S items for home!  Cool beans.  ; )

So, there you have it!  Until next time - I leave you w/ a cute picture of some fries.  LOL

Pampered Chef Greek Rub

Per the PC Website: A traditional Grecian blend of oregano, lemon, garlic and a hint of mint add Mediterranean flavors to meats, dips and salads. Makes an excellent Greek salad dressing, too!

I have been using this on EVERYTHING lately, and it is so delicious!  It's savory w/o being salty, and it just adds a whole level of diversity to ordinary dishes.  I need to make a dip soon, but so far what I have included it on... 

Tortillas - fry a buttered flour tortilla on both sides, add mild or sharp cheddar cheese (and bacon if you have it) and a couple sprinkles of this rub.  Fold, let the cheese get all melty - but don't burn the tortilla unless you're into that sorta thing!  Ideally, the tortilla should be only slightly crispy on the edges.  

Tortillas 2 - spread a flour tortilla w/ cream cheese, sprinkle a generous amount of rub, add ham & perhaps a kosher dill pickle, wrap & enjoy!  

Eggs - forgo the salt & pepper & just sprinkle a little of this rub over them.  

Pizza.

Pasta sauce - I have used this in both my alfredo and tomato sauces, and it's just divine!  

I'm sure I'll be finding many more things to add Pampered Chef's Greek Rub to very soon!  

Until next time, if you have it in your pantry, let me know what uses you have for it.  : )