Category: Food

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RIP

Ben and I went to Chilis for dinner the other night.

I was eagerly anticipating my usual, the original chicken crispers.

For all the years I've been going there (since years before Ben and I met, actually) I've only rarely ordered anything different than those crispers—and always regretted it. I mean, in my mind, those crispers were the only reason to go to Chilis.

Imagine my horror then when we learned that night that the original crispers are no longer on the menu. The honey chipolte and the crispy variety are still available, but the originals aren't. And it seems I'm not the only one who is verklempt at this development; if you go on Reddit you'll see a lot of people are pissed about this. There's even a petition in the works urging the chain to bring them back. Will it work? Who knows?

In their defense, the crispy crispers aren't awful, but they aren't as good as the original, and remind me of what you'd get from Kentucky Fried Chicken…and I know this much, they certainly aren't enough to make me ever want to set foot in the restaurant again.

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Flashback Friday





El Torero Restaurant, Tucson AZ, June 2007

I've been going here since I was in college, and even though I haven't lived in Tucson since 1985, it's always a must-stop location for dining whenever I'm in town.

Now I want some patty tacos.

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Breakfast Hack

A few months ago we discovered Just Crack An Egg as an alternative to a bowl of cereal as a quick breakfast before rushing out the door in the morning—expecially if I'm planning on stopping for my usual venti iced coffee with two pumps of mocha, two pumps of vanilla with cream on the way to work! (Too much sugar if I also have cereal.)

I make mine with 2 eggs instead of one and double to cooking time. A week or so ago a light went off in my addled brain after glancing at the bag of flour tortillas sitting on the counter. BREAKFAST BURRITO!

So now, after the eggs are cooked, I sprinkle a bit of shredded cheese on the a tortilla, throw it in the microwave for 45 seconds and when it's done, dump out the contents of the cup onto the tortilla, fold it, and voila!

They also have a vegetarian option available for those of you who don't eat meat.

You're welcome.

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No.

Curiosity got the better of me the other day, and we ventured to Taco Bell so I could try the Nacho Fries. I mean, Mr. Duhamel wouldn't steer me wrong, would he?

Yes, Virginia. Yes he would.

He must be running short of cash. It's the only explanation for him attaching his ruggedly handsome middle-aged face to this menu item.

Okay, the fries weren't awful, but they weren't anything to get excited about either. Taco Bell could've gotten away with doing what Del Taco does: simply offer some nice crinkle-cut fries to go with your meals. Taco Bell's Nacho Fries are basically overly-seasoned fries that come with a small cup of melted Velveeta cheese product. No, seriously. And the fries leave your fingers looking like you just rummaged through a bag of Cheetos.

I will not be buying them again.

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My Guilty Culinary Pleasure

Yup. Cottage cheese and potato chips.

When I was a wee thing, my parents could not get me to eat cottage cheese. Yeah, it's healthy and all that, but it was just so…bland. Then they stumbled upon giving it to me on a potato chip. SOLD!

From that point on, it's been my guilty culinary pleasure. Ben thinks it's disgusting, but it's healthier than chips and that in-a-jar dip we had been getting. The cottage cheese is very low carb, and the combination of the creamy smoothness of the cottage cheese with the crisp saltiness of the chips is what makes it work so well.

I used to think that liking this was my own personal quirk, but a quick Google search has confirmed that I'm not alone.

As much as I love the chips, I need to keep an eye on my carbs, so next time I get the urge I'll try it with some whole grain crackers instead, to make it an really healthy snack…