Carl's Jr.

I know, I know my profile says something about cheap, local eats, but I have to talk about fast food. I HATE IT!!!

This past week, I went to Carl's Jr. for the first time. I've boycotted the place since I first saw the Paris Hilton campaign. I'm not an extremist feminist. But come on, a place that sells hamburgers by having a girl in a skimpy bathing suit and heels "wash" a car is completely unappealing to any woman with a healthy sense of confidence and feminity.

Plus, Carl is angry. As local comedian Marcus says, "Carl's Jr. is pissed." Their campaign has gotten progressively angrier since it first began, "If it doesn't get all over the place, it doesn't belong in your face."

I understand, I am not Carl's Jr.'s target audience. As a fast-food chain they are directly targeting young men between the ages of 18 and 24. Traditionally, the most difficult group to persuade. Talk about an advertising nightmare, and we lucky us see the results, apparently angry and sexy is the way to talk to men.

My virgin visit wasn't as bad as I had anticipated. The set-up is typical of fast-food restaurants trying to be more upscale. You order and are given a number. A server looking for your number then brings your food to your table.

The food itself was edible. The crisp cut fries had a nice seasoning on them, but weren't exactly fried or cut fresh. The onion rings were yucky. They consisted mostly of batter and the onions were apparently from last year's harvest. Nothing fresh, nothing well-cooked and nothing yummy about that!

From the way, Yanto's love ate her chili cheese fries. I'm going to venture they were pretty good. The one's I sampled were cheesy and spicy. Exactly, what I expect from my chili cheese fries.

I've heard from a couple of guys that Carl's is AMAZING! They love it! The portions are big, the food is yummy and "usually" the music rocks. I disagree. I see no point in supporting a national chain with substandard food and service when I can go up the street to a local place, be treated like a person (not a number) and eat good, quality food.

The environment is typical of any fast-food place, except for the even worse than usual pop balring from above. The employees are at best indifferent. The food is typical fast food. All in all, not some place I'm likely to go again. But if forced to choose between McDonald's and Carl's Jr. I may choose Carl's solely because they offer better chili cheese fries.

The key to a happy fast food experience? Low expectations. Really, really low.

Family...isn't it about time?

So I just found out my sweet big sister has passed the link to my blog on to my mother. "HI MOM!" Of course, I also want to thank my family for being supportive of my food love by reading and sharing my little space on the web. I love you!

Excuses, excuses, excuses

I know we've all heard it from everyone we know and we've said it ourselves. "I'm too busy to get everything done." Well, I'm saying it now. "I'm busy, stressed and panicked." In the spirit of having more to do than you can possibly every accomplish, I bring you frozen pizza.

Easy Pizza

Ingredients:
1 frozen cheese pizza*
1/2 C-1 C mozarella cheese
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup olives, sliced
1 can (8 oz.) artichoke hearts, quartered
1/4 C fresh grated parmesan cheese

*You can also start with a frozen pepperoni pizza. Also, don't be afraid to experiment using your favorite pizza toppings to make a great pie.

Instructions:
Preheat you oven to 425 degrees Farenheit*. Remove the pizza from its packaging. Place the pizza on an ungreased cookie sheet or pizza pan. Sprinkle the mozarella cheese on top. Add the mushrooms, olives and artichoke hearts. Drizzle the olive oil over the top of the pie.

Place the pizza in the oven and let cook for about 10 minutes. Add the parmesan to the pizza. Let the pie finish cooking for about 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven, slice and enjoy!

**Times and tempertatures are based on Tombstone brand frozen pizza. Please follow the cooking directions on the pizza you buy. Remembering to add the parmesan just before the pizza is done.

Guacomole

I've been feeling a bit out of it lately, I blame a crappy job, a crazy family and a nasty spider bite for the yuck. So I've been eating a lot of comfort food lately. In my case, that means a ton of Mexican. Cheese, grease and heat are yummy! DA, DA, DAAAH! I give you my guacamole recipe. It's chunky and rich with a nice spicy, hot blend.

Hardware:
Spoon
Fork
Chef's knife
Wooden cutting board
Small mixing bowl or cereal bowl

Ingredients:
2 small-medium avocados, mashed
1 small Roma tomato, diced
1/2 cup white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small Serrano pepper, seeded and minced
1 lime, juiced
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbs. paprika
2 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
Kosher salt, to taste (I use about 4 tsps.)
Fresh ground black pepper, to taste (about 1 Tbs.)

Instructions:
Carefully, using your chef's knife slice the avocado in half cutting around the pit. Gently separate into two pieces by twisting the top and pulling. Gently pierce the avocado pit with the blade of your knife. Using the same twisting motion you would to open a jar pull the pit out of the avocado.

Now, use a spoon to scrape the avocado meat out of it's skin. Working around the edges of the skin to gently remove the avocado as intact as possible. Now, dice your avocado halves into about 1-inch chunks. Remove and dice the second avocado. Place the avocado in the small mixing bowl and smash with the fork until smooth.

Next, dice the tomato and onion. Now, mince the garlic and Serrano pepper. To make the guacamole spicier keep the seeds. To make a more mild mix scrape the seeds out of the pepper and throw away. Mince the cilantro. Now, place the tomato, onion, garlic, Serrano pepper and cilantro in the bowl with the avocado.

Throw in your spices; kosher salt, fresh ground black pepper, paprika, cumin and cayenne. Everything is in the bowl. Gently, mix all the ingredients together. I like a chunkier guacamole so I mix as little as possible.

Now enjoy your heart healthy chip dip!

O'FALAFEL, ETC.

Is it more fun to say than schwarma? I think not, but falafel will have to do. I was really excited about the opening of this Mediterranean cuisine restaurant on 790 East and 2100 South in the old Saltimbocca location.

My friends were kind enough to humor me and we checked it out last weekend. Although, we arrived at 8:50 p.m. (they close at 9 p.m.). The guy at the cash register was in no hurry. The line in front of us was long and slow moving.

We placed our orders for Caesar salad, falafel, chicken and kefir. For the uninitiated falafel is essentially deep fried beans. It's surprisingly good. Served with pita bread and a cool yogurt dipping sauce. I found it very yummy. Although, the bright green color inside is surprising.

I was feeling adventurous so I also tried the kefir. It turned out it was grilled spicy beef strips. Although, it was good. It wasn't great and I'll probably order something else next time. The tomato sauce served with the meat was delicious. The rice was cooked perfectly, but it did need a little salt.

All of the vegetables were fresh and good, Goomba's salad looked amazing. The sauces were all delicious, I especially like the cucumber sauce Mrs. WP was served with her chicken. It was refreshing and cool and paired perfectly with the spice of the rest of the dish.

So although the kitchen was incredibly slow and we didn't even begin to think about leaving until 10 p.m. The family who runs the place was very kind. They were attentive to our table as they tried to figure out their own system for ordering.

The owner apologized personally to us for the wait. I think for being open for three days they have learned a lot. I'll give the wait staff and kitchen a couple of weeks to learn the ropes, but then I'll be back for more.

Plus, it's amazinly cheap. It was $5.49 for a falafel appetizer that was big enough to serve as one person's meal. For just under $7 Mrs. WP and I ordered our entrees and Goomba paid about $6 for his salad. Good food, a different experience, great people and cheap...the recipe for my kind of restaurant.

Chef Goomba's Shrimp Penne

Hardware:
skillet
pot
strainer
small bowl
pasta bowl
wooden spoon
zester

Ingredients:*
1/2 lb of frozen, tail on shrimp
12 oz. penne pasta
1 lemon
1/2 C. + 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 Tbs. fresh Italian parsley, minced
2 Tbs. kosher salt
1 Tbs. fresh ground black pepper
1 tsp. of red pepper flakes
4 Tbs. fresh grated Parmesan, for garnish

Instructions:
Fill a stainless steel pot about 1/2 to 3/4 full of water. Add 1 tablespoon kosher salt. Place over medium-high heat and let water boil. As the water begins to boil, zest your lemon. Stir the zest into the EVOO and let the lemon infuse the oil.

Now, heat your skillet over medium heat. When the skillet is warm, pour in a tablespoon of olive oil. Heat the olive oil until it begins to smoke slightly. Toss in the garlic, shallots and a pinch of salt. Stir the garlic and shallots with your wooden spoon as aromatics saute.

When your water is boiling add the pasta. Let the water return to a boil. Penne generally takes about 7-9 minutes to cook through. You know it is done when the pasta is soft, but still firm to the bite. The key to a good pasta is to stir the pot occasionally. When the pasta is done, drain and set aside.

Once the garlic is golden and the shallots are soft (about 5-7 minutes) add the frozen shrimp. Let the shrimp cook first on one side. Then turn the shrimp to cook on the other side. You can also use fresh shrimp, or thawed frozen shrimp. Make sure the shrimp has been deveined.

When the shrimp is cooked through--it should be pink on both sides and white in the middle--add the pasta. Cut the lemon in half width-wise and squeeze one half over the pasta. Pour on the lemon zest and olive oil mixture. Toss in the parsley, pepper and red pepper flakes. Gently stir everything together until it is well mixed.

Serve and top with a healthy pinch of Parmesan. We enjoyed the shrimp penne with strawberry and grape infused vodka Lime Rickey's. I hope you enjoy this Giada inspired recipe as much as we did!

* all measurements are approximate

Curry in a Hurry

Let the puns begin! This little place near the corner of 2100 South and State Street is best defined as hole-in-the-wall. The restaurant space is hardly big enough for the two tables and counter in the dining area. The curry is served cafeteria style with rice, your choice of meat and veggies and napan (a Pakastani bread much like pita).

This tiny space packs a ton of personality. From the TV with the Bollywood music videos to the sari draped woman behind the counter the whole place appears to be imported from Pakistan. The local Pakistani family who owns this place knows what they're doing with both the decorations and the food.

The rice was cooked perfectly. The chicken was tender and the potatoes were cooked nicely. The curry, the highlight of any Pakistani dish, was delicious. This was my first experience with curry and it left me wanting more. The blend of spice, sweet and heat was unexpected and wonderful. The huge portions were more than I could eat in a single sitting, but the flavor was so good I couldn't stop eating.

One to-go box of their half-platter chicken curry is enough for two meals for me. And for about $8 that makes it well worth the money. For a delightful taste of Pakistan, Curry in a Hurry is an affordable, accessible dining experience.

Shrimp Tacos

These tacos are the perfect dish for summer. I created this recipe in an effort to highlight the natural flavors of the ocean in shrimp. Remember the fresher your shrimp the better the tacos will taste. I used frozen store bought shrimp and it worked out surprisingly well.

Ingredients:
1/2 lb. 51-60 shrimp, thawed
2 Tbs. no salt, butter
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 Roma tomatoes, diced
1/4 C. onion, diced
2 Tbs. fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 fresh lime
1 Tbs. kosher salt
1 Tbs. fresh, ground black pepper
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 fresh corn tortillas
1 C. Canola oil

Hardware:
2 skillets
1 wooden spoon
Tongs
1 serrated knife
1 Chef's knife
1 cutting board
1 bowl
Cup measure
Tablespoon measure
Teaspoon measure
1 spoon or fork

First, de-vein and un-tail all the shrimp. The shells should come right off if you pull from the tail upwards. Next, melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. While the butter is melting, mince the garlic. And begin heating the canola oil in a separate skillet over medium-high heat.

Add 2 cloves of the garlic to the butter and let saute for a few minutes until golden brown. Now, add the shrimp. Let the shrimp cook, stirring occasionally, until pink and white for about 15 minutes.

When the canola oil is hot enough to fry the tortillas begin frying them. Place a tortilla in the oil for about 30 seconds then flip over using tongs. Let cook for another 30 seconds and drain on a paper towel lined plate.

As the shrimp cook, dice your tomatoes and onion. Place the tomato and onion in a small mixing bowl. Add the remaining garlic. Chop the cilantro, add to the salsa. Squeeze in the juice from 1/2 a fresh lime. Add the salt, pepper, cumin, cayenne and paprika. Stir with fork or spoon until thoroughly mixed.

Place a five or six cooked shrimp in the taco shell. Top with salsa and garnish with fresh mozzarella. Happy summer!

*This is a great recipe to make with a couple of friends. My sous chef for the night, Mrs. Wesley Wyndham-Price, deserves a giant thank you for all her awesome help and patience. I love you!