Cheese Steak Joes

Living in a small town limits ones food experiences. There are way too many fast food drive thrus, more than a dozen Mexican food restaurants (none of which are what I grew up eating so is rarely eaten at), half dozen or so homestyle American joints that serve burgers and fried steaks, three or four BBQ pits, several coast related dives (all of which cater to tourists), one or two Asian diners, and one pizza stand. For a town less than 20K people there are plenty of places to eat at if non home cooked meals are what you desire. However, if you desire street foods you are out of luck. There are no hot dog carts, no sandwich stands, no various flavored stuffed breads (meat, cheese, veggies, Italian, Greek, Mexican). None.

And this lack of street foods is sad because this is a town full of people from all over. People from where street foods are popular, where street foods are both breakfast/lunch or lunch/dinner, where streets foods are your neighbors and friends. Sad we are a town of different cultures and yet we lack individuality and are stuck with the same fast foods found all across America. Boring.

What this town needs is a stand where a creamy cheese laden, pepper and meat filled, crunchy hoagie can be had any day of the week for lunch. Just a simple food truck, nothing fancy. No restaurant needed as this is a street food and can be eaten on the go. Without such food truck, I resorted to Cheesesteak Style Sloppy Joes instead.

Modifications Made:

Diced garlic instead of garlic powder. Yellow onion to offer a slight sweetness to the bitter garlic and bell pepper.

Scaled for Likability: Good

Most definitely not cheese steak but more like creamed burger on a bun. It was good but not like the picture good and not like a sliced meat cheesesteak sandwich good. Kinda reminded me of a burger school would call a cheesesteak sandwich as it contains beef, peppers, and cheese. Now I really want a Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich with a side of chips and a pickle.

Better Than Campbell's Old Fashion Vegetable Soup

Went to the store with the hopes of gathering fresh produce for soup. With more than 45 people in line for two packages of any meat product and the produce section containing only avocado, orange, and most randomly, strawberries, I settled upon canned soup. Well not canned soup since that section was still void of food, too. Instead soup made from canned goods as the canned vegetable section had been mostly restocked. Soups like this 15 Minute Vegetable Soup are ideal in dire food situations such as current times. Modifications Made: Plain petite diced tomatoes for flavored tomatoes, frozen carrots instead of canned, green beans and corn undrained, peas omitted (gross, nasty little pods), one can tomato sauce, two low sodium chicken and two pollo de tomate bouillon cubes, six cups water. Once onions were softened, carrots, juice of green beans and corn, sauce, bouillon cubes, water were added and allowed to simmer until carrots almost tender. Green beans and corn tossed in, heat t

Way Too Rich, Extra Heavy Cheesecake

Pictures are deceptive. What this picture of this recipe does not show is how old and faded the print out paper is, how many stains are smudged across various spots, and the numerous notes written in the top right corner with the first one dating back to college days in 2001. Yikes, twenty years ago makes this paper print out old, no wait, that makes me old. Eek. Sadly, my current living quarters do not allow for cooking of this cheesecake. In fact the last time this recipe has been made have been close to six or seven years. That is just too long. Too long. Luckily, we are spending Spring Break at family with a real oven. A family who will help eat this oh so rich, very decadent, supremely yummy cheesecake. Modifications Made: There are four keys to a successful cheesecake. ONE: all ingredients must be room temperature. If your house is ice chest cold, then warm the ingredients on the stovetop. TWO: do not over mix. Excessive mixing creates air pockets resulting in split mi

The Great Freeze 2021 Vegetable Broth

Good grief, this cold snap. Every year I wish and wish for cold weather so this table can eat soups without melting. Well this year winter came and came with a vengeance. Two days below freezing with no water, no power, no internet/cell service. It's the dark ages. If you need more info just search for Texas Grid Failure 2021 . Yes, this tragic affair has its own wiki page. Good grief. Did you know that if temperatures drop below freezing for too long, refrigerators will not keep your cold stuff from freezing? Well, they don't. And with 17℉ temps, this tables fridge contents froze. What to do with a fridge full of frozen fresh veggies? Veggie stock. No recipe was used, it was just all the veggies in the fridge (white and yellow onions, garlic, jalapeno, green onions, three roma tomatoes, celery, two russet potatoes, seven carrots, and a red and green bell pepper) salt and pepper, and enough water to just touch the top layer of veggies. I did not want the veggies floa

Eating Waffles

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