Category Archives: food

Chili Cookoff and a Night Run

DSCN2846

We had a chili cookoff at the gas company yesterday. It was a fund raiser and a lot of fun. There were six different team and each team had from four to six crockpots of chili plus the fixin’s and some of them had extra stuff like tamales and such.

DSCN2843

Heather made up a batch of one of her beef chili’s and I entered that. I thought hers was the best. I told a bunch of people there that they were in strong contention for the number two spot.

DSCN2834

Here is what happens when you turn engineers loose on chili making. They may not have had the best chili but they had the best signage and were the only teams that had the correct personal protective gear.

DSCN2836

I love the signs.

DSCN2845

You know how you tell somebody is from New Mexico? If you say “green chili” and their heart rate doesn’t bump up then they are not from New Mexico. This chili was another contender for the number two spot.

I don’t really know who won but I had never eaten so much chili in my life. I love chili cookoffs.

DSCN2849

After work I burned off some calories with a night run on Turkey Mountain with a group of people. I’m getting more used to running with a headlamp. You sure have to keep your head down and focus on where your feet are going. I only stumbled once but I didn’t fall. Sometimes stumbling is worse than falling.

DSCN2850

We did four miles in the dark. It was a fast group but they would stop every now and then and let the slow guys and gals catch up. We did about four miles. I’m loving night running. I’m thinking about planting a night geocache on Turkey Mountain. More to come on that later?

So, what have you been up to lately?

How About some Soylent for Lunch?

20100427_23
This isn’t Soylent, its a Bram’s Mix with Heath Bars. Hey I can’t do a post without a pic and I don’t want to get sued for violating somebody’s copyright!

The New Yorker magazine had an article recently by Liddie Whiddicombe “The End of Food” about a company who has found a substitute for food. The company and the product is called Soylent and supposedly it is all scientifically designed to meet all human nutrition needs and one can live on it for months.

20101122_14
Lucky’s Hamburger with trifle oil fries

I didn’t care about those claims or the product, what intrigued me is that the article discussed the two types of eating. One type of eating is social and experiential where eating is lots of fun. The other type of eating is utilitarian where you eat because you are hungry and that can lead to a lot of bad type eating like fast food or fries, chips. You know crap food that is bad for you.

IMG_6258
Sushi and other stuff from the Sushi Place

That really hit a chord with me. I love eating and social eating most of all and my favorite dining partner is my wife Heather but I also like eating with friends and coworkers and talking about the food. I hate crap generic food. I really do. I also hate eating by myself. Heather and I went to New Orleans years ago and we had a great time. I went without her two years ago and it was completely different. I was at a convention and so I ate lots of hotel banquet food. In a city of great food I hardly ate any of it.

20090127_7
Impressions Beef Stew, Carrot Cake, and French Bread

Also, when I’m traveling on business through rural Oklahoma I hate stopping at small country cafes in small towns. I don’t want to hurt anybody’s feelings and I’m speaking in general terms but I’m also saying as a veteran of eating in numerous small town cafe’s in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, and Mississippi I can say that most of them are pretty bad. All I can say is thank Heaven for Subway!

Before Subway and before Walmart killed retail in small towns my secret was to find the local grocer and go to the back where the butcher counter was and have the butcher make me sandwich. Now, those were good. Big thick slices of meat and cheese and lots of veggies. I haven’t been able to do that in years. (Has anybody else done that?) There is still a grocery store here in Tulsa that will do that for you.

IMG_6666
Pho!!!

This Soylent product comes as a powder and you mix it up with water and sip through a straw. Supposedly it has the consistency of watered down  pancake batter and tastes like cream of wheat. You know I could do that. Instead of stopping at some crappy place I could be sipping on my soylent while take photographs or hunting geocaches or just walking around. Seriously I really would rather do that than stop at a cafe. Unless I knew that the cafe was good.

Coney I-Lander Hot Dogs
Coneys

What about you? Are you ready to sip on some Soylent for lunch or dinner in place of crap food? 

Ruby Tuesday – Copper Creek Inn

IMG_3055

After a long day exploring Mount Ranier National Park last week we descended out of the park into the little town of Ashford, Washington to eat at the Copper Creek Inn. A small roadhouse that really serves good food to the hungry and tired. Sweetie had zeroed in on the blackberry pie while doing research the day before. It was as good as advertised. She ate it before I could take a picture of it.

IMG_3056

Plus, being from Oklahoma we are always in continual amazement at how many people actually keep their windows open. Ours in Oklahoma are buttoned up from March to October.

IMG_3058

Of course what I liked was the stick alphabet on the outside of the building.

Ruby Tuesday 2

Enhanced by Zemanta

Alphabet Wednesday – “F” is Food!!!!!!!!!!

This week’s letter is F! I love F because to me F means FOOOOOOD!!! I love Food. I love it so much I make a point to eat some every day.

IMG_7768

Sweeties version of the Pioneer Woman’s Apple Pie. It went for $165 at a desert auction at SuperPizzaBoy’ school. That was a bargain. I think its time for an Apple Pie throw down between Sweetie and the Ree. My money is on Sweetie.

IMG_6666

Sweetie and I went to eat Pho last week. Is was so Philicious, yeph I phay pho. Right Phaloney?

20100225_93

SuperPizzaBoy also likes ice cream. 

20090127_7

My favorite from Impression’s the defunct downtown Tulsa restaurant. See that carrot cake. That is my reward to myself for donating blood.

20101122_14

From Lucky’s here in Tulsa. Those french fries have truffle oil on them. Oh my goodness!!!!!!!!!!

20101122_13

Lemon Drop Martini at Lucky’s.

IMG_6257

I don’t remember where this is from. I love sushi. Here in Oklahoma we call it fish bait. The great thing about sushi in Oklahoma is that you don’t have to worry about people stealing your food off the plate. I ate sea urchin sushi once with a customer. Almost lost the customer. It was almost worth it though.


You know what the biggest lie in the world is? Do you really? I’ll tell you what it is: “Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels.” Sorry, I don’t believe that for a second. 

ABC Wednesday

Great Day

Well we had Thanksgiving over at my Mother-in-Law’s house.
IMG_7382

There was a whole houseful people. And a little bit of food. It wasn’t exactly like feeding the multitudes with a few fish and loaves.

IMG_7381

We had lots to eat and lots to talk about. And of course everybody was happy that the Dallas Cowboys beat the Miami Dolphins… well at least I was happy:)

IMG_7377

Below is Sue Carol. She is Sweetie’s aunt and a retired school teacher.

IMG_7378

My favorite were these pots. It’s kind of a double self portrait.

IMG_7379

What was in them was good also.

IMG_7380

Anyway, we had a great Thanksgiving. How was your day?

Road Trip

Last weekend the Yogi’s along with the world’s greatest MIL Nana and SuperPizzaBoy’s friend Q loaded up to head down the Turner Turnpike for a road trip. There is nothing like a road trip.

First stop, getting something to eat of course!
IMG_6660

There is no other choice for Road Food than the Rock Cafe in Stroud, right on route 66. It was built in 1936.

IMG_6661

The food is great. It is a popular spot on 66 but we came at an off time.

IMG_6663

The owner Dawn Welch has owned it since the 1990’s. She was the inspiration for the character Sally Carrera in the movie “Cars”. Ms. Welch was also named Oklahoma’s 2008 Woman of the Year beating out Carrie Underwood. That’s a big honor especially considering how Oklahoma loves Carrie Underwood.

Don’t take just my word for the food, Guy Fieri of Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives likes it also. Check out his report on the Rock Cafe.

IMG_6680

After filling up we traveled a few miles from Stroud to the Sparks Winery, in the central Oklahoma countryside.

IMG_6679

We were on a mission, Sweetie was hosting book group and needed their Sangria.

IMG_6676

We told the kids to go play and headed into the tasting room.

IMG_6672

They have a wide variety of wines. No, I didn’t taste them all, I was the designated driver.

IMG_6670

Nana and Sweetie did a thorough evaluation though.

Then we packed up our purchases and went home!

Have you been on a road trip lately?

Our World

Enhanced by Zemanta

A Day Off including Sams, a Bottlecap Bikini, and getting into a Major Squeeze

Friday was my day off so we Sweetie and I hung out together.

We went to Sams where I scored a new Canon camera.

IMG_4760

It replaced my hard working but crappy Fuji which died earlier this week.

IMG_4761

I have a little nicer Canon that I use a lot but I always carry a smaller camera in my pocket a. I also carry them in races and I’m running in a 10k trail run today and I need to have a camera to document the race and provide a reason for my very slow time.

IMG_4751

Afterward we went to the new Blue Rose Cafe on the Arkansas River. It is the hot place to be in Tulsa right now. I think the photo above is of the “Blue Rose.” And this must be her bikini.

IMG_4750

It looks very uncomfortable to me, to say the least. Just studying on it a little I don’t think that it is a very practical concept. It is unique though.

IMG_4753

The food is very tasty. This is their Blue Rose Special burger. It has blue cheese and bacon on it.

Afterwards we went to Whole Foods. We are smart enough to eat before we go there. That had some championship bunches of flowers for sale there. Pics were free though.

IMG_4754

Whole Foods in Tulsa is the place to go to see things that are rare in Tulsa but common elsewhere. Like knit caps. Know what I mean?

What I don’t get is that the hotter the weather, the more people wear their knit caps. There was only about a third of the workforce wearing their caps at the store Friday and it was cold. Just wait until early August when it is will be 110F. They will all be wearing knit caps and flannel shirts. Can somebody explain this to me? I’m just a poor dumb Okie.

Eventually we went to pick up SuperPizzaBoy at school. The Occupational Therapist told us about a new gizmo that she had. A squeeze machine. Naturally I had to try it. WARNING, the pics below are not pretty sights.

IMG_4755

I tried it on the minimum setting.

IMG_4757

And I tried it on the max setting.

It felt great!! It is called a Steamroller Deluxe

Do you think that I might get one for my birthday?

How was your last day off? Hey retired people, you have days off also, don’t be kidding me.

Desert Auction

SuperPizzaBoy’s school had a desert auction last week. I love desert auctions. They are so much fun. Here are few of the entries.

A collection of candy made by the Head of the Lower School.

Desert Auction

Looks good huh? Well its mine, and its almost gone, and I didn’t share.

Desert Auction

Desert Auction

Desert Auction

Desert Auction

Below is my Mother-in-Law’s entry. Nana outdid herself on this. I don’t remember the actual name but it is chocolate on chocolate and it is good. Of course, I won the bid on this. Sweetie and SPB made me share it.

Desert Auction

This was Sweetie’s entry. Its not chocolate, it is better than chocolate, a strawberry cake. Bidding was hot and heavy on this item and I was in the thick of it…

Desert Auction

… and then my dear wife whispered something lovely in my ear: “Let them have it, I’ll make one just for you.”

Oh yeah Babe.

Old School Bagel Cafe

Old School Bagel Sign

Hey long term Tulsans. Remember New York Bagel? They made very good fresh bagels and the lines would be out the door. Things were great. But then they went public, expanded too fast, opened too many stores, stopped making them fresh. Quality declined, they cut back on the variety. Well the lines got shorter, but so what? Then Panera bread came to town and that was it!

Well the guys who had New York Bagel have now stated Old School Bagel Cafe. The bagels are back. Hopefully then can stay in business because the bagels are great.

Old School Bagel Cafe
3724 South Peoria Ave
Tulsa, OK  74105
918 743-7400