Humoring the Appetite

I don't do sit-down restaurants by myself, but I do get cravings for restaurant food. Today, I had one of those. I could have fixed something here at home. I'm not a bad cook--just not very creative. Thus, in the middle of the afternoon, I took a jaunt to Panda Express for one of their "paw plate" meals. It's fast-food Chinese, but it satisfied. Unfortunately, I always have to add soy sauce which is WAY more sodium than I am supposed to ingest. Still, it hit the spot.

Every once in awhile, I see an ad on TV for Long John Silver's. I think to myself, "That looks good!" On several occasions, I have eaten their fare, and every single time I do, I am reminded why someone needs to tell me NOT to go there again! First of all, everything is fried. Fried fish. Fried chicken. French fries. Fried hush-puppies. Since it is all fried in the same oil, it all tastes the same. And the platter is covered with little fried batter crumbs. Not appetizing at all. Sometimes, the taste of something good resolves a craving for awhile, making the splurge worth the indulgence. Doesn't happen with LJS's!

I do like White Castle's "sliders". I have to be careful, though. They are pretty bad in the fat and calorie department. I maybe have them once a year.

I love braunschweiger (liver sausage). It is extremely high in cholesterol and fat, but I buy it about once a year just to reduce my craving for it. I discovered, however, that not all braunschweigers are created equal. Bought some at a "cheese castle" just over the line into Wisconsin while visiting my daughter last fall. It was so bad, I threw most of it away. From now on, I stick to Oscar Mayer.

The same thing happens with those little jars of Kraft cheese spreads. I particularly like pimento, and neufchatel. Bought one of those the other day (expensive for the amount) and ate the whole jar on crackers over two days, but it didn't taste as good as I remembered it would. That was sad!

I am a carnivore. Would never make it as a vegetarian. I mean, I like veggies as well as anyone, but I build my menus around MEAT. My daughter makes a mean spinach lasagna, and it tastes great, but I miss the beef. So sue me! It's the way I was raised! When I was a kid, there was always meat on the table. My mother perfected the art of making the budget match the family's need for protein. I didn't always like what she served, but it was meat. Beef tongue, beef heart, kidney...sometimes squirrel or rabbit. I turned up my nose at those and was always VERY suspicious if Mom got vague about what was being served. "That's beef. You eat it!" She didn't make me, thank God. Liver and onions, however, was a favorite of mine. I haven't had it in years! (Oh...and I could always tell when she was preparing kidney because I could smell the urine being boiled out of it all through the house. Can't fool me!)

My daughter has some favorite meals that I have served through the years. She asks for my braised round steak once in awhile, and says that her stir fry never tastes the same as mine. (Same recipe, however!) The grandchildren like walking tacos and a corned beef and cabbage dinner. My son-in-law will eat just about anything that is put in front of him. (That's a whole other post!)

When Mom died, Dad filled his huge freezer with meat and produce to send home with me when I came to visit. "Take what you want!" I find myself doing the same. If I see a good deal on meat, I buy a couple of packages and stash it for when my family is here. Problem is, they aren't here often enough now!

My staple meals here at home by myself are: chicken stir fry, if I am ambitious; tuna salad on crackers; anything with hamburger--goulash, chili, spanish rice, spaghetti; chicken tetrazzini; zuchinni stuffing casserole. Anything in one dish. I eat on it for several days, but I eat too much of it all because I like it. If I didn't, I wouldn't fix it! And so it goes....

There are people who only eat to live. Unfortunately, I live to eat...and it shows! Bon appetit!