CanYouFind.Us

We have with us today, a guilt free version of Chicken Fried Steak. If you happened to try the lighter version of Chicken Parmesan, then you already know that it’s possible to take out the deep frying, and still end up with a crispy and delicious comfort food. For this chicken fried steak, instead of cooking it through using all oil, it starts out frying for just a moment, then it’s on to the oven to finish things off. Once you put it in the oven, there is plenty of time to make the gravy for this. Using beef broth and corn starch you are able to get a flavorful gravy, that isn’t loaded with calories and salt.

We served this for a Saturday brunch with a few fried eggs. The leftovers were heated in the oven, so we didn’t lose the crunch that makes the meal. Next time we make this, I will add a bit more salt and pepper to the initial dredging of the steaks, but no major changes are needed to make this a winning dish.

Our VERY first project with this company, had us working 3 hours away from NYC. At the time, our work schedule made it impossible to get down and visit the city for any length of time. For the next 3 years, Karen made it very well known how much she wanted to visit the Statue of Liberty and Ground Zero. Yesterday, we made it happen.

It was a gloomy day, overcast with rain scheduled all day long. I was less than excited about going to be a tourist in that muck, but we went for it. Knowing that our truck isn’t exactly ‘big city friendly’, we left it at a train station in Long Island. Friday night we had looked around online, and managed to get a feel for the train schedules, so we were able to get on the proper train Sunday morning. A short trip later, and we were inside Penn Station in the heart of NYC. After that a connecting train took us directly to Battle Park where we could see Liberty Island from the station. Neither of us expected to be able to get a ferry ticket that late in the day, but somehow we managed to get on the last outgoing boat. I will let the pictures tell you more about our trip there.

After that we loaded up on the train again, and headed one stop northbound. That put us just a few blocks from Ground Zero. We walked down to the site, and joined the solemn group of observers trying to peak through the fence. At this point there isn’t much to see, except a giant hole in the ground, and a bit of new construction. It looks like there is a ‘visitors center’ there, but it was closed before we showed up.

At that point we were going to call it quits for the day. The sun was going down, my camera was having issues getting good shots, and the last thing Karen wanted to see (Central Park) isn’t the best place to be after dark. A short train ride later, and we were back at Penn Station…then they announced that Times Square was the next stop, so we sat down again.

It only takes a minute in Times Square, to get “The NYC Experience”. While you can certainly spend years in the city trying to take it all in, the minute you come up from the train station, you feel exactly what everyone envisions when they think of being in the big city. People where EVERYWHERE. There was music pouring out of restaurants and from radios on the street. Cars were zipping along honking horns the entire way. Lights were flashing, and TV screens were advertising everything from beer, to TV shows. We ducked into a french bakery to grab a pastry for our walk, then slowly wandered around to try to take it all in. There was a Hard Rock cafe, a Planet Hollywood, and the ABC studios. Tourist buses where on every corner.

There is still a few bucks left on our MetroPass…so next weekend we might go do it all again!

Yes. Absolutely yes. The recipe was so simple, yet so different. The possibilities with the concept is endless, as well. Since our current project has us working late in the day, we are cooking more breakfast/brunch meals. I did a bit of digging around and saw this listed in a brunch menu. The combination of eggs in a baked potato had me entirely too curious to leave it alone (although, on second thought, how different is it from eggs and hashbrowns?). We were working against a time crunch when I decided to make these, so we decided to use the potatoes that are prewashed and wrapped for the microwave. 10 minutes in there cooked them through the first stage, and gave me enough time to preheat the oven and cook the sausage. Once these came out of the oven, a touch of fresh cracked pepper and a pinch of kosher salt finished these perfectly.

Next time, I just need to use larger potatoes so that we could fit in a bit more sausage! A bit of chopped green onion would be a hit in this.

Website

15443 S. 94th Avenue

Orland Park, IL 60452

This shop has one of the largest selections that I have ever seen. The humidor is simply massive. They have a wide selection of budget sticks, flavored cigars, premium smokes, and everything in between. Since I’m currently on a lancero kick, I was pleased to find a variety that I had never run across before.  If you need any accessories, I’m sure you can find them here. They had all of the usual suspects, all the way up to lighters that cost over $2,000. The prices all seemed to be quite reasonable (although IL tobacco tax is not a pretty thing), and the people were very friendly. The managers of the shop all treated me like a long time customer, even though it was my first visit there. Lockers are available for rent, and it appears there is a full coffee bar on site!

Recently, while driving home from a month long trip to the upper midwest, the company phone rang. We  tensed up knowing that we were headed home for a holiday, and this call could change that in a minute. It was a trusted account manager from work. A no-nonsense guy that knows life on the road. He started the call by announcing that he knew we were headed home, and he was NOT about to change that.

Instead, he is calling to tell me that there is a project on the books for me, assuming I have a passport. Of course they KNOW that I have a passport…they actually bought it for me (bought Karen one, too). In the 3 years that I have had the thing, this was going to be the first time that I would actually use it for work. The wheels are in motion, the plans are set, I’m going to be heading to Hermosillo, Mexico-for 48 hours.

It’s set to be a whirlwind trip with zero time for anything to go wrong. They confirm flight reservations, and assure me that the company phone will work down there (that’s their sublte way of telling me that I stilldon’t get that Blackberry that I’ve been asking for. The supplies pass their tracking-and are Hermosillo, ready to be delivered. A hotel is booked for me, and is even put on the company credit card (bonus!). On top of all that, my contact is to be fluent in spanish, and we have a driver.

The flights down there, went off without a hitch. The Mexican customs agent had a hard time understanding our cable test meter, and I had an even harder time explaining it to him. My ride turned out to be the plant manager. An amazingly funny and generous guy that had just moved up from Venezuela. His English was probably more accurate then mine, and he spent our drive updating me on the local weather changes, climate, and other handy information. Our group on site, had lunch together each day. Interestingly enough, day one was Carl’s Jr’s. Not exactly what I had in mind for my first meal in Mexico, but unlike their American counterparts-they actually served the order correct!

After work, we headed back to the Fiesta Inn. I had looked this room up online, and was a bit worried of what I was headed towards. As of 2005 the reviews were rather poor. That gave them 3 years to keep rolling downhill, or to climb back up it. They had decided to go up. The rooms were large and clean, with a nice flat panel TV and free high-speed wireless internet. They even had a lobby bar AND a restaurant. After I checked into the room, we met and actually went to the next door hotel for dinner. My group had been over to Hotel Fiesta Americana  a nights prior to my arrival, so it wasn’t uncharted territory. We looked over the 2 page menu of the steakhouse, and finally all made our picks. I selected a Sonora Burrito, and the green chili soup. The burrito was everything you don’t get in an Americanized burrito. It was small and sauceless, unlike the plate dwarfing versions our cheese loving TexMex joints favor. A red chili salsa and a lime loaded guacamole accompanied the long slender burritos. The food tasted so fresh compared to most of what we get back home. The soup was vibrant and bursting with the flavor of chilies, without all of the overwhelming heat. The guac tasted like it was prepared just for me…in fact, the entire meal tasted that way. Eating a Mexican meal in Mexico is unlike a Mexican meal in the States. You WILL wait for your food. It is not sitting in the back, half cooked and ready to be microwaved…at least not where we went. Meals did not come out fast, and the ticket was not on your table before you finished dessert. However, you could taste the quality in the ingredients.

When we finish dinner, we found what quickly became my favorite stop of the trip-La Casa del Habano, Hermosillo. If you know about cigars, then you might know that this is the chain of the only authorized dealer of cigars that come from a particular Island South Of Miami. The early 20′s gentleman working the store, was very knowledgeable of his wares. I looked around and talked shop with him for a few minutes, then settled on a San Cristobal, and a Monte Cristo. By time I made it back to our hotel, I had been up for 20 hours…and was itching to try my first San Criso. The bar hooked me up with a great rum, and I sat out side and lit that puppy up. Unfortunately, I don’t yet have the words to justify that smoke. It was probably a bit too mild for my general preference, but it was smooth and delicious.

My first day working in Mexico, was a success. The next few days, weren’t too bad either. I suffered many delays during the project (materials not arriving, equipment malfunctioning, helpers that are ready to help….tomorrow). My favorite meal of the entire trip, was lunch on day 2. I was sitting in the office when they came up and asked what I wanted. I didn’t have a clue where they were going, or what to have from there. So, I just said that I’d have whatever the general manager was having. Turns out, he ordered soup (made with shrimp, calamari, and octopus) and a shrimp taco. It seems when I’m eating Mexican-I’m more likely to go out of my comfort zone. The soup had to be one of the oddest looking things I have ever seen. Looking at tiny bits of octopus swirling around in the bowl was almost enough to make me call uncle. then I remembered the lengua tacos, the haggis, the es cargot and of course…the fois gras. Needless to say, the octopus was very tasty. It was firm on the tongue, and only slightly chewy.

The rest of the meals paled in comparison. I did notice that the hotels seemed to have an affection to hot dogs. Breakfast buffett-scrambled eggs and hot dogs. Cold meat platter at the bar-chunks fo ham and hot dogs. Pizza at the Italian night-ham and hot dogs. While the soup made for the best food, the best meal was that same night-at La Casa. Over a few happy hour brews, I convinced my two dining companions, to go over and get their first cigars. I simply couldn’t believe that neither smoked, but both were willing. The food was mediocer, at best. The service-was amazingly slow. The conversation over great smokes-can’t be beat.

In the end, I flew back Friday. The flights were croweded, loud, and obnoxious. The people shoved next to me all seemed to lack the basic common rules of flying. Mainly-keep your kid from crying, stop jacking with my AC vent, and stop trying to steal my arm rest!