Heinz With Mayonnaise And Ketchup Already Combined? Mayochup!

I have been blending mayonnaise and ketchup to dip my fries in, to add to my sandwich and for other things. I like the blend. I sometimes add mustard to it too. I think it tastes really good together. My brother thinks of the blend - mayonnaise, ketchup and mustard - as the McDonald's 'special sauce' (I am not sure if it is but it seems similar - never analyzed the real sauce so I cannot know how close it is to it). 

It seems Heinz has a product that does it for you (without the mustard but perhaps that will be their next product?). I came across it at the local grocery store. It looked different. there was a couple of other Heinz products I bought at the same time but have not tried them yet (future blog).

Heinz Mayochup. 

I like how they put the cap on the bottom so the product is always draining down toward the cap. I have seen other products do that too. It makes it easier to everything used and easier to pour out the contents. When they had the cap on the top, it made it harder to get to the stuff on the bottom. With the cap on the bottom, one just let gravity takes its course so one uses the whole contents of the bottle. 

I have cooked up hot dogs (I like to microwave them). I put the Mayochup on the bread then adding cheese (or not adding it since I don't always have cheese). I think it makes it easier than adding them separately and it is more evenly combined / blended. 

I am strange. I added the Mayochup to macaroni and cheese. It was good without it and it was good with it too. I think it made it even better. I think it even creamier and tastier. 

I have added it to a bologna and cheese sandwich. It was really good. I have tried it with different meats and different cheeses. It made it easier to apply to the bread. 

I have realized that what tastes good to one person might not taste good to another. I am more willing to try new things than most seem to be. I try to not prejudge things before trying them. I like to try things and figure out whether or not I like them after I tried them and not before. 

TomLeeM

My Art On Things For Sale at Cafe Press.

A close up of me.

My web site is still down. I might rename it from Big Goofy Guy to TomLeeM.

I will reduce the number of pages too plus try to make it nicer. I have had replies that it needs work / improvement. I will work on that. 

Herbs?

Since I had a post about spices and spices that give some 'heat' to the taste, I thought I do one on herbs. I was reading an article and it mentioned 'herbs and spices'.

I found a definition of it on Wikipedia.

'

In general use, herbs are plants with savory or aromatic properties that are used for flavoring and garnishing food, medicinal purposes, or for fragrances; excluding vegetables and other plants consumed for macronutrients. Culinary use typically distinguishes herbs from spices. Herbs generally refers to the leafy green or flowering parts of a plant (either fresh or dried), while spices are usually dried and produced from other parts of the plant, including seeds, bark, roots and fruits.' ( copied from the site). 

Wikipedia has a list of herbs and spices. I think it is very informative. It seems each listing is a link to more information on that herb or spice.


With herbs and spices, I think eating plain is so unnecessary. I think so much can be done with them.



This is just a small post but something I wanted to add in addition to the blog about spices.

TomLeeM

My Art On Things To Buy

Spicy and Spicy Hot? Not the Same!

I think there is a confusion between spicy and spicy hot. It is a pet peeve of my sister and I am in agreement with her. I don't seem to get as upset as much as she does but I do agree with her.

Spicy does not mean it has heat (like a jalapeno, or other similar heat producing plant). There are a lot of things that are considered spices or spicy but have no heat to them at all. There are a lot of spices out there that are used to give flavor to foods but not always heat. Spices can be used to keep food from tasting 'bland' (it seems some like it that way but I am not one of them). There are spices from all over the world.

Spices Inc has a lot of spices but only a few of them have any heat. The site is for those who buy in bulk.

Wikipedia has a good definition of a spice.
'A spice is a seed, fruit, root, bark, or other plant substance primarily used for flavoring, coloring or preserving food. Spices are distinguished from herbs, which are the leaves, flowers, or stems of plants used for flavoring or as a garnish. Many spices have antimicrobial properties. This may explain why spices are more commonly used in warmer climates, which have more infectious diseases, and why the use of spices is prominent in meat, which is particularly susceptible to spoiling.^[1] Spices are sometimes used in medicine, religious rituals, cosmetics or perfume production, or as a vegetable.' (copied from the site). 

Spicy hot does mean it has bit to it. It can vary from a little to a lot. It also depends on the person eating it and their level of tolerance of the heat. It seems some can take the heat while others cannot. Most seem to fall in between those two extremes. 

There is a 'spicy heat' scale or the Scoville scale; information of which I found at Wikipedia. Chili World seems to have information on the Scoville scale too. 

TomLeeM

My Art Store at Cafe Press.

Oye's Chinese Restaurant in Reading MA

My brother and I went to the Oye's Chinese Restaurant. It was recommended by a friend. I am glad we went. It was really nice. The decor was really nice.

We were going to a movie but the place we wanted to go no longer had the movie we wanted to see. It was close by and ate there. We found the movie we wanted to go to another theater (turns out even better than the place we originally were going to). It was dark when we got there. Jerry used the directions he got plus Waze app on his phone. I wasn't sure if it was open. It was and we had plenty of time to eat. It closed an hour after we got there.

This was on the table. It is really nice how they folded it that way. I wish they had chopsticks. I should have asked for some. I think chopsticks make it taste more authentic; even it doesn't change the flavor if one uses a fork and knife. 

I had the fried gyoza appetizer. It came with a dipping sauce. It was pretty good. I liked it with and without the sauce. It was on some noodles. I ate some noodles and save some to absorb the sauce from the main dish I was having. It was the right amount for an appetizer. I dislike it when the appetizer is enough for two or as an entree (unless one is sharing with some one else). I liked the sauce. I drank some of it. It is better with something being dipped in it than drinking it by itself. 

My brother had the fried calamari. It was pretty good; the couple of ones that my brother let me have. It had a little bite to it. It had this noodle that came with it. We did not know what kind of noodle it was. The calamari had a nice crunch to it. There was some vegetables with it that wasn't bad. My brother ate the calamari. I ate some of the vegetables. 

I had the General Gau chicken. It was fried. It was really good. It had some bite to it but not as much as I was expecting. There was some leftover sauce. I used the noodles from the appetizer to absorb the extra sauce. It was good that way too. It wasn't a huge amount but just enough for one person; for me anyway. It wasn't overly battered. It had a nice crunch to it. The sauce wasn't too thick. I don't mind it being thick but it is hard to taste the food if it is excessive. 

This is the seafood platter that my brother had. He ate all of it. He said it was really good. I did not get to try any of it. I am glad he ate it all since what I had filled me up. There was a nice variety of seafood in the dish. 

Here is the inside of the restaurant. That was the top of my head. I was taking the photo in 'selfie' mode. 

Here is another part of the restaurant. One can see my brother. One can see the bar with television on the right. 

Here is some more of the restaurant. It wasn't that busy but it was later in the day. It has a really nice interior. I try to include an outside photo but it was too dark to really take a good one.

TomLeeM

My Art on Things for Sale at Cafe Press.

Me

a big guy who eats (perhaps too much at times but I am cutting back - a balance of limiting how much with variety). 

Chocolate Cream Pie from Tender Crop Farms in Newbury MA

There is a nice little place that is just down the street from me. It is called Tender Crop Farms. They sell fruits, vegetables, meats and baked items. I believe it is open all year round.

They have more than one location. This sign indicates Canaan. The one I went to was in Newbury MA, on route 1. It is a very nice place to shop. It is not a big place; smaller than most grocery stores but they do have some nice things.

They have some gifts on the second floor. It is a neat place to shop and look around. They have some interesting things upstairs. I have not bought anything (yet) but I do like to go up there and look around.

On the outside they have a handful of animals. I think there is a cow, a donkey, a few goats, a pig and a few chickens.

Here is the chocolate cream pie I bought. Actually my brother bought it for me. It is by Emily's Bakery. It wasn't big. As my brother told me - after he ate all of his at one sitting - it was a 'single serving'. I had already take a slice out of it (photos shows a part missing).

Here is the single slice that was missing. It looks really good. It tasted really good. Since I am a diabetic and it was a regular pie, I did not eat all of it at one time. I was able to spread it out to two meals then my brother found it and ate the rest. 

One one slice, I put on some whipped topping (in an aerosol canister) by Reese's.  It was pretty good with the pie. I have tried it on ice cream and it was pretty good. 

I tried the one on the left. I did not know about the one on the right. I will look for it and give it a try. 

TomLeeM

Cafe Press - My Art Store.

Big Goofy Guy

I am big, I like Disney's Goofy. I am a guy.

Philly Cheesecake Mac and Cheese and Shepherds Pie Mac and Cheese at Mr Mac's.

I read on a Facebook for Mr Mac's that they now had a shepherds pie macaroni and cheese. I wanted to give it a try. It was part of the Mr Mac's Facebook page. The photos at the site made it look really good. It looked good when I got it. 

This is their to go box for their small bowl of macaroni and cheese. It is nice and sturdy. It shows their web site URL. It is just big enough to hold a small size container. I guess they have a box for every size container. 

I was given this. I started to eat it. I was told that it was not the shepherds pie but the Philly cheese steak macaroni and cheese. The waiter said it was his fault that there was a mix up. I wanted to pay for it since I was really enjoying it and finished it. He refused. 

One has to be careful with the pan. It is really hot. It has a cover for the handle to help people from getting burned. It is on a wooden palate shaped like a pan. It helps the customer to move it without burning oneself on the hot pan. 

Here is the shepherds pie macaroni and cheese. It was really good. I ate it after I got home. I had forgotten to take my pills for the evening and needed to eat after taking the pills. It started out just a couple of bites but ended eating it all. It was really good. As one can see, it is in the small bowl inside the to go container. 

The bowl is cardboard. It holds up quite well. The outer box is cardboard but of a thicker more sturdy variety. Perhaps one could use it for other things? 

I think it was made with beef. To be authentic, shepherds pie needs to be made with lamb. When it is made with beef, it is called cottage pie. Some places still call it shepherds pie. This is just a 'pet peeve' with me. I wish places would just use lamb in making it or change the name to cottage pie. 

My Art On Things For Sale

TomLeeM

Big Goofy Guy

2018 Ipswich Chowderfest in Ipswich MA.

I went to the Ipswich Chowderfest last year and I attended this year; 2018. I was able to get to last years on time and was able to try all the different chowders. This year I did not get there in time and was only able to try about half of them.

Since the online site for the event listed it from 11 am to 4 pm, I thought I would have time to try them all when I arrived at about 2. When I did arrive, the sign where it was indicated it was 12 to 3 pm. When I bought the ticket to get in, they did not mention that half of the chowder providers had already left. I guess they did not expect that much of a crowd? It didn't seem as busy when I arrived.

I was able to try the chowders from Ipswich Clambake, Shaw's, The Brown Dog, En Fuego and Super Subs of Ipswich. Soon after I tried the chowder from Ipswich Clambake, they left. It wasn't long before another one left. The card that had the list was also the card one marks for what one things was the best. I marked Ipswich Clambake. It was laminated and difficult to mark. 

Here is one of the chowder providers. This one was The Brown Dog. I think they have a place in Ipswich MA.

Here was another one. I think this one is Shaw's. Shaw's is a grocery store.

I think this one was the Ipswich Clambake. They left soon after I had tried their chowder. I voted for their chowder as the best of the ones I was able to try. I wish I could have tasted all of them.

This was what half the chowder tent was like when I got there. I wish I could have tried all of them.

I think this one was the Super Sub of Ipswich. I noticed the sample size of sub sandwiches. 

Fortunately there was a place selling cheese burgers and hamburgers. It was $5.00 for a burger plus a bag of chips. The burger was huge; about half a foot wide. I also had a diet Coke. The total was $6.50. It was low for what one got. It was filling which what I had hoped the chowder sampling would do.

Here is the cooking area of the burger group.

There was a tent selling some kind of ale. 

There was The Orville Giddings Band that played. It was live music. They ended soon after I got there. What I heard was nice. 

There was a couple of other tents too.

There was a raffle helping to support the Open Door group.

They were selling apple crisps.

 A couple of shots of the crowd at the event. 

I did win a raffle for a 'rainy day box' that a real estate office offered at the festival.

It was a nice size box - the box itself being a prize. The box was chuck full of things to do on a rainy day; movies, candy, popcorn, activities book, popcorn buckets (plastic and cardboard), and a Lego set. 

I am amazed what they were able to fit into the gift box. The gift box is a reusable box. It is really nice. I viewed one of the movies and my brother ate some of one of the candies. 

TomLeeM

My Art On Items For Sale At Cafe Press

Bacon; Not Just Pork

I read that there are those who don't eat bacon because they don't eat pork. Not all bacon has port in it. I know there are bacon made of chicken or turkey. The dark meat of the chicken or turkey is the 'pork' in the bacon and the white meat of the chicken or turkey is the 'fat part of pork bacon'. I have been told there is beef bacon. I have tried veggie bacon which no meat in it whatsoever (and - in my opinion - not much flavor in it either).

The article at Oola.com shows 17 types of bacon. I knew of some but I did not realize there that many.  It would be neat to try them all. This article expanded my knowledge on bacon. It also shows it is not limited to bacon being made just from pork. I wish others will realize this too.

I was looking for different types of bacon and came across this article. It shows the different types of bacon. The article is at the Bacon Scouts site.

TomLeeM

My art store at Cafe Press.

Hamburger Bun French Toast With Pepper Jack Omelet and Bacon

I like to get creative when I make things; especially for breakfast. One time I made a hot dog bun French toast (it was pretty good - I had cooked a hot dog to put on top of it - different blog). This time I decided to make a hamburger bun French toast. With the hot dog bun, I ran out of regular bread. This time I had regular bread but had bought hamburger buns since they were on sale; two for a dollar. 

 My brother wanted to get hamburger to use the buns with. While I used some for this, there are two packages so it can be used for that too. I just don't go just for beef patties but also turkey or chicken patties; made from a package of ground meat. I used to get ground lamb too; the butcher at the grocery store would grind it up for us (back when I lived in NJ with my Dad). Those are future blogs (more ideas for them).

This the hamburger buns after I dipped them in the egg mixture. It doesn't seem to soak up a lot of the mixture. There was some leftover to make the omelet. They are cooking on one side. One can definitely recognize them as hamburger buns. I used a non-stick pan to cook them in.

This is after I flipped them. One can see that they are cooked pretty well on this side. Since the buns are small (relatively), it was easy to flip them. 

This is when they were on the plate - the hamburger bun French toast and my pepper jack cheese omelet - and before I decided to make a sandwich with them. At first I was going to eat it this way but thought it would make a neat sandwich; a breakfast sandwich of sorts.

The hamburger buns were still soft and were not crunch on the outside. I think the egg mixture kept the buns from getting to crunchy. I egg mixture was two eggs, whipped milk, a little bit of olive oil,  flax seed meal and oak bran (the last two ingredients to make it a little healthy - I was told to add those to the pancake mix to make it a little healthier). I don't remember if I added anything else. Each time I make the egg mixture is different depending on what I have in the kitchen.

When I made the omelet, I took some slices of pepper jack cheese and laid it on top of the cooking eggs. I folded it - not successfully - over (had to divide it in half since it was really big and even my big spatula had trouble flipping it as a whole). 

This is the plate of cooked bacon. It was part of a 'managers special' (three packages of bacon wrapped together and sold for 4.99 - a deal I could not resist. I am not an expert on cooking bacon but it seems I did a good job on cooking it. My brother had some and he liked it.

Here is the label for the bacon. I think it was on sale due to being close to the expiration date or perhaps it was not selling well. It was still good and did not smell or taste like it was bad. It cooked up pretty well. I used paper towels to soak up the fat in the pan. I don't know if this is the right thing to do but it would splatter and hit me if I didn't. 

Here is the end result. I left the left one open so one can see the bacon on top with the pepper jack cheese omelet beneath it. I did not know how it would taste but it was pretty good. It made for a unique breakfast sandwich or an any time of the day sandwich; there are those who ate breakfast not just in the morning and there are places that one can order breakfast at any time of the day.

 TomLeeM

(since my web site - Big Goofy Guy - is down, I might change it to TomLeeM).

My art store is still gong strong (don't think it is selling anything but it is still there).

TomLeeM at Cafe Press.

As one can see with some of my posts at this blog, I am not a professional cook. I am not even an amateur cook. I just like to cook. There are times I would cook something and the result wasn't very good. I might eat it anyway because I have strange tastes. As you can see by my picture, I am not starving.

This blog is just about food in general. I thought since I like to eat food (can't go day without doing so), why not blog about it? It is fun. I hope to continue to do so for a very long time. It would be neat to make some money through advertising on my blog but I am not sure if I blog enough for it to happen.

I think a future blog idea is on cook books that I have read. There is one that not only shows recipes but also gives some background information on the recipes. There is one that I am reading that gives some information (I don't agree with everything they indicate in it) about low carb cooking. I am reading or read about some that was for a specific ingredient. Some of the books are printed and some are e-books (I use e-book reader on my tablet computer, my computer and an e-book reader - I guess this could also go in my 'nerd' blog too).