Cheesecake Factory

Cheesecake Factory takes a lot of heat from food critics. I don't really know why. It's almost like it's chic to hate Cheesecake Factory. Being on the outside (of chic) looking in most of my life -- gotta say....I love it. I love everything about it. I love how it looks, I love how my water glass is immediately refilled, I love the value for what you get, and I love the diversity of the menu.

I loved, until yesterday, the sliders. They're on the appetizer menu and are amazing. Four mini burgers with fried onion slivers and 'secret sauce.' Yesterday, though, I needed to find an alternative.

Why?

Sliders for Lunch + Diet = Nothing To Eat for Dinner That Night Because All Your Calories and Carbs are Used Up YOU FAT PIG!

We literally spent 30 minutes going through the menu and all of our options. Meg and I decided on the Baja Chicken Tacos (hold the rice...extra black beans, please). And Mark got the Wasabi Crusted Ahi Tuna with extra veggies instead of the rice.

I now have a new favorite. I would get the Baja Chicken Tacos even if I wasn't dieting! The homemade guacomole and the avocado cream were delicious. The black beans addicting!

Mark's ahi tuna was good (he says) and was a big piece. We're thinking between 6 and 8 ounces! He insisted on spreading more wasabi on it and we found it very entertaining watching his eyes burn and nose hairs sizzle.

The Kids Will Be Proud

....That I reached so far back in my memory (the memory that fails me every day) and remembered one of their favorite meals. At least I think this was! Sometimes they tell me (now that they're adults) that they just didn't want to hurt my feelings but if they saw ONE MORE quiche they were going to find alternative living arrangements.

Here's what I made Mark for lunch today!!

Don't Know What Got Into Me --

but...I took lunch in for my co-workers last week. My intent was to make Miss Leslie's (via Rachael Ray) Ham Salad. The outcome was the only part of that recipe I used was the biscuit idea. Which, by the way, when I served some to Mark for dinner the night before...he did NOT appreciate. The man just wanted a bun or a couple of slices of bread!

Ham Salad

1 lb of deli ham (I had them cut it thick) - pulsed in the food processor

1/2 onion - pulsed in food processor

2 celery - pulsed in food processor

1/3 cut of mayo

2 TB mustard

dash of garlic powder

3 TB brown sugar

1 TB cayenne pepper

3 TB sweet pickle relish

Mix and let the flavors combine for a couple of hours. Placed on large size biscuits (8 to a tin).

Philly Cheesesteak Eggrolls

This was very good. I'm going to try with some other fillings. I got this recipe from Robin Miller on Foodnetwork.com. I hope I'm not breaking any laws by posting it here. Trust me I'm giving her full credit!!

Cheese Steak Egg Rolls
, 2006, Robin Miller, All rights reserved

Cooking spray

1 cup sliced onions

2 cooked fillet or rib-eye steaks, cut into thin slices (please...I used roast beef from the deli)

8 spring roll wrappers (I had enough meat for 6)

6 to 8 ounces provolone cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and set pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook 3 minutes, until soft. Transfer spring roll wrapper to a flat surface. Top with steak, onions and provolone cheese in bottom third of wrapper. Roll wrapper one time, fold in ends, and roll up. Place on prepared baking sheet and spray with cooking spray.

Roast cheese steak egg rolls and peppers 15 minutes, until wrappers are golden brown.

"There's lemon shrimp, bbq shrimp, boiled shrimp..."

Gotta say..... I love Bubba Gump's Shrimp Co. Mark and I have eaten at the one in Chicago, Gatlinburgh, TN and now the one at Universal Studios in Orlando. Each time I leave there wanting MORE! We always start (because I insist upon it) with the Shrimp Net Catch appetizer with cajun seasoning. It's hot (temperature) steamed peel and eat shrimp with the most amazing flavor and seasonings. Makes my mouth water just thinking about it.

This last time we went with Megan and Mike. Meg had a pass to Universal that she got for Teacher Appreciation Week (hey! how about a raise instead for those poor teachers!!) and Mark, Mike and I had only a month left on our annual passes so we picked Meg up in Tampa and Mike met us there. Our plan was to get through Islands of Adventure, eat lunch, and then Mike would have to leave to go to work, but then we would go to Universal Studios.

We began of course with our usual appetizer but added the hush puppies with the chunks of mahi-mahi in them. I didn't have any but the other three said they were delish (and they were gone so I believe them). Megan and I decided to order the Shrimp Platter -- I'm sure there is a cute name to it, I just don't know what it is.... we got a sampling of fried shrimp, boiled shrimp, coconut shrimp, and shrimp tempura (in my head, I'm saying this in Bubba's voice...ha). Mike got a BBQ pork sandwich that he took half of it home with him, and Mark had the shrimp po' boy with the best remoulade sauce ever.

It was good fun. The waiter came by with some trivia questions about Forrest Gump. I told him you better make them hard because the twins have seen the movie about 50 times (seriously...at least!). They answered things I never would have known the answer to! Only one or two that they didn't know! Very impressive. In fact, I didn't think the waiter would ever leave. I think he was determined to stump us!

And of course you can't leave without having your picture taken on the bench with the candy and Forrests' shoes.....

Starfish Seafood Company

Today we finally got to try out the Starfish Seafood Company for lunch. It's just an outside deck overlooking the docks and fishing boats -- with only 10 tables or so. You wait in line at the bar to place your order, TRY and find a seat and then your food is brought to you in a white box. After waiting in line for about 15 minutes to place our order we were resigned to the fact that we would probably be taking our meal home to eat because the place was packed. Right when it was our turn to place our order, two seats opened at the bar. And it was perfect - it was hot out but the fans made it pleasant to sit there. Mark had a sampler plate (or box, if you will....) of fried shrimp, scallops, grouper and oysters. Now when I say fried - it's not like Red Lobster fried. It's so lightly breaded you can barely see it. The seafood is fresh and is caught locally. He had an order of cheese grits with his meal and cole slaw. I had a shrimp po' boy sandwich that was delish. Next time I plan on getting the shrimp by themselves or even a crab cake!



Seemed like there were a number of tourists there STILL. How do they find this place??

After lunch we went into the fish market (which is why we went there to begin with) and bought some fresh mullet so Mark could smoke it. They clean it while you watch. Can't get any fresher than that!

Let's Try This Again, Shall We??

Today is my birthday.

I'm embarrassed by the number of birthday presents my family gave me.

• Picture frames
• Candles/Candle Holders
• Toaster (digital!)
• Oven Liner
• FSU Serving Platter
• Movie
• Croc Sandals
• 2 - Cake Plates
• Placemats and Napkins
• A Vase
• Bealls Gift Certificate
• A Painting for over the sofa

Then I'm embarrassed over dwelling on the thing I didn't get --

• Fake fruit for the bowl in the living room!

Them I'm depressed that I miss my son and thought that he felt bad about not being there today.

I loved my birthday meals. My mother-in-law made spaghetti and meatballs with garlic toast and salad. For dessert we had pineapple upside down cake. It was all delicious.

Today, my ma made her brisket that is delicious with cranberries and portobella mushrooms and lots of wine that it bakes in. She had carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, bread and then carrot cake for dessert. For appetizers she had sangria, olive tapenade, marinated fresh mozzerella and spicy almonds. It was very yummy and I'm still full.

I am going to charge my camera and start this blogging thing ALL OVER. I will also be blogging my low-carb successes and failures. Mostly failures if the past is any prediction!! But I'll give it a whirl.

By the way, I'm 48 years old. And not in a Heather Locklear sort of way, either.... which is another reason for my depression.

Soup on Sunday. It’s a good choice. You can eat when you want. I usually make it early in the day and let it simmer away all day. Today after I put in the dumpling noodles we went to run errands. We ended up going to lunch and had very slow service at Cody’s Roadhouse due to the Church crowd and the early-bird specials. Also I didn’t get what I ordered which took even longer. We had onion rings for an appetizer and then the salad and rolls. Then we waited. Waited. Waited. When I sent my meal back we told the server to put all our food in to-go containers.

Back to the soup. Chicken thighs cooked in water with spices until done. When cooled, picked apart and plopped back in the broth along with carrots and onions, basil, poultry seasoning, a bit of garlic and pepper. I added dumplings that I bought at the store (freezer section – can’t remember the brand). DEEEEEE-LISH! Take a look….

Today, I planned no breakfast. I planned no breakfast because no one but me eats it. Today, I planned no breakfast and Mark asks 'what's for breakfast.' I just stare at him.

So at 11:3o in the morning, I broach the subject of going out to lunch which he promptly agrees with. I suggest trying the Starfish Company that is in Cortez right by the fishing docks. Now...Mark is a fan of the chains. Don't get me wrong, I love them too. Consistent meals have been had a Carrabba's, Beef O' Brady's and Outback (although we did boycott Outback for over a year due to bad service), but, I like a little change once in a while. He was visibly skeptical of my suggestion but really doesn't dare to question it.

At 12 noon I'm ready to roll. Mark goes into the office and starts shuffling papers. I decide to fold towels while waiting for him. He starts paying bills; so I start straightening the linen closet. I hear him shredding documents so I clean out my closet shelves. It's now 1:30 -- he comes out and asks if I'm ready to go yet. Oy.

Fast forward -- we drive to the Starfish Company. It's just an outside patio with maybe ten picnic tables. You order at the bar and someone brings you your food in a box. Like KFC, only, not. The food looked great. A few very unfortunate things happened though. First, all tables were crammed full. Second, the line to order your food was about 20 people deep (where we're they going to sit??). Third, Mark saw a sign that said 'cash only.' We took a menu with us and said we would go back better prepared next weekend. That shrimp po' boy sure did look good!!!

We ended up at Anna Maria Oyster Bar on Cortez Road. Mark got the grouper sandwich with Caribbean spice on it; I got the fried shrimp. It was all good. The coleslaw would have been really good had it been colder. I would have told the manager that if he'd stopped at our table. Another weird thing, the server charged me for the dinner portion AND it turns out that I got the dinner portion. I didn't really pay attention when I got it, but, it stands to reason if you go someplace for lunch (albeit late) and they're still serving lunch, they give you the lunch menu....you would get the lunch. The hostess did give us a dinner menu too, but, I didn't pay any attention to it. So I'm not sure if it was an honest mistake or a scammin' thing on the servers part but she changed the cost to the lunch portion. I think she did it on purpose. And I think she was nervous that she got caught; she was kind of acting weird afterwards. Bad sales tactic, chicky.