Breakfast is Better When Someone Else Makes It!

Scrapple with Eggs and Toast

TG asked me this morning what it is about breakfast that makes me enjoy it so much to want to go out to eat it. Frankly, I enjoy eating breakfast any time of the day, but when I'm in the mood for a full breakfast in the morning and I'm out, I would much rather stop to eat than make it at home. I'm just not ready to be standing at the stove cooking first thing in the morning. Even when I was growing up, when we had a full breakfast, it was later in the morning that we had it. Early morning was more toast and coffee. When I made big breakfasts for my kids when they were little, it was on weekends when I could make more at a later time. During school days, they had cereal and juice or grilled cheese or PBJ sandwiches before heading off to school. So, when I took TG to the airport this morning, I was looking forward to stopping and getting something to eat.

I've eaten breakfast at the Metro Diner two days in a row now. Yesterday, TG and I stopped for breakfast before doing some errands for him before he left today for Arizona to see a friend. I had scrambled eggs with scrapple and wheat toast and a side of grits

Buttered Grits

instead of potatoes. TG had Eggs Benedict with a side of scrapple. We shared a side of bacon.

Today, after dropping TG off at the airport, I stopped again at the Metro mainly because I wasn't able to find my glasses and thought I'd left them there yesterday morning. I didn't, but I still stayed for breakfast. Today I had a bowl of dried beef gravy with grits instead of potatoes and wheat toast. Of course, coffee is a given on both

Crispy Bacon

days. I had originally planned to stop at Wawa and get a bowl of eggs or a sausage egg and cheese croissant with coffee. 

I'll eat the gravy over toast, but I prefer it over potatoes. But, in recent years, potatoes haven't been kind to me, so I've been avoiding them when the option is available. So, when I have the option of grits instead, I take it. I eat grits like I eat other hot cereals. I put butter on it and I add a little sugar. Not a huge amount since I'm diabetic, but enough to keep the grits from being too bland. I've tried it with artificial sweetener, but it's not the same.

Chipped Beef on Toast

What's your favorite breakfast? Do you like any of these things?

Dave Milsom, Flickr - scrapple
Paul McRae, Flickr - grits
Wikimedia Commons - chipped beef
Wikimedia Commons - bacon

D is for Diner!

Angelo's Diner in Glassboro, NJ

Diners are among the most popular eating destinations in New Jersey (as well as around Philadelphia). From breakfast to dinner to homemade desserts and handmade shakes, diners offer a variety of choices unmatched by any specialty restaurant. They even offer night owls sustenance during cram sessions, after late nights out on the town, when the shift is done or after the bar closes. Diners are a commercialized "Mom's kitchen".

The 24-hr Club Diner in Bellmawr, NJ

Admittedly, there aren't quite as many round the clock diners as there used to be, but nostalgia is causing new ones to pop up where they weren't before. And, they are being styled in a glitzier version of the original. Shiny steel exteriors and neon lights harken back to their origins, but many have added bars and dance floors to steer the former bar crowds their way.

Phily Diner in Runnemede, NJ

Those of us who grew up with diners have learned over time which foods are best not ordered in a diner. Hoagies are popular in our area of New Jersey because of our proximity to Philadelphia, but diners just can't pull them off the way a hoagie shop can. However, because of increasing Greek ownership, the quality and variety of dinner options is amazing. And, breakfast all day long can't be beat! As my daughter says, it's hard to ruin bacon and eggs.

My favorite local diner

An example of portions. Eggplant Parm.

The Black Horse Diner, Mt. Ephraim, NJ

Good Coffee, Bad Coffee, Chicken Parm and Chicken Dumpling Soup

Yeah, it's been that kind of day and, no, I didn't have all of them at the same time (ok - there was some slight overlapping of good coffee and bad coffee).


This morning was spent doing Word 2007 homework and waiting for word on my landlord who underwent surgery this morning for a hernia (today actually being yesterday since it's already past midnight). When Tom texted me to let me know his dad (my landlord) was out of surgery and would be coming home today, I texted back that it sure would be nice if someone brought me some coffee and a sausage, egg and cheese croissant from Dunkin Donuts. Lo and behold, in walks Thomas with said hot coffee and hot sandwich just as I was relaxing from having completed four of five assignments. It was wonderful!!


Later in the day, he asked me to drive him to the train station so he could go into the city and do some bar hopping with friends. I could keep the car. I agreed if he promised to not get soused and not wait until 1 AM to come home like he did the last time (big fight, lots of yelling, all by him, not ever to be repeated). Dropped him off at the station and came home just in time for his brother to call. I assumed he was calling about his money (my daughter bought a car from him and pays him each month), but he was also interested in going to eat. I took him up on it because the breakfast sandwich was losing its steam. (Made sure he was paying, too, since I didn't really have any disposable cash lying about.)


So, dinner was at Olive Garden where I enjoyed a bowl of Pasta Fagiole and a plate of chicken Parmesan. They seem to have cut back on how much pasta they put on the plate (which is odd since it's the cheapest thing on the plate), but there were two nice sized pieces of chicken. I ate one with the pasta and brought the second one home. After dinner, brother dearest (yes, I am making that subtle connection to the infamous movie) wanted to go for coffee at Starbucks. Since that's usually what Tom and I do, it annoyed me, but I said OK as long as we didn't go to the same one Tom and I go to. We went to the one in Barnes and Noble which was across the street from Olive Garden. Big mistake!!


First of all, the coffee I got, which I get regularly at another location, was the absolute worst coffee I've ever had from Starbucks!! It tasted like someone had left it in the pot all day and it had cooked down to sludge after which they added some water and ice and then some milk to sell as iced coffee. ICK!!! How can a chain coffee shop selling the same coffee made by the same company have coffee that tastes so different in each location??? I've had some in malls that tasted pretty much like iced milk with sweet n low. What I get where Tom and I go is wonderful and consistent, regardless of who's behind the counter. But, this stuff was just plain nasty! I couldn't wait to get the taste out of my mouth.


Secondly, I spent money there. I bought another cookbook (shhhhh - do NOT tell my daughter. She hates that I have so many!) Yes, I know - I didn't have disposable cash for dinner, but books last forever! (That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it.)


Finally, we left and he took me home.where I did a few things online and watched a little TV. Tom finally contacted me to let me know he'd be taking the 11:42 train back to Jersey. I left to go to the station around 11:38 and got to the station just as his train was arriving. Don't ask me to do that again because it was a total accident!! LOL


We pulled out to come home and Tom wanted to go get something to eat, presumably to absorb some of the five or so cocktails he'd had since going to Philly, so we went to a local diner where he ordered a chicken croquette and Brussels sprouts with Chicken Dumpling soup. That sounded good to me, so I also ordered soup along with a chicken bacon ranch wrap and fries (knowing I'd be taking most of it home). I also ordered some decaf coffee. The soup was delicious! The wrap was OK, but should have had the ranch dressing ON it instead of along side it. It was very dry. The fries were actually pretty nice. They looked hand cut and still had skins. The coffee was also very good and succeeded in removing that bitter burnt taste I was suffering from since Starbucks. I packed my fries and just over half of the wrap to bring home, dropped Tom off at his house and came home. While I was gone, my daughter ate the piece of chicken Parm I had brought her from Olive Garden. Now she has a bacon chicken wrap she can take to work tomorrow. This was a huge wrap!!


So, that's how today's food went. It's just been too hot to want to really get down to cooking, but now that the nights are getting cooler (for a while), I might get back into it. Besides, it's cheaper (unless I can again get someone else to pay for my meal.) 

The Challenge is Over

For two straight months, I participated in two separate blogging challenges, posting daily - first in alphabetic order and then in reverse order. During the second challenge, I added a couple more challenges (actually three plus one for writing an article a week - again in alphabetic order) and got a little lost and overwhelmed by what I'd put on my plate (see - a perfect foodie analogy!) But, I finished the daily blog challenge (a day late) and have taken a few days off to rejoice in the temporary lack of mandated posting.

My other blog challenges are posted on my sister blog, A South Jersey Girl Writes. I still have to write my blog post for one of those challenges. It is due no later than tomorrow. Another is due on Monday. Thankfully, they're each one per week, so once I'm caught up, I should have little difficulty keeping up. I've also begun writing news articles for Gather. Their requirement is eight per month - two per week. I got seven in last month. I hope to make the minimum this month. One is done - seven to go.


I've been out to dinner a few times since the Memorial Day weekend began. It's been nice to get away after a few weeks of going nowhere. The first outing was to the Elgin Diner. I posted about that as one of my reverse alpha postings. Then, I went to the Colonial Diner where I enjoyed "The Big Pig". That was a pulled pork sandwich topped with crispy bacon, cheddar cheese and five huge onion rings. It also came with French Fries. They also had a wonderful seafood bisque on the menu that I enjoyed.


Then I went to the local Chinese buffet and ate WAY too much for my comfort. But, I still enjoyed it (until later that night, of course). Pizza, General Tso chicken, stuffed shrimp, sweet n sour chicken, Wonton soup, fried rice, and my first fresh papaya in years! I thoroughly enjoyed that papaya.


Last night, we went to the Colonial Diner again and this time I ordered the meatloaf with potato pancakes and applesauce. It came with soup or salad plus dessert. I had salad, three good-sized slices of meat loaf, two potato pancakes and a small plate full of applesauce. I've had far better meatloaf. I was very disappointed in that, but the potato pancakes and applesauce were very good. My cats enjoyed the last slice of meatloaf, though. They were very happy cats!


Tonight, though, we went to Gagan Palace, an Indian buffet in Stratford, about eight miles away, if that. They had goat curry and lamb Do-Pyazza plus chicken tikka masala, aloo & chana (potatoes and chickpeas) plus several other vegetarian choices (including Palak Paneer, a spinach and cheese cube dish). Of course, the naan was plentiful (a flat bread baked in the Tandoor oven). And this time, I tried the Sambhar soup - a VERY spicy vegetable soup whose heat quotient was so high I couldn't taste it after the first spoonful. So, I didn't finish that one. The little bit I did taste was actually pretty good, but it was far too hot for me to eat again. I finished up with some fresh watermelon and mixed fruit in a fruit sauce that tasted a lot like mango. The fruit was obviously fresh, so I can only guess that they make it themselves. I didn't eat any goat because none of the pieces was bone-free. The lamb was delicious as was the chicken. I also enjoy the Navarattan Korma, a blend of nine vegetables in a creamy sauce. Basmati rice with peas is also on the menu and a must with the saucy selections offered. Despite the searing heat of the spice-laden soup, I enjoyed my meal.


I plan on making dinner tomorrow night, so hopefully I'll be back with news about that.


Time for Caturday!!


Cats of the past.

This is Pepper. She is Chloe's mama.

This is Johnny being held by my daughter when she was around eight.

This is beautiful Chelsea. RIP 1980

             

Dining at Midnight (sort of)

Well, actually it's just past 1AM and I haven't left yet. My friend decided to bar hopping with friends in the city, but his brother is hungry as am I, so I am about to leave and will finish this when we're back. Unfortunately, I'm going to miss the episode of Storm Chasers where they actually intercept a tornado. Bah!


Home again and there was more to this than something to eat, unfortunately. But, we did go to one of several 24-hr diners in our area (Colonial Diner) where I had a delicious cup of seafood bisque and one of their pulled pork specials called "The Big Pig". YUM! Mounds of pulled pork on a Kaiser roll topped with crispy bacon, cheddar cheese and onion rings with French fries on the side. I also got a Diet Pepsi which I immediately knocked to the floor with the menu because I never even saw her bring the drinks. Scary, huh?


So, while we were eating, I get a call from my friend (my dining companion's brother) who wants to know where his brother is and can we come get him in Philly because he's had too much to drink. OMG! This is the third time in a month that he's pulled this stunt. I've told him I would never again "rescue" him because he's old enough to be responsible for his own actions. But, no, he calls me over and over again until I give the phone to his brother and then keeps calling to find out if we're done eating, etc. I finally hung up on him telling him to call his own brother since he had his phone number and to leave me alone so I could finish my meal!


His brother tells him we'll be there in 40 minutes (after telling him everything I'd already told him about where we were and what we were doing because he didn't listen the first time). We get done, I pack up the half sandwich and fries I had left and we leave the diner, getting on Rt 295 to go to Philly to pick him up.


We're just about to our exit when my phone rings yet again and he wants to know where we are. When I told him, he tells me he's already on the train from Philly to New Jersey, don't come to Philly. OMG!! WTH??? So, OK - we saved bridge tolls, but will you please stop this craziness? Before we can even get to the next exit to go to the train station, the phone rings AGAIN wanting to know where we are. He is so damned annoying when he drinks. Then a mile later, ANOTHER call wanting to know where we are. I had to holler at him to stop calling, that we were on our way and we would be there. He drives me crazy, this one. Seriously crazy - like I really need to be pushed any further in that direction.


So, at the train station, despite the fact that they are both going to the same destination, the brother drives his car home alone and I drive my friend home in his car and now I have his car at my house. Lunacy!!! What did I do to deserve this?? They say no good deed goes unpunished. What the heck did I do???


So, now I'm home, my friend is in possession of my leftover half sandwich and fries (and a single onion ring), and my cats were beside themselves at the fact that I was out at such an odd hour and only now coming home. All three of them looking out the front windows, pacing back and forth. My unusual behavior apparently got their attention big time.


I'm glad, though, that we have such diners. Big cities have pizza places and the like that are open round the clock, but the suburbs don't usually have that. But, diners in Jersey - they're a special breed. I have to admit, that's one of the things I like about being a Jersey girl.

Colonial Diner, Woodbury, NJ