01.29 - Disturbing Foods I Would Actually Eat

My buddy R sent me this article about this crazy concoction two Kansans came up with. It's pretty much a basket weave of bacon, topped with Italian sausage, covered with crunchy cooked bacon, rolled up altogether, and smoked. It's 5,000 calories and 500 grams of fat and sounds absolutely revolting . . . and, yet, I do love bacon, Italian sausage, and smoked BBQ soooo . . . I'm sure it's awesome! Haha. If you want the details, check out their blog http://www.bbqaddicts.com/blog/recipes/bacon-explosion/.

And here's a nice image that shows how pretty 2,000 grams of fat can be:


Then my buddy S also told me about a specialty burger being served at one of my fave Chicago burger joints. It's called the #!@%¿ Blagojevich Burger. It's a 10-ounce burger patty, a thick slice of bologna, and yellow mustard all between two grilled cheese sandwiches (one for the top bun, one for the bottom bun)-- and it comes out with a huge dollar sign drawn on top in mustard. Haha. Oh man, I don't know about the bologna . . . but I'm loving the double grilled cheese! ;) Check out the video below:

In case the video doesn't show up, click here.

01.28 - Super Eggs

I had scrambled eggs this morning. But not just any eggs. Omega-3 fortified eggs. They tasted normal enough, but I felt a bit weirded out about it. I imagined chickens eating pieces of salmon and laying these fishy eggs. Of course that isn't the case because the hens are actually given a diet of kelp, flax seed, and canola oil-- but it still sounds a bit shady to me. :\ In general, fortified foods are cool . . . but there's something about the unnaturalness that makes me nervous.

01.27 - Nostalgic Food & Nose Kisses

Every evening for dinner, the grandma used to mash up a ripe banana into her rice. And she would eat that with chicken or a pork chop or whatever protein she happened to have prepared for the day. I used to think the mushy banana/rice concoction was so gross and too sweet—but recently I’ve started having it at dinner. It’s definitely an acquired taste, but the textures are actually quite complementary. I’m really such a sucker for nostalgic foods . . . even if it makes me feel a little like an old lady. ;)

Speaking of the grandma, I remember how much I loved giving her nose kisses—where I’d touch my nose to her nose and wiggle it a little. Haha. Mainly, I loved doing it with my grandma because she had the cutest Popeye-like nose and she wouldn’t flinch for anything. There were times when my nose would be approaching hers, and she’d think I was going in for a kiss so she’d pucker up her lips. Haha. That was the best. Nowadays, I’ll randomly plant nose kisses on babies because they don’t really know what’s going on. And sometimes I’ll do it with older kids (like L & D) because it’s kind of fun to watch them squirm with uncertainty or pretty much just try to dodge me. :}

the seeds of nostalgia are being planted (haha)

01.24 to 01.26 - Let Me Eat Cake

So one of my closest friends is getting married this summer and we decided to go to a couple cake tastings on Saturday. I pretty much had cake for breakfast and lunch that day. It was delicious at first (and a fantasy for most sweets lovers) but it got to be too much by the end of it and I was craving cheese fries, hot dogs, and steak tacos like a crazy person. Still, it was a lot of fun. I really loved the two bakeries we checked out because they were such cute, unique places with very kind, personable owners. I think my friend and her fiance are leaning towards one of the bakeries already . . . but I wouldn't mind checking out a few more places. ;) Mmm . . . cake is yummy.


we had our fill of five of the moistest, yummiest mini cakes ever with seven different fillings


my friend chose these three cake flavors in advance-- and the passion fruit one rocked

Oh man . . . I have a fierce cake craving today after looking at these pictures. Must...find...cake...

Eatery Info: Since the bride hasn't made her final decision yet, I'll keep this on the DL. ;)

01.23 - Moo Moo, Boo Hoo

I’ve recently started eliminating milk from my diet because I have weird feelings about whether cow’s milk is actually good for human beings—though that hasn’t stopped me from eating cheese (yes, I make no sense).

Anyway, it’s been a couple months now since I’ve stopped drinking straight milk (or having it in cereal or in coffee or in pretty much anything) . . . but I stopped into Walgreens before work yesterday morning and suddenly got this impulse to buy a box of Special K and a pint of skim milk. I guess I started having thoughts of eating healthy again and I wanted to start the Special K diet (eat a bowl of cereal for breakfast, eat a bowl for lunch, have a regular dinner, and lose 6 pounds in two weeks). Ha.

So that’s what I did yesterday. I had not just one bowl of cereal with good ol’ bovine milk. I had two bowls. *sigh* I have no idea what I was thinking. Yesterday was an uncomfortable day. :\

01.21 - How Much More Can I Love Thee?

I wrote a post awhile back about my weakness foods—foods that I would eat even if I was completely full. They included lemon ice, asian fro-yo, hard salami, fried chicken, and cheese. I thought about it, though, and I probably wouldn’t eat just any cheese if I was full. But if they were cheese curds . . . ohhh man, it would all be over.

Cheese curds are a regional delicacy of Wisconsin (but apparently also of Michigan, upstate NY, and parts of Canada), and they are just the best, most wonderful, most comforting cheese ever. I remember the first time I had them. It was one weekend years back when my friend N and I were visiting our friend Q in Milwaukee. We decided to do some grocery shopping for our girly weekend and, lo and behold, my love for cheese curds was born. Some people get turned off by the squeaky chewiness, but oh man, that’s what makes them soooo delicious. After that weekend, there is not one time that I’ve been to Wisconsin without getting cheese curds. (I’ve gotten them at grocery stores, gas stations, and this past weekend at a cheese factory—yay!).

If you have not yet experienced this wonderfulness, my heart breaks for you—though I think Whole Foods and other specialty stores carry them. If you do get the chance to have them, please eat them at room temperature because that’s when they’re the most soft, squeaky, and amazing. Battered and fried is pretty darn good too. ;) And if you’ve ever had poutine, I am fiercely jealous of you. My friend Q went to Canada recently and had this sinful Quebecois dish of French fries, cheese curds, and beef gravy and—knowing my love for cheese curds and disgustingly fatty foods—pretty much called me to rub it in. *heavy, heavy sigh* I’ll get to Quebec one day, people. One day . . . *dreamy look*


If I didn't have some of these in the refrigerator, this picture could potentially make me cry.


This picture does make me cry. It actually hurts me to look at this.

01.17 to 01.19 - I Am a Failure & Kids Are Mean

Umm . . . I have no comment in regard to my decision last week. Actually I have one: who am I kidding?! I went boarding with a bunch of my cousins and the two little ones (L & D) this past Saturday and I completely forgot about my no-dairy, no-meat thing. I had a hot dog, cheese pizza, fried cheese curds (which I love love loved), a little strawberry milkshake, and chicken fried steak. I didn't just forget about eating well-- I failed miserably. *sigh*

In other news, I found out that L (who is my 11-year old goddaughter and someone I adore and spoil) has a very twisted view of dear old me. While we were driving back to the hotel from the mountain, we passed by a cheese factory store. A CHEESE factory, people! So my head snapped towards the window and I just stared at it in adoration. L grabbed me firmly by the shoulders and turned my body away from the window. "That's enough," she said. Ha!

Five minutes later, I said aloud, "You know, maybe we should grab some food to go and just keep it in the hotel room in case anyone gets hungry later. Not that I'm hungry or anything. But it's late, so we should be prepared." L looks at me, rolls her eyes, and says, "You're such a fattie. All you ever want to do is eat!" Ohh MY gosh. It took quite a bit of willpower to keep from shoving her and hiding my head in shame. Instead, I gave her a reallllly mean look and ignored her for five minutes. Ha. Who does she think she is?! She don't knowwww me!


hellllllo fried cheese curds... *drooling*


the two little thugs-- the disrespectful (a.k.a. observant) one is on the left

01.16 - Tired, Flabby, and Pitiful

I just had a nice little chat with three friends/coworkers at lunch and, I have to say, I’ve never felt so unhealthy and determined to change my eating habits until thirty minutes ago. One girl is currently going through a vegan detox program and is surprisingly energetic and radiant. The other girl has eliminated wheat, most meat, and dairy from her diet and seems a lot healthier and happier. And the guy currently goes to the gym three times a week and does weekly hot yoga “detox” on Mondays and is lively and fit. I sat there, picking at my leftover ham and egg omelet from this morning and felt . . . tired, flabby, and pitiful. :\

I’m seriously debating on eliminating meat and dairy from my diet . . . at least for a month to start. That way, I’ll have a clean slate and when I begin to incorporate those foods back into my diet, I’ll be able to see what does and doesn’t make me feel good. *long pause* Actually . . . no. Ha. There’s no way I can do that. But maybe I’ll try to do it at least five out of 7 days a week. *shrug* That’s a start, right? Alright then. I’ll do that and work out at least twice a week. I tell you this in hopes that the thought of your communal disapproval will hold me accountable. ;)

01.15 - Cold Days, Warm Memories

Dude, it’s so cold today, it’s not even funny. Luckily, I pretty much put on as much warm clothing and outerwear as possible. The only thing I forgot were my snow goggles. Ha. Seriously. As I was walking to work, the crazy wind was blowing right in my face so I started tearing up—and, of course, icicles started forming under my eyes. Well, not exactly, but the tears froze within seconds of production and I could barely blink. Struggling. :\

I’m okay now though. The warmth has returned to my toes and fingers, I have brushed the frozen tears out of my eyes, I have a steaming cup of tea next to me, and I am popping yummy bite-size PB&J sandwich pieces into my mouth. On that note, I’d like to declare my current love for peanut butter and jelly on warm toast. I was never into this American childhood favorite because I preferred cheese or butter (yeah yeah) . . . but PB&J has really been growing on me lately. Oh, and I generally don’t cut sandwiches up into pieces, but I thought I deserved a little pampering this morning. Cutting up my food into little pieces makes me happy (and brings back warm memories of high school when I wore braces and cut up everything from pizza to chicken nuggets). ;)

01.08 to 01.12 - Fat Days in LA

My cousin S and I went to LA for several days to visit my bro, her bro, and our two cousins. Without a doubt, good food and good times were had. My consumption conduct was a bit appalling, so I may have to begin changing my eating habits. For now, here is a summary of some of Los Angeles' culinary delights.


sushi pizza at Yamato: yummy little shrimps in a special sauce, avocado, spicy tuna, etc. all on a crispy thingamajigger


pre-lunch snack of delicious empanadas: my fave was the ham and cheese one--mmm


lunch at the famous In-N-Out: here's a double double with animal-style fries, and there's me loving the processed cheese


dessert and coffee for the road trip: a scrumptious slice of tres leches and Starbucks (complete with those cool green mermaid toppers)


pre-dinner snack: Mucho Cheese (I will not lie-- this bag of cheese puffs had me at "Mucho Cheese"-- mmm!)


super yummy Filipino dinner: we had three plates of delicious crispy chicken skin (ha) and the most flavorful beef kaldereta and garlic fried rice


delicious breakfast at More Than Waffles: I had the best salami, mushroom, and mozzarella omelette + the best waffles topped with whipped cream and strawberries (oh man...I could go for some more)


and lastly, carryout lunch from Miss Peaches by my bro's place: more waffles, nice salty fried chicken, and GOOEY BUTTER CAKE (gooood stuff!)

All in all, LA food was quite good though my California cousin swears Chicago food is better. Maybe we just lucked out this weekend. Anyway, LA definitely has its perks. The weather was seriously amazing-- a 75-degree average with pleasant (as opposed to torturous) winds. *sigh* But now we're back to cold, negative wind chill, snow stormy Chicago. Argh. You know what? I refuse to change my eating habits until it's over 30 degrees. Ha.

Eatery Info: Please see links above.

01.07 - No One Touch My Food

I had Mexican leftovers in the refrigerator the other day and, apparently, my dad was going on another fridge cleaning rampage. Many a culinary delight has been thrown out on his account-- from delicious cheeses and flavorful sauces to scrumptious leftovers and specialty drinks. So, that day, his eyes made their way over to my styrofoam container and he said aloud to himself in a low voice, "This looks old. I'm going to throw it out." But out of nowhere, from the farthest corners of the house, both my brother and mother made their way over to the kitchen within seconds and shouted with vehement passion, "Noooooo!! Don't throw it out!!"

Hahaha. That's right. No one touch my food. Haha.

(Reference Post: http://foodheartsme.blogspot.com/2008/11/1121-krrrrrrazy-for-kimchi.html)

01.06 - Food Narcoleptic

So I was on the train this morning, on my way to work, when I found out halfway there that someone had been struck by a train at one of the later stations and that there would be a hold on service to downtown. I debated taking the bus, but the line was insane-- and it was snowing. So I trudged back into the subway and decided to just wait. Initially, I felt worried and thought about this person, wondering if he/she had purposely gotten him/herself hit or if it was a terrible accident. But later, all I could think about was the foil-wrapped ham, egg, and cheese omelet patiently sitting in my bag. I chided myself for not bringing a plastic fork and I even debated eating it straight from the foil. Luckily, I practiced self-control and was able to eat it an hour and a half later when I finally got to work. Mmm. Really good stuff.



I don't know if the food was to blame or what . . . but I sat in an hour and a half meeting shortly after that and I could not keep my eyes open for the life of me. It was excruciating to try keeping myself awake. I was pinching myself as hard as I could and I even tried to make myself cry to moisturize my eyes, but nothing helped. I also tried doodling but I ended up dozing and scribbling nonsense all over the paper instead. The worst was when the senior VP kept looking in my direction and all I could do was give her glassy stares through heavy eyelids. Ha. I really just need to stop eating . . . :\

01.05 - Oh Dear, Another Year

I can't believe we're in 2009 already. So weird. A little overwhelming too. So much happened last year, but I feel like this year is going to be just as eventful. I only hope the stress and busyness won't drive me to food like it always does. Speaking of food, I really hope to move away from unhealthy foods this year. My face is getting fuller, my arms are getting flabbier, and I'm under the impression that people don't think very highly of me in the food consumption department.

For the record, no, I won't try to smuggle food into the cabin if it's not allowed. And no, I would not drink the cheese sauce (blatantly neglecting the french fries) if no one was looking. Gosh, people.