Popeye’s is my favorite fried chicken chain by far. Even though they’re well known for their spicy fried chicken (I’m not a fan of anything spicy), they don’t skimp on the flavor for their mild chicken either. If you can get your hands on a fresh-out-of-the oven biscuit (or close to fresh-out-of-the-oven), it’s also a blissful experience. Man… if fat and calories were no object!
This shot was taken at Atlanta-Hartsfield Airport a few weeks ago while I was having dinner during my layover:
This past weekend, Dan and I ventured to Old Town Alexandria with a couple of friends of ours to Pat Troy’s Ireland’s Own to take in some live music (mainly drinking songs and covers) and great food and drink.
The long island iced teas were strong, and the musician was quite comedic. It made for a very enjoyable evening and welcome respite from day’s heat.
A few nights ago, a group of friends and I decided to head out to dinner to send off one of our friends who would be leaving the country the next day. Plan A was to go a nearby Cuban restaurant, but when we discovered that it was closed due to lack of power, we went to nearby Seibel’s Restaurant.
Granted, I think Kraft’s macaroni and cheese is OK, but I much prefer the homemade stuff. 
Dan made this batch of mac-and-cheese the other day using his mom’s recipe.
Combine the following in a large pot:
2 eggs
1 cup flour
4 cups milk
Bring the ingredients to a boil on stove set to medium heat. Sautee 2 tbsp onions with a stick of butter. Add the sauteed onions to the mixture in the pot. Add 4 cups of shredded cheese. Mix thoroughly and cook on medium heat until the cheese is fully melted. Once the cheese is fully melted, cook on low heat, stirring occasionally. (Note: This produces a thick sauce. For a less thick sauce, use less flour and/or more milk).
Cook 1 pound of pasta until it is al dente. Once the pasta is done, combine with the sauce in the large pot. Stir until the pasta is fully coated. Pour the contents of the pot into a 9×13 inch roasting pan. The mixture should be 2 to 3 inches deep throughout the pan. Liberally pour bread crumbs on top. Cook for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.
Substitutions: Dan uses grated parmesan-romano instead of bread crumbs atop the mac/cheese.
This crock-pot beef stew would probably fall under the “semi-homemade” category, as it uses bottled gravy, dry onion soup mix (as well as the juice coming from various ingredients) as the basis of its sauce.
The base recipe is one published by the Texas Beef Council, often doubled since I have a large crock pot.
Crockpot Beef Stew
Ingredients:
* 2 lbs. lean chuck roast cut into 1-1/2 inch cubes
* 1/2 tsp. pepper
* 1 pkg. dry onion soup mix
* 2 jars mushroom gravy (about 3 cups)
* 6 small potatoes cut into 1/2-inch cubes
* 6 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1-inch cubes
* 1 carton mushrooms, quartered
Instructions:
Put the beef cubes in the bottom of crockpot. Sprinkle with pepper and the onion soup mix. Add gravy. Layer the vegetables, potatoes first, then carrots, and finish with mushrooms on top. Cover with lid and cook on low for 7-9 hours.
There are some modifications I employ: In every double-batch, I’ll cut about 8-9 redskin potatoes. I’ll also slice 5-6 talks of celery and place the pieces in the stew. I often omit the pepper, and use beefy onion soup mix rather than regular. Lastly, I use around 2 lbs. of baby carrots.
It’s been a while since I’ve had food at the Hard Times Cafe, a local/regional chain specializing in chili. I’m a big fan of their Cincinnati Chili, which is tomato based, has a tinge of sweetness to it, and isn’t insanely spicy.
Last night, I had their Chili Mac for their first time. While I’ll have a hard time getting the chili spots out of my white shirt, I think the stains are a small price to pay for this tasty dish.
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