I worked for Hallmark for over seven years and didn’t know that Sweetest Day — that’s today — was all about candy.
I’m not sure how I missed that.
But now that I do, my Saturday — and this holiday — has a whole new sense of purpose. And my menu for the day is all planned.
Care to join me?
“Smell is a potent wizard that transports you across thousands of miles and all the years you have lived.” — Helen Keller
Yesterday, en route to Boston, I smelled it.
I hadn’t encountered the aroma since my early teens, but the moment it hit my nostrils, I knew –
Underwood Deviled Ham
Someone was eating it. And I was suddenly a child again, sitting at my mother’s kitchen table on a summer day, eating ham spread and crackers for lunch. I loved that stuff, back when processed foods were new and convenient, not the thing that was going to kill us all.
I like the logo, too. To this day, I could pick their brand out on the supermarket shelf when others from my childhood are long forgotten.
Good ol’ Underwood Deviled Ham.
I have to admit, I checked out FreshDirect.com — where I order the majority of my groceries — to see if they carry the stuff. Of course, they don’t. (It doesn’t exactly match their fresh food philosophy.)
But the kid in me is curious to see…
What the devil did I like about the stuff?
Posted in Commentary, Food, Foods, Health, Humor, Life, Shopping, Travel
Tagged advertising, Boston, brand, Business, canned meat, childhood memories, commentary, crackers, family, food, food philosophy, Foods, Freshdirect.com, ham spread, Helen Keller quotes, Humor, kitchen table, life, logo, lunch, New York City, processed food, shopping, smell, smell and memories, Travel, Underwood, Underwood Deviled Ham
Are you a ‘sweet’ or a ‘salty?’
I’m a salty. I can easily give cakes and cookies a pass, but I find the siren song of salty snacks hard to ignore.
This post, though, is for you sweets out there…because I think this cookie is sharp.
Now, you all know Oreos. (Heck, I’ve even eaten a few hundred in my time.) The newest version is the Oreo Triple Double.
It’s a regular Oreo with an added layer of cream (this one chocolate-flavored) and a third chocolate wafer.
I’m sure it’s chocolate-y enough to kill us all, but more importantly…
Isn’t it pretty?
I personally think they went with the chocolate-flavored creme on the bottom because the color palette looks sophisticated. Imagine that — they have managed to make a mass market cookie look kinda high end.
And while I was looking for pictures of this Oreo, I found another new creation…
The Oreo Wedding Cake
It’s really just a big stack of Oreo’s arranged to look like a cake, but people are serving it at their weddings. While you should probably involve a professional on your big day, I think you could pull this off for fun (and enjoy eating any cookies that crumble in the process).
How about an Oreo Triple Double Cake at your wedding?
Tres chic!
Posted in Cooking, Design, Family, Foods, Humor
Tagged children, chocolate lover, cookie crumbs, design, dessert, family, food, Humor, Internet, interwebs, life, Oreo creme, oreo tower, oreo triple double, oreo wedding cake, Oreos, Relationships, wedding, wedding planner
I pride myself on being open-minded, especially when it comes to fried foods.
The Huffington Post is not.
In fact, this weekend ‘Huff Post Comedy’ featured the slideshow “10 Things We Shouldn’t Be Frying.” It pictured an array of batter-dipped, fried foods you’ll find at state fairs and local gastro-pubs.
Some, I’ll admit, even made me cringe. Fried butter. Fried margaritas. Even fried guacamole. (Who knows? Maybe the batter hides the icky avocado texture and taste.)
But the Huff staff dissed fried pickles, comparing the taste to “a dirty bomb going off in your mouth.”
What the wha??
Clearly Huff Post needs to get their noses out of their laptops and their taste buds on top of some serious fried pickles, one of the yummiest appetizers to ever grace a paper towel-lined plate!
In New York City, I suggest visiting Ditch Plains. Their fried pickles are sliced super thin and have a light, almost tempura-like batter. They’re served with tartar sauce for dipping, but ask for ranch dressing….’cause everything’s better with a little ranch.
In Kansas City, head to Tomfooleries on the Country Club Plaza. That’s the first place I ever tried fried pickles — not in the South like you might imagine.
Their fried pickles are cut thick and have a heartier batter. You can see the spices and cheese sitting right on top. They’re served with seasoned waffle fries, too…so if someone in your group is a ‘pickle chicken,’ everybody’s happy. (Gotta love the bucket, too.)
If you live in the South, there are lots of great restaurants that serve this delicacy. Please share your suggestions in the comments section.
I doubt there will be a “dirty bomb” in the bunch!
Posted in Blog, Blogging, Blogs, Business, Commentary, Cooking, Food, Foods, Humor, Internet, Life, Restaurants, Travel
Tagged 10 Things We Shouldn't Be Frying, avocado, blogging, blogs, Business, cheese, commentary, Country Club Plaza, Ditch Plains restaurant, food, Foods, fried beer, fried butter, fried foods, fried guacamole, fried margaritas, fried pickles, gastro-pubs, Huff Post Comedy, Humor, Internet, Kansas City, life, New York City, open-minded, ranch dressing, restaurants, Southern cooking, spices, state fairs, tartar sauce, tempura batter, The Huffington Post, the South, Tomfooleries, Travel, wafle fries
The best blogs have a unique angle and clear point of view.
Here’s one that fits the bill…literally.
15 Percent is a blog that documents bad tippers — people and companies that repeatedly tip below the customary 15 percent mark on food delivery orders.
Blog creator Larry Fox accepts your submissions, too — copies of receipts, stories, even questions — that draw attention to gratuity grievances.
Some prime examples? A delivery receipt for $130 worth of food…with a $5 tip. Or how about a 4 cent tip on a $47.96 food bill?
As Larry puts it, “Thanks, assholes.”
He even posts the names of the bad tippers if they’re provided. (Ouch!) But I’m with you, Larry. The only way some folks will learn…
…is by serving them a little side dish of shame.
Posted in Blogs, Business, Commentary, Foods, Humor, Life, Restaurants
Tagged 15 Percent, bad tippers, blogging, blogs, Business, commentary, delivery drivers, delivery receipts, food, food delivery, Foods, gratuity, Humor, Larry Fox, life, restaurant check, restaurants, tipping, undertipping
When folks come to New York City, they ask me two questions:
Not simple questions to answer in a city that has everything.
One of my favorite places — that I am happy to report is over on the East Side and requires a bit of effort on my part to visit — is Dylan’s Candy Bar.
Across from Bloomingdale’s, Dylan’s is every kid’s dream candy store…and every adult-who-still-loves-candy-a-bit-too-much-for-their-own-good’s personal challenge.
I usually don’t go unless I am with company sightseeing. (Then I have an excuse.)
NEWSFLASH — rumor has it a new Dylan’s location is opening in my neighborhood on the Upper West Side, just three blocks from my apartment. Now, I could dismiss this as hearsay, but all of the stores in that block — save one — have closed of late, leaving space for what would be a huge sweet shoppe.
Sweet Jesus.
Posted in Business, Children, Cooking, Family, Food, Foods, Humor, Life, Shopping, Summer, Travel, Vacation
Tagged Bloomingdale's, candy, candy store, candymegeddon, children, Dylan's Candy Bar, East Side, family, food, Foods, Humor, life, Manhattan, New York City, shopping, sightseeing, summer, sweet shoppe, Travel, Upper West Side, vacation
Uh oh. Those ‘newly married’ friends of yours have already lasted an entire year! It’s time to buy an anniversary present — what to do?
No worries — it’s Flitch Day!
According to customs that have been in place since the 15th century, any couple who can prove to a jury of bachelors and maidens that they have lived together in ‘harmony and fidelity’ during the past year gets a flitch of bacon.
(That’s a side of bacon in modern speak.)
No more checking their registry at Target. No more worrying about colors or style of decor. Agonizing about sizes is a thing of the past.
Just pass that platter of bacon to the lucky bride and groom!
(William and Kate are going to be so excited…)
Posted in Comedy, Foods, Friends, Humor, Life, Love, Relationships, Weddings
Tagged 15th century customs, anniversaries, anniversary gift, bacon, bacon gifts, bacon platter, bridal registry, bride and groom, color palette, comedy, cooking, Flitch Day, flitch of bacon, food, Foods, friends, gifts, harmony and fidelity, home decor, Humor, jury of bachelors and maidens, life, love, married couples, modern speak, newlyweds, registry, Relationships, side of bacon, Target, weddings, William and Kate
Have you ever heard of Gourmand Syndrome?
It occurs when a certain section of the brain’s right hemisphere is damaged. Patients become obsessed with food…specifically ‘fine dining’ choices.
For example, a snowboarder recently sustained brain damage in a near-fatal accident and awoke from a coma experiencing intense cravings for basil pesto, a food he had no particular feelings for prior to the fall.
I’m fascinated by this disease…because I think I have its polar opposite.
You see, I experienced a hard blow to the head at an early age. It wasn’t coma-worthy — just involved some stitches and a scar to the forehead. But I think it may have made me obsessed with the ‘non-fine dining’ choices on menus.
Goodness knows that’s the type of food I crave to this day. And if I can blame a whack on the head and call it Junk Food Syndrome — instead of a lack of self-control –
Sign me up.
Posted in Comedy, Commentary, Dieting, Food, Foods, Health, Humor, Life, Restaurants
Tagged besil pesto, blow to the head, brain damage, brain hemisphere, coma, comedy, commentary, cooking, dieting, fine dining, food, food cravings, food obsession, Foods, forehead scar, gourmand, gourmand syndrome, Health, Humor, junk food syndrome, life, restaurants, stitches
Dear restaurant chefs:
If you came to The Sticky Egg looking for a creative recipe for your weekend brunch menu, my apologizes.
We don’t do that kinda cookin’ here.
But if you are preparing to compete in Chopped on Food Network, I can help.
Previously an infrequent viewer, I recently sat through a Chopped marathon –ah, inertia — and have discovered the secrets to winning the Chopped championship and coveted $10,000 prize.
Of course, ignoring all these rules makes for more entertaining television, so you can forget I said anything, too.
I am, after all, just an Egg.
Posted in Commentary, Cooking, Entertainment, Food, Foods, Humor, Television, TV
Tagged $10000 prize, appetizer, brunch, brunch menu, chefs, Chopped, Chopped championship, Chopped chefs, Chopped marathon, Chopped tv show, commentary, cooking, cooking with love, cooking with passion, cooking with soul, food, Food Network, Foods, home, Humor, life, pepper, reality show, reality show competition, recipes, restaurant chefs, salt, seasonings, Television, The Sticky Egg, TV
Off the menu
People are always asking, “Where should I eat when I visit New York City?”
How about a suggestion of where you definitely should not?
Chef Kevin Lasko has included venison and date syrup, a noted Iraqi delicacy, on this season’s menu. What’s wrong with that, you ask? Nothing…except he and artist Michael Rakowitz are serving the dish on plates once owned by Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein.
The restaurant attempted to explain their decision to use the china in a press release, saying the plates “represent the rich and complicated history of a place long misunderstood by its invaders.“
I’m sure they do. Doesn’t mean I want to eat off of them.
You’d think a restaurant would have a bit more taste.
→ 2 Comments
Posted in Business, Commentary, Cooking, Food, Foods, Humor, Life, Politics, Restaurants, Travel
Tagged artist Michael Rakowitz, Business, Chef Kevin Lasko, china, commentary, date syrup, decor, dishes, food, Foods, Humor, Iraqi cuisine, Iraqi dictator, life, local, Manhattan, menu, New York City, Park Avenue Autumn, Park Avenue Summer, plates, restaurant recommendations, restaurant reviews, restaurants, Saddam Hussein, taste, Travel, venison, where to eat