Sandwiches

I seem to have a thing for sandwiches. I didn't realize I did until recently when I went almost a month of bringing them to work.

They're easy to make, easy to transport and really have unlimited options when it comes to ingredients.

One of my favourite sandwiches is the grilled cheese. Seriously, there's so much to love! It gets even better when you start throwing extra ingredients into it.

Suffice it to say I got pretty excited when I found out there was a grilled cheese restaurant 4 minutes from my house!

On Saturday, I made the plunge. Their menu filled with all kinds of weird and wonderful creations. I settled on what I felt like mowing down. A cheddar, cream cheese, bacon and jalapeño pepper sandwich. Cream Cheese and Bacon... and Cheddar. O.K. That sounds like a horrible mix... but they are selling it, so it must be o.k.

Man, was it great! I was almost sad when I ran out of sandwich!

I guess the moral of the story is throw as much stuff as you can between two slices of bread and it will eventually taste great!

Also, the next time you make a grilled cheese, slap some bacon and cream cheese in there. It's better than it sounds.

Grocery Shopping

It's something that divides a lot of people. Some love it. Some hate it. Some haven't done it in their entire life. I enjoy it... until I get home and realize I forgot one obscure item.

Thankfully, that has improved recently. I generally leave with everything I need.

I just need to fix my second issue.

Running into people I know.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with running into friends or acquaintances at the store... except the timing.

Haven't washed your hair today? Wearing track pants because you just had to "quickly run to the store"? In a hurry? You are guaranteed to run into someone.

It's also usually someone that hasn't seen you in a while and wants to catch up.

The worst is when you are in a hurry. A few weeks back I was at the conveyor belt when I realized cheese was on sale. Since I don't want a mortgage, I usually buy cheese when it's on sale.
So, it was off to dairy as fast as possible. Of course, in the process, you bump into someone. Then you have to look like a jerk as you say "hi" while running in the opposite direction.

Really, I'm in a rush... it's not you it's me.

Thursday, it was a different story. I was getting some stuff for the food bank and saw someone from a distance. Not only was I wearing house stuff... I had a shopping cart full of beans. While I do like beans... I don't like them that much.

So I avoided them. Least I look like a bean obsessed foodie.

I realized how trivial these concerns are in the grand scheme of life... However, when they happen, the last thing they seem is trivial.

Thanksgiving

I've been thinking a lot about Thanksgiving recently. Probably because it's this weekend. Also because I have a thing for turkey, potatoes and gravy followed by a slab of pumpkin cheese cake (you only live once... hence the slab).

Along with the fantasies of my plate stacked with perfection in bird form, I've been thinking about the food bank.

I know, talk about having two opposing thoughts.

We are so blessed to be able to have Thanksgiving meals. Some people flat out can't. They aren't even necessary "poor" either.

I knew someone that had a job... that was just making ends meet. That was it. They couldn't get any more work due to personal reasons (single parent). Thanksgiving would have been a luxury at that time in their life. Thankfully, the food bank was there for them.

The store I do most of my grocery shopping at has a drop off bin... that I've never even noticed before. How many other people walk past it? What would happen if everyone saw it and put food in it?

If you enjoy Thanksgiving, I want to challenge you to share that joy with others. Take something to one of the drop boxes. Pop a donation off to your local chapter. Whatever. Do it for the poor, the ones going through hard times or just because it's the right thing to do.

Also - HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!!

P.S - That picture has me even more excited about Sunday...

Cooking

Everybody has something they like to do to unwind/clear their head.
Some people take rides on their motorcycle, others go to the beach and if you're Scott Jackson, you ride your bike.

For me it's walking . Otherwise it's cooking.
I love it a lot more than I probably should. I think it's the planning and preparation that goes into it. Organizing everything, cooking it to perfection and then savoring the taste.
It's like making music for your nose and taste buds. Or painting... or whatever.
The part I'm not as crazy about, is the clean up. I tend to taste test... a lot... so the supply of clean spoons drops quite fast. But I guess that's the price of doing something you love, right?

What's something that you love to do that you never thought you'd enjoy?

For the record, that omelette is courtesy of Google. I would have eaten mine before actually getting a picture... maybe I just like food...
                                                                                   

Lent

Or more accurately, fasting. I decided to do one a few weeks ago. Not just because of Lent, but because I wanted to do some heavy praying for some stuff and Lent was just around the corner... so why not do it at the same time?

You likely think this is going to be about how it brought me closer to God... and that blog is coming.... This is about how hard doing it is.

I am off of bread.

Which I thought would be hard... just not THIS hard. Never did I realize how much bread I eat! I usually have at least two or three servings a day (depending on what my meals are). Cut that out totally and my body just keeps asking "Now what?"

I'm not complaining. I really am surprised how hard it is!
The point of a fast is to do without something that you need/enjoy so that you can depend on God and put more time to prayer. Well, It's working.

So far things are really good, however bacon, eggs and muffin just isn't quite the same...

Carrot Fest 2012

Carrot Fest. There are carrots, it's a fest, too good to be true right? Well, no... though there weren't as many carrot food products as I had hoped (no deep fried carrot?) however there was cake. Cake is good.
The highlight of Carrot Fest was the food! There was lots of it from Tai to Hawaiian to Italian. The food was great!
There were also street performers. Unfortunately, I didn't get my picture with Spider-man however, I did score one in a Delorean !

I was geeking out believe it or not

Then there was the giant tooth thing. A little scary (just look at it) but cool none the less.

See... creepy...

And finally, some guys that actually made me feel short... that was different...

Gotta love those top hats

All in all if you ever get a chance, check out the Carrot Fest, fun for all!

The Truth Of Fast Food

It's always bothered me how good "food" looks in pictures and on the T.V, then when you buy it, it pales in comparison. Staging the food isn't a new concept to me, but this much work going into it is!

Christmas Banquet

It was tricky coming up with something interesting to do at my churches' Christmas Banquet this year. The last few years have been great, but not about the nativity. They've focused on giving, the reason for the season or (last year) a variety night, but no babe in a manger. This year however, the goal was to do The Christmas Story. That's harder then it sounds. Everything has been done. Church Christmas plays can get into the "cliche rut" so easily - we didn't want that to happen.
So instead of a musical or a play... we mixed 'em! A guy was pretending to be Luke writing his Gospel, every time he'd hit an important part in the story (Angels appearing to the shepherds) we'd get someone to do their version of a relevant carol (for the angel example it would be While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night). It worked!
A Buddy of mine and I kicked things off with "O Come O Come Emmanuel." Great song. I've always liked it, though I'm not sure why...

The night continued with "We Three Kings," "Away In A Manger" and an instrumental version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentle Men."
Between the lights, music and food (and of course the over aching message) I'm officially read for Christmas!