Created by Recipe Star

I’m rather surprised by this result since I’m not the most adventurous eater. Granted, they mostly ask if you have tried food, not if you liked it. I’ve eaten Indian on several occasions, but I’m not a huge fan. When I try a new type of food, I try to take baby steps by getting something that either many people I know love or has ingredients to other ethnic dishes I know I like. Even then, I’ll probably stick to a fairly comfortable dish the first few times I try a cuisine before venturing out into new territory.

It’s too bad I am not an open-minded foodie. I used to live in the area of Northern Virginia with a strong Korean presence and there were tons of little restaurants and specialty grocery stores. But alas, I stick to what I know.

Created by Recipe Star

Found via Wyatt who apparently tastes like undercooked beef. (Instead of being a pessimist for not tasting like bacon, he really should embrace his new status as a true beefcake.)

Gun nuts who enjoy time in the kitchen may want to spice things up with these salt & pepper shakers.

I’m going to blog lots of non-food related commentary later.  (Somehow, as the organizer, I never find time to blog.  Maybe I’ll go all tweeting next year.)  But, in the meantime, I have a few food oriented observations about the NRA Meeting:

1. It amazes me that as easy as it is to make rubber chicken jokes about the Annual Banquet, it never comes out that way.  They had a chorizo-stuffed chicken that was actually good.  The dessert this year was a bit lacking, but that’s because I didn’t think the mango worked with the passion fruit.  (Mango-topped cheesecake surrounded by passionfruit puree.)
2. The liquor license/carry problem is very real.  At least in Virginia, you can switch to open carry and be in compliance.  Not so in Arizona.  That must be fixed before NRA does another event out there.  Sure, people could carry to the convention, but they couldn’t go out to eat unless they wanted fast food.  I don’t know how Arizonans tolerate it.
3. I must recommend the weekend brunch at the 1130 Restaurant in the Arizona Center.  I was drawn in by their sign for $2 mimosas & Bloody Marys.  The prices were very reasonable, and definitely so for the atmosphere and the quality.  They did get the eggs on my eggs benedict wrong, but the hollandaise was good, as were the home fries.  The service was on the slow side, but they weren’t exactly expecting a party of 9 on a Sunday afternoon.  After eating there, I truly regret not calling them about scheduling one of the happy hours out on their patio.  If the NRA meeting returns to Phoenix, I definitely will not make that mistake again.
4. I’m home now and made mac & cheese for a snack.  It’s warm comfort food.  Not that I need to be comforted from Arizona’s food, but Sebastian is sick.  And I’m cold.  Bring back the warm weather!
5. The taps were broken at Front Row Friday’s in Chase Field for the NRA-ILA Mix & Mingle on Thursday.  That was a real disappointment, but the staff were great.  The view was incredible.  I honestly don’t know if I could top that for future events.
6. The service at Majerle’s were decent, but it wasn’t quite what I thought for set up.  It also was very loud with loud music.  I explained that we were hoping to talk to each other, and I had the impression after my conversations with staff that we would be able to do so without yelling.  Barely.  I’d probably switch out that location for future Phoenix events.
7. People learned that I plan obsessively for these events.  I research all I can online before ever arriving on site so I know where I can point us for food, drinks, or anything else.  This paid off on a search for Sunday night dinner and drinks.  It also means I can make reasonable estimates for price points depending on the group I’m with.  (Though who knew the upscale Sheraton bar would have a band playing so loud you couldn’t hear a shout eminating from 2 feet away?  We moved on to the Hyatt.)

I have a lot of business to take care of later.  Follow-up and what not require thinking, so I’m waiting until tomorrow.  Hope this tides you over.  And if anyone in Charlotte has downtown suggestions, bring ‘em on.

Usually when you think of those two subjects together, it’s in regards to a murder mystery theater event.  However, Amazon’s food bloggers show us that we no longer need to go out to find a good death-themed dinner.  We can make our very own with the recipes from the Titanic.

They note that the cookbook also has instructions on how to throw a Titanic-themed dinner party.  Does that mean only women and children will make it home safely?  If I ever hosted one, I’d be tempted to give out little life preserver favors with a package of hot hands tucked inside.  Or, simply, an icecube.

As novel as this cookbook would be, having me throw a party with a theme from an event where more than 1,500 people died is a dangerous idea.  We might not have friends left after it’s over.

I can’t really think of a blog theme related reason to post this other than I find it amusing:

Apparently, Punxsutawney Phil is trying to escape the glare of fame.

On three occasions in the past two weeks, Phil, a groundhog famous for his annual Groundhog Day appearance in February, has escaped his man-made home at the Punxsutawney Library, according to an Associated Press report. He then climbs into the library’s ceiling and travels about 50 feet before dropping into some library offices.

Embedding is currently disabled, so it may not work.  In that case, click through.  It will knock your socks off.

This is my favorite song from my favorite musical, and she surpasses some upcoming Broadway talent I’ve heard.  I’m assuming she’s never had any training which makes it all the more amazing.  I only heard a couple of moments that could have been more spot on in the third time I listened to it.