250 Likes – Facebook Contest Winner

Di Adra Rose has become the 1st winner of the Chris Allred “LIKE” my page contest as we passed the 250 likes mark. She has won a dozen individual lemon cakes (6 regular and 6 Gluten-Free). Congratulations Di!!!


http://youtu.be/Cw4bV5Gi4Zo
 

Kitchen Sink Cookies

I love recipes that you don’t have to follow and can basically do whatever you want; like Kitchen Sink Cookies, where everything is fair game (including the kitchen sink).

Chris Allred Design Winner

Di Adra Rose has become the 1^st winner of the Chris Allred “LIKE” my page contest as we passed the 250 likes mark. She has won a dozen individual lemon cakes (6 regular and 6 Gluten-Free). Congratulations Di!!!!

Honey Banana Bread

What do I want to eat tomorrow? Make Honey Banana Bread today for breakfast tomorrow.

LOOK AT WHAT KARI MADE…Blueberry Muffins with a crumble topping. These are sooooooooooo good!!!

Bean Taquitos

Bean Taquitos are Gluten-Free and Vegan friendly. Plus they taste so good that everyone will want some.

Banana Nut Tarts

Banana Nut Tarts are 3 eggs away from being Vegan. I turned the healthiest cookies ever, which are Vegan, into tart crusts and filled them with banana almond custard (So good that I didn’t even miss the sugar). #GLUTEN-FREE, # NO SUGAR

BTC

BTC’s are one of the best pressed sandwiches ever... 
Bacon
Tomato
Cheddar

 …on sourdough.

Blueberry Picking

Kari and her friend went blueberry picking and came home with some of the smallest blueberries that I have ever seen. What they lacked for in size, they made up with taste, sweetness, and juiciness.

Homemade Chicken Strips

Homemade Chicken Strips, breaded in Panko, are thick and juicy. On the side you have big pieces of crispy potatoes that are soft on the inside. 

Cook time for HOMEMADE vs. FROZEN = TIE

 

Food My Food Would Eat – Ep 5

The 5^th episode has Donna making a chocolate brownie from an old children’s recipe book. Then we made a vegetarian version of a Cottage or Shepard’s Pie, which fed 8 people (Donna’s family and mine) for under $5.00. Great value! Great taste!

My favorite part has to be my phone ringing at the end…AGAIN!

http://youtu.be/aJb3JWVeplY

The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones Movie Review

 “The Mortal Instruments” has it all: action, adventure, drama, romance, and supernatural beings.
In fact I could not find one thing that I disliked about this movie. I was quoted as saying that another movie was the best movie that I have seen this year; I was wrong, because top billing goes to “The Mortal Instruments”, and it will be hard to beat.
I am told by an avid reader and fan of the books, that followers of the story will not be disappointed because the movie was done right.
“They weren’t cops.”
“They looked like cops.”
““They weren’t cops.”
“Then where did they get the car?”
The only real messed up part to the story can be summed up from a line from my favorite movie of all time, “Oh, here's a fun fact: You made out with your sister, man!”
“The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones” is beyond great and I highly recommend it; in fact, see it in theaters and then buy it on DVD when it comes out. I give this movie two ginormous thumbs up, and I recommend seeing this in theaters.

Leftover tacos are so under-rated as a breakfast food.

Healthy Cookies

These are the healthiest cookies that I have ever eaten and they pretty taste good too. #RAW / #NO-BAKE / #VEGAN / #GLUTEN-FREE / #NO-SUGAR (except the stuff found in the fruit)

I'm Wearing A Tie

Homemade Pizza

Homemade pizza is fun for the whole family because everyone can make their own…to their likes. Get the kids involved because it’s exciting and it is GUARANTEED to be quicker than delivery (especially if you buy some dough from your local pizza joint).

Elysium Movie Review

 The dictionary uses words like paradise and perfection to define “Elysium”.
In mythology, “Elysium” (also called The Elysian Fields) is where heroes who were blessed by the gods went after death. This is a perfect name for this movie as there was a defined separation between the heavens and Earth.
I am going to come right out and say it…”This is the best movie that I have seen this year!”
One can make the argument that the movie is nothing more than an in your face creative spin on current practices in the world today, especially here in the United States; political corruption and the big business that we call medicine. Is it true? Is medicine big business? The rich are able to afford treatments, while the rest of us suffer until we die. It is true in society today, and the movie does a great job making that point even clearer.
The movie is fantastic, with great writing and a well-rounded cast. There are some very graphic kill (and not kill) shots that do not add nor takeaway from the movie itself. Matt Damon is a great actor, even though he does not have a lot of range and has a lot of “Matt Damon” moments; he is still the person for the lead role because no one else could have done it.
If the movie was not good enough, you get to see Jason Bourne fight Murdock from the “A-Team”, both of who are super-sized and ready to kill.
“Elysium” is great! I give it two big thumbs up, and I recommend seeing this in theaters.

Kit Kat Brownies

Kit Kat Brownies…Use your favorite brownie recipe, pour 1/3 of the batter into your prepared pan, lay the individual candy pieces in a single layer, and top with the rest of the batter. Adjust cooking times as needed.
The brownies pictured are cut up in the baking dish, with “samples” missing.

Stunning Blueberry Lemon Curd Cake

Stunning Blueberry Lemon Curd Cake! My mother-in-law seen this cake and asked me to make it for them last time we were down there; however the cake did not like California’s 110 degree weather. It tasted good, but I made it again when we got home because the presentation sucked the 1st time.

Felon

Check out the newest “Stories Submitted By You”. This time it is a poem/lyrics by my brother Joker.
http://chrisallreddesign.com/menu-styles/stories-submitted-by-you/279-felon

Denny’s Restaurant Review

 Denny’s is an okay restaurant that is renowned for slow service, but beats IHOP every day of the week.
Denny’s has an older vibe to it, as in the restaurant looks and feels like it is from days gone by. This is purposely done, because even the newest built Denny’s attracts the 60 and over crowd. I always feel out of place whenever I eat there, and know there are crocheted doilies hiding somewhere. The food is middle of the road, and the prices and serving sizes are far better than IHOP.
My favorite waiter of all time is named Joe, and he works at the Denny’s in Jantzen Beach in Portland, OR. Joe has the best table manners and customer service that I have ever seen, or will ever see, in a restaurant setting. Joe is top notch great!
There is this Denny’s in the The Dalles/Hood River area of Oregon that we have been to so many times and never seemed to learn not to go to it. The food is about the same as any other Denny’s, but the fleas bite. When we were looking for a house in the Portland area, we drove back and forth from Yakima, WA a lot, and seemed to have dinner in the middle of the night on the way back to Yakima as we were so busy trying to find a house in the limited time we had. All four of us would leave itchy with little red bumps on our arms and legs, every time, but we always stopped because we were hungry and nothing else was open. To think of it, it’s funny because every time we went there someone was vacuuming the carpet, and so they knew about the problem it would seem.
Free breakfast on your birthday and a Joe the waiter keeps me coming back.

Red Robin Restaurant Review Update Part 2

 Red Robin Restaurant Review Update Part 2:

I wish that I could have LEAN slapped our waitress! People who are trained in LEAN thinking or work in a LEAN environment will know what I’m talking about.
So after our cut-ties with Red Robin forever experience, the Manager smoothed everything over and offered us payment in the form of a gift card if we would please come back. The Manager at the Vancouver Mall location was top notch and seems to be a good person, or at least great at customer service.
Kari and I went back (to a different location) and the service was about what one would expect. So we threw all caution to the wind and took the kids. This time we found ourselves in Beaverton, OR and it was a mistake.
The restaurant was hopping and incredibly busy, which excited me that we chose the right place. Our waitress was DUMB! She was blonde and took every blonde joke and stereotype to heart. It started as funny, then sad, and then her dumbness just pissed me off.
We ordered our burgers on ciabatta bread and gave her the rest of our requirements for our order. You know that look that people have when they have no idea what is going on or what’s being said? She had that deer in the headlights look. I had her repeat back the order, corrected her, and she repeated it back correctly. I told Kari that the waitress is going to mess this up, and she agreed. The waitress did not disappoint…the food was brought out with the wrong type of buns. We got the waitresses attention and I asked her what type of bread this was. She bent over at the waist, almost stuck her head in my plate, to get a close up of my burger (maybe she wasn’t wearing her glasses…I don’t know). She thought for a moment and replied, “That’s chee-y-a-baddaa”.
I told her that I found that interesting because I had never seen ciabatta look like that; usually the inside is full of holes, it has a firm and chewy texture, harder than the bread on my plate and it is square.
She looked at the round, densely layered bun that covered my burger, and replied, “Nope that’s chee-y-a-baddaa”.
“How do you know?”
“Because we don’t have buns that are brown without seeds other than chee-y-a-baddaa”.
The bread was gluten-free buns, and it was delicious; plus she didn’t charge the $1 upcharge for gluten-free because she thought it was chee-y-a-baddaa. Does this make her dumb? No! The fact that she could only do one thing at a time made her dumb. There were four of us at the table. Our waitress had to make four trips to bring us each a drink. In fact she could only remember one thing at a time, and it happened to be the last thing said to her. Luckily, it looked like she only had three tables to wait on. Ask for napkins, and then the table next to us would ask for something…great now we’re not getting napkins.
She brought us the bill and asked if we had a royalty card and I said yes. She took the bill that she had just brought us and left without giving it to me. She comes back a few minutes later and asked if I had time to find it. The Red Robin card was in my wallet, but she waited for me to pull it out. She set the bill (it was inside a black booklet type thing) down on the table and asked me to put my royalty card in it so that she can go check it out. I told her there were no points on my card because I had already used them. She said and I’m not joking, “Duh! I haven’t run your card yet!”
Again she could only do one thing at a time; meaning she was unable to take my Red Robin card and payment at the same time…in the same receipt booklet.
She was wearing a Red Robin shirt with a name tag. She made it through the interview process. She got the job. The conclusion must be drawn that she is the manager’s daughter (because we’re keeping it G rated) and was able to slide through. I have never met anyone like her in real life. I was too pissed off to be fascinated by the whole thing.
In conclusion, Red Robin still sucks and it is because of the wait staff. Actually it is managements fault for not correcting certain behavior. I don’t know if I’ll ever go back! 

Taco Salad

 

Taco Salad is a quick and filling lunch or dinner idea. Crushed up corn chips gives the salad a nice crunch and feeds that junk food craving.

 

 

SAY NO TO THE JAR!

Spaghetti tonight? With a little effort, you can make a homemade sauce in the same amount of time as it takes to boil the pasta.
SAY NO TO THE JAR!

Want an easy dinner idea? Meaty Country Pork Ribs and Roasted Yellow Potatoes

Gluten–Free Individual Lemon Cake

Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters Movie Review

 “Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters” was a terrible movie with nothing to grab the audience.
If you are a fan of the book series there will be enough in this movie to piss you off, but at the same time make you happy that certain things were cleared up movie wise.
There is nothing great about this movie. The elements of the story, if not the entire story, have been done numerous times. I love mythology and the concept should be solid, but the movie was a flop. What is with making the titan Cronus such a wimp that anyone who looks at him cross-eyed can beat him (not the 1^st movie this is done in either)? Does this mean that Zeus and the other gods are just as weak as the titans, but are unchallenged because of reputation alone?
The only two memorable parts of the movie are:
Mr. D, who was being punished by Zeus, poured some wine into a glass but it turned immediately into water, “You know the Christians have a guy who can do this but in the opposite direction”, while looking up towards the sky and speaking to Zeus, “Now that's a god”.
Actor Nathan Fillion, who plays Hermes, made a hilarious Firefly reference that nobody in the audience got (only true geeks found it quite funny), “Greatest television show ever…so of course…canceled”.
If you are not a fan of the books and of the 1^st movie, I recommend you wait to see it when it comes out on TV.
If you are a fan, then I recommend you at least wait to see it when it is released on DVD.
I give this movie two thumbs down.

Food My Food Would Eat – Ep 4

In Episode 4 of Chris Allred’s “Food My Food Would Eat” there are some great stories shared by Chris and Donna, as well as some delicious cooking.
Chris prepared a vegetarian enchilada stuffed with refried beans, caramelized onions and red peppers. A simple corn and tomato relish as a side, as Donna made a simple lighter version of an apple crisp.
http://youtu.be/DbljL3guQc8

Food My Food Would Eat – Ep 3

“Food My Food Would Eat” is now on Episode 3 and I don’t know if the cooking is getting any better, but Donna and I are getting comfortable as a team.
Check out Donna’s two different versions of the same cookie, and my vegetarian curry.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UslSN9f5b2M

Girl’s Night Out # 2

Last night Kari had the girls over for some fun times that lasted until after I went to sleep; let’s just say that if she would have invited Cinderella, there would have been some wardrobe and carriage retransformation changes happening before the fun ended.

So the kids and I hung out upstairs while the Kari and her guests munched on Almond Shortbread Cake, Orange Cream Truffles, Mexican Chocolate Fudge, Hazelnut Spread Chocolate Fudge, and other tasty treats that people brought over. Don’t worry it wasn’t all just sweets, there was also a nice large dish of Mushroom Risotto for everyone to tuck into. I almost feel sorry for the husbands.

 

My Birthday Treats

My son made me peanut butter smothered, gigantic chocolate smiley faced rice crispy treats. Kari once again knocked it out of the park with my go to birthday cake; straight up chocolate with white frosting and vanilla bean ice cream. YUMMY!!!

A Week In Food # 3

Last week we ate like royalty, and I am not even showcasing pictures of things we ate like buttery steak, beautiful turkey and bacon club sandwiches, and delicious sweets. I decided to share Butter Cake, which is the most ridiculously delicious thing ever (no wonder it can go for $15 for a single serving…not even joking on that one). First time wins like homemade corn dogs, ugly but tasty Pimento Cheese, and what has to be my new favorite burger of all time…the Pimento Cheeseburger (yikes it is deliciousness stacked on top of deliciousness). Fries have always been my favorite food, but a close contender and something that I have always wanted to make and finally did is Mushrooms on Toast; I can probably eat this every day for the rest of my life. I have been enjoying our family Sunday suppers, and this week was no joke as Kari nailed it with her “Kari’s Make-It-Better-Than-Chris’ Pot Roast”; slow cooked all day to perfection. I love food!