How did I not know?

Monterey Bacon & Avocado Benedict
Spinach, bacon, green chiles, onions, avocado and two poached eggs served on our jalapeno corncake.
Topped with creamy hollandaise sauce and served with your choice of grits or ranch potatoes.
 I finally tried something new. The exact menu description is described above. I, of course, did not order grits or ranch potatoes because, gross. Just my opinion.
 And as much as I like eggs, I  had never had eggs benedict before. So I made the decision to not get just eggs benedict but to get it with avocado and bacon added in. Might as well go crazy with it, right?
Also I decided to get the hollandaise sauce on the side. Mostly to keep the corncake from getting soggy.  But  when I looked up the amount of calories in hollandaise sauce I was quite pleased with that choice. I had never had poached eggs before believe it or not. It really was like an adventure for me.
 So let me break this dish down for you. We basically have a corncake on the bottom. It didn't taste like a corncake. I thought it was breadier. I know, I made that up. But it reminded me of a piece of rye bread. Not the taste but the texture. But it was good either way.  Then avocado. I like avocado but it has a lot of calories as well. Also fat, but healthy fat so actually good for you. Then poached eggs. And then bacon bits. Bacon is also full of calories, in case you wondered. Even if you didn't, it does.
I only used a bit of the sauce. It is creamy and rich. If everything had been smothered in it, it would have been a little overwhelming. I was advised to do that. So I am passing that on. Good piece of advice.  
Well, without the bacon and the avocado I think it would just be regular eggs benedict pretty much. It was tasty,  it was savory, and I did enjoy it. But I know especially with the hollandaise sauce that the amount of calories in this dish Is outrageous. Definitely put that in the splurge department.
The plus side of this meal was discovering how enjoyable poached eggs are. How have I never discovered this before? It's like boiled eggs and fried eggs got together and created poached eggs. I enjoyed this new texture from one of my favorite foods. So yummy that I am now ordering my eggs poached with my meal. I suppose I will get them scrambled again when I want a change. But for now it's my go to order. Poached eggs and a waffle. And coffee.
I can be predictable at times. Food makes me happy. So it's okay to stick with what makes you happy. So it was a good meal. It was something new. Had lots of calories. And it included a new egg discovery. No complaints here.
The world can really challenge you sometimes. So grab those little bits of happiness when you can.
Again, just my opinion. Until next time.
Eat well.

Appetizer as a meal

Funny though it may seem. This seems more like a food review. But, it was worth talking about,  at least in my mind.
I went to one of those places where you can order several appetizers at a time to share with a couple of friends of mine. You know, one of those family style places with a bunch of tv's playing sports hanging up everywhere.  Bar and grill.
We got loaded baked potato wedges, and mozzarella cheese sticks, and some pretzel sticks. I had never had pretzel sticks or loaded baked potato wedges before so it was something new for me.  I have to say I actually enjoyed the meal. I really liked the pretzel sticks. They came with a cheesy dipping sauce. I think I could have eaten several of those. But I was trying to not go too far overboard. I was actually hoping the potato wedges were more like french fries. But it was just a wedge of a baked potato with some cheese on it. It would  have been better if it was softer. Just an opinion. And cheese sticks pretty much taste the same everywhere. But they were good too.
And then at the end of it all we ordered sliders. And since I don't eat red meat very often it was the perfect size being a tiny little hamburger type thing. it had a chipotle mayo sauce on it. It was good without being overwhelmingly hot.
I think what I really want to talk about is the atmosphere. I do tend to eat alone a lot. So that I was with friends and eating outside of what I normally eat it was enjoyable. I can't say that is something I would do often. But sometimes it's okay to let go of what you normally do and just enjoy yourself, enjoy your company,  and don't worry about the calories. I have a lot of things I worry about in life. So sometimes letting that particular thing go is a giant relief. Maybe people, in general, put too much pressure on themselves. We are human, and nobody is perfect.
It wasn't exactly exciting. But it was good and a change of pace. Altogether, it was a really nice trip out. Not something I'll do often. But I recommend just letting go every now and then. I am planning on trying something new again soon. Trying to broaden my horizons, so to speak. I will report back about that as soon as I can.
So, until next time.
Eat well.

Pizza

Let's have a discussion about Pizza, shall we?
Now I think you know how picky I am about what I eat. And of course, pizza is no exception. Although I know some people would actually come to  a down and out no hold barred fight when it comes to whatever is the best kind of pizza. I say, if you like it then eat it. We aren't always going to have the same taste.
Here is my idea of a perfect pizza. I like a super thin crust. Like eating off of a cracker practically. Topped with regular amounts of cheese and marinara. And then Canadian bacon, and extra black olives. Now, that is my perfect pizza. I like to think as far as pizza goes it's a pretty simple way to enjoy that carb filled delight.
That being said when I ordered pizza one night that isn't exactly what I ordered. What I ordered was a personal pizza. With Canadian bacon, or ham to be more accurate and extra black olives. Not too far off from what I like but I was trying to practice some control here. That tiny little pizza is worth about two slices of real pizza.
What was delivered to me, (and I'm sorry I did not take a picture). Was a medium thick crust pizza. What is this thing before me? I was thinking small and this thing is huge. At least they got the toppings right.
Well, I decided. There it is, I might as well eat it. So I ate my two slices of thick Canadian bacon and black olive pizza. And it was okay. But it wasn't what I expected. Fortunately I am able to be flexible. Sometimes.
And I put all of the leftover pizza in the freezer for the next time I get a hankering for that. Because sometimes I even impress myself. 
To be honest, the only reason I even ordered the pizza was because I wanted wings. Somewhere in my crazy little brain I seem to think it's wrong to order from a pizza place without ordering pizza. I wanted wings but ordered pizza just because it seems wrong not to. I can't even figure that out myself.
So I ate and I was satisfied. My hunger was anyway. But I can't say I was happy.  I guess my point is, food can be very enjoyable. And it is quite often for me. But it does have a purpose. Sometimes it's just there to give us nutrition and we eat it and we move on and that's just the way life is. Live life. Enjoy life. Not always the same thing. This was just one instance where things could have went a little bit better, or more enjoyable. Alas, there will be many more meals along the way.
Until next time.
Eat well.

New year, more food.

A strange thing happened to me.  I was out eating my breakfast, as usual. And I got full. What? How could I be full when my plate wasn't clean. Yes, I come from the "clean your plate" generation. And even now as a sane person and  all grown up, I still feel the need to always clean my plate. Why is it we can't move past that as adults? I know I don't have to eat it all. But my mind goes back to what I was taught. Eat it all or you wont get dessert.

When I'm at home I generally only put on my plate what I know is a portion and what I should be eating. But let's face it. When you go out to eat almost anywhere the portions are just outrageous. But as a compulsive eater, I still want to eat it all. But some how in this particular case, I managed to actually leave food on my plate. Sometimes I amaze myself.
But then I was also already planning what it was I wanted for dinner that night. 
I have to admit, I am not a huge fan of spicy hot food. Nor am I a fan of any food laying on a bed of rice. I mean I like the food I just don't like the bed of rice. At least usually. Of course being the unusual person that I am I do break my own rules. So after breakfast,  I went and got something I like to think of as a guilty pleasure. This is something I've been thinking about for a while but had been putting off. I have been thinking about sushi.
Now I know I could go out to eat and order sushi. There is a place right by where I live that makes wonderful sushi as well as the whole meal. That would mean sushi, soup, salad, fried rice, and whatever else I could pile on top of that.
So, you can see how the calories would add up with all of that. So, I have not gone to that place to eat recently. Almost too much pressure on myself just thinking about it. 
But, it occurred to me that there's a place, also right near to me where I could get just sushi. Strangely enough that is one of my exceptions to my rule of rice. I enjoy the texture of sticky rice. It doesn't have an overwhelming flavor. But I enjoy the texture. So I went and I got my sushi made freshly just for me. I ate it for dinner. And I liked it.
I also enjoy wasabi. Being that I don't normally like spicy or hot food that kind of break the rule to but, the flavor is just unusual enough that I endure it being hot just for that pleasure. I don't normally eat it in front of other people because it tends to make me make funny faces. It makes my nose run and my eyes water. And I kind of imagine smoke coming out of my nose like a cartoon person that ate something really hot.
Anyway. I do enjoy other things besides breakfast foods. I just don't usually eat things I refer to as unusual. But rules get broken sometimes. Food gets eaten, and enjoyed.  And it will happen again.
Until next time.
Eat well.