Meals I Did Not Cook

It’s been a few days, because, well… I haven’t been cooking much this past week! This past week I attempted to use up as many pantry/freezer/fridge items as possible, rather than go grocery shopping, which meant that the meals I cooked weren’t very bloggable. (Unless you’re really interested in seeing what a pan of Rice-A-Roni looks like? I’m guessing no, and I don’t blame you.)

In lieu of showing you the meals I cooked this week, it’d probably be more interesting to show you the meals I did NOT cook this week.

$1 Burger Night

On Tuesday, Five Cent Femme and I went to Bar Louie for $1 Burger Night. A few weeks ago I went, and my burger was horrendously overcooked, so I was honestly hesitant to return. Not to mention the consistently poor service I’ve received every single time I go to Bar Louie. But hey, it’s cheap food, so it’s hard to resist.

This time, I was far wiser when it came to ordering! Rather than get a $1 burger plus a few bucks’ worth of toppings (yes, they charge for every single topping except lettuce and ketchup!), I was far more conservative on the toppings. Also, instead of ordering a $1+ burger and $4 fries, I ordered TWO burgers! So much more economical! You can actually choose between any of these burgers for $1 each: beef, chicken, turkey, or portabella. I ordered a beef burger with cheddar ($1.50) and a chicken sandwich with mayo ($1.25) and slathered both of those suckers with ketchup – for a mere $2.75! That’s the only way to go. I am also very happy to report that my burger was a million times better this time – it was actually quite juicy and making a mess – which is a sign of a good burger. A beer on the side racks the bill up a few dollars, but still a pretty cheap, filling pair of sandwiches and beer for $8.75!

Unfortunately our service was pretty bad – our server just flat out disappeared for a solid 45 minutes so we were forced to leave our money on the table and peace out.

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Falafel

Later in the week, while the huz was at a work-related holiday event, I ordered a Falafel Combo from Ahmo’s for myself. Yum-o! I just LOVE their rice with lentils and caramelized onions (mujaddara).

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Sidetrack

On Friday, we made our weekly trip to Sidetrack where I continued my tradition of trying something new every week. This time, I tried the Chicken Margarita Fajita Salad. Margarita Fajita! It’s fun to say!

Having tried a few other kinds of Sidetrack’s salads, I expect this to be good, and of course, like everything at Sidetrack – it was! A huge bed of romaine was smothered in grilled bell peppers and sweet onions, thinly sliced strips of tender chicken breast, crunchy tortilla strips, guacamole AND avocado slices, and sour cream. Mmm! I ate this right up; it was just what I was craving. Nothing too heavy, but light, savory, and filling.

Have you heard that Sidetrack now has over 20 beers on draft!? (Twenty-four currently, I believe). Also, I noticed this week that they now have the option to order a 4-beer sampler of any four Michigan beers. Might have to try that out soon.

This week I tried a new one: Atwater’s Vanilla Java Porter. This beer was very dark and exceptionally smooth going down. It appeared thicker and heavier than it tasted. The flavor wasn’t as robust as one might expect with a porter. I was left with an aftertaste of mellow coffee, followed by a really smooth, lasting vanilla flavor. I’m a fan! This is a good sipping beer. Probably not my favorite porter, as I typically prefer a more robust, roasted flavor, but a nice beer.

For dessert we were gluttons and split a brownie sundae. As has been reiterated in this blog, I typically really do NOT like whipped cream. In fact, I typically really can’t stand the junk. But Sidetrack’s whipped cream is SO good. You may not believe it, but there was a nice big fudgy brownie beneath the whipped goodness and Guernsey ice cream.

Also, on a non-food related note, I wanted to let you know that this perfume is VILE. Do Not Try It. It stanks. I received a free sample with a recent Macy’s fragrance purchase and made the unfortunate decision to go spray-crazy with the stuff prior to dinner last night. #fail

I am off to redeem a LivingSocial deal and get a massage! My first EVER! I’m actually a little nervous?

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Currently listening to: ****** in Paris – Jay-Z & Kanye.

I’m such a badass white girl.