Hot Cocoa Pancakes - 8/30/2014

Hello, everyone.  This is 100th post for this blog. Today, I made Hot Cocoa Pancakes.

I took a small package of complete pancake mix, mixed in 2 teaspoons of Mexican Cocoa powder from the Savory Spice Shop,  a half teaspoon of Black Onyx Chocolate sugar and 2 cups of prepared hot cocoa.  One cup of the hot cocoa didn't give me the consistency that I was looking for.

I stirred the batter and fried up the pancakes.  This is a picture of the finished product. The cost of making 3 servings is: $1-$2

When I was frying the pancakes up, they smelled just like hot cocoa.  Maybe the next time I make them, I can top them with slightly melted marshmallows.  If I did that, women will think that I'm being naughty.

That's it for this post. Happy Labor Day to all that celebrate.  Until my next post, have a great day.

Strawberry Clam - 8/29/2014

Hello, everyone.  On Wednesday, August 27, I was at Seeds Community Cafe in Colorado Springs, CO. volunteering for a catering event.  I had some down time. I saw that there were grapes and strawberries that were not being utilized at the time.  So, I made a strawberry clam.  I sliced the top off of the strawberry. I then placed the strawberry cut side down.  I made a criss cross cut of the strawberry. I opened it up and placed a grape in it. The grape looked like a pearl inside a clam.  Hence the name, Strawberry Clam.  Here is a picture of it.

If I had put ice cream or chocolate instead of the grape, some ladies (including Kathie J from the "Everyday" Show on KDVR Fox 31 in Denver) would think I'm naughty.  If I had this at work, I would have to lock it up.  That's it for this post.  Until my next post, have a great day.

Parfait Your Day - 8/26/2014

Hello, everyone. Here is a quick and easy breakfast.  It's a yogurt, fruit and granola parfait.

I took a bowl and layered banana cream pie yogurt with blueberries and french vanilla granola. Here is the picture of it.

What a treat!  It's pretty good.  I hope that KDVR in Denver won't come to my house for breakfast. That's it for this post.  Until my next post, have a great day.

Jake's Wayback Burgers In Colorado Springs Is Gone - 8/25/2014

Hello, everyone. It is with sadness that I report that Jake's Wayback Burgers in Colorado Springs, CO has now closed.  I went by the store and the signs have been taken down.  Their website no longer lists any Colorado locations.

What was their downfall?  Is it that their burgers were too expensive?  Was it their bad location inside the Woodman Valley Shopping Center?  We may never know.  If I could recreate their food, I would.

That's it for this post.  Until my next post, have a great day.

Togo's Sandwiches Replaces ButterCup Froyo In COS - 8/22/2014

Hello, everyone.  I was walking in Downtown Colorado Springs, CO. yesterday and saw a sign saying Togo's Sandwiches coming soon at the old ButterCup Frozen Yogurt location on S. Tejon St.  Is frozen yogurt going out of style?

Rents for commercial properties are skyrocketing.  More expensive sandwiches are on their way.  How about this idea?  How about a community kitchen where you cook your own meal with select ingredients and have lunch at a lower cost?  Americans like their food cheap. If the food is cheap, then that says something about our choice of the quality of our food that we want.  What is the cost of quality?  Shop and eat local.  Local is good for you.

That's it for this post.  Until my next post, have a great day.

Mashed Banana Pancakes - 8/18/2014

Hello, everyone.  Today, while having breakfast, I saw the remainder of my bananas  (5) that I got last week at one of the food pantries was almost ready to toss into the trash.  I decided that I didn't want to waste the bananas.  So, I came up with a recipe for Mashed Banana Pancakes.  Here is what I had on hand.

5 bananas that were mashed in a bowl
3/4 of a cup to 1 cup of All Purpose Flour
1/4 to 1/2 cup of canola oil for frying
Spiced Vanilla Bean Sugar & Pumpkin Pie Spice
(Spices courtesy of Savory Spice Shop)

I placed the flour on the plate and mixed the spiced vanilla bean sugar and pumpkin pie spice into the flour.  Then, I placed the mashed bananas that I had in a bowl into the flour/sugar & spice mixture.  I heated a frying pan and placed some of the oil for frying up the pancakes.  I took two to three spoonfuls of the batter for each pancake and placed them into the frying pan.  It takes longer for these pancakes to cook because it is a thicker batter than your regular buttermilk pancakes.  It took me 4 to 5 minutes to cook on each side to get the doneness that I was looking for.

After cooking each pancake, I placed them on a paper towel lined plate to soak up the excess oil.  This is a picture of my finished product.

It is more mashed banana than flour.  You can substitute gluten free flour instead of the all purpose flour to make it a gluten free dish. This plate would serve about 3 to 4 people.  Accompany this with more fresh fruit, whipped cream and maple syrup (Not that corn syrup want to be pancake syrup).

That's it for this blog post.  Until my next post, have a great day.

Potato Sales Are Down - 8/13/2014

Hello, everyone.  I recently read in the Wall Street Journal that potato sales are down.  It's because of the fear of carbs and people are cooking less and less due to time constraints.  Is cooking not convenient anymore?  That issue could be a blog post on its own.

On a recent trip to my local King Soopers store, I saw a 5 lb. bag of potatoes on Manager's Special for 99 cents. "Manager's Special" is code for "Reduced price for quick sale before it goes bad or its our loss on profit".  I walked by French Fry Heaven in Colorado Springs, CO recently and saw they were selling their basic size of french fries for $3 plus tax. That's "Tourist Trapper" prices. Heck, I can buy (3) 2 lbs. of shoestring french fries at Dollar Tree for that same price without the tax.

Once your money is spent, it's gone and nary a return on investment. Stretch that bacon that you bring home.

That's it for this post. Set aside some food for those in need. Remember, need knows no season.  Until next blog post, have a great day.

Seeds Community Cafe Closed on Saturdays - 8/9/2014

Hello, everyone. I just wanted to let you all know that Seeds Community Cafe in Colorado Springs, CO. is now closed on Saturdays.  I'm sad to hear about this.  I hope that there can be more support so they can re-open on Saturdays in the future.

That's it for this post.  Until my next post, have a good day.

National Root Beer Float Day - 8/5/2014

Hello.  August 6, 2014 is National Root Beer Float Day. At A&W Restaurants from 2pm to close local time, you can get a small root beer float. Donations will be taken for the Wounded Warrior Project.  Your donations are appreciated.

Send me a picture of your root beer floats.  Send them to my Twitter account: @uniquelymike.

That's it for this post.  Until my next post, have a great day.

Skyline Chili In Colorado - 8/3/2014

Hello, everyone.  I was at King Soopers today in Colorado Springs, CO.  I finally found Skyline Chili on the store shelves.  It's $3.99 a can & 20 cents off with your King Soopers/City Market card.  Now, I don't have to mail order for it or fly to Cincinnati for it.

I can now have my 3-way for dinner and Coneys. Chili Cheese Fries will be on the menu very soon for my dinner.

That's it for this post.  Until my next post, have a great day.