Howie's Diner

In the small town of Lawrenceburg, Indiana sits the little gem called Howie's Diner. When I first dined here, it was explained to me that it was a "truck stop diner" and if I didn't like it, we didn't have to stay. I love little diners and dives, but only if they are good. I have been to places that a rat wouldn't even eat from...

I was skeptical at first. Surely a diner at a gas station will be nothing to write home about, let alone be good enough to consume anything that came out of it. Being used to the typical "trucker" stereotype, I definitely had my doubts.

Its a cutesy, stereo typical diner. Pictures of Elvis and Marilyn Monroe on the walls, 1950's feel to it. The staff are friendly and, the boyfriend being a local, even talked to a cook whom he knows. The sweet tea is freshly brewed and some of the best I have ever had. I love Southern Sweet Tea, but not when it tastes like you are licking a sugar cube. This tea was sweet but still have a robust tea flavor.

There are certain rules I follow when going to eat at a diner when I don't know what the food is like. I normally get something that is familiar and hard to screw up. So, I got an open-faced roast beef sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. Let me tell you, this made me fall in love. The mashed potatoes were ever so slightly lumpy, giving it that homemade feel. The gravy was a slightly peppery beef gravy that I would eat on a flip flop. The roast beef....mmmm.

The place was also clean, which is a huge factor for me. Not like clean for a truck stop, but a nice restaurant clean (which is hard to find at a truck stop nowadays) I was in love at first bite. A 24 hour location in the truck stop area of a small town in Indiana is the best place to go to eat when I am visiting the boyfriend's family. I actually got a little sad this weekend when we did not stop for a bite. I just goes to show that you can't judge a book by its cover. Or even a diner by its gas station.

AdSense for Morons

So, because Google is run by complete incompetent mongrels, my AdSense account had been deleted. So those little annoying ads on my blog will no longer be there. This was a way of earning money through anyone who clicked on these ads (something I am allowed to share with you now because I was excommunicated from the program.) I was almost to my first payment when they banished me, unlawfully I might ad.

When I would go to work, I would pull up my blog on the computers for people to see. I would leave it up to gain more traffic to VIEW the blog. I wasn't expecting anyone to actually read it or even click on anything. But apparently people did. Great, I was going to get my first pay check from Google and have my time and effort into it justified. However, I was about $4-6 away from a payment this month when my account was suspended. I appealed the suspension but Google, being the money grubbing imbeciles they are, rejected my appeal and banned me for life. Anyone whose AdSense account has been disapproved is not allowed to make another account.

So, I will never be paid by Google for the amount of traffic I provided their paying customers. They get free advertising and I get banned for life. How is this fair? I am about to get paid and WAM my account is deemed to be in violation of illegal clicks. I didn't do anything I wasn't supposed to and I get penalized for.....doing nothing. I would imagine this is a regular practice, to keep bloggers from getting paid. It took me almost a year to build up enough funds for a paycheck and right before I would have received it, they pull this.

Now this is the dilemma I am in: do I continue on with a blog that no one reads, which is basically here for my own amusement, or do I just shut it down and forget about it? I now I am not going to get an answer back because no one reads this except me....and my mom. But really, maybe its not worth it :/

New Concept of Eating

If you knew me personally, you would know I am not a stick-like person. I have what society calls "curves". Attributed to a not-so-healthy diet, lack of consistent exercise, love of unhealthy food, and slow metabolism, I have struggled with weight all of my life. However, I heard some "diet" advise that kind of blew my mind.

Now I know people who live in the real world normally don't have time to make a big breakfast in the morning, let alone eat one. However, this concept is ideal. One lady I saw lost 100 lbs (or so she says) this way. Eat your biggest meal in the morning. Eat leftovers, or cook food for the next day to eat for breakfast. Then, instead of eating a large dinner, like most Americans are accustom to, eat small, like cereal or a sandwich. The change in eating habits will let your body function how it supposed to.

By eating the biggest meal of the day in the morning, it will give your body the time to burn it off throughout the day. Also you get the most energy in the morning and not dragging your heels because all you had was a sip of OJ and a bite of toast. Eating the biggest meal of the day at night lets the fats settle and when you go to sleep, they work on plumping you up. If you eat a small meal at night, your body has less to weight it down when you go to bed. It will burn the most food and calories when you are most active in the day.

To me, this  just makes sense. Why load up with 2, 3, 6 courses of food right before you are going to be stationary for 6-9 hours? Especially if you are trying to lose some weight. If your energy is up, then you can do more and be more productive. Your brain will be working properly instead of having day dreams of your pillow.










(Disclaimer: MiniChef and ViewtothePoint is not, in any way, trained, medically or otherwise, to advise people on their health. This is simply an opinionated article of the creator. Do not start a diet regime or life style without first consulting with your doctor. MiniChef also does not condone intentional eating disorders of any kind. If you think or know you have an eating disorder, MiniChef urges you to contact your doctor.)

Excerpt from the "Book"

I decided to put up a few excerpts here and there from the book I am working up. This is part of what I wrote today. I am also working in some recipes here and there so I guess its kinda like a cook book as well. Would still like some input and contributions would be appreciated as well.

“Seniority”

This is just a fancy way of saying “you were hired last so F$@% YOU!”. No matter how many people are so much better, no matter how horrible those people are, no matter how many times they cuss out the chef, stop doing their work, screw everyone else and break every rule everyone else is held to, they are still held in a better regard. They are given the best hours. They are given the best days off. They don't have to stay for rushes, don't have to work the holidays, and they have no reason to do more work than they deem necessary. They think they can walk all over you just because you were hired after them. Even though you could cook better and faster brain dead and strapped to a chair, they are still pampered like the spoiled brats they are.  

Saint Patrick's Day

March 17th, Saint Patties Day. While some will be drinking and worshiping the porcelain throne, I will be making traditional Irish food and watching Boondocks Saints. Every St. Patty's day, I make Shepherds Pie. I know corned beef and cabbage is more traditional, but I don't like cabbage unless its in an egg roll. As for corned beef, I have only liked it made by one person.

This is one I have based my pie off of before:

http://www.food.com/recipe/traditional-irish-shepherds-pie-302120

Of course this one turns out too watery. I reduce the liquid by about 1/4-1/3 the amount they suggest. The wine is optional. It might turn out a little better if instead of the full glass of wine, just using beef stock, au jus, or french onion soup. It would make it a little different. Or, if you are still wanting to go for the St. Patty's theme, substituting the wine for Guinness.

Whenever I make this recipe, it always comes out tasting delicious. I also make my potatoes a little dry because they always seem to soak up too much moisture. Also, I make sure the dish is almost double the size of what I need. Boiling over has always been a problem with my pies.

Happy Saint Patty's Day!

Update

Wow! Its been quite a while since I last posted. I have decided to write a book. Its about chefs: what they like, dislike, can't stand, do, what bugs them, etc. Its going ok, but I need more points of view. Any input on this would be fantastic.

I am also trying to figure out the title. A few votes are for "Yes Chef". Any suggestions would be appreciated. 

Ronetti's, London Ohio

Tonight we went to Ronetti's for dinner. The hubby has never been there and has been wanting to try the place. It was kind of busy and the table we got had $5.00 in quarters left there by the previous customers, as well as a few cheerios and sticky spots. The floor around the table was sticky and covered in food. The only server there was a woman who was the manager at Wendy's when I worked there. She is lazy and has a bad attitude. She greeted the family that sat down before us but refused to come to our table. She disappeared while we were waiting for her to take our drink orders and looking through the menu. We sat there for about 15-20 minutes, giving her a chance because it was busy. By the time we walked out she was nowhere to be seen, the table and floor was still filthy and the money was still on the table. I later remarked that we should have taken the tip because she is so horrible.

I give this place a complete zero.

Rothwell's London, Ohio. Revisited.

As most would agree, repetition is important. However, in some cases, the first time is not necessary to endure. The hubby and I went to Rothwell's for Buck a Burger. He has been wanting to try it, and a burger for a dollar didn't seem half bad. On the menu, they were a quarter of a pound (4 oz). However, you have to pay for every condiment, except mayonnaise. It baffled my mind. So the "buck" would turn out more like $1.75 by the time the order was complete. The corn bread they serve for free is more than likely Jiffy. It was dry and too crumby. Its better than last time, being burnt.

The atmosphere was kind of bipolar. They have cloth table clothes and napkins, giving the fine dining affect. Though, there was butcher paper on the tables, and the food was served in diner baskets. I don't exactly understand where Mr. Rothwell is going with this concept. He even has an explanation on the table saying he is dedicated to food quality, being the highest as possible. Then why is half of the materials screaming diner and the other 4 star?

If there isn't a clear concept, there won't be too much hope for permanent success. I would love to consult for this restaurant, give a fresh perspective on how its viewed and what direction to go for it. The bar is closed off, secluded, like no one wants to be seen in there. About half the time I go by, its a wasteland. There is potential, if the owner will see it. 

Crunch of the Day is changing!

Due to time restraints and research timing, I have decided to change the Crunch of the Day to Crunch of the Week. This will allow me to concentrate more on the entire blog, not just one portion. Also, I can go more into detail in my posts. Keep checking the site, the Crunch doesn't set off email notifications. So if you have been waiting for me to post new ones, you probably have missed a lot. I will leave the ones I have up alone, no sense in changing those. I will just go weekly now. I am not sure which day I will post, it may vary, so make sure you keep checking back.

I am also thinking about doing a recipe portion in the blog. It would be great to share recipes my viewers have created or love to make. You can send me your recipes at hbetts12@gmail.com. Include your name (first only is fine) so I can credit you in my blog. I would love to see some exciting new things!

Sister Blog

View to the Point is proud to announce the collaboration with up and coming blog Owl Bee Hare. We will be working on posts, subjects to be determined. Both sites will keep you up to date with what is going on and for more information, leave comments below or visit owlbeehare.blogspot.com.

Owl Bee Hare is a fashion/DIY blog focusing on photography, fashion, art and helpful tips to improve ones life. It is a creative way to do ordinary, or even extraordinary things. Interesting facts will be shared daily and suggestions are always welcome. The author looks for every source to bring her audience closer to getting things done easy and usually for cheap. Stay tuned for the collaboration post, its will most certainly be an interesting piece.

White Westie Birthday Cake

As few know, my mother is practically obsessed with White Westies. She even goes as far to name the one on her desktop. If she could, she would have a White Westie farm. However, seeing as how her residence isn't equipped to support a bazillion little fluff ball pups, my sister and I did the next best thing: have a Westie-themed surprise birthday party for her. Now, this back story is to lead up to the main point of this post. Because every birthday would not be complete without a cake....I made her a chocolate cake with a White Westie on it. I used a template (provided by my sister) and spread 3 layers of white icing over it. I let it set for a few minutes and slowly removed the template. I found a neat little trick on youtube with fondant for square cakes. Take a paper towel that doesn't give off lent, like Viva or something, and add a little bit of water. Ring it out thoroughly until its just damp. Lay it on top of the cake and smooth it down with a fondant smoother or your hand. Do the sides, corners and edges for a clean-cut feel. It looks a lot better and helps remove any excess powdered sugar.  It turned out perfectly. The chocolate fondant tastes like a chewy tootsie roll, but I mainly use it for looks. I did a simple white border around the bottom and voila, White Westie cake! The cake itself is chocolate with a chocolate fudge frosting. Though it was a waste of white icing, it was well worth it to give my mother a cake I knew she would love. For questions about this or any other of my works, or for more information about my cake making, leave comments below.

Mojoe's Rhythm and Brews, McArthur Ohio

After 15 days of struggling with the interwebs company, I am finally back on line. I have been itching to tell people about Mojoe's Rhythm and Brews. It is a converted bar turn coffee house. The thought is an amazing opportunity and I know they can do more with the huge amount of space they have. Walking in, it does have a bit of a grunge-like coffee place. It still feels like a bar, but in a better way. The conversion suits the place and I really like the coffee. The hubs and I found this place by accident. We were just driving along and I just so happened to look over and read the sign out loud. We thought it might still be a bar, but I was wanting to take a chance to find out for sure. Although there is a small coffee cup on the sign, the owner even admitted to the confusion. As a suggestion, there needs to be bigger, more conspicuous material on the sign to tell people its a coffee bar.

Now to the coffee. I got an Irish Haze latte, which is Irish creme and hazelnut. The only thing I wished they could've had was soy milk, being lactose intolerant, but there isn't a high enough demand for it right now. The hubs ordered a white chocolate butter rum frappicino with a double shot of espresso. The butter rum was a little strong, but he loved it. The Irish haze was delicious. Usually the hazelnut tries to overpower the entire drink, but this paired nicely with the Irish cream.

The lady who was working the counter (whom I think was the owner) was really friendly and very helpful. We are the most indecisive people on the face of the planet and she patiently waited for us to decide what we wanted to try.

This is not only a coffee house, but it also has live music, karaoke and serves pizza and ice cream. They also just came out with a kids menu and fudge. It does seem like its going in the right direction and I am excited to return sometime to see how its going. The prices were better than other places, like Starbucks, and you can chill and relax. I recommend this place and give it 4 stars, it has a lot of potential.  

For more informtion about Mojoe's Rhythm and Brews, visit their facebook page. https://www.facebook.com/MojoesRhythmBrews

Easter Dessert

This Easter, I decided to do something a little special. We never really had dessert for this holiday except pie (which was like Thanksgiving and Christmas). So I decided to make dark chocolate cupcakes with Tootsie Roll bunnies. The process proved more daunting than anticipated, but I managed to pull it off, with a little help from my mom. I made twenty four cupcakes, and one little Tootsie Roll sheep. I used tooth picks and just a touch of water in order to assemble the little critters. Here are some pictures.  For my sister, because she doesn't like any kind of icing, I sifted powdered sugar on the tops, like snow bunnies. I was going to use the flavored Tootsie Rolls to make carrots and easter eggs, but working every day up to Easter, I did not have enough time. And you get to enjoy all the left over Tootsie Rolls! I purchased 2 packs for this project.

 

Scioto Valley Coffee Shop, Circleville Ohio

For years, I have driven past this place, wondering what was inside. Finally, today, I decided to venture in and take a gander. At first impression, its a quant coffee shop. Music in the back ground, ample space for serious studying (yes Circleville is a college town), and appropriate decor for a coffee shop. They have a variety of items on their menu, not just coffee. From the mere glance of their menu, they have some pretty delicious looking items including sandwiches, pastries, soups and more.

I, myself, got a chocolate muffin and a Scioto Valley Mocha (white chocolate, caramel and steamed (soy) milk). It was delicious, and surprising chocolatey (seeing as how white chocolate tastes NOTHING like real chocolate, to me anyway). The muffin was pretty large, but not worth the $2.75. I am not sure if it was homemade but I wouldn't have paid more than $2 for it. The coffee was delicious, slightly on the bitter side with vast over tones of flavor. If you love flavored coffee, this is the place for you. The prices are like Starbucks' but the quantities are smaller, so prepare. They are pricer than I would like, so I wouldn't make it an every day occurrence, but I do want to try more of their items. I am providing a link to their facebook page, so make sure to check it out and follow my blog.

Tootles.

http://www.facebook.com/sciotovalleycoffee 

Mini Cakes

 While searching for my next victi.... I mean new restaurant to experience, I have been doing some projects of my own. The most resent ones are mini cakes. The hubs and I made Key Lime and Orangescicle mini cakes and decorated them with my new icing tips I got for Valentines Day. I have been building up my piping skills in anticipation of the cakes I have been hired to do. I also experimented with two tone icing. I think I did pretty well...here are some pictures. 

In order to do this technique, I applied gel food coloring into the inside of the pastry bag. Then I put the icing in and piped as usual. For three tone icing, apply as the first but put the second color on the other side of the bag. 

 

The "V" word

Happy Valentine's Day to one and all. For some, this day is filled with presents and planned activities while gording on food and candy. For others, its a reminder of how the world, once again, hates them. But this day doesn't have to be about yelling at the television when the movie characters kiss. It can be about someTHING you love instead. Maybe you adore puppies but just can't afford one. Go down to a pet shop or dog shelter and play with the furry fuzz balls to your hearts content. Or maybe you love painting but just can't find the time. Take a few hours to create some happy little trees.

Valentine's day doesn't have to be about sappy human love, but about enjoying what makes you happy.   Even if you subscribe to the belief that it is just an over publicized day full of propaganda to sucker guys into buying hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandize to please the one person they are hoping to get into bed later that night. This day can be of contentment and fulfillment, that you finally get to do something you enjoy instead of sitting on the couch or computer chair wondering why you never do anything you ever want to do. 

However, for me this day was spent in 5'' heels and a tea length black dress, roaming about doing stuff the hubs and I love. We watched Warm Bodies (love) and had Chinese buffet for dinner. It was the best Valentines day I have had. He gave me a dozen purple duct tape roses which permeated the room with his Adidas cologne. It was adorable. I also got a ton of presents, all tools for my cake production. (Yes I do event cakes on the side).

Anyway, I hope this is helpful to some of you (even though it is a tidge bit late).

Mini Chef

Mini spiced cake with root beer poached pear, cream cheese icing and chopped orange zest

Ok boys and girls, this is the long awaited project I have been meaning to post about for a while. This is a semi-homemade spiced cake with root beer poached pear, cream cheese icing and chopped orange zest. 

I made the spiced mini cakes in a brownie pan the hubs got me for Christmas. They are about the same size as a cupcake, but square, of course. I got red pears, peeled them, cut them in half and poached them for about 15 minutes. (VERY low heat!) I sliced them as thin as I can. I used A&W root beer but I would rather have found an artisanal kind. Unfortunately I cannot get any unless I go into Columbus. For the cream cheese icing, I used a number 22 star tip ( though you can't quite see the detail from this photo). And for the orange zest, I just used a small pairing knife to cut small pieces of zest. It would be better to use a zester, especially for less experienced bakers. I drizzled a little of the poaching root beer just lightly over the cake to add a little moisture. 

As for the taste, it was delicious. I only like the Duncan Hines spiced cake, all others I have tried taste more artificial than anything else. It held moisture well and wasn't too delicate to wilt under the pears. I do suggest waiting for the cake and pears to cool down before assembling and piping on the icing. The icing just slid off in my impatience to try my little experiment. Another idea would be to add a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar, for a little flare.  

New Year

The New Year brings along all sorts of resolutions that, lets face it, last a few weeks at the most. Lose weight, eat better, get a better job, stop smoking....the list drags on and on of things people wish they could do. Its hard sticking to something that you really don't want to do.

So is there a secret to doing what you set out to do? Not really. Forcing yourself to keep up the work, not giving up, and making an active decision to keep going is the only way to muster enough motivation to make your dreams come true.

This year, I would like to get my blog off the ground. Since I have created it, there hasn't really been much traffic. I am on twitter and facebook; telling my friends about it, posting everywhere and forcing family to subscribe, but no one else really takes an interest. Maybe I am going to have to make it more interesting. Draw in a crowd, be controversial, or something.

Improvements are to come. Subscribe, follow my email, and keep checking the blog to see updates. Comments are always welcome.

End of the World...

Well its December 21, 2012 and so far, no zombies, meteors, random fires, black holes, etc. Just a swarm of frozen H2O flakes falling from the sky. After being attacked by future snowman particles I've settled in to the nice, warm in doors. Christmas is fast approaching and I am sure about half of you have put off all the shopping, hoping the Mayans were right. Now that you are still alive, a scramble like none other before is the order of the day. Just three more days until the children of this country are doused in more toys than they need, blood sugar is raised by the hundreds of chocolate consumed and at least one person gets that ugly sweater from the one family member who just doesn't get it.

The hubs and I are spending Christmas Eve and the beginning of the day with his parents and family, then back up to my family. We have a tradition where we are allowed to open one present Christmas eve night, as a sort of teaser gift. Watching every Christmas movie known to man kind and drinking gallons of hot chocolate is how the few days before the holiday is spent.

Now, what are your traditions? Do you even have a tree? How do you decorate it? What is Christmas dinner like? Do you have to deal with family members who don't know what privacy, volume or deodorant is? Share your holiday stories and traditions below.

Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and may Kwanzaa be a good time of year for you.

Old Fashioned Christmas, London Ohio

After trudging through miles of cold, I am now toasty warm, back inside. The Old Fashioned Christmas was not what I expected it to be. There was a hay/carriage ride, some carolers, and hot chocolate or popcorn for a price or donation. It was very sparse in comparison to the last one I attended. It did leave me disappointed and wishing there had been more activity.

There was delicious hot chocolate, cookies, coffee and Belgian waffles provided by the London Coffee Peddler, or at least Mike, for the Trails of Madison County (I don't know their real name). The hot chocolate had some sort of spice in it which I am thinking is cardamom. It made it pleasantly delicious. The Belgian waffles had a light citrus flavor and made me regret getting the cookie instead.

There wasn't much of anything to look at or participate in. If you wanted to stand around for 45 minutes you could jump in a vessel drawn by horses to the other side of Main Street. But who has that kind of time while freezing your toes off. I did receive a free roll of wrapping paper, which are covering many gifts at the moment. There was pictures with Santa, for $5 and the shops stayed open a little later than usual.

All in all, it was just like a consumer's commercial all night. "Come in here and buy something" is really what it should be named. The last time I attended, there was free hot chocolate and at least 6 groups of carolers, a walking Santa, candy, cookies and all sorts of things. Now its just like a Christmas advertisement.