Bennigan's bankruptcy

I was shocked to hear that restaurant chains Bennigan's and Steak & Ale have filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy protection. This also means stores owned by its parent company will shut their doors.

The companies owned by privately held Metromedia Restaurant Group of Plano, Texas, filed for bankruptcy protection Tuesday in the Eastern District of Texas, less than two months after Metromedia said it was not preparing to do so. Metromedia Restaurant Group is a part of Metromedia Co., owned by billionaire John Kluge, that has interests in entertainment, radio stations and medical equipment. In a Chapter 7 filing, a company seeks to liquidate its assets and shut down.

Locations owned by franchisees were not part of the bankruptcy filing and will not be shut down, said Larry Briski, president of the Bennigan's Franchise Operator Association.

We went to a Bennigan's in Highland Park, IL less than a month ago to celebrate my son's birthday. It was their favorite restaurant. I'm only hoping it's one of those franchises that are not affected by the bankruptcy. Good luck to all those affected by this sad event.

So long for now...

Food Network Star revealed-a bit too early

Several alert visitors who were on the web site of the Food Network late Thursday evening noticed that the winner's picture for the Next Food Network Star had been posted. The page revealed that Aaron McCargo had won the show, and it included video from his upcoming show "Big Daddy's House." The site also included exit interviews from the two runners-up. The winner's show was also among the pull-down list of network shows available on each page of the site.The pages were removed after several hours, but not before screenshots of the info began popping up online. The Food Network issued a brief statement on Friday, acknowledging the mistaken posting:"FoodNetwork.com experienced technical difficulties last night. As our viewers have seen on The Next Food Network Star this season, many twists and turns have taken place during the show.

"While there has been a lot of chatter on various online food blogs as to why this happened, several webmasters at major media outlets I spoke with said that it can be a very easy mistake to make."Typically, a site as robust as foodnetwork.com would have a staging area. That's a section where you can assemble changes to the site in advance, without them being visible to the public," said one web site managing editor. "The advantage is that you can thing make a number of pre-arranged changes to the site with a click or two. But as you can see, the disadvantage is that someone can make a mistake, and post sensitive info in advance of when it should be public."

And I was upset that I missed Food Detectives which came on right after!

Oh well!

Cheers!

Gilroy Garlic Festival

I've read about a different kind of food activity or get together and this is the the Gilroy Garlic Festival held in Gilroy, CA this weekend-sorry for the short notice. All you garlic lovers will want to make their way to Gilroy this weekend, where the annual Garlic Festival is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The festival, which started in 1978 as a meeting of food writers was expected to draw more than 100,000 people this year. "Between the shrimp and the calamari, we go through almost four tons of fish. Festival President Ed Struzik said there was even garlic ice cream to sample, and its bark is worse than its bite. "You know, you get it up to your nose and the smell hits you, but then you taste it and it kind of hangs on for a little bit and it's okay," said Struzik.

For those of you in the Chicago area, specifically Lake County, there's there's happenings at the Lake County Fairgrounds in Grayslake, IL which is wrapping up this weekend. I personally plan to spend the day. Hopefully both today and tomorrow. Shucks, I missed the Demolition Derby! But I'll catch it next year! I swear! There's still the rodeo and the Tractor Pull, you know fun stuff!

Please dont forget the food!

Cheers!

Healthy onion rings...

As promised, I keep my eye out for good and lip-smackin' recipes (there's that phrase again) that I hope you will enjoy. I ran across this one in Google and I'll even begin with the link because the writer who gave it has a great website for young mothers. I'm just an old mom.

My thanks to Jill Notkin for the below recipe!

Cheers!

These delicious, baked, oniony treats are a dead ringer (c'mon, what did you expect?) for the fast food version. Ok, we lied -- they're much better! Instead of sucking down a greasy, oily, caloriefest of a side dish, chew a few of these crispy & crunchy circles of love (er, onions).

They couldn't be easier to prepare...or more delicious!

Ingredients:
1 large onion
1/4 cup original Egg Beaters** I used 2 regular egg whites
1/2 cup crushed Fiber One

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut edges off onion, and remove outer layer. Cut onion into 1/2 inch wide slices, and separate into rings. Next, fill a small bowl (just large enough for onion rings to fit in) with Egg Beaters. Using a blender or food processor, grind Fiber One cereal to a breadcrumb-like consistency. Pour crumbs onto a small dish. One by one, coat each ring in egg and then crumbs (give each ring a shake after the egg bath). Place on an oven-safe baking dish sprayed with nonstick spray. Cook for 20-25 minutes, flipping rings over about halfway through. Serves one!

Serving Size: 15 rings; one recipe
Calories: 153
Fat: 1g
Sodium: 225mg
Carbs: 41g
Fiber: 16 sugars: 7g
Protein: 9g

I pretty much did all this but I seasoned the crumbs with salt, paprika and onion powder. I baked until they were brown then broiled until the smoke alarm sounded (for real). They were crispy and definitely hit the spot.

Rib Cook Offs

I think I've opened a can of worms. I ran across the Reno Rib Cook appropriately named the Nugget Rib Cook off or something like that when I thought, "What about the rest of the country? I'd would like to go to a rib cook off but that's just too far!" So, I Googled Rib Cook Off, just like I do everything and the first think I came up with is Marc's Rib Cook Off & Festival in Cleveland. It looks like an absolute blast!

For lip-smackin' ribs, which I've only dreamt about and we'll have to wait until next year, there's Berea National Rib Cookoff in Berea, OH.

There's also Famous Dave's-Rib Fest Events which is Famous Dave homepage and will give you a list of few more cookoffs and their delicious menu.

I hope you find a cook off near you. If not, there are some great bar-b-que recipes you can make up right at home.

Thank you for reading my blog! Cheers!

Apple Holler

There are so many good family style restaurants to choose from, I thought I'd put my two cents in. The furthest away that I can think of off the top of my head is White Fence Farm in Lemont, IL. Their chicken is delicious and their salads just keep on coming! You do not go away hungry! Make sure to get enough corn fritters and take some home with you or it will be a wasted trip!

Lambs Farm-Located in Libertyville, IL on Route 176 just off I-94 (going east) Lambs Farm has a barn and working animals. They also have a restaurant which is open to the public and does a great business especially around the holidays and on Mother's Day.

I could go on forever on the wonderful restaurants in the state of Illinois-there are too many!! There's still the Bonner Heritage Farm in Lindenhurst, www.lcfpd.org/bonner_farm

Heritage Farm, LaFox http://www.garfieldfarm.org/,

Volkening Heritage Farm, http://www.parkfun.com/recreation/SpringValley/%20HeritageFarm.aspx

But where I live there is one place I have come to really like and that is Apple Holler. It is simple and just plain good. They have the best buffets I have ever run across in a long time and their caramel apples are worth the extra dollar you pay. They're big!

Now this is where you might go; But I can't drive that far! Remember I once said we drove to Kiltie practices? On our way to and from I kept watching this restaurant with all this stuff. All this stuff turned out to be shops and a zoo and hay rides and all that stuff behind the restaurant. So, if you ever head up to Racine and see what seems to be a big house on the West side of I-94 before any junctions-watch for signs. They'll tell you when to get off. Believe me, you'll enjoy it!

Cheers!

The Most Sugar Packed Food in America

Hey, I won't deny it, I borrowed the title from David Zinczenko along with Matt Goulding who wrote a very a profound article on the foods that are out there right now that are just full of sugars that we would never suspect. One of those would be Subways' Chicken Teriyaki sandwich which I adore. I have to start looking again. But then again Mr. Zinczendo did not anything about Arby's Marketfresh Chicken Salad Sandwiches or again back to Subway their Turkey Bacon Wrap which I am also prone to like a whole lot! But I suppose someone will come out and say something bad about those too.
I find the best thing is what I did at home last night. New recipe for all your loyal listeners, simple but oh so easy.
Reheat any leftover sweet & sour pork, ladle out approximately two spoonfuls onto a doubled tortilla-yes, I said a tortilla. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese over the pork generously. Fold over tortilla. Place on microwave safe dish and heat in microwave for 15 seconds.
Voila! I haven't named it yet, but it was delicious! I wonder if I should patent this?

Cheers!

Chicago vs New York Pizza

Thin Crust

Deep Dish

I have decided to tackle one of the all time biggest questions of all time. Which is better, Chicago-style pizza is a deep-dish pizza style developed in Chicago. The term also sometimes refers to "stuffed" pizza, another Chicago style. True Chicago-style pizza features a buttery crust, generous amounts of cheese and chunky tomato sauce. Chicago also has many pizzerias serving thin-crust pizzas, some of which are in a style unique to the Windy City, but as a term Chicago-style pizza generally refers to deep-dish styles.

The second preferred style and most prevalent is thin crust or New York style. A proper slice of New York-style pizza is characterized by having a puffy, bread-like, outer crust which quickly tapers down to a very thin, crisp middle. The crust is usually dark brown and somewhat charred in appearance. No pans are used in the cooking process, rather the pizza is assembled on a pizza peel and then placed directly on the oven deck to cook.

I personally have never had a true New York style pizza, having lived in the Chicago area my whole life. Have I missed anything? I don't know. I love deep-dish and I love thin crust. I would like to try the way it's made anyway.

Maybe I'll find a pizza recipe and add it to my website-healthy or not. Wait they do have healthy pizzas, don't they?

Visit me at bananastoyou.com

For players, kids, a FanFest of their own

Young fans Saturday took part in an infield play clinic led by Billy and Cal Ripken

NEW YORK -- As grandiose as the All-Star FanFest gets over the years, Shirley Burkovich appreciates that there is a constant.

The All-American Girls Professional Baseball League -- made more popular by the 1992 film, "A League of Their Own" -- continues to be included. Burkovich was one of three former AAGPL players who talked about their experiences at the Aquafina Diamond on Saturday morning at the Jacob K. Javits Center in Manhattan.
"This is my fifth FanFest," said Burkovich, who played for the Springfield Sallies in 1950 and the Rockford Peaches in 1952. "This all means so much to us, for us to be able to tell our stories."
The players spoke of the significance of the league, which was started after World War II caused many baseball players to be drafted into the military.
"We were just playing to be playing," Burkovich said. "We didn't realize what we were doing. In fact, I didn't realize what were doing until the movie. We were just playing ball."
Added Delores "Dolly" Brumfield, who played for the South Bend Blue Sox, Kenosha Comets and Fort Wayne Daisies from 1947 to 1953: "Opportunities for girls were very, very limited. Because of this league, we got the opportunity to play."
Burkovich said she enjoyed speaking to younger children, an age group who had plenty to do at FanFest.
The first event at the Aquafina Diamond was a clinic on infield play led by Baltimore's Hall of Fame shortstop Cal Ripken Jr. and brother Billy Ripken, who also played second base for the Orioles.
A Little League team from Lodi, N.J., participated in an hour's worth of drills, working on aspects such as backhand scoops and underhanded flips to second base.
"All these little things we just did are the building blocks of playing baseball," Billy Ripken said.
In the stands, 11-year-old Harrison Sokoloff, an Orioles fan who was wearing second baseman Brian Robertson's jersey, watched and learned as the brothers Ripken imparted some of the knowledge that made them such an effective double-play combination.
"It's unbelievable," Harrison said. "I've never dreamed of learning from a Hall of Famer who's one of the best shortstops ever."
After the clinic at the miniature diamond was Round 2 of the State Farm Mascot Home Run Derby. Tampa Bay's Raymond defeated Houston's Junction Jack, Baltimore's Orioles Bird and Cincinnati's Gapper.
Shaena Morales, 10, helped Raymond distract the other mascots during their at-bats, dancing and acting as goofy as possible.
"And then we got to take a victory lap around the bases," Morales said. "So fun."
Morales came with a local Boys & Girls Club group. It was the second day of FanFest for Cary Feliciano, a program director and one of the group's chaperones. She said she'd likely familiarize herself with all 450,000 square feet of the event soon.

To read the full article click here

For recipes and helpful things to do in today's lifestyle, visit my website at bananastoyou.com

Relay for Life

Last night I was fortunate enough to be a part of the American Cancer Society Relay for Life. What is that you might ask. A Relay For Life is the American Cancer Society’s signature activity. It offers everyone in a community an opportunity to participate in the fight against cancer. Teams of people camp out at a local high school, park, or fairground and take turns walking or running around a track or path. Each team is asked to have a representative on the track at all times during the event. Relays are an overnight event, up to 24 hours in length.
Teams of people from all walks of life have fun while raising much-needed funds to fight cancer and raise awareness of cancer prevention and treatment.

We walked all night around a high school football track and our tent and canopy was on the infield along with many others. It was packed from the visitor's one yard line to the home field goal post. I snapped a few pictures an awesome sunset and a tremendous dawn. That's how fortunate I was to take part in this relay.

It started out quite emotional and went uphill after that, well, except for the lighting of Luminaria bags with those who we remember.

The dancing at 2 & 3am in the morning is something else to behold. And I'm not even going into the frozen t-shirt contest!

To find more information on a Relay for Life in your area click here.

And don't forget to visit my website at bananastoyou.com

What Jesse said?

Very strange and I don’t know what context Jesse Jackson could’ve talked about castrating Barack Obama, but I have my theory, Jesse Jackson ran unsuccessfully for president, and now that Barack Obama has gotten further than Jesse Jackson ever did, he’s talking about wanting to cut his family jewels off? It has to be understood that a little (or a lot) of jealously rises up in all of us.

Glad Jesse Jackson went on and immediately apologized, but it is sad to see that one black man could use a cruel comment that brings back images of lynchings against another black man.

As mentioned above, I'm a little surprised seeing that Jesse had already made his run for the White House, you might think he might think he would have some support for any candidate running for that position.

Remember to research all candidates!

John McCain -Republican Party

Barack Obama - Democratic Party

Chuck Baldwin - Constitution Party/Independent

Cheers!

Wild horses endangered

Animal rights activists and ranchers are going at it over too many horses milling around about 10 Western states. Right now there about 33.000 wild mustangs and about half of those are in Nevada. The limit had been set at 27,000. Consequently the ranchers aren't too happy about this and are looking to euthanasia to control the overpopulation.

Federal officials said they're faced with tough choices because wild horses have overpopulated public lands in the West and they no longer can afford to care for the number of animals that have been rounded up.

Lacy Dalton, president and co-founder of the Let 'Em Run Foundation horse advocacy group, urged the agency to consider alternative solutions.
They include efforts to step up birth control and legislation to provide tax breaks to large landowners willing to let horses roam on their property, she said.

Please read the full article here

Dylan, the sea turtle

Dylan the sea turtle doing great

Posted: July 7, 2008 02:41 PM CDT
Updated: July 7, 2008 05:59 PM CDT

JEKYLL ISLAND, GA (WTOC) - One week ago, Dylan the sea turtle was released into the ocean after 10 years Dylan was released into the sea last week.in captivity.
She was apprehensive at first, but with a little encouragement from her keepers, she took to open waters.
So how is Dylan doing one week later? Her keepers say she's doing great! Dylan has traveled a total of 30 kilometers since last Monday and is now just off the coast of Cumberland Island.
Doctors at The Sea Turtle Center are monitoring her very closely and say it's normal for her to swim in shallow waters near the shoreline.

Reported by: Brooke Kelley - For more articles on this website click here

What does this have to do with a blog about recipes? I don't know except that I love to see things set free and I don't think I would care for turtle soup!

Speaking of recipes, visit my website at bananastoyou.com

Grillin' time!

This may be a little late in the season, but we've been coming home the past couple of days and all we smell are BBQ coals going. In fact, someone had theirs started at 10 am in the morning! Now what on earth could you cook up at 10 o'clock in the morning?

I'm not a grilling buff so there must be something that has to be on the grill for several hours to get just the right flavor. Don't ask me though. I did look up and I found some delicious looking recipes on the Food Network Channel which looked said were easy.

Please click here to follow those and see more grilling ideas.

Happy grillin'!

Cheers!

Check out my website at www.bananastoyou.com

Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

Takeru Kobayashi - Joe Chestnut

Okay, so today is Independence Day and there will be fireworks and parades around the country galore! I hope you take full advantage of one or both of these. I know several towns are having all day affairs and even weekly events-which will probably be my next blog.

But I have decided to go in a little different direction. The Hot Dog Eating contest held on Coney Island and sponsored by Nathan's is held every year around this time was won by Joe Chestnut. The past year's winner Takeru Kobayashi had tied previously with Mr. Chestnut but lost in a 5 dog overtime-or whatever you want to call it.

First prize was $10,000. Joe Chestnut said, "He wanted it, but I needed it."

It was the first time in memory that competitive eating had gone into overtime, according to Richard Shea, one of the founders of International Foundation of Competitive Eating.

Unfortunately, it's been reported that hot dogs are very unhealthy for you according to Dr. Marc Siegel, a professor at New York University School of Medicine.

"Hot dogs are extremely unhealthy, especially when eaten at high volume," he said. "They're really processed, they have high cholesterol and too much salt."
And thanks to the quantities the competitors ate, they'll likely suffer nausea, bloat, headache, and possibly high blood pressure for several days as the body slowly digests the food.
"One is bad for you, five's worse and 50 is terrible," he said.
Luckily for the svelte first and second-place winners, being in better shape helps in digesting the food.
And any gastrointestinal woes won't deter Kobayashi. He says he'll be back for a rematch next year. Before that, the two will face off again at the Krystal Square Off World Hamburger Eating Championship Sept. 28 in Chattanooga, Tenn.

Now hamburgers, that's another story altogether!

Please have a happy and safe Fourth of July!

Cheers!!

Visit my website for some yummy and nutritious recipes!

Red Yeast Rice!

ConsumerLab.com releases Red Yeast Rice Report

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Levels of cholesterol-lowering compounds vary widely in red yeast rice dietary supplements, according to a report released July 1 by ConsumerLab.com. According to the organization, it tested 10 red yeast rice supplements and found levels of the statin compounds varied by more than 100-fold; in addition, ConsumerLab.com’s tests showed four products contained a potentially toxic contaminant, citrinin.
Red yeast rice is made by fermenting rice with Monascus purpureus, a species of yeast; it naturally contains compounds known as monacolins, including lovastatin, which is the active compound also seen in some pharmaceutical cholesterol-lowering medications. Published studies have shown daily supplementation with red yeast rice may lower total cholesterol and triglycerides. Recently, a study out of China found people with a previous heart attack who took red yeast rice could reduce recurrent heart attack as well as reduce cholesterol levels.
ConsumerLab.com purchased 10 red yeast rice dietary supplements sold in the United States and tested them for levels of monacolins, citrinin and lead. None of the products were found to contain lead. Four products—from Solaray, Natural Balance, VegLife and Walgreens—were found to contain citrinin, a mycotoxin with possible nephrotoxicity. Those four products also were found to have the lowest levels of monacolins; levels between 3.1 mg and 10.6 mg of monacolins per pill were reported for products from 21st Century, Cholestene, Chole-sterin, Healthy America, Nature’s Plus and Schiff.

Many thanks and kudos to
Heather Granato, Group Editor, INSIDER, for this fantastic information 07/01/2008

Please Click here to follow editors note and to post your comments. Thank you!