Friday, March 30, 2012

McDonalds: Not Lovin' It.




So I took my parents and my 4 year old on a fact finding mission today. I wanted to know if the muffins at McDonald's are, in fact, homemade (or at least taste that way), and if their muffin man resembles the muffin man on TV, euphoric about his career choice. My parents are all too willing to jump in the car if they know that there is a sausage egg and cheese biscuit at the end of the rainbow. At 75 and 76, they are always up for a road trip, especially when there is food and people watching involved!


It had been over 10 years since I had stepped foot in this particular McD's. In case you don't know, I do not eat fast food unless it's the only option at a rest stop. I just don't like it and don't feed it to my kids.

On my last visit, I had ordered a cheeseburger without onions for my husband. I took it home to go and when he opened it, there were onions inside. In true Becky style, I hopped in my car, and returned the "burger". I went up to the counter girl and explained the problem. She didn't understand me and had to get the manager. I eventually got what I wanted.

Cut to today. We arrived approx 10:23am and stood in line. There was one register open and a long line. This is one more reason why I do not eat here. There is nothing fast about your food McD!! By the time we were summoned to another register guess what time it was?


10:30am = The exact time that breakfast is no longer served. My dad had his eye on something with sausage but his hopes were quickly dashed and he was told the only breakfast item available was a burrito. No thanks. So he ordered the Angus Burger. (Luckily, I could still order my muffin and cheese danish for my research.) These items are served all day. But I was still so irked that we technically arrived on time and this "restaurant" is too cheap to hire more cashiers or they only keep one line open intentionally so that they don't have to cook (I mean microwave) more breakfast food.

I know that if I went to a local diner with the same circumstance, they would have accommodated a breakfast request, no questions. Moms and Pops are like that. McD's just doesn't care because they know they don't have to. There are a zillion people living off their crappy food and service. After voicing my complaint, along with another customer with the same gripe, we received no satisfaction. No "Let me get the manager". Nothing.

Whatever. The muffin was pretty good and the danish was more like a square croissant with a little bit of cheese filling. Would not order either one again.

And the muffin man? He was either trapped under a vat of flour or he was on Monster.com if he knows what's good for him.

Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Pineapple Stuffing

Need a side dish for your Easter dinner? If you are serving ham, please don't pass this recipe by! It is so easy, a 6 year old could make it! It bakes up like a bread pudding. My sister in-law Nancy gave me this recipe and I have no idea where it originated from. Below is the doubled version of the recipe. If you cut it in half, simply use a 9" baking pan instead of a 13x9. If you are having a crowd, then use the recipe below. You will be happy to have the leftovers!
Simple ingredients, one bowl, one pan and an oven. Now get moving!
Ingredients
8 eggs
2 sticks butter
2 (20 oz each) cans unsweetened crushed pineapple, juice included
12 slices "Country Style" bread
1 cup sugar (or a little less if you prefer, I don't think you need the full cup)
Melt butter. Transfer it to a big bowl.
Add eggs and sugar, then pineapple with the juice. Mix together.
Break up the bread into pieces, no need to be perfect, just break them up randomly into a few inches a piece, crusts included.
Combine all of this together and then transfer to a 13x9 casserole/baking dish.
Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees, uncovered until topping is lightly golden brown.
I have never deviated from this recipe. If you do, please let me know how you made out and what you experimented with! There are some recipes that should not be messed with and I believe this is one of them. Enjoy and Happy Easter!