Mad Macedonian

Dining Out With Mad 6: Boys Burgers of Santa Ana, Ca.

Over the years I have written of my dining out adventures and shared photos, from one end of SoCal to the other, and here in the Houston area.

 

In the Kitchen, and Dining Out (The Archive)

I just realized I've only written 1 dining review since moving to Houston! In Oct. 2012, for crying out loud!

I have discovered photos that show that I appear to have failed to follow through on February 2011 plans to do a write-up on a popular fast food joint on 17th, next to Santa Ana College, west of Bristol, in Santa Ana, Ca..

Boys Burgers

Family owned and operated since 1993 they are known for their 3 ft. burritos & their world famous 6 ft. burritos, as well as their burgers and fries, among other Mexican and American classics.

There may have been at least 8 of them, at one time, but now there are only 2, the other being in Long Beach.

Yes, there is an In & Out around the corner on Bristol....but the smart, discerning, person, with no time for long lines in the drive-thru and a hankering for more than just your typical burger, knew where to go, and go often.

I went often...for years, until I fled Ca. for Texas in 2012. So did a lot of cops, firefighters and paramedics, college students and teachers, and no doubt people who worked in stores in the nearby shopping center.

Living up the road, where Bristol ended, at the Orange Crush Freeways, made it easy.

Like a certain one-of-a-kind fast food joint, in Pomona, I've rapturized about on this blog, I miss the food dearly.

Election 2016: A Hot Dog and Squash Sort of Night

 

In November 2010 my original creative muse Mr. Nikita, when asked by the sassy kitten Elvira, gave the perfect explanation for what voting is all about.

With everyone in the mainstream media expecting the Republican hot dog to get squashed at the polls, my choice of what to eat while watching the election results come in was a no brainer.

 

COOKING LIKE MAD 8: A MacVeggie Experiment - The Sequel

  Has it been since last November that I last shared one of my adventures in the kitchen?

COOKING LIKE MAD 7: Kiril's Scrambled Egg Sandwich Special

From deep within the bowels of  The Mad Macedonian Broadcasting Network Compound and Think Tank, in Houston, TX., Chef Kiril says welcome to the latest Edition of Cooking Like Mad (That's as in me, the Mad Macedonian!)!

I've had a lot on my mind the past week or so, from a cancelled and rescheduled annual medical test (set for next month) to the realization that not only will my next paycheck, this week, be a little short of what's needed to pay the rent, rent insurance and electric bill by the 3rd, but I need to dig into that check , despite this, for personal needs, from TP & PT and cologne, to laundry money and dish liquid, some handkerchiefs and T-shirts  and some bus fare to get to and from the Food Bank on my monthly trip.

So, this morning I started the day by taking my mind off things one of the best ways I know how and have not done much of lately, it seems, despite the posts of the past month on this blog and Opinionated Pussycat...being creative.

One of the best ways I have, in my creative box of tricks is cooking... another thing I need to do more of....

I decided to do a variation of a crockpot recipe I first created in December 2010...this time minus the crock pot and a change in ingredients.

With Help from Paycheck, Friend, and Family: Filling the Pantry

  In addition to my writing the past month and a half have been full of shopping for groceries with the help of work bonuses and donations from a friend and a sister.

In October my sister, in Victorville, sent me some $$ for grocery shopping and so I filled up my pantry, bought cat food and litter and bought myself a bunch of chicken legs to bake in the over for the first time in ages.

My sister also did something I hadn't planned on sharing here.

As longtime readers know we have Pay Pal links in the sidebars of this blog and the cats to accept donations that help with my and their upkeep.

This year has not been the easiest for me, but I've managed, with help, to keep us in food, kibble and litter and kept a roof over our heads.

 

For a Kind Caring Brother: A GoFundMe Fundraising Campaign (**See update at the end of post)

I was just letting things play out as this campaign was the idea of my sister, and I wanted to see where things would go...

She says some real nice things about me to make her case and for that I thank her.

It hasn't gone far in 48 days...but I am grateful to all those who have donated and spread the word, so far.

I believe 2016 will be a better year for me and that's partly why I spent November writing a series of posts about never giving up ( The 1st of 30 posts -- The World Is Yours...Never Give Up ).

I signed up, today, to remain in my current apartment, for the next year and a half, with only a $15 increase in rent.

Anyway, last month a friend sent a donation, I got extra pay for working Thanksgiving & Black Friday and another friend sent a very nice Care Package of food for my pantry (the cats were MOST impressed with the box, as you can imagine, hee, hee!)

As another perk for working those days I got a card that allowed me to get 15% added to my regular 10% employee discount on a whole shopping cart purchase.

 Since my Dec 3rd paycheck also included a nice quarterly bonus I paid my rent and used part of the bonus for bills and the rest for a trip to the  Walmart Superstore, near home, after work.

 I took my red shopping cart to work and, after work, took the bus to the other store.

I spent 90 minutes grocery shopping and bought $124 worth of pantry items for $94. Not bad for a 55 yr. old bachelor!

COOKING LIKE MAD 7: Kiril's Scrambled Egg Sandwich Special

From deep within the bowels of  The Mad Macedonian Broadcasting Network Compound and Think Tank, in Houston, TX., Chef Kiril says welcome to the latest Edition of Cooking Like Mad!

6 years ago, last week, I wrote the following in the intro to this ongoing series...

"By age 16 I learned to fix my own scrambled eggs, and sausage, or  bacon, for breakfast, my 1st successful efforts in the kitchen!

3 eggs, spiced with salt and pepper to my liking, 6 Farmer John Links, or bacon, made into 3 breakfast sandwiches on toast, to satisfy the hunger of a growing teen, and later young bachelor, well into his 30's.

I learned to cook my own hamburgers, and hot dogs, mac and cheese, hash browns, fried chicken, and steaks, and other meats in the pan, brew a pot of coffee, and some other simple things, long since forgotten in the years after the death of my Mother.

Of course I also became expert at putting together peanut butter sandwiches, tuna sandwiches, various lunch meat sandwiches and assorted other delicacies essential for a bachelors very survival."

COOKING LIKE MAD 6: Pizza To Test a Mother's Love

Hello, Chef Kiril here! 

In case ya missed the last recipe, from June, here it is:

COOKING LIKE MAD 5: Not Your Typical Texas Taco?

In an effort to get myself to cook and eat more at home, I took up a recent challenge by my friend Amanda Socci to fix a homemade pizza.

This morning I made a trip to HEB market for the ingredients to go along with the Pizza crusts she sent me all the way from Virginia!

That the crust is called Mama Mary's is another bit of synchronicity in my life...

The name of my mother was Mary Alice.

Pre-heat the oven at 450...

Spread a pizza sauce of your choice all over the crust.

Place 6 pieces of pepperoni on top.

Spread some mozzarella cheese over this.

(If you want, before the cheese, you can add a 2nd topping of your choice. I added a handful of bacon bits).

Lower the heat to 425 and put the crusts directly on the middle rack, or on a cookie sheet or pizza pan on the middle rack.

Bake for 8 to 12 minutes, or until you are satisfied it is ready.

 

Ol' Saggy Pants: Going To Pot, and a Bit of Synchronveggity

I can hear you from Houston...

"Oh, no, he DIDN'T!"

Oh, yes, I DID.

The photo that is...Hee, hee!

Weight check, this morning = 179.5 lbs.

Haven't seen the 170's since the late 1990's I think.

I weighed over 200 at New Year's, 194 at the end of March, 183-194 thru the end of June.

Having to spend less on food, eating less, though also trying to eat healthier, all while not educated enough to know how best to spend $105 a month in food stamps has me dressing in such a way that co-workers tell me I look like I am about to fall out of my clothes (especially the pants)!

A state of affairs that could lead to my not being allowed into any establishment with an "all men must keep their pants over their ass" sign on the door. :-D

I am going to have to either get a smaller belt to secure the pants, or figure out where to cut a new hole in the belts I have. Getting new clothes is currently out of the question.

Displaying my undies is not part of my "swag" or creative "expression".

 The "sag" is not something I want as part of my personal "fashion" statement.

Besides, with MY ankle, knees and hip I can't hop like I used to.

Fascinating article in todays Washington Times: For Some Sagging Pants Carry Greater Meaning

COOKING LIKE MAD 5: Not Your Typical Texas Taco?

Hello, Chef Kiril here! 

In case ya missed the last recipe, from November, here it  is:

COOKING LIKE MAD 4: A Mad Macedonian's Tasty Tortilla Chili Bowl

Unless it is in the most  veggie obsessed precincts of the great state of Texas it is not unreasonable to expect that a taco would consist of the shell, some sort of meat, cheese and lettuce, topped by sour cream, guacamole, taco sauce, or salsa (the hotter and spicier the better!)...but this is Houston, a town that is, I keep reading, the most diverse foodie paradise in Texas, if not the USA (award-winning chefs are routine and quality food trucks are freakin' everywhere!), so what do I know?

All Of The Most "Taco-Crazed" Cities In America Are In Texas  - Texas Monthly

Due to financial constraints I have not eaten out at anything other than the occasional Jack-in-theBox, or Whataburger, in months, so I've not explored much of what this city has to offer (the last, I think, were a couple of visits to Jones Halal on Fondren, near Bellaire Blvd.). My only dining review in Houston, so far, was of the original Cafe Pita+ (I HAVE eaten at 5 other establishments, but those were before August 2013).

With only $105 a month in SNAP (food stamps) to play with this bachelor is slowly learning to eat healthy on the cheap and that is where this latest recipe comes in.

In the middle of March I weighed 194 lbs., without my clothes on...This morning I came in at 183. My ideal weight, for my age and height is around 170, something I've not been anywhere near in 20 years.

Anyway, let's get cooking!

COOKING LIKE MAD 4: A Mad Macedonian's Tasty Tortilla Chili Bowl

 

Hey there, it's Chef Kiril with another one of my culinary adventures in the kitchen!

That's twice in one month! Amazing!

A while back I had bought one of those Perfect Tortilla sets that are "as seen on TV" and finally gave a pair of the pans (a set of 4) a workout.

As you can see I chose healthy....well, OK, I could have used the Turkey meat version of the Chili, instead, but I wanted to see if "mild" really meant mild.

 

COOKING LIKE MAD 3: A Mad Houstonian's 1st Attempt at Texas Chili

Hello, Chef Kiril here! 

In case ya missed the last recipe, from 2010, here it  is:

COOKING LIKE MAD 2: A MacVeggie Experiment

Before that there was this, in 2007, my most famous recipe to date!

Mad Macedonian's Crockpot Roast du Bachelor

Yes, it's been almost 3 years since I last subjected you, dear reader, to my culinary skills but, now that I am in Texas and Houston, one of the most dining and food pre-occupied cities in Texas, it is time that I join the fray.

This 2009 post was my attempt to explain my cooking bonafides.

Which brings me to yesterday's cooking effort: the best Texas Chili you never tasted!