Coralville Courier

SONIC's Carhop Classic Meal Deal is a Winner! - Bachelor on the Cheap

By Mike Thayer

Get a Quarter Pound Double Cheeseburger and medium tots, or a Classic Sonic Signature Slinger and medium tots, for just $2.99 at Sonic, I insist!

It's a winner of a deal, the price is right, it hits the spot and it's a perfectly satisfying lunch.

Sonic makes a darn good classic double cheeseburger, two beef patties, two slices of melty American cheese, topped with ketchup, mustard and nicely tart pickles.  The patties in the burger are the junior size, but the two patties still make for very nice portion of meat and the burger to bun ratio is perfect.  The tots were perfectly prepared, golden-brown, delicious bites of potato with that crispy outer edge giving you that crunch....  Mmmm.... 

There's nothing to complain about with this meal.  I pulled in to my neighborhood Sonic, made my order, it was delivered quickly with a smile, I paid just $3.21 and I got a hot, delicious meal.   Thank you Sonic!  This meal deal is DEFINITELY worth your while.  It's only $3 and you'll be full until supper time.

Sonic's Carhop Classic Meal Deal gets five out of five Bachelor on the Cheap stars.

via bacheloronthecheap.com

Forget pizza by the slice, get a Godfather's mini - Bachelor on the Cheap

By Mike Thayer

Pizza is NOT the best eating-on-the-go food, many times it's a wearing some on the shirt kind of thing when behind the wheel.  You've probably been there done that, driving down the road, grabbing that big slice of pizza out of the packaging for a bite, trying to do the New York fold with one hand while keeping your other hand on the wheel....  You maneuver that drooping slice towards the mouth and some toppings fall off onto the shirt....  Thank goodness you went with the big flower Hawaiian print today....

Sure, with pizza by the slice, there's a higher risk for food spillage, but sometimes a guy just doesn't feel like a burger, a burrito or a chicken sandwich.  If I'm in the pizza mood when traveling, Casey's isn't a bad choice, their pizza is OK, be it their breakfast pizza - which is actually quite good - or the more traditional pizza by the slice options like pepperoni or sausage.  Sbarro's is another pizza by the slice option, but their restaurants are not as prevalent as they once were and if you're not around a mall it's not a very convenient choice. 

But there's an alternative.

Find a Godfather's Express and get a mini.

Minis satisfy the pizza craving and the risk for spillage is greatly reduced.  With the mini, you get four very easy to manage, delicious pizza slices.   Consider it a personal pizza for the road.  I'm sure it wasn't drafted on the recipe drawing board with traveling in mind, but it sure works out nicely.  The mini is WAY better than a traditional pizza by the slice!

I got the All Meat Combo, that famous Godfather's pizza crust and sauce topped with pepperoni, ham, beef, sausage, Italian sausage, bacon bits and mozzarella cheese.  It was delicious, it totally satisfied my pizza hunger and perhaps the best part - no spillage - even with all those toppings!  And no, I wasn't wearing a Hawaiian print on this occasion, sorry to disappoint, but I could have worn white for this behind the wheel meal.

I paid less than $6 for the mini after tax.  The Godfather's Express All Meat Combo mini is Bachelor on the Cheap price friendly and Bachelor on the Cheap taste friendly, scoring five out of five stars!

 

via bacheloronthecheap.com

Baskin Robbins Fruit Blast Smoothies are truly refreshing - Bachelor on the Cheap

By Mike Thayer

You're parched, it's 90+ degrees out, you're dripping with sweat because you're on the road traveling and the air conditioning in the vehicle you're driving doesn't work.....   How do you quench that thirst and cool off?  With a Baskin Robbins Fruit Blast Smoothie of course!

This is a fantastic real fruit and yogurt puree and combined with the finely crushed ice makes it a truly refreshing and more than satisfying treat!  

They are a bit pricey, I paid $6.69 for a large, but it was WELL worth it - I couldn't put it down it was so good!  Yes, the very hot day and no A/C had a lot to do with it, I'm sure.

Baskin Robbins Fruit Blast Smoothies aren't exactly Bachelor on the Cheap friendly in price, but they are Bachelor on the Cheap friendly on the taste buds and scores 4 out of 5 stars.

via www.bacheloronthecheap.com

Food Review: Boston Market's Salisbury Steak with Mac & Cheese - Bachelor on the Cheap

By Mike Thayer

OK, so I was shopping at Walmart after work, I didn't feel like cooking upon returning home and I didn't want to stop at a fast food joint spending too much for too little either, so what was the plan?  Pick up a frozen dinner entree at Walmart...... 

What did I select?  A Boston Market Salisbury Steak with a side of Mac & Cheese.  Sounds good right?  Absolutely, good Salisbury Steak rocks and this is one of those meals that "Looks good" on the packaging.  So after perusing the entire frozen 'meal' isle, this is what tripped my trigger, this is what I chose for dinner, but how is it, really.......?

BORING!

I 'prepared' the meal in the oven according to the package instructions.  This has to be one of THE most under-seasoned meals I've eaten in quite some time.  With processed/packaged meals like this I'm always cautious about the sodium level, but this thing was SO BLAND!  It's like Boston Market ignored seasoning the food for fear of lawsuit.  The gravy for the steak was OK, the onions were tasty, but the gravy was under-seasoned.  It was missing much more than salt.  The meat was tender, but under-seasoned.  The Mac & Cheese, something I was really of looking forward to because I haven't had any in awhile.....  UNDER-SEASONED BIG TIME!  There was good coverage of the cheese sauce over the noodles, but it was BORING!  There was no bold cheese flavor, resulting in the biggest downer of the meal.  Did I mention everything was under-seasoned?

The portions were good, the meal includes two Salisbury Steak patties and a nice helping of Mac & Cheese, it's nearly a pound of food (14.5 ounces), but it's just so damn BORING!  The price was definitely right at just $2.08, but again, BORING!  I had to salt, pepper and red pepper flake the heck out of it to make it palatable.

The Boston Market Salisbury Steak w/Mac & Cheese gets just two out of five Bachelor on the Cheap stars.  This is NOT a repeat buy.

Spend Wisely My Friends.....

via www.bacheloronthecheap.com

Food Review: Stouffer's Lasagna is "eh" - Bachelor on the Cheap

By Mike Thayer

I love a good lasagna and I make a mean one.  There's a downside to that though, making a really good lasagna takes time and time isn't always available.  That's a reality I think everyone can relate to.

While I rather enjoy taking the time craft a great lasagna, seasoning the meat; marrying the garlic, onion, oregano and other spices; simmering the sauce over mellow heat for a couple hours;  shredding and blending a variety of cheeses; assembling everything and baking.....  Time can be a luxury.

Enter, Stouffer's

It's easy and convenient, comes in a Family size or a Party size if feeding more than four or people.  But it's a Plan B meal, a put it in the freezer for when you have unexpected company, and/or a grab it because you can't think of anything else to fix for dinner that night, or are just in a hectic schedule phase and don't have time to meal plan.

Stouffer's Lasagna, is "eh" when it comes to flavor.  It's not bad, but it's not "Wow this is really good," either.  The lasagna is put together well enough, a nice layering of noodles, a decent amount of cheese, the portion of meat is OK, but a great lasagna is all brought together with the sauce....  Stouffer's sauce, is just OK, on the bland side.  Hence, the "eh."

A Stouffer's Family size is available at Walmart for around $7, the Party size will cost you around $13.  For Plan B convenience, that's Bachelor on the Cheap price friendly - you'll have leftovers.  Overall, Stouffer's Lasagna gets three out of five Bachelor on the Cheap stars.

Spend Wisely My Friends.....

via www.bacheloronthecheap.com

Grilling Good Eats - Grilled Buffalo Chicken Tacos

By Mike Thayer

I love hot wings!  There's just something about the flavor of Buffalo sauce, it's a great marriage with chicken and coupled with a bit of Ranch or Blue Cheese, makes for a perfect bite.  It's another dose of YUM!

My thing is, I hate bones.  I'm not a eat meat on the bone guy, I know, that almost sounds sacrilegious.  No worries though, I understand and appreciate the value of flavor and the need to cook meat on the bone, but when it comes to eating, I'd rather go boneless.

So rather than give you a recipe for grilled hot wings, which would be great, don't get me wrong, here's my preference for getting some great hot wing flavor without the bones or near the mess.

Mike's Grilled Buffalo Chicken Tacos

Here's the marinade for two large boneless/skinless chicken breasts or four boneless/skinless chicken thighs:

Ingredients:

• Your chicken preference (I like thighs better for this, to me they have better flavor)
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon dried, minced onion
• 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon of seasoning salt or your favorite rub
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• At LEAST a 1/4 cup of Louisiana Hot Sauce (by all means, flavor to your liking!)
• The juice from one lime
• A splash of rice wine vinegar (the rice wine variety is 'softer' than regular vinegar)
• A splash of Worcestershire sauce
• 1/2 stick of unsalted butter (for later)

Directions:

In a medium size bowl, mix all the marinade ingredients.  Place your chicken breasts or thighs in a large Ziplock bag, then pour in the marinade.  Refrigerate for at least four hours.  Option:  You can rough chop the chicken, I prefer to marinade it in whole pieces, then shred after grilling.  Besides, if you cube or rough chop, then you'll have to put the pieces on sticks or in a basket.  When your grill is ready to receive, grill over indirect heat, about 10 - 12 minutes on each side, then move to direct heat (that means 'over the coals' for those of you who live in University Heights) to finish cooking, getting some char on the chicken.  This method is called 'Reverse Sear'.  Do NOT throw away the remaining marinade!  Warm it up in a small pan along with that 1/2 stick of butter and a couple more squeezes of lime juice if you've got it.  A few more splashes of Louisiana Hot Sauce may also be in order (go for it!).  After you pull the chicken from the grill and let it rest, shred or rough chop and reintroduce to the warmed marinade.   Stir a bit to get good coverage and serve on warm tortillas with a little shredded lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese and blue cheese or Ranch dressing.  It's another dose of YUM!

via www.grillinggoodeats.com

Serve up some grilled pineapple for dessert

By Mike Thayer

Drunken Pineapple

Fresh, grilled pineapple is a great way top off the evening meal.  It's appealing to the eyes with those great grill marks on the fruit and more importantly, it's appealing to the taste buds.  

Ingredients

• One fresh pineapple
• 6 - 8 ounces of your favorite whiskey
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Peel and slice the pineapple, then core the slices.  Place the slices into a large Ziplock bag.  In a medium size bowl, mix the whiskey, sugar and cinnamon.  Pour the marinade over the pineapple slices and refrigerate for about two hours.  Grill over direct heat, about 2 - 3 minutes per side, or until those great grill marks are achieved, flip just one time.  These pineapple slices are great served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.

via www.grillinggoodeats.com

 

Arby's Bourbon BBQ Brisket Sandwich is not worth the price - Bachelor on the Cheap

I'm a grill enthusiast, a BBQ lover, I've even gone to school to become a certified Competition BBQ Judge - yes, really, there is such a thing.  So when Arby's hyped up a Bourbon BBQ Brisket Sandwich, I had to jump on it.....

Here's the description from the restaurant website:  Barrel-aged Kentucky bourbon in the barbecue sauce, bacon that gets brown sugared each morning, and brisket that’s smoked for 13 hours. Throw in some natural cheddar and crispy onions and you’ve got yourself Arby’s most time-consuming sandwich.  Those ingredients again in bullet format:

via www.bacheloronthecheap.com

Arby's Bronco Berry Sauce & Popcorn - Bachelor on the Cheap

By Mike Thayer

Surprisingly Delightful: Looking for something a bit different to do with a batch of popcorn, I melted a couple tabs of butter with some Arby's Bronco Berry Sauce...... Tasty!

I really didn't expect it to be this good, tossing the butter/Bronco Berry sauce mixture with the freshly popped corn... and you get a sweet element with just a hint of kick, it's a repeat thing to do it's that good!

The sad thing is, I don't have anymore Bronco Berry Sauce on hand....  Go to Arby's I must.....  Although here's a cheat:

https://topsecretrecipes.com/arbys-bronco-berry-sauce-copycat-recipe.html

Spend Wisely My Friends.....

via www.bacheloronthecheap.com

Is it grilled, or BBQ’d?

Grilling Good Eats

by Mike Thayer

When you hear somebody say they’re going to fire up the BBQ and put some burgers on, chuckle.

Doing up some burgers is grilling, not BBQ. Grilling is hot fire, searing meats, quick cooking tasty morsels over direct heat like, you guessed it, burgers! Hot dogs, kabobs, pork chops, chicken breasts and steaks are all excellent fare for grilling.

Real BBQ isn’t about burgers or hot dogs, BBQ is about a method of cooking - low and slow - it’s about infusing smoky flavor into meats over a long period of time. Usually done in a smoker (not to be confused with a typical grill) or a pit, larger cuts of meat like beef brisket, pork shoulder, ribs, whole chickens or turkey are barbequed for hours at a time using indirect heat, they‘re not close to the fire. Sausages are great done BBQ style as well. I’m sure you’ve had what’s been called a BBQ burger, but it probably wasn’t prepared in a smoker or over a pit, BBQ style. Your burger was prepared on a grill or even a frying pan and BBQ sauce was slapped on it. Traditional BBQ preparation involves indirect heat, dry rubs, mops and yes, that most popular accompaniment for a variety of meats - BBQ sauce!

via www.grillinggoodeats.com