Food | Gumballs Plays Games

Good eats: The making of Bison Burgers

Posted on January 31, 2015 by GumballsPlaysGames

I had recently come across ground bison meat in the grocery store and decided it was something I wanted to try. I did a quick search for “bison burger recipe” and chose the top result (from Epicurious) as a starting point. The recipe (Bison Burgers with Cabernet Onions and Wisconsin Cheddar) seemed intriguing so that’s what I went with.

I should start out in saying that I suck at cooking. Completely. I’m very impatient and hate following directions, so things usually don’t turn out too well.

I deviated from the recipe a tiny bit, but in the end I think it turned out to be pretty tasty for a first effort.

I’m pretty sure I didn’t cook the onions right and I definitely used too much wine (Once Upon a Vine: The Big Bad Red Blend), but I think the rest ended up being quite good (for my poor culinary skill and “I’ll eat anything” tastes).

Yup, I served on paper plates 🙂

I enjoyed the process of cooking and hope to try out some more recipes someday. The one thing I will say is it turned out to be a little pricey ($44… 1LB of bison meat was $10 and the wine was about $12 so that’s the bulk of it).

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Trying a Starbucks Reserve Coffee

Posted on December 13, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

Usually my trips to Starbucks involve enjoying a latte, mocha or Frappuccino, but today I decided to try something a little different. After reading about the Starbucks Reserve store / tasting room opening in Seattle (it looks amazing) I figured I ought to try one of their Reserve roasts.

Reserve coffees are described as “the finest coffees” they offer and as “exquisite and rare.” They are made in a special brewer and from beans sourced from a single location. The drinks are priced in the same range as lattes and mochas (about $3-4).

I asked for the barista to recommend a dark coffee to try and ended up getting the Sumatra Lake Toba coffee. I’m no expert in describing taste, but I can say it’s strong and dark yet smooth and doesn’t taste burnt. I’ve had plenty of dark coffees that taste burned, so it’s nice that it can taste strong and yet still be smooth.

I’m interested in trying more Reserve coffees, so if you have any recommendations throw them my way in a comment. I may also have to purchase some beans at some point and get a coffee grinder.

The joy of Starbucks on a lovely Sunday morning

Posted on November 9, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

The Ravens are playing as I write this, but for once I’m taking a break from watching them struggle to survive the season. I’m still wearing my Flacco jersey, but rather than sitting at home screaming at the TV I’m savoring a Salted Caramel Mocha Frapuccino while sitting in a comfortable chair under a heat lamp on a cool early November morning.

I love the crisp blue of the Fall sky and the sound of cars passing by on the busy street. I’m enjoying the soft sounds of coffee house music floating down from the ceiling and mixing with the sound of everything around. And of course I love the coffee!

I think I love enjoying a coffee while lounging in the outdoor seating at Starbucks so much because I don’t have a porch to relax on. Sure there’s a stoop, and I’ve enjoyed my fair share of coffee sipping mornings on it, but I long for a place to sit outdoors and take everything in while reading the NYT. Someday I’ll have an outdoor space of my own, but until then I’ll continue to enjoy these mornings at Starbucks.

Mile High Bacon Thick Burger is not so thrilling

Posted on November 8, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

I’ll give Carl’s Jr. some credit, they have some pretty interesting ads. One of their latest features a woman trying to entice passengers on a plane to join the “mile high club”.

I usually don’t eat Carl’s Jr. however today I happened to be with a group of people who chose to have lunch at one, so I figured I’d give their latest attraction a taste.

I tend to prefer local burger joints over fast food in the first place (Boise’s West Side Drive In is my favorite), so I never expect much from a fast food burger anyway. The mile high bacon thickburger, however, was more disappointing than expected. The burger was small, sloppy looking and incredibly bland. There was nothing special about it, there was no taste to it. It was ugly, boring and quite gross in the long run.

If there’s anything to be said it’s that clever advertising continues to work, even if the product isn’t worthwhile. Against my better judgement I chose what I assumed was the ‘new big thing’ over the more sensible choice of a grilled chicken salad. Hopefully you’ll resist the advertising if you ever happen to have to eat Carl’s Jr., the burger is not worth trying.

A few of my favorite things: Starbucks FVL and the NYT

Posted on September 28, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

This afternoon I enjoyed a few of my favorite things on a Sunday in Korea. Enjoying coffee and the New York Times became a weekly tradition last spring, and I’ve managed to continue to enjoy the tradition through my travels in Hawaii and Korea this summer.

The setting sun glows in the hazy sky above the dorms.

Unfortunately the Fall favorite Pumpkin Spice Latte hasn’t arrived at the Osan Starbucks yet, but the French Vanilla Latte is just as tasty. I love reading the ‘paper’ (in digital form of course) while enjoying a wonderful Starbucks beverage, especially while sitting outside. I miss sitting out and watching the trees and the cars back home, but it’s been nice to enjoy a relaxing hour each Sunday as I’ve counted down the days until I return (soon!).

Enjoying the NYT and hotel coffee in Hawaii.

Coffee in one of my favorite mugs on the steps back in Boise.

Worth Reading: “The End of Food” (The New Yorker)

Posted on May 8, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

I read another interesting article in The New Yorker yesterday. “The End of Food” by Lizzie Widdicombe details the interesting story of how Soylent, what might be the food of the future, came to be. Soylent is something comparable to a protein shake, yet it contains seemingly all of the nutrients your body needs to survive. Technically you can ingest nothing but Soylent and survive. One of the main appeals of Soylent, described in the article, is that you no longer have to spend time preparing and eating food. You can sip on Soylent throughout the day and remain full and satisfied. Therefore you can continue working and staying on the go without ever having to stop and focus solely on eating.

It’s certainly an interesting idea. I haven’t tried Soylent, but I’d be interested in giving it a shot. You can get 7 bags of Soylent (which will provide around 21 meals) for $85, or $70 a month if you subscribe. There’s also the option to purchase in 14 and 28 bag quantities.

Soylent website

The website is pretty sleek looking, as is the packaging. I recommend reading the article in The New Yorker and then heading over to Soylent.me to check the product out.

Food

My morning fix

Image | Posted on February 25, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

East Coast things I miss

Posted on February 22, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

Next Friday I head back to my home state of Pennsylvania and I’m excited to be around some of the things I miss about the East Coast. I’ve been stationed at Mountain Home AFB, Idaho for nearly two years and although it’s been nice there are quite a few things I can’t get out here.

First there’s Sheetz, the one stop spot combines a gas station, convenience store, sandwich shop (MTO’s, or made-to-order sandwiches) and a coffee shop. I worked at a Sheetz in Red Lion, PA for nearly 6 years through college and up until I joined the Air Force. It was a great place to work, always bright, vibrant and alive even during the night shift. You had the chance to meet hundreds of interesting people a day in a fast paced environment. I also enjoyed the food. I’m excited to see what has changed since the last time I was home over a year ago. Things at Sheetz would change pretty often so there’s a good chance there will be quite a few new menu additions waiting for me when I stop in next Friday.

Next up is Yuengling lager, which is also native to Pennsylvania. It’s been my favorite beer ever since I turned 21 and I’ve never found anything that rivals it. I remember one of the first times I went out while I was at Keesler AFB, Mississippi and I tried to order a Yuengling only to be met with confusion by the waitress. It was a devastating revelation to realize I wouldn’t have access to my favorite beer in other parts of the country.

Panera Bread can be found all over the country, but for whatever reason there isn’t one in Idaho. Panera Bread is easily my favorite ”fast” restaurant and I’m quite excited to visit once or twice while I’m in the northeast.

I’m also excited to be able to visit D.C. and New York City with my girlfriend who has never been to the northeast. It should be a fun time! I just have to make it through four more days of work 🙂

Starbucks Verismo 580: Love it!

Posted on January 30, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

Today I picked up a Starbucks Verismo 580 for an unbeatable price. I saw the bundle pictured above at the Bx and couldn’t resist. The Verismo 580 sells for $149 through Starbucks (and on Amazon as well I believe) however the Bx had it for just $99 AND it included 6 boxes of Verismo coffee and espresso pods and a welcome pack with 10 additional pods (for a total of 82 pods!).

Boxes of Verismo pods sell for $12.95 each through Starbucks, so this bundle came with over $77 worth of pods all while being $50 cheaper than the machine alone elsewhere! I believe the bundle was leftover from the holidays, and I’m not sure how they lasted this long.

So far I’m really impressed with the machine. It has a water reservoir which is a really nice feature, allowing you to make quite a few drinks before it needs refilled. You feed the pods through the top and after your drink is done brewing you just flip the lever up to drop the used pods down into the used pod container. The machine looks wonderful and feels quite sturdy which is nice.

I haven’t tried brewing any coffee yet, but the espresso is done in a flash as you can see in the video below. I mixed in some chilled 1% milk and had a great tasting drink in under a minute! I’m looking forward to recreating my favorite Starbucks drink, the Vanilla Iced Coffee tomorrow after work.

NYTimes: ‘The Food May be Fast…’

Posted on January 28, 2014 by GumballsPlaysGames

I just finished reading the article “The Food May Be Fast, but These Customers Won’t Be Rushed” in the NYTimes and I wanted to share it with you.

The article is a discussion about how the dining rooms of fast food restaurants (McDonald’s is discussed mostly) are starting to look more like the insides of a Starbucks. In other words you see more and more customers ordering just a cup of coffee and taking up space at a table for extended periods of time. This is popular with the elderly (and sometimes homeless) especially at McDonalds. They’ll buy a small coffee and read the newspaper for 30 minutes or longer. McDonalds used to be a place where customers would buy food, eat and leave, but it’s starting to become a place where people do more than just eat.

This trend has annoyed some fast food employees and customers who have a more difficult time finding places to sit, but the article brings up a good point considering public space. The article quotes Don Mitchell, a Syracuse professor of urban geography:

“Whether they have been private property, public property or something in between,” he said, “taking up space is a way to claim a right to be, a right to be visible, to say, ‘We’re part of the city too.’ ”

The coffee drinking patrons could certainly do whatever task they’re doing at home, be it reading the newspaper, their mail or a book, but there’s a sense of participating in society that is gained doing these things in a public space. It’s the reason I love drinking a coffee at Starbucks or in a library; there’s stuff going on around you: conversations, people coming and going, etc. that makes life more interesting. It’s a welcome change of scenery for those who may not have a lot going on at home (some elderly for example). I don’t think this behavior needs to be discouraged. In fact we could use more of it.