In N Outs Secret Menu

If you aren’t from the West Coast and you have not been to Vegas, you are probably not familiar with the Classic Double-Double, Fries Animal Style, Ice Cream Shakes in those cute little palm tree cups and drive thru lines that wind through parking lots and out into traffic, so let me give you the low-down on this local gem for the next time you are in town!

Number One! You DO want to visit this place if you are in California for any reason and you enjoy an honest-to-goodness burger! (no tofu, chemical meat or pre-frozen stuff here!) everything they make is created from fresh ingredients and prepared in a glass side kitchen for you to watch. I love seeing them cut the fries, actually! :p

Number Two! Expect a wait… In N Out is extremely popular and whether you go inside or brave the drive thru, (some locations have two drive thru lines and there is still a huge line at both) you will wait a while. The upside is that the staff is always cheerful and professional and in order to accommodate the long lines, they have added “car hop” style order takers, who walk to your car, even if you are the 10th one in line and your tail end is blocking the intersection! As you can see, even Janice Dickinson cannot resist a burger (even if she doesn’t keep it down- ahem).

Number Three! The menu is simple and delicious, I might add… but there are unwritten options you might want to think about before you go, so you can order like a local.

Here are some options that you won’t find on the menu:

The Three-b-Meat Burger has Three patties and NO cheese. It is true that you can ask for as many patties as you want.. (please don’t tell me you go more than four, I don’t want to know!) Not sure why people wouldn’t want cheese… but there you are…

My favorite secret option is The “Animal Style” Burger is has a Mustard-cooked beef patty (whatever that means) more pickles and extra sauce/dressing with grilled onions piled on top. It is just something you have to experience to understand… (note, you can also get FRIES Animal Style!)

May not look that good, but it really tastes great!

The 2×4 Burger is just that, a “2×4? burger with two beef patties, four slices of cheese and anything else you want to add. I have heard that you can also order a “4×2? or a “3×3″ or many other sizes if you want to get creative! Perhaps if you are a lumberjack, the 2×4 makes perfect sense for you!

AND remember the Atkins Diet? Now the South Beach for more conservative dieters… well, for those BUNless burger eaters, they offer “The Flying Dutchman” which is basically just two beef patties and 2 slices of cheese.. the less serious version of this is called “Protein Style” and you can get any burger this way, it means they take off the BUNS and use Lettuce to wrap it up.. You can have all the toppings, onions, etc..

Some other options are a basic Grilled Cheese, pretty much the burger without the meat.. good option for kids and people who don’t eat ze meat! (Vegans, you can also get “Veggie Style” which will mean that you will have all the veggies with no cheese or meat in a bun, so when your Carnivore friends ask you to join them at In N Out.. know, you have choices!)

The SHAKES are amazing, but remember that you can combine any of the flavors, they have Chocolate, Strawberry and Vanilla… ask to have it “Swirled” or “Blended” from any or all of the three flavors. YUM!

An odd thing you can get is “Lemon-Up” or “Tea-Up” which is 7-up mixed with Tea or Lemonade, as you might have guessed. Refreshing in the summer and a change of pace from Coke or for those who cannot have too much Caffeine.

One thing that is important to remember about In N Out, is that they will make the food into anything you want. So once you learn the ingredients they have on site, you can ask them to concoct your special creation and they will do it, if you are specific enough.

Start out with the Classic Double-Double, Fries and a Shake before you get too adventurous though, being a purest never hurt anyone!

There are rumors of a 20×20 patty burger they make, but I have been afraid to google it because I actually might see one and the thought of it makes me dizzy. Too much of a good thing… ummm YEA!

A little known fact about In N Out is that on the rim of the bottom of every drink cup is a very small “John 3:16″ – check it out next time you visit a location… even in Vegas! 

Check out their website at http://www.innout.com/

IN AND OUT, IN AND OUT, THAT’S WHAT A HAM-BURGERS. ALL ABOUT!

Great! Now I have that jingle stuck in my head!

French Cream Puffs!

A good French bakery is a gift from God. But if you happen to not have one nearby or just want to be able to pull something fantastic from your own oven, fear not, the Cream Puff looks fancy but is quite simple to pull off!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of milk, I prefer whole

• 1/4 lb. or 1 stick of butter

• a pinch of kosher salt

• 1 cup of all purpose flour

• 4 extra large eggs

• 1 cup of heavy cream

• 1/4 cup of powdered sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees, do not fear heat!

On the stove top, heat the milk, butter and salt over a medium heat until the milk just begins to boil and the butter has completely melted. Stirring the cream mixture, dump the floor in all at once and stir with a wooden spoon until completely integrated. The mixture will have a beautiful yellow color and smell sweet and decadent without any sugar added. Cook for 2 more minutes stirring gently. Take the mixture and either with a hand mixer or a table mixer add the eggs one at a time until blended. On a baking sheet, place nice rounded dollops of mix well spaced. Wetting your fingers with a little water, create a swirl on the top of the dough. This will give it a lovely bakery made look. Bake for 20 minutes then turn off the oven and let the pastry sit in the oven for an additional 10 minutes. Let them cool to the touch and make a slit in the pastry to release steam and allow for filling. Blend with a hand mixer or an immersion blender the cream, powdered sugar, and vanilla until stiff peaks appear and the heavy milk cream has become whipped cream. Fill each pastry with a heaping teaspoon full of cream and serve! Everyone will love them and you will feel like a proud French pastry chef, oui!

The Purpose behind Re-purposing

By Julie Jean Erickson

Call it re-purposing or recycling, the two most popular reasons for re-purposing are;

To better our world. the less we waste or throw away the better for our earth.
Secondly, the less we throw away or waste, the less we will have to purchase again.
The better for our bank accounts.
Both are very good reasons to start considering “Re-Purposing”
A few more good reasons could be;

• Creative new way to save memorabilia & keepsakes.
• Get ride of clutter & gain some new creative pieces.
• Your kids just keep growing out of their clothes, too fast.
• You don’t have to be a seamstress or crafter to re-purpose.
• Something your kids will love too.

I know we all have keepsakes & memorabilia. We tend to save all those wonderful greeting cards loved ones send us through out the years, pictures, drawings, letters and more.
Im sure like myself, you may have stuff from when you or your kids were little.
Blankets, clothes, shoes, books or toys.

Here are some easy ways to get rid  of the clutter, share, display and Re-Purpose that stack of stuff.

Greeting Cards; make great gift tags, gift bag decor. picture frame add ins and fun scrapbook cut outs. Dont be afraid to do a little cutting, use a whole punch to create a fun gift tag from card covers or save the kind words written in the card to add along side a picture or in a scrapbook.

Drawings & Letters; Try framing larger keep sakes, like drawings, letters, or even small baby clothes (Iron/flatten clothing before framing & use Shadow boxes or decorative wall cubes for larger keepsakes.

Baby/Kids Clothes & more; Save a few very special baby items in a memory box, shadow box or frame. Sort through clothes your child has outgrown for any with fun appliques or embellishments, cut & save to re-purpose. You can use fabric glue, iron on adhesive or even sew the re-purposed embellishments onto many other things, for instance use them to fancy up your child’s plain clothes, such as t-shits,canvas shoes, hats or tote bags.
Baby blankets; make a wonderful throw or quilt to give your child when they are grown. Two baby blankets make a great  pillow & can be personalized with a name to create a memorable gift.

Re-purposing continued will talk about clearing out your clothes closet clutter and how to put it to good use AGAIN.

The Purpose behind Re-purposing, continued

• It doesn’t fit.
• Hate the cut but love the fabric.
• Its worn out but you just cant bare to part with it yet.
• You paid good money for it to take up closet space but you never wear it.

Fresh Easy Low Calorie Smoothie

This smoothie is super sweet and creamy. It tastes like a milk shake! I make these at least three times a week for breakfast since it’s been so hot this summer.

Fresh Easy Low Cal Smoothie

 What you need:

1 cup Dannon Light & Fit vanilla yogurt

1 cup frozen strawberries (any brand)

1 banana (if you wanna get even lower cal, you can leave this 90 cal baby out!)

1 cup Silk Pure Almond Milk – Unsweetened

 Toss all the stuff in a blender, hit the smoothie setting for less than a minute – keep it frothy and pour.

 IDEA: Add your favorite protein powder to get all healthy and stuff!

YUM! The frozen strawberries make the drink icy enough, but if you like it more FROSTY, toss in some ice cubes too!

Add some slices berries to taste