Hiedies restaurant in Taneyville!

Taneyville Mo. - As the number of restaurants continued to shrink due to the virus, I found myself exploring new venues that were further afield.

A friend of mine opined that Hiedies located off Hwy 76 in Taneyville might be something for me to try. Their breakfast menu had one or two offerings that I found interesting;

At left, I noticed that they offered a 'Country Platter' that looked similar to an item offered by the now closed Long Horn Family Dining. With coffee, I was guessing that this meal-a-deal would come in at about ten dollars. That fit my budget and so I planned to stop there in the near future and to give them a try. I'll publish an update here when I do.

DanO's Place to open soon!

No, that's no ghost inside - it's our jukebox!

Can you believe this place - Sure it looks a bit rough on the outside, but just wait until you step inside. And please don't mind the corpse pictured at left. That customer died of natural causes, we are told!

DanO's Place will be featuring state of the art cuisine, (just as soon as we can find a working stove. For now, all our breakfast offerings are prepared on a Coleman propane camp stove right out back). Fred, our current chef, was recently hired right off the street, and while his cooking skills are still improving, the man seems very eager to please! And then there's Jan, our server, who while being a bit of a closet case, does have two working hands! We are expecting great things out of her.... very soon.

Our hours are currently from 7AM to 11AM Monday thru Friday. We are only serving breakfast, at this time, (as the local building inspector is generally out and about after 11AM). But, we hope to be expanding hours where we will offer the same stuff, just rearranged a bit.

And, will you just look at that menu at right! We've put a lot of time into its composition and in getting it printed up. Wow! We are proud to offer our diners THREE wonderful selections! Well, two actually, as item #3 does require a strong stomach!

Stop by and see us, soon!

NOTICE! In what could be a record - DanO's Place opened at 7:02 AM on a Monday only to be closed at 8:14 AM on the same day, when the building suffered a partial collapse. The single customer was last seen screaming and running down a side street, and apparently did not pay their bill. Also injured during the event was a server who lost one hand. DanO has promised that he will re-open at some point.

Thanksgiving is all about people!

A big heartfelt thank you goes out to my good neighbor, Carol, who went to the effort to bring this aging old gnome a 'Thanksgiving platter' that contained some of the best tasting food I'd had in quite some time! All I needed to do, after enjoying that repast, was to try and figure out the amount of exercising that would be needed to stay on my diet - ( a failing effort, but one that my heart was into).

As I ate this meal, I had cause to reflect that so many souls who make Earth Earth their home, had precious little to eat. Not just on a holiday like Thanksgiving, but on any given day. It made me happy to live in such a country of plenty, while also very sad that so many suffer elsewhere..... One of my dreams has always been that perhaps someday we may yet learn to live together, in peace.

God has bequeathed us all a beautiful world in which to live, to work and to love. God Bless America and God Bless the American people! And at the risk of being called a pareidoliac, I swore I could see
Pelosi's bloomers in those clouds....

Chinese-Mexican-Burrito restaurant!

OK, so the owner didn't have much imagination when it came to naming this venue, but at least it's descriptive....

Were it not for a friend of mine, by the name of Daniel Danielson, I don't think I ever would have ventured into this venue located at 15709 US-160 in Forsyth, Missouri. Frankly, I've never been a big fan of Chinese styled food, but I do admit to enjoying some Mexican cuisine from time to time. So, it was, I stopped there to meet and dine with a friend named Dan, on what had been a spectacular month of October, where we enjoyed balmy weather for much of the month!

The full name of this eatery is Chinese-Mexican-Burrito. And, as you can see from the photograph, they like to have a lot of foliage displayed in the front. I guess if I were a dog, I'd enjoy that feature a lot. I'm still not sure, however, what happens to all these plants come wintertime??

In general, the reviews I've read on Google have been positive. So that was encouraging. One thing I was also sure of is that the seating area is limited (~20) and it pays to get there well ahead of the lunch hour rush if you want a good table and desire prompt service.

As it was, I arrived on a Wednesday at about 11 AM and already there were a few patrons there for an early lunch. The weather was cloudy but nice at about 80 degrees. My partner was already there and had ordered some thing that looked rather repulsive. As an ex Navy Seal, he'd spent some time in Asia and likes that sort of food. Me, I wanted them thar Tacos! 

So, what did I think of the place. Well, it was clean and the service was excellent. My tacos were simple, but good if just a bit pricey. Still, not a bad venue to check out!

No buns for your burger? No problem!

On a few occasions in the past, I've wanted a good old juicy burger, but found myself lacking and any buns. Not to be denied, I through a quarter pound burger on a toasted slice of Italian bread and went from there!

From a nutritional standpoint, this creation was low sodium, low cholesterol and came in at about 500 calories! Sure the fat content was up there, but nobody's perfect!

On eggs and fajitas!

Farm fresh eggs!

Experts will tell you that there is absolutely no difference between white and brown eggs other than the color of their shells. They are simply produced by two differently colored hens! However, they will also tell you that there are differences in the nutritional value depending on what the chickens were fed. I firmly believe that open range chickens from small home sized farms tend to not get fed any antibiotics, tend to be less stressed and most importantly - a dozen of their eggs can often be had for a lot less money! [I paid only $2.50 for eggs pictured above]!

Stir fry fajita?

I'm not really sure if this breakfast dish qualified as a fajita or not. I do know that it tasted pretty darn good for morning fare. I made this dish by cooking beef chunks, bell pepper and onions in a frying pan over medium high heat using just a bit of oil. I seasoned this creation with just a dash of Tabasco and taco sauce. Not too shabby!

A morning salad!

Over the years, my taste for salads has evolved quite a bit. I used to eat nothing but boring iceberg lettuce for a base, along with a smattering of vegetables and that like eating nothing nutritionally.

Now a days, I like to mix Romaine, spinach and Bib lettuce together sprinkled with some bell pepper, shredded cheese and sliced celery. On some days, (like this one), I'll splurge and add a small amount of sliced turkey. My dressing is an interesting mix of virgin olive oil, apple cider vinegar and Dijon mustard! This is a low calorie, low salt and very low cholesterol way to start any day!

Critique: Hunt's Manwich Sloppy Joe Sauce!

There's is no doubt that eating a good old Sloppy Joe is one of life's great pleasures. But, is Hunt's one of the best?

I recently bought a can of Hunt's Manwich Sloppy Joe sauce mix at a local store for $1.73 for a 15 ounce can. As in most commercial products, the artwork on the can was pretty awesome, and so I succumbed to an impulse purchase.

According to the direction, all you needed to do was to brown up a pound of hamburger, drain off the grease, stir in the can of Manwich sauce and heat. Then, just grab a hamburger bun, slather on the Sloppy Joe mix and go to town! Really? Sounded too good to be true, and had I not enjoyed this meal deal many times past, I would have been suspicious. Didn't need to worry, this whole meal comes together in a snap!

After heating the mix up, I added some to a couple of buns I'd defrosted in the microwave. (You see, in my world, one serving is actually two Sloppy Joe's). Amazingly, they disappeared in a Missouri second and the taste was simply awesome!

Nutrition: Remembering that this is a tri-combination meal; bun, Sloppy Joe mix and hamburger – it's hard to nail down the real caloric content. But, I'd say, from experience, that each serving will run in the 300 plus calorie range. [Truth bet told, these guys are really not very healthy to eat. They are best consumed on a strictly part time basis and should ideally be supplemented with some veggies or fruit on the side]. But, it you're like me – eating this kind of stuff is so sinful, (and therefore enjoyable), that one often thinks 'to hell with it all' and so goes for a second helping! Which I did!

As to the Hunt's rating – well doggone it all. This has got to be one of the best sauces around. I gave it an 8 on a scale of 10. So, please give it a try!

BBQ Chicken on a Weber Smokey Joe!

Late summer in southwest Missouri brings some of the best grilling weather of the year, in my opinion. Now living in a condo, on an 80 degree afternoon, I decided to break in my brand new Weber mini grill.

For not a lot of money, I was able to order a Weber Smokey Joe grill along with a functional table that locks the grill into place! This is my second such grill, the first lasted many years and produced many a memorable meal.

I had four large chicken drumsticks and after I got the coals hot, I divided them for indirect cooking. I then placed the chicken legs in the center of the grill, covered it with the domed lid and cooked them for about an hour. I did turn the legs a couple of times and also applied the KC Master sauce during the last fifteen minutes with a basting brush. The end result was some of the best chicken I've ever tasted!

A real beef stir fry!

Hey! It's what's for breakfast down here in SW MO! On this most bodacious Saturday (in late August, 2014 as the temps hit 100°F on a regular basis), I planned to fully enjoy what could soon be a vanishing taste sensation... a beef steak stir fry! (In the very near term, I figured that a good piece of meat would be beyond my meager financial status). To wit, I gathered to myself, about 2 ounces of cheap steak along with some home grown peppers, cherry tomatoes and onions. To this culinary soirée, I added just a touch of virgin olive oil to a small frying pan sitting over medium high heat. Everything was then sautéed for about four minutes! [While this meal was cooking, I also threw in a slice of bread to the toaster-roaster]. Towards the end of the cooking cycle, I also tossed in a dash of Oregano along with a couple of squirts of Worcestershire sauce, just to spice everything up! Wham bam, thank you ma'am, it was ready to go!