Pork-upines in a Skillet - A super simple one pan recipe

Now here's a style of blog post I haven't written in a long time. This #FoodPornFriday I share something I cooked myself. It's something I'm calling Pork-upines in a Skillet.

Now I am not what anyone would call a cook in any way. I didn't just make this up off the top of my head. It's based on a recipe called Porcupines In A Skillet I found over at Thirty Handmade Days. One of the main things I changed was using Ground Pork instead of Ground Beef, thus the name change.

The great thing about this dish was how easy it was to make and how quickly it came together. Then there was the bonus of it tasting damn good. I got a lot of compliments on this one from the family. My only mistake was not making enough.

Stuff you need:

1lb Ground Pork
1.5 Cup Water
1 package of seasoning (I used Club House Superburger. The original just used onion soup mix).
A few pinches of other seasonings to kick it up a notch (I used Old El Paso Burrito)
1 cup of Jasmine Rice (not instant rice)
1 can of tomatoes (next time I would use 2)
A bunch of Shredded Cheese (I used Kirkland Tex-Mex from Costco)

So here's how you make it:

Brown about a pound of ground pork
Drain if needed (the thing with pork is you probably won't have to, I didn't)
Toss everything but cheese in with the browned pork.
Turn skillet down to low, cover and cook about 35 minutes until rice is cooked.
Serve and cover with shredded cheese to taste.

That's it. Seriously. The entire thing is: brown meat, toss everything else in there and simmer for half an hour. It couldn't be easier.

What I would change next time:

The biggest problem was that it wasn't enough food for five of us. Three adults and two kids. I'm thinking I may just double everything but I'm not sure my skillet is big enough for that. I will definitely add more tomatoes and some other veggies. I'm thinking green pepper and onion will go well. It didn't feel like it needed more meat but more rice wouldn't have hurt. 

If you try this recipe out please let me know how it turns out. If you try anything new with it I would love to hear about that too.

#FoodPornFriday Vittorio's Slice of Italy - fantastic Italian if you can find it

Today's #FoodPornFriday post is inspired by a few Facebook and Instagram comments I've gotten over the last few days. 

A few weeks ago my wife and I had plans to go see the new Avengers movie. We wanted to make sure we saw it in the theater and didn't wait for the DVD release. I had the thought that if we went the opening night of Star Wars: Solo then, obviously, Avengers would be empty as everyone would be seeing Solo. It was a good plan. What it was missing though was somewhere to eat before the show. 

Now, I don't remember what else was going on that day but I remember time was tight. We had some stuff to do and then needed to eat pretty quickly and hit the theater or we would miss the start of the show. At this point, Avenger's was only playing at Lakeshore Cinema so I was looking for somewhere to eat either in Tecumseh or on the way. After checking out Google and a few review sites I settled on someplace I've never heard of: Vittorio's Slice of Italy. 

Vittorio's Slice of Italy is a small(ish) family-owned Italian restaurant hidden in Forest Glade. It's hidden so well that it's in plain sight and despite that, I drove past it twice. See, it's in Forest Glad Plaza, and I can already hear you saying: but the only restaurant in that plaza is Parks & Rec. Well, I thought the same thing, and we are both wrong. Vittorio's is almost in the south-west corner. It's right next to a Deli and I have to say their sign somehow makes it look like they are part of the deli. Driving by I actually thought that the deli must sell a lot of Italian meats and bread or something. No, Vittorio's has nothing to do with the Deli (well maybe they get some ingredients there, that wouldn't surprise me). 

So now that you know how to find the place, what can you expect from Vittorio's Slice of Italy? It's not a big place, though bigger than it looks from outside in the plaza. The kitchen is in plain view and as soon as you walk in I can almost guarantee you will be greeted and treated like family by one of the staff. In this way Vitto's reminds me of Louis', they are extremely friendly and welcoming and you will feel right at home in no time. The only complaint I have about the place is that it can get loud. It's basically one room with no walls and depending on how many people are there it can be noisy. 

The big thing food wise at Vittorio's is gourmet pizza. They offer 34 different pre-made pizzas that include #23: Carbonara with mozzarella, eggs, bacon and parmesan, #32: Lenola with mozzarella, porcini mushrooms, and prosciutto, or #15: Jessica's with Tomato sauce, mozzarella, ham, pepperoni, and sausage. These are the pizza's my family has tried so far and every one has been fantastic. 

It's an interesting style of pizza. It's not Windsor Style Pizza. Nor is it wood oven flatbread pizza. It's something in between. The ingredients seem to be the same ones used on most Windsor Style Pizza and the crust is closer to Windsor Style but not as thick. The pies are cooked in a standard pizza oven, so they definitely aren't wood fired. I've heard these are closer to the Italian roots of pizza, but I can't answer to the validity of that.

Vittorio's isn't all pizza either. They also have a decent selection of traditional Italian meals. Gnocchi, Ravioli, Chicken Parm, etc. After our first trip, someone on social media suggested we try the Bruschetta appetizer and we did so on our next trip and that comment was bang on. The best, but also messiest, bruschetta I've had. Overall my wife and I were really impressed. So much so that the next Thursday I took my mom and the kids there. A couple weeks later the entire family went. At this point, I'm sure we will be back again. 

I did forget one thing. We found the prices to be excellent for the portion size. The pizzas range from $8.99 to $13.99 with items like veal parmesan being only $12.99. You don't see those prices at other local Italian restaurants. 

So trust me when I say, there's a damn fine Italian restaurant hidden in Forest Glade and it's well worth going on the hunt to find it.

Today's #FoodPornFriday features VIA Rail. Seriously.

I never thought I would be here writing about the amazing meal I had, on a train. In my head I expect train food to be pretty much the same as plane food which I expect to be pretty much the same as hospital food. It's food, it will get you buy, it's nice to have a meal. In no way do I expect good food. In no way did I expect to be sharing train food for #FoodPornFriday 

My wife has been trying to sell me to VIA Business Class for quite a few years now. Well, this year for her Birthday we went up to Toronto so she could hook up with a friend, attend ComicCon and we both could check out Breakout Con (an awesome tabletop gaming convention). Her condition for this trip was that we take the train, specifically VIA Business Class. I'm sold.

Business Class is better in pretty much every way. You load first. Seats are wider. There's more leg room. You could even end up in a private seat with no neighbor (Tip: ask for S class if traveling alone). Then there's the food and drink. 

On the way up to Toronto, we were offered coffee and some really amazing Montreal bagels.  Not Montreal style bagels, but actual bagles from Montreal. About an hour into the trip we were offered more coffee or some other beverage. These options included alcoholic drinks.  I opted for a can of Steam Whistle.  About another hour in, just past London we were served lunch. We got the choice of three different hot meals. There was pasta, fish and a meat. I got the meat which was almond encrusted chicken over rice and broccoli. It also included a cup of red or white wine (I went red), a fresh salad and a cookie. Before reaching Toronto we were offered chocolate and a small bag of snack crackers, and one more round of drinks. 

The ride home was similar but without the coffee and more options and frequency of drinks (adult or not, your choice). The meal I chose this time was Butter Chicken which also came with wine, an amazing potato salad with a piece of prosciutto on top, a hot bun and some kind of fresh raspberry dessert. It was even better than the chicken on the way up. The beer selection was even better on the trip home and I had three cans of La Chipie from Archibald Microbreweries. This was the best beer I had on the entire trip. Yes, the best beer I had over a weekend trip to Toronto was on the train ride home.

There's one other thing I think is worth mentioning. At Union Station, there is a special room you get access to if you travel Business Class. This room has free wi-fi, charging stations, drinks (juice, water, and pop) and healthy snacks (it was apples when we were there, but my wife noted it changes and has been bananas before). It's a big comfy lounge with TVs and lots of reading material in the form of papers from all over and magazines. 

I have to admit it, my wife was right. This is the best way to travel ever. Yes, it costs more than a normal VIA ticket but just look at what you get for that additional money. I'm certain that (especially with the beer) I ingested more value in food and drink than the additional ticket cost. All the extra legroom, shoulder space and comfy seats are just a bonus.

Overall I give VIA Business Class a big thumbs up!

#FoodPornFriday featuring Etta's Greeklish Eatery

Okay I know it can't be good for me. There's no way anything with this much meat and cheese is really good for anyone, but I don't care.

Today's #FoodPornFriday post features one of my favourite local breakfasts. This cholesterol killer is the Meatlovers Casserole from Etta's Greeklish Eatery. IT's a massive bowl of bacon, ham, sausage, fried egg and grilled potatoes covered in cheddar and mozzarella cheese. by massive, I mean even this big dude can't usually finish a bowl. There's probably enough food to feed a family of four here. I've never left Etta's without leftovers, and that's not a bad thing.

You can find Etta's at 5975 Wyandotte E in the heart of Riverside. I strongly recommend going for breakfast, though they are open all day and serve a great lunch and dinner. I'm just partial to their breakfast (and not just this casserole).

#FoodPornFriday - a Sunday tradition of comics and coffee

Our family has something we love to do every Sunday. It starts with stopping at Windsor's best comic shop: Rogues Gallery Comics. 

We have a pull box at Rogues. For the non-comic book fans, that's when you ask the store to set aside certain comics for you each week. They put them in your box, and when you show up they pull them for you. This is done to make sure you don't miss any issues. Myself I've been reading the new Marvel Star Wars comics. My wife is still huge into ElfQuest and the kids love the two current My Little Pony runs. 

Once we are done at Rogues we had downtown to The Coffee Exchange. For some drinks, sweets, and to read our new books.

I've loved the Coffee Exchange for years and have been going there since it was right across from The Palace Theater. It has moved twice since then and is now a bit further down Ouellette closer to the river. 

The coffee exchange has fantastic coffee, the best cappuccino in the city (according to my wife), great tasting and reasonably priced kids drinks (mine go for the kids hot chocolate every time) and some great snacks. 

So who out there has a pull box at the local comic shop? How about lazy Sunday traditions with the family?

#FoodPornFriday featuring breakfast poutine from TOAST

#FoodPornFriday is back. At least this week since I'm off work. I'm hoping to try to keep it up in 2017. I'm aiming for every week but will be happy with myself if I get something up at least once a month.

My wife has a new favourite breakfast place here in Windsor: TOAST. This year there was one thing my wife asked that we make sure to do during the holiday time off for work: go to TOAST for breakfast. She got some money from an Aunt and that's what she wanted to spend it on.

TOAST is located at 653 Erie St. East. Right across the street from Spago. They only serve breakfast and lunch and are open from 7am to 3pm every day of the week. 

What you see pictured above is the amazing Breakfast Poutine. Potatoes covered in beef gravy, scallions, chunks of bacon and cheese curds, topped with two eggs cooked to your liking (over medium for me). This was fantastic. I was a bit leery of beef gravy with eggs, it just didn't sound right but man it all went together really well. I hate to say it but this beats out the breakfast poutine at both Twisted Apron and The St. Joachim Diner. 

In addition to amazing breakfast TOAST has an amazing selection of coffee, espresso and lattes. Which is probably a given due to their location in Little Italy. My wife has said that their cappuccino is the best in the city. TOAST is still pretty new, they just opened in August 2016. If you haven't had a chance to check them out I strongly recommend heading in some time. 

Have you tried Gyro Pizza from Roma's? #FoodPornFriday

This Friday's #FoodPornFriday post isn't being shared for the awesome picture, I'm sharing it because I think more people need to know this exists:

This is Gyro Pizza from Roma's Pizza in LaSalle. It is one of the most amazing tasting things out there that I think everyone needs to try it at least once. Take a Windsor style pizza but swap up the sauce and toppings for gyro ingredients. Instead of tomato based sauce, they use Taziki. The cheese is your standard awesome Galati cheese. On top of that, they toss gyro meat, onion and tomato for a really unique pie. 

I used to work out on that end of town, out by the race track, and delivered gyro pizza from Roma's was a Saturday shift lunch favourite. Out of town guests, time to order some Roma's. Work has since re-located and I live in Riverside, but I'm still willing to take the long(ish) drive out to LaSalle just to get Roma's every couple of weeks.

You can try one of these unique pizza pies for $13 for a baby or go all out and throw a party with a King for $43. Roma's is located at 221 Front Road in LaSalle Ontario. They do dine in and delivery but, if you are in Windsor, they don't reach too far into the city. 

The Big Dude is back for #FoodPornFriday featuring Etta's Greeklish Eatery

The Big Dude is back! Just in time for #FoodPornFriday

For the past year (plus a few months) my day job went a bit nuts. I was working an insane number of hours and just didn't find time to update this blog (as well as my other gaming related one The Windsor Gaming Resource). Well things are finally starting to slow down and that means more time for the things I love. Like gaming and great food.

In celebration of my return on #FoodPornFriday I give you The Meat Lovers Casserole from Etta's Greeklish Eatery. Homefries covered with ham, bacon, prosciutto, sausage, 3 scrambled eggs and enough cheese to make this a very happy Big Dude.

Not the cheapest breakfast at $12.50 but so good, it's worth it. To be honest I think there's probably more than enough food here to split this between two people, which makes this a very reasonable meal for two.

You can find Etta's in Olde Riverside at 5975 Wyandotte St. E. 

#FoodPornFriday Breakfast Poutine from the St. Joachim Diner

My wife and I have been meaning to try the St. Joachim Diner for a couple years now. It was featured on You Gotta Eat Here and I've heard nothing but good things. The problem is that it's not really close to home. St. Joachim is about an hour drive for us. That's a long way to go just for food. 

What finally changed that is that I learned that there is an outdoor farmers market in Belle River on Sundays. The same day as the farmer's market at the Riverside Sportsman's club. Now if I start out from my house and head out to Tecumseh, I'm about half way to Belle River. Then if I continue on to Belle River, it's really not all that far to St. Joachim. Sounds like a good way to spend a Sunday morning eh?

Well that's exactly what we did last weekend and it was awesome. Got some great cheese, baked goods and vegetables at the farmers market and found out exactly why the St. Joachim Diner has the reputation it does. 

The place looks like it's right out of the 70s. The outside looks, well, lets just say I wouldn't stop there if it hadn't been strongly recommended. But man the food is good! The portions are huge. The menu has a great selection of items. They were great with the kids and have a great kids menu.

That huge picture up there is their version of Breakfast Poutine, which was only $9.50 for that huge plate of food. That is a plate of fresh cut home fries topped with bacon, ham, sausage, tomatoes, green onions, montreal style cheese curds, and a poached egg, all smothered in hollandaise.

The real shining piece of the dish was those fresh cut home fries. They were amazing. They reminded me of the Irish Nachos from The Kildare House (which they may or may not still serve, but I used to love). I strongly suggest whatever you order for breakfast you get something with those fries. The rest of it was amazing as well, but the fries made the dish.

My wife got the Fish Taco which really wasn't a taco, but rather a Naan wrap. She noted that it was amazing and one of the best things she's eaten. Ever. That after our great food filled trip to London last weekend.

We went for breakfast but will be heading back for dinner at some point. I really want to try the burgers that got them on You Gotta Eat Here. Especially The County Road Pizza, which is a Burger not a pizza. Here, just read this description: 7oz. burger with panko fried mozzarella, sauteed pepperoni, bacon and tomato sauce on a fresh baked bun, served with breaded mushrooms and creamy dill dip. 

Seriously if you haven't checked this place out yet and you are in Windsor Essex you need to fix that or you are doing yourself a disservice. I expect to be back many times. I expect that our 'farmer's market tour of essex county ending at the St. Joachim Diner' will become a regular Summer Sunday outing for us.

#FoodPornFriday is back with a Toad in the Hole from The Early Bird

It's back. #FoodPornFriday is back! No clue if I'll be able to keep this up with my current work schedule but I'm going to try.

This beauty is the most unique Toad in a Hole I've ever seen. It was what my wife ordered when we checked out The Early Bird in London Ontario last weekend. Normally a Toad in the Hole is just a piece of toast with a circle cut out of it and an egg fried in that hole. Not this one.

The Early Bird's Toad in a hold is a Fresh egg fried in a toast ring, thick sliced tomato, pan seared with garlic and herbs, organic pea tenders, baby arugula, chevre cheese and crisp avocado tempura.

Not really my kind of food but I had to admit it looked impressive. My wife said it was one of the best breakfast meals she's ever had.

A monstrous helping of breakfast from The Early Bird

Had some amazing food this weekend in London, Ontario. A big thanks goes out to all the people who gave me some great suggestions on places to eat with a family of four with young kids. This is the first of a few #FoodPorn pics I'll be sharing from the trip.

This was our Saturday morning breakfast from a great small place downtown called The Early Bird.

This monstrosity is the Pancake Stacker. A half stack order. Yes I said the "half stack"! I can't even imagine how much food would be in a full stack. This could have fed out entire family of four. It consists of pancakes stacked and layered with smoked bacon, peameal bacon, potato hash and topped with a fried egg. All smothered in maple syrup.

#FoodPornFriday - Shepherds Pie, Burger and Shake at Route 42

This weeks #FoodPornFriday post comes early as it's a long weekend for me. It's my Friday today. This shot was taken at Route 42 Diner. Here you see my Shepherds Pie and Chocolate Shake with my wife's Yellow Burger in the background. You can also see their love of putting potato chip crumbs on everything. Check out my full review.

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#FoodPornFriday Flautas from El Patron

This week I've got another appetizer from El Patron. This time it's their Flautas. I fell in love with Flautas at a local place called El Dorado that is sadly now closed. These are the best Flautas I've had since then.

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Join in my #FoodPornFriday celebration: toss up a post and pic on your site using the #FoodPornFriday hashtag and link it up with Linky below