Answers to this weeks GTD/GTR

One day until weight gain gets underway. I am pumped but my belts are not!

So, where were those beautiful photos from? Answer: The new satsuma on Maple Street. Photo #1 was the cheesy scrambled eggs special which was steller. Photo #2 was the BLT that was also up to expectations. Satsuma did a great job with their renovation & with bringing the bywater vibe into uptown. I will be back & ValueNola approves of everything on Satsuma's menu, except for the fresh squeezed juices.

Idea of the week: Brussel Sprout Chips. I mean, why not? They make chips out of every other vegetable these days. Hipsters would love 'em!

Photo of the week:

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all - christmas music 24 hours / day is almost here!

Guess That Dish & Restaurant - COMBO PLAY

Thanksgiving week! One of the best no doubt.

Last night I celebrated my first FriendsGiving & I must say, it was totally awesome. I am always down for an excuse to eat turkey, stuffing, and pie. Simply put, my pants no longer fit - very sad.

In positive news, can you guess either of the dishes below or where they came from?

Any guesses?

In negative news, check out the butcher of a haircut Petco gave to Reubs yesterday - embarrassing.

Poor guy.

Finally, am I the only one that finds this video amusing?

I hope everyone has a great thanksgiving! Nothing is better value than being with your family and pigging out.

Have a blessed day!

ValueIdea - An addition to every dinner table

One week until turkey day & I must say, I am really hoping that someone in my family brings a truducken to the big feast!

Answers to last weeks GTR:

1. Cowbell - chicken salad
2. Naked Pizza - Create your own
3. Hurricane BBQ - Two meat plate

Congratulations Scott Kushner! You are now tied for top 3 in the ValueNola GTD/GTR history. You are a great man & a great fan of the wave.

This weeks idea is a way to spice up every dinner table in the world.

The question that inspired the idea: Why is salt & pepper the two seasonings featured on every table?

The idea: What if a dinner table had three shakers present for every meal?

Each house would feature a family/house spice. One house could be curry while another could feature tumeric.

The possibilities are endless & every meal would have a new found twist.

Just putting this idea out there - who is with me?

Guess That Restaurant - Saints Win!

What a game last night. Vick gets sacked 7 times. WHO DAT!

On this historic election day, I felt it was only fair to play a little GUESS THAT Restaurant...

And we're off ----

Clues for photo #1 - What a good looking salad from a place you wouldn't think would have the best salads. The new outdoor furniture / seating is phenomenal. So close to the Mighty Mississippi...

Clues for Photo #2 - obviously a pizza, but from where? Thin crust, low calorie, and actually...pretty good. This pizza is not cheap & I dont quite understand the $1.50 delivery charge.

Clues for photo #3 - Mediocre BBQ that had big expectations coming in. This Metairie lunch spot was hyped as being the answer to New Orleans long battle with good bbq & what a let down it was. BOOOOO! Oh and did I mention the value is not great?

Two out of three of these restaurants will prove to be a challenge for my readers, but give it a try!

Happy Tuesday - GO VOTE!

Boiling Peanuts AKA Hoppers

There is a first time for everything...

Boiling your own "hoppers" is super easy and quite fun! All you need is

-crockpot
-seasonings
-raw peanuts
-electricity
-liquid to cover the hoppers

Q. Where do you find raw peanuts?
A. Farmers Market

Q. What is a good amount for a normal size crockopot?
A. 2 pounds

Here are the ingredients we used:

We used Jockamo IPA for our broth. Other non-conventional additions included truffle salt and hot sauce.

Cooking time: I recommend cooking the peanuts in the crockpot on high for 24 hours. Let those nuts soak in the flavor.

As you can see, this is a really fun process in which you can "set it & forget it."

These hoppers are perfect for game-day snacking and will stay good for up to two weeks if you keep the nuts in the fridge.

Make Your Own Pizza - Gangnam Style

How about them Who Dats? Worst game ever. Depressing at best...

Invention (idea) of the day - What if there was a doggy water bed that could be filled with ice. This would cool down big & hairy dogs during the dog days of summer. Thoughts?

So, when was the last time you made your own pizza?

Pizza dough can be bought at many local pizzerias & even at the great Whole Foods. Cost is about $2.99 per pizza. Whole Foods uses a wheat pizza dough that gives off bitter taste that most people really enjoy. I suggest sprinkling sugar on the flatend pie dough and then brushing butter on top. Can you say fat?

Check out the second pizza we made last night -- shaped like a football...

Even the football shaped pizza couldn't help our beloved terrible Saints. Worst defense in the history of football. Pizza's are similar to waffles & pancakes --- the first round is never best. The second batch was much better than the first.

Cooking tips in the oven: 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

Can you spell delicious? I can't it without spell check.

Happy Monday! Go Hornets.

The Show Goes On...

Happy 28th Birthday Ashley Orr! You truly are a fantastic spice of life.

Congratulations as well to Austin Travis Lane who was this weeks lucky winner of GTD. The answers were:

1. Superior Seafood - Steak 'n Eggs
2. Superior Seafood - Couchon de Lait Po-boy
3. SoBou - Tuna Special

In an effort of keeping the fun guessing alive, can you guess where I had dinner last night?

Clues: This chain restaurant is relatively new to the NOLA dining scene. There were some items that were good value (vodka soda = $6.95 & redfish almondine $25) and there were others that made me scratch my head ( ie. 4 asparagus for $8 pretax and tip). Do you know how many happy meals I could buy for the same as the four asparagus? A LOT

So, where did I eat last night? Next week, I will be featuring a post on how to boil your own peanuts aka or as they call em in Alabama "hoppers." RTR