Wednesday 21 May 2014

"Elmer's" - What is Tortilla Soup?

The photo says it all. Mmm, mmm!
 Goodness, it's been too long since I did one of these! After a sad farewell to Montana and the fantastic people I met, the great southward journey began with a much needed stop at Elmer's Restaurant in Pocatello, Idaho. What a great place!
 Walt and Dorothy Elmer originally founded Elmer's in 1960 under the name Elmer's Colonial Pancake House as they originally started out just doing breakfasts. (Apparently Walt kept his secret pancake batter recipe in a safe!) However, due to the increasing popularity, a full menu was eventually printed boasting dishes such as Stuffed Tomatoes with Deviled Eggs, Chocolate and Coconut Waffles and Hawaiian Pineapple Pancakes.  Their goal was to provide top quality food with great service in a homely environment and I can testify that they are still doing just that! Just try their organic, shade-grown, French press coffee...
Trying tortilla soup...
Not a fantastic photo but cameras can't quite
capture flavours
 I ordered a country fried steak with a tortilla soup as a starter because that sounded quizzical and I like quizzical things. Tortilla soup is a Mexican dish usually comprised of things like slightly spicy, shredded chicken, simmered-to-sweet-perfection tomato, sauteed onions and peppers, soft and creamy beans and refreshing cilantro (otherwise known as coriander) topped with strips of lightly toasted tortilla, grated cheese and even a few slices of zingy lime. Sound amazing? Go and try it! 
 Right HERE is a recipe from Jamie Oliver's magazine and there is also a variant of this recipe in his awesome book, 15 Minute Meals. Jamie quite rightly pointed out that using tortillas in soup like this is exactly what the French do with croutons. Tortilla soup can be a real fun dish to do for friends and family because if you leave all the fresh toppings as options on the table with the soup then everyone gets to customize their own bowl. Cool!
Melissa carrying over three plates. I have a great respect for
waiters and waitresses!
Country fried steak and gravy with
deliciously creamy mash and veggies

















 So, a huge thank you to the staff at Elmer's, particularly Mellissa and Charlee the waitresses, for continuing to offer fantastic service and really tasty food! I hope I can return someday to eat from the Elmer's menu again...

Seasoned with Exuberance,


Jacob
I got a picture with my waitress, Melissa...
...and some cheeky shots of part of the kitchen!









"To glorify my Savior, Jesus Christ, the Creator 
of the universe and spread further abroad His glorious gospel." - Yours Truly

Friday 2 May 2014

A Much Belated Update - My New Job and Driving Lessons!

COOLEST CAR EVER!
Hi lovely readers!

 My most sincere apologies for the lack of posts lately, life has taken a wonderful turn for me and got suddenly quite full on. I have a fantastic job (photos coming hopefully very soon!) that I'm loving and I've also started driving which I'm just so excited about. Firstly, my job. I'm now working at my favourite, local pizza shop and seem to have slotted in really well. I'm getting on great with my new colleagues and boss (who demands that he is not referred to with this title and that we're all on equal terms, he's an awesome guy), and it feels like a sort of family. Just so cool. I've had to learn everything really fast due to a staff member leaving and me filling in their space but, as you know, I love a challenge! Memorising prices and the menu and learning how to juggle prepping and cooking food on/in different stations is great fun, it's so much more than I could have wished for.
 And then there is the driving. Man, this is bamboozingly amazing! How many people get to choose the colour of the car they learn to drive in? I'm guessing you know where I'm going with this? Yes, indeed, my car is bright GREEN with white racing stripes and I love it! While investigating driving schools on the Internet, I found this local instructor who owns this really cool car and I immediately thought, "That's the one, baby!" I have never seen a school or a private instructor use a green car, ever! It turns out that the best deal was with this guy anyway so that was that. I've only done a couple of lessons so far (a Yodel van passed us both times!) but, according to my instructor, I'm doing really well. As you can imagine, I'm am sooooper pleased!
 With regards to my sadly neglected Blog which I have missed writing dearly, I shall endeavour to press on and keep you readers (who I appreciate so very much!) as up to date as possible. Do remember that I absolutely love to hear from you guys too so don't hesitate to drop me a line! I do my very best to get back to all who write in.

Keep calm and carry on cooking!

Jacob




"To glorify my Savior, Jesus Christ, the Creator 
of the universe and spread further abroad His glorious gospel." - Yours Truly