Lou's Cafe

If you ever find yourself  somewhere in between Los Gatos, Campbell, and San Jose you should stop by Lou's Cafe for some coffee.  And of course a bite to eat!

My wife and I have managed to go about once every other week (more like every week lately!) when both our schedules afford us a midweek day off together.  I love the coffee and old-timey diner feel (and the food) and Steph loves the French Toast and Belgian Waffles, not both at the same time though.

Breakfast is probably going to run you about 6.50 to 10.00 dollars, but you'll probably eat two times off of one plate so financially that is a good deal.  I always have to get the rest of my plate to go...Coffee is good!

Personal recommendations are the Banana Nutella French Toast, Eldorado Potatoes (which is like home-style fried potatoes with blackened chicken, avocado, Monterrey jack cheese...), and the Coffee Cake which is the size of a small child's head!

Equipment 4 Small Kitchens and Small Budgets

There was a question posted at SeriousEats.com (of which I am a member) which garnered at least 64 comments:

What does a young foodie/recent grad need in his kitchen?

First, we will review my answer to the above question as I responded on the site - add suggestions and pictures to help visualize how this would work for anyone. (of course, if you are extremely messy and uncoordinated then there may not be a 'happy' medium for you and your kitchen)

A few thoughts:

The knife (as one person said) may be a more personal purchase, but maybe not if you spend more money on it than he would!

*Good forged metal well-known and trusted brand knives can be found at Marshall's, Ross, and TJ Max in the 'kitchen' section at great reductions...knife sets are a waste of money unless it's a chef's, paring, serrated/bread knife set. You don't need 7 to 14 knives.  These three do most of the jobs you are going to do in your home kitchen with some exceptions.  Kitchen Aid, Cuisinart, Chicago Cutlery also have good starting knives at Target and Wal-Mart.  Most in the 30$ or less range.

Cast Iron skillet (as somebody suggested) would usually be a good recommendation, but being in an apartment with a small kitchen, those things tend to smoke too much...and it's not about controlling the heat. It's about 'seasoned' cast iron heating up and smoking.

But consider this, I bought 2 twelve inch COMMERCIAL non-stick pans from Sam's Club (because at that time they came in two AND Sam's has a commercial restaurant supply section now - BUT NOT COSTCO DARN IT!) pretty cheap and they are made from thick aluminum under the non-stick coating...2 years later they still have the coating. I pulled the rubber handles (good for oven temps up to about 350) off and threw them away, cook on top, finish in the oven. Works wonderfully. Heavy-duty, lighter, and less smokey than cast iron.

Someone suggests getting a mini-processor from Cuisinart, but I say get the KitchenAid mini processor (3 cups model) not the Cuisinart. The reason being is because the 'catch' for making the motor work is a long piece of plastic protruding down from the lid, prone to breaking off! Kitchenaid, not so much small 'catch' on both sides of the lid that doesn't protrude past the lip much, even if you manage to drop the lid on the floor and break one, you can still swivel the lid to the other.

*BUT now you can order thru amazon.com or go to target and get an Oster blender with 3 cup processor attachment...here is a picture of what that looks like.  The one at target is cheaper than mine because its sold as a combo and my blender is the more expensive one. AGAIN, if you already own a Hamilton or some kind of Oster blender you can order the processor unit separately on Amazon.com.  Why is this important?  Because it doesn't create another electric appliance that needs a plug/outlet. AND saves space.

As someone mentioned, electric hot water kettle. Starts things that need hot or boiled water much quicker.  The one pictured is about $20 at Target.

Is he a serious tea or coffee drinker? Bodum (french press) goes good with that electric water kettle. $16 Target or Wal-Mart.

Small microwave as already said. $30 to $50 depends on how good a sale you find!  Good for melting things, heating things, mostly good for leftovers & quick fixes!

Coffee bean grinder for grinding spices or coffee $15. (I have 2, one for coffee, one for spices)

I buy bar towels in bulk from Sam's or Costco's, there just like the ones in commercial kitchens I use...and they're cheap. $10 for 20? (approximate)

Immersion blender, as already said. This thing should be a must. It's terrific. $15 at some Longs Drugs or $19 on Amazon.com with a 4-star rating or higher.  Procter-Silex.

My pasta roller still comes in handy for (duh) pasta, and also: pita bread, rolling thin tortillas, flatbread...etc. $30 for most brands.  This one $22 Amazon.com 4 stars (out of 5).

If you going to spend some money, then buy a nice kitchen cart with storage underneath...then you can roll a 'chopping' island around to use and store these small appliances underneath when not in use.

OK, I'll stop here...I cook professionally as well as not letting my small kitchen in my apartment keep me from cooking extensive and 'fine dining' meals at home.  This list is not made to be comprehensive of all things needed, but a help.  Just like using 3 knives in the kitchen pots & pans need not be in 20 piece sets...good cutting board, tongs, whisk, grater...

I'd be happy to answer any questions you have about my suggestions, stuff you currently using, or your own recommendations for this list!

How do you Hotdog?

Most of you know by now (if you follow me on Facebook, Twitter, or this site) when I get a craving I usually try to indulge in it, go for it,  or 'do it' the next time I get a chance.  For example one day last week I had Butterfinger Ice Cream for breakfast.  It's just that simple.

The newest craving I had that came on real strong was something I first learned about years ago (like when I was 16) when I worked at A&W Rootbeer or Restaurant (as ours was called A&W Family Restaurant).  But first I want you to know it was not one of those new modern A&W restaurants.  It was an old one.  Women working the 'car hops', a fireplace in the center of the dining area, little league/softball/baseball pictures hung everywhere from their sponsorship.  And we still made the Rootbeer syrup before linking it in with the CO2(soda machine for carbonation).  Yeah, 'back in the day'.

A good friend of mine from high school was working there told me I needed to try one of his favorite hot-dog combinations.  You melted American cheese on top of a hot-dog in a bun, then add chopped onion, pickles, ketchup, and mayo, then top it with coleslaw (the white coleslaw, not that ketchup or vinegar coleslaw).  I thought he was crazy, but the flavor combination really surprised me.  I loved it!

Slaw-dogs with cheese, onion, pickle, mayo, & ketchup.  For some reason that struck me yesterday and I really wanted to have it, so I did.  I bought the ingredients at the store (much cheaper) with a bag of Kettle Sour Cream and Onion potato chips.  Kettle chips are the greatest, all flavors are good...Crispy, thick, and crunchy.  And for dessert, I finished off with Caramel Caribou ice cream.  Delicious.

You're probably wondering what's wrong with me and why I didn't eat BBQ?  Why not make your own rules?  July 4th can still be a day of celebration no matter what you eat or how you enjoy it (even if it's your birthday)!

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