Showing posts with label grilled cheese. Show all posts
Showing posts with label grilled cheese. Show all posts

Monday, May 08, 2017

French Fry Diary 729: Tater Tot Grilled Cheese


So, inspired by the ThreadBanger YouTube video seen here sent to me by good friend Amy I set off to the kitchen to try this immediately. I had tater tots, I had cheese, and I had an awesome Cuisinart waffle maker, so why not?

Here's the first layer of tater tots. Rather than cooking them, I microwaved them for a couple minutes, or you could just let them thaw for a bit.


 Here's the next layer, great individual slices of Kraft American cheese, the orange stuff is always best. If this works out the first time, I'll add bacon the next time and see what happens.


And another layer of tater tots. There's a learning curve here as they are hard to stack. If the first layer of tots are hot, they will melt the cheese which will act as a glue to hold the second layer of tots together.


Mmmm… look at that awesome cheesy potatoey overflow!


I learned a few more things. Lesson one: don't overfill on the tots. Lesson two: more cheese (always a good rule no matter what). Lesson three: spray waffle maker with oil so you can remove the monstrosity easier when it's done. I used a butter knife and it was still stubborn.


The brown spots are the cheese leaking through to the bottom, so again, more cheese. It cooks up in the cooking so you need lots more. And on this first try, I definitely cooked them too long. On the plus side, you can always put more cheese on them afterward.

Thanks, Amy, you rock, and thanks to ThreadBanger who is insane but oh so cool. Incidentally, ThreadBanger was inspired by the folks at Tip Hero and their take can be found here.

Monday, January 30, 2017

Tuesday, February 24, 2015

French Fry Diary 651: Herr's Cheese Waffles


Okay, we're going off the reservation a little bit here, but I think it's okay because it's a Herr's product, and Herr's makes darn good potato chips, so hang in there.

I've talked about the Jelly Belly effect here before, usually in relation to the more bizarre potato chip flavors in Lay's Do Us A Flavor contests. Jelly Bellys are jellybeans with a variety of odd flavors, many where taste and texture don't match up and don't feel right. For instance, buttered popcorn, bubble gum, and toasted marshmallow are just weird when in the form of a jellybean.

Herr's Cheese Waffles, subtitled 'zesty cheese sandwich snacks' that come in a cheddar flavor, are just such a case. They are crunchy waffle-shaped and cheese-stuff-filled treats that taste exactly like grilled cheese sandwiches. And they are damned addictive. A small snack bag was purchased for the household, and devoured in minutes. What can I say, we do like our grilled cheese around here.

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Random Tater Pic of the Day #121



These Somebody Else's Fries come from my podcast partner Ray Cornwall. He had these "really good room service fries" at the Four Points Sheraton at Philadelphia Airport. Thanks, Ray!

Tuesday, May 08, 2012

Random Tater Pic of the Day #47



We stopped at Cool Dog Cafe recently to talk business about the Pineland Players, but more importantly we got dinner, and especially their great fries.

Since the last time we'd been there, they added a cheddar cheese sauce for fry dipping. This is some luscious cheese, perfectly melted, the kind you get in the best grilled cheese sandwiches.

Mmmm... Good stuff. Just one more reason to be going to the Cool Dog Cafe more often.

Thursday, April 12, 2012

National Grilled Cheese Day

Today is officially National Grilled Cheese Day, so why don't you make yourself a grilled cheese, or go out and have someone else make one for you?

Of course, if you want the best grilled cheese around, you'll have to go to the Pop Shop in Collingswood, New Jersey. Not only do they have dozens of variations on the grilled cheese, they went spatula to spatula with Bobby Flay over grilled cheese.

And as long as you're at the Pop Shop, don't forget to get some of their great Pop Fries! Happy Grilled Cheese Day!

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Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Random Tater Pic of the Day #41


Friends Taryn and Brian are back today with another Somebody Else's Fries from their recent trip to South Carolina. This time they took a pic of more fries not local to my area, at Zaxby's. Check 'em out.

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Saturday, November 05, 2011

French Fry Diary 296: Zinc Café

This is where we went for The Bride's birthday this year. She had a late night at work and then a Pineland Players meeting so we had to schedule dinner in a tight schedule and also do it somewhere in Medford so we would have time. I got online with Urbanspoon with my iPhone and found the Zinc Café, a place with perfect timing and location that we all agreed on.

The Zinc Café is kinda tucked away on Stokes Road, so if you don't know where it is, you might miss it, but you'll also be missing out on one of the best local restaurants around too. This was a rare find indeed. It's a little small, but you can also eat outside. It's cozy, and a little dim, but it's great atmosphere. Small town meets fancy coffee shop, friendly and cool, I liked it a lot.

The menu has an amazing selection, both healthy and bad for you, both simple and exotic. No Coca-Cola products but they had Boylan instead. My cane cola was a welcome change of pace. They also had appetizers of thin crispy breadsticks that tasted like matzo, very addictive. I could have been happy just with the soda and the sticks.

The Bride and her mom got salads with some amazing add-ins, and we were all surprised by the crisp, fresh and colorful vegetables. The Bride got a grilled cheese sandwich (it's what she wanted for her birthday) with a few cheeses I couldn't pronounce. I got a burger (surprise), which was just terrific, and of course, with the burger were fries.

The French fries were natural cut shoestrings, another sign of high class, at least by this fry guy's estimation. They were very crispy, and had a certain kick we couldn't quite identify, but it was a good kick. All in all, it was a wonderful experience. I really think I have found a new favorite restaurant.

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Thursday, September 29, 2011

French Fry Diary 274: Captain Cook's Snack Company 2011

French Fry Diary has visited Captain Cook's Snack Company at the Polynesian Resort before, waaay back in 2008, and it seems that things have changed a little bit. We came here on this trip to meet Dom and Cindy and family for a quick dinner - and for the promise of the perfect grilled cheese - that got The Bride on board. One lightning stormed boat and Monorail trip later we arrived at the Polynesian Resort, and Captain Cook's Snack Company.

I declined the grilled cheese because computer touch screen could not deliver a plain one, so I went with the Angus bacon cheeseburger, and fries, of course. I also grabbed a bag of BBQ potato chips - Disney brand chips, oh yeah!

The fries were the standard Disney park fries, natural cuts good when hot. The burger was good but the bacon too crispy and it was on a grain bun. Not one of my favorite meals on this trip.
Now the chips were Disney Kettle Cooked BBQ Potato Chips. Add to that a red silhouette of Pluto and the words "barkin flavor" on the and how can you lose? They were regular chips, kettle cooked with a nice crunch. The seasoning is light and sweet with brown sugar. On the good side they're gluten free and have no transfat.

Another nice night with friends at dinner. We talked "Torchwood," the behind the scenes tour that The Bride took, and, believe it or not, how Disney is on the decline. Despite that last bit, we still all love Disney, and we still all had a great time.

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Thursday, January 20, 2011

National Grilled Cheese Day at the Pop Shop

January 20th, at least according to some folks, is National Grilled Cheese Day, and to celebrate, one of French Fry Diary's favorite restaurants, The Pop Shop, in Collingswood NJ, has one of the best offers around.

For every grilled cheese sandwich purchase you make, you get a FREE order of fabulous Pop Fries, so make sure you stop by for what is always a great treat!

And as far as what the real date of National Grilled Cheese Day is... well, the school of thought varies. But I think we can all agree on one thing - is it ever not time for a grilled cheese? Especially when they come with such great fries. Mmmm... fries...

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Thursday, April 01, 2010

The Pop Shop Cheesy Poetry Contest

From The Pop Shop in Collingswood, New Jersey:

Cheesy Poetry Contest - Enter today!

April is National Grilled Cheese month and The Pop Shop - with over 30 grilled cheese variations on its menu - is the place to celebrate! Along with being National Grilled Cheese Month, April is also National Poetry Month. The Pop Shop loves both, so we're hosting our fourth annual Pop Shop Poetry Contest.

We're looking for great poems, limericks or haikus about something Pop Shop related. The winning bards - one child and one adult - will each receive a free T-shirt and a gift certificate for a free lunch.

To enter, e-mail The Pop Shop or snail mail your entry to:

The Pop Shop Contest
729 Haddon Avenue
Collingswood, NJ 08108

The deadline is April 26, 2010. Winners will be named on May 4 in a ceremony at The Pop Shop.

Click here to see poems from last year's contest.

And don't forget that Pop Shop fries go great with Pop Shop grilled cheese!


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Tuesday, March 24, 2009

French Fry Diary 18: The Pop Shop

Owned and run by friends of the family Stink Fisher and his wife Connie, The Pop Shop is the gem and highlight of the upper class Collingswood NJ neighborhood.

The Fishers set out to re-create a classic 1950s malt shop and succeeded many times over with this wonderful meeting place and restaurant. The Pop Shop is a destination for my family and friends on many occasions including weekend breakfasts when guests are in town and sometimes on regular Monday night trivia competitions that are always a blast.

Breakfast served all day and the ice cream and dessert menu, as well as the fantastic selection of grilled cheese sandwiches are the prizes of the food fare presented at the Pop Shop, as are the activities and events all week long, but for our purposes we’ll be concentrating on the favorite fried food.

French fries at the Pop Shop are something to behold. From their menu: Our fries are awesome! We make them ourselves - every single one. Home-made spicy ketchup available upon request or you can have Heinz, if you’re a purist.

So even the ketchup is special. The Pop Shop Fries are always natural cuts, made fresh and cooked to order. Always served hot and delicious, and in more than generous portions, if you get them plain, they will be the best part of your meal for the French fry aficionado, but that’s not all. There are several different variations at the Pop Shop.

You can get them with Old Bay seasoning, brown gravy, cheddar, mozzarella, Jack, tomato sauce, jalopeno peppers and onions, chili of the day, bacon, Cajun spices and also with a remoulade sauce. Each particular combination has its own name and hometown flavor. I told you these just aren’t any fries.

The Pop Shop Fries are highly recommended, as is the entire restaurant. Check them out here.


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Friday, February 27, 2009

Poetry and Cheese

On topic because The Pop Shop in Collingswood, NJ has terrific fries, that are suitable for both cheese and poetry...

The Pop Shop Cheesy Poetry Contest

Enter today!

April is National Grilled Cheese month and The Pop Shop, with over 30 grilled cheese variations on its menu, is the place to celebrate! Along with being National Grilled Cheese Month, April is also National Poetry Month. The Pop Shop loves both, so we're hosting our fourth annual Pop Shop Poetry Contest.

We're looking for great poems, limericks or haikus about something Pop Shop related. The winning bards - one child and one adult - will each receive a free T-shirt and a gift certificate for a free lunch.

To enter, e-mail thepopshopcafe@aol.com or mail your entry to:

The Pop Shop Contest
729 Haddon Avenue
Collingswood, NJ 08108

The deadline is April 22, 2009. Winners will be named on April 28 in a ceremony at The Pop Shop.

See below for poems from previous years' contests:

http://www.thepopshopusa.com/specialevents/2008poetrycontest.html
http://www.thepopshopusa.com/specialevents/2007poetrycontest.html
http://www.thepopshopusa.com/specialevents/2006poetrycontest.html