Good for an afternoon snack but probably not the most satisfying or manly thing one can eat.

That is all.

So I read on one of my favorite websites about a quick and extremely simple recipe for Banana “Ice Cream” – simple meaning 1 ingredient.  That’s right really there is no ice and no cream it is frozen bananas blended/processed into a creamy dessert.  I see things like this online all the time and I always wonder the same thing – does it work?  Given that I like ice cream and I had bananas this seemed like a good one for me to test out.

The process is simple – freeze the bananas.  I did four bananas for a couple of days.  Then toss it into the food processor and blend it till smooth.  It took about 5 minutes or so to get it to an ice cream consistency but once I did it wasn’t bad.  I was surprised at how similar the texture was to real ice cream with no added sugar or cream.  That being said the taste left a little big to be desired.  It wasn’t awful but it wasn’t great.  The four bananas made about 2 good size bowls and could have gone as far as 3-4 smaller bowls.

I would likely try this again despite the fact that the novelty is greater than the finished product.  This would be great for someone that was lactose intolerant or diabetic and would probably be a fun project with kids.  No measuring and error proof – easy enough for anyone to do.

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I am not sure if this is endorsed by the Pork Patrol or not.  Either way $10 says this kid grows up to be just like Julius Andreas Gimli Arn MacGyver Chewbacka Highlander Elessar-Jankov except he won’t be Norwegian but maybe if you eat enough pork you can become Norwegian or Baptist.  Enjoy and yes – add this to the Party Gras Play-list.

This is supposedly from a new McDonald’s advertising campaign called “come as you are” or “venez comme vous êtes” in France and parts of Europe.  I am not sure if this is part of the ad campaign or something to make the unwitting Star Wars fans hungry for an Ewok Double Quarter Pounder with Cheese.  Either way what exactly is happening behind Darth there?  The new McViagra meal must be a huge success.

Ever notice that when you get too busy to buy groceries you eat out more?  It’s not the end of the world but it does make you appreciate the home cooked meal.  Things will likely slow down a bit soon but for this weekend we were eating our way across Raleigh.  We went to the Big Easy Friday night, Red Robin Saturday Lunch and Amedeo’s Saturday night.  Not a bad run but one that left with me more than my fair share of heartburn and a touch of indigestion.  I’ll run down the list and give you my impressions of our latest visits to each of these.

The Big Easy is exactly what you would expect by the name – Cajun food and a New Orleans style atmosphere.  I’ve been to New Orleans once so don’t hold me as an expert but I think they’ve nailed it.  The building in downtown Raleigh on Fayetteville Street looks like something one might expect to find just off Bourbon Street.  We went for Downtown Raleigh’s Restaurant Week which had local restaurants offering a Three-Course Prix Fixe Menu at a set price of either $20 or $30.  Overall I’d say the meal was good and The Big Easy is definitely a place we’ll visit again.  I had the Pork Tenderloin and it was really good – the maple and pecan sauce was a touch sweet at first but my palate quickly adjusted and I really liked it.  The Bananas Foster dessert was excellent but a touch heavy on the rum – you could definitely taste the alcohol and while not terrible it was a bit overpowering.