If you have ever watched the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving special on television, you know that dinner for the gang means something entirely different than it does to the rest of us. The adorable little folks have a feast based around popcorn. This is totally a tradition I could get used to… and have!

What did you eat for Thanksgiving dinner?

My Traditional Thanksgiving Dinner

Well, I said it’s what I HAD for dinner – not what “I’m having for dinner right now.” There’s a difference.

This is What I Had for Dinner

Being a single guy living alone, I’m able to eat anything I want for dinner. I admit to eating some strange things now and then, but this stuff takes the cake.

Someone suggested I try Ramen Noodles. Okay, fine! I headed to the store and found out that you can buy like a case of these little packets of food stuffs for around a dollar. I only bought one, though, to see if I would even like it.

After opening the package and taking a bite, I couldn’t figure out why they tasted so plain. It says “Chicken Flavor” right on the front! Thank goodness the chat room pointed the way to the little packet of flavoring still inside the original package.

Dumping half of that in my mouth didn’t really make it taste like chicken, though. It just tasted like I licked a big block of salt. What’s up with that?

I don’t know what I’m doing wrong here, but I don’t think I’ll be crunching on these again any time soon.

Ramen Noodles for Bachelors

Imei cooked an Easter meal with ostrich on the plate. Of course, there’s broccoli, rice, and mustard as well – but that’s just standard fare.

The toughest part was catching the bird! It kept running and running and running. Darn near lost a finger trying to wrangle that sucker. Ostriches are mean! Of course, you could say we were equally as mean to eat it for dinner.

Just kidding (about the catching part, not the eating part – that really is ostrich on our plate). It tasted a bit gamey, but that’s par for the course with ostrich meat. Can’t say it’s my favorite food in the world. Probably ranks somewhere after spaghetti but definitely before Brussels sprouts.

Have You Ever Had Ostrich?

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

The last few screencasts we’ve uploaded from Joseph have been hits with our community. We love his fresh and unique style, and his personality. This time, he chose to go a different route, and talk about food instead of technology. Food is good… especially if it’s burgers and fries. Most Geeks I know love to head to the local fast food joint to bring home a sack of goodness. I have to agree with Joseph, though. There’s nothing quite like an In-n-Out burger!

In-N-Out Burger is all about burgers. You won’t find any type of chicken on their menu. They offer burgers, fries, soda and milkshakes. That’s it… that’s the menu. They do one thing, and they do it exceptionally well. These things are so delicious that I could eat them a few times a week!

I am a fan of Venn Diagrams, and I love the way Joseph incorporated one into this screencast. As you can see, there aren’t many intersections between jocks and Geeks. However, all of us love a good burger experience.

Joseph would love to see other restaurants try to do this same thing: perfect one dish, serve nothing else, and be done with it. The one place where this wouldn’t work, though, is with Chinese takeout. You need choices when you’re grabbing some Chinese food!

It’s brilliant the way that there is no line at an In-N-Out Burger joint. They serve burgers and fries. You know what you’re going to order before you ever walk in the door, so you aren’t making others wait while you decide. This, my friends, is nothing short of amazing.

Joseph – thanks for another fun and excellent screencast. We’re looking forward to see what you come up with next.

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/F5z9MmfNORo"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/F5z9MmfNORo" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

What is the Best Burger in Town?

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Tony’s Pizza. All opinions are 100% mine.

I know many of you worry about my eating habits now that I am a bachelor. Don’t worry… I eat on a regular schedule, I promise! The people at Tony’s Pizza were apparently worried, as well! They were kind enough to send me a handful of coupons for free pizzas! I’m all about some pizza! This stuff makes me happy, because there are no Trans Fats, which I refuse to eat!

I have a handful of these free pizza coupons to give away at our next local Tweetup, which will be happening when Kat is in the area to attend a Microsoft conference. She’s never gotten to attend a Tweetup before, so I thought it would be fun to not only host one… but to also give away pizza coupons!

An even better giveaway is the one I’m participating in with Tony’s themselves! I, along with a few other bloggers, will be giving away a $500 Tech Prize Pack! There is only ONE prize pack between all of the blogs. If you want to win, you need to check out the offical rules and enter!

There are two ways to enter: Either leave a follow-up comment on this blog post, or send out a tweet from your own account. The tweet must include a link to this blog post, as well as the hashtag: #TonysPizza.

The pizza really IS yummy. I cooked mine using a baking stone, which keeps things nice and crisp. You can pick one up for under $15.00 at many retailers. I love the taste of the baked crust on the Tony’s pizzas, as well as the sauce! It has a nice little bit of a kick to it, but not too much of one.

Thanks again to Tony’s Pizza – and all of YOU – for worrying about me. I’m eating like a king… I have plenty of pizzas, Ramen and Soy Sauce. I’ll not go hungry!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/o9lZVEAdCQQ"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/o9lZVEAdCQQ" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

What Do Bachelors Eat?

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

I’m gonna be on this video like white on rice, because we are learning to make rice! I told me friend Imei that I don’t know how to make rice, even though I love to eat it. She decided to teach me, since she is the rice master. She’s been making it since she was nine years old, so I’m guessing it’s safe to say she knows what she’s doing.

Imei says that you have to rinse the packaged rice, since it is covered with a white film. It’s a polish of sorts, which makes it look nicer, and it’s not something you want to eat. So, I rinsed it a few times, and ran my hands through to make sure that it’s cleansed. I decided to make three cups, since it’s pretty pointless to make only a single cup. I’ll just refrigerate it, and heat it up for lunch tomorrow!

If you don’t have a proper rice cooker, then you can use any normal pot. I happen to have a Cuisinart rice cooker, and I’m told that is a good one! I was told to measure in one cup of water for each cup of rice. How easy is that? Yeesh. What took me so long to cook this stuff? Since I’m steaming the rice, I was told to give it a tiny bit of extra water, in order to replace what will be lost during steaming. An easy way to guess is if you eyeball it, and use your finger. Stick your finger straight down in the center of the rice and water. You want to make sure that the water and the rice is half and half.

Once it was ready, I put the pot into the Cuisinart, and turned it on the cook setting. When it’s ready, then it’ll let me know! How cool is that? It’s not rocket science! I placed a dish towel over the top of the cooker, to help catch the condensation from the steam.

I had to let it steam for about 25 minutes. Since I have no patience to speak of, this seemed to be an interminable mount of time!

Sadly, I embarrassed myself by pronouncing the word Shiitake wrong. I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have offended with that!!

For the record… the rice turned out perfectly!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/wZygK408Qr4"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/wZygK408Qr4" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

How to Cook Rice

Posted via Pixelpipe.

This is Why I’m Fat

This is Rogue Puppet’s submission for the HP Magic Giveaway. Feel free to leave comments for this article as you see fit – your feedback is certainly welcomed! If you’d like to submit your own how-to, what-is, or top-five list, you can send it to me. Views and opinions of this writer are not necessarily my own:

Today, everyone is looking for ways to stretch a dollar further. Here are some ways you can get more for less – right at home, in your kitchen.

(1) USE your kitchen.

If you are in the habit of eating out for dinner 2, 3, 5 or even 7 times a week, it’s time to cut back. Those drive-by meals from Burger King or Subway while you are running the kids from one place to another? Those count as eating out as well. Dining out can be fun, but that gets expensive quickly. Modify that pattern to accommodate a special social event to be shared with friends or family instead. Think you are too tired, too busy or too clueless to cook? I say: Balderdash! With a little planning, you can choose and make meals that are easy (or even ones that cook while you are gone at work). Clueless? The Internet is a vast resource of recipes and how-tos, including step-by-step video guides. You can even get a Nintendo game that will teach you how to shop and cook. There is no excuse not to try.

(2) Share in the family love.

Most stores (and even some butchers) offer items in bulk or “family-sized” packaging at lower costs. While it may be difficult for you to make good use of a three gallon jar of mayonnaise (does ANY family use that much?!), there are some such items that you can use – no matter what your family size is. Buy the family pack of meat, break it down at home, and freeze it in individual packets that fit your family’s size. Lots of other items freeze well that you might not have considered, too. Try re-sizing and freezing things like spaghetti sauce, baked goods (bread), or even cheese.

(3) No Bones about it.

For many, cooking with meat means buying pre-prepped skinless, boneless cuts and using those in recipes. Relying on the meat processing company to do all your meat prep for you adds a lot of cost. You can generally save a lot on meat if you are willing to skin and de-bone it yourself. Even better, for chicken, buy the whole chicken and either cut it up or cook it whole. Being willing to get your hands just a little dirty can save you real dollars on your food bill.

(4) Cook from scratch.

For some, cooking dinner means opening a frozen meal and heating it up. While this is convenient (and sometimes tasty), it is still an expensive proposition. Most dinner recipes involve less than 15 minutes of prep and about 30-45 minutes of cooking time. If you get home late in the day (and are really hungry), consider cooking with a crock pot. For a small investment, you have a countertop appliance that can slow cook marvelous meals that are ready to eat as soon as you get home. Most people think of things like chili or stew in a crock pot, but the possibilities are nearly endless – and include things like pot roast, roasted chicken, pork chops or even vegetable dishes. Do a quick search on “crock pot recipes” and you will get thousands of results. For days, with no time to prep in the morning, freeze leftovers in meal-sized portions for your own version of “frozen dinners.”

(5) Brown Bagging, FTW.

Thus far, we’ve largely covered dinners, but making and taking your lunch to work (instead of buying something while at work) is the next extension for saving money. If you are not lucky enough to work from home, and have to eat lunch far from your own kitchen, take a bit of home with you. Instead of a $7-15 lunch, you can have a meal for a couple of bucks. Tired of bland sandwiches? Use a tortilla and make it a wrap! Fill a thermos with soup or stew – or chili. A tossed salad with the dressing on the side paired with some homemade bread is a winner any day. You think outside the box all the time to solve problems at work, so have fun getting creative with your lunch as well.

Put some (or all) of these steps into action and you will find that your eating expenses will quickly decline, but your eating experiences will grow.

How to Save Money and Still Eat Well

Add to iTunes | Add to YouTube | Add to Google | RSS Feed

I’ve never been to the UK, but I’ve always wanted to go. Heck, I’d love to visit Ireland and Scotland as well. I got an email the other day that I thought would be fun to make into a video. I get emails from all over the world. I really love hearing about your countries, and even the favorite foods of your locale. So Neil sent me an email with the top five meals in Scotland for me to share with you.

• Haggis, Neeps and Tatties. Ever heard of this? Didn’t think so. This is his favorite meal. Haggis is not exactly the best-sounding food. It’s sheep heart, lungs and liver all mixed up and served in a sheep’s stomach. It’s YUMMY, trust me. Neeps are a watery vegetable with a sweetness to it. Tatties are potatoes, usually mashed.
• Full Scottish breakfast. I don’t tend to eat this every morning, as it can be unhealthy. It consists of Black pudding (which contains oatmeal and pig or cow blood), baked beans, eggs, bacon, sausage, hash browns and fried tomatoes.
• Stovies. Stovies is traditionally a left over dish from the Sunday Roast, using the tatties, meat and dripping leftovers all thrown into one pot. Meat used varies from chicken, beef and lamb.
• Scottish steak. This is more of a worldwide dish. It has to be angus beef, fried with onions and tomatoe, and a pepper sauce.
• Fish supper. This is really a carry-out meal. It consists of Haddock deep fried in batter with chips. Scottish people prefer this to things like hamburgers.

Send me an email to tell me about the favorite foods and meals from your country! I’d love to hear about it.

FirstRSS ERROR: "http://shop.tagjag.com/products/scotland" NOT FOUND!

Want to embed this video on your own site, blog, or forum? Use this code or download the video:

<object width="425" height="350"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Do3YBENV0fk"></param><param name="wmode" value="transparent"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Do3YBENV0fk" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" width="425" height="350"></embed></object><br /><a href="http://chris.pirillo.com/">Chris</a> | <a href="http://live.pirillo.com/">Live Tech Support</a> | <a href="http://media.pirillo.com/">Video Help</a> | <a href="http://feeds.pirillo.com/ChrisPirilloShow">Add to iTunes</a>

What Kind of Food do They Eat in Scotland?

I’m having honey roasted peanuts for dinner tonight. Mind you, they’re completely nutritious! Sugar, honey, fructose, corn syrup… hey, wait a second! That’s all sugar! Since when did sugar make a good dinner? Well, I could wander downstairs and reheat some leftover pasta – but this bag was much more convenient. Thank goodness it was only a small bag, or I would have consumed twice my body weight in honey roasted peanuts. Yeah, if it’s not obvious to you yet – Ponzi’s out of town this weekend. The dogs? They’re at my feet, watching me eat dinner. Then again, can this be considered dinner if I didn’t use any flatware? It’s just me… eating my nuts… again.

I mean, leguuuuuuumes.

What Do Geeks Eat for Dinner on Saturday Night?

1. Leftovers
2. Chinese delivery
3. Pizza
4. Chinese pizza delivery leftovers
5. Animal crackers
6. Italian, but only if they deliver
7. Bread, butter optional
8. Not a Bologna Sandwich (NSFW)
9. Thai
10. A mai thai
11. My tie
12. Nothing
13. Parsley
14. Parsley leftovers
15. Hershey’s Special Dark
16. A cup of Peet’s Kenya blend
17. Baked beans
18. Something microwavable
19. Braunschwager
20. Peanut butter on a spoon
21. Powdered milk
22. Rice
23. Ice
24. Whatever Ponzi orders
25. Olive Garden (nah, I’m not in the mood)

25 Dinner Options for a Friday Evening at Home

Everybody knows we feed you well at Gnomedex (in fact, our breakfasts have now been officially sponsored). Lunch is provided, and there are snacks and drinks throughout the entire day at the conference center. However, we also scored some nice food for your dinner meals. Ponzi’s taking a well-deserved nap right now, but I hope to post details of the food we’re serving you on Saturday night. We couldn’t find a sponsor to cover our Friday night party, but that didn’t keep us from making it a kick-ass spread:

Thursday Night Food (Dinner)

• Assorted Bruschetta ~ Sun-Dried Tomato Parmesan, Kalamata Olive Tapenade, Artichoke, and Cannellini Beans with White Truffle Oil Drizzle
• Grilled Chicken Pinwheels with Herbed Cream Cheese
• Spinach and Tortilla Wrap
• Shrimp Salad Profiteroles
• Crisp Coconut Prawns with Citrus Chili Dipping Sauce
• Fiery Mongolian Meatballs with Hoisin Barbecue Glaze
• Baked Brie en Croute with Fresh Fruit and Croustades
• Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Tartlet
• Mediterranean Antipasto Platter ~ Includes an Assortment of Cured Meats, Imported Select Cheeses, Seasonal Vegetables and Assorted Salads
• Cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, etc.

Friday Night Food (Dinner)

• Seasonal Fresh & Dried Fruit Display, garnished with Assorted Nuts
• Roasted Vegetable Kabobs
• Smoked Gouda, Tillamook Cheddar, Gorgonzola, Chèvre with Breads & Crackers
• Northwest Wild Mushroom Tartlet with Parmesan & Filberts
• Dungeness & Shrimp Crab Cakes with Brandy Rémoulade
• Cheese Tortellini with Pesto Cream
• Lemon Rosemary Chicken Skewers with a Green Peppercorn Aioli
• New York Striploin with Horseradish Cream
• Chocolate Truffles, rolled in Coconut, Pistachio & Dried Cranberry
• Cocktails, non-alcoholic beverages, etc.

Saturday Night Food (Dinner)

• Waiting for Ponzi to send me the menu

Dinner’s On Us

Okay, it’s not enough that we’re giving you breakfast and lunch at Gnomedex, but Ponzi just told me that we’re also giving you dinner on Friday and Saturday night!!! It’s not going to be a three-course layout either night, but should prove to be something substantial (far beyond carrot sticks and dip). She says: “it probably won’t look like dinner, but it’ll be filling.” I’ll have the menus posted soon enough so you can decide for yourself, but we’re basically telling everybody that we treat all Gnomedex attendees like VIPs. This includes all Cove Gnomedexers, too. Now you wonder why we’re still looking for sponsors – this food extravaganza is killing our budget!

Gnomedex Will Feed You Dinner

It doesn’t take much to impress my palate. I’m usually content with eating leftovers, especially when Ponzi prepares ‘em all mixed-up and lookin’ like a new meal. She must be hungry, because she’s been looking at food sites all afternoon (which, I suppose is better than looking at purse sites). Ponzi then announces that we’re going to Andaluca for dinner tonight. I’m thinking: “Since when did the village from ‘Fiddler on the Roof’ get a restaurant?”

Seattle Magazine readers voted Andaluca “Seattle’s Best Mediterranean Restaurantâ€Â? for 1998 & 1999; Esquire Magazine ranked Andaluca as one of the 20 best restaurants in America for a solo meal; Voted Best Main Course and Best Service by “The Secret Dinerâ€Â?, NWsource.com’s independent correspondent charged with giving you the real scoop before you make dinner reservations.

We’re headed to eat there in about an hour. I hope there’s no dress code for this restaurant, because I don’t have anything to wear but jeans [which is a total lie, but they don't know that]. I’m looking over the dinner menu and I think… Lamb Dolmas for an appetizer and Grilled Chicken Nicoise for the main course (although I could totally do without the grilled asparagus, as it really makes my pee smell funny). What are you having for dinner tonight?

Seattle Restaurant: Andaluca