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Larger Than Life #1

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Today we’ll begin an ongoing series of picture posts looking at some of my favorite attractions and oddities across America. I’ve always enjoyed seeing strange roadside attractions. Most are just used for advertising purposes, but have fascinated me none the less.

There’s actually a popular website that highlights many of these attractions. It’s called Roadside America and you can check it out HERE to see many of these larger than life attractions.

Today’s we’re focusing the spotlight on Mr Bendo. He is a giant fiberglass man that is located in front of Ralph’s Muffler Shop (1250 W. 16th St., Indianapolis). I’s just down the street from Indy’s old Bush Stadium. Mr Bendo is one of the attractions that are called “Muffler Men”. You can learn more about the muffler man and his mutant friends on the Roadside America website. They even have a special page dedicated to the muffler men. Here’s a look at Mr Bendo:

The Muffler Man The Muffler Man
The Muffler Man The Muffler Man

Missing The Cooker

I don’t mean for this blog to be about food, but since it is a blog about my thoughts and observations it’s only natural that food comes up often.

Today in Nashville it’s almost 100 degrees and with the humidity it currently feels like 111 degrees. So…. why am I craving soup? My minds works in strange ways like that. But, I’m not just craving any soup, I’m craving soup from a restaurant that’s been out of business for a few years now.

For some reason I’m craving the potato cheese soup from a restaurant called The Cooker.  The Cooker was a regional restaurant chain that had locations in Tennessee, Ohio, Michigan and a few other states.  It was known for hearty portions of comfort food like meatloaf and pot roast (2 of their specialties) that tasted like home cooking.  It started in the 80’s, but I don’t think I discovered it until I moved to Ohio in the mid 90’s.  And while the meatloaf and post roast were extremely good, the potato cheese soup was out of this world!

For some reason, I’m in love soup.  Some of my favorites include the chicken tortilla soup from Max & Erma’s, the homemade baked potato soup from Cheddar’s, the beer cheese soup from a restaurant called the 356th Fighter Group in North Canton, OH (near the Akron-Canton regional airport) and of course the potato cheese soup from The Cooker.

The story of The Cooker is a classic tale; restaurant chain gets popular, begins to expand, goes public, expands too fast, economic slowdown happens, owners try to fix their problems by changing everything, patrons stop coming, chain files bankruptcy, they try to come out of it, they close.

In fact, I remember hearing the news the day The Cooker closed all of its’ locations in 2004.  They never even told the staff in advance.  People showed up for their shifts only to find the doors padlocked and a note on the door explaining the closure.

I’m not the only person who loves/loved The Cooker’s potato cheese soup.  Do a search on the internet, and you find lots of message board posts of people searching for the recipe or something similar.  I’ve been search for a few years too, but to date no luck.  I don’t think anyone has even been able to come up with a copycat recipe.  So for now, I’ll keep search… and dreaming.

Do you know anyone who has a recipe?  I’m ready to throw a batch together… even if it is almost 100 degrees out today!

Happy National Cheesecake Day!

In honor of National Cheesecake Day, I wanted to do something special.  So I decided to share with you the best cheesecake that I have ever had.  It is the recipe passed down to me from my maternal grandmother.  Dorothy passed away in 1972, but this wonderful cheesecake is a beautiful tribute.  I first shared this with friends about a dozen years ago as part of a charity cookbook.  Enjoy!

Grandma Dorothy’s Cheesecake

Crust
12 whole Graham Crackers
1/4 lb butter

Filling
2 large pkg. cream cheese
3/4 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Topping
1/2 pt sour cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tsp sugar

Preheat oven to 375.  Melt butter in saucepan.  Crush graham crackers in a bowl.  Combine melted butter and graham crackers.  Place mixture (minus 2 tablespoons) into a 9 inch circular spring pan.  In a large mixing bowl, cream the cream cheese, using a fork.  Combine cream cheese with sugar, eggs, and vanilla.

Pour mixture into the graham cracker lined pan.  Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  After removing from the oven, allow to cool for an additional 20 minutes.  Then combine sour cream, sugar, and vanilla for the topping.  Spread topping onto cooled cheesecake, then sprinkle the top with the remaining  2 tablespoons of graham crack mixture.  Bake for an additional 7 minutes at 400.  Place in refrigerator and serve chilled.

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Goodbye Old Friend…

To most people, their computer is just a piece of electronics.  But for someone like me who spends 18 hours a day on their computer, it’s almost like my computer is a part of me….  Well today I say goodbye to my trusty Sony VAIO laptop.  After 3 years of insane daily use it’s time to retire the VAIO and send it to my used electronics farm where it will spend its’ days and night with all of the rest of my retired equipment.  No longer will I have to endure the jet engine like noise that came from the VAIO’s cooling fan whose bearing went bad long ago.    Farewell old friend….  Thanks for the 300 gig memories….

The Roof, The Roof Is On Fire…

I just got the news from my brother-in-law, Matt.  It’s the end of an era at Wrigley Field in Chicago.  Or, I should say, the end of an era across the street from Wrigley Field.  If you’ve ever watched a Cubs game in person or on TV, you’ve no doubt seen the big Budweiser Roof in center field.  I’ve never been a big Bud guy, but I’ve always appreciated the roof as just one of the many traditions of Wrigley Field.  Well, InBev the new owner of Budweiser has decided that the owner of that famed roof wants too much for the over sized billboard, so…. when the Cubs opened the 2009 season at Wrigley there was a new inhabitant of the famed Budweiser Roof, the Horseshoe Casino in nearby Hammond, IN.  I was watching the Cubs beat the Cardinals today on WGN, and finally caught a glimpse of the new Horseshoe Roof.  Needless to say, it’s just not the same.  I tried to locate a picture of the new roof, but can’t find one yet.  So instead, I take you back to the good ole days…. just last year.

The Budweiser Roof at Wrigley Field