Egg McMuggin

I tried my second Egg McMuggin this morning. I'm trying to eat more protein as part of my elite athlete diet and stumbled across this quick and easy breakfast.

• Take a coffee mug and coat the inside with olive oil or some non-stick spray. Forget this step and clean-up is a pain!
• Crack two eggs into the mug.
• Add salt/pepper and scramble the eggs.
• Microwave for 45 seconds. (Maybe less depending on your microwave and how dry you like your eggs.)
• Add small pieces of cheese, ham, or bacon as you see fit. (Pro-tip: Prep the bacon/ham/cheese in a batch, so you have some ready to easily add).
• Stir all the ingredients.
• Microwave again for 45 seconds. (Maybe less depending on your microwave and how dry you like your eggs.)
• Your Egg McMuggin is now ready to eat, but be careful as it will be really hot!

Machine Gun Clips

Tonight when my daughter was eating her chicken noodle soup, my wife was picking out the celery pieces, because the little one doesn't like them. It reminded me of when I was little and my parents got me and my brother to eat them by calling them "machine gun clips." I guess the curved shape reminded us of an AK-47 we had seen on TV or in a movie. Silly, huh? I know. They should have called them "modern sporting rifle magazines."

Knoxville is Big Time

First, we find out that Knoxville is getting a Publix. Now it sounds like we are getting a Costco and a Whole Foods. The scruffy little city continues to catch up to the rest of the world.

Cheese & Onion

Speaking of the UK, I love Walkers Cheese and Onion Potato Crisps. When I was in London, I'd often enjoy a pint or two of Carling accompanied by these crisps/chips. The only time I can get them now is when we go to Atlanta and stop by Harry's. Since Walker's is owned by Frito-Lay, I'd like to see them sell some of the UK flavors here.

Half-Off Depot - Buddy's Bar-B-Q

Fifteen bucks worth of food at Buddy's for $7.50. Not as sweet as the half-off Coal Creek Armory membership they had, but not a bad deal if you eat there anyway.

Benton's is Cool

Tennessee is awesome.

Great bacon at Benton's Hams in Madisonville, TN. I love the bacon.

Lots of guns at Benton’s Shooter Supply in Benton, TN. I've not been yet, but looks like I need to make a road trip.

Big Ed's

Big Ed's Pizza in Oak Ridge made USA Today's top pizza places. I like Big Ed's, but I'm not sure why. The place is a dive and not exactly cheap. And, if you have any left-overs, they don't seem to heat up as well as other pizzas.

I'm a big fan of Barley's Tap Room in Knoxville's Old City. If you are there in the fall, ask a waitress for a "pump nut." If you don't get slapped, it means you will end up with a fantastic half pumpkin and half hazelnut beer.

Pret A Mange Christmas Sandwich

One of my favorite things about the holiday season is the left-overs. (Don't get me wrong, I love the food the first time around.) When my wife and I were living in London, we discovered the Pret A Manage Christmas Sandwich.

We re-create it every year with our Thanksgiving and Christmas left-overs. Here are the ingredients from the Pret website. Basically you do a layer of each. I don't recommend going to heavy on the cranberry as the sweet can overwhelm the rest of the flavors. I get hungry just thinking about it.

Malted Wholegrain Bread
British Turkey
Sage & Onion Stuffing (Dressing)
Cranberry & Port Sauce
Crispy Onions
Mayo
Leaf Spinach