Friday, August 26, 2011

Some of my favorite Italian food by non-Italians.















Leahs Pizzeria & Restaurant in Muskego, Wisconsin at S63W13640 Janesville Rd (this address actually works in a GPS) has some of the all time best Garlic Bread I have ever eaten in my life!!

So first off, let me explain how I discovered Leahs in Wisconsin, which by the way, is not that far, with no traffic, and worth the trip if yer in or around Milwaukee, wi. Anyway, how I know bout this spot.... The owners son, used to live across the alley, and then across the street from me in any almost parallel location on the his block as I am on mine. I met this guy years ago in improv classes, and later did a few shows with him in the city. There came a point where he owed me money, he was bad with debt, so to ease me, he would give up frozen pizza, lasagna, and garlic bread he had from his dads place. Even though it was he and his wife's dinner, I appreciated the gesture as it became mine & my wife's dinner. As we ate these frozen pizzas and what not, we couldn't believe how freakin good it was, and even after being frozen. So I couldn't wait to get there and have it fresh. And I finally did after years of not having it delivered to me as a lame form of payment. He actually still owes mr a hefty amoutn of cash, and I paid full price at the restaurant when I ate there after driving for almost an hour and forty five to get there. Sheesh!

Now the food.

Seriously some of the most Monte-licious Garlic Bread I have ever eaten in my life. They bake the bread in house as a loaf, cut the loaf into a bit of a cubed, rectangular loaf, then soak in a garlic infused butter and re bake it till it's golden brownish/yellow. And it is crispy, buttery, garlicky, crunchy deliciousness you have not had anywhere else.

I had the lasagna which is not made in a sheet, stored in a fridge and served as ordered. Their lasagna is made fresh in a personal ramekin bowl. It is made with mozzarella cheese vs. ricotta, and they put mushrooms under the first layer of cheese for an extra special flavor in the meat lasagna. The sauce is rich, robust, and full of flavor that is fresh.

My buddy had the steak sand wich which looked, and tasted ridiculous. It comed served on their garlic bread, with a baked on melted cheese, oh my god was it delicious. The steak is a thinly sliced rib eye I believe, smothered in sweated down onions. So good.

So id yer near Milwaukee, or feel like makin a trip, check it out.

One other funny thing, the menu references to "Care and Smiles" at Leahs, and every time I called for the hours, or my wife would call to ask a question, or even when my buddies wife called to double check hours on our way up, the guy who answered the phone was really suspicious, and kinda jerky over the phone. But when we ate there, we met the culprit, and he was surprisingly nice.

Saturday, August 20, 2011

Sorry I have been away for a while.

I actually hope you care too. I have been lazy, my crutch in life, but I also have been eating a more "whole food" diet. No not Whole Foods the grocery chain, although that is where we shop, but "whole food" meaning nothing processed, out of a box, mixed together, etc. I am not on a diet, just looking at what I put into this dump truck of a body.

I had a Type 2 Diabetes scare a few months back, plus my knees were killin me like everyday, and I was close to 300 lbs. ....Again! I do not want an early death, and that is exactly what I was/may get. So I am trying to add years, instead of taking them away.

I still eat all the good stuff I enjoy, just less of it. Actually a lot less. I am trying to do my best 80% of the time, and the other 20% of the time, well I kinda abuse my body with a bunch of carbs, starchs, and sugars. Which, to much of that stuff wreaks havoc on my insides. Right now, I am running a VW Bug engine in a Dump Truck body, and that just ain't cuttin it. My poor heart keeps wondering what it did wrong to me, it feels like it owes me money the way I've been treating it. Liver too!

All that being said, you will still see me eating all the good stuff, but maybe with a fork, no bun, and topless. Topless, T-O-P-L-E-S-S!!! You'll do it!

P.S. I still eat burgers, steaks, cheese, bacon, vegetables, & fruits. I just cut back/down on the processed parts of my meals, and the heavy starches and un-natural sugars. Truth is, I usually hate buns, they are freakin filler for the most part. Rice constipates me, clogs my system for a day. And I actually love real whipped cream on fresh berries almost more than my beloved Dark Chocolate. And I still eat fat a$$, jucy, meaty, delicious burgers with cheese, bacon, and an egg, but I skip the bun. Well I skip most of the bun, I scrape the gooey parts that absorb all burger blood/juices. And I do my best to eat grass fed, organic, non hormone meats from local farms. Plus it tastes way better, and it supports people I can see/touch and speak too. Not a faceless corporation. Besides, have you ever eaten an egg from a chicken that just roams a farm freely eating bugs/berries, and dirt? The yolk from even the tiniest eggs are firm, upright, and almost orange. Not flat, runny, and yellow like a crayon. And the taste... You just gotta try one to see what I am talking about. And my desserts are mostly fresh berries and fruits that are not sprayed with chemically induced pesticides, with organic, non hormone treated, home made whipped cream. And I cook most everything in butter/Ghee.

So I will be posting again soon, mostly from my cheating meals, but every now & again you may see something a bit different. Don't be scared.

One last thing, why the change? Diabetes was right around the corner, and I hate medicine, plus being overweight makes it really hard to get health insurance. In a parallel universe, my wife has been reading up on eating in a paleo/caveman/primal blue print way, and everything she would read to me just seemed to make sense. So with the Diabetes breathing down my neck, and a doctor trying to prescribe something to lose weight and help with my insulin, I decided to take my new knowledge, and take things into my own hands. Almost two months in and I am almost 20 lbs. lighter, no scare of diabetes, and my knees feel the best they have felt since I was on a ten day steroid cycle. And before that, my knees haven't allowed me to run up and down stairs sine I was in my twenties, or early thirties. I have been running up and down the stairs all week, and loving it!!!!