JD's & Bradley's Food Blog

10/02/2026

This week I cooked another Mexican dish, "Rajas con Crema" (strips of Poblano peppers in a creamy sauce.). I added chicken and linguini (both are often added to the dish), and used Monterrey cheese, and I honestly thought it would turn out more creamy.

I forgot to add the Mexican oregano till after it was all cooked and I was starting to put it away. I also forgot to use Knorr chicken bouillon. Perhaps next time instead of just one cup of cream, I'll use the whole 15 oz container.

Not bad for a first attempt. I thought it would taste like espagueti verde because it uses a lot of the same ingredients; however, whereas espaguetii verde was very potent with flavor, this was very light on flavor. I wasn't as much as fan of the Monterrey cheese as I might have been of Oaxaca cheese had we used Oaxaca.

It's something I'd try again, but I'm going to have to give it more flavor somehow next time.

09/30/2026

This Taco Tuesday, I visited F&D Cantina near Lake Eola in downtown Orlando. Their website said weekly on Tuesdays after 3 pm they offer 2 street tacos for $5 or 5 street tacos for $10.

I ordered their taquitos half price for happy hour, and the Taco Tuesday deal of 5 tacos for $10. I got 2 carne asadas, 1 carnitas, 1 barbacoa, and 1 achiote chicken.

My favorite was the carne asada, so I'm glad I doubled up on it!

I'd do it again but definitely more carne asada next time!

09/26/2026

It's National Pancake Day at Cracker Barrel! All-you-can-eat pancakes for $5 today!

Celebrate National Pancake Day at Cracker Barrel on Saturday, September 26 with $5 all-you-can-eat pancakes. Available for one day only. No early access is available for Cracker Barrel Rewards members.

08/21/2026

I made birria again. I'm still practicing. I started around 3 pm and didn't sit down to eat till 9:30 pm. So... a little over 6 hours this time!

We loaded a bowl with beef, then added our starch (hominy soaked in birria broth), and covered the food with birria consumé, then topped the birria with onions, cilantro, and radishes.

Note to self: only use 2 chile de árbol next time; 4 was just a little too much!

08/01/2026

🥞 Granbury Pancake House – Granbury, Texas

We stopped by Granbury Pancake House, and this one was definitely worth the visit!

The service was great — friendly, attentive, and welcoming — and the food was excellent. Everything came out fresh, hot, and exactly what you hope for when you walk into a good local breakfast spot.

One thing to know: the portions are generous! I’m currently on a GLP-1, so there was absolutely no way I was going to finish everything on my plate. That certainly wasn’t because I didn’t want to — the food was delicious. If you have a smaller appetite, you may want to share a meal or plan on taking some home.

Overall, Granbury Pancake House delivered exactly what I want from a local breakfast restaurant: good service, great food, generous portions, and a comfortable atmosphere.

⭐ Food: 5/5
⭐ Service: 5/5
⭐ Portion Size: 5/5
⭐ Overall: 5/5

Would I go back? Absolutely. Next time, I’ll just arrive knowing that my eyes are probably going to be bigger than my stomach! 🥞🍳☕

07/28/2026

Tonight I was wanting a Mexican soup so I made pozole verde de pollo for dinner, with tomatillos, chicken, hominy, jalapeños, poblanos, cilantro, onions, garlic, and chicken broth. I topped it with radishes, sour cream, avocado, onion, and cilantro.

07/15/2026

Wednesday July 16th at 2 pm ET, Olive Garden will open sales for Never Ending Pasta Bowl passes for $100 + tax for 13 weeks of unlimited Pasta. Last time they had the pass (6 years ago), they sold out almost instantly. For those who miss out on the pass, their Never Ending Pasta Bowl for $14.99 will be back Monday August 31, 2026.

Also, Applebee's is offering select all you can eat entrées for $15.99 for a limited time.

And, Red Lobster officially brought back Endless Shrimp for a limited time. The promotion now costs $24.99 per person (though it can vary up to $29.99 depending on your local market). This is a bump from the infamous $20 price tag that caused their financial meltdown. ​Dine-In Only: You have to eat it at the restaurant—no takeout, delivery, or doggy bags allowed.

Good luck on getting your endless promotional deals!

More restaurants are getting in on the “all you can eat” craze led ...

06/30/2026

T-mobile has Snickers Ice Cream Bars* for today's Tmobile Tuesdays, available in the T-Life app. No purchase necessary, just redeem the reward at participating 7-11 or Speedway gas stations.

*While supplies last. May not be available in all markets.

06/23/2026

I took a creamy chicken and green chile enchiladas recipe, replaced the tortillas with rice, made a few more tweaks, and created the following recipe that turned out to be a success!

​🥘 CREAMY CHICKEN AND GREEN CHILE ENCHILADA CASSEROLE 🥘

​Prep time: 30 minutes | Bake time: 1 hour 20 minutes | Rest time: 15 minutes | Yield: 6–8 generous servings

​📌 INGREDIENTS

​👉 The Base & Mix-ins:
• Chicken: 1.5 lbs chicken breast (boiled, drained, cooled, and shredded)
• Rice: 1.5 cups uncooked long-grain white rice
• Onion: 2/3 cup finely chopped onion (about half a medium onion)
• Black Beans: 1 can (15 oz), drained and rinsed
• Black Olives: 1 can (2.25 oz to 3.8 oz), sliced and drained
• Hatch Chiles: 1 can (4 oz) diced green Hatch chiles, drained well
• Mushrooms: 1/2 pint fresh mushrooms, sliced

​👉 The Liquid Binder & Cheese:
• Soup: 1.5 cans Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Condensed Soup
• Sour Cream: Approx. 1/2 can (measured in an empty soup can- about 1 cup's worth)
• Water: 1.5 cans total (divided)
• Cheese: 4.5 cups finely shredded fiesta blend cheese (divided)
• Butter: 1 tsp (for greasing the dish)

​👉 The Seasoning Blend:
• Finely ground black pepper: 2 tbsp
• Garlic salt: 1 tbsp
• Knorr chicken bouillon: 1 tbsp
• Paprika: 1 tsp
• Onion powder: 1/2 tsp
• Dried ancho chile powder: 1/2 tsp
• Mexican chili powder: 1/2 tsp

​👉 The Personalization Topping Bar:
• Shredded iceberg lettuce (about 1 cup)
• Pace Picante salsa
• Finely diced raw onion (about a quarter of an onion)
• Fresh cilantro leaves
• Sour cream
• Avocado (sliced)
• Extra shredded fiesta blend cheese

​📝 INSTRUCTIONS

​🔹 Step 1: Prep the Chicken & Veggies

​BOIL THE CHICKEN: Place your 1.5 lbs of chicken in a pot of water and boil until cooked through. Transfer to a colander to drain and cool slightly, then shred the chicken and set it aside.

​CHOP & DRAIN: Finely chop half an onion to yield about 2/3 cup. Open, drain, and rinse the black beans. Open and thoroughly drain the liquids from the sliced black olives and diced green Hatch chiles.

​🔹 Step 2: Build the Flavor Base

​Preheat your oven to 375°F (190°C).

​In a large mixing bowl, combine the shredded chicken, 2/3 cup chopped onion, rinsed black beans, drained olives, and green chiles.

​Add the 1.5 cups of uncooked rice and 1.5 cans of condensed cream of chicken soup directly to the bowl.

​Pour 1 full empty soup can's worth of water into the bowl.

​Take that same empty soup can, fill it HALF-WAY WITH WATER, and fill the rest of the remaining space with SOUR CREAM. Mix the sour cream and water together in the can until completely blended, then dump it into the bowl.

​Add the 1/2 pint of sliced mushrooms and 1.5 cups of the fiesta blend cheese.

​🔹 Step 3: Season and Mix

​Add the entire spice portfolio to the bowl: 2 tbsp black pepper, 1 tbsp garlic salt, 1 tbsp Knorr chicken bouillon, 1 tsp paprika, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp ancho chile powder, and 1/2 tsp Mexican chili powder.

​Using your fingers, thoroughly mix all the ingredients together until everything is evenly distributed and coated in the seasoned soup mixture.

​🔹 Step 4: Assemble and the Long Bake

​Take 1 tsp of butter and smear it all over the bottom and sides of a large glass rectangular casserole dish (9" x 13").

​Pour the mixture into the greased dish, and give it a firm shake so the contents settle evenly.
​Cover the dish with aluminum foil, sealing the edges AS TIGHTLY AS POSSIBLE to trap the steam.

​Place it in the oven and bake for 1 hour and 10 minutes.

​🔹 Step 5: The Cheese Crust

​Carefully remove the dish from the oven and peel back the foil.

​Evenly sprinkle the remaining 3 cups of finely shredded fiesta blend cheese across the top.
​Cover the dish back up with the aluminum foil and return to the oven for 5 minutes to melt.

​Remove the aluminum foil completely and let it bake uncovered for a final 5 minutes to let the cheese bubble.

​🔹 Step 6: Rest and Serve with Toppings

​Remove the casserole from the oven and let it sit undisturbed for 15 minutes to cool slightly and set up.

​While it cools, arrange your shredded lettuce, Pace picante, diced raw onions, cilantro, sour cream, avocado slices, and extra cheese into individual bowls on the counter.

​Serve the casserole warm, allowing everyone to personalize their plate with the toppings as they please, or enjoy it beautifully as-is!

05/02/2026

Tonight's craving was: Banana French Toast drizzled in honey and maple syrup, with a couple dollops of vanilla ice cream, and cinnamon brown sugar sprinkled all over.

What are you craving right now?