What is your favorite CHEEBURGER ?

CHEEBURGER CHEEBURGER is a casual 50s era restaurant that serves cheese burgers, fires, rings, salads, and shakes. They are located mostly in the eastern United States. What draws people in are the Cheeburgers which come in 5 sizes. You can find them online at www.CheeburgerCheeburger.com (note the spelling is correct. there is no letter "S" in their name.)

If you haven't tried a CHEEBURGER yet, you are missing out on a really great burger and restaurant. The atmosphere is casual and retro. Think 50s era decor. The Cheeburger is cooked to order and served to order in five various sizes. The smallest is 1/4 pound, 1/3 pound, 1/2 pound, 2/3 pound and the 1-pound Cheeburger. The best part is you can put an almost limitless combination of toppings on your Cheeburger.

So, for those of you who have eaten a Cheeburger, we want to know... What is YOUR favorite Cheeburger topping combination?

My favorite is currently a semi-serious 1/3 pound medium well topped with provolone cheese, peanut butter, bacon lettuce and tomato. It tastes quite good and is one of the more unusual combinations. (In fact, I was the first to order peanut butter on a Cheeburger at my local restaurant in Rochester New York. They came out to watch me eat it and ask questions.)

I sometimes like American BLT with onion rings, relish or pickles, and honey mustard. Others I have tried are Provolone Cole Slaw, Tomato Mayonaisse, and Honey Mustard.

So, post your comment with your flavorful Cheeburgers. Tell us what location (city & state)

And the photo:
I FINALLY ate The Cheeburger, a one-pound* mega-burger to get put on the wall. I had to do it before i started my diet so I picked the day before and ate nothing that day until we went to the restaurant. I ordered mine with peanut butter, bacon, American cheese, cole slaw, tomato, and onion rings. It comes topped with 2 olives. I took my time and finished it. The uncooked weight was 20 ounces but it cooked down to one pound of burger. That is the only time I plan to eat one. ;-)

Going Green in our apartment

Over the past few months my wife and i have made small changes to make our apartment and home life greener, as in better for the environment, our expenses and our life, We watched many shows on HGTV, Discovery, TLC, History and others to get ideas on what we could change and do for ourselves. Since we do not have a lot of money, we had to make these changes over time but we are now seeing the results of our efforts. Our electric bill is down 20%, our trash is down to one third of what it was a year ago, and we have not suffered in our comfort level or undue work to make these changes.

Here is what we did, the cost, and the effects it has:


• Changed to compact fluorescent bulbs - total of 15 bulbs = $52. electric savings $10 a month = $120 for the year. $120 * 7 years = $840 - 52 (price of bulbs) = 788 net savings.


• I bought a KVM switch for 4 computers. (Keyboard, Video, Mouse) to allow one monitor, keyboard and mouse to be shared with 4 computers. Cost of KVM $60. Now I use 3 less CRT monitors and save on electricity and desk space. Electric savings = $8.00 a month = $96 for a year. $96-60=$36 net savings forst year and $96 each year after. When I buy an LCD monitor, the savings will increase as LCD monitors use LESS energy than CRT monitors.


• Using recycle bins. Waste Management company in our area (Rochester NY) collects more than just the "#2 or #5" plastics. They will pick up all hard plastic (no bags or wraps), glass, metal, cardboard, paper, and newspaper. No styrofoam products. We used to throw much of this away since we were told by the community office that they only took #2 and #5 plastics. When i asked the recycling collector, he told me the list I gave above. They are glad to see people recycle and are quite friendly. Maybe it is job security but the bigger picture is a sustainable planet environment. Anyway, we use our in-sink disposal to grind food scraps that the dogs don't get to eat, so only true "garbage" goes into the trash bin. We also bought a second trash can to put bags in and toss our cans & bottles into for deposit returns. fast and easy to do.


• Installed a programmable thermostat to manage indoor climate. Our community maintenance was willing to install this for free but it is easy to do yourself. This saves money on energy bills by maintaining a constant temperature range. We went with a 7-day model for $60 but there are cheaper models with fewer features as low as $30 at many hardware/home improvement stores. The basics of saving energy use here is that you set up a schedule for the week, weekend and vacation days. Once the schedule is set, the thermostat automatically keeps the home at the set range. So when you are home, you set it to "living" temps and when you are not home (work period, vacation) you can set it higher or lower (wider range) since humans are not home to feel the temperature. Pets do not seem to mind an extra 5-10 degree range increase and you will save a little more on your energy use. Since we just installed ours today, I have yet to see the actual savings for us, but I have heard other people report they saved 5-10%. As long as i see the $60 I spent for the thermostat in energy savings, I will be happy.


• Along with the new thermostat, we use fans to move air around the room for cooling. This doesn't use much energy and allows you to set the cool side about 5 degrees warmer while maintaining the same comfort level.
  
  
• Running our dishwasher and laundry washer with only full loads saves us on water (yes, our apartments charge for water use and sewer.) and on electricity. We give our meal plates to the "pre-washers" when we are done with a meal and then rinse the plate/bowl. When we have enough to fill the dishwasher, we run it overnight. We also use the air-dry setting (no heat) to save on energy. Doing laundry in the evening to late-night also reduced the price of the energy we use because it is off-peak use.
  


• We tried filling a half-gallon milk jug with water and out it in the toilet tank to save a half-gallon per flush, but since some things took 3 or 4 extra flushes to get the waste down, we took it out. It was using more water and less power per flush. This is a good method to try for a month and see if it makes a difference in your water and sewer use. Try a smaller bottle, like a 1-liter or 20oz bottle. Every little bit helps.
  
  
• Replace your standard shower head with a newer unit. Standard shower heads use more water and they are usually the basic unit in most apartments and homes (and motels). By replacing it with a newer model, you will use less water. Don't worry about loss of water pressure. By restricting water flow, they actually increase the pressure for times you want to use it. We bought and installed a hand-held model with 5 settings, including low-pressure, high-pressure, free-flow, turbo-massage, and rainfall. We use rainfall as a temporary "off" while washing because it lowers water use until you need it to rinse.
  

That is all we have done so far but we encourage our neighbors and friends to try some of these changes and see for themselves how easy and inexpensive it is to live life a little greener. Please feel free to provide comments or suggestions. You can find more ideas at the following TV network sites: HGTV.com, Discovery.com (Disc, TLC, PlanetGreen), DIYnetwork.com, RochesterHomepage.net, and more.

Live a greener life!

Abbott's Frozen Custard used My Idea! :-D

Well, it seems Abbott's Frozen Custard decided to use my idea after all! If you have seen the new Abbott's treat - Frozen Cannolis, give them a try. Although they decided to go with an ice cream filling flavored as vanilla or chocolate instead of my suggested cannoli cream, but hey, they liked it enough to use it! Here is my original email to them . . .

Subject: Flavorful new idea from a customer

To:info@abbottscustard.com
Tuesday, February 27, 2007 2:12:55 AM

Dear Abbott's,
I am a long-time customer of your brand of frozen treats (over 30 years now). My craving for frozen custard is second to my love of cannolis. So, I would like to suggest a new flavor and spin on it.
Although i do not know how you make the rich flavors in your custard, but if you could make a cannoli cream custard, perhaps like the flavor from Wegman's, Salvatore's or Guido's Pasts Villa's cannolis.

As for the cone part, it would be a good match to have the cone made out of cannoli crust to give the flavor combo the perfect lend.

Why make cannoli custard? Abbott's started in Rochester, where cannolis are found on many restaurant menus, and in many bakeries, and grocery stores. They are as much a part of Rochester as Abbott's, Wegman's, Xerox and Kodak. I think the "Cannolli Cone" would be a great seller. Perhaps you could try a test batch as an event like Harborfest or July 4th week and see what the public thinks. I know there is research and focus group testing and marketing but maybe you could start with a customer poll at all Abbott's locations in Rochester as a less costly method to track public opinion then go from there.

My experience is in multimedia including working for news, production and promotions for television and radio stations in cities that rank in the top 25 population centers (Tampa, Orlando) before moving back home to Rochester (which ranks 74th). I also have my own promotions and production business and would be willing to run tasting events around Rochester to help introduce the new flavor.

I am not interested in your decision to use me or my services for any part of this. I am more serious about the Cannoli Cone frozen treat you could do well with in this wonderful city we all call home. I would like to hear your comments (positive or not) and any feedback you can provide on my suggestion and your implementing it. I can be reached using the contact info below my signature line.

Tank you for taking your time to read my suggestion and consider it for action Have a prosperous and happy year.

Sincerely,
Ron Durbin
Abbott's customer
. . .
Ron Durbin
rondurbin_us#yahoo.com

Amy's Passing :-(

For 13 years Amy, my lifetime companion and much-loved dog, has been by my side. She passed away on May 24th. She lived a good life as we spoiled her often & a lot. Her favorite toys were balls of any kind & size, and tug toys. She loved to lay outside, unless she had a big ball to play with. She spent a lot of time evaluating the firmness and sleep-quality of the furniture and her dog beds. The only period of time where she ever did not feel well was the last 5 days of her life.

On the 19th, Amy stopped walking on her own and lost bladder control, and a few days later she stopped eating, then Tuesday night she stopped drinking. We knew then that she was leaving us soon. The morning of her passing we spent outside with her in the sunshine for a few hours and then we went inside and cuddled her and gave her "baby time" for another hour while laying next to her.

We went to the vet arond 2:30p and the vet told us that with her size, age, discomfort, and that she stopped eating and drinking, that Amy was going to pass away soon. The vet also noticed the drooping in her eye and the loss of control in her mouth and said Amy may have had a tumor in her brain. We decided that Amy should not have to live in pain and discomfort just so we could have her longer, so we agreed to euthanize her. We spent an hour in the office cuddling Amy before we called the vet back in. The vet could not get an IV in because Amy's dehydration and low blood pressure had closed up her veins too much, so the vet had to give Amy an injection. As I cradled Amy's head in my hands and Lorrie hugged her, Amy relaxed and passed away. Immediately afterward, the vet said "I am starting the injection now." So, we ended up paying for the reassurance that Amy passed away peacefully with Lorrie and I holding her.

We know Amy will be around us in spirit and maybe even come back to us reincarnated. For now, she is waiting at the Rainbow Bridge. We Love You Amy.

See Amy's memorial at http://nightstyles.net/dogs/amy.html

PS- We recommend Greece Animal Clinic on Latta Rd West of Long Pond Rd for vet care. They were excellent, professional, and compassionate. Most of all they were fair and honest about Amy's situation and what they felt would be the best for her, but they let us make the decisions in our own time. You can find the like I did using Yahoo Local in "Rochester NY 14612."