NO MORE CHICKEN NUGGETS!

In fact, no more chicken patties, chicken "fries" or any other over processed chicken product. Not for me or anyone I love. Why, you ask? Enter..."mechanically-separated chicken".

Mechanical separation of meat is a process developed to pick every bit of usable "meat" from the carcasses of the birds. This includes everything from brains to eyeballs. They squish everything but bones through a fine mesh screen, filling it with nasty bacteria. To kill the bacteria they have to soak the "meat" in AMMONIA. Then they have to change the ghastly color and add 
flavorings because of course it has 
to taste absolutely disgusting. 




WANT A CLOSE UP?
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Here's what Wikipedia has to say about it-


The practice of mechanically harvesting meat that would otherwise be unusable dates back to the 1950s, when mechanical hand tools were developed to help remove these scraps and minimize waste. By the 1960s, machines were developed that did this more efficiently and automatically. This allowed companies to use these less expensive raw materials and, in turn, offer these products to the public for a lower price. During the 70s these techniques were slowly starting to be more in common in other parts of the world as well. Not only poultry slaughterhouses have been applying these techniques, also newcomers entered the market as they saw the enormous possibility that lay before them, concerning the transformation of low-valued poultry items into good quality raw materials for further processing. In Europe, Polskamp Meat Industry is seen as one of the pioneers in this type of industry and current market leader. Their success lies in the fact that they were one of the first companies able to provide added value to items that otherwise would have been considered as waste to poultry slaughterhouses. Furthermore, mechanically separated meat from Europe can be seen as a product with a rich history in terms of export. Because of their relatively low value combined with high quality and high European standards, it has always been a product perfectly suitable for export to other parts of the world. Especially Eastern European countries are known for their import of frozen chicken MSM. 

DIY-Flavored Coffee Syrups

Adding my "tsp" of vanilla...such precise measurements.

We have an espresso machine so we know first hand how expensive the flavored syrups can be. A small bottle costs over three dollars and you get about  12 oz...

Well, mine costs about fifty cents for that much. Put 2 cups of water and one cup of sugar in a saucepan and boil, stirring often until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat and add a tsp. of vanilla or other extract. I also use those tiny candy flavorings, but you'll only need a few drops of those...start with a little and taste.
Store in an airtight container for up to two weeks.

Hotdogs with steamed buns...

 If you've never had a hotdog in a steamed bun, you're missing out. If you have you know it's the only way to go.. I have a super simple strategy that has made hotdogs fashionable again in this house.

And just in case you are wondering, they are all angus beef dogs with NO mechanically separated "meat".

After my hotdogs are done, while the burner is still on, I put a metal baking rack on top, then put the buns on the rack and add water to create to steam. So easy!