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Is he flexing in that one picture??? Maybe my eyes are seeing things. (No, it's not wishful thinking!)

@Karen, the ice cream patrons in the upper floors of Manhattan's buildings probably appreciate that he parks his truck. But yeah, the scene you described was definitely part of the charm of the ice cream man's arrival on the block. That, and seeing the kid next door drop his half-eaten ice cream bar on the ant-ridden sidewalk, pick it back up and proceed to devour it after the truck had departed the neighborhood. :)

I'm 40ish and my mom's been gone nearly half my life so I like to get out a "mom" recipe now and then to remember how good it felt to have one of her home-cooked meals. Some of her dishes remain unmatched all these years later (I'm still on the quest to replicate her potato salad, the best ever) and some dishes were probably tastier in memory than in actuality, but it always feels good to take my taste buds back in time by preparing something she used to make for me.

A nice tribute to your mom to post her recipe. :)

kjgibson, I was going to post the same website. They update their lists periodically so it's good to check back every few months and download the latest information. It's handy to have for your wallet or purse when you shop for seafood or dine out.

I just gave my husband a take-out suggestion and he said "Let's not and say we did," which my grandmother said a time or two.

"Roman noodles" for ramen noodles.

Ahhh! That picture made my day. Thanks.

Watermelon is my favorite, followed by cantaloupe and honeydew.

I grew up eating salt on watermelon, too. And...this is weird but we sometimes ate pepper on cantaloupe. I don't do that now though. Go ahead, say it: "EWWW!" :)

I've never run across green beans on a sandwich before, but now that you've brought it to my attention, I'm thinking "Why not?" I like my sandwiches loaded down with fresh stuff, so I'd give the beans a shot.

I like the reference to chopped pickles as "salsa americana."

"Matt the Knife" is a good one. Nice going!

And that would be another good topic for a butcher's blog: knives.

I prefer charcoal over gas.

I like the sound of that Weber grill, kjgibson. I had a Weber kettle grill and used a chimney, etc. I wound up "donating" the Weber to a friend (i.e. I loaned it and it was never returned before the "friend" moved out of state) so I've been sans grill for a few summers. Sans that friend, too! LOL

I didn't know about this new McDonald's sandwich. If the sandwiches are comparable to one another in taste, then for me it would come down to price, so Chick-Fil-A is the winner. I don't know how many stand-alone Chick-Fil-A franchises are out there now, complete with drive-thru, but they've built two around here and it's a good thing. Chick-Fil-A was seldom on my radar before because they're mainly relegated to the mall food courts, places I seldom go.

By the way, they serve chicken for breakfast. The chicken/egg/cheese on whole grain bagel is pretty tasty. Chicken in the a.m....why not?

'The Butcher Block'

I think it's a great idea to provide money-saving tips, Matt.

For beginners who might be doing a search and wind up at your blog, having photos of different cuts of meat would be good. Explanations of which cuts are good for braising, roasting, stir-frying, etc. would be beneficial, too. Give a demonstration (photo or video) of how to cut up a whole chicken, how to butterfly shrimp, or how to prepare a turkey for roasting, etc. It's basic stuff, sure, but a lot of people out there have to start somewhere in learning these things and it might as well be your blog.

A lot of people don't ever talk to the butcher. Instead, they go to the meat counter at the local grocery and pick up the pre-cut, pre-packaged items without really thinking much about it. So...let people know how a butcher can customize meat purchases and what a customer can ask for.

Give information on how to pick out the best and freshest products and how to look for "bad" product.

If you're inclined to do so, show the journey of how a typical steak (for example) gets from the cow in the pasture to the consumer's plate. That might be too much information for a lot of people but it's interesting to others.

Give freshness guidelines...how long you can store meat products in the fridge and in the freezer along with the best ways to prepare meat for freezing.

And recipes are always great. Show us how a butcher cooks and tell us what you think are the biggest and most common mistakes that people make in cooking different cuts.

Good luck with your blog if you pursue it!

I have a lot to learn so it was hard for me to pinpoint one thing in particular. So...based on my mood today, I would say I want to learn to make puff pastry. I read from all the experts that it is actually easy but haven't been able to bring myself to take the plunge. It is often either too humid or too warm/hot where I live and I don't currently have a lot of counter space or an island to roll up my sleeves and really spread everything out. (I'm envisioning the cat powdered with flour, twining around my legs!) I don't know who my chosen expert would be. As long as it's not Pepperidge Farm...LOL

Then again, I'd love to become a fantastic cake decorator. Have you looked at wedding cakes lately? Wow! They are works of art. It would be hard to choose one person to teach me but I do admire the cakes at Sweet Melissa's in NYC. To be a fly on the wall. Well, maybe not...potential health code violation plus untimely death at the hands of a fly swatter.