Category Archives: We Can Do It Better
Recipe Time! Francakes (French Toast Pancakes)
Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It gets your body going and gives you energy to get your day started. During the week breakfast is usually cereal, toast, oatmeal, a bagel, or a smoothie. But come the weekend, breakfast gets to be a bit fancier. On Sundays Erik and I usually make either French toast or pancakes for breakfast (okay, and also occasionally crepes or waffles, but they’re not relevant to this post). One day we had the genius idea – what would happen if we combined them in to one mega-breakfast food? And thus, Francakes were born. A wonderful combination of French toast and pancakes. Light and fluffy like a pancake, yet cinnamon-y like French toast. The best part is if you know how to make French toast (which you should), and how to make pancakes, you can most certainly easily make Francakes.
Follow me to learn how.
We Can Do It Better: Chicken Nachos
Confession time: late night half-price appetizers at Applebee’s are a bit of a guilty pleasure for us. Well, maybe not so much a pleasure…it’s something we’re guilty of doing sometimes when it’s starting to get late and we haven’t made dinner yet. We usually get nachos to share and then our own things. In case you hadn’t noticed by now, Erik and I don’t eat beef, so instead of the Chili Cheese Nachos we get the Nachos Nuevos (which are chicken nachos), that used to be their own menu item but aren’t anymore so you have to ask for them special.
In general they’re pretty good. But they can also be rather hit or miss. Sometimes there’s hardly any chicken, sometimes the cheese is barely melted. Worst of all, one time there was literally piles of salt on the chips. The result is that we usually end up regretting our decision, since it results in being thirsty and bloated the rest of the night. Finally we decided that we could do this better on our own. And we did.
We Can Do It Better: Taco Bell Quesarito Recipe
Another few months, another new Taco Bell featured item… son of a bitch. Anyone who’s read our past WCDIB posts knows I used to be a raging Taco Bell junkie, but stopped eating it years ago when I switched to a healthier diet. Whereas I’d jump in my car and race to the nearest Taco Bell upon seeing an ad for something new, now I simply bow my head and shed a single tear. Fortunately though, since starting Poor Couples Food Guide, Meg and I have started recreating popular franchise foods as a hobby of sorts. Not only does it make it easier to bear the temptation, but making your own versions at home is rewarding since you can actually improve upon the source material.
That brings me to Taco Bell’s newest item. Want to know how to make your own Quesarito at home?
How To Dye Easter Eggs Naturally
Easter is supposed to be a time of rebirth and rejuvenation. It’s also a time of year when people dole out copious amounts of chocolate and sugar to kids to celebrate a carpenter coming back from the dead 2000 years ago. I don’t see the connection. Nonetheless, Easter is a pleasant holiday and important day for both Christians and worshipers of the Easter Bunny. Perhaps the most common tradition is dyeing eggs. Most people do so using the preset color kits you buy from the grocery store which range from simple color tabs that cost a handful of pocket change, to elaborate setups involving paintbrushes, stickers, foil and other craft standbys. Most if not all of these kits use artificial dyes that are effective, but are made in gigantic factories from chemical compounds and broken dreams. Hell, red dyes are barely existent nowadays on account of the fact they just straight up caused cancer. Never fear however, as there are certainly natural alternatives to cancer eggs! And by alternative I mean the way people dyed eggs for centuries until being replaced with harsh dyes.
Made with local, farm-fresh eggs. Organic god-tier status achieved.
We Can do it Better: Taco Bell Chicken Flatbread Sandwich
Erik has already admitted to being a recovering Taco Bell addict. The thing that makes this journey the hardest, and most temps relapse are their cheap chicken flatbreads. The one he specifically misses the most is the chipotle chicken flatbread. The chipotle chicken flatbread sandwiches were originally released in the summer of 2011 for a limited time, and have occasionally been re-released for limited runs since then. The sandwiches were made on square flatbreads with marinated grilled chicken, cheddar, pepper jack and mozzarella cheeses, and a chipotle sauce. A simple, but delicious concoction.
This is a picture of the Taco Bell version, if you couldn’t tell.
Luckily for Erik, and you dear reader, it’s absurdly easy to make your own Taco Bell chicken flatbread sandwiches at home.
The Poor Couple's Food Guide 
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