Sweet Carolinas!

Our long weekend in North Carolina produced a wellspring of tasty dishes coupled with heady drinks. We mixed in lots of good conversation with great pals and overall had a splendid time. Just thinking about it inspires the overindulgence of multiple adjectives.

I will be posting several restaurant reviews; all but one are good. Unfortunately, I'm not as camera happy as I should have been, so I failed to take pictures of the delightful dishes we cooked up at the cabin. What a pity! We had Chicken Chili with cheese, Greek yogurt and (a new favorite addition) Fritos on Thursday. Friday evening we chowed down on Merlot Apple Chicken and Rice - in the slow cooker: chicken thighs, merlot, pinot, apples, olives, red onions, oregano and basil.

The trip was what a vacation should be; no itinerary, no stress. The best of God's creations, baby; Mountains & Food.

Hug 'em if ya got 'em!

Happy Eating!

Engage Thrusters!

Surreal - adj. - having the disorienting, hallucinatory quality of a dream; unreal; fantastic

This is how I would define the event that took place on our otherwise mundane drive home from our Portuguese meeting. Tell me; what do you see?

If you said "Bright lights and a UTO (unidentified towed object)!" I would say, "Exactamente!" If you said "Butterflies and candy canes!" I would suggest you call your shrink first thing tomorrow.

Back to the awesomeness that is a FIGHTER JET in the middle of Roosevelt Blvd. It appeared to be out of commission, but was an incredible sight nonetheless. It left the base and continued about a mile down the highway; the wingspan covering all three lanes! Check out the picture and live video footage below...

(My apologies for the poor quality. My camera does NOT take good video!)

Painting the Park

How does this sound?

A pro-photographer friend says, "Wanna gather some pals, buy some paint and throw it at each other?"

I say, "Heck yes!" Ordered organic paint - can't harm the animals and earth at the park - called up my sisters, told them to keep a tight lip and planned an anniversary gift for my Mom & Step-Dad.

We walked, jumped, hurled (paint, that is) and laughed until we could barely move. Scrubbing the paint out of my 10 year old sister's hair was fun too. We could leave no evidence of the event as it was a surprise.

The present was a hit! To top it off, we bought them a photoshoot of their own from my gal-pal-picture-taker.

Check out more of her work at

VargasVisual.com!

The Muffin Momma

Our service group was graced with a delightful treat this past Tuesday. My Mom, Amber - or should I say the "Momma" of Momma's Muffins & More - presented us with a magnificent spread of muffins, large and small. Three sweet and one savory: Apple Streusel, Cranberry, Maple Nut (I named these "Sunday Morning" muffins because they taste like the perfect Sunday breakfast) & Bell Pepper Biscuits.

The mini-muffins were great for those of us with choice paralysis.

Chicken & Cranberry Salad on Homemade Oatmeal & Molasses Bread,

served with toppings and pasta salad. Yum!

Menu and a modest tip jar; good ingredients are expensive!

Can't forget the coffee!

Great food + great friends = The Perfect Lunch

Thanks again, Momma!

P.S. Take a looksie at Momma's Menu. I dare you not to drool!

Happy Eating!

Gibberish!

My second trip to Gibbs on Riverside Ave brought as much joy and satisfaction as the first. To begin, the staff is unbelievably nice and accommodating. The food is prepared at the speed of light and the sandwiches are generously packed with meat and veggies. All in all, you definitely get what you pay for.

The first trip - no pictures, sorry - was a delicious experience with "Chicken Parmesan" served piping hot on a flaky white bread that was heavenly. The second rendezvous was with the "Broadway" - oven roasted turkey, seasoned fillet of roast beef & melted provolone - can I get a YUM? My stepmom had the "Chicken Salad" and was equally pleased.

Pork Chop's Opinion:

I read in one review on urbanspoon.com that it had "religious paraphernalia". The napkin holders have quotes by a score of different people - all of them upbuilding, feel-good thoughts - but above the drink station is an 8 x 10 frame with a few Bible verses. Hardly religious paraphernalia.

I apologize for the mediocre pictures, but my camera was on hiatus.

I love the 3 wheelin' delivery bike!

Broadway

Chicken Salad

Not to be redundant, but I cannot express in words the perfect flakiness of the bread. One must experience it for oneself.

Verification

It's me! Seriously! Urbanspoon Rocks!!

And now I'm legit.

Thanks Greg!