Cowtown Rodeo-NJ

When I was young my parents gave me a horse. I learned to ride, took lessons, and was always infatuated with the "country western" life-style.

 Naturally, if you have those interests what better place to go on a Saturday night than a rodeo at Cowtown. The rodeo runs from May 25-September 28th starting at 7:30 running till about 10pm. There are 7 different professional events including bull riding and steer wrestling. The food is basic carnival food, except for the Cowtown roasted peanuts!! They are a must every time we go!

Yee Hawww!!!

Yardbird Southern Table-Miami Beach, FL

When your on the road, I always look for meals that are different, something I can't cook at home, or just good ol' home cooking. Well Yardbird touches upon all three. And their description of what Southern Food is explains it to a tee...

Growing up Southern is a privilege. It runs a helluva lot deeper than just where you’re born. It’s a set of ideals passed down through generations. Sure, it’s about sweet tea and swimmin’ holes, front porches and fried chicken, magnolias and Moon Pies. But more importantly, it’s about being devoted to your roots; having a sense of place, of tradition, of family, hard work and each other. And those, my friends, should be universal ideals.

To that end, we proudly present Yardbird Southern Table & Bar. A house of worship to farm-fresh ingredients, classic Southern cooking, culture and hospitality. What we believe is a noble endeavor indeed. So stop on by, cop a seat and sample some from-scratch divinity. We’re serving up the freshest, most inventive takes on regional Southern fare seven days a week with a foot-stompin’,
soul-healin’ brunch on Saturdays and Sundays. We’ll keep a place set for you.

First let's start with the cocktails, most are made with bourbon, moonshine, or some kind of whisky! I went for the moonshine with watermelon.

With so many things I wanted to try it was hard to pick...we started with the housemade ricotta served up with strawberries and baby pickled radish. Yummy! 

Then we shared the heirloom tomato salad with watermelon and farmers cheese that was seared! Nice and lite!

For my main dish I had the fresh fish of the day which was triggerfish. Great dish-nice and light!

Hanson's Shoe Repair-Orlando, FL

Hanson's Shoe Repair Shop...if your shoes have lost their spirit or are prohibiting you from walking properly then listen carefully....please speak easily into the phone to schedule a time to drop off your shoes...let us know how many and a time and we will let you know shortly if we can accommodate your request....

If you haven't caught on to my drift yet, you are missing out on the newest speakeasy in downtown Orlando. Hanson's Shoe Repair is hidden on the 3rd floor of NV Art Bar. You must call and schedule a time with how many shoes you will be dropping off (code for people). Once you receive your code word you must wait to give the password to the private entrance to enjoy the intimate space decked out in 1920's decor. It doesn't stop there, drinks are pretty accurate to the time there also, so don't ask for a jager bomb! My recommendation is to go early, enjoy the space before it gets to crowded. Hanson's can't hold much more than 30 people. The bartenders are great. We had Marvin and he gave very good recommendations.

My shoes might just need to be repaired more often! 

Grilled Banana

Yes-you read that correct, grilled banana. Are you looking for a easy dessert that will impress, search no further. Grab those bananas sitting on your counter and throw them on the grill still in the peel.

Cook each side till is starts to get soft, but not mushy. Pull it off the grill, cut it open and add honey, whip cream, and cinnamon. Now chow down! Awesome right?

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream-Ohio

I wasn't sure what to expect for Ohio, but great ice cream was not on my list of places to look into. When talking to many locals, they kept suggesting to go to Jeni's for ice cream. I'm thinking, really, its ice cream, what could be that exciting about it. Totally wrong! Try out- Cloverton (they use the cream from cows from a local farm that are grass fed) or Queen City Cayenne (Spicy ice cream!!) They have ice creams that are limited edition so it keeps the menu fresh like-absinthe & meringues or olive oil, saffron, orange & carmel!

I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream that tasted like this!!!

Rise n 1-Dallas, Texas

I LOVE French food! I wasn't sure what I was getting myself into with this French place in Dallas, Texas, but the reviews were through the roof. Rise number 1 specializes in the soufflé. Let's start with my first course-the marshmallow soup. Amazing-a carrot based soup with mini cheese soufflé in the soup and then they pour a pesto on top.

For my dinner I picked the crab soufflé-a special for the evening. This just melted in my mouth. It was perfect because I didn't feel stuffed after I ate the whole thing. It was like the airiest crab cake that I ever had!

I would recommend this place to anyone looking for great French food. It was fresh and the place was very welcoming! Au revoir!

Organic Powdered Peanut Butter

Yes, you read that correct- I just tried Just Great Stuff Organic Powdered Peanut Butter! OMG! What a wonderful idea!!!!!

You make what you want and one less jar to have in the refrigerator. Half the amount of fat compared to regular peanut better and no oils!!!! Love!! Its perfect for traveling, just take the powder and no need to worry about keeping it cold once opened. So I put it to the taste test- 2 tablespoons of powder to 1 tablespoon of water.

 

Above you can see in the first photo, my water-powder mix and second photo is what the powder in the jar looks like. Get to mixing now!!

So I dipped my fuji apples into my peanut butter and it tasted just like any peanut butter I've ever had and maybe better because I knew I was taking in half the calories and not compromising on the taste!! The name says it all- It's Just Great Stuff!!