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!!

La Colombe Coffee

So I have been on a coffee kick recently. Trying all different kinds and trying to work my magic with the french press. My boss recommended to me that I try La Colombe in Philadelphia,PA.

This shop doesn't have a menu when you walk in and the line moves quickly with "regular" customers. They specialize in drip coffee and esspresso. You really can't go wrong with anything you chose. I had a latte with dark chocolate that was unsweetened. It was so smooth. Makes me want more just thinking about it. 

Noosa Yoghurt

Being in Whole Foods Market all the time I see tons of products I always want to try! I've been eyeing up this yoghurt for some time and finally caved in to trying it! I wanted to know what the hype was about Noosa Yoghurt!

A little back story on this yoghurt-they are originally from Australia and now the makers live in Colorado. This yoghurt is super creamy-I've never tasted anything like it. Recently, I pretty much gave up on "regular" yogurt and switched to greek. This was defiantly a treat-almost like a pudding.

This yoghurt is 2 servings so I tried to mix up the fruit and scoop out what I was eating for one serving. I rather have a one serving size cup, but I could have ate the whole thing myself it was so tasty. If your looking for something new, give Noosa a try!

Distrito-Modern Mexican

Last week I checked off another eatery on my long list of places to try at-Distrito in the University City area in Philadelphia, Pa. This restaurant is another great one in the Garces Restaurant Group-an Iron Chef winner!

My mom and I enjoyed lunch there because we read online about a great lunch deal-$15 for your drink, and 2 courses. We decided this would be great for us to pick 4 different things to share. For our first course we got the traditional guacamole with cojita cheese and chilango chop salad. And they give you free chips and salsa when you first get seated.

So our first courses were awesome. Now lets get to the second dishes- Mahi Mahi Tacos and Huarche de Hongos. The fish tacos were small, but delicious. The second dish (I'm not going to pretend I know how to say it properly) was kind of like a flatbread with cheese and mushrooms-awesome. It's much more complex and tastes great!!!

Adding to the food is the atmosphere-which to me just makes this place over the top. Its bright pink inside and has some really fun seating options. If you love Mexican food I highly recommend this place. Next time I will be trying some of their margaritas!!

Coffee EVI- Tampa, FL

If you know anything about me I'm all about supporting the small and local business, thus along my travels I try to find places that are not chain restaurants. Well I've just found a small gem in Tampa, Florida, Coffee Evi. It's a husband and wife team that serve coffee from a local company from St. Petersburg, FL and offer great milk alternatives like almond milk!!! That's a big win in my book! You can't even get almond milk at Starbucks!! Their ice coffee's ice cubes are frozen coffee cubes so it does get watered down! Smart! I opted for a egg and cheese baguette this morning and an iced carmel macchiatto with almond milk! Yum!

If your wondering what Evi stands for like I was-it means house in Turkish. The husband is American and his wife, Turkish. Bring together American and an European feel to the actual "Coffee House. " Overall, I was really impressed and when my travel allows, I will be back again! Until next time...

Self-Definition

It has been some time since I sat down to post on my blog. First, I thought it was some sort of "funk" then I decided it was a nice break because it was becoming to much of a chore instead of something I wanted to do as part of my daily routine. In the time of my absence I have traveled around Europe, the state of Florida, Freeport, Maine, and made a decision to move.

I started reading a book called The Happiness Project and within the first chapter, I realized I think this past year has been a test on myself to find my own happiness.

Happiness = Growth

Within this last year I have really grown. I've always been independent and have been able to live on my own, but this year I tested myself. I was given a great opportunity to work in Florida and I had to accept that. 

I've discovered a relationship between happiness and ambition.

With that ambition I want to take on more and with happiness playing a role within that I am moving back up North. On that note, while I have been in Florida, I have been able to focus on myself. I've learned to Be Leann and live by my own commandments. You can not let anyone change who you are. If they can not accept that, they do not deserve to be in your life.

That being said, I'm looking toward the future with great optimism. I have goals set in place to keep myself in check along with eating and making great foods and traveling to wonderful places.

Thanks to everyone who has played a role in supporting me along my way, big or small, it all counts. 

I took this photo in Warsaw, Poland-The guide told me this mural is supposed to show that even though we are all different we can all live together in harmony.