I’ve told you before my friends. My mom and dad have lost it. Totally. This past weekend was one of “those” adventures – snorts. They were looking for some adventure and wanted to try a place they had never been to before. So they took off in Albert, mom’s little Smart car, and hit the highway. Almost sounds like a song huh – snorts.
They ended up at this place called Mellow Mushroom – it’s a pizza joint which was right up dad’s alley. He ❤ pizza. Mom was somewhat reluctant. First off because they sat right beside exhibit A to the left. Pardon me while I say this but does that ‘mushroom’ look psychedelic? It was kind of disturbing in a weird sense of direction. Mom couldn’t take her eyes off of it. There was just something about it that was just plain weird.
That’s when mom got up to take a closer look at the psychedelic mushroom.
It’s not all its cracked up to be – double snorts. You get it – cracked up. It really is around the head area. What kind of restaurant is this place? Mom shook her head, snapped a couple of pictures and sat down preparing herself for a psychedelic adventure.
P.S. If you are ever out and about and see some crazy lady taking pictures at a restaurant, just call her mom. That will probably be my crazy mom – she takes pictures of *everything* as you will soon see in this post.
Shakes piggy head. At least it’s not all about me now.
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Mom has been on this DIEt thing lately. It’s going okay. As she says, it’s all about choices. So today she choose a Greek salad to start her meal.
Exhibit B to the left here. She says if she starts with a good salad, it fills her so she doesn’t eat too much of a bad thing.
Which is good – I guess if you are living a DIEt kind of life. Mom did say that this salad was delicious! It had everything she loves – lettuce, mushrooms (which didn’t look scary like exhibit A), olives, peppers and feta cheese.
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Dad on the other hoof, went with a cheese covered pretzel. See exhibit C here to the right. Not only was it delicious and cheesy, they served it with a beer cheese dipping sauce. It must have been great because daddy licked the cheese sauce dry and there were no crumbs left from the pretzel.
Which is good because mommy kept watching him waiting for something to drop. So much for eating a nice decent sensible salad huh?
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Now came the main course. Mom and dad can never agree upon toppings for their pizza. There solution is to always get a pie 1/2 and 1/2. That way mom can have what she wants and dad can have what he wants. May I present to you exhibit D to the left. Drum roll – tongue hanging out – deliciousness.
Mom got the top side. She ❤ white pizza with cheese, garlic and tomatoes – what’s not to love right?
Dad on the other hoof got the bottom side. He gets the works… something this little piggy can’t discuss and think about. But it looks good. Of course a lot of pizza made it’s way home for lunch the next day.
You have to admit though, mom had hesitation at first with seeing the psychedelic mushroom – or maybe it was because of the psychedelic mushroom – the food was delicious!
Welcome my friends to a new year of adventure and great food!
July we are highlighting great sandwiches of any kind. In the summer months, it is way too hot to bake or cook on the oven. For that reason, we are doing sandwiches that require little to no cooking.
For this month, I’m letting my mom take it away
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What you will need: Dinner rolls (we got the new Sara Lee Artesano which comes 12 rolls to the package for $3.69 – you will need six rolls); Ham of your choice (you could use any kind of deli meat – this is our favorite – don’t tell Bacon. The package costs $4.07, you will need a third of it); and shredded cheese (a block of cheese cost us $1.99 – use whatever type. We use medium cheddar and about a quarter of the block). Total price $3.71
How to prepare: Turn your over on just long enough to get a little hot. Cut the tops off of he dinner rolls trying to keep them all together. Put the shredded cheddar cheese on the bottom dinner rolls. Then top with slices of ham and more shredded cheddar cheese. Place the top back on the dinner rolls and put on a baking sheet. Put in the oven just long enough to get the cheese to melt. Take out and cut into little sliders for dinner. Trust me, they go FAST!
This month we are highlighting easy dinner ideas for the summer months. Summer months are way too hot to be cooking in the kitchen making the house even hotter.
During these months, mom likes to go for ‘light’ foods that really don’t require a lot of cooking. When mom/dad went to Chicago in May, my Aunt Tina got this salad in the picture below at Richard Walker’s Pancake House. Mom was so amazed about the beauty of it and knew that she could do the same when she got home and she did! So although this picture is not one of hers, she replicated it perfectly and has many times in the past couple of weeks. It’s very feeling and I know that first hoof because mom has fixed me some too. I’m a lucky pig, right? So without further ado, mom will give you the breakdown below. Enjoy my friends… I know I do!
Grilled or shredded chicken. I buy a rotisserie chicken at our local Sam’s Warehouse on Sundays. It costs $5.00 and I break it up into three different meals for two people each. Part of the shredded chicken goes into this this salad. Breaking it into three different meals makes it cost $1.67 for two people on this salad.
A head of lettuce costs $0.99 and again breaks it up into three different meals. That makes this part $0.33 for two people on this salad.
Shredded cheese. I buy medium block cheese and got a block on special for $0.99 a block. It’s really hard to ‘cost’ how much it would be for this salad. I use it on a lot of different things and shred some for this salad. I’m going to assume I cut the cheese block up into four sections. With that being said, this part in the salad would be $0.25 for two people.
Boiled egg. A dozen eggs cost me $1.29. If I know we will be doing several salads in the week, I will go ahead and boil 6 of them at a time. That way I’m ahead of the game. Two eggs (for two people) for this salad cost $0.11,
Avocado. I love slice avocado but the hub doesn’t. I buy one avocado and split it into two meals. Avocados were on sale for $1.00 so the salad part is $0.50.
Tomatoes. I bought six medium sized Roma tomatoes at the market for $1.39 – that’s $0.24 per tomato and we use one per meal for two people.
Broccoli – a head of broccoli was $1.59. Again, we break it up into many different snacks/meals. It probably ranged $0.40 per meal for two people.
Dressing for the salad – the hub uses 1000 Island and I use Italian. We pay $1.50 per bottle and it breaks down to about $0.25 per salad for two people.
Now the fun part – putting the salad together. The only thing I didn’t put in the salad was shredded carrots. Jim is not a huge fan so we left them out. To build the ‘salad’, we put shredded lettuce on the bottom. And when you do this, I make sure all of it is ‘bite sized’. I hate it when you order a salad in a restaurant and you have to use a knife to cut it up because everything is cut too big. Don’t you? After the lettuce, I then place the items above on top like the picture. I add the salad dressing and then toss to get everything coated with the dressing. Then it’s time to jump into that delicious salad and enjoy. Final cost $3.64 for two people.
Today is National Pretzel Day – what a way to celebrate pretzels of all shapes and sizes. How do you like your pretzels? Straight, twisted, hard, soft, thick or thin? Then think of all the different flavors you can get – cinnamon, raisin, salted, sesame, chocolate, jalapeno, bacon wrapped, stuffed with peanut butter, sour dough – served with mustard or cheese? AND let’s not forget about pretzel wrapped hot dogs – mmm. Do you eat them straight out of the bag or do you prepare your own and bake them in the oven?
Pretzels are believed to be the world’s oldest snack and date back as far as 610 AD in Southern France. Monks baked thin strips of dough into the shape of a child’s arms folded in prayer. Add a little salt, and Voila! …the pretzel industry was born.
Pretzels also symbolize good fortune, bringing prosperity and spiritual wholeness with every bite. Wedding couples fell into the practice of breaking a pretzel, much like one might break a wishbone on Thanksgiving. The person with the larger piece was assured domestic happiness. The pretzel, over time, came to symbolize the “tying of the marriage knot.”
Let me start by saying that this posting has LOTS of food in it with pictures. You know my mom and dad – they are professional eaters. They get into trouble every possible way. They called a field trip this past weekend. There is a restaurant about 30 minutes away called The Vortex Bar and Grill in an area called Little Five Points. They say it’s awesome. First off, it’s a bar and most of the workers have tattoos and no one under the age of 18 can come into the restaurant. I guess that leaves me out since I’m just over two – snorts.
This is daddy posing outside of the entrance to the location. I know I’ve talked about this restaurant before but I’m not sure if I’ve posted pictures of the awesome food – which mom and dad say is awesome…. shuffles hooves… I wouldn’t know because someone didn’t bring me home a piggy bag.
Like I was saying, the front of the building near the entrance has the huge skull that you walk through. Scary looking huh? You can see the name of the restaurant on the side to the right of dad’s head. NOTE: Someone told mommy that it looks like daddy has rabbit ears over his head from the jaw line of the skull. Snorts – I think it does too. You?
The day that mom/dad went, there was no line. Usually the line is out the door. Inside of the location, it’s dark and cozy. Mom and dad say the inside is rather small so the tables are tight. You make friends really quick – snorts.
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They started off with a Mighty Meaty Chili. This is how the menu describes the chili – menu wording not mine – just remember that :
“Made with ground sirloin, chipotle & habanero peppers and a secret combination of seasonings but no beans ’cause it’s MEATY. It’s definitely got some heat to it so please don’t order if you’re a big pussy”
Yep, that’s what it says. The picture to the left is of the cornbread that comes with the chili. Daddy says you really needed that because the chili was H.H.O.O.T.T. Thank goodness mom and dad split a bowl – snorts.
Mom and dad followed the spicy chili up with an appetizer of Cheddar Balls O’Glory. That’s what I’m talking about – cheese balls. Licks piggy lips. And of course, I’m going to tell you the wording off the menu… why? Because it’s so interesting 🙂
“A plate full of beer-battered, deep fried balls of cheddar cheese, served with jalapeno ranch dressing. These are by far the tastiest balls you’ll ever put in your mouth. You know you want some, so just bite our cheesy balls”.
Now with all of this wonderful food so far, you know the main meals have to be out of this world! And yeah, mom and dad wanted to sample a lot.
Dad ordered what they called a Meat Packer Melt –
“A sirloin patty topped with sliced turkey, ham, American, Swiss and cheddar cheese all griddled together on swirled rye bread. This is the best patty melt you have ever put in your mouth.”
Dad says this was the bomb! It was deliciously served with tater tots – one of his favorites. The last time he came here, he ordered the Double Coronary Bypass and trust me – he almost had one! He had plenty of leftovers that time. This is what it is:
“One big half pound sirloin patty topped with two fried eggs, six slices of American cheese and eight slices of bacon served between two grilled cheese sandwiches that we use in place of the regular hamburger buns.”
And mom, we can’t leave mommy out. She went grandstand too. She got the Cubano De Libertad.
“A fresh baked roll filled with slow roasted pork, ham, Swiss cheese, sliced pickles and spicy mustard grilled flat and drenched in Mojo sauce.”
Okay – let me add that this little oinker was not harmed in the making of mom’s lunch. See, that’s how she does me. She runs off and eats pork. Shakes my piggy head. At least she didn’t order the sandwich they call, “Three Little Pigs”… I don’t even want to know what’s on that one – Snorts.
So, that’s my wild humans. If you want to see more of the menu, look here at Vortex. It is by far great reading, mouth watering and delicious sounding. You gotta check it out if you get a chance. Happy Eats!
Today, March 5, is National Cheese Doodle Day. This is totally awesome. Everyone likes cheese doodles – from humans to animals. They are made with cornmeal that has been puffed, baked and coated with a wonderful cheddar cheese. Some even have white cheese these days. Do you know who invented the cheese doodle? It was Morrie Yahai in the 1940’s. After serving as a Marine in World War II, he returned to his home in the Bronx and took over the family business – a snack food company called Old London Foods.
During the 1960’s, the Wise Foods Inc acquired the company and here you go – they are now part of the potato chip division of snacks. And did you know that in the Wise Foods, cheese doodles are one of the strongest brands and they produce over 15 million pounds of cheese doodles every year!
Even the pig enjoys his cheese doodles. Do you want to see? Okay – here you go. Enjoy this fine video that Bacon’s mom made back in the day. Roll tape –
Surprise – surprise – surprise. Just goes to show you that every once in a while mom listens to her body…. especially when it screams, “Eat a salad sometimes!” LOL
Last weekend, mom/dad went out for brunch. We won’t discuss what daddy ate – probably another hamburger – snorts with piggy laughter. But mom got a salad and I have to say it looked pretty darn good to me. It had all of the regular stuff – croutons, red onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, shredded cheese with light Thousand Island dressing.
Hello dear friends. Welcome to another week of Travels in the South. This week, we are focusing on daddy and his hamburger passion. He loves hamburgers. I mean really LOVES. Every time we go somewhere, he has to try their burgers out to see how they are on the taste scale. This week is no different.
This hamburger was so big that the restaurant had to put a huge steak knife in it to hold it together in transit to the table. It’s a one pound patty, cheese, and gulps – bacon, with pickles and a hard fried egg. Talk about getting all of the your food groups into one plate. And if you haven’t noticed in the past with dad’s burgers, he likes a little mayo on his burgers – no ketchup or mustard or tomato or lettuce.
What did dad think of this concoction? He gave it two thumbs up and said he would order it again. What do you like on your burgers?
Living in the south, there are lots of comfort foods. But sometimes on a cold and rainy day, you want something that soothes your soul. Mom’s choice for that is grits with cheddar cheese and crumbled up turkey sausage. It’s hot, gooey and delicious. I hear your naysayers turning your nose up at grits. But let me tell you something. When done right like this, grits can be delicious! 😋
Sometimes you just need a little comfort food. You know something warm to your belly and tasty… don’t forget tasty. A couple of weeks ago, mom was craving some comfort food just like this. So her and daddy went to a local pub that has what mom calls the *best* grilled cheese sandwich evah. Why do you ask is it the best? This is what it has on it: American cheese, cheddar cheese and pimento cheese… and mom added gulps bacon to it with a side of crispy french fries. Hey I can overlook the bacon when it brings a smile to mom’s face like this lunch did. Have you ever had something so cheesy and good?
Miniature pot bellied pig and friends - Bacon, Houdini, Hemi and all of the Rock Clan with Journalist Rocky the Squirrel all out looking for adventures from the Hotel Thompson.
Mom has been on this DIEt thing lately. It’s going okay. As she says, it’s all about choices. So today she choose a Greek salad to start her meal.
Dad on the other hoof, went with a cheese covered pretzel. See exhibit C here to the right. Not only was it delicious and cheesy, they served it with a beer cheese dipping sauce. It must have been great because daddy licked the cheese sauce dry and there were no crumbs left from the pretzel.
e the main course. Mom and dad can never agree upon toppings for their pizza. There solution is to always get a pie 1/2 and 1/2. That way mom can have what she wants and dad can have what he wants. May I present to you exhibit D to the left. Drum roll – tongue hanging out – deliciousness.
This month we are highlighting easy dinner ideas for the summer months. Summer months are way too hot to be cooking in the kitchen making the house even hotter.
Piglove 