Travels in the South

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.

.

 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!

 

National Cheeseburger Day

Journalist Rocky the Squirrel here –

Keeping my paws on the nuts of the world!

Friends – friends – friends.  You won’t believe what today is.  Today is National Cheeseburger Day.  Can you believe that?!  Now I’ll tell you a secret at the Hotel Thompson.  Who lives at the Hotel Thompson and loves to eat cheeseburgers of all kinds, shapes and/or sizes?  If you guessed Bacon’s dad, YOU are so right!

I think Bacon’s dad has like an endless tummy or maybe multiple tum-tum’s like a cow.  Yeah, that could be it!  Of course, he has gotten better in his age… something about not being able to eat like he once did.  But he still loves a good juicy burger.

Did you know that cheeseburgers can be dated back to the 1920’s?  In 1928, a cheeseburger officially made it to the menu of O’Dell’s which is a restaurant in Los Angeles, California.  It was on the menu listed as a cheeseburger smothered with chili.  Can you guess in 1928 how much the burger cost?  Would you believe 25 cents!?  Nowadays, look at the prices of a good juicy burger.  It will surely set you back a good $10.00!  In the 1930’s, the founder of Steak n’ Shake Gus Belt actually applied for a trademark on the word cheeseburger.

Do you know what the top 4 cheeses for a cheeseburger are?  1) American Cheese  2) Cheddar Cheese  3) Swiss Cheese and finally 4) Pepper Jack

I guess they didn’t ask us here in the south how we like our burgers topped with cheese.  Of course, we would say with Pimento Cheese and Bacon!

 

Travels in the South

Yes you are right.  It is hot outside for any likes of chili.  However, we had a couple of rainy days/nights last week. So mom/dad was craving something warm for their bellies.  So off they went to one of their local restaurants that has the best chili – so they say – snorts with piggy laughter.

Let me introduce you to some Texas style chili.  I give you that it doesn’t look tantalizing.  But mom/dad says that it is the best chili that they have had in some time.  It has tender beef throughout the chili mixed with secret spices that no one will tell.  It all has jalapenos in it so expect some kick to it that stays with you for a bit.  Mom/dad both got theirs served with aged cheddar and crackers.  You gotta have crackers… or good loaf bread which they also got smothered with butter to combat the heat.

 

Shopping Around the World

 This month we are highlighting items that you are known for.   This is easy.  Mom is *known* for her cornbread.  Here in the south, cornbread is an important side to any meal.  And some of you friends have asked how mom does her cornbread.  So without further ado, here it goes 🙂 – take it away mom!

♥

 

The ingredients to my cornbread are very simple.  In the south, you will find several different versions of cornbread – some with sugar, some with corn, some with jalapenos – the list goes on.  You can make it anything you want in a cornbread.  We often serve cornbread with chili, soups or good old Sunday dinner.  This is a recipe that I tweaked from my family that is so simple.  Here is what you will need:

Two large eggs ($0.26); three strips of bacon ($1.00); a cup of milk ($0.40); a cup of cornmeal ($0.40); and melted butter ($0.20) = total $2.26

AND if you have one (being in the south we have several in different sizes), you need a small iron skillet.

♥

Turn on your over to 350 degrees to preheat.  Take the 3 strips of bacon and cut them in small pieces (sometimes we use more – depends on who you are making it for).  Put your iron skillet on the stove on medium and fry the bacon.  Once the bacon is done, remove the bacon to the side and put in your butter.  Let all of this melt together – the butter and the bacon grease.  Trust me, you will love the taste of this when the cornbread is finished.

♥

Now, take your milk and eggs and mix them together.  Slowly merge together the flour with salt/pepper and add the cooked crumbled up bacon.  The batter is going to be in a thick consistency – that is what you are looking for.  Now, take your batter and pour it into your HOT skillet.  You should hear a sizzle.  That is the sound you want to hear.  Once the batter is in your HOT skillet, place your skillet in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes.

♥

At 30 minutes, take your skillet out and your cornbread should pop right out of your skillet into a plate.  Serve slathered in butter or crumble up in your soups/chili.  The inside will be moist and hot.  And while you are eating, you will enjoy the buttery bacon taste.  Please try one and let me know what you think.

♥

Here in the south, we even take a cold glass of buttermilk and crumble our cornbread in it for a meal.

 

National Cheeseburger Day

♥

Journalist Rocky the Squirrel here –

Keeping my paws on the nuts of the world!

Friends – friends – friends.  You won’t believe what today is.  Today is National Cheeseburger Day.  Can you believe that?!  Now I’ll tell you a secret at the Hotel Thompson.  Who lives at the Hotel Thompson and loves to eat cheeseburgers of all kinds, shapes and/or sizes?  If you guessed Bacon’s dad, YOU are so right!

I think Bacon’s dad has like an endless tummy or maybe multiple tum-tum’s like a cow.  Yeah, that could be it!  Of course, he has gotten better in his age… something about not being able to eat like he once did.  But he still loves a good juicy burger.

Did you know that cheeseburgers can be dated back to the 1920’s?  In 1928, a cheeseburger officially made it to the menu of O’Dell’s which is a restaurant in Los Angeles, California.  It was on the menu listed as a cheeseburger smothered with chili.  Can you guess in 1928 how much the burger cost?  Would you believe 25 cents!?  Nowadays, look at the prices of a good juicy burger.  It will surely set you back a good $10.00!  In the 1930’s, the founder of Steak n’ Shake Gus Belt actually applied for a trademark on the word cheeseburger.

Do you know what the top 4 cheeses for a cheeseburger are?  1) American Cheese  2) Cheddar Cheese  3) Swiss Cheese and finally 4) Pepper Jack

I guess they didn’t ask us here in the south how we like our burgers topped with cheese.  Of course, we would say with Pimento Cheese and Bacon!

 

Travels in the South

Welcome back friends to another edition of Travels in the South.  We have been talking about our visit with our great friends Bill and Jean from Canadian Cats.  If you have missed the previous editions, please check them out here:  Red Lobster; Fogo de Chao; Stately Oaks; Spa Day. World of Coca-Cola Part I, World of Coca-Cola Part II. World of Coca-Cola Part III

After all of that touring of the World of Coca-Cola, the humans all got hungry and needed a sit down break of nourishment.  They decided to go to a local restaurant that is very popular here in the south.  Mom plugged in the destination in her GPS and they started off down the street.  That’s when something funny happened.  They passed the same church like three times.  Finally Jean and Bill were like, “Have we been here before?”  Of course everyone started laughing when the GPS would go “recalculating”.  That’s my mom – always making her own destination.

After a while and with letting the GPS tell mommy where to go and mommy listening, they finally made it to their destination for lunch – The Varsity.  You are immediately greeted with so many people and the “What’ll You Have? What’ll You Have?” from the cashiers taking orders.

The Varsity has been running for over 88 years and is a local landmark here in the South.  On this day, there was nothing major going on in town.  Days that there are football or basketball games or school functions, imagine this picture three or four times as busy.  Not only can you go in to dine but The Varsity downtown also has the world’s largest drive in with car hops.  What a blast from the past huh?

The Varsity offers a variety of different food – from hot dogs to hamburgers to grilled pimento cheese sandwiches to awesome onion rings to french fries.  In fact, it is a published fact on their website that they go through two miles of hot dogs, a ton of onions, 2500 pounds of potatoes, 5000 fried pies and 300 gallons of chili that are made from scratch daily.

For more information on the Varsity – see here.  I know all of the humans had a blast at the restaurant this date eating to their hearts delight.  And of course every meal is finished with dessert, right?  Everyone had hot peach fried pies topped with turtle ice cream.  I’m licking my lips just thinking about it.  So I gotta end this posting today with “What’ll You Have?  What’ll You Have?”

 

Road Trip – Food Porn – Be Warned

My mom is forever coming up with road trips for her and dad to take.  Sometimes she tells dad of her destination and other times she doesn’t.  This was one of those times she didn’t.  She told daddy, “Be ready in 15 minutes – road trip.”

Daddy got as excited as a two year going on vacation to Disney World.  He busily got ready and was in Albert waiting in 12 minutes.  I know cause I timed him – snorts.

So off they went in the Albert the Smart car, weaving in and out of downtown Atlanta traffic until they got to their destination – you got it The Varsity.  Daddy was in pig heaven.  He ❤ this place.  You know road trips have to revolve around food with those two.  Now you know where I get my food love from – snorts.

The Varsity they went to is located downtown Atlanta, Georgia.  This is the world’s largest drive-in and is very popular here in Georgia.  You are greeted as soon as you enter in the order lines with, “What’ll Ya Have?  What’ll Ya Have?”  It’s busy – especially if there is a game going on downtown.  I took this information off of their website:

“It sells more than two miles of hot dogs daily, a ton of onion rings, 2500 pounds of fresh cut potatoes, 5000 homemade fried pies, and 300 gallons of chili, all of which are made from scratch daily.”

That’s a lot ‘What’ll Ya Have’ my friends.  But I promised some food porn.  I didn’t forget.  I took all of these pictures from mom’s cell phone… which I might have borrowed when they got back home… and yes they brought me back some onion rings – snorts.  These pictures below are of mom and dad’s plate.  Which one do you think is which?  Mom likes her dogs with chili and mustard.  Dad prefers the works – chili, cheese and slaw.  Look good?

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Oh, and you heard me mention onion rings right?  They have the BEST onion rings.  Of course, this place is not for the diet at heart – trust me on that one.  Mommy says she gains weight just by SMELLING the food.  But this below – aaww goodness piggy down.  These onion rings are the bomb!  Mom and dad brought me some back.  Heaven.  That’s what I was in – piggy heaven!  Look at those crisp delightful rings.  Drool

 You can not go to The Varsity without more fat being added to your butt dessert.  Mom and dad’s favorite is a warm fried peach pie topped with two scoops of ice cream.  Why two scoops?  Because mommy likes Turtle Track ice cream and daddy likes the Butter Pecan ice cream.  Perfect dessert to share.  See goodness below.

And was this a dad approved road trip?  You be the judge of that in this picture to the left.  Yes, that is a Varsity hat he is wearing.  I think mommy took that picture in mid chew.  Glad to know I’m not the only one that doesn’t have any privacy.

You go daddy – keep chewing.  That’s the best sign that he is a very happy man.

The next time you are in Atlanta, be sure to check out The Varsity.  I know mom and dad will be back again…and again… and again.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oh Dear – My Parents Are At It Again!

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.  They jumped in Albert, mom’s Smart car and off they went.  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.

.

 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!

 

On the Road with Bashful!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello friends. I hope everyone is doing well. This is my second part of my field trip to Target. What a wonderful place! The people were so nice there.

What kind of field trip would it be if I didn’t meet some ladies – raises eye brows. Are you with me on this? These Disney fairies are wonderful! They kept me busy for a long time. It seems like they haven’t had anyone to talk to in some time. Mom/dad did their shopping and let me stay with the ladies. They were the best!

So, I want to give a shout out to my newly acquainted friends – Tinker Bell, Rosetta, Fawn, Vidia, Silvermist and Iridessa. They were most hospitable. Do you know them? Here’s a breakdown for you.

Tinker Bell – is a tinker-talent fairy. She is small, slender, and hand sized with fair skin, blue eyes, blonde hair worn in a bun, pink blushing cheeks, and pointy ears, and wears a dark green strapless dress with a mini skirt and green shoes with white puffs on her toes, and has clear sparkly fairy wings on her back.  Tinker Bell is definitely a spit fire.  She was one of the biggest flirts during my time with her. 🙂

Rosetta – is a garden-talent fairy. She is small, slender, and hand-sized with a rose petal dress in three shades of pink, fair skin, red shoes, shoulder-length dark red hair with curled ends, dark green eyes, pointy ears, and clear fairy wings on her back.  You know daddy has a thing for red heads and now I know why.  Rosetta is a fiesty little fairy.  She’s always buzzing around and you don’t see her clear wings when she does it.  It’s like she’s floating around you. 

Fawn – an animal-talent fairy. She is small, slender, and hand-sized with an orange and brown dress, orange-yellow curl shoes, fair skin, light freckles, braided light brown hair, amber eyes, pointy ears, and clear fairy wings on her back.  Fawn was wonderful to this little piggy.  I think it’s because she is an animal-talent fairy.  We got along so well.  I gave her my number 🙂  I do hope she calls. 

Vidia – is a fast-flying-talent fairy. She has black ponytailed hair, gray eyes, pointy ears, fair skin and wears a purple vest with pink feathers, pants and black ballet shoes and has clear wings on her back.  Vidia is FAST.  She is like non-stop everything!  You just have to tell her sometimes to slow down and smell the roses – get off the fast lane and enjoy life.

Silvermist – is a water-talent fairy. She is small, slender, and hand-sized with a dark blue-green lily single-strapped dress, blue shoes, fair skin, long loose black hair, dark brown eyes, pointy ears, and clear fairy wings on her back.  Silvermist is full of energy.  She kept spraying me with mists of water.  I was kind of enjoying it too!

Iridessa – is a light-talent fairy. She is small, slender, and hand-sized with a sunflower petal dress, yellow shoes, dark brown skin, black hair in a round up-do, dark brown eyes, pointy ears, and clear fairy wings on her back.  Aaaww Iridessa – I could look at her forever!  She shines with this inner glow that just captured my piggy heart.

Don’t they all sound wonderful? I had eyes for them for at least a good solid hour. They are so memorizing. Their voices are like music. I love me some Disney girls.

Before we left the store, we had to get mommy some dark chocolate. Did you know that dark chocolate helps with stress? I’m not sure what she has to be stressed out about but daddy got her three bars. I wonder if she will give me a little itty bitty bite of one of them.

I also wonder about the chili chocolate. Sounds totally fascinating to this little rock. I wonder how much heat is behind it? Have you ever tried any? Mommy says that is one of her favorites.

I hope you enjoyed my field trip to Target. Who knows where I will go next? Take care my friends!

 

High Five’s All Around this Monday Morning

Happy Monday morning everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful weekend – including a great Happy Mother’s Day.  Dad took mom out to a nice dinner yesterday to celebrate.  All of us kids pitched in and got mom some of her favorite dark chili chocolate.  It’s just like mommy – it has just a kiss of heat with the sweet – she loves it!   

I found this picture last night while surfing the net.  Bashful went out with mom/dad yesterday so he was tuckered out and went to bed early.  I had the room to myself, classical music blaring and was doing ‘research’ on the laptop.  A pig has to stay on current events, right? snort.

So, on this Monday morning – high five if you’re an animal lover!  Have a great day my friends – XOXO – Bacon