What is this gooey yummy awesomeness you ask? Can you guess? Mom/dad found one of their favorites at a local restaurant they sometimes frequent. I believe dad said the menu called them Mac and Cheese Bites. Dad was really digging them cause they were really cheesy – like him. Snorts and rolls with piggy laughter. I just had to go there. Mom said they were okay and that she liked her Mac and cheese the old fashioned way. Have you ever had a creation like this?
What is this you ask my friends? Mom called it heaven on earth. Mom/dad found this delicacy way before mom’s surgery. It’s fried Twinkies. Yep – you read right. Fried Twinkies. And when they fry the Twinkie, it makes the white cream even creamier. Dad loves them. Have you ever tried them?
Do you know what that is in the picture? It’s the snack of the south… boiled peanuts. Mom grew up with boiled peanuts straight out of the hot pot. Dad not so much. But since they’ve been married, mom has gotten dad hooked on these deletable salty morsels of yum. And yeah, I love them too. You can find them all over the south here at roadside stands and corner markets. They usually give you a scoop right out of the boiling water into these double bags. Double bags because you need one bag to put your shells into. Have you had these before? A lot of people will even put peanuts in their soda. It’s a southern thing. Trust me – don’t knock it until you try it says mom. Snorts with piggy laughter!
Okay my friends. Take a good look at that picture. Look familiar? These delectable weird shaped things are called Moondrop Grapes. What? Really? Yes really. They are look like moon beams. When mom started talking about them to me and dad, we just laughed at her. But she kept saying they were real and we *were* going to try them. Me and dad just looked at each other like mom had finally slipped over that fine edge of sanity – snorts with piggy laughter.
Nana came down Saturday and her and mom/dad went off for a bit. When they came back, mom was beaming with moonbeams because she found the moondrop grapes. Say that several times huh? She made all of us eat one together. And you know what? They are awesome! They are a bit sweeter than a normal grape but yummy. You want to eat more than one and we all did. Dad said their shape reminded him of our boiled peanut shells here in the south that are also that long.
Have you tried these before? You gotta find some if you haven’t. They are a seasonal item. Mom got these at our local Kroger where they were on sale. Bon appetite!
Welcome my friends to another week of Travels in the South. You know my daddy, he loves his hamburgers. A couple of weeks ago he and mom found a restaurant that was a little hole in the wall. It wasn’t much on the outside but they were known for their burgers. And dad said they were right. Their burgers were out of this world delicious. Now, this is not something you should eat everyday for sure, especially when someone – snort mom snort – is suppose to be watching those calories. But I had to share their meal.
Both burgers had eight ounce angus beef patties. And that is the only thing they had in common – snorts with piggy laughter.
Dad’s had a hard fried egg, bacon (gulps), melted Jack cheese and pickles on it. Mom had bacon (gulps), a portobello mushroom, red onions and pickles. I couldn’t believe the size of mom’s burger. She couldn’t even wrap her mouth around it – HA! And of course she had to get daddy to help her finish it. Dad had onion rings with his burger. Mom had a salad so at least she *tried* to somewhat healthy.
Welcome my friends to another edition of Travels in the South. This week in honor of the eclipse, we want to bring you something special. Something that is so out of this world that mom had to make pre-arrangements last week so she could partake in this glory. Pre-arrangements as in she walked extra – snorts with piggy laughter. And I don’t blame her because this was well worth the extra calories.
We’ve all heard of Krispy Kreme. It’s a doughnut chain that makes awesome doughnuts of every kind imaginable. And when the HOT doughnut sign is on, it means they have hot glazed doughnuts coming off of the conveyor. Hot glazed doughnuts that will melt in your mouth from being so fabulous. Okay give me a second – I need a moment.
Okay I’m good. With the eclipse coming this week, just for last weekend their regular glaze went chocolate. Can you imagine hot doughnuts going through a waterfall of fabulously hot chocolate? Trust me. It sounds much better than what it looks. But you can see from the pictures what I’m talking about.
Now do you see the hot chocolate glazed doughnuts in the box? Yes trust me on this. Mom/dad said they tasted so much better than what they look in the box – ha! Their thoughts about the first time chocolate eclipse doughnuts? They come off the conveyor hot. They are great but messy. I mean messy. Mom told daddy that she thought she was going to have to hose him down before he got into the Jeep. That kind of messy. But good. And mom said she preferred them once they went cold. They weren’t as messy then – which she loved. Either way, it was a once in a lifetime treat all the way around. And yeah, mom/dad didn’t forget about me. They brought me one of my favorites – an apple fritter. Now *that’s* what I’m talking about!
Welcome my friends to another week of Travels in the South. My dad says that sometimes you just need a good hamburger, something solid and substantial. This week he wanted just that – an awesome hamburger. You’ve heard us talk about the great pizza that a restaurant called Mellow Mushroom has but did you know they have build your own burgers? Daddy saw it on the menu and just had to try it… of course while mom had a wonderfully delicious salad – poor mom.
The burger is 100% black angus beef topped with dad’s favorites: pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, cheddar and swiss cheeses and bacon – gulps. Dad said it was a handful and was so delicious. Of course, it did take two hands to eat and plenty of napkins. I guess that’s a good sign to a great juicy burger, huh?
So if you have a Mellow Mushroom close by, check them out for their burgers. They also have vegan burgers which mom says sound delicious.
Welcome my friends to another edition of Travels in the South. This week mom/dad stumbled onto something that was simply amazing – Onion Rings.
Who doesn’t love a good onion ring? Mom/dad were visiting a place a couple of towns over from the Hotel Thompson. They saw homemade onion rings on the menu and decided to give it a whirl. This alone amazed me because here is a little tidbit for you. Dad hates onions. He hates them raw. He hates them in salads. BUT, he loves onion rings. I think that’s a little weird, right? But then again, we are talking about my daddy – snorts and rolls with piggy laughter.
The onion rings finally came to the table and oh my piggy heavens – look at that mountain of goodness! These are huge!! They are fresh cut, hand battered and made to order – thus the ten minute wait to get them upon ordering.
The restaurant serves them with a Cajun dipping sauce (which when mom asked was told it was a ranch sauce with cajun spices). And it does have a little kick. Mom/dad asked for extra dipping sauce. Trust me, they said you needed it because look at how many onion rings you get. And mom said the price you wouldn’t believe – $4.99 for this tower of an appetizer.
But I just have one question. Not that they were good because mom/dad both said they were. My question is why does daddy get to play with his food and I can’t? Go ahead mom. Tell me. I’m waiting.
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.
This weeks Travels in the South is brought to you by the mommy – snorts. Her and daddy went out over the weekend and she found a really awesome salad that was right up her alley. You see it in the picture? This was called the cornbread fried chicken salad. Can you say yum? Do you see those giant croutons surrounding the sides of the salad? That is cornbread cut into croutons. Now mom didn’t eat them *in* her salad. She ate them on the side. They were delicious. Dad didn’t care for them that much and mom was fine with that. She said it was more for her. Why were they so good? They had corn and jalapenos in them. Mom said they also had a tad of sugar that she could taste which cut down the heat of the jalapenos. And of course with mom’s love of fried chicken, having some chicken in her salad was absolutely heaven.
Was it all par for eating healthy? Probably not. But this date, it touched a special place in mom’s heart… and tummy.
Piglove 