Hullo Friends!  I just returned from a glorious Tennessee cabin retreat in celebration of my roomie’s upcoming nuptials.  It was wonderful.  We swam and made delicious cocktails and ate bacon for every meal, and most importantly- laughed until our guts were achy.  You will soon be required to sit through my show-telling photo display and superflous play-by-play so save up some energy.

In the meantime I was quite proud of myself the other day.  The cupboards were bare and i was in no mood to venture out of my cozy homestead.  No worries.  I’m one of those regular ol’ gals who always comes up with some extravagant meal out of the leftovers and crumbs found around the kitchen (no big deal).  Ok so it wasn’t that extravagant and ok so i’m not really one of those girls and this was an exception, but still – i’m pleased as punch.

So here amigos – is how you make your own delicious tortillas.  It’s easy as heck and requires very minimal ingredients.

I used (roughly) the recipe found here

I did all my mixing and dough-forming and kneading by hand and took care of various other chores while the dough sat and had a rest.  I don’t have a rolling pin so i was forced to use a beer glass.  It did make for some odd shapes at first but it did the trick.

Once one or two dough balls are rolled out, you begin placing them in a dry frying pan while you start rolling out the remaining.  Watch carefully though ’cause it doesn’t take much time at all for it to brown.  Flip over to fry the other side.

Once they’re browned to your liking, you can place them straight on your serving platter or stick them in a barely heated oven (about 200 deg. ) so they keep warm for a while.

Now I confess – mine did resemble a much flatter sort of Naan a little more than tortillas.  I’ve talked to others that also have this problem — can’t seem to find a way to keep them as thin as your typical burrito shell.  But honestly, I don’t mind them being a little thicker…delicious served simply with butter.  And when you fry them up as a quesadilla — as we did recently at a work birthday celebration –they’re perfectly sturdy and provide a rightly crisped encasement for the near-bursting goodness inside.

Of course, they always taste better when there’s a sweet face like this to share them with

(Amelia – daughter of previously mentioned birthday celebratee)

In our fair city, the savagely-titled neighborhood of Butchertown boasts Thomas Edison’s house, the building that formerly housed the oldest operating stockyard, and streets named after historical greats such as John Quincy Adams and Henry Clay.  But unfortunately it has also been well known for its occupation with–and the stinch of–  well…. animals passing on to a better place (we’ll just say that).

But hating to see the waste of an equally permeating history and the charming collective of shotgun and colonial homes, I am so glad that the boys at the Blind Pig have taken full advantage of the unpalatable reputation towards the high goals of generous conversation and happy bellies.

I love Bacon.  What else can I say?  And of bacon there is a-plenty here.  Having said that….this is not a bona fide “restaurant (or food) review”.  It is simply my own documentation and opinions made mostly of pictures.

As for the rest of the experience….get your own.  Head to B-town and drink your bacon from a glass!

I met with my dearest KVG, and still full of the dinner I ate before-hand, I ordered my first cocktail — Ohio River Water Fizz — made with Root Beer, Tanqueray, egg white, house made coffee bitters, and a mint garnish.  KVG had hers with Bourbon.  I should tell you now that most of this account will center around the drinks.  That’s because The Blind Pig has quite the wine/beer/cocktail menu.  Curiosity alone easily induces one too many so be careful!

Next, I tried the Anejo Highball while Katherine ordered some food: The Ivory Bacon with house-made Boudin Blanc Sausage, Bacon (of course), Munster cheese, and aioli.  I tasted and it was good.

And then we had to….  We just had to…. You understand.  The Bacon Manhattan.  Why hello.

No I must warn you… this drink tastes a lot like (can you guess?) BACON!! So don’t be shocked when you take your first sip.  KVG and I determined we like our bacon best as a solid.  But we’re glad we tried.

So to conclude my ameteur not-actually-a-review review, I will just say that I highly recommend the patronizing of Louisville’s own neighborhoods –even the smelly ones– so that we can keep these tasty homegrown gems around as long as possible.  Go.

I’ve had the joy of taking several batches of new parents a hot meal in their first few hectic weeks of babyland, and with a little one on the way, I’m hoping that someone (anyone?) might return the favor. For all you folks who find yourselves trying to coordinate meal drop-offs via telephone, email, or facebook, check it out, there’s a whole website dedicated to meal planning!

TakeThemAMeal.com lets the user create a schedule for someone in need, and then let’s other folks sign up! Genius!

CNN.com ran a really interesting column last week from James Oseland, editor-in-chief of Saveur magazine. In the article, Oseland listed his “5 Foods I Am (Only Somewhat) Ashamed to Say I Love.” Click on the link to read the secret indulgences of a food connoisseur, and check out the comments section to read confessions from everyday Americans.

I loved reading about the guilty pleasures of a food snob, and the accompanying confessions of the readers in the comments section (apparently, Jack in the Box tacos are amazing). Food is such a personal, comforting thing, something people can be so passionate about!

Feel free to confess any guilty food pleasures of your own in the comments.

Cupcake shops seem to be all the rage these days, (especially if you watch TLC every once in a while). We’ve got three shops in Lexington, KY alone, and this weekend I stopped by one for the first time: Gigi’s Cupcakes. Gigi’s has locations all over the South and Midwest (including Louisville). They have a daily menu of cupcake flavors to choose from, and luckily, I went with three other folks so that everyone could get a different cupcake and sample the others. We tried the Italian Cream Wedding Cake, the Midnight Magic (dark chocolate with chocolate chips), Texas Milk Chocolate, and Scarlett’s Red Velvet Cake. They were delicious! My only complaint is that Gigi’s piles the frosting on so thick that there’s about twice as much frosting as actual cake.

It was the perfect Saturday afternoon treat, and I’m looking forward to trying the other two cupcake shops in town to see which one is the best.

Breakfast is definitely my favorite meal of the day. Actually, it’s one of my favorite things, period. And since this is a blog where we share our favorite things, I’d like to list some of my favorite breakfast dishes and where to get them.

Favorite eggs: The Kentucky Farmhouse Scramble from Lynn’s Paradise Cafe. (pictured above): eggs scrambled with country ham, Jarlsberg cheese, and roasted red peppers, topped with fried onions, served with fried green tomatoes and biscuits with sorghum butter. with  Ever since this dish was featured on Food Network’s Throwdown with Bobby Flay, it’s the only thing I order when I go to Lynn’s.

Favorite pancakes: Cornmeal pancakes from Boone Tavern Hotel. So delicious!

Favorite French toast: A Nice Restaurant. Thick slices, loaded with cinnamon, perfect.

Favorite Donuts: Square Donuts. Sure, they’re fun-shaped, but they also taste amazing!

Favorite breakfast sandwich: Mcdonalds’ Sausage McMuffin with Egg. No road trip is complete without one. Following a close second is the  ACE of a BLT from Wild Eggs. Avocado, Cheddar, fried Egg, Bacon, Lettuce and Tomato on toasted sourdough. (pictured below)

How about you, dear readers? How do you like to start the day, and where? Any suggestions for best bacon? Best sausage? Best biscuits and gravy? Give us your picks in the comments, please.

salad art talent

If I had it my way, my main summer cuisine would consist of burgers, brats, fries, and beer.

I mean – I do love some good fresh fruits and vegetables.  After all-I grew up where they eat ‘maters like apples…straight from the dirt.  But here’s an unofficial yet certain truth…  self-made healthy, untainted, green, cruciferous, or otherwise super-healthy dishes just don’t taste as good.  There’s a huge difference in the taste of a salad made for me by…almost anyone… and one made by my own well-intentioned hands.

So in order to induce myself to eat more salads, I gotta get creative.  One of my recent issues of Real Simple pointed out some great salad ideas.  I prefer the ones with meat on them.  But the light fruity ones sound perfect for a hot day.  What are your favorite salads??

click on pics for recipe

peach mozzarella basil salad

boston lettuce salad w/ herbs & almonds

moroccan lamb salad

fried chicken salad

home-made croutons can MAKE a salad

I am all about what Jamie Oliver (and others like him) is trying to do.  And I firmly believe that what we eat –and don’t eat– is slowly killing us.  Or at least making day-by-day life a lot less enjoyable.

Watch/Listen to this TED talk when you get a chance.

I think maybe even a bigger problem, though, is that many don’t seem to realize that it doesn’t take a generically standard label of “obese” to put you at risk for serious health issues, or at best a low quality of life. It doesn’t take a shocking diet of obvious junk food like the one shown in this segment.  Those “fruit” snacks and “low-fat” everything are the devil’s sweet ale in disguise and while occasional  usage is not likely to greatly harm you, the modern family stocks their kitchens and intestines with these cheap, convenient microwaveables without a second thought.

But the good news is…we’re surrounded by almost as much help as there is processed products.There are so many resources out there, it’d take weeks to list them.  And likely many of you already have a bucket of your own, but here are a few to click on…

-Find your local Whole Foods market and inquire about classes.  The staff is always helpful and ready to assist you with your food and nutritional/educational needs

-Search for your local CSA and Farmers Markets

-Follow this guy’s inspiring journey to weight loss and fitness, and a whole healthy lifestyle

-some recipes and visual inspiration

-Some friends of ours that encourage creative, low-cost healthy living.  See how they do it.

Groce Family Farm

The Deebs (Bonus: Super Cute Baby)

Laura’s MadEnoughTips blog is lo longer active (She’s got a new one) but her fantastic advice is still there and archived

Tera’s yummy meal plans and recipes (feeding her family of 4)

**Now I’ll totally admit that just a couple of days ago, i feasted on some Taco Bell.  I enjoy a greasy slice of pizza and a smothered chili-dog on occasion, and want to enjoy it even more often.  My kryptonite is salt-n-pepper chips, twizzler bites and fruit snacks.  And sometimes I indulge a little beyond that magical cover-all word “moderation”.   Just sayin’… my soapbox does not really rise so tall, and I need these reminders as much as the rest.

I tried Lost Trail root beer for the first time last night and loved it. Tasty with an added bonus: no high-fructose corn syrup.

Sprecher is my absolute favorite, especially on tap here, since I am not a drinker of actual beer.

I’ve had Sioux City brand Sarsaparilla and Birch Beer, and while they aren’t the same thing as root beer, the taste is similar enough that I’ll include them on this list (deeeeelicious). Reminds me of my days working here.

If the fancier root beers listed above aren’t available, Mug straight from the can is pretty darn good.

Culver’s is my fast-food brand root beer of choice. (And cheeseburger of choice. And frozen custard of choice. Mmmmm, Culver’s)

How about you dear readers, any root beer suggestions that I should try?

image cred

This morning I did what any gal would do after an early am run….  I made cookies and “tasted” the batter an innumerable amount of times (of course i’m sure it was only like twice or something)

It’s my friend/coworker Kate’s bday and I’m on the hunt for the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I’m certainly not the only one.

And so naturally – since I still had to take a shower and be at work in less than an hour — I decided to try two recipes instead of one.  Needless to say – i ended up taking a morning “lunch break” to make up for my excessive tardiness.

First – i went with the classic “Joy of Cooking” recipe. I’ve used it a few times and it’s always a winner but definitely more of a favorite for the thin, chewy cookie admirer.  I made half of them with milk chocolate chips and half of them with white chocolate chips.

Then I opted to try this yummy-looking inflated version simply because of the rave review. They were exactly as I was told they were.  If you like your cookies thicker– soft and chewy still (only slightly less chewy than the above), then you’ll wanna use this one for your next after-school, after-work, after-waking up snack.

They must have been good ’cause there were only four left after just a few hours.

Tell us what your favorite chocolate-chip cookie recipe is.  If it’s not a big family secret, post it in the comments- or give us a link.  I’m determined to find the perfect one and if I do, i might never use any other again.