And Now Some Meals That Didn't Suck...

I was going through my phone, clearing out the memory... gosh it fills up fast! And I came across these shots that I haven't posted yet.

So here goes:

Scrambled eggs
bacon
smoked sausage
stone-ground grits

Now this one may not look all that appetizing... but trust me, this one is yummy! Sometimes we like to have breakfast foods for supper. I have never been crazy about eggs... I almost always have to "trick" myself into eating them. My great-uncle taught me to mix all my breakfast items together.... not attractive... but even now, i eat it this way.

grilled hotdogs (hebrew national... the only kind i like)
on tortillas
coleslaw
grilled onions
ore-ida french fries

my most recent plate from Saffron Indian Restaurant... delicious!

grilled smoked porkchops
roasted corn w/ onions & diced tomatoes
crowder peas with assorted wilted lettuces

grilled chicken thighs (marinated in a Colombian hotsauce)
lima beans
roasted okra w/ tomatoes

red velvet cupcakes
pistachio cupcake
yellow cupcake w/chocolate frosting

These are from Iced, the new cupcake shop on Wade Hampton Blvd...

This is the only disappointment in the bunch... and it is only a small one... they were OK... just not great. (does this look like $10 worth of cupcakes to you?)

For the price, I expected great.

AN EXPERIMENT GONE BAD: PIGFEET

I don't know why... just the urge to try new things, I guess that's what persuaded me to try them. They seemed so harmless there... lying in the plastic-wrapped tray. I researched recipes on the internet... and discovered that a lot of people like pigfeet. They have kind of a cult status.

They smelled so good cooking... the whole house smelled of pork, onions & garlic with a little bay leaf and seasonings.

So how could they taste sooooooooo bad? i don't think that anymore words are necessary... just watch Sugar Daddy's expression as he tries to keep his bite down... I confess: I spit mine out!

But Gabe (our outside doggie) seemed to love them as he scarfed them down (after Sugar Daddy picked the bones out).

As with all new food experiences, you win some -- you lose some!

Lunch at Saffron with my Sweetie

SUPPER REVIEW

Chili with pinto & kidney beans
topped with sour cream, cheese & green onions
bleu cheese corn salad w\onions & bell pepper

HMMMM... IF ANTHONY BOURDAIN CAME TO GREENVILLE...

Today while reading a few blogs on WYFF's Sound off South Site (which this little blog is included on!), I found this blog post which posed the question of where you would take Anthony Bourdain if he were shooting his show in Greenville.

I found this idea intriguing... I love food... good food, that is!

(Since moving here a few years ago, I have found that there are alot of restaurants in Greenville... but not too many that I am fond of! no offense intended!)

I have 2 ideas:

#1. Focusing on the Diversity of Greenville's Foodscene (pick & choose)
a. the taco truck (Mexican) on Cedar Lane Road (only Fri, Sat & Sun nights)
b. Saffron (Indian) @ intersection of Woodruff Road & Miller Road
c. Korean BBQ (Korean) @ intersection of Woodruff Road & Miller Road also
d. Saigon Fast Food (Vietnamese) on Pleasantburg Road
e. Pita House (Middle Eastern\Lebanese) on Pleasantburg Road
f. Zamorah's (Southern\Soul\Meat &3) on Whitehorse Road
g. El Carretero (Colombian) on Laurens Road
h. Cositas Ricas (Colombian) on West Parker Road
i. Pomegranate On Main (Persian) on Main Street
j. Thai Restaurant (Thai) on Augusta Road

#2. "Greenville" spots
a. Tanners Big Orange (serving Greenville over 70 years)
b. Charlie's Steakhouse (serving Greenville over 80 years)
c. Handlebar (unique Greenville eatery)
d. Soby's (unique Greenville eatery)
e. brief overview Greenville's Main Street (restaurants & events)

so that is what I would suggest if Anthony Bourdain were to ask me where to go in Greenville!

A GREAT LITTLE RESTAURANT YOU JUST MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT

If you know Sugar Daddy & me IRL, then you know that we love to search out new places to "get our food fix on". We love little "hole-in-the-wall" places... in my opinion, they often have the best foods.

Ethnic foods are a fave of ours. Many times you can get a great meal for the same price as fast food... it's a deal and usually nutritious.

Here is what I had for lunch the other day: beef empanadas, beef tongue tacos & Colombian hot sauce. DELICIOUS!

I found this tasty meal at El Carretero on Laurens Road (as it enters into Mauldin) (near the Pumpers gas station).

I love the pictures of the food above the ordering window. It helps me because I speak no Spanish. I can read a little, but I can't seem to speak too well. And the gentleman who runs this place is bi-lingual, so no problems.

The restaurant area is nothing fancy... just a few tables in the back of the store. But I gotta tell you, the Colombian food they serve is very good and very affordable.

If you enjoy Colombian cuisine, give it a whirl.

(also try Cositas Ricas on West Parker Road... best breakfast with cafe' con leche in town!)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

this was an unusual thanksgiving for us this year. we didn't host a big dinner as we have in years past. and we didnt make the trip to georgia to share the holiday with our extended family. no, this year we stayed here in greenville...

our youngest son has recently gotten a job; and had to work. so since he couldn't travel--we didn't either.

for our mid-day meal, we went to saffron indian restaurant and ate from the buffet.

as always, it was wonderful!

then we took the barbarian to work.

and then, we headed home to prepare the actual thanksgiving meal.

i did a roasted turkey stuffed with oranges, onions and sage. (i always cook it in a reynolds oven bag),

dressing made with homemade cornbread, sage sausage, portobello mushrooms, artichokes, capers and kalamatta olives,

roasted sweet potatoes with marshmallows, homemade cranberry sauce, tomato salad, green peas, mandarin orange cottage cheese salad, pumpkin pies,

and a little cakey-thing/quick bread with cinnamon and dark chocolate chips.

we ended up eating at around 9 pm... and my sister and nephew stopped by as they came back into town (bringing a load of leftovers from georgia!)...

we ate dinner and watched "it's a wonderful life" --- i love to start the season and end the season with this classic movie... it always makes me reflect on just how wonderful my life is.

it is so easy to get bogged down in negativity... but when you really stop and evaluate, i am sure that you, like me... have a lot to be thankful for... take a few minutes and reflect...

happy thanksgiving...

NIGHT OF THE PUMPKIN -Supper Review

Baked pumpkin with sage sausage, spinach, portobello mushrooms, onions & cheese. and for dessert...baked pumpkin with custardy-cream sauce.

SUPPER REVIEW

here is a pic of our supper last night: meatloaf, lima beans cooked with a hambone from last week and fresh spinach sauteed in olive oil with whole wheat noodles.

sugar daddy loves meatloaf... which is a food that i can't stand... just the thought of red ketchup (if you know me irl, then you know i think ketchup is the pinnacle of gross-ness) makes me want to retch... i came up with my own version. i am still not crazy about it... i can eat it... but my fellows just LOVE it!!!

2 lbs ground chuck
1 cup rolled oats
1 can italian diced tomatoes, drained
2 eggs, lighhtly beaten
2 slices of cheese (i use sharp cheddar...but feel free to try different kinds)
--------------
preheat oven to 400 degrees
spray broiler pan with cooking spray ...i use this to drain grease from loaf
in a large bowl mix all ingredients EXCEPT cheese slices
form a loaf shape in bowl (i use the sides of bowl to help)
place on broiler pan
put into oven and cook 40-45 minutes
take meatloaf out of oven place cheese slices on top
put back in oven for about 10 minutes
take out of oven and let rest for 10 mins


enjoy!

We South Carolinians must REALLY love our TV (or is it our cars?)...

with a hubby in the grocery industry, i cook at home most nights... but every so often... i get the urge to go out.

most of the time... when we do eat out... we go to ethnic eateries. if you know me irl, you know i adore the taco truck on cedar lane, saffron on miller road & swad on laurens road for indian food, cositas ricas on w. parker road for colombian, pita house on pleasantburg rd for middle eastern, saigon fast food for vietnamese, thai restaurant on augusta road for thai (du! lol), korean barbecue on miller & great wall for korean, etc...

but the other night...it was the new krystal drive-in on woodruff road that beckoned us. it has a conventional drive-thru, an inside area to order and eat, and then there is a "car hop" section... where you pull up, press a button, a carhop comes out to take your order... and YOU CAN WATCH TV!

that's right... they have large tvs attached to the menu boards in front of every car... you can change channels and listen via your car radio... if it is working...

this is the 2nd time we have stopped in; and both times we have pulled up at the only non-working sets (different parking spots) ... so no tv for us... boo hoo

i got a basket meal with little toasted sandwiches (so cute!), a turkey club and a philly cheese steak) and waffle fries... who knew that krystal had waffle fries? (although they call them fiesta fries i think)

i was kind pouty about the no tv deal...although sugar daddy says i am minimizing my reaction... lol... i mean, that's the gimmick of it, right? watching the tv in your car? (i am not even going to mention that we have a dvd player in our car! lol)

but then we came home and 2001: a space odyssey (such a cool movie... i don't think i have ever seen it all at one time!) on tcm... we cut off all the lights for ambiance... and promptly fell asleep on the couch... so not much tv there either... lol

i was telling my brother about the krystal the next day, and he said "you folks in south carolina must love your tv... you have tv on your gas pumps and now at your drive-thru restaurants!"

...hmmmm... he said it like it was a weird thing!