Hungry Times Two

Last month we trekked with some friends to the Asheville area for some much needed R&R.  "R&R" = cheese, y'all.  We rented a cute cottage in Swannanoa via Airbnb  and planned a fun Saturday out on the Western North Carolina Cheese Trail.  Our trip planner extraordinaire friend J nailed down a few to try out -- we didn't want to overdo the cheese (I know, hard to believe, but that could get ugly ) and we also wanted to save a little time to check out downtown Asheville.  Our first stop: Hickory Nut Gap Farm in Fairview. Currently in expansion/renovation mode, the farm is the perfect spot to say hello to some horses, gape at the goats, and peruse a wide variety of area products in their store. I bought some local honey for our pet sitter, some Lusty Monk mustard,  the farm's salami, and a brisket.  Next we took a short drive over to Looking Glass Creamery , also in Fairview. It's a small adorable cottage with an adjacent...

Where Does General Tso Chicken Actually Come From? From TED Radio Hour -- Takeaways: It's pronounced "Tsow" (rhymes with "Ow"). Fortune cookies don't exist in China. All the food we Americans think we know as Chinese really isn't. (It's still sweet and spicy goodness, though.) Friendship Trays & Friendship Gardens We volunteered last week with these orgs, planting radishes and carrots in their plots at their main distribution center. It was great to meet some new people, get our hands dirty, and help out.  And they have a  garden sign made of metal utensils - I want to make one for our yard.  Second Helpings  A carry-out and catering shop on the East side that employs women with records. The service was slow but the chocolate cake rocked, as did the kale soup loaded with veggies and the grilled pimento cheese sandwich. They're trying to attract more business, so CLT peeps get on it.  Nashville I'm visiting in a few week...

I'm not that picky an eater, but I do hold a strong principle on Sweet vs. Savory. This is especially true for cornbread - I like it salty/savory, so I'm always disappointed when I get a piece of cornbread masquerading as dessert. The offending piece I had at lunch is shown below, and the establishment that served it shall remain anonymous. Really though, the place advertised "homemade SKILLET cornbread," so that had me hungry .. and then let down.  Why do people sweeten things that taste better savory? Perhaps it's the "Corn-Syrupization" of our food and taste buds. I've found this to be true when ordering/buying pasta salad (should be tart from vinegar-based dressing), potato salad (should be tart, if white vinegar-based, or salty/mustardy if Southern) and indeed, cornbread. Perhaps I'll become an eccentric who assumes they can taste-test everything before comitting to it. Wish me luck on future deli/restaurant visits!

I was so proud of myself, scouring for some new recipes, making a meal plan for the week with some nutritious foods, and hitting the grocery store early in the weekend. Then I made a shit dinner on Monday night. You may think shells with caramelized onions and blue cheese sounds like... a thing. A nice thing. An easy thing. A tasty thing. Sure, Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers cookbook, thanks for this idea. It sounded delicious. I like caramelized onions. You know I dig on some pasta. And the blue cheese - yes yes, I do enjoy the dairy products. It seems like it could work. But then I got overzealous with my food processor and the six (!) cups of chopped onions turned to paste. I turned to mushrooms instead. Bad idea. I forlornly served up the meal to Scott, who took a semi-enthusiastic bite. His face kind of fell. He pushed the shells around on the watery cheese sauce. I poked at a mushroom and took a bite. Oh my. I shotgunned my glass of pinor noir and thusly declare...

In the past week, Scott and I decided to call any opportunity a "Christmas Miracle." The little elderly dog lost in the park in our neighborhood, a week later found unharmed a few blocks away  -- a Christmas Miracle. Scott not catching whatever funky virus I had last week -- a Christmas Miracle. Receiving not one, but THREE packages of our favorite Berger Cookies from two friends in Maryland -- a Christmas Miracle. It's the little things, y'all.

Planning to pig out on pastries this holiday? We just visited Las Delicias bakery up the street from our neighborhood for the first time. We bought a Yule log cake to take to a party, a ham and cheese pastry, and this portly piggie cookie. Good stuff! Las Delicias, 4405 Central Ave, Charlotte.

A wonderful kind of convergence happens this week as Thanksgiving Day meets the first day of the Festival of Lights. I can only imagine the kind of feasts now in preparation! It's an exciting time of year for foodies -- maybe the most thrilling -- as we decide what will make it to our tables this year. Will it be traditional dishes, or will we give something new a try? Who's in charge of carving the turkey, and will anyone notice if we go up for seconds, or even thirds? (I'll never judge you if you do.)