Hungry Times Two

Recently two boxes of Giant-brand (generic) organic Mac & Cheese made it into our pantry somehow - methinks I know who squeezed them into a fully loaded shopping cart not too long ago. And then this week my grocery store trip went awry and I somehow figured we'd get by on random produce, rice, a cut or two of meat, and....magic? Let's just say the cupboard was pretty bare and we did the dreaded yet handy "Breakfast for Dinner" approach one night this week. Yep, grits, egg and veggie scramble, and a commendable approach at potato pancakes from one Scott Adams. So...those two boxes of mac and cheese - one Wisconsin cheddar and another white cheddar - came in pretty freakin' handy. Problem is, they fully brought the mac, yet not so much the cheese. Both boxes were dry, dry, dry. I had to poke around my bowl just to find any semblance of sauce. Here's my stance: if you're going to go the boxed mac and cheese route, do yourself a favor and forget "orga...

Like, duh, it's a given - anywhere we go, Scott and I will seek out the food and drink opportunities to the hilt. Our recent adventure in Colorado did not disappoint in that regard. Whether you're coming off the hiking trail and need recharging, trying to escape the magnifying-glass sharp sunshine, or ready to quench your thirst, you won't run out of options in Boulder. What did we like best? Here's our top 5. 1) Celestial Seasonings - a different kind of brew. Yep, CO is known for its beer but as an Anglophile, Scott is a big tea drinker, and as for me, well, I like it to cool me down in the summer, to warm me up in the winter (or at my office, where the frigid A/C is always on full blast), and to calm me when my emotions need a little tea party break. Luckily, the Celestial Seasonings factory in Boulder beckoned and we didn't resist its charms in the slightest. With three family members, we signed up for the tour - receiving packets of Sleepytime blend as our ...

Oh, New York, New York. The Empire of all things fabulous, diverse, high brow, and well, high-priced. This past weekend I visited the mecca of Tiffany's, Sex in the City -style shopping sprees, $15 cocktails with a penthouse view, the Subway (and I don't mean the six-inch sandwich), and lots of very important people (I'll get to my celeb spotting moment in a minute) rushing about. It's amazing. As a girls weekend in The City, celebrating two moms-to-be, the occasion called for a couple must-dos. We must find a cute place to honor the maternal ones amongst us and we must head out for one night on the town, dressed to kill (or at least dressed for something other than a night with the remote control, a bag of Doritos, and a Bud Lite). Thankfully, our seasoned and giddy expert KH, a resident of the Upper West Side, came to our aid. For our baby-shower-esque spot, KH discovered this gem, Alice's Tea Cup , a whimsical, colorful nod to Lewis Carroll's cast of char...

NPR's Morning Edition is presently running a cool series on farm-fresh food finds, sending reporters out to farmer's markets across the country for the freshest picks on the vine. Their template is incredibly well-designed - click on a food product and up comes an article, food facts on the featured tasty treat, and recipes. Yet another reason to blissfully geek out over public radio, and more reasons to support small farms.

Holy hot sauce! One lousy post in the month of July. I think it's safe to say HTT abandoned this blog to rot out in cyberland. My apologies, but it's been a bastardy beast of a month, capping off with an end of the month move to the east side of Nashville, across the Cumberland River. Our new place - the fourth now in three years living in Music City, USA - is loverly, with a river bluff view and a big narrow yard. The owners left a strange circle of river rocks in the backyard and we're thinking it'd be perfect for a G-A-R-D-E-N. No, our struggling containers of basil, mint, rosemary and Thai basil don't count as far as digging in the dirt is concerned. Scott is jonesin' for the opportunity to get his hands messy and grow his own organic fall and winter veggies and I'm curious to see what the fuss is all about. I have photos of some of the things I am about to describe, but in the move I have buried my USB cord somewhere deep down below and I'm too gh...