NC State Farmers Market

Today we has breakfast at the NC State Farmers Market and boy was it food. Parker ordered 2 pancakes. As you can see they were huge. To quote Man vs. Food, "today food won". The biscuits where perfect. The picture below is of the normal biscuit you get I'm the starter basket. The other is the Huge biscuit sandwich with eggs, bacon and cheese. That is a biscuit! I opted for the Cowboy Jack omelet with peppers, onions and ham served with home fries. We also tried the grits, Belgium waffles, bacon and fresh fruit. Big portions and it all tasted great too. Everything was fresh and served hot. Everybody gave 2 thumbs up!

Snoopy's Hotdogs and More

Any time I am in Raleigh NC I gotta go by Snoopy's. This place has been in business for over 25 years and when you go it's easy to taste why. There is something perfect about the steamed bun, wax paper wrap, chili, mustard and onions! I like to add cheese to mine. Their crinkle cut fries are right on. Tuesdays are even better b/c hotdogs are only $0.99. So next time you are in Raleigh check'm out.

Holiday Meals

I love this time of year and all the meals and snacks that come along with it. We had several great friends bring goodies by. I think my favorite were the sugar coated pecans. Stacey and the kids liked the cookies and fudge.

For our Christmas dinner this year Stacey wanted pulled ham, like we've had at Aunt Granny's at DollyWood. It turned out great! And it was easy too. She also made a sweet potato and a green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and fresh bread. We finished of with a chocolate pie.

Now I can't wait for the traditional New Year's meal including black eyed peas and greens.

Christmas Eve Eve Dinner

Stacey made dinner tonight and it's a family favorite, chicken tacos. It is easy to make in the crock pot so we could hang out and enjoy the day. All we needed was some of Sarah's Cafe Rio sauce! Add some rice, sour cream, corn and lettuce and you are good to go.

For dessert we had a new ice cream flavor that is making its way up to the #1 spot. Give it a try.

Check back for details on Stacey's go at the Dolly Wood pulled ham recipe.

Coke in the white can.

Have you heard the commotion about Coke in the white polar bear can? People say it tastes different and Coke even said they may pull them off the shelf even though they say there is no difference. So tonight we held an unofficial blind taste test. Stacey poured some of the 'white Coke' (as the kids call it) for Dman, Pman, Neal and I in unmarked cups. 3 of the 4 of us not only could tell the difference but we knew which sample came from which can. Crazy! Try it for yourself.

Giordano's

I had never had Chicago style deep dish, stuffed pizza until a few weeks ago. Man it is good! At first I thought it was a lasagna, it was so thick. I like to order the individual size with sausage. I also order a side of giardiniera to go with it. Add a small salad and a cannoli and I am set. If you are in Chicago or Orlando, give them a try.

Cornbeef & Cabbage

I tried a new meal this weekend with the family. I cooked a 3 lb cornbeef brisket in the crockpot. I cooked it for about 7 hrs with carrots, celery and potatoes. I added big chunks of cabbage for the last 30 - 40 minutes.

It turned out nicely and I got thumbs up from all the kids and Stacey. This is an easy meal for a cold rainy day like we had Sunday.

I haven't blogged lately and it's not from a lack of eating. I have had a little travel over the last couple of weeks and I was able to eat at one of my new favorite restaurants again, Seasons 52. If you haven't heard of them or been to one, click the link below and see if you will be near one during the holidays.

http://www.seasons52.com

I also had a chance to eat at Burgers & Blues in Jackson, MS. I don't take the Whammy Challenge like Adam Richman from Man v. Food. However, I did enjoy my Lea & Perrins burger with lemon pepper fries.

http://burgersblues.com

Gingerbread House Building

I would count this as a food... We had our annual gingerbread house build off with our friends this weekend. Below is a picture of the end results. Neal and Sarah went for broke again this year with a homemade farm house. We went with the small village so everyone got to build there own.
I will save you from the details of what it takes for 4 adults, 3 kids and a baby to build this sugary wonderland. Let's just say we all eventually crashed from our sugar buzz, including our dog. Now we can pick them apart over the following days.

Turkey shout outs

I had to include a couple pictures from by best bud's and brother's turkeys they prepared today. Neal wrapped his in bacon, set it up 'beer can' style and then cooked it just right on his new BGE and my bro, Paul, went with his famous rotisserie turkey again this year. I heard rave reviews about both.

How do you prefer your turkey prepared?

Thanksgiving Dinner

The Thanksgiving dinner was great again this year. The turkey was perfect (if I do say so myself). Stacey fixed some awesome sides. We had all the old favs. Deviled eggs, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes and fresh bread, to name a few. She also found the recipe for the sweet potato casserole from Dolly Wood. It was just like being there! Here is a picture of the feast just before we all filled our plates.

The Thanksgiving Turkey - BGE

Preparing the bird and setting up the Egg.

Pizza on the BGE

We fired up the Egg for pizza tonight. Its all about the temp and the Egg makes it easy to bake the pie at 500 degrees. Check out the pies the kids helped make. Next time you come over we'll make you one.

Holiday Snacks

Hanging out with Pman making some snacks and deciding what to have for dinner. The vote is for pizza on the BGE. Check back to see how it goes and some pictures.

Cinnamon Roll Waffles

Stacey saw this idea recently so we decided to try it out this weekend. Just stick your Pillsbury cinnamon roll in your waffle maker for about 3 minutes and you are ready to add some icing. Quick, easy, tasty with a little crunch. Perfect with bacon.

Hungry?

I have been wanting to set up a food / eating Blog for a while now. So with help from Stacey, here we go.

Anyone that knows me knows how much I like to eat. I am always looking for a good place to eat, especially if there are proteins or ice cream involved. I also like to try my hand at cooking. Nothing fancy but always tasty and filling.

So check in from time to time to see pictures of my latest meals with my family, friends or just by myself.