Day 364 - Town Topic

We have driven by probably a hundred times and many of those times had joked about going . . . and today we made that dream a reality. Lunch from Town Topic in KC - MO, yes please :)

The inside was a tight squeeze, luckily we were planning to order ours togo

The menu was much more extensive than I imagined and we have big plans to head back some day to try the biscuits & gravy, but today we had our hearts & stomachs set on cheese burgers (and because I can, since I am a very pregnant lady, and the sign said
'fresh pies' . . . a slice of blueberry pie too)

All-in-all it was a place worth checking out and the burger was great too


Other than the guy who asked is I was carrying 3 babies (luckily I was able to respond that there were indeed 2 little babes cooking), it was great and actually, I honestly thought that guy was the perfect touch to the experience :)

Day 363 - Yellow Melon

Please help identify this mystery melon . . .

I picked it up at Costco for a something new to try and figured I could do my research later to figure out what exactly it was since at Costco it was only labeled 'Yellow Melon'. Well, once home I found about 4 or 5 possibilities . . . but think it may actually just be called 'Yellow Melon' - clever.

Any who, it is actually a very refreshing tasty fruit. I sliced it into quarters

Removed the seeds

and cut pieces, just like you would do for a cantaloupe or honey dew

It was a great snack and I have to say if you ever run across a Yellow Melon and are unsure of what it really is - give it a try anyway :)

Day 362 - Coconut Water

Last time we were at the grocery store I picked up some coconut water to try it out.

I am not sure if people actually drink this on its own or if it is primarily used for cooking . . . either way today I tried some straight up and it was not bad, not something I will drink on a regular basis, but it actually was refreshing and had a very mild flavor.

Day 347 - Cheesy Bites Pizza

Tonight we decorated our Christmas tree. This is always one of my favorite Christmas traditions. As a kid my family always made it such a special night and Quinn and I have carried on the tradition to our family



Normally we would to make a nice dinner together, to sit and enjoy in front of our beautifully decorated tree, but tonight we decided to keep it simple and order a pizza, and in the spirit of doing something new, we went with the Pizza Hut cheesy bite pizza :)

It was pretty good, the regular stuffed crust is better and all of the tempting commercials sure make this pizza look better than ours did, but it did accomplish our main goal - simple, easy dinner.

Day 340 - Tomatillo

I've seen them in the store many times and thought they were some kind of crazy pepper or something, but it turns out a tomatillo is part of the tomato family.

To prepare them, you first remove the husks and wash them off well

They are a firm fruit and easy to cut into

You can eat them raw, but I learned from my produce book that they are best when cooked. So I diced up a couple tomatillo's and tossed them into a pan with a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

Then, I decided to add some eggs and make a good snack out of it.

It was a great combo. I think this summer, I will try some of the recipes for tomatillo salsa that I cam across while trying to understand this fruit.

Day 330 - eCreamery

I had an early start to my morning with some traditional Black Friday shopping with my dad and sister Janelle. We usually go out, more for the sport of it and to do some fun people watching, but this year we managed to find some great deals along the way :) Here's my sister Nelly buried in out loot.

After some much needed rest and a relaxing afternoon Quinn and I decided to get some ice cream (surprise surprise . . . I am noticing it is a very common theme in my blog these days)

Anyway, since we are in Omaha we had to try the eCreamery in Dundee. This place is awesome!! I thought it was just a typical little ice cream shop, but while enjoying my delicious creation I learned this little shop is actually so much more!

Basically they have a great website where you can create your own flavor, complete with a custom label and they have been featured and a number of nationally syndicated shows - very cool.

The inside of the store was great too - they had the traditional soda fountain vibe going

And a very vibrant & fun chalk board menu on the wall

It was a great choice and I can't wait to stop back next time we are back in Omaha!

YUM!!

Day 313 - Cactus Fruit

Tonight I tried a cactus fruit (or prickly pear)

I noticed them at the grocery store and thought they looked interesting so I picked up a package and once at home and ready to give them a try I turned to my handy produce book.

Since these fruits are from a cactus they can still have sharp skin, even after they are prepared to be sold in the store, so my book said to use a fork to hold the fruit in place and then to cut off the top & bottom skin and then to go around an peel the sides all using a sharp knife.

The inside of the fruit was very unusual, unlike anything I had eaten before, which made me a little skeptical about eating it - But again thanks to the produce book and the picture of the fruit that looked just like my piece of fruit made be believe it was safe to try.

It was sweet (not too sweet, just a hint of sweetness) and interesting. The texture is a cross between a watermelon and a pear and the seeds inside are all edible (but I must admit I tried to avoid them) the book said they would be crunchy, but they seemed just hard and strange to me.

I'm glad I tried this fruit - not sure if I will buy it again, but if I come across it on a menu sometime or in a tropical drink I will be comfortable ordering it.

Day 265 - Pastichio (Greek Food)

Quinn is out of town for work for a couple of days, so when I went out to Mr. Gyro today to pick up a gyro for lunch, I thought I might as well grab something for dinner too. I ordered a serving of pastichio. Here's how it was described on the menu: Casserole of layered ground beef & macaroni. Baked with a cream topping.

It was interesting, some of the flavors I noticed were a bit unexpected, like cinnamon, but I really did like it and had no trouble finishing my piece of pastichio for dinner tonight :) Next time we are at Mr. Gyro it will be a bit tougher choice . . . to go with a gyro or the pastichio

Day 238 - Apple Pears

Last time we went grocery shopping we bought some apple-pears and tonight I tried one

They are pretty good - looks like an apple, but tastes like a pear. Thanks to some goggling this evening I have learned this fruit is actually a pear and that they are traditionally eaten with the skin peeled away

I am glad I tried this fruit and I will probably try it again soon.

Day 225 - Cheesecake

This weekend Quinn and a couple of other guys we are friend with have big plans. They are having a work-weekend at each of our houses over the next few months to help each other out with projects. This weekend they will be at Scott & Katie's building a new deck.

Tonight they bought some of the supplies and did a little prep, and by the time Quinn was ready to come home I was hungry! So we decided to go out to dinner. We went with Scott & Katie to the Cheesecake Factory. We had all been there before, but it had been a while.

While we were there I decided to order a new cheesecake off their menu . . . there are always so many great choices, but Quinn and I have 1 or 2 favorites we always end up getting.

We went with the White Chocolate Caramel Macadamia Nut Cheesecake (my attempt below to take a picture with my cell phone . . . )

It was delicious!

Next time you are thinking of ordering the same old stuff, go for something new. It might just be better than your regular old choice anyways :)

Day 208 - Golden Oreos

We never buy cookies. Or really any packaged desserts . . . but you know what they say, "never say never." While picking up a few essentials at Target, for our upcoming Colorado road trip the snack food isle pulled me in with it's sale on Golden Oreos

Have you ever tried them before?

I am pretty sure they are not new, but they are good and I really am surprised that I had never tried them before today. I am glad I discovered the golden oreo, but hopefully having these little treats in our cupboards won't become a regular occurrence :)

Day 204 - Amy's Frozen Meals (Enchilada's)

After being out of town for the last week and back in the office today I knew I wouldn't get a chance to take much of a break (even if I wanted to) so as I do many days - I brought my lunch today. Last week at the grocery store I picked up a new frozen lunch, called Amy's

A few months ago, I learned from Jane Goodall's book, Harvest for Hope about GMO's and noted the Amy's brand as a smart choice, but never thought much more of it and filed that information away . . . until last week when the meals caught my eye and I decided to buy one to try.

After my lunch today, all I can say is Yummy :) These are seriously so good and by far the best frozen meal I have ever had! Sure they have a few more calories than 'SmartOnes' or a 'Healthy Choice' but each bite is worth every calorie. Plus it's organic and GMO-free AND Gluten-free.

If you have never tried these before you should!

(I know I am rattling on a lot about some frozen dinner, but I can't help it, it really was that good)

Cheers to another great discovery.

Day 189 - Quinoa

Have you ever heard of or made Quinoa before?

Well, until tonight I hadn't either.

I have noticed Quinoa on menus, blogs and cooking shows over the last couple of months, but have never tried it. So last time we were at the grocery store I decided to add it to our list and give it a try.

For preparation, I had a pre-soaked type (which saves a lot of time). So all I had to do was boil it in the correct proportions of water to Quinoa (similar to rice- I think next time I might try some chicken stock with or instead of the water for a different flavor,the package also suggested toasting it before adding the water.) Once it came to a boil, I let it simmer until all the water evaporated or was absorbed.

Unlike rice, you do not cover the pan.

Basically, it's a lot like a fluffy rice, with a bit of a nutty flavor to it. now that I have tried it, I can think up countless ways you can use this in all sorts of meals. Tonight I simply added some to my salad.

It's very high in protein and added a different flavor and texture. I really enjoyed it.

Day 184 - The Donut Professor

We have a very busy day ahead of us. . . We are having our 4th of July celebration with Quinn's family today and I am not sure there will be much time to try something new - so this morning Quinn ran out and picked up doughnuts at the Donut Professor.

Yummy!!!

Thanks Q :)

Other Firsts: We sat on the field of Rosenblatt during the fireworks display - it was a fun experience and a great view of the show.

Day 181 - mmmmm . . . Pretzel m&m's

Have you tried these yet?!?

Tonight, I did and I recommend you do too.

The balance of pretzel to m&m flavor was minimal, but you could tell it was there. I wouldn't mind a little more pretzel and a little less m&m. Either way they are good.

Enjoy!

Day 178 - Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream Shop and Dinner in our front yard

My favorite way to eat ice cream is when it is a banana split :) I probably only have about 1 year, so when I do - it's a big deal! Today, one was sounding really good - so Quinn and I set out to find the best banana split in Kansas City.

We decided on Ben & Jerry's. I had never been to one of their ice cream shops before, but know their product in the grocery stores is a good one - so we headed south to Ben & Jerry's

I went with regular vanilla & strawberry for my first 2 flavors, but for the chocolate decided on New York Super Fudge Chunk (. . . mmmmm)

For the topping I went with hot fudge

And of course had to top it all off with peanuts

The end result was a perfectly delicious banana split, that made me so happy & in such a good mood . . .

I decided to share with Quinn too

It was so yummy, right down to the last drop!

Another satisfied customer :)

Other Firsts: I didn't get a picture to capture the moment, but we also ate dinner in our front yard tonight - for the first time. Quinn recently placed a couple of our Adirondack chairs in the front to reseal them and we got so many compliments and liked how it looked that we kept them there. So tonight we placed a couple lanterns from our back yard in the front and sat in our chairs to enjoy our dinner and the beautiful night.

Day 173 - Hiro 88 (plus Naked Sushi & Blood Orange Sorbet)

HAPPY 21st MICHELLE!!!

Sisters :)
We had dinner at Hiro 88 downtown with about 25 of Michelle's friends - It was my first time here and the restaurant was great to us, I was impressed with how well they treated our 21st birthday celebration and the food was terrific.

The menu had many classic Chinese options and some Japanese selections plus tons of sushi.

I also had 'naked' sushi for the first time. Incase you have never heard of it - they use cucumber to roll the sushi instead of seaweed - yummy!



My sister Janelle & I also shared the Snow White Chicken - it was delicious.

As dinner was winding down - I said a little toast and then it was saki bomb time (what would a 21st birthday at a sushi place be with out them?)

Cheers!

Nelly even did one (I passed)

But I did not pass on dessert :)

The restaurant gave Michelle this decadent cake (that I volunteered to help finish)

And I ordered a scoop of sorbet for my self. They had several int resting flavors and I decided to try the blood orange one, since I had never had anything made with blood orange, but have heard of it on cooking shows before.

A perfect sweet treat - to top off a wonderful dinner celebration

. . . Then we headed off to the bars :)

The shot I bought for Michelle was a lemon drop (it was #21 . . . continued from the power hour the night before)