Tag Archives: Staycation

Hawk in the Hood

We have a lot of wildlife in our neighborhood. Someone actually spotted a deer. We are considered in town so, it seems really weird but it was their neighborhood first, just a hundred years ago. We have raccoons and possums a plenty. We also have hawks. I am mesmerized by them. Their beauty in flight is amazing. So, one afternoon one landed on the basketball hoop in my front yard. IMG_3903I grabbed my phone, the photos aren’t  great but you get the idea.IMG_3911

IMG_3915But as he flew away… he flew right into my neighbors front window, but he was fine. He shook it off and was off again!

Salmon and Caprese Salad

I love summer! Summer brings us super yummy veggies, corn, zucchini, lima beans, lady peas but my absolute favorite is TOMATOES.  I eat tomatoes every day. I love them. When they first ripen I will make the tomato sandwich and maybe even a BLT. Tonight I had to go with the Caprese salad. Caprese 2Tomato on thick slice of fresh mozzarella, a few pieces of basil under the tomatoes and drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. This is heaven in every bite! But then here comes the topper. The salmon….caprese 3Alaska King Salmon, not farmed salmon. You put a bite of the salmon in olive oil and balsamic vinegar and tomato juice. Life is great!

Sublime Doughnuts

UnknownThe first Sublime opened about 20 minutes from me near Georgia Tech. I read the reviews and knew I had to go try. They have an amazing assortment. Unknown-1They have a Smores, Reeses cup, Red Velvet etc.

UnknownI loved every single doughnut I tried. But my favorite is the A-Town Bavarian Cream doughnut. Sublime

This is the BEST DOUGHNUT IN ATLANTA.

The best thing though is they opened one near me (or maybe that is not so good). Oh and they are open 24/7.

Johnny’s Barbecue in Powder Springs

IMG_7658This is not a review, just a view and some comments. Traveling to Patak’s yesterday I decided to stop in here for lunch. Always up for barbecue, I thought I would give it a try. It was a big open room with a country store on the side. IMG_7656

I asked my sweet waitress what she recommended, and she started talking and I thought I was in a foreign land. She had a super strong accent, southern,(yes I am from the south but sometimes it’s a blur)  but she was talking so fast also, and something about everyone orders the hickory fries, so she guessed that would be the thing to get. It was cheese fries with BBQ on top and your choice of salad dressing. So, I thought I would try it. I ordered the small, thank goodness. Their hot sauce is very HOT. It was good, really. I just don’t usually get that sort of thing, but I love a good fry! Here’s the kicker though, the check came. It was only $3.50. Now, you can’t beat that. I would like to try their chicken next time.

IMG_7659.jpg

It was cute and kitschy. I will be back to try more.

Patak’s Meat Products

Patak’s Bohemian Meats is located in Austell, GA. IMG_7662

This is a fun trip for all of the family. They will give you samples if you like.Unknown All their sausages are hand made, twisted and smoked in house.They only use fresh lean pork and beef with no substitutes or fillers. Unknown-2 It is out in the middle of nowhere, unless you live there, then it’s somewhere. The prices are really reasonable. Oh and I got this Bosnian Bread which is light and airy. It is unbelievable! Unknown-1I wanted to try it out because regular hot dogs are sooo bad for you, I thought why not give this a shot.

I think it is definitely worth the trip and a fun Staycation.

Meatless Monday

Meatless Monday is a global movement with a simple message – cut the meat!

It launched in 2003. It is a nonprofit initiative of the Monday Campaigns. It is embraced by 39 countries.

I have been doing this for about 2 years now, and it has become so easy.

For lunch today Unknown-1black beans and yellow rice and a Boca BurgerUnknown-2  I really like Boca Burgers, just on their own. But then dinner was another matter…I had a lot of left over veggies sitting in the fridge and those mushrooms that were just about to go bad. I had a can of cream of celery soup and some vegetable broth (okay I didn’t have vegetable broth I used chicken) Anyway, I mixed the broth and cream of celery and we all know that using a cream of soup makes everything much better. Next I added green beans and some potatoes, then some spinach then the mushrooms, salt and pepper. Now, at lunch, I put the black beans on the yellow rice and put it in the fridge. I wanted the rice and a little of the black beans. The soup turned out so great, really a great flavorful melding of spices and vegetables.

I highly recommend trying a leftover soup in your future.

 

 

Roasters

There is this restaurant on Lenox Rd, in Buckhead called Roasters that serves Rotisserie Chicken and Ribs and Meatloaf and comfort food, mac n cheese, blackeyed peas, etc…

Unknown  Unknown-1

So, yesterday, on the way home from picking up my car from the shop, I decided to stop for lunch. I have always gone the comfort food way and in some ways I did again.

The soup of the day was gazpacho. So I opted for the soup and salad. Gazpacho and Caesar salad. It was honestly one of the best cups of Gazpacho I have ever had.

This place has been around for a long time and the service is great and the food is consistently good. I say if you are in the area give it a try and let me know what you think!