Hi gang! You know after last week’s pizza debacle that I needed to make some OHC style pizza STAT for this week! I was completely looking forward to it too!  The chew of a whole grain crust, the crisp flavor of fresh veggies, and the satisfaction of eating something homemade was calling my name.

I was a little worried about the crust this week because it seemed a little too fluffy while it was rising.  I was hoping and praying that it work out and that my pizza dreams would not be crushed.  Thankfully my fretting was all for not because the crust turned out amazing.  Not only did it taste fab but during baking it rose like crazy almost looking like I made some sort of deep dish pizza!

Mmmm deep dish pizza!  I have not made that for a while.  Perhaps I should reconsider it and give…

This past Tuesday was the First Annual Taste of Hilliard and Business Expo put together by The Hilliard Chamber of Commerce.  Local restaurants and businesses gathered in historic downtown Hilliard at The Makoy Center to show off their services and to give you just a bite of what is around your neighborhood.

There were so many vendors that both of the rooms at The Makoy Center were needed! Everything ranging from local taverns, to insurance companies, to golf courses, to breakfast spots.

Scott and I were running a little bit late so we didn’t get a chance to get in as early as we would have liked to chat with vendors but we were amongst the first to arrive at what is bound to develop into a great Hilliard event.

Attendees not only got to sample food and talk with business owners, but there…

Ever since I started eating salads as a wee lass, I have loved croutons.  No scratch that, I adore croutons!  Crispy crunchy little bits of bread that are loaded with flavor adding a nice texture to salad.  Sometimes they’ll soak up a bit of the dressing acquiring even more flavor!  I prefer smaller bite sized pieces but I won’t turn down a crouton when presented to me.

I used to buy croutons all the time at the store.  I had my favorite brands and favorite flavors.  Garlic was a must and cheese was optional.

Croutons that came on salads from a restaurant seemed even more special.  No doubt they were the same croutons I was buying myself but when you’re out to dinner everything always seems a little more decadent and special.

I rarely meet a crouton that I don’t like.  Oh it happens, just not often.

For some reason it never occurred…

Y’all yesterday was dang hot.  And I mean, sitting around needing to air yourself out kinda HOT.  The humidity was outta control and the heat index was just below Swamp.  Nobody really wanted to do anything and after I was done with my long run, I most especially didn’t want to do anything.

Rocky thought we were purposely keeping the air off and making him hot.  There was lots of stink eye being spread around and I may do a lot of things in the name of being green, but forcing folks or animals to be hot when they don’t have to be is not one of them.  Trust me, the air was on.

So you may be wondering then, if it was so hot why in the world am I suddenly obsessed with pumpkin?

Because I couldn’t hold out any longer friends and I had to bust open a can of that…

Hello my pretty athletes!  How is everyone doing this week?

Columbus has been hit with some serious humidity this past week and I’m not even exaggerating.  We’ve had heat advisories pretty much all week long.  Sometimes I don’t think people take heat advisories seriously.  Heat advisories happen when the humidity combines with the heat causing it to feel much hotter thus creating a heat index.  Most of the week the actual temp has been in the high 80s to low 90s, yet with the humidity, the heat index has been around the 100 mark.  Meaning people should stay in air conditioned spaces and avoid places with poor ventilation.

Basically it’s DANG hot and just because the temp is technically 85, it can in reality be hotter than that.  People need to take that into consideration and plan accordingly.  Uh, apparently I have strong opinions about that!  I just get frustrated when people don’t pay attention to the weather and then wonder…

Scott: I think you should post about this.

Me: Post about what?

Scott: Dinner.

Me: What? Like what we’re eating right now?

Scott: Yes.

Me: But it’s nothing, just some veggies and pasta.

Scott: Right.

Me: ‘Splain yourself.

Scott: Well, what did you do?

Me: I made an easy and quick dinner because it’s crazy late and we need to eat.

Scott: Exactly.  Maybe people would be interested in this.  Maybe folks want to know how to just put something together quickly when they don’t have a lot of time. Or when it’s late and they are hungry but still want something healthy.  This is a good example of that.

Me: Well I’ll try.  I did just toss this together, no exact measurements or anything.

Scott: That’s the point!

This was the conversation that Scott and I had last Wednesday when it was late, we were hungry, and I needed to put some food in our bellahs.  I attended…

Hello pretties!  How’s everyone’s week been and are you looking forward to the weekend?  I am for sure and I hope it’s a relaxing one because dang, we need it up in here!

Also, Happy Friday the 13th!  I am hoping that Scott and I will watch some cheesy horror movies!  We love cheesy horror movies and used to watch them all the time in our earlier courtin’ days.  One thing we watched was on SciFi (I’m sorry, it’s very hard for me to actually type out SyFy and not want to roll my eyes) and it came on every Friday night.  It was called, Full Moon Fright Night and it was hosted by William Shatner.  It was a night full of cheesy B horror movies.  Friday nights rocked at our house!  Sometimes we would order in Chinese and then hang out all night watching movies.

Oh…

This past Wednesday, I had the pleasure of attending a tomato sauce canning class that was put on by Slow Food Columbus.  The class was taught by Rachel of Hounds in the Kitchen.

To give a brief description of who these folks are, Slow Food is a movement that started in 1989.  It’s goal is to get people to not only start cooking for themselves, but to support local suppliers, AND take the time to get to know who the folks are behind your local farms and businesses.  It’s a movement to counteract the idea of fast food and to help educate people on where food comes from and how to purchase and eat responsibly.  Most places across the US have a Slow Food chapter in their area!  If you are interested, take a look at the website to see where your…

This summer has been notable for two reasons: heat and farmer’s markets.  Because of the heat, I have only wanted to eat a lot of cool things.  The HQ has been seeing various kinds of salads for meals this summer.  We have also been frequenting Farmer’s Markets because local towns have picked up hosting mid-week markets which fits our schedule a little better.

I noticed a lovely batch of green beans on a recent trip to the Farmer’s market and I had to have some.  I’m not the only one in this house who loves green beans, Rocky loves them too.  I picked up enough for all of us to enjoy!

Green beans are a bean that I have always been in love with.  I don’t care how you serve them up, I will eat them.  That includes fried green beans although I won’t…

One thing that I love about Columbus and it’s surrounding towns, is how much support is shown towards local restaurants.  One huge way that Columbus and surrounding areas do this is by hosting “Taste of” events.

This type of event is open to the public and depending on the size of the event will also determine the ticket price.  “Taste Of” events focus on local restaurants, diners, and shops.  It gives a chance for these places to set up a booth and provide samples of items from their menus so that the residents can get to experience what they have to offer.  It also gives everyone a chance to become more familiar with what is located right in their very own area.  Sometimes you’ll come across a place that you didn’t even know existed because maybe you haven’t been down that road before.

It’s a great opportunity for local…