Taste of Mooresville: Lancaster's BBQ

What kind of BBQ fan are you? Is it a noun or a verb? Do you like Memphis, TX, Sonny's, Eastern, Western, TN, KY - so many people out there and everyone with an opinion on BBQ. Well...

Here is mine...

I had one of the best BBQ sandwiches ever to be put in my mouth today. Definitely worth the 2 hour and 20 minute drive and the 3.85 per sandwich. The chopped cole slaw and the mild sauce (not vinegar) made this sandwich dynamite!

It is definitely a fave of my sister-in-laws and a gas station in Mooresville has it for sale on Sundays.

The homemade chips are great and not too salty - fun to eat when dipped in ranch dressing. They also come seasoned if you want them - cajun style - that is how Alan chose to eat his - dipped in their vinegar sauce.

So good - go now.

Foodie Night with Brandi

I love my foodie friends!

Brandi and I worked together at SBTS before she went and had a baby. Last night was our last time to get together and hang out before I move on as well. Such is the life of seminary workers!

We had so much fun and I personally ate too much!

I made a huge salad: green leaf lettuce, roma tomato, cuk, feta cheese, pecans, dried cherries. YUM

Brandi made chuck bbq with Sweet Baby Rays sauce that she had slow cooked and then shredded. We ate it the only way you can: on a yellow bread roll that was garlic-ized in the oven on broil.

We also had baked doritos and baked ruffles.

For dessert: an eggo waffle topped with fruit, cinnamon, and maple syrup.

End the night with a Diet Doctor Pepper and my fave dude on TV solving a food-related murder - could it get any better?

I'll definitely miss Brandi - and am thankful for social media and email!

Caramelized Red Onion and Feta Sandwich

I think caramelized onions are some of the world's most perfect foods! And today, on a snow day (we got 6 inches), it was amazing.

1/4 large red onion

1 tsp olive oil

splash of blush wine

water

2 T feta cheese

arthur thin - whole wheat

mustard

I sliced the onion, heated a little olive oil, got them going. Took about 20 minutes. Splash of wine and occassionally putting water in there. Topped it with feta and squirted a little mustard.

Tomorrow, I think I might make another one - maybe on a salad this time! My side dish was yummy homemade sweet potato baked fries.

Seaside Cheddar Grilled Cheese

Ok - I've had two memorable grilled cheese sandwiches in my life. One was about 2 years ago at a little diner in Ft. Wayne, IN. 5 cheeses, sourdough, tomato, bacon. Didn't think it could be topped. Hmmmmm.

It was topped last night.

Rebecca and I made an amazing grilled cheese - and you can, too.

4 slices fresh sourdough breat

6 oz seaside cheddar cheese (Whole Foods)

1/2 red onion, sliced

2 T apple cider

butter

Start the onions really early because they take about 1 hour to caramelize. Slice them, put them in a pan, pour in the apple cider, cook on low for about 1 hour.

In a frying pan, butter bread. Spoon on some of the caramelized onions, top with cheese, then other slice of bread.

Heat through. Holy yum these were amazing.

Taste of Louisville: Calistoga Cafe

Louisville has a new chain restaurant. Calistoga Cafe opened recently on Dutchmans in the heart of St. Matthews. Nearby restaurants are Moe's, Wild Eggs, Panera, Red Lobster, Texas, Ernesto's, Bazo's, Skyline Chili, Denny's - just to name a few. Definitely a popular location for food.
I was enticed by the menu and photo of atmosphere of this place, so I thought I would try it out today. Here is what I thought:
Great:
the staff - at least the ones I had. One of the bussers who worked the area near me had to deal with 4 uppity women who wanted things their way and weren't too grateful for her assistance. I was glad to get an opportunity to be gracious with my words to her.
fountain drinks - I love fountain drinks! :)
the coupon - with my meal today I got a coupon (good for 30 days) for a BOGO Free breakfast. Hopefully I will get to use this next Saturday.
Taste of half wrap: I got the veggie hummus wrap - I liked the marinade they put on it and the taste (although slight) of the hummus.
Not so great:
the price - you choose two and a fountain drink and small tip (10%) was 11.40. Too much for lunch.
I got the French Onion soup (least amount of calories I would think) - it was only warm and they seemed to have slapped some croutons then a slice of mozz cheese on top. At least it wasn't too salty. I just ate the broth and onions. The sandwich was piled in too much (wrap) so it started to fall apart. It was soggy from the vinaigrette they had put on it. The feta wasn't small cubes - but large blocks (3/4 in cubes) - that's too big for a sandwich.
Too loud: My Dad would definitely have not liked this place. I was trying to do some Bible reading and menu planning. I went after 1pm hoping to miss some of the crowd. But even by the time I left at 240 it was still so loud in there. Don't know if it is the acoustics or just the number of people, but I really think Panera is quieter.

So, will I go back? I'll give it one more shot - with the coupon and breakfast. But, I don't think I'll be making this place a regular! :(

Taste of Louisville - Lotsa Pasta

Oh the joys of living in this area of the ville. Everything is so close. Down the street (near Shelbyville and Lexington) is a specialty grocery store (a local Whole Foods) that has a great deli/cafe for lunch. Brandi and I decided to go there today.
I had the tomato/artichoke soup (only ate about 1/4 of it) and we split a chicken prosciutto panini - which was huge. I added water and baked ruffles.
The soup was nice and hot - being that it is cold outside today - it was a perfect compliment to the weather. Big chunks of artichokes, many tomatoes (but more of a creamy tomato).
The panini was shaved roasted chicken, prosciutto (which I took off because I couldn't chew it), sun-dried tomato pesto, and provolone. Their focaccia bread is amazing - not too tough or hard, heated through to melt the cheese.
So 2 soups, 1 large sandwich, chips, and 2 brinks (a Stewarts for Brandi and a water for me) was 16$ and we didn't have to pay tip. I thought that was pretty good. Soup was only 3.50 for a big container of it. And its always good to go with a friend - thanks Brandi!
I would really like to go back - build relationships with some of the younger ladies who work there. I don't think they are open on Sunday nights so maybe they would be interested in coming to Crossing which is out their back door too! It is all about Loving Louisville. Be intentional - even when you just go out for lunch!

Taste of Louisville - Cycler's Cafe

Many friends here at Southern have raved about this place down the street from the seminary - so I went today with a friend. It was good, fresh, priced between 3-9$ with a drink and side item - so fairly reasonable - and you don't have to tip, so that makes it even cheaper.
This is a great place if you bike, come, get your bike fixed, build relationships with other bikers (not the motorcyle type), eat healthy food, and not break the bank (especially with the economy the way it is). The inside has tons of bikes on racks, riding gear you can purchase, a few tables (inside and outside), a drive-thru, and a cafe in the back.
They have burritoes, sandwiches, stuff like that.
I had a "Duff Field" The reason I chose this was because there was a baseball complex near my house called Duff Field - where I played softball in elementary and we went weekly to be at my brother's practice and games. Great times! It was a wheat tortilla, oven roasted turkey, avocado, cheese, mayo, and lettuce. I ate the first half as is (not all of the wrap), then for the other half I took off the wrap and ate it "naked". It was good. The avocado and mayo make it moist.
Kathy got the chicken burrito - and ate it "naked" to after it had been heated - so the cheese was melted. Had everything - including summer squash.
She even got to ask the owner (Joe) about how to get a bike to Zambia. See, more ways to share the glory of God at a cafe here in the ville.

Best Grilled Cheese

The Best Grilled Cheese sandwich that I've ever had - hands down. Ft. Wayne is extremely blessed to have this fabulous little place. It would be a weekly staple - and it was only 5.50 with a salad. That is orange spice tea (not any other liquid) by the menu.

This was grilled sourdough bread - not too greasy as most grilled cheeses are. Perfectly toasted. There was herb cheese on the inside instead of more butter. The other cheeses were cheddar, Swiss, provolone, Parmesan, and pepperjack. The pepperjack gave it bite and the herb cheese added flavor. It was so good. And there was a tomato on it to give it texture and not make it dry.

If you are ever in Ft. Wayne IN you must go downtown to see Dash-In and get the gourmet grilled cheese sandwich