I love when we stumble upon a cool spot with good food in a little town. While stopping at Pax Verum Brewing Company in the little town of Lapel, IN (population 2300), we were a bit hungry. They don’t serve food at the brewery, but they had a menu there for Smokey’s Concession Stand and told me it was just down the road - close enough to walk to. I walked over, got a Lapel Tenderloin to go and brought it back. Just that little walk was quite invigorating and it was fun walking the small town street over the railroad track. The sandwich was perfectly cooked and went perfect with a flight f ..read more

On a recent media tour in St. Louis, one of our scheduled lunches was in Ballpark Village at Katie’s Pizza and Pasta Osteria. We’d been at Busch Stadium the night before and watched the Cardinals beat the Phillies. I loved the ballpark and surrounding area. Even as a Cubs fan (who is often urged to view the White Sox, Milwaukee Brewers and St. Louis Cardinals as ardent enemies), I’m a big fan of the game of baseball and loved the vibes in this neighborhood. And Katie’s is a great addition to the ballpark experience or as a separate dining destination.  I loved that you walk in and imm ..read more

Almost every road trip includes a stop at a brewery.  I love observing the different vibe at each one. It's a place where you can sit and sip over conversation. Or where you can have a lively night with friends. Or where you can kind of tuck yourself away in a corner to check emails. I checked on Anvil & Forge when I was coming back from a solo trip to see my aunt. I needed a bite of something for late lunch. I saw that pizza was available by the slice - just what I needed. I believe the crust is made from scratch as well as the sausage being freshly ground in-house. It was a specta ..read more

There are times you want a drink, but can't or shouldn't. For those times you're craving something bubbly, but without the alcohol, this is one to keep on hand. This sweet sparkling rose by Joyus is perfect for an expecting mom, for observing Dry January or for when you feel like a little day drinking, but still have work to do. Cheers ..read more

Every year in March, I make the mandatory corned beef, potatoes, carrots and cabbage for the family. It's either boiled together in a big pot or sometimes made in a crock pot. Last year hubby got a smoker and I've found that corned beef is taken to a whole other level when it's slowly smoked.  If you've not tried it before, it so takes it up a notch. Even if you don't have a smoker, you can buy a smoker box that you fill with chips that you can use on your grill (and probably in the oven, also). I never want to have corned beef any other way now ..read more

When I visited Junk Ditch Brewing in Fort Wayne, it became an instant favorite. Not just for the beer, but for their amazing food options. It was truly one of my favorite meals I have ever had. I was impressed by the use of bonita flakes on the crab cake, the most pillowy of gnocchi and a fantastic fisherman's stew. We enjoyed it so much, we stopped back before heading out of town for some more beer and the dessert I didn't have room on the previous visit. A couple weeks ago we were in Huntington to check out Nick's Kitchen (best breaded pork tenderloin I have ever had!) and as we were headi ..read more

It's Pie Day! And while there are many, many choices of places to go to enjoy a slice of pie, few are better than Mrs. Wick's Pie's in Winchester, IN. The business started in 1944 and it wasn't long before owner Duane "Wick" Wickersham had reached his goal of selling 300 pies a day out of his Buick sedan in addition to running a restaurant. Customers loved the homemade treats made from his grandmother's recipes. Today, there's a large production facility where they make over 10,000 pies and 30,000 pie shells in a shift. The current restaurant has plenty of room for seating where you ca ..read more

Whenever you see a "best of" list, you have to take it with a grain of salt. Everyone's opinion of "best" is different, so this might not be your "best of" list, but it's a list of my favorites. Take a look at these 10 food descriptions or lines and see if you can match them up with my favorite movies. Four Fried Chickens and a Coke Give Me Some of Your Tots Life is Like a Box of Chocolate Fried Green Tomatoes Sausage King of Chicago Minnie's Pie You should see the toast, I couldn't even get it through the door Drink Your Prune Juice Grandma! Reese's Pieces Did anyone order me a plain cheese ..read more

Looking for a little last minute treat to make for the office or classroom that is easy, but homemade? Or looking for a fun little treat that you can make with your kids? These cute little colorful flowers are super easy, quite yummy and bring those sweet Valentine's vibes with little effort. All you need is: Snyder's Pretzel Snaps Ghirardelli Chocolate Discs Valentine M & Ms I'd seen someone online doing these with the white chocolate discs, but I had a bag of chocolate leftover from Christmas that I thought I'd put to use. You can use either one. Lay out the pretzel snaps on a parch ..read more

It’s the most romantic time of the year and if you’re looking for some ways to plan a special date night or a carve out a day to dedicate to your special someone, you’ll find lots of things to see and do in Chicago Southland to make Valentine’s Day memorable. Beyond heading to one of the movie theaters to see whatever rom com is on the screen or heading to one of the area’s entertainment venues for some romantic music, you’ll likely want to add a meal before or after. Or you can do one better and plan out a few foodie visits to work in even more deliciousness into the holiday. Here’s a little ..read more