Lemonade, Limeade and Tea

This is a sparkling lemonade from Sonic - having been pilfered from me by my nephew.  *laugh*  Prior to Sonic coming up with this "sparkling" (read: Sprite) concept for lemons, they already had this on their menu with limes.  Perhaps you've heard me ramble about the deliciousness of a cherry limeade?  : )  In comparison, if made correctly, I prefer the lemonade!  I'm not quite sure how one makes either 'ade incorrectly, but somehow the peeps at Sonic make it happen. When it's good, it's very, very good.  And 95% of the time, even if it's "bad" it's good.  Ya know?  

Anyway, that brings us to my shopping extravaganza at WM today.  

 

We'll begin in the middle, because that's what I tried first.  That would be a Mango Limeade from Odwalla, and it's called Haiti Hope because all the proceeds are going to help the relief efforts in Haiti.  I'd seen an ad in People for this drink, and it sounded yummy.  Also, tho I think American money would be better spent helping people here in America, I'm all for donating what I can when I can to help others in times of need, wherever they might reside. 

That being said... I will not be purchasing more of this drink.  I unfortunately couldn't even finish that one.  It could have been the mango (which, I like fresh, but not sure it translates well to juice) or the plastic bottle.  The bottle is that type of plastic those barrel juices (you know the ones I mean) come in, and it had that same taste.  However, I would take a barrel juice over this! 

To the right of the limeade, we have Arizona Southern Style Sweet Tea.  I haven't opened it yet, but I love SSST!  I imagine I might have to add lemon, but it could be perfectly fine as is.  I'll find out tomorrow and leave a comment to let ya know!  : ) 

Then, to the left of the limeade, we have a diet Snapple.  You can't really tell from the picture, but it's Bret Michaels's Trop*A*Rocka tea.  I watched him come up with his recipe & go thru labelling and commercials for this tea, on Celebrity Apprentice.  A portion of sales go to the diabetes foundation, which was his charity on the show.  I like the label a lot!  The problem ... I don't really like the tea.  *sigh*  I think it's a good tea, and unlike some Snapples, it didn't leave a film in my mouth (maybe that's the "diet" portion?).  The difference between this & the limeade, which I did not enjoy at all, is that I kinda like the tea.  Not enough to keep the 5 other bottles I bought (6 pack for $5 at WM), tho!  I think I'll take them in to work & see if anyone wants to try them before they buy them.  *laugh*  I should have checked to see if they had a taste test for it somewhere in the store!  heh.  

Anywhoo!  Today's recommendation - go with a Sonic Sparkling Lemonade or Cherry Limeade.  But I'm happy those two charities got $2 from me!!

Until next time... what's YOUR favorite beverage?

Cookout foodies unite!

Today we had a cookout to celebrate Aunt Kim's retirement.  The menu was typical family cookout fare, and of course very tastey! 

Hot dog, burnt-ish, with ketchup & relish, thank you.  I don't know who made the cornbread/scalloped corn, but it was moist & delicious.  And finally, Aunt Sharon's cheesey broccoli rice.  She brings it to every family gathering, and we thank her.  Oh yes, we thank her by eating every.last.drop.  Mmm!

Aunt Vicki (?) makes the devilled eggs.  They always go very quickly! 

I didn't get a chance to have any of this, but the dressing was dill and it looked delectible! 

Kim's cake was clever AND it tasted good!  The top portion was lime, yes LIME!  And the bottom was chocolate and marble.  I had a piece of the chocolate - perfection!  Aunt Kim said the lime was very good as well - I only found out it was lime as we were leaving, or I'd have a first hand knowledge of the tastiness!! 

Until next time - what's YOUR favorite cookout food?  Other than Aunt Sharon's rice dish, I'd have to say mine is brats.  : ) 

Chili's - Appetizer & Soup

Loaded baked potato soup is one of my favorites no matter who makes it.  This one is definitely at the top of my LBP list, tho!  I did add some crackers & black pepper, but it was a cup of creamy, cheesey goodness for sure! 

Spinach Artichoke dip w/ light crispy chips.  Super!!  Mom & I continued to dig in after this picture, so don't worry - we didn't leave that much dip in the bowl!  ; ) 

Sometimes this dip can get kind of bitter, I'm not sure why.  Tonight it was perfectly balanced, tho, and there was plenty of creamy cheese to sit on the chips. 

Mom ordered steak & loaded mashed.  I got to taste a couple bites of the steak, which - even tho I had a gyro for lunch & didn't really want any more meat today - made me wish I'd ordered a steak!  The first bite I had seemed really salty, and I wasn't going to eat another bite, but Mom offered, and bites 2-5 (*grin*) were perfectly seasoned and the right balance of bite and tenderness.  Smoky.  Mmmm! 

Leyton enjoyed a hamburger with ketchup and fries.  And a good number of my chips.  : )  He did a pretty good job of ketchuping his burger, too. 

I know it's a chain restaurant, but I do enjoy Chili's.  The food is quite tastey, and the atmosphere is one of relaxation and charm.  Plus, it brings back memories of Senior Trip & the first time I ate at Chili's, in Alabama.  Or was it Florida?  We were staying in Dauphin Island, AL, and spent time in Florida as well, so I'm not sure where the restaurant was!  But I remember thinking how neat the coasters, tables, and then food were!  I still feel that way when I eat there.  Altho, there weren't any coasters tonight.  What's up with that?!

Until next time... Where's your favorite place to get chips? 

Pampered Chef Par-tay

Tonight I went to my friend, Rebecca's Pampered Chef party.  She had it at a Hy Vee - who knew they had halls upstairs w/ a kitchen & whatnot for parties??  I didn't!  It was a pretty sweet deal, tho, and she had a good turn out to the party. 

She picked me up at 5:30 (ish) & we had to pick up some stuff in the store before heading up to the party.  Her consultant was doing a joint show with another consultant, which gave the whole thing kinda a ... talkshow kitchen segment kinda feel.  It was neat!!  : )  I didn't take any pictures of the preparation (seriously, what kind of food blogger AM I?  I need to get my head in the game, people!). 

I started out with a Bicardi Razz, which was really good, but I couldn't finish.  Don't ask why - no idea!  LOL

The first dish the ladies made was a chicken enchillada casserole. 

They made this dish in the microwave, which I thought was really shiny!  Started out w/ pablano (?!) peppers and chicken, added salsa, black beans, crushed tortilla chips and cheese, with cilantro on the side.  Heather & I both said we'd add olives, and we all thought sour cream would be a good addition as well.  Even without those things, tho, it was delicious!  I would love to have one of the dishes they baked everything in, but just can't afford $60+ for cookware!  : )

Dessert was an amaaaaaazing strawberry trifle, made with poundcake (or ladyfingers), strawberries, whipped cream... mmmmm!  Of course there were some PC flavorings in there, as well, but oh my heck I can't remember what now!  There was also a pretty good chocolate brownie-cake that was made with a white chocolate pudding frosting. 

I met some new ppl tonight, and also someone I worked with at WM several years ago, Linda.  (Hi, Linda!  Hope you got a chance to check out the blog & enjoyed the photos & whatnot!)  I had a blast, and ordered some new gadgets, which perhaps will be featured in a blog post later on.  : ) 

Until then, Happy Eats!

China City

This little, 5 or 7 table restaurant, has been around for awhile, but we had not been there.  When we pulled up, it didn't look very promising.  There was a lady coming out w/ some take out, so we asked her if she'd eaten there before & she raved about the food.  So, we went inside. 

There's a cooler for cans of soda, styrofoam cups and a water cooler and hot tea caraffe.  The salt & pepper shakers don't match.  There are fans mounted on the walls.  It reminded me of a place Mary & I went in Chicago back in high school - looks a little sketchy, but amaaaaazing food. 

I had to try the crab ragoon, of course.

Oh my heck.  I should have torn one open for a picture, but didn't think of it!  Stuffffed with cream cheese, crab flecks & green onion, these little pouches are superb.  Creamy, with just enough crab and spice.  I almost ordered some to go for later!!  I'll definitely be taking advantage of their delivery service in the future. 

For the main course, I ordered roast pork chow mein.  The pork was good, but I won't order it again, as apparently chow mein means "onion & celery" of which I was previously unaware.  I also thought - as per the menu - that there would be crunchy noodles.  Alas, I didn't say anything when there weren't, because I wasn't sure how it was supposed to be...

Mom had vegetable fried rice, which she said was really good, and Leyton had sweet & sour chicken.  The chicken was pretty flavorful, but I'm not a fan of chinese chicken, in general. 

If you're in the neighborhood, stop by or call for delivery.  : )

Until next time... Happy eats!

SensAsian-al

Tonight I met my friend Becca & her son for dinner at a fairly tiny restaurant, called SensAsian.  It's a ThaiChinese fusion menu.  The atmosphere is very nice, with booths and tables, separated by a wall.  We sat in a booth by the door, and the benches were quite comfortable. 

This is a Pepsi establishment, which you know makes me happy! Any time I can get fountain Pepsi or Mt Dew, I am very thankful! : )


For starters, they bring out a basket of sech-something crisps.  They're kinda like Munchos potato crisps, but not as salty.  Also, some of them had a green tinge - not an "eeew" green tinge!  Actually, Nate preferred the green ones! 

Becca ordered pineapple fried rice with chicken and spring rolls.  The presentation of the fried rice was amaaaaazing, really!  Very good spring rolls, I like when the wrapping is light and flaky. 

Dude, how cool is that "bowl?"!!!

I ordered Musaman curry with beef, which is a favorite dish of mine at Exotic Thai, and crab ragoon, which is a favorite of mine just about anywhere.  : ) 

My bowl was neat, but after Becca's pineapple, it didn't really do much for me, ya know?  *laugh*  The crab ragoon were scrumptious!  The curry was less creamy than I'd expected, and a little more spicy.  I have to say I prefer ET's, but this was good in its own way.  I'll certainly eat the leftovers for lunch tomorrow!  : ) 

So, all in all, I can recommend SensAsian to savy diners everywhere.  Enjoy!