August 31

6:30 am
Kellogg's FiberPlus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
oj
coffee

9:30 am
coffee

noonish
Chik Fil A
Baked Cheddar Ruffles
Fuji Apple
Unsweet Tea

6:00 pm
couple of handful of almonds

6:30 pm
Chicken and Dumplings (two bowls)
green beans
Cherry Coke Zero

8:00 pm
4 or 5 mini Heaths
4 of 5 Rolos

9:30 pm
1 Yuengling

August 30

6:30 am
coffee
oj
Kellogg's FiberPlus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar

noonish
Black and Blue Zalad from Zaxby's
sweet tea

7:00 pm (Northgate Soda Shop)
Pimento Cheeseburger
French Fries
Cole Slaw
Cherry Pepsi

4 or 5 mini Heaths
4 or 5 Rolos

August 29

8:00 am
coffee

8:30 am
coffee

noonish
ham and bologna on french bread with mayo and mustard
cheetos
white seedless grapes
Cherry Coke Zero
1/4 of a Chocolate Creme Milka bar

7:00 pm
baked ziti
remainder (about 1/3) of the growler of Son of a Peach beer
cheetos

10 pm
club soda

August 28

7:30 am
coffee

10:00 am
Cherry Coke Zero

noonish
chicken salad sandwich with wing sauce (oddly good)
Cherry Coke Zero

6:00 pm
handful of almonds

7:00 pm
filet mignon (seasoned with Dizzy Dust)
broccoli, cauliflower, carrots stir fried in teriyaki sauce
italian bread with oil, balsamic vinegar, and italian seasonings
ben & jerrys cake batter and cookie dough ice creams

from 6 pm on ...
1/2 growler of RJ Rockers Son of a Peach beer

midnight
club soda

August 27

6:30 am
coffee
oj

7:00
Asiago Breakfast Sandwich from Panera
Asiago Cheese Bagel, bacon, egg, cheese

9:00 am
coffee

noonish
Burger from Sonic
fries
chocolate Malt

7:30 pm (at Tequilas in Simpsonville)
3 Enchiladas covered with cheese, sauce, and chorizio, with rice and beans
32 oz Yueungling

August 26

6:30 am
Kellogg's FiberPlus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
oj
coffee

10 am
coffee

noonish
1 bratwurst
1 kielbasa
German sauerkraut
hard pretzel with spicy mustard and obatzda
unsweet tea

6:30 pm
grilled chicken with tomatoes served on a bed of hummus
tabouli (cracked wheat, parseley, cucumber, lemon juice, olive oii)
pita bread
Cherry Coke Zero

7 pm
1 Heath Bar

9:30 pm
1 Warsteiner Dunkel

August 25

6:30 am
Kellogg's FiberPlus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
oj
coffee

9:00 am
coffee

noonish
tuna wrap with lettuce, tomato, and pickles
Cheddar Baked Lays
peanut butter cookie
apple
unsweet tea


6:30 pm
flank steak pinwheel (flank steak, cheese, spinach)
oven roasted potatoes (with ketchup)
broccoli with cheese sauce
Cherry Coke Zero

7:00 pm
3 bite sized Heath bars
4 Rolos

August 24

6:40 am
Kellogg's FiberPlus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
oj
coffee

9:00 am
coffee

noonish
Reuben Sandwich
potato chips
Pepsi

6:30 pm
tuna casserole
Cherry Coke Zero

7:00 pm
3 mini Heath Bars
3 Rolos

8:30 pm
1 Yuengling

9:00 pm
1 Yuengling

August 23

6:30 am
Kellogg's Fiber Plus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
oj
coffee

noonish
Hamburger with mustard, ketchup
Baked Cheddar Ruffles
apple
Mello Yello

6:30 pm
bratwurst
portabella mushroom with goat cheese, tomato, red wine reduction
baked beans
Cherry Coke Zero

7:00 pm
5 or 6 bite sized Heath Bars
5 or 6 Rolos

10:00 pm
Club Soda and Orange Juice

August 22

8:00 am
coffee

8:30 am
coffee

noonish
chicken salad on cuban bread
cheetos
cherry coke zero

7 pm
galbi (Korean dish cooked in a crock pot)
beef short ribs, carrots, mushrooms, onions, soy, sugar
rice
2 Warsteiner Dunkels

7:30 pm
4 or 5 bite sized Heath Bars
4 or 5 Rolos

9 pm
1 Cherry Coke Zero

10 pm
club soda and orange juice

August 21

7:30 am
coffee
oj

8:00 am
sausage mcmuffin
1/3 Coke

noonish (at nephew's birthday party)
chicken salad on hoagie roll
baked lays
sandwich meat(2 pieces of roast beef, 1 piece of ham, 1 of turkey)
2 slices swiss cheese
2 chocolate chip cookies
1 hot dog
sweet tea
lemonade
bottled water

6:00 pm (at Al Amir in Columbia)

Al Amir Salad (diced tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and mint, marinated in lemon juice and olive oil)
a few bites of SWMBO's Tabouli Salad (finely chopped parsley, cracked wheat, diced tomatoes, onions, lemon juice, and olive oil)
a few cranberries from the girl's salad
Falafel Platter (ground chickpeas mixed with herbs and spices, fried until golden brown, and served with tahini sauce - served with a side of hummus)
A few bites of SWMBO's lamb hummus platter
A few bites of the girl's tilapia
Damascus Bread (home style bread freshly baked in our brick oven. Topped with olive oil and blessed seeds)

Went to a nephew's birthday party yesterday and timed it in order to eat on the way home. Did a little research during the day and decided to go Middle Eastern. The restaurant had good reviews online and was very convenient to the interstate. All in all, we all raved about the food. The salad was simple but fresh. The spices were not allowed to overwhelm the rest of the ingredients. I love falafel anyway and this didn't disappoint. The side of hummus was perfect too. The highlight (although it was all very, very good) was the Damascus bread. This was a flat pita style bread cooked in a brick oven. Almost the size of a small pizza for an individual portion. The top was brushed with olive oil and sprinkled with "blessed seeds" which I had to Google. These look like sesame seeds, but are black, and have a crunchy, peppery taste.

Very impressed and will have to return at some point. They also make brick oven pizzas on the Damascus bread which I need to try at some point. Really, really good meal.

August 20

6:30 am
oj
coffee

7:00
sausage mcmuffin

9:00 am
coffee

noonish
salad (spinach, lettuce, broccoli, red peppers, mushrooms, coleslaw, potato saldad, tortellini, tomatoes, bacon, cheddar, ranch dressing)
unsweet tea

6:00 pm
6 inch BMT sub from Subway (with mayo & mustard)
Cherry Coke Zero

8:00 pm
extra coffee and caramel frappacino from Starbucks

8:30 pm
3 mini mint Three Muskateers

10:30
1 Warsteiner Dunkel

August 19

6:30 am
Frosted Flakes
oj
coffee

9 am
coffee

noonish
Wurst Salat
potato salad
pretzel with obatzda
sweet tea

6:30 pm
spaghetti with meat sauce (sprinkled with parmesan)
bread with olive oil and balsamic dipping
Cherry Coke Zero

9:00 pm (looking ahead)
1 Warsteiner Dunkel

August 18

6:30 am
Frosted Flakes
oj
coffee

9 am
coffee

noonish (Zaxby's)
Nibblerz meal (3 small chicken sandwiches with Zaxby's sauce)
fries with ketchup
sweet tea

3 pm
Mountain Dew


8 pm
pot roast
mashed potatoes
carrots
Cherry Coke Zero

9 pm
1 Warsteiner Dunkel

August 17

6:30 am
Kellogg's FiberPlus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
oj
coffee

9:00 am
coffee

noonish
kielbasa
German Sauerkraut
German potato salad
pretzel with spicy, SPICY mustard sauce
sweet tea (out of unsweet)

6:30 pm
pork roast with teriyaki sauce
rice
broccoli and cauliflower with cheese sauce
Cherry Coke Zero

8 pm
1 Warsteiner Dunkel

August 16

6:30 am
Kellogg's FiberPlus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
oj
coffee

8:00 am
Krispy Kreme Doughnut

9:00 am
coffee

noonish
stuffed porkchop (porkchop & dressing)
roast potatoes
green beans
corn bread
unsweet tea

7 pm
chicken enchilads
raspberry pear yogurt
Cherry Coke zero

8:30 pm
1 Warsteiner Dunkel

August 15

8:00 am
coffee

9:00 am (Starbucks at Brookwood)
white chocolate mocha

10:30
1/2 of a can of Asian sugarcane drink

11:30 am
roast beef and provolone on cuban bread with mayo
cheetos
cherry coke zero

noon
1/2 of a 8 oz Japanese Ramune Mango Soda

2 pm
8 oz Sunlee Brand Thai coffee

6:30 pm
grilled tuna in pineaplle teriyaki sauce
brown rice
collard greens
cherry coke zero

9:30 pm
Warsteiner Dunkel

So today went much, much better as far as the Asian drinks go. The Sugarcane drink was a weird unnatural green, noncarbonated, and tasted very much like mild green tea. Other than the strange color, pretty good. The Thai coffee pretty much tasted like the Starbucks products in the bottles, but maybe a little better. Really, really good for an afternoon pick me up. The Ramune drink was the big hit so far. The drink itself was very, very good (and actually tasted like mango, but the fun part was the bottle. Yes, the bottle. The product is apparently very big in Japan. You have to take a special plastic device (that comes with the bottle) that pushes down a marble that allows you to drink. And while you are drinking, the marble rattles around in the bottle. The bottle itself is a little funky looking and looks a little like a space alien. I can see where this is a big hit with kids. The boy thought this was really cool.

August 14

7:30 am
coffee

9:00 am
coffee

noonish
1/3 of a Red Baron 4 cheese pizza
salad (lettuce, spinach, goat cheese, almond slices, ranch dressing)
Cherry Coke Zero

2 pm
rosemary cheddar bites

6 pm (at Pho Noodleville)
coconut pork vermicelli (coconut milk, roast pork, vermicelli, fresh carrots, cucumbers, lettuce)
a little bit of pho (from the kids)
a "Mystery Flavor" DumDum (free by the register)

8:00 pm
Bird's Nest White Fungus Drink

10:00 pm
1 Warsteiner Dunkel


So, yes, the 8:00 pm entry is by far the weirdest entry of the year and perhaps the strangest thing I've ever consumed. I need to explain a little more. So we went to dinner at my favorite (by far) Vietnamese restaurant, Pho Noodleville. Never, never a bad meal there. Not just not bad, but never a meal that isn't great. It always depresses me because the parking lot on the weekend is always overcrowded because of people trying to get into Outback. People waiting outside for Outback. While Pho Noodleville, which is infinitely better, is much more neglected.

Anyway, so after dinner, we went across the street so I could check out the Asian Supermarket there. Actually, just the boy and I did. The ladyfolk went shopping elsewhere. This is my version of paradise. I could spend hours in there. I want to know what to use and how to eat all the stuff in there. When they are able to get it, they sell sushi grade fish and produce. I was really happy that they are able to get in durian but they were out. I've always wanted to know what the fuss is about. SWMBO has already told me it will not enter the house because of the smell but I will find a workaround. I have to know what is so awful that Andrew Zimmern couldn't eat it. This from a man who eats bugs and larvae. I was also intrigued by the fresh dragon fruit. I almost bought one but wasn't sure how to eat it. I need to do some research and go back sometime next week. Very, very excited about this store.

So the boy and I, being guys, who tend to be somewhat stupid and curious in a Y chromosome sort of way, wanted to try a few of the Asian drinks that were available. We bought a bird's nest/white fungus drink, a sugar cane drink, a tamarind drink, a mango, and a iced coffee. We just tried the bird's nest/white fungus drink last night (I'm writing this on Sunday.)

I would have to think, prior to yesterday, that the worst beverage I'd ever had (Hamm's jokes aside)was the awful monstrosity of Budweiser and Clamato sold as Chelada. While that was a gruesome experience, this upped the game to a whole new level.

I'm not even sure where to start. The one redeeming quality of the "beverage" was that it had virtually no aroma. It poured "thick", a little like sugar water which basically it was. The ingredients are water, sugar, white fungus, and birds nest. That's it. Nothing more. The actual taste wasn't that awful. The taste was pretty much sugar water. But it was the texture that truly made this vile. Here's a picture of the product in question. Look at the glass. See the white stuff suspended in the drink? That's the fungus and birds nest. Slimy chunks of ANYTHING in a beverage (or in your mouth) is bad enough, but nasty, slimy chunks of FUNGUS and BIRDS NEST provide a mouthfeel equivalent of third world torture. Chunks should NEVER be going in. Only going out. (And even then, going out is really not an ideal state.) Bad, bad stuff.

August 13

6:30 am
Kellogg's FiberPlus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
oj
coffee

7:30 am
blueberry donut

8:30 am
coffee

throughout the day at a workshop
7 or 8 mini candy bars (Twix, Kitkat, Werther's, Hershey's nuggets)

noonish
turkey club with bacon on pretzel bread
cheetos
coke

7 pm
1 cheeseburger (cheddar cheese with mayo mustard, ketchup)
corn
salad (lettuce with parmesan, goat cheese, and ranch dressing)
Killians

7:30 pm
Killians

August 12

6:30 am
Kellogg's FiberPlus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
oj
coffee

10:00 am
coffee

noonish
slice of pepperoni pizza
apple
half of heath chocolate chip cookie

6:30 pm
butter chicken curry over rice
peas
Kellogg's Fiber Plus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
Cherry Coke Zero

9:30 pm
1 Killians

August 11

6:30 am
Kellogg's FiberPlus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
oj
coffee

10:00 am
coffee
1 Dunkin Donuts chocolate covered donut (in workshop)

noonish
half turkey club wrap
cheddar Ruffles
apple
unsweet tea

3 pm
1 piece of Trident

6:30 pm (Boy Scouts quarterly meeting)
taco salad (lettuce, chips, seasoned meat, jalapenos, olives, sour cream, tomatoes, cheese)
dessert nachos (nachos with cinammon and sugar with strawberry and vanilla sauce)
monkey bread
1 chocolate chip cookie
root beer

9:00 pm
1 Killians

August 10th

6:30 am
oj
coffee

7:00 am
Bojangles sausage biscuit

9:00 am
coffee

noonish
Wurstsalat
German potatoes
pretzel with cheese (obatzda)
unsweet tea

7 pm
Pork Chop
Mashed potatoes
broccoli with cheese
Cherry Coke Zero

10 pm
1 Killians

So work has this place, The Bavarian Pretzel Factory, a local joint come in twice a week and serve one of the lunch options. Basically the Germany version of a meat and two. Really, really good, fairly inexpensive, and really, really authentic. The Germans go nuts. Anyway, the wurstsalat was really, really good. Basically a sausage shaved very, very thin and served with a cidery sauce with onions. The German potatoes were, well, German potatoes. If you've had German potatoes you know what I mean. The pretzel was as authentic as they come although this was the first time I've ever had obatzda, which was the cheese to be eaten with the pretzel. The closest I can come to describing this would be similar to a pimento cheese. All really, really good.

August 9th

6:30 am
Kellogg's Fiber Plus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
coffee
oj


9:00 am
coffee

noonish (at Quiznos)
small California Club on Rosmeary Parmesan bread
jalapeno chips
Pepsi

3 pm
1 Snickers


7 pm (at Zaby's)
Nibblerz Meal
Sweet tea

August 8

7:30 am
coffee

8:00 am
4 Sister Shubert's yeast rolls with sausage


9:30 am
coffee


noonish
GLT (goat cheese, lettuce, tomato)
Cherry Coke Zero

4 pm
handful of peanuts


6:00 pm
1 Killians

6:30
Cincinnati Chili (Chili spiced with cinammon, allspice, cumin, chili powder, and garlic, served over spaghetti and topped with cheddar cheese)
1 Killians

9:30
1 Bottle of Water

August 7

7:30 am
coffee

8:30 am
Chocolate Banana Bread
Coffee
oj

9:00 am
Bear Bar Chocolate Bar

noonish
TLG (tomato, lettuce, goat cheese sammich with balsamic vinegar)
tomato slices with olive oil, goat cheese, salt, and pepper
1 marshmallow
Cherry Coke Zero

5:00 pm
2 marshmallows
2 Ritz crackers with peanut butter

6:00 pm
couple of bites of leftover pot roast and carrots

7:30 pm (at The Lazy Goat in Greenville, SC)
Pamplona Chorizo
Fried Goat Cheese
Porcini Fettuce
Goat Tart
Water

8:30 pm
Cupcake Sparkling Pinot Noir

Interesting food day to say the least. Started the morning at the Fountain Inn Farmer's Market where I bought banana bread from a reformed crack dealer. (Mmmmmmmmmm......crack dealer banana bread....) No, really, there was an article in this week's paper about a church giving small business loans for people who may not be able to get loans otherwise. This lady was a reformed crack dealer who was working as a housekeeper and is now trying to run a business selling her own banana bread. www.bananamanna.com The loaf was small but really good. Made a good breakfast.

Lunch was perhaps my favorite summertime sandwich - the GLT (ok maybe second favorite behind a BLT). A GLT is goat cheese, lettuce, tomato, seasoned with salt and pepper and balsamic vinegar. Fresh tomatoes from the farmers market make this sandwich. Love 'em.

The event of the day was the dinner for SWMBO and my 17th anniversary. I'm writing this on Sunday so 17 years ago today I was in St. Thomas. Today I have two kids, two dogs, a cat, a rabbit, a fish, (and SWMBO of course), so we are not as leisurely as we were.....

We have been wanting to go back to "The Goat" since our wonderful exploratory first visit in February. The follow up was all that and then some.

We started with the Pamplona Chorizo (described as paprika and chili spiced). The was served with pita bread and with a sweet marmalade (fig maybe?) with nuts. The sweet of the marmalade nicely offset the salt and spice of the meat.

We then had the fried goat cheese. For anyone who dares to read this blog, it's pretty obvious I'm a big fan of goat cheese and I really wanted to try this dish. SWMBO was not as enthusiastic. But later she admitted she was wrong, waaaaaaaaaay wrong. The cheese is formed into little balls, maybe twice the size of a Whopper milk ball. Don't know what's in the batter, but it's light (which it needs to be to offset the richness of the cheese). But then it's drizzled in honey and dusted with pistachios. The result is less of an appetizer but more of a hot pastry (I could easily see eating this for dessert). Almost like eating a bowl of hot little goat cheese Krispy Kremes but not that sweet. Really, really REALLY good.

We then ordered the Porcini Fettuce which is described as "Porcini Fettucce: jamon serrano, sopressata, pancetta, cioppolini onions, roasted cherry tomatoes, mascarpone cream". As described back in February, this is not a pasta in addition to meat, it's like a pasta OF meat - a wide ribbon meat noodle with a tomato cream sauce. SWMBO demanded this be ordered again. No menu shopping. I'm not sure we can ever go and not order this. It's a good thing, though, that the menu and serving is intended for sharing because this is a really, really rich dish (as was the goat cheese).

Finally we split the gyro pizza. This is described as “ roasted lamb, grilled vegetables, pesto, goat cheese". This was NOT bad at all but probably the least interesting dish of the meal. The pizza was good but for both visits, there was nothing screaming about the pizzas that made me think, "I have to have that again". The vegetables had a little too much cumin in the flavoring. I like cumin but I don't associate cumin with gyro. Again, a good pizza but nothing to blow me away like the other food.

We made the mistake last time of being too full for dessert so we intentionally planned to make room this time. This was a newer dessert that's only been on the menu for about a month or so according to our server. SWMBO said this was one of the best, if not THE best, dessert she's ever had. We had a fairly generous sized chocolate hazelnut tart in a cookie crumb style shell, drizzled with caramel and topped with a large amount of espresso cream cheese. Not as sweet as you would think. The espresso didn't overwhelm the other flavors. The appearance was so appealing the couple at the next table asked what we had ordered. Food envy of course.

I wanted to get a t-shirt but, alas, they were out of the X-Large. Maybe next time. I'm not going to let another 5 months go by (like I did before) before I go back.

August 6

6:30 am
Kellogg's FiberPlus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
oj
coffee

8:00 am
2 mini Krispy Kreme Krullers

throughout the day
10 or so mini candy bars, (mostly Hershey Special Dark, 1 Butterfinger, 1 York Patty, 2 Werthers)

Noonish
1 Chicken Salad on Pretzel Bread Sandwich
salt and vinegar chips
coke

Piece of Pink Lemonade Cake from Strossner's Deli (Co worker 40th Birthday Cake)


3 pm
1 mini Krispy Kreme Kruller
1 Sunkist Peach Soda (had to try it, surprisingly good)

6:30
pot roast
carrots
potatoes
Cherry Coke Zero

August 5

6:30 am
Asiago cheese bagel (panera)
Oj
Cofee

9:30 am
Coffee

Noonish
Fried chicken (1 leg 1 thigh)
Turnip greens
Corn
Unsweetened tea
Rice krispie treat

7 pm
Cilantro chicken (chicken, rice, cilantro, carrots, spices)
Third of a milk chocolate bar
Cherry coke zero
pack of 2 Biscotti

8 pm
1 Killians

August 4

6:30 am
Kelloggs Fiberplus Dark Chocolate and Almond Bar
Oj
Cofee

Noonish
Half wrap - chicken cordon bleu (chicken, ham, cheese, lettuce, honey mustard dressing)
CHEETOS
Banana
Unsweetened tea

7 pm
Leftover smoked butt sammich
Bbq sauce
Salad (lettuce, spinach, craisins, cheese croutons, ranch dressing)
Cherry coke zero
Peanut butter pie with chocolate sauce

10 pm
1 killians

August 3

6:50 am
Kellogg's FiberPlus Dark Chocolate Bar
oj
coffee

9:00 am
coffee

noonish
Small Italian Sub on Rosemary Parmesan bread at Quisnos
salt and vinegar chips
Pepsi

6:00 pm
cheese stick

7:30 pm
hamburger with cheddar, goat cheese, mustard, mayo, and ketchup
oven potatoes
asian coleslaw
cherrycoke zero
Peanut butter pie with chocolate sauce

August 2

6:30 am
2 slices of leftover Papa Johns grilled chicken and bacon pizza
oj
coffee

noonish
leftover pork butt
leftover asian coleslaw
creme brulee
water

1 pm
1 coke

6:30 pm
leftover pork butt
leftover asian coleslaw
creme brulee
Coke Zero

8 pm
1 Newcastle

10 pm
1 Newcastle

Aug 1

7:00 am
coffee
Kellogg's FiberPlus Chocolate Chip Bar
oj
2 crusts of cheese bread

noonish
leftover chicken casserole rice
pound cake and ice cream

4 pm
grapes
1 Sunkist cherry limeade

6:30 pm
pork butt (smoked overnight)
Asian coleslaw (cabbage, carrots, almonds, sunflower seeds, ramen noodes, scallions, cider vinegar, oil, sugar, bouillion)
cheese grits
Coke Zero

8:30
creme brulee

10:30
1 Newcastle

July 31

7:00 am
coffee

8:00 am
chocolate chip waffle with syrup
coffee

noonish
grilled cheddar cheese sandwich
Coke Zero

2 pm
handful of almonds

6:00 pm
3 slices of Papa Johns pizza (2 chicken and bacon, 1 pepperoni and sausage)
chocolate fondue (melted chocolate and heavy cream with pound cake cubes, marshmallows, bananas, and strawberries)

10 pm
1 Newcastle

11:00 pm
1 Sunkist Cherry limeade

July 30

6:00 am
coffee

6:30 am
cajun chicken biscuit from Bojangles

9:00 am
coffee

9:00 - throughout the day at a workshop
about 8 or so mini candy bars (Hershey's, York's Peppermint pattys, Butterfingers, Nestle Crunch)

noonish
turkey club on pretzel bread with lettuce tomato, mayo and mustard
cheetos
coke

6:30 pm
chicken casserole over rice
ice cream (cookie dough)
Cherry Coke Zero

9:00 pm
2/3 bottle of Cabernet Sauvignon

11 pm
1 Sunkist Cheryy Limeade