Anyway….

It’s been so long since I wrote a food post, I thought, what better for blogging depression than pictures of delicious food! Even if I haven’t been posting, I can assure I’ve still been taking plenty of pics.

Right now I’m on a shroom kick with these amazing, super flavorful creminis from Daisy Mae’s Market.

They hold up so much better than their baby white counterparts, and they’re damn tasty…especially with peppers and onions.

Add that rice and chicken korma all of a sudden dinner and heaven become synonymous.

And for desert? How about Skirtz & Johnson’s decadent brownies and macaroons…

…with some moose tracks….

…and chocolate sauce…

….and perhaps some whipped cream….

….topped with chocolate chips!

Ok, I feel a lot better now.

And worst of all, I rarely go out to eat anymore, the dollars just adds up too fast.

A year ago today I made my first trip to Cafe de Wheels, and man was it good. They were giving out chicken sandwiches and chili, and my boss and I bought burgers and fries as well. I never did blog about it, by the time I thought to post it everyone and their brother had already done so.

But I sit here now with little interesting to post other than long winded articles that are still ranting drafts IMO, and with the unwillingness to post them, I’m reaching into the picture archives.

At this point you’ve had the burger truck, it’s damn good. I’m glad the food truck thing has stuck around for the past year, and I hope it’s not going anywhere soon. In honor of that, I’m gonna go get myself a Wheels Burger…

Breakfast, I love it when I have time (weekends) and it’s almost non existent when I don’t (Mon-Fri). To keep the metabolism going (and because we all need some sustenance in the morning) a quick granola bar at home/on my walk to work/at my desk normally gets me through until my lunchtime feast. This past weekend I was at Home Depot (big surprise there) and I needed a few foodstuffs that I couldn’t/didn’t get at Findlay, so I drove over to the Meijer down the road. Any time I’m out shopping for non-perishables I pick up a box of granola bars, seeing as they disappear pretty quickly between my house and the office. I was delighted to change things up a little bit and stray from the generic Kroger chocolate chip or hard Nature Valley bars with what I thought would be tasty Meijer brand “candy coated chocolate chip” bars. Again, this is eyes-just-cracked, walking-out-the-door breakfast, so nothing fancy is in order and generic brand stuff is just fine. Besides, it makes whatever awesome breakfast I eat on the weekends, be it homemade or otherwise, that much better.

All that said, I chuckled a bit this morning at the difference between what the box showed I was purchasing, and what the actual product was like. I guess all the extra chips they show on the box were the ones they didn’t include on my granola bar.

For those who are here looking for something from youtube here’s a skydiver swooping under a freeway overpass:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7hFRNR9-RQ

All work and no play wouldn’t be any fun though, and we were sure to reward ourselves at Neon’s Saturday night, complete with the company of my friend’s goldendoodle that joined him for the trip down.

Then Sunday morning comes and your heads a little fuzzy while your stomach is asking for something other Jameson and IPAs.

With all of the new burgeoning food options in OTR, Sunday brunch isn’t something I have to travel for anymore. I had given MOTR a shot when they first opened, and it was good, but not without plenty of room for improvement. Fast forward to this past weekend and I suggested we give it another shot, especially since the line down the block for forkheartknife was a bit long for some seriously hungry folks.

Three of us got the Migas tacos, which I had tried before, and they really improved this time around. Chorizo was awesome, they had cheese in them, and they were huge. My other buddy got the BLT which looked pretty good, and we all split some loaded hash browns…nothing to complain about there either. All in all, a really good meal, and the order-at-the-bar method seemed fitting for the pub.

MOTR is obviously carving out a good niche for themselves as a live music venue, evidenced by the posters plastered on the windows. One such poster advertised a Bear Hands concert coming up on the 27th of this month, and upon spying it my buddy G was already planning his next trip down for that show.

I had never heard of Bear Hands, and after  breakfast he clued me in to an awesome track with an equally stellar video. Without further ado I bring you What A Drag:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=d7G_sQ5aOZA

This was so good, and I’ll pat myself on the back for grilling the fish perfectly (grilled at medium ~400F, 5 minutes a side). As far as billfish goes, sword is one of the cheaper ones right now, going at Luken’s for $11.99 a pound.

Cooking fresh pasta is also a joy, it literally takes 1-2 minutes as opposed to 5-7. Not to mention the fact that after eating all these seasoned pastas I’m not sure I can go back to just regular noodles.

The only downside to the meal? The guy on twitter who started giving me shit for swordfish being “almost endangered.”

Sir, if it’s on sale for way less than chilean sea bass, than it can’t be “almost endangered” enough for me not to eat it. Besides, this is a special once-a-year treat, I’m not out there depleting the world’s supply (although as delicious as it was I might start).

One last thing to Simon’s eat local comment above…yes, part of why I shop at Findlay market is to eat locally sourced food and support local business. However I also like Findlay because I can shop for things that aren’t local (Saigon Market anyone?).

As many a rapper has said: Hater’s keep hatin’….and missin’…out on swordfish dinners….

The two day Sauerkraut festival, now in its 41st year, attracts somewhere north of 300,000 people in two days, and on top of that my friend throws a great party with A TON of awesome food, much of which is plucked right from her garden. Thus I was sure to put this on my calendar as soon as I got the invitation, and nothing about last Saturday was a let down.

A city boy, I found myself enjoying the cruise up 71 staring at the hills as they turned from green to yellows and reds–and man is the drive up 71 that much better than 75. So many stretches of nothing but farms with a few rolling hills….no traders world, big butter jesus, etc…

In fact it was so nice I completely missed the exit for Rt 42, which is fine, I just continued up to Rt 73 so I could drive through Caesar Creek.

Then all of a sudden everyone is stopped, creeping into town to try and get some ‘kraut and crafts. Thanks iPhone, for showing me how to cut through the booming town of Corwin. Actually kinda cool, passed through a quiet little cemetery and got some blurry pix….

With an hour left in the festival and light waning my first goal was to make a pass down main street. All of the vendors–both food and craft–are local to Waynesville, and between everyone’s trinkets, the awesome food, and small town structures lining the street, it really is a cool little getaway from downtown life.

Doughnuts so fresh they were melting in my mouth

One thing you don't need to try: Sauerkraut Creme Pie....sorry that's just gross

Plants in pants

3 string electric slide guitar made from a cigar box...if only I had an extra $200....

I love Peanuts:

And peanuts:

But the highlight of the festival was something I’ve never even heard/thought of: Oreos deep fried in funnel cake batter!

They were, to put it eloquently, FUCKIN’ DELICIOUS!!! The oreo itself softened up and it was like some chocolate/creme cake that had been deep fried into heaven.

After the street shut down we gathered at my friend’s house for more food, beverages, and stories. People were in from all over the country and tales new and old were uttered with that blissful tone of memories passed. It fit so perfectly with the historic charm of a late 1800′s farm house.

Old school a la 'Bewitched'

I bought this little piece to take home. Fitting because A) I love beer and B) Waynesville is a dry town. Nothing like some good clean fun on a Saturday night!

Still, I’m a waffler by nature (we’re talking decisions, not dough) so sitting in my house trying to decide what to eat is a task I make more laborious than necessary. I remember in college, where you had endless choices of this or that fast food chain we would pick 6, assign them numbers and roll a die. It kept things interesting, and more importantly, kept me from having to make decisions.

I don’t eat fast food much anymore as I’ve become just a bit more health conscious (keep in mind I said “a bit”) so most of the time I sit in my house thinking about what I can grab up at the market. There’s normally a salad involved, maybe some pasta, but the real decision comes down to the meat. Something must die for my meal to be complete and tomatoes and greenery don’t count. Like many young men one of my favorite proteins is beef.

Having made it that far in the selection process I like to leave the rest to chance, not unlike my college Dice for Dinner game. There are so many options as far as what you can do with beef, I leave it up to the trusty dart board and cattle cross section.

Burger, steak, soup from beef stock? Leave it to the cow to decide it’s own fate.

If it were up to me (and not my wallet/dart skills) it would be Filet all the time….

And just for fun you can always shoot for the “Bull’s Eye”

I shaved 1:13 off my time last year, which I thought was pretty incredible until I remembered that this time last year was about 6 weeks after I had my appendix taken out. Still, there were points on that course I thought ‘Man I am dragging ass,’ only to cross the finish line well before I thought I would.

It probably helped that Doug was on my ass the whole time…this is the first race I’ve known someone at the starting line who was running at the same pace with me. See you at Run Like Hell Doug….

Like last year it was misty, but it cleared up for the race itself, and then cooled us off at the party. Although I remember being a bit warmer at the party last year. But hey, there’s plenty of food to warm yourself up with!

Goetta sliders have become my favorite post race food. I first had them last year at this very race, and then again this year at the Fox and Hounds 5k. Good and good for you….

Not to be confined to simply goetta on a bun, I ate myself stupid. The final tally came out like this: 3 Goetta sliders, 1 pulled chicken sandwich, 1 cheeseburger, 1 cup of jambalaya, 2 chicken wings, 1 salad, 1 granola bar, and because all that wasn’t enough, one chocolate cupcake.

And a bunch of bud light….good thing I just hauled ass on what might be the toughest 5k course in Cincy…..

The Ark Band kept people dancing like they always do, and most people seemed to have a great time with no mind being paid to the weather.

And everyone wants a pic with everyone else’s goofy hats!

One last thing that is so awesome about this run…..it always gets me back in touch with one of my favorite Reggae/Roots/Dub/Soul/whatever-you-call-a-7-piece-band-out-of New-Zealand….Fat Freddy’s Drop. Works for both pre and post race pump up and cool down…and general good times. Wandering Eye put them on the map back in 2005, but they already had a huge international following from putting on amazing live shows.

Midnight Marauders

www.youtube.com/watch?v=3JBztXpMSgE

Wandering Eye

www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCJg63SziL4

Read my post on last year.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=HL9IYVybWpg

Very cool to see 1,000 people descend on 12th St for this. The energy was most certainly palpable as children, parents, neighbors and newbies of the ‘hood all gathered to add a little color to sunday morning.

I also took the opportunity to try and cure a mild hangover with Señor Roy’s Tacos. I got one of each meat choice, and while they looked delicious, when I tasted them I kinda thought “meh, what’s all the fuss about?” Yeah it served its purpose and they were right there (which is the beauty of the food truck) but I’d still rather go to La Mexicana or even Taqueria Mercado if I’m actually in the mood for authentic mexican food (not too mention doubled up corn tortillas that don’t fall apart immediately after picking up a taco). But opinions are like assholes yada yada….

Anyway, terrible word play aside, I love a good milkshake. I used to treat myself to a once-a-month ice cream happy hour shake on Fountain Square with a good friend of mine. Generally spurred by one of us needing advice from the other, it was always a great excuse to take a little walk, enjoy something cold and sweet, and chill (there I go with the puns) with good company.

She moved a few months ago, and ever since there has been a void in my life/stomach….one that rich, creamy milkshakes used to fill.

A few weeks ago I had the aha moment…I own a blender.

With the heavy machinery at the ready I purchased the other necessities: mint chocolate chip ice cream, chocolate milk, and whipped cream. Liquefy the first two, top with the third and enjoy.

Despite the title some stirring may be involved once imbibing has begun.

This would also be 1000% better with something like Dojo Gelato and that awesome chocolate milk someone at Findlay sells. But when the craving strikes at 10:30 pm you take what you can get.

That said, I did go out for lunch twice last week, not only to switch things up from my daily brown bag, but also because sometimes you just need to get out in the fresh air. With weather like we’ve been having it felt sinful not to go out and enjoy the outdoors at some point.

So Friday rolled around and I heard there was going to be free ice cream on the square. Add to that I had an errand to run downtown…lunch by the fountain just seemed like the right thing to do. I called a friend and we sauntered down to ingredients for a sandwich before hopping across 5th to the frozen action.

We get to the front of the line and the woman in charge gives me the “Sorry, free samples ended at 1.” I give her the “It’s 1:00:29, can we just get some ice cream?”

Sometimes all you have to do is ask.

Ice cream in hand, we walked along fourth st…the plan was to hit central and turn north. I was going to drop off a package and my friend was heading back to her house. It’s not like I’m on this stretch of fourth every day, but I hit it enough that I was surprised I had never noticed the doorstep to a building no longer there.

A taste of something new, a taste of something old. It all adds up, more reasons why it’s great to be downtown.

I got off work and walked home, debating at the last minute whether I was really going to pay $35 (pretty steep for a 5k) to run across a bridge I hit all the time (Editor’s note: those who know me personally are familiar with my ability to waffle on any decision until the last minute, so this is normal behavior). In the end my screw-it-you-only-live-once attitude kicked in and I hopped on my bike to ride over to Newport and register.

Riding east down Central Pkwy

These are the days where Cincy weather is awesome; blue sky, a little breeze, humidity below choking level…

I locked up my ride and went down to the registration table where I was hit with a blast from the past….scantron sheets…damn bubbles…but whatever it takes to get instant timing results…

After I registered I started the warm up process, which naturally included taking pictures of QCS…

The pre registered crowd was a little thin, but about 5 minutes after I got all set up it seemed like runners were coming out of the woodwork. I guess, like myself, this was a spur of the moment call for many of the foxes and hounds.

Let me speak about the format a little bit more. If you’ve ever seen me at a race, you know I like to start in the front of the pack. I know I’m not going to win (or even come close) but I hate fighting my way through a crowd. Plus, if you are in front and people are passing you it’s just more motivation to run harder. Doubt crept into my mind as I thought of all the foxes, including the walkers, who would have a 5 minute head start. Here I was for a flat course I thought I could break my PR on, a goal now in jeopardy due to potential bottlenecking (other than the bridge this was not a wide course).

It turned out just fine. By the time they released the hounds the foxes were spread out enough, and most of the laggers stayed to the right to allow the speedier of us to breeze by. In fact, I was (by my standards) flying, as I passed mile marker 1 in 6:26 and mile 2 at 13:00. I was pumped, at that pace I would surely break my 21:00 5k PR.

Somewhere during mile 3 the switch flipped the wrong way, and by the time we made the turn to head back up the Purple People bridge I was slacking. 100 yards from the finish line I couldn’t find that extra gear I kick it into at the end of races. I tried, but my mind was focused on not throwing up. I finished at 21:56, and while I thought I could do better, I remembered staying up until 3 am the night before, and moving furniture for 2 hours that day…not exactly good race prep, so I relaxed and went looking for water.

A welcome surprise, I ran into Liz and her friends and we chatted for a while by the timing board. I glanced over, the list of the top 25 men scrolling across the blue screen. If you were lucky enough to be in that group you won a “Fox and Hounds 5k” etched pint glass. And there it was, my name at number 25…I smiled, all of a sudden happy and not caring about my time. It was good enough for a glass, and that was good enough for me!

Liz and I post race

Did I mention they had goetta sliders and orange sherbet for us to munch on? Our race bibs also had 2 drink tickets stapled to them…I’m pretty sure post race parties are now a requirement for me to take part in events…

3 sliders, 2 beers, 1 sorbet cup and a bunch of laughs later it was time to pedal back home, albeit with one more shot of the Queen City’s new gem.

For the first annual Fox and Hounds 5k I thought the organizers pulled it off pretty well. Everything went down as advertised, and if I have one gripe it would be that I can’t find the results online. But they had them there at the race, so who cares. Plus, I love the ability to ride my bike to events like this. Suck it suburbs. I can’t wait for next year!

Update: someone was kind enough to point me to the results–thanks!

I’m speaking of course, about my father.

Still living in DC, my Dad and I don’t get to see each other enough, and the fact that I have owned a building here in Cincy for 4 months and he hasn’t seen it in person is absurd (not to mention he has a plethora of tools to bring out for me).

As excited as I am to have him out here checking out the building, we won’t be spending all weekend doing manual labor. Sure I’ll take him on a tour of the place and we’ll pick apart all the problems of the building and the busts in the plans I have so far…but this meeting of the minds will cover far more topics than homeownership and renovation.

Getting goofy with Greg Koch of Stone Brewing Co

Of the many passions in our lives that we share, beer is certainly close to the top of the list. The pictures you see are from the SAVOR event held annually by the Brewers Association in Washington DC. A higher end craft beer and food tasting, I made it to the first two in 2008 and 2009, and unfortunately had to pass this year to attend (and be a part of) a friends wedding.

Well fuck you too then

I’m excited to show off how far Cincinnati has come since the last time my Dad was here, both in its physical development, as well as its beer development (Moerlein IPA anyone?).

Adam Avery of Avery Brewing Co and former employer of my sister (who left because she is now a "glutard")

Who knows, we might even make it up to Listermann and grab some things to make a beer. It was the two of us who began our homebrewing careers together in the summer of 2006 while I was at Miami.

Hop Head

Most of all I’m just excited to have a weekend with him (and my sisters awesome little doggy who is coming along for the ride).

More photos from Savor:

RastafaRye

Raw Bar...cool, but not really my thing

Oh yeah, and we took the Metro to and from the event…..would certainly be nice if we had alternative transportation options here in Cincinnati….

The replies were “no, but we’re working on it.” Then voila, a few days later the emails are flying and the Rampage is a go.

So to everyone that put it together and was kind enough to invite me, thanks!

In case you didn’t read Bob or Maureen’s take on things, the concept is fast food sushi. All the ingredients are at the ready, waiting for rice and wrap to be passed down the line. Pick your fillings and sauces, pay, and walk away before you would normally get a glass of water at a sit down restaurant.

Here is my take:

For starters, the rice machine that spits out flat layers of sushi rice ready for a seawead (or apparently a soy) wrap at up to 1200 sheets an hour….that rocks….and I want one….

Also a mechanized plus to the sushi world, the cutter, insuring 10 evenly cut pieces every time.

In between those steps are all the fillings. Only two raw fish are available–tuna and salmon–and both are already marinated in some pretty tasty sauce. Everything else is hot…baked salmon, grilled steak, fried calamari, tempura chicken, etc… It’s most certainly a new twist on a traditional food form.

I went for a steak roll, dressed with their choice of toppings (except asparagus, I couldn’t bring myself to do that in sushi just yet). It was pretty tasty, but more of a novelty for me. I also did a raw salmon and tuna roll with my favorite accoutrements–avocado, green onion, and cream cheese, topped with tempura flakes and spicy mayo. I’m good at making healthy things bad for you….and it was delicious!

The sushi really was good, and I will certainly be going back. It’s not gonna be my number one spot…I like too many crazy fish options and weird stuff that Soho doesn’t have to make it my go to….but they are after a different segment of the market, and from what I saw/tasted they’re doing a great job at it. That’s what is cool about Soho, they are doing something different, something you can’t get at just any sushi joint.

As far as value, this place has it. Every roll is 10 pieces, which means two is plenty for me and anyone that wants to try a roll off my plate.

So to Zach and Stephan: great job fellas, and thanks for hosting our group. I can’t wait to come back.

The overall highlight for me? Being in great company at a fun/tasty new spot downtown on a stellar Tuesday night.

Night 1

My first stop is always at Andy's for Shish Tawook

Fish and Chips: ok, but not good enough to remember where it was from

I feel bad for people that can't tolerate gluten because this cookie was pretty weak.

So the winner of night 1, hands down, was Andy’s Mediterranean

Night 2

Ribs from The Inn

Mac n' Cheese from Bella Luna was pretty good, but the Buffalo Mac was awesome

Beer for desert...always a winner

I love The Inn, but damn that Buffalo Mac n’ Cheese was good. Dare I say it was Mackin’ Cheese….so it wins night 2.

Night 3

Vicious Voodoo Chicken

I also got the Shrimp Scampi from somewhere…wasn’t that good and I forgot to take a picture.

That leaves the awesome and perfectly spicy Voodoo Chicken from J. Gumbo’s as the night 3 winner.

Overall the Voodoo chicken was the best thing I ate all weekend. Tthat chicken and sauce had so much flavor and spice I ended up going back for another bowl. Located downtown on Walnut between 4th and 5th, I’ll be heading to J. Gumbo’s for lunch often……especially on the other side of summer when I need something to heat me up.

Once again we met in front of Park+Vine at 12:30 on a bright Saturday afternoon. This year Reser had some shirts (rolled as bike tires) sitting on the check in table, and I had a little fun waiting for everyone to check in and pump up.

The OTR/Gateway Summer Celebration was taking place right up the block, and had I not been working on Race St I would have run the 5k and partied a bit before our food trek. Instead I caught a glimpse of the action as ~50 of us pulled away from P+V.

We cruised up Vine St through the heart of OTR (and past the park that will be my new backyard) on our way to Take The Cake in Northside. I’ve heard so many great things about TtC that I was a bit embarrassed I had never been there before.

My garage is on the other side of the park

The cruise to Northside was a good 5 miler, enough to work up a sweat, only to have it cooled by TtC’s awesome Gazpacho. Which then heated you back up with its spicy kick!

I may have purchased a brownie as well...

Not an official stop, but right next door was Cluxton Alley Coffee roasters. I’m not a coffee guy, but I poked my head in with a few other people to check it out.

Back on our rides we pedaled the longest single length of our journey, a 10 mile and at times not-so-flat (hey it’s Cincy) route over to Pleasant Ridge to Loving Cafe. The only repeat so far in the B+D series, they changed up from the veggie rolls and peanuts sauce we got last time (which was awesome) and went with fresh fruit and a salad, accompanied by two phenomenal homemade dressings.

With only six miles left to cover two stops, we took a short cruise over to Lucky John Slow Food where we filed through a buffet of pasta and vegan pizza awesomeness.

Seeking shade

After a nice boost of energy from all those carbs most people cruised (and some of us hauled ass) through Eden Park into Mt. Adams to The Rookwood. They served up some awesome chocolate on chocolate dessert and some “Yellow Bicycles” which were something, something, St. Germain and Proseco.

Each Bike+Dine has been a different experience for me, so I can’t say any one was better than the other. They have all been a blast though, and I can’t wait for the fall 2010 ride.

Turning+Sneezing....now that's talent

A little help from the popo in walnut hills

Cheers!

Thing is, even with work being the primary objective of this particular trip, when 3 gentlemen who went to university together reunite, especially under such spectacular weather conditions, they must immediately celebrate with glorious amounts of food and alcoholic libations. Upon my friends arrival we immediately made our way to La Mexicana, and I was able to creep them out a little bit by parking in back and walking in through the cash only mexican grocery store.

Dinner was as great as it always is and I determined once and for all that the green salsa in the bottle (as opposed to the one that comes out with the first basket of chips) is my favorite. A little red for some extra kick is ok, but not always necessary.

After a feast that included barbacoa and chicken tacos as well a big order of flautas we hopped back across the river to my place to drop the car off and walk to Arnold’s. There in lies a bit of the problem–by dropping the car off, we took the limit on the intake of alcohol and pushed it into different territory (let’s forget about that time at the Jacob’s house….thanks for the ride). For three guys who enjoy the company of one John Jameson, that can be somewhat detrimental to accomplishing a full days work (keeping in mind the weekend before I worked 7:30 am to 6 pm).

Two thirds of our party started with Cumberland Pale Ales while the crazy SOB in our group said fuck it and went Jameson and ginger. “Oh yeah, and a three shots of Jameson,” accidentally flowed from my lips–we were off. Bowl of peanuts in hand we moved to the patio, 3 stooges out drinking and generally being goofballs. A step away from their normal Friday night genre, Arnold’s was featuring a pretty funky little jazz band on the patio. I’m pretty sure they had a deal with Rhonda to play music that convinced people they need more booze, because even our one friend who didn’t normally like straight shots of Jame was DEMANDING them!

*                    *                    *

Soooooo we made it to Findlay market by noon on Saturday. Have I mentioned how nice it is to have a garage directly across from the market? The place was slammed and we just parked at my spot and walked over. We grabbed a quick breakfast at Ms. Helen’s Grill (best $3 breakfast sandwich around) and then walked back across the street to start working. Greasy food and powerade gave us energy, while at the same time our natural male desire to break things using big tools took over, and we started tearing apart drywall and plaster.

In a solid five hours we managed to expose the entire wall of brick in what will be an upstairs office/den. I had already removed the commercial-style drop ceiling, and while we were chipping away at the plaster we were also pulling down parts of the old furred out plaster ceiling, exposing copious amounts of coal dust from the rafters above. The good news was that the joists themselves look great, and so far there are no signs of water leaking; lets hope the same holds true in the back of the building as well.

We accomplished well more than I could have in a whole weekend by myself, and for that I am very thankful. I’m lucky to have good friends who will come down and help out (even in potentially hazardous conditions). Of course I treated them to breakfast and plenty of those drinks the night before, but they would have come and helped me out regardless (hell we played 3-way Rock, Paper, Scissors for the tab at La Mexicana).  I’m sure the chance to break stuff with the 10 lb sledge didn’t hurt either.

The awesome G&M wrecking crew

One of my friends commented that out of almost any one of our acquaintances in college, he never would have picked me to be living in Cincinnati. I’ve been thinking about what has made me stay here these past three years, and why I’m committing myself to this area for the foreseeable future with the purchase of a building–of my first home. At the end of the day a lot of it comes down to the local friends that I keep in contact with-it has made this a very comfortable area to be in (and I’m really speaking about here to Columbus, where half of my friends reside). Not only have I met awesome new people, but I’ve been able to sustain long term friendships with close college friends. Add to that a job I really enjoy in a city where the cost of living is low–it’s pretty hard to complain. With the progress I have witnessed in the last three years I think Cincinnati is going nowhere but up. That extends beyond downtown and OTR (which I do love) to places like Northside, another community that does a great job of being, well, a community. I’m excited to be part of a location people are so passionate about and its renaissance.

Anyone in my family can tell you, one of my favorite sandwiches growing up was a Peanut Butter+Mint Jelly sandwich.

At some point (holiday) we were having lamb for dinner, and we had mint jelly as a condiment for it. I liked mint, I liked jelly, and I like PB+Js, so naturally I threw together a PB+MJ one day, and it turned out to be awesome!

I had kinda forgotten about mint jelly until my most recent trip to the grocery store. In an effort to rid my diet of products containing High Fructose Corn Syrup, I stood in the jelly aisle looking for something that was just fruit based. Then, on the top shelf at the edge of the section, I spotted the green glory. Yes, it is cheap, and most certainly contains HFCS. At that moment I didn’t care, I wanted it. So I bought some “all-natural” strawberry preserves (so says Smuckers) and a little jar of MJ.

After 5 days of being with my mom and sister, I was feeling nostalgic for the days of yore, and it was great to bring this childhood treasure of mine back for a taste. It’s got me thinking about some of the other staples of my childhood (many not as simple as a PB+MJ) that I want to bring back into my life. Arroz con pollo watch out, you’re next…