Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas! Please Remember Your Local Food Pantry. {Giveaway}

      I just shared about going to the Fabulous Food Show last weekend and it was great fun! We stuffed ourselves full of food truck goodness and partook of the generous samples from the booths. We will be spending the holidays with our extended family and enjoying lots and lots of good food. We are all so blessed.

     I know not everybody is as fortunate as we are. When people are going through a difficult time, one thing which can really help is knowing there is enough to eat. Last year I shared this article about ten things foodbanks won't ask for  on this blog post: Can you spare a square? What food pantries really need.

     Again, I'll tell you I think the items are better off donated straight to the local food pantry, since the local food pantry has to pay the food bank for items. I know it's less costly than buying at the store, but your donation straight to a food pantry avoids the middleman. We support the  Sharing Center  at St. Paul's in Sharon Center, which offers help to people in Medina County. Once a month, people can come in and shop the Sharing Center. 

     The Sharing Center is helped along by so many different sources. School food drives sometimes go straight to the sharing center. Every other Thursday night is their night for Panera Bread donations. Volunteers go pick up everything left at the end of the night from Panera. As a matter of fact, Panera Bread does a lot to help hungry people. You can even sell Panera Bread gift cards as a fundraiser for your non-profit organization! Now there's a fundraiser I can appreciate. Gift wrap and questionable candy? Not so much. You can learn more about all the ways Panera Bread helps at Panera Cares.

*this was not done as an advertisement. It's just me appreciating a company who gives so much where others opt to throw good food in the trash. 

    Sometimes the clients speak up about what they never see at this (or any other) place where they get free food. They don't see spices, not even salt and pepper. There is never sugar or flour. These are pantry staples for everyone, so there must be some reason for it. I just do not know what it is. Personal care items are sometimes unavailable or in low supply. Cream of anything soups are in high demand, but not often on the shelves. Rarely have I seen chocolate, crackers, or baby items, People appreciate toothbrushes, toothpaste, soap, dish soap(!) and shampoo/conditioner. There are also no condiments. 

     I bet there's a place close to your house just like our Sharing Center. I bet they would be thrilled if you and some of your friends dropped off a few bags of stuff. Why not go out to lunch with your friends and then swing by with a donation? Calling ahead is good, of course, since these volunteer run places do not have paid staff - make sure someone will be there to take your donation. If you do not have time  you can always donate cash.

     Last weekend at The Fabulous Food Show we met these great students from John Carrol University who are doing their group project to help end hunger and homelessness. They started something called Coins For Cleveland.  They are partnered up with the Cleveland Food Bank. If you click this link right here you can make a donation. All of the money goes straight to the food bank, but the kids get the acknowledgement for the fundraising.  The page shows what your donation will do. For example, a $30 donation will buy 450 oranges or 150 pounds of pasta! That's your donation really going far! If you want to donate easy peasy on the internet, this is a great way to do it.

     Really, if you can do it, you will feel so great to know you have helped other people have a great holiday season. Now that I have implored you to do something for people, how about something for you? Because I was yapping about Panera Bread and everything they do to help, how about a $50 Panera Bread gift card for one of you?

     In addition to the Panera Bread gift card, my friend Ilene from Hippie Chick Granola has generously donated a $25 gift card for you for the best granola in the world. I have tried other granolas and they shouldn't even be called the same thing. Win it now, order and enjoy - you can thank me later, when you are addicted to this delicious stuff! I am a huge fan of the Kimberly blend because I love ginger. She has fantastic flavor combinations. You just can not go wrong.

     Who wants to win!?

     First, I'm going to ask you a little favor. But it's fun, and I think you will enjoy it. Please watch this video:

     Thanks. Now, go ahead and enter this giveaway in the form below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The Arcade: No Pennies

     The other night my daughter had concert tickets for Capital Cities at House of Blues in Cleveland and a car problem. So I told her we would give her a ride into the thriving metropolis of Cleveland and grab a bite and enjoy ourselves By pretending to be city folk for a night. She invited her sister to the concert so it was a foursome for dinner. Since their concert was at the House of Blues, we decided to eat there as well. We sat down and got our menus. They were changed, and a little selections were a little disappointing. After a minute I thought of suggesting we go somewhere else. Everyone else seemed okay with it, so I decided to just roll with it. The menu might have been disappointing, but the food itself was fantastic! This is so much better than a great menu with disappointing food.

     The girls left through the magical door and we sat for a while talking about the things we talk about these days while my husband had his coffee. After that we walked down 4th street until we got to the point where the wind attacks, and turned around and walked back the other way. We decided to go to Chocolate Bar, which people say is fantastic. I ordered the chocolate lava cake and my husband ordered cocoa. I have to say, for all the hype about the Chocolate Bar, I was wholly underwhelmed. My chocolate lava cake was probably bought froze and prepared on site, it was served with half a strawberry, a chocolate straw with a few chocolate shavings, some whipped cream which may or may not have been from a can, and a little frozen chocolate eclair identical to the ones from the freezer at Sam's club. So basically, I think they make nothing themselves. I could have had the same stuff at home. I have a membership to Sam's club. My husband didn't finish his cocoa. It is difficult to disappoint us with chocolate, but I have had better desserts at Don Pablo's. 

     The best part about having had dessert in the Chocolate Bar was the little door leading into the Arcade. I told my husband we should walk around in there, where it would not be windy and cold. We thought we might find a comfortable place to sit, as well. The Arcade is pretty neat, as we were about to find out.

     The Arcade was opened on Memorial Day in 1890. It was financed By John D. Rockefeller, among others, as one of the earliest indoor shopping malls in the United States. Ladies and gentlemen, it is pretty awesome. 

The Arcade, Cleveland Ohio

The staircase is beautiful. The whole thing reminds me of being on a ship, somehow. Old fashioned, elegant, and full of razzle-dazzle!

Starbucks at The Arcade

 The Starbucks at night is not big and bright... deep in the heart of the Arcade.

The Arcade

     Isn't she lovely? We walked around for a good long time, inspecting, window shopping, and taking pictures. It's a good thing we stopped in at the Chocolate Bar, because the entrance to the Arcade is locked at night. As soon as we got outside we realized why. We stepped outside and were approached by a man, who sounded a lot like Gary Busey sometimes sounded on The Apprentice. He eventually got down to asking for money. Which, of course, we did  not have because we had given our last few dollars to the valet. Sorry, man, we just don't have any cash at all. I had even removed all the coins from my purse earlier in the day. On the walk to our valet stand we were intercepted two more times by people asking for money. It's such an uncomfortable thing sometimes, being a human being.

Bob's Hamburg, Akron Ohio

Bob's Hamburg, counter seat. Right in the middle of the action!

     The other day I had to make a run to Akron, which I never enjoy. I am a country mouse, not a city rat. I am also not sure I should be mentioning mice and rats when I am about to tell you about an eatery, but such if life. Since I was in Akron with our youngest child I thought I would pull up Urbanspoon on my phone and see what was close. Bob's Hamburg was 1.7 miles away! 

     Bob's Hamburg is an Akron legend. They have been around now for over eighty years - that's a long time for a family owned diner to stay in business. I think they have six booths and a counter to seat another six or so. It's tiny. See the photo above? We sat at the counter so we could be right where the action is. The grill is small, I think about 2 feet by 4 feet. The place was packed when we arrived, right at the end of breakfast service. When they switched over to lunch I contemplated staying and eating it too, but the breakfast was so giant I had to take half of it home already. 

     Did I mention the food? It's sublime! I have had their hamburgers and they are special. The fries and onion rings are the real thing. The omelet I had I think was three large (burger sized) sausage patties fried and cut up into what I think was three eggs and cheese. And of course, I had to order some of their amazing hash browns. They are some of my favorite hash browns ever. And a cup of gravy, which had the equivalent of another sausage patty in it. If you are in Akron, go check them out. 

     Bob's Hamburg is doing fish fry Fridays right now for lent and they are staying open until 8:00PM. Lake Erie perch, people! Plus oysters and crab cakes. Call (330)253-02627  for carry out or go save me a seat at 1351 East Avenue in Akron. The cook the orders in the order they come in, so you may get anxious thinking it is taking longer than you expected, but that's because of phone in orders. They will not forget you and it will be worth the wait. 

*UrbanSpoon has them listed as cash only, but I was able to use my Discover. Maybe they used to be cash only, but now they definitely take cards. 

While Wandering Around, We Found...

     We took an accidental trip to Amish Country last week. We do lots of accidental things! This time we found ourselves at Heini's Cheese Chalet. We took the tour and learned lots of interesting things about how they do it at Heini's. We loved our tour guide, who was willing to answer all of our questions. Great hospitality!

We also met these guys:

We think if we ever have to move again they can help.

     This week I went to a barn sale and met a really nice lady. I didn't get a great photo of Beth, but here is the barn floor: 

They had an awesome old tool bench for sale. It was big and sturdy and had holes for some dangly tools. I had an unreasonable desire to buy it and bring it home with me. I managed to control myself. Mostly.

Photo on the left was as my lovely iPhone camera captured it. On the right edited for clarity and HDR. Do not ask me what HDR is. You will hear crickets because I have no idea. 

  




I picked up a stranger from the side of the road last night. I can't wait to show you those pictures!

Around Amish Country In A Day

      Yesterday we made a trip to visit the Amish. Or rather, buy from people who sell in Amish territory. We like to pretend we think we are buying something from actual Amish people, which certainly did not happen yesterday. We came home with a lot of cheeses, bulk foods, and bloating. All in all, a great trip.

     Our first stop was The Oak Cupboard. It's one of  the shops at The Barn Restaurant in Smithville, Ohio. I go there for one thing. Ginger snaps. They haunt my dreams. I've never had any other ginger snap I liked as much. I need these to be happy. Because you think I'm fancy, I bet you think they are some amazing freshly made delicacy, but no. They are little hard rounds like you can buy at the grocery store. But they are way, way, better. I would send you some, but I can't because I am going to eat them all. Sorry!

     Our second stop was The Country Pantry. They have better prices than some of the other places, so it's always my first stop for bulk foods. They don't have a website, so here's some information: The Country Pantry, 8861 CR 201 Fredericksburg, OH 44627. (330)695-4102. They are open Mon-Sat 8-6.

     We were getting hungry after all that procrastinating, driving, and shopping, so we drove to The Chalet In The Valley for some lunch. This is one of our favorite places. You must partake of the golden nuggets. Just do it. You can thank me later. They just opened for the season on March 15th, and this year they have nice pretzel bread they bring to the table. I had to bring home a half dozen, and I wish I had brought more! Look at this crazy dessert they have called the Matterhorn:

      I just find this mesmerizing. 

      We left the Chalet (with my hot pretzel bread in my coat, because it was freezing outside) and walked across the street to Guggisberg Cheese Factory. It's pretty cool to watch them make the cheese through the big windows in the store. I still had my bread in my coat, and they thought I was stealing cheese. I really need a bread bjorn to carry around my goods. Anyone sell those? We got a nice lady to take our picture.

   Excuse our outfits, it was casual Friday.

     We drove around a while, stopped at a post office, walked through a hardware store, and had a rip-roarin' good time! I love driving around with my husband. We should do it more often. 

     Our next planned stop was the Ashery Country Store. They have a lot more variety and they really know how to pack it all into a small space.

     I realize some of you poor fellas don't live near me, bless your hearts. Go to Discover Bulk Foods to find a place near you. I just used it and found one ten minutes from my house.

     We stopped somewhere else. Sadly, I paid no attention to the name so we'll never find it again. They had homemade ice cream. We ate some and brought some home. We're such dorks. We should have written down the name because the ice cream was phenomenal. 

     We finally got home, around 4:30 pm. We napped. Shopping and eating and driving is very tiring.

Why Yes, Yes We Are Spoiled - Northeast Ohio Edition

      How many things can we possibly take for granted? Here's another one for me and my lucky neighbors. Our local grocer, Buehler's, offers quite a few services. There's a Kid's Park, for ages 3-9, where you can drop off your littles while you grocery shop. In fact, since there's an Ace Hardware in Buehlers, you can even get paint mixed while your kids are happily  playing away. There is also a Kids Club, which is totally free. Each time you take the children to the store with you they get a special treat, which changes with the month. This month it is a trial size tube of Crest.

     Enough about the kids. Buehler's also has a nice little restaurant in the store. And a bank. And a dry cleaner. Oh, and a post office. Plus, you can drop off your library books at Buehler's. They also have an award winning florist. Carry out? Well, not really. At Buehler's you aren't allowed to take a cart outside. Because they send your groceries out on a conveyor belt and you simply drive up to the pick up lanes and they load them in the car.

     Oh, they also have something called "Click, Load, and Go." Are you ready to be jealous? You simply go online and order your groceries, telling them when you want to pick them up. Then you drive up to the pick up lane designated for Click Load & Go and just pick them up. How nice is that? Don't want to drag yourself inside and pick up everything, lug it up to the checkout and plop it on the counter only to take it home and carry it in and put it away? You don't have to - you can drive up to the store in your pajamas and get all your groceries. You still have to take it inside and put it away, but I guess that is to keep you humble.

Jellyfish at the Akron Zoo

In my opinion, some of the most beautiful things at the zoo yesterday were the jellyfish.
I could sit and watch them all day.

Hale Farm and Village: Bath, Ohio

We're accidental tourists. We were looking for a place for lunch and got kind of (way) off course. The countryside was pretty, so we weren't complaining. But we were hungry. All of the sudden I saw a sign and whipped into the driveway. It was NOT McDonalds. It was Hale Farm and Village. "I used to come here where I was a kid!" I exclaimed to my husband. Most men would be bewildered, but he took it all in stride. He suggested we should go in. We did.

We paid for our entry and I grabbed his hand and took him first to the tiny little cabin across the creek. From our first step inside that door we were mesmerized. The ladies shared information with us about windows and ladders and crazy amounts of people living in the small space. (Nine children in one room all winter!) We visited areas where people were making candles, making baskets, weaving on looms, and spinning wool. We spoke with many intelligent and lively people who were each enjoying their job and making it a memorable experience for us. We walked in the rain sans umbrella with no care at all. We weathered a tornado alert in what I think is the most beautiful building in all of the village. They played the piano and sang songs, all while staying in character - and in 1863. A beautiful little girl danced around the room while adults sang The Battle Hymn of the republic. It was magical. What a great mistake we'd made that day! We enjoyed it so much we took our children back a week later.

What an interesting and fun place. If you are in the area I suggest you take a day and check it out.

*The picture is the family in front of the Hale House.

Walden Country Inn and Stables, Aurora Ohio

The Walden Country Inn and Stables is a unique place. This must have been a labor of love for the architect. The design is so interesting, so unexpected. You feel cozy and taken care of and special just because of the way the building feels. The rooms are spacious and luxurious.

We stayed in A loft suite (about twelve hundred square feet!) and really enjoyed it. Even the private stairway had flair. You have a fireplace. The huge bath is across from the bed instead of in the bathroom, which also has a shower. If you want to spend a romantic getaway in a room that lends itself to blissful relaxation go stay at Walden.

Don't order room service from their on site restaurant, however. It takes forever to get your tepid food. As a bonus I got the nastiest case of food poisoning in my life. Waking up the morning of checkout with projectile vomiting is not in their brochure, but it was an unexpected part of our stay. They claim to have movies for rent, but when you pick up the list in the room and call down and ask for a title they are put out. They don't really have those movies for rent, they go and get them from a local rental place. I also don't recommend paying big bucks to ride their horses. One of our horses was entirely spooked by the mud in the trail and decided to run into trees and be otherwise impossible. We all had to return (the two of us and our "guide") after just a few terrible minutes (we didn't get through 5 minutes of our hour long ride) and they still charged us at full rate for the both of us.

Remember I told you the building is awesome, and worth the stay. The staff was mediocre - and I'm being generous. For the room alone, go. Eat and entertain yourself elsewhere.

see their brochure here:
http://www.waldenco.com/brochure/walden.swf

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens, Akron Ohio

Stan Hywet Hall and Gardens have been one of those awesome mysterious places to me since I was a little girl. We used to go there on school field trips. The girls especially loved going into the gift shop and determining how many trinkets we could get with our couple of dollars.

The Sieberlings built Stan Hywet (Old English for "Stone quarry) in the early 1900s.The Sieberlings founded the Goodyear Tire & Rubber company and built this lovely country estate with their rubber money. It's not as big as the Biltmore Estate, but its every bit as grand.

Last I knew there was still one lady, a descendant of the Seiberlings, living in the gate house. Want to know what's even more interesting about the gate house at Stan Hywet Hall? It was the place where Alcoholics Anonymous got it's start.

If you're ever in Northeast Ohio, check out the Hall and Gardens. Take your camera, it makes for a lovely backdrop.

Miss Molly's Tea Room in Medina, Ohio

Miss Molly's Tea Room and Gift Shop in Medina, Ohio is a quaint place for mothers and daughters and favorite dollies. It's for Red Hatters and a day out with the girls. It's for going alone and observing. If you have a truly romantic husband, it's for couples.

Sometimes you'll get a great waitress like Michelle, other times you're waitress will be more of a character than a waitress. They're always nice, and the food is always interesting and good, so you can't go wrong.

The lovely attached gift shop is worth the trip all by itself. As a matter of fact, I know many people who have shopped in the gift shop many times, but never had lunch at Miss Molly's. Lunch at Miss Molly's is a treat. I'm not sure how many varieties of loose tea they have, but the list is a full front and back of a menu long, so my guess is somewhere around 50 varieties of loose tea, along with a few varieties of tea bags, gourmet coffees and cocoas, iced tea, lemonade, and the typical soft drink fare.

Miss Molly's will even open up special just for your group of 25 or more. Children's parties are Saturday mornings or Friday evenings. Reservations are recommended, but not required.