To quote Chicago Cubs Hall of Famer Ernie Banks, “ Let’s Play Two!”

My Rock Star 🎸 ⭐️ mother-in-law Nina Hackman makes not one, but two strawberry 🍓 pies 🥧!!! I started counting right away. Nine people for dinner, 16 slices of pie. “I’m taking two!”

Four ingredients: cream cheese, powdered sugar, whipped cream and strawberries 🍓!! 💥 Put that mixture in a graham cracker crust and “It might be, it could be, a homerun!!!” ⚾️ (Harry Caray reference.)

I failed to mention the main course. Ribs, green beans, rolls with applebutter, and cheesy hash browns.

With all of this, let me also quote Lila Kate Spray: “Nobody wants a skinny Grandpa.”

On Baldwin Street in beautiful downtown Bargersville you can find the Taxman Brewery and restaurant. We travel through here often to visit the grandchildren in Mooresville and we’re on the way home from a Tee Ball game today. ⚾️

The cheese curds were square and served with house made ranch dressing. Some of the best fried cheese we have ever had.

Lawyer recommended the Smashburger and he was on point. On a toasted brioche bun, bacon 🥓 and melting American cheese, excellent!This is a career Top Five burger 🍔 for me. The Belgian frites were tasty as well.

The Taxman has a variety of brews that we didn’t even get into on this visit. 🍺 🍻

I feel a flight coming my way sometime 🔜 .

While in Newburgh, Indiana for the Isaiah 117 House 🏠 golf ⛳️ scramble, we had some fine dining opportunities. (Isaiah 117 House is a nonprofit organization that has a house in Evansville that provides for children removed from their homes.)

We are not very good golfers, however, we are pretty darn good friends and family. Chris and Jon grew up in Merrillville as cousins and next door neighbors. I met them both in the 1980s and have been fostering this friendship for 40 + years.

When Christopher was about 5 years old and we played baseball ⚾️ in their side yard, we would let him bat, but he never “counted.” As he often reminds today. Now though, when he out drives both of us, we let him “count.”

After the scramble we had pizza 🍕 and Honey 🍯 Blonde 👱‍♀️ Ales at Turoni’s which was delicious. *Note to self. Bring growler next time.

Chris had a baseball game to get to so it was just Jon and myself for 🍳 breakfast. This morning it was Nellie’s Restaurant and it is also worthy of notice.

Sophie said she has an extra waffle 🧇 iron she will let me have as I have been craving waffles recently and want to learn how to make some good ones.

Next time!!!

The menu was huge and I have found something I want the next time I visit. Above are pans of banana 🍌 pudding with meringue on 🔝 . Pretty sure I could get Heidi on board to share one of these with me.

Bruce Stahl, Ken Hackman and myself played 18 holes 🕳️ at Hickory Hills today. The camaraderie as well as the golf ( I went 45-44 for an 89) was a great time! We stopped At Tiemeyer’s Pizza 🍕 on the way home and ordered some pizza, breadsticks 🥖 and some wings 🪽 🍗 on the side. All was delicious and was a special occasion with Ken being home for a few days from California.

But wait, did I mention Nina Hackman’s Peanut 🥜 Butter No Bake cookies!?! I may have eaten a dozen of them.

Here is the beauty of this. It’s just a Saturday night that turned into “Boom 💥 Baby” with good friends and family doing fun stuff and having dinner. Not to mention we had Chelsey Peters serving us a couple Strawberry 🍓 👱‍♀️ Blondes.

For future notice, Bruce, Ken and I talked about bringing back the Coon Supper (Wild Game Feast) and the Hangover Classic Golf outing. Good things are coming to Grassy Fork Township and Hickory Hills.

Boom 💥 Shaka Laka!!!

Heidi and I won Karen Holle’s apple dumplings at the Lutheran Central Auction Saturday night and it is the best $98 we have spent this week.

The dumpling dough is fantastic and firm while the apples and brown sugar combo create a sweet sensation that is undeniable. Add some melting vanilla bean 🫘 ice cream and I am in 😇 heaven on earth.🌎

Heidi strongly encouraged me to take the pan to the Sunday family dinner at her mom’s because “You don’t need to eat every one of those.”

I have one in the fridge and one in the freezer for a later date and just enough ice cream to put me into a coma.

O.K., Okay, Ok… I know it is now Disney Springs. And what a cool spot it still is.

The chicken tenders and donut 🍩 from Everglazed were both fantastic. You should have seen the donut with whipped cream and sprinkles we helped Lawson eat.

Cool 😎 spot with Irish 🇮🇪 music at Disney Springs.

After Disney Springs we grilled dogs and sausages at the condo and went for ice cream 🍨. Just gearing up for Epcot tomorrow.

Spring Break with the grandkids means a third set of children going to Chef Mickey’s. First, Rae and Lawyer, then Sophie and Liam. Today, Lawson and Kenlee. What a wonderful tradition to share across three generations!

Whoa! Let me tell you about the shrimp 🍤 and cheesy grits. Creamy and delicious pretty much sums it up. My favorite dish on the buffet!

The beignet and shrimp and grits was like being in New Orleans! and the Mickey waffle 🧇 was large and in charge!

Andi, when are you going to Chef Mickey’s?

Heidi and I shared the half rack of ribs, cornbread warmed up on the grill and branched out with wood-fired okra.

The ribs were delish, the cornbread had kernels of corn 🌽 and onion 🧅 baked in and the okra was a pleasant surprise as we like is to try new things. One thing “fo sho, y’ouse in the South” with this meal.

We followed up with a southern favorite, banana pudding with crunchy vanilla wafers and topped with whipped cream. 💥

Sugar’s is built into a hill and you can’t miss it driving on I 24.

Finally, they have pet goats living outside on the hill and provide you with a bowl of cabbage to feed them.

I don’t always get to stop while driving to Florida, but, today was the day!

On a side note we hiked trails at the Allatoona Civil War Battlefield and Kennesaw Mountain Batylefield in Georgia to try and burn some calories on our way to spring break.

Located on 25th Street just east of Highway 31 in Columbus, Pho Shiki is a 🇻🇳 Vietnamese/ Japanese 🇯🇵 restaurant that we enjoyed.

The Crunchy Munchy had avocado 🥑, shrimp 🍤, cream cheese and crab 🦀 and it was fantastic! On a side note, I always use chop sticks while dining on Asian food.

The Crab 🦀 Rangoons were also delicious!🤤 I enjoyed the crispiness.

Heidi and I had the good sense to share the entree and every bit was tasty!😋

We did some shopping at Target 🎯 before and didn’t even have to exit the parking lot to reach Pho Shiki. Plenty of dining in Columbus and this one was a winner 🏅.

It was the late 1980s or early 1990s that Billie Mae (Mom) found this recipe somewhere and started making it and ever since, Poppyseed Chicken has been a grandkid favorite!

Even that year she forgot to put it in the oven on Thanksgiving and provoked Rae to say: “ How are you not ready, you know it’s coming.” We have been enjoying it for three generations.

The ingredients are: chicken (rotisserie from Sam’s Club), Cream of Chicken soup, two cans, two sleeves of crushed Ritz Crackers, sour cream(we substituted Greek yogurt, and two sticks of butter 🧈. We used Kerry Gold and it is fantastic!

When Heidi discovered we didn’t have Alfredo sauce, she came up with a wonderful Plan B.

Then, Heidi comes up with a pumpkin bread mix that turns out excellent.

These snow days have been wonderful dining experiences. Biscuits and gravy, Swamp

potatoes 🥔 with smoked sausage and green beans. And it’s only Monday.