Reed’s Place: T-Bone 🥩 and Filet Mignon

Located on Chestnut Street just down the block from Larrison’s Diner, Reed’s Place is killing it! This was our second visit and it has been outstanding both times! We haven’t even gotten to the desserts yet.

I had the 🥩 T-Bone, baked potato 🥔, 🍄 mushrooms and 🧅 onions, and 🧄 garlic toast. I ate everything on the plate! The garlic butter dollop on the steak sets it off the flavor and I enjoyed the toast and potato as much as anything.
Heidi went for the filet mignon and Parmesan asparagus and her steak was fantastic. Cooked medium well and tender as could be.

We ate at Longhorn last week, and really, there is no need to drive that far unless you are shopping for other things you need.

Rice Krispy Peeps Treats

That Heidi. She is so clever!

He is risen. He is risen, indeed. Happy 🐣 Easter!!!How could you possibly make Rice Krispy treats better than they already are? Well, instead of marshmallows, you melt Peeps and stir them in with the Rice Krispies. As a result, you get multi-colored treats with a Peep 👀 on top. These were super easy to make and they are like an Easter Egg Hunt in a pan. 🐣 🙏🏻 😇

On a side note, don’t you like your Peeps just a bit stale so they are more chewy? We can discuss that later.

No Food, Great Story: The Confederates Are Coming

You just never know when Billie Mae (My Mom) is going to come up with a wonderful story.

We were traveling to Logansport to attend the funeral of her cousin, Morris Carson. It was a marathon; three hours up and three hours and 15 minutes back. Billie is 88 and along with her cousin Ellen, they are the last surviving people from their generation from both my Mom’s and Dad’s families. This was an important trip for her. As well, that much time in the 🚙 car allows for loads of conversation and reminiscing.

On a cold and blustery day, we searched Mount Hope Cemetery in Logansport to find this tree headstone of my great grandparents, John and Minnie Carson. Mom, who brought along her Indiana Road Atlas, and Ellen were totally impressed with my iPhone gps and Find A Grave website skills. Mom was ready to give up, but I forged onward. Ellen said, “You are so cool with your electronics.” Next to them, I am a technology genius. Any student or colleague that has worked with me knows how hilarious that is.

Story background:

1. My great grandfather Carson grew up near Graham Creek in Jennings County near Streamcliff Farm.

2. On June 24, 1971, President Richard Nixon came to Vernon, Indiana to commemorate a building, as his mother was born in Jennings County.

3. My grandmother, Eva Carson, was living with us at the time and accompanied us to see Nixon.

4. Side story: Nixon arrived via helicopter and I remember someone saying they wish he could more often as the helicopter blew every piece of trash in the area several blocks away.

Main Event: Grandmother Willett was in her mid 70s and was beginning to have some memory issues. She asked Mom a couple of times where we were going and she would reply “Vernon, to see the President.” On one occasion Grandmother thought out loud. “Vernon…Hmm…Papa said he had to hide the horses 🐎 in a cave because the Confederates were coming.” She was of course referring to Morgan’s Raiders during the Civil War and what is significant is that Billie had never heard the story before.

Pretty sure I wrapped up “Son of the Month” for April on this mission! April 1, No Fooling. I appreciate my colleagues covering my classes today and I might see if I can get some Professional Growth Points for the history lessons that Mom delivered!

I may have been a bit suspect about missing school when attendance is one of my strong points, but, the happiness of my Mom deferred all doubts.

“ You know you must be doing something right if old people like you.” – Dave Chapelle

Clermont Oyster Bar

Kind of underneath an overpass, The Clermont Oyster Bar is a 🛑 stop that you just need to make. Just ask Bruce Stahl what he thinks about this “Hole-In- The – Wall.”
The horseshoe bar with a trough beneath is cool for clearing space.

It is an electrical supply company that used to have oysters for their employees. It became popular and they opened a business that we were able to become aware of and go to four years ago.

You can play Connect Four or Corn Hole.
The fried 🦪 oysters have been outstanding every time!!! Ask for cocktail sauce instead of horseradish.
Breckinridge Amber. Very tasty at a Florida restaurant.
Very nice chalk board with the drink features.

Corned Beef and and Cabbage

Happy St. Patrick’s Day from Poplar Street!!! There was green beer and a traditional ☘️ Irish dish of Corned Beef and 🥬 Cabbage and potatoes 🥔 and 🥕 carrots. There was a big crowd so we sat outside under the tent with a fire 🔥 pit next to us.

Heidi’s Reuben 🥪.
Corned beef, 🥬 cabbage, potatoes 🥔 and carrots. Check out the homemade soda bread. They baked it in a pie pan and complimented the dish.

Maple Syrup Festival: Sugarbush Farm

The directions to The Sugarbush Maple Syrup Festival may include “Turn off the paved road.” It is inconveniently located in rural Washington County. It has a Salem phone number, a Pekin address and is closer to Henryville, however, it is worth the trip. It occurs the last weekend of February and the first week of March each year and features vendors, wineries, a Wild West shootout and ax throwing, to name a few. Due to muddy parking areas , we saw a four wheel drive pick up truck with a folded over mattress across the front used to push stuck vehicles out of the mud.

🧇 Waffles, sausage patties and 🍁 maple syrup made there on the farm.
Amish girls were selling these delicious fruit pies. They were about two-bites big. I had blueberry and it was wonderful.
The last two years Heidi and I have driven up the road to Hunter’s Ridge Winery 🍷 for a tasting.

Our favorite vendor is from Sheridan, Indiana and we purchased 🍎 Apple Butta BBQ sauce, pickled asparagus, blackberry jam and this year, some pasta sauce. Also, we bought a $17 bottle of 🍁 maple syrup that was aged in an Angels Envy 🥃 bourbon barrel. I 👀 look forward to those 🧇 waffles!!!

Banana Split Dessert

Nina Hackman come up big on Sunday dinner with Green Bean Casserole, Asian slaw, and Holy Cow, Banana Split Dessert.

Green Bean Casserole for the win!!! Nina was saying she didn’t have Tater Tots so she mixed hash browns and cheese for the topping and it turned out wonderful. Nice and crispy!!!
Green Bean Casserole on the right. Heidi and Nina have been making this Asian 🥗 slaw for years. Slaw mix and crunched up Ramen noodles with the dressing made up of the Ramen season packet mixed with oil, vinegar and some sugar. Delicious
every time.
Check this bad boy out! Banana Split no bake dessert. As soon as Nina said it had four cups of powdered sugar, I knew she couldn’t go wrong. Pineapple 🍍, 🍌 bananas, cherries 🍒, whipped cream and a Graham cracker crust.
Whoop! Whoop! Added a little chocolate 🍫 syrup.

Chicken Parmesan & Baked Asparagus

Chicken breast coated in a mixture of Parmesan cheese, 🥚 egg, 🌿 oregano, 🧄 garlic powder , 🧂 salt and pepper. Then topped with marinara sauce and mozzarella 🧀 .

This was a fantastic dish that the entire family enjoyed. We actually sat down together, 🙏🏻 prayed, and Liam even put down his phone so he could eat. Heidi just continues to take care of all of us!

Peanutbutter Lasagna…Whoa!!!

What!?! Peanutbutter Lasagna? What could possibly be better than this baking dish of 🥜 peanutbuttery goodness?…Nothing I can think of right off.

1. Place a layer of crushed Nutter Butter Sandwich 🍪 Cookies in the bottom of the pan. ( Have another Nutter Butter Peanutbutter Sandwich cookie.) Their tag line from a commercial in the 80s.

2. Add a layer of vanilla pudding .

3. Add a layer of Cool Whip.

4. Drizzle melted Jif peanutbutter and diced Reese’s Cups on the top.

Welcome to the Big Leagues!!! Thank you Heidi Hackman Wintin for this awesome dessert!

Red’ s 🐓 Chicken and 🧇 Waffles

Hot Brown Empanadas.
Pork BBQ Fries.
Fish and Chips.
Red’s Chicken and Jalapeño cheddar waffle drizzled in buttery bourbon syrup.
Chicken pot pie served in a cast iron 🍳 skillet.

We returned to the Crimson Oak in North Vernon for the second week in a row. I had been thinking of the 🐓 chicken and waffles 🧇 all week. When I bit into the chicken leg, my teeth broke the skin and my glasses immediately steamed up. The empanadas were sensational with a gravy and a sweet salsa. The pot pie in the skillet 🍳 was also a hit. It has been crowded both times and the food is wonderful.

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