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.

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!!!

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

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!

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!

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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Did you know you could go to the Morales Market on Tipton Street in Seymour and buy the restaurant’s fajita meat? This is a no brainer! But, while you are there, you might as well go next door and get a couple of tacos 🌮 for lunch.

Fajitas with lettuce 🥬, 🧀 cheese and sour cream. This could be a regular meal for us.

Drizzled with caramel topping. Heidi scores once again!!!

You can’t do anything else so you might as well treat the kids to some snow ice cream. It tastes very similar to our homemade ice cream recipe and is ready start to finish in just a few minutes. 🍨

You may need to shop around a bit for the gluten free egg wrap(Sam’s Club and JayC Plus), the deli cheese is not processed!!!, Hormel microwave bacon 🥓 is very easy and you do actually have to cook the eggs. (Dominant One blended in with the eggs.

It is very simple to add some spinach, 🌶 🫑 peppers and or 🥑 avocado. But wait, don’t forget the hot sauce. 🥵 Pretty good breakfast on a snow day and an easy clean up so that Heidi will never know I was in her kitchen.

The same family that owns Stream Cliff Farm Winery also runs this peach of a restaurant!!! Outstanding. I had the shrimp and grits and it was crazy good!!! I some how managed to not take a picture of it. I really need to go back and get the Chicken and Jalapeño Cheddar 🧇 Waffles.