The Weekend I BBQ'd Across America Part II

oops, i did it again.

went to kansas city and ate way too much bbq. i can't help it. i'm obsessed.

first up is the chicago bloody mary's at harry carey's. fyi, these babies were not good at all. not enough spices and no celery, even though the menu clearly advertised that there was supposed to be. i must have some sort of alcohol (unless there's a doctor out there that can prescribe me something to knock me out!) while flying.

i did not get a picture of the double vodka drink that i had to have on the way back. seriously? scary bumpy flights are not my friend.

first up for bbq was bates city bbq in shawnee. sorry the picture is kind of small, but you get the point. it was a little hole in the wall. we were supposed to go to jackstack, but because of the influx of green bay packers fans, and holiday shoppers down at the plaza, there was a 2 1/2 hour wait. umm, no thanks.

the food! burnt ends and multiple meat sandwiches. the french fries at this place were amazing, and they gave you a ton of them! plus, you can always judge a bbq place by their beer that costs $1. champagne of beers? yes please. the food was fantastic and the people behind the counter were so nice.


i know you can't read this either, but it says, "sweet Auburn shout-out in KC." bo holding down bates city bbq.



next place we went to was arthur bryant's on the way to the airport monday.

hello awesomeness. they had a few different types of bbq sauces, and instead of having pulled pork, which i usually gravitate toward, i went for the sliced. even though it was good, it reminded me more of ham than bbq. my dad had this pulled sandwich that combined all the meat. they definitely gave you more than you could eat. and of course, the option to buy their sauces and rubs.

i hope everyone had a very merry christmas. maybe i'll stop eating so y'all can stop reading about it.

My Dog Makes Me Happy

i love my dog. like more than any normal person should love their dog. this is seriously my child.

i take abnormal amounts of pictures of her, and she gets an abnormal amount of kisses. note that she does spread the love around, and tends to be a bit of a slut when she's doling them out.

but she's still my baby. and really? i cry when i think about losing her, which will hopefully be in a long long while.

so here are some pictures of her in her christmas bow and halloween costume.

she was not as thrilled about the bow as i was.

this is the best picture i got of her in her cat ears. yes, i know the irony.

this cracks me up. she looks like she's being tortured. granted, she is not. she is probably the most spoiled dog on the planet.

i love her.

please let me just squeeze her and squeeze her.

happy holidays from the stell dog.

Blog love

today is a monumental day.

it's my 300th post on blogger.

i by no means have 5000 followers. i think i'm doing good when my dad says he's reading my blog. i figure that there will be a day when i look back through all of these posts, through tears, or laughter and remember everything that once made me do these things.

i feel like i get so caught up in what is going on around me, that i forget about the beauty around me.

i vow in the next 300 posts to pay more attention to that.

The Weekend I BBQ'd Across America *

*not just BBQ. we'll go with "fooded" across America.

the 12 hours to KC to visit dad for Thanksgiving was made better, obviously by all the food that i got to eat. first stop was in memphis, for what else? bbq! this place was visited by guy fieri on DDD, and also named one of the top 10 places you have to eat. yums~ their sandwich had this amazing coleslaw on it, and they had the big fat french fries, my favorite kind! and of course the potato salad, but you all know about my love affair with potatoes, so i'll leave it at that.


up next is oklahoma joe's in KC. i mean, look at those onion rings. i dare you to find a better one, oh, cuz you can't. it's like a heart attack in a bag, but who cares. i had just the normal pork sandwich, which is what they're known the most for, even though KC is supposed to be all about the beef bbq. i digress. the other sandwich is called "hog heaven,"which is pork and sausage all on the same sandwich. they also have this sandwich called the "z-man," and it's brisket, with provolone topped with two onion rings. nom nom.


the last place is called Flying Saucer, and it's more of a bar than anything else, with lots of beer! it's down in the power and light district, and don't know how it got missed the first trip to the district. by this time, i was semi tipsy.....






hence the tater tot photo shoot...but in all fairness, these things are probably the best thing i have ever put in my mouth. they are cheese and pepper tater tots with habanero sour cream dip. rocket tots rule.

and of course, what's a night of debauchery without a random as hell photo shoot in the middle of a restaurant? i super love the one on the left. really. sike.

try all of them. but really try the tater tots. i can't stop dreaming about them.

Music for your Sunday

i hadn't heard of this song until a super new awesome person came into my life this past week. hope everyone had a great weekend!

Holiday Sparkle

ok, so i love glitter. i love sparkles. i love anything that is shiny and pretty.

it is who i am. love me or not, i cannot keep my hands off anything that sparkles.

which is perfect for the holidays. gorgeous holiday dress parties? glitter please! new years? what better day to wear an entire dress made of glitter/sequins/sparkly things?

so i rummaged through pinterest and came up with the most beautiful things that i want. any of these would make fabulous christmas presents, thank you very much!

Source: moderndayfairytale.tumblr.com via Laura on Pinterest

i love all of these dresses. seriously? not a single one i wouldn't wear.

i adore the little white one in the top left corner.

Source: ohhellofriendblog.com via Laura on Pinterest

so pretty! her eyelashes look great too.

Source: ovandony.com via Laura on Pinterest

what's better than plain sparkles? kate spade sparkles!

Source: sittinginatreeevents.com via Laura on Pinterest

i like how these feel a little more rustic than the other dresses. rustic sparkles? of course. i could wrap a huge white cashmere cape around these and some booties? yep yep, i'm in.

i am only two posts away from the big 300th post. i'm glad that i've done this blog for so long. it is entertaining to go back so long and laugh at how much i've changed, and how much i've done in such a short period.

there are big changes coming for me. again. i am excited.

Music for your Sunday

saw caitlin rose last weekend (she was opening for hayes carll), and she was amazing. found a great youtube for her. picked up her CD for $10 at the show and haven't stopped listening to it since. this is one of my favorites.

hope y'all enjoy!

New Orleans - Mandina's!

so i was going through some of my old pictures, and came across some old pictures of places that i'd eaten and hadn't done a review on!

there are also some old random pictures that will make their way onto this blog somehow or another...but that is for another time or place.

so onto mandina's in, where else? nola! this place is tucked away, hidden where only the locals can know about it. it's way off bourbon, and if you asked me, i wouldn't be able to tell you. i could google it for you and let you know, but i'm a little lazy and don't want to. onto the food!!

come on now...who doesn't love neon?!

the inside of the place. very small, with a bar across the front, and a few tables scattered across the floor. the service was so great though!

turtle soup! believe it or not, it really wasn't as gross as it sounds. and i'd never had it before, so i definitely had to try it!

some kind of fish friend in deliciousness. i wish i could remember the name of it, but it was so filling, the fries were unnecessary. but that doesn't mean they weren't eaten!

and of course, finish it off with a blurry picture of a shrimp po'boy. unfortunately, i'm boring, and this is what i got. and it wasn't the best one i've had in nola. but it was definitely good!

planning to celebrate the new year in nola this year too. i CAN NOT wait for this excitement!

Happy Things

So in light of me being a grumpy Gus lately, I've decided to post a few things that have been making me super happy/excited lately...

So I got this from Design Dazzle, and thought this was the most fabulous thing ever and of course to celebrate Deathly Hallows Part 2 being available....voila!!

Source: designdazzle.blogspot.com via Laura on Pinterest

Magically Easy Butterbeer Recipe:

Butterbeer:

2 liter cream soda

2 tablespoons Butter extract

2 teaspoons rum extract

*drop the extracts into the 2 liter bottle, put on cap and slowly rotate until combined.

Cream topping:

1 7oz container of marshmallow creme

1 cup whipping cream

1 teaspoon rum extract

*add all items together in an electric mixer and combine until smooth.

I also want this super pretty dress. In my closet. Now please.

Source: modcloth.com via Laura on Pinterest

This is all I want for Christmas. Please, Santa?!

Source: quickpwn.com via Deneena on Pinterest

Maybe these for Christmas too?

Source: google.com via Keri on Pinterest

Okay, yes I wouldn't mind having Aaron Rodgers delivered to my doorstep, but I'll take tickets to the Superbowl in Indy.


*p.s. they play tonight. wish them luck! go pack go!*

Caught

People are sometimes so interesting when they think no one is looking. They are also so sweet sometimes!! We went to Steeplechase a couple weekends ago, which is a little horse race in Columbus, GA. Besides missing the memo on the dress and boots dress code, I happened to get in some really good shots.

I just wanted to share a few of the sweet ones I caught of people when they thought no one was watching. Yep, just call me creeper.

I've gotten back into my photography, which is really good and super therapeutic. I have been in need of some good therapy lately. I have been super negative and have been in a rut, which is why I've ignored the blog. Haven't wanted to spread my awesome bad mood...

Hopefully I'll be back in the world's good graces. I have so many posts swirling in my head, and I need to get them out!

Halloween 2011

I love Halloween. It is one of my favorite holidays (next to New Year's and of course, Christmas!). But I love being scared. I love Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, and I love dressing up! Seriously, what is there not to love about this holiday?

Last night the hubs and I went to a friends' house for Cookout & Costumes. Plus got to watch the Auburn game (Yay! War Eagle! Thanks for beating Ole Miss!). We filled up on snacks, hot dogs and grilled chicken, with a few adult beverages, but decided that the night wasn't, or at least, shouldn't be over.

The girls went out. The girls went out hard. I mean, ending up at Al's at 3 am, then checking into the Embassy Suites? Yes. That, my friends, is how you do it hard.

So our plans for this Halloween Eve? Watching Halloween and eating pizza, of course!! There is absolutely nothing better than a scary movie and pizza. Even though I'm hungry right now, and I have to at least wait until it gets dark.... but I am excited for the pizza.

I will leave you all with a simple, but delicious, Halloween treat. Dirt Cake! I haven't had this since probably the 3rd grade, and it had worms (Publix, you let me down with your non-selection of gummi worms), but it is still delicious regardless! Enjoy!

What You Need:
* 1 large package Oreos
* 8 oz package cream cheese
* 1/2 cup butter
* 1 cup powdered sugar
* 12 oz whipped cream
* 2 small packages of instant French Vanilla pudding mix
* 2 cups milk
* 1 tsp vanilla


* Crush cookies and spread 1/2 of the crumbs in the bottom of a 9x13" pan.

* Mix the cream cheese and margarine until smooth. Mix in powdered sugar. Fold in the Cool Whip.

* In a separate bowl, mix the pudding, milk and vanilla; then fold this into the cream cheese mixture.

* Pour combined filling mixture over cookie crumbs in pan; sprinkle rest of cookie crumbs over the top. Serve frozen or chilled.


Happy Halloween!

*Check it...I'm a scary black cat...* Bonus points if you can tell me where this is from!

Kisses

I know this may seem like the weirdest topic for a blog post, but kisses really are the greatest thing known to man.

Source: Uploaded by user via Laura on Pinterest

They can mean so many things: I love you. I want you. I am so happy to see you. I'm going to miss you. Please don't go. I'm so glad you're home! I absolutely love coming home and getting kisses from my Stella. I love puppy kisses!

Source: google.com via Laura on Pinterest

And just kissing isn't enough. They have to be good kisses. Everyone knows that the second kiss is better than the first. I think there's a song that talks about the first long kiss on a second date. I think it's Tim McGraw, but I can't be too sure. I can tell you right now that I would much rather sit on the couch all day and kiss than do *ahem*....other stuff.

I'm going to try to string along more blog posts this week. I've been sort of upset lately, and the blog has been the one thing that I could give up that would give me some more time in the day.