On the Road Again...

I had to fly (well, drive, actually, but you get the idea) up to Raleigh last week. One of those 24-hour runs, where about 16 of the hours are spent behind the wheel. Not much time for exploration, which is too bad, because on the surface, Raleigh looks like a pretty town. A person still has to eat, though, even on a rush trip like this one. My personal mantra being "why waste time, money and calories on junk when good food can be had", I headed downtown after my work was done and before I headed south. I stopped in for a late lunch at Beasley's Chicken and Honey.  Straight up, I had to go, if nothing else, just for the name. Chicken and honey?  Besides, the menu contained just the kind of food I've been finding myself wanting to eat lately. Good, solid soul food, done well. Think fried chicken, pimiento cheese, greens, biscuits and sweet tea.  I love when chefs take the food we've known for generations and apply their skill and creativity to making it better. Think grandma's food, UNPLUGGED. 

The vibe of this place was super cool. I'm a sucker for chalkboard menus and exposed brick walls and communal seating.  Solid, no-frills dishes and silverware with an heirloom feel don't hurt , either. 

Anyway, I ordered the fried chicken (dark meat, of course) and waffle.  It was served piping hot on a tin plate, drizzled with honey and accompanied by its own little pitcher of pure maple syrup. Wash it down with a couple of Mason jars of not-too-sweet tea, and you have yourself a pretty decent lunch. 

I would have liked to eat my way through the sides listed on the menu, they looked that good, but I ran out of room. I did grab a piece of sweet potato chess pie for the road. Rich, sweet-potatoey, brown-sugary goodness, complete with its own little tub of whipped cream, consumed somewhere in South Carolina. Suddenly, the life of a road warrior didn't seem half-bad. 

Food and Family

Kate and Andrew were in town this weekend, so this is what my Saturday looked like:

When you combine the arrival of fall with the arrival of the missing sister, the resulting mix is potent indeed.  Bring on every celebratory dish we can think of... Party Mix!  Chili!  Smores!  Turkey Dinner!  The fun part, though, was hanging out all afternoon, us girls, making messes and being a family.

That extra yummy you tasted in the bread?  Well, I did have a pretty nice helper...

My sisters.  I love them, deeply.  But they are awful about taking pictures.  They really are way jollier than they appear in photos, generally speaking. 

Saturday afternoon wouldn't be complete without the solid and comforting presence of the family patriarch....

Ahhhhhh......it's been a long time since I did this.  And let me tell you, it felt downright good. 

I was out tossing a ball around with Colton and I walk around the corner to see this.  Annistyn apparently decided to park her car next to mine...

Post-chili smores

All of that cooking we did culminated in this:

A Sunday feast of epic and delicious proportions, and the warmth of family to enjoy it with.  What more could a person ask for?