Good Weekend Happenings

Company is coming!

It was a busy, but fun, summer weekend at the Borowiak household this past week in preparation for a visit from an out of town guest. Not just any guest, but resident good guy and funny man, Brian Atkinson. Yes, THE Brian Atkinson who took some time out of his "Eating My Way Across the USA" road trip to stop in our neck of the woods to meet the fam!

*This pic of us cracks me up. Oh, Brian, you're so . . . goofy!

Mr. A not only brought a big smile and lots of laughs, he brought ingredients for his famous guacamole recipe! Yippee! Guac is one of my most all-time favorite things to eat so when I heard he had a famous recipe, I made him make it! And just like a Food Network star he whipped up a batch in my humble kitchen just for me! For the record, I did share.

Besides tasty guacamole and chips, the weekend was filled with many other good eats, drinks, and entertainment.

1. More good eats: Because Brian likes to eat, and so do we, after snacks and sangria at the homestead, we all piled into the Subaru to treat Brian to some delicious homemade enchiladas at a nearby church festival followed by fab frozen custard for dessert. We also gave him an "exciting" tour of where we live as in there's some corn on your left, soybeans on your right.

2. Can you canoe? T's been thinking about buying a canoe, so for a trial run, we headed out to Starved Rock State Park so he and the kids could take a paddle down the Illinois River. While they rolled down the river, I relaxed on the shore listening to tunes on my iPod. After their canoe trip, we went up to lodge to have a cool drink on the patio. I had a Blue Moon - a refreshing drink for a summer's afternoon

3. Tim-isms. T always keeps me and the kids laughing. Here are a few silly quotes from him from Sunday's trip to Starved Rock.

While he's acting goofy on the lodge patio:
Me: I wish I had a video of this. T: You just need to keep a camera on me at all times. Me: I don't have enough batteries for that!

After making a pit stop on the way home. A neon sign at the BP station/Jimmy Johns advertises "Free Smells." T goes in to use the facilities. Me: Did you get a free smell? T: Holy Crap! I thought an outhouse smelled bad!

One of his many thoughts on canoeing with the kids: "You don't realize how small their butts are until you see them sitting on that big canoe seat!" As he is speaking, he's making hand gestures to illustrate his point. Too funny!



Ah, summer weekends . . . good friends, food, and fun!

Diners

I've lived in the Eastern part of the USA for a couple years now, and have found one of the best things this area has going for it is diners. A good diner can make a bad day good, any time of day - especially if it's breakfast all day!

2) Limerick Diner, Limerick, PA

It's in Limerick - near the nuclear power plant there, but that doesn't stop friends of mine from mocking me/it in prose:
There once was a man at a diner
whose coffee was put through a grinder
He said, with a grin, as he wiped off his chin,
"What's my next pending one-liner?"


3) Chef's Diner, Downingtown, PA

The diner in "The Blob" - seemed to be across the street from the Colonial Theatre in Phoenixville, where I live, is about 18 miles away from the theater. When the crowd came running out of the theater and they were right in front of Chef's, they must have been really really fast runners!

1) Phoenix Diner, Phoenixville, PA

No great stories about this one, it's just the closest one to my house. It has generous portions, low prices, and great staff.

MMMMMM good!

Brian Food

I love food. I love to eat. I even write a whole other Brian-Food blog about that. Sue even asks me what I have for lunch every day with her little acronym, WAL (What About Lunch?). Today, my three good things are food.

1) Bacon. Seriously, bacon is fantastic. Bendy, crispy, crumbled, chunked, sliced and in bits - it's all good.

2) Pie. I would rather have a pie anytime over cake. Birthday cake? How come cake gets that spot? Pie is simply superior.

3) Coca-Cola. It's the real thing, the pause that refreshes, nectar of the gods!

mmmm - good things!