It's been a while since I've shared a Foodie Friday post, but don't you worry - I've been eating just fine! Maybe I can even blame my lack of blog posts on food coma. Anyway, here's a look at the tastes of July.
I love BBQ. After driving all over West Virginia trying to avoid flooded out areas, I was tired and hungry. I was so excited when I found this Dickey's Barbecue Pit. This loaded potato with pulled pork, cheese, green onions, butter, sour cream, and onion rings hit the spot. After a big meal and a Big Yellow Cup of caffeine I was ready to hit the road again.
Right before I checked in for the holiday weekend with Hope Reigns, I stopped at Maloney's for a quick bite. The burger was pretty good and the server was very nice. It was definitely one of those places I stuck out like a sore thumb because I wasn't local, but by now I'm used to it.
A lot of times, my budget limits my dinner choices to fast food. But, I've learned that eating at McDonald's doesn't mean you have to order a greasy burger and fries every time. Their Chicken Bacon Ranch salad isn't bad. Plus, since it's salad I can set up my computer for #AgChat, use their free wifi, and eat slowly without worrying about my food getting cold.
But, sometimes you need desert. If you time it right, you can get hot chocolate chip cookies at McDonald's too. They're the perfect way to wrap up a fun night of #AgChat.
Unfortunately, there are some companies that spend lots of time and money creating fear about food and agriculture. I don't need to point fingers or name names, but rather I like to shine a light on companies that are vocal about their support of farmers. I'm thankful Culver's supports the industry that is near and dear to my heart. I'm also thankful for their hot, delicious cheese curds that never disappoint.
After meeting the Haydens and Kiah from Kentucky Beef at the Owensboro Farmers' Market, we went out to lunch at Old Hickory Bar-B-Q. We had lots of laughs and I decided to try a couple of dishes I'd never heard of before. First was burgoo. It's a soup that's kind of like chili, kind of like stew. It's hard to describe, but it was yummy. I also ordered a chopped mutton sandwich. Maybe it was because of the sauce, but it wasn't as different as I'd expected.
Ah, yes. July was the month I discovered Starbucks had the most consistently reliable internet. I may becoming desensitized to caffeine in the process, but at least I'm getting more work done.
When I was home in Ames for a quick repacking session Ryan and I went out to Panera for soup. He got french onion like usual, but I forget what kind I got. I do remember, it was the perfect way to warm up on a chilly, drizzly day.
Coconut cream pie from the church ladies at the county fair in McCook, Nebraska. Yum. I don't really need to say anything else, do I?
You can't go to Nebraska and not order a Runza (or three). Be careful, they're always super hot, but it was a welcomed change in my fast food diet.
Since I started spending a lot more time at Starbucks, of course I had to figure out how to get the most bang for my buck. My regular order became a Trenta Pink Drink (Strawberry Acai Refresher with coconut milk), light ice. For about five bucks I had a nice cool drink to sip and fast internet for as long as I could stand to sit still.
As I shared in this blog post, my budget relies on buying things like fruit roll ups and granola bars in bulk from the grocery store. It's so much cheaper to buy a package than each snack one by one at the check out or Starbucks. This particular box came from Ryan, so they always made me smile.
When I was traveling through Nebraska, a surprise message pinged into my Instagram inbox. It was Jesse Harding, a Farm Broadcaster in Kearney, Nebraska. Although we'd never met before, we quickly bonded over our love for agriculture and telling stories. After we visited Deb Gangwish for a Why I Farm interview, Jesse, a couple friends and I went out to Angus Burgers & Shakes. You just can't beat a juicy burger, piping hot fries and a local beer.
Just down the street from Angus is a wine bar. After Jesse interviewed me for her radio segment, we talked more about ag, travel and life over a nice white wine.
At the end of July, I flew out to Boston to join my Iowa State Ag Business Club teammates for a couple days of Ag Econ Quiz Bowl. While we were all together we decided to splurge on breakfast in the city. I don't know that I've ever had salad for breakfast before, but I really liked the dressing and I needed it to balance out the hearty slice of quiche.
I'm pretty sure the last meal I had in July was a whole container of ice cream. All in the name of supporting my dairy farmer friends of course.
That's a wrap for July's Foodie Friday. Stay tuned for more photos from August's delicious adventures.
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