Here we are again

The people at Michaels are seriously going to have us committed.

You know what I haven't had in forever? Pepper Jack Cheese.

Not giving everyone Whooping Cough is my gift to the world this Christmas

Today, two awesome things were going to happen! In anticipation, I got up early.This rainbow wasn't there when I woke up, but it felt like it!

My first stop was the ATM. I needed cash for the amazing things that were about to take place. $100, Mr. Money Machine, please!

First stop, the doctor! Why? I needed a Pertussis vaccine! Why? I have a new nephew! Yay! He is very special. He came 2 months early, weighs 3 lbs, and has to live in a french fry warmer until he chunks out.And we can't go see him at the hospital until we're immunized. I already got a Flu vaccine 2 weeks ago, which, with my insurance, was free. Yay, free things! Maybe my pertussis vaccine would be free, too!

But it wasn't.

It was $84.

Leaving me with $16 to spend at Crafty Supermarket. The other awesome thing of the day.

This is comparable to having $200 to spend on a car. Should you even get a car if that's all you have? Maybe you should just take the bus. Will you have enough money to feed yourself and your husband until you get paid again? Will you be able to afford gas to drive to Louisville to see your new nephew anyway? Well, maybe you should just look around at least. After all, IT'S THE FREAKIN' CRAFTY MOTHER-LOVING SUPERMARKET FOR CRYING OUT LOUD!!!!

So I went anyway. There were amazing things. I couldn't decide which one thing to buy. I went small. A little magnet made from a polaroid picture from One Pearl Button. I really like her blog, anyway.

It is nice to look at when my arm hurts from the shot and I can't open the fridge.

And then we all rolled around in the leaves

I love Autumn. It's the best.

My husband is crazy!


Oh, and then Charlie joined us. He's our 26 year old adopted son.

What working girls do

This is my friend Lara. When we're not taking pictures of ourselves in the hot pink bathroom at Northside Tavern, she does this:
Yes, stand adorably in a cute little store. And sell cookies. That she makes. WITH AMAZING THINGS ON THEM.


What do we have here? It looks like two hearts. On a log. Chained to a thundercloud. With lightning bolts. That's all.


It's buttery, shortbread bliss.
I didn't make up that buttery, shortbread bliss part; it's their slogan. But it is true. Go eat one.

www.queencitycookies.com


check out the sweet designs you can get on your cookie. There's plenty more where the above awesome cookie came from. If you ever see them for sale at a food show or something, buy one. You won't regret it and your taste buds won't forget it. That frosting on top is chocolate.

What have we here?

A video about Tracy Walker singing about the greatest city in the world? Why, yes, I believe it is.


And then, we have a video about the street I live on. Like, the greatest street ever.

A weekend with a 15 year old

Well, technically, we don't need our 15 year old niece with us for an excuse to go to Dewey's Pizza to check out the seasonal pizza, but why not? Currently, it's the Tipitina, named after the music venue in New Orleans. Those who know me know that I would rather live in a box on the street in New Orleans than pretty much anywhere else, so I couldn't resist. The pizza was described on the menu as thus: A Sundried Tomato and Olive Tapenade Base, Mozzarella and Fontina Cheeses, Ham, Pepperoni, Prosciutto, Roasted Red Peppers, Oregano, Sesame Seeds and Banana Peppers after the Bake.

I didn't taste any olive tapenade, but it was good anyway.

Previously in the day, we went to Ikea with Ryan's Brother and sister-in-law so that they could pick up furniture for their new baby. I bought one thing, gingerbread toffee. It was awesome. I bought because I thought it was going to be gingerbread toffee coated almonds like they sell at festivals, but it was just toffee.



Then we went to Jungle Jim's. Ugh. I cannot begin to describe how awesome Jungle Jim's is. It's a grocery store like no other. They have every international grocery item you've never imagined. When I go there, I like to pick up something new. For instance, I picked out some mochi. I don't know what I was expecting, but it was not jelly candy, which is what it turned out to be. These were brown sugar flavored.


This is my niece, Erin, with the mochi in her teeth. She hated it.

I am going to do another post on Jungle Jim's next weekend because it really deserves a multi-post dedication. It's huge. They have a monorail. They have eateries inside. A cooking school. They own THE SS MINNOW and it is suspended above the seafood department. See? You want to know more. Don't worry. I'm on it.

Burger Challenge #31

Quatman Cafe


The Monday night special: Cheeseburger, fries and a drink for $6.19. You can get beer as a drink? Sold. They have Hudepohl? Hand it over.


The Quatman burger is unapologetically plain, just the way I like it. No, really. I like on my burger:
-cheese
-raw onion
-pickles
-mustard

The cheeseburger here came with exactly that. The burger was juicy, spanned the entire circumference of the bun, and didn't break apart. Ryan could hold it in one hand, beer in the other, and keep his eyes on the Monday night football game and not have to worry about a chunk of beef falling out.

For a cheap date, this was the best bang for the buck so far. The fries could be better, but they haven't changed since I was in high school and came here with my friend who lived in the neighborhood. While, dining, I even overheard that that friend's Grandmother had passed away the previous evening. Norwood's a tight place.

For dessert in Norwood, you need to go to United Dairy Farmers and get the $1.99 special, which changes every month, and this month happened to be a 2-dip, make your own sundae. Apple pie ice cream with butterscotch sauce. Yeah. This rounds out your evening to approximately $20.


We got a souvenir, too. Quatman also has a deli, and a beer fridge. What more does a neighborhood need?

This is the twelfth trip of our burger challenge; to eat at all 40 places on Cincinnati Magazine's list of the best burgers in town and Quatman Cafe was number 31 on the list, hence the title of this post.

Here is what we've had so far:
# 7 Oakley Pub and Grill
#9 Keystone Bar and Grill
#17 Arthur's
#19 Cafe de Wheels
#24 Zola
#25 Chalk Food + Wine
#26 Five Guys
#28 Doris and Sonny's Homelike Restaurant
#35 Gordo's Cafe
#36 By Golly's
#37 Fatburger

To see the photos from our hamburger Ohio trip, where we checked out the 6 best burgers in the state, according to George Motz, click here.

To see the photos of our Hamburger Honeymoon, click here