More on Stick Boy Bakery

My fave new place in town, god knows I'm a bread addict. I had heard the praises of the stuffing bread that they sell for the holidays, so I bought 3 loaves. 1 for a friend and 2 to take home for Thanksgiving. First bite- choking on sage. But I can kinda see how it might be just perfect for Turkey sandwiches. Or to break up and make the stuffing with. So, I decide to give it the benefit of the doubt and use it for all that. Well, it makes a very good stuffing. Seriously good. Doesn't need any spices added to it and craisins give it just the right balance. The 2nd loaf I used for turkey sandwiches. Well, lets just say it's better left to stuffing. I also saw the cranberry pecan pie they have to offer. The filling is more like a cranberry relish made into a pie, which I am kinda sure would be fabulous---thinking up that recipe as I write...but I like my pie better, because I offer the whole cranberries that can give you that tart bite against the immediate sweetness of the pie filling. Either way, can't beat Stick Boy Bread for the artisan fabulosity!

Ruby Tuesdays

Well. I hafta say, I am surprised that Ruby Tuesdays is still going strong...or is it? Today is the first time I have been in RT for a while and now I remember why. My co-workers chose the place to eat today, being flexible like I am, I went.
Oh, where to begin....
The menu...what is up with that? Minis...it is not the next best new thing. Crab/salmon cakes. When done well, the

y could be the star of the show, however, given the quality of the other food I saw today, well..I bet they are not. I didn 't want to risk $20 on crabcakes.

Premium sandwhichs. I chose the Turkey Avacodo burger. Previously when I had this at the RT in Fayetteville, it was good beyond words, today- not so much. In fact today, the only flavor I really tasted was mashed avacodo.

The salad bar was good tho.
Oh, and watch your change...apparently if you place it on the left they keep the change, if you place it on the right, you get change..who knew? It's like an unspoken, under the table, Mafia kinda tip. I would just rather say, "Keep the change" which is what I did. My other table guests fell victim to this new bill/wallet sort of change keeping shenanigans.

Overall, next time they say RT, I say TB (taco bell!)

Why I love the holidays

Cooking- I love it. Baking, I love it even more! However, I am just not a traditional person for the most part. So as I was sitting in my kitchen, looking at my fall ingredients, I was trying to think of something I could make for Thanksgiving dinner that would be very tasty yet different, but with traditional flavors.

Viola!! Cranberry-pecan pie!

I let my coworkers be my guinea pig and they all agree, this is the best every version of a different kinda pecan pie. This recipe is so simple it's ridiculous!!

1/4 cup melted butter

2/3 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

2/3 cup light corn syrup

1 1/2 cups cranberries

1 cup pecans (or walnuts)

1 cup white chocolate chips (optional)

1 pie crust

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Mix first 5 ingredients. Add remaining. Mix well, but do not damage cranberries. Pour into unbaked pie crust. Bake 45 min. til set. Cool and serve with orange whipped cream (recipe follows)

Orange Whip Cream

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 tsp orange flavoring

1/4 cup powdered sugar

Mix liquids together first, then gradually add the powdered sugar. Whip with mixer until peaks form. Time will vary.

Serve immediately. Refrigerate unused portion.

Nonna's of Lillington

Overall, I don't have a problem with this place. The food is very reasonably priced and usually any pasta dish is spot on. The star of the pasta menu I would venture to say is the Putanesca. I know, anchovies, but do not scoff...explore the world with your taste buds, I promise if you are not deathly opposed to anchovies or are adventurous, you will definitely appreciate this journey! A+. The star of the pizza menu is the Sicilian supreme!

Now the appetizers- a different story. I think they are all frozen. The potato skins I had seriously were frozen (tasted just like the frozen Ruby Tuesday ones I make at home) but it had a half slice of American Cheese slapped on top. ewwww. They were reasonable about giving me a refund on it though.

The visit I made their just last week though was somewhat a disappointment. I got the Chicken vegetable soup and the chicken gyro. They do not offer a soup and sandwich menu, only soup and salad (oh and the salads are iceberg-minimal but the added onions and tomatoes make it a winner to me-the right light bite with the huge portions you get). The soup, which we waited 20 minutes on, while my companions had their food almost immediately, 20 min. into lunch and I was still waiting for both the soup and the gyro. Finally when it came, the soup was very bland. I'm not sure what the problem was really, as I had tasted it before when a friend ordered it and it was thick and hearty, this time it was thin and blah. The gyro- well, if it had cucumber sauce on it, I couldn't find any. And I love cucumber sauce. The chicken was ok. The meal overall was disappointing compared to everything else I'd ever had there.

I say Nonna's .....worth a visit. The pasta-never had a bad one from here and I've been working my way down the menu since they opened. Stay away from the potato skins. Oh and the Stromboli's are fabulous too! See...so many good options that totally outweigh the negatives!