Food Truck Review: Bigfoot's Little Donuts

In case you've been living under a rock, Huntsville has recently had an influx of food trucks - some good, some not so good. I've tried a handful of them and overall have had good experiences. Generally speaking, I find that the food is more expensive than a brick and mortar restaurant and the portions are a lot smaller, meaning if you are super duper hungry, you might still be hungry after you eat. 

There are a lot of trucks I still have not tried, but have wanted to and hope to sometime soon. The problem is that most of the time, the only time I see these food tucks are on days like the food truck rally when the lines are astronomically long.  So, it's better to catch these rolling restaurants throughout the week rather than at large events where there are swarms of people. 

Bigfoot's Little Donuts is one of the newer trucks that I wanted to try and recently I had the opportunity to do so. They set up shop in South Huntsville close to where I work on Wednesdays and Thursdays each week and one recent Wednesday, I crossed the highway to stop in and pick up a dozen of their little gourmet donuts.

Bigfoot's has two types of donuts, the regular are cinnamon and sugar or powdered sugar and the gourmet are the regular donuts with some type of topping. On the day I went the gourmet choices were cinnamon bun, lemon and raspberry creme. I got an assortment of the three. The cinnamon bun was the cinnamon and sugar doughnut with creamy icing drizzled on top, the lemon had a lemon icing drizzled on top and the raspberry creme had some sort of raspberry jam and the creamy icing on top. 

The doughnuts are very small and thin and taste similar to a funnel cake. I knew they were going to be small, but was, for some reason, surprised at how small they were, they were basically bite sized. So, while I had intended to share some with my co-worker Jessica, I actually ate the whole dozen. I'm not even ashamed to admit it because they were good and I like to have a full belly in the mornings to start my day. 

The creamy icing and other toppings had a great taste and really complimented the otherwise plain doughnuts; although I have no doubt that powdered sugar or cinnamon and sugar would also be good. The doughnuts are $3 a dozen for the "regular" flavors and $4 a dozen for the gourmet version. If you can't make it to South Parkway on a Wednesday or Thursday, be sure and try to find them at one of the local events in town, it will satisfy your sweet spot and you are supporting one of our many great local businesses! 

The Last Summer Wedding for 2014

I woke up Saturday morning about 6:00 a.m. and basically moved from the bed to the couch. I spent the rest of the morning napping on and off and watching shows from the DVR and then golf. I did manage to at least leave my house for about 30 minutes to fill the car up with gas and get a pizza for lunch. 

About 2:30 I dragged myself off the couch and got ready for my friend Jay's wedding. It was the fourth and final summer of 2014 wedding I would attend. Jay and I used to work together until he moved on to greener pastures almost a year ago. Well, it may have been over a year ago at this point. I seriously lose track of time. Jay and I have stayed in touch since he left and I was so glad to get his wedding invitation in the mail. He and Krislyn had dated for about four years and we used to tease him quite often about popping the big question. 

A while back, I had asked Nevin if he would go with me to the wedding. I knew that I would not know a whole lot of people other than the handful of work friends that would be going and so he graciously agreed to go with me. Nevin came by a little before 3:30 p.m. and we were soon on our way for the 4:00 p.m. wedding which was held at a church downtown close to my house.  The church was small and quaint, quite a contrast from the other weddings I've attended recently.

The ceremony was supposed to start at 4:00 p.m., but didn't actually get started until almost 4:30 p.m. Jay looked handsome and Krislyn looked beautiful, as it should be. The ceremony was short and sweet, lasting all of about 15 minutes. The most interesting part of it all was when Jay and Krislyn jumped the broom. Beforehand, the minister told the history behind it - how slaves were not afforded the privilege of a legal marriage and so they jumped over a broom to indicate a commitment to each other. The grandmothers swept away the floor (indicating a sweeping away of the past), then placed the broom on the floor and Jay and Krislyn took the big jump. It was a nice way to end a lovely service. 

The reception was across the street at the Roundhouse Depot. The room was decorated beautifully. There were appetizers and drinks for everyone to snack on while the wedding party was taking photos. Soon after the couple arrived, the entire wedding party was announced and the first dances took place. Jay and his mother really cut a rug during their dance. It was such fun to watch. The dinner was finally brought out and I loved that Krislyn's dad said a prayer to bless the food before dinner. We had greens, shrimp and grits, steamed veggies, wild rive, chicken and cornbread. Everything was really good. 

Not long after dinner, Jay and Krislyn cut the cake. I had a piece of the bride's cake which looked beautiful and tasted good. Nevin and I as well as my co-workers all left soon after. We had all been at the reception for a couple of hours and the dancing hadn't even started. I think we were all tired and ready to hit the road. 

It was a fun night with friends celebrating the love and union of two lovely people. Here's to wishing Jay and Krislyn all the best!

Day Two at the PGA Championship

On Friday morning, I got up around 7:00 a.m., got my shower and got dressed and then discovered that I had traveled all the way to Louisville without so much as a comb or a brush. So, I got a comb from the front desk and it was a miracle it didn't break when I combed the tangles out of my freshly washed hair. I woke my dad up and he got dressed and we headed downstairs for breakfast. 

When I had gone to the front desk that morning, I noticed it was pouring rain. We knew the weather forecast was rain and so it wasn't all that surprising. There was a rain delay at the tournament that morning and so we made some plans of things we could do in case play did not resume. Since there was an hour or so delay, we decided to go to the Louisville Slugger Bat Factory and Museum and take a tour. 

The factory was in downtown Louisville and we got there just in time for what I think was probably the first tour of the day at 9:20 a.m. There were quite a few people there who were biding time until the rain delay at the PGA Championship passed. The tour lasted about 30-40 minutes and our guide did a great job. You could tell he was very passionate about baseball and the history of the game. He also did great impersonations of famous baseball celebrities. At the end of the tour, each person is given a miniature Louisville Slugger bat. 

After the tour, our guide opened up the bat vault for those who wanted to go and there were five of us who took him up on the offer. Inside the bat vault, they have the original models of bats used by famous baseball players such as Babe Ruth, George Brett, Roberto Clemente and many others. It was very interesting to see and hold the bats and feel the different weights of the bats. Bats today are much lighter now than they were 50 years ago. We learned more about the contracts that the athletes signed with Louisville Slugger. Most of the contracts were for a set of gold clubs and a $100 - unheard of today. 

When we finished up in the bat vault, we left to go back over to Churchill Downs to park the car and ride the bus over to the golf course. I think we got to the course a little bit before noon. There were already tons of people out and about and lot coming in when we did as well. We decided to head over to the green at 17 to watch the action. Since it had rained all morning and (I'm assuming) the night before, the common walking areas were basically a big mud pit. We had to traverse very carefully over to the grandstands for fear we may slip and fall down the muddy slopes of Valhalla. We made it to the stands without incident, although I had one close call. 

We stayed at 17 for the early afternoon. The drizzle would come and go, but it was not terrible and we both had rain jackets and I had brought in a sheet that I had in the back of the car for when Pip takes a ride - thankfully it had just been washed. The sheet was used to wipe off the seats in the grandstands so our backsides wouldn't get too wet. We saw a lot of groups come through, but not too many big names. Since we had missed Rickie Fowler on day one, I really wanted to see him on day two. So, we headed back over to eight to try and catch him there, but the grand stands were full and it didn't look like anyone would be leaving any time soon, plus there was a large line to get in. 

We ended up at 13 which was my dad's favorite hole and the signature hole at Valhalla. We sat up on a hill overlooking the green. We got to see Rickie Fowler and a lot of the other big names come through, some of whom we had seen the day before. It was a great spot. After the Phil Mickelson group came through, we left for the day, catching the bus back to Churchill Downs. It took longer than usual to get back to Churchill as it seemed our bus driver didn't know where the heck he was going, but we finally made it back and then to the car. 

We stopped at Longhorn for dinner before beginning the long journey home. We enjoyed a really yummy meal and then got on the Interstate headed South. I was having trouble seeing - my eyes were tired and I think my prescription may have changed since last year - and so when we were just north of Nashville, we stopped and changed drivers. I tried my best to stay awake the rest of the ride home, but I nodded off a time or two, but not for long periods of time. 

We finally made it back to my house about 12:30. As we were unloading the car, the lady who had taken care of The Pip pulled up. She had dropped Pip off earlier in the evening and had been texting and calling and I was oblivious to it all. So, she wanted to check on Pippa and let her out again in case we were not home. She went on in to let The Pip out while we finished unloading the car. My dad then headed home and so did Galen and I was able to call it a night, or morning as the case may be. 

It was a whirlwind trip, but we certainly had a great time. We both really enjoyed ourselves and it was nice to get away for a couple of days. 

PGA Championship Road Trip

I've been MIA from the blog because I've been MIA from town. My dad and I went to Louisville late last week for the first and second rounds of the PGA Championship and we had a really fun two days.

We left from my house about 4:45 Thursday morning and headed north. Thankfully, we left early enough that we missed the rush hour traffic into Nashville and didn't have to wait in long traffic delays. We stopped for breakfast at Cracker Barrel once we got north of Nashville and then continued the rest of our journey.

To be honest, I can't remember what time we got to Louisville. We parked at Churchill Downs (where they have the Kentucky Derby) and then got on a bus for a 30-minute ride to the golf course. I think we got the course a little before noon - Louisville is on Eastern time which I didn't realize until my dad told me on the way up there.

When we got to the course, we grabbed a pairing sheet and looked at the map of the course to figure out where we wanted to go. The first green we came to was 13 and we stayed there for a few minutes and saw John Daly come through. We then decided to go to the 8th hole which was a par three on the back side of the course.

When we got to the grand stands at eight, there was a small line to get in. The stands were closed because they were full. As it turns out, Tiger Woods and Phil Mickelson's group was coming through and so it was crowded because of that. We are not Tiger fans and didn't care if we saw him or not, but I've always loved Phil and so I was thrilled when two people left the stands and we were able to take their place and watch Phil and Tiger putt.

The next few groups after that were also good and we got to see Bubba Watson, Graeme McDowell, Brandt Snedecker and a lot of other big names come through. We spent the rest of our day there at the eighth hole and watched all but about four groups. We then left for the day and stopped by Red Lobster for some dinner.

We went to the hotel after dinner and my dad made a phone call home and I was asleep before he even got finished I think. I was pooped from the long day. It was a great start to a fun road trip.

A Splendid Weekend

Summer is winding down, but the weekend fun is not, which is just fine by me because soon ti will be football season and I won't want to do much other than sit in the stands on Friday nights or front of the TV on Saturdays yelling at 15-21 year-old boys. I can't help it, it's the way I was raised. 

Friday I had big plans to mow the lawn, but it rained that afternoon and I'm not a fan of cutting wet grass. So, I postponed the mowing and got some things inside marked off the list instead. 

Saturday morning I was up early and did a few more chores before cleaning myself up and taking The Pip to the vet. It was time for her monthly nail trim and I needed to get a weight on her to determine which heartworm medicine she needed for the month. She weighed 55.5 pounds this go around which is her largest weight yet; so, maybe she isn't finished growing after all. The whole trip lasted about 20 minutes and we were soon back home. 

Around 10:00 a.m., I headed over to my friends Paul and Leah's house for breakfast. Our friend Katie, who got married in June, was in town for a few hours (literally) and so Paul and Leah hosted a group of us so that we could catch up with Katie and Jonathan. It was a great group of people and so much fun. We had breakfast burritos which was a first for me. Breakfast burritos have never really appealed to me, but I gave it a go, stuffed it with what I liked and found that actually, I really enjoyed it. I would definitely have this again and would even make it at home. It was a great idea because it was filling and everyone could make their own to their own liking. 

I left Paul and Leah's a little after noon and went straight to the movie theater to catch the 12:30 showing of "Get On Up". I hope I will find the time to review this for you all before the weekend because it really was not worth $7.25. This one is a rental in my humble opinion. After the movie, I went back to Paul and Leah's to pick Leah up so that we could venture over to Lowe Mill for the Splendid Shindig which was put on by Piper and Leaf

Piper and Leaf is a local tea company here in Huntsville and they have all kinds of delicious teas which they sell at the various farmers markets around town. Leah was actually the one who introduced me to their tea. They have opened a permanent home in Lowe Mill in case you need a tea fix and it's not market day. So, they were having their grand opening event this past Saturday and they called it the Splendid Shindig, named after the festival in "Pollyanna". 

There were lots of vendors out for the day. they had all set up booths selling various and sundry goods. There were also activities for children and adults. We perused the booths and also the inside of Lowe Mill and, of course, bought some tea. There were quite a few people in attendance and it seemed as though everyone was having a nice time which was really great to see. 

We left Lowe Mill about 5:00 p.m. and I dropped Leah off and headed back home to The Pip. I spent the rest of the evening watching "Summer Magic" one of my favorite old movies and finishing up the laundry. It was such a fun, full day spent with great friends. I am truly blessed. 

Book Review: The Blessings of Friendship Treasury

Today's book review is of "The Blessings of Friendship Treasury" by Mary Engelbreit. This book is absolutely delightful and, although geared towards children, would make the perfect gift for the good friends in your life. 

I have always liked Mary Englebriet "things", calendars, journals, etc. The whimsical prints and fun sayings are a great addition to an office wall or the side of a fridge, or to carry around in your backpack. The bright, colorful drawings often put a smile on my face and I'm sure they probably put a smile on yours as well. So, when I saw that one of the books offered this month through Booklook Bloggers was "The Blessings of Friendship Treasury" by Mary Englebriet, I knew I had to get it.

The book arrived last week, and it is every bit as delightful as I imagined it would be. There are, of course, lots of cute Mary Englebriet drawings, most of which are of "friends" - two or more persons in each picture. The content of the book was taken from various places and authors. There are poems and phrases and Bible verses throughout the book, all of which have to do with friendship or being a friend, or helping others. You will most likely recognize many of the authors, including one of my all-time favorites, Shel Siverstien whose poems I absolutely loved as a child. The book is also quite large (11.3x8.7) which is a good sized book for children as the pictures are large and vibrant and will open the imagination of a child. At 40 pages, the book can easily be read during an afternoon, or can be picked up and looked at from time to time - whichever strikes your fancy. 

Here is a blurb about the book: "The Blessings of Friendship, created by New York Times bestselling author and artist Mary Engelbreit, is a playful and poignant treasury of poetry, Bible verses, and quotes that celebrate the joy of friendship. Children will learn from timeless sayings and poems what it means to be a friend - helping, encouraging, listening, sharing with, and loving one another. Colorful and whimsical illustrations bring these words to life, as children learn the value of friendship. Verses from the Bible give us instruction on putting others above ourselves, loving each other, and being kind to one another. This book will make you smile with each turn of the page, remembering old friends and new friends alike."

"The Blessings of Friendship Treasury" retails for around $13 on Amazon and it releases Tuesday, August 5 (which is probably today for most of you reading). It is a great resource for teaching children about friendship but would also make a great gift for adult friends too. Pick up a copy today!

And The Winner Is...

Congrats to Kristina Nicole, winner of "A Christ Centered Wedding", which I know will come in hnady for her since she is getting married later this year. Thanks for entering and have a great Friday!