Weekends are TOOOOOO Short

Hug a teacher this week.  

This is the busiest time of the school year.  

Really, I'm too busy to be writing this blog post.

I just spent close to two hours working on school stuff, and I still have a stack of papers to grade.  They'll have to wait until tomorrow.

I really don't know if people comprehend how much time it takes to be a great teacher.  

I spend at least an hour after school preparing for each day ahead.  That doesn't include other school related activities I help sponsor.  

I know we get summers off, and I'm not complaining.

I just want to get the word out that teachers work their butts off.

Before you consider complaining to your child's teacher about something small, consider that he or she is doing everything possible to balance life and work.  

I wish we could figure out a way to add one more day to the weekend.  :)

100 Things to Eat in Memphis: Jerry's Sno Cone

Let's be honest.  We all know that Jerry's is phenomenal.  It's sno cone with ice cream.

I could go on and on about the atmosphere, the people, and the bazillion flavors.

The 100 Things to Eat in Memphis list says to try the sno cream flavor.

I was expecting it to be white, but it was yellow.

It took me back to this time when I was very very young.  After a snow, Mom was able to make me real sno cream.  The memory was very vivid as took my first bite.  It was that good.

Two thumbs way up!

Sno Cream Sno Cone at Jerry's

100 Things to Eat in Memphis: Belmont Grill

I am not someone who orders onion rings.  French fries are just so much better.  I don't hate them and sometimes I'll crave them, but for the most part, I don't eat them.

But, the 100 Things to Eat in Memphis list says to try the onion rings at Belmont Grill.

They were probably the best onion rings I've ever had.  The only problem being, they didn't serve it with any kind of sauce.

I don't care how good your onion rings are, some ranch or something makes them ten times better.  

So, I asked for some. 

The ranch was REALLY good.  I think it was homemade.  With the ranch, the onion rings were perfect.  

100 Things to Eat in Memphis: Pancho's

I grew up eating at Pancho's, but I honestly haven't been there in probably ten years.

According the 100 Things to Eat in Memphis list, you are supposed to have the cheese dip and salsa.  Of course, I knew what this would taste like, and you can even buy it in the grocery store.  But, I wanted to experience it the way it was meant to be experienced, at the restaurant.

I have to say, our waiter was weird.  He wasn't very friendly, but he did a good job.  He seemed to think he was too cool to be a waiter.

Anyway, the cheese dip was as awesome as it's always been.  It's served cool, which seemed to throw off Michael.  I like it.  It's different.  The salsa wasn't really anything special, but the cheese dip is just so good it doesn't matter.

I also like how they serve it in little triangle bowls.  Very geometric!

Chips, salsa, and AMAZING cheese dip

My entree... Laredo

Catfish in the Barn

We had such a fun night with my parents and brother today.

They picked us up and took us down the road to Mississippi for "Catfish in the Barn" at Burton's Sugar Farm.

The sign says "Catfish in the Barn."

It is a literally a barn in the middle of nowhere.  You go in, pay $17 per person, and get all the food you could ever want.  That includes delicious catfish, all the fixings you could imagine (corn salad, turnip greens, butter beans, fried green tomatoes, hushpuppies, french fries, chicken pot pie, fried okra, and I'm sure other stuff I'm forgetting), dessert, and drinks.

Buffet Line

My Plate

Dessert was apple cobbler and real homemade ice cream!

But that's just the food.  Picnic tables are set up, so it feels almost like you're at a family reunion.

A man played the guitar very softly in the background.  It was enough to take you away, but it allowed you to enjoy conversation with those around you.

The guitar guy is in the back of the picture.  I apologize to the man I caught mid-bite!

The barn is very open, and in front there is a pirate ship playground where kids darted off as soon as they finished dinner.

It was seriously one of the coolest meals I've ever had.  I'll be be going back.

They are only open Fridays and Saturdays during certain months, so check out the website!

100 Things to Eat in Memphis: Gibson's Donuts and Gus's Fried Chicken

My culinary tour of Memphis continues.  Of course this is happening as I am also in a weight loss competition.  I am quickly marking things off the list!  

These two places are next to each other, so I'm killing two birds (actually one bird and one donut) with one stone.

At Gibson's, you're supposed to try the New Orleans donut, so I got one of those. I also couldn't resist the bacon donut, so I grabbed one of those too. Actually, I ended up with a dozen donuts in total. Of course, I shared.

  

The New Orleans donut is really special.  I don't know exactly why it's called a New Orleans donut.  I think I was expecting more of a beignet taste.  It maybe had a hint of that flavor, but it wasn't quite there.  I wish it had been morning instead of the middle of the afternoon.  I also wish I had been able to enjoy it with a cup of coffee.  That would have made it even better.  It doesn't actually have a donut shape.  It's more a hunk of deliciousness in your mouth.  

Fried chicken from Gus's was next on the list.  When you bite into a piece of Gus's, you get that sound that you hear on commercials.  That beautiful crunch.  Gus's also has just the right amount of spice.

  

I really could have eaten our entire 20 piece bag, but we had to save some for some relatives who love it.  They are from California and had it when they were in town for our wedding.  So, when they came to Hot Springs for Michael's family's family reunion, they asked us to bring them some.  I questioned how the chicken would taste hours after we purchased it, but it was still good.  It did lose a little of the crunch, but the chicken still satisfied!