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From the outside it looks like a small dive bar.  Guess what?  From the inside it’s a small dive bar and I love it.

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Passing by many days there is an older man in one of those power chairs, sometimes it’s just the chair.  Sometimes the chair is covered with a small tarp or umbrella.  Sometimes it’s in the snow.  Most days you can count on it being there.  When I go by and it’s not there I wonder about the strange man who occupies it.  Where might he be?  If I don’t see him for days I hope he is okay.  I don’t even know him, never met him and have no idea what his name is.  My trip to eat there the chair was outside and he was perched on a stool at the bar, eating food.

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It seems like that kind of place.  Where regulars go.  They probably go to talk to the same people.  Watch the same stuff on tv.  Drink the same drinks.  I bet you can count on them being there.  I bet they consider each other friends if not family in a way.

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When I walked in i wasn’t sure where to sit.  There is a bar going much of the length of the building with stools around it.  The outer walls had tables with 2-4 chairs.  I sat at a table in the corner and my sister asked for menu’s.  The man running the bar was incredibly nice and went over all the specials.  We decided on the roast beef special.  In the episode of Diners, Drive In’s and Dives it states the specials are $4.50 with tax and drink.  They are currently $6.35 with tax and drink which to me is still a steal.  10 mintues after ordering he set the plate in front of me.

It looks just like the plate Guy ate.  The smell made me even hungrier.

The meat was so juicy and tender it melted in your mouth.  I have had some great home cooking but this tops my list of roast beef.  The mashed potatoes had some skin in it and were lumpy.  If your me thats a treat!

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It was so good I cleaned my plate.

I will be sure to go back and try some of their other specials and menu items.  I bet they make a great breakfast.

If your looking for good home cookin and some all around nice people a visit to Nadines is a must!

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Mini Donut Maker. Who dreams up this stuff?  Obviously people like me buy this stuff. Is it just me or is it women in general that like kitchen gadgets, do-dads, and neato makers? I have loads of those that I barely use.
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Waffle Maker: probably used twice, many years ago. I would bet both times were in the same month and only because hubby bought it for me.  It pains me even more to say I hate the one he bought.  It makes 4 square waffles that look like the frozen ones.  I hate to be picky but I want a circle one.
Pizzelle Press: I use it at xmas time. I don’t know any other way to make these. The batter recipe from my mom makes like 100.  The link is the one my mother bought me I guess so she can stop making them every year and I could take it up instead.
Cookie Press: I could use this year round as it makes cookies pretty damn easliy, but I don’t. I typically only use it at xmas time.  My mom bought me the Wilton one for xmas one year, again probably to get me to start making them instead of her.  Couple years later she still makes this stuff.  I think she secretly loves it.
Rosette Iron: I love it and actually have two. They make crispy little cookies though I think they are similar to funnel cakes. It’s most likely been 4 or 5 years since I last made them but summer of 2009 I purchased another one at a school carnival garage sale.  This was something else my mom made, though I don’t think she has made them since we were kids.  She gave me my first set that looks exactly like the ones pictured in the link.
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So anyway back to the mini donuts. I was shopping at Target this past weekend and had nothing better to do than spend money. I’m actually being serious. It’s not like a I have tons of money to spend all the time but this particular weekend we had a bit of extra and some saved. I started buying lots of things for the house. Then I saw it…. the Mini Donut Maker. It was right next to -the Mini Cupcake Maker which I had to resist even though it was a pretty pink cupcake that made cupcakes!

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What makes it worth buying is hubby and I have been talking about making mini donuts. I have searched recipes and have discussed with each other what we wanted. I’m trying to eat healthier but frying was the only option I knew. We can now easily put our plan into action. For the first test run tho I made plain everyday donuts.

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The batter recipe they gave was very easy to make.  I used a 4 cup bowl and everything was mixed right inside it.  All items in the recipe I had at home.

Now that the little buggers are done it’s time to take them out.

Caution:

- The donut maker itself gets Very hot!  Be careful and don’t let small kids do this themselves.

- You need something non metal like to help get them out such as the mini spatula I have pictured.  You can use your fingers but it will burn.

What you have are yummy cake donuts that aren’t fried and full of grease.

The recipe in the book said it made 10.  For me it made 15.

We made the icing in the book.  For someone who has made many cookies I should have known better.  The icing is a cookie icing and way to sweet.  It was milk and powdered sugar.  I do need to find a glaze recipe.  Aren’t they adorable?  Go ahead, eat one… Heck eat a couple they are mini!

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They are right next door to Mike & Tony’s Gyros at 1412 East Carson St.  It’s home cookin, the menu is small but it’s good.  There aren’t many tables so on the weekend I suggest going as early as possible.  The place isn’t all spruced up but it’s cleaner than most restaurants that appear to be nicer.   Also they only take cash but there is an ATM inside.

Here is a shot of my breakfast:

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I never eat the toast.  I ate the toast!-

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So what has summer brought so far?

Church Carnivals are always fun.  Many Catholic Church’s in the area do these as fundraisers through the summer. Though anymore they are more expensive, more difficult to win, and not geared towards the little ones.  I like to go for the food and just to walk around and look at stuff.

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So many people hate this heat.  I thrive off it.  It makes me happy.  It defines that it is summer for me.  You can have 60-70 degree weather every fall where it belongs.

Me…  I will be moving South for the Winter………. Spring, Fall and Summer within the next couple years.  Hubby finally said he is ready to move!  Until we do I will enjoy the heat we have!

I am finally getting around to sharing this with everyone.  I know the Arts Festival is over but you might wanna know what all the hub bub for kids is about so you can go next year.


We walked from Station Square, which isn’t far at all.  Midway however we ran into PPG Place and what we found was welcomed on a hot, sunny day.  I didn’t know that they turn the winter ice rink into a mini water park.  They have these same spray holes in front of the Cheesecake Factory at Southside Works but I think PPG Place’s is larger.

Just standing back taking pics of the kids I got cooled off pretty good.

First we hit the I Made it Market.  There were vendors there selling some handmade items and tables with crafts for the kids. The items for sale were pretty reasonable compared to many of the other vendors outside the point area.

My son made a magnet out of aluminum pop cans.  You just punch shapes out with a big punch, place a brad in the middle and glue a magnet circle on the back.

We also got to watch a lady blow some glass.  Really neat but extremely hot!  My youngest got a little too close but luckily didn’t get burned.

We then went to the Creative Reuse Tent.  This was our favorite tent last year.  My kids sat there for well over an hour creating.  It poured down raining and luckily we had a seat under this tent of heaven.  They have supplies of things you normally wouldn’t think to craft with!  They even have a shop you can go and buy the stuff if you wanna do it at home.

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Peace, Love & Little Donuts.  If I didn’t have enough of a bacon obsession dammit I do now!  Do you see the mini donut with bacon?  Bacon is breakfast, donuts are breakfast, hell why not!  That was the yummiest thing I ever put into my mouth and I want more now please!   Beware all the donuts below are $1.25 each.  That will keep me from pigging out on them for sure.  But definitely worth at least buying 1 to eat.

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A girl came around and gave the kids balloons, which of coarse they couldn’t seem to hold onto and watched them hit the ceiling. We then went onto the Petting Zoo.  This poor little guy, he looks soo cute, hey he almost bit my dress off!

This is the front of the restaurant.  If you can, see those doors at the far right?  Looks like an entrance doesn’t it? It’s not.  They are huge doors that I am guessing are used for loading?

I went to lunch with my sister at The Cheesecake Factory in Southside Works.  We had a hard time deciding where to eat in that area.  There were two newer places I hadn’t eaten at yet though my sister never ate at the Cheesecake Factory.


First I must say the place is beautiful.  I am sure it cost a fortune to get this place going.  You think the outside is nice the inside is just crazy.

The ceilings are very high with beautifully decorated columns and walls. The seating is comfortable and the backs of the booths are high enough that you don’t have your neighbors staring at you.  Yeah I just love having weirdo’s staring at me while I am eating.  I had it happen at an Eat N Park recently and I wanted to ask her if she needed money for food or something she was so up in my shit. I didn’t realize we were that interesting of a family to watch eat.


Anyway they give you some nice bread to fill up on while you wait.

I ordered Renee’s Special which consisted of half a chicken salad sandwich, a cup of potato soup and a small green salad.  It looks more like a whole sandwich to me but who am I to complain? I took half home and ate it the next day and it was just as yummy!  I just wish I had known there were nuts on the sandwich.  I had to sit there and pick them all out! The soup was good once I took the sour cream off the top of it.  The salad was very stemmy and I couldn’t eat much of it.

I never liked Cheesecake much.  This stuff is like an orgasm in your mouth.