Back to Sheena's - Comfort Food 2

One night last week, Wednesday, I think, a friend of John's was over, working on the next episode of the news show and helping with something in the basement. They were finishing up just as I arrived, so I suggested dinner -- at Sheena's. R_ had never been, and I'd been craving the stuff for ages.

It was pretty busy when we pulled up, but we received quite the warm welcome! It turns out that Sheena had received my note, linking to the first blog post. She loved the pictures showing off her food, and all the nice things I'd said (all true) about the taste of the food and the cleanliness of the place. (She also said it made her cry, I'm guessing in a good way, considering what happened next.) R_ got a tour of the grill, but no offers to taste things, because Sheena had something else in mind. She told us to order our dinners, and then she'd set us up with some other goodies.

So, we ordered and paid for our meals. R_ and I both got the brisket sandwich (mine with coleslaw, his without) and fries; John got the Red Hots dinner. And we all got lemonade (in larger cups!). I had enough left over from my sandwich to make another one for work the next day (between two slices of regular, boring bread).

I neglected to get a photo of the fries this time, and still haven't seen the making of them in action (I'm so easily distracted), but John says that they're fresh cut, on the spot, not frozen. He also says that they heat up - in the oven - pretty well.

Besides our meals, other food just kept arriving! It seems that the blog entry may have sent some business her way. It was definitely shared during a business expo. in Detroit a couple of weeks ago, showing a possible result of good product and customer service. (It's just as easy to write a bad review, but I find it infinitely more enjoyable to write a good one, with all the trimmings (pictures, details).)

There was a tiny bit of confusion when the food first started arriving. I hadn't heard John's order, so we thought this pile of deliciousness was a surprise from Sheena. Oops! It was John's dinner. But sharing a couple of pieces of Red Hots (that are really too hot for me) wasn't going to be a problem for him, because then the real surprises started showing up!

First, half a slab of ribs and both kinds of beans, with smoked apples. I didn't have much of the ribs, because my goal was just to taste everything; I still had my own dinner to eat! The guys raved about the ribs; I thought they were pretty tasty and really liked the BBQ sauce. The beans were great, too.

I wish I'd taken a picture of the whole table, instead of the individual dishes! R_ did, with his camera-phone. I should see if he'll send it to me.

I am not a huge fan of poultry, because poultry doesn't like me. I am a sucker for good chicken strips (largely because of the Ranch dressing), and Popeye's chicken nuggets, but I tend to avoid the stuff in general. I will, however, make an exception for this smoky goodness!!

This here could just be my new favorite thing. If you like a traditional Irish corn beef & cabbage dinner, this might appeal to you: it's one of Sheena's Soul Rolls, lots of cabbage and some other fresh veggies, tossed with a healthy quantity of juicy, sliced corned beef. This wasn't ours -- I wasn't kidding when I said that Sheena liked my photographs! She called me up to take a picture of another customer's food before he took it away. But then she brought me half of an identical one to try. Oh! It came with the (optional) hot peppers, which I would not order for myself, but I picked them out and devoured the entire half, forgetting about the pile of hot fries, ribs, chicken, etc. I need to point out again that these are only $3.95!

When the weather gets colder, come sometime this Fall, Sheena will close up and focus on her art (she was an art teacher until this calling, and sculpts in her spare time) until it gets warm enough to be outside a lot. I am going to miss it, but since it's only halfway through June, I have lots of time to get my fill until bleak weather takes it all away.

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Comfort Food

There was just no way that John and I could sit in the house all day yesterday. We had a long nap, but when we woke up, Shel's absence was just too obvious, and too fresh. So we went for one of our Sunday drives. We discussed places to eat, and John suggested a BBQ place we'd passed several times before (it was near an earlier house possibility).

I'll be honest -- I wanted to go because the place looks like one of those food trailers they have at carnivals, and I like corn dogs. There, I said it. I also like them with ketchup. I guess I'd never paid attention to the signs, because John kept referring to it as a BBQ. Anyway, it was always pretty busy when we passed.

We pulled in, parked, and decided to eat outside at one of the big picnic tables, then proceeded to the window to look at a menu. I knew right away that this was not your standard carnival fare, when we were handed full-color menus with mouth-watering pictures (which we made sure to bring home). When the proprietor, Sheena, found out that it was our first time, she led us around back to the grills (giant smokers) and showed us all the food that just waiting. Then she ran back to the kitchen for one of her Soul Rolls, donned some gloves (very clean establishment) and started cutting pieces off of things for us to try: smoked pork butt, red hot, beef soul roll.

(A Soul Roll is, essentially, a cross between an egg roll and a chimichanga. Chimichanga-size, it's a flour shell, stuffed with fresh cabbage, carrots, bell peppers, and something else (maybe parsley?), plus whatever meat you fancy, deep-fried in peanut oil. John hates cabbage and even he liked the sample he got.)

Oh, dear. This was pretty fabulous food. What to do, what to do?! Reminding ourselves that it wasn't a terrible drive, so we could come back (and therefore didn't have to order one of everything (although we wanted to)), we settled on our orders. I went with a shrimp Soul Roll and a side of Hush Puppies; John had a harder time deciding, and got a pulled pork sandwich combo and a Red Hot, taking half of each sandwich home for later. We both ordered lemonade.

Verdict:

1. Lemonade: it was cold, tasted fresh and was the perfect accompaniment to the food. It only comes in one size, though, so next time I'll probably bring a bottle of water or something. Again, another thing John isn't terribly fond of, because mixes & fountain lemonade make him choke up a little, but he had no reaction to it at all, leading us to believe that it was home-made.
   
   
2. Hush Puppies: The hush puppies were excellent and plentiful (I took several home to have as a snack later). I can't quite place the flavoring - they weren't traditional corn meal and onion, but they were fantastic.
   
   

3. Soul Roll: Real treat. Big fresh helping of some veggies, with, in this case, some small shrimp (not tiny eggroll ones though). Because they're deep-fried, they do end up a little messy toward the end, but they're worth it.
   
   I didn't notice that they had mini versions on the menu -- this would allow me to have one of these and the pulled pork sammich.
   
   
4. Pulled Pork Sandwich: I tasted the pork butt when we got our samples (yum), but didn't try John's sandwich. However, he said that it was ideal: really nice sauce, but only just enough to accent the flavor of the perfectly-smoked pork (as opposed to mediocre pork swimming in sauce). I will probably try this next time. It comes with a layer of fresh coleslaw on it, so John, who doesn't like coleslaw, will have to order it without next time. As coleslaw goes (I had a nibble), it's also quite good.
   
   
5. Red Hot: John says, "best red hot I ever had." I'm sure it's the smoking that makes it so, although I have no experience. I did get a taste of it right off the grill, and it was quite yummy.
   
   
6. Fries: It's really hard to mess up fries, but sometimes, they can be so good they're memorable. Wow, seriously wow. Sheena sprinkles some kind of lemony seasoning over them the moment they come out of the fryer, and (not related) they seem to stay hot for a long time. I didn't regret getting Hush Puppies, but I was glad John was willing to trade!

Details:
Sheena Barnes BBQ Bones
The prices are actually quite reasonable, if you can resist ordering many things (Soul Rolls are $3.95 & the sandwich combos (including the fabulous fries) are $7.29). We learned that the trailer is their temporary location, while the permanent building next door is being finished. There is a vacant, kind of old-fashion gas station across the street that I'd love to buy and turn into a business. It's precisely in the center of no & where, but there is a lot of traffic passing regularly.

The only bummer is that they're closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and I'm craving more of the fantastic food!

If you go, make sure to grab a stack of napkins and a fork, because there's so much food the buns/shells can't hold it all. Don't want it to go to waste!

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There was another restaurant we've found that I've really wanted to write about (I even took pictures), because they have the best soup, but then we had a scary encounter with some sweet 'n sour chicken with cinnamon rice pilaf that kind of killed that whole idea. Still... really excellent soup (at least 3 kinds every night, on the soup bar). You just have to stick to the menu and avoid the specials.

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Hell & Back '08 Photos

These were taken back in September and have been on Flickr, but I just now got around to creating & posting the collage.

Mostly annual road trip to Hell, MI. There isn't a lot to do in Hell, so we usually pick at least one other small town to visit.

They changed out the cut-outs this year!
1. roadtrip hell08 bigfoot, 2. roadtrip hell08 devil,

Every time we go, there is some kind of event. The guy who owns the two main business in Hell is big on promotion. This time, it was a hearse show. My favorite was the coffin grill.
3. 20sept08_hell_pumpkinembalmer, 4. 20sept08_hell_hearse1a, 5. 20sept08_hell_hearse1b, 6. roadtrip hell08 sign, 7. 20sept08_hell_coffingrill, 8. 20sept08_hell_smokincorpse,

Then we drove over the Dexter (no pics), where I got a baby gift for a co-worker (to go with the green booties - below - and a sweater I just finished), some excellent acorn dish towels (which I'll photograph someday), plus a Christmas present for my brother's family's dog, Joy. From Dexter, it was on to Chelsea, where they mill and package Jiffy Mix. We didn't take the tour at the Teddy Bear Co., but we did wander around the shop.
9. 20sept08_chelsea_jiffy1, 10. 20sept08_chelsea_jiffy2, 11. 20sept08_chelsea_teddyco,

Finally, the knitting, which I've already shown. It just belonged in the mosaic.
12. hell and back booties1, 13. roadtrip hell08 baby socks1

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Hell & Back

This entry only took me a week to write. Or start writing. You know what I mean.

Last Saturday, John and I went on one of our little road trips, this time to Hell, MI (we go just about every fall), then on to Dexter. I'm working on a collage entry of those pics. (There was a hearse contest!)

On the road, I finished up these green booties (the color in the first pic is more accurate); they only needed buttons, but since I did, technically, finish them on the trip, they've been dubbed the "Hell and Back Booties." They're for a co-worker, who is expecting this winter. I had planned on giving them to her right away, but then found out there is to be a shower, and I'm to be invited, so they're going to wait for awhile.

Specs
Pattern: Saartje's Booties (PDF)
Yarn: Rowan 4 Ply Soft, a lovely washable wool (color #367), from nbyarns.com
Needles: US3 (And they're still bigger than I'd like.)

I know at least 4 women who are pregnant right now, so there will be more baby gifts coming. I also have a friend who is trying to adopt, so when news of that success comes, watch out!

The third pic to the right up there is the start of the "Led Zeppelin Baby Socks," since we listened to the CD shown during the trip. (I like naming projects after what I was doing when I cast on. Many projects don't have names, though, because "watching Ghost Whisperer Scarf" doesn't really have a ring to it.) I knit the first sock on that trip, then the second one as I had time over the next couple of days.

Specs
Pattern: North Country Cotton Baby Socks (except that I didn't use cotton)
Yarn: Araucania Ranco Multi (gift from celticsuncat) - superwash sock yarn
Needles: US3

Quickly, finally I got a picture of my finished Ubiquitous Noro 2-row scarf. (Click to embiggen.)

Results: love the play of the color. Jury is still out on the scarf itself. I'm hoping a nice soak with some conditioner will soften it up. I'd hate to have used such expensive yarn and spent so much time on something I can't wear around my neck. I started on a matching hat, but it's not going so well.

Next up: review of The Duchess and Hell pics.

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It's Been a Quiet Week

I apologize for the lack of updates, but there is just not a lot going on. I finished my scarf for the 2009 Red Scarf Project and started on something I've wanted to do for a long time: this 2-row Noro scarf. I'm grateful for the opportunity to do ads-for-yarn, because otherwise, I don't think I could bring myself to make a scarf with yarn this pricey. But darn it, I love how this is turning out! Basically, you get 2 colorways of any Noro yarn (this is Silk Garden), work in some kind of ribbing (this is Mistake Rib) and switch the yarn every two rows. Each yarn is variegated, so you end up with a really fascinating color combination. The idea is that you could close your eyes and grab any two colorways and end up with something fabulous.

Because I'm doing a Mistake Rib, I didn't have to cast on quite as many stitches to get the width I wanted, so I'm thinking that I'll have enough for a hat. (I have 2 balls of each colorway.)

I've been knitting on it while watching movies (or season 5 of NCIS) with John, and took it on a little road trip yesterday. (We love our mini road trips!) I sincerely wish we had a pet that liked riding in the car. That was really the only thing missing but, alas, not one of our cats likes travel.

Aside: we took one more chance and bid on the house we like so much. This time, all pretense of niceness on our part was gone. They refused to do business with our new agent, so we laid down the law and let them know, in no uncertain terms, that this was their one and only chance to get this right. No one else wants this house. It's quirky and needs work. We lowered our offer - not a lot, just enough to make a point - and insisted on getting the purchase agreement in advance. We had a lawyer review it, and went back with "make these changes or we aren't meeting." Surprise. All the things they balked at last time, like listing the seller's name on the paperwork, were suddenly fine.

Anyway. I could go on and on about the plans we're making, despite our earnest attempts to not get our hopes up. When John proposed a little road trip yesterday to scope out some of the small towns in the area, I agreed, but only if we didn't go near the house.

We drove through some of the towns without seeing any evidence of "town." We got a huge kick out of Grape, Michigan, in Raisinville Twp. At the crossroads was a house covered in grapevines - with grapes. The weather was lovely. We had one upsetting moment when we drove through Waltz to see what was on the other side (nothing), and passed a sod farm. The stench from the fertilizer was so intense that it made us both a little sick for several minutes. So, note to self: don't drive through Waltz. Stop at the Inn (Waltz Inn, LOL) and get some yummy food, then turn around and go out the way you came.

If we get this house, I want to name it. I've always wanted a house with a name. John likes toads, and we found one the first time we went into the basement, but "Toad Hollow" is out (because it's kind of obvious). We both like acorns, especially me, and there are, I believe at least two oaks on the property, so something to do with acorns would be nice. gidesigns has a couple very nifty acorn doorknockers. I want them both, to be honest. One will go onto at least one door, no matter what we name the house.

If our offer is accepted, and the house passes inspection, I'll have so much more to say! It's been difficult, to say the least, to keep myself from thinking too much about it, and to have it all out in the blog would be bothersome if things didn't come to pass. So, please, light candles, say prayers, cross fingers, etc.

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Halloween Preparations and a Road Trip

Halloween says, "Ready or not, here I come!" Ninety-six days. 96. Start counting down now!

I say, I'd like to track down the Creative Memories consultant who urged me to crop my original (and only) copies of some pictures and kick her - hard - in the shin. I learned pretty quickly that it was a damn stupid thing to do, but at the expense of some favorite photos.

Anyway.

Most years, I put together Halloween goody bags for some of the children in my life. Some are related to me by blood, some by love. This year is no exception, but last year I wasn't so much in the mood, so it was a half-hearted effort. Which, hopefully, explains why I'm planning them now. I'm changing things up a little, because not all the kids seem to like getting the bags, so between now and then I'll be evaluating the list.

Last week, I ordered a few things from Oriental Trading. I'm not super impressed. I mean, I know it's cheap, bulk crap from China, but one set of items was so old that the labels - which had started out white - were translucent.

Yesterday, John surprised me with a little plan to do some house-hunting, followed with a stay at a hotel. We aren't looking that far away: it was just a way to do something different (sometimes the cats drive me crazy). We found a couple potential houses (not saying any more on the subject), and did a little shopping. John grabbed a couple boxes of Sour Apple Fizzies, and I found a Christmas present for nephew J (a fabulous snowman nightlight; his top hat is full of glitter and it acts like a bubble ornament when it warms up). At some point during the evening, I decided that I'd have to include Fizzies in the goody bags.

This afternoon, I checked online and found some for a reasonable price (compared to others), at a site I've done business with before. (Edited) I can't decide if I'm going to order a couple flavors of the 2-tab packs or full-size boxes. I have to wait until Sept. to order, since there are some melt-able items I want to get as well.

About the hotel. Well, I guess it was a motel. In almost every way, the place we stayed at was lovely. It was funny, when we went to the desk to ask for a room, they said, "Oh, all we have left are rooms with king-size beds and jacuzzis." Oh, shucks. We had a seriously yummy meal at a steakhouse (Logans?), checked in at the hotel, and took liberal advantage of the pool and hot tub. (I made myself take a bath in the jacuzzi tub, since we'd paid extra for it.) They even had a book case in the lobby with books to borrow. Nothing that interested me, but I liked seeing some children's titles there. Another nice thing: adult-only hour at the pool. We really appreciated that after the only child in the pool during our first attempt SPAT on John and almost landed on my head doing cannonballs. "We'll come back at 11."

Is there a law for motels that says that the mattresses have to be hard as a rock and the pillows so insubstantial that three isn't half enough? This morning, after a really restless night, I just wanted to be HOME. I told John that from now on, we're traveling with our own pillows. The awful mattress would have been endurable if we'd had pillows that didn't just keep getting smaller.

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