Checking In Once Again - Mostly Food

It's been a while since I've posted anything on my blogsite although I do check in on other bloggers that I've followed in the past.  Nothing earth shattering here but I put together a couple of food related items with an appropriate beginning and ending. 

We've (especially Laurie) have been getting up earlier than has been our habit over the past several years.  As a consequence, Laurie captured this glorious sunrise coming up over Tellico Lake and the nearby hills.

Very recently we had enjoyed a late afternoon/early evening meal at our friends Larry and Bev's home.  Larry is also a blogger and food is a specialty. (https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/) We enjoyed the company and a great meal, including Royal Red Shrimp in brown butter, Salmon Cakes and Fresh Tomato Focaccia Pizza. (shown above) In this case my focus is on the Focaccia Pizza.  It was delicious and I think that I ate at least 5 slabs of it... To see the recipe, just go to Larry's  (Big Dude's) blog post as follows.  You'll get to see the family dogs as well!  (https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/2025/08/fresh-tomato-focaccia-pizza-pups-new-cut.html)

Larry 'twisted my arm' and I ended up taking home a big chunk of the remaining Fresh Tomato Focaccia Pizza.  So what came next?  I sliced the top off a slab of the focaccia and dropped in a frying pan with plentiful butter, and then I heated both sides of the above 'slice'.

After it was browned a bit, I sprinkled a bit of parmesan on the tomato side of the focaccia pizza.  Loved the color...before I took that final step prior to consumption.

I topped my slightly modified fresh tomato focaccia pizza with a couple of over-easy fried eggs. This was a very satisfying breakfast indeed!  Thanks Larry and Bev...for having us over for dinner and for sending a classy leftover home with me.

One of our friends had referred us to the Abridged Beer Company in Knoxville.  He told us that they served the best hamburger he's ever had in Knoxville!  Since we both love a good burger and we were going to be in Knoxville anyway, we decided to stop in for an early dinner.

We started out with an appetizer, in this case it was the Fried Cornbread with House Jam and Honey Butter. ($11.00) This offering was quite tasty with crusty fried outside of these cornbread 'cakes' adding interesting texture and a nice bite of flavor.  The honey butter and house jam worked too but I think I would have preferred a little more tang or pop with the jam.

Laurie ordered the Old Smokey Burger. ($17.00) It was comprised of a 7 oz. all-beef ground brisket blend, house aioli, tobacco onions, applewood smoked bacon, smoked provolone cheese, bourbon BBQ, and brioche jalapeno jam on a brioche roll.  For her side dish she opted for the potato salad.  She has repeatedly told me...and others...that this was the best burger she ever had.

My burger (no photo as it looked about the same) was simply the Abridged Burger. ($17.00) It was made up with the same brisket blend ground beef and house aioli plus fried brussels sprouts petals, white American cheese and applewood smoked bacon on the brioche bun.  I skipped the caramelized onions as I don't care for onions.

I've decided that I'm more of a purist when it comes to hamburgers.  My favorite burgers are comprised of a nice firm bun, quality beef and a slice of sharp cheddar cheese...with perhaps a smear of mayonnaise.  Laurie likes more layers of flavor.  Basically, I could barely taste the ground beef as it was overshadowed by the other ingredients.  This was a decent burger or sandwich and the bun was top notch.  The fries were too limp for my taste and $17.00 for a burger seems a bit high...perhaps justified by the layers applied to the sandwich.

Everybody has different likes and dislikes and, based on the crowd, Abridged Beer Co. is very popular.  Abridged Beer Company is located at 320 North Peters Road in Knoxville Tennessee.  Phone: 865-281-5449.  You can check out their menu on their website which is found at https://www.abridgedbeer.com/.

And I'll sign off for now with this photo of our sunset last night.  We've been having great weather this month.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for stopping by!  

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Dining Along the Ohio River...Maysville Kentucky

...continuing with our October road across parts of 8 states.  At the end of our day exploring and photographing Maysville Kentucky, it was time for dinner.  We chose a restaurant that is next to and has clear views of the Ohio River.  With the flood walls in the downtown area, such clear view options are truly limited.

This is Caproni's on the River in Maysville.  Caproni's started in the 1930s as a sandwich shop catering to railroad workers.  In 1945, the family purchased this restaurant and they operated it for many years.  Located at the base of Rosemary Clooney Street, it offers a clear view of the Ohio River...and the occasional train that roars past.  In the early years, the railroad station and its workers and passengers provided a major source of patrons.  As time passed, 'railroad customers' had faded, so the decision was made to remodel the building with a wall of windows facing the river, thereby providing a pleasant vista for most of the restaurant's diners.  The Caproni family ran the restaurant until 1990.

Following the Caproni family's departure, a number of different owners tried to run the business. Finally, in 1999, a well known caterer and Maysville native purchased the restaurant.  After extensive remodeling, Caproni's reopened in December of 2000.

We arrived early for dinner.  We didn't have any reservations so early was better.  This early in the evening there wasn't much going on in Caproni's attractive bar area.

This dining room at Caproni's is furthest from that wall of windows looking over the Ohio River...but it does provide a home for that baby grand piano.  The windows are at the left in the photo, across the aisle and 2 spacious rows of tables.

Of course the tables by the window that overlook the river are the most desired tables.  They were all reserved...but this is the view from our table, not too bad for no reservations!  By the time we were about half way through our dinner, all the window tables were occupied.  

So who are these folks?  This is 90 year old Nick Clooney with his wife Nina.  They are George Clooney's parents and they live just down the road from Maysville in Augusta Kentucky.  When they dine at Caproni's they reserve the corner table by the windows...and they are sometimes joined by their famous son and his wife, Amal.  No such luck for Laurie and I on this occasion!

At least 3 Kentucky Governors have dined at Caproni's, as has Hillary Clinton.  While not a reason to have a meal here, it does show that the food and service are for real...as celebrities and dignitaries don't break bread in average restaurants.

I do love water views in restaurants and bars...and I especially like watching lake, or in this case, river traffic.  This big Marathon Oil barges and their towboat/pusher, (aptly named 'Marathon'), cruised by just before we started eating.  The "Marathon" towboat was added to the fleet ca. 2011 and it is 144 feet long and it produces 4,000 HP.

FYI, the Marathon Petroleum Marine Transportation fleet consists of 23 towboats/pushers and 256 barges as well as ocean going vessels.

Back to our dining experience at Caproni's.  We just 'had to' start out with an adult beverage after a challenging day of sightseeing and shopping.  Laurie spotted something different that she wanted to try... 

This was her Blackberry Old Fashioned. ($11.00) It was made with Buffalo Trace Bourbon, blackberry puree and orange bitters.  It was very attractive and she really enjoyed it.  I did get one blackberry!

Yes, even yours truly decided to imbibe.  After all, this was a 'vacation', at least from our normal retired life in the paradise that is East Tennessee.  I didn't get crazy though, sticking with a mild Belgian White from Blue Moon. ($4.00)

In addition to Caproni's regular menu, there were some daily specials.  I've never heard of Italian egg rolls before... The $75.00 King Cut Prime Rib was a bit too steep for my wallet...although I was tempted by the Sicilian Swordfish.  

With Laurie's continued weight loss and less appetite, we skipped the list of appetizers.  In any case, all entrees at Caproni's come with the House Salad and fresh baked rolls.  The salad was very fresh and enjoyable and the bread was warm...more importantly, it came with soft butter.

For my entree, I chose one of the items listed as Traditional Favorites.  This was my Chicken Scallopini. ($21.00) I had a choice of sauces for my angel hair pasta.  They include parmesan, marsala and piccata.  I opted for the latter.  My dinner's presentation was quite appealing and I really enjoyed my meal!

I did appreciate the fact that one doesn't have to go broke dining at Caproni's.  While it would be easy to spend $100.00 or more per person depending on drinks, appetizers, the entree and a possible dessert, travelers or locals watching their budget can enjoy the ambiance and the quality of the food without pause.  For example, a catfish platter is available for $17.00 and a Kentucky Hot Brown open face sandwich cost only $16.00. 

Laurie has become more demanding as her appetite and her capacity for large amounts of food has shrunk.  So, whenever possible she looks for items on menus that she regards as a real taste treat.  Mushrooms are high on her list.  So, for her entree she ordered the Portobello Ravioli. ($18.00) Cheese ravioli provided the base for sauteed portobello mushrooms.  The dish was finished with a lemon sage butter.  Happy Wife!!!

We did decide to share one of Caproni's dessert offerings.  This was a slab of Kentucky Butter Cake. ($9.00) "Unfortunately", I ended up having to eat most of this sweet treat...

To summarize... The ambiance at Caproni's is enhanced by the Ohio River flowing by but the dining rooms are nicely appointed as well.  Our server, Tonia, was friendly as well as very accommodating and patient.  The food was 'on point' too, very nice indeed.  This was a very satisfying and comfortable dining experience.

We'd recommend this restaurant to our friends and family.  To learn more about Caproni's on the River and to view their menu, just go to https://www.capronisontheriver.com/.  

I know...these photos have nothing to do with our dining experience.  Nevertheless, this is a beautiful 'ride' and a guy can dream can't he?  Laurie had to spoil my reverie by pointing out that I probably wouldn't be able to get in and out of this classic Corvette...

I thought that I should end our exploration of Maysville Kentucky with this photo I borrowed from the Internet.  Several of the historic properties I've photographed and written about are visible and this overview demonstrates the appeal of this Ohio River city.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them...

Thanks for coming by to see what we had for dinner! 

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

More Food - Dining with Friends

Laurie's sister and brother-in-law have flown the coop back to St. Louis Missouri... So what did we do to keep busy?  To no one's surprise, it's more food and dining out.  

One of these days, I may actually publish a blog post that isn't food related but almost every social event these days seems to involve food!  We'll have to get back on the road again in order to interchange history, architecture and countryside views with restaurant visits.

But for now, get out the Pepcid, Rolaids and Tums as we eat our way through parts of East Tennessee.   

Once again, we returned to the Blackhorse Pub and Brewery in Alcoa Tennessee.  This time we brought our neighbors, Sue and Steve, with us.  I can assure you that East Tennessee is a big and welcome change for them after living in California for many, many years.  Laurie and I are hard at work introducing them to a number of the area's dining sites...

As you can see, Blackhorse Pub and Brewery is a big place!  You might also note that when we arrived, the restaurant and bar were not very busy.

While we did imbibe in a nice mild Blackhorse Blonde Ale ($5.00), we really don't drink much beer.  However, for the beer lovers out there, you should know that the Blackhorse Brewery offers 6 'standard' beers, an apple cider and something called the Side Hustle Sour.  In addition, they also brew 5 seasonal beers and 10 'specialty' beers.  You can learn more about these offerings at https://www.blackhorsebrews.com/our-beers.  

As usual I forgot to take photos of the appetizers until after they'd been ravaged... This was the Spinach and Artichoke Dip. ($10.75) It consisted of fresh spinach, artichoke hearts and cheese...accompanied by pita bread.  It was OK.

We also ordered Chips and Beer Cheese for the table. ($9.00) The beer cheese had a decent twang to it but it was too thin and there wasn't enough of it for all the chips. 

Both Steve and Sue had hamburgers but I'm not sure which one of the 10 available burgers is shown in this photo.  They seemed to enjoy their meals.  Blackhorse's basic burger with American cheese, lettuce, tomato and pickle is $13.95.  All burgers come with one side.  It was reported that the onion rings were quite good...and there were plenty of them!  

Probably the most interesting hamburger...which also has to be a challenge to eat without wearing it...is the Hangover. ($15.95) That particular burger includes bacon, pepper jack cheese, a fried egg, Bloody Mary aioli, lettuce, tomato and onion.  

Laurie decided to order a Flatbread creation for her meal.  In addition to the 7 'standard' flatbread offerings on the menu, patrons can design their own. ($13.00 with 4 toppings) Laurie went for mushrooms, artichoke hearts, onions and mozzarella cheese with red sauce.  She said that it wasn't that great but since it was her 'design', she said that the outcome was her fault.  

FYI, there are 11 'specialty' pizzas on the menu as well.  Plus, as with the flatbread entrees, you can design your own.  A 7" specialty pizza is $11.75 and a 12" pizza costs $18.50.  We would design our own 12" pizza...typically sausage and pepperoni...and it would cost $16.75.

I just didn't feel like a hamburger, a flat bread creation or a pizza.  I dismissed the entrees on the menu as well.  It was the sandwich...non-burger choices...that drew me in.  I settled on the Prime Rib Sandwich...with shaved beef prime rib and Monterey jack cheese served with au jus and a horseradish sauce. ($16.95) For my side...12 different choices...I went for the 'pub chips'.  I finished my meal but I wasn't too impressed with any of it.  The 'shaved prime rib' was a bit tough and lacked much flavor.  The au jus didn't help.  I guess I should have ordered a burger.

Our previous visits to Blackhorse Pub and Brewery had been more satisfying so we aren't deterred from returning for another go at the menu.  This restaurant is located at 441 North Hall Road in Alcoa Tennessee.  Phone: 865-448-5900.  Website: https://www.blackhorsebrews.com/menu/alcoa-menu. 

So what does one do shortly after having a sizable meal?  Of course the answer is seek out more food!

Therefore, our next stop was for dessert.  the good news was that it takes over 45 minutes to drive from Blackhorse Pub and Brewery in Alcoa to the Tic-Toc Ice Cream Parlor in downtown Loudon Tennessee.  Tic-Toc makes fine ice cream and it's a popular local feature in Loudon County.  We've been patronizing this ice cream parlor since we moved to the area more than 15 years ago.  Of course, they can't rely on our business for survival as our visits are limited to 2 to 4 times a year during Tic-Toc's open months.

As you can see, Tic-Toc was very busy.  It was a warm day...but not miserable... and it was in the early evening when we stopped by.  Customers were lined up, both inside and out.  Living in a community that caters, but is not limited to retirees, we hadn't seen so many young folks in one place for a while.  Nice...

I didn't take photos of the treats we purchased for our dessert.  A photo of ice cream in a cup or in milk shake form doesn't quite capture the glory it imparts to one's flavor buds... But here is the menu just for your consideration.  Note: This is not discount ice cream...

Tic-Toc Ice Cream Parlor doesn't seem to have either a website nor is it on Facebook.  This establishment is located at 504 Grove Street in Loudon Tennessee.  Phone: 865-408-9867.  You can learn more and check out the reviews on both TripAdvisor and Yelp. 

I started to say that this post isn't all about food...but then I realized that it really was!  Nice doggy!  This husky is named "Shadow" and it turns out that he is a frequent visitor at Tic Toc.  He lives just across the railway tracks behind the old depot in Loudon.  However he has learned that folks like him, (he is a charmer), and therefore they give him treats, bits of ice cream cones, a little ice cream, etc.  He wasn't with anyone...he just drops in and enters the store with customers as they open the door.  The staff got him to leave at one point but he was back inside within a couple of minutes.  We petted but didn't feed Shadow.  He is a bit of a 'chunk' and is in no danger of starvation.  Probably needs to go on a diet.  Once he got his quota of treats and attention, he just headed home.  We saw him crossing the tracks and going up the hill... 

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them.

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave

Flowers, Food and Bugs

This post involves items for the home, related happenings, a bit of cooking and an insect invasion… One issue locally is will the rain ever stop?!  YTD we’ve had more rain than either Seattle Washington or London England…

This year Laurie decided to replace her old clay based planters.  They were falling apart.  She wanted something eye-catching and bright that would last for a while…hence these large yellow pots.  They are filled with a variety of colorful annuals and perennials.  Another advantage is that she found rolling bases for the planters so we can move them as needed due to the weather or just to clean the area around them.

She also bought a hanging planter…which we may not hang.  It is easier to take care of them and they dry out more slowly when they aren’t blowing in the wind.  This flowering plant is one of over 100 species of the genus Portulaca or Purslane.  Purslane is widely consumed as an edible plant although is some areas it is considered to be invasive.  These plants are eaten with great relish by chickens.

Laurie and I love a good sausage gravy over biscuits for breakfast.  In my case, over-easy eggs are a frequent accompaniment.  Good sausage gravy is hard to find in restaurants.  As I noted in an earlier post, Laurie noted a recipe that was published by the Pioneer Woman. The Pioneer Woman – Recipes, Country Life and Style, Entertainment.

In any case, we took Ree Drummond’s recipe and modified it…actually several times.  This time we wanted a double batch of sausage gravy so we doubled up on the sausage.  We prefer Jimmy Dean’s sausage and in this case we used a pound each of Jimmy Dean Hot and Jimmy Dean Regular pork sausage.  I cooked the sausage, breaking it up as I went.  When the sausage is ready, the recipe states that we shouldn’t drain the grease…and we don’t. 

This is the finished sausage gravy in a deep pan.  In the past we’ve made this recipe with all regular sausage, all hot sausage and with varying amounts of milk.  We’ve also made it with half and half milk.

In this instance, with a double batch, we used a half cup of flour, 4 cups of whole milk, a half cup of half and half milk and a bit of salt and pepper. 

Once the sausage is browned, we mixed in the flour, stirring it until the white color of the flour has been blended into the meat.  Then we added the milk, the pepper (leaving out the salt), and continued to cook on medium heat until the mixture began bubbling.  We turned the burner down to low and, stirring occasionally, the gravy thickened.  We poured the gravy into storage containers, freezing one for later and keeping the other one in the refrigerator until its use the following day.

This photo shows the breakfast we enjoyed the next day!  Excellent!  We’ve had good sausage gravy in restaurants a few times over our 45 years together but we’ve never had a better version anywhere else.  Off camera I did sprinkle my breakfast with Tabasco...

The Pioneer Woman specifically states that canned biscuits are not preferred with the gravy.  Actually she states “Never canned biscuits”.  She recommends Pillsbury Grands Frozen biscuits…and that’s what we used in this instance.  They worked well but Larry, aka “Big Dude”, at https://bigdudesramblings.blogspot.com/ had a better idea. 

He purchased a dozen biscuits from Bojangles, a fried chicken chain of fast food restaurants that is primarily located in the southeastern USA.  The company is expanding westward and they currently have over 820 locations.  A quick check on the internet revealed that Bojangles’ biscuits are the highest rated biscuits of any fast food restaurant chain.  To learn more about Bojangles, go to Order Fried Chicken Now | Bojangles.

We do have mac ‘n cheese from time to time.  It’s simple and filling, especially if I have a couple leftover hot dogs to add to it.  During a recent visit to our local Food Lion grocery store, I spotted a vastly different ‘take’ on mac ‘n cheese.  It is Guinness Cracked Black Pepper Mac n’ Cheese and it contains Cabot Farmers Reserve Cheese sauce and radiatore pasta.

This version of mac ‘n cheese definitely imparts that bold and malty flavor found in Guinness stout/beer.  The blend of the Cabot cheese and the malty Guinness flavor was actually quite enjoyable.  Laurie ate her mac ‘n cheese by itself but I accompanied mine with a leftover grilled bacon wrapped sweet Italian sausage.  It was an easy and satisfying meal and we will purchase this mac ‘n cheese outlier again!

FYI, I also found that there is a Guinness Black Truffle Mac ‘n Cheese…and many, many more Guinness related food items.  Learn more at guinness related food products - Search Shopping (bing.com).   

I do have a difficult time telling a hairy woodpecker from a downy woodpecker.  I think that this pair are hairy woodpeckers.  The adult was teaching is offspring how to eat…but from time to time the adult would still feed its fledged offspring.  Hmmm, human adults and teenagers…an interesting comparison.

FYI, hairy woodpeckers can be found all across North America…from Alaska to Newfoundland and as far south as Panama.

We were surprised that the woodpeckers would bother with the feeder giving the abundance of fresh insects available.  Perhaps they were overwhelmed by the millions of eatable insects and they wanted a change of diet.  See below…

Here in Loudon County and in at least 7 other counties here in East Tennessee, Brood XIX cicadas, (aka The Great Southern Brood) began emerging around the second week in May.  This brood has been biding its time and growing underground for the past 13 years.  While the south has annual cicadas as well, the periodic cicadas have those red eyes.  Annual cicadas have green bodies and black eyes.  The brood will be with us until about mid-June.  Laurie captured this photo from the internet.

Luckily we are not located in an area of the USA where the 17-year Brood XIII and the 13-year Brood XIX are emerging at the same time.  While we hear annual cicadas during evenings and at night, these Periodic cicadas make their noise in an effort to attract a mate during the day.  It is a hum…but not as high pitched as the annual cicadas in their personal effort to attract attention.  We also noted that the periodical cicadas seem to stop ‘humming’ when it rains.

As we surveyed our yard we wandered over to the edge of our lot which abuts a wooded lot.  That’s when we spotted these holes.  With only a bit of moss here and there it was easy to see hundreds of holes that our Brood XIX cicadas had emerged from.  It was a bit unnerving actually…

The process begins with mating.  Then the females start to lay eggs by making slits in twigs of woody plants using her knife-like ovipositor.  She lays about 2 dozen eggs in each slit and a single female can lay between 400 to 600 eggs.  The eggs hatch in 6 or 7 weeks.  The nymphs…which are white and ant-like in appearance, drop to the ground and bury in the soil to find suitable roots to feed on.  They suck the sap from the roots but they don’t seem to have a noticeable effect on the trees.

The nymphs burrow from 12 to 18 inches into the soil.  They begin to emerge when the soil beneath to ground reaches a temperature of 64F.  Once the nymphs dig their way up from under the ground, they molt and the adults emerge…taking flight up into the trees.  Note the exoskeletons by some of the cicada’s holes as well as the one shown on the brick wall.  That wall was littered with the remnants of the nymphs.

That’s all for now.  Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave