Take-out Challenge "Franklin" edition

Since we have been quarantined for who knows how long now I have had some great meals from a number of restaurants. I go to these restaurants because I love to eat and I want to support our local businesses. The other day I heard of a local restaurant that had not really had a lot of business lately and I hate that because I don't want to lose the restaurants that we have.

My solution is to make it into a challenge and promote local restaurants by just making them visible to the public. Sometimes I think that people forget about businesses especially when they don't drive by them every day and the parking lots look empty.

Disclaimer - Some of these businesses may be temporarily closed for a time but just keep checking social media to see when they open back up. Happy eating!

Best Meal Ever!

Check out this awesome meal of Turkey Breast, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, dressing, gravy, and Fruit Tea! Unfortunately for you, this isn’t found in any restaurant but in my Mom’s kitchen. One of the perks of this Covid-19 is slowing down the pace of life to allow people to cook more from and for me to reap the benefits of it. I got a text this afternoon from my mom saying, “Don’t buy or cook anything for supper tonight. I will bring you a plate later of some good stuff!”  And let me tell you that it was some GOOD STUFF! 

My favorite of all time is the dressing balls that are a tradition that my Granny, my Mom’s mom, would cook for holiday meals. Every time I eat them it takes me back to Granny’s kitchen with all the delicious food and family. The fruit tea was a recipe from the Loveless Cafe and let me tell you it is incredible, if you love fruit tea then you should check out their website. So, unfortunately, you can’t go out and buy this meal, so treasure the home cooking that you have when you have it. #MyMomIsBetterThanYourMom 

Education in the Kitchen (Part 1 of 3)

With schools being out for Covid-19, families are probably spending more time with each other than they normally do. Families aren’t having to rush from one sporting event to another extracurricular activity with supper being on the run through a fast-food restaurant. Most parents are becoming the teacher for their children and this can be overwhelming at times. I would encourage you to spend time teaching skills to your children that maybe you haven’t had the time or opportunity to do in the past. I am going to help give you some ideas on how to teach using food and your kitchen in the first of a three-part series called Education in the Kitchen.

Today I will give you 3 ways to teach topics using food and your kitchen. Today’s topics will primarily focus on activities you can do with younger children but can definitely be modified to do with older children (I will discuss activities for older children throughout the series).

1)    Teach about food and where it comes from. As I’m writing this blog, today, April 14, is National Gardening Day. What a great way to celebrate by planting your very own vegetable garden and discussing where your food comes from. Kids will get to take ownership and learn responsibility and hard work by taking care of the garden, pulling weeds, watering, etc. This could be a great way to get outside and do something new as a family. You might even get your kids to try veggies that they normally wouldn’t eat if they have an investment in where the food has come from.

2)    Work on fine motor skills. Think about all of the ways you could be getting your child involved in the kitchen and practice their fine motor skills. This could be having them help by stirring, draining, cleaning off fresh produce, spreading something with a knife, using a rolling pin, peeling a potato with a peeler, the list is endless. Start working with them in the kitchen and they may develop a passion for cooking and spending quality time with you.

3)    Learn Healthy habits. Think about this period of time as an opportunity to learn some healthy habits since more people are cooking meals at home. Maybe this is a reset on how your family thinks about eating and making healthy choices. Talk with your child about what they are putting in their body, what is considered good and healthy foods and what they may need to consume in moderation. I know some of you learned about the food pyramid when you were growing up but it has been replaced, by the USDA, with the food plate. If you aren’t familiar with this concept, maybe you could spend some time learning about it with your children.

I hope this gets you and your family busy in the kitchen learning lessons outside of their virtual school work that will stay with your children for years to come!

How Bourbon Distilleries Are Fighting Covid-19

Everyone has been impacted by the Covid-19 virus and it has changed the way of life for most people. When it first hit people were storming the stores and stockpiling toilet paper, hand sanitizer, and Clorox wipes. It has been over a month and it is still hard to find these items on the shelves in your local stores.

Well living in the state that holds claim to being the Bourbon Capital of the World, our local distilleries are stepping up to the plate by turning their bourbon-making stills into hand sanitizer stills. Yep, you heard correct! Some of the most famous bourbon companies are now creating some the most sought-after goods right now. A lot of these distilleries are making sure hospitals and first responders are able to get this product to help keep them safe.

My local distillery, Dueling Grounds Distillery, in Franklin, Kentucky has joined in by creating quart and gallon size containers of hand sanitizer. You can purchase and pay for it on their website and then have a curbside pickup.

I don’t have an exhaustive list of all of the distilleries that are providing this service but some of the ones in Kentucky that I have heard are doing this include:

Angel’s Envy

Beam Suntory

Dueling Barrels Brewery & Distillery

Dueling Grounds Distillery

Evan Williams Bourbon Experience

Heaven Hill

Jeptha Creed Distillery

Lexington Brewing and Distillery

Old Forester

Rabbit Hole Distillery

Wilderness Trail Distillery

Woodford Reserve

Silent Brigade Distillery

Starlight Distillery

If you live close to a distillery, I would encourage you to check to see if they are also doing this for their communities. This is a great way to support local businesses and at the same time get a product that is extremely useful for you and your family. I have a quart bottle that I’ve purchased and it might be all in my head but I swear that the hand sanitizer smells like bourbon, which I guess could either be a good or a bad thing J

Tips for Ordering Takeout during Covid-19

This is a strange time we are living in and it is difficult to adjust to some new normals. One of these normals is going out and eating. Most states have closed restaurants to dine-in service but a lot are still offering takeout/delivery during this time. I have compiled 8 tips to follow when ordering takeout during Covid-19.

1. Check to see if the restaurant is offering delivery. Some restaurants have dedicated some of their employees to provide this service. If they haven't check a third party company that might be able to deliver straight to your door without you having to worry about getting out of the house and having contact with others. Some of these companies are Grubhub, Uber Eats, DoorDash, etc. These companies do charge a service fee but it might make you feel better about not interacting outside of just one person.
2. Check to see if you can order online. This will allow you to pay online and not have to exchange card information over the phone and will prevent you from having to hand your card or cash to someone once you get there. This has been one of the biggest things that I have tried to implement since Covid-19 has started and it gives me peace of mind knowing that all the interaction I will have with others will be grabbing my food.
3. Arrive at your restaurant prepared. Take things you will need to be safe with you. In my car, I keep a face mask, hand sanitizer, gloves, napkins, and even wet wipes because you never know what will happen once you get there and you might actually have to go inside the restaurant.
4. Call when you arrive. I know this sounds like an obvious one but unless there are people sitting outside under a tent waiting for you, they may not see you pull up. Take out doesn't mean curbside service but chances are if you have already paid online they may be willing to bring it to your car instead of you going inside.
5. Practice Social Distancing. I have seen a lot of great service during this time by the restaurants but it is also your responsibility to practice social distancing. If you see someone walk into the restaurant to pick up their food, don't go in until you see them leave. If they bring your food out to you have the trunk of your vehicle open so they can sit the stuff in and then they can walk away (It's hard to practice being 6 feet away when you are grabbing a bag through your car window).
6. Clean the outside of the packages. My hope is that the restaurants are practicing safe procedures but you can never truly know. Clean the outside of the packages or better yet, get rid of the packages and transfer the food to other plates and dishes. I heard of some families doing this outside of their house so that the restaurant packages never even enter their house. I have also heard that people have microwaved their food for 30 seconds to kill any bacteria on the food (I don't know if that is scientifically sound but it probably couldn't hurt).
7. Tip well if you can. It is a very hard time to be in the restaurant business and their employees are hurting too. If you can afford to tip then do it and be nice to them, they are probably doing the best that they can right now.
8. Encourage others to buy and support restaurants, especially local ones. If you had a great experience or your food was delicious then let others know about your experience. People are getting bored of PB & J sandwiches and cooking every meal so they are looking for something different. Your post on social media or word of mouth could be greatly beneficial for your favorite restaurant to continue staying in business.