Trippin' with the RealTimShady

Kacey Musgraves Golden Hour  (2018) I don't know enough about music to write about an album using musical terms, so I'll start with a simple declaration: I can't stop listening to Golden Hour , Kacey Musgraves' captivating fourth studio release. And I realize that I'm a little bit late to the party: the album was released back in March, Mr. Plow played it as background music during a Sunday lunch with my mom (who was so taken with it that she asked who was singing), and several glowing reviews popped up in my Feedly. I went to Spotify, hit download, and the album has been on repeat during my commute for the last two weeks. The first song, "Slow Burn," provides an apt description of the effect of the album as a whole: it's a soothing, ethereal slow burn of a recording that effectively kindles a comforting warmth. She sings, "I'm alright with a slow burn - taking my time - let the world turn" - and that's a proper way to expe...

Floataway Cafe 1123 Zonolite Road Atlanta, GA 30306 Roasted Chicken with Bread Salad Mr. Plow and I consider Floataway Cafe our special neighborhood restaurant, even though we don't really live in the neighborhood. It's close enough, though - and it always feels like a special occasion, even when we're just stopping by for a lovely weeknight meal. Over the years, we've enjoyed sharing Floataway with friends and family (always a hit), but our favorite evenings are when we've settled in at table #36 (our favorite) for a relaxing few hours of much-needed conversation and much-loved food. This week - partly in honor of the start of the new school year and partly in realization that our free time is about to be extremely limited - we ventured out to Floataway on a rainy Thursday night and, as we were welcomed inside the curtained entrance portal, we instantly felt at home. Floataway is part of the Star Provisions  group, led by James Beard award-winning At...

The iconic Hollywood sign. If you've chatted with me about my now-annual trips to Los Angeles then you've probably heard this declaration: had I visited Southern California earlier in my life (in my 20s as opposed to in my 40s) I'd probably be living there right now. To be clear: I love it. I love the scenery (the mountains colliding with the ocean). I love the weather (perpetually 75 and sunny). I love the food (from In-and-Out to upscale and everything in between). So, here's my quick guide to things to do, see, and eat in Los Angeles and environs. Be forewarned, though - LA will charm you and make you long to return! Getting There I'll start with the bad news: getting from Atlanta to Los Angeles is not always affordable. I search for months in advance in hopes of finding the most affordable options (so far that's been on American , believe it or not). The other thing to know is that Los Angeles is not exactly the most economical destination once you ar...

Last summer, a tiny little article in a magazine (I don't even remember which one) suggested the Japanese reality program Terrace House: Boys and Girls in the City  as potentially addictive summer viewing. Sure, the article admitted, nothing really happens, but it's completely mesmerizing nothingness. I mentioned it to Mr. Plow, but he was not intrigued, so I retreated to the bedroom television and pulled up Episode 1 on the Netflix. And I was hooked. And within a few minutes, Mr. Plow wandered in, started watching, and also got hooked. This small moment led to a year of binge-watching several Japanese shows on Netflix, all with one common theme - food! - and with several ancillary themes like relationships, dating, working life, daily customs, as well as other aspects of interpersonal connections. Terrace House: Boys and Girls in the City Terrace House: Aloha State Terrace House: Opening New Doors Konbanwa!  Terrace House has enjoyed long-running success in its nativ...

Mr. Plow and I have taken two glorious trips to England, and the United Kingdom is always on our short list each and every time we start planning for vacation travel. Like many, we've been completely gobsmacked by the verdant splendor of the rolling hills, the comfortable snug of the pubs, and the stalwart dedication to historical preservation. We long for the Cotswolds at least once a week - and now, thanks to Netflix, we can get our weekly hit of Oxfordshire or Gloucestershire with a deft finger to the remote! If you also long for the English countryside (or if you just like architecture and houses and gardens) then you, too, might enjoy a Netflix binge of any or all of these three highly recommended and completely satisfying programmes. Escape to the Country Escape to the Country  ticks a lot of boxes - beautiful homes, bucolic settings, charming house hunters, and enough history and culture to satisfy even the most discerning Anglophile. The premise is simple: homeowners...

Mr. Plow and I live in a glorious unincorporated (for now) area of DeKalb County that's not quite Chamblee and not quite Tucker. Those two cities are, however,  quite literally connected by Chamblee-Tucker Road. Over the past year, we've discovered three superior dining spots along the CTR corridor, each with an Asian flair and all providing tasty, memorable food. Ponko Chicken 2896 Chamblee-Tucker Road Atlanta, GA 30341 Let me admit this right up front: we are ADDICTED to Ponko Chicken. It's been love and cravings since the very first bite. Ponko Chicken uses the tagline "where eats meets west," a play on the combination of Japanese flavors and techniques with the decidedly American concepts of chicken fingers and fries. The result of this mash-up is stupefyingly delicious. In fact, it's so delicious that I'm confident these chicken fingers - crunchy on the outside, tender on the inside, and topped with a drizzle of a suggestion-of-soy/touch-of-t...

A few weeks ago, I tried to drum up some viewers for several lesser-known cooking series - Vivian Howard's A Chef's Life  (PBS) , Frank Pinello's The Pizza Show  (Viceland) , and Nadiya Hussain's The Big Family Cooking Showdown  (Netflix) . Shortly after posting, I realized that I had forgotten one of our favorites - Pati Jinich of Pati's Mexican Table ! (Mr. Plow and I, we watch a lot of food-related television.) So...here's quick introduction to Pati, if you don't already know her, and a couple of additional suggestions if you're looking for something new and entertaining to watch. Pati's Mexican Table  - PBS and Amazon Prime   I discovered Pati's Mexican Table  completely by accident one Saturday afternoon when I was scrolling through the guide looking for something to watch. "Mexican" and "Table" stood out, so I clicked over. Pati was making Mac-n-Cheese Mexicano and I was instantly hooked. Pati Jinich is a fasci...

With the car packed and full of gas, Mr. Plow and I (sporting fresh haircuts) set off last Saturday on a whirlwind road trip that saw us travel through six states and the District of Columbia in order to dine at destination restaurants and visit with our far-flung friends. Here's a day-by-day review for those of you who might be headed to these locations in the near future! Day #1 - Atlanta, GA to Kinston, NC Driving from Georgia to North Carolina seems easy, right? After all, the two states are adjacent to each other. In fact, if you were to head due north from our house, you'd get to the North Carolina state line in about two hours. But to get to Kinston? In Eastern North Carolina? That's a weary, day-long journey involving I-20, I-95, and more than a few country roads. We broke the monotony of interstate driving with a pre-Masters stop in Augusta for lunch at Chicken Salad Chick . (Dear Chicken Salad Chick, please bring one of your restaurants to either the Tuck...

[I'm back! Restarting the blog was a New Year's resolution and now, as we approach the end of the third month of the new year, here I am fulfilling that goal. To my many devoted readers: you're welcome!] We all know the classics: Ina Garten, Martha Stewart, Nigella Lawson (when you can find her on American television), and the assorted hosts of America's Test Kitchen. All those should be standard fare for the home cook who seeks inspiration from the experts. But here are a few new finds that Mister Plow and I have come to love. Check them out and maybe you'll get addicted, too! A Chef's Life  - PBS I discovered the endearing Southern chef Vivian Howard one drizzly Sunday afternoon and proceeded to binge all available episodes. The series chronicles Howard's return to her North Carolina hometown (near Kinston) where she has essentially been bribed by her parents: come home and we'll help you open a restaurant. Each episode features a signature in...