This Little Piggy Went to Market

The daughter and I had a "girls day out" last weekend.

Lexx had a hair appointment, so we decided 

we would make the most of going into town.

Of course we had to start our day off with some

nourishment, so we started our morning off at Starbucks.

We needed to fuel up for our busy morning,

so we both got a breakfast sandwich and a coffee.

Two minutes later....

we headed to the 

Foothill Farmer's Market.

We arrived fairly early, around 8:45 AM because

a) it was going to be a warm day,

b) Lexx had a hair appt. later.

We parked at the Auburn Courthouse

and walked to the market.

I had never been to a farmer's market,

so I was impressed with all the different

choices of foods that were provided.

There were fruits, veggies, meats, breads, baskets,

flowers, music, cookies, and various premade foods.

There were probably 30-40 vendors,

so it was not an incredibly large market,

but it was large enough for me to spend $20 

on fruits and veggies in the first 5 minutes.

If you will notice my bag that I'm carrying in

the picture above, I had that completely filled

by the time Lexx and I left.

We had perfect timing, because by the

time we were ready to leave the market

it was time for Lexxa's appointment.

She ended up cutting about 10 inches off of 

her hair, and you can't even tell. 

When everying was said and done,

we were finished by 12:30 PM and home by 1 PM.

Lexx and I always have a good time together,

but we especially have a good time when

food is involved in any way.

Now we can't wait to go back to the market! 

Florida Georgia Line - H.O.L.Y.

A Perfectly Simple Weekend

The hubs and I managed to get away for

a couple of days two weekends ago.

It was magnificent!

We made no plans, just hopped in the car

and drove to North Lake Tahoe.

We didn't get there until around 3:30 PM,

so it was a little late in the day.

We didn't let that deter us though.

We headed straight for Sand Harbor.

It took us a bit to inflate the kayak,

so when it was said and done, we actually

got the boat in the water by 4 PM.

The beach was busy, but we didn't really

care because we just needed the boat ramp,

and then we were paddling our little hearts out.

We stopped in a little alcove to take some

pictures and catch our breath

I love the panoramic views.

I can't figure out how to use the feature on my

phone, so Todd was assigned that job.

After a couple of hours exploring Tahoe's coastline

we decided to call it a day.

We were getting hungry and wanted

to get some dinner

We made a quick stop at our hotel,

and then went to dinner at Jason's Beachside Grill.

We had a wonderful dinner,

and afterwards we headed back to the hotel

and watched lots of bad television....

bad as in terrible programming,

not bad as in naughty!

,

When we woke up the following morning,

we decided to go to Tahoe Biltmore

for their breakfast buffet.

It was one of the best buffets I've ever had.

They had the normal breakfast buffet food,

but they also had ribs, salmon, chicken, etc.

Todd thoroughly enjoy it.

It was a perfect weekend...

except for this

It looked like everybody had the same idea as us.

It took us a little while to get home,

but we didn't mind the traffic...

after all, we had just had a nice relaxing time in Tahoe.

It was a perfectly simple weekend,

but enough to refresh our souls and prepare

us for the craziness of the upcoming work week.

Moroccan- Less Talkin'

Do you see what I did there?

With the title!

What a nerd.

So after we went to the state fair, we decided to go to Moroccan food.
We decided on

Casablanca Moroccan Restaurant.

I had never tried Moroccan food, so I thought 

it would be interesting.

I had some reservations, mostly because I have a

VERY sensitive stomach, and anything that is

spicy/beef/greasy, I basically cannot eat.

Todd reassured me that I would be fine,

that there would be plenty of options for me to choose from.

From the outside, the restaurant didn't look like much.

It was situated between a Goodwill Xpress and a liquor store
in a little strip mall that was probably built in the 70's.

It is what I would consider, a "hole in the wall", very unassuming.

Upon entering the establishment, you notice

tapestries lining the walls and old world touches.

The host seated us at a table,

and gave us the option to either sit on the floor cushions,

or to take a seat on the bench behind the table.

After we were seated, the host brought over warm

water so that we could wash/rinse our hands.

This is needed, because a majority of the meal

is eaten using just your hands, no utensils.

After some deliberation, we decided on the Sultan's Feast.

 It was a 7 course meal

(I'll do my best to remember every dish,

but I'm not 100% positive I can).

It started with Lentil soup, and was quickly

followed by hummus/pita bread and two dishes I don't remember the names of.

I can tell you the beets were sweet, as well as the carrots.

All were popular with the family.

We finished these dishes quickly, and "Cone Head",

the host quickly brought out the next part of the meal.

Next up was B'stilla Royale.

It was a filo dish with an almond and egg center.

It was placed in the middle of the table for everybody to share.

It was a huge hit, and disappeared

from the table almost instantly.

Once we finished with the filo delishesness,

they brought out the main course(s),

There was honey chicken, chicken kabobs, spicy meatballs,

veggie couscous, and I believe saffron rice with a yogurt type of sauce.

I couldn't eat the meatballs, and I'm not a big fan of veggies,

 so I tried the honey chicken and chicken kabobs along

with a little couscous and saffron rice.

All were tasty, but I especially liked the honey chicken.

It was cooked perfectly and fell off the bones.

And while it is a honey chicken, there was also

something in it to cut the sweet...

I'm thinking maybe lemon but don't quote me on that.

After we finished the main course,

we were given baklava for dessert.

I only managed to get a picture of one of the pieces

because we are savages and didn't wait to eat it

before I got a picture.

As an added bonus,

we got to enjoy a belly dancer for entertainment.

Austin really seemed to enjoy this,

as she was quite flirty with him.

It was a fun and unique experience.

I would recommend it to those who are

a little adventurous and not afraid to try something new.

And like I said above,

the belly dancing was entertaining.

The Moroccan dinner ended our long day,

but we were quite content.

We were tired and our bellies were full!

Fair Enough

I hadn't been to the California State Fair in years,

so I decided to ask the family if they wanted

to go and check it out, and they all said yes.

Much to my surprise, I was the only one who

had been to the state fair.

Truth be told, I pretty much hated it

last time I attended.

When I attended back in the 80's

(yes I said 80's),

it was getting toward evening and a 

fight broke out right in front of me.

As if the fight weren't bad enough,

a knife was pulled.

I was never in danger,

but the fair lost all its appeal to me at that point.

Since close to 30 years had passed,

I figured I would give it another chance.

The family was on board,

so we headed out on a Saturday the 23rd around noon.

We went on the second to last day before the fair ended.

Why?

Because I'm lame and didn't realize it ended on the 24th.

It was already the 20th when I thought about the fair.

I believe it reached 103 on the day we went,

so it made it unpleasant to be walking

on the scorching black top.

Poor planning, again, on my part...

it had been much cooler the week before.

We spent the majority of our time visiting the exhibits

because, first of all, they're cool, and second

it was air conditioned in the buildings.

We spent about 4 hours at the fair,

and I took several pictures, but here

is a sampling of some of my favorite stuff.

^It's a flying car!

We had a good time looking at all the exhibits,

but by 4-5 PM, our feet were tired,

and we were drained from the heat.

We were done with crowds and decided 

it was time to head leave...

But not before buying a poop emoji hat.

It was a fun time, but to be honest,

I prefer our local county fair more.

It's less crowded, and happens earlier

in the year before it gets so stinking hot.

Believe it or not,

this was not the end of our day.

We still had one last stop before heading home.

Our surprise stop was super fun,

and I can't wait to share with you,

but not today!