Food

This is just what I'm going to do now: give a roundup of everything I've cooked lately. All of these posts could be titled, "This is Why I'm Chubby." Oh well.
This weekend I made:
Whiskey Glazed Carrots -- Highly, highly recommended. All you need is whiskey (that's how I found this recipe, actually. I had a half bottle of whiskey left over from a cake I made and I certainly wasn't going to drink it), brown sugar, butter, and carrots (duh).
Pork Chops with Golden Apple Sauce --I can't seem to stop making this. I think I've made it four times now, but it's seriously one of my favorite things to eat.

Tonight I'm making Chicken Paprikash. Let's see how it goes. Also of note, I had a Banana Bread Disaster of epic proportions yesterday. The oven needed to be cleaned when all was said and done.

Pie

Ever since Our Only Reader Lauren introduced me to Joy the Baker, I've been kind of obsessed. I started out with her S'mores brownies a few months ago, made the aforementioned Strawberry Cake this weekend, and last night I made this Orange and Cream Pie. It's currently chilling (I mean that it's staying cool AND that it's just kickin' it) in the fridge, and while I planned to wait until dinner to tuck into it, I really don't think that's going to happen.
In case you're still wondering what I'm cooking, tonight is chicken and bacon kabobs with peanut sauce. My tastebuds are all like, "Hells yes!" and my arteries are all like, "Hell no."

Things I've Cooked

In case you wondered how fat I'm getting, here's a list of what I've cooked/baked in the past week:
Steak Sandwiches
H's Mom's potato salad
Jerk Chicken with Pineapple Salsa
Chocolate Pie
Spinach and Bacon Salad
Crab Cakes
Crash Hot Potatoes
Strawberry Cake
That strawberry cake was only H's FIRST birthday cake. I'm making another one next weekend. Ay yi yi. I don't know why I do these things to myself.

Restaurant Review: Melt

Last night, H. and I met up with College Friend L. and one of her friends at Melt in Lakewood. Have you ever been to Melt? Probably not, because you are Alex and I know for a fact you haven't been there. You know what Melt serves? Cheese, you guys. Grilled cheese sandwiches.
I read some reviews of Melt, and people complained about how long the wait was. Who cares, you know? If you don't want to wait to receive your food, then you should make your own grilled cheese sandwich at home and stay off of Yelp.com. That being said, my Melt experience was overwhelmingly positive. H. ordered me some sort of mystery Rogue beer from the bar. Here is my one sentence review of said beer: it was light and it got me tipsy. And honestly the wait is NBD, because as you wait you're treated to Melt's charming ambiance (light-up holiday decorations! Graphic-novel-ish mural-things!) and also baseball was on, which H. appreciated because as you may or may not know he is in a fantasy baseball league at his grown-up job.
We ate outside on the patio and our waiter was a wonderful hippie with a weird shirt. Some sort of 80's station was playing, and my favorite-ever Prince song (I Would Die 4 U) came on, so I took it as a good sign. And listen...the food. You can get basically anything you've ever dreamed of on a grilled cheese sandwich. Eggplant. Bratwurst. Chorizo. Crab cakes. And pierogies! My Summer Chicken Sandwich was covered in havarti, whatever that is (just kidding. It's cheese). College Friend L. ordered a sandwich with a fried egg on it. Is this not the stuff of dreams? Everything was great (I am so good at writing about food!) and the portion sizes were huge. I'm already looking forward to eating the rest of my sandwich, even though it's 8 in the morning and I'm watching Saved By the Bell: The College Years and the last thing I should be thinking about is garlic-herb mayonnaise.
The Talented Winfrey Family highly recommends Melt. Grade: A, for delicious cheeses, large selection of beers with names I didn't pay attention to, delightful decor, and fabulous company.