This weekend Pascal and I introduced some friends to our favorite restaurant in the area, Mike’s Farm. It’s about a forty-five minute drive from Wilmington, but it’s worth every penny of the gas it takes to get there! Mike and his wife Theresa run this agri-tourism business in Back Swamp, NC. Yes, really. Back Swamp. It’s right next to Beulaville. On weekends the farm hosts special events (every weekend in October there are hay rides out to the pumpkin patch) and the restaurant is open. We didn’t know there would be an event this weekend, but we arrived just at the end of an antique tractor show and barbeque. We checked out a few tractors and headed straight for the restaurant, which is open three nights a week, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday, from 4:30 to 8:30 pm. The menu is always the same: Fried Chicken, Pork Loin and Gravy, Country Ham Biscuits, Mashed Potatoes, Macaroni and Cheese, Green Beans, Corn, Dessert, Soft Drinks and Iced Tea. We paid $13.99 per person, and all of it was brought to our table in big bowls. We served ourselves, family-style, and ate like it was Thanksgiving Day (they’ll keep refilling the bowls as long as you want). Pascal must have had at least fourteen pieces of chicken! One of our friends, who "doesn’t like ham", couldn’t get enough of those country ham biscuits! As for me, I’m a fool for the macaroni and cheese. It’s the most delicious I’ve ever tasted (and I make a pretty good mac ‘n cheese myself!). Theresa, who is a tiny little thing, says it’s her recipe. We seriously considered kidnapping her to find out what secret ingredient makes it so creamy and good. The corn and the green beans are also delicious! In fact, I only ate one small piece of chicken and didn’t even touch the pork, so I could load up on veggies and the mac ‘n cheese.

There is also a wonderful bakery at the farm (not that we had any room for baked goods after that meal!). You can see the little gray-haired Southern ladies in the kitchen baking away (our waitress told us that the cooks in the restaurant are Southern ladies too – "just what you’d imagine them to look like", she said). The bakery is famous for its old-fashioned 10-layer chocolate cake. I’ve yet to try it, but I swear that next time I’m going to buy one! I have enjoyed a cheese Danish and sugar cookies on previous visits, and they were both delicious.

We ate at 4:30 pm (it’s best to get there early as there is usually a wait), which was more like a late lunch for us. We were so full that we didn’t eat again until 6:30 the next day! And you can bet we’ll be back again soon. I’m determined to figure out that macaroni and cheese recipe! Meanwhile, if you’re anywhere near this area, a trip to Mike’s Farm is a must; you’ll thank us for the hot tip.  

One of our customers works in the corporate world in an extremely fast-paced, demanding position. She called us late last week and said: "Help! I’m having a terribly stressful day and I need some bon bons right away!" Since we deliver in our local area, this was not a problem. Pascal packed up a tin of her favorite flavors (Café au Lait and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough) and I headed over to her office. She looked so grateful to see me when she rushed down to the lobby to retrieve her delivery. Later that afternoon, this email message (complete with cute cartoon) landed in our inbox:

"Thank you in advance for the ‘emergency’ bon bon delivery. It’s one of those days when you just really really need a bon bon!"

Knowing that we can be of service during stressful times makes it all worthwhile for us. Got a bon bon emergency? We’ll be there! All you have to do is call.

I’m fortunate to have incredibly beautiful and talented friends; one of them being Marianne Talbot, Esquire. Marianne lives in Park Slope, Brooklyn in a charming brownstone with her wonderful husband and two kitties. She is a vegan, an animal rights advocate, and a very chic and stylish eco-conscious urban citizen. Her company, Modern Venus, is based on the concepts of Power, Poise and Brilliance. Recently, on her blog, Marianne gave this brilliant suggestion for "Instant Eco-Chic":

I never use my yellow or white pages anymore – do you? Those giant books just added clutter to my home and office and I was sick of lugging them into the trash every year.

Whoo-hoo! Its Project Runway night. Yes, I’m completely hooked. Not having a television chez nous has proven to be a wonderful way to connect with friends. This season, my friend Matt and I have a standing date on Wednesday nights to watch Project Runway. I’m a Leanne fan. Although I don’t aspire to make my own clothing designs out of car parts and groceries, I do think fashion is fun! 

I thought I’d share a few fascinating fashion-related blogs that I’ve discovered in my internet travels. Let’s call these Project Run-Away blogs. One of my favorites is Sentimental Value. The author posts clothing items that have been listed on ebay.com with the seller’s back story. From tap shoes to antique gowns, from wedding dresses to used jeans, from alligator shoes to belly dancing costumes, these clothes have hysterical stories. A recent entry is a red sequined gown.  The owner writes: "I hate to let it go because it has great sentimental value; I was once levitated in it in a magic act.: Here’s another that cracks me up – the owner of this pink "Cleveland" tank top writes: "I bought it on impulse in the Cleveland airport recently while coming home from a weekend trip. I was a little tired and trail mix just wasn’t enough, what can I say?"

Another blog entitled: Why would you knit that? is dedicated to ugly things that people can knit. Perhaps one of the most famous items featured is the Coat of Many Colors by Catrina Bonet Designs, And lest we think that only regular folks make fashion faux pas, we have Second City Style to remind us that even celebrities and fashion pros also do crazy things like wearing Crocs in a French Vogue photo shoot and dressing like giant watermelons. It seems that Second City Style is a fan of Project Runway too. Check out their funny recap of last week’s episode.