Dad's Favorites

I discovered my new favorite sandwich place yesterday, and it is so so SO good. And it just so happens to be Kentucky Proud as well. 

Called "Dad's Favorites," this small business started when a man (who just so happens to be a dad) decided he wanted to share his delicious cheese spreads with the world... and turned it into a successful business, selling the cheese wholesale and opening his own (amazing) deli that I visited when I came home to Lexington this weekend.

Dad's Favorites is located in the Garden Springs shopping center, wedged between a coin laundry, a shoe repair place, and a barber shop. Although I had the address typed into maps on my phone, it took me a good ten minutes to actually find the place because I wasn't expecting to find a restaurant in this little old strip mall type building. 

Luckily I eventually spotted this sign and headed inside. When you walk in, the picture on the right is what you see. With how hard it was for me to find, I was surprised by how many people were enjoying their own lunches here, especially since I went later than the normal lunch rush. 

Granted, after trying it for myself, I can understand why. I love club sandwiches and I love spicy food, so when I got up to the counter I ordered a Pepper Jack Club, and I was not disappointed. I made it a Dad's Combo with a bag of chips and a refreshing cup of Ale8, and I ate the whole thing not 5 minutes after getting it. 

Also, all of that food together was only about $8, and I was totally stuffed after that. PLUS the Dad himself offers free cheese samples near the counter, and he'll tell you all about them as you stuff your face.

While I was ordering, I overheard how the brand's beer cheese came into being... Basically, he said that he never planned on making a beer cheese because everybody and his brother around Kentucky makes their own beer cheese and thinks it's the best, but then the boys at Country Boy Brewing (a local Kentucky microbrewery) and him got to talking and they came up with a beer cheese recipe using locally brewed beer.

I didn't have time to try it or any of the other spreads (except the Pepper Jack one from my sandwich!) since my 16 year old puppy was waiting for me in the car. So, I can't actually say anything specific about how good I'm assuming the "Stampin' Ground Cheddar Spread" (beer cheese) is... But the fact that this local business supports other Kentucky Proud businesses makes it that much cooler, and it was already awesome just because of how tasty my sandwich was!

Also, seeing the huge case of cheese spreads for sale, I decided I had to grab a tub to bring home to my parents. They're available at one for $6 or two for $10, and as you can see Katie (my dog) wanted a bite as soon as I got in the car... and my dad's already eaten over half of the one that I brought back. 

If that's not a good recommendation then I don't know what one is... anyway, if you're in the area, GO to Dad's Favorites. Short on time? They offer a carry out/delivery/ready when you arrive option. Just call or fax your order to (859) 309-1930. More information including menu on their website. (Link HERE)

Now you really don't have an excuse, so try this local Kentucky business because I'm serious when I say I just found my new favorite sandwich. 

Kentucky Canvas

It's officially my first craft post!!

This is pretty exciting for me because I'm really proud of this canvas that I did over the weekend.

Thursday was my best friend since birth's 20th birthday, and Friday night she had friends and family over for a dinner to celebrate.

I drove back to Lexington as soon as class was over on Friday so I could figure out something to give her that night (and eat lunch with my mom at Panera of course!), but I was stumped. We've exchanged a decent number of gifts over the years and I didn't want to give her just another random pair of earrings or a headband.

Then as I was sitting at home after lunch, I got in the mood to do some crafting, and I realized I could make her something cute and simple to hang up in her room, and what's better than a Kentucky canvas?

I checked my craft supplies, mixed up a few colors (a mixture of Martha Stewart, and Liquitex acrylic paints) to get the perfect blues for what I had in mind, and got started.

First I found an outline of the state online, zoomed in to make it the proper size, and traced it off of my computer screen using a piece of notebook paper and a pencil. I then went over the pencil with a dark marker, taped the outline to the back of the canvas, held it up to the window to let light through, and retraced the outline onto the canvas using a pencil.

Next, using a large paint brush I free handed the outer chevrons using a ruler to line up the peaks so that they would look similar. There are lots of tricks on Pinterest of how to make perfect chevrons on a canvas, so if you're really OCD about how your lines look and thinking about making a similar canvas, I recommend checking there first.

Anyway, I didn't mind the little bit of variation in my chevrons although it did take awhile to get them just right. But, after I finally got the outer chevrons just right it was time to paint the Kentucky outline. I used a smaller brush and just did my best to follow the trace I'd made in pencil.

After my first coat of dark blue on the outline, I made the middle chevron by lining up the peaks and having it just touch the edges. I then did another coat of dark blue just to clean up my lines.

Finally I looked up a map of Kentucky and estimated about where Lexington would be in my drawing, and used a little bright red paint to put a heart over the city.

I loved the way it turned out, but as I was looking at it after I finished, I decided it would look even better with a little glitter (because what doesn't look better with a little glitter!?).

So, using some Krylon glitter spray I put a thin layer of glitter over the entire canvas. The fully finished (glittered!) product is below, but it's sort of hard to tell how sparkly it is in the picture.

Anyway, it took a little while for the glitter to dry so I couldn't wrap the gift, but I think my friend still liked it! And it got me excited for all the Christmas crafts I hope to make this winter!

Smokey Valley Truck Stop and Carter Caves State Park

Happy Monday! We've officially had a bit of snow here, and I'm extremely excited for Christmas even though it's still a week and a half until Thanksgiving.

Anyway, last Monday Kam and I went on another adventure, this time to Olive Hill, KY. We'd been planning on eating at the Smokey Valley Truck Stop for awhile, and I was super excited when he suggested we finally go.

I didn't want to just drive all that way (it's about 30 min from Morehead's campus) just for a burger though, so I convinced Kameron to drive just ten minutes further and take me to Carter Caves State Park to do a little hiking.

Unfortunately the convincing took a little while, so when we finally got there it wasn't too long before dark, but luckily Carter Caves has a wide variety of trails ranging from 0.1 to 9 miles so we still got to get a little hiking in. We chose the 0.5 mile natural bridge loop trail and it took practically no time at all.

This state park also offers cave tours as there are multiple caves on the property. When I was growing up Carter Caves was my favorite state park in Kentucky, so I'm pretty sure I've been through at least most of them, but it's been a really long time.



I'm hoping one of these days we'll have time to go back and go through one of them because from what I remember they're pretty cool.

Anyway, after we finished our little hike at Carter Caves, we headed straight to Smokey Valley Truck Stop to get dinner just before sunset.

The Truck Stop is Olive Hill's claim to fame as Guy Fieri and the show Diners, Dives, and Drive-In's visited here a few years ago, and they didn't disappoint.

Kam was patient enough to wait for me to take these two pictures before diving in... I don't think our burgers sat on our plates for more than a minute before they were gone.

Also, I've heard that the coconut cream pie is their signature thing, but neither of us are big fans of coconut so he tried the peanut butter pie and I had a slice of pecan.

Mine was good but Kam said his was the best, so I recommend getting a slice of peanut butter pie from the Truck Stop if you're in the area.

Anyway, this was one of my favorite adventure dates Kameron and I have gone on, and I finally forced him to take another picture with me.

Freezer Fresh Dairy

Well, our soccer team did not win the OVC Tournament this year. Unfortunately we lost in the semifinals to the team that went on to win it. 

The game was super dramatic, and pretty much all of us feel as if we were robbed in the last few minutes due to a very influential call that lead to a pk being scored. But, the past is in the past and there's nothing we can do about it now. 

SO, since it's Monday and I'm planning on going on another adventure later today, I figured I should probably post a little something about the last adventure Kameron and I went on. 

A couple of weeks ago we were in the car with a few free hours before practice. We thought about going to Lockegee and were headed that way when somehow as we randomly decided to go on a spur of the moment adventure to West Liberty, KY. 

A few years ago, this area got hit by a really bad tornado that destroyed most of the main part of town, and even though Kam and I both knew this, it was still surprising to see how much construction is currently going on. 

Anyway, one local business that was rebuilt after the storm is the Freezer Fresh Dairy, a little order at the window/eat in your car burger and ice cream joint that's been around since 1958. 

I took these pictures while we waited on our food... Two Double Deckers, fries, a chocolate milkshake, and a strawberry milkshake. 

It didn't take long at all, and I thoroughly enjoyed our food. It may not have been the healthiest pre-practice meal, but it was good! The double decker has two burger patties with a bun separating them and coleslaw on the top and bottom. 

When I ordered one I didn't realize it had coleslaw on it, and I'm usually not much of a coleslaw eater, but with a little ketchup and an open mind it was actually really tasty. 

So, if you happen to be in the West Liberty area and need to make a quick pit stop for food or a milkshake, check out the Freezer Fresh Dairy. 

Also, check back soon for another post about exploring Kentucky! I've got quite a few planned now that season's over!

Autumn Rain in Morehead

So, it's November now and fall is in full swing here in Kentucky... so I figured I might as well upload a short post on my lovely college town at this time of year.

I actually took these pictures in the middle of October on a particularly colorful but rainy day. I finished my classes early and felt like taking some pictures before doing anything else. So, I went up to Eagle Lake, the small body of water on campus that belongs to the university and did my thing.

The lake itself is pretty, and I love reading or drinking some coffee on one of the benches near it, but the best part of Eagle Lake is the trails that lead around it. 

This third picture is from just past the trailhead. At this time of year, it's absolutely gorgeous. I haven't had the chance to walk it this semester just yet, but I'm hoping one of these days I'll be able to carve out about 45 minutes to walk the full loop. 

Anyway, right now our soccer team is at Southeast Missouri University for the OVC Tournament. We beat Murray State 5-1 last night and are currently waiting to play in the semifinals against SIUE tonight at 4:00pm. If we win we have a chance to become back to back OVC Champions, so here's hoping tonight goes well!

New blog posts coming again soon I promise!