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The Pioneer Woman Mercantile’s first-ever whole hog dinner

We were so thrilled (and honored) to be invited to The Pioneer Woman Mercantile's First Ever Whole Hog Dinner. If you just let the name of that meal...

Five ideas for finding unforgettable pizza

Americans eat 3 BILLION pizzas every year! That means that every single day we eat enough pizza to cover 100 acres of land. In order to do this, we...

Cooking paella with The Pioneer Woman’s friend, Hyacinth, and The Chef & The Dish

How I ended up cooking with The Pioneer Woman's friend, Hyacinth, is an interesting story. When we bought a home where she lives in Pawhuska,...

Pivo Brewery and Blepta Studios: Hand crafted beer and beer crafted art

When we sat down at Pivo Brewery, in tiny Calmar, Iowa, I was excited to taste a few craft beers at this new tap room. Then, owner Craig Neuzil came...

5 things I’ve learned about Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

When I left my career as a middle school principal, I gained some immediate benefits. I traded in my neckties for t-shirts and long meetings for...

Five ideas for finding unforgettable pizza

by Steve | Feb 9, 2019 | Feature Food & Drink, Food and Drink, Travel

Americans eat 3 BILLION pizzas every year! That means that every single day we eat enough pizza to cover 100 acres of land. In order to do this, we consume it at a rate of 350 slices per second! I have done my part to support this national love affair with pizza, and...

Celebrating New Year’s Eve at Coast in Gulf Shores

by Ann | Jan 10, 2019 | Feature Holidays, Food and Drink, Holidays, Travel, Uncategorized, USA, Where we've been

We celebrated a lovely New Year's Eve at Coast Restaurant in Gulf Shores, Alabama this year. It was a great place to stop and spend the holiday while traveling from our home in Oklahoma to Florida for a cruise. The nice folks at The Beach Club Resort & Spa offered us...

Cooking paella with The Pioneer Woman’s friend, Hyacinth, and The Chef & The Dish

by Ann | Dec 14, 2018 | Feature Food & Drink, Food and Drink, Pawhuska

How I ended up cooking with The Pioneer Woman's friend, Hyacinth, is an interesting story. When we bought a home where she lives in Pawhuska, Oklahoma, I wasn't quite sure how we were going to fit into this small town of ranchers, Osage, and oilmen. Don't get me...

Pivo Brewery and Blepta Studios: Hand crafted beer and beer crafted art

by Steve | Dec 1, 2018 | Feature Food & Drink, Feature The Midwest, Food and Drink, The Midwest, USA

When we sat down at Pivo Brewery, in tiny Calmar, Iowa, I was excited to taste a few craft beers at this new tap room. Then, owner Craig Neuzil came over to my table with eight (!) beers in sampling glasses. I was sure I'd told him it would just be me doing the...

5 things I’ve learned about Parmigiano Reggiano cheese

by Steve | Oct 31, 2018 | Experiences, Feature Experiences, Feature Food & Drink, Food and Drink

When I left my career as a middle school principal, I gained some immediate benefits. I traded in my neckties for t-shirts and long meetings for behind-the-scenes tours. Recently, though, I learned of another great switcheroo that came when I left my job in public...

We learned how to make risotto with The Chef & The Dish

by Ann | Oct 28, 2018 | At Home, Feature Food & Drink, Food and Drink

We've always wanted to learn how to make risotto. So, when The Chef & The Dish reached out to us (read more about that HERE) and offered us a complimentary cooking class where we'd learn how to make risotto not just one, but two ways, the answer was a definite yes! We...

The Chef & The Dish Skypes a chef right into your kitchen

by Ann | Oct 27, 2018 | Experiences, Feature Experiences, Feature Food & Drink, Food and Drink

The Chef & The Dish brings world-class chefs right into your kitchen and it couldn't make me happier. Lasting memories I will never forget the taste of the beautifully presented, fruit covered waffle we had in Belgium or the spinach pie we learned how to make in...

Tips for your visit to Prosecco Road: #4 Savor the food

by Ann | Sep 14, 2018 | Feature Food & Drink, Food and Drink, Italy, The World

When we were in Italy this summer tasting the bubbly wines along Prosecco Road, it was easy to be laser focused on the next wine tasting. However, to go to the Prosecco region and only concentrate on the wine would be a shame. That's because Valdobbiadene had some of...

Tips for your visit to Prosecco Road #3 – Get to know your wine

by Steve | Sep 8, 2018 | Feature Food & Drink, Food and Drink, Italy, The World

A slow journey along the Prosecco Road allows you really get to know the wine you are drinking in a way not found in other parts of Italy. Because it doesn't have the masses of tourists found elsewhere in the country, visitors to the Prosecco region can really immerse...

Tips for your visit to Prosecco Road – #2 Stay at an agriturismo

by Steve | Sep 6, 2018 | Food and Drink, Italy, Places to stay, The World

If you're wondering what an agriturismo is, don't worry. You're in good company. I had no idea the word even existed before our trip to Italy this summer. In fact, it wasn't until I stayed in one that I gained a good understanding of what they are and how they can...

A unique wine tasting in the woods and our stay near Montepulciano, Italy

by Ann | Jul 25, 2018 | Experiences, Feature Experiences, Food and Drink, Italy, Places to stay, The World, Where we've been

When we went wine tasting in Tuscany (can I just interject that I've dreamt about saying those words for quite some time) I had no idea what to expect from our visit to the town of Montepulciano, other than we would likely be tasting Vino Nobile, the typical wine of...

Five tips for wine tasting in Tuscany

by Steve | Jul 20, 2018 | Experiences, Feature Italy, Food and Drink, Italy, The World, Where we've been

I’ve done wine tastings before. You pull into a winery, hear all about their wonderful product while sampling a flight of four to five wines poured out in small, two-sip portions 10 seconds apart, decide whether to buy, and then head out the door. So, when we set out...

Our incredible private tour and cooking class in Chianti with Italy Unfiltered

by Ann | Jun 26, 2018 | Experiences, Feature Experiences, Food and Drink, Italy, The World, Where we've been

After spending a day on our own exploring beautiful Siena, Italy, our hosts Deb of Italy Unfiltered and her husband Massi the Driver picked us up at our hotel and we began our complimentary tour of Italian food, wine, and culture in the Chianti Region. As we got in...

How I fell into a Tuscan food coma – Part 2

by Steve | Jun 23, 2018 | Experiences, Feature The World, Food and Drink, Italy, The World, Where we've been

[well]This is Part 2 about our complimentary Tuscan food tour with American, Deb, of Italy Unfiltered, and her Italian husband, Massi the Driver. To read Part 1, click HERE.[/well] We left the bakery, simultaneously asking ourselves how we could possibly eat more and...

How I fell into a Tuscan food coma – Part 1

by Steve | Jun 17, 2018 | Experiences, Food and Drink, Italy, The World, Where we've been

By Steve I intended to write this post about our incredible first day with hosts Deb and Massi yesterday, but I accidentally slipped into a food coma. In all fairness, it isn't my fault. I mean, they took us on a foodie tour of Siena, and it was a grueling delicious...

10 things we love about Kinkaider Brewing Company in Broken Bow, Nebraska

by Ann | May 5, 2018 | Feature The Midwest, Food and Drink, The Midwest, USA, Where we've been

Central Nebraska’s Kinkaider Brewing Company is quickly becoming one of the most popular destination craft breweries in the Midwest. Located at the edge of the rolling Sandhills in Broken Bow, Nebraska, Kinkaider was founded by four small-town Nebraskans, three of...

This Clear Lake, Iowa deli ranks #1 despite only being open 17 1/2 (ish) hours a week

by Ann | Apr 27, 2018 | Feature Food & Drink, Food and Drink, The Midwest, USA, Where we've been

Trip Advisor’s #1-ranked restaurant in Clear Lake, Iowa, is only open 17 and a half(ish) hours a week. Might not seem like the best business model, but the sisters who own and manage Starboard Market have made it work quite well in this quaint Midwest town – for 19...

A very filling agritourism progressive meal from the Plains Safaris conference

by Steve | Apr 18, 2018 | Experiences, Feature Travel, Food and Drink, The Midwest, USA, Where we've been

I went on my first agritourism progressive meal today. Let me just say, I'm now a big fan. Ann and I are attending the Plains Safaris: A conference on tourism and conservation in the Great Plains in Kearney, Nebraska, this week. When I saw that one of the...

What I love most about The Pioneer Woman Mercantile in Pawhuska, OK

by Ann | Feb 14, 2018 | Food and Drink, Pawhuska, The Pioneer Woman, USA, Where we've been

It's Valentine's Day and that gets me thinking about all the things I love. My incredible family. Our fantastic church. The privilege of blogging about midlife travel. My electric mattress pad warmer. And yes, Edna Mae's pancakes at The Pioneer Woman Mercantile. I...

The secret to that good Handy’s fountain pop in Pawhuska, Oklahoma

by Steve | Oct 24, 2017 | Food and Drink, Pawhuska, USA, Where we've been

When we agreed to come to Pawhuska, Oklahoma, for the National Indian Taco Championship, we asked locals what we should do when we got to town. The first thing anyone told us was to go to Handy's to get a fountain pop because it's really good, and because they, "have...

5 things we learned judging the National Indian Taco Championships in Pawhuska

by Ann | Oct 23, 2017 | Feature Pawhuska, Food and Drink, Pawhuska, USA, Where we've been

As you may have heard, earlier this month we were invited to be celebrity judges for the National Indian Taco Championships in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. We'd been invited by the Pawhuska Chamber of Commerce to join six others (who had much greater celebrity status than we...

TripAdvisor’s most hilarious manager responses from Robert J. at Peppermill

by Ann | Oct 19, 2017 | Food and Drink, Real Life, The Midwest, USA

With more than 500 million candid traveler reviews, TripAdvisor has quickly become a go-to online resource for many travelers, including us. We often roll into a new city with cell-phones in hand, searching for a top-10ish restaurant to stop for dinner. We typically...

The secret to The Village Pie Maker pies

by Ann | Oct 2, 2017 | Feature Food & Drink, Food and Drink, The Midwest, USA, Where we've been

I am the first to admit, I am not a baker. I don't bake homemade bread, or cinnamon rolls, or cake. And Lord knows, I wouldn't even think about trying to make a pie other than a chocolate one with three ingredients and a store-bought graham cracker crust. While I'm a...

Yes, we’re going to be celebrity judges at the National Indian Taco Championship!

by Ann | Sep 29, 2017 | Blogging, Food and Drink, Real Life

Between the two of us, we've got some interesting titles on our resumes. Sports writer, lifeguard, vice president of public relations, athletic director, lobbyist, middle school principal, travel writers, and bloggers. And now, we get to add ... wait for it ......

My attempt at conquering a Vitek’s Gut Pak

by Steve | Jul 21, 2017 | Food and Drink, USA, Where we've been

When David Ridley of Waco Tours recommended the Gut Pak at Vitek's BBQ, I knew that was where I wanted to go for lunch. Sure, he had a couple other suggestions, but the name piqued my curiosity and after spending two days at The Pioneer Woman Mercantile and Magnolia...

I like big buns and I cannot lie

by Steve | Jul 3, 2017 | Feature Food & Drink, Food and Drink, Pawhuska, The Pioneer Woman, USA, Where we've been

Let me cut to the chase. One of the main reasons people visit The Pioneer Woman Mercantile in Pawhuska, Okla., is to eat. Sure, there are colorful serving bowls to admire, plates to purchase, and recipe books to thumb through. But for me (and I suspect many others)...

Six reasons to take your wife to The Pioneer Woman Mercantile

by Steve | Jul 1, 2017 | Experiences, Feature Destinations, Feature Pawhuska, Food and Drink, Pawhuska, The Pioneer Woman, USA, Where we've been

I had my doubts when Ann told me she wanted to visit The Pioneer Woman Mercantile in Pawhuska, Okla. For me, I couldn't see how this would be time well spent. I envisioned a crowded store with mostly middle-aged women roaming around, oohing and aaahing at spatulas and...

Our visit to The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond’s Mercantile

by Ann | Jun 17, 2017 | Feature Where We've Been, Food and Drink, Pawhuska, The Pioneer Woman, USA, Where we've been

About 12 hours after Steve finished his last school board meeting and his ended his career as a middle school principal, we were on the road for a much-needed (and anticipated) vacation. First stop – Pawhuska, Oklahoma to visit The Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond's...

The Joy of Sidewalk Cafes

by Steve | Jan 17, 2016 | Experiences, Food and Drink, The World, Where we've been

I have always loved travel. As a Spanish teacher, I thought it important to share my love of travel with my students. So, together with a German teacher colleague from across the hall who shared that belief, we planned a European tour for our students. It was hugely...

We’ll toast to that!

by Ann | Jun 19, 2015 | Cruising, Food and Drink

National Martini Day is apparently celebrated each year on June 19. I tried to research this holiday and was unable to find the creator or origin of National Martini Day -- but that's not going to stop us from toasting it! While we aren't big drinkers, on the...

Love me some koh-lah-chee

by Ann | Aug 9, 2014 | Food and Drink, The Midwest, USA, Where we've been

Cherry is my personal favorite. And it has been since I was a little girl and was first introduced to kolace, usually at the home of my great-grandmother, Olive (Moravek) Rashleigh. She was Czechoslovakian and whenever we got together for family gatherings at her...

Making the most of midlife.

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