it's like Christmas came early!!!

i thought today would be like any other day on break. . . relaxing, minimally productive, and enjoyable. but today had some surprises in store. today was going to be spectacular and i didn't even know it.first, it started by staying in bed too long. have i mentioned that this is one of my favorite things to do? especially when there is no accompanying guilt and today there was none of that. then j and i got breakfast at the Kolache Factory. Have you ever had a kolache? the first time i tried one i was in birmingham, searching for goodies in our office kitchen. i found these rolls and bit into one only to find a delicious sausage and cheese filled center wrapped inperfect yeast dough. i ran down to my office to tell everyone about this amazing discovery; they already knew. i literally could not believe no one had ever told me about the kolache. so, here they have a whole bakery dedicated to them and that is where i got to enjoy breakfast with the cutest guy on the planet.

then, after some shopping and cleaning while j and his twin (yes, he has a twin, no he is not single) played video games in the basement - we decided to hit up pappy's bbq for a late lunch.

if my kolache experience was a fantastic first date, (or second?) my relationship with bbq is nothing less that a lifetime covenantal commitment based on love and mutual respect. good bbq is one of the things i miss most about the south. slow roasted pork on buttery buns and ribs that make you work for the tender smokey pieces of meat. oh my gosh, i could go back for more right now. pappy's has been featured on the food network and cooking channel, which is what convinced me to give it a chance. it's midwestern though, which kept my expectations low. after eating there all i have to say is this: GO. get all the meats, get all the sides and double up the sweet potato fries. when i was done, my plate looked like this:

sorry, is that gross? who cares?! i need to relive this moment. so we sat there talking about how good it was and how full it was and how the guy on man v. food ate there and then we all knew what had to be done: we had to hit up the crown candy kitchen.

crown candy was also featured on the food network and is known for it's milkshakes and malts and yes, candy. it closed at four, so we had 30 minutes to get there and sit down. we made it, and ordered these:

please note, each of these fills a standard milkshake glass a whopping 3 times. 3 TIMES!!!! no, i didn't finish my silver cup of chocolate banana goodness but the part that could fit in my stomach was incredible. when i was in jr. high and high school my dad and i set out to find the best milkshake in columbia. if crown candy had been in the running it would have owned everywhere else that we went.

then i fell into a food coma. and it was worth it. merry Christmas to me.