POSITIVELY LOCAL, HONEY

I always like starting the week out on a sweet note. In exchange for offering some ideas to inspire you over the weekend, I need your suggestions on how to use this local honey from Bee Hill that I picked up at the Anderson Farmers Market.

The young man who sold it to me, profiled here, is probably in his teens now, and apparently still in the honey-making business!

I don't cook with a lot of honey, but want to do justice to this one. So please, share your suggestions.

Happy Monday!

4 WAYS TO INSPIRE YOURSELF THIS WEEKEND, AND CULINARY SMACKDOWN REMINDER

1. Try a new farmers market

That's what Cindie and I did last weekend, checking out the Anderson Farmers Market on a tip from a friend. Smallish, but interesting. Grass-fed beef! Olds meeting youngs! Maddux's, a long-standing favorite of ours! (Too bad they'd sold all their great corn and tomatoes by the time we got there.)

Plus a petting zoo.

Apologies to my chicken-lovin', chicken-raisin' friends, but none of my photos of the chickens there turned out worth a darn. Too many eager children crowded around to get a good photo.

2. Try a new restaurant

After our woefully late arrival at the Anderson farmers market, Cindie and I consoled ourselves with lunch at nearby Kar-ma in Anderson Towne Center. She'd eaten there before, but the restaurant and much of its Thai/Laotian cuisine were new to me. We started with Tum Yum Soup and asparagus-bacon wraps.

Then we split the Salt and Pepper Prawns.

3. Try a new taco

Switching culinary ethnicity gears here, I've become a major fan of Senor Roy's since the new Cincinnati food truck plan came to fruition and I can find this mobile delight just a couple of blocks from my office. Lines can be long for food this good (going on a rainy a day, lines are a little shorter). The first time I went, I had plenty of time to listen to the lingo before stepping up to place my order: "Three tacos. On corn [tortillas]. Meat trifecta [chicken, marinated flank steak, or pork al pastor]."  And then for the same price, which works out to about $2 per taco, you get to load on their outstanding add-ons and condiments: rice, beans, cotilja and chihuaha cheese, pico de gallo, corn salsa, fresh cilantro, and pickled onions are just a few of my favorites.

Apparently Senor Roy's is offering up a contest for customers to suggest their own favorite taco. But I'd be hard pressed to improve on what they've already got goin' on . . . . unless they might add a mole to the menu. Hmmm . . .

4. Try a new contest

Like my blogging friend Big Shamu did. Her post about her submission to Anthony Bourdain's 500-word essay contest also demonstrates her mad Photo Chopping skillz. 

And speaking of contests, I'll leave you with this musical reminder that the deadline for the next Culinary Smackdown is Saturday, July 24. Details here.

Happy cooking, and remember that summer goes by far too fast, so you'd best just slow down and enjoy it.