Soaking it all in

There is no doubt that summer has arrived. The temperature outside is blazing, the kids are out of school, and the pool parties, beach trips and barbecue cookouts are in full swing. The Fourth of July is just around the corner, and while we certainly want to celebrate everything that Independence Day stands for (meaning our freedom and not the Will Smith movie and its sequel), it is also a time to gather around with family and friends and enjoy a typical American favorite — a hot dog. I am partial to the all-beef franks made by either Hebrew National or Nathan’s. They always seem to take me back to my youth. Hanging out on South Beach with a group of 20 or so people rocking out to Fleetwood Mac, Billy Joel or Elton John tunes. When you’re young and on a budget, burgers and hot dogs are the way to go in feeding the masses. We would get there early, around 7 a.m., set up a bunch of blankets and create a semicircle of chairs so we could socialize. At the end of the semi-circle of c

Guten Tag, everyone. I know I can't be the only person who is already OVER the summer heat and looking forward to the fall and winter. October happens to be my favorite time of year for two reasons...HALLOWEEN and BEER! Yesterday I got a hankering for some German food so I went to Zum Rosenhof during my lunch break and chomped down on a mushroom Rhamn schnitzel. And each and every time I have lunch there it brings back some great memories especially when they hosted Oktoberfest! Man, downtown Hinesville was sure a hopping place (ha, get it, as in beer hops … but I digress), at least for two years in a row in October 2009 and 2010. For those two years, the entire community crowded into Bradwell Park for Oktoberfest celebrations that were put together by the Hinesville Downtown Development Authority, Fort Stewart’s Morale, Welfare and Recreation and, of course, Zum Rosenhof German Restaurant. For an entire weekend, downtown transformed in to Bavaria. It was amazing. Ziggy

Bar-B-Que shrimp, Bar-B-Que shrimp! Oh man I loves me some Bar-B-Que shrimp! If you follow my columns then you know one of my favorite places to visit for the food is New Orleans. Crawfish Etouffee, red beans and rice, gumbo and jambalaya. YES PLEASE! But it’s not always possible to travel to NOLA on a food whim. Although I wish I could. So I often try and replicate some of my favorite NOLA treats at home. And I’ve failed often at recreating the scrumptiousness that I’ve tasted while in the Big Easy. Maybe it’s because in NOLA you can have authentic beignets at the world famous Café’ Du Monde on Decatur Street in the heart of the French Quarter with the Mississippi River just feet away. Oh Yeah, all covered with powdered sugar and washed down with their Chicory coffee Au Lait. It’s difficult to even come close to the Po’ Boys served in the Mid-City district at Parkway subs, which has been serving up the classic Crescent city sandwich since the early 1900s. It’s hard