My Favorite Stillwater Eats

This post is partly inspired by my husband's new blog - which I encourage all to read. The link is under "My Friends & Family" list. He takes things we have spent money on and reviews it. This post, however, is just a list of my favorite places to eat at in Stillwater. So, if you are from Stillwater I hope you enjoy it and if you ever come to Stillwater to visit I hope this gives you a good idea of what's to eat!

At first glance people think Stillwater only has pizza and hamburger places - but if you delve a little deeper you will find a plethora of dining experiences. Here are my favorites for every category I can think of:

1. Cafe Bella - one of my all-time favorite places in Stillwater. It's a little Greek cafe on Main street. Their food is fresh and made-to-order. It is a lighter menu with sandwiches and salads, which makes me feel healthy. I highly recommend the Falafel or the Pick Two option - all of their sandwiches are great and I love their greek salad. The atmosphere is relaxed and inviting. They also have really good cheesecake. There is a wait for your food - even when you are the only people there... but for me it is well worth it.

2. El Vaquero/El Tapatio - great Mexican food. Both are owned by the same people and have the exact same menu. So your choice is between a nicer, traditional Spanish Hacienda or a hole-in-the wall-spring-break type atmosphere. Chips and salsa are complementary to your meal. Everything I have tried on the menu I have liked - you really can't go wrong.

3. Golden Dragon - my favorite Chinese place. The food is very flavorful. It is also the only place in Stillwater that serves Mushu - which is one of my favorite dishes ever! The food is plentiful so I recommend splitting a plate or at least be prepared to have leftovers for lunch the next day.

4. Joseppi's - the only Italian restaraunt in Stillwater. The food is rather mediocre but you do get free bread fresh from the oven. I would recommend the Chicken Marsala, Ravioli, or Tortellini dishes. On Wednesday's they have $5 pizza night which is always fun. Besides it is part of the famous Joe's trio - so I had to give them some recognition.

5. Hideaway - best place for pizza. You just can't go wrong with so many topping choices. They have everything from artichoke hearts to your classical pepperoni. Their canadian bacon is hands down the best in town! If you go at lunch the prices are a little cheaper - you can get a side salad and mini pizza (your choice of topping) for about $6.50, if I remember correctly. My personal favorite is the Aubrey & Whitney special (yes, it's one we made up) - order fresh tomato with smoked turkey and olive oil & garlic sauce. They also serve decent sub sandwiches for all of you non-pizza lovers out there.
Also a close second is Swicks' Pizza - a little cheaper and a whole lot cheesier! Swicks has thicker crusts and a rather good selection in toppings as well. While you are waiting for your pizza go play glow-in-the-dark miniature golf!

6. Goldies - my favorite hamburger place. I mean - it has a pickle bar! All you can eat complementary pickles! Their cheese fries are oh so good and oh so fattening - definitely split among a group of friends. They have great hamburgers, chicken sandwiches, and good-ole, southern cookin' dinners. If you don't feel like clogging your arteries they have a selection of salads, baked potatoes, and soups that are rather tasty. And did I mention the pickle bar!

7. Bad Brad's Bar-b-que - ask anyone in Stillwater what the best barbeque is and they will most likely say Bad Brad's. I will agree - great barbeque, wonderful potato salad, and everything is served on styrofoam plates. How great is that? So, roll up your sleeves and dump the barbeque sauce on!

And who said Stillwater only had hamburger and pizza joints? There are lot's of great cooking out there - you just have to find it! If you liked these places you might also enjoy: Thai Cafe, Kyoto's, McAllister's, Red Rock Cafe, Curly's, Cherokee Strip, and El Jalisco.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

For some reason this is one of my favorite days to celebrate! So much so that I went and bought myself a green shirt to wear today because I realized I had nothing green among my maternity wardrobe. I just love it! I can wear green, eat green, look for 4-leaf clovers, and watch Lord of the Dance and nobody thinks twice about it. I love this time of year - March is by far one of my favorite months. Today is a nice rainy day and I'm excited because it will make the world green! Isn't green just a beautiful color? Here are the top 5 reasons why everyone should celebrate St. Patrick's Day:

1. You can wear those green pants you've been hiding in your closet!
2. Green Food! Guacomole, cucumbers, sugar cookies with green icing, green eggs and ham!
3. You can wear something that says "Kiss me I'm Irish" - even if you're not Irish!
4. You can look for green leaf clovers and the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.
5. You can listen to Irish/Celtic music and pretend you're in Ireland.

So - here's to the luck of the Irish. Kiss someone who is Irish - or just kiss someone for fun! ;) Carlin - you can kiss me because I have Irish ancestry!

Dumb boys!

I don't know who in the history of mankind decided that men were the "greater sex" but whoever did is dumb - oh wait, it was probably a man! Don't get me wrong - I have a great respect for the men in my life. My father, grandfathers, uncles, and husband are all great men who respect their wives, their mothers, and their daughters. This is not a feminist tirade, sorry to disappoint. No, this is just a rant of my frustrations with my class group. I am a Finance major and so work a lot with other boys (they don't really deserve the title of men). In one particular class I am in a group with two other boys. Funny, how these boys from the "greater sex" can't manage to run simple Excel analyses that all Seniors in Finance should know how to do by now. Instead they turn to me to complete the work, analyze the numbers, and come up with a solution. I just don't understand how these same boys have a greater chance of becoming CEO's and receiving the higher salaries than I do when it was I who got them the "A" in the class. I understand not all boys are like this and there are plenty in my classes who are leagues smarter than I. I am just really frustrated with this particular class group and the fact that I am doing all the work. I guess I should stand up for myself and talk to the professor about this. Maybe that is why the boys get the higher salaries - they are more likely to ask for it than myself. (Sigh). Thanks for letting me rant - and I now I think I will email my professor.

Belly Pics!

I have had many requests for belly pictures. Since I am in my third trimester and now have a belly to show off I am finally meeting those requests by posting my pictures. These are all at 29 weeks - as you can see I look like I swallowed a basketball. I seem to be carrying all out front which Carlin finds rather amusing. He just loves that I look normal from the back but when I turn to the side there's the baby.

In all fairness, while Carlin does love to tease me a bit he also thinks I look beautiful and reminds me of this everyday. He is so excited to become a father and can't wait until he gets to carry his son in his arms. I also can't wait for this day because that means I will no longer have someone kicking me in the ribs! I hope everyone enjoys the pictures:

My Blog's Debut

I did it! I joined the online world of blogging, with help from my husband of course. If you want to know about my daily happenings as I explore being a wife, becoming a mother, graduating from college, and growing-up then you are welcome here. (Okay, so I may not post daily, but I will try to post frequently).