We started with a round of drinks, where my cherry limeade (made for an adult of course) ran over $7, while my friend’s Frozen Mango concoction ran almost a full dollar cheaper.  Service was great, our server was attentive and even helped us picked our dinner entrees.

I’ve always gone to Champps for their salads and burgers, but tonight, I ventured off the usual path and ordered the Artichoke and Chicken Penne.  It came with a “garlic” roll on the side -AKA a mini sub roll with some chopped garlic on one corner.  The pasta itself was decent, not much sauce, and only a leaf or two of artichoke, which I found highly disappointing since that was a signature item in the dish.

One friend ordered a balsamic glazed chicken with not so garlicky mashed potatoes and a side of vegetables which were really grilled onions and zucchini in disguise.  My other friend had the best pick of the night – chicken and schrimp fajitas.  When it came to round 2 of drinks, we ordered the signature Rockstar Martini.  It was some blue liquid made of lots of different items and rimmed in Pop Rocks candy..  Only one thing was missing – the Pop Rocks!  The drink was candy sweet (totally unexpected) and with the sugar rim, was a diabetic’s nightmare.

To make up for our mediocre dinner, we ordered our favorite dessert – the Cookie express.  The cookie was half the size of what we were used to getting near OSU’s campus Champps, and it was rock hard and cold – no melting ice cream like we were expecting.  The night ended with some sort of musical trivia game that had only 2 participants.  Needless to say, we were not planning on sticking around.  We called it a night, and spent the rest of the night wondering how Champps had gone so down hill.

My overall rating: 6 out of 10 – it was a good effort on Champp’s part, but for a nearly half empty restaurant, I expected better quality and consistency with other Champp’s we had been to.

Would I go back? Maybe – but I am definitely sticking to water, and ordering a salad.

Recently,  one of my good friends and I took a trip to one of Columbus’ premiere shopping destinations – Easton Towne Centre.  My friend is not a huge shopper, but after some convincing, she knew that it was time to grow out of college attire and something a little more trendy and professional.  Thanks to great end-of-season sales, she scored a cute pair of clunky beige sandals – A totally different look for her – and she LOVED it .  The next day, she was still on a happy spree from that purchase.

The moral is that one pair of shoes did for her what a weekend getaway would do for most.  And shopping – whether its window or actual buys – does that for me.  It’s such an inexpensive way to relieve everyday stress that many don’t take advantage of and should (unless you do have a spending problem!).

My question is, what drives you the same way shopping does for much of the female population?

Many of these restaurants also offer free food throughout the year so you can enjoy more than just on your birthday. The e-mail coupons sent generally have anywhere from a 2-4 week window before expiration. Also be aware that some places may ask you to verify your DOB, so don’t try and lie about just to get caught later.

1. Buca di Beppo – TONS of coupons! For birthdays, free small appetizer or dessert.  Once in a while you get a $10 off purchase of $30 or more.  Sometimes you can combine offers also.
2. TGI Fridays – As part of their Stripes club, you get a free dessert for your birthday.  They’ll also send you exclusive offers (like BOGO) occasionally as well as information about new menu items. *you must be 21 to join
3. BD’s Mongolian Grill – $5 off your meal when you sign up, and free meal on your birthday
4. Romano’s Macaroni Grill – free appetizer when you sign up, and free chocolate cake for your birthday
5. Cold Stone Creamery - free Love It sized creation for your birthday (you can also add family members to your account to claim even more free ice cream)
6. Sephora -  part of their Beauty Insider program, free gift on your birthday (varies each year) and deluxe samples for every $100 you spend
7. Victoria Secret - with their Angel card (although I think it works without one as well), $10 to spend and various other offers throughout the year

So go sign up for some mailing lists!  I promise it’s worth it.. and it will make your birthday month just a little bit sweeter

Pulling up into the parking lot, we saw that the Beechwold Diner is set up in a little strip mall, easily passable if you were not actively looking for it.  We ended up waiting about 15 minutes to the “seat yourself” booths, which was not so bad considering it was Sunday brunch time.  Service was friendly, although there were a few remarks overheard about how much they hate to make “hot chocolate” for the customers.  The booth we were seated in looked like it was made for extremely large individuals.  I had to sit at the very edge of the seat just to reach the table in a semi-comfortable way.

I ordered a ham, cheese, and tomato omelet with hashbrowns, toast, and orange juice.  Food was average.  The omelet was a good size and filled pretty well.  The major drawback for me was that they used sliced American cheese on the inside that were not all the way melted — so you would get half a slice of cheese when you cut into the omelet.  Hashbrowns were not quite what I had expected.  They were heavily buttered and overcooked (?) to the point that it was eating extra buttery mashed potatoes with a random crunch here and there.  Toast and OJ faired just fine for me, but then again you can’t really mess that up.

Overall, I give it a 6.5 out of 10.  It was a decent breakfast at an affordable price.  Would I go back?  Possibly, but it certainly would not be the first place that comes to mind when I think breakfast.

I ordered the filet mignon, which came with a side of green beans, potatoes, and giant onion rings.  My other half ordered the scallops, which was completed by garlic mashed potatoes and giant potato chip towers.  For dessert, the New Orleans bread pudding.  I was looking forward to my filet since I don’t get that very often being in college and all and was slightly disappointed at first bite.  It was cooked perfectly, and looked great on the outside.  However, it had a smoky charcoal flavor that seemed to really overpower the meat.  The potatoes were a little creamy for my liking ( I prefer some nice chunks running through) and the green beans were good.  My date’s meal was equally matching in taste.  The scallops were a little chewier than usual, and he loved his creamy potatoes.  Overall, the highlight of the meal was the dessert.  It was well cooked, served warm, with a vanilla and raspberry sauce.

I would recommend Cameron’s to anyone looking for a nice atmosphere, and perhaps the other menu items are better cooked than what we had ordered.  I’m not entirely sure, but if I had the money, I would probably check it out one more time just to be sure.

I’m wondering what the general public thinks. Will you buy this cookbook? Do you have any tips for making it a success? And lastly, any requests for muffins? We’re planning to include every kind imaginable–blueberry, chocolate, and even peanut butter and jelly.

Send your comments in and we’ll get cooking.

Haiti means something more to me than most people I know.  My Catholic parish, where I grew up and still attend, supports a sister parish in Haiti.  We actually recently raised over $212,000 to build a medical/health clinic for the people there.  I know that I am going to do all I can to support and get Haiti all the funds that they need to be restored.

If you can help, please go here: http://bit.ly/6Iq8LJ  and donate to the American Red Cross.  I’m sure you are being bombarded with pledges for donation — BUT just do it.  You’ll feel better about yourself.  I promise.

A super easy recipe:

4-6 chicken breast tenderloins
1 cup Cap’n Crunch, crushed to a powder
1 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup flour
1 egg
A pinch of salt and pepper

1.  Clean the chicken
2.  Mix the cereal and breadcrumbs together in a ziplock bag.
3.  Break the egg in a bowl.  Set aside.
4.  Put flour, salt, and pepper in a ziplock bag.
5.  Dip chicken into flour — egg — cereal
6.  Fry 3-4 minutes on each side at medium heat.
7. Enjoy!

I use the ziplock bags to keep from getting to messy–and easy cleanup.  There was an unusually sweet something about the chicken, but it tasted delicious.  I served mine with a side of cheesy potatoes and corn. Delish!!

Easton Town Center: This is a highly popular outdoor shopping mall.  It offers a very large shopping and dining area, including an indoor portion, and the surrounding areas are also filled with shops and restaurants.  There is also a movie theater, a comedy club, a live stage theater, and a Gameworks inside.  There is something to do for everyone.  In the summer, there are water fountains for small children to dabble in.  For winter, there are Christmas lights decorating every inch, a huge Christmas tree, and even horse carriage rides.  As far as the shopping goes, Easton features the normal every day mall shops as well as some higher-end stores like Burberry, Tiffany & Co, and Henri Bendel.   Best days to go: less-than-perfect weather days (so it’s less crowded) and NOT on weekends.

Polaris Fashion Place: Polaris is one of the two traditional indoor shopping malls in Columbus.  They recently added an outdoor “lifestyle center” which features a few stores, and restaurants.  The mall is great for anyone with kids because there are many small play areas in the mall.  For shoppers, there are the usual stores and then Saks Fifth Avenue and Sephora (which you will only find here).  Polaris is definitely the place to go if you plan on dining before or after your shopping adventure.  There is a multitude of restaurants to choose from that cover everything from Chick-fil-a to Benihana Japanese Steakhouse to several Cameron Mitchell restaurants.  Best days to go: summertime (most people are at Easton during this time) and mid-week.

The Mall at Tuttle Crossing:  This is the second of the two traditional shopping malls.  The major perks here are H&M and Macy’s (there are 2 of them!).  Generally, those are the reasons why I go to this mall.  There are a few restaurants nearby the mall area, but not much to choose from.  If you are in Dublin or Hilliard, this is your closest mall — otherwise, it’s just out of the way for most of us.

Short North: This is a great area for anyone that is artsy.  There are lots of vintage and one-of-a-kind stores here, as well as art galleries.  Most of the shopping and dining is more upscale than the other shopping areas.  Although if you trek to the south side of the Short North, you’ll find North Market – which is full of little ethnic restaurants and food shops.  North Market is a must see for anyone visiting the area for the first time.  The Short North is also home to the famous Jeni’s Ice Cream (featured in Bon Apetit) which has two locations — one right on High St. and the other inside North Market.

With the coming year, I find that gradation will be the hardest event to go through.  Why?  I’m graduating a quarter early, meaning my friends will still be trekking through their education (though this does give me an edge on the maybe hopeful job market); and I’m going to officially become a real adult with real responsibilities and much less reliance on my parents for everyday things.  For someone who has been very much sheltered for a good deal of her life, this is very scary and stressful to think about.

So in the coming months, as time culminates to the transition for me into adulthood, I’m going to change the tone of this blog a little.  I will try my best to write of every savory and sweet food adventure I partake in, every interesting film, each little road trip and any life altering moments that happen along the way.

You have my word.