Day Trip To Crossville For Bird Houses And Lunch With Friends

Several years ago, at an RV rally in Crossville, TN, we bought a few bluebird houses from a representative of the Cumberland County Bluebird Club and we stationed them around our property.  Since bluebirds are very territorial, it is suggested they be placed at least 100’ apart, which we did.  Starting last year, tree swallows took over some of the houses and since they are bug eaters, we decided to welcome them.  The swallows are also territorial so they also need to be spaced out but after some research, I learned they can co-exist in close proximity with bluebirds and the houses for the two of them can be 25’ apart.

With this new knowledge, we decided to make a trip to Crossville to get six more houses from the bluebird club along with two of the predatorproof poles for our on hand bird houses – the ones the snake invaded.

Since we were going to Crossville, we didn’t want to pass up an opportunity to see friends Diane and Milo so we arranged the visit around their schedule then we met for lunch at the Beef & Barrel Restaurant & Lounge.

We got there early and were the only diners at that time (Pat still using a walker from her knee replacement).

I forgot to have the server get a pic of us at the table but we spent the first 20-30 minutes visiting before we got around to ordering.  I couldn’t find a decent menu pic on line so I took my own pics of it – still not great but better than online.

Bev and Pat each had a Reuban Sandwich with one side.

Diane ordered the Chicken Pesto Sandwich and a side.

Milo chose the Patty melt with a side.

And to maximize my protein and minimize calories, I ordered the Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich and a side of Steamed Broccoli.

I ate all of the broccoli and less than half of the meat from the sandwich – no bread.

The Verdict:

I believe everyone enjoyed their meals and we enjoyed the visiting even more.

Bird Houses

Following the meal, we drove to the upper end of the Fairfield Glade community to pick up the bird houses and poles which filled up the back of our car.  In addition to the predator guard, they have an easy installation system where a piece of re-bar is driven into the ground then the aluminum pole just slips down over it.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/17/25 event date

Smothered Mediterranean Pork Chops, Karen’s Salad, And Posting Philosophy Addendum

Our kids, Rhett and Beth, gave us some special Iberico Pork from Spain’s Campo Grande for last years Christmas and we are just eating the first of it. From the web: “Known as the "Wagyu of pork," Ibérico pork is a premium meat from black Iberian pigs native to the Iberian Peninsula."  Renowned for its rich marbling, buttery texture, and nutty flavor, it is sourced from humanely raised animals with a traditional diet of grass and acorns.” For this meal, I selected a four-bone rack of pork chops which I cut into individual chops.  I looked around and found several recipes but smothered meat and pork is always a favorite of ours so I used the recipe for Smothered Mediterranean Pork Chops from the “A Labour Of Life” blog.  

Lakeside Tavern and Weight Loss

You may recall that for Christmas, I gave Cindy and good friend, Kathy, five free lunches and today was number four.  Cindy had never been to Lakeside Tavern located on Fort Loudon Lake between home and Knoxville – about a 40 minute drive – and the rest of us have always enjoyed it with our last visit being Nov 2025 which I blogged about.

This is us at our table and a shot out the window showing the outside dining area (87F was too warm for us) and a cove of the lake.  

As usual, we began with an order of their delicious Colossal Onion Rings for the table but we didn’t think they were quite as good as we remember from our last visit.

Pat ordered the Chicken Tenders – “Fresh, hand-breaded chicken tenders fried crisp and golden, accompanied by our honey mustard dipping sauce. Served with French fries. $14.99.

Pic missing - Not sure how, but when I got home and looked at my pics, Pat's meal and mine were missing, which I hate as mine was beautifully plated.  Learned lesson:  Always look at my phone to be sure the pics are there before sticking it back in my pocket.

Cindy had the Salmon Avocado Salad - Fresh, cold-water salmon grilled to order. Served over farmers’ market greens tossed in our classic vinaigrette dressing, with avocados, tomatoes, cilantro, jalapeños, sautéed mushrooms and feta cheese. $17.99

Kathy opted for Southwest Egg Rolls - Grilled chicken breast, sweet corn, black beans, red pepper, onions, cheddar and Monterey Jack cheeses inside a crispy wonton wrapper. Served with avocado-ranch dipping sauce. $13.99

Bev just had a small Caesar Salad  - Romaine, parmesan cheese, garlic croutons and home-made Caesar dressing. $6.99  Then she ordered a Chicken Pasta Combo to go to have for supper.  No pic of it.

I went with the Ahi Tuna Salad Sashimi-grade Ahi tuna, encrusted with black pepper, lightly seared and served over mixed field greens tossed with classic vinaigrette, red onions, cucumbers, Mandarin oranges and pickled ginger. Accompanied with a side of soy-ginger sauce. $17.99

pic missing.

Everyone enjoyed their food as well as the ambience, and the view.  My food was good but the salad needed a little more dressing – something I rarely ever say.  While I enjoyed this visit, next time, we'll pick a different time so it will be less crowded and quieter, I believe I would rather go there around 1pm (got there at 11:45am this time).

Weight Loss

One of the downsides of taking weight loss drugs is that it can result in loss of muscle mass if you don’t get enough protein.  To help with that I have been drinking a protein shake each day.  I’ve settled on Fairlife’s Core Power shakes which contain 42 grams of protein or about half of the 100 grams I want to take in each day.

As long as I can remember, I have loved store bought chocolate milk and I still do so after trying the three Core Power flavors, I’ve settled on chocolate.  As it turns out, I really like it and may continue with it after I quit taking the Zepbound.  I’m well pleased to be down 40 lbs. in 3½ months – the weight is coming off faster now that I am alcohol free.

Photos can be slightly enlarged by clicking on them and the blue words are links.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

6/11/25 event date

Eliza Comes For Steak And WVU Baseball

We hadn’t seen Eliza and family for a few weeks and I have been wanting to cook some steaks (my needed extra protein) so we invited her to bring her family and come on down for Sunday supper.  Her she is at eight with her wide blond hair.

My Posting Philosophy, Marinated Olives And Cheese, And The Snake Does The Unexpected

You may have noticed that I’m not posting as often and when I do it is often more than one topic.  The reason I don’t post as often is that I don’t have as much to write about since we don’t RV and they contain more topics because we don’t cook as many meals that are worthy of a full blog post.  Bev and I are both losing weight and to do that, we cook and eat more meagerly.  But since my blog is my journal and the home for most of our recipes, I want to keep doing it, at least for a while longer - I actually write some posts and don’t publish them to be sure I have the info.  I’ve been taking Zepbound to lose weight for three months (37 lbs so far) and after a recent doctor visit, I realized I was not getting all of the nutrition that I needed (especially protein) so I’ve opted to change things up a little and have my diet be more Mediterranean like (more beans, olives, fish), eating more meat protein, and adding a protein shake each day - not enough protein is why muscle mass is loss when taking the new weight loss drugs. 

Marinated Olives

Hot Dogs And Slaw For Memorial Day

The Memorial Day food question for us usually boils down to “will it be hamburgers or hot dogs for the meal and since we recently had burgers, we opted to go with the dawgs this time.  I’ve mentioned several times that I grew up in an area of West Virginia where hot dogs were topped only sauce (chili), mustard, and onion and slaw was not even an offered option (it is in most places now like the rest of the state).  But not being from that area, Bev and Pat like slaw dogs so the simple menu for just us was hot dogs and slaw.  While I never put slaw on my dawgs, I do like it as a side dish.  The key to a good hot dog is the sauce and we have played with many recipes over the years to have now settled on My Dad’s West Virginia Hot Dog Sauce  which came from the “Tried And True” blog.  Bev omitted the beef broth and changed the cooking method a lot to get the recipe below.  The original recipe and pics can be found by clicking on the above link.   

Takeout-Style Kung Pao Chicken And Such A Simple Shower Fix

Since everyone here but Pat is trying to lose weight, we’ve been trying to cook healthier and lower calorie and this dish seemed to fit the bill.  We rarely make stir-fry but I’ve become a fan of “Serious Eats” and decided to use their recipe for Kung Pao Chicken  and Cindy wanted to cook so she followed the recipe as shown below which we adapted a little but the original can be found by clicking on the above link.