krispy kreme doughnuts, hot doughnuts now

krispy kreme doughnuts, a southern staple. we did a little trip today to our local store. it was rainy, hot and humid, perfect doughnut eating weather. this place has been around since at least the mid 1960's. it has been a fixture in my family's overeating for years. i was always partial to the vanilla creme filled, chocolate glazed ones as a kid. today, i am no longer a big doughnut fan, but once in awhile one tastes pretty dang good. needless to say, my kids were pumped and that was before the sugar.

the doughnuts(choir sings), it is always hard to choose, so we opted for an assortment....decisions, decisions....
the spoils-6 original glazed, one cruller, one with sprinkles, one blueberry cake, one chocolate cake, one strawberry creme, one chocolate glaze. oh mama, now let the feasting begin!

don't ya just love the hats?
ahh, the french cruller, c'est mangnifique....

tres bien....
we paid dearly for this sugary treat about a half hour later....

part of the fun is watching them make the doughnuts. it's the closest thing to dinner theater my kids have ever experienced and, yes, it was pretty much their dinner.
it is mesmerizing....




i wish i could send you a dozen or two. krispy kreme doughnuts, get'em while they're hot!

chef george francisco's signature panna cotta

george francisco is an acclaimed chef. he is the chef at jonah's, a gorgeous beach resort outside of sydney, australia. george has cooked for the likes of julia child and disney (my two personal favorites), just to mention a few. he has traveled all over the world enjoying exciting adventures. thank gawd, 'cause i need someone to live through. george has been my friend since i was eight years old and for me, my more exciting adventure is his return home to virginia. i am so fortunate to be able to enjoy his culinary escapades. one of his most recent success stories is the fame of his fun signature dessert from jonah's, a vanilla panna cotta. it is jiggly and woobly and makes you think of a, well, i'll let you decide. it even has its own video on youtube thanks to chocolatesuze. i was so fortunate that the chef treated us all to one at a recent cookout he hosted at his parents home. i think it was quite possibly the most delicious thing i have ever eaten. i literally licked the plate. (i did it when no one was looking, jeez)

ladies and gentleman, i give you the jiggly boobie, as demonstrated by julie.

if you would like to watch a video of george plating these not so perky beauties, go here . also, here is another good video from the taste of sydney 2009.

oh, and here are a few fun cookout photos...
george, the grill master george's parents and jim, julie's hubby
george and julie
my little man travis and julie's claire. "travis loves claires"
(personally, i love e-claires)