This place (West Coast or LA) would die for a Cracker Barrel IMO. Like you said, "Home-Style country meals, like Mom and Grandma" made..... Yep, I think it would go over BIG here. It stuns me, that Cracker Barrel hasn't taken advantage of a huge market out here.......I haven't looked in about a year, at their locations maps (of stores), but last time I did look the closest one is in Phoenix...... BREAD PUDDING, oh shit, I too love it....I used to work for a Diner, prior to Aerospace, and one constant Desert, made daily was just that: "Bread Pudding", one of my favs as well, and I too can eat my weight in BP. I've made 3 Birthday cakes this month alone (month of May), now I need to make some homeade bread pudding. I've always used real unsalted Butter, and Half & Half, amongst all the other ingredients.....(and of course Raisins, Cinnamon, tons of eggs, et al).......
...lemme know how the bread pudding works out matts....I may have to get your recipe...(I do ALL the cooking around here)I think that's how my Son first got interested in cooking...he used to help me out in the kitchen)...now he's a highly regarded Chef in these parts. ...and yes, REAL butter is a must...I use it in just about everything...I'm making home made shepherd's pie tonight...with REAL cracklin' cornbread.
Fkn A......Our taste buds are quit similar, not much more I like as good as Shepherd's Pie, other than Chicken Fried Steak, Meat Loaf (with a kick), Fried Chicken, Okra, Black Eyed Peas, Greens of any sort........Homeade Buttermilk Biscuits and Sausage/Bacon Gravy........ I will send you my recipe for Bread Pudding......Give me a week or so....as I have never written down, any of His great recipes, which still remains only in this head of mine. Even the Owner of that Diner, passed away without having written down one of his recipes. Thankfully it is in this head, along with His Homeade (everything was homeade) Chicken Pot Pies.....and a ton of other recipes..... I will make a batch this weekend, and write down how much of a pinch, a dash, & dab of this and that; I actually use..... No problem tho'....... I've also got one helluva Sweet Potato-Pecan Pie recipe. The Sweet Potato pie filling goes into the pan & dough 1st, followed by the Pecan Pie filling......I made this in Perry, for Thanksgiving, and Xmas Pot Luck Dinners at work. I've never had so many people come up to me, to ask, if I made those Pies, and complimented me on them, I knew I hit a gold mine with that Pie and those Good Southern Folks........
Novel time again, sorry 59...... I should add: the Diner I refer too, is named "Crazy Otto's", a long time regional pioneer: Otto Linsel, born to German/Swiss Parents, He began in business, by building a Hotel, Restaurant,** with a few kids rides, in Big Bear, near the Ski Slopes. He sold what was known as **Santa Claus Lane; took his outrageous small fortune, to Coos Bay Oregon, bought an old Wooden Clipper ship; converted the Ship to a Seafood and Steak Restaurant....After 14 years of continued success, he sold the Ship & business, took his profits to Ketchikan, Alaska, & Opened a Diner, where he made the biggest Omelet's I have ever seen or ate, along with an outrageous heaping of Hash Browns, et al.....Every Meal was served on 14" platters...... (see ***1) Brought His Lumber Jack menu back home here, where His family was, and made another fortune here....everything that great man touched turned gold, metaphorically speaking.....! ***1- Otto explanation of why his meals were so hearty and huge, as He mainly cooked for Lumberjacks (literally), Crab & Lobster Fishermen, Oil Pipeline Workers, and Dog Sled Mushers......only way to get to the Diner in Winter, was by boat to its pier, or overland, via Snow Mobiles, 4 WD Trucks with spike chains, & of course Dog Sleds......
I do like bread pudding, but the dessert I rarely get that I love (I rarely have any, but...) is Pineapple Upside-down Cake... that stuff is awesome... Still love my dad's baklava and paradise pumpkin pie (my dad's recipe too actually) and my wife's apple pie are both amazing!
I am losing hoping for Rob Refsnyder by the day. However hopefully he puts together a streak. As it stands a 2B or SS would be the obvious focal point of a trade. Looking around the league at SS and 2B on shitty teams you have guys like Ben Zobrist, Martin Prado, Jean Segura, DJ LeMahieu, & Dee Gordon. I'd honestly take any of the 6. They've gotten away with Drew/Didi, they can't continue to carry 2 bats like that. One needs to be replaced sooner than later. Im not saying to break up the farm. Id make calls on the 5 guys above and take whoever can be had cheapest.
I haven't had baklava either in ages. I quit making Pumpkin pies, once I found a recipe for Sweet Potato Pies, which seem to have even more flavor than Pumpkin.....Yams can also be used in lieu of Sweet Potato, tho' its not quit the same, close but no cigar.........
I have it at least once a year... My dad makes batches of it when he's up from Arkansas on his winter trip up
OK, but Paradise Pumpkin Pie is a cross between Pumpkin Pie and Cheesecake... just imagine the cheesecake under the pumpkin... HOLY CRAP... I'm drooling now...