I’m still playing a little bit of catch-up on the blog here. It’s been more than a year since I’ve been truly active. It was also more than a year sincee I could truly eat (read more in my Personal Notes). Once I finally had the surgery to fix me, the one thing I wanted to do is eat!

I’ve always loved cooking & eating. In fact, I’m a bit of a foodie. I looooooooove fancy foods and just about any cooking show. In that respect, my bestie Sarah & I are twins. Before, and after, surgery we watched lots of cooking shows. If you can’t eat it, watch it. It was one of my go-to’s during the time I couldn’t eat. It sounds a little counter intuitive, but it helped feed the cravings for food. Sometimes just watching is enough. Luckily along with not being able to eat, I also didn’t feel hunger. If you have to starve, at least starve without being hungry right?

Sarah not only watched cooking show, after cooking show, with me. She did it on her couch, in her house, while I bummed a room for months on end. Sarah, and hubby Mike, housed me for much of the past year as I went through multiple tests, procedures and finally the big slice-o-rama. There are not words enough to express my gratitude. A thank you is not enough. Flowers aren’t enough. So when Sarah suggested a road trip to Ohio, for me to visit my grandchildren and continue recuperating, I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. I finally had a way to thank her.

You see, our number one favorite show is Top Chef. And it so happened that Top Chef Season 20 played in vital role in my journey to health. We’d watched every episode together last Spring, and of course we were both rooting for Sara Bradley! I mean, this woman is bad ass. Not only was she on Top Chef for the second time, this time in World All Stars, but she’d also had her second baby and was pumping to keep up her supply. That is my kind of woman. Family oriented and out to conquer the world. Plus, her food looked amazing time after time. This was my way to thank my Sarah.

Granted Paducah Kentucky was a little out of the way, but all that meant was a little more time together and a couple more stops at other, delicious, restaurants. I had to catch up on all the eating I missed. It turns out Paducah was absolutely adorable! It’s a gorgeous little midwest town, practically unchanged from the last century. It felt nostalgic, relaxing and fun. Just what the doctor ordered. Sarah and I loved walking around, and even found some time to go fabric hunting at the big Hancock’s Fabric warehouse.

Finally it was time for our dinner reservations, both of us were just about bursting with excitement. We’d watched the Top Chef Season 20 finale the night before and while Sara didn’t win, she did make it to finale’s and she was runner-up! No small feat. It was pretty awesome to be able to eat in her restaurant, Freight House, the night after the Big Episode on our tv screen. Walking in, waiting to be seated, I immediately spotted the chef herself. Sarah & I quietly squealed to each other like school girls. Heck, if you can’t act like a school girl with your bestie, even at our age, are you really besties? I think not.

Our dinner was phenomenal. We ordered more than we could eat, because who knows when we’ll be in Paducah again? My favorite was the carmelized peach with burata though the pea cake with lemon was a close second. I mean, she did serve that pea cake to Tom Colicchio just the night before. I was having secondhand six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon vibes big time! It was a night to remember. And then? Then! Chef Sara Bradley came over to say HI! To me! Duden. I was over the moon swoony. She even posed for photo’s with me and with Sarah.

I now have two besties. Sarah, and Sara!