Memorial Day Cookout!

I took the long weekend to go visit my family down in North Carolina.  It was a great break!  Callie got to spend the weekend with her favorite playmate.  As an added bonus, some family friends were at the house for dinner Sunday night.  

My dad decided we needed cookout food since it was a holiday weekend, even though they weren't over on Memorial Day.  So I took over preparing dinner and drinks.  The usual dishes were there - sour cream potato salad, corn, baked beans, brisket, sweet tea - along with some things I wanted to make - sangria, watermelon lemonade, vinaigrette-based potato salad, and grilled fruit salad.

Caffe Frappe

There are a lot of things I miss about being in Raleigh, but one of the things I miss most on a daily basis (or a weekly basis, anyway) is Global Village coffee.  This was my twice-weekly homework/study/break spot.  And their house Cappuccino is the best I've ever had.

It wouldn't be so bad if we had a good coffee shop up here, but there is only one coffee shop that isn't Starbucks, and its nothing to write home about.  They serve some good loose-leaf teas and local beer, but that's their only redeeming quality.  We're talking cheap (and not in the good way) espresso and powdered Chai tea mix.  Plus, there is something just not right about a coffee shop owned by a man that doesn't drink coffee!