all's fair

it's fair time here in oklahoma! or at least it was last week when i was too busy to make a post but anywho....  when i was younger, i don't remember the fair being this exciting thing that came to down each fall. i'm pretty sure my family went once or twice but all of us, except my mom, are generally too scared to ride the rides and i can't even recall searching out adventurous fair food if there was any besides the typical fried treats.

that's all changed since i moved back home after graduation (well i'm still afraid of the rides) and each year my friends and i look forward to attending the free country concerts, trying any new crazy concoctions and most of all people watching.

we kicked off the evening with tastings from local wineries and at a dollar per one ounce serving we co covered the entire state of oklahoma.

this years new foodie attractions were the cheesy bacon bombs, bacon wrapped hot dogs and corn dogs, deep fried fruity pebbles and cricket pizza (wth??? never in my life).  there are a couple staples you just have to have when you visit the fair and after we devoured our traditional corn dog and fried cheese curds, my personal fav, we used to tulsa state fair app (so fancy!) to locate the cheesy bacon bombs and bacon wrapped goodies.

the cheesy bacon bombs were little bits of biscuit and cheese wrapped in bacon and deep fried and the bacon wrapped hot dog was well, a bacon wrapped hot dog. nothing was mind blowing and the fries were beyond awful frozen french fries (which we still finished) but in the end it was still the greasy fair food we crave each year. i think a fun challenge would be to recreate and revamp fair food favorites for a backyard dinner party.  i already have a great recipe for shrimp corn dogs!

until next time...

its a lion, its a goat, its a serpent? its, chimera!

well its officially october and somehow we've already entered the fourth and final quarter of 2013 (holy accounting brain...).  the beginning of this new month was mirrored with the beginning of my first experience co-chairing a local non-profit fundraiser!  technically planning began over our past couple of young professional board meetings but i had a new feeling of excitement after leaving my first planning meeting alone with my fellow co-chair.  we're in the process of coordinating schedules to meet the men and women on our list so that they can (hopefully) accept their nominations as Tulsa's New Leaders.  this is an annual awards banquet and fundraiser for the sooner chapter of the cystic fibrosis foundation and i was lucky enough to not only be selected as an honoree but now serve on the board with the most wonderful people.

[ chimera cafe ]

as a self-proclaimed foodie (though all my family and friends would agree), i always have the desire to try something new whether it be a newly opened restaurant or new to me menu item. so when my co-chair gave me the task of assigning a time and place for our meeting i knew i wanted to pick a place i didn't think he or i had frequented.  enter, chimera cafe, a fun, eclectic eatery that's a perfect fit to its  neighborhood, the brady arts district.  i've actually been here before for lunch and dinner but this is one of those places where choosing an item off the menu is made into a difficult decision because each option is just as unique and delicious sounding as the next.  their dinner menu is out of this world.  well ok, out of this country.  it's evident the chef has a passion for exploring exotic flavors while still using locally sourced ingredients and making these dishes available to us lucky tulsans.  amen. a sample of the past few night's dinner specials posted on their facebook: veganske Kjøttkaker (their take on vegan norweigan meatballs), pad thai, pupusas and even bringing it back to the home state with indian tacos and bison burgers.

[ chimera lunch menu ]

chimera's lunch menu is a little more tame but just as palate pleasing. they offer a variety of sandwiches served with carrots and hummus and a couple of salad options.  today, the monsieur fromage was calling my name.  its a grilled cheese sandwich with sharp cheddar, cheese curds, seasoned mayo and choice of bacon or smokey adzuki strips.  y'all, i passed on the bacon! who am i?? but i like i said before, i love to try new things and a spiced crumbled bean puree formed into strips was definitely foreign to me.  if for some reason bacon were to ever leave my life permanently i would live happily ever after with aduzki as my replacement. kevin what?

[ chimera monsieur fromage ]

it was a successful planning meeting and delicious lunch experience. now if only all my tuesdays could be this enjoyable. tomorrow, i will be fine dining on a measly portion of rabbit food (read: salad...) so that i have plenty of room (and little shame) for the amount of crazy, fried goodness that is fair food i plan to consume.

until next time...