Random Act of Kindness, California Tortilla Style

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. asked, "What are you doing to help others?"  Today the Royersford California Tortilla, known for its delicious fresh Mexican food, answered that question by generously donating dinner for 100 of those in need through the Pottstown Cluster's Community Meal program.

Five days a week there is a place to go in the Pottstown Community for a free hot meal.  The Pottstown Cluster Outreach sponsors the volunteer-driven Community Meals program.  The schedule can be found HERE.

Today there were chicken and beef burritos, tortilla chips, salsa, queso and salad with a scrumptious honey lime dressing, courtesy of the Royersford California Tortilla.

The burritos were huge!
 


There were many happy faces at the meal today.

Our devoted volunteers gathered for a day of willing service (I'm the one wearing the GEEK sweater, naturally).

Allan Altschull, President of the Board of Directors for the Pottstown Cluster, personally thanked the owner of California Tortilla for his generous donation.

 
The next time you visit California Tortilla, please ask for a manager and tell him or her THANK YOU, and maybe give a big hug.  The owner's kindness, compassion and generosity is inspiring and so very much appreciated.

Read more about the community meals our merry band of volunteers have served HERE.  For information on how you can get involved and volunteer, visit the Pottstown Cluster's website.  

Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much. ~Helen Keller.

~Merrill ♥

Autism Meets Paula Deen

Some boys love sports.  In Justin's case, it is Paula Deen!  My son Justin has autism, and for as long as I can remember, he has been crazy about calendars, food, Jeopardy, Wheel of Fortune and ... Paula Deen.  Because Justin has autism, he has little interest in current events, including news of celebrities who have made poor decisions.  Instead, he lives his life one day at a time.

Justin left school early on a cold December afternoon for a chance to meet his idol, Paula Deen.  When Williams Sonoma learned that Justin had autism, they brought him to the front of the line.  Thank you, Williams Sonoma! ♥

Paula and her husband, Michael, were gracious, friendly and funny.  They were most kind to Justin and seemed genuinely interested in hearing about the meals he was helping to prepare in his life skills class at school.  Justin was quite happy that they signed his cook book and his Paula Deen t-shirt.

During a trip a few years later to Savannah, Georgia, we took an old time trolley to Paula Deen's restaurant, The Lady and Sons.  The restaurant occupies an entire city block and is hugely popular with tourists.  We went to buy a red "Hey, Y'all!" t-shirt for Justin and ended up going back for dinner.

At the time, they did not accept call ahead reservations which meant we had to wait quite awhile for table.  Genius on their part to locate the gift shop right where one needed to wait in order to hear his or her name being called for a table.  

When our name was finally called, we traveled by elevator to the third floor.  I ordered tilapia which was greasy but good.

Hands down, the highlight of the meal was the skillet hoecake.  Topped with maple syrup, it was a taste of heaven! 

We had a wonderful time in Savannah, and can't wait to go back!

~Merrill ♥

Mother-Daughter Day!

With Mother's Day rapidly approaching, my daughter gave me the best gift ever, her company. ♥ Our day started with a celebratory birthday lunch for our friend, Mary Ellen, at Good Eatz.  We love their good-for-you food, where the vegan portobello Reuben sandwich is to die for!  Owner, Rick Allebach, treated the birthday girl to a huge piece of chocolate cherry cake which we three greedily happily shared.  Yum!

From Good Eatz, Lauren and I were off to Busy Bees to paint pottery.  Lauren, my ambi-brained (smart and artistic!) daughter, chose a mug which she painted in a patchwork pattern.  You can read a bit about Lauren HERE.

My cereal/oatmeal bowl will be a Father's Day gift for my loving husband who has raised my children since they were barely out of diapers. ♥ 

Because MERRILL LOVES BOB. ♥

I can't wait until our pieces are fired and we get to see the end result!

Happy Mother-Daughter Days to all!

~Merrill ♥  

Turning 20, A Horse Named Rex, Hurricane Sandy, Chicken Pot Pie and Birthday Cake

My baby girl said goodbye to her teens and is now 20 ... the start of a new decade in her life when she'll get her first apartment, graduate college and achieve so very much.  It is our hope that she will move joyfully and effortlessly through life, leaping from success to success, from one wonderfully positive experience to the next - and we will be there cheering her on. ♥

Birthdays in our house are huge and are celebrated with food, family and friends.  This year Lauren wished for a trail ride, boots, chicken pot pie and dairy-free cake.  Mission accomplished.

My dear friend Susan, who you first read about HERE, gifted Lauren with a trail ride at Kross Creek Farm on her trusty stead Rex.  Rex and Lauren immediately hit it off.  Thank you, Susan! ♥ 

For her birthday dinner, Lauren had only one wish and that was for chicken pot pie.  One was tucked away in her tiny dorm room freezer in anticipation of the big day.  Then Hurricane Sandy came to town and dinner plans were out the window, along with electricity for a week for an entire university. 

So, I prepared belated celebratory homemade mini chicken pot pies for her to take back with her to school.  I bought small aluminum pans at the grocery store, the perfect size for a hungry student.  Yum!  Crisis averted.

A birthday would not be complete without cake!  This year's celebratory cakes were provided by Vegan Treats.  We happened to be there the same day they had shipped a cake to Ellen DeGeneres who is vegan.

Another rite of passage.  Happy Birthday, dear Lauren.

~Merrill ♥

Vegan Treats

★★★★★ How do you rate perfection?  With five stars, natch.   

It is no secret that birthday cake is my all-time favorite guilty pleasure food.  So it was no surprise that the celebration of my beloved's birthday led us on a pilgrimage to Vegan Treats in Bethlehem, PA to find the perfect cake.  Although we didn't see Jesus during our brief stay in Bethlehem, I am pretty sure we heard angels singing while enjoying our tasty treats. 

So many selections.  All treats were vegan, but the third row was also gluten-free, which made Justin super happy.  Check out their latest menu HERE.

Vegan Treats also has vegan soft-serve ice cream, to the delight of Lauren and Justin who can't have dairy.  Vegan Treats, if you are reading this, please BRING BACK PUMPKIN!  And, a cook book would be terrific.  Thank you.

Lauren preparing to dive into her chocolate peanut butter cake.

Justin and Lauren, getting busy.

 Here is a close-up of Lauren's luscious cake.  She let me try it.  Deelish!

Justin selected a pumpkin parfait.  It was gone lickety split!

Here is my supernaturally delicious chocolate cake.  Yum!  I had to take half of it home in a box, it was so rich and delightful.  Justin, who has autism, later dropped the box in our driveway spilling its contents.  This made me sad, so we went back a few days later for more treats! 

Boo treats for Halloween.  Too cute!

If you plan to be anywhere near Bethlehem, do yourself a favor and visit Vegan Treats.  It is worth the drive.  Vegan or not, your tastebuds will do the happy dance. <pinkie swear>

Vegan Treats
1444 Linden Street
Bethlehem, PA  18018
610-861-7660

For a list of retail locations that carry Vegan Treats, click HERE.

Happy, happy, joy, joy!

~Merrill ♥  

A Birthday Tea Party

There is nothing like royal tea for two to celebrate a gal pal's birthday.  Robin and I met when our girls were young and would ride their scooters up and down the street.  The scooters are long gone, but we have remained close friends.  Robin is kind, supportive and always game to taste test any of my latest creations.  She is coming over tonight for slow cooker chicken tikka masala.  When I learned that my matchbox goodies were featured in Brides Magazine, Robin shared in my excitement by helping me find the first available copy in town. ♥   

  
Royal Tea for Two at Simpson House Tea Room included two pots of tea, soup, salad, tea sandwiches, scones and dessert.  Yum!

There were so many teas from which to choose.  After much discussion, it was Georgia peach for me and orange for Robin.  Pictured below are the pink sparkly glasses (I love them!) my beloved bought me at a street fair during my birthday trip to New York City. 

The soup and salads were just the right size.

Why don't I make tea sandwiches at home?  They're delightful!  The chicken salad on a croissant was scrumptious.

A tower of treats!  We asked that the scones be wrapped to take home so we could save room for dessert.

We finished our tea party with lemon pound cake, and also vanilla ice cream topped with a fresh strawberry sauce.  I'm pretty sure that most everything goes better with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

The proprietor was lovely.

 

Robin and I thoroughly enjoyed her birthday tea party.

For a special treat, we highly recommend Simpson House Tea Room. 

 Cheers!

~Merrill ♥ 
 

Tailgating, Indian Food and Celtic Fest

Fall has officially arrived and with it brings football, tailgate parties and Parents' Weekend!  Go Lehigh!  

It was great spending time with Lauren and her Honors Fraternity friends.

We enjoyed lunch at a local Indian buffet where we had bhojia, samosas, basmati rice, chana masala, aloo gobi, tikka masala and more.  Yum!

After lunch, we decided to walk off some calories at Celtic Fest.  Lauren met a little wheaten terrier named Bear and they immediately hit it off.  I asked Justin if we were to get a dog what would he want the name to be.  His reply, "Cuddle."
 

It was a great way to bring in the fall season, with family, food and fun.  My favorites!

~Merrill ♥

Our First Trip to Shake Shack in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

You know how you hear about a restaurant and can't wait to try it?  I first heard about Shake Shack on the Food Network as a "don't miss" eatery in New York City.  I had planned to give it a try during my next visit to the Big Apple, but Shake Shack saved me a trip by opening their doors in Philadelphia in early June.

We decided to visit in the late afternoon, between lunch and dinner, to avoid the lines that reportedly wrap around the block.  There was no line when we arrived and we quickly scored an outside table. 

Justin, who has autism, studied the online menu before leaving home.  

Justin and Lauren had ShackBurgers and fries (we brought a gluten-free bun from home for Justin).

Bob and I enjoyed 'Shroom Burgers.

From Shake Shack we headed east to visit the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall.

The Liberty Bell is a "very significant symbol for the entire democratic world." ~Nelson Mandela, July 4, 1993.

Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are such powerful symbols of individual freedom.  

Lauren shows George some love.

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were drafted and signed in the Assembly Room located in Independence Hall.  

The First Amendment:  A wonderful parting reminder.

~Merrill ♥