Howdy, my little lunchboxes!  A lot of people have been wondering if mommin' has me on hiatus from FvF, but not for another couple months.  The lack of posts has little to do with my parasite, and everything to do with err'day life and work.  I know, I know - it's hard to believe that this website doesn't have me wiping with dollar bills, but food samples an adoring fans still don't pay the mortgage - although I heartily appreciate both.  So, since there's a LOT to catch you up on and little time to do it, here's a recap and some upcoming fun stuffs.

• Are the tomatoes from your own garden so good that you're disappointed when eating one in a restaurant?  Peter and Laurie at Figlio totally understand, so they're letting you bring in your OWN tomato this week to be used in their Caprese Salad.  "Bring Your Tomato to Figlio Week" started yesterday and runs through this Saturday, August 27. 

• BEERS!  Not only is Dayton AleFest this weekend at Carillon Park, but it will also cap off Dayton Beer Week.  from their press release:                                                                                     "AleFest will be held from 2 to 6 pm on Saturday, August 27 at Carillon Historical Park.  Featuring an expanded selection of draft and cask ales, AleFest offers attendees a selection of over 300 different beers from over 140 different breweries. Many of the exact details for this year's event are still being finalized, but tickets are currently available at finer dining and food and beverage locations throughout the greater Dayton region for the advance price of $35 ($40 at the door).  As in the past, tickets get you entry to the event, a sampling guide, 20 craft beer samples and a commemorative sampling glass.                                                                      Dayton Beer Week, held August 19 - 26.  Dayton Beer Week officially kicks off with the "Beer Pride Parade" in the Oregon District on Sunday, August 21 and continues throughout the week with a series of unique events, tastings and dinners held at various locations throughout the greater Dayton region." 

• Peeled Snacks will be doing some serious sampling of their dried fruit offerings at Costco stores across the nation tomorrow, 8/24.  The one in Dayton isn't open yet, but Columbus and Cleveland could get up on this.  I've always like dried fruit, but I was a little skeptical when I saw "Organic" and "no sugar added" on the freebies they sent me.  However, the stuff is delicious.  Will have a full-on product review coming your way soonly. 

• Speaking of free food, I'll be giving away more freebies from McDonald's. You can call me a sell-out all you want, but I like giving people prizes, and the local indies aren't exactly chomping at the bit to give out coupons.  Hopefully, this one will go over better than the last, since it's a sandwich offering and not a salad.  I won't boast its low calorie content, because that will probably turn you all right off of it just like the salad.  Look out for another Facebook contest soon.  Unlike the last contest loot, I promise to get these prizes out in a timely fashion! 

• I know you guy are probably all, "What the hell, Vizz?  You didn't post ANYthing during Restaurant week!"  Yeah, it's because I'm busy. Or lazy.  You decide.  Either way, we only had the time to go to McCormick & Schmick's, which was good, but not stellar.  Expect my review of that soon, along with the much-anticipated thoughts on Company 7 BBQ in Englewood*.                                         *According to Dre, always up to no good.

Wendy's Pick Two: Their new deluxe salads are totally legit, and now you can opt for a smaller salad and pair it with one of their value menu items for just $4.99. Today for lunch I had the chili and BLT chicken cobb salad and it kept me full until well into dinner-cooking time.

Friday the 13th - Spooky specials at Skyline! Tomorrow, the Dayton Mall location of Skyline chili will be serving up 13 coneys for $13. Get your Pepto ready!

Christopher's Restaurant is continuing their themed Thursday dinner specials, featuring "Miami Valley Grown Meals" for $18.95 per person.

Greek Isles Deli on Airway Rd is now offering a Greek buffet on Fridays. This is word-of-mouth news, so I don't have specifics, but it's on my list of places to check out.

Had lunch at DoubleDay's in Cross Point Center again yesterday, and discovered that they have the best fried pickles...ever. They're breaded in panko and what appears to be grated parmesan cheese. Full of win.

Still working my way through the Dei Fratelli tomato products sampler that I got. Mr. FvF and I both adore these pasta sauces & salsas. No artificial ingredients or preservatives, and much lower sugar content than a lot of their mainstream competitors. They actually taste fresh, like REAL tomatoes, not like doctored up tomato paste. Looks like Dayton-area Kroger stores are carrying the brand now, too!

During the run of I AM LOVE at The Neon Movies, you can use a Neon ticket stub to score 15% off your meal at Coco's Bistro. In turn, you can also use your Coco's receipt for a BOGO ticket of that showing on the same day, should you opt for dinner before the movie.

Blind Bob's is now serving brunch on the weekends, as is Dublin Pub.

The hopefully no longer cursed location that was once Frisch's Big Boy, then Uno's Bar & grill on SR 48/Far Hills in Centerville has once again re-opened as Archer's Tavern. I'm assuming it will be American fare food, like burgers, sandwiches and salads. No website yet, just a Facebook page. Ma and Pa FvF live right down the road, so maybe I'll enlist them to check it out for me.

After finally getting my hands on a Mo's Bacon Bar, compliments of my friend Tim from YouIndie for my birthday, I wondered how upset Mr. FvF would be if I called off our wedding in order to pledge my love to this candy bar.

I am not effing around, you guys. Man B Que is next weekend, July 17, and we're expecting some serious eats. If you want to be part of this carnivorous extravaganza, any and all are welcome, so get at me.

I haven't updated in a spell, and it appears some of the natives are getting restless. Speaking of natives, they're also selling blankets and oranges near the freeway.
Don't worry, kittens. When I'm not posting it simply means either I've been too lazy to cook anything you'd be interested in reading about, and/or the budget isn't allowing for dinners out, hence no reviews.

Lucky for you, I just got paid, son. The end of the quarter has been better to me than usual (can I get a what-what for union contracts?) and I'm taking my mom out for lunch today, and Mr. FvF out for his birthday Thursday night. Plus, I'll be testing out some new recipes that may or may not be delicious.

The only real scrap of news today is that it's Chick-fil-A's Customer Appreciation Day. This means whatever you buy there today, you can take your receipt back next month and get the same order again for FREE.

• Cousin Vinny's Pizza is expanding yet AGAIN. Co-owner Rick Allen will open his sixth location in the York Commons area of Vandalia. He also claims he's looking to open two more stores in 2010, including one South of town - maybe Miamisburg. He's also eyeballing Englewood, Beavercreek, West Carrollton, Springifled and Springboro. At their rate they're picking up speed, I'd say all of those burbs will be begging for the own Vin's soon enough. The new North location will also be the first to showcase the "new" CV concept, which will focus more heavily on in-house dining and seat about 60 people. Did you know that Allen also earned the title "World's Fastest Pizza Maker" at the 2009 World Pizza Games in Vegas? Take that, Dayton haters. "Whaaaaaa!!! We don't have anything! There's nothing cool here!" Well, we have a dude that can make pizzas in 22 seconds, so choke on that, nay-sayers.

• Speaking of pizza, there's a new joint opening in Kettering - Mama Mimis' Take & Bake Pizza. Same concept as Papa Murphy's, but on the fancier side. They're menu also sports salads, desserts, and something called "Spa pizzas," which are half the fat, calories and carbs of their regular pies. It's located in Castle Hills, which is at the corner of 48 and Stroop Rd.

• Taste of Greene County is coming up in the next couple of weeks. Tickets are $18 in advance ($22 the day of) and the event will be held at the Nutter Center. If you're not familiar with this kind of things, you pay $18 at the door, and you walk around and eat food all day. So, for a paltry $5, you get to munch your way through offerings from:

• In case you didn't know, Barnsider (one of my favorite older Dayton restaurants) has some killer specials. They just introduced "Couple's Retreat Tuesdays," where you can pick two of their under $15 entrees for only $16.95. The only rub is, they don't have tons of entrees under $15 (no red meat options unless you go with beef tips), but ti's still a steal. Don't forget about VIP Mondays where you can get hooked up with their Prime Rib dinner for only $9.95.

• Christopher's Restaurant continues their Theme Thursdays this month with this hot action:

• I'm definitely going to try to make it to the one on the 11th, hoping for some low-country ass-kickery.

• Two new burger joints opened in Dayton this week: EO Burgers at The Greene (featuring Kobe beef!) and a new location of Smashburger on Brown Street near UD.

• Fazoli's is launching their "new restaurant concept" in Dayton, which involves the same low-grade food, but now with real glasses, plates and flatware. You'll still place your order at the counter, but now a server will bring your food out to your table. When asked for a comment, fatties everywhere said "What about the free breadsticks? Do we still get those?"

• Mr. FvF and I are headed to Yellow Springs on Thursday, a town where I've shamefully only been three times in my, uh....twenty-something years as a Daytonian. He's got very important artist things to do at Superfly Comics, but I'm more interested in where we'll be having dinner. Maybe Ha Ha's Pizza? I'd love to check out The Winds Cafe, but I'm not a damn Rockerfeller.

Sorry for the lack of updates this week, but we've been snowed in with the comforts of our old favorites. No new recipes or great new dining joints to report on. In lieu of real news, here are your table scraps!

• With the roads mostly clear today, your favorite restaurants should be open, but it wouldn't hurt to call ahead and check before driving out for dinner (especially if you're north of Dayton, where they got hit harder).

• Don't forget that Monday's are half price Monday nights at South Park Pizza Tavern (featuring Pizza Factory pie and great beers). That's a helluva deal!
  

• One of my all-time faves, Christopher's Restaurant, is featuring different wild game in their Thursday special menu all month. Each Thursday will have a different theme. Check out tomorrow's, which sounds amazing: Appetizer - Asiago Potato Cakes Two pan seared potato cakes with asiago cheese topped with fresh garden salsa.
  
  Salad - Bacon Spinach Salad
  Baby spinach tossed with warm bacon-balsamic vinaigrette topped with toasted pumpkin seeds, grilled apple slices and goat cheese crumbles.
  
  Entrée - Slow Roasted Wild Boar
  Slices of roasted wild boar topped with apple cider gravy, served over cornbread stuffing and sweet acorn squash.
  
  Dessert - Pumpkin Crème Brulee
  Pumpkin flavored baked custard with caramelized sugar

• If you're the type that celebrates Valentine's Day, check out the specials offered by local restaurants before dropping serious cash on a fancy dinner. Dinner for two specials range anywhere from $34 per couple (Franco's) to $80 per couple (Soprano's) and I'm sure go up from there, but they're still good deals for all you're getting. Culp's Cafe, El Meson, Amber Rose and Rue Dumaine are also offering special romantic menus and deals for the lovey-dovey holiday.
  

• Because we're so very romantic ourselves, Mr. FvF and I are going to Chappy's on V-day. I could have picked anyplace in town, but so help me God, I cannot stop thinking about that chicken! Where are YOU celebrating with your sweetie this weekend?
  

• Tried a new recipe from a low-glycemic index website last night and it was surprisingly yummy!
  

Chicken Hash
1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 medium red onion, diced
3 cloves minced garlic
10-12 small new/red potatos, quartered
1/2 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp paprika
1 tbsp tomato paste
salt/pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Season chicken with thyme, basil and salt on both sides. Bake for 20 minutes or until no pink. Dice the chicken into large cubes and set aside.

Boil the potatos for approximately 10 minutes and drain.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic until browned and soft. Add the potatos and cook for another 10 minutes. Add black beans and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

Add chicken cubes, paprika, salt, pepper and tomato paste to skillet. Combine well and heat through.

*Editor's note: This recipe didn't call for any additional liquid, but I easily added over a cup of water because while stirring, it felt very dry. I also added a little extra tomato paste, but it all worked out well. Just use your best judgement and add liquid (water and/or oil) until it feels right. Shredded sharp cheddar and sour cream made great toppers.

• Madison's Bistro update: The owner, George Argue, is facing criminal charges on selling booze sans permit, and now the investigation has caught up with its distributors, Bonbright and Arrow Wine. The citation against the distros aren't criminal charges, but could results in "administrative actions." I sure hope the Ohio Department of Public Safety is nothing like my middle school, otherwise these guys are in for a paddlin'!
  

• Currently, there is a peanut butter pork loin a-brewin' in my crock pot. It smells delicious, but I'm apprehensive. I rarely cook with loin because it can dry out so easily due to the lack of fat and marbling. Full report tomorrow.
  

• Soda, Pop, Coke? Sodapopcoke? Pop vs Soda painstakingly took the time to create a map of how your geographical vernacular contributes to how you refer to soft drinks. I always said "pop," until I hit about 19, when I suddenly started using "soda." Maybe I secretly long to live on the coast.

• Starbuck's new Skinny Cinnamon Dolce lattes are the BIZ. I'm normally hesitant to pay $3+ for a cup of coffee, but when you're expensing it for a business meeting, it takes the sting out. This soothes the heartache from when they took away my precious sugar-free mocha syrup and I could no longer order a skinny mocha latte. My preciouses!
  

• Last night we had Mexican night with all of our favorite folks. We filled up on Gin's fabulous chicken enchiladas, carnitas, tacos, spicy rice, homemade salsa, hot sauce & guacamole, 7-layer taco dip and margaritas. El yummo!
  

(And in case you're wondering, yes - that's the Sunmaid Raisins girl giving the finger)

• I missed the big Jungle Jim's trip yesterday because I had carnitas to make, but my sister was awesome enough to pick me up a pack of Walker's Smokey Bacon Crisps. They're pretty much the best thing that's ever happened to me, besides Mr. FvF. Since I love bacon so hard, it's always surprising that most of the bacon flavored products on the market make me want to wretch. Leave it to the Brits to get it right!
  

• My mom sent me home with a big stack of Southern Living magazines, so I'm sure I'll have some full-fat, artery-clogging recipes to share over the next week if I don't stroke out. Did someone burn toast?
  

Time for another installment of Table Scraps, all of the little food news bits and blurbs from the last few days.

• Madison's Bistro in Kettering got busted and raided for not having a hooch license. Had I known they were bootlegging that whole time, I would have went in there wearing a fringed dress and a feathered headband yelling stuff like "You dumb mug, get your mitts off the marbles!"
• The most googled recipe of 2009 was "chili." Maybe it's just me being old-timey, but this seems like something for which every family should have a handed-down recipe of their own.
  
• Serious Eats (via CakeSpy) posted a recipe for Donut Upside-Down Cake that I want to make sweet, sweet fail with. Um, one of you guys should do it first and tell me if you went into any sort of diabetic coma or had a seizure after eating it.
  
• Girl's Night Out on Friday - we're planning on getting dinner and drinks. Any suggestions for Indian food, so Ginger doesn't have to be admitted to a 12 step program? Anyplace that meets this criteria and has a bar within walking distance wins bonus points and all of our love and affection. We're open to non-Indian food suggestions, too. Just keep it around $10-15 per person sans cocktails. We're not the damn Rockerfellers, you know.
• Dayton Restaurant Week is next Monday through Saturday, so gear up and peruse the menu selections here! If you're unfamiliar with DRW, it's a great time to try out Miami Valley Restaurants that you may not otherwise splurge on, since you get a three course meal for $20.12, and a good portion of the proceeds to go local charities.
  
• The Oregon District's new German joint Boulevard Haus is getting a head start on Restaurant week by offering a super sweet deal of TWO meals for $20.10, plus you get to pick a boozy beverage to share! Peep their massive amount of selections here. But hurry, the offer is only good tonight through Thursday!
  

Another installment of everything that's not exactly fit to print.

- I went Krogering last night and it was more bonkers than usual. They were out of chicken broth. Isn't that like ACE Hardware being out of nails? I understand that people have been stocking up on food in the fear that 3" of snow equals the apocolypse, but come on.

- Speaking of Kroger, they had their frozen pizzas on sale for $2.99 last night, so I picked up two of them. The self-rising crust deluxe was basically like a loaf of bread with some stuff on it. Way too much crust for this ol' gal. Hopefully the crispy thin crust chicken Caesar will be better.

- I made my weekly trip to the butcher at Dot's Market today and have never been happier to part with $40.

- I also picked up some Jell-o (sugar free) Mousse Delights in Chocolate Decadence, which I LOVE. Kroger doesn't seem to be carrying them anymore, but Dot's has them on sale this week. When you dieters tire of the s/f pudding (and you will, trust me), give these a go. Then be sure to check your map, because you're smack in the middle of Tasty Town.

- Tonight we're having anniversary chicken! Not because it's our anniversary, but because the recipe looks nom-o-rama and it's way low in carbs and high in protein. Photos to come! Also on the menu for this week:

Chick-fil-a Impostor nuggets

Rosemary Chicken with Artichoke Hearts

Spicy Peanut Beef

Crunchy ranch chicken breaded w/pork rinds

Whole Wheat Linguine with Italian sausage

Mini ham & cheese frittatas

Carnitas!

"Table Scraps" is where I'll put all of the little blurbs for the week that didn't really deserve their own post. The orphaned, inner-city kids of commentary, if you will.

- Picked up a bag of Planter's Smokey Bacon Peanuts when making a cigarette run in NKY last week. I was very excited that two of my favorite things had come together and made a delicious love child, but BLARGH. The peanuts seem to have been blanched and flavored ONLY with the smoke seasoning. Not impressed, Mr. Peanut. Try again.

- Trophy Nut & Candy in Tipp City won my heart by making a little something called Crunch & Nutties Hot and Spicy mix. NOM! I've been buying it at Big Lots about 5 cans at a time until they inevitably run out. A super tasty low-carb snack that offers more than just nuts. Cashews, almonds, peanuts, sesame sticks and corn mama sticks tossed in a spicy seasoning. But, of course any time I find something I love, they have to go and break my heart and discontinue it. I checked Trophy's website and they have something similar, but not exactly the same. But, I'll still probably end up buying it in bulk once I clean Big Lots out of their stash.

- J's aunt & uncle bought us a fancy microwave popcorn maker for Christmas, but I've been brawling with it. It came with about a dozen different types of corn, and I've found some good recipes for doctoring it up (such as making your own kettle corn!). Only problem is, I can't get it all to pop without burning. Does anyone have any tips for using one of these mothers?

- I've exhausted my one & only ramekin recipe. Do my kick-ass readers have any more? I'm open to desserts, but I'd love to get some ideas for savory dishes and side items I can serve with diner.

- I tried my hand at my mom's beef stew recipe idea last night, and it came out DELISH. I worked up the nutritional facts on it and turns out I don't need to feel guilty about eating a heaping helping of it!

- The sausage & breadcrumb stuffed chicken was only a halfway success. Very tasty, but really too much of a pain in the ass to make. Maybe If you get the wimpy little Tyson Chicken breasts, it would be easier. But, I buy all my meat freshly butchered from Dot's Market, thank you very much. I don't know what they're feeding their chickens, but they are some busty broads! I pounded the chicken out with a meat mallet until my arms gave out, but it still took almost twice the cooking time.

- That reminds me - if you live in Dayton, you're doing yourself a disservice if you're buying your meat and poultry anywhere else but Dot's. You absolutely can't beat the value, and I'd put their steaks & chops up against DLM's any day.