I'm all about a well-planned weekend. You know the weekends where you know what you are going to be doing and the anticipation of great times and good fun just hangs in the air like a stagnant stench of a rotten fart? Well, that might not be the exact, best way to describe it but, gosh darn it, I had a grand weekend. It started with a little Ham Jam. This is an annual party at my buddy Bret's place of business www.haminthefridge.com. I guess you could say the party was in the fridge and the ham was smoked and juicy and ready-to-serve. Ahhhh . . . yummy ham. Bret goes all out for this event. You have the open bar, the catered eats, the DJ. This year, he added some rental arcade games. Played myself a little pinball. I'm not gonna lie. Yeah I did.
The weekend also brought some visitors to casa del Osborne. Neece and Jer came do a little jammin with the ham followed by some Twins baseball action. Before we headed to the ballpark, we made a pit stop at Minneapolis local fave, Syrdyk's for some cheese and wine shopping. http://www.surdyks.com/ Picked up a fine clothbound cheddar from Vermont, a tasty Spanish Manchego and some Parma Reggiano. Grabbed some Bell's Hopslam (yes, it is a fine hoppy brew) and a lovely Rose Cava for next weekend's big celebration. This place has it all. A veritable gourmet spread of fermented dairy with well informed cheese mongers to help you find your delights.
This is where Neece introduced me to another pork-related fancy -- Mo's Bacon Bar. Have you heard of this thing? It is a chocolate bar with flecks and flavors of smoky bacon. The bacon doesn't overwhelm but you can definitely taste it on the tongue. The salt intermingling with the sweet cocoa is a sensation to savor. A first for me and I owe it all to my Neecie. If you are up to the challenge, give it a go. I don't think you will be disappointed.
Then it was off to the game. Twins win! Twins win! Just to add more pork goodness to the weekend, what is a MUST do at the baseball park if not reckless abandoned enjoyment of a most coveted DOME DOG. Now I am assuming that there is actually pork IN the dog, but I could very well be wrong on that one. Slap on some ketchup, mustard and relish and get your dog on.
A lovely weekend all around. Ham Jam, Bacon Chocolate Bar and Dome Dogs. I think I need to lay off the nitrates for awhile. Yikes.
I admit that I've been addicted to The Biggest Loser Couples television show. The season finale was tonight and I'm watching it on my Tivo while I'm typing this post. Not sure who is going to win the $250,000 prize for losing the most weight, but I'm really hoping it is Alli. There has never been a female biggest loser and I think the time has come.
There are a number of so-called reality shows that I enjoy watching. What I think helps to set The Biggest Loser apart from the pack is it actually encourages and helps motivate healthy lifestyles and reinforces good behavior (i.e. positive body image, nutritious eating and physical activity). I love seeing the transformations of the contestants as they battle their own food demons and sedentary habits. It is quite inspirational. I wish I could have Bob or Jillian train me but I'm not sure if I could handle it. They are some tough mothers to be sure. Instead, I have Meghan, my own personal version of Bob and Jillian. She's good and only slightly mean.
Train on my friends. Train on.
I'm not in the business of pandering to big business nor would I associate myself with anything but primo products and services. That said, I do feel the need to endorse those items on the marketplace that fill a need and meet my strictest quality standards. Sounds official, right? Well, I haven't yet promoted any one product on this blog so this will be a first for me. Something that I'm really digging right now that I recommend others try are these individual Crystal Light On The Go packets. They make drinking water a heck of a lot more exciting and tasty. 
I think we've purchased every variety at least once and probably have about 6 different boxes in our cupboard right now. Here's the trick. You have to get some of those big 32 oz. plastic bottles, preferably with a built in straw. You fill that bad boy up with some ice, toss in one of these packets, fill with water and viola, you have a refreshing beverage AND are able to get more H2O. My favorite right now is the Raspberry Green Tea. Hey, it has anti-oxidents. Or so they say. We all need a little more anti in our oxidents, right?
