Indiana Foodways Alliance Culinary Trails: Guide to Hoosier Dining

Connie Food & Drink, Indiana March 6, 2018Indiana Foodways Alliance, Indiana Foodways culinary trails, Indiana Foodways trails, Indiana Restaurants, where to eat in Indiana 6 Comments

Bucket lists have become a big thing. Or maybe it’s just the term du jour. People have always checked to-do’s off travel lists. Visit all 50 states. Take in a ballgame at every Major League Baseball stadium. I do the same even with smaller lists. Photograph every Seward Johnson sculpture in a city. Stop at every shop on the Wayne County Chocolate Trail. So when I learned about the Indiana Foodways Alliance culinary trails, I was on board. Right away I decided I wanted to eat pie at every restaurant on the Indiana Foodways Alliance Hoosier Pie Trail. My attempt was a miserable failure.

Where to Eat in Morgan County, Indiana

Connie Food & Drink, Indiana February 13, 2018February 11, 2018Cedar Creek Winery, Come n Get It Mooresville, Gray Bros Cafeteria, Gray Brothers Cafeteria, Martinsville Candy Kitchen, Morgan County Restaurants, Squealers Barbecue, Squealers Barbecue Grill, Squealers BBQ, Tomato Pizza Pie Joint, Where to eat in Morgan County, Zydeco's Mooresville 2 Comments

During a Midwest Travel Bloggers Twitter chat I won several gift certificates to Morgan County, Indiana, restaurants. Skip and I had already eaten at a few Morgan County restaurants that we loved and were excited to taste more of the area’s cuisine. So last summer we scheduled a trip to Morgan County mainly for the culinary experiences. While the atmosphere at all of the restaurants we tried is casual, each has its own unique cuisine.

Where to Eat in Alton, Illinois

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois January 23, 2018January 26, 2018Alton Illinois restaurants, Alton Restaurants, Bluff City Grill, Castelli's, Castelli's Restaurant at 255, Great Rivers Tap & Grill, Great Rivers Tap and Grill, My Just Desserts, Old Bakery Beer Company, Tony's Restaurnat, Tonys Restaurant Alton, Where to eat in Alton Illinois 2 Comments

Over the past few years we’ve eaten in several Alton restaurants. It seems every time we visit Alton, Illinois, new great eating establishments have opened, while iconic restaurants continue to thrive. Here are some of the restaurants we’ve enjoyed during our Alton visits.

11 Delectable Midwest Chocolate Treats

Connie Attractions & Events, Food & Drink, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, Pennsylvania January 9, 2018January 26, 2018Askinosie, Askinosie Chocolate, Bartlett's, Bartlett's Gourmet Grill & Tavern, Chocolate, Chocolate Garden, chocolate in the midwest, Chocolate tail in Indiana, Chocolate Trail Richmond Indiana, DeBrand, DeBrand chocolates, DeBrand Fine Chocolates, Eddie Merlot's, hotel vandivort, Hotel Vandivort restaurant, Kakawa Chocolate House, Lagomarcino's, Lagomarcino's Davenport, Lagomarcino's Moline, Midwest chocolate, Octane InterLounge, Richmond Indiana Chocolate Trail, Silver Moon Winery, South Bend Chocolate Cafe, South Bend Chocolates, The Chocolate Garden, the hershey story, The Order, The Order Restaurant Springfield MO, Wayne County Chocolate Trail 6 Comments

Dark chocolate—it’s one treat I can’t pass up. A few years ago on a press trip we were tasting chocolate at a chocolate shop. I was skipping the milk chocolate and going right for the dark. One of my fellow travel writers said, “Even if I never meet you again, I will always connect you with dark chocolate.” Yep, that’s me. I’ve tasted a lot of Midwest chocolate over the past few years, and am sharing with you 11 of my favorites, in no particular order, plus two from beyond the Midwest.

9 Peoria Restaurants You’ll Surely Want to Try

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois December 18, 2017July 2, 2022Blue Duck Barbecue Tavern, Childers Eatery, CxT Roasting Company, Denhart's Baking Company, Hearth, Hearth Peoria, Jonah's Seafood House and Oyster Bar, Martini's on Water Street, Novu Sushi, Peoria restauants, Rhythm Kitchen Music Cafe, Seasons Gastropub, Thirty-Thirty Coffee Co, Thyme Kitchen, Thyme Kitchen and Craft Beer, Where to eat in Peoria 8 Comments

A favorite part of our travels is dining at local restaurants. We like to mix up the cuisines to keep our meals interesting. When we visited Peoria, Illinois, and the surrounding area, we dined at a great mix of restaurants, from barbecue and pub food to Asian and Cajun. Here are nine Peoria restaurants we tried and recommend, plus a few places we stopped into just for beverages.

Shop ‘Made in Iowa’ for Unique Gift Ideas

Connie Food & Drink, Illinois, Shopping December 7, 2017Amana Wollen Mill, Bentonsport Artisan Co-op, Bentonsport Historic District, Iowa shopping, Iron & lace, Iron and Lace, Isabel Bloom, Made in Iowa, Mississippi River Distilling, Mississippi River Distilling Company, The Kaleidoscope Factory, unique gift ideas, villages folk school 2 Comments

When it comes to gift giving, some people are just plain impossible to buy for. When you ask for a wish list, they tell you they don’t need a thing. Or maybe you don’t feel comfortable asking for a wish list. We have someone like that in our family. For a while we were exchanging gift cards, which seemed silly. Then one year as we were traveling in early December, browsing through gift shops, I had an idea. Why not fill a basket with goodies produced in the state we were visiting? So that year we gave this person a basket filled with locally-made wines, cheeses, honey and other edible treats. It was a big hit. Since then, I’ve been on the lookout for unique gift ideas whenever I travel.