Monthly Archives: July 2022

Pavillion Park Thursday Rundown

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Good evening! I hope your summer week is going well and that you are surviving on a heavy diet of ice cream. Here are this week’s five topics…

Fourth of July Recap – We spent our Independence Day evening at Pavillion Park in Liberty Lake. A live band started jamming out at 7 p.m. and played all the way until the fireworks show at 10 p.m. In between that time, the kids played on the playground while Sid and I lounged in lawn chairs. The fireworks lasted just 10 minutes which was actually perfect considering it was already way past the bedtime of two children I happen to know.

The four of us take a selfie as we wait for the fireworks show to begin at Pavillion Park in Liberty Lake.

RAK – Before we went to the park, we stopped at Krispy Kreme to take advantage of their “Red, White, and Blue” promotion. The chain was giving away a free doughnut to any customer wearing the colors of the flag. Since the four of us were decked out, we couldn’t resist. However, we walked out of the store with a lot more than just four doughnuts. A young couple approached us while we were inside and asked if we wanted one of their boxes of glazed doughnuts. It turned out they were given a buy one, get one free deal but they didn’t want the burden nor calories of a second box. They asked if we wanted them and we humbly accepted. We left Krispy Kreme with 16 free doughnuts without paying a dime.

Sloan and Beau take a look at the selection at the Spokane Valley Krispy Kreme on July 4, 2022.

Upheaval – It has been exactly a week since the bombshell announcement by USC and UCLA that they are leaving the PAC-12 for the Big 10 in 2024. I have followed intently the coverage, reaction, and speculation over the past seven days, especially in relation to what it means for WSU. I think most of us can come to the conclusion that this wasn’t something we wanted to see happen and are perhaps a little nervous about where the Cougs will land conference-wise. But I don’t think incessant worrying will do much good. This is an extremely fluid situation and there will be many twists and turns. I think we just need to be supportive and hope for the best.

No matter where the Cougs land, this little guy will be cheering for them.

Let Me Reference Something… – As a New Year’s resolution, I started to cook and bake a lot more. This meme that my friend Lindsi posted could have easily featured me in the image. Over the past six months, I have made several trips to the trash can to double check bake time or ingredient quantity. I guess it is a good thing that I do reference the directions instead of just winging it?

I can totally relate to this.

Cap’n Crunch Pancakes – Sticking on the baking theme for tonight’s final topic, I made the kids Cap’n Crunch Berrytastic pancakes last weekend. My hope was that the pancakes would taste as magical as scooping a spoonful of Crunch Berry cereal into your mouth. Unfortunately, that was not the case. The pancakes tasted like regular pancakes. There was absolutely no trace of any fruity flavor which I found rather disappointing.

Cap’n Crunch Berrytastic pancakes were a disappointment.

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As always, thanks for making my blog part of your browsing history. Have a terrific weekend and I will catch up with everyone on Monday. Don’t Blink.

Fried Chicken Honesty

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Over the course of the 11-year history of this blog, I have written a lot about fast food—that is an understatement. But most of my thoughts have surrounded delicacies such as burgers, tacos, burritos, and chicken sandwiches. As I reflect on this, I realize that I have given very little of my blogging attention to another fast food staple.

Fried chicken.

Me eating fried chicken at Bojangles in Myrtle Beach

Searching through past blog posts, I have been relatively silent about the FC in KFC. To be honest, I am not too surprised. Although I like it, I am not an over-the-top fried chicken maniac. What turns me off the most? It is just too messy.

With that said, I still like it enough. My favorite fried chicken memories entail going with my parents and siblings to Spokane public parks on summer evenings for picnics. We would go to a park with a summer concert series, throw out a blanket, and eat a bucket of chicken.

When I lived in Missoula there was a legendary fried chicken restaurant called Double Front Chicken. I remember going into the café’s dark basement to eat chicken and drink beer with my friends. When I resided in the South for six years there was no shortage of fried chicken joints to test out.

But to be honest, my preference for fried chicken isn’t found in a hole-in-the-wall Montana restaurant or a South Carolina eatery that specializes in the fare. Rather, I am a big fan of going to any given grocery store and making a beeline to the deli. In my opinion, the greasy fried chicken behind the glass counter is the best (and usually the most inexpensive).

So on this National Fried Chicken Day, you have my permission to visit your local Safeway or Kroger and load up on some fried chicken. Just remember, don’t forget your sides. Don’t Blink.

Eating Cheap In July

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Summer is in full swing, spirits are high, and perhaps nothing hits the spot better this season than a delicious cheeseburger. I thought I would take tonight’s blog post to highlight a screaming deal that is available to all of my readers living in the United States.

We are a Red Robin family…especially this July. This is Beau and Sloan outside of the Spokane Valley Red Robin on July 4, 2022.

Our family is a Red Robin family. There is just something about bottomless fries, great service (typically), and stellar burgers that we can appreciate. The four of us eat there a lot as it was even the place Sloan chose for her birthday dinner. Believe it or not, our allegiance to this national chain is even more intense this month.

Sloan loves Red Robin and even chose to have her birthday dinner there.

Alright everyone, listen to this: During July, Red Robin is offering at all of its locations a special meal deal. Through July 31, you can get a signature burger, bottomless steak fries, a bottomless soda, AND a pretzel bite appetizer…for $10!

During the month of July at Red Robin you can get a burger, fries, soda, and pretzel bites for $10.

And guess what? There is absolutely no catch. How do I know this? Because we ate there last night and it was 100% as advertised. Sid ordered the whiskey river burger and I ordered the banzai burger. We got pretzel bites, our soda glasses were constantly refilled (even when we didn’t want them to be), and the fries kept coming.

Red Robin offered exactly what was advertised.

Even without this deal we feel the value at Red Robin is superb. But in this crazy world of inflation where food has succumbed to outlandish prices and shrinkflation, the $10 meal deal is a welcome anomaly.

The pretzel bites sweeten the $10 meal deal even more.

For those families with small children who eat lightly, here is a pro tip: don’t order them something off the menu. Instead, pair the pretzel bites with some of the bottomless steak fries for a delicious and filling meal. Beau loved it!

Beau enjoyed his pretzel bites and fries.

In this current age of $12 Subway sandwiches, having the option to sit down at a restaurant and enjoy high quality food at a cheap price is something we should take advantage of. You better believe that the Reser family will be returning to Red Robin this month. Don’t Blink.

Celebrating the Fourth of July

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Today is the Fourth of July. For many of us, celebrating the United States of America was a big deal. I am sure we can rewind to our childhood and remember some very pleasant memories from this holiday. Cookouts, family, fireworks, and more probably come to mind. In fact, many of us might have similar recollections from our adult years as well.

Happy Fourth of July from my family.

There is no denying the vibe is different this year. The anniversary of the founding of the Declaration of Independence doesn’t seem to carry the luster it has in prior years. But we have become used to this, right? Over the past couple years we have marked many other holidays that felt muted. However, the reason for the lack of enthusiasm was mostly precautionary. The pandemic was raging and people were advised to tone down celebrations.

When it comes to the Fourth of July this year, people are angry. An AP-NORC poll suggests that 85% of Americans think our country is headed in the wrong direction. The reasons for discontent are too numerous to count. No matter your political leanings, religious views, or personal philosophies, you are most likely disappointed, heartbroken, or worried about something. No doubt about it, we are at a very critical juncture in our country’s history.

Despite living in an imperfect union (though we still must strive to make it more perfect), I do choose to celebrate the Fourth of July today. I remain invested in the founding principles of this country, the democratic fabric we hold dear, and the never-say-die spirit embraced by Americans. Yes, we have all felt let down, that is for sure. But the promise of our country is too much to give up on.

On this Fourth of July, let us make sure to pray for all our troops who bravely defend us. Don’t Blink.