food | moonieandme

Lord of the Pies, Stop 3

Posted on November 12, 2015 by annierhodeisland

A couple of months ago, my friend Elaine and I tried to meet up for tacos during RI Food Fights’ “Taco Mania.” The taco place was closed, even though per the hours posted on their door they were supposed to be open, so we ended up at yummy Napolitano’s Brooklyn Pizza enjoying their $5 special (two slices of cheese and a drink). Now that Elaine and I planned on meeting at Napolitano’s Brooklyn Pizza for pizza, I wondered if we’d somehow end up with tacos instead.

But we didn’t! Because NBP makes some really good slices of New York-style pizza, and because not only Elaine but also our friend Jennifer Jane AND our friend Jake all met up with us, and because it was a Friday and good things seem to happen on Fridays. For Moonie, that good thing happened the moment he saw the pizzaria’s lights. He loooves shiny lights!

Even better, NBP carries Pelligrino soda, which makes Moonie happy (even if it also makes him belch).

Lord of the Pies, Stop 2

Posted on November 7, 2015 by annierhodeisland

You’d think his tummy would have been full from all that soda, but Moonie wanted to head right down the street to try Pizza J, which has only been open a couple of weeks but which everyone has told us is wonderful. How could you go wrong from the folks who brought us Julian’s Restaurant?

My rainbow-loving companion was immediately attracted to Pizza J’s windows.

And to their cool light display on the outside of the building.

And to this silly sign inside, which had my joke lover giggling maniacally.

Lord of the Pies, Stop 1

Posted on November 7, 2015 by annierhodeisland

Moonie has been SO excited to use his Lord of the Pies coupons! For the whole month of November, he’ll get to try pizza at a whole bunch of restaurants. Boy, does my nude little dude love to eat!

We kicked everything off at Providence Pizza Company on Westminster Street, which immediately attracted my shiny-loving companion with its glitzy PIZZA sign.

“Ooh…Pizza…”

I managed to get my excited little dude inside, where we ordered a yummy slice of cheese. The coupons all say “Dine-In Only” this year, but we were given the option to take our slice to go if we wanted. But Moonie wanted to eat there so he could sit in the table in front of the window and enjoy the glowing pizza sign, so that’s what we did.

He sprinkled our slice with oregano and happily bit in, shouting, “Yummy!” after every bite. Yes, every single one. I did manage to sneak a couple of bites myself before he’d completely polished off the slice, and I agreed with his conclusion. It was cheesy and firm, yet with a light, airy crust.

Moonie also decided to drink the whole bottle of root beer that we were SUPPOSED to share.

You’re be surprised at how loudly a teeny troll with such little lungs can burp after downing a whole soda. The other diners jumped in their seats each time my gross little guy let one loose.

The man who had served us the pizza was either the owner, the manager, or the world’s most conscientious employee, because he made a point of walking around to every table to ask how people were enjoying their food. The other customers, most of whom were trying more adventurous things like pasta dishes and calzones, had the same reaction as Moonie and me: a thumbs up for Providence Pizza Company.

Culinary Cake

Posted on October 1, 2015 by annierhodeisland

Our friend Deb’s husband, “Chef Z,” is a talented instructor at Johnson & Wales University. He’s won all kinds of awards for his beautiful sculptures of dough, sugar, and other materials, and I’ve seen some of his work displayed in JWU’s culinary museum.

To Moonie’s delight, Chef Z also happens to be teaching a cakes class for JWU sophomores this semester, and he created this lovely cake as a class project.

Even better, Deb brought the cake into work yesterday for her lucky colleagues to consume, and Moonie jumped at the chance to look at the lovely bow and cute lipstick kisses and perfect little hearts up close.

“For me?” he asked, trying to wrap his little arms around the pretty package.
“For everyone,” Deb corrected him.
“No one’s gonna want to cut into that,” he told her.
“True,” she said, “But someone might get hungry.”
On cue, Moonie’s tiny tummy growled.
“Do you have a knife?” he asked Deb. And she did.

The cake was delicious, but the lipstick-kissed fondant really made Moonie’s day.

Has His Cake and Eats It, Too

Posted on September 16, 2015 by annierhodeisland

There must be a Cake-aholics Anonymous meeting around here somewhere. My little dude has gone off the deep end. I don’t even know where he gets them anymore, or how he pays for them, or how he gets people to write his name in pink icing. When I ask, I just get a mysterious little smile in return.

I also don’t know why he bothers with the fork, given that my nude little dude is prone to just diving face-first into each piece.

But it does give him an opportunity to share his favorite cake jokes with all his blog and Facebook friends.
Read More

Food Truck Friday

Posted on September 1, 2015 by annierhodeisland

My friend Jennifer Jane and I checked out Food Truck Friday at Roger Williams Park Carousel last week, which proved to consist of many, many food trucks and many, many people lined up for said food trucks.

But we did less checking out than Moonie.

I think he sampled every single item. He can swirl like the Tasmanian devil – a tiny, crazy blur but with a flash of pink – and unleash his appetite on anything.

O’Crepe? Not safe from Moonie.

Friskie Fries? Aptly named for my nude little dude.

Careful, folks; before you bite into that taco, or bowl of noodles, or plate of chicken, just make sure a tiny pink-haired dude isn’t already in there, nibbling away at your food.

Kilwin’s

Posted on August 4, 2015 by annierhodeisland

There’s a heaven on earth, according to Moonie.

It’s called Kilwin’s, and they serve both ice cream and candy (chocolates and fudge), and although there are no Kilwin’s shops in Massachusetts and only one in Rhode Island (all the way down in Newport), there are bunches in Florida, and Moonie checked them out.

I thought I was going to have to give Moonie CPR when he realized that one single place had two of his very favorite things.

Then I thought his little mind was going to blow when told he had to pick ONE thing, either ice cream or candy, but not both.

There were tiny little beads of sweat running down his little face as he agonized over the decision.

He finally went with salted caramel fudge.

I think he’s pretty happy with his choice…Although he’s asking when we can go back to Kilwin’s, this time for ice cream.

Waffles

Posted on August 2, 2015 by annierhodeisland

One Sunday, I got the urge to make waffles. This made Moonie very, very happy. Ever since, he has woken me up on Sundays by doing little troll flips and cartwheels around my bed while shouting, “Waffles, waffles, waffles!”

When that doesn’t work, he’ll totter over carrying the bigger-than-him jug of syrup, grinning.

And when that doesn’t work, he’ll pull out his favorite waffle joke: “What do you call a waffle walking down the beach?”
“Sandy eggo!”

(Me: “Moonie, you’re supposed to say ‘San Diego’ and the joke is that it SOUNDS like ‘sandy eggo.'”
Moonie: “But if they sound the same, why can’t I say ‘sandy eggo’?”
Me: “You’re right. Sandy eggo it is.”)

The flips and jokes still don’t mean Moonie is guaranteed to get waffles. But today he did, and he’s been walking around with a big grin on his face and syrup on his chin for hours.

Ogie’s Trailer Park

Posted on June 7, 2015 by annierhodeisland

Moonie and I celebrated our friend Neal’s birthday at Ogie’s Trailer Park the other night. Moonie was quite taken with the patio decor, especially the lit-up palm tree and flamingo.

But that paled in comparison to his infatuation with the food. He was crawling all over our friends’ meals, stealing tater tots and bites of sandwiches and wurst, so he finally got his very own basket of macaroni and cheese croquettes.

He was quite happy after that.

India

Posted on May 31, 2015 by annierhodeisland

A few weeks ago, Moonie and I got takeout at an Indian restaurant.

Moonie immediately ran over to the little chest of fennel seeds, and while the staff put together our food, I had to keep an eye on him so he wouldn’t pick out all the little candy-coated licorice pieces.

He wanted the pink ones.