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Cracker Barrel Old Country Store is based on good ol’ home-style cookin’ and brings you a family-oriented atmosphere that makes you feel comfortable.

I always enjoy going to Cracker Barrel because it feels like a friendly visit with my husband and family and it doesn’t break the bank.

With menu options such as fried pork chops, turkey n’ dressing, home-style chicken, chicken n’ dumplin’s, multiple salads n’ such options, various country sandwich platters and a full breakfast menu, you always get that home-style taste and feel. And with an average meal costing between $2.89 and $12.99, you get your money’s worth.

As you enter the large dining area, it feels as if you’re walking into a neighbor’s home, with a warm, friendly atmosphere and a great deal of nostalgia hanging on the walls. You’ll see things that can be found in a real country store, like old advertising signs, antique farm equipment, early kitchen appliances, vintage photos and more. If you’re like me, you’ll discover something new every time you’re there.

I started off with raspberry lemonade served in a chilled mug. It was a little sour, but good. My sister-in-law, who was born and raised in Alabama, ordered the sweet tea — a signature drink down south. When we asked her about the taste, she said, “It doesn’t taste like it does back home, but it’s still really good.”

I am definitely a big fan of the fried apples — every time I go to Cracker Barrel, I have to get some. I knew I should order more than just that, so I chose their country vegetable platter, where you pick four different vegetables or sides for just $6.79.

I ordered the green beans, which were okay in taste, but would have been much better if they were fresh green beans. Instead, they tasted like they had come straight out of a can. I also got the steak fries, which were decent.

They give you the option to substitute a house salad or baked potato for an additional small fee, so I went with the house salad with ranch dressing. A salad is usually just a salad — they all taste pretty similar — but the sourdough croutons on this salad were an extra little bonus that added to the taste.

As I said, I ordered the fried apples, which are served in this wonderful cinnamon glaze. This place has the best fried apples you could ever find at any restaurant, in my opinion. It reminded me of a dish my mom used to make when I was younger.

Each meal was also served with your choice of corn muffins or biscuits. I decided to go with the corn muffins, which were a little dry but tasted okay overall.

My husband enjoyed the grilled chicken salad for $7.99, which I’ve had numerous times before. The portion size was, as always, great for the price. Their signature sourdough croutons were in this salad, too, making it an above-average dish.

The founder of Cracker Barrel, Dan Evins, saw mealtime as something special, a time to catch up with family or friends. As fast food restaurants started coming around, the restaurants that served the “real flavor of America,” were being phased out. So Evins decided to bring that atmosphere back with simple, country food, made from scratch, along with the comfort you’d feel at home.

Evins has done a great job preserving a “time gone by” with this home-style family restaurant, and I plan on coming back here soon. Cracker Barrel is an affordable restaurant that brings back memories of family meals from when I was younger.

When I was growing up, my parents always taught me to “say the magic word” or else I wouldn’t get what I was asking for. They taught me that manners were important, and I believe that is true to this day. However, not all parents teach their children the importance of manners. Children will come up to me and ask for a sucker, but most don’t say please or thank you. I even have adults that will come up and ask for something, or sometimes even demand (for example, “give me an envelope”),  and won’t use their manners.

Do people not have any appreciation for others and for what is being done for them anymore? Or are they just that lazy that they can’t say those one or two words? This is a huge pet peeve and it’s been bothering me more and more lately.

Pictures I took of my lovely ring!

I’m not trying to be petty, but I have discovered that something has been stolen from me. That item would be a yellow magnet that has been on the back of my car for years saying “support our troops”. I walked out of work and realized that it was missing. Really, who would do such a thing? I know it’s only worth about $2, but it’s the sentimental value of the matter. I have friends and family in the military – some being in Iraq. I keep this on the back of my car showing my support for them. Just to think that someone could be so cruel as to steal it just makes me angry.

This is why I HATE Ohio weather!

We got some pretty good snow storms last night. Unfortunately I had to work this morning so I got to drive in it before they started plowing. However, the drive home was much easier! The picture is a view of my parking lot from my living room window – not too pretty I know, oh well.

All this snow won’t stop us from going to see my favorite musical tonight. That’s right, Rent is in Cleveland and Steve got me tickets for Christmas! What makes it even better is that a couple of the original cast members are in this exact show – these same cast members were in the movie that came out, so I am familiar with them and love how they perform! You may recognize them in the picture above – that’s Anthony Rapp (playing Mark) on the left and Adam Pascal (playing Roger) on the right. I’m ecstatic!

Well that’s all I have to say for now. Stay safe out there!

Ingredients:

1 box of Chocolate Cake Mix

6-8 Heath Candy Bars or Score Bars

1 jar of Caramel Ice Cream Topping

1 container of Cool Whip

Directions:

Prepare cake batter. Spread in 13×9 pan.

Crush Heath Bars (I crush them with a hammer!) and sprinkle half of them over the batter (the other half will be used later).

Bake cake according to box directions.

After it is baked, use a wooden spoon handle to make holes in the cake about 1-2″ apart.

Pour caramel topping over cake and let cool completely.

Spread on Cool Whip, then sprinkle the rest of the crushed Heath Bars on top.

My cousin’s son had his 1st birthday party today. It was actually pretty fun. I made sure to take some pictures too!