Who likes going out to eat? Show of hands. I don’t like going out to eat; I love it! I seriously think it’s one of my favorite things to do. I love everything about it, but the best part is the company. My girlfriends and I go out on the last Wednesday of the month. We all love being together, and each take turns picking where we want to go eat. Nothing like some girl time with three of my favorite girls once a month. Now, most of these girls I see on the weekends. My group of friends, well, OK, let me change that. My ‘family’ and I get together every weekend — my husband, kids, and all of our besties. Honestly, if there is a weekend we have to skip, we all get a little bummed out. Going out for dinner together is always the best part of the weekend. We love being together. We love the food, and we love sitting around the table for hours. If the check doesn’t come right away, it’s no big deal. Someone typically comments, “Doesn’t matter if the checks aren’t here yet; we will go out in the parking lot and talk another hour anyway.”

It’s no joke. We walk out to the parking lot, and there we stand talking some more until we hug goodbye and yell, “LOVE YOU,” from our cars.

Last week we went over to the Nipp. It’s the Nippenose Tavern. A cute little place that we enjoy gathering. Great food and the environment is such a cozy place. Well, that weekend, we hadn’t all been together in three weeks, which is unheard of. Joe Kanger and Lindsay Mertes were on vacation Saturday to Saturday; the same week my other bestie Amanda English was away at the beach. Then my little family all left for Connecticut the weekend after for our getaway before school started. Needless to say, we were all going through withdrawal from one another. I kept counting down the day until all nine of us could all be around the table together somewhere for dinner. Shawn and Tania Myers weren’t on vacation those weeks, but they had their hands pretty full as well. So, when we all got together last Friday night, let me just say it got a little rowdy! Shawn was his typical crazy self. (Anyone that knows him is nodding their heads right now, agreeing with me.) Plus, us all not being together in so long had us wound up; we finally had our family back together again. Our waitress would walk in on some of our discussions and just crack up laughing. She said we were such a fun table and enjoyed having us all. I can’t tell you how many times we have been out, and people say, “I want to sit at your table! You guys look like a fun bunch!” Oh, we are a fun bunch, alright, haha.

When you get some insanely good food, you’re with your very best friends, and it’s the weekend that is a recipe for a good time. Then, when you add Shawn to the mix, it’s always a good time. He is the oldest of all of us but is the kid of the bunch. It always makes us smile and laugh. He is a crazy critter.

When we were sitting at our table at the Nipp, he thought a man a few tables away was a pastor because of his collar. So, we are all turning and looking. Nope, definitely not a pastor. This man was with his wife drinking a beer and had on a white t-shirt with a black jacket with a popped collar. I mean, I could see why he looked like one, but why we all thought this was so funny was beyond me. I think it was something we were talking about, and our volume button seemed to be broken that night. But we have a reputation to uphold for the fun table at our local hot spots. I think Shawn was worried the pastor heard us. Honestly, I think any pastor would love to join our table! We aren’t potty mouths or disrespectful in any way. We just enjoy being together and laugh and laugh and laugh. It’s all about having a good time.

Some folks say weekends were made for family. Yeah, definitely! I mean, you have to make time for the ones you love, and if that open time is weekends, you make the time. I love our weekday dinners with my kids and husband. That’s our family time, but Friday and Saturday night, our family extends by five more people, sometimes more. (We have lots of ‘extended family in our group, but we don’t get together with all of them every weekend like we do the nine of us.)

If we ever went out to eat on the weekends, just the four of us in town, my kids would be so bummed. They are used to their Uncle Shawn and Aunt Tania, Uncle Joe Joe and Aunt Winny, and their Aunt Manda all joining us. We’ve all been a group since Kenzy was born! That is all my kids know. Family is important. Friends are important. Friends who are family — they hold a special place in your heart. I say you get pretty darn lucky to find an amazing group of people to share your life with. My three favorite things, family, friends, and food. Also, my three favorite “F” words! I still have a picture of Shawn with Tyler and Kenzy at T.G.I.Fridays back in 2015. Ty is six years old with his two front teeth missing. He has the biggest smile on his face because he loved being with Shawn. To this day, at twelve years old, he still loves to sit by Shawn at dinner.

Kenzy was one year old, also sitting on his lap in the picture. Kenzy loves to get Uncle Shawn all fired up, or is it the opposite? Yea, I have that backward. Sorry about that. My kids love our extended family. They are so blessed to have so many people who love them. When you can go out to eat, laugh, and confide in one another about anything, it’s bittersweet. We literally pass around food and even drinks. “Oh, that looks good!” There goes the cup around so everyone can take a sip and try it. From meals to apps, what’s mine is yours, what’s yours is mine kinda deal with all of us. Always willing to share, as long as we are all healthy, of course. We always say we are family, so no big deal.

Next week I am going to let you in on a few more of our favorite hot spots! Amazing restaurants with some incredible food that you need to go visit with your closest friends and family. I love to cook, but I love to go out to eat just as much. Who wouldn’t!? Wait till you hear about a few of these hidden little secrets!

Restaurant-Style Loaded Potato Skins

Ingredients:
• 4 large baking potatoes, baked
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 8 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
• 1-1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Garnish:
• 1/2 cup sour cream & a few green onions

Directions:

Preheat oven to 475°. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise; scoop out pulp, leaving a 1/4-in. shell (save pulp for another use). Place potato skins on a greased baking sheet.

Combine oil with the next five ingredients; brush over both sides of skins.

Bake until crisp, about 7 minutes on each side. Sprinkle bacon and cheddar cheese inside skins. Bake until cheese is melted, about 2 minutes longer. Top with sour cream and green onions if desired.