One of my good friends, Alex, is an amazing cook. He's one of those brilliant minds who only puts effort toward the things he wants, and when he does, he absolutely kills it. Cooking is no exception.

He hosted a Friendsgiving (which is probably the best holiday) and I was lucky enough to be in attendance.

He made TWO turkeys - one oven-roasted and the other deep-fried. I had never had a deep-fried turkey before. Both were super tasty, but the deep-fried one was unreal.

I've only seen the fail videos on YouTube where the turkey like explodes. So, when I walked up to his porch and saw the turkey bubbling away, I was relieved to know it hadn't exploded.

The tables were all decked out with turkey tablecloths, plates, napkins and waiting for us were meat & cheese trays! Sara, Jeff, Anthony and I devoured these before dinner was ready.

Plus, there was punch, homemade pickles and more.

Stuffing is always one of my favorites. And this one is homemade. Honestly not sure if I've had homemade stuffing before.

Lil bit of mashed potatoes.

And some green beans.

Broccoli salad! We usually have broccoli and cheese in my house, but this was super good.

There was also salad, cranberries (one of my absolute favorites!) and so many good desserts, like apple pie and applesauce spice cake.

But pumpkin pie always has my heart.

So while driving through North Carolina, I saw "Biscuitville," a local chain specializing in fresh biscuits.


"Biscuitville Fresh Southern® is a family-owned and privately-held chain of quick-casual restaurants known for authentic Southern food made fresh daily from locally sourced ingredients. We currently have 55 locations in North Carolina and Virginia. Originally based in Graham, North Carolina, the corporate headquarters moved to Greensboro, North Carolina, in 2007."


Since I was just passing through, I went through the drive-thru and ordered a spicy chicken and honey biscuit.


As well as strawberry muffin!


Not too shabby.

If you ask anyone in the Charleston, South Carolina, area what they think the best BBQ is locally, they will likely say Rodney Scott's.


Rodney Scott's is known for smoked whole hog BBQ.


"Smoking meat is an overnight process at this acclaimed North Central destination for pulled pork prepared over live coals in the regional style, plus Lowcountry favorites like slabs of ribs, pit-cooked chicken and fried catfish. The laid-back, light-filled counter serve has both booths and communal seating inside and a few picnic tables out front."


There's outdoor dining and indoor, as well. I ordered at the counter and had a seat. After a few minutes, I had a delicious pulled pork sandwich and macaroni & cheese in front of me.


It is truly, really delicious. Like, you don't even need sauce it's so good.

Bagelsaurus is a super popular bagel shop in Cambridge that usually has a line out the door.


When I've tried to go before, they were sold out so I was bagel-less.


This time, we stopped at Bagelsaurus bright and early to get my hands on a fresh-baked bagel.


I waited in line and perused the menu, already knowing I was going to settle on a bagel & lox. I ordered an onion bagel (though I think they gave me a poppy) with scallion cream cheese, cold-smoked salmon, and red onion.


This was a beautiful rendition of the sandwich. I could eat this every morning and be so, so happy.


Do you go savory or sweet with your bagels?

Jack of Cups Saloon is known for a wide assortment of local brews and some inventive dishes. I checked out this spot with a few new friends.


There's an indoor portion - which was a nice reprieve from the heat - and outdoor seating as well.



The menu was really cool, with lots of creative options like bahn mi spring rolls or boiled peanut hummus.



I started with the Mushroom Veloute, which is a creamy French soup with shiitake mushrooms and truffle puree.


Then for my main meal, I tried the Green Curry Mac. Ditalini pasta with spicy green curry cheese sauce, corn salsa and romano. Oh my goodness this was unbelievable.