Okay, so when I first starting hearing about Pinterest, I pretty much ignored it. Like so many people, my initial attitude was "Uhff, I'm so busy as it is. I don't need another internet "thing." Then, I kept hearing about it, so I started asking questions. Most of the time, I heard things like "it's a great way to get cute ideas" or "so many ideas!" I started thinking, "So, this is some internet think tank where people are just batting around 'ideas' all the time?" Finally, I just looked it up and requested an "invite" so I could check it out for myself. (Isn't it interesting how the word invitation has been replaced by the simple invite?)
I received my official credentials and secret handshake instructions relatively quickly and began checking it out.
I admit. At first I thought it was way stupid. So much visual clutter. Seeing as how I am absolutely NO Martha Stewart, I knew a bunch of "cute" crafty ideas weren't going to benefit me. But, I told myself to shut up and keep my mind open. Spent a few days looking, watching, reading, digesting. And, I'm glad I listened to myself. As I continue to learn how it works and have jumped in and started participating, I am really diggin' it. In fact, I think my husband would love it, but twice I've brought it up and tried to explain it, only to be met with "Uhff, I'm so busy as it is. I don't need another internet "thing." Oh well.
I'm still learning and figuring it all out, but I have to tell you, I love this damn site. It's a crazy, brilliant platform. And yes, I have seen some "cute ideas" that even I could pull off. But, most importantly, I'm getting tons of cooking ideas and leads to other food blogs and websites that interest me. The last few days, I've been almost obsessed by this site that I learned about via Pinterest, courtesy of my friend Ellen, "A year of slow cooking: 2008." This woman has some fortitude, to say the least!
365 days of using her crockpot without repeating a single dish! And, as I've been scrolling through her dishes, I'm just overjoyed at all the "great ideas" I've gotten. Crockpot cooking is awesome, especially when you learn to make something other than "stew." I mean, that can mean any old mushy, soupy stuff, right?
The moral of this story is this: Pinterest is cool. It is social media in a totally new way. I love Facebook too. And just fyi, I LOATHE Twitter.
I use it because I have to since so many people like it and that's how you reach them. I don't get their obsession with it. I think it sucks. I also hate LinkedIn. I have a LinkedIn account, but I don't use it. If you send me a LinkedIn request, I'll ignore it. I'm not ignoring you. I just hate LinkedIn. Actually, I hate it more than Twitter. So, if you want to interact with me, these are the best ways: call me, email me, FB me, Pinterest me, or just invite me out for a drink.
Wow, that was quite a tangent, huh? And have you noticed my fondness for "quotation marks" today? Anyway, if you haven't checked out Pinterest yet, I recommend you do. If you need an "invite" let me know and I'll hook you up. And as far as the "great ideas" I've gotten so far, I'm dying to make the bacon sour cream crockpot chicken recipe that I found on someone's Pinterest board. Once I do, I'll let you know how it turns out!
Generally speaking, I think I'm pretty much an "in the know" kind of person. Well, two days ago I discovered that <lo and behold> there are things about this town that I don't know about. I know, I know...I'm just as shocked as you. So, you can imagine my surprise to learn about Compton's Kitchen over in Triangle City. Clearly, this place has been around awhile but has managed to escape my attention all these years. Granted, Triangle City isn't exactly my stomping ground, but come on! How is the hell have I not even heard a word about the joint?
So, after an appointment over that way, my mom suggested we go there for lunch. It was like stepping back in time in a small town. I googled Compton's first and read some reviews on their website. So, going in I had been informed that biscuits are a must. It's basically a "meat 'n three" kind of restaurant with tried and true Southern favorites. It's clear that they are blessed with a regular crowd. And, I saw two guys I know from town that obviously crossed the river to have lunch here.
The daily special was a "chicken pan pie" which sounded interesting but since this was my first time, I knew I had to start off with the ultimate classic...fried chicken. The lady at the counter asked if I was ok waiting about 12 minutes for them to cook me a fresh chicken breast. Heck yeah! I'd wait 12 minutes anytime for a freshly cooked piece of anything. And, it was well worth the wait. It was a big, golden breast that arrived at the table steaming hot. The meat was so tender and remarkably juicy. Additionally, I had the macaroni and cheese and green beans. The green beans were canned but were well seasoned. The macaroni was homemade and the spoonful they gave me was so big it might have had its own zipcode.
Mom chose the country style steak. I'm really skeptical about this dish because it can be oh-so-good or oh-so-bad. I tried a bite and WOW! It was awesome. Incredibly tender, which as we all know, can be difficult to achieve with cubed steak. She also had cabbage, mashed potatoes and field peas. Hallelujah! Real field peas...you know, the little tiny dark brown ones that it seems you can only get here in SC.
Then, there were the biscuits. If you know a good biscuit when you taste it, then you know what I'm talking about. This is that biscuit..enough said!
I'm still baffled about how I didn't know about Compton's until now, but I'm glad that now I do. It's nothing fancy. The prices are reasonable. The staff is friendly and inviting. And the food reminds you of Sunday dinner with your family. If you haven't been over there, make a point of doing so. 
