Hope you all had an amazing Memorial Day weekend! We’re in the final week of school over here, and all of us are simply elated!
A few weeks ago, Jim was competing in a volleyball tournament in the middle of “Peanut Country,” Virginia and I gladly went along for the ride. There is something about being around farmland that makes me so excited and so happy. To me, it’s a nostalgic reminder of my youth in the midwest, and so many of the little towns have remnants of America’s past that are just dying to be revived. Seriously, folks. Get Chip and Jo there, stat. There are so many cute, gorgeous houses with beautiful wrap-around porches.. that are about to fall over from disrepair. So sad.
Anyway, on the drive out there, I saw about a million billboards for the Virginia Diner, a local staple that has been in operation since 1929! I had to check it out and I LOVED it. I’d seen Virginia Diner peanuts in stores several times, but guess I always assumed it was a long-gone restaurant that still distributes peanuts (like Chi-Chi’s salsa.. RIP). I’m happy to report the restaurant is alive and well and beyond adorable.
Jim had the open-face roast beef sandwich and I had the fried chicken and gravy… with a side of mac and cheese, hush puppies and mashed potatoes. When in Rome…
Now for the most important part of this post. Under no circumstance may you go out there and NOT get the peanut pie. It was quite literally the best thing I have eaten in my whole entire life (yes, I know that phrase is redundant, but redundancy is very VERY necessary when speaking of things like peanut pie). I was so excited to try it that I forgot to take a picture of it before digging in…
Seriously. Sooooo good. I googled the recipe, and look at THIS. Martha Stewart is a girl you can always count on.
An added bonus of making the trek out there is that there are several cute country stores along the side of the road that sell their own peanuts! You can get a huge sack of peanuts for around $5. If you’re a peanut person, it’s worth the little peanut pilgrimage.
Check it out, friends!