Mr. Kelly Hidlebrant of Texas found Miss Kelly Hidlebrant of Florida when doing a facebook search for his name. (Who's betting this search was alcohol induced? ME!) After a few weeks of messaging, he flew to see her in South Florida. After an 8 month long distance courtship their love blossomed, and the two are now engaged. I can hear the religious figure now . . . "Kelly Hildebrandt, I now pronounce you Mrs. Kelly Hidlebrant."

Read the full story here: http://www.9news.com/news/watercooler/article.aspx?storyid=119712 .

I thought all those people who went to the Harry Potter all-seven movie marathons were intense fans until I found this page of creepy and/or distasteful Harry Potter tattoos. Which consequently means that somewhere on the internet, there's at least one page of awesome Harry Potter tattoos, but I diverge. These five rabid fans all tried to permanently pay homage to their favorite sorcerer, but whether in concept or in execution, something went terribly wrong. I don't know what's worse: that these people convinced themselves that their HP tats were worth paying for and looking at for a lifetime, or that their tattoo artists accepted the jobs and the money. I smell some expensive laser removals coming on . . .

Check out the photos and funny commentary here: http://www.greatwhitesnark.com/2009/07/16/the-top-five-awful-harry-potter-tattoos/

Whether it's a first date or a date after years of togetherness, dates tend to be predictable. Dinner at a restaurant, a movie or maybe a picnic in the summer. Zzzzz . . . I'm getting bored just thinking about them. But somehow when it comes time to think of something cooler or more fun to do with the other half, I'm always stumped. But this afternoon stumbleupon.com led me to a list of 20 "Unusual" date ideas. I vow to try at least five of them. Here are my top three:

"2. Go to a major chain bookstore, and leave notes to future readers in copies of your favorite books."

"12.In the middle of the night, drive to the beach, so you arrive just as the sun is rising. Have a breakfast picnic, then fall asleep together. Bring a sun umbrella."

"17.With camera and pair of boots, make photolog of a day in the life of the invisible man."

Find the complete list here: http://9gag.com/gag/3619/

When it's not blazing hot, I like to spend as much time outside as possible. The "cooler" weather in the mid 80's Sunday presented the perfect opportunity to check out Callaway Gardens with my mom and dad. Other garden guests ranged from families with small children to silver-haired ladies who lunch to couples on romantic dates.

Entrance to the park was $15 for adults and included access to the butterfly center, the horticultural center, the discovery center, all hiking and bike trails and "the beach" (which is really a lake with imported sand.) There are plenty of spots to picnic, although food from the Gardens' own Country Store Restaurant was reasonably priced and tasty. Callaway Gardens is about a 45-minute drive from Auburn and Opelika.

Here are a few of the things we saw on our trip:

Recession or not, potatoes have always been a cheap food staple. But they can get a little redundant if all you do is mash or fry. Yesterday I threw together this cheap roasted potato and broccoli mix with some old herbs I had laying around the kitchen. It should serve 4-6 people, but three of us liquidated it quickly.

8 small red potatoes (or 4-6 bigger ones, the firmer the better)
1 head of broccoli, florets only (no big stem)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon garlic salt

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until oil and herbs are well-distributed. Place in non-stick sprayed roasting pan (or cookie sheet). Bake for 45min-1hr or until broccoli is browned and tender and potatoes are golden-brown, shriveled and crispy on the outside. Note: use the dried herbs that you like the best, or the ones that need to be used the most. Enjoy!

Starbucks's latest sweet bread inspired my last foray into baking. I almost bought a chunk of their "banana walnut" bread, but then I realized for the price of one slice I could make my own loaf. I found this recipe on the back of a banana nut cereal box, and I was pleasantly surprised with the finished product.

3/4 cup sugar
1 medium mashed bananas
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used canola)
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla (I forgot it)
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups banana nut cereal (I used Kroger brand)
1 1/3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or spray a 9x5 or 8x4 inch loaf pan.
2. Blend first six ingredients in a large bowl. Beat with a hand mixer for one minute at a medium speed. Stir in remaining ingredients and beat until dry ingredients are moistened (about two minutes.) Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
3. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean. (50 minutes did the trick in my oven.) Cool for at least five minutes before removing from pan.

Enjoy!

After moving back to Alabama, "Alumna Abroad", no longer seemed an appropriate blog title. In search for inspiration for fresh blog topics for you savvy Corner readers, I looked back at my older entries and noticed a recurring theme: food. It makes sense to me--we all have to eat. Why not enjoy every bite of it? So, I'm taking that philosophy and running with it here on the new blog.

I hope you turn to "Chew on This" for the latest in Auburn area food, tasty recipes and biting opinion and humor (because unfortunately, eating isn't everything). Now, go enjoy friends, family, food and a few cold ones while you're celebrating the 4th today!

Check back soon for a restaurant review of Birmingham's Silver Coin Indian Restaurant.