Cardenas Vinegar & Olive Oil Taproom is an inspiring Guilty Pleasure

As you know, quality friendships stand the test of time. Two of Thin Mint's best friends from college came to visit this weekend.  The SUNY triplets had a blast reminiscing and laughing.  Everyone turned out just fine and with great kids. Of course any great weekend always includes a variety of Guilty Pleasures. While a late dinner at the Han Dynasty was a spicy symphony that everyone loved, their Italian Market Food Crawl earlier in the day was the real showstopper.  Luckily, Saturday's weather in Philadelphia was spectacular.  It finally felt like spring.

From Kermit's Bake Shoppe on Washington to S. 9th St., the city was alive with with upscale shoppers. After a long lunch at, Thin
Mint and friends, aka The Upstate Hotties, wandered into Cardenas Oil &Vinegar Taproom.  It's an epicurean oasis that rejuvenates the Guilty Gourmand.

The Olive Oils,Vinegars and salts at this premium specialty food store are so amazing. You can spend hours discovering new flavors and savoring every Guiltorious moment. Their Salt Bar will transport you from the famed Murray River in Australia to the Himalayan Mountains to the Crown of Creation Salt from Mediterranean Sea. Laurissa knows her stuff and she will  take excellent care of you.

There specialty products will make your food taste much more flavorful and adventurous. Shopping at Cardenas Oil & Vinegar Taproom is an inspiring Guilty Pleasure.

Bart's Place is a Stunning Palace!

Great things are happening in Philadelphia.  With approval waiting in the wings, The Provence Casino is coming to the City of Brotherly Love.  This beautiful 5 star property is going to reshape North Broad Street in a very good way. One can only imagine how many jobs are going to be created by this exciting project.

With a top flight team in place, the remarkable vision of Bart Blattstein is coming to fruition.

Mr. Blattstein is Philadelphia's Michael Bloomberg. He's socially responsible and definitely has the Midas touch. Not to mention that he selected a fantastic name for his new casino and hotel. We encourage everyone to root for Bart and encourage city officials to fast track this important project.  Philadelphia needs to attract more upscale visitors. Philadelphia needs Provence.

When it comes to sampling, change is your Guilty Ally.

Change is your friend in Guilty Town.  We constantly want to try new recipes, new restaurants, new products and new ideas.  The evaluation process never stops and we love that. From Going Green to decadent sauces, we have a lot to explore.

At the request of vendors around the globe, we are making plans to attend the Fancy Food Show in New York this summer. They all want to be a certified Guilty Pleasure. The prestige and increases sales are their top priority. The Blog requests are getting so time consuming, we will be scheduling extensive interviews for one or two days in July.

Once the press is satisfied, I can't wait to try Sweet Corn Ice Cream.  OMG!!!  Thankfully, Guilty is an excellent interview and an even better sampler.

Thin Mint's Coca Cola Ham is destined for the top of Mt. Guiltmore

Crafting menus is one of the best parts of custom-to-the-client catering.  Each menu is different.  You listen, you research and you create.  It's a very exhausting and rewarding process.  Last evening, Thin Mint put together a terrific action station for a Wedding at the Olde Homstead Golf Club She put together a sensational selection of Guiltorious comfort that has greatness written all over it.

Her client now has a Biscuit Bar with Southern Biscuits, Sweet Potato Biscuits and Jalapeno Chive Biscuits.OMG!  They sound awesome, but the real showstopper are the two toppings that Thin Mint added.  Our Executive Chef went back into our culinary vault and chose two eternal classics. Thin Mint's client will have Chef Bruce's famous Chicago Bears sausage gravy. We have had many chef's over the years prepare this slice of the South and very few do it justice.  We're not sure why, but it's a good test of their cooking skills. No one even comes close to matching Bruce's heavenly creation.  It's incredible.

However, my beautiful bride climbed Guilty Peak with her Coca Cola glazed spiral ham. This slow-smoked Country Ham was worthy of being on Mt. Guiltmore.  The salty flavor combined with the soda's sweetness is the ideal accompaniment to the flaky biscuits. Thin Mint's Guiltness Greatness is always appreciated.

Generation to Generation...Cast Iron Skillets are trusted tools

There's something magical about cast iron skillet.  It's always adds a Guilty touch to cooking.  Scrambled cheesy eggs ith Applewood bacon become a masterpiece. Fried chicken tastes Southern.  Duck fat fries taste like heaven and charred Brussel sprouts become epic. AWESOME!!!

That's all great. but it's not the secret of the skillet.  The real treasure of a cast iron frying pan is that we go retro. It's a culinary portal  Now we are cooking great food just like our parents, grandparents and great grandparents did.  That cultural lineage is pure magic.  Trusted skillets are included many wills.  Children fight over them.  With the right skillet, recipes that are handed down from generation to generation, now taste like they did in 1914.

This particularly true when it comes to making breakfast.  No shortcuts are permitted. Thin Mint and I only go out to for breakfast or brunch at restaurants that swear by the skillet. We particularly like the Green Eggs Cafe in Philly.  They have three locations and their food is incredible.  My mouth is watering for scrambled with cheese, potatoes, peppers and onions, topped with a homemade jumbo biscuit and country style pork sausage gravy in a cast-iron skillet.  What a great way to start the day.

Guilty's Sweet Sixteen

We're not here.  At least not mentally. We're on a beach somewhere in Roatan Honduras.  Our Villa is breathtaking and the Guilty Meter is off the charts.  Come join us on Guilty Island and daydream at lunch.

In honor of the NCAA Basketball Tournament, we are re-posting our sensational Sweet 16 of Villas that we created several years ago.  These exclusive properties have only gotten better.

Guilty searched long and hard to find just the perfect getaway. Finding Tropical bliss was a labor of love and a commitment to our never ending  high standards for the Guilty Pleasures Club.  Fortunately, there were numerous vacation options available with cool island breezes, tropical sunsets and family friendly summertime prices. From St. Croix to the Roatan Island in Honduras to Nicaragua and back again, we found a treasure chest of stunningly beautiful villas that met all of our lofty expectations.  It was an exhausting and successful journey in search of opulence, family adventure and fiscal sanity.


We put together a Sweet Sixteen a fun ranking of exclusive, opulent and eco-friendly Vacation Villas to share with our luxury-minded legions. However, just whittling the list of decadent vacation options down to only 16 finalists was quite challenging.  Let alone, choosing just one.  Of course, as always, Guilty and Thin Mint would not be denied.  Here are the 16 finalists for the first ever Luxury Villa Showdown.  Just like March Madness, our fiercely competitive tournament is destined to become an annual event with stunning upsets and big surprises.

http://www.vrbo.com/347898#photos Ranked # 1.  Incredible waterfront eco-property in Honduras. Passed on this property in 2009, but we're giving it serious consideration this summer.

http://www.vrbo.com/252475#photos  Bequia property ranked # 2.  Just an amazing home.  Airfare was a little high for a family vacation.  Did somebody say use points?  We will.  

http://www.vrbo.com/257646#photos

Ranked # 3. Jamaican 3.5 acre waterfront estate.  We stayed there in 2009.  There was lot's of  Guiltorious Glee in the outdoor shower. The Villa is next to the world famous Round Hill resort.    www.roundhill.com.  Their new infinity Pool at Round Hill was epic. We also loved the Afternoon Tea, but it's time to go someplace different.

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p296694#photos  Ranked # 4.  St. Martin villa on Dawn Beach.  An awesome property.  Love this house, but we have been to the island too many already.

http://www.vrbo.com/143126#photos  Very nice cliff side property in St. Croix.  Ranked # 5.

http://www.vrbo.com/175999#photos  Ranked
# 6  Incredible all-inclusive for 6 people in Nicaragua.  OMG 

http://www.vrbo.com/218687#photos  Ranked # 7.  A fantastic property on Grenada.

http://www.vrbo.com/219216#photos  Fabulous for the money in Nicaragua.  Ranked # 8. 

http://www.vrbo.com/216040#photos Ranked # 9.  A very nice Jamaican property with staff. 

http://www.vrbo.com/40246#photos  Great waterfront property in Antiqua.  Ranked # 10   

http://www.vrbo.com/233134#photos Wonderful oceanfront property in El Salvador.  Very tropical and inexpensive.  Ranked # 11, 

http://www.vrbo.com/52036#photos  Ranked # 12.  Great waterfront property in Negril . 

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p227082#photos  Bonaire property ranked # 13. On the beach in dive central

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p334879#photos  St. Thomas property on the cliffs above the water. ranked # 14. 

http://www.homeaway.com/vacation-rental/p927563#photos  Ranked # 15 a St, Croix property.  Very nice. 

http://www.vrbo.com/271990#photos  A fantastic  treehouse in Nicaragua above the ocean.  Ranked # 16

Guilty's Baseball Adventure

Thin Mint is planning a sensational trip to Italy.  Sounds great to me.  I know it's going to be an unforgettable Gastronomic adventure.  What a fantastic vacation she's working on.

I have another trip in mind.  Guilty turns the Big 60 this summer and yet, in many ways I am still a 12 year old boy. I am sure it's no surprise to anyone, I was quite Guiltorious back in 1966. Baseball was my world. Shea Stadium, Connie Mack Stadium and Wrigley Field Field were my sanctuaries.  I loved the Boys of Summer.  I also loved the over indulgence you enjoyed at the ballpark.

To celebrate my milestone birthday, I am planning a Baseball road trip.  We fly to Chicago and enjoy the passion of the Windy City.  From Navy pier to the Gold Coast to Hyde Park, the Second City is city of Fun and adventure. The restaurants are world class. The comedy clubs are awesome and we'll catch a Cubs game or two at Wrigley.

Then we'll drive north to Milwaukee to visit with club members along Lake Michigan. Sharing Guilty Pleasures is always a blast. Then we'll check out the Brewers at Miller Park.  It's spectacular new stadium and an engineering marvel.  Of course, around the seventh inning, we'll slip away and find a German Beer Garden along Lake Michigan.  After savoring some local microbrews, there will be a prearranged Bratwurst tasting or two. In the summertime, Wisconsin has countless Guilty Pleasures waiting for us to enjoy.

With brats in hand, we head west to Minneapolis and root for the Twins in their beautiful new Downtown Ballpark, Target Field.   Along the way, we enjoy great food, an endless local Fish Fry and share stories with club members in the Heartland who enthusiastically tell us Thanks for Living Well.  Funny, that's what people convey to us around the globe.

Spring is here and Fun's coming on fast.

Do you love the roar of the crowd?  Guilty does!  So does Thin Mint. Why not host a Kentucky Derby Party.  It's a annual celebration that goes well beyond a Mint Julip. The women are fine, the hats are spectacular and the food is awesome.  Fun's on outside and closing fast. Make sure your party catered by Provence  has a photo finish,  Thanks for Living Well.