I Bought Turkey Bacon

There comes a day when you realize you are kind of a grown up.
My day like this came when I visited the Big City. It's not really a big city...but to me! Me, who lives in the middle of a field in the  middle of nowhere, to me it is BIG. I went to Lexington, KY.

yea, there's a castle in Kentucky

There is also a Kroger in Kentucky (who knew right?). My cousin Ross & I went to Kroger so we could cook dinner. Mexican enchilada casserole...ooh it was goood. Little did I know that this Kroger is the biggest, coolest Kroger ever to exist.

As I walked though the store, past the Starbucks and the Diamond Store and the Cookware I was obvious in my astonishment. I mean, OBVIOUS. It was probably embarrassing. Not even probably. I was embarrassing. A silly girl from the country where Kroger only has single aisles and strictly cheddar, american, and mozzarella cheese (in the plastic zippy packages) and NO Starbucks.

This Kroger is bigger than Wal-Mart. How can you have that many aisles of frozen food? How can you choose between all these cheeses?

Poor Ross. In his mind our trip was supposed to go like this -- get rotel. get chips. check out. go home. --

Mine went like this. -- walk through doors. drop jaw in amazement. is that a jewelry store? we can get Starbucks in here?! here's the chip aisle. but...there's another aisle behind it? what's back there I wonder (drag cousin along. Let's hustle, lots to see!!) canned goods, grab rotel, round the corner & WHAAAAT? you can get a salad? soup? dinner?! Look at all the fresh fruit...vegetables...and CHEESE! wow at the cheese...make complete circle and somehow end up at the checkout...but, wait! there's more to see! I don't want to leeeeeeeave! (Ross drags me out.) --

I leave with a sparkle in my eye and a new favorite vacation spot. I also discovered where the cooks who write all of these recipes with all of the fancy ingredients shop at. You know what I'm talking about. 
I read a recipe like.....

1 lb bucatini or perciatelli pasta

2 cups Italian canned plum tomatoes

2 ounces thinly sliced Prosciutto di parma, chopped

I mean...what? It's basically pasta, mushrooms, and some cheese but dang! Doesn't that sound fancy?
But where, I wondered, do I get this crap?
Well, we know now don't we. Kroger. Fancy Kroger.

And then, the next day when Ross asked where I wanted to go for lunch and I instantly replied KROGER! They have a salad bar!! .....
........
and then I had a *what did I just say?* moment. And Ross looked at me sideways and my Aunt laughed.

So we went and had Italian.

And after that little trip I arrived home and realized. My favorite place to go in Kentucky is Kroger?
It's official.
I'm kind of a grown up.