YumSugarSource: 8 National Road Trip Food Stops Worth Braking For

Sure, travel snacks are great when you're hitting the open road for a long weekend, but sometimes, cross-country trips simply aren't conducive to packing coolers full of perishables. That's why we suggest hitting up one of these tried-and-true spots for a spontaneous bite. From Waffle House to Cracker Barrel, here are some of the most reliable road trip food stops.

• Denny's: Call Denny's multipurpose: it's not just for Grand Slams (although those are a hit). Sugar copy editor Mary White argues it's worthy of multiple stops: "Whenever my sisters, parents, and I go on road trips, we always hit up Denny's for lunch. Not so bad on its own, but on especially long car rides, we'll sometimes find another Denny's for a late-afternoon dessert or coffee stop. The food is reliable, there's something for everyone, and the sit-down meal gets us out of the car. Denny's BLTs and chocolate peanut butter pie will always remind me of family

Source: Killer App: Burrata-Stuffed Squash Blossoms With Olive Tapenade

Traditionally, squash blossoms are stuffed with creamy cheese, battered, and deep fried; lovely and enticing in their own right, to be sure, but a girl can only eat so many deep-fried snacks without palate fatigue. So when my best friend brought a basket of these Summer beauties to dinner, alongside a rustic baguette, a tub of creamy burrata, and a jar of pungent olive tapenade, I knew I was in for a real treat.

I watched in rapt attention as she deftly prepared this quick appetizer, barely able to restrain myself from sneaking a taste of the burrata as it oozed with cream. Mere minutes later, we bit in, and at that moment, I was sold. Not only are squash blossoms extraordinarily beautiful in their raw state, but when shed of their battered exterior, their nuanced delicate flavors truly shine. I imagine I'll be experimenting with raw preparations, until, like tomatoes (another Summer favorite), they're sadly

I went to a birthday party the other day, and one of the parents whipped out a cooler filled with icy cold Capri Suns, and it occurred to me that I haven't had a pouch drink in literally decades. My poor daughter didn't even know how to put the straw in. What else, I wondered, has she been missing? Oddly, in an age when more snacks seem available and served constantly, parents have simultaneously sucked the joy out of snack time. The party got me thinking of my favorite childhood snacks, the ones that parents nowadays have declared verboten. If it's time for a crap food comeback, here's my top 6 old school snacks. - By Mike Adamick

MORE ON BABBLE

10 sandwich-free ways to update your kid's lunch

10 moms all parents meet in elementary school

15 vintage back-to-school ads that should've been banned

Ah, first dates. The excitement and the hope. The terror and the tragedy! Ha, just kidding. First dates rock, don't they? Yeah, right. Let's face it, they're nerve-wracking, and if they don't go well, they can have you fleeing the scene prematurely, vowing to enter a convent. That's why it's important to keep some first date rules in place: Don't get too wrapped up in their outcome. Keep them light and breezy. And, of course, if your first date will be over some nosh, pick a restaurant that's less likely to send the date cartwheeling into a frenzy of crashed expectations, post-traumatic relationship flashbacks, and refried bean breath.

More from The Stir: '50 Shades of Grey' Dinner Date Will Have You Eating From the Palm of Christian's Hand

Here are five types of restaurants you want to avoid on your first date.

Cheap or fast food joints. Dating is expensive, especially for the guys, who generally tend to pick up the tab on the first date. But both guys and gals

bride and groom toppersSometimes it's rough being a foodie. There are certain, super-hyped dishes I have such high expectations for that they consistently disappoint. For instance, I feel like I've had yet to taste the ultimate penne vodka, mac 'n' cheese, Buffalo wings ... Funny enough, I feel the same way about wedding cake. Maybe it's just not all it's cracked up to be? Maybe that's why some brides are trading their cake for other desserts (like my friend who is a pastry chef and served homemade pies and adorable, decadent cupcakes in mason jars)?

More from The Stir: Natalie Portman's 'Weird' Wedding Food Is a Lesson to Other Brides

I love the idea of a wedding cake too much to do that, though. What's more, because I'm much more into sweets than savory dishes, I've even recently begun thinking of tweaking our budget to include additional desserts. So, in honor of brides like me who care more about the wedding treats than the wedding dinner, here are some awesome new wedding dessert ideas to

dinnerI'm not even that old and I'm sensitive to loud restaurants. In fact, I'm supposedly pretty hip (well la di da) and still I cannot stand a place that has loud music. There's no more odious phrase than "what? what? huh?" heard over and over again, and when I'm trying to tell my dinner companion about how utterly insane Teresa Giudice has become, I don't want to have to repeat myself three times just to be heard over the din of some alt-pop song, clanking plates, and everyone else's raised voices. Make it stop already. I said MAKE IT STOP ALREADY!

More from The Stir: '50 Shades of Grey' Dinner Date Will Have You Eating From the Palm of Christian's Hand

Chefs are getting just as pissed about the loudness as I am, and there have been a few recent exposes about the decibel levels in some big city restaurants. One brave reporter actually took one of those fancy loudness measurers into eateries and found that some places have a dangerous level of noise.

Did you want a side of

André BaranowskiPork Kebabs with Cucumber-Mint Yogurt Sauce
These flavorful pork kebabs owe their tenderness to a red wine marinade that helps break down even the toughest cuts of meat. (Marinate overnight for a quick and easy preparation come dinnertime.) The pork shoulder in this recipe can be either broiled or grilled.
SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS
FOR THE KEBABS
2 cups red wine
2 tsp. dried oregano
2 tsp. ground cumin
2 tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tsp. dried thyme
1⁄2 tsp. ground cinnamon
6 cloves garlic, smashed
2 lbs. pork shoulder, cut into 1 1⁄2" cubes
Freshly ground pepper, to taste

FOR THE YOGURT SAUCE
1 cucumber (about 12 oz.)
1 1⁄2 cups yogurt
1⁄2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
2 tbsp. extra-virgin sesame oil or extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Kosher salt, to taste

FOR THE GARNISH
4 scallions, thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
4 pita breads, warmed

RELATED: Satay Recipes From Around the World »