A Girl's Gotta Eat!

So, to anyone who was reading this with any regularity, it seemed as though I fell off the face of the earth. Or quit cooking. Or quit eating. I can assure you none of these scenarios is true. Mike and I still cook together all the time, and now it's even better because we moved last summer, and our new kitchen is far and way better than our old one. We've also still been traveling quite a bit — most frequently to Asheville — where the most frequent question that comes up is, "Where are we eating tonight/in the morning/next?" Along those same lines, for our last several birthdays and anniversaries, we've opted to celebrate by dining out at a restaurant (preferably one we haven't tried yet) instead of exchanging gifts. So I figured to help me get back in the swing of things, I'd share our most recent celebration dinner: my birthday dinner earlier this month. If you're not from Nashville, you may not know, but the food scene here has EXPLODED...

If you're on any social media at all, you won't be surprised to know that after months of planning, building, and red tape, a locally owned steakhouse open in Nashville late last month. Woodfire MJ officially opened July 29. Tonight, Mike and I joined my parents to try it out and to belatedly celebrate my mom's birthday. I've been reading reviews all week to get an idea of what to expect. I'm happy to report that my experience was nothing but positive. A few concerns I had read: parking lot filled up quickly; dining room was too hot; dining room was too loud; tables were too close together/not enough privacy; sides were cold; steaks were fatty or not not cooked to requested temp; and service was slow. We had no such experience. We met Mom there, and neither of us had any problem parking in the paved area. The temperature was very comfortable inside (and I usually run hot, so this is saying something). I didn't find the dining room to be any louder or cr...

One more today, and then I'm taking a break. I don't know that I've ever made bread pudding for dessert, much less as a side dish. But when we saw Ina Garten's Leek and Artichoke Bread Pudding recently (you guessed it, in FNM), we knew we needed to add it to our mini Thanksgiving menu. We did make a few variations, but nothing major. We used about 3 leeks, but all of it instead of just the white and light green parts. Next time I'd leave the dark green bits out like the recipe said. The flavor was good, but the texture of the dark green leeks wasn't as good as the rest...it stayed tougher instead of getting soft. Also, we used jarred artichokes instead of frozen, and they worked just fine in our opinion. We had the deli cut a big chunk of fresh Swiss cheese as we didn't see one labeled as Emmentaler. I doubt it made a difference at all. Oh my goodness. I don't think I can go back to sweet bread puddings. This was amazing. Rich, filling, but oh so...

Mashed potatoes are one of my favorite side dishes at the holidays. You can enjoy them plain, with gravy, reheated the next day with Cheddar cheese and a hot dog (don't knock it until you try it)… the possibilities are endless. By the same token, though, mashed potatoes can get boring. So when we saw Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes (in the same magazine issue as the Maple Walnut Cheesecake.) There is an option for making it in advance and baking when you're ready, but Mike and I made this the Saturday after Thanksgiving for our "mini Thanksgiving." They were so good, tangy and creamy and so flavorful. We would make them again for sure, but perhaps only half the recipe since there are just the two of us. We don't own a ricer, but a potato masher seemed to work just fine for us. Find the recipe below, or online here . Goat Cheese Mashed Potatoes 3 pounds large Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut in 3/4-inch chunks 5 large garlic clo...

I've tried a ton of new recipes recently, but have been remiss in sharing them. This cheesecake caught my eye in the November issue of Food Network Magazine , and I decided right away to try it. The more I thought about it, the better it sounded, so I decided to go for broke and bought ingredients to make it both for the Thanksgiving potluck at work and for dinner at my parents house later that week. It does seem like a lot of ingredients, but it was so well worth it that I would happily make it again. I went home from the work feast with only crumbs in my pan, so I'd say it was a success. You can find the recipe on Food Network website , or I've posted it below. No changes, so have at it! For the crust: 1 sleeve graham crackers (about 9 crackers) ¾ cup walnut pieces (preferably black walnuts) 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg Pinch of kosher salt For the fill...

Recently, I needed an item for a bake sale at work. I was tired of making the same old thing: cookies, brownies, etc. I wanted something out of the norm, something delicious … something with bacon. I've seen recipes similar to this one before, but always talked myself out of making them. It seemed t o o complicated, too  precise,  too  sticky. This time, however, I made the mistake of mentioning to co-workers that I was thinking about trying something new. Once I told them what it was (Bacon Bourbon Popcorn), it was all over. I was committed. Honestly, this was not as tricky as I thought it might be. I popped my corn using the stovetop method. (HINT: scoop out as many of the  unpopped  kernels as possible once the popcorn has cooled off. It's so much easier that after they're swimming in caramel sauce.) Also, I opted to cook the bacon in the oven. I've been cooking it this way for a while, and it's the best way to cook large amounts at a time and drain ...

The weather has finally turn (barely) cooler, and while many have their knickers in twist over all thing pumpkin, I'm all about the apple. In light of a soggy, wet weekend, we decided to try a new cocktail to welcome the new fall season. It was simple, delicious, and refreshing, requiring minimum ingredients. Spiked Apple Cider (compliments of Aaron McCargo Jr.) 1/4 gallon apple cider 1/2 cup dark rum 1/2 cup cinnamon schnapps Mix together in a pitcher or large bowl. Chill until ready to serve. Serve in glasses over ice. Garnish with chopped apple on a skewer. Happy Fall, Y'all!

We planted a raised-bed garden in our backyard this year. It was our first attempt, and we planted a wide variety of veggies: cabbage, cucumbers, carrots, bell peppers, a variety of herbs, tomatoes…you name it. We've definitely picked up a few tricks to use next year, like 6 tomato plants in a 5 by 8-foot space is too many, but overall have experienced a fair amount of success. In our recent Food Network Magazine , there were 3 different tomato pie/tart recipes, but this was a must as soon as I saw "corn custard" in the title. It seemed like the perfect combo: tomatoes from the Nash garden plus fresh corn from our Delvin Farms CSA equals deliciousness in a pie shell. I was sold. We made it that weekend, and I am (only somewhat) ashamed to admit that within 12 hours, it was gone…not a crumb to be found anywhere. Our Delvin Farms corn was so sweet you could eat it raw straight from the cob, and our tomatoes have been so juicy, it was the perfect food marriage. The...

And now for a quick hit in honor of Cinco de Mayo. We already had dinner plans, and limes are in shortage, making it difficult to make fresh margaritas, but I've been in the mood for pink grapefruit (see my birthday cupcakes entry) and decided to Google Grapefruit Margaritas. There are actually quite a few out there, but when I saw this one from the Barefoot Contessa , I was sold. We bought fresh pink grapefruit and juiced them, adding a little bit of powdered sugar to make up for the fact we didn't use bottled. We also didn't have white tequila, so used the gold tequila we had instead.  I do agree with Ina's original post...the salt definitely adds a necessary dimension, so sprinkle some in the shaker if you don't rim the glass. We'll be making these again during the summer...they were so refreshing on the deck! Pink Grapefruit Margaritas 1 lime cut in wedges, optional Kosher salt, optional 1 cup ruby red grapefruit juice ½ cup freshly squeezed li...

As usual, we were watching The Pioneer Woman on a Saturday morning over coffee and breakfast. It was an episode where they're celebrating a birthday, and the cake she was making called our names loud and clear: Strawberry Shortcake Cake .  Easter was coming up, after all, and we had volunteered to bring dessert, so what better timing can there be? This is definitely a keeper. It looks more complicated than it is, and was delicious, full of fresh flavor from the strawberries. I wouldn't change a thing; Ree Drummond knows what she's doing! I didn't use quite all of the icing, but that's just personal preference. Hope you enjoy it! First, the shortcake: 9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing 1 1/2 cups flour, plus more for dusting 3 tablespoons cornstarch 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 1/2 cups plus two tablespoons sugar 3 whole large eggs 1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 1 pound strawbe...

Last week I tried a new recipe from my Cooking Light cookbook that I was extremely excited about and had very high hopes for: Chicken with Rosemary Sauce. I had everything on hand except the chicken, so I picked that up Thursday and decided to try it out for Friday's feast. The recipe was easy, healthy, and didn't call for too make ingredients, a seemingly perfect combo. But when all was said and done, and it was time to sit down and eat, it left me … unsatisfied. The flavors worked well enough, and the chicken was moist and all, but it just didn't live up to the expectations I had set for myself. So then I faced a dilemma: throw away perfectly fine leftovers, which is wasteful and ridiculous, or eat them, wishing all the while that I was eating something else. After a couple days of putting off the inevitable, it struck me. I could use the original recipe, jazz it up with my own flair, and have a delicious meal (hopefully) that was satisfying and avoided w...

This is a preemptive post in light of the impending weather coming to Middle Tennessee in the coming days as well as an effort on my part to plan out meals with a little more, well...planning. I have found several recipes I really want to try over the past several days, but the idea of the healthy, hearty Smoked Sausage Cassoulet warming in the Crock Pot all day won first place as the one to try first. I think it will last a couple days in the fridge, as my guess is that I won't feel like getting out in 7-degree temps to go grocery shopping! The link above will take you to the recipe as well but here's a sneak peek of what I hope mine will look like and the ingredients needed in case you want to follow along at home on this one. I'll post again with the how-to and my photo after I get it together. 2 slices bacon 2 cups chopped onion s 1 teaspoon dried...

Hello again! This is a short one, but I wanted to share now while I was think of it. Mike and I occasionally like to try a new cocktail or beverage.    When were out to dinner with my parents last week for their anniversary dinner (Happy 44 Years, Mom and Dad!), I noticed a Spiced Pear Martini on the menu at Olive Garden. I didn't get one for dinner, but the idea of stuck in my head. I Googled "Spiced Pear Martini" later, and I found a recipe that seemed tasty and easy to whip up.    I would say it tastes more like Christmas cookies than pear, but it's still delicious and very holiday-inspiring. The original recipe places one maraschino cherry at the bottom of the martini glass, but we omitted that as maraschinos are not something we keep on hand, nor would we finish a jar bought for this purpose.   We would make this again, though I think I might look for pear vodka (which I feel certain I've seen before) to see if the outcome would be mo...

So, we were lounging about yesterday morning, thrilled at having no plans for the entire weekend (a rare occurrence indeed). We were enjoying some (deer) steak and eggs for breakfast and watching The Pioneer Women on the Food Network channel. We like Ree a lot. They seem to have a really cool family, and her recipes sound delicious and totally make-able. Anyway, while we were eating breakfast yesterday, Ree was making Rigatoni and Meatballs. The meatballs looked amazing, and the more we watched, the more we thought we needed meatballs for dinner last night. I've made meatballs plenty of times, but have always used either my mom's recipe or no recipe at all. We decided we needed Ree's meatballs. And so, as we ventured out in the rain and drizzle for a few Christmas things, we stopped by Kroger for meatballs fixin's. And nothing against rigatoni, but decided we really wanted spaghetti with our meatballs. Three things we did differently: We used 3/4 cup breadcrumbs...

Mike and I enjoy sweet potatoes, and in the farm box we subscribe to, we often get some fresh ones just in time for fall. It seems though, especially around Thanksgiving and Christmas, that most if not all of the recipes we have copious amounts of one or more of the following: brown sugar, marshmallows, bourbon, maple syrup/molasses/sorghum, etc. We wanted savory sweet potatoes. With our sage plant still producing in the garage under a grow lamp, the recipe I found for Sweet Potato and Sage Butter Casserole was just what were looking for! This was easy to put together and very tasty. So tasty, in fact, that I forgot to take any photos. Ours looked just the original, so check out this link for a visual: Sweet Potato Sage Casserole 2 pounds sweet potatoes , peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes , peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces ...

I'm way behind, so we'll keep this one short and sweet. Jalapeño Pimento Cheese In a medium bowl, beat 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 jalapeño (seeded and minced), 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, 1/4 teaspoon onion powder and salt and pepper to taste until we'll blended. Mixin 4 ounces well drained chopped pimentos and 2-3 cups shredded Cheddar cheese. We've enjoyed this on crackers and on sandwiches. My favorite was as a grilled cheese on sourdough with thick-sliced cooked bacon. Yum!

Today was a triple threat in the Nash house: a Boston game was on TV, Titans are playing tonight, and Mike had his annual Fantasy Football draft. Even better, baseball started at 3pm, and Titans are playing a night game. (There was a brief disagreement about what to watch live and what to record when we thought they both played night games.) Anyway, after a very tasty breakfast of bacon and eggs, we decided to rock snacks/appetizers for dinner tonight. We had homemade salsa, homemade black bean hummus, and needed one more thing to round out the "meal." Once again, Food Network Magazine and one of their "50 things" booklets came through for us. Horseradish Kielbasa bites sounded perfect! The recipe is so easy, I'm not even going to list it all formally at the bottom like I usually do. Make a sauce with the following: 1/4 cup sour cream, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, 2 tablespoons whole grain mustard, and 2 teaspoons horseradish. I didn't meas...