A reminder to myself….

That is THE LAST TIME I let the cooks in the kitchen talk me into substituting truffle oil for olive oil on my caprese salad.
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Holy Jesus!! Blechhhhhhh!
That was like licking the freaking handle of a gasoline pump.
Eff to the No.
I think it’s going to take all of the listerine and baby tears in the universe to rid my mouth of this unpleasant numbing engine-grease-taste.

More Strawberry Porn



P1070200, originally uploaded by Jamie Susan.

I was in a really good mood yesterday.
I created a genius method for eating my prized strawberries while listening to 1930′s jazz in my kitchen yesterday morning. I think I might have been doing some kitchen ballet as well, but I can’t be entirely sure about that..
To find your inner kitchen dancer, simply take a spoonful of Fage greek yogurt, drizzle with Wildflower honey, and top with the prettiest slice of strawberry you have ever laid eyes on…
Do this over and over again and you are sure to have a fantastic day..

Spring Strawberries



P1070204, originally uploaded by Jamie Susan.

I went to the Nashville Farmers market the other day with my best girl KT, and the selection of fresh fruits & veggies was simply outrageous! I just sort of froze up and wandered around aimlessly in a haze only buying a few things and eventually stumbling completely overwhelmed back to the car..
After sleeping on it, I realized that I was a huge idiot to have no snagged any of the gorgeous ripe strawberries I saw and went back to remedy my mistake ASAP.
These are the best I’ve had in years. So sweet you’d think they’d been dipped in honey before you taste them..
I love living in the South!
Check out the Farmer’s Market when you get a chance and you can thank me later!

http://www.nashvillefarmersmarket.org/

Snacky time



P1070196, originally uploaded by Jamie Susan.

Snacky time is a much-cherished event that occurs around 9:00pm in my house and is an integral part of my evening.
I eat lunch around 1:00pm most days, usually do fruit and coffee during class at night, and by the time I get out I’m famished. Last night was greek themed. Greek yogurt with garlic, dill, & fresh cucumber, sun-dried tomato hummus, toasted pita bread & cucumber slices.
Don’t you wish your snacky time was as awesometown as mine?

REVIEW: Cantina Laredo in the Gulch.

The area of town where I work has undergone a huge rehab in the last 5 years, transforming from old empty factory buildings and abandoned gravel parking lots, to a booming district full of restaurants, music venues, retail, modern high-rise condos, and even our very first Urban Outfitters! The Gulch is also the first LEED certified neighborhoods in the South!
Go Green! Yee-Haw!
Here is a recent shot of “The Gulch” in Nashville, TN.

Anyway, across the street from the Supper Club where I work, a Cantina Laredo opened last week and I was lucky enough to get a “soft-opening” invite (where the restaurant is closed to the public but open invite-only for guests to come in and try the food for free and give the servers/kitchen some practice)
I was pretty excited for a few reasons. First, I have heard a lot of great things about the place, secondly I freak out over good Tex-mex, and lastly because it was going to be free!!!!
MAMA LIKES FREE.
The one thing that had me hung up from the start is the fact that they describe themselves as “gourmet Mexican food.”
Isn’t that a bit of an oxymoron??
Regardless of my natural skepticism, I remained hopeful until Sunday rolled around and I could see for myself whether Cantina was really worth all of the fuss.
I really wanted to be blown out of the water with this food.
Okay so let’s start with the chips and salsa duo brought to the table right from the moment we sat down.
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One salsa was served hot, one was cold, and they were both pretty spicy. I would have prefered a sweet mild version also, but beggars can’t be assholes, so I dealt with it by stuffing my little face.
Onto the most memorable item of the evening: The Tableside Guacamole.
Yes, “tableside”…….as in, they prepare it directly at the table….including such all-star ingredients as: fresh avocado, cilantro, sea salt, garlic, onions, jalapenos, tomatoes, & lime juice. It was really delicious and wonderful.
Seriously.
I should also mention how delicious the margaritas were. Fresh lime & and lemon juice…no syrupy sour mix…just fresh juice. Outstanding!
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Onto the entrees!
We ordered 3 different entrees and shared them amongst ourselves:
1.) ENCHILADAS DE CAMARONES~
consisting of shrimp, monterey jack cheese and roasted peppers in enchiladas
on a bed of spinach and vegetables topped with sour cream
poblano sauce and cost $16.99
These were good, but not amazing.
Kind of bland.
The shrimp were well cooked and the spinach was a nice touch. The menu says “grilled veggies” but there were only onions lurking beneath the spinach so I’m not sure what that’s all about. The presentation was pretty but I had a hard time pointing out what was “gourmet” about the dish…
Pictured below:
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2.) SHRIMP FLAUTAS~
Three fried tortillas rolled up and stuffed with shrimp, monterey jack cheese and fresh jalapeños served with a cilantro sour cream and grilled veggies and cost $15.29
These were very tasty, but mostly because the fried tortillas had such a nice crunch and the cilantro sour cream was a near perfect addition. The shrimp on the ends stuck out of the tortillas, tails still attached, (which I suppose was simply a presentation aspect, but it made eating them a pain in the ass because you had to pull them out, sever the tail and then stuff it back in there yourself….ehhh…)
This dish came with grilled veggies so maybe they just forgot to put them on the enchilada plate?
Pictured below:
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3.) CAMARON POBLANO ASADA~
Carne asada steak wrapped around a poblano pepper filled with
sautéed shrimp, mushrooms, onions and monterey jack cheese,
served on a bed of chimichurri sauce and cost $21.49
This was definitely the winner of the three despite the fact that everyone agreed the steak was WAY WAY WAY too salty. We were all shocked at how tender the meat was, and the pepper stuffed with cheese & shrimp was just really freakin’ tasty.
Pictured Below:
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Finally, we ordered two desserts:
1.) Flan: Photobucket
I had never had Flan but my Stepfather raved about it and I was certainly not dissapointed! Yum.
AND
2.) Apple pie with sizzling brandy butter and cinnamon ice cream:
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I seriously had to fight the overwhelming urge to rub the bubbling brandy butter all over my naked body, but my parents were present so I reeled it in.
Honestly….. the Margaritas, Guacamole, & Apple Pie were the shining moments..
I’m still not sure what was “gourmet” about the meal except fancy presentation and fresh ingredients.
It was good tex-mex, albeit a bit pricey for what was delivered.
After it was all said and done, it didn’t blow my mind.
But Mama Loves the FREE!
Check it out sometime:http://www.cantinalaredo.com/

I had a rough week…

I seldom eat fast food. Especially for breakfast. I usually cook breakfast and most of the time its eggs & toast (as I’m sure is clearly reflected in my previous picture posts).
But this week, I wanted a chicken biscuit so I effing bad that I caved hard. (In my defense, I’m overwhelmed with school work, made worse by the fact that I am actively avoiding doing said school work, and constantly running late everywhere I go….
So the other day on my way to work I was starving, exhausted, and had zero time.
Enter McDonald’s drive thru.
I definitely prefer Mrs. Winner’s chicken biscuits over McDonalds any day, but MickeyD’s was a lot closer to my work & also has iced coffee…so whatever.
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Their chicken biscuits are pretty good with one slight complaint.
Why does the biscuit always have the ever-so-faint taste of pickles??
Blech.
That’s what I get for eating garbage for breakfast.

Allow me to apologize via chicken sandwich….

Okay, So I have 2 weeks left of school this semester, and then I have a month off before my summer classes start, so I have been a little busy as of late and the pictures/reviews have been less forthcoming.
After May 7th I will be wholly devoted to bringing you new fresh photos and reviews everyday!!
HERE, enjoy this photo I took of a delicious chicken sandwich smothered in all the essential chicken sandwich fixins:
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More will come soon! I promise! Love, JamieSue