Going Home…

After one whole year away from all the beautiful people I love dearly and have MISSED EVERY SINGLE DAY(like you wouldn’t even understand) I simply had to go home.

My life would of course be much easier if all of my friends and family were located in the same city, but like most families, they are strewn out around the United States.

It’s always going to be challenging to see all of the folks that I would like to when I visit. It’s simply not possible. I will also miss weddings, births, and killer dinner parties whilst I’m abroad.

This is just a sad reality of my spectacularly fun new life. ;(

We flew into Cleveland first because that’s where a big chunk of my family live.

My beautiful Aunts did their best to make our stay the most relaxing and fun few days imaginable…

I even got to spend some quality time with the family pets!

And no trip to CLE is complete without stopping by Cedar Point.

We rodes some epic and terrifying coasters…

Ate some massive BBQ turkey legs…

Then we passed out from jet lag exhaustion!

Followed by a quick flight to Nashville!!

I immediately had a bar party and invited everyone to come out and give me a year’s worth of hugs.

They complied!

Toasts were made…

I was so excited to spend time with some of my besties…

And baby!

OOooohhh baby!

This one made me want one of my own…

Even with fussy scrunched up sad baby face…

There were lots of babies being made whilst I was away…

Big fat squooshy pretty babies!!!

And some of the babies I knew a year ago weren’t babies anymore, but little tiny people…

Simon made some new friends as well…Of the furry variety…

And the wacky-conspiracy-theory-Jesus-loving-rocker-chick variety…

Crazy girls are the hottest. Always. That is a fact.

LOVE YOU LALA. Forevs. PS. Her Dad MIGHT be Ziggy Stardust. FYI.

Moving on…

My mom was as pretty as I remember her being…

My brother was still a massive fantasy football dweeb…

Gorgeous sunny Murphmurph was just as gorgeous and sunny as ever…

Becca was still awesome and smart and sharing her love of great food…

She and her fantastic fiance took us out to Dinner at Silo http://www.silotn.com

Exceptional and elevated Southern cuisine welcoming me home proved to be JUST what I needed…

Especially deviled eggs three ways…

Deep fried greenbeans…

And pork belly…

We even visited my beloved Bombay Palace http://www.bombaypalacetn.com/

They were all super excited to see me too! Awwwwww!

Actually, we did a lot of eating.

And of course, we had to work some of it off…

No better place than Edwin Warner Park…

So that was our trip back to Nashville via Cleveland. A ton of photos I know, but some super wonderful days with friends and family! Hopefully I’ll be back sooner than later and can see more of my loved ones this time! See ya soon Nashville xx

TEA. A Love Affair.

I have always loved tea.

Growing up in the South, iced tea is generally part of daily existence.

Iced Sweet tea, Iced Green Tea, Iced Peach Tea, Iced Passionfruit Tea…the varieties are endless.

I’ve never really gotten into hot tea as much (aside from wintry days where my throat is highly unhappy).

A few years ago I stumbled upon Teavana in the Green Hills Mall and developed a very serious crush with the place.

http://www.teavana.com

But they are SO EXPENSIVE. And they try to up-sell you to death.
It got to the point where I didn’t even want to make eye contact with the sales associates when I went into the store.
They also don’t tell you that the canisters they put the tea in cost extra (or at least failed to mention that to me any of the 50 times I bought tea).
And some of the “teas” don’t even contain tea at all. Just sweetened dried fruit & flowers…but they still call it “TEA”.
(Is there not a rule against this)?

Anyway, I still love tea.

To be more accurate, I’m pretty much obsessed with hot tea since I moved to the UK.
Specifically Earl Grey.

At first, it’s a little weird that everyone is always going on and on about having a “cuppa” tea all the damn time.
But I quickly realized that I had never had Earl Grey tea with milk & sugar before.

MY BRAIN——-> WAIT A MINUTE! THIS IS EFFING STELLAR!

A hot cup of tea can fix your soul.

Part of the joy of tea is the ceremony…

And adorable china…

And having a hot tea date…

I can’t stop drinking it. I crave it!
I have even been using agave syrup and soy milk to be healthier.
It has fully replaced coffee in my life.
I know…THAT’S CRAZY TALK!

I order it everywhere we go.

I just can’t help myself.

And people here even drink it alongside their meals. Even with cheeseburgers!
(By the way, I ate a cheeseburger the other day and it was phenomenally delicious).

See? DELICIOUS!

So, long story short, tea is important. Drink it and feel better.

Now, how about I leave you with some spectacular street art from my travels around Brick Lane in London?

And of course, lest you forget…The Beginning is Nigh!

Food Review: Ryvita Pumpkin Seeds & Oats Crispbread

I grabbed this on a PMS whim at the store a few months ago because it was still Autumn-ish outside and this sounded like something that I could use as a vehicle to consume cheese.

I also hopped on the pumpkin craze bandwagon this year, so I was curious to see how far it would take me.

Other than being slightly cardboardish, these are very much like Triscuits, but better, and not salty (which I was very happy about)
Triscuits are for losers.
They give me headaches with all that godforsaken salt.
These are fancy UK Triscuits for grown-ups.
These were hearty, nutty, and served their purpose dutifully.
There are also a ton of flavors….
http://www.ryvita.co.uk/

Review: (Second Chance) Sky Blue Coffee & Bistro

Despite my ever-so-disappointing first visit to Sky Blue, my boyfriend just simply loves the place and refuses to back down, so I decided to give it another shot.
And…I’m glad I did.
I chose to go with an Omelet this time because after the burned pancake fiasco (http://gimmeyummy.wordpress.com/2009/07/30/review-sky-blue-coffee-bistro-east-nashville/) I’m just going to follow the advice of those who frequent the place more so than myself. I hear the Omelets are very good.
Veggie Omelet it is!

Served with a teeny fruit cup (meh) and WARM potatoes (FINALLY)!!
I was really quite happy with my breakfast.
As always, cheese kind of makes anything better so that was a big part of the success of my meal.
As you can see there is no shortage of ooey-gooey colby-jack cheese.
I also ordered a cup of Drew’s Brews coffee which was also delightful.
Check out how amazing my potatoes look!

I devoured them in a heartbeat. Trust.
My boy ordered an Omelet as well (with cheese grits) and barely spoke two words because of the insane rate at which his breakfast was shoveled into his trap.
Always a good sign…

I have bad days. Weeks. I’ve had very bad months as well. So I get it. The cold food, burned pancake, slow kitchen situation we faced on my last visit might have just been a fluke.
I hope so…

http://www.skybluecoffee.com/www.skybluecoffee.com/Welcome.html

Miro District Nashville

My best friend in the whole wide world ran away to the mountains and eloped with the love of her life a few weeks ago! So naturally when she came back to town I took her out on a fancy date to celebrate!!
We went to Miro District in hopes of having a nice quiet French meal fit for a newly married goddess and her bestie (that’s me).
Despite hearing a couple of not-so-great things about this place, I had also received some positive feedback, specifically that they had acquired a new chef recently who means business with French inspired cuisine.
The decor in Miro District is clean and simple. A white table cloth kinda place that has zero personality.
Let’s hope the food is better.
We ordered a couple of small plates to start with which we devoured like wild animals.
Success!!
Sauteed chicken livers with little toast rounds and fresh apple…Oh man!
Delicious! Hearty, velvety, dark, and perfect for the season.
I haven’t had Chicken Livers since I was a little girl, but hot damn they are divine!
Maybe it was the lighting issues I was combating and perhaps it is just that Chicken Livers are difficult to make beautiful no matter what, but the pictures of the chicken livers came out so horribly that I must spare you.
We also split the Goat Cheese Tart with arugula salad and fig jam.
Delightful! Much like a tangy savory cheesecake.

This was followed by a heavenly entree of Swordfish atop razor-thin sliced potatoes in a soft buttery lemon infused broth with herbs and carrot slivers.

Nicely done. I could have drank that broth with a straw if I was so inclined.
My super special awesome just-got-hitched best friend ordered this hearty brown stew of fava beans, mushrooms, and braised rabbit (which like the chicken livers, was not very pretty to gaze upon….again I held off on the photo representation…)
But the meal was lovely. She took a bite of mine, I took a bite of hers. We laughed, we commiserated, we enjoyed our food!
We both agreed that we should go camping with that stew. Perfect bonfire deep woods fare!
My Swordfish was perfect and the Chicken Livers I actually dreamed about eating the very next night!
Unfortunately, the dessert options were as boring as the decor.
Bread Pudding, Vanilla Ice Cream & Berries, Creme Brulee……YAWN.
We went ahead and ordered the Creme Brulee, because we just wanted something sweet.
It was actually really tasty (despite the complete lack of garnish. No berries, no mint…nothing).

(This photo isn’t that spectacular either, but I was having kind of an off night with the photography so you know, whatever).
But you see what I mean about it being utterly boring?
Guh. Next time perhaps.

Camera issues and boring dessert options aside, the food was really top-notch and I was very pleased with what we ordered.
There are more and more excellent restaurants popping up around Nashville so it is extremely important to stay on top of your game and consistently create creative and playful dishes that represent the season accurately. Other than the boring decor and snoozefest of a dessert menu, Miro District succeeded at impressing us enough to win our return visit.

http://www.mirodistrictnashville.com

Olive & Sinclair Southern Artisan Chocolate

If you don’t like chocolate we can’t be friends anymore. I’m sorry if you suddenly find yourself in this category but I have to draw the line somewhere.
Dislike of chocolate is my line.
Chocolate is one of the most perfect things ever created.
The darker the better!
(insert Lisa Lampanelli joke here)
Chocolate has always been there for me.
Through it all.
Whether the occasion was one of absolute joy or not so joyous like the time my high school sweetheart dumped me right after prom.
(which was awesome by the way…)
The only thing better than chocolate is chocolate with other things mixed in.
Caramel, peanuts, coffee beans, or even sea salt! (who knew?!)
And the only other thing better than chocolate with other tasty treats mixed in is locally made chocolate that meets all of the criteria I just mentioned.
Which brings me to Nashville’s newest addiction Olive & Sinclair Southern Artisan Chocolate Company.
Holy Hell this is some serious chocolate.
Just pause for a second and check out the awesome design work that went into the wrapper!

If that’s not enough to impress you then maybe the fact that Olive & Sinclair roasts their own beans from scratch and aside from a little help from their friends, is pretty much a two man operation!
Impressed yet?
No?
Well you should just eat the chocolate then and we will see how long you stay unimpressed..
I’m giving you 4 seconds.
Yeah that’s right. It’s fucking delicious.

Of the three flavors I tried, the coffee bean stole my heart.
I live for espresso and we have already established my affection for chocolate.
Marry these two in a lusty union and its definitely a party in your mouth.
A crunchy, velvety, bittersweet, pleasure ride of awesomeness in your mouth. (insert second Lisa Lampanelli joke)
The sea salt flavor puzzled me in a delightful and spectacular way.
The salt really aided in cutting some of the bitterness of the chocolate and was super fun to try out.
I had the chocolate bars for about a week glaring at me from my kitchen counter and the suspense was just about killing me.
Sea salt and chocolate? How does that work?
If I was more of a foodie I could probably better articulate why…but I’m not, so we will just say that Olive & Sinclair’s Sea Salt chocolate bar is kind of like being in a golden sailboat right at sunset on the high sea of sexy.
But in my mouth.
And good old super dark 75% was off the freakin chain y’all.
Talk about a fantastic experience for my taste buds.
Oh, and being the nice lady that I am, I even allowed other people to assist me in the sampling of my chocolate bounty and let me tell you, everyone involved did a little eye-closing and groaning in approval.
(It got pretty pornographic by the third bar).

In conclusion, all three sampled were ridiculous.
In a good way. In an amazing write-home-to-your-mother kinda way.
Coffee Bean is my new Shark week chocolate of choice.
Seriously. Less people might die thanks to Olive & Sinclair.
They may not yet realize it, but these guys are social workers. Heroes. Saving lives and curing heartaches one insanely scrumptious chocolate bar at a time.

http://www.oliveandsinclair.blogspot.com/

REVIEW: Tasti D Lite Frozen Yogurt Nashville

I had high hopes for this place. I have been waiting to check Tast D Lite out for awhile.
Watching with anticipation as the new Nashville location was getting ready to open.
Stalking the Tasti D Lite webpage relentlessly to check the progress.
And then, I kind of just got busy with my own life and forgot about it.
Until this past week end!
Finally!

Okay. So I was under the impression that there were tons of flavors to choose from, but when I arrived at Tasti D lite, I found out that there are actually only 6 flavors of the day and if I wanted any of the other flavors I’d have to pay extra for a custom blend.
Which is fine with me (albeit pricey).
I cheerfully sampled all six of the flavors of the day.

The French Vanilla tasted like Vanilla, the Dutch Chocolate tasted like the aftertaste of Chocolate, the Marzipan was disgusting to me personally, (but I loathe Marzipan) the Pecan Praline Fudge just tasted like burnt caramel chocolate powder confusion, the Red Velvet Cake tasted like cherry syrup, and the Coconut Cookie was pretty good, but not awesome.
Dang it!
So, feeling a bit disappointed, I went with the custom blend Cheesecake flavor with Oreos.
(I get this all the time at Krave and it is a true winner there)

The only problem I had with the way this tasted was that it just tasted like Vanilla.
Not even a hint of Cheesecake flavor.
Certainly nowhere near the cheesecake goodness they have at Krave.
http://gimmeyummy.wordpress.com/?s=krave
I wonder what the problem was…
Did she mix in too little of the flavoring? Is that just what it tastes like? Am I just spoiled by the deliciousness that is Krave’s Cheesecake flavor?

I know one thing, the employee that assisted me seemed extremely nervous, let me know that she had just started working at Tasti D Lite, and had a hell of a time adding toppings after she overfilled the cup with frozen yogurt.
Let’s just say she got as many Oreos onto the yogurt as she did onto the counter and herself…
If she hadn’t been so green and timid I would have let her know that my yogurt in no way reflected any cheesecake taste whatsover, but the vanilla tasted okay so I just paid and ate it.
(with Oreos falling off all over the table)
The consistency was a nice balance of creamy & icey.
And the place was downright adorable.

The decor was cute and modern in the way that most frozen yogurt places I have visited seem to be. Quirky little chairs and funky lanterns. Lots of swirls and stripes.

I will be back of course, because that’s what I do.
I give places second chances. Especially since every day the flavors are different (and hopefully better!)
And also because one of my friends just scored a new job there.
But I freakin hope they realize they need to leave space for toppings and work out their blended flavors so that they actually represent the flavors they are supposed to.
Until then, I’m going to satisfy my sweet tooth at Krave.

Tasti D Lite’s website: http://www.tastidlite.com/

REVIEW: Nestle Delicias Coconut Paletas

Last Summer while I was driving along the Northern California coastline with some friends we stopped and had the most DECADENT Coconut Paletas! Seriously. They made my eyeballs dance in their sockets.
I have had local Paletas that taste just as lovely, but have not had the same luck trying freezer section store-bought versions.
I’ve tried about 4 different kinds of store bought Coconut Popsicles/Fruitbars/Paletas this past summer and had zero success finding anything that could match the creamy deliciousness of my Big Sur Paletas experience.
Until Now! Hello Nestle Delicias!

Holy shit these are fantastic!
I have only found these at one specific grocery store around town and when I go I buy several boxes just in case they vanish.

They are sweet and creamy with real chunks of coconut throughout! So refreshing on a hot summer day!

And they are surprisingly low fat clocking in at 3 grams of fat per bar with 130 calories.
A perfect dieter’s dessert!
According to their website, Nestle Delicias Paletas comes in 6 other tantalizing flavors: Vanilla, Mango, Strawberry, Strawberries & Cream, Pineapple, and Tamanrind!!
I want all of them!
I’ll be looking hard for these other flavors so stay tuned!

In the mean time you can learn more at Nestle’s website: http://www.nestle-delicias.com/Paletas.aspx

REVIEW: Archer Farms Honey Mustard Savory Pretzels!!

Behold! The most delicious salty pretzel-oriented snack I have come across in recent history.
I give you, with great pleasure and yellow-mustard-dust-covered fingers,
Archer Farms Honey Mustard Savory Pretzels!

If you don’t like Honey Mustard than this isn’t for you.
If you don’t like having fun or delectable bite-sized snacks, then this is also probably not for you.
If you are at all any sort of “hater” or are generally disliked by your peers then I dare say this palatial wonder is not for you.
If you are against devouring an entire bag of crunchy and perfectly seasoned pieces of pretzel heaven, then I must say this is indeed not for you.
(And on top of that, we are friends no more!)
Which, is totally okay with me, because it means that Target will never ever run out of Honey Mustard Pretzels, and I don’t have to deal with your irritating snack-disliking nonesene!
So, c’mon mustard lovers of the blogosphere…gaze with me now at the glorious mustard love dust!

Let’s all drool together in unison while simultaneously chanting praise for the greatness that is the union of mustard and pretzels!
Louder! LOUDER!
FEEL THE GLORY OF THE MARRIAGE OF SALTY AND SWEET!!
ARE YOU FEELIN IT!?
Okay. Okay.
That’s pretty good.

Review: Sky Blue Coffee & Bistro East Nashville

I don’t like giving places bad reviews. Especially when I walk into the place and it’s everything I would want a tiny little neighborhood bistro to be.
Awesome local art on the walls, quirky retro salt shakers, trivial pursuit cards stacked up next to the sugar caddy beckoning you to play, and most importantly, a fantastic-looking menu full of tasty breakfast/ lunch options.
I have heard good things about Sky Blue Coffee & Bistro from a lot of people recently and was very excited to try it out for myself.
Upon my arrival, I stood around for a few seconds and then just sat myself because the server looked really busy.
It was a rainy day, dreary, humid, and I was ready for a pick-me-up.
The dining room at Sky Blue is tiny and cozy, with these sweet retro-printed vinyl tablecloths that I absolutely loved.
We sat there for quite awhile before I even had a menu and then a bit longer before I had anything to drink.
Eventually I put my order in.
I ordered Buttermilk pancakes, home fries, and veggie sausage.
I also ordered coffee and I was very pleased to see (and taste!) that it was Drew’s Brews locally roasted coffee. http://www.drewsbrewscoffee.com/

So, I must say that I’m okay with waiting a reasonable amount of time for food.
I’m pretty patient when I know that what I’m about to eat is going to be worth the wait.
That being said, I waited nearly 45 minutes for a few simple breakfast items when the whole place had emptied out except for one other table.

My pancakes were massive, very fluffy, took up most of the plate, although the veggie sausage looked sort of dry, the home fries looked perfect!

The pancakes were good except for one fact, that the bottoms were scortched to holy hell.
C’mon.
I mean…you burn it, remake it. Please don’t hide it by presenting the pretty side up.
I can taste the charred part when I eat it!!

I also had to wait another 5 minutes to et the server’s attention to get some butter.
(maybe they should put that in a ramekin on the side with the syrup they bring? Just a thought…)
Unfortunately the part I was most excited about, my potatoes, were completely cold.
The ketchup the server brought us was nearly frozen which did not help the cold potatoes whatsoever.
One of the veggie sausages was delicious and not too dry, and the next one was hard as a rock and stayed on the plate untouched.
The coffee was great, although brewed a bit weaker than Marche serves Drews Brews.
The flavor and seasoning of the potatoes was lovely and had the temperature been correct I would be raving about them.
Honest.
Maybe it was the rain, the fact that it was the end of breakfast service…who knows.
Every review can’t be glowing I suppose, but it sucks because I live to support my community restaurants and was kinda bummed that I couldn’t gush relentlessly about Sky Blue the way I have about other East Nashville Bistro’s like Marche.
I will be back. But I will probably order the omelet next time.

http://www.skybluecoffee.com/www.skybluecoffee.com/Welcome.html