Hungry Times Two

Scott and I leave for England and Scotland next Friday the 29 th - hurray, hurray - and we're doing some research beforehand to ensure our trip is the best thing ever. Foodwise , we're very interested in searching out authentic pubs, fish 'n chip shops, and Indian food. Our itinerary is: London, Bath, maybe Canterbury, Ayr , Isle of Arran , Glasgow, Loch Lomond , and Edinburgh. If you or anyone you know can recommend spots, spread the word and send them to us! We will make sure to post some favorite food shots on this blog and if you can give us some leads, maybe we'll even give you credit on here as well! Cheers, E

Based on last night's dinner table conversation about the merits of the digestive-aid yogurt trend... I don't know if anyone else saw the SNL parody of Jamie Lee Curtis' recent Activa yogurt commercials, but it's great. Here's a link also to a Slate article about Activa and other digestive yogurt products and the marketing behind them. I like that they get Jean Kilbourne involved in the discussion, as she's always good for a sound byte about how marketing/ads/our culture messes with the psychology and well-being of women. If you haven't checked out her work Killing Us Softly, you should. Even if you happen to be of the male persuasion. I think that it's strange how additives in food or just the marketing twists of regular products we use daily have added nutritional benefits or "now with added Omega 3" and other supplements. Yesterday I picked up some Horizon organic milk and noticed a version with added Omega-3. It's milk - not ...

We originally had a grocery list that included ingredients for fish tacos, but a "Manager's Special" changed that. If you see whiting with a yellow sticker on it for $5, don't get it, now matter how good a deal it seems. I found this out, having stinky rotten fish in the fridge the next day. Forward to a few days latter when I'm running an errand to the neighborhood Walgreens (on my bike, hooray for flat streets and close by destinations). We've got a 1950s-era neighborhood grocery store across the street from the pharmacy, Osbornes Bi-Rite, and I went in there thinking I might find fish. Well, they don't have seafood section (and hey, this is an inland state), but sure enough, I found "Pride of the Pond" whole catfish from Mississippi stocked amidst beef cuts, etc. I brought it home in the bike pannier (bike bag that attaches to rear rack) and Erin immediately said, "Gross! You can't use catfish for fish tacos." ...

Forget that they're messy. Forget that you never look like a lady when you're elbow deep in blue cheese dressing and red sauce smeared across your upper lip. Forget that finger lickin' just isn't elegant. Chicken wings are plain awesome sometimes. Add a simple six pack and you've got a meal and entertainment for at least, oh, half an hour. Scott, S&B, and I waxed poetic on the beauty of hot wings last night while enjoying Pint Night at Flying Saucer. Though I've tried Hot Chicken at the famed Prince's and I've enjoyed the fried goodness of chicken tenders at Otter's, I just haven't happened upon any hot wings thus far in my two-plus years in Nashville. So last night's discussion has made me reach out to you, dear blog readers - all six of you! If you know of any awesome places to dig in, get your fingers dirty, and eat celery only because it's drenched in dressing and hot sauce, send them my way. For those outside of the Metro Nashvil...

Now I tend to be the more prolific of the two bloggers on here, but now I'm starting to not only feel sheepish about my posts but also because of the kickass photos Scott's posted here lately. First the weird mint yogurt drink and then the jarring pics of red peppers everywhere. Scott, you win best photos for sure. I just steal random images off The Internets. That's legal, right? Rock on with your bad self. Everybody, give it up for Scottie!!!

So, I'm a nut for red peppers, as the result of my trip to the Nashville Farmer's Market last weekend show. Here's my rationale for buying 20 peppers shown here: $1.50 for 2, support local farmers in Ridgetop, TN (northern Davidson County), 20 minutes of chopping in summer = hours of enjoyment in deep winter (or however deep winter can really be in Tennessee). Think about it. If you want red pepper in the fall, winter, etc. they're usually grown in Mexico, or a greenhouse, and cost $4-5 per pepper . Given, you're paying the luxury price of having a summer vegetable out of season, so that goes back to my getting LOTS while they're fresh, local and cheap, and then freezing them. If you think peppers are a pain to cut, you might not be cutting them the easy way. Simply take a chef's knife and it's "off with their heads." Next, you can halve or quarter the peppers for freezing, which at first looks a bit violent or medical, kind of like a bag ...

Warning: Sensory overload!!! So not only did I have the pleasure of *finally* catching The Dark Knight today, but I also made it to the Miss Martha's Ice Cream Crankin ' with the two Js and K. This counted as my lunch. Yes, I am still a child in many respects, and the child in me LOVED eating ice cream for a late lunch. Good grief, those people must have been jacked up on their own sugary goodness, because this year the scoopers dished out some majorly large tastes of ice cream. They give you a small cup the size of about two hockey pucks (sorry I'm no good at measurements) when you pay for your ticket, and this time around, our cups were overflowing. The great thing about small portions is that your palate can appreciate a diverse range of tastes more than being swamped by huge amounts of flavor. Good thing there were tons of trash cans around, though I hated to toss out the remainders. My favorite flavors: Watermelon Sorbet (of course!) and Ginger Cream. Least: Corn (I ...

As I mentioned earlier, we moved to a 1930 cottage off of Nolensville Pike two weeks ago, and in the midst of unpacking boxes, etc., I sampled a few local restaurants while the kitchen was in disarray. We're a short walk or bike ride from the intersection of Nolensville Pike & Antioch Pike, where The Dog of Nashville serves up Vienna Beef, Chicago-style hot dogs, bratwurst, etc. I got two brats, one with diced tomatoes and guacamole, the other Chicago-style with mustard, tomato, sport peppers , relish, pickle and celery salt. Oh, if you're short on milk, bread or groceries in general, stop in at the 1950s-fabulous Osborne's Bi-Rite , a veritable neighborhood-scale grocery store you rarely see these days. Our neighbors Mike and Debbie recommend their meat section, on which my quick glance confirmed their thoughts. Further up Nolensville Pike, there's Dunya Kabob, one of many Middle Eastern restaurants in this part of town. Nashville has the largest Kurdish (no...

Yes, I've come back in from the desert for my occasional contribution to this food blog. We moved to a new house in South Nashville ( Glencliff , if getting specific) two weeks ago, and as a housewarming gift, our friends Brad and Shawna came over last night with fondue fixins '. Well, I guess fondue doesn't have " fixins ," perhaps something more like "accouterments." The first course was Belgian beer, garlic, cheddar cheese and flour mixed for a delectable cheese sauce. We dipped French bread, pickles and even Pink Lady apples into it (the later is for sweet-and-savory lovers). Fondue, or any properly French meal, isn't complete without wine, which we had on hand in shades of red and white. Two of our favorite wines are Fat Bastard chardonnay, an affordable, yet lovely wine introduced by Aunt Sharon (thanks!) and Our Daily Red , an organic, sulfite -free, yet affordable red table wine. After a quick clean-up, the fondue pot was ready for hot...