Daily Doily

Things I've tried so far...

on the 100 Things to Eat in Memphis list.

The Elegant Farmer : Salmon Cakes // I loved this place + was sad I didn't know about it sooner.  You can sit outside or inside and enjoy "'elevated' comfort food presented to you using the freshest local and regional ingredients from sustainable farms".

The Brass Door : Chips (aka fries) // I also tried the Tam o’ Shanter sandwich + it was really good.  "We are an authentic and upscale Irish pub in Downtown Memphis. It’s a relaxing, comfortable place with genuine Irish hospitality and a splendid selection of beers, Irish ale, mixed drinks and wines by the glass."

SOB (South of Beale) : Brussel Sprouts // "Our mission at South of Beale is to give our patrons a warm, welcoming atmosphere accompanied with personable and attentive service that highlights our extreme care for the food and drinks we serve."

The popcorn was stale + they were out of a few things (maybe because it was a Monday?) but other than that it was pretty good.  I got the fried egg BLT with cajun potatoes (warning: the bacon had a STRONG flavor [fat/smoke] that I was not a fan of...YUCK).  The cajun potatoes were great!  My Dad had the SOB burger with the brussel sprouts.  He said his brussel sprouts were better but they were still really good.

Kwik Chek : Bi Bim Bop + Muffaletta  // I've been going to this place for years because I love their gyros.  I have never tried anything else believe it or not.  I got the Muffaletta + it did not dissappoint.  The bread was so light with the perfect crunch on the outside.  From now on I'll have a hard time choosing between the two.  My Dad got the Bi Bim Bop + I tried a bite.  I didn't like it, but obviously someone does.  It was super hot + spicy.  We also tried a Korean vegetable "pancake" from next door (the crazy noodle).  They were really good.

The Slider Inn : Lobster Roll // I love the food from Bardog + The Slider Inn (they have the same owner).  The fries with bourbon mayo would be on my last meal list.  We tried the lobster roll, but for $19 forget it and just bring me the fries + the bourbon mayo haha.  What I like about the slider inn is that you can mix and match any 3 sliders (excluding the lobster roll + hot dog) and each day they have a daily special.  My favorite is the swiss + mushroom and the blt.  I'd like to try their hot dog next.  The best part about it is they allow dogs on their patio + even bring a water bowl.  That's AWESOME in my book!

100 Things to Eat in Memphis

For those of you who don't live in Memphis, TN I'm not sure how interesting this will be, but... Have you seen this article?  I thought it would be fun to take the challenge + try to complete the list:

1. Tuna sandwich from Chinese Sub Shop

2. BBQ plate from Germantown Commissary

3. Fried chicken breast from Gus's

4. Soul Burger from Earnestine and Hazel's

5. Peach cheesecake from Cheesecake Corner

6. Chorizo tortuga from Las Tortugas

7. Sea bass at Tsunami

8. Ribeye from Folk's Folly

9. John Deere snow cone from Jerry's

10. Joyce roll from Sakura

11. Dry rub ribs from Bar-B-Que Shop

12. San Diegan from Brother Juniper's

13. Guacamole from Las Delicias

14. Homeroom Chicken and Grids from Lunchbox Eats

15. Red velvet donuts from Gibson's

16. Greek burger from Alex's Tavern

17. Gas station sushi

18. Uptown burger from Roxie's Grocery

19. Muffaletta from Kwik Chek

20. Gyro from Castle

21. Key Lime Pie ice cream from La Michoacana

22. Twice-baked potato salad from One and Only BBQ

23. Cheesesteak from Yang's

24. Shrimp and grits from Sweet Grass

25. Buffalo tenderloin from Erling Jensen

26. Barbecue pizza from Coletta's

27. Cornish game hen from Cozy Corner

28. Grilled cabbage from Deja Vu

29. Bulgogi from Du Won Jong

30. Roast duck from New Asia

31. Rib tips from Tom's Barbecue

32. Capote cupcake from Muddy's Bakeshop (I think I've had one, but might as well try it again, haha)

33. Barbecue tofu nachos from R.P. Tracks

34. Chips (aka fries) from Brass Door Tavern

35. Ravioli from Vanelli's Deli

36. Mac'n'cheese from Mollie Fontaine Lounge

37. Voodoo Chocolate Passion Cake at King's Palace

38. Banana pudding from Cozy Corner

39. Turkey leg from a vendor outside of a Melrose High football game

40. Salmon cakes from Elegant Farmer

41. Almond croissants from Off the Square Catering

42. Crazy noodle bowl from Bhan Thai

43. Banana pudding from Germantown Commissary

44. Tiger Bleu Chips from Brookhaven Pub

45. Barbecue nachos from Central BBQ

46. Blueberry donuts from Gibson's

47. Hot wings from Ching's

48. Pimento cheese stuffed okra from Restaurant Iris

49. Shrimp salad from Bogie's

50. Chilean sea bass from McEwan's

51. Wedding cake supreme snow cone from Jerry's

52. Hummus and falafel from Casablanca

53. Chicken salad sandwich from Young Ave. Deli

54. French fries / sweet potato fries from Young Ave. Deli

55. Pineapple shake from Shanghai

56. Coconut cake from Beauty Shop (pretty sure I've had this too, but why not try the desserts a second time around, right???)

57. Spicy crab soup from Ryu

58. Goat taco from La Guadalupana

59. Turkey and dressing from the Four Way

60. Reuben from Trolley Stop Market

61. Thai Gumbo from Tao

62. Honey gold wings from All-Star

63. BLT from Links of Galloway

64. Pan-fried dumplings from Panda Garden

65. Hot wing rolls from Blue Monkey

66. Barbecue pizza from Pete and Sam's

67. Mussels from Bari

68. Ribs from A&R Barbecue

69. Salsa Tayde from Las Tortugas (best stuff ever!!!)

70. Baklava from Cafe Med

71. Pickled green tomatoes from Soul Fish

72. Vegan Memphis barbecue sandwich from Imagine Vegan Cafe

73. Lentil tacos from Fuel Food Truck

74. Brussels sprouts from South of Beale

75. Bi Bim Bop from Kwik Check

76. Ribs from Central Barbecue

77. Wings from Molly's La Casita

78. Burger from Huey's

79. Cheese grits from Republic Coffee

80. Homemade chips from Pop's Deli

81. Nachos from Interstate Barbecue

82. Steak sandwich from Jack Pirtle's

83. Pork chop sandwich from Tom's BBQ

84. Stone Hero hoagie from Skunx Chef's Pub

85. Meat-stuffed pizza at Little Italy

86. Chocolate milkshake from Wiles-Smith

87. Breakfast sampler from Bryant's

88. Crab eggs benedict from Sweet Grass

89. All-in-one from Las Delicias

90. Pronto Pup on my last meal list, haha

91. Lobster roll from Slider Inn

92. Nuts and chocolate from Peanut Shoppe

93. Lunch buffet from Pho Hoa Binh

94. Self-serve frozen yogurt from Yolo

95. Dirty Fries from Revival Food Truck

96. Island Club from Bardog Tavern

97. Lobster pronto pup from Rizzo's Diner

98. Monte Cristo from Half Shell

99. High tea from Chez Philippe

100. Chili pineapple paleta from La Michoacana

I've only tried 17 of these, haha.  Looks like I've got a long way to go.  I think it would be fun to make my own list too.  I'll be sure + post it if I do.

♥

After that I think it would be fun to complete the "100 Things To Eat Before You Die" challenge too.  The initial prediction says that of the 100 foods on this list, most people would have only tried about 20 (or less) of them.  Lets see where I rank:

1. Abalone (wasn't even sure what this was)

2. Absinthe had this in Vienna, Austria + I brought some home too

3. Alligator 

4. Baba Ghanoush

5. Bagel & Lox

6. Baklava

7. BBQ Ribs

8. Bellini

9. Birds Nest Soup

10. Biscuits & Gravy

11. Black Pudding

12. Black Truffle

13. Borscht (what is this?)

14. Calamari

15. Carp

16. Caviar

17. Cheese Fondue

18. Chicken & Waffles

19. Chicken Tikka Masala

20. Chile Relleno

21. Chitlins

22. Churros

23. Clam Chowder 

24. Cognac

25. Crab Cakes

26. Crickets

27. Currywurst (again, I'm not sure?)

28. Dandelion Wine (?)

29. Dulce De Leche

30. Durian (?)

31. Eel

32. Eggs Benedict

33. Fish Tacos

34. Foie Gras

35. Fresh Spring Rolls

36. Fried Catfish

37. Fried Green Tomatoes 

38. Fried Plantain

39. Frito Pie

40. Frogs' Legs

41. Fugu (?)

42. Funnel Cake my favorite!!!

43. Gazpacho

44. Goat

45. Goat's Milk

46. Goulash

47. Gumbo

48. Haggis (?)

49. Head Cheese (?)

50. Heirloom Tomatoes

51. Honeycomb

52. Hostess Fruit Pie 

53. Huevos Rancheros

54. Jerk Chicken

55. Kangaroo

56. Key Lime Pie

57. Kobe Beef

58. Lassi (?)

59. Lobster

60. Mimosa 

61. Moon Pie

62. Morel Mushrooms (maybe? can't remember)

63. Nettle Tea

64. Octopus

65. Oxtail Soup

66. Paella

67. Paneer (?)

68. Pastrami on Rye

69. Pavlova (?)

70. Phaal (?)

71. Philly Cheese Steak

72. Pho

73. Pineapple & Cottage Cheese

74. Pistachio Ice Cream

75. Po' Boy

76. Pocky (?)

77. Polenta

78. Prickly Pear

79. Rabbit Stew

80. Raw Oysters

81. Root Beer Float

82. S'mores

83. Sauerkraut

84. Sea Urchin

85. Shark

86. Snail

87. Snake

88. Soft Shell Crab

89. Som Tam

90. Spaetzle in Germany!

91. Spam (I'm pretty sure I've had it but who knows)

92. Squirrel

93. Steak Tartare

94. Sweet Potato Fries

95. Sweetbreads

96. Tom Yum

97. Umeboshi

98. Venison

99. Wasabi Peas

100. Zucchini Flowers

Heck Yeah!  I've eaten over half of these.  Haha.  Some of them I have not had by choice + the other half I've never heard of.  Where do you rank? :)

Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo With Spinach

I made this yummy pasta for dinner the other night.  It was super easy too (as long as you have a food processor)!  I used this recipe.  Zac gave me a food processor for my birthday last year + this was the first time I've used it.  I LOVE it.  I can't wait to learn how to make more things with it.  It came with a dvd + small recipe book.

Do you have any favorite recipes using a food processor?

Clean Eating Challenge

Have you seen this on Sometimes Sweet blog?

I've tried to eat clean before + really enjoyed it.  It's amazing what it does to your body.  You will have more energy, feel better, your face will glow + you might lose weight.  Sounds great right?  It's sort of hard to keep up with, but I try to eat healthy for the most part.  I just have a major sweet tooth, but there are healthy options for someone who likes dessert.  Yesterday, I tried a wasa cracker with almond butter + raspberries.  It was so good: 

Do you eat clean?  Have any great recipies?  I'd love to hear :)

Advent Activity // Make Fancy Hot Chocolate

Last night we made Williams-Sonoma classic hot chocolate with their vanilla marshmallows.  We got them both on sale the other night :)  Score!  The hot chocolate was really rich + chocolatey, but the marshmallows were almost inedible- yuck!  Have you ever tried them?

Someone on my instagram recommended Dagoba Xocolatl "Aztec's liquid gold" hot chocolate + I'd really like to try it.

Also, The Daybook is giving away 12 1 lb. cans of Steven's Hot Chocolate to one lucky reader :)  I'd choose the Mexican Hot Chocolate because I've always wanted to try it!

Only 3 more days 'til Christmas!  Yay!

Pumpkin Cake Balls

I made these for our work's potluck + everyone loved them!  It was super easy since I used all store bought items.  Here's the "recipe":

I mixed 1 1/2 pumpkin cake rolls from the fresh market with about a cup of duncan hines creamy homestyle cream cheese icing (the cake roll already had cream cheese icing between the layers) until the cake was moist.  You could make all this from scratch too :)

Then I used a cookie scoop + my hands to roll the mix into 1" balls and place on waxed paper.  Put them in the freezer for an hour or so to harden. 

Melt some orange candy melts (I bought mine at Michael's) in the microwave on the defrost setting + stirring every 30 seconds (directions on the bag).  Dip 4" lollipop sticks (bought at Michael's) in the mix about 1/2" and then stick halfway through the balls.  Then dip the balls in the orange candy melts until they are covered and place back on wax paper.  They dry pretty quickly.  You could put them in the fridge or freezer to speed up the process if you wanted.  Then I melted some green candy melts for the leaves + put it in a ziplock bag with the corner cut to make a piping bag + piped some leaves :)   

I've realized that I'm not very good at writing recipes :) haha.  I hope this makes sense.  I placed them on some pretty gold doilies + transported them in a cake box!  It made about 30 pops.  I can mark that off my 28 before 29 list.  Make cake balls

 Here's what I had for lunch today:

Yum!  The turkey, dressing + gravy was my favorite (of course!)

Mulled Cider

Last night I made mulled cider or wassail.  It was so yummy! :)  This is how I made it:

I added 2 cups of cranberry juice (not cocktail) + 2 cups of apple juice (I tried to find apple cider, but they didn't have any) to a 1 1/2 qt. saucepan.  Then I added 1 Tb. of mulling spices to a mulling spice ball (or you could use a tea ball strainer)...

...and then added it to the pot with 1 c. of cinnamon imperials/red hots.  Brought it to a boil + then let it simmer (low) for at least 30 min.- 1 hr, stirring occasionally.

I served it with a cinnamon stick + whiskey (obviously you can omit this, but it cuts some of the sweetness) :)

Have you ever made any before?  What do you use?  I think whipped cream would have been good on top too :)

Mom's Birthday

My mom's birthday was on Friday night.  Zac + I took our mom's to Amerigo's(I've been craving their amazing mussels) for dinner + then we got YoLo for dessert :) Yum!

(Zac's is on top + mine is on the bottom)

I was so excited that they had Red Velvet!!! I've been wanting to try it for so long, but every time I go to a yogurt place they don't have it.  It was pretty good.

Zac got Strawberry Froyo, Pink Lemonade Sorbet + Vanilla Froyo with Skittles, Trix, Cherries, Gummy Bears + Strawberries.  I got Red Velvet Froyo (with Captain Crunch), Chocolate Froyo (with Peanuts, Reese's Pieces + Peanut Butter Cup) + Birthday Cake Froyo (with sprinkles)!!!

I LOVE YoLo!  It is by far my favorite froyo place that I've been to.  I really liked Red Mango in Seattle too.

Fried Green Tomatoes

This week Zac wanted to make "his" burgers with fried green tomatoes on them!  I've never made them before.  I was skeptical at first because I thought they would be messy [get grease everywhere] + make the house smell like a diner, but I was plesantly surprised.  They were so much fun to make!

Zac said the key was to slice the green tomatoes really thin + I agree!  I like everything better sliced thin [i think!], haha.  We soaked them in milk with a little salt + pepper.  We breaded them in corn meal mix with more salt + pepper + any other spice you might like.

 

We heated our new Le Creuset deep saute pan over medium-high to high heat + then fried them until golden/dark brown.  We like them to be a little on the darker side + extra crispy [just like our bacon].  Then we let them rest + soaked up the grease on a paper towel.  The high sides on the pan helped keep the grease from splattering everywhere + we kept the vent on high to help with the smell.

They were delicious!  Zac made a spicy mayo to put on the burgers.  I liked my fried green tomatoes plain with ranch, but they were good on the burgers too.  Yum!  We will definately make them again.  I had so much fun flipping them :)

4th of July

Zac + I went to the grocery + saw these beautiful blue orchids:

Then we went to Zac's mom's house for dinner.  My mom sent deviled eggs:

Vera enjoyed the ride:

On the way home she was worn out! haha:

Pretty sunset:

I made Pink Lemonade pie earlier that day + we tried it once we got home.  It was so easy to make + it tasted really great.  I added fresh raspberries too:

Here's the recipe.

That night we walked down the street + watched the fireworks.  They were so good!  I haven't done that in a long time.  I think we should make it a tradition :)  We had a great view only a few steps from the condo.