Pizza Party

My sister and I had such a great time making our perfect pizza for dinner the other night. We rolled out pizza dough very thin and topped it with sauce, Italian spices, extra virgin olive oil, red pepper, Canadian bacon, mushrooms, zucchini, onion, broccoli, goat cheese, parmesan, more chrushed red pepper, and a little sprinkle of EVOO on top! Bake at 425º until brown and bubbly! My secret tip is to always use parchment paper. Your pizza will not stick and less clean up.

It was sooo good!

Yummy dinner followed by a night of karyoke at Springwater.
Good stuff!

accidentally in love with this salad

Say goodbye to old, boring tunafish, and say hello to my new favorite quicky salad. It is so yummy! I know it seems weird, but it is so good!

I start by juicing 2 lemons into a large mixing bowl, and whisk in a couple of hefty tablespoons of good dijon mustard. Then whisk in a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add fresh black pepper, a little crushed red pepper, and Italian seasoning if you have it. There's your dressing.

Next, drain one can of white tuna and add that to the bowl. Also drain & rinse a can of chickpeas/garbanzo beans (I'm pretty sure they are the same thing), and add those to the bowl. Dice 2 small celery stalks, 1 zucchini and one small onion all very fine. Add those to the bowl. Stir everything to combine and serve it over spinach leaves. Let me know what you think!

Breakfast of Champions

My friends and I woke up Saturday morning ready for a little fun. We headed down the street to Bricktop's. They have an amazing brunch on the weekends and we laughed and laughed. It was a wonderful start to the day!!

This is what Sarah & Stephanie had... the BLT benedict. I had a bite, and it was fab.

Sterling, the birthday rock star (not pictured), opted for the trendy chicken & waffles. And let me tell you, I haven't ever had a bite of a tastier waffle.

Stephanie loves her mimosas. This time she opted for bellini's (peach juice + champagne) and a carafe of them to boot!

I stayed safe with a blue moon & a grilled artichoke, my fav!

Out and About at 1808

There's a new spot in town that we have been frequenting as of late... 1808! It's in the new Hutton Hotel on West End here in Nashvegas. It is so much fun! You may find yourself hobnobbing with local music row celebs or an occasional State Senator here and there, but no doubt that this is a place out of character for Nashville and I like it!

This is a mini fried oyster poboy. So good! All apps are half off during happy hour.

Cheese plate.

Me and my 1808 martini with yummy frozen grapes.

Flatbreads are great too.

Now we are all filled up and ready to head out on the town for some Americana Music! Woo hoo!

black bean & corn pico de gallo

I make this every single summer. Sometimes multiple times. It is such a fresh, summery favorite and a perfect snack to have ready when a friend stops by for a visit! I serve it with tortilla chips usually, but this time I served it with romaine "chips" for a healthier alternative. You can add a little sour cream as a topper or feta cheese is so yummy on this as well. I try to use homegrown cherry tomatoes, but any good homegrown tomatoes will do.

Start with one can of black beans, drained and rinsed well.

Add a couple of handfuls of fresh or frozen yellow corn kernels.

Remove the seeds and stems from a large jalapeño. If you like it super hot, leave them in, but be forwarned.

Slice the pepper into long slices then bunch them together and dice them as small as you can get them.

Toss the jalapeño peppers into your bowl.

Add the zest of one fragrant lime.

Add as much of the zest as you can get from the lime. It adds so much flavor and aroma. It's really an important step.

And of course, you must use all of that yummy juice as well. Squeeze all of it into your bowl.

Next, dice up a good handful of fresh cilantro and toss it in as well.

Garlic. mmmm. I like to add 3 cloves. You might like less. I love garlic.

Smash them with the side of the knife and dice them up really small.

Toss them into the pool.

Then add your diced cherry tomatoes. Good tomatoes are the key to this dish. Whatever type you use, make sure they are red and juicy!

Next add about a 1/4 of a large red onion. Diced up small.

Add that to the bowl.

Stir all these ingredients together and taste. I added a little salt since I was serving mine with romaine "chips." If you are serving it with tortilla chips, you might not want to add salt.

Ta dah! Fresh and yummy feast!

Fix a good bite and enjoy!

worldly ingredients, right down the road

My mother has been telling me for a while now to visit K & S World Market on Charlotte Avenue here in Nashville. I finally went the other day and was so pleasantly surprised at what I found. That place is really cool! Not only can you see things that you've never seen before, but they have great fresh produce, and very affordable. It is a bit disheartening at first, due to the immediate burst of overwhelming fish aroma as soon as you walk through the door. But there is a good reason for that... they carry a lot of fresh fish. Any by a lot I mean the entire back wall of the place is loaded with seafood varieties, some even swimming in tanks. How fresh is that?! I was able to get avocados for $1.29, where they are $2.25 most everywhere else. Now, some of you may not have time to run all over town just to save a buck. I say go for the adventure of it. I just got produce this time, but next time... I'm trying one of the fish! I just have to check with Julia and see which one she recommends I try first.

Southern Summer Staples

Tomatoes, corn, squash, okra, green beans... ahhhh. This time of year in the South, there is just nothing better than homegrown veggies. And most of us who do not have a garden of our own, have someone, somewhere with more than enough that is willing to share. If not, then these succulent summer veggies are widely available at roadside stands all over the place.

I made a couple of my favorites a few nights ago. Squash and zucchini sauteed with a little purple onion, salt, pepper, and olive oil. And fresh cabbage sauteed as opposed to boiled. I char the edges and then top it with my favorite vinaigrette dressing. Serve with a few homegrown sliced tomatoes and you have a perfect little vegetarian meal.

my vinaigrette recipe:

tbsp soy sauce
tbsp red wine vinegar
tbsp dijon mustard
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Add chopped fresh herbs for a little added color. Or substitute lemon juice instead of the soy sauce for something a little different.