Filed under: Food Made by Others, Random Foodie Thoughts | Tags: food, leftovers, Thanksgiving, thanksgiving food, thanksgiving leftovers
So, friends, what did you eat on this most important food day?
I had turkey, a smoked ham, dressing that was actually done this time, cranberry salad, and a slice of some weird custardy white pie that made no sense.
It was actually a good year.
That was lunch. We just ate it again for supper. It may reappear for supper tomorrow, but we won’t be here. We’ll be out.
Now that meal will definitely be good.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Filed under: Food Made by Others | Tags: food, great steaks, Hickman Kentucky, Hubs, place to eat in Kentucky, restaurant review, steak
I wasn’t hungry for my first trip to Hubs. I went along for the ride and to make my husband happy. He had been to Hubs to eat the previous weekend, and he wanted me to try the place too.
I was still stuffed from earlier in the day. I still managed to eat the whole shebang.
It was that good.
Hubs is a no-frills steak and seafood place that is loud, smokey, and crowded. It was perfect for us.
We started with the chargrilled oysters which we had not successfully eaten since we ate at the Acme Oyster House. A dozen wasn’t enough. Some bites had more spice than others, and some oysters were better but still good.
I had the 10 ounce ribeye. I got my blackened since a steak ordered blackened is served on a hot skillet. Every bite was juicy and hot. I did have to salt the steak, but it was still delish.
We will return to Hubs soon. It was worth the trip. Next time, though, I go with an empty stomach.
Filed under: Food Made by Others | Tags: breakfast, breakfast in bed, food
My birthday breakfast in bed!
This year, my husband went all out. I had waffles and toast with extremely strong coffee.
It might not seem like much, but it is very special to me.
It is my favorite meal of the year.
Filed under: Food I Make, Food Made by Others | Tags: cheap recipes, cold weather food, food, good soups, recipes, soup, soup recipes, Southern soup, taco soup, winter food
I hope you have had this soup a million times. I hope it is committed to your memory. I hope you can make it with your hands closed and both eyes tied behind your back.
I hope all of that because that would mean that you get to eat this soup like we do-often but in a good way.
Taco soup is popular around this part of the country. It is a go-to soup for weather like we have been having lately-cool enough for a soup that warms you right up. It is also easy and hearty. We eat it a lot.
I love this recipe, but I must admit that it isn’t really mine. It belongs to my momma (pronounce that slowly and with a bit of a cadence-my momm-maah). She makes this soup every Christmas Eve for supper. We file in her house at random times throughout the night, and she has this soup on the stove for us to dip from as we get hungry.
It’s a favorite. Try it and make it one of yours too.
Here goes her recipe with my adjustments:
2 pounds ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped-I didn’t have one, so I left this out.
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 envelope-quart size-of Ranch dressing mix
2 regular cans of crushed tomatoes. I used a 28 oz. can of diced tomatoes. Do not drain.
1 can of ro-tel. I left this out too. Do not drain if you want it spicy.
1 can of pinto beans-I used butter beans. Drain ‘em.
2 cans of whole kernel corn. Do not drain.
1 T of sugar
Salt and pepper to season
In a large soup pot, brown the ground beef, onion, and bell pepper. Drain if you want. (I didn’t.) Add everything else to the pot, warm a little, and then take a little taste. Season and add a little water as needed. I added half a can of water. Allow to simmer for at least thirty minutes; the longer, the better. I let my roll for an hour. Season again if you need to.
I like my taco soup with a large dollop of sour cream and homemade tortilla chips. Shredded cheese also goes well on top.
Try it; you’ll like it. You have my word.
Filed under: Food Made by Others | Tags: coffee, fall food, food, Starbucks
One reason why I love the change of the seasons is the different foods that appear only at a special time of the year. Easter candy. Summer hot dogs. Christmas cookies. Fall coffee.
Fall was made for coffee. Or, was coffee made for fall? Regardless, they go together like-well, fall and coffee.
Nothing is better than holding a cup while cozied up on the couch watching a movie. When walking out of the house in the morning, the cold chill isn’t so bad with a cup o’ Joe. Or, it is fantastic while watching a football game. It is also nice when blogging about how great coffee in the fall is.
My favorite is the pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. Delish.
Changes in seasons mean changes in our palates. I love it.
Cheers to coffee!
Filed under: Food Made by Others | Tags: bad burgers, Big River Grille, Chattanooga restaurants, food, Places not to eat in Chattanooga, Places to eat in Chattanooga, restaurant review
A friend recommended the Big River Grille to us when she heard we were going to Chattanooga. She had been to this restaurant before, and I trusted her judgment. She loves food too, and she and I have talked many times about the places we loved to travel to and the restaurants where we love to eat. We have swapped recipes many times. She has been to my house for dinner parties and such.
After eating at the Big River Grille, I may have to question our friendship.
It was that bad.
We had no idea. The atmosphere of the restaurant made it look promising. A place so nice and big had to be good, right? Our server was a lovely girl. She was super nice to us, and we had a lovely table in the middle of the restaurant. The menus were full of promising meals.
We started out with the jalapeño and spinach cheese dip. Now, let’s play a game of Where’s Waldo. Look for the jalapeño or the spinach:
Find them? Me either. There was no spinach to speak of-no green gooeyness usually found in a good spinach dip. I didn’t even get any spinach stuck between my teeth like I usually do. Nor was there any kick from any sign of a jalapeño. I didn’t even have to have a drink of water while drinking it. Ugh.
Then, our meals came. Good Lawd.
I ordered the German burger from the special Oktoberfest menu. The burger I ordered was to have German sauerkraut with German ketchup. It was also to have cheese. I ordered this German delicacy medium.
It arrived opened-faced with lettuce, ketchup, and tomato on one side. The other side was meat, cheese, and sauerkraut. It was like looking at an American bun versus a German bun in a head-to-head burger battle. It didn’t look right. I asked why I had lettuce and sauerkraut. Our server reassured me that it was supposed to be like that. Then, I took a bite.
Does this look like medium to you? It looked like raw meat. It felt like raw meat. It smelled like raw meat. It was raw meat. Unless my order got mixed up with some hungry lion that I managed to miss in the restaurant who also ordered the German burger, there was a gross mistake on the part of the cook. I don’t think anyone could have eaten this burger.
I managed to eat a little off the edges, but it is a wonder I didn’t get food poisoning right then and there. I could have died in the middle of this awful restaurant while cursing my friend the whole time. At least, though, I wouldn’t have had spinach from the dip in my teeth, thank goodness.
Believe it or not, this was the first time I ever admitted to a server that the food wasn’t good. I have had some horrible stuff before (See Crab Trap, Destin), but I always have kept my opinion to myself expressing what I thought only here on this blog.
She really didn’t even have to ask.
Our poor, sweet server tried to help. She was by far the best part of our experience. She offered me a free dessert or another entrée. I passed. Better to quit while I was ahead, i. e. alive.
I haven’t seen our Big River recommending “friend” since this near-death experience. I’ll forgive her for almost getting me knocked off via bad burger food poisoning.
Maybe.
http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/109/854061/restaurant/Big-River-Grille-Brewing-Works-Chattanooga”><img alt=”Big River Grille & Brewing Works on Urbanspoon” src=”<a 
Filed under: Food I Make, Food Made by Others | Tags: food, hot chocolate, hot chocolate recipes, hot drinks, Rachael Ray, salty drinks
This looked good in Rachael’s magazine, so I tried it. It was okay, but it lacked a touch of sweet. I adjusted it, and this is my variation:
4 T Dulce de leche-found in the Spanish foods aisle of the grocery
1 1/4 c milk-cream would be good too, but I didn’t think about it in time
2 T cocoa powder
2 T sugar
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
A block or two from a Hershey’s bar
Warm your ingredients except the Hershey’s in a small saucepot. Wisk. Raise the temperature to a low boil and keep your eye on it. Wisk some more. Keep wisking until the cocoa powder has smoothed out.
Pour into a large mug. Drop in your chocolate squares. Allow to cool or you will hurt yourself.
Take my word for it.
I can see sharing this with friends around a campfire. It is different. I like it.
Filed under: Food Made by Others | Tags: Ahart's Pizza Garden, College Pizza, food, MTSU pizza, pizza, pizza places to eat in Murfreesboro, Places to eat in Murfreesboro, restaurant review
Late one night, on a lonely road in the dark of night, my hungry, tired family wandered the open road aimlessly in search of sustenance.
Well, maybe that’s a stretch.
We were traveling unknown territory. We were hungry. We were tired, and we had been together way too long in the car. It was time for a pit stop.
We were passing through Murfreesboro, Tennessee. We rolled the dice and picked an exit that looked like it might lead to food. We found a TGIFriday’s. An Arby’s. A random Mexican restaurant.
In a college town like Murfreesboro, though, we decided to go for pizza.
I think pizza in a college town should be guaranteed good. To serve bad pizza to poor college students would be cruel and unusual.
Next to the China Garden, we found a pizza garden.
Ahart’s Pizza Garden to be exact. We walked in, and I would have paid for the smell alone. Delish. The décor was a little lacking-think 1980’s pink rose wallpaper border and carpet that has seen better decades-but the staff was so nice and friendly. That and the promise of good pizza far outweighed a spot or ten on the carpet.
We sat in a booth that had a little red duct tape on it, and we ordered. We started with the cheese bread. Yum. It was a warm combination of French bread and cheesy goodness. It hit the spot.
I planned to order the Neptune pizza. The menu promised a crab meat pizza with shrimp, green peppers, black olives, and artichoke hearts. How could I go wrong?
I asked the waitress about it, and she steered me to her favorite, the first pizza on the menu-the Quattro Formaggio. Trusting this total stranger who just happened to work at a pizza joint we just happened to find, I ordered it.
It arrived, and I was not disappointed. She had found for me a fresh pizza with Cheddar, mozzarella, provolone, ricotta cheese, bacon and mushrooms. The Cheddar was a little overwhelming, and the ricotta was in four weird piles, but it was still very good.
The husband had the Buffalo wings. I passed on the taste he offered me, but I trust his word that it was good.
It wasn’t long after we arrived at Ahart’s Pizza Garden that we were back on the cold, lonely road. But, as we traveled on, we were full of good pizza making us able to tolerate the travel and each other a little better.
Filed under: Food Made by Others | Tags: food, hot dogs, hotdogs, life, restaurant review, Sonic, sonic hotdogs
Why in the world do I love to eat hot dogs at Sonic? Hot dogs are so generic. Unless you are at a bonfire or ballgame, there really is no reason to eat them.
Right?
My Grandaddy used to prepare his hotdogs in a tall glass of hot water. He would let them set in the hot water and then eat them then and there.
My brother-in-law feeds his spoiled rotten Bassett Hound a Nathan’s hotdog every night.
Every fall, we get together with friends and roast hotdogs over a blazing bonfire on the back forty of a friend’s farm.
Mr. Picky loves hot dogs with no grill marks served with mustard from his own personal mustard bottle.
One of the best hotdogs I ever ate was at Neyland Stadium in Knoxville, Tennessee with my sweetie. We were watching Tennessee battle Alabama. It was my first Vol game ever.
There you go, I guess. Memories.
I adore the line of hotdogs at Sonic. I amaze myself everytime I bypass the cheeseburgers to order a hotdog. Then, I embarrass myself as I scarf down my hotdog like a wild woman in the front seat of the car. In broad daylight. In front of other people. In just a few bites.
Embarrassing. But worth it.
Gotta love a hot dog.
The Opinionated Foodie: The Love (or Not) of Food and Everything That Goes with It 