Mushroom Beef Stew

by Sarah

It’s been a bit chilly here and what a better way to warm up than with a stew.  Cary was particularly enamored with a stew that could be served over potatoes.  A quick internet search led us to Pioneer Woman’s Beef Stew with Mushrooms.

First off, while I love Pioneer Woman’s recipes, sometimes they are a little time intensive.   With a few short cuts, I was quite pleased that this one didn’t take that much time.  I could easily make this on a work night.

Instead of using fresh onion and garlic, I used dried onion and ready to use garlic.  Don’t judge…  it cuts down an amazing amount of time.

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 pounds Beef Stew Meat
  •  Flour
  • 1/2 a Stick of Butter
  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • 1 Tablespoon of Minced Garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon of Dried Onion
  • 16 Ounces of Baby Portabello Mushrooms or Button Mushrooms (I used both)
  • 1/2 cup Red Wine
  • 1 can Beef Consomme
  • Salt And Pepper, to taste
  • Mashed Potatoes

Coat the meat with a few tablespoons of flour.  Melt and butter with the olive oil and brown the meat in batches.  Set the meat aside.

Without cleaning the pot, add the garlic, onion flakes, consomme and mushrooms.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the meat and red wine.  Cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles.  Delicious!

Puffy Muffin Quiche

by Sarah

Cary and I recently went to the Puffy Muffin for lunch.  One of the nice things about the Muffin, as I like to call it, is that they have all sort of pre-made delights that you can take home.  Cary mentioned we could get a quiche and have it for breakfast throughout the weekend.  I thought this was a lovely idea and went to the counter to see what kinds of quiche they had and the price (YIKES).  After picking myself up off the floor and Cary mentioned he felt a great disturbance in the force later on, I realized I had the Puffy Muffin Cookbook and off I went.

 

This cookbook is filled with delicious, easy Southern recipes.  I LOVE it. (On a related note, I wished it had the Mocha Crinkle Cookie Recipe….)

The quiche recipe is surprising simple.   Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.   Combine the following ingredients and mix with a wire whisk.

  • 5 eggs
  • 1/2 cup of half and half
  • 1 1/2 cups of cream
  • 1 tablespoon of flour mixed with 1/4 cup of water

Sprinkle one cup of any kind of shredded cheese (we used a mixture of different kinds of cheddars) in the bottom of a deep dish uncooked pie shell.  Next layer any herbs you feel like and 1 cup of add-ins (broccoli, ham, bacon, sausage, asparagus, onions, spinach, mushrooms, peppers, etc).   We used a little pepper and 1 cup of ham.   In the future I’m going to add a little cayenne pepper.

 

Pour the egg and cream mixture into the pie crust.   Even though we had a deep dish pie crust, we had a little bit of the mixture left over.  Bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

Quiche is normally served warm, so you need to let it sit for about 20 – 25 minutes before serving.  I opted to cook it the night before serving and re-warm the next morning.

Nana’s Meat and Three

by Sarah

Happy New Year!  We had a wild and crazy New Year’s Eve…  we went to the new meat and three in town!  Give us a break…  we do have a baby!  :)

Since Southern Bred closed, we’ve been on the lookout for a new regular meat and three to visit.  We were delighted when Nana’s Meat and Three opened in Nolensville.   The first thing we noticed when we read the menu is that they only offer a few regular meat items (with daily specials) and many sides.  They may only offer a few meat items, but those that we have tried are excellent.  I would much rather a restaurant have a limited selection, but know that everything they offer is going to be delicious.

Like any good Southern Meat and Three, the meal starts with cornbread muffins.  These were perfect with just a hint of sweetness.  The service is great as well.  Before we could finish our muffins, our entrees had arrived at our table.

The chicken fried steak (sans gravy) was delicious with a lightly breaded crust.    Many times meat and three’s make the mistake of seasoning heavily with butter and salt.  Nana’s does not make that mistake as the vegetables are lightly seasoned, allowing the taste of the individual vegetable to shine. The collard greens had a hint of bacon flavor.  The cabbage was cooked to perfection with a delicious broth.

The chicken fried chicken had a crispy but light breading, was lightly seasoned, well cooked but juicy with a gravy that didn’t thicken as it cooled.  The mac and cheese was extremely rich with a nice thick sauce, almost a casserole consistency.  The mashed potatoes had a few lovely chunks with a gravy that was extremely potent (in a good way).

We finished our meal with pie.  The chess pie was super sweet, as a chess pie should be, with a delightful crunch.  Personally, I preferred it over the chocolate chess.

The chocolate chess pie tasted almost like a fudge pie with a lovely buttery crust.  We also tried the chocolate meringue pie, which had a thick chocolate pudding like filling with a light and fluffy meringue at least 2 inches high.  This might be the best chocolate meringue in the Nashville area.

We’ve been to Nana’s twice and both times all the food was delicious.  I suggest you try it!  :)

Nana's Meat and Three on Urbanspoon

Easy Shrimp Creole

by Sarah


I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving.   Personally, I’m stuffed from all the turkey, dressing, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce.  While those are delicious, as Christmas approaches, I find that I get a little tired of the normal fare.  As Cary and I begin our own traditions with our growing family, we decided that on Christmas we would serve themed foods, kinda like Christmas around the world.   This year, we are going to have a Creole Christmas.

We plan on serving shrimp creole as the main dish, with crusty garlic bread as a side and bread pudding for dessert.

A quick search brought us to this recipe.  We tweaked it quite a bit.  First, we hate dicing the onions, celery and garlic (ie trinity).  We perused the produce section at Publix and found they already had a pre-diced trinity mixture.  We used 3 of those for this recipe.   Here are all the ingredients we used:

  • 3 to 4 lbs medium-size fresh shrimp, peeled, deveined
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 containers of trinity mixture from Publix  ( or 1 1/2 cups chopped onion, 1 cup chopped celery, 2 cloves garlic, minced)
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 can (8 oz) tomato sauce
  • 1 can (6 oz) tomato paste
  • 1 cup water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • 1 teaspoon pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon red pepper, ground
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
  • dash hot pepper sauce

In a large pot, combine the oil and flour.  Cook over medium heat, stirring (DO NOT WALK AWAY), for about 15 to 20 minutes.  The mixture should be a light brown color. 

Add the trinity and the green pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently,  until the vegetables are tender. Add all the other ingredients and bring to a boil; cover and reduce the heat. Simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add shrimp and simmer for about 10 minutes more, or until the shrimp turn pink. Remove the bay leaves. Serve over rice.

While the color comes out an interesting orange, it tastes delicious.   As far as our Christmas goes, does anyone else have any suggestions for Creole dishes?

Easy Pumpkin Bread

by Sarah

Fall is my favorite time of the year.  I love the changing colors and Cary loves football.  Every fall I try a pumpkin recipe.  Last year it was pumpkin bars.  The year before that it was pumpkin whoopie pies.  This year I felt like making something to take to The Bug’s teachers at his daycare and decided upon pumpkin bread.

I was goofing off on pinterest…  (I’m seriously addicted.  Help me.) …  and found this delicious looking recipe.  I’ve made pumpkin bread before, but let me tell you, this was WAY, WAY better than anything I have ever made.  It’s also pretty easy too, which is always a plus in our house.

Here are the ingredients:

  • 3 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 1 cup butter, melted in the microwave
  • 3 large eggs
  • 1 tablespoon of vanilla
  • 1 16 oz can of pure pumpkin

Preheat the oven to 350°F and spray either 2 medium loaf pans or 4 small loaf pans.

Mix the flour, cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a smallish bowl. 

In a stand mixer, cream the sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla on medium speed for about 2 to 3 minutes.

Add the pumpkin and mix until well blended (about another minute or so).

In a few small batches, gently add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture.

Pour the batter into the pans and cook for about 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Enjoy!  :)

Mack and Kate’s Cafe

by Sarah

We recently visited Mack and Kate’s Cafe in Franklin for Sunday brunch.  Normally when I go to a restaurant, I don’t pay much attention to the decor.  In general, I’m pretty focused on the food.  What I first noticed when I walked in the door was how peaceful the atmosphere was and how nicely the restaurant was decorated.  The bar made out of what looks like reclaimed wood reminded me of a nice restaurant in Charleston or Savannah.

We started our brunch with a blood orange mimosa and a bloody Mary.  Mack and Kate’s doesn’t make the mistake many places do with a bloody Mary, that is getting WAY too fancy.  The drink was a nice combination of tomato juice, peppery vodka, and good splashes of Worcestershire and hot sauce.  The overall combination was nicely refreshing with a good kick to go with a tasty brunch.

After ordering our drinks, blueberry muffins were promptly brought to our table.  The muffins were light, fluffy and had a delightful buttery taste.

We started the meal with fried green tomatoes topped with goat cheese and a chipotle aioli.  We liked the fried green tomatoes because they were thick cut, which meant they actually stood up to being cooked, and didn’t fall apart like the thin cut ones we see so often.  The goat cheese added a unique tang to the tomatoes and the chipotle aioli perfectly completed the dish.

The eggs Benedict had a traditional presentation with a tangy hollandaise sauce and slightly runny eggs.  It did seem a little light on the ham, but the tasty red potatoes on the side more than made up for it.

The southern crab stack featured seasoned grits topped with a crab cake and smothered with a shrimp and andouille sausage saute.  The grits had a nice creamy texture and were perfectly complimented with the addition of the crab cakes.  We also found out that the red potatoes were delicious dipped in the cheesy sauce that topped the crab stack.

Mack and Kate’s was an excellent way to start the day.  They take pride in using local ingredients and developing seasonal menus.  We can’t wait to try them for lunch or dinner.

Mack and Kate’s Cafe
3078 Maddux Way
Franklin, TN 37069

Mack and Kate's on Urbanspoon

Nashville Greek Festival 2011

by Sarah

On Saturday we ventured out to the Nashville Greek Festival at the Greek Orthodox Church on Franklin Road.  The festival is a family friendly event with games and jumpy things for the kids and good food, beer and baklava for the adults.  This year the dinners and pastries were sold in the church fellowship hall, while the gyros and appetizers were sold outside under tents.  The organization of the food this year was excellent (we waited no more than 5 minutes in line).

The pastichio dinner came with Greek style green beans and pita bread.  The pastichio was made with long tube pasta, was full of liberally seasoned ground beef and topped with a rich béchamel sauce.   The meal was delicious and only $8.

The lamb platter came with roast lamb on a bed of rice, Greek style green beans and pita bread.  The lamb was super tender, seasoned with lots of olive oil and oregano (and lots of other things we couldn’t recognize, but were delicious).

For dessert, we mixed and matched baklava to take home.  Between the great goodies you can take home and the smorgasbord board of new things to try the Nashville Greek festival is a great family friendly activity!

Athen’s Family Restaurant

by Sarah

The Nashville Greek festival is quickly approaching (September 9 – 11).  To “warm up” for the festival so to speak, we thought we’d revisit one of our favorite restaurants.  We found the Athens Family Restaurant when we started dating way back in 2006 and visit it frequently.  They serve a fantastic breakfast, as well as traditional Greek food, if you visit later in the day.

The Pastichio features layers of pasta, ground beef and a variety of cheeses topped with a rich béchamel sauce.  There is a slight hint of cinnamon, which is delightful.  The dish is accompanied by green beans and Dina’s potatoes, which are boiled potatoes in a rich cream sauce.  Overall the dish is a very hearty, filling dinner!

Cary opted for the mixed grill platter, which came with grilled lamb and beef, a small Greek salad, Dina’s potatoes and buttery pita wedges.  The mixed grill is the perfect thing for you carnivores out there.  The meats change often, and include various incarnations of beef, lamb, and pork, prepared and seasoned in various greek preparations.  Always remember to ask for the Dina’s potatoes, as the cheesy, butter sauce that the potatoes are bathed in makes for excellent dipping with the pita.

Athen’s Family Restaurant
2526 Franklin Pike
Nashville, TN 37204

Athens Family Restaurant on Urbanspoon

Southern Bred Closes

by Sarah

It seems we are delivering more bad news.  Southern Bred in East Nashville has closed.   The note on the door said the owners had pretty much lived at the restaurant 24/7 for the past three years and that wasn’t really living.  While I completely agree, I’m really going to miss their meatloaf, fried okra and macaroni and cheese.  Cary and I are on a new hunt for a meat and three in Nashville.  Any suggestions?

New Arrival

by Sarah

Our little boy was born July 7th, weighing 12lbs and 2 oz.  Already he is showing great promise as a little foodie!

 

As you can imagine, we’ve been a little busy enjoying our new addition.  We’ve always tried to post at least once a week.  Now we are going to be a little less schedule driven so we are going to be posting less for the time being!