Mediterranean Skillet Dinner

This is Marie, with an article about something that I cooked.

You know those days when you walk in the door, look at the kitchen, and say “I have no ideas?” Well, foodies get them too. Possibly more than most, because I can’t just open a can and put the contents on a plate unless I’m willing to get some really impressive puppy dog looks, and possibly a growl or two. Well, except for the baby, as he likes beans of all descriptions and isn’t fussy about sprucing them up. So when Grant presented me with a shredded cheese packet that had a recipe on the back and said, while pointing vigorously, “This! Make this, it looks good!” there was no competing recipe to delay the implementation much. Continue reading “Mediterranean Skillet Dinner” →

Chai Pani, Decatur GA

A couple of years ago, I found my favorite Indian restaurant. It’s up in Asheville and it’s called Chai Pani. They announced shortly afterward that they were looking forward to expanding and opening a second store in Atlanta. I’ve been waiting impatiently ever since. Continue reading “Chai Pani, Decatur GA” →

Bailey’s Bar-B-Cue, Ringgold GA

We made a couple of final stops in northwest Georgia on our way back from Chattanooga. We had an excellent day trip to the Scenic City, ate well, visited friends, and shopped well, but the day had grown a little longer than we had anticipated, and the baby refused to nap. He finally zonked out as we crossed back into Georgia, and when we pulled off just a couple of exits later for an early supper, we didn’t want to wake him. Marie suggested that the girlchild and I go get something to eat while she kicked back with a book and the sleeping baby, and just bring her a sandwich. Continue reading “Bailey’s Bar-B-Cue, Ringgold GA” →

Nikki’s Drive Inn, Chattanooga TN

No city has generated as many suggestions from our readers and friends as Chattanooga has, and on this most recent trip, I wanted to be sure to visit one of them. It’s actually a place that an acquaintance from the Roadfood.com message boards, “Littleman,” first suggested a couple of years ago, but we’ve also got emails from three different people assuring us that it fits our sensibilities just perfectly. Longtime readers with long memories may recall that “Littleman” has pointed us in the right directions several times before (we have him to thank for Green Acres and The Little Dooey, among others), and he’s still batting a thousand. Everybody has told us that we needed to try the shrimp and the onion rings, and here they are, printed right on front of the menu: “World Famous Jumbo Shrimp and Onion Rings.” Continue reading “Nikki’s Drive Inn, Chattanooga TN” →

Pure Sodaworks in Bottles

The second best move that the good people at Pure Sodaworks have made lately has been the employment of a young fellow whom our girlchild finds radiant and dreamy. I’m not sure what the fellow’s name is, but he sure does keep the girlchild excited to go to Tennessee. Continue reading “Pure Sodaworks in Bottles” →

Community Pie, Chattanooga TN

This is Marie, suitably contributing an article about dessert. Our daughter and I enjoyed a very good one on our trip to Chattanooga, and we were in serious need of a recharge when we came to it. We had visited the Creative Discovery Museum with our friends from The Boys Made Me Do It, and completely wore out the baby. This was our third or fourth visit to this children’s museum, and it is great fun seeing the baby grow up and explore new areas of it. Continue reading “Community Pie, Chattanooga TN” →

Lupi’s Pizza Pies, Chattanooga TN

We had been wanting to visit McKay in Chattanooga for another round of book selling. We are in the process of changing our plans to relocate to Asheville from “pipe dream” to “possibility,” and one thing that definitely needs to change first is the size of our material world. So, over the last several weeks, we have filled four diaper boxes with old paperbacks. On the last Saturday in February, we made plans for another day trip to one of our favorite cities, incorporating stops at our usual places, including Pure Sodaworks and the Creative Discovery Museum, along with some new restaurants. Best of all, we met up with some of the team from The Boys Made Me Do It, a terrifically fun blog, to break some bread and play at the children’s museum. Continue reading “Lupi’s Pizza Pies, Chattanooga TN” →