Another Beautiful Dish

Once again, I have rooted through the cabinets and refrigerator, added some fresh produce, and created magic. Well, if not magic, dinner. Trying to keep things on the light side (light on the calories AND the wallet) keeps me on my creative toes. Nicole and I are trying to eat a little healthier, and this just fit the bill.

I keep bags of dried beans in the cabinet, and have been meaning to use some, so the other night, I soaked about a third of a bag of navy beans. If you are using dried beans, the first thing you do is sort through them, because sometimes there are small stones or pieces of dirt. Then, rinse them under cold water and put them in a container, fill with twice the amount of water to beans, and leave them to soak overnight, or for a few hours. Then, drain them, put them in a pot with fresh water, maybe a bay leaf or bouquet garni (look it up, lol) and bring them to a boil. Reduce to a low boil and cook until the beans are soft, but not mushy. Drain and cool.

Next, I had some corn, still from the farm. I cooked it lightly, then stripped the kernels from the cob. There are still good tomatoes around, so I happened to have some grape tomatoes, which I cut in half lengthwise. Some peeled and diced cucumber, some chopped romaine lettuce, and now it's starting to look like a salad. (Yes, I know that totally wasn't a sentence, but I'm tired, so get over it)

I had bought a couple boneless chicken breasts, and I marinated them in Italian dressing. Don't be too proud to use Italian dressing from the bottle, just watch the sodium in the really cheapo brands. I would have grilled the chicken, but it was pouring right at dinnertime, so I seared them in a pan instead. I let them cool a little and then diced them and put everything in a big mixing bowl and added some more Italian dressing, a little fresh ground pepper, and some red pepper flakes, because Nicole is on a hot pepper kick. Nicole, by the way, is my daughter. Did you not know that? Shame on you. Here's Nicole:

 She is my turtle.
No, seriously, she is my beautiful daughter and I love her like crazy, even though she is a terrible sloppy mess.

Oh, ok, I know, you want to see dinner. Here you go:

Nice, huh?
Ok, time to give the dog a bath. My life is one nonstop party.
Bye now..

 

Sheryl Crow, Honky Tonks and Tennessee BBQ

I went to Nashville, Tennessee last weekend. Yep, just like that. Actually, I got very lucky. My girlfriend, Lisa, entered a contest through Facebook to win a trip to Nashville to meet Sheryl Crow and have a preview of her new album at her house. Meeting Sheryl Crow has been number 1 one Lisa's bucket list for as long as she can remember.

She won the grand prize.

At first, she didn't believe it was true. She thought the email was a hoax. She thought the guy calling from Warner Records was a fake. I mean, wouldn't you? But it wasn't a fake out. It was real. Round trip airfare to Nashville, two nights in the Hermitage Hotel, one of the nicest hotels in the whole country, a ride to Sheryl Crow's house and a chance to meet her and hear her music. It would be a gigantic understatement to say that she was floating on a cloud as we boarded the airplane and headed off to Tennessee.

Before I talk about food, let me just show you a couple of pictures of the Hermitage, and our room.

 

Not too shabby, huh? Downstairs in the hotel was their restaurant, The Capitol Grille, which is not associated with the chain of the same name. We didn't get a chance to eat there, but the hotel runs not one, but two of their own farms, where they do everything from grow their own produce to raise their own grass fed cattle and other animals. On the next trip, I will definitely have dinner. We did have room service breakfast, and they do make a mean bowl of Irish oats with fruit!

 

 

Thursday evening, they sent a huge tour bus to pick us up (about a dozen of us) and take us to Sheryl Crow's house. She lives on the outskirts of Nashville, up a long driveway. We had to leave our phones in the bus, so I don't have any pictures of the whole experience. I think the main purpose was to keep anyone from possibly recording any of the music, since the album wasn't released yet. Anyway, we were escorted into the "barn." Um, yeah. Barn. Granted, the horse stables were in the back, so technically it was still a barn. In the front area, there was a beautiful sitting area with the huge fireplace and a bar. Waiting for us was a choice of beer, wine, bourbon, or Sheryl's signature watermelon margarita. That was all kinds of yummy. Later, I had a bourbon and soda. I mean, when in Rome...there were also stationary and passed hors' d'oeuvres, all very good. We got to wander in the back and say hi to the horses (or hey, if you're looking for a bad pun). She has about 6 or 7. After about an hour of mingling, meeting record company people, and other winners of various contests, we were ushered upstairs to what she has made into an intimate concert venue and recording studio. The walls are lined (I mean lined!) with her guitars, both acoustic and electric. We were in the front row, about 5 feet away from her. Lisa was one of only two grand prize winners! There were about 40 people there, I guess, most from the recording industry. She was introduced and sat with a guy who asked questions about the songs on the new album. We listened to some of them from the recording, saw two videos, and got to hear her and the band play 3 or 4 others. It was amazing. Buy the album, she is a great country singer.

 

When she was finished talking and playing, we were ushered back downstairs, where there was a fresh round of new food choices and plenty more to drink. They had set up a photo screen and meeting area in the stables, and Lisa and I were the first to go in and meet Sheryl. She is so very nice. And so very tiny! After all the meeting and photos, she came out and mingled, drinking a longneck beer. Gotta love how real she is..

 

 

When we got back to the hotel, there was a gift left for Lisa from Southern Living and the Hermitage, who were co sponsors of the contest. A book on the history of the hotel and it's 100th anniversary, a small batch bottle of Jack Daniels made especially for the hotel, and two packs of heirloom tomato seeds from the farm. So cool.

 

 

How can you possibly top that night? Friday we had no plans, so walked around downtown Nashville. It's pretty small, so you can walk just about anywhere. We didn't really have the money to go into any of the museums, but we wandered around and saw the Ryman Auditorium (where the Grand Old Opry was originally staged), the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Capitol building, Printer's Alley (which reminds me of Bourbon Street), and then down to Broadway, which is really the main drag. It's where the shops, bars, restaurants and honky tonks are. I love that name, honky tonk. Just a small, often grubby little bar with a stage, where at any time of day, there is live music. We bought some souvenirs, some cowboy boots, and noticed a sign saying that Keith Urban would be playing, FREE, in three different honky tonks that evening. Well, hell, there's tonight's activity! So we went back, rested, and then headed back to Broadway. We made some friends on Thursday who recommended we eat at Jack's BBQ, the best in town. Lisa is not a big meat eater, but very sweetly indulged my need to eat barbecue. To eat a Jack's, you begin by standing in line. For you Philly folk, it is similar to Jim's steaks- stand in line, order, get food, pay, then find a table. As we were standing in line, we heard the two people behind us talking about possibly going across the street to eat at another BBQ place. So, I, being the shy person I am, turned around and asked them which they thought was better for us touristas to eat. They agreed we should stay in line at Jack's, no questions asked. Anyway, we struck up a conversation. Lisa Manning is one of the DJ's for a local radio station, and was going to be escorting Keith from one venue to the next, through the cattle chute they had set up on the street. She introduced us to her boyfriend, Charlie Daniels, Jr. As in Charlie Daniels. As in mad fiddle player and country star. Yep, the hits just keep on coming for us! We all sat together for dinner, and talked about life in Nashville and all that. This is Jack's BBQ:

I had the pulled pork. The brisket looked great, but I was really in the mood for the pork.

 

 After dinner, they went off to check up on Keith's progress, and Lisa and I ensconced ourselves along the cattle chute. Let me tell you, people in Nashville know how to wait patiently for something. No pushing, shoving, cursing, rudeness of any sort. The security guards were nice. The cops were nice. In fact, one cop leaned over to me as he was making an opening in the chute right next to where I was standing and said, "Keep an eye out, Steven Tyler is coming through here any minute now." Really. Steven Tyler. AND Keith Urban. Right in front of me.

 

Well, Keith was spectacular. He just moseyed down the cattle chute, saying  hi and waving and smiling. The crowd was really respectful. He is beautiful.

 That's Keith with Lisa Manning, our new friend

 Yes, that's Steven Tyler thrashing about



Isn't he pretty?

 

Saturday was pretty uneventful. We stayed in the hotel room until we had to check out, wearing those soft, incredible bathrobes. Then, the long trip home..

 

So let's recap, shall we? A flight to Nashville, a 5 diamond hotel, Sheryl Crow and her band, AT HER HOUSE, great BBQ, new friends, Keith Urban, Steven Tyler (who, by the way, is just as small and freaky looking in person) and a mini vacation with my love. Not so bad for two girls who don't have two dimes to rub together. But sometimes, great things DO happen to good people.