pogophiles

I do all the "from scratch" cooking in our house except for one cookie recipe that my wife has perfected over the years. Otherwise, her "cooking" consists primarily of ramen noodles, canned soups, frozen entrees, grilled cheese sandwiches and tuna salad...

I think some "chunky" additions are OK (you frequently find them with chopped pickle added). I've made them with minced slab bacon and chopped scallions mixed in. My favorite though is smooth textured and includes a bit of horseradish...

My mother once confused a city-born girlfriend of mine with the question: "Honey, you wanna run down to the dozer pile and pick some poke?" I've eaten it all my life. Blanch it in boiling water for a few minutes and then use it like you would spinach (similar flavor). I've almost always had it with eggs (generally just cooked along with scrambled eggs, after blanching).

Thanks for this information as it clears up a mystery for me. I came across piles of this at the Nashville Farmer's Market and was told it was "Mexican Turnip Greens". At least now I know what it was...

I despise the combination of mint and chocolate... Blech!!

The caveat being that if you take a dish that must be returned, be sure to mark it with your name somehow. A family that receives multiple items from different friends and neighbors can have a hard time getting the right dishes back to their proper place...

Not only do I remember this, but my mother knew the guy who invented Mountain Dew. Not the original formula (never widely marketed, lemon-lime like Sprite or 7 Up), but the one that was eventually marketed by Pepsi. His name was Bill Jones and he was from Marion, VA. His family had fallen on very hard times in the period before he hit it big with Mountain Dew, and my mother recalls his wife having to hold her shoes together with canning rubbers. [above quote scavenged from the Chik-fil-A thread] Here is a link to a discussion and timeline of the evolution of this drink, including the role of Bill Jones (referred to above)... Mountain Dew History

Yep. Have one at home. Preferred the "Kickapoo Joy Juice" bottles, though... And I'd rather drink SunDrop...

Indeed we do. I love dining vicariously...

Those look great Don!

If she's homesick then coffee and tea is probably your best bet, though a couple of fingers of good bourbon might work too...

Nashville doesn't, but Murfreesboro does, just off the Hwy 96 exit...

Dangit Mayhaw Man! I hadn't thought about Zapp's Crawtater chips in quite sometime but now I'm sitting here drooling at my keyboard. That's it. I'm driving to Chick-Fil-A for lunch (since I don't have any Zapp's chips handy...)

Evan Williams Single Barrel (1993) pairs with an RyJ Cedros #3 (cuban) very nicely...

You may find that depends on which Kroger you are frequenting. While it may be true of the Green Hills Kroger, it's probably less true of the Nolensville Road Krogers...

If you are on West End Ave traveling away from downtown, take a right at that last major intersection before you cross I-440. You'll be on Murphy Road and the Produce Place will appear on your right in five or six blocks... The Murphy Road/Sylvan Park area is a good one to know about in general. It's convenient to you and there are several good places down that way: Produce Place, Cafe Nonna, Park Cafe, Sylvan Park (meat & three)...

The Publix that I frequent is on Murfreesboro Road just a few blocks north of Bell Road. I don't think there are any that would be convenient to your location...

Either of the "oysters" from a roast turkey or chicken...

Were you there for the dig store? I'll look you up next time I'm in Santa Cruz...I prefer bourbon...

Yes, with the possible exception of the weekend of the Kentucky Derby...

Closest thing to Knoxville's Fresh Market (which I too loved & miss) would probably be the Wild Oats in Green Hills. As I live far to the Southeast (in LaVergne), I tend to frequent Publix, Bi-Lo, & Smith's FoodLand (especially for certain meats) in that order. I much prefer any of these to Kroger or Food Lion. Depending on where you are in the area, you might be better off at Harris Teeter (which I find to be on a par with Publix). A few other places you should know about: the Farmers Market downtown, the Produce Place, and (I believe it's) K & M World Foods (Nolensville Road).

Actually, life is excellent just now, clothier, at least partially as a result of an earlier poster to this thread. By a happy coincidence, our anniversary was on Good Friday AND our children were spending a couple of days with their grandparents. My wife surprised me with a dinner at Chef Sean Brock's Capital Grille restaurant. The meal experience was absolutely wonderful!! Service was warm and welcoming without being cloying or overbearing (not even a hint of stuffiness or arrogance) and the food was by far the best I've eaten in Nashville. My wife started with the Tasting of Soups, which consisted of demitasse cups of wild mushroom, rutabaga, and a sweet onion bisque (all three were highly concentrated, outrageously rich and most satisfying) and followed with the Spice Roasted Moulard Duck Breast, which she enjoyed tremendously. I had the Crab Cakes with Meyer lemon coulis, followed by the Hazelnut Dusted Black Grouper. The server matched a glass of wine for me for each of these courses -- the choices nicely complemented the dishes (both of which had significant citrus components and both of which were excellent). In the course of our discussions with the server, eGullet came up, which prompted a visit from the Chef. We chatted for a few minutes (delightful fellow) and were rewarded with a "dessert tasting", the centerpiece of which (for me) was the St. Andre Cheesecake with roasted seckle pear, smoked almonds & port wine syrup. The almonds (smoked in-house) phenomenally good in combination with the cheesecake (as was the 30 YO tawny port I was brought -- also comped, as was the entire 3 course dessert portion of the meal). I was quite intrigued by the last dish brought out, which consisted of a small amout of, if I remember correctly, grapefruit ice cream topped with a clear lozenge (the exact flavor evades me at the moment) and a bit of avocado, served in a large wide-rimmed bowl with a selection of salts around the rim of bowl (there were six salts, including a smoked salt and a pink hawaiian salt). My apologies for not having taken notes, but frankly this was not only a special occasion, but a surprise as well. Suffice it to say that every dish brought to our table worked very well, the service was flawless, and the dinner was one of the most enjoyable that I have ever experienced. It is obvious that Chef Brock loves what he is doing and is aiming very high. I look forward to taking Chef Brock up on his invitation to return for a full tasting menu at some point in the future. I can't think of anything I'd rather do at a Nashville restaurant just now. Thanks for asking, clothier!!

Agree on Chef Sean's crab cakes with preserved lemon coulis...very, very good!!

Same here. My mom used to buy chicken offal meats fairly frequently when I was a kid. Liver, gizzards and hearts lightly floured and fried was a standard meal. The hearts were always my favorite...