The best and worst....Thanksgiving!

A day that is dedicated to giving thanks and over indulging in delicious food...this sounds just about perfect to me. This year, and since my mom passed away I have spent Thanksgiving in two places-- with my grandmother (mom's mum) and uncles, and with the Laiolo family (Bryn, Cara, Jana and Tone Def). I've been coming down from my food coma for a day or so and will officially declare 2 Thanksgiving's is just too much food so next year I'll probably just pick one.

I'm thrilled to write that I had the ability to eat some amazing food and will rank them is this order:

1. Granny's mashed potatoes
2. Cara's mashed potatoes
3. Bryn's deviled eggs
4. My Mac & Cheese
5. Cara's turkey
6. My blackberry cobbler

There were a million other great dishes (B's sweet potato casserole, Jana's dressing, Granny's turkey, etc) but I'll tip my hat to the ones above.

My grandmother has been making the best mashed potatoes since I can remember and they were my favorite food in the world until a few years ago (recently replaced by the egg). As she's aged and hasn't been able to cook much and my mashed potato consumption has decreased significantly but I suggested that we make them together this year so she could teach me....and boy did she.

First- she peels and boils the potatoes- and then she dumps only about half the water (she kept way more water than I would think necessary but Granny knows what she's doing). To that she adds a considerable amount of butter (1 stick for about 8 servings), a little bit of milk, salt and pepper AND THAT'S IT. No cream cheese, no cream, no parm, no nothing...turns out the trick is the starchy water-- and they were divine.

Cara also made great Pioneer Woman inspired mashed potatoes and the recipe can be found here:http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/11/delicious_creamy_mashed_potatoes/. She doesn't keep any of the starchy water which is why I think she feels the need to add other delicious calories to make the right texture but I'm telling you....not needed for greatness.

Bryn made a traditional deviled egg recipe that involved relish, pimentos, salt, pepper, mayo and mustard and they were super yummy but I've never been one to pass up ANY egg.

Growing up I had one bad experience with macaroni and cheese and it I couldn't eat them any longer...until I was about 25 and started to realize what I had been missing: CHEESE AND PASTA- TOGETHER. Really, how can it get any better than that?
My current recipe is pretty much on point and I have to give props to my girl Ronda Brown-Quarles for the base recipe but I've added some additions to kick it up a notch.
First you boil pasta- I prefer a mix of bow ties and elbow macaroni to give it some textural differences. After the pasta has boiled you drain it and then place it back in the pan you cooked them in and place it on the stove on low heat. And you start adding cheese...and lots of it. I add a mixture of pepper jack, mild and sharp cheddar, and American cheese. You could get fancier if you wanted but I don't see the need for a country Thanksgiving. I also add: 2 eggs, about a cup of milk, one shallot- diced very thin, salt & pepper, crushed red pepper flakes and mustard powder. Mix everything together and then put in a baking pan-- stick in the oven for 20 minutes on 350 and voila-- cheesy pasta perfection.

In the past Bryn and Cara's mom Jana has led the charge to tame the turkey but this year Cara stepped up to the plate and made that bird her bitch. She practiced the brining method on the bird-- I'll allow her to comment on the recipe for her brine but it was amazing!! Super tender, great flavor. Here's a video from the food network on how to brine a turkey: http://www.foodnetwork.com/videos/how-to-brine-a-turkey/58780.html.

Last but certainly not least- Blackberry Cobbler. It's both mine and my grandmother's favorite and cannot be beat! The best is that it's super simple and easy. First you take your blackberry's (either fresh or thawed & drained from frozen) and you add a cup of sugar and let them marinate in a separate bowl. I like to use 2.5 cups of blackberry's per 8 inch square pan. I also add the juice of 1 lemon to the blackberry and sugar mixture.

In another bowl I add flower, baking powder, melted butter, and milk and whisk until combined well. Once the blackberry's have gotten a nice syrup to them I pour the batter in the pan and then put the blackberries on top of them and bake for 40 minutes on 350 or until golden brown and the dough isn't jiggly any longer. PERFECTION. You can serve with vanilla ice cream or a fresh homemade whipped cream slightly sweetened (I like to use honey).

With all of that greatness comes some disappointments as well and this year they were all at my hands:

- canned green beans (which I'm religiously against but my grandmother loves)
- canned creamed corn (same excuse as above)
- Apple Brown Betty (this dessert actually turned out to be quite tasty but it was due to some last minute recipe changes and had I not acted on the fly this could have been a disaster.)

The bottom line is that Thanksgiving is a pretty amazing holiday. I'm personally thankful for so much in my life-- my family, my friends that have become my family, my good health, great job, and clear mind. Next year I'll do a better job of GIVING back to the community-- knowing how much I personally consumed makes me a little sick to my stomach (mentally and physically) as there are so many people that don't have the opportunities that I do. This makes me question my current level of community involvement and giving-- I've got to do better.

Signing off to go eat more leftovers,

E

And there it was...Zaytinya

I recently spent a weekend in DC to celebrate the Rally to Restore Sanity along with two of my dear friends, Cara and Lacey, and while we were there, well, we ate.

One of my good college buddies Emily lives in the city and made some recommendations for restaurants and on the top of her list was Zaytinya, a middle Eastern spot featuring small plates and big flavors....however, we couldn't come close to grabbing a reservation on this busy weekend so we thought we were out of luck. This was until we found ourselves wandering around the city on Friday afternoon; starving, feet hurting and cold. The next thing we know....we're standing right outside of Zaytinya-- and they're open-- FOR LUNCH! PERFECT.

We walk in, grab a table immediately and start our divine cuisine experience with lovely glasses of bubbly and white wine.

On the lunch menu there is a choice to do a 5 course tasting and we jumped on the opportunity to try as many dishes as possible. I can't remember exactly in what order we had what but here are some of the dishes we had: Hommus, Falafel, Fattoush, Garides Me Anitho, Kibbeh, Adana Kebab, Shish Taouk, and a heavenly dessert that consisted of the creamiest custard ever.

Each plate was phenomenal and the perfect portion-- enough for each of us to have 2-3 bites of every offering. The Garides Me Anitho were by far the table favorite-- shrimp that were sauteed in a dill, shallot, lemon and mustard seed sauce. This sauce was beyond anything I have ever tasted in regards to flavor just jumping around in my mouth. The acidity of the lemon paired with the earthiness of the mustard was a blissful marriage.

Thanks much to Emily for the great recommendation and of course to the amazing chef's and service at Zaytinya...it was the perfect way to start out a great weekend.

Hey guys. Here's RJD2's live set from Next Big Nashville....live at The Cannery.

Pretty funky stuff.

Pok Pok. The morning after.

For our last evening in Portland we ventured for a group dinner at a Thai restaurant that came highly recommended by friends, strangers, and food magazines alike...Pok Pok. Pok Pok was originally a mobile food cart in the Portland area until owner and head chef Andy Ricker decided to take the plunge and open up a part open air/part indoor seating restaurant in the front of his house. The dishes are still inexpensive (ranging from $5-11) and pack huge flavor but now can be enjoyed seated.

Cara was so thoughtful and arranged a reservation for our group of 10 at 8:45 our last night in Portland. After being seated we were treated to water flavored with Pandanus leaf which gave it a grassy flavor. We all ordered one round of beverages that ranged from a mango infused vodka speciality drink (mango infused vodka, lime juice, simple syrup, pressed coconut milk), to a Tamarind Whiskey Sour, to a Salted Plum creation.

Our server was very helpful and guided us through out meal with ease...3 dishes are usually enough for 2 people, he'll bring us some rice that goes well with our meal, we'll eat with our hands and a spoon and there will be no pad thai ordered. Got it.

Well, we managed to obey most of his instructions except for the abundance amount of food we ordered. The highlights are:

Kai Yaang: A small game hen that is stuffed with lemongrass, garlic, cilantro and pepper-- served with 2 dipping sauces. This hen was so tender and so flavorful that it melted in my mouth. I tore that bird apart in seconds.

Muu Paa Kham Waan: BOAR collar meat, rubbed with coriander root, garlic, and black pepper. Glazed with soy and sugar and grilled-- served with a chili-lime-garlic sauce and with a plate of frozen mustard greens to cleanse the pallet. I'll let Harbin's words sum up the experience with this dish: "That boar is so good I want to hit someone" Our server responds with: "Where are you guys from?" Us: "NASHVILLE BIOTCH". Ok, we didn't actually say the "biotch" part but that sure would have be hilarious.

Kaeng Hung Leh: Pork belly and pork shoulder that they stew in this pot of ginger, sugar, tamarind, turmeric, Burmese curry powder, and pickled garlic. I swear....this was like eating the best tasting comfort food on the planet. The meat was phenomenally tender...I mean, it couldn't have been more tender and stayed together. A definite table favorite.

Other dishes worth noting: some crazy spicy fish sauce wings, a poultry salad of sorts, a lovely prawn dish and a vermicelli noodle dish that was understated but still appreciated.

No better way to spend our last night than with an amazing dinner that didn't cost us an arm and a leg, great service and even better company.

Now...It's 7AM and my stomach is still recovering from the heat, bold flavors and the over indulgence but I'll deal with the after effect for a meal like that almost any day.

Don't know how you do the voodoo that you do...

Voodoo Donuts.....another Portland, Oregon staple. With donut names like the Maple Blazer Blunt, Marshall Matters, and Cock and Balls you know when entering such an establishment only the finest behavior is to be displayed. Nine of my rowdiest friends and I made a trip to Voodoo's original location in downtown Ptown to see the line snaking around the building...and then quickly made a trip across the river to Voodoo Donuts Too where the parking was ample and the donuts ready to eat!

We each ordered 2 donuts from the spinning case (the donuts currently available), found a place to park our haunches and got down to business. I ordered the original glazed, in my opinion a donut in its best form, and Chocolate Coconut. Both were delicious! My friend Harbin ordered the Blueberry Cake donut which was spectacular; very moist, flavorful, and tasted fresh!

I must have tasted over 10 donuts and they all were super yummy! Being from the south we have a couple of Krispy Kreme's in most cities (based in Winston-Salem, NC) and Voodoo definitely rivaled the KK but I'll take a hot glazed KK over any other donut, any day.

Biscuits. In Oregon.....eeeehhhh?

Every year a group of friends and I go on a vacation. We call it Annual Holiday. I'm writing this on the last night of our Sixth Annual, Annual Holiday or AHV6 as we like to call it. My location? Portland, Oregon. You see...we switch it up international and domestic and last year we visited Costa Rica so this year we picked a spot not nearly as hot as our home of Nashville, TN and a place where none of us had spent a considerable amount of time. During these holiday's we pretty regularly do two things: eat and drink. The first restaurant I'm going to cover is Pine State Biscuits.

Pine State can be found in North East Portland and boasts yummy biscuits and biscuit accoutrement like eggs, bacon, gravy, etc. Being from the south I question the PNW's ability to really comprehend the importance of the biscuit and exactly how to make the perfect biscuit. My questioning is for good reason.

We busted up (all ten of us) at Pine State on Thursday morning after a day of whitewater rafting and a night of wine and liquor beverages. I perused the menu online prior to our jaunt (we stayed in Lake Oswego) downtown and knew I was going to have the Moneyball.

A biscuit topped with sausage gravy and an over easy egg. (if you like it then you should have put an egg on it). The Moneyball was NOT bad but it did have 2 things pointing it in the wrong direction: 1. The biscuits are too dense. Not nearly fluffy enough. Probably not made with buttermilk. And definitely not made by my granny. 2. The sausage gravy was a bit too sweet.

Neither of these completely flawed the dish but I'm not ready to give Pine State Biscuits a crown.

Side Note: The do have a dish their called The Reggie Deluxe that consists of: Biscuit with fried chicken, fried egg, bacon, cheese and gravy...it's like whoa.

Side Note #2: The Collard Greens were actually "slap yo momma" good.

When I say "Chiddy" , You Say "Bang"

Music. One of the enjoyments that makes the world go round. It's right in there with water, food, dancing, laughing, loving, children, and MUSIC.

That being said...there's this new group I've been digging to and they call themselves Chiddy Bang. It's a 2 man show...the lyricist and head dude who goes by the name of Chiddy (first name actually Chidera), and the beat maker/drummer/producer who goes by Xaphoon Jones (real name Noah). For the remainder of this blog I will go by my DJ name, Whooty.

As a loyal Twitter follower of @realchiddy, I realize that of all places they are coming to Nashville and convince 2 of my best friends, Lacey (DJ AT-AT) and Cara to join me. We start the evening with dinner at Virago and then head to the new La Paz location for a margarita or 3. La Paz is now right down the road from Exit In...one of my favorite music venues in town.

The show is all-ages which I appreciate until we arrive and realize not only are we the oldest people there but we are fucking ancient compared to all the kiddos. Nevertheless we grab a brew and head to the back where we can take in the show, stay out of the childrens' way, and have plenty of room to bust a move ourselves.

Upon our arrival Donnis and his DJ are still up on stage doing their "thing" for the crowd and within seconds they have me moving to the beat. Next up...Chiddy. Noah sits down at the drum set and it's on. They do a short set that includes their current hit "Opposites of Adults" that has a killer MGMT sample from "Kids". The children in the crowd go nuts. Hold on....who is that??

A MC pops up on stage and turns out it's XV, a dude that was placed earlier on the bill that we missed. HE IS SICK. He's spitting so clearly that it reminds me of a young Q-Tip...killed it and made me wish I had passed on the margaritas and headed to the show a little sooner.

It wasn't a packed house but the crowd was hype. Props to the guys for putting on a good show for a small crowd-- and they played it like it was full-- that takes a bit of maturity. That being said, I heard their show the night before in Birmingham was less than stellar. Apparently Chiddy was blazed off his mind and the small crowd was less than impressed. Consistency. It's important.

These guys will be back. We'll hear them on the radio. Girls will love them. What I appreciate more than anything is young hip hoppers that are performing interesting music, talking about interesting topics, and not taking themselves too seriously.

DJ Whooty Out.