Back at the homestead…

We made it back home, but not without having had enjoyed just a few more Southern BBQ meals along the way.  We stopped in Knoxville Tennessee for lunch and were lucky enough to bump into a restaurant called “Famous Dave’s”.  They have five varieties of BBQ sauces at every table and encourage samplings with your meal.  It is interesting to see how different BBQ sauce can be based on individual preferences and various regions throughout the United States.  If you are ever traveling through Tennessee, this is a place worth visiting.  The meat was very tender and the sauces are delicious.

While in Christiansburg Virginia, a local recommended we try a restaurant called “Due South”.  This was also good and I had the awesome opportunity to try fried green tomatoes for the first time.  Even though this is clearly not a “Delicious & Light” side dish, I just couldn’t resist.  They were really good and I am determined to try to re-create some light version of this at home in the summer when our garden is up and growing.

Back home and back to cooking.  I know there will be a roast turkey breast on the menu tomorrow and will let you know where I go from there with cooking it.

Until then, enjoy and happy samplings…

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Eating In Tennessee

We were on the road a few days and are finishing up our fun trip to Nashville.  I love going to places I have never been before to sample the delicious tastings that other parts of our  big  beautiful country has to offer.  I have to say that the food in Tennessee did not disappoint and even though we are in BBQ country, there were low fat options available (even if they aren’t advertised that way).  Nick had smoked turkey for lunch one day and BBQ pork loin for dinner another.  Dean and I changed it up a little and went for the BBQ pork ribs and beef brisket BBQ but then ordered a lighter item for the next meal.

If you are traveling and trying to keep things on the low fat side, you can choose lower fat cuts of meat and still enjoy the local cuisine.  Chicken breasts, turkey, pork loin and sirloin steaks are just a few options to choose from.  The nice thing is you still get to enjoy the local flavors through BBQ and other sauces, just stay away from creamy sauces or sauces that have butter written in the descriptions.

However, I must say that my favorite dish in Nashville was the shrimp and grits.  The grits had a very subtle hint of parmesan cheese in them and the shrimps were pan fried with bacon and scallions. I just took a few bacon pieces for the flavor but knew to keep away from eating all of them.  I am not sure if this is a standard local dish but it is worth trying to create a low fat version of this and I expect that when I get home, I will be shopping for grits & shrimp.  Don’t be surprised if you see a recipe for this dish in the coming days after we return.

Next stop…Roanoke, Virginia.

Until then, enjoy and happy traveling!

The Crazy Weekend…

We really are not that busy of a family but this weekend was a blowout.  Friday night we went to a benefit for Sylvia’s Children.   The organization funds and runs a school for orphaned children in Uganda.  Usually I tend to be a little skeptical about these things but I know Sylvia, the originator and head of the organization and know that 100% of the funds go to the school.  The event was excellent; there were pictures of the children at school, displays of musical instruments from Uganda and had beautiful art, jewelry and crafts on display and for sale as well.   

Afterwards we just went to TGIF for a bite to eat and went home.  I ordered Key West Shrimp because I remember that it’s lower in fat and calories (225 calories & 7 grams of fat) and shared the fried string beans appetizer and the brownie sundae for dessert.  I often order a light dinner so I can splurge a little on appetizer and dessert (since they are my favorite courses anyway).  Sharing really helps all of us not eat too much as well.

Saturday night, we left Nick at home, and headed to Brooklyn, NY.  I have never been there but a friend of mine knows it well.  We ate at the “Bread and Butter” restaurant.  It was fantastic.  For the appetizer, I tried the goat cheese wrapped in phyllo with caramelized onions and beets.  The sweet combination of the onions and beets with the saltiness of the cheese was a great compliment of flavors.  For the entrée, I had seared scallops which were seared perfectly.  The scallops were accompanied by a seafood medley and creamed corn.  I then finished my meal with a slice of buttermilk pie.  I have baked this before but never tasted it by someone else; it was delicious.  I have to go back to my recipe now to see if mine is similar.   I can’t say my dining experience was a “light” one last night but every once in a while, on a special occasion (we were celebrating my friend’s announcement on an expected baby), you have to just enjoy, relax and have fun.

So I do not have any recipes yet today.  However, I think you might see buttermilk pie this week… that is if I can make it “delicious and light”. 

So long for now…

Happy Dining!!

Going out of town

I’ll be out-of-town tonight so I won’t have a recipe to share but…Did you know?  When a recipe calls for beating egg whites to a stiff peak, never try to using egg whites from a container, they won’t beat into stiff peaks.  Instead, use real egg whites at room temperature or powdered egg whites.  Powdered egg whites work every time and I don’t feel bad wasting the yolks so I prefer that method but either one works.

Happy Cooking!!