New to the Neighborhood? Get a Taste of Collierville/Memphis!

Hey everyone! Do we have any new residents out there? If so, welcome to Madison at Schilling Farms! What about anyone who is new to the Memphis/Collierville area? Well, I think the best introduction to the Memphis/Collierville area would be to hear the music and taste the food. The City Tasting Tour does just that.

Have you ever heard the expression that “the heart of BBQ beats in Memphis?” Well, it’s entirely true and the City Tasting Tour will give you a sampling of why Memphis got it’s name. The tour takes you to neighborhood spots in the heart of the city so you can try southern style dry rubbed ribs, wet ribs, pulled pork, brisket, shrimp, cornbread, baked beans, and coleslaw first hand. Or you can choose the other option.  You’ll head to more southern restaurants to sample crispy fried chicken, fried green tomatoes, beignets, and fried apple turnovers! I’m getting hungry just thinking about it!

For all of this food, you would think that the price of a ticket would be outrageously expensive right? Not all at. The tours are split in two sections: the  Southern Traditions Tour and the BBQ Cue Hopping Tour. The Southern Traditions tour is $42 plus tax on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday at 1:30 pm, and the Cue Hopping Tour is $62 on Thursdays at 3 pm. You can get your tickets online.

The prices aren’t bad, right? Besides, being able to taste what makes Memphis, Memphis is priceless. You’ll be so glad you took the tour! And the tour isn’t just for novices of Bluff City; if you need a refresher course on some great restaurants to go to, by all means take the tour yourself!

So, who’s hungry yet?

Vegan? Give Chef Tom A Call!

How do  you feel about having your food prepared fresh at home…and you don’t have to do ANY work. That’s what Chef Tom does. Starting at $180, Chef Tom, a chef specializing in vegan food, will come to your home (or wherever you are), cook the meal (with the ingredients and utensils that he brings), and clean up afterwards after vacuum sealing your food. That’s not half bad.

Especially when the food tastes the way that it does; I’ve heard a lot of great reviews. A showstopper of his is what he calls a nasty sandwich. Not nasty as in taste, but the nasty in the way foods coated with BBQ sauce and coleslaw can be. The sandwich is a hand-made sausage topped with made-from-scratch barbecue sauce and coleslaw, and totally vegan.

So if you’re looking to watch what you eat, shoot Chef Tom an email. You’ll be glad you did.

Do you know of any vegan restaurants around Collierville?

photo credit: The Commercial Appeal

3 Reasons You SHOULD Eat Popcorn

Popcorn can be more than a delicious  snack to catch a

movie with. It can even be healthy, provided you don’t dump heaps of butter on it. There are plenty of other flavors that you can try: Parmesan cheese and cayenne, rosemary and olive oil, and cumin and chili powder. Now, I can’t vouch for these flavors as I have never tried them, but reviewers have said they’re good.

How is popcorn good for you? Take into consideration these three tips:

1. Three cups of popped popcorn (what you get by popping 1 heaping tablespoon of kernels) equals one of your three recommended daily servings of whole grains and contains 3 grams of fiber.
2. That same 3 cups of popcorn will only cost you a mere 105 calories—provided you don’t add butter.
3. Popcorn boasts three times more polyphenols—antioxidants linked to improving heart health and also to reducing cancer risk—than kidney beans and four times more than cranberries.

Kind of makes you want to pop in a movie and grab a bowl right now, doesn’t it?

What’s your favorite kind of popcorn?

Love cupcakes but don’t love the calories?

I’m a cupcake fanatic. This is basically they are small, sweet, and portable. I’m always on the go, so I love it when my food can travel with me. The only thing bad about cupcakes (trust me, I had to dig deep to find something bad about cupcakes) is that the calories can really add up, based upon the ingredients that you use.

A healthy trick that you can use is to substitute fatty ingredients like butter with fruit preserves, fresh fruits or even applesauce. It’ll give the cupcakes a different flavor, while inspiring you to try loads of different recipes. And with trying different recipes comes sampling, and who really needs an excuse to sample cupcakes?

What’s your favorite cupcake recipe?

Cheesesteak Tacos

Yes, I know. The name kind of throws you off right? When I think cheesesteak, I’m thinking of a lovely concoction with shredded steak, Swiss chess, green peppers, and buttery toasted buns. Not a taco.

Well it seems like cooks at El Toro Loco are on a different mind set than everyone else. This is where they serve the cheesecake tacos. And it’s good. The kicker to it is the white cheese sauce. Way different for a taco, but it works.

The steak comes chopped up as you would expect it, and it’s topped with onion and cilantro, all coming together on a corn tortilla. Add the white cheese sauce and it’s a ‘wrap’!

El Toro Loco just opened last week in the former Los Compadres location at Union Extended and Poplar, so I’m not going to ask if you’ve had one yet. But I am advising you to go and check it out! And don’t worry about breaking your budget, you can get a meal for $7 and under.

Cookies!!!!!

Favorite Sesame Street character: Cookie Monster, hands down. Why? Because we share the same love of chewy, portable, on-the-go treats: cookies. I have a couple of favorites. Chocolate Chip holds the highest honor (as long as they are chewy, and not crunchy. Who wants to eat a chocolate chip potato chip?), while sugar (Great American Cookie), white chocolate macadamia nut, and oatmeal fall in rank behind. And no, I don’t mean Oatmeal Raisin. Just oatmeal. I can’t stand raisins. Though they do belt out a mean ‘Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer’.

Well, there’s one particular cookie that I’m raving about today. It’s Makeda’s butter cookie from the shop in Midtown (it’s new!). I don’t know anyone who hasn’t had one of Makeda’s cookies at one point in time. The butter cookie is what Makeda’s is most known for, though I happen to enjoy her iced oatmeal and macadamia nut cookies as well.

If you haven’t gotten one of their cookies before, I suggest you head over to 1329 Madison right now. Other locations can be found at 5729 Raleigh LaGrange and 2370 Airways.

What’s your favorite cookie?

Are Desserts in Restaurants Too Expensive?

I have an EXTREME sweet tooth. It’s gotten me many trips to the dentist in the past, but I obviously don’t listen, as I have continued to dine on the delectable delicacies whenever I get the chance. Normally nothing holds me back…that is, unless I’m in a restaurant where the prices are ridiculous.

I am so tired of going to a restaurant and they charge me like $8 for a slice of cheesecake that I can barely get a spoonful of before it’s halfway gone. Sure it’s good cheesecake, but oftentimes I’ve had better. Now, places like Cheesecake Factory can charge these prices, because they know that their cheesecake is high quality. But restaurants like Chili’s and Applebee’s…no.

I remember a time when I was out with my significant other at one of my favorite Restaurants, Red Lobster. I was pleasantly surprised when we paid 6 dollars for a slice of chocolate cake that was HUGE. Between the two of us, we couldn’t finish it. That’s what I like. That’s what I want; if I’m giving up my hard earned money to treat myself by eating out, I want to know that I’m getting what I paid for.

For some reason, it always seems to be, the more expensive the restaurant, the smaller the dessert. Most times, I feel so cheated. It’s caused me to not order desserts from certain places.

Have you ever encountered this problem?

Jim’s Place Grille

I’m not afraid to try new things. But when it comes to new restaurants, I’m kind of picky. Luckily, my friend persuaded me to try Jim’s Place Grille. It actually turned out to be pretty good. The atmosphere is casual, but has the food quality of fine cuisine.

While there, I had the Parmesan Chicken. Now, I absolutely LOVE chicken. Any kind. Chicken is so versatile, and you can almost never go wrong. So of course, I was prepared to be very skeptical about the dish. It turned out to surprise me. It was a pretty good size with two sides (I had the Turnip Greens and rice pilaf), all for under $10. The greens weren’t all that great, but that’s mainly because I’m pretty biased to the way my family makes them.

The sauce on the parmesan chicken was superb. The chicken was moist and juicy like I like it. : I finished it there, but would have loved to take some home. I would definitely go again and recommend this dish to a friend.

Have you ever been?

Recipe of the Week: Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Cake

Hey everyone! I absolutely LOVE this recipe! It looks just like a Lil’ Debbie Swiss Cake Roll which is my absolute favorite! Try it out and let me know if you like it!

Chocolate Peppermint Ice Cream Cake

Ingredients:

Cake:

* 1/2 cup(s) cake flour (not self-rising)
* 1/3 cup(s) unsweetened cocoa powder
* 3/4 teaspoon(s) baking powder
* 1/4 teaspoon(s) salt
* 5 large eggs, at room temperature
* 3/4 cup(s) granulated sugar
* 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) peppermint extract

Filling:

* 2 pint(s) peppermint-bark ice cream, softened

Glaze:

* 1/2 cup(s) heavy cream
* 6 ounce(s) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped
* 2 tablespoon(s) dark corn syrup
* 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) vanilla extract
* 1 1/2 teaspoon(s) peppermint extract

Garnish:

* Dark or white chocolate curls or shavings
* Confectioners’ sugar

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Recipe of the Week: Super Bowl Party Recipe Idea

Here’s an easy recipe that’s sure to please any hungry football fan!

Easy Sausage Empanadas

1/4 pound bulk pork sausage
2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
1 tablespoon chopped pimiento-stuffed olives
1 tablespoon chopped raisins
1 large egg, separated
1 (15-ounce) package prepared pie crusts (2 crusts)

Crumble sausage in a medium skillet. Add onion, garlic powder, cumin and oregano; cook over medium-high heat till sausage is no longer pink. Drain and discard drippings. Stir in olives and raisins.

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