Carrabba's Green Hills

Okay, so it's started. Two months into this baby-having thing and I am already lusting after a vehicle with a sliding door and a large rear seat area. And growing tired of takeout, I'm turning my eyes toward more kid-friendly establishments. As in, minivans and restaurants large and loud enough that a crying baby won't be an embarrassment.

Carrabba's had a few things going against it right out of the gate. First and foremost, I have never been a huge fan. I've gone to Carrabba's in Memphis and Hendersonville and thought that the experience was okay but not great (or even good). I've typically gotten the manicotti and at each location it's always been served so hot that I couldn't eat it until everyone else was nearly finished. Second, I don't usually eat Italian food out because I can make it at home fairly easily. Third, I prefer to support local restaurants with menus created by chefs rather than focus groups and with a knowledgeable staff that provides excellent service.

But we had a gift card, so we decided to try out the Carrabba's in Green Hills. Fortunately, I knew enough to call ahead to get on the waiting list. This place is always busy and it was also a Friday night. When we arrived, we were seated in about five minutes.

So it started out good and just got better. Peroni. A salad with field greens, not iceberg lettuce. And a brick-oven pizza with perfect thin crust and just a hint of char. And my special request to sub Roma tomatoes (which were red, not pink) was noted and accommodated without hesitation. This I like. And dessert, a Limoncello Bread Pudding from the specials menu. It's a portion big enough for two; a yummy, rich brioche with a good lemon flavor and just a hint of the alcohol.

Now, about the service. Despite it being BUSY, the service (from the door to table and back) was amazing. Our server was helpful, knowledgeable (a definite advantage of many upscale chains) and attentive, and the other members of the staff were helpful and accommodating as well (such as when I stopped another server to request a look at the bacinos she was carrying). And, though I thought my pizza was perfect, we got a visit from the owner with another pizza; apparently, he or someone on the staff didn't think it quite met their standards. So instead of delaying our order, they brought the first one and then another. When I told him the first one was great and asked if I could take the second with me, he happily boxed it up for me. All of this is the kind of service one expects at an upscale chef's restaurant, not a busy chain restaurant near a mall. But the owner and the staff at Carrabba's in Green Hills apparently strive to make it seem as much like the original Carrabba's and less like a chain--and they do a great job.

Valentine's Day

Thanks to a very special Grammy Eats, Mr. Eats and I got to go out to dinner--just the two of us--to celebrate Valentine's Day. Normally, I'd make a special dinner for us, but the addition of Baby Eats and Grammy Eats at the table would make the occasion less than romantic...

So where to go for our big night out? I procrastinated because I couldn't decide where to go and the days were ticking down and yada yada we were lucky enough to get 6:30pm reservations at Germantown Cafe, one of Nashville's best restaurants for a romantic dinner.

Germantown Cafe isn't fancy pants; it's a really nice but casual restaurant with good food. In other words, it's a step up food-wise from J. Alexander's but you don't have to worry about whether or not you're wearing the right kind of jeans. But maybe you oughtta change out of the sweatshirt covered in spit-up (oh, that's just me? nevermind).

We started out dinner with a couple of starters...escargot for the husband (pass) and baked brie for me. Mr. Eats remarked that you don't see either item on menus much any more and that even though he was happy to see both, the menu seemed kind of dated. I reminded him that the popularity of Julie and Julia had propelled Mastering the Art of French Cooking back to the bestseller list recently so French-inspired cuisine and these old standbys are actually rather trendy. Or maybe they just like this stuff.

For dinner, I had the pasta dish. There's a green plate that features a portobella mushroom cap, but because they're a popular staple here at home (sooo easy to roast), I skipped it. The pasta had a mushroom cream sauce. I wasn't super intrigued, but was very pleased. The pasta was cooked well and the portion was large enough to feed the husband the next night (bonus!).

Entrees are served with a salad and bread. Normally, I wouldn't mention either, but this bread...wow. It's akin to a beignet and in fact, is served sweet for brunch. I could make a meal of these little rolls. They were dangerously good and didn't even need butter. This, my friends is remarkable. Because to me, everything needs butter. As a kid, I only ate bread so I could have butter. I ate butter sandwiches. So for me to say something is good enough to have without butter, you know it's one awesome piece of dough.

Mr. Eats had a sea critter for dinner that was served on a bed of sweet potato risotto with sauteed asparagus. Luckily, the plate was arranged so that I could taste the risotto that was not soiled by critter juice. Delicious. I'm going to have to try it at home because the flavor was more delicate and pleasant than pumpkin risotto.

But the highlight? Dessert. I had a sort of apple cobbler thing that was good but could not compare to the red velvet cheesecake. I was a little worried about this cheesecake at first. That's a lot of dye, right? I'm not so sure, because neither of us looked as though we'd been freebasing red Kool-Aid. I thought it might affect the taste, but no. This cheesecake was fantastic. Cake-y without being dry (who hasn't had a disappointignly dry red velvet cake? So sad). The texture was wonderful. And it was topped with a delicate cream cheese frosting. I know, I know, but it worked. Incidentally, it was not chocolate-flavored, thankfully. And the portion size was (again) very generous so that I didn't have to worry about getting stabbed each time I reached across the table for a bite. Because that could seriously ruin the mood of a Valentine's dinner, don't you think?

Snow Cream

There are things that are common in other parts of this country that aren't so much in the south and when we southerners encounter them, it's with bemusement. Really thick yankee accents. Lacrosse. Men wearing Speedos. Snow.

We like snow, though. We celebrate its unusual arrival by buying lots of milk, bread, and eggs; by shutting down schools and daycares. By finding random objects and testing them as sleds...flattened cardboard boxes, errant political signs, pool floats and innertubes, plastic bags. And by testing our ability to drive on ice (spoiler alert: we really suck at it).

But some of us celebrate by staying inside and drinking hot chocolate (and apparently--based on the run at the grocery--having french toast). And by making snow cream! When I was a kid, this was one of my mom's favorite things to do. Though I have to admit that I was hardly enthusiastic back then. Any time my mom made something on her own, I felt cheated out of a storebought version (birthday cakes in particular). I was kind of a rotten kid at times. Now that I've matured, I can appreciate such things and yesterday, I took the opportunity to make snow cream for the first time!

To make snow cream, you need a big ol' bowl of reasonably clean snow, some dairy or dairy-like product, sugar, and vanilla. Fortunately, when I sent Mr. Eats out in the first part of the snowfall to get formula for Baby Eats, I reminded him that he needed half and half. If not for that large container of half and half, we might have been forced to use something I shall not mention. Anyhoo.

Snow Cream
One large bowl of snow (not packed; scrape away any layer of ice on top to get to the powdery stuff)
1/2 to 1 cup milk, cream, soy milk, or whatever milk- or cream-like product you have
1/2 to 1 cup sugar (to taste)
vanilla

Mix the milk, sugar and vanilla (about three drops per half gallon of snow) in a small bowl and then stir the mix into the snow. If you need more sugar or vanilla, pull a small amount of snow cream out of the bowl and melt it slightly to mix it in (do not put vanilla into the snow cream or you will get frozen spots of nothing but vanilla; it won't mix). And then you have snow cream!

More than one way to cook a cabbage

They say that breastfeeding burns 500 calories a day. Or, rather, that you're supposed to eat an additional 500 calories per day if you're breastfeeding. It depends on who's saying it and their motivation. The Lactation Mafia will say anything to encourage new mothers to breastfeed.

I'm not entirely sure that's true. I think the more likely case is that if you're breastfeeding, you simply don't have time to eat, so it's easy to lose weight. Particularly with a newborn. "Baby Eats" is an appropriate moniker as this kid wants to eat just about every two hours and it'll take 30 minutes for each feeding. Factor in diaper changes and other care and that leaves about 30 minutes of free time between feedings. Not really enough time to prepare and eat a meal. I have rarely had a warm dinner in the last four weeks. The upside is that she is growing like a weed and is now the size of a normal newborn. She's happy and healthy.

Another thing "they" say is that cabbage is good for engorged or sore breasts--an inevitability of breastfeeding. Not eating cabbage; putting cabbage on your boobs. Essentially, you get a good, clean leaf of cabbage, stick it in your bra and when it's cooked, you should be relieved of engorgement and/or pain. "They" never say what you're supposed to do with that now-cooked leaf of cabbage. I tossed mine out.

The cabbage didn't really help me, so I was left with a head of cabbage. I am not one to waste food (even cabbage), so I made a nice side dish with the un-boob-cooked head.

Fried Cabbage
(makes 2 servings)
1 half a head of cabbage, washed and cut into thin wedges
2-3 tablespoons butter or olive oil
1 clove (or equivalent) of minced or chopped garlic
1/2 a small onion, cut into thin strips (optional)
dash of sugar
salt and pepper to taste
Liquid Smoke
apple cider vinegar

Over medium high heat, saute the garlic and onion in a large pan until browned (don't burn the garlic; also, it will pop so be careful). Add the cabbage, sugar, salt, pepper, and a couple of drops of Liquid Smoke and fry until the cabbage is done. I like mine rather al dente, so that would be about 5-7 minutes at most. After it's cooked, add a splash or two of the vinegar.

I served this as a side to potato soup that Grammy Eats made while she was visiting over the weekend. I'd share her recipe with you, but I refuse to make potato soup. I will tell you that it does NOT contain bacon or any baked potato accoutrements that a certain "Irish"-themed restaurant based in Nashville puts in their very inauthentic potato soup. Potatoes, milk, butter, flour, salt--that's it. I think. There's some trick to the soup part with the flour. Mom's cornbread and potato soup are two things that I'll just let her continue to cook for me. Some things should remain sacred, y'know.

Welcome Baby Eats!

I'd intended to post a lot more over the Christmas holiday, but we got a bit of an unexpected gift--Baby Eats decided to arrive early!

I actually went into labor on Christmas Eve and was in labor full swing on Christmas day...and didn't realize it. I thought it was false labor. It really never occurred to me that she'd arrive 6.5 weeks early.

So I checked into the hospital around noon on Christmas day and grabbed a snack on the way in case they wouldn't let me eat.

And they didn't let me eat. For another 31 hours (yes, I counted; I was STARVING despite the IV--it is no good subsitute for food). Not until they were certain that we'd slowed labor down and that she'd stay in for a while longer.

My first meal? A heaping helping of mac and cheese, sweet potatoes...and broccoli (since I have to set a good example now). I have never been happier to have food. I have never gone that long without eating.

Okay, confession: I didn't really go that long without eating. The Husband sneaked in a little here and there for me (because I BEGGED) but when I say a little, I do mean a little. A few slices of fake bacon. A roll. Some fruit snacks.

Anyway, I was still confined to the hospital, so we settled in for a while. The food in the maternity ward is much better than other parts of the hospital, from what I understand. This is a good thing. I was actually pretty pleased with it. Though after a few days, I tired of mac n cheese and grilled cheese (I was still battling horrid acid reflux, so I was limited in my choices).

Though we thought she could hang in there until she was at least 34 weeks gestational age, Baby Eats decided to make her grand arrival on December 27th around 10pm. Perhaps she was sick of cheese?

After spending a little over a week in NICU, she got to come home, where we're all adjusting just fine. I am tired and tired of cold food (inevitably, she wants to eat just as I'm about to eat) but we're all doing well and happy she's healthy. We just need to get her fattened up. She's 19.5 inches long but still under 5 pounds. But considering how much she eats, I'm predicting she won't be that tiny for long!