food

Dining Outside the Home: Garden Table on Mass Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana

Dining Outside the Home: Garden Table on Mass Avenue in Indianapolis, Indiana! More and more restaurants are meeting the demand for healthy and natural foods. Garden Table is no exception. In fact, they pride themselves in offering locally grown and harvested ingredients from sustainable farms. Believe me, your taste buds will notice. Take, for instance, the October Sky crafted espresso latte, laced with butternut squash and aromatic spices. It goes down so smooth you’ll find yourself savoring the aftertaste of cardamom and spice. Take it easy for Sunday brunch. The menu thrills with a Garden Benedict smothered in herbed hollandaise over sourdough toast. Be good to yourself. Experience Garden Table on Mass Avenue. We’re all in this together.

Dining Outside the Home: Germantown Commissary in Germantown, Tennessee

Dining Outside the Home: Germantown Commissary in Germantown, Tennessee! Housed in once stood for 60 years as an old country store, Germantown Commissary is now a famous joint for serving up Memphis-style barbecue. Known for its slab of mouthwatering ribs and pulled pork, with a side of deviled eggs, the portions are large enough to share or take home. And plenty of people do just that. Carry-out seems to be as popular as dining in. For me, the allure of being closed in at a cozy table amongst authentic memorabilia lends to the experience. After all, people used to come in to buy blue jeans and household items here. Nowadays, celebrities search them out to satisfy the urge for good old southern cooked comfort food.

Memphis is Aglow with Holiday Spirit

Memphis is Aglow With Holiday Spirit! Take a romantic stroll down historic Beale Street where twinkling lights of towering Christmas trees become the backdrop for ancient evenings and distant music. The clip-clop prancing of horse-drawn carriages fulfill childhood dreams with fairytale endings. If you’re lucky, you may sneak a peak at whimsical gingerbread displays where marching ducks waddle in tune down gilded staircases lined with curiosity seekers. How do they do that? Outside again, parades abound. Holiday happenings and light shows illuminate the night with plenty of fanfare. Soak up the allure before checking out live entertainment in open-air courtyards filled with soulful blues. Dance a little. Laugh out loud. These are memories that linger on. Well done, Memphis, Tennessee.

Dining Outside the Home: Rum Boogie Cafe in Memphis, Tennessee!

Dining Outside the Home: Rum Boogie Café in Memphis, Tennessee! Take a stroll down Beale Street for smooth drinks, southern food, and toe-tappin’ Memphis blues. Try not to cause a gaper’s block as you walk through the door of the Rum Boogie Cafe. More than 200 autographed guitars are displayed in plain sight from a horde of living legends. But that’s not all. Notice memorabilia connecting the past to the present appears at every turn. Don’t forget to grab a bite to eat before the live entertainment shuffles in. My recommendation? The farm-raised Catfish Fillet sandwich. The waitress swears by it. This two-handed southern specialty is dredged in breading and fried to a golden brown. One bite and you’ll find yourself hooked on a local favorite.

Dining Outside the Home: Roscoe’s Coffee Bar in Richmond, Indiana

Dining Outside the Home: Roscoe’s Coffee Bar in Richmond, Indiana! For a nice stop on the east side of town, go for impressive organic coffees, fruit smoothies, and gastronomic food. Although the atmosphere might be laid back, the menu compensates with imaginative options. Take a seat inside at one of the warm wood communal tables while sipping on a nitrogen-infused cold coffee or perhaps an imperial brown ale. Friendly strangers might join you for a little conversation. The food is locally sourced, using a quality blend of fresh ingredients. Overall, Roscoe’s East Side is pretty down-to-earth and easy on the pocketbook.

Eating My Way Through the Holidays: Yuletide Favs!

Eating My Way Through the Holidays: Yuletide Favs! Good times naturally accompany good food. Every family has its favorites. Some indulge in time-worn traditions while others enjoy modern classics. As you embrace the holidays with companionship, nostalgia, food, or festivities, celebrate the spirit of the season. In the next few weeks, join me as I share favorite foods as well as healthy options. Bring it home for the holidays with Yuletide Favs! Follow me on Instagram @gail_dorna or check in with me on Twitter @Snapshotsincursive. 

Eating My Way Through the Alphabet: Letter Q

What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? The Chow Down: Quest Fundido Poblano Dip! When my garden harvested a nice crop of poblano peppers, I was already counting the days until I would take these mildly rich green peppers and transform them into an earthy Mexican favorite. Poblanos, you see, are a cross between a jalapeño and a bell pepper. Hot, but not a scorcher, if you know what I mean. You may be more familiar with them in a popular restaurant dish called a chile relleno or another known as chile poblano. Either way, they’re amazing. 
QUEST FUNDIDO POBLANO DIP
Ingredients: 

2-4 chili poblano peppers

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 teaspoon sea salt 

1/4 teaspoon cumin powder 

1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 

1/8 teaspoon black pepper 

8 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded 

4 ounces feta cheese

Corn tortilla chips
Instructions:

Heat an iron skillet on the stove over medium-high setting. Place poblano peppers into pan. Allow peppers to blister and blacken. Turn with tongs to allow even roasting. When the peppers are charred and soft, transfer them to a covered bowl to steam and cool, about 10-15 minutes. When able to handle, peel skins and discard. Cut poblano peppers into strips or chop into smaller pieces. Layer in the bottom of a casserole dish. Set aside. In a medium skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat. Break into small pieces, turning often until ground beef is browned and crumbled. Drain, if necessary. Add sea salt, cumin powder, garlic powder, and black pepper. Mix well. Layer crumbled ground beef over poblano peppers. Top with shredded Monterey Jack cheese and feta cheese crumbles. Broil until cheeses are melted and golden brown in spots. Serve warm with corn tortilla chips. 

The Chow Down

“Chowing Down”, what a charming expression. We’re all familiar with its meaning: to eat, especially at mealtime. It’s no secret I get great satisfaction from food, whether it’s an afternoon snack, evening appetizer, or late night sweet. Nowadays with the flux of farm-to-table and organic options, is it any wonder the allure of food is so enticing? Mealtime then becomes an all-star event. And speaking of stars…Some of my posts have received a nod from the “Food Network” on Twitter (Snapshotsincursive@DornaGail) as well as Ina Garten, The Barefoot Contessa, on Instagram @gail_dorna. This continuous journey of the palate gives me time with you. Thanks very much to all of my guests and followers on http://snapshotsincursive.com for the uplifting support, award nominations, and moving words of encouragement. What’s Cooking in Gail’s Kitchen? It’s as simple as A-B-C. I love to cook, and my husband loves that I do it often. Most recipes serve 2-4 people, but can be easily modified. Leftovers are golden morsels to be eaten later or shared with others. Seeing a smile of gratitude keeps me going. Now take a deep breath, inhale the aromas, and join me on a tasteful journey entitled, “EATING MY WAY THROUGH THE ALPHABET: THE CHOW DOWN!”