Thanksgiving Meal 2011 or I’m Back!!!!!

Hello All! It has been entirely too long since I have been able to post, I am sorry. In the past few months loads have been happening in my personal and professional life. Professionally, I was contracted to write a book about youth ministry. It was an absolute joy to write and should be on Amazon in January. I blame the book for my lack of posting on here. I wanted to spend all of my creative juices making sure it was both what I wanted it to be as well as finished by the deadline given by my publisher. I am very excited! Personally WE ARE PREGNANT!!! This is a complete surprise as we had planned our little lives around a 4 person family. We are so excited and cannot wait to find out if it is a Nora Grace or Henry Finn. We will find out on December 1 and the little one is due April 23!!!! So needless to say there are loads of exciting things happening around the Vulcans Table house! Now onto the food…

Balsamic & Bacon Green Beans

A super flavorful take on a classic side!

5 Thick Cut Bacon, chop in quater inch pieces
1 medium shallot, french cut
1 pound fresh french creen beans
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
salt and pepper to taste

When in Rome: Nashville Edition

Nashville is a great city to visit!  It is easy to get around, traffic is no where near as bad as other large cities and there are loads of great eats all around the city.  My list below has one caveat, it is primarily centered around the Vanderbilt campus.  I did venture to a highly recommended restaurant called City House and was really excited about the food, but alas the bloody place was closed on Tuesday– who the heck closes on Tuesdays!!!! I will visit it the next time I am in the city, just not on a Tuesday.  So below are my primarily Vandy centered eateries.  I hope you enjoy!

Stuffin Muffins

Stuffing is a traditional holiday dish in homes across America.  Whether it is inside poultry or a foil pan, the hearty sage filled aroma of holiday stuffing is a staple around the holidays.  One of my favorite parts of the stuffing has always been the crust that develops on the top of the pan of stuffing that is exposed to the heat of the oven.  I decided to experiment a couple of years ago with a non traditional vessel for my stuffing and came up with the idea of Stuffin Muffins.