Food Friday: Woodlands

I have a passion for Indian food. Growing up, I never had it. My parents weren't fans and honestly, there weren't that many Indian restaurants on suburban long island.  I remember going into New York City with one of my friends when I was about 13 and her really hip Dad took us to a traditional Indian restaurant for dinner. From then on I was hooked. Despite having a hard time convincing my parents that family dinner should be Indian, I got my fill. I invited myself over to dinner to friends house who's parents were born in South India. I asked for recipes. I started shopping at specialty markets like Patel Brothers. Also, It helped that the town my undergraduate school was in was also the Indian Food Capital of the Metro Boston Region. I could eat at a different Indian restaurant every night for a week and never have to overlap.

So upon realizing I was moving to Nashville, I had to make sure that I could get my fix of Indian food whenever I want. And good Indian food- none of this "Curry in a Hurry" BS that seems so popular. And Woodlands gives me exactly what I want. Woodlands is an all Vegetarian restaurant that has South Indian delicacy's (Dosa).  My favorite types of Indian food happen to be vegetarian dishes, so this works out great for me. And trust me, meat eaters can find enough food on this menu to be happy (Paneer is a great substitute).

Lunch Buffet by Kim on Yelp

I have been for buffet and regular dinner, and I am always very happy.  The stand out appetizers are Samosa Chat (a deconstructed samosa covered in tons of sauces and onions) and the Gobi Manchurian (Fried Cauliflower in a soya sauce).  For dinner I stick to my normal Saag Paner (Spinach and Cheese), Butter Paneer (Cheese in a thick tomato cream sauce) or Malai Kofta (Vege balls in cream sauce).  I recently had their okra dish and was blown away.  You really can't go wrong with anything on the menu here.

The service is usually very good. Quick and prompt, they have handled large parities with ease. Once they lost a reservation that was made for 20 people, but it didn't phase them. They quickly  opened up the private back room and set our party up in there.

The website mentions that the offer "On site Dosa Parties." I can only imagine how delicious that would be.



What I want

What I want to buy:

This lovely blanket from TenOverSix. Seems not to be on the site anymore- did I miss my window?!

Where I want to stay:



This crazy Hotel in Belgium. There is a Jules Verne looking room complete with scuba suit. If only I had my next trip to Europe planned.

What I'm looking forward to:

The East Nashville Beer Festival this Saturday! I've never been to a beer festival and I'm looking forward to trying all the delicious brews. You can find a list of what will be on tap here.

What are you looking forward to?



Kitten Love

This blog didn't exist during Valentine's day this year. But I wore a new dress and got some lovely pictures with my two boys, Sawyer and Special Agent Dale Cooper. Here are some shots by Steve Cross of the festivities.

So this is really how SADC enjoys being carried around.

Reenacting the Lion King for my own amusement.

 Sawyer always smells good.

Bonus Sawyer derp face.

Dress: Modcloth

Sweater: Super Old

Necklace: Super Old

Sweater Clip: Garage Sale

Also- I only have one sweater clip. I love it and I need more!



All around the weekend

The day is always better with breakfast.  That would be the worlds best sweet potato pancake in the middle. I don't know if I can ever go back to regular pancakes again!

 The new shoes I ordered for the half marathon next month arrived. They are the new version of my old shoes, Nike Pegasus.  I got to try them out on a 9 mile training this Sunday and they were fabulous. I have no mysterious blisters and my shins don't hurt. (It also helps that they have the most fabulous shade of hot pink).

Sunday afternoon was spent doing some work at Ugly Mugs, followed by a trip to Jeni's for Ice Cream.  I can't get enough of this place.  I had Goat Cheese with figs/Hummingbird cake (I also sampled Steve's which was Goat cheese with figs/Brambleberry Crisp)

Did you have anything delicious this weekend?

Just a few more miles

This is what I did this weekend!

What about you?

Dream Outfit

I need to make an out fit including these shorts

This top

This scarf

And of course, these shoes.

Modcloth does not need to be the first website I check every morning,  but it is.  I might need an intervention. I feel like I'm terribly close to being cast on an TLC show about addictions.

Food Friday

One of the things I like most is food. I enjoy cooking, eating and growing it.  I'm going to try and do one related food post a week. This will either be a restaurant review, a recipe, or just photos of some of the tasty things I've eaten.  I'm going to start out with one of my favorite places to eat in East Nashville, The Silly Goose.

Located in the Walden development on Eastland road is one of the most honest restaurants in Nashville.  The food is always fresh, and a list behind the kitchen lets you know where your (insert item here) came from.  Over the past year they expanded to almost double the size of the space, but honestly it still isn't big enough for me.  There is always a wait and it is always packed.

They are known for their couscous dishes and sandwiches. My favorite of the couscous is the King Kong, a spicy shrimp mixture with cashews and avocado. The sandwiches, I rotate on. Lyle's Surprise is a hot cappicola concoction that is just the right amount of spice.  I'm a sucker for the T-Bird, a rare house made roast beef. And in keeping with my New York background, one can't go wrong with lox and goat cheese Zipper.

Lyle's Surprise from Yelp user Samantha O.

Also, the specials are great if you feel like s splurge. The Hustler is a Greek yogurt soaked chicken skewer with lentils that I can't get enough of. I want to lick those red lentils right out of the bowl. My other favorite is the RIBS. They go by different names depending on the preparation (there was the Bubba French and now the Pack Mule) but everyone has been super good.

Just a quick note on the service. Great. Staff is friendly, helpful and prompt.  I had my birthday party here this year and they accommodated a group of 20- which is about half the seats in the restaurant.  Ordering was easy, and the food came out at the right time- exactly as everyone ordered it. Also, paying is easy and it's all done by iPad. 
Oh and dessert. Home made ice cream and berry cakes! Oh Joy!

Check out The Silly Goose next time you find your way in East Nashville!

Contrasting Patterns

This is one of my favorite outfits for spring. The oranges are in the same family, but the patterns totally clash. Put a belt between them, and boom- they work!

All Photos in this set by Steve Cross

Throw in some more orange accessories and you have pure sunshine.

Shirt: Michael Kors (Old)

Skirt: Anthro (Last Season)

Shoes: Lucky Penny (From Anthro)

Necklace: Kate Spade

Belt: Who knows?

Hooping For Hope

I have a hobby, that among my friends isn't considered weird. Why? Most of my amazing lady friends I met through the small Nashville Hula Hoop community. And together every year, we hula hoop the Music City Half Marathon. Yelp, thats right, 13.1 miles of hot pink glittering hoop spinning action.  We have been training since January and are almost up to our high milage weeks of 9-10 miles.

The money that we raise goes towards providing pink hoops to breast cancer survivors anywhere in the united states.  It's goal is to help women reconnect with their bodies and find joy in movement.  If you would like to sponsor me please check out my donation page.

If you would like to learn more about the organization check them out here. Also, if you aren interested in getting a wonderful hoop of your own or if you are feeling ambitious and wnat the supplies to make one you should check out Discount Hoop Supplies.  The woman who runs it is fabulously nice and look at all thier pretty goodies.

I'm loving that tangerine like nobody's business right now.

I will keep everyone updated as my training progresses and as we get closer to race day and beyond.  If you are in the Nashville area you can see us walking around Satruday and Sunday mornings. If you see a large group of women (and one amazing man) twirling pink hoops- honk and say hi!

Cats Meow!

First outfit post!

So this has been my favorite sweater for a while. I first spied it on Modcoth's instagram feed and was patiently awaiting its arrive in store.  I just paired it with a dark blue jean and blue collared shirt. I didn't want to look too matchy-matchy so I went with my round grandma glasses.

 As you can see, my boys enjoy this outfit.

Sweater:Modcoth

So this is new.

Greetings!

I've been getting into a lot of person style blogs lately.  I'm always interested to see what the average person wears on a daily basis.  How they mix old and new within a normal persons budget.  I, personally, love fancy expensive things. But like most people out there- I work a normal job, make normal wages, and can't afford a Louis Vitton purse. So here is my adventures in mixing and matching a wardrobe, decorating a house, maintaining a garden, and living a full and happy life.

Photo by Steve Cross

-Miss Judy Dark