Jeni is much more than Splendid...I'm talking Sorbet!

For years I thought sherbet and sorbet were the same thing! I wasn't a big sherbet fan unless it was mixed with Sprite in a punch bowl at church functions. 

For all our purposes below are the definitions for sherbet and sorbet: 

Sherbert: noun

1. a frozen dessert made with fruit juice added to milk or cream, egg white, or gelatin. 

Sorbet: noun

1. a dessert consisting of frozen fruit juice or flavored water and sugar.

   
   

(Via google definitions)

Then I tasted Jeni's sorbets. The first time I had the pleasure of gracing their scoop shop was the 12 South location. I literally had a sample and ran (I illegally parked shhh don't tell). That day I got the Sweet Cream Biscuits and Peach Jam. 

But it wasn't until I visited the East Nashville locale did I get the full sorbet experience!! I felt guilty because I tried so many flavors knowing the entire time I was getting sorbets!

Let me back up...I didn't even tell you what flavors I fell in love with: Reisling Poached Pear and Cantaloupe & Sun Tea. I'll break them down one by one for ya! 

Reisling Poached Pear 

I'm a wine girl all day and all night, I love pears most days. This sorbet was so smooth and creamy but not in an ice cream sorta way. It has it's own flavor profile. The pear was sweet yet not too powerful, it also was tart yet didn't make me smack my lips together. The hint of Reisling also clearly shown through with each bite. It was like a glass of wine with pears in it. Perfection. 

It's my number one flavor of the year!! 

Cantaloupe & Sun Tea 

This is a very close second! Honestly I hadn't planned on getting this one but I went ahead and ventured out on a limb. This ice cream literally tastes like I'm eating cantaloupe chunks and drinking sweet tea on the side. Once again it's creamy, sweet, tangy, flavorful, and great flavor profiles. 

Jeni's has a special magic bowl where 2 completely seperate and distinct flavors can meld into one outrageously delicious flavor. You can taste the pear, the Reisling, the sweet tea, and the cantaloupe as individual flavors but all in one scoop! It's pure genius. It may have something to do with them being based out of my home state O-H-I-O!!! 

I mean we did produce the most US presidents and the first man on the moon. :) 

I challenge all of you to go to your local scoop shops and taste each flavor at least once if for nothing more than general knowledge of excellent ice creams and sorbets!! 

Thank you Jeni for bringing a piece of home to my new home...y'all rock! 

**all photos courtesy of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream**

Stay hungry my friends... 

Ray B. 

My week in photos PT 3 (plus a little extra)

I'm a little overdue for my weekly pics nonetheless I hope you enjoy!! 

Mas Tacos Por Favor - Nashville TN 

Elote

Nashville Sweets (@nashvillesweetsshop)

Thin Mint Cake 

OKC Thunder cake

@katina_liberation

PB brownie cheesecake bars 

ML Rose - Nashville TN 

Blueberry Cobbler Stout 

Carolina Sweets 

Nash Vegas 

A Few Hungry Girls 

Easy DIY Chicken lomien  

Crown Royal Peach Cobbler 

@chefseanbrasel 

Umami Peking Duck 

Stay hungry my friends...

Ray B. 

Easy DIY Chicken Lo-Mien

According to my boo this dish is what snagged him in the beginning! It's pretty simple and takes about a 30 minutes start to finish, perfect for the hungry girl or guy on the go AND it's pretty inexpensive!! 

Ingredients: 

Spaghetti noodles (I used 1/2 a box but if cooking for more people use a whole box) 

1/4 cup soy sauce + 2-3 tablespoons 

2 teaspoons minched ginger 

2 cloves minced garlic 

2-3 tablespoons cornstarch 

2 teaspoons sesame seeds 

7 chicken tenders 

Salt and pepp to taste

Let's cook! 

1. Start boiling your water add a pinch of salt and olive oil. Heat skillet to medium hear add olive oil, chicken, salt and pepp, garlic, ginger and 1/4 cup of soy sauce. 

2. Add noodles to boiling water. As your chicken begins to cook cut into bite size pieces. The chicken is wayyyy easier to cut up when cooked as apposed to raw. 

3. When chicken is cook thoroughly add cornstarch and remaining 2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce. Stir until sauce thickens and chicken is evenly coated. 

4. Drain noodles but leave about 1/2 cup of noodle water in the sauce pan. 

5. Incorporate all ingredients. Stir. Eat. 

**add sesame seeds when plating** 

This meal is basically 5 steps and takes roughly 20-30 minutes and tastes great!! No more ordering take out right? 

Stay hungry my friends. 

Ray B. 

Hot boxing...

Hot boxing...it's not what you think, we don't live in Colorado!! Instead it's the complete opposite...it's a fast paced kick boxing gym located locally in the trendy upbeat Gulch area. 

I discovered Hot Box Nashville months ago I just never pulled the trigger! I don't mind working out, I just get increidbly bored!! So bored that I don't want to go anymore...don't judge :(. 

Anywho, the ONLY THING easy was getting signed up. I called set up a time and showed up 15 minutes early. We were quickly greeted by a nice and energetic employee. They did our wraps and sent us off to our room, heated between 82 and 86 degrees for an hour, cool right? 

 The instructors were great!! They kept a watchful and encouraging eye on us the whole workout. Even taking time to go over combos one on one with us. Don't get me wrong that damn class was hard. But it's the type of hard you need to reach your fitness goals, and to a certain extent it's self paced. Honestly, I wasn't nearly as self conscious or insecure as I thought I'd be. That was very refreshing!!!

 (Me and J post workout...evidence we survived) 

All in all it's a great place and we even signed up to go next Saturday ( @ 11am, if anyone wants to join but make sure you GET SCHEDULED prior to the class )! You can get more info at: www.hb4.me

Stay hungry (and in shape) my friends.

Ray B. 

DIY bread and BETTER pickles!

I have a weird relationship with pickles. I mean I don't hate them but they will sit in my fridge for 3 years if I have no need for them. But not these bad boys. I actually ate them poolside solo dolo as in not on a sammich or anything! I got these cucumbers from a patients family who was has a garden. I was floored when I saw the veggies they gifted me!! 

I won't lie the only sammich I enjoy eating with a pickle is a Krusty Krab Burger (that was for all you Sponge Bob affectionados). Ok just kidding it's a spicy chicken sandwich from Chic-fil-a, with Polynesian sauce on the side. :)

These pickles were quite easy to make. They came out fabulous, sweet, salty, tart, crunchy and a beautiful mustard yellow color! Whenever I hear canning for some reason I thought it was this looooong and drawn out process my granny did when preparing for Y2K. You all remember that... 

Here's how I made them:

Ingredients: 

6-8 small to medium cucumbers 

1.5 cups of sugar 

1 cup white vinegar 

1/2 cup apple cider vinegar 

1 tablespoon sea salt 

1 teaspoon mustard seed

1 teaspoon celery seed 

1.5 teaspoons turmeric 

1 large Ball jar (I used re sealable plastic lids instead of the metal ones) 

1 small Ball jar (just in case) 

1. Cut cucumbers into desired shape and sprinkle with salt, mix and refrigerate about 1 hour. 

2. Mix spices, sugar, and vinegars into a medium sauce pan. Cook on low-medium heat until sugar has dissolved. Let simmer while you wash the salt off the cucumbers and drain. Then place them in Ball jars. 

3. Turn off heat from liquid mix and CAREFULLY pour mix into jars until they are full. I put the liquid in a different cup with a lip so I could pour without wasting the liquid or worse...burning my precious hands. 

4. Cover jars. Place in fridge until cool. After an hour you can eat them but they tasted much better after 24 hours! 

I hope you enjoy these bread and better pickles as much as I did!! 

Stay hungry my friends...

Ray B.