We're Baaack! No, For Real This Time...

Y'all...

I'm so excited! I've missed this blog so much, but life certainly has a way of making you prioritize things...

And what we've been doing in the mean time that caused me to have to put this on hold?

Worth. It.

I didn't stop eating. Obviously...and detrimentally...but it's all good lol Maybe I'll just have to incorporate some workout plans into the blog...

I've got a lot of posts and news to share with you:

• We participated in Downtown Dining Week for the first time this year and we tried some new spots. 
• I started a whole other business...ended up baking and being featured in several magazines! *high fives*
• I met some other culinary genuises and am super excited to partner with them and share their work. I'll be spotlighting and sharing their creativity.
• I became friends with a winery owner #winning
• The blog is being revamped in the next 4+ weeks, but I'll keep posting here until that happens :)
• There will be some secrets spilled about some neat things that can help enrich your life and experience in the kitchen...
• The hubby and I are adopting!!

The next big thing on my calendar is the Guilt Free Pastries tasting, which is going to be amazing! I've tasted the desserts that came out of this shop and Good Grub, I was just picking them off the table. Like hover mode. 

If you're in the Memphis area, don't miss out on this one: Guilt Free Evening tickets...it's going down Friday, December 5th!

I'm going to get the posts up soon, but in the meantime, you can follow me on the Facebook page...I'm on Twitter and, if you are so inclined, have a Foodspotting account that I share delicious pics on all of the time!

Can't wait to see you soon! 

Chicago...Home Sweet Makes Me Want to Visit Often...

So, this weekend was a busy one, but that is not unusual for the Spontaneous'...  This Saturday consisted of shopping for pageant/prom dresses for my niece, meeting up with friends, a house party and a birthday party...all the while trying to squeeze in various homework assignments that were coming due.  On the way to the house party, Mr. Spontaneous decides that he's hungry and that we should probably get something to eat before we hit the town.  Driving down Stage Road, we perused the many options that were available to us, but nothing really stood out.  In the immediate vicinity of Stage Road and Summer Avenue, Mrs. Spontaneous yells out "Hey!  There's that place you were telling me about!"  Mr. Spontaneous found a safe place to bust a u-turn and we pull up to 6773 Stage Road.

It's Jimmy's Hot Dogs!  My significant other had previously informed me about this establishment, but we had no idea where it was located.  He hails from Chicago and I suspect that it was a personal mission to find this restaurant and eat everything that his tummy could handle.  Jimmy was on deck, still serving with joy and excitement, and I was summarily informed that the gorgeous lady waiting on us was not, in fact, Ms. Helen Waite.  

Jimmy's was founded by a true native Chicagoan, and believe me, if you claim to be from Chicago, they will test you on that theory.  I wasn't brave enough to even tell them that I'd visited the city often...I like what I like and I had no idea what all the food codes were to ordering a hot dog.  I personally love ketchup on my hot dogs, but apparently that's a Southern thing and in Chicago, es ist verboten!

Upon entering the restaurant, there were so many options for what we could have in the form of our hot dog and we weren't sure where to start.  I personally wanted to try a hot dog, but because time was of the essence (as in we didn't have all night for me to make a decision), we collectively decided that we would just have a 12" beef pizza and be on our full and merry way.  The caveat to the pizza selection is that when ordering a deep dish pizza, it has to be ordered no less that one hour prior to the close of business because it takes approximately that long for it to cook.  We ordered a regular pizza and only had to wait 25 minutes.  Normally I think I would be in a tiff over having to wait that long for my meal, but it was entirely worth the wait, and I would have contenly waited longer if necessary.  In the interim, we had time to reminisce over the food in which we'd partaken in Chicago, why there is "no ketchup allowed" on the hot dogs and what it means to have wet versus dry meat...I'm from the South and was sincerely confused...wet, by the way, means that your meat is served with its juices on the sandwich.  There were so many clever signs, historically significant news stories from the Windy City and even a Ms. Pac Man arcade game!



Beef Pizza Before



Other patrons entered who were making their maiden visit to the eatery as were we, and it was awesome to see the look on their faces when trying to figure out the proper and precise way to order their dogs; I grabbed a take-home menu so that the next time we dine there, I could be prepared and well-versed in the ways of the Jimmy's Hot Dog.  They offer a variety of specialty hot dogs to satiate any want and I'm going to jump in with both feet and try the "Southside Coney" with chili, cheese, mustard and onions.  The variety of toppings include, but are not limited to, cream cheese, sport peppers, taco sauce, relish, Giardinaire peppers and bacon  bits.   I would venture out and say this place could be a pregnant woman's Shangri-La.

What Beef Pizza??

  In addition to hot dogs and pizza, they offer burgers, sandwiches, gyros, fries and cheesecake... mmmm...

Jimmy's has a Facebook page, so "Like" it for more information and to be added to their VIP list.  I promised Jimmy that we would be back and we intend to keep that promise and to bring others with us when we return.  It was a fine dinner experience, no complaints at all.  Mr. Spontaneous has repeatedly and unsuccessfully tried to convince me to relocate to Chicago and I considered it for the food alone, but now that we've found this place, I'm staying in the South!   Certainly our winter thus far is as close as I would choose to living any further north than I already reside. 

So please, roll through Bartlett and stop in to see the crew at Jimmy's Hot Dogs.  They've won lots of awards for their cuisine, and justly so.  But if for whatever reason you are of the misfortune to want to complain about anything, I send you with warnings that all complaints can go to Helen Waite.



China Dolls

This past weekend, I got together with a few of my friends with whom I journeyed to China some time ago.  We traveled to 6 different cities in the country over a period of 16 days, spent time bonding with students at a university in Wuhan province, sampled a variety of foods from various regions and cultures and mastered the art of the chopsticks.  I, at the time being one of the older participants, affectionately became known as Momma Hen.  Not that I'm much of a chicken about things, but I'm definitely a nurturer, sometimes to the point of annoyance. 

So some of the members of the extended family got together for another reunion dinner and ended up at Pei Wei.  Located at 2257 N Germantown Pkwy, Suite 110 in Cordova, TN, Pei Wei is the "to-go" subsidary of the P.F. Chang franchise.  The menu is not nearly as extensive as its parent company, but the food is just as awesome. 

I was craving a salad, the Asian Chopped Chicken Salad to be exact (I love vinagrettes and they put a mouth-watering sesame ginger vinagrette on this particular dish) but I observed that there was a limited-time only menu item available.  Despite knowing the next time I was able to dine in Pei Wei that I may not be able to choose this fare, I had to make a life decision and I decided to try the new offering, only after convincing myself that the salad would always be there for me in my time of need...

The dish that they had on the menu was the Korean BBQ and it was listed as one of their spicy entrees.  As much as I enjoy spicy dishes, the reality of the situation is that they make me cry and wreak havoc upon my sinuses.  Logic would make one avoid such delectables, but they also say that curiosity killed the cat.  I obviously survived, but not without a generous portion of water and a side of embarassment.  

The Korean BBQ offers you a choice of chicken, beef, shrimp or vegetables/tofu (I chose beef) and is served in spicy Gogi BBQ sauce that is served with carrots, onions, scallions, Korean pepper and topped with a salad that is composed of thinly sliced green apples, sliced red bell peppers, mizuna (Japanese greens) and bean sprouts.  The picture on the menu, which influenced my decision, boasted sauteed sesame seeds.  I didn't receive any of those in my order and was a little sad.  A member of our party ordered this same dish with chicken and received the sesame seeds.  Albeit very good and provisional of a different texture, the absence of my sesame seeds in no way detracted from the incredible flavor and contrasting palates of this dish.  I supplemented my meal with brown rice...FYI, if you have reservations about the spiciness of this dish, don't eat the scallions.  I don't know if it was the amount served with my meal, but that's where the kick factor is.  After eating 2 whole pieces for flavor and sheer good measure, I pushed them aside to find the rest of the meat and let the restaurant have those back.

While I sincerely coveted the salad for the sake of satiating my craving for vinagrette, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish.  As far as the staff is concerned, they were incredibly friendly, efficient and accomodating, considering the fact that they were considerably busier that night than they usually are...anytime you can find good service under pressure is a plus in my book, and that's one of the many things that keep me coming back to this restaurant.  If you've never eaten here and are not used to eating anything other than American cuisine, it's a nice place to start venturing out. 

And as far as my China Dolls are concerned, "wa ai ne!" and I can't wait until we get together again.  That's "I love you" in Chinese.  Please forgive me for any misspellings just this once...

To find a restaurant near you, just visit http://www.peiwei.com/ and happy eating and remember to grab a handful of fortunes cookies!  They don't have those in China by the way.  Whodathunkit?