Lunch With the Best Girl in the World

I had lunch with my favorite girl in the whole, wide world. Maddie and I cooked spicy Italian sausage in spinach marinara sauce. We served this over a bed of penne pasta.

Maddie thought that the pink, Nesquik Strawberry Milk complemented the red sauce. She enjoyed it and so did I. Of course we could in no way fully enjoy this meal without Old Blue Eyes singing in the background. And Bob, The Tomato place mats which Maddie picked out for us, watched in horror as we ate his cousins.

Country Lunch

It is truly a gift from God that a simple smell or taste can instantly transport us back in time to simpler days. My paternal grandparents lived on a farm in the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas. Some of my favorite memories centre around the table at Grandma's house. She cooked very simple foods which make up great country cooking. Grandma's table always seemed to have pinto beans and cornbread and iced tea. On hot summer days we often sat under the big shade trees and ate bologna sandwiches with Frito Corn Chips on the side and a cold Pepsi (her favorite). After lunch my brother and I would skip down to the Binum Hole for a swim in the cool creek. Today, at lunch, I was transported back to the days when my family was in the United States visiting my grandparents' farm.

For lunch Jonathan (my employer) and I stopped at an unassuming place called Excel Grocery and Bar-B-Q. It is one of those little places in the country that busy people pass by without a second glance. In doing so they miss out on some of the best pulled pork sandwiches in the Gateway area. Servers are warm and hospitable. They give you a smile and ask about your day as they pile on the smoky meat and fixin's. Not only are their sandwiches good, but they also have a variety of homemade pies. Unfortunately for Jonathan and me, you have to get there early to get the pie. I was sorely disappointed we missed the little slices of heaven.

Taking advantage of the hot day, good food, and nearby McAdoo Creek, we had the best lunch-break that I can remember picnicking, swimming, and enjoying the simple foods of Excel Grocery and Bar-B-Q. I guess the only thing that would have made this a little more country would have been a Moon Pie and RC Cola!

If you are in the area of Clarksville and Old Ashland City Road, don't rush past the store. Step back in time to a simple place, simple food, and a simple pace of life.

Excel Grocery and Bar-B-Q

3102 Ashland City Rd
Clarksville, TN 37043
(931) 358-3638 (Phone)

Salad Nicoise Chez Moi

One of the neat things about being reared in French West Africa is all of the nice French food which I was privileged to experience. Salad Nicoise was not something that I liked much at all when I was young, but it is neat to know that one's tastes change as we grow older. I do not think that I will ever get old enough to enjoy Liver and Onions, though.

Today I wanted to step back in time to the RAN Hotel in Ouagadougou, Burkina-Faso. On a side note, there were not many free-standing restaurants in Burkina-Faso during that time, so if one wanted to enjoy a night on the town one went to a hotel's restaurant. The Ran, as I remember, boasted a lovely salad bar and one of the main salads was Salad Nicoise. This salad originates in the Nice region of southern France along the Mediterranean Sea. Traditionally it is composed of a bed of lettuces, green beans, new potatoes, and anchovies. It can be garnished with capers, olives, and tomatoes. All of these components are tossed in a Dijon vinaigrette dressing and arranged on the plate to please the eye. I've learned that in the United States many substitute the anchovies with grilled tuna or, better yet, seared tuna.

Maddie, my 3-year old daughter and aspiring cook, set to work on our version of the Salad Nicoise today. We had a wonderful time together preparing our Dijon vinaigrette (with many a finger-taste test) and ingredients, snapping fresh green beans, and slicing tomatoes (she did none of the slicing). Once everything was arranged all that was wanting was the tuna. To our horror we were out. We were also out of every kind of lettuce. I had thought we had both. Necessity is the mother of great spontaneous foods and this was no exception. We opted for sliced pepperonis instead of the tuna and enjoyed our Salad Nicoise Chez Moi. Also neither one of us like the yellow in a boiled egg so we put our Kalamata olives where the yellow would go. Graham, my soon to be 6 year old son, said it looked like monster eyes. He's got a point.

To You, Mom

Well, this is my first every blog, not to mention my first ever attempt at a "published" critique of my own food, cooking, and the local restaurants of Clarksville, Tennessee and the vicinity. I was prompted to this venture by my sister who thought it would be interesting for me to publish my thoughts and creations. So here it goes.

Disclaimer:

I am in no way a professional food/restaurant critic.

What I have to offer from the standpoint of the culinary arts is a rich history of global travel which has given me a vast pallet and a love for diverse cuisines. My travels have taken me to France, England, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, and other European countries whose cooking is so rich in depth and flavor that it makes one dizzy.

I was reared in French West Africa and most of my own creations will flow from the melange of African, European, Middle Eastern, and Indian foods. But, I believe that it is all grounded in Mom's home cookin' (and Granny's and Grandma's Arkansas country kitchens). We did not have all of the conveniences of the United States' grocery stores so Mom (and our house cooks) did everything from scratch. I learned from Mom. She is to be thanked for the hours of "slaving over a hot stove" in Sub-Saharan heat to bring our favorite childhood creations to the table.

So the rest of this is dedicated to you, Mom...