Food

10.31.18

What’s Your Mission Statement and Why You Want One

Napoleon Hill called it your “definite purpose” and now we call it a mission statement.

It’s mostly used by business to define the mission of the brand or business. I recently started reading a book called “Principles” which is what it sounds like – a book about principles. It essentially touches the same idea – that humans work well with a guiding mantra for their life – a mission statement.

It sounds DAUNTING, I know. “How do I define my life and what I stand for in one short sentence?!” But it’s actually somewhat simple. It’s a statement built around your:

Beliefs
The kind of person you are/want to be
Principles
Priorities

Why a mission statement for your life can be so helpful is because it is a guidance system by which all decisions can be measured.

As I mentioned business have them. Starbucks’ is “Our mission: to inspire and nurture the human spirit – one person, one cup and one neighborhood at a time.” What I like about mission statements is that they transcend goals but they can change! It’s like having a compass in your pocket to pull out when you start to feel confused or overwhelmed.

It allows you to define the terms on which you will live your life and it will make decision easier because you have defined who you are and what you stand for.

06.08.18

30A Beach Days

It’s almost summer time! Which means it’s the perfect time for a road trip….especially to the beach! We recently went down to Florida for a little Memorial day getaway and had such a good time. I had so much fun in fact that I’m sharing with you some of our favorite things we did while on the 30A stretch of the pan handle!

The Donut Hole

I have a few favorite things about the donut hole, beginning with the laid back vibe and centering around red velvet donuts for $1.35. It’s the perfect way to begin a beach day and if you happen to be dining alone you can usually skip the line and sit right at the bar! Order the “diet plate”, it’s more than you need but it’s worth it!

Dogs after 4pm

This is something I was so excited to find out about. After 4pm, on some of the beaches, you can bring your pup! Audrey is almost always with me and I was so excited that she was going to be able to go to the beach with us! She had a great time and loved all the attention from passersby.

Seaside

A trip to the beach wouldn’t be complete without a stroll through the beach towns! We love Seaside because of the vintage airstream food trailers and also because we found this great little taco stop that was so good! Seaside also has this open air market just off the beach with tiny little booths. These booths don’t have hardly any of the typical tourist items that are overtly branded with the location, it’s more of a curated collection of beach inspired items. You can usually find something special that will perfectly mark the memory of your trip.

A Room With a View

Find a rooftop bar with a view of the ocean! We found one in Rosemary, but there are several along 30A to try! It’s really just about the experience and in my book a rooftop ocean view is the perfect way to enjoy an afternoon!

05.21.18

Donut District Me!

I read about District Donuts from a New Orleans guide and then discovered I was only about a five minute walk from the location while I was in the Garden District!

The Donut District was very unassuming from the outside. But inside it was such a cool, funky, and vibey little spot. It’s the first time I’ve been to a donut shop that was also a bar! They didn’t have a ton of donuts, but like Five Daughters Bakery in Nashville, they seem to specialize in seasonal really unique and delicious flavors!

I had been told that certain parts of Magazine Street were a cool spot to wonder around, and this little corner did not disappoint. As a musician I found so many little nods to the musical heritage of the city. Not just in the typical spots; the restaurants, the bars of Bourbon Street, but also in little places like District Donuts where they had a deconstructed piano as a light fixture!

We chose four and brought them with us, because it was still a little early for consuming THAT much sugar. As I’ve mentioned before I’ve developed a sensitivity to gluten, which as someone who could eat all sorts of baked sweets before can be VERY hard in moments like these.

So I had to just try a bite of one of the donuts because anytime I have regular flour it can cause a reaction. I’m working at trying to cut it out completely, but it can be a challenge when it comes to DONUTS. However, I am able to report that the other donuts were delicious because I was fortunate enough to have people who are not sensitive to gluten with me!

So while you’re exploring the Garden District do yourself a favor and find your way to District Donuts!

05.08.18

Restoration Hardware: Brunch Edition

Brunch is such a luxury. So is Restoration Hardware. What do you get when you put them together?! One of the most satisfying, design-rich brunch experience around!

This was actually my second experience at Restoration Hardware Cafe because I just love the whole experience that much! It is SUCH a beautiful space. Thought and consideration has been put into every detail, from the view into the kitchen right down to the apparel of the servers.

Chandeliers are inherently feminine, but mixed with the right metals, fabrics, and materials and suddenly it’s not just feminine it’s a complete aesthetic. I LOVE the design of this entire space because of the way it makes me feel. It’s tranquil and luxurious, and exactly the kind of space you want to spend time in.

The menu has not been neglected in terms of details. It’s highly curated to just a few VERY WELL DONE dishes. Personally I find the scrambled eggs to be decadent and delicious. They incorporate so much more into this dish than simply eggs, and it elevates said eggs from a breakfast staple to an experience.

The tea service is my other favorite aspect besides the design. The tea is casual silver service. It feels like a tea party for one (or two, if your dining partner also likes tea)! I know there are multiple locations of the Restoration Hardware Cafe, is there one in your city? If yes, have you been? Let me know in the comments!

04.28.18

Guiness Storehouse: Five Things To Know

Ireland was SUCH a good time. I loved exploring both Northern Ireland and Ireland and seeing all the beautiful natural wonders. We saw and did so many cool things, including the Guinness factory tour!

Here are five things to know about the Guinness Storehouse tour!

1. The music doesn’t just sound good because everyone’s had one too many Guinness, there is so much musical talent in Ireland! After the Guinness Tour is a great time to go to Temple Area and explore the pubs and music! Ireland had so much to offer in terms of interesting things to do, so much history to learn about and study, and the MUSIC in the pubs was exactly what you would hope to hear while visiting Ireland!

2. Arthur Guinness started the company and employed so many families in Dublin. It was also considered a job for life and was something a lot of locals aspired to have. Make sure to tour the hall with the portraits to learn more about Arthur and his wife!

3. The tour starts with explaining how Guinness is actually made; right from the farming process. The center of the factory is actually a giant Guinness glass that the four levels are built around! There’s a tasting room where you get to learn about the tasting notes of Guinness with the cutest baby glass of Guinness. You also learn about the perfect way to enjoy it and why it supposedly tastes the best in Dublin.

4. After exploring all the different floors full of secrets, history, past marketing campaigns, and a cafe with foods enriched with actual Guinness, you make it to the glass circular room at the top of the building! From here you can see all of Dublin and also enjoy a a full pint of the ruby red liquid itself. It’s definitely worth going up for the view and the experience!

5. If you want to get something engraved make sure to allow time for that! I ended up having to go back and pick our stuff up the next day!

What’s one of the coolest “tourist” experiences you’ve had while traveling?!

04.24.18

Old School Style Brunch

I’m sitting in the DC airport, but I’m thinking about the the brunch I had in Nashville recently. It was at The Old School Farm northwest of Nashville.

We had just left church and wanted to try something new and interesting when I remembered somebody telling me about the goat yoga they had done at The Old School before having brunch there.

So naturally my inquisitive self had to check it out. The Old School is a farm-to-table on a micro scale. So instead of being a “farm to table” restaurant, they are a FARM with a restaurant. Meaning they source most of what they serve from their own gardens or chicken coop (for eggs). What they can’t source from themselves they get from about 5 other farms close by.

What I love about any farm to table restaurant is how GOOD and PURE the food tastes.

At the old school they also made the coffee cream butter for the bread basket we got! Somehow farm fresh eggs just taste so good when compared with typical grocery store eggs. It’s like the hens are happy with their lifestyle and that’s reflected in their eggs! We had the mushroom and ricotta omelette and the baker’s basket. Both were so good, but the bakers basket was a piéce de résistance! Each bakery treat was so good but we especially LOVED the coffee cake.

We were sat in the room that used to be the lunchroom, cafeteria, and auditorium so we got to listen to a jazz quartet while brunching. It felt very 1920s. Which felt very fabulous. Overall I loved the atmosphere, the mixture of corner booths, roundtables, high tops, and more intimate tables. The whole experience was so enjoyable, and I’m definitely adding this to my “take people who visit Nashville here” list.