Priorities and Being Prepared

Back several years ago, as I was going through the process of buying my house, I made a decision that my house would be a place where people felt comfortable, where people could feel at home hanging out and where one of my favorite things could easily occur: cookouts.  I love grilling.  I love the atmosphere of cookouts.  I love friends being at my house and I love hosting them. They are laid back, easy-going and people don't have high expectations of the food...yet grilled food is some of the best tasting food out there.

This may seem to go against the whole theme of my blog, but I love good food and I love sharing meals with friends.  Cookouts truly create one of the best times to simply enjoy peoples company.

Before I even moved into my house, I shopped around for a good quality grill.  I wanted quality, I wanted something that would last, and I wanted something permanent. I found just the right grill!

My grill is cemented into the ground just under the overhang of my patio/carport.  When it's raining, or when it's snowing, or when it's sunny... I can grill out.  And yes, I do this often!  I had purchased the grill before I even hired a moving company to help me move... I had my priorities straight!

The weather the past few days has me itching for a big cookout.  Not just 3 or 4 friends over, but a BIG cookout for lots of people.  I'm sure I'll be scheduling and inviting soon because the anticipation has now grown even larger.   I recently ordered and received a few of my favorite grilling sauces.  I am preparing for the upcoming grilling season!

After I had bought my grill, but before I had moved in my house, I was at one of the stores in Cool Springs that sold grills...and they also sold marinades and grilling sauces too.  The shop owner had suggested this steak marinade called "Hukilau Hannah" from Hoboken Eddies.  I bought a bottle of this...and after using it I went back and bought three bottles of it.  It immediately became my steak marinade of choice.

Hukilau Hannah is a sweet blend of teriyaki, apricot, wasabi and ginger.  I am typically not a big fan of teriyaki, so trust me when I say that this is not a strong teriyaki taste.  It's very citrissee and sweet. My steak of choice is a thick cut rib-eye from Sam's Club.  After allowing the steaks to marinade for at least 24 hours they are ready for the grill.  This blend of marinade tastes Polynesian or Hawaiian to me, so I also like to throw some pineapple on the grill too.  I've had some incredible steaks before, but this is truly one of the best steaks to me.  I hope I'm not biased!

That particular grill shop closed so now I have to buy the marinade from online.  For a while they even stopped selling it direct and only sold to wholesalers....so when I buy it, I typically buy several bottles at once.  But oh my word, it is so worth it!

The other grilling sauce is a relatively new flavor for me, it's called JohnBoy & Billy's Grilling Sauce.  My sister introduced it to me over Thanksgiving. ...it's just one more reason to love my incredible sister!  If you like pork chops on the grill, then this sauce needs to be sampled.  I like baking chicken with it, but I've yet to grill chicken on the grill with it...because I have a favorite for chicken too, Carolina Treet.

There is an original version of JohnBoy & Billy's, but the spicy version is better to me.  It's got a little vinegar tang to it (it's based in Eastern NC) and the pork chops it produces are simply YUMMY!  Carolina Treet has a much strong vinegar base, and is perfect for wings.  I've discovered vinegar based BBQ sauces are definitely regionally acquired taste.  But I do believe the JohnBoy & Billy's Grilling Sauce will be loved by anyone who has it with pork.  Ask me to prove it!

So I have planned ahead and bought the marinades, the weather is warming up, and now it's just time for the crowd to be invited.  Grilling season is upon us!

Friends, Food, Full Belly

Cool Springs has so many eateries that a person could go 1 1/2 years eating lunch at different places each day and never repeat restaurants, or so I've read.  I've not counted, but I can see this as being true.  So why do I frequently go to, of all places, Smyrna to eat?  Jim 'N Nicks.

Several weeks back I met Ashley and Mckenzie at Jim 'N Nick's over in Smyrna on a Friday night.  Lucky me got stuck in rush hour traffic, but once I finally got there it was oh-so-worth-the-wait.  My water with lemon and Jim 'N Nick's hot cheese biscuits were waiting for me when I arrived.  They call them biscuits, but they are more like muffins...but that's just getting into semantics - you could put on five pounds and stuff yourself silly just from the cheese biscuits alone.

First of all, Ashley and Mckenzie are pretty spectacular people and make everything crazy fun, so the company was worth the drive and completely enjoyable.  I got to hear all of the latest on guys, Brentwood drama, competition cheer, college decisions and shared the excitement about Summer 2011!  And honestly, I loved every second of every topic!  Matter of fact, much of what I enjoy about Jim 'N Nick's has always been about the people I see while I'm there.

One of my favorite people, Casey, was a server there last summer - so I went to Jim 'N Nicks and got to see her about once a week.  She's the best server I've ever had anywhere - it's the way it is at Jim 'N Nick's.  So it would not appear I was stalking her at work, I secretly went to the Jim 'N Nicks on Charlotte Pike about once a week, too.  Yes, that's almost twice a week for me at this place!  And during that time, I tried almost all of the menu.  I'm telling you, it's exceptional food!

Ward, who is an incredible friend and just happens to be Casey's uncle, works at Jim 'N Nick's in Smyrna, too.  He always makes an effort to come over to say hello and chat for a while (and gets me to try new items).  It's just good to catch up with him when we have the opportunity.  Carmen and Reagan (his family) are often in there, so I get to see them too.  Shouldn't our meals be with friends and family?  Jim 'n Nicks creates the perfect atmosphere for this!

Ashley and Mckenzie ordered the Southern Fried Chicken Tenders.  I'm not big on chicken fingers because they are typically no big deal anywhere you go - just a staple item on any menu.  Here, they will impress, surprise and definitely fill you up.  I know I've ordered them at least three times at Jim 'N Nicks.  And with all of the other choices I love on their menu, that says a lot!

On this particular night, I ordered the Slow Smoked BBQ Chicken.  They offer it either on the bone or off the bone - my carnivorlistic side prefers it on the bone so I can get down-and-dirty-sauce-on-the-face happy.  Their original sauce is a perfect blend of spices, and their spicy sauce is indeed SPICY!  It's more than just hot, it's very tasty, and it's always fun to see how fast it makes the sweat bead up on my bald spot.

I always try to order their vegetable of the day when I can.  I'm not sure why they're not on the menu every day because their daily specials are simply spectacular and some of their best offerings.  Their "Mac The Cheese" and coleslaw and other trimmings are very yummy.  I have gotten to the point that I always look for the special on the chalkboard as I walk in the door.  I arrive craving one thing, and end up ordering something totally different when I see the specials.

Some of my favorite menu items have been the taco's (yes, this is a BBQ joint with exceptional tacos), the smoked pork hotlinks, the smoked Turkey (the best I've ever had),  the spare ribs and the smoked chicken .  Ward keeps telling me I need to try the Prime Rib, but I've yet to order it.  He gave me a slice one time after I had eaten and I kind of wanted to order some to-go...

But all of that was just leading up to my absolute favorite at Jim 'N Nicks.  Their pies.  No offense to the grandmothers of the world, but there is not a grandmother's homemade pie that I've found that can beat ANY of the made from scratch pies at Jim 'N Nick's.  Chocolate, Banana Cream, Lemon Ice Box, Pecan...yes, I've had them all and would drive to Smyrna just for a slice of pie.  Oh wait, I have done that....

As I was about to pay the check, I saw one of my college friends (and the sister to my college roommate) sitting at the table next to me.  It just added to the joy of the night.  Good times can be found at Jim 'N Nick's! 

Jim 'N Nick's
Smyrna, TN