Nashvegas, grandbaby, food

McCallan, whom I am now calling Scout, says tell y’mama ‘n ’em hello.

Am I not just about the cutest thing you ever saw in your entire life? Of course I am!

I am putty in the child’s hands. It almost killed me just now to let her cry until she went to sleep, but I managed. It was much easier to be heartless with my own.

I am in Nashvegas, enjoying the grandmotherly benefits of spoiling my tiny princess. I brought with me the stuff I had collected in the six weeks since my last visit — a dress, a bathing suit, two shorts sets, an Atlanta Braves outfit, and two dolls. That kid’s gonna love to see her KayKay coming.

Dinner last night at the night market at the Nashville Farmers’ Market. Got there too late to do any shopping, but in time to eat dinner (barbecue for Child B, hummus and falafel for me), listen to some music, and drink some wine. Oh, and buy some cheese from The Bloomy Rind — the marvelous fresh sheep’s milk ricotta-style cheese I got from them last time. I have to go to the store later and get the makings for dinner tonight (salmon and peas over grits, I think; it calls for it over pasta, but gluten-free pasta sucks, so I’m thinking either grits or rice), so I’ll get rice crackers then. Also have to get some coconut, as Child B wants macaroons.

This morning, we went to Pfunky Griddle, of which I have written before. This time, I tried the multi-grain pancakes, with Reese’s Pieces and walnuts. Yum. Exceptionally good. I ate three, at 8:30 this morning, and it is now 12:30 and I am not fixing to be hungry as of yet.

Scout sat in my lap and made sweet faces at all comers while we ate. I fed her a taste of pancake syrup, much to her mother’s horror. She liked it. So I fed her another one.

Grandmothers can do that.

The falafel plate last night was pretty wonderful, and a boatload of food. Big scoop of turmeric scented yellow rice; big scoop of hummus (damn GOOD hummus, I might add); three falafel, a pita round, and a scoop of tabbouleh. Tabbouleh was a little odd; a Whole Lot of parsley, a few pine nuts, but damned if I could find any bulghur wheat in it. As I prefer mine with more bulghur and a little lighter on the parsley, I didn’t eat a lot of it.

Falafel were wonderful, though. Crispy outside, creamy inside, wonderfully spiced with cumin and coriander and garlic and I’m-not-sure-what-all-else. Hummus had a hefty drizzle of chili oil on top. I loved the combo of the falafel with the yogurt and cucumber sauce, the falafel with the hummus (why not have chickpeas with your chickpeas?), and the hummus with the pita and a little of the tabbouleh. A few slices of cucumber and carrot sticks would have made it perfect. And it was a TON of food for $7. It could have fed both of us, had Child B not been in barbecue mode (and the barbecue was pretty doggoned good, too).

OK. I have to betake myself to the grocery. Will report in on the salmon. You and y’mama ‘n ’em enjoy your weekend, not that yours will be anything like as wonderful as mine!