Tin Angel

The Tin Angel on Westend Avenue is one of those places that you have probably driven by a hundred times thinking someday you should check that place out. If you walk the block, Tin Angel is known as the local eatery around the corner where every one is greeted by a friendly face. The restaurant has a warm and cozy environment. The brick walls and tin ceiling are covered with unique works of art. The menu is as colorful and well decorated as the atmosphere featuring traditional American cuisine. The chefs are on a constant quest to seek out the most flavorful, inventive, seasonal dishes possible to display on their menu. As a result, the food is nothing short of amazing. If your in the area around the lunch hour, try some local favorites such as the Margarita Pizza, Parthenon Pita, In side Out Eggplant Parmigiana, or Chicken Basil Brie. For dinner, treat your taste buds with the unique flavors of Seared Pork Tenderloin, Tangerine Duck, Catfish Pomme de Terre, or Cha-Cha Chicken. Whether you walk through the doors at noon or at sunset, you must try their Fried Green Tomatoes with Horseradish sauce.

Nashville Originals

Nashville Originals is a dedicated band of local restaurateurs; dedicated to the challenge of sustaining the independent restaurant as a feature and a fixture of local culture and community. What and where you eat, as Nashvillians, helps define the city. Their home grown restaurants reflect who we are and point the way in the future development of the city. From September 15th until the 21st, Nashville Originals are bringing the first annual restaurant week to town to give a happy time to diners. They will be featuring the finest cuisines at a very affordable price in an attempt to showcase the restaurants best elements. This is a win/win for all parties involved. Check out http://www.nashvilleoriginals.com/restaurantweek.php for a list of local eatterys that are aprt of this special offer. In the mean time....Gather, eat, enjoy life in the restaurants that are Nashville Originals.

Crayola Cupcakes

For the past ten years, I have had the honor to be apart of one family as their Nani. Quite often people ask me what is a Nani...well in the girls' words a Nani is better than a baby sitter but not quite the mommy. A few weeks ago, I kept the girls for a few days while the boys were at camp and their parents escapes for a romantic getaway. During that time, we had more fun than possibly imaginable swimming, picking berries, and of course cooking. Eliza, 8, loves helping in the kitchen and Georgia, 5, is my little foodie. With this in mind, I came up with special kid friendly cupcakes great for a rainy day or a colorfully creative party. First we, mixed up a regular box of yellow cake batter. Then we added a little vanilla flavoring to give the cake a richer taste, but you could add any flavoring you want. Next, we divided the batter equally into three bowls. After dividing the batter, add several drops of food coloring to each bowl and stir. I would recommend using colors that have a drastic contrast. Then scoop a large spoonful of each color in the cupcake tins until they are filled almost to the top. Bake as directed on the box. When the cupcakes are completely cooled, ice them and decorate them. We chose to ice ours in vanilla and roll them in colored sugar. Since these cupcakes were so bright and colorful we decided to call them Crayola Cupcakes. The girls loved making these cupcakes...even more than that they loved eating them! I hope that some day this recipe can help create a memorable afternoon with your favorite little ones too!