Tag Archives: Tennessee

Tennessee Trips

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If you’re headed to Lynchburg, Tenn., this fall, make sure to stop at Woodards Market, south of town on Hwy. 55 (Fayetteville Highway) and home of some of my favorite food ever. Woodards is a general-store gathering spot for all of Moore County. You can buy almost anything you need here and catch up on the latest news: distillery gossip, high-school football scores, Sunday sermons, presidential politics — it’s all discussed while roaming the produce section in case your tomatoes are bad and you need to buy some or while waiting in line for fried chicken and sausage biscuits at the deli counter. And while you’re eavesdropping … uh, listening, I mean … pick up local treats such as creamy store-made pimento cheese in regular, white or jalapeno; Granny’s Cow Patties, classic chocolate-oatmeal-peanut butter no-bake cookie, from nearby Decherd, Tenn.; and a bag of whole Uncle Bud’s Salted Peanuts, which are deep-fried so you can eat the shell. If you want to. The shells taste sort of like fried sticks — a bit woody and fibrous — but it’s nice to know you can chow down on them if you want to. Less waste that way, at least.

My favorites are the cookies. I cannot pass up a chocolate-oatmeal no-bake cookie, and these are rich and creamy with authentic flavors and nice chewy oatmeal. Perfect for breakfast — I mean, it’s oatmeal, right?

It’s Fall, Y’all!

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Okay, it’s mid-August here in northwest Alabama/southern Middle Tennessee (and really I guess everywhere else, too) but there already are signs of fall. I saw these giant pumpkins in Tullahoma, Tenn., this past weekend at Dotson’s Farm Fresh Produce, on Highway 55 going east out of town. The woman at Dotson’s said she didn’t know anything about them, only that “some man” had brought them by. Is this normal to have humongous gigantic pumpkins like these in the middle of August? I have no idea, but I predict the unknown pumpkin-growing man will win some ribbons at the Coffee County Fair. Plus, I’ve seen other signs of fall: winter squash (acorn, butternut and spaghetti) at Food Lion in Manchester; and back in Alabama, autumn decor at Wal-Mart in Muscle Shoals (but no Halloween candy yet) and jackets and sweaters squeezing out swimsuits at T.J. Maxx in Florence. Can Christmas-tree ornaments be far behind?

Demos’ Comes to the Shoals

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The Shoals is in for a treat: Demos’ Restaurant (pronounced “dee-muss”) is coming! This Middle Tennessee family tradition will be a great addition to northwest Alabama dining. The Murfreesboro, Tenn., location — the original of now four restaurants and soon-to-be-five — is our go-to spot whenever my husband and I are in the ‘Boro, and that’s true for several Shoals folks when they head up that way. Demos’ is know for two things: Exemplary and prompt service and plenty of good family food with a Greek twist. It’s famous for its steak-and-spaghetti combos, too. Let’s hope all that transfers to Alabama. My favorite thing about Demos’ is that it’s one of those one-size-fits-all place– it’s good for quick workday lunches, Sunday dinners, family suppers and special nights out all at the same time. Plus, it’s one of the most popular restaurants in Murfreesboro. In fact, hanging out in the waiting area is a great way to catch up with ‘Boro news because sooner or later almost everybody in town is there. My family especially likes the stuffed potatoes (blackened chicken, seafood or chili), the lasagna and the chili spaghetti (my husband calls this Mexican spaghetti) The Florence restaurant is going up behind Books-A-Million and should be open early next year. Coming to Alabama is like returning home, the Demos’ family says in a press release, since the great-grandfather of company president Peter Demos first operated restaurants in Birmingham in the 1920s. Read more at http://www.demosrestaurants.com/ — and prepare to eat well!!!