With Labor Day coming up, I was looking for a simple dish that I could make in my apartment and eat off for a good part of the weekend (at least for the portion that I’m not at someons BBQ’s).  After all, who wants to spend their long weekend in a hot kitchen cooking meals…and the weather this holiday weekend in Nashville WILL be hot!  Anyway, I found this recipe for Chicken Tetrazzini and thought it sounded good.  I’m going to make it tonight.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook pasta as directed on package. Meanwhile, spray large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Add chicken, peppers and mushrooms; cook and stir 5 min. or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from skillet; set aside.
2. Place Neufchatel, flour and broth in skillet. Cook and stir with wire whisk until boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 5 min., stirring frequently.
3. Drain pasta; return to saucepan. Add Neufchatel cheese mixture, chicken mixture and 2 Tbsp. of the Parmesan cheese; mix well. Spoon into 2-qt. round casserole dish; cover with foil. Bake 25 min. Top with mozzarella and remaining 1 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese; continue baking, uncovered, 2 min. or until mozzarella cheese is melted.

(Credit: AllRecipes.com)

"Hey, buddy, you gonna finish that steak?"

According to a new article in The Tenneseean, a growing number of Nashville restaurants are beginning to accomodate pets for their guest’s dinner plans.  In fact, Mambu Restaurant and Bar (1806 Hayes St., 615.329.1293) is allowing pets to be on their patio through the month of September and even has plans to start a “doggie dining menu.”  Currently, they’re serving their visiting four-legged friends complimentary servings of grass-fed beef.

The trend is not surprising, given that 39 percent of U.S. households own at least one dog, and 93 percent of dog owners consider their animals to be members of the family, according to a 2007 Harris poll. – The Tenneseean

People are a lot busier nowadays and sometimes your dog or cat is that companion that you can rely on to always be there and help you forget about the stresses of life.  And pets look forward to quality time with their owners too.

The other pet-friendly establishments that were mentioned are Zumi Sushi Japanese Kitchen (2119 Belcourt Avenue, 615.383.5770) and Jackson’s Bar and Bistro in Hillsboro Village (1800 21st Ave S, 615.385.9968)

What do you think about this trend?  We at Stewarts Ferry Apartments think it’s a very cool idea.  We’re all about being pet-friendly, whether it’s an apartment, a restaurant or a park.

(Photo Credit: tallkev)

Do you think an employer would allow a sick day to have an exorcism performed?  And what do you put on the paperwork anyway…”demonic posession” maybe?  I’m just curious.  These are valid questions considering the fact that exorcisms are still very common around the world today.  In fact, the Archdiocese of New York reported that there were over 300 exorcisms performed in the U.S. during the late 1990’s alone.  In 2000, the pope performed one himself in Rome on a 19 year-old girl.

You’re probably asking where my new fascination with exorcisms comes from.  Well, this weekend, The Last Exorcism hits Nashville area theaters and it’s being billed as one of the hottest horror flicks to come out in a while.  Check out the trailer below if you’d like to see for yourself.  I’m definitely planning on seeing it.  With the summer heat we’ve been experiencing, I could use some chills to cool me off.

As always, here are showtimes for Nashville area theaters near Stewarts Ferry Apartments: Regal Opry Mills 20& IMAX, Regal Hollywood 27 and Regal Providence Stadium 14.  Later!

Hungry yet?

When I think of American pub food, I think of buffalo wings, chicken fingers, burgers and fries.  Easy, tasty dishes that when done right, will always hit the spot and will always go great with an ice cold, foamy draft.  Apparently for some, a little more panache in their pub menu is desired.  And with that, the “gastropub” was born.

A gastropub is basically a pub with a menu for the slightly more advanced palate.  A cheeseburger may still be on the menu in a gastropub, but the burger may be made of a more exotic meat than beef, such as bison (it’s pretty good), topped with some rare artisinal cheese.  It’s basically classic pub food in spirit, but with the chef applying his or her own gastronomic training to the dish.

So where in Nashville might one “get their gastropub on?”  Well, there’s a new spot in East Nashville called Village Pub and Beer Garden (1308 McGavock Pike, 615-942-5880) and it has been pretty well received.

“A different twist on the good-food-good-drinks concept but just as welcome. Nothing is highfalutin here. The beer list is well-curated but accessible. The menu isn’t adventurous gastronomy, but the ingredients are fresh, local and well-chosen, and in at least one case (sandwiches crafted by stuffing giant, yeasty homemade pretzels) unlike anything else in town.” – Nasvhville Scene

Sandwiches made from homemade pretzels…sounds like an adventure I wouldn’t mind going on.  Next time your in the neighborhood and your in the mood for something different, check them out.  And be sure to stop back to the community blog and let the rest of Stewarts Ferry Apartments know what you think about the place!

Do you currently carry renter’s insurance?  Stewarts Ferry Apartments strongly advises their residents to get a policy.  It’s really not as expensive as you may think.  In fact, you can save money on your policy in quite a few ways.  Here is one in an article I found about saving money on renter’s insurance.  Check out this video too.

Car/Renter’s Discount: Insuring your car and apartment with the same company often will give you a package discount. This is a good tool to use when shopping around for your renter’s insurance quote. Usually the insurance agent can tell you what percent the discount is for insuring your car and apartment together.

"...Technicolor ramen noodles..." - Nashville Scene

For kids all over the metro Nashville area, it is THAT time of year!  Yup, it’s back-to-school time.  Time to break out the pencils, crayons, protractors, calculators and Silly Bandz!  Yes folks, Silly Bandz.  If you haven’t picked up on the Silly Bandz craze yet, you must be quite comfortable under the rock that you’ve been living under.  Kids of all ages from all over the country are obsessed with these things…my five year-old daughter included.

For those under-rock dwellers, Silly Bandz are nothing more that brightly colored rubberbands that when not stretched, hold the shape of a wide assortment of objects – from dinosaurs, to cheeseburgers, to race cars and everything in between.  My daughter just traded one of her two yellow elephant Silly Bandz for a purple skateboard.  That made her day.  Ahhh…the simple price of happiness for a kindergartener.

In fact, as the Davis-Kidd Bookstore in Green Hills (2121 Green Hills Village Dr, Nashville, TN 37215) will be hosting a Silly Bandz Trading Party this Saturday, August 14 at 2:00 p.m.  If you’ve never been there, it’s less than 15 minutes from Stewarts Ferry (exit 213A off of 440W).  I think that’s actually a pretty cool idea and a great way for kids to have one-last summer hurrah before heading to class.

Now I’ve heard that Silly Bandz have actually been banned in some schools in other states.  I haven’t heard about a ban in Nashville schools, but I’m paying close attention and if these things become too much of a distraction, I’ll be banning them myself (wow, I actually sound lke a parent…yikes).

(Photo Credit: Nashville Scene)

Death at a Funeral

Death at a Funeral is a hilarious day in the life of an American family come together to put a beloved husband and father to rest. As mourners gather at the family home, shocking revelations, festering resentments, ugly threats, blackmail and a misdirected corpse unleash lethal and riotous mayhem.  Starring Chris Rock, Danny Glover and Luke Wilson.  Rated R.

This is actually a remake of a 2007 British film by the same name.  I haven’t seen the original yet but the remake always has a tough time living up to the first version.  However, with the all-star cast that they have, surely it is a must see for all comedy lovers. 

The closest Redbox kiosks to Stewarts Ferry are at Thornton’s (714 Stewarts Ferry Pike), McDonald’s (5800 Old Hickory Blvd) and Walgreens (4001 Central Pike).

Maybe you can find this outfit on sale! Then again...maybe not.

Attention all Nashville shopaholics, fashionistas and any of you other ladies that may be in the market for some new clothes!

Nashville’s hottest boutiques are coming together at SPACES in Belle Meade (6000 Highway 100, Nashville, TN, 37205) on Saturday, August 21, to offer Fashion for a Fraction.  Customers will be able to shop for unique clothing, denim, handbags and other accesories for a fraction of the regular price.  Why are they doing this, you ask.  The event is somewhat of a charity fundraiser.  Proceeds from the day will go to benefit the Eating Disorders Coalition of Tennessee.  It’s a pretty cool idea if you ask me.

Tickets to shop all day are only $5.  That gets you access to everything from 10:00 a.m. until 4:00 p.m.  If you’re an extreme shopaholic, they even have VIP Early Shopping passes available that will give you exclusive access to all of the fashions an hour early (starting at 9:00 a.m.).  The VIP tickets are $30.

You can purchase tickets online here.  Visit the hernashville.com for more info and to view participating boutiques.

(Photo Credit: gcardinal)

1000 calories, 68 grams of fat, sooo unnecessary

So a recent report was just released that concluded that our dear state of Tennessee was one of only 9 states in the United States in which obesity tops over 30% of the population.  Yikes!  According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, in the year 2000, no state had a rate of 30 percent or more.  In fact, according to the agency, almost 80 percent of states showed an increase in their obesity rate since 2007.

That’s not the side of the equation I want to be on folks.  We’ve all heard the warning before, about how obesity can lead to bigger health problems, such as heart disease.

So how can we as a community work to change this?  No one can get us off of that list but us.  I guess education is where it starts.  People need to learn the importance of physical activity, excercise and diet in order to better their health.  Fortunately we have access to fitness equipment here at the fitness center in our apartment community.  I’d love to see interest in a community workout group that meats up to work out here at Stewarts Ferry.  Maybe even a healthy cooking group too.  Any interest?

Before I go, let me beat in your head one more fact about obesity from the CDC: in your head:

Obesity-related diseases account for nearly 10 percent of medical spending in the United States, or an estimated $147 billion a year, the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month. Half of that cost is financed through Medicare and Medicaid.

 Not good folks…not good.

(Photo Credit: )

Have a look below at the trailer for the latest family flick to hit the big screen.  Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore is comedy about animal spys and it hits Nashville theaters this weekend.  Only difference from the trailer is that it will be in 3D!  That should be cool - having ferocious dogs jump out of the screen at you.

As a side note, here is an interesting fact I learned abut animal spys: During the vietnam war, more than 5,000 dogs were used by U.S. troops to scout out booby traps and injured soldiers.  When they tried using cats too, they would just sneak away into the jungles.

Here are movie times for theaters in Nashville near Stewarts Ferry: Regal Opry Mills 20& IMAX, Regal Hollywood 27 and Regal Providence Stadium 14