Top things to do in Louisville, Kentucky

I just got back from Louisville, Kentucky and decided there are a few things everyone should know about...so here are the top things to do on your next visit to Louisville, Kentucky whenever you are in the big city for a few days. And NO they are not in any particular order!

ONE.
Visit the Cheesecake Factory! Yes, I know it is a chain restaurant, but they have awesome desserts that I occasionally splurge on! FYI I worked out twice the next day following when I ate this yummy dessert...I was hoping to compensate for my sinful action! HA! The special currently is Toasted Marshmallow S'mores Galore. This Savage Girl thought she had died and gone to heaven!

TWO.
Visit the Kentucky State Fair, especially 4-H Cloverville and the Monroe County Pride of the Counties Booth! I just spent two days helping judge and prepare for you to visit along with 100+ other County Extension Agents, 4-H Volunteers, and State Specialists. I spent another couple of days meeting with the "Plate it Up" Kentucky Proud Committee and volunteering at the Monroe County booth.

The fair offers fun for all ages! 

 

Clovella (Monroe County 4-H Mascot) hung out a little with me at the fair helping judge the "folk art" and "nature" craft entries.

 

Here is the "Plate it Up" Kentucky Proud Committee at Agriculture Commissioner James Comer's Commodity Breakfast.

THREE.
Eat at Lilly's Bistro in the Highland area. They offer delicious Kentucky Proud cuisine and feature produce from Hart County, Kentucky.

FOUR.
Take in The Brown Hotel and try the official Kentucky "Hot Brown". I didn't make it there on this most recent trip but I ate there on a previous trip...and it was sinfully good!

FIVE.
Last but not least go visit the Christian brothers and sisters at Cedar Springs church of Christ. They are a warm and welcoming church that are worshiping God in spirit and in truth. Ben Giselbach is their minister and Hannah is his wife. If you need a few great blogs to add to your reading list check out "Plain Simple Faith" and "The Heart of Hannah".

So if you have visited the Louisville, Kentucky area before what is your top things to do while in the big city? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts!

The Bull and Thistle Take 2

Friends, food, fellowship, and fun are must haves for any girls day out...plus a little pit-stop at The Bull and Thistle! Last week a few friends and I traveled to Gainesboro, Tennessee to partake in a culinary experience like no other! My original intention and goal for the visit to Gainesboro was actually to go to my all time favorite dentist Dr. Driver for my six month dental cleaning. HA! But while in the area I knew I wanted to make a stop at one of the best restaurants around, so I extended the invitation to a few friends. Trust me...there was plenty of shops to keep them busy while I got my pearly whites polished and the small wait would be worth the awesome food! We decided to make it an all afternoon and evening affair to celebrate their birthdays! We even found a little time for pedicures and shopping :)

I like to think that the restaurateurs of this little "Celtic Irish" eatery had Proverbs 24:3-4 in mind when they had the vision for its creation. "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures." The Bull and Thistle is a rare "diamond in the rough" type of place that has something for all ages along with friendly service and an awesome cozy atmosphere. It is filled with rare, beautiful, and tasty dishes. Check out my blog on my first visit to The Bull and Thistle if you haven't already read the post about why I think it is so great!

So if you have not already made the drive to this small community you must! If you locate Cookeville, Livingston, Carthage, Lafayette and Celina, Tennessee on the map the dead center is Gainesboro! If you visit be prepared to make frequent trips back!

Here is what we ate...

BLT...my friends each got this sandwich for lunch and I heard no complaints... 

Steak Sandwich...my sandwich...delicious! The fries were AWESOME!

Courtney's very chocolate dreamy dessert! 

Bananas Foster Crepes...my dessert was fantastic! It was my favorite thing that day at The Bull and Thistle :) But what girl doesn't love desserts! 

Strawberry Shortcake...Alisa was in heaven! 

The Birthday Girls and the Savage Girl! 

Now, stop reading my blog if you haven't been to eat at this restaurant yet. Make your reservation to visit The Bull and Thistle by calling (931)268-7170. Who knows I might see you there!  Keep in mind that food is not everything in life. The Savage Girl might talk a lot about yummy dishes and great places to eat but you also need to remember to "taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him" Psalm 34:8. Let me know if you have any questions about God, Family, Work, Service, or Health...basically anything in LIFE. I might not know 100% of the answers but I know a great book that does!

Our Corny Harvest Day!

After worship yesterday Lucy and I traveled to the great state of Tennessee to help out on the farm a little. There was no rest for these Savage Girls. The Savage Mama put me and my sister Anna to work and Lucy got to run around and play with Leo! Lucy was excited to be back on the family farm because she got to run around and play to her little hearts content. For "the humans" the big tasks of the day were to help put up cream-style corn, pick blackberries & raspberries, and do water aerobics in the pool. Needless to say Lucy is one exhausted little dog and she had one tired mama.

I've been helping put up corn on the farm from the time I was old enough to help pull the shucks off the ears of corn, but I don't think we have ever taken any photos until today. Here is the process we used to put up our cream-style corn. It is REAL scientific and technical!

Step 1: Shuck the corn.

Step 2: Silk the corn.

Step 3: Cut the corn off the cob.

Step 4: Blanch the corn-style corn by bringing it to a boil in a large stockpot for about 10 minutes or until it thickens. Cool corn and then package in plastic freezer bags. (Sorry I didn't take photos of this step...the Savage Mama did this while Anna and I cleaned up the shucks outside!) 

The clean-up helpers & side show entertainment Leo & Lucy! 

If you need a great resource for freezing or canning check out the National Center for Home Food Preservation. Trust me...you name it and it is on this website...freeze, can, dehydrate, cure & smoke, pickle, ferment, etc. When in doubt look up whatever you are preserving because rules and recommendations might have changed since you first learned about food preservation.

On a side note we Savage Women today harvested corn, blackberries & raspberries and the harvest was plentiful and the food preservation was easy, but we ALL should also be mindful of another type of harvest and preservation method. The Bible speaks about how that what is sown on good soil will bear fruit and high yields in Matthew 13. With "good soil" meaning that the one who hears the word of the Gospel and understands it will have plenty and gain lots...an eternal home in heaven. Have you shared the Gospel lately with anyone? I am guilty...I need to do more of this! Here are my thoughts on this topic...

• Maybe we should share with our friends the simple message that if they seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness all these things will be added to them (Matthew 6:33). 
• "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life" John 3:16. 
• "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him" John 3:36. 
• In Acts chapter 2 three thousand souls were saved by obeying the gospel as they followed God's plan of salvation. They were "pricked in their hearts" by the gospel message according to Acts 2:37 and Peter told them to "repent and be baptized everyone of you in the name of Jesus Christ for remission of your sins, and ye shall receive that gift of the Holy Ghost" Acts 2:38. 

I challenge you to go help with the "harvest" and help "preserve" others so that we can all meet in heaven one day when we receive the gift of eternal life after we've followed the New Testament Plan of Salvation.  Here are a few others posts I've written about God's Plan...

• Spring Cleaning (April 9, 2013)
• 3 Things I Know for Sure (That You Should Too!) (July 6, 2013) 

Hot Dog!

Sunday marked a momentous occasion in the Savage Girl's household. I welcomed a bouncing bundle of joy into my life that likes to bark, cuddle, prance, sniff, go for long walks outside, and have her belly rubbed. Hot Dog the Savage Girl has a new member of the family! I know I've been saying I don't have the time to devote to a pet right now and that I travel too much, but I couldn't pass this opportunity up! With all that aside let me tell you about the sweet little cutie in my life. Her name is Lucky Lucy Savage. Lucy is a Chihuahua Rat Terrier mix. She is around 2 years old and was rescued from the Brimstone Creek area of Clay County, Tennessee by my tenderhearted dad last week when he spotted her while grading the road. Lucy closely resembles my brother, Leo, my parents dog so she caught my dad's eye on the road while he was at work.  My daddy could not bare to leave her behind in her starving condition, so he loaded her up inside the grader and brought her home to the farm. When I was on the farm on Sunday I could not leave her at my parents house because she stole my heart! Needless to say I'm now the proud owner of a dog!

My parents and I are sharing custody of Lucy because they did not want to part with her 100%! We have a doggy agreement that whenever I travel for work they will assume care-taking responsibilities for Lucy. Needless to say we're ALL Lucky including Lucy! Lucy now has a home, I have a new pet that I've been wanting, and my parents get to love on a new dog and send her home whenever they are finished loving on her. I believe it is a Win-Win for all parties involved.

So if you have parenting advice for this new pet owner please comment or send me a message. At the current time we are trying crate training and enjoying new adventures together being two single Savage Girls. So stay tuned because now you will get to start reading about my new four-legged little girl as I take on parenthood.

Plate it Up! Kentucky Proud

One of my favorite things at work to do is help others gain access to nutrition foods by sharing information about fresh produce through new recipes, techniques, and tips. When producers and consumers are aware of the food around them then they will increase their fruit and vegetable purchasing, preparation, consumption and preservation. Today I went to the Monroe County Farmers Market to Plate it Up! Kentucky Proud with this recipe.

A little prep-work went into my appearance today at the farmers market. I took a few photos yesterday afternoon when I prepared the recipe samples. So here are step by step directions to make this yummy recipe:

Assemble ingredients.

Salad

• 3 ears sweet corn, shucked and washed


• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth


• 1 cup uncooked couscous


• 1 cup garbanzo beans (chick peas), drained and rinsed


• 1 medium cucumber, washed, quartered and diced


• 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, washed and halved


• 1/2 cup feta cheese


• 1/4 cup chopped sweet onion


• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Dressing

• 3 tablespoons olive oil


• 3 tablespoons lemon juice


• 1 teaspoon dried oregano


• ¾ teaspoon ground cumin


• ½ teaspoon each, salt and pepper

 

Boil corn for 6-9 minutes or until tender. In a separate saucepan, bring broth to a boil and stir in couscous. Remove couscous from heat, cover and let stand 5-10 minutes.

Drain corn and immediately place in ice water. Drain ice water and pat corn dry; using a sharp knife cut the corn kernels from the cobs.

At some point you will need to cut up your veggies.

Fluff couscous with a fork and set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, combine the beans, cucumber, tomatoes, cheese, onion, and parsley. Add couscous and corn to the vegetables.

In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.

Pour over the couscous mixture; toss to coat. Serve chilled.

Here is the finished product at the market today! It got rave reviews from those who tried it with the exception of one picky kid who didn't like "salads" he claimed.

Yield 9, 1 cup servings

Nutrition Analysis 200 calories, 7 g fat, 1.5 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol,250 mg sodium, 28 g carbohydrate,4 g fiber, 5 g sugar, 7 g protein.  

Source: Plate it Up! Kentucky Proud Project Recipe Card

Plate It Up! Kentucky Proud Project