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Good morning, and happy Sunday! This week included a trip to the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, complete with plenty of delicious Southern food. All of the highlights from the past few days, along with each of our dinners, are included in today’s roundup of Our Week in Meals.
For those of you who are new to the blog, Our Week in Meals is where I share a little bit about what we’ve been up to over the past week — as it relates to our dinners each night. This series gives you a glimpse “behind the scenes” at some highlights from our life, shows you how I balance a busy schedule with feeding my family, and offers a few new ideas for your own weekly meal plan.
THIS WEEK’S RECIPES
Now, let’s back up to last weekend…
I met two of my friends for a visit and walk at Mollie’s farm on Sunday,
came home to feed the crew lunch,
and then took the boys to the pool for the afternoon.
Keith grilled bbq chicken breast for supper,
which I paired with Jiffy cornbread with creamed corn,
crispy Parmesan roasted potatoes, and garlic roasted broccoli.
This week’s book was recommended to me by a blog reader, and I loved it! The Book Woman’s Daughter is the sequel to Kim Michele Richardson’s first novel, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek (which I also really enjoyed). The story follows Honey Lovett, who fights for her own independence as she takes over her mother’s old packhorse library route delivering books to the remote hollers of Appalachia. It’s heartbreaking in parts, uplifting and empowering in others, and just a fascinating read about life in a different time and place.
A Monday morning walk,
…followed by time at the track with Casey. My aunt stopped by for a visit, I took Spencer to the orthodontist, and the rest of my afternoon was devoted to packing suitcases and getting organized for our trip.
We had Mexican pizza for dinner, along with tortilla chips, salsa, homemade guac, and this Mexican street corn from Target.
On Tuesday morning, we headed south for vacation in the Great Smoky Mountains of Tennessee, making a couple of stops along the way. First, my parents’ house to drop off the dog for the week…
…and then a couple of hours to Wytheville…
…where we had lunch at Moon Dog Brick Oven.
We made it to Abingdon, Virginia (just north of the Tennessee border) shortly after that, where we spent the night at The Martha Washington Inn.
A pretty front porch…
This historic hotel is situated right in the middle of town, across the street from the Barter Theatre and a short walk from the famous Virginia Creeper Trail.
It’s full of beautiful old rooms to explore, including Gibbs’ favorite — the library.
We spent the afternoon visiting The Virginia Highlands Festival next door to the hotel — a week-long art fair that Abingdon hosts each summer…
…and swimming in the hotel’s indoor pool (a highlight for the younger two)!
We went to a local sports bar and grill called JJ’s for dinner, which we all really liked. I had a taste of the local fare: classic Appalachian soup beans with chow chow and onions, plus cornbread. Here’s my soup beans recipe if you want to make your own version at home!
After supper, we walked up Main Street to get ice cream at Shaked. It was awesome! I loved my salted caramel pecan ice cream cone, but Casey was especially proud of his s’mores sundae.
Finally, a round of mini golf at the hotel before bed!
Casey and I found the Abingdon High School track early on Wednesday morning, where he did a conditioning run for soccer. Back at the hotel, we had the most delicious biscuits and sausage gravy for breakfast, before renting bikes for a ride on the Virginia Creeper Trail.
While in the bike rental shop, I ran into one of my good friends from elementary school, who now lives in California but was in town visiting family. What a small, lovely world! Side note: she mentioned that she recently made my 3-ingredient sour cream biscuits — a must-try!
We left Abingdon late morning, and drove about 2 hours south to Knoxville, Tennessee, stopping for lunch along the way.
Our afternoon included a walk around the UT campus, with a visit to Neyland Stadium, the student union, and the natural history museum. We stayed in town at The Tennessean Hhotel, which was wonderful (and very convenient)!!!
Of course, we needed some Tennessee bbq while we were there, so we enjoyed dinner at Calhoun’s on the river.
It was absolutely delicious! This was my pulled pork platter with cornbread, slaw, baked cinnamon apples, and a Caesar salad.
Chicken and waffles from Pete’s Coffee Shop on Thursday morning!
Other highlights from the day included a short hike in the mountains outside of town, where we had great views overlooking the city…
…and a fun trip to Zoo Knoxville!
It was just a few miles from our hotel, and it was one of the best zoos we’ve ever visited — clean (not smelly!), no crowds, a great variety of well-cared-for animals, pretty scenery, and so many opportunities to get very close to the exhibits. Such a pleasant surprise!
We finished the afternoon with a trip up to the top of the Sunsphere, which was right next to our hotel. This was constructed for the 1982 World’s Fair, and provides views of the surrounding mountains and city.
And finally, to end the day, dinner at Myrtle’s Chicken and Beer. Another great Southern meal! This was my maple and bacon-glazed rotisserie chicken with collards, coleslaw, and a cheddar biscuit. We loved just about all of the food that we ate in Knoxville!
Friday was our travel day home. We left Knoxville pretty early in the morning, stopping in Sevierville (hometown of Dolly Parton!) for breakfast at the new Buc-ee’s. This giant gas station/restaurant/general store lived up to the hype! We picked up breakfast sandwiches, muffins, and cinnamon rolls, filled up with cheap gas, and jumped right back on the highway. The food was good, and it was incredibly efficient.
Our pit stop for lunch was at an old 1950’s soda fountain in the cute little town of Buchanan, Virginia (just north of Roanoke). It actually reminded us a lot of Madison!
We made it home mid-afternoon, and in the midst of unpacking and laundry, I pulled together the easiest dinner I could think of: pasta and marinara sauce that my parents brought us from an Italian market in New Haven, Connecticut, plus Italian chicken sausage (sliced and browned in olive oil, then stirred into the sauce) and a bagged Caesar salad kit. It wasn’t fancy, but it hit the spot!
And that brings us to the weekend! Saturday was largely devoted to settling back into our routine — recipe testing and work in the kitchen for me, mowing grass and other house chores for Keith.
We had grilled pork tenderloin for dinner, along with some garlic rolls that I bought from my neighbor at the farmer’s market, a box of Rice-a-Roni, and a simple green salad with red wine vinaigrette. It’s always nice to have a homemade meal after a week of travel!
So there you go, friends — a handful of easy summer meals to add to your table in the days ahead. Thank you for being here, and have a wonderful Sunday!
What a great trip! Clearly you guys planned it well. Glad you shared a bit of it with us.
Thanks, Tim! Keith gets all of the credit for the planning/organizing…I’m just along for the ride. It was a fun trip!
Loved seeing the photos of Knoxville! Lived there for 3 years some time ago, great memories. Calhoun’s was certainly a favourite
Such a fun place!
I love Abingdon. Sallie’s sister, Maggie went to Abingdon with a group of girlfriends years ago. She had so much fun so I got a group of my girlfriends together several years ago and went. You, Sallie, Mollie, Adria, and any others should do the trip I planned for my friends . We stayed at the Martha Washington for 3 nights. One day we did the bike ride down the mountain. Got the bikes in Damascus.. they drove us up to the top, and we rode back down… with a stop at that cafe for lunch and their famous chocolate cake!!
One night we had reservations at the Barter to see Sister Act. One day we went over to Bristol so we could shop in both states… I called Billy and said “been shopping in Virginia then walked across the street to have lunch in Tennessee”.
Also, cute shops in downtown Abingdon. Some really good antique shops in downtown Abingdon.
Plus at the hotel we swam in the pool and played golf on their little course. It was a great girls trip.
However, if possible… go when there are no other people… we went during the week in the middle of May. Hardly anyone was on the Creeper Trail then and very few people having lunch in the cafe on the trail. But you all would need someone to help your husbands take care of the kids…. but so worth it going in May during mid week. I know you girls would have a great Ladies Road Trip few days. Do The bike downhill Creeper Trail and see a show at the Barter for sure!
We loved Abingdon, too! I can definitely see spending more time there. Your itinerary sounds fun!
Hi, Blair! I haven’t gotten your weekly newsletter for two weeks in a row. And it’s not in my junk mail either. Can you tell me what’s wrong? I’ve noticed over the past few weeks several other people haven’t gotten theirs either. Thanks!
Hi, Annabelle! I just checked, and it said that your email “bounced” and was undeliverable. This means that the mailing servers tried several times to send the email to your inbox without success. I’m going to go ahead and delete you as a subscriber, and then add you again. Maybe that will help!
Thanks, Blair. Hope that works.
Another awesome week waking up to your blog. Sounds like a great trip with your four “boys” and one that I’m going to tuck away for the future. I am just back to MN after a 3 week long Mid-Atlantic road trip with my boys (Baltimore-PA-DMV-OBX-Bethany Beach) and am now ready to head back for a southern VA/TN route! Happy Sunday to you!
Wow, that was quite a trip, Jenn! I bet you had a blast!
Hope you’ll make it to the southeast soon!
You really missed the Great Smoky Mtns!
A trip to Cades Cove as well as many adventurous hikes is a must! Rent a cabin!
The boys would love Dollywood Theme Park!
In the fall when the leaves have turned is a wonderful time to visit!
Hate you didn’t take in the Barter Theatre in Abingdon! The Martha is grand for sure!
Of course, you live in another beautiful part of our great country!
One can just do so much in a week!
So please come back!
Surprised you were able to do this; with three very sports minded sons.
Go Vols!
Hah, go Vols! 🙂 We rented a cabin in the mountains a couple of years ago, went to Dollywood, did Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, etc. We love the Smokies! This time we wanted to see the city too, since we live in the mountains year-round. It’s definitely a beautiful part of the country, and we’ll be back!
Enjoyed reading about your trip
I’m 83 an memories of my younger years
That makes me so happy to hear, Juanita! Thanks for reading along with us!
Hi Blair,
This really looks like a fun trip … I hope there was glass between you and that tiger! I’m going to have to try your aunt Bee’s three ingredient sour cream biscuits. Thank you for the beautiful pictures and wonderful blog.
Hi, Kris! Yes, there was definitely glass between us! It’s crazy how close he was, though — only a few feet separating us. Some of the other moms were worried that he was eyeing their toddlers a little too closely, hungry for a snack!
Always a treat to hear of your family adventures and yummy meals that are simple,and delicious.
Thank you for your blog and your efforts to bring family meals to us as well
Thank you, Judy! Hope you have a great week!
Wow!!!Now this week was surely a walk/trip down memory lane for me and my years in Virginia (Lexington)…Abingdon I loved, Buchanan (I worked in Roanoke and made many trips to Buchanan)…your trip brought back a lot of good and lasting memories…and all that Southern food made my mouth water!!! So glad you and all the boys had a great time…
I love that, Wendy! We were definitely in your old stomping grounds!
Really enjoyed seeing your travels & especially enjoyed the viewing of your meals. Wonderful that your family traveled with you & was able to experience all the interesting places during your travels. Thank you for sharing .
Thank you, Doris!
Enjoyed reading about your trip to the Smoky Mountains! We go down every year in September, and Bucee’s is definitely on our list of things we want to do when we get down there. Been hearing so many good things about them! Think I’m going to have to try out your recipe for the Mexican Pizza this week!
Thanks so much for your blog and website! I look forward to it every week!
Thanks, Lisa! Bucees is definitely worth the stop!
Wow, what a fun filled vacation!! Sounds like everyone had a good time!
Thank you, Glenda!
I also have not gotten the weekly newsletter for three weeks.
I have made many of your recipes and have loved every one.
Hi, Jody! I just checked your email address in our system, and you’re still listed as a confirmed subscriber. It says that today’s email was successfully delivered to your address. Have you checked your junk folder or spam filter? That’s usually the issue. If it’s not there, I’m not sure what else to suggest. I’ll have my team look into the tech side just to make sure that there’s nothing else that we can fix on our end.
I did check spam and junk, and it wasn’t in either.
Thanks for looking into this. We’ll see what happens next Sunday.
Ok, thanks for checking! My team is going to look into this to see if there’s anything more that we can do on our end. Keep me posted next week!
I was at that World’s Fair in Knoxville in 1982 (lived in WV at the time).
Awesome!! I bet it was so cool!
Blair, I am not getting your newsletter anymore. I have to go online and search for it. While this isn’t difficult, it’s just a bit aggravating since for the last coupe of years I have gotten it with my Sunday emails. Is there something I should update? I thoroughly enjoy you news and recipes.
Thanks for your attention.
Deborah Jones
Hi, Deborah! I just checked your email address in our system, and you’re still listed as a confirmed subscriber. It says that today’s email was successfully delivered to your address. Have you checked your junk folder or spam filter? That’s usually the issue. If it’s not there, I’m not sure what else to suggest. I’ll have my team look into the tech side just to make sure that there’s nothing else that we can fix on our end.
What a fun week, Blair! I was so surprised to see my little hometown of Wytheville being one of your stops on the way to the Smokies. I still live in the area, and Abingdon is one of our favorite places to visit as well. I look forward to your Week in Meals as you share tidbits if your life, and recipes from which I often find success and inspiration! As I read your weekly roundup, it feels like I’m sitting on my front porch, chatting with a friend.
P.S. Love your book recommendations as well!
I love that, Marcia! Wytheville is such a cute town. I’ve heard from a handful of other local Wytheville folks who also read the blog. It’s such a small world, and I always love hearing from fellow Virginians. Thank you for your kind note and for following along with us. Have a great week!
Love your weekly newsletter. Your trip sounded amazing. Virginia is a beautiful state – we lived there for several years (many years ago).
Happy everyone is discovering Buc-ee’s. We live in Texas now so of course we love we love Buc-ee’s. The best thing about Buc-ee’s are the bathrooms. Large, Clean, plenty of stalls and they don’t smell bad. When there be sure to buy a bag of Buc-ee bits. Salty, sweet ,crispy bits of puff. Perfect road trip snack.
Fran
Thanks, Fran! I totally agree — the bathrooms are impressive! 🙂