Wild Bill’s Beignets & Bikes

This…is different. Wild Bill’s has a kind of Hard Rock Café flavor with a hometown feel…and bikes. LOL. Bikes are the name of the game. When walking through the door, you can’t help but notice the motorcycle hanging above you, or the tables made from hubcaps. Those were pretty cool, actually.

But Wild Bill’s isn’t all about it’s décor. The food is pretty good too. The restaurants brings a little bit of New Orleans to downtown Nashville. I’m a huge fan of beignets straight from the N.O., and these come a close second. The house specialty are the banana beignets covered with caramel or chocolate sauce. YUM!

The menu isn’t very extensive, but the food is delish. Try the Fried Fresh Cajun Shrimp platter. It has just enough spice to give it a kick, but not enough to make you tear up from the heat. There’s also a wine bar for those wine lovers out there.

So when you get a chance, check out Wild Bill’s, it’s sure to be a treat.

Recipe of the Week: Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Pecan shortbread cookies are my absolute FAVE! I never thought to bake them on my own though. Well, here’s my chance and yours too! How about we all try them and see how they turn out?

Pecan Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients

* 3/4 cup(s) pecans, coarsely chopped
* 1 1/4 stick(s) butter, at room temperature
* 1/2 cup(s) confectioners’ sugar
* 1/2 vanilla bean, split lengthwise seeds scraped
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) pure vanilla extract
* 1/2 teaspoon(s) kosher salt
* 1 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
* 3 tablespoon(s) demerara or turbinado sugar
* 1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the chopped pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and toast for about 6 minutes, until lightly browned and fragrant. Let cool.
• In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle, beat the butter with the confectioners’ sugar, vanilla bean and seeds, vanilla extract, and salt at medium speed until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the flour in 3 batches, beating at low speed until just incorporated. Discard the vanilla bean. Stir in the pecans.

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DIY Travel Snacks

No telling how many millions of people will be traveling by air again this holiday season. Every year the forecasts on numbers seems to go up and up from the years prior.

This year, in addition to gifts, books, magazines and carry on, many air travelers will be bringing along their own snacks as well. With the airlines charging extra these days for perks that used to be complimentary, more and more passengers are bringing their own treats to nibble on during flights. Besides, the selections are limited and not always healthful.

Here’s some ideas for portable snacks from home to keep your belly happy in the air.