Why Didn't I Fly!?

Nashville is always the best time. I get to pretend to be roommates again with K and explore around Nashville, which is quickly becoming one of my favorite cities. Though I think it has something to do with visiting this lady!

I love Music City, there is always something new to discover, a great new band to check out, or a festival or event happening around town. I initially planned to fly up for the UGA v. Vandy game but when it turned into such a disappointment, we had to make due with frolicking downtown, carving pumpkins, and visiting many delicious restaurants. Such a hard life we live...  

Friday we did our usual dinner & pregame routine - went to dinner at The Pharmacy and downtown to Paradise Park and Honky Tonk Central. I made the mistake of only bringing beach clothes and it was rainy and freezing in Tennessee. I am not ready for this weather, winter go away! We started the morning with Bulldawgs pancakes. This should have been all the help our boys needed for the game!

Put off by the rain and not wanting to tailgate or scalp tickets in inclement weather, we went to The Pour House for drinks and lunch. Pour House is overlooking downtown Nashville and a radio station was there broadcasting live for the day. Though it wasn't very busy, I definitely recommend this place for gameday activities - good drink selections, lots of outside space, and all the good games on TV.

Plus we won tickets, movies, and lots of fun prizes from the radio station by playing cornhole and other games that were set-up!Too bad most of us don't live in town to use them. When it became too cold outside, we started making game of our own - with all these great people no matter what we do is always a good time!

After the disastrous showing of the UGA Bulldawgs, we released our frustrations by carving pumpkins

I am horrible at carving pumpkins but Katie on the other hand is GREAT at it (or any other crafty activity for that matter)  check out her fun blog about life in Nashville to see for yourself!

She and Aust were in a pumpkin carving contest - both were great but I think we all know who won! 

 Though pumpkin carving is not my thing, I love to roast the seeds. Pumpkin seeds is one thing that I always crave in October so I got the job of cleaning the innards and roasting up the snackies!

I love extra toasted, crispy seeds and you can get this by drying out your seeds as much as possible before roasting. If they are water logged they get too chewy! However, even though it seems to defeat the purpose of having them dry, the best way to get all of the gross pumpkin guts off of the seeds is to boil them.

First throw all the seeds in a pot with salt and bring to a boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes, this should evaporate all the extra water and leave you with clean seeds!

  

After that, drain off the water and leftover pumpkin guts and then put back into the pot or another bowl and toss in olive oil, sea salt, and whatever other spices you prefer. I made this batch with olive oil and sea salt but my favorite is using paprika and cayenne pepper to give it a spicy kick!

Next, spread the seeds on a baking pan and roast at 350F for 10 minutes. Then take them out, shake them up and roast for up to another 10 minutes. Be careful in the last minutes as they will start burning quickly!

After that, ENJOY you Halloween!