Now that it's officially official that I'm leaving America I'm trying to do absolutely everything here that I have yet to do. It's hard to do, since the last couple weeks in Nashville, Tennessee are fraught with travel on top of travel (two weddings and a very fun surprise I'll be telling you about later this week!). Plus, that whole thing of trying to get rid of everything in our house.
If you ask me, Texas and Tennessee are the two best states in the country. They also happen to be the only two I've ever lived in.
We have 14 days in Dallas to spend time with friends, family, and of course go to some of my favorite places. So, I thought I better make a bucketlist, to make sure I really get to do all those fun things I want to do before leaving America.
Tennessee:
- Go camping once more in the mountains
- Have another coffee at Crema, Frothy Monkey, Barista Parlor, and Three Brothers Coffee
- Eat at Hattie B's for some Hot Chicken one more time
- Take a picture in front of my favorite pink and white wall (see where my favorite spots in Nashville to take a picture)
- Bowl at Pinewood Social
- Pick up a trinket at Old Made Good
- Tell my sweetest friends (I'm looking at you Sara and Brendan) that they better visit us
You might like my full guide to Nashville, here.
Texas:
We have a very short amount of time in Dallas, but I'm planning on making the most of it.
- Get a shaved ice at Sno. This is the best shaved ice in the whole world thank you.
- Eat as much queso and chips as possible and have multiple girls nights
- Walk around White Rock Lake at sunset
- Dance on diamonds at Corner bar (people always break glasses on the dance floor, so we call it dancing on diamonds because we're inventive like that)
- Go see some electronic music at Lizard Lounge
- Have a drink at the Rustic
- Have at least 14 drinks from White Rock Coffee. I still can't find a better Chai Tea Latte.
- Hug my family and friends! And then pack them in my suitcase.
Check out my Best of Dallas list.
One thing is for sure, I will miss Texas cuisine. Tex-Mex is my all time favorite food and I'll be missing it like something fierce overseas. I was so excited to see Ozarka is now using Texas streams and are now producing Texas water! They know how important it is to have pride in your state, and that's why they've created the #FromHereForHere campaign which is designed to bring people together through food, drink, and real life, with deeply rooted traditions. They sent me an awesome box of traditional Texan fare that I can't wait to share with you. Michael and I had our own little taste of Texas, right in Tennessee!
We eat a lot of BBQ in this house and Texas Monthly magazine named Snow’s BBQ Sauce as the best in Texas. It's packed with Texas flavor and you can put it on just about any cut of meat. We even dipped our pork in it just the other day.Want flavor to burst in your mouth? Then you need the Sweet and Spicy Mustard seeds by Taste Elevated. They are perfect on a charcuterie tray and can be used on anything you'd normally top with mustard, like BBQ sandwiches or hot dogs.
Last but not least is the Black Garlic Rosemary BBQ sauce by The Jelly Queens. This award-winning, Dallas and Austin-based artisan food company makes gourmet jams, jellies, spices, sauces and more. Each product is handmade in small batches using organic and, whenever possible, locally grown Texas ingredients. You can't go wrong!
Of course, I wash this all down with Ozarka water.
It will be so hard to leave this cuisine behind, but I'm excited for what's ahead. Any must do's, see's, or eat's you think I need to add to my list?
