Exploring Dallas... and a trip to the Farmer's Market!

I've lived in Dallas for a little over 23 years now, yet I tend to stay in my little Richardson bubble. I mean, do you realize how many things there are to do in Dallas? A WHOLE LOT, I'll tell you that much! I've decided to take more advantage of all these cool things Dallas has to offer.

My wonderful boss (Hey Lisa!) took me to lunch last week to celebrate my birthday and we went to a place called Hattie's in the Bishop Arts District.  It was so good, y'all. It's my new favorite restaurant! It's right up my alley, too. They have good, southern, home cookin', but it's perfected versions of the classics and everything is wonderful. The menu isn't that big, so I knew that meant that everything on it had to be so outstanding that they don't need to offer a lot of options. Let me tell, everything I had was incredible. Even the iced tea was perfect....that's how good it was!

Hattie's!

Since I was at a place serving southern food, I of course had to try some fried chicken. So I had a fried chicken sandwich and it had spicy mustard and homemade pickles on it. Lisa got a crab cake salad and said it was great. The Four-Cheese Macaroni was calling our names from them menu so we ordered a small side of that so we could try it. They also serve you homemade bread with the softest butter that was to die for. We couldn't resist dessert, so we ordered the Pecan, Chocolate, Coconut Pie with vanilla ice cream. I know what you're thinking... "Is that all one pie?" YES IT IS! I had to ask the waiter. I couldn't believe it. It was incredibly delicious. I've decided to keep going back until I've tried everything on the menu because it was so incredible and everything sounded good. (We're talkin' Pecan-Crusted Catfish, Shrimp & Grits, Grilled Cheese..... okay stop salivating!)

The actual space is darling. It's so bright when you walk in and it looks like the inside of a southern plantation. It's really vintage looking, but it still feels updated and modern. Just go, y'all. You won't regret it....unless you forget to invite me to go with you :)

 I love how bright it is! 

 
I also made a trip to the Dallas Farmer's Market this weekend. I haven't been since probably elementary school. I can remember going with some family friends of ours and I remember us buying a huge crate of oranges. Too bad I wasn't interested in cooking and baking when I was 7 years old, or else I would have been putting oranges in everything!

The Farmer's Market is so cool! Each stand was full of fresh fruit and vegetables, and the vendors were eager to give you samples of pineapple, oranges, mangoes and more. I was in heaven. It was kind of hard to keep track of where I saw the best prices of things, but I got some good stuff! With everything I bought, recipes were flying through my brain! I got...

• green beans
• spinach
• okra
• green onions
• oranges
• canteloupe
• corn 
• Peach flavored white balsalmic vinegar (I'm thinkin' salad dressings...)

I've already made some green beans and I fried up some okra last night. You should know this about me... I love fried okra. I've loved it since I was little. I could eat loads and loads of it. However, my first attempt at making it did not go well, but it won't scare me away from trying again! Here's another thing you should know about me... I LOVE PEACHES AND ANYTHING PEACH FLAVORED. Did I make that clear enough for you? Peaches are, by far, my favorite fruit. I love all other fruits too; I'd say watermelon is a close second, but peaches are, without a doubt, my favorite. I love peach cobbler, peach tea, fresh peaches... you get it? When I see recipes with peaches in them, I always write them down. I'm patiently waiting for peach season to roll around so I can go buy a case of them at the Farmer's Market!

 These were the biggest onions I had ever seen! The picture doesn't do them justice!


The Farmer's Market also has an indoor area with specialty foods. That's where I got the balsalmic vinegar. I also bought some candles that smell amazing. One is lit right now as I type this :) It wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be, but I think with the weather being nicer these days and more produce is coming in season, it will get more crowded.

These people spelled "pickles" wrong on every jar. Poor things!

I encourage you Dallas people to check out the Dallas Farmer's Market one Saturday. You will have so much fun and you'll end up taking home some yummy, fresh produce! The website is really helpful. I looked at it the night before I went and they had a list of everything that was in season for the month of February. It will also give you directions and tell you where to park. 

Sorry, no recipes today. I'm making a pork tenderloin tonight, so I'll post that tomorrow!