The Spicy Lemon Drop

We were sitting in the Beer Garden one night in one of our favorite Knoxville restaurants, The Crown and Goose, chatting, laughing, sharing an appetizer and having a good time, when an inebriated gentleman sat down at our two-top table with us. He said to us "You beautiful girls looked like you were having such a great time, I just had to come over and join you." Amanda and I laughed, then looked at each other with apprehension. He continued talking, his eyes content and glazed from one too many Manhattans or whiskeys or whatever over-priced drink he was sipping on. "Two lemon drops!" he motions to the waiter toward our happy little table of three. The waiter, ignored our gentleman caller, recognizing him as the same man who decided to take off his pants earlier on the dance floor.

We were then greeted by another visitor, a friend of our new friend. "Howard, are you still here bothering these two young ladies? I left 45 minutes ago for a smoke," he said. "I'm sorry, Ladies," he turned to address us, "Has he been here long?" We nod solemnly. Howard laughs, "It's funny because they so obviously hate me, especially this one," he turned to face me. I have a blank expression on my face. He turns to get up. "It was a pleasure meeting you. Sorry you have to go," I say flatly. He smiles at me. "You're my spicy little lemon drop!" The two of us both laugh. Howard smiles like a child that just made a successful poo-poo. He sat back down but his friend pulls him away.

Howard left, so we mused for a while. "Is a spicy lemon drop possible?" I asked Amanda. "What if we add cayenne to the sugar?" Amanda's eyes sparkled. I could tell she was sifting through her repertoire of food science knowledge in her brain. "Would the heat of the peppers be too much?" "What if we add coriander or thyme?"

That was the beginning. One philosophically enchanting night in a beer garden has led us to this; here is our compilation of thoughts on the subject that the two of us love most: Food. This is documentation of the ideas that drift through our heads, the processes we take and the events that shape our thoughts that have led us to some of our best recipes and our favorite food finds.

We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we have living in these moments.

-Jennifer