Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Pioneer Woman, hands down. I read it everyday.

Sliced tomato still warm from outside + two pieces of white bread smeared with mayo. Eat over the sink.

In Taksim Square there is a little burger place (it's packed at night) on the corner. You just walk up to the window and order. We always called them Taksim Burgers, but they were also featured on "A Hamburger Today." Try stuffed mussels from a street vendor if you come across them.
In Ortakoy, make sure to make time for dinner outside with a view of the Bosphorus. They have great fish - my favorites were a plate of fried Istavrit and Levrek (seabass). Mackerel is wonderful and sold under the bridge between old town and new town.
Most places you go in Istanbul, even if it's just a stall on a street, you will be served with great hospitality. Just try everything!!

And if you have even a few extra hours, please please PLEASE go on a ferry ride all the way up the Bosphorus. I think it cost the equivalent of $8, they leave from under the Bridge (Galata, maybe?) At the end you land in a beautiful fishing village off the Black Sea for lunch and can climb up to an old castle on the Asian side for the best views of your life. I did it on a whim and it is my fondest memory of my trip. Also, you get a good feel of the stark differences b/t the European and Asian sides.

I start with crystal light and add more lemons, sugar, and mint.

Today I made: Baguette, swiss, bacon, avocado, swiss, turkey, dijon, baguette. Toasted it, added tomato and lettuce. It was amazing.

For an awesome Southern style breakfast or dinner, try Monell's in historic Germantown. http://www.nashvillehomes.org/monells-restaurant-in-germantown-downtown-nashville/
A Nashville favorite is Pancake Pantry on Hillsboro http://www.yelp.com/biz/pancake-pantry-nashville.
Loveless cafe is famous, but quite a ways off the beaten path if you're downtown.http://www.lovelesscafe.com/
And my personal favorite is the J. Alexander's on West End Ave. http://www.jalexanders.com/locations/locations.htm
Whatever you do, do NOT go to Chappy's. It's supposed to be authentic cajun food, but it's horrible. Everything is overcooked and smothered in the same sh***y sauce.
For no frills good food, here are some other good ones:
King Fish on Monroe downtown.
Bolton's Spicy Chicken 624 Main St
Prince Hot Chicken Shack 123 Ewing Dr # 3
Hog Heaven (in Centennial Park) 115 27th Ave N

Enjoy your stay! Let us know where you decided to go.

Does anyone remember drinking Zima with Jolly Ranchers dropped in it?

Faycat, I totally agree. I actually love the lumpiness and purposelly try not to mix too much while I'm cooking. WAY!

She sounded/acted like she was on more than an organic pear, if you know what I mean.

Is it just me or are those fingernails just too much? It's all I could focus on. >

Bean and corn salsa. Every stinkin time!

I made a ton of these this weekend. I tried half in the oven and did half in a skillet. I liked the skillet ones better - the seemed crispier, while the oven ones (275 for 1 hour) turned out more chewy.

For the oven ones, I more or less followed Pioneer Woman's recipe with just a little salt and olive oil.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/10/pepitos/
For the skillet seeds, I used olive oil and sprinkled in some Lawry's seasoning salt and some Penzey's BBQ 3000... AMAZING! It tasted like bbq chips!

was it free? stop complaining, you brat.