Sunday, May 31, 2015

Red Cow

Burgers!

This has got to be one of the best burger places in the city.  Red Cow takes burger accoutrements to a new level.  Pork belly, bacon confit, prosciutto, candied bacon, pulled pork... pretty much anything you can do with pork.  There are three locations in the metro and we visited the one in South Minneapolis on 50th street after a motorcycle ride.  I had the Royale with pork belly, brie, arugula, and tomato jam.  The hubby had the special which was a bourbon infused burger with cheese.  Both were amazing.  We were ready to get our check when the waitress suggested we try the avocado cheesecake parfait.  Dang.  That was delicious.  And shout out to the fries!  And we got to sit on the patio!!!  I love summer.











Friday, May 29, 2015

ACME Comedy Club

Where is the comedy scene in the metro?  One place is definitely the ACME Comedy club in Northeast!  The most exciting part?  During the month of your birthday, you get four free tickets.  My sister was kind enough to invite us to go with her so we enjoyed dinner and a show!  There were four stand up comedians that performed that night and we liked three of the four a lot.  The headliner, Tim Harmston, was excellent.  As far as food goes, we ate at the adjoining restaurant Sticks which actually has really good ribs and reasonably priced cocktails.  I will definitely head back, especially in January! <wink>

Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Chicago

We took an anniversary trip!  Somehow we both had a long weekend off so we decided to make the most of it and travel to Chicago over our anniversary.  I LOVED it.  It's a lake city, it's a super metropolis.  Pretty much my favorite things to visit.  Here's what we did on our trip.

Lake Michigan
We woke up on Saturday morning and decided to go for a 5.5 mile run along the lake shore.  I was absolutely delighted to see the vast sandy beaches.  Lake Superior beach is definitely of the pebble/rock variety so this was quite the welcome sight.  The trail was really nice too - most of it just along the lake.  Later in the day we went back and enjoyed laying out in the sand on the perfectly hot, sunny day.  We also got a cocktail at Oak Street Beach club. 










Magnificent Mile
We stayed at the Fairfield Inn and Suites on Ontario St.  just off Magnificent Mile.  Nice hotel in a perfect location - few blocks from the beach, one block from the Mile, and less than a mile from Navy Pier.  We were able to enjoy some shopping as we wandered around.

Gino's East
Well you can't go to Chicago without checking out the deep dish pizza situation.  We decided on Gino's East and really enjoyed it.  The crust is almost like dense corn bread, the sauce was thick, the cheese was perfectly melted mozzerella, the meat was a smoked beef brisket.  Perfection. 



Navy Pier
We watched the sun set and the fireworks over the lake.  We weren't that interested in the rides, but just enjoyed being out on the Pier.

Signature Room in the Hancock Building
On our actual anniversary, we went up to the 96th floor of the Hancock Building to the Signature Room.  We got to the tower at 8:00 on a Sunday.  I didn't make reservations; oops.  We waited in line for the elevator for about 30 minutes.  We got to the top and waited for a table for about another 30 minutes.  In the meantime, we were able to enjoy the amazing views of the city far below.  Then we were seated at enjoyed cocktails and dessert.  Thankfully there isn't a charge to go up, but the food and drinks are expensive.  Cocktails are all about $15 and dessert is $10.  Not horrible considering if you go to the top of the Willis Building, it's $20 per person.  I'd rather put that toward food :)



Divvy Bikes
You can rent bikes and ride all around the city for $7 for 24 hours!  We ended up traveling 16.5 miles on foot on Saturday so we decided to bike all day on Sunday.

Millennium Park
The bean!  They also have a rock climbing wall, concert venue, mini golf, play ground.  



Argo Tea
Seriously.  The best tea shop ever.  They make the most amazing tea mocktails - fruit juice, fruit chunks, sparkling water, tea.  I made sure to stop here at least once a day.  

Next Trip:
Willis Building, shopping at Lincoln Park, harbor cruise.  I feel like we saw and did a lot for the two full days that we were there. 


Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Brewer's Bazaar

Boating and beer.  Summer match made in heaven.  We checked out the Brewer's Bazaar beer tasting event on Saturday in Stillwater.  It took place on the Avalon which is the biggest boat in Stillwater's riverboat fleet.  That was a fun setting.  You had the option of hanging out on three floors with the third floor being the outdoor top deck.  The event was put on by the local Rotary Club and the proceeds benefited polio prevention.  In addition to beer, our ticket price also included a tasting glass, lanyard to hold the glass, pretzel, and a brat.  Some of the top breweries in the state were there - Summit and Surly.  There were also a bunch of smaller breweries from Minnesota and Wisconsin.  A lot of breweries were featuring their summer beers - hefeweisens, blondes, pilsners, and fruit infused ales.  Honestly my favorite beers of the day were from Stillwater H20 which is the Stillwater home brewers association.  They had an epic apricot beer and a jalapeno beer.  The jalapeno beer packed a serious spicy punch!  I liked it because they just really went for it and make the jalapeno flavor quite strong.  The ship didn't leave the dock, but it was still fun to be on the water, check out the bridge construction, and have a reason to hang in Stillwater.  Apparently this was the ninth annual event and based on the number of people there, it was successful.  Despite the number of people, everyone was pretty spread out so I never felt like it was too packed.  It was a fun afternoon, but I think if you are looking for a better representation of the greater craft beer scene, probably the Beer Dabbler would be your best bet for a tasting event. 







Saturday, May 16, 2015

Mendota Crossfit

This morning my husband and I checked out a yoga/crossfit class at Mendota Crossfit right off of Pilot Knob in Mendota Heights.  Did you know they offer free community classes on Saturday mornings!? Check out their website for more information.  Everyone was quite welcoming and the workout was good.  I'm quite familiar with yoga, but not so much crossfit.  Since that portion of the class was only 30 minutes, we didn't have much time to really get into it, but we did a quick jog and dynamic stretching warm up.  Then we did a cross fit circuit before moving on to yoga.  I think I want to go back and check out a full cross fit class at some point.  It was a good start to the day!  Oh and an added bonus is that the studio is kind of a warehouse space and has two garage doors.  They open up the doors in the summer so you get to work out with fresh air instead of stuffy gym air. 

Friday, May 15, 2015

Twin Cities 1 Mile

Yesterday I braved the rain and cold and ran my first race of the season!  I have done this one mile race twice before and have really enjoyed it.  This year they switched up the location with the start at Dunwoody by Loring Park.  The first quarter mile is actually a gradual uphill and then levels off after that.  Most of the race is on Hennepin Ave going through the theater district of downtown Minneapolis.  The entire route was lined with cheering spectators offering encouragement despite the rain.  Twin Cities in Motion put on the race with Medtronic as the major sponsor.  The t-shirts were really cool this year - black short sleeve tech shirts with the skyline drawn on the side of the shirt.  I ran in 6:51.  Can't wait to do the Duluth Mile in September and see how much I can improve! 

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Food Truck Extravaganza

On Saturday, Harriet Brewing hosted the first big food truck event of the summer with the Minnesota Food Truck Association.  Who doesn't love 15 food trucks all parked at the same brewery!   Grabbing a quick lunch or dinner at a food truck is definitely a welcomed sign of summer!  We enjoyed a Hawaiian pulled pork sandwich from Tiki Tims which was absolutely divine.  The next big event is on June 6 at Summit Brewery in St. Paul, and there are other events throughout the summer.    Look for your favorite food trucks at breweries throughout the metro, downtown Minneapolis at lunch time, and as new brick and mortar restaurants!  Several very successful food trucks are now making the leap into actual restaurants.  Fabulous.



Saturday, May 2, 2015

Five Watt Coffee Shop

Old-school-becomes-new-school cocktails with bitters.  I get that.  But lattes with bitters?  I had to check this out.  After seeing that Five Watt was voted best coffee shop by City Pages, I added it to my list of places to visit.  The weather was amazing today so I ran at Lake Calhoun.  Realizing how close I was to Five Watt, I decided to check it out.  I ordered off the special "espresso cocktail" menu.  No alcohol included, just very inventive creations with bitters.  I went for the Busy Beaver - Maple syrup, Blackstrap Bitters, Cinnamon, Molasses drizzle, Cracked pepper, Espresso, Milk.  Oh my.  Delish.  Since it was warm out, I got it iced.  It barely lasted the two block walk to my car.  Totally beats a generic Starbucks latte.  Added bonuses - they sell Sweet Science Ice Cream and have an open air cafe on nice days.  I'll definitely be stopping back. 


Friday, April 17, 2015

Paint Nite!

Last night I had the pleasure of hanging out with friends at Paint Nite.  I've done similar events with Wine & Canvas and Canvas & Chardonnay.  I've enjoyed every experience.  They are all quite similar - all the supplies are provided and the artist walks you through step by step how to paint the picture.  It's so much fun to see everyone's interpretation of it.  Perfect girls night activity - drink some wine and paint your own masterpiece!

This picture looks more green than it is in person, but here's my finished product:


Tuesday, April 14, 2015

Pizzeria Lola

I saw it featured on the Food Network.  City Pages raves about it.  It's included in best of lists.  So I finally made it there.  I've been excited for quite a while and finally made it happen!  We met a friend and devoured these three pizzas in all their wood-fired glory:

Sunny Side:


Korean BBQ:


Kimchi:


The Sunny Side was absolutely my favorite.  I love over easy eggs, but man.  Putting them on a pizza is pretty much a match made in heaven.  We also ordered the roasted cauliflower and the roasted brussels sprouts which were also so delicious.  I can't rave about this place enough.  It is the best pizza I've had in the metro.  I think what I really like is the wide variety of choices.  You can order something new and special here that you can't get other places. 

Pizzeria Lola also has a good tap list and small patio.  They seem to always be packed so I plan accordingly! 

Sunday, April 12, 2015

Birchwood Cafe

Yesterday we enjoyed brunch at Birchwood Cafe in South Minneapolis.  The food was fantastic.  I loved that they take breakfast staples and kick them up a notch with new and interesting ingredients. 

Savory Waffle:  Kale, quinoa & feta waffle with pineapple pear chutney, lemon rosemary butter, bacon lardoon, sunny-side up egg, Wood’s maple syrup, powdered sugar, sunflower seeds


Eggs Benedict:   Corned grass-fed brisket, braised cabbage, caraway hollandaise, pickled cucumbers, rye english muffin, 2 poached eggs



Quiche:   Sweet potato, dried cranberry, kale, szechuan peppercorn, gruyere


Saturday, April 11, 2015

Ling and Louie's

On Thursday I got the chance to enjoy Ling and Louie's happy hour with my family.  First off, Ling and Louie's bar area is very chic.  An entire wall of strategically coordinated liquor bottles line the illuminated wall giving off a very cool and sophisticated vibe.

The Asian restaurant has a wonderful assortment of appetizers, cocktails, mules, wine, and beer ranging from only $4-$6 every Monday through Friday from 4pm-6pm.  The six of us ordered about 10 appetizers and just devoured them...before pictures could be taken.  My favorites for the night were the BBQ chicken flatbread, california roll, Asian nachos, and potstickers.  I also highly recommend the Refresh cocktail.

Friday, April 10, 2015

Veggie Stir Fry



In an effort to increase my veggie intake, I've started making more stir fry dishes.  Let's be honest, when it's chilly outside, it's just hard to have salad with dinner; I'm craving something hot.  Here is my new favorite:

Ingredients:
  • Broccoli
  • Snap Peas
  • Cauliflower
  • Carrots
  • Zucchini
  • Onion
  • Minced garlic
  • Lentils
  • Rice /Quinoa
I just saute everything in olive oil and add ginger, curry, and salt.  It's so easy to throw everything in the pan, and it only takes a few minutes to heat.  Great as left overs too!!

Optional add-ons:
  • soy sauce
  • Curry simmer sauce
  • Peanut sauce
  • lime juice
  • chicken

Wednesday, April 1, 2015

Marvel Bar

It's like at the end of the movie "National Treasure" where they actually find the hidden treasure.  All the intrigue and excitement at the end of the road, except you are guided by clues from City Pages, those who have been there, and Google Maps.   Minneapolis' speak easy, Marvel Bar, is well hidden and worth the hunt.    I feel totally wrong just spilling the beans but it's in the basement of Bachelor Farmer...don't be afraid to open random doors...alright I'm done. 

Another venture of the Dayton brothers, Marvel Bar is home to some of the metro's most sought after and celebrated bartenders, cocktails, and alcohol selections.  We had some celebrating to do so we chose Marvel Bar as our venue.  The prices were $10-$14 for a cocktail.  They also do flights of various spirits/liqueurs, they have a featured punch ($5 per glass), wine, and beer.  And don't forget the $1 cheetos!  We went with my sister and brother-in-law and just kind of shared everything.  My favorite drink of the night was the Afterburner, made with habanero, ginger, lemon, etc.  Yum.  One thing about the menu - I had no idea what most of it was. 





This was my husband's Amaro flight. Does anybody actually know what that is?

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Black Walnut Bakery

I really have to thank City Pages for their excellent coverage and rating of restaurants, bars, bakeries, and events going down in the Metro.  There are so many things I never would have known about had it not been for City Pages.  Black Walnut Bakery is one of those things.  It's a little pop up bakery located in One on One bike shop in the North Loop.  After hearing about it, I checked out their facebook page and instantly salivated at the images.  I figured this would be the perfect thing to bring for a mid-afternoon get-together with some dear friends. 

I ordered chocolate chip cookies and the following pastries:
-Bostock- almond frangipane & sour cherry
-Kugelhopf- currant, pistachio & orange sugar bun
-Ham & Gruyere Croissant


I think the ham and cheese croissant was my favorite!  

Three tips:  
1.  Her facebook page says she starts selling at 11 on Saturday mornings, but I'd get there early.  There's limited quantity and there was a line! 
2.  You can pre-order goodies by 6pm on Friday and then pick them up on Saturday morning whenever.  There were a bunch of pre-order bags lining the bench she was selling from.
3.  She always posts on facebook what she'll be bringing on Saturday morning!

This is a true pop-up small operation.  She literally has everything she brings for general sales sitting on a cardboard table.   When it's gone, it's gone!  Also, the bike shop also has a coffee shop inside so you can order a latte to go with your purchase!

Sorry, we cut everything up and did our taste testing before any pictures were attempted :)

She specializes more in fancy croissants and such.  She didn't really have anything for donuts.  

Tuesday, March 24, 2015

Bachelor Farmer

Two words:  breakfast appetizers.  Not "sides" like yogurt, fresh fruit, slice of bacon, or a ho hum cinnamon roll that usually frequent the "sides" portion of a breakfast or brunch menu.  No, legit tiny breakfast masterpieces.  Bachelor Farmer's Sunday brunch menu consists of four sections (pertaining to food) and three of them qualify more as these breakfast appetizers.  I'll argue that these three sections - on the cart, smorrebrod (smear bread), and sides - of the Bachelor Farmer menu are more delightful than the actual main dishes.  Thankfully the main dishes on the menu are smaller in size so you can feel free to indulge from these other areas of the menu.

Our brunch started out with Mark Dayton himself opening the door for my sister as she ran inside to put our name on the list.  After an awkward "you go, no you go"/"I am staring at someone famous"/missed photobomb opportunity (love you seester!), she got our name on the list and we parked the cars. 

I did not expect it, but the menu is very Scandinavian.  We had to google some of the items on the menu to figure out what they were.  Here's what we ended up with:

Bottomless coffee!  Duh.

This magical pastry filled with chocolate and butterscotch cream. There's also a perfectly sweet cinnamon roll in the background.



Mini bacon pancakes with syrup



Deconstructed eggs benedict with speatzle



Deconstructed eggs benedict with kale and beans



Everything was quite delicious and sharable.  We ended up not venturing into the smorrebrod portion of the menu.  #fail.  City Pages actually just wrote an article about it yesterday.  The smorrebrod menu consists of open-faced sandwiches - Danish bread with Danish butter and various toppings like fish, bacon, egg, or cow's milk and seeds on top.  They sound wonderfully interesting, we should have gotten one.  Another perfect breakfast appetizer to share - the bread is cut into four small pieces so you can share and order a couple for variety's sake.  

http://blogs.citypages.com/food/2015/03/21_brunch_toasts_at_bachelor_farmer.php

I was also very impressed with the prices - the sides ranged from $4-$7 and the main dishes ranged from $9-$14.  Very affordable for a North Loop brunch. 



Monday, March 23, 2015

Copper River Fish & Chop House

It seems like whenever I read the City Pages' "Best of" list or read buzz about a new restaurant, the location is in Minneapolis or St. Paul.  Sometimes it feels like the 'burbs are only home to fast food and chain restaurants.  This myth was dispelled on Saturday when we went to dinner with friends in their neck of the woods - Lakeville.  The restaurant was beautiful with a cool floor plan design and modern/upscale decor.  It also had a large, inviting patio that I would love to visit in the summer (unfortunately it was too cold to enjoy dinner al fresco on Saturday). Our friends frequent Copper River so I was very excited to finally experience this amazing food they'd been talking about. 

We started the dinner with the complementary warm spinach tortillas and edamame hummus.  I'm such a sucker for variety.  Next we tried the oysters.  They had about 6-7 varieties of oysters on the menu for $2.50 each.  Copper River is known for their seafood so my husband decided to just try all the oysters so he knew which was his favorite for future orders.  I'm really not a huge oyster fan - it's a texture thing.  They were served with horseradish, cocktail sauce, and vinegar ice shavings.  I tried one and thought it wasn't half bad.  Our friends let me try their crab stuffed oysters and that was the ticket.  They oysters are stuffed with crab meat and pesto is drizzled on top.  The gummy texture of the oyster was masked with everything else in the bite and the flavors were the perfect combo.








For the main course, I ordered the blackened mahi mahi which was served with lobster/potato hash and BBQ sauce drizzled on top of the fish.  It was amazing.  My husband ordered the lamb shank with veggies and garlic mashed potatoes.  The lamb was just exquisite.  Perfectly cooked and seasoned. 








We very much enjoyed our meal.  And who knows, maybe more and more new, original restaurants will seek out suburb locations.  Rent is undoubtedly cheaper and there's probably a clientele out there that doesn't want to venture into the city, wander around weird side streets looking for the restaurant because they are too cool to advertise, pay to park, or drink at the bar for an hour while they wait for a table because the restaurant doesn't take reservations.  


Saturday, March 21, 2015

Shag Sushi

Last night we met some friends for dinner at Shag Sushi.  Finally, more adventures in the North Loop!  As soon as we walked inside, it was obvious we were in a Friday night hot spot.  The place was packed and people were dressed in the trendiest duds.  It was actually kind of a funny juxtaposition to the decor of Shag Sushi.  If "Shag" hasn't already tipped you off, this place pays homage to the 70's with purple velvet chairs, orange carpet, and psuedo disco balls hanging from the ceiling.  Beware, the crazy carpet and velvet everywhere don't quite soak up all the sound waves.  The open warehouse style building make it a little loud during a busy Friday night. 

We each ordered a different roll and shared.  Sushi is the perfect food for sharing.  Check out the snap shot below from the menu.  We ordered #1, #4, #5, and the spicy tuna.  They were all quite good!  I've been making my rounds of sushi places, and I am always impressed how each place is able to kind of surprise me and do something different.  My favorite of the rolls that we tried was the #1.  It was loaded with avocado and the sweet sauce drizzled on top was just perfection.  Shag also features Thai dishes on their menu so sushi lovers and non-sushi lovers can still enjoy dinner together at Shag. 



We also ordered drinks.  I had the shagarita (tequila, sake, lime, ginger simple syrup) which tasted good, but was really small.  It was served in a small martini glass rimmed with salt.  While I enjoyed it, it was probably was too expensive for what you actually get.  My friend ordered the mojito which lacked essential lime flavor.  I praise them for the tap list though.  My husband was able to get one of his favorite ciders - Loon Juice - on tap.






Thursday, February 26, 2015

Art Day

One of the times when I feel most like myself and at peace is when I'm inspired and creating something - food, painting, sewing, etc.  Today I decided to make a painting for my Grandma and some art for my guest bedroom.  Big thanks to my awesome coworkers who gave me the paint, paint brushes, and canvas after my surgery!

For the painting on the right, I got paper doilies and just painted over top of them.  Then I painted the scripture verse right on top of that after it dried.



When my husband gives me roses, I let them dry out and keep them.  I didn't know what I was keeping them for, but just really felt like I should.  Finally it dawned on me, put them in a shadow box!  I used hot glue to glue all the roses to cardboard and then I slid it into a shadow box.  It looks so much better in person.  The glass on the shadow box makes it nearly impossible to take a picture of.



My creative process is quite organic.  I tend to only have a vision or idea; not a strong outline of a plan. I find this to be more fun...just start somewhere and see where it goes.  :)  If the outcome isn't perfect, that's almost more fun.  No stress, just creativity.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Fogo de Chao

Meeeaaaattttt.  I have a profound affection for red meat.  When friends asked us if we wanted to join them at Fogo de Chao during restaurant week, we excitedly accepted the offer.  Fogo is a Brazilian steakhouse on Hennepin Ave in downtown Minneapolis.  The fun of Fogo is that gauchos come around to each table with different cuts of meat including pork tenderloin, ribs, bacon wrapped chicken, chicken legs, lamb, top sirloin, and various other fantastic cuts of meat.  It's a very fun experience.  So many new things to try.  Since we did the restaurant week promotion, it was basically half off.  You get the salad bar, most of the meats (excluding some premium cuts like filet mignon), and dessert for $30 instead of $50 (the regular $50 meal doesn't include dessert).  We had a late reservation - 8:30 pm.  That turned out to be about perfect because we ended up getting some of the premium cuts of meat anyway as it was the end of the night and there were left overs.  Basically this is an all you can eat meat buffet....or a more than you can eat buffet.  We left quite stuffed and brought our desserts to go.  I have to comment on how amazing the key lime pie was.



So I guess this was a last meal of sorts for me.  After my surgery, I decided to visit a naturopathic doctor and get some advice on how to reach my full health potential.  I learned that different diets suit different blood types.  I'm a type A which means I respond best to a vegetarian diet and should avoid red meat.  Of course this devastated me, but I'm excited to embark on this new journey today and see if it makes a difference in my health over the next few months until I see the NP doctor again.

Monday, February 23, 2015

Al Vento

I think we found one of the best brunch places in the city.  Yesterday we celebrated a friend's birthday at Al Vento in south Minneapolis.  It's an Italian restaurant that features a wonderful Sunday brunch buffet spread.  Transcending the traditional American continental buffet, they served the following yesterday:  perfectly cooked eggs benedict, scrambled eggs with veggies, mini chocolate pancakes, various pastries, various salads, smoked meats, cheeses, breads, fresh fruit, and a chocolate fountain.  For $14, you can enjoy all you can eat brunch food.  But wait!  There's more!  For $20, you can indulge in the "boozy brunch".  In addition to the food, you can also enjoy unlimited mimosas, bloody mary's, and screwdrivers.  We were three for 3 hours so you can bet we got our money's worth. 




Sunday, February 22, 2015

Midtown Global Market/ East Lake Brewery

A group of us got together with the sole purpose of conquering Midtown Global Market.  Six people, tons of vendors featuring ethnic food, one brewery, one purpose = grab a variety of food and share it so everyone can enjoy trying a ton of different things.  Mission accomplished.  We all got food from different vendors and ended up with a wonderful smorgasbord.  We had a cubano sandwich, bahn mi sandwich, "indurritos" from Hot Indian Foods, chinese noodles, samosa, schwarma, gyro, fried eggplant tacos, Surly cupcakes, and bread pudding.  Unfortunately they had sold out of the camel burgers and roasted BBQ goat.  I was really in the mood to try something totally different.  The food we did get was amazing but I think my favorites were the indurritos and the eggplant tacos.  This is by far the best way to experience the wonder that is Midtown Global Market - go with a group and share. 

Even better than just the market is that there is a brewery inside - East Lake.  We grabbed the food and sat inside the brewery so we could enjoy some drinks with our food.  Thankfully the beer seemed to pair quite well with the ethnic food.  I am not up to drinking yet so East Lake was a perfect choice as they serve two kinds of kombucha.  The blood orange kombucha is to die for.  I did have to sneak a sip of the almond milk stout beer though as I am a huge fan of almond milk.  It was every bit as delightful as I hoped. 

Saturday, February 21, 2015

Vertical Endeavors

My husband and brother decided to do some rock climbing at Vertical Endeavors so I tagged along.  Unfortunately I couldn't climb, but they sure made it fun to spectate!  We went to the St. Paul location right off Phalen Blvd.  This place is really huge.  There are so many great things about this place.   There is tons of rock wall square footage with varying levels of difficulty as well as a variety of terrain to practice on.  If you need a break from the rock wall, they have workout equipment for cardio and weightlifting.  They also have several bouldering walls.  You can do a bunch of different climbing tracks and utilize the automatic belay or have a buddy belay for you.  For just $30, you can rent equipment and stay all day.  Since there is so much square footage, you can really climb as long as you want without taking a break.  We've been to the rock wall at REI which is probably taller and members can climb for free, but you get one climb and then you are done for the day.  If you have more stamina, I think it's definitely worth it to go to Vertical Endeavors instead.  Here's the hubby showing off his flag skills. 


Tuesday, February 17, 2015

Amaretto Ice Cream

So here's the thing.  We got greedy.  The beer ice cream turned out so well that we decided to add a little more amaretto to our next batch than we should have.  We used the same recipe as the beer ice cream, but added 3/4 cups of amaretto (we only added 1/2 cup of beer to the previous batch, but the alcohol content on amaretto is quite a bit higher).  The ice cream didn't quite set up as wonderfully fluffy as the beer ice cream.  But, it is still delicious, just a lot more dense.  I would recommend more like 1/3 c cup of amaretto to get more of the fluffy texture. 

Monday, February 16, 2015

Caribbean Pork Mofongo

When we were in Puerto Rico in December, we fell in love with the local cuisine.  Among our favorite dishes was mofongo.  Mofongo is primarily made of fried plantains.  There are a few ways it can be prepared, but I opted for the "pancake route".  I was so incredibly proud of how it turned out.  It was so easy that I'm sure I'll continue making and tweaking it.  Here's the recipe!

Ingredients
  • 3 green/yellow plantains
  • 4 slices bacon
  • 1/3 onion
  • 1 jalapeno
  • garlic
  •  salt
  • pork loin
Process - Mofongo
  • Cut the plantains into quarters, add to boiling water, sprinkle garlic powder into the boiling water.  Boil until you can poke a fork through them.
  • Cut onion and jalapeno into tiny slices.   Saute with minced garlic.
  • Fry up the bacon slices and crush them up.
  • Add plantains, sauteed veggies, and bacon to a food processor.  Mix until well combined.
  • Form into "pancakes" and fry in the residual bacon grease.
Process - Pork Loin
  • Season and salt the pork loin as you want.
  • Broil on both sides and then wrap in foil and bake at 350 degrees for an hour.
  • Bake at 275 for an additional hour.
  • Open the pork and pull it apart.  It should be quite tender now.
  • Mix in your favorite BBQ sauce and broil until you get a nice caramelized flavor.
 To serve, put the shredded pork on top of the mofongo.

My mofongo.                                                                   Mofongo we had in Puerto Rico.
                     
                        I didn't quite get the structure right, but the      taste was on point!

Sunday, February 15, 2015

Homemade Chocolate Stout Ice Cream

Being off work for several weeks due to having surgery has given me a lot of time to make list upon list to organize and contemplate various things in my life.  One of which was new recipes to try.  We started with a new ice cream recipe.  We used the Southern Tier Choklat beer and made the vanilla base.  Let me tell you it was next level ice cream.  The consistency was perfect - almost like cookie dough.  So light and airy.  Sometimes it gets icy and crystallized, but this was truly perfect.  Enough to make me think we should open an ice cream shop.



Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
  • Pint of heavy cream
  • Pint of whole milk
  • 1 1/4 c sugar
  • 8 egg yolks
  • 1/2 c beer (could probably use a little more)
  • chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Process
  •  Bring cream, milk, and 1/2 c sugar to a boil.  Stir frequently to prevent burning.
  •  Whip egg yolks and 3/4 c sugar together.  
  •  Very slowly add half the heated cream mixture to the egg/sugar mixture.  Very slowly while constantly whipping.  
  •  Then add that mixture to the other half of the cream and return to low heat.  Heat to 170 degrees.
  •  Pour mixture into a bowl and refrigerate for about 24 hours.
  •  After base is properly chilled, add the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips.  
  • Pour into an ice cream maker and let it churn until it expands and becomes well aerated.  
  • Add chocolate chips and pour into freezable containers.  
  • Let freeze for at least 2 hours.  
Stay tuned for the same recipe but subbing out the beer for port wine, amaretto, kahlua, baileys, etc.  

Sunday, January 25, 2015

Paleos

Yeeeeeessssss.  So our friends and I occasionally adhere to the Paleo diet which is fruit, veggies, nuts, and meat.  More strict than gluten free because it's dairy free, grain free, and soy free.  It's incredibly hard to go out to eat and stick to this diet.  Even a lot of salads come with cheese.  The idea is that it's allergen free (especially if you ditch the nuts and only have seeds) and can reset your immune system and help the body heal.  Anyway, when we "go Paleo", we usually just invite each other over for dinner and make a meal from one of our Paleo cookbooks (I personally like "Against All Grain" from Danielle Walker).  What a treat it was when I learned that the Metro's first Paleo restaurant opened up.  But why is it all the way up north in Lino Lakes?  With such a specific menu, I'm a little concerned about Lino Lakes being a viable location.

We met at Paleos for lunch.  We didn't really know what to expect, but were excited to check it out.  I had the avocado eggs benedict.  Basically a poached egg over avocado, chicken, cauliflower rice, spinach, and tomato.  It was honestly delicious.  I'm a little weirded out by eating chicken and eggs together so I never included them in the same bite, but everything was really good.  I also had the paleo-friendly bloody mary.  Well I guess alcohol really isn't Paleo, but that really just meant that there weren't any preservatives - herbs, olives, tomato, vodka.  Then a gluten-free beer chaser.  My husband had the pumpkin pancakes and syrup.  The pancakes were made with coconut flour and pumpkin puree.  They were pretty good, but definitely more dense and moist than normal pancakes.  Then our friend had the portobello mushroom burger.  Yes, the ginormous mushroom was the bun.  We thought the food was good, prices were reasonable, we felt good about eating healthy at a restaurant.  What we thought was a miss was the location and the lack of more baked goods.  There are a bunch of bread, pastries, and bun recipes in Paleo cookbooks that call for coconut flour, coconut oil, and almond flour.  It would have been nice to have more of these options in the restaurant because they can be tedious to make at home.   There were also some non-Paleo things on the menu.  Mostly the alcohol.  I think they needed more of a draw to get people in the door.  I kind of wonder what people who don't know what the Paleo diet is think when they look at the menu.

Bloody Mary


Avocado Eggs Benedict with coconut flour muffin

Pumpkin Pancakes

Portobello Burger

You can still eat normal to some extent with Paleo by getting creative with ingredients.  I think that's partly why I like the diet.  Makes you think a lot more and use things in different ways.  Best lesson I learned - avocado can sub out cheese in most situations.  Anyway, I hope the restaurant succeeds.  I think it's awesome that they took a risk with such a specific niche.  

Beaner's Coffee House

After skiing at Spirit Mountain in Duluth, we warmed up with some coffee at Beaner's Coffee House in West Duluth.  It's a coffee house by day, and then they serve beer and have live bands at night.  Kind of a cool hang out.  They also serve homemade soups, sandwiches, and pizza.  We had dinner plans so we didn't eat, but my mouth was definitely watering as I read the menu.  My brother introduced me to the Mexican Mocha which is not on the menu.  It's a mocha latte with cayenne pepper to give it some heat.  Absolutely perfect after skiing.

Gannucci's

We spent most of the weekend in Duluth.  My brother had the genius idea of getting me a lift ticket to Spirit Mountain, a gift card to a coffee shop, and a gift card to Gannucci's for my Christmas present.  It was awesome.  After skiing, we went to dinner in West Duluth at Gannucci's - an Italian market/restaurant.  It's pretty much a hole in the wall, but the food was pretty good.  We all shared pizza, lasagna, and spaghetti.  I think the best part was the authentic Italian desserts, though.  The prices were incredibly reasonable.  Worth checking out.

The Tangiers

The North Loop is rich with restaurants and bars, some of the trendiest places in town reside there.  I was happy to mark another place off my list on Friday night.  We met some friends at The Tangiers.  

I think the whole point of this place is happy hour and late night.  Most of the restaurant is actually a lounge.  Several clusters of couches and chairs parked around a coffee table.  That was kind of different and fun.  With a big group, sometimes it's weird to sit around a long table.  With Tangiers' set-up, you can easily hang out in a group up to 8 people.  They do have some tables though, for the traditionalists.

The happy hour runs from 5-7.  I loved that it was a bit later.  The happy hour menu is quite extensive and cheap so it was a perfect fit for a large group (everything ranges from $4-$6).  I had the BBQ chicken and pineapple flatbread which was just okay.  My friend had the pesto shrimp flatbread and I liked that one a lot more.  There are two pork belly items on the menu - sliders and tacos - so they must be good.  My husband got the sliders and they really were amazing.  They also had a bunch of drinks on the menu.  They really don't have much of a dinner menu.  Basically it's the happy hour menu but everything is more expensive.  Sounds like the late night scene is live music and a dance floor.  



I thought it was fun.  Just a different atmosphere.  Nice change of pace.

Thursday, January 22, 2015

Du Nord Cocktail Room

You've heard of a tasting room at a winery, you've heard of a tap room at a brewery.  The newest trend to hit the metro is the cocktail room in a distillery.  Yesterday I checked out the recently opened Du Nord Craft Spirits in the Longfellow neighborhood of Minneapolis.  My aunt and I scheduled happy hour at Du Nord to check out their space, the menu, and of course the craft spirits.  We both  enjoy gin so we ordered gin-based cocktails.  Started with the basic gin and tonic so we could appreciate and focus on the flavor of the gin.  Incredibly smooth.  Besides Hendricks, it's probably my new favorite gin.  Then I tried the Steady Eddie which is gin, cranberry juice, and lime sour.  Both were really good cocktails.  But even better than the taste was the price.  During happy hour (Wed - Sat 4-6), the cocktails range from $3.50 to $5.50.  Four drinks and tip amounted to $20.  We were impressed.  The atmosphere has a bit to build on, but I think it would be better on a weekend when there's a food truck parked out front and a band or other activities going on inside.  The cocktail room currently doesn't serve food but you are more than welcome to bring food in from anywhere.  Du Nord offers gin and vodka at this point and they are working on their whiskey program.  They sell in a lot of liquor stores.  They don't have an off sale license yet, so you have to buy a bottle in a liquor store. 

After happy hour we went to Midori's Floating World Cafe which was right down the street on Lake St.  We had some fantastic edamame, tea, and sushi.  Next time I'd plan ahead and bring the sushi to the cocktail room :) 

Wednesday, January 21, 2015

Fondue!

I was invited to a friend's house for dinner last night.  We decided to do something different and venture into the realm of fondue for our meal.  Fondue is one food trend that I don't have much experience with.  I'm not sure why...who wouldn't like assorted fruit, bread, pretzels, etc dipped in hot cheese or chocolate?  We scoured pinterest looking for the perfect recipe - one for cheese and one for chocolate.  Turns out every single thing we found sounded amazing and fun, but we narrowed it down to these recipes:


  • Servings: 4 to 6
  •  
  • 8 ounces kielbasa sausage, cut on diagonal into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 4 cups coarsely grated Gruyère cheese (about 1 pound)
  • 1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons cornstarch
  • 1 cup hard apple cider*
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons Calvados, applejack brandy, or poire Williams (clear pear brandy)
  • 1 Granny Smith apples, cored, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
  • 1 baguette, cut into 3/4-inch cubes 

For the Chocolate Fondue http://www.marthastewart.com/354910/toasted-marshmallow-charred-bread-and-banana-sticks-chocolate-fondue?xsc=soc_pin_2013_12_13_Dessert_Christmas_D&crlt.pid=camp.8CeDt7fQXADi

 

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (1 1/2 cups)
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons bourbon (optional)

For the Skewers

  • 2 rolls Skillet Bread, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
  • 4 ripe but firm bananas, cut into 1 1/2-inch-thick pieces
  • 1 bag (10 ounces) marshmallows 
Both recipes were amazing.  I think fondue is supposed to be super easy - just melt stuff in a pot right?  The chocolate one gave us a little headache but the second batch worked out well.  Apparently it's important to heat the cream to a boil, take it off the heat, add the chocolate, let it all stand for three to five minutes, and then whip it up.  It was kind of fun that both of the recipes called for a little alcohol - added a nice smoky/aged flavor to the cheese and chocolate.  I don't have an actual fondue pot, but I do have a very small crock pot that I think will work just perfectly.  What a fun thing to do with guests!