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{Meatless Monday} Grilled Vegetable Sformato

sformato edited

For my sister’s birthday a few years ago, I gave her a gift certificate to a cooking class that we could do together. Since she’s not a big meat eater, I chose one that focused on great vegetarian dishes. With more and more “experts” talking about the health benefits of cutting back on meat, I figured it wouldn’t hurt to add to my repertoire either.

The class was taught by the wonderful Robin Asbell and held at Cooks of Crocus Hill.   We had a great time, and  over a few glasses of wine, learned to make a bunch of new dishes.  Robin’s “Grilled Vegetable Sformato” was our favorite.

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Bibimbap {a Korean bowl of yummy} + karaoke

bibimbap bowl

A friend found this bibimbap recipe in Bon Appetit and wanted to taste the “real thing” before attempting to make the dish at home. (I love that kind of research!) On our internet search, Hoban in Eagan repeatedly came up as one of the best Korean restaurants in the Twin Cities. So last Friday night we nabbed some friends for an impromptu dinner adventure.

The restaurant is in a strip mall (no surprise there) and looking through the windows from the parking lot, we could see it was packed. About 95% of the patrons were Korean (well, once WE walked in). We figured that was a good sign…

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Pear & Fig & Caramelized Onion Flatbread

pear fig flatbread

We are getting a little anxious for spring and summer to arrive here in Minnesota…  When it does, we fire up the Weber regularly.  When I got over my fear of the grill (I was sure I’d blow up the house) I started grilling everything!

Our favorite go-to griller?   It’s flatbread, hands down!

{First, a note about grilling:  If you’re a charcoal purist, forgive me, but for “Grilling 101” I needed the heat control of gas.  Speaking of heat control, you’ve probably already figured out not to get too close to your subject to peek for doneness.  I’ve been known to melt my mascara just enough to threaten sealing my eyes shut.  Anyway, I hope to move up to charcoal someday, but right now, I just light a charcoal-scented candle to create the ambiance.  I’m kidding about the candle.  Kind of.*}

Back to the pear & fig flatbread…

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My Spice Drawer {or, I wonder if I have OCD…}

spice drawer

When I show my spice drawer to people, they have one of two reactions — either envy, or horror.  If the picture above makes you lean toward envy, read on.  If not, perhaps you’d enjoy another post better.

When we remodeled last year, I went into heavy purge and organize mode.  (BLISS!)  The result is a kitchen in which, after 17 years, there’s a place for everything, and everything is in its place.

(I can’t say the same about my closet, or sock drawer.  Apparently, I have “selective OCD”.)

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Zucchini-Pecan Flaxseed Bread

bread zucchini nuts on cutting board with title

Now would be a good time for global warming to make an appearance.  Enough already with the cold and snow!  I don’t know about you, but I’m so over the big pots of stew, and ready to hit the farmers’ market for lighter, fresher, warm-weather fare!

Right now, I’m planning a “turtleneck burning” party.

In the meantime though, my kitchen is still cranking out comfort food…
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Memorable Meals :: “Meat Candy” @ Victory 44

devils on horseback

We’ve been on a quest lately to break out of our restaurant routine and try new spots.  Especially those that highlight local and sustainable food.  Last night’s experiment required a 25 mile drive to Minneapolis’ North Side, near Husband’s old stomping grounds.

What I like about most of these restaurants we’ve tried – Victory 44 included, is that while they take their food seriously, they don’t take themselves too seriously.  In other words, the restaurant isn’t pretentious at all.  If you’re a foodie, you’ll love it.  If you wander in off the street for a bump and a burger, you’ll love it.  And both are welcome.

We nabbed a high-top table by the front windows, with a great view of the open kitchen.  A blackboard on the wall behind us  listed the day’s menu items, which were pondered over a tasty adult beverage.

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Curried Chicken & Mango Dip

Curried Chicken Mango Dip

I had an amazing group of women over last night for a networking/happy hour of sorts. Since almost all of the guests were folks I’d never met, I decided to stick with some of my tried-and-true apped’ouevres.  This one is pretty much a slam-dunk every time…

It’s an adaptation of a recipe that a caterer traded with me after a party years ago.  It’s great because it’s super easy to throw together the day before, it freezes well (before it’s baked) and you can lighten it up a little if you like.

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{High Maintenance} Buttered Wheat Toast

toast2

I have been known to send food back to the kitchen at a restaurant.  Who hasn’t, right?  The meat is undercooked, the dish isn’t hot, the server forgot to serve the dressing on the side. But I’m not talking about the usual stuff.

I’m talking about toast.

(Wait, your honor!  Let me explain!)

A few years back we were enjoying brunch at a restaurant with our dear friends Jeff and Diane.  Somehow, the question of which one of us was the most “high maintenance” came up.  There had been plenty of “qualifying incidents” on the part of my table companions over the years, so I felt pretty safe.

Then the server came to take our order. Continue Reading →

Grilled Apple Sandwich with Spinach, Havarti & Pesto

sandwich large

One of the joys of working from my home office is that I have easy access to my kitchen whenever the mood strikes.  And it strikes often.

I’ve been struggling trying to learn more about this whole blog-thing and how to make things look like I want them to. {You’ll see that my “Favorite Things” section is labeled as “Coming Soon.”  In the spirit of truth-in-advertising the label SHOULD say: “I have no idea what I’m doing, but as soon as I figure out how to write CSS and HTML , we’ll get some cool stuff posted here.”}

In the midst of some technical difficulties, I figured lunch would help. Continue Reading →

I didn’t want to love them…

sliders

This is Sally constructing some sliders as I post this!

Let me start out with a disclaimer: I’m pro healthy-eating. I’m anti white-bread. I don’t eat processed cheese, and I don’t like pickles. However, every once in awhile, it’s ok to “fall off the wagon” (food-wise) in the name of hunger. Or friendship. Moderation in everything, right?

So my dear friend Sally is truly a character. I love her dearly.  While she’s one of the funniest and most generous people I know, her kitchen skills have mostly centered around Tater-Tot Hot Dish (it’s a Minnesota thing) and other dishes that rely heavily on butter and cheese. (She works for Land O’Lakes, so consider it a hazard of the job.) Continue Reading →