Fresh Tart

Oh, Happy Friday! You know, one of those Fabulous Friday nights, when you go out with a completely cool couple, previously unknown, and just have an enormously great time? This was one of those Fridays, thanks to Sheri & Darin Lynch (Darin is a basketball/client friend of John's). Yeah, good times, and good food to boot. Dinner and lots - LOTS - of yummy Foris '06 Pinot Noir, at Campiello in Eden Prairie. D'Amico, baby, they always know how to do you up, oh yeah. As an appy, we split uber-crispy/spicy calamari, as well as a rich (!), truffly-creamy linguine, mmm. I had a delicious homemade ravioli with roasted chickenand mushrooms, although my true main course was merrily chatting with lovely Sheri, ha. Other dishes 'round the table included gnocchi with slow-roasted pork and taglietelle with bolognese, both of which I was mighty tempted to order myself. All in all, such a fun night, thank you Lynch's for a lovely dinner! (No, I didn't bring my camera, and yes, I wish that I had...)

Other than that? I'm thinking John and I need a very serious run to the grocery store tomorrow to stock up for the supposedly-coming snow storm. Soup, soup, soup, to counter the six-to-ten inches of snow...? We'll see. Nothing will ever compare to the Halloween Blizzard of '91 (yes, I know how old that makes me sound), when I was young and foolish. Was I lovin' my curly hair? Unlined face? Unplucked brows? That was literally Halloween Blizzard Weekend, my friends... Hunkered down at my boyfriend's house, lucky to have arrived in one piece. My car ended up buried outside - looked out the window, it was just...gone - so we went exactly nowhere for the whole weekend. I baked several frozen pizzas and drank quarts of hot chocolate (healthy, ha). Wow, sixteenyears ago, what a difference, ahem, the face she is a-changing (sigh)... Well, anyhow, if it's going to snow, bring it on. It'll be the weekend, we just got a pile of wood delivered today, andhey, I even have a Christmas tree! I'm ready.

So, if you're looking for things to do this snowbound weekend (that don't include frozen pizzas!)...how 'bout baking Foccacia Bread (pictured above) or Rockin' Challah ? Or...a batch of Lindsay's Dipped Gingersnaps? Or... if you're feeling carnivorous, a buttery, roasted chicken (with or without a Chicko, it's all good...)? Or...if after a snowy hike, you're massively craving carbs, Spaghetti All-Amatriciana? Oh, such cozy options, there's nothing like cooking/baking on a cold, snowy weekend (except perhaps grilling/chilling on a fabulously warm, sunny one, but you know, we Minnesotans take what we can get...). Enjoy!

Brrr! It's the real kind of cold out there now, not the fake stuff, oh no. I've even had to wear a coat (no!) these last few days (I usually get away with a cozy sweater, soft hat, and a big ol' fuzzy scarf). Should serve to put me in the mood for the holidays, but I'm having my usual hard time. It always feels to me like Christmas just ended - uh, didn't my tree just come down? Meh. Oh, I eventually get into it - we'll do our tree this weekend - and then I love it. But it's a harder transition every year. And I want that tree up for less and less time. There is no way, no how I am ever putting up a tree as early as Thanksgiving weekend. Egads, noooo!

In a somewhat more gracious mode, I've been cranking loads of food out of my kitchen. I made and brought appetizer pizzas (tomato/basil, bacon/caramelized onion, olive/feta) and almond coconut bars to Nathan's school yesterday, for their monthly faculty meeting. Hopefully tasted good (!), although I kept thinking that by 3:30 p.m., after a long school day, just about anything would hit the spot, ha. The almond coconut bars were a rather last-minute addition that turned out to be quite delicious - chewy, buttery, and best of all...coconut-ty to the max, rarrr. And super-easy, definitely a new addition to my tasty-yet-make-fast repertoire. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Oooh, I also conjured up the most delicious beef soup. I sort of innovated as I walked through Byerly's...grabbed a chuck roast, then fennel, carrots, onions, garlic, mushrooms, rosemary, sage. I browned the roast in some olive oil, took it out of the pot, then sauteed around 1-2 cups each of the chopped veggies, several cloves of minced garlic, and a few sprigs each of rosemary and sage. I put the roast back in the pot, covered it all with water to cover plus one inch, and let it simmer, partially covered at first, and then uncovered for the last hour, for about three hours until the beef was quite tender. I pulled the beef apart (discarded fat) into bite-sized pieces, skimmed fat off the broth, seasoned with lots of salt and pepper, stirred the beef back in the pot, and voila, a hearty, healthy, flavorful beef soup. Good stuff.

And check this out! I got my Romertopf Chicko (pronounced cheeko), but...it's not a Chicko! Close, but not exactly the same. It's just called a "roaster," and it's bigger, which might be nice because you can actually fit vegetables at the base to soak up all the delicious juices (and basting butter, let's be honest here...) I'll need to be returning Lindsay's Chicko to her now, and I'll check in soon on how the, uh, Roaster works (definitely not as cheeky a name as the Chicko, sniff).

Man, I had The Best, most kicked-back, lazy-ass, do-nothing day yesterday, and it was awesome. A no-guilt, slug-city existence, I read a whole book (The Virgin of Small Plains, marginal but entertaining), watched two movies (Higher Learning and the hilarious There's Something About Mary), wore my jammies all day, drank a huge pot of coffee, cooked nothing yet ate like a king (leftovers, baby!)... I basically checked out for an entire day. That does not get to happen very often, if ever, so I really relished it - I oohed, ahhed, giggled, talked to myself, swore, sang, danced, licked my plate, giggled some more. Thanksgiving indeed, oh yeah. Lovely!

But today, I'm over it, itching to get things done. A long, brisk walk, laundry, I already gave the kitchen a good scrub down. I'm also back on for healthier eating, I basically look and feel like a puffy puff puffball - bye bye grains and gravy, hello fruits, veggies, and filtered water. Perhaps I'll simmer up a cozy, healthy soup for dinner tonight, that sure sounds nice. (Not turkey soup, however, I actually quite dislike turkey soup.)

Welcome back, Moderation, I missed ye...

I hope you all had/are having a great day! I certainly did, I had a blast, but uff, I ate too much. The Very Immoderate Epicurean! Man, we had an enormous amount of fantastic food, a real group effort. My mom cooked all day. Stacey's house looked gorgeous. And now her kitchen has officially, comfortably cranked out a big Meyer holiday dinner for 12 - I declare it christened!

Our menu:
Herb-Roasted Turkey and Gravy (me)
Simple Savory Stuffing with Mushrooms & Parmesan (me)
Do-Ahead Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes (me)
Spiced Cranberry Relish Mold (Mom)
Spinach-Artichoke Casserole (Stacey)
Candied Yams (Mom)
Asparagus Casserole (Mom)
Rolls (Mary)
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Caramel Sauce (Marge)
Pecan Pie with Whipped Cream (Marge)
Wine, Coffee

You see? UFF! I had some of every damn one of those delicious things...and loved every bite! I'm happy to report that the turkey turned out juicy and flavorful, with deeply browned, crispy/crunchy skin, pretty killer if I do say so myself.

Cooper was a Superstar, running around, playing, talking, and getting re-familiarized with my cousins Kim, Craig, Michael & his wife Amanda; and my aunts and uncles Mary & Bruce and Marge & Jim. He announced "Gahmma!" when my mom walked in the house, ca-yute to the max. He was busy as a "bum-bee," run, run, run.

Mary & Bruce and Michael & Amanda actually arrived last night. We had a late, tasty dinner ofgrilled lamb chops, roasted broccoli, sauteed wild mushrooms, warm bread (with Hope Creamery butter, yay!), and apple spice cake with whipped cream. Boy oh boy, when we wrapped up dinner at oh, around midnight, we were one tired group. Zzzz...

Speaking of tired...yep, 'tis bedtime. Soooo time to put this full tummy down for the night. Safe travels! Sleep well! And Happy Digesting, y'all.

In case you're wondering, I am thinking about Thanksgiving and in fact started cooking today! I'm thankfully (ha) not hosting - my sister Stacey is - but we're making the meal together, for 12 people, so there's plenty to do. I'm following the turkey, stuffing, and gravy recipes I posted last year, as well as making a big batch of Deluxe Do-Ahead Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes, my aunt Mary's recipe for The Best mashed potatoes in the world. And, as the name would suggest, they're do-ahead, a big bonus on the big day, since draining and mashing huge pots of hot, steaming potatoes is bad for your fabulous holiday hair-do, not to mention your favorite silk blouse. Shiver!

So, the turkey is a'brining and the gravy stock is a'simmering...it's starting to smell a lot like Thanksgiving! The turkey will actually roast at Stacey's - I'm making her a fair trade tomorrow, my nephew Cooper for a brined turkey, ha (we're overdue for a dose of Cooper-Cuteness around here, so he's coming for a visit tomorrow morning). She'll actually roast the turkey at her house on Thursday, after it's air-dried in her fridge overnight Wednesday. She and Mom are making Cranberry Relish, Candied Yams (the classic), and one of my favorite dishes, my stepmom Susanna's Spinach Casserole. Full of artichoke hearts and mushrooms, and topped with sliced tomatoes and buttery bread crumbs, it's that winning combination of beautiful and delicious. And it's easy, and do-ahead, therefore a perfect addition to Thanksgiving dinner. (Recipes posted in comments, below.)

My aunt Marge is baking her amazing pies, my aunt Mary is bringing bread and wine, my cousin Kim is bringing an appetizer, and we're going to be very good to go. I. Can't. Wait! If I don't have a chance to check in before the big day, Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

So, to pick up on a couple of riffs from yesterday (and no, don't worry, I am NOT drinking beer today, ha)... First, dinner at Fogo de Chao was fantastic! What a blast! What a scene! That place is hoppin', people, and while many of the customers were Badger fans (how do I know? Because Badger fans wear their red Bucky clothes all the time, including out for dinner at Fogo de Chao...), I have a feeling that the place does just fine on other nights too. It's HUGE! And festive, with adorable Brazilian gaucho chefs wandering around with skewers of succulent fire-roasted meats - lamb and chicken and tri-tip beef, oh my! The entire staff is Brazilian, as far as I can tell, so Mary (my college Portuguese professor) chatted up a storm (in Portuguese, natch) while I offered the occasional "obrigada" (thank you) and then asked Mary, "Um, how do I say, 'My name is Stephanie?' in Portuguese?" Yeah, great memory. I can remember outfits I wore to class... I can remember which football players were in my class (as my stepmom Susanna recently reminded me, I did have quite a soft spot for the football players in my Portuguese class, rarrr)... I can remember all sorts of (high school) French... But actual Portuguese, I got nothin'. Obrigada, brain, obrigada.

Anyhow, my camera battery was dying (thus the horribly grainy pic), but I just had to try to capture this unlikely scene: my tiny, pretty mother, she who birthed two un-tiny daughters (me-5'11" and Stace-5'10"), with her tiny appetite, staring wide-eyed at these big ol' skewers of roasted meats, totally being a good sport while the gauchos offered slice after slice after slice... I have to admit, I couldn't eat much either, I was too full from all that damn Badger Blast beer. And the several bites of the Be-Wiched roast beef sandwich John brought home for me (be sure to check out Be-Wiched, it rawks). But it was great to see Mary Schil, and her friends Ron & Linda and their daughter Brooke. Especially when I offered them a ride back to their hotel, thankfully only a few blocks from Fogo de Chao - seeing a man as big as Ron (he's the one next to my mom, above), riding on all fours in the trunk of my not-large wagon (the only way he could fit)... I haven't laughed that hard in a very, very long time. Thank goodness he laughed right along with us. Damn, I'm wiping my eyes all over again. Ron = Good Sport, fo sho.

So, oh! The second riff is that I'm definitely going for the roasted Chicko chicken tonight... I'll post later on the specifics, but for now my plan is to keep the first attempt simple. Nothin' but salt and butter, baby. And did I mention that Nathan and John are, as I write, making a run to Maverick's for their killer roast beef and brisket sandwiches (John's clearly got a sandwich thing goin' this weekend)? Uuuurrrrgh... Moderation, Moderation, wherefore art thou, Moderation? Stay tuned...

Alright, I'm back with my roast chicken update! The Chicko is brilliant, absolutely brilliant. After a bit of a beginner's hiccup (I initially had the bird legs-down, kinda like a headless Buddha, then quickly realized it was going to cook more evenly legs up - I also realized that breast-down means more succulent white meat, always a good thing), I was good to go. No turning required (I did baste with melted butter a few times), just a beautifully crispy, juicy, browned chicken. So it's official - I'm a certified Chicko-phile! A Chicko-Chick! Leggo my Cheeky Chicko! Well, when I actually get one... Which will be soon, I just ordered one; with as many times as I roast chicken for dinner, I figure I might as well make it as good as possible, as soon as possible, non? Thanks to Kevin and Kristi for discovering and proselytizing this little beauty, and to their disciple Lindsay for loaning me her Chicko in the (successful!) effort to convert me. Amen.

On Wisconsin, Part Deux!! I tell ya, once you go to the University of Wisconsin-Madison, it never leaves you... Nevahhhhh! Even if you want it to, ha...but then again, who would want it to? What's not to lurve about all the beer, cheese, and brats one can eat for $25? While chewing along to the beat of the fabulous Wisconsin Marching Band playing If You Want to Be a Badger? Yes, today was the biannual Badger Blast, a monstrous (3,000-person!) downtown Minneapolis get-together of pre-Gopher/Badger game Badger fans, replete with my beloved Triple-Threat Bs: Bucky, Band, & Beer, baby (quadruple if you count brats). Woo friggin' hoo! On Wisconsin, yeah!!!!

Ahem. So, I ended up at the Badger Blast thanks to my crazy-fun-tiny-green-eyed neighbor Lindsay Polyak, nee Kappa (KKG)Lindsay Hykes. We were in Madison at the same time, but despite knowing several of the same boys & bars, never knew each other. I didn't know her equally-crazy-SAE-bro Kevin Hykes either. Where the hell was I, Hykes-less in Madtown? Glad I'm Hykes-ful in Minneapolis, whew!

In fact, it turned out to be nothing less than a big ol' neighborhood party, since several of my neighbors are Badgers. And there were several non-Badger neighbors as well, happy to be at the Badger Blast 'cuz, well, they're born party-ers. Yep, funny thing, I ended up in a neighborhood of like souls, ha. John would rather die than go to a beer-drinkin', brat-eatin' Badger anything, so it's fun to have friends and neighbors who are ready to jump right in - YESSS! In fact, thanks to my neighbor John Miller for post-Blast brewskies at Rosen's (because we all needed morebeer, ha). Good thing Beer Is Food, since I forgot to eat a brat (too busy talking, shocker, I know) and I don't want to count the revolting bite of cheese that I (and Kristi) took off of a huge chunk o'cheese being passed around by some random crazy drunk dude.

Soooo, food-wise, Lindsay loaned me a fabulous uh, cooking device (?) called a Romertopf Chicko (prounounced cheek-o). How to describe the Chicko? Well, let's see, how about an enormously phallic ceramic juicer, that's what first came to mind when I saw it. It's purpose has nothing to do with large oranges, however, but everything to do with roasting the perfect chicken. You, uh, penetrate a whole roasting chicken with the Chicko, then set it in a hot oven, and roast the little bird to crispy, buttery, roasted chicken perfection, no turning required. I'll have to get a few more details from Lindsay, via her foodie brother Kevin, who totally discovered this beauty while on vaca in Europe with his fabulous wife Kristi. I'm thinking perhaps a Sunday-night, Chicko-roasted chicken...stay tuned...

Why not tonight? Because this eve, I'm dining out a la Brazilian, at Fogo de Chao, with my my mom and my Portuguese professor Mary Schil (in town for the Badger game). I'll check in later with the very meaty details...Fogo de Chao is a traditional churrascaria, serving slices of meat off of roving skewers. Can't WAIT, yum.

La La Lucia's! It has been awhile since a stop by my favorite restaurant, so when John had a last-minute suggestion to slide in last night, I said (screamed) YESSS! I was really tired, and not at all in the mood for cooking (I had planned exactly nothing for dinner), and it was cold and blustery outside...in my book, the perfect recipe for a lovely night at Lucia's. I ducked into the warm, cozy front room, full of happy people, sipping perfect wine and eating pretty things, and thought, ahhhh, I am home. What? I'm not home, what a weird thing to think. I sat down, became one of those happy people, sipping perfect wine and (thinking about) eating pretty things, and it hit me - BAM - why I had the "I am home" feeling. Lucia's is...my WIFE! Or the wife I wish I had. You know, the 1950s version who has a delicious dinner ready for me at the end of the day, in a warm, cozy room, with a nice glass of wine. What a fabulous thought. I smiled, ordered a thick pork chop, sipped my wine, and waited for my husband while I enjoyed my wife. NICE.

Then tonight, I was out the door again, this time to hook up with the Baseball Moms at McCoy's. We were a pretty small group this time, but it was of course way fun to sip beer, howl, and talk it to death with Beth, Bobbi, Sonja, and Brage. Thanks for the fun night, ladies!

Definitely time for beddy bye, bye, bye... G'night!

Here, there, and everywhere, blowing around with the wild November winds! Of note:

A Persian-style Saturday lunch with Mary Pappas and Kathie Radcliffe, at Shiraz Fire Roasted Cuisine. Always fabulous to giggle and gossip with Mary and Kathie, especially while sipping hot tea from tall cups and eating fluffy saffron rice with beef/lamb skewers and fragrant stews. No belly dancer (she only shakes it on Friday and Saturday nights), but a belly full o' tasties, with a side of belly-shakin' laughs (and I'll quit with that now, belly-up).

A wild-n-crazy trip to JoAnn Fabrics, of all places, to buy supplies for Nathan's FACS class. Who knew that a fabric store could be so, so, so, PACKED?! (Uh, obviously not me.) Look out for aggressive ladies who sew, sheesh! I had to come home and make spaghetti to recover...

Date Night dinner with John at 112 Eatery. Good, but not great, which is noteworthy given that it's, you know, 112 Eatery.Nothing horrible, just not...fabulous. Except for the boned, pressed chicken, served with lots of fresh lemon and parsley. That is one delicious dish, and it was its usual crispy, juicy, flavorful self.

Tuesday Morning Coffee with Suz and...Cooper! The Maven couldn't make it, but The Coopster could (shown here in various snuggle-bunnies with his cat, Co, aka the snuggliest cat EVAR; I've been itching for a reason to post these insanely cute pics), and he acquired a new word in the process: "Susie!" Yay for Susie!

And speaking of Susie...a hootin' Holiday Open House, hosted by my neighbor (and co-Badger) Lindsay Polyak and her sister-in-law Kristi Hykes! At Kristi's gorgeous home, at which Silpada Susie was a vendor, along with a few other lovely ladies and their wares, including my neighbor Jen Baxter. Lindsay baked piles of decadent goodies (she's an amazing baker), including her dipped ginger snaps, as well as lemon bars and several versions of chocolate-caramel-deadly-little-mothers.Goooood stuff.

Nathan's first basketball game, which his team won in over-time, very exciting! We celebrated by doing... nothing, it was a school night and everyone was wiped (and I was at above-said party). Nathan did homework, and I think had cereal for dinner, poor soul. (Although it was his choice - John offered his specialty, nuked hot dogs, but Nathan took a pass...) We'll get back on track tonight with a traditional pot roast I actually made yesterday (cooking ahead a bit). I think I'll serve Nathan his as a sandwich, he's had a hankering for a roast beef sandwich lately.

Or not. We'll see where the wind blows us...

Big baking day today, not my usual, but I had an awful lot of fun. Neither of the treats are for here - thank goodness! - but for sharing via John's office bake sale tomorrow and our neighborhood women's association gathering tonight. I bake something for John's colleagues every year, for their annual United Way fundraiser. This year I made a two-layer coconut cake and pulled out an old favorite bar recipe of my mom's - Cheesy Vanilla Fudge Bars. I in fact doubled the bars and am bringing a batch to the party tonight, easy enough. And I mean eeeeaaasy, I'd forgotten that they're a little heavy on the prepared-mix ingredients, due to the fact that they're a Pillsbury promo-creation from the - yes, cheesy! - 1970s. No Scharffen Berger bittersweet chocolate or imported butter here! But no matter, they RAWK. Big time, in fact - Stace and I used to go wild for these babies when we were kids. You store them in the fridge which makes them extra chewy, mmm. So tie on a ruffly, checked apron, pop a Swanson's TV dinner in the (real!) oven, turn on the Mary Tyler Moore show, and bake up a batch of Cheesy Vanilla Fudge Bars while you sip Martini & Rossi, On the Rocks. Say YESSSSS! (Recipe posted in comments, below.)