Fresh Tart

Terribly tricky to be moderate at Broadway Pizza, arguably the best 'za in the Twin Cities. An old-fashioned, no-frills, thin-crust pie, with just the right amount of lightly-spicy sauce and molten cheese. That melty-over-crisp thing is what pizza is all about (to me), stirring happy college memories of heavenly, perfect after-bar slices, wolfed down at 2 a.m. like it was the first food I'd had in weeks (even though I'd probably had a burger, or even pizza, for dinner). OK, perhaps not that dramatic these more sober (!), grown-up days, but still... So Damn Good, especially at the flagship shop (Broadway and River Drive in North/Northeast), which even at five in the afternoon is a-humming. I indulged along with Stacey, Cooper, Nathan, Mom, John, and Sasha, celebrating Mom and Sasha's joint March 21st birthdays - Happy Belated Birthday Mom and Sasha! We all happily ate too much (even Little Cooperstar had four pieces!) and scattered for various Sunday-night activities. Including...

...hijinxing with my minxes, woo hoo! Nothing like following up a salty pizza feast with wine and salty chat courtesy of Kim & Suz! I find hooting, howling, and shrieking with the girls particularly good for the digestion (not to mention the soul) and recommend the strategy highly.

Unforch, despite earlier-in-the-day efforts to balance out the pizza we knew was coming (a nice amount of exercise, water, and a light breakfast and lunch), I am a salinated puffball this morning. It's a green tea, fresh fruit Monday for me! BIG time, ack. And I'll be taking that tea on the hot side, given the snow falling as I write this. March - in like a lion, out like an a**hole (snarl).

I'm steering myself toward spring-y, lighter fare these days. The two trips in a row - despite lots of walking and beautifully fresh fruits and veggies - definitely have me feeling weighed down. Blech. My butt declares it's high time to cash in on the mood boost of these longer days of sunlight (cuz I'm sure not relying on balmy temps) and ease up on the output of my kitchen. The nesting has been great fun (wine in front of the fireplace? Popovers with Hope Creamery butter? Wine and popovers with Hope Creamery butter in front of the fireplace?) but it feels great to be getting outdoors more, too.

In that vein, salads are tasting particularly good to me. Yeah, we eat them all winter of course, but my latest love is lighter on the green, heavier on the other colors. A chopped salad of sorts, although a shaved salad is probably a better description. Paper thin slices of a variety of veggies allows a burst of flavor in each bite - more exposed surface area, seriously - and a nice texture, crisp but not outright crunchy. With a generous squeeze of fresh lemon, a drizzle of best olive oil, coarse salt, and lots of freshly ground pepper, it just tastes like spring. Spring! And it's a great way to rummage through the crisper and make something pretty and tasty with what's on hand - tonight's version included equal amounts of shaved mushrooms, radishes, scallions, celery, carrots, romaine hearts, and red pepper. If the slices are thin enough (use a sharp chef's knife or mandoline), you can use any raw vegetable - broccoli stalks, asparagus spears, kohlrabi. Light & lovely, your butt and taste buds will thank you.

Fab Friday! And a beautiful one to boot - lalalaaah! The sun is shining and slowly melting all that damn snow. I squeezed in Friday Morning Coffee with Suz, the first in many weeks. And since I flew solo for dinner, I made myself a plate of tasty, healthy favorites - fish (in this case cod), a smidge of polenta, and lots of braised curly kale. Feeling good, feeling good.

I've been buying cod lately and lucking out with very fresh, tasty fish. I just sprinkle it with a little salt, then saute in olive oil until just-done, a few minutes per side (it only browns a bit). I squeeze lemon into the pan, maybe toss in a few capers, and voila, the fastest "sauce" ever. Yum. And as I've weirdly raved before, I flat out cravepolenta + kale. The texture of slightly chewy greens alongside soft, creamy polenta, mmmm, love it. Nothing particularly involved, in fact very quick to prepare (when I make polenta for myself, I only simmer 2 Tbsp. in a cup or so of water until smooth and creamy; takes 15 minutes max). Another example of a meal that no one else in my family would touch (John loves fish, but kale and polenta, not so much; the kids - yeah, right). Good thing I'm quite happy to cook for myself and eat alone!

Although dining with others is lovely as well - especially last night, when John and I had dinner with our neighbors Kasey & Dan Hatzung at Spasso in Minnetonka. Spasso, owned by The Wine Shop, has been open for oh, about a week, so we'll forgive them a few goofs, like serving our entrees before our appetizers (!) Luckily it didn't much matter - we shared everything anyhow. The wine list helpfully included point scores from various wine reviewers (e.g. Robert Parker, Wine Spectator). Scores aren't the be-all, end-all of course, but they are helpful when you're staring at a list of a hundred wines, your nice waitress clearly knows nothing about wine, and you would like to try something new.

The unanimous favorite was their version of the Spanglish (as in the movie) Sandwich - a BLT, jazzed up with a fried eggand basil mayo. Seriously good. A couple of pasta dishes didn't blow anyone away - over-cooked pasta, flavorless sauces. I enjoyed the polenta fries but I'm not sure anyone else did - I mean, what would I not like about fried polenta? This version was crisp on the outside, creamy in the middle, smokin' hot and not greasy, served with little flavored mayos - a rather odd combo but tasty nonetheless. For dessert we tasted tirimasu (fine, not great) and pear bread pudding (positively delicious). Although Kasey & Dan live across the street, in typical winter-in-Minnesota fashion, we've hardly seen them for months, so it was great to steal them away from their cutie-pie little boys for an evening.

Or two - we'll all be at a neighborhood cocktail party tonight! (In fact, I'd better kick it into gear and spiff myself up at least a bit...)

Well, there it is, our Bizarre Foods debut behind us. Whew! I was very nervous watching last night (although not as nervous as I was on my way to film it, ack). I thought the food looked delicious (it was) and not overly bizarre, right? In fact, we lucked out hugely being invited for the lovely Heartland gig - how 'bout those burgers topped with big scoops of peanut butter and mayo? Man, give me brains poached in cream and pickled tongue over that any day.

We appeared much quieter than we actually were, although I laughed out loud - and all day - at John matter-of-factly saying he was happy to have eaten testicle. You can just imagine the comments he's gotten today, at basketball and at the office, funny. All in all, a very cool experience indeed.

Today, I continued with this Mexican food jones I've got going. After white chicken chili last night, I grilled pork tenderloin this evening, to eat wrapped in fresh, warm corn tortillas with "pickled" onions, avocado slices, and a crumble of feta (standing in for queso fresco). Sort of a quicker, lighter take on carnitas. And frankly, just as delicious. (Recipe posted in comments, below.)

Well, tonight's the big night, Bizarre Foods - Minnesota! I'm very curious to see how our meal at Heartland, with Andrew and our friend Aaron Mack, plays! Yeah, we ate various and sundry parts, but it was all so deliciously and attractively prepared that it was easy to dig in. Chef Lenny Russo certainly deserves the attention - he's a nice man, terrific chef, and has been preparing locally-sourced, best-quality ingredients for years. And Zim and Aaron are charming dinner guests, even off camera (ha). So here we go, wheeeee! Tune in and let me know what you think - Travel Channel 9 pm CST/10 pm EST. For Andrew's thoughts on the episode, check out his Bizzare Foods blog.

Pretty low-key on the food front since my return from San Fran. My usual post-trip, post-indulgence, de-puff plan - lots of hot tea and plenty of fresh vegetables and fruit. That means no brains, tongue, or wild boar balls, just a simple souffle for dinner last night (a peek in the pre-grocery-shop fridge revealed a few eggs and a small piece of gruyere), to which I added plenty of tender-crisp broccoli and mushrooms (luckily in pretty good shape in the crisper; funny how John hadn't dug into them while I was away...). I'm also still enjoying the pot of navy beans I simmered yesterday - tonight I made a simple "white" chili with chicken to ladle over them. Spicy, with a hint of cream, nicely hit the spot on yes, another cold day in Minnesota.

Yeah, yeah, dullsville, sorry - but even Andrew has to come home from trips and just eat a salad once in awhile, you know?

Bit on the tired side today, after making a BIG caffeine mistake yesterday - after our lovely Easter dinner, I sipped not one but two delicious mugs of dark, French-press coffee with my lemon pie. Someone didn't pay a bit of attention to whether it was decaf or not. (Talk much, Stephanie?) Guess what I discovered, oh, around 1:30 a.m., with twitchy legs and brain afire? It was the real deal, fully loaded, liquid meth as far as my mostly decaffeinated body is concerned. Vroooom! If only coffee had worked for me that way in college...

But no. Hey, it least it was a bracing 14-degrees this March morning to slap the sleepy right out of me. Hello Minnesota! (California dreaming right about now, indeed.)

Good thing it's supposed to warm into the 40s later this afternoon. To melt this new snow, for one thing - good Lord but snow-be-gone! Plus, for some reason (commonly known as reality), I'm needing a good, long walk and nothing but whole, nutritious food. It's been a lovely run, oh yes, but it's time to moderate. Again. Sounds familiar, no?

I'm making a big pot of navy beans, so filling and fortifying and just sounding right. They're simmering as I write, with pieces of garlic, onion, fennel, carrot, and celery, as well as a bouquet garni of parsley, sage, rosemary, and bay leaf. I originally envisioned eating them without much liquid, perhaps as a salad, perhaps alongside a lovely piece of fish, but the broth is so fragrant and flavorful, I may end up eating (and freezing) them as soup. Stay tuned...

PS Here's a good reason to eat beans (and other starchy foods) cooled to room temp (or chilled) - resistant starch. Remember the term, I have a feeling we're all going to be hearing a lot more about it, since it does neat things like help the body burn more fat (by fermenting in the digestive tract - mmm) and stabilize appetite. It's not a coincidence that resistant starch naturally occurs in many unprocessed, whole foods that we already know help the body burn fat and stabilize appetite - whole grains, vegetables, fruits. You know how it goes, how it always goes. Eat real, unprocessed food. Check out this article for a good intro.

Happy Bunny to You! Ahh, home. Nathan and I got off the plane from San Francisco this afternoon and went straight to my Dad & Susanna's for Easter dinner with my aunt Mary & uncle Bruce, as well as Stacey& Cooper. Couldn't ask for a sweeter way to ease back in to winter, you know? Garlicky, crusty leg of lamb with cucumber-yogurt sauce; creamy, deadly pommes dauphinoise (a Meyer-family favorite, I believe originating with my aunt Jean, recipe posted in comments below); fresh, warm bread; salad with pears and pecans; and lemon pie with whipped cream. Yeah, the food in San Fran was incredible, but home does not suck when Susanna and Mary are cooking! Even after four consecutive 70-degree sunny days, in one of the most beautiful cities in the world, it is (mostly) good to be home - no small task, thank you Susanna & Dad!

So, back to San Francisco for a moment...Nathan and I opened our Food Adventure with a Chinese dim sum feast at Tian Sing, near our hotel and very tasty. Shatteringly crisp spring rolls, delicate steamed shrimp dumplings, pillowy-soft steamed barbecue pork baos, and garlicky, crunchy Chinese broccoli... Happy start indeed, woo hoo!

Thursday we hopped on a cable car to always-hoppin' Fisherman's Wharf. It just happened to be lunchtime, so we ducked into In-N-Out Burger before the madness hit (and oh did it hit, about three minutes after we ordered), a major highlight for Nathan. Easy enough to order at this California fast-food superstar - the menu consists of burgers and fries, baby, burgers and fries. Fresh beef + fresh-cut potatoes = deliciousness. We walked off the burger-y excess (ack) along the waterfront, cruising various piers, parks, and shops for the entire, sunny afternoon.

Friday we boarded a ferry for a tour of Angel Island and Alcatraz. The appropriately named Angel Island - as in, heavenly - is the largest island in the bay and pretty much one of the most stunning places I've ever seen. (Nathan and I ate a picnic lunch alongside this charming little cove, with a hill of fragrant eucalyptus trees behind us.) Alcatraz is stunning too, while at the same time entirely creepy and depressing. The audio walking tour is a must-do, lively and fascinating, narrated by gravelly-voiced former guards and inmates and punctuated with (very, sometimes overly!) realistic sound effects.

We made it back to the hotel just in time to be picked up for dinner by my cousin Blake, who lives in San Franciso proper with his wife Tegan, daughter Gracyn (5), and son Knox (3). Blake and Knox (only the boys were able to join us for dinner) whisked us off to Sausalito (over the Golden Gate Bridge, woo hoo!) for bay-side deliciousness at Fish. Nathan had his first fish-n-chips dinner ever (thumbs up), while Knox enjoyed "chicken"-n-chips (wink), and I downed yummy grilled-fish tacos.

Saturday, sweet Saturday, we toyed with the idea of renting a convertible to drive up the coast, through wine country hills, and back to the city to catch all the breath-taking sights and scents of rural NoCal. (We decided we needed two more days - one to drive north of the city, one to drive south, to visit my aunt Jean and uncle Del - Blake's parents - in Carmel. Next time...) But we settled on an even better idea, thanks to Blake's suggestion to head first thing for the famous Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market. Oh Lord, if only we all had access to such glory! A beautiful bounty of fresh, locally grown produce and meat, available year-round (!), along the waterfront to make it, you know, ridiculously (painfully) gorgeous. Man, it was just insane. OK, I was just insane, walking around completely jealous of the locals casually buying fresh flowers, crusty bread, fresh pastries, organic meats, fresh fish and shellfish, artisanal cheeses, Napa Valley wines, local beers, fresh vegetables (including a whole stand of wild mushrooms!) and fruits. Picture our Minneapolis Farmers' Market (which I love) about twenty times more sophisticated and lovely. Foodie. Heaven.

And then...Mexican tasties (yes, here I go again), giddily ordered at Mijita Cocina Mexicana, a permanent cafe in the Ferry Building. Fresh, authentic, a little Mexican cafe like this would clean up in Minneapolis, don't you think? I mean, I know there are lots of yummy little taquerias around, which I've admittedly totally under-explored, but this place was so accessible, and so real, I couldn't help but sigh a bit knowing there wasn't quite an equal 'round these parts. Which is probably a good thing, in the name of moderation and such... (After chowing down on carnitas with tomatillo salsa; a fresh masa quesadilla filled with cheese, epazote, and roasted chiles; guac (of course); and chilaquiles drizzled with crema and served alongside creamy beans, we were a bit, uh, full. Good thing there's such a huge, cool Chinatown in which to walk off a Mexican feast!)

Soooo...as I said, we're back in the black-n-white photo we call home, and it's...good? Lovely Easter dinner definitely smoothed the transition. A good night's sleep never hurts. It's a little sad that Spring Break '08 will soon be but a happy memory, but hopefully a spring of our own is coming to distract us - soon?!

Hey, I forgot to say Happy St. Patrick's Day yesterday! Mostly because I hardly thought about it, until I decided to rummage through the cooler to see what I could scare up for dinner. What I discovered was quite green - green beans and arugula - hey, a subconscious St. Patty's Day dinner! I created a soup with the arugula, basically following the delicious watercress soup recipe I posted awhile back - a simple broth, pureed with fresh greens and a bit of cream. We also had a few shrimps, which I chopped and sauteed with minced garlic and included as a garnish. All nice. Green beans, boiled until just-tender, finished with a bit of butter and a sprinkle of salt. The way my Grandma Meyer always made them. As in, simply perfectly.

(That might look like Irish soda bread in the background, but I wasn't that motivated - just a whole-grain Toast to Bread baguette that I pulled from the freezer. Sorry!)

I'm trying my best to stabilize on the food front these days - Mexico threw me way off my game, and my body reacted so badly (puffpoof!), I'm really looking forward to getting back to normal. Since my return I've consumed many pots of magically depuffing green tea, a variety of fresh fruit and veggies, and attempted to steer away from processed grains. (Easier said than done while entertaining!) The efforts have paid off, although I leave for San Francisco tomorrow - one of the most amazing food cities in the world. Aaaagh! But since I'm traveling with Nathan (not John), the focus won't be on fine dining/wine, plus we'll be walking a lot, so hopefully moderation will rule the day, even while on vaca. (No surprise here, I am, er, particularly moderation-challenged while on vaca...) Stay tuned...

Didn't even come close to posting again yesterday, ah well. Even an exhibitionist like me has to hole up for a bit! Not to mention, it's been a mite crazy around here these days, what with being away and having house guests and such. And Nathan and I are outta here again on Wednesday, this time to San Francisco, just the two of us. Way to over-schedule?! But what the heck, it's been a long winter, spring is coming, and we can't wait to fly the coop - yet again!

Speaking of Coop...my nephew Cooper's 2nd birthday party yesterday was hilarious. Cooperstar, in his bow-tie, preppy J. Crew pants, and red Chuck Taylors, completely stole the show. He was the calmest, chillest kid in a group of, well, utter wildness. Screaming, jumping, laughing, crying kids, all under the age of 5, having the time of their lives...as my sister Etta said, Teenage Birth Control, oh yeah. Great to watch Cooper Coolness handle it all with aplomb, have my family all in one spot, eat killer chocolate birthday cake with buttercream icing, and watch Coop's face while everyone sang Happy Birthday. Awwww, Cooper...priceless! And great job Mommy Stace and Daddy Bowen!

Speaking of cute, beyond-hip kids - check out this YouTube video of my friend Maud's nephews getting their first skateboards. (Their dad is having a pretty sweet time too...) Beautifully shot, it's the essence of "kid" and will leave you smiling. And wishing you lived in California, sigh.

So...Mexico! Playa del Carmen, at the Fairmont Mayakoba, absolutely spectacular. Michelle and I had smooth-like-buttah flights (she from NYC), arriving at the same time. Since this was a work award trip for her, we had cocktail parties to attend most nights, but they were lovely and fun. Beyond that, we were totally on our own. Of course we hit the guacamole and margaritasimmediamente - every bit as fabulous as I had anticipated, if not better, especially while over-looking white sand and the turquoise-blue Caribbean, ahhh. As we kept saying, This Does Not Suck!

Our first full day, Thursday, we actually motivated for an activity - riding ATVs! What a dorky BLAST. We rode through the jungle, and alongside the beach, with stops to explore a cave, dip our toes into a crystal clear, freshwater oasis-pond, and splash in the ocean a bit. It was a pretty physical experience - we bumped and jerked over rocks and roots, and through twisty-turny brush. I've never been on an ATV before and I've concluded it's not something I need to do every day, ha - they are hot, very loud, and scarily powerful. But for a one-day adventure, I loved it.

After that, we were all spa and beach, baby. Lunches beachside every day - to me, my very favorite part of the trip. We couldn't get enough of the tomatillo gazpacho, spicy shrimp cocktail, or crab tostadas, rarrr... In fact, the food and scenery on the resort were so excellent and varied that we hardly needed to leave! But we did venture into Playa del Carmen for dinner Friday night. Strolling the festive cobblestone downtown and enjoying an incredible Maya-cuisine meal at Yaxche were definitely highlights, lovely. We shared several plates including shrimp, turkey, vegetable, and black bean dishes, seasoned with achiote, epazote, banana leaves, and bitter orange, among other Mexican/Caribbean flavors. Beyond delicious (and filling)! Definitely check out the restaurant's website, they post simple, lovely recipes.

Saturday night, our last night, we had dinner on the resort, at the seaside Las Brisas. We opted for the tasting menu, paired with Mexican wines, and it was truly spectacular. Michelle and I giggled like school girls through pillowy goat cheese gnocchi in a pool of English pea cream, as well as bites of butter-tender braised short rib, served with adobo sauce, baby vegetables, and a teeny-tiny plantain gratin. With such beautiful food and gracious service, we felt like HRHs Michelle and Stephanie, Princesses of the Caribbean.

Just in time to head back to winter, sigh. Although I have to say, as usual, I'm really glad to be home. The heat + humidity + salty food + margaritas = Swollen Stephanie, seriously, I swelled up like a balloon. I've never experienced anything like it, even while pregnant! Ugh, it felt awful, awful. In my first two days home, I shed more than 10 pounds of water weight, despite entertaining and eating far afield of my usual diet. Turns out I'm not very well cut out for the Caribbean - I can't take the sun, heat, or humidity. But I had an amazing time anyhow, seeing color, smelling flowers and salty air, feeling warmth. It was just what I needed to cure my winter blues and take the edge off my inner-bitch. (Although, like Michelle, it's never too far away - we raised many toasts to the pleasures and benefits of being Occasional Bitches - cheers!) Ah, thank you so very, very much, my dear Mich!

And oh! Speaking of travel, one more YouTube video to check out, our friend Rudy Maxa waxing eloquent on his years of travel adventures and his recent work filming his new TV series, Rudy Maxa's World. (And check out how gorgeous and chic Ana is looking in St. Petersburg!)

And oh again! Speaking of friends and their TV series (I'm starting to feel like everyone we know has a TV series! Who's next, Suz?), John and I will be appearing on Andrew Zimmern'sBizarre Foods - Minnesota episode next Tuesday, March 25, 10 pm ET (9 pm CST). Filmed this past September, in part at Chef Lenny Russo's Heartland Restaurant in St. Paul, we're pretty excited to see how it all turned out! Did John and I make nothing but the cutting room floor? You (and we!) will have to tune in to find out... If nothing else, it will be hilarious to see Zim hold court at the State Fair (with his adorable three-year-old son, Noah?!) and sample lutefisk "up north" (check out some preview photos, here).

Hola! Hola! Back from Mexico, in fact since Thursday night, but I've been having too much fun hanging with the Bryt family, visiting from New York, to scratch a post together! It's been a fast blast of weekend, with Bartley arriving Wednesday for work, and Maud and their daughters Catherine and Natalie joining him (us!) Friday night. We just had dinner here at the hacienda, simple pasta and roasted vegetables.

Yesterday Maud and I stole over to Stacey's to see Cooper Cuteness, Stacey's amazing Stacified house, as well Stacey's studio/new work. Thanks Pooh!

Then back here to cook and cook, with Harry Cunliffe and Suz et al coming for dinner to join all of us. For a little appy I made shrimp paste, a recipe from The Gift of Southern Cooking, basically sauteed shrimps pureed with lots of sweet butter, with a hint of cayenne pepper, sherry, and lemon. We spread it on toasts, but I'm dying to try it stirred into some hot grits, oooh... I'm a little obsessed with it in fact. (Recipe posted in comments, below.) For dinner, I grilled an insane amount of beef tenderloin (lots of tasty leftovers, more than enough to put Bartley & Maud on the plane with thick roast beef, tomato, lettuce, and horseradish sandwiches!), whipped up my new favorite saute of okra, onions, and tomatoes withbacon, and made a pile o' popovers. Ahhh, popovers. Nothing is better alongside beef, especially with pan juices to soak them in. Just kill me. It was a pretty magical evening - literally, since Harry is a sometimes magician and was gracious enough to show off a few of his tricks for the kids. (And adults!) Great, great fun!

And now, the Bryts are gone, sniff. House is very empty feeling, although not for long. Nathan is home from Florida soon (yay!) and then we're heading out for Cooper's 2nd Birthday Party! Happy Birthday Cooper Cuteness!

Many, many highlights from Mexico to share, a little later today, so stay tuned...