tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18276307913315931432024-02-06T22:05:37.553-06:00Playing with food and wine!Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-42698107457191873352009-10-04T19:42:00.016-05:002009-10-04T20:14:19.351-05:00Fish Boil<span style="font-family:times new roman;">Usually boiling fish is not a good practice and I would have to discourage it unless you are A. making chowder or B. doing a Door County fish boil. Kevin and I always make it a point when we are in Bayfield, WI to stop at the fish boil at a little bed and breakfast in town. Then we decided we would try it at home. How easy is a fish boil? Well, if you can boil water, you can do a fish boil!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388912072581540290" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmBpQyVuqBbbDwWxLMeAfzB9HVZkfDWR9l8YVPAs4uKmGdOmjTNlAvg_RK5N_ZhK50unz5rXO1ZzkFTmB4VJBtnto6HFTbRQRzeeOeGDDiNpVdFSLwPkA7JSGTKEWz5NB-T64VzgQgK0Gu/s320/IMG_1391.JPG" border="0" />It starts with a nice, hot fire. (Kevin's job) We have some bricks that we put in the fire pit and a round grate on top of the bricks. Kevin builds a hot fire and we put on a big pot of water that has about a cup of salt in it.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388912627092616722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJqeXHrSJZMzQuvPS_fWPprGnNwUrXk9OU_Q5mbMMXUOYGdy8hKmkW2NMDmCXWWKZ8EB3nSOq0ryKMBII4WmwizBywExitLH7t4PNs8J1JbpHynbH6FoQ0gS2VM3GXakadFVnElhyphenhyphen3S4XF/s320/IMG_1393.JPG" border="0" />The best fish to use in a fish boil are whitefish. I order about three whole whitefish from Morey's. I use an electric knife and cut them into steaks. You need a five pound bag of red potatos, three good sized onions, three lemons and lot of tartar sauce and melted butter.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388913080723400386" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNumL0aHnrvnlAjWTYWjoeQIi_PJ-35OeLVcMkSuMyCOU4D6rty4s9oW5u5CBc-0Ph9wJj93ywoRgAG-G3Z2ii_CAoQJsracUBaYIez9ILDYnm1estHjVmlT9Rh19N6oL0MFENTGEu9DmN/s320/IMG_1392.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The first thing to go into the water is the potatos. Cook them for about ten minutes. Add the onions, cook for another 10 minutes. Wrap the whitefish in cheesecloth and drop them in at the last. Cook for another fifteen minutes. Check the whitefish by poking it with a fork. It should be flaky.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388913552663845074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEqapH-F-8mQGvrfmOYOqp5yQvyb-DW0xjVZpSKUZRnnYlvLrW-hm2WJ0GIbGhqOsrTJAluEx6x9hDUhXvEjIDqbSVQwQITbhfN0G78WIndblNC7S0TNJUT2o9CuRornrHiXjaLStShCSD/s320/IMG_1395.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Now comes the fun part! Flashing the fire! No, don't lift your shirt up, silly. Grab a bottle of lighter fluid after you are sure everything is cooked. Stand a little bit away and pour the lighter fluid onto the fire. Do not use gasoline! Why do we do this? So the fire gets hotter and boils the pot over and in doing so, the fishy oils and impurities that have floated to the top are now in the fire pit instead of your food. Perfect! Time to chow!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388913991733435634" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSZbw-1Bg6sQ5QsCnYEV5iySQb-IkwOQODbunKjO6WVlZfSxVtrEFkn8MkQYzriWOw9_OyNl0sVOC63pBj5C6lTwqX5FWzSIzInSI0oGmeOUpyExwEcTvhAbsTF7AWJo_jeogkmQ7ehaLc/s320/IMG_1396.JPG" border="0" /></span> <p><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388914765086412242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FiH7wMqYW_jKN3c1Y8H46RcCsHS3YC6nHOGhTVDq4l3Y_BKVdJi_hT92KqrZiYTGkJdb3mbj6APW7gMAgxAsjp_9Dq21eTeunKMrDRXYrkmRMIYEu7CPRAhUZDdil_YcaIULRcHqhso0/s320/IMG_1397.JPG" border="0" />Don't buy a ton of tartar sauce, make your own. It's super simple and tastes better than most of the crap you buy at the store. Put a cup of mayo in a bowl and add half a cup of pickle relish and however much garlic you can stand. That's it! Serve your fish boil by draining the water from the pot and dumping everything onto a cookie sheet or baking pan. Your guests can scoop up what they want and pour butter over it to their hearts content.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388915687091587698" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt6M6Qz-shKTx3_glLhWONaMw59mzvo6MZyjMAH9-z5ONuMxvapuR4-KvjKuqovCPtbd4y5gf9iaEpx1-BF1smFKrddWai6nhikvA4aQUDQtMXG78zEHXn5sqWalL-FzHxYjuiGgo7q3qu/s320/IMG_1398.JPG" border="0" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Finish it off with a sweet dessert. Paulie brought goat cheesecakes with strawberries. The tradition Door County dessert is cherry cobbler but anything will work. After your fish boil, make sure you leave enough time to take a nice, long Sunday afternoon nap! You will need it after that backyard feast!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388916769094198882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2Y13VvsuBWiBAfztvGVtP7REkV2MdvoVct0jY_tQkGSYVAANvrzlLr0RqkuqNBcWPUBfzOJLdX9irll_k4zKrS59WLovGfmGHupO6sM5q2-ARtFAkpEHpq0_e79tJ51uua4PEavY7E6Ip/s320/IMG_1399.JPG" border="0" /></span></p>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-42783774099608461912009-08-14T15:43:00.009-05:002009-08-14T16:06:37.831-05:00Pannu Kakku<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqWFTwKAbuE0n5RrDYH5wMSvPBjc-eLrH1Nj26oMtUYoJguTA5F-CDZM1xM0LK8GJ1jfGijlDCG8uR1Dv2MIpbdb8De1qNLl42_Gcw9KH0z35_cvkPPhan7pj5kbXdwP9memAHt6mvhVE/s1600-h/IMG_1354.JPG"><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369926484955779954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbqWFTwKAbuE0n5RrDYH5wMSvPBjc-eLrH1Nj26oMtUYoJguTA5F-CDZM1xM0LK8GJ1jfGijlDCG8uR1Dv2MIpbdb8De1qNLl42_Gcw9KH0z35_cvkPPhan7pj5kbXdwP9memAHt6mvhVE/s320/IMG_1354.JPG" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I went to a bachelorette party last month (congratulations, Andrea!) where there was a campfire, dancing girls around said campfire, lots of alchohol, friends and a ton of good food. After rolling out of bed the next morning with a fuzzy, hazy feeling in my head, one of the dancing girls suggested making pannu kakku. It's a Finnish oven pancake. With Kevin being Finnish, I couldn't understand why I had never heard of this delicacy but apparently, neither had he. "What kind of Finn are you that you've never heard of this?" I scolded after I googled the recipe a couple of weeks later, made it and watched him wolf down a couple plates. But his mouth was too full to answer and after a couple of "hmpphs" and frantics gestures with his fork in the air, I concluded that my Finn liked the "pancake." It is a cross between a custard, a popover and french toast. Learn from my mistake and don't forget to grease the pan! Here is the recipe. How do the Finns say "bon appetit?" Maybe it's "hmpph" coupled with fork waving?<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369926039133246354" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSuKPNx1B3o-p2pyuyGwiVkM0dXlisTx8rB1PYA2I3rEw5sJGJ_S_nZK0s3epxodc3gYv4enDn8oe47V5_f8dj3B2t-phz65dDb9q8QUHRDhIUBSVOjENHFfuqCRV4RySK6t53XrVjnlRU/s320/IMG_1353.JPG" border="0" /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">4 cups of milk</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">4 eggs</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">1/2 cup sugar (I was out of sugar and used brown sugar)</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">1 teaspoon salt</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">1 teaspoon almond extract (you could use vanilla if you want instead)</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">1 and 1/2 cups of flour</span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">4 tablespoons melted butter</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Beat the eggs and add the milk, sugar, salt, almond and flour. Mix well, then add the melted butter and mix until blended. The batter will be very thin. Grease a 9x13 pan and pour the batter into it. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour or until the custard is set and top is browned. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with warm syrup and sausage.</span>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-92200250848655500012009-07-14T18:35:00.027-05:002009-07-14T19:45:59.368-05:00Blue Heron Bed and Breakfast<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9AZp-9wOSbKyNif2MRosHE9h27OLVHueutFGUvm3W8v6w57zBwOw6yuQzvExxJ3yGdcqt7AB5IZ7rbyMqXIissr4EiGzni5ewt6Ts5OrUILLvet8I3J2x1jW842uy-r4pEffzLMZUthY/s1600-h/IMG_1331.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358468828193934690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiE9AZp-9wOSbKyNif2MRosHE9h27OLVHueutFGUvm3W8v6w57zBwOw6yuQzvExxJ3yGdcqt7AB5IZ7rbyMqXIissr4EiGzni5ewt6Ts5OrUILLvet8I3J2x1jW842uy-r4pEffzLMZUthY/s320/IMG_1331.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">If I could pick a place I would like to eat at every single night, I would pick the Blue Heron Bed and Breakfast in Ely. Kevin and I went there this weekend and I felt like Jillian on the "Bachelorette" when she takes a guy to a restaurant and they magically have the place all to themselves. There was no one in the tiny, quaint place except for us, the server and the chef for most of our meal.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358471210539779714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCteEnShn-popfTFgLjxAYqojMgZKW7BqgVt1_qWDkP5YhXJeR4shF6pt1cQfxksRNNU_Xvn94R5ENrvvRpwf5F6PqDAe6bJ4sKXZW61WScYaLhV0epymb8ikRf0PESz3qLdpf9YhUkNXf/s320/IMG_1322.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The restaurant is small, it only has about five tables in it. Kevin had said I would like this place; he had come here for his cousin Chris' grooms dinner about eight years ago. He was right, I loved it and the food was to die for. You order your main dish ahead of time when you make reservations and it is a five course meal. The first thing was an appetizer of walleye ragoons that I need to figure out to make myself. They are a spoonful of warm cream cheese, walleye and spices baked in phyllo dough and topped with sweet chili jelly. My favorite thing in the whole meal!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358471587887932978" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNDyV4IIDfYVhwrYg1QCCT3Tla56ejMGuMRRgVVMVuU_GuByaxXp-N0Bh0cu94HfC9ysJx1fKiUP5f1w2nbZaVjeta3EyK89NNWJNokwtPpj2jd952nSXMfisuWSxk_dYMPOoXaeWMjc_P/s320/IMG_1323.JPG" border="0" /></span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">The next course consisted of huge, fluffy popovers, spring greens and homemade buttermilk ranch dressing. Then the next course was this cute little scoop of lemon sorbet. Sweet and tangy, it cleaned the palate perfectly.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358472042616732578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qd8mAz5tzSjBvpwrAioGr0fdkXk1vPc4Ao6Ae-OkIiIk7CH6Ardp4PSafOSWaJVWhCsdnMksrKXUge-0fpuXjZJc_psFO4MXrX4KxHzHGKhUQPWSDhueHopj3j_ZlGjJglp0YfdvaT4q/s320/IMG_1326.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Just in time for the showstopper of the meal, a tournado steak with a twice-baked potato and broccoli. The steak was juicy and could have been cut with a butter knife. It was so tender. Each perfectly seasoned piece melted with a couple of chews in your mouth. I wanted to go on eating steak forevvvvvver.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358472492377279122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5tuhrwvMMAdl9DwnnCbCP0m_RnpSdfOHMfF7MAek55PNMMxCkEmwFHPpxTguRBKl7F_VCM0T0S8slw-qf4h13B-LlUQHc5DxEJEzr-PJq48RO13QKhV2FX5xAcKJYf5kxH2EDw4f8QBt2/s320/IMG_1327.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">However, that wouldn't have been fair to the blueberry creme brulee that I was almost too stuffed to eat. Notice I said almost. It was an ingenius idea to use a teacup for the creme brulee instead of a ramiken. And it was the perfect amount. Not much and not too little. The sugar was carmelized nicely without a bit of burnt flavor.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358473233744319250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEvRW3bRK9zOzUBEsDE2xm9tS_tNs0f6sXnyKZozb8sZfh4F2q0LqoYYowGBxieKsy-ZY-orBLHKemkGD9FuDsiPhdIbHMFYXYklv9wRCRGASXcGTVwET5V_eP08Qhljvcuynl4ytCXtjX/s320/IMG_1329.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I asked if I could take a picture of the man who created all this and this is Chef Fred. I didn't find out much about him on the internet but I have a sneaky suspicion he is a foodie.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358479522659173618" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijqQBOS7_f0clZpGpBs4cjfyc-ip3Uv35Larfmmrt01lV_PFfCtpsnuTxqMKqlS58UMEklA0DrZbuPEpsZ-y4KcEqVsjscrBqBsW7MZ9iVHbKXjHgAiR2S8ptwil708Hz23RHZolr9Yy3s/s320/IMG_1328.JPG" border="0" /></span> <p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The food is only half the reason to make a reservation at this wonderful place. The atmosphere is homey and with the birds and the lake closeby, it is a beautiful setting. You also feel like you are being given special treatment since there are only a few tables in the dining room. Check out their website at </span><a href="http://www.blueheronbnb.com/"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">http://www.blueheronbnb.com/</span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> for reservations and the menu.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5358473760256356770" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOqr8tNdTL-_OWH8Qz9q3RzI_0SK-u6fAHDQLN1B0njYZkqBKklrF13tLsCvSss4UXLRP5WmtX-nkY_yItST-ymb7pFL3SnsOJC4YzNwOoYdB_YPcYykpf5X7KEFABCQRCfg03UpMgO-vP/s320/IMG_1325.JPG" border="0" /></span></p>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-81856542673970258662009-06-30T18:39:00.013-05:002009-07-06T09:17:01.170-05:00Mojitos<span style="font-family:times new roman;">My favorite summer drink: mojitos! Of course, you know I can't buy the pre-mixed junk, I have to go homemade or go home. So since mint is a key ingredient in the mojito, I decided to grow my own. Every summer I have a nice pot of mint growing on my deck for just this reason!<br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353269719427854098" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH4gQHsP1LQfeta7LehxR9tPHYgZ1CI2s_HXzBQfy0uEAMHwatSnk75QCn209Wau80mOJ778Tuku8G4Mz_UVoRqEkpQADAnTZMV_6fgBfqjyETDoU4DhfH0qgSq-IZME9bbmq3IVw3R6XC/s320/IMG_1291.JPG" border="0" />A couple of springs of mint will fix you up. Grab those and grab your mortar and pestle. I have a nice ceramic one that works great for this.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353270021020121346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3XIinEsfcTBeC5xiQOFYk-i1CZUKUUXIM9yXN6DMFKneWPvn1oEx5yXVE51hZh_Od8mYrdEtyHxUOmtINDYNNraTgZd0_K2vTFXs8b6BKDl5WOnSgzOgGoCf_tQrk34O7fXTwRkwZc_Ch/s320/IMG_1292.JPG" border="0" /> Put the mint in there, squirt some lime juice on it and start grinding. Once the mint is smushed, (is that a word?) pour it into your cup or a shaker. Add some sour, rum (vodka works, too) and some sprite or 7-up. Stir or shake and let's get the partaaaay started, people!!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353270376010743570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcZbN8IyOMXezigrIY4VmQCwHk49bBSpagkyr7nFQyjao6ryymxtu8HW87C6M037FZ75GWPmaF1qv3y4dphuQNOfQYJ2T5HU84xoUo6p5F-0n280aFm6LqMjZ4Md8IpO36w3Bz79u1hsnm/s320/IMG_1294.JPG" border="0" /></span>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-37875697848271350812009-06-30T18:08:00.012-05:002009-06-30T18:36:43.302-05:00Smoked Trout<span style="font-family:times new roman;">Kevin and Ross went fishing on fishing opener weekend (which is a national holiday in Minnesota) and caught a bunch of trout in the mine pits in Crosby. They have been sitting in our freezer (the fish, not Kevin and Ross) and we have been slowly eating them. Then Kevin's friend Maury called to ask if we wanted to buy a charcoal smoker that his dad had won and of course I said yes. We decided to try our hand at smoking fish up at the cabin in our new smoker.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I thawed the fish in the refrigerator the night before and brined them the next day. For the brine I used a gallon of water, two cups of salt, a cup of brown sugar, a couple of tablespoons of raw garlic, a tablespoon each of garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder and all-spice. I put the fish in a bowl, submerged them with the brine, put a plate on top so the fish wouldn't float and put the bowl in the refrigerator.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353264774689451730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg26zAc5j76QcZDveKM0K8dzdNl754eAu5iGTt1uvz0qfe6dMy2wpJ1VYCWJ-PEcXUyVg4zGZYfAUEyQl_uXcJPJN2WXximvbxa-Nhn_YAXLaYu1ty9xyhUeQFFr7SGDzzz3hTDrSHfzfks/s320/IMG_1296.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">To set up the smoker Kevin soaked the wood chips and put them in a aluminum foil packet that he punched holes in. Then he filled up the top bowl of the smoker with a quart of water and in the bottom bowl he started a charcoal fire. When the charcoal was gray, I put the wood chip packet on top of the coals.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353264028454163810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3FuKJI0uFOBekj1e7YSTiV2FNs9JONbU3akptmISoZKTedCNo8rQzF0PyGobGQFfMNhsv8OSPoN2zLGV0BNK967hU4_7x-z2yFzsOFqiKNI5MgD2K63oTrpkJKaY-BbUe-R5oI8W9LyLT/s320/IMG_1300.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The racks were sprayed with cooking spray and the fish was pulled out of the brine and washed. It was then put in the frig to dry for a little bit. Once the fire was smoking, I put the racks of fish in the smoker.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353264471317225810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfm0J3RfhVhPEqhl_lvGVKrNjnWd64blBze0tpsLg37lKMWmRHHs-P6cxUnMChgYeV81LJhWV-HZUvWqOWmx18VZEMVf9NLJGWHiIMvA3WuUo29phyG_vk7pya23e3UoUc3d5oBmdqamox/s320/IMG_1301.JPG" border="0" />The smoke started billowing out of the smoker and we closed it up tight with the lid and let it cook for an hour.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353265301975281506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixOjBjNgNzRl4jGHdvHwnu9oiSt-YFx7JKyNJajSlNwy1lOrmsfMmYKtMSH-bU9PWJX5o_8K1sruAN7pprJit8LVx2XRypVNzDVUdRYcP-eXPU2A350Jg3GXFSZrOheFEvCmT6kSblOoq7/s320/IMG_1303.JPG" border="0" />After an hour we couldn't resist peaking at them. Oh my, they looked good. I pulled them off and we dug in.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5353265642398927826" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj86znydnazsHGbELsnKQzidEyslVw47sG5-GSKP_gKKFs0C_JQdpFWHNI7pqQKFjlnFJpec2MpkMsSJq_1JSI5O04eTCir-a3KEFOuvYNUPiQsqZv7BNjDbzkTeM8JHTiJXkK0Ks8jjgny/s320/IMG_1304.JPG" border="0" />We had to save some for Karla and Eric because they weren't at the cabin yet and I suggested we eat them all and say the fish hadn't turned out. Kevin didn't think that was very nice so I was overruled. The fish was the best thing I have tasted in a long, long time. It turned out fantastic! Each smoky, salty, warm bite of flaky fish melted in your mouth. It was incredible. I hate to brag but it was so good I think I could eat nothing but that for the rest of my life and die a happy woman. Just another excuse for Kevin to fish more, I guess!</span>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-66406457473466869062009-06-16T19:58:00.011-05:002009-06-16T20:34:03.894-05:00Cabrales<span style="font-family:times new roman;">If I could list my perfect day, this would be it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">-Wake up at the cabin in Ely.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">-It's a beautiful, sunny day with not a cloud in the sky.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">-I have miraclously lost twenty pounds overnight. (ok, moving on)</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">-I have breakfast at the Front Porch where they have awesome ham and cheese breakfast burritos. (Does anyone besides me wonder why I can't loose weight?)<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348096105626435762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgx8PxAZLfPDWdG0fqP6XhhJjJ4FWCAgHvzXjQVdFQdvmdsYHQW5gKuiRHftYNID0TqQdrCpPPR8uPah_-ovqiBv_FVfJRd8Xu3Br75VqS4u_dgvTPfn_rXQNwSzjFBLXIOfy1rQZRJwRNj/s320/IMG_1200.JPG" border="0" /></span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">-We hike to my favorite waterfall and feel the spray from the water hitting the rocks.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348096927971950546" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTRKSVTFr5io4aU-05OYCiU4pnnkZAT4MFmah1van-gPMgKOqTDNaVyzn8yFhSIkS438-7lovirRU5uHWzDL_xXjNAtErByTMK8hUveCtqSTkwxh6Devq4PxsoCXFxBe_mHuILlZRYgah7/s320/IMG_1204.JPG" border="0" /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">-I discover that Chapman Street Market has opened back up for the summer and I buy a baugette, brie cheese with mushrooms and this wonderful, new, Spanish blue cheese wrapped in maple leaves. It is called cabrales and the woman asks me if I am allergic to penicillin before I buy it. Sweet!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348097471204451362" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyEJO-b33zu1Pmy5Q9vW7r8cfNHFGzAyZwu9N-MIZMtmCnpw-PYMCu88_Uy29OJxVs_3ub2i7GLHiS017EI533mKUNCly0Oc-wQkx2TKjUpP78bTzz6hi-NzhyphenhyphenE_FfBHCadqlZJTC9M07J/s320/IMG_1225.JPG" border="0" /></span> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">-Miss Chocoholic decides that she loves broccoli and never begs for chocolate again. (hey, leave me alone, it's my dream!)</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">-I find a trashy book at the bookstore that smells like incense.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">-I find an amazing, old-as-dirt, handpainted, antique pin at the antique store that only I can love.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">-Kevin has bought me a carmael malt while I was shopping and only eaten half of it.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">-I peacefully eat the bread and cheese on the pontoon with a bottle of champagne. Hopefully my doctor will prescribe blue cheese from now on. Aren't maple leaves suppose to be healthy?<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348097994904905858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKNpekE53cV2Vt1VcYXR3wJPDPkj_i1COOI5Rrjkr8l19iXZy_Duts7-wkNzs5tMS14e932Duwi-JDVH98Twz23EPVY0BN3R5ISSV_wTa-Iv9OtF14rm3Jl6Ebz0f7dFAYuAG1qN19Vqi7/s320/IMG_1227.JPG" border="0" /></span> <p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">-I soak up thirty gallons of sunshine. Afterward, there are cheesy ballpark hotdogs just waiting for their chance to be skewered and put in the fire.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5348101494618450882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj01f1HspZ96kCp4jxN1eAQxLvhWEiKB755lFvs8vZXRn3XQrWVZBHBagfcAoa3O8xKpMF7k5QKT_o-owcWe6KUOKdnaxdNDOPdu3EkzAflSPgUKyUBTZm4-O2u_7mDQEpZ660sJgtgmZiK/s320/IMG_1229.JPG" border="0" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">What a day! I can't complain.</span></p>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-66392669699371321932009-06-06T18:47:00.014-05:002009-06-06T19:32:34.528-05:00Boundary Waters wheat beer<span style="font-family:times new roman;">I just haven't been inspired lately. I don't know what it is. I haven't made something really yummy and fun for awhile and therefore I haven't done a lot of blogging. There. I'm done apologizing for not blogging and hope I will start being inspired and blogging more.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I decided to make beer this afternoon, Kevin was gone and there wasn't much to do because it was raining and I was on-call for work. This was the second batch of beer I have ever made. I took a class with Paulie and Will this spring and we made a batch of Irish Stout that tasted very similar to Guiness. Kevin loved it and slurped it down pretty quickly. So I decided to try some on my own, bought a fish fryer and spent most of the morning trying to put it together and mangling my fingers. Putting things together is not one of my strong points. But I finally got it all assembled and out to the garage and spent an extemely pleasant Saturday afternoon all by myself brewing beer.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The reason you want to do this outside is because there is a good chance you will boil the beer over. This can be super messy to clean up so a garage is ideal.</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344367404799382194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlyAjbBTF9Ji-fJwkWgdVOnp7y3ExFrwMBftcCphAcfXYBD9ssOCqZjohw-mk4qRRbp6G2ia3DUsZFdRK1sZuGbPiy3VtJX6hkJkjtW0Rzzp4oJBqvsKft8Fw2fv0TfqyyI8EwqgHDPLnp/s320/IMG_1189.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I hooked up the propane tank and opened the garage door. Miss Chocoholic was snuggled down in the house with a couple of movies. I pulled a chair over to watch the boiling process, watch the rain come down and think about life. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I made this from a kit I bought online. I have been sticking with kits until I feel super comfortable with what I am doing. Here is the bag of grain steeping in the hot water.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344370205226817762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVcSQ3zQarjX92NFOoRTKPm8gYgJLVu-v9_-DUmjt4iyaOI0VfSjcb-0TZcPeZ2quCrQS7yUaCHxD49HhOsTpHYuHAkE8QcJIzyXLAfm5OIOpsqhsJyehyZSVA_VgCTNYLghnuXuYbwphU/s320/IMG_1190.JPG" border="0" />The aroma of the beer mixed with the smell of the rain makes my soul happy. Miss Chocoholic came out once to check on me and said, "That smells like hot chocolate!" I think it smells more like homey, comforting oatmeal.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">It was time to mix in the barley malt. I had to stick my finger in it and eat a little. It's a wonderful, sticky syrup. I could eat it on ice cream. Hmmm, maybe I will save some next time and try that.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344371023647917522" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis2R0wexz8atI0HP-tStKNZVWj7Gi5IJPdVtQGWFd241Kel8ahUIv4ojeS5LcxpzE3Nd4LBbzoKt7hrZL-U27pk4p4JjG8eGEHjf9udPuW_JGCQaAbZ6xeRitAfTmFDmHpgpuj4MP8YkBu/s320/IMG_1191.JPG" border="0" />After the malt comes the hops. I love the smell of hops. They smell like fresh cut grass or a lawn after a rainstorm. These came in little pellets. There were two bags of hops; one bag boiled with the mixture, the second bag was called finishing hops and was added two minutes before the boil was done. The second bag had more of a fruity smell, kind of like an apple or pear mixed with hay.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344371781239957970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7zHQcSSUZe2pipff5odpIWuOcdPzkyAqVGc1IWWxWy6SDvjNWKsqmsQBtQhbd3Xhb1C4ffC7ulsZNNUAA8Pa5YtOz0LvgrM00TMhzO2HRvIgkmElKa1wjt2ZWBJeRLmh1qZsdQ5VXWWyy/s320/IMG_1194.JPG" border="0" /> And then it was just time to boil and relax. I made a mojito and sat there stirring. The neighbors were having a graduation party and I am sure they probably thought I was some weird, modern-day witch with my steaming cauldron but I was happy and for one rainy afternoon, the world was a perfect, peaceful place.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5344372998833936082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFYO937cOYwqzo1ZxqjffHR8lsSOyiobhX44yY4XGEAtGSAGNaIo6e2yC18iipEZK38-NlIFg-p8ybFE3oVlqBz3VfBdq5HdBcOxE8IqhvOW-34Mx51WYpB_-n-UtCzNp1zRS04SvNt3np/s320/IMG_1196.JPG" border="0" /></span> <div></div><div></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmZxew6tcCk43U-5YnFU3qyd-EMHKGpP74TZUebTdfzbjMcLGfzNrwoiRbrzfarslnbn9Oh-7LXaH1gWivFC4CiX1PdNkVLXHc9AWoEAxmN-JzsrLK4jHx0Vt_I3fD2NQslxQcbJ_79-KI/s1600-h/IMG_1189.JPG"></a></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div><div></div>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-5738385440772573592009-02-09T13:35:00.032-06:002009-02-09T15:02:01.806-06:00Sushi and Juicy Lucy<span style="font-family:times new roman;">We had a houseful of friends this weekend. Chris and Abby were here (who you met in a couple of older posts) along with Chris's brother, Graham (Big Sal) and their friend Chad (Green Bay.) Chris likes to nickname everyone. The Nelson brothers love to eat as much as I do and the weekend revolved around fishing and eating.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300884999610919138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3BobRsxOsuyc9HfK6RrTnSzkVq1YcvsF76Hrl8-qC852KFs6JsLztBk3BlsILgCcsIrnY-XXgWI-xvheJmy6L7UjbUYSu-xMsxthyphenhyphen27Ygi1Vp2dTH3UlQB3_7KAzIMSBZVRv6jWXdust_/s320/IMG_0877.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We had planned to make sushi on Sunday but Big Sal was very adamant that sushi was never going to fill him up and thought we should have more food. As we were standing around a campfire on Saturday night, we started talking about good places to eat and the boys had eaten at a bar called Matt's that had hamburgers called Juicy Lucys. They are basically stuffed hamburgers. Green Bay said he could make them at home so we decided we would also have stuffed hamburgers. We didn't want Big Sal to go home with his tummy rumbling .</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300885774665310834" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieB4Q8oFrOvmRxxVLNl48TeJVLvq4t00Uq24C81cSnj8VqOAX5vpeAGVbRsbs789LRmu-8btUouqHCBYj-zlh8cerLELDLEqtoNyTx4R-47Vzg_g04gfuszXjwOCSiAXE7VCHwnlEKmQLl/s320/IMG_0845.JPG" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">I put Green Bay in charge of the hamburgers the next day and he did an excellent job. He built them with one thin hamburger patty, a slice of velvetta cheese, creole seasoning and another thin patty. Then he mashed the patties together to form a seal and put them on the grill. By the time people started rolling into the driveway that afternoon, the smell of those burgers were almost enough to get a vegatarian to switch. We actually did have a couple of vegatarians there who said if they were going to switch, those burgers were where they would start.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300886694260493314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsR1N9uOJPbZfLerMafTK333ZcS1bXNcIawPMT5v5tK0gMVWB2hTIxSo3l4D73JCKl8JNMbSJkkRXV_POsOsJh-c7TGm01g7_awOC-CEsILX-SZrZJ0bDP_3_9ay260dOISS_CtPUyBjgg/s320/IMG_0846.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We cooked some onions and mushrooms in aluminum foil on the grill as toppings for the burgers. At one point I saw some flames shooting out of the grill and started to worry but Green Bay was calm, cool and collected and rescued the burgers by putting them on the top grill. He gets high cooking points for the weekend.</span> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300887427985038578" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZS15rMsIswRafV4hIDmE2WqczyVDI55EJMFuy2kD6jMgtevySJFO-Kbu0rpgUCcn4qAUWKBO9Z5FvU6mQd01TEC6tlyGD9zAzGhBGuCAbzeTmPOAXTm-upkSIY-xCjyvK23dGDGj5bq9P/s320/IMG_0849.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300888052253480722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjairjemUHX6iLuc9uvvUbOHBDcX0a010h9iyu98tvB9-z9uU148N1pdLTSPcHBRri6Lk0B0_BA4RgNKwx2eOtuZG6hTGnLwC_BJycsz0LMP4SouhqOuZgrqKz3TmLLwzwNOM2lCOIQqKVU/s320/IMG_0864.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300889674414663090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2hEcGJQu2X-8dn2gRCGHeaDvmMUbxAnIPp8poQl93BTuh5HIgYEaYmwn1wudCxGahmxyw1gWbrVd8CCjhQLZhUH3RBFEtH7nODA0GyO8eFjSzqTijjvSi9tPMxGqdiwjXEj2NhlrWWl_8/s320/IMG_0876.JPG" border="0" /> <p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The burgers were delicious, with lots of hot, gooey cheese dripping down the sides of the bum when you took your first bite. I will probably never make burgers the same way again.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">While Green Bay was busily grilling, Chris and I cooked rice, cut up fish and veggies and got ready to roll sushi. We had three bamboo mats so three people could roll.</span> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300890640874764466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJdkgAhYmn8NZrPEoZSWPOXAh_Aqzg15fVv6qYtC3qhWFLBLFQOw06i50acyP0qKTuxsEAnQDGOYkU3OwEKM5lCBpPdrLC0Hf9RythBt45oblcfxVgvv9Lj2-BckimOeA_51PwYnj4c5qE/s320/IMG_0835.JPG" border="0" /></p><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300891793715458562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvAb1zbUXzbmVybN8YSpVHTLOe8giw11oiZ19swkWTj6eMyYGdatzYTu4OU22oDpJqNLbKfTs5rCqYuea6k7hIjrOHGAF0KJLTw-hR9zb08McLkrcO6BOu0U1PJQUJAzrQN7ShlzuzIyCi/s320/IMG_0848.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300892232049090594" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNxkpBGLnxD_TSLQEFVv1b6yuoCWcmJE36VE5Yt7lirNYFMPaY4B6U-njP6bKM_N9TUB2DA1264Xhjy1vtmvhDRuoM0R4r-hfmYhNmzbX5eaNNDZHcWGQDJldB78Ts9hSKYz8g-8h6WG2f/s320/IMG_0850.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We let the rice cool down and it was time to roll. Hannah really got into it.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300894241478130034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiR-D3Xw0tXiUtPxaJcEbF2rMZoThyphenhyphenEaNzCSx1A6GJ4gLBfGxL6HLNPs9niQr0zx7NRTE0V6BK5zF6MrKVWNdj6n3qdBkZJ4div8chNxBbLIIqi7WLX9gXs9koSDLaID_7z_F1-NaG6LsSv/s320/IMG_0896.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300895212261079586" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq0lYfLC91zGyoZEQif5TEl-3DrFHmj0__FvuVdPFvONK5Cd-r9yN0_KHvj0yKwiTHMFbiwSV8vNZS0CcDmvOUVY1BQifyXOFYJcvnUORNoUmFnVtBhMTXj-bIADfJrgxaRBuaDGdPPHCp/s320/IMG_0874.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300896034353948082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMEmkFKQUMbNYLxpH4ghPIFo29F4bkXtLRLR_hwMm6MbDzoDcKobCjyT1Ayn3LCA_lqzjcYj5RH96_eyT_9HsR9NuZ_k83Oj_ocgfonasLqbPd1C1KEvZl5fddVxnZ_0vz-lfYzDnmFkrP/s320/IMG_0882.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300896736415062034" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJliGVdEOvDRJd-wZUb0TqUrh0pZun3UICw8muP1xNwkGV7NgzQrDo9CTdSTquOLCBfefPHBvtmYghVewVlNpNvybCg8napinSHmPCjVUSUFjCsBCocnwOb2APvvKen-ObFF5C7q8v_QeP/s320/IMG_0889.JPG" border="0" /><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300897708187318914" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2_1hb5YcFyCPEPrL9jWMglURr6cxrSrWuQMb-CXcAZHR0ahDRPrPTx3CfiZ6_hmH_Bue9sexNfDEODaSQ7QmHQP5h03mUa62rFO2nLjwVORLbPMVc2qbJBSOfgIwBlMg1idWU_UXP0JT/s320/IMG_0906.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Big Sal had to admit that he would have gotten filled up on sushi because we kept cranking out the rolls.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300893572358190002" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrMY9U6YzpgbT5KmenuIcpnzy1bRw-f8TYFwhMxM1aYsgfi6UsFuYlu0xZEBOfso0ipC74ivA9Fx88gyvEdMK5DDUMN0mg1p5ytjwjB2Js0BhdKQTDqUkzWHvzHu9sKRionnTxa5weAB8T/s320/IMG_0873.JPG" border="0" /><br /><br /><p><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5300900054456208482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuikEfLdEp1zFN87ZaEDE1Qylobc8J1kKZmyFvD86wBUkBdNj7sTf5GJ3UeMPJL7xm_vKugy9PlajU-DyuWBDvKnCQsBjOENt4UXCkTgTgkk9er6wvbfKf4XsuJQlwOxw6r9iTixGN3Pxz/s320/IMG_0912.JPG" border="0" /></p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">May your house be too small for your friends!</span>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-29819152778606117192008-12-28T15:58:00.013-06:002008-12-28T16:29:24.668-06:00Cold-smoked Lox<span style="font-family:times new roman;">Kevin loves lox (he's such a Finn) and I found an easy way to cold-smoke it on the internet with wood pellets, a tin can, a solder iron and your own grill. It's going to sound silly but bear with me because it works awesome. You start with a nice piece of salmon. Spend some money, don't go cheap. This piece was twenty dollars at Morey's.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284964157967720722" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQhkYI4DBLRr0ioaEwLDJyjfVXpM8AsyJhMvwVLz2FLHpLNHVKyIGmMdWqe7NBuPRHAtDp8cWojb7JbgufcRZ87WxY4a2PNMxOqcCzzOTCqjyAUr5SKCghU7DbYqb_s-636unIJf-Kq6uU/s320/IMG_0774.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Plan ahead because the salmon will have to brine for awhile. I lay the salmon in a glass baking dish, cover it with salt and dill, pour enough water in to cover the fish, put plastic wrap over the top and put it in the fridge for a couple of days. Be generous with the salt, I have never measured it but I bet I use about an eighth of a cup of salt. Brine for at least two days, three is better.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284964545399618466" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpmJEKOhp00zHtJsCe29eFLV7viB21eVx0jcW-ziaf0f4rQ6LQQMF_3WSYR5cvDcwB0XqWWgATMP_8et_eOSCNQSBQRnngAiS29df6GKGIn18dKy-SYKRH3CQhJHYaAkT7fPJMdB3gS0GY/s320/IMG_0775.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Now for your trip to the hardware store. You will need a solder iron. Buy a new one because you don't want lead in your food. Look what it did to Mozart, he was crazy. At some hardware stores they will probably carry these little wood pellets for smoking. I get them at Mill's Fleet Farm in the camping aisle.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284964870089894162" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEixGhzzicCzMzUQ9VojrMrADoMyrmDGd3ITy_P80_b6tfeSy6WSY18NnsEaQW1z85Njl_alfEWZrdGuIePOT8rMVHuYzuiG1SjeklVXUErkB9MHXUBweWBihGT9w0wbukrUphTlQy6Jbo3X/s320/IMG_0776.JPG" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">When the salmon is done brining and you are ready to smoke, find a large can and only open it at the top halfway. Peel the paper off the can, wash it out and pour the pellets into the can. Bend the lid so you can get the solder iron to sit nicely. Put the can on its side in your grill. Plug your soldering iron into an extension cord and place it in your can in the pellets. Put the salmon over it and close the lid of the grill. Pretty soon you should see little tufts of smoke coming out of your grill. </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">There won't be a ton of smoke but that's not what you want anyway. You just want enough to flavor the salmon. If you don't see any smoke, readjust your solder iron deeper into the pellets.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284965233312529090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0gnsAK71YiWqYan8Azuj44_22BNweh9KjMKitTD0uRMKN9l64IWSWOGwy8J616B5ndpy-D1vzrLPp1pwTgwAIPD9_Q9wz9rudsre66mZyp_pHKbMSQk6E0iq6SzCw9rUfCCizpbpCJ1vt/s320/IMG_0777.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The smoking is basically for flavor. You won't be doing any cooking with this kind of smoke. The brining process has "cooked" it and killed any bacteria in the salmon. Let this smoke for about six hours. I usually have to use two of the little cans of pellets. Once the smoking process is done, bring the salmon in and slice it thinly with a large knife. You can get right down to the skin of the fish.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284966016357417442" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglTmI-SGUHa3Ej-rVFbJkydBz8XggRk3KBrOPNzIT046Vwz4GQx6fg9N-Lhk6otKQsPQu6x4kr9lhDOWiSHuBO6l4wpBoZsf14gXYX4BzMdmRk0sCZgOatpLNgxGyEsCJ917h3Ti_qdUbX/s320/IMG_0792.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I liked to serve this with little slices of pumpernickel or rye bread. You can smear them with some cream cheese and that's even better. Look at that! You made your own lox! It's a lot more work than just buying it but I get a whole lot more satisfaction out of doing it myself.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284966376035134338" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjStmeVaUx-u8YZd6t6AjWfAZnZtkebuVOGpKH7nTnlpiSOccnFgNt1fFgeDLyLUE_ni9xvVRs2nL7Uaw1DcLLmc5CzA7RgnSfJlXtgk1KEl-xLJs4sLpZeoee0NJAKS_dws9qsZXEAEJy4/s320/IMG_0791.JPG" border="0" />Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-29202428833576705842008-12-28T15:35:00.008-06:002008-12-28T15:58:04.654-06:00Garbage Tray<span style="font-family:times new roman;">My brother, Lem, was coming over and he eats like a horse. I had a few snack things but as I looked at the table I thought I should probably have more food. But what? Even though Kevin and I are doing fine in today's horrible economics, you get into that mode where you know times are tough everywhere and you need to save. So let me introduce you to: the garbage tray! Now there isn't really garbage on here, I call it the garbage tray because I pull everything I can out of my fridge and figure out a way to use it.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284958339787944082" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiythWSQoNUYKdLDjMv5EqQQBgXXjfKvY7alJxYd1lqBtSl_yZW2NqpcfeMuT_e_DJpVo1A9K4y4sdc6Ejq5iYEuzhjixB4Ozl7zhTc1vRfyzW4P3xPycblRjYPDJJsJK3LrHrqOpxN8095/s320/IMG_0763.JPG" border="0" /> <p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Out came all the cheese and lunch meat I had and I sliced it up nicely and arranged it. I took the year-old olives out and put them in a bowl. I even found about two slices of olive loaf that I cut up in little pieces. I had bought a coffee cake the day before and sliced little, tiny slices of that. I garnished it with some cilantro that was starting to go bad, I just used the best pieces. And viola! I kept telling Kevin he couldn't touch it, after all most of the stuff had already been sitting in the fridge for weeks but it's all about the presentation. He just didn't know he wanted to eat it until he saw how pretty it looked! So if you are going to make a tray like this, just start digging in your fridge and pull out anything you can. If it can be eaten with your fingers, slice it up and arrange it, even if there is only a little bit.</span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I pulled some grapefruits out of the fridge and thought I should use them, too. To make this drink, I cut a grapefruit in half and squeezed the juice out of both halves. Then I mixed it in a cocktail shaker with amaretto and a little bit of diet 7-up. My brother's wife, Marie, loved it.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284959021410915730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwg_IXr5cAus9sqo2UdhxbQbBLuPKY2AD1wYmsmdY7PG1ZTy8W2roIVUdSUvHK60QQggNRTEYYuHVqXMsr5_DdxOC25BGhT5stFn2MUY0LohpAS1IjXjcbFTHALaTQ7HFWtDq6-0at37Tn/s320/IMG_0767.JPG" border="0" /></span></p><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Lem and Marie left that week for Oklahoma. I probably won't see him for over a year. He just graduated college and now the Air Force owns him for many years. I hope all his big dreams come true!</span></p><p><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"></span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5284958724676638226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBsqfL6oEWCsF8hYIbIbZv_B8BHy-0mvx71T3flAwvd-RdKRImI_CTRV1izY6bkPCM20HGCsdBIDoahUPl-SK6duebrmGzF-hm9T8R_qzQwPjHKHe3CkTqVTtdIogWRgwCQT0B9E164sQS/s320/IMG_0766.JPG" border="0" /></p>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-14037489306659042282008-10-20T16:50:00.015-05:002008-10-20T17:16:05.220-05:00Hot dogs and Apple Dip<span style="font-family:times new roman;">It was cleanup weekend at the cabin this weekend. Summoning all our military tactics, Kevin, his sister Karla, his mom and I managed to rope Miss Chocoholic and Kevin's niece and nephew into helping pick up sticks along the shoreline. Meanwhile, I had a makeout session with Joe, the tree.</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259358287854722482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3DdIstUfn27dNH24-j0buwpKMkGCf02lmRI6yRYybS9Keoh-fUe-ixSiPQr9BAydIiMyCSOsmiZQhZwAPdIidMGWrwW8clIMF5IK685oSdsvybdTQsKdck1MGhyphenhyphen329qxfIDAf7zC6dxhZ/s320/IMG_0744.JPG" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">This physical activity worked up an appetite with the kids who had to ask when it was lunchtime every five minutes. Finally we gave in, built a fire and let them roast hot dogs. I have to say that was one of the best hot dogs I ever had, probably due to the crisp, autumn air and the smell of falling leaves.</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259361065625981154" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-D0S0PauqlMEoWIBbvvAM987ZHMBA5C_H1da56ySN6YYaM4D9NN63VnVH3I1Csi5kZZWSYxfUDeqe78i11GOz-8bLRGtQBZ7vF9Y2kh9qrFRfO0Kx0a8rxn8xoTd6nvH7c60XOEeZrwmA/s320/IMG_0715.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259359373541088930" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDPH_dHMocgPKQFuG2zuViVgF8pcDP3htEijU4tygznK16m2UdjnwdQ6rq6MWQlxyWjH8dsGwtkRvynXEtsWPZt-pvfs_idE-lSHOkqWeoNzJfyZBJ2KUyFBAWAxwkoe7YXGYFcp_GMq_a/s320/IMG_0716.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Karla had an amazing apple dip she made and it was perfect for the mood of the afternoon. The recipe is a block of softened cream cheese, a half cup of brown sugar, a fourth cup of white sugar, butter brickle chips, and a teaspoon of vanilla. The dip almost tasted like it had some cinnamon in it, it was perfect to dip apples into.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259361621428467074" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLXj0oDFo8a74hz7iYyoh3gv7d9CJt2QupgkVu9P1hP6BZfYv3Vm0eVa_Fvfwo215srpzhcf6zkU69NeX-q2G7F7lO5Uu9LyKNdJX6qIyCc5u3SoyjKG_9Dc32XBJk9GwyHwtHLNOUrgYE/s320/IMG_0719.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">This was also my birthday weekend. (Those that know me know I love to drag my birthday on and on and milk it for all its worth.) Kevin's mom gave me this really cool wine stand. Yes, it is a piece of wood and the wine bottle balances it! Kevin was playing photographer in the afternoon and every picture he took he called "Wine bottle on a fall day," "Boat on a fall day," "Leaves on a fall day," etc.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5259362306488062706" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVh5OAToJuJcXw8dAgGukNJsY7OAeTlkoEL0F0aGJK8-nPA3m2Oj_N3mYUPPP5MZ9o_-w1YJ5VOZe-NqZbkE76iZUvZNvxNqaYSR94ByGHWuKFYYnTVKd3xC0_HIbN6GP1Qqg7K40h_HeW/s320/IMG_0725.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">What a beautiful weekend!</span>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-43800231759697155362008-10-13T08:51:00.015-05:002008-10-13T09:24:56.220-05:00High Tea at the Ritz Carlton<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7II1QasNP-tsqOCldtCdpdiQz2b3LUzrgTeHIeSOAAOGMjdRmeqzr-MtglKcHDXg5QJFFq9kdQZorizVJq1HqBAIEjxyLcawsEnhIdxXlSXHGIAu2TWK-3-S76LwkbMXvQHZFSmRgEWG/s1600-h/IMG_0687.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256637028942889410" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7II1QasNP-tsqOCldtCdpdiQz2b3LUzrgTeHIeSOAAOGMjdRmeqzr-MtglKcHDXg5QJFFq9kdQZorizVJq1HqBAIEjxyLcawsEnhIdxXlSXHGIAu2TWK-3-S76LwkbMXvQHZFSmRgEWG/s320/IMG_0687.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I got two great birthday presents this year so far, probably because my family feels sorry for me because I am turning 35. Kevin gave me an amazing, beautiful set of pearls that I want to wear every day and my mom made a reservation in Chicago to have high tea at the Ritz Carlton.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">So off my mom and I went to Chicago to pretend we are rich and fit into the Michigan Avenue crowd. The second night we were there, I met a girl at the hotel bar who was a boutique manager and explained the illusion of Michigan Avenue. I asked her if people really shop in five inch heels and if they can really afford to wear Chanel every day to work. "Oh, no, let me tell you a story!" she says with an accent that reminded me of Boston. The girls who work in the high-end stores get a clothing allowance and they are able to buy about three outfits that they wear day in and day out. When it is quiet, the managers send them to walk up the avenue in their stilettos and their $1500 designer outfit. It's all about marketing. After she told me that, the illusion was over and when I pointed out to my mom a blond girl in heels that were thinner than a pencil and about the same height carrying a baby blue $10,000 Birkin, it was satisfying to realize that she probably didn't own that bag because it should actually be mine. Maybe in another lifetime.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256637493665619122" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqiDVd7eGpWrOk1ZdBuflj3In6AIeIckjlPhKBGOc7_d87vYjNsIt4ImWh2jd9i7JtDlzfdlCyUtMK7UXZYnlWiDQd2n11KhPvHYG72ytF1tx7hyphenhyphenEHQ9bnR_IOtYYELm-gdYZSs0xUlLGB/s320/IMG_0678.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">But it's always fun to pretend that we are classy and ritzy and high tea was a unique experience. I had English breakfast tea and my mom had Earl Gray. The tea came with a three-tiered tray of goodies.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256640419584765874" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhybKGk0EAnXwxrW-IDW3RMI6j9uOQevki3KUvi4_FzsQIHYOJRdtdkLiFP-XmFRHuYcEXOXB0B5qX75ThyXKQgKywfUtdQViGBOA1nctBnfrd_5r8dprCcEJ0NnkAewcCQiWEBRcW-q-dT/s320/IMG_0681.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Little finger sandwiches, clotted cream, scones, cookies. My favorite thing on the tray was the little chicken rosemary sandwiches. The cookies were buttery, the strawberry jam was right up there with my own jam and the bread was soft and flavorful.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256641253998572658" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6sKB9bSWo6rRCzHixwOg_6pNsp0rX6j_pLs0Y__9v6biKQ8oHQGeB8rcXmeSTudpD3oJoIUc-iKoDcWeqDClrnkvQFvfDvg1UGLjQ20gkeOwYSgQEniUvxx4TqGZhAGA1HuKNu5DXFxMC/s320/IMG_0683.JPG" border="0" />T<span style="font-family:times new roman;">he best thing about the tea was my mom paying the bill at the end. Just kidding, Mom! Thanks for a fun birthday present!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256641762117525730" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLbDbsIfM50GEWSpicFS5qRrJLhNDKaG0Fc1K-tPxq5WPM0hYopVnOE3UHQlJH-u99sXAND53MlfkfoWLF8ir1dSxBUzyJwLbypmTUnbJSDfKQegSudIeppuJppMWua9iZlx-oImAtJieu/s320/IMG_0682.JPG" border="0" /></span>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-37331386274372182462008-10-13T08:25:00.012-05:002008-10-13T08:50:22.580-05:00Giordano's Deep Dish Pizza<span style="font-family:times new roman;">My mom and I went to Chicago last weekend for a girly shopping weekend and I always have to try the local food. What is more local in Chicago than Chicago deep dish pizza? We were headed over to Uno's, the home of the deep dish pizza and I stopped and asked a guy selling brochures how to get there. He suggested instead of waiting an hour for a table at Uno's to just go up a block and go to Giordanos instead. Just as good, he said and less of a wait. Apprehensively, I decided to take my chances, knowing that I would kick myself if the pizza wasn't delicious.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256630453597121778" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQwD4mqw-qRHkfVOkzuXLAz8jCGul2CEDCOWX53L_gahMI5rH0Xhbbz0fkAnQkUP65uXcQFPqJM6xf7fZ6rG9fzcjY0KRfvKfqTN56swS8x4so0NcKFdzpK9m3Uqdc4ZAraygHcZ5UUjWc/s320/IMG_0668.JPG" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">We got a table right away. The atmosphere was laid back and casual with red and white checkered tableclothes. We ordered a small pizza with cheese, olives, pepperoni, sausage and garlic. The waitress brought us our drinks and warned us that it would be about 45 minutes. It was the longest, hungriest 45 minutes of my life. My mom wasn't feeling good and we hadn't eaten since early morning so we were both slightly cranky and starving. I thought several times about tripping the waitresses and grabbing the pizzas they were carrying but since the closest I have come to playing football is staring mindlessly at the TV screen when the Vikings play, I decide I probably wouldn't be able to pull that one off.</span> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256630908499982178" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdUjEzv9NBpOV-f2lrRDeppgKEHxZxGgNKAPrsKmtOfL_IVTuK-QxPAZP9ny0uZkGHEmmTvA5QlNHBDmCPR3_j0yXNf-wooSFd4Q6weaDfzcZ3CvwEELJvj665Q1yXuPM0Jx5qIxH4lPLA/s320/IMG_0669.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I can honestly say that was probably the best pizza I have ever had in my life and you know me, the ultimate food critic. The crust had the consistency of a biscuit and you could taste the warm yeast in the crust. I had read on the back of the menu how the guy that owned the place thought he had the perfect amount of garlic on the pizza but he realized that his customers thought it was too garlicy and he reduced the garlic. I thought, why mess with perfection if he thought it was perfect and since my mom and I both love garlic and because Kevin was in Minnesota and I wouldn't be kissing him that night, I ordered it with the extra garlic. And I think that made all the difference on that pizza.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5256632423284845810" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaG3bXoh97-KahTnVNWcpGlRu2-l1xpMDyykIsod691TwiDoadKw97GhonVKh5DKyWi-dRTUrEbjhmzdUr1p4ctaXrU6ykB7UIGMQnx76GrVfQ93IG3CinbhxTRwjoQe6SFNh_XjHlmpxf/s320/IMG_0670.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We were only able to eat two pieces apiece. Wonderful experiece and worth every calorie!</span>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-26723380139948257422008-09-14T12:52:00.017-05:002008-10-13T08:25:24.813-05:00Halibut Tacos<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvI3PA6uf6oLApyEqNu1_PaO6Ozda2FzfIJsWtCh4NziCuE1tj9hON5SlJMTBEjCsQZh-xKbAHJHEHJdXWM5P3X6Ix2gA7AE2_Ux-izq945UE2yB2ubXECYFQPTRQvx6cxNtAsUPB7As9/s1600-h/IMG_0637.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245937063394864450" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzvI3PA6uf6oLApyEqNu1_PaO6Ozda2FzfIJsWtCh4NziCuE1tj9hON5SlJMTBEjCsQZh-xKbAHJHEHJdXWM5P3X6Ix2gA7AE2_Ux-izq945UE2yB2ubXECYFQPTRQvx6cxNtAsUPB7As9/s320/IMG_0637.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> Meet Allison Laffen. She is a friend, a blog reader and a hot lawyer. She is here in Minnesota on an extended vacation from Alaska where she works saving the children of Alaska from lives of crime and abuse. She likes to downplay what she does but personally, I think it is pretty noble and amazing. She also likes to cook. No, this is not a personal ad. Her boyfriend is a cool as she is. Both of them love good food and good adult beverages.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I met Allison through Kevin's friend, Brett Cote, who is her boyfriend and we hang out, cook, eat, drink, discuss politics and party with them whenever they are in Minnesota. One of these times we are going to visit them in Alaska. Allison has been practicing these Alaskan halibut tacos since she had them at a friend's house. You know what they say...practice makes perfect and these tacos were as good or better than the ones we had in Mexico.</span><br /><br /><p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">She started by putting a huge halibut steak that had been seasoned on a skillet and cooking it until it started to flake.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245940999561206226" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLCI3zmBhCa3xX__4CislaS7sM8CUt_MTS3HnSSzC8JPZ6Sods2A8rwkDXT9kw7a59Imyw5CguTTHsMH9tbL59A7JNwoXbbxARnP652KcvoLS5mN3vmObEQ9SDhIKL3JF5gA14g5uyqjHx/s320/IMG_0634.JPG" border="0" /></p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">She already had a bean and tomato mixture done. It was cherry tomatos, onions, beans and lots of cilantro. (I love cilantro.)</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245938730723101954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLEyAErH0hfnNL1MQF8lMn67ZT8SpDG9Z1slCIq3J59uT1vBHcaJygCuMDb646CMXV0mrvyqpkfbr801UxC04dViJErQQZgHbaWRfQZLXts_3SyiN6Ta6fnsbyMaSGQTsSaIeOLx7OqyMU/s320/IMG_0639.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">She had made guacamole that had a kick to it.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245939477326090898" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG64uDqNw4N43FLyitkQeXyr3nd63kSkducTs_sbzhtPUcEDcpx98a2R7X3e5E6SkySohMSf0JNU_frpKPjjY4ozMbA6UYGPoHHcwTZFd_XwDv24BTiI4-36LkNfUMVX6Y4iNJfWy8zjRV/s320/IMG_0640.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">As I watched her cook, I couldn't get enough of this smoky salmon dip that Brett had made. Not only did he catch and clean these Alaskan salmon, he also smoked them and make this dip that no one can stop eating.<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245942065015788194" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlfuLZFfGcaPMKed-YRuHYOBpFBj5jezEW-iFt9LwhSiD20j8PMLjIymmDvtzQyntyjBxmW6piR2fqaChdEU60KJvQK-lxW0cm0d6OLUA0pdhw9n4_wrrmk9RyJhEKRNEbStGKawGgsi-w/s320/IMG_0635.JPG" border="0" /></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">After the fish was done, Allison broke it up and put some in a flour tortilla with the guacamole and tomato mixture and sprinkled parmesan cheese on top.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245942990896955266" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieMXiIO29pwVkPImRYrL0aMqhLfEQnONgVMyU-C5j_NOgnbrL6ePxG2XB6LgpEct6ZONrAjOw4GnMWH8Pn6GwDGl0Jv162W7bmZl750pffo-hEjqw6w8_i37-qIk3rsIHP2CKLF45VSvAM/s320/IMG_0643.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Brett is always a happy guy but he looks even happier with a halibut taco in his hand! Definitely a blog-worthy dinner!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5245940611036687090" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBZqIObTjFT1kXCBSOXCqaECvVs38TrtwyMU7-swc9c7U0GTdVjfPkR90Ewo0tCpxZVoj2hKnSFHTWa3wguS5Z6GRUsjo7ZbWYESOGVVVCQ067M5iQ2kz9N96KN34OvaYYtkYf_6UuUPqk/s320/IMG_0642.JPG" border="0" /><br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-53328790051773627392008-08-06T20:25:00.013-05:002008-08-06T21:29:53.067-05:00Guest Blog! Guest Blog! Guest Blog!<span style="font-family:times new roman;">Ok, now I have your attention. Yes, my wife does most of the cooking at home but I thought it was time to show everyone a real man's camping trip menu. Recently I was invited on a fishing trip to Lake of the Woods with Maury Halverson and his son Taylor. We had a fabulous time talking about boy things and beating up on the local walleyes! (gotta love the smell of that '67 Forester Camper.) Downrigging crank baits was the meal ticket and what a time we had!</span> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231594120999443426" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxn_UFrTqNSZQbgNjNqJpZ4VfqSVIUh5nTYN0kgfdsbfcBTtvv-aTSi37h34gMA4_21s7fFsBl_bw_HOsJpKR9aRtwiUC6RmhQYJqU5uwEUEgr97fUP0K01ICayJt5JcYyXbRUrnx3m4bq/s320/IMG_0631.JPG" border="0" /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231583458266094434" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0uOSSfZURcvm9quRCJ0M3Z0EEapBGdMHricuCBftF56FCQLk8DxNO4ozf5QLDacZ1NVG2XgKWIcRYwoLzMwXTxhzBifCWpr63ogsCWfDK_n9HWgUgiZwqOkwwukzwllEa-p6JxUiZu7tU/s320/IMG_0626.JPG" border="0" /> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231596094526146370" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivKB8F8V-JgbILKb0pdfl8vUuOnAeATDA9rgbYynqGM-iX6UPrYTO_nNezQtlTIjzc741t0BS0-48J0Y0XacJtquK_u252zbl_nHeV4o5KYm5nCsSS5AdhqMmX1d3eODklCzjk8Q9OMaVP/s320/IMG_0629.JPG" border="0" /> <div><span style="font-family:times new roman;">It's a simple menu,,,,,<br /></span></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><strong>Breakfast,</strong></span></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231582060862774754" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioq8upaVgiBQJoLRdqY1s_m_xmeV5-dPUzbSPthyphenhyphenvs6UhMRePlNFymTyy0x34Kzf_y6mI15YwGdL_AnmSzG-7q-E2G8J5FrHBK72hyphenhyphenBgHWo6F6eF-6r-bt7IWZ8bhVyj2frIQGMoSA2R0b/s320/IMG_0627.JPG" border="0" /><br /><div><strong><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Lunch,</span></strong></div><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231594972569577170" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoXWV24q4IEHFq4PC4qTj83OoIEO7u5-Zxso-Ttt4CJB40F1WsbeZGhQsLyKa7lQu0BT397PcPsFOFObu9pgdJjOZwBd8H7zivoptUW3TKd63BRf3e8BVF_ACj2lEDVOcBZOQydwJOn_7b/s320/IMG_0633.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">and <strong>Dinner</strong> :) (Taylor had Orange Crush of course)</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231594524491594946" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKzSsh3URqiJTLvJBjCKTyXqzQgUHH19ypChoSc1C1HTXkOcw4mwhIMKc4KbcKkeqgwCkH_RThemBwhCVdfN1b4Pwndbj_P7YWAwkYFIfrfs-rP_rkLifex1q6BRACrFQOellZjyRD03K2/s320/IMG_0632.JPG" border="0" /> <div><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Thank you Maury and Taylor for a great trip! </span></div>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com225tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-23040083243900349332008-07-05T21:59:00.011-05:002008-12-10T17:15:59.375-06:00Chapman Street Market<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKqda7f3R6EoMZRszlET-8bxy4K2s-XFF0YJhqmZYwKmbcnIjqPn0c0bcmJ0F_YW1pVWblwi6jHYUKLOJ6UkavJU8liBfOXwWUNceCI4Ppa2U3NUlma_YZcZaW3YDyDV6CgPCxy0eFA5-/s1600-h/IMG_0515.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219735728124129202" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifKqda7f3R6EoMZRszlET-8bxy4K2s-XFF0YJhqmZYwKmbcnIjqPn0c0bcmJ0F_YW1pVWblwi6jHYUKLOJ6UkavJU8liBfOXwWUNceCI4Ppa2U3NUlma_YZcZaW3YDyDV6CgPCxy0eFA5-/s320/IMG_0515.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">One of my favorite shops in Ely is Chapman Street Market. I have a horrible, dark, cheese obsession and this shop caters to that sickness in me. I think in a former life I may have been a mouse. This weekend I decided to share that disease with our friends Chris and Abby and show them my secret, guilty place.<br /><br />Chapman Street Market is more than a cheese shop, they do catering and lunches and all kinds of other foodie things. Here is their website: </span><a href="http://www.chapmanstreetmarket.com/"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">http://www.chapmanstreetmarket.com/</span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> However, the main reason I go there is for the cheese and have been known to easily drop sixty dollars in this store just on cheese and baugettes.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219736143205035138" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnpNAyjok4sYFbITSkwlQroMhOcZtF2s8qtAzT9gjiBmlY3yuxAsmtwnxpDW37V_t-0ll5v8YjG6Qt26HveqoFuqN9EZyS-li19VqVfqtqEKwzv7ARrqfGz34V5p6H660XvdAoGkM5MFKg/s320/IMG_0516.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">How can you not spend money in a place that holds almost every kind of cheese known to mankind? Although they didn't have my favorite cheese, which is sottocenre, a black truffle cheese. I will have to do an article strictly on that cheese.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219736838599237218" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinaUHucmGORErzTdZDNDwYpUcqSb8p9-buCQEQd6i-DEAhfmrFPvFrAk0CcW4NkppWrb_JJyghof-lZWiw1mkqS9eTQ1d7OgJF2vSeaoVbzynGKPXGhvxVi1DoB5aIqN-1tT-rxNl6a93j/s320/IMG_0517.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">We bought a brie with mushrooms, a chunk of prima donna and taleggio and a warm, crusty baugette and wasted no time setting it all up with a couple of bottles of wine in the pontoon boat.</span> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219737171208089026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvd7aj2PoHMVOtGBEkOs-DJRbxu_WKABKLpvFHMjPT2fsYx32JgzTFKJ2MLxcquTeQwApSvRbfA9wyaB0bH5u3AppA_c50fzdSBQxmDs3XVWLDJDhkTfm0shuMnYkKpJUOR-sdWIY5Qbzy/s320/IMG_0518.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> We torn the baugette into pieces and topped them with chunks of rich cheese. The mushroom brie went well with the bottle of moscato I brought and the taleggio went well with the bottle of Root 1 that Chris brought. I love new things and Root 1 was something new to me. It was a red wine that wasn't real dry or sweet, but had a lots of berry and fruit flavors. It would be an excellent steak wine. Chris was dunking his bread and cheese into the wine and told me how his dad taught him to do that. He said his parents started giving the kids watered down wine when they were young and how his dad would walk around to each wine glass and grate a little Parmesan into it. It all winds up in your tummy anyway, he said. So I had to try a little piece of baugette and cheese dunked into Root 1 and while it was pretty good, I just don't like the texture of soggy bread. So I don't know if that would be something I could do all the time but the story was interesting! Chris' family is a large Irish-Italian family that loves each other to death, is very passionate, very into their food and wine and hugs everyone. They are fun people to hang around.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219738286847840306" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz3XA1xVX0OkgzFKxq8AV23hn_4krnlOpoxJ1RqFpxyglZYys_3qd-hESdSF-TnKS6qj2G-XhLbfeZMU3yJbc-d5SU2zZsD3GA-VHKscufU_jm-8lR6Jhu6xFvJgda4q5m1H-lTDiPaxGI/s320/IMG_0519.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The cheese was a wonderful treat and we put a pretty good dent in all the food. I loved how the prima donna Gouda cheese had these little pieces of crystallized salt in it. Chris said it wasn't salt, it was "coagulated enzymes" in the cheese. Well ok, I love coagulated enzymes!</span> <p><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I love picnics on the boat, I love cheese and I love spending a weekend with fun, real people! I hope we will have many more weekends with Chris and Abby!</span></p>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-11902420992309332182008-07-05T21:26:00.023-05:002008-12-10T17:16:00.748-06:00Stony Ridge in Ely<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtd_zMoyymwYiOh4AFayVdfoR3C5_JZwetM0Z846w-6lY5ccNZ2H4lfIwSFgKaSndV2YjGmWqRhQZu7ThsREqIYZwUCHknRruSaYmdfsHqqfN7Vk2OFPFJ3pGZnis2SF6Wtg4dFccmqFg/s1600-h/IMG_0510.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219722679953402690" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLtd_zMoyymwYiOh4AFayVdfoR3C5_JZwetM0Z846w-6lY5ccNZ2H4lfIwSFgKaSndV2YjGmWqRhQZu7ThsREqIYZwUCHknRruSaYmdfsHqqfN7Vk2OFPFJ3pGZnis2SF6Wtg4dFccmqFg/s320/IMG_0510.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Well, what can I say? It's been a busy summer and I have neglected my blog. So I'm sitting here very sorry and determined to make it up to the few readers I have left!</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Kevin, Miss Chocoholic and I just got back from a week in Ely. One of the things that made that week special was the first weekend we were up there, our friends Chris and Abby shared a nice, long weekend with us. That is them on the first picture. Aren't they cute? They just got engaged! One of the things I love about them is that they are both so passionate about everything and they love food, wine and good coffee. So we went to a little resort cafe in Ely called Stony Ridge where they are famous for their mammoth stuffed hashbrowns. Here is their website: </span><a href="http://www.stonyridgeresort.com/"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">http://www.stonyridgeresort.com</span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> </span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">After a cup of Gene Hick's coffee, (Kevin's favorite, if you need an idea for a gift for him) we turned our attention to cleaning our plates like our mothers taught us.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219723069384129938" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgByNyoQeIhLsTGsKmm6KFoIyWT8hj61AzArfjzmUOKtmCZee_gi5SSd82CgrSNEtSYH0Tlms4p_B-lQM5vhnss5U-U2fTwzsn2rVAnlfMurKp9VFalQR9awiuRNRageqcUCR9E6o-Alk84/s320/IMG_0509.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">You know I love Vertin's stuffed hashbrowns and they are still the best in my opinion but only because it is like comparing an evening with a campfire and a bottle of wine to going to a Broadway play. The Broadway play is absolutely wonderful but you can't do that every night. But you can sure drink a bottle of wine around the campfire a couple of nights a week!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219725143155295250" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNTAAYXPpdHLVwLyYtdPL83xm6hE4TADHbSspjWzSBwksfJRNzKpCRbYLUlLvugu7ikv_nF0KqvcdhWhsBlhjwRgImF7oLJLHZZQQ4nbsm1z9oPOhlZ3GW1CshSg1G8Zc595WAfCzf_Aox/s320/IMG_0513.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">This was my Broadway play and I finished everything except the toast. The menu item is actually called Killer Browns. It was delicious! Kevin and Abby opted for omelets and while they looked scrumptious, you just can't compare them to Killer Browns.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219725568319985282" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcxQIgr4LxgJ6fCBhEO7q8fS6EoVS25HHCnAw41G-v_dWECCc-NcHFkaMPgh1wTcmYSeLH26b_bKFxFJsLxAcpdCp7zPOGcEP14AeKfys9SQMJzRAfwglHsomsCzqQ_Q7jK1EeNmnTNwz_/s320/IMG_0511.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">This cafe is very quaint and homey. It does get busy sometimes so go early if you can. The breakfast is the best anyway!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219724017552159506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC8QYLss-QObA8Y55YawRkr_Aq7vpNxybGd1LC6hFfwgvK0mUxkDiQ8wEv_0RsUTPrQxaGYUryIZx-v0RBmozuuSN9_DRnDe_GLdLXpQjG3U4W1RabvUhg_xAMubA3Kp_P_xN_2WTfF43H/s320/IMG_0507.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">You can share your meal with the mosquitos on a nice day if you want and enjoy a view of the lake.</span> <img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5219727690175088674" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ_lirhttr6EI5OsQzm6ajQt-5_PTh7fGLWc6NgTSyAvxAQkaLwIjoa-mLVnnvbtEudt6WhJyd_sUVcVlI9D-p7VhuzIWsfGxicMMBkTmxbRnGlPJCkX4ab4IXjPRDs7hc1itxQgBWT2v_/s320/IMG_0506.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> Check this cafe in Ely out, you will be glad you did!</span>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-61296457383020771672008-05-10T19:18:00.012-05:002008-12-10T17:16:01.427-06:00Shrimp and Couscous in Parchment Paper<span style="font-family:times new roman;">It's been awhile since I've posted a yummy, cozy meal. Actually, with everything Miss Chocoholic has going on and since I have been working later, it's been awhile since I experimented with anything lately and it's about time! I decided to try a complete meal of couscous and shrimp cooked together in parchment paper. So I headed off to the store for a roll of parchment paper, hoping that it wouldn't burn in the oven!</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198908672617197570" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWttT3RTEsi_y1J5lfHcmrUTHFHuB6QKyfRbWy39IPdKTxBU_g-by1ABb9JRy0x8_Z3clFHUFook5uV8n4s7EZujQ9JFWvHFiQNHw1LJ4SjJmJ7PtukdtqUVq0rn81uH_oH3o5bvix4bxI/s320/IMG_0471.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The meal starts out by heating up 2/3 cup broth and adding a package of couscous to it, along with a chopped up bell pepper and shallot, 2 tablespoons of olive oil and salt and pepper. I stirred that and let it sit while thawed and peeled the shrimp. I combined some basil leaves and lemon juice in my mortar and ground them up. You could also use a basil or tomato pesto for this.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198909153653534738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcmpFMBWTj7vMCWzCT2Usu8T3-i9VdznswYp9eTnk_XEdrvwJuXdtzutgC7ctLnQ6xx8cP_YpSKzazubKZOfxSwPuW8UKZbJjsRr7eY3jRMcB_tyrcg4f6pUENdVbRjy-eJmkZlFuzmxMA/s320/IMG_0473.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I pulled off a foot long piece of parchment paper and folded it in half and then cut a half-circle in it, kind of like a crude heart shape. The couscous mixture went on there, then a handful of shrimp, then a couple of spoons of the basil mixture. It was smelling very fragrant before I even cooked it, I couldn't wait to smell it when it was cooked!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198909875208040482" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsrqX912Cw-NGfluiGgpT4V7ZDmxvt_mhFpGJ22-b-9kg8eJ1wU5SD3LIsBmywqW40Jr7auKja_45xRaGQzoFcqNON3IDr7g11xoaglOJbzl8_5nstiJIQ9nIfdzaKxM5n31YTdyNnTrMX/s320/IMG_0474.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The sides got folded up and flipped over into a preheated oven for fifteen minutes.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198910244575227954" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuf3vAJUehpL6kSdpZbDsbOlAW-1xrrMGpARuCw_ED1JU7GxfB-3guR3AXrd_TJSGJ_AxJUpHIjCPGNQV6SXLSW9q4XQFk_9FSOF8WBgFDthRC-B-F7hqaUAUEasmr2K9qnOVAeaNZVPhyphenhyphen/s320/IMG_0475.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The end result was the best home-cooked meal I have had in a long time. The bell peppers and the lemon juice gave the couscous a citrus taste that went well with the shrimp. This made five little packages and they all mysteriously disappeared that night! And the smell lingered in the kitchen long after the last I scraped the last bit of leftover's off Miss Chocoholic's plate into my own mouth!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5198910626827317314" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLFgGEAK_3UP-GSCtuupyscZ38UwyOsa-BkwaWviBOa5SI8r18wqNongT3nR4cvav51OVISLiGWiX8cKKyXzRfJTkqwsDKWtwMpRqHZPDZR2Mi6zbtA7CcvdYvmvB7X5qbac-967F09jVo/s320/IMG_0476.JPG" border="0" />Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-51000629738880767882008-05-04T20:29:00.002-05:002008-05-04T20:34:58.018-05:00My Top Ten Craveable Foods<span style="font-family:times new roman;">I started a list with the top ten foods I-don't-know-if-I-could-live-if-I-could-never-have-them-again. I'm not done yet, I am still thinking. Come on, people! I want to hear your top ten or top five. Use the comments sections and let me hear what yours are! Make some noise!</span>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-39102044809350006642008-05-04T19:54:00.012-05:002008-12-10T17:16:02.500-06:00Vertins, Ely, MN<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxWQvOUOPsoFym9kvH9Gf7aDBvORK3FqeGLJvSQba1gRsGGh1srDxBiSzQrhyphenhyphen9tyk0uiyJ4EJIiKXvCo_Tfh6Q1QGUw7uOpup7ADQXjORYfSPHOYe43xcXrfsEIX0TwTjva_gcJoSunV-/s1600-h/IMG_0451.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196691584833000242" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYxWQvOUOPsoFym9kvH9Gf7aDBvORK3FqeGLJvSQba1gRsGGh1srDxBiSzQrhyphenhyphen9tyk0uiyJ4EJIiKXvCo_Tfh6Q1QGUw7uOpup7ADQXjORYfSPHOYe43xcXrfsEIX0TwTjva_gcJoSunV-/s320/IMG_0451.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Almost any weekend we can get away after the driveway starts to be driveable again, we start making our summer pilgramages to our happy spot in the wilderness. Kevin's family owns a cabin on Burntside Lake in Ely. Both his parents grew up in Ely and his grandfather who was a stubborn old Finn who worked in the iron mines in Ely, managed to get this lakeshore for a steal a long time ago. In the picture above, the little brown cabin is a sauna. It used to be a shoe shop in Ely and was drug out over the ice to sit where it sits today. Kevin's parents actually spent their honeymoon there. It is now a sauna and a dressing room and the cabin above it is the main cabin.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196691984264958786" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgul3l34cX32tzOHoWi6SYJK_vd4WDdUdGRknhi8x_8YIdkEQ8pjIPVFPmiSZ44jYc-vRH_i6w0lqFUJi_64Uy7XnmjTMmGW2SA4TcbjTnYni1tQDeNmJZ6ZHxj8_CsXAsy59IywaYcNGvb/s320/IMG_0452.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">What a view! There was still ice on the lake and patches of snow and it was the fourth of May!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196692443826459474" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPENOH_7Anjg8I6wiUygPbO7Niy6n_Jb3xYdaXyis-TxBQiISSv7htzshvBcfFxuUSYgZ3FJmZMzlxIOvpOnUScjj_Vd-pDsKdSbPj-BmibzfpiieZbisWF_sxovDO5FqPk0BYBn7LcP04/s320/IMG_0463.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">One of my all time favorite place to eat breakfast in Ely is Vertins Cafe. This would be considered your average hole-in-the-wall greasy spoon where the locals eat. Don't let that stop you from eating here. Although the menu is for the most part mediocore, there is one showstopper on there that is worth a trip. The Stuffed Hashbrowns. Greasy and flavorful with strings of gooey cheese. A heart attack on a plate. Everytime they set that plate in front of me I hear the halellujah chorus in the background. It's a beautiful thing. And it doesn't hurt that Vertins has their own local ghost. Kevin's uncle Mike (in the red and black plaid shirt above) told me that there have been employees that have quit because of Old Man Vertins ghost lurking around. He knows I looooove a good ghost story. I've never seen Old Man Vertin but I have consumed many plates of stuffed hashbrowns over the years.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196693002172207970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWfdDnhocp4xMoo6rSReNwGEHDBHFhqi7fPoDFrojQHOrb1sxh2pzSr4owqnt2lfE3K1SmE50evh66VVuCauxATOOGV_0f8QUMbNqvL29o0s8OUeo_R2q__SIIolzMPYlmXD8oEuXMnie0/s320/IMG_0464.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The end of the weekend always comes too fast. Last summer I painted a sign at the end of the drive that says "Brainerd 189 miles." Here are Miss Chocoholic and I pointing to the sign with our best pouty faces. But guess what? You will be hearing a lot more about Ely! It has a plethora of food stories!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5196693972834816882" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWJ_TPM6gvbRMtBvwqCBzjo73BwGtq3XMRL6BK9rEh6479o3Uv7Ycp2b8dCvLQgjRo5C_8biw5gRSRrBGjX_UorcDwbV8ncPR_12G_S9-wAQP7eGeoTXBGkMZQXTAFHXSrsgHXBl8IL9DY/s320/IMG_0462.JPG" border="0" />Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-66337567474328722022008-04-20T12:32:00.019-05:002008-12-10T17:16:04.310-06:00Cream cheese mints<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5uunbYsieWYui8ojN3PmTxni57mCUovnZdCQNY1IdZ2axCGbFnwCG_gMK56roLeb6MxQkWH5GJ5KXqc9kzrLNtxDdwQCCXczMFVoOjXlQiHS-2cnZTpKsin8l8JjxEOEMhgFHZSD2KWJ/s1600-h/IMG_0389.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191382885359583714" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis5uunbYsieWYui8ojN3PmTxni57mCUovnZdCQNY1IdZ2axCGbFnwCG_gMK56roLeb6MxQkWH5GJ5KXqc9kzrLNtxDdwQCCXczMFVoOjXlQiHS-2cnZTpKsin8l8JjxEOEMhgFHZSD2KWJ/s320/IMG_0389.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">My brother is getting married in a couple of weeks and I volunteered to make the "mints" for the tables. These aren't actually mints, although you can add mint flavoring to them if you want. My brother's fiance is partial to almond flavoring so I enlisted Miss Chocoholic's help and we spend all afternoon one weekend cranking out about six hundred of these little guys.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The ingredients are simple...a bag of powdered sugar and a box of cream cheese. Mix it all together with whatever flavoring you desire and you can add food coloring if you like. You almost have to just get in there with your hands and actually dump this out on the counter and knead it like dough. It takes a little bit of work to get the "dough" ready to use.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191384899699245554" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhsF8dLuE9g_qK7AroinUu7AS04eIMXuzhr-oUeTBgd3dps4OzV0HuVPLmjT76anAf0OQSiBEz3FQVvzM9SMnB97PTqMfHaFQmv6uVJ0N18-sCtEnK4aDViKiIyD3PPq6jEuCG7vgz3e3/s320/IMG_0390.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Grab a paper plate and pour it full of regular sugar. You will also need a cookie sheet (or six) covered with wax paper and whatever rubber molds you want to use. I used a rose, a heart and a butterfly.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191385836002116114" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgi5VHkB6EMTiiqDYfwHSosBHhecXrJYbwgu44wApDiC7AP1aNUvxHhLHd3by_sq120IScyebZHm7qSiAwvLl_VC0PUtbq2mCfaIR8M18K7mvfLurTXEntw1DxdY5WRPE4QsQKnAlhXsNTs/s320/IMG_0393.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">You take a marble-sized pinch of the dough, roll it in sugar and press it into the mold. Then you pop it out onto the cookie sheet to let it dry.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191386372873028130" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghamHRVvj1s03IkcOMRckwTokquTh1o8BvcNQBHhKSog0Yb34v1jkIQrKD2loW3DSBTrKzdLaLfvayt2k9UZc9cFUSMLH4QG_M8voK-DEWvdJ6wvWHmSd_la_Nt35pW4n1OztirkM5UFMV/s320/IMG_0396.JPG" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">Once they were dry, we stacked them in layers in a tupperware container and put them in the freezer.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191386995643286066" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWxtXTkI6XOYy-9_ZRAg2NMtZZjbeetDOqgctGWb2fJBYO4vUH1Q-m_MlhGZ70bHnBob99TLWSta1UAPE5cq-mZRePuiPcL2dAQPotoIOXh7orBykO3OXasaJ4f4PV1dmfpfKewVbDKvYX/s320/IMG_0397.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">It was the perfect project for an April sixth snowstorm. I wondered if the outside wedding would really happen in a few weeks especially since we had a snowstorm again the next weekend.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191387687133020738" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjJsd_-FBeKg5EvuUrLAthrfAxUdDyFSiXKvWnXJFb6taDuZONyl8iYnuDSvG5hdxfsrW6qXXK4yMmo43casS7cHEs7a1FAULVpR9ecm0GALH0Mv6s-_hNV2zG_vX7nhH_PxKA8HJrW6bC/s320/IMG_0395.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Not looking too good for an outside wedding! Thank God it is melted now!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191388314198245970" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjZSLrFaDOWLUwMVCY5mzl3PAKuqEw7DGkVxbmLnr5Q56S7qPdGpsfD8aLoTXlpJd1jJqK5-IY1v2WPki-yiy_s9q_HUW-XR0wxXT1ESeE4IzwvrIJa7xFG57_0uqeFwabQIz5ht3dcWpM/s320/IMG_0405.JPG" border="0" />Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-38807781954881807442008-04-20T12:11:00.009-05:002008-12-10T17:16:04.718-06:00My little wine collection<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjU1MhV4J9qe6qh6ouUxnAKnY4P-Lfw9t9sOFNB9HyDM6RKNgP4B-AuyWhCTRIpvr0vk4znbux7_Mbh8iacVQ4_lFdIKF2-B5UZdV3_bvnAgBYeXPUu9Bq9eurizQAxzyMY-2nTzbnGYQ/s1600-h/IMG_0385.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191378882450063794" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjU1MhV4J9qe6qh6ouUxnAKnY4P-Lfw9t9sOFNB9HyDM6RKNgP4B-AuyWhCTRIpvr0vk4znbux7_Mbh8iacVQ4_lFdIKF2-B5UZdV3_bvnAgBYeXPUu9Bq9eurizQAxzyMY-2nTzbnGYQ/s320/IMG_0385.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">The blueberry wine is finally done! I get so excited when I bottle wine and stash it downstairs in my "wine cellar" which is slang for "under the bar in the basement." The blueberry wine was sweetened with molasses, brown sugar and honey and you can definitely taste all three. I know this because there was just a liiiittttle bit that wouldn't fit into the bottles!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191379578234765762" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWLSHxwI8SXEG-A66Z-F64MMbPucN1cIG5z_piaFEmbL0fTQVJrfaHLFEeCbTvowzHHOLrwKxMad72IjiJJvoQVkC9GY3Xfolu1Mrr4e5Tk2mb2y2DPgmn7rO7pDWn9XNsz8FLzyfWV0h/s320/IMG_0386.JPG" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">I pulled all of the bottles out of the "wine cellar" to take some pictures and brag a little. I love how they run the gammit of jewel-toned colors, from yellow to pinks to dark reds. I have blueberry, strawberry, crabapple and white peach. Now if I can just keep Kevin (and myself!) out of them for awhile!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191380836660183506" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwjMlgdVI8TpmTvxq9504RVwwrR23RtW_YOOAiPCyo3pyqfJx2s2Xg7-XnfxataIj4jJn40QjLNJFUy4OG2lUoNDKXASwV8x5u_aOM7Pwi7h-ODWwgrymZAFMyf9RH-OKqcX-9W9Bks6Bj/s320/IMG_0384.JPG" border="0" />Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-56267636375804418042008-04-20T11:24:00.009-05:002008-12-10T17:16:05.179-06:00Moscato and Malvasia<span style="font-family:times new roman;">I have been promising to do an article on moscato so here it is, finally! Moscatos and malvasias are the ultimate girly wines. I haven't met a chick yet who doesn't love them. If you are not a big wine drinker, but you would like to start getting into more wine, moscato is the perfect wine to cut your eye teeth on. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Moscato is a sparkling, white, dessert wine and while it doesn't have as much fizz as a champagne, it is a quite a bit sweeter than champagne. The taste always reminds me of fig newton bars mixed with pear. Moscato is made from the Muscat grape and typically comes from Italy although muscat grapes are also grown in Spain, Chile, Australia and other countries and those countries produce their own versions of wine from them. Asti Spumante also comes from the muscat grape and is similiar to moscato with the exception of a little more fizz. My favorite high end moscato wine is the Bartenura brand. They make both a moscato and a malvasia. St. Supery also makes a great moscato. A bottle of this wine will run anywhere from twenty dollars to six dollars a bottle. The Barefoot brand of moscato is the lower end and that brand also has a good flavor. You can pick up a bottle of that for about five or six dollars. Try some moscato with some bleu cheese and put those taste buds to work!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191368273880842626" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhG2wuyihhXrjt2hhqb7wiSPyamnF5qX-qMt6QaIk_NkYGUUWlIYrhWeKrjIVkhjiz77vHhUOF7Ge2_pH29OCEa_6pOscpVIETtXPc4Qucf1Cql_gh0Yxegqqf1HILUTigyG8M0ZvuSPXUv/s320/IMG_0379.JPG" border="0" /> <span style="font-family:times new roman;">Malvasia wine is another dessert wine that tastes a lot like moscato. Sometimes this wine is white and other times it is a blush color. Bartenura makes the rose-colored malvasia. Malvasia wine comes from the malvasia grape that originated in Greece in the fourteenth century and was then called "malmsey" wine. The grapes were brought to Europe and the word was changed to "malvasia" which was the name of an Italian wine port city. In some cases, the grape is dried before they make the wine, which just makes the wine sweeter. I found a great malvasia at the liquor store for $6.99 a bottle called "Le Duca."</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191368900946067858" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU0j0hiO6iVaOx521ifkQO4CgBQxEPFeWeuPfivtHJ8FSdRPcWwLZP2mrQG8xhrKx-OnkqFr4bn38mCafzWEvQJM63UvylDjsMsmMXg2o5bLORJUSQH33ZzoQJnU2umUqhyphenhyphenVP2G3VZ7bLm/s320/IMG_0378.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Sweeter wines seem to be gaining popularity these days. I have never been a person who really enjoys a super dry glass of wine. I can appreciate the taste and the flavors but it is hard for me to really sit down and drink a whole bottle of merlot unless I am planning on sleeping very late the next morning! The nice thing about moscatos and malvasias are that they have a low alchohol content so if you are looking for a light party sipping wine, these are perfect.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5191372259610493346" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhecN811_kLUKff4lNxmL806HolMYE2bZvYO8L9yqPW4j44tLUAJpKXNtv-m6qMuS5bgh9zf2NGi4mqdS_cQcgWI95R40B-VwAhm8Z9NliS90kfVCa3d8yonieYU4aN4rk37XajNRrtSDga/s320/IMG_0382.JPG" border="0" />Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-81394086869528666632008-04-03T14:52:00.009-05:002008-12-10T17:16:06.365-06:00Rachel's Bakery and Schaeffer's cheese<span style="font-family:times new roman;">I woke up with a toothache this morning. After stumbled around the bathroom, I crawled shivering back into bed and curled myself around an industrial-sized bottle of advil. As I lay there hurting, I reminded myself that I would rather have a baby or do my taxes then have a toothache. At least you have something to show for it afterward.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I called in to work in pain and went to see my dentist that afternoon. Even though the pain was half-way managable with advil, I was still feeling pretty sorry for myself and down in the dumps as I schlumped out of the dentist's office and over to the pharmacy for some antibiotics. My dentist had told me the tooth had to come out and the only thing I hate worse then dental work is...well, I guess I can't think of anything worse. As I pulled into the pharmacy in Nisswa, I noticed a new, little bakery called Rachel's Bakery. That perked me up. I had read a newspaper article in the Brainerd Dispatch about how good their breads were and since I am not in Nisswa every day since Miss Chocoholic isn't going to school there anymore, I don't always see the new stores.</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">After throwing the prescription in the jeep and with my mood considerably lightened, I made my way into the bakery. The shop was quaint and cozy and the owner was extremely personable. He was full of suggestions and conversation and seemed like he was high on life. I told him I had seen the article in the paper and he suggested a few breads that I would like. I walked out with an onion dill loaf, a caraway rye loaf, a date-filled cookie and a pear-ginger tea bread that looked like a tiny, cute loaf of banana bread. I devoured the cookie and the tea bread on my way home and couldn't wait to dig into the actual bread. Here is their website: </span><a href="http://rachelsbakerymn.com/"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">http://rachelsbakerymn.com/</span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> Super nice, friendly people who seem passionate about what they do and very flavorful bread!</span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I figured what the heck, I have to have a tooth extracted, I should treat myself. So I stopped at Schaefer's Grocery store on the way home and got some honey ham, horseradish-chive havarti, bleu cheese, bleu cheese-stuffed green olives, a chunk of scallion-rosemary cheese and a chunk of garlic, chive and dill cheese. Unlike most of the grocery stores around here, Schaefer's has a good selection of gourmet cheeses. Here is their website: </span><a href="http://schaefersfoods.com/"><span style="font-family:times new roman;">http://schaefersfoods.com/</span></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;"> The checkout boy laughed at me for spending six dollars for a chunk of cheese. "Six dollars for cheese?" he said to the checkout girl, She said to him, "It's probably better than the Kraft stuff you eat!" I just stood there and let them have their laughs and I pitied them. They will never understand the ecstasy of smooth, creamy, salty, quality cheese sliding down your throat. What would they say if they knew I spend twenty dollars a pound for sottocenre cheese when we go to Ely? Some things are just worth it. </span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">I grabbed a bottle of moscato and brought it all home. The afternoon was beautiful so I sliced up the cheese and the bread, poured myself a glass of moscato and took it all out on the deck.</span><br /><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185109929785547026" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigMunnTMNp49GXKDTOtbKRHFeOZ_2K_eZGkl8p0EpqXDumnrUV4Uq_FYFv1Cf7zeCxYmvmFit3UNc_bxeGeXn0wxGb4BcvCIaRfK_P0ZEnHQp4Fa0Bwt2YKKwNxu9pUrV2DcaELZfrJ6mP/s320/IMG_0380.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Each thing separately was extraordinary, but putting it together was a symphony in the mouth. Whoever thought of stuffing green olives with bleu cheese? They should be given a genius award. The salty acidity of the olives offset the pungency of the bleu cheese perfectly. Then you wash it all down with a gulp of sweet moscato and the sweetness of the wine enhances the saltiness of the cheese and the olives. The onion dill bread was the best bread I have had in a long time. It was the perfect consistency and the subtle onion flavors went well with the earthiness of the rosemary cheese. I put a hunk of the havarti on the bread and topped it off with the honey ham. You don't even need any kind of mayo or dressing when your lunch ingredients are this high quality. The moscato went well with everything. It is a great cheese wine. I'd take a bite of cheese, then a drink of wine, then a bite of cheese, and so on until the plate was empty.</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185110316332603682" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBQYYJ07hFNQz10lwEjmXlvZw7lPtpGvL35oDazBMnn37qjTRv0APAvrdfeQL9Osu5dYWsYkMz071THvN3iYhngYi4QCFdZ6OdA5Da0c_tw9aawb0Iizf7Y5OrywTkr2e5DPHEGHrrHeMn/s320/IMG_0383.JPG" border="0" /><span style="font-family:times new roman;">As I sat watching the squirrels in the backyard in a sleepy, dairy-induced stupor, I thought how bad can a tooth extraction be? It's so easy to forget about pain after a cheese picnic fit for a godess. Cheese, bread and wine will cheer this godess up anyday!</span><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185110745829333298" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhI6i05XCe33lcty4JBgUurvZY66czs48pFdpdvu7KlTYNDvJmWEGPQmkwemxXb_jIC13e9vZm4T7hJX8Udsikm7298uR-8kASyMUJfqWFGt-TrYGlvZg5XJKOVOXJqXQ7aLnV8sc6z37zD/s320/IMG_0381.JPG" border="0" />Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1827630791331593143.post-65669607390706019202008-04-03T14:46:00.002-05:002008-12-10T17:16:06.457-06:00Minnesota State Chip<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpgtB-51KNHdr-mlW04avRQTdoFhyyny_lhMc1DeV2gTYNQjsMnom70j6mqlTI5LG6IVHGnKh6xGOdypznJR18r_bi5JNLBJajxzCbX9A7SapmjtqRBj9UgT-xg9NOHysjvy7lToAtowc/s1600-h/IMG_0377.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5185108907583330562" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMpgtB-51KNHdr-mlW04avRQTdoFhyyny_lhMc1DeV2gTYNQjsMnom70j6mqlTI5LG6IVHGnKh6xGOdypznJR18r_bi5JNLBJajxzCbX9A7SapmjtqRBj9UgT-xg9NOHysjvy7lToAtowc/s320/IMG_0377.JPG" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:times new roman;">My brother and his fiance came over the other night for supper and we were sitting around eating mango salsa and "hint of lime" chips. My brother pulled out a chip, looked at me weird and said, "Maybe I shouldn't eat this one!"<br /></span><div></div><br /><div><span style="font-family:times new roman;">Now if it just had a famous person's face on it, we would probably be able sell it on ebay!</span></div>Dihttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15201799837127177209noreply@blogger.com0