Monthly Archives: August 2011

Embrace Change

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I know a couple of you were thinking this post would be all about my recent trip to the Minnesota State Fair which it sort of is but also I wanted to share some great reads!
This summer has been a whirlwind…. I’ve been working at the zoo, job hunting and trying to live a somewhat healthy life style with a bit of flare! I cant believe it is almost September. Where did the summer go? What did y’all accomplish this summer? I can tell you with out a doubt I know more about monkeys/primates then I ever expected to know.

Now to the books… These are necessities.


Love this! Her true story and I could not put it down! Also at the end are some of her recipes. I’ve made the cinnamon rolls and they are delish.


I’m currently reading this and can’t believe how much I am learning. Brene Brown has a blog and her message has appeal to everyone.

I will leave y’all with some snaps from our 2011 fair trip. One day of fun with Justin and Alli!


Alli and Justin enjoy the healthiest option at the fair.


Alli enjoying a new state fair food: sweet corn ice cream.


The state of Minnesota in seed art.


Our friend… The ocean spray guy!


Sweet Martha Cookies: if you didn’t know last year they made 2 million dollars at the fair.


Australian Potatoes with ranch


The new state fair food: Deep Fried Cookie Dough.

Lots of Love,

Erica

Paddle boating+ gelato= perfection

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I love the weekend! Today was perfect weather in Minneapolis to cross something off my checklist: Paddle-boating! Justin promised me he would go with me on my birthday. However mother nature did not let that happen and it poured that day. We have been trying to go for the last few weeks. Today was the perfect temp so we headed over to Lake Calhoun. I must say it is not as easy as it looks but I still had a blast.


After paddle boating we headed over to Edina to a new gelato place called Pandolfi. They had a variety of choices and it was not easy to pick. Justin got raspberry and I got half dark chocolate and half banana caramel praline (AMAZING!!!)

Lots of Love,

Erica

100 Favorites of 2011

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This weekend was a whirlwind of fun! I tried new restaurants, celebrated my b’day with friends, and was introduced to a list that I know I will not completely conquer… My friend, Mike informed me of a list that City Pages had put out about the 100 Favorite Dishes of 2011 in the Twin Cities. I love trying new restaurants and I enjoy tasting foods I have never had before, but this list I might use simply as a guide. I am positive that some of my fellow readers can give me suggestions/thoughts on this list  of places that are a must.

No. 1: Tilia’s corn bread waffles Benedict

No. 2: Gangchen’s Vietnamese curry coconut
No. 3: Cedar Summit Farms grade A cream
No. 4: Cake Eater’s blackberry pie bar
No. 5: Hong Kong Noodle’s stir-fried sole
No. 6: Zakia Deli’s kafta sandwich
No. 7: Black Sea’s spicy eggplant
No. 8: Wolf’s extra virgin honey
No. 9: Sun Street Bread’s biscuit sandwich
No 10: La Loma’s puerco tamale
No. 11: River Chocolate Company’s Mango Tango
No. 12: Triple Rock’s mother biker
No. 13: Fat Lorenzo’s blood orange gelato
No. 14: Loring Kitchen & Bar’s zucchini fries
No. 15: Trung Nam’s coconut croissant
No. 16: Bryant-Lake Bowl’s grilled cheese with ham
No. 17: Zumbro Cafe’s chicken wild rice hash
No. 18: Skinner’s Reuben Pizza
No 19: Los Ocampo’s Sope with Chicharrone Prensado
No. 20: Good Day Cafe’s Glazed Doughnut Pancakes
No. 21: El Taco Riendo’s tacos
No. 22: Broders’ fresh pasta
No. 23: Burger Jones’ salted caramel shake
No. 24: Rinata’s eggplant involtini
No. 25: Smack Shack’s lobster roll
No. 26: Moto-i’s steamed hoisin pork buns
No. 27: The Happy Gnome’s MN game burger
No. 28: Patisserie Margo’s zuppa englese torte
No. 29: Heartland’s Kansas City strip steak
No. 30: Tum Rup Thai’s Mee Kah Teeh
No. 31: Dolsot Bibimbap at Dong Yang Oriental Food
No. 32: Piccolo’s Scrambled Eggs with Pig’s feet
No. 33: Meritage’s pommes frites
No. 34: Travail’s Fried Chicken
No. 35: Hmong Village’s stuffed chicken wings
No. 36: Cafe Maude’s Now You Know
No. 37: Urban Eatery’s Asian pork sliders
No. 38: Isles Bun & Coffee’s puppy dog tails
No. 39: Surdyk’s Flight’s chicken báhn mì
No. 40: Sunny Side Up Cafe’s Santa Fe Railroad French Toast
No. 41: Szechuan Spice’s chicken with double chili pepper
No. 42: Dancing Ganesha’s Chicken 65
No. 43: Bradstreet’s Black Walnut Old Fashioned
No. 44: Wakame Bistro’s Crazy Lobster Roll
No. 45: Brit’s Pub Scotch Eggs
No. 46: Peninsula’s chili tofu
No. 47: Annona Gourmet’s balsamic vinegars
No. 48: Cocina del Barrio’s jalapeño poppers
No. 49: Papa’s Philly Cheesesteak
No. 50: Swede Hollow Cafe’s caramel roll
No. 51: Thomasina’s cashew brittle
No. 52: Patisserie 46′s Rory Cake
No. 53: Il Gatto’s Ravanelli
No. 54: Mandarin Kitchen’s seafood and tofu hotpot
No. 55: The Inn’s Polish Delight cocktail
No. 56: Gopher Bar’s Coney Island dog
No. 57: Holy Land’s hummus tahini
No. 58: The Sample Room’s wild mushroom ragout on polenta
No. 59: On’s Thai Kitchen Nam Thok
No. 60: Flamingo Restaurant’s vegetarian combo
No. 61: Sea Change’s Brioche Pain Perdu
No. 62: Haute Dish’s “Steak & Eggs”
No. 63: Tremblay’s Sweet Shop salt water taffy
No. 64: Bars Bakery’s Turtle Bar
No. 65: Pizzeria Lola’s Lady ZaZa Pizza
No. 66: In Season’s fried oysters
No. 67: Cave Vin’s steak frites
No. 68: Everest on Grand’s cabbage and potatoes
No. 70: Surly Coffee Bender
No. 71: Quang’s bun tom xao
No. 72: YoYo Donuts’ maple bacon doughnut
No. 73: Cupcake’s mini cupcakes
No. 74: Willy D’s ribs
No. 75: Salsa a la Salsa’s Fried Chocolate Truffles
No. 76: Anodyne’s Artichoke Melt
No. 77: Origami’s steamed duck
No. 78: B.T. McElrath’s Salty Dog bar
No. 79: Mozza Mia’s house-made limoncello
No. 80: Salty Tart Bakery’s pastry cream-filled brioche
No. 81: Little Szechuan’s bamboo tips with chili sauce
No. 82: Oceanaire’s Jumbo Lump Crab Cake
No. 83: Aperitif’s Nonni’s Meatballs
No. 84: Christos’s Saganaki
No. 85: Seven Stars’ Sesame Bagel
No. 86: Hell’s Kitchen Lemon Ricotta Hotcakes
No. 87: Blackbird banh mi
No. 88: Tank Goodness chocolate chip cookies
No. 89: Sole Cafe’s gal bee
No. 90: Porter & Frye’s El Pelon
No. 91: Coffee News’ fish and chips
No. 92: Bread & Chocolate’s Fabulous Fudge Bar
No. 93: People’s Organic Panna Cotta
No. 94: Sea Salt Eatery Crawdad Po’ Boy
No. 95: Fuji Ya’s Tofu Don
No. 96: Ike’s Food and Cocktails The Weekender Bloody Mary
No. 97: Punch’s Toto pizza
No. 98: Stockholm Pie Company’s peanut butter fudge cream pie
No. 99: Dogwood Coffee Co.’s macchiato
No. 100: Al’s Breakfast buttermilk pancakes

I was pretty impressed with myself that some of these restaurants I had been to. This weekend Justin and I were able to cross off  No. 25 Smack Shack Lobster Roll. The food truck is not open on the weekend but the whole menu is served at the 1029 bar.

* I highlighted the foods that I have tried before.

Lots of Love,

Erica

Candyland

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I love candy! If you asked me when I was younger what my favorite game was I would have said Candyland. Today as Justin and I were driving around we stumbled upon a candy lovers paradise: Alix in Candyland. It was not hard to persuade Justin to go in. He loves candy as much as I do.


Right when you walk in you find yourself being transported back to your childhood. They have a variety of gummy bears, a huge selection of nostalgic candies and an assortment of chocolate covered delicacies. I walked around the store twice just to take it all in. I ended up leaving with a small bag of chocolate covered gummy bears.


Minnesotans, you must go here!

Friends and Family from outside MN: You can order online.

http://www.alixincandyland.com


Lots of Love,

Erica

Delish Dinner

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Last night I tried out a new recipe. I saw it on a tv episode of Eat Street which is on the Cooking Channel. After watching the show I wanted a chicken cone RIGHT AWAY… the problem…. I do not live in Austin, Texas and can’t go get one from the food truck.(http://www.mightycone.com )

The next best thing is the recipe that the chefs gave to Food and Wine Magazine.

Hot-and-Crunchy Chicken

1 1/2 cups cornflakes
3 tablespoons slivered almonds
3 tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoons crushed red pepper
1 tablespoons kosher salt
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
142 cup milk
All-purpose flour, for dredging
Three 5-ounce skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

DIRECTIONS
Add the cornflakes, almonds, sesame seeds, sugar, red pepper and salt and pulse until coarsely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a large, shallow bowl. In a second shallow bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk. Fill a third shallow bowl with flour. Dredge the chicken strips in the flour, shaking off any excess. Dip them in the eggs, then roll them in the cornflake mixture.

I ended up baking mine in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. The recipe suggested frying but I went for a healthier option. Next time I might add a bit of garlic to the cornflake coating.

Here is a link to the original recipe. http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/hot-and-crunchy-chicken-cones

This is definitely a keeper.

PS- I went to Rochester yesterday for the first time. I saw some well known pieces of art and found a new store I love!
Here are a couple of snaps.


Untitled- Dale Chihuly


Butter Boats


http://www.counterpointhome.com

Lots of Love,

Erica

Celebration

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27 is going to be a great year!

Yesterday was my birthday. I woke up a little later than usual(took the day off of work=present to myself) I got two great gifts from Justin. He took the day off of work + the cookbook: 500 Appetizers.

We met his mom at a great new restaurant, Mill Valley Kitchen. I did not snap nearly enough pictures at this place. The concept seems a bit new to the Twin Cities. The restaurant shares the calories, carbs, fat, and protein for every dish on the menu. I had the warm spinach salad with goat cheese and chicken. I loved the apples in it and found it to be very yummy. Since it was my b’day you know we couldn’t leave without having dessert. The warm chocolate chip cookies with the glass of milk were delish. The chocolate in the cookies was bittersweet and really complemented the sweetness in the rest of the cookie.
http://millvalleykitchen.com/


The birthday continued last night with all the girls coming over to watch the season finale of the Bachelorette. We noshed on popcorn, twizzlers, various candy, and fruit. My friends are amazing and surprised me with some great gifts.

Galina brought me these:



Alli brought me:


Amy and Dana brought me:

Molly brought some yummy bars and Allison brought me my favorite dinner: Spicy Tuna Roll from Wakame!

Thanks to all my family and friends for the phone calls, text messages, Facebook messages, cards, and gifts.

A girl could not ask for more!

Lots of Love,

Erica