Holiday Recap: Baking

I was a lazy baker this year, but JD did coerce me into stealing the secrets of The Little Bears from Mom while she was here.



I still rolled them too thin.



Mom's a rough baker to work for. The results were pretty addictive, though.

Holiday Recap: Grocery Shopping

So when you know other people are going to have all the traditional Christmas foods covered, why not have a little fun with your groceries?

Apples at Braeutigam Orchards

Things I Like About Chicago

Happy Kitchen

Cheese!

JD also took me to meet the cheese-monger at The Wine Merchant.

My birthday lunch, London Tea Room

It's been a couple week, but this was so tasty, I thought I should mention it. After we watched the launch of the Itiodarod, Julie took me out for a pot of tea and marvelous roast beef boat of a sandwich.





Thank you very much, Julie.

Too Bad This Isn't Scratch'n'Sniff

Julie went spice shopping last weekend.

Peppercorns


Smoky Hungarian Paprika


A wonderful sweet curry blend I can't remember the name of.

The Thanksgiving Feast

Really, we didn't just hang out in bars. JD and I put together a lovely family feast Thanksgiving day. We made a turkey breast, gravy, dressing, roast cauliflower & carrots, baked sweet potatoes, roast turnips, corn casserole, and a chiffon pumpkin pie. Best of all, it was a relaxed dinner, eaten off tray tables in the living room since Dad didn't feel like dragging his cast to the table.

Stoppig for Dinner & Drinks in Columbus

JD & I started our drive to western Pennsylvania last Monday. Between construction and rain, the trip went more slowly than usual, so we decided to stop for the night in Columbus. For dinner, Julie picked out the Surly Girl Saloon in Short North.

I recommend the Frito Pie.

Uncle Bill's on S. Kingshighway

So, I guess Uncle Bill's used to serve cocktails? I was standing around out front last weekend waiting for JD & family, and I noticed the friendly glass on the top of the sign.



For as long as I've been in STL Uncle Bill's has just been the place to go after drinks when you need a little breakfast before you go to bed.



I was there Saturday to hang out with the family and get a 4-D for lunch. It's advertised on the banner out front.

Cholesterol? What cholesterol?

Pizza from the Blackthorn

Okay, while I'm on this decadence kick, let's talk about pizza. We stopped in for some deep dish last week. Luckily we'd called ahead an hour earlier, so it was ready when we got there.

A Delicious Dinner of Appetizers @ Riddle's Penultimate

When were feeling decadent, Julie & head to Riddle's in the Loop. Usually nothing can distract JD from their Cajun Cavatelli, but last week we decided we wanted a selection of little plates. The descriptions are straight from Riddle's ever-changing menu.



Shrimp Cocktail – Big wild, Gulf Shrimps served with the traditional American tomato cocktail sauce, this one made with fresh Southern Illinois Horseradish ground fresh for us at Rothman’s Deli, 4720 Delmar.



Smoked Copper River Salmon - This is not lazy slacker farm-raised Salmon. No. This is beautiful, wild, swim-for-your-life Salmon harvested sustainably from the cold,
clean waters of the Copper River in Alaska, smoked in our own kitchen, and served chilled, with pumpernickel toast points, capers, onions, and cucumber.

Crostini Harrisburg - Crostini (“little toast” in Italy) made with crusty, just- baked Breadsmith Baguette spread with Fresh Herb-enhanced Chèvre-style Goat Cheese from Harrisburg, Missouri and an excellent Italian Sun-Dried Tomato on top.



Crab Stuffed Artichoke Bottoms - Crab is the operative word here, held together only with Homemade Cornbread Stuffing and a prayer, these are like little Crab Cakes stuffed into the ‘Choke Bottoms.

Crawfish Stuffed Mushroom Caps - Large caps piled high with a rich stuffing of Crawfish Newburg, spiked with dry sherry and a good shot of cayenne pepper.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Mushroom Caps - Big caps stuffed with a mixture of Blue Cheese and quite a good shot of Avery Island, Louisiana Tabasco Sauce.

I'd tell you more about how good these were, but I've made myself hungry. I think it's time for breakfast.

Brunch at Chuy's

This was delicious. Shame it's so far away.
(Yeah, I'm lying. My office is practically across the street. JD can pick me up there after work. No one needs to tell her how many margaritas and Jalapeno Hush Puppies I've had.)

Dinner at Phil's

I'm getting myself in a barbecue frame of mind.

Reality check...

I know I'm always posting pretty pictures of whatever lovely meal I've just devoured. Those aren't normal. This is normal. This is the glamorous life of a Multimedia Specialist:



I just thought I should be honest about it.

Food pics with the new PHD

I finally gave up nursing my old digital point and shoot. These are with my new Sony DSC-W300.

More Food from Our Artists' Retreat

Our Easter Breakfast. Yes, the jar was full of mimosa.





I know we talked about gooey butter cake here recently. For the record, this is what it's supposed to look like.

After the Symphony at Wm. Shakespeare's

I didn't sample any of the delicacies at Wm. Shakespeare's Gastropub, but the other bloggers didn't seem to mind me staring at their food and taking pictures.



Chips, hold the fish


Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake


Gooey butter cake is a STL specialty. It doesn't usually look like this.

Dinner at Mangia Italiano

JD and I decided to go to Mangia Wednesday night for no particular reason. We got there fairly early (6:30pm) so it wasn't very loud yet. I have to admit, I'm a whole lot happier going there since the redesign and the no-smoking expansion.

We split appetizers, a salad and a sandwich between us, and left happy and sated.

Our appetizers were polenta fries, toasted ravioli and a scallop special (a pair of scallops on a polenta base).


Our salad was a special, too: beets, onion, walnuts and goat cheese.


Finally we met the Marcus: roast beef, black olives, roasted peppers, cheddar cheese and jalapeno cream cheese. Julie was underwhelmed by the bread, but I thought it was fine.


Stay tuned for reports on our weekend adventures: mmmelt at the Kemper, Funhouse at PSTL, Mad March at Mad Art, a photo walk along Pickle Creek in Hawn State Park, and the Arch Rival Roller Girls season opener. I hope the camera batteries are charged.