EatDrinkCleveland

Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week 2012

2012-02-24T09:38:00.000-05:00

The dates are set. The menus are posted. Get ready for another tasty Downtown Cleveland Restaurant Week!

The Downtown Cleveland Alliance wants you to "See what Downtown Cleveland brings to the table. Eat, drink and be Cleveland." With a tag like that, you KNOW it's a Must Do!

The 5th annual event starts Monday and it's sure to be another huge hit! Many of the best Cleveland restaurants are participating including some of my very favorites like Chinato, Greenhouse, Muse, Noodlecat, and Lola. Click here for the complete list and menus.

Here's the scoop: each restaurant is offering a 3 course meal for $30 ($15 for lunch.) And the menus are fantastic! This is a great excuse to finally try a new restaurant, visit one that's normally a splurge or revisit and old favorite.

As an extra incentive, certain parking lots are offering $2 parking - you can't beat that!

And if that isn't enough to get you downtown, you can also enter to win a Restaurant Week Foodie Dream Package. It really is a great prize - the winner gets to dine downtown every week for a year!

And don't forget, make your reservations now because they book up quick.

OBA February Meet Up

2012-02-22T09:30:00.000-05:00

Last night was one of my very favorite monthly events - the Ohio Blogging Association's monthly meeting. I know it's a guaranteed fun time no matter what is planned. But I knew this month's event was not to be missed for another reason - WINE!

Greg of Wine & Design graciously let all us crazy bloggers take over the store for the night. It was my first time there and it definitely won't be my last! Such a cute shop loaded with wine, awesome decor and comfy couches. I decided that I'm going to do a crawl of Starkweather once the weather is a little nicer and grab a bite at Lucky's, indulge my chocolate obsession at Lilly's and then finish up with some vino at Wine & Design. Sounds like a perfect night to me!

Tammy of Miss WineOH treated us to quite a spread that paired wonderfully with the line up of wine. A special thanks to her very talented friend who made the homemade pepper jelly - dee-lish!

My favorite wine of the night was surprisingly bubbles! Normally real champagne is a little too dry for me but I fell in love with the 2010 Monmousseau Champagne. And at only $14.99 it is now my go-to bottle of bubbles. I controlled myself and only got one bottle...for now!

My second favorite was not-surprisingly a red. It was a 2005 Crianza Camparron and was also a great value at $12.99 a bottle. Tammy has the complete tasting notes if you want to know more.

As always, a ton of fun was had by all! This is the list of everyone who came this month:

Alicia from Poise in Parma

Danyell from @chariturbanista

David from Health Insurance Issues with Dave and Again? Really?

Holly from Rust Belt Runner

Jen from Why CLE?

Jill from Thrifty Volunteer and friend Rick

Jody from The Days Go On

Julie from Wearing Mascara

Kasey from @KaseyCrabtree

Kimberly from SMITTEN…in cleveland

Kristian from Adventures of a trapped 300 pound man and Ohio Festivals

Lindsay from @LMeggas

Maria from The Daily Downward Dog

Nadine from Blog - The New Black and Cleveland City Living

Nidhi from NIDHIZZLE

Raizel from OmStone Aromas

Reanna from Big Shot Dot The I

Sara from Finding The Time

Stuart from @sos_jr

Tracy from Passion for the Possible

And a big thanks to Kristian who surprised us by bringing in Pazcki in honor of Fat Tuesday!

Next month, we are going to be working at the Cleveland Food Bank Monday, March 12th from 6PM to 8PM. Click here for details.

Revolver and the Baby Dane

2012-02-20T08:13:00.001-05:00

So when my dear friend Jodi called and said she got her very first puppy, I knew a road trip was in order! Who can resist a puppy? And besides, since the new baby is a Great Dane, I knew that if I didn't see her NOW, the next time I saw her she would have morphed into a mini horse...

I hurried up and packed up my car and hit the road. 2 1/2 hours seemed to take forever - I was so excited! But luckily I wasn't speeding too much since I saw at least eight State Troopers on the Turnpike.

When I first got there, the Baby Dane was shy and a little frightened. But after she figured out that I was a new playmate, it was game on!

Gracie is a harlequin Great Dane and is as cute as can be! I love all her spots and her giant paws...

She loved her Bully Sticks from her cousin Buffy. They are a 100% beef treat that's like rawhide but is fully digestible. They are one of Buffy's favorites but she wanted to share since she couldn't make the trip...this time.

We played and snuggled. Then it was dinner time. We fed the pooch and started figuring out what we were going to do.

We decided to try our luck and see if the local gem Revolver had availability. And lucky we were! Amazingly, we were able to score a 7:30 reservation at the counter. Jodi has been talking about this place for 6 years and it's been on my Must Do list for just as long. We stashed Gracie in her cage and headed out.

Revolver is a hip restaurant in downtown Findlay, OH. It focuses on locally sourced modern mid-western cuisine. Their menu features a weekly musical artist that is their soundtrack for the week.

The artist for our visit was Erykah Badu. I loved our seats at the counter because we were able to see a lot of the kitchen action. We had a hard time deciding what to order because everything sounded really delicious. Before ordering, I had to ask the most important question - what did they have for dessert. With fingers crossed, we waiting to see if the much anticipated chocolate creme brulee was on the list. It was! I knew I had to save room when I heard that one of my friend's favorites was available.

We started with an amuse bouche of popcorn soup. Yes, you read that right. It. Was. Amazing! Better than any buttered popcorn you could ever imagine ~ it was luscious and fun. We may or may not have scored the recipe...

They are known for a wonderfully unique bread service. They bake up fresh rolls with a surprise inside - a pillow of butter and sea salt. I can't believe such a simple idea can be so innovative and exciting. Our fabulous server Amanda asked me if I wanted extras to take back to Cleveland with me. Yes, please!

For my meal, I decided to go with soup...

sweet onion bisque with fried farm egg, toasted brioche, bacon and parsley oil

salad...

House salad with mixed greens and parmesan

and the stunningly delicious pork belly...

Chili roasted pork belly over a bed of pea shoots

I could have eaten 3 of these and skipped the other items, that's how good it was.

Jodi chose the pork loin with farro and brussels sprouts...

local pork loin with farro verde and jerusalem artichokes

and the Revolver Fries...

Rosemary fries with goat cheese fondue

Everything was delicious! Even the simple sounding salad exploded with flavor. I need to see if I can recreate that soup. Loved the little circle of toasted brioche with an egg on top. And the goat cheese fondue was tangy and creamy and the perfect compliment to the crispy fries.

Then we eagerly dug into our Chocolate Creme Brulee with Sea Salt. It's the best I've ever had! The salt on the sugar topping ends up tasted like a crunchy salted caramel. To die for!

Two VERY happy girls!

We stayed up late talking and playing with Gracie until we were all pooped out.

The next day was more of the same...

...until it was time to go home. Lots of good-bye kisses were had by all and then I was back on the road. I wasn't ready to leave because we were all having so much fun.

SMOOCH!

What a great spur of the moment get-away! Nothing better than some quality girl time with my friend as she adjusts to her first baby. She's off to a great start and I can't wait to see how big my little (for now!) niece gets.

On a sad note, we found out during our visit that Revolver is going to be closing! This is a real loss for Findlay and all of their fans. Chef Michael Bulkowski is closing shop and will be working at a country club in Toledo. You have two weeks to make the trip and experience it for yourself. It's well worth the drive!

Hooooo....needs a last minute Valentine?

2012-02-13T14:01:00.001-05:00

So if you are scrambling for a last minute Valentine's Day gift, you are almost out of time! Here's some super easy ways to show some love to your sweetie or other special friends and family for every budget. You can shop on your lunch hour and impress your loved one with your thoughfulness just in time!

Remember those Valentine's mail boxes we would make in school? Here's some printable cards that you can hand out to friends, co-workers, and anyone else you want to make feel special.

For your sweetie, print out some love coupons for a gift that keeps on giving well after the holiday is over.

If your love is the sun, the moon and the stars to you, name a star after them.

Or share your love year round with a gourmet gift of the month. L'Albatros cheese of the month is the stuff true love is made of! Amazing Clubs has any type of club you can think of and those you never imagined: lobster club, chocolate club, bacon club all sound like a tasty treat!

Say "Olive You" with a year long gift.

Sign up for the olive oil club at Temecula Olive Oil Company and discover my favorite olive oil. How about adopting an olive tree? Tre Olive is one choice that tags your tree, sends you a photo AND sends olive oil in the spring.

If you are not part of a couple, grab some friends and celebrate Singles Awareness Day!

Read up on the origin of Valentine's Day at NPR and celebrate like Shakespeare and write your loved one a poem. Or for a more carnal fest, party like the Romans.

You can grab a free cookie at Quizno's! Click here for your coupon.

Show your love of nature and sponsor an acre at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park! Click here to sign up. And it's tax deductible too.

See if you can score a last minute dinner reservation. Here's a great list from Smitten in Cleveland. I love going out to eat at an ethnic restaurant on holidays because they are never booked up. Try Ethiopian at Empress Taytu - it's always delicious and you can feed each other with your fingers in a fun setting. Another more traditional fun spot would be Amp 150...they are offering Amp is for Lovers. It's a great deal...especially if you wait until Friday to celebrate when they offer Friday Night Date Night. 3 courses for 2 for only $50 - can't beat it!

If you hate eating out because it's so crowded, cook your Valentine something special and stay in. If you don't like to cook, pick up some heat and eat from Miles Farmer's Market, Heinen's or Whole Foods. How about breakfast for dinner? Make some heart shaped pancakes part of the meal and mix up some champagne cocktails. Enjoy the time together and save lots of time for smooching!

If your Valentine is a four-legged friend, take your pooch for a walk! It's free and they love it. Plus it's good for both of you. A new toy or a special treat will remind your dog or cat of how special they are.

And a donation to a pet charity or shelter is always the sweet thing to do.

Great Big Home & Garden Expo - Last Weekend

2012-02-11T17:23:00.001-05:00

Don't let the snow scare you away!

Head to the Great Home & Garden Expo for a little taste of spring.

If you haven't been yet, this is your last chance!

There's one more appearance by Rocco Whalen of Fahrenheit, Rocco's Taco's and Fat Chef. He will present “Easy, Elegant and Entertaining Eats” on the Main Stage Feb. 12 at 2:00 p.m. It's worth the trip to get a chance to get some great recipes and healthy eating tips from one of our favorite home town chefs.

And be sure to check out Club Cambria in the Showcase Garden area - it's the hot place to be when it's cold outside.

Tomorrow has a lot of fun stuff -
At the main stage

Feb	12	11:00	AM	Tiling a Kitchen Back Splash, The Home Depot
		Noon		Bryan Baeumler, "DIY, or hire guy?...Things you need to know before you renovate!"
		1:00	PM	John Hall, 25 Design Tips Towards that Perfect Kitchen
		2:00	PM	Rocco Whalen, Fahrenheit Restaurant - Easy, Elegant & Entertaining Eats
		3:00	PM	Home Insulation Installation, The Home Depot
		4:00	PM	Storing Bicycles in Your Homes, Tracey Bradnan from Century Cycles

At the Petitti Garden Stage

Feb	12	11:30	AM	Deer Proof Your Garden by Paul Mendezoff, Petitti Garden Centers
		1:00	PM	Slim & Trim is In: Easy Care Woody Plants by Maria Zampini, UpShoot LLC
		2:30	PM	LEAP into the Garden with Native Plants by Ann McCulloh, Cleveland Botanical Garden

And at the Loretta Paganini Stage, you'll get to see Loretta herself

Feb	12	11:00	AM	Pasta Favorites by Loretta Paganini, Sapore
		1:00	PM	Italian Comfort Food by Loretta Paganini, Sapore
		3:00	PM	Flavors of Sanibel by Loretta Paganini, Sapore

Tickets for the show are normally $14 each but you can save $3 by purchasing them online and another $1 by entering promo code EDCLEVELAND. That's only $10 a ticket! Click HERE to order your tickets.

Noodlecat - A Slurpy Tale of Two Girls and a Whole Lotta Food

2012-02-10T08:48:00.003-05:00

So last night I FINALLY went to Noodlecat! Even though Japanese is my least favorite type of food, I've been dying to go because

1. Jonathan Sawyer rocks.

2. I love soup!

3. The "Super Salad" sounds amazing.

4. Kimberly has been raving about it & she has great taste.

Since the temps recently dropped into the freezing zone, it was the perfect night to slurp up some noodles. We were originally supposed to meet at 7 o'clock but I was SO hungry after thinking about it all day that we decided to move it up to 6:30. Kimberly didn't need much convincing either as seen on Facebook:

Kimberly Morris is it bad I wake up thinking about dinner?

Thursday, February 9 at 9:22am (16 hours ago) · Reply

I had no idea at the time what a great move that was - we caught the tail end of Happy Hour. And boy did we make the most of it! We loved the 1/2 portions of noodles and salads for $5 and steam buns for $2 - seriously a great deal!

We started with some bubbly to toast my first visit...

I had the Poochi Poochi sparkling sake - who could resist with a name like that!

Then we heeded the advice of Allison and ordered the rice balls...

which aren't really balls at all...but were amazingly deelish with the ponzu sauce.

I finally got to try the "Super Salad" of winter greens, adzuki beans, dried blueberries, ancient grains, and green tea granola...

and yes, it's as refreshing and delicious as it sounds!

Next up - Steam buns:

BBQ Ohio Pork Belly

Japanese Fried Chicken

Ohio Beef Burger

And then on top of all that, 4 bowls of noodles for two girls - the server didn't believe he had the right table when he brought all of it out!

Roscoe's Fried Chicken & Ramen w/ hot sauce and maple syrup

Ohio Beef Brisket and Matzo Ramen - loved the dill

Takahachi Ramen w/ garlic pork broth x 2

And we couldn't forget dessert...

Chocolate peanut butter banana steam bun - look at that oozing goodness

We talked and talked and had a great time! In fact, we stayed so long we got to enjoy Happy Hour again! So we decided to get one last drink before calling it a night. It was a hard decision - check out this menu:

Kimberly got the C-Town Citrus - so fresh tasting it made us long for summer and I had the Vanilla Bean Toddy - a steaming mug of grown up tea made just sweet enough with the honey whipped cream...

I was absolutely blown away by how tasty everything was - it definitely exceeded my expectations. The only dish I wasn't super excited about was the brisket and matzo ball. It was good, just a little bland after the party in my mouth created by the other dishes. I took some of the power ketchup home with my leftovers and think that it will be a lot better with a little kick. My favorite? The Takahachi - hands down! The broth was luscious and I loved all the garlic. So glad we each got our own bowls of that one. We really wanted to try the rice pudding and pot de creme but that will have to wait until next time. And there will definitely be a next time...SOON!

You know it was a super funstastic night when you go home looking like this...

Meow!

Check out Kimberly's blog Smitten in Cleveland here and Noodlecat's full menu here.

Betcha Didn't Know

2012-02-09T08:22:00.000-05:00

So, my fellow blogger Stephanie at Hungry In Cleveland tagged me in a fun little post. Basically she revealed some details about herself and asked me, and several other bloggers, to do the same. I really enjoyed learning more about my blogging friends and wanted to do my part as well. Work has been crazy hectic so I'm finally getting around to sharing a little about me. Here goes!

11 Things About Me

1. I am an only child. A Italian friend of mine once called me a "lonely child" because he was messing up the English but I love it - it sums up growing up without siblings perfectly!

2. I have been to every state except Alaska and Maine. My parents and I drove from Ohio to California and back twice when I was a kid and I've done extensive traveling as an adult as well. The travel bug bit me at a young age and traveling is still my favorite thing. If I win the lottery, I won't buy a huge mansion and fancy cars. I'll jump on a plane instead!

3. I'm terrified of spiders! This is not something to EVER joke with me about unless you want one of us to end up in the hospital - me from having a heart attack or you from when I try to kill you for terrorizing me. I thought I would try to beat this fear by watching the movie Arachniphobia. Worst. Idea. Ever.

4. I can never just "pick one" or tell you my "favorite" - my tastes are too varied and I hate limiting myself! (see below for many examples - ha ha!)

5. I would love to be a house wife. I do NOT need a paying job to fulfill me. I would love to have my day free to putz in the garden, cook, can, volunteer, walk Buffy, blog more and be sure I look cute for my future husband when he gets home. And I would actually have time to workout so looking cute would be possible!

6. One of my worst habits is chewing on my fingers. If I'm stressed, I pick them until bleed they sometimes. My fingers are a good indication of how I'm doing on the inside. It's gross, it hurts, and I want to stop - but I can't.

7. I love Lawson's French Onion chip dip! My favorite way to eat it is by dipping a chip and a pretzel at the same time and shoving both in my mouth. Ladylike? No. Delicious? YES! As much as I love it, I won't buy it. Can't be trusted not to eat the whole tub. But I will bring some to your house and eat it with you.

8. My parents wouldn't let me have indoor furry pets. So I had outdoor kitties. One time when I had three of them, they all had babies at the same time and we ended up with 27! No, I wasn't allowed to keep all of them...and I'm allergic to cats.

9. I used to be such a baby about needles that I wouldn't get novacaine at the dentist's office. CRAZY! I'm a lot smarter now although I still hate needles.

10. I climbed to the top of Angel's Landing in Zion last year. It was one of the hardest and most rewarding hikes of my life. I still can't believe I made it to the top!

That's what I'm climbing! 5785 ft

Don't look down! And hang on to the chains!

We made it! What a view!

11. I've always wanted to go to culinary school but I don't want to be a restaurant chef. Would hate those crazy hours! But I would love to rock the kitchen in my house at a new level and even teach cooking classes.

Stephanie's questions for me:

1. What is the most adventurous thing you have ever eaten?

Well, I've eaten A LOT of crazy stuff! Sweetbreads, chicken hearts, and squirrel are all things I enjoyed. Chicken feet and tripe, not so much.

2. What would your last meal be if you had a say in it?

My Grammie's raviolis, pork and saurkraut, pizza, popcorn, peach pie w/ ice cream, watermelon, Thai food, and hot fresh bread with real butter would be on the list for sure but I could go on forever!

3. What is your all time guilty pleasure food?

Cookies! I am a true cookie monster and love homemade chewy ones. Especially hot out of the oven. Oatmeal raisin, peanut butter, mexican wedding cakes, thumbprints - everything except sugar cookies. I've found a few of those I like (Elisabeth's!) but most are just not worth the calories.

4. What are you currently listening to?

Just watched Wilco on Austin City Limits so I've been listening to them a lot. They are one of my favorite bands but I kind of forgot about them. Nice to be getting reacquainted again!

5. What is your favorite sport (to play, watch, or both)?

Love to watch baseball and hockey.

6. One thing you are dying to try (this could be anything)

Roller derby! Looks like so much fun! I love the super cool bad ass names they all have too.

7. Fill in the blank: Food makes me _____ - happy! It makes everything better.

8. If you could have dinner with just one person, dead or alive, who would it be?

Grammie - miss her so much!

9. What is your "go to" restaurant for taking out of towners?

Everyone always wants to go to Melt or Lola. If I get to pick, I would say Pier W (the food! the view!) and L'Albatros (the cheese!)

10. What quote sums up your life right now?

"You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough." Mae West

11. What is your favorite holiday?

Halloween - love the costumes and parties and carving pumpkins and trick or treating! Also Thanksgiving - love all the food and family without all the decorating and shopping.

I like the questions Stephanie came up with so I'm going to stick with those.

Tag - you're it!

1. Kristian of Ohio Festivals (click here for his responses)

2. Amie of My Retro Kitchen

3. Sarah of Cooker Girl

4. Mary of Adventures of a Foodie Wannabe

5. Megan of Monkey Bread and Sweet Pea

6. Mary of iNeed a Playdate (click here for her responses)

The Rules:

Post these rules
You must post 11 random things about yourself
Answer the questions set for you in their post
Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them

Wordless Wednesday - Coffee

2012-02-08T08:29:00.000-05:00

CIFF - Be a Member - Be Carried Away!

2012-02-06T22:46:00.000-05:00

Wow! I am so excited! The Cleveland International Film Festival is right around the corner! They just unveiled their new campaign "Be Carried Away." How cute is that whale?!

They keep breaking records and I'm sure that year 36 will do the same. I intend to help them achieve that by attending a record number of films myself this year.

To get your own membership (you get first dibs at tickets and other great perks) click HERE. And you can find them on Facebook too.

In the meantime, I attended a Film Feast fundraiser at the West Side Market. We got a behind the scenes peak at the market and chatted with Laura Taxel and Marilou Suszko (authors of "The West Side Market: 100 Years and Still Cooking") as we learned about the history of one of our city's greatest treasures. I'll share my experience with you in a recap soon.

Mark your calendars now!

Ricotta Blue Cheese Dip

2012-02-05T12:19:00.000-05:00

If you are looking for a last minute healthy option for your Super Bowl party spread, look no further! Mix up this versatile dip in just minutes to give your guests a healthy but tasty treat.

2 c. ricotta or cottage cheese

1/4 c blue cheese crumbles

2 T green onion or 2 t dried onion

1/2 t black pepper

1 T hot sauce

1/2 t cayenne

milk

Blend all ingredients except milk until smooth. Add milk to thin to desired consistency. Garnish with chopped green onions and a dash of cayenne for color.

Serve with cut up veggies.

Cucumbers, red peppers, celery and carrots are my favorites. It also makes a great chip dip. I like to pair it with salt and pepper kettle chips.

You can also serve this with your wings instead of blue cheese dressing. It makes a great sandwich spread too.

This recipe works best with an immersion blender but you could use a mini food chopper or full size blender too.

Other options:

*use feta cheese with some chopped kalamata olives

*try a sweet version with ricotta, orange juice and honey

*add chopped nuts

I used Grande Dolce Ricotta and gorgonzola

Sweet Super Bowl Idea

2012-02-03T08:34:00.002-05:00

So - remember when I posted my recipe for the candy cane truffles? Well, I just found this recipe from Three Many Cooks. LOVE these ladies! They are one of my favorites. They came up with the genius idea of turning them into FOOTBALLS! It's the perfect pop in your mouth treat for the big game. It's a little more time consuming to make them look this cute, but I think it's totally worth it! I am thinking that you could use easily use team colors for another twist (Brown and orange anybody? maybe NEXT year!)

What are you making for the big game?

Maggy’s Oreo Truffle Footballs

Makes 2 dozen

1 package (18 ounces) Oreo cookies
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened
1 package (12 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
1 tube Betty Crocker white decorating icing (fitted with the writing tip)

Process Oreos to crumbs in a food processor; add cream cheese; continue to process until completely incorporated. Divide mixture into 24 portions, and working one at a time, roll mixture around to form a ball and then back and forth to form an oval, tapering ends to form a football shape. Place on a waxed-paper lined baking sheet. Freeze until solid, at least one hour or up to several days ahead.

Meanwhile, microwave chocolate and shortening on high power until melted, about 2 minutes (or heat in a medium heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water). Working one at a time, use a pick to dip balls in the chocolate, rolling around to coat all sides; return to lined baking sheet. When truffles have set, use icing to form football markings. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Best Damn Roasted Chicken

2012-02-02T08:15:00.000-05:00

I was a summer member of Fresh Fork CSA. I absolutely LOVED my weekly shipments! So many good meals were created with the bags of goodies. Some things I saved for meals at a later date like honey, sausage, ground meat and brussels sprout relish because I was so busy eating the fresh veggies, fruit and cheeses.

One thing that I never used was a huge roasting chicken. I just never felt like turning on the oven in the heat of summer. Plus I knew it would make a perfect dinner once the weather cooled. Well, that night finally came! And boy was it worth the wait.

I found this recipe on Allrecipes and figured it would be the perfect compliment to my big ass chicken. Over 2,000 reviewers raved about it and they were right.

Roast Sticky Chicken-Rotisserie Style

Rated:

Submitted By: Sue Rogers

Photo By: chibi chef

Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Cook Time: 5 Hours

Ready In: 9 Hours 10 Minutes

Servings: 8

"Ever wish you could get that restaurant style rotisserie chicken at home? Well, with minimal preparation and about 5 hours cooking time (great for the weekends!) you can! These chickens are rubbed with a spice mixture, and slow roasted in the oven for 5 hours."

INGREDIENTS:

4 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons paprika

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon white pepper

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

2 onions, quartered

2 (4 pound) whole chickens

DIRECTIONS:

1.	In a small bowl, mix together salt, paprika, onion powder, thyme, white pepper, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder. Remove and discard giblets from chicken. Rinse chicken cavity, and pat dry with paper towel. Rub each chicken inside and out with spice mixture. Place 1 onion into the cavity of each chicken. Place chickens in a resealable bag or double wrap with plastic wrap. Refrigerate overnight, or at least 4 to 6 hours.
2.	Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C).
3.	Place chickens in a roasting pan. Bake uncovered for 5 hours, to a minimum internal temperature of 180 degrees F (85 degrees C). Let the chickens stand for 10 minutes before carving.

Printed from Allrecipes.com 1/26/2012

I actually followed the recipe (gasp!) except I used one 5 1/2 pound chicken with one onion inside. And I only had the rub on the bird for about 4 hours before roasting it. I placed it on a rack inside of a roasting pan and cooked mine for 5 1/2 hours because it was larger than the 4 pound bird called for in the recipe. This is when working at home really comes in handy. Otherwise, this is a weekend only meal.

You won't even believe how moist and tender and delicious this chicken turned out! If you like to eat chicken skin, it turns out crispy and golden. The only thing I would do differently is to use slightly less salt, maybe 3 teaspoons. It wasn't salty but the juices were.

And what did I pair with this succulent bird? A mash of potatoes and celery root, gravy, sauteed carrots and a salad of micro greens, jicama, apples and rosemary seasoned pecans and cranberries. Oh. My. Gosh.

Wish I would have thought to take pictures but I was too busy scarfing it down. Here's my one before pic:

So you'll have to make it and see for yourself. You won't be disappointed.

Crop Bistro - Not Just a Pretty Space

2012-02-01T08:35:00.000-05:00

Everybody needs a night out with their friends to catch up and just have fun. When my friends Julie and Lindsay and I were looking for a place to do just that, I was quick to suggest Crop.

I have been wanting to try Crop Bistro since walking by it repeatedly when shopping at the West Side Market. I loved seeing the space transformed from a dusty old bank into a majestic dining destination.

But does the food match the space? That's a lofty goal and it comes very close.

After hearing so much about it, we knew that we had to try the balsamic popcorn. It is a unique incarnation of everyone's favorite movie theater treat. I especially loved the sun dried tomato slivers and fresh basil chiffonade. We gobbled it up quickly and that was a good thing because it does get soggy after sitting for a while. ($6)

We also decided to try the chile deviled eggs. They were a kicked up version of a pot luck staple. I really loved the crisp prosciutto and the balsamic drizzle. The presentation was beautiful and the balsamic really added a nice punch of flavor. We tried to figure out what the pink sauce was but we never did. It was pretty but didn't have much flavor. One egg each was a nice starter and was a rare value at $4.

When we finally placed our orders for our main course, we received a basket of warm bread (yay!) and some of the best damn butter I've ever eaten. OMG the flavor was amazing. (black pepper and nutmeg?) Unique, delicious and huge bonus points for serving both the bread and butter at the appropriate temperatures. We contemplated eating the butter with a spoon...but thankfully there was plenty of bread to keep us from embarrassing ourselves.

I had been checking out the menu online for weeks and was disappointed that the chicken and waffles and cherry chipotle BBQ ribs were taken off the menu just a few days ago. Since I've been craving a good steak literally for months, I decided to veer far away from my more adventurous habits and order the Ohio Ribeye ($27.) The brussels sprouts and Sunday supper mashed potatoes helped me with my decision. While the flavors of everything were delicious, I felt that the sprouts were over-cooked as was my steak. What a shame! I ordered the steak medium and it was barely pink inside. I didn't want to delay the meal so I decided to eat it instead of sending it back. The potatoes were my favorite element of the dish but unfortunately my quest for a truly fabulous steak continues.

Lindsay ordered the duck duck chicken. She was nice enough to share a bite of the seared breast and the hash. I would have loved the hash with my steak and the fried egg was a nice touch. Yum!

I forgot to snap a picture of Julie's entree - the pork paillard with cheesy grits, smokey black beans and bacon. You'll have to visit her blog Wearing Mascara to see that one.

Thankfully my girls like to EAT! We decided to split two gorgeous desserts:

1. Waffles and vanilla ice cream with cherry compote, lemon zest and whipped cream. The waffles were crispy and warm. I would have loved twice as much ice cream and half as much whipped cream. The sour cherries were the perfect compliment and thankfully there was a nice amount on the plate. ($8)

2. Pretzel Un-logic which is like a chocolate cream pie that went to heaven. The pretzel crust held chocolate and malted milk creams with a pretzel tuile. The tuile was way more than just a pretty garnish and really added to the dessert. I could have eaten several of these crispy wafers with coffee as dessert and been very happy. ($8)

Overall, I would recommend Crop and look forward to a return visit for the Cleveland International Film Fest West Side Story film feast fundraiser later today. I hope that we get a tour of the vault on the lower level because we forgot to ask last night.

If the prices are a little steep for you, check them out for their Thursday Get-Cropped Happy Hour. From 5-7pm they have select cocktails and apps for $5 each.

After you get over ogling the gorgeous space, you'll be busy admiring and savoring the food. It is artfully presented and tasty too. Few restaurants have the benefit of such a unique and magnificent building to showcase their food. Chef Steve Schimoler rises to the challenge and has made Crop a Must Do dining experience.

Corks and Cupcakes

2012-01-30T08:11:00.000-05:00

I am a huge lover of wine. A wino perhaps? But in a good way, not the carrying around a bottle in a paper bag kind of way. On it's own, it's a lovely sip. But when paired with food, it's transformed into something even more special. I've always loved red wine and chocolate but for some reason, never really thought about pairing my wine with cupcakes until I met Tammy at Miss WineOH. She was the one to really open up my eyes (and my mouth) to this tasty combo.

For obvious reasons, this combo just works. Bite sized cake. Adult grape juice. Yes, please! The seemingly endless cupcake flavor combinations allows you to find the perfect match for your favorite wine.

Emerging Chefs is putting their mark on this delicious combo at their upcoming event, Corks & Cupcakes™.

They will be featuring Margaret Mann and Raffaele Scettro of Tuscany Distributors and Lilia Lipps of Indulgence Cakes. There will be an array of Italian wines including white, red and even prosecco being poured with gourmet cupcakes to match.

Here's the details:

When: March 8, 2012/6-9pm

Where: Shaheen Gallery - Downtown Gallery

Shaheen Modern and Contemporary Art

740 West Superior Avenue, Suite 101

Cleveland, Ohio 44113

Dress: Trendy chic.

I keep trying to come up with combos in my head - caramel cupcake with prosecco? Would a peanut butter cupcake paired with wine be a like grown up peanut butter and jelly? What combos can you come up with?

If this sounds too delicious to pass up, you can get your tickets HERE for $40 each.

Ecco per una notte deliziosa!

Great Big Home & Garden Expo WINNER!

2012-01-28T12:00:00.000-05:00

Congrats to our winner....

Kakaty!

&lt;p&gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;The numbers generated by this widget come from RANDOM.ORG's true random number generator.&amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/p&amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&lt;/p&gt;

kakatyJan 26, 2012 10:02 AM

Stefanie's Paganini looks like one not to miss!

If you weren't a winner this time, you can still use the discount code EDCLEVELAND and purchase your tickets online for $10 each.

Thank you to the Great Big Home & Garden Expo for providing the tickets for my 1st giveaway. And thanks to everyone who participated.

(I just previewed the blog and see that the #s aren't showing up in the Random.org generator. Technical FAIL on my part -sorry! The winning comment was #4 out of 11)

Fat Chef Premiers Tonight

2012-01-26T13:12:00.002-05:00

Don't forget! Fat Chef premiers TONIGHT at 10pm on the Food Network!

This week's episode takes place in New York. Watch pastry chef Michael and soul food chef Melba kick off the new series.

Cleveland's own Kimberly McCune Gibson of Hungry Bee Catering and Rocco Whalen of Fahrenheit star in next week's episode Thursday 2/2 at 10pm.

You can sign up for a watch party next week at Fahrenheit - click here for details.

Cheer on our chefs and see how they transform themselves from the inside out.

Pimp Your Pad and THINK SPRING! Great Big Home and Garden Expo Giveaway

2012-01-26T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've been a homeowner for over 10 years and it always seems like there is something new to do. These things are normally broken down into those you HAVE to do, and those you WANT to do. Obviously, the want-to-do items are the fun, fabulous things you will do some day when all the have-to-do things are done. But that day never seems to come! Every year I get the itch to do something fun without breaking the bank. And the place I always end up is the Home and Garden Expo. The 3rd annual Expo takes place Saturday, Feb. 4 – Sunday, Feb. 12 at the Cleveland IX Center and features more than 650 exhibitors showcasing the best tips and techniques in gardening, home improvement,cooking, and more.

The Expo always has lots of inspiration for the home and garden and offers special savings to help make your dreams a reality. Not only does it have hot new products and every kind of home improvement gadget and service, it offers a great escape from the grey Cleveland weather. By February, who isn't fondly remembering their garden, BBQs, flower beds and yes, even mowing the grass. You get to smell actual real FLOWERS and start thinking of spring!

And it's not all yard work and chores. They have a bunch of Classic TV show-themed feature gardens that are a Must See for gardeners and couch potatoes alike. You can escape to a faux beach at "Flipper," party at "Cheers" and get your superhero fix at "Batman" and a whole lot more. They also have celebrity guests, demonstrations, two log homes, an eco friendly demo home, and a "Project Runway" Fashion Show. There is really something for everyone!

There's even a special cooking stage set up for foodies like you and me and it's hosted by The Loretta Paganini School of Cooking. They will have themed demonstrations by some of Cleveland's favorite chefs. Check out this yummy line up:

· "AMP 150 Favorites” with Jeff Jarrett of AMP 150

· “Italian Comfort Food” with Loretta Paganini of Sapore

· “Best of Sergio's and Sarava” with Sergio Abramof of Sergio's and Sarava

· “Death by Chocolate” with Stefanie Paganini of the International Culinary Arts & Sciences Institute

· “Best of Umami” with Matthew Anderson of Umami

These are sure to be really fun and delicious! There's even an appearance by Rocco Whalen of Fahrenheit, Rocco's Taco's and Fat Chef. He will present “Easy, Elegant and Entertaining Eats” on the Main Stage Feb. 11 at noon and Feb. 12 at 2:00 p.m.

Tickets for the show are normally $14 each but you can save $3 by purchasing them online and another $1 by entering promo code EDCLEVELAND. That's only $10 a ticket! Click HERE to order your tickets. But first, check out this giveaway.

I was really excited when the Great Big Home & Garden Expo contacted me because it's my very first blog giveaway and I get to offer you, my super fantastic readers, a chance to win a pair of tickets to the show.

This giveaway ends Friday 1/27 at 11:59pm EST. Here's how to enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me which chef demo you would most like to see or what TV themed garden you are most excited about. (mandatory 1st entry)

2. Like Great Big Home & Garden Expo
and Eat*Drink*Cleveland on Facebook.

3. Follow @EatDrinkClev and @GreatBigShow on Twitter.

4. Subscribe or add Eat*Drink*Cleveland to your Google reader.

5. Tweet "I want to pimp my pad and THINK SPRING! Enter the @GreatBigShow #giveaway @EatDrinkClev http://j.mp/xBiKwh"

The winner will be selected via Random.org and will be announced here on Saturday at noon.

Remember, you must leave a separate comment on this blog for each entry.

Good luck!

Disclosure: I was provided two tickets for myself and two to give away to one of my blog readers. As always, my posts and the opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Wordless Wednesday - Snubbed by a Zombie

2012-01-25T08:36:00.001-05:00

Battle: Mint - Iron Chef America at The Greenhouse Tavern

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-05:00

Sawyer Puppet in the house!

As soon as I heard that our much loved wonder chef Jonathan Sawyerwas going to be competing on Iron Chef America, I was giddy! Not only is TheGreenhouse Tavern one of my very favorite restaurants in the CLE but the chefis just an all around culinary genius and great guy. I couldn’t wait for him toreturn to Kitchen Stadium and show the rest of the country his mad kitchen skills.

I was even more excited when I found out that Chef Sawyer would behosting a watch party/Tweet up at The Greenhouse AND I was able to score ahighly sought after ticket thanks to some early morning last day of vacationgoofing off on line. (insert happy dance)

All the fans were in a frenzy leading up to Sunday’s show. The Tweetdomwas on overdrive with Tweets about #TeamSawyer (Jonathan Sawyer, Brian Goodman and Jonathan Seeholzer) filling up my feed for days.

So great to finally meet Farmer Lee Jones!

We arrived at 8:30 and sat with @WhyCLE, Clue Into Cleveland, Miss WineOH, and @TweetMeSlow and their significant others. The place was alreadyhopping! It was a who’s who of the C-Town foodie scene. Lots of Tweeps and fellow bloggers were there including Smitten in Cleveland, @LoquaciousC, The Brewers Daughter, Michael DeAloia of Emerging Chefs, @Justin_McI, @BQRC23,@journeymancook, @lzone and of course the everpresent regular at the Greenhouse, @JoeG2001. Also spotted were Chef Rocco Whalen of Fahrenheit and @DougTrattner.

As soon as the show started, the place went crazy! The battle between Geoffrey Zakarian vs Jonathan Sawyer was on! #TeamSawyer described the contrast between the two teams as Beards vs Manicures - love it!

Mint was revealed as the secret ingredient. There was lots of cheering and tweeting going on. We watched the show on TVs throughout the restaurant and kept up with the tweets thanks to a huge screen displaying the Twitterfeed. Nobody was really able to pay close attention because there was so much going on – total sensory overload! We were truly the noisy and boisterous Clevelanders that Chef Sawyer described us as. Thankfully the show will be re-aired so we can watch it again since I forgot to set my DVR! I want to actually see how he managed to make cheese for the raviolis – first time that’s been done on the show.

Chef Sawyer on TV

...and watching himself on TV

We were excited to get to try some of the Iron Chef "mint bruisers" (another great Sawyer quote) for ourselves:

Chevre salad and fritter

Mint Fritters with zucchini, feta cheese and preserved lemon

Chevre Salad with Ohio Lamb meat confit, crispy mint, lamb sausage,fresh chevre cheese, aged chevre and sexy chardonnay vinaigrette

Stoner Sandwich with shamrock semifreddo, fresh waffles, Sicilian pistachioand organic chocolate dirt

this picture doesn't do it justice!

Antigriddle: it's a quick freeze cooktop

The absolute favorite of both the judges and mine was the Stoner Sandwich. It seemed to steal the show even though all the other dishes were great. That was in spite of the original batch of chocolate dirt biting the dust in a kitchen mishap and the Chef daring to use an Antigriddle for the first time for the semifreddo. There were lots of requests for this upscale ice cream sandwich to be added to the menu at the restaurant. If they do offer it when you are there, order it! It was fantastic.

On WCPN on Monday, Dee Perry interviewed #TeamSawyer members Jonathan Sawyer and Brian Goodman and they revealed that this dessert is based on a Sicilian classic made with foccacia bread and pistachio gelato. I dare say that this one sounds even better than the original.

Gracefully taking 2nd as the winner is announced

Interviewing with class and style

After all the hard work the staff did that night, I gladly bought a Kitchen Coffee! For the cost of one drink, you buy the kitchen a round of beer and then get to ring the bell to let them know you did. I know that they were a happy crew that night because the bell was ringing off the hook.

Ringing the bell

Cheers to the awesome kitchen crew

great job!

So while Chef Sawyer and his team didn't get to take home the title of Iron Chef, they rocked Kitchen Stadium and had blast doing it. And they really made everyone very proud. We are very lucky to have Chef Sawyer here in Cleveland. According to Joe Crea of the Plain Dealer, "look for an upcoming special in Greenhouse's basement dining room, featuring the complete "Iron Chef" menu, Sawyer adds. It could come as early as Saturday night, when the show re-airs at 5 p.m. on Food Network." If you haven't done so already, you need to visit both of his restaurants and taste for yourself what makes Jonathan and his team so special.

And there's a rumor that there's a THIRD restaurant in the works in uptown Cleveland by the new MOCA...stay tuned!

You'll soon be able to buy Jonathan's famous vinegar - it's coming out of his basement and into his restaurants so you can try your hand at using them at home.

Happy Chinese New Year!

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-05:00

Chinese New Year, the fifteen-day celebration of the start of the Chinese lunar calendar, may be one of the world’s most celebrated festivals. Enduring thousands of years of history, it may even be one of the world’s most traditional parties.(The Star 1/14/12)

In honor of Year of the Water Dragon, I'd like to introduce you to one of my very favorite fruits - the pomelo. This fruit is a favorite during the holiday season because they are considered a lucky fruit. Chef Ming Tsai writes, "When you say tangerine in Chinese, it sounds like the word for luck. Oranges sound like the word for wealth. And pomelos? They sound like the Chinese word for to have."

The pomelo is the giant sized ancestor of the grapefruit and is a lot bigger and much sweeter than the tart fruit we all know and love. Because they are also much more expensive (about $2.00-$3.00 each) they are a special treat that I look forward to all year. If you love grapefruit, you MUST try one of these! If you always wanted to like grapefruit but found them too tart, the pomelo may just be the fruit for you.

I honestly never thought to actually do anything other than eat them fresh because I love them so much and only eat a few per year. Their fragrance is an intoxicating floral aroma and the tangy and sweet segments are bright and refreshing. The skin is very thick and the membranes are very tough. But the extra work and expense are definitely worth it!

But when trying to find out more about this jumbo sized citrus, I found a recipe that might actually entice me to make my next pomelo into a meal. I found it at The Lemurs are Hungry. It's a great blog for adventurous eaters.

Yam som-o, or pomelo and coconut spicy salad with chicken

1 pomelo
4 chicken thighs
1 carrot
1/2 a small cucumber
2 handfuls watercress
4 big or 8 small shallots
5-6 fresh red chilies
4 cloves of garlic
2 tbsp palm sugar
2 tbsp fish sauce
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp dried shrimp
2 handfuls fresh grated coconut
a handful cilantro

First, roast the chicken pieces. Once cooked and cooled, tear them apart into strips. Cut the carrot and cucumber into matchsticks. Cut the pomelo into segments. Chop the chilies into very small pieces. Put all of these in a large bowl. Slice the garlic and shallots thinly. Heat a little oil in a small frying pan and sauté each in turn until turning yellow. Add to the bowl. Grind the dried shrimp in a mini-prep until fluffy. Mix this, the coconut and the cilantro into the other ingredients.

To make the dressing, pound the sugar in a mortar and pestle until melted. Add fish sauce and about 1/4 cup warm water. Mix well and add lime juice. Taste for balance and add more of anything required.

To finish the dish, put the watercress into a large serving bowl and add the chicken and pomelo mixture. Pour over the dressing and mix well.

Serves 4

Doesn't that sound delicious? I've never seen this dish on any of our local restaurant menus so I need to hit the Asian market and pick up a few things (for some reason I don't have palm sugar and dried shrimp in my cupboards...) and get cooking.

And if you are looking for a pomelo cocktail, look not further! This one from Serious Eats rocks! Click here for the recipe.

“Xin Nian Kuai Le” (sin-nien-kway-leh)
Happy New Year!

OBA at Whole Foods: Pizza Night!

2012-01-19T15:48:00.001-05:00

Every month I look forward to the Ohio Blogging Association meeting. I get to catch up with my blogging friends and meet new bloggers too. There's always something fun to do thanks to the hard work of Alicia of Poise in Parma.

This month featured one of my favorite foods (PIZZA!) at one of my favorite grocery stores, Whole Foods. We each designed our very own pizza with toppings as varied as shrimp, bacon, arugula and hummus.

Thankfully everyone ended up sharing because it was a lot of fun to try everyone's masterpieces. Top chefs in my opinion were Sarah from Cooker Girl and Kristian of Ohio Festivals. Sarah topped her white pizza (on the left) with arugula, parmesan and toasted walnuts. Kristian gets bonus points for uber creativity with his addition of sliced apples and honey to his garlic and olive pie with eggplant, ham and artichokes (see a pic here.) The honey totally rocked and I can't wait to try this on my next homemade pizza.

source: Whole Foods

Lisa from Whole Foods was a wonderful hostess! She did a great job talking about some of the unique features of the store including their Beers on Tap. Yes, you read that right. They feature six beers on tap each month including some rare craft brews. You can buy a refillable growler for $3.99 and then fill it up with your favorite beer. The price of the fill up ranges from $9.99 up to $19.99. Lisa presented us each with our own growler and I can't wait to put it to use!

Kim of Smitten in Cleveland and Jen of Why CLE?

For those who prefer wine, not only do they have a great wine selection, they also have a bargain wine tasting every Friday night called 5x7. The first time you go, it costs $5 but you get to keep your wine glass. When you bring your glass to the next tasting, the cost drops to $4 - can't beat that! And not only do you get 5 wines, they also pair food with each pour.

Here's a list of all the bloggers in attendance (thanks Alicia!)

Alice from Reiki Awakening

Alicia from Poise in Parma

Amanda from Clue into Cleveland

Andy from the Ohio Beef Council

Crystal from Eat Drink Cleveland

Dave from Health Insurance Issues with Dave and Again? Really?

Jeff from My Future Past

Jen from Why CLE?

Jill from Thrifty Volunteer

Julie from ROJ Running

Julie from Wearing Mascara

Kristian from Adventures of a trapped 300 pound man and Ohio Festivals

Kimberly from SMITTEN...in cleveland

Lane from Lane Baldwin Photography

Nidhi from NIDHIZZLE

Raizel from OmStone Aromas

Reanna from Big Shot Dot The I

Sarah from Cooker Girl

Scott from The Chubby Cook

Stephanie from Hungry in Cleveland

Stuart from @sos_jr

Tony from tonyramos.com

If you haven't been to a meeting yet, join us next time! Bloggers, wanna be bloggers and blog followers are always invited. Our next meeting is in February when we will have a wine tasting with Tammy of Miss WineOH. She is known for her fun tastings so it's sure to be another great event.

back: Julie of Wearing Mascara, yours truly, Hans aka Mr. PIP, Kim of Smiten in Cleveland
front: Alicia of Poise in Parma, Jen of Why CLE? and Sarah of Cooker Girl

What to see more pics and read more about it?

*Adventures of a Trapped 300 pound man here

*Why CLE? recap here
*Poise in Parma recap here

Wordless Wednesday - End Piracy, Not Liberty

2012-01-18T09:45:00.000-05:00

Our freedom of speech is at risk.

Sign the petition here.

Happy Monday

2012-01-16T08:42:00.001-05:00

I am SO excited about tonight!

It's the first time I'm going to Dinner in the Dark.

For those of you who don't already know this, Dinner in the Dark is a very special event where six local chefs prepare a fabulous meal at a different restaurant each month. You are kept in the dark because you don't know who the chefs are or the menu until you arrive. The best part is that the chef's pick a local charity and donate all the proceeds from the event to them.

This month the dinner is being held at Fahrenheit in Tremont. It's already sold out so if you want to go, you'll have to sign up for the next one. They are held monthly so you can definitely attend another event.

T-shirts will be on sale today at Fahrenheit if you want to grab one. $20 each and the proceeds will also go to the charity of the night.

So, until then, this is what I SHOULD be doing

But this is what I'll be doing instead

Thirsty Thursday - Handy Beer Drinking Tips

2012-01-12T08:27:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love Foodbeast! They are a great resource for all things food. Through them, I found the coolest YouTube channel ever CHOW.com. You seriously need to check them out for all sorts of really cool tips and tricks relating to food and drinks. For example:

If you don't have one of these

or these

sometimes it's hard to open your beer. Especially if you've had a few. The caps can hurt your hands or sometimes they are just one way too tight. I found this post and wanted to pass it on because it seemed kinda handy. But I'm still trying to get the courage up to try it. See what you think...

Seems like it may be worse than using your hand. Or having some cute guy open it for you. If anyone is actually brave enough to try it, please leave a comment and let me know how it worked for you. Does it hurt??

While this supposedly works great for twist offs, most of my beer needs an actual opener. This has been a problem for me in the past especially when drinking with Bad Beer Lovers and I forget the opener. Thankfully some other tips on opening beer popped up and I found the perfect trick for opening a non-twist off bottle. An all you need is a sheet of paper. This one, I actually was brave enough to try - and it worked!

Hope you find these tips as helpful as I did. Cheers!

Clue into Healthy Cooking at Home

2012-01-10T12:07:00.000-05:00

Today this post is featured on my friend Amanda's blog, Clue Into Cleveland. She is having a great time in sunny Texas so she asked me to do a guest blog for her while she is on vacation. Here's a link to her post over at Clue Into Cleveland. I can't wait to hear all about Amanda and Scott's fabulous trip to Austin and all the fun (and good food!) they had!

Hi! I'm Crystal from Eat Drink Cleveland. When my awesome friend Amanda from Clue Into Cleveland asked me to do a guest post for her while she is having a fabulous time heading out west to Texas on vacation, I was totally honored!

I absolutely love her blogs about all the fun things to do around the CLE. When trying to come up with a topic, I read her post about their delicious sounding Christmas dinner. Amanda talks about how she is totally terrified of cooking at home and has just started stretching her comfort level and hitting the kitchen. If you know me or read my blog, you know I love to eat out. But I also really love to cook and do it regularly. I like that when I cook at home, I know exactly what I'm eating. It also helps me save my dining out dollars for higher quality meals (no take out or Applebee's for me!)

In honor of Amanda's blossoming cooking skills, and to help everyone keep their New Year's resolutions about eating healthier and losing those extra pounds, I'm going to share some of my favorite healthy recipes with you that are super easy...even if it's your first time in the kitchen!

1. Citrus Kissed Kale Salad

Beautiful salad for the holidays thanks to the bright red and green colors.

This is a new recipe that we recently tried that is now a staple. It's so healthy and delicious! The original recipe came from the Feb. 2012 issue of Whole Living magazine. Here is my version:

1 bunch kale, torn into bite sized pieces

1 T fresh lime juice

2 T citrus olive oil

1 piece fresh ginger, grated (about 1T)

1/2 fresh pomegranate (about 1/2 c)

2 T red onion, chopped

1/4 c toasted walnuts

Put kale leaves in a bowl. Drizzle olive oil, lime juice and ginger on top. Rub into leaves until well coated and kale is bruised. Add remaining ingredients and S+P to taste.

TIPS:

* Drain kale very well. If it is damp, the dressing won't stick.

* If you don't have citrus olive oil, add segments of clementines, tangerines, or mandarin oranges to the salad.

* I used a lot more ginger, closer to 2 tablespoons

raw kale salad with clementines

2. Crystal's Cherry Delicious Brussels Sprouts

toast nuts in dry pan until fragrant

1 pound brussels sprouts, cut in quarters

1 c toasted pecans or slivered almonds

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced

1/2 c dried cherries

1/2 c golden raisins

1 T EVOO

1 T herbed butter

Toast nuts. Set aside. In same pan, saute onions in olive oil until soft. Add brussels sprouts and cook until just tender but still firm. Add herbed butter and fruit. Season with S+P to taste.

* Even people who claim to hate brussels sprouts love these.

(I bet Scott will too!)

* I always double the recipe because they are soooo good!

* I use Creekside Creamery Garden Herb Butter from Costco. You can substitute plain butter and herbs of your choice.

3. Barley Stuffed Acorn Squash

2 acorn squash, cut in half

2 small zucchini, diced

1 medium onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1/2 cup dried chopped dates, cherries, raisins

1/2 slivered almonds

1 cup cooked barley

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. cayenne pepper

1 t. Adobe seasoning

S+P

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash cut side up in shallow baking dish. Liberally salt the inside of the squash. Add 1 c water to pan and set aside. Saute onions and zucchini in olive oil until tender. Add garlic, dried fruit, almonds and stir until fruit plumps. Add cooked barley and seasonings - mix well. Adjust seasonings to taste. Scoop mixture into acorn squash halves. Cover with foil and bake until squash is tender, about 40 minutes.

Savory and sweet with a touch of cinnamon and a little heat, this is a great vegetarian first course or meal

These recipes are all perfect for the colder months and won't break the bank or your diet plans! They are healthy, easy to make and won't keep you in the kitchen for hours. I hope that 2012 is a happy and healthy year for all of you. Now get cooking!

Sunday Funday

2012-01-08T21:14:00.001-05:00

A few months ago a friend of mine asked if I wanted to try a glassblowing class. It sounded like fun and a great opportunity to have some girl time with one of my best friends - I was in! The class started Sunday at 11:00 so we decided to start the day at one of my very favorite breakfast places Lucky's Cafe in Tremont. My friend EKC has heard all the hype both from the TV shows and my frequent tales of how amazingly delicious the food at Lucky's is and I was happy to introduce her to an awesome local spot.

I ordered the famous cheddar scallion biscuits topped with soft scrambled eggs and sausage gravy. It comes with crispy seasoned skin-on cubed potatoes and a bunch of refreshing grapes. The biscuits are the perfect buttery vehicle to carry the creamy gravy goodness to your watering mouth. They have a hint of cheese and onion that enhances the flavors of the eggs and gravy without overwhelming the dish. Even EKC, who claimed to hate sausage and sausage gravy, gobbled up her sample. Perfection on a plate!

She chose the seasonal gingerbread waffles with house made caramel sauce, sauteed local apples and whipped cream. EKC wanted to be able to take her extra waffle home so she ordered the toppings on the side. The waffles were crisp and tender with just the right amount of spice. The combo of apples, caramel and whipped cream was amazing - much better than the usual maple syrup and surprisingly, not too sweet. I sadly only got a bite but I know I'll be heading back to get my own order before they are gone.

We shared an order of the pecan bacon in an attempt to show some self control. Words can't describe how amazing this bacon is! Chef Haviland somehow manages to maintain the crispiness of the meaty bacon in spite of the heavy coating of finely chopped sugared pecans. The salty sweet combo is bacon heaven - this alone is worth the trip!

Ironically, the Food Network's episode of The Best Thing I Ever Ate featuring Lucky's biscuits and gravy aired that same night - and watching it made me hungry all over again!

Another favorite of mine is the house made granola. The recipe is on the Food Network site and think I'm going to try to make it at home one of these days. Until then, you can get a bag of it at the restaurant for $4.50 a bag.

With our bellies full and big smiles on our faces, we headed to our class. We got a great Groupon deal and were excited to try glassblowing for the first time. The Glass Bubble Project is located in Ohio City, right behind the Garage Bar. They specialize in an industrial style that they call "Clevetion Glass" which they contrast with the more elegant Italian Venetion glass. They use recycled metal objects and glass in their creations.

We were greeted at the door by a scruffy but friendly fellow who took our names and welcomed us to the class while holding a can of Miller High Life in a koozie - we could tell already that this was going to be an interesting class! He told us where to stash our coats and find the snacks. Thankfully we had eaten already because the snacks were... interesting.

cold brews for the hot class

assorted fruit and cookies

hot dogs in a crockpot

There was art everywhere! Everything from paperweights and ring holders to elaborate chandeliers.

The instructors demonstrated how to take the long metal pole, dip it into 2000 degree molten glass, color it with tiny glass bits and blow and turn it into an artistic orb.

so many choices

Ken adding color

dipping the glass to add color

Faith blowing her glass

turning and cooling

shaping and preparing to cut

We had a blast! The instructors were all really nice and very helpful, and we met a lot of nice fellow students including mother-son duo Faith and Ken, a father-daughter pair and some fun ladies from Sandusky. If you are looking for a funky way to explore your artistic side, you should check them out. The ovens are hot as hell (2000 degrees, remember?) so I recommend trying to schedule your class in the cooler months. They have demonstrations on Saturdays from 12-3. You can sign up for an easy beginner class to make a paperweight for $35. Or if you have some experience, you can make three larger pieces for $100. Group rates and children's classes are available. You do need to come back at least a day later to pick up your finished piece(s) so plan accordingly. Here's mine:

Not too shabby! At least it's round. The colors aren't what I expected but it's pretty good for a first attempt.

EKC had to get home to watch the highly anticipated Steelers-Denver playoff game. I had other ideas. The day was so gorgeous and sunny (especially for January in Cleveland!) that my fun continued with an extra long walk with my pooch Buffy and our favorite neighbor. And some treats too. It felt great to enjoy the unseasonable weather and we all needed the fresh air.

Best friends, awesome food, trying new things, my favorite fur ball and sunshine galore - I wish EVERY Sunday could be this fun!

Foodgazi Cooking Class

2012-01-06T09:33:00.000-05:00

During my much needed stay at home vacation during the holidays, I stumbled upon my pictures for a really ~~cool~~ sweltering hot cooking class I took this summer. Hopefully reading this will bring back your own memories of the sunny hot summer days and help you get through the cold blustery winter. There's a link at the end if you want to sign up for a class too.

I found out about Foodgazi thanks to Living Social. I had never heard of them and was interested in checking out their cooking classes. When I purchased the deal, I didn't realize that they specialize in vegetarian and vegan cuisine - thankfully I love veggies! I signed up for the Summer of Lovage class which focused on using both familiar and unusual herbs.

Summer of Lovage featuring T by Sarah Hurt

We all know rosemary, parsley, and cilantro, but there are so many more herbs that are both medicinal and perfect for culinary use. This class explores the many uses of some of those oft-neglected plants, including making tea. The menu includes a mixed greens salad, pasta with pesto, and gourmet baked potato chips.

Our recipes for the class included Lovage and Borage Salad, Nasturtium Pesto with Lamb's Quarter Pasta, and Herbalicious Chips. The menu sounded like a typical meal so I was intrigued on how they would spice it up. I couldn't wait to get cooking!

When I signed up for this class, they were located in Parma but have since moved to Cleveland, just east of Lakewood. The classes are held in a house that was difficult to find because of a hidden sign. Thankfully I had left my house early and the traffic cooperated so I was not only on time, but the first to arrive.

Upon my arrival, I was stunned to find out that they had no central air conditioning! I know that many people do not have it in their home but I never dreamed that a place that offers cooking classes in the summer wouldn't have a way to properly cool the kitchen. It was worse of course because of the record breaking heat that August day, but I would imagine that any summer day would get very uncomfortable, especially since you cook and eat right next to the ovens and fryer. My friend and I greedily claimed some of the spots nearest the tiny window unit and fan which offered the most modest improvement in comfort thanks to the blowing around of the humid air.

After getting settled in, I noticed that the kitchen set up was really impressive. They have excellent equipment including a walk-in freezer. There was a long table set up for us that was where we would cook and then eat our creations. It was set with a cute flatware-themed table cloth, our cooking equipment, aprons and bottles of homemade herbed waters (chocolate mint and lemon verbana were the flavors.) The waters were lightly flavored with the herbs and much needed thirst quenchers. I would have liked to see the herbs steeped longer for a fuller flavor.

When we read over the recipes, I realized what the menu meant - that the oven would be used AND we would be boiling water for the pasta! Yes, this was my worst kitchen sauna nightmare come true!!!! It was already heat-stroke inducing hot in the kitchen but once the oven was turned on, it was unbearable. Still we pressed on.

Herbalicious chips

We started with the chips because of the bake time of 25 minutes. We placed thinly sliced yukon gold potatoes on parchment paper lined baking sheets. Then we decorated them with various traditional herbs such as basil, chives, and dill, placed another potato slice on top and popped them in the oven to bake.

The nasturtium pesto was made with a quick whirl in the Vitamix. It was a traditional recipe except for substituting the nasturtium flowers and leaves for the basil. This gave it a peppery kick that was amazingly delicious!

The pesto was tossed with pasta, torn lamb's quarters, slivered sun dried tomatoes and sliced kalamata olives. This dish totally rocked and was my favorite of the night! I still can't stop thinking about it and I'm on the hunt for organic nasturtiums so I can make this one at home. I think I might need to grow some this summer so I can get my fix.

The salad was interesting because we used herbs that I've never seen or tasted before - lovage and borage. I've heard of these but had never actually seen them in person. Both were delicious! The borage flowers were a beautiful blue.

lovage leaves

borage flower

Once the salad was tossed, we dug in. In spite of the oppressive heat, we gobbled up our food - it was delicious! The food was healthy, tasty and easy to make and I really enjoyed experiencing the new herbs. I definitely want to go back for another class but this time I'll check to see if they installed A/C or go when it's cooler outside.

Foodgazi has a tasty lineup of food for 2012. Soup lovers, raw food, and gluten-free are some highlights. Click here for their complete list.

It's a New Year ~ Discover happiness. Be alive!

2012-01-03T10:23:00.000-05:00

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done,cracks to be patched.Maybe this year, to balance the list,we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives...not looking for flaws, but for potential.

~ Ellen Goodman

Happy 2012 everyone!

My theme of the year is Discover happiness. Be alive! I've read so many year in review and resolutions posts I can't help but wonder what 2012 has in store for me.

But first I want to thank each and every one of you for reading my blog! Last year at this time, I never dreamed I would have finally taken the plunge and started publishing publicly. A special thank you to Brad at Cleveland Food and Brews for convincing me to just do it! Another special thank you to my fellow bloggers who have been so welcoming and helpful as I get my feet wet. While the rumor is that some people out there are crazy competitive and phony, I've been really fortunate to have found a wonderful group of super cool people! I look forward to continuing and expanding these friendships this year.

Next, here's my own list of resolutions! Not to bore you, but to actually write them down this year. Maybe that will increase my chance of following through with them...

1. Actually go to the fabulous gym that I pay a lot of money for! This is my top goal for the year. I'm tired of wasting money and really need to make exercise a habit. Period. I want to not be afraid of a bathing suit by my trip to Vegas in June - Flamingo pool, here I come! Any Lifetime Fitness members out there who want to accomplish this together?

2.Be a better blogger. Because I'm still so new to the blogging world, I'm trying to figure out how blogging fits into my life. I know I'll never be a person to blog daily - I don't have the time or the desire to do that! My goal is two real posts a week. I also want to not only read more blogs but really engage with my fellow bloggers. Another part of this is to expand my technical knowledge. I'm thinking of switching over to Wordpress because I want more choices and flexibility. Any volunteer tutors out there??

3. Be more organized. This includes cleaning out the ~~office~~ junk room that may or may not have been on this list for at least 4 years. This room will never actually be my office because it's on the 2nd floor and I don't want to spend my day in a tiny room but it could certainly be put to better use. The basement also needs attention. I vow to purge things I don't need and organize those that I want to save. Do I really NEED 7 muffin pans?

4. Eat more veggies. If you know me, this is likely very surprising to you! I LOVE fruits and veggies and eat a ton of them. I want to eat even less meat because of the environmental and health impacts it causes. The meat I do eat is going to be even more local. I want to explore new ways to make my favorites and continue to add new veggies to the regular rotation. My eggplant chips are a perfect example of finding a way to enjoy a less desirable veggie. Wonder what I can come up with this year?

5. Waste less food. I am weird and LOVE grocery shopping! I buy high quality delicious ingredients. I belong to a CSA. And I throw away food. This has to stop! Not only is it money wasted, but I hate to toss food when so many people struggle to pay their bills and feed their families. I am actually pretty good about using what I buy, but want to reduce waste even further. I can't imagine how many partial loaves of $4.00 a loaf bread and fresh herbs I've wasted.

6. Bake a loaf of yeast bread from scratch. I cook. A lot! But for some reason, I've always been afraid of using yeast. How do I know what the right temperature is? What happens if it doesn't rise? This year I'm going to conquer my fear and try a loaf. Who knows, it just might be fabulous!

7. Eat at Chez Francois. It's just a little too far away to be convenient, but I'm sure it will be worth the drive. I wish I knew about it when I lived in Amherst! I'll wait til the weather is better but I will make the drive.

8. Be nicer. I'm a nice person. Friendly. Cheerful. The works.
But we all talk shit about people sometimes. Can you believe she went out of the house looking like that?! We all suffer from road rage. Where's my rocket launcher - get off your phone and drive! And we all get so absorbed with our own lives we forget that we are not the center of the universe. I vow to take a step back and put myself in other people's shoes more often. Hold the door. Talk to the people around me instead of Tweeting or checking in. Bite my tongue. Share my knowledge with someone who needs help. Drive more courteously. Include others instead of limiting myself to my usual group. Volunteer. Keep in touch. Make the effort.

9. Try new things. In 2011 that happened a lot and I really enjoyed every new experience. I'm already starting the year off with a much needed new haircut. I plan to continue exploring and taking chances indefinitely. Who wants to stagnate?? I want to stretch and grow. Try out a new nail polish, actually make the recipes I save, practice yoga in public, learn how to use Photoshop,visit a new city. Maybe I'll finally make it to Montreal? Whatever my new adventures turn out to be, I'll be sure to share them with you.

10. Attend my first Dinner in the Dark. This one will be an easy accomplishment for the year - I already have my ticket purchased! January 16th is the big day - stay tuned!

Above all I want to live my life joyfully! It flies by too fast and I want to enjoy every minute. Do you make resolutions? What do you hope to achieve in the new year? Cheers to a happy and healthy new year whatever your plans may be!

Foods NOT to Feed Pets

2011-12-31T19:48:00.000-05:00

You all KNOW I love food and so does my little bundle of furry love Buffy.

She is quite the beggar and will eat pretty much ANYTHING! When I first adopted her, I had to do some research to make sure I didn't give her anything that would make her sick. To start the new year off right for all your furry friends, I'm sharing a list of things to never feed them.

1. Chocolate - this is one most people know about. Also coffee and caffeine in general are bad for our pooches. Dark chocolate is the worst but even white chocolate is bad.

2. Grapes/raisins - this is another one most people know about. Remember to remove the raisins from any treats that are shared.

3. Onions - another no brainer. But don't forget chives and garlic too. If there's a tiny amount in something like spaghetti sauce you don't have to worry as long as it's not a regular treat.

4. Raw yeast dough - the rising action causes problems so always make sure dough is cooked.

5. Nuts - I've heard that nuts are bad for our pets but specifically macadamia nuts and walnuts pose a serious threat. If you can't remember what kind of nuts are bad when feeding your pet, just avoid them all and you won't have to worry.

6. Avocado - this was a big shocker for me. I had no idea this was a problem. The pits and skin are especially dangerous. No guacamole!

7. Ice cream - it's the milk that can cause problems - and candy, especially anything sugar-free that contains Xylitol.

8. Bones, raw meat, fish and eggs, fat, skin - some people swear by a raw diet for their pets. Others feed scraps and trimmings. These items can cause serious problems like choking and bacteria - and aren't worth the risk. Don't feed a raw diet unless you have thoroughly researched them and discussed it with your vet.

9. Tomato and potato plants, raw potatoes, seeds and pits of fruits and rhubarb.

and my personal pet peeve

10. Alcohol - sorry people, it is NOT funny to get your pet drunk! Our pets have the same effects that we do when drinking but all are amplified and can result in death. Save the booze for you and your people friends instead.

For more details, visit the ASPCA site. You can also view a slideshow from WebMD.

And what should you do if your pet accidentally ingests these items? Call the Animal Poison Control Center at (888) 426-4435, your vet or your local emergency clinic.

New Year's 2012 Wish

2011-12-31T16:17:00.000-05:00

My wish for each and every one of my dear friends and family:

May 2012 bring you health, happiness and love.

Smile more.

Appreciate what you have.

Love harder.

Pick quality over quantity.

Be kind to others.

Life is short - take time to enjoy it!

Local Last Minute Gift Ideas

2011-12-19T11:55:00.002-05:00

Christmas is right around the corner. Are you done with all your shopping? If not, here's some last minute ideas that will fill your stockings and help you shop local:

1. CIFF Membership
The Cleveland International Film Fest is a Must Do for me every year. Join me and other independent film buffs in March or you can still get your hands on tickets for a few of the Film Feasts. You have until Weds. at 5pm to ensure holiday delivery.

2. The Deck from Cleveland Independents
Perfect for the foodie on your list or someone who doesn't like to cook. It's 52 deals at local restaurants for $29.95 + shipping.

3. Cooking class gift certificates

There are so many great places to choose from in the CLE+

*Loretta Paganini, Viking at Legacy Village, and Western Reserve in Hudson are classics.
*Two options for cooking classes at home are Chef Kimberly McCune Gibson of Hungry Bee Catering and Chef Jason of Molinari's - both will come to your kitchen and cook up at a feast to remember.

*The Chubby Cook is a newcomer that looks to be a great addition to the mix. Use coupon code HOLIDAYS2011 thru 12/25 and save 10%. Or if you prefer, use the code ALF2012, 40% of the cost of the class will be donated to Hungry In Cleveland's American Liver Foundation fundraising efforts.
* The Tri-C Hospitality Management Center is another new place to attend a class. Taught by Chef Brandt Evans of Pura Vida. The facilities are amazing and I'm sure the food will be too.

*For the vegan on your list Foodgazi is the place to go.
*Another great Lakewood destination is Gatherings Kitchen. Check out I Heart Cleveland's blog about it here and you can enter to win tickets too. If you stop by Weds. 12/21 they are offering free sticky buns and coffee to sweeten the deal.

*For a weekend destination, you can visit Gervasi Vineyard in North Canton. They have a winery, restaurant and villas to compliment your cooking class and make it into a weekend getaway.

4. Sports tickets
Whatever the sport your favorite fan cheers for, Cleveland has a team for you. Browns, Cavs, Indians and the Monsters are the big boys. Maybe Roller Derby is more your style? Don't forget about the minor league and college teams too. For more ideas, click here. Put the tickets in a box with a t-shirt or other gear.

5. For the coffee lover, get a gift card from your favorite local coffee shop (Phoenix, Erie Island, Civilization and Gypsy Beans & Bakery are some of my favorites.) add it to a basket with a double walled travel mug, some sweet treats and some whole beans and you have something that will be appreciated for a long time.

6. NEO Food Tours has lots of tours and events to choose from in 2012. I've attended several of their signature walking tours and have enjoyed them all! If you missed my blogs about my adventures with the NEO folks you can read them here - Public Square, Gordon Square and Tremont.

7. For the foodie with a big heart, try Dinner in the Dark. You get to try the food of our area's top chefs and help a charity in the process. You don't have to worry - you won't actually be eating in the dark, the title refers to the chefs and menu not being revealed until you arrive. Next one is in January at Fahrenheit. I plan on being there - my first! You can order tix here

8. For the bottled water addict, help them help the environment by buying them some cool reusable portable water bottles and either a Brita Water Pitcher or a filter that goes on their faucet. Or you can get them the filter and bottle all in one. They also have these super portable collapsible ones for people who don't want to carry the empty bottle around:

9. If you know where they get their hair and nails done, a gift certificate to their favorite place is always appreciated. I like to wrap it up with either some funky new nail polish or fancy hair supplies so they have an actual gift to open.

10. Holidays are stressful and a great gift to help your loved one unwind is a spa gift certificate. Spa West rocks and they even have a special where you can get a 20% bonus card when you purchase a gift certificate of at least $100. Mario's has multiple locations in the area. Dino Palmieri at La Place, Zen in Ohio City, and Charles Scott are other good choices. Groupon is offering a deal today to Europa Spa in Beachwood.

11. I'm a wine lover and always appreciate a good bottle as a gift. Match it up with an aerator or other useful wine accessory. My friend recently got me something like this drip catcher pictured and I love it! Miss WineOH has some good suggestions on her site and will also be hosting her famous Wine and Cupcake events in the New Year - contact her directly for details and tickets.

12. Touch screen gloves seem to be on everybody's wish list thanks to our obsession with our smart phones, iPods, and tablets and our frigid NE Ohio winters.

13. How about a pass to one of our fabulous local attractions? The Greater Cleveland Aquarium is opening next year and the people on your list would likely love to check it out. You can give a gift membership to the Cleveland Museum of Art by clicking here. The Cleveland Natural History Museum is always fun. You get purchase a membership here. Great Lakes Science Center is another cool place, especially for the kiddos.

14. For the chocoholic - Lilly Handmade Chocolate in Tremont is a must! Her candies are bite sized works of art and delicious! For the holidays, she is even whipping up rum balls.

15. Indians Snow Days run until January 16th - snowtubing and ice skating in the middle of Progressive Field is fun for all ages.

16. If you have a new driver on your gift list, get them road ready with a gas card, local map or GPS and a car safety kit.

17. Act quick for a Groupon deal that is sure to please - a wine class for two from American Wine School being held at Lago in Tremont.

18. For the Cleveland ladies on your list, shop at La Femme de Cleveland. Use coupon code CLEVELANDLOVE and get 15% off your order. There's a giveaway that ends on Tuesday too.

19. And for those who like to make something tasty, check out Food 52's edible gifts.

20. The Greenhouse Tavern is offering up a free bottle of wine with $100 in gift certificates. Who wouldn't LOVE THAT!

And here's one gift you should NOT be giving - a pet! Too often pets are bought as gifts without considering the long term commitment that they include. Our shelters are filled with young dogs and cats that were discarded when the owners grew tired of all the work, time and expense they involve. Plus, the busy holidays are the worst time to get to know a new pet. The crappy weather doesn't help either if it's a new puppy that needs to be taken outside. If you really want to add a pet to the family, consider purchasing some accessories like bowls, leashes, toys etc to wrap for under the tree and then visit your local shelter after the holidays.

Hope this helps you get all your shopping done and enjoy the holidays!

Eat Right - Local AND Smart

2011-12-19T08:55:00.001-05:00

When you go out to eat, there are so many choices! What part of town? What type of cuisine? Fancy or cheap eats? Feast or small bites?

I love to share my favorite restaurants and places to score great food! I'd like to help you by sharing my rules for dining - eat local and eat smart.

Eating local is the easy one. Even when I'm travelling, I always chose a local gem. There are so many non-chain restaurants to choose from! If you need inspiration locally or just want to be reminded of some great places, head over to Cleveland Independents. In addition to giving you dining ideas, they give you deals - sign up for their emails and you'll be notified of their discounted gift certificate sales. They also have a great gift idea for anybody on your shopping list - The Deck. It's a deck of cards and each card offers savings at a member restaurant. Perfect stocking stuffer!

The second is a little tougher. The money you spend and the choices you make can impact not only your local community, but the world as a whole. That's pretty big stuff, right? When going out to eat, nothing upsets me more than seeing an endangered fish on the menu. I remember back when I was a much younger lady, I tried Chilean sea bass and thought I died and went to heaven! It was so delicious! I wanted to eat it every day. I guess everyone else in the world thought the same thing because now they are so overfished that they are endangered. I will never eat one again. Yes, I will miss the taste, but I can't eat something I know is likely to be extinct. Would you eat a snow leopard?

Check out this though provoking info from Care2 Make a Difference:

Bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass are poised to be the European tigers of our day. With a single bluefin tuna commanding up to nearly a half-million dollars on the Japanese market, and a boatload of Chilean sea bass fetching the same, there’s an irresistible economic incentive for pirates, poachers and plunderers to hunt out these rare fish. Sure, eating them is still legal — and there are even “certified catches” meant to encourage good fisherpeople who follow the rules. But when it comes to bluefin tuna, those “good catches” come from best-case-scenario, super-optimistic, fact-blind “science” as interpreted by people who fish for tuna. And when it comes to Chilean sea bass, that “good catch” accounts for a tiny fraction of the actual volume of fish that’s for sale. So if you think you got one of the very few “ethically harvested” ones, you’re probably kidding yourself, and even if you’re not, your dollars are playing an active role in the lucrative market that’s inspiring the pirates to head out on their boats. As a society, we should look at people eating bluefin tuna and Chilean sea bass the same way we’d regard someone sitting down to a roast bald eagle.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/8-worst-food-trends-of-2011.html#ixzz1gzIfsdzG

When I see a restaurant offering endangered fish on their menu, I lose my appetite. I certainly won't order those items and I won't patronize the offending restaurant either. I make a point to voice my concerns with the management as well. There are too many fantastic and responsible places to go - I want to support the good guys with my dining dollars. So when you are presented with the menu, make a choice that will be good for you and for the good of our planet too.

And you can chose wisely when cooking at home too. You would think that Whole Foods would be a leader in supporting sustainable fishing but actually they are not. They are "phasing out" selling the fish but you can still currently find them in the fish cases and frozen food aisles. Costco is actually a leader in the push for sustainable fishing - they won't sell the endangered species. They are putting they profits on the line to back up their beliefs and that is an important reason why I have a membership there. Read more here

You may be thinking, "How do I know if a fish shouldn't be eaten?" A great resource is Blue Ocean's Seafood List. Not only does it tell you what you shouldn't eat, but it helps you pick a substitute. For our Chilean sea bass example, it suggests Alaskan sablefish. Realistically you can't always avoid shopping at or dining at places that sell the endangered fish. You can however make your thoughts known to the owners, shop and eat wisely and put your money where your mouth is.

Candy Cane Truffles

2011-12-16T08:03:00.000-05:00

Monday I published my Great Food Blogger Cookie Swap recipe for Rudolph Noses . Today I'm sharing another favorite recipe with you. This one is a cross between a candy and a cookie - the easiest truffle you will ever make! My recipe original recipe uses Oreos but when I found Candy Cane Joe-Joe's at Trader Joe's - I knew that they would make the recipe even better!

Candy Cane Truffles

1 16oz package Candy Cane Joe Joe's

1 8oz package cream cheese, softened

1 bag Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips

1. Make crumbs out of the cookies using a food processor or finely crush

2. Add cookie crumbs to cream cheese and mix well (I use a mixer)

3. Shape into bite sized balls - should make approximately 40 1" balls - and place on wax paper covered cookie sheet

4. Place balls in fridge to firm up slightly while you are melting chocolate

5. Melt chocolate chips over double boiler until smooth

6. Roll cookie balls into melted chocolate, placing them back on cookie sheet when done

7. Sprinkle with crushed candy cane pieces or Christmas sprinkles

8. Enjoy!

You may ask, "But what if I can't find the Trader Joe's cookies - you KNOW these are seasonal and may never be carried again." Well here's some substitutions you can try:

1. Add 6 full sized crushed candy canes to the cookie crumbs

2. Add a few drops of peppermint oil to the crumbs and cheese

3. Use mint Oreos

The recipe is so easy that it's embarrassing to share with people after they rave about how good they are. The ONLY slightly difficult part is coating the balls in chocolate. This is the tool I use - a small sturdy whisk from Pedroni:

But you could also use two forks or a small spoon. The idea is to completely cover the cookie ball while allowing the excess chocolate to drip off.

That's it! I promise that when you make these, people will be super impressed and gobble them up. It's up to you whether you share your secret super easy recipe with them.

Wordless Wednesday - Ho Ho Ho!

2011-12-15T13:32:00.004-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2011-12-14T21:32:00.000-05:00