Dinner at Bilbo Baggins, Alexandria, VA

For dinner on Saturday night, Pete and Steph took us to a restaurant called Bilbo Baggins in Alexandria Virginia. I started with a Hendricks martini which was mixed with way more vermouth than is to my liking. Mom had a beer as did Pete. For dinner I had house made tortellini stuffed with crab meat, salmon and fresh dill. It was served with an apple ginger Chardonnay cream sauce and was quite delicious. It's always wonderful to eat seafood when on the east coast. I did a little research and discovered that tortellini means "little twists". Mom had the grilled lamb chops and Pete ordered a steak.

According to Stephanie, the restaurant got permission to use the Bilbo Baggins as the name of the restaurant from J.R.R. Tolkien's estate in the early 1970's. Both restaurant and bar were rustic and charming. Bilbo Baggins is located at 208 Queen Street, Old Towne, Alexandria, Virginia.

Saint Joseph's Day - 2011

My patron saint is Saint Joseph and today is his feast day. Being just two days after March 17th Joseph has always fallen in the shadow of St. Patrick's Day. I've always felt Joseph deserves at least as much attention as Patrick as he was, after all, the foster father of our Lord and Savior. I mean, driving snakes out of Ireland is pretty cool but parenting can be, I've heard, just as miraculous.

Anyway, I've done some online research on how St. Joseph's Day is celebrated and one site pointed out that it is a big feast in many countries, especially Italy where St. Joseph's Tables are traditional. Elaborate meals and other foods are placed and displayed on the St. Joseph's Table. Another tradition is to bury an upside-down statue of St. Joseph in the ground in a hole in the yard of your house on St. Joseph's Day to make your house sell. Believe it or not I had actually heard of this before. If I ever wanted to sell the house I'm in now, I don't know that I could actually stick my statue of St. Joseph in a hole in the ground. I just couldn't. On top of that, it just seems too superstitious.

Anyway, traditional St. Joseph's day meals tend to be meatless since the holiday tends to fall during Lent. My request to Dale was that we have shrimp scampi for this momentous occasion. We used a recipe from the Eating for Life cookbook by Body for Life guru Bill Philllips. This tends to be healthy fare so we doctored it up to make it taste a whole LOT better. Here's the recipe:

"Shrimp Scampi [from p. 167 of the Eating for Life cookbook by Bill Phillips]

Ingredients:

2 portions whole-wheat penne pasta (about 4 oz. uncooked) [We at LEAST doubled that]

1 Tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 portions raw shrimp, peeled and deveined (about 1/2 lb.)

3 Tbsp Butter Buds, divided [Butter Buds? As if! We used real butter]

3 Tbsp white wine

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1 lemon halved

3 Tbsp reduced-fat Parmesan cheese [Reduced fat? No way.]

2 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

Directions:

1. Prepare penne pasta according to its package directions.

2. While the pasta is cooking, heat olive oil and garlic in a wok or large skillet over medium heat.

3. Add shrimp to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until it's almost pink (three-quarters done), about 2 minutes.

4. Add 1 Tbsp of Butter Buds and white wine to shrimp; saute about 2 more minutes.

5. Place cooked pasta in a large mixing bowl and combine it with remainder of the Butter Buds and black pepper; mix gently.

6. Add cooked shrimp to pasta and gently mix it all together.

7. Divide into two portions and spoon onto plates. Top with a squeeze of lemon, Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley."

Dinner at Warren and Gary's House

Warren and Gary are a couple neighbors that I met last summer while walking Sophie. It's funny we hadn't crossed paths before as we've all been in the neighborhood since 1997. They moved into their house probably a month before we moved into ours. Well, better late than never, huh? They actually looked at the house Dale and I live in now but passed on it. I sometimes joke that we got their sloppy seconds.

They had also invited their friend John over whom we hadn't had the pleasure of meeting before. He was quite a wonderful fellow. We started out with cocktails. Gary made me a Tanquerey martini. He used quite a bit more vermouth than I ever would but I won't hold that against him as it was still quite good. Dale drank red wine, Gary had a vodkatini and Warren had a rum and Coke.

Dale and I brought over a salad with a basic balsamic vinagrette. Warren made lasagna with a side of cauliflower. For dessert Warren made a bread pudding and for the bread he used panettone (pictured above). Here's what James and Kay Salter have to say about panettone in Life Is Meals:

"Panettone, the light, delicious cake emblematic of Christmas throughout Italy, originated in and is a specialty of Milan. The Admirable authority on Italian food, Waverly Root, considered it the world's best accompaniment for breakfast coffee. Made in a high domed shape that is sometimes thought to honor the domes of Lombard churches, it contains butter, milk sugar, eggs, raisins, and bits of candied fruit."

"The name 'panettone' is probably derived from pane, meaning 'bread,' and tone, the suffix for 'big,' although there are competing versions. Panettone should be warmed just slightly before serving to diffuse the buttery flavor, and it is also excellent toasted."

It worked very well in bread pudding.

(Top illustration by Fabrice Moireau)

Baked Rigatoni - The Finished Product

Yum

Silver Hour with Baked Rigatoni - Wednesday March 2, 2011

Dale was out of town last week so we didn't get our 'Silver Hour'. He's back home and we're both looking forward to the one tonight. Dinner will be baked rigatoni which is very much a comfort food for us.

Here's how we make the rigatoni:

20 oz. ground turkey or Italian Sausage

2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 and 1/2 jar spaghetti sauce

parmasan cheese to taste

Put in baking dish and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees.

Dinner On My Own

When Dale is out of town I usually indulge in my favorite simple meal. Rotisserie chicken and a pretzel bun, both from Kowalskis, and a salad. This salad is hearts of romaine with Annie's Goddess dressing. Sophie looks intrigued. Dessert was a slice of truffle roulade from Kowalskis (of course!).

Eating Out - Lizz Wright at the Dakota

I had the most incredibly cruddy day today. I'm so glad I had plans to see Lizz Wright tonight at the Dakota Jazz Club with my good friend Noel. Noel ordered some wine and I had a Bombay Sapphire Martini. We both had the house burger. The food is always fantastic there. Lizz Wright has one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard and I'm not exaggerating. I'd listen to her sing the phone book. Anyway, great food, great music, great venue with a great friend. After a terrible day I feel renewed.

A Mini High School Reunion

The world keeps getting smaller and now because of Facebook it's smaller still. A couple of years ago I joined FB and reconnected with a number of high school friends and acquaintances just before my high school reunion. Some continue to pop up. Recently one of these people, Mike, approached Dale at the gym because he recognized him from a picture posted on my FB account. Dale told me of the meeting and, long story short, Mike and his wife Charisse came over to our place for dinner tonight. It was wonderful to reconnect. We had both forgotten in what class we met but determined that we had at least been in Spanish together in 8th grade and also a government class as seniors in high school. There was a lot to reminisce about including teachers, classmates, classes, et cetera. I observed how I find it interesting that in high school one spends so much time trying to define how one is unique and different. Yet years later you realize that you really had a lot in common with everybody, namely your age, school, neighborhood, city, era; things we never would have considered unifying at the time.

Mike and I had martinis before dinner. Mike's was vodka and mine gin. Dale and Charisse had wine. For dinner we had lasagna which I've made for years and is based on my mom's recipe. I remember Mom making it for the first time when I was about 12 years old. I absolutely loved it and now consider it one of my favorite comfort foods. Here's how I make it now:

1 - 1&1/2 pound Italian sausage (or ground beef/turkey)

1&1/2 jars a spaghetti sauce

lasagna noodles (I use about 11 or 12)

15 oz. ricotta cheese

1 egg

chives

4 cups mozzarella

Fry off meat and add spaghetti sauce to the pan. Prepare noodles but only cook them for about half the recommended time as they will bake in the oven. In medium bowl combine ricotta and cheese and set aside. Begin layering items in greased pan. Spread some of the meat mixture on the bottom of the pan and cover that with about four lasagna noodles. Spread some of the ricotta mixture on top of the noodles and then cover this with some of the mozzarella. Repeat until ingredients are used up. Cover with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese, oregano, and nutmeg. Oven should be heated to 350 degrees. Bake for 50-60 minutes. Cover and let cool for about 10 minutes.

[Note: for a healthier option we use ground turkey, "light" dairy products, and egg whites. For high octane we go with fattier ingredients.]

Dale made green beans and garlic bread.

I find lasagna to be great for entertaining because it can be made ahead of time and you can have cocktails with guests while it cooks.

Coffee

I love morning coffee. I usually have two mugs a day which probably translates to about 4 cups. Dale got me addicted to the stuff but not until about 12 years into our relationship. I think its funny I'm more the coffee junkie now as he used to drink about 6 cups a day and has now cut back to 1. It probably wouldn't hurt for me to cut back a bit although I've heard that 4 cups is about the limit to what the daily intake should be so for the time being I'll hold steady. I take mine with cream and sugar while Dale usually takes his black. I will say it does make me look forward to getting up in the morning.

Top: Illustration by Nouar

Bottom: Coffee Mug from our collection. Quote by Eleanor Roosevelt says "Yesterday is history, Tomorrow is a mystery, Today is a gift"

Valentine's Day 2011

The kids were cookoo at school today. They weren't bad but they sure were geared up for Valentine's Day. I can't say I blame them. I remember what a big day it was for me - addressing the Valentines, making a Valentine's box, passing out the Valentines. It was all very exciting. My class was feeling that same excitement and I'm just glad they had a great time!

Dale dug out the grill from the snow and put on a new tank of propane. He grilled steak, made oven baked brussels sprouts, garlic bread and a salad.

One of my students came in with her mom this morning and they brought me a HUGE apple pie from Lund's. Dale and I ate it tonight and it was delicious.

My cocktail of choice tonight was a Hendrick's gin martini. Dale had some red wine.

Bank Restaurant Minneapolis - More Pictures

Early Valentine's Day Dinner - Bank Restaurant Minneapolis

Dale and I had an early Valentine's Day dinner tonight at Bank Restaurant in downtown Minneapolis. The restaurant is located in what was formerly the grand lobby of the old Farmers and Mechanics Bank.

The building is so stately and the inside so beautiful I feel compelled to provide a little background information. The following is information regarding the bank from Wikipedia:

"The 1942 Farmers and Mechanics Savings Bank building in downtown Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, is a former bank building that is now the home of a Westin Hotel The building is an example of the Streamline Moderne phase of the Art Deco movement and is notable for its bold relief sculptures of a farmer and a mechanic framing the main entrance. The sculptures were designed by Warren T. Mosman, who headed the sculpture department at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006."

"The walnut-paneled main banking hall of the building is now the lobby of the hotel. The taller wings of the building once held offices, but now house 214 hotel rooms. The hotel conversion preserved several historic features of the bank building. The main banking lobby with a 34 foot high ceiling, marble staircase, and carved wood emblems have been retained. The original bank vault on the lower level is a conference room, while the former safety deposit vault is now a wine vault and the entire bank has been made in to a restaurant, called B.A.N.K. The restaurant kept as much of the original woodworking from the actual bank as possible. Former offices now serve as private dining rooms and the teller counter now serves as a bar."

We arrived a little early and got drinks at the bar. I had a Bombay Sapphire martini and Dale had white wine. For dinner I had the Five Onion Soup and Dale had the ceasar salad. We both had the pan roastedpork tenderloin as entrees. For dessert I had a chocolate waffle with maple ice cream. Dale had the cookies and milk.

This amazingly grand space evokes a bygone era and easy to get lost in while dining.

The bar at left is the former teller counter of the old Farmers and Mechanics Bank.

Silver Hour - Wednesday February 9, 2011

When the days are bitter cold and the nights still long, it's nice to have something to look forward to during the day. The kids at school have been inside for recess for nearly the last two weeks and are starting to go buggy. This in turn is making ME go buggy. I love looking forward to dinner and cocktails. Tonight's dinner is a mostly homemade chicken pot pie. When I say 'mostly' I mean that we're not getting a frozen Swanson pot pie. We use a pre-made Pillsbury pie crust, a store bought jar of chicken gravy, a couple cups of grozen mixed vegetables, a couple cups chopped up chicken breasts, and a little thyme. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes and your comfort food is ready.

Pickled Herring

Saturday evening Golden Hour tonight. Dale made steak and brussels sprouts. For an appetizer he picked up some pickled herring. I grew up with pickled herring. We mostly had it around the holidays and I absolutely loved it. So did my Dad.

The following is from The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion:

herring: This huge family of saltwater fish has over a hundred varieties. The popular herring swims in gigantic schools and can be found in the cold waters of the North Atlantic and Pacific oceans. In the United States, two of the most popular members of this family are the American shad, and the alewife, both of which are anadromous, meaning that they migrate from their saltwater habitat to spawn in fresh water. Herring are generally small (ranging between 1/4 and 1 pound) and silvery. The major exception to that rule is the American shad, which averages 3 to 6 pounds and is prized for its eggs - the delicacy known as shad roe. Young herring are frequently labeled and sold as sardines.... Pickled herring have been marinated in vinegar and spices before being bottle in either a sour-cream sauce or a wine sauce. The term can also refer to herring that have been dry-salted before being cured in brine.

Silver Hour - Wednesday January 26, 2011

The Silver Hour is a dressed down version of the Golden Hour. Usually held mid-week. Tonight the menu was tuna steaks, steamed green beans, rice pilaf, and salad.

Dinner and a Movie - 1

Last night Dale and I went to visit our friends Julie and Regina for dinner and a movie. Julie made some very scrumptious burritos. Dale and I brought the leftover tres leche cake from the other night. It was all very delicious. The movie was High Anxiety with Mel Brooks, Madeline Kahn, Cloris Leachman, and Harvey Korman. It was all very funny.

Good food, good fun, good movie, good friends.

Oh, yeah, and the werewolf scene gets me every time.

Dinner Party - Saturday January 22, 2011

Last night Dale and I hosted a dinner for some friends Dale knows from a spin class he takes on Saturdays at the gym. Michelle, Dale's spin instructor, and her husband Steve along with his classmate Fred and Fred's wife Linda all came over at about 6:00 pm. This dinner was rescheduled from a December date during which the city experienced 18 inches of snow and caused us to cancel. Appetizers and drinks came first. Dinner included lasagna (made by me using Mom's recipe), steamed green beans with olive oil and salt, and garlic bread (both made by Dale). Dessert was a tres leche cake from Cafe Latte in St. Paul which was brought over by Fred and Linda. It was all amazing and tasted fantastic.

W.S. Gilbert said "When planning a dinner party, what's more important than what's on the table is what's on the chairs." This get-together was a nice combination of wonderfully warm people. Dinner was lovely and the conversations were engaging. We talked of Christmas, our families, religion, and politics. I know the latter two are usually to be avoided but everyone was pretty much on the same page and respectful of everyone's opinions. Everyone was surprised when we discovered it was already midnight. This is again proof to me that some of the best times in life revolve around shared good food and good people.

Christmas Traditions: The Christmas Pickle

It's a sham! Well, at least I think it is...

About a year ago I was shopping with a friend and I came across a glass pickle ornament. I mentioned that I thought it was a funny object for a Christmas tree ornament. She informed me that it was some German tradition and that because I have partial German heritage I should know all about it.

Well.

According to "tradition" the pickle is supposed to be the last ornament hung on the tree on Christmas Eve. The first child to find the pickle on Christmas morning gets an extra gift from Saint Nicholas. This doesn't hold up as the German St. Nick doesn't arrive on Christmas Eve but on the 5th or 6th of December. Also, German children don't open their presents the morning of Christmas but on Christmas Eve.

One story says that a Bavarian-born man who fought in the American Civil War was captured and began to die while being held prisoner. He begged a guard for a pickle before he died. The guard granted his wish and the pickle gave the man his strength and health back.

In another story, originating in Berrien Springs, Michigan, two medieval-era Spanish boys are traveling home from school for the Christmas holidays. They stop at an inn for the night but the innkeeper is a rotten fellow who stuffs the boys in a barrel of pickles. Saint Nicholas soon stops by and taps the pickle barrel with his staff and the boys are freed. Berrien Springs is the self-proclaimed Christmas Pickle Capital of the World. A parade which is part of its December Christmas Pickle Festival is led by a Grand Dillmeister who gives out real pickles along the parade route. You my then purchase German glass pickle ornaments at the town's museum.

Oddly, few in Germany ever have heard of the Christmas Pickle.

Scam or not, it looks like the 'legend' of the Christmas pickle is here to stay. I bought the one pictured above just for fun this past season. I even found smaller pickle ornaments packaged in a pickle jar at the Sur la Table kitchen store.

From The Deluxe Food Lover's Companion:

"pickle n. Food that has been preserved in a seasoned brine or vinegar mixture. Among the more popular foods used for pickling are cucumbers, pearl onions, cauliflower, baby corn, watermelon rind, pig's feet and herring. Pickles can be sour, sweet, hot or variously flavored, such as with DILL for the popular dill pickle. pickle v. Top preserve food in a vinegar mixture or brine."

New Year's Day 2011

Woke up late this morning thinking about what a glorious time I had during the progressive dinner we participated in last night. What a great way to end 2010. Dale and I have spent the day lounging around reading and napping.

Over the past holiday season I've had a chance to share meals with a lot of people who are important to me. I am spending time thinking about how the meals we share enhance our lives and our relationships with one another.

One of my favorite books is Life Is Meals by James and Kay Salter. Here is the January 1st entry from the book:

"The meal is the essential act of life. It is the habitual ceremony, the long record of marriage, the school for behavior, the prelude to love. Among all peoples and in all times, every significant event in life - be it wedding, triumph, or birth - is marked by a meal or the sharing of food or drink. The meal is the emblem of civilization. What would one know of life as it should be lived or nights as they should be spent apart from meals?"

Dale and I ate canned chicken noodle soup from a can along with leftover brioche and tapanade. We then watched Christmas in Connecticut and then Shop Around the Corner. Steve stopped by to pick up the lens cover from Mary's camera that she forgot last night. He told us that they woke up this morning talking about what a wonderful time they had last night. We told him that we had done the same thing!

New Year's Eve 2010

This year we were invited to a progressive dinner for New Year's Eve by our neighbor from across the alley, Mary. Dale and I took the appetizer course and served crackers and brioche with the options of brie with fig jam, basil pesto, or a sun-dried tomato tapanade as spreads. We also served red grapes, honey crisp apple slices, wasabe peas, and cashews. For drinks we offered a 2009 Beaujolais nouveau, champagne, beer, and mixed drinks. I was surprised how many people wanted martinis. Our neighbor Gary wanted his usual vodka martini. I used Shaker's vodka which is made here in Minnesota. Gary likes his with a healthy portion of vermouth. Mary also wanted a vodka martini but with no vermouth. I just passed the bottle of vermouth over the drink a couple times. She said she didn't even need that much! Our neighbor Kevin decided he'd like to try a gin martini. I used Tanquerey and I think he was surprised by how strong it was. He said he liked gin but, sensing his inexperience in regard to martinis, I made him a smaller one than I usually do. He wasn't able to finish it and took it to the next course which was salads at his and Jenny's house. I thought this was funny and have to say I really admire his commitment to finishing it. I put a glass pickle ornament on the tree just for Gary to find. He found it almost immediately and got a special present for his effort which was a small Christmas troll pin. The troll was dressed up like Santa Claus.

Like I said, the next course was salads at Kevin and Jenny's home. The salad was delicious and I think Jenny said it was from the Nordstrom department store menu. I'll have to ask her for the recipe or google it.

Next we went to Warren and Gary's for the main course. Warren made an Indian dish called tiki masala, I think. It was also fantastic and I need to get the recipe. I think he said it was from Cooks Illustrated magazine. They have a fireplace and Gary had a lovely fire going when we got there. Their cat Big Boy laid himself out in front of the fire and seemed to have a fine time lounging there as we ate dinner.

The final course was dessert at Steve and Mary's house. Mary made a delicious goat cheese cheese cake with a pineapple compote and also pot de creme. Merriment ensued with dancing (I particularly remember moving to Hot Sauce by Thomas Dolby) and watching the countdown on ABC with Dick Clark who I think was looking particularly good for his age. Jenny brought out her medicine cards and everyone got a reading for the new year. We stayed until one a.m. It has been quite a while since Dale and I have stayed up until (or past) midnight on New Year's Eve.

What a delightful evening.