Minneapolis Taste Buds

Our first loaf of bread was a definite success, made evident by the fact that we devoured the whole loaf in one meal. (Must get to the Y) It’s just as easy as the book says. Pull a chunk of the refrigerated dough out, fold it under, let it rise, and bake. We had it with Amy’s organic bean & pasta soup, which I added a cooked chicken breast to. I’ll make our second loaf tonight along with a meal we created at Let’s Dish in Highland Park . We made 8 meals last Saturday and this will be the third we've tried. Our favorite so far is the gyros. Put a pork roast in the crock-pot, shred it, put it on pitas and add the yogurt sauce. That was a huge meal and fed us one night plus made several lunches for Mark. Tonight we’re having lemon parmesan chicken with green beans - and homemade bread, of course - before heading to the Highland Theater to see Gran Torino.

This week I finally began the process of making our own bread using “ Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day ” – My sister gave me the book a good 6+ months ago . . . The wretched economy is definitely causing me to change how I spend my $. I utilize every coupon I can find. I saved $10.30 today at Super Target. Doing this every week does add up, especially with the rising cost of food. I’m not sure whether this is what prompted me to start baking bread, if it’s the wonderful breads my sister has made from the book, or if I’m just trying to stay warm this sub-zero winter by turning on the oven. It’s probably a combination of all of the above. Whatever the reason, my house smells amazing! I mixed up the recipe on Monday. You can keep it in the fridge for up to 2 weeks and it makes 4 one-pound loaves. My only tip so far is to measure your flour into a separate bowl before adding it to the other ingredients in the KitchenAid. I may have lost count on the flour so I’m praying the bread will turn...

Okay, I know you're thinking, "who does she think she is?" She's not a trained chef and every Christmas cookie baker makes Peanut Blossoms – who doesn’t love a cookie with a Hershey’s Kiss on top? But mine always seem to turn out just right, always soft, never overly browned on the bottom. My sister the chef says I instinctively know the exact moment when they need to come out of the oven. Below I’ve outlined my recipe, handed down for generations (okay, really only 2 generations) that I’ve accidentally perfected. Have a different recipe you think would blow my recipe away? Send it my way. Peanut Blossoms ½ tsp. salt 1 tsp. baking soda ½ c. sugar + extra for rolling before baking ½ c. packed brown sugar ½ c. vegetable shortening ½ c. natural creamy peanut butter (ingredient list should only contain peanuts & salt) 2 T. milk 1 Egg 1 tsp. vanilla (the real stuff) – I add an “overflowing” teaspoon of vanilla 1 ¾ c. flour – lightly spooned into measuring cup and lev...

Mark overcame a knee injury during marathon training and finished the Las Vegas Marathon in 3:36. AMAZING! I also finished, but he had to wait quite a while for me! He greeted me with a huge bear hug at the finish. Neither of us knew if I'd make it through this one as I acquired some injuries a few weeks before the marathon. My left IT band was hurting from mile 3 on but I somehow made it through. I met a very nice woman named Lynn and we finished the last 7 miles together. I thank God I met her as I didn't think I could finish alone. She was amazing! This was her 7th marathon and she'd just had surgery in August. Very tough and inspiring. It was great having our friends there with us this year to cheer us on and celebrate afterwards. Mark and I hobbled around Vegas the rest of the trip, but still had a great time. The holidays have already passed us by and we're here in Iowa celebrating with Mark's family. We celebrated Christmas Eve at my sister's and Christma...

I must admit I'm a bit jealous of my boss and her husband who are vacationing in Italy-my very favorite place to visit. She writes, "I thought you’d like to know that this is the usual order for a truly Italian dinner. The surprising part is that the salad FOLLOWS the entrée! 1. Appetizers: Bruschetta and Beans and greens and onion 2. Soup dish (more like a stew actually) 3. Pasta dish 4. Pasta dish 5. Beef slices 6. Salad 7. Lemon dessert 8. Espresso . . . don’t forget the wine!" I asked her about her favorites so far. "Tonight we had a fabulous lemon chiffon type pie that was served on top of a ¼ inch yellow cake base. Very light after a heavy meal of so many courses. The prosciutto seems to be different than in the U.S., much lighter. Every place in Florence charges a cover charge of 2-3 Euro per person, even for lunch. Seems strange to me because there is no music provided. I have yet to figure out what the cover charge is supposed to cover. The waiter tells us...

Hubby and I finally tried Ristorante Luci last night. We used to live about 5 minutes away (now we're only 10 minutes away) and drive by it all the time. Turns out Thursday night was a great time to visit - they offered a Perzzo Fisso, a four course taster's dinner, that was fantastic and only $20/person if we both ordered it! It started with a large scallop with a tomato/ red pepper puree, followed by a creamy mushroom soup for me and a nice cesare salad for the husband. Next was a homemade pasta with a slice of pork (the only thing we weren't crazy about - pork was dry / pasta didn't have much flavor). The entree was salmon and risotto with aioli, and we added a tiramisu cheesecake for dessert. A great bottle of wine + a fantastic server and great cozy ambiance - we'll definitely go back for more. Online reservations for Ristorante Luci at Open Table .

Opening the mail just isn't as fun as it once was . . . bills, credit card offers that fill my shredder, newspaper ads from stores I never visit. I remember being at Iowa State and getting that little slip of paper in my mailbox every so often telling me to stop by and pick up a package-a much needed box from little Laurie. My mom always knew just what I needed - unexpected little goodies: Mac & Cheese, Rice Crispy Treats Holiday decorations for Halloween, Christmas, Valentine's Day Basically stocking stuffers for any occasion. She even sent Mark care packages while he was in Rome for a semester. At this time of year I always think a lot about college. Good times . . . but I'd never go back! Most appreciated care package items for college students (or anyone): Stamps Quarters for Laundry Recipes (family favorites) + some of the ingredients Coffee or hot chocolate packets (& marshmallows) Lined pads of paper with magnets to stick on the fridge Chip clips Post-it Not...

My dad bought me a fancy Cuisinart Food Processor . Very exciting! Tonight I made the basil pesto recipe out of the manual to try something different and it's fantastic! I froze it in 4 containers to use later. My second Cuisinart attempt was to grind the flax seed I accidentally bought whole. I normally buy Bob's Red Mill Organic Flaxseed Meal & mix it in with my yogurt, but must not have been paying attention at Target. Failure on the grinding. It just wouldn't cut through the little guys. I did a some reading online about ground vs. whole, but couldn't seem to find reliable sources to answer these questions: What's the best way to grind flax seed? Is ground flax better than whole? Or, Is there value in eating both versions?