Here is a nifty little Wordle image using the text from my blog. Wordle isn’t new, but if you haven’t checked it out yet, why wait? I was even able to customize it to have earthy tones to fit with my theme!
Shhh… it’s a secret… steak…
Come along with Chef Fabio for a trip to the aging room and a peek at a top secret steak sauce recipe– but don’t tell anyone!!!
Don’t fear the squash!
Fall is a time for squash. I have to admit; as a kid, we never ate much squash. Now, I have seen how good they can be! Wondering what to do with that garden’s bounty of squash? Worry no more. Just recently, I made a butternut squash risotto, which was quite filling and flavorful. I’ve also used butternut squash to make some tasty from-the-oven french fries. Chef Fabio has an additional delicious option, with a little squash 101 to start: Butternut Squash Ravioli!
(Spaghetti squash is another of my personal favorites!)
Separating Eggs Tip
Have you struggled to separate the egg white from the egg yolk? This handy tip provides another way to do it, without using an eggshell. (Don’t worry, you won’t need to know the language to see how it works.)
Prairie Bay
This is the last (for now) of my vacation-based food reviews from Baxter, MN. Let me start with a question. How long do you remember what you had to eat? Is it possible to go back… a week? Perhaps- and maybe the memory gets fuzzy after that. Good food should inspire a good memory- and I still remember what I had (Coconut shrimp and pasta!) when I first visited Prairie Bay, more than a year ago. (This was a eagerly-awaited repeat trip!)
It is easy to notice the welcoming and classy ambiance right upon entering. I visited with my wife and sister-in-law for lunch, and the restaurant was busy, but not overly noisy or cluttered. The most difficult part was choosing what to have with expectations of such delicious food. I eventually decided on the Chorizo Mango Cilantro Tasty O- their wood-oven take on ham and pineapple pizza. Now, I am quite a fan of ham and pineapple, but I am also quite devoted to complex and tasty flavors. This pizza certainly handled my pizza craving while hitting the sweet/salty notes expected from ham and pineapple, plus providing the complexity I desired. The cilantro was the perfect flavor to complement the chorizo, which was tempered by the mango and the cheese. The pizza crust is excellent- one of the best I have found. My food was delivered quickly and was a generous portion, well worth the price. We did not order dessert this time, but I recall the desserts we shared last time were sumptuous without being pricy. They offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and my only regret is not being able to try something from each menu yet! If you are in the area, create yourself a vivid meal memory, and eat at Prairie Bay.
“Who gives a bean?” Pasta e Fagioli!
There’s no doubt about it, we’re creeping closer to fall. As Fabio points out, it’s a great time for soup- in this case, Pasta e Fagioli. Chef Fabio gives a little bean education to help pick the perfect bean. I like the addition of the fennel. I personally love the flavor it adds as the star in a risotto. Give the recipe a try!
Shine!
Another wonderful restaurant we found on our trip to Baxter, MN was the Sunshine/Moonshine. We visited on a recommendation and ate with my wife’s brother and his wife. We arrived at the restaurant for lunch and were greeted and waited on quickly. The food did not take long to arrive- I was hungry for some Pad Thai, so it was the Thai Peanut for me. It was a generous portion of noodles and vegetables; I opted not to add chicken. The peanut sauce was excellent- perhaps a bit spicier than I was expecting, but flavorful nonetheless. The dish certainly satisfied my craving and was very reasonably priced for the amount of food I received. The included egg roll was a tasty bonus. I’d highly recommend a visit!
Rafferty’s Pizza
Here is post #1 of a few vacation-food related posts. I have often thought that a restaurant-based vacation would prove to be an intriguing one. (Perhaps sometime in the future…) While our most recent vacation was not of this type, I am always eager to find some good eating wherever we are going. This was a repeat trip to the area, so we were expecting a repeat of tastiness.
Thus, we arrive at one of our dining highlights: Rafferty’s Pizza of Central/Northern Minnesota.
I am a mega-fan of their cheeseburger pizza. There are frozen varieties of other brands of cheeseburger pizza in the supermarket, but none compare to theirs. It captures that burger essence and flavor in a pizza format. I’ve always enjoyed pickles on hamburger pizzas, also. I wouldn’t change a thing about their recipe. It satisfied the craving while making me want to eat more cheeseburger pizza- a delicious conundrum. It’s unfortunate that more places near us don’t offer cheeseburger pizza on the menu. (It’s similarly unfortunate that we don’t have a Rafferty’s nearby.)
We also went off of the specialty menu and ordered a classic ham and pineapple, which was also tasty. Their creation evoked the best of the ham and pineapple mix. We’d order both pizzas without hesitation again the next time we are near a Rafferty’s. The true difficulty is trying additional specialties, because we like these so much we have to reorder!
Vegetarian Ground Beef
Let me start by saying that I am not a vegetarian (but my wife and I don’t have meat included in our meals every day). It’s not so much that we don’t enjoy steak/burgers/chicken/shrimp/insert other food here, but rather part expense/part health. Meat can be expensive, and we are trying to eat as healthy as we can. We both come from families that have had meat as part of meals more often, and that’s ok. We don’t have anything against it (and I love home cooking).
As a part of trying to eat healthier, we have tried some vegetarian products, one of which is Lightlife Gimme Lean ground beef. It’s in the refrigerated case in the vegetables/fruits section of our local food market. I’ve now had it a few times in a few different dishes, and it doesn’t disappoint or make me long for a non-vegetarian substitute in its place (a key component for someone like me).
There’s this perception that trying to eat vegetarian (even if it’s only so often) leaves someone with few, bland food choices, or you only eat vegetables themselves, or it will leave you hungry somehow. This product is a perfect example of how that is not true. I’ve made this into tacos with black beans- tasty with some unflavored Greek yogurt and salsa. (Seriously, try some unflavored Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.) I couldn’t tell any major difference using Gimme Lean with lasagne. Most recently, we made cabbage soup with this-a tomato base with red wine and kidney beans. It’s simple to include this in multi-component meals. I’m not sure that I would use it by itself and it crumbled a bit in the soup, but it’s a quick-cooking, easy substitute for meat, if you’re looking for something to try as an introductory meatless product. Enjoy!
Thought for the Day
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