Sunday Sunshine 09.13.09 September 13, 2009

Contrary to last time, This Is Why You’re Thin.  Thanks, tranabanana, for the link!

The mother in me cries when I read these posts, but the Christ-lover in me acts.  There are so many great organizations out there who help these sweet, needy children.  Are you supporting one?

5 Grammar Mistakes That Make You Sound Like A Chimp – I’m sure I’m guilty of some of these!

Labor Day September 7, 2009

And I will be spending it laboring, just like yesterday and the day before.  Thankfully, it’s labor I love…

However, this morning I got to take a “break” to go to a local flea market and pick up our new dining table* (pictures to come soon?  we’ll see…), and help Husband carry it up our 16 stairs and over the top of the baby gate (did I mention it’s solid wood and 40″ x 80″?).  So your prayers for the safety of my unborn child are appreciated.  Though I still lift weights at the gym on a regular basis, I don’t usually quite strain myself to this degree.  :)

Then we pulled together a yummy lunch of grilled T-bone steaks, the best corn on the cob ever (we have a place near our home that grows and sells their own), and roasted potatoes.  I’m hoping to find time to make some zucchini bread later.  I’m not ready for summer to be over!!!

*If anyone local (Twin Cities area) is interested in buying our old dining table, here’s a picture.  Make an offer!  It extends from 68″ to 104″ with the leaves, seating 12 comfortably and 14 if you squeeze.  It’s made of solid pecan (rare), from the 1960s, and still in great condition.  It has served us very well, but is just not our “style”.  We’ll throw in 4 chairs and the pads for protecting the top for free!

What to Eat* at the Minnesota State Fair September 1, 2009

* (and not eat)

Of course, this is just two foodies’ opinions! All photos taken with my point-and-shoot, just fyi.

Between our visit to the fair three years ago, last year, and this year, we have sampled quite a variety of foods.  I thought I’d pass on some of our experience to help anyone confused by all the “on a stick” and deep-fried products.

Love it:
- French Meadow Bakery’s scones.  Fresh out of the oven, these perfect-texture scones can be topped with a variety of fruits and/or cream.  SOOOOO good!

- French Creperie’s Peaches and Cream crepe.  I got this last year and loved it.  This year it was still delicious, but trumped by the previously-mentioned scone.

- Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade.  Make sure the sign says fresh-squeezed, or you’ll end up with some powdered formula imitation lemonade.

- Cheese Curds.  We buy from The Mouse Trap in the Food Building, and they’re always piping hot.

- Gourmet Wild Rice Burger from Wild Rice Specialties.  Also in the Food Building.  I saw people all day walking around with mediocre-looking burgers and couldn’t bring myself to buy one.  But this baby, with a slice of white cheese and sauteed onions and peppers.  So delicious!  No wonder the Star Tribune gave it 4 stars!  Husband had some of it and was equally impressed.

-  Pronto Pups.  This is a Husband favorite, not mine.  I’ve had something against corn dogs my whole life, and though these aren’t corn dogs (the batter is made from wheat flour, not cornmeal), I could do without. He gets at least one every year.  :)

- Australian Battered Potatoes.  We haven’t bought these since the first time we went to the Fair together, simply because the serving is SO HUGE.  That first fateful Fair, we started wtih these potatoes and the “all you can drink” milk stand, and we could barely eat another thing the rest of the day.  That said, if you’re with a group of 4 or more, or you don’t mind eating one or two and throwing the rest away, or you travel with a cooler, they are delicious and come with a variety of toppings.

- Malts from the Dairy Building (not to be mistaken with the Dairy Bar).  The quality of the ice cream and the real fruit blended in makes them the yummiest ones at the Fair!

- Deep-fried Pickles from The Preferred Pickle.  Sounds disgusting, no?  But served up with a side of ranch, these are surprisingly good.

- Chicago Dogs.  Another Husband pick.

- 1919 Root Beer.  Don’t bother with any other kind.  This is on the outside of the Food Building.

- All You Can Drink Milk.  It’s just milk, but all you can drink for $1?  The best beverage bargain at the Fair by far.

Like it:
- Big Fat Bacon.  Husband would put it on his “Love it” list.  It comes on a stick and has some sweet-ish sauce on it.

- Fudge Puppy.  A hot dog-shaped Belgian waffle on a stick, covered in fudge and whipped cream.  Certainly a heavy indulgence for breakfast, but hey–it’s the Fair.

- Isabel Burke’s Olde Tyme Taffy.  We got some last year, skipped it this year.  I think I’m more of a fan of saltwater taffy than Husband is.  You can watch them pulling it right in front of you.

- Axel’s Bonfire Stuffed Tater Tots on a Stick.  I don’t know that I will get them again, but for a one-time try, they were decent.

Will not get it again:
-  Malts from the Kiwanis.  We were nearby their stand and had a coupon, so I decided to sample one.  They are nowhere near the quality of the ones you can get in the Dairy Building.

- Sweet Martha’s Cookies.  I risk being strung up for saying this, but these cookies were an extreme disappointment.  Friends and family have raved about them, so my expectations were pretty high.  We got a large cone of them this year (versus buying one of the buckets of 4 dozen, thank goodness), and after my first bite, I looked at Husband and shook my head.  The batch we got were straight off the pan, so they were warm.  The texture was okay, a little bit more crunchy than I expected.  The taste was pathetic.  All three of the varieties of chocolate chip cookies I make at home are far, far better than Sweet Martha’s.  But at least we can say we finally tried them.

- Kids’ Meal at Giggles’ Campfire Grill.  It sounded like a bargain: chicken, fries and a dessert for $1.50.  The chicken was not, in fact, chicken, but some sort of breaded foamy product in the shape of a smiley face.  Anja was not impressed.  She ate some of the mediocre fries and all of the graham crackers, but I’d just as soon pack her a few graham crackers from home next time and save myself even the measly amount spent on them.

Sunday Sunshine 08.30.09 August 30, 2009

This is why you’re fat - Some of the stuff we’re about to eat at The Fair should go on this site…

Apparently, Facebook is not hard-up for cash. Look what they feed their staff.

I read Miz Booshay pretty much every day (she was one of my first “bloggy friends”), and I think this is one of my favorite posts she’s written.

Is using a minotaur to gore detainees a form of torture?

Moroccan Tagine August 18, 2009

I made this recipe (from my cookbook Vegan with a Vengeance) tonight, and boy, was it yummy!  Plus, it made tons of leftovers for lunches for tomorrow (my kind of meal!).  And if anyone can tell me how to pronounce “Tagine,” bonus points!!!  I’ve just been calling it Moroccan Stew to save myself the embarrassment.  :)

MN State Fair Food Finder August 14, 2009

The food finder is up and running…any of you planning on attending the Fair this year?  If so, anything new you’re planning to try?  I’m starting my list today…yummy!

A Minnesota Staycation – Day 6 August 14, 2009

Day 6 of our staycation included:

• A good sleep.  The bed was comfy (I rarely get a good night’s rest when I’m away, but I slept quite well here).
• Breakfast at the Inn: heavenly bananas (bananas and blueberries with granola and creme fraiche), Eggs Benedict and fried potatoes, raspberry peach cobbler with ice cream, OJ, tea/coffee and water.  I thought the eggs were a little bland, but Husband maintains that was just because I still had a slightly stuffy nose.
• A stroll, in the rain, through the downtown area of Stillwater.
• A little shopping. My favorite shops: Interior Motive, Rose Mille,The Chef’s Gallery, and St. Croix Antiquarian Booksellers.   Also, someday, I’d love to take Anja here.
• A late lunch at The Freight House.  We split the meal that Husband got last time he went there, the smoked brisket sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries.  Oh. My. The Deliciousness.  The meat was smoked perfectly, and the toppings complemented the meat so well.  Ours came without mayo, but we decided that was fine.  The fries are very crispy on the outside and sweet potato sweet and soft on the inside–great with just a dash of salt.  If it weren’t for the leaky roof (we had to walk around 6 or 7 bus tubs catching dripping water at the entry…haha!), I could have given this meal, if not the restaurant, five stars out of five.  The wait staff has always been friendly, the service prompt, the joint fairly clean.  I’ll have to be unbiased and give it a 4 out of 5.
• A trip home to share some “thank you” goodies from Tremblay’s (yes, we stopped there again) with Husband’s family and see our baby girl.
• Began watching Beverly Hills Chihuahua (oh, help me!) with Anja before bed.  She remembered the dogs’ names after only 20 minutes of watching (Delgado and Chloe, in case you care).

A Minnesota Staycation – Day 5 August 13, 2009

Day 5 of our staycation included:

• A workout.
• Salads from Target for lunch.
• Cleaning and laundry (I know, doesn’t seem like much of a vacation, but I figured if we stayed on top of it, we wouldn’t have to do it all the week after).
• Husband’s folks coming to babysit.
• A night in Stillwater, MN, just the two of us!  We stayed in the Aurora Staples Inn, in The Peacock Room. Hors d’oeuvres and wine/sparkling juice greeted us upon arrival.  Just a short drive from the Twin Cities, it is like you have entered another world.  Stillwater is small, yet enchanting, with its lift bridge, adorable shops, and idyllic setting on the St. Croix River.
• A stroll around the neighborhood–there are so many attractive homes in Stillwater.
• Supper at Savories—yum!  Husband had steak frites with homemade pommes frites and homemade ketchup.  I had chicken penne with sun-dried tomato pesto cream sauce and mushrooms. The complimentary sun-dried tomato focaccia bread and dipping sauce, a rosemary olive oil with balsamic-infused honey, were delicious.  The only downside to our meal was that Husband’s meal only came with about a tablespoon of ketchup for half a plate of fries.  He was told if he wanted more, he would have to pay for it.  When you’re already paying $22 for your steak bites and fries, is it really that hard to throw in another tablespoon of ketchup?  Four out of five stars.
• A soak in our jacuzzi tub–so relaxing!  And we had picked up a few chocolates from Tremblay’s in town and ate those for a late dessert.

A Minnesota Staycation – Day 4 August 12, 2009

Day 4 of our staycation included:

• A morning at the MN Children’s Museum.  Anja much preferred this to the Science Museum, and who can blame her?  It’s geared toward children ages 1-12.  Her favorite exhibit was Habitot, basically a glorified play area for those 4 and under.  If you have a card at a local library, and you have impeccable timing, you can often snag a pass that gets up to 6 people in for free.  We were unable to procure that pass, so we ended up paying $8.95 a person (anyone over the age of 1), which is a little steep for a few hours of exploration, but since we were on vacation and all, we figured the splurge was worth it.
• Café Latte for lunch.  There are a LOT of online reviews for Café Latte, ranging from “best desserts ever” to “way overrated.” Their overall rating is pretty high, though, so we decided to give them a chance. We went around 1:30, when we thought the crowds would have died away.  Not so.  It was nearly impossible to find a seat, much less one that would accommodate a high chair.  The three of us split a couple things, as usual. We got a turkey avocado sandwich on whole wheat bread (which, for $6.95, comes with a side salad or chips or pretzels and a pickle) and a bowl of roasted potato garlic soup. Both were very yummy—the soup had great texture and flavor, with chives and spinach to complement the garlic and potato. I got the sandwich with some provolone, sprouts, tomatoes, cucumbers and lettuce, all which enhanced the avocado sauce well. We saved room for dessert. I had read nothing but good things about their Classic Vanilla Cheesecake, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint. It is probably the best cheesecake I have ever tasted in my life. At $4.95 a slice, it’s a bit pricey, but no more than you’d pay for a slice of dessert at any sit-down place, and oodles better-tasting. I told Husband next time we’ll have to just get a whole cheesecake (“Thank you,” say Heidi’s thighs.). We also got a piece of their chocolate cake to go, since that was the other dessert everyone raved about.  It was good, but not better than my homemade.  The addition of a scoop of ice cream from our own freezer probably made it better than it would have been sans mode.  Four out of five stars.
• Cereal/salads for supper.
• A bike ride
• Watermelon
• A cost of $52.25.

Help! I’m in an eating rut! August 11, 2009

After a week of staycation, and eating out almost every day, I am continuing to crave unhealthy foods.  I am back to making healthy breakfasts and dinners, but during the day I gorge myself on leftover pizza and maple fudge.  That can’t be good for the little one growing inside me…

Any ideas on how to re-set my brain to crave healthy stuff again?