Black Squid Ink Pasta with Gorgonzola Cream Sauce

First off, I must apologize for my absence. Things have gotten quite crazy lately. I tried to blog a few times, but either the dish wasn't worthy, or the photos didn't turn out well. So here I am, a few months late.

One tool in the kitchen that I absolutely love, without a doubt, is the KitchenAid Stand Mixer. My boyfriend and personal sous chef has had one for a while, and I've spoiled him with a plethora of attachments. However, I was recently blessed with a mixer of my own! I can't tell you how ecstatic I am. Stay tuned for more posts on why I think these things truly are a necessity.
One of my all time favorite attachment genres for the stand mixer are the various pasta attachments. I never knew how good fresh pasta tasted in comparison to dried pasta until I bought the sous chef an assortment of cutters and the roller. Our favorite is home made semolina spaghetti and a meat sauce, but I wanted to kick it up a notch and experiment.
The sous chef has an awesome book called The Pasta Bible. It's an amazing book that has everything you've ever wanted to know about pasta. It has gorgeous photos, and wonderful illustrations and some really great recipes.

It truly is an inspiration when dealing with pasta. There is one spread in particular that is one of my favorites. It shows all sorts of different pastas; flavors and colors both. I was quite intrigued the first time I saw the black pasta dough. It said it was colored by squid ink, which the book claims is purely for color and is virtually tasteless. I've seen the idea incorporated many time into dishes created by Food Network's Iron Chefs. I had to get my hands on some. You can find squid ink at many fish markets, and in the foreign foods aisle of most supermarkets. A jar of it was donated to my cause quite generously by a friend.

Upon first opening of the jar I was quite surprised at the smell. It smelled like fish... and not fresh fish. I thought to myself that there was no way that this stuff could be virtually tasteless. No way, not smelling like that. I dipped my finger in and decided to taste it. It was surprisingly good, but NOT tasteless. It tasted similar to black caviar. I thought the saltiness would actually work well in pasta, but everything I read said the same thing... tasteless. We'll have to see about that.
You can make fresh pasta without any special tools, but using the stand mixer makes it SO much easier. It does all the kneading, flattening, and cutting in no time flat. I would recommend trying fresh pasta to anyone who loves to eat it. One downside to the squid ink pasta is that it is messy. Good news is that it doesn't stain most surfaces. Watch for fabric though!

The stand mixer allows you roll out thin sheets...

and cut into a variety of noodles...

Fresh pasta boils to fluffy al dente in about seven minutes. It floats to the surface, so you have to agitate it often to ensure even cooking. After I boiled the squid ink fettuccine, I tossed it with roasted red bell peppers.

You can roast your own red bell peppers by putting them on a burner, grill, or under a broiler until the skin is black and blistered. Remove the skins by placing the roasted bells into a paper bag and shaking vigorously. Rinse the remaining residue and then remove the seeds and cut into strips. OR you could buy them jarred like I do. Red bell peppers where I live are usually pretty pricey, so it's not much more to buy them roasted in the jar. I like this option because then I always have some on hand to pop into my favorite dishes. We roast our own occasionally in the summer on the grill, but I do enjoy the convenience of jarred once in a while.
After tossing the red bells and pasta together, I plated and topped with the Gorgonzola cream sauce. Here's where I made a small mistake. The Gorgonzola cream sauce recipe I chose was not the type you would normally put on pasta, but more a finishing sauce that you would drizzle over beef tenderloin. What did that mean? This sauce was absolutely delicious, but really rich. We liberally spooned on the sauce and coated all the noodles and dug right in. However halfway through the dish, it became too heavy, and too much. It still would have been a good pairing if we had used less sauce. You need the break of plain pasta in there to mix it up.

The sauce was great, and I'll use it again, but next time I make it for pasta, I'll use a recipe that has chicken stock in it and that starts by making a roux (a balance of fat and flour that acts as a thickening agent). And the noodles? Virtually the same taste as regular pasta. The texture seemed a little different, but the squid ink pasta is an egg noodle base, and we usually do a semolina pasta.
Next time you're feeling a little adventurous, try making your own pasta! It's fun and the results are amazing.

Squid Ink Pasta
3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour plus 1/2 cup*
4 extra large eggs
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
1 ounce squid ink, available in speciality food shops

Make a mound of the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour and add the eggs, oil and squid ink. Using a fork, beat together the eggs, oil and squid ink and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well.

As you expand the well, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape. Do not worry that this initial phase looks messy. The dough will come together when 1/2 of the flour is incorporated.

Start kneading the dough with both hands, using the palms of your hands primarily.

Once you have a cohesive mass, remove the dough from the board and scrape up any left over crusty bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes, the dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Note: do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.

*I used the stand mixer to do my mixing and kneading with it's specialized dough hook. To do this in a stand mixer, add only half the flour to start, then add more as appropriate to get the right texture.

Gorgonzola Cream Sauce (Remember, this is more of a finishing version)
4 cups heavy cream
3 to 4 ounces crumbly Gorgonzola (not creamy or "dolce")
3 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

Bring the heavy cream to a full boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, then continue to boil rapidly for 45 to 50 minutes, until thickened like a white sauce, stirring occasionally.

Off the heat, add the Gorgonzola, Parmesan, salt, pepper, and parsley. Whisk rapidly until the cheeses melt and serve warm. If you must reheat, warm the sauce over low heat until melted, then whisk vigorously until the sauce comes together.

I also added sauteed mushrooms for mine and they were heavenly.

Bon Appetit!

Atlanta Restaurant Reviews

So I had an excellent time in Atlanta, GA with my best friend Marci. And even though food wasn't the reason for the trip, we certainly made it a large piece of the pie. Marci was fabulous and sent me tons of links to local restaurants before I came so we could peruse menus and make plans. She stepped up and made decisions when I simply could not decide. We had a great time and packed a lot in just a few days. So without further stalling, I'll go right into it.

The Shed at Glenwood

The Shed at Glenwood was the very first place we went. We went for brunch, and I was starving when we arrived after an early morning flight. We kicked it right off by ordering drinks made with watermelon and champagne. What a heavenly combination.

I loved the fizzy watermelon foam on the top. The perfect drink for brunch! The brunch menu looked mouthwatering and I had a hard time deciding, but finally settled for the Chilled Beef Tenderloin Sandwich. Beef tenderloin is my absolute favorite cut of beef. (Who doesn't love tenderloin?) Having it thin sliced, chilled, and stacked high on this sandwich was the perfect way to enjoy it for brunch.

The lovely creation was served with a side of perfectly done fries, but forgive me, they aren't in the shot. See the pepper on top? It was grown in their own garden. It packed very little heat, but a lot of flavor. I'd like to know where they get their olives as well. So crunchy and delectable.
For dessert we ordered the peanut butter bars.

So rich and chocolaty in their creamy layers. They were a perfect blend of salty, sweet, and rich nutty flavors. And look at that presentation! Gorgeous. I love the layers and the way they are spaced on the plate.
The Shed has such a friendly and inviting atmosphere, with the food of a fine casual dining restaurant. It was a great experience and I can't wait to go back and try the dinner menu!




ONE. Midtown Kitchen

For dinner that night, we got dolled up and head to ONE. Midtown Kitchen. ONE is a part of the Concentrics Restaurant Family. All of the restaurant sound AMAZING and if I lived in the area, I would review one every week.

Marci and I went a little wild when we ordered and we ordered a bunch of things to try. It was so hard to choose, I think it took us 20 minutes to nail down a game plan. I wish I could remember the name of the martini I ordered. It had something to with grapefruit and champagne and was simply divine.

We ended up choosing to go with, in no particular order, a cheese plate, a fig salad, pasta with Parmesan cream sauce, and a wood-fired pizza with peaches, prosciutto, ricotta, and balsamic. I must say the cheese plate was amazing. One of the best cheese plates ever. The first was Cypress Grove Midnight Moon from Holland which was paired with a balsamic reduction. Here is the description from the website "Aged six months or more, this pale, ivory cheese is firm, dense and smooth with the slight graininess of a long-aged cheese. The flavor is nutty and brown-buttery, with prominent caramel notes. The wheel is finished in a beautiful black wax. Made in Europe exclusively for Cypress Grove Chevre". It tasted similar to a smoked gouda. The second was the best blue cheese I have ever tasted. I can still taste it now and I would love to buy some. It was Point Reyes Blue from California, and they paired it with some sort of crunchy pecans with cinnamon. The flavor was strong, but not overpowering and had a depth that took over your senses. I couldn't stay away from it. The third was Sweet Grass Dairy Green Hill paired with a cherry jam. It's a pasteurized, soft-ripened, cow’s milk cheese that was similar to brie. An excellent balance between the Midnight Moon and Blue. I absolutely adored this course.

The fig salad brought a new concept to my palate. I had realized as I stuck the first fig in my mouth that this was my very first time trying fresh figs. Before I had tried them dried, and it lended no hint as to the breadth of flavor and texture there was hidden in fresh figs. Figs are very popular at the moment, and now I can see why. They seem like the perfect thing to grace a salad with goat cheese crumbles. I'll definitely have to experiment with figs in the near future.

The Parmesan cream sauce on the pasta was so creamy and well put together. They completed the dish with bacon crumbles and it was a nice contrast to the cool freshness of the fig salad. I really enjoyed this dish.

The pizza, in it's own right, was really really good, but ended up being shorted by our other selections. It was our least favorite of the night, but I feel that by itself was a wonderful creation. The peaches were fresh and amazing and played well with the balsamic. My only complaint may be that there was a little too much prosciutto (if there is such a thing!). But I feel that is something purely personal as I tend not to like meat on my pizzas.

We chose brandy-soaked blueberry cheesecake for dessert, and I must say I loved the blueberries. The cheesecake was traditional, and I am not a fan of the traditional cheesecake texture, but the flavor was delicious.

Overall ONE. Midtown Kitchen seemed like a really chic place to go and have dinner with friends or enjoy a night out. I love the warehouse feel. I would definitely recommend it!

The Sundial Restaurant, Bar, and View

After dinner at ONE. Midtown Kitchen, Marci took me to where her fiance, Steve, popped the question. The whole thing went down one romantic evening at The Sundial Restaurant. We decided to hit up the bar for some after dinner drinks and to enjoy the view. The Sundial is one of those rotating restaurants, which I've never been to before. It was amazing. We watched the city go by as we sipped cocktails. (Very pricey cocktails, but I guess we were paying for the view too!) I'd love to bring my boyfriend here at some point for a romantic dinner out. Below is a picture of the fireworks at the stadium.

The Elevation Chophouse

Marci was such a doll and picked The Elevation Chophouse and Skybar for brunch the next morning because she knew I was gaga over aviation. This restaurant happily sits next to the runways at the Cobb County Airport - Mc Collum Field (KRYY for all of those aviation nuts out there); and with floor to ceiling windows gives great views of the little airports happenings. While you dine you can watch Cessnas and private jets take off and land, and even helicopters come and go. It was such an enjoyable meal.

A helicopter taxiing.

I started it off with a blueberry-thyme lemonade. So perfect for the hot GA weather.

After stuffing ourselves the night before, I decided to go with a breakfast flare and ordered the Brioche French Toast.

It was served with a blueberry-caramel sauce that was sooo amazing. The waitress also brought me their rum-raisin syrup and maple syrup. I normally do not like syrups, but these were sooo good. (Which goes to show you that generic brand syrup really isn't all there is). The toast was so light and fluffy and the bacon perfectly cooked. I can't wait to go back here and watch the planes again. I would truly be a regular stop of mine if I lived in the ATL area.


I can't believe all of the places we didn't get to try and how wonderful everything was. It was truly a great time and an awesome culinary tour. Thanks, Marci, for carting me around with my big camera to all those eateries!

The Foodie is Traveling! Atlanta, GA!

Hey everyone! I'll be heading down to Atlanta, GA this weekend to visit one of my BFFs, and that means I'm exploring a new region of cuisine. So how about it? Anywhere I HAVE to try? Leave me a comment if you have something you want to see blogged about, right here on f00die blogspot!

Epicurean Classic 2009

Well, it was a loooong weekend as I was at the Epicurean Classic all three days! It was an amazing event despite the unseasonably cold weather.

Friday, August 28
I decided to kick off the weekend by attending the Great Lakes BBQ Dinner on the bluff of Saint Joseph, MI. The event featured five chefs: Mary Sue Milliken, Carlyn Berghoff, Eve Aronoff, Jennifer Blakeslee and Ted Reader. I must say, the food was delicious and the wine tasting options extensive. The event was held in the main tasting tent with a gorgeous KitchenAid kitchen display overlooking the festivities. It was so much fun interacting with the product and dreaming about an all stainless KitchenAid kitchen!

It was KitchenAid's 90th Anniversary. To commemorate the occasion, they created a gorgeous anniversary edition standmixer. It's candy-apple red with a glass bowl and simply beautiful!

The first thing I tried was pulled pork and coleslaw in a sugar cone. It was ice cream cones filled with BBQ Pulled Pork mixed with Fois Gras, Jack Daniels and Cider Vinegar topped with a shot and a beer coleslaw. What a nice presentation. The pork was very tender and delicious. There was also a creamed spinach that I had to get seconds of. I'm not a huge spinach fan, but this was so savory and creamy.

The next dish I tried was a sort of fish taco. A small tortilla round, shredded lettuce, black cod, a decadent grapefruit salsa, and some cilantro. The fish was simply perfection in the way it was prepared and I loved the grapefruit salsa...however... I had forgotten that I don't care for cod, so I tried to not let that cloud my judgment. Overall it was a very tasty combination.

After a few more wine trials, I decided to call it a night and prepare for a full day on Saturday.


Saturday, August 29

The first cooking demonstration we made it to on Saturday was Anna Thomas : Soup and Accessories. She made two delicious soups and then showed different ways of dressing them up for serving.

In the photo above you will see that she has three bowls of greens. She was making "Green Soup". She used chard, cilantro, and curly kale. She put these in a pot and boiled them down with vegetable broth, caramelized onions, roasted garlic, and a potato. The potato added just the right amount of body and substance, she said. She used an immersion blender (provided by KitchenAid!) when it was all simmered together to get it blended into soup. The photo below shows the different ways she dressed it. Homemade croutons, olive oil, goat cheese...yum! The yellow soup was a ginger squash soup I believe, which I didn't get a chance to see her make. She made her own savory chili paste and placed that in the middle of one. It was a bit chilly outside and this demo was very inspirational and made me look forward to soup season!

After that, my mouth was watering, so we headed to the tasting tent. I must say there were more wines to sample than you could ever dream of! I tried to try things I had never heard of so I wasn't overwhelmed by the selection.

One of the first food stations we tried was one of my favorites. It was hosted by Collins Caviar and they were serving Bloody Mary Gazpacho with Caviar Peppar (golden whitefish caviar cured with fresh jalapeno, serrano, and habanero peppers and accented with Absolut Peppar Vodka). It was heavenly. The spice of the bloody mary-ness in the gazpacho was brilliant with the chill air. The spear of celery cooled of the tongue, and the caviar added dimension and brilliance. Not too spicy at all!

I had to taste each of their caviars multiple times, because they were soooo good! The yellow one is Caviar Citron (whitefish caviar with lemon, lime, and grapefruit combined with Absolut Citrus Vodka). One would think from the description that this would be a sour and sweet caviar, but the flavors were so subtle that the caviar was the most prominent flavor; it was really well done. You got a lingering sweetness on your tongue before the flood of salty, savory goodness. I need to buy some caviar pronto. The black one is Paddlefish caviar. This caviar had a rich and complex flavor. Black/grey caviars are some of my favorites! The green one was – wait for it – Wasabi Tobikko! I HAD to try this brilliant green caviar. The first bite was brilliantly balanced between the savory caviar and the tang of wasabi. My second bite was not so balanced and the wasabi was definitely prominent. Not being a big fan of straight wasabi, I think this would be a great garnish to some california rolls or some such.

One of our next stops was to Patricia's Chocolate's booth. To say these chocolates were amazing is an understatement. Patricia hand-crafts these beauties from the freshest ingredients. My favorites were the lavendar and mandarin ginger. I wish I had tried them all! They were very complex and kept hitting different parts of your palate long after your first bite. Delish!

Our next stop was Zingerman's booth. Zingermans is a conglomerate of small food-related companies in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and boy did they have the best candy bars! They were very tasty and tasted hand-made.

And, of course, there was some local love for Bit o' Swiss Bakery (of whom I've written of before). They were serving these very delicious chocolate mousse cups that were just beautiful.

After glutting ourselves on caviar, wine, and chocolate, we headed over and caught the end of Jennifer McLagen : Beyond Bread and Butter. I fell in love with this chef immediately. Her love and use of butter had me mesmerized.

As you can see, she's not a very big person at all, and yet she preaches a very good message. Eating fat doesn't make you fat. It's all about the kinds of fats you are eating as well as everything is fine in moderation. If you eat low-fat or no-fat foods, there are a lot of chemicals to enhance flavor, and the food doesn't satisfy you. If you eat two slices of pork belly, then you are more satisfied longer, and you won't be snacking between meals, so in the end you'll take in less calories and healthier fats. She also had some other good points about grass fed beef vs. corn fed and how our bodies absorb omega-3's vs. omega-6's. I'll spare you the long lecture. It basically gets down to the thick of it: The more processed and engineered a food is, the worse it is for you. We need to get back to basics and as close to nature as we can to nourish ourselves and enjoy food to it's fullest. And I completely agree with her.

She has a great cookbook out that I would love to have:

I was going to buy it at the bookstore at epicurean and get it signed, but I ran out of time. So if anyone is looking to get the foodie a gift, this would make a great one :).
For the rest of the event, we lovingly called her "the fat lady".

After drooling about butter, we headed over to Andy Pforzheimer : All About Tapas: The Simpler the Better. Andy owns a six-chain tapas restaurant. These two were fun to watch!

They talk about how tapas aren't a food-style, they're an act. It's like glorified snacking. In the photo above they made these amazingly simple tapas that I was lucky enough to try. They took a course bread and grilled it with olive oil and got it firmed up. Then they cut a head of raw garlic in half and rubbed it with olive oil into the bread. After that they took a thick walled softer tomato, similar to a roma, and rubbed that into the bread. A dash of salt, and viola! Soooo good! (I'm not even joking!) I actually had to go home and make some. I never would've thought of rubbing raw garlic into bread, but it's the best because you get a little bite and the garlic flavor. They went on to make other really simple bites of food that had my mouth watering.

That was the end of the demonstrations, so we headed home to warm up before the grand reception that night. I'm super sorry to say that I left my camera in the car accidentally and didn't notice until I went to photograph our first bite of food. :( There were plenty of bites to try, and again, plenty of wines to enjoy. I tried sake for the first time (hmmmm) and also a chocolate-cherry vodka from traverse city that would be heavenly in hot chocolate. One of my favorite things, however, was chocolate tea. (I know, right?) Angela Macke, founder of Light of Day Organics was there with a plethora of her teas. I had tried an earl gray earlier in the day that was so light and fragrant. That night she was serving her cacao-mint tea. Every ingredient in the loose tea is grown on the farm, except one, which is imported. When you smell it, it smells like decadent chocolate. When you try it, the chocolate is in the background, and the tea is light and fresh with other complex flavors. The mint doesn't come until afterward and is very subtle. I fell in love with this tea and cannot wait to order some. She said her inspiration for such a tea was thin mint girlscout cookies. All I can say, is that this is the best tea I have ever tasted.


Sunday, August 30
No camera today either, as I was volunteering at the registration tent. The weather was a bit dismal, but there were still people hankering for some more tastings and demos. I slipped into Jennifer McLagen's demo that day entitled, Bones, Fat, and Beyond: What Everyone Should and Will Be Eating. She spoke more about eating natural fats and then proceeded to demonstrate two recipes. The first was bone marrow. This was very interesting to me, as I can't wait to try some. She made some sort of bone marrow taco with it, but mentioned some other wonderful serving suggestions. It can be spread on bread and eaten (which is the way I want to try first), it can be ground up with steak to make burgers, or ground into sausage, or it could be spread on a steak while it cooks so it seeps into the meat and adds that extra dimension. All of which, sound devilishly delicious. So stick around, because you may see some bone marrow coming up.
Her second recipe was beef heart. Beef heart. A whole one. As big as my face. Now, I'm a hardcore foodie, and I love trying new things...but I have a problem trying things that still resemble their biological functions. As she held it up I could name the arteries coming out of the top and each chamber, but I could not fathom putting it in my mouth. The aorta was so large, it kinda grossed me out a bit. So I watched her dissect it and watched how she cleaned it. She cubed it and marinaded it, and then placed it on the grill. By that time it looked like venison, or maybe even liver, so it was more manageable to picture eating. Would I buy a beef heart? Maybe. Would I be able to clean it and eat it? Only if it cooked for a long enough time that I didn't connect the organ with the end result. At the end of the demo, she let us try the heart. And I did. Her marinade was to die for, and the meat was more tender than I would have thought. Really, not that bad. Do I want to try it in the near future? Probably not. Would I order it in a restaurant? Sure.

If you're still reading by this time, I'm really impressed. I hope you enjoyed the peek into the Epicurean Classic. Can't wait to see what next year's brings!

Epicurean Sneak Peek

Epicurean Classic Weekend!

The Epicurean Classic is starting today in Saint Joseph, MI! I'll be there with my trusty camera capturing the culinary goodness. I'll also be volunteering at the registration table on Sunday, so feel free to stop by and say hi! Hope to see you there! (And here's hoping the weather holds!)

Review : The Cheesecake Factory

Where do I even begin with this oh-so-popular restaurant?
My first dining experience at the Cheesecake Factory was somewhere around 2003 in Chicago, Illinois, and I was just blown away by the architecture. The outrageous curves of the art nouveau architecture really sets the mood. And you want selection? There's two pages of just appetizers. TWO pages! Just check out all the mouthwatering selections online if you have a moment. I haven't even tried a tenth of their menu, and yet it remains one of my favorite places to eat. 98% of all the trips I take to chicago must include The Cheesecake Factory somewhere. Go for the cheesecake, stay for the food, never a disappointment!
This past weekend I was visiting Chi-town for an interesting exhibit on a popular wizard at the Museum of Science and Industry when the opportunity presented itself to dine at TCF. When we arrived at the restaurant we were greeted by air conditioning (which was gladly welcomed due to the heat index being over 100º that day) and a mere 15 minute wait for a table. I was ecstatic at the wait time because I've always had to wait over an hour.
I sat oogling at all the goodies on their extensive multi-paged menu and already knew that whatever I ordered must be a small enough portion to be able to enjoy a big piece of cheesecake at the end. After contemplating and not being able to decide, I chose to go with two appetizers, one to share and one for my entree.

Our pre-dinner appetizer was the fried mac and cheese. These delectable little devils were definitely not low-fat or low-cal but they were very high-delish. The menu did not give out the secret to what ingredients were inside their crispy shells, but my guess is some sort of mellow goat's cheese, a little cheddar, and mini penne pasta. They were served on a creamy marninara sauce that was a perfect pairing for such a thing. I could've easily made these my meal.

For my entree I got the Crispy Crab Wontons, which are similar to crab rangoons. I have gotten these before and loved them. This time the recipe was slightly different and they weren't as I expected, but still tasty nonetheless. I wish I would have ordered a small plate, but that just means I get to go back and try some more! I was glad I went with another appetizer when I saw my dinner mates' plates. The portions at this place are HUGE!
My baby-cakes ordered a Kobe beef burger (U.S. Kobe). It was our first experience with Kobe beef and I do say the meat was very tender and the burger had quite the charbroiled flavor to it. If you are unfamiliar with Kobe beef, check out this article. I find the entire practice quite fasinating. U.S. Kobe beef uses the same cow breed, but they are cross bred with Angus cows to meet demand, and fed less expensive feed. I would love to try authentic Japanese Kobe beef sometime. We saw it on the menu of a restaurant in Las Vegas, $93.00 for a 6 oz portion!
For dessert I ordered my favorite (so-far): Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake. Now I'm not the biggest fan of cheesecake...but I LOVE Cheesecake factory cheesecake. It's so creamy and rich. When I received my cheesecake slice I dove right in and then realized I hadn't taken a picture yet. I was so excited to try it I forgot to shoot it! So here is a shot of an already-well-enjoyed cheesecake!

I can't wait to go back and try more. I give this multi-faceted restaurant 5 stars out of 5!
★★★★★

Review : Tosi's Restaurant

One of the best restaurants in the little town of Saint Joseph is Tosi's Restuarant. Located on a woodsy road and right next to Bit of Swiss Bakery. What does that mean? Every meal is served with fresh baked bread from right next door, either with olive oil and fresh-grated Parmesan or butter, and the dessert plate always offers something different and delicious.
Tosi's is almost like having four restaurants in one. There are separate dining areas once inside that each feel like a separate venue. My favorite is a smaller area that feels like a cafe in Florence, with an entire wall painted and lit with tiny LED lights that make you feel like you are dining overlooking the city. They also have an expansive veranda to dine on, as well as an herb garden in back.

The Florentine room also has an authentic brick oven, where you can watch them prepare your wood-fired pizza. (I recommend the Goat Cheese Pizza with red and yellow peppers, caramelized onions and fontina. Yum!) They make the crust pretty thin, and then it's delivered to you bubbled and crispy with the flavor from the wood-burning fire.

Along with an ever-changing array of breads and desserts, Tosi's also brings in seasonal favorites, like battered squash blossoms and fresh fish specials. They also have over 150 wines and their martinis and bellinis are oh-so-delicious. So if you are ever in the area and want to dine somewhere a little nicer, head to Tosi's and enjoy the experience!

I give Tosi's a 4 Star rating, out of 5... and I can't wait to go back!
★★★★

Epicurean Classic

I must say that I'm super excited that the Epicurean Classic has moved to my town of Saint Joseph, Michigan. It will surely be an event to remember and is gaining steam in the foodie community. Watch out Food and Wine Festival. I can't wait to attend this great event, sponsored by my favorite brand, KitchenAid!

Strawberries! (and Kahlua dip)

It's one of my favorite times of the season here in Michigan; strawberry time. When I was growing up, we would always go picking in our worst jeans. Kneeling down between the long rows of bushes, picking for hours and hours, and eating so many we thought we would burst. They were always sweet and full of flavor. I haven't been picking in quite some time. I always seem to miss them. They come and go so quickly, by the time I hear they are ready, they've already gone. Over the years I've gotten lazy, and have been buying the on sale boxes at the supermarket that have been shipped from California and Florida. I became accustomed to their too-green texture, dull flavor, and lackluster juiciness. Mash them up with sugar to bring out the flavor; let them sit in the refrigerator so the juices can mingle. I've taken them for granted and forgotten what a real strawberry tastes like. Until yesterday.

I was being entertained by some friends and grabbed a few strawberries from the spread of delicious goodies set out. I took one bite, and that was all it took for me to fall in love with fresh strawberries all over again. They were very dark red, very plump, and so juicy I feared they would drip after I bit into them. I had to get my hands on more of these. They came from a small roadside stand that is actually owned by the parents of one of my coworkers. I stopped there after work today to grab some of those gorgeous berries before they were gone. One thing I love about living in Michigan's southwestern coast is the variety of small farms we have in the area. There's roadside stands for every season. On the drive home I kept slipping my hand into the bag and stealing berries. I contemplated what to do with them. These berries were just too perfect to mash up like we normally do and eat on shortcake, pancakes, or right out of the bowl. They were simply perfect by themselves. I think the generous rainfall we have gotten must have aided in their amazingly juicy sweetness. A cool summer treat would be a bowl of these next to some chilled Kahlua Dip. Heaven.

Kahlua Dip

Ingredients:

1 (8 oz.) cream cheese, soft
1 c. non-dairy whipped cream
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. kahlua

Directions:

In a medium size bowl mix cream cheese and whipped cream until smooth. Add brown sugar and Kahlua. Blend until brown sugar is melted. Add sour cream, beat until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate before serving. The longer it sets the better it gets. Serves 35 people.

And they aren't kidding. It does serve 35 people. I usually cut this recipe in half (at least) for small gatherings. I also use fat free cream cheese and cool whip to lighten it up. This dip is truly heaven on fruit. (It's also good on a spoon.)
These strawberries are so juicy, they would be good muddled in a drink. Perhaps some lemon vodka, lemonade, and a splash of sprite? What ways do you like to use strawberries?