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Archive | March, 2011

Top 10 Reasons Why Top Chef Should Come to Minneapolis

I’ll get straight to the point. I am a huge Top Chef fan and I want Bravo to launch a Top Chef Minneapolis show. Pronto!

I am armed with several compelling reasons why Top Chef must be here. I list a bunch of reasons below. If this post doesn’t get much traction right away, I’ll just come up with more reasons, not the least of which, “It would make me deliriously happy.”

Before I begin my list, a quick word on location, and why I’m campaigning for Top Chef Minneapolis and not Top Chef Twin Cities or Top Chef St. Paul. Honestly, I would be fine with any of the above, but in a world where sometimes people call our state “fly over space” Minneapolis has more notoriety than perhaps St. Paul. Heck, I knew people on the East Coast who thought Minneapolis was the state, not Minnesota! For the record, I love St. Paul – I went to school at Macalester, I got married on Summit Avenue, I lived on Grand Avenue and I go there whenever I can. My point is, pick any or all of the cities in Minnesota, I just want Top Chef here. Clear?

Now, on with my top 10 persuasive reasons:

We have a thriving food scene and a ton of personalities to be captivating judges. For example, Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl, is the hippest food writer ever, in my opinion, and one of Minneapolis’ best assets. Check out the Dara & Co blog where she and other uber-talented writers chat about the Twin Cities food life.
We have top chefs. It sounds a little like a tautology: Top Chef should come to Minneapolis because we have top chefs. But, it’s true! Bar La Grassa is a 2010 James Beard Foundation Semifinalist and Tim McKee, owner of La Belle Vie, won the 2009 James Beard Award for Best Chef Midwest. I can list many other outstanding chefs, but I’m going to save them if I need to campaign with additional reasons.
Andrew Zimmern.
Amazing original restaurants coming up with creative ideas every single day. Off the top of my head I can name Pizzeria Lola, Bar Lurcat and Psycho Suzi’s Motor Lounge.
We boast beautiful scenery. The Mississippi River cuts right through downtown, the Stone Arch Bridge is breathtaking, we have 22 city lakes, an impressive cityscape with brand spanking new stadiums, and a surprising amount of green space. This is a very livable city and would represent very well on camera. I promise! I’m thinking about summer, but heck, come in winter too for ice fishing. We rock all year round.
What is Top Chef without Whole Foods? We have two locations!
Mega Food Production. Minnesota is one of the top food producing states in the nation. We are impressive and diverse. We have big agriculture, CSAs, farmers markets and lots of other progressive food production activities.
Mega Food Processing. Betty Crocker, Pillsbury Dough Boy, Trix Rabbit, yeah, they’re all from here. Minneapolis is home to General Mills and a whole host of other food companies. Didn’t know that? Silly rabbit!
If you bring Top Chef to Minneapolis, you will have a unique opportunity to highlight the famous Minnesota accent. We are adorable and great TV when you hear us say “Minn-a-soh-tah” and turn the word “no” into three syllables – “Noh-o-ah.”
Plenty of choices for kitschy quick fire challenges. Can’t you just picture a hotdish challenge, or best dish on a stick?

I have more reasons, like I want to meet Tom Colicchio, but I’m going to save them because I have a small blog readership and the chance that this will hit big on the first shot is pretty slim.

So, stay tuned, and if you are a believer, help me get Top Chef to Minneapolis! Who’s with me!?

Tags: Bravo, foodies, Minneapolis, Minneapolis Food Scene, Minnesota, St. Paul, Top Chef, Twin Cities

Comments 7 Comments
Categories Recipes and Food

Slow Cooker Potato Soup – Where’s The Beef?

27 Mar

My friend, Amber, a rock star working mom of three boys, helps me find recipes to feature on my blog. She found a great blog, Vegetarian Slow Cooker, with a helpful rating system to share what worked and what needs some tweaking.

Thinking about vegetarian food reminds me that way back in the day I was vegetarian. From age eleven to 21 I did not eat red meat and I only ate chicken or turkey every once in a while to be adaptable while living and traveling abroad. I happily enjoyed meatless meals until I lived in Buenos Aires, Argentina in 1996. I was teaching English abroad and did my very best to avoid eating beef. It really wasn’t an option. At a friend’s barbecue I was presented with a sausage and told with a wink that it was a plant. From that point on I ate meat every once in a while and enjoyed empanadas and steak. Still, I refused to eat morcilla, blood sausage. Um … no. Just, no.

Slow Cooker Potato Soup

Ingredients:

- 5 pounds potatoes, peeled, cut into large chunks

- 1 large yellow onion, diced

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 1-2 teaspoons seasoned salt

- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

- 8 C vegetable stock

- 16 oz cream cheese

- For the garnish: shredded sharp cheddar cheese, chives or green onions, faux bacon bits (optional)

Add all ingredients into the slow cooker, minus the cream cheese and garnish. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or on high for 4 hours. At the end of the cooking time, the potatoes should be fork-tender. Cut up the cream cheese into blocks and blend. You can use an immersion blender or blend the soup in a cuisinart or blender. Top the soup with the garnish and enjoy!

I plan on making this soup this week and I’m going to see if the recipe is forgiving enough to cook on low for 9-10 hours, long enough for a working out of the home day. I’m looking forward to trying this. Thanks, Amber!

Tags: Family Food, food, Potato Soup, Recipe, slow cooker, Slow Cooker potato soup, soup, Soup for a working family, vegetarian

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Recipes and Food

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken with Lemon – Easy Peasy

25 Mar

We eat a lot of chicken in our house. Probably more chicken than my husband would like. But, I love chicken. Let me recap a quick conversation I once overheard in an elevator in D.C.:

Woman 1: What’s for lunch today?

Woman 2: Chicken.

Woman 1: You had chicken for lunch yesterday!

Woman 2: I know. I can’t get away from the bird.

I love that. I can’t get away from the bird either. Chicken is tasty!

I’m working from home now, but that doesn’t mean I have a lot of extra time on my hands. My slow cooker is still my best friend as a busy mom of two. I feel compelled to share the easiest slow cooker meal with you. It’s so easy it almost feels like cheating. For working parents gone all day, this recipe is for you because it takes 8-10 hours to cook.

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken With Lemon

Start drooling now, because here is slow cooker roast chicken with lemon. The recipe is basically A) put the chicken in the slow cooker, B) add a sliced lemon and salt and pepper to taste and C) close the lid. But, for the sake of writing, I’ll try to draw it out a wee bit.

Slow Cooker Roast Chicken with Lemon

Ingredients:

- 1 whole chicken/fryer [Note: grocery stores have sales on these sometimes. The bird tonight cost $3.81 - for a family of four, that's money in the bank friends!]

- 1 lemon – sliced in half

- salt and pepper to taste [I like to use kosher salt and coarse black pepper, but anything will work here.]

Directions:

- Remove the neck (for this city girl, kinda gross) and place the bird in the slow cooker.

- Squeeze the lemon juice over the bird and add the lemon halves (rind and all) to the slow cooker.

- Sprinkle salt and pepper to taste over the bird.

- Close the lid. I say this because it is very important to have the lid firmly closed on a slow cooker in order to cook properly. And, remember, no peeking! You’ll let the steam escape and that is bad, for lack of a better reason.

- Set your slow cooker on LOW for 8-10 hours. By the time you return home your house will smell heavenly and the chicken is so moist and tender it just falls off the bone.

It’s easy to make a quick gravy from the drippings. Strain the juices into a saucepan using a fine mesh colander. Add 1-2 Tablespoons of flour and whisk together on low heat. This gravy is to die for because it has a light, lemony flavor.

I am serving this with instant mashed potatoes (hey, at least I’m honest!) and steamed carrots.

Enjoy!

Tags: can't get away from the bird, Family Food, food, Recipe, roast chicken with lemon, slow cooker meal, slow cooker roast chicken

Comments 4 Comments
Categories Recipes and Food

Sisterhood of the Traveling Hoodies

23 Mar

Sister to sister we will always be,
A couple of nuts off the family tree.
~Author Unknown

Tags: Daughters, Kids, Sisters, wordless wednesday

Comments 2 Comments
Categories Am I Really A Parent Now?

Before Kids I Thought I Would Never…

23 Mar

Isn’t it the truth that when you say something stupid, you have no idea at the time? I was single and childless for what seemed like forever. Plenty of time for lots of pre-baby judgments. I am mother to two beautiful girls and, now that I have time to take a breath, my idiotic pre-children notions are all coming back to me now.

Humor is what makes my world go ’round and I don’t mind if it’s at my expense. If you would like a good laugh, I’ll share things I thought before I had kids.

#1 – I will always go out! I loved the nightlife in my 20s. Conservatively, I went out after work two to three times a week and definitely hit the town on the weekends. I never totally understood why people with kids didn’t go out much. I seriously thought that would never be me. I get it now. Parents are exhausted. All the time. I am never up past 10 o’clock because my cherubic daughters wake me up every morning at sunrise and often earlier.

#2 – I will always exercise! I didn’t understand why some moms stopped exercising when they have kids. Truly. I am a runner. That’s how I identified myself. I started running 5Ks when I was in the 3rd grade. I pictured myself running with my child in a sleek jogging stroller, pretty much as soon as I left the hospital. Before kids my opinion was, “God gave us jogging strollers, thou shalt run.”

And then I got pregnant. I was sick constantly and the thought of running made me ill. I barely got out walking and when I did my husband sometimes had to push me and the belly up the final hill near our house. After our first daughter was born it took me several months to work up to running again. We received a jogging stroller as a gift and we used it a lot. Not as much as before, but a decent amount.

Then, we welcomed our second daughter. I will never forget what a young, ~~idiot~~ male doctor said to me, “Make sure you exercise. Just put both girls in a stroller and go for a walk or a run.” Seems easy right? My girls are 22 months apart. The odds that both girls have a clean diaper and/or went potty recently, are fed and awake is as rare as me wearing high heels now. It is so damn hard to find the exact right time when both kids’ basic needs are even partially met. I had more than a few walks end abruptly with one or both girls wailing for one reason or another. It definitely got much easier when my youngest turned the magical age of 6 months and was eligible to be in the drop-off childcare at the community center. Both girls love going to the “play gym” now and I am able to get a short workout in. It still takes a massive amount of planning and I’m sometimes interrupted mid-workout to change a dirty diaper. Suffice it to say, I will never ever again judge a mom for not exercising. In fact, if you see a mom exercising with or without kids, shout out a big, “Woo Hoo!” Just leaving the house is a monumental effort, never mind putting one foot in front of the other.

#3 – I will always make time for my husband. I am still of the opinion that it is important to find time for your partner and keep the fire burning. The problem is our children run us ragged. By the time both girls are asleep, we slump on the couch and stare at each other with what could best be described as post-traumatic stress syndrome astonishment. We get a date night every once in a while, but a lot of the time our routine and our daughters get in the way. The good news is things get better every day as our girls get more self-sufficient.

#4 – I will never let myself go. I like fashion. I like following some of the trends (ponchos excepted) and in my 20s my biggest fear was jumping off the fashion train. I would look at some women on the bus and think, “You graduated high school in 1987 and you never let go, did you sweetie?” I did not want that to be me. I swore I would always keep my look current and age appropriate, thank you very much. Here’s the rub. Pregnancy contorts your body, motherhood shifts priorities all around, and a post-pregnancy body is not a good match for skinny jeans, at least not for me. More than my body shape, I think my barrier to staying current in fashion is time. It is hard to find time for myself period. Time to get a haircut, shop, and get gussied up? Puhlease! Frankly, when I do get a chance sometimes I just want to sit, eat buttered popcorn and read a freakin’ magazine.

I have a system now where I can get ready pretty quickly and I shop online. Getting a haircut is much easier now that the girls are older, but now I have a new challenge – money! With two girls in daycare, our childcare expenses are equal to our mortgage – no joke! Even if I had the time to browse the stores, I can no longer afford to plunk down my credit card for the latest boots or flouncy blouse. All in all, I’m doing ok in the fashion department. I’ll give myself a B or B-, but I’m just one pajama-pant-at-the-grocery-store away from a What Not to Wear episode (my favorite TLC show!!)

#5 – I will never let my friendships go. This one is surprisingly sensitive for me. Possibly even more than not having enough time for my husband. Honestly, it is hard to find time for my girlfriends. I wish it weren’t so. My friendships are extremely important to me. I had an inkling that it would be difficult to make time for friends, but the reality totally surprised me. It’s not a singleton-smug married issue, it’s a kid issue. For me, the two main issues are naps and health. Many of my close friends had kids at the same time we did. I pictured idyllic playdates with drinks for the mommies. Ah, dreams. It is extremely unlikely that all kids are healthy and the nap times are in sync. Instead of playdates with kids, we now get together monthly for ~~wine~~ book club to escape to a kid-free restaurant.

#6 – I will never tape a bow to my kid’s bald head. I have to end on a funny note. It’s imperative. I really hated the baby headband look. But, then we got baby headbands as a gift and they looked so stinking cute on my girls. Witness the cuteness.

I love my daughters and my husband. Truly, madly, deeply. My life is different now. Sure, there’s a lot less time to focus on myself, but I was ready to care about life and people beyond me. To be trite, life is good.

Your turn. What surprised you about parenting? What did you swear you would never do when you had kids? Spill it!

Tags: Babies, Before kids, finding time for myself, Kids, Motherhood, My life before kids, Parenting

Comments 1 Comment
Categories Am I Really A Parent Now?

New Meatball Hotdish Recipe!

9 Mar

I found a new cookbook on the sale rack at Barnes and Noble, 3 Books in 1: Potluck Cookbook, Weeknight Meals Cookbook, Old-Fashioned Bake Sale Cookbook. Long title, but great family meal ideas.

We made It’s a Keeper Casserole from page 20 this weekend. My family renamed the meal Meatball Biscuit Hotdish because we live in Minnesota and casserole is not in our vocabulary.

I modified the recipe slightly (shocker!) so I am including my version below.

Meatball Biscuit Hotdish

1 T olive oil (Note: recipe calls for vegetable oil)

1/2 C chopped onion

1/4 C chopped green pepper

1 tsp minced garlic

2 T flour

1/2 tsp dried basil

14 oz can reduced sodium diced tomatoes (drained)

Frozen meatballs (about 16 oz)

1 1/2 C cooked vegetables (any combination will do, like peas, carrots, green beans)

1 tsp beef bouillon granules (I used chicken)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

1 package (7 oz) refrigerated buttermilk biscuits

Preheat oven to 400° F.

In large saucepan cook oil, onion, pepper and garlic over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Add flour, basil, and black pepper to taste. Add tomatoes, meatballs, bouillon, vegetables and Worcestershire sauce. Cook, stirring frequently, until thickened and bubbling. Pour into casserole dish (9×13 works well.)

Place biscuits on top of ~~casserole~~ hotdish and bake uncovered for 15 minutes or until biscuits are golden.

I modified the recipe by using olive oil instead of vegetable oil and omitting the salt and sugar. I do what I can to reduce my family’s sodium intake. The recipe already includes ingredients with salt (canned tomatoes, pre-made biscuits, meatballs, bouillon) and, in my opinion, the dish did not suffer without the additional salt and sugar. (::stepping off sodium soapbox::)

I served it with a salad. This is pretty high up on our Winter list for easy, comfort food. Enjoy!

Comments 2 Comments
Categories About Amy on the Prairie

Gingered Carrots

9 Mar

Gingered carrots are in my “fancy basics” repertoire as a flavorful side dish. I first made this recipe as part of the famous, romantic Valentine’s proposal dinner of orange black pepper glazed steak. I bust it out now for special occasions.

For a chuckle, here’s a recent conversation between me and my husband.

Hubby: “Wow, if all vegetables tasted this good, we wouldn’t have an obesity problem in our country.”

Me: ”Honey, the carrots are coated with a stick of butter.”

Gingered Carrots from Always Superb (Cookbook from Junior Leagues of Minneapolis and St. Paul)

- 1 to 2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced

- 1/4 cup (half a stick) of butter, melted

- 1 cup white wine

- 1 T fresh ginger

- 1 tsp cardamom

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1 tsp pepper

Directions:

Add carrots to a medium saucepan and add enough water to cover the carrots. Bring to a boil and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until slightly softened. Drain and return carrots to saucepan.

Combine remaining ingredients in a bowl and mix well. Pour over carrots. Cook carrots over low heat for ~15 minutes.

I serve warm, but they would be lovely as a cold dish too.