Cafe Vin in Armatage

In my neck of the Minneapolis woods we are fortunate to have two French restaurants, Pierre's Bistro and Cafe Vin.  Pierre's has been around since before we moved to Minneapolis more than 15 years ago, and we've never made it there although I've only heard good things about it.  On the other hand we are regulars at Cafe Vin. 

Cafe Vin is cozy, unpretentious and romantic after dark.  Other than the salads everything on the menu is a great value.  The fish and steak frites are less than $25.  The portions are a good size and the food is impeccably done.  The wine list is also fairly priced and on Mondays and Tuesdays bottles are 1/2 priced.  The dessert list is also well edited and just the right note and size to end your meal. 


Reccomended Dishes:

• All starters except for the calamari
•  Steak Frites
• Crab Crusted Halibut

Also if we bring the 8 year old with us for an early dinner they accommodate her with a bowl of buttered noodles and Parmesan. 

Missing Blogger Found

Ok, I started this blog with the intent of weekly post and as you can see that has not been happening.  Life should return to normal in two weeks and I have a list of things I intend to write about.  In the mean time see what I've been up to lately over here  crowleytravels.blogspot.com

The Best $30 I Ever Spent

So those of you who know me in real life know that I am busy. I work at least 45 hours a week. I volunteer at church and my kid's school. I have a child to chauffeur. Also I'm very social and like to go to Happy Hour. What I'm saying is that the normal dinnertime hours are variable for me. Generally I cook dinner in the morning after my family leaves for the day around 7:30 AM. I rely very heavily on my slow cookers (yes I have multiple) so that husband and child have a balanced and healthy dinner waiting for them even if I'm not there to provide it.

Over the holidays I needed to replace my rice cooker and decided to take a chance on a $30 rice cooker I saw at Costco. It was a brand I never heard of but I saw a review on the PBS Cook's Illustrated show that said the enclosed rice cookers were the best and brand really didn't matter.



Since I never had this kind of rice cooker before I actually read the manual and to my delight discovered not only was this the normal rice cooker/steamer but also a 20 Quart SLOW COOKER!!!! The slow cooker has a timer and keep warm functionality. I have used it seven times since purchasing it on December 28th. I've even made rice in it once.

It was a steal at $30 but it is worth the full retail price of $69.

Here is a recipe that I made in it to take to a new years eve party.


Salsa Verde Chicken

1 tablespoon oil

1 large onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon cumin

2 1/2 lbs chicken parts, skinned

1 jar salsa verde (my favorite)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup chopped parsley

lime juice

salt, pepper to taste

In the rice cooker set the smart steam option to 10. Heat up the oil and add brown the garlic and onions. Next add the chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper and cumin. Pour the salsa over the chicken and set slow cooker for 4 or 6 hours depending on the size of your pieces. Once chicken is cooked debone and shred the meat. Add this back to the sauce in the pan ans smart steam for 10 minutes. Mix in herbs and lemon juice to taste.

Serve with tortillas, avocado, and sour cream.

Unburnable & 2011 Book Challenge

I read Unburnable by Marie-Elena John in one night. It is a page turner. It jumps back and forth in time telling the story of three generations of women. The story primarily takes place over the last one hundred years on the island of Dominica. It is historical fiction that tells a story from the African diapora that I rarely read about. I don't want to go into more detail but the story is gripping right up until the last sentence. It is both a mystery and a psychological thriller. I think it would be great for a book club read.

I am participating in the Quirky Brown Reading Challenge 2011 hosted by Brown Girl Book Speak. The point of the challenge is to introduce readers to depections of brown people in fiction outside of the norm. It is not going to be a numbers heavy challenge so go on over there and join us.

OYIN Handmade!

I love, love love Oyin products. I am a hair product junkie but I always come back to Oyin. The products are all natural. They are moisturizing like you wouldn't believe. Oyin, let me say how I love thee:

1. The Juices - I use the old stand by Greg Juice because I like the scent the most. My 8 yo daughter likes the Juices and Berries. This is one of the only products that we both can use as it is moisturizing on her super thick hair as well as my thin, cotton candy hair.
2. Honey Hemp Conditioner - I use this as a leave in and as a base for deep conditioning. I love, love , love this stuff. The slip is great and it doesn't leave the white residue you get from most conditioners when you try to use them as a leave in.
   
3. Whipped pudding -From the web site "It's a mixture of rich botanical butters & oils like shea butter, cocoa butter, and castor oil; blended with plenty of pure aloe vera gel and spring water for lightness & penetration." You can use it for everything and we do in our house
4. Shine and Define styling styling serum - This stuff with some whipped pudding allow me to rock a mean twist out all summer long. As with all Oyin products it is supper moisturizing.

The overall line is great because there is no buildup and it never causes me to break out like other lines have.

Go visit them here and make sure to follow the blog. Keep an eye out for their black Friday sale. It is when I stock up for the year.

Penzeys 4/S Seasoned Salt

At the end of the summer I cook a lot. I mean a lot like I've watched all 4 seasons on Battlestar Galactica (2004) in the past month while cooking. Part of it is because my CSA box is full to the brim. Partly it is because I am trying to preserve the last of the summer harvest. Also it is because the simple preparations of produce that tasted so great earlier in the summer are getting old to my family.

This summer I bought all three types of Penzeys 4/S Special Seasoned Salt, Spicy, Smokey, and Regular.
From the website:
4/S Special Seasoned Sea Salt
Pronounced "four, S"; our new Special Seasoned Sea Salt gives a great burst of flavor wherever salt is called for. Like other seasoned salts, 4S is great for steaks, burgers and chops, but since we have made the flavor lighter and brighter than your old seasoned salt, 4S is also outstanding for chicken, fish, veggies, salads and popcorn as well. Give it a try, and we think you'll agree 4 S = 100% delicious. Hand-mixed from: Coarse Sea Salt, Sugar, Special Extra Bold Black Pepper, Paprika, Onion, Turmeric, Garlic, Spice Extractives (including oleoresin of paprika, black pepper, celery, rosemary and thyme.)

The spicy has additional red pepper and the smokey has smoked paprika.

I've been adding this stuff to everything. My favorite is the smokey which is just sublime on popcorn or spiced nuts. Also I added some to guacamole and it gave such a depth to it we hardly had any left for our tacos because we ate it with carrot sticks while I was cooking.

Penzeys cost more than the supermarket counterparts but it is worth it. The taste has a much more powerful punch than Lawry's so a little bit of this goes a long way.

Welcome

Alright friends I give in. After hearing for the longest that I should create a blog to give you my recommendations I am finally doing it. I suggest you subscribe because I won't have any sort of publishing schedule. I'll just be describing whatever tickles my fancy. Lets see how this goes