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.