Country Style Eats in Hotlanta

Happy Thanksgiving! I love today. It's my absolute favorite holiday (okay, maybe tied with the Fourth of July), because it serves as such a wonderful reminder of everything we have to be grateful for in life. I actually get a little angry when I see Halloween and Christmas start to steal Thanksgiving's thunder. Don't get me wrong - I quite enjoy both Christmas and Halloween, I just don't think they should overshadow all of Thanksgiving's splendid goodness. Most of November belongs to Thanksgiving...let's give it its due. Tomorrow is for Christmas music. Tomorrow is for watching "Love Actually" on repeat. Tomorrow is for turning into a gift-hunting crazy pants. But, today...today is for relaxing and enjoying each other. :)

A festive little treat I made to accompany Thanksgiving dinner thanks to the ever-inspiring Pinterest: Chocolate and Peanut Butter Acorns.

******
I recently went on an epic girls trip to Atlanta with a few of my favorite people (coming together from four different states). Most surprisingly, this was my first visit to Atlanta proper. I've spent countless hours stuck in that crazy airport due to various connections and travel delays but had never actually set foot in the city. I was excited to fix that.

We were in town for just a weekend but managed to really take it all in as we celebrated a friend's birthday at the 2012 Roller Derby championships, where we were lucky enough to catch a Minnesota RollerGirls bout (Minnesota represent!). We toured CNN (nerd heaven), enjoyed cocktails while taking in city views in the Westin's spinning Sun Dial restaurant, ate good food and even overwhelmed ourselves at the World of Coca-Cola.

One of the most memorable dining experiences came in the form of Southern perfection at Pittypat's Porch in downtown Atlanta.

Now, for those more informed than I, the restaurant is named after Scarlett's aunt Pittypat from "Gone With the Wind" who was known to serve up some delicious Southern eats (or so I've been told). The ambiance of Pittypat's Porch is nothing short of awesome and everything you'd hope for.

We were there right when the restaurant opened for dinner, combining a late, late lunch with an early dinner (read: go big or go home). And go big we did. I ordered Aunt Pittypat's fried chicken: "three pieces of the best damn Southern fried bird." All entrees came with access to a "Southern Salad Sideboard."

I tried a little bit of everything. Some salad with bleu cheese dressing. Some pasta salads. A little rice dish. A scoop of potato salad. The potato salad was killer, but I tried not to fill up on everything else in order to save room for the main event.

Fried chicken. Fried chicken. Fried chicken. Oh my gosh, this was sooooooo much chicken for just one person. But that didn't stop me from giving it the ol' college try. I think I made it through the breast and half of the thigh. Mmmmm.....crunchy, crispy chicken. And those mashed potatoes...were...ridiculous. Seriously, so good.

Our meal also came with collard greens and blackeyed peas. But I really couldn't even consider either option. I had one last thing on the brain: a bite of the Georgia peach cobbler we ordered to share.

That's right. A picture is worth a thousand words (photo courtesy of a friend on said trip). :) 

Summer Highlights

I've been a bad, bad blogger.

No. Seriously. Long time no see. Now that fall is well underway in Minneapolis, I think it's safe to say I let myself get a bit wrapped up in summer activities and forgot all about blogging. I have lots to catch up on, but I'd probably spend from now until Christmas doing so. Instead, I'll share a few highlights from this summer and make it easy on you.

I hope to be back at it with some regularity and even have a few fun recent restaurant visits to recap in the coming days. So with that, a quick glimpse at summer in photos...

When I last left you in June, I'd promised to recap one additional restaurant visit from that trip...and a quite memorable one at that. The last night in NYC brought us to John's Pizzeria in Times Square, an incredibly popular pizza spot that was once a church. The converted space left some elements in tact, like the beautiful stained glass dome. The building was built in 1888 and is now home to the country's largest pizzeria. The brick oven pizza was quite delish. Ham and black olives, are an unbeatable combo in my opinion.

I had quite a busy summer travel schedule and took many a great Instagram photo, soaking in all the great architecture to be had. From tall skyscrapers and the breathtaking St. Patrick's Cathedral in Manhattan, to Bourbon Street in NOLA and lovely churches in San Antonio.

And of course, I had good fun here in Minnesota too. I finally got to experience Music and Movies in the Park at the Walker, I helped my grandma celebrate her birthday with a fun (yet win-less) night of Bingo, I took a quick road trip with friends and took pictures of small town churches.

AND, I even went with family to the State Fair. Those who know me well, know this isn't one of my favorite activities. After working the State Fair every day one summer as a college student, I can now only handle going every couple years or so. But, we had a blast :) We went on the big slide, rode on the space needle, visited the farm animals, ate cheese curds, inhaled Sweet Martha's cookies and even gave bacon ice cream a try.

To top it all off, I even tried out a few new things in the kitchen at home (clockwise from top left): BBQ chicken quinoa salad - the seriously most delicious quinoa dish I've had to-date thanks to Iowa Girl Eats; my summer staple of little capreses with roma tomatoes, fresh mozz, basil and balsamic; my own variation of Noodles' pesto cavatappi with chicken, thanks to some ridiculously expensive but awesome pesto my local grocer talked me into; and a colorful vegan caprese salad courtesy of Mamavation.

Woofta. That's all for now :)

Dinner at Hell's Kitchen

During my stint in NYC last week, I took advantage of all of my surroundings: Times Square, Hell's Kitchen, Midtown and more. Having heard good things about all of the restaurants lining 9th Avenue in Hell's Kitchen, we decided to check one out with that very moniker: Hell's Kitchen, the Mexican restaurant.

As I'm discovering with many of the restaurants I visit in the Big Apple, the space was small - several two- to four-person tables surrounding the bar - and dimly lit, creating a feeling of exclusivity (you'll have to forgive the poor photo quality; I intentionally left the flash off so as not to interrupt the ambiance). We were excited to find a handful of open tables when we arrived, so we didn't have to wait very long for seating.

I had a hankering for sangria (a rougher than normal allergy season left me craving one after missing out at a friend's birthday party recently) and quickly ordered a glass of red. Which definitely did not disappoint with its delicious chunks of fruit.

The tapas-style menu had so many attractive options that it was hard to narrow down my selection. So, I decided to try two. First the steamed lobster tacos with avocado, coleslaw and passion fruit aioli. Holy cats, these were fantastic. Giant pieces of fresh lobster, thick slices of avocado and the crunchy coleslaw were well-paired with the sweet-flavored aioli.

My second selection was the roasted chicken and monterey jack cheese quesedilla with a poblano cream sauce. These were also crazy good with just the right amount of heat and tasty pico de gallo.

I'm really glad we walked along the bustling streets of Hell's Kitchen to discover this spot. I'd love to go back and try several of the other notable spots. Stay tuned for one more post from last week's dining adventures :)

Din Din in NYC

I'm in NYC for work this week; always my favorite city for trying new restaurants. There are just so many options. And, I love how you can just discover delicious places at random.

Tonight, my co-worker and I explored some Times Square area options.

Obligatory photos:

And we landed at Bella Vita Pizzeria on 43rd Street (a place that no longer seems to have a website, but apparently you can order online here). I forgot to grab an outside shot, but as you can see below, you can walk in and order pizza by the slice or dine in and order off the menu.

It's a quite charming space, small and cozy. It kind of reminds me of Broders' Cucina Italiana in Minneapolis (the deli component of Broders' located across the street from the full restaurant) but with a bit more of a warm and intimate feel and full-service.

I ordered the fettuccine alfredo, which came with large slices of chicken and a thick, creamy sauce. Oh, and it's enormous. After catching a glimpse of the giant bowls of pasta, we knew we didn't need to order any starters or side salads. This was more than filling (and, no, I didn't quite join the clean plate club). The sauce was packed with flavor, and the pasta well-prepared. Overall, it was quite delightful, and I'm glad we happened by it :)

Shabby Chic and Cheese!

Just before Thanksgiving, I ventured up to my favorite of the wee little cities for a short weekend adventure with one of my best gals. We spent Friday night in Pine City and then headed out on a mini road trip Saturday morning.

She and I (and her hubby makes three) started with dinner at the Wild Bamboo, perhaps Pine City's finest ethnic dining establishment :) I ordered the chicken lo mein, which I now believe is the same thing I ordered on my only other visit here. Good thing I like it! I'm drawn to the noodles with their opposite of wide egg noodle-look. I also love the big chunks of still-crunchy vegetables. 

After dinner, we headed to our friend's production of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" at Pine City High School (catch the official trailer here on good ol' YouTube). Quite adorable. And a good reminder to enjoy all of those Charlie Brown holiday specials on now through Christmas.

After a lovely home-cooked breakfast (complete with my very first butter braid), we set out on the open road. Wide open spaces...headed to...Wisconsin! For cheese!

The Burnett Dairy Cheese Store in Alpha, Wis., was quite spectacular.

Surrounded by farmland and deer hunters ('tis the season).

The store kind of serves as your everything store...with a gift section, an ice cream counter, your everyday groceries and much more.

Like dairy case after dairy case of cheese.

I really, really love cheese. And it didn't take long for me to stock up on a number of Fancy-brand goods. Specifically a bacon ranch cheddar spread, cranberry muenster cheese (look for an upcoming post where I make grilled cheese with this), cheddar cheese sticks, salsa-flavored string cheese and an Alpha's Morning Sun (blend of cheddar and gruyere qualities with rosemary). Yummers.

And, somewhere between Wisconsin and Minnesota - after the snow began to fall - we came across this shabby chic little gift shop out on an old country road.

And, I found two little treasures. This charming little necklace for just $2.

And, this vintage tray for the low, low price of $3!

I'd been looking for a perfect little tray for my bedside table, so it's like it was meant to be. :)

20 Day Holiday Workout Challenge

Oh, and one other last little update. With the holidays drawing near, my renewed focus on fitness and a little inspiration from Iowa Girl Eats, I'm embarking on an aggressive goal to work out 20 days between now and Dec. 25. She's working out every weekday between Nov. 28 and Dec. 25, but, given that I was feeling pretty sub par much of last week, I have to use a few weekend days to meet the goal. Posting it here, so I stay accountable :)

Tuesday, Nov. 29: spinning and core classes at the gym

Thursday, Dec. 1: spinning and core classes at the gym

Sunday, Dec. 4: hot power fusion (yoga) at Corepower

Monday, Dec. 5: personal training session with my workout buddy at the gym 

Summer (Ha!) Bucket List Item No. 6: PIZZA FARM!!

Well, it might be mid November, but friends and I finally made it to the Pizza Farm in Stockholm, Wis., this week! That's right kids. Driving to Wisconsin for a magical dining experience on the farm.

People drive from miles around to spend their Tuesday nights at the farm - the only night they're open. It's out in the middle of nowhere...literally. But when you find it, you're in for a real treat. All ingredients are grown on-site and you're responsible for your own seating, utensils, beverages, trash...you name it. They provide the pizza, you provide the rest.

Apparently if you go in the real summer, you can wait hours for your very own 'za, despite the fact that it only takes about three minutes to cook in the brick oven. Go in November, though, and you'll find no wait!

The staff is incredibly friendly. Laid-back and happy to chat on a chilly Tuesday evening. Step-by-step, they walked us newbies through the process of placing our order and how to get around on the farm in the pitch black at 6:30 p.m. (oh, winter, how we love thee).

The short and sweet menu keeps you focused and you have the option to go half and half.

Before you know it, your pizza is making its way to the oven. I just couldn't stop taking pictures...which, they don't mind provided you don't use a flash and don't expect them to pose for them :)

Pizza in-hand, you make your way back out on the farm.

Another perk of going in November, you easily snag yourself a table in the chicken coop.

In fact, it was just the three of us cozied up by a fire. There were a few others ordering pizza, but I think most people were getting take-out. In fact, I'm nearly certain we were the only ones that drove 1.5 hours that night.

Now, let's get to the really good part. We ordered half Italian sausage and half roasted squash. The sausage half (happy pigs, as the sign said) included kalamata olives, sweet peppers, sweet onion, roasted tomato, garlic and fresh mozzarella. And the squash half had chile paste, sauteed spinach, sweet onion and garlic. Both halves were served atop a thick and delicious handmade crust.

I loved, loved, loved the crust. And this comes from someone who typically favors the thin, crispy, crunchy variety. I was also delighted by the sausage half. I love pizza packed with cheese and tasty vegetables. The squash side was very interesting and enjoyable. It was a little spicy for this wimp, but I was glad we ventured to try something out of the ordinary.

Before we left, we already started making plans to come back next summer. I really do hope to make it back, especially so I can actually see what the farm really looks like. And, so I'll have even more photos to share here, too!