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.

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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). :) 

NYE Dinner at Rinata and Crashed Ice Event

This post is going to bring together two very different events - one that I should have posted about already (New Year's Eve dinner at Rinata) and one that took place this weekend (Red Bull Crashed Ice in Saint Paul).

Let's start with Rinata. I've always heard good things about its Italian fare and had it on a list of spots to visit but just never seemed to find the time. Then, when planning for New Year's Eve dinner at the last minute, I remembered reading this great post from The Heavy Table about five good restaurants people are overlooking. I figured it was a sign I should try to score NYE reservations. And, I did! For six!

Rinata, with its lovely Christmas decorations still hanging, had a lovely, intimate ambiance. With just a few tables in each of three rooms, every nook and cranny was packed when we arrived (I took the shot below on the right just as we were the last to leave so as not to interrupt other diners). The whole space felt warm and cozy on the snowy evening.

As we placed our wine order, our server brought out some fantastic bread with olive oil and tapenade. We were already off to a good start.

We then ordered two appetizers for the group to share; my selection was the bruschetta with cannellini beans, pancetta and roasted brussels sprouts. I give it solid marks for presentation and an interesting combination of ingredients. Overall, though, I thought the beans were just a little too much and ended up drying the app out a bit (of course, this could partially be attributed to my non-love of these white beans, though I keep trying to convince myself otherwise). One friend suggested that it might have been better had the beans been pureed...that might not be a bad idea :)

The second starter was the crostini with roasted mushrooms, caramelized onion and bleu cheese. As a lover of all things mushroom and bleu cheese, I thought this one was very enjoyable.

And then - the main event. I ordered the gnocchi with balsamic braised short ribs and roasted mushroom pan sauce for my entree. OMG. This was outstanding. The short ribs were so tender and flavorful, and the gnocchi perfectly prepared. I was really blown away by this dish and ate every. last. bite.

I was really impressed by how reasonably priced everything on the menu was given the caliber of food. It was all well-prepared and quite generously portioned. And another thing I really enjoyed about our Rinata experience was the staff. We had a fantastic server who was absolutely delightful. Plus, the restaurant was very accommodating when I called to adjust my reservation (even on NYE!).

So, if you haven't yet tried Rinata in Uptown, consider this a little nudge.

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On to the Crashed Ice event. This weekend, the steps of the Cathedral in Saint Paul became home to a steep, icy and winding track for the Red Bull Crashed Ice World Championship, where nearly 200 skaters from around the world came to compete. It's estimated that more than 80,000 people swarmed the streets of Saint Paul to take in the action. I joined the mad house for a bit Saturday evening. Here are just a couple of photo highlights from the event :)

Christmas Treats Perfect for Holiday Parties

I meant to post this before traveling for work all last week. Oops...you'll have to appreciate seeing it now even though you're probably so over Christmas :)

If you remember my Thanksgiving pumpkin gingersnap cheesecake post, you remember that I practically had to bribe the family to eat it. So, I decided to go a different route for Christmas - one that didn't require as much time and energy. My parents hosted Christmas dinner, and I opted to provide the pre-meal fare.

It started with peppermint-flavored puppy chow (recipe found on the back of a Crispix box). What a fun, holiday twist on one of the world's greatest guilty pleasures! To make it, you start by melting a bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips with a stick of butter. Once melted, add a 1/2 or full teaspoon of peppermint extract (I went with the full teaspoon). Next, mix the cereal and chocolate together.

Place the chocolate-y cereal mixture into a large baggie of powdered sugar. Zip it up and shake to coat the cereal.

Let it cool, and you're ready to put it in a container of your liking and serve to your loved ones. This is my 'cookie jar' that I bought at Sur La Table a couple of years ago. I just love the look of it and that it's easily transportable (in fact, I made this peppermint recipe for two holiday gatherings this year).

I paired the sweet treat with a delightful holiday-themed cheese tray. I saw a friend post this to Facebook in early December and was totally sold. Then it started popping up all over Pinterest as a perfect option for holiday entertaining, and I knew I had to make it.

I used cubes of cheddar, colby-jack and pepper-jack cheeses, along with grape tomatoes and baby dill pickles to make the little tree. Days before Christmas, I picked up the perfect serving tray at CB2, my favorite new home store that just opened in Uptown.

And, what a relief. Family happily devoured these Christmas treats. Maybe I'm on to something... :)

Thanksgiving Potluck: Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake

Thanksgiving dinner this year was a potluck held at my aunt and uncle's house. And I was told I could bring anything I wanted. So I scoured some of my favorite blogs looking for the perfect contribution, and landed on this delicious-looking pumpkin gingersnap cheesecake on Iowa Girl Eats.

I waited until Wednesday to make this and brought all of my ingredients to grandma's house, where she served as my trusty dessert-making sidekick.

Pumpkin Gingersnap Cheesecake - Serves 12

1 1/2 cups gingersnap crumbs

3 tablespoons butter, melted

3 8-oz packages 1/3 less fat cream cheese, room temperature

1 3/4 cups pumpkin puree

1 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves (this one I actually had to hunt for; thank goodness for my new favorite Penzeys Spices shop in Uptown)

3/4 cup egg substitute

Cool Whip

Extra gingersnap crumbs

Start by crushing your gingersnaps. Some people might use a food processor; I opted for the good ol' plastic Ziploc bag and soup can method. Made with extra love ;)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place your gingersnap crumbs in a bowl and combine with melted butter.

Next, spread the gingersnap crumb mixture into a sprayed non-stick 9" spring form pan and press the mixture to form the crust.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until smooth. Add the pumpkin, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, vanilla and cloves. Beat until creamy and slowly stream in the egg substitute with the mixer still running.

Pour the mixture over the crust on the pan. Use a spatula to smooth out the top (along with grandma's tried and true shaking-the-pan smoothing technique).

Place a casserole dish full of water on the rack at the bottom of the oven and bake the cheesecake on the center rack for 1.5 hours or until the center is set. Let cool for an hour and then place in the fridge for at least four hours or until firm.

The beauty of the spring form pan is that you can just unsnap and remove the sides, serving your cheesecake straight from the pan base (depending on your cheesecake, you might need to run a sharp knife around the edges before removing the sides; I forgot that step but it wasn't needed for mine).

Serve the cheesecake with a dollop of whip cream beneath a sprinkling of gingersnap crumbs.

I really thought this was quite delicious. Rich and creamy with just the right amount of spice. The flavor was perfect. The texture smooth. My only hiccup was convincing the family to try it. Dinner was so filling and the dessert options so plentiful that I almost thought I'd have to twist arms to get people to try it. After some aggressive light prodding, I successfully served up all but a few pieces. And the general consensus was also that it was very good :)

Halloween Festivities

Hard to believe it's been a week (and some change) since Halloween weekend already. It was a fun weekend spent out of town with friends and a quick pit stop with family on the way back home.

In keeping with my tradition to dress up as an insect (originally a friend's idea that it would be rather precious for me to go in a child-like costume), I was a butterfly this year. Previous years found me all dolled up as a lady bug and then as a bumble bee.

Since crafty isn't really a word people would generally use to describe me, I took baby steps in my costume creation...which involved a lot of glitter. Here's my little DIY mask-making project, starting with a plain black mask.

Then using a paper towel to smear silver glitter puff paint all across the mask.

And adding a few little details to jazz things up :) Maybe next year, I'll figure out how to up the ante and get real creative as a grasshopper or maybe even a walking stick!

Part of the Halloween party I went to included a potluck. My friends and I went with the oh-so-spooky (okay, maybe oh-so-yummy is more like it) dirt cake. Layers of chocolate pudding, crushed Oreos and whipped cream, topped with gummy worms.

Sunday morning, we stopped at a local favorite in Pine City - Nicoll's Cafe - for a nice greasy breakfast.

Nicoll's is one of those sweet little spots, filled to the brim on a Sunday morning (though admittedly cleared out by the time we left) and where families go after church to enjoy the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast special.

Not one for pancakes, however, I went with the ham and cheese omelet with hash browns and wheat toast. Boy, did it hit the spot. Pipin' hot and served just as you'd expect from your favorite small town diner.

And, since it was a weekend of indulgence, I treated myself to this little homemade sundae at grandma's house just before making my way back home to MSP Sunday night. Yummers.

NYE Tapas: Bacon-Wrapped, Cheese-Stuffed Dates

For this year's New Year's Eve festivities, I wanted to bring something that would accompany the main dish of paella. And, while I'm known for wickedly awesome deviled eggs, I wanted to try something a little more challenging and better suited for the Spanish dish (and besides, I made deviled eggs just last week for an ugly Christmas sweater party).

So after a quick online search for good tapas recommendations, I decided on bacon-wrapped, cheese-stuffed dates. I've ordered them at Solera in Minneapolis several times and have always loved them. The only question was whether I'd be able to successfully make them on my own.

The dates are loosely based off of this Food Network recipe with inspiration from my friend who loves to cook (and encouraged me to break free from following direction...though he did generously guide me along the way).
First up, pitting all of the dates. Here they are post-pitting.

Next, we stuffed all of the dates with chunks of Maytag (a blue cheese originated and made in Iowa...woot woot). Then, we wrapped all of the stuffed dates in slices of bacon and briefly fried them before placing them in the oven for about 10 minutes.

And here they are ready to be eaten!

Let me just say that these were absolutely delicious. The sweet, chewy taste of the date, combined with the salty, crisp bacon and sharp, strong cheese, made for pure perfection. They went fast and were impressive indeed.

I will make just one cautionary note: stuffed/wrapped dates are not for the cheap. Both the cheese, which you can buy by the pound, and the dates themselves are fairly expensive. BUT, if you're looking to try something new and are willing to indulge, they're simply awesome :)

Happy New Year!