BAR LA GRASSA!!

The post title itself almost says it all. I finally made it to Bar La Grassa this weekend and was so excited, I actually bumped it ahead of a few other posts :) 

For those of you who don't know or have never been, Bar La Grassa is an Italian restaurant located in the Warehouse District/North Loop neighborhood of Minneapolis. Isaac Becker (of 112 Eatery fame) is the executive chef and co-owner. He was named 2011 Best Chef - Midwest by the James Beard Foundation if that helps to shed light on my excitement.

BLG has a rockin' ambiance - old renovated warehouse space, gorgeous dark, rounded booths, great woodwork and lovely lighting. Our reservations (yes, you absolutely need them) were right when the restaurant opened, so don't let the apparent lack of patrons confuse you - it filled up in mere minutes.

We had the Barbaresco red wine from the Piedmont region in Italy, which I can only assume means very good. I know next to nothing about red wine and am only starting to acquire a taste for it, so I let others do the ordering for me. It was very good and a nice complement to dinner.

We were also immediately provided a butter bean palate teaser and fresh bread to share. I was surprisingly delighted by the bean dish, since I'm normally quite indifferent to beans in general. But they did their job setting the stage for what was to come.

We went all family-style all the way, starting with a selection of three different types of bruschetta: ricotta and roasted tomato, soft eggs and lobster and marinated pork shoulder.

All three were ah-mazing, and it was hard to pick a favorite. The ricotta and tomato one was so rich and creamy. And I'm talking really creamy. None of that typical grocery-store-ricotta-graininess.

The soft eggs and lobster was also fantastically rich. The lobster was to-die-for and the eggs fluffy. The marinated pork was served cold and packed so much flavor. In the end, the lobster-lover in me won out, and I chose that as my favorite.

As a group, we then also shared three different pasta varieties and a vegetable (to ease our carb conscience) - the gnocchi with cauliflower and orange, the mushroom and taleggio agnolotti, the spaghetti carbonara and the broccolini in prosciutto brodo.

All together now...

Each of the pastas was absolutely magnificent and truly awesome in their own right. The gnocchi had a strong and delicious orange flavoring, the cream-stuffed agnolotti was perfectly paired with the mushrooms, and the carbonara...well, one word: bacon.

This seriously was one of the most ridiculously decadent and amazing meals I've had in a long time. Bar La Grassa has easily slipped in as one of my absolute favorites in all of MSP.

Oh, and let's not forget the service. Look no further than BLG for perfect service. Our wait staff was more attentive than we could have asked for (and not in that annoying way either). The kind that just fills your water glass when it needs to be, clears plates without interrupting conversation and always knows what's going on at every table even when they're busy.

Okay, enough La Grassa love fest :)

20 Day Holiday Workout Challenge
My thighs were killing me from yesterday's "perfect squat" tutorial, but I powered through some downward dogs and baby back bends like a champ tonight. Day 5 down.

1. Tuesday, Nov. 29: spinning and core classes at the gym
2. Thursday, Dec. 1: spinning and core classes at the gym
3. Sunday, Dec. 4: hot power fusion (yoga) at Corepower
4. Monday, Dec. 5: personal training session with my workout buddy at the gym
5. Tuesday, Dec. 6: hot power fusion at Corepower

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 

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 :)

Another Pizza Adventure

Before galavanting off to Wisconsin last week (and before the first snow hit the ground), I had another fun pizza experience. This time...making pizzas!

I was invited to a pizza party where the hosts had their very own wood-burning brick oven in their backyard. What a fun way to entertain guests :)

We started by rolling out our dough, spreading on the pizza sauce and adding all of our favorite ingredients. I used red sauce, lots of mozzarella, pepperoni, some sausage, mushrooms, basil, black olives and a few red peppers.

Next up: a hot minute (or five) in the brick oven.

And, ta-da! Almost instant deliciousness. There's something extra special about brick oven pizza...just the way the crust tastes is so good (and probably why there's a cult-like following of this type of pizza establishment across the metro).

And, allow me to say that having the freedom to pile on as much cheese as I wanted made it even better.

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!

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.