On the Menu Monday (MPM) - Week 5 - 2016

We had a great weekend, starting with a nice Friday night in, with a fire, dinner - salmon, rice and roasted broccoli. I also made a delicious vanilla bread pudding. It was nice to stay in Friday night knowing we had a big night out Saturday night.   

Saturday 14 of us got together for dinner at Ruths Chris and had a fabulous dinner and night out. After dinner we went to a private cigar club which was really interesting. Secret door and a really fun atmosphere. The guys had a great time smoking their cigars and sipping their scotch.   

 

Sunday was spent exactly how we wanted it to be spent. Relaxing and recovering from a very late night. I caught up on some RHOBH and Scott binge watched Bloodline and finished it. Such a good show. We had a really nice dinner, even though we ate later than we wanted to, but it was delicious. We had a standing rib roast we needed to cook, so we had that with some creamed spinach and a baked potato. SO good!   This week is a quiet week, hoping to go and see another movie Tuesday. Looks like it might be Room, still trying to get through the Oscar nominated films. We saw Joy last week. I just thought it was okay, I did not think Jennifer Lawrence was believable in that role.   

Monday

Plans - Home, catch up on DVR

Breakfast - Leftover bread pudding, have to do it, hate to throw it away.

Lunch - Crispy chicken salad

Dinner - Home Chef - Chicken Grand-Mere

Tuesday

Plans - Movie night, Room (love $5 movie night!)

Breakfast - Egg bake

Lunch - Leftover Haluski

Dinner - Out

Wednesday

Plans - 

Breakfast - Bacon and eggs

Lunch - Salmon and rice

Dinner - Home Chef - Juicy Lucy Stuffed Beef Burger

Thursday

Plans -First Thursday Wine event with Grace and Paul

Breakfast - Egg bake

Lunch - Rib roast and leftover potato

Dinner - Out

Friday

Plans - Out downtown trying a new restaurant with Paul and Grace

Breakfast - Oatmeal

Lunch - Out with a friend

Dinner - Home Chef - Coffee Rubbed Flat Iron Steak

Saturday

Plans - The Wayzata Chilly Open is taking place on the lake, I think we will go and check it out during the day. 

Sunday

Plans -  Hopefully out with my sister and brother in law for lunch and a movie.

  For more meal plans and links to recipes and other meal plans, check out the orgjunkie. 

On the Menu Monday (MPM) - Week 4 - 2016

Weekends go by so fast! But we had a great weekend! We stayed in Friday night and just had a fire and relaxed, caught up on the DVR and just unwound from the week.    Saturday we attended the soft-opening of a new restaurant Barley and Vine in Lakeville. There were five of us that went, and for the most part things were pretty good, but the kitchen definitely has some issues to work out. We had a good time and I found a new wine I really liked!

Sunday we did our yearly bowling day with my sister and her family to celebrate my niece and nephew, G + G's birthdays. Hard to believe they are fifteen already. But they are definitely teenagers, ugh. It is always fun to get together and bowl though.  

  This week is pretty low key for us, it is definitely winter here. We don't have ANY plans during the week. I am thinking we will try to get to the movies tomorrow night, but other than that, its a really low key week. I will probably try to get some organizing done at home, I have already cleaned out the drawers in our end tables in the living room. 

Monday

Plans - Home, DVR (which is almost empty! this NEVER happens!)

Breakfast - Waffles with peanut butter and a clementine

Lunch - Leftover curry with a fried egg

Dinner - Home Chef meal - Sirloin Steak with Fondant Potatoes

Tuesday

Plans - Cheap movie night so we will probably go see a movie. 

Breakfast - Oatmeal with granola

Lunch - Pumpkin soup and grilled cheese

Dinner - Out, happy hour somewhere before the movie

Wednesday

Plans - Home, laundry, DVR

Breakfast - Fruit and Cottage Cheese

Lunch - Salad with chicken

Dinner - Haluski (traditional Polish dish, I have not had this forever, cannot wait to make it!) 

Thursday

Plans - Out for HH with neighbors

Breakfast - Egg bake (I have a ton of stuff I need to throw together and make into an egg bake)

Lunch - Leftover Haluski

Dinner - Out

Friday

Plans - Thinking we will probably stay in, but it depends on, it is actually supposed to get up to 40!

Breakfast - More egg bake

Lunch - Out with a former co-worker

Dinner - Up in the air

Saturday

Plans - We have a big group going out to dinner at Ruths Chris. We have a private room to ourselves, should be a lot of fun!

Sunday

Plans - We might get together with my sister and brother in law for lunch at a pizza place we all like, Sammy's and then a movie. Otherwise it will be running errands and I will make some kind of comfort food dish! 

For more meal plans and links to other meal plans and recipes, check out the orgjunkie. 

 

Movie and Restaurant Review - Catching Fire and Roasted Pear

Last Friday after work, we braved the cold and headed out to see a movie. It had been a while and we really needed to see Catching Fire. I think I enjoyed this one more than the first one.    

  Jennifer Lawrence really makes the movie, but I have to admit, every time Stanley Tucci came on the screen I would just smile. 

  We decided to try a new place, Roasted Pear,  for dinner on our way home. It is in an area we don't know well, but I had heard good things about their brunch. We were very pleasantly surprised.  

  We were seated right by the open fireplace which was perfect. There were quite a few things on the menu for me to choose from that fit into our eating plan, so off the bat I was so happy about that. We started with turkey chili, homemade, just delicious and perfect for a cold January night! They make everything in house and you can tell. I went with the cedar planked salmon, huge piece, so good! Plenty for leftovers as well. Along with it, I had to try their potato puffs, even if it only was a couple of bites.   

  I asked how they were made, and I almost which I hadn't, but at least I only had a few bites! They are basically twice baked potatoes, with bacon, sour cream, cheese and scallions. They shape it into a log, wrap puffed pastry around it and then bake it. Delicious! I think I would definitely try something like this for a dinner party.    The boy had  the lasagna, perfect night for something hearty and comforting. When it came out, it was piping hot and steaming. 

  I hated to admit it, but the sauce was one of the best I have had, and I think it was better than my own lasagna. The boy loved it and even had enough for seconds as well. 
Can't wait to go back and try their brunch, and they have excellent Sunday specials as well.    

On the Menu Monday (MPM) - Week 4

What a busy weekend, feel like it just flew by! Friday we were able to catch an early movie, Hunger Game - Catching Fire, we also tried a new (to us) restaurant. Look for a review later this week!   Saturday was a spa day with my girlfriend C. It was fabulous. I had a full body exfoliation, and with the dry cold winter we have had, it was just what my skin needed. I cannot believe how smooth and soft my skin feels. Really makes me think about taking better care of my skin and making sure that I am using lots of lotion on a regular basis. That was followed up by an hour massage that left me feeling like a wet noodle. I sat in the steam room for a good bit, opening up my pores which after the exfoliation and body treatment, was just what I needed.  Saturday evening we joined friends out for dinner at Capital Grille. Love that place. We have a favorite server there and the GM is wonderful and always happy to see us. We brought some great wines and just had a fabulous dinner and conversation. 

Sunday was our big day with a jam packed day. We started with brunch at a little cafe not far from our house. It was wonderful and I knew it would stick with me most of the day. After brunch we turned in some old phones for bill credit, we had some OLD phones, but nice that they gave us credit for them. The boys cousin and his wife had a baby last Monday, Mallory Grey (love that name) and we could not wait to go and visit. She is just beautiful!

After, we headed to the bowling alley to celebrate my niece and nephew, G & G's birthdays! Pizza, soda, chicken wings and bowling, who could ask for more? We had a really good time, even though we did not bowl very well, it was a ton of fun! Sister selfies too!

Even  sibling photo bomb!   Here is what we have going on this week! There were a couple of recipes from last week that I will be carrying over to this week that we didn't get to make or changed up.  

 

Monday

Plans - Target, Gym

Breakfast and Lunch - Yogurt, berries, salad

Dinner -Turkey taco meat (for salad and leftovers this week), I am also going to make a cauliflower soup to have for lunches as well. I will probably post the soup, I am excited to see how it turns out.

Tuesday

Plans - Gym, Home

Breakfast and Lunch - Yogurt, berries, salad

Dinner - Chicken breasts stuffed with spinach and feta (from last week, we switched things up)

Wednesday

Plans - HH with former co-workers, Ahi Tuna Crisps, NUM!

Breakfast and Lunch - Cottage Cheese, Berries, Salad

Dinner - Out for HH

Thursday

Plans - Out to dinner, maybe a movie

Breakfast and Lunch - Yogurt, Berries, Salad

Dinner - Out with the boys parents for dinner.

Friday

Plans - Taking a the day off and heading up to the lake with friends L & J, I cannot wait for a weekend of cooking (cannot wait to find fun things to cook - need a good egg bake for sure, so if you have one, please send it or post it), hanging out and just spending time with good friends!

Breakfast and Lunch - Yogurt, berries, lunch on the road

Dinner - Not sure yet, so far the food plan for the weekend is turkey chili, an egg bake, fruit and other snack goodies.

Saturday and Sunday

Plans - The lake.

For more meal plans and links to recipes, check out the orgjunkie!

Movie and Restaurant Review - Delivery Man and Wildfire

Last night we had passes to see a screening of Delivery Man with Vince Vaughn. The boy has had to work late a lot lately and will be working late through the end of the year, including Saturdays, NOT fun. So my neighbor B and I decided to go and have dinner first.

We chose Wildfire and I am so glad we did. It has been a while since we had been there, and luckily we got there early enough without a reservation, because it fills up fast.

After our server dropped off a loaf of their delicious onion bread and a perusal of the menu, we decided to share a small chopped salad and split the cedar planked salmon and some broccoli. I am trying to make good choices when eating out, especially if it happens to be during the week.

Their chopped salad I could probably eat every day. It has a honey lime vinaigrette that is the perfect addition to all of the chopped ingredients. It is a HUGE salad and after two plates full each, we still had some left in the bowl. It is a great combination. This is something I would like to try to replicate at home. Not sure how easy it would be. I always find that it is never as good at home anyway.

The cedar planked salmon was delicious. We haven't had salmon in a couple of weeks, I have really missed it. The cedar smokey flavor with the asian glaze was a wonderful combination. I need to remember to bring the boy back to Wildfire, the 1940's bluesy atmosphere, the service and the food are a great combination.

I had not seen a movie trailer for Delivery Man, so I wasn't sure what to expect. We got there a little later than the boy and I normally do, and we got two of the last seats in the theater, so we had to sit in the front row. That was kind of a bummer, but it was a free movie. Before the movie started they did show the trailer a few times, and it looked really good.

The movie was actually a lot deeper and more serious than I thought it was going to be. I really enjoy Vince Vaughn and his movies. This was a classic Vince Vaughn movie, the only part that I didn't like was that it took place in NYC instead of Chicago. He is such a Chicago boy to me and I think that this movie could have easily taken place there.

The story goes that in his 20's he donated (a lot) to a sperm bank. He goes on to father 533 kids and the kids get together and want to know who he is. Along the way the movie takes you through many different relationships in his life. His family, girlfriend, best friend and then of course his kids. It is a great relationship movie and Vince's character is once again, a delight. I also happen to love Colbie Smoulders, and she portrays his girlfriend, fun to see her in this movie as well. Its in theaters November 22nd, right before Thanksgiving, check it out if you get a chance.

Out and About Eating Adventures - Chapter 3

We have been keeping busy, getting out to try out some new restaurants, crossing some off of the list and just enjoying summer.

We had our last neighborhood Bunco before starting up again in September, a few weeks back. I was on snack duty and made some smoked salmon finger sandwiches. This one had a onion and chive cream cheese spread on rye bread with a dollop of creme fraiche and some fresh chives.

I did another variety with vegetable cream cheese spread on rye bread with a dollop of honey dill mustard and some fresh dill sprigs. 

All plated up and ready to go!

I have a running list of restaurants that I want to try and Hazellewood Grill and Taproom have been on the list for a while. On Wednesday they have a special dinner for two for $30. They had some really good choices, but the boy took one look at the menu and knew what he was having. 

We started with their brie cheese curds, which just looked too tempting to pass up. They came with a lingonberry ketchup, SO wonderful!

I had their Bourisn burger which is one of the things they are known for, it was delicious!

When the boy saw that they had a turkey dinner on the menu, he knew what he was having right away. When our waitress told him it was the last week on the menu, he could not pass it up. They have a great patio, and they are moving their half price wine nights to Wednesday, so we will definitely be going back!

A couple of weeks ago we were looking at apartments for a friend who is moving here from DC, over in St. Paul. We got hungry for lunch while working, and decided to check out Rusty Taco, we were in luck, this place was WONDERFUL. We started with some chips and queso. Tasty!

We each had a taco, I had the Roasted Pork taco, which I loved, and the boy had the Brisket taco, which I thought was just okay. We would definitely go back though, and they are opening one in NE Minneapolis soon as well!

This past weekend, we had an impromptu dinner party with friends T & J and J. T is now traveling during the week for work, so really the only opportunity to see him is on the weekends. It was a lot of fun catching up, and even though I threw together the menu at the last minute, it turned into a wonderful dinner. 

I had pinned this recipe for Mediterranean Layer Dip on Pinterest last week, and had been looking for a reason to make it!

I served it with pita chips and pita crackers, and even the boy who does not like hummus at all, loved it. It was quite the hit. 

We also had some meat and cheese. The rest of the menu was pork loin on the grill with a glaze, yellow wax potatoes cut up with onion in tinfoil on the grill and sauteed zucchini. Dessert was a black cherry gelato drizzled with honey, delish!

Another place on our list was Bacio for brunch. It is very close to home, and they have a great patio, so we thought it would be the perfect place for a Sunday brunch. 

The boy had the Delfino's Mexican Breakfast, which he said was delicious and he loved the chorizo. I might have to try to recreate this. 

I had Manny's breakfast sandwich with fresh fruit. I loved the avocado on it! SO good! We had only been here once before, for a HH at the bar, but we need to make sure to keep this on our go-to list!

This past Sunday we spent the day sailing with friends out on Lake Minnetonka. We were hoping to grill burgers on the deck with them after, but they had to work, so the boy and I decided to cross another one off the list, Minnetonka Drive-In. This place is a classic, a total throw back and has been here since 1961. 

I had to try a caramel milk shake, they make their own ice cream, it was heavenly! Perfect ice cream day too of course, that always helps!

The menu boasted of their homemade onion rings, couldn't pass those up. 

I went with the classic california burger with cheese, so much fun to watch them bring the tray up to the car and drop it off. Loved it! Every Thursday is classic car night, and I guess the cars come in from all over, we are hoping to get the boys car out and take it there one night and check out the other cars. Summer goes by so quickly, we will definitely have to put this on the calendar. 

It has been perfect grilling weather and dining al fresco weather! I threw some chicken breasts and summer squash and zucchini on the grill and made some thin spaghetti with sauteed tomatoes, fresh basil and goat cheese as a side, wonderful summer time meal! This meal just tastes like summer!

Looking forward to cooking up some good things this coming week and trying some new recipes and cocktails!

Out and About Eating Adventures - Chapter 2

We have been busy over the past couple of weeks, and were able to check out some new places and recipes that I thought I would share with you.

A couple of weeks ago, we had a family style Italian themed dinner at one of our favorite spots, Pairings. The food was served and passed along the table, it was a ton of fun. There were appetizers, salads, the entree and of course dessert.

The Caesar salad. SO good!

 A nice panzanella salad.

 Our wine which we paired with it, delicious!

 By the time the main course came, I could only eat a bite and then I boxed the rest for leftovers.

We had a really good time, and we love Pairings, I would definitely do it again!

The next day my mom, her good friend and daughter came out and spent a beautiful Saturday afternoon in my neck of the woods. We had a good time shopping in the cute little towns and had a really nice lunch out at Antiquity Rose. It was the cutest little place, I knew my mom would love it!

I had the corn chowder and a feta and mixed green salad that was delicious.

Later that evening we had dinner with 5 other couples at one of our favorite restaurants downtown in the warehouse district, Bar La Grassa. Isaac Becker is a James Beard winner and this is by far one of our favorite places in the twin cities. They have such a unique diverse menu, we always find something new to try, but for some reason, I always find myself gravitating back to the Foie Gras Tortellini. EVERYTHING on the menu is delicious though!

Sunday was Grand Old Day, and we decided to walk in the parade this year. It was a first for the boy, who had never been in a parade before. We walked with the Summit crew and had a wonderful time.

After the parade we hit up some of the food vendors, the boy was excited to get a gyro!

I had enough of the crowds, and I didn't wear the right shoes, so my feet were not happy with me. Luckily we ran into sister S and got to spend some time with her and her boys back at their house, which luckily for us, was just a block from the festivities. Her boys are adorable and just crack me up!

Monday we left for the conference I was speaking at. Not a lot as far as food selections go. And we ate out at this great place, right between two lakes called Bug-a-Boo-Bay, with a name like that it just has to be fun right? Well, I ordered the salmon, and it was awful. The green beans were disgusting. I don't understand how a restaurant can do vegetables that poorly. The salmon was dry, I could hardly eat it. They need a Restaurant Takeover!

I was happy I could go back to the resort and sit on the pool patio bar and have one of these and just kick back.

We did have a nice view from the deck of our room!

We finally got to take the boys mom out for Mother's Day last week as well. We picked a place we knew she would like, she loves Irish Pubs and Jake O'Connors was just what the doctor ordered. The boy and both his mom and dad had the Corned beef and loved it. I had a delicious pub style burger, it was a beautiful night out in Downtown Excelsior, so we sat outside, had dinner, watched old cars cruise by, enjoyed the beautiful flowers up and down main street and then grabbed some ice cream before heading home.

Wednesday brought a really fun wine event. My friend John and his partner Brian, opened a restaurant down in Burnsville called Ernie's about 10 months ago. They are very engaged with their customer base and decided to have a wine tasting with food pairings to have some of their customers help pick the next wines to go onto the menu. We tasted 21 wines and had some wonderful samples of some great food. My favorite was the pulled pork taco, it was delicious. And as always, it was great to see John. He even has his daughter working there with him this summer, how fun is that!

We had a great full table with a lot of lively conversation as well! What a fun night!

We were due to head out to First Thursday the next night, but I think I was already starting to come down with the crud, so we decided to stay home. I grilled a delicious pork loin and grilled peppers and rice. It was the perfect summertime recipe!

The rub/glaze that I used was from our local grocery store chain, I love their spices and branded items, they are all so good. This was the rub/glaze that I used, it was awesome, it comes with a bag, you plop it in, put the spice on it and let it sit in the fridge. Easy peasy and so delicious!

By Saturday the boy was down and out for the count, so I sent our regrets to the functions we had planned for the day. Let sister J and our friend J know that we would probably not be able to join them for dinner, and then settled on the deck for some reading and relaxing. The boy felt bad though, so he told me to just go on and join the girls. I figured what the heck, a girls night out on the town sounded like a blast! And we had a wonderful time.

We started with a glass of wine at sister J's and then went onto the newly located Oceanaire for dinner. We started with a drink on their patio which was wonderful and made for some excellent people watching. It was a beautiful night out, which made it even better.

We started with oysters and some sauv blanc that was delectable!

Sister J and I did splitsy's, which is also one of the best parts of dining out with the girls! We shared mussels which we both love and then the scallops, they were SO good!!!!

We finished the night off on the new hot spot downtown, on the patio at The Butcher and the Boar. I LOVE this place! We sat at the tables that have the chairs that swing and just took it all in with a couple more bottles of wine AND wrapped the night up with some of their homemade chips and dip, delicious! Perfect way to end the evening, and I just love these girls! Sister J is in Watertown, SD for the summer taking care of her mom while she goes through chemo for breast cancer, so she is only in and out of the cities sporadically, but we are definitely making the most of it! I really miss her, but she is earning her badge for daughter of the year!

Now we just need to find a weekend to head out to Watertown to visit with her so she can show us around her home town!