Farmer's Market Pizza

I've had this picture hanging around for a few weeks now.  On one of my trips to the Broad Ripple Farmer's Market, I hit the jackpot of fresh produce, particularly with the corn and squash blossoms.  Indiana is known for corn, but it really does taste so much better here.  I found myself eating the corn kernels without even cooking them.  They were so sweet and tender.

I decided that I wanted to make something to combine the squash blossoms and the corn, and I came up with a Squash Blossom pizza.  They pictures I took didn't turn out so great, but trust me, it tasted heavenly.  Here's how I made my pizza.

Ingredients:

Prepared pizza dough or crust (I got the pre-made dough from Trader Joe's)

olive oil

dried basil

dried oregano

dried parsley

red pepper flakes

1 ear of sweet corn

6 squash blossoms, stem, stamen and rough portion removed

prosciutto

Italian cheese blend

Directions:

Form your dough into a pizza, and preheat the oven to the direction's temperature.  Place your pizza dough onto a baking sheet if it is not already baked.  Pour a little (maybe a tablespoon or two) olive oil onto your dough.  Spread it out.  I used a pastry brush to evenly distribute the olive oil.  Then sprinkle the spices onto the crust of the pizza.  Use as much or as little as you like...everybody's taste are different.  Sprinkle a little bit of cheese, then add as much prosciutto as you like.  Sprinkle on about an ears worth of corn.  Top your pizza with the squash blossoms and lots of cheese.  Place in the oven and bake according to package directions.  I like to take my pizza off the baking sheet once the dough is stable so that the bottom can get crisp as well.  I finally like to turn on the broiler in the last few minutes so that the top of the cheese gets bubbly and brown.  If you do this, be sure to watch it carefully.

That's all!  It hit the spot and was not a typical pizza.... just my type of thing.  Scott and I gobbled it right up!

Here are some more pictures from the Broad Ripple Farmer's Market.  Now you can see why I keep talking about it!

Source

Spider-Man & Patio Gardening

Happy Fourth of July!   Scott gets two (full) days off this month, and today happened to be one of those days.  I was super excited that he got one so early in the month, but the poor fellow has a long time ahead now. Today, we went to see The Amazing Spider-Man.  It was pretty great, and it was equally great to have a movie theater close by.  The movie was nice for me because I didn't know the history of Spider Man, and this movie helped to sort through some of those ideas.  Plus, Emma Stone is a wonderful actress.  She's so versatile, and she wasn't just an accessary to Spider Man.  (I can't remember the guy's name, but he did a great job too.)  I liked this one much better than the Toby McGuire ones.

After our movie, we had a wonderful dinner with some new friends and their parents.  I can't tell you how much of a blessing it is to already have someone to call if I need something.  We had fried chicken, corn, this delicious cole slaw with cranberries, and I brought a lemon - lime tart.  (You can find the recipe here.)  We had a great time!  It was really nice to talk about new things and to get caught up on the old as well.  (They're from our hometown too!)  We had a really nice day together.

On to a separate note, Scott has to work early tomorrow, so he went to bed (a few hours ago.)  And so here I am... blogging in the dark. :)  I will say, our house is way cleaner than it's ever been, and for that, I am quite proud.  I have recently made myself familiar with the home improvement stores and my local Target.  You can see some of my handy work below.

 

I hung some boxes from our balcony too.  I don't know if they're super secure so I'm just waiting for them to plummet onto someone's car below.  I'll keep you posted about how that turns out. :)  But for now, friends, I need some ideas.  What are some of your favorite things to do (that are quiet!!)?  I need book suggestions or hobbies or else I'm going to be going to bed at eight too!

I'd love to hear your ideas!  Please share, and have a wonderful rest of your holiday!

Cracker Barrel Memories

Today, I pay homage to my lovely former roommate. Every fall, we would tromp into our local Cracker Barrel, have the broccoli cheddar chicken with hash brown casserole and carrots (you know-- to make it a balanced meal.) (wink wink.) To make our evening complete, we would share a piece of the coca-cola cake with ice cream. This meal was the epitome of the perfect fall evening. We would also show up in our pajamas, but no one looked twice... it's how we rolled.

My friend and I are far apart now, but every time I make this cake, I think of her. It's a delicious cake though, and it may not have sentimental value to you, but you will make it again and again just because it is that good... and easy too. I've mentioned this cake before, but making it yesterday reminded me of it again. I thought you could use a refresher too.



Click here for the cake's directions.

Raincoast Crisps

I have a new addiction, and it was a complete accident. I was at the grocery store last week minding my own business when all of the sudden I spotted a sample. I don't always take the samples, but this item looked unique and the packaging was so well put together that I simply couldn't resist. The sample was for Raincoast Crisps, a small, circular cracker with all sorts of tasty things inside like cranberries and hazelnuts. I was expecting a excessively crunchy cracker that tasted like "health food," but I was pleasantly surprised that it had a slight chewiness about it and that it did not lack in flavor. I couldn't resist buying a package, but only one because they were ridiculously expensive. I set out to find a recipe for these tasty bites, and I found just that at Dinner with Julie. Her recipe makes the Rosemary Raisin variety, but to make the Cranberry Hazelnut kind that I have been raving about simply omit the rosemary, substitute cranberries for the raisins, and substitute hazelnuts for the pecans. Follow everything else exactly.

I hope that you give these festive little crackers a try, and when you do, add some brie to them! These would also be fantastic to give as hostess gifts or for Christmas. Mmmm.... Have a lovely evening.

Another Louisville Love

Have you heard of The Comfy Cow? This is one of the newest ice cream shops to open in Louisville at The Westport Village. The store and flavors are as eclectic as its name. The store boasts of flavors such as Dulche de Leche de Salte (Salted Caramel), Cookie Monster Dough, Vermont Maple Walnut, and Roasted Coffee. But fear not, they have the traditional flavors too. The store has baked goods as well, so there is something to suit everyone's sweet tooth. Here is a picture just so you can get an idea of what you have been missing!

A Louisville Love

If you haven't tried Northend Cafe yet you certainly must. This Louisville gem is located at the end of Frankfort Avenue near Mellwood. As my husband said, "Their food isn't fancy, but it is good." While you won't find flambes or puff pastries, you are sure to find something that will be equally delicious. Their reuben cannot be beat, and today my salad nicoise was perfection. The salmon on top was perfectly seasoned, and the sherry vinegaret was scrumptious. My husband's hamburger (made with local beef) was also tasty... I snuck a bite when he wasn't looking. Try it out for lunch; it's not as expensive then, and you can get items from the breakfast menu until 3 p.m. Let me know what you think. Click here to see their menues.

Pretzel Cones...The best thing since sliced bread

I have been on the hunt for these pretzel cones for some time.

They are so amazingly delicious! I do not really even like pretzels, but the cone itself is perfect. Mix those little salty bites of bliss with sweet dreaminess of ice cream, and you receive the easiest, most scrumptious dessert imaginable. Easy is the operative word! Well, I was driving around St. Matthews yesterday, and I noticed that Graeters has them! They were being advertised in the window. I highly recommend that you make your way there and try these cones, and if your Graeters doesn't have them, I don't think you'll be too disappointed. Graeters is great any way you eat it. If you don't live near a Graeters, you can order them here.

Jubilee Events

Hi Friends! I'm excited to announce that I have officially created a blog for our (JoEllyn and mine) event coordinating "business." We are trying to get some clients, so check out Jubilee Events, and if you know anyone that needs an event planner send them our way! Or check it out just for fun... I'll be updating it with real weddings (some that we have planned and some that we just love) for your viewing pleasure.You can contact us at jubileeeventslou@yahoo.com if you're interested!

Last But Not Least...

Our last staycation adventure landed us at Proof again, but this time for breakfast. Let me begin by saying it was sooo good!!! Our experience for breakfast was also totally different from our dinner. It was almost like we were in a different restaurant.
We ordered close to everything on the menu since we had a one-time credit. We had lemon blueberry pancakes, Parmesan grits, bacon, and fresh fruit with ricotta. The grits and fruit were by far some of the tastiest breakfast items I have ever put in my mouth. The fruit was on top of ricotta cheese, and it was drizzled with honey and almonds. I know it sounds normal, but I would never have thought of putting these things together. Guess what I'll be having for breakfast this week. :) Scott's favorite was the bacon. I must admit it was really good. It was smoky and thick cut; there was barely any fat on it.
My only complaint was that it was a bit pricey for breakfast. If it were cheaper, I would definitely go back. Again, it was an excellent hotel restaurant, but there are cheaper places that are closer to my home. If you do happen to stay at 21C, you must forget the prices and eat there for breakfast! So, until next time I encourage you to go out and explore your city. I never would have thought to stay in my city, but we had such a fun time! Thanks again CB&T!

Staycation Day Two

The last two days of our staycation were just as wonderful as our first. We woke up around 9:30 in order to get ready for our spa day at 10:30. Scott ran down on Main Street to get me a blueberry muffin and him a chocolate croissant. Both were tasty, and I wish I could tell you the name of the bakery, but he didn't notice the name. At 10:30, we were called to the lobby because our ride (a new jaguar) was ready to take us to Calospa. Part of our package included a massage, manicure and pedicure for two. I was naturally excited, but Scott was a little leary.

When we arrived, we were given our robes, some salted almonds, acai berry juice and a dark chocolate truffle. All of them were a nice treat. We had a massages and lunch. (I'm fairly convinced it was from Paul's Fruit Market.) After that were the manicures and pedicures. I chose Lincoln Park After Dark polish (below) and Scott chose neither. He wanted no shine or polish! :)
Our spa day was wonderful and highly recommened! I didn't think the prices were excessive, and the staff and extra attention made the extra dollars worth it.


After the spa, we went back to the hotel to get ready for dinner at Varanese and the UofL football game. I cannot say enough praises for Varanese. The main reason is because it was so reasonably priced. We fed four people for $100 dollars. We shared an appetizer, got a salad, four entrees and two desserts. The appetizer was delicious (baked brie with caramel, apples and walnuts.) The salad tasted fresh and unique, and each of our dinners met our standards. The manager and Chef Varanese even came out to all of the tables to introduce themselves and check on how their guests' evening were going. I highly recommend Varanese.

After dinner we rushed to the game. UofL won, and that made a wonderful end to a great day.

Staycation - Night One

For our first dining experience, we were treated to Proof on Main. Proof is 21C's hotel restaurant.

I was very impressed with the restaurant's atmosphere. The pictures below were what were on display while we were there. I loved the horse pictures, and I thought they were a fun touch for Louisville.This was the appetizer that we ordered. It was country ham and chickpea fritters. I really liked the taste of them, but the texture kind of got me in the end.For our dinner, I had a pork chop, Scott and Steve had a sirloin and JoEllyn had sword fish. We decided that all of our meals were good, but not many were excellent. But it was free, and we were all very happy. Our server did a great job though; he was very informative and did a great job at making us feel comfortable and not stuffy.We all agreed that dessert was wonderful! We all had brownie cookie sandwiches with caramel de sel ice cream in the middle. I would have been happy with just the ice cream alone! It was perfect. Another fun touch at dessert was complimentary cotton candy. It was really fun to have cotton candy at the end of our meal.
In the end we decided that Proof was an excellent hotel restaurant and a pretty good Louisville restaurant. It's hard to compete with other restaurants in the Highlands and Frankfort Avenue. I would try Proof if I were you, but maybe go for lunch as a test run.

Staycation - Day One

So, I normally don't let myself go four days without telling you something, but this weekend was the weekend of our staycation. We had a wonderful time! For those of you who don't know, Scott (husband) wrote what he loves about Louisville for a local contest that CB&T Bank was having. Thanks to Facebook, we won! Our first adventure led us to 21C hotel and its restaurant, Proof.21C Hotel and Museum

21C is such a unique hotel! I would recommend at least a one night stay to locals and travelers alike. I have stayed in several "unique" or "upscale" hotels, but nothing compares to this. As you enter, you are greeted by the hotel's trademark red penguins, and if you are lucky, their red limousine. The entire hotel is filled with artwork that uses a variety of media and experiences. For example, here is the men's restroom.That is the "urinal" and there is one-way glass where you can look out, but the by-stander on the outside cannot look in. You get the idea. The entire hotel is filled with things like this. The lobby is a gallery, and the artwork is rotated about every three months. I will say that the art is more along the contemporary/edgy line... you will not find any classic impressionist paintings here!

Here are some pictures of our room:

You can't really see the chair because Scott is sitting in it, but it was so fun! It had really pretty fabric. I also loved the curtains- they looked like they came from Ikea - and I loved the exposed brick wall.The bed was so cozy! The room came complete with chocolates on the pillow (which were kind of weird, but that's my only complaint) and an I-Pod that was playing when we entered the room.Finally, the bathroom. It wasn't too special except it was completely spotless. This is the only hotel I have ever stayed in that I did not wear flip flops the entire time.

I'll tell you about Proof tomorrow, but I hope you enjoy 21C for at least a night!

First Day

I now officially have a blog. I'm not really sure what spurred me on to make one, but at the moment it seems like a good idea. For now, here is how I am going to spend my weekend. Maybe I'll see you around.
Friday: Frankfort Avenue Trolley Hop
Saturday: Check out some of the Farmer's Markets, then head to Toast on Market. The Gingerbread Pancakes are amazing! Some other places to visit are Red Tree and Scout. If you like the eclectic, you would love these stores.

That's all for now; I have lots of ideas, but I need to figure them out! Until next time.