Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Apple Butter Makin' Days
We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves at Apple Butter Makin' Days in Mt.Vernon, MO.
I snapped this photo of Brendan enjoying our favorite snack there. He's missing his two front teeth, making it rather difficult, but he managed to eat it all!
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Aviary Cafe & Creperie
The quaint and cozy atmosphere inside the Aviary Cafe & Creperie makes you feel right at home.
I didn't see the salmon mousse appetizer on the menu last time I ate there, but they had it the very first time I went, and it was really good. The dressed greens they serve it with were pretty tasty, too.
I ordered the "Is it Morning?" crepe, which was filled with scrambled eggs, crispy pancetta, carmelized leeks, and sharp cheddar. It was scrumptious; everything breakfast should be, wrapped up in a perfect crepe.
Mr. NOM ordered the Coq au Vin crepe, which was filled with pulled chicken deglazed with red wine, tomatoes, mushrooms, carrots, carmelized onion, and pancetta. Of course, I tried his crepe, too. It tasted like Sunday dinner, it was so good!
We both had the three cheese mashed potatoes and they were true to their name; every bite was cheesy, creamy, and just a little hint of garlic in there.
This is Mr. NOM's dessert. He ordered the "Aviary Suzette", and I'm going to tell you why. Talladega Nights. :P We had looked at the menu online before leaving the house, and I asked him which one of the dessert crepes did he think he would get, and he said he had to try the Aviary Suzette because of the scene about crepes in that movie.
While it was delicious, I liked mine better..
I ordered the "Peach Melba" crepe for dessert and it has brown sugar glazed peaches with mascarpone, raspberry jam, and vanilla bean creme fraiche. I would order it again and again, but I've made it a point to try a different one each time I visit, until I've tasted them all. It could take me some time, but I'll get there eventually :)
UPDATE:
I have since tried the pulled chicken crepe, it has chicken, gruyere, and mushrooms in it...can't remember the name of it and it's not on the online menu, but it was good! I have also tried the Black and Blue crepe, the Limoncello, the Aux Nutella, and the Peach Melba again. I also tried the Pommes Frites, and will definitely be ordering those again!
I think I have determined that you simply can't go wrong with anything on the menu.
If you haven't tried it out yet, what are you waiting for??
They are open Sunday – Wednesday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
and Thursday – Saturday 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. so go and get you some!
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Sarah's Bread & Butter Pickles
You will need:
3 english cucumbers (approx. 2lbs)
2 large onions
1/4 cup morton kosher salt
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups distilled white vinegar
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1/2 tsp celery seeds
2 TB mustard seeds
Makes 2 Quarts
These are English aka Hot House Cucumbers. They are seedless and the skin is not thick and tough like your normal cucumber. I ♥ them. You should be able to find them at your local grocery store, but you may not notice them right off.
They aren't tossed in a bin all together; normally they are on a top shelf in the refrigerated produce section and they are individually wrapped in plastic wrap.
Go ahead and get to slicing. Try to keep your cucumber and onion slices about 1/4 inch thick. If you're lucky enough to have a mandolin slicer - which obviously I'm not - this should be a breeze for you.
Once you have them sliced, separate the onion rings, and add them in a dish or big bowl along with the cucumbers. Measure out your salt, and sprinkle it over everything.
Then, you'll want to get your hands in there and mix them up really good to make sure everything is coated in the salt.
Get a bunch of ice and pour it over the top of the mixture and let it sit about an hour or until ice has melted most of the way.
Then, pour the mixture into a strainer and let it drain for a few minutes, make sure you remove any pieces of ice that have not melted.
While you're waiting for your ice to melt, go ahead and get started on the pickling juice.
Measure out your spices, sugar, and vinegar; then pour them all in a heavy pot together.
Bring the pickling juice to a boil.
Add your drained cucumber and onion mixture.
Bring it back to a boil.
Remove from heat - you do not want to cook these.
Stir all the nomminess around really good to make sure everything is coated.
Using a pair of tongs or a slotted spoon, fill up two quart size jars with the pickle and onion mixture. Then, using a ladle, spoon the pickling juice into each jar until it's about an inch from the top. You will most likely have some juice leftover, and you can do whatever you want with it.
I found these white lids at Walmart in the canning section. They seemed to be more practical for me since I had no intentions of sealing this jar. I would tell you how long these last in the refrigerator, but I don't know.
I can't keep them longer than about a week so far, they get eaten up pretty quickly - you'll be thinking of how many ways you can eat them.
Condensed Directions:
In a large bowl, combine the cucumbers, onion and salt. Mix well. Cover the mixture with ice. Let stand at room temperature until the ice has melted most of the way. In a dutch oven or heavy sauce pan, mix sugar, vinegar and spices to a boil. Strain the cucumber and onion mixture - removing any pieces of ice that haven't melted. Add to vinegar mixture and bring back to a boil. Remove from heat and slightly cool. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer onions and cucumbers to two quart size jars, filling them evenly. Then, using a ladle, fill both jars with the pickling juice until it reaches one inch or so from the top of the jar. Refrigerate. It doesn't take long before they start tasting pickled, but I'd let them sit overnight if you can wait that long.
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Maggie Mae's Tea Room
I first heard of Maggie Mae's when they catered lunch to my work place. I work in Springfield, and Maggie Mae's is located in Miller, MO. I knew it must be good if they were going to have it catered from some place in Miller as opposed to all the great catering there is in Springfield. I wasn't disappointed, and it was catered to my work place twice before I had the opportunity to visit the place in person.
I had some business to tend to in Carthage and my parents live off of 96 highway in La Russell. So, I decided I would take a nice scenic drive down highway 96 to Carthage instead of racing down Interstate 44. My mom and sister agreed to meet me at Maggie Mae's since they live just minutes away....however, they didn't know Maggie Mae's even existed! I expect now they know about it; they will be regulars.
It was a Friday, and I thought they would be busy, and they were, but there was no wait. We sat down and pondered the menu for a few minutes and caught up on each others news and happenings. I ordered the Raspberry Truffle to drink - I think it is made with sprite, rasperry flavoring, and creme de cacoa...so nommy, I had two of them.
I decided to try the Chicken Spaghetti with the Baked Potato soup. It was fantastic! The spaghetti was creamy, with tender pieces of chicken throughout, and there was a punch of italian flavor in there as well. They were also offering a Pot Roast dinner that day, and it sounded delicious, but I'll try that another day.
We had dessert, and I ordered the Baked Fudge. It came with a scoop of ice cream and a cherry on top, and it was amazingly delicious!!
One of the things I like about Maggie Mae's is the portion sizes are just right. It's just what you need for lunch, and even if you order something on the heavy side (Chicken Spaghetti) as opposed to one of their many fresh sandwiches and salads, you don't leave feeling like you need to take a nap.
I'll definitely go back to Maggie Mae's, and if you ever find yourself having to make a trip down 96 highway for whatever reason; stop in and eat there, it's a nice change.
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Farmers Gastropub
We've been in Springfield for a year now, and I'm just getting around to trying Farmers Gastropub. Partly because I've seen and heard mixed reviews of the place, and after my experience there, I can see why. However, I did sample their food at Taste of Springfield late last year, and I thought the Cottage Pie and Butternut Squash Soup they served was fabulous.
For the appetizer, the waiter suggested the salmon dip. We decided to give it a try, and it was pretty good. The lighting was pretty low in there, and there was spinach in the dip, but I just couldn't help but think it felt like the skin of the salmon in my mouth. You had the feel of the spinach with the taste of the salmon....yeah, I know. BUT, the dip was really pretty good if you could get past that.
I ordered fish and chips, and Mr. NOM ordered the tuna. Lets start with his. I don't eat tuna like that - period. Mr.NOM, however, thoroughly enjoyed it. He was pleasantly surprised the rice actually had a lot of flavor, and the grilled zucchini was some of the best he's had.
My fish and chips are a different story. The fish had an amazing batter, it was fluffy on the inside, yet crispy on the outside - it just lacked some flavor. I love presentation when it comes to food, but my fries that were under the fish got quite soggy from the oil of the fish. I like my fries crispy, not limp and grease soaked - even though God knows they are grease laden and bad for you, but I don't need them looking bad too!
The service was s-l-o-w. They seemed like they were getting ready to get pretty busy, and our waiter started to rush us a little. However, we sat for about 20 minutes waiting for our bill after he cleared our table. Then, he came over and asked if there was anything else we needed - and we got the vibe he was like, what are you waiting on? Yes, we need the bill, so we can get you paid, you know?
All in all, it's pretty good, and I would eat there again; but I'm not in a huge hurry to go back at this point.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Spring Creek Tea Room - Ozark, Missouri
Saturday was a wonderful day in Springfield. It was the first weekend we didn't have too much snow on the roads to get around, and EVERYONE was out on the town. It reminded me of black Friday, really, there was a LOT of people out...and I loved it!
To me, it was the perfect day to drive over to Ozark and eat at Spring Creek Tea Room. I hadn't been there since the end of summer, and that's way too long. It didn't take much to convince Mr. NOM to have lunch at the Tea Room with me, he's been there before - once - and was more than ready to go back.
When we arrived, there was a 20 minute wait. No problem, they are inside an antique store with plenty of booths to keep you busy for at least an hour, so 20 minutes is nothing. We browsed around a little, and before we knew it, they were calling our name over the loud speaker.
Mr. NOM ordered the Chicken Salad sandwich with the soup and tea of the day - we already knew we were going to swap halves of our sandwiches so we could each have some of both, of course!
The waitress asked if we wanted any dessert right off the bat. She said they had one piece of Pumpkin Apple Cake left and that was IT...they were completely sold out of all other desserts. Now, I want you to take a look at the picture above and notice all the desserts listed - and the list was even longer than the picture shows. That should tell you their desserts are Uh-mazing. Uh-mazing. YES, we do want the last piece of cake - and so we shared it - and that was hard.
If you ever get the opportunity to eat here, and they have the Cherry Crunch Cake on the menu, order it. If you see someone get the last piece, approach them and offer money for it, lots of money. This cake is so good!! I found out you can order whole cakes from them, so I ordered the Cherry Crunch Cake one time, just so I could have as much of it as I wanted...and I didn't regret it one bit. And don't judge me - not until you've tried it - and I did share with the ones I love. Very few.
The soup of the day made me speechless on the first bite, I don't really remember what all happened after that bite. I just remember saying, "This is so good" several times and switching back and forth between my sandwich and soup. They also give you a huge handful of plain chips on the side, and I don't usually eat chips, so it was a nice change to feel the crunch of fried potato chips in my mouth.
They are extremely busy every day, so get there early and maybe they will still have everything on the menu, because once it's gone, it's gone.
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Orange Leaf
I wasn't complaining, and neither was anybody else. My husband and my mom swear by the Peanut Butter froyo with Captain Crunch cereal on it; I'm not a peanut butter fan myself, but if you are, this combination will apparently change your life.
The way I eat Orange Leaf - because I have so many favorite flavors - is I put a little bit of each one around the inside of my bowl so that I can savor them one at a time. My absolute flavor is Coffee, but I also like Coconut, Mint Chocolate, Classic Tart, and Pineapple.
Every time we have been to Orange Leaf, there has been a crowd; but no long wait. If you haven't been there yet, check it out; it's a treat for everyone - young and old.
Mijuri
Mijuri is my new favorite place for sushi.
I'd heard good things about it from co-workers and friends, but hadn't tried it myself. On Friday night, we got the urge to have some sushi, so we decided to try Mijuri. It was snowing and COLD outside, and to top it off the roads still weren't all that great.
For the appetizer, we tried the Tempura Vegetables, which consisted of Tempura battered and fried mushrooms, onion rings, broccoli, sweet potatoes, and zucchini. It is served with Tempura sauce, and it is uh-mazingly good!
We ordered the Mijuri Roll (BBQ Eel, avocado, and crab - tempura fried), and the OO7 Roll (Baked spicy tuna, surimi crab, and avocado - with spicy mayo and eel sauce). They were both fresh, and excellent!
We sat at the sushi bar, because we like to watch them make the rolls, AND you get to see what they're making for everyone else, too. I saw a lot of interesting combinations coming out of there, and I can't wait until my next visit so I can try a few of them myself.
2 Iced Teas
1 Appetizer
2 Sushi Rolls
And we barely broke $30, not too bad at all!
The Cup
You can't resist the charm of a cupcake.
When I first stepped in The Cup, my eyes went right to the goods. I could tell I was going to have a hard time picking one out of all of them. I asked the girl which was their best seller and she said the Red Velvet, with Peanut Butter Cup coming in a close second. I personally think I make the best Red Velvet cake, and I'm not big on Peanut Butter, so that ruled out both of those.
I decided to go with the Ruby cupcake which is swirls of red velvet and strawberry cake with raspberry buttercream. It was pretty good; I could really taste the sweet strawberry part of the cake. The only thing is, I wish the raspberry buttercream was a bit more tart to contrast the sweetness of the cake.
My husband had the Red Velvet cupcake, and he said the cream cheese buttercream was tasty, but wished the Red Velvet cake was a bit more chocolatey.
We both really enjoyed The Cup, and will definitely be back to try some of the other flavors.
If you are looking for a cupcake in Springfield - go to The Cup!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Snow Days and Snow Ice Cream
You can't let the blizzard of the decade go by without making some snow ice cream!
All you need!
1 - Gallon packed snow
2 1/2 - cups milk (I used evaporated milk)
1 - cup sugar
1 - TB vanilla (I used 1/2TB regular vanilla & 1/2 TB french vanilla)
1 - Gallon packed snow
2 1/2 - cups milk (I used evaporated milk)
1 - cup sugar
1 - TB vanilla (I used 1/2TB regular vanilla & 1/2 TB french vanilla)
Mix together sugar and milk.
Add the vanilla.
Dump your snow in a BIG mixing bowl, preferrably stainless steel so it doesn't melt too quickly. If you don't have stainless steel, just do it fast! :)
Pour in your milk mixture, and stir it really well. You might think for a minute that you don't have enough liquid, but you do; just keep at it....you will feel it in your arm!
Top it with whatever you like and there you have it. If you want chocolate ice cream, use chocolate milk. If only one person wants chocolate ice cream, give them a packet of dry hot chocolate to mix in theirs, it's yummy that way too. Enjoy!
Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip
We’re coming up on Super Bowl Sunday, so here’s a dip recipe for you that is figure friendly, quick and painless to make, and it’s a party in your mouth!
Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Dip
Serves 16 (3TB each serving)
4 Weight Watchers Points Plus per serving
- 7 oz roasted red peppers packed in water, drained
- 1 pound(s) 1/3 less-fat cream cheese two 8-oz blocks, softened, cut up
- 4 oz reduced-fat feta cheese crumbled
- 1 clove(s) (medium) garlic clove(s) peeled
- 1/4 tsp black pepper freshly ground
- 3 Tbsp dill fresh, chopped
In a food processor, roasted peppers, cream cheese, feta cheese, garlic and black pepper; process until smooth. Add chopped dill; pulse until evenly distributed.
Scrape mixture into a serving bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour (or up to 5 days) to firm up slightly and for flavors to blend.
This recipe can be cut in half to serve 8, but it keeps so well (up to 5 days refrigerated) that it makes sense to make the whole batch to have on hand for unexpected holiday guests. Serve with pita wedges, whole grain crisp breads or crackers and/or raw vegetables
You literally dump it all in your food processor and give it a good whirl...now that's easy!
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