Minnes-O-ta Maple Chicken

March 31, 2011April 13, 20137 Comments

Tonight’s stateside dinner was especially fun for us because Minnesota holds a special place in our hearts. We spent several years (away from our family and friends) living in Winona, MN where we made great new friends, traveled the state and welcomed our darling Miss A to the family. Lutefisk, lefse and hot dishes are among the traditional dishes for which Minnesota is known, but local cuisine often makes use of fresh fish, wild rice and locally grown produce.

Now admittedly while in Minnesota we never ate Lutefisk, lefse or hot dishes. We did however eat lots of locally grown produce, wonderful homemade doughnuts and deli sandwiches from our favorite restaurant, The Acoustic Cafe.

Sadly we can’t quite reproduce the delicious little sandwiches we love so much (and that’s not for lack of trying!), so we instead chose a Maple Baked Chicken. Mr. N and Miss A were both very excited for Minnesota night, and for a recipe that combines syrup, chicken and oatmeal! Continue reading →

And the winner is…(drum roll)

March 27, 2011April 13, 201311 Comments

New Zealand! Thank you to everyone that participated in the poll. It was fun and we’re definitely excited about New Zealand (which won by a landslide). As we began our recipe search we learned several things about this country down under. One of the most fun facts – especially to the kids – is that New Zealanders refer to themselves as Kiwis. Mr. N and Miss A both thought this was great and are excited to include kiwis in one of our recipes. We also learned that New Zealand is best known for its lamb dishes even though chicken is the most consumed meat. And finally, much to dad’s dismay they grow and eat a lot of kumara (sweet potatoes). As for today’s meal we selected the Sausage Roll – a popular snack made in a variety of ways – and Curried Kumara with Roasted Cashews. Continue reading →

Meet Me in St. Louis…

March 24, 2011April 13, 20138 Comments

…Louis, meet me at the fair, don’t tell me the lights are shining any place but there. Right now I’m thankful that this is a blog and you can’t hear me singing. You should be thankful too. Let’s just say I’m no Judy Garland. So as you guessed, tonight’s state cuisine is from Missouri – St. Louis, Missouri to be exact. The “Gateway to the West” and the home of St. Louis Toasted Ravioli. Now I don’t know about you, but the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of St. Louis is ribs, not ravioli. But according to Midwest Living magazine and my good friend and St. Louis resident, toasted ravioli is indeed the specialty of the city. The recipe we chose for tonight is adapted from Midwest Living, which got the recipe from Charlie Gitto’s restaurant in St. Louis. Incidentally, this is the same restaurant that Mr. N and I met my friend for dinner last week. We didn’t order the toasted ravioli, but the pasta dishes we did order were delicious! Continue reading →

Round and Round We Go

March 22, 20114 Comments

It’s my turn to pick our next food adventure. I’ve narrowed it down to three places that I’m most interested in (today at least). The first is Jordan. My best friend leaves for a Jordan/Turkey adventure this weekend, so this seemed like a natural choice. (Be safe and have fun SusieQ!) The second is South Africa. Last week I watched the season finale of the Bachelor (horrible reality television I know) and I was in awe of the South African landscape. It was not at all what I expected. I would love to travel there someday, but for now our food adventure will have to suffice. And lastly, my third choice is New Zealand and mainly because we haven’t tried food from that part of the world yet. Since I’m feeling indecisive this week (and insanely busy with work) I decided to put the next food adventure destination up to vote. Let us know where you’d like to go….

Overcoming Some Fears

March 21, 2011April 13, 20134 Comments

This weekend has been a whirlwind! We left town Thursday night for St. Louis. Dad had a conference to attend on Friday and Mr. N, Miss A and I were tagging along to enjoy a little change of scenery and visit the City Museum. The weekend wasn’t without its challenges – Miss A caught a cold, the conference hotel left a little to be desired and the wi-fi didn’t work (gasp!). That said, we did squeak out some good times – dinner with an old friend, a visit to Union Station, lots of pillow fights, giggles and a few winery stops.

But my favorite part of the weekend, by far, was the three hours Mr. N and I spent at the City Museum. With Miss A under the weather, she and Dad stayed back at the hotel. Fortunately at 2-1/2 years old hotels are still a major novelty – elevators, fluffy bedding, escalators – it’s a virtual kids museum in its own right. As for Mr. N and I, we kept busy climbing through tunnels, shooting out slides, caving, crawling in cages suspended high above the ground, and descending 10-story slides! As a sufferer of a fear of heights and a claustrophobic, this was both a death-defying and positively exhilarating experience for me. It was a thrill to overcome some mild fears and truly explore with the wonder of a child again. Needless to say Mr. N had the time of his life, and often tried stuff first to make sure it was safe for me! So, if you ever visit St. Louis – it’s a definite must-see for children and adults alike.

So that brings us to this evening. Continue reading →

Mr. N Keeping it Real – and Safe

February 22, 20115 Comments

In lieu of recent events (Mommy burning her thumb on the baking tray), Mr. N thought it would be a good idea to share his “Kitchen Safety Tips.” Unlike Miss A (who often breaks rules 11, 12 and 19), Mr. N is quite concerned about his safety and the safety of others. And he’s often quick to point out when Miss A is violating any of the rules below. Enjoy!