Dinner After Dark with Barrett's: Tomato!

Some people pass on tomatoes. I simply cannot.

When Barrett’s announced a tomato dinner, I knew I couldn’t miss it. I asked around, but the answers came back either “I can’t” or “I don’t like tomatoes.” Who do they think they are? Tomatoes are my love language. So I did what I had to do. I went on my own. (Don't worry, I didn’t even bother to ask Gspice to join me. He doesn’t share the same love of tomatoes that I do.)

A few days ahead of the event, Barrett’s reached out, checking if I was comfortable dining solo or if I wanted another chance to bring someone. That small act of thoughtfulness stuck with me. I told them I was fine flying solo. My mom, who first passed down her love of tomatoes to me, would be my “plus one” in spirit.

When the evening finally arrived, I was excited. It felt like stepping into a part of myself I hadn’t visited in years. Back in 2015 and 2016 when I worked the wine and beer dinners at Rubaiyat in Decorah, I loved the rhythm of pairing food with drink, watching the courses unfold like chapters in a story. Barrett’s tomato dinner pulled me right back into that magic, only this time I was the guest.

Each course celebrated the tomato in a new way, paired with wine or a cocktail:

Tea & Bread with La Vieille Ferme Rose

Tartare with Archetype Sauvignon Blanc

Lumache with a Tomato & Rosemary Gin Martini

Sirloin & Tomatoes with Maestro del Pomidoro Sangiovese

Tomato Puff Pastry with Parajes del Valle Macabeo

What Did I Enjoy the Most?

My favorite course of the evening was the sirloin and stuffed tomato. The steak came with what looked like an herby pesto, alongside a rice and red pepper–stuffed tomato capped with melted and toasted Gruyère. Holy moly, that was a perfect bite, especially with one of my favorite wine varieties, the Sangiovese.

A close second was the tomato lumache. This pasta course came with delicately peeled tomatoes in a bright beurre blanc, paired with a fancy tomato and rosemary gin martini. YUM.

An Unexpected Surprise

Earlier in the evening, Chef mentioned they “chased a label” for the night, choosing a wine simply because a tomato graced the bottle. To my surprise, the event manager brought me over a bottle as I was eating the final course. Chef had wanted me to have it, in memory and celebration of my mom. How thoughtful is that? I couldn't help but tear up as I took a few more bites before regaining my composure.

My Type of Celebrity

I've said this before and it remains true. Chefs are my type of celebrity. It was such a thrill to dine on a menu created by Chef Barrett, who became friends and colleagues with Chef Michael Symon, and once competed on Iron Chef. Learn more about Chef Cory on the Barret's website.

We are lucky to have chefs in this community who treat food with reverence and hospitality with care. This night reminded me why I love these kinds of dinners. It is about flavors, but it is also about the feeling of being seen, welcomed, and celebrated.

Sometimes the best dinners are the ones where you make room for yourself.

What's for Dinner {13} - Steak with Griddler Style Topping

After posting all those recipes yesterday, Gary asked if we could have Griddler Chicken. Surprise, surprise. I refuse to make it, though, because it HAS to marinade overnight for extreme flavor. He doesn't seem to understand that yet. However, Griddler Chicken DID sound good so we opted for something else...

Steak with a shrimp topping using the Griddler Chicken marinade. We'll call it Steak with Griddler Style Topping!

Steak with Griddler Style Topping

2 Steaks (cut of your choice)
10 Shrimp (we use the small-medium size) 
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar 
2 tbsp Dijon mustard 
2 tbsp olive oil 
1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped 
1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped 
1 shallot, chopped finely 
3 cloves of garlic, minced
Sea salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste

Cook down the garlic and shallot in olive oil. 

 Add shrimp and let cook for 3ish minutes per side.

 Add in combined balsamic, dijon, parsley and basil to shrimp and heat through.

 Meanwhile, cook steaks. 

Once done, top with shrimp marinade.

YUM!

 Gary also made us some mean margaritas! 

What's for Dinner {7} - Anniversary Style!

I planned a really special dinner for our 1YR anniversary. I searched through so many recipes on the internet and on pinterest for months looking for just the right ones to use. I also knew that after an amazing celebratory weekend that this meal really had to shine to even compare. I am happy to report that it was AWESOME. I didn't happen to like one recipe (AT ALL) but Gary loved it so I suppose we can consider this "What's for Dinner" a raging success.  

Side-note: it was a bit chilly on Monday, March 26. As I was driving out of the Fareway parking lot with all my groceries, I captured this really funny picture:

Here are the recipes we ended up using:  

Side #1 - Herbed Cheese Straws

This was the recipe that I really didn't care for, but like I said, Gary LOVED these. He literally bit my head off when I tried to throw away the foil that had some small pieces of herbed cheese straws lingering. Lesson learned :)

* 2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
* flour, for dusting
* 1 extra-large egg
* 1 tablespoon water
* hot sauce
* 1 cup extra sharp cheddar cheese, grated (make it a heaping cup!)
* 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, minced
* 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, minced 
* 1 teaspoon kosher salt
* Freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

1. Lightly dust your cutting board with flour and unfold each sheet of puff pastry and place on top.
2. Beat the egg with 1 tablespoon of water and a few dashes of hot sauce. Brush the surface of the puff pastry with this mixture.
3. Sprinkle each sheet evenly with 1/2 cup of the cheese, 1/2 tablespoon each of the thyme & rosemary, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, and some pepper.
4. With the rolling pin, lightly press the cheese and herbs into the puff pastry.
5. Cut 1/2″ strips using a knife or cutting wheel.
6. Twist each strip and lay on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.

Bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until lightly browned and puffed. Turn each straw and bake for another 5 minutes. Cool and serve at room temperature.

Side #2 - Sauteed Garlic Asparagus

Asparagus has been on sale for quite awhile now and we can't seem to get enough. This is a tried and true recipe!

*3 tablespoons butter or margarine
*1 bunch fresh asparagus
*3 cloves garlic, chopped

Melt the butter or margarine in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and asparagus spears; cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until asparagus is tender. If you like your asparagus well done, reduce heat and cook an additional 10 minutes.

The Main Event - Shrimp and Parmesan Steak

This was an amazing recipe already but I took it to the next level. Instead of the suggested steak, I opted for filet mignon. Oh yes.

* 2 10 oz sirloin steaks
* 2 cups heavy cream (or 16 fl oz)
* 2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped (2 tsp dry)
* 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
* Salt to taste
* Pepper to taste
* 20 shrimp, tails and shells removed

1. GRILL steaks to medium rare.
2. HEAT cream in a sauce pan and lightly boil until it is half its original volume, being careful not to scorch.
3. STIR in Parmesan cheese, basil,salt and pepper.
4. SAUTE shrimp.
5. TOP steaks with shrimp and cheese sauce.

SERVE! Gary seems to believe his plate looks better than mine since he's got the cheese straws. I disagree.

Gary's Plate

My Plate

Our meal didn't end here (although it probably should have!) Our dessert course consisted of:  

Dessert Drink - Blushing Mimosas

This was the bomb! I couldn't find pineapple juice so I used a orange/pineapple juice instead.

*2 cups orange juice (not from concentrate)
*1 cup pineapple juice, chilled
*2 tablespoons grenadine
*1 bottle Champagne or sparkling wine, chilled

1. Stir together first 3 ingredients.
2. Pour equal parts orange juice mixture and Champagne into Champagne flutes.
***2 (12-oz.) cans ginger ale or lemon-lime soda may be substituted.

Dessert-that-we-realllly-didn't-need-at-this-point-but-still-really-good - Crockpot Chocolate Fondue

* 18 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
* 1 oz. unsweetened chocolate, chopped
* 6 oz. milk chocolate, chopped
* 13 oz. can evaporated milk
* 1/4 cup powdered sugar
* 1 tsp. vanilla
* Fruit, cookies, and cake pieces for dipping

1. Combine all chocolates, milk, and powdered sugar in 3 quart crockpot.

2. Cover and cook on LOW for 45 minutes.
3. Stir well, add vanilla, stir again, and continue cooking if necessary to completely melt chocolate. This can be held on low for another hour.
4. Serve with dippers.

We also used bananas and strawberries. Yes, the strawberries were the best :)

Cheers!!

Locally Grown!

When Gary and I were living in Minneapolis, I kept thinking how nice it would be to come back to Decorah to celebrate our 1YR anniversary. Though we moved back, I still thought it would be a lovely little getaway. Thus, in December or January, I booked a room at the Hotel Winn using the Locally Grown package they were offering through April 2012. Not only was the timing perfect but here is what came with the package:

1. One King Room (with a fridge & jacuzzi!)
2. $40 to use in Alberts
3. 2 free beers from the Tap Room
4. A coupon for a packet of seeds from Seed Savers
5. $15 towards lunch at the Water Street Cafe (aka Oneota Co-op)
6. A free 11x14 matted Story People Print (worth $30 a pop)

All of this for $175 (including tax). Peeeeerfect.

7. Made even more perfect by the accent I purchased along with it...chocolate covered strawberries.

Now that our staycation is over, I keep wishing we could do it over and over again. We had such a good time. Here's a recap of our little weekday getaway :)

The days and weeks leading up to our stay at the Hotel was a bit overwhelming to think about. It's such tight quarters where we are currently and there's ALWAYS someone or some dog around. No privacy.

This. was. privacy. Well, except for the adorable little (&loud) girls that stayed in the room next door. They were cute so it didn't bother us one bit.

We checked in around 3:45p on Thursday March 22 after we both got off work and ran some errands. We picked up some movies at Wal-Mart that we wanted to watch but decided to walk to get our wine later because the weather was so nice. The very moment we decided to go to Fareway though, it started to sprinkle. We made it to Fareway with no problem but you can guess how it was when we needed to walk back to the Hotel. Yes, it was pouring :) It actually was really fun to walk in the rain! It reminded me of our first trip to Chicago and we did the same exact thing. It was fun then, and it was fun now. Probably because we still had time to redo our hair and dry out :)

Our dinner reservation was at 5pm so we headed down to the Tap Room a little early to pick up some beers. Gary decided he didn't like or didn't want the tap beers they had so I got one now and picked up the second later. Surprisingly, I really liked the Mill Stream Amber one (I should know the name but can't remember at the moment!)

We wanted to get a lot of bang for our free bucks so we ordered conservatively in Alberts; spinach artichoke dip, entree caesar salad with chicken, Albert's hoagie; orange juice; We had so much left in our $40 budget that we ordered my FAVORITE bottle of wine, Falesco Sangiovese.

After dinner we attempted to take a bubble bath in the huge jacuzzi. It would have been fine if I hadn't completely overflowed the tub with bubbles. When they give you directions for how much to use, I suggest following it. :)

After the bubble fiasco we hankered down to watch our movies, drink wine, and eat those delicious strawberries.

My goodness were those strawberries good. We decided that the ones with the regular chocolate were better than the white chocolate but you won't find me complaining!

The first movie we watched was the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It was incredibly well acted and really interesting but I couldn't help how tired I was. We had been watching for what seemed like 3 hours and it had only been an hour. The movie was 2 hrs and 20 mins at least. Sadly, I didn't even make it through the first movie. I always seem to catch Gary when he's asleep so it repaid the favor :)

After MANY lovely hours of sleep we woke up and finished the movie. I definitely recommend it but be aware that there are some really disturbing scenes that you may not want to watch. No you probably won't watch. Despite that, it was a great movie.

Our next stop after checking out was Agora Arts for our Story People print. There were stacks and stacks for us to go through and despite all the funny ones I found one of Gary's choices won. He's such a sap ;)

Then it was off to the Co-op. I tried a new panini and I've got to say I'm hooked. I got the New Yorker - pepperoni, mozzarella and a fresh tomato paste sauce on sourdough bread. Perfect. Gary got his usual BBQ chicken with swiss and ranch on sourdough bread. To top it off, we spent $14.90 so only owed ZERO dollars! The best part was probably the little baby that sat down next to us with her family. Well, her family sat her down but anyway. We overheard later that she was 3.5 months old. Emma would have been that old at this point too and it was nice to think about her for a moment.

Back at home, we watched the second movie we rented, the Muppets movie. I'm sorry to say but I was not in the least bit intrigued by the movie. I just didn't grow up on the Muppets. Sadly, Gary watched the movie by himself as I sat on pinterest :)

Later on in the day, we decided to continue our staycation with another movie and dinner at Rubaiyat. Gary didn't think I'd like the Hunger Games so we opted instead for 21 Jump Street. G.i.g.g.l.e.s. It was a delightfully funny movie. And the best part of that showing was the "oooo la la's" we got from two little kids as we walked to our car.

We must have been on some sort of drug by the time we got to Rubaiyat because we most definitely scared our waitress. We were either laughing or being really awkward. The poor girl kept her distance the rest of the time! Oh well. We ordered our normal favorites, Isaiah's chicken sandwich and the seafood linguine dish I love so much. I almost peed when the waitress brought out our bread. It was the same bread that they served the night of our wedding. I cannot stress enough how delicious this bread is. I hate bread. Seriously. I don't often indulge in the bread all the restaurants put out but I would eat the whole thing if I could. It was fate.

Though we scared our waitress, this was the perfect way to end our staycation.

Back to the real world.

What a weekend.

I.am.exhausted.

I had to work a lot this past weekend. I knew going in that it was going to be tough on my energy level but boy did it tire me out! What I find so annoying about working nights is that despite being physical and mentally tired, I simply cannot fall asleep. So at 1am, I may still be awake. I feel bad for Gary who has to wake up super early every morning. It probably doesn't help that shows I love always seem to be on when I can't fall asleep...

Yesterday's problem though? Probably all the alcohol I got to try :)

We had a scheduled bartender training session after work last night. Yes, that meant we were going to have a late night but who could complain after being able to try 20+ cocktails! Sadly, the weather was a little iffy so the crowd was small but that just meant I could sip a bit more from those cocktails I loved...

Some of my favorites?

Bee's Knees
Mai Tai
Pomegranate Margarita
Mayan Hot Chocolate
Pink Rascal
Rosita

Yeah.

"Vanilla Sky"

Yet another recipe

http://wp.me/pTWO4-54