I hope you are all well!

-dania

I used to love cookies, cake, pie, chocolate…you name it I was all over it. After I had my daughter I expected some of those cravings to come back, it’s been almost two years and still nothing. Which brings me to the strangeness that is me. I love BAKING cookies. I even love the way they smell.

I’ve always loved baking homemade bread, but until recently never really bothered baking anything else. Baking, as many of you know is a rather precise science, and frankly I’ve always thought of it as much too restrictive and structured for my liking. I grew up in a kitchen where recipes consisted of a dash of this and a pinch of that, none of this 1/4 teaspoon nonsense.

Nonetheless, I’ve suddenly discovered my real and true passion for making the perfect cookie, and I do think I’ve come close.

My first attempt was a great recipe I found for molasses cookies. They were simple, easy and delicious. The only real issues I had with them is they aren’t totally a crowd favorite. I only ate about three, then got bored and wandered away.

I then attempted to make peanut butter cookies. I hated the first batch, first because I made them on the heels of the molasses cookies, and they should have cooked at a lower temperature. I didn’t give my oven a chance to cool enough, so they were a bit dry. Also, I discovered with my second round of peanut butter cookies a few days following that I actually despise peanut butter cookies. Lesson learned, those were then abandoned.

Peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips, still gross

My third and most enjoyable attempt was chocolate chip walnut cookies. My first batch, I had walnuts on hand, but it tired out they were old and gross so I pilfered through my bag of mixed nuts from the holidays and cracked every walnut I could find. Turns out that didn’t add up to what the recipe called for, so I just added extra chocolate chips.

When they came out of the oven, just a bit brown on the edges I was excited, but then I looked at one of them which seemed underdone in the middle. I waited until they had all fully cooled, and viola! Perfect!

Since I’ve made what basically amounts to 50 cookies in the last week or so, there was a small cookie making embargo put on my kitchen. We did just run out of the good cookies, however, so I expect that this embargo may be short-lived.

Next up, I may even attempt my mothers famous banana cake, partly from a mix, with homemade frosting and banana’s. What is your favorite thing to bake?

To my surprise, that seems to interest a great many of you, so I’ve decided to begin to post some family recipes. In some cases modified slightly to not give away all our family secrets.

My first recipe is actually very simple and not at all time-consuming, unlike many of the others to follow.

Lemon Salad – serves 4

1 thinly sliced lemon

3 basil leaves

oilive oil

salt

sugar

Thinly slice the lemon, and lay slices on a plate, drizzle oil all over the slices.

Add the chopped basil, salt, and sugar to taste.

Serve! (see I told you it was easy!)

In my family we usually serve this as a side salad to whatever the main dish is, usually our famous broccoli pasta, a recipe I will be posting shortly.

At @LittlePod’s suggestion we came to the Lowry. The first thing I realize as someone is throwing their arms around me is I know one of the servers and he’s one of my favorite people who I don’t really know. You know, the folks you see regularly places and have conversations with, but that you don’t know their last names. So, Jack throws his arms around me and welcomes me in, which I have to say is a pretty rock star way of being greeted in a restaurant, It makes one feel special, and isn’t that what dining out is really all about?

Now, because I’ve been completely preoccupied with my other endeavor The Good Counsel for the better part of a month, I’m a little scattered, and I actually show up to the restaurant an hour before Lisa and I agreed to hang. What this means is I get extra time with my beloved Jack and he tells me all about the wonders that are the Lowry, the owners, the handcrafted sauces and the amazing old school drinks. (I still need to learn how they make a Manhattan here, as that’s my fathers drink and he’s very particular.)

Since I’m so early, I decide to make myself at home and order oysters and deviled eggs, with a mojito, of course.

After which I wait for Lisa to order a proper lunch.

I have the tostada special, which I neglected to read, was made with feta, which for me now has become a deal breaker. I’m not sure what happened since I used to love feta, but lately I can’t stand the sight of it. Everything else about it was great, but unfortunately feta has a way of tending to overpower most other things you put it with.

Lisa was in a breakfast mood and had the egg’s benedict which looked amazing and I know firsthand from my deviled eggs that the béarnaise was very good. Not Meritage good, but really, that’s almost an unattainable standard.

Overall it was a bit of a mixed bag for me. The service was great, but I’m impartial since I knew Jack from before, the appetizers were awesome, but I think I did a poor job of reading the menu and avoiding feta, which really shouldn’t be reflected on my opinion since they brought what I ordered. I think I’ll have to make another trip soon and try the ever-changing amazing desserts Jack told me about.

Owners are the beautiful and talented Molly Hermann of Taste Bud Tart and Tracy Morgan of  Segnavia Creative. Molly and Tracy make an incredible team and I love hearing all the new fun things they are coming up with every time I stop by.

Another reason Kitchen in the Market is so wonderful is that it takes a bit of the mystique out of a commercial kitchen. For people like me, that may be a bit intimidated by professional chefs and trying to throw a decent meal together KITM helps to make it more accessible.

They also have an amazing deli/refrigerated case that is always full of different yummy stuff made by the chefs who are using the space. Since the chefs who use the space are in and out the stuff in the deli case is almost always changing, but looks amazing every time I visit.

KITM also has a shop which is stocked with spices, kitchen tools and more. The website says it perfectly, “It’s a shop for cooks – inspired by chefs.”

Now, back to the classes I mentioned earlier. There are a range of classes from  Cooking the Market, where you are able to utilize the grocery stores in Midtown from Kids cooking classes for many age groups.  Plus, who doesn’t want a free karaoke cooking demo? I thought so, go book now!

Never in a million years did I think I would find such a wonderful, supportive, smart, fun group of people when I started this blog. (I’ve given a shout out to a few of them in my earlier food blogger posts.) I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of this amazing community and I enjoy learning from so many of them.

Plus, if I thought I was a foodie BEFORE, I realize now how much more I have to learn and how truly fun it is to talk to others who are passionate about food.(And I mean REALLY PASSIONATE.) I’ve also enjoyed trying new foods, like Lamb Brain from Saffron (pictured above).

I originally started this blog after taking a career assessment. This assessment indicated many things but the strongest career path that emerged was a chef. At first I laughed, because I don’t cook well under stress in my kitchen, much less trying to run a restaurant, but it got me thinking. I realized that food is a very big part of my life. I always blamed the big Italian family for making food a priority, or the fact that I’m “food motivated” but really underneath all that is a genuine passion and interest in food, the food systems, nutrition and trying new things.

Through this whole process I’ve rekindled my joy of cooking for my family as well. As I’ve mentioned I’m not very good at cooking under pressure as of yet, although, with more practice I’ve become better and better. I do however, really enjoy cooking Italian family recipes from scratch, the ones that take 4-5 hours to complete. I’m also determined to perfect my whole wheat bread recipe. I’ve made it a personal goal to begin to share recipes from my Italian family, and maybe a few from my husband’s family, if they aren’t all trade secrets.

Additionally, I’m embarking on an adventure to try to cook one new recipe a week. Because of all my talented Food Blogger peers, I have my choice of where to begin, but from reading many other foodie blogs I’ve discovered so many recipes that look easy, tasty and healthy, all of which are important to me. (I’ll be posting my adventures, which hopefully end up more successful than not.)

He is the author of three books A Celtic Childhood“, “Scotland is Not for the Squeamish” and “The Once and Future Celt.

I first met Bill at Molly Quinns for  none other than St Patrick’s day 2003 (or maybe it was 2002.) He immediately welcomed us in and asked us to call him Uncle Bill. Once MQ closed I thought I had lost Uncle Bill forever, that is until I had the good fortune to be invited out for New Years 2010 to Merlin’s Rest . Along with the festivities I was treated to my first Scotch Egg, and quite a bit of fun, but I hadn’t been back until recently for dinner. I had heard about the legendary Fish and Chips. (Best in the Cities, probably in the state). Of course I had to try them. I was quite impressed. Not that I can say that I’m a fish and chip connoisseur, but these were amazing.

They have exactly the right amount of malt vinegar and crunch to them. The batter is delicious and well, the white fish is white fish, but it was cooked well and flakey and delicious. With not even a hint of rubber to them which is often what I find when I’ve ordered fish and chips elsewhere.

They also offer a Yankee version, no newsprint, no malt, and no fun, if you ask me.

On another visit recently I tried the Ploughman’s with English Stilton which was completely unexpected and fantastic. They vary a bit away from a traditional Ploughman’s Lunch in favor of a much greener, healthier, lighter dish. Additionally there was a HUGE chunk of stilton, so they were already on my good list. As much as I pretend that the bread is part of it, I would happily eat the stilton by the handfuls without any bread or crackers. Oh and I haven’t even mentioned the basil butter, divine!!

After a healthy dose of Strongbow (and a Black & Tan for Noah) we enjoyed the splendid English Toffee Cake. My mother tells me this is almost exactly what her grandmother used to make so for her it’s completely nostalgic. For me it was just fantastic.

In addition to the food is the weekly live entertainment and trivia. While we were dining there was live music which both my daughters enjoyed dancing to and added to the welcoming ambiance.  I wholeheartedly enjoyed my dinner, and maybe if I get brave I may go back to try my hand at some trivia.

The Eat Ramen/Help Japan event is a gathering of top local chefs and eaters as they celebrate the craft of ramen while helping to feed the survivors of the Japan earthquake and tsunami.

My husband will be also throwing his hat in the ring and making his special recipe that he makes for us at home. I can’t wait to try all the different variations of interpretations of ramen made by all the talented chefs.

Volunteers still needed as well!

• Shaina of Food For My Family. Shaina is amazing. I know she hates it  when I pour on the platitudes, so in lieu of that, just go to her blog and be amazed. Never again will you wonder what to make for dinner, read and be inspired!

• Relishing It Laurie is so fantastic. She makes cooking look both simple and easy and has almost convinced me I want to give it a try on a regular basis, almost!

•  Jenny and Will at Hao Chi who have divided their site in to restaurants, cooking, and favorites and since I’m interested in both their restaurant reviews and what they are cooking at home I often spend a great deal of time catching up on this blog.

• Amy Peterson at Green Your Plate, I don’t need to say much more. The name tells you what you need to know. Veggies are our friends, Amy just helps you to see it that way. Most of the folks who read my blog are already converted, but I love this blog I learn something every time I read it. Also, Amy is a fantastic photographer, and has done a great job documenting our #MNFoodBloggers events

• Crystal of Cafe Cyan is also amazing and like Amy, she posts the most delicious veggie based recipes, and let’s face it, she’s a total hoot in person!  Read her blog and fall in love.

• Thyme in our Kitchen‘s Matt just celebrated his one year anniversary of Blogging! Congrats Matt!  He is a thoughtful writer who ties family and life into his posts and he is also a skilled photographer. His posts are beautiful and they make me want to taste everything he makes.