Pure Michigan (with a side of Ohio)

I was fortunate to be able to tag up a personal trip with a work trip the first full week of June.  While I was there for some fun and some serious reasons, there were a few highlights that just can't be overlooked in my blogosphere.

I arrived in Michigan on the evening of the 6th of June in time to spend a night with my family before heading back to the airport to pick up my boss and a few coworkers for an event taking place in Sandusky.  As the once-local, it was incumbent on me to make a good restaurant selection for our Tuesday evening dinner in advance of our Wednesday work.  I scored big with Gratzi! in downtown Ann Arbor.  I'd been there several times when I was living in the Ann Arbor area, but hadn't been back in years.  But Italian is always a crowd pleaser, especially in a crowd of great, fun coworkers who happen to like food and wine as much as I do.

We got a bit of a late start, not sitting down to dinner until about 9PM.  We began our meal with a bottle of red, chosen well by my boss (I wish I could remember the name, but when I don't do the ordering I don't pay attention, let's be honest) and three primi plates.  Our first course included calamari fritti, sacchetti, and a risotto special that wasn't meant as an appetizer but that we were all curious to try.  The calamari was crispy and well-prepared, served with saffron aioli and the risotto was packed full of nutty, salty parmesan and fresh spring vegetables.  But the highlight for me was the sacchetti.  Handmade pasta pouches filled with porcini mushrooms in a light cream sauce, these were phenomenal.  The next time I go back this is all I intend to order.  Any maybe some dessert, of course.

Our mains included a variety of dishes, including Cinghiale (boar stew), Ravioli con Caprino (Ravioli with goat cheese), Penne con Pollo e Pumate (Penne with Chicken, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes), and Tonno alla Griglia con Porri e Aceto Balsamico (seared tuna with crispy risotto cake and white balsamic syrup).  The stand outs of this course included the Cinghiale, served over homemade parpadelle and the seared tuna with its sweet balsamic reduction.

We ended our meal with dessert, because if you're going to go for Italian, you have to go all out.  Tiramisu and a dark chocolate crepe filled with white chocolate mousse, drizzled with raspberry sauce and dotted with fresh raspberries.  The crepe is a long-standing favorite of mine and one I was happy to share (or hog).  By the time we finished our meal and made it back to our hotel in Dearborn, it's amazing anyone was able to get up the next morning to work.  But we did.  I even have photographic proof - we didn't even look bad doing it!

Following my Wednesday work, I was able to spend the remainder of the week and weekend in Brighton and Ann Arbor, spending time with family and catching up with friends.

Wednesday evening my dad and brother decided they needed to purchase and "test" a new fire pit for the backyard. A quick trip to Home Depot later and there it was, being assembled on the back patio.  This in an of itself is fairly unremarkable.  What is remarkable was that until that night my 61 year old father had NEVER had a S'more.  I don't know how that's possible.  We didn't camp much when I was a kid, but it just seems unfathomable to me that this right-of-passage type food had never been his before.  And, the best part? My super picky, no junk food eating dad actually liked it.

My dad enjoying his very first S'more

Even though we stayed up way too late enjoying the fire, I was able to get moving on Thursday morning and by lunch time I was in Ann Arbor to meet up with three of my favorite college girls and two of their little munchkins that I still hadn't had the pleasure of meeting.  We met up at No Thai, a walk-up style place that was perfect to allow us to sit and chat for a long lunch.  I was great to finally get to spend some real time with these ladies, J, S and F and even better to finally get to meet their little ones.  I did the best I could to capture pics of our lunch.  That was easier said than done with S's gorgeous girl M - she's super active.  F's daughter, P, was a little easier since she's just three months old and not quite as mobile.

Miss M, reaching for her water cup

P snoozing during lunch

S getting big kisses from her girl

New BFFs, P (and Momma F) and M

Miss P scoping out the camera

We rounded out or lunch with a little shopping in Kerrytown before we all went our separate ways.  It was great to see these ladies (including the little ladies) and even better that I got to see S and M again on Friday, this time with G, who's expecting her first little girl in October!  Thanks for a great visit ladies.

Lemon Yogurt Cake Redux

The day our President took his oath of office, B and I enjoyed an Inaugural brunch at our house to watch the events unfold (because we were not crazy enough to go downtown).  As a part of that brunch, I made a lemon yogurt cake, the recipe for which I blogged way back then.

It was a great cake, but like many of the myriad of recipes I try, it just fell off my radar.  But I revived it in this month to help celebrate the birthdays of two coworkers.  And this time, I added a new twist - a homemade blueberry sauce.

Just like before, the cakes turned out lemony and delicious.

Ina Garten's Lemon Yogurt Cake recipe

To take these tasty cakes to the next level I made a blueberry sauce.  Now the disclaimer. Diabetics and people who do not like sweet things should run, not walk away from this recipe.  While blueberries have a nice natural tartness, very little of that comes through here.  Perhaps its the copious amounts of sugar, but this sauce is just straight up sweet.  But it is very, very good and it adds an additional dimension to the lemon cake.  

To make the sauce combine three pints of blueberries, two cups of sugar, two cups of water and two tablespoons of lemon juice in a large pot.  Bring the mixture to boil over high heat, stirring occasionally.  Reduce the heat to low and allow the sauce to simmer for at least 15 minutes or until is starts to thicken.  Cool and serve with lemon yogurt cake (this also tastes awesome served over vanilla bean ice cream!).

Mojitos, my new favorite herbal remedy

With the deck right outside our kitchen door, it's both easy and convenient to grow our own herbs.  This year, we've planted basil, mint, rosemary, parsley and cilantro.  In addition to providing some fresh flavors to add to our meals, they actually provide a lovely green backdrop when we're outside, enjoying the outside space that we were so sorely lacking in our old place.

Our exploding mint plant (left) along with some very tall basil (right)

Parsley (upper left), cilantro (upper right), rosemary (lower center)

As the caption states, within days of planting it our mint plant exploded.  Huge, green and EVERYWHERE.  The parsley has a tendency to do the same thing.  However, parsley lends itself to drying very easily.  So when it gets too large, I just cut down what I want to dry and bring it in.  Mint in any form but fresh just doesn't do it for me.  As a result, B and I needed to find a way to use our mint and fast.  Right about the same time the temperatures in DC were starting to spike considerably, in fact we were well on our way to what a good friend of mine called, "sweaty pits 2011."  B solved both problems (if not somewhat temporarily) in one delicious go - MOJITOS! Crisp, refreshing and mint-filled.  Here's the recipe he used, hopefully you'll find it as tasty and heat-beating as we did!

Ingredients (per glass)

4 mint leaves
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon powdered sugar
2 ounces white rum
2 ounces club soda
crushed ice

Place the mint leaves in the bottom of your highball glass and squeeze the lime juice over them. Add the powdered sugar. Muddle the mint, lime juice and sugar together. Add crushed ice. Stir in the rum and top off with the club soda.

Magic chicken

This one's for you DS.

We stumbled onto this combination just playing with chicken breasts, the grill and spices.  We've fed it to many people and one of them dubbed it "Magic Chicken." Why magic?  Because you would never think that by taking chicken and adding just two spices could make it so unbelievably delicious.  But somehow you can - it's like magic!

To make this super easy and extremely versatile chicken favorite simply buy boneless, skinless chicken breast.  We prefer the air chilled chicken breasts from Whole Foods, but that's just personal preference.  Preheat your grill to very hot (we let ours get up to about 550 - 600 degrees). Lay the chicken breasts out on a plate.  Brush each breast with a thin layer of olive oil to help the spices stick to the chicken and to keep it from sticking to the grill.  Sprinkle liberally with Kosher salt.  Add fresh cracked pepper, also in a liberal amount.  Cover the entire breast with chili powder (the whole thing should be more or less red when you're done).  Finally sprinkle a couple of teaspoons of cumin over each breast.  Pat the chicken to adhere the spices. Flip with tongs and repeat on the opposite side.  When you're done it should look something like this.

Mmm...magic chicken

To get really juicy flavorful chicken, the trick to grilling it is fast and hot.  Preheated to its highest temperatures, the chicken goes down on the grill for about five minutes per side, just until its firm to the touch and cooked through.  Allow it to sit for a few minutes to let the juices redistribute.

 B's pretty grill lines and tasty spice crust

Once you've allowed it to rest you can use it for any number of delicious meal creations.  Our two favorites are fajitas (add oven roasted butternut and yellow squash and zucchini, Trader Joe's handmade tortillas and carcaramelized Vidalia onions) and Southwest chicken sandwiches (whole wheat hamburger buns, sliced extra sharp English cheddar, sliced avocado and caramelized Vidalia onions).

Roadtripping with Junior

Saturday morning dawned later than usual thanks to a fair amount of wine the night before.  After packing up and checking out of our hotel we grabbed a cab and headed for Jamaica Plain to meet JH and PY for breakfast before borrowing JH's little red Cavelier, "Junior", for our trip up to New Hampshire.

After finally getting to see JH and PY's apartment (they've lived there two years, we're awful!), we piled into Junior and headed up the street to the Sugar Baking Company, a really cute spot in Roslindale.  With nice weather they had their front windows completely removed so the little place opened right onto the street.  We enjoyed pretty traditional breakfast fare, with a couple of perfectly poached eggs with crispy home fries and toast for me; an arugula, bacon and cheddar omelet for B; a Company omelet with apples and farmhouse Cheddar for JH; and yogurt, granola and fruit for PY.  Everyone's breakfast was delicious, but the spot was the best.  With the whole place open onto the street it had a great neighborhood feel.  Combine this with interesting food choices (stuffed french toast with figs and brie!) and lots of vegetarian friendly options for JH and PY and I'm certain that will try this place again on our next Boston visit.

Unfortunately for our visit with JH and PY, after breakfast we had to pack up and drive out of Boston, escorted by JH's lovely and talented Junior, for Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire to attend B's friend's wedding.

We arrived just in time to get ready and be one time to the ceremony, held lakeside under a tent.  It had been raining on and off all day and it was a bit blustery.  I spent our first few minutes poaching B's body heat.  But that was all forgotten when the Bride walked down the aisle, gorgeous and beaming.  While the ceremony was very quick, there was no doubt about how thrilled both Bride and Groom were to be saying their "I dos."

Every one rose during the recessional for the Resort staff to do the fastest change of the tent from ceremony to cocktail hour I've ever seen.  It was light speed and impressive.  And I doubt any of the guests, including me, even realized it was going on at the time. We were all too awed by the fact that as the Bride and Groom had left the tent the sky had opened into dazzling afternoon sun which stayed with us right until it was time to take our seats inside for dinner and dancing.

We enjoyed the reception as much as we'd enjoyed the ceremony and cocktail hour.  While we knew only a few of the people seated with us, everyone was friendly and outgoing and we enjoyed great dinner conversation.  Our dinner was followed by...wait for it...dancing.  As in, we danced.  Those of you who know B know that unless the music is really good (in his opinion), he's not partaking.  Well, this wedding gets two thumbs up on the DJ because we danced over and over again.  Sadly, I don't have any pics from the evening, but we had a great time and were glad we were able to share in the Bride and Groom's special day.

Somehow we got moving early on Sunday, heading back to Boston from New Hampshire.  A quick two hour drive and one breakfast stop later, we were back in Boston to spend the late morning and early afternoon with JH and PY before we had to return to DC.   We had a great, casual day.  We walked around JP, grabbed coffee and took a leisurely stroll through the Arboretum on what turned out to be Lilac Sunday.  This is a special occassion heralded every year in Boston as a tribute to the lilac.  As a result, the Arb (it's the Ann Arbor in me, I can't help but call it that) was pretty crowded.  But we still managed to enjoy the flowering trees and more of the excellent conversation that we are always thankful for with these amazing friends.  Unfortunately, our trip was drawing to a close and we only had time for a quick sushi lunch before we had to hit the airport.  But like always, we made the most of the time we had together.  JH and PY, we're so lucky to have you guys as friends! Thanks for a wonderful visit!

Channeling tourism in dulcet tones

The weekend after B's 30th, we headed up to Boston for a short visit with our fantastic friends JH and PY and to attend a wedding of a good friend of B's from work in New Hampshire.  As just a short weekend trip, it wasn't long enough to soak up all the JH and PY time we wanted, but we're still glad we got to visit.  

We arrived Friday night around the close of the business day, settled into our hotel in the Back Bay and headed over to the Parish Cafe on Boylston Street to meet PY for drinks while JH was finishing up at the office.  While it was a windy day, the temperature was nice and we were able to sit outside and enjoy our drinks and the first of a weekend filled with good company.  We didn't have too much time to linger over our happy hour though, as we'd been able to snag a reservation to celebrate both B's birthday (5/3) and PY's birthday (5/7) at an excellent Italian restaurant, also in the Back Bay neighborhood.  After drinks, we met up with JH in front of Sorellina.

We were seated at 6PM and enjoyed a leisurely three hour dinner complete with wine, first course, mains and dessert. We began our meal with two primi (aka the appetizer course) to share.  PY and JH ordered the Verdure, a plate of french beans, sunchokes, artichokes and carrots drizzled with a citrus vinaigrette.  B and I settled on the Tuna, which was served sashimi style with a spicy mostarda aioli and chili vinegar.  Both plates were excellent and were nice, light ways to start the meal.

For our mains, JH ordered the Cappellacci, a red beet farcito, served with toasted Marcona almonds and creme fraiche.  Sadly for this blog, PY ordered a special that I recall was quite delicious, but without being able to jog my memory looking at the online menu, I fail to remember what it was.  Sorry PY, but at least I remember it was good!  They shared eggplant rolatini filled with sheep's milk ricotta that was also exceptional.  B and I were true to our carniverous ways, ordering the Maccheroncelli and the veal respectively.  The Maccheroncelli, which I had to refer back to the menu three times to spell properly, was a combination of homemade pasta, barollo sauce and American Kobe beef meatballs that were amazing!  My veal was also great, served saltimbocca style (translation: jump in my mouth) with sage, prosciutto and mushrooms.  With such delicious food and great conversation with good friends we lingered over our mains for quite a while. 

When we finally moved on to dessert, we found ourselves all on the same page - the Sformato - a chocolate mousse confection served with warm salted caramel and hazelnut brittle (on the side in our case to accommodate my ultra-annoying food allergies).  Two dishes of Sformato, two coffees, an espresso and a cappuccino later three hours had passed. We were full and ready to move.

We decided the best way to facilite the digestion of our dinner and allow B and JH to smoke the cigars B had brought from DC was just to walk around Boston.  The weather was still nice even with the sun down so we made our way from the Back Bay, through the Boston Common to downtown where we ultimately ended up in a bar at the Omni Parker House.  We probably spent about an hour walking over there though, just enjoying the weather, the company and in B and JH's case, their cigars.

We rounded out our night with more wine at Parker's bar in the Omni.  Since JH, PY and I had all ordered different reds (B opted for a Plymouth gin martini, his favorite), we entertained ourselves playing the tasting game.  Testing our palates to see if we could decide which glass was which. Ultimately, we failed to properly identify the three glasses during our game, but all showed a preference for our own orders.  At least we know our own tastes.

About midnight, we were all yawning having had long days of working and/or traveling and decided it was time for bed.  We caught a cab back to the hotel in time to get a good night's sleep and prepare for the day ahead.

B turns 30!

It's official, he's crossed over into another decade.  Several friends tell me that in the three months in which I will still be in my twenties, I need to make the most of it, reminding him frequently of his cradle-robbing ways.  Perhaps I will even start referring to him as my "sugar daddy."  Maybe not.  More on this birthday business in my Boston post.