Luck or Fate?

February 24, 2014 By Laura

Is “luck” real?

If we create our own fate, then nothing is really sheer luck…

Whatever the case may be, I felt pretty lucky this weekend. To start it out right, I was lucky to be invited to a preview lunch for the Atlanta Food & Wine Festival. It is far and away my favorite food event of the year.

From the delicious food they served to the sneak preview of the class schedule, the organizers, Dominique Love and Elizabeth Feichter, are going to put on the best one yet! If you haven’t been before, this is the year to try it out! One of my favorite things about this festival is that in addition to the amazing tasting tents, there are a ton of courses you can attend. I always learn something and meet new friends.

…

Fundays + Tomato Basil Beet Salad Guest Spot

July 2, 2012 By Laura

Forget Sunday-Funday.

This weekend was one big Funday! Friday – for my cheat day – I went to my favorite underground supper club, Push Start Kitchen with my best friend. Zack was serving a vegetarian dinner and once again blew it out of the water with his creative flavor combinations and impeccable execution. God bless cheat day.

L to R: the table; amuse – a corn masa with red chili jam and pickled okra; appetizer – chilled zucchini soup with tempura pumpkin flowers, house-made ricotta with preserved lemon, arugula, and smoked chile jam; main – roasted chile, Israeli couscous with collards, black plum mole, crisped tamale “croutons,” cotija cheese, and hears of palm; dessert – arroz con leche with candied lemon, melon sorbet, lychee foam, and basil and sour cherry gelee.

Saturday I took an easy bike ride through the park and hit up the Green Market for some tomatoes and a beautiful bunch of basil grown right there in the park. Doesn’t get more local than that!

Saturday evening I got to see some of my favorite bloggers at a going away party for Heather and her hubby Kirk. They are off to Colorado! We are sad to see them go, but we had a great time catching up and goofing off.

L to R: Heather, Lindsay, Tina, and me.

Heather cooked up a fantastic (vegan) Mexican feast, even specially preparing ground tempeh so that I had something I could eat (going out on a strict diet is HARD). I really loved her bean dip too – it was just the right amount of spicy.

I didn’t partake in the Cayenne-spice chocolate chip cookie sandwiches, but am told they were phenomenal.

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Tiffany @ Como Water invited me to write a guest post for her blog. Please click here to check it out, and check out her blog. It is a plethora of delicious, plant-based eats!

This dish I made for her is a Tomato Basil Beet Salad. Who knew this beets and tomatoes would be such a win? I mean, I thought it would taste good, but whoa. This simple salad of beets, tomato, basil, and onion blew me away. A bit of lemon juice, olive oil, and pepper balanced the beet flavor and the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes almost made it seems like dessert.

The other item that blew me away was a feta cheese.

Last week I talked about the yogurt I received from Olympus; however, they also included a feta cheese in the package. This creamy treat is imported from Greece, and is the BEST feta I’ve had in recent memory. I’m not even exaggerating. It was impossibly creamy, and have just the right amount of salt to bring out the feta tang.

For the full recipe, check out my guest post on Tiffany’s blog, Como Water.

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Recap time. I’m on day 10 of my figure competition training and still loving it! I had an appointment with my trainer Saturday. It was a tough one – I got busted for my lack of protein on my “cheat” day (note to self: Steve reads blog… watch yo self) and was ~~justly punished~~ treated to a killer leg workout. I’m really excited about my progress in a short amount of time. I was able to squat 30% more weight than I could just a week and a half ago!

Thank god this week was only 3 softball games… ’cause it is HOT. The obligatory #proof pic:

Workout Recap (6/25- 7/1):

Monday – Chest/Biceps, 2.5 mile walk
Tuesday – Legs (w/ trainer), 2 mile walk
Wednesday – Back/Tris
Thursday – Shoulders/Glutes, 2.5 mile walk
Friday – Biceps/Chest, 2 mile walk
Saturday – Legs/Hams (w/ trainer), 20 min bike ride, 1.75 mi walk
Sunday – 3 softball games

***

Don’t forget to click here and enter to win 2 boxes of Special K’s new granola bars! Contest ends TONIGHT at 11:59p.

What was the highlight of your weekend?

Is it in the 100s where you are?

Text-less Tuesday

December 13, 2011 By Laura

It’s a busy time of year.

This isn’t news to anyone, but it has finally caught up to me. As a result, an (almost) Text-less Tuesday post. Here’s a bit about what I’ve been up to lately:

1. Another fantastic meal from Push Start Kitchens:

Crepe Cake with Dulce de Leche, Pears, and Lime Creme

2. A (cold) visit to the Atlanta Botanical Gardens Holiday Lights show:

3. New hair from the fabulous Karen @ Lava Hair Studio. Nothing too funky since I had a client meeting the next day. Just wait ’til February. 🙂

Picture of Karen taking a picture of me

4. A business trip to Farm Links Golf Resort that had me sleeping in an 1800s farmhouse. Alone. It may have been haunted.

Complete with ample reading material in case you left your laptop battery in Atlanta… ~~I’m surprised lightning didn’t strike me.~~

Not that religious books are bad… but they were literally the only option out of 100s of books in the house.

I did discover the Kindle app and the Pinterest app, both of which saved my life.

***

I’m 5 seconds from a full holiday nervous break down. (Not really. ~~Yet.~~)

What fun apps have you discovered lately?

Are you in holiday panic-mode, or are you more organized than I am?

Going Underground Like a Costa Rican

December 9, 2011 By Laura

The only thing that would have made this dinner better is if it had actually been in Costa Rica.

Last week I attended my 3rd Push Start Kitchen dinner. In case you missed my previous write-ups, Push Start Kitchen is an Underground Supper run by Atlanta native Zach Meloy and his wife, Christina. This supper club is their way to generate buzz in hopes of pushing a restaurant start here in Atlanta.

I’m pretty sure Zach is going to quit letting me come after a while, but I now have a nickname… that must be worth something.

Why I Keep Coming Back:

Flavors: they are thoughtful and unique – the combinations are not seen anywhere else in Atlanta
Freshness: All of the ingredients are purchased locally the week of the dinner
Environment: dinner is laid back – no need to get glammed up or make a production over it
New friends: I love the opportunity to share a meal with 10 people I don’t know

Preachin’ and Pourin’

As Zach so eloquently put it:

You shouldn’t have to deal with assholes to have a really good meal.

Zach and his wife just returned from a trip to Chris’ hometown of Alajuela, Costa Rica. This particular feast was inspired by their travels.

As usual, we began with an amuse. This time it was a cream cheese spread topped with pepper jelly and black sea salt. Sweet and spicy is my favorite flavor combo, so I was thrilled with this dip. The slight crunch from the salt flakes on top was a nice touch as well.

This was served along with a cocktail worthy of the chilly evening – hot cider with rum, ginger liquor, and a lemon wedge.

I’ll be making this one at home!

The appetizer was good, but I was particularly fascinated by the dish it was served in.

Zack brought these mini tins back from his recent trip to Costa Rica.

Caution: don’t open your lid until it’s time. Otherwise, you run the risk of a ninja chop to your exposed, defenseless neck.

The tins held a sort of deconstructed salad he called “Ensalada de Palmito.” The salad consisted of hearts of palm, charred onion, cucumber, shaved manchego, puffed rice with Indian spices, and a lemon mayonnaise.

Mayonnaise isn’t my favorite, but overall the textures were fun together. I particularly enjoyed the charred onions; they were slightly pureed and went really well with the manchego.

All day long I looked forward to the main dish. Zach (@PushStartCook) spend the afternoon taunting his Twitter followers with messages like:

Beef cheek “olla de carne” has already been going for an hour and boy, does the house smell good. Can’t wait to share.

The dish was titled “Ollo de Carne.” It was a slow-cooked beef cheek, heirloom carrots, chayote squash, green plantain, blue potato, and cilantro emulsion.

Once everyone had received a plate (ladies first – a very nice touch), Zach circled the table to pour Caldo de res (beef broth) over the veggies in each person’s bowl.

Again, the flavor combination was spot-on. That beef cheek was so tender you didn’t even need a knife. The cilantro emulsion swirled up in the broth; the herb-y flavor was just what was needed to bring the dish together. Can you believe how BLUE that potato was?

As delicious as everything was, dessert stole the show. Tres Leches. In case you aren’t familiar with this dish it a Latin dessert consisting of a sponge cake soaked in 3 milks – evaporated, condensed, and heavy cream (yeah… it’s a health food). It is often served with rum poured over the top.

Zach served a shot of rum on the side, giving us the option to pour it over or ~~shoot~~ sip it. Also on the dish were black tapioca balls in a coffee syrup.

This was literally the best Tres Leches I have ever had. I’m picky about dessert and I don’t give credit where it isn’t due. This was even better than the one from Tierra cited in Creative Loafing’s 100 Dishes to Eat in Atlanta Before You Die. (Note: sadly, Tierra has since closed.)

In talking to Zach about this dish, he casually mentioned it was the first time he’s ever made Tres Leches. I’m thinking he must have been a pastry chef in his last life.

We finished the meal with the traditional almond-coated candy and ~~cordial~~ moonshine.

In case you missed my other Push Start Write-Ups:

Push Start #1 – the one with my favorite entrée
Push Start #2 – the one with my favorite appetizer

***

Betcha can’t guess where I was again last night… yep, another dinner.

Is there a restaurant you go to so much they know you when you walk in?

If you could quit you and do anything – money no object – what would you do? I’d own a restaurant!

Game Day Inspired Dinner

November 19, 2011 By Laura

Underground dinners are my favorite.

The “secret” suppers have exploded in Atlanta and – from what I hear – across the country. They are meals prepared by local (mostly) aspiring chefs for a small group of people lucky enough to catch wind of the event. I’ve been to quite a few and always come away inspired and with several new friends.

Push Start Kitchen has been my favorite so far. I’ve only been to two (click here for the details of that event), but hope to have the opportunity to attend more. Atlanta local Zach Meloy and his Costa Rican wife Christina prepare a thoughtful menu full of unique flavor combinations. (Think Southern meets Latin).

When I received the email about Zach’s November dinner, I knew I had to go. He was preparing a menu inspired by stadium traditions! You guys know I love my football.

It happened to be held on my friend Jessica’s birthday (check out the gluten-free meatball guest post she wrote for me here), and I was excited to share the experience with my friend.

The evening began with a delicious tequila and pear cocktail, accompanied by Zach’s take on corn nuts. These were tossed in an addicting sweet-spicy sauce. ~~I may have eaten more than my share.~~

Next up was the soup course. We were given bowls with granola (he uses Trader Joe’s), pickled carrot, buttermilk panna cotta, and chipotle molasses. That alone was a gorgeous showing!

Zach then circled the table, pouring celery root soup atop each plating. It was a perfect combination of textures and flavors – crunchy granola, vinegar-laced carrots, subtle sweetness of the panna cotta, and the fantastic smoky heat from the chipotle molasses were all tied together with the earthy, rich celery soup. He needs to start serving seconds!

I could have died happy after this, but we still had the main course to come!

Slow cooked chicken, with crispy onion, grain mustard panade, roasted red cabbage, and pretzel puree. Yes it was as good as it sounds.

Zach’s chicken was the most perfectly cooked meat I’ve ever put in my mouth. That’s no small feat. The grain mustard had just the right amount of tang with the ballpark-salty pretzel puree.

Some people turn up their noses at the idea of ordering chicken in restaurants because it’s so “pedestrian.” I always argue that – like eggs – if a chef can prepare it perfectly, it’s the sign of real talent.

You know when you don’t want to finish a dish or drink because it’s so good you don’t want it to end? Our stadium meal was one I was sad to see end. Alas, it was time for dessert.

Mexican hot chocolate cake with malt ice cream, dulce de leche with black salt, and kettle corn.

The cake was good, but he could have made the dessert entirely of the homemade ice cream, popcorn, and the smoky black salted caramel. Lately I’ve posted a lot about my love of sweet-salty or savory combos and this hit the spot! I swear I didn’t make special requests.

Unfortunately I didn’t get a picture of Jessica’s dessert. She is gluten-free, so Zach prepared a caramelized banana dish for her that looked fabulous. She didn’t offer to share. He even put a candle in it!

The meal ended with a thick berry cordial and a sweet Latin candy rolled in crushed almonds, dipped and coated on the spot. Two desserts = just my style.

The night didn’t end there, but this post does!

***

Thanks to all for a second Top 9 this week! Check out my Sparkling Cake Balls on FoodBuzz by clicking here.

What is your favorite stadium food?

What chef would prepare the meal at your dream supper club?

Biscoff Sauce + WIAW

August 3, 2011 By Laura

What I Ate…

errrr... on Friday night of last week. Details, details… but I promise a real recipe from Wednesday at the end!

I’ve been meaning to write a post about this Underground Supper I went to last Friday. It is the best supper event I’ve attended to date! And you guys know I do these a lot.

Atlanta native Zach Meloy started Push Start Kitchen with his wife, Christina. They recently returned from a stint in Costa Rica where they ran a restaurant. This supper club is their way to generate some buzz ~~and money~~ in hopes of pushing a restaurant start here in Atlanta.

So my foodie-partner-in-crime (Corinne) and I trekked out to The Goat Farm.

The Goat Farm is a kitschy little hippie-like colony that – in addition to literally being a goat farm – hosts a variety of events (this night included a dance performance and a food truck), is home to a few loft owners, and has it’s own coffee shop/late night $2 beer stop. I had NO idea places like this existed in Atlanta ~~but I’m moving in~~.

We were to dine in a small room with 8 others among ancient ceiling pulley systems, discarded books, and cotton mill ruins.

Candles were lit, Dark and Stormy beverages flowed, and the night began to move.

Pictures were taken in front of an old pile of bricks by a local photographer. A train rolled by. We found a copy of The World According to Garp. I ran into a girl I went to high school with (what are the odds?!).

All while enjoying a lovely canape – a small masa biscuit topped with cream cheese and red pepper jam:

After the first round of drinks and the canapes were consumed, we took our seats at a rustic (read: IKEA) dining table for the first course.

First, the wine (served by Zach): a light rose, full of strawberries and refreshing on a muggy night.

I was of course busy ogling the already-plated food on the chef’s table next to my right…

First course: crispy Serrano ham, tomato confit, avocado, smoked chile cornbread, with molasses vinaigrette and basil.

Now. I don’t like cornbread (bad Southerner!), but this stuff was delicious. It was soft and smokey, not gritty and dry like the bread I often see. The Serrano was perfectly crisped and added the right level of salt to compliment the plump tomatoes.

I could have eaten this all night and been content. Alas, the meal must go on!

Second Course: Sous vide pork tenderloin, roasted plum mole, crispy grits, goat cheese, country ham powder, and greens.

You read me correctly – PLUM mole. Spiced chocolate plum sauce. I nearly begged Chef for a jar of the stuff.

For those of you who haven’t had meat prepared sous vide before, it is basically cooking meat at a low temperature in a plastic bag underwater. This allows you to cook even the thickest cuts of meat evenly at a perfectly controlled temperature, resulting in (arguably) the most juicy meat perfection (sorry if I just made all the vegetarians gag!).

Back to the mole. It was amazing with the pork not too sweet and a bit smokey. All of this was complemented by the slightly salty flash-fried grit cakes and creamy goat cheese. I gobbled up mine so fast Corinne asked if I wanted to finish hers.

The Finale: Rum scented “pan perdido,” condensed milk ice cream, pickled cherries, and galleta maria

I didn’t know what half of that meant until I googled at home later. My initial description was “deconstructed dessert French toast.”

It turns out I wasn’t too far off! Pan perdido is essentially bread pudding. Chef Zach pan-fried it so it was especially french toast-like (nom nom). Galleta marias are tea biscuit-like brown sugar cookies found throughout Latin America. They almost crumbled to the touch and their vanilla and cinnamon flavorings only added to my french toast fantasy. Served with homemade ice cream and pickled cherries… I can now die happy.

The way to my stomach’s heart is dessert. Someone must have let that cat out of the bag because we were presented with a sweet coconut candy rolled in almond meal:

The bird didn’t want any, so I ate it all myself. 🙂

As promised, I am posting something I actually made and ate this week ~~for a change~~.

The Biscoff spread Miss Smart gifted me with has been burning a hole in my pantry. This is an emergency situation, remedied only by having banana soft serve (which I think you all are familiar with) for breakfast.

Why soft serve? To go with my Biscoff Sauce, of course!

Biscoff spread tastes like a creamed version on the brown sugar cookies served on Delta flights… but better.

Why better? Let me break this down: Spread = Peanut Butter-like = Awesome.

In fact, it says right on the jar that it should be used any where you’d normally use PB or chocolate spread. Cookie spread!!! *swoon*

Can you call 2 ingredients a recipe? Maybe not… but it’s what I ate for breakfast on Wednesday (WIABW).

Banana Soft Serve

Freeze a banana. Toss said banana in blender. Blend until smooth (can add milk if you need to thin it out a bit to blend).

Biscoff Sauce

1 T Biscoff spread
1/8 tsp coconut oil

Place both ingredients in a small bowl.

Microwave for ~10 seconds – just until melted (BE CAREFUL – it will burn). Stir together.

Try to top soft serve with sauce before you slurp it up

***

This jar doesn’t have a prayer of lasting through the weekend. It will be used for some epic oats.

What food product have you recently tried and loved?

Does anyone want to write a guest post for me next week? Pretty please?!