Since we missed January, Kelly and I doubled up this month and tried two new restaurants. Last weekend we had dinner at Mango. Mango specializes in Peruvian cuisine which neither of us had tried before. We went to the original location in Shrewsberry which is actually closing at the end of the month. Despite being in a strip mall, the restaurant was cute and cozy - even a little romantic for my date with Kelly ;) We started our meal with a glass of wine and the complimentary fried plantains and a delicious green spicy sauce. Now, I hate bananas with a passion so I was a little hesitant to try these crispy little chips, but I am happy to say that they did not taste anything like bananas and were quite addicting! Kelly and I polished off two dishes of them before our meal!
Mango offers small plates for sharing as well as entrees. We decided to go the small plate route so we could try a variety of dishes. We chose: Empanada (baked pastries with beef, raisins, spanish olives & sweet peppers), Pascualina (spinach, onion, mushroom, egg & a blend of cheeses baked in a pie crust), Anticucho de Pollo (chicken skewers), and sauteed shrimp.
The empanada was different than those I've had at spanish style tapas restaurants. The pastry was crispy and golden on the outside and the filling was a nice blend of savory and sweet. The Pascualina was similar to Greek spanakopita and very good. The chicken and shrimp were both cooked just right and the sauce that came with the chicken, a itrus-aji amarillo sauce, was different than anything I have ever tasted.
For dessert we had Pionono, sponge cake rolled in rich dulce de leche. It was a little heavier than an angel food cake with caramel sauce drizzled over top. Delicious!
I thoroughly enjoyed my first taste of Peruvian cuisine and look forward to going to the downtown location to try other things on the menu and get more of those tasty plantain chips!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Restaurant of the Month: M
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Restaurant of the Month: L
Kelly and I switched it up this month and met at Lola for brunch instead of our usual dinner. The brunch menu at Lola isn't big but offers a variety of crepes, waffles, egg benedicts and a few unique offers like Savory Creole Breakfast Bread Pudding. Kelly and I were eying several things so we decided to order two and share. We ended up with an Omelet Stuffed Crepe (spinach, mushrooms, gruyere, topped with a white sauce) and the Smoked Salmon Benedict. Both were delicious! The crepe was light and stuffed to the brim with spinach and mushrooms (that makes it healthy right?) and the sauce that topped it off added a nice creaminess without being overpowering. The benedict was a great take on the classic with an english muffin topped with smoked salmon, a poached egg and holandaise sauce. Paired with coffee and mimosas it was the perfect brunch!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Happy Valentine's Day
Jason and I celebrated Valentine's Day Saturday with a nice dinner at LoRusso's (our Valentine's tradition) and then a movie at the Moolah. We always have a great meal at LoRusso's and Saturday was no exception. We both commented how much we just love it there. The food, the atmosphere, the service. Perfection every time. We saw The King's Speech and both really enjoyed it. Colin Firth was amazing and I can understand why he is up for so many awards! This was the first time I have been to the Moolah theater. They have love seats and couches in place of stadium seating. It was kind of nice to feel like you were at home at the theater!
Today Jason started a new job at New Balance as Marketing Specialist for their e-commerce site shopnewbalance.com. He came home tired, but excited about this new opportunity. I think it's going to be a great place for him. Plus, we get great deals on New Balance gear and shoes :)
Jason requested these enchiladas for Valentine's dinner: Over The Border Shrimp Enchiladas. This is the second time I have made these and they turned out even better than I remembered!
For dessert I made a Red Velvet Cherry Cake. My Aunt gave me a recipe for "Soo Easy Chocolate Cherry Cake" at one of my bridal showers. I decided to revise it a bit and make it more Valentinesy :) Here is the recipe:
1 box of Red Velvet Cake Mix
1 can Cherry Pie Filling (I used lite)
3 eggs
1 tsp almond extract
Mix together cake mix, eggs, and cherry pie filling. Stir in almond extract. Spread into 13x9 greased and floured pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-35 minutes.
Fresh out of the oven. Love the color! Pefect for Valentine's Day :)
I whipped up a cream cheese frosting. It was a little more like a glaze but actually really worked with the cake. I tried to get a little creative with my decorating. I found some stencils at Michaels and thought they would be cute. I definitely don't win any points for my decorating skills but Jason appreciated the sentiment :)
Happy Valentine's Day!
Monday, February 7, 2011
Superbowl Snacks
Jason and I watched the Superbowl at my parent's house along with the whole family. It was a low key night which we was exactly what we wanted. Of course we had a great spread of snacks and pizza to enjoy as well. My contribution was Spinach, Artichoke Feta dip. I found the recipe on my favorite cooking blog. I love spinach/artichoke dip and I love feta cheese so I new that this dip would be a winner in my book. I've made it several times now and it always goes over well and it's super easy to make! I used reduced fat cream cheese and fat free sour cream and found that it's still full of flavor with less fat :)
Spinach Artichoke Feta Dip
adapted from several recipes
Makes an 8x8 dish
10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and drained
8-ounce package cream chese, softened
can of artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups feta cheese, crumbled
2 cloves garlic, minced
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
Mix all ingredients in large bowl except 1/2 cup cheese. Put mixture into 8x8 baking dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup cheese over top.
Bakes for 20 minutes or until bubbly. Serve with pita chips or cracker of choice!
Although I didn't make this next recipe for the Superbowl, it would be great for game night or any night for that matter! BBQ Chicken Pizza has quickly become Jason's favorite meal that I make. I found this recipe on the same blog as the dip but it originally comes from California Pizza Kitchen so you know it's going to be good! The original recipe calls for gouda cheese while the one below uses blue cheese. I opted for a shredded blend of smoked gouda, cheddar and mozzarella from Trader Joes. I waited in line for 10 minutes just to get one bag of it! It's perfect with this pizza! This is a must try recipe!
BBQ Chicken Pizza
1 chicken breast or 1/2 pound chicken tenders
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Prepare pizza stone or baking sheet.
Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add chicken and cook thoroughly. Remove from heat and cool slightly, coat with 1/4 cup BBQ sauce. Cut into bite-sized pieces.
Form dough into 10" crust. Spread remaining 1/4 cup BBQ sauce evenly onto crust, leaving small border around edges. Sprinkle blue cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella over crust. Add chicken, red onion, remaining mozzarella, and cilantro.
Bake for 10 minutes or until crust is slightly browned. Cool slightly before slicing.
Hope everyone had a great Superbowl Sunday!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Jason's B-Day Weekend
Well Blizzard 2011 decided to bypass St. Louis. Judging by the crazy amounts of snow it dumped nearby I'd say that's a good thing. We ended up with a couple of inches of sleet topped of with a couple of inches of snow. It was nice to have a snow day yesterday - those don't happen often-but it was back to reality today.
Jason's 27th birthday was last Friday and we spent the weekend celebrating with friends and family. Friday evening we had a "White Trash Bowling" party with our friends at a local bowling alley. What is White Trash Bowling you ask? Basically just an excuse to dress like a fool and bowl with your buddies :) I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.
I think Shannon was thinking "wow, I'm about to marry this guy?!" ;)
Mary always has the perfect outfit for every theme party. I mean check out those boots.
Brandon was kind of creeping me out in this wig
Classy ladies
Me and my bro
Jason and I had a great time!
Saturday evening we had dinner with Jason's family at Dewey's Pizza followed by cake and Mizzou basketball at our house. It was a much more low key night :)
We rounded out the weekend of celebration with a panini party at my sister's house with my family. Jason and I have a panini maker and although we don't use it much it's fun for family get-togethers. My sister and I went to the store and bought a variety of meats, cheeses, and veggies and my sister made homemade tomato basil focacia. Everyone was able to create their own panini. It was delish! Jason got to spend some quality time with his nieces and even got a new ladder!
It was a great weekend. Thanks to our friends and family for making Jason's birthday so special!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Catching up
What better day to do some catching up than today. Jason and I are both home from work, hunkered down in the house while Blizzard 2011 is upon us. Most of St. Louis is shut down and it's been sleeting for hours. It's supposed to change to snow this afternoon and we could see 10-24 inches! I don't think I've ever witnessed a storm like this. I'm not complaining though. I love being home with Jason, still in my pajamas, dinner in the crockpot and relaxing on the couch. It's a cozy day and I'm going to enjoy it!
Last week Jason had a business trip to New Orleans and suggested that I join him. Neither of us had ever been to New Orleans and while it was a quick trip we enjoyed exploring the city and of course the food! I flew into New Orleans Wednesday evening and we joined Jason's boss and friend for dinner at Mister B's Bistro. We had a fantastic meal complete with barbecue shrimp, gumbo and steak.
The bbq shrimp. Soo good!
And messy. The waiter tied bibs on all of us before serving the shrimp. They are still in the shells so peeling them is a bit challenging but well worth it!
Thursday afternoon Jason had some down time and it gave us the chance to really explore New Orleans. It was sunny and 60 degrees out. Perfect for walking around the French Quarter. We had lunch at Johnny's Po-Boys, one of the many places recommended by our friend Jessica, the New Orleans expert! Johnny's is a tiny family owned diner that has been around since 1950. Jason had a crawfish po-boy while I had a muffaletta. Yum!
After lunch we continued on to Jackson Square. At the heart of the French Quarter, Jackson Square is a beautiful courtyard full of history as well as an open air artist colony, museums, restaurants, and shops.
The St. Louis Cathedral
There were lots of street performers.
I decided to do a tarot card reading. As you can see by the look on my face, I wasn't really buying what this guy was telling me, but it was entertaining!
After walking around the square we went across the street to Cafe Du Monde, famous for their beignets and chicory coffee. The beignets were delicious!
We took a carriage ride through the French Quarter. This was probably our favorite part of the day. Our driver was a New Orleans native and was very knowledgeable about the history of the city. It was a great way to get a view of the entire French Quarter.
Johnny Depp recently bought this house
His nearby neighbors Brad and Angelina's house
Thursday night we made reservations at Nola, an Emeril Legasse restaurant, for an early birthday dinner for Jason. It was definitely the best meal we had in New Orleans and probably in the top 5 best meals we've ever had! We both ordered the shrimp and grits and it was to die for. It's one of those meals that you just melt with every bite it's so good. We ended the meal with chocolate bread pudding with sweet potato ice cream. It was also delicious!!
Friday afternoon we headed back to St. Louis to celebrate Jason's birthday with our friends and family. More to come!
