Tasty Tuesday ~ Pork Tenderloin Stuffed with Roasted Red Peppers, Olives and Spinach

This is one of the recipes I learned in the meat butchery class I recently took, and when we sat down to eat it for dinner, I was thrilled how tender and juicy it came out.  This is a great recipe to host a party with, as you can prepare it ahead of time and simply put it in the oven when your guests arrive.  It also makes for elegant tableside presentation, and paired with a nice glass of wine and some couscous, is an effortless, elegant meal.

To print a pdf version of this recipe, click here.

Happy Tasty Tuesday!

Monday Meditation ~ Spending Time Wisely

[via]

Last week I started a series coined Monday Meditation.  The point is to bring a different idea to reflect on each week, with an associated action to take to live the meditation out, and ultimately start simplifying my life.  I hope this will become a journey we can take together, as each week we can share our experiences with last week's meditation, and open the week with a new meditation in mind.

Last week I wanted to begin by thinking about my wants and desires vs. what I truly value.  I lived the meditation out by not buying anything discretionary. Some of the ways I took action on this?  By automatically deleting any "deal of the day" emails (Joss & Main, One King's Lane, Groupon, you name it), by not spending time perusing the catalogs received in the mail, by not succumbing to my itch to drop by the drugstore to pick up a new nail polish.  And you know what?  This was extremely liberating, and thus is the launching pad for this week's meditation.

You see, I discovered the more I found ways to limit my time spent perusing things I want, the more time I freed up to spend on things worthwhile.  I also found it was almost an instant de-cluttering of the mind.  Rather than thinking about things I'd like to add to my wish list, I had "mind space" freed up to think about anything else.  And this payoff was greater than the punishment.  While at first I felt I was sacrificing, I soon discovered it was just the opposite.  And that got me thinking... what other things could I cut out of my daily routine to free up space in my mind (and calendar) to focus on other things more worthwhile?

And that is the topic for this Monday Meditation.  What do you do nearly every day (or every week) that when you stop and think about it, it really isn't that important to who you want to be, and how you want to live your life? Maybe it's surfing facebook, or watching a bad reality TV show, or catalog surfing and finding items for your lust list, or recipe surfing and being too picky about weekly meal planning (eh-hem, this is totally me).

I plan to limit my time on social media (unless it is strategic use for blogging) and apply this time to activities like reading and yoga.  Give it a shot with me.  Every time you reach for that remote, or mouse, or catalog, put it down and do a replacement activity you find more worthwhile.  Or collect the time saved throughout the week and do a replacement activity that adds up to this total time.  I'll report back next week, with a new meditation in hand.

I'd love to hear:  What is one item you spend time on which isn't worthwhile to you, and what could you replace it with?

The Day I Lived My Dream Day

Tre Latti cake ~ just one of the sweet spots of the day

OK, so let me preface this by saying I know right now what I'm about to describe is not everyone's dream day.  I could sashay off to Paris and kiss under the Eiffel Tower and I have a feeling I'd have a lot more of your votes for what you might consider a dream day to be.  But this recent day was so close to perfect in my eyes, I had to share.

You see, it started with a 10AM meat butchery class.  That's right ~ my dream day includes close to 5 hours of learning how to hack meat.  What, yours doesn't?  I've always wanted to know how to break down a chicken with finesse, or how to fillet a fish with confidence, and when a class popped up on the Chopping Block calendar that had just these very objectives, I was sold.

Chef Ed demonstrates how to break down a chicken

Trying my hand at the skill

The finished product of the chicken I broke down

So yes, for the next five hours I listened to Chef Ed instruct the class on how to properly do these tasks, and then we each practiced on our own poultry, fish and meat.  It was strangely exhausting, and ultimately exhilarating.  We then sat down to enjoy the meal we'd just made, and I found a new appreciation (and pride) for finding no bones in my fish.

But oh no, the fun wasn't over yet.  With just 20 minutes to spare, we hopped in a cab and bustled over to Terzo Piano  at the Modern Wing for the second cooking class of the day.  The environment and experience couldn't be more opposite from the first, which is exactly what made the day perfection.  After 5 hours of meat hacking, it's nice to have a break.  And that's what a demonstration class at Terzo Piano is, a leisurely meal with excellent drink and fare, royal treatment and fun foodie wisdom dispelled.

Chef Tony Mantuano adds color commentary to the class at Terzo Piano

This mushroom risotto was heavenly

And one of the best parts of this day?  I came home with a baker's dozen of new recipes in my arsenal.  Of which, the mushroom risotto will be the first to make its debut in my kitchen ~ to. die. for.

I then came home and watched Midnight in Paris.  Just for all you romantics out there, to get in a dose of Paris. :)

So I ask, what does your dream day entail?

Warm Pasta Salad with Spinach, Tuna, and Capers

Around the time New Year's resolutions were being established, I wanted to whip up something light, refreshing, and healthy to balance out all the decadence I had indulged in the week before.  It was then that I discovered this pasta salad, and it's been in the rotation ever since.

You can eat this salad warm as an entree, or cold as a side.  The lemon and garlic dressing is tangy and fresh, and honestly makes me feel a little bit more summery as I look out the window on this cold January day.  I also really like the leftovers cold the next day for lunch! 

To print a pdf version of this recipe, click here.

Happy Tasty Tuesday!

Monday Meditation

[via]

I am thinking of starting up a new weekly series called Monday Meditation.  It stems from the fact I've been feeling a pull as of late to streamline my life a bit.  I thought if I set a weekly idea I'd like to focus on, and put it out here, I would hold myself accountable to it, and would start to chip away at the lofty idea of simplifying my life.

Please join me if you'd like and take on each week's meditation and goal, or use the opportunity to reflect on it and evaluate if it's something you would want to incorporate in your life in some way.  Leave me a comment here and this can become our little forum and weekly community.  Deal?

Chances are if you're reading my blog, you're reading several others, and may even be a blogger yourself.  Do you ever stop to think about what impact reading these blogs has on your life, your habits?  Most all blogs I read are incredibly inspirational, and that's what keeps me coming back.  I like to follow "tastemakers" in different areas to stay up on the trends around home interiors, fashion, food, etc.  But on the flip side of all this inspiration, is the risk of letting your mind slip to a feeling of deficiency.  I would be lying if I said I've never read a blog about a great shoe, purse, home accessory, and added the item to my ever-growing wish list, even though it wasn't even on my radar before. By consolidating all the wants and desires you discover from several sources, all of a sudden you can feel like your wish list is a little overwhelming.  Don't get me wrong, it's fun to discover new things to aspire to do or have, it's just a matter of maintaining balance, and keeping things in perspective.

This week, I'll live out this Monday Meditation by neither posting about any consumer products nor will I buy anything discretionary.  It's really for myself, to reflect on what is necessary vs. nice-to-have, and put my ever-growing wish list in perspective.

Anyone want to join me?  Can anyone relate?  And, do you like the idea of this being a weekly series, with a new "meditation" each Monday?

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

In all my efforts to do somewhat of a life overhaul this year (or so I've coined it, though I'm sure it won't be nearly as dramatic), I promise I won't turn this into a sap story of a journal where I torment you with my trials and tribulations.  Onto more fun topics.  Cauliflower pizza crust.

I first heard of this wondrous recipe from Dr. Oz, then later saw it pop up in my Google reader from Beth, and as I'm known for not keeping carbs in my house (I'm still teased over this point by my foodie friend who at one point was looking through my cabinets practically screaming "WHERE ARE YOUR CARBS?!"), I thought it only apropos I make a low-carb pizza crust right?

And the results were so tasty I had to share.  It's definitely different from your standard pizza crust, but it fulfilled my pizza craving just the same.   And the crust itself is really flavorful, as the mozzarella and herbs really shine through. The cauliflower doesn't distract from all the other familiar flavors of pizza, and the bonus is it won't weigh you down either.  I found the recipe below was perfect for two to share for dinner.

I topped ours with thinly sliced chicken sausage, caramelized onions, and spinach.  YUM!

To print a pdf version of this recipe, click here.

Happy Foodie Friday!

{an honest post} Part 2 ~ Your Turn

turning the tables ~ get it? ;-)

So in my fevor to overhaul my life, I thought one good place to start would be to reach out to others.  Today is your turn.  In addition to internally contemplating what it is I should be focusing on here, I think it'd be really helpful to hear what you think I should be focusing on.  What do you like reading here?  Why do you come back?  Who do you think of me as?  What do you wish you heard more about from me? 

I think it's an interesting exercise, because who you know me as and who I think of myself as could potentially be different.  In fact, I'm willing to bet they are.  Point in case, I recently attended an {ever-so-fun} blogger event in which I was asked if I cook fairly often.  This made me scratch my head for a moment, as I cook almost every single night!  In my mind, cooking and food is such a huge important part of my life.  But I realize I don't always write about what I'm cooking up in the kitchen.  And maybe I should be... or maybe not.

I promise you can be honest ~ I will not take offense to any constructive criticism!  I so value your readership and my end goal is to take your input and fuse it with my own.  Please leave a comment, email me, tweet me, etc. with your input!  I'm determined to make this year of 2012 really count!

And then after this, we can go back to the regular scheduled program {at least while I sift through it all!} :)

an honest post

This seems to be my most recent mantra I find myself repeating {talking to myself has become fairly normal lately}.  This new year already seems to have brought a lot of change.  Changes with work {stressful}, and stewing changes with the blog.  As in, I'm stewing on them.  Do you ever contemplate doing a bit of an overhaul on your life?  Because really, that's where I feel I stand today.

And I wanted to share just that bit of my thought process, because I recognize I have slipped a little in terms of posting more often than not here.  I have a backlog of recipes I'd like to share, a restaurant crossed of my 2012 Dining Wish List, and many other posts in the works.  But none of it seems quite right, because I'm not sure where my focus is, or where I want my focus to be.  And I'm quite determined to go through the process to discover this, my focus. I'm just trying to recognize that it's a journey and not a sprint.  And it's a bumpy journey, with twists and turns and a rough road ahead.

In the past I've been a bit of an impulsive decision-maker in a way.  I decide I want to do something, so I go out and do it.  I recognize action is a usually a good thing, and this is the step that can seem paralyzing for some, but for me, I want more reflection before action.  I want to lay out a strategy so my actions all align to my end goal.  I want to take action with intention, not action on impulse.

And I'm not telling you it is going to be easy, I'm telling you it's going to be worth it.

To be continued...

2012 Dining Wish List

My list of top restaurants for the year is always paired with a second list ~ my dining wish list for the upcoming year.  These are all restaurants I've yet to try, and a lot of research and careful choosing comes into play when creating this list.  I look at factors such as type of cuisine, atmosphere, accolades and awards, chef biographies, and other press and public reviews. Twelve spots make the list, one for each month, which is typically feasible.  I admit I didn't get to all 12 of my Dining Wish List last year, which is why some restaurants appear here again.  I chalk it up to many group dinners where I wasn't able to choose the restaurant ~ need to work on that. :)

So without further adieu, in no particular order, my top 12 restaurants to dine at for 2012:

Ruxbin ~ this uber small bistro takes influence from Chef Edward Kim's Asian heritage and French techniques, and that's my favorite kind of fusion (think the retired Spring, or Bonsoiree).  I'm seriously excited ~ just read the menu and you will be too.

Schwa ~ this will be the year I taste the genius of Chef Michael Carlson. With it's ever-changing menu and overlooked storefront facade, I'm anticipating some of the most artistic of meals I've ever experienced.  And food as art ~ let's have it.

Next ~ I'll admit, I was initially unsure on the whole concept of Next, as the ticketing process makes one jump through a lot of hoops. But after many high marks from respected parties, I'm on the bandwagon to give it a go.  Or at least try to, if I can score a seat.

Bar TOMA ~ I've been to Bar TOMA to sip incredible espresso, and am looking forward to going back to dine.  Tony Mantuano's newest venture is already buzzing, and it's not just because there are caffeinated espresso aficionados inside. A mozzarella bar and gelateria?  Yes please.

Longman & Eagle ~ This place has long been calling my name. My first attempt met my party with a three hour wait (so we bailed), which I think may have discouraged the husband but not me.  I'm happy to see the farm-to-table, nose-to-tail aesthetic hasn't lost any ground.

Takashi ~ Yes, I know, another small French Asian fusion place makes the list?  Shocker. Chef Takashi Yagihashi continues to receive praise for his noodles, and I intend to see why in this flagship restaurant.  Heard of Slurping Turtle?  Takashi is the mastermind there too.

Nellcôte (to open in Feb) ~ Attached to what will be called RM Champagne Salon, Nellcote boasts a "Rock 'n' roll bohemian chic" atmosphere with "obsessively hand-made European inspired fare".  Enough said?  I thought so.

GT Fish & Oyster ~ Seeing as though my favorite food is seafood, I am dying to check this place out.  Let's see if the Lobster Roll beats out Thomas Keller's from Ad Hoc.  I think it will.

Telegraph ~ The team behind Webster Wine Bar and Bluebird opened Telegraph this past summer, and seeing as though I've enjoyed many a good meal at their previous two places, I expect no less from here. A seasonal highly-organic menu with extensive wine list?  Sounds like a great night out to me.

Farmhouse ~ Farm-to-table translated so literally it's refreshing.  With the locally-sourced menu posted on a chalkboard, plenty of local brews to choose from, and a roasted chicken dish that's touted as "the best", how could it not make the list?

2 Sparrows ~ What is with it and me liking the smallest of places this year?  Perhaps it is a sign of the times.  I'm intrigued by the tiny, ever-evolving brunch menu.  Maple & bacon doughnut?  Don't mind if I do.

Cumin ~ I was devasted, devasted I tell you, when my local modern Indian restaurant Veerasway closed this past year.  I'm hoping Cumin can be it's replacement.  Just thinking about mango lassi makes my mouth water.

If I make it to all of these spots, I will be eating very well this year.  And that's just the way I like it.

P.S. ~ My 2011 Dining Wish List.

Top 11 Chicago Restaurants of 2011

In usual fashion, January for me is a month of reflection on the past year.  In particular the past year of dining.  Chicago had 6 chefs represent the city on Top Chef, the winner of which will be announced in the upcoming weeks. The Chicago Gourmet festival was touted as more organized and food-focused than ever before.  The Michelin Guide put out updated ratings for 2011, and I didn't read one review that agreed full-heartedly in their decisions. And what does that say?  People here have strong opinions about their food, and care about the restaurant scene.  Chicago is now more than ever a culinary mecca.  And I'm starting to think 2012 will be even better.

So what were my favorites of 2011?  Here I give you my list of Top 11 Dining Favorites of 2011.  In order to make this list I must have dined at the restaurant in 2011.  Some restaurants return to this list, signaling they're standing the test of time.  And others were added as new favorite discoveries.

11) Leopold (reviewed here):: I fell in love with Leopold's classy hipster atmosphere, but even more so, the Belgian style favorites such as mussels, frites and a Belgian ale simply hit the spot.

10) Karyn's on Green (reviewed here)::   Karyn is the magician in this mix.  To take delicious dishes and turn them vegan is a true form of art.  I was inspired by the crab cakes, and amazed by the gelato.  I’d love to take a vegan non-believer here and turn their world upside down.

9) La Madia (reviewed here)::  I’m a little ashamed to admit how many times I went to La Madia this year.  Ok, I’m not.  At least six.  That’s saying a lot considering I have a pension for trying new restaurants.  I just can’t help myself- the cracked egg and prosciutto pizza calls my name, along with the six-hour roasted grapes, and I just can’t refuse.  I turn to La Madia for girls night, date night, casual lunch, or group dinner.

8) The Publican:: The Publican does it again. With Chef Kahn still behind the meat cleaver, this pig-mania isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.  A friend and I split the ridiculous bacon one brunch, and I swear it popped up in one of my dreams.

 7) The Purple Pig:: Another pig-tastic experience!  Pig ears, bone marrow, and milk braised pork shoulder all shine.  With a superior wine list, great location and outdoor patio, I'm looking forward to many more meals here.

6) Vera (reviewed here):: has the best sherry in town.  By far.  And they’ve even nailed the often overlooked bread and butter.  I’d go back to sit at the cheese and charcuterie bar, and stay a while to enjoy the wine and sherry.  I see big things for this little neighborhood gem.

5) Maude's Liquor Bar (reviewed here):: is like your hip older sister you strive to resemble.  She’s so cool inside you expect the food to just be mediocre, to fall into that trap of having the wrong kind of experts on the team.  But then you have a drink, and you have a bite, and any qualms go out the window.  If only every hip Parisian parlor could be this great.

4) Terzo Piano (reviewed here):: will be one of my all-time Chicago favorites as long as the sun still shines.  The chic modern décor, and gorgeous city backdrop all become periphery to the plates Chef Meg Colleran creates.  Whether a leisurely lunch, refined dinner, or fun cooking class, I’ve recommended Terzo Piano more times than any other Chicago restaurant.

3) Avec::  The quintessential restaurant for Chicago foodies to know.  Even a full out fire can’t stop Koren Grieveson and team put together a remarkable menu, rustic fare, and just downright delicious food.

2) Davanti Enoteca (reviewed here):: I still can recall the taste of the pate as it's the closest to my grandmother’s I’ve ever tasted.  If I was a betting woman, I’d bet Davanti will reappear on this list next year.  The laid-back atmosphere, exceptional Italian small plates, and friendly service transport you to the hillsides of Italy.

1) Graham Elliot:: Graham Elliot blew my socks off.  Perhaps it was the fact we were celebrating two special occasions that night (our anniversary and a great job change for the husband), or the fact we were invited to tour the kitchen and do a shot of sorbet concoction with the chefs, but it was definitely the most special dining experience I had all year.  Flawless execution on multiple courses, including foie gras with pop rocks. To do the drink pairings here is well worth the price tag – I never knew how much depth a drink could bring to a dish until Graham Elliot.

Coming soon, my Dining Wishlist for 2012.

P.S. ~ My Dining Favorites of 2010.