Moving…

Hey everyone!  I’ve moved my blog to MommyRD.com  Please be sure to update your Google Readers, feeds, favorites, etc.  I promise to post more frequently, and include more nutrition, exercise and Ava pictures.  Please follow me there!

Kudos to Flemings!

Last night we met up with some friends for happy hour at Flemings Steakhouse in North Scottsdale.  It has been a favorite of ours, and recently our friends became big fans as well.  Their “5 for 6 before 7” is one of the best deals in town.  You get a choice of 5 different martinis, or 5 different wines, and 5 appetizers; each being $6.00, before 7 pm.  These are drinks and appe’s that are normally upwards of $15. 

So, last night, being Friday night, not only was the bar already packed, but so was the outdoor patio off the bar when we arrived at 5:30 pm.  The hostess was wonderful and allowed us to sit in the main dining room and get the happy hour specials in there.  We were seated and a highchair was brought out for Ava’s car seat to rest in, since she was imbibing  joining us as well.   So we began catching up with our friends, chatting about their recent marriage, how Ava is growing, etc.  Well, a few (maybe 15-20?) minutes had passed, and no one had come by to ask us if we wanted to order anything.  Finally, we asked the manager as he was passing, and he said he’d send someone right over.  A waitress immediately arrived and apologized for the wait, and the mix up of who was covering our table.   We weren’t upset or complaining at all, just merely looking for a glass of vino. 

We ordered our drinks and appetizers.  The Prime burger is by far the biggest and best burger I’ve ever had, and cooked to perfection and was glorious with the 14 Hands Cabernet Sauvignon.   As Ava’s bedtime approached we asked for our check so that we could finish up the evening.  To our surprise, the server returned with it, saying it was covered by the manager and apologized again for our wait/inconvenience.  We were happily stunned at the generous gesture and initiative of customer service this imparted.  We thanked them profusely and left a nice tip. 

Thanks again Flemings, for a great night, and fantastic customer service!   We will be back for sure and continue to recommend this favorite spot of ours to friends.

Brussel Sprouts!

Once again, it has been a little while since I have posted.  I have been thinking a lot about that lately, and while I’d like to have more frequent posts, we just aren’t creating as many new or exciting recipes now that we are concentrating on our little peanut.  Don’t get me wrong, we still cook almost every single night, it just seems to be things I’ve already blogged about.   And when it comes to pours, we’ve been drinking more of the tried and trues as well, now that we are spending more time in, and less time out.  So, I’ve debated changing the content of Paws and Pours a bit, to maybe encompass more nutrition information, favorite products, or balancing exercise and healthy eating with an infant, etc.  I’d love to hear from readers what draws you to food blogs, and what kind of content you are interested in reading.  Please leave a comment if you have ideas. 

Now, back to your regularly scheduled blog topic…

I don’t know about you, but I’m just loving the fall produce.  Bring on the winter squash, fall apples, brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes.  Also, I start using the grill less, and begin the migration to roasting and braising and even making a little soup.

Up until a few years ago, I didn’t care much for brussel sprouts.  Looking back, it was because I had always had them boiled, with salt and pepper.  They were too bitter, and overcooked for my tastes.  After seeing recipes for roasted brussel sprouts, I thought I’d give them a try.  It was love at first bite!  Since that time, I have looked forward to them every fall.

So, this summer, my mom grew brussel sprouts just for me.  The only problem is, she lives in Minnesota.  I got to eat a few while there, and manage to sneak a few home to Arizona, but alas, now I’m buying them.  Imagine my surprise when I went to Trader Joe’s yesterday and they were selling them still on the stem!

Did you know this is how they grow?  I have to admit, until I saw them in my mom’s garden, I had no idea how they grew and what they looked like before being picked. 

The way I enjoy them the most is roasted, but sauteeing is another wonderful preparation method for these mini cabbages.  To roast them, I simply preheat the oven to 425.  I lay them on a cookie sheet and spray with olive oil and sprinkle some kosher salt flakes on top.  Roast for 15 minutes, or until the outer leaves are crisp and brown.  Take out of the oven and drizzle maple syrup over sprouts (approx. 1-2 Tbsp.) and stick back in the oven for another 5 min.  Enjoy!  The sweetness of the maple really contrasts nicely to that bit of bitter you get from the sprout.

Another way I enjoy them is to toss them with olive oil and good balsamic vinegar before roasting.   Do everything else the same except omit the maple syrup. 

What is your favorite fall fruit or vegetable?

Leaving you with a picture of the paws and pacifiers part of this blog.

TurboDog

Note: This is a guest post by Scott (with an assist by Chase)

Every once in a while when we are perusing the isles at our favorite Total Wine store, I have to get one of those marketing-ish brews. Our last visit was no exception. Thinking back to our time in San Diego, the TurboDog was the most apt brew for our golden, Chase.

TurboDog is from a brewery called Abita Beer from New Orleans. I had previously tried their Pecan Harvest Ale just to see if you really can taste the pecan (my verdict, not at all). After an afternoon of yard work, I needed something to quench my thirst.  Reaching back into the fridge I came out with TurboDog.

TurboDog is a dark brown ale, with a dark body and a slight coffee/toffee/chocolate flavor. It is a nice overall medium bodied brown ale….perfect for an autumn afternoon!

Kale Salad!

Happy Day after Halloween!  Is anyone still on a sugar high – or should I say chocolate high?  I wait all year to eat my fill of candy corn.  It is like crack to me.  I can pass up the candy bars, but give me a pound of candy corn and I can’t be trusted. 

We did fuel up before the Halloween festivities with a great dinner.   Mostly tried and true, except for the salad.  I have only recently started eating kale, and then it’s been only braised, steamed or baked into “kale chips.”  The thought of eating it raw hadn’t really occured to me, until I started seeing it pop up on blogs, and even a local restaurant menu.

So, after browsing the downtown Scottsdale Farmers Market and coming home with some fresh, local kale I was ready to take on Massaged Kale Salad.    I used a combination of about 3 recipes, including the one on the True Food Kitchen website. 

Massaged Kale Salad

1 bunch of kale (approx. 4 cups) washed and chopped

2 Tbsp. Olive oil

½ tsp sea salt

1/2  avocado

½ tomato, cut in cubes

juice of ¼ fresh lemon

1. Add olive oil and sea salt to bowl with kale and gently “massage” together for a couple of minutes.
2. Add avocado and gently keep rubbing ingredients until all of the kale is coated with olive oil
3. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice to taste and top with tomatoes
4. Sprinkle nutritional yeast or parmesan on top (optional)

Optional ingredients:

Pom arils

Carrot, grated

Small pieces of jicama

Garlic clove, smashed

Let it marinate together for a few hours to overnight.  (I found it got tastier the longer it sat.)

I think this is my new favorite kale preparation.  So fresh tasting and not at all tough and bitter.  I can’t wait to make it again. 

 

Here is a picture of Ava and Chase in Halloween attire.  Of course as a foodie, I had to dress up my kid in some kind of food related theme. 

 

Tired out from the festivities…and she didn’t even have any sugar! 

Seafood Sundays

Not to be confused with Meatless Mondays, we have a little tradition of making a nice Sunday night meal together before the busy week starts.  Since fish and seafood are our favorite main dish treat, we usually roll with that.  This past Sunday we tried a new recipe courtesy of Executive Chef Kevin Kathman, of restaurant Max in Minneapolis.

I haven’t actually eaten at restaurant Max, but I did see him on Kare 11 news when I was visiting family in MN.  He prepared this dish of Seared Sea Scallops and it sounded like all the things we love.   I printed it out off the internet and waited until I found some nice looking fresh scallops.    We followed the recipe on the above link.

The dish was simple enough to prepare and really brought a lot of complex flavors.  I particularly liked the sweetness of the butternut squash over the saltiness of the scallops.  The lemon emulsion added another dimension that just made the dish sing. 

We served it with the Sobon Estate Viognier. 

This was a nice match with the acidity of the white, but the floral aromas that matched the sweetness of the squash.  I think this dish would actually pair nicely with a light red as well. 

What is your Sunday night tradition?

Nature’s Pride Bread

Hello  -  hello – hello?  (echoing)  Is anybody still there? 

Sorry for the lack of posting, but I haven’t really had any inspiring eats lately.  I mean, we still cook, and of course,  still eat, but it’s just been a lot of the same old, same old.  Pizza, grilled veggies and seafood, etc.  I do however, have a new recipe to try tomorrow evening, that looks divine, so stay tuned…

For now, I will tell you about the Nature’s Pride Bread I received as a sample from the Foodbuzz Tastemaker program.  I received two loaves, of the new Nature’s Pride 100% Natural Whole Grain breads; the 12 Grain, and the Whole Wheat.  I have sampled them both and I’m happy to report they are both winners.

I really enjoyed the seediness of the 12 Grain bread.  It had a lot of chew, and a nice, naturally sweet taste.  The texture was hearty enough for my “everything turkey sandwich” without being to heavy and filling.

The Whole Wheat variety was also delicious and slightly sweet tasting, but I missed the seeds and extra chew of the 12 Grain.  I have to say, it was the perfect vehicle for my homemade pecan butter!

 

Homemade pecan butter and agave nectar…mmmmmm!

I never realized how easy it is to make your own nut butters.  Since I’m not a fan of peanut butter (yes, I know I’m weird like that,) I found that I do like almond butter and I really like pecan butter.

HOMEMADE NUT BUTTER:

Take your nut of choice, and put about 1/2 – 1 lb in the food processor and process until smooth.  It took about 5 minutes or so for mine. 

And finally a fun photo of Chase.  Whenever we have finished a carton of yogurt, Chase gets to lick the bits that are left stuck to the edges.  Don’t ask why, it’s just the way we roll around our house.  Here he is trying to get every last lick.

What is your favorite nut butter?