LoveFeast Table

So, I just spent the morning reading about the adventures of Ree Drummond, The Pioneer Woman, her blog and her twitters, and also, I must add:  that of her bloggy friends, like Smitten Kitchen.  And, let me tell you!  These people are going to spontaneously combust with creativity and energy!  I don’t think they’re normal!  And, I say this with MUCH admiration, as well as awe.  My reasoning?  They are waking up at the crack of dawn, 5 a.m. to cook!  And, they turn out more cooking and baking in a couple days than I could hope for in a month!  PLLLEase!  I have been twittering about pie baking for at least a couple days.  And yet, still no pie!  Come on people!!  Show us some slack!!  You are raising the bar way too high for us newbie bloggers!!  I mean we are still trying to figure out our technology let alone some of us, our kitchens!!  I was up until two o’clock in the morning trying to get pictures formatted and dealing with the blog eatting monster at WordPress!  Don’t you just need to put your swollen feet up and read a magazine? (To let us catch up.)

OK, whew!  Got that off my chest.  How’s a girl to blog with all that up in her head?  Anyhow, back to MY post.  It’s all about these sweet little lemon souffles!  Let me tell you the back story on these little lemons.  The first time I had this dessert was at Kristin’s, for our friend, Magy’s wedding shower.  Magy, was born and raised in Switzerland.  She can fold clothes tighter than anything you’ve ever seen.  Seriously.  It’s like magic.  Of course, there were many amazing treats to be had that afternoon…but, there was a fuss in the kitchen…excitement was building…something special was coming!

Suddenly, small china plates were presented here, there and everywhere, with stout little lemons puffed with souffle!  We all dug our silver teaspoons into the lemony warm bliss.  Wonderful!  I remember feeling very unladylike after that, wondering if one more, “Oh, my goodness, that was the best dessert I have ever had!!” would get me seconds.  With obnoxious hopefulness, I eyed around for leftovers.  No such luck!  For years they remained a memory of a very special dessert.  And, quite frankly, after hearing about how tedious the scooping out of all those lemons were, I pretty much had settled with the fact that I wouldn’t be having this dessert again, anytime soon.

After so long,  recently, I decided to make them for my family:  my husband, four kids, Grandma and Grandpa, and Nana.  I decided really, on a whim.  I wanted to make something special and unexpected, theatrical, and just…fun.  And, I had a bag of lemons.  And, it was the middle of winter in Minnesota (about a month ago).  And, I have a habit of wanting to pretend we are some place warmer in the winter, thus the tropical fruit desserts.

So, if you want to put down something that makes you look and feel like Martha…and it should, because it’s her recipe, from The Martha Stewart Cookbook.  Here’s the secret:  they’re easy!  All you really need is time (cleaning out the lemons takes some time) and tough strong hands (we’re dealing with acid here, people).  And, of course, an audience, to appreciate your amazingly beautiful dessert.  Each lemon affords about six scoops of souffle.  It’s all about the “presentation wow factor”, because scoop-scoop, and it’s gone.  They are light and sour.  They were too sour for my daughter.

Next time, I might concede to add a little more sugar, maybe two or more tablespoons, even.  Will that throw the souffle?  It’s my first souffle, so if you know, you’ll have to tell me!  Wouldn’t these be superb for Mother’s Day?  I highly recommend them, very lady like.  And, Nana liked them, too!

So, here’s the scoop:  in the next week or so, I will be producing a pie.  There, I said it…I’m “intending” it, even.  So, out into the universe go! you happy pie producing vibes and bring me back some energy!  I’m telling you, if I was cloned, I’d be getting a lot more done!

My husband and I had a date!!  Woo who!!  I have to admit, it’s been a while.  We wrapped up our night at a new little restaurant in Hamilton (Baltimore, MD).  It’s called Clementines.  Since we had not made dinner reservations and the kitchen was closing, we begged our way in for a cup of coffee and dessert.  Since Clementines has opened, it has been busy.  I have hear wonderful things about the food, and mixed reviews on the service.

Now, because Devon and I have a combined 30+ years in the food industry, when we go to a place, we are a bit picky (maybe a little too).  He spent years in kitchens of 4 and 5 star restaurants and I spent my time in the front of the house.  We look for the overall experience to be just right.  For example, if we have had a wonderful meal, great service and then we get a cup of instant coffee with dessert…well, it can taint it a bit for us.

So, we went to Clementines with an open mind and anticipation since we’ve heard such good things.  We were a little put off that we had to explain to the hostess the virtue of allowing us to come sit at an empty table for a piece of cake and coffee.  I know we were not a high ticket guest…but, I promise, if it went well…we would be!  We didn’t let this stop us from enjoying our night out!  We ordered coffee…Zeke’s!!  Yeah!!  This was definitely a good sign.  Then we took a look at the desserts!  We unanimously landed on the gingerbread cake with pear compote.  I enjoyed it so much!  Devon wasn’t as convinced.  He said it was, “ok”.  I think he was put off by the reception we received at the door.

I personally left with the hope the next experience will be good start to finish.

Ok, so it wasn’t actually a Hannah Montana Hoe Down, but while I was sitting at the movies with my 7 year old daughter, I couldn’t help but think back to the Easter Hoe Down, Throw Down we had!  It was a total Love Feast Hoe Down!!

We changed up our traditions, to the sorrow of some of our kids…and the grandmom!  For years we have gone to my Aunt and Uncle’s house for Easter dinner.  They are without a doubt, my host and hostess heroes!  They know how to throw a party and make everyone feel welcomed and at home!  Why wouldn’t we want to go there?  Well, you see, over the years our family has grown.  My sister and I have been churning out the kids…I have five, she has three.  But, my cuzins, are not married yet.  So, yearly, we are increasing the traffic flow to their house.  Really, we have enough mouths to feed…we need to start our own love-feast-holiday-traditions….and this is the year to do it!

So, this Easter, we invited a few of our friends who had no place to go and asked them to pitch in a dish.  It turned into a full on Love Feast Hoe Down!!  We had close to 40 people and enough food to feed the neighborhood!  Everyone pitched in, brought their favorites, stuffed a few plastic eggs and enjoyed hours of fun!  I thought it would be fun to share what everyone brought!

My husband and I (or should I say my husband)…a grilled lamb leg, a curried roasted lamb leg and ginger and caramelized onion roasted sweet potatoes with pecans, served on the “Lamb Plate*”

Denene and her family of 6, plus a brother and son…brought pineapple stuffing, butter and pineapple, can’t go wrong there!

Amanda along with her hubby and three kids…brought a ham and macaroni and cheese, which was attacked and demolished before dinner officially began!

Melissa and Derek and their two (outta 4) kids…brought more mac and cheese (you can never have enough!)

Jackie and Nate with their three girls…whipped up a strawberry angel food cake triffle (can I just tell you, these two made their own three tiered wedding cake!)

Meisha, my neighbor and her three…brought killer collard greens, I have no idea how she turns something so boring into something so delish!

Meg brought her two boys…and an awesome nut bundt cake…umm, don’t tell anyone, but I hid a chunk in my kitchen for later!

Andrew and his four kids…threw in some homemade (by the 7 year old, I think) chocolate chip cookies, that were to die for!

Eric…brought a couple of bottles of soda which made the kids happy!

Irene and Albert…tossed together a salad with sundried tomatoes, roasted pinenuts and cucumbers along with a couple of bottles of wine…which made the parents happy!

Bart…brought his appetite!

It was a beautiful day! The only thing we were missing was a little Hoe Dancin’ Hannah Montana kickin’ music (or not!)

*Lamb Plate=a plate that one buys at the antique store that is a bit out of one’s price range, that one justifies buying by introducing it to chef husband as lamb plate for tomorrow’s special dinner.

Ok, so the morning starts like this.  I wake up and the bus will be here in like 15 minutes and none of the tweens, hidden under their covers have breathed a breath of fresh air yet.  I go down stairs in my plum colored cashmere robe, that I got for a steal let me tell you, and is suppose to make me feel glamorous in the morning and is not, and began to make my coffee.  I fill the pot at the tiny stream from my fridge, because I am convinced that my city water is trying to kill me.  This tiny stream irritates me every morning.  Maybe this is why I’m “morning challenged”.  And, do I want to feed this little puff of joy, my puppy, this morning?  No, decidedly not, perhaps because the sight of her reminds me that last night she just woofed down a tootsie-roll of her own “chocolate bunny enhanced” poop.  Back to the coffee, which is sputtering and steaming and producing nothing but a burnt drop of jo’.  I say to my freshly showered and crisply dressed husband, “fix it, do it, make the coffee happen”, in a grunty, snarly, not cashmire-y kinda’ way.  Why have you vacuumed already this morning, he might ask, or not.  The reason is that one of my kids has already managed to track in dog poo onto my kitchen rug, no less, a highly unsanitary place to have tracked it.  What joy, to have the coffee maker break and to clean poo, even before my coffee this morning.  I sit down, frumpy, my new hair cut gone Van Halen on me, my smudged glasses fogging my vision and my mood, next to my freshly showered crisply dressed husband, who has just made, freshly frenched pressed coffee, I mean freshly pressed french coffee.  I add the last two drops of cream, to my mug and say outloud, “maybe I shouldn’t be doing this”.  “Doing what?” has asks.  “Doing this thing, this business, this blog”.  “Why do you say that?” he asks.  I say, “because if I don’t have the time for it and if I can’t do it right maybe I should quit before I invest more time and waste the time that I don’t ALREADY HAVE!!!!!  And, to which I feel like adding, “ddduuuuuhhhhhhhh”!

Ok, I’m not loving myself right now.  And, it doesn’t help to have so many things that I want to do well, things that aren’t getting done, not quite there yet, or not just right.  Which is why I went to Covered again yesterday and bought an overpriced, “I heart CA.” tee shirt.  Ok, I bought the “I heart CA.” tee shirt because I’m a mom and sometimes a mom just needs to say I love you to herself, because sometimes the people who say, where’s my laundry?, what’s for dinner?, and will you take me here?, do this or do that?….just don’t do it for me.  And, yes, I realize it means I heart California, but, I’ve personalized it, my name is Chris Ann.   And, I am at the point quite frankly, where under this type of duress I also bought a tye-dyed toga dress.  Yes, the same weekend I went to the English Beat, and stopped at Covered, for something to wear, I also, bought a tye-dyed toga dress.  If buying a tye-died toga dress doesn’t say it all, let me explain.  First the girls at Covered, bless their hearts, insisted I was a size small.  And, I only had 5 real minutes to shop.  I also thought, why not, I might go out some time, someplace cool, like the Bradstreet Crafthouse.  Because this is where the real bloggers go, I just read a story on it in April issue of Minnesota Monthly, by Dara Moskowitz Grumdahl.  And, clearly if I was a real blogger, I would put my toga dress on and go someplace great, like that.  Some hot summer night I might just want to be wrapped in this tiny, gold rope hung tye-dyed number.  But, this week, I did not go someplace great, I actually fed my kids mostly through the Sonic and Subway drive-thrus and my dress sat in it’s bag all boutique-y like, mocking me.  What kind of a soccer mom, goes to the edge of the field to pick up her kids in a tye-dyed toga dress?  Not many.  How many times would I wear it?  Not many.

So, anyway, back to my coffee, this morning, my mood, my assessment of my capabilities, and my fear that actually I would not be taking over the world as the next Martha anytime soon.  So, I decide to log on, only one mug deep in coffee, check in with my blog and see if any ounce of inspiration or drive will make me snap out of it.  And, then, there it is:  a comment!!  A comment from Leslie, just last night!  Why so amazing, well just last night, Kristin and I had been talking about the Baltimore bloggers and Leslie and B More Sweets came up.  Kristin had read they had just bumped into eachother at a local bakery in Kristin’s hood and B More Sweets, blogged about it.  She lives in Kristin’s neighborhood and Kristin is hoping to meet her, maybe “accidently” at the Red Canoe, just down the street in her ‘hood.   Also, Leslie’s book just came out this month, Let Me Eat Cake.   She’s a food writer, not a baker, and she blogs!  So, back to the comment.  A comment like this is huge to us right now.  I feel loved again.  I have hope.  I can do this…..I’m going to go take a shower and put on my “I heart CA.” tee and blog about it.

Disclaimer:  During the creation of this post, one yoga class was missed, one orthadontist trip was made, one pair of soccer shoes, and seven socks were purchased, one drive-thru run and one school-run was made, two soccer practices were nearly missed, two others were driven to soccer, one huge glass jar broke, one dinner wasn’t made, one puppy ripped the entry way carpet, and some homework was finished.

Like I said on Facebook and Twitter, I was dreaming of making this cake.  And, today was deadline day, I would either bake or break – - turns out I did both, but nothing that a little sculpting and frosting can’t fix!  I didn’t let a late night at the Cabooze stop me either.  I was at the Cabooze last night with my husband and friends to watch the bands Umbrella Bed the English Beat.  Who’s that, you might ask, as did the cute girls at Covered, who helped me with my outfit and informed me that Cabooze was “rock-n-roll, not pop”.  Hilare!!   I didn’t think I would go for “pop” but, no matter.  I love going into the city.  I loved the Cabooze — and the thirty-eight motorcycle bikes next door or the bridge to throw people off near by, did not deter this mom of four from the ‘burbs!  Like we said once in a post, “we don’t get out much“.  At any rate…great night, late night and now this cake!  You can’t beat that!!

The cake baking was inspired by blog Smitten Kitchen.  The cake recipe is from Sky High: Irresistible Triple Layer Cakes, by Alisa Huntsman & Peter Wynne and adapted by Smitten Kitchen.

Sometimes you just want to eat a burger. Eating a burger at The Cove, is like eating at your older brother’s apartment; your older brother that was into records, fishing, hunting, and skateboarding. The Cove has a relaxed hang-out type vibe where you can be comfortable, kickback, and hang with some friends. That is what “Good Vibe Ambassadors” and brothers, Bruce and Brock Larson, are trying to do with their burger joint. The menu is simple and inexpensive pub food. The hamburgers and hot dogs are served in basket with good fries. And, they have “appetitzerz” and pizza as well. This is dude food that even a chick might like!

I stopped by during The Cove’s soft open to talk to Bruce Larson who recently opened The Cove, with his brother Brock. The pub is decorated with skateboard decks, music posters and memorabilia. Bruce, who formerly worked in sales and marketing for EMI and Warner Brothers, said he has been collecting stuff since he was eight years old and wanted to share it with people, in a relaxed atmosphere. He wanted a restaurant with a solid food menu, and a pub vibe that revolves around music.

What inspired you to start your business? A love of music, beer, wine, and simple food. After twenty-five years in the music business, and after kicking the idea around for almost ten years, I was looking for the right opportunity.

What other restaurants and travels inspired you? I wanted good food and good music, something like the Hard Rock Café or Denver, a mountain town-chalet type place with a fireplace, to be the best burger joint you ever went to.

What is your favorite food memory? My wife and I use to go to a place in Colorado, above Boulder, in Nederland, CO, where all they served was spaghetti. There was a line out the door. It was the best spaghetti you ever had. It shows it doesn’t have to be fancy, just good, reasonable, fair, and a fun experience.

Where do you see you’re self in the next five years? For this place to have a cool vibe and maybe a couple of more locations in the area south of the river (south of Minneapolis).

What’s a fun fact that you’d like people to know? My brother is a hunter and a fisherman and a lot of the fish mounts in our place were caught locally. I live and breathe music.

How is music going to play a role here? It is going to be a mish mash of good music, something for everyone.

How would you describe “the vibe” here at The Cove? I just want people to be happy, to be able to go to a place that is different and fun and escape for awhile.

I enjoyed hearing a little about the inspiration behind the restaurant and hope that anyone in the Minneapolis area who finds them selves “south of the river” and looking for a “Jucy Lucy” ventures into the hometown hospitality of The Cove.

What is a love log?  I came across it in the new cookbook, Baked New Frontiers In Baking.  What’s not to love about a love log?!  It’s raw cookie dough that you wrap in parchment and give to a friend.  I decided to take a love log to a luncheon we were serving for women in our neighborhood.

Once a month, a group of us, plan, prepare, serve and share a meal with women from all walks of life.  We originally started it to share hot meals with women who are victims of sex trafficking (we call them ladybugs) in our neighborhood.  We found that along with the ladybugs, there were single moms, immigrants and others who needed to have an afternoon of sharing life with other women.  It has been a time of encouraging one another and listening.  When the “real life” stuff melts away, even if for a moment, we are all just women.  We talk about our kids, our husbands, cleaning, laundry, dreams and desires.

This month a single momma, Carol, made an incredible minestrone soup and overstuffed meatball sandwiches (both of which I inhaled!).  I added my love log!  I made super sized cookies that melted in your mouth.

Make your own love log…use any recipe…cook up a love feast, or just take it to an elderly neighbor!  If you do, please come back and share with us your story!