Food Lush

Fall Centerpieces

by Elsha

I don’t know about you, but I love to have a nice centerpiece on my table. I’m especially drawn to fall centerpieces. I don’t know if it’s the colors, or just that I love the season, or what, but I’m a fan. Here are some that I made for our table just for fun.

You can’t go wrong with apples for fall. Plus, you can eat your centerpiece.

Doesn’t everything look cuter in a basket? This one is way too small for our dining room table, so it's really just kitchen decor.

I just wanted to capture the colors of the leaves. These are actual leaves, so I don’t know how long they’ll last, but I’ll enjoy them while they do!

Do you do centerpieces or am I alone in my love? 

Eating Around Nashville

by Tara

I went to Nashville last weekend to meet up with three friends/former coworkers, and I highly recommend going to Nashville, if just for the food. The problem with good food, though, is that sometimes it looks so good you forget to take a picture. So there are a few half-eaten food pictures in the following post.

Friday night we went to Big River Grille where I got a Hummus and Goat Cheese Salad, which was incredible.

Saturday night we went to Merchants. Y’all. Get on a plane right now and fly to Nashville to eat at Merchants. We dined upstairs, which is the fancier part of the restaurant, and nothing was bad. We started with duck fat fries, which are served with ketchup (tasted homemade!) and hollandaise. Wow, so good! The waiter brought tiny corn muffins and Dijon-butter. Delicious. There were also in-house pickled vegetables served in teeny little jars. The vegetables were gone too fast for a picture.

I had a delicious greens and radish salad that was super fresh. My friend M had beets, which I didn’t try, but that looked pretty.

My friend A had fried green tomatoes which were delicious! For dinner I ate the pan-roasted chicken with gnocci mac & cheese, swiss chard, and wild mushrooms. I ate it all. It was delicious.

For dessert we shared two desserts. The first was a chocolate tart and was gone before I even thought to take a picture. The second was pumpkin caramel cheesecake and was absolutely delicious. I took a picture halfway through that one.

Sunday we went to brunch at Fido, which was great! 

I had Pete's Torta with chorizo, and it was the perfect way to start the day and end the vacation.

Highly, highly recommend you visit Nashville and eat a lot. 
Have you been to Nashville? Where did you eat?

 

Off the Beaten Path: Gems in Downtown Napa

by Caitlin

Ask anyone about a trip to Napa and they'll probably start discussing all their favorite vineyards, tasting rooms, and restaurants. A trip to Napa most often consists of a trip to Napa valley and the towns surrounding Napa proper (Yountville, Saint Helena, Sonoma). What I didn't realize when I started planning my first trip out there (and asking for advice, which I received here in spades, and was very grateful for) is that Napa itself is a town, with a downtown area and everything. The past few years have not been kind to the city of Napa, and a lot of businesses have closed. So while the wineries and restaurants in the surrounding area seemed to have flourished (and please correct me if I'm wrong on that), downtown Napa can be a little depressing, with empty storefronts. My husband and I stayed in downtown Napa, though, and boy are we glad we did. We truly couldn't have picked better. 

To start, we arrived at our hotel (The Avia Napa) on a Thursday. Apparently we timed it well, as on the first Thursday of the month during the summer they shut off the street right in front of the hotel for a Chef's Market. We spent the evening wandering around listening to live music, drinking local wine and beer, and sampling all kinds of delicious food from various local vendors. It was a delightful way to start our trip. And I'm saying this as someone who normally finds street festivals to be kind of overwhelming and overrated. To me they're usually too crowded and it's not worth standing in line for mediocre food. Not the case here. We did stand in a few lines, but it wasn't suffocatingly crowded and we met so many great people; locals who were happy to stand around a table in the middle of the street chatting over a glass of wine with a couple of tourists. Including, oddly, a couple who had their two young kids with them named Zach & Caitlin. (This will only be odd if you recall that my husband's name is Zach. It also may be a lot funnier after 3 or 4 beers.)

 

Photo by me.

The next morning my husband woke up early and went in search of good coffee (necessary, on a number of levels). He found a place on Yelp with stellar reviews, and went to check it out. Molinari Caffe was everything Yelp said it would be and more. Zach struck up a conversation with the owner, Rick, and came back to the hotel room telling me what a nice guy he was, and how well he knew his coffee. And Rick does know his stuff: that coffee was perfect, let me tell you. We ended up going back there every day.

Photo from napavalleyregister.com.

We were actually in Napa for a wedding, so we went to plenty of other restaurants and wineries in Napa Valley while attending wedding events and celebrations. We also had a few extra days to spend on our own, and were constantly popping in and out of the hotel. At one point we found a flyer in our room for the Napa Valley Toffee Company, which was next door to the hotel. Again we turned to the yelp reviews, and again they didn't let us down. 

They also have a wine and espresso bar and one afternoon we were in desperate need of caffeine, so we wandered next door for some refreshment. While we were there we chatted with the woman who helped us, and told her we'd come by because of the blurb the hotel had put out. (It turns out she was the owner, and she hadn't seen the hotel flyer, apparently the hotel just loves the toffee?) (We brought one down for her the next day.) We sampled some toffee, and it was quuuuite good so we got a bunch for gifts, and while we were chatting, asked if she could recommend a nearby restaurant that was off the beaten path a bit, where locals go. She recommended Carpe Diem Wine Bar, and, you guessed it, it was another Yelp hit. 

 

Photo from tripadvisor.com.

We happened to hit it on the night they were celebrating their two year anniversary, and it was very crowded. We were lucky and surprised to find the last two seats at the bar. We were further surprised to sit down right next to Rick, from Molinari Caffe, whom Zach had met the day before. We ended up having dinner and chatting with he and a few of his friends at the bar all night, and it was a truly memorable evening. (As a bonus, he supplies their coffee and ordered one of his newest brews for us to try.)

As for Carpe Diem itself, it was my first chance to try what's become a favorite bubbly: Schramsberg Blanc de Blancs. It was recommended by a Food Lush reader, and I probably would never have tried it if not for her. Thanks, Elz! We tried a bunch of things, and our favorite was the boar meatballs. The crispy, goat cheese stuffed olives were great, and we also enjoyed one of the flatbreads and the alligator tacos, which were that night's specialty. Rick ordered the ostrich burger and when we saw it served we were sorry we didn't have enough room for one!

We hit plenty of the well-traveled places you've probably heard about in Napa (Ad Hoc, Bouchon Bakery, Domaine Chandon, etc.), and we really enjoyed them all. But we also loved making these memories of places we'd never have imagined or planned on going to, and we're so glad we did. We met some truly wonderful, gracious people and got to share delicious things with them in beautiful Napa. What's better than that?

Have you been to Napa? Have you found any hits off the beaten path?

Grocery List App

by Tara

I am a meal-planning person. If I don't plan my family's meals, then plan my grocery list according to the ingredients we need, then add the random things we need above that (dog food, deodorant, goldfish crackers, almond milk), we wind up throwing out a LOT of food, and it's really frustrating. I have always had a list-making system, and for years I've organized my lists according to the aisles at my store(s) of choice. I used to write out my list of needed items, then make a new list going by aisle and crossing out the old list, so I knew I got everything. Minimum 2 pieces of paper. Then I did it on the computer, and printed it out. But I would often lose or forget the list and then be SOL at the store.

For years now I've used the Grocery IQ app. The coolest thing about this app is (in my limited opinion) is the fact that I can add things from the Internet as well as from my phone. So if I'm thinking about something we need I can add it from my phone, but when I meal plan on my laptop Sunday evenings I can make my list of recipes and groceries on my computer and then add the items to my Grocery IQ list and it will update the list on my phone.

Screen shot from the computer.

Screen shot from my phone's app.

Grocery IQ lets you organize your aisles in your store, and make several lists at once with drop-downs. I can add things I need at Target, the butcher shop, and the produce I buy at a separate grocery store, all in one go, without worrying about several paper lists or wasting paper. You can scan items to store and budget, download electronic coupons, and favorite items you regularly buy. Plus, BONUS, the app is free. SCORE!

What's your favorite way to make grocery lists?

Aldi Markets

By Julie

Do you have an Aldi market in your area? They have just begun to pop up in my neck of the woods. Aldi prides itself on providing the lowest prices possible, which is a sentiment that goes straight to my heart. And wallet.

There are a couple of things you need to know about Aldi before making a trip. It costs a quarter to free a cart from their chained pen, but you get your coin back when you return the cart and lock it back up again. The point is to cut down on missing carts and parking lot damage. They don’t take credit cards, only cash and debit. Bring your own bags or pay for paper or plastic, and you’ll be bagging your own purchases. You won’t recognize most of the brand names. But it’s all part of their master plan to save customers moulah.

Knowing all this, I went in, armed with my mental database of food prices from every other store I shop. Well, well. You really can save here, even over Walmart costs. Produce is a big area to save, as long as the quality looks good on any given day (it can vary). Generics don’t bother me, so I have no problem picking up the Aldi-offered brands. Their inventory isn’t as large as most other grocery stores, but what they do carry almost always will cost less than comparable products elsewhere. For a breakdown of some specific savings, check out this post by Erica.

They also have seasonal merchandise which runs the gamut from toys at Christmas to patio furniture in the summer. You never know what you might find.

If you have Aldi nearby, check it out. It might be just want your grocery budget needs.

(Photo Credit: aldi.us)

Sprouts Grocery

by Elsha

We have no Trader Joes where I live. No Whole Foods either. (Do you feel sorry for me? I'm so deprived.) But! We are getting a Sprouts Grocery! I'm not sure when they'll be opening, but I'll definitely be checking it out. 

(Photo from Sprouts.com)

I know Sprouts isn't as big a name as the other two, and I'm totally unfamiliar with what they'll have. That's where you lovely readers come in.

Do you shop at Sprouts? What should I try? Anything I should definitely avoid? Let's hear it!

Campfire Chicken Bundles

by Tara

My husband's family did a lot of camping when he was growing up. I am an indoor kind of gal, though, and we have never been camping in 10 years together (we were going to go once but the campground got rained out; not my fault!). I have learned a bit about outdoor cooking, however, and here is my favorite meal that Jim's family made around the campfire that I cook on the grill or in the oven (but you could totally actually take to go camping):

Campfire Chicken Bundles
makes 6 bundles (about 3-4 servings)

Ingredients:

-1.5 lbs Chicken*
-1 packet of onion soup powdered mix 
-Butter 
-1 cup rice (I used quinoa in the photos below and it was fine)
-Cooking spray (I used my Misto filled with EVOO)
-Aluminum foil (not an ingredient, but necessary nonetheless)
-Grill or oven 

Directions:

-Preheat oven to 350 or preheat grill for indirect cooking (or, you know, start your campfire)
-Boil chicken for ~30 minutes or until cooked through
-Cook rice (or quinoa or whatever).
-Cut squares of foil and lay out on a counter and spray with cooking spray
-Spoon rice evenly onto all foil squares
-Slice a pat of butter onto rice, and sprinkle with onion soup mix
-Lay chicken on top of rice, top with another pat of butter and sprinkle with more soup mix.
-Fold up foil around mixture and twist top to secure
-Cook for 10-15 minutes in oven or on top rack of grill (or around edge of campfire), or until heated through
-Open and enjoy!

(Photos by me!)

Serve with corn on the cob or a simple veggie dish, and you've got a great and uncomplicated dinner! 

It would be really easy to prep this if you're really going camping and need an easy dinner. Just boil the chicken, cook the rice, and assemble the bundles before you leave and toss them into your cooler or hot/cold bag.

*Vague, I know, but you can really use anything here, bones or without; I prefer breasts (insert joke here), but my husband likes legs and wings, so whatever.

What's your favorite camping recipe?

Necessities for a Camping/Tubing Trip

by Caitlin 

Around this time last year I was completing my Second Ever camping trip. It was car camping, and there was a lake and a party boat rental and it was just one night, but I still had to pee outside -- and unzip a door to do so -- so I maintain that it TOTALLY COUNTS. My husband grew up going on backpacking trips with his stepdad, and it's something that he's been meaning to resurrect in his adult life for a while now. He worked really hard to make that trip one I would enjoy. And enjoy it I did.

Here is my husband, pitching our tent while I drink a beer and photograph him and then later he agrees to let me put the picture on my blog. A man among men!

A month or so later we went Real Camping where we had to hike in to the site. We stayed in a cabin with about 15 other people, and we hiked the mile-plus trail in lugging a cast iron skillet, a cooler full of bacon and beer, and a lot of other things but again: Totally counts. After all, we were on the Appalachian Trail and there was bear mace and everything in the cabin. Also, this view:

Our THIRD camping adventure last summer involved the same dear friends (Randy and Lisa, Hi guys!) whom we'd first camped with. This time the trip involved car camping and a river tubing trip: you rent tubes from the campground and they drive you a few miles up-river and drop you off. You spend the afternoon drifting downstream through the hills and fields with a cold, floating cooler and some good friends. If you know of a better way to spend a summer afternoon I wish you'd tell me about it. It was such a blast that we decided to do it again this year, and we've learned some things along the way. Here are my recommendations for a summer tubing/rafting/float trip. 

 It is nice to cook dinner next to a river. 

1. Canned beer.

Photo from http://staffblogs.etruth.com.

Bottles on the river are not a good idea. Even if you're not a jerkwad who'd litter intentionally, it's easy for a piece of trash to slip out of your wet fingers or fall out of the bag, no matter how careful everyone is. (Oh, which reminds me! Make sure you bring a few bags to use for trash.) Bottles that end up in the river will break, broken glass is bad, etc. Cans used to have a reputation for representing crappy beer, but that's changing. There are some shockingly good ones out there nowadays (anything by Oskar Blues, for starters), but Yeungling and Copper Bell are delicious, drinkable, and good if you're having several. I've only ever seen Copper Bell at Whole Foods (I think I read it's their house brand?), but it is shockingly cheap at something like $5.99 for a 12 pack. 

2. Robaritas. 

This is apparently a concoction introduced by our friend Rob (Hi Rob!). It's basically a variation of this recipe: Tequila, beer, and frozen limeade concentrate. And it is DELICIOUS. The problem with Robaritas is that they go down far, FAR too easily. And it is hot on that river! And the Robarita in your hand, it's so refreshing! We were wise enough to bring some water, including some lime seltzer, and it turns out that Robaritas are still delicious and so refreshing when cut with lime seltzer. Drunk out of a re-purposed Deer Park water bottle, they are proud to be the trashy cousin of a wine spritzer!

This year Lisa also brought some of those new Bud Light Lime-a-ritas. Listen, I'm no fan of Bud Light, but these were DELICIOUS. They were also quite strong, and went down a little too easily. 

3. You're going to need something to soak up all that alcohol, even though you grilled some hot dogs right before you got on the river. So bring some sealable snacks.

Here's what I intended to bring when we were menu planning for the trip: dried fruit, cut-up vegetables and hummus, ziploc bags of pita chips, maybe ziploc bags with cheese and crackers.

HAHHAHAHHAAA. 

Here is what we brought: A few handfuls of pretzels, shoved quickly into a ziploc bag. They were delicious. Also delicious were Lisa's cheetos, which were also shoved unceremoniously into a Ziploc bag, then crammed by the slightly-damp fistful into our gaping maws. YAYYYY BEER! 

Listen. It's hot in that Virginia sun. There is little to no shade on the river. The drinks are cold, SO COLD, and you are thirsty. SO THIRSTY. The good news is that we go to this particular place because the campground is right on the river, and you can roll off your tube and stumble up the hill to your campsite when your ride has come to an end. No one has to drive. Everyone can rinse off in the showers, pass out in their tents for a few hours, and then get up around dinner time to start grilling. And crack a few more cold ones. 

HEALTHY!

Sunset over the campground. Not a bad end to the day. 

Do you have any camping or tubing traditions? Have you gone on a rafting/tubing/float trip? 

All photos are by me, except where otherwise noted. 

Easy Roasted Corn on the Cob

by Tara

I adore corn on the cob; it's one of my favorite summertime foods. But I hate cooking it on the grill because I never know when it's done. But thanks to Tyler Florence there is an easy way to roast corn on the cob that could easily be adapted to the grill to go along with any other summertime foods you are tossing on for dinner. 

Oven Roasted Corn on the Cob

(Photo from ifood.tv.)

This is the best and easiest way to make corn on the cob I've ever found. It is a delicious, and could easily be done on your grill, especially if the grill has a temperature gauge.

What's your favorite summertime food?

 

 

Platter: Social Networking For Food

By Jessica

By now we've all become acustomed to the catch phrase "there's an app for that." We're familiar with many forms of social networking, if not using them daily. We take pictures of nearly everything, and it's not uncommon to be at a restaurant and see someone snagging a photo of their entreé or dessert. The other day my husband was reading an article in one of his tech blogs and it happened to be about combining everything I've just mentioned into one thing, it's called Platter

Here's some information direct from their About page

Why did we build Platter?

1. People like showing off what they cook. And we like seeing what they've come up with.
2. We rarely have time to read recipes. But we'll always check out photos – that's what gets the ideas flowing.
3. We post food photos all over social media. But it's a mess. We wanted them all in one place, focussed on cooking.
4. We want to take on the celebrity chef cartel. Food is social, and our cooking's inspired by people all around us.

And on their website they have a link to the current Top 100 dishes. It's available for both iPhones and Andriod users and they even have a blog to follow with contests and round-ups.

Is this something you would use?