Galena Weekend

We had a fun short trip to Galena, IL last weekend. Scott is working in La Crosse, WI for a month so we only get to see each other on weekends :-(.

Friday night, I drove down to La Crosse, arriving about 10 PM. We had a quick dinner and then went to bed. We got up early Saturday morning and drove 2.5 hours to get to Galena, IL. Google Maps said it would take 3 hours, but Gabby Garmin got us there in 2.5 by taking us down every tiny backroad in Southwest Wisconsin.

Galena, IL is a great little town - only about 2,300 people. Surprisingly, it is the second most popular tourist destination in Illinois behind Chicago. A lot of Chicagoans go there for a taste of old-fashioned, small-town life.

We stayed at a cute little inn called Greenbriar Country Inn.



The building where our room was located was built in 1838!



Main Street was the highlight for me - 1 mile of quaint shops - gift stores, needlework stores, bead stores, clothing stores, etc. And it was "Ladies Weekend" so a lot of the stores had samples out - brownies, cookies, etc.



One interesting stop off Main Street was an authentic blacksmith shop built in 1897. It is run today by volunteers to teach people about traditional blacksmithing.



We finished looking at the shops about 6:00 PM and still had a few hours to kill before our 8:30 dinner reservation. Scott wanted to go running, but my feet were tired. He begged, so I reluctantly went along. I ended up doing one of my hardest, fastest runs in a long time.

We ran a little over 7 miles in 1 hour! Usually I only do 6 miles in an hour. It was a tough run, but I felt really good afterward.

We had a fabulous dinner at the Perry Street Brasserie. I started with a salad with Spicy Mango Dressing and local goat cheese. It was tasty, but I would have preferred crumbled goat cheese to a big block.


My entree was tilapia in a lemon glaze with a crab cake on top. The crab cake was incredible! The tilapia was just okay - the glaze was too sweet for my taste. But Scott really liked it. He ordered Seared Ahi Tuna in a Thai Red Curry sauce. I ended up eating most of his dinner and he ate most of mine. I wish I'd taken a picture of his dish.


We ended the night with one of the restaurant's signature desserts, a Chocolate Cup. It's a hard shell of dark chocolate. Inside is a thick layer of dark chocolate ganache, milk chocolate mousse, and whipped cream. Wow...is all I can say. Scott and I split it, although I had to give up after awhile.


Our inn only served a continental breakfast of muffins and fruit. Scott wanted something more substantial so we headed to the DeSoto Hotel on Main Street. Sunday mornings, they have a great buffet with made-to-order omelets for only $10!


After breakfast we went to the Ulysses S. Grant house. President Grant lived in Galena prior to the Civil War in a little house near Main Street. After the War he lived in a much grander home.



Grant was sitting in this room when he found out that he'd won the presidential election (I saw a drawing made of this room from a newspaper of the time)

The dining room. Most of the furniture in the house is original.

The kitchen.

Next we drove to the Chestnut Ski Resort. As midwestern ski resorts go, this looked pretty nice. But I wasn't particularly interested in the runs (unlike Scott the skier). I loved the view from the top of the mountain/large hill.


One of the runs

The Mississippi River Valley

After driving around the area a little bit, we headed back to La Crosse. I wanted to drive back to Minneapolis before it got dark, so we didn't have much time together in La Crosse. Scott did drive me up to Grandad Bluffs, one of the key attractions of La Crosse.


From the top of the bluff, you can see Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa. I think this is Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Nutella Brownie Caper

I bought a jar of Nutella recently and I found a recipe to use it.



Nutella Brownies

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour (unbleached)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup nutella
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, room temperature

Directions

1. Put rack in center of the oven. Preheat oven at 325°F Put parchment paper in the bottom of a 9 inch square pan (but taking care to let exceed a strip of parchment paper on each side (2 sides) and butter the two other sides).
2. In a bowl, mix flour and salt. Set aside.
3. In another bowl, with an electric mixer, beat eggs, nutella, brown sugar and vanilla until the mixture is creamy and homogeneous, about 2 minutes. At low speed, add dry ingredients alternating with melted butter.
4. Spread in the pan. Cook 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of cake comes out with lumps and not completely clean.
5. Let cool in the pan about 2 hours. Remove from pan and cut in squares.



The next day, I daydreamed all day about these fabulous brownies. They were moist, rich, and fudgy - just the way I like them. And even better, the chocolate came from Nutella, one of my favorite chocolate treats. And they were perfect alone and with a scoop of ice cream. I couldn't wait to have them for dessert all week!

So as you might imagine, I was a bit upset to come home from work and discover this:



An empty brownie pan.

Where did they go? Who ate them?

Here's a clue. A single hair.



The culprit?



Grr...Bad dog, bad dog!!

Scott had the day off, so Snowbird was out of his crate. Scott was outside mowing the lawn and Snowbird was alone in the kitchen. Apparently, the temptation was too much. I had the pan in a spot where I've kept baked goods before without problems. Snowbird was just particularly ambitious today.

Of course, Scott did reveal that he had eaten 1 or 2 brownies with his lunch. So I wonder...was the dog really guilty after all? Perhaps he was framed! :-)

(Don't worry, Snowbird didn't get sick. He has a cast-iron stomach. He even ate four mice/rats/gophers without getting sick).

More Meals

Dinner

I was proud of this dinner - It was simple yet elegant. I made a shrimp and veggie stir-fry with Trader Joe's sprouted wheat pappardelle pasta.





The pasta is quite healthy - 3g fiber. The first ingredient is sprouted organic whole wheat berries. It's entirely whole grain. I loved the nutty smell wafting up from the pot while the pasta boiled. The taste is okay...good enough. It definitely has a "healthy" taste. I liked it because I'm fond of the whole grain taste. But it's an adjustment.





Shrimp with Vegetables

3 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 very large zucchini, chopped
2 T garlic
2 T tomato paste
1 lb shrimp
6 oz spinach

1. Heat tomatoes, tomato paste, zucchini, and garlic on med-high heat until zucchini is soft.
2. Add shrimp and cook about 5 minutes until done.
3. Add spinach and cook until wilted.



Dinner

One of my stand-by summer meals: Panzanella





I chopped up half a loaf of Honey Wheat bread from Great Harvest and toasted it in the oven for 10 minutes. I combined that with several chopped tomatoes, 1/2 pound of fresh mozzarella, lots of fresh basil, and a dressing of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, garlic, and dijon mustard. I served it with a side of sauteed spinach.

Dinner

Fajitas! They are super-easy. I sauteed two onions and two green peppers with 12 oz chicken. I seasoned it with 1 tspn cumin and 1 tspn chili powder and some taco seasoning. At the end I added some chopped spinach and tomatoes.



I served the fajitas with Trader Joe's frozen roasted corn. It was great - I could really taste the char from the roasting. I didn't like it the next day though - I hate leftover corn. I gave the rest of the corn to Scott. It's not a reflection of the corn itself - I just have weird issues with leftover corn.



Dinner

I've had less energy to make ambitious meals lately. Luckily, I have a stock of simple healthy meals in my head for which I don't need a formal recipe. Tonight is one of my favorite go-to meals.



Chickpea Salad

2 cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained
3-4 radishes chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
10 grape tomatoes, halved
3 oz baby spinach
3/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
1 T garlic
1-2 tspn curry powder
1/2-1 tspn lemon juice
Salt & Pepper to taste

1. Mix together chickpeas and vegetables
2. In a separate bowl combine yogurt, garlic, curry powder, and lemon juice
3. Stir yogurt mixture into chickpeas



I served the Chickpea Salad with a slice of Honey Whole Wheat bread from Great Harvest and some fabulous grape tomatoes I bought at the farmer's market.

Dinner

Zucchini Okonomiyaki - The recipe isn't very good, since I just eyed the amounts and changed my cooking methods as needed. I am excited that I made it up entirely on my own.



1 large zucchini, shredded
2/3 cup whole wheat flour
3 radishes, thinly sliced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1 egg
Soy sauce
Sesame oil
2 eggs

1. Mix all ingredients together.
2. Cook on medium heat until brown on bottom. Put a plate upside down on the pancake and turn the pancake onto the plate. Put back onto pan.
3. Cook and turn pancake over several times until finished.
4. Break 2 eggs on top of pancake. Turn pancake over so egg will finish cooking.
5. Serve with okonomiyaki sauce

Dinner - Barbecued Pork


Barbecue Pork sandwich with spinach and zucchini

Barbecue Pork

1.5 lbs center-cut pork loin
Barbecue Sauce

1. Place pork loin in slow cooker.
2. Cover with barbecue sauce. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
3. Shred pork. Return to slow cooker. Turn slow cooker to high and cook for about 30 minutes with cover off to thicken sauce.

Dinner

I made an improvised Pad Thai tonight. Apart from the effort of chopping the veggies and tofu, it was a very simple recipe. I used some Thai eggplants in the recipe. They tasted best when sliced thinly so the seeds weren't as bitter.



Pad Thai

7 oz rice vermicelli
1 lb tofu, sliced very thinly
1/2 green bell pepper, sliced thinly
3-4 small Thai eggplants, sliced into 4-6 pieces
1 onion, sliced thinly
2 T garlic, minced
1 T ginger
1 egg
2 T fish sauce
1 T sugar
Soy sauce

1. Cook rice vermicelli in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. Drain into colander and rinse for a few seconds.
2. Stir-fry tofu and veggies in skillet on medium-high heat until tofu is brown and veggies are soft.
3. Add fish sauce and sugar.
4. Make a well in the middle of the skillet. Beat the egg in a separate bowl and then pour into skillet. Scramble the egg gently until cooked.
5. Add the rice noodles to the veggie mixture. Sprinkle with a little soy sauce and serve.



Dinner

I made a fabulous dinner, Chana Masala by Molly Wizenberg of Orangette. I can't remember if I've made it before, but I really liked it. Even though there are a lot of spices, it was really simple to put together. I added a bunch of spinach and a chopped sweet potato. I served it with Garlic Naan from Trader Joe's.



Chana Masala



Good-quality olive oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground coriander
¼ tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garam masala
3 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes
1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
1 Tbs cilantro leaves, roughly torn, plus more for garnish
A pinch of cayenne, or to taste
2 15-ounce cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
6-8 Tbs plain whole-milk yogurt, optional
A few lemon wedges, optional

Film the bottom of a large saucepan or Dutch oven—preferably not nonstick—with olive oil, and place the pan over medium heat. Add the onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until it is deeply caramelized and even charred in some spots. Be patient. The more color, the more full-flavored the final dish will be.

Reduce the heat to low. Add the garlic, stirring, and add a bit more oil if the pan seems dry. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, ginger, garam masala, and cardamom pods, and fry them, stirring constantly, until fragrant and toasty, about 30 seconds. Add ¼ cup water, and stir to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until the water has evaporated away completely. Pour in the juice from can of tomatoes, followed by the tomatoes themselves, using your hands to break them apart as you add them; alternatively, add them whole and crush them in the pot with a potato masher. Add the salt.

Raise the heat to medium, and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, add the cilantro and cayenne, and simmer the sauce gently, stirring occasionally, until it reduces a bit and begins to thicken. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary. Add the chickpeas, stirring well, and cook over low heat for about five minutes. Add 2 Tbs water, and cook for another five minutes. Add another 2 Tbs water, and cook until the water is absorbed, a few minutes more. This process of adding and cooking off water helps to concentrate the sauce’s flavor and makes the chickpeas more tender and toothsome. Taste, and adjust the seasoning as necessary.

Stir in the yogurt, if you like, or garnish with lemon wedges and cilantro. Serve.

Yield: About four servings

Dinner

I made a caprese salad and cornbread. Very tasty!






I added lots of spinach to the traditional basil, mozarella, and tomato caprese salad


Dinner

I had a sample recently of BBQ Chicken Pizza and I've been craving it ever since. I made this with Boboli whole-wheat crust, 1/2 a chopped red bell pepper, 1 very large chicken breast, and about 1.5 cups of Gouda which I hand-shredded. Scott couldn't compliment it enough!



Served with a big spinach salad with red bell pepper and tomatoes.



Dessert

I have all this leftover cornbread that I need to use up. I made a Cornbread Pudding off the cuff for dessert. I took 2 pieces of cornbread which I crumbled. I poured in milk and added blueberries. I drizzled the mixture with honey. I put the Cornbread Pudding mixture into two ramekins and baked it at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.



It was a little rich for a weeknight dessert, even though it didn't have eggs, but it was a fun experiment.

Dinner



I made ravioli with loads of tomatoes, zucchini, and arugula. Plus I made pesto with the basil from my backyard! I love fresh pesto! With the food processor, it probably took less time to make than chopping the vegetables.


I combined basil, shredded Gouda, shredded Parmesan cheese, and drizzled olive oil in the food processor and pulsed until smooth.

It comes right together!

The finished product:

Ravioli with veggies and pesto

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Sunday Dinner with My Parents

Main Course - Sausage Risotto (recipe based off How To Cook Everything by Mark Bittman)



1/2 - 1 T butter
4-6 cups chicken broth
1.5 cups arborio rice
12 oz chicken, spinach, and garlic sausage, thinly sliced
1/2 onion, chopped
4 oz arugula
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
1/2 cup Gouda cheese, shredded

1. Warm chicken broth in microwave or stove. Keep warm.
2. Melt butter over medium heat. Add in rice and stir to coat in butter.
3. Pour broth into rice about 1/2 cup at a time. Stir. When broth is almost completely absorbed, add the next 1/2 cup. Stir occasionally - it's not necessary to stir all the time. Repeat until the rice is thick, moist, and a good texture. This will probably take 30-40 minutes. I only used 4.5 cups of broth.
4. Saute sausage and onion separately. Once rice is done, add sausage mixture into rice.
5. Stir in arugula until it's wilted.
6. Add in cheese.



Side Dish - Tomato Salad



I originally planned on putting the tomatoes in the risotto, but we tasted them first. They were so good that I just couldn't sully them by mixing them into a strongly flavored rice dish. Instead, I made an easy salad with them.

3 large tomatoes, sliced
2-4 T fresh basil, chopped
EV Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar
Salt and Pepper

1. Mix tomatoes and basil together. Drizzle with olive oil and vinegar. Add salt and pepper.



Dessert - Apple Crisp

I bought a bag of Paula Red apples from Target. They weren't very good and I didn't feel like eating them. So I made apple crisp from them. Paula Red isn't the best baking apple, but it worked out well anyway.



*I'm typing the recipe off my head. It may not be entirely correct, but close enough.

6 cups apples, sliced thinly
2 T brown sugar
Lemon juice
2/3 cup brown sugar
1 cup oats
1 cup flour
4 T butter, cold, sliced thinly

1. Mix together apples and brown sugar. Drizzle with lemon juice. Place in 8x8 pan.
2. Add brown sugar, oats, and flour to the food processor. Pulse a few times to mix. Add in butter. Pulse until butter is well mixed in.
3. Pour crisp over apples.
4. Bake at 400 for 30-40 minutes.