Travel Log: Maui (Front Street and Lahaina Fish Co)

Front  Street is located in Lahaina. It's this fun street with just about anything you can imagine to eat , drink, buy and see. 

One side of the street is located on the ocean with these amazing views. We were actually at the Outlet Mall when we ran across Front Street. We decided to stroll around a bit and found this fun filled street. 

We decided to have a quick lunch and opted for the first restaurant we saw (well, the first one after Bubba Gump). I cant remember the name of the place, but the fish tacos were very good and the view was great.

We finished dining and came upon Lahaina Fish Co. We remembered the couple from The Gazebo telling us about it. We decided to make dinner reservations for the next day. Of course, we asked for a table with a view of the sunset.

Flash forward to the next day at 5:30PM.  When we arrived, we were greeting by the hostess who quickly took us upstairs to our table. The upstairs is a balcony and part of it sits right above the ocean. Great table, but we were both a little uneasy at first (until the Hawaiian-tini's kicked in ❤). 

The water below was crystal clear. So clear, that you could see the fish from our table. They even encouraged us to feed the fish our left over bread! 

We order our meals - I had the Seared Pepper Scallops with a side of grilled asparagus. G had the Mac Nut Crusted Mahi Mahi with a side of Brussel Sprouts. When I tell you we had more than enough food, we had more than enough food. 

The scallops were served with a soy sake butter sauce. They were super tender. The appetizer portion was more than enough. The MahiMahi was perfection! The crust was a light panko coating seasoned just right.  It was served with Molokai Sweet Potatoes. These potatoes are purple and have a very different flavor from typical orange sweet potatoes. Our server was kind enough to google Molokai sweet potatoes for us. 

Just as we started eating, the sun was setting. I honestly have never seen sunsets more beautiful than in Maui. 

We enjoyed Lahaina Fish Co. that we planned to come back later the same week. We opted to share the prime rib since the portions are so big there. Trust me when I say it was just as delicious. 

Once we finished eating, we walked down Front to see the sights and do some souvenir shopping. 

On Front Street you'll find clothing stores, restaurants, Bad Ass Coffee Co. (killer banana nut coffee), shave ice, and the infamous Banyan Tree:

The Banyan Tree is massive! It was actually imported from India in 1873. This joker is over 60 feet tall with several different trunks. It was so massive that we couldn't get a full picture of it. The area is actually called Lahaina Banyan Tree Park. 

Stay tuned for more Maui reviews later. Be sure to ask any questions you may have. I'd also like to hear about your travels to Hawaii!

Aloha!

Tasty Tuesday - Asparagus Stuffed Chicken

Plated Dish- Photo Credit: Erika Gregory

You know show you see all of the Tasty (etc.) videos  on Facebook? The ones with all of the delicious recipes? I usually share them with only me as not to bombard others with a recipe they may have already seen on their timeline.

Many times, I will actually recreate the recipe and this Asparagus Stuffed Chicken was one of those times.  I love chicken, asparagus and provolone cheese. Hubby could do without meat and I am pretty sure provolone isn't his favorite cheese. I usually end up improvising on the recipe, but not this time. He was actually cool with everything in the recipe! SCORE (maybe because it was during the Final Four - lol).

Anyway, I won't go into the full details of the recipe. You can find it here from "I wash. You dry."

This dish was so simple and the spices are all you probably have at home.  The recipe calls for lemon zest, but I forgot to purchase real lemons. I did have lemon juice at home and used that instead. Zest of lemon and oranges is always better than the juice. It just seems to give it an extra bit of umph. I'm pretty sure it would have tasted much better had I used the zest.

I didn't use very much salt at all. I like to use the Himalayan or smoked salts.  You can find those at just about any grocery store. I also used smoked paprika. I use smoked paprika ALL the time - even in my mac and cheese!

We love asparagus and typically have it a couple of times every week. My favorite way to fix it is steamed (a little bit of water in the bottom of a microwaveable dish and press and seal wrap to cover). 

 Something looks terribly wrong with the second piece of chicken - huh?  Well, it's fine. I just flipped it the wrong way when I was seasoning it.  These get pan seared to lock in the juices before cooking at 400 degrees.  The photo below is after pan searing. Be sure to cover with aluminum foil so the asparagus doesn't burn.  I didn't cook the asparagus before I stuffed it in the chicken. The next time I will probably blanch it for a few minutes so it's not as crisp.

Here it is after baking. The paprika gives it a very pretty color.  I would probably add more paprika next time. I will say that I didn't use any of the measurements from the original recipe. I "winged" it. 

I'd love to know if you try this recipe and what you think if you do/did. 

                   💕💕Bon Apetit!💕💕

Customer Appreciation Event......W-S

I am in love with all things Williams - Sonoma. You can read about my Staub grill pan (here)  that I can not live with out. I'm also a fan of their foodie items. My most recent love is the lime chili rub. I sampled chicken breast with this rub at the store a few weeks ago and absolutely fell in love. I purchased the last container in the store that day. I put it on EVERYTHING! Most recently, it made it's way on corn on the cob. I simply sprayed my corn with olive oil and sprinkled the rub on it. Wrapped in foil, it cooked in the oven for about 15 minutes at 400 degrees. It was so good with dinner, but guess what? It was even BETTER the next day.

Photo Credit: Williams-Sonoma

I received an invite via email to a Customer Appreciation Day at the store. They are having them all over the country. Be sure to check out the date and time of yours by clicking on the image below. They will have tastings, demonstrations, and so much more. If you are in the Indy area, you can check out the one at The Fashion Mall at Keystone at the Crossing.

You may also want to check out some of the other events they have. They are always offering some sort of fun and informative class. You can usually get a discount on items you purchase the day of the event. 

Favorite Foods

Favorite Foods by eegrego160 on Polyvore

PEARings

As we were driving home from dinner a few weeks ago, my husband noticed a new restaurant - PEARings. It's a frozen yogurt and more place.

Of course, at the time I wasn't too interested as it was pretty cold outside. What did interest me was the fact that it is within walking distance of my job!

I didn't think about it until a co-worker mentioned she had gone there recently.  Needing a walk and some frozen yogurt, another co-worker and I decided to go there yesterday.

As we approached the storefront, we could see the cute PEARings sign, but couldn't figure out where the door is. Turns out the door is on the side.

We were greeted immediately upon entering by a delightful young man. He shared with us all of the offerings from PEARings. Salads, wraps, frozen yogurt. Traders Point Creamery is a supplier of many of their items. They also offer a cereal bar for breakfast  featuring Steel cut oatmeal, traditional oats and a gluten -free choice.

My interest was in the frozen yogurt. So, off to the yogurt station we went. The yogurtista explained everything to me. It's a self serve station. They have these great dividers for your bowl so you can have more then one flavor without them touching! I believe they had 10 offers that day. I zeroed in on Red Velvet Cake (which I did sample) but decided on the Fat Free/Sugar Free Tahitian Vanilla with lie Hawaii Coconut infused. I added chopped fresh strawberries and mangoes. DELISH!!!!

My lunch mate decided on Cheesecake with cashews and strawberries and Sea Salt Caramel Pretzel with cashews. She enjoyed it as well.

You pay by the ounce. Which is nice if you just want a bit.

PEARings offered samples of a turkey or chicken wrap. I am not a fan of the samples by the cash register. However, these were JUST put out and we were the only ones in there at the time. So, I went for it. It was actually were pretty good.

The decor is modern with dark browns, greens and silver. My kind of place. There are comfy chairs and couches as well as tall bar seats for people watching.

So far so good (IMHO) for this brand new downtown spot.

Owner Matt Meneima has hit the nail on the head with this place!

Be sure to head over to the PEARings website here for more information. Better yet, head over for some wonderful food! Who knows, maybe you will see me there!

Cheat Day...

Food by eegrego160 on Polyvore

Franchise Business Opportunities | Five Guys Burgers To Open Two More... / Pizza Hut Canada / The Cheesecake Factory Victim of Its Own Success? / tiramisu cheesecake « cheesecake factory « meal advisor / Pizzas - Menu - Pizza Hut of Maryland / Steak and Fried Shrimp Double Cheeseburger with Onion Straws and...

So, my husband and I are planning a cheat day. No, not what you think! We both have been trying to watch what we eat. Me - just over the last few months. Him - always. He does a great job of making sure he eats fresh fruits and veggies. He also makes sure to work out regularly. I am getting there. 

We decided a few months ago that we would have a FOOD cheat day. We could eat whatever we wanted. His first choice was pizza. The Pizza Hut sliders were calling his name. I wanted Five Guys Burgers. Probably because they just opened one in the same strip mall as my gym!

Then, we started discussing doing the Cheesecake Factory. Then, it was Red Robin......and the list goes on. 

Well, one day last week we had a bet on something. The winner will be the one to choose our food cheat. Guess who won? Not me. So, now I am just waiting to hear what we will be indulging in. 

What would you choose as your FOOD cheat?

Stay Tuned to hear what we chose....................

Please note - that is not an actual Five Guys Burger.

What's for dinner?

How delicious does this recipe sound? Delish AND simple. I like to throw in chicken, shrimp or both.

Lemon, garlic, olive oil, salt, pepper and Parmesan or Romano  cheese

Source: inomthings.com via Erika on Pinterest

I found this picture on Pinterest and there wasn't a recipe - just a list of ingredients. If you have been cooking for while, you can probably figure out how much to use of each ingredient. If not, I would say season as you go and see what works best for you! It's such a simple recipe that you can make it your own just by adding a few extra ingredients. Enjoy!

Rosemary, Almond and Parmesan Cocktail Cookies

Here is the recipe for the cookies I made for our Wine Tasting party. They are a delicious savory cookie that you can pop in your mouth while drinking wine, etc.  I topped them off with fresh parmigiana reggiano cheese just before putting them into the oven.  Also, I always use parchment paper when baking - less mess.  I just purchased a reusable baking sheet from Crate and Barrel. I can not wait to use it once it comes.

Enjoy!

Rosemary, Almond and Parmesan Cocktail Cookies

Contributed byDorie Greenspan

 

Recipe from Food and Wine

1. 1/2 cup slivered almonds
2. 2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
3. 3 tablespoons sugar
4. 1/2 teaspoon salt
5. 2 large egg yolks, beaten
6. 2 cups all-purpose flour
7. 2 sticks cold unsalted butter, diced
8. 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (1 ounce)

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the almonds in a pie plate and toast for about 10 minutes, until golden. Turn off the oven and let the almonds cool.
2. In a bowl, rub the sugar with the rosemary until moist and aromatic. In a food processor, combine the rosemary sugar with the almonds, flour, cheese and salt and pulse until the almonds are coarsely chopped. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Add the egg yolks and pulse until large clumps of dough form.
3. Transfer the dough to a work surface and knead gently until it just comes together. Divide the dough in half and press each piece into a disk. Roll out each disk between 2 sheets of wax paper to about 1/4 inch thick. Slide the wax paper–covered disks onto a baking sheet and freeze for at least 1 hour, until very firm.
4. Preheat the oven to 350° and line 2 large baking sheets with parchment paper. Working with one piece of dough at a time, peel off the top sheet of wax paper. Using a 1 1/2-inch round cookie cutter, stamp out cookies as close together as possible. Arrange the cookies about 1 inch apart on the prepared baking sheets.
5. Bake the cookies for about 20 minutes, until lightly golden; shift the baking sheets from top to bottom and front to back halfway through. Let the cookies cool on the baking sheets for 3 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make AheadThe rolled-out frozen cookie dough can be wrapped in plastic and kept frozen for 2 weeks. The baked cookies can be kept in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Suggested Pairing

Crisp, citrusy Prosecco: NV Nino Franco Rustico Prosécco di Valdobbiadene.

Minis....

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo Credit: My Wedding Reception Ideas



How cute are these mini foods? I love serving minis when entertaining and for meals.  One of the reasons I love them so much is that I can indulge without feeling guilty.  A few of these give me just the taste I need of some of my favorite foods. What do you think of mini foods?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devour Downtown Indy Summer 2011



Photo Credit: What Katie Ate Blog


 Twice a year,  Downtown Indianapolis select restaurants participate in an event called Devour Downtown. There is one in the summer and one in the winter. Devour Downtown Indy - Summer 2011 is here now. Running from August 8th, 2011 until August 21st, 2011, this event is not to be missed.

 Basically, participating restaurants offer a special menu for $30. Yep, $30 - for premier restaurants in Downtown Indy. Restaurants like St. Elmo Steak House, The Capital Grille, Oceannaire, Fogo de Chao, Eagle's Nest and many, many more. You can find other restaurants here. This event is a great time to try a new restaurant or to visit an old favorite at a great price. For instance, here is the menu for St. Elmo's:

St. Elmo Steakhouse

127 S. Illinois St. +317.635.0636 + Reserve Online
M-F: 4pm -11pm ; Sat: 3pm-11pm ; Sun: 4pm-10pm

Devour Dinner Menu Summer 2011
$30 per Person

FIRST COURSE:

World Famous Shrimp Cocktail
3 Jumbo Shrimp with Plenty of Fiery Sauce
or
House Salad

SECOND COURSE
Choice of:

Filet Mignon

Grilled Salmon

Bourbon Chicken

All Entrees served with Redskin Mashed Potatoes and 
 Sauteed Green beans

THIRD COURSE
Choice of:

Chocolate Cherry Bread Pudding

Crème Brulee

Cheesecake

$30 menu
Tax and Gratuity not included.
Sorry No Substitutions

This is truly a great deal as the steaks at St. Elmo alone can cost $30.  My hubby and I plan to dine at a few thru the course of the event. We'll visit The Capital Grille and St. Elmo Steakhouse. I'll be sure to review here on the blog.

 If you are in the Indy area, are you planning on attending?  If you are not in Indy, does your city offer the same? I'd love to hear about it!

Friday Fave - Trader Joe's

Trader Joe's is one of our go to stores for groceries. I am HOOKED on the Air popped and Olive oil popcorn. So, when we go, I usually buy at least two bags of it. Maxi and Coco seem to like it, too. When I drop some that is. Maxi is tiny - so, he practically sits on my shoulder waiting for a kernel to fall. Sometimes, it falls by "accident".

  You won't find brand names at Trader Joe's. They have their own brand as well as not so well known brands of food. They basically bring the customer what they know they want. They don't have sales or discount cards. Their prices are totally reasonable. In fact, their fresh flower prices are lower than most.

 There is a little section in the store that hosts samples. They showcase an item or two (or three) and a coffee drink and sometimes a cold drink. Yesterday, the food sample was hummus and tabbouleh on sweet potato tortilla chips. Out of this world good. So good, we purchased all of the items and had as a little snack last night for movie night. Hummus is made from cooked, mashed chickpeas, blended with tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and garlic. Tabbouleh is is a healthful and delicious Mediterranean food recipe prepared with cracked wheat, mint, garlic, tomatoes, green onions, olive oil and lemon.

 Fun fact: Wonder why they ring those bells? Apparently, it's their "Morse Code". One ring means - more registers needed. Two rings means - customer question. Three rings means - a manager is needed.  Who knew???

 Do you have a Trader Joe's in your area? If so, what are your favorite items?

Zest! Exciting Food Creations

After months of trying to go to Zest! Exciting Food Creations restaurant here in Indy, Ken and I finally made it last Sunday after church. We had heard about it several times and even saw it featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives with Guy Fieri. Here is a bit about Zest! from their website:
Zest! Exciting Food Creations is the invention of Executive Chef/Partner Valerie Vanderpool. Valerie has a passion for the artistry of creating and serving food that is intensely flavored, fun, and full of delightful surprises for everyone who enjoys one of the best things in life…extraordinary Downhome Goes Uptown food served with hand-selected wines and specialty beers and enthusiastically enjoyed with wonderful friends!

 Zest! sits in a strip mall with several other shops including Posh Petals - one of my favorite florists in the city. You could dine Al Fresco or inside. Being that it was 210 degrees  hot  that day, we decided to dine in. We had about a twenty minute wait which seemed to pass quickly. There is a coffee station featuring their el Diablo Premium (wicked) coffee and Black Cat Premium decaf while you wait. The el Diablo is wicked good! Yep, I said it "wicked". The dining area is actually several rooms of dining. It sort of reminds me of a home. The decor was eclectic and they had me at the chandeliers!

 So, I'll get to the part I know you are dying to read about. The food. The food was off the chain good. We both had a Creative Scrambled omelet. I loved this not only because of the taste, but because that is exactly how my omelets turn out - scrambled! Anyway, Ken had artichokes, feta and (oops, can't remember) in his omelet and Cowboy potatoes. The Cowboy potatoes were smokin'. I had an egg white omelet with avocado, tomatoes and yellow cheddar cheese. Oh, and edamame succotash. Heaven!!!!!! The service was prompt and super friendly - even though they were packed.

 As we were leaving, I saw the nice lady who seated us and Chef Valerie at the counter. Of course, I had to ask for a photo!  They were super nice. We ended up buying dessert for later. Ken had a blondie and I had the key lime scone. DELISH!!!The scone was super moist as scones go and jam packed with flavor. Not overly tart - just enough tartness to know that it was key lime. The Blondie was equally as good. Super moist and chewy. Excellent!

  Zest! Exciting Food Creations is located at 1134 East 54th Street - Studio H in Indianapolis, IN 46220. Reservations (except brunch)  are accepted and recommended. Call 317.466.1853.

 You should head over there - NOW if you haven't been already. Trust - you will not be disappointed!
If you've been, I'd love to hear what you think about it.


    
                

Tasty Tuesday - Patachou

After church the other day, we went to one of our favorite places - Patachou on Park.

We usually go a few times over the course of as many months. The selection is wonderful as are all of their locations. I had the Chicken Cobb Salad with Ginger Vinaigrette. It was SUPERB!

  Ken had the Croissant French Toast with nuts and fruit on the side. HEAVEN.  

I'm not a huge sweet breakfast food person. You know - french toast, pancakes, waffles.  I will taste my husbands when he gets it. Let me tell you this french toast was to die for! 

Artisano's Oil and Spices

Artisano's Oils and Spices

We were invited to dinner the other night by our dear friends, The S's. They host THE BEST parties. This was a smaller one with four couples. We met a new couple and our other dear friends, the V's, were there. Such a nice surprise.  They always have the best food,drinks and people. I can not tell you the amount of really neat people we have met at their events. This dinner party was no exception. The other  couple fit right in with the group. We chatted for hours while the guys played PING PING - yes, ping pong. When we first arrived, there was a taste testing of OLIVE OILS and Balsamic vinegar. They were awesome. Infused with flavors such as lime, harissa (SUPER HOT), dark chocolate and coconut. COCONUT!!!! I am coo coo for anything coconut! Mixed the Coconut Balsamic Vinegar with the Lime EVO and you have a winner. SOLD!!!! These items are from a local store called Artisano's in Nora - just behind the Nora Apothecary. While it was too late to shop that night, we hit it up the very next day.

The shop is this cute little house packed with flavor. I mean really - not only do they sell the extra virgin olive oils and aged balsamic vinegars, they also sell infused salts, peppers, international spices and organic coffees. Looking for Hungarian Paprika - {hello, Orsi}......they have it. The staff is very knowedgable in all of the items sold. We tried so many great pairings. The spices and mixes are packed in these small plastic bags. They are perfect if you are making a recipe and only need a small amount of the spice. Spices typically only last a year and then they lose flavor.

Our hostess had quite a few bottles of both the vinegars and oils. I can see why - they are ALL delicious. Trust me - we'll be back for more.

I purchased the Coconut Balsamic Vinegar (surprise), the Lime Infused Balsamic Vinegar and a few packets of spices. I can not wait to use them. First up - Coconut Lime shrimp on the barbie!

Taco Night

Photo: Williams Sonoma website

We love having guests over. It seems as if we've been doing a lot of entertaining lately and it makes my heart happy. For me, having guests means trying to create different menus/themes for them. It really helps when my guests are fellow foodies (I'm a baby foodie) because then I can use different recipes. Our next get together is something so simply and fun. We're doing a Taco Bar. We'll have guacamole and salsa as well as all of the ingredients for CHICKEN TACOS and BAKED FISH TACOS.  I am especially excited about the fish tacos. I've never, ever made fish tacos before. My family always had the regular ground beef tacos when I was small. Mind you, those are wonderful. I just like trying new things. Fortunately for me, my guests like trying new things as well.

 Here is the recipe for Guacamole from Williams Sonoma that I am going to use.

This recipe calls for preparing the guacamole in a molcajete, a mortar and pestle carved from volcanic rock. One of the world's oldest kitchen tools, it was used by the Aztecs in Mexico for grinding corn into flour.

Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe tomato, finely chopped
• 2 Tbs. diced white onion
• 2 serrano chilies, finely chopped
• 1 Tbs. fresh lime juice
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp. sea salt, plus more as needed
• 2 large avocados, preferably Haas
• 2 Tbs. finely minced fresh cilantro

For the garnish:

• 1 Tbs. small fresh cilantro leaves (optional)
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped white onion (optional)
• 1 Tbs. finely chopped ripe tomato (optional)

Directions:

Put the tomato, onion, chilies, lime juice, garlic and the 1/2 tsp. salt in a molcajete or small bowl, and smash with a pestle or fork to a coarse paste. Cut the avocados in half, remove the pits and scoop the flesh into the tomato mixture. Add the minced cilantro and mix and mash, leaving some lumps. Taste and adjust the seasonings with salt.

If you want, sprinkle the guacamole with any or all of the garnishes and serve immediately, if possible. To keep at room temperature for up to 1 hour, cover with plastic wrap, pressing it directly onto the surface. To keep for up to 3 hours, do not add the cilantro until just before serving, and cover and store in the refrigerator. Makes about 2 cups.

Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.

We eat a LOT of  guacamole at our home. I enjoy making it and usually don't use a recipe. I kind of wing it and it usually turns out pretty good. This go 'round, I'll be using the Williams Sonoma recipe. I'll let you know how it goes.