Well, hello there!

If you're an Indianapolis Monthly reader and are visiting for the first time, welcome. I'm so glad that you've come here. And, in a nod to classical and culinary symbols of welcome, here's a pretty picture for you:

photo via wikimedia commons, source: ファイルの概要

My favorite way to eat pineapple? I love it sliced fresh, horizontally, grilled, and served hot with vanilla or ginger ice cream or some sorbet if you're feeling like a lighter dish. If you've never prepared pineapple in this way, please do. I think you might like it. Do you have any pineapple preparations that we should all know about?

Thanks for stopping by, and I hope to see you again.

no mistakes in the kitchen

Seeing this adorable and supportive little print at Groundwork (via Design is Mine), I remembered a little conversation from this weekend.



My friend shared with me that, at various times in the past, she'd felt intimidated by the whole process of cooking. And I think that's common - that we all get caught up in unfamiliarity and end up avoiding things that can actually be a lot of fun. Generally, don't we all worry a teensy bit too much about mistakes and not enough about enjoying the process of doing and making?

So, a quick question for you:
What mistakes do you worry about making in the kitchen?
And/or how have you moved beyond that worry to make?

Coming Soon: Useful & Adorable Products

Do you know the Small Object? Thanks to a super-cute ornament and a perfect little needle holder that Ben gave me, I certainly do. Oh, and the awesome Small Object Steno Pad, where Sarah Neuburger posted some highly useful and, of course, adorable stationery products.

Among them, these superstars for the kitchen:

a cookbook log set

a frozen item tracker

They should be posted soon-ish at the shop!

nopales with my nachos

On the way to picking out floor tile samples on Saturday (more later), we stopped at La Bamba on 38th & Lafayette. I wasn't looking to pick up any foodie street cred there. Rather, we were just looking to split an order of vegetarian nachos (no, not a burrito as big as my head). La Bamba uses no lard, which makes me happy, and they also serve their nachos with a glorious white cheese sauce, which should make anyone happy. They'll also add some chunks of avocado to the mix, for a little upcharge.



But I had no idea that this special westside La Bamba's would have two very special treats for us: a side order of nopalitos & onions AND super-cold horchata. I'm not necessarily saying that the horchata, a delicious rice-based drink laced with cinnamon, wasn't from a mix or that the nopales didn't come from a can, but I am saying that they were awesome.

In case you haven't enjoyed nopales before, these little slices of cactus fall somewhere near the green bean in the flavor spectrum. And they start out looking like this:

This location also has a wider variety of meats than other locations including tongue, specials like grilled green onions, and tamales of all varieties including veggie (!!!). We'll be heading back very soon.

the gnome speaks

Clicking through my flickr account, I learned this morning that the rhubarb bars featured way back on my site and recently uploaded to the MAKE ME HUNGRY VEGETARIANS AND VEGANS (recipe required) flickr group AND Nikki's awesome fruit pie won this award:


Check out the flickr group and the blog for more pictures of awesome gold gnomes and, of course, delicious recipes!

Adobo Grill News

Over at Feed Me/Drink Me, the intrepid braingirl has some news about Adobo Grill. Get all the details there, my friends, but the basics:

• Adobo Grill is moving downtown to 110 E Washington.
• A new Pikk's Tavern outpost will take Adobo's place.

Why is it that no restaurant lives for very long at Adobo's current spot?

Anyway, it looks like many of my friends will be heading downtown (the lights are much brighter there) for table-side guacamole and freshly-shaken margaritas and/or tequila samplings. Me? I'd rather have Ben's guacamole any day. Or Beth's, which we feasted on in Michigan.

last night I couldn't get to sleep at all

Maybe my dinner at Nikki & Jamie's was too good and perhaps the night was just too beautiful, because yesterday evening, my mind would not rest. Lack of sleep due to good times is never a bad thing.


This lovely dessert (recipe here) was the end of a great evening. Good friends, lively conversation, delicious food... Have I ever mentioned that I adore little dinners with friends?

canning tomatoes & a question

In an effort to exacerbate my obsession with Indiana tomato season, Chow has posted this recipe/guide for canning tomatoes. Don't these preserved red jewels look lovely?

I'm not sure our garden will produce the bumper crop required to justify a canning session at my house, but I'm sure the farmers' markets and Locally Grown Gardens will. But the recipe got me wondering, how much have you canned? My previous experience is quite limited - just apple butter. I'd like to do more, but am curious to know about others' experiences.

Spill the beans? What have you canned, and what have you learned?

Cute Semi-Food-Related Goods

Sometimes, to get on with things in the kitchen, we need a little inspiration. And sometimes, we need a kick in the pants. I think this might be lovely and helpful for pre-party activities at my house.

Belly Aching print ($12) from Orange Beautiful on Etsy.

And this might be lovely for when I have an upset stomach, which typically happens when I go overboard on foods that I love (ahem, Mug n Bun). A cute little saltine necklace would remind me of the mom-mandated couchside snacks that I nibbled on during childhood sick days.

Pretty little Saltine Necklace ($22) from Chocosho

quinoa salad with lemon & basil

After Mug n Bun, we've been trying to take our meals lightly. Bun at Saigon on Saturday was a good move in the healthy direction, but the mighty little power seed that is quinoa is an even better idea. Dinner tonight was super-simple - a quinoa salad with cucumber, tomato, basil, and feta topped with a simple lemon dressing. We'll probably finish off the evening with the lovely blackberries that I picked up from Locally Grown Gardens this afternoon.


This recipe is super-simple and easy to make in advance for picnics, pitch-ins, work lunches, or snacking. You can substitute quinoa for many other grains in salads (tabbouleh, I'm looking at you) or as your starch for dinner (couscous, it's been very nice knowing you). Prepared and chilled in advance, it can also make dinner preparation a breeze. But onto tonight's dish...

Recipe: Quinoa Salad with Lemon & Basil
Serves 6 as a side dish or 3 as a main-dish salad

1 cup quinoa, well-rinsed
2 1/4 cups of water
1/2 teaspoon of salt

2 little cucumbers or one medium cucumber, cubed
6-8 little tomatoes (or about 12 cherry tomatoes), chopped
10-12 bigger basil leaves or 20 little basil leaves, cut in a chiffonade
1/4 to 1/2 cup of feta, crumbled or cubed

Dressing:
Juice and zest of 2 lemons
2 Tablespoons olive oil (or take it more lightly if that's your style)
1-2 cloves of garlic, minced
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste.

Combine the quinoa, water, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, for about 15 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and leave the quinoa in the pan, covered, for an additional 5 minutes. Cool by spreading on a baking sheet.

Meanwhile, prepare the veggies, herbs, and cheese and combine them in a small bowl. Combine the dressing ingredients and, once the quinoa is cooled, add the dressing to the quinoa. Stir in the veggie-cheese mixture and serve.

Mug n Bun

Ben's Official Tenderloin Tour kicked off Saturday afternoon with a stop at Indianapolis' drive-in treasure, Mug n Bun. If you've never been to Mug n Bun, then you should immediately head toward Speedway and make your way to 5311 West 10th Street, just west of the Allison plant. Seriously, if the Road-Food Sterns took the time to talk about this place on the Splendid Table, then you can take the time to sample the delicious root beer and wide variety of fried foods that they offer.


Ben and I came on a mission, stop one of the Tenderloin Tour. His review is below. But we also got a catfish sandwich (for me - a not-too-large serving and well-cooked), onion rings (always amazing), and sweet potato fries (served with cinnamon-sugar sprinkled on top which was a lovely surprise). Of course, since it was ridiculously hot, we also ordered root beer floats with the special home-made Mug n Bun root beer. That float can not and will not be beat.

We were lucky to have the owner's daughter, Megan, as our server. That's her smiling face in the lower corner of the mosaic above. If she's the heir to that throne, she is utterly deserving.

Ben's Tenderloin Tour Official Report
Tasting notes
Because a tenderloin must have lettuce, tomato, and mayo, Ben went ahead and added them to the order for a nominal up-charge.

Categorical Ratings
Breading (1-5): 5 - Tastes good, excellent crispiness
Pork (1-5): 4 - A little thin, not crazy-juicy
Bun (1-5): 5 - The full-size, sesame-seed bun is the best bun for a breaded tenderloin ever.
Overall (1-5): 5 - It's the gold standard for this Hoosier culinary treasure. Couple the sandwich with their root beer and onion rings, and all is right in Ben's world.

This is what we left behind:

Ben's Dinner: Lentil-Spinach Salad Recipe

Last night, while I devoured aloo pratha and vegetarian kofta at the Broad Ripple India Garden (yummy, yummy), my lovely husband ate a big salad. Too often, when one of us has a social engagement, the other resorts to bad take-out food. Or good take-out food. But the waistlines suffer. Not that Ben really has to worry about that...

In any case, the salad was a hit with him. Perhaps this little summer concoction of mine will be a hit with you, too. Here are a picture and a recipe for a lentil, corn, cucumber, spinach, feta salad. For the sake of brevity, I'll call it Lentil-Spinach Salad.

Recipe: Lentil-Spinach Salad
makes 2 very big meal-size salads or 4-6 starter salads

1/2 cup lentils - I like using the French ones, because they hold their shape well.
2 small or 1 medium seedless cucumbers
4 to 6 handful of baby spinach
1 ear of corn
1/4 cup basil leaves, ideally small, mild leaves
1/4 - 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Balsamic Dressing
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
salt to taste (keep it light if you like lots of feta, since that will add plenty of salt)
generous bit of ground black pepper
2 Tablespoons (for lightish-style) to 1/4 cup (proper style) olive oil

Fill a medium saucepan half-full of water and bring to a boil. Add the lentils and simmer until they are just-tender. You don't want them to be remotely mushy. While they lentils are cooking, assemble the dressing ingredients in a small container or jar, and shake to combine. When the lentils are cooked, add about 1/3 of the dressing, stir in and allow to come to room temperature. You can make the lentils well in advance.

Cut the corn cob in half (or leave whole, if you want to use a big pot). Using the medium saucepan, again fill it halfway and bring the water to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare a water bath by putting cold water and a bunch of ice cubes in a big bowl. Add the corn cob halves, turn off the heat, keep the pan on the hot burner, and let the cobs sit for 2 minutes. Remove the cobs to the water bath until they are cool to the touch, which should happen quickly. Dry the cobs with a kitchen towel and, using a sharp knife, remove the corn without breaking the kernel chunks up by running your knife down the sides of the cobs.

Cut the cucumber in a small dice. Add the cucumber and corn to the lentils. Divide the spinach and basil into two big bowls, dress lightly with some of the remaining dressing (to taste). Add the lentils, cucumber, and corn to the salads. Sprinkle with feta and serve. With a hunk of good bread or even a little fruit and cheese on the side, this makes for a great summer meal.

rice & beans: Jamaica me hungry

Last night, Ben and I had our friend Richard over for dinner. Richard told us that he'd like good, tasty ways to prepare tofu, to health-up his diet. Our very favorite regular-use tofu dish is jerk tofu. I'll post that recipe later today, but the real story here, at least for me, is that the dishes we made to go with our treasured jerk tofu were kind of completely awesome. And I have Jamaica (and Epicurious) to thank for my favorite new grain-bean side dish: Jamaican Rice & Beans.

Forgot to take pictures. Please enjoy this Jamaican flag.

The recipe from Epicurious seemed good enough, but I modified it a teensy bit, to use brown rice instead of white and to substitute black beans for the kidney beans. Pigeon Peas would probably be great in this, as well! Also, since we make a pretty spicy jerk, I left out the original green chili.

Jamaican (esque) Rice & Beans
serves 3 as a side dish or maybe 4

1 cup of light coconut milk
2 1/2 cups of vegetable stock
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 14 ounce can of black beans or a cup and a half of home-cooked black beans
3/4 cup of brown rice
1 cup of thinly sliced green onions

Combine the coconut milk, 2 cups of the stock, thyme, and allspice in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Pour in the rice, stir to combine, and reduce to a low simmer. Cook covered for 15 minutes, uncover and cook (adding additional stock or water if necessary) until the rice is just tender to the bite. Stir in the onions, add 1/2 cup of stock, and cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Michigan Must: The Friendly Tavern

If you're ever in Empire, Michigan, you really ought to go get lunch at Joe's Friendly Tavern.


In addition to big pitchers of cool libations and what is rumored to be one of the best burgers in the nation, they offer up big baskets of fried smelt. Fried smelt, by the way, was one of the major culprits - along with sushi - in taking me away from over a decade-long stint as a vegetarian to become the looser, less-committed pescatarian that I now am. But if you're more committed than I am, they also have a vegetarian cake made of wild rice, cherries, and other interesting and original ingredients.

Behold the bounty.

Michigan Must: American Spoon Fruit

If you share my rabid love of all things tart-cherry, visit American Spoon Fruit when you travel to the western coast of Michigan. With preserves, jams, and delicious "spoon fruit" made from almost any fruit that grows in the upper half of North America, there is surely a sweet spreadable jar of something that would delight you. I always bring home a jar of sour cherry spoon fruit for my house and a couple of other jars for my family. (Jen & Mark, Mom & Bill, they're up here waiting for you guys!)


They also have good salsas, marinades, and other savories. With a tasting table in each store that allows you to sample a hefty number of their wares, I always love visiting the storefronts which dot the northwestern corner of the state. There's also one in Saugatuck, in case you're not traveling that far north. American Spoon stores also have gelato that is pretty darn tasty (but not quite as exciting as my New Orleans favorite, Angelo Brocato's where I once had an amazing cup of chestnut gelato).

If you won't be in Michigan anytime soon, you can also buy American Spoon Fruit Products online.

Lisa's Strawberry Rhubarb Pie from Atlanta, IN

Ben and I lucked into a whole strawberry-rhubarb pie on Saturday evening at the end of our good friends' wedding celebration. The mother of the groom handed the whole leftover pie to us, in a box with a simple red stamp that read "Lisa's Pies" with an address in Atlanta, Indiana. Free pie is a great thing in any case, but this free pie just might have the best non-home-baked crust that I've ever devoured. Lisa's product is so very good that it's featured on the Indiana Foodways Alliance's Hoosier Pie Trail.


At the wedding celebration, we also sampled the cherry pie, which was great. But given the time of year and the prevalence of Indiana strawberries, it makes sense that the strawberry-rhubarb was just a teensy bit better, with big chunks of strawberry and a good amount of tart rhubarb.

The slice above made for a great Sunday brunch.

Michigan Must: The Journeyman in Fennville

Our trip to Michigan ended one week ago and, given a very busy workweek, I opted to continue my blogging vacation for a few extra days. But I'm back now, and it's time to tell you about all the good things in Michigan.

First up: The Journeyman and its new offshoot, Rye, in Fennville, Michigan

Ben and I honeymooned in Saugatuck/Douglas in October 2006. Before we left, Ben's friend Tom told him about the Journeyman, a very special place with a wood-fired oven and a commitment to delicious food. Of course we went, and our breakfast and lunch there were both absolutely wonderful. With a laidback atmosphere, a story behind every ingredient, and a focus on fresh, local and well-considered food, the Journeyman was maybe my favorite restaurant ever. Ever.


But the next time we stopped by in summer 2007, the tone had gone a little bit more upscale, which the food certainly justified, but which made me a little bit mopey. Now, to accommodate both a casual and a more formal feel, the Journeyman has added a whole new room and introduced a new name - Rye. Rye is inspired by American food traditions and a pub atmosphere. In addition to amazing pizzas, salads, and brunch, they serve a wide selection of Michigan beers and wines and regularly host live music. It's also the place where they now serve all their lunches, so it's where we ate before heading further north. Our pizza - with roasted tomato sauce, salt-cured anchovies and wood-roasted artichokes - had the perfect crisp-chewy balance. Ben's iced espresso, brewed with Intelligentsia beans, was rich and deep.

These things were good, but one thing was even better. From the wood-fired ovens of the Journeyman comes what may be the best bread in the world, Seedy-Salt Bread.


With a chewy, holey and seedy interior and a crisp salt-studded crust, the Seedy-Salt Bread is almost worth driving 3 hours north for just one loaf. So, be advised, if you are ever anywhere near Fennville, you really must get the Seedy-Salt Bread. The others are good, too, so don't hesitate to carb-load. But do not miss out on this wonderful favorite loaf of salty goodness. It's great with olive oil, with butter, with tart cherry jams (more on that later), but it is also wonderful all on its very own.

what I meant to say before I left

I've had a lot of comment-worthy food lately. And I know that when I start blabbing about Michigan food, it will all disappear down the forgot-to-write-about-it hole. 

So, as an act of prevention - here are some good things from lately:

Taste's Puree of Corn soup is really yummy. It's basic, but delicious. And I always love their soup croutons and topping of fresh chopped herbs. As long as bacon is uninvolved, Taste's soup and salad special is my go-to lunch choice. And, when I'm lucky, as I was dining out with my friend Jen the other day or my lovely mother a few weeks ago, I get to sample my dining companion's frites. Thanks for sharing, Jen & mom!

Have you ever grilled cabbage for a slaw? Oh my gracious goodness, that is a brilliant idea, gleaned from Epicurious/Bon Appetit. Next time, I'll fall back on a sesame-oil dressing and put aside the recommended and really pretty good tarragon dressing, but the smoky flavor from the grill definitely upgraded the whole slaw experience. 

IKEA can be a cruel place - crazy crowds (especially, as my friend Amy and I discovered, at the Cincinnati store), a dizzying array of products, a jarring mix of colors, occasionally questionable quality - but there is one non-cruel place at each IKEA store - the cafeteria. No, this is not fine dining, but they want to give you a taste of Sweden with a dash of economy. Amy and I both went kind of all-out, with drink (lingonberry soda from the communal fountain), main dish & dessert - both of us handing over just about a 10-spot for the meal. My apple-glazed salmon was okay, but the root vegetables that came with it were very good. Basically, they included parsnips, which is definitely the way to this girl's heart.

But the cruelty part? It was worth it to pick up the fabric for these re-done chairs!

gone not fishing!

Hello good reader.

I'm off to Beulah, Michigan for good times, some nation-formation celebration, and lots of cherries! You might see the occasional post here over the next few days, but I'm not making any guarantees.


Just so you know, this is what I'll be doing. What are you doing for the fourth?
And more importantly, what will you be eating?