Why? Prince of Pasta Pop-Up!

On Monday, thanks to Cleveland’s a Plum’s giveaway, CLEguy and I attended the Brick & Mortar Pop-Up restaurant at Noodlecat. This dinner featured Jeffrey Michaud, a James Beard award-winning Philadelphia chef, who Jonathan Sawyer has dubbed The Prince of Pasta. Brick & Mortar Pop-Ups are a great way to experience new and different chefs and see the unique bonds formed between our CLE chef superstars and other chefs from across the country.

Having tried some of Jeff Michaud’s pasta the last time he was in town to cook with Jonathan Sawyer (read about it here), I knew we were in for a treat! Our appetizer course consisted of three small bites: a chickpea and bottarga zupetta with pastine, semolina gnocchi stuffed with taleggio cheese, and rigatoni with salt cod and parsley.

The gnocchi was the favorite of the table, but the zupetta was not far behind and left our mouths watering for the courses to come.

The first course was squash tortelli with amaretti and sage. The pasta literally melted in your mouth, it was so tender and fresh. And the sweetness of the squash combined with the saltiness of the cheese on top of the dish was the perfect combination. All our courses were served family-style and we couldn’t say no when Jonathan Sawyer offered us another dish of this deliciousness.

Next up was a risotto with calabrese-style octopus for our second course and rigatoni with chicken livers for our third course.

The risotto was served on huge trays and you can see one of our table companions eagerly digging in. This was different than my typical thought of risotto. I’m used to a creamy, cheesy dish, but this dish was not creamy and had a very interesting spicy heat to it. When I asked Jonathan Sawyer what the heat was that I was tasting, he explained that Jeff Michaud had braised the octopus in calabrian chiles and the braising liquid was used in the risotto, giving the finish of every bite some heat. While the dish was interesting, it was a bit salty for my taste and was not the collective favorite of the evening.

The rigatoni with chicken livers was another dish where the noodles just melted in your mouth. The chicken livers added a rich flavor to the dish that I really enjoyed.

Our final savory course was a pheasant and porcini lasagna. Both the presentationand the taste of this dish blew me away.

The dish came out like a lasagna pie, with a crispy cheesy crust. The pheasant and porcini filling provided a rich earthiness and was a great twist on traditional lasagna. I will be craving that “crust” for a very long time too. This almost eclipsed the squash as my favorite course of the night.

Then came our dessert. Despite protestations of how full we all were, somehow we managed to eat multiple helpings of the sweet treat.

Dessert was a quince crespelle with zabaione. The crespelle (the Italian crepe) was filled with quince, which had a delicious cinnamony/gingerbready flavor that just reminded me of Christmas. The rich and smooth zabaione on top was the perfect compliment. What a wonderful way to end a fantastic meal!

If you’re in Philadelphia, you must check out Jeff Michaud’s restaurants: Osteria and Amis.  He truly is the Prince of Pasta! And keep an eye on Brick & Mortar Pop-Ups: coming in January is a pop-up with Lee Anne Wong.

***Disclosure: I won 2 tickets to this event from the blog contest on Cleveland’s a Plum. As always, all opinions are 100% my own.***

Why? Weekends!

Good morning, CLE! As we wake up from our food comas and calculate just how many spinning classes it will take to burn off eating pumpkin pie for breakfast, let’s look back on the holiday weekend that was…

Thursday, CLEguy and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner for my family. This is one of my favorite meals to prepare. It’s a ton of work and a lot to coordinate, but when you can make things taste the way your family always remembers them tasting, that’s a pretty cool thing.

We actually started the cooking on Wednesday evening, making pumpkin pie and pumpkin squares. CLEguy made homemade pie crust, which was the perfect compliment to my great grandma’s pumpkin pie recipe.

For the big day, we had turkey, stuffing (called najifka by this good Polish girl), dumplings and sauerkraut, cranberry sauce, sweet potato casserole, corn casserole, green bean casserole…we were stuffed like a turkey!

As much as I love fancy, different, interesting cuisine, this is one of those days where the old family recipes need no enhancement. I don’t want the latest Food Network craze…I just want Thanksgiving the way it’s always tasted.

Friday morning, CLEmom and I ventured out for another holiday tradition: Black Friday shopping. We start later and later each year – no more 4am at Kohl’s for us. We get less and less accomplished each year – unless you count finding adorable riding boots an accomplishment, which I do. Here are a couple snaps from the madness:

Super festive elf/Mrs. Claus at South Park

 

The shoe department at Nordstrom's...hold me, I'm scared

I love the day after Thanksgiving because I finally turn on the Christmas music and start my favorite time of year. Although I’m not usually doing that in weather that is 60 degrees and sunny!

On Saturday, CLEguy and I started to decorate inside and out for Christmas. While we still need to select our tree, most everything else is ready for the season. Note CLEpups watching from the door, like they’re part of the lights display:

Casa de CLEguy and CLEgal

Sunday, we went to CLEguy’s dad’s house for Thanksgiving Round 2. Thank goodness for having a couple days rest in between the eating. Everyone contributed to the dinner, with turkey, stuffing, cranberry/raspberry sauce that I literally crave, butternut squash and more.

My favorite part of the dinner was seeing my niece-to-be, who is turning 1 tomorrow. I got to hold her when she was just minutes old last year.

And now she’s quite the little kiddo!

All in all, it was a perfect holiday weekend! How was your Thanksgiving?

Why? Wining at Holiday Tables!

Last Friday, CLEguy and I attended a wine tasting event put on by Miss WineOH. I had been to Miss WineOH’s wine and cupcakes tasting and knew she put on fun, tasty events.

This event was called Wining at Holiday Tables and featured four wines that pair well with typical holiday meal flavors. It was held at Visible Voice Books in Tremont, which provided a cozy atmosphere for our evening.

The first two wines we tasted were paired with a sweet potato and butternut squash bisque with ginger and thyme. The soup was smooth and delicious and tasted like fall. The savory treats were provided by the new BonBon Pastry & Cafe in Ohio City. After tasting the food at Wining at Holiday Tables, I can’t wait to check out BonBon in person.

Our first wine was a 2010 E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone Blanc. This was a great, not-too-sweet white that CLEguy and I could both see serving at Thanksgiving dinner. Next came a 2010 Lapalu Beaujolais Villages Vielle Vignes, a low-tanin  wine which allowed the spices in the bisque to shine.

The next two wines were paired with a garlic crostini topped with a ratatouille of eggplant and zucchini. While the Italian flavors in this dish would not be prevalent on my holiday table, it was interesting to see how they paired with the wines.

The first wine was a 2007 E. Guigal Cotes du Rhone Rouge. This was a nice red wine that stood up to the spices in the dish. The final wine was by far my favorite: a 2009 D’Arenburg The Stump Jump Red. The Stump Jump is a blend of grenache, shiraz, and mouvedre that I could have drank all night.

All of the wines were available for purchase that night and are around the $15 price point. This was another great Miss WineOH event that showed us some new wines that will allow the flavors of holiday cooking to shine. Check out Miss WineOH’s website for information on upcoming events, including a Spanish wines and cheeses pairing on November 29 and a soon-to-come beer and cupcakes pairing!

After the tasting event, CLEguy and I paired up with another couple from the tasting to get some food (and more wine) at Fahrenheit. I love being out and about in CLE on a busy night, when the restaurants and bars are full. We and our new CLEfriends grabbed a spot at the bar and noshed on some tasty appetizers.

CLEguy chose the lamb sliders, which were hearty and flavorful. I was jealous of his choice, even though I really enjoyed mine. I selected the edamame dumplings: light and cripsy dumplings stuffed with whole edamame and served with a yogurt-cliantro sauce.

More than the food, though, it was so fun to randomly meet and spend time with other CLE-ers. I’ve always loved how friendly people are in this town and how quickly you can meet and hit it off with someone new. All in all, cheers to a fantastic evening!

Why? Giving Thanks!

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, dear readers! As we put our eatin’ pants on and get ready for time with loved ones, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on what I’m grateful for in my life:

CLEguy, who makes every day better and more joyful. He’s the kind of man I used to only imagine existed and the kind of love I wasn’t sure I’d ever find.

My family, who are unfailingly loving and supportive and generally wonderful.

Friends near and far, who make life rich and fun and happy.

Health, for myself and my family. Between my gallbladder surgery, CLEgrandpa’s time in the hospital, and more, we haven’t had the easiest time health-wise. But everyone is generally healthy and well now.

Living in this amazing city. I can be nothing but thankful every day that life’s adventures brought me back to CLE.

Image Source - cleveland-cpa-firms.com

You, dear readers. The chance to share my love of CLE with you and the opportunities to get to know you are extraordinary.

Image Source - csgraphi.wordpress.com

Have a happy, fun, safe, blessed Thanksgiving! What are you grateful for this year?

Why? Cleveland for the Holidays!

***A bit of blog-keeping: today bloggers from around Cleveland are participating in the Ohio Blogging Association’s November blog swap. Today’s post on Why CLE? is written by the fantastic, fun, craftbeer-loving Renee of Brewer’s Daughter. Much thanks to her for a fantastic post on kicking off the holidays in CLE!

Check out Brewer’s Daughter today for a post written by yours truly. For a complete list of bloggers participating in the blog swap, click on over to Poise in Parma.***

Why Cleveland for the holidays? I’ll begin with my own personal reason first: the wonderful holiday traditions in my hometown, the Village of Chagrin Falls.

Chagrin Falls is a sleepy bedroom ‘burb about 35 minutes southeast of Cleveland, a pretty little New England-y town founded by Connecticut settlers–part of what is known as the Ohio Western Reserve. It sits on the Chagrin River, and includes a gazebo in the Triangle in the center, surrounded by pleasant store fronts, the famous Popcorn Shop (great for candy and ice cream too) and of course the picturesque waterfall with lovely views from the park right on Main Street. Every Friday evening following Thanksgiving, the town comes out for the annual lighting of the Christmas tree in the Triangle.

Choirs sing, speeches are made and everyone oohs and ahhs over their hot chocolate purchased from local diners and coffee shops. Each year, the town is transformed into a replica of Frank Capra’s Bedford Falls from “It’s a Wonderful Life” by the local Jaycees, who painstakingly put up the festive decorations in any and all kinds of weather. Town visitors are treated to horse and carriage rides, and their children enjoy visits with Santa Claus in the gazebo every weekend through Christmas. I love Chagrin Falls this time of year!

Of course this is about Cleveland, and there are plenty of great things to see and do in the city as well. A visit to Public Square is always required–decked in festive lights with Terminal Tour lit up in green and red. WinterFest kicks off with an official tree lighting ceremony on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, and a temporary ice skating rink goes up for the enjoyment of many over the cold winter days and evenings.

The days of Public Square’s holiday glory past–when Higbee’s store front windows included imaginative moving displays, toys and fashionable gifts–is lovingly captured in the opening frames of the now classic 1983 movie, “A Christmas Story,” the story of Ralphie and his quest for a Red Rider BB gun. The home where the movie was filmed is in Cleveland’s Tremont neighborhood, and the Christmas Story House is now a museum and open to visitors year-round, though November and December are an especially popular time to visit. You can take home the “glow of electric sex” for yourself with a number of leg lamp souveniers available for purchase in the gift shop.

Looking for great food for the family table over the holidays? Visit the West Side Market for treats and succulent meats and specialties. And why not stop into the Great Lakes Brewing Company for a frosty Christmas Ale, or the new Market Garden Brewery for Festivus Ale (for the rest of us!). All are in the West 25th Street neighborhood of Cleveland.

And this is a wonderful time of year to visit University Circle and its museums, but most especially the Cleveland Botanical Garden when it’s dressed up for the holidays with poinsettias, gingerbread houses, and sparkling trees. Then take a short ride up Murray Hill and shop in the boutiques of Little Italy for that perfect gift. Cap it off with a foamy cappucino at Presti’s Bakery — with some wonderful Italian sweet to nosh on, of course!

There’s much more to do in the 216 for this festive season if you’re looking—theatre productions, concerts, more shopping–but these are a few of my favorite things, and why I say Cleveland rocks around the Christmas tree and all year long!

Why? Getting Inspired!

So, there are some big changes brewing in this CLEgal’s life. Next week is my last at my current job. Since I never really talked about my job in this space, I suppose that shouldn’t have a big effect on the blog. But part of that change is feeling freer to talk about my whole life, my career, and how CLE factors into all that, which I think is a more universal topic than I ever realized.

Image source - weddingbee.com

Why am I choosing to change? Because I got inspired. I blame a lot of you, dear readers: people like Poise in Parma, Miss WineOH, and @terraverdegirl, who took leaps of faith to do what they truly love (or even just figure out what they truly love). That was the start of the cosmic smack in the head.

Then, the Steve Jobs’ commencement speech at Stanford was everywhere: all those great words about loving what you do, not settling, not being restricted by dogmatic thinking. I can’t read it or hear it without tearing up. Another cosmic smack in the head.

I teach a graduate class one night a week and one of my students came to me seeking advice about choosing between two job offers. I heard myself giving advice about being happy, choosing what your gut was telling you, and so on. Yet another cosmic smack in the head…I needed to heed my own advice.

It’s not about not liking where I’ve been working. It’s about knowing that there’s more out there: more fulfillment, more joy, more purpose.

There are pieces of the puzzle that are clear. Part of my immediate future is working at CLEdad’s business, doing a bit of legal work, a bit of accounting work, and a bit of social media. He’s been in business in the Cleveland area for 35 years and there aren’t many places I’d be prouder to work. I hope teaching will continue to be a piece of the puzzle: it’s given me so much fulfillment thus far. CLE is my home and one of my great loves. Ramping up my involvement in this community needs to be a piece of the puzzle.

Image Source - themessagecafe.com

As for the other pieces, those will fall in with time and space (and occasional cosmic smacks in the head). Big changes, dear readers, but good ones. For those of you who helped me get to this point (whether knowingly or not), thanks for the inspiration!

Have you ever taken a leap of faith to find happiness? How did it work out?

Why? Girls Night In!

There are a lot of great places to go out in CLE. But sometimes, the best place you can be is sitting around a friend’s kitchen table laughing, talking, drinking, and being silly. A small group of us have started a standing “Girls Night In,” that is by turns hilarious, cathartic, dramatic, gossipy, educational, and terrifying (that last one mostly for PIP husband Hans).

So, what do you need for a successful Girls Night In?

1. The girls. Our ever-evolving Girls Night In group has Poise in Parma, Healthy Heddleston, Wearing Mascara, Clue Into Cleveland, and myself as the mainstays. I met all of these ladies through blogging, but at this point, we’re simply friends who all happen to blog as well. It can be tough as an adult to meet new people who you genuinely connect with. We all have our set groups that have existed for years and those are great. But to connect with new people and form true friendships is also such a gift!

2. Food. This may be even more important than who is in attendance at the Girls Night In. Staples for us tend to include Poise in Parma’s amazing chicken salad with cashews, salsa, hummus and veggies, fresh fruit, fancy cheeses, and something sweet.

3. Comfy clothes. If you forget comfy clothes, your hostess may be generous enough to lend you some. Just realize that this may result in you having to wear yoga pants and high-heeled peep toes on your Girls Night In ice cream run.

4. Some fuzz. The fuzz provides emotional comfort, as well as handy floor-cleaning skills for the inevitable food dropping.

5. Stuff to share. We tend to go around the table and everyone gets the floor to share what’s good, what’s bad, what’s going on, with plenty of advice peppered in from all. Girls Nights In have allowed me to share some major changes, to work through some tough questions, and to have people to celebrate good news with (even though we never popped that bottle of bubbly last night).

6. A sense of humor. We tease, we joke, we talk about outrageous things, people offer (threaten?) to live tweet your wedding. You never know what you’re going to get, but it’s always fun.

Take these ingredients, mix well and often, and you will have the makings of a perfect Girls Night In. Do you have Girls Nights In? What other “ingredients” do you bring?

***For another great perspective on our Girls’ Nights In, check out Wearing Mascara’s post.***

Why? Weekends!

Hope you all had a great weekend, CLE! Friday night, CLEguy and I did one of our favorite Friday night things to do – went over to our CLEfriends’ house for board games and take-out. This is always a fun, low-key way to end the week. This time, we had Chinese food from Chin’s Pagoda, with lots of sweet and sour chicken, pork lo mein, and orange chicken to share.

Saturday, we met up with the CLEparents to wander around the Fabulous Food Show. From chef demos to shows to food and wine tasting, the Food Show has a little something for everyone. CLEguy and I were lucky enough to win tickets to attend the show from Positively Cleveland’s blog contest, so thanks to them!

Some of our favorites from the show? Seeing my high school classmate and current Food Network dessert diva Anne Thornton.

Jennifer’s Nicely Spiced Olive Oil. There were a lot of different olive oil booths at the Show, but these were by far my favorite. Well-spiced and tasty, we took home the chili pepper and garlic and basil.

Kiedrowski’s Bakery. When a bakery sign spells “paczi” correctly, this Polish girl knows she’s found something good. We sampled (and took home) the “snoogle,” a light pastry dough twist with cream cheese filling and a butter glaze.

Snagging some “Muttkins” from Annie’s Pooch Pops – all natural dog treats – as a take-home snack for the CLEpups.

Seeing Chef Kimberly McCune, who we first met at Emerging Chefs ReHival. She had a table full of honey treats, plus told us that ReHive Ale is close to starting distribution!

The Grand Tasting Pavilion. The $10 admission to this separate section of the show is well worth it for 6 tasting tickets and a wine glass. CLEguy and I stuck to big, bold reds and found some new must-buys. This year there was also a chocolate tasting area. I tried a dark chocolate with cinnamon and ancho chile – perfect with red wine!

Yes, that is Santa in on the right. No, I don't know why.

All in all, another fun year at the Fabulous Food Show! Did you attend? What demos or shows did you see? What booths did you love?

Sunday morning, I got up bright and early for yoga class. I’ve found this is a great way to start my day and, really, my week.

A pose I can do, even as a newbie

This week I learned that we really do bring all our “emotional junk” into class with us and, sometimes, we can find really good ways to work through it. Sometimes class just makes us more aware of it, but that’s not a bad thing either. Our teacher reminded us that this will only become more prevalent as the stress of the holidays wears on us. It’ll be interesting to see where my practice goes over the next month or so…

Finally, today is CLEpup’s adoption anniversary! I got this fabulous fuzz from a shelter 2 years ago today and it is truly one of the best, most-spontaneous decisions I’ve ever made!

Picking up CLEpup from the shelter

So, that was my weekend CLE…a little relaxing, a little eating, a little om-ing. What new answers to Why CLE? did you discover this weekend?

Why? Five Things this Friday!

Happy Friday, CLE! I’m feeling like a hodge podge post today, so here are my five things this Friday:

1. Happy Veterans Day to all the brave men and women who selflessly served our country. We are all in your debt! Make sure you thank a veteran or two today…I know I’ll be calling CLEgrandpa as soon as I’m done with this post!

Thank a Vet!

2. We had our first snowfall, CLE! Observe the adorableness of one of the CLEpups checking it out. Pups in the snow almost make winter worthwhile! By the way, it’s supposed to be almost 60 and sunny tomorrow…that’s Cleveland weather for you!

3. On Monday, CLEguy and I met up for dinner with some brand-new-to-CLE folks at Bar Cento.

Over a carbalicious meal of beers, Sunnyside pizza, beer-steamed mussels, and rosemary fries, we chatted about their excitement for exploring CLE.

One half of the couple – Lane – is a blogger who has been chronicling her explorations in her new city. Check it out! Also, while we were there, CLEguy and I were interviewed by 19 Action News for their Food Wars series, talking about the deliciousness of Bar Cento’s fries!

4. This picture, from my friend Beth’s recent wedding, just makes me giggle. This is me and one of the groom’s cousins/best men walking into the reception. Clearly, we are professional dancers. The song we walked in to, in case you couldn’t tell, was “Party Rock Anthem.” Every day I’m shufflin’…

5. A lot of bloggers – Finding the Time, Happy in CLE, i heart cleveland – have posted about this song, but it bears repeating as my 5th thing this Friday. Patrick Stump and Lupe Fiasco have created quite the awesome song with “This City” and I have to tell you, I get a little choked up when I hear it. CLE is my city for life – uh uh – for life – uh uh – for life!

Why? Upcoming Events!

Well, CLE, we have lots to be thankful for this month! We’ve been enjoying some unseasonably amazing weather! And we have some pretty awesome upcoming events to take you up to your Thanksgiving holiday. Check these out:

This weekend at the IX Center is the Fabulous Food Show! Stroll through hundreds of vendors and demo stations, check out presentations and snag autographs from celebrity chefs, and more. Hometown favorite Michael Symon will be on hand, as well as Food Network dessert diva and CLE-native Anne Thornton (a high school classmate of mine who I’m so proud of!). Tickets start at $25 for general admission. If you like wine, the $10 Grand Tasting Pavilion tickets are totally worthwhile for some delicious vino served up by Cleveland Wine School grads.

Image Source - http://www.clevelandleader.com/taxonomy/term/122

Saturday, November 12 is the Sparx City Hop from 11am – 6pm. There will be free trolley tours touring CLE’s great neighborhoods – such as Tremont, the Warehouse District, Asia Town, and more. Hop off the trolley in each location and explore the neighborhood, tour buildings, shop, dine, and enjoy live entertainment. There will be a concert on Public Square, food trucks in Lincoln Park, and lots of other fun and unique activities along the way. What an awesome way to explore CLE!

Image Source - http://www.downtowncleveland.com/events/sparx-city-hop.aspx

The Ohio Blogging Association is hosting a “blog swap” in November. Bloggers are paired and write a post to appear on the other’s blog on Monday, November 21. If you have a blog and are interested, RSVP to the link above by November 13 to participate!

Friday, November 18 at 7pm, Miss WineOH is presenting Wining at Holiday Tables. This event, taking place at Visible Voice Books in Tremont, will pair 4 wines and 2 mini-tarts for a delicious festive experience. Tickets are $20 and there are only 30 available, so get on it now!

Image Source – http://www.cnbc.com/

 

Melt Bar and Grilled is one of the many places offering day-before-Thanksgiving specials. Melt continues its annual Diabolical Day Before Thanksgiving at all three locations by pouring “heavy hitting” beers, including Stone Double Arrogant Bastard. Enjoy a beer or two and the New Bomb Turkey, assuming you don’t have to get up to cook the next day!

 

Image Source - http://meltbarandgrilled.com/

 

On Thanksgiving Day, preemptively burn off those turkey calories at the 30th Annual Cleveland Turkey Trot through downtown. There is a one-mile fun run starting at 8:45am and a 5-mile timed run starting at 9:30am. If you register before November 17, registration is only $18. There is also a family discount for $15 per person.

Image Source - http://www.parkglen.org/calendar/calendar.php

Lots going on as we head toward gobbling down our Thanksgiving feasts! What upcoming events are you most looking forward to?