Rainbow Cake

I love this picture...and the cake looks delicious. Come to think of it, the image is quite fitting for Chicago's PRIDE festival this weekend. :)

I've actually been reading quite a bit about bakeries dying cake batters more and more these days. Fun Fact: It's become a particularly popular way for expectant couples to announce the sex of their babies to friends and families at baby showers...how cute!

Intrigued by this food trend, I looked up how exactly to color cake batter and found a very helpful article that breaks it down step-by-step. You can see the instructions below or click here for the full article. 

Instructions:

1. Prepare the cake mix according to the package directions.

2. Add three to five drops of food coloring to the cake mix and stir it in.

3. Check the coloring for the desired shade and add more food coloring if desired. The cake will bake to a lighter color than the batter. For instance, if you want a light pink cake, add red coloring to a white cake batter until it turns dark pink. 

4. Use a color mixing chart to create different colors from primary colors. For instance, the chart on Baking 911 recommends using one part each of blue and black to create gray.

5. Bake cake as directed

#88 Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern

I can't remember if I've mentioned this before or not but I've made it my life goal to visit every bar on The Growler List: 125 Places to Have a Beer Before You Die. I consider it to be my bucket list of sorts since I don't have a real bucket list. I LOVE a good beer and so many of these bars are in places that I'd like to visit so it's a no-brainer. I've only visited a few of the bars on the daunting this so far so this past weekend I decided to take a trip off the beaten path and visit #88 on the list, Baumgartner’s Cheese Store & Tavern, located in Monroe, Wisconsin. 

For anyone that doesn't know where Monroe, Wisconsin is located don't feel embarrassed. I had know idea where it was and I've lived in Wisconsin but after a quick Google Maps search I found Monroe to be about an hour from the IL-WI border and was on my way...
 

 

This is what most of the drive to Monroe looked like...lots and lots of farms and open space.

 Made it! The store in located on Monroe's town square.

Baumgartner’s has two maps that dominate one of its main walls - one of the US and one of the world. They will give you a pin to stick in the map to mark where you are from.

 I was amazed to see how far people had come to visit Baumgartner’s! It's a small world!

 Baumgartner’s is covered in signs filled with funny quotes. This one in particular "unattended children will be given a shot and a free puppy" was my personal favorite. 

 I have no idea why the ceiling was covered in dollar bills...

 The tavern is of Swiss origin so it has a big map of Switzerland with all of its cantons listed. 

 That's me with my beer! I chose a New Glarus Spotted Cow, a Wisconsin favorite.

 

Since it's a tavern AND cheese shop I thought it was only fitting that I purchased a cheese plate to go along with my beer.

I liked Baumgartner’s so much that I bought one of their t-shirts and posed with one of the animal statues on the town square. :)

Cheap Eat: Pastoral

So last week I was craving a lunch that was fresh, different but would still fit within my lunch budget. I had heard my co-workers rave about Pastoral so I decided that I would check it out. I don't know how they do it but Pastoral manages to stuff tons of delicious gourmet ingredients into their salads and sandwiches and sell them to customers at shocking prices. Granted this is not your McDonalds dollar menu, (not knocking it - I love a McD's hot fudge sundae as much as the next girl) but for getting a sandwich like the BLTA - house-made proscuitto bacon, mayonnaise, fresh tomatoes, avocado and field greens - for around six dollars or the Fromager's Salad - field greens, goat cheese, fresh tomatoes, spiced almonds and balsamic vinaigrette - for just over seven dollars is a great bargain for lunch in Chicago.

When I returned from my delicious lunch I did some further investigation on Pastoral's website. I found that they even offer wine classes and cater picnics that are quite reasonable in price. Since Pastoral's Loop location is so close to Millennium Park, I definitely see a picnic order in my future to go along with the free concerts in the park on Monday nights. :)

Selection of gourmet sauces and condiments

 Cute :)

 A SMALL section of the cheese case - I was so excited to see that Pastoral offers cheeses from all over the country, specifically from Zingerman's Deli in Ann Arbor!

 Pastoral's storefront

 Fromager's Salad - field greens, goat cheese, fresh tomatoes, spiced almonds and balsamic vinaigrette

I'll be seeing you

I'm loving this song today...Billie Holiday is a classic.

I'll be seeing you
In all the old familiar places
That this heart of mine embraces
All day through.

In that small cafe;
The park across the way;
The children's carousel;
The chestnut trees;
The wishin' well.

I'll be seeing you
In every lovely summer's day;
In every thing that's light and gay.
I'll always think of you that way.

I'll find you
In the morning sun
And when the night is new.
I'll be looking at the moon,
But I'll be seeing you.

I'll be seeing you
In every lovely summer's day;
In every thing that's light and gay.
I'll always think of you that way.

I'll find you
In the morning sun
And when the night is new.
I'll be looking at the moon,
But I'll be seeing you.

Summer Seafood

This past weekend I got a little adventurous after being inspired to make mussels ever since having them at Sardine a few weeks back. The idea of making mussels didn’t seem terribly difficult but I’d never made them before so I dug up one of the simplest recipes I could find to ensure minimal mistakes and headed off to the market. While waiting at the fish counter I spied some incredible-looking oysters so I figured I should get some to serve as an appropriate appetizer to my mussels. I also grabbed some peppers and onions to cook up and round out the meal for good measure.

The meal turned out way better than I expected. I enjoyed the simple yet delicious preparation of the mussels so much that I decided to include the recipe here:

Spicy Grilled Mussels Recipe

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp. EVOO
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/ tsp. crushed red pepper
• 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1/4 cup white wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 lb. mussels

Directions:

Place skillet on grill over medium. Add EVOO, garlic and red pepper; cook 1 minute. Add tomatoes, wine and bay leaf; simmer 5 minutes. Add mussels; cook, covered, 8 minutes.

Assortment of peppers and onions that I grilled to go with the mussels

 Side note: Oysters are a pain in the you-know-what to shuck so my advice is to trick someone else into doing it for you like I did

Mussels! Success!

Cheap Eat: Cozy Noodles n' Rice

I've decided that since I'm back in Chicago I'm going to commit to doing a weekly "Cheap Eat" blog post (in addition to other posts...hopefully) to showcase all of the amazing food stops that Chicago has to offer.

For my first Cheap Eat entry I chose Cozy Noodles n' Rice in Wrigleyville. I stopped in with my brother after a Cubs and fell in love with the quirky decor (see pictures below) and eclectic Thai menu. I ordered the Pad Khee Mao which was described on the menu as stir-fried spicy wide rice noodles with chicken, basil leaves, carrots, green beans, tomatoes, baby corn and bell pepper. I subbed the chicken for beef, added a bit of extra spicy sauce and viola a delicious and filling noodle feast.

My brother ordered the Dumpling Noodles - stuffed shrimp dumpling, Chinese broccoli, bean sprouts, egg noodles and BBQ pork. It looked delicious although I didn't sample it because I was too engrossed in my own plate of Thai happiness. :)

The restaurant itself is quite cozy and seems even tighter because it is wildly decorated with collectibles galore. However, Cozy Noodles n' Rice does offer a really nice outdoor seating area that if we weren't in a rush I would have taken advantage of.

The best part of the meal though I have to say was the price. Both of our dishes cost only $7.50 each - a steal for a filling meal that's sure to provide leftovers. In addition to having great prices, the restaurant also offers a number of coupons and deals on their website making Cozy Noodles n' Rice an easy choice for anyone - whether on a budget or not.