A Weekend in St Louis, MO

Happy Friday! I am so excited to share with you the rest of our foodie trip we took to St Louis last week. I showed you all the highlights from our Weber Grill Academy & Nature Sweet Tomatoes day before and now I'm spilling the beans on all the things we ate and saw in the meantime.

Day 1:

It probably comes as no surprise that one of the first things I do when planning a trip is figure out where I want to eat, and then I plan everything else around that. Before leaving I asked a few friends and weren't given very many recommendations and a lot of the suggestions I did get were chains which I try my hardest to stay away from.

Maybe it's because I had very little expectations or maybe I just was lucky enough to love my picks, but I truly was blown away by the food scene in St Louis!

The awesome girls at Nature Sweet Tomatoes booked us a gorgeous room at Magnolia Hotel. The rooms are beautiful and the lobby is a stunner for sure. The weather didn't cooperate all weekend so I wasn't able to get a good shot of the entrance, but it's located downtown and super close to the convention center, Busch Stadium and the Arch.

We took the early flight out (hello, 3:30 am alarm) and landed by 7:30. We hopped in our rental car and drove straight to Egg. It is the cutest little cafe and we actually ended up chatting with the owners for a while which was awesome! I loved hearing their stories, how they moved to America from Tunisia, how they shop the local farmer's market for the restaurant and how the coffee is a special blend roasted just for them by the guy 2 booths over. After saying how much I loved the harrisa, which is house-made, they even brought me a container of it to take home- how cool is that?!

I tried the Hot Espresso Martini and the Corn Bread Benedict with Sautéed Spinach & Avocado and Louis got the special omelet of the day which he dug into before I could even get a picture of it. Service can be a little slow, but the friendliness of the owners and the food made up for it and then some.

 After breakfast we headed over to Budweiser for the Bud Light Brewery Tour

I don't ever drink beer, but I knew Louis would enjoy the tour and I was excited to see the Clydesdales. The tour far exceeded my expectations, I learned a lot and I could not get over how clean and pretty it is there. The tour is 75 minutes long where you visit the Clydesdale Paddock and Stables, the Beechwood Aging Cellar, historic Brewhouse and the BEVO Packaging Facility. If you do decide to take the tours, bring a light jacket or sweatshirt with you. A few of the rooms were freezing and I wish I had brought one with me

Those horses are HUGE and I swear that their stables are cleaner than my house. I can't really tell you anything about this part of the tour because I wasn't listening at all to the guide. I was too busy watching my new friend Lloyd and wondering how I could sneak him home with me.

After the tour we made our way to the hotel to check in. Since our breakfast was huge and our early morning flight had us exhausted we decided to have an early dinner at Sidney Street Cafe. If you can only eat one meal in St Louis please let it be here. We ended up doing the chef's tasting menu with wine pairing and it was absolutely stellar!

The wine pairings were perfect and each dish was prettier than the next. The bread basket was savory beignets!! I told our waitress that my dog's name is Beignet and she packed up a box of them for me to bring home. 

Just some of the highlights from the tasting:

Confit of Octopus with sunchoke puree and sea urchin bisque 

(we fought over the last bite of that one)

Sweetbread Tostadas with white bean escabeche and pickled jalepeno

Roasted Scallops, Ragout of summer beans, creamed corn, nduja and bone marrow jus

Halibut, Parmesan gnocchi, marinated tomatoes, grilled zucchini, and a horseradish cream

Day 2:

Saturday was our Weber Grill Academy experience. Knowing how much food I was in store for, I just wanted a cup of coffee so we stopped at a little cafe called Coma right across the street from where we were going. I got a cortado and Louis got a gorgeous fruit smoothie bowl that he had already eaten half of before I could get a pic

After the buffet we ate at Weber, all I wanted was a nap!

Around 8pm I wanted a snack. I found an awesome Peruvian restaurant a few blocks away from the hotel called Mango that now holds the title of the best sangria I've ever had. It was absolutely delicious with a hint of cinnamon that I will need to figure out how to make soon!

Instead of the chips and salsa I'm so used to in Texas, they start you off with plantain chips and a bright cilantro dip/sauce that I ended up putting on everything.

Louis had the Ceviche de Pescado (Traditional Peruvian dish of today’s fish cold-cured in freshly squeezed citrus juices with Peruvian peppers, onions, garlic and cilantro) and I got the Causa de Salmon (Aji amarillo infused potato cake chilled & layered with salmon salad, sliced egg & guacamole finished with red pepper aioli). To be honest, I think both of the dishes were just ok and really needed more seasoning but the Sangria and cool vibe made it a place I'd definitely give another shot if given the chance.

Day 3:

We took our time getting ready in the morning and checking out so by the time we got to brunch it was around 10. The Shack was PACKED! The wait was about an hour, but when 2 seats opened up at the bar we just seated ourselves. The waitresses were really sweet and ended up giving us samples of some of their Boozy Shakes. These things were flying out of the bar and now I know why! We tried the "I Do What I Want" which was coco puffs, yogurt, bailey’s & frangelica and the "Captain Crunch" which is rumchata, captain morgan, yogurt & crushed cap’n crunch

I got the Gringo Killer Skillet- 2 eggs over medium on a bed of hashbrowns topped with chorizo, onion, bell peppers, green chili salsa & SHACK cheese and Louis got the Downstream is too Mainstream Omelet  - a 3 egg omelet with avocado, smoked salmon & feta cheese. Both were excellent and the service was great too!

After our humongous meal we went and visited friends of ours that we hadn't seen in years. The drive there was beautiful and it was so good to catch up after all this time!

Our time was almost up, but I couldn't leave St Louis without trying some barbecue so we headed to Sugarfire Smokehouse

We had the Smoked Fried Artichoke Hearts, The Meat Daddy Platter (Smoked Turkey, Ribs, Smoked Sausage, Brisket and Pulled Pork), Coleslaw, Fries and about 32,987 sauces! 

I really loved the Coffee and White Sauces!

I truly don't think we could have fit any more food into one weekend and I loved every minute of it. Even if my clothes were a tad tighter on the way home!

Weber Grill Academy, St Louis MO

A few months back, my Bacon Pimento Cheese Cherubs won the Grand Prize in the

Nature Sweet Tomatoes Tomato-Vators recipe contest! Part of the package was the awesome new gas grill that is now on my porch, but the best part finally happened this past weekend.

As part of my grand prize, Louis and I were flown to St Louis, MO to visit the Weber Grill Academy, cook with the chefs there and learn all about cooking techniques on their gas and charcoal grills.

  Here's what was explained to me before we left:
Your package includes an exclusive, personalized experience with their Grill Academy Chef using both charcoal and gas Weber Grills. Your tour will begin at the restaurant and Grill Academy. There will be a private bartender in the room to accommodate your needs. 

Your menu will be:

• Grill-Fired Mussels with Nature Sweet Tomatoes 

• Grilled Caprese Nature Sweet Tomato Salad 

• Bone In Tomahawk Ribeye 

• Grilled Lobster Tail 

• Grilled Roasted Ratatouille with Nature Sweet Tomatoes

• Grilled Lyonnaise Potatoes 

• Cherrywood Smoked Cherry Cobbler

What What?! To say I was excited is a huge understatement. They had me at "Private Bartender"

I knew the brief description sounded awesome, but I was truly blown away once we got there and realized that we had the entire cooking classroom, that usually seats 22 students all to ourselves! The table was set beautifully and had 2 gift bags for us, a mimosa was ready for me almost immediately and we rolled up our sleeves to started cooking.

Chef Keith had 3 grills ready to go with charcoal and he had Louis fill the grill baskets. Luckily no eyebrows were lost

All of our dishes were prepped for us and since I knew it was going to be a huge meal, I hadn't eaten breakfast. I'm really glad I didn't because the amount of food we made was insane!

First up was the Grill-Fired Mussels with Nature Sweet Tomatoes
Louis and I both love mussels, but I've always done them on the stovetop, so this was a treat!
You might not be able to tell, but the grill we cooked them on had an opening in the center of the grates so the dutch oven could be set inside of it. Totally want one of those now! We grilled the garlic bread around the pan while the mussels cooked and it was finished in maybe 8 minutes.

Each dish was paired with amazing wine, so for the Mussels we cooked with and sipped Cakebread Savignon Blanc. Tons of garlic, tons of butter- I was so happy!

We sat at our table and enjoyed our mussels while the dishes were cleaned up and the next prep tray was brought out. I really wish it was like that in my own kitchen! Let me just sit here and enjoy my wine while you clean up after me...

Grilled Caprese Nature Sweet Tomato Salad, Grilled Roasted Ratatouille stuffed in Nature Sweet Tomatoes and Grilled Lyonnaise Potato Salad was next. As I was chopping I mentioned how much I loved the knife that I was using. Chef Keith said "well then you're really going to like your gift bags"

I was SO excited that the knives we used were included! Totally didn't expect that and I can tell you, I've used it every day since I got back home. Joking with Louis while we were chopping, I said "I hope I remember how to make all of this" and, of course, that was already taken care of. Every recipe we made was typed up and included in our giftbags already. How thoughtful is that?!

I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture, but these steaks were MASSIVE
and the lobster tail on the side was absolutely divine! Grilled and basted with a lemon, garlic, basil butter - I ate the entire thing

Naturally, these courses were paired with the perfect wine
Chateau Gruaud Larose, a Bordeaux from France
Then came the cobbler. We smoked cherries, blueberries and cranberries in a grill basket with Cherrywood and charcoal, topped them with an oatmeal cookie type streusel and "baked" them on indirect heat in the grill while we ate our meal. Once it was done, it was topped with cherry vanilla ice cream and served with Dow's 20 Year Old Tawny Port
Aren't those the cutest little cast iron mini casserole dishes? Definitely want some of those now too!

What's in that small glass next to the port, you ask?
Oh, no big deal. Just a shot of Louis XIII Cognac.
I had no idea what it was until Louis told me a bottle costs around $2500
After a sip I carefully handed it over and let him enjoy the rest.
That was not the time for me to be clumsy and spill
After dessert, we were given a tour of the kitchens for the restaurant before we packed up all of our gift bags and headed back to the hotel.
From start to finish we were spoiled and treated like royalty. It makes me feel so grateful and lucky that this little hobby of mine, that I started on a whim 11 years ago, has led me to experiences like this. An unforgettable day that truly couldn't have been better!

Slow Cooker BLENDABELLA Mexi-strone with Cilantro Lime Pesto

My kids started school a few weeks ago, and we hit the ground running immediately. This is the first time in years that my kids are on two different time schedules at two different campuses. Add in after school activities and that can make for one hectic week! When the schedules are packed and you feel like an Uber driver, the slow cooker can be a lifesaver!

This soup is embarrassingly easy to throw together, packed with veggies and can easily be made gluten free if you choose to use gluten free pasta or boil the pasta on the side and let people add it as they serve themselves.

The hero of this dish is the Zesty Mexican BLENDABELLA it's full of portobello mushrooms, veggies and herbs and creates the most wonderful savory base for this soup. Minestrone is typically an Italian vegetable soup but, of course, I had to change it up and give it a Tex-Mex twist! After simmering away all day, top it with the bright and fresh cilantro lime pesto and it's ready to serve.

Also, I need to know.....do you say slow cooker or crock pot? I can't decide.
Either way, crock pot or slow cooker, I think you'll love this recipe

Slow Cooker BLENDABELLA Mexi-strone with Cilantro Lime Pesto

1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (11 oz) can Mexican style corn with peppers, drained
1 (8 ounce) can tomato sauce
4 cups vegetable broth
½ cup salsa verde
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
1 (12 ounce) jar Zesty Mexican BLENDABELLA
2 (small to medium) zucchini, sliced into half-moons 1/4-inch thick
½ cup mini shells pasta

1 Tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup cilantro leaves
½ cup sliced green onion
2 teaspoons lime juice

In a 6-quart crockpot combine the beans, corn, tomato sauce, broth, salsa verde, oregano, cumin, salt, smoked paprika and BLENDABELLA. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
30 minutes before the soup is done cooking, add in the zucchini and pasta. Cook until pasta is tender.
While the pasta is cooking in the soup, make the Cilantro Lime Pesto. In a small food processor or blender, puree the olive oil, salt, cilantro, green onion and lime juice to a small food processor. Blend until smooth.
Ladle the soup into bowls to serve and drizzle with the cilantro lime pesto.
Serves 6

#BLENDABELLA #zestymexican

If you can't find BLENDABELLA in your local grocery store, you can purchase it online HERE

Be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest too for recipe ideas!

Tex-Mex BLENDABELLA Shakshuka

I have a new pantry obsession! 
It's called BLENDABELLA and it is a jarred blend of portobello mushrooms, veggies and herbs in three flavors: Rustic Tuscan, Coconut Thai and Zesty Mexican. 

They were so generous and sent me two jars of each flavor to play with and I was blown away at how versatile all of the blends were!

A few weeks ago, I poured some of the Rustic Tuscan blend on top of cream cheese and spread it on baguette slices- divine! Once I started testing out what I could do with the different flavors, I reached for the Zesty Mexican blend first. I love savory filling breakfasts and so the baked egg dish, shakshuka immediately jumped to mind. I'm so glad it did!

This is easy to throw together, and if you're hosting a brunch, it'll make you look like a rock star when you bring the skillet to your guests.

Tex-Mex BLENDABELLA Shakshuka

2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
1 poblano pepper, diced
1 cup diced sweet onion
2 (14.5-ounce) cans chopped fire roasted tomatoes with garlic, undrained
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 (12 ounce) jar Zesty Mexican BLENDABELLA
¾ teaspoon salt
6 eggs
1/3 cup crumbled queso fresco
¼ cup chopped cilantro
6 warm corn tortillas

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.

In a large, oven proof sauté pan heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté the diced poblano and onion until softened, about 8-10 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, BLENDABELLA and ½ teaspoon of the salt and paprika and allow the mixture to simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft and the sauce has thickened.

Using a spoon, create six wells evenly across the surface of the sauce. Crack the eggs and gently place one in each well. Sprinkle the eggs with the remaining salt and transfer the skillet to the oven. Cook until the whites are cooked through, about 10- 15 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, sprinkle the eggs with the crumbled cheese and cilantro. Serve with warm corn tortillas, for dipping.

Serves 4-6

#BLENDABELLA #zestymexican

If you can't find BLENDABELLA in your local grocery store, you can purchase it online HERE

Be sure to follow them on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest too for recipe ideas!

Cranberry Lava Flow

When I think of cranberries, I typically think of Fall and the holidays, not tropical, summery and bright flavors. My entries for the "Cape Cod Select Summer Breeze Recipe Blogger Challenge" have totally changed that for me! Cranberries pair so well with pineapple and creamy coconut that I think you'll agree when you taste it- cranberries are perfect year round! For my third entry, I created a Cranberry Lava Flow, perfect for your Labor Day weekend pool parties. They're so pretty, and they look way more labor intense than they really are.

Cheers!

Cranberry Lava Flow

5 oz CapeCod Select Premium Cranberries

¼ cup sugar
½ cup water
4 oz light (white) rum
2 cups ice cubes
4 oz coconut rum

1 cup frozen pineapple cubes

4 oz cream of coconut
Fresh pineapple, for garnish

In a small saucepot, combine the cranberries, sugar and water over high heat. Cook for 10 minutes, or until the cranberries have softened. Set aside and allow the mixture to fully cool. Once the mixture has cooled, pour it into an ice cube tray and freeze until solid.

In a blender, combine the light rum, frozen cranberry and 1 cup of the ice. Blend until smooth and pour into 2 tall glasses.

Rinse out the blender and add the coconut rum, pineapple, cream of coconut and the remaining ice. Blend until smooth and slowly pour the pineapple coconut mixture into the glasses. Garnish with a pineapple wedge and serve immediately.

If you'd like to order their frozen cranberries for yourself, you can go HERE

To follow along for recipes and ideas you can find Cape Cod Select on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest

#capecodselect #frozencranberries #cranberriesforallseasons

I'm so excited to update and say that I WON the Drink Category and Grand Prize - $1500!! I am so thrilled that Cape Cod Select enjoyed my recipe as much as I did and I hope you like it too! Cheers!

Cape Cod Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Cranberry Sweet & Sour Sauce

My second entry for the "Cape Cod Select Summer Breeze Recipe Blogger Challenge" are these gorgeous grilled skewers glazed with a easy and homemade Cranberry Sweet & Sour Sauce! I know I shared with you how awesome I think these Non-GMO cranberries are before and I really think this recipe shows their versatility. Cranberries aren't only for the holidays anymore.

This sauce is so easy to make and can easily be made ahead of time. If you have any left over, which I doubt you will, it's equally delicious on grilled pork chops, frozen party meatballs and small smoked sausages!

Cape Cod Grilled Shrimp Skewers with Cranberry Sweet & Sour Sauce

1 ½ cups sugar

1 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup rice wine vinegar

1 teaspoon salt

2 Tablespoons chili garlic sauce

1 Tablespoon minced fresh ginger

1 1/2 cups Cape Cod Select Premium Cranberries

35 ¾ inch cubes fresh pineapple

35 ¾ inch cubes of green bell pepper

4 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 teaspoon garlic salt

35 large tail on, peeled and deveined shrimp

¼ cup minced flat leaf parsley

  In a large sauce pot over medium high heat bring the sugar, pineapple juice, vinegar, salt, chili garlic sauce, ginger and cranberries to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and allow the mixture to simmer for 15 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and the cranberries have burst. Allow the mixture to sit and cool slightly then puree until completely smooth.

Heat a large grill pan or outdoor grill to high heat and spray with non-stick cooking spray. Grill the pineapple for 3 minutes per side, or until grill marks appear. Remove the pineapple from the grill and place in a medium mixing bowl. Toss the bell pepper cubes in half of the oil and garlic salt and place on the grill for 3 minutes per side. Once the bell pepper cubes have grill marks, add them to the bowl with the pineapple.

Toss the shrimp with the remaining oil and garlic salt. Grill the shrimp until they are just opaque but still juicy, about 2-3 minutes per side. Add the grilled shrimp to the bowl with the peppers and pineapple and pour 1/3 cup of the Cranberry Sweet and Sour Sauce and toss to coat evenly. Using bamboo small skewers or toothpicks, thread a piece of pineapple, a green bell pepper cube and a shrimp on each and place on a serving platter. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately with remaining sauce to dip.

If you'd like to order their frozen cranberries for yourself, you can go HERE

To follow along for recipes and ideas you can find Cape Cod Select on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest

#capecodselect #frozencranberries #cranberriesforallseasons

Summer Trips and Wins

Between trips to Mexico, New Orleans, Port Aransas and Canyon Lake, celebrating our 12 year Anniversary, our son's Birthday, July 4th week celebrations, a BBQ Competition Cook-off and a 9 day Boy Scout camp out trip in Georgia our summer was the busiest we've ever had and I can't believe it's over already and school is in session.
I now have a 4th and 6th grader......who let that happen?!

 As happy as I am to get back into a routine, I'm beyond pumped to be going to St Louis to visit the Weber Grill Headquarters in a few weeks for the trip that I won from Nature's Sweet Tomatoes contest! I have been loving my new grill they sent me and it looks so pretty on our porch. I've never been to St Louis, so if there's anything I shouldn't miss please let me know!

A few updates for contests I've placed in:

My Greek Garden Zucchini Spiral Salad with Shepherd’s Sumac Salsa won First Place in the Vegan Category for the #SimpleButTwisted recipe contest! They will be featuring the winners on their website soon and I'm pretty proud to have won something for the first vegan recipe I've ever made!

My Blue Cheese Stuffed Bacon Buffalo Meatloaf  won Honorable Mention in the Budweiser BBQ Sauce contest and is featured on their website along with the other entries as well. There's some pretty delicious looking dishes in there!

These two are just happy when I'm in the kitchen and praying that I drop something soon...

Cranberry Jalapeno Cornbread Panzanella Salad

I am so excited to be participating in another Cape Cod Select Premium Cranberry recipe challenge. This year the Cape Cod Select Summer Breeze Recipe Blogger Challenge is looking for creative and delicious recipes that highlight their Non-GMO gorgeous cranberries. Cape Cod Select is a small women-owned family business that has been growing cranberries for more than 75 years. These are literally the prettiest, sweetest cranberries I've ever used, and they generously sent me 2 huge bags to cook with! 

For my first entry, I made a Cranberry Jalapeno Cornbread Panzanella Salad. Sweet and spicy cornbread croutons are tossed with roasted Brussels sprouts, chopped bacon, crisp pistachios and a maple apple cider vinaigrette. The cornbread can be made ahead, it's delicious at room temp, and the flavors really shine the longer it sits. That means it's the perfect dish to serve when entertaining since you won't be worried about serving it hot or as soon as your guests arrive.

Look at those crispy croutons!

Cranberry Jalapeno Cornbread Panzanella Salad

1 (8.5 ounce) box cornbread mix

1 egg

1/3 cup buttermilk

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh jalapenos

1 cup CapeCod Select Premium Cranberries, roughly chopped

1 pound Brussels sprouts

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

3 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons maple syrup

6 slices cooked and crumbled bacon

¼ cup chopped pistachios        

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the cornbread mix, egg, buttermilk and chopped jalapenos in a medium mixing bowl and whisk together until smooth. Pour the batter into a well-greased 8-inch square baking dish. Sprinkle the cranberries on top of the batter and, using the back of a spatula, press them down into the batter. Bake for 25 minutes.  

While the cornbread cools, prepare the Brussels sprouts. Raise the temperature of the oven to 425 degrees. Trim the stem ends of the Brussels sprouts, cut in half lengthwise, and then toss them in a very large mixing bowl with 1 Tablespoon of the olive oil, ½ teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Pour them on a large foil-lined cookie sheet and roast for 20 minutes.

In the same large mixing bowl, whisk together the remaining olive oil, salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar and maple syrup.

While the Brussels sprouts are roasting, cut the cornbread into 1-inch cubes. Once the Brussels sprouts are roasted, remove them from the oven and place them back into the mixing bowl with the dressing.  

Lay the cubed cornbread squares onto the same cookie sheet and spray liberally with nonstick cooking spray. Place in the oven and toast for about 10-12 minutes.

Add the crumbled bacon and chopped pistachios to the marinating Brussels sprouts. Gently stir in the toasted cornbread croutons and serve immediately.

If you'd like to order their frozen cranberries for yourself, you can go HERE

To follow along for recipes and ideas you can find Cape Cod Select on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest

#capecodselect #frozencranberries #cranberriesforallseasons