Good Eats on Road Trip

One great way to enjoy a vacation is to have some quality meals with your family. Home-cooked or at a restaurant, fabulous meals make any trip more enjoyable. Last week, my family took a trip to the North Shore of Lake Superior. The North Shore is not covered with exceptional restaurants. There are two places that I would like to highlight, however.

One of our favorite places to stop is the New Scenic Cafe on Route 61. One of my favorite items on their menu is the Pork Banh Mi. Every great sandwich starts with great bread, and this one is no exception. Their Banh Mi is on a soft and airy baguette. The bread surrounded beautifully seasoned roasted pork, a great pork pate, fresh cilantro, siracha mayo, and wonderfully pickled daikon. It was heavenly. And of course, every great sandwich requires a great drink to wash it down. With my Banh Mi, I had a wonderful creamy root beer, made by Henry Weinhard's Gourmet Sodas.

Another great stop on the North Shore is the Angry Trout Cafe in Grand Marais, Minnesota. The Angry Trout uses fresh fish caught from Lake Superior every morning by local fisherman. One of my favorite dishes at the Angry Trout was the Fish & Chips. The perfectly fried fish--usually whitefish, herring, or lake trout at this time of year--is accompanied by fresh coleslaw and french fries. And when we were there, the daily soup was smoked whitefish and trout chowder. A cup of this soup with their Fish & Chips was a very special meal.

We had a number of meals that were more average than these, but I recommend both restaurants if you ever find yourself on the North Shore of Lake Superior.


New Scenic Cafe: http://www.sceniccafe.com/welcome/
Angry Trout Cafe: http://www.angrytroutcafe.com

Farmers Market Treasure

A favorite tradition for my family this summer is going to the Mill City Farmers Market every Saturday morning. We always go to one very special stand, Very Prairie. Susan Dietrich has a plethora of food options. From Marshmallows to Wild Sorrel Bandanas. We have found that the Wild Sorrel Bandanas tossed with Olive Oil and sprinkled with a Goat Cheese Chèvre is a fabulous side to any grilled steak. 
Susan Dietrich also makes these amazing Strawberry-Rhubarb Pies. I was lucky enough to try one of her pies. When I added a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream to the slice of pie I was overloaded with heavenly flavors.
If you are ever at the market make sure to make a stop at Very Prairie and try some of Susan's delicacies. 

The Wild Sorrel Bandanas

4th of July Eats

This years 4th of July Holiday weekend brought many good meals. We started the great celebration with a fabulous dinner on Friday evening. We had Honey-Ginger Chicken with Lime and a side of Ramen. The oven-roasted chicken made all of the flavors in the chicken stand out. The Ramen was just an exceptional addition. The Bok Choy from our CSA farm added a really nice crunch. Every part of this meal was amazing. It was a perfect energy booster before a great firework show over the Mississippi River.
We ended the holiday weekend with another meal that just hit the spot. Pan-Fried Cod with Grilled Bacon wrapped tomatoes and mushrooms and a fresh corn salad. The kabobs were inspired by a local restaurant called the Bachelor Farmer. 



The reipes for both will be below. Both recipe's where found in this months Food and Wine magazine.

1. 
   
2. 
   

                                                          Honey-Ginger Chicken with Lime

• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1/3 cup minced fresh ginger
• 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoons garam masala
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 3 1/2 teaspoons grated lime zest
• 4 chicken legs, cut into drumsticks and thighs
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• Lime wedges, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a bowl, whisk the vinegar, honey, ginger, jalapeño, garam masala, coriander, cumin, cayenne, salt, pepper and 3 teaspoons of the lime zest. Prick the chicken with a fork, add it to the bowl and toss. In a small bowl, mix the sugar with the remaining lime zest.
2. In a large ovenproof skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the oil over moderately high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning, until golden, 5 minutes. Sprinkle with the lime sugar and roast for 25 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked.
3. Add the lime juice and the remaining butter to the skillet. Serve the chicken with the pan juices and lime wedges.

                       Bacon-Wrapped Mushrooms and Tomato Skewers with Dill Pickle Relish                                                        

1. 3/4 cup minced dill pickles (from 2 large pickles)
2. 3/4 cup minced parsley
3. 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for brushing
4. Kosher salt
5. 3/4 pound oyster mushrooms, sliced and arranged in 2-inch clusters
6. 20 large cherry tomatoes
7. 20 thin strips of bacon (1 pound), halved crosswise

1. In a bowl, toss the pickles, parsley and the 3/4 cup of olive oil. Season the relish with salt.
2. Light a grill. Wrap each mushroom cluster and cherry tomato in a bacon slice. Thread the bacon-wrapped vegetables onto skewers. Brush with olive oil and season lightly with salt.
3. Grill the skewers over moderate heat, turning, until the bacon is cooked and the vegetables are tender, 8 minutes; brush with a little pickle relish during the last minute of grilling. Transfer to a platter and serve with lemon wedges and the remaining pickle relish.

MAKE AHEAD The skewers can be refrigerated for 2 hours before grilling.