#26: Bake something from scratch once a month for 6 months (month #5)

My November baking challenge was to create a yummy celebratory dessert in honor of the birthday of my wonderful sister-in-law, Kate!  We have had some fun times together...

Being the coolest people on the boardwalk

Downing oysters

Dressing up

I think Kate fits in just fine with our fun, loving, sometimes unpredictable family!  I am so glad my brother found someone who loves him as deeply and unconditionally as Kate loves Tom - and I will say for certain that the feeling and sentiment is mutual from Tom to Kate.  She has an eye for the aesthetics, a undying love of animals and nature, a deep care for others, and a knack for imitating accents (especially Irish ones!).  I am so privileged to call her my sister - I LOVE YOU, KATE!

When I asked Tom what Kate might like for her birthday dessert, he told me that she tends to enjoy pie over cake.  As I wracked my brain for ideas, I remembered many fun times spent roasting marshmallow Peeps over the fire pit at my parents' house and making s'mores - and recalled reading a recipe online for s'mores pie!  I decided upon a recipe from Gourmet that did NOT disappoint!  I will be honest that I did not make the marshmallow topping as the recipe suggests.  For one, I don't have a candy thermometer - and the recipe seemed to suggest that this might be important.  Not to mention the fact that I had this picture in my head involving marshmallow goo and my hair, culminating in me crying as Shannon came at me wielding scissors...  That being said, I opted instead for marshmallows cut in half as my top layer.  If I ever make this again (and I probably will, as it was SO GOOD), I might try a combination of marshmallows and marshmallow fluff.  Once again, I only took ONE picture of my pie - and it was only of the graham cracker and chocolate components!  Another photography fail on my part!  Just try to picture the top of the pie covered in beautifully browned marshmallows!

I think the pie was very well received and it topped off an AMAZING (as always) dinner prepared by my mom.

HAPPY 27TH BIRTHDAY, KATE!!!!

#35: Visit 5 restaurants I've never been to in my hometown/surrounding area (ShakeDown BBQ)

I am currently back into training mode as I prepare to run another half marathon in Disney in January - with hopes of accomplishing one of my goals of finishing in under 2 hours!  Because of this, Saturday morning consisted of a nice 8 mile run around Harrisburg.  I'm not big on eating too much before running longer distances, and normally I consume a good mixture of carbs and protein following a run.  My usual routine was thwarted this past weekend, however, as Shan called me to let me know she was on her way to pick me up so we could finish up her car shopping experience.  It wasn't an unexpected call by any means - but I opted to get dressed and put on makeup over eating so that I could be ready in time.

I began this blog entry with the above story to explain how after hours of car negotiating, finance jibber jabber, and jokes about camels, I was absolutely FAMISHED and probably would have eaten a tray of celery if it had been available.  [for all of you who don't know - I loathe celery]  After Shannon worked her magic and became the proud owner of a 2012 Honda Fit, we were finally free to go obtain some much needed sustenance.

Since neither of us are the best at making decisions about dining options, it took us a good while to decide to head over to ShakeDown BBQ in Grantville.  This establishment only recently found its permanent home in Grantville after its humble beginnings in a church parking lot off of Route 39.  

I love how you can see the sun setting!  :)

I am absolutely terrible at remembering to document with pictures - especially when I'm super hungry and dreaming of delicious BBQ fare, so I don't have any to post.  I can share that the food was absolutely delicious!  Shannon and I ordered three meats that came with two sides.  We chose to enjoy brisket, pork, and ribs with the sides of coleslaw and baked beans.  We also requested two rolls - which were honestly the only disappointing part of the meal - if anyone from ShakeDown is reading this, you'd get an extra star in my book if you got more fresh tasting rolls (maybe even cornbread)!  :)  My favorite part of the meal was probably the ribs - they were super tender and fall-off-the-bone.  We chose two sauces to accompany the meat, I believe they were just called "spicy" and "regular".  Word the wise - the spicy is pretty freaking spicy. I mean, I've definitely had worse, but if you're not expecting it (or if they mislabel the containers....hehehe), you might be in for a surprise!  

I will definitely make another trip (or two, or more) to ShakeDown in the future - especially once the weather starts getting warm again.  Central PA is lucky to have a place that is committed to creating and serving fresh, simple, and tasty food.  

#19: Cook 5 new-to-me dinner recipes (recipe 3)

As most of you know, my family is extremely important to me and since I am living in Harrisburg (my hometown) I try to have dinner with my parents at least once a week.  Usually dinner involves an amazing meal cooked by my multi-talented mom, or an occasional venture to one of our favorite restaurants.  This week I decided I would contribute to our weekly gathering by preparing something in my crock pot.  I am a big fan of food blogs and stumbled upon A Year of Slow Cooking a while ago, which is written by New York Times best selling author, award-winning blogger, and mother of three, Stephanie O'Dea, but never actually made anything from the site.  The commentary on the recipe I ended up choosing was very positive - plus I happen to think that pork is extremely tasty when prepared slow and low!  I assembled the recipe for Hirino Psito at night and then set it to cook while I was sleeping.

In prepping the pork for its overnight simmer, I did make a few adjustments as well as paid homage to a local Central Pennsylvania staple.  To start, I realized that I did not have Worcestershire sauce - so I substituted that with 1/2 tablespoon of low sodium soy sauce and 1/2 tablespoon of hot sauce.  The recipe also called for 1 cup of beer.  In an effort to save myself an out of the way trip to the beer distributor, I opted to use the only beer I had on hand in my apartment:  an oversized bottle of Mad Elf Ale from our local Harrisburg brewery, Troegs.

This stuff is a seasonal brew, usually available from October until December - and at 11% ABV, it sure packs a punch!  My uncle Jeff always make sure to have lots of it on hand for the holidays (tis the season, afterall)!  I will never forget the one Thanksgiving not so long ago when my brother, Tom, didn't realize quite how potent Mad Elf could be and consumed more than two of them.  His night may or may not have looked something like this...

I added a cup of Mad Elf to the crock pot (and then consumed the remainder...hehe) and I think it was a good choice!  The cherry and honey flavors of the beer definitely complimented the rest of the ingredients and tasted delicious!  

mmmmmmm! :)

This recipe was SO easy - definitely a winner and a keeper in my book!

#30: Try 5 new foods (Romanesco)

Last weekend, Shannon and I had a head of cauliflower already in our cart at Wegmans when our eyes were drawn to the odd looking, light green vegetable prominently on display.  Upon further inquiry, we learned from a nice Wegmans employee that this seemingly alien-like food was romanesco, which has characteristics similar to both broccoli and cauliflower.  Obviously, we had to do a little switch-a-roo and opted for the romanesco over our boring, usual cauliflower!  I couldn't get over how COOL the romanesco looked, with its approximate fractal pattern and bright color!  It reminded me a bit of a bunch of mini Christmas trees!

 

SO COOL!

Shan and I cooked the romanesco simply - by steaming - and it turned out delicious.  It tastes very similar to cauliflower (which is a favorite of mine) but had a bit of a nutty flavor to it.

I definitely plan to add romanesco into my cooking rotation.  I found some really great sounding recipes online that I want to use in the future and thought I'd share them with all of my faithful readers.

• Cilantro Noodle Bowl with Romanesco
• Romanesco with Pine Nuts and Garlic
• Cauliflower and Romanesco Soup

#30: Try 5 new foods (Iberico Cheese)

My next new food adventure happened yesterday on a lazy Saturday morning as it was SNOWING in Harrisburg.  Yes, you read that correctly - it was SNOWING on October 29th!  As large flakes began to collect on the trees outside, I decided it seemed like the perfect occasion to whip up a batch of a family favorite, popovers, for me and Shannon to enjoy.  The recipe for popovers comes from my grandma's second husband (my step-grandfather, technically), Harry Snell - it is easy and delicious.  This post, however, is not about the popovers, but rather about the scrumptious Iberico Cheese that we enjoyed alongside of them!

Shannon bought the cheese at Trader Joe's while she was home in Pittsburgh.  After some quick research, I discovered that Iberico, a blend of pasteurized milk from cows, goats, and sheep, is produced only in the province of Valladolid in central Spain.  I would describe its taste as very smooth and creamy - which paired wonderfully with the popovers that I made.  This will definitely be a cheese that I purchase and enjoy again!  YUMMY!

#35: Visit 5 restaurants I've never been to in my hometown/surrounding area (Blue Moose Bar & Grille)

Last night I met my mom for dinner at relatively new restaurant just up the road from my parents' house:  Blue Moose Bar & Grille.  The building in which the restaurant is located has been reincarnated many times over the years and I actually worked as a server when it was known as Sasha's Hideaway.  I will never forget the colorful interior decorations of a restaurant trying to tout itself as "fine dining" yet presenting its dessert menu on a rolling pin.

Oh the memories!

I started off doing well with remembering to document my experience last evening when I took a photo of my dinner salad, but as my mom and I got wrapped up in conversation, I completely forgot to take any other photos.

Exciting, right?

As an entree I had Pork Shanklets, which promised to be "fall-off-the-bone" tender and smothered in a chipotle BBQ sauce.  I would say they fulfilled their promise!  The pork was quite tasty and they gave me a hefty portion as well.  In addition to the dinner salad, after encouragement from my mom, I chose sweet potato wedges with maple syrup drizzle as a second side dish.  Honestly, they were SO yummy - the perfect balance of a crispy exterior and soft interior on the potato and the sweet addition of the maple syrup.  I wouldn't necessarily refer to them as "wedges" though - they were definitely shaped like steak fries.  

My mom had the Ginger Glazed Wild Salmon with a dinner salad and mashed potatoes.  I sampled a bit of her meal and it was good as well!

Overall, the food was not the best I've ever had and certainly did not knock my socks off - but it was tasty and nothing was overtly unappealing in any way.  I'm sure I'll be back at some point - especially given its proximity to my parents' house.

#26: Bake something from scratch once a month for 6 months (month #4)

For my October baking, I knew I wanted to do something that captured the essence of fall and I was drawn (yet again) to a really yummy sounding recipe from one of my favorite food blogs, Smitten Kitchen.  The recipe, Spiced Applesauce Cake with Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting, sounded just up my alley - especially the cream cheese frosting (omg omg omg)!!!  The cake was SUPER easy to make and, for once, I actually had most of the ingredients already in my pantry, with the exception of the applesauce and cream cheese.  As a side note - I bought applesauce from the store but, as the recipe recommends, I think the cake would be even BETTER if you were to use homemade applesauce.  After all, aren't most things better when they are homemade?

I originally made this recipe to take to a game night that Shannon and I were planning attend.  Unfortunately, our lives got too busy - coupled with both of us having what we lovingly referred to as "the plague" for what felt like months - and we were not able to make it.  Although we weren't able to take it to share with friends at the party, we did both taste the cake and thought it was delicious (Shan isn't a big dessert person, so I doubt she called it "delicious" but she did actually EAT some - so that should say something about its taste!).  She then brought it in to work and reported back that it was completely DEVOURED.  Hollerrrrr!

I'm also going to admit that I completely forgot to take ANY pictures of the cake - not making it, icing it, eating it - NOTHING.  Whoops!  Oh well, Smitten Kitchen has much better photos of the finished product anyway...I swear mine looked just as pretty.  :)

I am already brainstorming ideas for next month's baking challenge.  If anyone has any suggestions - feel free to leave a comment!

Since I forgot to take pictures to post on the blog, in honor of my favorite holiday, HALLOWEEN, here are some cute photos of babies in costume!

My future children are so screwed... :)