Roasted Vegetables

I know I’ve recently written about the wonders of roasted cauliflower. I’m a convert for sure. So after admitting that I might possibly have been “wr-r-r, ahem, wr-r-r, uh … a little bit not right about certain vegetables, I decided to take a giant leap of faith. I became a vegetable roasting fool.

I gathered a whole lot of different vegetables and set out to roast and test them. Gee, that makes it sound like I put my galoshes on and went out into the fields to harvest them. The reality is that I just drove to the grocery store and got a nice selection of vegetables to try. I wanted to see which veggies would fare the best.

I cleaned them all up and tossed them with a little olive oil, added halved cloves of garlic and sprinkled chopped bacon on top (because what doesn’t taste good with bacon sprinkled on it, I ask?) and roasted them till they were soft and golden brown on the edges.

Aren’t these absolutely gorgeous? They are a thing of beauty. And I am here to tell you that I am now eating vegetables that I never would have before. I roasted cauliflower (big surprise there!), regular brussel sprouts, broccolini, fennel, butternut squash, baby brussel sprouts, and red beets. All received equal treatment, except that the beets, broccolini, and fennel did not have the bacon.

The cauliflower goes without saying, was delicious. Both the regular brussel sprouts and baby brussel sprouts turned out really good. Bob and I were astounded at how good they turned out. We were actually still smiling after eating them! The butternut squash was heaven and I will admit that the beets weren’t bad, either. I would definitely make any of those again, and again, and again.

And as for the “not-so-good” corner? The broccolini was just too fragile to be roasted. The fronds were pretty much totally dried out and crunchy, and not crunchy in a good way. The stems weren’t as bad as the fronds, but not by much. The fennel didn’t fare much better. I found that it lost a lot of its flavor. It even lost its color. At least the broccolini still looked kind of pretty. I wasn’t impressed at all. I’ve heard several chefs on the Food Network say how wonderful roasted fennel is. I just don’t see it.

So there you have it! My very informal exercise in finding some veggies that are good for roasting. I’m sure that there are some other good ones. If you have any ideas just let me know. I really am loving these veggies! Who knew?

Retro Dinner

Okay, how delicious do these look? I know! I saw a picture of them that Laura had put on Facebook. Ever since then I could not get the darn things out of my mind! They're certainly not pretty, but boy are they good! I just bet you've forgotten how good they really are. I was possessed. I would simply not rest until I made them.

Bob made a shopping run for me and he came home with these great Angus dogs, four in a package. Perfect! I just happened to have a roll of 4 crescents in the fridge. And here's the funny thing; I rarely buy crescent rolls. Not because I don't like them, but because they usually end up on my thighs! But for the holidays I thought I might need them.

I took a dog, made a slit almost but not through, and stuffed it with shredded cheddar cheese. I started with the wide end of the crescent dough and wound it around the dog. Put those puppies into a 375 degree oven and cooked them for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, I thought "why not go all retro?". I took out those leftover mashed potatoes and made four perfectly crusted potato cakes. Next I opened up a can of green beans, tossed in a few cloves of roasted garlic, and a smidgen of bacon grease and cooked those up.

Now just look at that. Doesn't that look like something Mom would put on the table? (That is if your folks were Ward and June Cleaver.)

Bob and I got a big kick out of our dinner. And, I might add that my dear husband ate two pigs! A little ketchup on the potato cakes and we were good to go!

Did I mention there were cookies and milk for dessert?

Roasted Cauliflower

So Thanksgiving Day 2010 has passed and we are livin' on leftovers. This is a good thing! In our house we love leftovers. And Thanksgiving leftovers are the best ever!

This year I threw in a new side dish. To my amazement it was a tremendous success! See, my family (with me leading the pack) is adamant that Thanksgiving dinner is all about tradition. We must have a turkey; there must be dressing (made the same way my mother made it and don't even think about messing with the recipe); there must be mounds of mashed potatoes; and there must be copious amounts of gravy! In our family gravy is a beverage. In the last few years we've added an awesome smoked turkey, compliments of David Miller (Werner Meats), however there still has to be a regular turkey as well. In addition to all of the above we also have homemade noodles, cranberry sauce (that's another post), rolls & butter, and appetizers (oh yeah, yet another post). I figured that we might need a vegetable thrown in there other than a relish tray. So I kept my eyes open for something that might be interesting.

And I found it on Steamy Kitchen's blog. Remember how I said in my cauliflower soup post that I pretty much loathe cooked cauliflower? (Deborah, you're going to love this.) I found out I love roasted cauliflower! Really!!! 

Let me backtrack a bit. When I made the cauliflower soup I had a half head of cauliflower left. What was I going to do with it? Then lo and behold here comes Jaden from Steamy Kitchen with a post on roasted cauliflower. I saw garlic. I saw bacon. What's not to like? Okay, I can try this.

I made it as a side dish for dinner that night and Bob and I ate every last bite! We totally scarfed it down! Who would'a thought I like cooked cauliflower? But, I will insist that we say "roasted" rather than cooked. I do think that roasting transforms it into a whole different being. The cauliflower turns a gorgeous golden color and the taste is out of this world. The garlic roasts to a sweet nutty deliciousness and the bacon crisps up and gets all crunchy and incredible. This dish simply put, rocks!

So I slid the roasted cauliflower into the Thanksgiving line up and it was a total hit! Almost all of it was gone and everyone wanted some to take home with their leftovers.

I think I have found a new favorite vegetable. And I do believe we have a new "must" for the Thanksgiving dinner table.

Thanks, Jaden!

Roasted Cauliflower Recipe with Bacon and Garlic

http://steamykitchen.com/11868-roasted-cauliflower-recipe-bacon-garlic.html
Servings: 4 Prep Time: 5 Cook Time: 20

Ingredients:

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
6 cloves garlic, halved
3 strips bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
salt to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375F. On a baking sheet, toss together the cauliflower, garlic slices, bacon and olive oil. Roast for 20 minutes until bacon is crisp and cauliflower is cooked through. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Cibo

Last Friday night I had dinner with two very handsome men. Aren’t I the lucky one! Bob, our friend Donald and I went to check out a new restaurant in Upper Arlington, Cibo. Carla Piolata (one of the owners of the now closed Davinci’s) and her sister-in-law Carrie Ciotola opened Cibo on October 7, 2010. Often they have live music, mostly jazz. As you all know there is a certain jazz singer here in Columbus that is near and dear to our hearts. And guess what … Dwight Lenox just happened to be playing there on Friday. Oh, this just keeps getting better and better!

When we walked in the door, I immediately loved the ambiance. There is a lovely fireplace that greeted us with the warmth from the fire. They have a full service bar with a wine list that according to Bob and Donald had some very good Italian wines. There are two rooms and we were seated in the “music” room so we could listen to Dwight when he began to play.

The restaurant seats about 100 people and is decorated in warm tones. The tablecloths are black and each table has a candle surrounded by coffee beans and a beautiful vase of fresh flowers, making it all feel quite cozy.

We started off with a few appetizers since the three of us were hungry enough to begin gnawing on the tablecloth if we didn’t get something soon. We munched on the breadsticks until they arrived. I was quite smitten with the breadsticks.

Here’s the thing … I can’t show you a picture of our appetizers because by the time I remembered I had my camera and that I wanted to take pictures … um, they were gone. Darn those boys, anyway. I really wanted to show you what we had. The arancini was made with saffron risotto and had a center of fresh mozzarella and prosciutto. The outside was crispy and the inside was creamy. The sauce was a perfect compliment. Oh, I could have eaten those all night. They truly were the best I have ever tasted … the best ever! Our other appetizer was the calamari. Those tasty little squids were absolutely perfectly cooked. The sauce that accompanied them had a little kick to it. We definitely made great choices!

Donald had the bucatini all ‘Amatriciana. Bucatini is a long hollow spaghetti-like pasta. The sauce is tomato with pancetta and usually chili or chili flakes. I tasted the dish and I’m thinking this might be what I get next time. It was really delicious.

Bob’s entrée was the pan roasted free range chicken. The skin was a gorgeous brown and crispy. The meat was moist and succulent. The chicken was finished with a caramelized garlic sauce that I found to be exceptional. As in, I could drink this stuff with a straw! The dish included asparagus and butternut squash puree with rosemary. The squash puree totally worked for me. It was scrumptious.

My dinner was divine. I had the spaghetti carbonara. Cibo’s carbonara sauce is made with egg and no cream. According to Carla, no one in Italy would consider making carbonara with cream. The pancetta was crispy crunchy and oh so good. I fell in love with this dish. (I did share a bit of it with Bob so that I could pirate some of his squash. Hey, I’m not entirely unreasonable.) I would so order this again in a heartbeat. It was awesome.

We moved on to dessert. Each of us ordered something different and we tasted all around.

Donald’s choice was the lemon mascarpone cheesecake with blackberry compote and basil syrup. Not only was the presentation gorgeous but the taste was divine. This was everything a cheesecake should be; creamy, rich, light and decadent.

Bob chose the triple chocolate torte. I don’t have the particulars on this. I remember that it had three different chocolate layers with three different kinds of liqueur. This is was I distinctly remember; when I put a small bite of the torte on my tongue and let it melt, it was almost like the chocolate wrapped itself around me and each flavor became singular and yet combined all at the same time. Whoa … it totally was a sensual experience. I kid you not.

My dessert was the bonet ala piedmontese. This is a baked custard-like piece of heaven made with espresso, cinnamon and chocolate sitting atop a amaretti cookie crust with caramel sauce. I know. I know.
And when I didn’t think it could get any better, Dwight Lenox and the trio began playing. Dwight’s voice never fails to thrill me. Simply no one sings jazz better than Dwight. And then, Lee Savory joined him on the flugel horn. Oh my goodness. Then to my delight, who should walk in but Carl Sally, toting his sax! The music was unbelievable!!!

I also had the pleasure of meeting Chef John Beck. What a charmer! His use of ingredients and execution of Italian specialties is a true thing of beauty. And he told me he makes the desserts himself. I was so impressed. Chef Beck previously was in the kitchens at Abbracci, RJ Snappers, Capital Club and Hyde Park. He is most definitely talented.

I do want to note that Carla makes the gnocchi herself. I didn’t have the opportunity to taste them this trip but I plan to soon.

A trip to Cibo needs to be given high priority on your list of restaurant visits. I suggest you call for reservations because the place was hopping! Let them know you read about them here at Dishing-it-Up Columbus!

One more thing; don’t forget to finish your dinner off with a glass of Sambuca (with three espresso beans). Carla will totally appreciate it and you will definitely be glad you did!

Cibo
4740 Reed Road
Upper Arlington, OH 43220
614-436-2426
Mon – Thur: 5-10pm
Fri & Sat: 5-11pm
Closed Sunday
http://www.cibocolumbus.com/

Dine Originals Week November 8-14, 2010 – Shoku

Well, Dine Originals Week is over and I only made it to one restaurant. I am absolutely ashamed of myself! But it just wasn’t happening. And I’m pretty sure you’ll forgive me. Especially when I tell you about the one that I did go to! It was my first time ever to Shoku ... and it rocked my world!

I was pretty certain that I was only going to make it to one place this round, so I wanted it to be somewhere I hadn’t been to before. My dining buddy Jane, and I checked out the lunch offerings and decided upon Shoku. They were offering 3 different lunches for $10 each. So off we went.

I have seen Shoku often when Bob and I go to Stauff’s (in Grandview) for coffee. And I have to tell you that while I knew where it was, I hadn’t really heard much about it. I am smitten! We walked in and I immediately loved the ambiance. It is modern but had a real “home” feel to it. We sat down and right away we were offered beverages. We both ordered hot tea. The green tea arrived piping hot and was absolutely delicious!

While we were perusing our lunch choices, I placed an order of the Tempura Green Beans for us to share. They were so good! I’ve had fried green beans before, but these were on a whole different level. The tempura batter was so light and crispy. The dipping sauce was just perfect. Yeah, these little guys were addicting. We finished off that platter before we knew it. We were left wanting more. However, our lunch was on its way and we were excited about that.

Jane chose the Tempura Shrimp Wrap. This was described as “Shrimp tempura rolled with rice and vegetables in spinach tortilla served with candied sweet potatoes and mixed vegetables”. It was gorgeous. The presentation was just beautiful. The candied sweet potato cubes were wonderful. There was a crunchy outside with a lovely sweetness, and inside was the creamy goodness of a good sweet potato. The vegetables consisted of broccoli and carrot strips and were topped with a few of the tempura green beans. The wrap was really good, too. The tempura shrimp was crunchy and it was accompanied by rice and strips of carrots and others veggies. The dipping sauce finished with just enough heat. This was a great dish.

However, the show stopper was my Shoku Salad. The description was, “A mixture of iceberg lettuce and spring mix; comes with a vegetable eggroll, Japanese noodles and an egg with choice of beef skewer, chicken skewer or grilled shrimp skewer. Served with carrot miso dressing”. The plate was stunning. It was magnificent. The riot of color on the plate just made me smile. The salad had the promised mix of iceberg and spring greens topped with strips of carrot, and white and purple cabbage. It was accompanied by a hardboiled egg. The eggroll had a sweet chili sauce for dipping and it was very tasty. I chose to go with the beef skewer because it seems I usually gravitate to shrimp and I wanted something different. Boy, am I glad I did. The beef was so tender and so moist and so yummy! I love noodles of any kind, and the little dish of noodles was no exception. What made this salad such a standout was the carrot and miso dressing. I am generally so-so about miso. But this dressing? Well, this dressing I could just drink, it was so good! I ended up pouring it on the noodles and dipping my beef into it. The gal serving us told me, “Mama makes it herself”. She inclined her head to a woman sitting at a back table wearing an apron and having her own lunch. I was just blown away by this dressing!

What a great experience! I can’t wait to return to Shoku. I saw quite a few other items on the menu that I’d really like to try. Needless to say, Jane and I commented that we think we’ve found yet another “favorite restaurant”!

Shoku
1312 Grandview Ave
Grandview, OH
614-485-9490
http://www.daeoh.com/

Ree's Cauliflower Soup

Here's the deal...I cannot stand cooked cauliflower. I love it raw. But when cauliflower is cooked, it becomes a whole different animal. And it stinks. So no way, no how, am I cooking cauliflower in this house.

Okay having said that, I can now admit to a few deep dark secrets that I have kept hidden behind closed doors ...

First, I love to shop at Aldi's. If you hit it right you can get some really awesome produce at prices that will just have you dancing in the aisles. A few weeks ago I found the biggest, fattest head of cauliflower that I simply could not walk away from. I'm not even going to tell you what I paid for it because it was obscenely inexpensive (and I can't actually remember what is was because my memory has gone to hell). Yep, Aldi's is one of my guilty pleasures.

Second, I cooked it.

I know, I know! But honestly, on a technicality I didn't really cook it. I used it to make soup. And why I even did that, I cannot tell you. Except to say that I was reading www.thepioneerwoman.com and she made her mother's cauliflower soup sound so good that I craved it. And after all, I had that honkin' big head of cauliflower in my fridge. There's only so much raw cauliflower that a girl's husband will let her eat!

So I followed Ree's incredibly easy step-by-step instructions and made the soup. Then I swooned. Then Bob swooned. I gave some to Donald & Kathy and I think they swooned. Even if they didn't, let's pretend they did. They said they liked it ... a lot. So I'm thinkin' they swooned. (That's just how my mind works.)

I'm going to give you the original recipe and the link to Ree's blog page because her photographs are incredible. In fact, the above photograph is hers, not mine. Why mess with perfection? (Also, the fact is we ate ours before I could take a picture of it.) I did adjust mine to make it Weight Watcher friendly. I'm trying, I'm trying.

Cauliflower Soup
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2009/01/cauliflower-soup/

Ingredients


• 1 stick butter, divided
• ½ whole onion, finely diced
• 1 whole carrot finely diced
• 1 stalk celery, finely diced
• 1 whole (to 2 whole) cauliflower heads (roughly chopped)
• 2 Tablespoons fresh or dried parsley (chopped)
• 2 quarts low-sodium chicken broth or stock
• 6 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 2 teaspoons to 4 Teaspoons salt, to taste
• 1 cup (heaping) sour cream, room temperature

Preparation Instructions

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add the onion and cook for a few minutes, or until it starts to turn brown.

Add the carrots and celery and cook an additional couple of minutes. Add cauliflower and parsley and stir to combine.

Cover and cook over very low heat for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, pour in chicken stock or broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and allow to simmer.

In a medium saucepan, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Mix the flour with the milk and whisk to combine. Add flour-milk mixture slowly to the butter, whisking constantly.

Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup half-and-half. Add mixture to the simmering soup. Allow to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Check seasoning and add more salt or pepper if necessary.

Just before serving, place the sour cream in a serving bowl or soup tureen. Add two to three ladles of hot soup into the tureen and stir to combine with the sour cream. Pour in remaining soup and stir.

Serve immediately. Then, SWOON!

Classic Meatloaf

I was craving comfort food. It had been a long week and I just wanted something so good to eat that it would transport me to a happy place (kind of like when I’m at IHOP). So I started combing my files for that special dish.


Bingo! Meatloaf! Of course! And here was one that promised:

“This is the meat loaf to make when you long for a nostalgic taste of the foods of your childhood. It’s moist, and the combination of beef, veal and pork gives it a rich, meaty flavor. It’s equally good served warm from the oven or cold in sandwiches the next day.”


It was all that and more. If only I’d had worn a smart dress, frilly apron and a single strand of pearls I think Bob might have truly believed he was Ward Cleaver. It was so very tasty. And as promised, it was just as good cold as it was hot. Oh my, be still my beating heart. A cold meatloaf sandwich slathered with ballpark mustard (the “good” mustard). It just doesn’t get much better than that!

If you are experiencing that gray, dull weather that we call Columbus, OH you might want to pull this one out of your bag of tricks. And if you really want to go all out, you could even make some good ole mac ‘n cheese to go along with it. Now that’s just crazy nostalgic! But come to think of it, I recently found a killer easy mac ’n cheese that would be perfect!

CLASSIC MEATLOAF
Food Now-8 servings

MEAT LOAF

2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 eggs
2/3 cup unseasoned dry bread crumbs
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup whole milk
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 lb. ground beef chuck
1/4 lb. ground veal
1/4 lb. ground pork

GLAZE

1/3 cup ketchup
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat until hot. Add onion; cook 5 minutes or until softened, stirring occasionally. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds or until fragrant. Place in large bowl; cool to room temperature.

2. Whisk eggs into onion mixture. Stir in bread crumbs, parsley, milk, 2 tablespoons mustard, Worcestershire sauce, hot pepper sauce, thyme, salt and pepper. Add ground beef, ground veal and ground pork; mix together by hand or with large fork until evenly blended. Press into 9x5-inch loaf pan or place freeform loaf in shallow baking pan. To prevent glaze from dripping off pan during baking, mound meat in center with sloping sides.

3. In small bowl, stir together all glaze ingredients. Brush 1/4 cup of the glaze over top of loaf. Bake 45 minutes; remove pan from oven. Brush top of loaf with remaining 1/4 cup glaze. Bake an additional 15 to 20 minutes or until meat loaf is firm and juices run clear. Loosely cover with foil; let stand 15 minutes before slicing.

PER SERVING: 330 calories, 18.5 g total fat (6.5 g saturated fat), 24.5 g protein, 16 g carbohydrate, 125 mg cholesterol, 585 mg sodium, 1 g fiber

Dine Original's Week - November 8 - 14!

It's time to gear up for the Dine Original's Week!!! I just checked out the participating restaurant menus and I am in an absolute dither. How can I possibly choose just a few to visit??? So many of them sound so absolutely incredible! What a chance to try new places, and what a chance to visit old favorites!

Here is their website:
http://www.dineoriginalscolumbus.com/dine-originals-columbus-week/
Check it out for yourselves! Then let me know what you think!!!

Experience Columbus Days! October 8-11, 2010

EXPERIENCE COLUMBUS DAYS!!!

This is such a great four days in Columbus that I definitely do not want any of you to miss it. Seems like the last several posts have been about events. But there is so much happening that I just have to tell you all!!!

"Now in its seventh year, Experience Columbus Days, October 8-11, has grown to include discounts to 24 area attractions and 50 area restaurants. The program was created by Experience Columbus to make the capital city the place to be during Columbus Day Weekend through offering great incentives.

Experience Columbus has again partnered with area attractions and Dine Originals Columbus, to offer visitors and residents alike 50% off admission to top area attractions and 25% off food bills to unique Columbus eateries.

To receive the discounts, visit http://www.experiencecolumbusdays.com/anytime between now and October 11 to download two flyers, one for attractions and the other for Dine Originals Columbus restaurants. Upon arrival at a participating attraction or restaurant, simply show a printed flyer or display it on a mobile device to receive:

· 50% off admission when you present the attractions flyer at 24 of the city’s best attractions including perennial favorites such as the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, the Wilds, COSI and the Columbus Italian Festival as well as new participants like Columbus Food Adventures, SegAway Tours of Columbus and more.

· 25% off the total food bill (excluding beverages) for up to two people, when you present the restaurant flyer at all 50 Dine Originals Columbus restaurants, including 11 new members such as Barrio Tapas Lounge, Black Olive, Moshi Sushi, Spinelli’s Deli, Skillet and others.

“Now in its seventh year, the goal of Experience Columbus Days is to get people out to explore Ohio’s capital city and expose them to all that makes Columbus unique,” said Paul Astleford, president and CEO of Experience Columbus. “This program would not be successful without the support from our partners at area attractions and restaurants. They truly see the value of tourism and creating ambassadors locally, which is what Experience Columbus Days is all about.”

In 2009, with only social media, viral marketing and word of mouth efforts used to promote the program, more than 4,300 flyers were redeemed at area attractions and more than 860 were redeemed at Dine Originals Columbus restaurants.

Visitors from 30 states as well as Canada, Puerto Rico and Switzerland took advantage of the program’s discounts.

For complete details, a full list of participating attractions and restaurants and to print off the flyers, visit
http://www.experiencecolumbusdays.com/."
 
Excuse me while I go download...

Taste of Columbus

This promises to be an amazing event for such a good cause! And a party on the pool deck at the Renaissance, hosted by Latitude 41 is always a great time! Here is a wonderfully fun evening out that will benefit the new Kobacker House. Go ahead ... you deserve a night out!
http://www.atasteofcolumbus.com/




A Taste of Columbus event to benefit
HomeReach Hospice slated for Sept. 28 at Renaissance

(COLUMBUS) – Six of the best locally owned and operated restaurants are coming together to host the first-ever "A Taste of Columbus" event on the pool deck of the Renaissance Columbus Downtown on Tuesday, Sept. 28, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. The event will benefit HomeReach Hospice – the largest and most comprehensive not-for-profit hospice program in central Ohio.

Participating restaurants include:
• Barcelona
• Basi Italia
• G. Michael’s
• Jeni’s Splendid Ice Creams
• Latitude 41
• The Refectory

“We are so grateful that these restaurants and the Renaissance have all stepped up to make this evening possible. All proceeds will be used toward the construction of a new Kobacker House, scheduled for opening in late 2011,” said Karen Morrison, president of the OhioHealth Foundation.

Tickets are $50 per person and can be purchased exclusively online at www.atasteofcolumbus.com. Each restaurant will have a sampling station, there will be a silent auction featuring travel and dining opportunities and live music by Victor Zancudo. Dress for the evening is cocktail/business attire.

The Kobacker House is a free-standing inpatient hospice facility that was created to offer a home-like setting for hospice patients requiring 24-hour medical supervision. The new Kobacker House will offer 24 patient beds – more than double the capacity of the current house.

The Renaissance Columbus Downtown Hotel approached OhioHealth HomeReach Hospice to partner on the event to raise much-needed dollars for the facility. Additionally, Chef Dave Maclennan of Latitude 41 reached out to the chefs of the other participating restaurants to round out the evening.

“You’d be hard-pressed to find someone in central Ohio who hasn’t been positively impacted by HomeReach Hospice; we applaud their mission of providing quality end-of-life care for central Ohioans,” said Geri Lombard, general manager of The Renaissance. “We are committed to being an excellent community partner, and we have the space and setting on our beautiful roof-top pool deck to create a wonderful event for OhioHealth HomeReach Hospice. “

About HomeReach Hospice
HomeReach Hospice is the largest and most comprehensive not-for-profit hospice program in central Ohio. It is part of the OhioHealth health system.

A team of specially trained hospice caregivers -- physicians, nurses, social workers, therapists, chaplains, aides and volunteers -- are dedicated to providing the highest quality end-of-life care to patients and grief support to their families. Services offered by HomeReach Hospice, which is supported by the OhioHealth Foundation, include 24-hour inpatient care at Kobacker House (the first free-standing inpatient hospice care facility in central Ohio), as well as extensive services and support for patients who are able to remain at home; specialized therapies, including massage, art and animal therapy; in-home visits from physicians; family support services; and grief support programs for larger numbers of people, including school children who have lost family members, coworkers or friends.

About Renaissance Hotels & Resorts
Renaissance Hotels & Resorts is an upscale modern hotel collection with more than 140unique properties in 28 countries -- from historic icons to ultra-modern masterpieces -- that speaks to passionate travelers in search of authentic local experiences. Whether a trip is for business or pleasure, Renaissance believes there's always something wonderfully new to be found.

Drunken Fruit Skewers

Labor Day weekend has come and gone. (Heads up ladies; no white shoes! Is that even a “rule” anymore?) Anyway, back to what I was saying before I interrupted myself. The cookouts, bbq’s and feasts of gluttony have come and gone with the holiday. Thank goodness! My hips just couldn’t take anymore!

But the memory of the appetizer that we took to both cookouts we attended lingers. It was an idea that was resurrected by one of my favorite blogs … which they got from another blog! Oh, don’t you just love the food blogosphere? I sure do! The delight I am speaking of is (drum roll please) “Drunken Fruit Skewers”.

Now anybody that knows us can tell you that my dear husband has a penchant for liquoring up just about everything he gets his hands on (don’t go there, my friends). He was in the kitchen mixing up the liquid in which we would macerate the fruit and was he a scientist in all his glory! Remember the rocket scientist story? That’s my Bob! This was his kind of recipe. Actually, there isn’t even a “recipe”.

We purchased a fresh pineapple, kiwis, plums, strawberries and honeydew. Bob concocted the most delicious mixture of Captain Morgan Spiced Rum, and Cointreau. He added just a wee bit of Splenda (hey! We’re watching our figures over here!) added cinnamon sticks and whole cloves.

The Kitchn blog tells us to “Simply cut your fruit into bite-sized pieces, put them in a container, and cover with the liquor of your choice. Let this sit for anywhere from a few hours to overnight.” However, we found that 3 hours for the pineapple, honeydew and plums was perfect. The strawberries and kiwi were soaked only for about an hour. The liquor bleaches the fruit, and the skewers are so much prettier when the colors are vibrant. We threaded the fruit onto wooden skewers that had been soaked in water, and Bob tossed them on the grill. Okay, he very gently arranged them in a perfect formation to be grilled to absolute beauty.

And boy-howdy were those things good!!! They packed a punch, too.

Try these at your next party. You will no doubt be the host/hostess with the mostest. Oh good Lord … even I can’t believe I just said that!

http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/liquor/cocktail-alternative-boozesoaked-fruit-skewers-126144?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+apartmenttherapy%2Fthekitchn+%28The+Kitchn%29

WaterFire and Dwight Lenox & the Lenox Avenue Jazz & Dance Band

Are you looking for something fun to do on a Friday night? I have a suggestion for you!

Last week we attended “WaterFire Columbus”. What fun! And to make the evening even better, the music was provided by our very dear friend and favorite jazz singer and his band! Why yes, that indeed would be none other than “Dwight Lenox and the Lenox Avenue Express Jazz & Dance Band”! What an incredible evening!

First let me tell you about WaterFire in case you aren’t familiar with it. Here is an excerpt from their webpage: http://www.waterfirecolumbus.com/

WaterFire Columbus

WaterFire opens all of our senses to our surroundings; it allows viewers to savor the artwork's surprises, view the city's landscape and mingle with fellow citizens.

WaterFire Columbus is becoming one of the most exciting art exhibits in Central Ohio. The magnificent array of bonfires was first established on the three rivers of downtown Providence, Rhode Island in 1997. In downtown Columbus the flames reflect on the waters of the Scioto River. Audience members gather for an evening of natural art, music and activity featuring this remarkable display on the east side of COSI in front of Genoa Park.

WaterFire Columbus has created seven events for the 2010 Burn Season partnering with different performing arts organizations. The board's goal is to expand relationships with additional performing arts groups in Central Ohio.

The event has expanded from 19 braziers in 2008 to 37 for 2010 Burn Season. WaterFire also gives viewers the opportunity to purchase tables where individuals have the choice of sitting down and enjoying dinner along the river during select events.

We began our evening by setting up our chairs and spreading a blanket over the ground in front of them. There were vendors selling food and we brought some of our own. When I spoke with the gentleman at Experience Columbus, he advised me that they asked that drinks be purchased there. Wine, beer, water and lemonade were available. We made our selections and returned to our spot. There we laid out a cheese plate & crackers and fruit & dip that we'd brought along to compliment our purchases. We then proceeded to feast!

Just about the time we finished noshing, the music began. Oh how we love to hear Dwight and his band! As the sun began to dip behind the COSI building and the sky turned golden, Dwight’s luscious baritone wrapped itself around us and seeped into our bones. The strains of the instruments, individually and collectively, danced as one melody led into the next. We lost ourselves in the glorious sound that is uniquely Dwight.

As dusk settled, the band took an intermission and Dwight was taken out on the boat to light the first of the fires. How thrilling! What a vision the boat, the flames, and the figures in the boat made against the dwindling light of the night sky.

It really was amazing to see those fires burning on the Scioto River! And then there was the wonderful smell of a wood fire, while the heat from the flames could be felt on the lower levels of the amphitheater.

The boat returned Dwight to dry land and the music began once more, with what sounded to me like a renewed sense of soul and character. There was spontaneous dancing in front of the stage. We were even fortunate enough to have a young couple entertain us with what could only be the result of some serious ballroom dance lessons! They were charming. And underneath the music, you could hear the chatter and laughter of a great party.

What an evening! Dwight played well past the 10:00pm mark. I believe he and the band were having as much fun as we were!

There are only three more WaterFire events taking place this year. I’m sure the entertainment will be lovely. But for me, Dwight & the Lenox Avenue Express made a special evening even more spectacular! I so hope they do it again next year. If so, stop by front and center to say hello to us … because that is exactly where we will be!

http://www.dwightlenox.com/

WaterFire
Genoa Park
303 W Broad Street
Columbus, OH

2010 WaterFire Burn Schedule:

•Friday, September 3rd: In partnership with Music in the Air, performance by BalletMet Columbus
•Friday, September 17: In partnership with Riverfront Art Festival, performance by Opera Columbus
•Saturday, September 18th: In partnership with Riverfront Art Festival, performance by Ladies of Longford

Photos courtesy of Dwight Lenox