A Snapshot of Pittsburgh's Culinary Scene

I, along with five other members of media and tourism, was invited by the ever-gracious Kristin Mitchell of Visit Pittsburgh to attend a three day culinary and cultural tour of the city. Despite having family around the area, it's been more than 15 years since I have spent any time at all in Pittsburgh-proper. My partner in culinary curiosity, Genevieve Reiner, (I refrain from using the word crime, since she is a lawyer by day) was also invited to cover the food scene for her blog, Ham Sandwich Indicted. We took a "divide and conquer" approach. She is focusing on food and I on the cultural aspects. With that said, I still feel the need to share some of the foodie highlights from this media tour.  

Unfortunately, we did not eat at Conflict Kitchen at 124 S. Highland in East Liberty (a developing neighborhood just outside of downtown). It is open for lunch from 11:30-2:30-- and we rolled by at 10 AM. The current incarnation features a Cuban kitchen but has, in the past, served Iranian, Afghan, and Venezuelan cuisine. Their website explains it best: "Conflict Kitchen is a take-out restaurant that only serves cuisine from countries with which the United States is in conflict. The food is served out of a take-out style storefront that rotates identities every six months to highlight another country. Each iteration of the project is augmented by events, performances, and discussions that seek to expand the engagement the public has with the culture, politics, and issues at stake within the focus country." 

COOLEST CULINARY CONCEPT: Conflict Kitchen, East Liberty
Changing food window serving cuisine from countries with whom the US has conflict or embargoes.

COOLEST CULINARY CONCEPT: Conflict Kitchen, East Liberty
Changing food window serving cuisine from countries with whom the US has conflict or embargoes.

We spent most of the first day eating our way around the Strip District-- a one mile "strip of land" running east along the Allegheny River, encompassing a good ten blocks along Penn Avenue and Smallman Street. Historically speaking, the riverfront location made this prime property for early industrial development and it also is the site of our country's first steel mills. With the railroads came wholesale produce merchants, as products could be unloaded directly from the train into the warehouses. Today, the Strip remains a hub of wholesalers, markets, ethnic eateries, and independent restaurants. In my opinion, it is one the Pittsburgh's most interesting and eclectic neighborhoods. You will find a nice overview of the Strip's history and a self-guided walking tour on Neighbors In the Strip's website.

We took a walking tour of the neighborhood with a local foodie tour company, 'Burgh Bits and Bites. Corinne, our guide explained there are so many interesting places in the Strip, the guides usually have to pick and choose based on the time and day... but Wholey's Seafood Market is always in the mix (pronounced "wooly"). The city's premiere purveyor of seafood has been around since 1912... basically, if it's fish and you can't find it here, you can't find it anywhere. 

Wholey's Fish Market, Strip District

This place is a sensory overload: sights, sounds, smells (yes, some are a little fishy). Not only does the market offer fresh and frozen fish, live lobsters, and you-pick tilapia tanks, it carries the gamut of meat, fresh produce, pasta, and plenty of local products. The sushi doesn't get any fresher and the lobster rolls are loaded with meat and the perfect (minimal) amount of mayo. Locals claim the fish sandwich here is the best in town, but we didn't have one--- I guess that's one good reason to come back. Also, we learned Wholey is opening a sit-down restaurant a few blocks away... reason number two to return. In fact, I think I spied "R.L.W." at the restaurant site as we were passing by... his lovely monogrammed RLW shirt cuffs caught my eye.

Wholey's Fish Market, Strip District

Wholey's Fish Market, Strip District

Lobstah! Wholey's Fish Market, Strip District

Fish out your own tilapia- Wholey's Fish Market, Strip District

As a side note: I've heard Pittsburgh's oldest seafood shop Benkovitz Seafood Market, just a few blocks away, gives Wholey's a run for their money in the fish sandwich department. We did not make it to the store during our tour, but I'm going back another time for a throw-down.  

Street side produce stall, Strip District

Mancini's Bakery was started in 1926 as the McKees Rocks Bread Company. It is the "twist" bread that put Mancini's on the map, but the pepperoni rolls have quite the following in their Strip District shop. One of the most staggering facts about this company, is they operate 24 hours a day making 10,000 loaves of bread daily. This is to supply many of the local markets that carry their products, but also to stock their two other stores in McKees Rocks and Market Square in downtown Pittsburgh. The samples we were offered were fantastic. The gooey cheesy pepperoni roll was my favorite, with the multi-grain coming in a very close second.

Mancini's Italian Bread Co., Strip District

Mancini's Italian Bread Co.

Parma Sausage is the most unassuming of all storefronts in the Strip. Blink and you might miss the sign and entrance. Don't let the small storefront space fool you. This almost-fifth generation family-operated business has been around since 1954 and has approximately 3,000 hams drying in the aging room at any given time. Everything is hand made onsite, while all of their prosciutto is made using Berkshire pork primarily from Iowa farms. We sampled a most beautiful Lonzetta Cotta, a rosemary-seasoned, slow cooked ham along with a spicy, hot sopressata salami. Good thing we had a cooler in tow... we returned home with a haul of porcine products.

Parma Sausage, Strip District

Parma sausage case, Strip District

And then there's the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company established in 1902, making this the oldest operating shop in the Strip. You can find anything your Italian heart desires here, including 450+ types of world cheese-- and sometimes close to 500 when you count seasonal flavors.

Pa. Macaroni Co. Cheese Shop, Strip District  c. 1902

We wandered around gawking at the shelves of pasta, sauces, olive oils, spices, and Italian desserts, but there's nothing like a wall full of cheese to make a girl stop and catch her breath. (And I thought I wanted to kid-nap the cheese monger from La Laiterie in Providence, RI!!)

More than 450 Cheeses at the Pa. Macaroni Co., Strip District  

More than 450 Cheeses at the Pa. Macaroni Co., Strip District

Penn Mac's Carol Pascuzzi makes you feel right at home when she calls you "dear heart" and hands over a generous sample of whatever deliciousness she happens to be slicing... let's just say, she knows her cheese. We sampled a super milky, Greek graviere cheese followed by an unusual, firm cow milk cheese with an espresso-lavender rind-- appropriately named "Barely Buzzed." 

Pa. Macaroni Co. Cheese Shop, Strip District 

Espresso/lavender Cheese! Pa. Macaroni Co. Cheese Shop, Strip District

We did not have time to go into DeLuca's, but I have eaten here before. I agree with the sign this is the Best Breakfast in Town... not so much for the food, but definitely for the hustle and bustle of the atmosphere. It's a greasy spoon for sure, so don't expect healthy options-- unless you count dry, wheat toast. The more popular menu items are the breakfast burrito, blintzes, and hotcake sundaes (Yes, the pancakes come piled with ice cream and whipped cream). It's not unusual to see a line forming down the sidewalk on weekend mornings, but it is worth the wait. Sit in a booth, sit at the counter--- either way, you will have to be rolled out of here where you are finished.

De Luca's famous diner, Strip District

Enrico Biscotti is a small (and I mean teeny-tiny) store front shop that is piled to the ceiling with their famous biscotti and the pantry shelves stocked with loaves of bread. I imagine they hear this from time to time: "I am not a huge fan of biscotti, but these are exceptional!" which are my sentiments exactly. This is my vision of what biscotti should be.

Enrico's, Strip District

Enrico's Biscotti Shop, Strip District

These Italian cookies are huge, somewhat soft (albeit a bit crumbly, as they should be), and very, very, very good tasting. I had an apricot hazelnut biscotti, while Genevieve ordered the ginger. We shared, of course, and each were wonderful... but the biscotti got upstaged when we moved to the outdoor cafe portion of the bakery for a wine and macaroon tasting.  

Enrico's Biscotti Shop, Strip District

Enrico's Biscotti Shop, Strip District

After having been on a macaron pilgrimage in Paris last month, I had the traditional French-style macarons in mind when they told us were getting coconut, chocolate and almond flavors--- but the "other" type of macaroons arrived on a platter alongside a few bottles of wine which were made in house (as this is also Pittsburgh's first urban winery). The almond macaroon rocked my pastry world. Genevieve and I went to great pains not to miss a crumb... and returned to buy more before we headed out of town. They host bread making classes too, so expect to see Enrico's worked into my Wanderlust Tours culinary collection.

Macarons from Enrico's Biscotti Shop, Strip District

We popped briefly into Colangelo's, one of the Strip's newer cafe style bakeries for their signature mele-- a fruit filled, puffed pastry turnover. We didn't spend much time here, but the pasta, pizza, and salad driven cafe menu looks appealing enough to plan a future lunch--- and partake of another mele. I had the good fortune of coming home with my apricot mele and Genevieve's raspberry, so I happily ate them both. I believe these would have been stellar had we eaten them fresh the same day, but they held up very well for a few days in the refrigerator, so I wasn't disappointed. I'll be back...

Colangelo's Bakery, Strip District

Colangelo's signature Mele, Strip District

Working our way east through the Strip, we ended up at S&D Polish Deli for a pierogi break. In comparison to many of the other shops, this too is a newer storefront in the Strip- but apparently they are doing something right as they are regularly voted best Polish Deli in Pittsburgh-- and there are no shortage of those! These T-shirts made me giggle (and think of Marta). The store carries a whole spectrum of imported Polish products and serves pre-made homestyle Polish delicacies like stuffed cabbage and the pierogies we sampled. There are a few tables at which to enjoy your comfort food, while studying the deli case chock full of eastern European style meats, terrines, and cheese.

S&D Polish Deli, Strip District

A few doors over from the Polish Deli is Bar Marco, a historic fire station-turn-bar/restaurant/gallery. One of the owners, Bobby, served up a generous sampling of cava along with deep fried risotto balls and his signature cocktail-- a reposado tequila-based gimlet with muddled red bell pepper and lime cordial. Unexpectedly delicious. Just like their story... a few guys want to own a bar, so they fanangle loans and completely overhaul a beautiful building on their own. You should see the man cave in the basement.

Bobby pouring cava at Bar Marco, Strip District

Who wouldn't love to have a wood working shop downstairs, a bar and lounge on the ground floor, and an art gallery and bar on the upper levels?? In one word, their vision is "handcrafted"... in two words, it's "handcrafted" and "progressive."

Bar Marco, Strip District 

Everything here seems to be lovingly handcrafted: from the tables being made in house, to the farm-to-fork menu offerings and thoughtful cocktails. The fruits, vegetables, and herbs are locally grown and hand-muddled to order; even the sous chef undertakes urban foraging and makes his own knives, which he uses in the kitchen. Bar Marco is located next door to a farmer's market and the owners have grand plans of creating a community brick oven, and hosting a regular pop-up beer garden.

Hand crafted mixers at Bar Marco, Strip District

BEST COCKTAIL AWARD: Bar Marco, Strip District
Tequila Gimlet-- Reposado/ muddled red pepper/ lime cordial 

This was by far my favorite restaurant on our tour, and I look forward to visiting again soon to see how their venture is shaping up. Next time, I'll focus more on their menu, drinks, and art gallery, which features local artists, but overall Bar Marco is still a work in progress.

Bar Marco, Strip District 

Finally, there's "Our Lady of Hops", The Church Brew Works. This church-turn-micro-brewery restaurant is not located in the Strip District, but a few miles east on Penn Avenue in another gentrifying neighborhood, Lawrenceville. This is one of those destination restaurants that have been featured on television shows and everyone seems to know of it. In 1996, this 1878 church was rescued from demolition by a few entrepreneurial beer makers who lovingly restored the church and stained glass windows to its former glory.

Church Brew Works, Lawrenceville

You can smell the hops a'brewin' from the parking lot, which only reinforces the fact that beer is actually brewed right at the alter. Pews have been rearranged into booths, and the bar sprawls along one of the side aisles. The menu is approachable and while the food is good (rather basic offerings) the pierogies and pizzas take center stage. One usually has the choice of regular pierogies and a daily special pierogie and pizza, but why not just try the pierogie pizza and kill two birds with one stone.

Church Brew Works, Lawrenceville

Frankly, one comes here for the beer, which is quite memorable. We ordered a flight of 8 beers, which included the six regular and two seasonal flavors. My husband enjoys the award-winning, Celestial Gold German-Style Pilsner, so I picked up a six pack to take away. I prefer the Monk Dunkel Ale, but since I wasn't yet in beer mode (we came for lunch), I had an usually good bloody Mary. It had a deep, smokey, spicy flavor that hit the spot with the Greek salad. Overall, The Church Brew Works is certainly worth a visit for the enormous effort put into creating a unique dining experience-- and for their bloody good beer.

A flight of brews from The Church Brew Works, Lawrenceville

Church Brew Works, Lawrenceville

** All photos are by Shawnie Kelley Foy and remain the property of Wanderlust Tours. Please contact info@wanderlust-tours.com for permission to reprint. **

Vive La France!

Photo: Shawnie Kelley Foy

What better week than of the Tour de France to announce this blog will be taking a specifically "Frenchie" turn. While writing my forthcoming travel guide, 100 Places in France Every Woman Should Go, I have decided it best to stream line all of my efforts into Frenchifying my travel blog (A Serious Case of Wanderlust) and this food blog. From here out, expect a distinctly French undertone to all of my posts-- unless I am covering a food challenge, cookbook review, or recipe testing. 

We are very excited for the magnifique things to come...

Lemon-thyme Cupcakes with Blackberry Honey Glaze

I have been wanting to use the Vintage Bee Blackberry HoneyGenevieve and Todd brought back for us from NC and thought two-bite cupcakes would be a good way to showcase the honey both in the batter and glaze.  Not to mention, the beautiful blackberries picked straight from the bush...

For the Cupcakes:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves)

1/2 cup milk 

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon honey

For the Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon Vintage Bee Blackberry Honey (or any flavor, really)

5 tablespoons heavy cream

dash of salt

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line a cupcake pan with paper or foil liners and set aside. I used minis.

Make the batter:  in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pinch of salt, and chamomile leaves.  Mix on medium speed until the mixture is slightly coarse and sandy.  This takes about 5 minutes.

While the mixture beats, in a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla extract.

Pour half of the milk mixture into the flour mixture.  Beat until barely incorporated.  Pour in the remaining milk mixture, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for 1 minutes, until well blended.

Divide the batter between the 12 large prepared cupcake cups.  Fill half way.    

Bake the cupcakes for 17 to 20 minutes (or 12-14 mins for mini-cupcakes), or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes from the pan to cool completely before frosting.

Make the glaze: in a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, honey, cream, and salt.  Whisk until smooth.  Use a butter knife (or my favorite--- a mini spatula) to spread the frosting on cooled cupcakes. 

Top with a blackberry. And devour.

Cakes last (wrapped) at room temperature for up to three days. Frozen un-frosted for 2 months.

Chateau Foix-- Saturday Donuts

Lemon-thyme Cupcakes with Blackberry Honey Glaze

I have been wanting to use the Vintage Bee Blackberry Honey Genevieve and Todd brought back for us from NC and thought two-bite cupcakes would be a good way to showcase the honey both in the batter and glaze.  Not to mention, the beautiful blackberries picked straight from the bush...

For the Cupcakes:

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) softened unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

pinch of salt

3 tablespoons dried thyme (or 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme leaves)

1/2 cup milk 

1 large egg

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon honey

For the Glaze:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

1 tablespoon Vintage Bee Blackberry Honey (or any flavor, really)

5 tablespoons heavy cream

dash of salt

Place a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 325 degrees F.  Line a cupcake pan with paper or foil liners and set aside. I used minis.

Make the batter:  in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream together butter, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, pinch of salt, and chamomile leaves.  Mix on medium speed until the mixture is slightly coarse and sandy.  This takes about 5 minutes.

While the mixture beats, in a small bowl, whisk together milk, egg, and vanilla extract.

Pour half of the milk mixture into the flour mixture.  Beat until barely incorporated.  Pour in the remaining milk mixture, turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and beat for 1 minutes, until well blended.

Divide the batter between the 12 large prepared cupcake cups.  Fill half way.    

Bake the cupcakes for 17 to 20 minutes (or 12-14 mins for mini-cupcakes), or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.  Remove from oven and let cool in the pan for 10 minutes.  Remove the cupcakes from the pan to cool completely before frosting.

Make the glaze: in a medium bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, honey, cream, and salt.  Whisk until smooth.  Use a butter knife (or my favorite--- a mini spatula) to spread the frosting on cooled cupcakes. 

Top with a blackberry. And devour.

Cakes last (wrapped) at room temperature for up to three days. Frozen un-frosted for 2 months.

Egg Pasta Ravioli with Cremini Chevre Filling

It's Friday and I have been ready to roll up my sleeves and get rolling (both pasta and bread) all week. Today, I made round two of home made baguettes using the Four Hour Baguette recipe from Saveur and decided to make home made egg pasta. I used to dread kneading dough and preferred using my mixer for this "laborious" part, but the past few years I have become rather fond of dough kneading. It gives a much better feel for the consistency and your chances of having too dry or too sticky dough are slimmer given you can feel the texture as it develops. With that said, the recipe for Egg Pasta is as simple as it comes.

Pasta Ingredients:

2 cups of flour

3 very fresh eggs

A drizzle of olive oil 

A quarter cup of warm water waiting in the wings

Ravioli Filling:

4 oz. Chevre (goat) cheese

6-8 cremini mushrooms- chopped up into tiny pieces

1/2 medium shallot- chopped into tiny pieces

Create a mountain of flour and burrow a depression in the middle.

Drizzle a splash of olive oil into the depression and carefully crack each egg into the hole 

Slowly work the flour into the egg, for about 10 minutes.

If the dough seems dry and crumbly, resist the urge to add any liquid at the start of your kneading. If after, a few minutes, the dough is still crumbly, drizzle a few fingertips full of water from the nearby cup. Use sparingly, as your dough can quickly become too sticky. 

During the kneading process, you add a teaspoon of kosher salt, and whatever other herbs you prefer. I added Cracked black peppercorns this time. 

Work the dough until you have a stiff, yet smooth ball of dough. 

Place the ball of dough in a bowl to rest and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.

During this time, set up your pasta roller and saute the shallots and mushrooms in olive oil.

Let the pre-cooked mushroom-shallot mixture cool, then blend into a bowl with the goat cheese.

Add salt or herbs to taste. I added a pinch of truffle salt and fine herbes de Provence.

After 30 minutes, remove the dough from the refrigerator and split it into four balls, which are then pressed into flat disks.  

Roll each disk through the pasta maker as directed. I'm using the flat roller to make raviolis.

Once the pasta is rolled, set it aside in a dusting of flour to dry.

I use a ravioli press to cut the right shapes, so I lay out each ravioli sheet and dab a spot of filling about 2 inches apart. Laying a second sheet of pasta on top and press it closed around the edges. (Be careful not to squish the ravioli filling). 

Use the ravioli press (or a pasta cutter, or a knife) to cut out each ravioli, making sure the edges are properly sealed.

Bring water to boil and, when you are ready to eat, drop the raviolis into the gently rolling water for about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove when they float. Home made pasta cooks very quickly and does not require much time in the water. Leaving them boil makes them starchy and increases the potential for the filling to ooze out.

The sauce is up to you. I sauteed some garlic scapes and sage in butter, pouring it over the raviolis as a sauce once the butter browned-- after about 3 minutes.

Bon Apetit!!

Hee Haw and Pass the Whiskey... "Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier'

Rewind to two months ago... I quit cookbook blogging-- forever. I have a lot on my plate and something had to give... until two days later, when I became hopelessly nostalgic and yearned for the good ol' days of double-fisting my camera and spatula. I already missed the idea of being sent wonderful cookbooks from Morrow Publishing (an imprint of Harper Collins) to test recipes and write about them for their blog, The Secret Ingredient (which you can follow on Facebook or subscribe to their blog). The very next day, I'm back in the saddle with a copy of Ree Drummond's latest tome, "Pioneer Woman Cooks: Food From My Frontier". My immediate instinct when first flipping through the cookbook is that she successfully evokes the romance of living on a ranch and having a cowboy for a husband. It's cute; interjected with family photos, silly captions, and seems user-friendly. It's an approachable cookbook.

I was excited to learn the Ham Sandwich (my friend and partner in culinary crime, Genevieve Reiner) was also slated to blog about the cookbook, so we decided to pool our efforts and make one big cowgirl feast. You can read Genevieve's take on our whiskified meal at her blog, Ham Sandwich Indicted. (She's a lawyer by day, foodie by night). Speaking of whiskified... it's not at all surprising that, as we giddily flipped through our cookbooks independent of one another, we each chose a recipe: Peach-Whiskey Chicken and Whiskey-Glazed Carrots... see the theme? Anyone who knows us, knows our taste buds lean toward the boozy. After deciding we need to represent another food group besides whiskey, we opted to include Panfried Kale, which ultimately ended up doused in white wine (like me). 

Mango Margaritas,  PHOTO: Shawnie Kelley Foy

One thing I appreciate about this cookbook is that Ree Drummond took all of the pictures herself (apart from a few). Another is the way it is formatted. I adore cookbooks that are well laid out. One of my biggest pet peeves is having to flip back and forth between pages to read measurements and such. Nearly all of her recipes fit on two facing pages or at least transition into the third page at opportune times. The recipes, in my opinion, are all pretty easy, so a quick perusal of the step-by-step photos were enough for us to have a good sense of each recipe. I definitely recommend this cookbook for people who are just beginning their foray into home cooking (and newlyweds- as Hillary Davis, another food-blogging friend suggests), as Ree includes homey, traditional  dishes, like rigatoni and meatballs (who doesn't like pasta and sauce?) to buttered rosemary rolls (which calls for frozen dinner rolls). The ingredients are accessible and recipes realistic to make on a Monday night after work... a refreshing change from the many cookbooks (which shall remain unnamed) that require loads of exotic spices, 20+ ingredients, and multi-tasking for one dish.

Mango Margaritas,  PHOTO: Shawnie Kelley Foy 

We were, in fact, so comfortable taking on three recipes, that we threw a fourth in the mix--- the Mango Margaritas. I am not a huge fan of margaritas, but I sure like mango; it seemed an appropriate drink for an 80 degree day in March. They were sweet and mango-y-- and we even left out half the sugar. I enjoyed the sugar-lime mixture used to rim the glass, which will no doubt find its way into this summer's patio drink repertoire.

Whiskey Glazed Carrots, PHOTO: Shawnie Kelley Foy

The carrots and kale were both straightforward to make. The carrots, cooked down in a buttery-brown sugar- whiskey mixture were positively delicious. I love butter. I love carmelized butter. And we even left out half of what was called for in this recipe only because we aren't nearly as active as all the cowboys Ree cooks for. If I were wrangling cattle and burning lots of calories during the day, I'd have no problem tossing in another half stick of butter. Regardless, the carrots were superb. The kale too. But, I'm not exactly sure searing kale in olive oil and garlic warrants a two page spread in the cookbook, but I appreciate her use of a green that is often overlooked in lieu of spinach or Swiss chard.

Panfried Kale, PHOTO: Shawnie Kelley Foy

We did as the recipe directed and let the kale cook down in a pan of olive oil and chopped garlic. Given that every other dish was soaked in booze, we tossed in a bit of white wine for good measure.... and because we are both a bit rebellious when it comes to following recipes. After searing the chicken (we used skinless chicken breast rather than legs) and simmering it in a whiskey- onion- (frozen) peach concoction, we let it slow cook in the oven for another 30 or 40 minutes while working on the veggies. The outcome was a delicious, down-to-earth plate of food, with rich, buttery flavors and a nice crunch-- and it looked pretty too. Not bad for Tuesday night.

The Whole Shebang PHOTO: Genevieve Reiner

Flowers from Todd Mills, PHOTO: Shawnie Kelley Foy

Todd, Kevin, Genevieve and my left hand.

I look forward to making several of the breakfast recipes: glazed donuts, Cowboy quiche, and Cowgirl quiche...  The cookbook also has a quick intro to canning, which will come in handy since this is the first year I am trying my hand at preserving. Stay tuned....