The Weekend Update from the Frozen Tundra

I’m sad that my two week vacation is coming to an end but rather pleased that Mother Nature helped extend it one more day. You may have heard that Minnesota is in the midst of a deep freeze right now. Today is the worst of it and there are many shutdowns in order to keep people safe from the elements, I’m happy to report that I’m one of those people. It’s funny how the magic of a “snow day” never diminishes, in fact it almost seems more magical as an adult because they are far rarer for us.

The weekend was a productive one. The knitting and assembly of the green sweater has been completed with the help of my friends:

I hope to finish the collar today and find some buttons in my stash.

A delicious new Breakfast Quesadilla was concocted in the Griddler:

Sun-dried tomato tortilla, scrambled egg, pepperjack cheese and black beans, topped with salsa – all I needed to make this perfect was a little avocado

My first attempt at dressmaking has been completed and I gave it a test-run on Sunday:

The Best-Good Friend and I had an AMAZING breakfast at Spoonriver. It was cold, cold, COLD outside but the sun was shining so bright, it was a beautiful day. I had sandwich envy over her Fried Egg & Avocado Sandwich:

Fried Egg & Avocado Sandwich with Feta: Basil Sauce, Multi-Grain Bun, Fresh Fruit, Kimchee

But was so happy with my vegetarian version of the Singapore Noodle Scramble with tofu:

Singapore Noodle Scramble: Rice Noodles, Scambled Eggs, Vegetables, Garlic Sambal Seasoning (vegetarian)

We shared a scone afterwards. I can’t wait to go back, it was a phenomenal breakfast that I can’t stop thinking about.

We bundled up and headed next door to The Guthrie for “Born Yesterday.” It was far too cold to take in any views, but check these out from my last visit. I think I’ve been to the theater more in the past few months than the past few years and I rather like it. This show was really fun:

By the time I got home, the polar plunge was beginning to get serious but we still had wildlife in our yard. This little woodpecker is out there all the time. He let me come within 6 feet before chastising me and flying up into the tree:

I’m impressed by the electric birdbath that The Mother gave me for Christmas. According to the view from my upstairs window, it is still not frozen at -20F:

They don’t seem fazed by the cold but I sure am. Time to go celebrate the magic of the snow day!

Eggnog Lattes, Art Festivals and Suburban Diners

The weekend began with something that sounded so disgusting, it had to be delicious, an Eggnog Latte:

No, I didn’t drink it, I left that to The Best-Good Friend who once again decided to tackle the eggs benedict for breakfast, this time at The Birchwood Café:

The Best-Good Friend’s Beef Benedict: Beef brisket, maple-braised kale, 2 poached eggs, and preserved lemon hollandaise on an English muffin – served with greens & roasted fennel thyme vinaigrette (gf)

You may remember her love of the Korean Beef Benedict at Eat Street Buddha last weekend for our “East Meets West” breakfast. She told me that the Birchwood’s benedict was all about the sauce where the Eat Street Buddha’s was all about the meat.

Located in south Minneapolis, the Birchwood was established in 1926 and was originally a dairy. In the 1940’s, it was converted into a neighborhood grocery and in 1995, Birchwood Café was born. They support sustainable organic farming and buy close to home.

I had the Brunch Scramble:

My Brunch Scramble: Scrambled eggs, Squash, parsnip, parsley, parmesan, and scallions –
served with multi-grain toast and rosemary garlic potatoes (vegetarian)

From there, we headed to the 21^st Annual Women’s Art Festival. Last weekend we were admiring the beautiful work of handweaver Carol Johnson (Studio Tupla) at The American Swedish Institute’s Julmarknad celebration. She had postcards about the Women’s Art Festival and I’m so glad we saved the date, this was by far the best art festival I’ve been to this season. Here are a few of my favorite finds:

Custom handbag by Jen Hanlon Ash (photography & accessories), Sue’s Luxury Yarn’s fiber, earrings by ArtGirl56, and Raspberry Trivet by Edie Karras

This festival began in 1992 with a handful of artists and has now grown to over 100 who work in a variety of media.

After that, The Best-Good Friend and I parted ways. At home someone was inspiring me to get festive:

New anti-slip socks!

If we were going to get a tree, it had to be now or never. The Husband was sick, so I headed down the street to the local YMCA tree sale. Voila, our tannenbaum. It’s not decorated yet, but at least it has lights:

This morning I ventured out to the suburbs for my first Christmas celebration of the season – breakfast with The Girlfriend. We tried a new spot (local to her) and have found our new breakfast joint in Eagan, Ze’s Diner. The diner has a 1950s atmosphere and classic favorites:

My “Vee” ggie Omelet: Sautéed onions, green peppers, mushrooms, tomatoes and cheddar cheese; served with toast (vegetarian)

The rest of the day was filled with errands and holiday preparations. I’m happy to report that The Husband was feeling better and we managed to sneak in a little dinner date at my favorite of the Minneapolis Town Hall establishments, Town Hall Tap. This pretzel might just be my new favorite thing:

Brew House Pretzels: Two Jalapeno and Cheddar cheese stuffed soft Beer Pretzels served with Tap Sauce (vegetarian)

My Hippie Melt: Steamed broccoli with tomato slices & Tillamook Smoked Cheddar on a pressed Ciabatta Bun with a side of tap sauce (vegetarian)

The Husband’sRagtop Chicken: Buttermilk Fried Chicken Breast, topped with chipotle buffalo sauce & Bleu Cheese with Bleu cheese dressing and lettuce

The Squeaky Green Machine Meets The Green Goddess

The minute that I saw this recipe I knew I had to make it. Everything about it called out to me, especially the title: Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Sandwich. It sounded like the perfect meal for this Squeaky Green Machine.

After much deliberation and consultation with The Girlfriend, I decided to pair my Green Goddess from Taste Spotting with a spicy red lentil soup from EatingWell. You shouldn’t be surprised to learn that I cut some corners with these recipes.

For the Green Goddess Grilled Cheese Sandwich, I confess that I used premade pesto. I also used herb & garlic goat cheese and Havarti on my local grocery store’s multigrain bakery bread. Next time I make these (and there will definitely be a next time), I’m going to do it on my George Foreman Grill and use more avocado.

I made the spicy red lentil soup the night before and it reheated beautifully. I didn’t have any tomato paste on hand, so I used a package of the Oven-Candied Summer Tomatoes that I had in the freezer. I skipped the spicy oil and just squirted a bunch of srirachi on top. This soup made a tasty lunch the next day when eaten at room temperature, but I wished for some pita or naan for dipping.

The Mother could hardly wait to get her hands on her Green Goddess and I felt the same. I could barely get a picture taken before diving in:

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