Thai Green Sticky Rice with Mango
August 16, 2010 by Andrea 
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Filed under Asian, Dessert
Last spring my sister came out for a visit and we had a girls’ day of shopping and of course a dinner out together. We both like sushi and headed for a little Thai and sushi fusion restaurant nearby and ordered our favorites. We also noticed a card on the table advertising their Thai mango sticky rice, a classic dessert made with Thai sweet glutinous rice, and decided we would share some of that as well. Read more
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que’s Garlic Dill Pickles
August 13, 2010 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Jams, Pickles, and Preserves, Reviews
Our annual visit to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse has become a must. In between trips we talk about the good food and tell anyone who will listen about the restaurant and dream of slow cooked meats, chili, cornbread, and pickles. Yes, their pickles are very good. They make their own refrigerator garlic dills and they go perfectly with any of the sandwiches.
We found the recipe in our copy of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse, the official cookbook by John Stage (one of the restaurant founders) and Nancy Radke. If you are a fan of Dinosaur Bar-B-Que but don’t live close enough to easily get your fix, this book is well worth adding to your collection. Read more
Dinosaur Bar-B-Que
August 12, 2010 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Restaurants, Travel
We can’t remember the details of our first trip to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que almost eleven years ago when we were dating, or why we chose to go there. Perhaps it was the quirky name, the recommendation of a friend, or even the person working the front desk at the hotel where we were staying. All of that doesn’t seem to matter now since we long ago claimed it as one of our favorite haunts. What we do remember is the food, and every time we go back it seems to get better. Our annual summer pilgrimage to Upstate New York always includes an overnight stay at Mike’s parent’s house in Syracuse, where they give us a break and watch the boys as we jump into the car and visit this homage to grilled meats. Who would have thought one of the best rated barbecue joints in the country would be located just a short distance away from the Carrier dome where the Orangemen play. Read more
Zucchini Pickles
August 10, 2010 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Jams, Pickles, and Preserves
When we have a glut of a particular fruit or vegetable, we try to find creative ways to use it up or preserve it for later, and making these zucchini pickles is our favorite way to preserve extra summer zucchini. These refrigerator pickles require no processing, you just pack the prepared zucchini slices and onions into jars and add the slightly warm brine. After just 24 hours in the refrigerator, they are ready to enjoy, it could hardly be easier. Because they aren’t cooked, these zucchini pickles retain their crispy crunch, and the simple brine adds lots of flavor. For Michael it took just one taste and he announced that he was forever ruined and would never truly enjoy pickles from the store again. Read more
Slow-Roasted Tomatoes
August 3, 2010 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Grow Your Own, Jams, Pickles, and Preserves
Three years ago I started looking for a food blogging event for those who garden, hunt, forage, or raise their own food, and when I couldn’t find one I decided to try starting it myself. I didn’t know if any other bloggers would be interested, but as with many things, I just kind of tossed it out there to see what would happen, and here we are now getting ready to celebrate the third anniversary of Grow Your Own. To all of you who have participated, hosted, or just enjoyed the recipes and stories from all the bloggers over the last three years, thank you. I hope you have enjoyed the event as much as we have. And if you haven’t had a chance, check out the July Grow Your Own roundup from Kitchen Gadget Girl Cooks. Read more
Hoover FloorMate Hard Floor Cleaner
July 31, 2010 by Andrea Print This Post
Filed under Reviews
I’m sure some of you—ok, many—may wonder why in the world I would review a floor cleaner. Honestly I had to think about it for a little while when they contacted me about taking a Hoover FloorMate Hard Floor Cleaner for a test drive, but it came down to this: I have three boys that make some really unbelievable messes all over our house every single day, unless they are asleep or not at home. I spend loads of time sweeping, vacuuming, scraping, spot cleaning, mopping. Some days I look under the table and think we live at one of those restaurants where they let you throw peanut shells on the floor. Crunch, crunch, crunch. We once had to clean an entire quart of tortilla soup off the floor, cabinets, refrigerator, and under the refrigerator when Builder Guy pulled a container off the counter. He was only three at the time, and I remember shuddering at the thought of all the messes to come. I’m here to say that everyday I learn about some new way the boys can create a mess for me to clean up. Thankfully they are growing up and I can sometimes say, “Please clean that up,” like this week when Builder Guy knocked a nearly full salad bowl into the floor, sending vegetables and vinaigrette flying to the far corners of the kitchen.
So yes, I feel highly qualified to give my opinion on cleaning products. Read more
