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Golden Harvest

I've heard a lot about this restaurant from Matt and his friends, specifically those of the hippie variety. So when John and Kristen came into town from Denver for a wedding and stayed at our house, they were excited to go to Golden Harvest.

When we arrived, I saw a couple of folks sitting outside at tables and some on the curb. John walked in and then walked out. Apparently, the restaurant was at capacity and we had to wait our turn to get inside. As we waited, more folks showed up, walked in and walked out, some with fresh coffee when the emerged from the restaurant. We waited for around half an hour before it was OUR TURN to enter the breakfast joint. We sat down at a tiny table for four in the very corner of the restaurant.

This is the view from our table in the corner. There is a wraparound counter to the left, which looks directly at the grill. Straight ahead (by the TV) is the other corner of Golden Harvest, where the cash register is. I'd guess that the capacity of this place is no more than 35-40 people. As soon as one table got up, one of the few overworked, underpaid staff rushed over to wipe the table down.

I followed the hippie's recommendation (thanks, John!) and got the mild breakfast burrito. I was tempted to get the tomato, basil, mozzarella omelette, but went with the professional's opinion.

Taken from the Golden Harvest MySpace page, this breakfast burrito contains "Homemade Sausage, Grilled Onions & Peppers, Pepperjack Cheese, scrambled together and wrapped in a fresh Flour Tortilla. Served with sour cream and our Award Winning Homemade Salsa." This tasted fantastic, but there was no way I could finish it.

I'll definitely go back to Golden Harvest... sometime.... when I'm not too hungry since it took about an hour and a half to get our food from when we first arrived at the restaurant.

And now, the sign that caught my eye...

Bahahahahahah!!!!!

Beef Stroganoff

Ahhh, yes. A classic Hamburger Helper packaged dinner, made with ground beef and a powdered sauce..... BLECH!! I never liked Hamburger Helper as a kid and I certainly don't like it now.

From beefstroganoff.net:

"Beef Stroganoff is a classic Russian dish that has proved its delicious worth time and time again. The dish consisting of strips of lean beef sautéed and served in a sour-cream sauce with onions and mushrooms. Count Pavel Stroganov, a noted 19th century gourmet as well as a friend of Alexander III and a celebrity in turn-of-the-century St. Petersburg, is often credited with creating Beef Stroganoff or having a chef who did so."

The recipe I used was found on the beefstroganoff.net homepage. There are many variations of this recipe floating around, but the basic concept is the same. I lightened mine up a bit from the original recipe, using less butter and lite sour cream. I also didn't have any nutmeg or tarragon on hand *gasp* so I omitted them. I'd love to make this again with these ingredients included. My modified recipe follows.

1/2 lb top sirloin steak, sliced into very thin pieces
1/2 sweet onion, roughly chopped
4 oz (half a container) mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 1/2 Tbsp butter
Salt and Pepper: to taste
2/3 C lite sour cream
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg - optional
1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh tarragon - optional
Egg noodles

Melt 1 Tbsp butter in a large skillet over medium heat and adjust the heat to add the thin beef strips cooked till brown. Add salt and pepper to taste while cooking. Remove from heat and set aside in a bowl.

Start a pot of salted water to boil. Add in and cook some egg noodles as directed on the package.

In the same pan, add the remaining 1/2 Tbsp butter. Add the onions and mushrooms and sautee until soft, 5 to 7 minutes.

Lowe the heat to a simmer. Add the meat back into and then add the sour cream. Make sure the sour cream mixes with the meat and vegetables without simmering, as it will cause the sour cream to curdle.

WW Points per Serving (serves 2): 14 Points.. YIPES! I didn't realize it was this high!

Before and After: The Bathroom

Update: Layla over at the Lettered Cottage is hosting a Room Re-Do 2009 party. I'm joining in on the fun!

Drumroll please... And now, my loyal readers, I bring you... the bathroom...

BEFORE
Gold fixtures, linoleum and tub with glass sliding door...

There was a tub here with glass sliding doors, but we were so excited to get rid of it, that we forgot to take a picture while it was still in there.
DURING

Laying the Hardi-backer board.

Putting in guides to ensure a 1/4 inch per foot slope.

Layer of mortar.

Super-thick liner.

Cut the hole for the drain and put Hardi-backer board on the step.

Floor laid! These are 12" mosaic tiles, made of 2x2" tiles.

Wall tiles laid! Forgot to take a picture of the backer board. Don't worry. It's boring to look at. The shelves are granite, ordered from ebay.

Heated floor, baby!
We also had to do some drywall touch up from building the shower and we painted.

AFTER
Oil Rubbed bronze fixtures, heated tile floor and dual shower headed shower...













So there you have it! The total project took about seven weeks. We estimate our total cost at around $,1500. We estimate that it would have cost around $10,000 to have this professionally done. Because Mr. Tote is THE SH*T, we did all of the work ourselves. We hired a buddy of his to run the plumbing for the second shower head, but that was the only work we outsourced. I take complete credit for picking out the tile, shelves, fixtures, paint color and towel colors. That's about all I did, besides putting the spacers in between the tiles for him and helping seal the grout. Pretty much, my husband is A.MAZ.ING and we absolutely love our new shower.

Winner!

This is long overdue, but remember when I posted about the giveaway that The Life and Times of Michelle was hosting? Well, wouldn't you know? I won her giveaway! She did the giveaway in honor of her 100th post, which I am approaching, so I am busy thinking up a good giveaway for my faithful readers. Here's some additional pictures of the awesome handmade cards I received in the mail. A big thanks to MrsBreaux (aka Michelle) for sending these cards. I LOVE THEM!!!

Creamy Brie and Truffle Grits

So... our favorite restaurant, Dusty's Cellar, serves some of their entrees with "Creamy Truffle Infused Grits" which are like crack. I can't get enough of them. O.M.G. So frickin' good. So last time we were up in Traverse City, we stopped at one of our favorite spots, Fustini's, and picked up a small bottle of White Truffle Oil. At $10 for 1.7 ounces, this stuff ain't cheap.

Tonight, I attempted to replicate Dusty's Creamy Truffle Infused Grits to go with The Most Amazing Ribs. I added in some Brie cheese because, well, I can't seem to make anything without cheese in it.

I took my first bite and couldn't believe it. They tasted almost exactly like the grits at Dusty's! I still have this ridiculous shit grin on my face because I am so surprised that these turned out so similar to the Dusty's fare that I crave so often. I can't WAIT to make these again!

4 C chicken stock
1 C quick grits
1 Tbsp butter
3 oz brie cheese, rind removed, shredded
2 tsp truffle oil

Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add the grits. Cover and reduce to a simmer, stirring occasionally for 5 to 7 minutes.

When liquid is mostly absorbed, add in the butter. Stir to incorporate. Then add the cheese and stir to incorporate. Right before serving, add in the truffle oil and stir to incorporate. Serve hot! Be sure not to drool on your plate while saying your dinner prayer :-)

The Most Amazing Ribs

My mom sent me this recipe from allrecipes.com and tonight is actually the second time I've made them. I just haven't had the time to post the recipe on my blog. But I am really going to make an earnest attempt to blog more often than in the recent months. So, we had these for dinner tonight with our good friends, Josh and Katie. The secret is in the three methods of cooking the ribs. These ribs fall right off the bone and are so incredibly moist.

3 pounds pork baby back ribs
1 pinch black pepper
1 pinch salt
1 pinch crushed red pepper
2 cups barbecue sauce
2 (12 ounce) bottles porter beer, room temperature

Trim the ribs of excess fat, as needed. Cut ribs into small portions of 2 or 3 bones each. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season water a pinch each of salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper to the water. Boil ribs in seasoned water for 20 minutes.

Drain, and let the ribs sit for about a half an hour. Meanwhile, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat.

Lightly coat the ribs with barbecue sauce. Cook the ribs over high heat for a 5 to 10 minutes on each side to get a nice grilled look to them.

Place grilled ribs in a slow cooker. Pour remaining barbecue sauce and one bottle of beer over the ribs; this should cover at least half of the ribs.

Cover, and cook on high for 3 hours. Check ribs every hour or so, and add more beer if needed to dilute sauce. Stir to get the ribs on top into the sauce. The ribs are done when the meat is falling off the bone. The ribs were cooked completely in the first process, the rest is about flavor and texture.