Tastebud Services

Weekly Meals
Tastebud offers tasty food for busy folks every week! New menus are available every Thursday for orders to be delivered the following Monday or Tuesday. We always offer a Kid’s Meal at $5, too, so it’s great for busy families!

Boxed Lunches
We can provide healthy, tasty food for your next meeting! All boxed lunches include a sandwich wrap, whole grain salad + homebaked goodie. Vegetarian items always available.

Personal Chef Services
Tastebud is happy to develop menus especially for you + your family, if you require a more tailored menu or nutritional and allergy considerations. Rates begin at $250/week plus the cost of groceries.

Catering
Big or small, Tastebud can turn your party into a sassy soiree! We will meet with you to discuss menu options and create a custom look + feel for your event. We have experienced staff and event planners that we work with to ensure all of your needs are met.

Spice Sifter Lid Thingys

Why in the world do they make these things? All I do is throw them out. They get in my way. Can your oregano fit through that sifter that they insist in putting on top? Mine doesn't...unless I throw my shoulder out from brute force. Maybe I use too much spice, but I prefer to pour, scoop, dollop or cast. Sifting takes way too much time and effort. Besides, it's silly. Silly sifter tops. Also, it's a supreme waste of plastic. So, a call to arms! No more sifter caps! To paraphrase Alice's Restaurant:

You know, if one person, just one person does it they may think he's really sick and
has nothing better to do... And three people do it, three, can you imagine, three
throwing away their sifter caps. They may think it's an organization.
And can you, can you imagine fifty people a day,I said
fifty people a day throwing away their sifter caps.
And friends they may thinks it's a movement.

(For those unfamiliar with         Arlo Guthrie's Alice's Restaurant, here is a link.)

Fresh Ricotta Dip

As part of my recent fascination with fresh ricotta, I experimented with a ricotta dip for a party we recently had. Recipe below! Give it a try and let me know what you think! Do you have another way you love to use fresh ricotta? Click here for full recipe if you have trouble viewing.

Ricotta Dip
makes approx. 1 1/2 cups

8oz. fresh ricotta
2 cloves garlic smashed
2T Dijon mustard
2T mayo or olive oil, plus oil for sautéing
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4C fresh parsley
kosher salt + black pepper
water to thin

saute garlic in small amount of oil until softened and fragrant
add garlic + parsley to food processor, pulse to finely chop
add ricotta, dijon, mayo or oil + lemon juice
process to blend
add water to thin to desired consistency, if needed
season with salt + pepper
cover + refrigerate until ready to use, may be made up to 2 days in advance

Kidz Zone

The Midtown Global Market is hosting a kick-off for re-modeling their kids play area this Friday, February 27th from 5-7PM!

The Radio Disney Road Crew will be there with music, fun and prizes. Let the kids join the parade to the play area and start the decorating with their very own handprints on the pillars! Cool.

Ricotta Part 2

So, life got a little bit in the way last week, and I never finished the promised follow-up on Ricotta Fresca! My apologies. To make up for it, I will be posting a couple of items about fresh ricotta, including a recipe later this week. For now, a definition:




Ricotta Fresca n. [ri--kaw-tuh freh-ska]

ricotta (meaning 're-cooked') is made by reheating leftover whey from the cheese making process and adding milk; soft and moist, it resembles cottage cheese but with smaller curds; may take on sweet or savory flavors and is used to stuff many pastas and lasagnas.

Cooking Class

FYI... I will be teaching a class at the Nordic Ware Factory Store next Tuesday, February 24th. We will be cooking selections from my Dinner Party for 12 CD-Rom, which is hot off the presses!!
Details below:

Tuesday, February 24, 2008 7-8:30PM

Cost: $25 per person plus tax, samples and take-home recipes included

Guests will also receive a 15% discount on Nordic Ware-made products purchased in the store that evening.

Classes are demonstration style and limited to 20 people.
Reservations and payment accepted by at 952-924-9672.

Ricotta Fresca

Oh, man. I just had the best lunch. Don't you just love it when you throw some random things together and bliss ensues? I picked up some ricotta fresca at the grocery store this morning, unsure of what I would do with it once home. I wound up making a salad of arugula, fresh parsley, bosc pears + the fresh, creamy whole milk ricotta. Topped it off with some salt, pepper and balsamic vinaigrette and viola! My new favorite salad. Accompanied by one too many trscuits (love 'em!), it was the best lunch I've had in awhile. Obviously, I thought it worth writing about.

I'll write some more about ricotta fresca tomorrow. I'm fearing that it is highly underrated! For now, I'll contemplate how to use some at dinner tonight. Perhaps with some sweet peas...

Just Beat it

Ooh-la-la! A beater blade that self scrapes the bowl?
The ultimate in kitchen gadgetry laziness, but it seems so worth it. Right?

There's one for every type of stand mixer, so click here for more info...

Ex to Grind

If you've got some issues with a certain someone this Valentine's Day, this clever knife set might be for you... or not. Please use appropriately!

You can also 'Shred the Love' at Midtown Global Market tomorrow...

Favorable Treats

Favorable Treats is a locally owned and operated company that bakes their gourmet cookies fresh from scratch. They are really tasty... I love her double chocolate chip made with white + milk chocolate! Baked from scratch using real butter, premium flour and locally produced eggs, you'll have to stop by the Midtown Global Market and taste for yourself.

Or order up a cookie bouquet for Valentine's Day here! I love her Glass Cookie Jar full of sweets, too.

Heart Day Treats

A few Valentine's Day ideas from traditional chocolate and make-your-own to these sweet cherry lollipops made for sharing...

Double Cherry Lollipops
Fauchon Silicone Heart Baking Molds
Vosges Chocolate Amalfi Flaming Heart
Christopher Elbow Artisanal Chocolates

Molten Love

Nothing says "I Love You" like the Molten LoveCups Mix from locally-owned SheCooks! Simply mix the provided select ingredients (including organic, stone ground flours from local mills, heart-healthy cocoa, and premium bittersweet chocolate) with a few on-hand ingredients to create a decadent dessert that no one will soon forget. There is also a lower fat option using the same mix.

This unique gift can be presented in its custom Valentines-themed packaging, or prepared as a grand finale to a special dinner! Molten LoveCup mixes are available at the Midtown Global Market (Kitchen in the Market) on Fridays or can be ordered online at www.shecooks.biz ($12).

Radishes

"Ugh. I think I ate too many radishes," I uttered to my husband. As he doubled over with laughter, I figured he had never heard that phrase uttered before. Nor did I think I would ever utter it, but these radishes were darn good. If you have never tried a Spanish Black or Beauty Heart Radish, get thee to the Seward Co-Op and give 'em a go. I like mine with a little unsalted butter and coarse salt. The Beauty Hearts are also fantastic roasted with olive oil. Seriously. Pretty soon you'll heart radishes, too!

Easy Sweet Potato Waffles

Easy sweet potato waffles...yummy! Perfect for a weekend family breakfast.The 'easy' part of this recipe is using a mix and canned sweet potato puree. Farmer's Market brand of Organic Sweet Potato Puree is divinely simple. Feel free to improvise... like adding chocolate chips! Double yum!

Easy Sweet Potato Waffles
makes approx. 8-10 4" waffles

2C waffle or pancake mix
1C sweet potato puree
2T canola oil
2T brown sugar
2t vanilla
1/2 - 3/4C water to thin, more if needed

In a large bowl, add first 5 ingredients, stir gently to combine
Slowly add water and stir, adding just enough to reach desired consistency
Place 1/4C of batter onto heated waffle iron and cook until steam stops (or the light goes off!)

Veggie Love

We all know that veggies are good for you, but not this good!


Check out PETA's 'banned' Super Bowl Commercial...

Gloegg

Another cold day deserves a warm, toasty beverage!
This Gloegg recipe (Swedish mulled wine) was shared with me by Lady Marion, passed on from a family friend...
1 bottle of ordinary red wine
1 dl (~1/2 cup) vodka (Absolut, for the truly Swedish!)
4 – 5 cinnamon sticks
20 cloves
Fresh ginger, ~2 inch piece, peeled
1 tsp cardamom seeds
1 piece dried pomegranate peel (or dried orange peels from ¼ orange)
2 – 3 dl. (1 – 1.5 cups) brown sugar, to taste

Crush the cardamom seeds and break the cinnamon into smaller pieces. Put all spices in a glass jar and pour the vodka over them. Let mixture stand over night or longer if possible – for days, ideally.

Sift away the spices. Mix the vodka with the red wine. Heat. Add brown sugar to taste, depending on how sour the wine is. Serve warm.

Optional: Offer guests raisins and peeled almonds to add to their cup of gloegg.

Cardamom

n. [kahr-duh-muhm]
the seed pods of a tropical plant in the ginger family; native to SE Asia; used as a spice and in medicine

I am really into cardamom right now. I'm not sure if it is due to the heavy Scandinavian influence here in Minnesota, but I've come to appreciate it's versatility. It has a pleasant, slightly sweet flavor that is at home in everything from curry to tea. The Swedes even use it to flavor baked goods. If you are a cardamom newbie, I would suggest buying the ground version to experiment. Once you get more confident with it's flavor, then move on to the seeds to toast and grind yourself. I have a recipe for a chai that uses cardamom in the recipe section, and I highly recommend Sadaf's Cardamom Flavored Black Tea. Both great ways to introduce cardamom to your tastebuds!

Denny's Free Breakfast

In case you were under a rock (or in the bathroom) during the commercial breaks of the Super Bowl, you may have missed the spot for Denny's. Every Denny's is offering a FREE breakfast from 6AM-2PM on Tuesday, February 3rd. That's tomorrow, Folks. Seriously. I'm sure there's a catch somewhere, so let me know if you give it a go.
Check here for a Denny's near you...