Eating California (Part One)

The first part of my California trip is to San Diego, a new city for me, to visit my gal pal Gab. She has a super cute place with a wonderful view and fantastic patio. Or, what would be called a lanai in the South. Her cute little pug Olive knows its the perfect place for sun bathing and I enjoyed my morning coffee with a little splash of sunshine.

When it comes to dining, Gab and I are on exactly the same page: we are both thinking about what we will eat next, even while we're feeding our faces!.

Breakfast was at the Brockton Villa Restaurant, famous for their 'Coast Toast' and view. I was starving, so took no pictures, but did take prisoners by cleaning my plate of spicy steamed eggs and fried potatoes. Delish!

Lunch at Saffron was perfection. The salad roll was light and fresh and the Pad Thai was one of the best I have had. Yes, I am that annoying person who always orders Pad Thai, so I know a good one when I taste it. Gab had a red papaya chicken salad with a fancy red rice and a coconut dressing. Beautiful! I may try to create a veggie version at home.

Dinner? Very excited about the Linkery, recommended by everyone Gab knows apparently. More on that later!

Aficionado or J'aime Manger des Petits Gâteaux or Caboodle Cupcakes Come to Town

In the interest of fairness, I have tasted a lot of cupcakes. Ask anyone who travels with me, dines with me or reads this blog and they will tell you I have eaten a lot of cupcakes. I think it's only right, because how are you to know a good cupcake when you taste one if you haven't eaten a lot of cupcakes. Baked a lot of cupcakes. Dreamed about cupcakes!

And at bigYELLOWbowl, we try to bring you all of the important news on cupcakes, which despite the predictions of some publications, are not going away anytime soon. And for that, we are ever so thankful.

My credentials:

1. Last spring, I made 102 cupcakes in four flavors for my friend Melissa's opening. It was me vs. the cupcakes.
2. I have eaten at cupcakeries from Chicago, IL to Madison, WI to Dallas, TX and Long Beach, CA times two.
3. I watched every minute of Martha Stewart's cupcake week and read her cookbook on the subject. She is the queen.
   
4. I have been to the temple of cupcakes, Sprinkles of Beverly Hills and lived to tell the tale.
5. I Made dozens of tiny chocolate cupcakes.
   
6. I have even made a cookie tribute to cupcakes...

Satisfied? I love cupcakes.

What do I look for in a good cupcake?

• The perfect size; not too large and not too small (Unless it's supposed to be small, of course.).
  
• Ratio of frosting to cake.
• Crumb of the cake.
• Texture of the frosting.
• Originality of the flavors.

It is very much like judging a beauty pageant. So, you can imagine how exciting it was last summer when Caboodle Cupcakes appeared at the downtown farmer's market. Rumor had it that local artist and cupcakista Susan Tingley (check out the beautiful exploding pots) was opening a temple to cupcakes right here in Terre Haute, IN. But, could she make the transition from small-batch baking to churning out miniature masterpieces day in and day out?

I am pleased to report that indeed, she can. I got to talk to Susan the other night at a party and she said business was going very well--they are selling out almost every day! Caboodle Cupcakes offers a variety of rotating flavors and also does special orders. And, has a very cute pink and green shop right on south 7th street.

This week, I finally got to visit 'la source' with my friend Mary and I was thankful she was willing to go splitsville so I could try two flavors: cinnamon and pumpkin. They were both divine, but the pumpkin won. I could have eaten three of them! Susan said she was working on a new flavor while we were there, sweet potato which she decided to top with a brown sugar frosting. That touched my southern heart! A sweet potato cupcake. If you become a fan on Facebook, you can get updates on what special flavors and offers they have in-store.

I'm also pleased to report that Caboodle Cupcakes are some of the best I have had, hands down. The cake is perfectly tender, but not too soft. The frosting is complementary and in my opinion, perfectly proportionate. And with both classic and experimental flavors, Caboodle Cupcakes is on the way to winning the heart of this city.

Caboodle Cupcakes
3419 South 7th Street
Terre Haute, IN 47802-4016
(812) 232-5551

Stuff and Things

I haven't posted for a while and I have quite a few 'this and that, stuff and things' sort of info to share with you that are food related in some bizarre ways, so here goes:

I was in Minnesota for a conference and had several wonderful food encounters, including this fantastic painting by Severin Roesen at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts. He is one of my favorite painters and I'm not sure why. I'm not a big fan of still lifes, but there is something about the way he depicts all of the fruits and vegetation. And I love the way he hides his signature in the tendrils of grape leaves. Amazing.

They also had this fantastic coffee service on display. I desperately wanted it! I love the long spout, almost like a watering can, so you wouldn't even have to reach to refill your guests cup.

And this china from Sèvres is my new favorite. I'll take service for twelve. The original, hand-painted set had almost 400 pieces in it. And those are scattered in museums and private collection around the world. The object at the back of the arrangement is for serving ice cream and everyone knows how much I love a food-specific serving piece.

Here I am at the sculpture park by the Walker Art Center, with Spoon Bridge and Cherry by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen in the background. I love their work and while this isn't my favorite sculpture they have ever done, it's is quite brilliant and has become an icon for the city. On the other side of the park, you get a great view of downtown.

I didn't just look at food art and antique serving pieces, I also had some good things to eat in Minneapolis/St. Paul, including this green coconut curry with mock duck at a little Thai place that was just down the street from my hotel. It was just spicy enough and made me very happy! You should definitely try Ruam Mit Thai if you are in St. Paul.

I had one of the best breakfasts ever at the Downtowner Woodfire Grill which is also right by the hotel. This is a breakfast place, per se, but a very nice restaurant that also serves a very excellent breakfast. I had the veggie version of Moe's Cajun Breakfast which was sauteed onion, pepper and mushrooms topped with hash browns topped with cheese topped with an egg over easy topped with their special Hollandaise sauce. This is a HALF order. Honestly. It was so good.

Back to Terre Haute, we had a lot of fun with Shane and Melissa who were visiting from Kentucky so she could help out with a program the Swope was holding. It also happened to be Shane's birthday, so we picked up a guitar-shaped, Elvis-bedecked container of popcorn from Big Lots. It's also a coin bank once you eat all of the popcorn! No joke.

Jonah made Shane a birthday cake: carrot with cream cheese frosting. We went with a big group to Mogger's for dinner and a few drinks, which was a lot of fun.

Of course, seasonal change means it's time to change up the bar and make it ready for fall. I had the worst time trying to decide to what to use, but eventually decided on the pheasant ice bucket, the Georges Briard glasses with gold leaves, a mix of cocktail glasses and some other gold accents.

And fall also means it's time to tea, so I made the first pot on Tuesday after I caught a chill.

Last night we went to Jimmy and Ellie's for dinner and to watch Top Chef. Jimmy made two bowls of Asian deliciousness, including giant rice balls that were super yummy--and spicy!

Great, now you're all caught up.

Wichita Eats

Thai tea is better when sipped through a giant straw tucked into a
second giant straw and wearing arm warmers. She's a maniac, maniac...

While in Wichita, we got to dine at Zen Vegetarian Cuisine. Zen serves an all vegetarian menu, offering many of your favorite Asian dishes with meat analogs. I don't know if it's run by a cult or not, but the all of the employees sure seemed beatific! Perhaps it was just all of the delicious veggie food they get to eat?

We started with some dumplings which might be the best I have ever had and also ordered edamame and vegetable tempura. One dish sounded suspiciously like Protein 2000, my favorite menu item at Veggie Heaven in Austin, TX, so of course I ordered it. Not quite the same, but delicious and served with a heaping bowl of a beautiful multi-grain rice. Which is cheaper at the restaurant than white rice--I guess they are trying to promote good and healthy eating. (Cult?) I tried a bite of almost everyone's dish and were wonderful. The skipped the one Francie ordered, 'Perfection from the Ocean,' as I never cared for actual fish and wasn't interested in a substitute. Molly, the sole meat eater at the table, declared it the closest faux-meat she had ever consumed. It was a great meal and a beautiful restaurant. Wichita finally has an all-vegetarian place to dine! I'd be there at least once a week if I was still living in the ICT.

Confession: I don't really care for donuts all that much. I mean, if you stop and buy a box of donuts and drop them off, I'll probably have one. But I'll pay for it the rest of the day with heartburn. So, I'm probably never going to say, "Let's go get donuts." Just not my weakness, even without the heartburn. Now, offer me a box of chocolate cupcakes and I'll sing a different song.

But all that could change thanks to the Donut Hole in Wichita. Oh my, Molly and I went for breakfast on Saturday and my expectations and preconceptions about donuts have been changed forever. The difference? Cake. Yes, cake donuts. I'm used to being offered one or two cake donuts at donut store and I love the cinnamon ones they serve at Boo's Cafe, but I have never been to a donut shop that served only cake donuts. I should say only cake donuts, I should say: a mindblowing array of spectacular cake donuts. In every flavor you can imagine and some you would never think of: cocao krispies, bacon, buttermilk, peanut butter and more. All transformed into a delicious breakfast treat. And served with great coffee with Cafe du Monde as one of the choices. Coffee with chicory! It was heaven. It was so good, we stopped by on the way out of town that Sunday.

On top of the delicious donuts, the decor is fab and fun and funky. There is a giant cock on the roof and lots of crazy things spread around the interior. If I lived in Wichita, it would be donuts from the Donut Hole for breakfast five days a week and I would be as big as a house. Driving through? They have a drive through open 24-hours a day. Honestly, if you're close, it's worth the stop for delicious donuts and a peek at Wichita, which is a little cooler and a little funkier these days. As always, on the verge. And, you can buy their VERY cool t-shirts and other merch with the awesome logo designed by our friend Chris without ever setting foot in Kansas.

While there, I sampled the original buttermilk, maple and a bite of Molly's chocolate peanut butter.

Restaurant: Spiral Diner & Bakery, Dallas

I made a quick trip to Dallas, TX last weekend to see family and friends, but also to do a little work. The weather was crummy and my trip was cut short due to complications at home, but I still managed to eat some wonderful things.

Top of the list was dinner at Spiral Diner and Bakery with Gabrielle and Kristina. Spiral Diner is a Fort Worth, TX institution that has opened a second location in the quickly gentrifying Oak Cliff neighborhood. Spiral Diner is vegan, but not in a bad way. On the trip there, I kept hinting for tacos and sure enough, they were on the menu and aptly called Bryan's Bodacious Tacos. Stuffed with spicy seitan and served with beans and guacamole, they were delicious. We also had extra guacamole with some chips to start and I sipped on watermelon cream soda from the fountain. Okay, I guzzled three glasses of it. It was good!

After, we headed to Sprinkles of Beverly Hills for cupcakes, more about that in the next post.

Spril Diner and Bakery

1101 N. Beckley

Dallas, TX 75203

214-948-4747

Restaurant: Saigon (Indianapolis)

There is very good Chinese food in Terre Haute, plus Thai and Indian food that are both pretty good. But no Vietnamese. In Austin, my house was right at the epicenter of where the Indian, Vietnamese and Mexican communities collided, which meant several things:

• Great Vietnamese food
• Great Indian food
• Great Mexican food
• Speciality grocery stores selling the ingredients to make all of the above (MT Supermarket, a Vietnamese grocery that expanded a couple of years ago is listed in the current issue of Saveur as one of the top privately owned stores in the country.)

So I miss my Vietnamese food. I miss being able to call up Sunflower and order some lemongrass tofu to go or a big bowl of noodle soup when I was feeling ill. I miss the brusk familiarity of the owner and her staff: "We know you because you come in here all of the time, but we don't really want to acknowledge that or talk to you more because of that." And the spring rolls! Rolled to order.

And when you called, she never gave you a total, told you when the order would be ready or even said goodbye. She just hung up! I miss her. So on last week's trip to Indy, I decided to try Saigon, the Vietnamese place I had read about on-line. Located in a dilapidated strip mall, it's a whole-in-the-wall place with interesting paint, strange decor and a huge TV on the wall. Above each booth, there were cutouts from the beer boxes advertising the different brews available. Oddly, they were in a different order and arrangement at each table.

I ordered:

• Spring rolls: good, but without the intense fresh flavor of the ones at Sunflower in Austin.
• Lemongrass tofu: Sunflower in Austin? What is that? This is damn good lemongrass tofu. Perhaps the best I have ever had.
• Cafe sua: delicious, cold and refreshing.

And the service? I felt like a regular after the first visit, they were friendly and attentive. There is even a small market next door. While it isn't around the corner, and I can't call for a to-go order whenever I want, it's comforting to know that some delicious Vietnamese food is just down the road.

Saigon Market and Restaurant
3103 Lafayette Rd
Indianapolis, IN 46222
Phone: (317) 927-7270

Restaurant: Bev's

Saturday night, we had some drinks at the Black Angus with Jeff and Jen, which was a lot of fun. We talked about where to take out-of-town guests (got some new ideas) and of course, where to eat. I lamented the lack of a Sunday breakfast place, as my regular one is closed as are all of the other downtown establishments. They mentioned Bev's Country Kitchen, close to the Terre Haute Community Theater, where you can get a great breakfast for a bargain. We got up Sunday morning and gave it a shot: light, fluffy hotcakes; delcious fried potatoes; and hot, diner coffee. I'll be back Bev, don't you worry.

One question: where can you get cream gravy this side of the Mason-Dixon line?

Bev's Country Kitchen
1303 South 25th Street
Terre Haute, IN
(812) 232-5131

Restaurant: Grand Traverse Pie Company

This is only my second visit to the Grand Traverse Pie Company, but I can tell we are going to be good friends. They have your usual selection of salads and sandwiches, but an amazing selection of fruit and cream pies. David and Jessie wanted to take a break from their exhausting tour of Terre Haute, so we stopped for a pie break. I had banana cream and it was delicious. I'm not sure its a good thing to have it so close to the house. If you are in Michigan, I'm sure you're very familiar with this chain. Otherwise, you've probably never heard of it because the only locations outside of MI are in Terre Haute and Evansville, IN.

PIE!

Cookie Monster!

Boo invited me to observe the 16-hour cooking making marathon on Sunday, but since I wasn't feeling well I thought it best not to infect the batches of cookies. I did sneak back into the kitchen on Monday to see all that they had made. Thousands and thousands of cookies and fudge and more cookies, all destined for the gift platters, boxes and baskets that the community orders from the Crossroads Cafe. I had a sample and it was delicious!

Boo's Crossroads Cafe

679 Wabash Ave
Terre Haute, IN 47807

(812) 234-2232‎

P.S. Midwest Living stopped by to photograph the extravaganza for the December 2009 issue. Remember when you see it that you read about it here first! Scooped them, as usual.

Mexican't

I have always enjoyed Mexican food, but after living in Austin for almost three years, I have become an unapologetic Mexican food snob. In Terre Haute, there are a couple choices and I have tried one of them. It's passable, and they have pretty good chips. But, it isn't...what I wanted. I want choices. I want excellent Tex-Mex with delicious rajas queso. I want Interior Mexican. And of course, dear reader, you know I want breakfast tacos.

Weekend before last, on a rainy Chicago evening, I went to a El Mariachi with Michael and Ryan, just down the street from their place. First of all, excellent salsa. Second, guacamole prepared at table (We didn't get it, but next time we will.). Third, vegetarian TAMALES, delicious, a little cheese. Spicy.

I want to go back and try the plantain enchiladas and all of the other treats they serve. It isn't down the street from my place, but it is still good to know it's there and that I can embrace my snobbery. And munch on chips. Oh! And the mango margarita was perfect and boozy, served with a little umbrella.

Bit o' Britain

Stacia, who works a little for me at the Swope, is now managing the reopened Bit of Britain. It's a little place downtown serving soups, sandwiches, homemade bread and all sorts of British treats. I was one of their first patrons during their week of soft opening, and enjoyed a wonderful lunch. I had a delicious pot of tea with a little sugar from the cute little sugar bowl on the table. I also had a tomato bisque, thickened with a little rice, and for dessert...chocolate, espresso trifle. It was all delicious, but the trifle was like a grown-up ho-ho in a bowl.

A Foodie Moves On

The Austin-American Statesman reports that Dale Rice is leaving the paper to teach journalism at Texas A&M. I had the pleasure of dining out with Mr. Rice one evening, at a restaurant where he was actually known by the owner, which was usually not the case. Like most restaurant reviewers, Mr. Rice continued the subterfuge of the secret review alive and well, with one or two exceptions including Asti Trattoria--one of my favorite places to entertain guests of the Blanton. In any case, that night we enjoyed all kinds of treats from the kitchen, only because we were dining with a person of such import. It was a fun night and glimpse into the life of a restaurant reviewer.

Udupi Cafe

I went to Indy on Saturday to see the exhibition Radical Lace and Subversive Knitting and run some errands in the city--including lunch! After driving around and around an old shopping center, I finally got out of my car and found Udupi Cafe down a scary hall, tucked behind several stores. Luckily, the smell emanating from the restaurant was enticing, because the dirty hall was very discouraging.

Udupi Cafe serves south Indian vegetarian cuisine and at lunch has a pretty full buffet. I enjoyed the rasam and a pumpkin dal. The biryani was wonderful, slightly sweet but with a surprising and serious kick. They also do made-to-order dosas as part of the lunch service, served warm and crispy and filled with delicious potato masala studded with little seeds for a crunchy burst of flavor. Everything I sampled was very good and I'll definitely be back on subsequent visits to Indy.

Weekends of Eating Well

I had some fun dining adventures the past two weekends:

Weekend before last, I went to the Terre Haute farmer's market for the first time which was a nice surprise. There were quite a few purveyors selling tomatoes, squash, eggs and about everything you could expect this time of year. I bought tomatoes and squash, tossed them with pasta and the next day with fresh mozzarella. I was also glad to see a stand for a Terre Haute food co-op, which my pal Annie in Arcola had mentioned to me in an email. I signed up for their mailing list and hope to get involved this fall as they put things in motion.

Mom and Dad visited from Tulsa this past weekend, so we saw all the sights in the city that we could manage. Saturday morning we had breakfast at the Clabber Girl Bakeshop. Clabber Girl Baking Powder is produced in Terre Haute (Do you have some in your cupboard?) and was the signature product of the Hulman & Company Empire. They still own it as well as the Indy 500, and now have a bakeshop that serves breakfast, lunch and baked goods. We had a yummy breakfast and then perused their displays illustrating the history of the company and family.

Sunday morning, we headed to Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (aka Our Lady of Scrambled Eggs) for brunch. After a stroll across campus for a peek at all the beautiful and historic building, we had a great meal in the dining hall, choosing from table after table of breakfast items, salads, desserts and pastries.

After mom and dad left, I drove over to Bloomington to meet my friend Stephanie from the Blanton in Austin (who is from Bloomington) for dinner. We had a great meal a FARM Bloomington, the new restaurant of Chef Daniel Orr who was executive chef at La Grenouille and Guastavino's in NY before opening his own place. FARM exemplifies the very hot 'eat local' philosophy by created an amazing menu sourced from the area. On Sunday night they have small plates and pizzas, so we sampled them all: a minted pea guacamole (sans any avocado at all) was spicy and delicious; pizza with goat cheese, spinach, walnuts and grapes; and possibly the best french fries ever, loaded with garlic and served with a turmeric aioli. It was all delicious.

Boo!

Still life with check.

Boo's Crossroads Cafe is in the corner between the new place and the Swope. It's called so because the proprietress is named (or nicknamed, I assume) Boo and her establishment is located at what was once the crossroads of America: the intersection of the old interstate Highways 41 and 40, Wabash Avenue and 7th street.

Boo's serves a great breakfast and lunch, including egg sandwiches, salads and soups. She also has a case of fresh baked goods from the kitchen that rotate through the week: baked donuts sanded with sugar; cinnamon rolls with or without nuts on Friday; and cakes, cookies and pies too numerous to note. (In the evening, Boo's nephew runs a pizza joint in the same space, call La Familia de Jeshua, but that is for another post.)

Although they don't serve breakfast tacos, I still enjoy stopping at Boo's in the morning. I like to get an egg sandwich (the Yankee equivalent to breakfast tacos?) with Swiss cheese and a little mayonnaise. The coffee flows like the river Jordan, and the whole environment makes for a perfect way to start the day.

Eat and Eat in Madison

Last weekend in Madison was filled, as always, with wonderful eats and delicious treats.

On Saturday we went to the farmer's market, which encircles the capital. There were amazing piles of vegetables, jams and jellies, and piles of baked goods. I bought a jar of blueberry jam and another of spiced tomato. I thought the tomato might be delicious on a grilled cheese with some Gouda or other delicious melty cheese. After our long walk around the square, we has a delicious meal at Himal Chuli, sitting outside on the sidewalk and watching the people go by. I started with a delicious dal, one of the best I have ever eaten, and finished with a seitan cooked in a spicy, yogurt sauce.

Of course, the most exciting part of the visit food wise was a trip to Vom Fass, Dave's new store, which means "from the keg." Vom Fass sells oils, vinegars, liqueurs and wines. You can taste and taste and taste all the varieties: fig vinegar, aged balsamic, grappa, citrus oils, nut oils and on and on and on. I bought some hazelnut oil that is more flavorful and delicious that any I have ever tasted. Vom Fass is poised to take the country by storm, so look for one near you sometime soon.

Missing Austin and craving tacos, we had lunch at Tex Tubb's Taco Palace--which our hosts described as a "faux Austin taqueria." I had a mushroom taco and a fried avocado--both delicious--and washed down with sangria. Pretty real to me. But what do I know about tacos? I live in Indiana...

It was Wisconsin, so of course there was cheese....glorious cheese!

And a little chocolate from the wonderful, amazing Belgian chocolatier, Leonidas.

Mangez!

Foods I miss in Austin....

....would be far, far too long. I did a similar list when I left Wichita, but for Austin, it will have to be a top ten.

1. Breakfast tacos--yes, I am addicted and just this morning suggested to my little diner on the corner that they add them to the menu. Particularly, from Elsi's.
2. Protein 2000 from Veggie Heaven.
3. Hot dogs from Dog Almighty.
4. Central Market. Sigh. Do I need to say more?
5. Vietnamese food, particularly Sunflower by my house.
6. The pastry case at Mandola's, particulary the angenetti (cakey, lemon cookies.)
7. The Steeping Room--if you haven't been, then get yourself there.
8. Boxes of vegetables from my CSA.
9. Having friends over for dinner.
10. The giant Asian market up the street.

Mangez!

Holiday 2007 Rehash

This year, we did the tour of the 'ahs' for the holidays--Wichit-ah, Omah-ah and Tuls-ah. Here are some dining highlights from the long, long....LONG (but fun) trip.

Wichit-ah
In Wichita, we saw lots of friends. It was a super-fast visit, but we squeezed every bit of friend-time in we could. Sorry if I missed you this visit, but you're top of the list next time I'm in town! Wednesday night we went to N&J Bakery which is one of the best Lebanese restaurants in the city--and there are many. I think they have the tastiest fattoush salads in Wichita, crisp and perfectly seasoned. Barb was planning on having a few people over on the following night and ordered their hummus, homemade pita and pistachio cookies. I love the pistachio cookies, but more on that later.

When we got back to Barb's, we kept her company as she began some of the prep for her Thursday night menu. One of the sweet treats was 'crispy crackers' which involves baking club crackers that have been topped with nuts and a buttery caramel. They are like crack, once you start you are hooked. Barb and I are carefully watching them in the over as they bake.

Thursday morning, Mitchell and I had breakfast at the Beacon Restaurant with an old friend from work and his new bride. The Beacon is the greasy spoon of all greasy spoons. It's located right next to the newspaper office (Which used to be the Eagle-Beacon back in the day) and is decorated with a lighthouse theme. Many of the very artistic items are for sale. If you eat meat and find yourself 'dining' at the Beacon, be sure and order the Beacon Traditional which is an open-face, lightly toasted English muffin topped with 2 eggs cooked to order, your choice of bacon or ham, and cheese melted over the top.

Thursday night at Barb's was fun and we got to hang out with many of our Wichita friends. I even got to have Molly sit in my lap, which is something I really miss being so far away from her. Barb made tons of delicious treats and served her wonderful mulled wine, but I think everyone enjoyed the pumpkin biscuits more than anything else. They're a classic and even better served with the maple pumpkin sauce which Barb had never tried before. Make them, but don't even think about serving them without the sauce!

Recipe: Barb's Pumpkin Biscuits with Pumpkin Maple Sauce
Biscuits 2 ½ cups all-purpose baking mix (like Bisquick) 1/3 cup instant non fat dry milk ¼ cup packed brown sugar 1 ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice ¾ cup 100% pure pumpkin 1 tablespoon water

Sauce
1 cup maple syrup 1 cup 100% pure pumpkin ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Combine baking mix, dry milk, sugar and pumpkin pie spice in medium bowl. Stir in pumpkin and water until just moistened.
• Knead 10 times on lightly floured surface.
• Roll dough to ½ inch thickness; cut into 12 biscuits.
• Place biscuits on ungreased baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.
• Heat syrup, pumpkin and cinnamon in a small saucepan until warm.
• Spoon sauce over warm biscuits.

Of course, no visit to Wichita would be complete without a trip to the Nifty Nut House. They have all of my favorites, so I stocked up. Plus, it's always fun to be there during the holidays because there is so much electricity in the air. People are crazy for nuts! I bought:

• Double-dipped chocolate covered peanuts (the size of gum balls)
  
• Dark-chocolate covered pistachios
• Bridge Mix (with fruits)
• Yogurt-covered pretzel Christmas trees. (I swear their's are the best!)
  

Omah-ah
Old Town Omaha is filled with lots of great shops and restaurants, and we were sure to hit several of our favorites. We stayed at the Magnolia Hotel (which is in a converted office building and very nice if you're looking for a place to stay in Omaha) and it was easy walking to breakfast or dinner. Plus, the Magnolia has a complimentary continental breakfast, cocktails in the evening and a milk and cookie bar at night. Not kidding. Milk and cookie bar.

Zio's pizza is always a special treat and by the slice. You can order whatever toppings you wish and they're happy to oblige with piping hot slices right to your table. We had broccoli and onion (I won't apologize. I love broccoli on pizza.) and tomato and spinach. They have so many topping choices it will boggle your mind.

Even though we live right smack dab in the epicenter of Indian culture in Austin, TX, that doesn't keep us from ordering it when we're out of town. The Indian Oven, also in Old Town, serves all of your favorite Indian treats and has a great wine list to boot. Cold night? Fresh curries and a glass of wine will warm you right up.

Reader, are you eating your lunch at your desk while you catch up on my blog? Are you using a plastic spoon? I thought so! Do you know how it's made? Well a visit to the Omaha Children's Museum will cure you of that ignorance. Push a single button and moments later, a fresh plastic spoon emerges from the injection machine. Like magic.

Sammy and Jakalee (two and three respectively) were more interested in the car and the balls and the millions of other things you can do at the Museum.

Of course, I had to stop and pay me respects to Quan Yin while I was in Omaha. Driving down the Sorrenson Parkway, you just kind of come across her, perched on a hill and surveying the white, snowy world. The gate was locked, but I hopped it easily and trudged up the snow-covered steps to the top. I guess there were rabbits nesting behind because when I reached the top they ran quickly away in that breathy, panicked rabbit sort of way. I left Quan Yin an offering of four pistachio cookies that Barb had sent us away with, piled at the base of her feet. I didn't stay long because I thought since the gate was locked, some angry Buddhists might come after me from the temple in the distance. I spent the rest of the day with the Smith's song Stop Me if You've Heard This One Before running through my head. "And the pain was enough to make a shy, bald Buddhist reflect and plan a mass murder."

Tuls-ah

In Tulsa we ate and gorged ourselves on Christmas fare at the parents, including our traditional dinner of fried chicken. It's a long story, but tasty nonetheless. We still found time to join Paula, Brennan and Loren for a little pizza at the Hideaway. Probably the best pizza in Oklahoma, the Hideaway is a Stillwater/OSU tradition, but we don't hold that against them. Good pizza is good pizza!

Blue Dahlia and Mandola's

Yesterday I met Molly for lunch at the relatively new Blue Dahlia Bistro on east 12th street. It was a lovely warm January day, so we dined al fresco on their beautiful patio. The menu is primarily sandwiches and salads, but presented in a truly elegant fashion with wonderful bread. They also serve breakfast, and I'll certainly be back to try that at some point.

I had a black bean salad which was studded with lovely pieces of avocado, mango and covered in a citrus and cumin scented dressing. Molly had a turkey sandwich topped with a chutney and presented open faced on a board. It was a delicious and relaxing lunch.

In the afternoon, I had a work appointment at Mandola's and treated myself to some of the sweets from their pastry case. They have some many to choose from, plus gelato, fresh cheeses and many other wonderful items in their grocery. I selected an agnetti cookie (which I almost always get) which are the little donut shaped ones in the middle of the case. They're covered in a lemony icing and are just the right texture: not too soft, not too hard. I also had a small sfogliatelle, which is a filled with a citrus-flavored ricotta with a shell of filo or some other think pasty. WON-derful.

Blue Dahlia Bistro
1115 E. 11th St.
Austin, TX 78702
512.542.9542

Mandola's
4700 W Guadalupe St # 12
Austin, TX 78751
512.419.9700

Woodland

Sunday, we joined up with April and Katie for brunch at Woodland. April promised a surprise, which turned out to be LESLIE! Fun, fun...

I'd never been to Woodland before, but it has a fun, funky feel and very good food. It's wasn't super-packed, so we didn't have to wait for a table or feel rushed about our meal. They basically have two breakfast choices, but in reality the choices are limitless. You can get Eggs Benedict with ham, spinach or salmon. There other choice is called 'the morning wood' and features two eggs any style (I had mine poached and they were perfect.) and four side choices from what seems like an endless list. I had tater tots, grits, homemade biscuit (the best biscuit I've ever had outside of my mother's kitchen, I might add.) and a fruit cup that was so much more. Every bite of fruit was perfect, even the cantaloupe. April and Leslie shared a 'mimosa for two,' which we decided was more like a mimosa for the table since it was a carafe of juice and a bottle of Cava. They also have pancakes, french toast and cinnamon rolls--which I intend to try on my next visit.

Woodland

1716 S Congress Ave
Austin, TX 78704
Phone: 512.441.6800

www.woodlandaustin.com