Birthday Dinner at Travail Kitchen and Amusements

For my 17th birthday my parents took me to Travail Kitchen and Amusements. Chef Mike Brown and his staff created a stunning 4 course family style meal. We were seated around the Rookery in a semi-private room which gave us a traditional viewing experience of the chefs creating beautiful food. The first course was a Truffle Omelet with a ham and chive spread. Our second course was Scallop Carpaccio with Fondue Bernaisse and Sunchoke. The third course was a slow roasted Lamb Shank with Root Veggies and Potato Pave. For dessert we were served a Butterscotch Creme Brûlée with cookies. What made this meal so special and delicious was that each dish was delicately prepared with the freshest ingredients.

If you are ever in the Twin Cities Area I highly recommend that you go to Travail Kitchen and Amusements. You will not regret going. My meal there was something that I'll remember for a very long time.

The view from where I was sitting 

The Truffle Omelet

The Scallop Carpaccio with Sunchoke and Fondue Bernaisse 

Slow Roasted Lamb with Root Vegetable and Potato Pave 

What do you do when life gives you a case of tomatoes?

One day as I was walking home from school I noticed a large box by my front door. Curious,  I walked up the stairs. It obviously wasn't a delivery from Amazon. When I opened up the box I was surprised to see 75 freshly picked tomatoes from Southern Minnesota.

This summer's tomato crop was so abundant that it was considered a bumper crop. Our CSA farmer who is located in the Driftless region of Southern Minnesota was able to drop off the box that morning. Our family was able to make multiple Caprese Salads, fresh salsas, a variety of sauces, and a batch of tomato soup from this case of tomatoes. These are some of my favorite ways to use fresh summer tomatoes to create amazing dishes.

A Jar of Fresh Tomato Salsa