Wedding Week

Hello Bloggy Friends,

It has been a long time. I’m sorry for my absence, but wrapping up a tough grad school semester, wrapping up my job, planning a wedding, and general shenanigans got in the way. You know how that is.

Anyway, the wedding was an absolute blast! It was easily the best day of my life, and I’m still riding the wedding bliss high this week. *le sigh

It will be a week or two before my wedding pictures are ready, so in the meantime, I’ll tell you about the week leading up to the big day.

Jonathan and I flew out on a Saturday…

We spent a lot of time with family, napping, stuffing our faces, and drinking on patios. If you live in Minneapolis and haven’t been to the new Psycho Suzi’s patio, please run there. They have super strong drinks served in shrunken heads. Plus, you can’t beat the view of the riverfront.

My drink was aptly named, “One-eyed Willy”.

A few of our friends flew in a day early, so we got to spend some time exploring the city with them. We had burgers at The Bulldog in Northeast Minneapolis. I had to practice major self-control with the tater tots, which obviously worked really well and I totally did not finish off the entire basket. *cough* *cough*

Then we walked across the Stone Arch Bridge, which has fabulous views of the city and the Mississippi River.

I couldn’t have asked for a more relaxing and enjoyable pre-wedding week.  We toasted to “WEDDING WEEK” with champagne every day and watched On Demand movies every night.  :)

More wedding stuff to come!

-Mads

What to do with those overripe bananas?

Folks, there is no fruit I love more than the delectable banana.  I honestly can’t understand how my brother or The Pioneer Woman despise them.

The only fruit that comes close to its glory is the pineapple.  However, the acidity of the pineapple cuts up the inside of my mouth, so I’m limited to a slice or two at a time.  How sad.

But this post isn’t about my sad pineapple woes, it’s about bananas.

For the longest time, I thought banana bread was the only option for those overripe bananas.

Then I discovered the joy and wonderment of bananas foster oats for breakfast.

I also frequently make banana smoothies for breakfast…

…so a chocolate banana milkshake for dessert was not far from my mind.

1 banana, 2 scoops vanilla ice cream, 2 splashes milk, 2 squirts chocolate syrup, and blend

Still, I felt limited by my overripe bananas, so I consulted with The Internet (aka tweets from @HeyNanaBread).  She suggested banana boats in the oven.  Now I’ve done banana boats over the campfire, but I would have never thought to recreate it in my kitchen!

Simply take a banana (peel intact) and slice it in half lengthwise.  Stuff it with chocolate, marshmallows, and graham cracker crumbs.  Then wrap it in tinfoil and pop it in a 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.

What do you do with your overripe bananas?

-Mads

One Kitchen, Many Hearts: Box 2

A few of you already know about the One Kitchen, Many Hearts (OKMH) project.  This group of crazy fun ladies found each other on the internet and decided we had to stay connected.  Now, every other month, we receive a package full of goodies in the mail from one of our fellow internet sistahs.

It will only be a matter of time before we are living on a compound together in one giant kitchen of our dreams.  The oven will always be set to 350 degrees and the margaritas will flow like a river.

A girl can dream, right?

This month, Country Cleaver sent me a big ole box of my favorite things!

A mini bottle of wine (Wine on the go!!!  Now being a wino is more convenient than ever!  Seriously, I wish I would have thought of that.)

Lindt dark chocolate with a hint of sea salt (Megan must have been reading my blog because this chocolate is my absolute favorite.)

Peach gummy candy (These are so good on their own, but I’m thinking about doing a Chopped challenge night where I have to incorporate them into a dessert.  Too crazy?)

Peach daiquiri tea (Where has this tea been all my life?)

Tea mug with steeper (It took me a few minutes to figure out that you put the tea in the steeper and then into the mug.  haha This is the coolest thing ever!  It magically matches the color scheme in my house too!)

Megan, thank you so much for the wonderful box o’ goodies!  I loved every bit of it!

-Mads

P.S. Click here to read up on the rest of the One Kitchen, Many Hearts project, and to see what I sent to Jeanne at Inside NanaBread’s Head.

Megan at Country Cleaver.

Kat at Tenaciously Yours.

Allison at Decadent Philistines Save the World.

Kirsten at Comfortably Domestic.

Why my dog is actually a cat

It’s been a long time since I have given you a Josie update.  I totally use my blog as an outlet for all of my pug-love, and I’m sorry to subject you to that.  Unfortunately, that’s how it has to be.

Josie is growing up, which means she bites less, pees on the floor less, and acts like a cat more.  I’m not sure what happened, but our pug turned into a cat…

She leaps up on furniture like no dog I’ve ever seen:

The dog bed wasn't always perched on the desk. I got sick of her walking all over my papers after weeks of desk-cat-leaping. *defeat*

She takes long naps in the sun like cats do:

She's totally trying to win the sympathy vote in this one. Such an emo dog!

She hides out under the couch and the bed:

It's kind of hard to see, but she's under the chaise lounge here. It's her favorite spot.

 

What weirdo things does your pet do?  Do you have a cat-dog too?

-Mads

SALAD WEEK: Zesty Steak and Arugula Salad

Hey there internet, did you miss me?  I sure did miss you!  While La Petite Pancake was taking a little hiatus from blogging, the internet was pulling late night hours organizing a salad week for you all.  How splendid!

Seriously though, the folks that brought you Cake Week, Pie Week, etc., have turned a new leaf (that was a play-on word) to celebrate Salad Week!

I have a bit of a secret though…

I’m a salad snob.

Big time.

If a salad doesn’t have lots of ingredients (usually gourmet), I gag.  Chopped carrots over a head of iceberg with ranch will make me shudder and convulse.  I’m not usually a picky eater, but you couldn’t pay me to eat that cafeteria crap.

Thank goodness the Barefoot Contessa is also the Queen of Salads.  She pulled out a winner with her Grilled Filet Steak and Arugula Salad.  I make this salad sans-steak every other week, and I keep the dressing around to spice up sandwiches, roasted veggies, and pizzas.  ”How easy is that?”  (Barefoot Contessa jokes, anyone?  Bueller?  Bueller?)

For the salad, you will need:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice (about 2 lemons)

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp ground pepper

Bunch of arugula (Ina calls for baby arugula, but I like the bite of the adult middle-aged over-the-hill arugula)

1 (4-ounce) chunk good Parmesan cheese

Lots of good stuff happening here. (Please use better olive oil and mustard than I did.)

When you don’t have a salad spinner, your counter will ultimately look like this:

Rabbit Food

Mix all of the ingredients together, except for the Parmesan.  I use a Mason Jar so I can shake it up without spilling and save the leftovers easily.

Shake shake shake, shake shake shake, shake your dressing

The perfect way to transform any dish into something that looks fancy shmancy is to use the vegetable peeler.  Et voila:

We topped our salad with grilled steak and thinly sliced red onions.  If you’re feeling frisky, toss the leftover salad into a pita pocket, and have yourself some tasty next-day lunch!

-Mads

Please check out the other salads from Salad Week for a departure from the blasphemous plain iceberg:

Wannabe a Country Cleaver-Chicken Mole Salad

Comfortably Domestic-Simple Caser Salad

Grier Mountain-Spiced Lamb and Lentil Salad

Inside NanaBread’s Head-Creole Potato Salad

Tenaciously Yours-Cheese and Calavo Salad

Decadent Philistines Save the World-Reworked Cabbage Ramen Salad

Bakeaholic Mama-Ranch BLT Salad in Bacon Cups (6 slices of bacon were involved…6!!!)

The Grom Mom-Tropical Chicken Salad in a Papaya Boat

Meat free since ’83

My dear friend, P, wrote a guest post on vegetarian cuisine for today.  I love reading about all Chicago has to offer on her blog, Law and Couture.  Stop by later this week for a salad linky party!  <3-Mads

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Here’s the post…

Greetings from the Windy City! I’m P over at Law and Couture. Mads and I are friends from college. Well, sisters to be exact. I thought I drop on by at La Petite Pancake to share with you life in Chicago.

Two weeks ago, my boyfriend and I, along with his brother, went to a vegetarian/vegan/gluten free restaurant in Lakeview (a neighborhood in Chicago), called Chicago Diner. There slogan is ‘meat free since ’83′. How clever! Since I have moved to Chicago, I’ve met quite a few people who partake in gluten free diets. I didn’t know much about being gluten free before I met these people (and I’m still trying to understand it).

This restaurant specializes in an all vegetarian menu with mostly vegan options and several gluten free items as well. I love me some meat but I was actually very surprised at how hard it was to make a selection on their menu. There were so many good options! I ended up going with the caprese sandwich, which was a grilled artisan ciabatta panini with chicken seitan, with cheese (there were a few different options but the majority of them included vegan and rGBH free/non-GMO options), tomatoes, fresh basil, and rosemary balsamic reduction. I wish I had a picture to share with you but I couldn’t wait to dive in. In addition to the sandwich, I got a chocolate chip cookie dough vegan shake which tasted amazing! See here…

 

The shake was a vegan shake made with beet sugar and no high fructose corn syrup. It tasted like the real deal! If you put a vegan shake and non-vegan shake in front of me, I doubt I could taste the difference.

This place is a gem- a cute little diner, on a corner in Lakeview. It is hard to miss because it isn’t that big and with that, there is a long wait. However, once you get in and see all the delicious options to choose from, the wait is worth it. Come visit Chicago sometime and I’ll take you there!

-P

A Welcome Distraction

Remember me?  I have been off the grid for over a month, so I’m sorry for my disappearance.  I’ll be posting with a little more frequency soon.  In the meantime, enjoy this guest post from my eloquent friend, Dik.  :)  -Mads

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Friday evening. Barreling through the mountain ridge ten minutes west of Victorville, jettisoning past the smog and the fetid stench of the work week. Behind you, the sun quietly descending through the hills. A palpable sense of excitement seeps in through open windows. Wind in your hair, tickling the back of your neck. It feels good. And one word is on everyone’s tongue.

Vegas.

Whispered at first, it becomes kinetic as the excitement grows. The lights, the city – the feeling of unbridled recklessness. And then Tears for Fears plays on the radio. A moment passes. Furtive glances exchanged as no one touches the dial, each waiting for the other to start. Finally the car is filled with a chorus of jubilation: “…everybody wants to rule the world.” Grins become laughter and the first inside story is born.

Vegas is more than a place – its an idea. Its a tocsin that pierces the doldrums of a Wednesday afternoon with daydreams of possibility. You ask yourself: “It’s been too long, why haven’t we done this sooner?”

Each successive gas station has its own unique blend of charm – and Redbull – from the Shell in Barstow to the ARCO in Baker across from the giant thermometer. You feel the need to take pictures of it all- anything you can do to preserve the moment. Capture it. Hold on to that feeling – tonight is yours for the taking.

And just as the last vestiges of daylight slip away, a new dawn appears on the horizon. You can see it just as you pass Jean – that solitary beacon of light nearly forty miles away. The Luxor calls to you – it calls to everyone. All windows are down and the car is silent. Everyone lost in their own reveries – memories of past excess, hopes of future abandon.

And then you see the lights unfurl before you like Christmas. Turn off the GPS – its time to get lost…