Passport Not Required: Part IV

Here are some photos from last week's Hyde Park Farmers' Market for you to enjoy while I am at the market today.

Goldie Hocks

Mom and Dad

 

Black raspberry macron from Taste of Belgium

 

I swear that I don't just go to the farmers' market to eat! Sometimes, I actually buy things to cook with, like fresh produce or bread. Last week, I procured a couple of beautiful little eggplants that are going to turn into curry later this afternoon. All I need first are some nice, ripe tomatoes...

Hey, Cincinnatians, have you heard? The Hyde Park Farmers' Market is moving to the square next Sunday, September 5th!

Passport Not Required: Part III

I can't believe another entire week's gone by and I'm still writing about last weekend! As always, thanks for sticking with me as I explore the life/work balance.

Today's the perfect day to write this post, though, because it's my dad's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad!

After we recovered from our trip to Findlay Market last Saturday, my parents and I continued our Cincinnati adventure at Laszlo's Iron Skillet, a Hungarian restaurant in Newtown. We've been talking about trying the Iron Skillet for years, and finally, the time was right!

A little family history... 

My dad's father, William Molnar, was Hungarian. His parents, Joe and Elizabeth Molnar, emigrated from Hungary at the turn of the 20th century. My Italian grandmother, Angie Molnar, is an excellent home cook (and one of my kitchen inspirations). When she met my grandfather, she learned how to cook the Hungarian dishes that he loved. During their life together, she spoiled him with homemade cabbage rolls, chicken paprikash, spaetzle, and delicious nut rolls.

That's Grandpa Bill and Grandma Angie in the middle, with friends during a trip to Europe in the 1980s. Don't they look like they're having a blast?

Here they are in Switzerland, on the same vacation.

My family has been lucky enough to enjoy Grandma Angie's Hungarian home-cooking for years, but we still couldn't wait to try the Iron Skillet!

Laszlo's Iron Skillet

Laszlo's Iron Skillet was established by Laszlo and Elizabeth Molnar in 1973. Using family recipes handed down through generations, the Molnars quickly became known for their German and Hungarian specialties as well as fresh breads and pastries. Like the recipes, the restaurant itself has passed from generation to generation, and is now co-owned by Laszlo and Elizabeth's children, Lazlo Molnar, Jr. and Monica Lippmeyer.

The Iron Skillet's menu includes a plethora of American and European dishes, and features the Eastern European specialties for which the Molnar family is well-known--cabbage rolls, goulash, paprikash, and schnitzel.  According to our waitress on Saturday night, everything, including the breads and pastries, is made fresh in-house. Impressive, especially when you consider the size of the menu. And they're doing a nice job of it, too--everything we tried was delicious!

We started with a basket of homemade buttered rolls, which had a texture similar to brioche but tasted like sourdough bread. Next, our waitress brought cold cucumber salad with parprika and hot slaw. We loved the cucumber salad, and it's on my try-this-at-home list!

Dad went with an Italian dish. He had the Chicken Piccata, a chicken breast cutlet served with a white wine-lemon-caper sauce and Parmesan risotto, and he enjoyed it.

But in my world view, when you have a chance to eat authentic Hungarian food prepared by a real, live, honest-to-goodness, straight-from-the-mother-country Hungarian chef, you just smile...

Do you think the M stands for Molnar or Magyar?

and order the Goulash, like I did...

The Iron Skillet's Szeklar Goulash, a combination of pork goulash and sauerkraut served over spaetzle and topped with sour cream.

or the Schnitzel (like Mom). 
 

The Hungarian Schnitzel, a veal cutlet, seared and topped with sauteed onions and mushrooms in a paprika-sour cream sauce, served over schnitzel.

And maybe the Cherry Strudel, too, which we shared.

The cherries were fresh, a combination of tart and sweet. And would you just look at that flaky crust?!

My parents and I really enjoyed our experience at the Iron Skillet. I'd love to go back to try the Mushroom Paprikash, or maybe for a cabbage roll (my all-time favorite Hungarian dish). Mom and Dad both said they'd like to visit again next time they're in Cincinnati, but something tells me it'll be awhile...there's too much left to explore in Cincinnati to go back to the same place twice!

Passport Not Required: Part II

Bright and early Saturday morning, my parents and I ventured down to Over the Rhine to check out Findlay Market. I've been talking about taking my parents to the market for years, and I'm so glad we finally went!

See, Mom and Dad love a good market as much as I do. The first time I took them to Jungle Jim's, we spent not one, not two, but five hours there. It started innocently enough, mid-afternoon on a Saturday. We posed for a picture with the giant fiberglass banana outside. Then, we wandered up and down each aisle, including the regular ol' grocery aisles, at least once. We lost all sense of propriety with the cheese samples, and bought more ethnic and novelty food items than was probably wise. And we staggered out into the parking lot at 8 pm, feeling as if we'd run a marathon.

So, when we finally got around to making a trip to Findlay Market, I knew we were in for a good time.

We started with breakfast (dessert?) at Taste of Belgium.

Mom and Dad recently took a Mediterranean cruise. One morning, they disembarked in Cassis, France with strict instructions to be back on the ship by 11:00 am. All my Dad really wanted to do that morning was try an authentic French crepe, but none of the creperies in Cassis were open before my parents had to be back on the ship!

I also visited France just over a year ago, and I also left with an unrequited crepe craving.




Not to worry! I assured them. This may not be France, but it's Cincinnati, and Taste of Belgium makes some damn tasty crepes! Oh yeah, and then they have these waffles...

A word about the waffles. They're authentic Liege waffles, made from a thick yeast dough that looks a lot like sugar cookie dough. They're encrusted with a special Belgian beet sugar, which caramelizes in the waffle iron and lends a unique--and addictive--aroma, flavor, and crunch. Jean-Francois Flechet, owner of Taste of Belgium, grew up in Liege--it doesn't get any more authentic than that! And my parents and I were lucky enough to be served by Jean-Francois himself!

Mom and Dad put me in charge of ordering. I stepped up to the counter, thinking about how much Dad would love the Nutella-and-banana crepe. But when I looked into Jean-Francois' eyes, my mind went blank and a bold, adventuresome feeling overtook me. Lavender sugar, I heard myself say...

The lavender sugar crepe was a nice surprise. I was expecting a lavender-scented sugar, or perhaps a lavender-infused syrup. Wrong and wrong. The crepe was filled with a generous sprinkling of sugar and tiny, delicate, dried lavender buds. The lavender flavor was quite strong. If your only experience with lavender has been in the shower, prepare to have your world turned upside-down! The crepe wasn't the favorite of the day, but we were glad we tried it!

But the waffles? Oh, these waffles...they're like nothing I've ever had. They're like...a waffle and a sugar cookie got together, made a whole lot of love, and had these sweet, hot, doughy, chewy, caramelized-sugar bejeweled little rounds of joy. Pure ecstasy is what they are. Half a bite in, Mom pronounced them the most delicious thing she's ever eaten.

Then, we walked.

 

 

The market was in full swing, the streets teeming with people and the farmers' stands overflowing with breads, honey, jams, soaps, candles, and fresh produce.

We even bumped into a few people we knew--Joe and Lois Santangelo of Oakley Wines, a coworker, a friend from graduate school, a new acquaintance from Friday night's wine tasting. Even the guy from Bouchard's with the crooked hat who's always selling fresh pasta at the Hyde Park Farmers' Market on Sundays said hello.

It was wonderful to see so many people out supporting the local culture and economy, and to feel such a strong sense of community.

We were enjoying ourselves so much that we decided to stay for lunch!

After a couple more laps around the market to check out all the dining options, the aroma from Eckerlin's grill lured us in. Mom had a grilled chicken sandwich, and Dad and I had cheese-less burgers.

My undressed little burger tasted just as tempting as we'd all like to look naked. Nestled on a soft egg bun, the moist, fresh beef was adorned only with crisp iceberg lettuce, a slice of farm-fresh tomato, a little sweet onion, and a generous squeeze of brown mustard (because it's mustard, and I'm powerless to resist). I like my burgers medium-rare, and this one was well past that, but somehow still juicy without being overly fatty.

Dad and I also shared a Christian Moerlein Helles Lager. Because, well, I like beer. And if it's good and local and there's someone to share it with, so much the better.

Dojo Gelato provided the coup de grace.

From the top: Mom's Sea Salt Caramel and Vietnamese Coffee, Dad's Coconut Stracciatella and Orange Mango, and my Curra's Avocado and Orange Mango.






That's right. Avocado. With lime and cilantro. Delightful, it was!
 

So far, we've sipped wine from Argentina, Australia, Italy, and the USA, and we've sampled the cuisine of France, Belgium, and Italy...all without leaving Cincinnati. Stay tuned for Part III, in which we visit Hungary!

Passport Not Required: Part I

My parents came to town for a visit this weekend, and we spent three pleasurable days exploring Cincinnati. I just love sharing my city with out-of-town guests!

We kicked off the weekend with a wine tasting at Oakley Wines, a little shop around the corner that features a unique and thoughtful variety of wines from all over the world.

Oakley Wines offers a wine tasting every Friday evening. For $5, you can sample seven unique wines, which are often the favorites of owners Joe and Lois Santangelo. In addition to the wine and the welcome mat, Joe and Lois also roll out the snacks. They're all about supporting local business, so they often feature a couple of cheeses from Findlay Market or spreads from Hyde Park Fish Market. They've also been known to serve homemade olive tapenade and hummus.

Says Joe, there are only two rules at Oakley Wines' Friday night tastings: "No empty glasses, and eat a lot!"

And here's one more rule for you: All of Oakley Wines' bottles sell for $20 or less. Now those are some rules I can get behind!

Apart from the casual, laid-back vibe, the wine, and the snacks, I always enjoy a tasting at Oakley Wines because Joe and Lois, and the rest of their clientele, are just so darn nice.

I mean, the first time I stopped into the shop was last October, the weekend after I moved to the neighborhood and the same weekend the shop opened. I was in my running tights, huffing and sweating and panting, "Oh, just moved in and saw you were open--couldn't wait to stop in!". But Joe and Lois welcomed me to the neighborhood and to their shop, and chatted happily with me about the shop, the wine, and their passion for traveling and bring little pieces of the world back to Oakley.

I've been in for the Friday night wine tastings several times this summer, and they recognize me now, welcoming me back each time with a smile and a "Glad you're back! How've you been?"

There's always someone ready to strike up a conversation. On Friday, we all really enjoyed chatting it up with Joe and Lois!

My parents and I sampled a variety of interesting wines from all over the United States and world, including:

• Tierra de Luna Torrontes-Chardonnay 2009 (Argentina)
  
• Yering Marsanne-Viognier-Roussanne 2005 (Australia)
• Payout Longshot 2008 (California), a Viognier with "bits of Roussanne and Riesling
• Il Follo Prosecco (Italy)
  
• Monte Volpe Primo Rosso 2007 (California), a red blend
  
• Airlie Pinot Noir 2008 (Willamette Valley, Oregon)
• Parlay the Bookmaker 2008 (California), a Cabernet Sauvignon blended with Petit Sirah, Zinfandel, and Petit Verdot

Of the whites, Mom and Dad liked the Torrontes-Chard, which was light and refreshing, with just a hint of richness from the Chardonnay. My pick was the Yering MVR, because the flavor seemed to unfold more and more as I sipped.

Of the reds, Mom and Dad got happy over the Primo Rosso, while I fell for the Bookmaker, as much for his full-bodied flavor and silky tannins as for his name!

Of course, no casual night out in Oakley would be complete without a stop at Dewey's Pizza and Aglamesis Brothers. We were crushed to learn that we'd missed the end of Aglamesis' seasonal Peach ice cream, so we consoled ourselves with a selection of their other decadent and delicious flavors. Dad had the Black Raspberry Chip, Mom--the coffee connoisseur--had the Mocha Chip, and I had the Banana Chip. It was serious stuff, people, with big chunks of real banana!

Afterward, it was off to bed to rest up for an adventure-filled Saturday...

Marty's Hops & Vines

Last Friday night, I rounded up a friend and we went to Marty's Hops & Vines, a new wine and beer shop in College Hill. In addition to their selection of fine wines, craft and import beers, and gifts, Marty's has a bar and serves a selection of small plates. Marty's also features Wednesday night beer tastings, Friday night wine tastings, and live music.

The atmosphere inside the shop was warm, comfortable, and inviting, while the service was courteous, knowledgeable, and appropriately playful. It felt like the kind of place where you could relax for awhile, chat with the other patrons, laugh a little, learn a little, and maybe even become a regular.

My friend and I tasted some fabulous vino. My favorite was the Clos de Los Siete, an Argentinian blend of Malbec, Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

 We also shared a couple of small plates.

Olive Tapenade

Dates with Mascarpone and Shaved Chocolate

The scratch-made tapenades were savory and salty. The dates, with their fluffy clouds of mascarpone filling, sweet and decadent.

When we left around 9, the bar was beginning to fill up and the live music was just getting started. We really enjoyed our experience at Marty's Hops & Vines, and I hope to visit again soon. I'd really love to check out a beer tasting next time!

Charge Me Up

My day job recommences at 6:30 AM tomorrow. I'll return with a mixture of hope and trepidation. Along with the inherent rewards of my profession, my daily work brings with it a lot of stress and anxiety. I expect that this year will be a wild ride, filled with work and change, growth and loss.

My main goal this year is to keep working toward a healthier balance. Work, with play. Self-improvement, with self-love. Dreams, with action. I don't want to feel like I'm fighting and pushing all the time. I'd be happy with a nice, healthy strive.

Today I took some time to breathe, be kind to myself, and charge up for the months ahead.

I said nice things to myself. (You should try it, too.)

I took my weekly walk to the Hyde Park Farmers' Market, where I bought heirloom tomatoes and apples (my first of the season!).

I also bought two great big cookies from Donna's Gourmet (to be shared with friends), and this beautiful and delicious cappuccino from La Terza.

On my way home, I stopped to sit in the square.

I listened to a woman play the piano.

















She played with her eyes closed, swaying to the music. At one point, after a flamboyant run, she threw back her head, smiled, and then bubbled over with laughter.

I asked her how long she'd been playing. She said, "Since I was nine." Did she play professionally? Another laugh, "Sometimes." Ah, maybe she has a day job, too.

Is that the key to happiness and balance? Finding the thing that makes you throw your head back and laugh, and running with it?

The Amazing Banana

The other night, while glued to Iron Chef America (Battle Banana) and snacking on a new banana-riffic treat, and I had a flash of inspiration. Why not write a post dedicated to bananas and their sweet, sticky, sunny, giraffe-spotted fabulousity?

Banana plant from my trip to Jamaica

After all, I love bananas. When asked to name my favorite foods, sure, I’ll spout a list of indulgent treats like chocolate, cheese, sushi, and filet mignon. But bananas are a staple food in my kitchen. I eat one nearly every day. Bananas powered me through my first half marathon--I ate one before, with oatmeal and peanut butter, and one afterward. And I've been known to make “emergency” trips to the grocery store--sometimes in the wee hours of the morning--because ohmygosh-I’m-out-of-bananas!

As it turns out, there are a lot of reasons to love bananas. Besides being tasty are nutritional powerhouses, bananas are highly useful, comedic (think of animated antagonists slipping and sliding on discarded banana peels). In some cultures, bananas are regarded for their medicinal and symbolic properties.

Fun Facts:

• The banana plant is not a tree--it’s the world’s largest herb. [Source]
• Bananas come in a variety of colors, including yellow, purple, and red. Jungle Jim’s is the best place in Cincinnati to find exotic bananas (if you visit, be sure to pose for a picture with the giant banana at the entrance).
• Banana flowers (“hearts”) are used as a vegetable in some South Asian cuisines. They taste similar to artichokes.
  
• Banana leaves are waterproof. In southeast Asian countries, they are often used as food containers.
  
• Steaming banana leaves with a dish lends a slightly sweet flavor. During Battle Banana, Bobby Flay steamed tamales in banana leaves (yum!).
• Other uses for the banana plant include textiles and paper. [Source]

Banana Flower

Nutritional Benefits:

• A medium (7-8”) banana contains approximately 105 calories, 3 grams of fiber (12% DV), and only 1 mg of sodium. Each medium banana also contains 12% DV of potassium, 17% DV of Vitamin C, and 22% DV of Vitamin B6. [NutritionData]
• Because they are extremely high in potassium and low in sodium, bananas can help to fight high blood pressure.
  
• Bananas contain tryptophan, a type of protein that the body converts into serotonin, which helps elevate our mood.
• Bananas are high in B vitamins, which help to regulate blood glucose levels and calm the nervous system.
• Eating a banana is an excellent, natural way to replenish electrolytes after intense exercise. [Source]

Buying and Storing Bananas:

• Choose bananas that are firm, slightly green, and without bruises. Avoid bananas with a gray tint or dull appearance--they’ve been refrigerated and won’t ripen properly.
• Once ripe, bananas can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. The skins will turn black, but the fruit will remain at the perfect stage of ripeness.
• Wait to refrigerate bananas until they ripen--once bananas have been refrigerated, they won’t ripen properly when brought back to room temperature.
• Bananas ripen quickly because they release a lot of ethylene gas. If you want to speed the ripening process, you can place them in a brown paper bag with an apple.
• Bananas too ripe? Peel them, cut them into chunks, wrap them in plastic, and freeze. Frozen bananas lend a creamy texture and sweet flavor to smoothies. They're also great for baking, where you typically want very ripe, sweet bananas. [Source]
  

Bananas are fabulous eaten out-of-hand, sliced in cereal or over yogurt, or baked in banana bread, but why stop there? Here are a few of my favorite ways to use bananas...

Banana Pancakes

Peanut Butter, Greek Yogurt and Banana Parfait with Granola

Banana Daquiri

Overnight Oats

...and a kitchen experiment!

Banana “Ice Cream”

As an avid reader of many food and fitness blogs, I’ve been reading about this frozen banana soft serve everywhere. I’ve been holding off on on trying it, not because I was skeptical about its delicious factor, but out of fear my food processor would actually combust. But I was inspired by Battle Banana and its fearless combatants, and it was about 87 degrees in my apartment with the AC on, so I decided to give it a whirl.

Into the food processor went one of my precious frozen bananas...

...and I held my breath and let ‘er rip!

There were a few highly intense, counter-shaking moments, during which I held the food-processor down to keep it from bouncing itself onto the floor. And then, all the sudden, a miracle occurred and a sweet mound of yumminess appeared!

It’s no Aglamesis Brothers, people, and it probably couldn’t pinch-hit if I were really craving the real thing. I think you’d need to be a pretty hard-core banana lover like myself to really find it delicious (after all, it’s a straight-up, super-ripe banana). But it was still yummy, and either way, you gotta admit it’s pretty cool!

I added just a dash of cinnamon to mine, but my head is already spinning with possible variations and additions. Cocoa powder? Chocolate chips? Peanut butter? A sprinkle of sea salt? Toasted coconut?

What's your favorite way to eat bananas?