An Interview with Josh Rosenthal

Josh Rosenthal, is a local singer songwriter who also happens to be my husband- aren't I lucky! He is doing a series of interviews on his blog and it was my week to feed him some questions. I wanted to give all of you who read my blog a sense for why we both love Salt Lake so much as well as some tips on local music stores. And of course, I added several food questions so satisfy all of our appetites for foodie talk. The photo above is of him 'helping' me bake some chocolate chip cookies last night. Hope you enjoy the interview!

Open Ended Questions:

What is your most distinctive memory surrounding food from childhood?
My mom used to make brisket and mashed potatoes on Sundays. To this day, it’s the most comfortable food I know.

While cooking your favorite meal what music would you turn on?
Peter Bradley Adams. I can’t get enough of him. A friend introduced me to him less than a year ago and I really haven’t put it down since. His latest album is called Leavetaking. Every song is good. It enhances the cooking experience while still keeping it calm when I make mistakes.

Why are you so passionate about Salt Lake City?
It’s really hard to explain. Utah is an infection from which you don’t want relief. If you come here for a little bit, you’ll see what I’m talking about. Most people who grew up here don’t really feel that way. They want out. But most people want out of their hometown. Downtown has a great local scene. From music to restaurants to the farmers market, it’s gotta be one of the best places to live in the country.

Favorites:

Salt Lake City Restaurant and why?
Gourmandise Bakery. The turkey-bacon club owns a piece of my stomach.

VintageMixer Recipe and why?
Falafel and Tzatziki. Essentially, food is an excuse to eat sauce. Any sauce will do normally. But your Tzatziki inspires me to run for president. It’s ridiculously good.

Salt Lake City small business and why?
Local Music. Tom is the epitome of the bakers dozen. He delivers far more than he promises. Once upon a time, quality customer service mattered. Tom comes from that era. I’ve bought a few guitars from him – Breedlove, Morgan and Gibson ES125t. I sound like a commercial, I realize. Don’t beat me up. Tom didn’t pay me anything for this. Why would he? Back off Vintage Mixer.

Guilty food pleasure and why?
Peanut Butter and Syrup. Why? Childhood memories. Who is with me? Did anyone else grow up with it?

Multiple Choice:

Radio/Record Player/mp3 – Radio, talk radio.

New/Consignment Clothes – New. I don’t have the patience to find cool stuff at consignment stores.

Road Trip/ International Vaca/ State side/ camping – Home body. Big time. or car camping.

Boxed brownies/Crème Brulee – Crème Brulee. My honeymoon introduced me to it. Never going back.

To read more of his interviews visit his Josh Rosenthal music blog.

One of the many great things of Salt Lake- the passion for soccer. Here is a photo of him singing at the opening Salt Lake Real game.

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Tres Leches Cake with Limoncello Cream

What would I choose for my birthday cake? Tres Leches is my absolute favorite cake and perfect for a special summer day. Tres leches cake, or Pastel de Tres leches (Spanish, "Three milk cake"), is a sponge cake,—in some recipes, a butter cake—soaked in three kinds of milk: evaporated milk, condensed milk, and heavy cream. Its everything I could want in a cake. My favorite part of eating cake is the bites that are soaked in ice cream, and this cake is the perfectly moist cake. And to top it all off, the icing is a fresh whipped cream which I added limoncello liqueur to for a fresh light citrus finish. I first had this cake in Costa Rica during a wedding celebration and then found a good recipe from my friend Lucia. My mother in law, who lives in Brazil, also loves this cake. Apparently, we both made ourselves this cake for our birthdays this year- too bad we don't live closer or we could have made it together. My birthday was really just an excuse to make this delicious cake. I hope you'll try it!

Tres Leches with Limoncello Cream

INGREDIENTS
*double the cake ingredients for a layered round cake
1-½ cups All-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Baking powder
½ cup Unsalted butter
2 cups White sugar (divided)
5 Eggs
1-½ teaspoon Vanilla extract (divided)
1 cup Milk
½ of a 14-ounce can Sweetened condensed milk
½ of a 12-ounce can Evaporated milk
1/4 cup Liqueur, Limoncello, Frangelico, Brandy, or Chambord,
1-½ cups Heavy (whipping) cream

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking pa or 2 round cake pans for a layered cake. (For a round layered cake, double the ingredients from flour to eggs. ) Sift flour and baking powder together and set aside. Cream the butter and half of the sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs and 1/2 teaspoon of the vanilla. Beat well. Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, 2 tablespoons at a time, mixing well until blended. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake for 30 minutes.

When cake has finished baking, pierce it in 8 or 10 places with a fork and let it cool. Combine the whole milk, evaporated milk, condensed milk and pour over the top of the cooled cake. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.

Whipped Cream Topping: When ready to serve, combine the whipping cream and the remaining 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1 cup of sugar, whipping until thick. Gently fold liquor into whipped cream and spread over top of cake. Top with fresh fruit.

Because of the milk in the cake, it is very important that you keep the cake refrigerated until ready to serve. Serve chilled.

For a full list of VintageMixer recipes click here.

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Antique Stores, Salt Lake City UT

I'm not sure where I got my love for all things vintage. Maybe a combination of my grandmother and mother. My mother is an artist and has an eye for beautiful things. She was once a fashion designer in New York and then in Dallas for a few years. She can spot a well made clothes from a mile away and on the flip side she can also tell when I purchase cheap clothes from Forever 21 (a cheap thrill) or stores in that genre. My grandmother, the wife of a wealthy oil man in West Texas was also a lover of beautiful things. Her house was filled with beautiful chandeliers, vases from around the world, and the most interesting dishes for hosting big gatherings of her Texas friends. I thought I would share with you a few of my favorite antique stores around the city. Salt Lake City has a great amount of vintage stores and I am seeing more and more pop up all around. There are a few new ones I've spotted around 900 East and 2100 South and along 3300 South that I will be checking out soon. I have also seen a few new consignment shops downtown around 3rd East in the antique district. But here are my personal favorites:

Emily Jayne
800 East 800 South
Vintage furniture, dishes, decor and a small children's area with toys and decor. Their goods are divided up by color. The awesome slider bench we found at Emily Jane's

Abode
1720 S. 900 E.
A Paris Flea Market with unique small gift items, furniture, clothes, and kitchen items.
Home Again
1019 E 2100 S
Antique and classy furniture.
More Vintage Shops in Salt Lake City:

Capital City Antique Mall
959 S West Temple
A huge warehouse full of antiques from jewelry to bikes and art. The warehouse is divided into sections up so that people selling their possessions each have a small booth like area.
Retro Rose
207 E. Broadway
Lots and lots of fun items, mostly smaller antiques and clothes. I've found lots of pyrex dishes here, fun vintage napkins, log brand iron skillets, and a garden hat that I wear daily! They even have fun vintage shoes. Their goods are divided up by color.

**Vintage shopping tip: most of the time you can negotiate price. A lot of the vendors will just call the owner of the item to see if they are willing to sell at the lower price.

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Gazpacho Bar

I recently had the best bowl of gazpacho at the Soup Kitchen in Sugarhouse, one of my favorite Salt Lake City restaurants. Its a very casual local dive with homemade soups and breadsticks. I'm not usually a gazpacho fan but it was a hot day and I really couldn't convince myself to get a hot soup so I went for it and tried their cold and spicy gazpacho. What really makes a good gazpacho for me is its spiciness- and theirs was just that! So, if you're out and about in Sugarhouse this summer stop by The Soup Kitchen for some of their gazpacho.

After that good experience I decided to try making my own gazpacho at home and looked up a few different recipes online. Really the soup is so simple you really don't need a recipe. I was inspired though by one online blog that featured the idea of a Gazpacho Bar for summer entertaining. Holly Hadsell Entertaining wrote about this great summer dinner party idea and we gave it a try. We were having some good friends over and I knew they would be gracious enough to try something different. Plus the dinner itself is really easy, you just have to allow some time for lots of chopping. You make the tomato puree ahead of time and have all of the ingredients out for folks to choose from. Then they can blend and add the ingredients that they wish- choosing how pureed/ chunky/ spicy/ or mild they would like it to be. Here is the recipe I came up with:

Summer Gazpacho Bar
adapted from Holly Hadsell Entertaining
serves 4

Tomato Puree

INGREDIENTS
1 28 oz can organic diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can of stewed sliced tomatoes
1 15 oz can of organic tomato sauce
2 garlic cloves
6 -10 fresh basil leaves

DIRECTIONS
Saute garlic in oil for 2-3 minutes over medium heat then add all of the tomatoes and tomato sauce. (Really I had no idea how much tomatoes and sauce to start with but I found that this amount worked perfectly so feel free to use a different variety of canned tomatoes or use fresh too). Let tomatoes simmer with garlic for 5-10 minutes then stir in basil and simmer for another 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature (be dicing vegetables while this is cooling). Once cool puree in blender or large food processor until smooth. Pour pureed tomatoes into caraffe or pitcher. Gazpacho bar toppings and mix ins

INGREDIENTS
Celery
Red Onion
Avocado (makes a creamy gazpacho)
Carrots, cooked but still crisp (adds sweetness)
Green Pepper
Jalepeno
Cucumber
Lime wedges
Parsley
Basil
Red Pepper Flakes
Hot Sauce

*please post comments of more topping ideas that you might have!

DIRECTIONS
Chop all vegetables and place in bowls or serving platter. Have fresh herbs and spices out for friends to choose from. Let guests pick their ingredients then blend in blender with about 10-12 oz of the tomato puree for each serving. For a chunky gazpacho add more veggies after blending.
*We served the gazpacho alongside a Spanish Salad with Jimica, Grapefruit and avocado, and grilled spicy shrimp. You could also serve this with Salmon in a lime vinaigrette dressing, grilled chicken or steak, or maybe an assortment of tapas.

For a full list of VintageMixer recipes click here.

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Memory Grove, Salt Lake City, UT

A new favorite spot of mine in Salt Lake City- Memory Grove Park. The park is located on the east side of the capital building on 300 Canyon Road and is dedicated to the many Utah veterans as well as those who lost their lives in various wars- World War II to Vietnam. The City Creek runs through the park with trails on either side leading you through a peaceful grassy area and into tree covered paths to beautiful views of the valley and the capital building. City Creek provides a pleasant break from a bustling downtown. A small paved road parallels a bubbling creek. The park alternates between bike days and car days throughout the week. So be sure you check in advance before planning your trip. There are also several interesting dirt trails on the sides of the canyon. The paved trail goes for about 6 miles to Rotary Park and the dirt trail goes for about 2 miles along the river. Stunning monuments and calming waters greet you at the common area of the park. Also, on either side of the park you'll find sets of stairs that take you to overlook points and also up to the capital building or into the Avenues. If you enjoy running stairs you'll find these to be a rewarding challenge. There are more sets further South on Canyon Road. If you're looking for a spot to picnic in Salt Lake or for a relaxing city stroll this is the place. Bring a light lunch or snack and enjoy the quietness of the park yet closeness of the city. Some ideas for your picnic: Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs, Mediterranean Orzo Salad, or Coconut Curry Chicken Salad. At the Park there is a beautiful building that is often used for weddings in Salt Lake or meetings. So, if you or someone you know is looking for a great location for a wedding, reception, or celebration you should definitely look into the Memorial House on the grounds of the park. Memory Grove is a small graceful location for any celebration- whether a picnic lunch or a large celebration.
To get to Memory Grove drive North on State Street past North Temple then turn right on second avenue and left on Canyon Road. You may park along Canyon Road before the gate entrance to the park (limited number of spots) or on the East side of the Capital and walk down the stairs into the park.
Photos of the beautiful views at Memory Grove Park.
If you enjoy running stairs, there are plenty of options for you here!

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Potato Salad for your Summer Picnic

Going right along with the backyard dining and summer picnicking theme- I thought I would give you a really great basic Potato Salad recipe. This is one the men in your life with love; I've made it for the band and all the guys ate it up! Also, a great use of those fresh herbs in your garden you are dying to find a use for. If you're looking for a location for your picnic try Memory Grove Park! I went there recently and loved the small quaint space with great views of Salt Lake City and the Capital ...photos and more on that this week.

Classic Potato Salad
adapted from Cooking with Michelle

INGREDIENTS
6 potatoes or 10 red potatoes
2 handfuls of fresh green beans cut and cooked
2 tablespoons mayonnaise, regular or light
2 heaping tablespoon minced red onion
1 tablespoon minced fresh tarragon
1 tablespoon minced fresh Italian Flat Leaf Parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS
Chop potatoes into cubes and boil until just barely fork tender, then drain and refrigerate until cooled. Cut fresh green beans then steam for about 4 min. Don't overcook because you want the beans to still be a bit crunchy. Cool beans in refrigerator then mix with potatoes. Toss with mayonnaise, onion, and herbs, then season with salt and pepper to taste. *If you don't have Tarragon or Parsley try whatever herb you have on hand. If you use dry herbs use half as much.


For a complete list of all of my recipes posted on Vintage Mixer click here.

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Backyard Dining

So, we've officially completed our backyard project. Although, there is always more you can do, we are surrendering at least for a while to enjoy and bask in our efforts. We've had a few dinners outside and breakfast too. My parents recently visited and brought be a family heirloom buffet table that had been collecting dust in their backyard. It was originally my grandmothers and probably resided in her beautiful Southern home in Wichita Falls, Texas. I think they had a hunch I would like it but had no idea that I would immediately love it and begin to daydream about its many uses for dining outdoors this summer. They were about to go to the store and grab some paint to cover it with a fresh coat but luckily I heard what they were up to and stopped them to save the table from any possible fresh look that they had in mind. I loved it just the way it was- rusted with old wheels and old peeling paint. My mom, being the thoughtful person that she is, made sure that we found a local glass place to order a piece of glass for the top. She also had this brilliant idea to find a food covering to protect the food we'd place on it so that bugs or mosquitoes can't get to the food. We looked a few places but didn't find much and I convinced her that Utah doesn't have the bugs and mosquitoes like West Texas. Then we found the cutest basket woven covering at Anthropologie on sale for $7 and we swiped it up! Now we are all set: food table, bug protectant, and a finished backyard.
For other styles of food coverings try Crate and Barrel, REI or Lillian Vernon. Photos below are from REI and Lillian Vernon.

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Gourmet Gifts

Recently, I have received some very special gourmet gifts from friends and family who are following my blogging adventure. Each person who sent a gift is someone very special to me and someone whom I admire. I want to share with you a little about my gift givers along with the treasures they gave me. I hope that you'll be inspired to give a gourmet gift to someone you care for! Hot Pepper Spice, Dark Rum, and Lizano Tobasco- a friend who recently took a trip to Costa Rica, one of our favorite places, and Hawaii brought us back these hot and spicy treats. She is a professor in pharmeceutical chemistry and a mother of two beautiful and of course intelligent girls. Her and her husband share a love for science, more specifically chemistry, which has translated into a passion for creating delicious meals. We've had the delight of sharing in some of their culinary creations such as Grilled Lamb, Prioscutto and Asparagus Risotto, and dark chocolate tarts. They have a vegetable garden at their home with around 20 different varieties of tomato plants. The award winning dark Rum can be found in Maui so if you're there or planning a Hawaii vacation pick some up for sure. Lizano is a sauce frequently found in Costa Rica but you might find it in specialty imported food stores. I'm not sure where she gets the special hot pepper spice- I think its a secret!

Bramasole Italian Extra Virgin Olive Oil- this special gift (pictured at the top) is from my Aunt, who resides in Denver Colorado but can also be frequently found in Scottsdale AZ, Vail CO, Italy, or on a tropical .cruise. She shares my passion for travel and when she's not traveling she's probably reading about traveling. She is a mother of two and awaiting to be a grandmother for the first time in December. Inspired by the book Eat, Pray, Love she has traveled to Italy and tasted many of the foods described in the book. She has many recipes we've enjoyed over the years at family holidays. I have posted the recipe for her Curry Chicken and Broccoli Casserole, which you should try if you haven't already. The olive oil is literally hand picked under the Tuscan sun and can be bought by the case online at Bramasole.

Calabrian's Fig Molasses- a dear friend and past coworker (actually he was my boss for a year) gave us this along with a gift certificate for Baskin Robbins ice cream. He suggested we drizzle it over a rich vanilla ice cream... (yeah- amazing!) He and his partner live in downtown Salt Lake but also enjoy the vast desert areas of Utah. As a avid gardener and part time landscape architect, he has collected every variety of cactus that is native to the Utah land. His garden is one of the most beautiful you've ever seen. When he's not gardening you might find him dressed in character elaborately reading to kids at story time or delving into the rich history of Utah, its buildings and its culture. You can find the Fig Molasses locally at Liberty Heights Fresh, at Italian gourmet food markets, and online here.

Maple Coffee, Pure Maple Syrup, and Maple Nuts- my mother in law was recently in Canada and visited a Menninite Colony that produced amazing maple products. In her knowledge of my incredible sweet tooth (just ask my dentist) she brought me back only the best. My mother in law lives in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, and runs an elementary school near the coast of Barra da Tijuca. She has lived overseas for 7 years now and comes back to visit for Christmas and once during the summer. She is a native Texan but when you meet her you will see that her spirit is now all Brazilian. She enjoys life fully and is light hearted about most things. You would find her wearing brightly colored summer clothes and flip flops probably with a big smile on her face. She is a mother of 3 boys and a grandmother of 3 also. Don't even think about bringing her into the cold because she belongs in the sun for sure. You can find the Maple goods at the Turkey Hill online store.

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Em's, Salt Lake City UT

I'm hesitant to write this post because I really don't want the word to get out about how fabulous this restaurant is. But I've never been great at keeping a secret from good friends- so I trust that once I tell you then you will all not tell anyone right?!

Em's Restaurant is absolutely my new favorite lunch spot in Salt Lake- the prices are still very reasonable and the food and service is incredible! Did I mention that its right in the heart of the Marmalade district, one of the cutest areas in Salt Lake? Plus its a great time of year to go out for lunch and enjoy patio seating and a light salad or sandwich. Their patio is full of beautiful flower arrangements and surrounded by green vines.

I've tried a few different things on their menu to give you apple ideas of how wonderful they are. First I tried their soup, which changes daily, but the time I tried it they were serving Asparagus Soup with *Crème fraîche on top. Simple but perfectly presented. The only negative thing was that they brought it out so hot that the top of my mouth burnt a little bit but that didn't stop me from enjoying the rest of it. I'm pretty sure they had made a fresh batch and that's why it was pipping hot! I also tried their Vegetarian Sandwich with roasted zucchini, red peppers, caramelized mushrooms & provolone cheese on whole wheat bread. Their sandwiches come with a side house salad and are only $6.50! I've also tried one of their salads: roasted potatoes, seasonal vegetables on greens with balsamic vinaigrette. I sampled a bite of their Ham and Swiss sandwich with garlic *aioli, also amazing! A few other items I would also like to try on their menu: Tamales stuffed with goat cheese or their Fresh Herb Crepes stuffed with spinach, ricotta, & parmesan.

So, I hope that you will all go and try out this newly discovered favorite of mine but shhhh don't tell anyone else!

For those of you who are like me and still learning culinary terms. Here are a few I've learned more about recently:
Crème fraîche- a soured cream that is less sour but thicker than sour cream.
Aioli- a sauce made of garlic and olive oil commonly used instead of mayonnaise on gourmet sandwiches



More on Eva's from Salt Lake City's Lunch Examiner.

Click here for a list of all VintageMixer Reviews

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Garden Update

I have some good and bad news on the garden- the good news if that I have some beautiful vegetables growing: bright green tomatoes, green peppers, jalepenos, onions, and broccoli. Some unfortunate news: my cauliflower is covered in little bugs. I'll spare you the details but I ended up tossing out most of it. Luckily, that is the only thing that has been badly effected by bugs; everything else seems to be doing fine. If anyone has any cauliflower tips please let me know.

Our mint plant. Excited to make some mojitos soon!

Flower sprouts on the onions. I probably should cut these off but they look so pretty!

Another tomato variety.

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Coconut-Curry Chicken Salad

If you know Josh and I, you know that we both like our food full of flavor and spice. We like our Thai spicy and our sauces flavorful! I have been to several restaurants lately that offer a great curry chicken salad so I thought I would come up with my own recipe. Gourmandise offers one with mostly shredded chicken and a few bits of celery, toasted almonds, and red grapes with a creamy curry dressing (more creamy than spicy) served in a sandwich or in tomato wedges on a bed of greens. Cucina Deli in the Avenues, another favorite neighborhood cafe & deli, serves their curry chicken salad on bed of greens with tomatoes, onions and olives. Cucina's is a bit sweeter and has more grapes, and nuts than others. I like my chicken salad with lots of red grapes, nuts and anything else you might want to toss in, but not too much mayo and little bit sweet or spicy. I have another recipe for Granola Chicken Salad that I will have to share sometime as well. But for now, here is my version of Curried Chicken Salad.

Coconut-Curry Chicken Salad

INGREDIENTS
2 large chicken breasts; cooked with salt and pepper and shredded
1/4 cup light coconut milk
4 TB light mayonnaise
2 TB of Curry (at least )
1 cup of red grapes, cut in half
1/2 cup of celery, diced
1 green apple, diced
1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut

DIRECTIONS
Cook chicken, then shred with two forks. Add coconut milk, mayo, curry, salt and pepper and mix with chicken well. Add more mayo, curry or milk if needed. Mix in half of the shredded coconut. Add grapes, celery, and apple. Lightly mix all ingredients. Serve over toast or greens and top with additional shredded coconut.

For a full list of VintageMixer recipes click here.

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