Pear and Almond Cake

I have this beautiful garden cookbook sitting on my shelf that shows each recipe in detailed watercolored illustrations. The chapters are broken up into seasons so as I flip to autumn recipes and I easily found this beautiful recipe for Pear and Almond Cake. I've made it twice since finding it, once with pear and once with peaches. Both versions created lovely moist and fragrant cakes, perfect for an afternoon snack with warm tea or cider or light dessert.

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Ali Baba, Best Indian Restaurant in Salt Lake City

Ali Baba quickly made it to the top of my list of Indian Restaurants in Salt Lake City after just one visit.  We don't have a lot of great Indian food to choose from here but before I discovered Ali Baba we had almost no choices. Josh and I love Indian food, we love the hot flavors and all of the unusual spices.  I like trying new dishes every time while Josh sticks to his tried-and-true favorite: Chicken Tikka Masala.  If you've never tried Indian food, I implore you to have a little adventure and check out Ali Baba.

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Currently Craving... Pao de Queijo from Cheese Bread Mania

I first discovered Pao de Queijo while visiting my mother in law in Brazil, then I discovered that there's a sweet gal, Debora Hammond, baking and selling the bread right here in Salt Lake City. Pao de Queijo are 'delightfully crispy on the outside, but soft inside, like a cheesy cross between a popover and a dinner roll.'  Cheese Bread Mania, is a new small business owned by Debora and her mother from Brazil who have a passion for these small little bites of heaven.  You can now find them in four different flavors: original, 4 cheese, sun dried tomatoes and jalapeno. The jalepeno are my favorite! They are sold at Harmon's, the Food Co-Op Monday Market, Rico Market, Tony Caputo's and several other local vendors. I buy them frozen and baked them at home for as an appetizer. What's not to like...cheesy bread that melts in your mouth it's so good!  They also happen to also be gluten free.

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Pumpkin Apple Streusel Cake

I promise this is my last pumpkin recipe of the season. I just couldn't resist trying this recipe for a Pumpkin Apple Streusel Cake when I spotted it on Zoe Bakes' blog. Her photos looked amazing, with moist pumpkin cake, layers of the season's best ripe apples, all covered in a brown sugar streusel topping.  The cake is made with whole wheat flour and yet didn't taste dry like most cakes that are made with whole wheat. This would also make a fabulous coffee cake (my excuse to eat cake for breakfast!).

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Last week for the Farmer's Market

This Saturday is our last chance to grab all of our favorite things at the downtown Salt Lake Farmer's Market. What is it that you think is worth fighting the crowds for?  Here are a few things I hope to pick up:

Sun-Dried Cherries, so I can make my favorite granola and risotto (located on the North West corner)

Garlic Bulbs, to plant for next year

Apples, in hopes of making more homemade apple sauce
Pao de Queijo, heavenly Brazilian Cheese Bread by Cheese Bread Mania

Fresh Berries, to freeze and use during the winter

Butternut Squash, to make a few of my favorite winter squash recipes like this one, this one or this one

Sorrel (lemon spinach) and Yukon Gold Potatoes, so I can make more varieties of this yummy soup

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Caputo's Cheese and Wine Tasting

The folks at Caputo's Market are creating an informative food culture in our city.  I blame a great deal of growing food interest in Salt Lake on Matt Caputo and his passion for sharing his knowledge of food with those around him.  A self-studied chocolate and cheese enthusiast, as well as a gatherer of people, Matt is inspiring to me and many other foodies in the area.

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Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

I admit, I've gone a little overboard on the pumpkin flavored desserts lately.  I made these Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, after making the Pumpkin Cake Trifles and then also a Pumpkin Apple Strudel Cake and after drinking more than a few Pumpkin Spiced Lattes. I guess I was a little too enthusiastic about fall.  I've almost reached my limit of pumpkin-ness and I haven't even made a batch of my mom's delicious pumpkin bread yet this year.  

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Harmon's Emigration Market

Emigration Market reopened it's doors! Harmon's Grocery took over the space and has created a cozy neighborhood market with a great selection of specialty foods. You'll find anything from local Beehive Cheese to my favorite Creminelli Salami there as well as your basic groceries. Their delicatessen features gourmet sandwiches, gelato, salad bar, Caffe Ibis Coffee, sushi, chef-prepared foods, soups, and more. Sit for a while at their cafe and enjoy lunch or a sweet treat and coffee. Go check it out this weekend, if you haven't already!

Emigration Market
1706 East 1300 South

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Your Opinion on SLC Foodie Deals

A few months ago we introduced to you SLC Foodie Deals.  These are unlike any coupon or deal in town in that you don't have to pre-buy anything and the discounted item or restaurants has been personally selected by Heidi or myself.  We simply want to introduce you to some of the fabulous foods that we've found around Salt Lake City, whether that be our favorite New York Style Pizza at Maxwell's or a seasonal Pumpkin Gelato from Dolcetti.  We have had  minimal response to these deals so we thought we would throw it out to you guys to decide.  Do you enjoy the deals? Would you like to see more?  How can we get the word out about them?

Here are a few examples of deals that we've had in the past:

Buy 2 dinner entrees or 1 pizza at the Maxwell's and get a free appetizer.
Get $5 off every $30 spent at the Utah Food Co-Op Monday Market Sale.
$3.50 (half off) for a seasonally fresh salad and sandwich combo at the Rose Establishment.
50% off Pumpkin Gelato at Dolcetti.

Please give us your input!  We'd love to hear your thoughts as we decide to move forward with this part of SLC Foodie and The Vintage Mixer blog.

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Pumpkin Cake with Spiced Cream Cheese Frosting

I faced a slight baking disaster recently. Maybe a major disaster actually.  Without much planning, I decided to whip up a 3 layer pumpkin cake with spiced cream cheese frosting. I had found the perfect recipe online with a beautiful image of this fall cake. We were celebrating the joint venture of SLC Foodie and The Vintage Mixer blog with my new business partner and friend, Heidi, and I wanted a special cake for the occasion. 

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Zy Restaurant, Salt Lake City

 What makes a restaurant special is often times the people you dine with.  Heather from SLC Lunches and I have been 'lunching' together for over two years now.  Our latest outing was to Zy in downtown Salt Lake City. Since we've known each other we have explored many local Salt Lake restaurants in their beginning stages, like Vinto, Sea Salt, and Ekamai.  Its been fun to venture out together and watch the local food scene advance and at the same time our friendship has developed over several good meals.

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Southern Cheese Grits Recipe, My Family Food Flashback

 Cheese Grits are a family recipe I've been enjoying back as far as I can remember, a recipe that's been passed down from generations so much so that some of the ingredients don't exist anymore. My mother would make this cheese grits recipe every holiday and she got the recipe from my grandmother who probably got it from her mother. In my recipe book the page is written in my mom's elegant cursive with the title 'Grandma Grace's Cheese Grits.'

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Utah's Seasonal Produce in October

Soups and bread bowls, corn mazes and candy corn, costumes and pumpkins, these all go together like colorful leaves in the fall.  It's officially my favorite time of year. The time to take long drives through the mountains with hot soup awaiting you when you get home and the time of year to pull out your jacket and boots. I also love the list of fresh produce for this season, butternut squash, pears, and hot chilies are some of my favorite ingredients to cook with.  I hope you'll enjoy this month's calendar and recipes!

To download this month's wall paper on your computer, please see the first post on Seasonal Produce in Utah.

Here are some recipes to make use of all of the great foods in season:
Apple Butter by Food Finery
Butternut Squash Risotto by Taste and Tell
Sweet Potato Couscous Stuffed Tomatoes with Balsamic by Delightful Delicacies
Pumpkin Crunch Cake by me

Fresh Corn Polenta with Sausage, Chard, and Mushrooms by me

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Muffins with Toasted Almonds by Cookin' Canuck
Roasted Cauliflower with Indian Spices by Cookin' Canuck
Sweet Corn Ravioli with Brown Butter Basil & Cherry Tomato Compote by Barbara Bakes
Butternut Squash Soup with Chicken and Orzo by Barbara Bakes
Zucchini and Basil Strata by Kalyn's Kitchen
Roasted Carrots and Turnips with Balsamic by Kalyn's Kitchen
Corn Chowder by Two Peas and Their Pod
Pumpkin Granola by Two Peas and Their Pod
Pumpkin Gnocchi with Sage Butter by Project Domestication
French Pear Tart by Project Domestication
Apple Buttermilk Cake by Completely Delicious
Butternut Squash and Rosemary Biscuits by Completely Delicious
Baked Apple Cuplettes by Foodie Crush
Braised Chicken Stew with Carrots and Mushrooms by Foodie Crush
Apple Spice Quick Bread by Mountains Mama Cooks

Happy Fall!

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Weck Jars and Vintage Ball Jars

I love jars. Vintage Ball glass jars, new tulip shaped Weck jars, jars with strange old clamps, and jars with tinted turquoise glass. I've had a few folks ask me recently where I find my jars so I thought I'd do a little post dedicated to my love for jars.

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