Rate the Plate Utah

Eat Out Review: Little Taste of Britain

2013-05-17T05:31:00.000-06:00

Mr. Diner and I both love, love, love a good plate of fish & chips. The only problem is that we’re constantly stumped at where to get good fish & chips in our area. Although it’s still quite the trek for us to get there, we found a great fish & chips shop here in Utah!

We were up in Layton and discovered we were just a few minutes from Little Taste of Britain, which I heard great buzz about so we had to stop in and check it out for ourselves. It’s a little unassuming shop (one of two – the other is in Roy). Inside is a sweet little selection of British foods including lots of tantalizing chocolate, a counter, and a small dining area with Union Jack-covered tables.

Of course we were there for the fish & chips, but they do have other traditional English foods. (Pasties, Beans on Toast, or Mushy Peas, anyone?) Also, the desserts are tempting; I so wanted a Battered Mars Bar now. In fact, much of the menu is fried foods.

Fish Bites & Chips ($7.99) – These “bites” are actually good sized pieces of cod (the regular fish & chips include a filet). Everything was fresh out of the fryer, perfectly crisp on the outside and tender and flaky on the inside. The fries had a good potato flavor, but were just okay.

Brit Platter ($9.99) – Includes Fish Bites, Battered Sausage, Chips, Onion Rings, & a Pineapple Fritter. The Battered Sausage was surprisingly good…make sure you ask for a side of Brown Sauce to dip it in! The onion rings were average and I was disappointed by the Pineapple Fritter. Not sure, but it seemed like a canned pineapple ring.

Nick & Mandy are the owners of Little Taste of Britain. The day we were there Nick was there and was a friendly host, going out of his way to make sure we were informed and happy customers. He told us that they hand cut all their potatoes and onions every day and strive to prepare everything cooked to order and “just like they do in Britain.” He walked us through the little market area and told us about Brown Sauce (a unique vinegar-based condiment…maybe like a combination of steak sauce, ketchup, & Worcestershire, maybe?). Nick even offered us free treats on our way out the door. And guess what? He said they’re working on opening a location in Murray…cross your fingers ‘cause we thought they were the best fish & chips we’ve had in Utah and have great service!

So, go for the fish & chips (and I’m definitely going to try some other things next time); go for the friendly faces & service. We found our Utah fish & chips shop!

Little Taste of Britain
1095 N Main
Layton, UT 84041
(801) 543-5707

Entrée Price: $
Average Fork Rating: 4.5
Mr. Diner: 5
Mrs. Diner: 4

Eat In Recipe: Lemon Crinkle Cookies

2013-05-14T16:31:00.001-06:00

Lemons. Is your mouth watering yet? Mine is…just at the mention of them. There’s something wonderful about these yellow, mouth-puckering globes that makes most anything taste a little brighter, a little fresher, and just a little bit more perfect. In fact, just having some in my kitchen makes me feel a little brighter & fresher. And that may be one of the reasons that this recipe by Lauren Brennan won first place in the 2011 LDS Living Best Cookie Contest.

I’ve adapted Lauren’s recipe a bit for my own taste. The original was wonderful, but tasted like a sugar cookie to me. I wanted lemon (for all the reasons stated above). If you want a fabulous sugar cookie with a bit of a sugary crust and a great chewy texture, use Lauren’s original recipe. If you want all of the above with a deeper lemon flavor, give my adapted recipe a try.

Lemon Crinkle Cookies
(adapted from Lauren’s Latest)
½ cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
2 teaspoon lemon zest
2 tablespoon lemon juice
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon baking powder
⅛ teaspoon baking soda
1½ cups flour
½ cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla, egg, lemon zest, and juice and stir until well-mixed.
Stir in all dry ingredients (except powdered sugar) slowly until just combined.
Pour powdered sugar onto a large plate. Roll a heaping teaspoon of dough into a ball and roll in powdered sugar. Place on a greased or parchment-lined baking sheet and repeat with remaining dough.
Bake for 9-11 minutes or until bottoms begin to barely brown. Remove from oven and cool about 3 minutes on the baking sheet before transferring to cooling rack.

Makes 2-3 dozen cookies.

Average Fork Rating: 4
Mr. Diner: 4
Mrs. Diner: 4
Amazing Diner: 4
Sweet Diner: 4
Little Diner: 4

Food Holiday Link Party: National Salad Month

2013-05-13T09:58:00.001-06:00

Summer is taking off around here. The kids only have a couple weeks left in school and it’s getting hot. That totally puts me in the mood for a good salad. I could go for a fresh green salad right now with a fantastic vinaigrette, fruit, blue cheese, & some candied nuts – one of my favorite combinations. What about you? What’s your favorite salad?

Link up any salad recipe (green, macaroni, potato, pasta, etc.). Linky is open Monday through Friday. On Saturday, we’ll feature our favorites and the most-clicked on post (all of which will be pinned on our Pinterest boards). Each week, we’ll be back with a new food holiday celebration. Here’s what’s coming up the rest of May:

May 20-24 National Strawberry Month
May 27-31 National Asparagus Month

A few rules:

Please follow Rate the Plate Utah. To make sure you get future link party notifications in a timely manner, we recommend subscribing by email.
Link to a specific post (not your home page) that is related to the theme (we reserve the right to delete any posts that are inappropriate, spam-like, or otherwise not related to the current link party theme). Can be a new or old post.
Visit at least 2 other entries and leave comments or pin the ones you love.
Please share by posting about our link party on Facebook, Twitter, and/or putting our party button anywhere on your blog.
By submitting your post, you are giving permission to feature a link & picture from your blog on our features post, if chosen. Please submit posts that feature your own photographs.

Time for the fun! Come back on Saturday to see the features!

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Food Holiday Features: National Raisin Week

2013-05-11T22:26:00.001-06:00

We’re back with the features from National Raisin Week, and the Bath Buns that are the Click Pic Feature sound amazing! Check out all the features from this week below. If you’re following along, here’s what’s coming up the rest of the month:

May 13-17   National Salad Month
May 20-24    National Strawberry Month
May 27-31    National Asparagus Month

I’m really excited about the summery themes coming up: salad, strawberries, & asparagus! Yum! Here are our fabulous features from this week:

Click Pic Feature (most clicked on): Bath Buns from Home Cooking with Sonya

My Picks:

Cream Cheese Marbled Carrot Bars by Dessert Now, Dinner Later

Chocolate Chip Raisin Cake from I Dig Pinterest

Thank You Bread from Java Cupcake

Eat Out Central California Review: Linn’s of Cambria

2013-05-08T11:07:00.001-06:00

During our getaway to Cambria, California, the guy at our hotel’s front desk recommended Linn’s Restaurant as a great place for a meal…and pie.

We went for a late lunch after our visit to Heart Castle. Linn’s has a main street boutique feeling to it with a shop, bakery counter, & a small dining room. The shop features gift items including Linn’s packaged food items. The bakery counter is extremely tempting and we didn’t resist. I’ll show you what we took home after our meal.

The server was friendly and recommended all his favorites. Linn’s uses fresh local Hearst Beef in all their burgers and has a Hearst Burger, which our server said he loves and eats once a week. They are also known for their own farm-grown olallieberries and pies (and, of course, olallieberry pie).

Olallieberry Lemonade ($3) – Pretty, but fairly mild. I would have liked more lemon flavor.

Seafood Pot Pie ($18) – The crust was amazingly flaky and filled with rock shrimp, bay scallops, cod & mushrooms in a thin, creamy sauce. Served with a wonderfully delicious and sweet house salad with roasted tomatoes, gorgonzola crumbles, balsamic onions, & sundried tomato vinaigrette.

Dungeness Crab Melt ($15) – A generous amount of sweet crab with Gruyere cheese, avocado, and sundried tomato pesto on local cracked wheat sourdough. It really was a wonderful combination. Served with Apple-Olallieberry Slaw.

Pasilla Pepper Jack Burger ($13) – 1/2 pound Hearst Beef burger with Pasilla peppers, pepper jack cheese, crisp bacon, grilled onions, and barbecue sauce. The tomatoes were really tasty; they must have been locally grown, too. Mr. Diner thought it was a great burger.

Hearst Burger ($13) – Smoked Gouda, red onion, garlic aioli, & avocado ($1 extra). These hamburger patties were so good; they were like eating steak!

Kids Burger – The hamburger was good, but look at how small it was compared to the bun! I know many kids don’t like things on their burgers, but it would be nice to have more than just a burger & bun.

Kids Chicken Fingers – Real chicken, thank goodness! Sweet Diner thought these were just average, though.

The food was really good and seemed to be made from fresh, high quality ingredients. If you’re in the area, I would definitely recommend stopping in at Linn’s for a meal. If you don’t have room for a treat, be sure to get something to go, too. Check out the bakery counter (and this is only half of it):

We got a few treats to enjoy at home.

Cinnamon Roll – Delicious with a vanilla frosting, but not gooey as I like my cinnamon rolls

Olallieberry Cream Muffins – I loved these the best. They were moist and cake-like with large spots of berries and little swirls of cream cheese.

Olallieberry Pie ($5.50/slice) – Featured on Food Network’s “Best Thing I Ever Ate by the Slice”, the Olallieberry Pie is slightly tart with a nice thick & flaky crust.

Linn’s also has several other area shops including their Easy as Pie Café, Linn’s Gourmet Goods, Linn’s Homestyle Gifts & Sale Loft, and Linn’s Original Farmstore. Some of their products are also available in Central California stores and are available to ship across the country from their online store. I hope to make it back to their Farmstore sometime.

Linn’s Restaurant
2277 Main Street
Cambria, California
(805) 927-0371

Entrée Price: $$
Average Fork Rating: 4
Mr. Diner: 4.5
Mrs. Diner: 4.5
Amazing Diner: 4.5
Sweet Diner: 3
Little Diner: 3
Guest Diner M: 4
Guest Diner D: 4.5

Food Holiday Link Party: National Raisin Week

2013-05-06T09:16:00.001-06:00

When I think of raisins, I think of a little box of snacks, oatmeal raisin cookies, cinnamon-raisin bread, cinnamon rolls, Trader Joes bag of amazing assorted raisins (addictive!), and the California Raisin commercials. Who else remembers…

Link up any recipes with raisins as an ingredient. Linky is open Monday through Friday. On Saturday, we’ll feature our favorites and the most-clicked on post (all of which will be pinned on our Pinterest boards). Each week, we’ll be back with a new food holiday celebration. For those of you who want to plan ahead, here’s what’s ahead:

May 13-17   National Salad Month
May 20-24    National Strawberry Month
May 27-31    National Asparagus Month

A few rules:

Please follow Rate the Plate Utah. To make sure you get future link party notifications in a timely manner, we recommend subscribing by email.
Link to a specific post (not your home page) that is related to the theme (we reserve the right to delete any posts that are inappropriate, spam-like, or otherwise not related to the current link party theme). Can be a new or old post.
Visit at least 2 other entries and leave comments or pin the ones you love.
Please share by posting about our link party on Facebook, Twitter, and/or putting our party button anywhere on your blog.
By submitting your post, you are giving permission to feature a link & picture from your blog on our features post, if chosen. Please submit posts that feature your own photographs.

Time for the fun! Come back on Saturday to see the features!

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Food Holiday Features: National BBQ Month

2013-05-05T13:28:00.001-06:00

The features are a day late this weekend; it’s been one of those weeks. But, we did enjoy a neighborhood barbecue last night thanks to some nice neighbors who invited us over for some fabulous food! I just love food cooked over a flame and am excited to share the features from this week’s BBQ Month Link Party! If you’re following along, here’s what’s coming up the rest of the month:

May 6-10     National Raisin Week
May 13-17   National Salad Month
May 20-24    National Strawberry Month
May 27-31    National Asparagus Month

Here are our fabulous features from this week:

Click Pic Feature (most clicked on): The Best Pulled Pork Sandwiches from Schaffer Sisters

My Picks:

Grilled Avocados from Jani Serendipity

East-West Grilled Tenderloin from Fish Food Favorites

BBQ Meatball Sliders from Dessert Now, Dinner Later

National Raisin Week is coming up next!

Eat In Recipe: Buttermilk Waffles

2013-05-03T22:29:00.001-06:00

Sweet Diner is a pancake girl; she knows how to make pancakes and will get up and make them for anyone who will eat them. Amazing Diner, though, is a waffle kid. He could take or leave pancakes most of the time, but waffles are another story. I get it…there’s something wonderful about a good waffle that is nice and crisp on the outside and soft on the inside, hot, and has all its little squares pooled with butter and syrup.

I’ve tried a few good waffle recipes, but my favorite basic waffle recipe is this one from Christopher Kimball’s amazing The Cook's Bible (I’ve had this awesome cookbook since we got married & love it!). You can even have decent leftover waffles to pop in the toaster the next morning if you have extras.

Buttermilk Waffles from The Cook's Bible
2 cups flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs, separated
1 3/4 cups buttermilk
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Preheat waffle iron. Mix dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, buttermilk, & melted butter.
Beat egg whites until they just hold a 2” peak.
Slowly add liquid ingredients to the dry, gently mixing with a rubber spatula, until evenly mixed, but with spots of unincorporated flour. Batter will be quite thick.
Gently fold in egg whites being careful not to over mix.
Spread batter in the waffle iron. Cook until a deep brown. Serve immediately.

Serves 4.

Average Fork Rating: 3.6
Mr. Diner: 4
Mrs. Diner: 4
Amazing Diner: 4
Sweet Diner: 3
Little Diner: 3

New Arby's King's Hawaiian Sandwiches & Sweepstakes

2013-05-02T07:00:00.001-06:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Arby's for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Arby's has paired with King's Hawaiian for a couple new sandwiches.

Arby’s KING’S HAWAIIAN roast beef sandwich - roast beef piled on a soft, sweet King's Hawaiian bun
Arby's KING'S HAWAIIAN roast beef & swiss sandwich - roast beef, swiss, sweet pickles, & creamy dijon spread on a King's Hawaiian bun

These are offered for a limited time only, so if you want one, run to Arby's and grab one before they're gone.

To celebrate this pairing, Arby's is also hosting Arby’s Hawaiian Getaway Sweepstakes for a 4-night Hawaiian getaway for two including accommodations on Oahu, roundtrip airfare, rental car, & a lot of fun extras. It's easy to enter...just head over to Arby’s Hawaiian Getaway Sweepstakes & fill out the form between now & May 26, 2013. I'm going to; I've been itching for a Hawaiian vacation.

Food Holiday Link Party: National BBQ Month

2013-04-29T01:37:00.000-06:00

The weather is finally warming up around here. We had our first hot dog roast of the season tonight & my kids were begging for us to pull out the grill and cook up some tri-tip. Soon, kids, soon. It’s warmed up just in time, too, because it’s National BBQ Month! Link up anything you cook on the barbecue or anything with a barbecue flavor. Oh, I’m craving it right now just thinking about it!

Linky is open Monday through Friday. On Saturday, we’ll feature our favorites and the most-clicked on post (all of which will be pinned on our Pinterest boards). Each week, we’ll be back with a new food holiday celebration. For those of you who want to plan ahead, here’s what’s ahead:

April 29-May 3    National BBQ Month
May 6-10     National Raisin Week
May 13-17   National Salad Month

A few rules:

Please follow Rate the Plate Utah. To make sure you get future link party notifications in a timely manner, we recommend subscribing by email.
Link to a specific post (not your home page) that is related to the theme (we reserve the right to delete any posts that are inappropriate, spam-like, or otherwise not related to the current link party theme). Can be a new or old post.
Visit at least 2 other entries and leave comments or pin the ones you love.
Please share by posting about our link party on Facebook, Twitter, and/or putting our party button anywhere on your blog.
By submitting your post, you are giving permission to feature a link & picture from your blog on our features post, if chosen. Please submit posts that feature your own photographs.

Time for the fun! Come back on Saturday to see the features!

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Food Holiday Features: National Soft Pretzel Month

2013-04-27T17:48:00.001-06:00

It’s Saturday, which means we get to share some features from this week’s Food Holiday Link Party! And (drum roll, please) after getting your input, next week’s theme is going to be National BBQ Month! The weather here is finally feeling like barbecue weather just in time! Hope it’s nice where you are. Here are the upcoming themes for the next few weeks:

April 29-May 3    National BBQ Month
May 6-10     National Raisin Week
May 13-17   National Salad Month

Check out these fabulous Soft Pretzel Month features:

Click Pic Feature (most clicked on): Soft Pretzels Can Be Sweet by Winelady Cooks

My Picks:

Pretzel Rolls by Curious Cuisiniere

30 Minute Soft Pretzels by Home Cooking with Sonya

See you on Monday for some delicious BBQ!

Eat Out Review: Molly’s

2013-04-26T14:56:00.001-06:00

I’ve been hearing about Molly’s since before it opened when a friend of the owners gave me a brochure for their catering company (Marvellous Catering) and told me about the new restaurant that was about to open. Flash forward three years and we finally stopped in to try it! What took us so long? Mostly the fact that they were only open for weekday lunches until recently. Now they are also open for dinner on Fridays, which is when we took the opportunity to go.

Molly’s has gotten rave reviews from almost everyone who’s been there. I certainly have not talked to anyone in person who hasn’t liked it, although there are a few number of negative online reviews. It’s a little underwhelming when you walk in…it’s cafeteria-style service and the décor feels dated, but the food is what counts, right?

There’s a big menu on the wall to peruse while you wait in line (and, yes, there is usually a line). I actually wish they would have little signs on the clear glass in front of the food or another menu board behind the servers so you didn’t have to refer to the one on the side (a little awkward). It would also be more appealing to see the food instead of having it covered, but I’m sure the covered option is more hygienic, right?

The options are comfort food favorites like Beef Brisket, French Chicken, Chicken Pot Pie, etc. with a choice of sides and bread. Just tell the server behind the counter what you’d like and they’ll load up your plate (except for the bread…help yourself to whatever suits your fancy)…oh, and don’t forget to ask for dessert, too!

There isn’t a kids’ menu, but they will serve up a kids portion of whatever your little tyke desires. At lunch, they do offer macaroni & cheese, too.

Marbled Beef Brisket with Mashed Potatoes, Baked Beans, & White Artisan Bread ($8.95)– Tender & juicy smoked brisket with great flavor. Two types of barbecue sauce are located at every table. We found both to be delicious. The mashed potatoes are delicious and the beans are a thick mixture of multiple kinds of beans.

Lean Beef Brisket with Dutch Oven Spuds, Spinach Salad, & Cheddar Biscuit ($8.95)– This beef brisket is leaner than the marbled with plenty of flavor, but not quite as juicy. The red potatoes have cubed ham and cheddar cheese and are good, but no better than some I’ve had at home. The spinach salad features a mix of spinach and other greens, strawberries, dried cranberries, slivered almonds, and cheese with a delicious light dressing.

Potato Corn Chowder with White Artisan Bread ($2.95)– Deliciously creamy with sweet white corn kernels that seemed so fresh they could be right off the cob!

Kids Grilled Chicken with Baked Beans & Cheddar Biscuit – Simple, but delicious smaller portion for kids. Other chicken options (French or Smoked) are both on the bone, so this is a good one for kids. The Cheddar Biscuit is reminiscent of Red Lobster’s, but less garlicky.

Carrot Cake ($2)– Very moist with lots of shredded carrots, nuts, and coconut and topped with a thick layer of cream cheese frosting.

Raspberry Bread Pudding ($2.50)– A really great bread pudding loaded with fresh raspberry flavor and drenched in white chocolate sauce. I think I could eat this every day.

Cookie ($1.50) – Not sure what this cookie was called, but is was a peanut butter cookie with chocolate chunks and a caramel ribbon. It was perfectly delicious!

Molly’s is a pretty simple place with good, homestyle cooking. Some options were very good; others were good, but just as good as we make at home. Nothing that we tried wasn’t tasty, though, and the desserts were fantastic! The prices are reasonable and the portions are, too. I’ve heard rave reviews about the Tomato Basil Pie and French Chicken, not to mention the Chocolate Cream Cheese Cake, so I might have to do some further investigating. I don’t think my family would mind.

If you’re planning to go to Molly’s, check the hours to make sure they’re open and plan to arrive early so you can get a seat. The dining room is a bit crowded, but they do have outdoor seating, as well…and the weather for it is perfect right now!

Molly’s
753 W Columbia Ln
Provo, UT 84604
(801) 374-0879

Hours: Tuesday – Friday, 11 am – 2 pm
Friday, 5:00 – 9:00 pm

Entrée Price: $
Average Fork Rating: 4.2
Mr. Diner: 4
Mrs. Diner: 4
Sweet Diner: 4.5

Giveaway: Vermont Signature Sauces

2013-04-23T11:54:00.001-06:00

We were given free product for both this review & giveaway, but all opinions are 100% our own, honest review.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been sampling four fabulous gourmet sauces from Vermont Signature Sauces. When I first opened the box, I was already impressed by the beauty and elegance of these jars of sauce. There are currently four sauces available: Marchand de Vin, Chipotle Cream, Delman Sauce, & Marsala with Wild Mushrooms. More are in the works including a Pomegranate Sauce and Pesto Cream. They are sophisticated, full flavor sauces already prepared for you to serve a high quality meal in a shorter amount of time.

Vermont Signature Sauces provides a few recipe ideas, which we used. With soccer season in full swing here, I opted for the quicker recipe ideas.

Delman Chicken & Pasta (Delman Sauce)

We loved the light, sweet flavor of this sauce, which is a blend of sweet sherry, tarragon, & orange. Recommended uses: lamb, chicken, veal, or tortellini.

Filet Mignon with Marchand de Vin (Marchand de Vin)

We used a different cut of steak, but this sauce was delicious and rich, classic French red wine reduction sauce. Recommended uses: steak or roast.

Chipotle Chicken Quesadilla with Caramelized Onions & Peppers (Chipotle Cream)

I loved this sweet-smoky-creamy sauce, which incorporates both cream and chipotle peppers. I thought the quesadilla was even better with a few greens on top.
Recommended Uses: beef, chicken, & seafood.

Marsala Puff with Mushrooms & Cheddar (Marsala with Wild Mushrooms)

The Marsala sauce (a blend of marsala wine and wild mushrooms) had a lot of beautiful mushrooms and a sweet-acidic flavor.
Recommended uses: veal, chicken, beef, or pasta.

All the sauces were delicious, but our favorites were the Chipotle Cream and the Delman Sauce. The Chipotle Cream seems like a very versatile sauce and the Delman Sauce had a lovely delicate sweet flavor.

The 6 oz. size (which is what we had & generally serves 4) retails for $7. They also sell a 12 oz. jar for $13. You can purchase them online or find a shop that sells them near you. They are not currently sold in any Utah stores, but hopefully will be soon! Follow Vermont Signature Sauces on Facebook to find out all their new retail locations!

Vermont Signature Sauces has been kind enough to offer a set of sauces for one of our readers to try!

To Enter: See the Rafflecopter form to enter.

Giveaway Closes: 12:00 am MST on Monday, April 29, 2013. Winners will be contacted by email and will have 48 hours to respond. You must be at least 18 years old and have a US address. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Food Holiday Link Party: National Soft Pretzel Month

2013-04-22T12:01:00.001-06:00

Have you made soft pretzels at home before? For a long while I had the impression that they were labor-intensive & I shied away from them. Then I actually tried making them & found that they were not as hard as I thought & completely delicious as rolls, sandwich buns, or just a snack. Here’s my version: Homemade Soft Pretzel Rolls. I’d love to see yours! Just link up any recipe that includes anything with soft pretzels!

April 29-May 3    You Choose: National BBQ Month or National Strawberry Month
(leave a comment here or vote on our Facebook poll)
May 6-10     National Raisin Week
May 13-17   National Salad Month

A few rules:

Please follow Rate the Plate Utah. To make sure you get future link party notifications in a timely manner, we recommend subscribing by email.
Link to a specific post (not your home page) that is related to the theme (we reserve the right to delete any posts that are inappropriate, spam-like, or otherwise not related to the current link party theme). Can be a new or old post.
Visit at least 2 other entries and leave comments or pin the ones you love.
Please share by posting about our link party on Facebook, Twitter, and/or putting our party button anywhere on your blog.
By submitting your post, you are giving permission to feature a link & picture from your blog on our features post, if chosen. Please submit posts that feature your own photographs.

Time for the fun! Come back on Saturday to see the features!

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Food Holiday Features: National Pecan Month

2013-04-20T13:04:00.001-06:00

Participation was a bit low for National Pecan Month. I guess people aren’t as excited about pecans as there were about garlic…or they don’t use them as much in their cooking. But there were still some delicious things submitted! Still need more votes for April 29-May 3. Do you want to celebrate National BBQ Month or National Strawberry Month? Vote on our Facebook poll & or leave a comment on this post!

April 22-26 National Soft Pretzel Month
April 29-May 3 You Choose: National BBQ Month or National Strawberry Month
(leave a comment or vote on our Facebook poll)
May 6-10 National Raisin Week

Here are some of the great posts from National Pecan Month:

Click Pic Feature (most clicked on): Nut-Crusted Orange Roughy from Fish Food Favorites

My Picks:

Blueberry Banana Bread with Streusel Topping from ReMarkable Home

Maple Pecan Yam Bake from Jani Serendipity

Almost Famous Pecan Waffles from Five Little Chefs

Pompeian's Time to Change Your Oil Contest

2013-04-18T19:00:00.001-06:00

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Pompeian for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

I use a lot of olive oil and canola oil in my cooking, both of which I consider to be more healthful oils that some out there. I also have started to use coconut oil, but often forget about it. You may be familiar with the brand Pompeian because of their line of olive oils, but they also make grapeseed oil.

I have not used it yet, but according to what I've read, grapeseed oil has similar benefits to olive oil, but has a lighter taste and higher smoke point, making it even easier to incorporate into recipes. To get your taste buds primed and spark your creativity, check out their recipe for Beef-Stir Fry.

With Pompeian’s Time to Change Your Oil contest, they are encouraging bloggers to create a recipe using either Grapeseed Oil or their OlivExtra Premium Mediterranean Blend, post it to their blogs with an image, and enter it for a chance to win a paid trip to the BlogHer 2013 conference in Austin, TX June. Each person who enters will receive a voucher for a free bottle of Pompeian oil. I would love to attend this conference! Why would you like to win? Go check out the details & enter: Pompeian’s Time to Change Your Oil.

Eat Out Central California Review: Old Stone Station

2013-04-18T01:51:00.000-06:00

Along the central coast of California about halfway between San Francisco and LA, there’s a fun little town called Cambria. We had the joy of staying overnight there and (of course) tried out a few local restaurants. One of those was Old Stone Station, located right on Cambria’s quaint artsy Main Street. Old Stone Station fits right in with their funky antique-decked interior. See that awesome root beer dispenser in the corner? I totally fell in love with it & wanted to take it home with me!

The folks at Old Stone Station were friendly and casual. There were quite a few families there and we fit right in with our three kids. They also have a nice outdoor dining area.

Anyway….on to the food, right?

The bread was soft and fresh…the only problem was that it was gone in a minute. There was just about one piece per person, but it was good.

Dinners are served with salad or Clam Chowder or salad. The salad had fresh, high-quality vegetables. The Clam Chowder was loaded with flavorful clams and skin-on potatoes and had a unique flavor that I couldn’t quite put my finger on, but it was good.

One of the cool things at Old Stone Station is that you can pay $7 and upgrade any starter to a full meal. These Crab Cakes ($11 as appetizer) are one of those starter-turned-meals.

The Old Stone Special ($11 as appetizer) is a really unique dish: “scallops, shrimp, crab, calamari, halibut on a bed of sushi rice topped with cream sauce and baked”. I wasn’t exactly sure before I tried it, but it was pretty good with a slight sweetness to it and quite creamy.

The Crispy Shrimp ($18) had a cornmeal-type coating and were pretty average.

The biggest disappointment was the bacon-wrapped Filet Mignon ($29). It came out well-done instead of medium, so they brought a new one. Even then, it just wasn’t great.

The kids ordered steaks and a corn dog. Their steaks were actually cooked correctly, but they still weren’t in love with their food, either. I really wanted to love this place, but there are much better dining spots in town.

Old Stone Station
713 Main St.
Cambria, CA 93428
(805) 927-4229

Entrée Price: $$$
Average Fork Rating: 3.4
Mr. Diner: 3
Mrs. Diner: 3.5
Amazing Diner: 3
Sweet Diner: 3.5
Little Diner: 4
Guest Diner M: 3.5
Guest Diner D: 3.5

Eat In Recipe: Kung Pao Chicken

2013-04-16T03:49:00.000-06:00

It may not be a staple meal in most American households, but I grew up having my dad’s Kung Pao Chicken regularly and have continued to make it frequently in my own home. I love the salty-spicy flavors, the tender chicken, the nuttiness of the peanuts, and the crunchy bites of water chestnuts. I usually have all the ingredients on hand, so it’s one of those meals that I frequently fall back on when I’m not sure what’s for dinner.

If you are a little scared of making Chinese dishes, just remember to prep everything ahead of time because the time goes quickly while you’re cooking. The spiciness can easily be adjusted by the number of peppers you include & how many you break open. With my kids, I usually include all six peppers, but only break one open. Everyone (except Little Diner who didn’t eat anything but a bite and isn’t loving much of anything except quesadillas & hot dogs lately) in my family likes this meal. Give it a try & let me know what you think.

Larry’s Kung Pao Chicken
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3/4-1 pound), cut into 3/4” pieces
6-10 dried red chili pods
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 cup roasted peanuts
hot chili oil, optional

Marinade:
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons dry sherry*
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Seasonings:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon dry sherry*
2 tablespoons red rice vinegar (may use rice vinegar or red vinegar)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 tablespoon cornstarch paste**

Vegetables:
10 water chestnuts, cut into quarters (about half a can)
1/4 cup julienned bamboo shoots (about half a can)
2 green onions, cut into 1/2” pieces
1 clove garlic, minced

Put chicken pieces in a medium-sized bowl and add marinade ingredients to it in order. Stir to evenly coat chicken. Let marinate for about 20-30 minutes. Meanwhile, prep vegetables and put aside and mix seasoning ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Heat 2 cups of vegetable oil in a hot wok (or deep skillet) and bring to about 300 degrees. Add chicken, stirring to separate pieces. Blanch for about one minute. Remove and drain. If your chicken pieces are crowded in the pan, do this in two batches.
Remove all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the wok and reheat, swirling to coat the sides. Add 6-10 chili pods, breaking only one in half. Stir for about 45 seconds, until pods are browned but not burned.
Return chicken to the pan and cook for one to two minutes until browned. Add vegetables, stir-frying for about one minute. Add seasonings, mixing thoroughly, and cook until thickened.
Sprinkle with sesame oil and roasted peanuts. If you would like it spicier, ad a little hot chili oil, too.
Serve over rice.

Serves 5-6.

*Substitutes for dry sherry: Apple cider, orange juice, pineapple juice, half white vinegar/half chicken broth.
**To make cornstarch paste, mix equal parts cornstarch and water together in a small bowl.

Average Fork Rating: 4.3
Mr. Diner: 4
Mrs. Diner: 4.5
Amazing Diner: 4.5
Sweet Diner: 4

Food Holiday Link Party: National Pecan Month

2013-04-15T01:23:00.000-06:00

Pecans are definitely one of my go-to nuts. I just love them in cookies, breads, etcetera, etcetera. Check out these pecan posts on our blog: Ruth’s Chris Sweet Potato Casserole, Texas Pecan Pie Bars, & Oatmeal Cake with Broiled Icing. But enough about me…I want to see your pecan posts. Link up anything with pecans as an ingredient.

April 22-26 National Soft Pretzel Month
April 29-May 3 You Choose: National BBQ Month or National Strawberry Month
(leave a comment here or vote on our Facebook poll)
May 6-10 National Raisin Week

A few rules:

Please follow Rate the Plate Utah. To make sure you get future link party notifications in a timely manner, we recommend subscribing by email.
Link to a specific post (not your home page) that is related to the theme (we reserve the right to delete any posts that are inappropriate, spam-like, or otherwise not related to the current link party theme). Can be a new or old post.
Visit at least 2 other entries and leave comments or pin the ones you love.
Please share by posting about our link party on Facebook, Twitter, and/or putting our party button anywhere on your blog.
By submitting your post, you are giving permission to feature a link & picture from your blog on our features post, if chosen. Please submit posts that feature your own photographs.

Time for the fun! Come back on Saturday to see the features!

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Food Holiday Features: National Garlic Month

2013-04-13T16:31:00.001-06:00

Lots of great savory recipe with garlic in them were submitted this week. It was so hard to choose my own picks for this one! Thanks to everyone who linked up. I need your help for the week of April 29-May 3, though…I just couldn’t decide whether to celebrate BBQ or strawberries that week, so please leave a comment on this post or go to my Facebook poll & vote on which one we should celebrate! There’s only one lonely vote so far.

April 15-19    National Pecan Month
April 22-26 National Soft Pretzel Month
April 29-May 3    You Choose: National BBQ Month or National Strawberry Month (leave a comment or vote on our Facebook poll)
May 6-10     National Raisin Week

Here are some of the great posts that were submitted for our garlic link up:

Click Pic Feature (most clicked on): How to Make Perfect Roasted Garlic from Flour On My Face

My Picks:

Vegetable Tian from Three in Three

Garlic-Herb Braid from Fish Food Favorites

Mongolian Chicken from The Best Blog Recipes

Tomato-Basil Bruschetta from Jani Serendipity

Garlic Dill Dip from Party Craft’n Mommy

One-Pan Garlic Chicken & Potatoes

Eat Out San Francisco Review: Fog Harbor Fish House

2013-04-10T14:33:00.001-06:00

Who else craves seafood when they’re anywhere near the ocean? I sure do! We took a trip out to the Bay Area for Spring Break and had to have some seafood while we were at Pier 39. The last time we were there, we ate at Pier Market. This time we decided to try Fog Harbor Fish House which, it turns out, is owned and operated by the same people who run Pier Market.

Fog Harbor Fish House is located near the entrance of Pier 39 on the upper level with pretty good views of the bay. We had a nice semi-circular booth that faced the windows even though it was a little further away. We were there on a weekday between meal times and were seated immediately. If you have to wait, they have a really nice covered waiting area with a fireplace, comfortable seating, and a water feature.

As soon as Mr. Diner saw the menu, he knew he wanted the Red Chili Garlic Shrimp appetizer ($14.00), a saucy & spicy shrimp dish loaded with onions, peppers, garlic, & chili paste. There are just a handful of shrimp, but it is delicious & Mr. Diner said it was “worth every penny” & if we come back, he’ll order two! Ask for an extra loaf of bread to sop up all the saucy goodness of this dish.

The Sourdough Bread is thickly sliced and deliciously crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

Cup of Clam Chowder ($5.00) – Deliciously thick, hot, & creamy.

Fish & Chips ($16.00) – The fish was really tender with a great beer batter – just how we like it! The coleslaw had a unique horseradish flavor, but lacked the creamy tangy mayonnaise that is typical of most coleslaws. Not our favorite. Fries were typical. We also ordered the Fried Combo ($21.00) which includes fish, calamari, & shrimp, but I forgot to snap a picture. The shrimp were large and good and the calamari was amazingly tender.

Crab Roll with Sweet Potato Fries ($19.00) – This sandwich was delicious with sweet crab, celery, & shallot aioli served on a really buttery toasted roll. It was really good, but quite small for the price. The fries (you know I love sweet potato fries) were delicious.

Two of the kids opted for the Kids Shrimp Meal ($6.95) & Little Diner chose the Kids Hot Dog Meal ($5.95). Both came with a choice of side. The hot dog, fries, & broccoli were typical. Although the shrimp looks delicious, both kids complained that the shrimp were overcooked and tough.

Overall, we enjoyed the food at Fog Harbor, but felt it was quite pricey. Pier Market is a little bit less expensive, but we did think the food at Fog Harbor was a little better. The service was good. As I eyed the dessert tray, I really wished I had room to sample some sweet treats; they looked delicious…especially the Chocolate Bread Pudding! Yum!

Fog Harbor Fish House
Pier 39 Concourse #202
San Francisco, CA 94133
415-421-2442

Entrée Price: $$$
Average Fork Rating: 3.5
Mr. Diner: 5
Mrs. Diner: 4
Amazing Diner: 2
Sweet Diner: 2.5
Little Diner: 4
Guest Diner: 3.5

Food Holiday Link Party: National Garlic Month

2013-04-08T01:30:00.000-06:00

My dad should love this one…he’s a garlic lover! I actually was thinking all about garlic last week as we drove through the town of Gilroy, California. They have a huge garlic festival, but it isn’t until July. I’ve never been to the Gilroy Garlic Festival, but from what I hear they have everything you can imagine made from garlic: garlic bread, garlic fries, garlic nuts, garlic fish, even garlic ice cream! Now, we’re not going to get quite so crazy here this week (well, if you want to, go for it), but please link up any post that has garlic as an ingredient. It doesn’t have to be the focus of the recipe, but if do happen to have a garlic ice cream recipe, by all means, tell us all about it!

April 15-19 National Pecan Month
April 22-26 National Soft Pretzel Month
April 29-May 3 You Choose: National BBQ Month or National Strawberry Month
(leave a comment here or vote on our Facebook poll)

A few rules:

Please follow Rate the Plate Utah. To make sure you get future link party notifications in a timely manner, we recommend subscribing by email.
Link to a specific post (not your home page) that is related to the theme (we reserve the right to delete any posts that are inappropriate, spam-like, or otherwise not related to the current link party theme). Can be a new or old post.
Visit at least 2 other entries and leave comments or pin the ones you love.
Please share by posting about our link party on Facebook, Twitter, and/or putting our party button anywhere on your blog.
By submitting your post, you are giving permission to feature a link & picture from your blog on our features post, if chosen. Please submit posts that feature your own photographs.

Time for the fun! Come back on Saturday to see the features!

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Food Holiday Features: National Bake Week

2013-04-06T19:17:00.001-06:00

We’ve been busy traveling today, so I’m a little late getting these features up. We had a great Spring Break visiting my parents in California, going to prison (Alcatraz, but my kids just love to talk about going to jail for Spring Break), visiting Hearst Castle, and just spending time together. Oh, and we have a lot of great restaurant reviews coming your way!

I also wanted to thank all of you who voted for us as one of Voicebok’s Top 10 Food Blogs of 2013. Thanks to all of you, we came in second place! We appreciate the time and effort each of you took to put us there. You’re he best!

Thanks for all who linked up for Bake Week this week…so fun! Here are the upcoming food holidays we’ll be celebrating soon:

April 8-12    National Garlic Month
April 15-19    National Pecan Month
April 22-26 National Soft Pretzel Month
April 29-May 3    You Choose: National BBQ Month or National Strawberry Month (leave a comment or vote on our Facebook poll)

Check out all these great posts that were submitted this week:

Click Pic Feature (most clicked on): Strawberry Shortcake with White Chocolate Mousse from That Skinny Chick Can Bake!

My Picks:

Sour Cream Banana-Berry Bread from Dessert Now, Dinner Later

Cherry Pine Nut Cookies from Jani Serendpity

Honey Wheat Bread (Outback Steakhouse Copycat) from I Heart Eating

Paleo Beetroot Cake from The Saffron Girl

Multi-Grain Twisted Cinnamon Ring from Fish Food Favorites

Lots of yummy baked goods to keep your oven busy! On Monday we’ll start celebrating National Garlic Month…bring any recipes with garlic (doesn’t have to be the main ingredient).

Eat In Recipe: TJ Shortcut Chicken Curry

2013-04-05T22:40:00.001-06:00

Curry is one of my favorites! I love the spice mixture; I love Thai Curry; I love Indian Curry; love, love, love, love. I’m almost always up for trying a curry dish! My dear friend Aubri and I took a trip up to Trader Joe’s recently and she told me that she loves to use Trader Joe’s Thai Red Curry Sauce for a quick meal, so I definitely grabbed a bottle. In fact, I did this repeatedly while we were there. She mentioned how much she loved something & somehow it ended up in my cart…she’s got great taste.

A few days after our visit, I tried it out, adding this and that to it until it was the way I wanted it. And, of course, I’m sharing it with you! It is a mild curry sauce that has a slight heat to it with tender potatoes, carrots, and chicken.

Don’t forget to pick up a bag of Trader Joe’s Roasted Coconut Chips to sprinkle on top, too. They are SOOO good and delightful on top of curry or just as a snack. Crunchy and slightly sweet.

TJ Shortcut Chicken Curry inspired by Aubri
1 tablespoon canola oil
1/2 onion, sliced
1/2 cup carrots, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1” chunks
1 potato, boiled or baked and cut into large dices
1 bottle Trader Joe’s Thai Red Curry Sauce
3/4 cup coconut milk (about half a 14 oz. can)
1 teaspoon chili paste
juice from half a lime
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon salt
dash red pepper flakes, to taste
dash cayenne, to taste
Trader Joe’s Roasted Coconut Chips (optional)

Preheat oil in a deep, large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and carrots, sautéing until onions are translucent and carrots are getting tender.
Add garlic and chicken and cook until chicken is done.
Add potato, Curry Sauce, chili paste, coconut milk, lime juice, and spices, to taste. Turn heat down and simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally until sauce is slightly reduced and thickened.
Serve over rice. Top with Coconut Chips.

Serves 4.

Average Fork Rating: 3.3
Mrs. Diner: 4
Amazing Diner: 3
Sweet Diner: 3

Eat Out Southern California Review: Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant

2013-04-03T10:19:00.001-06:00

Eating at Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant has become a tradition in Mr. Diner’s family. If we spend a day at Knott’s Berry Farm, it always ends with dinner at Mrs. Knott’s. It’s the type of place that is nostalgic and offers a boatload of food, but then one day you discover that it isn’t quite as good as you remembered. At least, that’s what happened to us on our last visit.

We made a reservation months in advance since we had a large group. We were seated quickly, though the spot was quite awkward, being right near a service area. We had one server taking our orders and a couple other “helpers” serving food. We have always gone for their individual meals ($16.90) and gotten plenty of food. It includes an entrée, biscuits, three side items, and dessert. The food is comfort-style with a strong lean toward poultry entrees.

If you like boysenberries, this is the place to go because they have boysenberry everything. I always get the Boysenberry Punch ($2.95) to drink. It’s alright; nothing amazing, but refreshing enough and something different. In the beverage category, they also have a Boysenberry Float ($4.50) that looked dreamy, but I didn’t get a taste.

All meals come with Buttermilk Biscuits. These were served hot and were good and served to our table nice and warm.

We paid $1.00 for a scoop of Boysenberry Butter on the side. It was pretty, but not as sweet as I would have liked. Just use regular butter with their assortment of jams and jellies instead.

Chicken Noodle Soup (you can choose the soup or Cherry Rhubarb) – the soup is decent. It was a bit creamy with large noodles and chunks of chicken.

Everyone gets a side salad, which is a typical restaurant iceberg salad.

I always get Mrs. Knott’s Famous Fried Chicken, which includes corn (or cabbage) and mashed potatoes with gravy. The fried chicken is good – crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. It isn’t heavily breaded, but is under-seasoned. The corn and mashed potatoes aren’t anything to write home about. The potatoes actually seemed a bit sticky and pasty to me and I wondered if they were “real” mashed potatoes.

Mr. Diner chose the Chicken Fried Steak, which was also served with corn and potatoes. He thought it was okay, but the gravy wasn’t really seasoned.

I felt too stuffed to enjoy my dessert and got the Boysenberry Pie (of course) to go (other choices include Apple Pie and Vanilla Ice Cream). The pie had a generous amount of filling, but it seemed a little too sticky and gelled. Sadly, I didn’t even finish it. Mr. Diner got the Boysenberry Sherbet as dessert, which was a refreshing choice.

The service on this occasion was so poor that it overshadowed any of the food. Our server was friendly enough, but quite slow and forgetful even though she looked like she was writing everything down. Several of our orders were incorrect or missing and we had to ask multiple times to get it all straight, which is understandable with a large group. Drinks didn’t arrive until halfway through our meals and refills were virtually non-existent. The worst of it all was when a server spilled a full drink on one of the women in our group, getting it all over her, her clothes, her child, and her food. She apologized, but then took forever to bring out new food. She said the manager would come talk to us, but finally told us the manager was too busy. They didn’t even comp any of the food or give us a voucher for a free shirt. Very disappointing.

Overall, the food is okay, but if you have a problem, don’t count on great service. If you would like to go, you don’t have to pay for park admission since the restaurant is actually outside the entrance gate, but you still have to pay for parking.

Mrs. Knott’s Chicken Dinner Restaurant
8039 Beach Blvd
Buena Park, CA 90620
714-220-5080

Entrée Price: $$$
Average Fork Rating: 2.6
Mr. Diner: 3
Mrs. Diner: 2
Amazing Diner: 3
Sweet Diner: 3
Little Diner: 2