Sarah, you were definitely close enough! It’s a Crinkle Cutter, which certainly could be used for onions.
Since I know you well, I’m going to give you a choice of prize. Would you rather read, or eat something sweet? You let me know a the bus stop!
Best wishes all. Try to stay dry. Sarah and I will be pumping out our basements until next time!
A while back I wrote a post about a brilliant idea my mother and I shared for a new business; a cupcake cafe. A completely new, unique idea.
NOT.
Days after my post, I learned that Cupcake Cafe’s are everywhere. Everywhere but here, that is. My sister-in-law told me there are TWO in her town alone. So, I guess they aren’t just in NYC where there are millions of people.
Since then, I learned from my friends on Facebook that a new cupcake cafe is opening in my hometown, Saratoga Springs, NY. I’ve been following the preparation and opening of this new hotspot. I met with the owners two weeks ago during a visit home.
Mike and Liz are opening The Cupcake Lab and Cafe, at the top of the old theatre building on North Broadway. They’ve taken over the “attic” of the building, which has two entrances: one up the stairs from the main entrance to the building, and an exclusive entrance at the back on the Long Alley side. The space is wide open, with high vaulted ceilings, and treated with crisp, clean decor. It’s unlike any other restaurant or eating venue in town.
Inspiration for the design of the space came from a magazine article that was given to Mike and Liz by a local architect (who happens to be my very talented father). The images in the article showcased a modern retail location laden with light, smooth bamboo counters, lots of glass and bright backlighting. Liz and Mike translated the design to their needs, using similar materials to create a cafe where guests will feel free to speak above a whisper, settle in with their laptop, bring their kids for an afternoon snack, or hold a meeting with clients.
Obviously, the cupcakes take center stage. And I’ve tried them.
I can tell you, they are SO good. I was lucky enough to try a cherry filled cupcake with a buttercream frosting that was out of this world. Light as whipped cream and stocked with amazing flavor. My daughter scarfed down a chocolate cupcake with peanut butter frosting. Her eyes said it all, “Can I have three more?”
Though the cupcakes rule the roost, there is plenty more to grab you at the Cupcake Lab. The Cupcake Lab and Cafe will offer daily food specials, sandwiches and soup for the lunchtime crowd, specialty coffees and tea, and meals to take home for the family when you’re running short on time. Got three kids headed to three different sports tonight? Liz is known for her macaroni & cheese – pop in and grab some to take home. It’s award winning. Literally. Just last week Liz’s Mac & Cheese won the Kids Choice Award at the “Table Hopping Mac & Cheese Bowl” – best of fourteen restaurants.
And further plans are on the table too. For instance, how about a big screen set up high on a wall that will continuously play old black and white silent films. And wouldn’t the Cupcake Lab be the perfect place to hold your next business meeting or employee party? You just keep thinking about that.
The staff is ready; all trained up as Coffee Baristas (each cup is individually brewed just for you). Mike and Liz have fine-tuned the details. The beautiful new machines and appliances are ready to go. While I can’t be at the opening in person, I’ll be there in spirit, gulping down cupcake after cupcake with a nice hot cappuccino. All of you Saratogians, check it out and let me know what goodies you find. I can’t wait to hear!
The Cupcake Lab and Cafe is open NOW! Open all weekend with a limited menu and plenty of cupcakes, and then OPEN with a bang on Monday. Get there this weekend and be one of the first. It’s worth dropping whatever you’re doing. Including reading this post. Now Go!
Do you hear that every day? I do. As many of you know, I’m not the world’s best cook. I’m a work in progress. I can’t cook at all if I don’t have a recipe. At all.
So, my kids will tell you that if it weren’t for Rachael Ray and Better Homes & Gardens, they’d starve. Not true. My husband is a great cook.
But, since I get home first, it falls to me. And that’s fine with me. Well, that’s fine with me 5 nights a week. I really don’t cook on Friday and Saturday. Especially Friday.
I sit down every Sunday with my pad of paper and make up the menu for the week; perusing my two magazines, or my handful of cookbooks, choosing meals that I think I can handle in an hour’s time, while helping with homework, and hearing about everyone’s day. It’s not at all unusual for me to pick 4 recipes from one single magazine, noting the pages on my menu.
I have to say though, as long as I have a recipe, the dinner usually turns out just like the picture, and tastes good. Sometimes even really good. I note on the magazine or cookbook page how the meal was received by my family and move on to the next night.
Because this is my pattern, we rarely have the same meal twice. We have family favorites, of course; family food, recipes passed down, childhood favorites, comfort foods. I usually use these when I know I’ll be strapped for time, or if for some reason I didn’t have time to make up a menu at the beginning of the week. Those are not easy days for me. I do not cook well on the fly. I become stressed and ugly. Sometimes, I just don’t understand why we can’t just have cereal for dinner every night.
This week, I have a great menu. I like weeks like this. I’m confident that we will eat well every night this week. Here’s my menu for the week. And yes, they all come from one magazine: the April issue of Better Homes & Gardens. Page numbers are included for those who have this issue, as are direct links to the recipes online. BH&G didn’t include sides (one thing Rachael does very well), so I’ve conjured all of those on my own. Remember, we are gluten free – so I adjust sometimes, but I choose recipes that adjust easily.
Sunday:
Carribean Pork Loin with Pineapple Raisin Relish (pg. 184)
Roasted tomatoes with onions and garlic
Monday:
Frizzled Egg Spinach Salad (pgs. 174 and 218)
Rice and baked corn tortillas
Tuesday:
Basil Beef Barley Soup (pg. 194 – I had to use gf pasta instead of barley)
Tortillas with salsa
Wednesday:
Garlic Parmesan Chicken & Noodles (pg. 194)
Lettuce wedges with yogurt/cucumber/garlic dressing (easy Tzatziki)
Thursday:
Jambalaya Pizza (pg. 227)
My favorite was the Frizzled Egg Spinach Salad. I’d never frizzled before, and it was so cool. My kids were in awe. I bowed. I should have taken a picture, but we ate it too fast.
I did take a picture of the Garlic Parmesan Chicken & Noodles and the lettuce wedges. We all loved this meal. It was homey, like chicken pot pie, but without the crust. I could see adding pearl onions to this too, though it didn’t need anything. Plus, it gave me a good reason to use these cute little single serve pie dishes that I just love. Don’t you love them too? I know it.
Lettuce wedges are so simple and so easy to dress up. I love them as a side. And the kids seem to like iceberg lettuce the best. And when you dress them with a couple of heaping spoonfuls of Tzatziki, they go a little crazy. They use the lettuce like a rubber spatula to scrape up every bit.
As you can see, there is no dessert on this menu. We only have dessert on weekends in our house: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. This week, we went the easy route and bought a box of Dilly Bars and a box of Buster Bars from Dairy Queen. Sometimes though, we get pretty happy with dessert. But that’s another post for another day.
*Post script: It’s Thursday night; Jambalaya Pizza night. We had macaroni with sauce from a jar. Not Jambalaya Pizza. Rather, they had macaroni and sauce from a jar while my tiredness and my unhappy stomach and I sat up in bed and did taxes. At 9:30 I had some cream of rice and a glass of water. Sometimes that happens too.
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