the Cheetah

I love trying out new restaurants and feeling brave enough

 to order something that doesn't include french fries and chicken tenders.

Enter:  the Electric Cheetah

I was having dinner with a friend and since we didn't have our steak-loving men with us,

 we decided to enjoy some a little-less-meaty and a little-more-girly. 

Dinner was delicious! 

My friend had a French Dip with homemade potato chips:

and I had an Italian Admiral with Wild Mushroom soup:

Prosciutto, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, basil, black pepper, and fresh mozzarella.

Oh my.  And the soup?  Luscious.  So rich and flavorful with large chunks of fresh mushrooms.  I've been wanting more even since I finished!

The painted earthy-green walls had murals on them, and cool lights hung from the ceiling. 

This cafe uses as much locally grown food they can, a lot of natural and organic.

So good!  I'll definitely go back if I get the chance.

Have you tried anything new lately?

More Jam

You might remember when I made Strawberry-Rhubarb Jam a couple months back, and although I thought it was delicious, hubby was wishing it was just plain strawberry.  Soooo, the other night I gathered the energy (and necessary ingredients) and decided to whip up a couple batches of jam: Lemon-Blueberry and my man's favorite, Strawberry. 

Freezer jam is my favorite, as it is a breeze to make and I love seeing lots of homemade-goodness stacked up in the freezer, especially in the winter.  So I prepped my load of containers and set to work!

I decided to put half the blueberries in my food processor first to give the jam a little smoother consistency.  The rest of the berries I left whole, and they would cook down as it boiled.

I cooked the blueberries and sugar, and instead of adding regular pectin at the end, I added one package of lemon gelatin.  It added just a subtle taste of lemon and made it very refreshing.

I'm hoping to try a bit of this jam slathered on some homemade waffles or pancakes! 
The rich color would make for a beautiful presentation.

Next, I moved onto the Strawberry jam, and the sinful load of sugar that goes into it!  I even called my mom to make sure my recipe was right. 

Yep, lots of sugar.

I boiled, stirred and disolved, all to make this beautiful jellied goodness.

Ta-dah! 

Into the freezer it shall go! 

What's your favorite kind of jam / jelly?

Knights and Fair Maidens

Last weekend hubby & I went to a Renaissance Faire.

There were many interesting people there:

A Juggler & Fire-eater:

We drank soda:

Cream soda, which was absolutely delicious!

And we had a wonderful time.