The Lake and Lake Avenue Cafe

I was absolutely thrilled to get to go here with Kim.

I had been to the Lake Avenue Cafe once before and it was

only for an afternoon beverage. I was super excited to actually order from the menu!

When we sat down, I immediately ordered a pizza for the kids.

I ordered a Bridged for myself.

(cranberry, honey and sage infused bourbon and ginger soda.)

Chorizo stuffed dates with smoked pepper aioli.

Lake superior fish cakes with pickled asparagus, and cucumber horseradish.

That's all we got- We didn't get around to ordering

because someone was being crabby.

(I'll give you a hint...they are 1 and 5 year old little boys)

The next morning we got up early and took a walk

along the lakeshore.

Beautiful!

Lochlan looking over the water.

Pieces of Ice along the shoreline.

The sounds were amazing...the pieces of ice crashing into each other.

Iceberg!

Felix navigating the rocks and ice.

Watching the ice.

He saw a dog. So of course he ran to say, "Hello."

After our fun morning together they were off to the

cities with Grandma and Grandpa.

I headed back towards the border all alone.

I intended to head straight back, but I saw all of these

kites in Grand Marais and thought I should

stop and have a look.

I had a coffee.

Snapped a few pictures.

And was on my way.

Trip to Duluth

The boys were lucky enough to get to spend

Spring break with their grandparents in Minnesota.

We decided that we would take our time and make a few

stops along the way.

Actually, I decided that- I don't think they really cared.

After a brief stop at Tim Hortons we stopped off at the

Thunder Oak Cheese Farm

The day was beauful and sunny.

Of course we had to get some cheese curds!

We bought some of our favourite kinds of cheese.

If you have never been out to the Thunder Oak Cheese Farm, it is a must!

Their gouda is world class!!

If you stop into the shop, you can sample every variety that they make.

Can you imagine bringing home an entire wheel of this?

YUM!

Watching the cheese making process.

Time to go!

Not long after that, Felix nodded off. The evidence of his cookie gobbling

still all over his face.

Lochlan was engrossed in a superhero DVD...

...oblivious to the stunning scenery.

We stopped off on Grand Marais for a coffee.

South of Two Harbors, we ended up taking the old Scenic Highway.

We spent about 10 minutes looking at this,

A tow truck blocking the road.

Thank goodness I have little boys, they thought

it was SO COOL! They were very engrossed with

watching the driver load the car up.

After that little delay we were off in search of some lunch.

I knew that I wanted to stop at Nokomis or new Scenic Cafe.

We ended up at the New Scenic Cafe.

And wow, scenic it was! 

We had a fantastic view of the lake, and warm sunlight was pouring in the windows.  

Clean, rustic decor.

It felt very homey.

Would you look at that view of Superior?

Felix was quite content eating ice cubes.

It must have filled him up, because he was not

very interested in his waffles.

I ordered a beet salad for a starter. It was perfect!

Lochlan ordered a grilled cheese.

The kids menu items were awesome!

They came on cool long plates.

He loved his sandwich!

My pheasant and waffles!

That egg was amazing!

The kids loved the pheasant and

probably ate more of it than I did!

The kids played with chalkboards at the table.

 Felix ended up with more chalk on his face than food.

elk+burrata=best dinner ever!

So, lets just say that the evening started off by opening a bottle of Stag's leap wine. I have had my eye on it for so long, and I finally gave in and purchased a bottle.

Kids had a fun little meal of elk and berries, fingerlings, and applesauce.

First course was Elk Carpaccio

Second broiled tomatoes and burrata wipped with the fantastic Minus 8 vinegar, made from icewine!

Felix was screaming through the first 2 courses.. it was not really ideal.

So, he came down and joined us for crab legs. we were going to have elk tenderloin, but decided that we had already had elk, plus there was no chance we were gonna get to sit down and enjoy it.

So, Crab legs and Sister Act 2 it was.

Hubbard Fries

I got one of my favourite ugly/delicious squash this weekend, the blue hubbard!

(from Belluz at the Market)

There are lots of ways that I like to enjoy, these, but I somehow got the idea that I was going to make fries. Well, I was at a PC party on Sunday, and one of the ladies was talking about how excellent french fries were on the bar pan so I had to try it.

Cut the squash in half, and give it a quick peel. Cut into strips...well, as well as you can. I guarantee there will be some weird ones. Thats ok, fries are awesome.

Toss them in some oil and place in a single layer on the bar pan. Bake at 425 for about 15 minutes. Flip them, and bake for about another 15. Keep an eye on them, they might need more or less time. Depends on your oven, and how crowded your pan is.  Mine were kind of floppy, but I love 'em all the same!

Serve with aioli with OODLES of garlic. I threw a little amablu gorgonzola in for some more depth as well.

To make an aioli dipping sauce, I am all about simple.

a clove of garlic, pressed.

Lemon juice

1/4 cup of mayo

1/2 cup of sour cream

add some pepper and gorgonzola if you want... I often add herbes de provence as well.

And there you go! French fries made from squash. Even if you think you don't like squash, there is no way to say no to french fries!

(Shameless Plug)

If you need a pampered chef bar pan, you can order one from my website.

Happy New Year!

We celebrated with Moustache pops!

How festive!

Felix LOVED them...

So much that they were all thrown on the floor. 

Five second rule! 

Happy New Year! 

This is where my stockpot went. 

Don't they know that too many cooks spoil the broth? 

The Cheese Cave

About a month ago we took an unexpected trip down to Minnesota. 

I had some time to myself, so i took a little trip down to Fairbault. The primary reason I wanted to go here is because it is where the Amablu Cheese caves are lovated. Secondly, I wanted to get Nathan some Slippers for xmas at the Woolen Mill. 

Unfortunately, the latter was closed. 

So, only cheese for me I guess. 

I I found the store that sold the Amablu cheese, since the actual caves are closed to the public (boo!) Imagine my delight when I found out that this was not only a cheesetastic store, but also a cheeserific cafe! Dare I? 

Twist my arm... OK I'll stay and have some food. 

As I was waiting patiently, by seat neighbour got his food. Baked mac and cheese- YUM! 

Total comfort food. There is even cheese on the salad

yay! 

This is the open kitchen. You can watch them prep your food.

And watch them cut the cheese. 

Unfortunately, you can also see your lunch sitting there....

Waiting to be plated. 

Wondering when it will be brought to you. 

There it is! 

Pesto Pizza drizzled with some fantastic balsamic

Whoops! All gone! 

I seriously recommend this place! Not only is it

a nice little drive, 

But the food is fantastic! 

Plus, you can sample and buy some of the 

best cheeses from Minnesota, the Midwest

and the world!