The Green Room

Tonight is the first installment of The Green Room. The Green Room is a “worship experience” held downtown at the Skinny Improv in Springfield. It’s designed to be a backstage experience different from the type of worship that happens on a Sunday morning. It is a place where music, art, imagery, and emotion combine to bring us closer to God. …

Vacation Time!

I’ve been pretty busy with work lately getting ready to take a week off for vacation. Being out of town several weekends to visit family and a few days during the week for work has seriously limited the cooking. Sarah and I will be going to Santa Fe, NM next week so there will be restaurant updates. If anybody has …

Slow Cooker: Italian Meatballs in Tomato Sauce

We try to cook using the Crock Pot at least once a week. These meals are easy, quick, and generally provide leftovers for later in the week (or several weeks as is the case with this recipe). To cook good food in a slow cooker generally means that you can’t just dump things in and turn it on. You have …

Cycling Update

I’ve not done so well with the cycling, but I’ve managed to keep my weekly average between 20-30 miles (except for last week when I only did 9 miles in a single ride). This week I’ve broken the 40 mile mark mainly due to some crazy riding yesterday. I have a new bike which is almost complete. I still have …

Ice Cream of the Moment: Nata (Cream Ice Cream)

Nata is Spanish word for cream. The latest in the ongoing series of ice cream flavors is simple, unadorned cream. The sugar content is slightly higher in this recipe than in previous recipes resulting in a much softer freeze — it is very scoopable. This ice cream is a perfect partner for any type of dessert, especially those usually served …

Ice Cream of the Week/Moment Update

Making a quart and a half of ice cream every week has finally pushed our ice cream eating over the edge, so the frequency of frozen desserts will slow down until the end of Summer. The title of the series will now be Ice Cream of the Moment. I’m writing up the next post shortly.

Restaurant Week: Flame

The past week (actually 9 days starting last Wednesday and continuing through Thursday) have been Restaurant Week here in Springfield. 417 Magazine got some of the best restaurants in town (and a couple of random, not so nice places) to offer special fixed price menus ($41.70 for two) and to donate a portion of the proceeds to the local Boys …

Adagio Teas – Highly Recommended

I’m a huge fan of tea — especially loose teas. One of the reason I like the Mudhouse in Springfield is that they have a selection of loose tea available. Last week I received a package from Adagio Teas containing their ingenuiTEA teapot and four ounces of tea (earl grey, rooibos earl grey, golden monkey, and cherry). I’ve now had …

Fish — Much Improved

As you may remember my first visit to Fish was good, but not what I would have expected from a restaurant owned by James Clary. Sarah and I decided to give it another try last weekend and I was very pleased. I had a pan seared tuna steak that was cooked perfectly rare with the twice baked potato and the …

Ice Cream of the Week: Blackberry Frozen Custard

This is the first French style ice cream in the ice cream of the week series. The key difference between this recipe and the previous Philadelphia style ice creams is the addition of egg yolks to make a custard. This recipe was inspired by the Good Eats episode about gourmet ice creams. Alton Browns formula is very similar to the …

Ice Cream of the Week/IMBB: Peach Tea Ice Cream

This week I’m combining the 17th IMBB topic hosted by Clement at A La Cuisine! This is the third IMBB I’ve done. I often plan items for the themes, but I never seem to write them up for the blog. The theme for July is tasteTea and I’m blending it with my weekly summer ice cream. I’m huge tea fan …