Il Sogno

Sooooooo, I am kind of a foodie. Kind of. I like food. No, I LOVE food. I like to cook food, and serve food, and read about food, and write about food, and take pictures of food. I like to try new food. I love to try new restaurants.

If you're not familiar with Andrew Weissman, he's one of the most prolific top chefs in San Antonio. He has the flagship restaurant, Le Reve, which was on Gourmet's top 50 restaurants IN THE COUNTRY. I've been before, and it is phenomenal. He also has Sip, a coffee shop, Sandbar, a seafood restaurant, and Big'z, a burger joint.
His latest restaurant, the much talked about Il Sogno, was supposed to open at the beginning of this year. That didn't happen. Rumors said it would open this summer. But it wasn't until an article this past week in the San Antonio Current that I had some answers - Il Sogno would open soon, July or August. Construction was still going on, but it would open.

Il Sogno is located near a new area, the Pearl Brewery, which is an old beer brewery and is now home to lofts, restaurants, and, every Saturday, a farmer's market.

I follow the farmer's market on Facebook and they said on Friday that Il Sogno would be opening for breakfast on Saturday. As big fans of Chef Weissman, John and I had to go.

We showed up at 7:50 am for the breakfast. I ordered the coddled eggs, John ordered the speck and provolone panini and we split a bread basket.

It was AWESOME.


So awesome that we had to come back with Kate and Sam for dinner the next day. Here's the Bismark pizza. Can you tell it has an egg on it? A delicious, delicious egg? Because it does.

They serve grissini as you sit and wait. We also had a duck flatbread, scallops, hog ragu, and rabbit. The ragu? Was knock-you-on-your-ass fantastic.

They didn't have their liquor license yet, but they gave us wine anyway! This picture is courtesy of the adorable French sommelier from Le Reve, who was at Il Sogno on Sunday. He has taught us about the tiny bubbles in champagne, and how much he likes Sam's shirt.

I can't wait to go back!

Spontaneous Meeting

So the office I work in has a big conference table in the middle of the room and cubes all around the sides. Yesterday a group of people came in the office and sat at the table. I thought they were waiting for someone in our office for a meeting. But nobody joined them. They just sat there and chit chatted and then stared at each other for long periods of time. It was very odd. Right when we all starting emailing the administrative assistant (she sits by the door) to ask her who they were, they left. Turns out there were waiting to go to a meeting with our director, who works on the floor below. They were waiting to go to a meeting.

This got me thinking, they sat there for about 10 minutes and nobody asked them what they were doing there. They didn't look lost. They looked like they knew what they were doing, so no one said anything.

So this is how I came up with a genius idea: spontaneous meetings! You and some of your colleagues could just go to an office and sit down and act like you're waiting on someone else. I bet it would be at least 10 minutes before someone asked you what you were doing.

Tips for spontaneous meetings:
-Carry a notebook and pen. No one goes to a meeting without a pen.
-Look anxiously at your watch, like you're waiting for someone.
-Ask your "colleagues," "where is she/he? should we keep waiting?" to make it seem real
-Avoid eye contact with anyone else in the room
-If it looks like you're about to get busted, tell the person "We have to go, but we'll call to reschedule"

Haha! This could totally work. Everyone try it out! It's like workplace improv!

Guess what we got?

Shiny!

P.S. John actually bought this using wedding gift cards and some returns and coupons. So this doesn't count in the spending hiatus, mmmkay? It doesn't! I know you were thinking that! Why you always gotta rain on my parade?!?

Blog Shout Outs

We all know I'm awesome, but did you know there are other awesome people out there? Let's meet them!

Sincerely Yours, Kate - Kate is a friend I've known for years. We're in dinner club together! We used to live together! Kate has curly hair and will talk to you about bodily functions. She doesn't use a lot of contractions, but I love her anyway.
Why Kate is awesome: Kate blogs about food and clothes a lot, two things I love. And she takes cool photos. I need to figure out how she does that.

Hang on Little Tomato - I've known Carolyn since she moved to Texas in middle school. We went to middle school and high school together. She went to UT, where she roomed with the awesome Julie Ta. We've recently gotten back in touch through the magic of the Internet.
Why Carolyn is awesome: Carolyn is very frank and honest about her life, her emotions, her struggles, her opinions. I admire that. I think it takes a great amount of strength to say some of the things she says on the Internet, for anyone to read.

Girl Goes Green - Nicolette and I went to the same college, but were different years. We worked at the same place after college, and we work at the same place again now. We are both coordinators and we work together on a lot of projects. Nicolette can put together some awesome outfits. She has an air of quiet confidence to her. Apparently she went by Nicky in school, which is just unacceptable. She is a Nicolette, that's for sure.
Why Nicolette is awesome: One of her passions is for green living. Recycling, organic foods, basically being good to the earth. Lots of people say this, but I feel like Nicolette really lives it. Bonus, she's in a band!

Gussying Up the Tuttle - Melita is someone I've never met in real life. She's a blogger in West Virginia who I think I met via Carolyn's blog. Like me, she's a hardcore Twitter addict.
Why Melita is awesome: Melita is cool! She's very open about her life too. She's had some struggles lately, but she's so strong, she'll make it through.

So that's some more awesome people! I hope you go visit them, bookmark them, follow them, friend them, etc.

The Recipe Dilemma

My name is Lauren, and I collect recipes.

There, I've said it. That feels better.

I subscribe to Bon Appetit, Food + Wine, and Real Simple (which isn't a food mag, but does have lots of "mom" recipes. They aren't always great, but they easy and the time is usually accurate). I read Serious Eats. I get email newsletters every day from Allrecipes and MyRecipes. I get newsletters every week from Chow and Epicurious. I have about a dozen cookbooks. I save recipes online, print them out, write them down, tear them out of magazines. I used to print them out and tape them on index cards.

In short, I have recipes everywhere. This makes it hard to keep track of recipes we've tried, recipes we like, recipes we want to cook again. We're constantly saying things like, "where's that salmon recipe we made that time?" "do you know what was in that steak sauce?" It's annoying that we don't have a centralized system.

Until now! Behold, our recipe book!

I tore out all of the recipes that we have tried and want to try, and I taped them to white paper and inserted them in plastic sheets. They are organized thusly: meat, seafood, sides, sauces, sandwiches/pizzas, desserts.

It's not a foolproof system, but until I actually break down and buy this, it'll have to do.

How's that spending hiatus going again?

Well, it's going...hmm. Not the greatest, I guess. I have been shopping recently, to buy some shorts that fit. I bought a couple things at Old Navy recently too.

So I'm not sticking it to it as strongly as I'd like. There have been some dinners out, some unnecessary items purchased. But I don't believe in going cold turkey either. I didn't when I tried to lose weight.

I'll have to do a more complete post when July is over, which will finish my 3 month hiatus and talk more then about what worked, what didn't, my cheating, and what I learned.

Go Lauren Go!

I've been running so much recently that people keep asking me if I'm training for a marathon. I'm not, but that got me thinking if I could do a marathon.

A whole marathon is 26.2 miles. In laymen's terms, fucking long. I would die. But a half-marathon, that I could do. 13 miles! I run 5 miles when I go running, so I feel like I could work up to 13 miles.

I was talking to my friend Lyla about it, and she said she would do a half-marathon with me. And then I told a bunch of people I was going to do a half marathon. And then I told my mom, and she and Julius bought tickets to come see me run.

So then I thought, shit, I really have to do this.

And I really have to! Because I just registered, and I'll be damned if I'm going to lose that registration money now.

Come watch me run on November 15! http://www.rnrsa.com/home.html

I get a free beer at the finish line! Sweet!

Dinner Club

UPDATE: Kate chimed in with some suggestions, listed at the bottom of this post.

dinner club (dĭn'ər klŭb): noun- A group of people who meet for dinner at each other's houses on a regular schedule. Works best in groups under 10.

You may have asked yourself recently, is a dinner club right for you. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I like food?
2. Do I like eating with other people?
3. Do I have friends?

If you answered yes to any of these questions, then yes, a dinner club is right for you.

There are many different kinds of dinner clubs. Maybe you'd like to be in one that meets at restaurants, or only orders in, or only meets at one's person's house. I can't help you with those dinner clubs. I can only tell you about mine.

Dinner club was born from a mutual love of Top Chef between 6 friends (3 couples). John and I wanted to have a Top Chef-inspired cookoff with our friends, who also watch Top Chef. We invited them over and told them to bring the makings of one entree. When they arrived, each couple had to make nachos usings fixings we'd already bought. Sam and Kate won with the nachos on the lower right - nachos on bell peppers.

Then we all had to cook our entrees. It was a really long night, but a lot of good food.

Dinner club used to be every week at a different couple's house. We switched to every other week because every week is just too much cooking. There's usually an appetizer, entree and dessert. We ask other couples to bring wine or beer or bread or a side, something small.

Dinner club starts at 7:30 on Wednesdays, but we usually don't eat until after 8.

Here are some things John and I have cooked for Dinner Club:
-Shrimp tacos and chocolate cake
-Chicken and dumplings
-Ribs
-Lasagna
-Breakfast for dinner (omelets)
-Sesame chicken

I'm sure there were other things, but I can't remember them right now. They were delicious, I'm sure.

Dinner club is kind of a snooty sounding name, but it's really just a group of us who like to cook and get together. It's nice to know that you'll be seeing your friends on a routine basis.

The next dinner club is scheduled for this week at Kate and Sam's. Yay for dinner club!

Kate's comments:
"First, take note of how many chairs, plates, forks, and spoons you have in your house. If you can only accommodate six people reasonably in your dining room, well then that should be the size of your dinner club. Also, remember at what size you must start doubling recipes. Trust me on this one, having enough chairs and food is harder than it sounds.

Two, come to a mutual agreement with all parties involved about the cost, style, and "vibe" or your dinner club, or risk being outdone or underdone constantly. Nobody wants to be THAT girl who only made grilled cheese and canned tomato soup on her night. Likewise, nobody wants to be THAT girl who spent 8 hours de-boning chickens and making a french demi-glace for a group that prefers takeout Chinese. In a dinner club, all parties should be contributing about equal time, effort, money, and quality on their efforts. Yeah... this sounds obvious, but just like chairs, it is easy to overlook in the initial enthusiasm of start up.

Three, Dinner Club should involve wine. Lots of wine. Even on a Wednesday. Our preference is at least one bottle per couple or more. And if Lauren is there, you might want to bring one extra, just in case! :)"

Ha! So true. I will always be the one suggesting we open that bottle too.

Happy Birthday Julius!

That's my mom and Julius, my stepdad. And today is Julius' birthday!

They live in Rockwall, TX, but right now they're living in Aurora, CO. They like it there. Julius has lived in cold places before, and my mom has adjusted well to the snow, for someone who's lived in the South her whole life.

Julius is an engineer and has a very analytical mind. He's someone who can figure out how things are built and how to fix them. He's very, very smart and engineer-like. That's why it's so fun to see him with my nieces and nephews, his grandkids. He turns into Opa, the grandfather who just wants to feed them chocolate and play.

Happy birthday Julius! We hope you have a good one!

If you don't like hot dogs, then you can leave my blog right now. And never come back. (Just kidding.) (Not really. I like hot dogs a lot.)

I grew up loving hot dogs and I ate them with ketchup and sweet pickle relish. I think I got this from my mom, who loves hot dogs so much, I bought her one of those hot dog and bun cookers for Mother's Day one year. She loved it.

I'm an adult now, which means I'm supposed to like adult things, like PBS, historical fiction, and talking about retirement plans. Well, fuck that noise. I don't like those things. But I do like adult toppings my hot dogs.

This recipe is from Bon Appetit in an article about hot dog toppings from around the world. We had a really hard time deciding which one to pick.

This recipe is pretty simple. You cut up and cook leeks and apples. Then you add some stuff, including hard apple cider. Then you top the hot dogs with dijon mustard, cheddar cheese and the topping. Delicious!

From Bon Appetit

Cheddar Dogs with Cider-Braised Leeks and Apples

Leeks and apples simmered in cider add a hint of sweetness—a nice contrast to the sharp melted cheddar. If you can find oblong pretzel rolls at your market, they'll make an ideal accompaniment to these English-style hot dogs.

Makes 6

By Andrew Schloss

Photograph by Kenji Toma

July 2009

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 2 cups (generous) thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only)
• 1 apple, peeled, cored, diced
• 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds
• Pinch of ground allspice
• Coarse kosher salt
• 1 1/2 cups hard apple cider or 1 1/4 cups apple cider and 1/4 cup bourbon
• 6 grilled hot dog buns or brioche-style oblong rolls
• Dijon mustard
• 6 grilled all-beef hot dogs
• 2 oz sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (1/2 cup packed)

Preparation

• Melt butter in large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks and apple. Cover; cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 8 minutes. Mix in caraway and allspice; season with coarse salt and pepper. Add hard cider; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, uncovered, until most of liquid is cooked away, about 16 minutes.
• Arrange buns or rolls on plates. Spread each with mustard, then top with grilled hot dogs. Sprinkle dogs with cheese and top with leek mixture.

Missouri

jam, jelly, preserves

How do I describe Missouri? I've really only ever been to Cape Girardeau, where John's aunt Dana and grandma live.

The tallest magnolia tree ever

It's a pretty rural area, where cell service is spotty. High-speed internet is not always available. Not everyone has DVR, so you have to watch commercials. There's a lot of wood paneling and trees. Lots and lots of trees. It really is the country.

Hush puppies are not good for you. But they are good.

It's a different experience for me. I grew up in Garland, a suburb of Dallas. I've never lived more than 10 miles from a major city, where there was a gas station, Target and grocery store on every corner.

It takes some getting used to. But I like being able to unplug and not feel like I have to check my email or take phone calls. I like having to make do with playing Bookworm all day or driving 3o minutes to find a nail salon. I don't know if I could live there, but I like visiting there.

Boom!

In Cape, you get to eat salads that aren't salads (broccoli salad, pasta salad, potato salad), make fried foods, eat homemade vanilla ice cream, watch hours of TNT, take naps, go out 20 times a day to the store, wear no makeup because there's no point with the humidity, eat 3 desserts, and shoot off $750 of fireworks.

What's not to love?

My Granny

This is a tribute to my grandmother, Lois Elizabeth Works Thompson. She is my paternal grandmother.

I'm the only granddaughter on my father's side. She was so excited when I was born, because she finally got to have a granddaughter. I was born on November 22, so for awhile, she would send dresses to my parents on the 22nd of every month. I had more dresses growing up than anybody I knew.

When I graduated from college, I stayed in San Antonio and lived with my grandparents for about a year and a half. It was pretty cool. It's fun to get to know your grandparents as people. I would keep the house clean and cook for them.

One time, my grandma told me the story of how she met my grandpa. She said that she was going on a group date with some other girls. My grandpa was in the Air Force at the time. He went on the date because he had a car. I asked Granny, "So you never would have met Gramps if he hadn't had a car?" She said no. That's incredible to me.

They got married in August. He shipped out to Germany in September. His plane was shot down in October and they didn't know where he was. He was MIA.

My grandma found out she was pregnant.

In December, all of these presents were delivered to my grandmother from my grandfather. He had ordered them for her before he shipped out.

In January, they found out that he was in prison camp, alive. He was in prison camp for 18 months. He was there when my aunt was born, his first child.

Granny told me that story, and that's when I knew she was the strongest person I've ever met. She lived through getting married so young, falling in love, finding out she was pregnant while not knowing if her husband was alive or dead. She told that story like it was no big deal.

Because my grandpa was in the Air Force, they moved around a lot. They lived in: Louisiana, Alabama, California, Massachusetts, Illinois, Japan, Hawaii, and Texas.

Before I got married, we had the same initials, LWT. I'm not a Thompson anymore though. It makes me a little sad that we don't have the same initials now.

We both married Johns. It's an easy name to remember. Lois and John, Lauren and John.

For my grandparents 65th anniversary, the family bought one of those ads in the paper. I was honored to write it for them.

Here's what I've learned from Granny:
Everything is better if you drink some champagne.
You don't need money to have good taste.
Always have some cheese. It's good for when people come over.
Keep your pantry stocked.
You don't have to cook fancy. You just have to cook well.
You can't help who you're kin to. But you can love them anyway.
It's not gossip. It's just passing on information.

That's my Granny!