Thankful for Chocolate

Remember how my last post said that a good meal or good food can help a bad day get better? Well friends, there have been a few rough days lately. For this I am thankful. If I don't have rough and bad days, how will I ever appreciate and treasure the good and great days? While food didn't take away all of my frustrations, it did help. After all, I do love food! Let us get on with it.....

Today I am going to tell you about two delicious restaurants and one great recipe that you should always have.

As promised I am going to tell you about a "torpedo" which translates to happiness in the form of a true Belgium waffle. :) Downtown Salt Lake has just the place for you! It is at Bruges Waffles and Frites. They take a Belgium waffle and then fill it with real Belgium chocolate(which if you have had true European chocolate, you know the difference between this and a Hershey's bar). Then they have toppings for it. I have only tried the fresh strawberries and creme fraiche (which is your thick cream). I seriously died and went to heaven! It had the perfect amount of crunchiness to it. I have also been told by a friend that I need to try the speculoos spread....don't worry, I'm on it soon! I just have to make sure it is on a day that I can run. :) And, I don't like fries(I know, my friends have already told me that there must be something wrong with me) but I love the fries here! Go and try Bruges!
On to restaurant number 2, The Melting Pot in Salt Lake City. I have been here multiple times and I truly enjoy it. A few friends and I decided to get appetizer fondue and dessert fondue. We went at 8:30pm on a Saturday night. While our sweet server did her best to keep up with things, our drinks were empty most of the time and it took longer than usual. This aside, we still had a great experience. On to what we ate...
For cheese fondue we had the Spinach Artichoke Cheese Fondue and the Wisconsin Trio Cheese Fondue. I am originally from Wisconsin but it didn't rock my world. Now the Spinach one sure did. It had just the right amount of garlic and that was our favorite. For the dessert fondue, we had The Original with milk chocolate and crunchy peanut butter(hello, it already sounds to die for!) and the Flaming Turtle with milk chocolate, caramel and chopped pecans. While I prefer my desserts to be void of all nuts, the Flaming Turtle was completely worth those nuts! Both of the dessert fondues were a hit with us. So advice to you, skip the cheese fondue and go straight to dessert.
Now for the recipe. This is a favorite of most of my friends. It is incredibly easy. It is also chocolate! (It's kind of a theme today!) I call them Rolo cookies. I am sure many of you have had them but I have tried to master them. Here is the recipe and instructions:

Rolo Cookies
1 Box Triple Chocolate Cake Mix by Betty Crocker (NEEDS TO BE THIS ONE! Trust me.)
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil (Do NOT substitute Canola or anything else, it will taste funny if you do.)
2 Eggs
4 Individual Packs of Rolos

Mix cake mix, vegetable oil and eggs. Unwrap all Rolos and put them in the middle of the cookie dough so none of it is showing. Place on greased pan to bake. 350 f for 8 minutes. Bake them until there are little "breathing holes" in the top. I know that doesn't make perfect sense but you will see what I mean.

Do not overcook them. Don't try to move them for 8-10 minutes after they come out of the oven. But DO eat them when they are warm. Delicious!

Alright friends, that is all for now. I do have to say that Cucina Toscana is still my favorite in Salt Lake. (If you are wondering why, please see earlier post.)

Have a great week everyone!!!

Muy Delicioso!

My life plans don't involve living in Utah forever, and one of the things I will miss the most whenever I get where I'm going is... SONORA GRILL!

Over the last 10 months, Sonora Grill has become my favorite restaurant. I love Mexican food. I could eat it every day, and I have NEVER had Mexican food like this before! I recommend it to everyone, and I take my favorite people there. 

Now I'm taking you! 

This place is packed with FLAVOR! Every dish is like a party in your mouth-- excellent flavor combinations that you can't even imagine. The atmosphere is modern, swanky, and relaxing. I LOVE IT! 

You know you are in a good place when they bring you a basket of fresh tortilla chips, each chip as large as your face. Can't go wrong! With the chips, they serve two excellent salsas: a divine salsa verde and a roasted chili salsa. In 2010, they won City Weekly's "Best Salsa" award. Here's what they had to say: 

“At Ogden’s Sonora Grill, meals begin with great chips and salsa. The “chips” aren’t typical: These are whole, intact, deep-fried corn tortillas that need to be smashed into chips. But it’s the salsas that star. There’s a lively, bright-green tomatillo salsa that is delicious, and also a rich red salsa made with roasted morita peppers that has the perfect amount of zippiness, smokiness and depth of flavor to make it a truly world-class salsa.”

Every time we go to this fabulous place, I almost always get a different dish. And I've been there A LOT. I  believe that everything there is good, and I would always recommend seeing what specials they are having.  Here are some of my favorites dishes:

• Chile Verde
  *I like to try Chile Verde at all of the Mexican restaurants I go to. This Chile Verde is unlike any I've ever had and it is packed with chile flavor. The sauce is thick and a dark green. So good!
• Arroz Con Pollo
  *One of the first dishes we got-- sealed the deal for us!
• Shrimp Chile Relleno
  *We have gotten this on multiple occasions because it is THAT GOOD. My husband Josh does not really like shrimp, and this is a winner with him. And this dish goes along with my uncle's sage advice: "You know a Mexican place is good by their chile rellenos." So right, Uncle Richard!!!
• Carnitas Nortenas
  *OMG. Seriously. The carnitas are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. What?! The flavors are fruity, spicy, and oh so happy. 

Highlights:
TACO TUESDAY! Each taco is $1.50. You can get whatever combination you would like. The chile verde, the shredded beef... MMM! Again. you may be thinking, "Shredded beef? Boring!" That's what I thought, and boy was I wrong!
GUACAMOLE! #1- they make it right in front you. #2- It is amazing. $10.00 is a steep price, but it is worth it at least one try. Those humungo chips will thank you.
DATE NIGHT! Right next to the Megaplex at the Junction. One time we ate dinner, went to the movies, and then we went back and had dessert! Dreams do come true.

After reading this post, please go to their Facebook page: CLICK HERE! They have GREAT pictures of their food and of the restaurant.

They recently updated their dessert menu, which includes locally made coconut ice cream, and one of my favorite childhood treats, frozen chocolate covered bananas (I had these served at my wedding. True love <3). They are also adding mole dishes to their menu. MOLE! Yes, I tried the mole enchiladas. And yes, they were muy bueno.  Their mole is a mix of fruit, nuts, cocoa beans, and magic.

And so, my love affair with Sonora Grill will continue. I've been two times in the last two weeks. Take a trip north of Salt Lake and satisfy your taste buds. They will be dancing all night long!

Much Love,
M

The Sonora Grill
2310 S. Kiesel Ave. Ogden, UT 84401 
801.393.1999
www.thesonoragrill.com

For the Love of Food

Food is joy. I once dated a guy that could not understand how food could bring someone joy. Well, it does. At the end of a horrible day, you can go home and make(or buy) the most delicious food there is. And somehow it makes everything right in the world. Judge me if you must, but I get giddy about two things, men and food. I tell my clients that I run so that I can eat. I know that the other two girls feel the same way. Our dream is to go to Europe when we turn 35 and eat...and shop of course. After all, we are girls!

Now I will tell you how this little blog came to be. It all started at Cucina Toscana in Salt Lake City. At my work, each manager is required to take a shift monthly in the lobby to make sure our guests are being greeted as they walk in. We also recommend food establishments if they are heading out to dinner. I recommend Cucina Toscana to each guest. I do this for the following reasons: Warm and attentive service, great ambiance and most importantly, their Spinach Ravioli makes my heart soar through the clouds. It literally melts in your mouth. Because I love food as much as I do, guests usually go there and come back and tell me how wonderful it was. It is the kind of place that you don't have to worry about telling your friends about. Cucina Toscana delivers each time. This time was no different from the rest.

We had some of the best service by Valter(Owner), Arturo (Manager) and Chris(Excellent Server). Valter always greets you as if you were an old friend. He kisses you on each cheek and you are set for your meal. Chris brought us their wonderful bruschetta. While I prefer it on a crostini, it was still fresh and delicious. Then Chris brought out my favorite part, the Gnocchi and the Spinach Ravioli. I will let Megan and Paige tell about their favorite part of the meal, but this was mine. The hot chocolate is best (next to mine-only because I learned how to make it in Denmark) in Salt Lake City. They melt down the chocolate and it is a true hot chocolate. I know Paige will tell all about the dreamy lemon gelato.

Over this wonderful food, Megan, Paige and I decided to write a blog about food and the experiences that go with it. Who cares if no one reads it, we will. And we will laugh. For true food lovers, this is the blog if you need good food. Whether you are making it or going out, we will come through for you. Next for me, I will tell you all about the most amazing "Torpedo" ever! It is at the Belgium Waffle House....

The Sassy Trio

This is the blog that three friends created over a magical meal. Something to inspire, something to delight, and something to detail all of our food travels. This is for foodies, the die hard ones. Let's celebrate good food!