86 the Cocktail Weiners

If your idea of an office potluck conjures up images of pistachio jello salad and crockpot sloppy joes, you haven’t seen what an INspired group of foodies can whip up for lunch!

With the change of seasons, and a hankering for some good fall comfort food, we organized a Harvest Potluck. Lori and Amy were in charge of the main dish, Mindy brought the dessert, and the rest of us brought salads, breads and sides. Here’s what was on the menu (check out a couple of these recipes below!):

• Prosciutto-wrapped apple chicken with cider-mustard sauce
• Roquefort pear salad
• Cauliflower couscous au gratin
• Twice-baked potatoes
• Sweet corn bread
• Dinner rolls
• Hot spiced apple cider
• Pumpkin bars with cream cheese icing

By the time we were finished, our only unmet craving was for a good, long nap!

Cauliflower Couscous au Gratin

• Butter, for baking dish
• 1 cup Israeli (large grain) couscous
• 1 head (about 3 lbs) cauliflower, leaves and core discarded
• 2 cups (8 oz) grated gruyere or sharp white cheddar
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 1-1/2-to 2-quart baking dish and set aside. In a skillet, toast couscous over medium-high heat, stirring often, until golden brown, about 4 min. Transfer to prepared dish, spreading evenly.
2. Cut cauliflower into small florets. Place in a large microwave-safe bowl and cover. Microwave on high 10 min. Add 1-1/2 cups cheese, the cream, broth, thyme, salt and pepper; toss until combined well. Spread out over couscous in baking dish and top with remaining 1/2 cup cheese.
3. Bake until golden brown and bubbly and cauliflower is slightly caramelized, 40 to 45 min. Makes 8 to 10 servings.

- adapted from Ladies Home Journal magazine

Sweet Cornbread

• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 cup low-fat sour cream
• 1/3 cup milk
• 1/4 cup butter, melted

1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. In another bowl stir together the vanilla, egg, sour cream, honey, milk and melted butter.
2. Mix with dry ingredients until you have a thick, even batter. Pour into a greased 8-in. square pan.
3. Bake at 400 degrees for about 20-25 minutes.

- adapted from Taste of Home cookbook

Investing in Your Pantry.

We've all seen the focus in the news lately about skyrocketing food and fuel prices. We read the stats and shake our heads, wondering when or if those costs will ever come down.

According to the Consumer Price Index, grocery prices have increased about 5% over the last year, and some staples like eggs jumped 30%. Milk has gone up 13%. Corn has risen 70%, wheat 55%, and rice a whopping 160%.

But all those numbers don't mean a whole lot to the average Joe until he goes to Cub to replenish his fridge, watching the total bill creep up as the cashier steadily scans his merchandise and

slides it down the conveyor belt.

Aside from subsisting on Ramen noodles, there isn't much you can do to avoid the increased food prices. But we decided to compile a few pointers that we've found helpful to leave a few extra bucks around for the next happy hour. We'd love to hear your money-saving tips too, so shoot us a comment if you've got one to share. Enjoy!

• Never go to the grocery store hungry. Period.

• Restaurants are hurting for your business and trying to get it back. Look for coupons like $5 off a $25 purchase, or take advantage of surveys that offer a deal on your next visit if you provide feedback.

• Buy groceries in bulk (as long as you'll eat them!). As a bonus, you deal with less packaging.

• Get your produce at the Farmer's Market. It's cheaper, fresher, and much of it is local.

• Plan your meals before you go shopping to avoid waste and further trips to the grocery store. It also helps to cook more than enough meals than you think you need - that way you can enjoy quick, fresh leftovers the next day and avoid wasting ingredients.

• Splurge on fancy dinners sparingly...the less you have them, the more you appreciate them anyway!
  

• Take advantage of weekly coupons offered at the entrances of most grocery stores. You'll usually find a few great deals. Stock up on non-perishables when you score a valuable coupon.

• Avoid unnecessary extras like pricey junk food.

• When dining out, split your meal in half and eat the leftovers the next day. (Your hips and your wallet will thank you!)
  

• Try some generic options in place of your favorite brand names. Many of them taste just as great and cost much less.

• A word to the wise: the more prepared and convenient the food comes, the more you're going to pay for it. Buy raw ingredients, get in the kitchen and cook something up!

• Look at the price per ounce when you're comparing costs. Sometimes the bigger package is a better deal, sometimes it's not. Some stores even post the price per ounce on the shelves so it's a no-brainer.

That sounds good. I'll have that.

What makes for a perfect happy hour? The food? The atmosphere? The drink specials? We went on a mission to find the ideal spot to toast a few team members who were moving on to pursue new life ventures. We compiled our list of criteria and did a little digging to find a worthy contender. The lucky venue on which to test our list was Bar 508, located on 1st Ave. & 5th St. South in Downtown Minneapolis. Here's how they measured up.

The IN Happy Hour Criteria

Good Food/Appetizer Specials: $4, $5, and $6 appetizers sound great to us, especially when they don't skimp on portion size.

Half Price Drinks or 2-for-1's: All tap beer and rails were half-price, and we just missed their stellar deal of $2 taps, offered daily from 5:08 - 5:30.

Fun Atmosphere: Energy was lacking slightly, but our group changed that! Upbeat pop music kept the vibe fun.

Not Too Loud: No complaints here. The music was just the right volume, and the crowd wasn't too crazy, either.

Casual: Absolutely. Jeans and flip flops are completely acceptable if you're not sporting after-work attire.

Plenty of Seating: Bar 508 boasts 2 levels, and on our visit the crowd was only upstairs. Smaller bar tables and roomy, circular booths make for enough space for everyone - and the rail bar stools were countless, too.

Not Too Crowded: This is definitely not a bar where you need to breach somebody else's personal space just to grab a beer - at least during happy hour, when we were there.

Above & Beyond Average Food: This feature was the most important to us, being the food freaks we are. Lori put it best when she said "I'd give the food 3 thumbs up if I had them!" Their unique offerings blew us out of the water. We especially loved the Lettuce Wraps, Buffalo Chicken Won Tons, and Ricotta Cheese Flatbread, although their traditional fare of Chicken Fingers, Fries and Nachos were also 5-star worthy.


Happy Hour Specials Until at Least 7 p.m.: Not quite. Happy hour goes until 6:30 here, so our search for the rare deals that last until 7 goes on!

Allows Underage Patrons: This was a must in our case, since we've got young'ns on our staff, and it was no problem to accommodate them in the bar. (With a coke, of course.)

Great Service: Satisfactory! Our server was knowledgeable and friendly, quick to bring waters, got our orders right, and several other employees were helpful with clearing the massive amounts of appetizer plates that soon piled up.

Martini or Wine Specials: For the non-beer lovers, this was key, and Bar 508 impressed us with their choices! House wine is 1/2 priced, and their $5 martinis come in wacky flavors like Why Not Everyone Else Is Drinking It and Drunken Yuppie.

Not a Chain Restaurant: Check! Bar 508 took over the space that was once Old Chicago on 1st Ave., and we have to say that we're happy to have them as a replacement.

Outdoor Seating/Patio: A few small tables out on the sidewalk in front of the bar. On a nice day, it'd be ideal for people watching, but during our visit there wasn't enough room for all of us. Next time we'll ask if we can cut out of work earlier!

Overall Rating: 4.75 out of 5 - we'll be back soon!

Bake me a cake as fast as you can...

Working in the food industry, the employees of IN know a thing or two about cooking. But we realized that when it comes to baking, most of us don't have a clue if it doesn't come in a box with just-add-eggs-and-oil instructions. So, we had a bake-off.

The rules were simple: make a randomly-drawn baked treat from scratch - without a recipe. We each had an hour, a plethora of ingredients, an apron and our own noggin. Then we rated each others' cakes on a scale from one (disaster) to five (par). This is what we cooked up.

Megan
Mission: Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

Megan says: I have never baked a cake before, and I have no concept of what even goes into one! I think it turned out pretty good. Tastes a little funny but that was expected.

Amy says: Looked great, but tasted a bit bland. The glaze was good though. What was this supposed to be?

Average Star Rating: 3.25

Brent

Mission: Chocolate Turtle Layer Cake

Brent says: Honestly, there wasn't a lot of thinking behind my thinking. I just tried to put in ingredients and amounts that seemed somewhat logical. And 2 tablespoons of salt, apparently, seemed a logical amount to me. I'm pretty pleased with the visual result.


Lori says: Perfect visually!!! Salty and slightly dry.

Average Star Rating: 3.31

Mindy
Mission: Almond Cake

Mindy says: When I drew almond cake, I was pretty nervous. I have never heard of it before, so I didn't know what it was supposed to be or taste like. I saw a can of Almond filling so I started with that, continued to throw in what I thought went into a cake, sifted in some flour and called it cake batter! And Voila! Almond Cake!

Carrie says: Yummy! Moist, wonderful almond flavor, nice glaze and garnishing!

Average Star Rating: 4.63

Amy

Mission: Mixed Berry Coffee Cake with Cinnamon Streusel Topping

Amy says: I've never baked a cake before, so I thought about the ingredients used in making cookies. The only ingredient I was absolutely sure about was coffee (after all it was supposed to be a coffee cake), but was told otherwise after I had added a few teaspoons. Oops! :) The mixed berries made the cake a dark purple and the streusel on top looked like ground sausage, so it was not the prettiest cake, but it tasted good!

Mindy says: Good flavor; interesting color.
Average Star Rating: 4.5

Kinzie
Mission: Tres Leches Cake ("Three Milks" Cake)

Kinzie says: I drew this recipe and the only thing I understood was that it needed milk. Never heard of it before. Apparently it's supposed to be a very moist, rich, white Mexican cake. Mine turned out more like a spice cake with the consistency of over-cooked brownies (and that was my 2nd, more successful attempt of the day).

Brent says: Tastes like a dense pumpkin pie.

Average Star Rating: 2.83 - one star penalty for asking Lori for help and taking 2 1/2 hours in the kitchen.

Carrie

Mission: Vanilla Bean Cheesecake
with White Chocolate Glaze

Carrie says: Luckily, I've made cheesecakes before so I knew what the ingredients were - it was just a matter of remembering the proportions. The top got a little too brown (I used a bit too much sugar), but fortunately, the white chocolate glaze covered that up! It ended up being pretty good.

Anita says: Yum!!! That's amazing!

Average Star Rating: A perfect 5 out of 5!

Natalie
Mission: Strawberry Shortcake

Natalie says: I had no idea what I was doing, so I don't really know if I made a strawberry shortcake or just a cake with strawberries on top.

Kinzie says: You could totally sell this at the bakery! Holy cow!

Average Star Rating: 4.43

Anita
Mission: Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

Anita says: I've made carrot cake before, but couldn't remember how many cups of carrots to use. I shredded 3 carrots, and that gave me a little over a cup which I thought was plenty. Turns out, I needed quite a bit more! It would have made for a much moister cake. Overall, it wasn't too bad. The icing was definitely the best part!

Natalie says: The frosting is great! I'm not a big carrot cake fan, but it's still tasty.

Average Star Rating: 4.07

Lori
Mission: Chocolate Brownie Torte

For those of you who don't know, Lori happens to be an amazing chef (which is why she was not allowed in the kitchen while the rest of us were baking). We knew her cake would be off the charts compared to the rest of ours', so instead of competing, she gave us a step-by-step demo on how to make an amazing, homemade chocolate torte from scratch.

Lori says: An easy yet elegant dessert anyone can create at home! Give it a try - here's the recipe.

The In Crowd says: Definitely a purple-ribbon winner.

Our arsenal of ingredients.

Brent gave the women
a run for their money
in the kitchen.

Amy contemplates
skipping her 2 o'clock
meeting to make a
lemon meringue pie
for extra credit.

Can you spot the eggshell?

Round 2 with
Kinzie's batter

Lori's incredible torte

Mindy puts on her game face.

Caramelized-Onion Risotto

6-8 SERVINGS
Ingredients
1/2 pound Nitrate-Free Applewood Smoked Bacon
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 large onions, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced crosswise
2 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium broth
1/4 cup shallots, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups arborio rice
1/3 cup dry white wine
1 teaspoon coarsely chopped thyme
2 Tbsp. chopped Italian Parsley
1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Directions
1. Caramelize Onions: In a large saucepan, heat 3 tablespoons of the olive oil. Add the onions and cook over moderately high heat until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and browned, about 25 minutes. Note: Onions can be caramelized days ahead and frozen until ready to use.

2. In a large skillet, cook the bacon over moderate heat until crisp. Drain on paper towels, then crumble.

3. Bring the stock to a boil in a medium saucepan. Cover and keep hot over low heat. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in the large saucepan. Add the shallots and garlic and cook over moderate heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the rice and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Add white wine and cook until absorbed. Add 1 1/2 cups hot stock to cover the rice, and stir constantly over moderate heat until the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding stock, about 1 cup at a time, cook, stirring, until it has been completely absorbed before adding more. The rice is done when the grains are just tender and the sauce is creamy, about 20 minutes.

4. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the onions, bacon, thyme, parsley and 1/2 cup of Parmagiano-Reggiano. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon the risotto into bowls and serve with additional Parmesan.

Twin Cities "Date Night" Restaurant Ranking

The List
1. Figlio (Winner 2008)
2. Loring Pasta Bar
3. Axel's Bonfire
4. Yarusso's
5. Duplex

The In Crowd Says: "Fun atmosphere in the heart of uptown"

Honorable Mentions
Kafe 421
Psycho Suzi's
Tria
Khan's Mongolian
Melting Pot
Giorgio's
Forepaugh's

Dinner Party Planning

Dining IN
A member of the IN Crowd and chef extraordinaire prepared a 45th wedding anniversary dinner party for family friends in St. Ansgar, IA. Happy Anniversary Fred and Karen! With several courses, menu options and family acting as staff, this homemade meal was anything but! Here are some of the meal highlights!

What was your favorite part of the night?
My nephews Aaron (9) and Erik (6), were excited about the party and anxious to be food servers for a night. They handled the position like little professionals – served from the right, removed from the left and got every order correct from first course
to dessert!
Had you made any or all of these dishes before?
Yes! When planning a menu like this, I find it best to prepare dishes I can do from my head. I chose desserts that I could bake and freeze during the week prior and add the finishing touches the day of the party. Also, I prepared the bread doughs a week ahead and then shaped and baked the day of.
Would you ever do something like this again?
Absolutely! Who's hungry?

Twin Cities Best Asian Restaurant Ranking

Chinese
1. Village Wok - 610 Washington Avenue S.E. Minneapolis (Winner 2008)
2. Pings - 1401 Nicollet Ave. Minneapolis
3. Rainbow Chinese - 2739 Nicollet Avenue, Minneapolis

The In Crowd Says: "You've gotta try the Mock Duck Lo Mein and Cream Cheese Won Tons at Village Wok. It'll feed you for at least 3 meals for under $10."

Thai
1. True Thai - 2627 East Franklin Ave., Minneapolis (Winner 2008)
2. Amazing Thai - 3024 Hennepin Ave. S. Minneapolis
3. King & I Thai - 1346 LaSalle Ave. Minneapolis

The In Crowd Says: "If you are looking for spicy, True Thai is the place."

Sushi
1. Fuji-Ya - 600 W Lake Street Minneapolis (Winner 2008)
2. Origami - 30 N 1st St Minneapolis
3. Nami - 251 First Ave N #100 Minneapolis

The In Crowd Says: "Fuja, Fujia, Fuji-Ja... who cares the calamari is the best in town."