Chic Cookies Makes Holiday Baking Easy

During the holiday season, one of my favorite things to do is bake cookies. Unfortunately, holiday baking usually requires a lot of effort just to get started. It’s usually difficult to find a good selection of cookie cutters, the right color of icing, etc. And, with the increase of the price of groceries today, the task has become quite bothersome.

Fortunately, I was recently introduced to cookie kits from Chic Cookies. Each kit comes with everything you need to decorate your sugar cookies – frosting bags, cookie cutters, gel paste and decorating tips. The kits also have a step-by-step guide to recreating the decorations in the photos, making them look a lot more like they’re supposed to.

Chic Cookies also has kits for just about every occasion and holiday – I can’t wait to check out other ones!

Cheers!

When you go to happy hour tonight remember that 75 years ago the 21st Amendment went into action, repealing Prohibition. Cheers to that!

Yelp Holiday Party

Last night I had the chance to attend the fabulous Yelp Holiday Event at The Loft in midtown. The Loft was the perfect choice for this event because it provided ample room for the amount of attendees (including room to get your groove on) and provided a funky backdrop to highlight all of the generous sponsors of the party. I had only been to The Loft for a concert, but found that this was a perfect place for a party. The place was packed with holiday adorned yelpers, all ready to check out some of the great food that was provided, all from a wide variety of sponsors. I came prepared to sample as much as possible!

Some of my personal favorites were there, Legal Sea Foods, Marlow’s Tavern, Toulouse, Ecco, La Tavola Trattoria, the new Italian restaurant Il Mulino, as well as many others. Ask me how I ate all this food? Good question. To be honest, it was all so tasty I decided to stuff myself against my better judgment. Some of the restaurants served their classic dishes, like Marlow’s Tavern, who were serving shrimp and grits while others branched out and served less traditional dishes such as flavored popcorn. Toulouse was another one of the other favorites for the night, preparing perfectly paired butternut squash ravioli and duck. The party not only provided food but a chance to smoke hookah, receive a tarot card reading, and get a free massage, all while drinking a Yelptini, courtesy of 3am vodka. Needless to say there was something for everyone here at this event.

This was my first event that I had attended, and I can say for sure it definitely won’t be the last- I had a great time! It was fun to enjoy a night with people whose reviews I read periodically and put a face with the name, as well as a great kick-off to the holiday season!

Behind the Scenes: Eclipse di Luna Photo Shoot

Chef Ben McPherson's new menu at Eclipse di Luna (the Miami Circle location) is getting lots of attention. So much so, we decided to get some photos taken of his new delicious dishes. On Tuesday I headed over to the restaurant to meet up with photographer Jonathan Stancel and Chef Ben. Ben had prepared some of his newest and hottest tapas for the shoot. The smell of the fresh cooked food was intoxicating and the vibrant colors in each dish seemed to jump right off the plate.

Jonathan did an awesome job of using the natural light on the patio to accent each dish. He took several shots from all angles and was really focused on capturing the essence of each plate. After all of the food shots were finished, Jonathan thought it would be cool to get some shots of Ben in kitchen. It was a cool space and made for some truly unique photos.

Overall, the day went great. We got some great photos and had a fun afternoon at the restaurant. Check out some of the photos:

This (above) is a friseé, fennel and pear salad with Valdeón clue cheese and a creamy almond dressing($3.95).

This (above) is the grilled asparagus with manchego cheese, lemon and extra virgin olive oil ($4.50).

This (above) is the grilled chicken breast taco with roasted corn-pablano salad and Peruvian chile sauce ($4.50).

This (above) is the grilled hanger steak with onion marmalade, red pepper pureé and crispy onions ($5.25).

This (above) is the salmon ceviche with mint, cucumber, avocado, red onion and crispy yucca ($5.75).

This (above) is the tuna seared rare with an olive, fingerling potato, green bean salad and poached egg vinaigrette ($4.50).

This (above) is the octopus with fingerling potatoes, red onion, capers, smoked paprika and 50 year old Sherry Vinegar ($5.25).

And here (above) is the man that created it all, Chef Ben McPherson. Stop by the Miami Circle location of Eclipse di Luna to try some of his latest culinary creations.

Eclipse di Luna - Miami Circle: 764 Miami Circle; 404-846-0449

He's Making A List And Checking It Twice...Whole Foods Market Helps You Do The Same For Holiday Giving

Snow or no, wine and beer gift boxes are always a go for holiday giving and Whole Foods Market® has plenty of suggestions for your gift lists. For Ballgame Bob, choose a local, American Craft or European eight-pack beer gift box for $12.99. For your wine and dine friends, wrap up selections from Whole Foods Market's "Top Ten Wine List" of hot wine picks at easy-to-swallow prices. WFM Global Wine Buyer Doug Bell has gathered a terrific mix of reds, whites and sparklers that will please wine lovers and learners. Read the detailed list, along with Bell's food and wine pairing suggestions and comments from other wine experts and customers, at Whole Foods Market’s Whole Story blog. Click here for Whole Foods Market locations.

DailyCandy Definition

And you thought marshmallows were relegated to cocoa and s’mores. Not so, oh sugary ones. The DailyCandy Lexicon doesn’t sugar-coat this health issue. “Marshmallow” could be the fall after your sugarplum high this holiday season.

Marshmallow: adj. The food-induced crash and coma following a sugar/dessert binge.

As she skimmed the news article about the stock market crash, she reached for the rest of the pumpkin pie, the sugar cookies and the Halloween leftovers. Soon she would be in a marshmallow state of mind.

Sara in the City: It's not me, it's you.

Dear Thanksgiving Turkey:


I think it's time we call it quits. I love you, but I'm no longer in love with eating you. For a while, things were great. You were fresh, juicy and hot! You lavished me with gifts of stuffing and even and occasional cranberry. You always put my needs first (namely, hunger). We had such fun together!



But slowly, things started to change. Now, you are dry and cold. You don't dress up anymore, I just pull you out of the fridge in Tupperware. And Turkey, there's a lot of you. Why my father decided to fry two of you, I'll never know. I'm tired of turkey sandwiches, and as much as I love cranberry sauce, it's time for a change.


I've found someone new, different, and exotic! He knows just what I need. He's spicy, yet sweet and very filling. He warms me up on cold days like today and he really cares about my need for personalized dipping sauces. His name is Mango Fried Chicken Rice Bowl at Tin Drum Asia Cafe. The great thing is, he doesn't try and mold me to be like him! I can eat with chopsticks if I want, or an easier to use fork. I can eat in or take out. He's never slow and always cheap. (How many Thanksgivings have I waited on you to be done or spent too much money stuffing and dressing you!?)

Basically - It's over. I wish you the best, Turkey. I hope you find your soul mate, or at least someone who can put up with your tryptophan-induced naps.


Good Luck,

Sara


Tin Drum Asia Cafe has several locations including Lindbergh, Dunwoody, Midtown, Ga Tech and GSU. For more info visit http://www.tindrumcafe.net/.

And for all you turkeys looking for a makeover after your breakup, go here for some leftover turkey recipes!

Those Crazy Eights

Ok, so it isn't technically a wedding anniversary, but it is an anniversary just the same... Portofino, Buckhead's favorite Italian hot spot, is celebrating their eight year anniversary with a month long Crazy 8 Celebration. All through the month of December a special menu sets forth a bevy of enticing $8 food and wine specials, but tonight is the night for those truly in the know.

Tonight, Portofino thanks their loyal guests with a truly crazy gift - the ENTIRE menu is $8. Yes, that grilled Italian sausage dish you love? $8. That veal scaloppine? $8 too. This special is for tonight only since today, December 1, is Portofino's actual anniversary date. Reservations are a must tonight so don't forget to call or reserve online.

If you can't make it tonight, don't despair because additional $8 specials are going on all month. Sundays, twirl your fork around the Italian-American bistro’s scrumptious spaghetti and veal, pork and beef meatballs in Tuscan tomato sauce for $8. Throughout the week, order up short rib bruschetta, gnochiette with Merguez wine-cured lamb sausage; duck confit with marinated, grilled radicchio; four cheese and walnut ravioli; date and pecan salad with gorgonzola dressing; ricotto and spinach ritollo; mushroom grilled polenta with gorgonzola cream; or truffled risotto balls with applewood smoked bacon. Fill your wine glass with these $8 beauties: Gravina-Botromango or Sonoma Cutrer Chardonnay or reds, Zenato Valpolicella, Fontanafredda Barbera, Mark West Pinot Noir, Conte Brandolini Treanni, Coltibuono Chianti or Steele Zinfandel. Want more? All of Portofino’s more than 50 wine selections are available by the glass for $8 on Mondays during the month of December.

Sounds like some crazy good deals to me.

Thankful for an Easy Thanksgiving!

I learned early on that my favorite Thanksgiving dinners were prepared by someone else, cleaned up by someone else, and hosted somewhere other than my house. I remember watching my mom spend days preparing food, ironing tablecloths and polishing silver, and then hours after dinner washing dishes and putting things away, all for 30 minutes of delicious turkey and dressing eating with friends and family. Even as a little kid I thought to myself that this was not a good investment of time and energy!

When I worked for Hyatt Hotels everyone had to work the day after Thanksgiving so we had “orphan Thanksgiving” at someone’s house every year. Those are some of my favorite holiday memories, with pot luck and a wonderful assortment of personalities, drinking and smoking and celebrating well into the night. Since then, I’ve celebrated Thanksgiving in a number of non-traditional ways. I’ve enjoyed the southern offerings at the Colonnade, the carving stations and ice sculptures at the Waverly, and an all-souffle dinner at a restaurant in Paris. One year I ate a Hungry Man TV dinner (turkey and dressing, of course) because I was arriving late from a trip that Thursday. The closest I ever came to hosting Thanksgiving was when I ordered everything from Eatzi’s (may they rest in peace) and invited some fellow orphans and my parents over.

So, it will come as no surprise that I will be dining out tomorrow. I was delighted to see that Toulouse was offering Thanksgiving dinner. Not just because they are a client of ours but because I truly love that restaurant and it’s in my neighborhood. Their menu includes the traditional offerings plus more – like lamb shank, wild mushroom ravioli and grilled salmon. And of course, because it’s Toulouse, there are wine pairing suggestions for each item.

I still don’t know if I’m going to go the traditional route and get butternut squash soup, turkey and dressing, and pumpkin pie or if I’ll branch out. All I know for sure is that all that is required of me is to show up on time and enjoy myself. That is something to be thankful for!

From everyone at MLA, we wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Holiday Gift Guide

Believe it or not, its that time of year again folks- Christmas season is just a few short days away. After we celebrate Thanksgiving, everything is fair game in shopping. This year consider ordering something offline instead of braving the mall on Black Friday! This week the ladies at MLA, including myself, put together a holiday gift guide to help you select the perfect gift for those important, but hard-to-shop for people in your life. The gift guide features a variety of items such as Jersey Naps, TSP Spices, and some other great choices such as Via Elisa Pasta, all of which can be purchased online. In this mish-mosh of items you will see some of our personal favorites and some presents the people in our family will be recieving for the holidays. If you didn’t receive The Dish this week with all of our ideas, click here and you can read it online! Happy shopping!

2008 Riding Dirty Atlanta Wine Pairing Challenge

I have a love for wine and I have a love for blogs so it comes as no surprise that I read Dirty South Wine religiously. I'm really excited about the “Riding Dirty” Atlanta Wine Pairing Challenge he is putting on. Hardy has asked fifteen of Atlanta’s top restaurants to prepare a wine and food pairing to be served at their bar for under $25.

Wines are from the participating restaurants' current list of by-the-glass wines, and the food may be either a small plate or appetizer from their standard menu. The judges (Hardy, Matt Richardson and Broderick Smylie) have been evaluating each restaurants based on taste, creativity and value.

Hardy is chronicling each tasting at Dirty South Wine where you can read about the tastings and watch videos of their experiences at each restaurant. Updates can be followed on twitter under the #dty tag. Winners will be announced December 3, so stay tuned.

Participating restaurants include: Holeman & Finch, Joël, ARIA, ENO, Woodfire Grill, Toulouse,
VITA, Repast, La Tavola Trattoria, Top FLR, VINE, Canoe, Dogwood, ONE. Midtown kitchen and the ISAW charity (International Society of Africans in Wine).

Atlanta Goes Green And So Does MLA

All week we've been telling you about great Atlanta restaurants doing their part to go green. We here at MLA are also striving to go green. We’re picky when it comes to food, but not about recycling. Clean plate club members that we are, we recycle it all: paper, cardboard, plastic, grocery bags and glass. We’re fortunate that our building offers paper recycling, and our office manager takes everything else to the recycling center once a month. We take our own bags when we shop for home or office. More MLA must-do’s include telecommuting, using rechargeable batteries and eco-friendly light bulbs, and turning off the lights and unplugging electronic “suckers” when we’re not using them. Every little bit helps! Is your workplace making green changes too?

Marlow's Tavern Cooking Class

Can't decide what to get your friends for Christmas? Think about giving the gift of cooking to yourself and a friend at Marlow's Tavern Northlake's holiday cooking class. To fit the role, they'll give you a chef’s coat, and before you know it you'll be chopping and mixing in a hands-on demonstration of holiday dishes. Learn what wines will go best with each course. After you finish cooking be prepared to eat, because you get to try out some food! Start at 9 a.m. and you’re done by noon. $40 per person. Reserve your spot in the kitchen by email.

Marlow’s Tavern Northlake: 4156 Lavista Road, 678-987-1197.

Atlanta Goes Green: El Taco Serves Sustainability With Its Salsa

Fifth Group Restaurants opened The Original El Taco in October with a commitment to providing a fun, community cantina and a heaping helping of sustainability. One way El Taco has been green from the start is through its partnering with Renewable Choice Energy to purchase renewable energy credits (RECs) that will offset 100 percent of the Tex-Mex cantina’s electric energy consumption.

RECs are produced by wind farms, biomass facilities and other clean, renewable energy sources. Those purchased for El Taco are equivalent to planting 1,038 mature trees, not driving 257,444 miles a year in an average car or taking 21 cars off the road for one year. The eatery is also offsetting the emissions that are produced by heating the building with natural gas. A commitment that helps save natural resources, supports farmers and ranchers who make money by leasing their land, reduces CO2 emissions for cleaner air, and increases the demand for new REC projects while reducing our dependence on fossil fuels and generating awareness for clean technology projects. Now that is something I can eat to.

The Original El Taco: 1186 North Highland Avenue, NE; 404-873-4656.

Portofino Pushes Pasta on Pre-Atlanta Marathon Menu

One week from today I will line up with thousands of runners on Peachtree street to run the Thanksgiving Day Atlanta Half Marathon. Thankfully, Portofino will serve a pre-race carb filled meal for all the marathoners and half-marathoners on the 26th. The prix fixe menu includes pasta, along with soup or salad and dessert. Fortify your reserves from 5-10 p.m. on Wednesday, November 26, for a mere $25 per person. Start strong with starters such as white bean or butternut squash soup; spinach salad with feta, pine nuts, tomato, cucumber and a balsamic vinaigrette; and Caesar salad with herb croutons and Parmesan cheese. A variety of pastas, such as garlic chicken penne; classic spaghetti with veal, beef and pork blended meatballs; pomodoro with fresh tomato and basil sauce over penne pasta; pasta primavera with fresh whole wheat fettuccine or mushroom risotto Milanese will put you in the carb-loading zone. Cruise to a finish with gelato, tiramisu or pumpkin bread pudding .

Portofino: 3199 Paces Ferry Place. For reservations, call 404-231-1136. http://www.portofinobistro.com/

Wine Down Weekdays at Morton's Buckhead

Morton's The Steakhouse Buckhead celebrates Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays with Morton’s Wine Down Weekdays from 5-6:30 p.m. Even if you're trimming the bottom line, you can still enjoy and affordable work week-perk at Morton's. $5 will snag you a welcome glass of Canyon Road California Cabernet or Chardonnay. $3 nabs a glass of draft beer. Such a deal, it’s a date!

Morton’s The Steakhouse Buckhead: Peachtree Lenox Building, 3379 Peachtree Road, NE; 404-816-6535.

Each “FEED 100” Bag Purchased At Whole Foods Markets® Feeds 100 Hungry Rwandan School Children

I bet I can think of at least 100 times that I have wished I could do more to curb world hunger. Well, one bag at Whole Foods Market® can help grant each of those wishes at once. Purchasing a FEED 100 bag ($29.99), available exclusively at Whole Foods Market, will provide 100 nutritious meals to hungry school-age children in Rwanda through the United Nation World Food Program’s School Feeding Program (WFP).

The FEED Foundation will donate $10 for each bag purchased to the WFP’s Rwanda School Feeding operation. The remainder goes to production and program oversight as the organic cotton and burlap bags are made by workers receiving livable wages and overtime, and safe and clean working environments. The bags condense down into a small pouch so you’ll always have one handy.

During this season of gratitude, give others a reason to be thankful by purchasing one of these cute bags.

Sara in a Different City: Charleston

I LOVE Atlanta. I rock my 404 tee, I two step and walk it out. I actually enjoy eating at the Varsity and I've been known to cheer a time or two for the Braves. But this past weekend, I went OTP to Charleston, South Carolina to visit my lovely BFF Erin. While there, we did "touristy things" as Erin put it, but I also had the opportunity to taste the city like a true Charlestonian! My coastal culinary escapade was so fun, I had tell y'all about it and share Atlanta spots that offer lowcountry food on par (or better) with that of Charleston!

First stop on Friday night was the Charleston Charitable Society's Annual Oyster Roast at the Maritime Center where the society guys and gals exchanged fancy duds for jeans, oyster shucking gloves and shagging shoes! Described by Erin as the first oyster roast of the season, we got a chance to chow down on some freshly steamed oysters (and chili or hotdogs for the less adventurous) while listening to the classic Carolina beach music band, The Embers. For a good steamed oyster or two (or 25) in Atlanta, visit Fontaine's Oyster House in Virginia/Highlands.

Then, we decided to continue the fun across the bridge at the Mt. Pleasant location of King Street Grill for drinks and trivia. Hungry still, we split the shrimp croissant sandwich. For a delightful shrimp po'boy in the ATL, try Six Feet Under, on the Westside.

The next morning, we needed a breakfast that would help nurse our oyster hangover. We stopped by the Bookstore Cafe, a local favorite with all kinds of breakfast goodies including homemade potato casseroles. Erin helped herself to the delicious fried green tomato breakfast with bacon gravy and grits while I chowed down on the cobb omelette, full of chicken, aspargus and sundried tomatoes. For an omelette stuffed as full in Atlanta, go to R. Thomas Deluxe Grill on Peachtree. R.Thomas Bonus: The food is healthy and organic!

After browsing the great shopping in downtown Charleston's open market, I decided to take home some homemade gullah spice rubs. With names like "Hot as Hell," "Good Golly Miss Molly" and "Charleston Hospitality" you know these rubs are bound to add some flavor to your life! Fat Matt's here in Atlanta uses delicious secret spices in each BBQ rib batch - a must try!

Finally - our weekend ended with a genteel dinner at Poogan's Porch. Located in a converted home in the heart of downtown Charleston, Poogan's Porch has entertained famous southerners of all types for over 30 years. Three pimento cheese fritters, one bourbon mustard glazed pork loin with sweet potatoes and a few bites of bread pudding later and I was out for the count! For a similar southern hospitality experience in Atlanta, visit Mary Mac's Tea Room.

For more info about visiting (and dining in) Charleston, visit www.charleston.com.

Chocolate Adventure Contest

Just read about this at Food Gal. Scharffen Berger and TuttiFoodie's 2009 Chocolate Adventure Contest is now accepting entries - yumlicious. Each recipe must include Scharffen Berger chocolate and needs to be submitted by January 4, 2009. Categories of sweet, savory and beverage must also include an "adventure ingredient" like basil, mango or wattleseed.

The impressive list of judges are looking for the best creation incorporating creativity, taste, ease of preperation and whether the recipe reflects a spirit of adventure. I know some Atlanta food bloggers that should definitely think of entering, so check out the Official Contest Rules for details, kids.

Atlanta Restaurants Go Green: VITA's Natura Water Purification System

Tony LaRocco's VITA quenches your thirst and helps the environment at the same time! VITA is one of only four restaurants in Atlanta that use the Natura® water purification system to purify drinking water. The system removes impurities such as chlorine compounds, heavy metals and bacteria, while retaining thirst-quenching minerals like magnesium, zinc and calcium. VITA's Natura system is equally healthy for the environment as it alleviates trucking in water or disposing of plastic bottles and dispensers. Natura systems are installed in some of our nation's best restaurants.

VITA serves New York Italian-style dishes at lunch and dinner seven days a week, and weekend brunch. Tony LaRocco's VITA: 2110 Peachtree Road; 404-367-8482.