Rivers Italian...

This town's best kept secret.

And it shouldn't be a secret.

If I were to review all the restaurants
in this little town, I wouldn't be allowed
in the door.   Except for this one...

Rivers Italian is a gleem of hope
in a town that sports specials such
as all you can eat fried fish on a friday night for 8.95
which is a heck of a deal if that's what you're looking for.

We've got an Applebee's and a Ground Round now, a few other
local restaurants that give what I'd call a weak attempt at upscale food.
It's not bad, it's just not authentic in the way of fresh, creative,
and mouthwatering.

                                                                    [ fresh marlin ]

Which is exactly what Chef Matthew Taylor's food is, fresh,
creative and mouthwatering. Every week he offers fish specials based
on what he has flown in.  Every so often he does a Port of Call,
creating a menu inspired by a specific region or country.




I can always count on there being a beef special, carnivore that I am.
It's USDA prime and cooked to perfection. A place where you can order
it rare and get it rare. That's unusual in these parts.

The atmosphere during the day is quaint and cozy. At night it
has a warm, inviting ambiance. Perfect for a romantic evening.

The wine list is solid and the staff are well versed.
I have yet to ask about a specific wine and the server
say I don't know.

The desert menu is to die for, and regularly changes.
Tiramisu anyone?



Location:
208 NE Third Street
Grand Rapids, MN, 55744
Phone:
218.327.3471
Mon - Fri:
11:00 am - 11:00 pm
Sat:
12:00 pm - 11:00 pm




Website:

Rivers Italian








One Love. One peace. Always and all ways.

The duality of life...

I witnessed multiple acts of selfishness this week,

the likes of which I have never seen.

Just when I think people cannot surprise me anymore
by the things they do with the intention of causing pain,
or the things they do that cause pain because they
walk this earth in some sort of blind self serving egoic state,
I stand here, my mouth open...unable to speak

... appalled.

They will never know the pain they cause.
They're too blinded by ego and their own selfish agendas.

then I witness on my way to work,
a homeless man 
who was riding by on his bicycle  in the rain,
carrying bags of aluminum cans and other treasures,
help a single mother and her two young children,
put a mattress, that she'd just pulled out of
the dumpster behind the furniture store,
on the top of her beaten up old station wagon 

.....that GMH.

[ please click the link below, it will lift you in ways you couldn't imagine ] 
(gives me hope)

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Beautiful day...Beautiful Life.

Couldn't have been a more perfect day.
Spent it hiking trails, chasing rivers down stream,
a fantastic dinner out with friends.

I'm lovin life!
Full speed ahead I say...
stay the course, its a damn good one.












One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Trust in the Flow...

What I was reminded of by two angels whom
I keep close to my heart...trust in the flow.

Two friends of mine called and
said we'll meet you there.

Now after a double overnight,
a 40 hour week in three days,
three hours later I was deliriously tired...
we won't talk about the other hours I work.
I choose it, so no complaining here.


Four hours later...
300 miles down the road
I'm here at the Bluefin, on the north shore.

I said to them when we got here...
I need you to take care of me.
I know when to let go,
I know to ask for what I need

I didn't have to say another word, they knew. 


Want to know the next to best part?

Frustrated with slow drivers.
 3/4 of the way here...
I ran into a Timberwolf
injured. I pulled over, threw some
bacon I happened to have in the car,
out the window, don't ask,
he engulfed it.

I can't say I got THE  shot,
but I got a few that I wouldn't have otherwise had....
had anything else been different.
And Timberwolves are hard to come by. 

Tonight has been the perfect night,with the best of friends...
and well, waves crashing against the shore...

at the Bluefin
on Lake Superior.


I'm in good hands,
on all counts.
Lake, love, friends, and resort.



It's great to be back at the Bluefin.



ya gots to trust in the flow...








One love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Ghost Pines Merlot 2006

This may very well be my first wine review.
This may very well be my only wine review.


This wine was so fantastic
I can't keep it a secret.

Let's start with a price of 16.99.
Let's talk about the little
tag below it that used the words

lush and hedonistic in flavor and finish.
Let's talk about a wine that delivers.

I happened to like the name,
especially since I have a strong interest
in Ghosts, and have had my own
experiences with paranormal investigations.

Click the link and take a peek...if you're not too scared.

Henryton Sanitorium

Yeh there was no walking away from this bottle of wine.

I'm not going to hit you up with a bunch
of adjectives that I'm not quite sure describe
the flavor.


When they used the words lush and hedonistic
they weren't lying.  The finish was SMOOTH.


It's my new favorite.

I've researched reviews here's a link
that will give you a little more information
on this particular wine.

Wine Stopper

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Best Moments #1

Best moments this weekend:


I called a girlfriend of mine last night whom I haven't talked to in months.
While I was waiting for the beep to leave a message on her cell phone.
She calls me. She had already started dialing before my call came through
which is why it went to voice mail. I love moments like this.

Hiking with Hannah.
Cuddling with Hannah.
Laughing with Hannah.
Looking at Hannah and knowing
what she wants me to say....

and well, Hannah giving me that look
waiting to hear it time after time...
priceless.

"You and Me together..."
she can't quite say together but she
can say house, or movies, or roooooollerskating...
you get the drift, so she always finishes the sentence

I can't imagine my life without her.

I can't imagine........

the joy she brings is indescribable.

I had someone try my butter sauce recipe with halibut...
she loved it. that made my day.


I indulged in a two inch thick T-bone tonight.
Let me say the word incredible and mean it.

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Cod Poached in Butter with Peas

How could that be bad?
That's what I told myself when I started.

It's healthy if you don't eat
all the beurre monte. Yes I said it.
Fancy words for "butter sauce".






Beurre monté is an emulsified butter sauce.
When whole butter is melted, the butter fat tends
to separate from the milk solids and water.
By whisking lumps of cold butter into a couple of tablespoons
of extra-warm water, whisking as you go, you eliminate separation.
Keep your heat even, keep your whisking gentle.

Most recipes will tell you all that is needed is one tablespoon
of water brought to a boil, then turned down adding one cold cube
of butter at a time while whisking to emulsify.

I found 4 tablespoons to one stick of butter worked best.
Double or triple as needed to suit your needs.
Do not boil, or your liquids will separate.
180-190 degrees is recommended.
I like to call that a nice simmer.


Once the sauce is made, add the fish,
I used cod. Feel free to use just about
any delicate white fish, lobster, etc.

I also added frozen peas.

My cod pieces were fairly thick,
it only took a few minutes on each side.
I did flip. I'd have to say the slower
you poach the better, you really want that
buttery flavor to soak on in.

Feel free to add shallots, other seasonings.
This was my first time, so I kept it straight.
Next time I'll be adding saffron.
Oh yeh.


This was melt in your mouth good,
even though I read the instructions um..yeh..after.
Don't ask.

As for not eating all the sauce...

Put down your spoon. Walk away slowly. And nobody gets hurt.
especially your hips.
ha.

“Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats 

Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Kerrygold.”

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

On the Subject of Acceptance...

So often my images reflect what's happening around me.

A conversation I had last night, had to do with doing

the best you can with what you have and what you know. 

Sure enough as my shift ended, here I am looking at

an amazing image and no camera save for my cell phone. 

 I did the best I could with what I had and what I knew
and I'm letting it be good enough. 

We do the best we can with what we have and what we know.

We have to forgive ourselves those moments. 

Or maybe we love ourselves without guilt for those moments.

I'm not sure which.  

I think

if you've given your best,

you can give yourself both.


And hopefully next time around,
we'll do better.

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Trees and things...

I wonder what this tree has seen...

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Laptops...

Remember the last post...


when I said "if my laptop died"
yeh. about that.


it died.
the next day.
the ac adapter,
probably a short in the wire,
fried my motherboard and hard drive.

Five guys review needed to be re edited.
FJ didn't like my artistic license on that one.
I'm not sure I did either.
It will now need to be rephotographed,
which means it will need to be re-eaten.
oh darn.

Within an hour i headed to Best Buy in Duluth.
Picked up a new laptop.
Props to Eric the best buy phone guy.
Really helpful.

My poor hard drive is being sent to a special
recovery lab since it won't spin.
Which means they take it apart and try
to find the pieces which I need, say like.............
the photo and video files.

This is not the first time I've been
handed this lesson on a plate.
Make hard copies of your photos.
I think that's all I need to say about that.
Fortunately I had moved the bulk
of them over to an external drive.
Fortunately I only lost a couple of months worth,
and it wasn't much given the time of year.
Fortunately I still had thousands on memory cards.
Fortunately I was able to get a laptop.
Fortunately I'll be able to keep this one, and
give the replaced laptop to my father.


if he doesn't go pay a ridiculous price to get his fixed.


So really there was something very good that came out of this.
There usually is something very good to come out of something not so great....











One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Musings...what a cheesy title.

that's funny.
I hit the wrong button and it posted a blank entry.
Today I normally sleep until four to catch up from
working double overnights, it's how I cram 40 hours into three days.
I like overnights btw,
so don't take that as a complaint.


It's twelve thirty when
my father calls me on the cell today.
I keep that phone on in case of emergency,
and put the dnd on the regular phone.
his laptop has gone into a coma.
some other time I will explain why
this is truly an emergency, the laptop
in some ways has been a life line for him.
Who am I kidding, if my laptop died...
yeh, I am laptop dependent.
I'm sure there's a meeting for that somewhere.

multiple phone calls after that to and from
different people, I'm still awake.
I'm not a phone person,
anyone who knows me will tell you that.
Love does funny things to a person...

I'm smiling.
I'm not going back to sleep now.

You know what...
it's good to be back...



then again
I never really left.

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

One Question...

It's funny how sometimes a recent conversation
and a photograph I've taken manage to say the same thing.
That happened to me today.
A conversation. A photograph.
The message was clear, and I do believe Becca
this one's for you.

It has everything to do with pushing
all the "stuff" out of the way
and ask yourself one question....

What am I waiting for?

you already know the answer.

: )

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Chicken Salad and Frozen Florida

I work two jobs.
one I work 40,
the other is 70+ hours.
I know.
No I'm not one of those.
I work hard so I can play harder.
Both afford me the luxury of heading out of town
when the mood hits.

Took a mini trip to Florida,
I live in Minnesota. Right, you're
thinking nice, go where it's warm.
Yahno. There is ice in Florida.
It's true. These pictures prove it.

I don't know why they call it chicken salad.
Its a spread. Salad usually means lettuce in a bowl.
Doesn't matter, Suzanne's mom rocks it.
I ate it every day I was there.

Suzanne's Mom's Chicken Salad

How great is this,
she had the recipe written out.
I forgot to photograph the backside,
I think I can talk you through it.

I didn't use the Italian dressing.
just a personal preference for me.

I chopped the celery very fine.
You can lightly toast those pecans.
Salt and pepper to taste.
You guys know the rest right?
Flip into a food processor and voila.
It ain't rocket science.

LOVE THIS RECIPE.







Suzanne thank you for inviting me, and thank you
to your mom for making me feel like one of the kids.

I have not laughed that hard,
[and we laughed almost every minute of every day I was there ]
that long, in quite a while.

I'm comin back!










One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

A little of this and a lot of that...

I've never been a duck and hide kinda girl.
But I sure do know better than to sit in the line of fire.
And I definitely am smart enough to run when I see chaos,
especially when its not my own.

I know how to keep my world peaceful.
I know that my peace is more important than ego.

I know that when I keep quiet, keep patience close,
I open the door to something even better.

I know that when someone tells you more than
once they aren't happy, they mean it. If you don't
hear them, you're just plain stupid or you need a hearing device.

I know that the people we say we love need to see it in action.
Love shouldn't be hard work,
that doesn't mean we should be lazy about it.
And if the love itself is hard work, it ain't love.
Real love, the good and healthy kind of love,
it's easy like Sunday morning...

I know that you truly do get what you give.
There's comfort in that.
.
You made the choices that got you where you are.
If you don't like where you're landing, well...
just remember you bought the plane ticket.

I know that sometimes it is a little too late.
Move on, move forward I say.

I know that we are all here to learn.
But women my age who still have their
head in a bucket, irritate the hell out of me,
I guess because we are given the gift
of being a woman, strong and intuitive, [and it IS a gift]
when I see it wasted and littered with excuses...
I find there is no excuse for you.



I know that I am truly blessed.
I'm not talking about a big house,or expensive things.
I'm talking about the people in my life.
You know who you are. You matter to me.

You are the best gift the universe could give me
for having done a few things right in this world.

I'm happy.
I'm grateful.
I'm loved.
and I got easy like Sunday morning...

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Snowflakes and Winter Kisses

Forests, lakes, and rivers, clouds and winds,




stars and flowers,
stupendous glaciers and crystal snowflakes






every form of animate or inanimate existence,
leaves its impress upon the soul of man.

Orison Swett Marden

she leaves her impress

upon me.





















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Winter Fun

Something about a snowman makes me smile...

One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

One The Subject of Courage

Courage doesn't always roar:
sometimes its the quiet voice
at the end of the day saying,
I'll try again tomorrow.

~Mary Anne Radmacher

I remember my father saying to us girls,
Tomorrow is a new day.
I got in trouble a lot.
I suppose I needed to hear it.
It was a reminder that I had
the opportunity to start over fresh.
I never understood at the time,
how profound my father's word were.
All he got from us were exasperated sighs
and major eye rolls, having heard it 8 million
times before, and knowing those words wouldn't
save us from being grounded.
I never understood what he was giving
us...I do now. Courage, a reminder to keep
trying, that no matter how badly I'd screwed up,
I always had another chance to get it right.
We may not get do overs.
We do get start overs.

These words have served me well over the years.
More often than not I hear them in my head, when
life gets challenging. I dig my heels in, keep pushing through,
no whining, head held high, and get through quietly,
remembering I can, tomorrow is coming, all I have to do
is get through today.

I don't screw up so much anymore. : )

It's funny...growing up I was the child
who did everything but what she was supposed to.

As an adult I am more my fathers daughter than
either of us ever imagined I would be, and this is a good thing.


Tomorrow is a new day.
Tomorrow we begin again..













One love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

Winter

I prefer winter and fall,
when you feel the bone structure of the landscape ...



the loneliness of it,
the dead feeling of winter.

Something waits beneath it,
the whole story doesn't show.



~Andrew Wyeth











One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways

Salami Wrapped Snacks

First let me wish you all Happy Holidays~!

A friend of mine sent me this message,
and I feel it says my wish for all of you better than
I can put into words.

I wish you joy, I wish you all the pleasures The world has to give,
Pleasures of a pure heart
And soul I wish you the exhilaration Felt atop mountain peaks,
I wish you the cool comfort Of a shaggy, shady oak
I wish you the thrill Of watching your children
Grow up and blossom Into a loving, caring maturity I wish you all the passion
That a love for the ages, A nurturing, spontaneous love,
Can generously give I wish you never know loneliness,
Never know pain and sorrow To excess or extremes,
And if you do, It gives birth to future joys I wish you good health Of mind, body and spirit,
That your journey through life Be a peaceful one I wish you friendship
The kind that supports you, Sustains you,
And makes you stop to smile I wish you love and friendship,
Comfort and peace, I wish you joy!

Because I love all things Italian, I asked my Italian friend to write
me the Italian version...in full he did, Thank you Gio.



Ti auguro la gioia di avere sempre qualcuno con cui dividere ogni cosa... Mostra tutto…
Ti auguro di avere dei bei ricordi cui ritornare col pensiero nei brutti momenti…
Ti auguro una tra le migliori piccole gioie quotidiane:
aprire un libro che ricordi bene, lasciarne le pagine, leggere le prime parole famigliari…
Ti auguro la primavera e la meraviglia di constatare che è sempre migliore di quanto avevi osato sperare…
Ti auguro la felicità di un regalo da un bambino:
- un mazzo di denti di leone appassiti, - una caramella succhiata a metà - una rana - un bacio …
Ti auguro che tu possa, anche se solo una volta nella vita, vedere qualcosa di infinitamente raro, strano e bello…
Ti auguro la malinconia di un giardino in inverno e, dopo mesi d’attesa, i piccoli, verdi vegetali della primavera…
Ti auguro di rimanere affascinato dall’infinita varietà della vita animale…
Ti auguro la fiducia di una creatura selvatica, conquistata con pazienza e amore…
Ti auguro che tu possa non dover comprare l’amore al prezzo dell’umiliazione…
Ti auguro che tu possa sempre trovare le parole giuste per mantenere al loro posto gli spacconi e avere abbastanza forza nelle ginocchia per camminare con dignità…
Ti auguro che tu possa avere un cuore pieno d’amore e giudizi accorti…
Ti auguro la gioia di essere desiderata, e di trovare il regalo perfetto, sentire il profumo della terra, dal prato aperto…
Ti auguro lettere: con una calligrafia che riconosci immediatamente, con una calligrafia che non vedevi da anni…
Ti auguro lettere piene di elogi, piene di incoraggiamenti: lettere di gratitudine e di amore.
Ti auguro lettere sciupate, macchiate di inchiostro, scritte tutte storte coperte di baci.
Ti auguro la felicità di dimenticare il passato e di trovare nuovi inizi.
Ti auguro la felicità delle idee, l’eccitamento della ragione, il trionfo della conoscenza, lo schiarirsi della vista, l’acuirsi dell’udito,
il protendersi verso nuove scoperte, il trarre piacere dal passato così come dal presente.
Ti auguro la gioia della creatività.
Ti auguro felicità… ma non la felicità che si ottiene chiudendo fuori il mondo.
Nemmeno quella di rinnegare il tuo sogno per amor di agiatezza.
Ti auguro la felicità di fare quello che fai nel migliore dei modi.
Di correre il rischio di tentare, di correre il rischio di dare, di correre il rischio d’amare.
Tratta la felicità con gentilezza: è un prestito.
BUON NATALE..


Christmas isn't only about the Christmas cookies ...

Someone shared this little tidbit of a snack with me
and I'm going to share it with you.

Seriously I had my doubts, I thought its going to be "okay"
Yawell it was beyond okay, it was GREAT.

Salami Wrapped Snacks

Thinly sliced salami
Thinly sliced havarti cheese with dill
Chicken in a Biscuit.

Layer as shown in the photo.
Fold and eat.

Small bite, big flavor, nice crunch.

Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday season.








One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.

La Creme de Soupe de Champignon

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats 

Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Le Creuset. 

 Voting is now open. I sure hope you'll vote for me!  

I'm # 27 and #28  

 Voting will end on December 19th.  
CLICK THIS TO GO TO THE VOTING PAGE

I love James Beard. 

He's one of my absolute favorite chefs.

I have over 500 cookbooks.

His book American Cookery, is one I reach for time and again .

Don't think I have a big head about my collection.

I know there are people out there with thousands.
And my mom keeps me humble by
reminding me with a couple of credit cards
she could outdo my collection in a matter of minutes.

This was the one book I got from my Granny.

Until today,  I hadn't noticed her handwriting there on the page.

She is one of my favorite "comforts"

Makes me smile and remember.

I love her script.

.

Sharon is her daughter and my mother.
My mother is another favorite "comfort"

: )

On with the food yes?

***************************



Cream of Mushroom Soup

Ingredients:

1 pound mushrooms

1 quart chicken broth

2 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons sherry or Cognac (optional)

2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon Tabasco (I say optional)

I also added:

shallots

garlic

and a dash of nutmeg

Preparation:

Mushrooms. I used white button.That's what I had in the frig.

Note that this is only a base recipe, use any and all mushrooms you like.

More mushrooms the better, a variety of shrooms

will add depth to the flavor of your soup and different textures are a good thing.

It's recommended 

you clean your mushrooms 

with a dry towel, 

or a mushroom brush.

Remove the stems, set those aside.

As for the mushrooms,

mince them. slice them...

Mr. Beard wants you to melt equal parts butter, and or olive oil

and flour, add mushrooms saute, add broth, cream and season.

I say,

instead of the roux,

(yes I dare to disagree with the master of all things culinary)

do the butter/olive oil.
lightly saute the shallots and garlic,
 deglaze with sherry.

Toss in the mushrooms,

add pinch of salt,

cook until they are softened.

set aside.

oh hey those mushroom stems?

Add those to your chicken stock. I use what two or three cups if that?

You want to steep these in the broth, until the mushroom flavor is imparted.

40 minutes or so.

Strain the mushrooms using cheesecloth.

Pour the strained liquid into the stock.

Grab your mushrooms....

Into the stock they go...

Add your cream...
*if you choose to skip the roux,
use enough stock to barely cover the mushrooms,
then add the cream.

Let it sit on low for a bit. 

Garnish with parsley, pinch of nutmeg. salt. pepper.

On a cold wintry Sunday afternoon, there's nothing more comforting for me ...

Note from the Cook:
Do your sauteing and deglazing in a heavy bottomed dutch oven/soup pot. I love and use Le Creuset
Then all you have to do is add your home made chicken stock and cream to the cooked mushrooms,
 with no major clean up, it can all be done in one pot.

While you're at it ...

Come join the fun at the My Baking Addiction and GoodLife Eats Holiday Recipe Swap sponsored by Le Creuset















One Love. One Peace. Always and all ways.