GREETINGS FROM CARMELA'S CUCINA,
I had a really big food and wine weekend and enjoyed every minute of it. Yesterday my husband and I met friends for a long and relaxing brunch at Jimmy's Food and Cocktails at 1000 Red Circle Drive in Minnetonka, Mn. 55343. 952-224-5858.
Enjoying brunch on a late Sunday morning after Mass has become one of my favorite things to do. Not only is it relaxing and a great way to connect with friends, but it usually means I don't have to cook a big dinner. This does not happen often though as I usually have my family together on Sunday evenings.
I had not been out to Jimmy's in about 2 years and never for brunch, the dining room is rich and handsome, bright and feels very up-scale and casual. The wait staff is very attentive and friendly. They serve the usual menu of eggs, pancakes, waffles and a large assortment of eggs Benedict. Among them a smoked salmon, California and crab, I chose the crab eggs Benedict.
My choice was made with a lump crab cake and nicely poached egg, the Hollandaise sauce was good, there just should have been more. The breakfasts are served with delicious looking cheddar breakfast potatoes, but I opted for more fruit as I am watching my calories and I thought the eggs Benedict had enough calories for one meal.
All in all it was a great experience. You might want to consider Jimmy's for Valentine's Day since it falls on a Sunday this year.
Hope you like Jimmy's too.
Buon appetito,
Carmela Tursi Hobbins
Monday, February 1, 2010
Thursday, January 28, 2010
NORDIC WARE FACTORY STORE COOKING CLASS
GREETINGS FROM CARMELA'S CUCINA,
JOIN US FOR THE NEXT COOKING CLASS AT THE NORDIC WARE FACTORY STORE.
4925 Highway 7 St. Louis Park, MN. 55416
MAKE IT A CHOCOLATE VALENTINE'S DAY
WITH CARMELA'S CUCINA
TUESDAY, FEB.9
7:00 to 8:30
Do you or someone you know love chocolate? Crave chocolate? Need to have chocolate every day? Then this is the class for you. In this class you will enjoy all things chocolate and you will learn to make a number of items you will want to try for yourself to make your Valentine's Day special or any time of year.
We will make:
COCONUT JOYS
CHOCOLATE PEANUT CLUSTERS
PRETZEL PEANUT BARK
OLD-FASHIONED RED VELVET CUPCAKES
COST: $25.00 PER PERSON, PLUS TAX. SAMPLES AND TAKE-HOME RECIPES INCLUDED.
GUESTS WILL ALSO RECEIVE A 15% DISCOUNT ON REGULAR PRICED NORDIC WARE MADE PRODUCTS.
TO MAKE A RESERVATION CALL 952-924-9672.
Buon appeito,
Carmela Tursi Hobbins
Monday, January 25, 2010
LAST CALL FOR SAVANNAH, GA.
GREETINGS FROM CARMELA'S CUCINA,
It is 65 degrees and sunny in Savannah, Ga. Get away from this long, cold and snowing winter and join Carmela's Cucina as she travels to this warm city for a culinary and home and garden tour.
Join us for a sumptuous, savory and simply irresistible tour of historic Savannah, Ga. March 25-29, 2010.
The tour includes 4 nights accommodations at the Planter's Inn on Reynold's Square, baggage handling, breakfast each morning and wine and cheese each evening. Escorted transportation for all planned events not in walking distance of the hotel and driver gratuities. Licensed professional guides. All tour entrance fees and select tour of homes tickets, 2 cooking classes, all breakfasts, 2 lunches and 3 dinners. Tales of the South staff at all planned events and so much more. And even a Paula Deen Tour.
For more information go to my web site at www.carmiescucina.com and see the full schedule of events. Click on the tours link and then on Savannah. Contact me at bchobbins@comcast.net to make a reservation.
I hope to see you in warm, sunny Savannah in March.
Buon appetito,
Carmela Tursi Hobbins
It is 65 degrees and sunny in Savannah, Ga. Get away from this long, cold and snowing winter and join Carmela's Cucina as she travels to this warm city for a culinary and home and garden tour.
Join us for a sumptuous, savory and simply irresistible tour of historic Savannah, Ga. March 25-29, 2010.
The tour includes 4 nights accommodations at the Planter's Inn on Reynold's Square, baggage handling, breakfast each morning and wine and cheese each evening. Escorted transportation for all planned events not in walking distance of the hotel and driver gratuities. Licensed professional guides. All tour entrance fees and select tour of homes tickets, 2 cooking classes, all breakfasts, 2 lunches and 3 dinners. Tales of the South staff at all planned events and so much more. And even a Paula Deen Tour.
For more information go to my web site at www.carmiescucina.com and see the full schedule of events. Click on the tours link and then on Savannah. Contact me at bchobbins@comcast.net to make a reservation.
I hope to see you in warm, sunny Savannah in March.
Buon appetito,
Carmela Tursi Hobbins
Sunday, January 24, 2010
SPASSO FOR LUNCH
Greetings from Carmela's Cucina,
Let me first say how sorry I am for being away from my blogging for such a long time. Between, the holidays, company and travel and vacations there just has not been enough hours in the day to get it all done. But I do hope to be back at it more regularly.
Last Friday, Bob and I took a ride out to Minnetonka to check out Spasso for lunch. Friends had told me about it and the wine shop next door. Same owners, with a great concept. Spasso has a great wine shop, with wines from all over the world. And the best thing is that you can buy a bottle of wine in the wine store and take it next door to the restaurant and they will open it for no extra charge. A great savings and a wonderful idea.
I was happy to see that they do carry the wine that my cousins make in Ciro in the area of Calabria in Italy. It is there lowest end wine, but it was good to see it on the shelf and if you are looking for something not to expensive and want to try a red from the southern part of Italy, then the LiBrandi Ciro Rosso may be a bottle that you want to try. I am hoping that in the future they might carry some of their higher end wines, but availability is the problem.
After looking over the stock in the wine store and buying a few bottles Bob and I made our way over to the restaurant. Since it was Friday afternoon, they were fairly busy. Spasso is a large restaurant with hard floors and high ceilings so it was also pretty noisy. They have a great bar area and one of the things that caught my eye was a flight of 3 wines for $15.95, which is a good deal considering their extensive wine menu. But since we had a list to finish off the length of my arm we skipped the wine and ordered lunch and soft drinks.
In the back of the room is a beautiful wood-burning oven, which I am sure produces some beautiful pizzas, but since I am trying to loose a few, I skipped that too. Their lunch menu is mostly soups, salads, pasta and pizzas. The best value is their mix and match lunch for ten bucks and that is what I settled on. I enjoyed their Sausage and Bean Soup and the Chop Chop Salad which is one of their house specialties. The soup was robust and chunky with lots of sausage and beans and quite filling. I was expecting a half salad, but the portion was quite large and flavorful, lots of meat, cheese, olives and fresh, crisp salad greens. I wish that the dressing had a bit more zip to it, but all in all it was a great lunch and you can't beat the price.
If you are in the area, I would suggest that you first go and find yourself several bottles of wine, one to drink at the table the others to take back home and then go next door for a cozy little lunch and ask for a booth.
At the wine shop make sure and tell them that "Carmela sent you."
Buon appetito e Salute,
Carmela
Let me first say how sorry I am for being away from my blogging for such a long time. Between, the holidays, company and travel and vacations there just has not been enough hours in the day to get it all done. But I do hope to be back at it more regularly.
Last Friday, Bob and I took a ride out to Minnetonka to check out Spasso for lunch. Friends had told me about it and the wine shop next door. Same owners, with a great concept. Spasso has a great wine shop, with wines from all over the world. And the best thing is that you can buy a bottle of wine in the wine store and take it next door to the restaurant and they will open it for no extra charge. A great savings and a wonderful idea.
I was happy to see that they do carry the wine that my cousins make in Ciro in the area of Calabria in Italy. It is there lowest end wine, but it was good to see it on the shelf and if you are looking for something not to expensive and want to try a red from the southern part of Italy, then the LiBrandi Ciro Rosso may be a bottle that you want to try. I am hoping that in the future they might carry some of their higher end wines, but availability is the problem.
After looking over the stock in the wine store and buying a few bottles Bob and I made our way over to the restaurant. Since it was Friday afternoon, they were fairly busy. Spasso is a large restaurant with hard floors and high ceilings so it was also pretty noisy. They have a great bar area and one of the things that caught my eye was a flight of 3 wines for $15.95, which is a good deal considering their extensive wine menu. But since we had a list to finish off the length of my arm we skipped the wine and ordered lunch and soft drinks.
In the back of the room is a beautiful wood-burning oven, which I am sure produces some beautiful pizzas, but since I am trying to loose a few, I skipped that too. Their lunch menu is mostly soups, salads, pasta and pizzas. The best value is their mix and match lunch for ten bucks and that is what I settled on. I enjoyed their Sausage and Bean Soup and the Chop Chop Salad which is one of their house specialties. The soup was robust and chunky with lots of sausage and beans and quite filling. I was expecting a half salad, but the portion was quite large and flavorful, lots of meat, cheese, olives and fresh, crisp salad greens. I wish that the dressing had a bit more zip to it, but all in all it was a great lunch and you can't beat the price.
If you are in the area, I would suggest that you first go and find yourself several bottles of wine, one to drink at the table the others to take back home and then go next door for a cozy little lunch and ask for a booth.
At the wine shop make sure and tell them that "Carmela sent you."
Buon appetito e Salute,
Carmela
Friday, December 11, 2009
BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE!
Greetings from Carmela's Cucina,
The week-end high in Savannah, Ga. is going to be 68 degrees. Join me for the culinary trip that I am hosting there in March around their home and garden tour week. This special event includes, meals, hotel, ground transportation, cooking classes, entrance fees to many special homes in the historic area of Savannah and much more. For the full itinerary and registration form go to my website at www.carmiescucina.com and click on the tours button.
The deadline for the tour is Dec. 31, 2009. Give yourself a great Christmas present and think spring!
Buon appetito,
Carmela Tursi Hobbins
The week-end high in Savannah, Ga. is going to be 68 degrees. Join me for the culinary trip that I am hosting there in March around their home and garden tour week. This special event includes, meals, hotel, ground transportation, cooking classes, entrance fees to many special homes in the historic area of Savannah and much more. For the full itinerary and registration form go to my website at www.carmiescucina.com and click on the tours button.
The deadline for the tour is Dec. 31, 2009. Give yourself a great Christmas present and think spring!
Buon appetito,
Carmela Tursi Hobbins
Thursday, December 10, 2009
COOKING CLASS AT NORDIC WARE
Greetings from Carmela's Cucina,
CHOCOLATE HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS WITH CARMELA'S CUCINA.
I will be teaching a cooking class at Nordic Ware on Tuesday Dec. 15, 2009 from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Do you love chocolate? Crave Chocolate? Need to have chocolate several times a day? Then this is the class for you. In this class you will enjoy all things chocolate and you will learn to make a number of items you will want to try for yourself for the upcoming holidays or anytime of the year. These sweets will look great on your holiday dessert platter and make a wonderful food gifts to give. I will be making the following.
COCONUT JOYS
CHOCOLATE PEANUT CLUSTERS
PRETZEL BARK
OLD FASHIONED RED VELVET CUPCAKES
Call 952-924-9672 to register.
$25.00 per person plus tax. Guests to receive a 15% discount on Nordic-Ware products purchased at the store that evening.
Nordic Ware Factory Store
4925 Highway 7
St. Louis Park, Mn 55416
CHOCOLATE HOLIDAY CELEBRATIONS WITH CARMELA'S CUCINA.
I will be teaching a cooking class at Nordic Ware on Tuesday Dec. 15, 2009 from 7:00-8:30 p.m.
Do you love chocolate? Crave Chocolate? Need to have chocolate several times a day? Then this is the class for you. In this class you will enjoy all things chocolate and you will learn to make a number of items you will want to try for yourself for the upcoming holidays or anytime of the year. These sweets will look great on your holiday dessert platter and make a wonderful food gifts to give. I will be making the following.
COCONUT JOYS
CHOCOLATE PEANUT CLUSTERS
PRETZEL BARK
OLD FASHIONED RED VELVET CUPCAKES
Call 952-924-9672 to register.
$25.00 per person plus tax. Guests to receive a 15% discount on Nordic-Ware products purchased at the store that evening.
Nordic Ware Factory Store
4925 Highway 7
St. Louis Park, Mn 55416
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
BOOK SIGNING AT ANNONA GOURMET
Greetings from Carmela's Cucina,
I will be at Annona Gourmet on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 from Noon to 2:00 p.m. I will be signing my cookbook and sharing some samples with you. My cookbook paired with some olive oils and vinegars from Annona Gourmet would make for a wonderful holiday gift.
Annona Gourmet is located at 2907 Pentagon Drive, St. Anthony, Mn. 612-345-2927.
www.annonagourmet.com
I hope to see you on Sat.
Buon appetito,
Carmela Tursi Hobbins
I will be at Annona Gourmet on Saturday, Dec. 12, 2009 from Noon to 2:00 p.m. I will be signing my cookbook and sharing some samples with you. My cookbook paired with some olive oils and vinegars from Annona Gourmet would make for a wonderful holiday gift.
Annona Gourmet is located at 2907 Pentagon Drive, St. Anthony, Mn. 612-345-2927.
www.annonagourmet.com
I hope to see you on Sat.
Buon appetito,
Carmela Tursi Hobbins
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