So we're not exactly getting the spring weather that we hoped for. Um, what the heck Ohio, 27° and it's almost April? Regardless, it's a sunny beautiful day, and one of my favorite places to go on a Saturday is the West Side Market in the Ohio City neighborhood. For some reason, every time I step inside I instantly feel like I'm somewhere else...or maybe more like I'm living back in Florence again and visiting the Mercato di San Lorenzo for some fresh vegetables and ciabatta bread. Okay, I'm officially daydreaming - back to the West Side Market. On the weekends, it's always bustling with with people; you literally have to shimmy sideways sometimes to get through the crowds. But if you time your trip just right, at about 3:30 in the afternoon, all of the vendors start to mark down their prices because the West Side Market is closed on Sundays and they have to get rid of their produce for the new week. You'll get the best deals on the freshest produce around!
Attention people who are A) trying to save money, B) interested in gourmet food and fresh ingredients, or C) extremely sick of the burgers, sandwiches and fries that seem to be ubiquitous around the Cleveland food scene. It's Cleveland Restaurant Week 2014 through this Sunday! It's one of my favorite times of the year because it's an opportunity to sample multiple courses at expensive restaurants that I normally would not step foot into unless it was a special occasion or for a happy hour cocktail. You get 3 full-size courses, an appetizer, entree and dessert, for $33. A glass of wine isn't included, but I consider it mandatory. This past Saturday, Howie and I went to Spice Kitchen & Bar, and amazing doesn't even begin to describe our experience!
Although 97% of the recipes I post on this blog are things I've invented or family pass-downs, I still try other people's recipes too. I probably should more often, but I never seem to make it all the way through the recipe without modifying ingredients and spices to make it perfectly suited to my own taste. Another problem is that I also don't really believe in measuring when I cook because each time the ingredients I'm using might need different amounts of salt or spices depending on the season. Regardless, I hate following recipes word for word. I blame it on my creativity and stubborn personality. This past week, however, I did follow a recipe by Rachel Ray for jambalaya, which I had no idea how to prepare myself. I did some tweaking, but only for the spices that I thought I had at home while I was at the grocery store, and then they weren't there when I got back. The substitutions I made might have made the recipe even better than hers...sorry Rachel, I'm coming for Food Network! I knew it was a hit when I wasn't allowed to bring the leftovers home from Howie's house! Mmmmmm!
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