Sushi & Pizza: The Best of Both Worlds

Hey Waterford Place!  Just heard about a new pizza called The Sashimi Pizza from Dragon King’s Daughter on Bardstown Road in an article on Louisville.com.  It sounds absolutely delicious so I had to share it with you guys.

The pizza comes on an oblong shaped crust which can be ordered in a half size ($10) or a full ($14). The crust is piled high with organic spring mix, avocado, and red onions. Then slices of raw salmon, white tuna, and red tuna are delicately laid on their bed of greens. Finally, a drizzle of tamari-mayo finishes it off. I also find that drizzling it with a bit of soy sauce really adds something. Start off with the Lemongrass Miso Soup and add a beer and you basically have the best meal ever.

The author of the original article is from Buffalo, NY - the city where I went to school and worked in for six years.  Trust me, folks.  They KNOW their pizza up there.  Pizza and wings are to Buffalo what bourbon and baseball bats are to Louisville.  And while this isn’t your traditional crust, sauce and cheese pizza, it certainly is something that I would enjoy…especially since I love sushi too!  If you try it out, let me know what you think of it!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy belated National Chocolate Chip Day (Sunday, May 15).  Enjoy these!

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup Firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 Egg
• 1 tsp Vanilla
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp Nutmeg
• 3 cups Oats
• 10 ounces Chocolate chips

Instructions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla. Combine flour, baking soda, salt and spices, add to butter mixture and mix thoroughly. Stir in oats and chocolate chips. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake for 7 to 9 minutes for a chewy cookie or 10 to 11 minutes for a crispy cookie. Allow cookies to cool on cookie sheet before removing. Cool completely on wire rack.

Video: Plenty of Plehn’s Pleasures Waterford Place

Can you say that 5X fast?

Ever wonder where Waterford Place gets its delicious baked goods from?  Well, my friend, wonder no more.  Plehn’s Bakery is the secret. They are the official bakery for Waterford Place and we love them!

On this day, Patrick and Missy stop by Plehn’s to pay a visit.  Check it out and meet the bakers who put together all of the delicious treats!  And if you want to check them out yourself, they’re located at 3940 Shelbyville Rd. (travel north on Breckinridge LN about 1.5 miles, make a right onto Shelbyville Rd and Plehn’s will be on your right)

The official drink of the Kentucky Derby

You haven’t had an official Derby weekend without taking in a mint julep or two.  Are you aware of the drinks history in relation to the Kentucky Derby?

The mint julep is well-known as the traditional beverage of the Kentucky Derby, a position it has held since 1938. Each year almost 120,000 juleps are served at Churchill Downs over the two day period of the Kentucky Oaks and the Kentucky Derby.  For over 18 years, the Early Times Mint Julep Cocktail has been the designated “official mint julep of the Kentucky Derby”.

At the 2006 Kentucky Derby, Churchill Downs served custom-made mint juleps at a cost of $1000 each. The mint juleps were served in gold-plated cups with silver straws, and were made from Woodford Reserve bourbon, mint imported from Ireland, ice from the Bavarian Alps, and sugar from Australia. The proceeds were used to support charitable causes dedicated to retired race horses.

Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Cake

Do we have any bakers (or wanna-be bakers) here in Waterford Place?  Try this recipe for Kentucky Derby Mint Julep Cake.  Let us know how it turns out (or better yet, drop off a couple slices at the office for Patrick and Missy).

Taste the Derby!

Anyone out there from Louisville already knows what this time of year means.  The Derby!  And you also know that with The Derby comes a myriad of festival activities.  I’ll tell you which activity I’m looking forward to the most:  the Taste of Derby Festival to be held next Thursday, April 22 at Louisville Slugger Field.

This is the twelfth year for the Taste of Derby Festival (and 23rd year as a Taste event that supports Dare to Care Food Bank), which features signature dishes from more than 65 of Louisville’s finest restaurants and beverage companies. There is also a bourbon tasting, a Bloody Mary Contest, wine tasting and a silent auction.  Tickets are kind of expensive at $75 each, but this is by far the best opportunity for you to sample some of Louisville’s finest dishes.

The best part about the event is that the proceeds benefit the event’s host, the Dare to Care Food Bank.  For more info, call 966-3821.

Participating restaurants include: Baxter Station, Browning’s Restaurant  & Brewery, Corbett’s An American Place, El Mundo, Homemade Ice Cream and Pie Kitchen, Jack Fry’s, Jeff Ruby’s Steakhouse, L & N Wine Bar and Bistro, Le Relais, North End Cafe’, Seviche, The Irish Rover, The Oakroom, The Sweet Tooth, The White Oak at the, Artemisia Gallery, Varanese.

Anyone think they might check it out?

In-Season Produce: Markets near Waterford Place

Do you shop for your fresh food and produce locally? If not, you may want to give it some serious consideration. Although today’s global market allows us to buy foods grown almost anywhere in the world at any given time, this option is not the most sustainable.

Buying in-season fruits and vegetables that are locally grown helps to eliminate the environmental damage caused by shipping foods across the country – and in some cases – the world. Not only does your food dollar go directly to the farmers, but you’re able to enjoy the health benefits of eating fresh, better tasting, unprocessed produce. According to the National Resources Defense Council, in-season foods for the state of Kentucky (and surrouning areas) include:

Asparagus* (Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Tennessee, Virginia) Collards (Tennessee) Gourds (Tennessee) Green Peas (Missouri) Greens (Tennessee, Virginia) Herbs (Tennessee) Honey (Tennessee)

Indian Corn (Tennessee) Lettuce (Illinois, Missouri) Mushrooms (Tennessee) Onions (Illinois) Peas (Illinois) Scallions (Missouri) Spinach* (Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia)

Here is a short list of markets that sell fresh locally grown foods near the Waterford Place area. If you can suggest any other markets, leave a comment and let the community know!

Markets near Waterford Place

Sushi in the City

I must admit that it took me quite a while to get comfortable with eating raw fish.  Up until a few years ago, I just could not get into the whole sushi thing.  I thought it was just some trendy fad for urbanites that would eventually fade away – you know, like acid wash jeans.

Then my girlfriend finally talked me into trying some and I actually enjoyed it.  Sushi didn’t have that raw fishiness that I expected.  It was a great blend of textures and flavors that I wasn’t particularly used to, but I enjoyed it.

Whether you’re on the fence about it like I was, or you’re a sushi connoisseur, you may want to check out the 3^rd annual Sushi in the City contest on Tuesday, March 16, at The Henry Clay (604 S. Third St.).  Local restaurants and vendors basically compete to see who can make the best sushi in Louisville.

For a $60 donation that goes to benefit Family Scholar House, you can sample sushi from Oasis Sushi, Sake Blue and last year’s champion, Z’s Fusion, among others.  Call 584-8090 for more info.

Bring Mardi Gras to You

Are you a fan of Fat Tuesday, but didn’t want to make the trek to Louisiana to celebrate? Not everyone has the time to get off work or the gas money to get there. That doesn’t mean you can’t have your own Mardi Gras moment at Waterford Place though.

Get in the kitchen and whip up something Creole or Cajun and have some fun. You can invite over your friends or just make it a family night.

What are you going to try and make? Feel free to share your recipe and Fat Tuesday experience.

Oh “Oreo” Cookies

When I saw this recipe my mouth started to water. Maybe it’s because I love Oreos, maybe it’s because I just love sweets – I’m not sure. You really need to check out these delicious cookies. No they are not Oreos, but they look like them (hence the name) and are definitely worth trying. It only takes 20 minutes to make 32 cookies, so there will be plenty to share. Click here for the recipe.