Good Turn Coffee

I'm one of those people who can't fully function in the morning without a solid cup of coffee. And I come from a long line of those people.  I don't believe my Grandmother's house has ever been without a hot pot of coffee.  And when I walk into my folks' house on a weekend, I never have to ask if my dad will join me in a cup. The answer is always yes.

I've been following Good Turn Coffee on Twitter for awhile and as I recently invested in a coffee grinder, it seemed like time to try a pound.  It was just in time for a visit from my family over New Year's so I knew I'd have a tribe of coffee lovers to try the Full City Roast.  We finished off two 12 cup pots between the five of us over the course of brunch, so really, is there higher praise for a coffee?

I'm polishing off the pound this weekend and, cup in hand, decided it was time to tell the rest of Minneapolis/St. Paul to buy themselves a pound (or four).  The owner, Chris, wrote this blog post when he began the business and despite his obvious nerves in kicking things off, he has a great product! And to add to the good vibes inherent in a great cup of coffee, Good Turn passes on the warm fuzzies by donating a portion of profits to local youth leadership initiatives.  So far, the Boy Scouts have been a recipient of those feel good funds, and Chris hopes to expand donations to other local groups such as Teen Challenge as his business grows. Help him spread the love and get yourself a great cup of coffee by sending Chris an order at paypal@goodturncoffee.com. Also give Good Turn a follow on Twitter (@GoodTurnCoffee) for updates on when and what Chris is roasting.

Follow me in all my well-caffeinated glory @TheMinneapolite.

Bleu Velvet Vintage

Adding to the list of things I love about my new neighborhood, I discovered this great little occasional shop on 50th. Heidi acquires well-preserved, unique treasures like the adorable Salty and Peppy shakers now at home in my kitchen. Only open on weekends, Bleu Velvet Vintage is one of several occasional shops in the Nokomis neck of the woods so I'm envisioning a happy trek with my Mama to check them all out. 

I also picked up a pretty pair of floral prints from the 60s, perfect for my bedroom wall. At $32 for the pair, they're likely cheaper than whatever I could have bought at Target, and they've got character to spare. Win! You can keep in the loop on hours and events by liking Bleu Velvet's facebook page.  They'd be a great place to pick up unique Christmas gifts.

Regla De Oro Gallery

Until I spoke with owner, Jessica Smith, I thought Regla De Oro Gallery was a new addition to the Lyn-Lake community. Not the case, this lovely shop simply relocated to its new digs next to Eat WSK this past November. A move of only a couple blocks from its previous location, it was still brand new to me and I imagine others in the community will similarly kick themselves for having missed out on this gem until its move.

But better late than never, folks! Specializing in local artists and fair trade gifts from over 30 countries, this Ten Thousand Villages affiliate is the perfect spot for gift-seeking.  And, if you're like me, a quest to purchase a couple of gifts will likely end up with a selfish purchase, too.  I sometimes avoid shops with the word "gallery" in the title, largely because I assume such shops are well out of my predominantly frugal price range. But Regla De Oro has price points to satisfy every wallet. The adorable finger puppet set pictured with this post was less than $20 (a gift for a one-year old's upcoming birthday) and the earrings (yeah, those are totally for me) were less than $15.  But if you want to invest in jewelry or art with a steeper price tag, there were lovely pieces on display that would suit your fancy.

Rotating local artists and donating a portion of proceeds to arts education and social justice non-profits, Regla De Oro is a conscientious shopper's dream.  So next time you're poking around Lyn-Lake looking for gifts for loved ones (or yourself), stop by and support our local artist community and Regla de Oro's impressive list of fair trade gift communities.

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The Hive Salon

I have always heard that every woman gets one vanity, one aspect of their physical appearance upon which they get to spend an irrational amount of money and/or time.  While hating my hair as a child (as most redheads do), my vanity as an adult is certainly what sits atop my head. Thus, I'm always keen to find a salon that is the right fit for that somewhat-sheepish vanity. Somewhere cozy, somewhere friendly, somewhere reminiscent of the beauty parlor we've all seen in movies but not quite that cloyingly chipper. The Hive is that spot.

I found the Hive courtesy of a friend at work who swears by their genius and as we both have long hair and bangs, I thought I'd give them a whirl.  Eric had an opening that fit my schedule and I'm so happy that it worked out! I wasn't unhappy with my hair, just a bit bored with it, but not quite bored enough to chop it off. Enter Eric, and his snappy scissors, cutting off a couple inches and reviving some disregarded layers. 

Cut skill aside, this is just a happy salon. A scalp massage and steamed facial towel are par for the course these days, right? But this is the first time that someone, after removing said warm facial towel, took the time to look at my eyes and wipe away that touch of mascara smudge.  Nobody likes mascara smudge.  It's a tiny effort, I know, but it was an appreciated one. 

The products are all organic and smell of gardens and homey kitchens, a welcome change from the salons that have a tinge of chemical floating through the air. And conversation flowed naturally in the salon, none of that force fed small talk, just easy, personable conversations about a long winter, favorite local beers.  

It has taken me a long time to find a salon with friendly folk, expert scissors, and the kindness to wipe away mascara smudge. The Hive is a wonderful cheerleader for my chosen vanity.

Follow me on Twitter @TheMinneapolite

Singing Hills Dairy

I'm not sure what to say about this gem other than I love their chevre.  Singing Hills Dairy pops up at various farmer's markets around town but this is the first time I sampled and it's probably best that I waited awhile to discovery them. I really don't need an additional justification (they're local, I should support them, right? It's almost immoral NOT to, right? Goat cheese is good for you, right?) for buying cheese.

 I tried the honey/lavendar chevre and the curry feta today at the Mill City Winter Market and loved both.  I'm regretting not picking up the feta as I'm now imagining everything I could do with that little miracle but it was the chevre that called my name this afternoon. $5 buys you smallish tub, probably enough for 4-5 salads like that pictured, roughly 1/2 cup. See how my little gnome salt and pepper shakers stand guard over that beautiful chevre-blessed salad? They know what's up.  They know I bought something delicious. The gnomes always know.

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Vinaigrette

I'm a sucker for vinegars and oils.  I developed a pretty intense affection for Stillwater Olive Oil Company given that I visit Stillwater frequently when the sun is shining and the weather is ice cream-friendly. But tucked into winter and lazy about driving to Stillwater or White Bear Lake, I lamented the lack of options for taste-testing potential vinegar and oil additions to my kitchen.

And then, miracle of miracles, I found Vinaigrette, wonderfully close to home at 50th and Xerxes, and chock full of deliciousness. I wandered the store for several minutes, soaking up various flavors with bread (and taking some shots of my favorites, if I'm being honest). And I settled on the porcini mushroom olive oil, sun dried tomato olive oil, and a pomegranate vinegar.  I'm pretty sure the pomegranate vinegar consumption could be graphed in parallel to a recent increase in spinach, radish, and goat cheese salads on my part. 

I wanted to save my blogging exuberance for an opportunity to post a recipe I've loved with the oils.  The sun dried tomato oil has, unsurprisingly, made appearances in many pasta and risotto dishes, as well as a pretty stellar spicy shrimp etouffee.

But one of my favorites in this cold season is a roasted acorn squash stuffed with wild rice, asiago cheese, and mushrooms.  And that porcini mushroom oil perfectly enhances that earthy, wild rice happiness. Check out Vinaigrette to inspire your own recipes and let me know what you come up with!  I'd love more recipes!

Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice, Mushrooms, and Asiago
(serves 4, with some wild rice mixture to spare)
2 acorn squash, halved, seeds removed
2 cups dry wild rice or mixture of grains (I prefer a wild rice blend with quinoa)
4 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup shaved asiago, the good stuff, and additional for sprinkling on top
1 cup chopped mushrooms, I used buttons
4 shallots, chopped
1 bay leaf
Porcini Mushroom Olive Oil
black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

Preheat oven to 400. Set acorn squash, cut side up, on baking sheet.  You may want to slice the bottoms just slightly to make them flat so they won't roll.  But I usually don't feel the need to do this.  Drizzle with the olive oil and dust with salt and pepper. Place in oven for 40 minutes, testing for doneness after 30 minutes, you want the inside scoopable (not a word). 

While squash are in the oven, bring vegetable broth to a boil. In separate skillet, add a drizzle of olive oil and saute mushrooms and shallots until shallots are translucent, set aside. Add bay leaf and rice mixture to vegetable broth and simmer for 20-25 minutes, until done.  Drain any remaining liquid, remove bay leaf, and mix in mushrooms and shallots.

Remove squash from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.  Using a spoon, gently remove the squash innards and add to rice mixture.  Be careful not to tear squash skins.  Once all of the squash has been removed, mix thoroughly into rice mixture.  Add assiago cheese, allowing to melt a bit, and add salt and pepper to taste.

Return 2/3 cup rice mixture to each acorn "bowl".  Sprinkle with additional cheese. Set under broiler for 2-3 minutes to melt the cheese, browning it slightly (note: I did this for the pictured acorn squash but will admit to eating off the melted cheese before taking a picture...cheese problem here). Allow to cool 2-3 minutes before serving.

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Stillwater Olive Oil Company

I toyed with the idea of keeping this blog specific to Minneapolis and St. Paul and their immediate suburbs, Stillwater being a bit of a stretch.  But it's my blog so I can break (or rewrite) my own rules whenever I like.  And I just love these olive oils and vinegars too much to not sing their praises.

I love to cook.  Along with this little blog I also keep a pretty active food blog, Edible Avocation, and my Stillwater Olive Oil favorites are called upon frequently to make my good recipes even better. I used up the last of my Herbs de Provence olive oil on Thursday (is it sad that I can pinpoint the moment I used up the last drop?) so I knew a trip to Stillwater had to be in the cards for the weekend. The shop also has locations in White Bear Lake and Rochester, neither of which I've frequented, and while White Bear Lake would be a smidge closer for me, I prefer wandering the streets of downtown Stillwater after gorging on (ahem, I mean, "testing") a couple dozen oils/vinegars.

My picks this weekend were two favorites, Herbs de Provence olive oil and Juniper Berry vinegar, and two new-to-me flavors, Red Apple vinegar and Sicilian Lemon white vinegar.  I've still got a healthy stash of the Harissa olive oil, which adds an awesome spice to absolutely anything and reminds me fondly of the Harissa flavors of my Moroccan life.

And while I highly recommend stocking your own kitchen with an exciting array of these goodies, I also cannot stress enough how awesome a gift these make.  They have a wonderful sample size and you can mix and match flavors to suit anybody's taste.  I've used the sample gift for birthdays and housewarmings several times.

Note: Don't store your oils by a window.  I only did that for picture purposes.

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Belle Weather

I love a good doodah. A "doodah" is a decidedly Southern word for a trinket, a small thing, or, when I'm feeling lazy, any "thing" that I lose the word for at any given time.  But in shop instances, it almost always refers to some sweet, small object (I almost said, "doodah" right there), usually of the pretty variety. Belle Weather, on Lyndale, is chock full of delightful doodahs!

The location is good in some ways, not great in others.  On a pretty day, it's easily walking distance from the Lake/Lyndale intersection and if you're a bike rider, you're golden.  But as it's nestled several blocks away from the intersection, it's likely overlooked by those shopping in Uptown on a weekend.  But really, that needs to change.

                    They recently added some resale clothes to the mix, which is fantastic.  They have a colorful, gently-used collection with lots of recognizable labels scattered among more unique pieces.  They have a beautiful selection of jewelry and many locally-designed purses and trinkets all of which would be perfect for gifts or for a random I-feel-like-buying-myself-something-pretty-and-unnecessary moment.

While you're there, you can check out June next door, an "upscale resale" shop with a lot of top designers and an excellent shoe and handbag selection. With these two gems side by side, there is zero excuse for skipping over them on your next Uptown shopping expedition. The doodahs await!

Follow me and my doodah pursuit on Twitter @TheMinneapolite

Tres Jolie

I'm still debating what will and will not go on this blog.  But for now it makes sense to me to include run-ins (happy and not-so-happy) with providers of goods and services in the Twin Cities.  And today, I had a happy revisiting of Tres Jolie salon, and the picture to the left is proof of said happiness (I hope).

I recently had a not-so-happy haircut at another establishment in Uptown that managed to make my hair feel and look heavier despite taking off an inch.  Not sure how they managed that, but I wasn't adept enough at hairstyle-speak to remedy the situation.  So when I could not handle the bangs situation any longer, I returned to Tres Jolie, a salon that has made me happy in the past and that I clearly need to stick to henceforth to avoid other Uptownian nightmares.

It's hard for me to plunk down $60 on a haircut.  But the skill at Tres Jolie (I highly recommend Liz, who was excellent tonight) is worth the price tag.  I'm not always great at articulating what I want out of a haircut, especially if I'm already quasi-annoyed with my style.  But Liz cleaned me right up and gave me (finally!) a bangs-to-hair-length ratio I can get behind. I realize maybe I'm overanalyzing, but I think most women can relate to the I-don't-like-my-hair-but-I-don't-know-what-to-do-about-it-please-help-me vibe.  Tres Jolie is adept at coming to the rescue and I've already scheduled my next appointment with Liz (and you should, too).