Hanging Around Clever Karen - Episode 10

Black Glass Czech Crystals
with small freshwater pearls

First Herbs of the Spring

One of my favorite parts of spring is buying pots of fresh herbs that I can use to cook with. Westborn Market had their herbs in stock on Saturday and I bought a couple small pots to use in a new recipe that I wanted to try. The cost of the living herbs was almost the same as purchasing them in packages. I have them perched on my window - hopefully they will survive for a few weeks inside until the weather is warmer and I can put them in bigger pots outside.


I used the herbs in this wonderful recipe a few days ago from Food Network by Giada De Laurentis for Pork with Sweet Onion Marmellata. I followed it pretty directly from her version, so I will just supply the link rather than rewrite the recipe. The thing that attracted me to this recipe was the addition of orange marmalade to the caramelized onions. I love caramelized onions, and the added orange taste was sooooooo yummy! I will make the onions like this again and use it with pizza or bruschetta or chicken. And the pork chops were very good, too. The weather was wet and cold so I grilled them on my Foreman Grill and that seemed to work out fine.

Town Tavern

Lobster Macaroni and Cheese. When I read a few months ago that this was the specialty of the Town Tavern in downtown Royal Oak, I knew I had to pay a visit. Last week I had the chance to visit this trendy restaurant which is owned by the same people that run the Beverly Hills Grill.

The interior has clean and modern lines. We sat in the front of the restaurant at a tall table with high chairs (interesting to be up so high). My friend ordered the caprese salad which was beautiful and tasty. She said the pesto on top was amazing:


There were a number of entres that looked interesting and there were some tempting daily specials that featured seafood. But I was determined to try that mac 'n cheese and my friend fell for that temptation as well. Here it is:


It was wonderful and rich - made with marscapone cheese and loaded with a lot of lobster and covered with toasted crunchy cracker crumbs. It was great - did I mention it was rich? Somehow I managed to scrape up every bite! I also ordered grilled asparagus which tasted good, but it was huge thick stalks, and I prefer thin skinny asparagus, so I didn't love it.

Yes, I'd go back. I'd probably try another entree - there were several others that looked great! No dessert this time, maybe next time I'll order something less rich and leave room to try some.

Lunch Ladies

I gave a challenge to the teachers at our school last fall - if they tried 5 new things using technology in the teaching, I would bring them a gourmet lunch. On Monday I am delivering the first three lunches. Teachers could select from the menu above (click to enlarge). For tomorrow they selected the Lemon Pepper Pappardelle. Lunch also includes homemade rolls, citrus almond bars, Sweet and Salty Snack Mix, and fruit. I made the customized lunch bags below. Hopefully they will enjoy!

Vintage Hankie Pillows

I saw that the Sugar Sugar blog is having another "Show and Tell Sunday" challenge. This week it is vintage hankies. I have this thing about vintage fabrics and I always look at the hankies at antique stores. I try to never spend more than $2 on one and have a certain kind of floral colors that I am drawn to.

I don't have time right now to photograph my hankie stash - maybe later. But I did want to show off my hankie pillows. I can't bear to sew or cut the hankies, so I bought some pillows, and then crossed 2 hankies on top and attached them by sewing little buttons to the corners. That way I can always remove the hankie and no damage will be done! A clever and quick vintage project!

Trader Joe Treasures Week - Day Six - Cantare Olive Tapenade

This fresh tapenade is a yummy mix of green and black olives with feta cheese and olive oil. I've used it on pasta and sandwiches. But I especially like to combine it with the Seeded Harvest Boule artisan bread:


I brush the bread on the bottom with a bit of olive oil and slather the top with tapenade. Sprinkle a bit of parmesan cheese on top and stick in the toaster oven for a couple minutes. Voila! - easy tapinade bruschetta, perfect for a quick snack or a light lunch! Or a great appetizer for when you have company!


Well, that's my last entry for Trader Joe Treasures week (Somehow I missed posting on Thursday, oh well, but I gave you two treasures for today!) I'll do it again sometime - I know at least one person told me they enjoyed it, and I have plenty of other products to share!

Trader Joe Treasures Week - Day Five - Fage Greek Yogurt

This is a product you can find at other stores, not just Trader Joes. And it is a bit more expensive than a regular yogurt. But this Greek yogurt is wonderful - thick and tangy. It just tastes rich, even the nonfat version. I like it with a little honey and some sliced apples. Or with a dab of jam, some strawberries, and almonds. It makes a nice little dessert that is fairly healthy. So it is another one of those must-purchase items at Trader Joes that I always have in the refrigerator.