Shopping | I Can Cook That

This year’s South Street Spring Festival is right around the corner!

On Saturday, May 3 from 11:00 to 8:00 pm, eight blocks of South Street will showcase the best restaurants, bars, food trucks, live music, and shopping the street has to offer at a huge block party! The free, all-ages Spring Festival will be held on South Street between Front and 8th and will also run along the 2nd Street Plaza between South and Lombard. There will also be three main stages and eight other performance areas along the festival featuring live music.

During the Festival, Brauhaus Schmitz will also host their second annual German Maifest on the 700 block of South Street featuring German beers, dancers, music, food, flower headbands and even a May pole!

I was invited to attend a media preview at Brahaus Schmitz and got to taste and sip some of the offerings you can find at the Festival.

Everything was delicious! Be sure to look out for the sausage and potato salad from Brauhaus Schmitz, the Shepard’s Pie from Cavanaugh’s Headhouse, the Short Rib Tacos from Bridget Foy’s, the Sliders from Redwood, and the Lobster Rolls from Headhouse Crab and Oyster. Twisted Tail was also serving up Mint Juleps which should not be missed!

We also got to learn some German dance moves! Many thanks to all the chefs, mixologists, and everyone else who helped make the media event a success!

I decided to try my own hand at making a Lobster Roll and found this recipe for Lobster Rolls with Shaved Fennel and Citrus in Cooking Light’s Global Kitchen Cookbook. These are a bit different from the Headhouse Crab & Oyster ones so be sure to check out their version at the Festival!

Ingredients:

3 cups coarsely chopped cooked lobster meat
2 tablespoons olive oil mayonnaise
2 teaspoons chopped fresh tarragon
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
2 cups thinly sliced fennel bulb (about 1 medium bulb)
the zest from one orange
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
6 New England hot dog buns

Continue reading Lobster Rolls with Shaved Fennel and Citrus

Have you heard of Stitch Fix? It’s an online personal styling service that sends five articles of clothing (sometimes with a piece of jewelry mixed in) to your home. You get to try on the items in your own home, allowing you to see first hand if you have pieces to complement it or not.

For those that know me, fashion is, uh, not my strong suit. I honestly rely on the generosity of my sister to send me hand-me-ups (she’s younger than me) and to help me figure out how the heck to look presentable. So I was intrigued with this service.

So how does it work?

You sign up online and fill out a Style Profile that takes about 10 minutes. It asks you everything from your height and weight to if you prefer dresses over pants and if you’re a mother. The profile tries to get a feeling of your style by showing you different outfit combinations and asking you to rate them as well. They also ask for your price point on different items and will try to stick within your budget. There is a section for you to write additional thoughts to further help the stylist (“I hate polka dots;” “Green is my favorite color;” etc.) and you can even link to a Pinterest board so they have a better sense of your style.
You get to choose the date that your box will be delivered. (Right now, it looks like you have to choose it at least 6 weeks in advance.) There is an option to sign up for a monthly box if you’d like but it is not required. A stylist will review your Style Profile as well as any comments you left on the profile and will choose five items for your box. When the box ships, you will be charged $20 for the styling. You can apply this $20 towards anything you keep from your shipment; if you choose nothing, they keep the $20 fee.
When the box arrives, Stitch Fix strongly suggests you try on everything, even if at first look you don’t think you like one of the items. The items all come with a styling card to give you an idea of what to wear with them so you can use clothing you already own to see how the item looks as an outfit.
You have three days to decide what you want to keep. Stitch Fix provides a pre-paid mailing bag so it’s easy to ship things back. You fill out a survey on the website with what you plan to keep, the fit/style of the item, and any additional comments you may have. As I mentioned above, if you buy anything, the $20 styling fee is applied towards your purchase. If you keep all five items, you are given a 25% discount on everything. Wow!

Cool, right? So let me show you how mine turned out!

Note: My photography skills are limited to food. I didn’t realize how poorly I take photos until this attempt so I apologize.

Continue reading Stitch Fix Review