Tag Archives: Tampa

A Whole Latte Shaking Going on with NesCafe Dolce Gusto

Posted on by Run DMT
11

Monday evening, Kelly and I joined some local foodie bloggers for the NesCafé Dolce Gusto FeedUp at Restaurant BT in South Tampa.

Having dined at Restaurant BT before, I was chomping at the bit to sample her NesCafé Dolce Gusto dish:  Shaking Beef (Bo Luc Lac).  Chef BT demonstrated how to prepare the dish, which is featured in the NesCafe Dolce Gusto- The Dinner Party Primer.

Shaking Beef (Bo Luc Lac)

Ingredients

1 lb filet mignon steak

4 cloves finely chopped garlic

2 Tbsp Oil or butter

1 Tbsp soy sauce

1 Tbsp fish sauce

1 Tbsp sugar

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

2 vine ripe tomatoes

2 cups watercress

1/4 red onion, finely sliced

1 Tbsp Cognac (Courvoisier optional)

Directions

  • Cut steak into bite-sized cubes, place in a bowl with garlic, soy sauce. red onion, fish sauce, sugar and pepper.  Mix well.
  • Heat a large, heavy-based pan until very hot. Add oil or butter until brown.  Add beef cubes and toss by shaking the pan.
  • Turn meat with tongs until brown and seared on the outside but still pink in the center.
  • Add congnac and toss before removing from heat.
  • Slice tomatoes and arrange on plate to make a decorative base.
  • Arrange watercress around or on top of tomatoes and watercress.
  • Place the beff in a mound on top of tomatoes and watercress.
  • Served with jasmine-scented steamed rice.

The tender bite-sized filet mignon melted in my mouth.  It was simply divine and our evening was off to a very satisfying start.

After a few more appetizers and desserts with a Vietnamese flare, we sampled the NesCafé Dolce Gusto.  These coffees target a demographic audience of 25-35 year olds in attempt to tap into the Keurig market.

I often drink Starbuck’s Via in a pinch, on the go or while camping and the NesCafé Dolce Gusto is very similar product.  As compared to Starbuck’s Vanilla Via, the Dolce Gusto Vanilla Latte Macchiatto has a milder taste.  For my sample Dolce Gusto Vanilla Latte Macchiatto, I chose to go a little lighter on the cream and froth, so it needed a bit more sugar, but it was still very smooth and tasty.

Since I don’t like my kitchen counters cluttered with a bunch of small appliances, the NesCafé Dolce Gusto Piccolo is the perfect compact size.  Plus, it is very easy to operate.  No barista training necessary.

Although I am a Vanilla Latte kind of lady, there are a variety of other NesCafé Dolce Gusto Flavors, including regular brew coffees, cappuccinos, espressos, hot cocoa and iced teas.

And by the looks on all the bloggers’ faces, it gets everyone’s seal of approval.

 

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Now link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.



*Also submitted at*

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Connecting with Tampa Bay Bloggers Offline

Posted on by Run DMT
7

Saturday evening, thirteen Bay area bloggers met at The Pub to share, connect and meet the bloggers behind the blogs.  Some had met before and some were anxious to meet for the first time.

As a guest, I was looking forward to seeing Raffi of Running Betty, Brian of Digital Running, Maria of Mommy Melee and Angel of Cheeky Sweetie again.

My sisters-in-law Karen of If I Could Escape and Kirsten of Gone Bananas attended the event as well as our friend Susie of Hide ‘N Go Scrap.

But I was really excited meet Caroline of Morningside Mom, Erika of Southern Fried Lives and Clarisa of TBO for the first time.

As host and organizer of the event, I wanted the evening to be worthwhile as well as fun.  We started the evening with an ice breaker to judge how well we recognized faces from blogs.

Then, our guest, speaker, Chris Angulo of Vology Data Systems, shared some quick tips on how to optimize our blogs with branding and key terms.  He also briefly mentioned Google+ and how it will change the social media platform and connectivity.  (Now, if only I could get an invite to be part of the 25,000,000 exclusive club beta users to learn more about it!)

To combat the noise level in the restaurant, I had people moving and mingling to share what they learned.

All that was well and good, but I think it was the swag that stole the night.  Seriously, the swag was awesome!

Prior to the event, I posted a request on Facebook and my friends HOOKED ME UP with some rocking chackas for the swag bags, like lip balm and pens from Suncoast Running, haircuts from blo Hair Studio & Color Cafe, stainless steel, travel mugs from Florida Title Services.  Not to mention free food coupons from evos, Chick-fil-a  and California Pizza Kitchen and a bottle of mango mix1 to wash it all down.  A big THANK YOU to all the business that contributed items for the bags!

Suncoast Running
blo Hair Studio & Color Cafe
Pain Relief Centers
Kelly Noel Photography
Florida Title Services, Inc
mix1
evos
Crystal Mango
California Pizza Kitchen
 Mia’s Therapeutic Massage
Fit2Run
Chick-fil-a
RDesign

Although the swag bags were sweet, the real treasure was meeting everyone.  I can’t wait to do it all again in March.  Hopefully, I can get some sweet swag bags together again pull it all off again.

*The bloggers that attended Tampa BlogHer are linking up and sharing their recaps.  If you have a post to share, click on the linky below to add your blog to the list. Remember to share the love by visiting another Bay Area Blogger’s post.*

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For Folk’s Sake

Posted on by Run DMT
4

No man may be island, but Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café definitely sets itself apart in a sea of usual Tampa dining standards. Situated in heart of Seminole Heights, the red brick-colored building stands out as blatantly as the Seminole Heights Baptist Church.

Upon walking along Ella’s bowling ball edged path and stepping foot into the restaurant, its eclectic sensibility is evident by the art in the yard and its collections hanging on the walls.

Even the bar is a work of art.

In true Southern style, we were welcomed by everyone from the hostess, the bartender, the chef, the owner and lastly our server.  With his recommendation, we started our meal with hummus pesto spread drizzled with a balsamic reduction and served with warm soft pita.

Rumor has it that Ella’s organic Angus beef burgers are bar none.  My oldest daughter tried The Boring minus the toppings as she didn’t want them getting in the way of the meat.  I stole her beer-battered zucchini fritters so she wouldn’t have to subject herself to another veggie in the way of her burger.

Hubby ordered The Stuffed, a half-pound organic raised Angus beef patty stuffed with caramelized onion, gorgonzola and bacon served on a bed of arugula.  A name very fitting for this burger since Allan could only finish half of it.  So, I helped myself to his sweet potato waffle fries.

Even with food made fresh daily and all natural, organic ingredients, I steered away from the Angus beef burgers and ordered The Good, which may seem silly with menu full of interesting twists on soul food favorites.  But I couldn’t resist a homemade veggie burger and my decision didn’t disappoint me.  With a chickpea flour base, Ella’s veggie patty was chockfull of whole beans, such as black bean and garbanzo.   I made The Good even better and healthier by ordering a side salad to accompany my burger.  Besides, I needed to balance out the fried foods I pinched off my family’s plates.

Plus, my guilt-free meal allowed me to indulge in a true Southern summertime classic, Peach Cobbler.  Bourbon soaked peaches served warm with homemade vanilla ice cream was a sweet ending to a fantastic meal.

We’re planning another visit to Ella’s Americana Folk Art Café very soon, especially for Soul Food Sunday or a Friday night for the live music.  But we’ll certainly visit again in cooler weather to enjoy our meal on Ella’s darling outside dining deck which spotlights another work of art, a huge old oak tree.

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PhotoStory Friday

Something in the Water

Posted on by Run DMT
17

When news of this week’s Gallery theme “Water” trickled my way, I jumped in to share my water photos.  You see, we’ve had gallons of splashy, splashy fun this summer by cooling off at the spraygrounds around town like the YMCA,

and Curtis Hixon Park,

and Highlander Spray Park,

and Busch Gardens,

and the Florida Aquarium.

Yep, we soaked up as much fun as we could this summer.  There’s most certainly something in the water.

The Gallery: Every Wednesday


Visit Amanda, Xmas Dolly and Hairbows & Guitar Picks for more Music Monday fun.



Good Times at the Glazer Children’s Museum

Posted on by Run DMT
13

On the first Tuesday of each month, the Glazer Children Museum offers $2 Tuesdays sponsored by Target from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m.  Where visiting the museum could be considered a luxury spending for some, this generous community outreach program helps make a fun afternoon affordable for families experiencing financial hardships.

By the length of the queue to enter the museum on $2 Tuesdays, it is apparent that many families certainly appreciate the reduced admission for the Glazer Children’s Museum.  I highly recommend arriving early to avoid a long wait.

For this month’s visit, my SIL, our children and I played in the fountains at Curtis Hixon Park to pass the time while waiting in line.  One adult stayed with the children while the other held our spot in line.  It was a very clever and refreshing plan!

Once inside, guests can experience all the hands-on exhibits just as any other day at the museum and more.

My children love the water play of Kids Port and Gasparilla Island with its sandy-colored rubber crumbles instead of your typical beach sand.  It pours and piles just like regular sand as the children discovered and attempted to bury me alive.

Shopping is a pleasure at the Publix Super Market, but especially for my little one as he pushed his shopping cart around like a Lightning McQueen circling the track.

And the tunnel in the tot spot was almost as much fun.

My family and I love the Gazer Children’s Museum so much that we plan to visit more often than the first Tuesday of each month.  Therefore, as a belated birthday present to my children, I purchased a family membership.  Now with our annual family membership, we can enjoy the museum more regularly and other children’s museums in their reciprocal program.

And that’s a great thing, because the museum is as much fun as it is tasty.

A Beautiful Thing

Posted on by Run DMT
17

PhotobucketI’ve expressed my love for all things Italian on this blog many times before so it should come as no surprise that hubby took me for an Italian meal for my birthday.

At Bella’s Italian Café, we enjoyed a delicious three course meal starting with Bella’s Famous Chopped Salad, a finely chopped chicken breast, crumbled bacon, diced tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, red cabbage, gorgonzola, ditalini pasta and romaine all tossed in a dijon vinaigrette.

Although we should have split our entree, we each ordered the Salciccia Al Forno , Italian sausage tossed with penne pasta, mushrooms and ricotta in a creamy tomato sauce, then topped with mozzarella and baked.

 

Of course, we made sure to leave room for dessert and selected Tiramisu (a classic Italian dessert with layers of lady fingers, zabaglione – Marsala flavored custard, espresso whipped cream and mascarpone topped with whipped cream and warmed chocolate sauce) to top it off.  Much like restaurant’s name, our meal was simply beautiful.

 

Whereas others would be tired of eating Italian food, this past week we’ve been piling on the cheesy pasta dishes.  Per my request, Iron Chef Allan concocted a baked penne casserole and it was better than I hoped for!  This stringy cheesy layered mess really satisfied my craving.

Iron Chef Allan’s Baked Penne

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion

5 cloves garlic, minced

2 cartons of Pomi chopped tomatoes

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1/4 cup fresh basil , finely chopped

1 tsp dried oregano

Kosher salt

Ground black pepper

1 lb pasta

1 lb shredded part skim mozzarella

3 cups whole milk ricotta

1/4 cup grated parmesean

1 egg

Directions

Prepare penne according to al dente directions on box.

In a saucepan, soften onions in olive oil for about 10 minutes.  Add garlic to onions and cook for about 1 minute.  Add tomatoes, 1 Tbsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, red pepper flakes, basil and oregano.  Simmer for about ten minutes or until warmed through.

In a large bowl, mix ricotta, mozzarella, egg, parmesean, 1/2 tsp salt and black pepper with half the tomato sauce.  Pour mixture into a 9 x 11 baking pan.  Top with remaining sauce, mozzerella and parmesean cheese.  Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly and golden brown at 350 degrees.

 

Now link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.


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Mia Bella Pasta

Posted on by Run DMT
13

Bella’s Italian Café is one of our favorite Tampa restaurants.  I dream of their homemade pastas and specialty sauces, especially Bella’s Roasted Tomato Cream Sauce.  But eating out every time I get a craving simply doesn’t fit into our budget not to mention what wouldn’t fit into my pants!  So when I spotted the Monterey Pasta Company Raviolis on sale at our local supermarket, I decided to create my own little Bella’s dinner at home.

 

We’ve tried several varieties of these Monterey raviolis and they are all delicious, but for my Bella-like dish, I selected the smoke mozzarella and artichoke.

Then, I let my creativity juices flow (with the help of Iron Chef Allan).  I dabbled with a little of this and a lot of that and VOILÀ!  A beautiful Bella-like dish emerged!  The smoked mozzarella raviolis and this sage sauce were a perfectly delicious combination!

Run DMT’s Sage and Sundried Tomato Cream Sauce

Ingredients

1 Tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped finely

4 garlic cloves, minced

26 oz chopped tomatoes (Pomi Chopped Tomatoes or Muir Glen Fire Roasted Tomatoes for a smokier flavor)

4-5 pieces of sundried tomatoes chopped finely

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/3 cup heavy whipping cream

Directions

On a low heat, sauté the onions in olive oil until translucent.  Add garlic and cook until soft.  Stir in tomatoes and spices and cook for about 5 minutes.  Then, slowly stir in cream until well combined and warmed through sauce.  Remove from heat and serve over your favorite pasta.  I recommend the thicker chunkier pastas such as rigatoni or penne.

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Even though Karen is back in the States, we’re continuing to fling foods at one another. Link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.

*Also submitted at*

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Sorry, Ice Cream. I’m Dreaming of a Different Dessert

Posted on by Run DMT
14

PhotobucketI stumbled upon some tickets for a prescreening of Judy Moody and the NOT Bummer Summer, but the girls and I arrived late to the AMC Theater at Westshore Plaza (which seems to be the story of my life these days) and no more seats were available.  For Allana and Emmalynn, it was becoming the NOT, NOT bummer summer.

Of course, my girls were heartbroken, but like any good parent slacker mom, I bribed my children with ice cream to help heal their pain.  However, it’s been a while since we’ve eaten ice cream at Westshore Plaza because the Tanya and Matt’s Ice Creamiest stand that once stood in the food court is now a cell phone kiosk.  Fantastic.

Feeling like I had failed my children twice in one evening, I had to devise another plan to redeem myself.  As we exited the mall, Allana spotted a sort of ice cream looking shop.  This frozen yogurt Evos looking, trendy wannabe TCBY would do the trick.

The bright and fresh appearance of Pinkberry was mirrored by the assortment of fresh fruit toppings.

Although, there were only a few flavors of frozen yogurts to choose from, each flavor was more flavorful than the one before it.  Allana loved the mango frozen yogurt and topped hers with Fruity Pebbles, which was like a small serving of an oxymoron.

Emmalynn ordered organic gummi bears with her mango yogurt.  I chose the salted caramel with chocolate chips, which made my treat taste like a chocolate covered pretzel.


As far as portion sizes, Pinkberry offered a mini size (3 oz serving) which I was tickled pink over it because it’s the perfect and appropriate serving size.  Many frozen treat shops offer this portion as a kid’s size, which is only available to children 12 and under.  Therefore, I truly appreciated the opportunity to select the smallest size and I also appreciated the caloric content listed on the menu, which reminded me not to overindulge.   But even if I did, this low calorie real non-fat, hormone-free milk made with live and active cultures yogurt would help make me feel less guilty about it.

With a quick pop into Pinkberry, I had redeemed myself in my girls’ eyes.  For me, this healthy recovery was a sweet deal.  Unfortunately, ever since our visit, the girls and I’ve been dreaming of a different dessert. Sorry, ice cream.  W’re on our way to P-I-N-K-B-E-R-R-Y.

 

And thanks to the Pinkberry website, I have this song stuck in my head too.  But that’s all right.  It’s almost as sweet as the frozen yogurt.

 

Now link up and see what If I Could Escape and Gone Bananas are serving for this week’s Friday Food Fight.



*Also submitted at*

PhotoStory Friday

Pint at The Pub

Posted on by Run DMT
8

After picking up my Iron Girl race packet at Fit2Run at International Plaza, I stopped by The Pub for a pint.  I was pretty bummed that my race shirt was too small, so I drowned my sorrows in a Breckenridge Vanilla Porter or two.  I gave my race shirt to my 9 year old and I quickly got over it.

 

 

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