All things August.....

August was a blur. 

It might have been due to the food coma I was in for most of the month. We had multiple visitors in August...which was great...but we ate out. a-lot. Thanks to my deep obsession with groupon and restaurant.com, we did get to eat fabulous meals at a fraction of the price. Double score!

I will first share the meals:

Kayak's with Danny and Aubrey. 

It was my first time there and it was soooo much fun! The inside of Kayak's makes you feel like you are in the mountains somewhere....it's a vacation without having to leave St. Louis! Better yet, you can order indoor s'mores! We ate dinner at home that night, but the food on the menu looked amazing as well.I suggest everyone go there!

Date night for Mr.&Mrs. Miller:

(I drooled over the interior)

SqWire's on Lafeyette Square. 

I love exploring new parts of town...and eating at newly discovered restaurants.  Date night at the end of August found us eating on the patio at SqWire's. The weather was gorgeous..the area was gorgeous...and the food was delicious! Sunset dinner with my hubs....love. A $44 dinner&dessert for $22- cha-ching.

Matt's dinner: chicken, penne pasta. 

My dinner: Pork tenderloin

The Shaved Duck with Dave

lick the screen

Warning: Do not be fooled by the name. I have been overlooking this restaurant for awhile...because the name gave me the idea that it was a fancy-pants place. WRONG. What it is: A mind-blowing, mouth-watering, finger-licking, "oh-my-gawd"-ing bbq place. Everything is made fresh...and man can you tell. I snatched up a coupon for this place....and we ate like kings! I urge you to go RUN to The Shaved Duck. Thank me later.

Rooster with Julie

rooster slinger...matt was in heaven.

Goat cheese, tomato, feta spinach crepe.

Matt and I don't venture downtown much anymore. Guilty. We've lived here 5 years now and downtown can tend to get boring. We did venture down a couple Saturday's ago to meet my dear friend Julie. I'm glad we did...for several reasons. One: I heart Julie. I heart it when she comes to STL. We met her downtown for breakfast at Rooster. Two: I forget how peaceful downtown can be on a non-Cards game day, early in the morning, and when the weather is cooler. We had a great time catching up with our Carbondale friend, walking down to see the new Old Post Office Plaza, and the best crepe of my life. Thanks for breakfast, Julie! 

The Scottish Arms for Brunch w/ Josh & Emily
I somehow only made out with one picture from this fine eating establishment. Maybe Emily has some I can steal from her? I can't even remember the carboliscious dish that I had that morning...it happens when my taste buds explode with happiness. I did snap a picture of the perfect culinary delight Matt scarfed down:

Yes, friends, that is a rose fashioned from salmon in the middle of the plate. Fancy. 

Phew.

See, I told you. We ate out. They were all new places for us...which was my favorite part. And the food was fresh, local, and the company of great friends made it priceless. 

Other things from August: 

hot. soooo hot. literally.

view from our seats

Matt turned 28!

We went to a Gateway Grizzlies Baseball Game. It was blazing hot, but we can now scratch the Grizzlies off our "to-do" list. We sat right behind the "bullpen". Those boys were young..and shockingly immature. Sorta ruined the experience. Oh well.

I re-kindled my love for the Soulard's Farmer's Market. Granted, you will notice that not all these fruits/veggies came from local farms....but I got ALL of this for $12.00. You can't stroll into a grocery store and walk out with this for that little. Come on! I also found the most adorable flowers there.I have no idea what they are called. I still love them though.

I had a couple monumental cooking successes in August.

First: Homemade Beignets 

Second:Strawberry Goat Cheese Ice Cream 

The ice cream was tricky....but totally worth it. Here is the recipe:

Yield: 1 quart

2 pounds strawberries
3/4 cup sugar (separated 1/4 cup and 1/2 cup)
1 cup whole milk
1 cup heavy cream
6 egg yolks
2-3 oz. mild goat cheese

In a medium saucepan, cook strawberries and 1/4 cup sugar over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until it reaches a jam-like consistency (about 30 minutes). Set aside. In a separate saucepan, combine milk, heavy cream, and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar over medium heat. Whip egg yolks in a separate bowl. Just before the milk begins to simmer, add about half the mixture to the bowl of egg yolks half a cup at a time, stirring constantly. Slowly pour the egg mixture back into the saucepan. Continue to stir until liquid thickens into a custard and coats the back of a spoon. Crumble goat cheese at the bottom of a large bowl. Pour hot custard over the goat cheese and stir until it melts. Add strawberries. Puree together in a blender or with an electric hand mixer. Chill the custard using an ice bath or refrigeration. When the custard is cold, pour custard into ice cream maker and freeze according to manufacturer's instructions.

The end.