Alejandro’s Mexican Grill recently opened on Campbell Ave. in downtown Roanoke where Green Dolphin Grill used to reside. My friend, Brian, ate there on Sunday - yes, it’s open Sundays! - and enjoyed the food. He especially liked the salsa bar. Read more on this new restaurant over at Lindsey Nair’s blog.
I ran across a simple recipe today for making your own Vanilla Extract. The recipe is incredibly easy and calls for only whole vanilla beans and brandy, vodka, or bourbon. It works wonderfully in recipes, will keep indefinitely, and is less expensive than purchasing it commercially. You can find the recipe at Mountain Rose Herbs.
Once you’ve made your extract, why not try it in a tasty, seasonal recipe such as Chestnut Ricotta Cheesecake. Chestnuts are currently very plentiful on the Roanoke City Market and are cholesterol free, low in sodium, and high in fiber. They also contain Vitamin C, thiamine, and riboflavin. After dessert you may also want to try cooking up a delicious Chestnut Souffle with Brandy Custard Sauce or some hearty Chestnut Ravioli.
On Thanksgiving my husband, Adam, got it in his head that he had to have Rockband Special Edition
Knowing that he wouldn’t be able to wake up at 4am, Adam instead chose to stay awake all night. And at 4:30am he headed out to the Wal-mart at Valley View for the line of a lifetime in an attempt to score this game. After an hour in the line for Rockband, his turn was finally up. Unfortunately, he discovered, it was the line for Rockband for the PS3. The XBox 360 line? Well, there wasn’t one. Apparently the store had only had two of them? So, rather than go home empty handed, he took my son’s suggestion - yes, he dragged the poor boy out of bed to experience Black Friday hell with him - they went to what Cody refers to as the “Green” Wal-mart. That being the Wal-mart in Bonsack. In twelve minutes they’d made it in the store, grabbed Rockband off the shelf - no crazy lines there - had paid and were headed home.
Now, while I admit I was rather skeptical over this game, I did finally give it a whirl. I lack rhythm in a scary, scary way, but Rockband not only has drums, bass, and a guitar to play, it also has a microphone so a band member can play the singer. For days now Cody, Adam, and I have enjoyed after-dinner play taking our band on a world tour. Adam plays guitar, Cody plays bass, and I sing. We’ve all moved up to level medium now, and we’ve earned ourselves a tour bus and some roadies. So, was Adam crazy to attempt shopping on Black Friday? Yes. Do any of us regret it? No way. This really is the hottest game of the holiday season. And if you have a chance to buy one, I wouldn’t pass it up.
Last Tuesday was the “Greening of the Market.” Bill Carder, the new Executive Director for DRI took time out from the office to join in the occasion. Bill helped a number of volunteers to cut and hang pine branches on all of the market tables. The greenery was then set off by big, red bows. The end result is quite festive and will stay in place through Christmas for everyone to enjoy.
Speaking of Christmas, Dickens of a Christmas is just a weekend away. This annual event takes place on the first three Fridays of December from 6pm to 10pm. This year those dates fall on December 7th, 14th, and 21st. December 7th starts off the event with a Christmas parade followed by a pet contest and outdoor holiday movie on subsequent Fridays. There will also be shopping, carriage rides, roasted chestnuts, a kid zone, carolers, and much more. Be sure to bring the family for this wonderful celebration filled with the spirit of Christmas.
