The Mexican Pizza Hut ain't bad

A hankering for tacos and a short list of places with decent tacos led me to my old stomping ground, the Pizza Hut in Westlake, Ohio. It is now Si Senor and after months of laughing at the silliness of it, I tried it, and I liked it. I ordered the carnitas and after a whole year of terrible soggy poorly seasoned pork I got what I wanted. This was fatty, delicious, crispy on the outside and melty in the middle carnitas. How come the guys with the Mexican restaurant in the old Pizza Hut can get this right and all the other yahoos can't?

Dresses, dresses, dresses

so it's cold out. so what? I can't get enough. I think this needs to be mine. I haven't bought anything for ME in a long time so I think it's about time. Courtesy of Anthropologie. I adore the silhouette and think I've got the rack, waist and ass to pull this off. Throw a cardigan on and boom! I'm work appropriate. Throw some tights on and boom! I am winter ready. You can't stop me from getting this little number. She's mine!

Wow. I'm back?

Totally haven't been here for over a month. Sooorrrry!

It's winter in Cleveland now and I LOVE it. Snow is my friend... for now. Went sledding last week, killed two sleds and have an ass full of bruising. Slid all over the roads in my not-quite-winter-ready tires. Found my box of winter gear and loving all my hats and scarves and gloves. Lost two gloves so far as a result of always taking the right one off to use the iPhone and then putting on lap and then getting out of car and losing to the slush. Adding hot chocolate to my routine on the real cold ones. Working the office space heater overtime. Took down Christmas last night. Drinking lots of Jim Beam. Wintertime. I promise I'll do some cool stuff now.

not awesome

I don't get it and it makes me angry to see someone ruining their face like this. This is almost as gross as face tats I think. Almost. Please let this not become a trend. I'm not sure I could handle a bunch of hipsters with their beards all beaded up.

ABC Tavern is my new favorite

Cleveland I am LOVING you. People are cool, food is better than expected, beers are practically free and there are some super cool places that are new to me. ABC Tavern is totally making me happy. I've only been there twice but had fun both times and expect to show my face there more often. The menu looks superb, with light dishes like scallops in a fresh sauce to an overly indulgent bacon wrapped hotdog with gasp, jalepenos inside. I can't wait to taste the full spectrum. I wasn't hungry either time so just stuffed my face with tall cans of PBR and slim bottles of Miller High Life, happy as can be.

I want to go back tomorrow, or Tuesday. But I'm also trying to add at least one new thing a week so can't get too comfortable there.

'Tis the season

for wish lists! Love this guy from velocity art and design and the rest of his friends. Would be pleasant in a bathroom I'm thinking.

The Raccoon Portrait Print by Berkley Illustration

This raccoon spends his days in a science lab experimenting with ways to convert garbage into an alternative fuel source. Occasionally he will indulge in a snack from his test pile. 

Scratch two off the list of Best of Cleveland

1. Melt. What more can I say other than it was everything I hoped it would be and more (and about twice as big as I needed, next time I splitting and spending the extra money on more beers).

2. Velvet Tango Room. Yes the drinks are $15 and yes that is pretty insane by Cleveland standards. However! it was the most delicious cocktail I have ever had and well worth it. I went with the Ramos Gin Fizz. It had everything I could ever want in one drink: gin, lemon juice, lime juice, cream and egg whites. I felt ten times classier than I looked while sipping this delicacy.

Martha Martha Martha!

Presenting: Martha Stewart's Macaroni and Cheese

This was just great I mean juuuusssstt great. I will only be doing this recipe and slight modifications of it whenever I am craving real mac and cheese. I wouldn't want to keep this all to myself so I will share (and keep it here as a resource so I don't have to go looking for it next time I am craving some serious cheesy goodness)

*You can easily divide this recipe in half; use a 1 1/2-quart casserole dish if you do.

Serves 12
6 slices good-quality white bread, crusts removed, torn into 1/4- to 1/2-inch pieces
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
5 1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 1/2 cups (about 18 ounces) grated sharp white cheddar
2 cups (about 8 ounces) grated Gruyere or 1 1/4 cups (about 5 ounces) grated pecorino Romano
1 pound elbow macaroni

1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside. Place bread pieces in a medium bowl. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with bread, and toss. Set the breadcrumbs aside. In a medium saucepan set over medium heat, heat milk. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. When butter bubbles, add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.

2. Slowly pour hot milk into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in salt, nutmeg, black pepper, cayenne pepper, 3 cups cheddar, and 1 1/2 cups Gruyere or 1 cup pecorino Romano. Set cheese sauce aside.

4. Fill a large saucepan with water. Bring to a boil. Add macaroni; cook 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions, until outside of pasta is cooked and inside is underdone. (Different brands of macaroni cook at different rates; be sure to read the instructions.) Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1 1/2 cups cheddar and 1/2 cup Gruyere or 1/4 cup pecorino Romano; scatter breadcrumbs over the top. Bake until browned on top, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve.

Enjoys! I know I did.

Boo Bitches!

New game! Hit all Best of Cleveland as chosen by SCENE

I'm new to the town after living away from here for the last 8 years and never really experiencing Cleveland as an adult and what better way to tackle the city than with a list! (I love lists) Using Cleveland SCENE as my guide I will tackle the best of food, nightlife, shopping, entertainment, people and sports. Game on!

I'm most looking forward to tackling their Food and Drink category. This means trips to Fire, L'Albatros, the Greenhouse tavern (which was a runner up but what's one more great night of food?), a cookie and a cupcake for well, a cupcake no doubt, Crostata's  for some pizza and wow, the list really goes on here. I'll start with these and report back often.