Mark was in town this weekend and what was supposed to be a weekend full of activity and working out, turned into a “foodie” weekend. He got in around 8:00 PM on Friday night, so when we got back from the airport we decided to cook dinner. I had already gotten the ingredients, so all we had to do was throw it together!
Instead of doing a traditional “salad” I decided to change it up a little and made Giada De Laurentiis’ Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad. It was so delicious, with a slightly crunch, slightly sweet burst of delicious flavors. Click the image for the recipe.
Grilled Asparagus and Melon Salad
We had filet mignon for dinner and for dessert we made warm double fudge brownies and ate it with vanilla ice cream and Saunder’s hot fudge on top!
Saturday morning we decided to make whole-wheat cinnamon pancakes. We tried to replicate the ones we had in Traverse City, Michigan this summer at a wonderful breakfast restaurant “Mabel’s”. Click here for the recipe we used. We ate the pancakes with whipped cream, bananas, strawberries, and blueberries- YUM!
After breakfast we were going to work out, but instead we watched college basketball (Go Nova!) Saturday night we had an Armenian dance called the “Hye Hop” put on by the University of Michigan Armenian Student Cultural Association, held at the Michigan Union. I truly love the campus and the amazing friends I’ve met there. So… because the dance was in Ann Arbor, my family and Mark decided to eat dinner at the popular restaurant“Eve”. The cooking style is described as French with North African, West African, Cuban, and Vietnamese influence. Chef Eve Aronoff attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France and was also a contestant on Bravo’s Top Chef!
Everything was delicious! We started off with two appetizers (for 5 people) the Curried Mussels and the Cutting Board (an array of artisanal cheeses, smoke and cured meats, olives and sliced French breads). Here is a picture of the Cutting Board below:
Cutting Board
My mom and I had the Beef Tenderloin, my dad had the Free Form Chicken Pot Pie, my sister had the Flatiron, and Mark had the Heritage Pork Shank. Honestly, if you haven’t been yet, I highly recommend it.
The dance was a blast, but it ended late so we stayed in Ann Arbor for the night. On Sunday my sister, Mark and I went to Zingerman’s Deli. I’ve never been to Zingerman’s and Mark really wanted to go. Zingerman’s is famous for its coffee and great sandwiches. We walked in and were immediately overwhelmed! It smelled of fresh breads and cheeses and had any sandwich product you could think of! Mark got the famous Zingerman’s Reuben, while my sister and I got Sherman’s Sure Choice. Zingerman’s was featured on Oprah in 2008 for best sandwich! Not only were the sandwiches to die, but Mark and I also had the most AMAZING cappuccinos there!
To complete this “foodie” weekend, Mark and I watched the movie Julie & Julia before he left for the airport Sunday night. Julia Child was so talented! Bon Appetit!