...little Willy Willy won't go home

Sometimes only the best will do...best PIZZA that is. I'm a mother of three (ages four and younger), so pizza is a staple in our house. When we can't make it to our all-time favorite (Pizzeria San Marco, in Rome...OK, so that's only happened once so far in my life, but it was that good), we go to the next best place...Deorio's Pizza. 

Dimly lit and more fragrant than a department store's perfume section, Deorio's is the Cheers establishment of the river region. Like the song says, sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name. So, making pizza with Willy was the perfect way for us to spend our Saturday as a family with some fun friends.

My evil plan was to distract Willy by knocking over the trashcan full of flour, in order to snag the secret sauce recipe. I am pretty stealthy. Unfortunately for all of you, Willy was so nice and fun, that guilt won and I chickened out.

Willy showed us step by step how He makes the city's best pie (it is unique to Columbus and holds its own against New York's thin crust and Chicago's deep dish). We talked pizza, baked pizza, and of course, we ate pizza. The kids got to create their own seven inch pies. It was the "coolest thing ever".  

{Parents: They throw a great make-your-own-pizza party!}

See us in action here!

To Willy and the rest of the Deorio's family:

We hope you'll be around for another 50 years! I'm glad to know how to make a pizza at home, Deorio's-style, but nothing beats jumping in the car and letting you do your thing. 

We missed you, Sue!!

If you have never been to this favorite spot, there's something special about the greeting you get when that bell dings and the salutation when you leave. Plan to head on over to cross country plaza this weekend. You'll find the man himself behind the counter for sure, because like his new The Sweet ring tone says, "little Willy Willy won't go home..." 

Way Back Wednesday

My husband heads North a handful of times each year for work. I got the 'big city bug,' a long time ago, so he lets me come with him when we can work it out. A few years back, Mac had a cooking/dining expo in West Chester, PA. I tagged along and brought a shopping buddy.  Ashley and I are college friends and were roomies in NYC during the ‘fashion intern’ parts of our lives. 

It was Saturday when Mac headed to work and Ashley and I headed to shop. We expected him to be late, but when 11pm rolled around, we grew concerned that perhaps he took the turnpike to Montana instead of back to the city. When we finally got through to him, I could barely understand what sounded like "I’m in the basement of the 7-eleven near Bryant Park."  "Uh...come again?"  

Turns out, he had been given 12 beautiful lobster tails from his friend "Dan the lobster man" while at the expo and had spent the last hour walking around Manhattan trying to convince someone to, you know, just let him grill a few crustaceans in their restaurant kitchen.

In all of Manhattan, only one guy was willing to risk it all that night. (I mean how creeped out would

YOU be, if at 11:00 at night some guy in khaki shorts and a thick southern drawl walked into your store with a garbage bag full of 'lobster,' asking to go in your basement?!)  So the owner of the

7-ELEVEN made Mac a deal...it would cost him nine lobster tails and his chef would do the grilling.

When Ashley and I arrived in the basement of the 7-eleven (i can't help repeating myself...it's just still so weird), Mac and "the chef" were hanging out waiting to tear into the almost-finished lobster tails. Apparently Mac took over when the dude said he’d never heard of GRILLING lobster. 

Just when I thought things couldn't get more random, that store owner sold all 9 of his tails as we ate our three in the middle of the chip aisle. Totally normal. I am going to have to go back and show them these pictures. I wonder if they are still there... 
                             

You can’t beat Lobstergram lobster tails. Give them a try! I hope, for the sake of your future dinner parties, you get the chance to enjoy them like we did...in the wee hours of the morning in a 7-eleven near Bryant Park. 

   

If you want to attempt to recreate this crazy story, you can have the lobster sent ahead of time by ordering here.  You can also just bake them in your own (clean) oven.  They are GREAT either way! 

Thanks, again, Dan! I kind of want a lobster roll now...

free printable!

Shout out to Kate from eatscootercakes:

I am loving my fun recipe cards! Thanks for sharing! You can download them here for free!

EPIC Appetizers

Way down yonder on the Chattahoochee...there's an award-winning restaurant, aptly named EPIC.  It's owner and chef is Jamie Keating, who doesn't have many minutes to spare in a normal day (he and his wife, Melissa, have FOUR kids and also own a well-known catering business).  

So naturally, I was stoked when Jamie agreed to teach me how to make one of his favorite appetizers. Hold your hors d'oeuvres or horse-de-overs, as my grandfather would say; We're about dive into some slap yo' mama Muffuletta.

 Depending on where you live and who you follow, moo-foo-LET-ta/muff-uh-LOT-uh/muff-ah-LET-ah, can be prepared several ways. Emeril, Lidia, and of course, Southern Living all have their interpretations; But it was Jamie who taught me how to spin this traditional Southern dish into a swanky appetizer my friends will scarf down, using things I already have in my pantry. Plus I can make it start to finish in one episode of Doc McStuffins. 

            

                    

                   

Maybe it was the gorgeous industrial appliances that I secretly wish I had in my own kitchen or the beautiful fresh ingredients, or perhaps the glow of the spot lights coming from center-stage (okay maybe they were just lights over a work station). Regardless, I got a little confident and challenged the Chef to a throw-down, Bobby Flay style. I was feeling pretty good about the challenge until I had soap all over my hands and couldn't figure out how to turn on their sink. Please tell me I'm not the only one who didn't know about the foot pedals...

Click here to see who won (it's a real shocker...not!)

As you can tell, we had a lot of fun, but I really did learn so much. You've probably heard of Beats by Dre, but they ain't got nothin' on beets by J. Yes, I did just go there. (visit the recipe tab for more on that). Thanks again, Jamie Keating, for spending so much time with me. I look forward to learning even more from you (and blogging about it, of course).

stuffing my face with deep fried beet chips

If you want to try these and many more amazing dishes, make a reservation at Epic Restaurant and tell them I sent you! You won't have to look far to find Jamie. He'll more than likely introduce himself to you before you have a chance to ask for him.

Just as I started to think I knew more than I gave myself credit for, I checked the temp of our meat...without removing the cover. Genius.

I would like to say thanks to Anum Tariq for my super fun header illustration.

Isn't she amazing? Check her out! She would love to do something fabulous for you!

Also, a huge thank you to my dear friend, Cam for all of her time and help. She is one talented graphic designer, don't you think? You can find her on Etsy, but I'm sure you'll be seeing and hearing more about her here. 

Happy Friday!!

Today, I spent the morning with Keely at iron bank coffee, learning to brew the perfect cup of joe. Richer bolder coffee at home in less than 3 minutes is the difference between Richard Simmons and Oscar the Grouch. Seriously, I haven't enjoyed a black coffee that much since my study abroad days in Italy.

Keely was super cool and was very patient. She should probably win an award for how patient she was, now that I think about it. My ADD would not let me multitask...watching, listening, taking notes, taking pictures, in front of patient customers who just wanted a dang latte. Anyway!
No offense to my Keurig at home. You have gently woken me up every morning for the last five years; but, electronic coffee hour is over...for today anyway.

Coffee fanatics, keep reading. If you have little whiny monkeys climbing all over you or giving each other swirlies in the powder room down the hall (what?), this is what I suggest:

The next time you are in uptown (downtown) Columbus, stop by and let my new friends start your day with their simple pour-over. If you close your eyes while you sip it, you might think you're somewhere you're not. For step by step instructions of how to make one at home, click the link below. 

KEELY'S I-think-I-just-got-transported-to-Europe-POUR-OVER

Dexter, Amber, and Keely, your neighborhood baristas 

Don't look back, keep on movin'...

The last several years, my family has put up with (selflessly supported) my obsessive desire to actually use my apparel design + product development degree. They allowed me the joy of developing a childrens clothing empire brand okay, FINE- a tiny little collection for girls. Please do not let the words tiny and little mislead you to think of me sitting at a fisher price sewing machine, cutting out dresses from handkerchiefs for a cabbage patch doll named Susie Mae. I digress...This venture involved unrelenting dedication, constant communication (I required a coach), pinching thousands of pennies, recalling old (now a bit fuzzy) lectures from college, so on and so forth. Drafting patterns, communicating abstract ideas thru exact math and spreadsheets, explaining how to construct garments with hand signals because I only speak English, and negotiating costs and production time lines is not for the faint of heart! It took ignoring a few nay-sayers, a pretty big dose of determination, countless encouraging phone calls and many trips up and down the eastern seaboard to make it happen. The day before giving birth to Bee, I was perched in a hot wash room at the denim plant where I used to work, attaching buttons to jeans that were shipped to me, unfinished. Hashtag PANIC ATTACK, hashtag labor pains. God bless those hard working women who helped that day. Birthing two babies (one child, one business) in one week is for crazy people! The line was released and in four short weeks, all but 25 pieces were sold. Thank you, friends, for shopping locally aka mainly in my dining room. To see precious little girls play comfortably in my labors of love is super rewarding and I hope to continue creating pieces in some capacity. What bothers me is that it seems I could contribute more to the world than just a cute dress or totally amazing, top quality, on-trend, but still classic, American-made denim (gotta love a good shameless plug). There are a few of those left if you can't stand it...

 

It would be easy to find satisfaction in the way things turned out and move on, but then there's that nagging "what if there is more to this desire." Press on! We all have opportunities to channel our dreams and talents toward a greater good; Life is about making the choice to actually do it.

Elemenopy will continue as a small local company, providing clothing and product options for parents who enjoy finding something special for their child. Products will be featured individually  and randomly for purchase through this blog. A percentage or specified dollar amount of each sale  will go to support a community based organization that benefits children or mothers in need. 

Who, Moi? will document my work as a mom/creative mind alongside my attempts to gain some mad housewife skills (mad-impressive not mad-drinking games...although this may require a glass bottle or two of mad housewife)! 

I look forward to introducing you to some of my favorite picks, places, and people soon! 

Thanks for stopping by!
Stay tuned...I'm working on something real nice for you, Clark.

When I'm not breaking up a fight, making one more batch of mac n' cheese, or asking bribing someone to brush their teeth, I am devising ways to become the next Iron Chef, grace the pages of House Beautiful, catch the eye of Linda Fargo, make the best sellers list, create a salsa empire, or become entertainer of the year. This stockpile of hypothetical ideas, which seem oddly more real than the spit up currently smothering my left shoulder, can at times make me feel, and I quote, insane in the membrane. My New Years resolution, is to live in the moment and focus on the not so g-l-a-m... (tending to crushed Cheerios, hours upon hours of princess Sophia, maintaining mounds of laundry). But let's be honest...

This tiny spec on the online world map will be my place to "mom blog." Parenting three precious highly spirited, strong willed, funny, full of life, little people, who live on the louder end of loud has made me tired rather than an expert. What I have realized is that we are all passengers on the same crazy train. If someone can laugh at life because of this blog, then typing on a cracked iPad keyboard is worth it.

Enjoy!