A Taste of St. Louis - Jilly's Cupcake Bar & Cafe

On Feb 27th, I attended a TweetUp hosted by Danille Little (also known on Twitter as TheCubicleChick).  The location of the TweetUp was Jilly's Cupcake Bar and Cafe, 8509 Delmar Blvd, St. Louis, MO 63124.  The location is right at the intersection of Delmar Blvd. and Highway 170.  The TweetUp was lots of fun - but the cupcakes were the star attraction.  There were so many varieties and flavors - it was hard to decide on a single one.  I opted for a family four pack to help with the decision process.  The delicious cupcakes compliment a full menu of lunch and brunch selections.  I was presently surprised at the friendliness of the staff, including Ms. Jilly herself (pictured on the right). 

You can find current selections and additional information on the CupCake Bar website. I believe in supporting local St. Louis businesses, including this one.  The next time you go out for a treat - check out the CupCake Bar and help support our local economy.   You can follow the CupCake Bar on Twitter or become a CupCakeBar fan on Facebook.     

Just in case you were interested in our TweetUp activity - check out the pictures on Danille's blog.

The Salt War Chronicles - Part III: Slice, Dice and Spice

Continuing on my salt-free journey - I've learned to make a few tasty dishes.  Sure, it was difficult at first.  I didn't realize how much I loved salty, spicy foods until the salt became off limits.  Lots of items like jalapenos, banana peppers, and olives are usually packed in salt.  Let's not even mention hot sauce, buffalo wing sauce or salsa.  Facing these challenges, I've added another way to stay on track with my sodium intake.  I call it: Slice, Dice and Spice.  This is my handy way of remembering to stick with the fresh, healthy foods.  Combining fresh items with spices leads to interesting and tasty dishes.  Here are two examples:

a. Spicy Chickens Wings and Nachos for the Superbowl.  Wonderful taste - no salt used.  Key ingredients included onions, fresh peppers, chili powder, cumin and a few other spices. 

b.  Homemade Pizza - Featuring an Italian and Olive Oil flatbread, red bell peppers, onion, mushrooms, mozzarella and provel cheeses.  I even made the pizza sauce from scratch using tomato paste, garlic and a few other spices. Yes, the cheese has a small amount of salt, but not enough to push me over my limit of 1100mg/day.  This is a great substitute for take out pizza.

When using the slice, dice and spice method:

1.  Check your spices carefully.  I was surprised to learn that my brand of lemon pepper, lime pepper and several other spice mixes all contained salt.  I traded those in for spices from SpiceIsland  and Mrs. Dash.  The SpiceIslands and Mrs.Dash websites also have great information on spices and recipes. 

2.  Use fresh vegetables, fruits and herbs.  This will boost the flavor content in meals and ensure you don't tire of the salt-free regimen.  Fresh items don't last long - you have to use them quickly.  Remember the Slice, Dice and Spice rule and you can reduce the chances of fresh items spoiling.  If fresh is not reasonable - opt for no salt added canned vegetables.  I find local farmer's markets and produce stores have the lowest prices on fresh fruits and vegetables.

Happy Cooking!