When one door closes...

Battuto is coming back to Little Italy this March. I never got to go, but have heard good things from another blogger. I hope it's as good as she remembers! The word is that Valerio's is closing and that the owners are taking over Battuto. Now, as far as I know this is just a rumor around the neighborhood - but things are definitely stirring at the former Battuto location on Mayfield here. Keep your fingers crossed, CF!

There's also a new market opening up called Spuzzillo's Market. Lots of things happening in March! Ooh, and La Barberia in Little Italy has a sale on the 25 oz. Bed Head shampoos and conditioners - $9.98 each!

I got a care package from Columbus this weekend that I affectionately call the "Big Box 'O Nostalgia". It contained the following:

- Two candles from Paul Robinett, one that smells like a campfire and one that smells like pipe tobacco. If you get the chance, check these candles out. There's not a single one that doesn't smell really good!

- "Malties" which are the modern version of Horlick's Malt Tablets. Little discs of malted goodness.

- A bottle of Gee, Your Hair Smells Terrific shampoo. I hadn't used this stuff in nearly 25 years. Good times.

(As a side note, I have eaten nearly all of the Malties. I am sad now!)

Lush Cosmetics is at it again with a new massage bar called Strawberry Feels Forever. I was glad to learn that there's a Lush shop right in Cleveland, at Beachwood Mall. You owe it to yourself to check this place out. I know that I normally write about food and whatnot, but most of their products are so natural that you could probably eat some of them.

Here's some food news. Jeff had stumbled upon a website called SuperCook which allows you to enter what is currently in your fridge. In most cases it will come up with several recipes you can use to make a yummy dinner. This has saved my butt more than once!

Here's one recipe I found that I absolutely love. I tweaked it a bit, but I think it's for the better.

Baked Spicy Orange Chicken

- 1 lb of boneless chicken tenderloins, or chicken breasts cut into strips
- 1 cup of orange juice
- 1 teaspoon of fresh garlic, minced
- 2 to 3 teaspoons of ground ginger (Whole Foods has this in a jar and it's AMAZING - and inexpensive!)
- 2 tablespoons of Roland's Pineapple Chili sauce (at Marc's) or 2 teaspoons of Siracha (adjust to taste)
- 1/2 cup of low sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup of orange peel

Mix all ingredients (except chicken) in a bowl. Put chicken in with marinade/sauce and allow to sit for at least an hour, overnight is fine. Remove chicken from the bowl and place on a baking sheet. Bake for about 30 minutes (less or more, depending on the medium of chicken you use) or until brown. Remove and plate over rice.

I took the rest of the marinade and added a teaspoon of cornstarch. When it was well blended, I tossed it into a pan to simmer and thicken. Make sure it simmers. Pour the sauce over the chicken and rice. Baby corn and water chestnuts make a nice addition as well.

Enjoy!