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Are you ready for the Pirates versus Giants Wild Card game tomorrow?  The Pirates are in the playoffs again.  Volquez will be the starting pitcher.  Will you be watching or attending the game?

Here’s how far Edinson Volquez has come in one year: Last season he posted a 5.71 ERA and allowed the most earned runs in the league. This season the Pirates just chose him to start the Wild Card playoff game Wednesday against the Giants … and it’s not even a crazy decision.

Pittsburgh going with Gerrit Cole in Game 162 of the regular season rather than holding him back was worth debating, but once that decision was made Volquez is a deserving choice after throwing 193 innings with a 3.04 ERA. Not a bad return for a one-year, $5 million investment.

However, his secondary numbers weren’t nearly as good as his ERA and, as always with Volquez, control is a huge issue with 3.3 walks per nine innings, 14 hit batters, and a league-high 15 wild pitches.

You can learn more here.

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Harvest Moon Wine Festival

This weekend make sure to head to Millvale for the Harvest Moon Wine Festival.  The festival is this Saturday from 5pm-8pm.  There will be live entertainment, food, wine, and more.  You can learn more at Living Pittsburgh.

Event: Harvest Moon Wine Festival (Enter ticket giveaway below!)
Location: Millvale Riverfront Park, Pittsburgh, PA 15209
Date: Saturday, September 27, 2014
Time: 5pm until 8 pm
Cost: $40 and $20 for food only
Description: The Borough of Millvale and The Millvale Borough Development Corporation will host the fifth annual Harvest Moon wine festival on Saturday, September 27, 2014 at the Millvale Riverfront Park. The event will feature a single session; 5-8 PM.

Tickets include wine, live entertainment by Etta Cox Band, fresh locally grown food, honey, tea, coffee, chocolates, desserts, specialty beers, and a bottomless souvenir logo tasting glass. Ticket cost is $40; designated drivers can purchase a food ticket for $20. Bike or kayak to the festival and receive a free gift. The Harvest Moon Wine Festival will be held at the Millvale Riverfront Park on the shore of the Allegheny River.

Western Pennsylvania wines will be featured along with live jazz, fresh prepared local food grown in Millvale and great wine pairings from our friends and partners. Wine by the bottle and case, merchandise and other sundries are offered by various vendors on a pay-per-item basis.

Monies raised will help the Nonprofit Millvale Borough Development Corporation stabilize, revitalize and rejuvenate Millvale’s neighborhoods, through the development of housing, and businesses. This is a 21 and over event.

Enter to win a pair of tickets by emailing us at info@livingpittsburgh.com. Subject title the email Harvest Moon. In the body, include your first and last name, contact email, and phone number. Winners will be selected and notified on Monday, September 22. You must reply to the email to claim tickets.

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Apple Monkey Bread

Are you ready for some fall recipes on your dinner table?  Apple desserts are some of our favorite treats for fall.  We have found a new creative recipe that you probably have never made.  Try this recipe out this weekend and let us know how it goes.  You can learn more at The Kitchn.

These little monkey breads are designed for eating on the go a little more easily than the full-sized traditional monkey bread that needs to be picked apart piece by piece. They are baked in muffin cups, and they come out all gooey and crisp from the butter. They get a lovely lemony glaze, creamy and touched by honey.

And yet they're not too sweet. That's the beauty of using pizza dough here — it's not too rich, and not sweet at all. So you have chunks of dough, yeasty and tender, encased and baked in a buttery, cinnamon glaze, and tumbled together with chopped apples, raisins, and (if you like!) dried cranberries.

All together these are a marvelous breakfast treat — warm and sweet from the oven, and good for eating on the go, or at a leisurely breakfast with family.

And one last note: For anyone who has ever had the cobblestone at Panera Bread, that muffin-shaped monkey bread of cinnamon, raisins, and citrus glaze, these are really an attempt to get them at home. I like these much better — they have all the right flavors, but they're not so teeth-achingly sweet.

Apple Cinnamon Mini Monkey Breads
Makes 12 mini monkey breads

1 1/2 pounds prepared pizza dough OR 1 batch dough (below)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup mixed dried fruit, such a mix of raisins, currants, and cranberries
2 small or 1 large apple, about 1/2 pound
1 lemon, zested
2/3 cup dark brown sugar
Flour, for dusting the dough

For the glaze:
1 tablespoon cream or milk
2 teaspoons honey
Juice of 1 lemon, about 3 tablespoons
3/4 to 1 cup powdered sugar

Lightly mist a large piece of parchment or baking sheet with baking spray. Lay the dough out on it and pat into a roughly 2-inch-thick rectangle. Use a knife or bench scraper to cut it into 4 roughly equal pieces. Cut each of these into 12 lumps, for a total of about 48 dough lumps about the size of your thumb. Sprinkle flour over top of the dough pieces, cover with towel, and set aside while you prepare the monkey bread filling.

Prepare a 12-cup muffin pan by lightly greasing the wells or lining with paper muffin cups.

To make the filling, melt the butter in a saucepan or the microwave. Stir in the vanilla, cinnamon, ginger, and salt and set aside to cool completely.

Roughly chop the dried fruit and place in a large bowl. Peel and core the apples, and grate them into the bowl with the dried fruit. Stir in the lemon zest as well as the brown sugar. Sprinkle the dough pieces again lightly with flour, to help keep them from sticking to each other, then toss them with the dried fruit, apples, and brown sugar. Pour the completely cooled melted butter into the bowl and stir to coat the pieces of dough.

Quickly scoop up handfuls of the dough and fruit mixture and place them in muffin cups (about 4 pieces to each cup). If there is any leftover butter in the bowl, pour this evenly over the monkey breads.
At this point the monkey breads can be covered lightly and refrigerated overnight. When ready to bake, take out of the fridge and let them rise for 1 hour before baking.

Set aside in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.

Heat the oven to 400°F and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until browned on top and the insides register about 190°F on an instant read thermometer.

While they are baking, make the glaze. Warm the cream and honey in the microwave or in a small saucepan until the honey is dissolved. Whisk together with the lemon juice and powdered sugar until it forms a thick, creamy glaze.

Remove the monkey breads from the oven and drizzle the glaze over the tops. Serve warm.

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Oktoberfest

Just a few minutes from the city you can celebrate Oktoberfest in Greentree.  Music, food, and activities start this Saturday at Greentree Park!  You can learn more below and at the Greentree borough website!

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Half Priced Pizza Deals

Pizza is a staple no matter how old you are. However, that does not mean you need to pay a lot for a good pizza. Pittsburgh has some great half priced pizza deals throughout the week. You can learn more at Living Pittsburgh.





1/2 Priced Pizza Time!


If you’re looking for half-priced pizzas in Pittsburgh then look no further because we’ve started (yes, just started) our list of local half priced pies. Of course we always love to add to our lists, so if you know of other great half priced pizza deals, please send them our way at info@livingpittsburgh.com.

Joe Mamas – half priced pizzas daily from 4-5pm, dine in only
3716 Forbes Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
(412) 621-7282

Fuel & Fuddle – half priced pizzas from 11pm until 1am every day
212 Oakland Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15213
(412) 682-3473

Lupi’s Famous Pizza – BOGO pizzas (even the toppings)
2311 Babcock Boulevard
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
(412) 931-0666



Juliano’s – half priced pizzas on Mondays. Dine in only. Excludes gourmet pizzas
5476 Steubenville Pike
Robinson Township, PA 15136
(412) 787-2959

Bites and Brews – half priced small pies Monday through Friday from 5pm until 7pm
5750 Ellsworth Ave
Pittsburgh, PA 15232
(412) 361-4425

Sharp Edge Beer Emporium - half priced 9 inch pizzas from 5pm until 7pm Monday through Friday. Dine in only.
302 S. St. Clair Street
Pittsburgh PA 15206
(412) 664-3537

Elements Contemporary Cuisine - half priced pizza during happy hour M-F 4pm until 6pm. Dine in only.
444 Liberty Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
(412) 251-0168

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