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Shiny New Product Review: Dulce de Leche Cheerios and Peanut Butter Cheerios

2012-02-10T14:46:00.000-08:00

I'm a bit of a cereal nut. Growing up, we were limited to healthy cereals (and when we were really, really good, an occasional box of Peanut Butter Crunch). This meant we ate regular ol' Cheerios quite regularly. And after a short phase of sugar cereal binges during my freshman year of college, I returned to my love of plain Cheerios with milk or a sprinkling of sliced banana mixed throughout.

I get excited when I see new cereals. But I got really excited when I saw both of these new cereals in particular - Dulce de Leche Cheerios and Peanut Butter Cheerios. Why? Let's see. We mix my love of Cheerios with my love of dulce de leche (which I originally experienced in Argentina) and peanut butter, and you get a terrible bit of excitement. And cereal is just one of those awesome things - eat it any time of day, no cooking required, and the crunching is a stress reliever : ).

I love the original Multi-Grain Cheerios. They have the perfect hit of sweetness that accentuates the grains. No, really. Those be curvy grains. I wonder why Cheerios didn't start with a blank slate of plain Cheerios? I want to like the peanut butter flavor but there is no real punch of flavor to set them apart from anything else. Better in a cereal bowl than as a snack, the Cheerios don't have quite enough "oomph" in the peanut butter department. Honestly, if you're jonesing for some peanut butter cereal - just go have a bowl of Peanut Butter Crunch. The one advantage that these have over PBC is that they will not wreck the roof of your mouth.

Lackluster Dulce de Leche Cheerios

And the Dulce de Leche? Frankly, my first bowl left me quite disappointed. The flavor seemed overly artificial (which is funny as they are "naturally flavored"). I don't even want a second bowl and cereal is a regular part of this gal's diet. I suppose I expected with both flavors, that rather than having the new additions mixed into the actual cereal batter, that they would instead have a light coating on the outside - like a glaze. I found both (although DdL especially) to not be dense enough in the texture. I wanted to hear and feel a more audible "crunch" when biting down. There seemed to be more aeration in each cute little circle than I am accustomed to in my other favorite flavored Cheerio (Honey Nut). My positive discovery after the fact was that while I did not enjoy these with milk, they were far better as a straight snack, no milk necessary.

But this brings me to what I would recommend to my friends. If given the choice to take 'em or leave 'em, I'd leave 'em. No ifs, ands or buts.

Leftover Turkey Tetrazzini

2012-01-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

Another turkey post....

Because I've been swimming in turkey, I've been playing around with a few recipes so that I'm not eating the same ol' turkey dishes day in and day out.

So, here is my favorite way to get rid of turkey leftovers thus far:

Turkey Tetrazzini (as found on allrecipes.com)

Note: I cut this recipe in half since there are just two of us. It normally means two nights worth.

1 (16 ounce) package uncooked spaghetti
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups chicken broth
2 cups milk
1 2/3 cups grated Parmesan cheese
4 cups chopped cooked turkey

I also like to add Panko to the top. It adds a tasty texture to the dish.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking dish.

Chop up your leftover turkey.

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add spaghetti, and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Drain, and place in the prepared baking dish.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour. Mix in chicken broth and milk.

Cook and stir until the mixture comes to a boil. Stir in about 1 1/3 cups Parmesan cheese, and remove from heat.

Mix chicken broth mixture and turkey with spaghetti.

Top with remaining cheese and sprinkle Panko to your heart's content.

Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, until surface is lightly browned.

Leftover Turkey Pot Pie Pockets

2012-01-01T15:30:00.000-08:00

Life has gotten slightly busy. That's a good excuse, right? In 2011 I worked full-time, finished my MBA, served as Executive Vice President of Communications and Social Media for my MBA class, had a baby, and finished by serving as the Director of Internal Communications for the Utah AMA.

Is that a good excuse? Sigh, not really.

So, once again, the husband wanted a turkey again. For me, that means a month of turkey. We typically eat Thanksgiving at one of our parents' or grandparents' homes. But we still must buy and prepare our own turkey. And when you only have two people (and a baby) in your home, that equals a lot of turkey and, in turn, turkey centric meals.

So here is my New Year's Gift to you. Two more turkey recipes to help you get rid of leftover turkey.

Turkey Pot Pie Pockets

1 can Pillsbury Grands (or generic brand)
1/2 cup peas and carrots (frozen or your leftovers)
1 can cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup
2 cups chopped turkey

Optional add-ins
Leftover stuffing
Diced onion
1/2 c chopped celery

Salt and Pepper to taste

Mix all of the innards together in a bowl. Spray a rolling pin and surface (I cheat and use my cookie sheet as my surface) with cooking spray. Roll each biscuit out to approximately 6-7". Fill half of the biscuits with a heaping scoop (you can use an ice cream scoop if you like) of filling. Do this with each biscuit. Place remaining biscuits on top of filled biscuits. Use a fork to press edges together. Score top lightly with three lines.

Bake at 375 F for approximately 15 minutes. Check on the pot pies and take out when golden brown.

Serve and enjoy! These work great to bring to work for lunch - just throw in a ziplock bag! You don't even need a plate and fork if you don't have one.

Mad Dogs of UT, LLC

2011-07-19T14:36:00.000-07:00

Mad Dogs of UT, LLC Cart

With as much exposure to food and different places around the world that I've had, one thing remains consistent...my love of street food. Salt Lake City has just received a tasty new gift, wrapped in bacon.

Mad Dogs of Utah, LLC is the type of food cart others should aspire to be. The factors of food cart success are all there - quality ingredients, attention to detail in cooking, and amazingly friendly service in the form of Rudy. If you ask him, he will tell you all about how service is what sets you apart. He pays attention to his customers and will chat you up if you like, wait patiently as you pore over the many options, or even take your order over the phone to make your delectable bite handoff even quicker.

What caught my eye, then my stomach, and finally my heart, was his offering of a bacon wrapped dog. Rudy takes premium hot dogs, wraps them just like little gifts (to your tongue) in bacon, and then lets them bubble and crisp on the grill. While this is happening, he also grills your bun and will grill mushrooms and/or onions to pile atop if you like. If you want a side of conversation, he is happy to oblige. More of the silent type? No pressure - he'll leave you be.

Rudy of Mad Dogs of Utah, LLC and Menu

The bacon dog is indeed delicious. Due to the elements of seared fat and hot dog casing, your dog will gleefully crunch under your bite. If you want to add a little kick or yin to your yang, you can add A1 sauce or syrup.

Bacon Dog with A1 Sauce

Mad Dogs of Utah, LLC also offers breakfast. Biscuits & gravy, hash browns, breakfast sandwiches (a buck and a half? Can he be serious?) and more. At lunch, Rudy also offers a French dip, hamburgers, turkey sandwiches, and tacos. He is also happy to make an item gluten-free upon request.

So if you love food carts - and bacon - you must visit Mad Dogs of Utah, LLC. He is a Salt Lake win!

Deliciously Delightful Bran Muffins

2011-06-24T11:50:00.000-07:00

I've been eating these bran muffins for as long as I can remember - and making them since I could stir. Over the years, I've had many roommates (and now husband) taste them and fall in love with them. Why? They're relatively healthy - and they taste like cake! Literally - from roommates who were on Weight Watchers to men who could care less about fat and calories - these are loved by all. So, by request - here are my grandmother's bran muffins. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 c Kellogg's All Bran Buds
2 c Boiling Water
1 c Oleo (i.e. vegetable oil)
2 1/2 c Sugar
4 Eggs
1 qt Buttermilk (you can also use your regular milk and add some lemon juice to transition it)
4 c Fiber One
5 c Flour
5 tsp Baking Soda
1 1/2 tsp Salt

Okay - yet another simple recipe! Start off by combining the All Bran Buds with the boiling water in a bowl. Set aside.

In a large bowl, add 1 c oil and 2 c sugar. Stir. Add 4 eggs, one at a time and stir after adding each. Add the buttermilk and Fiber One cereal, using a hand mixer to blend well to break up the cereal. Next, add the water-soaked bran. Blend again.

Finally, add the baking soda and salt. Stir. Add the flour, one cup at a time, stirring in between each cup. Let mixture sit for an hour to help the bran gain moisture. Grease your muffin pans. The batter should be enough for approximately 48 muffins. Fill each muffin cup 2/3 full. Bake at 375 F for 25 minutes.

Because this recipe makes so many (which makes me happy), I normally divide the batch and place some in freezer bags for later. Depending on where you live, you can store them in a ziplock bag on the counter or in your refrigerator. Enjoy plain or with butter and/or jam.

Bon Apetit!

Wild Grape Bistro

2011-06-13T12:31:00.000-07:00

I know there's been a lot of discussion regarding group deals as of late (i.e. Living Social, Groupon, etc.). I see many possible benefits for consumers and businesses IF both use them correctly and intelligently. I actually did a marketing evaluation in my MBA program on Groupon.

Anyway, the reason I mention this is that a LivingSocial deal allowed me to try out Wild Grape Bistro - a restaurant that has been on my list since it opened. I had an email warning me to use my deal soon or lose it - so use it I did.

Wild Grape Bistro took over a restaurant location that seems to have experienced a lot of turnover. When they first arrived, I wondered how long they would last. Here's to hoping they continue. My meal on Saturday was superb. Have a glimpse into my experience.

We started with a small plate of Potato Gnocchi, served with braised beef, mushrooms, spinach, truffle oil, and a dusting of parmesan.

Delicious. I'm a sucker for gnocchi. Pretty much anytime I see it on a menu, I need to try it. A large part is due to the fact that good authentic gnocchi seems incredibly difficult to find. I'll be honest - the gnocchi here were good but not what I consider gnocchi done right. The flavor was there but the texture too squishy. Good gnocchi should be somewhat firm. These were closer to potato dumplings. The real winner of this dish? The braised beef. It was incredible. Tender, pull apart, but with the right amount of chew so you still felt like you were eating meat. My next visit will include their tenderloin just so I can taste the magic they create again.

Next up - Grape's Bison Burger. 8 oz. Colorado Bison, house-made steak sauce, blue cheese, fried onions, spinach, bacon, and served with house cut fries.

Sadly, due to pregnancy food restrictions (which also prevented me from ordering their Arugula salad which sounded ridiculously good for a summer day) I had to withhold the blue cheese. The sacrifices I make....anyways. I hadn't experienced Bison before. For those who are a little more on the reserved side when it comes to game meats or meats not normally seen in the grocery store I'd say go for it! It's an incredibly mild tasting meat but delicious. I assume the grind wasn't mixed with any beef suet but it's possible. The burger was exquisitely composed with the right layering and thickness of bun to burger with a lovely crunch of onion and sweet tang from the steak sauce. Another win for Wild Grape Bistro.

Lastly, we finished with a Organic Chicken Breast, served with Moroccan roasted vegetables, polenta fries, and smoked eggplant.

I had wondered what the "polenta fries" would come out as. I love polenta, and tend to prefer a firmer style. This was perhaps a bit too firm for me and resembled more of a coarse corn bread than polenta. The chicken was moist and slightly garlicky. And the vegetables were the real win. Tender, well-seasoned, and summery. I fear it was unfair to the chicken to have followed the braised beef. If you're in the mood for chicken, it was well cooked and satisfying but not memorable in the way the braised beef was.

So, while some may argue that group deals are of the devil (and some consumers abuse the system to make it so while some businesses overestimate their ability to fulfill), it proved successful for me. Wild Grape Bistro? I happily recommend your fare. Your service was great and patio seating on a lovely summer day are hard to not love.

Happy Chinese New Year! Homemade Potstickers FTW

2011-02-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

I've been a lover of all foods Asian for as long as I can remember. I'm sure it helps that I originated in the Bay Area where Asian culture reigns supreme. Chopsticks were my utensil of choice (I swear eating with them makes your dish taste better).

So to honor Chinese New Year, I am posting a tribute to potstickers, one of my favorite snacks/meals. I think most people love anything that is essentially a pocket of deliciousness. Beef Wellington, falafel in pita, momos, or even Hot Pockets (which I know you secretly love).

Potstickers, or Chinese dumplings, are far easier to make than you might have imagined. Especially if you cheat and use wonton wrappers - which I do. Also, if you happen to be planning a party or just happen to love all things Asian, you will use almost the same ingredients if you would like to make Vietnamese spring rolls at the same time.

新年快乐!

What you'll need:

1/2 pound ground pork

1/2 medium head cabbage (Napa), finely chopped

1 green onion, finely chopped

2 slices fresh ginger root, finely chopped

1 1/2 shredded carrots

1 egg

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon white sugar

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 (14 ounce) package wonton wrappers

5 tablespoons vegetable oil

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon chili oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon rice vinegar

It's actually really easy from here with one exception - but we'll get to that.

Toss everything from the ground pork down to the sesame oil in a medium bowl. If you're not squeamish, get your hands in there and mix. If you are, well, get a spatula and get to it. Mixed? Great, move on.

Get out your magical wonton wrappers. One of the happiest pre-made products you can buy. Lay out your cute little circles and get read for the slightly more difficult part. Add a spoonful to each little wrapper. Less is more for the inexperienced because this next part is a little trickier. Maybe only do one at a time to start to find the right level of "fullness" for your dumpling folding skills.

Have a small bowl of water to dip your fingers in. Fold your wontons into cute little half moons and start pressing together. Now, here is the part some people struggle with at first. Start folding. I start in the center and fold a quarter inch to a half inch fold and work towards one end. Then I go back to the middle and go the other way. Don't get your fingertips too wet or your wonton dough will get sticky and be a royal pain to work with. However, you will want to add a little moisture to help your folds really stick together. Now repeat about a million times until you're out of dumpling filling or wonton wrappers.

Cool. Now you have two choices. Cook now or throw in a bag and freeze. Because I was making these just for me (and my husband, sort of) I chose to cook half and throw the other half in a gallon size freezer bag. That's what makes these even more awesome - they freeze well and make for a very quick and low maintenance dinner in a pinch.

If you choose to cook now, your journey is almost over. I like my dumplings and sauce over rice so I'd get that cooking now if I were you. Then you'll toss your vegetable oil in largish pan. I used a 12" pan to do my bidding. Arrange your potstickers in the pan, laying on their more flat side. Once they're looking pretty like a fan, turn your burner up to medium. Go ahead and add the water and then cover with a top or if you don't have one, just use a cookie sheet and let it have a small opening to vent. Let this cook for about 10-12 minutes.

All cooked? Last step. Mix the chili oil, soy sauce, and rice vinegar in a small bowl for dipping. Or you can get crazy and throw it in the with the potstickers once they're done and stir to get them coated. Hey, it's your life.

Shiny New Product Review: Taco Bell's Beefy Crunch Burrito - An Epic Fail

2011-01-16T21:02:00.000-08:00

It breaks my heart to say this. Taco Bell, you have really failed this time.

It all started with my bi-weekly visit to Taco Bell to pick up my usual, a Crunchwrap Supreme and a Grilled Chicken Burrito (and don't forget the all important Baja Blast). I noticed there was a new item on the menu - a Beefy Crunch Burrito. It looked and sounded delicious. When I pulled up to order, I asked what happened to be in this appealing new item. Most importantly, what made it crunch? The answer? "Layers of seasoned ground beef, rice, warm nacho cheese sauce, reduced fat sour cream and Flamin’ Hot (R) Fritos(R) wrapped in a warm, flour tortilla."

I'll be honest, the Hot Fritos threw me. What had initially sounded so amazing suddenly sounded a little not so amazing. I love Fritos. The thing that was bothering me more than anything was the scary bright orange color - Frito deliciousness this was not.

Curiosity got the best of me and a few weeks later I made the giant leap. Here's the real failure. Taco Bell began their failure path years ago when they got rid of my beloved Chilito. If you're not familiar with the Chilito, it was only Taco Bell's greatest creation. Now here comes another one.

The Beefy Crunch Burrito? Not crunchy. Either the worker bee totally forgot to put the crazy orange Fritos in my burrito or by the time I got home (a matter of minutes) the crunchy had turned into the same soft texture as the rest of my burrito. I kept taking bites searching for some crunch, but alas, no crunchy peep from my burrito.

Fail Taco Bell. Have you had any Taco Bell failures that hurt your heart a little?

Bittersweet Moments Sweetened With Mini's Cupcakes

2011-01-06T15:07:00.000-08:00

Today is my last Thursday at work. Meaning, tomorrow is my last day at my current employer. There have been definite highs and lows at my job. The highs, absolutely being the opportunity to meet and work with some of the most magnificent people I will ever come into contact with.
Evidence of this?

Mini's Cupcakes. My favorite Salt Lake cupcakery, for good reason.

Why do I love Mini's? I've eaten about a million cupcakes. Although, it certainly felt like the majority was in a span of two weeks while we were searching out the best cupcake in New York at Serious Eats. I've never been so sugared out in my life. After eating all these cupcakes, and swearing them off for a period of time, I was able to return to Utah, and return to Mini's.

They are the perfect size. Enough to satiate but not so much that you wish you could die or pull all of your teeth after consuming one. More importantly, they are always moist, have excellent flavor balance, and have frosting and ganaches that are blended well and not grainy or sickeningly sweet. As an added bonus, Leslie has incredibly fun and delightful flavors that tease the palate into wanting more.

What did my wonderful friend and co-worker delight me with? From top left: Black & White, S'More Please, Diva. Bottom left: Twister Sister, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Chocoholic. Leslie (the owner and baker) pretty much had my heart when she started combining salty and sweet - and made delicious ganaches.

Mini's also does seasonal flavors. This holiday season, I was fortunate enough to experience a Gingerbread with Cream Cheese, Eggnog (filled with eggnog custard) topped with Eggnog Buttercream (and an optional splash of rum), Pumpkin Chocolate Chip, Dark Chocolate with Dark Chocolate Peppermint Ganache, and a Dark Chocolate with Nutella spread. Wowee - my heart did little flutters when I saw what was coming out.

Lastly, you should see what my breakfast of champions was completed by. (If you didn't see this coming, you haven't figured me out yet)

Wassailing with Richard Blais

2010-12-15T10:15:00.000-08:00

Wondering about large, shiny, and expensive gifts for the holidays? Chef Richard Blais was on the ready to demonstrate a few things you might add to your list for Santa this year. Even better, he took a little time out of his day to show me how to make Eggnog ice cream in minutes! If you remember how much I love ice cream, you know he has my heart.

If you watch Top Chef (you should), you'll remember Richard Blais from Season 4: Chicago, and from Top Chef Masters. What you might also remember, is that he a gadgety, and sciencey guy. Also, very lovable and down to earth. Nothing egotistical or arrogant about him. His first culinary position might surprise you.

So, sit down. Take a load off, and watch Chef Blais perform some magic. (and enjoy his caught off guard expression with my last question)

And a quick cheat sheet for your convenience:

:28 How to make ice cream/gelato using dry ice?

4:35 What do you like to cook around the holidays that isn't as traditional, or different?

5: 48 What do you recommend if you don't have a double oven and are preparing meals for the holidays?

7:30 There is a mixed attitude with fast food in the food world. Some What are your fast food guilty pleasures, if any? (spoiler - he loves the McRib!)

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Enchiladas

2010-12-08T21:07:00.000-08:00

As I mentioned in my last post, my husband REALLY loves turkey. Or at least, right before Thanksgiving he thinks he does, which means even though we have ten plus available homes to attend and eat turkey at on Turkey Day, we still must make our own a few days later.

While on my journey to find creative uses for the oodles of leftover turkey (two people are not really a match for a 14 lb turkey) I found another usable recipe.

Enter my easy chicken enchiladas recipe. Simply substitute your leftover white meat (chopped) for the chicken and you have another possibility in the month long journey of finishing off a large bird.

Good luck to you! We're down to a bag of turkey. Maybe another recipe or two and we'll be down to 0. Curry turkey perhaps?

Leftover Thanksgiving Turkey Shepherd's Pie

2010-11-26T22:20:00.000-08:00

My husband loves turkey. What does this mean? Even though we attend Thanksgiving at any one of five family dinners, we have to make our own turkey to truly satiate his turkey addiction. I suppose I'm lucky this isn't a year-round obsession. Two people attempting to eat a 14 pound turkey? I'll leave it at, we have leftovers.

So I'm passing along to you, an incredibly fast and easy way to get rid of your Turkey Day leftovers (without using the garbage or compost).

What you will need:

Leftovers:

Turkey: approximately 2 1/2 cups of turkey, shredded by hand
Mashed Potatoes - approximately 3 cups
Gravy: 1 cup
Stuffing (optional): 1 1/2 cups

Additional Ingredients:

1 large carrot, sliced
1 celery stalk, chopped
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 tsp Thyme
1 cup shredded Irish cheddar cheese
Salt and Pepper to taste

If you don't have leftover mashed potatoes (I didn't) then you will also need these:

5 medium potatoes
1 cup milk
2 tbsp. butter

If you're missing the mashed potatoes, start here. If not, you can move to the next section:

Peel and chop five medium potatoes into quarters. Toss into a pot of boiling water and cook until tender.

Drain, add one cup of milk, two tablespoons of butter (I honestly just pour milk in and glob some butter in to my own merriment) and salt and pepper to taste. Get out your hand masher (you can also use a food processor for super smooth potatoes) and get your best Popeye arm muscles out and start mashing. Once this is done and you've tasted the potatoes several time to deem this delicious, you can move on.

Life is pretty simple from here. Take your sliced carrots, celery and chicken stock, and dried Thyme and add them to a deep skillet. Simmer these together until the carrots soften, about twenty minutes. If your liquid gets a bit low, feel free to add more chicken stock. You won't need to add salt to this part of the dish as the chicken stock should contain plenty for just about anyone.

You can now add your turkey. I shred mine by hand as I throw it in. You could also chop it if you prefer to keep your nails turkey free.

Your turkey should be nice and juicy now. This is where, if you have leftover gravy, you will stir it in. If you don't, no worries. Just add a little more chicken stock, maybe a little butter, and a little flour and let it simmer to create a cream sauce within your mixture. You'll want a little excess sauce so that if you picked up a scoop with a slotted spoon, gravy deliciousness would be dripping through.

Layering time. Get out a baking dish and dump your mixture in.

If you have leftover stuffing, layer this on next. After the stuffing, add the mashed potatoes.

Final step, add the shredded Irish cheddar cheese to the top. Toss into the oven at 375F for 20 minutes. At the end, change your oven's setting to broil and watch closely as the cheese turns a lovely bubbly brown. You'll want to watch closely because this will happen quickly and if you decide to step out of the room to do something else, you may return to flambé. Once you see the level of browned cheese you desire, pull out of the oven. Can be served immediately. Enjoy your turkey Irish style!

Easy Sunday Dinners: Healthy and Easy Vietnamese Spring Rolls

2010-11-14T13:19:00.000-08:00

I recently discovered an amazing Asian market located not too far from my home in Salt Lake. What this translated to was that I was going to begin making more dishes that I typically would lack the ingredients for.

My first simple venture? Delicious, fresh Vietnamese spring rolls.

The best thing about Vietnamese spring rolls is that they work as a quick snack or as a meal. And they're diet friendly and gluten-free friendly if either of those are a concern. I also think they're fun to make. And the ingredients are nearly identical to make gyoza or potstickers so you can make that a simultaneous project or a next project.

What you will need:

Cellophane noodles (also called Rice Vermicelli)
Grated carrots
Napa Cabbage
Ground Pork (cooked with sesame oil)
Scallions (Green Onion)
Ginger (grated)
Garlic (crushed/chopped fine - I used a garlic press)

Hoisin Sauce
Peanuts

Rice Paper

Okay, ready? This is seriously very simple. I had a woman ask me while standing in line what I was doing with my rice paper. I should point out that I may have been the only white person or non-native Asian in the store. When I told her I was making spring rolls, she encouraged me to buy the larger size as native Vietnamese typically use these. Why? Because they're much easier to roll. I like the smaller size and once you've made them once or twice, it's really not hard at all. But there's a quick tip for you if you're feeling unsure.

First, cook your ground pork (or you can also use ground turkey if you prefer) with a bit of sesame oil. I find this lends a lovely roasted sesame flavor to the meat. While that's cooking, you can start boiling water on the stove (or microwave). You'll need the boiling water for both the rice noodles and for the rice paper. Once the water is boiling, break off a cake or two of the rice noodles. Turn the heat off and toss the noodles in. They'll soak for a few minutes to soften. If only Italian pasta was this fast...

The rest of your prep work is just in getting your veggies ready. I like to keep things simple - and a little fast and loose. I don't necessarily use much in the way of measurement. This way you can customize what you like for each delicious, healthy bite. You'll want roughly 1-2 grated carrots, 1 cup of chopped Napa cabbage, chopped scallions, and four or so cloves of garlic and three or so knobs of ginger pressed with a garlic press.

Once your meat is browned, your noodles soft (and drained), and your vegetables chopped and ready, you'll need a large bowl. I would recommend tossing the meat and veggies together first. Then, at your discretion, begin mixing your noodles in. Be careful not to mix too many - remember you'll be wrapping this all in rice paper and you don't want to only have a bite of rice noodle/paper each time. You can always use the leftover noodles for a separate noodle dish - perhaps even tossed with your leftover spring roll innards. You can leave the spring roll stuffing as is or you can kick it up a notch with a splash of soy sauce or rice vinegar. I like to dip my spring rolls so I like my spring rolls au naturale.

Using your leftover water from the rice noodles (or boil some new hot water), soak ONE piece of rice paper. Do not toss the entire stack in. I did this once, thinking I was being efficient in my prep. Nope, you will just lose the whole stack. Once it becomes workable and looks like plastic wrap floating in the water, pull it out.

Place a small amount of filling in a line form on top of the rice paper. Fold one of the long ends over filing.

Using your fingers, pull the paper that is over the filling back to make it taught. You will then fold each of the two sides over this.

From here you will simply continue your original roll, keeping the paper taught.

After you repeat this with the rest of the paper and filling, you can enjoy now or refrigerate for later. Eat naked or serve with 3 tbsp hoisin sauce and 1 tbsp chopped peanuts mixed together. Or better yet, peanut sauce (mix 1 c peanut butter, 1/4 c soy sauce, 2 tbsp dark brown sugar, 1/2 c hot water, chopped peanuts).

Try not to eat them all at once. This will not actually be a problem if other people happen to be around. My boss polished about half of the fifty I made in about ten minutes. People with Celiac disease are so deprived - but I guess this makes them feel less so. Stuff your face! After all, it's actually pretty darn good for you!

Childhood Favorites: Umpqua Ice Cream

2010-10-29T18:55:00.000-07:00

Umpqua Ice Cream

A new store came to Salt Lake City recently. Some were excited at the promise of co-op low prices. I, on the other hand, left my cheapness at the side. Nostalgia was what had me on this one. Dreams of Tillamook cheese and Umpqua ice cream was where my mind had floated off to. I'm sure you've heard of Tillamook cheese. If you haven't, I feel for you. You have missed out on life. But I don't expect you to have heard of Umpqua Dairy.

Umpqua Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream

I've mentioned before that I used to have a habit of eating entire cartons of ice cream (the 1.75 qt size) in one sitting. I can't really explain that ability except that maybe if you tried this ice cream you'd do the same. That, and I firmly believe ice cream has a special ability to melt and find any open space that normal non-melty food couldn't.

My two drugs of choice were Umpqua's Peanut Butter Chocolate and their Ol' South Fudge Pie. I ventured to this new store to see if in fact, I was still addicted.

Deliciously salty chocolate peanut butter ice cream

Verdict? Yeah, I think I pretty much still am. The ice cream was delicious as remembered. Creamy and smooth intermingled with smooth salty ribbons of peanut butter and medium hard pieces of peanut butter chips. Why is this so freaking delicious? Personally, I'm a sucker for just about anything containing a combination of peanut butter and chocolate. At the Serious Eats office, we were pretty much always in agreement that if you added salt to something sweet it was a winner.

If you're not fond of the harder bits, allow the ice cream to soften for a bit before serving. I found if you let it roll around in your mouth for a an extra moment, the ribbons of peanut butter would melt in your mouth.

This carton was gone in less than a week. Consumed pretty much by me. The husband never had a chance.

Check out some of Umpqua's other addicting flavors here.

And the Winner is....

2010-10-27T11:55:00.000-07:00

Sharon!

Thanks for commenting/reading y'all!

Sharon, try not to burn yourself anymore. But if you do, at least you'll be numbed : )

Hot Diggity Delicious Dog

2010-10-20T18:44:00.000-07:00

One day at Serious Eats, we got into a discussion about the food in Utah. The conversation went something like this. "And then we'll check out Finn's..." I interrupt, "Don't bother, they're not that great. Better ambiance than food. What you should check out is J Dawgs." The conversation continued into other arenas - such as the Utah Scone. Did you know, apparently, that people have heard of the Utah Scone and Sconecutters? Shudder. Now, that would be embarrassing. To have a Serious Eater fly all the way across the country to eat at Sconecutter's? Yikes.

J Dawgs Original Hot Dog Stand

What I'm really trying to say though, is that Utah has their own set of delicious things and a growing food scene. And one of my favorites of those is J Dawgs. Jayson Edwards, of J Dawgs fame, came up with the idea after coming home from serving an LDS mission in Toronto. Hot dog carts were abundant in Toronto and when he returned to Utah, the lack thereof planted the idea of what was to be J Dawgs.

So, why is J Dawgs so special? The real winner for me is Jayson's "special sauce," a recipe that was passed down from his grandmother. Jayson has made a few tweaks of his own, but the sweet barbecue sauce hits the salty dog just perfectly. It's not terribly thick or gooey but more so an ambrosia glaze that trickles down the cross cuts in the dog. Which leads me to the dog. While J Dawgs doesn't create their own dog, they do reinvent the 100% all beef or Polish dogs on the grill. The difference from a regular dog comes from the cross cutting which allows a bite burst with a little char on the side. It's wonderfully delicious. And to catch all that tongue pleasing juice? Homemade buns from Provo Bakery made fresh every day just for J Dawgs. They are pillowy, supple, and create the perfect cradle for the perfect innards of a hot dog.

J Dawgs Delicious Secret Sauce Hot Dog

If you want to get crazy, you can add banana peppers, onions, and sauerkraut. I like to keep it simple. Which, honestly, don't you want to keep it simple when the key ingredients are that good?

J Dawg's is a steal at four bucks for a meal. They have recently expanded from their cute roadside stand (which still operates) to the building aside. Decor is retro inspired with silver tin lining the tables, barstools, and chairs. A soda fountain offers supreme choices including beloved apple beer. It would be interesting to see the level of caffeinated soda sold since this is one of the closest locations to offer caffeinated libations (BYU is a caffeine free campus. Students have to brown bag it.)

J Dawg's is like Christmas morning. Excitement with a side of giddy when it arrives. Only, your gifts are wrapped in tinfoil and the present inside is supremely biteable and tummy pleasing. Merry Christmas.

Crave It Giveaway! Burn Cream MD (for your owies)

2010-10-18T15:57:00.000-07:00

To Win: Leave a comment about how you've burned yourself. And follow me while you're at it.

After having been in some professional kitchens, it is easy to see why you would keep Burn Cream MD around. Leaning once on a hot burner taught me to be a bit more careful. And left a funny ring shaped burn on my palm. Roasting marshmallows and then plunging my fingers into the sticky, hot mess. Also, very, very painful. I pretty much burn myself regularly.

Let's be honest, freebies rock. Even more so when it's free stuff worth over a buck. (although, honestly, I could get excited about a free chicken burrito from Taco Bell). In this case it's more in the realm of $29.99. And Emeril Lagasse and Mario Batali both keep it in their kitchens! Burn Cream MD was developed for use in the kitchen or wherever you might burn yourself. It has lidocaine to take the sting away. I could have used this a few times in my past. Like when the flaming marshmallows would not shake off of my fingers no matter what I did.

Courtesy of Healing Skin, I am giving away your choice of Burn Cream MD in lotion form or handy wipe form. The New York small world thing? This awesome cream was developed by my old boss, Dr. Diane Madfes, spokesperson for Garnier Nutritioniste and dermatologist extraordinaire.

So, friends, if you would like to win this celebrity endorsed, dermatologist created burn cream, please leave a comment about a kitchen burn (or whatever you want to comment on - let's be honest - we're free flowing here) and become a follower of the blog. Entries will close at 5:00 pm MST next Monday. I'll announce the winner soon after. After all, we all need something to ease the burn of "a case of the Mondays."

Good Luck!

Twenty Restaurants, Twelve Hours

2010-10-12T19:41:00.000-07:00

Oh Twitter, I've grown to love you. I judged you once, as many do, to be superficial and spacey. I was wrong. Well, mostly. You satisfy the ADD in me better than just about anything out there...what? Oh, well, almost. Sometimes, you're still kinda slow. But you also bring me wonderful news. A week and a half ago a saw a little something on Twitter that made my heart happy. Carey Jones, of Serious Eats fame, had let the possibility of a stop in Salt Lake City slip.

I was delighted.

Emails were exchanged, flights confirmed, and a restaurant list compiled. And the day arrived. Stretchy pants were worn. My heart and stomach squealed with excitement and terror with each new edible encounter. It was a fantastic day. I was elated that I got to hang out with Carey for the day and assist in Serious Eats' success. They are the best work family a girl/guy could ask for. I'm providing the list of eateries we frequented that day. Descriptions for each would result in an online novel so I'll spare you for now. I will do you the honor of marking my top five* of the day.

Bon Apetit!

(Disclaimer: We ate at places that fit the chapters going into the Serious Eats book. So don't be saddened that some of Salt Laker's favorite places are left out. Also, we only had one day and we each only one one stomach. A few bites or more at each place times 20 - you do the math. 10,000 calories?)

Banbury Cross
Les Madeleines*
The Park Cafe
Finn's
Eggs in the City
Tulie Bakery*
Tony Caputo's Market & Deli
Bruges Waffles & Frites*
Settebello Pizzeria Napoletana
Capo Gelateria
Chow Truck
Dolcetti Gelato*
The Back Door Deli
Cows
Maxwell's East Coast Eatery
Cafe Rio
The Cotton Bottom Inn
Busy Bee
The Copper Onion*
Nielsen's Custard

Shiny New Product Review: New Oreo Fudge Cremes

2010-10-03T20:34:00.000-07:00

Curse you impulse buying! I've done it yet again. Well, truth be told, this was my husband, yet again. He's a sucker for Oreos.

I fortunately am not as obsessive as I once was with my sweets eating. I used to go through a full 1/2 gallon carton of ice cream in one sitting. On a regular basis. But age has seemingly toned down my sweet tooth. However, I was willing to revisit my old haunting grounds in order to try a "new" product.

They weren't quite as expected.

Don't ask me why. I apparently just don't pay attention. But why am I paying more per box and per Oreo for half of an Oreo?

Here's your after bite shot:

They are horrible. The chocolate is waxy, even by American standards. And regardless of whether you are an Oreo creme lover or cookie lover of the Oreo you will be disappointed. The box has sat around our house uneaten for the last two weeks. I finally threw it away. And in my house where we are cheap and engage in mindless eating - that is saying something. So save yourself a couple bucks and buy something quality - like a lovely Cup o'Noodles.

Scorching Symon: An impromptu interview with Michael Symon

2010-09-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

When you think of an Iron Chef, do you picture a grown man that still fears his petite 4'11" mother? If you do, you've got Michael Symon in mind.

I had the great pleasure of interviewing Michael, of The Next Iron Chef, Iron Chef America, Cook Like an Iron Chef and soon to be Food Feuds, this week. I can truly say that of the big fish in the food world that I have been fortunate enough to interact with, he is a favorite. Michael is totally down to earth and charming. I adore his passion for cooking and the culinary creations that result from it.

So here's the actual interview for your viewing/listening pleasure. The duration is approximately ten minutes so I've placed time markers below for your convenience. The new season of The Next Iron Chef airs this coming Sunday, October 3rd, at 9 pm/8 pm CST. Food Feuds will follow on Thursday, October 14th.

1:00: Any feared ingredients for Iron Chef America?

1:57: How have your family's dishes have affected your own? (Spoiler: the man loves goat. Also, how to say shut up in Greek)

4:24: Have you ever been out to Salt Lake and do you have a dining memory?

4:41: Michael asks me if we have a food feud they could feature on Food Feuds.

5:46: Any food feuds from your hometown of Cleveland?

6:39: Does all the eating you have to do ever get difficult?

7:38: With Food Feuds, have you had to deal with any bias you might have had with a restaurant?

8:50: When you're on Iron Chef, how much advance notice do you get on your secret ingredients?

Scorching Symon: Interview to Come with Iron Chef Michael Symon

2010-09-27T08:52:00.000-07:00

Exciting news!

I was contacted by Michael Symon's (Iron Chef extraordinaire, chef/owner of Lola and Lolita, and Food Network star) PR agency to see if I would be interested in an interview with him. Um, yeah. I would be stupid to say no. Not only is he an incredible chef but he is one of the most down to earth, friendly, and entertaining ones out there! Being cute doesn't hurt either.

So, stay tuned. I'll be interviewing him this afternoon. His next food ventures will be on "The Next Iron Chef" and "Food Feuds." The Next Iron Chef premiers on Sunday, October 3, at 9 pm and Food Feuds premieres Thursday, October 14th at 10pm ET/PT.

Can't Stop Thinking About Them Carnitas

2010-09-03T17:59:00.000-07:00

Problems I have: Diet Coke, Travel Channel, Peanut Sauce.

New problem. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Kenji, from Serious Eats, posted a recipe for "No-Waste Tacos de Carnitas with Salsa Verde." Someone in the SE office mentioned that Kenji was bringing the leftovers by (which he often does since he is constantly cooking). I began to salivate immediately. Pretty much anything Kenji makes is tastebud gold. However, when Kenji stopped by, there were no carnitas in tow. My heart was heavy. My stomach empty. (Okay, the last bit wasn't true - I was at the SE office - my stomach was never empty or even half empty)

So, when I got back to my lovely little kitchen in Salt Lake, the first thing I did was purchase the ingredients for my own carnitas.

What you will need:

2 medium onions
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
3 pounds boneless pork butt (shoulder), rind removed, cut into 2-inch cubes
Kosher salt
1 medium orange
6 cloves garlic, split in half
2 bay leaves
1 cinnamon stick, broken into three or four pieces
1/4 cup vegetable oil
6 medium tomatillos (about 1 1/2 pounds), peeled and split in half
2 jalapeño peppers, split in half lengthwise, stem removed
3 limes, cut into wedges
1 cup crumbled queso fresco or feta
24 corn tortillas

They didn't have boneless pork butt (shoulder) at my local grocery store. Don't ask me why it didn't occur to me to ask the butcher for the cut. No, I bought bone-in pork shoulder. Yeah, it was an experience. A good one to have but not really one I feel the need to repeat. Save yourself the effort and if you don't see it already packaged, then don't be shy. Ask your friendly butcher man or lady to do you a solid.

Now that you have your lovely hunk o'pork. Cut the rind off (the white gross skin). Pretty sure you don't want to eat it. Cut the pork into big ol' chunks about 2 inches. I guess you should probably have a hot place to put it so turn the oven on at 275F. Get a 9X13 casserole dish ready to dump your goodies in. Season the pork chunks with 1 tbsp salt and throw in your 9X13. Arrange so there are no spaces.

Split orange into quarters. Squeeze juice over meat and then nestle remains amongst the meat. Add one onion split into quarters, 4 cloves of garlic, bay leaves and cinnamon stick to casserole (you can cheat and add ground cinnamon in a pinch).

Cover dish tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven. Cook until pork is fork tender, about 3 1/2 hours.

While your little piggy is cooking, cut one onion into a fine dice and combine with cilantro. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Set large fine-meshed strainer 1 quart liquid measure or bowl. Using tongs, remove orange peel, onion, garlic, cinnamon stick, and bay leaves from pork. Transfer pork and liquid to strainer. Let drain for 10 minutes. Transfer pork back to casserole. You should end up with about 1/2 cup liquid and 1/2 cup fat. Using a flat spoon or de-fatter, skim fat from surface and add back to pork. Shred pork into large chunks with fingers or two forks. Season to taste with salt. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Transfer remaining liquid to medium saucepot.

To serve: Place casserole dish with pork 4-inches under a high broiler and broil until brown and crisp on surface, about 6 minutes. Remove pork, stir with a spoon to expose new bits to heat, and broil again for 6 more minutes until crisp. Tent with foil to keep warm.

To eat, stack two tortillas on top of each other. Add two to three tablespoons carnitas mixture to center. Top with salsa verde, chopped onions and cilantro, and queso fresco. Serve with lime wedges.

If you're not lazy like me, then you can make the tomatillo sauce instead of leaving the ingredients to rot in your fridge. Just add these directions before the serving ones. Add tomatillos, remaining 2 onion quarters, remaining 2 garlic cloves, and jalapeños to saucepot with strained pork liquid. Add water until it is about 1-inch below the top of the vegetables. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook until all vegetables are completely tender, about 10 minutes. Blend salsa with hand blender or in a stand-up blender until smooth. Season to taste with salt. Allow to cool and refrigerate until ready to use.

You can also heat the tortillas. Preheat an 8-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Working one tortilla at a time, dip tortilla in bowl filled with water. Transfer to hot skillet and cook until water evaporates from first side and tortilla is browned in spots, about 30 seconds. Flip and cook until dry, about 15 seconds longer. Transfer tortilla to a tortilla warmer, or wrap in a clean dish towel. Repeat with remaining tortillas.

Yeah, they're pretty much to die for. I've been obsessed ever since. I dream about carnitas and corn tortillas now. It's a sickness. But one I thoroughly hope to be infected for life with.

Heaven in a Pita: Taïm

2010-08-09T18:05:00.000-07:00

Today I fell in love. I didn't mean to, it just happened.

You'd think that after a long day of eating 48 different types of ice cream, a red velvet cake from Amy's Bread (also freaking awesome), and having a full Schezuan lunch that I might be averse to another meal.
But that's where you'd be wrong.

I stopped at Taïm on my way home from work. Granted, it was a little out of the way from my apartment but in the vicinity of Joe's Pizza on Carmine where I'd been commanded to pick up a pie for my husband, who was patiently waiting in Salt Lake City for a New York slice. Today, karma won. I did something nice for my husband so karma did something nice for me.

It took me a second to find, as they are located on the west side of 7th ave and I apparently was brain dead. (In my defense, it was a Friday after work.) Taïm is located on Waverly Place next to residential buildings. The tip off that you're walking to the right place is in the bench outside and people hovering around with satiated smiles on their faces. I walked in the small shop front and analyzed the menu. As I was only there for something portable and walking friendly (and classic) I decided to go after the Falafel sandwich.

Don't worry - I still shook things up as I happen to enjoy doing. The "Harissa" which employs Tunisian spices sounded right up my alley. It was described as mildly spicy (which I don't actually believe nor does my heartburn) which I knew would be balanced by the soft pita, Israeli salad, hummus, and white cabbage. This equated to heartburn friendly.

All I can say is, this could potentially qualify to be my last bite on earth. The impossibly creamy hummus made my heart skip a beat and the Israeli salad added just the right level of fresh crunch. My Falafel balls were perfectly crisp and brown. And the Harissa spices were so elegantly flavored in a lower level "boom" but not "bam" in your mouth kind of way.

Once again, as with many good street foods in New York, I dripped my handheld treat onto my shoes. But I didn't care. I changed my stance to free falling falafel mode and continued the impolite chow down on 7th Ave without any concern of appearances.

Yum. The End.

Olio E Piú

2010-07-29T15:27:00.000-07:00

Things that are amazing about my job.

1. Eating
2. Eating
3. Eating

Did I mention it's amazing and awesome that I get to eat for "work?" Sure, it gets a little rough. Like when you end up eating 120 cupcakes over three weeks in pursuit of New York City's greatest cupcake. Honestly, I think that is one of the most difficult things I've had to make it through. I'm not kidding. I thought I was going to ralph more than once.

So, moving on from that last positive note, today's awesomeness came in the form of checking out a new pizza place. Olio E Piu opened on Sunday in the West Village. It took over Go Sushi's old locale. The vivid grass green exterior is hard to miss. At first glance, I was loving the colors of the interior. First off, for a New York restaurant, it is rather spacious. Secondly, the mixture of woods, a few vintage pieces, high ceilings, wood ceiling beams, and bright, creamy walls was visually appealing. After I'd spent some time there though I reconsidered my original evaluation and felt, perhaps, the place was a bit stark.

Everyone in the restaurant was most certainly friendly and passionate about the subject of pizza. Giulio Adriani, the owner, is fresh off the boat from Italy. His oven is as well, straight from Napoli, capital of delicious and fresh pizza. I enjoyed watching him work the oven while preparing our pizzas. I also had amazing lunch companionship in the form of Adam Kuban, Ed Levine, and Nick Solares. Very entertaining lunchmates indeed.

We ordered four different options:

Margherita

Campagnola

Freschezza

Amalfitana

The Margherita was the best which normally is your indicator that the rest will be good as well. The Amalfitana seemed promising and interesting with "lemon slices." It seemed the acidity would be a potentially amazing contrast with the mozzarella and Parmesan. Unfortunately, the lemon slices were much too thick to work. Because they are so newly opened, I'm going to give some allowance on this one. Giulio came over to my table to check on me and my companions and sought our opinions. He said he is using the changes for improvement. The crust definitely has a decent chew on it and the Margherita will leak yummy sauce all over your plate that you'll have no choice but to sop up with said crust.

So, if your pizzas are more pizzalike than salads with a little crust under them, thank me. Or if your lemon is shaved super thin. I'm sure it was all my doing.

New York Pizza: A Growing Addiction

2010-07-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

So, it's 6:36 p.m. and I'm getting ready to leave the Serious Eats Headquarters for the day which means I'm thinking about what to do for dinner. You should know that today I've consumed three types of noodles from Xi'an Famous Foods, four wraps from The Kati Roll Company, a salad and some Tikka Masala from the Whole Foods bar, oh, and eight different cupcakes from the CakeLab (by the way, amazingly awesome cupcakes - which I should know after having sampled 50 cupcakes on Friday.)

So, it only makes sense that I'm hungry. I don't know what it is but I'm pretty much always in the mood for a slice. If you can find a good slice your stomach can always make space. What makes up a good slice? Crisp, chewy crust, fresh uncomplicated sauce, and light on the cheese. Heavy on the cheese and I think it must've come from Pizza Hut. I seriously don't understand how Domino's stays in business in New York City. Shouldn't people know better?

On to the business of actual eating. My most recent tastes:

Motorino:

I was fortunate enough to partake in Adam Kuban's bachelor party at the SE office. Motorino's did us a solid and delivered many delicious pies. We had many different flavors but I'm going to post just two of them. Motorino's is considered (by Slice'rs at least) to be one of the best pizzas in town. They do it Neapolitan style and are in fact delicious. Great chew to the crust, char as well. Cheese, sauce, toppings - all perfection. A definite new love. Even better, if I'm too lazy to walk down my five flights of stairs, I'm within their delivery zone (although eating pizza at the actual location when it's fresh out of the oven is always best).

Margherita

Brussel Sprouts - they actually found a way to make them taste good!

Ray's Famous Pizza:

World Famous Ray's Pizza - is it really famous? Also, I have to ponder a pizzeria's decision to claim "famous" over "best." The obvious choice would be that they are not the best but rely on business from tourists that don't seem to know any better. Is it an insult to the New York slice? No. It falls somewhere in between.

I ordered a sausage and pepperoni slice. Crust had some decent flavor for a bite on its own. Too much cheese for a New York slice. At 3.60 for two toppings falls a little on the expensive side for a mediocre slice. Okay if you're in the area but definitely don't go out of your way to get a slice here.

If you can believe it, I actually have three or four more pizzerias to post about here but I don't want to overwhelm you. Just know that if you're ever in New York, give me a buzz and I'll steer you towards the right spots and far, far away from all the tourist crap.

So, what's the verdict? I'll be eating pizza but one pizzeria may not be sufficient. This girl has to get as much of the mouth-watering, crunch noise inducing as humanly (or maybe not humanly) possible before she has to leave her mecca. Sigh.

Life Changing Salted Caramel Sauce

2010-07-19T21:20:00.000-07:00

Freaking Awesome Salted Caramel Sauce Swimming Atop Ice Cream from Guerrilla Ice Cream

Holy freaking crap. I can't help it. This sauce is that freaking good. My palate is blown - in a really, really good way.

Tomorrow at the SE office we are conducting a microwave popcorn taste test. We put feelers out to our community about their thoughts and tomorrow we will take yet another one for the team and subject ourselves to a ridiculous amount of food in a short period of time. As often is the case, we have an extra person or two that comes in on these marathon taste tests. This time it is someone bringing ice cream.

Naturally, I googled popcorn ice cream as soon as I heard. And this is what popped up. I knew what I had to do.

I stopped at Whole Foods on my way home and picked up the ingredients which was a sacrifice in itself. The Whole Foods @ Union Square if freakin' nuts. Seriously people? It's not that amazing of a store. Please, disperse to your own local stores. Thank you!

Let the cooking commence!

Here's what you'll need:

2 c sugar
1 2/3 c heavy cream
2 tbsp salted butter
1/4 tsp fleur de sel or coarse sea salt

I want to say this isn't difficult to make - which is true. But if you're timid in the kitchen this may not be for you.

Step 1:

Add sugar to heavy cast iron pan. I only have one temperature setting on my stove in New York, so high heat it was. The point is to melt your sugar - so it's all good.

When it begins to brown (see above) gently move the sugar around so that the unmelted sugar gets its chance to melt too. You'll have some chunks but if you're patient, they'll melt. Stir gently.

The directions said the caramel would smoke and not to worry. I may have heeded that advice a little too closely. Fortunately, the smoke alarm did not go off and my apartment aired out fairly quickly.

Take two on the sugar. (at least it was something I had extra of)

Step 2:

So, pretending that my caramel was perfect (which it was the second time around), once it has a smooth and even texture, remove it from the heat. Add about a quarter of the cream while whisking quickly. It'll bubble up pretty good so you may get a splash or two. Just be very, very careful. I'm pretty sure this would hurt like the dickens if you got it on yourself.

Continue to incorporate the cream until the 1 2/3 c measure is all added. Then go ahead and stir in the delicious makers - butter and salt.

Step 3: (the eating part)

And this is what you get! I used a spoon for tasting and then I fell to the ground in a delicious coma. AM-freaking-AZING. Seriously, it's that good. You really should make this. And if you don't want to, try to con someone else around you to do it for you. Because now that you've read this, you cannot live life the same as before.

New York Wins: Ciao for Now

2010-07-13T15:10:00.000-07:00

On the way home from the amazing 4th of July fireworks event in New York City, I had one of those funny "only in New York City" moments. My husband was out visiting and we had earlier seen a friend and former coworker post on Facebook that he was also visiting the city. We'd been at the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog eating contest that morning so didn't see his post until 5:00 p.m. Figuring it was too late to catch him we continued on with our plans. So, what happened? We randomly run into him while exiting the L at 1st Ave and 14th Street. Crazy, right? Out of 8.3 million people we ran into the one we knew.

I swear there's a reason to this story. As we continued our conversation on how crazy it was, the odds, and also updates on how life was, we discovered that he was visiting his girlfriend who happened to only be living blocks from my apartment. Since it was late and we were all hot (muggy, humid subway) we concluded that we should have brunch the following morning. A call around 11ish was arranged (hey, we're not all morning people.)

Insert mention of Ciao for Now. Ciao for Now happens to be across the street from our friend's place so it became our meeting spot. Even though it was a Monday, Ciao for Now was kind enough to offer their Brunch Menu (it was after all, a "holiday," sort of). I ordered the Hungbuster.

Hand grated potato, rosti style with two sunnyside up eggs on top. Add pork, chicken or veggie sausage or bacon — $2

What did I think? The eggs were phenomenal. The bacon exceeded my expectations. I love bacon but I find that so many places can't seem to get it right - at least, what I deem to be right. It was perfectly chewy and crispy all at once and thick cut. I'd return just for that. I can't say as many positive things about the potato. We had a discussion over at Serious Eats about hash browns vs. home fries. The conclusion from our site and discussion was that we preferred home fries when done right but ordered hash browns at places that hadn't mastered home fries.

Sadly, Ciao for Now has not mastered their version of "hash browns." They were mushy and honestly had an odd flavor. Sad.

I still give Ciao for Now a thumbs up. I visited their cute little shop this morning to pick up some cupcakes for a tasting and while their hand grated potatoes were a fail I have a hard time not loving this place. They are ever so friendly and I can tell the owners take pride in their food. The cupcakes weren't too shabby either. The cream cheese frosting on the red velvet cupcake was actually close to perfection.

New York Wins: Di Fara Pizza and Sweet Revenge Bakery

2010-07-12T14:52:00.000-07:00

Living in New York can be tough. Mostly because there are oh so many meals that are worthy of being shared. Either because they are truly that fantastic or not worth your time in a town filled with saliva inducing dishes.

Dom, Pizza artist

Last week I had the opportunity to experience what is considered to be one of New York's best pizzerias, Di Fara's. I was not let down. It was truly delicious. In the blog world there are many harsh critics. Maybe for the simple fact alone that it's easy to be critical or throw out judgments when it's not face to face. Also, pizza eaters can be quite fanatical and passionate about the beloved subject.

Anyway, here is a write up from Serious Eats (including my own two cents.) I highly recommend going if you have not had a chance.

http://slice.seriouseats.com/archives/2010/07/di-fara-pizza-new-semi-dried-cherry-tomato-pizza-topping.html

I've also been doing some cupcake eating as of late. I tasted a Dulce de Leche cupcake from Sweet Revenge which led me to the decision that I needed to venture to the bakery myself to try more. The frosting was rather creamy and amazing, the cake flavorful but dry. I wanted to know if this was a fluke or the norm so I ambled over to The Village to check it out. Service was not phenomenal but I guess the upside was that I had ample time to decide what to order.

I landed on the Sweet Revenge (Peanut Butter Cake, Ganache Filling with Peanut Butter Fudge Frosting 3.50) and the Pure (Mexican Vanilla Cake with Mexican Vanilla Buttercream 3.50.) A guy sitting at the bar swore by the Pure which is what led me to order it. I was actually leaning towards the Dirty (Valrhona Chocolate Cake with Dark Chocolate Truffle 3.50) or the Crimson & Cream (Raspberry Red Velvet Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting 3.50) prior to his offered opinion. Sorry bar guy, flavor failure. His palate obviously sucks.

Very Pirates of the Caribbean, no?

I had help with these babies but the conclusion was the same as before. Sweet Revenge makes an excellent cupcake BUT their cake is dry. I don't get this. Can someone explain to me how a bakery can successfully make a cupcake that has great flavor and creamy frosting (harder to do then you'd think) but can't seem to pull their cupcakes out of the oven in time? Come on people, seriously. Not rocket science.

I may however have to try just one more time...

Fat Witch Brownies: Worth Getting Fat?

2010-07-08T15:35:00.000-07:00

I first became aware of this bakery when my husband and I booked our trip to visit New York for our anniversary and my interview at Serious Eats. We were booked at Gild Hall and had a screaming deal thanks to Priceline. I was a little uneasy about the hotel as it had antlers as decor which is not so much my style. But I felt better about it as I read the reviews on Trip Advisor. Being the eater that I am, I was especially excited at the thought of having brownies left on my pillow in place of chocolates. Which led me to Fat Witch. Apparently Gild Hall gave up this practice a few years ago but when they did leave brownies they were Fat Witch's. I loved the unique idea used by Thompson Hotels but also loved that they were supporting a local business.

But I digress. Since I had been disappointed in April by not receiving my Fat Witch brownie "pillow mint" I had to remedy the situation. Fortunately, I work in Chelsea and the Chelsea Market is relatively close by.

I ended up with two brownies (do I ever buy food for one person? Answer, always no.)

Taste results? Original Fat Witch: check no. While moist, the brownie was devoid of any real brownie texture and overly buttery without the necessary fudginess to make it a brownie. I'm the type of girl who appreciates MORE chocolate added to brownies (in the form of chunks, chips, Hershey's kisses, etc.)

Caramel Fat Witch: check yes. Maybe it was a fluke on this one but it actually had some crustiness to the brownie which added the needed texture the original Fat Witch lacked. It still wasn't my ideal brownie but the caramel added to it and made it a bit more interesting. The original just lacked any pizazz that would lead me to return.

Verdict? Great packaging and name. I'll consider giving it another go but I suspect this is a meh in the brownie world.

Mistakes I've Made: Ben's Pizza on MacDougal

2010-07-07T13:47:00.000-07:00

Ben's Pizzeria on MacDougal

I realize I'm opening myself up here by entitling this post, "Mistakes I've Made," but it just fits.

Pizza Box, Ben's Pizza, 123 MacDougal Street

When I lived in New York before I spent most of my time in Greenwich Village. I settled on Joe's as my favorite place for a NY slice and didn't continue my search. This time out here I have a list (which grows by the day) of places I must try. Ben's Pizza on MacDougal was on this list. As some consider Ben's a rival of Joe's I had some expectations. When I walked past Washington Square and arrived I had a deja vu moment. I realized I had eaten here before. That pretty much summed it up right there. Not memorable.

I ordered a plain slice and a white slice. Here they are...

Ben's Pizza on MacDougal White Slice and Plain Slice

They look decent from afar albeit the crust looks a little flat.

I'm not going to say they were horrible but if you're living in New York City and have pizza that actually qualifies as good then it kind of makes you want to stop eating. The cheese was far too thick on both slices. The ricotta on the white pie was ridiculous. While they had heated both slices before handing them to me (which is key to having a good crisp, gooey slice) they cheese was still lukewarm. I'm sorry to say as a sometimes cheap person that I threw the pizza away after trying it. I thought about finding someone to give it to - but anyone in New York would have known better than to take these slices off my hands.

I'm told that this is good pizza when you're drunk. I guess I'll never know...

How I Started My Day: With a Chuckle

2010-07-01T08:08:00.000-07:00

Serious Eats was contacted by a PR agency to see if we had any interest in attending the Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest. I've watched it on ESPN and have also watched MTV's True Life, "I'm a Competitive Eater" and thought it sounded like fun. I'm not sure that the 95 degree weather with 90% humidity will be fun though.

Anyways, I responded to the agency, and lo and behold this is what arrived today. The Pepto Bismol was just a nice extra I guess. They know me all too well. This weekend will probably need an antacid of some type.

So, check out the contest this Sunday. ESPN will begin broadcasting at 11:00 a.m. EST. You may just see me up there, trying to beat Joey Chestnut's 68 hot dogs in 10 minutes.

Meet & Eat with Serious Eats

2010-06-29T20:41:00.000-07:00

Just a little shout out if you happen to be intrigued by the news that I am currently interning with Serious Eats. I am incredibly excited to be a part of this amazing food dream team. And especially excited to connect with all the readers and glean whatever I can from them. That's what I love so much about social networking - it allows us to expand our circle of friends. And in this case, expand our bellies with fantastic new recipes and restaurants.

Anyways, I've said my piece. I'm relying on everyone out there to send me their thoughts. Where should I eat while I'm out in New York? And you're welcome to send me suggestions for other places because I do love to travel. Also, I do love to cook so I would appreciate recipes as well.

Thanks again everyone! Here's a link to my Serious Eats "Meet & Eat."

http://www.seriouseats.com/2010/06/meet-eat-alison-herzog-serious-eats-community-intern.html

New York Travels: Artichoke, Canal Seafood Restaurant, and Duane Reade Chocolate Chip Cookies

2010-06-29T20:29:00.000-07:00

I know the reason you're reading this. You're dying to know how amazing Duane Reade's chocolate chip cookies are, right? I mean, who hasn't heard of this wonder and wished that they could only be so fortunate as to live near a Duane Reade. Well, my friends, I am here to save the day. But first, I just have to get the other minor reviews out of the way.

I have officially begun my internship at Serious Eats and will be assisting them in their community relations and social media marketing efforts. I am extremely blessed and can't imagine a better job than to make a living eating and talking about eating. My temporary home is near Gramercy Park which is conveniently situated smack dab in the middle of happy taste bud town.

Case in point. I was walking to the local CVS and then on to the Verizon Store (so I could get ripped off) when I happened upon Artichoke. I remembered seeing positive reviews on Slice and I was hungry (when am I not?) so I decided to step in. Don't ask me why I thought burning hot pizza sounded good when it was 97 degrees and 99% humidity. Other people in New York were doing this...

Anyway, I strolled into Artichoke and looked at the menu which consisted of four items: Margherita, Clam, Artichoke, Sicilian. I went with the Margherita. Classic and hard to screw up (although it's possible.)

Here's what it looked like when they handed it to me.

You can tell by the ooziness of the cheese that it's really, really hot. And indeed, it was. I burnt my poor tongue and roof of my mouth when I tested the tip to see if I could dive in. Darnit, I hate having to wait for it to cool when I know it's good! In the meantime, here was the pizza upskirt.

And then the eating began. I was really impatient. The small, volcanically hot bite I had was too much to resist for much longer. I dove in as carefully as I possibly could. Mmmmm. The sauce is fantastic. It tastes incredibly fresh and is neither too sweet nor too savory as some can be. And the cheese, well it was fantastico. It looks a little different - you can see it breaking up in this pictures after I'd had a few...

You know, posting to blogs can be really painful sometimes. I'm looking at these pictures and now I really need to walk down my five flights of stairs (did I mention I moved into a 5th floor walk up? I decided I needed it to balance the eating), and then walk a few more blocks over to Artichoke. The cheese also lived up to its fame. Salty, chewy, and softly stringy. And the fresh basil? Well, that just put it over the top for me. Sauce, cheese, and basil - win, win, and win. Unfortunately, the crust was a fail. It was exceptionally crisp which I wouldn't say is a bad thing. However, I being a crust person, did not even eat my crust. It was too thick, too dense, and overcooked. Maybe a fluke. I'll have to test it out to see. Even if it's not I'd still return for the three wins.

So today after work, I decided to take a jaunt down to Chinatown. It only made sense that I get some Chinese food while I was down there, right? Especially because I needed to be fed in order to make it home. So I wandered around and looked for a spot that looked like it was filled with Chinese people. This place seemed to fit the bill:

And actually, the fact that this was hanging in the window helped convince me.

They also had roasted pig heads and duck heads inside that were popular items. I decided to spare you the picture in case you have a delicate constitution. The menu and signs in the restaurant were pretty much all in Chinese which is lovely in terms of decor but unhelpful if you are ignorant in this language. Fortunately, they also had an English menu.

Not wanting to hold the line up, I ordered based off of the pictures I'd seen outside. Boring, I know. Sesame chicken, pork dumplings, and a Diet Coke. After ten minutes of waiting and head chopping viewing, I picked up my order, hopped on the subway, and then hoofed it up to the 5th floor. Why did I think the 5th floor walk up was a good idea again?

Here are my unwrapped goods:

I'm not even going to go into detail. It was not good. I should have walked the three extra blocks to a restaurant I knew was good. Ten bucks down the toilet. Well, actually, in the garbage. I'll give them a little wiggle room for the fact that I had to schlep it back to my place before eating. But I'm pretty sure that doesn't fully cover them.

Looks arent' everything.

Looks can be deceiving. This chicken looks good, right? Nope. It wasn't crispy but a bit gooey. It required more sesame seeds in my opinion. And as much as it pains me to say this, Panda Express makes better food than this.

As for my beautiful dumplings? I've never truly had a dumpling I wouldn't eat. Until today. They were thick, dry, and just not good. I'm so sad. How do you screw this up? I couldn't figure it out. I tried to taste different ones at least in hopes that I'd figure out what went wrong. I guess I'd have to watch their process. Either way, they went in the trash.

And now for the piece de resistance - and what you really came here for.

'cause grandma's stuck in traffic

I'll be honest. I bought these mostly for the packaging. I thought the quote was hilarious, "cause grandma's stuck in traffic." Also, the coloring looked such that maybe they really would taste buttery, chewy, and homemade. My grandma didn't bake chocolate chip cookies so I had to rely on my assumptions here.

The cookies were indeed soft and chewy.

But, ehhhh (insert buzzer noise) on the grandma reference. These cookies tasted in no way homemade. Less chemically than Nabisco's Chewy Chips Ahoy but other than that pretty similar.

I didn't care tonight. After the Chinatown upset, I needed chocolate.

There's always tomorrow. Which reminds me, where do you think I should eat?

Easy Sunday Dinners: Chicken Enchiladas - Guaranteed to Satisfy Your Pickiest Eater or Critic

2010-06-27T16:34:00.000-07:00

Looking for another easy Sunday dinner? What can I say? I like simplicity. Call it laziness, call it a lack of time - you can put whatever word to it you'd like.

I started making these chicken enchiladas ten years ago. I don't remember how they came about but I had a college roommate from Namibia who became obsessed with them and implored me to make them at least once a week for her. Some foods have the ability to not be bound by culture. There is a universal comfort to be found in this dish. Probably something to do with all the cream and carbs. The best thing about this dish is that it is totally customizable for picky eaters. I've never had a single picky eater turn their nose up at this dish and my husband, who doesn't eat leftovers, always happily eats these two days later.

Okay, ready? Now, this is by no means gourmet, so if you're going to judge, judge now. However, it is a cheap meal, an easy meal, and a delicious meal. This is one of those meals that when you bite into it, you're transformed to a warm, happy place where you're stresses and troubles are temporarily drowned.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Get out your basics:

Here's your "need" list:

6 tortillas (I used burrito size but you can use whatever you have)
2-4 cups shredded cheese
2 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cups milk or cream
1 can diced green chiles
2 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken breasts
salt & pepper

You can also add:
1 clove garlic
1 chopped red or green pepper
cayenne pepper
whatever else floats your boat

Chop the chicken breasts into small pieces. In your pan, add a couple tablespoons of olive oil, the chicken, and the can of green chiles.

Cook on medium until the chicken is cooked through. This time I also chose to add a crushed clove of garlic.

Add one can of cream of chicken and some milk. I don't actually measure the milk - I just add however much I think looks right. If you want thicker enchiladas you'll limit your milk. I probably add around a cup or a cup and a half this round. Add salt and pepper to taste - I also tossed in a little cayenne as well. Let it simmer until creamy and evenly mixed.

Now you're ready to assemble. Take a 9X13 baking dish and spray with with non-stick cooking spray. Take out your first tortilla and lay a large scoop of your creamy chicken smack dab on top of that tortilla. You can add cheese inside if you want them super cheesy. I opted out this time. Then roll, baby, roll.

Roll six times - or however many times you feel like. You can adjust your tortilla/filling ratio according to your own desire.

Now take your second can of cream of chicken and your remaining milk/cream and heat over the stove using the same pan from before (so you can use any remaining goodness). Once this is heated evenly, dump it on top of the tortillas and schmear to even it out. Finally, dump shredded cheese on top.

Cover with tin foil (or don't) and bake at 350 F for 20 minutes. If you want, at the end set your oven to broil and let it roast the top for a minute.

Voila!

And I'm hungry again. Too bad this yummy dish is back in Utah and I am not any longer. The things we do for those we love. An entire pan of acceptable leftovers for a non-leftover eating person.

Bon Apetit!

Exciting New Ventures and Some Food Along The Way

2010-06-13T19:55:00.000-07:00

I have been so lax in my blogging lately. I do so apologize. Life has been a little crazy - because I'm sure that I'm the ONLY one who can lay claim to that sucker. Yeah, right.

So, the primary reason I visited New York in April was the desire to combine my two greatest loves - my husband and New York! I realize you probably were thinking of food or shopping as some other possibilities - but that is precisely why New York is one of my top loves. It has some of the greatest eating and shopping in the world. It's probably my favorite of all cosmopolitan cities potentially because I am so comfortable there but I think also for the sheer diversity of offering.

The second reason I visited New York was to interview with the awesome peeps at Serious Eats for an MBA Marketing internship. When they posted that they were looking I decided to send them an email - an email which I assumed would find its way into the black hole of dreaming. My schedule would not permit me to do an entire summer nor do I currently live in New York. Instead I live in Utah and have both a husband and mortgage - minor complications. Imagine my surprise when my goofy, sleep deprived email was responded to with an interview request. Short end of this looong intro is that I have the privilege of working at Serious Eats this summer. Their bright, creative, friendly office is located in Chelsea and I will be living by Gramercy Park. I am very excited on all fronts. How could you not be excited to eat for a living?

With that bit o' news I'll continue my long overdue postings of my next set of restaurants I frequented on my trip.

This particular day started waaaay too early. Lack of sleep was already an issue since the previous day we had arrived on the red-eye and while C immediately passed out in the hotel, I had to continue on to my interview. This lack of sleep was compounded by C's desire to get up before the butt crack of dawn to stand in line for Saturday Night Live tickets. Days: 2, Hours of Sleep: 5. It was cold and I was cranky. This helped alleviate that crankiness.

If you've paid any attention, you'll see that my blog header involves a pain au chocolat which is indeed one of man's (well, the French's ) greatest creations. Instant prozac. Calms my soul and warms my heart. Thanks Dean & Deluca - you're pretty much always there when I need you (at least when I'm in NYC).

Fortunately, for my sanity (and for his), C and I went back to the hotel and crashed for a couple of much needed hours. After sleeping and showering and remembering what it was like to be human again we continued on. Erin Adamo, from Serious Eats, told me I HAD to go to Crif Dog, on the Lower East Side. That worked perfectly with my plan to visit a few other spots. It really is hard to choose what will take stomach space when you have limited time (and stomach space).

We took the subway to Astor Place and walked along the beautiful streets to the Dumpling Man. I've been eating with chopsticks for longer than I can remember which should indicate to you that I love Asian food.

How could you not love me? I'm adorable!

C and I ordered four dumplings (you have to remember, we were "pacing" ourselves - especially since Crif Dogs was literally across the street). Dumpling Man offers different fillings - pork, chicken, veggie, shrimp, and surprise. I did not feel like a surprise on this occasion. So boring. Instead I purchased two pork and two chicken - one steamed and one seared of each flavor. While watching our dumplings be filled, pinched, and cooked, we more genuinely entertained ourselves with watching the new counter guy get grilled and instructed by the owner. I must say it was amusing to watch a 50 something year old man instruct a 20 something year old boy on how to use a remote control.

Seared on left, Steamed on right

Yum. This blog post was inspired by and motivated by perusing my food pictures. I look at this and wish I was closer to this foodie haven. You can see the love in the hand pinched dumplings. I can't say that I ended up with a preference between the seared or steamed - that all just depends on my mood. Steamed are soft and allow you to feel "healthy" (I believe in excusing my food choices through such rationale) and the seared have a delightful crispness to the bottom and have a slight caramelization which lends to a deeper flavor of sorts (but harder to rationalize - don't worry - it's still totally possible). I did think the pork was better of the two meats. However, both were juicy, salty, and made me feel like I was home.

We then embarked on an incredibly long journey across the street to Crif Dogs.

This neighborhood was just so quaint. I miss being able to walk the streets while admiring the buildings and picking out all the places I would happily live. Crif Dogs is in a small and dark space. Very little space and very busy. They have a lot of fun options to order but since we once again had limited stomach space (darn stomachs!) we ordered one dog each. I ordered the Tsunami - "a house dog, bacon wrapped, with teriyaki, pineapple, and green onions" (minus the green onions) while C ordered the Chihuahua - "a bacon wrapped dog covered with avocados and sour cream." Healthy choices indeed.

Go to Crif Dogs. Not only do you get to experience a super tasty dog at a super cool location, but you also get to give your order to a sassy lady at the register. I love that everybody is so friendly in NYC. I miss that when I'm elsewhere. Getting back to the food? Crif Dogs is number one for a reason. Bacon wrapped. Can it get better? I think not. The textural differences of the plush bun, crisp bacon wrapped dog with delightful snap (snap is uber important in hot dogs), and sweetness of the teriyaki and pineapple marrying happily together - perfection. C's was good as well but I prefer mine (no bias since I ordered it). His also had the delightful bacon snap and creaminess provided by avocado and sour cream. I liked the more savory and biting flavors of the Tsunami. Of course, all the dogs have fun names.

Okay, okay. I'm wrapping it up. You'll laugh when I tell you that immediately after leaving Crif Dogs I sought out my next food location. What can I say? Tompkins Square Park is surrounded by luscious food offerings. S'MAC and Artichoke are among some of the well known and loved offerings also in the area. I'll visit those when I'm living only a few blocks away during the summer (which I can already forecast will require much exercise to combat said convenience). We were headed to Una Pizza Napoletana for a much needed delicious slice. We had, after all, been in New York for an entire 30 hours. We witnessed a bicyclist eat it hard in the intersection of 10th St. and Avenue A. That guy was seriously hard core. He misjudged his timing going around a corner and skidded across the pavement, losing a few belongings in the process. I thought for sure we'd have to call an ambulance. But I guess if you can sit on one of those ridiculously painful seats for hours you can handle pain, period. He picked himself and all of his belonging back up and cycled off with his buddy. I should have taken that as an omen. Una Pizza Napoletana is no longer. I walked past where it had been and tried to figure out if my memory was truly that bad. Nope. It's just gone. The owner will be opening a new one, somewhere, sometime. FAIL.

Instead, I was forced to go shopping. Here...

and then visit here...

Ah, I love Union Square Park and The Met. I had meant to stop by Two Little Red Hens to pick up a few scrumptious cupcakes and other baked goods. I was deterred by my husband and our time quickly running out before The Met closed and our other plans collided. Instead, after we finished at The Met we walked over to Il Vagabondo on 62nd. I hadn't eaten here before but had seen it on The Food Network's show, "The Best Thing I Ever Ate." Emeril Lagasse (my former boss' good friend) had recommended Il Vagabondo and their veal parmigiana. It was a little chilly out and besides the fact that I had a list (literally, a printed list of my potential eats in New York) warm, comforting pasta sounded fantastic.

The Upper East Side can be a little on the quiet side for my taste albeit contains some gorgeous apartments and mansions. Il Vagabondo fits in as a lovely little spot. Notice, small spaces tend to be a theme here. You may be a little confused if you've never been here before. From the outside looking in, Il Vagabondo looks like it only has a bar. You have to walk through the long and narrow space to get from the bar to the restaurant area.

We didn't even bother with the menu. If Il Vagabondo was supposed to have spectacular veal parmigiana, then that's what we would order. To add a little variance we ordered one veal parmigiana with penne and one chicken parmigiana with spaghetti.

The service was great and it was fun to watch a bunch of guys make fools of themselves while playing bocce ball (did I mention half of the narrow space is occupied by a bocce ball court?). The veal parmigiana? Eh. Everything was made very quickly and tasted fresh. But honestly? Really? The best thing I ever ate? Hardly. It's not that I'd turn my nose up at it but when in New York, with so many food options? I'd go elsewhere in pursuit of something that truly deserves to be on my list of "the best thing I ever ate."

Finally, we continued back to Rockefeller Center with our stand by tickets for Saturday Night Live. Apparently, everyone who had tickets from the lottery actually decided to use them because we did not get in. Had we chosen to attend the dress rehearsal instead of the live taping we would have. Double fail.

Irritated that our 4:00 am wake up call had been for naught, I had to make a quick stop before we headed south to our hotel.

Do I think Magnolia Bakery is the bomb? No. I'm a little miffed that they have chosen to sell out and have franchised. They've lost the authenticity that they had in their Greenwich Village locale. But I'll still eat their cupcakes. I mean, I'm not THAT big of a snob. It made my day better.

Chomp. Sigh. Butter, Chocolate, Sugar. Somehow, it works every time.

Easy Sunday Dinners: Perfect Roast Chicken

2010-05-23T16:40:00.000-07:00

Oh Yeah...

I've enjoyed cooking for as long as I can remember. When I was a little girl I used to sit on the counter next to the stove and toss random spices and ingredients into a pot on the stove. I called it Witch's brew. It was in no way edible but just a fun outlet for my creativity. I've progressed since then into making edible creations but between my grad program and work I really don't have as much time (or money) as I would like.

I should also mention I married a man who was spoiled ridiculously by the women in his family and expects a "Sunday Dinner" every Sunday. Don't you worry, I've already stood up for women on this one. Most of the time, though, I am happy to oblige. Here is one of my favorite creations that is incredibly easy (so easy I'm pretty sure its fool proof and even my husband couldn't screw it up) and inexpensive. The chicken only cost me .99/lb and the other ingredients were also cheap. My total for a delicious, easy, and healthy dinner? About seven dollars. Also, if you like to feel like you're cooking with the greats - Jamie Oliver does a pretty similar version.

Here's what you'll need:

1 whole chicken (mine was about 4 1/2 lbs)
1 lemon
1 yellow onion
3 red potatoes (I actually used red golden potatoes in this recipe - hence the yellow fluffy insides)
1 clove of garlic
Baby Carrots - as many as your heart desires. I always keep these in stock - in this recipe i probably used about a cup or so. And if you're really concerned about needing a count - you're welcome to look at the picture below.
Olive Oil
Rosemary and Thyme (fresh is prettier and tastier but more expensive - unless you have a green thumb and grow it yourself. I recommend for parties or impressing people. Otherwise, dried will do)
Sea Salt and Black Pepper

Okay, you ready? I'm telling you - this will take you all of 5 minutes which is why its so awesome.

Get out your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

Okay, you're oven is preheating. Get out a glass roasting pan (or whatever you happen to have that you think will work.) Take your whole chicken out of the fridge. Remove the innards - you can keep them for gravy if you want - I tossed mine this time. Rinse the chicken with cold water and set it in the pan. Cut the lemon into eighths and stuff it into the empty cavity of the chicken. Cut the potatoes into about 2 inch size pieces. Cut the baby carrots in half. And cut the onion (I'm assuming you're smart enough to know to peel it) also into eighths. Slice the garlic into thin pieces.

See - you're done! Well, pretty much. And honestly, this is one of those amazing rustic dishes where you can freelance your cutting. However large or small and uniform or uneven you want your cutting to be. It really doesn't matter.

Your last real effort? And by effort I mean dumping everything into the roasting pan around the chicken. Now, drizzle the olive oil on the chicken and on the vegetables. If you have fresh rosemary and thyme, place it inside the chicken with the lemon. If you are using dried - just shake it on top - as much as you think looks pretty. Finally, sprinkle some salt and pepper on top of that bad boy.

Now throw it in the oven - uncovered. And let it cook. It should cook for about 20 minutes per pound. Just check it with a meat thermometer before you eat it or you can pierce it - if the juices run clear you are also in the clear! Somewhere in the middle, get out a turkey baster or pastry brush and take the juices from the pan and baste it. Your skin will come out super crispy and delicious.

Sit back and do nothing. Five whole minutes of work? And this is what you'll get.

Serve and enjoy! (And don't worry - if you lack knife skills - roast chicken really shouldn't be served in neat little slices anyway.)

Shiny New Product Review: Oreo Dairy Queen Blizzard Creme

2010-05-23T15:44:00.000-07:00

Okay friends, I know you all rely on me to be the guinea pig and eat things for you. So of course I HAD to buy these new Oreos. Absolutely no choice in the matter. Sometimes, I just have to accept my lot in life. Also, kudos to Nabisco. First they lured me into becoming their Facebook Friend in order to get a buy one get one free coupon for Oreos and now they have tempted me into test driving a new product for them.

When I saw the post come up on my newsreel I knew I had to try them. I have fond memories of Dairy Queen as a child - ice cream cakes, deliciously seasoned french fries, and most importantly, Blizzards. What can I say? I'm a glorified ice cream junkie.

Needless to say I was pretty excited at the prospect of combining two fantastic things. It took two trips to the store before I found these on the shelf. They were about the same price as regular Oreos but when I came home I saw that I had been gypped. The packaging was much like that of the Fudge Covered Oreos - spaced inside so you have only half as many.

That didn't turn out to be an issue as I was in no way addicted to these. Normally the husband lectures me on eating an entire row at the time. Not so much with these. Product Fail. Don't bother buying these. It's not that they tasted bad but regular Oreos win out any day of the week. The chocolate cookie is rock hard and you could risk breaking a tooth. And the cream is nothing special. I was momentarily excited when I opened the Oreo up and saw the little cookie bits but that passed when I bit in. The cream and cookie combination actually tasted like a generic Oreo - which I think are a crime against humanity. Nabisco, I'm afraid you've disappointed me.

What Do You Do When You've Had One of THOSE Days?

2010-05-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

Yes, Some Days, You Need THREE Cartons

So, today has been one of THOSE days. You know, the ones where nothing seemingly goes right? AKA, a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. Truthfully, you don't need anything to actually be or go wrong to have one of these days. But if you're having one of THOSE days, everything can feel like its going wrong. Small things like a mannerless lady stealing your parking spot that you've been waiting for with your signal on (you know who you are and karma will find you!) or perhaps your professor called on you and you felt like an idiot in front of all your fellow MBA classmates (it never feels good to momentarily appear to be the dumb one amongst geniuses).

Anyhoo, like I said, it was one of THOSE days. So, I took life into my own hands and did something about it. I have a few guilty pleasures in life. Prepare to judge - I know you will - and frankly I don't care. I will still love these things. Taco Bell, a childhood favorite, always brings comfort (although, I curse them for taking away my beloved Chilito. P.S. if you find a Taco Bell that still serves these - tell me! I will fly pretty much wherever!). I also find solace in my UGGs (judging again), and general TV watching (killing brain cells always makes a day better). However, at the end of this long, rainy day, (did I mention one of my windshield wipers stopped working?) I chose to stop at the grocery store. And bought some Ben & Jerry's. Soothing my woes in ice cream. Didn't you know that Ben & Jerry found a way to contain sunshine and happiness?

I had recently found the elusive new flavor, Flourless Chocolate Cake (I had to scour several Walmarts to find this sucker - so I bought three) but I decided a day like this required more. I needed B&J's Boston Cream Pie and while I was at it, might as well try their new Milk & Cookies.

I dove into the Milk & Cookies first. It's described by B&J's as, "Vanilla Ice Cream with a Chocolate Cookie Swirl, Chocolate Chip & Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies." I think its always a good sign when you peel off the lid and immediately see "texture."

Check my swirl!

Yum, I could SEE the Chocolate Cookie Swirl already! This was the only flavor my husband was interested in (and you thought I was a pig and going to eat all three by myself? So wrong - I'm eating all three, minus a bite or two). The cookie swirl was like a very finely ground Oreo. The two cookies were a bit tougher to scout out. But I finally found them. No getting away from me, you yummy ice cream bits. The cookie pieces (both chocolate chip and chocolate chocolate chip) were good but I was in no way wowed by this ice cream. The ice cream base was not creamy enough. Perhaps they were attempting a "skim" milk version of Cookies and Cream. There is just no "oomph" to this ice cream. Good but I'd rather leave my stomach space to the next.

I'm worth the wait

Ohhhh, my heart just did a little leap! Okay, I'm trying to be patient and tell the story, but I can't be. This ice cream was soooooo worth the multiple ventures into crazy land, aka, Walmart. Pictures cannot possibly capture the creamy, fudgy deliciousness of this ice cream. B&J's courtesy description, "Chocolate Ice Cream with Pieces of Flourless Chocolate Cake & a Chocolate Frosting Swirl." YUM. YUM. YUM. My day just got better. The ice cream base is creamy, chocolatey, and the perfect dark chocolate balance.

Ribbons of frosting and chocolatey goodness

The frosting swirl (which I was unsure of - I don't really love frosting) is more like a thinned ganache and is subtle throughout. But the flourless chocolate cake - whoa. Crunchy, chewy perfection. Amen. Heaven on a spoon. Buy it. You won't be sorry. You'll be sorry if you only buy one. And Ben & Jerry's? You guys had better permanently add this or I shall be forced to buy several freezers for my garage.

See the cake? It's hiding but its definitely there

Finally, my evening finished with a few bites of Boston Creme Pie. By this point I was feeling so much better. But, why not? It's been haunting my crave taste buds ever since I ate it the first time.

Go Sawxs! Makes me laugh everytime. If only all of B&J's packaging were so comical.

So, if you're having one of THOSE days, what do you eat? Personally, it depends on my mood, what's available, and the severity of that day. But, do tell, what makes it all better for you?

Stories of a Full Stomach: New York, Day 1

2010-05-04T13:46:00.000-07:00

Somehow "Brooklyn" and "Sweet" don't seem like a natural association. But its not really untrue - especially if you visit Jaques Torres.

A month and a half ago I decided to go to New York (the city - the rest of the state will have to wait to see me again). I must say I was ecstatic. It has been a very very loooooong three years since I have been out there. I immediately began to plan my food visits and kept a log in my gmail account. It got - well, lengthy. I was only out there for four days and my stupid human stomach with limits did not allow me to eat at all these places. Also, my inability to stop time while I traveled inhibited my ability to make it everywhere.

But my friends, as much as I failed myself, I did not fully fail you. And I have at least one more trip out there in November for the New York marathon. And potentially one more lengthy visit - which I'll let you in on once I make an important life decision : ).

My husband and I caught the red eye out on a Thursday night. I was looking to have as much time as possible when I booked it - it also didn't hurt that I could use only 25K miles instead of 40K or 50K. Of course, once I went to catch it I realized - I am not as young as I once was. And I am not as scrappy either - I'm kind of a lover of luxe things. Where's my first class dangit!?

We arrived early Friday morning. I was lazy enough to have booked a town car (cheaper than a taxi) so that was at least one thing I didn't have to be awake for. I may or may not have taken an Ambien in hopes I would sleep on the plane. I slept an hour. Whoop dee doo.

We checked into our hotel (which I loved!). My only real sadness was that they no longer put brownies on your pillow.

Fat Witch Brownies, How Cute Are They?

You can judge me, but I was really looking forward to them. Chris promptly passed out while I had the good fortune to shower, dress, and hoof it up to Chelsea. I am not familiar with the Financial District and must've looked a bit lost for a moment. Fortunately, three adorable old New Yorkers stopped and asked if I needed help (and they called me "Sweety," I loved every second of it). I requested directions to the Chamber St Metro stop and they proceeded to argue for a minute over the best route.

I found the station alright but felt positively naked while strutting towards the station. Apparently, men in the Financial District don't see women very often - or at least not ones with legs like mine.

Anyway, back to what you care about. Food. I'm telling you, there was not enough time! I'm working to remedy that. Also, it is a really good thing you have to walk so much in the City. Or, I would have come back 50 L'B's heavier.

After my meeting we headed over the Brooklyn Bridge. I had to resist shoving annoying tourists out of the way multiple times. I swear, no one knows crowd etiquette. We walked up to Grimaldi's after taking a detour around a filming crew, just to stand in line. Fortunately, not a terribly long one and relatively fast moving. Twenty minutes later we were ordering this.

The cool thing about this place is that you can watch them work and its amazing. They churn out pizza like I watch TV. Or eat. Well, I guess even I have my limits on both of those. Either way, they tossed dough, slathered ingredients, and rotated pizza in and out of the coal oven like it was nobody's business. I have no idea how those guys do it. That oven was HOT! And my one real complaint is that I smelled a bit like charcoal for the rest of the day.

We ordered sausage. Of course, there was also fresh mozzarella (not that crap shredded stuff from a bag) and basil. Grimaldi's also ladles their sauce on after they place the sliced mozzarella di bufala. It was good.

I'm a bit critical of pizza so here's what I think. The sauce was fresh tasting but lacking. The texture of the crust was good - the coal oven definitely adds a nice touch - but the actual flavor left me wanting. I did not feel passionate about eating the crust ends - and I am not one of those people - the crust leaver-behinders. The sausage was good. It could have used a little more zing but not bad overall. We debated over which size to order and ended up with the "Small" 16". It was a good decision. We wiped the pan clean but could not have packed more in. I guess I should add, thinking back on it. I thoroughly enjoyed the pizza at the time. I tend to be critical when in New York, but then when I head back home, I long for good pizza again and appreciate what does not really exist outside of New York.

We then headed uptown (and back over to Manhattan) to Grand Central Station. I always have to stop here if I have time. Not only do I love sitting and watching all the people go by in a whiz but I also love to stare at the beautiful constellations on the ceiling and overall structure. Oh, and did I mention, if you walk down a level, there are many food options? I've spent decent time at Grand Central waiting for a train after missing the previous one by seconds. So, I grew an appreciation for the delights downstairs. When Donald Trump was doing one of "The Apprentice" shows, the challenge was to create a new flavor of gelato for Ciao Bella. One group added Dunkin' Donuts to the gelato. IT WAS FAB. And they sold the flavor at Grand Central. Oh, I miss being a New Yorker. They are so spoiled by food choices!

Anyways, I am beyond waxing on. The point of this story is that I fell in love with Two Boots Pizzeria. It was my comfort food. One slice in particular made its own little cubby in my heart. The Newman. It has Soppresetta and Sweet Italian Sausage on a White Pie. And it is heaven. It makes me feel calmer and happier every time I take a bite. And, even though I'm still unsure about their expanding (I appreciate more availability but am anti-franchise) I am still sure I love it.

How could you not love this pizza? It is sooooo good. I'm salivating just looking at it.

Finally, my night ended at Shake Shack. New York Institution. And I don't mean the kind for the crazies - although there were a few around. We headed to the Madison Square Garden location. Waiting in line for thirty minutes? I don't remember - I was cold and attempting not to punch the girls behind me who needed to stop oversharing their life details loudly to the crowd.

This is what entertained me in the meantime:

I couldn't help but laugh. I mean, I grew up surrounded by 'shrooms. Oregonians - I know you'll appreciate this. Also, I was a little sad that we were here on a Friday and not a Saturday. Take a gander and you'll see why. Curiosity more than truly believing it could be greatness. But still, you can't judge 'till you try.

I ordered the Shack Burger (double), Cheese Fries (crinkle cut with cheddar and American cheese), a Shack Attack concrete, and a lemonade. Yummy. The Shack Attack consisted of chocolate custard, hot fudge, chocolate truffle cookie dough and Valrhona chocolate chunks, topped with chocolate sprinkles. They are not messing around. I decided it lacked something - so I had them add peanut butter syrup. Here's the result.

The burgers were mighty tasty. The buns were a delicate softness and the meat was meaty. Really. Delicious. And, they use the good lettuce. It was a win. The beef patties were moist and juicy and the cheese was melty. The real surprise to me was how much I loved the fries. The cheese looked like the cheese you'd find on mac' and cheese. I've eaten Velveeta on fries before but that wasn't this. The fries were crisp and delicious. They had a lovely bite on the outside without being too dried out on the inside. And the cheese sauce literally warmed my soul. Which was necessary because I was freezing! I scraped every last bit off the wax paper.

The Shack Attack? I'd alter it next time. I don't want to say there's such thing as TOO much chocolate - because that doesn't sound kosher. But, I found the sprinkles unpleasingly and crunchily unnecessary. And the Valrhona chocolate chunks? Overkill. It was still good - but a bit much. I'll subtract those out next time and come out with perfection. Either way you can't go wrong at the Shake Shack. Which is why its a New York Institution.

Okay, I've eaten up enough of your work time for the day. You'll just have to stay tuned for the next addition of my April in New York food trip. I will leave you with my view as I ate dinner (including the homeless lady picking through the trash in desperation for yummy Shake Shack leftovers - I mean - if you had to pick a place to root through - wouldn't you pick something good too?)

Why I Am Not Allowed to Buy Quaker Granola Bars

2010-04-22T15:18:00.000-07:00

Nuff said

Banana Bread For Dinner

2010-04-21T18:54:00.000-07:00

Eat me - eat me all day long!

I don't know if I should be doing this. But for the sake of all my friends, I'm going to let you all in on a little secret. It's my Banana Bread secret. I've eaten this bread for as long as I can remember - and since I'm pretty sure my mother doesn't read this (meaning what she doesn't know won't hurt her) I'm taking a risk. So you guys - shhhh. Keep this to yourselves. Or don't - its not like this is posted in a public site or anything...

I've made this recipe many times. My mother made it and I think my grandmother did too - but I can't remember back that far - I can hardly remember what I ate today or how I got dressed. My college roommates devoured many loaves and I'm pretty sure they'll be the first to loot this recipe.

Here's what you'll need:

3/4 c butter 11/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c banana (3 or 4) 3/4 tsp salt
2 eggs 1 tsp baking soda
1/2 c buttermilk 2 c flour
1 tsp vanilla

Optional: 3/4 c nuts or chocolate chips or both

Also - if you lack buttermilk - add some lemon juice to milk and watch it "butter" up.

Or if you want a visual to get everything out and throw ingredients in at random (amounts, at least).

The great thing about this recipe is that you can be a talentless hack and it will still turn out great. First, you need to buy some bananas believing you will eat them. Then, don't eat them. After they've gone black (seriously, if you let them go black it tastes better - black as in the peel - if the banana is black then they're probably a good six months old and you either have disgusting hygiene or have been in a coma). Basically you're going to dump everything together, mix, and bake. And then the most important step - you should lean in close for this one....eat and eat and eat. After making this, its all I had room for - hence, banana bread for dinner.

Okay, Real Step 1:

Peel the bananas and mash them up. I'm tough so I don't have any qualms about hand mashing my bananas. If you do, find a child, maybe a man, or I suppose you could use a potato masher if you're really that big of a baby.

Squish, squish

They should look something like this:

Step 2:

Throw all your ingredients together - except for the flour and sugar (and optional chocolate chips/nuts).

Whoops, forgot the butter. As an FYI, you can use margarine. I grew up using Imperial stick margarine. Now I pretty much use whatever I happen to have in the house. If I have both options, I choose margarine - I'm such a stickler for tradition - and its cheaper.

Step 3:

Blend the crap, I mean crud out of it. My hand mixer is digital and the number reads level 2. You'll have to figure yours out. It's not really that high of a speed - aim for medium. Once again, really hard to mess this recipe up. Now, go ahead and dump the sugar in. You're welcome to gradually add or dump depending on your ambition/laziness level. You can see where I fit in on this particular day.

Step 4:

Dump/gradually add flour. Your mixture should not be perfectly smooth. You'll have banana chunks and some butter/margarine chunks. These are happy chunks - leave the happy chunks alone.

I like being chunky, okay? Deal with it!

Step 5:

Grease two 9X5 bread loaf pans. This can mean spraying them with some Pam or you're welcome to exert more effort and grease them with butter or Crisco. At this point, if you are indecisive, or married, add chocolate chips (or nuts, or both) to half the batter. That may sound tricky. How on earth do you add said chocolate chips to half the batter? Pour out half the batter first! Then add. Suddenly its clear (I sure hope, at least).

Side Note: This is evidence of my devotion to chocolate. No wimpy 12 oz bag for me. Check out this baby. Also, semi-sweet is the way to go. Milk Chocolate is for children.

I'm good for your heart! And your bad days.

Step 645:

Put them in a preheated oven set to 350 F. It's okay if you're too impatient to wait for it to preheat all the way - I am (impatient) - and I'll just toss those suckers in regardless.

Step 645, part b:

Bake for one hour at 350 F. Watch some TV, pay some bills, Facebook, read some blogs, ignore your homework, watch some more TV, and voila! You're bread is magically done! You can stick a toothpick in if you're nervous about it being undercooked. The toothpick should come out clean if it is - done that is. The smell in your kitchen will make it hard to be patient. You'll be tempted to take it out early and even once its out you'll want to dive straight in.

Plain Jane

Chocolatey Chip Deliciousness

This banana bread DOES NOT require butter. It is extremely moist and delicious. However, some people (cough) put butter on everything. And one of those people live in my house.

Makes for a good picture at least. I always love to watch butter melt. The melty fat just melts your heart.

Good luck on your dummy proof baking feat! Let me know how it goes! Unless, you mess up. I don't want to hear about your ability to mess up something fool proof.

I'm home again. Well, just while I eat this.

2010-04-18T18:46:00.000-07:00

My dear friend from work had the lucky fortune to attend a conference in San Francisco. I printed out a map and marked it with some of my favorite places, you know, in case she had a moment where she was not in a meeting (or decided to take a "bathroom break" for a few hours). I was really excited when she called me Monday night to ask about food choices. She had attended a VIP event that served finger foods. And once those little treats were gone - they were not replaced. I can't even tell you how much I have to say about that.

The fortunate thing about San Francisco is that you can even go to a food court (at least at the Westfield) and find good food. This is where I sent her for a quick bite. I wish she had had time to check out some of my fave spots (Mama's, Yank Sing, Tartine) but alas she did not.

She did however have time to bring me this. And how I love her for it. I devoured it in two days.

You don't even need butter for it - but you must toast it. Sourdough=home. Sigh, I think I need to take a trip.

Shiny New Product Review: Ben & Jerry's Boston Cream Pie Ice Cream. Go Sawxs!

2010-04-16T15:37:00.000-07:00

I've fallen off of the wagon. My attempt to eat a little healthier went right out the window after I found out that I'd been accepted into the 2010 NYC Marathon and after I read about Ben & Jerry's new flavors. One of them in particular I was giddily willing to throw my healthy eating out the window for - marathon or not. Serious Eats did a review on the new flavors which is where I learned of them. They also reviewed some new limited edition flavors, one of which is Flourless Chocolate Cake - a Walmart exclusive. YUMMM! (the YUMMM is for the ice cream not for Walmart - I know some of you were going to go there - so I stopped you, okay?)

Was the promise of potentially melty delicious ice cream enough to draw me in to Walmart? If you know me, you already know the answer. Duh - I'm known for a few things (or at least I used to be).

1.) Eating entire cartons of ice cream in one sitting (and I don't mean Ben & Jerry's sized)

2.) Eating straight out of the carton (it saves dishes!)

3.) Picking the best parts out (brownies, cookie dough, Oreos)

I don't do one of those anymore. You can guess which.

So, I ventured to one of the local Walmarts in search of a creamy, cool treat. Alas, the fabled flavor of Flourless Chocolate Cake was not there. However, Boston Cream Pie was. And while not a pie lover, I am a Boston Creme Pie lover (its really not anything like pie).

Here are my discoveries (I should totally be paid for this - its like an expedition. There's danger, wild animals, and either disappointment or an unearthment of something incredibly life changing.)

First off, the packaging is wicked awesome. It has a picture of Paul Reveah (the guy on the horse) and a cow saying, "Go Sawxs!" The cow is even holding a four leaf clover on another part of the carton. Go Irish! How can you not love it already? Boston Cream Pie is described by Ben & Jerry as: "Boston Cream Pie Ice Cream with Yellow Cake Pieces, Fudge Flakes & Swirls of Pastry Cream." I was definitely excited by the prospect of cake - not as sure about how pastry cream would translate into ice cream.

Here Goes.

The pastry cream was a little sweet but overall good. If you don't know what pastry cream is, I'll tell you the poor man's version - vanilla pudding - and if you don't know what vanilla pudding is, I can't help you but maybe a therapist can help you leave your house once in a while. The cake pieces were divinity and deliciousness. I wish there were more - but carefully added so as not to overdo the cake/ice cream ratio. They were spongy and made me think of buttery pound cake. I will tell you my one true criticization (remember? I make up words). The "Fudge Flakes" just don't do it for me. When I've eaten Boston Cream Pie in Boston I don't remember eating little bits of hard chocolate. Ben & Jerry apparently need to travel a bit more. It shouldn't be too hard. Boston is not all that far from Burlington, Vermont (did I mention I've been to THE Ben & Jerry's? I even have an official ice cream scooper from there). I realize it might be scary to venture down south where they shave and shower but still, they should find out what the real stuff is. Especially, because you don't want to anger Bostonians. They're a rough crowd. And you definitely don't dare to defile a Boston delicacy by doing it improperly.

Boston's Ben & Jerry's Tea Party

Ben & Jerry, if you are listening. Please add CHOCOLATE GANACHE. That is all. Oh, and I'd eat it again.

Peepseos

2010-04-09T14:51:00.000-07:00

In case you have leftover Peeps...

I found a use for stale, rock hard (or fresh and fluffy pillows of delight) Peeps. Not only are they easy to make but fun to say. Peepseos! I'm pretty sure someone is going to write an upbeat song or jingle for these creations now.

Here's lookin' at you kid

Simply take the following:

Separate the Oreos. Make sure to break a few - because it would not be acceptable to use broken Oreos and you can thereby conclude that they must be disposed of (in my belly!) properly. I'd recommend having icy cold milk at the ready. Cut the heads off the Peeps (try to ignore their little Peep screams) and then put their bellies in between an Oreo and place their little decapitated heads on top.

Help Us!

Microwave for about 15-20 seconds. Do not stick your fingers in the hot marshmallow. I learned that lesson when I was ten. They will look like they've grown up! Or, gotten a little jollier over the holidays.

Yummy! Next time I make these, I'm adding chocolate frosting in between the Oreos for added gooey happiness. You may not need more chocolate - but I do. Enjoy!

Easter With My Peeps, Yo!

2010-04-09T13:55:00.000-07:00

Them Be Fightin' Words!

Okay, so it's not exactly Easter anymore. Your point? You think I live within the restrictions the world sets? Just for that, I'm having breakfast for dinner - booyah - now that' living on the edge!

After reading the different ideas and uses for Peeps on my fave food blog Serious Eats I decided to take action and do my own creative thing. Had I planned further in advance than five minutes and chosen not to sleep in - this could've been much more awesome. But, I figured who cares - I'm expressing myself.

Here goes:

Mud Wresting Peeps Boston Cream Pie
I found this really fun website, Foodista.com and thought I'd try out a recipe from it. It's kind of like Wikipedia but for food - at least in that people can edit the entries. I found this recipe and decided to give it a go.

I'm going to put this out there in case you dare to follow my lead and try this out. The person who wrote this either had ADD or was still hungover because they missed a few things. And not that it would have been hard to figure out but because I have ADD (well, I don't know if I really do but I figure most of us do at this point) I made a few of my own goofs.

Okay, we're really starting this time. I'm going to cheat and copy the recipe over (and maybe add some commentary).

Step 1: In large bowl, let eggs warm at room temperature (I'd say an hour). Preheat oven to 350 degrees. At medium speed, beat eggs until thick and lemon colored. Gradually beat in sugar, 1 tablespoon at a time, until very thick and light, about 5 minutes.

Step 2: Meanwhile, sift flour with baking powder and salt. In measuring cup, combine 1/4 cup water (the ingredient list says nothing about water so I thought they must have meant milk - I've never added lemon juice to water - but I have to milk to substitute for buttermilk. I also made the jolly mistake of having all 1 1/2 cups of milk measured out and thought it went here. Fortunately I caught myself at 1/4 c - and was to lazy/cheap/curious to go back), 1 teaspoon vanilla and lemon juice.

Blend flour mixture, 1/3 at a time, into egg mixture, alternately with water mixture. Beat 1 minute. Turn into 2 greased 9 inch layer pans, dividing evenly. Bake 25 minutes, until surface springs back when pressed with fingertip. Invert pans, setting rims on 2 other pans(I broke the rules here and used a cooling rack, also make sure to do this step - it will not be so easy to get cake out if you don't invert - turn upside down if you're not into fancy words). Cool 1 hour (or for however much time you have, I was running behind and let it cool for 20 minutes).

Step 3: Make Filling: Make pudding as label directs, reducing milk to 1 1/2 cups; add 1 teaspoon vanilla. Cool; refrigerate, with sheet of waxed paper (I did not do the wax papered thing - its pudding! Pretty darn hard to mess up, which is why you should love it - also why you should use instant) placed directly on surface, several hours.

Step 4: Make Glaze: In small saucepan, melt chocolate and butter over low heat. Remove from heat; add sugar and 3/4 teaspoon vanilla, mixing until smooth. Stir in 2 1/2-3 tablespoons hot water (don't go crazy with the water - it'll thin quickly), 1 teaspoon at a time, until glaze is of pouring consistency.

To Assemble: On cake plate, put cake layers together with filling; pour glaze over top, letting it run down sides. Refrigerate - about 1/2 hour.

I'm Bananas!

Back to me now. First off, the author of this recipe also does not know how to add vanilla or pudding counts if you actually paid attention to the recipe (I didn't until I was knee deep). Also, I think it should sit longer than 30 minutes. The best Boston Cream Pies are super moist and delicious - and it helps if you let everything sit for awhile. I actually don't think it would hurt to cover it with plastic wrap and let it sit overnight. Make sure not to over bake your cakes - depending on where you live - your bake time may vary. Watch your cakes like a hawk at the end.

Now for the fun part!

My husband likes Ultimate Fighting (the UFC) and all that other wrestling, fighting crap. I make him turn if off when I'm in the room. But in the spirit of Easter (and an excuse to do something stupid/fun) I decided to indulge him. Mud Wrestling is classier, don't you think?

We Be Mud Wranglin' Peeps

How freaking awesome am I? Totally am. Too bad it didn't taste anything like the most amazing Boston Cream Pie - from Boston. It was okay - but I don't settle for okay if I'm putting effort in. I'm using a different recipe next time. Maybe from someone who doesn't have ADD or a hangover.

ING New York City Marathon Here I Come!

2010-04-07T15:04:00.000-07:00

I'm the really fast looking one just so you know.

Just wanted to broadcast a bit of exciting news. I put in for the ING New York City Marathon back in January. I was sitting in one of my MBA classes paying my utmost full attention to the subject of Managerial Accounting (or was it Global Business Negotiations....? You get the picture) and feeling unmotivated and out of shape. I enjoy running but have found it very hard to find the time, what with being in a full time, competitive MBA program, employed full time, and all the other projects I find myself diverted by. I needed a push - to run farther than a paltry five miler. Plus I've decided, I have absolutely no self control when it comes to eating so if I want to be a little less shapely it will have to be due to increased running not starving.  Lastly, my brain likes it - its much cheaper than therapy.

I decided to take the plunge and put my name into the hat. From what I could tell I had a one in three chance of getting in. I also convinced my BFF to take the plunge as well. Misery loves company.  It's been a few years since I've run a full marathon so I thought it would be nice to have someone in the trenches with me this time. Plus she's sassy, stylish, and also likes to eat. So the NYC Marathon would be a perfect venue for us together (her sassiness would entertain me of course during the race.)

So today was the big day of finding out if I would get the self inflicted kick in the butt to run. Part of me was hoping for no - because - where on earth am I going to find time? But...I GOT IN!!!   So, I am ecstatic to visit New York at least twice in one year (I'll also be there at the end of this month - eating it up!) and I have an excuse to eat even more!

Also, on a side note - sadly, my friend did not get in. Three of us registered and joined the New York Road Runner's (NYRR) in hopes that it might bolster our chances. One of us got in. So, while we might feel cooler to be part of an awesome running club - it did not seem to help the odds.   Just an FYI in case you were going to try the same thing.

Cookies 'N' Cream Milk

2010-04-06T11:27:00.000-07:00

My wonderful friend at work tried to do something nice for our boss today by purchasing him a BYU (Brigham Young University) chocolate milk. BYU Chocolate milk is like his version of coffee - sometimes he's just not his jolly self until he's had one. The BYU creamery has some of the best chocolate milk out there. I think the only place I've been that has been better was a creamery in Tennessee that kept all of their milk in yellow opaque containers. It was thick and creamy deliciousness. Literally like what I imagine eating melted Ben & Jerry's Flourless Chocolate Cake Ice Cream would taste like (minus the cake chunks.)

Anyways, she accidentally purchased Cookies 'N' Cream Milk instead of the Chocolate she had intended to buy and as a result I was the benefactor of an "oops." I cracked open the plastic seal and took a big chug, anticipating the frothy chocolatey milky lusciousness. My first time having it - and it's quite good. Tastes like a melted chocolate milkshake. More vanillaey (I can make up words - I'll put it in Wikipedia and you'll never know it was made up) than regular chocolate milk. A bit like a Blended Cream from Starbuck's. But overall tasty - that is, until I turned it around.

500 CALORIES? Now, don't think I'm some "lettuce and carrots only" type of girl. I'm most definitely not. But I could've eaten this.

Shake Shack Burger of Goodness

Oh well. C'est la vie. In the meantime, I'm going to go get me a burger.

Curry Rules! I Drools.

2010-04-05T18:56:00.000-07:00

What to do on a Saturday night when its 30 degrees out? Find something to unthaw you, body and soul. Not chicken noodle soup - something a few dozen notches up. Curry!

I love to eat - maybe too much (is there a too much?) and am trying to watch my greenbacks like many others during our lovely recession. However, I am consistently thwarted by my own laziness and stomach grumbles. I am finding ways around this (when I have the patience to plan.) Restaurant.com doesn't offer all the yummy restaurants but it does seem to contain some upstarts - and if I hate my meal - it was only 15 or 20 bucks with tip and at least I learned my lesson the cheap way.

Anyhoo, to the part we all really care about. Delicious food - the things I crave! I had a "gift certificate" for 25.00 off a 35.00 dollar purchase. I use "" because there are a bunch of lame rules and restrictions - they actually scare me because they look like they came from the IRS. Thai Garden is located in somewhat of a strip mall which could scare you off. But don't let it.

I needed peanut sauce. You should know now this is a major weakness. I could literally be served a bowl of peanut sauce and remain contented for quite a while. If the spoon is any indication....

So let me let you in on what I ordered. I normally would order the chicken satay (with said addictive peanut sauce) as my starter but instead I decided to be wild. I ordered the "combo appetizer." For 12.99 this included two pieces of chicken satay (I didn't say buckwild,) two curry puffs, two spring rolls, two cream cheese wontons, and four pieces of Tofu Tod. In the middle were some carrots for garnish. They looked like little crowns - like the one in Where the Wild Things Are. I was going to take a picture of my little Max but the server took my food (admittedly, as soon as she got close I stopped playing with my food. I haven't mastered the not caring what people think when I'm doing childish things.)

I know its hard to see - but I promise - the crown and my carrots were identical. And my spring roll version of Max was awesome. I'm going to have to work on my courage of defying the manners ingrained in me. Sorry Mom.

For my next course, Massaman Curry (Gang Massaman, 9.99) and Chicken Pad Thai (9.99) were ordered. I can't help it - peanuts are one of those "healthy" things I love. Healthy I'm sure, even after you add coconut milk which basically goes from white gelatinous delicious in a bowl to my arteries. The Massaman Curry was divine! It had plenty of good sauce to pour over my rice and the right quotient of potatoes, carrots, onions, chicken, and peanuts as well. Actually, the carrots were really good (a little on the crisp side - but this is dependant on your preference) and I appreciated that there were enough peanuts to be visible.

The chicken pad thai was also really good. Pad Thai is something I am always in the mood for. The noodles were on the softer side but delicious over all. Could've used a more generous sprinkling of peanuts on the side and another lime wedge - but once again - delicious.

Was my soul warmed? Indeed it was. And as I waddled to my car, I realized, I had momentarily found nirvana.