Hey Everyone,
Wow...it's been a while. Where do I begin. I haven't blogged in so long. I really wanted to tell you guys about my dining experience at Saints Alp Teahouse in williamsburg. This place has a very cute atmosphere and is very cheap. Not the greatest food in the world if your a food snob, but if your in the mood for appetizers and a bubble tea, this place is right up your alley. I was with two of my friends, Juan and Mayra and for the three of us I think our bill came out to around 40 bucks and we all had 2 appetizers and a drink.
So lets talk about this bubble tea business for those of you who don't know. Bubble tea can come hot or cold and the bubbles are giant tapioca pearls (hence, the bubbles). I definitely prefer it cold. The give you a giant straw which enables you to get a bubble with each sip...its chewy and so interesting. But if you are a texture-phobe than you probably wouldn't be down with it. My friend Juan got a hot tea with bubbles. I got my coconut black milk tea (love it). The last time I got a butterscotch one an it was terrible. Being the creature of habit I am, I'll probably stick with that coconut milk tea every time I go there. My friend Mayra got matcha sorbee which is kind of like a smoothie with what looked like red bean paste floating on top. She liked it,(her second time ordering it). I don't remember what tea Juan got, but he didn't complain so he probably liked it.
On to the food. I had fried calamari. It was a nice small appetizer portion for one person. perfect size for $3.50 it was cooked perfectly and it had this spicy powder on top that was good but it made me cough a little..lol...(it came with sweet Chile sauce..yummy. Then I got vermicelli rice noodle with curry vegetables. That was a bit disappointing. The flavor of the sauce was good. The problem was that the only vegetables in the dish were potatoes and carrots, and two lonely little baby bokchoy off to the side that seemed to be more of steamed garnish that anything else The next problem with the dish was that the sauce rested on top of this huge pile of noodles. Vermicelli noodles are particularly skinny and very very long. After I took one bite...my sauce got lost and all of the noodles on the bottom were naked. so it seemed very boring after 3 minutes. I told my friends to remind me next time to order something else.
My friends were happy with their food. They got spicy fried chicken chunks. I think the spice came from the same powder that was on my calamari. and Ramen with spicy minced pork. I'm a non-meat eater so I cant say first hand how those dishes were, but to be honest I think if you throw anything spicy in front of my friends they will love it. They throw sriracha sauce on everything! but I think I'm a little more picky. Oh wait, I did try Juan's tea eggs. I was not impressed by a hard boiled egg cooked in tea lol...but to each his own.
Sunday I went to The Rye Bar and grill in Rye New york for My aunt and uncles 50th wedding anniversary party. Well, lets get right to the business at hand, i was not impresses with the service in regards to the food, but those waiters sure kept those drinks flowing. I'm almost positive that was my cousins fault. He probably told them to hold off on the food order for a while so that held everything up. I had a goat cheese salad for an appetizer. It had obviously been sitting around underneath the kitchen lights for quite some time because when it arrived to the table it ws warm. Now I know how to read and it clearly said goat cheese salad. Not a warm got cheese salad. My entre was salmon with spinach and potatoes. The sauteed spinach was the best thing on the plate. The potatoes were cut in thick slices. Ive honestly never seen potatoes cut that way. It almost looked like a scalloped potato that missed the mark. There were three on the plate that were undercooked. They were straight up like card board. I did not eat them and I didn't even bother to send them back. By that point I was just itching to leave and go to whole foods.(my favorite place in the whole wide world!)
Thursday, December 16, 2010
Saturday, December 11, 2010
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Hey Everyone,
So Ive been a bit lazy with my blogging. After thanksgiving and that lasagna episode, I was tired....so so tired. But now I'm back. Back with vengeance. A big cookie vengeance. Every holiday season I go to town baking pumpkin breads and banana breads. Cinnamon swirl bread...and they are sooo good. especially my cinnamon swirl bread. A not too sweet quick bread with a brown sugar walnut swirl. Yum.
I think I'm going to try my hand at cookies this year. Ive always been a bit intimidated with cookie recipes because they are so easy to scew up if you take your eye off them for one minute. Or if your oven is acting up that day. But Ive seen few nice ones that I think are going to make some nifty gifts for my friends.
In Martha Stewart's magazine this month there is an article "One basic dough, 30 kinds of cookies". This looks like it could be right up my alley. I'm all about multi baking. If I can take a basic recipe and tweak it into something else..kudos!. Of course I'm always out to eyeball a Paula Deen recipe, and Ive got my eyeballs on a few that I most definitely will try because they tend to be very simple to make and so good. And I'm all about a simple recipe. The first one I saw on her cookie swap show tonight. I tried to insert the link but it wasn't working tonight. You can google the recipe and it will come up.
Paula Deen's Sand Tarts
Makes: 3 dozen cookies
1 c. butter (2 sticks), softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. confectioners' sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. pecans, finely chopped
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 275°F.
2. In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat butter, vanilla, and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl. With spoon, stir in pecans.
3. With floured hands, shape dough by level measuring tablespoons into about 2" by 1/2" crescents. Place crescents, 2 inches apart, on 2 ungreased large cookie sheets.
4. Place cookie sheets on 2 oven racks. Bake about 45 minutes or until edges are lightly browned, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through cooking. With metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks set over waxed paper. Immediately sprinkle remaining confectioners' sugar through sieve over cookies to coat well. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
5. Store cookies in tightly sealed container, with waxed paper between layers, at room temperature, up to 2 weeks or in freezer up to 3 months.
Nutrition facts (each cookie): About 105 calories, 1 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 8 g total fat (4 g saturated), 1 g fiber, 15 mg cholesterol, 55 mg sodium.
The next recipe I've actually made before. It's a chocolate crackle recipe. It's a recipe from my favorite southern belle Paula Deen (cant remember what she calls them). But this recipe I actually got from food network magazine. So I'm sure its all in the family on that one. Anyway, these are two easy ones that I am definitely going to make within the next week or so. Also, I saw a really cute way to present them as a present. In a plastic bucket (the ones kids use in the sandbox lol) filled with Turbinado sugar to look like "sand". I saw it on the cookie swap and when it was all wrapped in cellophane it looked so cute and fun. I know that is something I'm going to look into. So here's the next recipe.
Double chocolate crackles
So Ive been a bit lazy with my blogging. After thanksgiving and that lasagna episode, I was tired....so so tired. But now I'm back. Back with vengeance. A big cookie vengeance. Every holiday season I go to town baking pumpkin breads and banana breads. Cinnamon swirl bread...and they are sooo good. especially my cinnamon swirl bread. A not too sweet quick bread with a brown sugar walnut swirl. Yum.
I think I'm going to try my hand at cookies this year. Ive always been a bit intimidated with cookie recipes because they are so easy to scew up if you take your eye off them for one minute. Or if your oven is acting up that day. But Ive seen few nice ones that I think are going to make some nifty gifts for my friends.
In Martha Stewart's magazine this month there is an article "One basic dough, 30 kinds of cookies". This looks like it could be right up my alley. I'm all about multi baking. If I can take a basic recipe and tweak it into something else..kudos!. Of course I'm always out to eyeball a Paula Deen recipe, and Ive got my eyeballs on a few that I most definitely will try because they tend to be very simple to make and so good. And I'm all about a simple recipe. The first one I saw on her cookie swap show tonight. I tried to insert the link but it wasn't working tonight. You can google the recipe and it will come up.
Paula Deen's Sand Tarts
Makes: 3 dozen cookies
1 c. butter (2 sticks), softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. confectioners' sugar
1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. pecans, finely chopped
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 275°F.
2. In large bowl, with mixer on medium speed, beat butter, vanilla, and 1/2 cup sugar until smooth, occasionally scraping bowl with rubber spatula. Reduce speed to low; gradually beat in flour just until blended, occasionally scraping bowl. With spoon, stir in pecans.
3. With floured hands, shape dough by level measuring tablespoons into about 2" by 1/2" crescents. Place crescents, 2 inches apart, on 2 ungreased large cookie sheets.
4. Place cookie sheets on 2 oven racks. Bake about 45 minutes or until edges are lightly browned, rotating cookie sheets between upper and lower racks halfway through cooking. With metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire racks set over waxed paper. Immediately sprinkle remaining confectioners' sugar through sieve over cookies to coat well. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.
5. Store cookies in tightly sealed container, with waxed paper between layers, at room temperature, up to 2 weeks or in freezer up to 3 months.
Nutrition facts (each cookie): About 105 calories, 1 g protein, 8 g carbohydrate, 8 g total fat (4 g saturated), 1 g fiber, 15 mg cholesterol, 55 mg sodium.
The next recipe I've actually made before. It's a chocolate crackle recipe. It's a recipe from my favorite southern belle Paula Deen (cant remember what she calls them). But this recipe I actually got from food network magazine. So I'm sure its all in the family on that one. Anyway, these are two easy ones that I am definitely going to make within the next week or so. Also, I saw a really cute way to present them as a present. In a plastic bucket (the ones kids use in the sandbox lol) filled with Turbinado sugar to look like "sand". I saw it on the cookie swap and when it was all wrapped in cellophane it looked so cute and fun. I know that is something I'm going to look into. So here's the next recipe.
Double chocolate crackles
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup confectioners' sugar
Directions
Whisk the flour, granulated sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl. Whisk in the melted butter and eggs until combined, then stir in the white chocolate chips. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until firm, about 1 hour.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Put the confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls, then roll in the confectioners' sugar until well coated. Place 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.
Bake until the cookies are puffed and the tops are cracked, about 10 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.
Ok so...Im off, so enjoy the cookie recipes and if you try them and like them, leave me some comments on my blog!
Until next time
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Put the confectioners' sugar in a shallow bowl. Roll tablespoonfuls of the dough into balls, then roll in the confectioners' sugar until well coated. Place 1 inch apart on the baking sheets.
Bake until the cookies are puffed and the tops are cracked, about 10 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week.
Ok so...Im off, so enjoy the cookie recipes and if you try them and like them, leave me some comments on my blog!
Until next time
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
thanksgiving is over
Hey Everyone,
Thanks for signing on today. The holidays are over, and now its time to get back on track. The diet track. and we all know what the first three letters in diet is DIE. lol. ok ok...lets hope we all wont be dying on our way to a healthier way of life. I know that after being a 18 year veteran/drop-out/16 time re-joiner of weight watchers, i know that the only thing that makes me stick to a "food plan" is if my food isn't boring.
When I actually stick to the plan, it works. This time around Ive lost 34 pounds of my yo-yo weight Losing weight has never been a problem. Ive always been able to lose weight.. aahh..but alas, the secret to keeping it off has eluded me. As Allison just likes to eat whatever she wants!
The other day, i said that I was going to make salmon with a cinnamon-pear balsamic glaze and had every intention of fitting into the points plan(which I'm proud to say I did). I cooked my salmon with the balsamic, i also added a touch of honey. It weighed 8 ounces cooked. I cut it in half and brought half to Michael in the hospital because i know he'd appreciate it (hospital food is so icky). I charged myself 5 points.
I must say, I had very high hopes for that Salmon, but for the most part, in the cooking process the cinnamon-pear flavor disappeared. So from now on rather than waste it on fish, I will just enjoy my tasty vinegar on salads. This will definitely make eating salads more interesting as they tend to get very boring.
So i was watching "The best thing I ever ate" and Ted Allen was talking about the twenty-four dollar spaghetti at Scott Conants restaurant Scarpetta. It's spaghetti with tomato sauce. He said It's so good he would pay thirty-four dollars for this pasta. He said that once you have pasta the way its supposed to be cooked, pasta everywhere else will be horrible experience. So i ask myself, do i want to go eat the best pasta of my life if its just going to ruin it for the rest of my life everywhere else. Well, I watch Scott Conant all the time on "chopped" complain about red onions and what a crime it is to rinse the pasta because then your sauce wont stick to it properly (bullshit...i rinse my pasta all the time, and my sauce sticks just fine)
So I would go just to see if his pasta and sauce is worth the twenty four dollars hes charging. So if only for the experience, i can say it was either the best I ever had and write Ted Allen a thank you note, or ask him to reimburse my money.
ok....I'm off...must make my 2 point cheese sandwich and portable rice cake snacks
(oh the joy in dieting)
until next time
Thanks for signing on today. The holidays are over, and now its time to get back on track. The diet track. and we all know what the first three letters in diet is DIE. lol. ok ok...lets hope we all wont be dying on our way to a healthier way of life. I know that after being a 18 year veteran/drop-out/16 time re-joiner of weight watchers, i know that the only thing that makes me stick to a "food plan" is if my food isn't boring.
When I actually stick to the plan, it works. This time around Ive lost 34 pounds of my yo-yo weight Losing weight has never been a problem. Ive always been able to lose weight.. aahh..but alas, the secret to keeping it off has eluded me. As Allison just likes to eat whatever she wants!
The other day, i said that I was going to make salmon with a cinnamon-pear balsamic glaze and had every intention of fitting into the points plan(which I'm proud to say I did). I cooked my salmon with the balsamic, i also added a touch of honey. It weighed 8 ounces cooked. I cut it in half and brought half to Michael in the hospital because i know he'd appreciate it (hospital food is so icky). I charged myself 5 points.
I must say, I had very high hopes for that Salmon, but for the most part, in the cooking process the cinnamon-pear flavor disappeared. So from now on rather than waste it on fish, I will just enjoy my tasty vinegar on salads. This will definitely make eating salads more interesting as they tend to get very boring.
So i was watching "The best thing I ever ate" and Ted Allen was talking about the twenty-four dollar spaghetti at Scott Conants restaurant Scarpetta. It's spaghetti with tomato sauce. He said It's so good he would pay thirty-four dollars for this pasta. He said that once you have pasta the way its supposed to be cooked, pasta everywhere else will be horrible experience. So i ask myself, do i want to go eat the best pasta of my life if its just going to ruin it for the rest of my life everywhere else. Well, I watch Scott Conant all the time on "chopped" complain about red onions and what a crime it is to rinse the pasta because then your sauce wont stick to it properly (bullshit...i rinse my pasta all the time, and my sauce sticks just fine)
So I would go just to see if his pasta and sauce is worth the twenty four dollars hes charging. So if only for the experience, i can say it was either the best I ever had and write Ted Allen a thank you note, or ask him to reimburse my money.
ok....I'm off...must make my 2 point cheese sandwich and portable rice cake snacks
(oh the joy in dieting)
until next time
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Friday, November 26, 2010
adventure!!!!!!!!!!
Hi peeps!
ok...so you got my little mobile blog from before...i love mobile blogging. I get to post little things as i experience them and when I get home, elaborate on them. Sooo cool
So lets talk about today's adventure. I went to my most favorite place in the whole world. Union square. Met my friend Dan. Dragged him around a little while. He seemed like a fish out of water. I'm more the "walk around aimlessly and wander about looking at nothing in particular at all and talk to strangers for no apparent reason". Dan, not so much. lol. So after about 20 minutes of looking at overpriced jewelery we went to WholeFoods for a bite to eat. They have the best salad bar, so much to choose from...but it seems like when I go their I always get the same thing. Vegetable biryani, alloo matar, saag paneer, and two samosas. Of course the best part is eating out of that brown carton:) Dan approved.
Well, like I blogged about earlier in the week, I went back to the filling station. this time I got a big bottle of the Dark chocolate vinegar, and the big bottle of the Black Truffle extra virgin olive oil (just call it liquid heaven). I also got a cinnamon pear balsamic vinegar that I'm going to use as a glaze on salmon this week. I know this is going to be fantastic and I cant wait. I haven't even thought about baking anything else...I'm all baked out for today. Holiday season is that time where you either "go hard or go home" lol
I cook and bake up a storm, and then nothing. So for today the excitement was the new Cinnamon-pear vinegar....this is definitely very tasty...another must have from the filling station!www.tfsnyc.com
i will be making my balsamic glazed Salmon sometime this week.
Also Christmas is coming and I'm a food gifter...so I'm thinking cookies are the way to go this year...I saw a cookie recipe magazine in Micheal's craft store...
OK will keep you all posted
until then,
ta
ok...so you got my little mobile blog from before...i love mobile blogging. I get to post little things as i experience them and when I get home, elaborate on them. Sooo cool
So lets talk about today's adventure. I went to my most favorite place in the whole world. Union square. Met my friend Dan. Dragged him around a little while. He seemed like a fish out of water. I'm more the "walk around aimlessly and wander about looking at nothing in particular at all and talk to strangers for no apparent reason". Dan, not so much. lol. So after about 20 minutes of looking at overpriced jewelery we went to WholeFoods for a bite to eat. They have the best salad bar, so much to choose from...but it seems like when I go their I always get the same thing. Vegetable biryani, alloo matar, saag paneer, and two samosas. Of course the best part is eating out of that brown carton:) Dan approved.
Well, like I blogged about earlier in the week, I went back to the filling station. this time I got a big bottle of the Dark chocolate vinegar, and the big bottle of the Black Truffle extra virgin olive oil (just call it liquid heaven). I also got a cinnamon pear balsamic vinegar that I'm going to use as a glaze on salmon this week. I know this is going to be fantastic and I cant wait. I haven't even thought about baking anything else...I'm all baked out for today. Holiday season is that time where you either "go hard or go home" lol
I cook and bake up a storm, and then nothing. So for today the excitement was the new Cinnamon-pear vinegar....this is definitely very tasty...another must have from the filling station!www.tfsnyc.com
i will be making my balsamic glazed Salmon sometime this week.
Also Christmas is coming and I'm a food gifter...so I'm thinking cookies are the way to go this year...I saw a cookie recipe magazine in Micheal's craft store...
OK will keep you all posted
until then,
ta
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Thanksgiving aftermath!
Hey,
Thanks for signing on today. The previous message was from co-worker who brought one of my sweet potato pies home for today...I swear by my recipe...it's truly is a winner...
Its all over. The Thanksgiving eats! Proud to say no turkey was consumed by this lady. lol. I had a slice of pizza. I know, weird huh...I also had salad, and the potato and turnip puree that I blogged about earlier in the week. and asparagus. Honestly, not the most exciting meal Ive ever had..lol...except for the pizza...boy do I looove pizza. But I'm gluten intolerant so I will be paying for that one for a few days. I did make Giadas bread pudding.It was the first time I ever made bread pudding and it came out really good. Using the panetonne was a good choice. It is very heavy but not that sweet. Next time I might add some nuts for texture.http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/panettone-bread-pudding-with-cinnamon-syrup-recipe/index.html. This is definitely a winner, my friend Emilio tried a small piece and thought i added the raisins...I guess he wasn't hip to the panetonne bread(already has all the yummy goodness all baked right in)
Last night I also made Paula Deens Pumpkin breadhttp://www.pauladeenmagazine.com/recipe_results.php?id=1771
Ok Ok!! the cat is out of the bag!! I am a HUGE food network fan! This blog really should have been called "huge food network fan" Most of my recipes come from all those super cool chefs. I think I actually learned to cook more from them then from my mom lol.
That's why I always include the links to all of the recipes I get from my favorite chefs, unless they are family recipes.
So, for tomorrow I'm going back to the Holiday market. My most favorite FAVoritest place(if that's even a word-just made it up) in the whole world. I plan on getting another bottle of the black truffle oil and maybe a bottle of the white truffle oil too. I'm also going to check out some loose teas. There has to be a loose tea that I like, because honestly the rooibos chocolate chai tea I bought last week was god awful. So I think I may try something fruity tomorrow. I'm also meeting my friend Dan on the Upper East side for lunch. So I will definitely have lots to blog about tomorrow.
Until then,
ta
Thanks for signing on today. The previous message was from co-worker who brought one of my sweet potato pies home for today...I swear by my recipe...it's truly is a winner...
Its all over. The Thanksgiving eats! Proud to say no turkey was consumed by this lady. lol. I had a slice of pizza. I know, weird huh...I also had salad, and the potato and turnip puree that I blogged about earlier in the week. and asparagus. Honestly, not the most exciting meal Ive ever had..lol...except for the pizza...boy do I looove pizza. But I'm gluten intolerant so I will be paying for that one for a few days. I did make Giadas bread pudding.It was the first time I ever made bread pudding and it came out really good. Using the panetonne was a good choice. It is very heavy but not that sweet. Next time I might add some nuts for texture.http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/panettone-bread-pudding-with-cinnamon-syrup-recipe/index.html. This is definitely a winner, my friend Emilio tried a small piece and thought i added the raisins...I guess he wasn't hip to the panetonne bread(already has all the yummy goodness all baked right in)
Last night I also made Paula Deens Pumpkin breadhttp://www.pauladeenmagazine.com/recipe_results.php?id=1771
Ok Ok!! the cat is out of the bag!! I am a HUGE food network fan! This blog really should have been called "huge food network fan" Most of my recipes come from all those super cool chefs. I think I actually learned to cook more from them then from my mom lol.
That's why I always include the links to all of the recipes I get from my favorite chefs, unless they are family recipes.
So, for tomorrow I'm going back to the Holiday market. My most favorite FAVoritest place(if that's even a word-just made it up) in the whole world. I plan on getting another bottle of the black truffle oil and maybe a bottle of the white truffle oil too. I'm also going to check out some loose teas. There has to be a loose tea that I like, because honestly the rooibos chocolate chai tea I bought last week was god awful. So I think I may try something fruity tomorrow. I'm also meeting my friend Dan on the Upper East side for lunch. So I will definitely have lots to blog about tomorrow.
Until then,
ta
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Boy am I tired!
wow...I was up so late last night layering that lasagne. Thank god my mom likes to clean. She was a big help. Usually I shew her out of the kitchen when I'm in there, but last night I let her stay. Besides, Dancing with the stars was on and we were both watching it lol. Ok, so here is the final run down on that lasagne. In the way of veggies, I used zucchini that I sauteed with finely diced onions, sauteed kale, carrots, and a spinach/ricotta mixture. One thing that I'm remembering now that I forgot to do, that I'm kicking myself for, I forgot to squeeze out my defrosted spinach before I mixed it with the cheese. This is important because later on that extra water might cause my lasagne to be watery when I bake it off. Oh well, live and learn.
Instead of the traditional red sauce, I used a bechamel sauce. I made that from Mario Batalis recipe on foodnetworkBechamel Sauce Recipe : Mario Batali : Food Network (I hope I inserted that link right lol)
My spinach/ricotta mixture was 2 boxes of spinach and 1 cup of part skim ricotta cheese. I egg, salt and pepper and a little Parmesan cheese. I layered my veggies with shredded mozzarella cheese ans sprinkled in some shredded Gruyere for some kick. I took some pictures that I haven't figured out how to upload yet...
Next tasks for the Holidays will be Panetonne bread pudding, pumpkin custard pie, and pumpkin bread
.........off to work...stay tuned...more to come!!
Instead of the traditional red sauce, I used a bechamel sauce. I made that from Mario Batalis recipe on foodnetworkBechamel Sauce Recipe : Mario Batali : Food Network (I hope I inserted that link right lol)
My spinach/ricotta mixture was 2 boxes of spinach and 1 cup of part skim ricotta cheese. I egg, salt and pepper and a little Parmesan cheese. I layered my veggies with shredded mozzarella cheese ans sprinkled in some shredded Gruyere for some kick. I took some pictures that I haven't figured out how to upload yet...
Next tasks for the Holidays will be Panetonne bread pudding, pumpkin custard pie, and pumpkin bread
.........off to work...stay tuned...more to come!!
Monday, November 22, 2010
The Holiday Market!
Hey Everyone,
Thanks for signing on today. i had so much fun yesterday wandering around the Holiday market at 14th street Union Square. Wow...I was in Heaven! So much to see. I should have definitely gotten up earlier to go for sure to really take it all in. I definitely got a few goodies that I am so excited about and I'm looking forward to going back next weekend and buying more stuff. I wandered around and looked at jewelery and hats for a while, then I came up onto the spice and tea table. Holy cow. I never saw so many big bountiful bowls of tea and spice. It all smelled so good. I wanted to buy everything. However The smallest amount you can buy was Five dollars worth at a time. So I chose to but a few spices that I new I would really use. I was Tempted to buy some fresh whole cardamon seeds, but I'm probably never really going to use them, So I opted for the smoked paprika instead. I do cook alot of vegetables and fish. So I now I will use this. I also bough Garam masala. I love Indian spices. I had to buy a small bag of this one. I'm one for curry, so this was a must grab for me. The man behind the table was selling a spice called Za'tar to someone, and it sounded really good. He said you could mix it in yogurt, use it as a dip. My ears perked. He let me taste some.
Za'atar (zaatar) is a mixture of sumac, sesame seed and herbs frequently used in the Middle East and Mediterranean areas.
It is often mixed with olive oil and spread on bread,(so right up my alley!) sometimes this is done at the table, other times the mix is spread on the bread rounds which are then baked. Za'atar also serves as a seasoning to sprinkle on vegetables, salads, meatballs or kebabs. Much like sausage seasonings, different countries have there own blend of Za'tar. I cannot wait to play around with this one and don't worry...I will definitely keep you guys posted.
Now the next table I came cross was a company called the Filling Station and they were selling all kinds of neet and groovy specialty flavored vinegars, flavored olive oils, salts, and sugar. I tasted a sample of the fig balsamic, which was quite yummy. But when I sampled the Dark chocolate balsamic vinegar (yes you heard me) Dark chocolate balsamic vinegar, I said "wow, give me a bottle of that". It is so smooth and decadent...you could practically drink it. Its thick so you don't need alot and I couldn't wait to try it on a salad. I'm counting the ways that I'm going to experiment with this one. I also bought small bottle of black truffle olive oil which I absolutely love and when I get paid, I'm going back for the big bottle lol. I bought a pretzel and dipped it in the black truffle evoo and it was strangly addictive. Both of those items are getting hidden in my house lol.
My hats off to you Filling station, cant wait to go back and buy more stuff! Check out their website http://www.tfsnyc.com/. I have to run off to work...I started prepping vegetables for a lasagne for the holidays. Will be back later to fill you in on that.
Bye!
Thanks for signing on today. i had so much fun yesterday wandering around the Holiday market at 14th street Union Square. Wow...I was in Heaven! So much to see. I should have definitely gotten up earlier to go for sure to really take it all in. I definitely got a few goodies that I am so excited about and I'm looking forward to going back next weekend and buying more stuff. I wandered around and looked at jewelery and hats for a while, then I came up onto the spice and tea table. Holy cow. I never saw so many big bountiful bowls of tea and spice. It all smelled so good. I wanted to buy everything. However The smallest amount you can buy was Five dollars worth at a time. So I chose to but a few spices that I new I would really use. I was Tempted to buy some fresh whole cardamon seeds, but I'm probably never really going to use them, So I opted for the smoked paprika instead. I do cook alot of vegetables and fish. So I now I will use this. I also bough Garam masala. I love Indian spices. I had to buy a small bag of this one. I'm one for curry, so this was a must grab for me. The man behind the table was selling a spice called Za'tar to someone, and it sounded really good. He said you could mix it in yogurt, use it as a dip. My ears perked. He let me taste some.
Za'atar (zaatar) is a mixture of sumac, sesame seed and herbs frequently used in the Middle East and Mediterranean areas.
It is often mixed with olive oil and spread on bread,(so right up my alley!) sometimes this is done at the table, other times the mix is spread on the bread rounds which are then baked. Za'atar also serves as a seasoning to sprinkle on vegetables, salads, meatballs or kebabs. Much like sausage seasonings, different countries have there own blend of Za'tar. I cannot wait to play around with this one and don't worry...I will definitely keep you guys posted.
Now the next table I came cross was a company called the Filling Station and they were selling all kinds of neet and groovy specialty flavored vinegars, flavored olive oils, salts, and sugar. I tasted a sample of the fig balsamic, which was quite yummy. But when I sampled the Dark chocolate balsamic vinegar (yes you heard me) Dark chocolate balsamic vinegar, I said "wow, give me a bottle of that". It is so smooth and decadent...you could practically drink it. Its thick so you don't need alot and I couldn't wait to try it on a salad. I'm counting the ways that I'm going to experiment with this one. I also bought small bottle of black truffle olive oil which I absolutely love and when I get paid, I'm going back for the big bottle lol. I bought a pretzel and dipped it in the black truffle evoo and it was strangly addictive. Both of those items are getting hidden in my house lol.
My hats off to you Filling station, cant wait to go back and buy more stuff! Check out their website http://www.tfsnyc.com/. I have to run off to work...I started prepping vegetables for a lasagne for the holidays. Will be back later to fill you in on that.
Bye!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Sick of the same old sides
Hey Everyone,
Thanks for signing on today. I was at work reading the latest holiday issue of Buonappetite magazine and there was a side dish that struck me as interesting. It was a parsnip, potato, and turnip puree with toasted panko breadcrumbs on top.
When I was a kid I was traumatized by the big chunks of turnips floating in chicken soup made by my well intentioned mother at the onset of a cold. I remember thinking how offensive and unnecessary these big white carroty looking things were to MY soup...blech..gross...Ahh good times.
But as I've gotten older and my diet has changed, so has my palette. Primarily vegetarian, I've become more open minded to using different vegetables in different ways. So eating differently has forced me to think outside the box. I worked at a restaurant that used to serve parsnip puree, so naturally when I saw this recipe, I was right on the band wagon. One can only eat so many plain mashed potatos. The addition of roasted parsnips and turnips really elevated this to a new level for me and the texture of the toasted panko definately gave it more modern twist. I really like this recipe. Im adding this to my catering menu. You can check out some of my other menu items on my website http://www.allisonsedibles.com/
I didn,t exacty follow the recipe from the magazine, but thats the wonderful thing about cooking. You can switch things up according to your taste and improvise (as opposed to baking which is an exact science)
Here is an approximation of my recipe
Turnip Potato and Parsnip Puree with Panko Breadcrumbs
1 1/2 pounds of turnips
1 1/2 pounds or parsnips
1 1/2 pounds of yukon gold or russet potatos
1/2 cup finely diced vidalia onions
1 clove garlic
3 tbls olive oil
1 cup(maybe a little more) or vegetable stock
Half &Half
1 stick of butter
salt and pepper
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
I roasted my turnips and parsnips in the oven at 400 degrees untill tender, while my potatoes were boiling. I heated up the olive oil in a pan and started sweating my onions until they were tender. Then I smashed the clove of garlic and put the whole clove in the pan. I tranfered the veggies into the pan and added the vegetable stock and brought it to a boil them simmered until some of the liquid was gone. I drained my potatos and started to mash them. I added half of the butter. I then added the veggies and continued to mash adding the rest of the butter and the half&half. I seasoned to taste with salt and pepper and then used my hand mixer to make it extra fluffy. I then transfered it to a square pan. I melted a pat of butter in a pan and put a cup of pank breadcrumbs and stirred until they were slightly brown. I sprinkled on top of the puree and then baked it in the oven until brown.
Thanks for signing on today. I was at work reading the latest holiday issue of Buonappetite magazine and there was a side dish that struck me as interesting. It was a parsnip, potato, and turnip puree with toasted panko breadcrumbs on top.
When I was a kid I was traumatized by the big chunks of turnips floating in chicken soup made by my well intentioned mother at the onset of a cold. I remember thinking how offensive and unnecessary these big white carroty looking things were to MY soup...blech..gross...Ahh good times.
But as I've gotten older and my diet has changed, so has my palette. Primarily vegetarian, I've become more open minded to using different vegetables in different ways. So eating differently has forced me to think outside the box. I worked at a restaurant that used to serve parsnip puree, so naturally when I saw this recipe, I was right on the band wagon. One can only eat so many plain mashed potatos. The addition of roasted parsnips and turnips really elevated this to a new level for me and the texture of the toasted panko definately gave it more modern twist. I really like this recipe. Im adding this to my catering menu. You can check out some of my other menu items on my website http://www.allisonsedibles.com/
I didn,t exacty follow the recipe from the magazine, but thats the wonderful thing about cooking. You can switch things up according to your taste and improvise (as opposed to baking which is an exact science)
Here is an approximation of my recipe
Turnip Potato and Parsnip Puree with Panko Breadcrumbs
1 1/2 pounds of turnips
1 1/2 pounds or parsnips
1 1/2 pounds of yukon gold or russet potatos
1/2 cup finely diced vidalia onions
1 clove garlic
3 tbls olive oil
1 cup(maybe a little more) or vegetable stock
Half &Half
1 stick of butter
salt and pepper
1 cup of panko bread crumbs
I roasted my turnips and parsnips in the oven at 400 degrees untill tender, while my potatoes were boiling. I heated up the olive oil in a pan and started sweating my onions until they were tender. Then I smashed the clove of garlic and put the whole clove in the pan. I tranfered the veggies into the pan and added the vegetable stock and brought it to a boil them simmered until some of the liquid was gone. I drained my potatos and started to mash them. I added half of the butter. I then added the veggies and continued to mash adding the rest of the butter and the half&half. I seasoned to taste with salt and pepper and then used my hand mixer to make it extra fluffy. I then transfered it to a square pan. I melted a pat of butter in a pan and put a cup of pank breadcrumbs and stirred until they were slightly brown. I sprinkled on top of the puree and then baked it in the oven until brown.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
The holiday food hustle!!
Hey Everyone,
Thanks for signing in today. The holidays are here! yay!...this is the time for foodies like me and you to play and be merry in the kitchen. Ive been having so much fun going to the farmers market in union square and perusing all of the wonderful fruits and vegetables. And dont forget about WholeFoods. Woweeee!!! Oh how do I love WholeFoods! What a wonderfull store. I could get lost in there for hours.
The holidays are my favorite time of year because it's just another excuse for me to try new dishes and add new things to my repertoire. For me cooking is like Meditation. Its just me and the food. It takes concentration, preparation and execution. Then to see a wonderfull finished product that others can enjoy is really what its all about for me. So I'm going to take you through the latest things that Ive been experimenting with in the kitchen.
Now is the time for sweet potatoes and the traditional flavor profiles that go long with it...Maple, vanilla, cinnmon, mace and cloves. What would the holidays be without a delicious sweet potato pie. Its one of those things that you either really love, or really hate...and I love all things sweet potato.Last week I made my sweet potato pie with a carmelized brown sugar top. I wish I can say I am so inventive and original, but every recipe comes from somewhere and after trying different varitions of this pie, I finally found one that I liked, and of course with a few additions, made it my own.. I must admit, since I do not have a food processor, I have not attempted to make my own crust. (i know your probably in shock that I dont have a food processor)
So I have always relied on a frozen crust, which Im not ashamed of. Ive always been tempted to make a crust out of cookie crumbs and butter, but for me it just doesnt go with this pie. So I pay homeage to Mrs.Smith lol...and until I get my food processor, that is what I will be using.
I hope you try this recipe and enjoy!
If you dont feel like making this yourself, I have a website and my baked goods and other dishes are available for purchase during the Holiday season. Check out my menu at
http://www.allisonsedibles.com/
Love,
Allison
Thanks for signing in today. The holidays are here! yay!...this is the time for foodies like me and you to play and be merry in the kitchen. Ive been having so much fun going to the farmers market in union square and perusing all of the wonderful fruits and vegetables. And dont forget about WholeFoods. Woweeee!!! Oh how do I love WholeFoods! What a wonderfull store. I could get lost in there for hours.
The holidays are my favorite time of year because it's just another excuse for me to try new dishes and add new things to my repertoire. For me cooking is like Meditation. Its just me and the food. It takes concentration, preparation and execution. Then to see a wonderfull finished product that others can enjoy is really what its all about for me. So I'm going to take you through the latest things that Ive been experimenting with in the kitchen.
Now is the time for sweet potatoes and the traditional flavor profiles that go long with it...Maple, vanilla, cinnmon, mace and cloves. What would the holidays be without a delicious sweet potato pie. Its one of those things that you either really love, or really hate...and I love all things sweet potato.Last week I made my sweet potato pie with a carmelized brown sugar top. I wish I can say I am so inventive and original, but every recipe comes from somewhere and after trying different varitions of this pie, I finally found one that I liked, and of course with a few additions, made it my own.. I must admit, since I do not have a food processor, I have not attempted to make my own crust. (i know your probably in shock that I dont have a food processor)
So I have always relied on a frozen crust, which Im not ashamed of. Ive always been tempted to make a crust out of cookie crumbs and butter, but for me it just doesnt go with this pie. So I pay homeage to Mrs.Smith lol...and until I get my food processor, that is what I will be using.
I hope you try this recipe and enjoy!
If you dont feel like making this yourself, I have a website and my baked goods and other dishes are available for purchase during the Holiday season. Check out my menu at
http://www.allisonsedibles.com/
Love,
Allison
(the following recipe has been removed) for info please email me
allisonsedibles1@aol.com
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