Pret

So, I used to eat at Pret all the time and I've tried to not go as much (to save money). But I found myself back in there today at lunch time and I realized why I heart them so. Their food is super tasty and super quick. Today, for example, I picked up this awesome soup: Butternut Squash with Apple. It sounds like it would be overly sweet, but it surprisingly wasn't. It was actually really good - super creamy like a good butternut squash soup would be with little bits of pureed apple and I believe onion too. If you find yourself in the city looking for a quick lunch bite, don't be afraid to head in to Pret. In my opinion they are way better than Au Bon Pain. Also, their pesto mozzarella and tomato toastie is divine. So is the ham, cheese and cornichons toastie. Try those too!

Bondi Road

Talk about bang for your buck! I had a lovely girls night at Bondi Road the other night and it was due to the company (of course), but also the awesome wait staff and killer pre-fixe. I got to the restaurant first and was greeted by this super friendly Aussie. I didn't have my whole party with me, but she sat me anyway. Awesome. While I was waiting, she explained the way Monday Night Dinners work there. It's a $20 four course pre-fixe. No a la carte options. At first I was like, "Whoa - but I don't want all this food?!" And then she proceeded to tell me that the meal also included FIVE drinks. I said, "What? Five drinks and all this food for $20?" And she said, "Yes, ma'am!" I was stunned. What an amazing deal - how does this place make any money?? The drinks are good and strong - I kept having the same thing called a "Sunburn": passionfruit tequila, strawberries and oj. It was yummy. My friend Sara kept ordering the same thing too, except she had something called: "Surf's Up": pineapple rum, watermelon, lemonade, splash of blue Curacao. Zoe had something called: "Greyhound": vodka and grapefruit. It made for a rainbow of beverages on the table. I know you're wondering - if they are good strong drinks, how did you drink all 5? Well, we didn't. We gave up a few rounds in and left our fun raffle tickets on the table. We also couldn't eat all the food in the pre-fixe, it was just too much!

I took photos of all the courses, but some didn't come out that great. My camera phone flash is kind of ridiculous and I only turned it on once. Any hoo, the meal began with your choice of a garden salad or fried calamari. We got 2 salads and one person got the calamari. The portion sizes were normal, which worried me from the get. I knew I couldn't eat 4 normal size dishes, so we started jumping around. Next we got mussels. They had two kinds: Mussels with Coopers beer and mussels with tomato and wine. The broth was really yummy but the mussels weren't that great. I had a few that were really gritty. There was a pasta course in the menu but none of us ordered it - we skipped it entirely, but for all you dying to know, it was "Pesto Shark": chunks of fresh shark tossed with bacon in pesto. Finally, I ordered my fish and chips. It was a huge portion (as you can see from the pic above), but they did right by it. It was super fresh and came with vinegar! Zoe and Sara ordered a "burger with the lot" (seen in the background). Holy hell, that thing had everything on it: caramelized onion, bacon, cheese, beets, fried egg, lettuce, tomato and pineapple. Yeah - I know! Strange combo, but they loved them. Anyways, if you're looking for super friendly staff and a ton of food and drink for a cheap price, this is your place.

Shilla in K-town

In NYC, when you want good Korean food, you go to K-town. Tonight, a bunch of us went and had a feast at Shilla. Ugh! So MUCH FOOOOOOD!!! I really wanted to try Bibimbap for the first time. I love Asian food - but I had yet to try Bibimbap! Weird, right? I was reeeealllly looking forward to runny egg yolk. We ordered a pork version at first and the server said there were no veggies in that version. So we opted for the chicken version. It was really good - I can't deny that. BUT - there was no egg! BAH! Tip to you first time Bibimbap eaters - stir that shit! That rice will burn in that hot pot!

 Chicken Teriyaki Gobdol: chicken teriyaki, vegetables in hot pot

 Bulgolgi with bib lettuce, bean sprouts and spicy sauce. Probably my #1 pleaser of the night! I wish I had more of these! This meat was scrump-diddly-umptious. And on lettuce with condiments it was heaven! My favorite bite all night for sure!

 

Tuck Po Ki: spicy rice cake stew w/ vegetables. I've had rice cakes before and I loved them then just as I knew I would now. I ate these two pieces of rice cake like I was eating treasure. They are chewy and divine - like gnocchi but better.

 

Haemool Or Kimchi Pajun: seafood/kimchi scallion pancake. Holy hell. Really yummy but super heavy. I could only eat half of what was on my plate.

 Beef Ribs. Delishhhhhhh! Super fatty and chewy but sweet and meaty too. I ate these outright. No bib lettuce involved. We also had pork belly - not sure where that photo went - but it was also delicious.

Broiled Yellow Corina: lightly salted broiled Croaker. I was scared of this guy but I found breaking him apart with my hands wasn't too bad. I ate around the bones. Really yummy actually!

Huevos Rancheros

I love Huevos Rancheros. It is by far one of my favorite brunch items. I usually always order it when I see it. Today, I made it at home and I made use of Bobby Flay's left over salsa! I love this dish!

Ingredients
2 Flour tortillas cut in half
1/2 c black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 tsp ground cumin
4 pieces of bacon
4 eggs
2 tbsp shredded cheddar cheese
1tbsp EVOO

Salsa
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 chipotle chile in adobo, seeded and minced
3 plum tomatoes, finely diced
2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt

MAKE THE SALSA: In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients and season with salt.
MAKE THE REST: Get a pot of water to a boil (for the eggs) and in a frying pan crisp up your bacon. When cooked, set aside on a paper towel. Heat beans in another small pot with the cumin. In a large frying pan add EVOO and tortillas and flip them every few minutes until crispy and browned. Cook your eggs in the boiling water. (We are making poached eggs for this, but you could do over easy as well). Build your plate: tortilla on bottom, then bacon strips, then beans, then eggs, then salsa on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Serve.

Bobby Flay's Nacho Burger

I saw this on the front cover of Food and Wine back in January and I've been dying to try it. I finally stopped putting it off and made them for dinner. (Constant posting is making me dig through my old Food and Wine magazines now and hunt for fun recipes - my grocery shopping has never been so inspired before!)

Salsa

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 chipotle chile in adobo, seeded and minced
3 plum tomatoes, finely diced
2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Salt

MAKE THE SALSA: In a bowl, combine all of the ingredients and season with salt. Tip: I found the chile in adobo canned in the Asian Food section of the grocery store. Oh, and when you open the can, lean back. I got a huge blast of chipotle and heat in my throat that it made me start coughing! Also, if you have salsa leftovers save them - this would be great on Huevos Rancheros!

Cheese Sauce

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups milk
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (8 oz is 1/2 a pound)
2 tablespoons freshly grated pecorino cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper

MAKE THE CHEESE SAUCE: In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Stir in the flour and cook over moderate heat for 30 seconds. Whisk in the milk and cook, whisking, until smooth and thickened, 5 minutes. Stir in the Jack cheese until melted, then stir in the pecorino; season with salt and pepper. Let the sauce cool until it is very thick and spreadable.

Burgers

1 1/2 pounds ground beef chuck
Vegetable oil, for brushing
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 hamburger buns, split and toasted
Sliced pickled jalapeños and blue corn tortilla chips, for topping (optional)

MAKE THE BURGERS: Light a grill (or use a grill pan, like I did). Form the beef into 4 patties and brush with oil; season with salt and pepper. Grill over moderately high heat until browned outside and medium within, about 4 minutes per side.

Place the burgers on the buns. Top with the cheese sauce and salsa. Bobby's recipe also suggests topping your burger with pickled jalapeños and crushed up blue corn tortilla chips. I didn't use these two toppers and it was great without them. Close the burgers and serve.

Isabella's Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love mint chocolate chip ice cream. I saw a photo posted on Facebook recently of mint chocolate chip cookies and I thought, "That's clever. I've never seen that before!" Also, I found out that a little girl, Isabella (aka Chef Bella), made these cookies all by herself! I knew if she could do it, I could do it - so I emailed her mommy for the recipe. Here it is:

Ingredients:
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix
1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon mint extract
6 to 8 drops green food color
1 egg
1 cup creme de menthe baking chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chunks
Directions
Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, extract, food color and egg until soft dough forms. I couldn't find any creme de menthe baking chips (I looked in two stores and gave up after that) so I just used chocolate chips instead. Using small cookie scoop or teaspoon, drop dough 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Serve warm or cool completely. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

Joseph Lee's Mole Chili

My good friend, Joseph, had us over the other night to watch the playoffs and since I don't really follow football I was really excited to learn that there was chili. Ladies and gentlemen, this is no ordinary chili. You see, Joseph is a man of many talents (singer, song writer, musician), but this guy can also cook his butt off too! In fact, Joseph has had one of his recipes for Bulgogi Tacos (page 84) published in The Kimchi Chronicles by Marja Vongerichten and Jean-Georges. WORD!Ok, back to the chili...I know you want the recipe, shoot - I want the recipe. But alas, I don't have it. All I know is what he put in it: ground beef, beans, tomato, onion, bell peppers, thai chilies, mushroom, crushed almonds, dark chocolate, corn, beer and toasted spices. He topped it with a piece of toasted bread filled with swiss cheese and a dab of mexican crema with cilantro. Delish!!

The Peter Luger Cheeseburger

So the NY Times has a burger of the month club and the judges go out every Monday and try burgers from all over the city. Then they rank them and share that knowledge with everyone who wants to know where the best burgers are.

My husband has been on the best burger quest for about two years now. It's kind of ridiculous actually. But he once told me that one of his favorites was the burger at Peter Luger. (Which coincidentally is ranked #1 on the NY Times as well). The thing is, you can only get the burger at lunch and who the hell has time to go to Williamsburg for a burger at lunch time? You like need the day off for something like that! Well, recently we did have the day off and we took our journey over the Williamsburg bridge for a meaty lunch. We had our friends Terence and Brandi with us too. Terence has been a vegetarian for as long as I've known him and he just recently started eating meat. This was quite a memorable lunch!

Ok, let's talk about this burger. We all ordered the burger with cheese. You can get it with bacon, but we didn't opt for it. When it came out to the table it looked really plain. A burger on a plain bun with cheese and red onion. There was no ketchup or mustard or tomato or lettuce - none of that! It was almost like Peter Luger's was saying, "We only care to do one thing right and not dress it up with condiments!"

Did it hold up? Well, yes and no. The meat is undeniable - the best hamburger patty I've ever had. The patty reminded me of something my dad would make on the backyard grill - a giant ball of meat (but not grilled to death)! It's not a thin patty and with the bug bun it's served on it's kind of too big for your mouth, but it is super juicy and salty and just absolutely delicious. The cheese was good too - it was just the right amount and slightly melted.

But here are my gripes: aside from it being so big, the meat soaked the bottom bun up so much with grease that the bun practically fell apart. I had grease running down my hands at every bite. We actually had a debate at the table about hamburger buns and we realized that they are made backwards. The bigger part of the bun should be at the bottom (to capture all the meat juices as you take continuous bite after bite) and the smaller part of the bun should be at the top (just there to give your fingers something to rest on). I swear I need to copyright this bun idea. Also, my other gripe was that it was just too much after awhile. I needed the veggies to balance this burger out.

Overall I would still rate it as good, but it's not my perfect burger. That joint lives at The Breslin and he's made out of lamb. But that's another story...

Kambi Ramen House

Nothing cures a hangover or a cold quite like a hot bowl of ramen. And well, face it - it's just delicious to eat anytime (even if you feel fine!) I am a creature of habit and I always hit up Minka (on 5th between A and B) or Rai Rai Ken (10th between 1st and 2nd), but this time we decided to travel up to 14th St and try a new spot...at least what we thought was new. I am pretty sure the owners of Minca own Kambi House too - their menus are identical!

Since I wasn't a stranger to the menu, I ordered my Minca usual to see how they compared. I got the vegetable tanmen with chicken. It was pretty much the same. Actually it was the same. Not that there's anything wrong with that - it tasted delicious! But next time I will just go to the spot closer to my apt.

Pasta with marscapone, bacon and walnuts

I had nuts in pasta last week and now it would seem I'm adding them to pasta every time I make it! I would say that if you haven't boarded that train yet then you need to! It's such a great way to get added protein to your meals without having to cook one!

Ingredients:

1/2 box curly pasta

3 to 4 tbsp marscapone cheese (which did you know has less calories and fat than butter?!)

3 pieces of bacon

1/2 c walnuts

Salt and pepper to taste

Parsley for garnish

Get a pot of water to a rapid boil and add pasta. While that's cooking, cook the bacon and set aside to cool. Arrange nuts on baking sheet and toast at 250 for a few minutes. Nuts can burn quickly so set a timer and keep your eye on them! Once the pasta is cooked, drain and add back to pot. Add marscapone cheese stirring until well mixed. Crumble bacon into pasta and crush the nuts before adding. Mix once more then plate. Top with salt, pepper and parsley.

Heritage Turkey

So, I was deleted a bunch of photos off my phone today and I stumbled across several food pics that I failed to ever blog about, one in particular - this bird. Well, for all you turkey lovers, here is what I did with mine. You. Are. Welcome.

Actually, let me start with what I had planned to do with my turkey. I wanted to brine my bird. I've never brined a turkey before and from what I have read, it's really the way to go. So I searched the Internet for a good brine and finally settled on one from The Pioneer Woman. (hmm...maybe if I reach my goal of 365 blog posts this year the Food Network will hire me too?!) But then we ordered a heritage bird, which is not like your typical butterball from your local grocery store - a heritage turkey is defined by the "historic, range-based production system in which they are raised. Turkeys must meet all of the following criteria to qualify as a Heritage turkey:

1. Naturally mating: the Heritage Turkey must be reproduced and genetically maintained through natural mating, with expected fertility rates of 70-80%.
2. Long productive lifespan: the Heritage Turkey must have a long productive lifespan. Breeding hens are commonly productive for 5-7 years and breeding toms for 3-5 years.

3. Slow growth rate: the Heritage Turkey must have a slow to moderate rate of growth. Today’s heritage turkeys reach a marketable weight in 26 – 28 weeks, giving the birds time to develop a strong skeletal structure and healthy organs prior to building muscle mass. This growth rate is identical to that of the commercial varieties of the first half of the 20^th century." (according to heritageturkeyfoundation.org) But I digress...

We ordered our bird from Fresh Direct and that shit was expensive! Do I feel better about myself for not eating a commercial produced turkey? Of course, but why does doing what's right have to be so expensive? It's not fair!

The bird came the day before I wanted to cook it. I had already been reading about heritage turkeys and how their meat has more flavor than commercial turkeys. Many people say NOT to do a brine on heritage birds. Actually, let me rephrase - they say not to do a wet brine (which is what I was planning on doing); however, if I got my bird about 4 days earlier I could've done a dry brine on it...which is basically just salt. It has to sit in salt for like 3 days or it won't work. Needless to say, I hadn't the time.

So, I went a more traditional route: I borrowed from a Martha Stewart's recipe and put pats of butter under the skin. (Something tells me Paula Deen does this too) I always put garlic, rosemary, paprika, salt and pepper on my big birds too. I covered my bird in foil for about an hour and then cooked without foil the rest of the time. Heritage turkeys are smaller and take less time to cook. The result: super crispy delicious skin and tender juicy meat! Phew! Next year I want fried turkey!

Cheesy Polenta Chorizo Cakes

This side dish can take over the spotlight of your dinner. I made it for friends and it was devoured within minutes.

Ingredients:
1 Polenta log (plain)
6 tbsp marscapone cheese
6 tsp Parmesan cheese
1 package chorizo

Method:
Cut the polenta log into 6 pieces. Cut a whole into the top and scoop out with a spoon. Fill with the marscapone cheese and top with Parmesan. Bake in the oven at 350 for 30 minutes. Dice the chorizo and pan fry for 10 minutes until crispy and browned. Top the cakes with the chorizo. Holy hell. A crowd pleaser FO' SHOOOO!

30 second Sangria

Sangria is the cure for hangovers, hot summer days and left over cheap wine. I made this in a snap and it sure hit the spot - afternoon delight, indeed!

You'll need:
1 jigger of lemon vodka
1 jigger of orange vodka
splash of orange juice
8 oz of red wine
slice of orange
2 tbsp diced apple

Mix and enjoy. Oh, and if you are fortunate enough to own an ice crushing machine, use it.

Bacon-Braised Collard Greens

I've made this a ton of times before, but here it is again. I'm probably doing my Southern roots some disgrace by not using a ham hock in this recipe but I don't care. Bacon works just as well and besides, I'm a New Yorker now. :)

Ingredients:
A giant bushel of collard greens
1/2 chopped onion
3 pieces of bacon
2 tsp white wine vinegar
2 cap fulls liquid smoke
4 c water

In a large pot add onion and bacon and let simmer until onions are cooked. The bacon doesn't have to be crispy, in fact, it shouldn't be. Take your cabbage and separate the leaves from the stem and the vein of the leaf. Cut leaves into large pieces. Add 2 cups of water and then add greens. I had to add my greens in phases. I had too much to fit into the pot at once so I had to add a bunch, let it cook down (2 - 3 minutes), then added more. Once all the greens are in the pot, let them cook down for about 5 minutes then add the vinegar, liquid smoke and rest of the water. Put a lid on the pot and let it cook on low heat for several hours (3 to 4). The collards will not be bright green when they are done - they turn more of a deep green (olive) when they are cooked.

Seafood Summer Salad (on a snow day)

Woke up to 3 - 5 inches of snow today so I cranked up the heat, put on my bikini and made a summer salad with citrus and seafood. Take that! Now, it's your turn...

Ingredients

• 3 fillets of white firm-fleshed fish, completely deboned
• 1/2 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined
  
• 3 limes
• 1 lemon
  
• 3 tsp of orange juice
• 1/2 red onion, finely diced
• 2 cups of finely chopped green cabbage
  
• 2 tbsp Hot Chili Oil (found in the Asian food section of the grocery store)
• 3 tbsp chopped cilantro
• salt and pepper
• dash of sugar
  
• Tortillas or tortilla chips

Directions: Boil the fillets for 3 minutes under almost cooked through. Place fish in a casserole dish, either Pyrex or ceramic, and break apart into pieces with a fork. Cut shrimp into pieces and add to dish with onion, cabbage, cilantro, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cover with lime, lemon and orange juice. Let sit covered in the refrigerator for several hours (3 to 4), giving time for the flavors to blend. Stir occasionally. Serve with heated tortillas or with tortilla chips.

Pasta with Butternut Squash, Sausage and Walnuts

This is pretty much Emeril's recipe except I made some minor tweaks...err, improvements. :)
If you want the original, it's at the above hyperlink. Also, tip for you nut buyers - look for the $2.00 bag of nuts at check out instead of buying the $15 container you found in an aisle. You know what I'm talking about. That generic candy stand that they have in the check out lanes usually includes such winners like circus peanuts, sugared orange slices and butter mints, but you can find nuts up in that mix too! Get the plain ones - no honey-roasted if you're using them for cooking.

1. 2 1/2 pounds butternut squash—peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch dice
2. 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3. Salt and freshly ground pepper
4. Freshly grated nutmeg
5. 2 tsp powdered sage
   
6. 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
7. 4 tablespoons I Can't Believe It's Not Butter (or 3 tbsp normal butter if you must)
8. 1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
9. 1 pound fusilli or other curly pasta (I used Campanelle - like pretty little flowers!)
10. 1/4 cup freshly grated aged Parmesean cheese, plus more for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. On a large rimmed baking sheet, drizzle the squash with 2 tablespoons of oil and toss. Arrange in an even layer and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Bake for about 30 minutes, until just tender.
2. Meanwhile, put the walnuts in a pie plate and bake for about 4 minutes, until toasted.
3. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and the sausage to the skillet and cook over moderately high heat, breaking up the sausage, until no pink remains, 7 minutes.
4. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the pot. Add the sausage and melted butter, ( put the powdered sage in with the melted butter) and gradually stir in the cooking water over moderate heat. Gently fold in the squash, walnuts and the 1/4 cup of cheese. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl. Top with more cheese. Eat it.
   

Lemon Ricotta Cheesecake

I have never made a cheesecake before and this recipe seemed simple enough. Since I don't have a giant food processor I had to make my mix in small batches but it was easy enough. The hardest part was getting the egg whites firm. They blended forever and still only looked like a thick soup. I only made half the portions that this recipe called for and I also only had one giant pan to cook it in so it came out really thin - I practically made cheesecake-crepes! If you do a smaller cake, use a small pan!

6 large eggs
2/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons honey
2 tsp cinnamon
Two 15-ounce containers ricotta cheese (whole works better but I used part skim)
2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
Confectioners' sugar for dusting

Directions

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. If you have one, spray a springform pan with cooking spray. Otherwise, just spray a cooking pan. Separate the eggs, placing the whites in one of the large bowls and the yolks in the work bowl of a food processor.

Add the sugar, cinnamon and honey to the work bowl of the food processor and process until thick and light yellow, about 1 minute. Add the ricotta and zest and process until smooth, another 30 seconds. Scrape the mixture into the other large bowl.

Beat the whites on high speed with the mixer until they hold stiff peaks. Fold the whites into the ricotta mixture and scrape into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with the spatula.

Bake until the cake is deep golden brown and the sides begin to pull away from the pan, about 1 hr 20 minutes. Transfer to the rack to let cool completely. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until serving, at least 6 hours and up to 1 day. To serve, release the sides of the pan, dust with confectioners' sugar using the strainer, and cut into wedges. To make smaller bigger cake, do half the recipe portions and cook less time - about 50 minutes checking it every 5 after 45 min. The cake should rise and then fall during cooling.

Papillon

I labeled this "Eating in NYC" but I didn't technically eat here - we had drinks. I wouldn't normally blog about this, but I have a quota to hit so in it goes!

We met up with some family friends last night for a drink. They were in NYC for the day and had reservations for dinner in Midtown, but before they dined - we had a drink and chatted about everything from how unseasonably warm it was to social faux pas. It was a lovely visit, but I digress... This place was blindly chosen by me off Goggle Maps because of it's location. Afterwards, I checked Yelp and it only had 3 stars. I figured if we showed up and it looked bad, we'd leave; however, the decor inside wasn't that bad actually. All dark hard wood - a typical Midtown after work crowd - it wasn't that bad. The drinks were good but nothing to write home about - mostly typical wines and top shelf liquors, but no fancy twists (like blue cheese in your martini). If you're looking for a place to catch up over a glass of wine in Midtown this place will suffice.

Latin-Spiced Chicken in Lettuce Cups

I got my new edition of Food and Wine magazine the other day and I saw this recipe in there and decided to make it! Thank you Bill Telepan for the recipe.

Guys - this isn't hard to do. Just mix everything up in the morning and let it sit for 4 hours. The only hard work you end up doing is chopping up all the ingredients, which isn't that hard!

Ingredients:

1. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2. 1 tablespoon chile powder
3. 1 tablespoon dried oregano
4. 3 garlic cloves, minced
5. 2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
6. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
7. 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
8. 6 whole chicken legs (about 4 1/2 pounds)—excess fat trimmed, skin scored
9. 1 pound Savoy cabbage, finely shredded (8 cups)
10. 1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
11. 2 jalapeños, seeded and minced
12. 3 tablespoons chopped cilantro
13. 16 large Boston lettuce leaves

1. In a small bowl, combine 1 tablespoon each of salt and pepper with the chile powder, oregano, garlic, orange juice and 2 tablespoons each of the lime juice and olive oil. Put the chicken legs on a large rimmed baking sheet and coat all over with the spiced oil. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine the remaining 1/4 cup each of lime juice and olive oil. Add the cabbage, onion, jalapeños and cilantro. Season the slaw with salt and pepper and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 5 hours, tossing occasionally.
3. Preheat the oven to 400°. Roast the chicken legs skin side up for about 40 minutes, until browned and cooked through. When cool enough to handle, discard the skin and bones and shred the chicken.
4. Arrange the lettuce on a platter and fill with the chicken; top with the slaw and serve.

It's a French thing...

My friend, Kurt, introduced me to a new drink last night called Kir. Traditionally it is white wine mixed with a splash of creme de cassis; however, in North America the trend of using Chambord instead of creme de cassis is on the rise. I also learned that a Kir Royale is with Champagne and Chambord. Sounds awesome, right? Well, they are! Better get on that with a quickness!

Cafecito

We hung out with friends last night and decided to order in some grub from Cafecito. They have a solid 4 stars on Yelp, and I've eaten from there several times before and was always happy with my masitas de puerco. This time I ordered the Cubano (Cuban sandwich): roast pork, fresh ham, swiss cheese, mayonnaise, mustard and dill pickles pressed on crusty cuban bread. For $9, you couldn't complain. The sandwich tasted yummy and clean - it wasn't a greasy mess. The pork was the best part - it was obviously slow cooked all day. Delish!

Eileen's Cheesecake

(photo from LunchStudio)

Eileen's Cheesecake is New York's number one spot for cheesecake. At least, according to their website it is. I mean, they are good. Eileen has been baking her cheesecakes for over 35 years so she's probably mastered it by now.

I remember bringing my parent's here on one of their first visits to NYC. I thought my dad would be stoked since he loves cheesecake so we scooped up a few of the individual sized treats and brought them home to have with coffee. If you are expecting a real cheesecake taste, the individual ones are not what you want. I think you have to spend the extra money and buy a whole cheesecake - the bigger ones might be different but I can't be sure. (I've always bought the individual sized ones). The small ones are more airy - lighter in texture, not dense like a baked cheesecake. Personally, I like these better because I don't feel like I have a pound of cake in my belly afterwards. I'm not sure if my parents thought they were the #1 NY cheesecake, but they were delicious nonetheless.

Oh, I ordered my cheesecake on impulse last night from MaxDelivery. Convenience never tasted so good. Diet? What diet? Oops.

Schiller's Liquor Bar

Met my gals for brunch the other day at Schiller's and it did not disappoint. The first time I ate here with my husband we ate dinner. I'm not sure what our entrees were but I remembered we had the garlic shrimp as an app and a few years later that dish was featured on the hit TV series "The Best Thing I Ever Ate". That's right - I ate it BEFORE it was on TV! If you haven't had it yet and you like garlic, shrimp and olive oil you need to go get it. Anyways, I didn't get the shrimp this time - I got the Croque Madame. And yes, it's just as good as the one I ate in Paris. The bread is a nice hearty slice topped with salty thin sliced ham, that creamy sauce and then it's topped with gooey cheese and a fried egg. Schiller's pairs it with a simple salad of greens. With a hot coffee, it's easily one of my perfect meals.

Slow Cooker: Turkey and Bean Beer Chili

Left over Coors Light, you DO serve a purpose!

• vegetable oil spray
• 1 package of lean ground turkey (about 1.5 lbs.)
• 1 tbsp minced onion
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large can tomatoes in puree
• 1 1/2 cups tomato sauce
• 1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 cup of beer
• 1/2 c stalks celery, chopped
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 dash liquid smoke flavoring, or to taste
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 envelope commercial chili mix

Directions:

Spray cooking spray in a large kettle or Dutch oven. Brown ground turkey. While turkey is cooking add minced onion, cumin, garlic, brown sugar, salt, pepper and paprika. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 2 1/2 hours or more on very low heat. Can also be cooked in the crock pot, after the ground turkey has been browned. Top with grated cheese (Mozzarella, cheddar, or Monterrey Jack), sour cream, chopped scallions, etc.

L'asso

There are few places in this city where I crave foods that I'm supposed to despise. L'asso has made me a believer out of gorgonzola. What's wrong with gorgonzola you ask? Well, don't get me wrong - I love cheese. But I HATE fungus. I don't eat cheese with fungus. No blue cheese, no roquefort and definitely no gorgonzola for this gal. That is until I tried the Mela pizza from L'asso. (Pictured above - not my photo though. I devoured my pizza too quickly and had to steal this one off the interwebs). The first time I had it I had NO IDEA there was fungus-ey cheese up in my slice. I just knew it was heaven in my mouth. The second time I ordered it I had to do a double take. Did I just read the menu right? Did that say gorgonzola? I remember being bummed out - thinking they changed the recipe on me. But alas, they hadn't changed a thing. I was just being foolish and unaware of the amazing flavors of this pizza.

Let me explain, I like a classic pizza with red sauce. I like pepperoni and/or pancetta and peppers and onions. And if you're like me, then you need to just put that pizza aside once and go try this one. It will change your life. It's got all the good stuff: mozzarella, gorgonzola, asparagus, apple & truffle oil. It's tangy and sweet and salty. It's perfection. It changed me. Now, let it go and inspire you...

New L'asso location now up in the East Village, son! First Ave and 6th St!! BAH! They're within walking distance now! This could get dangerous!

Best Way to Serve Soup

in a bread bowl!

I had my first bread bowl in Ghent (Norfolk, VA) at some little coffee shop that served soup and sandwiches. I was a freshman in high school I believe and the spot was so cute it had coffee mugs hanging on the wall that belonged to the regulars. I want to say it was Baker's Crust but I don't think it's that easy. Honestly, I think the place isn't there anymore...but, I digress...Here's what you'll need to make yours:

• two small round loafs of bread ( you will most likely find sourdough and italian in a round shape)
• olive oil for brushing
  
• basting brush

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut a circular piece off the top of the loaf with a serrated knife. Remove bread on the inside, making it hollow. Leave about 1 1/2 inches thick on the inside. Using your basting brush, brush olive oil on the inside of the bread bowl. This creates a seal, ensuring whatever you put in the bread bowl will not leak out. Bake bread bowl on a baking sheet for 15 minutes, until golden on the inside. Remove from oven, fill with desired soup or stew and serve! Tip: thicker soups work better - like the New England Clam Chowder seen above that I used. (Campbell's Select has one that's only 120 calories) You can also save the top and dip it into your soup and then devour the bowl! Yummers!

Ponzu Chicken over Rice

1 lb. chicken breast (skinless and cut into bite size pieces)
1/4 c Ponzu sauce (bottled)
2 tbsps soy sauce (preferably light)
1 tbsp line juice
1 tbsp brown sugar
1 tbsp crushed garlic
1 tsp sesame seeds
2 small heads broccoli (cut into bite size pieces)
4 cups cooked brown rice (I used Uncle Ben's Instant Brown Rice)
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Cut up the chicken and place into a bowl. Tip: chicken cuts easily if slightly frozen. Mix chicken with all ingredients except the broccoli and rice. Cover and let it sit for 1 hour in fridge. When ready, cook in a frying pan on medium heat until chicken is golden brown. I sprayed my pan with non-stick cooking spray instead of using any oil. Steam broccoli separately until almost done and add to chicken for 1 to 2 minutes. Serve mixture over rice. Serves 4.

Honey Garlic Greek Chicken

This is simple, light and super yummy!

Ingredients:

12 oz Chicken breast sliced thin

2 cucumbers diced

4 tbsp feta cheese (reduced-fat)

1/2 c cherry tomatoes halved

1/2 sliced red onion

1 tbsp garlic powder

1 tsp black pepper

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp honey

4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

Prepare the chicken by covering them in the salt, pepper, garlic and drizzling one tbsp of honey on each breast. Grill on the stove top until cooked.

In a separate bowl combine tomatoes, cucumber and onion. Mix and then place a handful on your serving plate. Top with 1 tbsp of feta, EVOO and balsamic vinegar. Put your chicken on the plate and viola! Dinner is ready! Serves 4.

Potato Shrimp Salad

Ever bought potato salad pre-made from the grocery store before? It's great when you need it but have no time to make it but usually, if made by the grocery store it's just potato and mayo and not a whole lot else. Here is a way to take it and make it amaze-balls.

1 small container of red-skin potato salad (pre-made)

1/2 lb cooked shrimp , peeled and deveined

1/4 cup chopped celery
1/8 cup finely diced red onion
1 teaspoons Old Bay Seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce (I used Henderson's Relish)

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

2 tablespoons white wine or white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Sprinkle the old bay over the shrimp. Combine all remaining ingredients in a bowl adding the shrimp last. Serve or cover and refrigerate for a few hours.

Note: I made a small batch (2 servings). Double the portion sizes if you want 4 servings.

Edi and the Wolf

I spent New Year's Eve day with my lovely friend Sara having brunch at Edi and the Wolf in the East Village. I've been here three times already, it's a super cute brunch spot. (Never tried dinner - one day I will). I noticed when I came in that they changed their menu slightly (they got rid of their Toasted Tartines (aka "Belegtes Brot") and added a poached egg dish). All my last visits involved me ordering the prized Schnitzel Burger: heritage pig, sliced challah, cucumber salad, shredded cabbage, lemon aioli and spicy tomato. If it's your first time at this Austrian joint, I'd go with the Schnitzel Burger, but since I was looking to change things up I tried the poached egg dish. (Pictured above). The dish itself was good but the eggs were a little under to my liking. I prefer the whites cooked a bit more through - but that's my taste. The concept of the dish was right up my alley though - fresh cooked spinach with runny egg yolk and nuggets of yummy goat cheese and pumpernickel croutons. Delish! It was a light way to start the day, but I ruined that when I sat down and devoured a nice slice of challah bread with butter and jam and ordered a mimosa to wash it all down. Duh - this is how brunch works, ok?

I mentioned it being a cute place. Here's a photo. I didn't take this photo. NY Mag did in an article I found here, so take your credits NY Mag. :) In the summer they open up the garage door in the front of the house and really gives you the feeling of dining al fresco. But it's equally enjoyable in the winter too when the door is down. All the green makes me feel like I've got this secret hidden garden to eat in only a few blocks from me. Me likey!

How to Cheat at Poaching Eggs

I love eggs - particularly ones with a runny center and cooked whites. Poached eggs are the best, but unless you have great technique (or waste a carton of eggs and a few hours trying to master this technique), making a perfectly poached egg can be quite frustrating. Unless, that is, you have a cheat method like I do. I got this tip offline so it's not my own but it works perfectly. All you have to do is take 2 measuring cups or coffee cups and line with a square of saran wrap. Make sure it's a big enough piece because you need to tie the egg up. Crack the egg and place it in the cup. Tie him up. I grab the opposite corners and make a loose knot.

Drop your egg bundle into a pot of boiling water. It must be at a rapid boil or this won't work. I set my kitchen timer to 4 minutes but for you first timers I would do 3 min and 45 seconds. Unwrapping these suckers can be a slow process and the egg will continue to cook. When time is up carefully pull the eggs out of the boiling water one by one and set them on the counter. (I usually hold onto a piece of saran wrap that isn't touching the water so I don't burn myself). Carefully untie your egg. The saran wrap should pull off easily but you have to do it slowly.

You can put your poached egg onto anything - I put mine on a bed of arugula with light balsamic dressing, cherry tomatoes, 1 tsp feta cheese and 1 piece of crumbled bacon. Since it's New Year's Day - I'd though I'd start off with a salad for breakfast.