Coco and I decided to eat out for our last night home together child-free. We tried a new neighborhood restaurant called the Clinton Social, 700 Clinton Street, Hoboken, NJ. The first thing in its favor is that it is 2 blocks from our house. When we went inside as soon as I sat down I said that it reminded me a little of my favorite restaurant, The Madison. Both restaurants have nice size casual bars in the front with a few tables and tv screens, making it a really welcoming spot to have a drink before dinner. They both also have alot of exposed brick and warm lighting. After I examined the menu I noticed they also had in common a very nice mix of food from formal to casual. These things put together, both these restaurants are the perfect spot for a cozy date night, out with a group of friends, or even a family dinner. It turns out the things are all in common because they share the same proprietor. We started our meal by sharing Goat Cheese Potato Pierogies with caramelized onions. Three perfect potato pockets arrived, just the right size and pretty much perfect in every way. Coco continued his summer of beef with a Rib Eye Steak served with Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Sauteed Broccoli Rabe. It was a perfect basic meal, but my rule when eating out is don't order things that can be easily prepared at home. That said, I ordered the Braised Oxtail. It was very similar to an Osso Buco with the tender meat falling off the bone in a delicious tomato based sauce. It was served with Braised Carrots, cooked perfectly, and Potato Gnocchi. There was a little too much parsley on the gnocchi for my taste, but otherwise a really nice dinner. This restaurant will probably prove to be a regular hang out for us. I definitely plan to go back and try the Cassoulet of chorizo, garlic sausauge and duck confit!
Conveniently, we were right across the street from the A&P grocery store where we stopped to stock up on some of the basics since the Spud is due in tonight and we have to prepare to get back on schedule by Thursday. We didn't pick up anything too exciting, but I did buy the ingredients to make breakfast for tomorrow. I just got finished preparing a Spinach and Cheese Strata, pg 655. It is a perfect make ahead dish that can now stay in the fridge overnight and just be baked in the morning. A Strata is basically a savory bread pudding. This one is french bread layered with sauted onion and spinach, gruyere & parmesan cheese, seasoned with salt and pepper and then an egg and milk custard poured over the top. It will sit all night so the bread can absorb the custard and be baked in the AM.
I hope everyone cooks something special for the long weekend!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Beer and Crab
I had every intention of cooking tonight and then the call of the social won, as it usually will. It's the last night before I get to be "mom" again, so I stopped for drinks. The Happy Hour special was Saranac Pale Ale at The Houndstooth Pub, 520 8th Avenue @ 37th St. NYC. A great deal at $5 a pint, so I had 2.
A friend and colleague lives on the water on Long Island and became my new best friend when he brought me a dozen Long Island Blue Crab that he pulled out of his back yard. After I carried them in my back pack on the bus and they leaked out all over my clothes and bag, when I got home I steamed them up with a good douse of Old Bay. One inch of water in the bottom of the pot brought to a boil. Metal rack on the bottom and then just drop the crab in and cover with a good layer of Old Bay seasoning, put the lid on tight until they are turned an nice bright red. They were mostly male but they were a little on the small side. The meat in the claws was wonderful, I think the bodies were a little small still to be true peak. Either way it took care of my summer long craving and got the Old Bay flavor in. I opened up a bottle of Bavarian Barbarian Hammerin Ale that I brought back from Williamsport PA, where we did the beer tour and tasting last month. It is a great beer and was a nice accompaniment to the crab. Check out their website at http://www.bavarianbarbarian.com/.
With any luck I can get in one more crab fix before the season ends, but if not there is always next year......
As to the Chocolate Shortbread I made last night, it was devoured today almost instantly at home and work, so I'll take that as being a hit. The piece I had was wonderful!
A friend and colleague lives on the water on Long Island and became my new best friend when he brought me a dozen Long Island Blue Crab that he pulled out of his back yard. After I carried them in my back pack on the bus and they leaked out all over my clothes and bag, when I got home I steamed them up with a good douse of Old Bay. One inch of water in the bottom of the pot brought to a boil. Metal rack on the bottom and then just drop the crab in and cover with a good layer of Old Bay seasoning, put the lid on tight until they are turned an nice bright red. They were mostly male but they were a little on the small side. The meat in the claws was wonderful, I think the bodies were a little small still to be true peak. Either way it took care of my summer long craving and got the Old Bay flavor in. I opened up a bottle of Bavarian Barbarian Hammerin Ale that I brought back from Williamsport PA, where we did the beer tour and tasting last month. It is a great beer and was a nice accompaniment to the crab. Check out their website at http://www.bavarianbarbarian.com/.
With any luck I can get in one more crab fix before the season ends, but if not there is always next year......
As to the Chocolate Shortbread I made last night, it was devoured today almost instantly at home and work, so I'll take that as being a hit. The piece I had was wonderful!
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Old Standby Night
Tonight, I stuck to a few old standbys ( for me at least). First, I would like to announce that my freezer is cleaned out. Other than some bacon and Hebrew Nats,( the only hot dog allowed in this house) there is nothing left in the meat family. Currently occupying my freezer is chicken soup, stored ravioli fillings, pie crusts, wonton wrappers, hamburger rolls and Lean Cuisines , and of course the highly coveted Dark Chocolate Reese's Peanut Butter cups that I just recently found again in the Hershey Store, Times Square. These are stashed with the vow to eat only 1 cup a week, and so far so good. Please also note the irony that I have hot dogs, and no buns, and hamburger rolls and no ground beef.
So to use up my last packet of chicken, I made Parmesan Chicken, Page 356. This is one of my favorite chicken dishes, and I have 3 different variations I make, but I think Ruth's choice is my favorite because it's baked. I have made this quite a few times before. The secret to the flavor in this is the dijon mustard coating before it is breaded and parmesaned. The other neat twist to it is that the bread crumbs are made from an English Muffin. I happen to even have lowfat high fiber muffins in the house today, so this recipe ends up pretty healthy, no egg, healthy coating, and it's baked. Of course there is no way around the parmesan in the coating, but I suppose you can cut back to keep the fat down. I admit tonight I cooked the chicken a little too long and it was a touch dry. Normally this recipe leaves the chicken moist and juicy. It still did not lack for flavor though.
The side I chose was the Herbed Spaetzle on Page 241. It's the easiest way I know to basically make fresh pasta, The dough takes 2 minutes to mix in a bowl and then you just press the batter through a colander into boiling water, and Voila! fresh pasta dumplings! I tossed with the herbs, salt and pepper and a touch of butter, and tonight I tossed in some frozen peas ( pre-cooked in the microwave) as my vegetable. Dinner was done in under 1/2 hour.
And finally, in the effort to keep up with my recipe count, I tried my hand at something new. We'll see how this goes, but I made the Dark Chocolate Shortbread, page 688. I was actually out of Dutch process cocoa, and I tried Hershey's Special Dark instead. This always makes a nice change in my favorite brownie recipe, so I figured, why not here? It made the shortbread very dark, looking like an oreo cookie. I am hoping I am lucky enough that it tastes like that. It is still cooling so I will have to give you the update tomorrow. I will test it on my colleagues and give you the feedback.
Since I am out of food, I am thinking a bean dish for tomorrow night. I will be making it to the grocery store this weekend and will probably place a meat order too. That said, I am open for recommendations or requests of what to cook for the next few weeks.
Also, now that my son, the Spud, as we call him, is coming home and school is starting, now we begin the quest for lunch food. I would love feedback for lunches that meet the following requirements: can be served cold, quick and easy to make,offers some variety, and fairly healthy /low fat. We hate to prepare lunch food in this house and the Spud ends up hating to eat it because it shows in what we prepare. So watch for some thoughts on this to pop up here in coming weeks as well.
So to use up my last packet of chicken, I made Parmesan Chicken, Page 356. This is one of my favorite chicken dishes, and I have 3 different variations I make, but I think Ruth's choice is my favorite because it's baked. I have made this quite a few times before. The secret to the flavor in this is the dijon mustard coating before it is breaded and parmesaned. The other neat twist to it is that the bread crumbs are made from an English Muffin. I happen to even have lowfat high fiber muffins in the house today, so this recipe ends up pretty healthy, no egg, healthy coating, and it's baked. Of course there is no way around the parmesan in the coating, but I suppose you can cut back to keep the fat down. I admit tonight I cooked the chicken a little too long and it was a touch dry. Normally this recipe leaves the chicken moist and juicy. It still did not lack for flavor though.
The side I chose was the Herbed Spaetzle on Page 241. It's the easiest way I know to basically make fresh pasta, The dough takes 2 minutes to mix in a bowl and then you just press the batter through a colander into boiling water, and Voila! fresh pasta dumplings! I tossed with the herbs, salt and pepper and a touch of butter, and tonight I tossed in some frozen peas ( pre-cooked in the microwave) as my vegetable. Dinner was done in under 1/2 hour.
And finally, in the effort to keep up with my recipe count, I tried my hand at something new. We'll see how this goes, but I made the Dark Chocolate Shortbread, page 688. I was actually out of Dutch process cocoa, and I tried Hershey's Special Dark instead. This always makes a nice change in my favorite brownie recipe, so I figured, why not here? It made the shortbread very dark, looking like an oreo cookie. I am hoping I am lucky enough that it tastes like that. It is still cooling so I will have to give you the update tomorrow. I will test it on my colleagues and give you the feedback.
Since I am out of food, I am thinking a bean dish for tomorrow night. I will be making it to the grocery store this weekend and will probably place a meat order too. That said, I am open for recommendations or requests of what to cook for the next few weeks.
Also, now that my son, the Spud, as we call him, is coming home and school is starting, now we begin the quest for lunch food. I would love feedback for lunches that meet the following requirements: can be served cold, quick and easy to make,offers some variety, and fairly healthy /low fat. We hate to prepare lunch food in this house and the Spud ends up hating to eat it because it shows in what we prepare. So watch for some thoughts on this to pop up here in coming weeks as well.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Red Sauce Recipe
I almost forgot. A Facebook friend was looking for a red sauce recipe this evening. Here is what I posted for her on the run:
Finely chop 1 onion and 4 cloves of garlic. Heat olive oil and cook onions and garlic until soft, be sure not to burn. Add 4, 28 oz cans of pureed tomatoes, one cup of red wine and 2 cans of tomato paste. Cook at a simmer for about 2 hours, uncovered but with a splash guard. Stir occasionally. Happy cooking!
Finely chop 1 onion and 4 cloves of garlic. Heat olive oil and cook onions and garlic until soft, be sure not to burn. Add 4, 28 oz cans of pureed tomatoes, one cup of red wine and 2 cans of tomato paste. Cook at a simmer for about 2 hours, uncovered but with a splash guard. Stir occasionally. Happy cooking!
Can we say Indigestion?
I was out at a golf outing dinner last night, and didn't eat anything worth blogging about. Tonight I got home late and was starving after being really good on my diet. We are almost out of food in the house and I wanted to make something for the experiment, so I tried some breakfast for dinner in Ruth's Pancakes, page 645. A pretty basic pancake recipe, tasty but a bit greasy. I broke my diet rules and ate after 8 and now I am suffering indigestion. I think I really just don't like pancakes so much anymore.
We're home tomorrow so I will be making something with chicken. Stay tuned.
We're home tomorrow so I will be making something with chicken. Stay tuned.
Sunday, August 30, 2009
Breakfast and Baseball
We started Sunday morning with a classic Cheese Omelet, page 631. It tasted and was cooked just fine, but I am still omelet challenged. I can never seem to get it out of the pan in one piece, or folded in one piece for that matter. Needless to say it wasn't pretty.
After breakfast we headed out to Yankee Stadium for the first time in the new stadium. I was quite excited to see a ball game, the new stadium and of course sample some ballpark food. The new Yankee Stadium, although really cool by stadium standards, is missing some magic of the old stadium. The history just isn't there yet. However, nothing is lacking for food. They do a great job of sampling the best of NYC and then some. Pizza, steaks, pastrami, kosher deli, Nathans, Johnny Rockets, Sausage sandwiches, cheesesteaks, Brother Jimmy's Barbecue, French Fries, Sushi, Chinese, kinishes, popcorn, Carvel, pretzels, peanuts, Moe's southwest grill, an array of Pepsi products, Gatorade and all kinds of beer . We decided to stick with the old ballpark standbys. We started with a delicious fresh lemonade and a bag of peanuts as an appetizer for our pre-game. During the game we consumed Bronx Bombers! A Bronx Bomber is a grilled 1/4 pound Hebrew National hot dog on a hero roll instead of a standard hot dog roll. We also had some tortilla chips and cheese queso from Moe's Southwest. I didn't like these too much. The chips seemed like they were cooked in old oil. Its too bad because the white cheese queso was really good. Coco had a chocolate Carvel cone as his dessert and I went on a hunt for a beer and Cracker Jacks. I tracked down the Cracker Jack vendor, but I had a problem with the beer. I never thought to bring ID to a ball game and couldn't get a beer because they CARD everyone! So I went through a ball game sans beer.
Anyway the Yankees won, Johnny Damon tied his own record for career high home runs, Mark Texieria reached 30 homeruns & 100 RBI's in a season for the 6th season in a row, and Derek Jeter is only 11 hits away from the Yankee all time hit record. It was a beautiful day and a good time was had by all.
After breakfast we headed out to Yankee Stadium for the first time in the new stadium. I was quite excited to see a ball game, the new stadium and of course sample some ballpark food. The new Yankee Stadium, although really cool by stadium standards, is missing some magic of the old stadium. The history just isn't there yet. However, nothing is lacking for food. They do a great job of sampling the best of NYC and then some. Pizza, steaks, pastrami, kosher deli, Nathans, Johnny Rockets, Sausage sandwiches, cheesesteaks, Brother Jimmy's Barbecue, French Fries, Sushi, Chinese, kinishes, popcorn, Carvel, pretzels, peanuts, Moe's southwest grill, an array of Pepsi products, Gatorade and all kinds of beer . We decided to stick with the old ballpark standbys. We started with a delicious fresh lemonade and a bag of peanuts as an appetizer for our pre-game. During the game we consumed Bronx Bombers! A Bronx Bomber is a grilled 1/4 pound Hebrew National hot dog on a hero roll instead of a standard hot dog roll. We also had some tortilla chips and cheese queso from Moe's Southwest. I didn't like these too much. The chips seemed like they were cooked in old oil. Its too bad because the white cheese queso was really good. Coco had a chocolate Carvel cone as his dessert and I went on a hunt for a beer and Cracker Jacks. I tracked down the Cracker Jack vendor, but I had a problem with the beer. I never thought to bring ID to a ball game and couldn't get a beer because they CARD everyone! So I went through a ball game sans beer.
Anyway the Yankees won, Johnny Damon tied his own record for career high home runs, Mark Texieria reached 30 homeruns & 100 RBI's in a season for the 6th season in a row, and Derek Jeter is only 11 hits away from the Yankee all time hit record. It was a beautiful day and a good time was had by all.
Rainy Saturday
I set out with ambitions greater than I fulfilled yesterday. I was hoping to polish off another 4 recipes and instead ended up with 2. It was a lazy rainy day, but I admit I ended up focused on the funeral and Memorial service for Senator Edward M. Kennedy. I am not sure if it was the draw of the Kennedy's, the fact that he died of a brain tumor, or that I hadn't really watched a full state funeral in my life. ( I for some reason wasn't tuned in for Nixon, Ford and Reagan) Anyway, it distracted my goals today.
Instead of the Irish impulse I had the night before, I stayed with cleaning out the freezer. I had Sweet Italian Sausage and more ground beef left. I made Perciatelli with Sausage Ragu and Meatballs, page 222 and with it the Sicilian Meatballs on the same page. Perciatelli is apparently like a ridged Penne and I do not have an electric pasta maker ( I owned one once and hated it so I gave it away) and I wanted to make fresh pasta so I made this with homemade fettucini instead. It was a very rich and delicious dish. Probably better suited for a cold February day than August, but it was still really good. The secret to this dish was in the meatballs. The meatballs contained, ground almonds, pine nuts and Cinnamon! The cinnamon is definitely what added the underlying flavor to the meatballs and thus, the sauce. Actually I did accomplish 3 recipes, becuase I did make Homemade Pasta Dough, Page 209,- sort of but I admit after making pasta for 17 years, and no disrespect to Gourmet editors, I couldn't bring myself to use this recipe again. ( I have tried it before) I opted for The Joy Pasta recipe, page 9, that I have used for years. I use 1/2 regular flour and 1/2 00 Pasta flour I buy from the Italian Specialty store in Chelsea Market. I had no Chanti around so I drank it with a cheap Red Argentinian wine that was intended for Sangria, but it worked really well with this dish.
I intended to make a salad and dessert, but just never got to it. Instead Coco ate the Apple Crisp that I ate for breakfast. (It was delicious) I abstained from dessert as I did eat mine for breakfast.
Instead of the Irish impulse I had the night before, I stayed with cleaning out the freezer. I had Sweet Italian Sausage and more ground beef left. I made Perciatelli with Sausage Ragu and Meatballs, page 222 and with it the Sicilian Meatballs on the same page. Perciatelli is apparently like a ridged Penne and I do not have an electric pasta maker ( I owned one once and hated it so I gave it away) and I wanted to make fresh pasta so I made this with homemade fettucini instead. It was a very rich and delicious dish. Probably better suited for a cold February day than August, but it was still really good. The secret to this dish was in the meatballs. The meatballs contained, ground almonds, pine nuts and Cinnamon! The cinnamon is definitely what added the underlying flavor to the meatballs and thus, the sauce. Actually I did accomplish 3 recipes, becuase I did make Homemade Pasta Dough, Page 209,- sort of but I admit after making pasta for 17 years, and no disrespect to Gourmet editors, I couldn't bring myself to use this recipe again. ( I have tried it before) I opted for The Joy Pasta recipe, page 9, that I have used for years. I use 1/2 regular flour and 1/2 00 Pasta flour I buy from the Italian Specialty store in Chelsea Market. I had no Chanti around so I drank it with a cheap Red Argentinian wine that was intended for Sangria, but it worked really well with this dish.
I intended to make a salad and dessert, but just never got to it. Instead Coco ate the Apple Crisp that I ate for breakfast. (It was delicious) I abstained from dessert as I did eat mine for breakfast.
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