Balancing Act: Roasted Fall Vegetable Salad

While fall is the ideal time of year for comfort food - apple pie, mashed potatoes, stuffing - it's also the easiest time of year to pack on a few extra pounds. Thanks to the cooler weather, it's easy to hide what all that pie does to your middle underneath layers and loose sweaters. And though I'm not one to sacrifice my favorite fall foods for vanity's sake, I don't want to be cursing those extra helpings of cider donuts come next spring. So in order to get the most of the comforting fall flavors we all love, I look to the many hearty vegetables the autumn harvest has to offer.

This salad with roasted butternut squash, brussels sprouts and beets is so satisfying that you won't feel like you're missing out at all. Plus, just look at those colors. If that doesn't look like fall, I don't know what does. And if anything, eat this salad so you can feel a little less guilty about polishing off that bag of candy corn after.

Roasted Fall Vegetable Salad
makes 4 entrée-sized servings

Ingredients:
1 lb butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1 lb brussels sprouts, halved
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
2 cups precooked beets, quartered
1/4 cup gorgonzola cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped
16 oz baby spinach (or 2 bags of the pre-washed kind from the grocery store)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Assemble the squash and brussels sprouts on the baking sheet so they're in one even layer. If the pan is too crowded, use 2 baking sheets. Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Using your hands, toss the veggies so they're evenly coated in oil. Roast in the oven about 30 minutes, or until tender and slightly browned. Allow the veggies to cool slightly.
3. Top the spinach with beets, gorgonzola, walnuts and roasted veggies. I don't use any extra dressing for this, because I find the beets and roasted veggies help moisten the spinach, but if you want to drizzle with some extra olive oil, more power to ya.

Quick Bites: Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

In case you've been living in a ditch for the past couple of weeks, pumpkin season is upon us, and there's no escaping it. From pumpkin lattes, to pumpkin ice cream and pumpkin Hershey's kisses, pumpkin is everywhere and it's taking over the world. Not that I'm complaining, I'm more than willing to succumb to the pumpkin world domination.

So today I bring you a super quick, super simple, and even more delicious recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip bread. A couple years ago, my brother Michael and I went to breakfast at this diner where he ordered pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes. This was before the pumpkin craze was really the phenomenon it is today, so we thought the combination of pumpkin and pancakes was totally brilliant. Now that Michael is all grown up as a freshman in college (sigh), I attempted to recreate that diner breakfast in bread form. Though I'm not able to share this bread with Michael right now, the comforting aromas of pumpkin and chocolate keep us feeling close regardless of the physical distance.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread adapted from Big Girls Small Kitchen
makes 1 loaf

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup turbinado sugar (raw cane sugar)
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1 can pumpkin purée (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, cinnamon, salt, baking power, and baking soda.
3. In another bowl, beat the eggs. Add sugar, vanilla extract,  and oil until combined.
4. Fold the egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Stir in pumpkin purée until combined. Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.
5. Pour the batter into loaf pan and bake for 1 hour, or until cooked through and tender in the center.

Before...

...After! Mmm...

One Pot Wonder: Italian Vegetable Soup & Cornbread

Summer is unofficially over, which means it's time to get back to routines and schedules. And I could not be happier. I know, I sound like a total party pooper. Don't get me wrong, I do love summer, but come late August every year, I'm itching for cooler weather, apples and pumpkins, prime time TV, and a week when I can just stay put and get back in the kitchen.

Now I don't want to jinx it, but I think it's safe to say that the dog days of summer are finally past us. The weather in NYC has been just divine, and I've finally had a few weekends where I can stay home and relax instead of living out of a suitcase between graduations, vacations, and beach visits. So with some extra time on my hands, it was about time I got back in the kitchen with one of my favorite Sunday traditions: one pot meals!

As I've said here before, one pot meals are clutch for young, busy and poor folks (like me)! They're a major timesaver during the week, and much healthier and more cost effective than ordering takeout everyday for lunch or dinner. On the menu this week is a big, biiiig pot of Italian vegetable soup. Besides chopping up all the vegetables, you essentially just dump and stir everything into a big pot. And because I always need a little carb-age to truly hold me over, I made a lighter version of hearty cornbread. While it may officially be summer until this Saturday, this Italian vegetable soup and cornbread says fall is here to stay.

Italian Vegetable Soup
serves 6-8

Ingredients:
2 cups escarole, chopped
2 cups baby spinach
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 fennel bulb, chopped
28 oz can diced tomatoes
6 cups vegetable broth
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 tsp fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped

Add escarole, spinach, garlic, onion, zucchini, red bell pepper, fennel, canned tomatoes, vegetable broth, red pepper flakes, thyme and oregano to a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 10-15 minutes until vegetables are cooked through. Season with salt and pepper and top with parsley and basil.

Healthy Cornbread
serves 12

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 eggs, beaten

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray an 8x8 inch pan with cooking spray.

Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda and salt in a mixing bowl. Stir in yogurt and eggs until combined and batter is smooth. Pour into pan and bake 20-25 minutes until tender and cooked through in the center.

Brown Bag Lunch: Quinoa with Corn, Tomatoes & Avocado

After a weekend full of indulgences - burgers & milkshakes at Schnipper's, pasta at Piccolo Angolo, and smoked salmon wrapped poached eggs at Penelope - I was craving something healthy and simple for lunch this week. I stumbled upon this recipe at Serious Eats for quinoa with corn, tomatoes and avocado last week, and instantly thought of it as the perfect brown bag lunch.

This quinoa is great to throw together on a Sunday afternoon and have ready for the rest of the week. It's tasty at room temperature or cold, so it makes for a great bring-to-work lunch. Plus, the avocado and quinoa are nice and filling, so you won't be looking for snacks at your desk an hour after lunch.

Quinoa with Corn, Tomatoes, Avocado & Lime
makes 4-5 servings

Ingredients:
2 tbs olive oil, divided
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 cup pre-washed quinoa
1-2/3 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 tsp salt, divided
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 cobs of fresh corn, cooked and kernels removed
3 scallions, white and green parts, finely chopped
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded and finely chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
2 tbs lime juice, from 1-2 limes
2 avocados, cut into bite-sized chunks

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in medium pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.

2. Add quinoa to onions, stirring constantly for 3-4 minutes. Add vegetable broth and stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt. Turn up heat to high and bring to a boil. Cover pot, turn down heat to low and simmer for about 20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is cooked. Let cool slightly.

3. When quinoa is cool, add remaining olive oil, tomatoes, corn, scallions, jalapeño, cilantro, salt and lime juice. Top with avocado.

To Food With Love

I typically like to switch up my cuisines - sushi one night, Mexican the next. But the theme of this weekend was Italian, and I'm not complaining. Maybe I'm biased because of my Italian roots, but I don't think I could ever get sick of Italian food, even after an entire weekend full of it...

It started with dinner at Il Bagatto in the East Village on Friday night. Hidden on 2nd Street between Avenues A & B, Il Bagatto is old school, no frills, authentic Italian food. After the waiter spewed off a looong list of specials (completely by memorization, too!), I decided on two specials: grilled calamari to start and fettuccine with shrimp, grape tomatoes and pesto. Though simple, the calamari was perfectly tender, not rubbery at all, and very light. The pasta was also not too heavy, yet nicely satisfying for a hot summer evening. Afterwards and very apropos, we saw Woody Allen's To Rome With Love, which I highly recommend for anyone who has a love affair for all things European, like me! 

Continuing the trend, Saturday I spent at an Italian cooking class at The Blue Burner in Midtown. Another Groupon purchase and having taken a cookie baking class there a few months ago that was somewhat unfulfilling, I was a little weary for this one. But we were pleasantly surprised, as this class was much more hands-on and involved. During the 3 hour class, we made a white wine risotto, a red wine risotto, pesto, and chicken cacciatore. It was quite the indulgent meal for a Saturday afternoon, but also made for the perfect excuse to take a long nap after. 

To cap it all off, Sunday's excursion was to L & B Spumoni Gardens in the depths of Brooklyn. I've read about Spumoni Gardens on several "best pizza" round-ups from other food blogs, so it was about time I saw what the buzz was all about. And the buzz is 100% deserved. Also a very old school, no frills place, you order your pizza by the slice or pie at a window and then devour it on several red picnic tables out front. (There's also a sit-down restaurant attached to the pizza window). Spumoni's signature is a tomato pie, which has a thick crust, a little bit of cheese and topped with tomato sauce. A departure from your typical New York slice, this was the best Sicilian style pizza I've ever had. And though it's a bit of a trek into Brooklyn, I'm not one to pass on quality food for the sake of time. 

Vive La France!

As many of you already know, I am obsessed with everything French. French food, the language, French style, French movies. So I am especially excited for the Bastille Day cruise Benchmarc Events is hosting tomorrow, July 10th. We'll set sail from the pier at the World Financial Center at 8pm, and from there it will be 2 hours full of  French tunes, bites and drinks!

If you're in New York and looking for a festive way to celebrate Bastille Day, it's not too late to buy your tickets. And because you're a reader of The Daily Bite you can use our Friends & Family code BIGMARC4 at checkout to receive $15 off the ticket price (normally $60 for $45)!

If you're still not convinced, below are some pictures from last week's Red, White & Blue cruise, which will attest that tomorrow night is sure to be a real fête! Bon voyage!

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/producer/185631

all photos: Jason Shaltz

A Peachy Beachy Weekend

As much as I love New York, an occasional weekend away from the city is necessary, especially in the summer. So this past weekend at my friend's beach house in Rhode Island was the perfect mini vacation. We could not have asked for better weather, having spent all day Saturday and Sunday lounging at the beach.

When we weren't soaking up the sun or swimming in the surprisingly clear Atlantic, we were eating (duh). And the food theme of the weekend was peaches. Peach scones, peaches on the beach, peaches in our sangria, peach pie. Even the name of the farm stand where we did some shopping was Peaches. Not that I'm complaining. There are few things better than sinking your teeth into a peach, juices running down your chin on a sunny summer afternoon.

Strawberry & Peach Sangria adapted from Bon Appetit 

Ingredients:
about 1 and a half bottles white wine
1 1/2 cups peach schnapps
1/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup seltzer water
1 large orange, peeled & segmented
3 peaches, sliced
1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
1 lemon, cut crosswise into slices

Add fruit to a large pitcher. Stir in wine, peach schnapps, seltzer water and sugar. Add sugar if needed. Chill and serve over ice.

Tomatoes stuffed with mozzarella & basil, served with basil vinaigrette. Recipe here

Grilled chicken with orange & honey glaze. Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit 

Is that not a summer feast, or what?

Class Time

I've done my fair share of cooking classes. From a week long boot camp at the Culinary Institute to various Groupon deals, these classes have ranged from very hands-on to very laidback. Personally, if I'm paying for a cooking class I expect to actually do the cooking and eat that food that I made, not have everything done for me by the instructor or eat something that was made earlier for the sake of time. So I was very pleased with a chocolate soufflé class at Cathcart & Reddy (formerly known as Dessert Truck).

Set on the Lower East Side, the shop was nice and small, with less than 10 people in the class (all women of course). Everyone prepared 2 soufflés - one to be cooked and eaten at the shop, and one to be taken home and baked at another time (i.e. tonight). We started by generously buttering and sugaring our ramekins to give a nice coating. Next was the beating of the egg whites, some lemon juice, and sugar. Without an electric mixer, this was quite exhausting! Luckily our instructor, lent us some muscle to speed up the process.

Look at her go!

Once the meringue (egg whites + sugar) came to a medium-stiff peak, we folded in an egg yolk and lots of melted dark chocolate. (The chocolate was melted beforehand for us over a double boiler). After carefully incorporating the chocolate (and taking several licks), into the ramekins the mixture went, for about 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

Souffle waiting to be baked!

Out came our beautifully risen chocolate soufflés that were perfectly moist and airy in the middle with an ever-so-slightly crisp crust on the outside. Topped with some powdered sugar and vanilla creme anglaise (already prepared by the bakery), it was the perfectly indulgent dessert without being too heavy or rich. Though I was surprised by how simple the process was, I'm not sure that I'll be making soufflés in my apartment anytime soon. Mostly because precision of ingredients and temperature is so important in soufflé making, and my lack of a scale or reliable oven would compromise this particular balance. At least I have that leftover soufflé sitting in my fridge with my name on it!

Look at that oozin' creme anglaise!

Chocolate Souffle Recipe courtesy Cathcart & Reddy 

makes five 4 oz. ramekins

Ingredients:

approx. 4 tbsp of softened unsalted butter (for ramekins)

approx. 1/2 cup of granulated sugar (for ramekins)

250 g egg whites

120 g granulated sugar

3 g cream of tartar or lemon juice

150 g 70% dark chocolate

35 g egg yolks

1. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Using a brush, generously brush the interior of the ramekins with softened butter, ensuring that the entire interior is buttered. Coat the butter with sugar, knocking out any excess sugar.

2. Using a double-boiler, melt the chocolate over simmering water, stirring occasionally.

3. Place the egg whites, the cream of tartar or lemon juice and a pinch of sugar in a large bowl. Using a whisk or an electric mixer with a whisk attachment, whip the whites and gradually add the rest of the granulated sugar. Whip the whites until you get stiff peaks. You now have a meringue.

4. Stir in about one-third of the meringue into the melted chocolate. Then fold this mix into the remaining meringue, making sure you use a rubber spatula at this point.

5. Now fold in the egg yolks into approximately one-third of the chocolate-meringue mixture. Fold in the rest of the chocolate-meringue mixture into the mix with the yolks.

6. Spoon or pipe the souffle mix into your ramekins. Level the tops of each ramekin so that the souffle mixture is even with the top of the ramekins. Run your thumb along the inside edge of each ramekin rim. Bake the souffles on the middle rack until they have risen, formed a crust on top, but are still jiggly in the center, approximately 10 minutes. Serve immediately.

Fast(ish) Food

I spent this past weekend at my first ever music festival, Governors Ball, which is deceivingly not on Governors Island but Randall's Island. After hiking it up to Randall's Island once for a soccer game via subway and a bus ride with lots of creepy men, I swore I would never go back there, but alas, there I was. And this time, the trip to Randall's Island was well worth it.

Rainbow balloons for Pride Weekend!

My friends and I were in agreement that the absolute peak of the weekend (and also unexpected) was the show/extreme dance party put on by Major Lazer. Jumping, fist pumping, champagne popping, and shirts flying all ensued (not our shirts, of course). Top that off with a naked girl running across the stage  and lots of booty-popping from the dancers, and you have got an awesome sweaty dance party outside in the 85-degree heat.

Other musical favorites of mine included Chromeo, Passion Pit and Modest Mouse.

Chromeo

Passion Pit

But with all that sweating and dancing, we obviously had to keep ourselves satiated too, and Governors Ball had a nice little spread of food vendors for just that. On Saturday I indulged in the "Vinh" from Asia Dog: a Vietnamese banh-mi style hotdog (I opted for a chicken dog) with aioli, pork pate, cucumbers, pickled carrot & daikon, cilantro and jalapeño. The pickled carrots and cilantro were a refreshing bite on the hot afternoon.

photo credit: padmalakshmi.com

On Sunday I went for a half lobster, half crab roll from Luke's Lobster. I'm no newbie to Luke's Lobster. I love a lobster roll with big chunks of lobster and just a little bit of butter. Some people prefer their roll as more of a salad with a mayo-based sauce, but I like to taste all that fresh lobstah! The crab roll is also simple and delicious with just some butter and old bay seasoning. Sandwich that between a buttery toasted bun, and you've got the perfect snack for lounging out in the sun on a Sunday afternoon.

photo credit: lukeslobster.com

Friday Favorite: Buvette

As much as I love New York City, Paris has that magical je ne sais quoi that will always have my heart. And while I can't afford a trip to gay Paris any time soon, I can at least humor my Francophile tendencies at Buvette in the West Village.

Enjoy the perfectly indulgent croque madame for brunch, or share glasses of Beaujolais and the uber-rich chocolate mousse with a friend at the bar. Every item on the menu makes me feel as if I've been transported to a hidden cafe in Saint-Germain-des-Pres.

Buvette is made even more charmant by the handsome waiters, who will even amuse your poor French that hasn't been used since college.

So when I need a break from this concrete jungle (or some eye candy), I head to Buvette for a little Parisian escape. Bon voyage!

Buvette, 42 Grove Street, no reservations

Restaurant Raves: Prune & Perilla

I know this blog has primarily been an accumulation of my own recipes (or adaptations of others), but the reason I haven't written in months is that I really haven't made anything that I felt was worth writing about. Not only have the past couple months been quite busy - lots of birthdays, graduation, holiday weekends - but I get lazy when it comes to cooking in the summer months. Not to mention it just gets too damn hot in my apartment to turn on the stove. So today I'm going to switch it up a bit and share some quick highlights from two excellent meals I had out in the city!

First up, Gabrielle Hamilton's Prune.  My foodie book club just finished Hamilton's memoir Blood, Bones & Butter, so it only made sense to have our discussion at her restaurant. The tiny East Village spot is charming and girly: a bright pink awning matches the pink menus. The menu also sways to the feminine, which was unexpected given Hamilton's bold and ballsy persona portrayed in her book. Our group started with sardines with triscuits & mustard, garrotxa cheese with buttered brown bread & salted red onion, and a shaved celery salad with warm blue cheese toast. I've never been one for sardines, but I even gobbled those down. For my entree, I had a whole grilled branzino with lots of lemon and fresh dill - perfectly flaky and light. For dessert we shared mascarpone ice cream with salted caramel croutons and rhubarb bread pudding. The mascarpone ice cream was a huge hit with the group.  The entire meal was delicious. All of the dishes were so simple, yet so flavorful.

photo credit: Justcook NYC

Next is Perilla. One of Top Chef  Harold Dieterle's restaurants (his other being Kin Shop, which I also recommend), Perilla was the perfect setting for the birthday dinner of a close friend. The ambiance and price point  are more on par with a special occasion or nice date, rather than a casual book club gathering like at Prune. Because the menu was a little pricey for us newly 24-year-olds, we stuck to wine and entrees. I tried the special: halibut with turnips and israeli couscous cooked in a lobster sauce. The birthday girl had hanger steak, which looked delicious, and she even let me try some of her "hen of the woods" mushrooms. We all scraped our plates clean, but the leaner portions left plenty of room for dessert. For that, we headed to one of my favorite gems - Buvette - but I'll have to dedicate a full post to that another day.

photo credit: The Daily Dish

Prune: 54 East 1st Street (between 1st & 2nd avenue), accepts lunch & dinner reservations, brunch first come first serve

Perilla: 9 Jones Street (off of West 4th), accepts reservations

The Incredible, Edible Egg

I've been really into eggs recently. Not just your standard scramble or omelette, but eggs on everything. Deviled eggs, eggs on pizza, eggs on grits, eggs on rice. Basically eggs on any sort of carb-bomb. Maybe it's because they're super easy, versatile and cheap. They can go from breakfast to lunch to dinner; and are essential to my favorite course: dessert. Or maybe it's that eggs are timeless. People have used eggs since we figured out that chickens laid them. (Or did the egg come first and then the chicken? Another story for another day...) It could be that during my recent training for a half-marathon, I found myself craving some serious protein. I inhaled smoked salmon eggs benedict from The Bowery Diner after the actual race like it was oxygen (which was delicious and I definitely recommend it!).

Regardless of the reason, I don't think anyone could argue that eggs are delicious and a staple as an ingredient or as a stand-alone course. So when I saw a recipe for carbonara pasta on one of my favorite blogs How Sweet It Is, I had to give it a try. I've had spaghetti carbonara several times in restaurants (in fact, the carbonara at Landmarc - shameless plug - is quite tasty), but have never ventured to make it on my own. I guess something about eggs and pasta intimidated me. But after my new egg-kick, there's nothing I wouldn't put an egg on. Not surprisingly, this dish was totally foolproof and absolutely egg-cellent even on a warm evening in New York City.

Spaghetti Carbonara adapted from How Sweet It Is
makes 2-3 hearty servings

Ingredients:
1/2 lb long, thin pasta (I used brown rice spaghetti, but you could use linguine, angel hair, whatever you have in the pantry)
1/4 lb pancetta, chopped
1 medium-large shallot, chopped
10 oz baby bella mushrooms, quartered
2 large eggs
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
salt & pepper

1. Cook the pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat, until browned and the fat has rendered, about 5-7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Turn down heat to low.
2. Add the shallot and mushrooms to the pan with a pinch of salt. Cook until browned and softened, about 8 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, bring a pot of salted water to a boil and add the pasta. While the pasta and mushrooms are cooking, mix together the eggs and cheese in a small bowl.
4. When the pasta is cooked to al dente, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, then drain. Add the cooked pasta to the skillet with the shallot and mushrooms. Quickly toss to mix.
5. Remove the skillet from the heat and pour in the egg and cheese mixture. Stir constantly for a minute or two until all the noodles are coated.
6. Stir in the pancetta and top with more parmesan cheese and a couple grinds of black pepper.

MMMBop & MMMTasty

I'm beginning to think I have an obsessive personality. Mostly in terms of entertainment, but nonetheless obsessive. It all began with Hanson in the 4th grade. Taylor Hanson's high tenor had me hypnotized at the first "MMMBop. I had a pile three feet tall with every issue of Teen Bop and Tiger Beat that those three heads of luscious blonde locks ever did grace. I knew all of their birthdays, favorite colors, favorite foods. I knew more about Hanson than they knew about themselves. My greatest possession was a gigantic, wall-sized poster of the trio, which served as my audience while I danced and sang along to all of their songs. But the greatest testament of my love was the not one, but two Hanson concerts I went to, after which I cried for days because I was so devastated that it was over. I wasn't your average teeny bopper, I was dedicated to the core. I lived and breathed Hanson.

While that enormous poster has been rolled up in the attic for some time now, I've found other outlets to latch my obsessive tendencies onto over the years: NSYNC, Britney Spears (still pretty obsessed with her), Harry Potter (also still in love with him). And most recently, The Hunger Games. As my friends and I waited inside the theater at 8:45 PM for the midnight movie debut, I actually had butterflies in my stomach. I was so overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation. Would it live up to the hype? What if I left disappointed? It was the same sort of nervous-excited I remember feeling at my first Hanson concert. To my stomach's relief, the movie was all that I'd hoped it would be and left me wanting a loaf of bread kneaded by Peeta <3

The only thing that could make Hunger Games week even better was... MAD MEN!!! Another current obsession of mine, and probably the most age appropriate. So to top off such an epic week, Elana and I decided it was totally necessary to make a Mad Men themed feast to celebrate. Complete with deviled eggs, homemade onion dip & Peeta chips (sorry, had to!), mint juleps, and a funfetti cake. I really couldn't have asked for a better way to sign off the weekend. Well maybe with Peeta and/or Don. And a little MMMBop in the background.

Cilantro garlic pita chips, recipe at Epicurious 

Caramelized onion dip, also Epicurious

Deviled eggs, recipe adapted from Big Girls Small Kitchen

Mint Juleps - Epicurious 

Funfetti - greatest ever boxed baked good

What does your cereal say about YOU?

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am not a spontaneous person. I do not live by the seat of my pants, but by schedule. I like routines. I like making plans. "Spontaneous" for me is sleeping until 9 A.M. on a Saturday and splurging on a bagel instead of my usual Kashi cereal. In fact, my brother and I were joking the other day about what kind of cereal we would be. We said he'd be Coco Puffs and I would be Bran, because I'm always regular (hehe). So that's me. A big bowl o' reliable Bran.

My need for a routine and structure translates into my eating habits as well. I always eat three square meals a day, and of course a snack and dessert (or two). I really do not understand people who just "forget" to eat a meal, or somehow manage to stave off hunger all day simply by eating a banana or yogurt. Not only do I get irritable like a 5 year old if I've gone too long without eating, but what I eat is all I think about. All. Day. Long. Thinking about food (and of course eating it too) is what makes my world go round. A life without breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert(s) is simply a life not worth living.

People always say that breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And while I agree that nothing beats a big bowl of cereal with cold milk, I do think lunch gets shafted. Lunch is sadly an afterthought for many people in the busy working world. Scrapped for time, some people will just grab a so-so sandwich or soggy salad at the corner deli. But for me, planning my lunches every week is like a secret drug. Picking the recipe, making the shopping list - it's a Type A's dream. As soon as I get to work every morning I start counting down the hours until it is acceptable to eat lunch. If I didn't have a delicious lunch to look forward to, what would be the point of getting up every day?

Here I bring you my lunch for the week: wheat berry salad with figs, golden raisins, celery and red onion. Stirring the pot of wheat berries this weekend, all I could think to myself was "I cannot wait for lunch on Monday". I know I sound crazy - a compulsive planner with the mentality of a morbidly obese person - but you should trust me on this one. This salad is good. And totally worth a little compulsive planning.

Wheat Berry Salad adapted from The Kitchn
makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups wheat berries
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tbs honey
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup dried figs, finely chopped
1/2 medium red onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbs lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
1 cup roasted almonds, roughly chopped
Handful fresh parsley, chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
Freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

1. Cover the wheat berries with water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and partially cover the pot. Cook 45 minutes, until the wheat berries are tender and chewy.
2. Meanwhile, whisk the rice vinegar, orange juice and honey together in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and add the raisins and figs. Turn off the heat and let the fruit steep in the liquid.
3. When the wheat berries are ready, drain and add to a large bowl with the celery and red onion. Toss with olive oil and lemon zest. Add the vinegar and juice mixture, with all the fruit and mix. Stir in almonds, parsley and salt. Season with pepper as desired. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.

Lessons from Ina: How easy is that?

I have a mental list of recipes that I've always wanted to try, but haven't had the guts to. As easy as Ina makes it look, that double-layer chocolate cake really can't be that simple. There are several factors that might shy me a way from a certain recipe: too many ingredients, need for particular (or expensive) cookware, patience. This is why I rarely blog about baking; because I don't have any more space in my apartment to house five different cake pans and I don't have the patience to follow a recipe word for word.

While I don't see myself getting over my baking phobia any time soon, I will brave more savory recipes when I'm feeling adventurous. Some feared recipes that I've been able to cross off my list: frittata, risotto, braised short ribs. The funny thing is, every time I've finally attempted one of these dishes, I'm always surprised at how easy and not scary it is.

So this past Friday evening was the perfect occasion to give lasagna a go. I was having some friends over, so I wanted to serve something that I could prepare ahead of time and just heat up before they arrived (Ina's number one rule when entertaining: never serve something that will keep you over the stove while guests are waiting hungrily). Lasagna has always been hallowed ground for me. Gaga makes lasagna every Christmas Eve, so I've always felt that lasagna was her territory, not to be toyed with. Luckily, this lasagna was for friends, so I didn't have to live up to the decades-old expectations from family and could play with the recipe as needed.

While I tend to use recipes more for inspiration (see above, re: lack of patience), I do stick closely to a recipe when trying something for the first time. So who better to go to than the Food Goddess Herself: Ina. While there was no one part to the recipe that was particularly difficult, it was a bit time consuming between cooking the sauce, pasta, and actual cook time. But all good things come with a wait, right?

Right. So, so right. The lasagna was incredibly cheesy, with so many great flavors - tanginess from the goat cheese, butteriness from the mozzarella, and a fresh, herbiness from the basil. We all went back for seconds and thirds, and yet somehow managed not to feel heavy and weighed down at all. A great dish to feed a crowd or impress your friends, yet relatively simple. As we shoved our faces, cheese oozing down our chins, I couldn't help but think (in the words of Ina): Now, how easy is that?


Ina Garten's Lasagna with Turkey Sausage
serves a crowd
Ingredients:
For the sauce:
2 tbs olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb turkey sausage, casings removed
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, divided
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
Kosher salt
Pepper

For the lasagna:
1/2 lb lasagna noodles
15 oz ricotta cheese
4 oz creamy goat cheese, crumbled
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for sprinkling
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Add the sausage, breaking up with the back of a wooden spoon and cook until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, 2 tablespoons of the parsley, basil, salt and pepper. Simmer, uncovered, over medium-low heat until thickened, about 15-20 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, fill a large bowl with the hottest tap water. Add the noodles and let sit in the water for 20 minutes. Drain.
5. In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, goat cheese, Parmesan, the egg, the rest of the parsley, and salt and pepper. Set aside.
6. Ladle a third of a the sauce into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking dish, spreading over the bottom. Layer  half the noodles, half the mozzarella, half the ricotta and one-third of the sauce. Repeat. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to lightly cover the top. Bake for 30 minutes in a 400-degree oven, until bubbling. (If serving later, refrigerate as needed, but allow to come to room temperature for about an hour before putting in the oven. This is what I did and it worked out great!)

Lotsa layers!

Cheesyliciousness

In the words of Ina, how bad can that be?

Generalgowslover: My Love of Chinese Food Through The Ages

I really love Chinese food. Like really. So much so that my AIM screen name in high school was generalgowslover (no, I'm not kidding; and yes, that's spelled incorrectly). My friends and I would walk downtown after school to the Three Gorges Restaurant to get platters of fried rice, lo mein, and general tso's chicken. A more than hefty afternoon snack, I often left feeling nauseous and sometimes doubting that the general tso's was actual chicken, but I always came back for more. The sweet and spicy sauce, the fried coating - it was a greasy teenager's dream.

Now five years later, with a metabolism half the speed and a palate somewhat more refined, my general tso's consumption has greatly decreased. In fact, up until this past New Year's Day I had never even eaten Chinese food in Chinatown! Hard to believe, but after living in Chinatown for a summer in college, I was pretty scarred by the constant fishy smell and little ladies yelling "handbag, handbag!" at your every step. If I wanted Chinese, I would order delivery (this is New York City after all!) to avoid my stinky, stressful memories of Chinatown. However, this New Year's Day my friend Hayley invited me and some other friends to venture into the forbidden land. Normally, I would have been turned off by this idea, but this seemed like the perfect situation for several reasons:

1. New Year's Day = hungover = in dire need of greasy, fatty, salty food
2. Chinatown is one of the few areas in NYC where you can hide your post-binge drinking shame under Uggs and sweatpants in public and not feel bad about it
3. A New Year means time for new experiences!
4. HUNGOVER!!!

As we walked to our destination, Shanghai Cafe on Mott Street, my memories of Chinatown quickly came back to me: shop owners yelling at each other, the smell of fish making my nose hairs curl. But I was so focused on getting to the restaurant and eating myself into a food coma, that these distractions didn't bother me. And the trek was totally worth it. The food was insanely cheap, and the portions quite generous. We were a group of eight people and only shared about ten sentences the whole meal, as we shoveled food into our mouths, determined to kiss 2011 and the residual hangover goodbye. 

Thanks to that meal, I made it out alive of my post-2011 haze; and while I can't say that I'll be venturing into Chinatown every time I have a craving, my initial fear of the area is now gone. So until my next adventure (or serious hangover), here's a more healthy version of one of the dishes we shared that fateful night: orange chicken. 

Orange Chicken with Broccolini (inspired by Epicurious)
makes 2-3 servings


Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp finely grated orange zest
1 tbsp canola or vegetable oil
1 small yellow onion, thinly sliced
Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bunch broccolini, ends trimmed
salt & pepper
cooked brown rice

1. Whisk orange juice, soy sauce and cornstarch together in a small bowl until cornstarch is dissolved. Stir in orange zest. Set aside.
2. Heat oil over high heat in a large skillet. Add onions and red pepper flakes. Saute about a minute, until onions are fragrant.
3. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Add chicken to the skillet, stirring occasionally, letting the chicken and onions brown slightly. About 7 minutes.
4. Add the juice mixture and broccolini to the pan. Stir to coat chicken and broccolini in the sauce. Cook until the broccolini is tender, but still crisp, and the sauce thickens, about 8 minutes. Serve warm (or cold!) over brown rice.

Kitchen Casualties

Okay, so maybe the title is a little dramatic. I personally don't know of any actual casualties in the kitchen, but I've had my fair share of burns, bumps and bloopers. One of my first cooking conundrums I can remember was in my high school French class. We each were to prepare some sort of traditional French dish. Mind you, I was only a high school freshman and my cooking skills ranged from preparing Kraft mac & cheese to heating up Ellio's pizza in the microwave. I can't remember the exact name of the dish, but it was some sort of white cake with a whipped topping and berries - not very memorable, and not very good. As I was taking the hot cake pan out of the oven, I burnt my arm on the side of the oven and dropped the cake on the floor, which crumbled into several pieces. Luckily, the cake pieces were still large enough to salvage, and I quickly - so as not to disobey the 5 second rule - picked up the broken cake and glued it back together with the whipped egg whites. This probably says a lot about my character (or lack thereof) that I was willing to serve cake that had fallen on the floor to my fellow classmates, but I'm pretty sure no one wound up touching it anyway, as it looked like a crumbly, bland mess. 

My most frustrating and humbling cooking experience was a couple years ago during my week-long "boot camp" at the Culinary Institute of America. The day's lesson was knife cuts: brunoise, chiffonade, julienne (don't these all sound like awesome names for a little French child?). My breaking point was segmenting oranges and grapefruits. It was a total, utter mess. I could not, for the life of me, cut between each thin, delicate membrane. Sticky pith stuck under my fingernails, juices running all over my hands, causing my grip on the knife to slip over and over, leading to several little cuts all over my fingers, which then began to sting like hell from the all citrus juices. Our petite yet stern instructor clearly did not approve. I was ready to call it quits and give up on cooking forever. Luckily, I didn't, and luckily, my hands smelled citrusy fresh for days. 

Skip ahead a few years, and minus a few minor cuts, I've escaped any major mistakes. Until last week that is. It was Thursday night and I was ready to celebrate the looming weekend with a decadent dinner. Enter bacon and bacon fat. With some brussels sprouts still in my fridge, I knew that frozen bacon in the back of my freezer would be the perfect way to add some indulgence to an otherwise healthy veg. After frying up the bacon, the fatty, salty smell had me just so excited to eat that I hastily dumped the brussels sprouts into the hot bacon fat. NEVER DO THIS!! Hot bacon fat everywhere! On my clothes, stained the white paint on my walls, and burned the skin on my wrist. Ouch! After some icing and a nice glass of wine, the redness and swelling went down significantly, and now I'm left with a little constellation of red marks on my arm. Injury aside, the pasta with brussels sprouts and bacon was absolutely delicious and totally worth the pain. 

Pasta with Bacon & Brussels Sprouts

serves one

Ingredients:

2 slices bacon

1 1/2 cups brussels sprouts, quartered

1/2 tsp salt

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes 

1/4 cup chicken broth

2/3 cup whole wheat penne

1/4 cup grated Asiago cheese (or Parmesan)

1. In a medium skillet, cook bacon over medium-high heat until crispy. Transfer to paper towels to drain.

2. Turn down the heat on the skillet and wait a minute for the hot bacon fat to cool slightly (do not skip this step!). Add brussels sprouts, salt and crushed red pepper to the skillet. Toss to coat in the fat and saute a couple minutes until the sprouts start to brown. Add the chicken broth, cover and cook about 5 minutes until sprouts are just tender.

3. Meanwhile, cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Drain.

4. Remove the lid from the sprouts and add in the cooked pasta. Crumble the cooked bacon over the pasta. Stir gently to combine.

5. Remove pan from the heat and stir in grated cheese. Serve hot!

A New Year's Resol-soup-tion

It's been almost a month since my last blog post, and while I haven't written in a while, I can assure you that this time has been filled with lots of cooking, eating, and drinking (repeat that sequence about 14 times). From gingerbread cookies to Gaga's lasagna, it's been a nonstop comfort-food-filled-and-sugar-high month.

To "make up" for a month's worth of indulgences, many people vow to be healthier or go to the gym in the new year. Frankly, this annoys me. First of all, these gym newbies take over all the treadmills from us regular gym-goers from January until those resolutions grow stale. Let's be honest people: flocking to the gym on January 1st isn't going to get rid of the 5 chocolate Santa's you gobbled up in December. And the "be more healthy" resolution is perhaps even more of an empty promise than the born-again gym rats. In order to be more healthy, you need to set real, tangible goals (i.e. cook at home more, eat smaller portions). The reason so many of these resolutions fail is that they are too elusive to see any real progress or change, so people just give up. But if you take easy, measurable steps, you're much more likely to stick to and succeed at your goals.

Now I'm not here to lecture. What do I really know about resolutions and life goals? I'm mostly just bitter about the new guy at the gym who's always walking on my favorite treadmill (WALKING, not even running!!) But I am here to share a delicious recipe for Italian Wedding Soup. I came across a recipe last week via Pinterest (check out my page!) that piqued my interest. I'm not sure why, as I've never actually had or made Italian Wedding Soup, but something about the meatballs and kale sounded enticingly healthy, yet still satisfying. And I was right. This soup feels and tastes like the ultimate comfort food, without weighing you down after. Forget your "be more healthy" resolution; making more meals, like this soup, should be a resolution in itself!

Italian Wedding Soup (adapted from The Kitchn)
makes 5-6 servings

Ingredients:
1 lb ground turkey meat (or ground chicken)
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3 eggs
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1 medium yellow onion, diced
4 garlic gloves, minced
8 cups chicken stock
1 bunch kale, roughly chopped (I used an entire 10 oz. bag from Trader Joe's)

1. Combine turkey, bread crumbs, 1 egg, 1/4 cup of each cheese, oregano, salt and pepper in a bowl. Roll into 1-inch diameter balls. You should have about 20-25 meatballs.
2. In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the meatballs in batches until lightly browned on all sides. Set aside on paper towels to drain excess oil.
3. In a large stock pot, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until tender, but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Add the kale, reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 10 minutes. Add the meatballs and cook 5 minutes more.
4. Meanwhile, combine 2 eggs and remaining cheeses in a small bowl. Pour the egg mixture into the hot soup, stirring constantly. Cover and simmer until the eggs are just set, about 1 minute. Season to taste with salt and pepper.