Take a toasted roll. Top it with two, over medium eggs. Then add three slices or more of bacon. Top that with two or more slices of swiss cheese. Then top the swiss with 4 slices of avocado.
Thursday, November 29, 2012
MY FAVORITE SANDWICH
This sandwich+ is something I have made at one of my favorite counter-style neighborhood restaurants called G's Coffee Shop on 207th Street and Cooper Avenue. It's not a fancy place, but a comfort food place. I told them to make this sandwich and they used to freak-out when I added my toppings.
Take a toasted roll. Top it with two, over medium eggs. Then add three slices or more of bacon. Top that with two or more slices of swiss cheese. Then top the swiss with 4 slices of avocado.
I top the whole thing with two sauces: hot sauce and my version of vinagrette. I mix equal amounts of red wine vinegar and olive oil with a little bit of sugar, so it's tangy and sweet. When you bite into the sandwich, the over medium eggs ooze with golden goodness. Then put both sauces on top, hot sauce and then vinagrette. The sauces really make the sandwich POP! Spicy, gooey, tangy, and sweet! Super Yum!
Take a toasted roll. Top it with two, over medium eggs. Then add three slices or more of bacon. Top that with two or more slices of swiss cheese. Then top the swiss with 4 slices of avocado.
Quick and Unique Salad Dressing - Add Babaganoush!
I always look for intriguing dressings that I can use in multiple ways. Today, I am sharing my recipe for a tahini-soy sauce dressing.
Take a cup of olive oil. Mix in three tablespoons tahini, three tablespoons of soy sauce (preferably tamari instead of regular soy sauce) and juice from a lemon. Mix thoroughly. You can add salt if you like and you can add more of each ingredient depending upon your taste.
Serve with salad or over chicken. I like to make a chicken flatbread sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, feta, and onion. Then I top the whole thing with the tahini dressing. Perfecto!
You can use it as a dip with toasted pita chips or vegetables. If you really want to get creative, add a few tablespoons of babaganoush to the dressing. I love all those flavors!
Take a cup of olive oil. Mix in three tablespoons tahini, three tablespoons of soy sauce (preferably tamari instead of regular soy sauce) and juice from a lemon. Mix thoroughly. You can add salt if you like and you can add more of each ingredient depending upon your taste.
Serve with salad or over chicken. I like to make a chicken flatbread sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes, feta, and onion. Then I top the whole thing with the tahini dressing. Perfecto!
You can use it as a dip with toasted pita chips or vegetables. If you really want to get creative, add a few tablespoons of babaganoush to the dressing. I love all those flavors!
HOLIDAY TREATS - POUND CAKE AND FRUIT DESSERT
I love quick desserts that are decadent. If you have pound cake, you have at least two quick desserts. First, you cut pound cake into 1/2 inch thick slices and set to the side.
DESSERT ONE
Next, the filling: Take 2 cups (or more) of any kind of berries you want - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and mix them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix well and you will see the juice emerge from the berries.
Then take two cups of whipping cream and 4 tablespoons of confectioner's sugar and use a mixer to combine the two. When the cream is nice and fluffy, stop mixing or you may make butter. (Ha! Ha1)
Now, it's time to combine the ingredients. Place a slice of pound cake on a plate. Then take some of the juice from the berries and put it over the surface of the cake. This juice infuses the pound cake with tantalizing berry flavor. Then take about 3 tablespoons of whipped cream and spread over the cake. Then add the same amount of berries and spread them over the whipped cream and add another layer of whipped cream. Top with another slice of cake and repeat the process, but do not put another slice of cake on top, unless you want more than two layers of cake. Top the last coating of berries with whipped cream.
DESSERT TWO
You can take this dessert and turn it into a parfait. The only difference is that you will have to cube the pound cake and use multiple cubes for each layer depending upon the glass or container you are using. Make the first layer the whipped cream and then layer in the cake. Do the same process as the first cake dessert, alternating berries, cream and cake. Again, the whipped cream should be the top layer, but you can sprinkle a few berries on top for decoration.
P.S. - You can use other cake, biscuits, or cupcakes, too, instead of pound cake.
DESSERT ONE
Next, the filling: Take 2 cups (or more) of any kind of berries you want - strawberries, blueberries, raspberries and mix them in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Mix well and you will see the juice emerge from the berries.
Then take two cups of whipping cream and 4 tablespoons of confectioner's sugar and use a mixer to combine the two. When the cream is nice and fluffy, stop mixing or you may make butter. (Ha! Ha1)
Now, it's time to combine the ingredients. Place a slice of pound cake on a plate. Then take some of the juice from the berries and put it over the surface of the cake. This juice infuses the pound cake with tantalizing berry flavor. Then take about 3 tablespoons of whipped cream and spread over the cake. Then add the same amount of berries and spread them over the whipped cream and add another layer of whipped cream. Top with another slice of cake and repeat the process, but do not put another slice of cake on top, unless you want more than two layers of cake. Top the last coating of berries with whipped cream.
DESSERT TWO
You can take this dessert and turn it into a parfait. The only difference is that you will have to cube the pound cake and use multiple cubes for each layer depending upon the glass or container you are using. Make the first layer the whipped cream and then layer in the cake. Do the same process as the first cake dessert, alternating berries, cream and cake. Again, the whipped cream should be the top layer, but you can sprinkle a few berries on top for decoration.
P.S. - You can use other cake, biscuits, or cupcakes, too, instead of pound cake.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Holiday Dips - Artichokes and Sundried Tomatoes
I love simple dips that combine crowd pleasing, easy to find ingredients. Today, I have a delicious topping/dip that will be accessible to everyone.
You need the following ingredients:
Equal parts sundried tomatoes and artichoke palms (both from brands of jars submerged in oil)
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup (or to taste) of olive oil
Take a food processor and finely process the sundried tomatoes. It doesn't matter how much you use, as long as you have an equal amount of artichoke palms. So, 1 cup sundried tomatoes and 1 cup artichoke palms. It's important that they are in from jars that stored them in oil to enhance the flavor. If not, just add enough olive oil to taste.
After processing the sundried tomatoes into a paste, add the artichoke palms and just pulse them into a small chop. You want the slight texture of the artichokes.
Then add the olive oil (about a cup for every two cups of the artichoke/sundried tomato mixture, but remember it depends on the consistency you want - dip or topper?More oil for a dip to make it smoother and more spreadable) with the garlic. Be sure that the garlic is well ground at least to a minced level, unless you like bigger, but still tiny, chunks, which I do!
Remove from the processor into a bowl and stir to be sure that everything is mixed nicely. Serve with a crostini, over pasta or rice, cheese toast/grilled cheese, mix with goat cheese or blend with feta, or whatever you think would be fantasticly delicious!
You need the following ingredients:
Equal parts sundried tomatoes and artichoke palms (both from brands of jars submerged in oil)
3 cloves of garlic
1 cup (or to taste) of olive oil
Take a food processor and finely process the sundried tomatoes. It doesn't matter how much you use, as long as you have an equal amount of artichoke palms. So, 1 cup sundried tomatoes and 1 cup artichoke palms. It's important that they are in from jars that stored them in oil to enhance the flavor. If not, just add enough olive oil to taste.
After processing the sundried tomatoes into a paste, add the artichoke palms and just pulse them into a small chop. You want the slight texture of the artichokes.
Then add the olive oil (about a cup for every two cups of the artichoke/sundried tomato mixture, but remember it depends on the consistency you want - dip or topper?More oil for a dip to make it smoother and more spreadable) with the garlic. Be sure that the garlic is well ground at least to a minced level, unless you like bigger, but still tiny, chunks, which I do!
Remove from the processor into a bowl and stir to be sure that everything is mixed nicely. Serve with a crostini, over pasta or rice, cheese toast/grilled cheese, mix with goat cheese or blend with feta, or whatever you think would be fantasticly delicious!
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Spunto is Magnifico!
I know that New York is the capital of pizza, but all pizza is not created equal. Some people love huge, thick crusts. I do not. I feel the toppings get lost in all of the bread. So, I was so thankful when I discovered a wonderful pizza place in the village called Spunto. I first went there a year ago and I am a frequent customer.
Spunto makes thin, gourmet quality pizza. At first, I was skeptical because the pizza was so thin. I thought to myself, "This is not going to be filling!" But it was! The ingredients are top notch and rich. I always get the meat lovers pizza with pepperoni and sausage. It is scrumptious! I get a caesar salad which has the creamiest, most satisfyingly fantastical taste. I even put some of the dressing on my pizza. (I am a sauce queen!) I see many people ordering the mushroom pizza, too. There are many non-vegetarian and vegetarian selections, so there is something for everyone.
The thin crust allows you to really taste and revel in the toppings. It's so simple and so wonderous, you'll wonder why you ever ate any other pizza. Spunto is located at 65 Carmine Street, @ 7 th Avenue South.
Spunto makes thin, gourmet quality pizza. At first, I was skeptical because the pizza was so thin. I thought to myself, "This is not going to be filling!" But it was! The ingredients are top notch and rich. I always get the meat lovers pizza with pepperoni and sausage. It is scrumptious! I get a caesar salad which has the creamiest, most satisfyingly fantastical taste. I even put some of the dressing on my pizza. (I am a sauce queen!) I see many people ordering the mushroom pizza, too. There are many non-vegetarian and vegetarian selections, so there is something for everyone.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Kitchenette is the Bomb!
Kitchenette is one of the best restaurants in the city. Although it is a Columbia student hangout in between 122nd and 123rd Street on Amsterdam, there are plenty of business people and everyone in between to make it a diverse crowd on many levels.
The food is great! The savory and the sweet are worth the trip. I love two things the best: The hamburgers and the strawberry shortcake. I get the hamburger with sharp white cheddar cheese and the sun-dried tomato pesto. You must have it with the pesto and if you're feeling even more decadent, order the bacon buttermilk dressing, which is sort of a ranch dressing. The beefy, cheesified goop fest pairs well with the sweet and a little bit tart sun-dried tomato sauce. Every friend that I have brought there to eat it has raved at robust deliciousness. They go back on their own because the experience stays with them.
I also love the strawberry shortcake. This is not the light, small and hollow shortcake cup that you find in the stores. I was told that it is the real deal: shortcake. Then it is filled and topped with a very vanilla whipped cream substance and topped with strawberries. The cake is dense and hearty. This is not a little nibble, it's a stomach full. Sometimes I just come for that dessert and nothing else because it's a lot to eat. I think the only thing they should add is an allover drizzle of hot fudge. (P.S. - I was told by Doug, one of the managers, that they do have a decadent chocolate sauce that's made from chocolate chips. He told me this after I finished the cake. Next time!)
The food is great! The savory and the sweet are worth the trip. I love two things the best: The hamburgers and the strawberry shortcake. I get the hamburger with sharp white cheddar cheese and the sun-dried tomato pesto. You must have it with the pesto and if you're feeling even more decadent, order the bacon buttermilk dressing, which is sort of a ranch dressing. The beefy, cheesified goop fest pairs well with the sweet and a little bit tart sun-dried tomato sauce. Every friend that I have brought there to eat it has raved at robust deliciousness. They go back on their own because the experience stays with them.
I also love the strawberry shortcake. This is not the light, small and hollow shortcake cup that you find in the stores. I was told that it is the real deal: shortcake. Then it is filled and topped with a very vanilla whipped cream substance and topped with strawberries. The cake is dense and hearty. This is not a little nibble, it's a stomach full. Sometimes I just come for that dessert and nothing else because it's a lot to eat. I think the only thing they should add is an allover drizzle of hot fudge. (P.S. - I was told by Doug, one of the managers, that they do have a decadent chocolate sauce that's made from chocolate chips. He told me this after I finished the cake. Next time!)
Vogue Party Treats - Kenneth Cole
On October 4, I had the pleasure to attend a Vogue+ Party at Kenneth Cole's store at Grand Central. It is a very beautiful store, industrially designed. I like attending these Vogue+ parties for many reasons: 1) There are many interesting people who attend them, 2) There is a lot of champagne, and 3) I love to get treat ideas from the many small snacks they serve.
On this occasion, the snacks I enjoyed were the crabcakes and the grilled cheese sandwiches. The crabcakes were the tiny, amazing bites of Maryland style crabcakes: sweet and tangy. The other delicious treat was the grilled cheese sandwich. I could not get anyone to tell me exactly what was in them, but I could put in a pretty good guess. The cheese tasted like a creamy sharp cheddar and it was paired with a smooth, melt in your mouth ham (did I detect a bit of dijon mustard?). The (white) bread was perfectly crisped with buttery undertones. Crunch, crunch! Yum! People were waiting with baited breath to get a taste of those sandwiches. There was always a rush when a new tray arrived. All of the dishes worked well with the champagne! (Seriously, what doesn't? :-))
The affair included a photo booth for people to take pictures of themselves. I took advantage and had several made. Then the application allowed you to send it to your email. At the end of the night, everyone was given a Kenneth Cole (recycled material?) tote with a Vogue magazine inside. It was a pretty great night!
On this occasion, the snacks I enjoyed were the crabcakes and the grilled cheese sandwiches. The crabcakes were the tiny, amazing bites of Maryland style crabcakes: sweet and tangy. The other delicious treat was the grilled cheese sandwich. I could not get anyone to tell me exactly what was in them, but I could put in a pretty good guess. The cheese tasted like a creamy sharp cheddar and it was paired with a smooth, melt in your mouth ham (did I detect a bit of dijon mustard?). The (white) bread was perfectly crisped with buttery undertones. Crunch, crunch! Yum! People were waiting with baited breath to get a taste of those sandwiches. There was always a rush when a new tray arrived. All of the dishes worked well with the champagne! (Seriously, what doesn't? :-))
The affair included a photo booth for people to take pictures of themselves. I took advantage and had several made. Then the application allowed you to send it to your email. At the end of the night, everyone was given a Kenneth Cole (recycled material?) tote with a Vogue magazine inside. It was a pretty great night!
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