Foodie With Cats

buckangel: My idea of “Doggy Style” WOOF!! So cute!! Great...

Sat, 05 May 2012 00:20:01 -0400

buckangel:

My idea of “Doggy Style” WOOF!!

So cute!! Great workout!

Sometimes a big meal calls for a good nap

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 12:55:52 -0500

Sometimes a big meal calls for a good nap

After a four night stay at the hospital and a few days of...

Sat, 28 Jan 2012 15:52:42 -0500

After a four night stay at the hospital and a few days of recovery, Jones is finally back to his normal foodie self. We couldn’t be happier. We love our Jones, the inspiration for my blog (that I never update!!)

moonflash: by Alex La Cruz Cool shot Alex!

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:58:45 -0500

moonflash:

by Alex La Cruz

Cool shot Alex!

Don’t forget, Christmas decor is never complete without a...

Sat, 03 Dec 2011 13:00:56 -0500

Don’t forget, Christmas decor is never complete without a Nativity scene. Thank you to our best gal pal Theo for our N*Sync version this holiday season.

Polenta with Green Beans, Mushrooms, Peas, and Leeks: bonappetit.com

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 23:42:34 -0400

Polenta with Green Beans, Mushrooms, Peas, and Leeks: bonappetit.com:

Looks delish…

Linguine with Bay Scallops, Fennel, and Tomatoes Quick Recipes: bonappetit.com

Wed, 22 Jun 2011 20:55:35 -0400

Linguine with Bay Scallops, Fennel, and Tomatoes Quick Recipes: bonappetit.com:

This was a quick and easy week night recipe. Whole Foods had some wonderful Bay scallops today that cooked perfectly. I left out the liquor (unnecessary) and forgot the lemon squeeze (missed out on the acid, whoops). I had to top it off with fresh shaved Parmesan or it wouldn’t have been pasta. Fresh spinach linguine was a perfect compliment to the other flavors.

Mmmmmm Ming Makes Cupcakes. Jimmy eats them?

Tue, 21 Jun 2011 00:07:07 -0400

Mmmmmm Ming Makes Cupcakes. Jimmy eats them?

omg yum and fire!

Mon, 20 Jun 2011 23:01:50 -0400

omg yum and fire!

Happy fathers day dad. I love when we cuddle. - Jones

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 22:31:02 -0400

Happy fathers day dad. I love when we cuddle. - Jones

My new obsession. C.O. Bigelow Bay Rum hair & body wash....

Sun, 19 Jun 2011 15:49:34 -0400

My new obsession. C.O. Bigelow Bay Rum hair & body wash. Masculine and flavorful. Mmmmm

I’m pissed…

Sat, 28 May 2011 00:21:16 -0400

I’m pissed…

New find

Fri, 22 Apr 2011 23:37:08 -0400

Today I happened upon an interestingly plain looking jar of crushed tomatoes. It didn’t have pictures boasting large plump red tomatoes growing on the Italian countryside. It looked more like Government surplus. But being in Forager’s lends a certain level of credibility, so I was intrigued.

Oh, Jersey Farm tomatoes! Local, and from my home state! I’ve always thought Jersey Tomatoes were the most flavorful of the bunch. Toss a little salt on a thick slice. Maybe a thin slice of Parmesan. Red onion rings, some basil. The perfect summer snack.

Tonight I made a simple gnocchi with a tomato & chorizo sauce. When I opened the jar, I was honestly shocked by how intense the red color was. I was going to take a picture, but I knew it would never translate as well as in person. I took a small taste and was blown away by the flavor. Nothing beats fresh local food! Support the farmers in this country. Takes a lot less fuel to get here, and it’s worth the extra money.

The most sinful burger on Earth

Sat, 09 Apr 2011 14:11:00 -0400

The other night, I wasn’t feeling up to cooking. So I decided to see what treats might be in store for me in Chelsea Market. I headed over to Dickson’s Farmstand and went for the 80/20 burger. They stopped offering this treat last fall just when I was ready to pop my burger cherry. I had been eyeing it for a week or two once they put it back in the meat case and knew this was what was for dinner.

I am a creature of habit. I will hear something once, then assume it will always mean or refer to the same thing, like with Sweet Breads for example. Prior to that fateful night a few fall’s ago at Essex & Delancy, my only contact with anything called sweet bread was some sort of doughy bread that was sweet, like Mallorca Sweet Bread from Puerto Rico (or some Starbucks, so odd!) or Mexican Sweet Bread. So yes, I was a bit confused how it fit into the dish, but I dove right in. Right into a calves pituitary gland. I’ve never been the same since.

I’d heard of an 80/20 burger before, and it meant 80% lean, which is ideal for a burger according to one of my hero’s, Kenny Shopsin:

So I got three since we were having Frankie over for dinner.

Gorgeous… Each one weighs 1/2 lb and they are only $5 each. I snagged a nice square piece of NY Cheddar from The Manhattan Fruit Exchange and some soft sandwich buns from Amy’s Breads. I like to get a nice square piece so I can cut my own cheddar slices. I hate that crap from Kraft.

When I tossed those bad boys on my very hot iron skillet, I realized something special about these burgers. These were not the burgers Kenny was talking about, not by a long shot. If we has smell-o-vision, you’d be able to get the full picture of what I was experiencing. A slight smokey, porky accent to the beefy mist coming from the burgers hinted that once again, I was dead wrong.

80% grass fed beef, 20% smoked pork belly (aka bacon)

I found that these needed about 6 minutes a side for medium rare. They were on the thick side and I held back from pressing down on them like a Diner cook. Once flipped, I put a slice of cheddar on each burger. I prepped the rolls with some amazing honey balsamic mustard that I also picked up at Dickson’s. Tossed down a few slices of avocado on top, then smothered that with the burger.

Finish it off with a thick slice and a side of roasted potatoes. Sinful, delicious, worth every calorie!

I fell into the cooking channel a few weeks back. I can’t...

Mon, 22 Nov 2010 22:46:35 -0500

Here's everything just starting to simme

Delicious. Really delicious...

I fell into the cooking channel a few weeks back. I can’t remember the name of the show, but the main chef character traveled to France to learn how to make a Beef Bourguignon. Ever since, I have wanted to try my hand at one.

Today was my first official day of my stay-cation. I went to Fairway in my Zipcar. I have never extended a reservation so many times as I did today. What began as a 2 hour reservation became 5 1/2 like that!

I picked up all my ingredients and then some at the store. I loosely followed this recipe from the Barefoot Contessa. I made a few modifications which turned out nicely. Here’s what I did…

I took 8 pieces of bacon off of a pound slab. I cut them into cubes and tossed them into the pan with the olive oil for 10 minutes.

I cut the beef shoulder into large 2” chunks and browned them all in the leftover bacon grease, yum. Remove once all sides are brown. Add in one sliced vidalia onion, one sliced carrot & one parsnip, 1/4 thick slices. Chop up a turnip into chuncks and add them as well. After cooking for about 10 minutes, I added some sliced garlic, about 5 cloves. Then, I took 1/2 a cup of Hennessy, poured it in and set it a fire. Stand back ya’ll!

Toss back in the meat and bacon, add one bottle of wine and some chicken stock to cover the beef. About 1 cup or so depending. Add 2 tbsp of fresh Thyme. Bring to a boil, then cover and place in a 275 degree oven for 1 hour, 20 minutes (I have a convection, hence higher temp).

I par boiled about 10 pearl onions. Just buy frozen and toss into the mix. Trust! I also sauteed about 3 cups of mushrooms in 1 tbsp of butter for 10 minutes.

I mixed 2 tbsp butter and 3 tbsp flour with a fork until it was a thick paste. I added that to the pan and mixed as well as possible without making a mess. I then added the mushrooms and onions.

My sauce was a bit thin, so I continued to simmer on the stovetop for about 40 minutes. Once the boyfriend was good and starving, I served it over some rice. It was 5 licks, no doubt.

Vinegar Hill House

Sun, 21 Nov 2010 01:13:23 -0500

Vinegar Hill House:

Me and the cats live just one block away from one of the best restaurants in BK. Vinegar Hill House. Lately, this place seems to keep gaining in popularity. I probably shouldn’t blog about it, but no one reads this anyway. No harm.

The drinks are all quite dark and mysterious, but clever and unique in their own ways. They also have some great wines by the glass, but if you’re there with a partner in wine drinking crime, just get a bottle.

Hands down, the Waffle Chop is my favorite. The first time I ordered it, I didn’t know what I was getting. I quickly savored the salty sweet ham flavor coming from this otherwise undistinguishable pork chop. It is like nothing I had ever seen before. So thick, so rare, such porky goodness one can only dream about. The exterior charred by the brick wood oven. Ash adding to the texture of the meaty flesh. Every bite must be accompanied by a taste of the cheddar grits, just for good measure.

They usually have octopus on the menu and it’s always quite tender. Tonight, it was some of the best octopus we have ever had. Better than the previous title holder from on our trip to Spain. This was just delectable tonight.

We also had the squash puree. We’re not sure what they pureed with the squash, but we are pretty sure it was butter. Bring it on, I say. Tonight’s cheese plate was slightly disappointing. Usually there is a good assortment of saulmi and the like, but tonight it was just a few pieces of Iberico ham and some Sopressatta. A few small pieces of tasty cheese. I don’t know, I always wish they just gave you a little bit more.

The short ribs are amazingly tender, and served with soap shaped boiled potato, carrot, and a huge piece of bone w/ marrow. I tried this for the first time tonight. It was alright. Maybe not my favorite thing, but I can see the appeal.

Dessert absolutely MUST include the caramel custard with sea salt. It is addictive. Even more so, the date pecan tart with marscapone gelatto was the hands down winner for richest, most amazing flavors. The apple bread pudding was a distant third. Always tasty and consistent is the Guiness chocolate cake.

Don’t be surprised to be told there is a 2 hour wait on a saturday night. Even at 6 pm. It’s insane. You totally wonder where all these people are coming from! So we hike over, get on the list, then wait at home. It’s a benefit of being a neighbor to the mecca of gastronomy.

This one goes out to the one I love...

Thu, 18 Nov 2010 21:20:00 -0500

A new post, as requested. This one goes out to the one I love. The love of my life’s favorite thing to have for dinner is “Jimmy’s SPICY Sausage Pasta, yummmm.” Here’s how to make the ultimate 5 lick dinner! The recipe serves 4 and all ingredients can be found at Chelsea Market.

1 lb of Rigatoni. I like the $2 bags from Buon Italia in the back
Parmesan for grating. Again, Buon Italia
4 Sausage Links - Pork Chili are my favorites @ Dickson’s. Happy animals = happy taste buds. I love shopping there for all of my meat. Amazing ground beef, delicious melt in your mouth steaks, fantastic lunch options, and one of the friendliest staff in all of Chelsea Market.
One large leek & one small hot red pepper from Manhattan Fruit Exchange
1 Cup of Chicken Stock - Manhattan Fruit can help you out with that too.
1 bottle of white wine from Chelsea Wine Vault - Sometimes I use an inexpensive Pino, but last time I tried a Sauvignon Blanc.
Olive Oil. Buon Italia has a house brand that is really decent. Or you could get fancy and head to the Filling Station and grab a bottle of one of over a dozen different kinds. From grassy to chipotle, they have it covered. You can also grab hard to find salts from all over the globe.

Remove the Sausage from the casing and coarsely chop it into chunks. Brown the sausage in a pan with a touch of olive oil. Give it a good 5-6 minutes, but don’t over cook. Remove the sausage and place on a paper towel to drain some of the grease. Drain the pan, leaving about 1 tbsp of the melted fat behind.

Slice the leeks and soak to remove any sand. Dry the leeks, then add them to the pan. Brown the leeks until soft and golden brown. Add the thinly sliced red pepper. I like to leave the seeds to really boost the heat. You can leave this out if you don’t like it hot.

Add the sausage to the pan and gently toss with the veggies for a minute. Add the entire bottle of wine, but not all at once. I usually start off with 1/2. Add about a cup of chicken stock and let it simmer and reduce. Add wine every few minutes until the whole bottle is in the pan bubbling away.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta al dente. About 8-10 minutes or so should do the trick.

Before adding the pasta, add about 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan and stir until the sauce thickens. I usually keep going with the cheese. Add the al dente pasta and toss it together for a few minutes over Medium head.

That’s it! You’re done. I find that it’s always smart to grab a baguette from Amy’s Breads. Last time I went for a challah baguette that was soft and delicious with a crispy crust. They make incredible baked everything! Bread, cakes, and cinnamon raisin buns share space on the shelves with great sandwiches, twist bread, and cupcakes.

See below for a few photos of the process from the other night. Enjoy!

Photo

Mon, 15 Nov 2010 23:27:18 -0500

sausages from Dickson's are the best

saute leeks in some olive oil

get them nice and browned

add the sausage back to the mix

toss in some spicy hot peppers, sliced

toss in a bottle of white wine

add a cup of chicken stock

add the rigatoni when it's almost cooked

finish with fresh grated parmesan ONLY!

Jones doesn't like it soooo spicey

Comerc 24 & Tapas 24

Fri, 27 Aug 2010 21:04:27 -0400

Comerc 24 & Tapas 24:

While we have only been in Barcelona for two days, our luck and forward planning landed us at two AMAZING restaurants. These places are so great, even my dear friend Gwyneth raves about them on goop.com. Ok, so G isn’t really my homie. You got me. But I did meet Chris her husband once, so I think that is close enough.

Comerc 24 seems to get a bad rap. Maybe it’s just that stigma associated with places that leave you hungrier than when you arrived. Each dish just a delectable bite or two. Three at most. But if you just man up to the bar and order their grandest tasting menu, they will stuff you silly with the most incredible dishes. How many you ask? I believe I counted 17 in total.

One round that sticks out most to me was a very delicate broth, Asian influenced. In it were 6 balls floating, two yellow, two white and two black. The yellow were a simple poached quail egg yolk. The others were some fantastic invention of science. A slightly gelatinous outer shell plumped full of creamy liquids. One was Parmesan, the other black truffle.

When the flavors hit the olfactory sensors, it was a moment I won’t soon forget. It felt as though my entire head was experiencing the flavors. They immediately brought a certain feeling to mind. The truffle was dark and mysterious. The Parmesan strong but not overbearing. I have not been one to enjoy Quail much before, but here in it’s liquid state it was divine.

When I have time to recall the entire 3 3/4 hour dinner, I will try to update some of the other 16 dishes.

Tapas 24 serves frozen sangria and the tastiest tapas in a friendly atmosphere. Belly up to the bar and take your pick from any of the daily specials. All are worth a taste I am sure

Fabulous reading material in our hotel in Spain. It makes me...

Wed, 25 Aug 2010 07:53:08 -0400

Fabulous reading material in our hotel in Spain. It makes me miss my kitties so much though :(