Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Pineberries? YUM!!!

"Pineberries are a strawberry derivative that taste like pineapple." Apparently, this fruit was bred from a wild batch of strawberries in South America. They were actually facing extinction but fortunately, a group of Dutch farmers, picked some up, began to grow them & saved them from their extinction. They are currently only being sold in UK and Belize (they're extremely rare). WHY CAN'T WE GET SOME? .... Please?

Saturday, September 25, 2010

You guys are such "BLOCKHEADS".

Okay, okay, so this might be more of a "Americanized" Mexican establishment. That doesn't mean I can't eat here, though, right? I stopped by on a Wednesday afternoon with my cousin for some food and drinks. She had never been and I get a little too excited showing people new places, haha. I have to say, I really love their margarita's. Maybe it's the fact that they're $3 frozen (and do their job) or the fact that you can order one with a Coronita flipped upside-down in it (TOPPED WITH A SHOT OF PATRON!), but there really is just something about them. I've tried quite a few things on the menu, they're pretty good, but nothing comes close to the 3-Bean Vegetarian Chili Burrito. Yes, I eat meat but WOW, that Chili is awesome. Tomato based and simmered with Ancho-Chili's and what not. It's just great.

Oh yeah, and don't ever, ever forget to SUPER CORN your burrito. They stuff it with Sour Cream, Guacamole & their Corn Salsa. Yummm. CLICK HERE for the restaurant's main site.

Tuesday, September 21, 2010

My French Dinner Party.

Fortunately, a picture of my favorite dish, the Ratatouille.
I have terrible news. There was a mishap with my camera and all the pictures of my lovely dinner party are now gone. Oh well, shit happens. I would like to state that although I pretty much sliced the tip of my finger off with a mandoline (again, shit happens, haha), the dinner party was a complete success. The menu consisted of: Quiche Lorraine, Spinach & Onion Quiche, and the now oh-so-famous Ratatouille (I used the recipe from the movie, not the traditional stew) for appetizers. Coq Au Vin for the entree and Chocolate Fondue with Strawberries & Madelines for dessert.

Being my first attempt in eating, making, and/or trying French cuisine I was so very happy with the outcome of our meal. Everything was MORE than delicious, especially the Ratatouille. WOW, It was amazing. The balsamic vinaigrette tied it all in together so well.

I'm also happy to announce that due to this dinner, I now have a second dinner party coming up as per request of one of my guests. So I will definitely have more coming your way, and this time, I promise I'll have pictures!

Monday, September 20, 2010

CREMAS, Artisan Flavors.

Yum, yum, yum. Week after week my friends & I patiently waited for the Grand Opening of this Ice Cream Shop and for the paper to come off down the windows so we could finally take a peek inside! To finally be able to see the long menu of fabulous flavors offered to the public. The main reason for my excitement of this place is the jealousy in which I felt towards people in other states who had what we didn't (an ice cream shop with not so traditional flavors). I was pleasantly surprised to find home-made flavors such as: Flan, Nutella, White Chocolate, Sambayon, Strawberry Cheesecake, Almond, & Tiramisu. And for all us Hispanics out there, nice tropical flavors such as: Coconut, Passion Fruit, Guava, Guanabana, & Mora (blackberry). Passion Fruit & Nutella were absolutely delicious. I will definitely be returning and make it a mission to try every single flavor they have to offer!

CLICK HERE to check out their main site!

LOTUS: Thai food in Guttenberg!

Busy, busy at dinner time.

I could not have been more than happy when I found out there was a Thai restaurant only 2 blocks away from my house. LOTUS. When you walk in, you're immediately taken out of Guttenberg and you find yourself in was seems a chic Manhattan Thai restaurant with very nice decor. The ambiance was great and the staff was more than friendly, quick to give us the scoop on what they believed were the best dishes. I struck up a conversation with who seemed to be the Owner (turned out to be the Chef's son) of the place, telling me that the Thai Basil they use in their dishes are grown outside in a small garden behind the restaurant. I find that to be brilliant because that obviously makes it just that more fresh. The food was delicious, an explosion of flavors in your mouth. I tried the Green Curry and it was unlike anything I had ever tasted before. I felt every inch of my palette tingle with flavor. Absolutely delicious. I also tried the Spring Rolls (I really liked the sauce and the light crunchiness of the wrapper) & the sauteed Basil Dish (sooo good!) I will be returning very soon to try the MANY things that caught my eye on the menu. You should all definitely check it out, even if you have not tried the cuisine before. You will not be disappointed.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Top Chef Winner 2010.

I would like to Congratulate fellow New Jersey native, Kevin Sbraga, on his win on Top Chef last night. Although some people didn't think you should have taken home the prize, I thought otherwise. He had tough competitors who put up a good fight but in the end, his final meal reigned over all. His take on a Singapore Sling (his dessert dish) looked amazing. Beautiful presentation and according to the judges, absolutely delicious. CONGRATS!

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Oh, Tony.

Anthony Bourdain on YoGabbaGabba! Who in the world would have thought??? Really. I was able to see the actual clip which was great, it's definitely a sight to see (I wasn't able to post it due to copyright issues) ; this made me laugh, considering I'm currently reading Kitchen Confidential and Tony seems like a such a badass during the time he wrote it. Heck, he STILL seems like such a badass (if you haven't watched No Reservations, please do). I guess having a baby girl will soften even the toughest of men.


HMMM, I would also like to state I've had his book Kitchen Confidential for 3 days and I'm already half way through. SO much information, SO good, SO well-written. It's a cook's dream.

Wednesday, September 1, 2010

A Little Taste of the Carribean..



I came up with this recipe because my cousin was craving steak and rice. Her co-worker told her to try making Coconut Rice and my brain came up with this:

STEAK
4 - 12oz. Palomilla Steaks
5 Limes, zested & juiced
1 Large Yellow Onion, sliced
2 TBSP. Minced Garlic
1 TBSP. Minced Ginger
1 - 12oz. Corona
1 TBSP. Ground Cumin
Sea Salt, To Taste
Peppercorn Medley, To Taste
Olive Oil, to Pan-Fry

In a large mixing bowl, combine the juice & zest of 5 Limes, Garlic, and Ginger. Before adding each steak to the bowl, pound them out with a Kitchen Mallet and then season both sides of each steak with the Cumin.  Now add to the bowl, pour the Corona and toss with the Onions. You can let sit over night in the refrigerator or wait 1-2 hours for the marinade to work itself into the meat.
Right before cooking, put Olive-Oil down in a pan. As it's heating  up, season the steaks (minus the onion) with Sea Salt and Peppercorn Medley (this creates a nice crust when pan-frying). Then, place in pan to sear in Olive Oil. Once steaks are cooked, throw in all the onions and sauté until tender. Then spoon over steak.


COCONUT RICE
2 Cups uncooked White Rice
2 Cups Coconut Milk
1 Small Red Onion, diced
1/2 TBSP. Minced Ginger
1/2 Cup Toasted Sweetened Coconut Flakes
1/4 Cup Fresh Chopped Cilantro
Sea Salt, To Taste
Olive Oil

First, wash the rice and drain, repeat this 3 times. Then, in a medium pan, drizzle Olive Oil and sauté the Red Onion and Ginger. Add Sea Salt, to taste. Once translucent, add the Onion mixture to the washed rice and mix. (I use a Rice Cooker) Once the rice is in the rice cooker, add the 2 Cups of Coconut Milk and let cook. While the rice is cooking, toast the Shredded Coconut in a pan. Once the rice has cooked, toss in the Toasted Coconut Flakes & chopped Cilantro and your rice is ready!

Combine these two recipes for a mouth-watering plate that is sure to please!

PS: Don't be afraid of adding a little spice to your steak, it will only balance out with the sweetness of the rice!

ENJOY!!