Bad blogger

Well, I have been a terrible blogger. But in my defense, I have been quite busy. But now my dad is out of town so I have a bit more time to write, since I am not cooking him dinner.

Since I last wrote these things have changed:

1. I have lost 11 inches of hair

2. I gave up gluten again

3. I threw a dinner party with chicken marbella and butternut squash with a big candied pecan salad

All week long I have pretty much only eaten steak, with no sides, just steak. Turns out if you turn the oven broiler on, drench the steak in butter and salt it is quite delicious.

This week I watched the movie Where the Wild Things Are, it was amazing. One of the most creative films i have ever seen. I am now watching Legally Blonde, quite a cute show.

But I must get ready for bed. Goodnight my faithful readers. xx

Pans and Pizza

Well, this weekend. I broke all of my rules and I ate wheat. Ok truth be told I have done this almost every weekend for the past three. But oh well, who is counting! I had amazing pizza, amazing donuts, and a beautiful banana cream pie. I then fell asleep all day sunday because that is what wheat does to me. On Sunday though I branched out my cooking to meatloaf, and let me tell you, it was delicious, and it makes for great leftovers. It is a pretty easy recipe too, you just saute onions, garlic, celery, and carrots then add that to like a pound of ground beef, put some ketchup in the mix and then put it in a loaf pan and paint it with ketchup. Delicious! Last saturday I went apple picking, so of course I made apple sauce on Sunday. Funny story, so I thought I was cooking with cranberries for the last while, but it turns out they were cherries. Whoops!

But the highlight of all my food experience over the last two weeks will have to be the medieval festival. My dad and I went to the cloisters and we were walking through Fort Tyrone park, when suddenly the park turned into a medieval festival. Turns out sunday was the annual medieval festival for New York. Just to give you an image of what this looks like, imagine fat women in corsets with long flowing hair, and small chidren awkwardly fitted in clothes from the dark era. But all the same the main food for the festival was turkey legs. So of course, to get into the true spirit of the medieval ages I walked around looking like a savage and eating some yummy food.

Yesterday, the most exciting thing happened (even more exciting than the medieval festival). I got a set of 12 All-Clad cooking wear. Suddenly my little kitchen has turned into that of a real gourmet. (Note: I feel awful saying gourmet now due to the death of the magazine)

Oh I scheduled an appointment with a doctor to find out just how legit this gluten situation is. Denial really is an amazing force in a persons life.

Enchiladas and Brooklyn

This weekend I explored Brooklyn. I went to DUMBO for an arts festival, Park Slope for the Botanical Garden, and Brooklyn Heights where I fell in love. Brooklyn Heights was the most perfect place. I suppose if I cannot have the south end in Boston, I guess Brooklyn Heights would do. I also ate wheat all weekend, and it was wonderful. But I ended the weekend terribly sick. And then on top of stomach issues I got a terrible cold. Like Monday morning, I could've doubled for Al Green. Last night I made ginger raisin pork tenderloin, and tonight I made enchiladas. So annoying, enchilada sauce has tons of wheat in it, so I had to substitute salsa. Anyways, life is good. The weather is changing, and I might even be starting to like New York. Or I am liking my routine.

Boston and Sloppy Joes

This past weekend, I went to Boston. I went down for Rosh Hashanah, with my friends the Tobins. The weather was perfect, the people were perfect, and the food was perfect. I truly had the best weekend I have had in a very in long time. I was suddenly my old self again. I could enjoy the weather and forget about my stresses, and just look around and be happy to be me. I missed my old self. While I was in Boston, I did the unthinkable and I ate everything. Forget gluten, I wanted to eat food the way it was meant to be eaten. Then on Sunday I went to my favorite restaurant in Boston, Craigie on Main, and they treated me like a princess. The food was just perfect.

Last night I made sloppy joes, which is such a nice comfort food. The recipe is:

Sloppy Joes
1 lb of ground beef
1 chopped onion
¾ c. of ketchup
1 tbl. apple cider vinegar
1 tbl. Brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste

Just mix it all up and let it simmer, and then serve with chips and cheese.

I made this while catching up on all of my favorite shows.

September 14

I have become a crying commuter, the kind that just awkwardly balls while other people try not to look her way. Sometimes as I sit crying I wonder, if I lived in a small town if someone would come over and put their arm around me. Sadly in New York, the only caring individuals I get is the guy who is faking being a “social worker” to try and pick up women, needless to say, I was one of those very pathetic women. Sadly for the sake of the food for this month, due to a break-up I have been unable to eat. And by unable to eat, I mean I do not feel like writing about the food I cooked. But I did go to a yummy cheap Asian brunch place called Amber, and I went to little French place called ….?! (I will add the restaurant to my next blog). However I can talk at length about salty tears, and their 80% salt content, though truth be told I am making up the percentages. But all the same, I am on the road to happiness by way of happy food, happy people, and beautiful weather. No more talk about the great demise of relationships,

Well, street food in New York is a delicious substitute to overpriced lunch food. I have never been a sucker for peer pressure. However, I find that when it comes to a group of people ordering lunch at the office, if it doesn’t explicitly say bread/pasta I will go for it. However, sadly my stomach does not follow that rule it does not care what is in the title. I will need to become more strict, however, it is difficult to go from the world’s most adventurous eater, to the most timid. Pack lunches are quite dreamy, if done correctly. Possibly I will do a blog for a post on amazing lunches. Maybe Mr. No One will love it, and make it for himself at home.

Flapjacks and family style eating

I have been adventuring through the food world of DC, New York, and New Jersey. I have had some amazing and terrible waiters. All I am going to say is Mitsuwa (NJ Japanese market) is terrible about being informed on food information. I kindly asked the cashier the ingredients in gyoza, her bothered response, was that there was pork and carrots in the dumpling. Oh gee thanks, what a failure. Clearly there is more to gyoza, then pork and carrots. However, to be honest, it was nice to play dumb and eat. I have been playing dumb a lot this week about food. Ignorance is bliss….. or at least till you get stomach pain.

This weekend, I tried to make German apple pancakes, horrendous. I got the recipe from Gourmet. All I can say is, Germany, you can keep your stupid pancakes. Last night, I went out with friends and family, and it was served family style. Mildly depressing, since I was clearly not apart of the family food sharing. So I was able to share one item with everyone, but otherwise I ended up with my “special” plate. Oh woe, is me.

DC was fun, I have found that one of my many great strengths in life is absurd anxiety. For example I drove off the NJ turnpike, because I was sure I was no longer in NJ, and that I was possibly in Wisconsin. Needless to say, I was in NJ….

So I am going through a relationship nightmare, and because of it, I am not as hungry and I am trying to find food that will somehow help the situation. However, due to my anxiety from the aforementioned relationship, nothing settles well in my stomach and I feel sick from everything. The whole relationship conundrum is very stupid in my opinion as well.

My commute has evolved from taking the Lincoln Tunnel, to the ferry, and finally I am going to start taking the George Washington bridge. Yes, I know, the excitement is just tangible. The benefit of the GW bridge is a $6 a day expense, from a $12. Yay! I am becoming a smarter commuter.

It’s a bit funny writing this blog, since the only people that supposedly read are people that I have forced to follow me, and now I am possibly just writing to no one…. Oh well, maybe Mr. No One loves my blog.

Veal and Museums

As promised, and really not too difficult.

Roasted Veal with Porcini
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 1/4 ounces dried porcini (about 1 1/3 cups)
2 (1 1/3-inch-thick) veal rib chops
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 thyme sprig
1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
2/3 cup crème fraîche
1/2 tablespoon chopped chives
1 teaspoon chopped tarragon

Steps
Preheat oven to 350°F with rack in middle.

Put dried mushrooms in boiling water and let soak until needed in the recipe. Take veal at room temperature and pat dry and season with salt and pepper.

Heat an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet (not nonstick) over medium-high heat until hot. Add oil and heat until smoking, then add veal chops and sear underside well, 2 to 3 minutes. Turn chops over and sear 1 minute.

Add butter, garlic, and thyme to skillet. Transfer skillet to oven and cook, until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally into center of chop registers 130 to 135°F for medium-rare, 10 to 15 minutes.

Transfer chops to a plate to rest. Discard garlic and thyme, keeping juices and fat in skillet, and return to burner over medium-high heat. (Handle will be very hot.) Drain mushrooms from hot water and add to skillet and sauté 1 minute. Add shallot and sauté 1 minute.

Stir in crème fraîche, swirling to incorporate, and boil until porcini are lightly coated and liquid is slightly thickened. Stir in chives and tarragon and season with salt and pepper. Serve chops smothered with sauce.

Serve!


Truth be told I got this off from Gourmet. But it was delicious and quite easy. I also made gluten free cream cheese brownies (Quick note: I use better batter gluten free flour). This made me a touch happy, not insanely happy but a touch.

The recipe is....
Ingredients
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 ounce unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup better batter flour
8 ounces cream cheese, well softened
1/3 cup sugar
1 large egg yolk
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Steps:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan.

Heat butter and chocolate in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, whisking occasionally, just until melted. Remove from heat and whisk in sugar, eggs, vanilla, and a pinch of salt until well combined. Whisk in flour until just combined and spread in baking pan.

Whisk together cheesecake batter ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Dollop over brownie batter, then swirl in with a knife or spatula.

Bake until edges are slightly puffed and center is just set, about 35 minutes.

Serve!

Anyways, my weekend was interesting, I explored and I cried. I explored the Natural History Museum, the Union Square Farmers Market, a cooking store in Union Square, and Bark for Hot Dogs in Brooklyn. Bark is over rated, no special hot dogs in my opinion. Then I cried about a situation I fear will never change. So I will be cooking happy food for the next month, or two, or three, or 100. There is really no limit to how long it will last. So expect a long series of happy food. Today I had pot-roast, it isn't the happiest of food. It just sits and doesn't brighten your taste buds, it just comforts them.

Maybe after all of this I will write a cook book, on foods to make you happy. Who knows..?!?!