Impossible : Mission :: Satisfied : Cravings

While I don't care much for Starbucks' actual coffee drinks... I did develop an affinity for the occasional chai latte while in high school. Winter hits, and I crave it. This one was noteworthy not because of what was inside the cup, but because of the name (is that even a name?) my barista heard and wrote on the outside of my cup. 

After satisfying my chai craving, I decided to satisfy another desire - this one had been going on for months. SCALLOPS. 

I decided to try making them myself for the first time. I found this recipe which sounded simple and delicious. Turns out it was both of those things. I got real fancy with it and added shrimp. My apologies for the lack of focus in this photo. You know the feeling you get when you're in transit toward home and you have to pee? And sure it's uncomfortable, but you can tolerate it. But then... you get home, you exit the car, the subway station, what have you... and suddenly the urge to pee is 10 times that which it was moments before? And that urge grows increasingly with each step, until you're standing above the toilet, trying feverishly to unzip your jeans before your bladder bursts? Well, attempting to take a pretty photo of my perfectly composed plate of pasta, shrimp, and scallops was like reaching the toilet and realizing your zipper was jammed and you wore your skinny jeans that day; there's no way those puppies are sliding off without that zipper coming undone. Things got frantic. But that all went away as soon as I sank my teeth into the first supple, succulent morsel of scallop.

If you're like me and you love scallops but have always feared cooking them yourself... DO NOT FEAR! It's so very simple. Dry scallops, hot oil, high heat, couple minutes on each side. Badabing. And as long as you're cooking with good quality scallops, it doesn't even matter if they're a bit underdone - you can eat those sweet fleshy orbs raw if you want. Whatever you do, just don't overcook them. Nothing worse than a rubbery scallop. 

Pure Vanity

You leave me all alone at home for three days.... I wear your shirts. 

[Okay, mostly vanity and a little boredom.]

I said I would...

Can you believe it? The two recipes I mentioned at the end of my last blog post... you know the two recipes I planned on trying out... I actually tried them both. In one day. 

The first recipe was an attempt to use up leftover ricotta and can be found here.

*The pancakes were tasty - but I didn't fully investigate the recipe before diving in. Turns out, I would halve the butter in the recipe. Yeah, holy crap, it called for 7 tbs. When I read that, I thought it seemed like a lot. But I think it's important to follow recipes as they're written. At least the first time. Then you can begin adding you own touches or making changes that suit your tastes. It's not that the butter ruined the pancakes, but it was totally unnecessary. I think 3 or 3.5 tbs should do just fine next time. Also, I would probably halve the baking powder. Again, holy crap, it called for 2.5 tbs. This one I actually think might have been an error or typo. Never in my life have I heard of using that much in any recipe - let alone for pancakes. The pancakes turned out much saltier that I would have liked. Changing this baking powder measurement from 2.5 tbs to something more like 1 tbs would probably do the trick. 

Yes, that's a whiskey bottle on the top left. No I didn't crack into it while
making breakfast. Next time. 

I intended on taking pics of the cakes. But forgot that plan until this
moment. Oops. 

The second recipe was just because it looks so damn good. And maybe also because I bought super high quality pre-grated parmesan and I wanted to let it sing. It can be found here.

*This pasta is KILLER. So simple. So delicious. And I imagine it would be perfect for kids. This will absolutely be on regular rotation at the Engel-Hess Manor. Zak suggested making it with chicken next time - which I think is a stellar idea. It would also be great with shrimp. And we added, to the second half of our bowls, some left over ground beef-ground sweet italian pork sausage combo that I had left over from lasagna night. Also worked like a charm. This could also be used with zucchini, asparagus, cauliflower, or perhaps even root vegetables (sweet potatoes?) instead of broccoli. I seriously can't say enough about this delicious, versatile pasta dish. Make it!

Boiled broccoli & cooked pasta - from the same pot
of water. Easy peasy. 

And this is the point at which the kitchen begins smelling (and sounding) like mom's kitchen. Specifically, in my case, like thanksgiving morning in mom's kitchen. If you don't like the smell of onions and garlic sautéing in butter, you can get the heck out of my kitchen. And stay out!

Here's where the broccoli gets introduced to the onions.
And then everyone's happy. 

Chop that shit up! This step can be made even easier
with an emulsion blender. It's on my list of tools
to buy...

Took the advice of the author of the recipe and went heavy handed
with the parm. I went nearly saltless with the rest of the recipe in
preparation. Brilliant. 

Don't confuse his serious demeanor for malcontent. Things
just get rull serious rull fast when someone puts a bowl of
pasta heaven THIS good in front of you. 

I absolutely suggest trying out both of these recipes. Just don't forget the bacon for the pancakes like we did. Happy recipeing! 

Tiding over...

I originally intended on halving this recipe... as it is only for Zak and I. But then I said, eh, what the hell? The leftovers will still be great. If you're like me... lasagna is still good 5 days in. I think we'll be sufficiently maintained until Thanksgiving. 

Started the cooking with some Thelonious Monk. At that point, it didn't even matter how the lasagna turned out.

Most important element: The sauce.

Dollops of super fresh ricotta & herbs from Russo's Italian Market around the corner. 

Took everything in my power NOT to eat it at this point...

Also took all of me not to eat it here. Scalding heat tends to ruin food. And mouths. 

Ahhhh, salvation.

Oh, it's good. Real good. One qualm: I like my lasagna drowning in sauce. So I like to have extra to top each individual serving with. But I had to use all the sauce for the layering... none left for drowning. Oh well. I'll remember for next time. 

Upcoming food adventures: 

Perfect way to use up the remaining ricotta.

And perfect way to pretend pasta is healthy.

(By the way, those two links will lead you to my two most frequently visited food blogs. I highly recommend each. Happy recipe-ing!)

Fact checker.

"Okay...there's no K in huckleberry. I mean, sure it looks pretty. But what's pretty when you look unintelligent?"

- pretty girl leaving Huckleberry Bar in Williamsburg

It began with pizza.

All good things start "It began with pizza..."

It doesn't even matter what kind of pizza. Because pizza is one of those miracle things that tastes delicious no matter the quality. I remember eating Pizza at Roy Gayle baseball park in Rockford, Illinois. You know, the kind that's rectangular, microwaved, and adorned with square bits of cheese that defy categorization? Man, was that heaven. Throw in a pickle the size of my head and a skipping I will go. 

That being said, I admit I'm still a tough pizza critic. I get it from my dad (and, I suppose, my mom as well). I'll gladly eat it all, but I'll praise only a lucky few pies. 

A good way to guarantee satisfaction? Make it yourself (with store-bought dough from the local italian market). Mine involves red pepper, onion, spinach, broccoli rabe, and BBQ chicken. My apologies for the crappy iphone photo job.

And for dessert? Crepes with a fluffy ricotta-orange filling, drizzled with chocolate. These crepes lived to see day two. With the leftover batter, I made some that were more Zak's taste... peanut butter, chocolate, and banana. You really can't lose with either. 

Oh what I would give to revisit this dinner in place of the triscuits, cheese, and hot dog I ate tonight...

People Watching

Sometimes my love for people watching goes a bit beyond watching and into the realm of documentation. I feel guilty all the while, but I just couldn't help myself when it came to this father-son duo. 

This is but a snippet of a 40 minute train ride during which they did... exactly... this... the whole... time. 

I like to think someone else has delighted in my nuances while on the train. 

And before signing off, I must inform you all that Zak is currently washing the dishes (WIN) and listening to Robyn's "Dancing On My Own" (DOUBLE WIN). So lucky to have a boyfriend with such a stellar taste in music. 

The Big Purp

We got the most beautiful snow in NYC yesterday. I was expecting to see a few flurries dispersed through heavy rainfall, when in fact it became 6-7 solid hours of the big, pretty, fluffy stuff. 

Good thing I've been working on this lately. 

Mmmmm cozy

Rest easy, mom. My title was in fact not a reference to marijuana, but that big cuddly thing I'm knitting. Hopefully she'll be done by the end of the weekend. 

(And a very large shout out / thank you to Joe & Linda who bought me this yarn in such a lovely shade of purple.)

Sunday: the day of movie indulgence

On Sunday, I watched The Warrior with Zak. It began as an excuse to watch Tom Hardy's alluringly full lips move as he spoke. Or even just emoted, as they render words purposeless. They are 100% pure distraction in its most seductive form. 

Are you kidding me?

But my superficial desires were quickly shadowed by what ended up being one of the most gripping, intense, emotional movie-watching experiences I've had - catalyzed especially by the strong performances of Joel Edgerton (Brendan) and Nick Nolte (Paddy). Yes, Tom Hardy (Tommy) was excellent, but it was Edgerton and Nolte whose depiction of their struggles made the story truly heartbreaking. Granted, it was brilliant to develop a dramatic story around ultimate fighting. The sport is almost a character in and of itself - a complicated one. Intriguing, revolting, desensitizing, overwhelming. But even the intensity of the fight scenes do not outweigh the cast's exceptional performances.

I recommend watching this film. If you're a pacifist, you might struggle with this one. But at least you'll be watching Tom Hardy('s lips) acting(provoking) like a badass(Casanova). 

Souffluffy

Today, while watching Mary Poppins (a first for Zak, a 19485th for me), Zak declared, "MAN I want chocolate cake." 

So a souffle we did make. 

 

What a charming Sunday. 

 

Sweet Spuds

What ever could I do with all these delicious cubes of sweet potato goodness?

Roast 'em up, and add them to a warm salad of couscous, spinach, and goat cheese. And eat it from a bowl on my lap, of course. Lap dinner.