Category Archives: Out Of Town

Blueberry Mojito Recipe

As promised, folks, I have the most incredible mojito recipe to share!

blueberry mojito recipe
Over my holiday I was surprised with a last minute trip to Hawaii. For the past few years, I have vacationed with my boyfriend to very fun, relaxing beachy locations; and every beach trip we have been on I am typically the one enjoying an ice-cold brewski and he’s sitting next to me slurping on a pina colada (wait, did I mention they are always virgins?). This year, he discovered a new drink that not only had him hooked, but me as well! And, I have to give full credit here to the bartender at the Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea for this recipe — he managed to create a mojito so unbelievably amazing he must have had so many recipe requests the Four Seasons had special recipe cards printed for him to share with the guests! Created by Danny McCauley, his “Serenity Mojito” (I call it the Blueberry Mojito) seriously hits the spot on a hot day! The icy beverage has the perfect mix of flavor — from the cooling sensation of the muddled mint leaves to the sweetness of the fresh blueberries — this mixed drink is guaranteed to keep people drinking (responsibly, of course)!

Okay, so I’ll cut to the chase… see below for the recipe!

Ingredients/Directions Combined:

  • Fresh Mint Leaves (6-7 each)
  • Fresh Blueberries (8-10 each)

Muddle these ingredients together (then add to the glass).

Fill a glass with crushed ice.

  • Add 1.5 oz. of Blueberry Fris Vodka to the glass
  • Add 1 oz. Fresh Lime Juice
  • Fill the glass with soda water
  • Shake the combination thoroughly

Hawaiian Canoeing

I mentioned that while in Hawaii we learned how to row on a traditional Hawaiian canoe. Our canoeing adventure took us out into the water where we were able to check out some reefs, Hawaiian green turtles, tropical fish, and other wild life.

Below you’ll see a few photos I snapped on our early morning ride as the sun was coming up over Maui:

paddling boarding in maui

maui paddle boards

maui water sports

While rowing, we learned some fascinating history of the islanders and Hawaii itself. The Four Seasons has the perfect summary of our canoeing experience listed on their website, here’s what they say:

Centuries before the Pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock, Polynesian seafarers travelled over 2,300 miles to the shores of Earth’s most remote archipelago: the Hawaiian Islands. Capable and daring, they ventured across the ocean in outrigger canoes, at a time when Western boats rarely went out of sight of land.

At Four Seasons Resort Maui, you can follow in the paddle strokes of Hawaii’s ancient forefathers, even if you are a malihini (newcomer) to the sport of outrigger canoeing. The Resort’s championship paddling team oversees a complimentary outrigger canoe programme, offered two to three times a day, four days a week.

After you help launch the canoe from the beach, and rhythmically propel the canoe forward across the calm surface of the Pacific, you’ll start to feel as if you’re travelling back in time. For in between canoeing commands shouted in Hawaiian, your guide will share Polynesian culture with you through a wala’au (talking story).

With hoe (paddle) in hand, you’ll start to learn how to read the ocean from the feel of blade as it slices through the water, how to steer your course by the patterns of wind, swell and current. Na Oli (the chants) helps connect you with your fellow paddlers.

After a while, you might wonder what would possess the ancient Polynesians to traverse the ocean in an outrigger canoe. And then it all becomes so apparently clear as you journey through a magnificent reef system. Before you, a bale of green sea turtles; passing underneath, a school of manta rays; and during the season, the strong possibilities of humpback whales. Then you’ll wonder if there’s an opening in the next session.

Mele Kalikimaka

This Christmas holiday was filled with just pure excitement — great food, amazing friends, and loving families. After spending a spectacular holiday with my family, I was surprised with a last minute trip to Hawaii. Or, I should say, Hawai’i.

Long story short, every year for the past 15 years my boyfriend’s family goes to Hawaii for the holiday but for the past 5 years my boyfriend hasn’t joined them because it’s a crazy time of year for him at work. But this year he pulled a huge surprise for his family and for me — we flew to the South Pacific for some fun in the sun and quality family time.

Over the next week I’m going to post a few times about our trip to Hawaii — it was a short 3-day trip because we both needed to get back (for him he needed to get back for work, for me I wanted to get back to my family). I hope you enjoy the posts — be sure to keep a look-out for an exciting recipe that will tell you how to make my new favorite mojito! I promise you, you won’t be disappointed!

four seasons wailea

Above you’ll see a view of our hotel’s beach in Wailea. The side of the Maui island we were on had calm waves — the perfect water for snorkeling, paddle boarding, and other water sports.

hawaiian green turtle

We learned some rowing techniques on a traditional Hawaiian canoe called The Canoe of the Red Sea. Rowing with 2 other locals, we were able to learn some interesting history of the island as well as see some gorgeous wild life. Above, you’ll see a photo I took of a Hawaiian Green Turtle. I was able to capture this picture at a spot the locals call “The Cleaning Station” — it’s where the turtles swim to to have their shells cleaned by the fish. If their shells don’t get cleaned, the algae acts similar to mold and will destroy their shell by making it too soft.

fish tacos

Nothing is more satisfying for lunch than some fish tacos! The flavors came together beautifully — especially once we squeezed the lime juice over top of the fish!

hawaiian sunset

I can’t wait to get back for more Hawaiian sunsets! Everything about the island was so magical — it truly is paradise!

ahi tuna tacos

These Ahi Tuna Tacos almost look fake — don’t they? The fish was so fresh — I don’t think any of us ever saw such exquisite seafood! The taste on these tacos was fresh and savory — look closely and you can see the sesame seeds on top and the drizzle of a special sauce that added the perfect kick to the tuna.

Be sure to check back next week for more Hawaii posts and that mojito recipe I told you all about!

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Chicago’s Pancake House

My boyfriend is from Chicago and I always look forward to our trips back to the Midwest to visit his family. Not only do I love his family, but I have come to love Chicago as well (don’t tell any of my New York friends). Chicago is full of friendly & energetic people, the crowd is both young and old (if you want to call people “old”), and the city is spectacularly clean (unlike NYC).

We have also had many exciting culinary experiences in the city of Chicago (remember my post on Joe’s?). Of course I am now dying to go to Giuliana & Bill Rancic’s new restaurant, but this trip to Chicago didn’t give us any time to squeeze in a dinner out on the town (we were in town for a wedding). So, we settled for a tasty breakfast instead of dinner.

In the downtown section of Chicago we walked from the new Waldorf Astoria to the Pancake House, which was only a few blocks away from each other. Architecture in Chicago is very different than typical New York City buildings — I love how you can see everything in Chicago all on one block no less… You’ll see the newly designed buildings that have a more “green” and exotic style, you’ll see the old-school (yet gorgeous) town houses, and then you’ll see a random little building like the Pancake House that looks like someone’s personal country-style home. So adorable!

Luckily we arrived before a huge rush — although the restaurant was already packed and we ended up waiting for about 15 minutes. The orange juice that was sipped down before our food arrived was freshly squeezed and exceptionally refreshing! We ordered the Apple Pancake and the Dutch Baby to share with the entire table — these two dishes are signature plates that you must order to get the full experience. I love apples, so of course I knew I would enjoy the Apple Pancake. I guess I wasn’t expecting how much I would love it though. Think of two things: apple pie, and cinnamon pancakes. Now, put the two together. That’s exactly what the Apple Pancake is… fluffy pancakes with rich cinnamon-glazed granny apple slices. It’s also a great dish to share with everyone, it’s easy to cut and isn’t as messy as you might expect!

I wasn’t as big of a fan of the Dutch Baby, probably because my boyfriend ordered it as “The Dutch Pancake.” Having spent time in The Netherlands, I expected to have more of a classic Dutch-style pancake… and that’s not what the Dutch Baby is.

I recently watched an episode of “The Barefoot Contessa” where Ina baked her pancakes in the oven (brilliant, I have to say). When she took the pancakes out of the oven they were extremely fluffed up and the outside of the pancake was much higher than the middle. That’s exactly what this Dutch Baby looked like. Covered with whipped butter, lemon, and powdered sugar, the Dutch Baby is crispier on the edges and softer in the middle. The flavor wasn’t anything spectacular and was fairly bland.

I ordered a skillet that had the following in the dish: hash browns on the bottom, green pepper, red pepper, onion, and pepper jack cheese, topped with 2 eggs that were cooked over-easy. Once I punctured the egg and let the egg yolk run out all over the hash browns, veggies and cheese I knew the flavors would infuse perfectly together. And I was right! The pepper jack cheese add a beautiful spice to the plate — it was nothing overwhelming, but a little heat makes eggs taste great (wouldn’t you agree?). Quickly my boyfriend’s fork made its way over to my skillet and he enjoyed the dish just as much as I did!

I hope we are able to go back the next time we are in Chicago! The prices were very reasonable and the service was extremely attentive. Bravo Pancake House, bravo!

Joe’s Crab in Chicago

On the Saturday night after Thanksgiving, my boyfriend and I went to Joe’s with his family in downtown Chicago. This restaurant was packed and apparently it’s always like that and it’s been open for years. We had so many amazing appetizers and side dishes. Sadly, my iPhone crashed on the way back form Chicago and I lost the majority of my pictures from the weekend. But I managed to save a picture of the crab because I tweeted about it while at dinner! I loved the appetizer of spinach and cheese stuffed mushrooms — and everyone loved them too! Perfectly cooked mushroom caps were stuffed with a creamy spinach and topped with a flavorful stringy cheese.

My boyfriend ordered the cold stone crab and of course I ordered my favorite — scallops. The scallops were breaded — I have never had scallops prepared like this before. I didn’t dislike them but I found them to be very different. I squeezed lemon on top which add more flavor and the citrus always goes well with seafood. I had a taste of the steak at Joe’s as well and it was so delicious — very flavorful, perfectly cooked and a big hit at the table.

When we first got to the table though, everyone quickly chowed down on the raisin bread. I had no clue until I took the photo of the bread that the bread actually has a lot of sugar on it. The mix of the sugar with a little bit of butter on top is extraordinary! If I had realized there was sugar I may not have added butter to it. But the tastes combined together are such an experience! (For a picture of the Raisin Bread, click here).

Stay tuned for more on my Thanksgiving!

Cookie Skillets in Chicago

Cookie SkilletOver Thanksgiving I went to Chicago to spend the holiday with my boyfriend and his family. The first night that we arrived (Wednesday) my boyfriend and I went to an incredible sports bar called State in Lincoln Park. I was completely blown away — clearly the sports bars in New York could never come close to being as good as State.

We ordered so much food and we enjoyed every bite! The Molcajete Guacamole was amazing! I couldn’t believe the serving size (massive!) — it was made fresh with gigantic chunks of avocado (my favorite! I hate when the avocados are over mashed) with cilantro, jalapenos and fabulous chunks of red onions and tomatoes. The rock shrimp was another appetizer we ordered — I love rock shrimp and State has a great twist on theirs. It wasn’t like the traditional Japanese rock shrimp, it was tossed in a spicy chili sauce that really hit the spot! Another order was the Grilled Chicken & Red onion Quesadillas — it was incredible! I typically will add salsa and sour cream to add more flavor to quesadillas but the cheesy quesadilla made with pepper jack cheese, red onion, and the most amazing marinated chicken I have ever had in a quesadilla didn’t need any extra toppings to it.

We ordered a few other things, but the most incredible dish that stood out to me was the Cookie Skillet that we ate for dessert. It was something I have never had before so it was both fascinating and incredibly delicious to me. When it was brought to our table it smelled like the most delectable chocolate dessert. The fragrance was so strong and even though I was full from all of the appetizers, my stomach began to grumble as if it was hungry all over again. Basically there was a cookie baked at the bottom of an insanely hot skillet and the chocolate chips were able to stay melted and cold vanilla ice cream as well as chocolate sauces were scooped and/or poured on top. It was such a creative and fantastic way to bake and serve a dessert. Has anyone else ever seen a cookie skillet before? I have never had anything like it and I have been wondering if it is a mid-western way to serve a cookie and ice cream. I’m considering buying a skillet to bake brownies or cookies in when I have friends come over. If I was fascinated by it, I’m sure my friends and family would love it too!

Al Di La Trattoria in Brooklyn, NY

It’s a very rare happening, me going to Brooklyn, but every time I make my way out to the borough I love every minute I spend there. I’m also lucky enough to have friends that know their way around, so the visit is a pleasant experience. My friend Tim lives in Park Slope and he has been raving about an Italian restaurant ever since I met him. The restaurant is only a few blocks away from his apartment and he willingly admits that he orders from the restaurant all the time. So one Saturday evening I make the quick trek outside of Manhattan and met up with Tim, who then led me along a busy/”happening” street. It seemed as if I misjudged Park Slope. I had always assumed that people lived in the neighborhood but always came into Manhattan for everything else, including restaurants. But no, that’s not the case at all. Those who live in Park Slope manage to have their cake and eat it too. They live in an idyllic neighborhood, they get a “smaller” town vibe, they have Manhattan only a quick subway ride away, and they also eat very very well.

We arrived at Al Di La Trattoria, the Italian restaurant Tim has been raving about. It’s 8:30 p.m. and the place is packed! Tim had put our name on a list about 20 minutes earlier and we still had an hour and forty five minutes of a wait left. So we went out the front door and around the corner to go downstairs to the wine bar that is also connected to the restaurant. We ordered a bottle of red wine and spent some time catching up. Not even 20 minutes later a table in the wine bar opened up and we were offered the table if we wanted to eat downstairs. Of course we said yes… we were about to finish the bottle of wine and there was no food in our stomachs.

The wine bar tables are much more intimate and quiet than the tables upstairs in the main restaurant. If we were to sit upstairs the atmosphere would be completely different — just imagine a loud Italian family, a traditional Italian kitchen, yup that’s what upstairs would have been like. We were just so hungry we would have sat any where!

Even though it was my first time at the restaurant I quickly knew what I wanted to order: the Tortelli, a ravioli stuffed with corn and a sweet cream sauce with a side of potatoes. It’s the first time I have ever had corn as a filling in my ravioli and I’ll admit that I was very hesitant. (Tim assured me it was going to be delicious!) When the food arrived the two of us completely stopped talking, we were too busy stuffing our faces in the nicest way possible. I couldn’t believe it, I managed to eat my entire ravioli dish in under 6 minutes. The corn was subtle but sweet and delicious and the cream sauce was so light and refreshing I hardly knew it was a cream sauce, even my stomach didn’t ache. There was actually sauce left over on my plate so I dumped my potatoes onto the dish and scooped up some sauce for each forkfull of potatoes.

Over all I am not a Brooklyner at heart — I truly enjoy living and dining in Manhattan. But Al Di La was so extraordinarily delicious I will gladly and willingly take another trip back to the borough for another meal. (I’ll also eat at any restaurant my friend Tim recommends because clearly he knows what good food tastes like!)

Greatest Thing Since Sliced Bread

Remember how I told you that paninis were one thing you would constantly encounter in Italy? Well, here it is! My first post on an Italian Panini (yes, there will be more).
There was something about the paninis in Italy, such a small snack (or lunch) would be created with only a few simple ingredients that were always as fresh as you could possibly hope for.
My first impression of what a panini really is came from what I learned in the United States … obviously the Americans have it all wrong. Over on this side of the pond, just about everyone has been to a Panera and almost everyone who has been has ordered one of their paninis. Whenever I eat one I feel like I have committed a crime! They are filled with countless ingredients and are full of calories, they are also very unhealthy. So naturally, this is what I thought a panini was. WRONG! The panini pictured below only had 3 ingredients: bread, salami, and cheese. Yes, that is correct everyone, I ate salami! And I loved it! I was in shock that I loved salami so much; it was probably because there were no preservatives and the meat wasn’t as salty as it would be over here. And pair salami with brie cheese and it’s all over for me. This sandwich was cut into four because my family and I were treating it as a snack before heading to the Trevi Fountain, but I am currently wishing I ordered another one because this panini was so delicious I am actually declaring it as the best panini I have ever had to eat! (And I must give my mother 100% credit on picking out this panini… as they say, mother knows best! Thanks mom for making me try it, yummm it was so tasty!)
salami panini

Food in Capri/Anacapri: Part I

There wasn’t a location I went to in Italy that I did not love. But there was something about Capri (and Anacapri — where we stayed) that captured my 25% Italian heart. First of all, there are not many that live on Capri year-round; it’s more of a summer getaway home that the affluent have in Italy. Almost like Fire Island except much more beautiful, sparkling blue water, with better food, and of course Italian architecture. It’s easy to get to Capri, it’s only a short 45 minute ferry ride away from Naples (just like Fire Island, you arrive by boat).
We stayed at the Capri Palace in Anacapri. Anacapri is not a different island than Capri, rather it sits at the top of Capri. In order to get there you have to drive up a very tight, narrow road that’s built so close to the steep edges of the mountain. The views were idyllic but even the picturesque landscape didn’t stop my dad from panicking (he has a fear of heights). I can’t blame him though because there were a few moments (yes, I am admitting this) that my stop flipped… This happened when our car got so close to the edge I thought my life was going to end in Capri. I can’t wait to return. Capri will be the place I will return to immediately the next time I go to Italy.
The food was delicious as well! I wouldn’t mind spending my summers in Capri, strolling the streets as the sun goes down, and picking an intimate cafe to wine and dine at for dinner each night. Now I know why celebrities get away to Capri — this tranquil island is interested only in giving you the peace that you should experience in life.
When it came to my meals, it started with a pretty heavier than usual breakfast (huge mistake I would later learn). Pictured below is my breakfast in Anacapri. Delicious, flavorful scrambled eggs, pancakes with scrumptious syrup, and what’s missing in the photo is my yogurt and fruit bowl.
breakfast in Capri
After breakfast we did the most touristy thing any one could do in Capri… we took a boat to La Grotta Azzurra (The Blue Grotto). We waited for about an hour and a half before we could get into our row boats to head into the cave. At that time I managed to share my breakfast with the fish while my motor boat bobbed up and down. Once we got in our row boat, we had to lay down in order to squeeze into the entrance of the cave (it’s about 2 meters high and 2 meters wide). Once inside we were rowed around the magical cave that was filled with the bluest of all blues (I’m sure Crayola wishes they could recreate this shade). The visit in the Grotto didn’t last long, we were out in no time and heading back to land.
After our boat docked we had a quick moment before we hopped on a trolley-like car that took us up to another neighborhood of Capri. While waiting for the trolley I enjoyed a lemon gelato (a refreshing treat to have, especially after feeding the fish).
Our visit to Capri was perfect. We saw so many breathtaking views! Below are a few photos from Capri, I’ll be sure to add more this week!

Breakfast While In Italy

Lunch and Dinner in Italy seemed to be exceptionally filling. The rich, thick ingredients in practically every dish would sit so heavily in your stomach — but for some reason, stomachaches never were a result!
But when it came to breakfast time, the foods laid out in buffet-style weren’t necessarily the typical cuisine you would find at an American breakfast table. Thank goodness! I say that because whenever I eat the stereotypical American breakfast, I feel like I’m not starting my day correctly. I feel bloated before I leave the table! So starting my days in Italy were always looked forward to because I would have a fresh, flavorful plate of fruit, cheese, and bread. Cheese at breakfast? You might be wondering about that. But yes! It’s delicious and the flavors from different types of cheese goes beautifully with fruit. As for my serving of yogurt in the morning, it was always exciting to see what glass bottle my yogurt would come in. My favorite flavor, naturally, was the raspberry. But to my surprise I also enjoyed the coffee flavored yogurt — which tasted exactly like coffee but had a sour punch to it. (I swear, I’ve never seen coffee flavored yogurt in the U.S before, have you? I’m surprised too, because Americans sure do love their coffee.)
Below is what my typical breakfast would be like in Italy. These photos were taken at my first breakfast, in Rome.