Tag Archives: garlic

Citrus Brussels Sprouts

I know, I have been horrible with blogging the past couple of months. Actually, I have recently received a few, lets call them, “hate emails” asking when the next time I’ll be posting.

I have been spending a lot of time cooking and baking — surprise, surprise! And I am excited to share with you that I have had some fantastic success stories that I will be able to catch you up on.

Which is exactly what I am going to do right now…

Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and lets all admit it… you should never, EVER, make a recipe for the first time on Thanksgiving. Am I right? I’m such a dork when it comes to recipes, I have to test them out in advance. This weekend, I couldn’t help but get a bit creative with some gorgeous brussels sprouts. Actually, it wasn’t that creative, rather it was a middle ground of a mixtures of flavors that everyone in my family would enjoy.

Here’s what I did with the little bite-size veggies…

What you’ll need:

  • 1 small basket of brussels sprouts
  • extra virgin olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • juice of half of a lemon

Preheat oven to 375 degree. Cut the brussels sprouts in half and lay on a baking sheet. Drizzle some extra virgin olive oil over top, sprinkle with salt and pepper and two garlic cloves that are chopped up into small pieces. Toss this mixture together and spread out on to the baking sheet. Bake for 20-23 minutes. Remove from oven and place into a serving bowl. Juice half a lemon over top of the brussels sprouts. Serve!

It’s that easy, and I swear you’ll love it! I can’t help but enjoy a combination of garlic and citrus on top of a very flavorful green vegetable! Let me know what you think, and be sure to enjoy this recipe this Thanksgiving!

 

Okay folks, lets give this a shot — are you a Pinterest fanatic like myself? Now you can pin my yummy Citrus Brussels Sprouts recipe to your Pinterest food boards! Be sure to hit the “Pin It” button below!

A Classic Country-Style Dinner

There’s something about the foods that I get to eat when I go home. Leaving a city and going to the country-side, it doesn’t just mean you can go pick corn yourself from the farm down the road, but it also means… MORE COUNTER SPACE! After living in a city with practically no apartment/living space and then returning home to a house with a kitchen practically the size of your first apartment — you know you’re going to have a field day cooking! I sure have.

Within the past few days, I have made multiple batches of cookies, specifically homemade oatmeal raisin cookies, loads of homemade popcorn spiced up with either truffle salt or dry ranch dip (try it, it’s fabulous!), homemade pizza (a Rasi family specialty), and tonight was one of my favorites… I made an outstanding lemon, garlic chicken with creamed corn. Not only was this recipe a cinch, it also involved very few ingredients that are also basic and easy to find in any grocery store!

Pulled directly from the one, the only, Food Network Magazine, the directions are made by professionals and need no alterations, I promise you! The simplicity of the creamed corn recipe will have me making it many more times even when I am cooking other dishes that may not be chicken. Take a look at the recipe for the chicken and the corn. The only addition I would make is to add more salt and pepper at the end once the corn has been cooked. It will add the perfect seasoning to the plate. Also, I paired this dish with a full-bodied red wine. Try it, you’ll be happy!

I laughed while making this because my mother was with me and said, “how long do you think this will take to cook?” I told her the directions said about 40 minutes total. She laughed and said that that is never the case and it always ends up taking longer. Everyone knows that I am a true believer and supporter in the entire Food Network brand, yes it’s because I am a fan… But it’s also because I actually have experience working in the FNM offices and I know that everyone there does everything to make the recipe the best it can ever be! So, follow directions to the T. And if you find something you’d prefer to change, do it the second time you make the dish! The chefs writing these recipes have experience — they are not college graduates that cooked up Ramen noodles one too many times… They are trained culinary experts that want everyone to say “YUM” when they take a bite out of their own personal culinary creation.

Masa 14 in Washington DC

This past weekend I left the Big Apple and ventured down to Washington DC to visit friends — Brittany and Curtis. I can’t believe the two of them are moving all the way to the West Coast, so this was my last chance to see the two before they head off to LA.

Brittany is a big foodie just like me — I always look forward to her visits here in New York City because we always end up exploring the city and wining and dining. So, naturally I knew that Brittany had a restaurant or two in mind for my trip down to DC.

The night I arrived we went to Masa 14 — a Latin-Asian fusion restaurant with the perfect tapas servings. I can’t tell you how much I love tapas, it allows you to not only sample a little bit of everything but it also bonds everyone at the table because you are sharing the same food. Tapas is the perfect way to bring a group together.

We really chowed down — so get ready for lots of pictures (and I’ll be sure to keep the explanations short and brief).

food at masa 14

Lets start with the crispy shrimp — served with chipotle aioli, sesame, scallion and masago. The texture was perfect, exactly what you look for when you order crispy shrimp. And just take a look at this plate — it’s full of color, and when you see color I can guarantee you that the flavors will be bold!

flatbread recipe

There was a lovely selection of flatbreads so it was tough to pick which one would be best. We ended up going with the Wild Mushroom Flatbread that’s served with Oaxaca cheese, red pepper and avocado. The bread turned out perfectly crisp on the bottom and the avocado’s texture balanced out the bread’s crispiness.

best fried okra

The fried okra was actually the first thing that we ordered and it was gone in about 45 seconds once it hit the table. Perfectly fried means it was nice and crispy on the outside and flavorful on the inside. The dipping sauce made with ginger, basil, garlic and chilies added the perfect spice to the mild-fried okra. This is a must order dish if you go to Masa 14!

You might think that the last thing you should order from a Latin-Asian fusion restaurant is french fries — but you’d be a fool not to here! The fries were potatoey just the way I like them (I hate when fries are thin and crispy and there’s no soft potato left in them). They were served with one heck of a dipping sauce made with chimichurri, garlic and a lime aioli dipping sauce. This lime aioli dipping sauce has inspired me to experiment in my kitchen — I’m determined to recreate this! The lime brings such a refreshing taste to the fried potato.

Another winner on the menu was the Mole Dusted Tenderloin Medallion that was served with mustard potatoes that added a beautiful spice to the plate and mixed in with the potatoes were some edamame. The meat was placed on top of a cilantro-mint chutney — this was the highlight! I have never had such an amazing sauce on beef before. It wasn’t “rich” the way every other meat sauce typically is, it was light and fresh.

Another must-order is the crispy crab won ton rolls that are stuffed with cream cheese, corn, mushroom, shiso, truffle, and spicy ponzu. Need I say more? I think the ingredients do all the talking! I would have been happy to continue ordering these crispy won ton rolls all night long. Any one who eats at this restaurants MUST order these!

meatballs with beef and pork

I don’t usually eat pork, but I decided that one big bite of it wouldn’t hurt. We ordered the Angus Beef and Pork Meatballs. Perfectly moist and drowned in a delicious sauce, these meatballs were spicy and cooked beautifully. Served with cotija cheese, scallion and smoked tomato yuzu sauce, it makes me want to get into the kitchen at home to try to recreate these using all beef. But, I have a funny feeling I could never beat the recipe from Masa 14.

Overall our experience was unbelievable. Not only was every single plate we ordered perfectly prepared, but the service was fantastic and the ambiance was exactly what you’re looking for for a Friday night dinner. The restaurant was packed the moment we walked in at 8:15 — our reservation was for 9 but the host was so accommodating she sat us right away! When I go back to DC, I would love to eat out at this restaurant again — although I know the experience would never be the same without Brittany and Curtis.

Recipe: Artichoke Cheese Bread

I feel like food inspiration is every where these days! And especially since I started using Pinterest I feel like I am surrounded by foodies that know what good food really is.

I was inspired by this recipe I saw pinned on a food board on the Pinterest website and I figured I’d give it a go. I had almost all of the ingredients (I needed to pick up a can of artichokes and some fresh french baguettes) and it seemed like putting together the breaded appetizer would be fairly easy.

draining artichokes

So first thing is first… I needed to crack open the can of artichokes. Gag. Have you ever taken a whiff of canned artichokes — again, gag. I love the taste of artichokes but I was practically dry heaving over the smell when they were drained from the can. (I react the same way when I am opening a can of gorgonzola beans.) Note: this is why I am not the one in culinary school, I’ll leave that up to my good friend Stef.

After getting past draining the artichokes, everything was a breeze. For a serving of 4, here’s what the recipe called for:

2 whole grain french baguettes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 14-ounce can of artichokes in water or brine, drained and chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/3 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup seasoned panko bread crumbs
fresh parsley for garnish

I decided I’d leave the panko bread crumbs out but you’re welcome to keep them in. After draining and rinsing the artichokes, here’s what the instructions said to do:

Cut the baguettes in half lengthwise and brush with the olive oil. Equally distribute the minced garlic and chopped artichoke hearts. Top each with a good handful of cheese, about 1/3 cup each. Sprinkle on a few breadcrumbs. Bake for 8 minutes, then heat the broiler and broil for 2 minutes, or until cheese is golden brown. Garnish with chopped parsley.

I love the flavor of the cheese, garlic, and artichokes. But here’s what I think should be noted for the recipe… Be sure to keep the spread pretty thin, I might have order done it by piling on the ingredients. The flavors were fantastic, but I could hardly take a bite without making a mess! If you can master that (which is no big deal), then these will make for a perfect appetizer or side dish for an Italian meal!

Grilled Cheese with Lemon Pesto

There are so many things that I miss about the warm summer months… one thing is the food. I can never get enough of the cheap in season fruits and veggies that are sold at various grocery stores and farmer’s markets. One of my favorite herbs that is really only in season in the summer time is basil. I can do so many fabulous things with basil! I actually make a killer pesto! My pesto ingredients include: pine nuts, basil, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, and parmigiano reggiano cheese. This week I was able to snag a nice sized container of pesto for $3 (I felt like I won the lotto, kind of). But my excitement still hasn’t died down from the thrill of finding this fresh basil. The other night I decided to make some pesto and for kicks I threw into my recipe a bit of lemon zest. The lemon zest actually added a sweet/sour kick to the sauce.

Now that I have a basic pesto made and put into an air tight container to keep it from spoiling, I have so many things I am looking forward to cooking up over the next week or so. There are so many things you can use pesto in/on: bruschetta, caprese salad, grilled cheese, pasta, salads, gnocchi, ravioli, and it even makes a fabulous marinade for chicken! The best part about pesto is, just a little bit of the sauce goes a long way. Seriously, never use too much pesto on something because 1. you don’t want to waste your cherished pesto, and 2. the flavors will be very overwhelming.

My boyfriend claims he doesn’t like pesto. But, recently I decided to sneak some into an appetizer I made for us. Instead of using basil leaves on a simple yet delicious caprese salad — I used pesto. I swear, the pinenuts do so much for pesto and it does so much for the flavors in a caprese salad made of bufala mozzarella, heirloom tomatoes, and pesto sauce. So, I snuck it in on him and he loved it! I actually never told him that I used pesto and when pesto came up in a conversation over dinner with some friends he had to say to everyone “I hate pesto” and I looked at him and said, but you’ve eaten it before and you never complained. He turned right to me and said “WHEN!?” and “WHERE!?” … I am such a sneaky girlfriend.

So after making this lemon pesto at 10:30 at night, I had to eat some of it! But how? I didn’t want to cook up an entire dish of pasta, I just wanted a near-midnight snack. So, I lightly buttered some bread on one side of each slice (lightly buttered people, we don’t want to get type 2 diabetes like poor ol’ Paula Deen), put them on a skillet, but a very light layer of pesto on one side of one of the slices, laid down some very basic american cheese, and toasted up a grilled cheese. The resulted flavors were spectacular! It was such a fabulous savory snack I have had in so long!

fun grilled cheese recipes

A Lemon Pesto Grilled Cheese Sandwich, made in 15 minutes or less!

It’s really true, just a bit of pesto goes a long way!

Note: when making grilled cheese, as I said above only use a little bit of butter to butter one side of each slice of bread (the side that goes on the pan). I have found that butter really is better to use than olive oil because you want that crispy breaded texture and you want your cheese to melt inside. I have found that if I spray my bread with a bit of olive oil, my bread turns that perfect golden brown way too fast and the bread burns before the cheese melts.

how to make a grilled cheese

Perfect golden brown grilled cheese bread.

Homemade Pita Pizzas

At the end of the week when I have veggies in the fridge that need to be eaten right away, I’ll typically cook them up for some quesadillas or pizzas. Who says you can put asparagus in a quesadilla? And you can pretty much get away with putting whatever you want on a pizza — pineapple, mushrooms, peppers, zucchini … you name it! You probably wouldn’t put all of those ingredients on your pizza at the same time, but you know what I mean.

I never knew how convenient pita bread actually is either! I’m a sucker for thin, crispy crust on my pizza and that’s exactly what pita bread will end up being when you bake it — nice and crispy!

Last night I didn’t have much in my refrigerator, I am actually extremely low on groceries. But what I did have was: pita bread, garlic, fresh mozzarella, and a tomato. So, I split open the pita bread so I could cut out just a thin piece of it and I saved the rest of the bread for some hummus for a snack this weekend. Then I chopped up one small clove of garlic and spread it out on to the bread. Next, I grated some fresh mozzarella and sliced up a few pieces of tomato. I spread on the tomato slices, followed by the cheese and then topped it with 2 pinches of hot pepper flakes. I love my homemade pizza to be garlicy with a bit of a kick!

My little pita pizza was popped into the oven (I used my handy toaster oven) at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes. It was so light, crispy, and flavorful and since it took me maybe 15 minutes to prep and cook — I know I’ll be making it again very soon!

The Perfect Stocking Stuffer

For some silly reason, I love stocking stuffers more than actual full-on gifts. And every year my mom is always the best at thinking of exciting things to put in my stocking. This year, she surprised me with a dried herb dip mix from Tait Farms, which is located right outside of Happy Valley aka State College, Pa. I used to buy Tait Farms’ products at the weekly farmers market in downtown State College when I was in undergrad at Penn State, but once it would get cold outside the farmers market would end and I would only be able to stop at the farm to pick up tasty treats when I would drive home from school. Since I am no longer a student, and State College is a hike to get to, I don’t get to have my favorite Dill and Garlic dip as often as I would like. You can make these dips many different ways — mixing with sour cream or cream cheese is very popular — but you can also use this as a marinade or a rub for red meat or chicken! Luckily, you can order these dips online (I’m guessing that’s what my mother did) but the shipping is practically the price of 3 packets of herbs. So it can get a little pricey for something so small. Click here for more details and links on Tait Farms!

The Filling Station in The Chelsea Market

Chelsea Market WaterfallMy very good friend from PSU came to visit me the day before Thanksgiving and I was so happy to be able to spend some time with her. She’s a smart cookie — she’s getting her Doctorate at Penn State… She’s been a Penn Stater since the beginning — it’s where she did her undergrad (with me) as well as her graduate degree. So it’s nice when she is able to take some time to hang out with friends and enjoy some time to herself. She loves going to the Chelsea Market when she comes into the city (and of course, I love it too)… So naturally we headed right to Chelsea Market when she arrived. We both got some holiday goodies and we even ate dinner at the Green Table — a restaurant in the market.

A new discovery made in the Chelsea Market was a stand/shop called The Filling Station. This stand has different types of salts (just like my favorite store called The Meadow in the West Village) as well as many different types of olive oil. There are tons of olive oils that are flavored, so my friend Leah and I took a sample of a few and discovered this one flavor called Tuscan Herb. We both loved this so much because you would never need to season your olive oil or buy fancy bread ever again because this oil is seasoned with some of the best herbs… rosemary, oregano, basil, and of course some garlic are what make the oil so flavorful. I actually bought a bottle of this for my dad for Christmas. There isn’t anything better than having a nice glass of wine with a tasty snack. I can see him dipping some classic Italian style bread into this Tuscan Herb olive oil!

Stay tuned for more on our food adventures in the Chelsea Market before we left for Thanksgiving! (More to come this week!)

Co. Pizza in Chelsea

It’s always nice to eat at new restaurants in Chelsea… especially since that means the restaurant is probably a quick walk from my apartment. (Who wouldn’t love that?) Recently, a friend took me to a pizza restaurant and I apparently have been walking by this place every single day. I had no clue that Co. existed! A gourmet pizza joint that is always crowded no matter what day of the week it is.

The first time I went I split a salad and pizza with a friend (sorry, I forgot to take pictures of the salad). I ordered the Artichoke salad, which includes: olive oil poached artichokes, arugula, capers, shaved parmesan, and lemon oil dressing. This is probably the most delicious salad I have ever eaten. The combination of the ingredients was superb! I was surprised at the saltiness of the dish, but that was what made it so tasty. The combination of the capers and artichokes was brilliant — I have never had the two together. I also loved the thin shavings of parmesan cheese — it added a rich sophisticated flavor to the saltiness and the lemony flavorings.

Last week I went with my friend Stef to Co. She’s a foodie as well, so when I told her about how amazing the pizza is at this restaurant, she was excited to join me! We both ordered different pizzas. I ordered the Popeye, which includes: pecorino, gruyere, mozzarella, spinach, black pepper, and garlic. When my pizza first arrived it looked a bit intimidating. The spinach was cooked yet the leaves were still fluffy on top of the rest of the pizza. It looked like a big pile of spinach. But once I cut into my personal-sized pizza I could see all of the other ingredients… especially the cheese! It’s best to eat these pizzas with a fork and knife. This is the first time I have ever had gruyere cheese on my pizza, and I have to say, it’s a winner! It’s so easy to make pizzas like this at home, but first you need the inspiration. I’m looking forward to baking my own pies at home that are made up of the same ingredients! Yum!

For dessert, we ordered the vanilla and chocolate gelato. Since I just came back from Italy, I have to say that I am a very tough judge on gelato now. The vanilla wasn’t that tasty to me, but Stef actually preferred it, and I enjoyed the chocolate the most, although it didn’t really have the consistency of gelato. The chocolate “gelato” tasted more like a fudgesicle. (If you have never eaten a fudgescicle, please do so… you really missed out on the best childhood chocolate popsicle.)

If you’re looking for a fun, upbeat pizzeria that has more to offer than the average-joe pie — then you should definitely be eating at Co. If you arrive before 8 p.m. you won’t have a problem getting a table. If you arrive and the restaurant is packed then you may have to eat at a “communal” table, which means you’ll sit at a long table that you will share with other parties but you’ll still be sitting with those you came with.


(click on the photos to see the Popeye pizza close up!)