Tag Archives: holidays

New England Style Lobster Rolls

Every year at Thanksgiving (and sometimes Christmas) I get to catch up with my friends from Hershey. This year was full of lunch dates, dinner dates, and of course breakfast at my favorite Hershey joint — The Hershey Pantry.

But, I have to say, there’s nothing like a $6 Happy Hour New England Style Lobster Roll special from my favorite restaurant in Hershey. Devon’s is a seafood (and steak) restaurant, it’s technically a chain but only has 2 other locations: Philadelphia and Chicago. The executive chef at the restaurant actually let me interview him for my first piece in Food Network Magazine when I was back in college. He’s probably one of the nicest guys and he runs a fantastic restaurant.

new england style lobster roll

Remember when I talked about my Miami-style lobster roll this past spring? Well, this roll is nothing like that one. It brings back loads of memories for me from when I spent my early childhood years growing up in New England. The bread is a very important feature in this dish, and so are the ingredients that are tucked down into the roll.

Sorry Miami, but lobster rolls should never be made with a soft taco bread — it’s just not natural, and it’s definitely not all that flavorful. You have to get a bite of not only the delicious lobster mix, but a bite of a buttery, fluffy piece of bread.

What else I love about Devon’s lobster rolls are the seasoned french fries. They are covered in flavorful. Be sure to skip the ketchup with these puppies and ask for a side of mayo for dipping — that takes me back to The Netherlands and ordering a burger and fries covered in delicious European mayo. #NomNom

Cookin’ Good With Sitto

This Christmas, my mom gave me a cook book that was created by a church in upstate NY — the book is filled with recipes compiled from the locals’ personal recipe collection. Where my dad grew up — Utica, NY — there is still to this day a large population of Italians and Lebanese and Syrian families. And I just so happen to be both Syrian and Italian. Woah! What a combo!

I was excited to see that some of my Nannie’s (aka grandmother) recipes made it into the book! I was also so surprised to see how beautiful the book turned out — it’s divided into sections (dips, appetizers, side dishes, main dishes, desserts etc.) and there is even a spice index which will help me know what I am looking for when I go grocery shopping.

After opening up this Christmas gift from my mom, I opened up one from my grandmother. I couldn’t help but chuckle when I saw that she gave me a similar cook book but it was published in 1976 called ‘Cookin Good With Sitto’ (Sitto means grandmother). As old as the book is, it is in pretty good condition but the inside looks ancient — filled with hand drawn pictures and held together with a plastic binder of a spine (I’m surprised it has held together so well).

I’ve decided for New Years Eve I’m going to make two classic dips for when I get together with my boyfriend and part of his family. What’s on the menu? Very easy things to make but I unfortunately don’t have a fraction of the ingredients (ugh, that means more to carry home from the store). But I am planning to make Hummus and Emhammara which is a red pepper dip.

I’m running into a small dilemma though. I have these two cook books, which recipes do I follow? My grandmother’s recipe for Emhammara just so happens to be in the newer cook book and her recipe calls for a half a jar of Mild Ajvar (eggplant and red pepper spread) but the other recipe has nothing of the sort. But when it comes to the hummus, the recipes are very similar and I actually think I will be following the 1976 recipe version because it calls for fresh garlic and more lemon juice and those flavors I love!

I thought I would share with you the recipes — take a look at the newer and older recipes (you’ll be able to tell the difference based on the text, plus you can also see that the newer version has the recipe credited to someone).

When I make these on Saturday I will be sure to take photos and share with you next week! Happy New Years!

My grandmother’s recipe for Emhammara (Red Pepper Dip):

Ingredients:
3/4 lb. Shelled Walnuts (Ground)
2 lbs. Red Peppers Cut, cleaned and ground
1 sleeve of Saltine or Ritz crackers, crushed (I prefer Saltine)
1/2 cup oil
Juice from 1 fresh lemon
2 oz. of Pomegranate Molasses
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 jar of Mild Ajvar (eggplant and red pepper spread)

Directions:
Mix together ground walnuts, crushed crackers and add to ground red peppers and 1/2 jar of Mild Ajvar. Mix with a fork and add lemon juice, oil, salt and pomegranate molasses.
Refrigerate for 2 hours before serving.

New York City Holidays

christmas cards
This year I am sending out a few different types of Christmas cards. One packet of cards I bought from an unexpected place — the Fat Witch bakery in the Chelsea Market. I loved the New York City theme combined with the classic Christmas song “12 Days of Christmas.” Even though they used the idea of the Christmas song, the actual card wasn’t saying “Merry Christmas,” rather it was saying “Happy Holidays.” It is literally the perfect card to send to anyone — whether they celebrate Christmas or any other holiday!

So, from me to you — Happy Holidays! I hope everyone has a healthy, happy holiday season! And I hope everyone is able to be with those they love!

A Kitchen’s Holiday Inspiration

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year… For some reason this year I am full of holiday spirit! I actually have been giggling when Christmas songs play, I am just so happy this year! Tacky, cheesy, silly… I know. I don’t care.

For those who aren’t in their full-on holiday spirit just yet, I thought I would share some interesting inspiration with you. First up is a different way to display your Christmas tree — as a New Yorker I don’t have very much space and a full size Christmas tree is practically a joke. I find myself walking down 22nd street in Chelsea at night so I can stare into the windows of the remarkably designed town houses so I can take a look at their beautifully decorated Christmas trees that are all light up. I love it. It puts a smile on my face. It may be a little too late for me to put up decorations like the one in the photograph below, but it’s a great idea I will most likely do next year. I love it because the decor can go right on your wall and it won’t take up any space in my apartment. If I really want to I could probably put up Christmas lights as well, as long as I put the decorations up above an electrical outlet. What are my kitchen inspirations? To cook with brussel sprouts. After seeing this picture of brussel sprouts in the shape of a tree I decided to learn how to cook with this green veggie. I feel like they are either cooked incorrectly or they are insanely delicious! I’ve been enjoying them in restaurants lately, but I would love to be able to make them on my own!

What’s up next? Well, it’s winter time and there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t crave a warm hot chocolate. Personally, I have a thing for Land O’Lakes’ Raspberry Hot Chocolate. They were given to me in college in a little gift basket for helping someone edit their English papers all semester… ever since, I’ve been hooked! I get these little packets and throw them in my purse to take to work. But when I am at home and I make myself a cup of steaming hot chocolate, I add some Fluff to my mug. Marshmallows are such a stereotypical addition hot cocoa, but I grew up with Fluff!

But… since it’s the holidays, a hot chocolate just isn’t going to take the edge off. I wouldn’t be surprised if alcohol sales goes up during the holidays. So, whip up and sip on some cranberry sparkler cocktails! I know you’ll love them! Adding rosemary to the glass gives it more flavoring and it looks like pine needles — so your glass is full of holiday spirits — literally!

I hope I gave you some inspiration to get into the holiday mood! There are so many fun things to do in the kitchen and around your home to make your season super cozy and exciting!

Nat King Cole, Christmas Songs

I love Nat King Cole. Actually, for some reason this holiday season I can’t get enough of him. And looking back on my holidays over the years I have realized that my favorite recordings of Christmas songs are sung by him! Here’s my favorite — it makes me feel all warm inside, and it makes my holiday season complete!

Going Green For the Holidays


The headline might be a bit deceiving… I’m not “going green” as in I’ll be digging through my trash to properly sort my garbage to recycle every single little item. Rather I am falling in love with a color that is associated with recycling as well as with Christmas. Green.

Green is such a magnificent color — I automatically think of life when I think of green. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with avocados and artichokes. This actually might be an understatement. When I say “obsessed” I mean I have been eating so many avocados lately I have been sneaking them into my salads, my sandwiches, my pasta, and on my snacks. This green vegetable is always in my kitchen. But I’ve also been falling in love with artichoke decor that has been around for years. I love the green ceramic artichokes you can buy from Williams-Sonoma. What’s even better is the inexpensive Artichoke Centerpiece from Target — this is something anyone could use to add excitement to their kitchen counter or dining room table. And when it comes to chopping up some fruits and veggies, what’s better than having a cutting board and strainer all in one? Check out this kitchen tool from Uncommon Goods! And okay, I’ve let my avocado obsession get extreme, but I just couldn’t help myself… another fun and playful kitchen tool is this salt and pepper shaker in the form of an avocado. Another great find from Uncommon Goods.

If I really want to go green (and I do, I really do) I could add this brilliant Herb Keeper to my kitchen. It would be nice to keep rosemary and basil fresh for a longer period of time… but I would also love to keep some catnip handy for Hudson. But now that he has discovered how to climb to all great heights in my apartment, there’s no way I could hide his catnip from him. This herb keeper fits on a refrigerator door, so now I know I can keep my herbs and treats for Hudson safe.

Low Calorie Holiday Sweets


I love Health magazine’s ‘Calorie Count’ page. They always do such an amazing job at telling you about all of the little things you are probably eating and how many calories are in these treats. What could be better than having a little holiday cheat sheet to know about what you are eating and how many calories they have. I personally loved seeing that I could eat 7 of the Peppermint puffs and in total I will be consuming only 70 calories. Honestly, I usually eat only 2 of those at a time so I’m thrilled that I shouldn’t feel guilty eating them. What’s my favorite though? That would be a gingerbread cookie — it’s only 57 calories!

I really don’t count calories all that often because I consider myself to be a pretty healthy person. I exercise regularly and I eat reasonably sized portioned meals. But when the holidays come around, I will admit that I eat more than I typically do… which is why I am grateful for this page in this month’s Health magazine.

So, my holiday favorites are: gingerbread cookies, chocolate coins, and chocolate oranges (I get one in my stocking almost every year). What are yours?