Tasty Treats in NYC and the Hamptons

As I mentioned in my last post, I just recently returned from a trip to New York City and the Hamptons, visiting with family, friends and celebrating my dear cousin’s 90th birthday, and thought I’d share my tasty dining adventures. While in the city, my Mom and I stayed in a quaint, boutique hotel on Madison Avenue, and unfortunately, they were in the process of renovating their restaurant so can’t comment on their food (except for the continental breakfast served in the Penthouse, which was your typical fare, consisting of bagels, cereal, danish and toast). For our first night in town, we visited my brother and his family, who live on the upper west side, and right around the corner from a delightful Italian restaurant, Bello Giardino. We were seated outside on the patio, which was quite lovely, as the temperature had cooled down from the heat wave the east coast was experiencing the week prior.

While I really enjoy Italian food, I don’t dine out at Italian restaurants all that often, but when I do, I usually choose some type of ravioli or tortellini, and this night was no exception. I decided to go with their Ravioli Giardino, which is lobster ravioli in a brandy cream sauce with shrimp and asparagus. I give two thumbs up to the chef as this was absolutely delicious!

Day two was another trip to the upper west side to see family (we can’t get enough of my three-month old niece). Lunch time rolled around and my sister-in-law took us to Isabella’s on Columbus Ave., which was another cute restaurant with an outdoor patio. We opted to sit outside to enjoy the scenery and beautiful weather. The menu had many desirable options for me, but I was really in the mood for a burger and fries, so I went with their Tuscan turkey burger, mixed with aged provolone, lettuce & tomato, cranberry ketchup, a whole wheat bun, and sweet potato fries which came with a maple-mayo (maplenaise) dipping sauce. Okay, I have to tell you the cranberry ketchup was brilliant and had an incredible flavor. This will definitely be a new condiment in my house. I haven’t made it yet, but keep a lookout for this recipe. Oh, and then there’s the maple-mayo dipping sauce. Holy sweetness (in a good way)! What an awesome compliment to the sweet potato fries. Seriously. I spoke to our server about it in lengths, and she said she can’t get enough it. I plan to also make this very soon, which, from what I was told, is just a mixture of the two ingredients so should be an easy recreation. Obviously, another two thumbs up as everything was scrumptious!

Turkey Burger — Turkey burger with cranberry ketchup, and sweet potato fries with maple-mayo dipping sauce.

I made dinner reservations for our last night in the city to meet up with a dear friend of mine. Not to toot my own horn (but I’m going to)… I chose an excellent restaurant called Mercer Kitchen located in SoHo. The atmosphere is pretty cool… a dining room upstairs that is bright with a bunch of windows, and downstairs, you’ll find the bar and another dining room with more of a romantic ambience as it is much darker (I did have to use my iPhone light to see the menu). Looking back, I should have asked for us to be seated upstairs so I could check out the foot traffic outside since this was my first time in SoHo. My bad. I had a slightly difficult time deciding what to order because so many things looked good to me, but opted for their slowly baked salmon with cherry tomato vinaigrette and corn pudding. Needless to say, there wasn’t a morsel left on my plate… it was that good! My Mom ordered the black truffle and fontina cheese pizza, which was also excellent. And my friend who got the Mercer burger with pepperjack cheese, avocado, crunchy red onions, and russian dressing, accompanied by french fries, said it was the best burger she’s had in a long time.

Salmon with cherry tomato vinaigrette and corn pudding

Let’s not forget about the dessert!! This was simply the perfect end to an amazing meal! It should be noted that they made the little cake after we ordered it, so it was fresh out of the oven. I could have easily eaten the whole thing myself, but we all shared it 🙂 Hat’s off to the chef for three delicious meals and a delectable dessert, and to the wait staff for being very attentive!

Dessert at Mercer Kitchen — Warm valrhona chocolate cake with cocoa bean brittle & vanilla bean ice cream

Next stop… the Hamptons! Although I wasn’t as food-picture-happy there, I want to note a couple of places we ate at that should be mentioned. Located right next to our B&B in Montauk is a place called the Surfside Inn, where we grabbed a late lunch right after we arrived. Being that it was just after 3 p.m., we were the only ones dining, which didn’t matter to us since we were hungry after our 3+ hour commute from the city. They had a nice porch overlooking the ocean, so clearly a no-brainer to sit out there. I had a cheeseburger with fries… I know, not the healthiest of options, but had to go with what I was craving at the time. I really enjoyed my meal and the incredible view with my Mom, and would definitely go back.

Two other places we went to were Bird on a Roof, which is a small, cool, beach town breakfast place that has a huge menu. Nothing fancy, but it has great food and friendly service. I must thank my cousin, Melissa, for sending us there! The other one is called Bliss, where we grabbed lunch one day. It’s a walk-up and order-your-food type of restaurant, consisting of sandwiches, paninis & wraps, burritos and tacos, and other tasty options. They have picnic benches and umbrellas outside, where they bring you what you ordered at the counter. Simple, but good eats and a cute place.

Our last morning in the Hamptons (Montauk), we decided to go a really popular placed called Mr. John’s Pancake House. I now know why there is always a line waiting outside… super yummy breakfast food. You definitely need to check it out if you go there. I had eggs, sunny-side up, with potatoes and toast, with a side of pancakes, and everything was delish! I’m already looking forward to my next visit there.

photo-344 — Sunny-side up eggs with potatoes and toast

We did eat at a couple of other establishments, but I feel they aren’t worthy enough to be mentioned (I’m a tough critic). However, if you make a trip to NYC and/or the Hamptons, I highly recommend you visit some of the places I mentioned on here.

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Breakfast/Brunch Casserole

I recently returned from an amazing trip to NYC and the Hamptons, where I enjoyed some seriously incredible food. On the last morning of our trip, we ordered room service and on the menu, they had a 3 minute egg. I contemplated ordering it, but decided to go with simple egg whites scrambled. So you might be asking, what does this have to do with this recipe? Well, I’ve been thinking about that 3 minute egg ever since and was going to make one this morning, until I decided I wanted more ingredients with my egg(s) so began checking out casseroles online. I came across one from a woman who visited an Amish Inn and asked for the recipe. She tweaked it to make her version, and I modified hers to create mine. The wonderful thing about casseroles is that you can tailor them to suit your own taste and what you have on hand. Feel free to substitute breakfast sausage for the bacon, or omit it all together.

Ingredients

1/2 pound (about 5 strips) sliced bacon, crumbled
1/2 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 small bell pepper (I used an orange sweet pepper)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cups frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 cup shredded low moisture, part-skim Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup shredded low moisture, part-skim Swiss cheese
3/4 cup small curd low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese
Salt, pepper and garlic, to taste

* I also added a little bit of arugula (cooked in the microwave for a minute) and cut up approx. 5 grape tomatoes.

Directions

In a large skillet, cook bacon until well done & crispy. Reserve some of the drippings, and drain bacon on paper towels. Set aside.
In the same skillet, cook onion until soft.
In a bowl, combine the remaining ingredients, reserving a handful of cheese.
Stir in onions and bacon, reserving one strip of bacon.
Transfer to a 7″ x 4″ or similar sized greased baking dish. (If doubling this recipe, use 13″ x 9″)
Top casserole with remaining cheese and bacon.
Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until set and bubbly.
Let stand for 10 minutes before cutting.

Serves 6

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Herbs de Provence Roasted Vegetables

I’m a huge fan of veggies, and always looking for new ways to prepare them. Just recently, I made a ginormous salad to bring to a party and had a ton of leftover vegetables. My first thought was to simply make a salad, but then I decided that cooking them in some fashion was more appealing. Obviously with all of the cooking/baking I do, I have a pantry-full of herbs and spices, so I took a look to see which ones I wanted to use, and ran across my Herbs de Provence, containing rosemary, thyme, marjoram, basil, sage and lavender. If you haven’t tried them, I highly recommend you do! This recipe is super easy, healthy, delicious and can be varied to suit your taste or what you have on hand. If you’re not a balsamic fan, you can substitute lemon juice.

Ingredients

Approximately 12 cups vegetables, chopped * (I used broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, onions, peeled garlic cloves, red potatoes, cucumber and grape tomatoes)
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
3 tsp. Herbs de Provence
Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a large bowl, combine all of the vegetables, set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the oil, vinegar, herbs, salt and pepper.
Toss together with the veggies to coat well.
Lightly grease a large roasting pan with cooking spray and spread evenly, in a single layer.
Roast for approximately 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, or until vegetables are cooked through and browned.

* I chopped the potatoes and carrots smaller so they wouldn’t require additional cooking time. However, if using larger pieces of root veggies, you can roast them first in the oven for a few minutes to ensure even cooking.

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Marinated Goat Cheese Appetizer

Hope everyone had a happy and safe 4th of July holiday! I went to an amazing party with out-of-this-world food, and zoned in on a goat cheese appetizer that was insanely delicious… which I made a significant dent in since I wholeheartedly love the combination of goat cheese, sun-dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar!!! Fortunately, I had the pleasure of meeting the lovely woman, Alicia, who brought the dish and quite ironically, after I attempted to recreate it last night, she contacted me on here. So I now have THE recipe for this incredible appetizer, which she kindly shared with me. She’s also a blogger, so check out her site by clicking on her name or going to my Blogs I Like page, and clicking on What Manhattan Beach Needs Is link.

Enjoy!

photo-332 — Shown here with roasted pecans.

Ingredients

8-10 oz. goat cheese log
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
4 tbsp. honey
5 whole sun-dried tomatoes, diced
3 fresh basil leaves, chopped finely
Roasted pine nuts

Directions

Place goat cheese in a bowl, set aside.
In a separate bowl, add balsamic and honey, and warm in microwave just enough to stir.
Add sun-dried tomatoes and basil to balsamic mixture.
Pour over cheese and top with pine nuts.
Marinate for about an hour. *
Serve with crackers (I like Trader Joe’s sesame thins) or thinly sliced bread.

* If you marinate in the fridge, make sure to let stand at room temperature for approximately 30 minutes.

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Easy & Delicious Baked Beans

The 4th of July is quickly approaching (yay), and I am thinking of all of the wonderful traditional dishes associated with this holiday as my department at work is having a little potluck lunch to celebrate (my mouth is already salivating). Clearly, I have long list of possibilities of what I can bring, but one of my favorite sides comes to mind… baked beans. When I went to look for my recipe on here, I was shocked to find that I did not post it previously. My bad! So… here it is!

This recipe calls for bacon, but I believe it would be just as tasty if you choose to omit it.

Ingredients

8 strips of bacon, thick cut
2 (28 ounce) cans of Bush’s baked beans w/bacon
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup ketchup
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 small Vidalia onion, chopped
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard

Directions

Cook bacon in microwave, checking after each minute, so it’s still soft. Don’t let it get crisp.
Cut into small, bite-size pieces, set aside.
Put the remaining ingredients in a crock pot. *
Add the bacon and mix.
Cook on low for 4-6 hours.

* This can also be prepared in the oven at 350 for 1 hour in a 3-quart baking dish.

Serves 10

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Edamame Puree (and Wonton Cups)

I’ve been on a sushi kick recently, and exploring the web for various ideas on tuna tartare, poke, etc., and came across a recipe from Tyler Florence (love him) for sliced tuna with edamame puree on a wonton crisp. The puree intrigued me since I love edamame and it contained wasabi, another favorite of mine in the sushi world. I decided to try it last night, and am very happy I did! And, it’s so good that I could eat it by the spoonful.

I opted to make spicy tuna again to go with this (in a wonton cup) simply because I love my spicy tuna, but it would also be great with tuna tartare or slices of marinated tuna on top. I should also add that wonton cups or crackers are very simple to make and add a nice flavor (and crunch), so I’ll post those instructions here as well.

Ingredients

1/2 pound package frozen soy beans
1/2 tbsp. wasabi powder or paste (I added an additional 1/4 tsp. of regular wasabi)
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
3 tbsp. water
1 tbsp. canola oil

Directions

Blanch the soy beans in boiling salted water for 5 minutes. Drain, then pinch the beans out of their pods and put them in a food processor.
Add the wasabi, salt, lemon juice, and water. Puree to break up the soy beans.
Pour in the canola oil and puree until smooth. Refrigerate.

For the wontons cups or crackers, the package contains instructions on how to prepare them, but I prefer to bake mine. I picked up two different types – one from the grocery store which are egg roll wrappers, and the other, smaller wrappers from a Japanese market. Both taste the same, but obviously, the egg roll wrappers are much larger. To make the cups, I used the smaller ones and a mini cupcake pan. For crackers, you can cut either one diagonally, or use a cookie cutter to make different shapes. These instructions are for making the cups, as I think they make a pretty presentation and there are so many options in terms of what you can fill them with.

Ingredients

24 small wonton skins/wrappers
1/4 cup sesame oil

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Take a mini cupcake pan & brush inside of each cup lightly with sesame oil.
Place wonton wrappers inside the cups. (I like to brush the top of the wrappers with a little sesame oil before placing in pan, but this is optional.)
Bake for approximately 6-8 minutes, until they get slightly brown & crisp.
Fill with the edamame puree and tuna, or your choice of fillings.

Spicy tuna on a wonton round — Made this wonton using a cookie cutter.

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Spicy Tuna on Crispy Rice

A little over a year ago, I had my first experience with spicy tuna over crispy rice at a restaurant in Manhattan Beach called Sashi, where I was celebrating my birthday. And while tuna and/or spicy tuna has always been my favorite type of sushi/sashimi, this marked the official beginning of my love affair with the scrumptious combination. Just recently, I decided to try a restaurant very close to my house, Hoka Hoka, and much to my surprise (and sheer joy), I discovered they serve the same dish. Score!! So while on my regular shopping spree at Trader Joe’s this past weekend, I picked up their sashimi-grade Ahi (with thoughts of spicy tuna dancing in my head). I needed a few other ingredients, which I got at a Japanese market, and saw they had some beautiful red Maguro, so quickly tossed a package in my basket. This recipe generally calls for Ahi, but feel free to mix in Maguro or even, Yellowtail, if you so desire. As for the rice, there are a couple of ways to cook it, which I tried, and am posting the way I thought was best, after a weekend of my kitchen looking like a battle zone with oil, rice, and soy. Oh, and a grease fire. Oops. The lesson learned, which may be common sense to some/most, is to never, ever, add soy to hot oil. Nonetheless, I had a sushi-rific holiday!

Oh, and it should be noted that the spicy tuna is also great on top of crispy crackers (see below)!

Ingredients

Tuna

1/2 lb. sushi grade tuna, minced
1 tablespoon mayonnaise (Kewpie brand preferred)
1 tablespoon Sriracha (use more or less according to taste)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 scallion, chopped ultra fine
1 1/2 tablespoons Tobiko (roe)

Rice

2 cups sushi rice
2 tablespoons white sesame
2 tablespoons black sesame
Sliced jalapeño, optional
Dash soy sauce, optional
Cooking oil

Directions

For the tuna:

In a medium bowl, mix all tuna ingredients together.
Cover and reserve in refrigerator. You can make this up to four hours in advance, and two is ideal so that the flavors mesh well.

For the rice:

Cook the sushi rice according to package. Set aside to cool.
When the rice has cooled enough to handle, form the rice in a rectangle. The key to making the crispy rice is to make it very tight and compact. If your rice is too loose, it will fall apart during frying. I use this Takamura Large Sushi Maker and press the rice as tightly as possibly into the mold.
Cut the rice in 2″ x 1.5″ rectangles with a very sharp knife.
Combine the black and white sesame seeds on a plate or bowl and lightly press the rice in the seeds.
Heat cooking oil (and dash soy sauce, if using) to approx. 350 degrees F. Make sure to use enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.
Fry the rice in batches for 2-3 minutes on each side until golden brown, and carefully remove and place on a paper towel to drain.
Top with spicy tuna, and garnish with a small slice of jalapeño, if desired.

Another idea for an appetizer/snack is to serve on a thin, crispy sesame cracker with a little seaweed salad.

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Spicy Honey-Brushed Chicken Thighs

I discovered this recipe last summer and totally fell in love with it, and just realized that I didn’t post it on here. My bad. The combination of the spices with the cider vinegar and honey, makes this both a sweet and spicy dish, which I just can’t seem to get enough of.

Yields: 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tsp. garlic powder
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. ground red pepper
8 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
Cooking spray
6 tbsp. honey
2 tsp. cider vinegar

Directions

Preheat broiler.
Combine first 6 ingredients in a large bowl. Add chicken to bowl; toss to coat.
Place chicken on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray.
Broil chicken 5 minutes on each side.
Combine honey and vinegar in a small bowl, stirring well.
Remove chicken from oven; brush 1/4 cup honey mixture on chicken. Broil 1 minute.
Remove chicken from oven and turn over. Brush chicken with remaining honey mixture. Broil 1 additional minute or until chicken is done.

Source: Cooking Light

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Mini Reese’s Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I decided to do a little experimenting in the kitchen yesterday with two of my favorite treats… Reese’s peanut butter cups and chocolate chip cookies. The results were mind-blowing!

Ingredients

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup white sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a large bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar, brown sugar and vanilla until smooth with electric mixer on medium speed or with spoon until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs one at a time.
Stir in flour, baking soda, salt and chocolate chips.
Measure out about a tablespoon of cookie dough. Roll into a ball and then flatten in the palm of your hands.
Place a mini Reese’s peanut butter cup in the centers of the flattened dough balls and form dough back into a ball around the Reese’s.
Place Reese’s stuffed dough balls into the freezer for 10-15 minutes before baking.
Place dough balls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
Bake 11 to 13 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft).
Cool 2 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to cooling rack.

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Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage

In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, I decided to go a little Irish and make some corned beef and cabbage. I never made it before, so was very anxious to see how it’d turn out and if I’d enjoy it. And WOW, did I!! Not only is this recipe super easy, but it is also truly delicious!

Ingredients

4 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces
10 baby red potatoes, quartered
1 onion, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
5 cups water
1 (4 lb.) corned beef brisket in spices or with spice packet
6 ounces beer (you can omit this if desired)
1/2 head cabbage, coarsely chopped
Garlic & pepper to taste

Directions

Place the carrots, potatoes, and onion into the bottom of a slow cooker, pour in the water, and place the brisket on top of the vegetables.
Pour the beer over the brisket, if using.
Sprinkle on the spices from the packet (if included) , garlic and pepper, cover, and set the cooker on low.
Cook the brisket for 7 hours.
Stir in the cabbage and cook for 1 more hour.

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