But next time I feel lazy, Im probably just gonna order take out. Less dishes to clean!

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon sugar

1/2 cup beef broth

1Tablespoon cornstarch

1 Tablespoon Hoisin Sauce

2 Tablespoons Canola Oil

1 lb sirloin steak, thinly sliced

1 Tablespoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

2 teaspoons minced garlic

4 cups fresh broccoli florets

1/4 cup water

1/3 cup scallions

2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

I started by combining the soy sauce, sugar, beef broth, cornstarch, and Hoisin Sauce in a small bowl and setting aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 T of oil over medium heat. Heat for about 1 minute and add the slices of steak in a thin layer, making sure not to overlap. Let them cook on each side for 2-3 minutes and set aside. 

Add 1 T of oil to the already hot pan and add the garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and stir to coat. Then add the water and green onions. Cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Now, you can add the contents of the small bowl (beef broth, corn starch, etc) and the already cooked beef to the pan and let the broccoli cook for 2-3 more minutes.

The sauce will begin to thicken. Once the broccoli is crisp tender and the sauce thickens you can remove it from the heat…

And serve over brown rice.

I definitely overcooked the broccoli… but I still enjoyed it. Next time, im just gonna be full on lazy.

Not wanting to take a chance on bad sushi, I convinced her to try some Greek Food. Normally, I would take someone to Astoria for Greek food but there happens to be a great Greek-ish place a few blocks away!

Nick’s Bistro has been in the neighborhood for about 2 years. They serve huge plates to go with their big personalities! The staff are amazing here and eager to please. And my heart swelled when I saw the place was booming! Every table was filled with regulars. A very very good sign.

We were seated immediately with the last table for 2. We started with a complimentary white bean spread along with some black eye peas. A great start!

Danielle was jonesing for an appetizer so we ordered the seafood stuffed mushrooms. Huge Portobello mushroom caps stuffed with lump crab meat and bechamel sauce then browned in a hot oven. Another nice touch at Nick’s is that if you are sharing a plate, even an appetizer, they plate the servings separately. Takes the guess work out of splitting… and saves you from the guest that over indulges.

For our entrees we decided to pick two dishes and split them. I ordered the stuffed salmon filet with a side of lemon potatoes. The plate, while looking not so huge in this photo, was GINORMOUS. An entire salmon filet stuffed with seafood! I ate about 1/3 of it and could not fit anymore! It was extremely tasty. The lemon potatoes are a big favorite of mine.

Danielle got the moussaka which was also huge. that right there is two servings. Moussaka is like a Greek lasagna. Layers of ground meat, eggplant, squash, and bechamel layered together to make one hearty entrée! Danielle ate about 1/3 as well. One thing that Nick’s does is they serve their moussaka with marinara sauce. Its not authentic…but it is pretty good!

Rubbing out bellies and packing our dishes to go, the server somehow convinced us to order dessert.

I had the greek yogurt parfait. My first time having greek yogurt outside of a container. It was creamy! Lightly coated with a cherry syrup and stacked with walnuts, strawberries and blueberries. I don’t know how I fit it.

Danielle ordered the baklava that came out warm and chock full of cinnamon! it was quite tasty and when I dropped a dollop of yogurt onto the baklava, it made a delicious mistake that I wanted to do over and over again!

A very nice revisit to Nick’s Bistro! A great spot in the area of Forest Hills!

Just wanted to take a moment to wish you a very happy and loving Valentine’s Day. If you didn’t know, I am single. And while dating hasn’t always been kind to me, I still hope for the best and live every day like its my last. Over the years, my heart has softened for the mush fest Valentine’s Day is. And there are some that are very anti-valentine’s day while others are total saps (in a good way).

That’s fine.

But I wanted to take a minute to cover all the bases.

So, you’re single on Valentine’s Day?

Its okay. I have had more Valentine’s Days as a single lady than a non-single lady. And you know what? I have had more fun with the former! One year, as a newly single woman, I threw a party for all my single friends on Valentines Day. On another, I went out with my parents. This year, my roommate and I are having dinner at Otto. So, you’re single. Take the opportunity to bask in the joy of not having to buy an expensive gift for your valentine and buy it for yourself! LOVE yourself!

If you’re Not Single on Valentine’s Day…

Don’t just save the L word for today. If you love someone, say it every day! And do make sure that when you shell out that cash for the big teddy bear and chocolates that you know for sure your sweetie loves it. I will never forget the day my ex took me hiking on Valentine’s Day… and I sprained my ankle earlier in the day and endured pure hell on the ice coated rocks and hills. Valentine’s Day Fail.

And you don’t have to spend your weekly earnings at a restaurant! You know what’s sexy? A mate that can cook! Turn the lights down low, set the dining table with flowers and candles and enjoy a romantic home cooked meal together. You can even have your “dessert” first… know what I mean? ::wink::

And speaking of Dessert… Whip up these sexy treats for your hunny…or for yourself, if you’re in the mood to eat a batch of brownies and cry watching a sappy Rom Com.

Peanut Butter Blossoms

Dark Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Red Velvet Brownies

Macarons

Tiramisu with Bailey’s Irish Crème

Red Velvet Cupcakes 

Well, that about sums it up! I hope you have a Mushy and Love Filled Valentine’s Day!

That, and I bought a tart pan that I really wanted to play with it.

I didn’t really put much thought into the tart because I really just wanted to make something savory in my new tart pan. Tarts are amazing like that. You need some dough and then some eggs (for binding), meat or veggies (or both) and cheese (optional). And it was the perfect excuse to use the Smoked Gouda that I bought for no damn reason at all.

For the crust, I used a lightened up recipe from my usual pie crusts, but if you don’t have a tart pan you can easily use the following:

- Unrolled crescent dough pressed into a pie plate

- Frozen pie crust

- No crust (for the health conscious) and a pie plate lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Me? I used the following:

6 tablespoons of unsalted butter, softened

2 Tablespoons non-fat milk

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/4 cup of egg substitute, or 1/4 cup egg whites, or 1 egg

1 1/4 cup of all purpose flour

I whipped the butter in my Kitchen Aid Mixer to soften it and make it fluffy for about 3 minutes on low. While it was mixing, I combined the milk, salt and egg substitute in a bowl and whisked it together. I added the egg mixture to the Mixer and then slowly added in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time. When it was sticky and doughy, I formed it into a ball, wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge for an hour.

After an hour, I pressed the dough into my nonstick tart pan and blind baked it for 30 minutes on 350*.

While the tart dough was baking, I whipped up my tart filling.

Ingredients:

1 Tablespoon of extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/2 cup of thinly sliced scallions (about 3 or 4 scallions)

3 cups of fresh baby spinach

1 cup non fat milk

1 cup of smoked gouda, shredded

1 tsp salt

3/4 cup egg substitute, or 3/4 cup of egg whites, or 3 eggs

Directions:

Heat the Tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet. When skillet is hot, add the scallions and cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Add spinach to the skillet and fold spinach constantly to allow it to wilt. And don’t worry if it all doesn’t fit in the pan. The spinach will shrink as it cooks.

See?

When the spinach is cooked, remove the spinach and scallions from the heat. In a separate bowl, combine milk, egg substitute and salt with a whisk. When fully combined, add the spinach mixture and cheese.

When the tart crust is done blind baking, pour the filling into the tart pan. I set mine on a baking sheet in case there was some boiling over.

Bake for 35 minutes at 350.

Its done when the eggy mixture is firm.

Remove from tart pan…which honestly was a pain in the ass for me. But once you do, allow it to cool.

And once it cools, you can serve yourself. This recipe makes 10 servings.

Each serving clocks in at 205 cals, 12 grams of fat, 15 grams of carbs, 1 gram of fiber, and 7 grams of protein.

I served mine with a side salad. This makes a great lunch or dinner….hell, even breakfast if you like. The smoked gouda is an excellent addition as it gives the tart all the taste of smoky bacon but without all the grease…and all the meat. If smoked gouda isnt your thing, I would add a nice sharp cheddar instead.

Enjoy!

So, like the nosy body that I am, I asked her and sure enough, she was de-boning chicken wings.

Why?

To stuff them! She was going to a potluck and was bringing along a Hmong favorite: Stuffed Chicken Wings. Think Eggrolls but stuffed in chicken!

So after I asked her all my questions, I stalked her in the kitchen and took pics of her process.

Once she deboned a million chicken wings, she soaked some rice noodles. MMM.

She sliced and diced some scallions….

and added them to some rice noodles with carrots and cabbage…among other seasoning and it looked a lot like an eggroll indeed!

Then she stuffed the hell out of the chicken wings!

Look at the size of those things!

She must have been stuffing those wings for about 2 hours. Ever so diligent too!

Once they were all stuffed, she sealed them using a toothpick.

Which, from what I understand was the worst part.

Once they were all sealed, she seasoned them and baked them at 350 for 30 minutes.

The smell was intoxicating! And my constant lurking and picture taking resulted in a major win!

A stuffed Chicken wing!

It was so good! But it took about 30 seconds to devour compared to the hours it took to assemble.

It gave me some really great ideas for my next Potluck… Stuffed chicken wings with spinach and artichokes! or Blue Cheese and celery covered in hot sauce! Feta cheese and olives! its endless!

But luckily, when I told them about the need for an alternative, they sprang into action and suggested BobWhite. Having been open for just a short amount of time, BobWhite hides deep in the Lower East Side on Avenue C… or as locals call it Alphabet City…or Loisada.

We made the trek. And we arrived at the perfect time having acquired the last two tables.

The establishment is quaint. If every seat is filled, there should be about 20 people there total.  Its not really ideal for huge groups but our group of 4 hungry ladies was perfect.

The menu is short and sweet and boasts southern comforts like fried chicken, pork chop sandwiches and collard greens; to name a few. They also have a small selection of really great beers on tap. You won’t find Bud Light here… and I love that!

I ordered an ice cold IPA from Lagunitas. Mmm, Hoppy.

We all agreed that since we were all curious about the fried chicken, to order the Dinner for 4. 12 pieces of fried chicken, 3 sides, 4 biscuits and a mixed green salad; all for the price of $45.

First out of the kitchen was the salad adorned with shaved candy cane beets and a mustardy vinaigrette. We couldn’t keep from eating this delicious salad as we waited patiently for our chicken.

Then the biscuits came out as we were finishing our salads. Drizzled with a little honey, these biscuits were the bee’s knees. Note to self: Next time order more biscuits.

Then our sides came out. First up, tomato pudding. Our attempt at getting a healthy vegetable. Tomato pudding can best be describe as supple stewed tomatoes with parmesan cheese. Quite tasty!

We also got some cheesy grits. I really wanted to love this but it was too bland for my liking. After a few shakes of salt, it was more palatable- but not the greatest.

And how can you order Fried Chicken without macaroni and cheese? An instant comfort! This mac and cheese was just okay. Definitely needed some salt… and some more cheese. But I really couldn’t complain since it was still pretty good.

The thing we were waiting for was the chicken.

which took FOREVER! The one thing that I disliked about this place was the time it took for the chicken to come out. Luckily, 40 minutes flew by with the great conversation and pints of beer we were slinging back.

… and finally, there it was. Gorgeous color. Intoxicating aroma.

We dig right in. The skin was CRISPY! The chicken was JUICY. It was worth the wait!

We each got a wing, a leg and a thigh a piece which was perfect since we were all so hungry. The crew at BobWhite’s were taking bets about the table of 4 girls that ordered such a hefty plate of fried chicken.

And we didn’t disappoint…

As only a lonely half a wing remained at the end of our feast. We definitely impressed some onlookers.

Overall, this was a great Girls’ Night Out! Who needs fancy when you can make a good time anywhere you go!?!

I would definitely go back to BobWhites as I suspect once this place get popular, its going to be impossible to get a table. But I do have to warn that the chicken takes a while. 40-50 minutes for an order is a long time… but if you don’t want to wait, call it in and pick it up! They have take out!

Where do you and your best divas go on GNO?

She had some doubts about the establishment because she didn’t want to make the trek for crappy dessert, however, the moment we entered our doubts were put at ease by the longest line for macarons I had ever seen. We hopped on line and made comments like “these better be worth the trek” while D-Bag customers gave us dirty looks.

I’m used to that.

I ignored the crotchety hag ahead of us who managed to purchase $150 worth of macarons and took in the gorgeous décor.

Cute little touches that made this delicate little macaron shop a sweet little Parisian Boutique of sorts…

Parisian, Indeed!

When it was finally my turn, I had a hard time deciding. And how could I Not? there were rows and rows of macarons to choose from!

It was quite a site!

I checked the awesome menu and chose my two favorites. Raspberry and Pistachio.  Lately, I have been asking people at places like this to select their favorite for me. Most of the time its received really well but this guy seized the opportunity to speak to me like I was an idiot. One thing I learned when working in customer service was to never assume anything about the person you were serving. Clearly he didn’t get that memo…

I thanked him and told him to put his favorite macaron, the orange blossom, in my bag.

Despite the asshole, the orange blossom was delicious! It was Floral and Citrusy and something different!

I ate it on the way to a coffee house nearby with excellent coffee. There, sipping my café au lait, I nibbled on my raspberry and pistachio macaron!

What a delicious little adventure! I cant wait to hit the lotto so I could burn all my winnings on these delicious little babies!

I’m Kidding! I wouldn’t burn ALL my winnings. Maybe 50%.

I ate

So, after my massage, I found myself walking the streets of the Upper East Side, feeling so awesome and not wanting to go home right away. I called several friends who live on the UES and got lucky when my gorgeous Ginger Gal, Melissa was free. I was hungry since I had skipped breakfast.

Brunch just seemed like the perfect thing for two fabulous girls on a Gorgeous Sunday. Mel thought ahead and picked out a spot a few short blocks from her apartment. We were excited since we were experiencing this place for the first time together.

Sojourn. A little bit of french flare with a rustic french décor. Considering it was noon, a prime brunch hour, Sojourn was a little on the empty side.

I decided to start with a much needed cup of coffee. Sadly, it was a watery cup of coffee and left more to be desired.

We started with some bread with olive oil and cracked black pepper.

Mel ordered the arugula salad which was a mountain of arugula with chunks of blue cheese and was all together delicious.

I ordered the Croque Madame with a fried egg. I really wanted to love this but it was saturated with truffle oil which was kind of nauseating. So, I ate the parts that were least truffley.

Even though it wasn’t the mind blowingly delicious brunch I had in mind, having some girl time was a great way to end such a relaxing morning.

Whats better than seeking your past for inspiration that you might have forgetten about??? I know that looking through all the years (wow) I have seen Mickeys adorable face, some great dishes that have re-inspired me, and how short my hair was.

So, If you are looking to host or make something I compiled a list of things that I am considering of remaking myself. And if not, just enjoy this trip down memory lane.

Starters! Every superbowl needs a starter! I mean, in all honesty, i do not watch football. But I love to eat Football food.

This spinach artichoke pizza appetizer is easy to put together and hard to resist.

And while we are talking about pizza, the Pizza Pinwheels I made a while back were a real tummy pleaser… and looked better than i had expected them to

I always make Mommy Crack Dip too when i go to a party!

And what kind of SuperBowl would it be withouth CHILI!?!? These are some of the chili’s i have made in the past:

White Pumpkin Chili

Slow Cooker Chili

If you’re not in the mood for Chili, there are some pretty awesome main courses that spell Super Bowl Party like whoa:

Beer Braised Chicken

Homemade Sushi

Fried Chicken and Mac and Cheese

Slow Cooker Korean BBQ Short Ribs

Sliders and Fries

If those heavy dishes dont appeal to you, or you are still holding on tight to your New Year’s Resolution, I got you covered!

Pop Chips Chicken (Crispy oven Fried Chicken!)

Lentil Chili (all the chili flavor, half the fat and calories)

Buffalo Chicken Salad (with Frank’s Red Hot, i put that sh*t on everything)

Vegetarian Snobby Joes

Dan Good Chili (the ultimate vegetable chili!)

There you have it kiddos! Thats the list that I came up with… sadly it took a mere minutes to write compared to the hours it took to research! lol. Such is life.

Wishing you have Very Fun Super Bowl Sunday. No Drinking and Driving! And I will be, for the most part, drinking in the kitchen until half time… for the half time show. My favorite.

Go Giants.

Ristorante Aglio. The Italian restaurant that offers a lovely variety of creatively presented dishes and brilliantly mixed cocktails. The name suggests everything is garlic, however, from their website, the garlic notes are not overpowering in their dishes.

After work last night, my mother met me in front of Ristorante Aglio at the start of dinner service. They had literally just lit the last candle on the table as we entered the establishment. Immediately I fell in love with the dark furniture and creamy tan walls. It was dimly lit and felt very inviting.

I immediately thought this was incredibly romantic and with Valentine’s Day looming around the corner, it makes the perfect setting for your hot date.

We were given some Rosemary Pizza Bianca to nibble on with a very rich olive oil that had a very faint bit of heat to it, almost unnoticeable.

Having glanced at the menu before hand, I had an idea of what I was going to order… however, because I am terrible at making decisions with so many choices, I began to question my original choices. My mom needed little coaching as she picked out her choices and when our waiter approached we were ready to order.

Since it was a ladies’ night out, Mother-Daughter style, we ordered a cocktail. We both chose the Sylvia which is  a tall refreshing cocktail of Belvedere, Ginger Skyy, Saint Germain, Mint, Cucumber slices, muddled ginger, ginger ale and agave. It was delicious and very refreshing.

For our starters, Mom got the Foie Gras and Sweet potato. Reading the menu “Foie Gras with sautéed sweet potato, drizzled with Marsala wine sauce” she said it sounded fantastic. And I squealed inside because my mother once turned her nose up at Foie Gras some years ago and I was elated thinking she had a change of heart. Upon the presenting of the dish, her eyes filled with horror as she whispered across the table “Is this LIVER?”

When I confirmed, her disappointment was apparent and I offered her my own dish as I love Foie Gras. But, being the good sport that she is, she tried the Foie Gras. Turns out, it wasn’t as horrific as mom thought it would be. Of course, I had a few bites of hers and enjoyed it; I was just happy she was open to trying something new.

“I didn’t raise you on this food… where did your palate come from?”  

My Uncle, perhaps?

I ordered the Kanpachi Carpaccio which is a thinly sliced raw fish served with sliced endive, dill, black olives, Sardinian olive oil, and lemon vinaigrette. The dish was beautifully presented and the flavors were spot on. It made a great dish to whet my appetite for the next course. It was full of flavor but light and refreshing.

For our entrée, mom was ecstatic when she saw the lamb chops. They are one of her favorites. Growing up, mom used to make lamb chops about once per week… and I just about got sick of them. I had a bite and let her eat the rest. The lamb was rich and succulent, cooked medium upon the Chef’s recommendation.

She ordered a side of creamy and fluffy mashed potatoes to complete her dish.

I seized the opportunity of having lobster. Grilled lobster with fennel! I haven’t had lobster in such a long time due to the heavy saturation of butter that some chefs use to prepare it. For me, the combination does not agree with me and I get very ill. However, seeing that the lobster offered at Aglio was simply grilled and nothing more, I happily ordered it. In its simplest preparation, the lobster was sweet and cooked perfectly.  It came cut up for me to make my time shucking easier and I couldn’t have been more grateful.

(i forgot my camera and took a crappy cell phone pic… but wanted to show, despite its blurriness)

To accompany my lobster, I ordered the garlic spinach.  Fresh and whole spinach leaves lightly sautéed with garlic and oil. A fantastic side!

Over my excitement over dessert, I neglected to take a photo! However, I can report that my flourless chocolate cake was dense and chocolately! It was a great end to such a wonderful meal. My mother, feeling quite full from her dinner ordered a scoop of their hazelnut Gelato which she happily consumed.

The service here is spot on! While leaving the restaurant my mother, who takes pride in respect and courteousy, was impressed by the “impeccable service” and I take after my momma, so i would have to agree! Fantastic service.  (And the restroom was reminiscent of a day spa with heated seats and a bidet!)

Overall, my experience at Ristorante Aglio was a wonderful one! With it being so close to the office, it makes a great venue to celebrate events over lunch with colleagues and even as a romantic backdrop for a fancy date in TriBeCa.

If you and your love are looking for a special night this Valentine’s Day, Ristorante Aglio will be offering a 5 course dinner for $68 per person. Check out their website and make a reservation!