The Wing Bar

Tags

Restaurant Review, wings

Its been a while since I have had good wings. Like meaty, juicy wings with crisp skin and hot sauce. My local bar has been serving up some puny wings that are dry and disappointing. Craving some REAL wings that satisfy, led me to Brooklyn with Patty and her husband to The Wing Bar.

Nothing but a tiny sign above the bar on Smith Street in Brooklyn to display the wonder that awaits in this quaint bar. Get here early to nab a table. If there is a game, your odds of seating are slim.

Luckily, we got there around the time they opened and nabbed a table in the back. (in the nicer weather, the outdoor area out back is available)

The tableware is nothing fancy. But the ketchup bottles are adorned with nostalgic stickers from my childhood- the garbage pail kids! awesome, isnt it?

Along with the smell of wings at Wing bar, there are pitchers of cheap beer. 8 years ago, I would have requested this Coors light by name… now, if its not a craft beer, I pout. Such a spoiled little girl I am. But I drank my domestic beer happily.

We ordered some mozzarella sticks to start. Nothing over the moon about them. But they are classic bar food and were tasty.

We also ordered the biggest bowl of fries I have ever seen! Salty. Crispy. Potaotey goodness.

But the star here are the wings. Plump wings. Crispy skin. With a hot sauce that is more flavorful than spicy. The hot sauce is not a punch in the throat like most hot sauces; it tastes more like a mild sauce. They also have a BBQ sauce for those that are afraid of a little burn.

I really liked this place and I definitely will be back!

Bring on the wings!

Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Tags

dinner, pot roast, recipes, slow cooker

My friend Mike, whom I met via Yelp, is a guy’s guy. He loves to make people laugh and loves to lend a hand when needed. But what he really loves is eating. And since he’s a guy living on his own, a guy’s gotta eat, right?

He’s not afraid to crack open a cookbook for a recipe, either. Recently, he hit me up to tell me about his latest amazing dinner that he picked up from Trader Joes.

“the cabernet pot roast is F*cking amazing ”

Those are some strong words.

So, I made a trip to Trader Joe’s and got the pot roast.

All you need is the pot roast, some potatoes and carrots… and a slow cooker. You CAN make it in the oven… but when there is a choice between the oven and the slow cooker- SLOW COOKER always wins. (for me anyway)

I seared the pot roast in a cast iron skillet on all sides in a cast iron skillet. If this step is any indication of how amazing the pot roast will be, you should breath through your mouth. You will want to consume this immediately. But don’t! low and slow is the key.

Then I plopped it in the slow cooker.

And added a pound of baby carrots an a pound of fingerling potatoes.

I then set it on high for 6 hours (or on low for 12) and went to my room, closed the door and rocked back and forth trying to breath only through my mouth to avoid the delicious aroma coming from my kitchen. 

6 AGONIZING hours later- Behold! Fork tender. DELICIOUS. and nearly EFFORTLESS! (the wait part is the HARD part)

I took the pot roast out of the slow cooker and reserved the drippings to make a gravy.

After straining the carrots and potatoes, I added some flour and whisked it into the drippings to thicken the gravy.

Since the boyfriend is a meat and potato guy, I was excited to serve this to him…

But, of course, I had to add some greens to it. It was a hit.

I really enjoyed being able to put dinner together so effortlessly and have it come out so delicious. If you are in a bind or in a rut or just plain lazy, the pot roast was a great buy!

And when a guy tells you that something from Trader Joes is “F*cking Amazing”, take those words to heart. Men don’t joke about meat (well, not the kind you eat…nevermind)

Asian BBQ Pork Tenderloin

Tags

dinner, pork, recipes

Felt really good to have a relaxing weekend at home for a change. But of course, it was more because I have a cold than because I just wanted rest. Its so funny how I was saying the other day how nice it has been to enjoy the seasons and not be sick.

Looks like I jinxed myself.

Aside from getting bed rest, I have been watching way too much television and cleaning out my freezer. When I’m bored, I tend to make a mess in my kitchen. I had a Pork Tenderloin and since I hadn’t made one in over a year, I thought I would try my hand at it again.

Of course, when you are sick, your taste buds are impaired. I didn’t let that stop me. I don’t have an exact recipe. I simply placed the tenderloin in a sealable bag to season overnight and when I saw the hoisin sauce, I decided to make an Asian BBQ kind of marinade for my tenderloin.

Ingredients (more like a suggestion as I didn’t measure)

1 pork tenderloin (4-5 lbs)

1/3 cup hoisin sauce

2 Tbsp sesame oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/8 tsp ground ginger

salt and pepper

Method:

In a resealable bag, place the tenderloin and all the ingredients. Seal the bag, ensuring there is no sir in the bag. Refrigerate and allow to marinate for 2 hours or overnight.

When the tenderloin is done marinating, preheat the oven to 450*. Place in a shallow baking dish and place in the oven uncovered for 20-25 minutes (or 5 minutes per pound)

When the internal temperature of the tenderloin reads 145, remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes. The resting period will allow the pork’s juices to redistribute as well as allow the internal temperature to reach a perfect 155-160. I like my pork to have a very light pink hue, any more and its too dry for my liking. If you like yours well done, remove the pork when the internal temperature reads 160*.

After the resting period, I sliced the tenderloin into half inch slices.

The pork was tender and juicy. The marinade was sticky and sweet with a touch of savory that really went well with the pork. I snuck a bite and couldn’t stop, even with my whacked out taste buds…

It made for an amazing lunch with a side of grilled vegetables.

My only regret was not making more.

See You Later, Dude…

Tags

dude

When I started blogging some years ago (whoa), I didn’t really intend for it to be anything other than a cure for boredom. And every now and then I would get an email about a new product or someone with a question… and then I got an email from the Dude. The Dude, as I had come to know much later on, would send me lengthy emails telling me about all these wonderful places he had gone to eat. And in typical “ME” fashion, I would read them, take note, write a thank you email back and that would be the end of it.

Then I went through a breakup and wrote about it on this very blog. And hours after it went live, an email was sent from the Dude with words of encouragement and an offer to talk it out if I needed to.

I needed to.

And so began, probably, the most meaningful friendship I have yet to experience that started via the world wide web. There was something so freeing about our emails and yet so terrifying; we shared such personal things with each other! One thing we had in common was our deep love for food and food is what brought us together. A year after our email exchange began, we decided to meet in person.

From there, the rest, as they say is history. We had dinner together all the time. We tried new restaurants together. We cooked together. We cooked for each other.

 

We talked about our dating lives (my horror stories and his positively upbeat stories) and were there for each other when we needed to be (like when he made me watch How I Met Your Mother and I made him watch Parks and Recreation).

He was there when I made my first macaron.

He was there when I botched my first batch of pasteles.

He even came out on my 27th birthday to do Karaoke!

He’s my bud.

Obviously, I am not writing this sappy post just for the sake of his awesomeness… but, for the record, he is very awesome- as this post goes live, one of my closest friends will be en route to California. To live.

As in Across the country.

As in No Longer a train ride away to grab some dinner…

His move is for a fantastic job opportunity that makes me sick with excitement and sadness at the same time. But on the bright side of things, I have just another reason to visit California… and he happens to be moving rather close to my West Coast Counterpart (Hi Carol!!)

To celebrate his tremendous achievement, the Dude saw no better way to say goodbye than to cook a drool worthy feast for some of the people that mean most to him.

Yup, Me! This is probably the only photo I have of us in which he is smiling. But of course, I look cross-eyed. SIGH.

Next to the Dude is my gorgeous yelp Wife Julia. We were all dinner partying in style.

The Dude, ever the amazing host, served up a delicious plate of salumi and cheeses. Once we all introduced ourselves to each other (because I never met any of his other friends before) we dove into the platter with much enthusiasm.

MMMM. Meats and Cheeses.

The Dude’s cousin whipped up some delicious apple martini’s for us to get drunk on and lose our inhibitions. The only thing I lost was my self control when I got choked up during the toast.

Must. Not. Cry.

The cutest thing ever was when my boyfriend showed up at the dinner party and when they saw each other they exchanged an excited “HEY!” as if they were old friends. Others looked on and asked if they knew each other.

Nope. But they do now.

I speak very fondly of my men… so the bromance is blossoming.

No sooner than I swallowed my martini and my stupid tears, the first course came out. Shots of mushroom soup. Velvety. Creamy. Mushroomy. It was a great start… well, really the Salumi was the great start, but whatever.

The shooter was followed by the Dude’s obsession. RAMPS. When I see ramps on a menu, I think of the Dude. He literally goes apeshit for ramps, AKA a RAMPage (seewhatididthere?) He whipped up some ramp butter that had a pleasant kick to it and added some thinly sliced radishes with sea salt on a toasted baguette. Minus the ramps, this is one of my favorite snacks to make at home. 

Pretty soon, the martini’s were wearing off so I had to drink beer to keep the buzz going and the Dude set out this banging pot of braised short ribs.

All together now: “OOOOOOOOOH!”

I had 2 helpings.

My boyfriend, 3.

Rustic smashed potatoes.

Amazing.

Mushrooms and carrots. Cooked in meat drippings!

SHUT UP!

Who knew carrots could be so good?

When you make carrots taste like meat, they will never taste bad.

Arugula salad. We keep shit balanced around here! And it was a great addition to the rich short ribs and Nummy potatoes.

My first plate.

After dinner we all schmoozed a bit and talked about how we knew the Dude. As we shared stories, I found it incredibly heartwarming to know that we had all heard about each other in some way or another.

Our story is so unique and I often forget that we met via the internet but was so flattered when they realized I was “the blogger” and say OOOOOH, the Dude showed us your blog!

…and they are probably reading this right now.

But they probably aren’t getting choked up like I am…

Or maybe they are.

I don’t know. Hi New Friends!

But just when we thought we couldn’t eat another bite, he went and blew our minds with this ginormous mousse.

A Hazelnut Nutella Mousse to be exact.

It was addicting. My non chocolate eating boyfriend (I know, wtf?) devoured this rather quickly.

With my belly full of deliciousness, we took one final photo as a group:

I stole this picture (and several others) from Facebook, btw. Thanks Amanda.

It was an amazing day. One that I will cherish for always. A day that someone special brought several strangers together with amazing food and great stories. The beauty of food. Its ability to create memories. 

Now the adventure really begins as we embark on our journeys and start that next phase of our friendship…

the part where we brag about who had a better dinner over skype. (I am almost certain he is going to win more than I will…)

Goodbye See you later, Dude! xoxoxox

BLT Risotto

Tags

bacon, dinner, recipes, risotto, spinach

I really didn’t know what to do with the 3lb bag of Arborio rice that was given to me by mistake from Fresh Direct, so it sat in my cupboards. Sure, I could make risotto… I mean, that’s what arborio rice is for. But the thought of using it never came to mind until I was looking through a cookbook at Patty’s house.

“Oh, I have been meaning to give that to you…”

A free cookbook! It was Emeril Lagasse’s Sizzling Skillets and One Pot Wonders. Everything about a one pot dinner sounded great to me but when I spotted the BLT Risotto recipe my mind went right to the giant bag of free Arborio Rice.

I had most of the ingredients on hand, so I figured “Why Not?”

I was also nursing a really gnarly hangover and was craving CARBS like crazy. There was no time like the present to 1) make hangover risotto and 2) stop feeling hungover.

Ingredients:

6 cups chicken stock

6 ounces thick cut bacon  1/5 lb thick cut bacon

1 cup onion, diced

3/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp crushed garlic

1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme 3/4 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 cups Arborio rice

3/4 cups dry white wine

1 lb vine ripened tomatoes 2 vine ripened tomatoes

5 ounces fresh baby spinach

2 Tbsp unsalted butter

2 ounces parm cheese

To start, set the 6 cups of broth in a pot to simmer. It has to be hot in order to do its magic later.

While the broth was simmering, I crisped up the bacon in a large skillet… the same skillet I would be using for the duration of the cooking! One skillet to wash! yesss!

I digress.

When the bacon is nice and crispy, remove it from the pan with a slotted spoon and set aside on some paper towels.

Add the onions to newly rendered bacon fat and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon until the onions are translucent. About 4-6 minutes.

Add the garlic, rice, and thyme. Toast up the rice, stirring frequently for 5 minutes. Pour in the wine and allow the rice to absorb it.

When the wine is absorbed, add 1 cup of the chicken stock and gently stir the rice. As the stock evaporates, continue to add 1/2 cup of stock at a time. This should go on for about 15-18 minutes until there is 1/2 cup of stock remaining and the rice is al dente.

Add the tomatoes and allow to cook for two minutes.

After that, add the spinach, bacon, remaining stock, butter and parmesan cheese. Once the spinach wilts, allow it cook for an additional 5 minutes.

Plate and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Amazing.

And it made for an awesome hangover breakfast!

Manila! Manila!

Tags

dinner, Filipino Food, Restaurant Review

Now that my roommate is a fully fledged member of the restaurant industry, her days off are few and far in between. I work during the day and she works in the evenings. If it weren’t for the random forks in the sink, I would never know she was home. We got lucky the other day when I came home from work to find that she was there! A day off!

Nice!

When she had days off from school, we would often grab a bite together to talk about life. And since the end of our lease is approaching (*sniff*) we saw no better opportunity like the present to grab dinner together.

It had been forever and a day since we had had Filipino food and there was a place in Astoria that I was dying to try.

Manila! Manila!, in Astoria New York, is easy to get to and has a great menu with even better prices! We did our homework before arriving. They are closed on Tuesdays… Good thing it wasn’t a Tuesday. We arrived at 7pm and the place was empty. There are about 10 tables in the restaurant Total which seems like it can get a little cramped if it were busy. The server came right over to us and gave us menus.

We knew from the start that we were fans of Filipino food. My first taste of Filipino Food was in Daly City, California at Sinugba, where I was won over by their chickboy sisig… and then over the moon in Woodhaven, by my apartment when I tried NY Filipino food. I love how every menu is different. The one thing that I have missed sorely from Sinugba was garlic rice… and Manila! Manila! Served it. I knew from that point on, we were good to go.

We started with the most raved about dish on Yelp. Grilled isaw. It sounds much better in Filipino. But it’s a popular street food of grilled intestines. They were sliced (and thoroughly cleaned!), skewered, and charred on the grill. The charred meat had a fantastic texture in addition to a magnificent sweet sauce that we kept dipping into.

And here is where we went a little overboard…

BBQ Pork on a stick. Plump slabs of pork slathered in a BBQ sauce and charred. It was all the comfort of ribs without the stupid bones! And that on top of my rice topped with toasted garlic was glorious!

But we didn’t stop there.

Garlic Rice!!!

Me and D can’t order Filipino without Lechon Kawali. Fried Pork Belly. The Filipino version of that crispy pig skin on pernil. And it came with a  sweet pork sauce for dunking and slathering.

Who knew me and D had such a thing for sauces??

As if that weren’t enough, we had a complimentary white rice (sans garlic) and an order of FRIED CHICKEN! The Roomie and I crave fried chicken more than we would like to admit and RARELY indulge. So when I saw the fried chicken on the menu, I told her we HAD to get it. So we did. A huge platter of salty (in a beautiful way) fried chicken legs with a sweet banana ketchup. I am such a ketchup hater but I LOVE me some banana ketchup!

We stuffed our pretty little faces and barely made a peep as we tore apart those dishes. I think the staff were taking bets to see if the two pretty ladies could consume all the food before them. Minus a few pieces of lechon kawali, we destroyed those plates.

I really love my beloved Mama Meena’s in Woodhaven, but I have to say that Manila! Manila! stole their #1 spot. It was the closest I have come to replicating my first Filipino Food Love, Sinugba. I definitely intend to come back to Manila! Manila! The dishes are delicious and SO affordable. After drinks, apps and entrees, our order came out to $40. But we used a Groupon… so our total was only $13 after taxes.

Not Too Shabby!

Ayza Wine and Chocolate bar

Tags

chocolate, dessert, wine, wine bar

I was invited by the lovely Shayna over at Near Say to sample a chocolate menu from Ayza Wine and Chocolate bar in the Lower area of Manhattan. It was sure to be a wonderful evening. Even more wonderful was being able to bring along the boy to see the bloggy side of it all.

Our first mistake, and I guess this stems from all my Yelp stuff, was that me and BF had dim sum in Chinatown prior to the wine and chocolate event. For Yelp events, I usually have a snack or small plate beforehand so as not to embarrass myself hoarding samples. In this case, pregaming wasn’t the best thing to do. The event, which I thought would be sips of wine with chocolate pairings was in actuality, a chocolate FOOD and wine pairing.

But BF and I had a nice long walk after dim sum and were able to make some room.

Ayza, itself, is a romantic joint. It’s dimly lit with soft red lighting throughout. There is also live music. The singer that evening was an amazing vocalist and really bumped up the ambiance with her silky vocal chords.

We sat at the bar where we imbibed on wonderfully crafted cocktails, courtesy of a fantastic Mistress of Mixology. I had the French Kiss which was a bit of sparkling wine with a kiss of Chambord and a sugared rim. It was a little on the sweet side, but after several sips felt perfectly dainty for the occasion. BF had the D’Lea which I very much enjoyed… noted for next time.

To start, a beautiful Cheese plate was put between the two of us. I must say, I am a bit of a Cheese FREAK. I love cheese. The BF? He’s willing to try. So, If I ate a cheese and liked it, he followed. The ruffley thing in the center was in fact cheese too and Oh My Goodness! It was so good. There were sweet and thick cubes of guava that made for a nice contrast with the sharp cheeses on the platter. And If guava isn’t your thing, there are strawberries and raisin bread. But I pretty much just wanted to fold copious amounts of ruffley cheese into my mouth.

So. Classy.

D’Lea.

The next course was a White chocolate and Celery Root Puree with warm, fried pita sprinkled with sea salt. The pita, when fried, took on the texture of a freshly fried zeppole and then when dipped generously in the white chocolate and celery root, was savory, sweet, soft and addicting. BF and I were scrapping the bowl clean of any and all traces of white chocolate dipping sauce.

We also had a steak tare tare that had a spicy kick to it with the addition of some dark chocolate. The flavor profile was a little bit more aggressive than the white chocolate dish and while we did enjoy it, we kept going back to the white chocolate.

The chef prepared a crab salad of sorts with avocado and citrus elements. I found the crab to be a little on the watery side and really didn’t love this dish. However, the avocado and crispy onions on top were phenomenal! More please!

We also had seared scallops with a kale chip and perhaps a slice of jicama… or asian pear? I was starting to feel that French kiss and when another one was placed in front of me, all chances of remembering went out the window. The kale chip was so damn good. The scallop was fresh. Tasted like a scallop should taste but needed a harder sear in the pan. I was looking for a certain color on the scallop, but regardless, it tasted just fine.

The highlight of the evening was the main course. Short rib braised in red wine with a fried Hen of the Woods Mushroom and a cauliflower and truffle smash. This dish, while just a taste, was RICH and hearty and had it been a full plate, would have been way too much for one meal. The Short Rib was tender and succulent and the sauce was reminiscent of a rich and earthy mole sauce. The fried hen of the woods was probably my favorite element of the dish. And lastly, the truffled cauliflower smash wasn’t overly done with truffle and even managed to taste creamy… despite a few bits of cauliflower. It was the perfect amount.

The Big Finish! Dessert!

What better way to end a chocolate tasting than with a plate of fondue?? Sliced bananas, strawberries, marshmallows, pretzels, short bread and brownies! BF is not a huge chocolate lover, but he really did enjoy the chocolate with the fruit.

Overall, Ayza was a great place. It had a great romantic feel to it and would be the best place to woo that special person you want to date exclusively, or to pop the question. There was talk of this being a great date spot… I definitely agree- but not a first date.

Sausage and Pepper Pizza

Tags

pizza, sausage

I live a little over a mile away from a Trader Joes. A short 10 minute bus ride and I’m there. Only, when I need to get groceries, I sit with my cookbooks and just click away on FreshDirect and boom, groceries arrive the next day. It’s the easiest way to plan! And also the best way to stay within my budget. However, there is something to be said about browsing aisles and aisles of neatly arranged grocery stores… its highly addicting. And makes me quite the compulsive shopper.

I hadnt been to Trader Joes in a while and I was feeling the urge to go. So, on Sunday, I got dressed and took a walk… about a mile or so later I was standing in front of Trader Joes.

And I went shopping. I hadnt the slightest idea of what I was getting myself into. I knew I went in with a game plan and left almost doubling what I had intended to spend.

Whoops.

It all started when I walked in. The store was so crowded, as it usually is during the weekend. People flock to those deals. Oh Joe, how you make me dig deep into my pockets for things I didn’t even know I needed.

It was crowded so when I was in someone’s way, I stopped and in front of me would be something really awesome… and I was also committing the cardinal sin: Shopping while hungry. And I look up to see chicken sausage with a sign under that said “Perfect for pizza”.

Okay, Joe. I can make pizza today.

And then I got a bag of whole wheat pizza dough. and Mozzarella. Dammit. And peppers. When I was done shopping, and also picking up 2 packs of Trader Joe brand beer (the hofbrau bock is the cats meow), I walked back home and unpacked the biggest impulse buy of the year.

Chocolate pretzels

Veggie chips

sweet potato fries

oranges

cumquats

Roasted seaweed

And more! But What I was really excited about, was after unpacking my groceries, I made some pretty tasty pizza.

Sausage and Pepper Pizza (makes 10-12 slices)

1 lb whole wheat dough

1 lb sweet italian sausage (sliced into 1/4 inch rounds)

3/4 cup pizza sauce (your favorite marinara sauce will do)

1 cup sliced peppers

2 cups shredded part skim mozzarella

Directions:

Start by preheating your oven at 425*. While the oven is heating, let the pizza dough rest. Allowing the pizza dough to come to room temperature will allow the dough to keep its shape when you stretch it. (if your pizza dough is springy, or shrinks whenever you attempt to stretch it, its not ready).

I  opted to make mine rectangular so I could get more slices out of it.

I parbaked the pizza dough for 7 minutes once it was stretched to my liking on my baking sheet. While the dough was parbaking, I decided to heat up the fully cooked chicken sausages.

I used a grill pan to create those lovely char marks. I set them aside after 10 minutes or so, to allow them to cool without drying out.

When the pizza dough is done, spread the sauce all over the pizza dough making sure to leave about 1/4 of an inch around the border.

Arrange a healthy sprinkle of cheese as the first layer followed by a healthy application of sweet tri color peppers.

By now, the sausage should be rested and sliced. You can arranged them onto the pizza.

Because the pizza is so topping heavy, I add more cheese to make it like GLUE and I don’t have sausages rolling around all over the place.

I baked the pizza at 425 for 18 minutes. The dough bag said 8 minutes but the pizza was far too soggy after 8 minutes. Use your discretion and if you arent sure, take it out when the sausages start to turn brown around the edges, or until the cheese is in all its melty gooey glory. 

I served myself a healthy slice of pizza and set the remaining slices on a cooling rack to cool and prevent the pizza from overcooking.

The slices were pretty heavy… but they tasted great!

I enjoyed my 1 2 3 slices of pizza with the Trader Joes Hofbrau bock.

I really wish I could be mad about my impulse grocery shopping… but I cant. It was a great way to clear my head and in the end, you can never have enough homemade pizza and ice cold beer.

What goes on your pizza? To be honest, if I had some sliced black olives- this pizza would have been worthy of tears.

Dinner Partying!

My most loveliest of friends, Lara, a very classy lady, invited me and a small party of friends to her home the other day for a home cooked meal. A dinner party. All I was asked to bring was booze. Having a boyfriend who works at a wine store suddenly has fantastic benefits…

Lara, is of Filipino descent and an amazing cook. So when I was given the invite, all I had to do was make sure I was available and hungry on the day of and show up…. so I did.

When it comes to dinner parties, Lara didn’t cut corners. Where I would give out paper plates and plastic forks, Lara and her husband, Greg, brought out all their dishes and glasses for a fancy pants dinner party.

I arrived just as the first course was coming out of the oven. Lechon Kawali. One of the first dishes I tried when I dined Filipino was Lechon Kawali. Juicy slabs of pork with crispy bits of skin, roasted to perfection and dipped in a sweet and savory pork sauce.

This was passed around several times! It reminded me of a really juicy pernil…but with white meat.

Next up, Lara whipped up some minestrone soup. It was flavorful and hearty. I had to skimp on my serving because I didn’t want to fill up so quickly! The main course was surely going to be amazing.

Osso Buco. It was my first time having a homemade osso bucco and Lara did an amazing job. It was FALL off the BONE tender and had great big pockets of bone marrow in the sliced bones. Being amongst a group of food enthusiasts, we all were eager to take our soup spoons to scoop out all the delicious bone marrow! Nummers!

We ate the osso bucco on top of simply cooked couscous. The gravy from the osso bucco saturated the couscous and we all sat in silence while stuffing our faces with the tender meat and succulent mirepoix.

I took only breaks to photograph, serve myself more food and to ask for more wine. It wasn’t until after our fantastic meal that we really start to let loose, unbutton a few buttons and have amazing conversation.

Just when we thought the deliciousness was done, Lara gave us each a martini glass filled with lychee panna cotta.

Lara had said it was an experimental dessert but it was so well received. If you love lychees… you would have loved this!

And what’s a dinner party without karaoke in the living room???

Exactly!

Oven Baked Eggplant Parmesan

Tags

dinner, eggplant, eggplant parmesan, recipes

I decided to take advantage of this lovely NYC weather over the weekend and took mickey for a stroll in the park!

She bolted off her leash and was rolling around in the leaves and dirt! Looks like I wasn’t the only one that was excited about the weather! Mickey just turned 6. Was looking at her old photos and cant believe how just yesterday I was brining Mickey home from the shelter

This was FOUR years ago!!! Crazy!

After our afternoon in the park, Diana mentioned a craving for spaghetti and meatballs… and then I was thinking of going out for some eggplant parmesan.

Reason kicked in and I decided to get my ass in the kitchen and make my own. I figured since I was making it at home, I should shave off a few fat grams and make it without frying. I mean, what harm could it do?

Exactly.

Baked eggplant parmesan

1 Medium Eggplant

2 eggs

1 T parmesan cheese

1 t garlic

1 cup seasoned bread crumbs

16 oz of your favorite marinara sauce

3 cups shredded mozzarella

I started by preheating the oven to 450*. Slice the eggplant, skin and all into 1/4 inch rounds. Set the eggplant aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and add garlic and parmesan. Dredge the eggplant into the eggs and then press into breadcrumbs. Make sure all sides are covered in breadcrumbs.

Lay the eggplant onto a lightly greased cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes, turning once after 12 minutes. Eggplant should be golden brown and slightly crispy.

 

Onto each eggplant slice, place a healthy dollop of marinara sauce on top. Then sprinkle with mozzarella.

Pop the eggplant back in the oven for 10 minutes until the cheese is melted.

I, personally enjoyed the eggplant as it was with a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan cheese. But this would be great on a crisp baguette or under a bed of pasta.

Happy Monday!