Thoughtful Eating ~ A Food Blog

Graze Box Openings and Review

2013-03-01T12:00:00.000-05:00

Graze is a new healthy snack subscription service that delivers a box of 4 different snacks to your home or office once a week. Each box costs $5 and when you try the service you get your first and fifth weeks for free. It's so new that right now it's invitation only. There are lots of invitation codes out there but each member is limited to how many invitations they can give out. I think I have one left at my invitation code: 9V1G62J

What I like about Graze is that you can customize your boxes. They have over 100 different types of snacks in categories such as Dips & Dippers, Flapjacks (Granola bars essentially), Savory Snacks, A Touch of Chocolate, Healthy Treats, Pure Fruit, Whole Nuts, Pure Fruit Nuts & Seeds and Super Seeds. You can vote on each snack by choosing Trash if you don't want it, Try if you want to try it, Like if you think it's okay and Love if you adore it and want it again.

I went through all of the snacks before I got my first box and trashed anything I knew I didn't want to try. For example, I don't like Pistachios so I got rid of any Pistachio treats. I tried to keep an open mind and want to try as many as possible. As I get each box, I go back to my box's page (yes each of your boxes has it's own page, sort of like Birchbox) and I rate if I Liked it, Loved It or don't want it again, aka Trash. So far I have Liked or Loved everything I tried.

You can also customize your deliveries by choosing a Nibble Box or a Light Box. A Light box would only include low calorie treats whereas a Nibble box could include everything. If you are Vegan or have allergies to Gluten or Dairy, you can also customize based on your diet. Each box is a surprise but the customization helps for sure.

Below I am sharing my first boxes and each of the snacks and what I thought of them. I hope you'll give Graze a try! I am NOT sponsored by them and I only got some discounts based on their starter promotion and getting $1 off a box for each person I invite who joins the service. So basically these opinions are my own.

My only complaint about these boxes is that they take a while to arrive and there is no tracking because they are shipped via USPS ground. They are packed over the weekend and you have to set your ratings by Friday if you want to Trash anything and don't want it showing up in your next box. I usually get them on a Thursday or the following Monday.

This is how the boxes arrive. I peeled off the label with my address for privacy.

My first box!

Each box comes with a nutritional pamphlet, invitation codes and a 100% recycled napkin!

Summer Berry Detox: Blueberries, Goji Berries, Golden Raisins and Cranberries

LOVE!

Cookies and Cream: Mini chocolate cookies, Roasted Hazelnuts, White Chocolate Wafers and Sunflower Seeds

LOVE!

El Picante: Jumbo salted corn, hot chili peanuts and mini paprika breasticks

LOVE!

Fruit & Seed Flapjacks

I almost trashed all the flapjacks as I assumed they would they would be dry and bland granola bars. To my surprise they are really moist and quite decadent in flavor and texture! These are my favorite. The sealed boxes help keep the snacks fresh.

LOVE!

My second box

Herby Bread Basket: Mini Garlic Croutons, Mini Basil Breadsticks and Oregano Rice Crackers

LOVE!

Garden of England: Mini Strawberries, Blackcurrants and Apple

LOVE!

I was skeptical but ended up loving this one. It's such a deliciously tart mix of dried fruit.

Hot Cross Yum: Mini Meringues, Cinnamon & Honey Almonds and Orange Infused Raisins

This one was okay. Wasn't too terribly impressed. I might try it one more time and trash it.

Natural Vanilla Seeds: Vanilla Sunflower and Pumpkin Seeds

LOVE!

I was convinced I would hate this one but the vanilla coating made them crunchy and sweet and delicious!

My third box!

My Thai: Sweet Chili Sauce and Baked Soy Bites

Like or possibly Trash

It was tasty and spicy but not worth the money in my opinion. Too much dip too few bites.

Nacho Libre: Salsa Almonds, Cheesy Sombreros and Jumbo Chili Corn

LOVE!

Apple Cinnamon Flapjacks

My favorite of all the snacks I have tried!

LOVE!

Honeycomb Crunch: Milk Chocolate Coated Honeycomb, Raisins and Plain Almonds

It was way too sweet with the raisins but the honeycomb and almonds were a good match.

My fourth box

Cheddar Gorge: Cheese Cashews, Baked Herb Bites and Salsa Corn Sticks

LOVE!

Marvellous Macaroon: Amaretti Drops, Almond Slices, Coconut Flakes and White Chocolate Wafers

LOVE!

Perfect mix of crunchy and smooth!

Mango Lassi: Yogurt Coated Peanuts, Pumpkin Seeds and Dried Mango

LOVE!

My favorite of the snacks are the ones that aren't too sweet like this one!

Tutti Frutti: Blueberry Infused Cranberries, Pineapple, Cherry Infused Raisins and Golden Raisins

Like or Trash

I'm confused by this one. I feel like infusing one fruit with another is kind of strange. The raisins seem more like filler. It was tasty though so I'm torn.

Healthy Eats

2013-01-27T12:00:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd share a couple of healthy dinner ideas. Above is my Hoisin Chicken, oven roasted sweet potato, steamed broccoli, cucumber slices and brown rice. It makes for a very delicious and healthy dinner. I just wish brown rice reheated better for leftovers!

Thanks to Athena for the heads up on the website and publication Clean Eating Magazine. I found this Ginger-Lime Kale recipe on there. It had Kale, ginger, lime, Butternut Squash, Chickpeas and Pomegrantes. Such an unusual combination but so delicious! It's a very hardy side so you only need to pair this with a protein for a complete dinner.

Alexia Sweet Potato Rolls Product Review

2013-01-25T12:00:00.000-05:00

Alexia contacted me about reviewing their Sweet Potato Rolls. I've never had Sweet Potato bread before and I was really curious to try them! I've never enjoyed Sweet Potatoes but lately it's been my mission to eat them and learn to live them. I love having bread rolls with soup so I was happy to see that this was a healthier bread option with my new favorite super food to boot!

My bag had only 7 rolls which I thought was strange. The package did not mention how many sweet potato rolls were inside which I also thought a bit odd. It just said 10.5 oz and since I don't have any kind of food scale I couldn't verify if 7 rolls equaled 10.5 oz. The bag's baking instructions showed 8 rolls so I'm assuming 7 was a bagging error. If it was not a bagging error, I would definitely suggest Alexia change to an even number either 6 or 8. It's hard to split odd number of rolls between two people.

I baked these rolls in a 350 degree pre-heated oven on the center rack for 12 minutes. They came out slightly crusty on the outside and very soft in the center. These are absolutely delicious served piping hot with a little bit of butter. They are not as great cold or at room temperature. I would also have these with butter and honey as a dessert (the bag suggests that as a way to serve them too).

I thought these were to be more savory rolls so I served them with soup. They were too sweet to go with the soup I made so I'd like these more as a dessert rather than part of a main course. As a dessert they are really delicious!

Thank you Alexia for providing me with a bag of these Sweet Potato Rolls to try. They were delicious!

Zucchini Tomato Pesto Pasta Bake

2013-01-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

This casserole is ridiculously good! I got the idea from WebMD's recipe for Pesto Zucchini Tomato Gratin. The picture shows it on top of pesto penne but didn't say anything about cooking the gratin with the penne. I decided to combine the two and turn it into a casserole. This makes a lot so you'll have plenty of leftovers.

My husband hates Zucchini and while it's not my favorite vegetable either I am determined to sneak it into as many dishes as I can. I shred the zucchini to make it more palatable. It works really well in this casserole!

Zucchini Tomato Pesto Pasta Bake

Ingredients:

1 box of whole wheat penne
1 7 oz. container of prepared pesto, divided
3 large zucchinis
3 plum tomatoes
2 cups of panko bread crumbs
extra light olive oil
1 container of Pearl Mozzarella
extra light olive oil

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Fill a large pot with water, cover with lid and heat to a boil.

Shred your zucchini and slice your plum tomatoes into thin slices (I remove the jelly and seeds as much as I can). Set aside.

Add a drizzle of extra light olive oil to a large skillet and heat. Once the oil starts to sizzle, add the shredded zucchini. While that's cooking, add the penne and some salt to the boiling water and cook 10-12 minutes based on package instructions. While the penne is cooking, continue cooking the zucchini. Stir occasionally. You want to dry out the zucchini a bit so there is not so much water. After 10 minutes, stir in 2 tablespoons of the pesto. Set aside.

In a bowl, add the 2 cups of panko bread crumbs and about 3 tbsps of extra light olive oil and mix.

Drain the pasta reserving 1/2 cup of pasta water. Add the remaining pesto to the pasta and add the 1/2 cup of pasta water. Stir until all the pasta is coating in pesto.

In a 11 X 13 baking dish, add the pasta. Cover the top of the pasta with the shredded zucchini pesto mix. Top with half of the panko bread crumbs. Then add a layer of sliced tomatoes. Top with the pearl mozzarella balls and the rest of the panko.

Cover with aluminum foil and add to center rack of oven. Cook for 20 minutes. Remove foil, switch oven to low broil and broil for a couple minutes until the top gets brown. If you have patience, you can wait a little longer and it'll brown on top in the 375 degree oven. I am not patient so I like to brown with a quick broil. Watch the casserole closely or you can burn the top!

Let sit for about 10 minutes before serving. Or dive in if you can't wait.

Bon appetit!

Tuttorosso Tomato Review, Sloppy Joe Recipe & Giveaway

2013-01-21T09:00:00.000-05:00

Tuttorosso is a brand of canned and jarred tomato products that has been around since 1929. They pride themselves on "producing the freshest, best tasting tomato products in the world."Tuttorosso is becoming more popular recently and they have been getting a lot of good coverage on social media and blogs. They are expanding their product reach across the U.S. but right now are available mostly on the East Coast including my home state of Massachusetts (full list of states and their availability can be found here).

Tuttorosso sent me a couple of cans of their product to try. Last night I made a big batch of my Sloppy Joes with Tuttorosso Tomato Sauce in the 29 oz. can. It's a lot of sauce so that is why I made such a huge batch. The end result was delicious. I love that the tomato sauce wasn't too acidic and how it was really smooth. It worked really well with my Sloppy Joes and I would definitely try Tuttorosso again. Let's hope they work on producing smaller cans as I usually don't use such huge cans of tomatoes!

Sloppy Joes with Tuttorosso Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

2.5 lbs of Ground Beef
Salt, Pepper and Seasoning (I used Onion Powder)
1 large onion chopped
1 cubanelle or regular green pepper seeded and chopped
1 29 oz. can of Tuttorosso Tomato Sauce
3 tbsps of Worcestershire Sauce
2 tbsps of White Wine Vinegar
2 tbsps of Brown Sugar

toasted hamburger buns
shredded cheddar

This makes 16 mini sloppy joes or 8 large ones. It makes a lot of leftovers. You can use half of the sloppy joe mix for the sandwiches and use the rest the next day and serve over pasta or alongside some white rice.

Season the ground beef. Heat a large skillet with extra light olive oil. Add half the beef when the oil sizzles. Brown, drain fat, set aside. Add more oil and cook the second batch of beef. Repeat. Set both batches of beef aside when fully cooked.

In the same skillet, add a little more olive oil and cook the chopped onion and green pepper. Once the onions begin to be translucent, add back the beef and stir. Then add the Tuttorosso Tomato Sauce, the Worcestershire Sauce (I like using a lot!), White Wine Vinegar and Brown Sugar. Stir and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes stirring occasionally. Then lower heat and cook about 10 minutes more or until sauce has thickened to the consistency you like.

Serve on top of toasted hamburger buns. I like putting a bit of shredded cheddar on top. Delicious!

It's giveaway time!

Enter for a chance to win a Tuttorosso gift pack including a kitchen mitt, mug cozy, red apron, four recipe cards and a can of Tuttorosso's Peeled Plum Tomatoes in Juice (not shown) to try.

Giveaway Rules:

1) You must be in the Continental U.S. to enter.

2) The deadline for entry is Noon EST Sunday January 27th.

3) To enter answer the question: "What is your favorite way to used canned tomato?" in the comment section below. Include an email address so I can contact you. This is a required entry.

4) For a second entry, "Like" Tuttorosso on Facebook and leave a comment below telling me you did so. This is a voluntary entry.

5) For a third entry, follow me on Twitter @thoughtfuleats and leave a comment below telling me which Twitter account you used to follow. I keep track of unfollows so please don't try the third entry if you don't want to follow me! This is a voluntary entry.

The winner will be chosen at random and will be contacted via email. I'll also make a note of the winner on this post once he or she has been chosen. Good luck!

Arroz con Gandules - Rice with Green Pigeon Peas

2013-01-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

The other day I was watching Navidad Utilisima which was the Christmas special for the Spanish-Language television channel Utilisima. In one of the segments, a very charming Puerto Rican man cooked up some Arroz con Gandules, Rice with Green Pigeon Peas, which is a very traditional Caribbean dish. My mom cooks it but does it very differently. I wanted to learn this version and try it myself. I went on to Utilisima.com to find the recipe but it wasn't there! Good thing I taped the show. I watched the segment again, took notes and tried the dish out. And voila!

Adapted from Utilisima

Arroz con Gandules (Rice with Green Pigeon Peas)

Ingredients:

Pork Broth
1 small package of pork bones
4-1/2 cups of broth
1 whole onion
aromatics (whatever seasonings you want, I used cumin, garlic and oregano)
salt and pepper to taste

Arroz con Gandules

1-1/2 cups of cubed pork loin (I bought a big pork loin and used the rest of the meat for another dish)
1 cup diced all-natural ham (with no nitrates or nitrites!)
1 onion diced
1 green pepper diced
2-3 garlic cloves pressed
2 cans of Goya Gandules (Green Pigeon Peas)
2 cups of uncookeed long grain rice
2 bay leaves
cilantro and chopped plum tomatoes for garnish

Makes 8 servings

To make the Pork Broth, add pork bones, water, onion and aromatics. Cover pot with lid and bring to a bowl. Lower to medium heat and let simmer with the lid partially covering the pot. Cook for about 45 minutes or until broth has some flavor. Season with salt and pepper. Strain and set aside.

Chop up your pork and dice your ham, green pepper and onions. Season your pork cubes with salt and pepper.

Heat some extra light olive oil in a deep pot until the oil sizzles. Sear the pork cubes.

Add the ham, onion and green peppers to the pork cubes and saute until the onions and green pepper start to break down. Or until the onions begin to be translucent.

Add the pressed garlic, gandules (make sure to rinse them!) and rice.

Cover with 4 cups of the homemade pork broth and add the 2 bay leaves. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if necessary. Stir thoroughly and bring to a boil. If the pork broth is still hot this will happen quickly.

Bring the heat down to low, cover and cook for 20 minutes. Check 10 minutes in and stir the rice so all of it gets cooked evenly. If its too wet for your taste, you can always cook for an extra 5-10 minutes, stirring carefully and occasionally so it dries out a bit.

Top with cilantro and fresh chopped plum tomatoes. Or you can also top with chopped roasted red peppers. The green and red give the dish a great look. This dish is a complete meal!

Buen provecho!

Tew-Mac Tavern at the Tewskbury Country Club

2013-01-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

Photo source

My father-in-law took my husband and I out for a Christmas Eve dinner to the Tew-Mac Tavern at the Tewksbury Country Club in Tewksbury, MA. The country club sits on what used to be a privately owned airport. The great thing about this country club is that it's open to the public and you don't need to be a member to eat at their tavern or play on their golf course. The Tew-Mac Tavern had a small menu but boy was I impressed with what we ordered!

Inside the Tavern is a gorgeous dining area complete with fireplace and grand piano! It was Christmas time so there was also a beautifully decorated tree. I loved the open design and the lodge-type feel.

Tew-Mac Tavern has an absolutely fantastic cocktail menu and had a special holiday one too. I opted for an Old-Fashioned because I have never had one. Also, in the show Mad Men, Don Draper makes Old-Fashioneds for himself and for Conrad Hilton at a Country Club. I love that show, I was at a country club, so it was absolutely necessary to order an Old-Fashioned.

I think this is my new favorite cocktail!

The nice waiter brought us two types of bread, olive oil with herbs and a whole head of slow roasted garlic. OH MY GOD was that garlic so delicious. It's a little tricky to fish out but oh so worth it. I had so much garlic I had to tell Carlos to take the head of garlic away otherwise I would go through a similar situation like the Honeymoon Garlic Overdose of 2012!

I have never been to a restaurant that serves a whole head of slow roasted garlic with bread. I think this is amazing and definitely a reason to visit the restaurant!

For an appetizer we got their Sicilian Calamari which was tossed in Garlic Butter and had some sliced cherry peppers. I'm glad they didn't fry the peppers and the butter wasn't overwhelming. We didn't even need a dip!

I ordered their Seared Scallops dinner and substituted their sauteed spinach with the house vegetables. These scallops were so delicious and perfectly and expertly seared. They came with 2 three-cheese potato croquettes which were so heavenly. The croquettes were nice and hot and crispy on the outside and soft and gooey on the inside. Yum!

This was the best choice for dinner and when I go back I'll definitely order this again.

Carlos had the New York Strip Steak and my father-in-law had the New England Haddock plate. They both liked their meals too!

We didn't have any room in our bellies for dessert which was a shame. I'd love to see if their desserts were as good as the other plates. Instead of dessert, we sat down by the fireplace and chatted for a bit. Tew-Mac Tavern has these big comfy chairs and a couch in front of the fireplace so it's a great spot to sit and talk for a bit after your meal.

If you are ever in the Tewksbury, MA area, you must eat at Tew-Mac Tavern. This restaurant is a new favorite of mine and I can't wait to go back.

What I've Been Cooking

2013-01-07T12:00:00.000-05:00

I've been trying to learn the recipes from my dad's culture (Portuguese) and from my mom's culture (Dominican). I attempted to make my very first Folar de Chaves which is a Chorizo and Prosciutto stuffed Brioche Loaf. It's very traditional to make around Easter and I'd like to get it right by the time the next holiday rolls around. My first try was a bit of a failure. I don't think I gave the yeast enough time to do it's thing in the milk before I added all the dry ingredients. Also the dough was really sticky and I didn't use enough flour so rolling it was very difficult. The dough is stuffed with slices of chorizo and prosciutto. You can also add bacon or pancetta but I chose to omit that. I stuffed the bread with chorizo and prosciutto, I rolled it the best I could and let is rise. I waited an hour and it NEVER ROSE! Ugh. After all that work, I baked it anyway. It was very thick and not light and airy like the bread I know. We ate it anyways.

While that bread was baking in the oven, I tried another Portuguese recipe: Chocolate Mousse. The Portuguese KNOW how to make chocolate mousse. They are experts and Portuguese Chocolate Mousse is like heaven in your mouth. My try tasted good but came out pretty terrible texture-wise.

To make this chocolate mousse you need to melt dark chocolate in a water bath, mix it with a yolk and coffee or rum, separately beat 2 egg whites until peaks form and whip cream until softer peaks form and mix everything together carefully. I did all of that but had some trouble with the egg whites. I over-beat them and they didn't form into peaks so I had to start over. I added the chocolate to the egg yolk and went to incorporate the egg white and cream. I didn't have a big enough bowl to add the chocolate so I dumped it into the bowl with the cream because that bowl was bigger. BIG MISTAKE! The chocolate cooled too quickly and formed chunks of chocolate. The mousse was dry not smooth and with chewy chunks of chocolate. Also, I forgot to add liquid coffee so I tried adding some instant coffee granules at the very last minute. Too little too late. Oh well. I'll master this eventually.

Then it was on to my mother's famous Dominican pink bean recipe!

My mom taught me all the steps in making her beans and boy with there a lot of steps. I took about 2 pages worth of notes and I'm more confused than ever. It's a 3 hour process and involves several pots and a pressure cooker. My mom makes them in big batches. In this batch she used 6 pounds of beans. Yes 6! She uses a lot of chicken bouillon and I'm hoping to be able to duplicate her recipe just using table salt and some other seasoning to replace the bouillon. These beans are so tasty! The sauce is what makes it.

I was feeling very adventurous over the break and was sick of sweet brunches so I decided to make Smitten Kitchen's Potato Pancakes. Ever since I heard about them on NPR I have been dying to make them. When you don't have a shredding attachment on your food processor, these are a BITCH to make. Holy crap. I shredded two large potatoes and two small onions and it took me forever to do by hand. When I was done, the shredded potatoes started to turn red which led me to believe that I might have shredded some skin and got blood all over them. Lucky for me this was not the case.

These were tasty but only while hot. I had to bring a hot potato pancake over to Carlos in bed to lure him out of the bedroom otherwise we were going to eat these cold! I'm not sure if these are worth it unless I had an easier way to shred the potatoes and onions.

What have you been cooking?

Easy Dinner ~ Sausage Pepper Pasta

2013-01-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

When I get home from a long day at work, sometimes the last thing I want to do is cook. So I depend on quick and easy dinner recipes that will help me put dinner on the table within 30 minutes. This one is super easy and very satisfying. If you are not a big fan of peppers, this is a much more palatable way to eat them.

Sausage Pepper Pasta

Ingredients:

4 links of Chicken Sausage, sliced (I used an Italian flavored one that had cheese)
1 Green Pepper
1 Yellow Pepper
1 Red Pepper
1/2 box of Farfalle pasta
Seasoning
extra light olive oil

Makes 4 servings

*Note - You do NOT need a whole box of Farfalle pasta so don't be tempted to empty the whole box. For seasoning you can use thyme, garlic powder, oregano, red pepper flakes or whatever seasoning you'd like that would work with the sausage and peppers.

Start a pot of water and get it boiling. Add the farfalle pasta and cook to package direction or until al dente.

While the pasta is cooking, add some extra light olive oil to a large saute pan and turn the head up to medium-high. While it's heating, chop up your green, yellow or red pepper. I cut them into chunks or thick strips. Once the oil starts to sizzle, add your peppers and cook until they start to brown/blacken. A couple minutes into cooking the peppers add your seasoning. Do not add salt because it will drain the peppers of their natural liquid.

Remove the peppers from the pan, add a drizzle more of olive oil and saute the chicken sausage. Once the sausage is browned, add back the peppers and drain the pasta and add that too. Stir thorough and serve.

Top with some grated parmesan or chopped parsley. Enjoy!

Make this without the pasta for a low-carb meal. Just add an orange pepper and have some steamed veggies on the side.

New Year's at the Rialto

2013-01-01T11:21:00.000-05:00

We rang in the New Year last night at the Rialto, part of the Charles Hotel in Harvard Square, Cambridge, MA. And boy what a night it was! We had an absolute blast and the Rialto treated us so well that we can't imagine going anywhere else for New Year's next year!

The Rialto was decorated in silver and white balloons. We got these great silver and white New Year's props: a hat, a tiara and noisemakers. Last year we went to the Noir Bar at the Charles Hotel for New Year's and we had a lot of fun. But every time I would go upstairs to use the bathroom, I'd pass by the Rialto and take a peek inside. The people at the Rialto looked like they were having more fun. Also they had live music! I was hoping to see live music at the Rialto this year but there wasn't any. We still had a fabulous time.

We started our evening with two cocktails. On the left is a Tangerine Tango served in a chilled martini glass. This was a really good cocktail! It had Bourbon, Aperol, Blood Orange, Lemon, Honey and a Blood Orange Rind Twist! Carlos had a Whiskey Sour which was pretty good too. Our reservation was delayed and the general manager offered to give us these drinks on the house! He took care of us the entire evening and made us feel really special.

Our table wasn't ready quite yet, so we moved from the bar to the bar lounge.

Downton Abbey reference FTW!

At the lounge, we sat in a little nook and ordered two more drinks. I had an Old-Fashioned and Carlos had another Whiskey Sour. Rialto's cocktails are well-made with quality liquors and ingredients. Carlos and I have been there before for drinks and dessert but not for food so we were excited to try some of the restaurant's savory delights.

From the Bar menu, we ordered the Stuffed Dates from the Antipasti selection. All the Antipastis are $5 each or $14 if you buy three. They are great way to start off your meal if you don't want a full appetizer. These date were stuffed with gorgonzola cheese, wrapped in pancetta and topped with toasted chopped almonds. They were a taste and texture explosion in your mouth! Salty, sweet, smoky, peppery, crunchy, smooth. They were nice and hot too which made them all that more enjoyable.

Our table was ready, later than expected but the general manager thanked us for our patience and rewarded us with a gift certificate. We thought that was very generous of him so we decided to buy a couple expensive plates to use the card and to also kick back something to the restaurant for treating us so well!

In the dining room, we were seated at a nicely decorated table. There was a vase with a White Gerber Daisy, a white candle and magenta star confetti and crinkled paper. I thought this was very classy! The waitress brought us over an Amuse Bouche also on the house. It was Prosecco with candied orange, peppercorn and the rim had bay sugar. This was so good! I wish I had set it aside to toast with because by countdown time I had no drink left. The cocktails were too good.

Sorry for the dark pictures but flash made these look terrible. Carlos got the Spiced Chicken Under a Brick which came with one big gnocchi, pumpkin, gorgonzola and truffles. I had a bite of the chicken and it was amazing!

I had the Cacciucco (which I still don't know how to pronounce), a seafood soup. It had cod, shrimp, mussels, clams, lobster and calamari. It was topped with a parsley crouton. I love seafood soup and this one was quite tasty but just a bit too salty.

I had some fun with the confetti at the table!

For dessert, we had the Walnut-Apple Bread Pudding with vanilla ice cream, poached crab apple and compote. It also came with a nice caramel candy on top. Carlos loved this dessert but I thought it was so-so. I had my heart set on something chocolatey but we both agreed to get this one instead. I wish the pudding was warm but it was cold. Because the bread pudding was cold, I didn't see how the ice cream was even necessary. Next time I'll get the Chestnut-Chocolate Cream Puff which sounds divine.

You can't really see in the picture but a lady sang Auld Lang Syne to us. Then we all used our noisemakers to ring in the New Year. I wish there was a countdown but oh well. Perhaps there was one at the bar. We can't complain because our New Year's was a great time. A couple of friends were supposed to join us, but one of them was feeling really ill. In fact, today I'm supposed to be at my parents home cooking my dad a birthday lunch but they are both sick too! So I guess Carlos and I were lucky to be able to ring in the new year with health.

I hope all of you had a wonderful New Years and here is to a great 2013!

Holiday Recap

2012-12-30T12:00:00.000-05:00

For the holidays I really wanted some Egg Nog and Hot Chocolate but I came across two issues. First of all, everyone and their mother keeps referring to Egg Nog as drinkable pancake batter. This has disgusted me and I wish people would stop! So when I was at Whole Foods, I found this SO Delicious Coconut Milk Dairy Free Egg Nog. I thought I'd give it a try. It was pretty good, a lot lighter in texture and flavor than regular Egg Nog and it was pretty taste with a bit of rum.

My second problem was finding a Hot Chocolate mix that did not have High Fructose Corn Syrup. Forget finding that at your local grocery store! I looked at every Hot Chocolate mix at Market Basket and all of them had HFCS or some sort of Corn Syrup solids. Ugh. The tin in the picture above was from Whole Foods and the ingredients were: Sugar, Dutch Cocoa and Vanilla. That's it! Perfect, right? It cost $7.99! And it's only 6 oz worth of hot chocolate mix. I hope it cures cancer too because that price is outrageous.

I had Christmas lunch over at my parents house. Our Christmas lunch is always very unusual and this year was no exception. We had octopus, a potato-carrot-beet salad, green salad, avocado, hard-boiled eggs, broiled asparagus, my mom's rice and fruit salad.

The main focus of our meal is Octopus made by my dad. He has a very special way of cooking it that I still haven't learned quite yet but I did watch him make it this time and learned a few tips.

Including this one! In order to not over cook the octopus and to keep it tender, my dad puts a large baking potato on top of the octopus. He covers it with water (I forget how much) and cooks it. Once you can easily pierce the potato with a knife, the octopus is cooked.

My dad dresses it in olive oil and vinegar and onions. This year I think he just forgot to do it. He's turning 85 in January so his mind isn't always sharp but I am so very grateful to have another Christmas with him.

When my mom moved to the United States from the Dominican Republic in 1979, the first two things she bought at the grocery store here were Asparagus and Strawberries. They are not common in her country and only the really wealthy ate them. She never did learn how to cook asparagus so I taught her my method. I snap the bottom fibrous part, lay them on a foiled baking sheet, drizzle them with olive oil, move them around so they are coated and then I broil them in the oven for 8-10 minutes until they start to brown and wrinkle. Then I shake some sea salt over them. This really is the best way to eat asparagus. Don't ever boil asparagus!

I hope you all had a great holiday!

Easy Meatballs and Sauce with Rice

2012-12-21T12:00:00.000-05:00

I have been making meatballs for years but always served them with jarred marinara sauce and pasta. The meal was delicious but way too filling and starchy. In fact, I'd almost always get sick because of the pasta! I wanted to try making a meatball dinner which was just as delicious, a little lighter and with a quick and easy homemade sauce. I like how the beef broth cuts the acidity of the tomato sauce. Also the sauce is really good with the rice and I like to dip my green beans in it.

Ingredients
1.5-2 lbs of ground beef
1/2 an onion finely chopped
2-3 garlic cloves minced or put through garlic press
a small bunch of cilantro chopped (or parsley if you prefer)
1 egg
1/4 cup of dry bread crumbs
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup of beef broth
salt and pepper to taste
extra light olive oil
rice

Cook rice Raquel Style.

While rice is cooking, heat up a large skillet with some extra light olive oil.

In a big bowl, add the grown beef and season with salt and pepper. Add an egg, breadcrumbs, the finely chopped onion, minced garlic and parsley. Mix well until all ingredients are incorporated. If you have a husband handy, have him mush the mixture with his hands. It's fun!

When the oil starts to sizzle, start forming the meat mixture into small balls and add to the skillet. Do this in batches. I advise doing half first then the other half next. You can transfer the first batch to a plate or push them to the side.

Tip: If you want to check the seasoning of your meatball mixture, test out one very small meatball, cook it up and eat it. If it tastes good, make the rest. If not, adjust seasonings.

Cool the meatballs until they are brown on all sides. I like mine a little crispy. Don't worry if your meatballs are a little pink in the middle. They'll continue to cook in the sauce.

To the skillet add the beef broth and crushed tomato. Lower the heat so that the tomato doesn't spit everywhere! Stir and let simmer until the rice is done and the sauce is thick.

Serve with some steamed green beans and some cilantro on top. Enjoy!

Variations:
Add some chopped chipotle en adobo (include the adobado sauce) to the tomato sauce for a smoky and spicy kick!
Replace beef broth with red wine for a very decadent flavor
Replace cilantro and onions with lots of finely chopped scallions

Chicken in a Spicy Coconut Tomato Sauce

2012-12-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

This is a very quick low maintenance meal. Serve the chicken with a scoop of white rice and some steamed vegetables on the side. The sauce is good on everything! I made this while having a terrible migraine and I liked that it was easy and quick to make so I could sit and nurse my migraine while the sauce thickened.

Adapted from an Utilisima recipe

Chicken in a Spicy Coconut Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:
6-8 chicken cutlets cut into chunks
1 teaspoon of grated ginger
1 tablespoon of chopped pickled jalapeño
3 tablespoons of tomato paste
1 13.5 oz can of Light Coconut Milk
Cilantro for garnish
salt to taste

Cook some rice Raquel-Style.

While the rice is cooking, heat up a large skillet with some extra light olive oil or canola oil. Don't use a lot or you will make the sauce greasy. If you end up with too much oil, blot some of it out with a paper towel.

Season the cut up chicken cutlets with some salt and pan sear. Once the chicken is cooked and has a nice brown sear, add the tomato paste, grated ginger and chopped pickled jalapeño. If you use fresh jalapeño, put very little unless you like your food super spicy.

Incorporate the coconut milk little bit by little, stirring all the ingredients so that the tomato paste dissolves. Bring the sauce to a bubble, then turn it down to medium-low and let simmer for 10 minutes or so. You just want the sauce to thicken a bit.

Serve with some rice and top with fresh cilantro. If you don't like cilantro (what's wrong with you?), then substitute with some parsley. You'll want something green on top as the sauce and chicken are not very pleasant to look at on its own.

Chicken in a Spicy Coconut Tomato Sauce is a delicious and easy meal which makes for a great mid-week dinner.

How to Make Tostones

2012-12-17T12:00:00.000-05:00

Tostones are pieces of plantain that have been fried, smashed and fried again. Tostones are very commonly found in Carribean, Central American and South American cuisine and are especially popular in Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic where my mother is from. To make these double fried plantains you'll need a Tostonera which is a wooden paddle with a flap and an indent in the center.

You can find these online for very inexpensive. If you live in Eastern Massachusetts, a lot of Market Baskets carry them and place them near the plantains (the Burlington, MA Market Basket is where I got mine). If you don't want to invest in a Tostonera, just use two flat surfaces like a cutting board and the back of a small skillet to flatten the plantains.

How to Make Tostones

Cook these Tostones in batches of 2, 4 or 6. You'll fry 2 plantains at a time so it makes sense to make them in even numbers. Six will give you quite a lot!

Add 36 oz of canola or vegetable oil to a wide pot and heat. In the meantime, prepare the plantains.

First make sure you bought a plantain and not a really green banana. Plantains are have a very tough peel and a starchy smell to them. Or ask your grocer for help. Also buy plantains that are green like the one above and not ones that have ripened. Those are yellow/brown and are too sweet for Tostones but delicious for other recipes.

Cut off the top and bottom of the plantain at an angle. Discard those pieces.

The peel of a green plantain is very tough to remove. It's not at all like a banana. My trick to getting the peel off is to cut open a slit lengthwise down one side.

And then down the other.

Get your thumb underneath the peel and start coaxing it away from the plantain. Discard peel.

Cut each plantain into six even slices at a diagonal. Above there are twelve pieces from two whole plantains.

When the oil is hot, add the chunks of plantains. I do this 2 plantains at a time. You can check to see if the oil is hot enough by testing it out with one piece of plantain and see if bubbles immediately for around it. If they don't, remove the piece of plantain and test a little later.

Cook the plantain for 2-3 minutes with the oil over medium heat. If you are brave, cook for 1-2 minutes over higher heat. Once the plantain starts to become golden brown, it's time to smash!

This process has to be quick so make sure you set up everything before hand. Get some paper towels down and put the tostonera on top. Make sure you have tongs handy too. Add the plantain to the tostonera.

Close the lid and SMASH!

This is what the end result looks like. Scrape off the smashed plantain with your tongs. Be careful not to break the plantain. Then add it back to the oil. Do this to all of the plantain pieces.

Fry for a couple more minutes.

Until they are crispy and golden.

Place them hot tostones on a plate with paper towel and salt them when they are hot. Continue with the other plantains if you are making more. You can add a paper towel over one layer of tostones to add the next batch so they all stay on one plate. Serve hot!

Tostones are great with

1) Ketchup or a Remoulade

2) Tuna (I know this sounds gross but it's really good)

3) Avocado slices or Guacamole

4) served alongside Rice, Salad and Steak or Sautéed Fish.

Buen Provecho!

To Make Tostones You'll Need

36 oz of vegetable or canola oil

a wide pot

a tostonera

2, 4 or 6 plantains

a pair of tongs

paper towels

plate

Steps

1) Heat up 36 oz of oil in a wide pot over medium heat

2) Cut plantain top and bottom at an angle, discard

3) Cut a slit in the peel lengthwise on both sides

4) Coax peel away from plantain with your thumb, discard

5) Cut each plantain into 6 even slices and at a diagonal

6) Test oil with one plantain, if it sizzles it's ready

7) Fry two plantains at a time or 12 slices at a time

8) Fry 2-3 minutes or until it starts to get golden

9) Smash in tostonera and scrape off. Return to pot

10) Repeat with all of the plantain chunks

11) Fry smashed plantains until crispy and golden brown

12) Place tostones on top of plate which has been covered with paper towel

13) Salt while hot

14) Serve while hot

Buddha's Hand

2012-12-15T16:09:00.000-05:00

I saw these Buddha's Hand fruit at Whole Foods today. I had never seen them before. I looked them up and they are an Asian type of lemon and they are also referred to as fingered citron. Buddha's Hand fruit is more edible than a traditional lemon and the pith isn't as sour. Apparently you can slice up the fingers and sautee them or use them in salad.

Have you ever cooked with a Buddha's Hand?

Lomo Saltado

2012-12-11T12:00:00.000-05:00

Lomo Saltado (Beef Loin Stir-fry) is a traditional Peruvian dish with an Asian twist. It consists of Beef Tenderloin stir-fried with vegetables and in a sauce made up of vinegar, soy sauce and beef broth. It's served on top of or alongside french fries or fried potato wedges and rice. Top it off with some cilantro for a delicious meal.

Lomo Saltado is one of my husband's favorite meals to eat. Every time we go to Machu Picchu, a Peruvian Restaurant in Union Square Somerville, MA, he always orders it and there are never any leftovers. It's a great dish that never disappoints.

Beef tenderloin can get a bit pricey. I try to buy the smallest package and sometimes I'll get the beef tenderloin in Kabob chunks as the packages tend to be $8 or $9 instead of $15. To stretch the dollar I added some sliced zucchini which is not traditional in Lomo Saltado but adds something extra to make up for the loss of meat. If you are not on a budget, just add more meat to the dish.

To save time I use frozen french fries instead of making them fresh. They'll bake in the oven while you are preparing the rest of the meal.

Ingredients:
2 cups of rice, rinsed

1/2 a bag of frozen french fries

1 package of Beef Tenderloin cut into long strips
1 small onion cut into strips
1/2 green pepper cut into strips
1 or 2 plum tomato cut into strips
1 small zucchini cut into thin strips
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
1 teaspoon of vinegar
2 tablespoons of beef broth

cilantro for garnish

Preheat your oven according to the directions for your frozen french fries.

Cook your rice Raquel style. Cook frozen french fries according to directions. If you have to take them out before your done, you can always pop them in for a couple minutes later to heat them up.

In a large skillet add some vegetable or light olive oil. Season your beef strips with salt and pepper. Once the oil starts to sizzle, add the beef strips and stir-fry until they are a little browned (no pink is showing). Add first the onions and green pepper strips as they take longer to cook. Once those start to soften then add the tomato and zucchini strips. Stir until cooked (once all the vegetables are starting to get soft).

Add the vinegar, soy sauce and beef broth to the mix. Stir and lower the heat. Let cook for a few minutes. If you are still waiting on the rice and/or fries, cover the large skillet with some foil so that all the sauce doesn't evaporate.

Serve some rice and fries on your plate. Top with the Lomo Saltado and sprinkle on some fresh cilantro.

Buen provecho!

Taste of Treme Book Review

2012-12-03T12:00:00.000-05:00

Taste of Treme
Creole, Cajun and Soul Food from New Orleans's Famous Neighborhood of Jazz
by Todd-Michael St. Pierre
November 2012
Hardcover ISBN 9781612430973
Ulysses Press

Take a culinary adventure in the comfort of your armchair to New Orleans, home to Creole, Cajun and good old Soul Food. Treme is a neighborhood or "ward" in New Orleans and Taste of Treme explores the cuisine of that particular region. For those of you who are fans of the HBO series Treme this book is a wonderful companion piece.

Taste of Treme seeks to inform and to tantalize its reader. It answers lots of questions.

For example: What is the difference between Creole and Cajun? Answer: Creole cuisine has Spanish and French influence whereas Cajun is French Canadian.

In this book you'll find lots of tasty New Orleans recipes along with articles about the people of the area, different locations of interest and the history of Treme all of which give the book and the recipes lots of great context. You'll learn a lot about the music of the area too! The author also provides proper pronunciation for key terms and informs us about the unique ingredients found in this particular cuisine. Each recipe is introduced with a few lines about its cultural or historical context or its origin story. These scattered sentences prove to be the most entertaining thing about the book, besides the mouth-watering pictures.

While not all of the recipes are accessible, a lot of them can be made at home. If you are on a diet, then this book may not be for you. Many dishes are fried or start with butter. If you have an adventurous palate or you enjoy the intricacies of Southern cuisines, Taste of Treme would make a great addition to your home cookbook library.

Some notable recipes in the book include:

Roux
Beignets
Holy Trinity
Cafe Au Lait
Gumbos
Dirty Rice
Shrimp and Okra Hushpuppies
Oyster Po' Boys (there is even a recipe on how to make the bread!)
Crawfish Pastalaya
Creole Pork Roast
Crawfish and Brussel Sprouts
Jambalaya
Mardi Gras King Cake
and more!

Image from Amazon.com

Tabby's Crawfish and Corn Beignets from pages 52-53

Some of the bigger recipes have smaller recipes preceding them so you get schooled in the proper way of making every element. Also, some of the more popular recipes are provided in their original form and variations are also given. This will make trying out the different foods a lot of fun for kitchen experimentation. This book proves to be a great resource for those of us who are determined to successfully make a proper Gumbo or Beignet or Roux.

A lot of the dishes are given fun names such as Your Gay Best Friend's Mardi Gras King Cake Cupcakes with Flamboyant Cinnamon-Mascarpone Frosting, SAINTsational Savory Crepes, and Rebirth Kickin' Chicken and Wicked-Ass Waffles which speak to the charm of the book and the region. All of the recipes seemed very intriguing and there were only a couple that turned me off (most notably Strawberry-Asparagus Salad).

The book comes in hardcover with glossy color pages. Only a handful of recipes have pictures which in my opinion is a flaw of the book. I prefer cookbooks in which each recipe has a dedicated picture. The recipes are organized by category and there is an appendix with an index and conversion chart.

If you love the food of New Orleans or you are curious about the cuisine, check out Taste of Treme!

Thank you to Ulysses Press for providing me with a copy of the book to review.

Holiday Gift Guide - Foodie Presents Under $100

2012-11-23T11:11:00.000-05:00

If you didn't take my money saving advice and you are dead set on getting Christmas presents for your beloved foodie, here are some great options for under $100!

OXO Mandoline Slicer - Good Grips - Chefs Catalog

$69.99

I still dream of having a Mandoline slicer one. To be honest, I was super bummed when no one picked this as a gift from my wedding registry. One day I will have a Mandoline slicer! One day! It's a very versatile tool and slices vegetables and fruits evenly.

Garlic Press-Slicer - Williams-Sonoma

$21.95

This is a Garlic Press that also slices! This one comes with a cleaning utensil that will get garlic out of all the little crevices making clean up really easy. The utensil even attaches to the inside of the press so you don't have to worry about losing it. I don't hand chop fresh garlic anymore. This garlic press/slicer does a better job than I would ever do!

Beacon Grille Gift Certificate

$25, $50, $75, $100 and up

A great option for a loved one or family member who lives in Eastern Massachusetts is a gift certificate to Beacon Grill in Woburn, MA. I have reviewed this place more than once. It's a wonderful fine dining experience with top-notch food, drinks and service. You can't go wrong with Beacon Grille.

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman

$35.00

Foodies love The Smitten Kitchen blog for it's fine photography and for Deb Perelman's commitment to good food made well. These are time tested recipes that have been fine tuned to perfection. Any foodie will love having this cookbook!

Julia Child: The French Chef DVD

$39.95

Julia Child was the quintessential chef. She is so entertaining to watch and you'll learn a few things too. Any foodie will revel in his or her nostalgia with this DVD of Julia Child's classic show.

Wusthof Classic Hollow-Ground Santoku Knife 7"

Sale Price at Williams-Sonoma is $69.95

I have had this knife for many years and it's so versatile. I can do almost all of my chopping with it. All you need is this knife, a good pairing knife and a good serrated knife and you are all set.

Wusthof Handheld Knife Sharpener - Williams-Sonoma

2-stage is $19.95

4-stage is $29.95

Pair the above with this sharpener for a complete gift!

Tips on Saving Money

2012-11-19T13:00:00.000-05:00

Cheap Lunch - Come up with an idea for a cheap lunch. Make sure the ingredients are always on hand. Rely on this cheap lunch for at least 2-3 days a week. Sometimes I get bored with leftovers or there are no leftovers. Instead of buying lunch out, I make a tomato toast sandwich. I always have 12 grain bread, plum tomatoes and light mayo on hand. I toast the bread, add mayo and slices of tomatoes and sprinkle salt and pepper on top. With some yogurt or fruit on the side, this is my go-to cheap lunch. This cheap lunch works for me, develop one that works for you.

Cook at home more/ Make eating out a Luxury - Eating out at restaurants used to be a luxury and now its a regular occurring event for your average American family. Make going out to eat a luxury. Instead of buying take-out several nights a week or going out 2-3 times a week, go to a nice good quality restaurant 1-2 a month. You'll enjoy the dining experience a lot more when it's a rare treat and you'll save a lot of money. Also, Carlos and I found that an average dinner out costs us $60 which is half of our weekly grocery bill. It's just not worth doing that on a regular basis.

Stop going out for Brunch - A variation on the above tip. Carlos and I used to go out to Brunch every Sunday he had free. Now we hardly go and I make brunch at home. You'll save lots of money making some pancakes or french toast with some scrambled eggs and sausage and hot tea or coffee than you would getting all those same things at a restaurant and using up gas as well as paying tips.

Shop at Market Basket or a good cheap local grocer - Give up Stop n Shop and Star Market. Even with their loyalty cards the cost of shopping there is astronomical in comparison to other grocers. Also, if you are selective about your produce as I am, make sure you buy only fresh produce at places like Whole Foods. Skip the prepared foods at all costs.

Reduce the number of sides and desserts at Thanksgiving - You don't really need that big of a spread. And you absolutely do NOT need appetizers at Thanksgiving. And why make more than one dessert if you have a small family gathering. Reduce, simplify!

Spend Less on Coffee and Tea - Skip Starbucks. If you have to get coffee out, go to McDonalds. Now I would never advocate eating at McDonalds but select McDonalds serve Organic Newman's Own Coffee and it's $1 for any size. Make your tea or coffee at home and put it in a to-go mug. Love Chai Lattes? Buy Oregon Chai and make your own latte at home with milk, soy milk or almond milk. A carton of Oregon Chai mix is about $4 at my local Whole Foods which is also the cost of a latte at my local cafe. The box of chai liquid makes numerous chai lattes!

Menu Plan for the Week - Plan out a week's worth of menus, build a grocery list of off that and buy only for that week. If you end up going out one day, then push one of your meals to the next day and next week only buy for 6 days instead of 7. Be diligent about doing this weekly. Make it part of your life and don't look at it as a chore.

Stretch Dinner Leftovers into Lunches - Plan your dinners so that each has enough portions to be dinner and lunch the next day. Pack up the leftovers before you have your dinner and you'll have lunch ready to go for the next day. This not only saves you time the next day for dinner it's a good way to stretch a dollar.

Buy only what you need & use coupons only if they make sense - If you bulk buy and have the storage space, by all means bulk buy at clubs like Costco and use coupons matched with sales. If you have a standing freezer, buy meat while only on sale and freeze, freeze, freeze. If you don't have the space, and we don't, we try to save money by only buying the groceries we need for that week. Also, buy only the sizes you need. My family is just Carlos and I so I buy small. I play a game with meats and look for the smallest portion and price. I only use coupons if they make sense. I mostly use them for household supplies and personal care items and try to bulk buy those if there is a sale and I have coupons.

Take Inventory and build a menu - Also, if our pantry is looking a little full, we take inventory of what we have and I try to make meal plans according to what we already have. If I don't think I'll use some of the extras I have, then I will donate. Why do I have extras? That's because sometimes I end up not making a meal because we went out or the food spoiled faster than I expected. I try to avoid this by freezing meats that are planned for the end of the week and thawing them the day before I am to cook them. Also, for the last day of the week I sometimes will include frozen vegetables instead of fresh. I have been working hard in order to reduce the amount of extras I have.

Never shop hungry - Whenever I grocery shop hungry, I find that a lot more extras make it into the cart than if I went after having eaten.

Other Tips on Saving Money

Put your newspaper on vacation - I have a pricey subscription to the Sunday New York Times. It's really a luxury for me and I look forward to it every Sunday. However, recently I got hit with a lot of medical bills. So what I did is I ask NYT to put my subscription on hold for several weeks so I could pay off the debt. It helped a lot! Also, I got to avoid all of the election coverage.

Keep your tires properly inflated - You'll improve your gas mileage by more than 3%. You can save gas too by grocery shopping once a week.

Skip Christmas Presents if you don't have kids - I know this is not very popular but if you don't have children, try to skip Christmas presents. Or put a little money aside for buying a toy and donating it to Toys for Tots. Carlos and I have never given each other Christmas presents. Instead, we focus on presents for our respective birthdays and doing a Christmas card exchange with friends and family.

Reduce your spending on Holiday decor - Really think about if you absolutely need that large inflatable pumpkin, all those ornaments on your Christmas tree and those frou-frou Easter baskets. And holiday lights! It boggles my mind how much people spend in electricity and wiring for all those lights. Take it from someone who grew up without holidays, it's not worth it. You don't need it to be happy. If you absolutely want to celebrate a holiday with decoration, cherry pick which items of decor are most important for you and stick with those. Less is more.

Buying Food Circa 1950

2012-11-18T08:00:00.000-05:00

While we don't consume as many canned goods as we did in the 1950s, a lot of the advice in this video is still applicable.

Smokey Bones Tyngsboro, MA

2012-10-18T12:00:00.000-04:00

Smokey Bones Bar & Fire Grill is a fun rib joint up in Tyngsboro, MA. I've been a few times here with my husband and his coworkers. On this visit about a month or so ago, we went with my father-in-law who currently has an obsession with ribs.

Smokey Bones ideal customer is a lustful heterosexual man with an eye for buxom ladies and a stomach growling for a big plate of meat.

That describes my husband to a T:

I love posting goofy pictures of Carlos! I hope he doesn't see this one.

Or this one. Here he is lusting after the model on the Smokey Bones menu.

I started off my dinner with a Blackberry Mojito. This was tasty but so weak. It barely had any alcohol in it. Next time I'll get the Sangria which is just potent enough, very delicious and it comes in it's own individual size pitcher!

The bar area and pretty much the whole restaurant is covered in flat screen TVs. Note that the screen on the right in the picture above is showing The Three Stooges. They have a loop of classic comedy shorts they show. I've also seen Charlie Chaplin screened too.

I got the Double-Trouble which comes with one half rack of Baby Back Ribs and one half rack of Smoked St. Louis Ribs. I got Memphis Dry Rub & Brown Sugar option. The meat was tender and delicious but the seasoning was way too sweet. I got a side of baked beans which just made the whole thing a sugar bomb. Good thing I had a glass of water (I had to repeat my request for a glass several times to the waiter) and some steamed broccoli to balance things out.

Carlos also got the Double-Trouble but he got the Original style and Memphis Dry Rub. His sides were fire-roasted corn and coleslaw.

If you are looking for a fun low-key rib joint, Smokey Bones is for you! It's a local chain so there are various locations. Just don't expect quick or stellar service or strong cocktails.

Beacon Grille Trip, 2 months later

2012-10-16T09:00:00.000-04:00

These pictures are from a trip to Beacon Grille in Woburn, MA we did in early August. Carlos treated me to dinner as a thank you for all the hard work I did with wedding planning. I forgot to blog about it! Oops I hope I remember what I ate.

I always have their Honey Tequila Smash. It's by far my favorite cocktail. I hope Beacon Grille keeps it on their menu forever!

Carlos had a beer.

Carlos ordered these Steamed Pork Dumplings with Chili Soy Sauce as a starter. They were very delicious and of course I had to help him out with one or two.

I ordered a half dozen fresh Wellsfleet Oysters. Our waiter was an oyster connoisseur and he helped me order the right oysters and talked to us about how to shuck them and even recommended a book on Oysters to us.

Even Carlos had one! And he doesn't eat seafood except for fried calamari, canned tuna and crabcakes.

It's all about the right combination of horseradish, cocktail sauce, red onion and lemon juice. Delicious!

Carlos got a Steak Au Poivre which came with thick slices of tomato, gorgonzola and seasoned fries.

I got the Garlic-Herb Panko-Crusted Flounder that came on a bed of greens and gnocchi in a puttanesca sauce and was topped with a small pile of micro greens. It's not my favorite dish of theirs but it was still tasty.

We ordered one of their House-made Bourbon Milks to share. It's a very tiny drink but wow is it potent! To make it they take bourbon, milk, lemon peel, vanilla and chocolate, strain it then serve it. It's a very delicious after-dinner cocktail. A perfect treat to go with dessert.

We weren't going to get dessert. Then we smelled this waft of chocolate from our neighboring table and looked over to see what they got. It was a Molten chocolate cake in a cup, topped with blackberries and mint. On the side was a scoop of ice cream with some cookie crumbles. It was hot, smooth and decadent. A nice way to round off a very extravagant dinner.

If you live in the Boston area and want to treat your loved one to a very elegant and decadent dinner, take them to Beacon Grille!

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

2012-10-14T10:45:00.000-04:00

These pancakes are a perfect recipe for a Sunday morning brunch. Serve them up with some sausage patties and hot coffee or tea and you'll have a great meal for a chilly Autumn morning.

Whole Wheat Cinnamon Apple Pancakes

Ingredients:

1-3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 tbsp of baking soda
2 tbsps of sugar
1 tsp of cinnamon (or more if you like)
1-1/2 tsps of vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups of buttermilk
1 honeycrisp apple peeled, cored and very thinly sliced

Butter for greasing the griddle

I use 1/4 cup less of flour than of buttermilk to make these pancakes super moist but still fluffy.

Heat up your griddle.

Mix dry in bowl. Then add wet ingredients (vanilla, eggs and buttermilk) and mix either by hand or with a hand mixer on low, until smooth.

Grease up the griddle with some butter. This batter makes six large pancakes so add a big scoop (about a cup) of batter to the griddle. Top with some thinly sliced honeycrisp apples. Once the batter bubbles and those bubbles start to pop, flip it over and cook it for another minute or so.

As I said, this makes 6 large pancakes which is more than enough for two people. Serve up with some scrambled eggs or sausage patties for a delicious breakfast.

La Casa De Pedro in Watertown, MA

2012-10-09T18:06:00.000-04:00

It was the day after my minor surgery and I knew I wouldn't be up for cooking. So Carlos took me to La Casa De Pedro in Watertown, MA near the Arsenal Mall. My experience with the recently closed Pedro's in Bedford, MA was mixed. But our lunch here at the Watertown location blew me away!

The restaurant is gorgeous. It has a large fake palm tree in the center decorated with lights. The walls are covered with framed Colombian art. There are fish tanks, potted plants, ceramics and lots of decorative pieces.

We started off our meal with a couple of iced teas. Very refreshing!

Check out that Palm Tree candle holder!

Add caption

Carlos had a Jalapeno Martini with salt rim. He said it was delicious. I was on medication so I couldn't have any.

My date is very handsome.

Our meal started a plate of Stephanie's Nachos. These multi-colored tortilla chips are topped with shredded chicken and pork, cheese, black beans, guacamole, pico de gallo and a chipotle sour cream sauce. Yowzah! This was so delicious. Most nacho appetizers are enormous but this was just enough to whet our appetite. The chicken was perfectly seasoned and cooked and the pork was amazing. It was divine!

They gave us a little pot of their special Jalapeno sauce. It as super spicy and really nice on the nachos. I asked for some extra sour cream on the side.

I convinced Carlos to get this as his entree. It's Carne a la Parilla and features shredded beef on top of rice, a side of black beans and sweet plantains. For $1.50 more, you can ask for two fried eggs on top. Needless to say, Carlos devoured that plate.

I got the Tilapa dish which was Tilapia topped with peppers and onions in an orange ginger sauce. It came with fried yuca topped with cilantro sauce, sweet plantains, and black beans and rice. Delicious! The sauce was so-so while everything else just blew me away. The fried yuca was hot and crispy and the sweet plantains were soft and buttery.

We weren't going to order dessert. The only have two options: flan and cold rice pudding (I'm not big on cold rice pudding). However, they treated us to one of their flans and it didn't disappoint. It was creamy and not too eggy and the perfect balance of smooth and sweet. I think the powdered sugar wasn't necessary. The caramel sauce makes the plate pretty enough.

I would definitely go back to La Casa de Pedro in Watertown!

Muchas gracias to Pedro for treating us to a magnificent lunch!

James Bond Breakfast

2012-10-07T16:44:00.001-04:00

Carlos and I were watching From Russia With Love (1963) to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the James Bond films (they started in 1962 with Dr. No). In the film, James Bond is staying in Istanbul, Turkey and he orders a breakfast of Green Figs with Yogurt and Black Coffee. I have never had Green Figs let alone with yogurt so I tried it this morning for brunch.

I quartered fresh green figs and put them on top of a bowl of Green Valley Organics Lactose Free Yogurt.

To give it an extra boost of flavor and decadence (I'm sure James Bond would approve), I drizzled some honey over the figs and added a dash of cinnamon. It was divine! I highly recommend it.