Chef of the Future

A new recipe that debuted in the Jordan household:

Decadently delicious pasta with brown butter, pine nuts and eggs. It's unbelievably delicious and super easy. But incredibly heavy. We decided it cannot be made more than once a month, if that. I actually stopped at Trader Joe's to get the pine nuts and pasta. And it was well worth it - without the pine nuts, it just would've been overly buttered pasta. Yum.

Mmmmm....Kobe beef

We finally checked out Burger 9 Point 5 last night. I love seeing independent restaurants doing well - when we got there it was fairly empty, but by the time we left, it was packed! The food was amazingly delicious, the service was incredibly attentive and it was just a cozy little place - I don't think you could fit more than 50 in there at once, if that. But we were just amazed at how good the food was. I splurged and had a Kobe beef burger (probably the closest I will ever get to Kobe beef), which was really tasty - I could tell there was a difference between your garden-variety burger and that one, but I don't know if I'd order it again (I'd probably opt to try a bison burger instead). And I had them cover it with caramelized onions that were so well cooked they just melted upon eating them. I didn't even get to make a dent in my fries - which were so yummy that I took them home.

First Non-Cello Sunday

It's about 5:00 p.m. est. I'm not finishing up a performance or en route home from a show. I feel naked in a way. But I had a glorious day. I was able to:

* Hang with Lukey-Luke all morning all relaxed-like.

* Try my Panamanian coffee in my one-cupper. (Which shocked the hell out of me as to how good it was - not bitter, not too strong and a nice aftertaste. Exactly what Fairway CoffeeMan described.)

* Have breakfast at Our Diner (the Infinity Diner in West Babylon, if you must know). I love that the proprietor knows us and whisks us to a booth immediately. And I love that no matter what I have, it's delicious. From corned beef hash (which I'm sure Kerry will have something to say about) to a veggie omlette to my usual vanilla egg cream, it's always tasty. Even when I take a chance on something I usually don't order like chocolate chip pancakes.

* Take an impromptu nap with a sweet smelling baby snuggled next to me.

* Finish Chuck Palahnuik's newest book "Snuff". He's such a sicko, but I'm addicted to his writing.

* Have a pot of homemade sauce simmer on the stove. It smells heavenly.

It's good to have some time to myself and a week off, but rumors are a-stirring that I'll be filling in for a few shows of "Grey Gardens" at Smithtown. Love that theatre.

Un-Fairway

Fairway is one of those places where I always think, "I should go there more often." And I schlep there (this time with Luke) and then discover why I don't. Because it's in an area where the people are notorious for being insufferably rude. And they were. They'd stop right in front of me, or push right in front of me. Or look at me like I was a huge inconvenience when I stopped to look at something. Seriously. Rude. AND....the prices were either wonderfully affordable, or insanely overpriced.

But I did have some nice moments in there that resulted in some luxury-type purchases. The coffee guy there was wonderful, pleasant and listened to what I liked and didn't like in coffee. He steered me to a coffee from Panama that I bought a half pound of to test out. He ground it for me and asked what kind of machine I had - I said, "One of those horrible drip machines." He laughed and said "I drink about 10 cups a day, you want to know what kind of coffee maker I use?" Thinking he's going to point the way to coffee nirvana, I nodded eagerly. He held this up:
I was stymied! I have one of them at home! I can't wait to try my new custom-picked coffee in the one-cupper with his no-fail formula (2 full tablespoons of coffee + 6 oz. filtered water = good coffee).

And the cheese counter. Oh man. I could have looked for days. AND they had samples! So I bought some delicious smoked mozzerella that we had on ham sandwiches today and I picked up some Dutch Parrano (which Fairway states is a hip cheese that is a cross between a Gouda and a Parmesan) that I plan to use to make myself a little cheese and cracker snack plate later.

I also bought some halvah which is such a yummy treat that I occasionally let myself be tempted by. My Egyptian brother-in-law says that in Egypt that treated it like peanut butter and slathered it on toast. How crazy delicious does that sound?

So, all in all......not so great. The insane crowds were not worth the little gems I discovered. If I find I can't live without coffee from Panama and cheese from Holland, I'll have to go off-hours.

Or just brace myself to be insufferably rude back.

Who Says You Can't Find Inexpensive Food in NYC?

Ann sent me this article about the latest thing in NYC - dessert trucks. I find it cool and exciting. I've been to the Dessert Truck - it was so delicious. I mean, where else are you going to get a dessert cooked by a Le Cirque pastry chef for $5???

S-U-C-K-E-R

I'm telling you - slap a "new" label on a product and I pony up like a gambler at OTB. Especially if it's remotely related to my beloved macaroni and cheese. I saw these in a commercial while on vacation in Chicago. I had to have them. Saw them this week at the supermarket and bought them - even though they weren't on sale. They're incredibly cheesy, are shaped like elbow pasta and make your fingers a delicious orange hue. Nummy num num.

While in Chicago, I happened upon Nilla Cakesters. Now the jury is very split about the Oreo Cakesters. I kind of like them, in as much as I love anything having to do with Oreos. And since I'm more of a chocolate girl I didn't expect to like the 'Nilla Cakersters. It was just that "new product syndrome" that drove me to buy them. But oh man. They were delicious. As the Oreo variety taste slightly manufactured (not a real homey devil's food flavor), the 'Nilla variety taste like someone just baked a yellow cake, cut out 2 circles and slathered some cream between them. Cake heaven.

Quick Fix Beef Burrito Skillet - Courtesy of Kraft

The good people at the Kraft kitchens came up with this recipe for those of us trying to juggle family, dinner, cleaning the house, doing shows and work. I figured what the heck, had the ingredients on hand and it was delicious. And I used ground turkey so it was a fairly healthy meal. It was the type of dish that leftovers tasted even better.

Chicago - Day 4

So home we had to go, but we had had a great time, got some major relaxing done and ate a lot of yummy food that can't be found in NY. When is NY going to get a Baker's Square?? I mean, nothing on the dessert menu but pies!!!

Coming home was an airport nightmare, but what can you expect from airlines that are all scrambling at this point? I remember when Southwest's stewardesses sang little songs and were uber-friendly. Now they're just average stewardess-friendly. And why can't I board before other people? I have to balance Luke on my hip and somehow make it all the way towards the back of the plane. I have a loooooong letter to send to the folks at Southwest.

But here's a 'family photo'. Sadly, I think it's one of the first we've ever taken.

Chicago - Day 3

We visited Tommy's mom and had a real "Chicago" lunch - hot dogs and Italian beef sandwiches at a little "hot dog stand". (Calling it a 'stand' makes no sense to me. It's inside a building with tables. Wouldn't a stand mean it's outside?) Luke loves loves loves trees and flowers. I think he's going to be a budding botanist. (hee hee) That night Merry came by and we watched "Xanadu" and ate pizza (I'm a thin crust girl - who knew?) and ice cream. (Dairy Queen! There are no Dairy Queens in the NY metro area.) It was good to have just a hang-out-girls'-night together.

Puuuure Eeeeeviiiiil

Fried oreos are the work of the devil. Plain and simple. They're too delicious not to plunk down $5 for 6 of them. And they're too wiley not to eat almost all of them at once. You'd think they'd be over-sweet or cloying, but the heat from the frying softens the cookie and the coating is just enough to make it almost cake-like. *sigh*

Look Out Martha

The other day, while Luke was napping in the a.m. I leafed through my latest issue of Bon Appetite. I love it. It's not as haughty as Gourmet, but has great recipes and articles. It's funny - I used to drool over "In Style" and "Lucky" but now I love reading food magazines.

But I digress.....I came across an article about homemade mayonnaise and how wonderful it is, etc. And I had taken out some chicken breasts, not knowing what I'd do with them. So I decided to try my hand at homemade mayonnaise and poaching chicken breasts (which I had also never done).

I've always kind of liked mayonnaise. I loved it on sandwiches as a kid and considered it a luxury as an adult trying to watch what I eat. When I was small, my dad would be making his lunch in the mornings before heading off to work and would make me a tiny mayonnaise sandwich on seedless rye bread that I would enjoy while tuned into a.m. cartoons. But as I aged and learned how mayonnaise wasn't the best thing for you, I turned to mustard to dress up my sandwiches.

So I wondered if homemade mayonnaise could re-ignite my mayo love. And I was challenged by it too - I mean, who makes homemade mayonnaise when you can just grab it out of the fridge? AND...I was inspired by the beginnings of the new season of "Top Chef". Love it. Love it. They make all sorts of nifty stuff off the tops of their heads - no recipes, no sous-chefs, no help.

It took me 2 tries to get it right (it's a little dance between whisking constantly and sloooowwwwllly adding oil) but it was this heavenly, whipped, rich concoction that distantly resembled the stuff in the jar with the blue lid.

That being done, I poached 2 chicken breasts (a new technique for me), chopped them roughly and added them to the mayonnaise. Then slathered that on some toasted rolls, added sliced avocado and voila! A delicious, warm chicken salad sandwich.

Oh mayo. You've been gone for too long.

An Apple A Day

I'm so not a fruit person. According to my mother, I used to love it. Would eat orange slices left and right, loved apples and grapes. Now, I'm just real picky about the fruit I eat. I'll eat the occasional grapes, I still love bananas, and maybe the odd apple here and there.

But lately I've been digging apples like crazy. Maybe it's something inside me trying to stave off scurvy or something, but they've been delicious.

I had part of an apple gallette from Boston Market. Now, I'm not one to like pie-type desserts. To me, dessert doesn't mean eating fruit. If I'm going to do dessert, I'm going to eat something decadent and chocolatey. Something that makes it worth it. But this apple dessert was amazing. A buttery crust, lots of streussel topping and the apples weren't tart at all. (I think that's why I'm wary of fruit - sometimes it's so hit or miss as to if it's going to be sweet or tart or unripe - I don't like playing Russian roulette with my food.) I've been dying to eat another one for days now.

More recently, Luke and I went food shopping and on a whim I bought Gala apples. I've been buying sliced apples from Trader Joe's and I think they're sliced Gala apples. So I grabbed one today when running out to my concert, which had a rehearsal before it, so I'd have something to eat in between. (Plus, I figured the apple would cancel out the liverwurst sandwich I brought as well) Why didn't anyone tell me Gala apples were so tasty? It was sweet without being cloyingly so and not too crunchy and not mealy. I'm now hooked on apples. Which I guess is better than being hooked on something like Cheetos or Big Macs.

Mmmm...Food

Now, the story in my family goes, that when I was little, about 2 or so, I'd get the shakes when I'd see Peppermint Patties - they were my favorite. So, when you've got a young'un and you're on your way home after sitting in weather-related traffic for 2 hours and are hungry, and you pass a Burger King, you figure, "I'll get a salad." Which wasn't bad. But then you see your favorite word: "NEW!" and get suckered in to purchasing a York Peppermint Pie. And I have to say, I forsee myself making a detour to the BK in between the sitter's house and my house just to get a few more slices of this stuff. It was incredibly tasty - for a fast food dessert that is. Hey, for .99, you can't go wrong.

And then when you're on your way to work and realize that you haven't eaten anything much in the last 12-14 hours, McDonald's looks good. And again, the siren song of "NEW!" calls you. And you order a McSkillet Burrito. I like breakfast burritos. I like that my egg, cheese and other variables are snug in a little pocket for me to consume. The combo of egg, sausage, cheese, potato, pepper and hot sauce is a definite waker-upper. Delish.

I Am So Easily Led

When it comes to food that is.

Fashion fads don't faze me - I didn't go running out to get a "Rachel" haircut, nor have I succumbed to the "skinny jean" trend or the Ugg boot phenomenon.

I don't go crazy for the newest technology. Which is surprising giving how much of a geek I am. (I'm a quick study though and can figure out a new phone or computer appendage without consulting instructions.)

When it comes to food however, I'm just a sheep easily led to believe what glossy magazine ads and snazzy television spots show me. Slap a new sticker on it and I've got all 3 varieties of it in my shopping cart. Tell me about something I've never tried and I'm in the car in search of it. (How I haven't sent Tommy on a wild goose-liver-pate chase during this pregnancy is beyond me.) I mean, easily a third (if not more) of my posts are about food or restaurants. As a foodmonger I subscribe to Saveuer (much more user-friendly than Gourmet), and visit chow.com religiously.

In reading "The Grinder" a nifty little catch-all blog at Chow, I came across a description of Scotch Eggs ("a Scotch egg is a hard-cooked egg wrapped in a sausage-meat mixture, breaded, and deep-fried"). Where are these? How do I find one? It seems like the most perfect breakfast treat out there for crying out loud. I can't possibly be expected to make them, so where can I find them???

Alright, fine. I'll go eat a bowl of Cheerios with some bananas instead.

Mmmm......Gooey Cheese

I'm loving grilled cheese lately. And I've perfected the process completely, resulting in perfectly toasty, gooey cheese goodness. The tricks are:
* Using both American AND Fontina cheese.
* Cooking the sandwich over low heat slowly.

Perfection can't be rushed.

Top Chef Challenge

I've been dying for chocolate and peanut butter lately. Not really in candy form, more so in like a cake or cookie type form. So last night I tried hitting the local 7-11, which is usually a vast resource of snacks that could satisfy any craving. Not so. Nothing other than candy with both chocolate and peanut butter. Not even any Funny Bones. Grrrrrrr. So I had to pull a Top Chef. I bought a brownie that looked fairly tasty, sliced it horizontally and slathered some Trader Joe's creamy peanut butter in there and nuked the whole thing in the microwave. Pretty creative, if I do say so myself, and it scratched the itch. For the time being.

How interesting would a pregnant lady craving challenge be on Top Chef?? More apt for their quick-fire challenge, you take a selection of pregnant women and the chefs have to appease their changing craving. Case in point, on my way to work I wanted eggs so I treated myself to a Panera souffle. By the time I got to work, souffle in hand, I wanted a corn muffin. *sigh*

Mmmmm......More Food

I decided I wanted to go food shopping last night after the show so I wouldn't have to muck up my day off today with a chore. Which is funny, because I LOVE food shopping. I love how organized everything is. I love that walking up and down the aisles just opens a million possibilities for things I can cook or bake or prepare. I love everything about supermarkerts. But I decided last night that it'd be the perfect night for a simple dinner. So I bought greens, tomatoes, fresh mozzarella. I bought that pepper that comes in its own little grinder (can we say sucker? I should have bought a real grinder and peppercorns, more economical and environmentally sound in the long run) in preparation for making a nice salad. Which was just perfect. And it went along with my all-time favorite Trader Joe's item. A pizza that's more like a tart with a thin crust, creme fraiche, grueyer cheese, carmelized onions and ham. I sigh inside just thinking about it. I could easily eat a whole one myself. But it was the perfect Sunday dinner.

And today, the 2 most highly anticipated items on my list to do are to make homemade macaroni and cheese with a new recipe that comes highly acclaimed on chow.com and a pumpkin pie to stink up the house with yummy baking smells. *sigh*

Too Funny

Coming home from IHOP (mmm...pumpkin pancakes) we saw an ambulance in front of the topless bar, or rather "gentleman's club" as they tote themselves as being. We tried thinking of the various scenarios that would warrant an ambulance at such an establishment:

An 80-year-old gentelman got too excited looking at boobies.
A bar fight.
An exotic dancer slipped in her stilettos off the stage.

It's horrible, but we just laughed the whole way home.

Mmmmm.......Bacon

This baby is all about loving bacon. Now don't get your panties in a bind, I'm not eating it every other day. Just in clumps of days. With a few days off in between. But I made this discovery. It's called a "Chicken Carbonara" sandwich at Quiznos. It's got white meat chicken, mozzarella cheese, mushrooms, bacon and BACON ALFREDO sauce on it. And they toast it on sesame seeded bread so it's all toasty and warm. It's the tastiest thing I've had in a long time. And helps me get through a 3 hour show. PLUS.....I discovered that Quiznos has the most deliciously soft chocolate chip cookies (that they'll warm for you if you so desire) which are essential in getting the blood sugar back up at intermission of said 3 hour show.

A French, Delicious, Donald Fagen Birthday

My birthday came early this year. Two days early in the interest of being able to celebrate on the weekend. I was lavished with gifts this afternoon: Donald Fagen's "Kamakiriad" and "The Nightfly" and Steely Dan's "Two Against Nature." I'm swooning. I love it. I love how Nightfly sounds so throwback-ish - he's channeling the soft jazzy loungish sounds he grew up with in his childhood. I love how Kamakarind is this little journey. And I love how Two Against is just Steely Dan. But the best part of my gift was the card from Tommy, it always is.

Then we got all gussied up and set off for Bistro St. Germain, a French restaurant I've wanted to try since passing it while running an errand before a dinner dance 2 years ago. We drive aaallllll the way there and *POOF* it's gone! Signs removed, dusty interior. I was aghast. I had gone to the OB's office a WEEK ago which is on the same block and viewed people enjoying lunch there! So we thought quickly, and made a hasty phone call to Gabrielle's in Rockville Centre and snagged 6:15 reservations. We were told we'd be seated at the bar. (Which made me a little apprehensive but worked out nicely.) We make it to RVC (which really, is just a cute town, so I was glad we were there) were able to park and find the restaurant. It's decorated beautifully and we have a lovely, very private booth in the bar area, which is dead since it's only 6:00. It was comfortable, and when I went to the ladies' room, I noticed it was much nicer than the tables in the dining section. So we scored. It's a restaurant with a prix-fixe menu; appetizer, entree and dessert for $25. A steal, if you ask me. They had specials for which you could tack on an extra $10, or $3 for a special dessert.

I started with a delicious crabcake. It wasn't a lump crab cake, but one where the crab and stuffing were completely blended so that the cake was this moist co-mingling that was pan-grilled, so it was ensconced in a slightly crisp outside. And the "tartar" sauce it came with was very herby - more like a dressing. I was in heaven. I actually exclaimed gleefully, "This looks like something they'd make on Top Chef!" Then, for my entree, I had hangar steak grilled which was served over creamed spinach and grilled gnocchi in a bourdelaise (?) sauce - a red wine sauce. Which was savory, but not heavy. I still tasted the garlic in the spinach. The steak was buttery, it almost melted in my mouth. And the gnocchi - it soaked up the wine sauce, but still kept it's potato-ey taste. And good creamed spinach is just a naughty pleasure. I had to have 2 pieces of my steak and some of my sides wrapped up to take home for fear that I wouldn't have room for dessert. I upgraded. (Hey, it's my birthday!) A small chocolate lava cake was presented to me. It was delicious. A crisp, but not hard outside hiding the treasure of gooey chocolate on the inside. Even Tommy, who's so not a chocolate guy took a taste and got wide-eyed. You know it's good when it's rich but not off-putting. It was a perfect meal. The service was great, the restaurant is beautiful and it's a great value if you want something a wee bit more special - exactly what a birthday dinner should be.