Even though the main goal of my blog is to share my own personal cooking and baking experiences, I thought sharing my own dining experiences would be fun as well, because, let's face it, I love eating.
Recently, my husband surprised me and took me to a new restaurant for Sweetest Day a couple of weeks ago. We went to this great little place called Angelina's, which specializes in authentic Italian food. The owner, who is from Italy naturally, started the restaurant because she was appalled at what Americans thought Italian food was. The restaurant itself probably only has about 10 seats in the main dining room with a banquet area upstairs, but it is filled with Italian charm and has a cozy atmosphere. The waitress we had was amazing and helped explain the menu to us, since it's not organized the same way American menus are with categories such as appetizers, sandwiches, dinners, desserts, etc. There is a section titled "Course 1" and another titled "Course 2." She informed us that if we wanted the full authentic Italian experience, we should eat that way too. All the dishes in Course 1 are pasta dishes and are meant to be split and shared as a sort of "appetizer." Course 2 dishes are all meat based, which you can either choose to split or each person can order their own, depending on how hungry they are. My husband and I decided to take her advice and eat the authentic way.
We started with the traditional carbonara made with eggs, cream, and wonderfully salty pieces of pancetta, which were a nice contrast to the peppery cream sauce. I was surprised at how light the dish was compared to the American version, which tends to be a lot heavier and saucier. The pasta was perfectly cooked al dente and the pancetta was some of the best I've had.
For our second course we chose a salmon dish, which the waitress also recommended to us, which was sauteed in a lemon/citrus based sauce. It had a little bit of red pepper in it, which gave the fish a nice kick of flavor. The second course was also served with a Mediterranean salad, which had homemade mozzarella balls which literally melted in your mouth (Yum!).
Overall, I was really impressed with the small restaurant that I usually would have missed if I was just walking past. I would highly recommend it if you are in the area and looking to try something a little different! Check out the link to see the menu!
http://www.angelinarestaurant.com/
Friday, October 30, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Cinnabon Cookies Make Everything Better
I love fall. As long and it's not too cold out. And all the bugs are gone. But overall, I love fall. I especially love it because it's a great excuse to make all the apple, pumpkin, pie, and cobbler recipes I have been stashing up on since spring and summer. I usually try to make something new each year, just for variety, and this year I found a recipe via Pillsbury for a Cookie Apple Cobbler. Now, something strange about me is the fact that I do not like warm fruit, or pie for that matter. I like pumpkin pie and any type of cream or french silk pie, but you will normally never find me eating a fruit pit. Unless of course, it is accompanied by a huge scoop of vanilla frozen yogurt (my guilt-free substitution for ice cream). So when I stumbled about this recipe that incorporated cookies, I thought it sounded perfect for me. A good serving of fruit, warm gooey cookies on top, and I had just bought a quart of frozen yogurt. I was ready to go.
I like using Gala apples in my baking recipes because they aren't too tart that you couldn't eat them by themselves, so if I have left overs, I can still consume them. My favorite apples are Honey Crisp, but with the price, those are reserved solely for my consumption alone. So I peeled and sliced my 6 cups of apples, with my husband's assistance to help speed things along, mixed in the brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Instead of the allspice, I just added some additional cinnamon since I did not have allspice on hand and do not overly enjoy the taste of it.
Now for my favorite part, the cookie dough. Instead of using the basic sugar cookie dough that the recipe called for, I had recently purchased the Limited Edition Cinnabon flavor of ready-to-bake dough and broke that apart to put on top of the apples. Cinnamon in the cobbler, cinnamon in the cookies. Didn't really think there would be a flavor issue with that.
Now I had noticed before that the recipe only made 6 servings, which I thought surprising since it called for 6 cups of apples. They also wanted me to squeeze all those apples and the entire thing of cookie dough into a 9-inch pie plate. And once I saw the calorie content per serving, I knew some changes were in order. I love baking, but I try to keep an eye on the nutritional value, especially when it is this high. So, instead of using a 9-inch pie plate, I used a big 13x9 inch pan. Not only did this spread out the apples and dough more, but it at least doubled the amount of servings. Also surprising, it baked about the same amount of time. I had it in the oven for about 36 minutes until the cookies were golden brown and I took them out.
The warm apples and Cinnabon cookies with some cold vanilla frozen yogurt, YUM! It tasted wonderful! I would recommend this recipe this fall because it's simple, not overly putzy, and delicious. You can try it with my modifications if you prefer, or I'm sure it would taste wonderful using the original recipe. See below for the link if you want to give it a try! Let me know how your Cobbler turns out!
http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=26736
I like using Gala apples in my baking recipes because they aren't too tart that you couldn't eat them by themselves, so if I have left overs, I can still consume them. My favorite apples are Honey Crisp, but with the price, those are reserved solely for my consumption alone. So I peeled and sliced my 6 cups of apples, with my husband's assistance to help speed things along, mixed in the brown sugar, flour, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Instead of the allspice, I just added some additional cinnamon since I did not have allspice on hand and do not overly enjoy the taste of it.
Now for my favorite part, the cookie dough. Instead of using the basic sugar cookie dough that the recipe called for, I had recently purchased the Limited Edition Cinnabon flavor of ready-to-bake dough and broke that apart to put on top of the apples. Cinnamon in the cobbler, cinnamon in the cookies. Didn't really think there would be a flavor issue with that.
Now I had noticed before that the recipe only made 6 servings, which I thought surprising since it called for 6 cups of apples. They also wanted me to squeeze all those apples and the entire thing of cookie dough into a 9-inch pie plate. And once I saw the calorie content per serving, I knew some changes were in order. I love baking, but I try to keep an eye on the nutritional value, especially when it is this high. So, instead of using a 9-inch pie plate, I used a big 13x9 inch pan. Not only did this spread out the apples and dough more, but it at least doubled the amount of servings. Also surprising, it baked about the same amount of time. I had it in the oven for about 36 minutes until the cookies were golden brown and I took them out.
The warm apples and Cinnabon cookies with some cold vanilla frozen yogurt, YUM! It tasted wonderful! I would recommend this recipe this fall because it's simple, not overly putzy, and delicious. You can try it with my modifications if you prefer, or I'm sure it would taste wonderful using the original recipe. See below for the link if you want to give it a try! Let me know how your Cobbler turns out!
http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=26736
Thursday, September 24, 2009
What's Fizzing?
More so than cooking, my real passion lies in baking. It's probably linked to my overall obsession with dessert, but nonetheless, given the choice, I would prefer to bake. Having said that, I have had my share of baking triumphs and disasters, but one of my most recent predicatments took me by surprise!
One of my favorite breakfast things to make is coffee cake. It's cake for breakfast, how can you not love it?! And one of my favorite recipes is a Blueberry Buckle one that has been in my family as long as I can remember. My mom used to make it for me when I came home from college and the smell of it coming out of the oven was too good to resist. Honestly, if you make this recipe, there is no way you're going to be able to wait to later to have a piece! Fresh out of the oven, hot, warm, and melt-in-your-mouth is the only way to go!
Anyway, the last time I made this recipe, I made it in the late summer when the blueberries were still in season but it was still incredibly warm and humid. The recipe goes together easily and has to bake in the oven for 35 minutes and of course, once I took it out, I immediately had a piece (burnt my mouth in process, but it was worth it). Now the recipe never says that it needs to be refrigerated and it really doesn't. I never had refrigerated it in the past, so why would I now? Unfortunately, I failed to add into account the extremely humid temperatures occurring at the moment. So I went along with my original plan, let the Blueberry Buckle cool completely, covered it, and left it on the counter.
Now, pop quiz, what happens when you have fresh berries, air tight containers, and extremely humid temperatures? That's right, instant fermentation. The next time I took the lid off to have some I heard this weird fizzing sound and could not figure out where it was coming from. That's when I noticed that it was the coffee cake that was fizzing. It still looked like Blueberry Buckle, but WHOA, it did NOT smell like it anymore! That alcohol, bitter smell filled the kitchen and sad to say, I had to dump the whole thing. Sad.
My word of advice, if you make anything with fresh berries and you're in a humid location, just be safe and refrigerate it. Unless you like that fermentation taste and alcohol smell, then my dish turned out perfect!
If you want the recipe, let me know and I'll post it. Because it really is irresistible!
One of my favorite breakfast things to make is coffee cake. It's cake for breakfast, how can you not love it?! And one of my favorite recipes is a Blueberry Buckle one that has been in my family as long as I can remember. My mom used to make it for me when I came home from college and the smell of it coming out of the oven was too good to resist. Honestly, if you make this recipe, there is no way you're going to be able to wait to later to have a piece! Fresh out of the oven, hot, warm, and melt-in-your-mouth is the only way to go!
Anyway, the last time I made this recipe, I made it in the late summer when the blueberries were still in season but it was still incredibly warm and humid. The recipe goes together easily and has to bake in the oven for 35 minutes and of course, once I took it out, I immediately had a piece (burnt my mouth in process, but it was worth it). Now the recipe never says that it needs to be refrigerated and it really doesn't. I never had refrigerated it in the past, so why would I now? Unfortunately, I failed to add into account the extremely humid temperatures occurring at the moment. So I went along with my original plan, let the Blueberry Buckle cool completely, covered it, and left it on the counter.
Now, pop quiz, what happens when you have fresh berries, air tight containers, and extremely humid temperatures? That's right, instant fermentation. The next time I took the lid off to have some I heard this weird fizzing sound and could not figure out where it was coming from. That's when I noticed that it was the coffee cake that was fizzing. It still looked like Blueberry Buckle, but WHOA, it did NOT smell like it anymore! That alcohol, bitter smell filled the kitchen and sad to say, I had to dump the whole thing. Sad.
My word of advice, if you make anything with fresh berries and you're in a humid location, just be safe and refrigerate it. Unless you like that fermentation taste and alcohol smell, then my dish turned out perfect!
If you want the recipe, let me know and I'll post it. Because it really is irresistible!
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Cheeseburger + Taco = Yum!
My latest cooking attempt was making Cheeseburger Tacos, found at pillsbury.com (I posted the link to the recipe below too, if you want to check it out). I initially chose this recipe since it was easy and quick, and let's face it, I'm just too tired after working all day to put a whole lot of effort into dinner (even though I love cooking). My thought process also proceeded along the lines of: Cheeseburger = good, Tacos = good, Cheeseburger Tacos = very good!
First of all, the meal goes amazingly fast if you cook the ground beef ahead of time (I always use the leanest ground sirloin I can get too). In addition to the meat, the recipe mostly consists of cheese and salsa sauce (I used medium to get an extra kick), taco shells, cheese slices (2% American Kraft is my choice), and any extra toppings your heart desires. For my toppings, I added additional salsa to my taco. But you could choose to add lettuce, tomato, onions, etc, however, my husband is anti-vegetable so we tend to leave them out in some recipes per his request.
Overall, the tacos end up being a shell of cheesy goodness. Cheese in the sauce, cheese in the taco shell, what more could you ask for. And further more, how could that taste bad?! I was incredibly happy with the simple and delicious recipe that I'm sure I will be making it again in the future.
This recipe is definitely a keeper.
http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=18699
First of all, the meal goes amazingly fast if you cook the ground beef ahead of time (I always use the leanest ground sirloin I can get too). In addition to the meat, the recipe mostly consists of cheese and salsa sauce (I used medium to get an extra kick), taco shells, cheese slices (2% American Kraft is my choice), and any extra toppings your heart desires. For my toppings, I added additional salsa to my taco. But you could choose to add lettuce, tomato, onions, etc, however, my husband is anti-vegetable so we tend to leave them out in some recipes per his request.
Overall, the tacos end up being a shell of cheesy goodness. Cheese in the sauce, cheese in the taco shell, what more could you ask for. And further more, how could that taste bad?! I was incredibly happy with the simple and delicious recipe that I'm sure I will be making it again in the future.
This recipe is definitely a keeper.
http://www.pillsbury.com/Recipes/ShowRecipe.aspx?rid=18699
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
French Toast Tartar
French toast. One of my all-time favorite breakfast foods. Delicious with just about anything (strawberries, whipped cream, maple syrup, strawberry jam, butter), but overall, pretty easy to make. Unfortunately yesterday was not my day.
I had been planning to make my delicious french toast recipe (passed down from my mom) on Labor Day for days! I had been craving it, drooling over it, and probably dreaming about it in my sleep...So when I woke up on Monday I got right into the kitchen and started cooking. Mixed up my batter, heated my griddle, and got my spatula (pink of course). Now, you think the batter would be the part where I screwed up, but nope. I dipped my bread wrong (if that even seems possible). Having mixed my batter in a batter bowl, I had to push the bread all the way into the batter to soak both sides (rather than just flipping it in the mixture). This made my toast extremely soggy. You also might think I might have noticed there was a problem before I threw it on the griddle, but you would be wrong again. I placed my toast on the griddle, let it cook, flipped it, and removed it once it was perfectly golden brown on both sides. My husband and I sit down to eat and dive into our first bites. Finding out all too soon that the centers of my toast are eggy, soggy, and not at all cooked.
The toast may have been salvageable, but I was not sure what would have been the next step. Do I put it back on the griddle? Bake it in the oven? Just pop it in the microwave? I was lost, frustrated, and hungry. I was unable to trouble-shoot my french toast fiasco.
If you plan to make french toast in the near future, I would recommend not soaking your bread as heavily as I did, or, just simply check that first piece of toast to make sure it is indeed...done.
F.Y.I My favorite way to eat french toast is with strawberry jam, made with the freezer jam recipe on the Sure-Jell box. It is amazing and I could eat that stuff by the jar-full! Highly recommend trying it yourself if you like jam!
I had been planning to make my delicious french toast recipe (passed down from my mom) on Labor Day for days! I had been craving it, drooling over it, and probably dreaming about it in my sleep...So when I woke up on Monday I got right into the kitchen and started cooking. Mixed up my batter, heated my griddle, and got my spatula (pink of course). Now, you think the batter would be the part where I screwed up, but nope. I dipped my bread wrong (if that even seems possible). Having mixed my batter in a batter bowl, I had to push the bread all the way into the batter to soak both sides (rather than just flipping it in the mixture). This made my toast extremely soggy. You also might think I might have noticed there was a problem before I threw it on the griddle, but you would be wrong again. I placed my toast on the griddle, let it cook, flipped it, and removed it once it was perfectly golden brown on both sides. My husband and I sit down to eat and dive into our first bites. Finding out all too soon that the centers of my toast are eggy, soggy, and not at all cooked.
The toast may have been salvageable, but I was not sure what would have been the next step. Do I put it back on the griddle? Bake it in the oven? Just pop it in the microwave? I was lost, frustrated, and hungry. I was unable to trouble-shoot my french toast fiasco.
If you plan to make french toast in the near future, I would recommend not soaking your bread as heavily as I did, or, just simply check that first piece of toast to make sure it is indeed...done.
F.Y.I My favorite way to eat french toast is with strawberry jam, made with the freezer jam recipe on the Sure-Jell box. It is amazing and I could eat that stuff by the jar-full! Highly recommend trying it yourself if you like jam!
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