A Foodie Christmas

This Christmas couldn’t have made it any more apparent how incredibly obsessed both my boyfriend and I are with food. This is a fact that I am more than okay with. I actually think there are some realms that our obsession is lacking, and I plan to make up for that in the coming year.

At any rate, the abundance of food related gifts were abundant this Christmas. I purchased a first-timer beer making kit for my boyfriend, from Mr. Beer. I’ve been told it’s an average beer making kit, and some of the more seasoned beer makers laughed at my purchase. Not knowing much (read: anything) about brewing beer, I thought it would be a good starter kit. For under $100 my boyfriend is going to get to brew two batches of beer!

As for me, my boyfriend got me two cookbooks. I’ve been pining over both, and apparently made comments about them every time I saw one. The first is a cupcake cookbook, 500 Cupcakes by Fergal Connolly. It boasts to be “the only cupcake compendium you’ll ever need.” I can’t disagree with that statement; not only does it have 500 recipes, it has a plethora of variations for each as well. I also received Hungry Girl’s 200 Under 200 book. This book details 200 recipes each under 200 calories! And let me tell you, there are some seriously impressive recipes in there; cupcakes, pizza, chips and dips, breakfast, desserts, shakes and smoothies… the list just goes on. I’m really looking forward to making them, since I’ve found a few of their recipes on the website and have been more than pleased with their outcome.

For both my boyfriend and I, we received quite a few appliances. One would think we were on a wedding registry! Together, we’ve stockpiled a giant George Foreman grill, a waffle maker, a four slice toaster, and a nice toaster/convection oven. We have so many appliances on our counter that we’re running out of space. While trying to make breakfast yesterday and running the toaster and microwave at the same time, I managed to short the circuit… whoops.

Not directly related to food making or consumption, but I also received a beautiful cupcake necklace on Christmas. When I unwrapped it, I thought it was a cupcake shaped keepsake box. Being inquisitive I opened it, to find a beautiful gold and diamond cupcake on an extremely thin gold chain. Nothing says “I love food” more than wearing a piece of food around your neck. Or, of course, simply writing it across your forehead.

Needless to say I’m starting to see great things in terms of food for 2010. This year really allowed me to delve into my foodie passion, and I hope to explore it more in 2010. Maybe I can even get a group together for more consistent foodie excursions!

I’ll be making Guinness with Bailey’s icing cupcakes for the New Year’s Eve bash I’ll be attending tomorrow, so look for a post in the near future about how they turned out!

Sonic Drive-In

I can honestly say I’ve seen commercials for Sonic, “your ultimate drink stop” for a solid 5 years now. My sister and I would watch, practically salivating and complaining about how all we wanted was one of their slushes or delicious breakfast burritos. Living in Central New Jersey, we were never lucky enough to have one of our own… until now.

Recently, a Sonic Drive-In opened in North Brunswick, and another is being built in Greenbrook. There are already a few out there, one in north west Jersey, another in Waretown, and one in Forked River. For the most part the already opened locations were too far a drive to justify for a drive-in fast food joint. The newest member to the Sonic family, however, oozes convenience. So much so, that I’ve gone two days in a row.

The first time I went was in Pennsylvania with some friends. I was overwhelmed by the menu, and stuck to a cherry slush and chicken wrap with tots, of course. The next time I went, I tried the breakfast burrito, which was AWESOME. I then tried the bacon cheeseburger on Texas toast, which was amazing when I first ate it, but not so great a few hours later.

Yesterday, I tried the California burger and a blue coconut slush. These were both delicious though I could have gone for more Thousand Island dressing on my burger. Instead of the regular tots, my boyfriend and I split the chili cheese tots; best decision ever. Today, after watching the Travel Channel’s “Hot Dog Paradise” I went for the chili cheese dog with regular tots, and a cherry limeade with a shot of vanilla. SO GOOD!

The food really is so much better than your average fast food joint. Throw in ordering from your car and having them deliver it to you on roller skates, I can’t think of a better scenario. I can honestly say I don’t think there is a single thing on the menu I wouldn’t try. Just their drinks alone are mind blowing.

This is absolutely a place you need to find, and eat at. Most of them don’t have indoor seating (though I think a few do), and some have outdoor seating. They have quite a few drive-ins, and most also have a drive-thru. Even if you just hit it up for something more than your 7-11 Slurpee, (between 2 and 4 every single day is happy hour, with half priced drinks!) you’ll be glad you did. I can’t help but think of Napoleon Dynamite every time I order tots, but I’m more than okay with that.

So keep ’em coming Sonic, us New Jerseyans have seen your commercials for years, and we’re hungry for the deliciousness!

Steamed Hamburgers, inspired by Man vs. Food!

I’m sure it comes as no surprise that I’m completely obsessed with food on TV. I watch any and all types of recipe shows, as well as more interesting food show in regards to traveling and food cultures. I often find myself watching the Food Network while running on the treadmill at the gym. Some might say that’s the cruelest form of torture, but I just love food that much.
 
The Travel Channel has an awesome show (Wednesday nights at 10!); Man vs Food. Yes, it is exactly as it sounds. The host, Adam, travels across the country to take on a ridiculous food challenge, while also sampling some of the other local favorites. It makes my mouth water just thinking about it!
 
Recently, Adam took a trip to Connecticut, where there is a local burger joint that steams their hamburgers. Everyone was raving about how juicy and flavorful they were, and they really did look delicious. My boyfriend and I watched this episode together, and were immediately inspired. So, this past Sunday after a long day of snowboarding, we decided to give them a try ourselves.

I have to admit, we really just guessed and went into it blindly. Luckily, though, they turned out phenomenally! We got ourselves a large pasta pot, and filled it up with about a 1/2 cup of water. We luckily have a strainer that fits pretty nicely into the pasta pot, so we set that inside, but without touching the water line. From there, we brought the water to a light boil, placed the two patties onto the strainer, and covered the pot. We let it steam that way for about 15 minutes, then I placed a slice of cheese on each patty for a few seconds before turning off the burner. We then placed them on a bun with a side of fries, and we were in business.


 
They were seriously some of the juiciest burgers we’ve ever had. My boyfriend went so far as to say they may have been the best burger he’s ever had, and he’s a great proponent of grilling (as all men are)! Needless to say, we were really proud of ourselves. To note, we used patties that were 80/20, which I think was important. I don’t think it would have steamed as well and retained such juicy flavors if they were any less fatty. I will say, though, I refuse to go any lower than 80/20.
 
I would absolutely suggest trying out this method. Especially for wintertime, they’re a great way to still have burgers without standing outside and freezing while grilling. I understand some people are partial to grilling and won’t try things any other way. But give it a shot! You’ll have dinner ready in about 30 minutes, you won’t have to brave the cold, and I promise you’ll enjoy it!

Holiday Meals

In the spirit of the season, a group of friends organized a Holiday dinner this past Friday at a local martini bar that happens to have an extremely interesting, and delicious menu.

Located in New Brunswick, Clydz is a happy hour favorite, but also serves some very interesting food choices. For our meal, we were able to choose from four menu options, and it came with a salad and dessert. Our options were Oven roasted Giannone chicken with a grilled portabella mushroom, asparagus and red onion potato gratin, Venison flank steak with rattlesnake-rabbit sausage, garlic whipped potato and French beans, Charred Berkshire pork tenderloin with herb spaetzle, braised greens and whiskey-maple glaze, or Holland pepper stuffed with roasted wild mushrooms, organic tomatoes, basmati rice and Boston lettuce salad.

Originally, I was trying to decide between the Holland Pepper, or Oven roasted Giannone Chicken. However, after the firsts half of the table ordered, and I am pretty sure everyone got the Venison, I decided to be daring. Since my boyfriend and I enjoy pretty much all the same food and we’re not afraid to share, we decided to get the pork and venison to split.

All I can say about my meal: wow. I’ve never had venison, rattlesnake, or rabbit before, pretty much because I completely refused. The thought of it still bothers me a bit, but it was SO good! The venison was super thin, tender, and moist without being stringy or chewy (which I was afraid of). It was cooked medium, and was absolutely perfect. It tasted like a regular steak! The rattlesnake and rabbit sausage was definitely a new flavor. It had an interesting spice to it, but it was also awesome. As a true Irish girl would, I also devoured all of my garlic whipped potatoes, and green beans.

I’m not a big pork fan either, but my boyfriend’s pork was equally impressive. It was tender, and had just the right amount of seasoning to go along with it. The spaetzle, however, was sub-par. One of my friends likened it to charred cardboard. The braised greens were a little too charred for my liking as well. But the pork itself was absolutely delicious!

We washed down our meals with some Cabernet and Merlot, and then moved on to dessert. The dessert menu was just as impressive as the dinner course; three types of gelato or sorbet, bittersweet chocolate truffle cake, pumpkin cheesecake, and creme brulee just to name a few! I went with the bittersweet chocolate truffle cake, of course, and it was amazing. My boyfriend got vanilla gelato with espresso drizzled over the top; also really good – just like coffee ice cream!

Needless to say I was stuffed by the end of the night, and didn’t make it much longer when we moved on to a bar down the street. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to take any pictures of my food because the lighting was super dark in the restaurant. But, trust me when I say it was all phenomenal! There wasn’t an unsatisfied member of my party, and most of the actual dinner was in silence, because everyone was in awe of their food and enjoying every bite!

So, if you’re in the New Brunswick, NJ area, and are looking to try something different and have a few cocktails along the way, I definitely suggest checking out Clydz!

I’m definitely looking forward to the rest of my holiday eating! Now it’s off to make some cupcakes for tonight’s Festivus party 🙂

Holiday Cookie Exchange

Yesterday I went to my first ever cookie exchange party! I actually hadn’t heard of them until recently, but they’re a pretty neat idea. Almost like a Tupperware party, but with baked goods you get to take home, with recipes to try them yourself!

One of my good friends at work invited me to her sister’s cookie exchange, which immediately made me nervous; what type of cookie was I going to bring?! What if they didn’t turn out good? What if I picked something someone was allergic to or didn’t like? All that aside, I was looking online earlier in the week for some inspiration, and found one of Betty Crocker’s Holiday cookie recipes. This particular recipe was actually from a contest, so I figured they would be good.

The cookies were Choco-Hazelnut Latte Cookies. And let me tell you, you can taste the chocolate, the hazelnut and the latte without a doubt! Since I’m an absolute chocolate and coffee fanatic, I knew these would definitely be delicious. To top off the appeal, they used sugar cookie mix, which cut down about half of my prep time, making it much easier to make Sunday morning for the party later that afternoon.

After getting all of the ingredients, I set to work. I think the hardest part was mixing all of the ingredients together, and then getting them onto the pan without breaking. They were super soft and mushy, which for me is a favorite quality of cookies. After the mixing, I really just had to wait… and wait. It was worth it though! They are so rich and delicious, that I definitely think more than one or two would be way too much. But I recommend them to everyone! You can find the recipe below 🙂

As for everyone else’s treats, there were some really interesting and delicious cookies. There were lemon zest sugar cookies, lemon bars (made with tofu!), cream cheese cookies, Snickers cookies, peanut butter blossoms, Chinese chews, peanut butter chocolate balls, and more! The best part was that I got to bring a sampling of each home in cute little goodie bags. My boyfriend definitely liked that part!

Below you’ll find some pictures, as well as my recipe and some of my favorites from the event!

Choco-Hazelnut Latte Cookies (courtesy of Betty Crocker):

Ingredients:

1      pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® sugar cookie mix
1/3   cup unsweetened baking cocoa
3      tablespoons instant coffee granules or crystals
1/2   cup butter or margarine, softened
3      tablespoons hazelnut-flavored syrup for beverages (from 12.7-oz bottle)
1  egg
1 1/2   cups toasted hazelnuts, chopped*
1  cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
2/3   cup Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy chocolate frosting (from 1-lb container)
4 1/2  teaspoons hazelnut-flavored syrup for beverages (from 12.7-oz bottle)

Directions:
1.     Heat oven to 350°F. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix, cocoa and instant coffee. Add butter, 3 tablespoons syrup and the egg; stir until soft dough forms. Stir in 1 cup of the nuts and the chocolate chips.
2.     On ungreased cookie sheets, drop dough with rounded 1 1/2 tablespoon-size cookie scoop or by rounded tablespoonfuls 2 inches apart. Press each mound to flatten slightly.
3.     Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until set. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheets to cooling racks. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.
4.     In small bowl, stir frosting and 4 1/2 teaspoons syrup. Spread about 1 teaspoon frosting on each cookie. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup nuts.

*To toast hazelnuts, heat oven to 350°F. Spread nuts in ungreased shallow pan. Bake uncovered 6 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until light brown

The results:

My other two favorite super simple cookie recipes (though they were all good!) are below:

Chinese Chews:

Ingredients:
2 cups Butterscotch bits
1 cup chocolate bits
1 can Chinese noodles

Directions:
In double boiler, combine the butterscotch & chocolate bits till melted. Remove from heat & add Chinese noodles. Drop 1/2 teaspoon of mixture onto waxed paper, cool 2 hours.

Cream Cheese Cookies:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of butter
8 oz. package of cream cheese
1/4 tablespoon of vanilla extract
1 egg
1 package of cake mix (yellow)

Directions:
Cream together cream cheese and butter, followed by all other ingredients
Bake at 375 for 8-1 minutes

Happy Holiday baking everyone!

Holiday Spirits in Coffee Form!

Since we’re mid-way through December, I’m really starting to get into the Holiday spirit. That being said, I wanted to share my thoughts on the infamous Holiday Season coffee drinks currently being offered.

I know during the fall I had mentioned Starbuck’s Pumpkin Spice Latte as being the reason for my trips during that particular season. Similarly, their delicious winter-time offerings keep me coming back for more! I’ve only had a few so far; the Espresso Truffle, Gingerbread Latte, and a few sips of the Eggnog Latte. They have a new favorite this time around called the Caramel Brulee which sounds delicious!

I found the Gingerbread Latte to have just the right amount of spice so as it wasn’t too overpowering. The Eggnog, however, was not something I’d have again. Being this my second poor experience with an eggnog flavored coffee, I’m starting to think I don’t like eggnog. The Espresso Truffle is also really good. It has a nice hint of  rich chocolate to the bitter tasting espresso. It has a somewhat thick consistency, made out of the beans in the best coffee grinders, which makes it much more of a slow drink.

To be fair, Starbucks also has some type of mocha peppermint latte. Unfortunately, I refuse to drink it. I absolutely hate the taste of chocolate and peppermint together. I know that sounds completely ridiculous to a lot of people, but I just can’t do it. So that unfortunately is something I’ll never give my opinion on.

I haven’t really seen too many other places offering winter season drinks. I decided to check on Dunkin’ Donuts website since I haven’t been there in about two weeks (total blasphemy, but I’m trying to save as much money as I can for Christmas gifts!). They have a new peppermint mocha latte and donut, but as I previously mentioned, that will not be getting my attention.

So, as we really start to get deep into the winter and Holiday season, I’m going to be on the prowl for more Holiday drinks. The gingerbread latte I had last week really sparked my interest. Come on snow, I’m ready for you!!

Review: The Cereal Bowl

Needing to eat something other than turkey, a few friends and I
decided to check out a new breakfast place, The Cereal Bowl, in New
Brunswick, right near Rutgers University. One of our friends organized
the trip, since she was going to cover it for The Asbury Park Press.

Upon entering, we were welcomed by two cereal experts behind the
counter clad in pajamas. The decor resembled that of a cereal box, and they had impressive sideways TVs displaying their menus. The menu screens changed every so often, which was a bit annoying when trying to decide what to order. While we were all weighing our options, the friendly cereal master gave us some tips on our different choices, and also let us know that the bowls are all recycled material and made from sugar cane; cool!

We each decided to get something different; I went with the “Ruby Nuts About You,” while others opted for the “Sweetest Thing,” “Haul ‘N Oats,” “Strawberry Cheesecake Oatmeal,” and a create your own. They have variations of hot and cold cereal, as well as “Oaties” which seem to be similar to smoothies with oats, and also parfaits with yogurt and cereal.

After having devoured a lot of food the day before, (it was Thanksgiving), I went with one of the healthier choices on the menu. The “Ruby Nuts About You” included Honey Nut Cheerios, Grape Nuts, chopped pecans, sliced almonds, and cinnamon. You have the option for either whole, 2% or skim milk you get to add yourself, and since I was brought up on skim, that’s my go-to. It definitely tasted like it was only 300 calories, which I was more than okay with considering the day before.

I washed down my bowl of cereal with a “semi-serious coffee” called S’mores Mocha. It was definitely good, and I would have it again, but it wasn’t anything to write home about. It tasted much more like a rich hot chocolate than a coffee. Towards the end, I noticed some mushy pieces, which must have been graham crackers. A neat idea, however finding unidentifiable mush at the bottom of your coffee isn’t always a sweet surprise. My boyfriend got the Eggnog Latte, which I’d have to say was sub-par. I haven’t really had enough eggnog in my life to have an educated opinion on it, but I really didn’t like it; it tasted a bit soapy. My boyfriend said it was okay, not great.

Everyone else seemed pretty pleased with their choices. There were only a few downsides; the “Sweetest Thing” was missing the Fruity Pebbles, but we noted there were so many other things in the bowl (Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, sprinkles and vanilla wafers) that it was barely noticeable. Also, the “Strawberry Cheesecake Oatmeal” was super sugary. I mean, it had cheesecake filling, brown sugar, graham bites and strawberries mixed in with oatmeal. I think my friend reached her sugar quota for the day within the first meal!

After perusing the menu for quite some time during and after my trip, I’ve decided I would in fact like to go back. This time, however, I plan to be a little less health conscious and go with the “Give Me S’more.” This bad boy is packed with Cocoa Puffs, Golden Grahams, marshmallows, chocolate chips, and graham bites. Yum!

They also had some pretty neat gifts; sweatpants that say “Milky” down the side, fair trade coffee, marshmallow puffs, and cereal boxes that you can fill yourself and create your own cereal!

I did have one question though I thought of after leaving; I didn’t see any soy milk or lactose-type milk. I wonder if they have any? What about our Vegan or lactose intolerant friends? I hope they have it at least available, if not out at all times!

So, all in all I’d say check out The Cereal Bowl. Take it from a girl who thinks breakfast is so-so (blasphemy, I know!) and give it a shot. Don’t expect too much though, and I think you’ll be impressed. It’s very similar to a Cold Stone, just for breakfast. However, they keep great hours (about 9a-10p most week days, and 12a on Fridays and Saturdays) so it really can be an anytime meal or snack!

Rating: B

"The Sweetest Thing"
"Ruby Nuts About You"

Thanksgiving Round up!

I’m not really sure what we were thinking, but my boyfriend and I
decided we would host Thanksgiving this year. Being it our first
official holiday together, we figured in order to avoid the hassle of
figuring out who is going where, we would make everyone come to us.

Now, in August this seemed like a great idea. As it got closer though,
we realized we might have been in a little over our heads. But we also
knew it was time to suck it up and deal.

We started the prep last Saturday, by picking up our 18 pound turkey,
along with the ingredients for stuffing, gravy, and green bean
casserole. Since the turkey was frozen, we let it defrost until
Wednesday.

On Wednesday, I was able to gut and properly clean the turkey, while
fondly naming him Chaaahlie. I also made the stuffing, which was just
some chopped onion and celery mixed with Pepperidge Farm’s season
cubed bread and mild sausage. After that was done, it was time to
relax for the next day.

We woke up early on Thanksgiving to pop Chaahlie in the oven; that bad
boy took six hours!! We had both our families over, so they each
brought sides; mashed potatoes, turnips, cranberry sauce, breaded
artichokes, corn, rolls, and I made the green bean casserole. We
started with some shrimp cocktail, bruschetta and salad. From there we
loaded our plates and chowed down! Everything was absolutely
delicious! I stuffed my one plate, while my miraculously thin
boyfriend had three plates!

After we put ourselves in a food coma and watched some football we
moved on to dessert; pumpkin bread, coconut custard pie, apple pie,
and pumpkin pie.

I can’t get over how seamless the entire day was. I truly couldn’t
have asked for a better Thanksgiving! I’m proud of us both, and glad
we didn’t wind up backing out. This is a yearly tradition I could get
behind!

Now to lace up my sneakers and get running. All this food isn’t going
to work itself off!

Who Doesn’t Like a Product Review?

A few weeks ago while reading Serious Eats, I came across a review of
a pumpkin soup mix from Maggie and Mary. The review was positive, and since I respect Serious Eats’ opinions and was also on a pumpkin kick, I ordered it.

While on the site I stumbled upon some other interesting mixes, and
also picked up a pomegranate smoothie mix.

To be fair, I haven’t had the pumpkin soup yet. I did finally have the
smoothie last night, though. I really only have one thing to say about
it; meh. It wasn’t great, but it wasn’t awful either. I don’t think
it’s something I would go out of my way to have again.

I think part of my problem was that it called for milk. Being that it
was super fruity, the milk gave it a weird after taste. The powder was
also a little too processed tasting for me, but I don’t think I
expected anything different on that front.

They did offer an alternate recipe to include soda (I would probably
go with something similar to Sprite) and also the option to add rum or
another spirit. I definitely think it would be a great mixed drink,
but it’s just mediocre as a smoothie.

I would be willing to try some of their other mixes; they have different soup, beverage, cheese ball (yum!), and dip offerings as well.

Perhaps I’ll serve the pumpkin soup on Thanksgiving. Which reminds me, I’ll have quite an elaborate entry post-Thanksgiving, as we bravely decided to host this year (what were we thinking?!)

Until next time, happy nomz!