Crab Tomato Soup

Where to get it? Hale and Hearty (yes, I know it's a chain - but it's my #1 in Times Square in terms of a good lunch spot)

What it's called? Crab Tomato Soup

What's in it? This soup deliciously pairs sweet crab and sun ripened tomatoes in a light tomato broth infused with herbs.

What's the nutrition info? Only 100 calories for a cup and only 2 grams of fat, 0 grams trans fat! 8 grams of protein.

Now, go get some! You won't be sorry!

Banana Bread Pudding with Pineapple Rum Glaze

I had some old bread and some really ripe bananas in the apt so I googled a bunch of recipes and combined them to create my own Banana Bread Pudding with Pineapple Rum Glaze. :) Enjoy!

Ingredients for bread pudding:

1 small loaf wheat bread (cubed) 2 tbsp melted butter 2 tblsp Vanilla Extract 3 ripe Bananas, mashed 4 cups Milk 2 Eggs 1/2 cup white Sugar 1/2 cup brown sugar 1 tsp Cinnamon Splash of rum Ingredients for Pineapple Rum glaze: 4 tbsp melted butter, cooled 2 c powdered sugar 1 c pureed pineapple 2 tsp rum How to make banana bread pudding: Cut the loaf in small cubes. Put the cubed loaf in a bowl. Now pour the milk on it and keep it aside Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease 9 x 13 inch baking dish. In a separate bowl mix the eggs, sugar and vanilla essence. Pour this mixture onto the bread mixture and then spread the mashed bananas Add rum, cinnamon Pour this mixture on the baking dish. Bake in the oven for 1 hour and then let it cool. Mix all the glaze ingredients together on low heat for 7 minutes. Pour glaze on top of cooled bread pudding and enjoy!

Alias

Brunch time! This time we were at Alias in the LES. White sangria!

Eggs Benedict with goetta and homemade biscuits with a side salad.

Cheese grits with collard greens and a homemade wheat biscuit.

BBQ Ribs...falling off the bone!

Baby, I'm hungry - baby you hungry...

Falling off the bone!!!
Curtis's ribs were spicy and hot - I asked him what he put in the sauce and at first he said it was a secret. The ingredients I am aware of are: sriracha, chipotle, ketchup, mustard, brown sugar, chili powder, garlic powder, paprika, honey, Henderson's relish, salt and pepper.

PS - this video is amazing:

Braised Red Cabbage with Bacon

I got this recipe off Chow.com when I was trying to find a way to use red cabbage in an interesting new way. Plus, Curtis loves bacon so I knew it would be a big hit!

For a vegetarian option, omit the bacon and substitute low-sodium vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 medium head red cabbage (I used half a large one)
  
• 6 thick slices bacon, cut into lardons (about 1/4-by-1/4-by-3/4-inch pieces)
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Slice cabbage in half lengthwise. Use a sharp knife to cut a V-shaped notch around the white core and discard it. Slice both pieces in half again so you have 4 quarters, then thinly slice each piece crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick strips. Set aside.
2. Place bacon in a large Dutch oven or other large pot with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until it is browned and most of the fat has cooked off.
3. Add onion and stir to coat in bacon fat. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until onion softens and edges begin to brown, about 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add cabbage, stir to coat it in bacon fat and cook until cabbage begins to wilt, about 4 minutes. Stir in brown sugar.
5. Deglaze the pan by adding cider vinegar and scraping the pan with a spatula to incorporate the browned bits into the sauce. Add chicken broth and season with a few pinches of salt and more freshly ground pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cover the pan tightly. Simmer cabbage, stirring occasionally, until it is soft and soupy and bacon is tender, about 45 minutes. If cabbage begins to look dry, add more chicken broth or water.

You can serve a side of boiled potatoes to this dish and have a nice hearty dinner!

Beverage pairing:

A light- to medium-bodied red wine with sweet red fruits

Brunch at Back Forty

We went to Back Forty for brunch today. I had the poached egg over white bean ragout. Served on toast. It tastes like a tribute to Tuscany, but the bread got too soggy and became the same texture as the white beans. It was ok - not my favorite.

Curtis had chicken and waffles. Of course! He said it was ok - but he said Charlie's was better. You hear that Charlie? Breakfast IS your specialty!

New ideas for cucumbers

My mother-in-law (one of my seven blog fans) sent me this cucumber recipe and I thought I'd post it. It's a cucumber yogurt dip and apparently it's a pleaser to all palates - even those that hate cucumbers. The print came out kinda small, so I tried to find it online and I found another blogger who made it and raved about it too. Here is what you need to make it yourself:
Cucumber, of course
salt (use coarse sea salt)
three garlic cloves
two cups plain full-fat yogurt (use Greek yogurt – it’s much richer and less watery for dips)
fresh dill

mint

olive oil (use extra virgin, or as Rachel Ray calls it – EVOO).

Peel and seed the cucumber and then grate. The grated cucumber sits, with a sprinkling of salt, and then the water is squeezed out. The next challenge is to mash up the three garlic cloves with salt until they form a paste.
After the first two steps, just mix it all together with the yogurt, mint, dill, garlic, and cucumber. Once it’s mixed, put it in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.

P.H.O. Real

Man, oh man. Ok, this sandwich was featured in Grub Street NY as one of the 101 best sandwiches in NYC. It's called P.H.O. Real because it tastes just like a bowl of Pho. No lie. At first, I was skeptical. I like the broth part of Pho...I didn't think it would be the same between 2 slices of bread - but I was pleasantly surprised! This thing has it all: eye of round, sriracha, onion, cilantro, bean sprouts and avocado. Mmm...mmm...mmm... You can get this conveniently from the deli on Ave B (down the street from me) called Sunny and Annie's. AND the kicker - it's cheap -- about $6 a pop...kinda like Pho.

Bed, Bath and Boyfriend

I haven't used this yet, but I can just tell this is going to be an amazing frying pan! It's light weight cast iron! I love that the inside is white - so I can see the food cooking to the right consistency and I love the red handle! I love red in the kitchen!

As seen on TV! I can't wait to use this too! I hate chopping onions!

Jordan invented this...

...and it is SOOO good! I don't know what to call this other than, "Jordan's dip". We devoured half the bowl before I thought to take a picture but lucky for you, I'm going to share the recipe!

8 oz cream cheese
1 can sweet corn (strained)
1/2 small jar pimento (chopped)
*optional 1 small jalapeno (chopped)
1 bag Fritos

Combine all ingredients in microwavable bowl. Heat on high for 3 minutes. Stop to stir every minute. If not hot enough for your taste, heat for another minute or two. Serve this with Fritos. That is really important! No other chip tastes as good as Fritos do with this dip. Plus, the scoop shape is mighty convenient.

Mikey's

It's 3 am. You're just been hanging out with your friends - having a few drinks, booty shakin' till your back is dripping with sweat. You're in the LES. You want to eat something good. Where do you go? You go to Mikey's. Mikey's is like an old fashioned soda shop with a modern Asian twist. Best of all, one of the raddest dudes ever works there - Joseph Lee. This blurry photo isn't just a typical burger...it's a lamb burger: Lamb satay style, onion, jalapeno, mint.

Vienna all beef Chili Cheese Dog with chili cheddar cheese

Shine Dog sliced pickle, tomato, onion, relish, jalapeno, mustard.

Black Iron Burger Shop

We ate here the other day and it was delicious. I stole the photo from Time Out New York, but it looked pretty much just like this. Go there - you won't be disappointed. East Village. 12th St between A and B.