Molasses Cornish Game Hen

I've always wanted to cook one of these little guys and I finally got around to it. It was successful, but man this guy is messy to eat! It's like your own Thanksgiving on a plate. Carve it up! I ended up picking all the leftover chicken for lunch tomorrow.


What you need:

1 Whole Cornish Hen (could use chicken of course)

2 tbsp dark molasses

2 tbsp ketchup

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp soy sauce

pinch of ginger powder

1 tsp of garlic powder
(double the recipe for 2 birds) 

What you do:

Combine all the ingredients together. Brush half of the molasses mixture onto the cornish hen. Cover with foil and bake for half the time that the cornish hen states or, if using chicken, cook as you normally would. Halfway through take the foil off and brush occasionally with the molasses mixture until cornish hen is cooked through. The birds (as tiny as they are) take about an hour to cook.

Chorizo Braised Brussel Sprouts

I love bacon braised brussel sprouts so I figured - why not? Chorizo can be just as good. It was.

You need:
2 - 3 cups brussel sprouts, ends chopped and halved
2 tbsp EVOO
1 chorizo, diced
1/2 c white onion, diced

You do:
In a pot (with a lid) add oil and onion. Cook for one minute. Add chorizo and cook for one minute. Add sprouts then cook on low heat with the lid on for about 8-10 minutes. (This will help to steam the greens so they are cooked through). Remove the lid and let cook another 5 minutes. Serve. Perfect side dish!

Mexican Radio

Every time I eat Mexican in NYC, I always compare it to Mexican Radio. Why do I love Mexican Radio so much? I'll tell you...first, the ambiance. It's a big enough restaurant that you NEVER have to wait (at least I never have). And it totally has this Day of the Dead vibe with skulls and flowers everywhere. Not to mention the fun hot sauces on every table. I don't think I've ever used one but I love reading their names. This one (pictured above) is called "Kiss your ass goodbye". Love that. The drinks are also spot on. This frozen margarita was delish and totally worth the 3 brain freezes I endured. Also, their sangria is super good too.

 Another reason why I love Mexican Radio - the nachos appetizer. You only get about 8 chips, but each one has the perfect amount of toppings. It's such a beautiful thing. I had to explain to my friends that they needed to get this as an appetizer. I was like, "It's not like bar nachos where you get half a bag of chips with gobs of crap on it. And it won't fill you up with unnecessary chips." Seriously - other restaurants take note! This is how you NAIL nachos.

Dinner. Another winner. I had the chicken enchiladas with the Suiza sauce (salsa verde). Tangy with a little heat - soooo delicious. The chicken is so good. It's totally pulled from whole chickens and shredded. You can tell they have integrity when it comes to their ingredients. They are also consistent. I always get the same dish when I reorder it. Love that! If you LOVE Mexican food and you live in the city - try this place. It won't disappoint. 

16 Handles

After a fantastic meal with friends and after I couldn't possibly consider eating one more bite, we made our way to 16 Handles. I have never been to this place before so as we were walking there I was getting the low down of how this place works. First, you pick your flavor of frozen yogurt. You can pick more than one - they have 16 flavors (hence, the 16 handles bit). So, what does a gal who ISN'T hungry select? Two flavors: birthday cake and red velvet cake fro yo. Hey, it's non-fat. It's okay. Well...then you hit up the toppings bar. The toppings bar is straight up insane. They have fruit balls that resemble caviar (which I didn't take but nice molecular gastronomy!) and they have yogurt chips (the only other seemingly healthy thing). The rest? Cheesecake bites, brownie bites, chocolate chip cookie dough bites, "liquid" Nestle Crunch (stupid good) and these things that I forget - I want to say they were called clodhoppers? (Vanilla coated crunchy things). The toppings made every bite different. So delicious. I shoved mine in the freezer after we made our way back to the apt but I totally finished it a few hours later. Amaze.

Sausage Pasta with Walnuts and Sage Butter

I've made a dish similar to this before. It's super yummy and serves up nicely as leftovers the next day.

What you need:
1/2 box ziti or penne pasta
1 package of sweet sausage - about 6 to 8 links (casing removed)
1/2 cup walnuts (toasted)
4 tbsp Asiago cheese, shredded
1stick butter
1/2 c fresh sage, chopped or about 2 tbsp powdered sage
1/2 yellow onion, diced

What you do:
Boil your pasta. In a frying pan add diced onion and 2 tbsp butter. Saute a few minutes until onions are cooked then add the sausage. Try to crumble the sausage as you add it to the pan. You can also break it up while it's cooking. As pasta is finished drain and set aside. Add toasted nuts to the frying pan. Mix. In a separate pot melt remaining butter with the sage. Cook for 2 minutes then combine everything - butter into the sausage mixture first, then pasta. Mix well. Sprinkle with cheese and serve.

Chipotle Brown Butter Ribeyes

I'm on a roll today! I know my sous chef appreciated this since he loves chipotle. It def has a kick but you can put as little or as much of the sauce as desired.

Ingredients

• 1 well trimmed, 1 1/2-inch thick, rib-eye steak
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt (sea salt or kosher salt)
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, (not garlic powder)
• 1 tablespoon melted butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 2 ounces canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce
• 3 ounces beer (recommended: Samuel Smith's Nut Brown Ale)

Directions

Season both sides of the well trimmed rib-eye, as well as the edges with the pepper, salt and granulated garlic. If you have a good thick steak, it can handle a lot of seasoning. If you are using a thin steak, be easy on the salt. Put half of the butter in a very hot skillet, gently so you don't splatter hot butter all over the place. Add the onions first. The more rare the steak you desire, the longer you should saute the onions before starting the meat itself, (3 to 4 minutes for rare, etc). Now, gently add the steak to the skillet and sear thoroughly on each side to your desired doneness.

When the steak achieves the desired temperature, remove to a plate, leaving the onions in the pan. After you remove the steak from the heat source, it continues to cook, so I take my steaks off a little ahead of time. Add the rest of the butter after you have let the skillet come back up to temperature. Stir in the chipotles and deglaze the pan with the beer. Pour over the steak once the beer has reduced by half and serve.

Colossal Crab Asparagus Bisque

This bisque is ridiculously good. I swear, when I cook like this I feel like I'm a real champion. The soup is creamy and delicious and when the warm soup pairs with the cold crabmeat it's unbelievable. The effort is not even that hard! You'd think making a bisque this good would be super complicated, but it's not. I found this recipe on the Food Network's website. I cut down the recipe by almost half since I was only making enough for two people. If you like crab and asparagus you need to make this!


Ingredients for the soup:
1 quart (4 cups) chicken stock
1 bay leaf
1 pound asparagus, cut into 1-inch lengths (tough ends removed and discarded)
2 1/2 tablespoons butter
1 white onion, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (approximately, or as needed to create roux)
1/2 pint heavy cream

For the crab souffle:
1/2 pound colossal crabmeat
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon freshly chopped thyme leaves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 lemon, juiced plus 1 or 2 lemons cut in wedges, for garnish

Directions
Bring stock and bay leaves to a boil in a large pot. Cook asparagus until tender and add to stock pot. Melt butter in a separate saucepan and gently saute onions, celery, and carrots (miorepix - A mixture of diced carrots, onions, celery and herbs sauteed in butter. Sometimes ham or bacon is added. Mirepoix is used to season sauces, soups and stews, as well as for a bed on which to braise food, usually meats or fish) until tender, then gradually add flour (with a non-reactive utensil such as a wooden spoon), and cook until similar to a roux. Transfer to the pot of stock to thicken soup. Let simmer for 45 minutes. Remove bay leaves from soup. *Blend to a puree with an immersion blender, or in batches in a blender or food processor. Add cream to the soup, and keep warm over low heat. (Good ol' NYC living required me to do mine in batches since I don't own a blender - just a tiny food processor).

For the crab "souffle," mix crab, mayonnaise, thyme, salt and pepper, and squeeze of fresh lemon juice, trying to avoid breaking up the lumps of crabmeat. Place a scoop of the crabmeat in the center of soup bowl and ladle the asparagus soup around. Garnish with a lemon wedge.

*When blending hot liquids: Remove liquid from the heat and allow to cool for at least 5 minutes. Transfer liquid to a blender or food processor and fill it no more than halfway. If using a blender, release one corner of the lid. This prevents the vacuum effect that creates heat explosions. Place a towel over the top of the machine, pulse a few times then process on high speed until smooth.