Regis Royale

To let us know how much she appreciates us, my boss took her direct reports and our Trainer (my direct report) out to dinner. I found three options on Yelp and we went with the first choice: Regis Royale. The restaurant is located on Rector street right next to World Trade but closer to Wall St. We went for dinner at 6:30 and we walked into full fledged banker happy hour. Luckily, our table was upstairs away from the banter of white bread boys. The host was very friendly and welcoming; in fact, I think he was the manager or the owner. I also think he had a crush on my co-worker, but that's besides the point.

We all ordered a round of drinks. I started with the Pimm's Ice Tea. The drink was....ehh. It had Seagram's 7 in it and that overpowered the Pimm's. Tasted more like. 7&7 than anything else. The waiter took our orders and recommended the sampler appetizer. I usually don't order those because all of it is usually fried, but my boss did and I was quite happy with it. Yes, it had your typical sampler items like mozzarella sticks, chicken wings, and calamari. It also had goat cheese bruschetta, mini crab cakes, fried eggplant, and bacon wrapped shrimp. For my entree, I had the chicken piccata. It was really tasty but the sauce was a little thick and had started to congeal on my plate. The spinach was sauteed with garlic and that was lovely. Would I go back? Eh, maybe just for appetizers...

Five Guys

Yes, I know. This is a fast food place and it's in basically every neighborhood across the US. I just wanted to take a minute though and highlight something for you all. This cheeseburger junior and large Cajun fries were the same price as a meal from McDonalds but tastes way the hell better. If you're eating McDonald's - you should be ashamed. That is all.

Benny's

I have to post about Benny's because unlike all Mexican take-out spots, this place has something special: The Super Vegetarian. I'm not vegetarian, but I love this burrito. It's rice, beans, lettuce, cheese, salsa and sour cream. Sounds simple, right? Well, guess what? They also can do it up SUPER healthy too. You can substitute the flour tortilla for a whole wheat one, get soy cheese instead of real cheese and even get tofu sour cream! Burrito, I never thought you could be guilt-free! Thank you Benny's!

Pablo's Burrito Cantina

I went camping with another couple last weekend. After we almost died hiking, we rewarded ourselves in town with lunch. I had an average margarita and this. This is a "taco salad". No kidding. Notice how much lettuce is in this picture. Also, it didn't come in a fried bowl. It came over a bed of tortilla chips. In fact, this wasn't a salad at all. This was more like chicken nachos. Good thing I'm nicer in the afternoon, 'cause this would've been sent back had it been 7 am. Oh, this was $10. I forgot about that. Mmm...nope.

Camping 101

 We went camping for Memorial Day weekend in Lake George, NY (about 4 hours out of the city). Definite camping MUST - a cooler full of beers. These koozies really made it more official.

 Another camping MUST - hot dogs for dinner. We had two kinds: tofu pups and beef hot dogs.

 Hot dogs must be grilled on a stick like shown. Otherwise, you're not camping. Duh.

 This is the fanciest I got on the site: Kale salad. I made mine by chopping up the kale into tiny bits then squeezing two lemons in. I waited 20 minutes to "let it cook" then added EVOO and sliced almonds. 

 Another camping MUST - s'mores.  You must cook the marshmallow over the fire on a stick. or you're not camping. Duh.

 Look! How delicious!

This isn't much to look at, in fact, not really sure why it's here other than we made this over a fire. Toasted the homemade bread (thanks Yaz) and the Morning Star sausage in a grill. Eggs took 9 million years to cook in a pot. Major effort for them eggs. Also - I am not a morning person. 

We also made turkey chili. It ended up being 5 alarm turkey chili. It was beyond spicy! I think I mistook the paprika for cayenne pepper. It's the only thing I can think of. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
2 cups water
1 (28 ounce) can canned crushed tomatoes
1 (16 ounce) can canned kidney beans - drained, rinsed, and mashed
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
dash of beer*
one square Hershey's chocolate*

*optional - we got creative while cooking.


Directions
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Place turkey in the pot, and cook until evenly brown. Stir in onion, and cook until tender.
Pour water into the pot. Mix in tomatoes, kidney beans, and garlic. Season chili powder, paprika, oregano, cayenne pepper, cumin, beer, chocolate, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 30 minutes.

Nurse Betty

Ah, Nurse Betty's. Home of the pickle back shot, bottomless Prosecco and guaranteed laughs. I love the memories I've shared in this bar: birthday parties to farewell send-offs, chill conversation to full on dance party. I love how hanging with 2 of my friends here becomes 10 of my friends by the time I leave. 

 

And since Facebook thinks I violate copyright laws and won't let me upload videos anymore, this is going here. Happy birthday again, Zoe!

Billy's Bakery

Billy's Bakery in Tribeca served up these cute and awesome cupcakes for me the other day. I had the red velvet specialty cupcake. It was good, but I don't do well with a lot of sugar. Kind of makes me feel uncomfortable - I get shaky and want to do cartwheels. We got a good assortment though: Yellow Daisy Cupcakes with White Vanilla Buttercream icing, Banana cupcakes, Red Velvet (which I mentioned), Classic Chocolate with Vanilla Buttercream and Carrot. Super cute and only $3 a pop! Perfect for a birthday celebration at work or home.

Simple Shell Steak

 I was at work having a debate with co-workers about cooking, when a co-worker announced that he CAN cook and said just last night had made steak, potatoes and salad for dinner. I smiled because I thought how classic this dish is and without sounding too sexist, I thought this is such a GUY thing to cook. And I don't mean that in a mean way - I just mean that men are more driven to eat meat (especially steak) because it seems more masculine. I'm serious. This is true. I read it in the elevator TV on the way to work one morning. Anyhoo, I digress. Cooking steak can be difficult. There are so many different ways to do it: charcoal grill, marinades, cuts of meat, etc. So I decided to do it simple...and delicious.

Living in NYC, not everyone is lucky enough to own a grill (or even a backyard ). So I made mine in a frying pan. Now everyone can do this. I bought shell steak because...well...they're cheap. My favorite is Porterhouse or Filet Mignon. If you want to splurge. go for it. The dish, is simple. All I do is sprinkle coarse sea salt and fresh ground pepper on either side of my steak. And while it's cooking I chop up 1/2 a small yellow onion and add it to the pan with one tbspoon of butter. I take another tbspoon of butter and split it. I put one piece on top of each steak and let the butter melt. Seriously - steak and butter is never a bad idea. I prefer my steak medium to medium rare while my sous chef likes his medium. I pull mine off first and let it sit while I let his cook a few more minutes. The worst thing is over cooked steak. It's hard to say how long to cook a steak because it depends on how big the piece of meat is. Usually 4 to 5 minutes on each side does it for me but sometimes I have to alter that. Usually I can tell my touching it. It should have a little bit of motion but mostly feel firm. Also, let the sucker rest for about 5 minutes before serving. Now - go cook one. ENJOY!

Blackened Tuna Steaks

Made blackened tuna steaks last night. I served mine with roasted brussel sprouts and pancetta with a little bit of butter noodles. I coated my fish on either side. Don't do that. It ends up being really salty that way. I LOVE salt, so please believe me when I say - just coat the one side.

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds fresh tuna steaks, 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons Cajun seasoning*
2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions
Generously coat tuna with Cajun seasoning.
Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over high heat. When oil is nearly smoking, place steaks in pan. Cook on one side for 3 to 4 minutes, or until blackened. Turn steaks, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or to desired doneness.










*Ingredients for Cajun Seasoning

2 tablespoons salt
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
dash Old Bay

Lasso Soho

Lasso on Mott and Kenmare. So delicious. This beauty has no tomato sauce - herbed cream cheese, mozzarella, pancetta and arugula. It's amazing. I split a salad (no pic) and this pie with a friend and was full for the rest of the day. Lasso is seriously becoming one of my favorite pizzas in NYC.

Baked Salmon with Creamy Dill Sauce

This is a great dish: easy to make, makes you feel healthy, cool/warm combos - chilled creamy sauce with baked salmon. I will definitely make this again, not only because it's delicious but because I only needed 2 tbsp of dill and bought a bundle 1000X that size. :)


Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
4 6-ounce pieces skinless salmon fillet
kosher salt and black pepper
1/2 cup sour cream
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoons chopped capers

Directions
Lightly brush salmon with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place skin side down on aluminum foil lined baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes at 350.
In a small bowl, combine the sour cream, lemon juice, dill, capers, and ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Serve with the salmon with sauce.

Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter

A new restaurant opened up on Ave C. It's called Bobwhite's Lunch and Supper Counter. They do soul food but they are popular for their fried chicken and biscuits. I didn't leave work till 7 pm which had me walking in the door around 7:40. Guess who ordered in? The verdict? Eh. Maybe it's cause I'm from the South and have high standards for soul food, but this chicken was not that special. It was good - but not memorable. The biscuit looked the part for sure but it was dry in the middle. I found myself slabbing butter on it because I couldn't swallow it. I don't know - I think I can find better fried chicken in NYC. Sorry guys!

Creamy Carrot and Parsnip Soup

This photo is kinda blurry. I went to try to take another and then my camera died so this is all you get. This soup was really tasty and hearty but I'm so in the wrong season to make something like this. Not appropriate for summer at all. Oh well, it was still delicious. I have been making more soups lately. I like it. I need a blender though. Blending in small batches with my little chopper/blender is not ideal, but alas - this is NYC living. If I had a big blender I'd have nowhere to put it!

Ya need:

• 1/2 cup finely chopped onion

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 teaspoon minced peeled ginger

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced carrot

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

• 3/4 pound parsnips (about 3), peeled and cut into 1/8- inch slices (about 2 cups)

• 2 cups chicken broth

• 1/2 c heavy cream

• freshly grated nutmeg to taste

In a heavy saucepan cook the onion, the garlic, the ginger, the carrot, the celery, and the thyme in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the parsnips and the broth, bring the liquid to a boil, and simmer the mixture, covered, for 15 minutes, or until the vegetables are very tender. Purée the soup in a blender and return to the pan. Stir in the nutmeg, heavy cream, and salt and pepper to taste.

Summer Salad

This salad is perfect for summer! It's a delicious salad to pair with a soup (like I did) or by itself.

What you need:
4 cups mesclun
4 - 5 strawberries, sliced
3 tbsp sliced almonds
3 oz deli ham, chopped
1/2 shallot, diced
3 tbsp olive oil
dash balsamic vinegar
l/2 lemon

In a pan, heat oil with shallots. Remove from heat and let cool. Add the juice from one squeezed lemon and a dash of balsamic vinegar. Set aside. Rinse the mesclun and berries. Combine in a bowl and set aside. Warm the ham for a few minutes on the stovetop (optional). Cover the salad with the dressing. Mix well. Place salad on a plate and put ham in center. Sprinkle with almonds. Viola!

Tea Party

 Had the work gang over for a "team outing" last night. The theme: tea party. Although a box of Earl Grey was present, we drank too much wine to notice. These were brownie bites that I made. Seriously, how freaking cute are these toothpicks? You can buy a little bag of them from Pearl River (in Soho) for like $2! Super cute!

 I hit up some returns of recent dishes I made over Mother's Day weekend. The chicken salad was the same as Neely's but with a few edits: I used fat free sour cream instead of mayo and no red onion.

Yes, I even served it in tomato cups again. Another dish, which I failed to get a photo of was my asparagus bisque. Which came out awesome.

Here's the recipe:

2 lbs Asparagus

1 medium diced onion

3 carrots, peeled and diced

2 celery stalks, diced
6 oz butter
3 tbsp flour
16 oz chicken stock
8 oz heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste


Clean asparagus by trimming lower stems and removing 'woody' bottom portion. Slice asparagus into desired size then set aside. Melt butter in a pot. Add onion and saute until onions are translucent. Add asparagus, celery, and carrots to pot. Cover and cook on medium heat. Cook until veggies are tender. Sprinkle with flour and stir to coat evenly. Let this mixture cook slowly for about 1 minute while being careful not to burn flour. Slowly add chicken stock while stirring. Cook down for about half an hour until all veggies are mushy. Then blend it all. Once blended, add cream. Lightly simmer for about 10 minutes while stirring occasionally so not to let the soup stick to bottom of pan.

El Pollo Rico

 When we were in DC recently, we hit up a Peruvian chicken joint. Ok, technically this place is in Arlington but I call that DC in my book. This chicken was fantastic. The skin was seriously the best part. I was beyond full (got the half chicken with fries and slaw) and yet I managed to make sure I ate all the skin. The seasoning was spot on and the charcoal taste really nailed it for me. 

You know when you see something like this, it's gonna be good. Thanks for the recommendation Missy and Matt! (Oh, and for taking us!)

Daily Juice

I found this spot while walking down 14th  St towards Union Square. It's a little store front that you'd probably pass by without even noticing. This beauty was carrot and orange. Pretty classic. They had a lot of fruity juices but not too many with veggies. If I worked there, I would make more combos and advertise them.

Feta, Tomato, and Onion stuffed Chicken

I made this for dinner the other night and it was okay. The tomatoes were a little sweeter than I expected so next time I think I'll use a whole plum tomato instead. 

Ingredients:
3 - 4 chicken breast, sliced and pounded thin
1 container fat free feta cheese
1/2 small red onion, diced
1/2 c cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp parsley
salt and pepper to taste

To do:
Start pounding down the chicken to make it thin. I cover my chicken in saran wrap to keep my mallet from getting gross. In a separate bow, combine feta, tomato and onion. Mix well and form into a small ball. Place cheese ball on top of chicken (to the side) then roll over the other side to hide the goods. You can tie this up if you want, but it's not necessary. Sprinkle with parsley, salt and pepper. Bake uncovered for 35 minutes at 350.

Chicken Salad in Tomato Cups

I found this on the Food Network site (thanks Neely!). This dish is so perfect for a ladies lunch (which is where I served it). My dad had the leftovers and he loved it too. I couldn't find tarragon but it tasted fine without it. I really loved the texture that the slivered almonds added. So making this again!

Ingredients
1 rotisserie chicken, skinless and meat shredded or diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
1 shallot, chopped
2 tablespoons freshly chopped tarragon leaves
1 celery rib, chopped
1 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 cups halved seedless red grapes
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 large beefsteak tomatoes
1 head butter lettuce

Directions
Mix first 10 ingredients in a large bowl.
Core tops of tomatoes with a paring knife. Using a melon baller, scoop out the insides of the tomatoes. Lay a leaf of lettuce in each tomato so it peeks out the top. Fill the tomatoes with a large scoop of the chicken salad and serve.

Just Baked Cakes by Trish Part 2

 I've posted a cake from here before (here), but since I was recently in VA I just had to order another one for Mother's Day weekend. This beauty had a pink ribbon design running up the side of the cake.

The inside was double chocolate on chocolate. Super moist and delicious! All the moms were pleased. I love buying cakes from Trish - I've never been disappointed!

Kincaid's

 When I was in town visiting my niece (for the first time!), my folks took us out to dinner. We went to Kincaid's in Macarthur Mall. The set-up is strange. There is definitely an after work happy hour crowd when you first walk into the restaurant. In fact, you have to walk through the bar area to get to the actual dining room. My mom had salmon cakes (pictured above) with asparagus and potatoes.

I also had a special - these were burbon glazed pork chops with sweet potato mash and roasted veggies. I appreciated the sear on the chop and the glaze. The meat was just slightly over done to my taste. I was surprised to see Joel Gott Cabernet on the wine list though. Had a glass of that to wash this all down.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

I made lunch one day for my moms and this was the soup I prepared. It wasn't as smooth as I would've liked it, but that's what happens when you have to blend in batches. The soup was good, but really filling.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons good olive oil
4 cups chopped yellow onions (3 large)
2 tablespoons mild curry powder
5 pounds butternut squash (2 large)
1 1/2 pounds sweet apples, such as McIntosh (4 apples)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups water
2 cups good apple cider or juice
Directions
Warm the butter, olive oil, onions, and curry powder in a large stockpot uncovered over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onions are tender. Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot.

Peel the squash, cut in half, and remove the seeds. Cut the squash into chunks. Peel, quarter, and core the apples. Cut into chunks.

Add the squash, apples, salt, pepper, and 2 cups of water to the pot. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes, until the squash and apples are very soft. Process the soup through a food mill fitted with a large blade, or puree it coarsely in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade.

Pour the soup back into the pot. Add the apple cider or juice and enough water to make the soup the consistency you like; it should be slightly sweet and quite thick. Check the salt and pepper and serve hot.

Collard Greens with Slab Bacon

 I love cooking collard greens. This dish is super simple and super yummy. First, cut the leaf of the green from the stem. Cut leaves into pieces. Set pile of leaves to side. When finished take slab bacon. Slice into pieces. You're going to saute the bacon first. Let it get as crispy as you desire. Leave grease and all in pot.

 Add two cups of water and start piling in the greens. If you're using a small pot (like me), cover the pot  with a lid and let the greens wilt down a bit. Keep stuffing greens in until you get them all. Add 2 more cups of water. Cover and let cook on low heat for about 2 hours. I also added one capful of Liquid Smoke and 1 tbsp of garlic.

The result: salty, smoky greens with little morsels of slab bacon. Southern perfection!

Red Snapper with Tarragon Sauce

I don't cook fish that often. Usually when I do, it's because I feel like I've been eating horrible and want to feel better about myself. This dish did the trick.

What you need:
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 pound red snapper
5 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp Balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp Fresh tarragon; chopped
1 sm Shallot; peeled and minced

Preheat oven to 350. Place fish skin side down in a foil-lined pan. To make the sauce, heat oil and shallots and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add remaining ingredients. Mix well. (You should have about 1/2 cup.) Preheat the broiler. Place the sauce on top of fish and cover with another piece of foil. (Note: I also threw in some baby potatoes that I had rinsed and quartered). Bake 20 minutes then remove foil and bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve.

Galaxy Diner

We went with friends to a wedding in CT yesterday and on the way back to the city we stopped to say hi to our friends mom. The plan was to have dinner at the diner. My sous chef said he wanted to go to the best diner that they had, so we ended up at the Galaxy Diner in Bridgeport, CT. I had a dish called "The Satellite": grilled white American cheese with extra crispy bacon, tomato and a mountain of french fries. It came with a side of coleslaw (which I ate happily since it wasn't all mayonnaisey). It was good - I was already full and I ate it all anyway. The ambiance was a diner that was trying to be a restaurant: You could tell they had expanded years ago for more dining space and I even spied a wine rack on the back wall. But as much as they tried, they couldn't hide the oversized menus with everything under the sun on them and the old fashioned counter seats right as you walked in. Good job, Bridgeport.

Savory Mexican Pie

I found a recipe online for Mexican Humble Pie and since I'm resourceful, I doctored the recipe to use some leftover ingredients in our fridge. I was a little skeptical about the crust - it came out buttery and flaky and delicious! I was also not sure about the egg mixture on top. I didn't taste egg at all when I was eating these. I think it just helped to keep everything together. Man, I reaaaally enjoyed this. If you love Mexican food, you need to try this. I served mine with a dollop of sour cream.

What you need:

1 homemade pie crust (recipe below)

1 can corn, drained and rinsed

1 cup chili con queso

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/2 teaspoon smokey paprika

3/4 teaspoon salt

3 green onions, chopped

1/2 cup salsa (I used hot)

2 eggs

2 oz shredded cheddar cheese

1 teaspoon olive oil

6 - 8  ounces ground beef

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Add the corn, queso dip, chili, paprika, green onions, and salsa. Mix to combine. Whisk together the two eggs and the shredded cheese. Heat olive oil in non-stick skillet. Add the shallot, saute a bit, then the beef. Cook until browned. Combine the corn mixture and meat. Mix and pour into pie crust. Pour the egg and cheese mixture on top. Cook for about 40-45 minutes until egg is done and cheese is melted.

Ingredients for crust:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, chilled and diced
1/4 cup ice water


Directions:

In a large bowl, combine flour and salt. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in water, a tablespoon at a time, until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight. Roll dough out to fit a 9 inch pie plate. Place crust in pie plate. Press the dough evenly into the bottom and sides of the pie plate. IMPORTANT: Cook pie crust at 375 for 15 minutes before filling it.                

Chicken Noodle Soup

I woke up this morning and I was craving something homey. This is great and I conveniently had everything I needed.

Ingredients

1 tsp butter

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 (14.5 ounce) cans chicken broth and one can of water

1/2 pound cooked chicken breast (boiled and shredded by hand)

1 1/2 cups ziti pasta noodles

1/2 cup sliced carrots

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 bay leaf

salt and pepper to taste

Directions

In a large pot over medium heat, combine everything except chicken. If you want to use butter in this recipe cook onion and celery in butter until just tender, 5 minutes then pour in chicken broth and stir in everything else. If not, it tastes fine without it. Boil chicken then cool and pull apart by hand. Add to pot of goodness. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes before serving. Remove bay leaf. Serve.