I’ve been cooking a lot more lately….

My trips to NYC has been inspiring me to cook more lately.  I’ve been able to experiment more and more with different foods.  I’m sure I’ve mentioned some of these from previous trips:

The dangerous habanero chicken pizza… which was delicious but deadly.

My famous meatballs…

My Short Ribs over Mushrooms and Chard

But here are some more recent things I’ve made in NYC

OK this isn’t really “made” but J and I decided to have a simple wine, cheese and meats night…. with steamed artichokes and baked Yam fries..

Iberico, Chorizo, Duck Salumi and Coppa

So many cheeses…

Half of these are chili/cinnamon rubbed, the other half are truffle butter rubbed..

And then the next night I made a warm grilled brussel sprouts salad with different peppers and veggies… topped with habanero vindaloo chicken…

And some Kale Chips and Fresh Avocado

STOP BEING USELESS
AND START BEING A CHEESEBURGER

So these were the peppers…

That cause me to split my finger open…

and go to the ER :[ WAAA

And then the day before Miami.. uh... night before, we had a a dinner party

I forgot to take pics of the panko pan fried quail I made [marinated in Honey , Orange, Habanero] which each person got a whole quail, cut in half on top of mixed greens as an App]

and I made Duck Breast “Confit style”

Jonathan brought Capri Sun BEER!!!!!!! <3

Oh back to the duck… slow cooked for like 2-3 hours… and then popped into oven with some balsamic vinegar, red wine, pear, raspberries, shallots and fig jam,

See… demolished the salad already… I served with truffled broccolini and mushrooms and baked chili/cinnamon yam fries.

And then the night after we got back from Miami I made bunny curry. YES. Rabbit Curry. And it was actually NOT overpowering on the bunny as some people said it would be.  You could taste the bunny cuz I left them in big chunks…the legs were kept whole, etc…..  just celery, carrots, potatoes, yams, onions, a whole rabbit [I butchered a rabbit for the first time] 

Some steamed okra on the side…

And then I put it all on a bed of mixed greens, freshly made sushi rice, topped off with rabbit meat and curry sauce. DELISH!

OK, now that we’re caught up on that I feel a bit better and will continue onto more NYC eats and Miami posts.

Brunch at Kitchenette, more Kaffe 1668 and homemade pizza

No need for words. Just pictures. And happiness….

Meh Bloody Mary

Food Coma? Or thinking about Coffee….

Kaffe 1668 that is…

Which I like to call Sheepy Coffee…

We ended up making pizza before I left…

And we used the leftovers again on the next trip…

Best Worst Idea sort of Pizza on a Sunday Night: Habaneros Part 1 of 4

… we had leftovers of pizza dough from the last time I was in town so after getting some fresh vegetables at a local market in Brooklyn.. [after J's weekly Bocce game]

so after tons of crap beer and a delicious brunch at Colonie before the game [which I'll blog about later] we set out to make another pizza… and Tuscan Kale chips [the non-curly kind]

Kale chips, successful. Just EVOO and sea salt baked in a tray til almost burnt and crisp.

[sorry no picture]

The pizza was another story.  Successful, but the best worst idea.

Stroke stroke stroke

I took the biggest habanero and minced it up with a few garlic cloves… chopped up a chicken breast and threw it in a skillet.

Within a few minutes.. I know how to make pepper bombs. J was just asking me what wine to drink when he started coughing and I started gagging.

“On the floor the air is fresher” no it wasn’t.

We opened his giant window in his living room and screamed out the window.  We opened his apt door and ran screaming into the hallway gagging.

Half hour later when we were ready to assemble the pizza, his roommate and roommate’s gf came home saying they were gagging off the elevator hahahaha… we said it wasn’t even that bad anymore.

So much pain, but so much to gain.

Super spicy habanero garlic chicken [oh we also diced in a thai chili pepper, green one for color] on a Margherita pizza on whole wheat crust.

Worth it.

Oh and we ended up finding a good wine to go with the pizza :]

Mellow Mushroom…. for pizzzzaaaaaa

Decided I wanted pizza so me W and L headed down to the Mellow Mushroom for some pizza….

A delicious salad. I LOVEEEE Alfalfa

All wee delicious except for my weird hawaiian pizza on the bottom right that made me sad and we didn’t eat it.  The top was the best.. L’s gluten-free pizza YUM

A delicious beer, DUH

And for dessert we got from froyo — Thanks L for the yogurt <3

Crazy Good Italian Book Signing for Top Chef Mike Isabella

After Brunch, I went shopping with J and W went home to rest a bit.  After a fun relaxing afternoon, we headed over to Graffiato to W’s buddy’s book signing at Graffiato. You might know him.. Top Chef Mike Isabella.  The booze were flowing and the snacks were a-coming. Even saw a quick glimpse of other Top Chef Bryan Voltaggio.

Hahaha YESSS.. I’m a “celebrity tweeter” ;]

[BTW this cook book is pretty awesome, you should totally go out and get it. NOW!  EVEN has his pepperoni sauce in it ;] YUM]

After a super fun party W and I decided to sit down and eat there. I’ve never ever had a bad meal at Graffiato. SO FREAKING GOOD.  We ordered a few things and we got surprised with a few items as well.

Crudo

Light, fresh and perfection.  A perfect way to start a meal.

Pig’s Head.

As soon as I saw this on the meats&cheeses part of the menu, I KNEW I had to have it. DIVINE.  Fennel, apple, SOOOOOO good. Thinly sliced and pure scrumptious.  I like the bit of cartilage from the ear in it. NOM.

Burrata with asian pear, walnut, & pickled cauliflower

My MUST get here.  W already knows so he doesn’t even have to ask and I don’t need to say and he knows I want it.  I love it when a man knows exactly what you want to eat without asking.  He never gets me wrong.

Crispy Veal Sweetbreads with Fried Green Tomatoes and Coffee Aioli

Who would’ve thought a coffee aioli would be good.  It was SOOO good.. light coffee flavor.. creamy.. paired SO well with the tender crisp fried sweetbreads. BUT.  I must say, the star of the show was the fried green tomatoes!!!  W and I were digging for them. SOOOOO good.

W’s must get: Roasted Cauliflower with pecorino, mint

Delicious, per usual. We both adore Cauliflower.

Sweet Corn Agnolotti with Pinenuts

I forgot what the other stuff was. Olive?  Not sure. But these were tender and pillowy. YUM.  The creamy innards were bursting with sweet corn flavor.

We always get the Porky’s Revenge so I wanted to try another one.

Countryman Pizza with black truffle, fontina, farmed soft egg

Sexy Egg… our waiter popped it and spread it for us, but I secretly wished I did it instead haha…

Although it was just truffle oil, it was delicious.  BUT… I think Porky’s is still my favorite… still need to try some others. HEE HEE. But I love my pig.

Charred Octopus with potato, black garlic, olives

Another dish we always get.  It’s SO tender and delicious. YUM.

Crispy Lamb with yogurt, cucumber, tapenade

You guys know I’m not a huge fan of lamb but W loves this. NOM NOM NOM.

Complimentary Desserts from the Book Signing Party before.. SOOOO GOOOOD

Nutella Pudding and Tri-Color Italian Cookies

SOOO GOOD.. and the nutella.. OH MAN, I licked the shot glass cleeeean!!!! And I may have kept the cute little spoon ;]

SHHHH

I don’t remember why I was doing this and why W took this pic of me. But apparently I was NOT amused.

I love Costco Pizza and Homemade Tacos

W is finally out of Detroit WOOHOO. We planned it so that we both got in around the same time in DC and headed straight to Costco for some PIZZAAAAAAA – we’re both starved.. so we need a lot of food in us….

A whole large pepperoni pizza please…

I would like some pizza with my chili pepper flakes. K, thanks. And then right after? We took the longest nap, EVER.  We woke up just in time for dinner though :] Homemade tacos a la Mama W <3

I see you W :D

She made a yummy minced beef, mexican spiced meat.. and we filled crunchy tortilla shells with the meat, lettuce, tomato, avocado, cheddar and salsa… [no sour cream for me please]

We had a lot…

We took back the leftover shells and meat and a few days later we made a yummy Nachos plate in the middle of the night hahahaha :]

I love MAC & CHEESE… and visiting W’s parents

I headed into DC early the other day, W was back for a few days so obviously I was gonna visit.  Squish face. Why? Freaking HANGRY. I woke up super early, got into the airport early and had the most LONG WAIT in the “more speed” line and “bag drop” line ever. I barely had time to pee… but then PLANE WAS DELAYED. PER USUAL.  Nothing in my belly and no sense of how long the delay was – I was cranky… and hangry…

Thankfully I ended up having time to buy a salad…. which reminded me of Detroit. RIP Wolfgang Puck resto at the MGM in Detroit HA HA.

Soon after we got there, W and his mama picked me up and after debating over where to eat lunch we headed to Costco to buy some things and to get food…

I found a shed and ME being ME I opened it and found bears.  I wanna take them home and cuddle with them, they’re huge.  I also ended up inside the shed, closed, and staring at people outside the window holding a giant bear. I RULE.  Poor bf thinks I’m CRAJEEEE…

We got Berry Froyos and Pepperoni Pizza. YUM!

And when we got back to W’s parents’ house we swapped bday gifts!!!

MINE

W got me Gold Snakeprint Alexander McQueen heels with a heart cut out and a beautiful gold ring!

I got baby a SEXY Burberry watch… no pic of it here, just him opening the box :] TEEHEE

SHOES <3
LOVE! I can’t wear them til my Birthday trip in Vegas tho.. I promised him.

:D Pretty Furbabies

Chigga what?

And after some QT with his mama at the grocery store we came home with groceries and we popped open some delicious Chilean wine and made spaghetti.

CARB OVERLOAD, I passed out EASILY that night watching MasterChef with W….

Next morning…

Mac & Cheese MAC MAC MAC & Cheese… I already inhaled W’s mama’s homemade fresh Fried Chicken Thighs HAHAHA.. OOPS

Homemade Pita Pizzas at Midnight

I was feeling particularly hungry the other night and made myself some delicious pita pizzas.

I first baked the whole wheat pitas in the oven for a bit on each side til crisp… added a bit of mozzarella cheese to melt on top of each.  Put some Scarpetta arrabbiata sauce on top

Sugo all’arrabbiata (arrabbiato means angry inItalian—the name of the sauce is due to the heat of the chili peppers) is a pasta sauce made fromgarlic, tomatoes, and red chili peppers cooked inolive oil. Basil is sometimes used, although many chefs do not. The dish is usually served with pasta(especially penne and may have chopped freshparsley sprinkled on top.^[1]

…and topped them with toppings and extra extra cheese. Shredded AND fresh mozzarella.

Not sure if I really enjoyed the sauce, need to try it with pasta.  I love you Scott Conant but not sure if a pasta sauce with a shelf life of a year is really my thing.  I was lazy but I should just stick to making my own sauce like I usually do.

Oomphed up Margherita Pizza… extra basi and TONS of extra cheese…  with some freshly cracked black pepper.

Veggie Pizza – Red Onions, Mushrooms, Golden Cherry Tomatoes and Basil – with extra cheese!!!

All ingredients were bought at Whole Foods that afternoon :] And both were topped with a heavy hand of hot pepper chili flakes. I have a HUUUUGE tub of it that I bought at Costco :D

Pig & Whiskey 2012 in Ferndale, Michigan

My buddy Phil [mr BBQ King] was coming down to Detroit for the day on the last day of Pig & Whiskey 2012.. and we’ve been trying to plan a meetup for awhile so holllaaaa…. I’m glad I dragged W out cuz he needs to get out and about Detroit more. Sure it’s a bumfuck place, but still :]

It was about a 20 minute drive thru super super ghetto depressing Detroit

…and then we were in Ferndale.. a nice less scary town :]

First place we hit up was Lockhart’s BBQ… we got one of each :] SO GOOD!

We didn’t even use any BBQ sauce.  W had the burnt ends.. suppppper fatty and tasty… sooo tender and melted in my mouth.  I had the brisket, FULL of flavor.. also super fatty and tender.. melted like crazy on my tongue… loved it more than Slow’s [shh don't tell] and then Phil had the Hog Wings. AMAZE BALLS.

You hardly ever see hog wings, I think I’ve only seen it once or twice before in my life at one of the Meatopia or Pigs Island events… don’t remember.  I was upset that NO ONE had a WHOLE suckling pig WTF. First piggie/BBQ/meat event I’ve been to that DIDN’T.

We ended up getting corn here after chilling and drinking a few shots and beers in the VIP area… INDOORS with AC hahaha

CORN ON THE COB

Sadly it was under done, NO char, NO grill taste, NADA. No sweetness.. I tried adding some of their BBQ sauces which were GOOD but still didn’t save the corn :[ W and I were sad. :[ WOMP WOMP.

Inside the VIP area at the Loving Touch Bar.

Free drink tickets from the person who made this all happen :] Def met a lot of amazing great ppl at this event!

Whiskey Tent, over 40+ whiskeys…

I ended up trying a Bushmill’s Honey Whiskey.. slightly sweet and OH SO YUMMY IN MY TUMMY

<3 Baby and I

We bought a Blueberry Sage Peppercorn Jam

More beers.. it was SO freaking HOT.. we NEEDED bubbly. And beer vs soda, might as well get the buzz from beer :D W got a PBR and I got some Blondie beer.. it was on the sweet side…

Back in the VIP area they had free caramel corn and pizza.. I ended up eating 4+ slices… these two were my fav. FREAKING BLT PIZZA WAS THE BOMB!!!!

A few more beers and shots later… we took a nice steamy hot taxi back to MGM, we went to the pool for a bit and then I promptly passed out for a few hours… and then?!… Burgerssssssssssssss at Bourbon Steak! Which is the next blog…..

So many vegetables for dinner… at CPK

It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood – so I slipped on some shorts and went out to enjoy the day!

Ppoopped a few grapes, and had a banana and Barney butter NOM

Worst mother of the year award goes to…

Kid hanging off the front, backwards and one sitting in the back, legs dangling.. she was barely even touching the cart…. AWESOME

I WANT THESE MIU MIU GOLD SNEAKERS SO FREAKING BAD IT HURTS

This almost makes me want to give birth, right now… almost

Bathroom had teenage girls sneaking on makeup.. hahaha

I was STTTTTTTTTTTARVING so after buying some stuff at Urban Outfitters – neon yellow- green high waisted short shorts… I’m so classy…. and anthropologie – YAY FOR SALES!!!!!.. we finally made it to CPK I’ve been craving pizza…

We got a huuuuuuge table in the corner.. teehee just like we did at Legal’s the night before…

Our conversation was basically like this:
Do they have bread? Why would they have bread at a pizza place? Oh they do have bread! I like warm bread better…

My parents say I should stop drinking so much wine and beer… so I’m going back to my beloved vodka and teqqqqquilllla hahahahahhaha

Ultimate Margarita

Wasn’t really “ultimate” but it was tasty… wish it was bigger and came in a margarita cup tho….

We decided to order a salad, a pizza and an app and just share family style….

Miso Shrimp Salad

Napa & red cabbage, shrimp, avocado, cucumbers, daikon, edamame, carrots, scallions, cilantro, rice sticks and wontons tossed in miso dressing.

One of my favorite salads ever! SOOO GOOOOD~

Lettuce Wraps

Minced chicken and shrimp, wok-seared with Shiitake mushrooms, water chestnuts and scallions. Served with spicy soy-ginger sauce. 

YUM! My parents are obsessed with their lettuce wraps.. they sure are tasty :] SO ASIAN hahahaha….

Vegetarian with Japanese Eggplant Pizza

Mozzarella, baby broccoli, eggplant, corn, red onions, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes and tomato sauce on honey-wheat with whole grain crust.

Look at that fresh brocoolini stalk <3 SOOO GOOD and of course splathered with chili pepper flakes!!!

So good I got one to go and inhaled it as a midnight snack.

BTW picked this up at Costco… came with some other random show – combo pack – but YAYYYYYYYYY I totally rememeber watching this on Food Network.. the beginnings of my love for Tony