Eat. Read. Ask. Do. Be.

January 24, 2012 · 2:50 pm

Healthy Tex Mex!

No, this isn’t a list of oxymorons, this is the response to my latest very specific craving. I was dying for something in the Mexican category that wasn’t overly fried or cheesed. I had chicken, I had beans, I had avocados.

My mission was clear.

Click for refried black beans recipe!

Spice rub includes: cayenne, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper

First I got the beans going, which takes some time, but I think it’s worth it. Then I rubbed my boneless, skinless chicken breast with lime juice and coated it in the spice rub pictured above.

Make sure that skillet's hot with butter and oil! You only need a minute or two on each side.

Then into the oven on a bed of limes at 350 for 30 minutes (can cover chicken with limes too!)

While the chicken’s in the oven, I threw together some guacamole and a quick pico of tomatoes, onion and red bell pepper. I figured everything was spicy enough to do without fresh jalapeños on top.

Presentation makes regular food feel fancy!

Hiding food under food... very very sneaky.

There you have it! Lime chili chicken on a bed of refried beans with guacamole and pico de gallo!

Finished off here a little bit of sharp cheese and some tortilla strips!

I recommend enjoying with a Modelo Especial, but that's up to you :-

Mission accomplished. POP POP.
Tweet

Leave a comment

Filed under Recipes

Tagged as beer, black beans, chicken, chili, cooking, food, guacamole, lime, mexican, modelo, pico de gallo, recipe, tex-mex, texas

January 6, 2012 · 10:15 am

Dogfish Head Keeps it Real

Last night I watched Beer Wars, a unique and engaging documentary that follows jane-of-all-trades Anat Baron as she meets the craft brewers who are managing to survive (and thrive!) in the industry among the giants: Bud, Miller and Coors.
“Down to earth” doesn’t quite cut it when I’m describing Sam, owner of Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware. I say, “Sam,” because that is how he was presented on screen, just “Sam.” He drives a classic pick up truck, wears jeans to work and even stops in the middle of an interview to pick up the phone. On the other end is yet another satisfied customer calling the 1-800 number on the back on the beer bottle. Their motto is “Off centered ale for off centered people,” and they stick to it. Turning down numerous offers from venture capitalists to take his company public, Sam refuses to put himself and the “great people who work with him,” in a position where they might have to compromise their “labor of love.”
It’s this dedication to quality and refusal to compromise for the almighty dollar that I found so incredibly refreshing. Call me naive, but I still believe having pride and integrity in what you do is infinitely more important and rewarding than making money.
Dogfish Head started in 1995 with an idea and a commitment to produce quality ales with unique ingredients. They’ve managed to grow into a major player in the beer industry and they’ve done it without losing their sense of self. I tweeted at them last night, and with nearly 72,000 followers, they still managed to tweet back to me by this morning. That’s keeping it real. Respect.

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as ale, anat baron, beer, beer wars, brewer, brewery, craft beer, delaware, documentary, dogfish head

January 5, 2012 · 9:43 am

Sweatleaf Coffee and Espresso Bar

“One of the most civilized things about Long Island City.” –Oliver Strand, NY Times

I found myself early to a meeting in Long Island City this week when I stumbled across Sweetleaf Coffee and Espresso Bar. I walked in and as soon as the man at the counter told me, “we’re cash only,” I knew I had found a gem. As occasionally irritating as it can be to be forced to use cash in 2012, I find it refreshingly bold that a small business remains cash only in the face of an increasingly cash-less society. Luckily for me and them, I had cash that day.

Having spent time working in a “hip” coffee shop, I can recognize which drinks I should order and which I should avoid for fear of being mocked. For instance, coffee shop snobs will secretly cringe when you order a mocha or anything with a flavor. So I kept it simple, had a “medium” cappuccino (which was 8 oz) and I waited until the barista stepped into the back to sneak in some sugar and cinnamon. I didn’t want to disturb the beautiful latte art he had created, so I took care to stir around it.

Sorry... I couldn't wait to take a picture before I had a sip 🙂

I also couldn’t resist one of Sweetleaf’s homemade cinnamon donut holes. It was beyond delicious. This, along with all of their pastries are baked in house daily. This unique cafe came replete with a dining room, a laptop room (and never the two shall meet) as well as a back room, all with comfy couches and ironic artwork. What more could you ask for?

A perfectly charming way to spend a morning in Long Island City.

2 Comments

Filed under Restaurants

Tagged as cafe, cappuccino, coffee, donut, espresso, homemade, long island city, pastries, queens

December 14, 2011 · 10:31 am

The Holidays, Humor and Humility

This week, with the holidays right around the corner, I find myself immersed in a myriad of emotions. Beginning on Sunday with what we knew would be a close game, the Giants played more with our hearts than against their opponent. If you know anything about those residing in my home, you know this game was no joking matter. But in the end, they were victorious, leaving the anxiety of “can they do it?” to linger on.

I am blessed to spend this evening with some wonderful friends having a veggie packed meal before I return to the land of no veggies (only kidding, Texas) to be with my family. Excitement fills me as does nostalgia. My heart is heavy as I remember each Christmas from my childhood. To forget the past is to forget who we are and yet remembering can often be so difficult. It is important to remember, it is important to feel and it is most important, during times like these, to treat yo self!

Pure

Perfection

Nobody knew the power of a post-work beverage better than Jeanie. So from her through me and now to you, I raise a glass of cinnamon sugar rimmed Harpoon Winter Warmer (aka heaven in a glass) to all of my family. Both those I was lucky enough to be given and those I’ve made for myself. You are the reason for the season and I’m grateful for what you’ve meant to me. L’Chaim!

Leave a comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as beer, christmas, family, friends, hanukkah, holiday, texas, veggie

December 4, 2011 · 2:13 pm

Date Night With Kate

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas AND finals are just around the corner; whether we like it or not this is a stressful time of year. Being my mother’s daughter, I deal with stress by taking care of other people so I decided that last night to combat the stress and the cold a lovely little date night was in order. I texted my boyfriend, told him that it was date night and went grocery shopping.

Steak, yellow squash, zucchini, onion, garlic, potatoes, and rolls...

... becomes pure joy when combined with a dash of southern love!

I cooked steaks for the first time garnished with sautéed yellow squash & zucchini, charred rolls, Lea’s home fries, and a bottle of Texas Merlot. My man and I enjoyed a quiet dinner at my house, a free screening of It’s a Wonderful Life, a walk in the Christmas lights, and ended the night with late night sundaes.

Local wine for a local lady.

Life when you’re young, busy, and have lots of things to spend very little money on can sometimes get challenging but it is important to remember that it’s not about what you’re doing; it’s about who you’re with.

Christmas-light watching shenanigans.

Leave a comment

Filed under Recipes

Tagged as abilene, cooking, hardin simmons, merlot, squash, steak, texas, wine

November 30, 2011 · 12:52 pm

Nothing in the house to eat?

Time to get creative!!

Someone decided to go play poker last night and since it was raining, I decided to stay in. There was only one little problem… we hadn’t hardly any food in the house! I was encouraged to look around the house for leftovers and come up with something great, “You can blog about it!” he assured me.

Challenge accepted.

The contents of my refrigerator were looking rather bleak, but I managed to rummage up the following:

I found four slices of turkey bacon, a small hunk of leftover brie, half a tomato and half an avocado. Thank goodness we always have bread.

I also had one russet potato, which I sliced thin, drenched in butter and baked at 475 degrees for 20 minutes (stirring halfway through).

It doesn’t look like much, but I had a vision… a vision of a world in which I would create the most delicious sandwich. I don’t know everything about sandwiches, but I know a thing or two about delicious and it begins with butter.

After frying the bacon, I assembled the sandwich with the sliced brie, tomatoes and avocado. Then I filled the skillet with butter and fried that baby up!

After sprinkling the chips with salt and pepper, adding a little side salad, in this end this was my creation. It was a cheesy, crunchy cool mouthful of yum.

Remember to keep a close eye on the potato chips (they burn super easily!) and nights like this are yet another reason to always have salad in the fridge.

POP POP!

2 Comments

Filed under Recipes

Tagged as avocado, cooking, food, poker, potato chips, rain, recipe, refrigerator, salad, sandwich, tomato, turkey bacon

November 28, 2011 · 11:49 am

Sunday Brunch

In my house, breakfast reigns supreme. When we have the time, brunch is an event, and during football season, we always make the time. I use this inclusive “we” word loosely as I am only responsible for potatoes and presentation. At dinnertime, I’m typically the queen of the kitchen, but in the AM, my king takes over. He does breakfast right. Below is a typical Sunday morning feast on 46th street.

Jared breaking eggs for french toast and to scramble. He mixes the egg with milk and cinnamon for the toast. There may be other steps involved. I'm generally asked to leave the kitchen.

Chop potato(es). Mix olive oil in a bowl with salt, pepper and whatever else you like. Coat potatoes in oil. Add sliced onions and chopped garlic and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes (stir halfway through).

He crusts the french toast in nuts, puts the heat on med-high, adds butter and frys those mothers up. BAM!

Lower the heat and grill up your bacon (turkey back in this case) until it's at your preferred level of crispiness.

Scrambled eggs are pretty self-explanatory and no brunch is complete without berries (or mimosas!)

Just another delicious day in Astoria… What are your favorite brunch items?

3 Comments

Filed under Recipes

Tagged as bacon, berries, breakfast, brunch, eggs, football, french toast, homefries, mimosas, potatoes, turkey bacon

November 23, 2011 · 11:36 am

Thanksgiving, Family and Football

12952_197934113771_775288771_3023864_6523929_n-1

I won the family lottery... don't be jealous 🙂

As we head swiftly into this holiday season, I am reminded of the many Thanksgivings spent with family as a child. Hailing from Texas, I could always count on two things. One, the Cowboys would be playing and two, we would be eating our meal at halftime. Never a chore, spending time with my family has always been and still is a joy. Memories of green bean casserole and my grandma’s dill baked oyster crackers bring a smile to my face and a tug on my heart. I am grateful every day for the uncountable beautiful moments I’ve shared with these wonderful people.

This year will be different. I imagine each of this year’s milestone will be different. I remain grateful because, while I won’t be watching the Cowboys game with my family, we are still connected by football. Obsessing over numerous mid-week adjustments to our fantasy teams and talking trash incessantly will make my mother glad to have missed it. I’m sure she will be spending Thanksgiving enjoying seconds and thirds of calorie-free food and wine, looking over us from way over yonder. Don’t worry, Mom, I will be sure to look over at the cranberry sauce and go “bleh,” for you. Cranberry sauce… bleh.

1 Comment

Filed under Uncategorized

Tagged as cowboys, cranberry sauce, family, football, green bean casserole, thanksgiving, turkey

November 12, 2011 · 8:56 am

The Nacho Blog

As a native Texan and a frequenter of neighborhood pubs everywhere, I consider myself a nacho aficionado. If you are a nacho fiend too perhaps you’ve noticed that this delicacy can often be hit or miss. I’ve had nachos that are too dry, nachos that are too wet, nachos with all the goods on top and nothing but sad plain chips underneath, and nachos so loaded up with sour cream that everything below them is soggy. These are nacho sins. I have set out to perfect the nacho recipe with an unbeatable method for ensuring each chip’s deliciousness. I pair it with guacamole (on the side!) because, for me, nachos just aren’t nachos without guacamole 🙂

To refry beans: sauté garlic, onions and jalapeños for 5 mins, then add beans (with juice) and bring to a boil. Then lower the heat and simmer adding beer as necessary (don't let them dry out). Should take 1.5 hours or so.

I used Modelo Especial.. but you can’t tell, because I freaked it. 🙂

Once the beans are finished, you can serve them as a side dish, but I really like to hide them underneath the nachos. A fun little surprise for your guests 🙂

Take care to layer the chips, meat (in this case beef), and cheese in however many layers you have food for. (Can easily be made veggie... just leave out the meat!) Then bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (until the cheese is melted).

I urge you not to rush through this step… this is how you ensure each chip will have ample toppings. Take your time!

While its in the oven, chop up your pico veggies. I kept it simple here... just tomatoes, red onion, and jalapeño all chopped finely.

You’ll want to have a second plate on hand to place the oven-hot plate on!

Guac- chop red onion, garlic and jalapeño, add avocado and citrus (in this case lemon, but lime is fine too). Mash it all together. Then add tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste.

If you make the guac ahead of time, be sure to press plastic wrap into the dip so it doesn’t brown (although if it browns a little, just mix it in, as my mom used to say, “it ain’t gonna kill ya!”)

Mmmm... beany surprise...

Perfectly spicy, delightfully cheesy, with just the right ratio of condiments 🙂 Delish.

2 Comments

Filed under Recipes

Tagged as beans, beef, beer, cheese, cooking, freakerusa, modelo, nachos, refried beans

November 11, 2011 · 5:19 pm

Who says you can’t cook for one?

Since someone had to work late, I was on my own for dinner last night. Sure, I could have just picked up a slice of pizza (that’s what he would have done). But I thought, “No. What an excellent opportunity to treat myself… to a steak.” So that’s what I did. And since I’m not made of money, I took myself down to the store and picked up a piece of tenderloin and a potato (I had cheese, milk, butter and veggies). And this is what I did…