Cioppino for Two, then Three More

Last night I made Cioppino:  1 Doz. Clams; Calamari rings and shrimp added to:  Crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic, green peppers, jalapeno peppers (not so much), thyme, basil, oregano, salt, pepper and white wine.  Cooked the sauce/soup for a few hours then added the seafood for about 20 minutes till the clams opened.  I made garlic bread with my boiled-in-olive oil-garlic and we dipped and slurped. 

Then we called the Wisners who had not eaten yet and they came up and finished the pot!  It was a great Tuesday evening!

Dee's and Denise's

Saturday night Michael, Jesse and I went to Dee's.  Yum!  We shared a Caesar salad and a Margherita pizza, then we ordered another Margherita Pizza because it was so good.  Jesse had Argentine skirt steak with mashed potatoes (the steak was perfect) and Michael had a rosemary turkey burger with carmelized onions and no bun :)  A few margaritas (not the pizza kind) and a few glasses of chianti rounded out the evening!

Monday night Michael and I were treated to dinner at Joe and Denise's.  We had broccoli rabe and sausage and hummus and pita to start with, then the main event:  Mushroom Lasagna with bechamel and cheeses.  It was great!! And so was the company!!

Thanksgiving

Our annual family Thanksgiving dinner was last night at our house.  Chris, Margo, Mike, Ryan and Chrysalis joined us.

We started with:  Seared scallops with lemon artichoke pesto; asparagus wrapped with prosciutto and hollandaise sauce to dip; ciao angelo and parmigiano reggiano cheese with balsamic glaze; rosemary-salt sourdough bread; tomato garlic dipping sauce; pepperdews and olives; beer, wine and lemon-mint-vodka cocktails.

Dinner was:  Corn chowder; sweet potatoes, stuffing (from Chris); sauteed rainbow chard with garlic (Chrysalis made); whole berry cranberry sauce; pickled beets; cavatelli with pink sauce; and of course a brined-butter and herb under the skin-roasted turkey.

Dessert was:  Short bread cookies; carrot cake and strawberries with fresh whipped cream and coffee.

Some of us slept through dessert, on the couch, on an available bed, in a chair...And some of us woke up at 3am and started all over again...and some of us cleaned up and went to bed at 10pm.

Glad we are such an agreeable family and no one minds what the others do (or don't do).  We love you all!

Caffee Linda and More

Last night I went with Barbara and her daughter Jackie to the holiday shops at Bryant Park.  They come every year around this time, but this year they are here early from October 15 to January 8.  We walk the park and shop and eat and talk and watch the skaters.

Then we walked to Grand Central because their Holiday Boutique is open as well.  This has become a yearly event for us, maybe 3 or 4 years now.

Afterwards we walked around and found a very cute place to eat, Caffe Linda (http://www.yelp.com/biz/caffe-linda-new-york).  We had:  Minestrone soup, Insalata Linda-mozzarella, avocado, hearts of palm, tomato & white beans and Pappardelle with a rabbit ragu (not me of course, but Barbara).  A few glasses of Chianti and a shared dessert of Tartufo Al Cioccolato.  Yum!

But best of all was the company!

Triangolo Pizza, Wing Stop, Cronin & Phelan and Dani's

We have had a busy weekend.

Friday night we got haircuts then went to Greenpoint and had a quick slice of pizza before meeting Jill and Lenny for their friends gallery opening.  We went to Triangolo Pizza on Manhattan Avenue.  We each had a Sicilian slice then shared a regular slice.  Both were really good!

We left there and met Jill and Lenny at Greenpoint Gallery on McGuiness Boulevard.  Up one flight of metal stairs to a room with long curtains, couched areas, live music and not so fabulous art :(  Jill's friend is Robbii and his art is sculptures in wood and reclaimed metal along with the stray doorknob.  The paintings, which were not his, were of birds and were hung on the walls with thumb tacks, yet still had price tags next to them of $1200.  Please!  There were real-stuffed-spray painted birds hanging from wire as well. Anyhoo...

We left there and drove to LIC Bar, you guessed it, in Long Island City.  We had a few beers and a glass of wine then went home to go to sleep.  Seemed like a long day.

Saturday night, I was in the mood for Shepherd's Pie and after reading several scary reviews for Donovan's and Morrison's, we ended up back at Cronin and Phelan on Broadway in Astoria.  Their website sucks, the outer building is just a brick wall with a door inset, however, inside is really nice.  Wooden bar, comfy booths and tables, decent menu and good Shepherd's pie.  Michael had a French Onion soup and a chipotle chicken sandwich.

We wandered Steinway Street afterwards, bought a sweater in the Gap and found a cool looking wing joint called Wing Stop (http://www.wingstop.com/).  If you're ever in the mood for wings, I would check this place out.

Tonight we went to Dani's for an early dinner:  Eggplant parm casserole, eggplant parm hero (I only ate a 1/4 of it), salad and we shared a slice of pizza.  Yum!

Tomorrow Barb and I are trying to go to Bryant Park again, but it is supposed to rain, so we'll see.  Jesse is coming home Tuesday !!!! and Wednesday and Thursday are cooking and family days.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Roberta's

Monday night we had leftovers (sauce, macaroni, Brussels sprouts, Greek salad).  Tuesday night I roasted a chicken.  Wednesday night we went to Roberta's (http://www.robertaspizza.com/) with Joe and Denise.  They had given me a gift certificate to Roberta's for my birthday and the inevitable argument over the check ensued regardless :)  We had:  Romaine salad with candied walnuts, pecorino and mint; Squash with pumpkin seed and aged Gouda; The Purple Nurple Pizza (I kid you not) - tomato, mozzarella, ricotta, parmigiano, eggplant and garlic and the Banana Hammock Pizza (still not kidding) - bechamel, mozzarella, parmigiano, pork sausage, banana peppers, garlic, onion and cilantro; and the Special Calzone with pesto, mozzarella, parmigiano, ricotta, prosciutto crudo and roasted red pepper.

EVERYTHING WAS YUMMY! Thanks guys!

Last night I was supposed to go into the city but the weather was so yucky that we canceled and had take out at home:  Eggplant parmigiana hero for me and Caesar salad with grilled chicken for Michael.

Today I am vacuuming, mopping and doing laundry.  Also making mushroom barley soup (golden, with chicken stock, not beef) and later Michael and I have haircuts, then we are meeting Jill and Lenny in Greenpoint at The Greenpoint Gallery (http://thegreenpointgallery.com/).  Their friend has an opening tonight.  Hoping for some drinks afterwards :) then home to a warm, cozy bed and some zzzzzzz's.

Next week is Thanksgiving and of course my order for Fresh Direct delivery has been in for 2 weeks already :).  I have the delivery on Wednesday morning, then prep and bake all day so we can do the turkey right on Thursday. 

Most importantly though, is that Jesse is coming home Tuesday night!

Friends For Dinner

Last night we had some of our closest friends over for dinner.  Glenn, Eileen, Emily and Sarah and Lenny, Jill and Brett. 

We had:  Olives, cheese, bread, roasted tomatoes, crab cakes with garlic aioli, red wine, white wine and vodka-lemon-mint cocktails.  Dinner was:  A big pot of gravy with meatballs, pork and sweet sausage, Rigatoni, country Greek salad, garlic bread and roasted Brussels sprouts with pancetta, onion and garlic.  Dessert was:  Apple cobbler, rugalech and Eileen's sweet and salty cookie.

We had a really good time.  We laughed and told stories and sat at the table for a long time.  Thanks guys! We love you!

Not Cooking

Today is Thursday and I am not cooking, because I don't feel like it, that's why.

Monday night Michael was at 5 Burro with Glenn and Lenny.  I have no idea what I ate at home :)

Tuesday night I made sauce with braciole and penne.

Wednesday night I made chicken cutlets with panko and burned broccoli.

And here we are, it's Thursday and I am not cooking.  I am not cooking Friday night either, also because I don't feel like it. However, I will be making rugalech for Saturday night.

Saturday night The Wisners and the Creutz' are coming for dinner.  I am cooking :) and I am making:  crab cakes with garlic aioli, then a big pot of sauce (gravy) with pork, sweet sausage and meatballs; rigatoni; homemade garlic bread with my olive oil boiled garlic; broccoli and cauliflower with garlic and oil and country Greek salad (tomatoes, cucumbers, green peppers, feta, oregano, olive oil and red wine vinegar). Dessert will be rugalech and apple cobbler.

Sunday, you guessed it, I am not cooking.  Michael is going to the Jets game with Steve and I will relax :)

Have a nice weekend!

Contemplating

I was at a funeral yesterday and I was listening to all the loved ones who spoke.  I paid careful attention to her children because she was a mom and I wondered how they would eulogize her.  Her daughters were eloquent and gracious and VERY sad.  It got me thinking what would be said about me at my funeral.

No religious gobbly-de-gook please.  I'd rather be cremated and taken home than buried.  Please play Gimme Shelter by the Stones and There Comes A Time by Neil Young. (In case anyone remembers).

So...I wondered who would speak and what they would say.  I wondered if my cooking would be mentioned, or my restaurant reviews or my holiday dinners. I wondered how I would be remembered.  Not morbidly, just curiously. 

hmmmmmm...

Miranda and Fortunato Brothers

An evening in Brooklyn with friends.  What could be better?

Michael and I went with Jill and Lenny to Miranda (http://www.mirandarestaurant.com/).  The food is a mix of Latin and Italian.  The decor is warm and woody.  The wine list is plentiful.  The fresh bread served tableside continuously is wonderful, with choices of foccacia, whole wheat and Tuscan.  The service is good, no rushing, no screw-ups.  We had called for a same-day reservation and they were able to accommodate us to within a half hour of our preferred time.  The ONLY draw back:  Their sangria was grosser than gross with mushy fruit, pits and some funky spice I could not place.  Michael and I sent ours back and ordered a bottle of organic red Tempranillo instead. 

For appetizers we shared:  Market Green salad with spiced beets, ricotta salata, marinated mushrooms in a sherry vinaigrette; Grilled baby octopus salad with arugula, avocado, cucumber, pickled shallots and jalapenos; and a three cheese plate - Garrotxa which is a goat's milk cheese from Spain, Salva Cremasco  which is a cow's milk cheese from Italy and Pecorino Ginepro which is a sheep's milk cheese from Italy.  The plate comes with fig spread. Way yummy all around.

For dinner Jill had Medialuna - wild mushroom and ricotta half moons with white truffle oil (great).  Lenny had Pappardelle with a ragu of mole-braised leg of lamb and parmigiano reggiano (yummy).  Michael had Grilled Churrasco - Angus skirt steak with roasted carrots and fingerling potatoes with shallots and chimmichurri (very good).  I had Arancini -  which were supposed to be small rice balls with chorizo and spinach (yucky and no flavor). But the tomato fonduta (thick sauce) that they came on was really good.

We decided to have dessert at Fortunato Brothers on Manhattan Avenue.  We parked, got a table for four and had a cat jump up on Michael's lap :) It was great.  Cappucino, espresso, cannolis, lobster tails and chocolate gelato.  Need I say more?!

Since Monday

Not a very original title for me, I know, but it still stands.

Monday night I decided on a new way to eat our veggies, not that we have a problem eating them the old way:  Garlic and oil on everything.  I felt that since the season has certainly changed to Fall that I would embark on a soup mission.  Soup is good in the Fall and the Fall is a good time for soup.  Win-Win.

This week I made Brussels Sprouts soup (would have worked even better with bacon-but what doesn't).  I made Gumbo (with roux and okra).  I made Broccoli and Cheddar soup (next time I will use extra sharp cheddar). I made Lentil soup (Trader Joe's has lentils already cooked and vacuumed sealed).

I have future plans for Borscht with matzoh balls (love those beets), Cabbage soup, Mushroom Barley and Cioppino (crock pot-I am thinking).

And, of course, our Thanksgiving standard and most yummy soup, Corn Chowder.

Warms me just thinking about it all...