Clams in Cherry Tomato Garlic Sauce
A recent post-Sunday football meal: cherrystone clams steamed in a cherry tomato, white wine and garlic sauce
I like trying new restaurants. I collect business cards from each. I also love to cook.
By day: I'm the Director of Interactive Strategy for a PR firm.
By night: I love going out to eat as much as cooking/baking (i.e., a lot). I also like hosting dinners/brunches for friends and family, outdoor activities (running, biking, hiking, etc.) and basically just enjoying NYC. I'm interested in healthy living and am currently taking a class on nutrition.
I've loved cooking and baking since I was a little girl. My grandparents love to recount a story from when I was about five years old. My birthday was approaching and they asked me what gift I would like. Without a moment of hesitation I said, "well, I do like to cook..." That year they gave me a pink and blue milkshake set, probably for fear I might light my hair on fire if I was given something to be heated. I can see those milkshake glasses and straws perfect in my mind's eye!
This site will be comprised of short food-related snippets from my life - what I'm cooking, where I'm eating and whether I'd do it again. I still collect business cards from every restaurant I visit and record them on Google Maps (see the "My Culinary Adventures" post).
The content you read here represents my thoughts alone and not those of my clients or employer. But if I mention a client, I'll let you know. If you want to contact me, send an email to the first two initials of my first name + my last name at yahoo dot com.
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Recipe
Perfect Breakfast Bran Muffin
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After channeling Paula Deen's Butter Love (PDBL) in my last post, I thought I'd make a batch of healthier muffins, versatile enough to handle different kinds of mix-ins and flavorful enough to simply stand on their own.
This bran muffin recipe comes from one of the most health conscious people I know. Fortunately, this girl also loves good food, good wine and thinks developing new flavors for Ben & Jerry's would be a dream job. So you can be assured these muffins will achieve two goals: good nutrition and good taste!
I made three versions with this most recent batch - plain, with chocolate chips and with currants. You could also include nuts or raisins to add a little protein and different flavors. As with the PDBL Pecan Pie Muffins, I froze the leftovers for easy weekday breakfast options.
Ingredients:
1.5 c bran cereal (not flakes - I used Fiber One)
1.5 c Bran flakes
1/3 c unsweeted apple sauce
1 c hot water
2 eggs
1 c whole wheat flour
1.5c reg. flour
1 c sugar (I go lighter on this and they still taste great)
2 Tb canola oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 Tb + 1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 c lowfat buttermilk (or, mix 1 T vinegar with ~ 1c skim milk)
2 Tb cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350. Lightly coat muffin tin with oil. Place all ingredients in large mixing bowl and stir until blended - don't overmix. Fill tins 1/2 to 3/4 full, bake for 25 min. Allow to cool a little for easier removal. Batter will keep in fridge up to 1 month.
Yield: 24 muffins
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Pecan Pie Muffin Recipe
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My friend Danielle made these pecan pie muffins for me and a group of girlfriends over the summer and I fell in love at first bite. Served warm, they were slightly crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside, just like a pecan pie should be. I recently made a batch, served a few for dessert with vanilla ice cream and put the rest in the freezer for an on-the-go weekday breakfast option. I substituted almonds and walnuts in part of the batch because I ran out of pecans and they turned out just as good. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Ingredients: Directions: |
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On my to-do list: Chocolate Raspberry Tiered Cake
via bellaeats.com
All my favorite colors in one photo: Tiffany blue, raspberry red and CHOCOLATE! I want to make this cake ASAP.
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Pasta alla Norma - The Amateur Gourmet
September 13, 2009 Update: Although this dish was delicious (and quite easy to make), it was not the same Pasta alla Norma to which I am accustomed from Otto. We modified the recipe slightly by adding chicken sausage (for protein). We also made a red onion and red pepper foccacia (using fresh dough from the pizza place across the street) with olive oil, thyme, rosemary, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
I love the Pasta alla Norma at Otto and will be making this dish at some point this fall.
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Our healthy at-home version: Piquillo-Pepper Num Pangs Recipe | Food & Wine
via foodandwine.com
We went to Num Pang Sandwich Shop for its opening weekend in March. Here's an excerpt from our review:
Although the sandwiches are tiny, they are delicious! We shared three: peppercorn catfish, veal meatballs and grilled skirt steak. They all had shredded carrots, cilantro and some sort of mayo-based sauce. Needless to say, they were incredibly flavorful and even though the seating was limited, we managed to squeeze into the upstairs bar.
So when I saw this recipe and remembered how much we loved the sandwiches, I had to try it. I may never go back to the restaurant again : )
Although we didn't use butter, piquillo peppers or cilantro (none of which we had on hand), the sandwich still had tons of flavor! We substituted low-fat mayo and added grilled chicken and arugula for a little extra veg + spice.
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Cousin Brunch
We hosted a Sunday brunch picnic for DG's cousins. We made a ham and cheese puff, a more-veg-than-egg frittata with broccoli, red peppers and sundried tomatoes (courtesy of Mark Bittmam at the New York Times) and "sunny morning" muffins with blueberries, bananas, strawberries and walnuts.
Sent from my iPhone
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Nantucket Scallop Sandwich
Our (healthier) version of the Impudent Oyster's Nantucket Scallop Sandwich - can't wait to have the real thing in a few weeks!
*Note: the Impudent Oyster is one of (if not the best) restaurant on Cape Cod. This is not just my opinion. It is also in one of the most quintessential New England towns. This is also not just my opinion. I worked here for a few summers while I was in college.
Sent from my iPhone
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