Palak Paneer Pizza

Midtown Lunch did several pieces on a pizzeria in Midtown called Bombay Eats. I saw the notes on this place and I was immediately intrigued. Its a genuis idea! If I had more time during lunch I would visit this place to try a slice for myself.
I don't make indian food from scratch (yet) but I thought that by using some tried and true store bought indian fare, i could recreate my own version of Indian pizza. I was going to wait for Henry's return but I had a craving for indian and decided to make it anyway.
I started with a whole wheat dough. When i thought this project up I didn't put too much thought into the crust... because Trader Joe's sells a pound of pizza dough for 99 cents... I really didn't see any other options (but you will see one later). When i set the dough onto my floured surface... I nearly broke down and cried. I remember why I havent played with dough in so long. My last attempts at rolling bread dough were traumatizing. I didnt want to add too much flour but every time I got the dough to a size I wanted, it ripped or stuck to the surface. About 30 minutes later and a good upper body workout later, I finally won the battle of Snob v. Dough.

I cheated a bit and used a cookie sheet to press the dough out into. it was well floured and the bottom was slightly greased with some cooking spray. (cursing that stupid dough)

While I was beating the shit out of the dough (because it wasnt listening to me) I had some chicken breasts cooking with a heavy coating of Cumin. MMM. Smoky. When it was cooked and rested I sliced.

and diced. I probably should have left it in strips because these chicken chunks sort of disappeared into the pizza and I hardly recognized it.

I chose mozzarella becuase I thought it was a mild enough cheese and was the best melting cheese for pizza.

My original pizza was for a Jaipur pizza but I am gonna hold out on that one for as long as possible because that is Henry's favorite dish. Palak Paneer is easy enough, its spicy spinach with indian cheese. who doesnt like spinach with chicken and cheese.... right?

I spread a layer of palak paneer onto the dough. I smushed the tofu-like cubes of cheese. (normally this dish is eaten like a soup but its really "IRON" tasting and its a little odd).

Next, sprinkle the chicken onto the green stuff.

and cheese. lots and lots of cheese. I used 2 cups of cheese. I could have used more but I wanted to taste the other ingredients, okay?

Bake this baby for 25 minutes at 400*.

MMM. Burnt cheese. See, you cant tell there is chicken in this dish.

I sliced it sicillian style.

and had two yummy slices.

Definite thumbs up on this masterpiece. I cannot wait to try the Jaipur with my slight modifications to the recipe. The crust was a big soggy on the bottom so i might cook it on a pizza stone next time and for a little longer... OR nix the whole wheat dough and opt for some Naan... although I think if I used naan as my crust I could get away with grilling and letting it get crispy.

Hope ya'll enjoyed that! I sure did and my roomie agrees!

Consensus: YUM!

Merry Holidays

The Bureau Party was last night... It was a lot different from last years. Different in many ways. For one... the venue was different and the food was way different and I'm proud to say I didn't grope any manboobs this year. We had the party at a Pub and ate bar food... ya know, wings, Mozzarella sticks, pigs in a blanket, sliders, veggies and dip, taquitos, and mini jamaican beef patties... which many will argue were mini beef empanadas. I still maintain they were mini jamaican beef patties- but whatevs. I didn't take pics- last years photos were incriminating enough.
This year I was really dreading the traditional Rookie Skit. Its an annual hazing if you will for the new attorneys that come in and they put on a skit about the other staff. Its always a riot to see! I was fearing a totally embarassing imitation of me or some personal fact about me being revealed (ahem- THIS BLOG) but I escaped humility and they actually mentioned something rather flattering. So to my Rookies- I know some of you are reading- I love you and thank you for sparing me! LOL.
While most of the office is "OUT SICK" with "stilldrunkitis", And Im freezing my tushy off at my desk... I'm thinking it will be a pretty good day for some takeout...
This cute little thai joint has been a crowded and popular lunch spot since forever ago and this was the first spot I ever had lunch when i first started working in this area. While my tastes in Thai were really basic (Chicken Satay and Pad Thai) I have gotten adventurous in trying new things and have developed a sincere love for Thai Food.

So when I grabbed the menu when my Thai craving hit, I knew immediately that I wanted the Coconut Red Curry Noodle Soup from Pongsri. Something about thai curry that is comforting, creamy, smoky, and just so damn good.

For $8.95 I got this MAMMOTH 4 cup serving of noodles, lots of coconut curry "soup" with chicken chunks and veggies. The smell is intoxicating. The taste is outta this world and you better beleive i ate that whole freaking thing.

It was the perfect dish for a frigid day! The only drawback that I am regretting are the "curry burps" which can be really embarrassing at social gatherings. But if you're staying in... red coconut curry is a great choice!!!!

Food Snob is turning a YEAR OLD! Anyone up for a Giveaway?? Or having a dinner date with the Snob herself? or any other ideas you can muster... lets here 'em!

A lonely anniversary

There is probably nothing more depressing than this.
Henry and I made our One year Anniversary last week. I celebrated alone. I kept the hope that he would come back in time which is why this post is so late. But I decided as morbid as this seems... it was actually quite nice. I decided to make a date night as if the two of us were together.
Take out. and WINE. and a movie. Oh, how I love me! LOL.

I ordered some Pad Se Ew from a thai place around the office and brought it home. Have I mentioned how much I love noodles? I loves them so this dish was perfect and plentiful. Forget calories! its My one year anniversary. I called him to say i loved him and then polished off a lovely bottle of Pinot Grigio and then watched P.S. I Love You. Holy crap is that movie cute!

Then an unexpected parcel arrived in the mail that is SO AWESOME i have to tell you about it now!

You know i love GREEN things becuase they make me feel good inside! Like the warm and fuzzies for being nice to the planet or something. Above is a snack taxi which is a reusable snack/sandwich bag! What a great gift idea for those people you love that take their lunches to work! Or get one for yourself and stop buying those plastic sandwich baggies at the supermarket!

I also got bamboo utensils! I love this one too because its got the whole set of what you might need while dining out and they come in a cute little case! I will confess that I carried metal spoons in my purse... now I dont have to!

Now, no more fishing in my purse for a spoon or using a plastic one! This is a great stocking stuffer and please forgo those plastic utensils they give you with your to-go food! They just sit in landfills for ever and ever! Pick up these bamboo utensils too... they are fab!!!

*These items I am raving about were given to me by a friend. I did not receive any promotional fees or rewards for this plug- I beleive in this product that much to tell you all to ditch your plastic baggies and plastic forks to make our earth a better earth for our future generations!*

Look at me eating my lunch with my to-go ware!!!!

Dont you love how morbid the beginning of this post was? And then how i started obsessing over bamboo utensils??? LOL

And if Henry is reading: I love you Henritos and HURRY THE HELL HOME!

BBQ Short Ribs

About a month ago, I found an AMAZING deal on short ribs. They were like $2.50 per lb and thats a bargain! I stocked up, cleaned the bunch, and froze them in two people servings. When I spoke to Henry he had said he might be coming home on a particular day. I prepared for his arrival by defrosting a pack of these meaty and succulent ribs. When the day finally came for him to come home, something happened and he has the worst luck known to man and this unfortunate event has delayed his voyage home.
So, i made these ribs for me and Mickey.
These ribs are DELICIOUS. And EASY! and if you dont make them you will be missing out on something so wonderful it will make you cry.
You'll need a slow cooker. I got my inspiration from a very awesome lady! If you dont have one, go and get one after reading this post. Holidays are among us and these things are on sale for practically nothing! I have two slow cookers. The one above is my first one, It is a 4 qt size and was purchased for $10 at walmart 2 years ago on Black Friday. My other one was a housewarming gift, it is a 6 qt and was on sale for $20- when it retails for $30 or $40. Its a great time saver and really allows you to be creative in the kitchen!

What you will need, Short Ribs and Barbecue sauce. I made 8 ribs and ran out of BBQ suace but if you are making 4 ribs you can use just one bottle of sauce.

Throw ribs into crock pot. Some people prefer to sear them first but if you're short on time, you can toss these in damn near frozen and they will come out fine!

I knew my bottle of BBQ sauce wasnt going to cut it so i added a few things to spruce it up a bit. Garlic powder...cuz I love garlicky BBQ!

The entire bottle of barbecue sauce.

And if you are making 4 and your sauce doesnt cover the ribs, add some water. But remember, adding water will dilute that smoky BBQ-y taste- might want to add a lil salt and garlic to bring it back.

Honey, What is BBQ sauce without a little honey? I feel like my sauce is complete now that I have added water, garlic, and honey.

If you have a programmable slow cooker, cook for 8-10 hrs on LOW or 4 hrs on HIGH. This is what you will see. The top layer is oil. But the smell in your house will be straight up BBQ. I stook that pesky layer of oil off and with a slotted spoon, fished for my ribs that have shruken into yummy tender pieces of love.

Meat is so tender it FALLS OFF THE BONE. The bones are still floating around in the pot.

And there they go. Soaked in BBQ Sauce!
Just an example of the soakage. The center of this bone, is the color the bones started out as. If you are a fan of chewing on the bones... these will be quite flavorful. I gave to Mickey and she destroyed one! Then I found out that cooked bones are bad for doggies. I hope she enjoyed that treat because she wont be getting any of those!

I seperated the meat from the bones and admired the beauty. Two ingredients (kind of) made this masterpiece. I was set for a few days with this lovely stuff!

Now what to eat with it....

I know. another instant potato dish. You would think I knew better... but it was a freebie and I never tried this one. I DESPISE instant mashed potatoes- because they are awful... but i figured why not? If this tasted horrible, I was gonna make a salad to go with it.

Can I confess something? I FREAKING loved these instant garlic mashed potatoes! They were not instant tasting at all... and i think its all the garlic, butter and milk in them. I was impressed. Waay better than the other brand of instant potatoes that i tried!

Paired it with some broc/cauliflower mix. I used a small plate to make me feel like I was eating a lot. (those ribs didnt last very long! they were too damn good)

Seriously, you will NOT regret making these ribs. They taste amazing and are a cinch to make. My mother, the skeptic, used this recipe and has already went out to buy more ribs so she can make these again! But be warned! they are DANGEROUSLY good!

Clean out the Pantry Day!

"I must Not Waste Food!"
"I must Not Waste Food!"
"I must Not Waste Food!"
I am sure with these stupid economic times we all are making an effort to NOT be wasteful, right? I hate throwing away food, So when i start to see the white shelves in myfridge, I know its time to reorder some groceries and use up some of the old.
Kale. I bought a HUGE bunch of kale to make green monsters. But I came to realize after the first day of a real green monster that I don't care for bits of kale in my breakfast. So there went that. But on one particular day I really wanted something salty, like fries and crispy like chips. So I decided on kale chips! Rinse your kale really well and cut up into big chunks being sure to remove the spines (they turn to twigs in the roasting process). Preheat oven to 425*.

I also had some "meatloaf" meat from the butcher. Its a mix of ground beef, pork and veal. I figured since I was making Kale chips, I could make some burgers too. But my pantry was also looking kind of bare so I threw in some Montreal Steak Seasoning and Country Bobs sauce. I figured I could be experimental since I was trying to use up the last of the meat. I also ran out of bread so these burgers were going to be big suckas!

Mixed it all up and then noticed something in my fridge that might be nearing is death.

Cheese. When Henry's fam went to ecuador some weeks back, they came back with some cheese. I dont know what its called... but it stinks and tastes really good. If I learned anything from Andrew Zimmern its that you shouldn't smell your food first if you are easily influenced by smells. On smells alone this cheese would have went right to the trash. But I love cheese- stinky ones and all! This is considered a fresh cheese. Its a cross between fresh mozzarella and cream cheese. It has a great flavor thats pungent and creamy and I thought would make a great contrast with my tangy burgers.

grabbed a patty.

Put some stinky cheese on it.

then put the other half of the burger on top. MMM. Cheese pockets! I didn't feel guilty since I was omitting the bread. this sort of became a low carb dinner.

I grilled these babies on a screamin hot grill pan. And whle these were cooking, I threw in the kale. I let the kale roast for 10 minutes. i checked on them and wanted them a lil more crisp. I like mine a little burnt. :-) Must be the puerto rican in me.

Look whats ready!!! When the burgers cooked up the cheese oozed out. The stinky cheese tastes FANTASTIC when its melted. I think I will be trying this cheese in a soup!

Naturally, everything was ready at different times and because I was so friggin hungry, I ate the kale chips first. SO YUM! If you can get over the green part you really wouldnt know this was a roasted green! If you are a chip addict i dare you to try these! they make great low cal, low carb and fat free substitute for french fries and chips... a bit of a warning tho- these should only be eaten fresh- they dont hold over well testure-wise over night.

I scooped up all the melted cheese in the pan and put it on top of the burger. It was juicy and I was impressed with the seasoning. I usually add so much stuff but since i was out of damn near everything I improvised and it came out great. I love the contrast with the cheese and beef. And i enjoyed the 2nd burger even more the following day!

A Belated Birthday Dinner

I have been holding out on this one for as long as possible... partially because I will have to come back and edit- but I will let you all know of any MAJOR changes.

My roomie, Dara and her boyfriend Michael wanted to take me out for my birthday. I was so game for this outting because Michael is a bonafide foodie and possibly the REAL Food Snob but in a good way. I am up for whatever when it comes to trying new things or going to new places so when Dara asked where I wanted to go I told her to surprise me.

The surprise? A quaint little French Bisto in Long Island City. Tournesol. I haven't had French Cuisine since i was 20 years old when my first boss took me to a really fancy restaurant with a million courses. Of course, I didn't have the appreciation for French cuisine then like I do now. The bistro was packed. There were about 15 tables in the whole place and every possible inch was being used. Michael was smart and made reservations because we could have ended up waiting and we were too hungry to wait!

To start, Michael ordered a Bordeaux. Ask me about wine and i can tell you if its red, white or yummy. This one was red and yummy. This might be a good part for Michael to add an Editor's Note.

I looked at the menu and asked for recommendations... then these yummy things came out.

Olives. I love Olives. Nice little apertif to get the appetite going. While we were sipping our wine the waiter came over to read the specials. The all sounded so lovely and we ended up ordering two special appetizers and Michael got a special entree.

Foie Gras. Probably the one thing I have always heard and wanted to try. Fatty Duck Liver Pate. I really enjoyed it... and then Dara made a comment about feeling bad for the ducks. I munched on but looked it up when i got home. I felt a little terrible for Donald. As you can see in the rectangular shaped thingy... yellow globs of straight up fat- sounds gross but spread a little on the toasted slices of bread with some of that sweet chutney and you've got a friggin party. It was delicious. Appetizer number two, (the name escapes me) was a flaky tart topped with creamy blue cheese, red onions, roasted figs, and a bitter lettuce on top...i think its Frisee. Dont quote me. But I built a serious bite onto my fork with a little bit of each component and I was madly in love with this dish and wondering how i was going to eat my entree after all this delisciousness... dont worry- I never turn down a plate! If I came back (which I will) and had to order one of these appetizers only I wouldnt be able to choose because they were so incredibly yummy.

Moving onto Entrees and I apologize for the lack of quality in the pictures, it was really dark when i started taking these photos and I was a little high on duck fat. Dara ordered a hanger steak with scalloped potatoes and a gorgeous serving of Bernaise Sauce. Bernaise is, in Michaels words "The French Hollandaise". What makes it so yummy is all the tarragon. I had a bite of Dara's steak dipped in the sauce. Is it bad to want to drink sauce? Damn. so good!

Such a travesty to ruin this photo. I couldnt tell it was a shit picture until I got home and by then this dish had been eaten up! Cassoulet, White bean stew with duck confit and sausage. Definintely not a dieters dish. This is a hearty and extremly flavorful stew that I fell madly in love with as well. Who knew beans could taste so good?

I got the Boeuf Bourguignon. How could I not? Not only did Dara and Michael say how good it was but i was DYING to try this after I heard it several times in the Julie/Julia flick. This photo also sucks. But I got a steaming little pot of this rich, tender, beef stew. The beef was tender and literally fell apart with just the slightest touch of the fork. The mushrooms, carrots, pearl onions and potatoes were roasted to perfection. And as I was enjoying mouthfulls of tender beef I squealed (literally) with delight as I unearthed a bed of broad egg noodles! Oh, how I love noodles! I ate about 2/3 of this and took it home. (the next day the solid fat rings in the sauce helped me figure out how they got the meat to be so tender... straight up fat!)

And as if i didnt eat enough I had to have my very first Creme Brulee. It always looks so gorgeous on tv and in pictures and when i said out loud that I never had creme brulee the decision was made right then and there. I even had the honor of cracking the topping. This was also insanely good. There were delicious bits of vanilla bean in the custard and the topping was simply out of this world.

I grabbed a business card and already have plans of taking My Henry there when he returns! It was a great place with amazing food and If you are in the mood for a treat this place is reasonably priced.

Thank you so much Dara and Michael! I really felt special and Henry thanks you for taking me away when he couldn't!

Housewarming

No, I didn't move.

My friends Dan and Nechama moved. I have known Dan for 5 years and he and his wife have moved a total of THREE TIMES. I hear the word MOVING and my skin crawls. There is NOTHING worse than packing your life away to move. Its time consuming and annoying. Well, every time they move, I give them a housewarming pressie. Nothing grandiose, just small little somethings to "warm" up.

Well this year their move was very spur the moment. And I didn't have a chance to pick up something for the house. While looking for something to defrost for dinner in my freezer I saw the bag of homemade marinara sauce that I made a few weeks ago. And with a quick recap of what I had lying around the kitchen I decided right then and there that I was going to make a housewarming dish to surprise them with. Lasagna.

All i needed to pick up was some lasagna noodles and ricotta cheese. I had my sauce, mozzarella cheese, and an aluminum pan. I highly recommend disposable cookware for presenting dishes or potlucks. It avoids the uncomfortable banter of trying to retrieve your favorite casserole dish, ya know?

My pasta sauce defrosted on the kitchen counter for about 6 hrs. If you are using a homemade meat sauce you might want to defrost it in the microwave or in the fridge.

I purchased 16oz of Part Skim Ricotta. I always always add an egg to my ricotta... I dont know why. you dont have to but my mom always did and her mom always did so thats what I did.

Okay, Preheat the oven to 350*. Rinse your aluminum pan (if you are using taht) and start to build your lasagna.

Start with a layer of sauce. Enough sauce to coat the bottom of the pan to prevent stickage.

Next add a layer of lasagna noodles. Here is my cheat...i use the NO-BOIL Noodles. They take all the "PAIN IN THE BUTT" part out of making lasagna (UPDATE: EMILY JUST TOLD ME YOU CAN USE REGULAR NOODLES- HOORAY!!!!). You just gotta make sure you use enough sauce so they moisten up nicely. I also saved a TON of time by using sauce that I prepared in advance.... I know a lot of you use the jarred stuff but unless you have had a homemade sauce.. you dont know what you are missing!

I broke an end piece pretty badly... what they won't know wont hurt. And it doesnt make it taste any less delicious. :-)

remember to keep the noodles moist. I put a layer of sauce as often as possible! Cover sauce with a thin layer of sauce.

Add a few globs of ricotta and move it all around with your spoon/clean finger.

Add a generous portion of mozzarella cheese. If you like a meat lasagna, you can add some ground meat to the layer between the ricotta and Mozzarella. Then cover with sauce and repeat with noodles.

Bake covered at 350* for 45 mins, when the cheese looks well melted, take cover off and cook for an additional 10 mins.

And throw in some homemade garlic biscuits to sweeten the deal.

I called Dan and told him I made dinner for him and his wife and he was so incredibly grateful. I knew that they were surrounded by boxes of stuff so i packed plates and utensils to go with dinner. He said it was the best housewarming present. And that tray of lasagna helped them get through unpacking

Next time someone is moving, send them something homemade- thats a gift that will never go unappreciated! (unless you are a crap cook! LOL)

Wanna make some of this? Here's what you will need:

1 box of No BOIL Lasagna Noodles (about 14 noodles) (OR REGULAR NOODLES IF YOU READ EMILYS COMMENT), 16 oz of part skim ricotta cheese, 4 cups shredded mozzarella, 8 cups of marinara sauce.