HARDCOREFOODITY.COM

Review-Riverdale Diner-Bronx, NY

2010-01-23T15:18:00Z

A friend of mine came into NYC for a visit and we hit up the Riverdale Diner on Kingsbridge Avenue. Currently I'm on a diet that has me eating very little more than a few ounces of meat and a salad, I decided to throw caution to the wind and have a pancake deluxe breakfast instead, not knowing when I would have one again. This ideal meal, to me, is the true test of a diner's capabilities and I wanted to see if they could measure up to my standards of excellence.

One thing my friend and I noted was the size of the booth. The Riverdale Diner has pleasant decor and flat screen tvs to entertain the bored or easily distracted. I, magpie that I am, am clearly the latter. But then it's Jeopardy and I can't resist a good trivia game. I found myself saying things like, "Yeah! I know what you mean, the booths are--Who is Samuel Clemens!--totally too thin---What is Coca-Cola!--I can imagine you must be uncomfortable." The booths are so squished together that we sat with our ribs up against the table and we wondered if it was worth it to the diner to save those extra inches of comfort just to squeeze in one or two more booths. We managed for the time being, but I have to say that I'd prefer a little more space in between me and the table.

The service was friendly and efficient. We never had to wait for refills. We didn't have to wait long for our appetizer of mozzarella sticks, though I have to comment on the watered down marinara. When it's that liquid, you spend less time getting actual marinara sauce on your cheese stick than you do getting it wet with watered tomato juice. While I'm sure they're trying to cut corners by "stretching" the sauce, it's actually wasted because you're soaking up the juice and leaving the bulk of the sauce behind.

When our food arrived, I noticed that the pancakes had been stacked on top of my ham, bacon and sausage. Most of the diners that I've been to before will put all the meat on one plate and the pancakes separate. This bothered me a little, but I separated my proteins from my carbs quickly and I know better to tell them how to arrange my plate next time. While I like to dip my sausage in the syrup, I don't like having it forced on me.

A connoisseur of pancakes, I took a test bite. While I wasn't incredibly disappointed, I have to be honest and say that I've had better. I've been spoiled rotten by the Westgate Diner in Albany, NY (and by my own delicious pancakes). As far as pancakes go, I'd give them a C+. Not as fluffy as they could have been and I'm wondering if they use buttermilk or not. I didn't taste it if they did. What they lacked in quality, they made up for in edibility.

The meat, I will attest, was cooked to perfection. I'm picky about my over-medium eggs and I will politely send them back if they're not done properly. These were cooked perfectly. Not too runny, not too hard. The bacon was an exquisite balance of crunchy and chewiness that I enjoy.

All in all the experience was pretty good. I was very pleased with the service (which is tantamount in my opinion) and while I have had better, the food was okay. I cleaned my plate, so I'm not protesting too much.

Review: Mangia-Slingerlands, NY

2009-12-29T13:40:00Z

Review: Mangia, 1562 New Scotland Road, Slingerlands, NY 12159-I recently dined at Mangia with a friend at the Slingerlands location since the Stuyvesant Plaza location has closed. I'd been there years before and enjoyed their pizza al forno. This time I opted for the Pollo Con Tortellini which is chicken tenderloins, sautéed with sun-dried tomatoes & mushrooms in a tomato cream sauce tossed with cheese-filled spinach tortellini. It was a treat to my palate with the cream sauce being not too runny and not too thick, the chicken deliciously tender and all the flavors marrying well together.

I don't dine there too often because they're a little pricey for my budget; however, their portions are HUGE and they offer a half-dinner menu price for a smaller portion which was still too much for me to finish. The leftovers reheat beautifully, even a couple of days later. If you're trying to have a romantic evening (which I wasn't, but the lighting and decor is conducive to such, for your information) on a budget, you can split an appetizer and a half-entree. Don't skimp on the wine. :)

You can check out their menu and full prices here for both their Plattsburgh and Slingerlands locations:

Nuke York

2009-12-25T18:11:00Z

Hardcore Foodity is now moving from the Capital District to the Big Apple. Stay tuned and look forward to updates from area restaurants, hideouts, places to shop, etc. :)

They say if you can make it here, you can make it anywhere.

Behind the Green Door

2009-09-29T23:27:00Z

Located in Albany on Hamilton Street is an establishment called Cheesecake Machismo. Ever since I'd been to Totem (see posted review) for sushi and found out that my favorite dessert there, the Green Tea cheesecake with Chocolate Ganache, came from that establishment it's been in the back of my mind to try and get a recipe to make my own. So I did. But I highly recommend their wares.

I located a recipe on Epicurious; however, I opted not to make the tisane to go with it (though I may another time!) . I was on a mission for chocolate. I found another recipe for chocolate ganache and just put the two together. My cake looks different from the one that Cheesecake Machismo creates and I believe (though I haven't called to ask or confirm) that they use Matcha in their recipe. I ground up the contents of several tea bags and sifted them through a fine sifter to get my green tea powder. It doesn't have the color tint to it as you would using Matcha, but the flavor is still there.

Instead of using shortbread cookies as the recipe calls for, I used cinnamon sugar graham crackers beaten to a pulp and added butter (proportionately). I always double the recipe of graham cracker crust because I feel it provides a stronger foundation when you slice it.

The recipe called for Fromage Blanc and I'd never heard of it so I checked with my local grocery store. No dice. I asked a fellow foodie and they directed me to what my next course of action was going to be anyway: The Honest Weight Food Co-op (which is where I should have gone in the first place). They had fromage blanc made from both cow's milk and goat's milk. I opted for the bovine version.

I hadn't been to the Co-op since they remodeled so I was overcome with sensory overload. I walked away getting more groceries than I intended, but I'll save that for another post.

The cheesecake batter was a little runnier than I expected and I was worried that somehow I'd messed up but I trusted the recipe and went with it. I wasn't disappointed with the result.

I prepared the ganache towards the end of the baking cycle for the cake. I allowed both to cool to room temperature and poured the ganache on top. Then I placed the cheesecake in the refrigerator until morning before I took it to work. The ganache by that time had stiffened into smooth chocolately crust which was exactly what I was hoping to achieve.

Ganache

6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons whipping cream

Whisk all ingredients in small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted and smooth

(Following recipe text lifted from the Epicurious website which was from the January 2006 issue of Bon Appetit.)

Cake

1 cup (generous) ground shortbread cookies (about 6 ounces)
2 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature (do not use whipped or "light" products)
1/2 cup (packed) fromage blanc*
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons Japanese green tea powder** or 2 teaspoons finely ground green tea from about 4 tea bags

*Fromage blanc is available at some supermarkets, cheese stores, and specialty foods stores.

**Green tea powder is available at Japanese markets.

For cake:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Press cookie crumbs firmly onto bottom (not sides) of 8-inch-diameter spring form pan. Wrap outside of pan tightly with 3 layers of heavy-duty foil. Using electric mixer, beat cream cheese, fromage blanc, and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until incorporated after each addition. Beat in green tea powder until smooth. Pour batter over prepared crust in pan. Place cake in roasting pan; add enough hot water to roasting pan to come halfway up sides of spring form pan.

Bake cake until set but center moves very slightly when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour. Remove cake from roasting pan; cool 1 hour at room temperature. Refrigerate uncovered overnight. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)

ohai!

2009-09-29T02:36:00Z

So, for those of you sticking around, I thank you. Things have been a little better lately in the Casa. Kitchen time has been more plentiful. I prepared a maple walnut cheesecake for a friend's belated birthday (see link in sidebar). It didn't come out as nice as the one I made before, but it was still tasty

I'm now attempting to make a green tea cheesecake. I've promised one to my roommate for her birthday, but I'm making a tester cheesecake and will be sharing it with coworkers so they can be my guinea pigs. So far things are going mostly as planned. I'll post the recipe in the next post.

I'd first had one when I went to Totem restaurant in Albany, NY. I later found out that they get their cheesecakes from Cheesecake Machismo in Albany. It's not that I can't afford to go buy one (I certainly support their business). However, if you know me, you know how DIY I am. Curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to make one on my own.

So we'll see how things turn out! Stay tuned.

Hard Times

2009-06-16T23:24:00Z

Hard times have befallen Hardcore Foodity. Many a meal hath consisted of beans and rice, peanut butter and jelly, spaghetti sauce and whole wheat pasta. None of it noteworthy.

< /emo >

Check back in August when I'm less destitute. Also, keep a lookout for a redesign. This pixelated hoobajoobah is pissing me off.

I LOVE THE CHOSEN PEOPLE! SHOW ME THE MATZOH!!!!

2009-04-09T02:57:00Z

I was pleasantly surprised by the sharing of this yumminess by my lovely friend, Miss Ida Feltersnatch (Roller Derby Referee, Super Fab Femme and my Tata Sister). So I present to you a new section of Hardcore Foodity: Miss Ida Feltersnacks

Queer Jewish Passover Charoses

1 Cup chopped apples (I like Fiji because of the sweetness.)
1/4 Cup chopped nuts (I use walnuts.)
1 teaspoon honey
Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons red wine (about) (Don't go for fancy wine here. You want Manischewitz Concord Grape. I can't imagine charoses with any other wine. It's really an essential ingredient.)

Mix all ingredients.
Enjoy!

L'Chaim!

And Peaceful Passover Wishes to my Chosen Peeps. Love you bunches. You know who you are.

Crazy Craisin Pancakes!

2009-02-25T05:24:00Z

In honor of Pancake Day, I decided to make pancakes. I took the recipe from Better Homes & Gardens, modified it a little (it's all about improvising with what you have!) and shot video as I put it all together. It's awful. I didn't have a camera person, so most of the video is "Shirt Cam" But it was fun for my first try. Hopefully, the next broadcast of Hardcore Foodity will be a little more organized

<br><br>Someone named "no one special" stopped by and asked questions in the chat room as I was cooking. So when you hear me responding to someone, they're asking me questions in the chat room. Since you can't see that in the video I'll have to remember to repeat the questions that people ask while I'm recording the show live. Next time there will be improvements. But aww look! I'm on teevee! Until next time folks!

~~Clicking on the video link below will take you to the main page. To watch the video, scroll down and click on the video clips and it should start playing.~~ Video has been deleted, Clairee...

Ad Nauseam, a.k.a Where The EFF are my tastebuds?!?!?

2009-02-20T23:29:00Z

I've been sick since Tuesday with bronchitis/sinus & ear infection. Today was awful because I cannot stomach anything. It's not that I'm throwing up or anything, I just have no bloody appetite. I went to the store today and my quick and easy comfort food of burritos, taquitos and a mountain of mexican blend cheese and red hot sauce was enough to make me want to gag.

I was a good girl. I bought chicken and frozen veggies. Eggs. Whole Wheat elbow macaroni. I did get evaporated milk and heavy cream so that I could make Peter's Cheese and Macaroni recipe with the cheese seconds that I got from the Grafton Cheese Factory. They have sections of cheese that were either too short for the blocks or blobs of cheese that were leftover from the making process. Tastes the same at an incredible discount. I ended up getting 50-60 bucks worth of cheese for 6 dollars. Who cares if it's not perfectly shaped? It's just getting grated anyway! So, check out the "seconds" shelf if you're at the Grafton Cheese Factory. And pick up some maple sugar cotton candy. It's deelish.

However, shopping at the grocery store was like a child at a wake. Did NOT want to be there. And I couldn't even summon up the power to make anything for myself because all thought of food made me gag. I ended up force feeding Cocoa Puffs because I had to have something in my tummy so I could take my medication. Force feeding! My favorite, incredibly unnutritious cereal! But it's the only thing that I could even consider consuming. It's kinda sad.

I set up a channel for Hardcore Foodity where, in addition to posting delicious recipes and sassy pictures here, I'll also be broadcasting live or pre-recorded action videos of some select items. We'll see how it pans out.

Ha! "pans" out! I made a punny!

At any rate, check back for more information or posting of shows. In the meantime, I'm taking my sick butt back to bed.

Garlic Pizza at Casa de Farce

2009-02-13T03:41:00Z

Special note: Hardcore Foodity is now on Twitter! Follow!

Tonight I had a yen for some garlic pizza (after having some at Marigold's Kitchen in Vermont, I've been itching to make some at home).

Items purchased:
ball of dough from Price Chopper (usually found in the cheese section by the Mozzarella)
Metric ton of mozarella cheese (I probably could have gotten away with a 3 ounce bag instead of the 8 ounce bag I bought)
3 heads of garlic (I only used one on the pizza).

I set the ball of dough to rise in a warm place. At home I already had a can of Tomato & Basil spaghetti sauce which I used instead of marinara. It wasn't quite salty enough for me, so I added a couple of tablespoons of salt to the mix, a few pinches of oregano and some thyme.

I chopped the garlic...

...then sauteed it in a skillet with a smidge of olive oil.

After the dough had had sufficient time to rise (in a warm place for 45 minutes, according to the packaging) I removed it from the oven only to find that it had not risen, much to my disappointment. My roommate informed me that she's never had much success with the Price Chopper brand of pizza dough, and I've had previous successes with the Mastroianni Brothers pizza dough, so I recommend using it instead. Or making your own (I was cutting corners to save time).

I spread the dough out as best that I could on a cookie sheet lightly greased with olive oil to keep the pizza from sticking too much. I topped the dough with the spaghetti sauce, topped with mozzarella, then scooped the sauteed garlic out of the skillet on top of the pizza and, because there wasn't quite enough garlic I lightly dusted some garlic powder on top of the cheese. Pizza went into the oven at 475 degrees Fahrenheit for 15 minutes exactly. My oven is very precise. Ovens are different, so be sure to keep an eye on your pie (and eeeeverything will be aaaaall riiiiiight).

Once removed, I let the pizza cool a little and marveled at its loveliness.

Then we chopped it up into six pieces and gnoshed ourselves silly with its garlicky goodness. NOMZ.

They're good for your heart

2009-01-08T04:03:00Z

Price Chopper had (has? check your local store ad) a buy one get two free on Polish Sausage. I stocked up on those items as well as picked up a bag of Goya 16-bean soup mix.

To prepare the soup I soaked the beans overnight.
Okay, that's it. Come back tomorrow.

Kidding. There's a faster way to prepare them, but I like to soak them overnight. After they'd been soaked and rinsed and the appropriate 6 cups of water were measured, poured in the stock pot and set to boil I cut up 2 packages of sausages and put them in to simmer until the beans were fully cooked. I didn't use the onion because I didn't have one, but I did season it with onion powder, garlic powder and a bay leaf (which reminds me, I need to take that out). I let the sausage take care of the rest of the taste. Sometimes you can add a can of peeled tomatoes and a tablespoon (or to taste) of chili powder. I kept it simple this time.

Pour over rice or just eat it plain. Sometimes I like to top it with cheese. It freezes beautifully as well, just put a teaspoon of water in the container when you reheat it to steam the rice.

See honey, when beans and meat fall in love and enter a polylegumous relationship, magic happens...

Peanut Brittle-Thanksgiving

2008-11-29T07:18:00Z

I was invited to spend Thanksgiving Holiday with a friend. I was asked to bring olives, but as I didn't feel that was enough of a culinary contribution I decided to make homemade peanut brittle as well.

I used the Better Homes and Gardens Recipe and doubled it, splitting the batch into some to take to work and the rest to take to the friend's family (who are awesome, by the way). The friend helped with the stirring and the photography. I'll post the pictures as soon as I get them from him.

The recipe calls for a candy thermometer. I didn't have one. I used to, but have no idea what happened to it and just haven't gotten around to buying another one. However, you don't really need one and can simply use a cup of cold water. Go along with the cooking times suggested in the recipe. Make sure the heat is high enough to boil and continue stirring throughout the process so the sugar doesn't burn.
+
Once I'd gotten further along in the process I kept drizzling the mixture into the cold water until I could see that it was hardening instantly (this took ten minutes of trying over and over, getting fresh glasses of water when they'd get too cloudy and after having what I thought was the perfect consistency only to find that it became chewy and gummy in my mouth). When I'd put the hardened pieces in my mouth and was satisfied that they were crunchy but not sticking to my teeth, I knew that the proper consistency had been met.

The batch came out great, I didn't burn the bottom of my pan and I got many compliments. I'm just glad everyone enjoyed it.

Yum.

North Bennington, VT: Marigold Kitchen

2008-11-02T00:52:00Z

This is a follow up to my previous post.

Later that day after my new friend and I were done geocaching (it had gotten dark) we stopped back by and saw that the pizza place where we'd wanted to meet was now open. Since it was, by that time, dinnertime we decided to pop in for a slice. Being the fan of the pie that I am, I was curious about the quality as their website states "All Natural Pizza" and their menu stated that the dough and sauce are prepared daily. I had gotten their website from the Bennington Town website under "Dining." I have to admit, I choose this place not only because it was smack dab in the middle of quite a few caches in the area, but because of the font that was used on the menu. I'm a sucker for a good font.

My curiosity was pleasantly satisfied. We ordered a small 1/2 cheese and 1/2 garlic pizza which was plenty for the two of us. I almost wish we'd gotten the whole pie in garlic, but I wasn't sure how it would taste. It wasn't overpowering at all and was quite wonderful. The crust was perfect. Not too crisp, not to soggy or soft. The marinara sauce was zesty and the cheese was delicious. I'm so tired of these pizza establishments in town that make their pizza in the morning, have it sitting out all day in a case only to reconstitute it in an oven. This does no good for the pizza. Instead of being dried out cardboard crap, it's warm cardboard crap. Marigold Kitchen was far and beyond in their quality and freshness

It was refreshing, and my friend states he's pretty picky when it comes to pizza, to find an establishment that makes their pizza fresh and is delicious to boot.

If you're ever in North Bennington, VT, stop by Marigold Kitchen Say hi to Chris, the owner. Very pleasant gentleman.

[Update: I guess it helps if I put the correct link!! ]

North Bennington, VT: Kevin's

2008-11-02T00:30:00Z

After conversing for a few weeks online, a new internet friend of mine and I decided we would meet face to face and picked a halfway point in Bennington, VT. We had originally slated to meet at a pizza place in North Bennington but when we arrived, the place wasn't open yet. However, the pub next door was and we stopped to have a bite to eat (I hadn't eaten all morning so lunch was essentially my breakfast).

Kevin's in North Bennington has a cozy atmosphere. The service was excellent, the waitstaff attentive and the food was delicious as well.

I ordered the Bacon and Cheese burger with a side of sweet potato fries. The menu stated that your choice of cheese was available for the burger so I ended up choosing gorgonzola. The burger and the bacon were cooked to perfection. The portion was more than enough (I ended up taking half home to save for later).

If you're ever passing through North Bennington, stop by Kevin's on Main street.

Rat tat tata tat...

2008-10-29T04:17:00Z

Just occurred to me that I uploaded these pictures but I don't have the yummy recipes to go with them.

I'll let Cookinblack post them in the comments I will say that the ratatouille was phenomenal. And I'm now addicted to this jalapeno sauce. Thank you very much for sharing!

Ratatouille over whole wheat pasta and parmesan
Jalapeno Sauce

nekkid (without parm)

with parm

I've been eating down my pantry with the idea that once everything is gone I will control what is brought into the house, plan only for meals that will be eaten within the week and don't buy more than a week's worth of groceries at a time to avoid spoilage. This is my plan.

When I'm sick, I like to make comfort food. My favorites are Grilled Cheese with a side of tomato soup with hot sauce. I was sans tomato soup but the grilled cheese came out fantastically. My ex, a couple of exes ago, made the BEST grilled cheese and I haven't managed to quite accomplish that level of perfection, but I think I came close with this batch.

[Side note: I bought, on a lark, Land O' Lakes light butter. It was on sale, it was light, it was Land O' Lakes. My grandfather would only eat Land O' Lakes butter (so he had his separate butter when my mother and grandmother ate Country Crock margarine). I now understand why. I'm pretty loyal to a brand (I even like the Lakes White American cheese), and being that I'm trying to watch what I eat, I went for the lighter version.

Well, let me tell you I will WORK OUT the extra 15 minutes and eat real butter from now on. Land O' Lakes real butter? Full of win. Light? Fuck off. I feel the same way about cream in my coffee. I'll substitute Equal for sugar, but don't fuck with my half and half. I will take a hit on the points. However, for the purposes of this grilled cheese it was fine enough. But don't you DARE make cookies with light butter or I will come to your house and beat you senseless with my wooden spoons.]

Back to comfort food. During times where comfort food must be consumed, it's most likely that I'll smother it to death in some form of hot sauce. Cookinblack provided me, on our first meeting, a jar of homemade ratatouille and a jar of jalapeno sauce using vegetables from his mother's garden. I hit the sauce right away. Burned so good! I dipped chips straight into it, poured it on eggs and burritos and just for kicks when I was making the grilled cheese I sprinkled it on top of the cheese before I put the other slice of bread on top.

I poked fun at my brother in foodie love saying that he must add crack to the mix because I couldn't stop eating it. It's very tasty.

Grilled Cheese with Jalapeno Sauce

Pumpkin Cheesecake

2008-10-16T23:46:00Z

My goodness, has it really been almost a month since my last post? Well, no worries. I'll be posting more here soon. I haven't done a whole lot of cooking, so you're not missing out on much. But I do have some things to share, once I get around to it:

Ratatouille, Homemade Jalapeno Sauce and Pear Butter from my fellow foodie friend, Cookinblack.
A ~~review~~ of Minissale's Wine Cellar Cafe (don't worry, it's ALL good) [Update: I waited too long. But the dinner was fantastic. Go there]
~~review of the Weight Watchers side items~~ [Update: I can't remember what they were, but I do remember enjoying them. If you're on the program, check them out.]
pictures of fun holiday cakes I've made in the past: Jack Skellington, The Great Pumpkin, etc.

For now, CHEESECAKE!

My friend Xtine is the Pumpkin Queen so I decided to make her a Pumpkin Cheesecake for her birthday. I used this recipe from About.com: Southern Food, though I doubled the graham cracker crust because I prefer a thicker crust. Makes the slices thick and sturdy. Nobody likes a flaccid cheesecake. Must be strong! Like bull!

I decided to try something I hadn't done before and I put the springform pan on top of a baker rack that I folded the legs up and placed inside a lipped cookie sheet. Then I poured two glasses of water into the cookie sheet (after I'd put it in the oven, don't be daft and try to carry a cookie sheet with water in it!). I've heard of "water baths" or putting a pot of water in the oven with the cheesecake, but that's never worked for me. This apparently has.

I cooked the maple pecan glaze a little too long, so it was a little thicker than it should have been (I'm used to making peanut brittle and got a little carried away) but it was still easily enough manupulated on top of the cheesecake.

Here is the sexy:

You totally want to touch yourself...you know you do.

Well, color me happy!!!

2008-09-18T06:26:00Z

Chocolate Gecko has moved!

As posted here on All Over Albany

Props to stilldocked_too for the inadvertent reference.

Oh Pepper-infused Komodo Crunch...will you marry me? noooooomzzz..

Epicurean Epiphany

2008-09-11T02:58:00Z

[Aunt 'Dith and some other friends of mine joined (well, I rejoined) Weight Watchers. They're holding a gay-friendly meeting at the CDGLCC (call the center for details if you're interested). I'll be able to use the e-tools, which allows you to enter the ingredients for any recipe and it will calculate point values per serving. I'll do that later, that's too much internet involvement than I'm willing to commit to at the moment. But previous entries will be edited. ]

Aunt 'Dith cooks again! And because she's so awesome, she's added point values.

"O... M... G... I out-did myself last night. Here is my epicurean
epiphany:

1c whole wheat pasta (3pts)
1/2 small eggplant, diced (0 pts)
1/2 green bell pepper, julienned (0 pts) 1/4c red onion, sliced in
half-rounds (0 pts)
2 large cloves of garlic, minced (0 pts)
6 kalamata olives, sliced (1.5 pts)
1/2 small tomato, seeded and diced (0 pts)
3.5 oz organic tempeh, diced into 1" cubes (4.5 pts)
4 tsp olive oil (4 pts)
salt and pepper to taste

Boil pasta w/ 1 tbsp olive oil, pinch of kosher salt.

Heat remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and add the
eggplant.
Toss to coat, cook for 2 minutes or until eggplant just starts to brown.
Add the red onion, green pepper and garlic, toss thoroughly.
Add the tempeh, toss for 1 minute.
Add the olives and tomatoes, toss for an additional minute.

Veggies should be crispy and retain their bright color.
Serve over pasta.

This could, very well, be enough for 2 portions. I was super-hungry,
though. "

Total points value, 13. Split between two folks, that's 6.5 points each.

Matzoh Maaaan part deux

2008-09-11T02:40:00Z

I've decided when friends share they get their own segment.

Meredith, aka "Aunt 'Dith", has decided to bestow upon me her wonderful Matzoh ball chicken soup recipe. She's such a delightful person. And she cracks me up. So it was an even bigger treat when, the other day, she brought me chicken soup to make me feel better. Soup is a verb, y'all. And she loves to soup.

Quoth she:

"Software:
1 small chicken (3-4lbs)
4 medium carrots w/ tops
6 to 8 cloves garlic
1 large or vidalia or sweet onion
Fresh rosemary
1 package matzoh ball mix (not even my Nana makes them from scratch!)

Hardware:
1 large pasta pot, preferably with a glass lid and a colander that nests inside it
1 ladle (I had a little ladle, I made it out of clay...)

If you're squeamish about dealing with raw chicken (I wear latex gloves and scour my kitchen with Lysol wipes when I'm done) or nervous about the state of your knives (they need to be super sharp), buy chicken
parts or have the butcher cut up the bird of your choosing. Me, I like to go medieval.

Separate the chicken into its parts. Remove the white meat from the rib cage, wrap it well, and stick it in the fridge. Take the giblets out of the bag and use everything except the liver - it will make the soup
bitter. I remove the skin from the pieces (except for the wings), but you can leave it on for added flavor*.

Put everything, bones and all, into the colander portion of the pot and cover the contents with warm
water plus another inch or two. Add the tops of the carrots, a few sprigs of rosemary (leaves only), 3 or 4 whole-but-mashed cloves of garlic, and 1/2 the onion chopped into medium pieces, then cover and
bring the whole thing to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and leave it alone for a few hours. Add salt and pepper to taste. You'll have good stock when the liquid has a yellowish/greenish tint and tastes
like chicken. Mmm... tastes like chicken!

Stick the whole pot in the fridge for 24 - 48 hours to allow the fat to congeal. If you have a pot with the nested colander (BEST...INVENTION... EVER), I highly recommend skimming the fat off the top
BEFORE you pull it out of the liquid. Remove the colander with the messy bits and discard whatever you don't plan on adding back to the soup. Add fresh carrots, fresh rosemary, the rest of the onion (diced),
the remaining garlic (sliced), and the white meat (cubed) to the stock and bring it to a boil again, allowing the chicken breast to cook through in the soup.

Follow the directions for the matzoh ball mix, but boil them in water and simmer them in your soup for 1/2 an hour before serving. You CAN boil them in your soup (it infuses the flavor into the dumpling), but I
would rather not lose precious soupiness to evaporation.

Mazel tov, bubbelah, you have souped.

*If you kept the skin on while making the stock, you'll have enough fat ('schmaltz') to use in your matzoh balls instead of the oil called for in the directions. This is old-school and your arteries will clog like the West Side Highway in the hours before sundown on a Friday."

Sayeth I, "BLEH!!! Liver....Though I *have* had chicken liver pate that didn't taste too horrible. I was invited to Passover by my friend Rebecca when I lived in Texas and so I was treated to the traditional feast. Was awesome and lovely. "

Sayeth she, "I've done it and it makes the matzoh balls taste SO MUCH BETTER! If you really want to go hard core Jew, take the liver you're not adding to the soup, fry it in chicken fat with some onions, dice it up, add hard
boiled egg, a little vegetable oil and serve it on matzoh. Manischewiz "wine" must have cholesterol-dissolving properties, otherwise my family would never have made it out of Eastern Europe. "

And so there you have it, folks.

Hello, networking!

2008-09-04T00:15:00Z

Yesterday I made the best banana bread ever. Since it's not legal to marry a loaf of banana bread, we're currently living in sin. Will post pictures when I find my card reader. I've cleaned the entire house and I can't find a damn thing.

I went surfing around today and found some people posting on other people's foodie websites and there's quite a few Capital Region foodie websites. It's fantastic! Despite the fact that it makes me feel completely unoriginal (I really thought I had something with this site, but the name is still clever if I do say so myself), I'm glad to have found them. It was a very, "These are my people!" moment. Even though, well, I don't really knooow them**.

Now, I haven't asked these folks permission to share links, so I hope they don't mind me sharing:

Almost Foodies: whose tomato smile picture is the best.

Ridiculous Food Society: whose chili makes me squeal with delight

Of Monkeys and Cupcakes: Chipotle Chocolate Eclairs??? Yes, please!
[**Update: turns out I actually DO know this one. They don't call it SmAlbany for nothing!]

Albany Eats: fantastic! and with more links to local stuff...

I'm trying REALLY hard not to lick my computer screen. There's more, I'm sure, and I'll add them to my sidebar as I find them. I'm always looking for new ideas of things to make, either out of a magazine, my mother's recipe box (shhhhh!!! don't tell her) or something that someone else may mention. Reading about the Chipotle Eclairs reminded me of my phase of making homemade Cream puffs (seriously, I brought them to every party and office function I went to for a month), and since I love chocolate and pepper mixes, I'd love to try that soon.

It's all about love of food and inspiration. I haven't posted lately; because of the breakup I haven't been cooking so much as cutting up fruits and vegetables and having Lean Cuisines for dinner. But maybe this will light a fire under my burner and have me grabbing my magic wooden spoons.

Please feel free to share your own sites or share others.