NYC Food Frenzy v2.0

  So my friend and I decided to do another whirlwind trip to NYC.  Basically just to eat.  We have a board on Pinterest where we keep adding places.  Each place is known for something, whether it be a cookie, a cupcake, pizza, macaroons, waffle, a weird-flavored ice cream...you get the point.  In just under 10 hours we hit 17 places - we don't mess around :) So here's a photo recap of our tour:

# 1.  Magnolia Bakery - I don't think this needs an introduction. The place was super cute and ol' fashioned.  I chose the German Chocolate and Salted Caramel (I think). Both were good, but nothing spectacular.

#2.  Murray's Cheese - A cheese and specialty shop.  I picked up some neat looking pasta, yogurt and bread.

#3.  Sweet Revenge  - Known for their cupcake, wine and beer pairings - not to mention the awesome artisan menu we didn't get to sample.  We did try the Tart cupcake, pear cider, South African Rock Shandy, and the America Rock Shandy.  The cupcake was amazing-the brown parchment it was baked in added to its charm.  We got some other flavors to go and they were all sooooo good.  Just look at that menu! And the to-go cups...genius!

#4.  Kee's Chocolate - I didn't get anything here, mostly because the prices were outrageous. $2.50 for a small piece of chocolate!  Was it worth it, Abi?

#5.  Kate's Paperie - Not food, but I like paper :)

#6.  Detour to Anthropologie, because, well, it's Anthropologie.

#7.  Topshop

#8.  Eataly - I wish I could say more about this place, but we didn't stay here long.  There were just too many people here and we could barely walk around.  This was our second visit, so no disappointments.

#9.  NY Cake and Baking - Picked up some odds and ends for the kitchen.

#10.  Don Antonio's Pizza - Known for their Neapolitan pizza, we tried three different kinds: The Pizza Fritta, a lightly fried pizza filled with cherry tomatoes, homemade mozzarella, fresh ricotta and salami; The Montanara Starita, lightly fried pizza dough, sauce, imported smoked mozz, wood fired oven; and The Margherita.  The margherita was the best.  The others were good, in a different sort of way.  I think it was the fried dough - the dough may have taken on the flavor of the oil a little too much. Motorino's (from last tour) was much better.

#11.  Columbus Circle for Bouchon Bakery - I got a few cookies here. There were just okay.

#12.  Levain Bakery - Known for their Dark Chocolate Chocolate Chip cookie, OMG these were good. I wish I had gotten more than just one.  You must go and try these.

#13.  Central Park - why not, right?  And it's not every day you get serenaded by a pirate.

#14.  Starbucks - Needed to refuel.

#15.  Laduree - "These small, round cakes, crisp on the outside, smooth and soft in the middle, are the most famous creation of Ladurée."  I tried the lemon, pistachio, and strawberry marshmallow.  I now know why they're been dubbed the best in the world.

#16.  Wafels & Dingas - These aren't just any Belgium waffles.  And what's a Dinga?  It's a topping.  We happened upon one of the Wafel & Dingas carts outside Central Park.  I was completely ready to pass on it, because really, we've been eating all day and I just couldn't eat one.more.thing.  Then I tasted the Liege Waffle, the "other" Belgium waffle.  According to their website, it's a wheat-based yeast sweetened dough with pearl sugar.  They're chewy and soft, and then you get that crunch from the half-carmelized sugar melting inside.  Our dingas was spekuloos spread.  'Nough said.  This may have been my favorite out the of whole trip. 

#17 - Momofuku Milk Bar - We went to try the cereal milk ice cream.  It tasted a little too much like corn flakes, and I never did like corn flakes that much.  They weren't sweet enough for me :)  I bought a variety of cookies, which included their infamous corn cookie (more corn flakes) and the compost cookie.  I liked the compost cookie and found it very interesting one of the ingredients listed is coffee grounds - guess that's why they call it compost.  Abi got the crack pie, one of their other specialties.  It didn't look like much, so I passed.  Then she gave me a taste days later and it makes sense why it's called crack pie. Because you can't stop eating it.  I will be making this very soon. 

How's that for a whirlwind day?  Anyone have any recommendations for next trip?

P.S. I just hit 1,000 page views today! Wahoo!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Hungarian Shortbread

I did it again.  I waited until the night before to make the recipe.  But lucky for me this one was easy.  I was surprised by the picture of Hungarian Shortbread in the cookbook.  It's 2-layers of sweet shortbread with jam in between.  I had planned on using store-bought jam, but my friend Amy made Strawberry-Rhubarb jam today and shared a jar (Thanks, Amy!!).  It was so yummy.  I probably skimped adding it to the shortbread, because I wanted to save some.

Amy's fabulous jam!

There's a pound of butter in this recipe.  That scared me a bit.  I swear I'm thinking of a BJ's membership just for butter and flour.  I divided the dough into 2 logs and only made one tonight.  I'll save the other for another time.  The recipe calls for a unique way of handling the dough.  The dough is placed in the freezer to harden, then you grate it into the pan.  Since I don't have a box grater (seriously?), I shredded the dough in the food processor.  Thank goodness for the Ps & Qs section and that great idea!

Another tip in the Ps & Qs was to bake the first layer by itself (I did 20 minutes) - this proved to have worked well.

Here's the finished version!

I LOVED it.  It was so crunchy with a bit a chew and the jam really made it. 

And My Critic says:  MMMmmm, that's good.  But I'd prefer a non-fruit version.   Can anyone help him out with suggestions?  I've still got that other half of dough to use :)

For this week's recipe, please check out Lynette of 1smallkitchen and Cher of The not so exciting adventures of a dabbler...  And take a look at all the shortbreads here.

Come back in 2 weeks for Pecan Sticky Buns.  Oh my.  More. Butter.

Food Swap Crashing

It seemed pretty silly of me to be organizing a food swapping group, when I hadn't even been to a swap before. But, I assure you, what I lack in experience I make up for in reading.  The Philly Swappers graciously offered me an invite to their Spring swap.  So Thursday night, we drove up to Jenkintown, PA - an hour and half each way!  The venue for their Spring event was held at the beautiful Meadowbrook Farm. I can't even begin to describe how beautiful the farm is, so just go check it out for yourself.

At the entrance there was a table with the sign in sheet, everyone just had to check off their name.  I was a little disappointed to see they weren't using the Eventbrite scanner app to scan people's tickets, but then again I like gadgets.  When I saw that feature, I was sold!  I'm still going to do that for our first swap and see how it goes-the novelty will probably wear off.  Everyone also wrote their name on tags; some swappers added their Twitter names.  I think the swappers brought their own swap sheets (?), but I will provide them.

What surprised me most about the swap was how laid back it was.  There was a table of snacks and wine (note: advantage to having swap at night = wine).  People were getting set-up and mingling.  Then Georgia, one of the four group's organizers, made a few announcements on how the swap would work for the newbies.  She reminded everyone to "be nice".

There was a good mix of people; young, older, and GUYS!  And not guys who just happened to be there with their girlfriends/wives, but guys by themselves.  Amanda, another one of the organizers, explained this event wasn't as large as past ones, possibly because the location was outside the city.  Normally they'll have 45-50 swappers and the events will sell out within hours.  I can only wish ours will be that successful!

Some of the goodies were: Cherry Brandy, Maple Rum Vinegar, Shiracha Garlic hummas, Bourbon/Uganda Fair Trade Organic Vanilla Extra, Sweet Hot Mustard, Sneaky Smoked Habanaro Hot Sauce, Eggs, Sourdough starter, Apricot Thyme Jam, Tomato Basil Jam, Salty Oatmeal Choc. Chip Cookies, South Philly Jungle Kraut, Banana Chai Bread, Earl Grey and Apple Simple Syrup, and Beeswax hand cream - just to name a few.

I chatted with a few swappers.  There were a few common lines I kept hearing from different people. "Don't be intimated," in response to advise for new swappers, and "Simple is a winner."  Swap items don't have to be super fancy (although I WAS blown away by the creativity, art and craft).  Another swapper, Jennifer, who was a first-timer, said the food swap appeals to her because she's able to try things she never would have never thought of eating.  I mean, where else can you get Oolong and Hickory Sea Salt Sweet Potato Chips and Ramps in the same place!

So now I'm pumped!  Thank you Philly Swappers! 

I even began one of my swap items last week.  Here's a sneak peak.

If you're interested in joining us, here's the link to register: http://southjerseyfoodswapmay12.eventbrite.com

Tuesdays with Dorie: Lemon Loaf Cake

I almost didn't make this recipe.  It's been a long week, but I didn't want to get out of the swing of things and this recipe was one I was looking forward to.  So late Monday, the night before posting I whipped it up.  One thing I liked about this one, was that it was quick.

I followed the recipe, but added a drizzle of lemon extract since I thought it needed a boost.

When it was done baking I poked holes in the top since I was going to add a lemon glaze and I thought the glaze would soak down.  I thought.

So how was it??  Eh.

It is a nice-looking loaf.  But I'm a little disappointed, because I really like lemon.  It's a little too dense for me.  I don't think I was the only one either...

But I will try another slice tomorrow and this one will be going to the office :)

If you'd like the recipe, please visit Truc of Treats or Michelle of The Beauty of Life.  And don't forget the hundreds of other TWD'ers here.  Stop back in two weeks for Hungarian Shortbread!

First Food Swap Announced!

Link to Register: http://southjerseyfoodswapmay12.eventbrite.com/

Hope to see you there!

Tuesdays with Dorie: Pizza Rustica

As some of you read this Tuesday morning I will be delivering a speech to a large group of peers.  This is the first of its kind and I am trying not to throw up thinking about it.

I made this on Saturday as another way to put off preparing for said presentation.  I began by making the ricotta cheese. Yup, you read that right.  It's super easy-give it a try.

Fresh Ricotta (with one egg added)

Then I mixed in all the other ingredients: rest of eggs, prosciutto, mozzarella, pecorino, and a handful of freeze-dried salad herbs because I didn't have parsley.  I actually did have parsley, but didn't find it until after the fact.

Cheese Mixture

The crust recipe called for butter or lard.  I had lard on-hand.  Don't judge.  It came together lovely in the food processor.

I rolled out the bottom crust into a somewhat-round circle.  I really need to get one of those pie crust measuring mat things.

I placed it into the pie plate and patched as necessary.  Then I rolled out the top piece and sliced it with a ravioli cutter my Critic had in the utensil drawer.  I knew I loved him for a reason :)

And My Critic Says: Not my cup of tea. Too quiche-y.

I on the other hand liked it a lot!  Then again I do like quiche.  I loved the sweet crust and the savory filling.  It was perfect for breakfast the next morning, and I plan to share it with 2 friends; Amy and Abi :)

For the recipe, please visit Emily of Capitol Region Dining and Raelynn of The Place They Call Home.  Check back in two weeks for Lemon Pound Cake, which I'm really looking forward to!

Food Swap

So I'm starting a food swap.  It's an ingenious idea I came across while reading one of the Edible magazines.  It turns out they're becoming pretty popular all over the country.  And why wouldn't they?  You make/grow something yummy and you get to barter for equally delicious items.
Here's some more info:  Our blog South Jersey Swappers.  And like us on Facebook to stay up-to-date with events. First one is May 19th!