Red “The Contortionist” Pepper. WTF?

The Hotness! …But Where’s The Kraft’s Cheese Single Pocketbook?

Oh, I guess she’s waiting to get the bag in the ‘grilled cheese’ version. I hear that’s coming out this Fall. I bet she’s got those shoes in Minestrone and Clam Chowder too. All of this fashion talk is getting me hungry.

Part2. Leftovers And A Pastelito.

Parsley/Rosemary Baked Chicken In Sauce With Rotini/Rotele Pasta And Corn With Red Peppers And Onions *Buon Apetito*

True Love.

Foodie FAIL

For whatever reason, some foods effect me in really bad and weird ways. Ways that don’t make any sense to me. (No this has nothing to do with the toilet, you can relax…) When I eat certain fruits like hard peaches, cherries, plums or pears or pineapples, EVEN APPLES, the inside of my mouth and tongue get irritated, it feels like there’s a thin layer of film has be removed and my mouth’s a little more exposed. (Soft peaches, cherries, plums or pears are fine though.) It sounds kind of weird, people usually say, “just stop eating that stuff,” but I don’t feel it rises to that point [yet.] Usually it only lasts for about five to ten minutes, starting about five to ten minutes after eating, then it’s over. That’s not so bad, but it does get worst, I can smoke or drink til the cows come home, with no problem, but give me two or more pieces of fried fish and I’m reaching for the asthma pump and my chest and shoulders are all tight. [Can you explain that one?] I have a history of asthma, since birth, but it has never been intense or something in the forefront of my mind because I very rarely ever (to never) get attacks. From the ages of 5 to 15, my asthma was completely dormant, it came back when I was in high school-once or twice here and there, but always manageable. Then one day, years later, I’m at my grandmother’s house going IN on a plate of fried whiting and potatoes, until I realize my breathing is becoming labored. I knew it was an attack, but I yet to associate the two. So I had fish a couple more times, the next time I only had one piece though: no effect. The following time I had two pieces, again at my grandmother’s house (you can’t trust just anybody’s seafood), I walked home, made a phonecall and the girl asked me, “why are you moaning into the mic…” That kind of tipped me off that, “I might have a problem…” I had to confirm, so when I had three pieces of fish the next week, me and my tense and raised shoulders were definitely sure. Now, I’m very wary whenever I try fish [TWSS]. I don’t eat any other kind of fish, but fried, so I don’t know how the others’ would effect me- but I kind of want to find out. That’s somewhat masochistic, but I want to know. Now I’m learning about another food allergy I’ve developed, GUACAMOLE and CHIPS! How sad is this. Now let me clarify, I can eat guacamole in dishes, but when I just eat it by itself with salty tortilla chips, I feel holy like hell. You know how it feels to have food poisoning, when you feel sick in your head, dizzy, sweating, breathing hard, the whole nine yards… That’s how Chipotle’s guac and chips leave me. I confirmed this on the second go-around, I’m not messing with that a third time, my grandma’s whiting was worth the experiment, this would be like cutting onions  solely to make myself cry. I was in Grand Central Terminal earlier cursing the day avacadoes were invented, mad at the whole country of Mexico. I had to buy a sprite, the brown paper bag was going to double as a barf bag-just in case.  Throwing up, to me, is like wasting money and that’s never cool, Throwing is especially uncool when you’re on a crowded train. I think there’s something about the avacado, lime and salt, in that meal that makes me react that way. It’s like all of the ingredients continue to emulsify and combine with my stomach acid to make a witch’s brew in my gut. I have learned my lesson, some of these foods are off the menu, forever out-of-season. However, I really can’t see myself not eating apples and peaches, that’s just plain ridiculous, I’ll eat in moderation…or something.

PS: I have a friend who’s lips swell up when she eats bananas… [insert joke here]

Roasted Chicken In Potato Gravy, Homemade Potato Gnocchi, Lima Beans And Corn

There are some times when my foodie sensors spike and I have ‘visions of chefery’. This time I had visions of roast chicken with homemade potato gnocchi and vegetables. Vegetables, meaning whatever’s in the fridge. The gnocchi (potato dumplings) was definitely the star of the show, though, here’s the play-by-play:

First thing’s first, I had to prep, stuff and season the bird and get it out of the way. I used some regular Stove Top stuffing mix, but of course, I had to dress it up some: I chopped up some bacon, fried it in a skillet and sauteed some onions and celery. I don’t like touching raw meat, I’m kind of OCD when it comes to that, I wash my hands about 20 times when I cook. So you’re no going to find me rubbing butter on that chicken with my bare hand. I just melted some butter in a pan, added seasoning to it and drench it on top of the chicken. NOTE: I always bake my birds dark-meat-up. The dark meat is moist enough to be on top, with the drier white meat at the bottom, it’ll get all of the juice from the pan. The slice potatoes at the bottom of the pan were just  to be a base for the potato gravy. (Potatoes are also a good way to gauge when the meat is done, if you cut big enough piece they’ll take the same amount of time to cook.)

Homemade gnocchi or dumplings is something that everyone can make, it’s pretty easy, it just takes time. What I do is take a box of instant mash potatoes, any ole box. Put the flakes in a bowl and add half of the water suggested for the mash potato directions. It should be doughy,  but tough. Then I just start rolling little balls out of the dough. Admittedly, I should have had double the amount of gnocchi balls, but I was experimenting and being lazy.

After all of the dumplings was prepped, I dropped them in boiling hot water for a couple of minutes to try to solidify them further. Some of the gnocchi sheds in the water, that’s how you know it’s time to take it out, but save the water, it can be used as the potato gravy base for the chicken.

I added some garlic and a bay leaf to the leftover onions and celery from the stuffing. I was afraid that if I cooked the gnocchi on the stove top, in a pan, it would disassemble or be soggy, so I just put it in a roasting pan, added water and slipped it in the oven.

Full Stomach, Shame And A Smile: $15 Lunch

No matter how you slice it, fifthteen dollars for a single meal is a a lot of dough…And I call myself a Recessionist. We all need those times to splurge and GO IN on something really good even if it’s outside the normal spending limit. Now that I’m working back in Manhattan, I have to be very conscience of how my money is spent.

“How much for a plain slice? $4.50? American Dollars?”

“How much for a hot dog, sir? $3!! In real life?” Yeah, Manhattan will get you.

The ironic thing is that the last time I was working in the neighborhood I was a bit younger, making a bit less and I used to meal like this everyday. Ahh, to still be under my mother’s roof.  This meal is from Bagel Maven on 30th Street and 7th Avenue on the northwest corner and I fully endorse their make-your-own-salads. $12 for a salad isn’t that much for some people (I’ll be going here once a week- max). But the meal was great: mixed greens with spinach and Mesculun; sun-dried and sliced tomatoes; feta cheese; garbanzo beans, walnuts (my true love);  chopped bacon and cajun chicken breast. With some zesty lemon vinaigrette and lemon chipotle dressing, two kinds of BBQ/hot chips (nothing beats Wise, they’re the best, the original The Orange/ Peach/ Mango Tropicana was a must, as well. Wow, when it’s laid out all like that, it sounds like it should be $15, doesn’t it.

I then went to McDonald’s for a co-worker and got her two chicken “snack wrap,” “snackers,” “snackity things” for $1.39 each…what a world apart, that child is. McDonald’s is so 1998.

That meal had me satisfied for about five hours, by the way.

Mmmm Pie. Mmmm Ice Cream.

Isn’t this pretty, that was my breakfast last Friday. I was too stuffed from Thanksgiving to eat anything else, but I had visions when I was watching CNN morning news and brushing my teeth. (By the way, chocolate ice cream after toothpaste taste like mint chocolate chip).

Time Square.11.27.09

It is incredibly rare it is to see Time Square completely empty, honestly, I kind of looks different to me right here. When the place is so crowded, you can’t fully appreciated how incredible the buildings are and how small you feel when you’re in the middle of the street. This was the first time I felt the “canyon effect” from being here. This must be how tourists feel when they visit.  NOTE: These pictures were take at 3:37am.

By the way, that McDonald’s is open, but there are halal carts on 44th and 11th, 9th, 8th, 7th and two on 6th and they’lre all out til the wee hours of the morning on Friday and Saturday nights. My dude Mustafa knows the best way to soak up the alcohol from the club is with a lamb/falafel gyro, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, easy on the white sauce o.d. on the hot sauce. (I truly woke up after that sandwich.)

By the way, the guy’s name really was Mustafa, that wasn’t an adlib.

Random NYC Tip.7 (Free Appetizers At Hale And Hearty)

That’s right I said free. Now don’t get it twisted, Hale & Hearty’s not out there giving away mini quiches and cheese squares to the general public, but if you go in there and ask for a couple (or seven) samples of their soups they’ll give it to you. Their soups are delicious and hearty (haha, like the name), but I have a hard time spending $5.69 on 4 ounces of anything. Them numbers are kind of off, I’m a native, and don’t buy into the frou frou hype. Between Cosi’s, Jamba Juice, Starbucks, Hale & Hearty, Pinkberry, Grom, and Au Bon Pan I would be out $200 a week-this aint Gossip Girl, I got bills to pay. I can’t get down like that. The workers at Hale & Hearty will give you as many samples as you want and they have free crackers and water with lemon slices. In my book, that’s a full Recessionist’s appetizer on the go.

CLICK HERE to see full list of NYC Recessionist’s tips

Rotini And Velveeta Done Two Ways – My Thanksgiving Day Meal

Usually I confine my chefery to the weekends, but of course, it was Thanksgiving so I had to go IN. And I love Italian and Italian-inspired dishes. I made a couple of dishes to take a friends place. I was supposed to make a mac and cheese and a lasagne or ziti dish, but those options are just too regular and expected for me. I like the lesser-used pastas, like these two. I used that velveeta and whole wheat rotini in for both of my concoctions. Most Italian food have all of the same components: pasta, a sauce and a cheese or two.

For the “mac and cheese” one, I used extra sharp yellow and white cheddar cheese, some Italian seasoning, smoke bacon crumbs on top with a little bit of shredded mozzarella also. For the “ziti-like” dish I made the most delicious spaghetti sauce in recorded history. I cut up red and green peppers, onions and garlic. There was ground beef and hot and spicy Italian pork sausages diced and added, as well. I let that simmer while I tended to other things. Cutting seven or eight blocks of cheese is Real Life… I mean, the mozzarella’s a little soft, but the cheddars are a bitch (I better get a grater before I get carpal tunnel syndrome) *Time to lay the second dish, it’s just like if it was lasagne: layers baby, layers* Everything’s in the oven or oven-bound and I have a lot of extra pasta, I see I’ll be eating this til December and I don’t mean 12/01 or 12/05 or anything…