Salads

I made this loaded potato salad for the first time on Thanksgiving; something different to go with our spare ribs. It's my own recipe just the usual ingredients for a loaded baked potato. I also made a spinach salad that I forgot to photograph, but was pretty tasty for our Thanksgiving feast. The recipes follow:

Loaded Potato Salad

Ingredients

6 red potatoes
1/2 cup mayo
3/4 sour cream
1/2 stalk celery, chopped
1/2 cheddar cheese, shredded
5-6 stalks of green onion, sliced
1-2 strips of bacon, crisp and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation

In salted water boil the potatoes until fork tender. Poke a few holes in them before cooking so they absorb the salt. (I usually do this the night before, allow them to cool, and refrigerate.)

Chop the celery, green onion, and potatoes, add them to a bowl along with the cheese, mayo and sour cream; Salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.

Sprinkle with bacon and serve.

Simple Spinach Salad

Combine fresh spinach, dried cranberries, and sunflower seeds or slivered almonds with your favorite vinaigrette. That's it! Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Feasting

Ahhhh! I've missed blogging so! I've been busy with school: three classes and a thesis to write (I graduate next semester) on top of two jobs, I barely found time to cook let alone blog about it. At any rate the semester  is over (straight A's) and since my day job is at a university I'm on break til 2014 so here I am. In all the madness that is/was my life I did get a chance to try a few new recipes for Thanksgiving.

My sister came to town and we decided on a non-traditional meal of ribs, mac & cheese, brussell sprouts, loaded potato salad, and spinach salad. As well as peach cobbler and pound cake for dessert. I tried a new rub for my ribs and winged it on the brussell sprouts. The rib rub was taken from Bobby Flay on the Food Network website, here. It's a dry rub but I find that mustard makes the meat extra juicy and quite tender. Next time I'm going to leave out the cumin. The mac & cheese I make pretty much every Thanksgiving, but I don't think I've ever shared the recipe.

Ribs

Ingredients
1 rack of pork ribs
1-2 Tb of mustard
Rib Rub (recipe to follow)

Prep
1. Slather the ribs in mustard (I like whole grain, but spicy brown would be great too)
2. Pack on the rub (as little or as much as you like)
3. Rest the rack for at least an hour
4. Bake (unless you live in a climate conducive to grilling outside in November or you don't mind braving the cold for grilled meats) for 90-120 minutes at 350 degrees.

Rub

Ingredients
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon granulated garlic
1 tablespoon granulated onion
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 tablespoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper

Prep
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Store in an airtight container.

Mac & Cheese

Ingredients
1 Box of elbow macaroni (I use Barilla because it has the ridges)
4-6 Cups of shredded cheese, sharp and mild cheddar, separated (The sharp cheddar is for mixing in and the mild is for on top. I've used colby jack or the Kraft triple cheddar mixture as well, but there is no substitute for the sharp)
1 Can Cream of Chicken soup ( I use Campbell's)
1 Can of milk (fill the soup can after removing the soup)
2 Tb of butter (not margarine or you can leave it out altogether)
Salt and pepper to taste

Prep
1. In a large pot, salt and bring 2-3 quarts of water to boil.
2. Empty entire box of macaroni into the pot and stir so the noodles do not stick.
3. In a smaller pot bring the can of soup and milk to a low simmer, whisking until smooth.
4. When the pasta is al dente, drain and place in a large bowl. Add the butter.
5. Pour a quarter of the soup over the noodles and add a cup of sharp cheese (here you can use up to 4 cups). Stir. Repeat until the soup and cheese are a ooey gooey mixture.
6. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Pour into a 9x13 glass, baking pan and top with the remaining 2 cups of mild cheddar.
8. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 35 minutes.

Ngam New York

This tiny space, equipped with a tiny head chef, packs a big punch! The entry way is small bu the space opens up towards the back. They've shoved as many tables as they could in the open area so make reservations! I made the mistake of not making reservation, but the staff was SOOOO accommodating to my friends and me, who had never been. 

Everything sounded good on the menu but I must admit I ordered based on what I saw at the table next to ours. We got the Surf n' Turf for an appetizer. With grilled calamari, shrimp, beef, and the most delicious Thai sausage wrapped in bacon, we were in heaven. I mean seriously you can wrap a shoe in bacon, dip it in Thai chili sauce and I'd probably eat it lol! 

For the entree I went for the classic Pad Thai 'cause, let's face it, if a place can't handle the basics, the rest of the menu probably wouldn't be worth a try. I ordered it extra spicy and it came out perfect; not too saucy or dry and the perfect balance of spice, acidity, and sweetness. I can't wait to go back!

P.S. We got free drinks by checking in on Yelp!

The Cowfish

The concept of this place is pretty brilliant! Burger bar, sushi bar, full bar? Don't mind if I do. You can take all of your friends to this place, even the ones that say, "I don't like sushi. I'm not eating raw fish," yet they've never tried a California roll. Someone mentioned on Yelp that the menu is pretty big. I agree its kind of outrageously large and that usually means lesser quality and a slower kitchen. I appreciate a restaurant that does a small menu phenomenally.

It took about 15 minutes (3 stops by the waitress) and finally her recommendation before I placed my order. I ordered the original cowfish bento box with a Philly roll, slider, sweet potato fries, edamame, and cucumber salad. The sweet potato fries were delicious and the cucumber salad is literally (the original definition, not the new ridiculous one) the best I've had at any sushi bar. Everything else was pretty basic and the service was pretty slow. They messed up my sister's order. My friend and I were nearly done eating by the time she got her meal. The manager brought it out and comp'ed it.

We ordered dessert too! A tower of lemon pound cake, ice cream, whipped cream, and berries. It was amazing. The three of us couldn't finish it! After dessert we waited for our check. We were chatting, but after 30 minutes or more we had to ASK for our check. The atmosphere was nice and maybe I'll try going at a less busy time before I make a final ruling on the service. I'll be back.

SoCo: Jambalaya

I've been craving jambalaya for weeks (probably because I haven't eaten rice in a while). Anyway, I found a few recipes and combined them to create this one. It cam out delicious. Try it!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large yellow onions, diced

12 ounces andouille sausage, diced

1 large green bell peppers, cored, seeded, and diced

3 medium celery stalks, diced

3 tablespoons of Cajun or creole seasoning

3 medium garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed

1 (14.5-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes

2 tablespoon tomato paste

2 cups long-grain white rice

1 box (32-ounce) low-sodium chicken stock or broth

2 bay leaves

2 medium scallions, thinly sliced

Instructions:

1. Heat a quarter size amount of the oil in a heavy-bottomed pot or large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering. Season the chicken with one tablespoon of the cajun or creole seasoning. Place about half of the chicken pieces in the pot and cook, stirring rarely, until browned all over, about 5 to 6 minutes. (If your pot is large enough to cook it all at once without crowding, do so). Remove to a large bowl and brown the remaining chicken in 1 more batch; set aside.

2. Add the butter and melt over medium heat. Add the onions, scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to release any browned bits, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions just begin to brown, about 6 minutes.

3. Add the sausage and cook until the meat is browned and the onions are very tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Add the bell peppers, celery, garlic, measured salt, and remaining cajun or creole seasoning. Cook, scraping the bottom of the pot occasionally, until the bell peppers have softened, about 10 minutes.

Stir in tomato paste until fragrant. Add the reserved chicken and any accumulated juices and the tomatoes.

5. Add stock or broth, rice, and bay leaves, stir to combine, and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat. Simmer until all liquid is absorbed. Stir occasionally making sure the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot. Taste the liquid and season with salt if needed; the liquid will give your rice all the flavor it needs. I added cayenne pepper here too. 

6. Remove and discard the bay leaves.  Sprinkle with the scallions and serve.