BABY IT'S COLD OUTSIDE






You've seen it all before, but I thought maybe I'd try to give you some slightly different shots. I mean. They're basically the same, but HEY. I'm tryin' here.

Anyway, it was freezing outside and because I needed to work on some homework for my copywriting class, we thought a Hiro Tuesday was in order.

Meena cut out the shumai and only picked up the:
- chicken tempura roll
- spicy tuna crunch roll

I am still happy with the:
- miso soup
- maki combo A featuring spicy salmon roll, california roll and tekka

As it happens, we were totally correct. This menu was very much in order. Usually it's a massive meal for me, but for some reason, I looked down and this thing was just GONE. I destroyed mine last night.

Delicious. Thanks for making it a great Tuesday, Hiro.

MIXED BAG





Meena and I couldn't quite agree on the same thing for dinner so we did a split - I cooked, she picked up some Tara Thai. Well, I guess it gets even more hybrid that that - I had some soup from Tara Thai, so I guess I had both delivery and a couple things I cooked. Convoluted. Anyway, Meena got:
- chicken pad thai (spicy)
- tom yum koong

Alec also had the tom yum koong from Tara and made a sandwich and some "slaw" on the side. The first sandwich half:
- whole-wheat bread
- homemade pickled onions
- fresh mozzarella

Sandwich half number two:
- whole-wheat bread
- homemade pickled onions
- australian aged cheddar

And the slaw featured:
- carrots
- green onions
- MORE pickled onions
- white vinegar
- wasabi powder
- sesame seeds

Everything I made could be classified as edible. Probably even good (not bad for a monday night, right?). I could have cooked the sandwiches at a little lower heat. That would have kept the bread from burning and made the cheese a bit more bubbly. But it was really good. Good ingredients = good dinner. The slaw was great. I'd make that again for sure.

Tara Thai was perfect. Always is. We were full and ready for another action packed Bauer Hour.

CEL * UH * BRATE GOOD TIMES







It finally happened. My Colts won the big one. Peyton shut the critics up and Indy finally (FINALLY!) got the big one. Well, the first big one in my lifetime, anyway. Regardless, amazing day for the Colts and my beloved Indianapolis.

And for the big game, a feast was lovingly prepared and promptly consumed. We made so much food we couldn't even eat it. We had leftover sandwiches that will most likely be grilled up for dinner tonight. We went big. But the stakes were high. We had no choice.

So once Dan and Steveo got to the apartment, we got started with some baked panko chicken fingers:
- chicken breast
- panko
- dried basil
- salt
- pepper
- garlic salt

We also had two dipping sauces. The first was a mustard sauce:
- sour cream
- wasabi powder
- mustard powder
- water

And an asian style barbecue
- barbecue sauce
- soy sauce
- sichuan sauce
- green onion
- sesame seeds

Although Steve wasn't able to sample the chicken, he said it smelled great. I'll take that as a compliment seeing as that he's vegetarian. Everyone else seemed to enjoy them. I ate too many. It hurt.

After the chicken, we moved into Dan's famous spinach balls with a horseradish cream sauce. I have no idea what's in them (other than spinach, duh), but they're amazing. Meena dressed them up even more with some fantastic little colts helmets. It looked amazing in my opinion.

Just when we thought there was no way we could eat another bite, Meena brought out the spinach and ricotta roll with her own tomato sauce. Again ... dressed with the festive helmets.
- pizza dough
- egg
- garlic
- spinach
- ricotta
- meena's tomato sauce (tomatoes, garlic, olive oil, love)

It was her finest yet. Everything stayed together nicely and the dough was done to perfection. I think Diana would be proud. I could only eat two pieces. Again, with all the beer and previous finger foods ... I was hurting.

And it got even more extravagant when Dan decided to debut the colts cookies he'd made. Although the photo shows signs of transportation from Brooklyn, I can't begin to tell you how great they were. Super sweet. Perfection.

After the big win, we capped the evening off with a nice bottle of Cava from Tinto Fino, our local Spanish wine shop.

So that's it. That was the game. That was the meal. Memories, friends. Memories.

THE CALM BEFORE THE STORM




I'm going to be honest. The only thing I can think about is the super bowl. But it's breakfast time and we needed a little nourishment to get us ready for a day of eating, drinking and AMERICAN FOOTIE*!

Because we had some leftover deliciousness from last night's salmon burgers, I thought I'd mix up a bit of that with some of the items I'd started prepping for today's spread. I don't even know what to call this, but it featured:
- salmon burgers (see the last post for ingredients)
- egg
- homemade pickled onions (onions, fresh lime, salt)

And a little sauce that featured:
- maple syrup
- barbecue sauce
- soy sauce

With a cup of coffee and half a whole-wheat english muffin, this thing was a winner. It was the perfect portion size for a couple of people who have been inside for the greater part of the weekend and the flavor was HUGE. The pickled onions were really strong with a nice lime flavor and made a beautiful garnish. I could eat this every day.

*NOTE: This lighthearted reference to the American style of football is attributed to Mr. James Naddeo, 2006.

THE NIGHT BEFORE



Again, I've made it abundantly clear in several posts this week - I've been sick. So rather than go out and live it up in New York City (I'm laughing as I'm writing this, btw), we decided to stay around the house, make some dinner and watch some random stuff on television and DVD. And because it's vital to have a good meal the night before the big game, we decided to go with a delicious salmon "burger" with some asian inspired accoutrements (I know I used that wrong, but I love that word).

The "burger" featured:
- salmon
- panko
- egg
- green onion
- soy sauce
- chili paste
- worcestershire sauce
- garlic

We also included sautéed shitake mushrooms and a couple wonderful "sauces" on this little bit of heaven between a whole-wheat english muffin.

Wasabi mayo:
- light mayo
- wasabi powder
- water
- soy sauce

Spicy ketchup:
- ketchup
- chili paste
- barbecue sauce

And the final touch that tied it all together was a pile of good old sweet potato frites:
- sweet potatoes
- tandori spice mix

It sounds like a bunch of stuff, but honestly, it didn't take long to make. And we both loved it. It wasn't TOO spicy for Meena, but it was certainly spicy enough for me. The burgers were a really pleasant mix of spicy, salty, sweet and creamy. Honestly, if there was a better meal to accompany a screening of the seminal 80's hit, Weird Science, I'd be very, very surprised.

THE NECESSARY LUNCH




On a Saturday that was to be spent recovering from this week of sickness, we had no choice but to make the only food appropriate for such an occasion - grilled cheese and tomato soup.

Meena put everything together. No need to describe the ingredients. If you don't know how to slap this together, you're from another planet.

It was delicious and exactly what the doctor ordered.

ONE MORE






After a long week of work and lots and lots of delivery, we thought Friday night should pretty much be a night of recovery and ... more delivery. We went for the good old Baluchi's delivery special. And, as usual, it was delicious.

Meena had the:
- fish pakora appetizer
- tikka masala dinner

Alec got the the:
- chicken tikka appetizer
- lamb vindaloo dinner

So this was amazing and the food was fantastic, but starting tonight, it's time for some food cooked by our own hands. Delivery is great and convenient when you're sick and tired, but when that's all over, it's time to get out the knives and start chopping.

READY. SET. CHINESE.



I'm still fighting a bit of a cold and last night was just one of those nights where we didn't have it in us to cook. We had plans to rock the ultimate comfort food, grilled cheese and tomato soup, but it just wasn’t happening. We were far too lazy and chinese delivery was far too easy. So rather than slaving away over those complex recipes, we put in a call to our friends at Friend House Asian Bistro.

Meena got down with the:
- beef with broccoli
- shrimp lo mein

Alec went total comfort with the:
- general tso's chicken (spicy)

All went as planned. We watched NBC comedy, more Arrested Development on DVD and enjoyed our lives. I'm thinking if we manage to keep it low key tonight, we'll be in great spirits for Super Bowl SUNDAY SUNDAY SUNDAY!

COMFORT FOOD




I have to say straight away, congrats are in order for Mr. Dan. Our little Strassburger has finally made the decision to leave the illustrious DNKY for the uber sleek Mr. Tahari. Congrats, my man.

Now on to the food. Alec has finally succumbed to the winter head cold and after a long night of class up at the SVA, I really didn't feel like a) cooking b) minding my calories. And because I had to walk home and pass the only decent gyro joint in the East Village, I went big and ordered a gyro platter to go from Cinderella Falafel.

The Cinderella platter features:
- gyro special beef grilled with baba ghanouj, hummus, chickpeas, lettuce, tomato, pita bread and yogurt sauce

Having not ever ordered this gyro joint staple at Cinderella, I was actually very impressed with their offerings. The baba ghanouj was a little thicker (I'm thinking less oil) and full of flavor than what I'm used to. The chickpeas had a strong dose of cumin. Maybe a bit too much. I already knew the meat would be delicious and it did not disappoint. So on a cold night when I wasn't feeling so hot, this one was perfect.

Meena also had some delivery before I got home and I do believe it was her good old-fashioned chicken pad thai (spicy) from our friends at Tara Thai. She said it was wonderful.

Tonight it's nothing but rest and hydration for this guy. We have a huge Colts game this weekend to get ready for!

A DISCUSSION OVER JAPANESE





Last night, Dan and Steveo came by to discuss matters of the business world and enjoy a little Japanese fare. Meena and I both had relatively long days yesterday, so a little Hiro delivery among friends sounded like the very best possible option.

Meena got the:
- chicken tempura roll
- spicy tuna crunch roll

I scored the:
- miso soup
- maki combo A featuring spicy salmon roll, california roll and tekka

Dan and Steveo had a healthy assortment with names I can't quite recall (there were a few glasses of wine, too. Sorry!). I remember there maybe being a boston? Oh … for sure a sweet potato. Anyway, maybe they'll read this and post the true identities in the comments. If they even remember!

Anyway, it was a nice little night. I got moving on some homework after their departure and called it a night feeling wonderfully full!

DELIVERY WITH FRIENDS






Last night was a really strange night. We had some odd happenings in the neighborhood and the street was closed down so we just decided that with the cold and day's events, it was just time to call in the good people at Friend House Asian Bistro and get some Chinese brought to the door.

Now I've recently been a big fan of China Wok. And I'm not saying my allegiance has faltered. I still love them. Especially when it's 3:00 on a Saturday and my head is still a little fuzzy from some Friday night cocktails. But Meena had requested some slightly more sophisticated Chinese this evening and I was happy to go along with her.

For me, the Friends brought:
- hot & sour soup
- hunan chicken

For Meena, they included:
- sesame chicken
- shrimp lo mein

I think everything was really well received. My hot & sour soup was one of the best I've had in the East Village. Oh. What the heck ... it was the best. Without a doubt. I've had better in other parts of town, but this one was far and away superior to anything in the neighborhood. The hunan chicken was pretty good. It was a little heavy on the oil, but I did enjoy it.

I had a couple bites of Meena's sesame chicken and it was really good. This dish is usually pretty delicious wherever you order it, but I'd say the Friends really hit it spot on. I didn't try the lo mein, but I know Meena enjoyed it.

So it was a nice night of delivery and Arrested Development/24. Can't ask for much more than that on a cold Monday night in January.

JUST LIKE OLD TIMES



When I was a kid, few things were greater than a pot of Dad's chili simmering on the stove throughout a frigid Sunday afternoon in January. All the stress of another school week and the bitter cold walk to the bus the next morning melted away when the big dutch oven came out and the spices filled the kitchen air.

Typically Meena isn't a huge fan of the chili, so when she gave me the nod of approval yesterday morning, I realized I needed to act quickly or the opportunity would fade. After a little brunch with our friend Ali, we made our way to the store and secured all the wonderfully simple ingredients.

I know I don't usually include cooking directions, but this one is pretty much the easiest thing ever. You just brown some meat and let the thing cook for hours. Our pot included:
- ground sirloin
- samuel smith's oatmeal stout
- crushed tomatoes
- kidney beans
- carrots
- onions
- garlic
- serrano peppers
- cumin
- smoked paprika
- salt
- balsamic vinegar
- green onions

After a couple hours of low heat on the stove, this thing was just singing with flavor. I think we both stole a few bites every time we walked through the kitchen.

We also threw a little dollop of sour cream in at the very end just to give it a true Midwest finish. A dusting of shredded cheddar cheese also made this thing feel exactly like a bowl full of home.

THE OTHER WHITE MEAT




I need to start by saying last night's meal was unfortunate for one big reason - hormel meat. I'm sure you're saying, "Well of course it was." If I were you and I was reading this, that's what I would say. But when we got to the store and the only thing available was the pre-marinated pork tenderloin, I tuned out my internal warning system and went ahead with the purchase defiantly. Stupid. Because the meal was pretty sound ... we just had one inferior ingredient.

Anyway, for our little Saturday evening dinner, we had pork tenderloin two ways. First take:
- pork tenderloin
- sautéed onions
- sautéed serrano pepper
- chipotle paste
- sour cream
- olive oil
- balsamic reduction

And the second try featured:
- pork tenderloin
- sautéed spinach
- garlic
- shallots
- pine nuts
- gorgonzola
- sour cream
- olive oil
- salt

Other than the previously mentioned mediocre pork, both dishes came out very well. The chipotle cream version was a bit too spicy and not quite as thick as I would have liked. A little longer on the stove would have helped ... and a teaspoon of the chipotle paste would have been fine.

The second option didn't seem to have any problems. The gorgonzola cream was used minimally (huge, because any type of creamy sauce typically freaks me out). The shallots and garlic in the spinach were strong enough to compete with the cream and each bite had lots of great flavor.

So it was a good meal ... that could have been great if we had better pork! With the world as my witness, I shall never make the same mistake again.

LIL' COLD OUTSIDE

It was still bone chilling cold last night so Meena and I thought we might just hit the neighborhood pizza joint for a little wine and comfort Italian. It's about two blocks away and that's about all we could handle last night.

So within our warm and beloved Lil' Frankies, Meena ordered:
- rigatoni with baby meatballs

Alec remained true to his favorite:
- pizza marinara

Again, our desire to keep the running joke alive was satisfied - they reminded me that the marinara has no cheese and they could add it if I felt the urge. They must have had serious problems with some jerk who didn't realize he was getting a pie devoid of cheese. Dudes ... I know it has no cheese. That's why I order it. I like it that way. Anyway, it's funny for us every time.

As always, my pizza had just enough bite from some sliced garlic and red pepper flakes. The tomato sauce was spot on. The crust was just right and burnt to perfection in their superior pizza oven. Meena's little meatballs are always great and despite the fact rigatoni pasta isn't my favorite, I always steal a few bites. I think that with the meatballs being so small and the sauce so thick, each bite is always (by design) packed with tons of flavor. You get a little of everything every single time.

In addition to the fantastic food, Meena also had a nice glass of chianti and I had a couple pints of the Six Points "Lil' Frankies" Pale Ale.

Delicious.

UNWILLING TO LEAVE THE HOUSE





Last night it was cold. Today is even colder. But last night was one of those bitter nights when leaving the house just wasn't an option. And with all the wonderful restaurants offering delivery in this city, it's not like we were up against some insurmountable culinary dilemma.

Historically, I'm not a huge fan of La Palapa. I honestly think it's pretty overpriced for a Mexican place. It's good. I won't take that away from them. But I've also had lots of really delicious Mexican food that was super cheap. So I guess I just don't really see why I need to pay a ton of money for something I know I can find for less. But Meena's persuasive argument for this spot up on St. Marks won me over and we gave them a call.

Last night I went with the:
- al pastor de pork taco (roasted pineapple~chile rubbed pork)
- bistec taco (char-grilled marinated skirt steak)
- al pastor de pollo quesadilla (chile rubbed roasted chicken)

Meena had the:
- Enchiladas de pollo verdes (chicken enchiladas in a tomatillo green sauce with homemade queso fresco, Mexican crema and sweet vidalia onion)

While Meena's doesn't look all that beautiful in the photo, I can assure you the taste is without a doubt very lovely. I was pretty happy with my "Mexico City style" tacos. The pork was more or less a mass of meat rather than the carnitas I typically like to see, but the taste was great. The skirt steak taco was great with some of the amazing salsas they send along. The quesadilla was also greatly enhanced by the salsas.

Anyway, great night. Expect more of the same this evening ... it's peaking at 20 degrees out there right now!

CLASSY



In an effort to expand my mind and make myself a better worker bee, I've enrolled in a writing class at the School of Visual Arts here in the city. Nothing too intense, just a little copy-writing course taught by a really interesting guy with over 40 years of creative experience in this market. Should be pretty interesting.

At any rate, I got home rather late and cooking was just not in my plan. After walking twenty blocks from the school, I was pretty much done with labor for the evening. And I couldn't find anything I wanted in our delivery drawer (NOTE: For all those friends not in NYC, everyone has a delivery drawer. Or if you're of the organized persuasion, you have a delivery folder or file. We just throw all of ours in the drawer. This is just one of the realities read: AMAZING PERKS of living here). Anyway, I finally decided that China Wok was my only option and other than the high sodium and calorie content, I couldn't have been happier.

I got the:
- sichuan beef
- pork fried rice
- egg roll

Not bad. I ate about half the egg roll and Meena helped me with the rest. The food wasn't extra spicy, but I gave it an assist with a little chili paste. I ate about 1/16th of the massive pork fried rice portion. Not bad for seven bucks!

Before I got home, Meena actually had a little delivery herself. She went the tried and true Hiro route and picked up the usual:

- shrimp shumai
- chicken tempura roll
- spicy tuna crunch roll

We didn't really discuss, but I know she loved it. It's her favorite!

SANDWICHES AND STUPID



We're watching the State of the Union after finishing up some really great sandwiches. It's like a train wreck. I don't want to watch, but I can't look away. More of the same rhetoric ... more of the same failures and abuses on the way.

Anyway, this is about food, people! And tonight was a banner evening for high quality sustenance! Tonight, after Meena's long day and my aggressive jog at the gym, I abandoned my aspirations of cooking a chicken curry and downshifted to some sandwiches and sweet potato fries. Downshifted may be the wrong word ... maybe more like, threw it into high gear?

Anyway, we got started with the sandwiches:
- baguette
- prepared pesto
- mayonnaise
- onions
- serrano peppers
- chicken breast
- tomato
- tandori spice mix
- brie

And the delicious sweet potato fries featured:
- sweet potatoes
- salt
- tandori spice mix

Meena referred to this as a possible addition to the Bonsignour menu. That may not mean much to most of you, but to us, that's the best damned sandwich shop in the West Village. So I take that as a massive compliment. Anyway, it was really delicious with some nice creamy cheese and some spicy peppers. THIS was exactly what I was looking for tonight.

JANUARY HEAT



It's pretty cold outside, so a little spice at the beginning of the week was in order. I'd seen this pepper chicken recipe on the Hooked on Heat blog and thought it might be just what we needed. I stayed fairly true to the recipe and included:
- chicken
- green pepper
- serrano peppers
- garlic
- tandori spice mix
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- onion
- curry powder
- soy sauce
- white rice

The only thing I would have changed would have been adding just a bit more soy sauce. Maybe cut with a little water. It was just a smidge drier than I would have liked. Meena added a little soy to hers at the end and I spiced mine up a little more with some chili sauce. It's pretty darn easy and pretty delicious. I'm pretty sure this one will come back for a repeat performance.

THE BIG NIGHT







I have to say it straight away - COLTS WIN. I've been waiting to say that after a big game for over 20 (TWENTY!) years. And I can finally say it. Colts win. Going to the Super Bowl. I can't even begin to tell you how amazing it feels.

Anyway, in addition to the great AFC Championship game, we ate (and drank) tons of great stuff tonight with Dan and Steveo. It was a feast fitting of the big game without a doubt.

We got it started with my contribution:
- smoked whitefish
- sour cream
- mayonnaise
- toasted sesame seeds (with cayenne pepper, sea salt and dried oregano)

We moved on to Meena's delicious dip featuring:
- spinach
- cream cheese
- artichokes
- parmesan
- red chili pepper flakes
- sour cream
- mayonnaise
- mozzarella
- garlic powder
- whole wheat pita wedges

Dan threw in some amazing taco dip:
- just check the photo ... the recipe is top secret. No clue what he tossed in there.

And a vegetarian take on the sausage bread:
- ricotta
- spinach
- pizza dough
- mozzarella
- parmesan
- salt
- pepper
- egg
- water

Amazing night. Lots of cheap beer. Tons of fun. Wonderful food. F A N T A S T I C.

BRAISED NOT BOILED



Yesterday was about as bitter cold in NY as we've seen it this season, so a little comfort food seemed pretty vital. I had recently seen an advertorial (yes, an ADVERTORIAL) in Gourmet that was singing the praises of braising. A little pot-roasty type dish just felt perfect, so we went with it.

After browning some roast meat on the stove, I threw the following in a pot and let it simmer in the oven for a couple hours:
- carrots
- onions
- porcini mushrooms
- korean chili peppers
- beef broth
- browned roast meat

When everything was sufficiently tender, I threw a bit of the braising liquid on the stove with some soy sauce and sugar and reduced it to a syrup. I threw in some reserved mushrooms at the end and dressed the top of the bowls with it. Gave it a nice little glow and some really concentrated pops of flavor. Meena also cooked up a little wild rice that we dropped in the center of the two bowls.

Before I threw the rest in the fridge, I reduced the remainder of the braising liquid a little less than half and poured it over everything. I just felt like it was better that way.

Anyway, I think we both really enjoyed everything. It was perfect for a lazy saturday night spent on the couch with lots of blankets and a couple scary movies.