YUK

So I tried another experiment in slow cooking and this one pretty much failed miserably. I roasted a big hunk of beef (I don't remember the exact cut) and it came out really tough. No miracles (as promised in the LA Times article) occurred.

So we just tore it up and mixed it with some barbecue sauce for sandwiches. I didn't really like it at all last night. Although I'm sitting here eating another for lunch and it's surprisingly much better. Who knows why. But yeah. It's actually pretty good!

Anyway, I'm not even going to report ingredients and stuff. Not worth it.

We'll do better soon. I promise. Due to the warm weather, we'll probably go out to eat tonight. Soak up some of that outdoor dining we've been missing so!

GETTING IT STARTED

This morning, Meena threw together a WONDERFUL breakfast to get Sunday started right. She made a run to Whole Foods and picked up some delicious ingredients.

The sandwiches included:
- canadian bacon
- tomato
- homemade pesto
- egg
- chives
- sambal oelek
- milk
- salt
- pepper
- sharp cheddar

Simply wonderful.

SLOW DOWN

I read this article about slow cooking in the LA Times and thought it sounded like a fun idea. Given the laundry list of positives they listed, I didn't feel like I had much choice. The LA Times basically FORCED us to cook food slowly at low temperatures.

We figured we'd start with the salmon recipe. The total running time was actually not that insane and well ... we love salmon.

Nothing much to report on the salmon prep. Just some olive oil, salt and pepper. The spinach mix that accompanied the fish included:
- spinach
- shiitake mushrooms
- pine nuts
- homemade pesto
- sesame oil

The fish was good. Meena didn't like it that much. I thought it was OK. The article was up front about times and temps being different for every oven and that experimentation was necessary. I think we'd leave the fish much longer than 30 minutes. Something like 50 is probably better. The spinach mix was really nice though. Excellent flavor and it went well with the salmon.

DINER

James and D had us out to Williamsburg on Saturday afternoon to explore the hood and get some delicious lunch at Diner. The day was perfect and the porch at Diner was about as good a place to eat as any I'd seen.

The only real negative was the jerk who was waiting on us. I'm not sure who told him he had the right to be totally pretentious. I mean, he was serving hamburgers. I don't want to be a jerk or anything, but I guess he was so I suppose I'm within my right.

Anyway, the food was great. I can't remember what kind of chicken sandwich James had, but D, Meena and I all had a delicious hamburger. I think they both had cheese. I just stuck with the grass fed beef. And we had home fries because oddly, french fries ARE NOT served at BRUNCH! That was his line. Not ours

Fantastic! Williamsburg, our burgers, James and Diana!

STEAK N' EGG

I got up early (not that early, but it seemed early for a Saturday when the clock struck 9:45) and immediately had cooking on my mind. I immediately started to think about something with salmon. Then went to some thoughts of smoked salmon. I flirted with Canadian bacon. I even gave spinach a little attention. But in the end, I landed on steak and eggs and Meena was more than happy to follow my lead.

So we ran over to a very empty Whole Foods and picked up the extras we needed to get this thing done. When we got home, I started on a quick pesto:
- basil
- parmesan
- pine nuts
- olive oil
- garlic
- salt
- pepper
- white vinegar

Then I just salted and peppered a nice little piece of sirloin fillet and seared it up on the pan. Once the meat had rested and been sliced, I fried a couple eggs (very poorly ... they came out crazy ugly for some reason ... normally I'm much better) and gave it all a home on one of our pristine white plates.

Cup of coffee. Beautiful girlfriend. Breakfast is served.

BEFORE DINNER

Tonight we decided the end of a long week called for a trip to Lil' Frankies for some pizza and baby meatballs. I won't bore you with the details of another delicious Frankies evening, but I will give you some insight into the starters we enjoyed with some cava prior to setting out for our delicious evening.

Meena picked up some beautiful shrimp from Whole Foods and we really kicked things into high gear with those.

Then I made some salmon treats with the reminder of the fish from the previous evening:
- pita crisps
- salmon
- cucumber
- sour cream
- sambal oelek
- thyme

The shrimp cocktail was out of control good. I mean. It's shrimp cocktail. What's not to like? And the salmon things were ok. Maybe a little more bland than I would have hoped. But good. No doubt.

FRUTTI DI MARE

We were rockin' straight seafood last night. Meena made a quick trip to Whole Foods before I got home to pick up some salmon and shrimp for an East Village seafood extravaganza.

Quick note about Whole Foods: I like it. I like it for the fish. I like it for the meat. But Gracefully, I love you. I'll be back to get all my other weird stuff from you. Just sayin'. Gracefully has always been there for me and I'm gonna keep going back.

Back to the food. Meena whipped together a delicious (and beautiful, right?) shrimp cocktail:
- shrimp
- cocktail sauce
- lemon
- thyme (for garnish)

Immediately following the starter, Meena went to work on some wasabi mashed potatoes:
- yukon golds
- wasabi powder
- cream
- butter

And then we did a wonderful salmon dish:
- salmon
- seaweed
- onion
- red bell pepper
- rice vinegar
- salt
- pepper
- sambal oelek
- sesame seeds

The potatoes and fish were wonderful together. This is an old recipe for us by now, but it's worth noting a subtle change: no mushrooms. We normally do shiitakes, but because we didn't have any, we just substituted red pepper and onion - to agreeable results, if you ask me. They are two different flavors, for sure, but this worked very well also. That vinegar pop with the slightly fiery wasabi? Wonderful.

LAST CLASS MISHMASH

Quite the mishmash theme as of late, eh? Well, tonight was my last class up at the School of Visual Arts and I needed to stick around after class to have my portfolio reviewed by my professor.

Knowing I'd be a bit late, Meena decided to do her own dinner thing and run out with Mr. Daniel to have some dinner at Lil' Frankies. True to form, Miss Meena did her thing with the rigatoni and baby meatballs.

Because she wasn't quite able to finish the whole thing this evening, her leftovers were the core of my dinner! And it was wonderful! Delicious meatballs and wonderful rigatoni. I need to figure out what it is they do with their meatballs. There's something. It's almost ... smokey. I love it.

I also threw together a couple quick bites based on Meena's appetizer from last night:
- baguette
- spinach spread
- white onion
- sambal oelek
- pepper

Nice and spicy. Creamy and delicious. I finished the whole thing off with a bite of the strawberry and chardonnay sorbet. Amazing bites for a night with Meena and LOST!

FLEX SOME MUSSELS

I'm not entirely sure why we thought it was cool for Meena to have mussels mere hours after she went to the doctor with stomach problems ... but whatever. We live on the edge. And we saw a really lovely recipe on one of our favorite new blogs (Last Night's Dinner) and just had to give a modified version a whirl. That and Meena really wanted to give the new Whole Foods a shot.

Meena got a little starter going before I got home that featured:
- baguette
- spinach dip (from Whole Foods)
- virginia ham

And then we did the mussels with:
- mussels
- thai sausage
- green onion
- white onion
- red bell pepper
- beer

We topped the whole thing off with some herb dusted frozen fries Meena picked up at Whole Foods.

Not bad. The starter was really tasty. Meena wasn’t a huge fan, but I liked it a lot.

I liked the thai sausage in the mussels. It made the whole thing warm and spicy. And the fries, for frozen stuff, were great.

The whole thing was really enjoyable. I think we'll do mussels from Whole Foods again very soon.

FINGER SANDWICHES

The stomachache Meena had last night grew into a pain that kept her home from work today. So yeah. Dinner wasn't her primary concern tonight. She needed something to eat, though, so I decided I'd cook something and just try to keep it simple.

We have a new Whole Foods around the corner so I thought I'd give it a whirl on the way home from work. It's nice. No doubt. Plagued by the same lines and commotion they have in Union Square though. I think I'll go for meat and fish, but I doubt I'll be hitting it all the time. Gracefully will never have lines like the ones I was in tonight.

Anyway, I picked up a couple supplies for a little grilled cheese and soup spread.

The sandwiches had:
- gruyere
- dill pickles
- black forest ham
- whole wheat bread

The soup included:
- white onion
- portabella mushroom
- red bell pepper
- garlic
- chicken broth
- skim milk
- tomato paste
- tandori spice mix
- balsamic vinegar
- green onion
- salt

I think everything was pretty good tonight. I probably used too much gruyere. I know. Who knew that was even possible, right? But yeah. Should have used less. They were totally delicious. Don't get me wrong. Just a little TOO cheesy.

The soup was pretty good. It had a bit of a Southwest flavor. I think I should have chopped the mushrooms a little smaller. Meena didn't seem to think it was a problem, but I think it might have helped.

Anyway, not bad tonight. Not great. But not bad at all. Hopefully bean will feel better tomorrow and we can get all crazy with something else fun in the kitchen!

RAINY DAY MISHMASH

New York was disgusting today. It has been raining (hard!) all day long. I even heard thunder a while ago. And anyone who has ever walked around in NYC when it's pouring knows there are few places on earth more disgusting. There are puddles. It smells. Usually your umbrella gets blown around and inverted. Horrible.

So to combat that misery, we decided to go with some really simple comfort food. Sandwiches, soup and a couple extras. Nothing better.

The sandwich featured:
- micro greens
- whole wheat bread
- homemade mustard
- mayo
- sambal oelek
- black forest ham
- hickory smoked turkey

Meena also heated up some delicious creamy tomato soup from one of those fancy paper box soup containers. It's funny that for some reason, the paper box is considered high end. Cans are so five minutes ago. Seriously.

To make sure I was totally fat by the end of this one, I also heated up the leftover crabcake from last night's dinner and threw on a side of seaweed salad from Gracefully. Man. I love seaweed salad. It's amazing.

Excellent little Sunday dinner. Perfect for rainy nights at home with Meena and Tony Soprano.

RUBBER CHICKEN

I'm sorry dudes. I really wanted to make something nice for James and Diana, but with last night's main course ... I failed. Miserably. We had some great food. No doubt. But the main course was a massive train wreck. So. I'm sorry. So very, very sorry.

At any rate, James and Diana came over and that was tons of fun. They brought us these really nice plates (pictured with the crab cakes above) and engaged us in lots of lively conversation. Lots of fun.

Meena got us started with some pretty prosecco cocktails:
- sugar
- strawberries
- prosecco

And then she wowed the whole room with delicious crab cakes:
- crab
- panko
- egg
- red pepper
- white onion
- old bay seasoning
- worchestershire sauce
- mayo

We also served the cakes with a little sauce that featured:
- light mayo
- greek yogurt
- roasted red pepper
- sambal oelek
- sugar
- salt

I also threw together a little salad:
- micro greens
- olive oil
- smoked turkey
- apple
- cucumber
- greek yogurt
- garlic
- lemon
- salt
- pepper

And the previously mentioned main course disaster:
- rubber chicken
- red wine
- mushrooms
- carrots
- chicken broth
- bacon
- garlic
- onions

Meena also mashed up some potatoes to help salvage the meal:
- yukon golds
- cream
- chives
- butter

We closed the door on the meal with some gelato:
- green tea white chocolate
- strawberry chardonnay
- wafer cookie
- mint

So even if the main course wasn't up to par, the evening was a rousing success. It's always fun to have James and Di over. They're so much fun and we just really enjoy chatting and hanging out with them.

Next time we'll just make sure the chicken isn't made of rubber. Maybe we'll try beef next time?

PURGE THE FRIDGE

After a few bottles of wine and some lively chatting, Dan just decided that Park Slope was going to be an unnecessary journey last night. So we got the air mattress inflated and it was just like the old days!

Once we all managed to return to the land of the living this morning, I got started on a quick breakfast. We didn't have much, but fortunately, I fell asleep before our late night snack delivery arrived and there was an untouched gyro sandwich waiting for us in the fridge!

So I got everything started with some potatoes:
- yukon gold potatoes
- white onion
- balsamic vinegar
- olive oil
- salt
- pepper
- garlic

Then I toasted some of the pita for a little crunchy base:
- pita
- olive oil
- smoked paprika

And finally threw together some gyro eggs:
- eggs
- gyro contents (gyro meat, cucumber, red onion, tomato)
- tomato sauce
- garlic
- chives

It didn't look especially appetizing, but it actually seemed to go over rather well. Dan isn't a picky eater, but he does have his opinions about certain things. So when he gladly knocked back the contents of his plate, I felt like that was basically the gold star. I know Meena enjoyed hers. And there's nothing in there that I don't like.

Delicious start to the day. Now it's time to hit the farmer's market and enjoy the NYC sunshine!

DIDN'T TASTE LIKE GARBAGE

This one isn't a true garbage pasta. We actually went to the store to buy anchovies with this one in mind. So garbage it was not. But delicious it most certainly was.

Dan was coming over for some drinks and lighthearted conversation, so before Herr Strassburger ran by we needed to load up on carbs. And after a long and boring workweek, we thought something easy was going to be the best bet. This little number featured:
- spaghetti
- red wine
- garlic
- mushrooms
- anchovies
- spinach
- panko
- parmesan
- olive oil

Again, simple ingredients, simple prep, totally delicious. Meena even asked for more when we were done (there wasn't any, sadly).

The thing I like about throwing some panko in the mix at the last minute is how it seems to really pull everything together. It gives the whole dish a creamy feeling without using lots of cheese or milk. Anyway, it's no great secret. I'm just saying. That's all.

And the mushrooms cooked in wine and garlic were really wonderful. The only thing that was a little aggressive was the anchovy level. I should have used just a touch less. But we both really like them. No harm done.

Long live the impromptu pasta!

COQ

We're having James and Diana over this weekend and because we've never really cooked for them before, we decided we needed a trial run before the big night. So Thursday night our kitchen became the coq au vin test lab.

We scoured the internutz for recipes and it was really comical. There were really hard ones. Really easy ones. Basically, everyone and their brother has weighed in on this recipe. So we decided on a mix of about four of them and got to work. The dish included:
- chicken
- red wine
- carrots
- mushrooms
- bacon
- pearl onions
- chicken broth
- salt
- pepper

And Meena whipped up some mashed potatoes that included:
- potatoes
- cream
- butter
- salt
- pepper
- garlic

The bottom line was that this thing has fantastic flavor. Sadly, the presentation was horrible. So I think we're set for Saturday. We are going to make a couple tweaks and I have a mental image of how I think the thing should be presented. I'm feeling good. We're ready!

GARBAGE PASTA

Honestly, I should probably make a garbage category. I do this so often and to be perfectly honest, it's one of the best things I do. I mean, I don't want to toot my own horn, but honk, honk, baby. Dinner tonight was really good. Plain and simple.

So for a little post-class quick meal, Alec threw together:
- spaghetti
- pork tenderloin
- spinach
- garlic
- panko
- parmesan
- olive oil
- balsamic vinegar
- cayenne pepper
- dried basil

I mean, there's nothing special going on there. And I guess that's probably why it was so damn good. It was simple. It was filling. It was spicy, creamy and every so slightly tangy. Meena had a couple bites and after a quick discussion, I think we determined that garbage pasta dishes will definitely be making a comeback in this kitchen.

MEATBALL SUBZ

I got home rather late last night and Meena was kind enough to make a delicious dinner for me and the one and only, Herr Strassburger. I'm not sure what prompted it, but she was feeling a delicious treat that's never before come from our kitchen - the classic meatball sub.

For the meatballs, she included:
- ground chicken
- chopped fine onion
- garlic
- parmesan
- salt and pepper
- italian bread crumbs
- egg
- worcestershire sauce

And for the tomato sauce, she whipped together:
- canned tomatoes
- garlic
- basil
- salt and pepper
- chicken broth

Topped with some provolone cheese and sandwiched in a slice of sesame loaf? We're talking a monster meal. Meena was slightly disappointed with end result, but I think Dan and I really enjoyed everything. The meatballs were awesome. The sauce could have used a kick, but honestly, it was awfully good. I think these will find their way back to the table. This is one of those dinners we'll just continue to rework and improve!

BACK IN THE KITCHEN

After what seems like a month and a half of no cooking, we decided that due to our early arrival time back in NYC last night, we'd actually hit the grocery and make something with our own two hands. Our fingers have been doing a lot of dialing lately and we had high hopes of changing that behavior last night.

After a little trips to Key Foods, Gracefully and Discovery Wines, we were ready to make a little pork tenderloin dish.

The tenderloin featured:
- olive oil
- mustard powder
- salt
- pepper
- balsamic vinegar

The spinach included:
- spinach
- sesame oil
- shiitake mushrooms
- white wine
- garlic
- sambal oelek

And the little topping had:
- tomatoes
- parmesan
- olive oil
- salt
- dried basil

Based on this list of ingredients, I think I know why this wasn't quite right. There were just too many and I did this little Italy meets Asia thing that didn't pay off. The result was good. The taste was good. It just wasn't GREAT. It was a little too tart. I think the topping really threw everything off. I should have just kept with my Asian theme.

But it was great to be back in the kitchen. I think we'll continue that theme tonight due to the fact our pork tenderloin produced TONS of leftovers.

ROELL-ING THROUGH EASTER

I'm not going to post about Easter weekend mostly because I didn't take many photos of the food. Almost all the memory on the digital camera was reserved for photos of adorable babies and cute cousins. So no big posts on all the delicious food. But not because there was any shortage of amazing eats. We had some good old fashioned George Webb on Friday night. Some tasty steaks at Flemings on Saturday and of course, Mrs. Roell's Easter Sunday spread. The shot above is the table from yesterday's lovely afternoon (pre-baby invasion).

Yet another wonderful (albeit cold) weekend in Milwaukee!

SEEING THE MONUMENT

Last night was our first trip to Hoboken. It was kinda fun. James was having his record release at Maxwell's and you know we wouldn't have missed it for the world. But because I needed to get my hair cut before we went out there, we had to make some concessions and eat at odd times. Before I even got home, Meena had a quick bite of sushi from Hiro.

She kept it normal with:
- chicken tempura roll
- spicy tuna crunch roll

I had a random slice of pizza on the way out just to keep my stomach from consuming itself.

After an amazing show, we finally made it back to Manhattan and ordered a little snack from Cinderella.

We both had:
- a gyro sandwich
- curly fries

Probably not the healthiest late night snack, but certainly one of the most delicious. With a little of the special hot sauce they send and some late night television, the end of the evening was pretty much perfect.

Congrats to James! The show was amazing!

CARS AND THAI

Yesterday, I spent the better part of the day at the New York City auto show looking at some really amazing cars … and some really terrible ones, too. At any rate, it was certainly better than spending the afternoon in front of my computer. And what’s even better, I got to drink for free afterwards at some random bar over by the convention center.

So once I finally rolled in, I was pretty much done with the idea of cooking (sorry, more delivery photos for you!). We had no choice but to choose Tara Thai.

Meena had her usual:
- thai spring rolls
- chicken pad thai (spicy)

And Alec kept is normal with :
- tom yum koong
- beef with basil

There’s no t a whole lot to say about Tara Thai. It’s just good. It’s always good. It always comes quickly. They are some of the nicest people in all of New York. James Naddeo will even eat there. I mean, what more can you even ask for?

PARK SLOPE IS LOBO

After being gone for what felt like a month, we used our first full day back to head on out to Park Slope to see Steve and Dan's beautiful new place. We'd been anticipating it the entire time we were in Florida and the guys definitely didn't let us down. It's beautiful.

And although we had tossed around the idea of trying something new, when we got right down to decision time, we all opted for an old favorite - Lobo.

We got things started with some chips and salsa and Dan & Steve had them throw some guacamole on there for good measure.

For main courses, Dan had:
- grilled chicken sandwich with white barbecue sauce and pickles served on a roll

Steveo had the:
- catfish sandwich (fried catfish and some chipotle mayo on a roll)

Meena had the:
- chicken enchiladas with verde sauce

Alec had the:
- red river fish tacos (soft tortillas)

All were very nice and I think everyone left stuffed. I think I still like Lobo best for breakfast time (those breakfast tacos are nuts!), but I mean, I have no complaints. Lobo is great. And so is Dan and Steve's place!

HOME AGAIN WITH HIRO

After being stuck on the plane in Ft. Lauderdale for hours, delays and NYC cabs, we didn't want to do anything but crash on the sofa, order some Hiro and tune in for some Bauer Hour. So we did just that.

Meena had:
- shrimp shumai
- chicken tempura roll
- spicy tuna crunch roll

Alec had:
- miso soup
- spicy white tuna roll
- salmon and avocado roll

It's nice to be home. It's nice to have my familiar delivery and sit on my couch and watch my TV. But man oh man, I think we'd both much rather be sitting on the beach in Hillsboro.

AT LAST

For our final meal in Florida, we finally made it down to Deerfield for some Bob's pizza. We'd wanted to go all week, so it was only fitting we closed out a wonderful week on Hillsboro mile at one of our favorite local pizza places.

Deerfield was hopping, but we somehow lucked out and grabbed a nice parking place and got a table really quickly. After a round of cold brews, we got things started with:
- antipasto plate (mozzarella, salami, ham, olives, lettuce, pickled veggies, balsamic vinegar)

And we all shared:
- the vegetarian pizza (spinach, black olives, broccoli, tomatoes, peppers)

The starter wasn't out of this world, but it was definitely tasty. The pickled veggies and olives were my favorites. The pizza was about as filling as any I'd ever had. I had a slice and a quarter and had to call it quits.

Thank you so much for an amazing week, Florida!!

ACCORDING TO PALM BEACH LAW

On this lovely Saturday afternoon, we decided to hop in the Impala to see what was happening in Palm Beach. There is enough money in that town to buy about 12 small nations, so you know there has to be some decent shopping and even better eating. After cruising Worth Avenue and walking around the lovely outdoor mall, City Place, we landed at the Boston based chain, Legal Seafood.

Given that the restaurant's philosophy is that they will always be a fish company working in the restaurant business, you can safely assume the seafood will be super delicious.

Mom and Dad both got things started with:
- yellow gazpacho with shrimp

As soups that begin a meal go, I'm not sure there is one any better than this. I tried a bite of my mom's and I have to be honest ... it was amazing. I should have ordered some.

For main courses, Meena ordered:
- wood grilled shrimp and scallop combo with seaweed salad and rice pilaf

Mom had the:
- crabcake appetizer with a simple walnut and apple salad

Dad had the:
- wood grilled, cajun spiced tuna with mango salsa, seaweed salad and black beans and rice

Alec had:
- wood grilled, cajun spiced snapper with snow peas and seaweed salad

With the exception of Dad's seaweed salad, I think everyone loved everything we had (Meena and I got to finish it, however, so no harm done). My fish was delicious and I personally tried both Dad and Meena's dinners and I can vouch for them as well. Mom really enjoyed hers - as well she should - I think it was their house specialty.

Thank you, Dad, for a fantastic meal in lovely Palm Beach.