Category Archives: Food

Lasagna: I’ve Conquered Thee!

Posted on September 19, 2010 | Leave a comment

I have a confession to make: I’m 30 years old, and I’ve never made lasagna…until now.

For all you vegetarians and kosher people out there, it’s cheese lasagna, no meat included.

The reason I never attempted to make this dish in years past is because it intimidated me!
My mom would complain constantly about how long it takes to make lasagna.
She would lament about what a pain in the ass it was to assemble, there were so many layers involved.

Finally, I said to myself, What the hell! I’m going to go for it!

So I looked up a decent recipe, found this one and began the process.

Once I started assembling the ingredients, I felt the fear within me rise:

What if I’m doing this all wrong?
What if my mom was right and this lasagna is going to sabotage me?
The layers! There are so many layers! This is taking forever!

But I progressed onward. 45 minutes later, after the oven timer beeped, I made Wil take out the lasagna. I was too scared to look. Plus, I was afraid I would drop it. I’ve been so clumsy lately with my pregnant brain, I didn’t trust myself.

“Um, is it supposed to look like that?!” He shouted across the apartment.

I started to panic. I ran down the hall and into the kitchen. I hastily removed the foil on top of the lasagna pan and found this:

I breathed a sigh of relief.

“No, that looks about right.” I told him.

Me- 1
Lasagna- 0

I win.

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Posted in Food, recipes

Chocolate Snaps: An Old Friend From the 80′s.

Posted on March 6, 2010 | Leave a comment

Last night I had a dream about these cat cookies I used to eat when I was a kid. They were in a red box as small as a box of animal crackers. I realized what I had to do, I had to find them! So I turned to my friend, Google, who rarely lets me down. And low and behold, I found my childhood favorite!

Do you remember these?

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Posted in Dream, Food

Vegan Cookie Giveaway at Stumptown Crunch!

Posted on March 6, 2010 | Leave a comment

Remember those amazing vegan ginger cookies I told you about? The ones my friend and fellow mama blogger Amanda made?

If you don’t recall, I’ll remind you. These would be the cookies I’m referring to:

Amanda is hosting a vegan cookie giveaway on her blog! And get this? There are several varieties of cookies to choose from! She recently got her hands on a fantastic vegan cookbook and she wants the chance to try out these cookie recipes on you!

Go on! Post a comment on her blog with two varieties of cookie that you’d like to try! Maybe you’ll win yourself some good eats. Trust me, her cookies are like crack! You can’t have just one.

Click on the cookies below to enter the “Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar GIVEAWAY“:

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Posted in Bloggers, Food, Stumptowncrunch.blogspot.com

Stumptown Crunch Baked Goods

Posted on February 25, 2010 | Leave a comment

I love getting mail. And I love eating. Those are two things I love in life. Today I got mail and then I ate! The buzzer rang this morning and I was skeptical. Who could it be? It was FedEx!

So I ran downstairs with Ari and was handed this:

Can you guess what was inside? I’ll give you a hint, it rhymes with “Wookies.” It was:

Cookies!

But not just any cookies. These were vegan ginger cookies baked by my friend and mama blogger Amanda, who runs Stumptown Crunch Bakery.

I must say these were the best ginger cookies I have ever tasted! I worked at the Union Square Farmer’s market and used to eat their ginger cookies. Stumptown Crunch Bakery’s ginger cookies are so much yummier!

I’ve already eaten four and Ari has eaten two!

For more information on these fabulous cookies, email Amanda at stumptowncrunchbakery@gmail.com.

Check out her blog Stumptowncrunch as well!

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Posted in Food

My Favorite Kosher Vegan Cookie

Posted on February 7, 2010 | Leave a comment

My friends Amanda and Jack sadly cannot eat the best cookies in the universe. So, Amanda and Jack, I would like to share with you guys a cookie that is both vegan and kosher that I adore.

I’m not vegan, but one day when I was working in Manhattan (at a vet clinic in Murray Hill) I stopped into my favorite health food store for a snack. I saw this cookie hanging out close to the cash register. It looked pretty awesome, so I tried it. Wooooah! was it amazing.

Whenever I am in a yuppie health food store or Natural Food store I look for these suckers. They are so yummy!

For more information on the Boston Cookie company, click here.

Addendum: My best friend Mint was sad that I forgot her in this post. She is allergic to milk! But she can eat these!

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Posted in Food

The Best Cookies in The Universe

Posted on February 6, 2010 | Leave a comment

I would like to introduce you to the best cookies in the universe:

My family purchases these cookies so much that Mohamed, owner of the Bodega we frequent, actually asked my dad yesterday:

“Are they really that good?”

Yes, Mohamed, they are really that good. What makes them so good? Well…

They are crunchy and chocolaty all at once
When you dip them in a hot beverage such as tea or coffee the chocolate melts in a pleasant way
When you put them the freezer they taste even more amazing then they normally do

Amazon.com loves them so much they apparently sell them in 12-packs

My son loves them too! Although we only allow him to have one as a treat occasionally. Because he goes insane after consuming sugar!

I hope you become as obsessed with these as I am!

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Posted in Food

Francesco’s: A Child Friendly Pizzeria in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn

Posted on January 29, 2010 | Leave a comment

Sometimes, I just want a slice of pizza. I want to keep lunch simple. I don’t need an elaborate sandwich or wrap (nor can I afford these things) just a good old slice. However, I have yet to find a child-friendly pizzeria. Most pizzerias in New York City that I have come across are not equipped with high chairs or booster seats.

When I entered Francesco’s Pizzeria, one of the first things I saw was a stack of high chairs.

Francesco’s Pizzeria, located in the Carroll Gardens section of Brooklyn, is the child-friendly pizzeria I have been waiting for. Unfortunately, I did not have my son with me at lunch time today, I was working, so he didn’t come with me to Francesco’s this time. Too bad, because he loves pizza! But I had a hankering for a slice, so I went to Francesco’s to satisfy my craving.

The slice was magnificent. It was white pizza, no tomato sauce, just mozzarella and ricotta cheeses combined on pizza dough. It was divine.

But wait, it gets better. I went to use the restroom. I wasn’t sure what I was in for (you never know with New York City public bathrooms) but it was one of the cleanest public restrooms I had ever seen. I didn’t have a chance to take a picture of the bathroom, but here are some shots from the restaurant:

I had an opportunity to speak with one of the owners, Anthony. I told him how impressed I was by his restaurant, the bathroom, the high chairs and most importantly the food. He thanked me and told me to contact wife (co-owner of Francesco’s ) via email to let her know as well. I asked him if he considered his restaurant child friendly? He said:

“Well, there are always a bunch of strollers and carriages lined up at the door, so yes!”

They even have organic juices for kids!

If you’re in the Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn area, check out Francesco’s for a classic New York slice! For more information on Francesco’s click here.

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Posted in Food, Reviews

Homemade Bread Crumbs + Chicken Breast Recipe

Posted on November 14, 2009 | Leave a comment

I enjoy cooking, but at the end of the day after caring for my toddler son, I am exhausted and I don’t want to deal with multiple ingredients and complicated directions. So here’s a recipe for those of you who have the same dread about turning on the oven. It even involves making your own breadcrumbs!

Ingredients:
-Boneless skinless chicken breast- usually around three come in a package- The brand I used was Empire Kosher Organic.
-2 cloves of fresh peeled garlic
-2 slices of bread (I used whole wheat, but really any bread will do).
-Three large tablespoons of mayonnaise (I use Safflower Mayonasie because it tastes better and is slightly healthier than regular mayo)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven t0 300 degrees.

2. Take slices of bread and place them in oven for 15 minutes or until crispy. note, do not raise the temperature from 300! Your bread will burn.

3. Remove slices of bread and place in two zip lock bags.
4. Take a rolling pin, use all the aggression and frustration you have (I don’t know about you, but I have a bunch) and roll the crap out of those pieces of bread.

5. At this end of this cathartic process, you (theoretically) should have two zip lock bags full of fine breadcrumbs. Place them in a medium sized bowl and take out your handy dandy cheese grater.

5. The next two ingredients you will need are the mayonnaise and the garlic; Garlic first.
One by one take two cloves of garlic and shred them (using the cheese grater) into the bowl of breadcrumbs. Then mix the shredded garlic with your homemade breadcrumbs. You can add whatever spices you like, salt, pepper, basil, cumin etc.

Note I could not take pictures of the next part of the process because my hands were covered in mayonnaise!

6. Take the chicken breast and place in the largest bowl you have. Spoon the mayonnaise onto the chicken and spread all over with your hands.

7. Then, dip the chicken into your bread crumb concoction one side and then the other. You’re going to want to wash your hands after your brush with the mayonnaise…

8. Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees.

9. Pour some olive oil (or any oil you like) on a glass pan (I use my glass pyrex pans for this meal) and place chicken in pan.

10. Place in oven. Your breaded chicken should look like this:

**Note, I added some hot sauce which is why this chicken is tinged with a red hue.

11. Cook for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Set your timer!

12. After 30 minutes broil on high for 3-5 minutes to give the chicken a crispy effect.

13. Take chicken out of oven and enjoy! I know my son did…

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Posted in Food

The Transition to Solid Foods

Posted on May 9, 2009 | Leave a comment

My son has been eating baby food jars since he was six months old. I only feed him organic baby food because I feel that it has the purest ingredients for his little body. His favorite brand is Earth’s Best Organic Baby Food

However, he is having a really hard time transitioning from pureed baby foods to solid foods at a year of age.

He likes certain solid foods a lot. But his issue with solid food is mainly the texture. He finds the texture of many solid foods unpleasant. I offer them to him and he spits them out instantly.

So far he has rejected:

-avocado - which everyone insists is a winner. He says - not so much.
-peas - I put a pea in his mouth, he sticks his tongue out and the pea shoots back out onto the high chair tray.
-salad - He doesn’t know what to make of it, so he throws it on the floor.
-boiled carrots - same tongue action as the peas
-broccoli- It’s so weird looking, it must be a toy
-black beans - he makes a strange face, sticks his tongue out and the beans fall to the floor
-most vegetables in general - he hates the texture and the taste

So far he likes:
-breaded baked chicken breast - I cut it into little pieces and he eats it all up. Loves it!
-steak- I marinate it it olive oil and soy sauce and also cut it into tiny pieces. Loves it
-bananas- Who doesn’t love bananas?
-spinach - but only if it is sauteed in garlic and olive oil and hidden in a piece of steak
-oatmeal - I wish I could explain this one. It’s so bland. But he loves it.
-yogurt- creamy delicious yogurt. He loves it.
-scrambled eggs- soft and easy to eat. But only eats them if there is salt and pepper on them and if they are made with olive oil
-bread- soft and chewy, it is his new pacifier when I am out at a restaurant
-Cherrios - bite sized, he can feed himself ten at a time now. He is totally addicted

He is quite a fussy eater. I’ve asked his pediatrician about the transition from baby food purees to solid foods. She says that it takes time, and that I shouldn’t give up. Just keep offering him different choices of foods. She also says that kid’s tastes change. He may not like avocado now, but I should try it again at some point.

I don’t know…so far he’s rejected avocado on three distinct occasions.

I wrote to Earth’s Best to see if they had any suggestions with regard to the solid food transition. Hopefully they will have some advice to offer.