skewed brewing

lunch today at Skewed Brewing in Watertown NY - The Daddy Oh pizza, with shredded duck, caramelized onions, bacon, apples & brie. um... yum. the dough was nice and charred but still super soft. i'm a huge fan of the apple/onion/bacon combo in pretty much anything, and this bad boy did not disappoint. total mouth party. 

they had a lot of yummy apps on the menu, and i wish i was able to try all of them (duck wings, perogies with bacon-bourbon jam (YUMMM), fried tofu with wasabi coconut reduction)... definitely a fun little pit stop.

recipe: apple crumb muffins

i've made these blueberry muffins (the To Die For Blueberry Muffins from allrecipes.com) a few times, and they are by far my favorite blueberry muffin recipe. we had some apples in the house and i modified them this weekend to make mini-apple muffins. since the apple isn't as potent as the blueberry you taste more of the crumb topping than the apple, but they are still a damn good lil muffin, and a good base recipe to mess around with other flavors. to give the apples more of a pop, i might try to soak them in hard cider or amaretto next time and see how that does... 

ingredients list: (makes about 8 large muffins)

- 1 & 1/2 cups flour

- 3/4 cup white sugar

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 2 tsp baking powder

- 1/3 cup vegetable oil

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 1 egg

- 1/3 cup milk

- 1 & 1/2 cups fresh diced apple (or blueberries if preferred)

- 1/2 cup white sugar

- 1/3 cup flour1/4 cup butter, cubed

- 1 & 1/2 tsp cinnamon

to make: grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. preheat oven to 400 degrees.

make crumb topping by mixing together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 & 1/2 tsp cinnamon. mix with fork, and set aside. 

in a large bowl, combine 1 & 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt, and baking powder. place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg, vanilla, and enough milk to fill the cup. stir this into the flour mixture. fold in the chopped apple, and fill the muffins cups right to the top. sprinkle the crumb topping over the top of the muffins.

bake for 20 - 25 minutes in the preheated oven or until a toothpick test comes out clean.

roasted pork shoulder

tonight's Sunday dinner -- which could be the first pork -shoulder- roast that i've ever cooked. we've done a lot of pork loin, pork butt... but no shoulder i can remember. it's a fairly fatty cut, and even though i did end up over cooking it a tad (the final temp was 160F instead of my target 145F), it was beyond juicy and according to Kyle one of the best pork roasts we've ever made. i used the rub from Serious Eats, adding in some citrus and extra spices and removing the onions. the rub made a nice sweet & spicy crust and the OJ made the fatty meat even more juicy. definitely would use this one again for a loin or shoulder. 

ingredients list: 
- 1 3-lb pork shoulder
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1.5 tsp paprika (the SE recipe calls for both smoked and hot paprika)
- 2 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne 
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 cup (or more) orange juice

to make: rinse meat and pat dry; using a sharp knife, score the top of the meat with wide cross hatches. 

mix together all of the spices, and rub them all over the roast. place in fridge and allow to sit a few hours or overnight.

preheat oven to 350F degrees, and pour orange juice over roast, making sure it gets deep into the cuts on top of the meat. roast in the preheated oven 1.5 hours (roughly 30 minutes per pound) or until the internal temperature reaches 145F degrees. allow to sit 15-20 minutes before serving. 

pumpkin coffee

finally tried pumpkin coffee for the FIRST time (ever) this fall. it seemed like a quintessential part of the season based on all the rants & raves i always hear about it, from everyone. after tasting it for the first time, i pretty much lost respect for... everyone. YUCK!

i had brewed a cup of coffee in my head before getting to Dunkin Donuts and had my idealized flavor before my first sip of the real deal... a robust coffee with a rich undertone of pumpkin and a few touches of cinnamon. what i was accosted with at first sip was a cup of sugar water with an aftertaste of funky nutmeg. i HATE sweet coffee. pumpkins are naturally a little sweet... fine. but THIS. this was NOT coffee. i could not taste any coffee. my tongue was lambasted with sugar sweet nutmeg funk... AAACK. i think i was dreaming if i thought maybe they could do -flavor- without -sweet shit-. 

sticking to Fresh Market flavored beans... Almond Amaretto, Creme Brulee... rich coffee, subtle undertone of a flavor. the type of coffee that does not get poured down the drain after driving 2 hours at 6am and still only being able force down only a few sips... bah humbug! 

turkey with pumpkin ale and sage

impromptu thanksgiving feast for Sunday dinner yesterday. as part of 'clean out the freezer' mode, why not cook a massive 9-lb turkey for dinner for the 2 of us? we have had these old Smuttynose Pumpkin Ales in our fridge for no joke 2 years now that nobody liked (sorry Smuttynose!), so it seemed like a good time to use one of them... we poured half the ale inside the turkey along with a huge sprig of fresh sage and 5 garlic cloves, and used the remaining ale to fill the pan and baste the turkey.

served with corn bread, baked potatoes, corn, and Stella Artois Cidre (which we tried for the first time this weekend -- DELISH drink). the pumpkin ale beer flavor didn't really come through the turkey except for some portions of the dark meat, which was so good. if we wanted to jimmy-rig the beer can chicken stand, that probably can be used with the turkey as well ... something we may have to try for next time if we're feeling risqué enough to balance that beast. YUM!

The Dutch Pot

i've been wanting to go to the Dutch Pot Jamaican restaurant in Albany ever since driving past it a few months ago. the stars finally aligned this Saturday when we were in the area for Lark Fest and all needed a lil nosh. 
i ordered one of their small plates which comes with a meat and 2 sides -- i had the Curried Goat with sides of Rasta Pasta and Sweet Potato Fries. i don't know what curried goat is -supposed- to taste like since i shockingly don't eat it everyday (i think i've only had goat once before when eating Indian food), but i thought it was great... the goat was gamey, but in a really good way, not a funky way. the curry was spicy enough to give me a mild case of the sniffles, as was the rasta pasta which was a like a alfredo-based cajun pasta. across the board we all loved this place and gave it a "would go back". they have a small menu with a number of dishes i'd come back to try -- good stuff. 

national cheeseburger day!

yesterday, 9/18 was national cheeseburger day. a holiday that comith once a year, and to a burger aficionado is the equivalent of Christmas. it also fell on "healthy week" start since i've been eating like a HOSS and vowed eat light this week and lose a few L-Bs. i was not going to celebrate. i had chicken breasts marinating in the fridge. i was going to run for an errand. come home. go for a run. grill said chicken. 

as you would have it... errand was in the viscidity of New World Bistro Bar. NWBB has been rated one of the top burgers not only in the CapDis, but in all of NY. and i love it. K was in my passenger seat. K is a bad influence. net/net... no run, no grilled chicken, but yes a delicious cheeseburger. we split it to make it not "as bad" along with the Purple Haze Shrimp and some Blackened Stringbeans for him. 

it was... even better than i remember. perfectly cooked, well respected medium rare meat, peppered bacon, cheddar, grilled onion, chipotle aioli, pillowy soft fresh baked bun. total mouth party. the red onion was thicker cut and just grilled enough... which i really liked and will do moving forward. it gave it a nice lil crunch but was cooked down enough to have no onion "bite" to it, but still more flavorful than thin-cut carmelized onions. aaaah heaven. now today i will be healthy.... :o) 

recipe: funfetti cake batter cheesecake

i needed a lil nosh to bring to a party this weekend, and haven't baked anything and/or searched recipes in a while sadly. i had this recipe saved on foodgawker.com from Teenage Taste that seemed like the perfect lil fix. they were very easy to put together, although unfortunately did not come out as cute as the ones on TT's site - although i used less food coloring than recommended, the green i made was a tad more of a minty hue. no harm, no foul, but i personally hate overly food-colored deserts. i prepped it verbatim otherwise, adding in a bit more sprinkles and some of the mixing process. they still did taste really good which is mostly all that matters though.

ingredients list: 
- 1 & 3/4 cups vanilla cookie crumbs (Nilla wafers)
- 6 tbsp butter, melted
- 16 oz cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup + 2 tbsp granulated sugar, divided
- 1/2 cup yellow cake mix
- 2 eggs + 1 egg yolk
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp milk
- 1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup sprinkles
- 3-5 drops green food coloring (the original recipe has 5 drops blue, 3 drops green... i added 5 total and found that to be a touch too much)

to make: preheat oven to 350 degrees F. grease a 9-inch baking pan, line with parchment paper, and set aside.

stir together cookie crumbs, 2 tbsp sugar, and melted butter. press into the bottom of the prepared pan. bake about 8-10 minutes, until crust just begins to brown.

beat cream cheese with a mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. add remaining sugar and beat until smooth. add the milk, vanilla, salt, and cake mix and beat again until completely combined and smooth. stir in the sprinkles and add the eggs, gently stirring until combined. 

pour batter over the prepared crust, and bake until just set, about 40 - 45 minutes, using a water bath if preferred. allow to cool 30 minutes in the open oven, then 30 minutes at room temperature, then refrigerate for at least 3 hours before slicing and serving. 

recipe: philly cheese steak bites

i've made these little buggers a few times and usually eat them so fast i forget to take a lil pic and put them on here. they are super-easy to put together and beyond delicious. i always use horseradish cheese for a lil zing, but if you wanted to keep it a traditional philly regular cheddar (or whatever else) can be used. 

ingredients list:

- 1 package of Pillsbury crescent roll dough

- 1/4 lb of shaved steak or deli-thin roast beef. diced

- 1/2 cup of red onion, very finely diced

- 1/2 cup of green pepper, very finely diced

- 1/2 cup of horseradish cheddar, shredded

- salt & pepper to taste

- 1/2 tsp garlic powder

- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper 

to make: preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

prep a mini muffin pan (24 muffin-count) with Pam spray or grease. roll out the package of Pillsbury crescent dough onto a non-stick surface. the dough should be pre-sliced into 8 triangles; take each of the 8 triangles and slice each triangle into 3 evenly sized pieces. place each of the sliced dough pieces into the mini muffin tin and set aside. 

in a medium bowl, mix together all remaining ingredients. spoon filling into the prepared muffin pan. bake for 10 minutes or until the edges start to turn golden brown. 

recipe: tomato basil sauce

so... somehow we ended up with three 6 lb, 10 oz cans of pureed tomatoes. largest cans i have ever seen in my life. i've been meaning to make sauce for some time now, but the 'time' aspect of that is what has messed me up. today was finally the day. i looked at the Tomato and Basil Sauce recipe from allrecipes.com as loose inspiration with a few tweaks here & there... the end result was really good - actually more flavor that i expected (the Italian half of me us usually pretty bad - i rarely eat red sauce b/c it's "boring"... opting for cream sauces & vodka sauces instead...or just curry haha). i made it pretty spicy, but the amount of red pepper can easily be adjusted for personal pref.

ingredients list (servings: unknown. this is a ton of sauce): 

- 1 onion, finely diced

- 8 gloves of garlic, minced

- 4 tbsp of olive oil

- 1 tbsp of garlic oil (if available - i had snagged this from the Asian market & it seemed like a  good fit here)

- 2-3 tbsp of balsamic vinegar

- 1 (6 lb, 10 oz) can of pureed tomatoes

- 2 tbsp white sugar

- 1 tsp oregano

- 1 tbsp italian seasoning 

- 1 tbsp crushed red pepper

- salt & fresh cracked black pepper to taste

- 1 bay leaf

- 1.5 cups fresh chopped basil

to make: heat olive and oils in large pot; add onion until it's soft. add garlic to onion and cook for 1 additional minute. add 

balsamic vinegar & allow to cook down for 1 minute. 

add pureed tomatoes, white sugar, oregano, italian seasoning, red pepper, salt & pepper to taste, and the bay leaf. allow sauce to come to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and simmer for 1 - 1.5 hours. 

remove from heat, remove bay leaf, and stir in basil. done! 

 

hong kong bakery & bistro

i was tres-happy to learn about the opening of hong kong bakery & bistro in Colonie NY... it's menu is - i believe- the 3rd dim sum menu in the area. or at least the 3rd that i've been able to find so far (with the first 2 being CCK Chinese & Taiwan Noodle). apparently the operation had been working out of the Asian Supermarket and expanded to this standalone spot. 

Friday night i hit up the Asian Supermarket... it was MINDBLOWING -- i had already visited my fav Asian market in Danbury, CT not long ago (TBS Asian Food) and stocked up on rice noodles, curry, & impulse purchases, but somehow i ended up leaving with 2 giant bags of goodies anyway (i think there are 3 or 4 different types of dumplings & pot stickers in my freezer at the moment...oops). the mind blowing amount of products and total adventure of foreign foods is just something you need to visit (if you're into visiting Asian and/or new grocery stores... which um... kinda is one of my favorite adventures. heh.)

the market stpre still has a food stall in it for takeout, but it was closed by the time i left the store (i was there late late)... i popped up the street to Hong Kong B&B after. i ordered the shrimp and pork wonton noodle soup and an order of mini-steamed pork buns. the pork buns were pillow-soft, had a nice slight honey glaze to them, and were stuffed perfectly with lil bbq delish pork. i was eating solo and planned to save 1 of the 3 buns as leftovers... but there were none. the noodle bowl was equally as delish. the bok choy flavor did overtake the broth a little bit (which is fine, just not my personal preference), but i think if i had a beef bowl instead of wonton, the meat would help balance out the flavor. the bowl was HUGE, and i left with a hefty portion of leftovers from that. was even better 2nd day. i didn't try any of the pastries they had (and there were a loooot available), but they looked adorable. definitely plan on returning and trying a few of their signature dishes... very happy to have such a growing number of fantastic Asian restaurants in Cap City. 

"taco" pizza

we had a fair amount of taco meat left over from tacos earlier this week... it doesn't really lend itself to a lot of options other than "leftover tacos", which 9x out of 10, suck. when in doubt... leftover meat = random  themed pizza. i think this is loosely described as a taco pizza... only because it seemed more on point than "cheeseburger" pizza. in either case, whatever you want to call it pizza turned into a delicious mouth party. 

ingredients list: 
- 1 recipe for pizza dough or fresh store-bought 
- 1 cup Classico Poblano Alfredo sauce
- 1/2 a red onion, diced
- 1 tomatoes, diced
- 1 & 1/2 cups cooked ground beef
- 1 jalepeno, sliced (remove seeds & stems if you want it less spicy)
- 1 cup monteray jack cheese, shredded
- 1 cup Cabot smokey bacon cheddar cheese (we used this since we had it on hand - any cheddar will do though)
- 1/8 cup diced chives
- pinch salt 
- pince pepper
- olive oil
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- few dashes of parsley

to make: mix 1-2 tbsp olive oil, salt, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, and parsley in small bowl and set aside. preheat the oven (with pizza stone in the oven also) to 450 degrees. 

roll out pizza dough on lightly floured surface. lightly flour the hot pizza stone, then carefully transfer the dough to the stone. spread the alfredo sauce, 1 cup of cheese, onion, tomato, ground beef, jalapeno, and  the last cup of cheese over the dough. bake in preheated oven for about 10-13 minutes.

brush the crust with the garlic olive oil mixture within the last few minutes of cooking. add a few dashes of pepper and the chives, and allow to cool 5-10 minutes before serving. 

new world bistro bar

lazy sunday morning... after oversleeping a bit it seemed like a brunch stop was in order. we had gone to New World Bistro Bar a long while back for brunch and thoroughly enjoyed it, and it seemed like time for another go at it. for being semi in the middle of no where in Albany, this place was still just as packed as ever.  

i had the crab, leek, and egg stuffed crepes with guava hollandaise... deliciouuuuuuus. the last time we were there i had the ropa bennie (shredded cuban pot roast topped with poached eggs and guava hollandaise), but didn't remember how supremely yummy that hollandaise sauce was. massive, but delicious breakfast. required a double workout later in the day to burn it off, but so worth it. 

recipe: basil pesto

this is a sweet & simple basil pesto recipe that i pulled from allrecipes.com. we have a TON of basil in the garden right now, so it's good to have the pesto around for a quick / quick dinner or snack option. we used in caprese burgers (burgers topped with roasted red peppers, mozzeralla & pesto), and on grilled chicken with... more roasted red peppers and served with grilled asparagus and roasted red potatoes. YUM! 

when i first blended the ingredients and tasted it by itself it tasted SUPER garlicy, but after it sat a bit it seemed to mellow out a bit -- even more so after it was incorporated onto the burgers or chicken.

ingredients list: 
- 3 cups fresh basil
- 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup pine nuts
- 2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tbsp minced garlic 
- 1/2 tsp chili powder 

to make: place the basil in a blended or food processor. pour in about 1 tbsp of the oil, and blend basil into a paste. gradually add pine nuts, cheese, garlic, chili powder, and remaining oil, and continue to blend until smooth. allow to sit 3-4 hours before serving / using. 

recipe: parmesan and sage-crusted pork chops

last week was a decent week of cooking - we successfully made a "real" dinner almost every night last week after leaving work mostly on time everyday. something that hasn't happened in... over half a year? i'm still on a quest to find really good sage-based recipes to use the surplus in our garden. the abundance of center cut pork chops in the freezer seemed like a lovely pairing for them. 

i used the parmesan and sage-crusted chop recipe from MyRecipes.com. the chops i had were very thick (1 inch+), so i cooked them longer than the original recipe that called for a quick pan-fry only. they turned out fab - super-flavorful crust, very juicy... easily one of the better pork chop recipes we've made. 

ingredients list: 
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh sage
- 1/4 tbsp salt
- 1/4 tbsp cracked black pepper
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1 tbsp prepared mustard (i used a mix of dijon & yellow)
- 1 egg
- 2 thick-cut pork chops
- 1 & 1/2 tbsp canola or vegetable oil 

to make: preheat oven to 350F degrees. place bread crumbs, cheese, sage, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish; place flour in another shallow dish; combine mustard and egg in a third shallow dish.

dredge pork chops in flour, shaking off excess, then dip into the egg mixture, and lastly the breadcrumb mixture. 

heat a large skillet over medium heat, and add oil to pan. once oil is to temp, add pork and cook 2-3 minutes on each side, until each side is golden brown. remove pork chops and add to a baking dish with a wire rack (they can be added directly to the baking dish if preferred, but the crust may get soggy - boo). cook 20-25 minutes, until pork is fully cooked through (to an internal temperature of 145F degrees or more).  

recipe: ginger scallion noodles

last night's dinner, a random find from foodgawker.com on my never-ending delicious search of quick, delish weeknight stir fries. i used the ginger scallion noodles recipe from The Daring Gourmet. while it is intended to be eaten at room temperature, since i didn't have any time for a cool-down period i ate it hot and it was great either way. the cold noodles are a good option to have on deck if i ever do need a portable lunch though. flavor is very simple and strong - since the sauce is not cooked, the intensity of the ginger, garlic, and scallions all pop right through - it's quite the palate tickler. 

ingredients list (for 2):

- 8 oz rice noodles-

- 1 bunch of scallions, chopped

- 1 tbsp minced ginger 

- 1 tsp minced garlic

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 3 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil

- 1 tsp rice vinegar

- 1 tsp brown sugar

- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

- toasted sesame seeds (garnish)

to make: cook the noodles according to package directions, and drain and set aside once fully cooked through.  

combine all other ingredients in a small bowl and let sit for at least 15 minutes. pour sauce over noodles, and toss to coat. sprinkle with sesame seeds before serving at room temperature. 

6th annual troy pig out

...

this little piggy went to the bbq...

we hit up the 6th Annual Troy Pig Out today in Troy, NY. beyond the bbq, this year the fest joined forces with BaconFest this year to deliver a fantastic array of cow and pig products. mmmmm. sweet, tasty farm animals. me and a bud shared a bunch of bites to avoid getting too full too fast. while everything we had was delish, the one thing i was hoping for was more sample-sized tastings... unless that only occurs at a certain point of the day (bbq competition submissions perhaps?). i'd love to buy $1 tickets and just run around sampling every single trucks meat slabs, but one can hope for next year at least. all in all though, it was an absolutely delicious day, and one that i was quite happy i did a large gym session this AM in preparation for it - bacon guilt successfully avoided. 

smoked pork, jalapeno cornbread
& collard green eggroll 

pork belly, fried egg, arugula &
 garlic mayo slider 

rrribs

bacon wrapped dates

Sukhothai - Albany, NY

Sukhothai on Lark St in Albany has been on my to-visit hit list for some time after hearing of it and good things about it. we went on a friday late afternoon and it was pretty busy - surprisingly so. we split the Hoy Joh (crab wrapped in tofu with sweet & sour sauce) and i had the massaman curry as my meal. the app was fairly light & delish, and the massaman actually tasted just like the delish massaman we had on the scuba boats in Thailand. i asked for it a little extra spicy and it ended up with a just right mix of spicy & sweet. i didn't order a drink, but the well-stocked fridge of Sapporo and $5 saketinis that looked fab. definitely a go-back spot. 

recipe: mushroom and sage brown butter pasta

dinner last week - after falling in love with sage after having Cabot's sage cheddar cheese, i've been on an odd sage kick... except i rarely run into any sage-based foods. we planted some sage seeds in the garden and now have a ton of it, so i'm trying to find good recipes to mess around with it. i came across RosieEat's Mushroom and Sage Brown Butter Pasta recipe on foodgawker.com and it seemed like the perfect fit. the ingredients are minimal, and just let the flavors pop through in a deliciously subtle way. it's pretty light and... earthy (not to sound gross?!) tasting, good for a summer night. i made the recipe verbatim from RosieEats and it was great. next time i might through a little minced shallot in with the mushrooms next time for a lil extra somethin-somethin.

ingredients list: 

- 5 tbsp butter divided

- 1 tbsp olive oil

- 3 oz sliced mushrooms (cremini)

- 10 or so sage leaves

- 1/2 lemon juiced

- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese 

- 1/2 lb pasta

to make:

melt 1 tbsp of butter and olive oil in a large saute pan. add mushrooms and cook down for a few minutes, until soft and golden. remove mushrooms from pan and aside in a bowl. 

start pasta, and while it cooks add the remaining 4 tbsp butter and sage leaves in the saute pan. cook it until it becomes golden brown in color, being careful to stir frequently so the edges don't burn. sage leaves should be gently fried but not burnt. add lemon juice and set aside.

drain the pasta, reserving some of the pasta water. add the pasta to the saute pan, along with the cheese, mushrooms, and salt and pepper to taste.   

recipe: smoked pork loin

yesterday was a chill Sunday, worthy of pulling out the old smoker for the giant slab of center cut pork loin in the fridge. the day prior i had rubbed it down with a dry rub, using an all-purpose "Magic Dust" recipe from Serious Eats, which turned out perfect for this. smokey & sweet with the slightest hint of heat. we ran into an issue with the smoker not getting hot enough (it was supposed to cook at 275 F for 1 hour per pound, but we did 2 hours at 150 F) and had to finish it off in the oven, but the result was still uber-smokey, sweet, and delicious. 

slapped on a roll with american and monterey cheese, sauteed pepper, onion, and mushrooms, and a big dollop of garlic and cayenne mayo. major mouth party. 

Ingredients List - Magic Dust: 
* makes 2 cups - which is WAY more than what's needed for a 2-3 lb roast. can be stored for 
future use. 

- 1/2 cup paprika

- 1/4 cup kosher salt

- 1/4 cup brown sugar 

- 2 tbsp mustard powder

- 1/4 cup chili powder

- 1/4 cup ground cumin

- 2 tbsp ground black pepper

- 1/4 cup garlic powder

- 2 tbsp cayenne powder

 to make: 

 blend all ingredients in a a small bowl; rinse and pat dry meat (pork loin in this case), then rub down completely with the rub. wrap tightly in cling wrap and let rest in the fridge for 24 hours. remove from fridge 30 minutes before cooking.

 for smoker cooking, allow to smoke at 2 hours per pound at 275 F degrees, or until internal temperature is 155 F. 

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chicago!

last weekend we took a long weekend to Chicago for a much-needed little getaway. purpose was to check out the city, and EAT. we had 3 days, and 5 goals: deep dish pizza, Chicago dog, Italian beef sandwich, David Burke steakhouse, and mmmmmburger. it was a very fat weekend, but one of the better once i've had in sometime. to avoid a long, blabbering post, here is the top line of the pit stops:




1) Chicago dog: Honestly, this sounded disgusting to me -- not going to lie. definition of a C-dog consists of: all beef hot dog on poppy seed bun with yellow mustard, chopped onion, dill pickle, tomato, relish, celery salt (pretty much... every item i hate). that was Kyle's must-have try though (when in Rome...) ... he was happy as a clam to have one at the Cubs game, tho verdict was "too weird" tasting and not something he would order again. i had a modified version: dog with poppy seed bun, but only with a heaping pile of  caramelized onion on top. DAMN that was good.

2) Deep dish pizza: After experiencing this MASSIVE brick of pizza, i realize that we have been misusing the term "pie" for pizza here in NY for a long time. it is exactly that - a colossal heavy crust of inches of cheese, sauce, toppings, cheese sauce, holy jesus. we got it from the original Gino's East which was next door to our hotel. it was an amazing mouth party, but... if i was going to do the inevitable NY vs. Chicago pizza hands-down i gotta go thin crust NY. deep dish pizza is not something you casually order on a Friday night and expect to move afterwards... we walked a few miles that night, and i felt like a fat piece of garbage. not sexy.

3) Italian beef sandwich: We had seen these bad boys on a few travel shows (Adam Richmond, Anthony Bourdain...); i wanted to try the Bourdain reco of Johnnie's Beef, but it was a bit out of our stomping ground, and Al's Beef (Richmond reco) kinda had a spot niched out in every little neighborhood. it was messy as hell, and a tasty sloppy treat. the hot pepper topping was a little weird (it had celery in it -- what is with the celery everywhere?), but it was still a well received meat treat on a hot summer afternoon.

4) David Burke's: Here's where things get serious. If you're not familiar with David Burke's, beyond having the title of the best steakhouse in Chicago, it has a Himalayan sea-salt tiled room where they dry-age their beef. after going through this process for anywhere from 30 to 75 days, the result is an uber-concentrated meat flavor. i ordered the 35-day aged rib eye (K the 55-day aged), and we split truffled mashed potatoes and asparagus served with poached egg, citrus, and parmesan. everything was as amazing as expected, with the surprise delight being the truffled mashed potatoes... i've never had my socks blown off by mashed potatoes (they are an amazing comfort food, but can only be "so good" on the scale of "yes I want that" foods").... these were effing ridiculous. i've had straight truffles before, but this... aah i don't even know. they have a touch of magic in everything here. including the bread, which looked like a gigantic loaf of hearty bread but turned out to be a light fluffy bread puff. served with pure extra fatty butter. F. i want to go back.

5) burger! This city is a city of 592380810983092834 amazing burger options. selecting one location was so stressful. we ended up going with Butcher & Burger. all the ingredients are the finest quality, local, etc as a base. they love cows. they love cows that eat delicious things. which leads to the happy result of them loving to eat delicious cows. the menu is a pick & play of patty types, patty spice blends, roll selections, toppings, cheeses, sauces. it's stressful to say the LEAST. i think i came out with the most fantastic combination of all time - 1) natural & local house blend beef patty; 2) salt & pepper spice blend; 3) swiss cheese; 4) griddled mushroom & caramelized onion; 5) black truffle aioli & 6) pretzel bun (which notably was pillow soft, not firm like most pretzel buns... over the top pleasant surprise). AAAAAAAAAAAAAAH one of the best i've ever had. amazing meat, amazing juicy patty, amazing every other ingredient added that made the most perfect flavor combo ever. STRONGLY RECOMMEND. if you are in Chi-town, GO. i went halfsies with K who did a bison burger with traditional toppings (cheddar, thick-cut bacon, fried egg)... also amazing. unread.

Nighthawk's Kitchen

we hit up Nighthawk's Kitchen at the Troy Farmer's Market this past weekend. after all these years in Albany this was our first time hitting the market... which we did only because we heard a good burger lead was nestling in its stands. Serious Eats did a piece on the smashed burger from Nighthawks - not only is it rare for Albany burgers to get a blurb on SE, getting a full article is unheard of. 

Kyle & i did halfsies with a green chili cheeseburger with a side of buffalo mac & cheese and a BBQ burger (which had the BIGGEST slab of bacon on it, mother of god) with a gouda and something-something mac & cheese on the side. 

the burgers were served on potato buns, nice & juicy & a bit messy, with the toppings played nicely with both. the meat had an awesome taste to it, and the giant slabs of local cheese were the perfect gooey blanket to the meat party. i assumed the smashed burgers were going to be thin, but they were pretty hearty. enough so that i had to struggle through the mac & cheese, which was well worth the struggle. definitely a place that i will pop back to, especially after seeing the amount of delicious available at the market (it's more local cheese & bread than it is veggies, and a lot of gourmet snacks. good stuff).

screamin' mimis

last month i took a trip to Savannah, GA for a wedding. i was only there for 2 days, so i did not have a lot of time to poke around sampling eats. doing my pre-visit burger research, i was a little bummed that they didn't seem to have much of a fierce burger game. their "best burger in Savannah" was reviewed as pretty "meh" from Serious Eats. kinda shocking when even Albany has a few solid (more than solid) contenders. 

what was SHOCKING is that Savannah apparently is known for having really good pizza. like... top 10 best city in USA for pizza. typically i wouldn't plan to touch a pizza or Italian food in the south with a 10 foot pole (no offense south), but i was intrigued. Screamin Mimi's and Vinnie Van Go Go's seemed like the top 2 picks, though Screaming Mimi's is where we ended up based on "it's very convenient location down town" (i was travelling with my parents :) ) 

the pizza is thin-crust NJ-style... and... it was really good. if i was in NYC and had a slice of this, i would not be disappointed. it would be exactly what i expected. i think what puts it on the map for Savannah and Savannah on the map at all is that it's NOT expected. in NYC, it wouldn't stand out (which is no insult - having a standout pizza in NYC the land of amazing pizza is a feat). here tho, delicious wonderfest. one complaint was that my slice of sausage pizza was too fennely. very weird sausage. plain slice was the winner of the 2 i had, straight up cheese and saucy mouth party. 

recipe: chicken satay & spicy peanut sauce

last night i was still motivated to keep cooking - knowing i'd have 0 time on a week day to prep, i had prepped the marinade and sauce for this the night before.  the intention was to use skinless chicken thighs and use them for traditional chicken satay, however this plan went a bit south when i realized they were bone-in thighs - turning it into essentially a un-kababed version. grilled bone-in chicken is so damn good it kind of worked out for the best -- this marinade make the chicken super juicy and had an awesome flavor -- i want to re-make it again using chicken wings served in the spicy peanut sauce. i love kabob satay, but i kind of like wings even more and think it would be a fab fusion. 

both of these recipes were taken from Serious Eats - they have a nice kick to them, so if you like spicy they will be on par. 

ingredients list: chicken (adequate for 4 pieces of chicken)

- 1 stalk lemon grass, roughly chopped (or prepared minced lemongrass if you can't find fresh)

- 2 tbsp vegetable oil

- 2 tbsp fish sauce

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 1 tbsp lime juice (preferably fresh)

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- 2 tsp minced garlic (about 2 cloves)

- 1 tsp ground turmeric

- 1 tsp ground coriander (i did not have any so used a dash of cilantro)

- 1 tsp Sriracha

to make: place lemongrass, oil, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, turmeric, garlic, coriander and Sriracha in a blender, and blend on high speed until smooth, about 30 seconds.

place chicken in a large resealable bag and pour in marinade - leave in fridge and marinade 1-2 hours (i left mine for 24).

when ready to cook:

- if doing skewers, slice into long 1-inch strips and thread onto soaked wooden skewers

- or - just keep it whole. 

grill until juices run clear -- fairly quickly (5 min) for skewers, about 20 minutes over medium high heat if using bone-in chicken.

ingredients list: spicy peanut sauce:

- 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

- 1/4 cup hot water

- 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste

- 2 tbsp brown sugar

- 2 tbsp Sriracha

- 1 tbsp soy sauce

- 1 tbsp rice vinegar

- 1 tbsp lime juice (preferably fresh)

- 1 tsp minced garlic

- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

- 2 scallions, thinly sliced

- kosher salt to taste

to make: in a medium bowl, whisk together peanut butter and hot water. stir in all remaining ingredients. it can be used immediately, or stored in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks. 

recipe: mongolian beef

this has been on my must-cook list for some time. all day long yesterday i was in the mood to grill since it was an amazing day out (enough to actually get me out of the house), but somehow ended up saying NOOO! MONGOLIAN BEEF! when it was time to hit the store for dinner foodages. case closed. can't deny a screaming asian urge (haha - 55) when you get it. 

i went with the recipe from Just A Taste, which used 30 minute PF-changs inspired version of it. i haven't been cooking a lot lately -or at least not cooking anything *new*- so this wasn't delish because it was a finally fresh home-cooked meal, it was delish because this dish is GD amazing. no lie that it tastes like restaurant chinese food (if not better). i added the chili oil, cayenne, and red chilis in because i love heat, but this can be scaled no-spice or spicier to taste. 

ingredients list: 
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 4 giant cloves)
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce 
- 1/2 cup water 
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 lb flank steak
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 scallions (green parts only), diced
- 1/2 tsp chili oil
- dashes cayenne pepper
- dried red chilis (optional)

to make: 
heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in small sauce pan over medium-low heat. add ginger and garlic, and saute until golden, about 1 minute. stir in the soy sauce, water, and brown sugar, chili oil, and increase the heat to medium. bring the sauce to a boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside. 

slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch pieces, then toss it with the cornstarch. place the coated steak pieces into a sieve or sifter, and shake off excess coating. allow the steak to sit for 10 minutes. 

place a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup vegetable oil. once oil is hot (but not smoking), add the meat to the pan and saute for about 2 minutes - it should be seared on all sides, but barely cooked in the center. remove steak from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plat. pour excess oil out of wok.

return wok to stove over medium heat, adding the prepared sauce and letting it come to a boil, cayenne, and dried peppers. add the steak back to the pan into the boiling sauce, and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. add the scallions and stir to combine. 

transfer with a slotted spoon and serve, preferably over rice. 

taiwan noodle

last week we finally made it over to Taiwan Noodle, dim sum & noodle shop we heard about via the Times Union. anyone in Albany knows there is a major shortage of dim sum joints (with exception to CCK Chinese, which i'd place as the top contender in Cap City), so any new find is like Christmas. i don't know when Taiwan Noodle opened, but i'm very happy we now found it. it's super casual, and seeing that their customer base was 75% Asian was definitely a nod to their good cookin. 

we ordered the Pork & Leek Dumpling and Shrimp Shu Mai off the dim sum menu and I had the Garlic Chicken Wing Lo Mein as my meal. Not only was everything super-cheap (each DS was between $3-$4, the Lo Mein $7), it was excellent. crispy juicy chicken wings & oodles of noodles. our only regret is that we didn't order any of the noodle soup which is kiiinda their specialty, so we will have to head back soon for more.

update 6/8: went back and hit up the beef noodle bowl. it delivered. SO gigantic i had to take half of it home. will be back.