recipe: baklava

i've been wanting to make this again for a while, and a lil holiday gathering today was the perfect excuse. it seems like a complicated dessert, but it's actually super-simple, just made out of a ton of tiny steps. it always comes out great... definitely on par with any restaurant/bakery-purchased version. i adapted the Baklava recipe from allrecipes.com, with a few tweaks to make it easier and with a touch less butter.

ingredients list:
- 1 (16 oz) package phyllo dough, thawed
- 1 lb mixed nuts, chopped & lightly toasted (plus more for garnish)
- 3/4 cup butter
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/2 cup honey


to make: prep sauce first by boiling sugar and water until the sugar has completely dissolved, stirring in the vanilla and honey and simmering for about 10 minutes. remove from heat, and once cool place in refrigerator to chill.

preheat oven to 325 degrees. grease the bottoms & sides of a 9x13 inch pan. toss nuts with cinnamon, and set aside. 


unroll phyllo dough, and cover with cling wrap so it doesn't dry out as you're working. place 2 sheets of the dough into the pan (the dough will be slightly longer than the length of the pan - just squish it so it fits - the wrinkles will make nice nooks & crannies that will help make a flaky crust). brush a thin coat of butter all over the dough, then repeat until you have 8 total sheets layered. sprinkle 2-3 tbsp of nut mixture on top. top with two sheets of dough, butter, and nuts, layering as you go until you run out of nuts and/or almost all of the phyllo. the top layer should be 6-8 dough sheets deep (WITHOUT butter on top layer, for now - it will be too hard to cut neatly if the butter is sticking).


using a sharp knife, cut into triangle or square shapes, cutting about 1/4 inch above the bottom of the pan (if you go all the way through, the sauce will seep to the bottom and make the bottom soggy). after cutting is complete, apply thin layer of butter to top. bake for 35-50 minutes until the baklava is golden and crisp.


once removed from the oven, spoon the cold sauce over the hot baklava- it will crisp up nicely. sprinkle a dash of chopped nuts over top for garnish, and let cool before serving (leave it uncovered as it will get soggy covered).
***
once again, i love this. not much else to say... it's a perfect recipe. tastes just as good as bakery bought, which means a 9*********.

recipe: buffalo chicken pasta

i found this site, How Sweet Eats, through foodgawker.com and loved the idea of the Buffalo Chicken Pasta. it seemed like it could be way-delicious like a spicy mac & cheese, or just weird like pasta with hot sauce... luckily it turned out a bit more like the first. i'm including the ingredients list as i -wish- i had made it which was a serving size of 2-3 people with the SAME amount of sauce from the original recipe which serves 4-6 (it was still really good, just not as super creamy as i'd have liked it).

ingredients list:
- 1/2 lb pasta
- 1.5 cups of shredded/chopped chicken breast (i actually used leftover xmas turkey which worked just as well)
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp flour
- 1.5 cups milk
- 4 oz monte jack cheese, grated + more for topping
- 4 oz sharp cheddar cheese, grated + more for topping
- 1/3 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions


to make: preheat oven to 375 degrees. prepare pasta according to norm directions. while the pasta cooking, heat a medium saucepan to medium heat. add the butter, and once it's melted completely, add the flour. whisk together to create a roux and cook for 1-2 minutes until mixture is golden. add milk, stir, and turn down to low heat, continuing to stir until the milk thickens. add in the buffalo wing sauce and cheeses and continue stirring until mixture is smooth. season to taste with salt & pepper.


grease a 8" x 11" baking dish. add pasta, chicken, and cheese sauce and mix until everything is well combined. sprinkle with the extra grated cheese and panko. bake for 25 mins or until cheese is bubbly & golden. sprinkle with green onions and a few extra drizzles of buffalo wing sauce, and serve.
***
verdict... good! flavor was great (the green onion is key... had a nice zing to it), though it was not as creamy as i would have liked by making 1/2 the sauce recipe, that's just personal preference b/c the dish and the flavors were still v yum. the original recipe calls for a sprinkling of gorgonzola over top before serving... i wish i had that b/c it would be so perfect with it. popping it a 7*******.

d.p. brasserie

since kyle & i did xmas apart this year, last night we went out for a lil date night. we were going to try Taste, but it was closed so we headed to D.P. Brasserie which i've had been dying to try for a while... their menu is just yummy and fun, and everyday they post specials on Facebook, which for everyday has a new and ridiculously creative burgers special.

for drinks i had the Pop Rocks to start (stoli raz & O, ketel one citron, peach schnapps, oj, cranberry & pineapple juices, sour, all in a pop rock-rimmed glass). umm... YUMMM. as soon as i saw the pop rock-rimmed glass there was no ? i had to order it, but it was an added bonus that the drink was actually delish. second drink was the Pretty Woman which was champagne & fragoli with fresh strawberry.

we had an order of pot stickers which i enjoyed...nice char when they fried them (there were only 3, but that was actually a good thing since my din was going to be so big). mmm. their bread was little handmade hot pretzel bites/rolls... <3.

the burger special was curry crusted, with carmelized onion, gorgonzola, bacon aoili, and... i can't remember what else. the patty was gargantuon, but HOLY F probably the juiciest burger i ever had in my life. it was like biting into a water balloon. and cooked medium rare to perfection. i loved every single little bite of it. my one complaint was the bun... since the burger was so juicy the bottom bun couldn't really hold up to all of it... it was half bun, half squish by the time i got to the end of it. i kind of had fun making a big mess, but i could see if you're at the restaurant and wanting to pretend to be fancy you would have a little bit of a struggle. i'd give it 8.5********~, and really have to go back (need to try their DP burger with foi gras & truffles, and their asian influenced short ribs sound deviiiine).

recipe: lasagna

this lasagna recipe was the first i ever tried, and i have never attempted to find another it's so good (unless i'm doing a white lasagna, but that doesn't count : ) it's the World's Best Lasagna recipe from allrecipes.com. the key to it is the sauce, which is a great meat sauce on its own to just make. 

ingredients list:  

*Note: I recommend making this the day before baking and serving it... letting the flavors sit in the fridge and meld together gives it just a little extra oompf. just take it out of the fridge 1 hour prior to baking to let it adjust, or you may have to bake longer. 

***
so once again, this was awesome. love it. my dads uncle is off the boat italian, and really enjoyed it... enough to say it restored his faith in the irish (sicilians... not so much... but the irish are redeemed. you're welcome, world). i don't have any thing i would change on it, other than my sh!tty job of cutting it. it's almost a guarantee if you make it, you will not regret it. mmm 9 ********. 

• - 1 lb sweet Italian sausage
• - 3/4 pound lean ground beef
• - 1/2 cup onion, minced
• - 4 cloves garlic, minced
• - 1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
• - 2 (6 oz) cans tomato paste
• - 2 (6.5 oz) cans canned tomato sauce
• - 1/2 cup water or red wine
• - 2 tbsp white sugar
• - 1 1/2 tsp dried basil leaves
• - 1/2 tsp fennel seeds
• - 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• - 1 tbsp salt
• - 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
• - 4 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
• - 1 box lasagna noodles
• - 16 oz ricotta cheese
• - 1 egg
• - 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• - 1/2 tsp salt
• - 1.5 lbs mozzarella cheese, 1 lb sliced, 1/2 shredded
• - 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

to make*: brown sausage, ground beef, onion and garlic over medium heat until well browned. add to slow cooker along with crush tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, and water. season with sugar, basil, fennel seeds, italian seasoning, 1 tbsp salt, pepper, and 2 tbsp parsley. simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally (note: if i'm lazy, i'll skip browning the meat and just cook it over high heat for the first 1-2 hours).

in a medium bowl, mix ricotta cheese with egg, remaining parsley, 1/2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp nutmeg.

bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil, and cook lasagna noodles until -almost- done. drain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process, and set aside.

to assemble, spread 1.5 cups of meat sauce in bottom of a 9x13 lasagna pan. arrange 5 noodles lengthwise over sauce. spread with 1/2 of the ricotta cheese mixture. top with half of the SLICED mozz cheese, and 1/4 cup parm cheese. repeat layer. on top of the second layer, add 5 more lasagna noodles, then top with meat sauce, the shredded mozz, and additional parm cheese. 

cover with foil, sprayed with cooking spray. when ready to bake, preheat oven to 375 degrees. bake for 30 minutes with foil, 30 minutes without. let cool about 15 minutes before serving. 

toro japanese & chinese restaurant

so it wouldn't be appropriate if our family didn't have a xmas eve tradition that wasn't odd. ours is chinese food. not cooking it, just going out for it. way back when we used to celebrate x-eve with my godfather & his wife who were both jewish, so to be non-denominational we would go asian. even after he passed away, it's still our thing. 

pardon the blue hue from the lighting...
but u get the idea

this year we went to Toro, Carmel NY, the closest option based on a few scheduling hurdles (my bad). 

for apps we had fried dumplings and beef negimaki was which was thin-sliced beef wrapped around scallions... that was awesome. the dumplings were kind of "eh"... i think they sat out for a little while the beef was prepared as they were a little cool. for din, i couldn't help myself but to order the only thai item on the menu, and got the Thai Coconut Curry Beef. it was nice & spicy... so spicy you couldn't taste a hint of coconut, but that was fine by me as a really enjoyed it. while the service at the restaurant was spotty (they were fairly attentive, but were a bit scattered). all in all i'd say my meal was a 6******. oh... and the appletini = very good. 

the case of the vanishing cupcake

... hint: it's in my tummy! 

mmm... courtesy of a good will elf that visited Zacharys Pastry Shoppe, Albany.

recipe: thai spicy chicken

i think Monday was the only night this week that i peeled myself away to from my desk to cook anything... i can't even remember 100% what i added here, just whatever thai-ish & spicy ingredients that seemed like they would play nicely (and an attempt at coconut sauce which didn't play out well). served with a pre-prepared coconut almond basmati rice (would be nice if i made it, but no time!). 

ingredients list:

- 4 chicken thighs, skins removed

sauce shout out!

- 2 tsp Sriracha sauce

- 2 tbsp Thai Chili Roasted Garlic Sauce (Central Market)

- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce

- 1 tbsp minced ginger

- 3 cloves garlic, minced

- 1.5 tsp cumin

- 1 tsp tumeric

- 1 tbsp lemon juice

- 1/2 tsp salt

- 1/2 tsp pepper

to make: place all ingredients in a small bowl except the chicken. mix in chicken, marinating for an hour+ if desired. preheat oven to 350 degrees, and cook for 45 min - 1 hour, until chicken is fully cooked through. serve!

***

this chicken had a ton of spice from the Sriracha - since it was a 5 minute throw together i was pleasantly surprised by it. i didn't let it marinate but the flavor was alllll up in it - YUM! what i had attempted for the sauce was simmering coconut milk with cumin & dried chilies... i ran out to the gym while the chicken was baking/sauce was simmering (kyle watched it, i'm not burning my house down)... but when i got back the sauce was super thin, not the magical cream sauce i was hoping for. i guess i didn't think that one through... nor did i have time to play with it. so it didn't become a spicy chicken + sweet cream sauce dish, but it was still yum (the sauce basically ran into the rice which worked out well for the rice). 6******.

the point

mmmmm, toinght was my 2nd visit to The Point, albany ny. i'm not a huge fan of ordering the same thing from the same restaurant, but their burger was SO bangin last time i had to do it again (i had previously put it in my top 3).

i started out with another True Blood martini (had to, it's sooo good (ruby red vod, muddled oranges & strawberries, pom liquor, portuguese desert wine, balsamic reduction rim)) and we split an order of the calamari which was yum. 


pardon the bad photo...phone camera doesn't
like to focus in dim light

i ordered the burger with cheddar, applewood bacon, medium rare, upgraded the fries to the black truffle fries, and got a side of the housemade gorgonzola dressing for dips. by the time i had my burger, i had a 2nd martini in hand, the Blueberry Basiltini (black cherry rum, basil simple syrup, white cranberries, muddled blueberries, basil leaf garnish... AAAAAAAAAAAAAH heaven).

by the time i was elbow-deep in the burger (which again... amazzzzzing prime rib patty which is ACTUALLY cooked to medium rare, soft glossy fresh baked  bun, great fixins even though u barely need them), the perfectly crisp earthy BT fries with the tangy creamy gorgonzola sauce and the muddled pulpy delicious martini i declared a complete and total burgorasm. EVERY part of my plate was heaven... all of my favorite things. usually it's great burger, forgetable fries, or great burger, but having a hum-drum drink. this is my heaven plate. i feel like i'm going to diiieee right now i'm so stuffed, but if i die tonight i'll be dying happy. 9 *********.

recipe: venison with bacon, onions & sherry cream sauce

i'm trying to be a bit more nible with using stufffff that's in my freezer (no old freezer toss-outs in 2012 is a goal). we had some venison that kyle's dad had from hunting, so it was time to tackle that this week. we had made it twice previously (we had a LOT), once a venison stroganoff (my first try at venison, really liked it), then just venison tenderloin cooked in onion (good, but a little too straight-up for my taste). this is kind of a marriage of the two:

ingredients list:
- 1-1.25 lbs venison
- 4 pieces bacon, cut into 1-2 inch strips
- 1 small onion, sliced into thin strips
- 1/2 cup sherry (+/-)
- 3 tbsp flour

to make: cook bacon & onion in a large skillet over medium heat until bacon is fully cooked to desired doneness & onions are nice golden brown. remove bacon & onions with a slotted spoon and set aside, reserving grease. turn heat up to medium-high, and cook venision for about 3-4 minutes per side (we wanted ours cooked medium). remove meat to plate and set aside. add flour to grease and cook  for about 1 minute until the flour is fully absorbed and begins to turn golden. pour in sherry simmer over medium-low heat until sherry reduces down and sauce thickens. return venision, bacon & onions to pan and simmer over medium-low for 1-2 minutes(adding more sherry or beef broth if sauce becomes to thick). serve!
***
verdict:  not bad! i over-floured a bit, so i had to add a lot more broth/sherry to my mixture, but the flavor was good.  venison isn't something i could eat every day, but every now & again it's a nice change. if you're not huge on venison, bacon & onion are definitely a good pairing to it to tone down (or just match up to) the gamey flavor. maybe.... 5.5*****~?

recipe: naked chicken chili rellenos

i needed something to do with leftover chicken from sunday's beer can chicken, and have been eyeing the stash of poblanos in the grocery store. so... chili rellenos it is... just a quicker version (weeknight), and a more naked version (no batter & frying... for calorie & timing's sake). i'm sure there is nothing authentic about this, but here's how it went down:

ingredients list (for 2):
- 1 shallot, diced (or 1/4 cup onion, whatever you have)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 poblano peppers
- 1/2 cup shredded chicken
- 1/3 package cream cheese (2.6 oz if you want to be technical)
- 1/2 cup enchilada sauce, divided (i used the hot heat one)
- 1/8 cup cilantro, chopped
- 2 oz of monteray jack cheese, cut into large chunks
- 1/3 cup shredded mexican blend cheese
- 2 tbsp bread crumbs
- salt & pepper to taste
- olive oil

to make: rub poblano peppers in olive oil, and broil for about 10-15 minutes, until skin begins to char. while poblanos are roasting, sautee shallot & garlic over medium low heat until it starts to brown, then remove from heat.

when poblanos are done cooking (and cooled enough to handle), preheat oven to 250 degrees, and then cut a small strip out of the top length of each pepper (the charred skins can be removed if preferred). carefully cut out the stem and seeds from inside, rinsing it under water if need to get out all the seeds & guts. mix together the shallot/garlic, chicken, cream cheese, 1/3 of the enchilada sauce, cilantro, and a touch of salt & pepper in a small bowl. stuff mixture into peppers, then add in the chunks of monteray jack cheese (i keep the chunks large so they melt down slowly).

pour 1/3 of the enchilada sauce into a small baking dish. add peppers do the dish, then top with the remaining enchilada sauce,
shredded mexican cheese, and bread crumbs. bake for 30 minutes until bubbly & toasty.
***
verdict: i had no anticipation for this since it was a relatively quick throw-together din,  but we really loved it. fried & battered rellenos would have been lovely, but i didn't really miss it. it was like having a giant jalapeno popper, which is a-OK by me. the peppers + hot enchilada saucy were spicy/spicy, so the mass amount of gooey cheese was peeerrrfect. there was enough to still ooze all over my rice which was an added bonus. 7 *******.

recipe: smashed red potatoes

we made beer can chicken for din tonight, with taters on the side. i was a little smitten from the Crispy Potatoes recipe i saw on whisked, and thought that would be a lovely yet easy side for them. 

ingredients list (for 3: 2 potatoes/person):
- 6 medium red potatoes
- 2 tbsp olive oil, plus more for rubbin'
- salt to taste
- pepper to taste
- grated parmesan cheese

to make: preheat oven to 350 degrees. rub potatoes in olive oil, and poke holes all over on them with a fork. bake potatoes for 35 - 40 minutes, until soft when poked with a fork.  heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. add potatoes to skillet, then crush with the bottom of a bottle of wine or large glass. cook for about 2-3 minutes per side, until crispy, and sprinkle to taste with salt, pepper & grated parmesan cheese.
***
so... these were alright. i added bacon chipolte sea salt to ours (which is AMAZING on burgers), but it actually just made the potatoes taste funny. mine got a little crumbly, but i think if i used a smaller sized potatoe they might work better. not sure. all in all though, these are simple and are a good potatoe side without a lot of calories... easy. if i take away my salt error, i'd say they are a solid 6.5 ******~. 

consolidated list: albany, ny burger recos

after looking for an albany burger joint to test out yesterday, i realized all of my burger reco lists and notes are in different places... so. i now bring to you the full best-of-web burger recommendations for albany, ny. i'm trying to hit all of these, just a little ways away from completing the task. and when i do, it will be time to move : ) 

(all the places with a star i've hit. UPDATE 12/27/11: adding D.P. Brasserie, their burger is epic. also.. although Pump Station & Sutters are listed as top Albany recos, IMO they are the hit-or-miss ones on the list. UPDATE 8/21/12: added Druthers, which is one of the top 5 local burgers IMO. UPDATE 9/27/12: adding Creo. Pat LaFrieda burger patties, cooked fabulously in Alb. HELL YES. UPDATE 3/4/13: adding Capital City Gastropub)


 Burger Centric 
*Capital City Gastropub (8/10)
*Chez Mike (5.5/10 try 1; 7.5/10 try 2)
*Creo (8/10)
*Circus Cafe (Saratoga) (7/10)
*D.P. Brasserie (7.5/10)
*Druthers Brewing Co (Saratoga)(8/10)
 Graney's
*Jack's Drive-In (Wynantskill) (6.5/10)
*Juicy Burger (9/10)
*Juniors (6.5/10)
 Indian Ladder Farms (not technically in Albany, but close)
*New World Bistro Bar (8/10)
*Nighhawk's Kitchen (7/10)
*The Point (this is not on Albany reco lists, but it's one of my top picks) (9/10)
*Pump Station (6/10)
*Shake Shack (Saratoga) (7.5/10)
*Spill'n The Beans (8/10)
*Standard (also not on Albany reco lists, but one of my picks) (7/10)
*Sutters (6/10)
*Wine-n-Diner (6/10)

sutter's mill & mining co.

last night i needed to get out of the house... kyle wasn't up for a fancy pants dinner, i was up for anything... seemed like a good night to test out a new burger joint. i've been slowly chipping away at all of the albany best-burger recommendations. sutter's is a casual sports bar type place that's known for great burgers and wings (been bustin them out since 1973). casual enough where i could wear the very cupcake tee shirt i was already in. bingo! 

we started with 10 of the medium-heat wings... they were really big, juicy, and the sauce was great. not very hot, but great flavor. mmmmm. for burgers, we decided to do the 2 burger split. we both wanted the (i forget the exact name) burger with horseradish sauce & bacon, and added sauteed onions. second we were torn between two, but ended up with the french country burger which had a french country mushroom sauce and cracked peppercorns.

i started with the french country... it was not cooked medium rare as requested, but was still very tasty. i was expecting the mushroom sauce to taste like a mushroom reduction sauce (just what i had in my head), but it was more like a gravy (and sooo messy) so it turned it kind of into a salisbury steak concoction. the one thing i did notice about the patty is that it had a ton of flavor, but it wasn't tooo juicy - it was very firmly packed without a lot of room for juices. looking at their site, it's actually intentional the way they make them firm packed that way, and since it's an 85/15 blend, explains why there isn't a lot of extra fat. it's against my personal preference (loose packed to give a lot of room for fatty mess to play), but i think i can forgive since the meat was very good.

second half was the horseradish... LOVED the sauce on that (horseradish, sourcream & mayo). with the bacon & onion it was quite a mouth party. this patty was also firm and not cooked medium rare, but again it still tasted great. as far as ratings... i'd say it was 5.5*****~.