life's a carnival!

My husband loves carnivals.  Well, sort of.  He loves the rickety, death-trap rides that cost $5 and make you regret your overindulgence in carnival food.  He loves the greasy, pricey, bad-for-you snacks served up on paper plates from rolling kitchens with smoke billowing out of their lacking ventilation systems.  The smells and sounds of funnel cake, smudged paper bags of fried Oreos, cheese fries and corn dogs are enough to turn anyone into a gluttonous rat like Templeton.  My husband's favorite carnival treat has got to be the Italian Sausage sandwich; he loves them.  You know, the kind with sausage and peppers and onions on a soft roll, all fried up on a griddle that hooks up to the back of a pickup truck.  We've tried to find them elsewhere, venturing to every Italian sub shop in the hood, buying the ingredients and trying to make them ourselves, but nothing lives up to his very high standards.  The only sandwiches that will satisfy him are those from the carnival.  This is my husband at North Brunswick's annual Carnivale Italiano:

overwhelmed by the awesomeness of a Central Jersey fair

He's obviously really excited about our near-death experiences on the Himalaya followed by tasty Sausage sandwiches.  It's a pre-sandwich shot so he's still pretty skeptical.  I wish I'd had the camera ready while he was indulging but he scarfed the hoagie down too quickly for me to capture it on film.  Like I mentioned, for his sake I've tried to recreate the awesomeness of the carnival creation at home to no avail.  But as luck would have it my fridge is still overrun with veggies and I'm trying to find new and creative ways to get rid of them everyday... especially those damn peppers.  So another kitchen puzzle began to unfold itself - I opened the freezer and what is staring back at me?  Italian sausage!  To the staples cupboard where I always have a stash of onions and potatoes.  Back to the fridge for what's left of the eggs before I pulled out my hand-me-down cast iron skillet (one of my prized possessions.)  


By now I'm sure you see where I'm going with this but first I'll let you in on something that I love.  I love eggs and I love things that can be served in slices.  But I don't love quiche; well, my Aunt Kathryn's quiche is pretty awesome and my mom made a tasty one this weekend but usually I'm not a huge fan.  So what's a girl to do when she wants a slice of eggs without the crust of a quiche?  Frittata!  They are quick, simple, cheap and creative.  You can put anything in a frittata and that certainly includes sandwich stuffings.


So what happens when you mix my love of breakfast slices with my husband's love of carnival sandwiches together in a cast iron skillet?  You get the Carnival Frittata - minus the long lines, hiked up prices, and inevitable nausea felt after riding something wacky and fast and possibly dangerous called the El Diablo.

Carnival Frittata
ingredients
5 eggs
2 tbsp half & half
1 lb sliced Italian sausage
1 small diced onion
1 c chopped peppers
1 c diced potatoes
salt & pepper
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
directions
1.  Turn oven to broil.  While oven is warming up, heat oil & balsamic vinegar in oven-safe skillet (preferably a cast iron skillet) on a medium heat.  Toss in onions, peppers and potatoes with salt & pepper to taste.  Fry up until tender.  Add sausage and stir with veggies until fully cooked.
2.  In a separate bowl, whisk eggs an half & half until mixed thoroughly.  Lower skillet heat to low and pour in eggs, stirring constantly.  Let eggs cook around veggies and sausage almost completely, mixing to keep from sticking to sides of the pan.  
3.  When eggs are nearly cooked, place pan on highest rack of heated oven and bake until top starts to brown.  Remove from oven an let finish cooking as it cools.  Serve in slices with a side of greens and a slice of fresh mozzarella.  

You know the meal was good and worth trying out yourself because husbo willingly ate four slices and loved it!  Finally, an at home sausage sandwich success story.

Don't limit the carnival atmosphere to the menu.  Turn your kitchen into a fun house by stringing up some lights, playing loud music and indulging in some Oreos for dessert, your call whether they're fried or straight-up.  Find a good video of fireworks online and all of a sudden you're transported to the Carnivale Italiano.  Plus you're eating breakfast for supper and who doesn't love that? 

a sojourn to so bruns

This past weekend, the husbo and I made a trip to my hometown of South Brunswick, NJ to visit some family and run a few errands.  After a quick trip to the dentist (no cavities!) we decided to take my kid sis out for lunch at one of the town's oldest establishments - Burrito Royale.  The place has been there since 1975 and has been a part of local lore since the day it opened; my mom went there when she was in high school, so did my cousins, so did I.  This place may look like a dive on the Southbound side of Route 1 next to a gas station, but visit it and you'll soon realize it's truly a tiny little one room Mexican food oasis.  

New sign, same satisfying food.

Now, there's definitely nothing fancy about this spot, but it's guaranteed to be an inexpensive and delicious quickie lunch in the SoBro area.  Husbo, sis and I delighted in a classic burrito, a chili enchilada, and chicken burritos slathered with guacamole.  Simple and fresh food that hit the spot and cured Justin's week-long burrito crave-fest.  

Before this visit I hadn't been to Burrito Royale in about as many years as it's been since I went to the dentist.  But no matter how often or infrequently you pull into the gravel parking lot and grab some grub to eat on the wobbly picnic tables or bring home to your own casa, this place is guaranteed to leave you totally pleased with the few bucks you spent.  The menu hasn't changed since the first time I visited and it doesn't seem like the prices have changed much either.  Be sure to check it out next time you're driving down the suburban stretch of the Atlantic Highway in central Jersey.

All this for less than a Taco Bell date night!

Stuffed and satisfied we headed down to TCNJ to see my fab sister-in-law perform as Gloria in the college's production of Thoroughly Modern Millie.  She's awesome and the jazz hands were out of this world!  Later on, we strolled through Princeton grabbing a few drinks with the wacky alums in their orange and black regalia.  No joke, those Princeton U folks are funky fly when the P-rade rolls around.  But no matter how exciting the fancy kilts and bow ties were, the simplicity of tasty Mexican grub at Burrito Royale was the highlight of our visit to the jerz! 

He'll learn to love NJ even if it takes the rest of our lives!

aack!!

I don't mean to sound like a dated funny pages character, but I love chocolate.  I mean really love chocolate.  You know that candy dish I mentioned?  It doesn't end there.  Beyond that, I have at least two additional chocolate bars stashed in my fridge or freezer at any given time.  This past month I've bought no fewer than two chocolate bars a week.  I buy them, eat a few squares, and then put them in the fridge where they sit until I crave them again.  Right now there are at least five half-eaten chocolate bars calling out to me.  So let's talk about the varieties that are currently presiding in my ice box.


Brooklyn based Mast Brothers produce some of the prettiest chocolate bars I've ever seen.  Their wrapping is what originally drew me to their bars while I was picking up Idiazabal cheese for my fabulous beet and frisse salad.  The Stumptown Coffee bar wrapper had bicycles, pennyfarthings to be exact, wrapped around a rich, dark chocolate with nibs of super strong espresso beans.  My husband, a self-proclaimed coffee connoisseur who isn't a huge fan of chocolate, loved it.  But I wasn't about to buy him an $8 chocolate bar and not get one for myself.  For me, Almonds and Sea Salt dressed in heavy paper with black and red anchors dancing all over it.  The savory nuttiness of salted almonds draped in rich dark chocolate is a flavor experience that is almost impossible to describe... but I'll try with two simple words: Holy Cow.  That's some tasty chocolate and even though it's pricey, it's worth it.  Not your everyday chocolate, but for a special occasion, I'd pick these beautifully wrapped delicacies.

Justin and I were wandering the Brooklyn Flea in search of a new table for our entryway a couple of weekends ago.  Though we didn't find that perfect piece of furniture we had set out for, we didn't walk away empty-handed.  I found a few great pillbox hats and headbands, Justin eyed up some old vinyls, together we picked up an amazing typewriter, and we both ate some snacks.  Unfortunately, this chocolate isn't in the fridge since we had already spent all our loot on the typewriter; but I can still taste it.  Justin stood and ate almost an entire barrel of pickle samples while I partook in the sweet and savory flavors of Fine and Raw's Sea Salt bar.  Like the Mast Brothers sea salt bar, Fine and Raw overwhelms your palette with a smokey sweetness.  A bit saltier than MB but oh boy is it worth it. 

During a quick snack run at the Food Emporium on my way to work the other day, I grabbed a pack of deluxe mixed nuts and a chocolate bar.  As usual I let my eyes guide me to the prettiest pack.  The Tea Room's tea-infused chocolate bars are inexpensive escapes into the exotic.  I grabbed the first one I saw in an eye-catching orange box (way too much packaging but I'll let that slide) which turned out to be a Mate Tea Infused Dark Chocolate with Cocoa Nibs.  What a welcome surprise!  The flavors were so complex and dark with an earthy bitterness.  Not too shabby for a three dollar candy bar.


I recently received an international addition to my collection thanks to the lovely Bennett sisters.  While on their vaca in Mexico, they kindly thought of me and brought me back two absolutely amazing chocolate bars (one dark, one milk) from Ah Cacao in Mexico.  The flavors of this Mayan chocolate are pure and rich with notes of cinnamon-y spices that make for an amazing bittersweet balance.  This stuff is the real deal, honest and simple chocolate that cures a cocoa craving in a heartbeat.  Thanks girls for the best spring break souvenir ever!


My old standard is the Ritter Sport Olympia.  A simple and fake-healthy chocolate bar filled with honey, yogurt & nuts.  An inexpensive and totally accessible (seriously, they sell these everywhere) emergency stash.  Sometimes I mix it up but no matter what the flavor is, one of these German confections is always tucked away behind the fish sticks and frozen peas.


This list only includes the chocolate bars that I seem to have been collecting lately.  It fails to include the other variations of cocoa that are always present in the kitchen like Baker's chocolate squares, Ghiradelli semisweet chocolate chips, Dutch pressed cocoa powder and the unpronounceable Polish chocolate that mentioned while raving about my candy dish.  With all these tempting confections surrounding me, it's getting more and more difficult to pick out my pre-bedtime chocotreat.  Maybe a little nibble of each before I hit the sack tonight.  Very sweet dreams...

heating up the healthy

I called it quits on the cleanse.  It has been two weeks and even though I feel great, I've been seriously craving some hot food.  And some protein - carnivore style.  Though I would have truly loved to devour a giant bleu cheeseburger with bacon and caramelized onions and mushrooms, I'm not that crazy.  I didn't want to blow those two weeks of control and thoughtful, healthy eating in one sitting; one delicious, greasy sitting.  So instead, I decided to pick up some fish and use some of those veggies that were crowding the fridge to whip up something light and delicious that wouldn't overwhelm my shrunken, meatless stomach.  Here's what my brain came up with:

Baked Cod with Balsamic Tomato & Pepper Relish over Salad Greens

I picked up three cod fillets, patted them dry (this part is so crucial!), brushed them with a tiny bit of butter and a sprinkle of sea salt and fresh ground pepper.  Then I laid them in a casserole dish and baked at 375 for 20-30 minutes, flipping once.  As you can see, I had a lot of peppers left and since I'm not the biggest fan of raw peppers, I figured they should be the first veggies to go.  I've made this relish before but I usually serve it with red meat, so this combo was relatively new to me.  The balsamic is kind of like a quickie reduction that I came up with after browsing through about fifty balsamic reduction recipes.  I love the simple sweetness of honey and how it cuts the acidity of the vinegar ever so subtly.  So I whipped up the peppers while the fish was baking and voila!  The cod served on top of a bed of simple salad greens and warm relish with a quick squeeze of fresh lemon made for a very satisfying way to break out of my raw repetition.  I paired it with an inexpensive Grüner Veltliner which brought out a citrusy spice and what a lovely meal it was!

balsamic tomato & pepper relish
ingredients
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp honey
1 bay leaf
2 c chopped peppers (3-4 large peppers, I like to use a mix of colors - orange, yellow, green & red)
1/2 c chopped, seeded tomato (about 1 medium vine tomato)
1/2 c chopped cucumber (I like the English, seedless cucumbers)
salt & pepper to taste
directions
1. Put chopped peppers, tomato & cucumber in a large bowl and toss with olive oil, salt & pepper.  Let marinate in the fridge for at least 15 minutes.
2. While the veggies are marinating, heat balsamic vinegar on a high heat, whisk in the honey and drop in the bay leaf.  Allow the mix to come to a boil before lowering the heat to a steady simmer to reduce.  
3. Within 15-20 minutes, you should notice the liquid mixture thickening.  At this point, add the chilled veggies and saute just until the peppers have softened, about 7 minutes.

All right, cleanse complete!  Now we can move on to some serious eats... oh my brain is working overtime, quickly coming up with some tasty treats to share.

wednesday smörgåsbord

How about a quick midweek note about some goodies that have come my way over the past couple of days? Sounds good to me!

New York is full of free samples.  People are always standing around handing out granola bars or tastes from the new dumpling shop or froyo joint.  Just last week there were three food trucks giving out treats to advertise new tv shows.  Well yesterday, as I was walking by the Flatiron, there were some folks giving out little bottles of the newest flavor of coconut water.  It was chocolate!  Coconut water is awesome for a lot of reasons: it's tasty, hydrating, full of potassium, cures hangovers.  Add a little chocolate and creamy coconut and what do you get?  A healthy liquid Mounds bar!  It was awesome and I think the Easter Bunny needs to put a case of it in my basket.

Have you seen the latest issue of Saveur?  It's the sandwich issue.  Sandwiches are pretty high up on my favorite foods list and I pride myself on making a damn good turkey club.  They're really the perfect food (portable,versatile, share-able) and are certainly deserving of their own post.  But for now I'll just chat up the coverage they get in the magazine.  The editors give readers recipes for all kinds of goodness on a roll: international sandwiches, breakfast sandwiches, hot sandwiches, cold sandwiches, stacked sandwiches, dessert sandwiches... you get the idea.  Plus there are beer and soda pairings for a bunch of the recipes, too!  One of the standout things about the sandwich is that it is the perfect picnic food.  Going on a picnic is such a treat and this year my outdoor eating experiences will be extra special since I get to break in the new picnic basket that Nick and Jenessa gave us for our wedding!  I really enjoy planning themed menus and picnic themes are always fun.  With all the ideas Saveur is giving me, I'll be able to plan many menus for the upcoming months of alfresco dining.  Bahn Mi on the beach anyone?  I sense a beautiful friendship blooming between me, the sandwich issue, and the picnic basket.



best wedding present ever!

Speaking of themed meals, I've started working on my menus for Passover and Easter.  They're gonna be delicious.

And speaking of sandwiches (or at least sandwich-like foods,) does Iceland really have the world's best hot dog?  As a hot dog connoisseur, someone who was born of a mother who craved nothing but hot dogs throughout her entire pregnancy, I feel that it is my duty to find out.  I suppose I've found my next vacation destination.

An elderly French man whispered 'tres jolie' as I passed him.  It could have been creepy but I'm in a good mood so I'll think it was sweet instead.  Perhaps something French for dinner?  Or better yet, a French 75 after work!  A stop on the way home at The Richardson or a detour to sip at Madam Geneva?  Tough call.

Happy Wednesday!