I yearned for a greasy NYC slice of cheesy pepperoni pizza Sunday night. What did I do? Dress up some maruchuan ramen with hot dog slices, frozen peas, and corn for dinner. Tuesday came, and I craved the exact same greasy slice. Midtown’s 2 Bros Pizza tempted me with its $1 slices and close proximity to work. So naturally I traipsed over in the rain to Hing Won to get some greasy beef & broccoli over fried rice and egg roll for lunch instead.

Six hours and one hour-long chisel class later, I found myself walking out of Trader Joe’s with 10 mini bagels, a bag of pre-sliced ham, a wedge of Fontina cheese, (and my usual stash of low sodium Chicken broth and frozen Mexican goodies). I knew that a small bowl of leftover pasta sauce and a stick of mozzarella string cheese waited for me at home, and I knew exactly what I wanted to make.

This is a throwback to those Bagel Bites you can buy in the frozen section of your local grocery store, except mine are fresher, cheaper, and made lovingly with random leftovers in the fridge.

Ingredients:

Mini bagels, halfed
Pizza (or in my case, pasta) sauce
Shredded mozzarella cheese (insert string cheese)
Ham (for health reasons, though pepperoni would be my meat of choice)
Oregano, basil, garlic powder
Optional: Peppers, Onions, Mushroom

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. Line baking sheet with tin foil and arrange the bagel halves on top
2) Evenly spread the sauce on each bagel half and top with the shredded cheese. Sprinkle some oregano, basil, and garlic powder
3) Shred the slice of ham and arrange the pieces on top of the cheese
4) Bake 10 minutes or until cheese is melted
5) Enjoy your bite size pizzas!

It’s not exactly the same as indulging in that nice greasy slice of oozing piping hot goodness, but it definitely put off my craving for another day.

I can’t bear to waste food. And I absolutely refused to throw away the unopened tube of Smucker’s Seedless Strawberry Jam I had bought months ago with the Skippy Peanut Butter, all in the spirit of making hypothetical PB&J sandwiches for work. However, the May expiration date was fast approaching. With my Google cap on, I foraged the internet for recipes and finally found what I was looking for on the Smucker’s website. I baked the Strawberry Cheesecake Brownies as a 23rd birthday present for a very special friend.

Ingredients:

Non-Stick Cooking Spray
1 package Fudge Brownie mix
1/2 cup Vegetable Oil
1/4 cup water
4 large eggs, divided
2 (8 oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can Sweetened Condensed Milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup Seedless Strawberry Jam

Instructions:

1) Heat oven to 350°F. Spray a 13×9-inch baking pan with no-stick cooking spray. Combine brownie mix, oil, water and 2 eggs in large bowl; stir 50 strokes with spoon. Spread into prepared pan. Bake 20 minutes.

2) Beat cream cheese until fluffy in large bowl. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk. Mix in remaining 2 eggs, lemon juice and vanilla until smooth. Pour evenly over warm brownie.

3) Stir jam until smooth. Drop by teaspoonfuls over surface of filling. With a knife, swirl jam gently through filling to create marble effect. Bake additional 35 to 40 minutes or until top is lightly browned. Cool 1 hour. Loosely cover and chill in refrigerator for 2 hours or more. Cut into bars. Serve with strawberries.

Look at that pretty strawberry swirl =)

The amount of cream cheese that went into the recipe only served as a reminder that I limit my cheesecake consumption when dining out. I originally considered skipping the 1 tsp of vanilla extract due to its high cost and minimum usage, but it really does make a difference! Don’t skip out on the lemon juice either.

Another side note – Make sure you cook the brownie mix for the full 20 minutes! I made the mistake of baking it for about 15 minutes because my pan was slightly larger than 13×9 and I thought the brownie would harden too much after baking an additional 35-40 minutes with the cheesecake mixture on top. While still delicious, the brownie portion tasted more like frosting than a brownie. =(

It’s hard being such a sensory driven person sometimes. It results in little things triggering memories that tug gently at the heart, activating those lingering feelings you sometimes cherish, sometimes wish you could just forget.

This particular memory was one I cherished. The harsh 90 degree weather in NYC had let go for just a few blessed hours, and the crisp fall-like weather brought back memories of Florence as I took my customary 20 minute walk to work. Pinpointing the exact cause of those feelings was near impossible. You just know and feel sometimes without reason, and the memories rushed back – my morning waits at the bus stop by the David, cramming into the tight buses during rush hour amongst young high schoolers chattering away in Italian, driving up the hill and eventually pressing the stop button at NYU’s Florence campus, taking that “walk of death” across the valley covered with swaying olive trees to get to the school buildings.

Enough time has passed that sometimes Europe feels like a dream lived by someone else, a dream I had been fortunate enough to briefly glimpse as it passed by me.

In the spirit of Europe and enjoying the rest of a decadent summer, here is an original recipe for the Nestle Toll House’s famous fudge. Nestle is the largest nutrition and foods company in the world, founded and headquartered in Vevey, Switzerland. Satisfy your sweet tooth by making some fudge, but make sure you have friends to share with! (Pictures date back to last summer when Ji, Sondra, and myself made fudge for the first time).

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2/3 cup Nestle Carnation Evaporated Milk
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 1/2 cups Nestle Toll House Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions:

1) Line 8-inch-square baking pan with foil.

2) Combine sugar, evaporated milk, butter and salt in medium, heavy-duty saucepan. Bring to a full rolling boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

3) Stir in marshmallows, morsels, nuts and vanilla extract. Stir vigorously for 1 minute or until marshmallows are melted. Pour into prepared baking pan; refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Lift from pan; remove foil. Cut into pieces.

As promised, the fudge was super sweet, rich, and decadent. Eat sparingly. I also highly recommend refrigerating the leftovers unless you want soft chocolatey mush greeting you in the morning.

Sometimes life requires a kick to bring one back to reality, to remind oneself about the things that really do matter and the dangers of hiding away in a dream world. I finally had the opportunity to watch Inception on Sunday ($6 movie tickets at NYC AMC theaters before noon is an amazing deal!), and it brings up many interesting views on reality. What separates reality from the dream? Can an idea that is planted subconsciously continue to eat away at your thoughts until it becomes a reality? If reality is something we create and manipulate, then I better start creating a better reality for myself.

I usually kick back in my comfy foldable chair when the time comes to really focus and reflect. It’s a nice change from my usual position on the bed as I type away, and most definitely a better option for my back. With my debut entry after a 3-month hiatus, I hope to really return to the basics of what I truly enjoy in my spare time – photography as a form of art and expressing myself through words. Finally getting a new job also helps. =)

My visit to the Russian Tea Room actually took place Winter 2009 Restaurant Week. As per tradition, my coworkers and I made our semi-annual pilgrimmage to a nearby restaurant to sample its $24.07 menu. It was actually what I imagined a fancy restaurant in Moscow to be. Prim, ornate, rich colors surrounded us the minute we stepped in. Red, the color of royalty. And topped off with an enormous crystal bear. We retreated downstairs for the mandatory coatcheck and were met by shelves of Russian trinkets and Matryoshka dolls. Impressive display, albeit a bit stuffy.

I started with the Tea Room Red Borscht, a red short ribs broth with pickled red beets, seasonal vegetables, dill and braised beef pirozhki. Soups of such vibrant colors intrigue me, and the borscht proved to be rich and flavorful, an excellent way to start off the meal.

My coworker decided to try the Goat Cheese and Wild Mushroom Blinchik, a crepe filled with mixed mushrooms and melted onions topped with lingdonberries.

As recommended by the various Yelp reviews that we scoped out beforehand, all 3 of us ordered the Boeuf à la Stroganoff as our entrees. Easily the best part of the meal, the restaurant offered a generous portion of the beef filet, which sat serenely atop the bed of house made buckwheat noodles. The wild mushrooms, porcini cream, and red wine reduction created a perfect blend of succulent deliciousness with the meat and noodles, a dish that I quickly inhaled.

For dessert we had the option between the Chocolate Pyramid, a bittersweet chocolate mousse with a vanilla crème brûlée and citrus syrup, and the traditional Vanilla Cheesecake covered with chocolate curls and fresh berries. Of course I chose the heavier dessert. The cheesecake had to be the densest cheesecake I had ever eaten, and I struggled to finish.

Overall, definitely enjoyed my Restaurant Week meal here, though I don’t know about my financial capability to return for their regular menu. If anything, the experience satisfied my curiosity about what lay beyond the bright red awning.

Russian Tea Room
150 W 57th St
(between Ave Of The Americas & 7th Ave)
New York, NY 10019

Look at that delicious deep jungle green color.

Recently whenever I’m in the mood for soup I’ve had the tendency to boil some split peas with Trader Joe’s low sodium chicken broth, and 1 1/2 hours later, voila! I first created this “crazy” concoction Thanksgiving 2009. Unfortunately, only three people at dinner tried it, and only one finished his bowl. =( People are always hesitant to try after knowing it’s made from peas.

I personally never had the soup until I decided to try a $1.25 bowl of it at work. And yumm. I’m not the biggest fan of peas or pureed foods, but there’s something about the simplicity of this hearty soup that draws me near.

I decided to dress the soup up a bit for this blog entry by adding in some carrots, onions, garlic, and ham hocks. Oooh fancy ham hocks. I stared at the pork hocks at the grocery store for literally a whole minute wondering why there were no ham hocks until it hit me. Ham = pork. And essentially ham hocks are a nicer way of saying “joint between the tibia/fibula and the metatarsals of the foot, where the foot was attached to the hog’s leg. It is the portion of the leg that is neither part of the ham proper nor the foot or ankle, but rather the extreme shank end of the leg bone and the associated skin, fat, tendons, and muscle.” (Thanks again Wikipedia).

Ingredients:

1 lb green split peas
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 ham hocks
4 packets of Trader Joe’s Chicken Flavor Concentrate
Salt and Pepper

Instructions:

1) Sautee the garlic, carrots, and onions for about 5 minutes to soften up the vegetables.

2) Wash and drain the peas. Place the peas in a 4 quart pan with the sauteed vegetables, ham hock, and 2 1/2 quarts of water. Bring to a simmer.

3) Skim the scum off the top of the soup until the scum ceases to rise. I got some chopped onions as I skimmed, and I ended up rinsing and putting them back into the soup.

4) Cover loosely and simmer about 1 1/2 hours, or until peas are tender, stirring occasionally so they don’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Add more water if necessary to get the desired soup consistency.

5) Remove the ham hock from the soup. I find the soup so well blended at this point that there is no need to further purée with a blender.

7) Add the packets of T&Js Savory Broth Chicken Flavor packets to the soup. Adding freshly cracked pepper at the end adds the perfect zing to the dish.

8) I don’t like to waste food, so cut away the outer skin of the ham hock and dice up the meat.

7) Ladle the split pea soup into bowls and serve immediately with the meat. I also served it with toasted white bread to soak up the soup.

The soup had a slight smokey flavor. Probably from some of the peas sticking to the bottom of the pot when I stirred the soup, but hey, it adds character. =) Next time – cooking my soup with two smoked ham hocks.

What to do with a whole pot of split pea soup? I’ll wager that it will be consumed by moi (and possibly roommates) within two days. Scary.

I was meant to be Korean. I have no problems snacking on baechu kimchi straight from the jar, and I’m fairly certain I cook more Korean food than Chinese food (when I actually have the chance to make food).

So in the spirit of procrastination, I decided to use my kimchi for some kimchi fried rice (bokumbap). Kimchi is amazing to cook with since it is extremely low calorie and packed with flavor. I mean, honestly, how bad can some fermented cabbage be for you? One should be wary of the sodium level though. A trip to the farmer’s market early in the morning brought back fresh scallions and onions. With my jar of kimchi and leftover spam, I was ready to go. :

Ingredients:

Makes 3 servings.

3 cups of pre-made rice
1 cup kimchi, chopped
1/2 can of spam
½ white onion, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 scallion (spring onion), chopped
1 egg per serving
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

It’s best if the rice is made the night before and reheated the next day. My leftover takeout rice wasn’t enough for my roommate and myself, so I ended up cooking more and refrigerating it to dry the rice out. You can also omit the spam if you don’t believe in processed meats.

Instructions:

1) Heat up the oil in a wok or large frying pan.
2) Dice up the spam, onion, garlic and throw them into the wok. Cook for about 4 minutes on medum heat.
3) Put in the rice and mix well. Add 1 tbsp of soy sauce.
4) Chop up the kimchi and add that to the wok. Mix well with the rice and spam/onion/garlic.
5) Cook in the wok for about 8 minutes so the rice fully absorbs the fragrant flavors and dries out more. Mix every few minutes, and add in salt and pepper to taste. Red pepper flakes or red chili paste can also be added if you want the rice spicier.
6) Fry the egg in a separate pan. I prefer mine sunny side up so the yolk runs through the fried rice once pierced.
7) Plate the finished fried rice and lay the fried egg on top of the rice.
8) Finish with some fresh scallion garnish.

YUMMY! Simple and delicious, and enough for leftovers =) Aka dinner later.

PS. A little pop culture about kimchi fried rice courtesy of Wikipedia: Since kimchi bokkeumbap is cheap and easy to make in a short period of time, it is favored by students living alone who can not afford expensive meals.

It was a funny feeling walking down St Marks street on a Monday night, purse in one hand, gym bag in other. A street synonymous with Asian restaurants, tattoo parlors, and late night college binge drinking, I was there that night neither for alcohol nor Asian food. We passed all my favorite restaurants – Pho 32, Klong, Boka, Je’Bon, Kenka, Zen, and turned the corner to find a tiny Kosher deli tucked away on 2nd avenue next to Pomme Frites and a newly renovated falafel stand.

I had actually checked out B & H Vegetarian Restaurant a little under a year ago when I used to live within walking distance, and I was comfortably welcomed back by the seemingly unchanged deli. The same weathered “Specials” signs hung on the cabinets behind the counter, and the clientele hungrily ate dinner while hunched over at the counter or seated at the tiny square tables lined up in the narrow hallway. We took the table closest to the door, and the platinum blonde waitress leaned over the counter to pass us our menus.

I already knew what I wanted – red borscht soup. Hot, of course. There are very few foods I’m unable to tolerate, and neon pink cold borscht one late night last summer happened to make that list. The piping hot soup was brought over almost immediately, but I was saddened that the thick slices of challah bread had to be ordered separately.

My friend and I dug into the soup, every spoonful laden with thick cuts of beets, cabbage, and potatoes. A particular type of beetroot is used for the soup, which gives it that rich red-purple color. We agreed that the soup was excellent and would have been perfect if we had some challah bread to soak up the broth. Then again, I didn’t want something too heavy after my gym workout. Who knew beets could be so good!

The white fish overstuffed sandwich came out next, and of course I had to try it. You really have to work to get your mouth around these sandwiches to get a little bit of everything in the first bite, but this one was manageable. An excellent alternative to tuna, the mixed in celery provided an additional crunch to every bite.

While the Jewish deli now seems out of place amidst the expanding food and entertainment empire that is Asia, it is a charming reminder of times gone by. A great place to dine if you suddenly get the strong urge for some good ol’ potato knish or pierogis. The deli also delivers if you’re too lazy to travel ;) ($10 minimum)

I wonder what the B & H stands for…

127 2nd Ave
(between 7th St & St Marks Pl)
New York, NY 10003
(212) 505-8065

Welcome to part two of the Italian Om Nom series! This post focuses on some of the other meals enjoyed in Italy, non-pasta/pizza related. While Florence lacked diversity in the form of Asian restaurants (and the few Chinese/Japanese restaurants that did exist were too expensive to justify eating at), the city did have quite a few gyro locations, which quickly became favorite places to pick up a relatively cheap bite. Slices of meat would be sheared off the rotating rack of lamb meat and rolled into a burrito with lettuce, tomatoes, onions, delicious sauce, and my personal favorite – french fries!

Breaded and deep fried pork cutlet with roasted tomato bits and red onions on top

Cuts of salami, chunks of tomatoes, olives, and green chili peppers atop a bed of arugula (?) leaves

It’s difficult to remember now seeing how I had this over two years ago..but I believe this was a lamb dish

Yummy roast chicken with potatoes! We got this as part of the 10 euro lunch special served with an appetizer and dessert

Finally some seafood in my diet! Yummy mussels during my trip to Sorrento, perfectly dressed with freshly squeezed lemon juice

An American breakfast in Florence! Omelet with potatoes (look quite a bit burnt)

Tripe soup with parmesan cheese on top. Tripe was quite popular in Florence..hmhm…delicious tripe sandwiches from Mercato Centrale..

The first picture in this series features one of the cutest aperitivos we attended. In order to save money on dinner, we would often go to bars during “happy hour” for drinks and free food. Aperitivo in Italy is where you buy your drinks at the bar/lounge and then have access to the buffet. Quality varies from place to place. One lounge might just offer baskets of chips and bite-sized pizza chunks while another offers a wide assortment of cured meats, pasta, and vegetables. For a more extensive guide, check out Aperitivo in Italy: How to Eat for Free (Kind Of)