It has been a while

Well, for you out there who keep on checking my site....I am alive.....and I'm now a MOTHER!

of 2 beautiful little girls! xoxox


My husband and I welcomed in Abigail Josephine and Emma Elizabeth on December 28.

Although I love food, recipes and the blogging world....my duties as a mommy are much more important and dear to my heart.

I will return to this blog soon, hopefully once the gals can hold their own bottles!

For now, I bid you farewell and look forward to sharing all the yumminess out there in the future!


xoxo

First Time Foodie Adventure.....

First Time Foodie Adventure:

Whole Foods

            Whole Foods, a recent phenomenon in my book. Or more precisely, a place where people go to get wholesome and fresh food items, from seafood to saltines. I think everything there is organic and lists most ingredients on the label that you can actually read. This all sounds well and dandy, I know. But for me, I have actually always been on the fence with this place. First of all, I have heard and all-too-quickly agreed that it wasn’t Whole Foods, but rather Whole Paycheck. And for two, I have always been in the mindset of the best way to be healthy is to cook at home and control your own quantity and ingredients, none of this ‘where was it grown’,’ what was it sprayed with’, and ‘can I pronounce its components’ stuff.

            Now don’t get me wrong, I think all those fundamentals and practices are great and kudos to you if you can abide by them 24/7. For me, I know I can’t and have therefore, become very accustomed to La Shoprite. Ha

            Well, I must take back some opinions, my friends. A Whole Foods Market has just opened in our neighborhood and I recently took my first trip…..

            Simply beautiful. The colors, the displays, even the organization was eye-catching. I loved every nook and cranny, from the cheese counter to the brick oven pizza station. The place wasn’t as expansive as I thought it was going to be, yet it had the perfect amount and offerings of everything one might need.  I would actually venture to say that having such limited supply of items made for easy shopping (read: quicker shopping). I tried to stop and examine each aisle but as I usually am, I was hungry and we had to get something for dinner.

            We decided to get 2 pre-portioned fresh fillets of Sea Bass, a pound of bread & asparagus salad, and ready to heat empanadas. The latter for appetizers, because life is too short to not have them.

            The bill didn’t faze me at all, in fact I think it was pretty close to what we would spend elsewhere. I mean, if you do all your shopping there, from yogurt to romaine lettuce, you will spend more. But if you are looking for a few quality items and know what you want, the price tag won’t cause any flinches.

            The end result was quite yummy. My favorite was the bread salad, it had such balance of textures, flavors and spice. The empanadas were quite delightful too, as we heated them to a crisp and dunked them in the accompanied tangy glaze.

            So it is a true fact that I will be back. In fact, I hope it is true that I do so very soon. I saw one too many yummies that I need to try. Not to mention, I just want more time to peruse their collections and selections. And fortunately, as I have learned, I won’t be breaking the bank by doing so either. My pennies and dollars will be put to good use indeed, which is more than I can say after most shopping trips. Win!

 

Whole Foods Market is located at 113 Route 9 South, Marlboro, NJ 07726. Check out their Website, Facebook page, and Twitter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Lobster Mac & Cheese

              So here at mi casa, Hubby and I sort of have a Friday night tradition. It is nothing crazy creative or too mushy for you to handle, believe me. It simply boils down to an easy dinner at our counter-level peninsula where we try a new bottle of wine, enjoy some cheese and crackers and then manga on whatever is quick to heat up. We linger there for, oh about 2/3 hours, and then meander to the couch where I doze off and he catches up on whatever Netflix movie he has awaiting him. It may sound like nothing but to us it is a prized timeslot that we start looking forward to on Mondays!

 

            But every once in awhile, we get the urge to step-up these “date nights”. It may be some good news we are celebrating, a long- awaited Friday night (if we missed one), a new recipe we want to try out, an extra special bottle of wine we purchased or of course, a birthday, holiday or anniversary.

            So this year, we celebrated Valentine’s Day in our kitchen, at our spot, and chose a recipe worthy of this particular holiday. Lobster Mac & Cheese, enough said, right?  I went with a trusty recipe from Ina and couldn’t have been happier with the results. Although let’s be honest- a Friday night, Hubby next to me, great wine, cheese during appetizers, cheesy pasta in the next course, and a couch calling my name…..there wasn’t much room for failure. Enjoy…

 

Valentine's Day Selfie...

 
  

Lobster Mac & Cheese

Slightly adapted from: Food Network, Barefoot Contessa

Serves: 2-3

Ingredients:

Salt

½ lb cavatappi or elbow macaroni

2 C whole milk

4 TBS unsalted butter, (1/2 stick), divided

¼ C flour

2 C Gruyere cheese, grated

1 C extra-sharp Cheddar cheese, grated

¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

¾ lb cooked lobster meat, chopped

¾ C bread crumbs

4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

Procedures:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Boil a large pot of boiling salted water, add the pasta and cook according to the directions on the package.  Drain well

3. Meanwhile, heat the milk in a small saucepan, but don't boil it. In a larger pot, melt 3 tablespoons of butter and add the flour. Cook over low heat for 2 minutes, stirring with a whisk. Still whisking, add the hot milk and cook for a minute or two more, until thickened and smooth. Off the heat, add the Gruyere, Cheddar, ½  TBS salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Add the cooked macaroni, lobster, bacon and stir well. Place the mixture in 3 to 4 individual gratin dishes

4. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, combine it with bread crumbs, and sprinkle on the top of each dish

5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the sauce is bubbly and the macaroni is browned on the top

 

 

 

           

Heirloom Kitchen: Pizza, Pizza, Pizza Class

 

Heirloom Kitchen:

Pizza, Pizza, Pizza Class

with Jimmy Esposito of Esposito’s Pizzeria

            First off, hello again….I have returned and am alive! There’s been much going on since we last chatted…..the snow has melted, the days are longer and well, I’ve reached my 30s! With that said, some things haven’t changed though…..I’m still waiting for summer, I’m still a brunette and duh, I’m still cooking away…..

 

 

            Most recently, I attended a cooking class at Heirloom Kitchen in Old Bridge, NJ as a guest blogger along with a great friend of mine, Stephanie of Stephanie Cooks. Let’s start with the space: oh my goodness gracious- what a looker! The décor is a hybrid of Williams-Sonoma and Anthropologie.  I was obsessed with every little nook and cranny. Correction: I am obsessed and will be going back very soon because of this. But beyond the shopping areas, there is a pick-up-your-jaw kitchen studio where they regularly hold cooking classes. The set-up is one that took much thought and creativity. One area is an enlarged rectangular kitchen island where customers prep, cook, mingle, watch the pros and get comfy. Another area is where customers can sit and eat in a dining room-like atmosphere. This area is seamlessly chic and rustic and makes me want to devote more time to finishing my own dining room so that it could perhaps be more like this. One can dream, right?!? Anyway, back to the third area where more prep work takes place: the peninsula. Although we didn’t make use of this on our night, it stands as an open and bright countertop where stations can get right to business.

 

            So now on to the cooking…..I can’t believe I am writing this but yes, it has to do with pizza. I am beginning to think my mother consumed an unthinkable amount of slices while I was in the womb. Seriously, I can’t get away from the stuff. Maybe I should be writing a book or something?!? Haha, na- I’ll spare you the cheesiness! ;)

 

            Okay so the class…..Pizza, Pizza, Pizza with Jimmy Esposito of Esposito’s in Matawan, NJ. My friend Stephanie and I are huge fans of not only Mr. E, but his pizzeria as well. As locals, we both frequent his counter more than I’d like to say and can be caught discussing (and drooling over) what we got the next day at work. With that, taking this class with Jimmy was a no-brainer for us: We love to cook, love to eat, love to learn and well, love to gossip yip-yap and relax while doing so.

            Jimmy took us through some of his popular recipes. We made pizza doughs, watched him make a few sauces, and designed our own little pies. Although the ovens weren’t commercially-made pizza ovens where the temps get sky high and the bottoms are stone, they did do a nice job cooking our creations. Dancing between multiple wall ovens, Jimmy rattled off many tips and answered any questions we had. What I thought to be one of the best parts of the night was learning how to make his signature sesame-crusted pizza. Being a lover of this version, I had all my focus on his lesson. What I thought was going to be complicated was way easy and approachable. All it takes is coating your entire dough with seeds very heavily. I will soon be attempting this….stay tuned.

 

            Because every dinner needs dessert, we most naturally finished the night with Nutella pizza. Topped with fresh strawberry and banana slices, this sweet treat was just the slice to hit the spot. Before Stephanie and I took our goody bags to head home, we did what we'd been itching to do since we arrived: shop. After 20 minutes of perusing, we purchased new goodies for our own kitchens that might wishfully make them a bit more like Heirloom’s.

 

Heirloom Kitchen is located at 3853 Route 516, Old Bridge, NJ. Visit them at their website to view upcoming classes and further information.

Thanksgiving 2013

            Our 2^nd Thanksgiving…..is in the books. Last year, we were in our house for, oh about, 1 month when we hosted 30+ family members. With boxes still unpacked and Hurricane Sandy effects lingering quite near, we opted to have all our family pretty much cater the entire day. I honestly don’t think we cooked a darn thing last year. We were there to show people around the new digs, preheat the oven, and keep the drinks cold. It was a great way to start our tradition of hosting Thanksgiving, even if I didn’t mix or stir one thing!

            This year, things were a wee-bit different. We were in charge of the appetizers while we let the Fam cater the Italian and Main Courses. I take baby steps, people. We had a smaller amount of company this year- around 28 in all, while the flippin’ freezing temperatures kept us all indoors nonetheless.

            Since we were in charge of the apps, Matt and I decided to make a few of our favorites to start the day. Him being the “grill master”, he also wanted to fire up the Weber and put it to use. Here are the highlights…

Cheese being one of our best friends, we plattered-up 3 of our usuals- Gouda, Manchego, and Asiago. They were well-received, especially with the fig jam accompaniment.

I made a summer appetizer that I knew would be a crowd-pleaser- Honey & Pignoli Nut Ricotta with grilled sausage over crostinis.

Matt thought sliders would be a new addition to the appetizer hour, so he grilled up some mini Kobe beef patties. My job here was to toast the buns, schmear them with Port Wine cheese and stuffed them with bacon pieces. Put that all together and what you have is a BBQ in November!

 

Fried raviolis were our last offering for this course and they went quicker than those Black Friday deals.  

            Needless to say, we all were decently full after the first hour or so. Matt and I, although full, were also relieved that our job in the kitchen was done. We let the pros take over and man, did they bring their A-games. From the meatballs, to the rollatini, to the ham, and of course to that darn turkey, we all kept on making more room for one more bite. I might have forgotten the biscuits and cranberry sauce, but gee-whiz- with all that food and priceless family around us, we certainly had much to be thankful for. I hope your day was delightful & delicious as well. J

 

In the coming weeks, I will be posting the recipes I shared but for now, I just wanted to share a little of our day with you.

Summit Wine & Food Festival

Summit Wine & Food Festival, 2013

Summit, NJ

            Two days late, I know people. I figured it would be better to post today than make you wait until next Thursday. Aren’t I sweet? ;)

            So this week, an event Hubby and I were delighted to attend- The Summit Wine & Food Festival. We were given press passes and pretty much had free reign to attend almost all happenings. We decided to take two wine classes and partake in the Saturday evening Gala Wine and Food Tasting. Classes and the Gala were held at the Twin Maples Mansion. If historic beauty had a place in the dictionary, this place would be the definition. It had such glamour and warmth, I couldn’t help but imagine myself living there and waltzing among the many rooms (of course wearing some sort of Victorian dress too!). And although the venue was perfect for the wine classes and perusing, it was honestly too small for the Gala. The night was delicious-you will see below, but for the amount of tickets purchased, they underestimated the amount of space needed to allow guests to comfortably mingle, munch and sip.

            My duties here centered around the food as Hubby has volunteered to be a guest blogger asap and post about the 2 wine classes we sat in on. Announcement: Grill Master Matt has now become Grape Guru Mr. Glazier! Haha, kidding kidding….he is still GMM but as some you know, the man loves his vino too. So that being said, I am allowing him to do the write up on the wine part of our weekend.

            Back to the food…..mmmmm….such little bites but such big flavors we enjoyed….

Maritime Parc - Pork Belly……

 

Your Delicious Balance -  Raw Chocolate Avocado Mousse……

 

Park Avenue Club - seared Baby Shrimp over Roasted Corn and Bacon…..

Jesse James Catering – Blackened Shrimp over Maque Choux Spoon Bread (I don’t know what that is but hot damn, that was good!!) ***My favorite of night***……

Bobolink- Various cheeses….

            I must also add that we decided to stay the weekend in Summit and chose a great B & B indeed. The DeBary Inn was within walking distance to our events and was such a nice place to stay. The front porch was quintessential bed & breakfast while the service was fittingly opposite from any hotel chain you’ve been to. We loved the breakfast provided too as it was offered to us in their oversized Library and oval dining room. I never knew what the big deal was with B & Bs, but now get it completely.

            While attending some events of the festival and relaxing at the Inn, we somehow found time to go out for lunch. Correction, we knew this town had great eats so we made time to go out for lunch! Long story short, we had lunch at Roots. De-li-cious for sure. We kept it light but honestly still over-indulged which, when offered fresh popovers and salty fresh-from-the-fryer fries, is easy to do. So now that I have had their lunch, I need to get a ressy soon for dinner.

            So that was our weekend…delicious, fun, and worthy of a special Saturday write-up.

Selfie- Enjoying the Gala

 

Culinary Classic- What a Night!

Culinary Classic- What a Night! 

            Well before I go on and on about our night, I must first say welcome back, my hungry friends! As you know, I recently took an itsy bitsy break and am now back and ready to write. Although I took a break from blogging, from my tweets and FB Page, I’m sure you are well aware I’ve been out and about and barely resting! It has been quite a blast and so for the next few weeks, I’ll be detailing my adventures.

            So let's start with the event that I’ve been telling you about for weeks…..The Monmouth & Ocean County FoodBank Culinary Classic 2013. The event was an astounding success and I’m sure the peeps at The FoodBank are still smiling and oh-so grateful for all of those who sponsored, donated, cooked, and attended.

            I was so thrilled to be a part of this event and had a delicious evening indeed. Hubby and I are still talking about how truly grand it was! Here are just a few highlights……warning: drooling may occur as well as instantaneous stomach grumbling….

From Joe Leon’s Italian Specialties & Catering- Roman Flat Bread with Figs and Goat Cheese….

From Danny’s Grill & Wine Bar- Beefushi: sushi roll of rice mango, avocado & crab, layered on the outside with thin sheets of filet mignon….

From Chef Mike’s ABG- 24 hour Braised Short Rib Mac & Cheese…

From Good Karma Café- Bahn Mi Vietnamese Sandwich…

 

From Porta – Homemade Mozzarella…

From Molly Pitcher Inn- Slow Roasted Pork with autumn squash, toasted pumpkin seeds & smoked-bourbon maple glaze…

From Pearl @ The Oyster Point Hotel- Scallop & Truffle En Croute…

 

From McLoone’s Restaurants- Crab Cakes…

From Shipwreck Grill & Point – Seared Shrimp…

From David Burke Fromagerie- Gourmet Lollipops…

 

 

                       So with that, I’m sure you’ve seen enough and are kicking yourself that you didn’t go so glad you ate some of those delicacies yourself. I am honestly still dreaming about a number of those dishes but beyond that, I feel darn good about supporting a great cause and being a part of this year’s Classic. Cheers to that!

 

 

Food Bank's Culinary Classic - 1 Week to go!

The 22^nd Annual Culinary Classic- September 23, 2013

            Okay, it is the final count down UNTIL THE BIG NIGHT!!! I really hope I have already convinced you to buy a ticket, hopefully a few actually, and you are all set and ready for next MONDAY!

            However, if you still need a bit of persuasion…..

            With 7 days remaining, here are 7 reasons (in no particular order) why you should go ahead and purchase tickets for this noteworthy and delicious event:

7. It is for charity and to help END hunger, no one deserves to be hungry! Don’t you agree?

6. The Monmouth and Ocean County Food Bank does truly amazing work, as highlighted on their site and my recent post….so why not support them?!?

5. The restaurants on hand next week are enough to make me drool. I listed  and linked them a few weeks back and am still salivating! That many restaurants in 1 night, I need not ask your approval J

4. Celebrity Guest Chef David Burke will be in attendance. After researching and posting about him 2 weeks ago, I can’t wait to mingle with that Dude. I can’t imagine you’d turn down a chance to meet him…

3. September is National Hunger Action Month….now, more than ever, we should all be doing something to help fight hunger.

2. Going out on a Monday night extends your weekend, which makes me smile and fights those Monday-blues!

1. When I rehash and post about the event, you will be sorry you didn’t attend and having regret is just a yucky feeling!

 

So now you are convinced….I am telling, not asking…..haha, okay I am still asking…..if you are going to buy, click here my friends. I can’t wait to see you!

           

Itsy Bitsy Break

Itsy Bitsy Break…

 

            Just an FYI to my fellow followers…….I’ll be back in a few weeks….Life is somewhat hectic right now and when the going gets tough and busy, I tend to need a breather! I’m not Superwoman after all…..

            In the meantime, please keep up with me on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. I don’t have Instagram because frankly I can’t handle another social media platform! I already can’t seem to check/update/peruse the 3 I listed without getting a headache. See….I do need a break, right?

            I’m also at Jersey Bites, dishing out some great stuff. My latest article is up- Red Knot at Galloping Hill. Besides reading my posts, go ahead and check out the site, it is filled with Foodie wonderfulness!

            And last but certainly not least, I’ll still post this upcoming Monday as it will be 1 week until the Food Bank's Culinary Classic. You know, the event you already bought tickets to! (wink wink)

            So with that, I’m sad to say goodbye for some time but I know I’ll be back before I know it. I already have some dynamite recipes in the hopper and I hope to have some new reviews to detail about too! (aka….Hubby, you are working on our next reservation, yes?)

            Peace out my friends, I’ll see you soon. J xo

 

 

Food Bank's Culinary Classic- 2 weeks to go!

The 22^nd Annual Culinary Classic- September 23, 2013

            Did you know that September is National Hunger Action Month???  “What’s that?” I am sure you are sorta wondering, right?  According to their site feedingamerica.org, it is described: September is Hunger Action Month, when the Feeding America nationwide network of food banks unites to urge individuals to take action in their communities. It is our opportunity to create a movement that has a real and lasting impact on our mission to help end hunger in America.

            Well, if you are like me and sadly didn’t realize that September means more than back-to-school and fading tan lines, no sweat…I have just the ticket for you to get involved!  A ticket, of course, to the Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties Culinary Classic! This week marks 2 weeks until the big day and with this month representing Hunger Action month, I really see no reason why we can’t all join together to support a great cause.

            So with that being said, I hope to see you there on the 23^rd so that we can all do something on our part to end hunger in our community.

            To purchase tickets: click here

 

 

Food Bank's Culinary Classic - 3 Weeks to go!

The 22^nd Annual Culinary Classic- September 23, 2013

            3 weeks people, that is just 21 more days until the doors swing open at The Mill in Spring Lake for the Food Bank of Monmouth & Ocean Counties 22^nd Annual Culinary Classic. You must be pretty psyched, maybe even as much as I am. And for good reason, as posted here before….By attending you will be 1- supporting a great organization and 2- eating from some unbelievably delicious restaurants and now reason 3 – Celebrity Chef David Burke’s attendance at this event!

            What a guest to have in the house! Not only will you be enjoying a night out with him but you also will be able to grab a treat from his signature David Burke Cheesecake Lollipop Tree. Never heard of David Burke or a Lollipop Tree?? No worries, let me just give you a snapshot of who this Chef is, what he has  accomplished and why I am so excited to have him our company:

David Burke: Celebrity Chef, Entrepreneur, Inventor, and Author. Trained at the Culinary Institute of America and also completed other instruction in France. Worked under notable chefs including Charlie Palmer at The River Café and eventually become executive chef there and earned 3 Stars from the NY Times. Burke has established numerous restaurants and has won an immense amount of awards. Beyond that, he has been a contestant on Bravo TV’s “Top Chef Masters” and has held a guest spot on “Every Day with Rachael Ray” Show. **

**Restaurants:

·         David Burke Townhouse  – NYC website

·         David Burke Fishtail  – NYC  website

·        David Burke Fromagerie – NJ website

·        David Burke Prime – Foxwoods Resort Casino, CT website

·        David Burke Primehouse – Chicago, Il website

·        Burke’s Bacon Bar – Chicago, Il website

·        David Burke Kitchen – NYC website

·        David Burke Cafe @ Bloomingdales- “Burke in the Box” – NYC website

**Books:

·        Cooking with David Burke buy on Amazon

·        David Burke’s New American Classics buy on Amazon

**Awards

·        Way to many list….If you would like to read about them, visit his website. The list is quite impressive!

            And so I can continue to go on and on about the Special Guest, David Burke, but I’ll spare you my ramblings. The important thing to know right now is that this guy is truly amazing and it will definitely be a delight for all of us to be spending the night with him.

            So c’mon, now you really have to buy tickets, this event is shaping up to be remarkable!

    

click here to purchase tickets

** All information regarding David Burke was found at www.davidburke.com ***