Grilled Nutella Quesadillas

 

              Well folks, I think I’ve stumbled upon a fantastic summertime treat. The recipe below came to me the other day when I was perusing my cabinet in search of something sweet. I saw the Nutella and placed it on the counter. I thought about my choices- dip some strawberries into it, spread it on some pretzels, melt it and place on some ice cream. Eh, those all seemed too boring. I wanted to be a little creative, ya know like “Chopped” style.

                With that in mind, I ventured into the fridge and peered about. And they appeared, tortillas. The little ones I bought last week for fish tacos were the perfect partner for my Nutella needs. No, I didn’t just shmear it on the tortilla, fold it over and call it a day! I decided to grill it, or like we do at mi casa, plug in the grill and let it get hot. I buttered each side so that it would brown and perhaps become pastry-like when heated. Luckily, that assumption worked as did the creation itself. They were so good, a bit salty and a touch sweet but gooey enough to make you crave just one more slice. Even better though, they were 1-2-3 to make and 3-2-1 to clean up! So with the weather warming and your grill in need of some use, I urge you to fire it up and indulgeJ Enjoy...

 

Nutella Quesadillas

Serves: 4

OBJ: TCW be able to use her grill to make a dessert in less than 15 minutes!

Ingredients:

2 small flour tortillas

2 TBS Nutella hazelnut spread, divided

About 1 TBS unsalted butter (will not use all)

2 TBS chopped toasted hazelnuts or walnuts

Procedures:

1. Preheat indoor grill to medium-high or outdoor grill to low

2. Spread 1 TBS of Nutella on half of each tortilla

3. Fold the tortillas over, spread ¼ tsp butter on each side of tortilla

4. Place on grill, flip after 3 minutes or until grill side down is getting lightly browned, grill other side for 1-2 minutes

5. Remove from grill to platter, slice each quesadilla into 4 pieces, and sprinkle with nuts

6. Serve!

709

709

Pt. Pleasant, NJ

Final Grade: B

            Well, I think it’s safe to say summer is upon us folks! And if you’re like me, the beach is where I want to dig my feet, rest with a good book, and find some great summer eats! And while I didn’t exactly find a place to eat on the beach yet, I am bringing you a place today that isn’t too far away. 709 Restaurant and Bar, situated on Arnold Ave. in Point Pleasant is place you may want to put on your beach weekend agenda.

            Executive Chef Mike Jurusz, formerly of The Atlantic Bar & Grill in Seaside Park, and Proprietor Carl LaManna have created a space that offers all types of food you crave. Their menu is broken up into quite catchy and entertaining categories: “Let’s Begin”: appetizers, “Warming Up”: soups, “Going Green”: salads, “Handhelds”: lobster roll, fish tacos, grilled cheese, etc. “Easy Sliders”: explanatory, “Gourmet P’Za”: explanatory, “Canoodling”: pastas, Entrees: “Swimming”: Fish, shellfish, etc., “Walking”: steaks, chicken, etc. Not to mention, they have an extensive sushi and raw bar menu that will make your decision making even more difficult.

            My family and I were there this past Saturday night to take my mother out for Mother’s Day. We were lucky enough to get reservations the previous weekend since there were 6 of us as nothing less than that is permitted for reservations. We arrived on time and were placed in a small booth that wasn’t the best for us, my father and brother both being over 6 feet! They understood our concern without a problem and quickly sat us in the quieter, back dining area. The space was well designed, I liked the bar area with the booths for say a lunch or just appetizers, but for dinner I like their back room area in that it is still open and unpretentious yet not loud from the bar.

            Our waitress soon arrived and although she seemed new, she was pleasant, knowledgeable and courteous. She read off a slew of specials and was patient enough as we “himmed and hawed” about what to get. Our selections were, for the most part, great yet I feel there is still room to grow here at 709.

            We began with  the 709 Pu Pu Platter ($21) that included rice balls, fried calamari, coconut shrimp, goat in the coat and assorted dipping sauces. The rice ball or “arancini” was my favorite. It had a decent amount of spice and sported an impressively crispy shell. The calamari was nothing to brag about but nonetheless, it was gone before I had time for another try. Goat in the Coat, a simple roll of goat cheese coated in herbed breadcrumbs, was creamy beyond belief, another winner of the platter.

            We ordered 2 sushi rolls for an appetizer as well, however they came out completely after they cleared our platter. I was fine by this if they were going for a “sushi course,” but since we ordered them for an appetizer, we all expected the sushi to come out simultaneously with the Pu Pu! Fortunately, the rolls went over so well we barely remembered they came out so late. The Rt. 35 Roll ($12.95) was outstanding, filled to the max with shrimp tempura, spicy tuna, and avocado. While the Rock N Roll ($8.95) was equally as delicious with simply spiced tuna topped with sliced avocados.

            Dinners were well-received all around yet some suffered from temperature issues. I went with the Rack of Lamb ($31) and was very glad I did. The meat was cooked perfect to my medium-rare request and the goat cheese smashed potatoes were divine. Another hit of the table was the New England Lobster Roll ($18). The amount of massive lump lobster meat was ridiculous as was the fact that it was butter poached! There were two orders of the Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes ($29) at our table and both were packed with flavor but sadly not that hot. To me, when something isn’t hot it just isn’t as good. My husband, having been one of the recipients, admired the taste of the cakes but had a hard time eating his lukewarm entrée. My father ordered the 16 ounce Cowboy Ribeye Steak ($32). He also had a dish that tasted great but was much too cool to truly enjoy.

            Desserts for Mother’s Day were a must. Ironically, my mother lacks a sweet tooth and didn’t indulge as the rest us did. We split the Peanut Butter Explosion ($7) which was a chocolate cake paired with peanut butter mousse then topped with brownie bits and some peanut butter chips. I found the dessert to be decent, a bit too rich for my liking though. Most enjoyed it still and with the other tantalizing options on the dessert menu, I’m confident I’ll find something next time to fully enjoy.

            So with Memorial Day right around the corner, your flip flops dying to get out, and the beach chair making its way to your trunk, I think it is an opportune time to start thinking about your seaside dining destinations. And just like the beach gets crowded before you can blink, the same can be said for restaurants. Now even though I feel 709 has some improvements to be made, I do think time will help this place work out the kinks. I hope you give this place a chance to make its mark and perhaps a memory for your summer vacation.

709 Restaurant and Bar is located at 709 Arnold Ave., Point Pleasant, NJ. More information, including menus, can be found at 709pointbeach.com

 Final Grade: B

 Total score 17/25

A: 21-25    B: 16-20    C: 11-15   D: 6-10    F: 0-5

Restaurant Rubric

	1	2	3	4	5
Food Taste	Bland, boring, overcooked, underdone	Very little flavor, not much aroma	Flavors apparent, basic ability to please palates	Flavor worth discussing, chef’s use of ingredients impressive	Great flavor, taste lingers and leaves diner wanting more
Restaurant service	disrespectful	Inattentive staff, no regard for wait time	Staff average in helpfulness, timing alright, either more/less needed	Staff knowledgeable and attentive to needs without asking, timing very well executed	Remarkable and noteworthy, service so good you forget it is ever an issue elsewhere
Food Presentation	Cover it up please	Sloppy and the eater can tell little thought went into it	Descent presentation: looks alright, not worth a picture but enough to make you hungry	Admirable, it is apparent the chef plated with a consideration for presentation	Presentational talents are here. Looks beautiful and too good to dig in
Prices match quality	Prices are too high for quality	Prices are still too high but not outrageously	Some items are priced accordingly but not all	Most items are priced accordingly	All items are matched accordingly
Would I go back?	Not a chance ever	Nope	Maybe	Looking forward to it	What time should I arrive?!?

Prosciutto Roasted Halibut

            Well, hello there again! I am not back this time to enlighten you on my hectic schedule. Rather, as I presumably think you like better, I am here with a great new recipe to dazzle up dinner time!

                Halibut, oh halibut, you are so freakin’ expensive! Don’t you agree? Well I think the price of that fish and say, sea bass, are ridiculously too high in price! And since I can’t change that, I don’t often buy it and substitute either tilapia or flounder. But when a recipe comes along that just sounds too darn good for a cheaper fish, every once in awhile you just have to splurge! Now for some, that’s easier said than done as I am a coupon-cutting, what’s the deal-of-the-day, yes I buy store brand, kinda gal! But even I hand over the Benjamins when a recipe calls it.

                Case and Point: this recipe. Now I could have used the cheaper fish, but the picture in the cookbook looked great and when I saw the fillets in the glass case looking so beautiful, I had to have the Halibut. And I am so thankful I did for this was de-lic-ious! Yum, yum, yum, the fish was so tender and perfectly simple enough against the salty prosciutto. Not to mention, the rosemary lemon butter! Where do I even start on that? I think I should make a tub of it each week and drizzle it on everything in my fridge, haha. Just think: flaky, juicy meat, wrapped with salted ham, drizzled with lemon butter seasoned with rosemary……yes, that’s your stomach growlingJ Alright, well you get my point: make this dish as soon as you can, spend the extra cash, and enjoy every morsel…..

Prosciutto Roasted Halibut

Serves: 2

Adapted from: Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics Cookbook

OBJ: TCW be able to make a plate-pleasing and tasteful fish dish

Ingredients:

2, 8 ounce fillets of halibut or striped bass (skin removed)

2 thin slices prosciutto di Parma

2 TBS unsalted butter

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 TBS fresh squeezed lemon juice

Olive oil

S & P, salt and pepper

Procedures:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil, place fish on foil and brush each side with oil and season well with salt and pepper (more pepper than salt though since prosciutto is salty!)

3. Wrap each fillet with a slice of prosciutto to form a wide band around the center of the fillet

4. Arrange the fillets on the baking sheet so that seam side of prosciutto is down...

5. Roast for 10-15, until fully cooked (my fish took 15 minutes, it all depends on size of fillets, just make sure the meat is fully white and flakes when forked)

6. Meanwhile, while the fish is roasting, in a small sauté pan, melt butter with rosemary sprig over medium-low heat until butter has melted. Keep heat on medium-low for about 5 minutes, for butter to brown and rosemary leaves to crisp

7. Discard rosemary, add lemon juice and mix well over flame. Set aside for fish

8. Once fish is done, plate each piece and spoon the rosemary butter on top

Busy, Busy, Busy

                What does one blog about when she hasn’t really done any serious cooking or dining out lately? Well, first things first, she needs to get her booty back in gear and head to the cucina and on the el telephono to make some reservations! But in the meantime, she will keep you up to date on where she’s been and what she’s been noshing on….

                1. Bahama Breeze- a chain seafood/Caribbean restaurant that offers fresh grub in a cool, relaxing and upbeat atmosphere. I had the veggie sandwich on pressed Cuban bread- great and Matt had the cheeseburger-great as well. What I really liked about this place was their side dish offerings; I had a tomato salad but was tempted with other options as well. (Woodbridge)

                2. Wegmans Take-Out: With a homemade cheese platter done by yours truly, lol, their gourmet mini pizzas were a perfect main course on a lazy Friday evening. We went with the white & spinach and sausage pies. I would buy the ladder again, as I felt the sausage tasted a touch too spiced. (Woodbridge)

                3. Klee's Bar & Grill- Oh, what a family favorite. We started with their roasted wings, which were a special of the night, and they were suburb. Sizzling hot on a cast-iron pan is how they showed up and before the pan even had a chance to cool down, we were done with them! I went with my old standby, the chicken BLT wrap while my Dad had the Cajun Grilled Chicken Sandwich. Mine was awesome, especially their battered, ridiculously-crispy fries served with. Dad’s sandwich was tasty too. And man, the heat that sandwich packed could win awards, I’m sure. (Seaside Heights)

                4. Bar Masa: This was a late birthday night dinner for Hubby and I. Located in Columbus Circle, the place sparkles with expertise. We ordered calamari to start and split 2 sushi rolls for dinner. The calamari was decent, nice jalapeno salt to add pizzazz but the price tag wasn’t worthy of the portion. The spicy tuna roll was excellent as was the Alaskan king rab California roll sans Tobiko. (NYC)

                5. Cafe Rustica: Although a Baptism luncheon was why we were there, the food was delicious enough to enter the blog! The fried calamari was better than any I’ve had in awhile, while the eggplant antipasti was char grilled and fresh with flavor. The bread, served atop a cutting board, was itself a meal too. I had a dish of shrimp & scallops in a tomato cream sauce over basil  fettuccine  and Matt had the Penne Vodka. Both were exceptional. My pasta was cooked to a perfect al dente, not to mention the seafood was tender and plentiful. (Basking Ridge)

And if you’re wondering what else this household has been consuming, I can basically break it down to 3 things:

1. Pasta sautéed with whatever remains in refrigerator drawer, if we’re lucky I was able to scrounge up some frozen shrimp or sausage to add in

2. Pizza: always frozen dough in the freezer that I let defrost and rise all day, then again, hit the refrigerator drawer remnants for toppings

 3. Wraps/Sandwiches/Paninis: you name it, we put it between some sort of carb and call it a day!

Walnut-Topped Apple Oatmeal Quick Bread

                Alright, so you might be wondering if I forgot that it is Spring, not Fall, with this post. And I see your point: walnuts, apples, oatmeal, yes, they scream Autumn to me too. But I must explain, sometimes a recipe comes along that for one, it sounds great, two, you have everything to make it and three, your house is begging to smell like a bakery! Okay, well maybe the third reason was a stretch, but anyway you get my point I’m sure.

                And so here it is, a probably-better-in-Fall, recipe. I tweaked it quite a bit so that my pantry/refrigerator could get somewhat cleaned out. It came together pretty quickly, which makes sense with the title and all, haha. I must be honest here though; I thought it was a bit dry so I really think it needs to be warm when served with a pat of butter for full enjoyment. Or even better, I think warmed with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or just some whipped cream would be fab!  Well, like I said, it was tasty, quick, a good user-upper, and great for the aroma of the house! Enjoy.....

Walnut –Topped Apple Oatmeal Quick Bread

Adapted from: Tryityoumightlikeit (Originally from Stonyfield Farm)

Serves: 12

OBJ: TCW be able to make a homemade breakfast bread

Ingredients:

1 6 ounce container  Greek Yogurt, Honey flavored

1 cup old fashioned oats

1 egg

1/4 cup canola oil

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

 1 1/3 C All purpose flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup diced apples (peeled) (1 small apple)

Topping:

¼ c chopped walnuts

1tsp sugar

½ tsp cinnamon

Procedures:

1. Spray an 8in x 4.5in. x 3in. loaf pan with cooking spray and preheat oven to 350°F

2. In a small bowl, mix together yogurt and oats and set aside

3. In a large bowl, mix together egg, oil and brown sugar well

4. Add in flours, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and yogurt mixture, stir together (batter will be lumpy)

5. Fold in apples

6. Pour into greased pan. Mix together walnuts, cinnamon and sugar, sprinkle and press into top

7. Bake 45 minutes or until golden brown or a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Remove from pan immediately. Serve warm with butterJ

Chocolate "Nests"

               I’m not sure if dessert gets anymore easy than this! Unless of course, you go to the store and buy something, but that isn’t as fun or good as these little treats. They take all of 2 minutes to shop for , maybe 20 minutes to make and then you just have to let them sit and set!             

              And for someone who enjoys baking and creating sweet masterpieces, this even has me sold. Matt, well he is still undecided, as he goes back and forth between, “MMMmmmm, delish,” and, “HHhmmm, let me take another bite, yeah I think they are good.” I do understand what he is saying, however I think that’s because he is obsessed with chocolate-covered pretzels and these, to me, are somewhat of an imposter! He’s thinking he is going to get that sweet/salty bite from this treat, but in truth they are a touch salty, mostly sweet and tremendously crunchy. I happen to find them great, he is still working on a decision, so I’ll let you decide….. Enjoy….

Chocolate “Nests”

Serves: 6-8

Source: Family friend, Megan

OBJ: TCW be able to make one of the easiest dessert recipes ever!

Ingredients:

1(6 ounce) bag of Chinese chow mien noodles, will only need ¾ of bag

1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

Parchment paper 

Procedures:

1. Melt chocolate over a double boiler until completely melted and smooth (You can place a large glass bowl on top of boiling water, as this will melt the chocolate just as good as D-Boiler)

2. Remove melted chocolate from heat and stir ¾ of noodles in it, toss/stir until each noodle completely coated

3. Using a tong, remove clusters or “nests” from bowl and place on parchment paper to dry

4. Place on platter and serve!

Roasted Asparagus with Provolone & Prosciutto

               Not much to write about this dish except that it I think it will make your veggie-hater reconsider their stance! Which isn’t too surprising since it involves provolone and prosciutto, two things that I’d say most people enjoy.

                I made this dish as an afterthought after I had just made the previously posted prosciutto-wrapped shrimp recipe. Why waste prosciutto when I had perfectly ready asparagus to serve it with?!?  I say waste not because I was going to throw it away (I really hope you didn’t think that!), but because I tend to toss items in my refrigerator and forget about them almost immediately. Terrible I know, but trust me I’m working on it!

                So that is about it, a great recipe that would go alongside great with almost any main course. Roast chicken, filet mignon, and halibut are just a few that pop into my mind but hey, your dinner is your dinner, I’m just here for ideas and inspiration! Enjoy……

Roasted Asparagus with Provolone & Prosciutto

Serves: 3-4

OBJ: TCW be able to use turn an ordinary vegetable into a satisfying side

Ingredients:

1 bunch of asparagus, cleaned and stems removed

1 TBS extra virgin olive oil

3 slices prosciutto, coarsely chopped

¼ C grated provolone (extra sharp preferably)

Procedures:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2. Place asparagus on baking sheet, toss with oil and S &P (go light on salt though as prosciutto is quite salty)

3. Place on middle shelf oven and roast for 15 minutes

4. Remove from oven, top asparagus with prosciutto, and then sprinkle provolone on top

5. Place back in oven and roast for an additional 5 minutes

6. Broil on high for an additional 1-2 minutes to get prosciutto to really crisp up

7. Serve!