Sweet Potatoes in a Rosemary Beurre Blanc

I love sweet potatoes. I love them in pies. I love them baked. I love them in casseroles. They are wonderful and delicious in any and every way! Rosemary and sweet potatoes work really well together, and I thought I would make a savory but simple side dish for dinner tonight. It's very simple and will persuade any non-believer.

Ingredients:
2 med-lg sweet potatoes, diced
2 tbs of butter
1 Tbs of any buttery white wine like chardonnay
1 ts fresh rosemary, chopped

what to do:
1. Steam sweet potatoes until tender, about 7-9 mins
3. Heat the butter and add the white wine

5. Let the butter sauce reduce down and thicken (about 5-7 mins), then add the rosemary
6. Toss sweet potatoes in and cover in sauce

Fried Risotto Balls

I originally got this idea from a happy hour special I went to a few months ago, but wanted to make a few adjustments. You could use any kind of rice or risotto if you wanted - even better when they're left overs. Also using small touches like Italian breadcrumbs instead of just plain adds a little somethin-somethin. Serve with home-made or store bought marinara sauce, and it's a yummy appetizer or light lunch with a side salad.

Ingredients:
Any kind of risotto or rice
2 eggs
bread crumbs
cornmeal
parmesan cheese

what to do:
1. If not using leftovers, prepare risotto and refrigerate for a few hours until cool
2. Once cooled off, remove from fridge, and add the cheese
3. Add one egg
4. Pour a few tablespoons of bread crumbs and cornmeal into another bowl, combine
5. Shape rice mixture into small balls with your hands
6. Crack the other egg into another bowl and coat rice balls in it 
7. Then toss the rice balls in the crumbs/cornmeal mixture
8. Continue with the rest of the risotto mixture
9. Heat up about an inch of oil in a frying pan on medium heat, and add the balls one by one
10. Rotate until completely fried, let dry on paper towel

Dip in Marinara sauce!

Cheesy Baked Cauliflower

i don't know why, but cauliflower has gotten a bad rep! i am here to dispute this bad rep and say: cauliflower is d to the e to the l-i-c-i-o-u-s! you could just sprinkle cheddar cheese on top and it would be fantastic. trust me, it's worth a try.



Ingredients:
one head of cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
2-3 sprigs of Scallions, chopped
3 Tbs of bread crumbs
butter

what to do:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Place florets into a steamer and steam until tender - about 6-8 min
3. Drain and pour into greased casserole dish
4. Add scallions, cheese, a dash of salt and pepper
5. Bake for 10-12 min
6. Remove from oven, add breadcrumbs, a few pats of butter, and more cheese if you want
7. Broil on 400 degrees for 5 mins

annndd then tell me how you feel about cauliflower.

Trophy Bar, [Williamsburg] Brooklyn

this place is truly a gem . not only do they have amazing drink specials (4$ well drinks), but on thursday nights, they serve a free bbq! although the place is quite small, the outdoor space is full of character - with picnic tables, stringed lights, and trophy memorabilia through-out. definitely check this place out.


Trophy Bar 351 Broadway
Brooklyn, NY 11211
(347) 227-8515
Happy hour 5-8 pm

Brooklyn Brewery, [Greenpoint/Williamsburg] Brooklyn

if you live in brooklyn - no - if you live in new york city and have not visited the brooklyn brewery, shame on you! this place is great - but be sure to get there early! you pay 20$ for 6 tokens (1 token = 1 beer), and with choices on-tap such as the coffee stout (8.5%alc) ... it's kind of an awesome deal. the brewery is not very big, but is filled with community-style picnic tables. it's great to go with a big group and order pizza from one of the nearby pizzarias! also bring cards ...

Brooklyn Brewery
79 N 11th St
Brooklyn, NY 11211-1913
(718) 486-7422
Happy hour: Fridays 6-11pm

The Brazen Head, [Cobble Hill], Brooklyn

need somewhere to go for monday night football, or just cheap drinks and free food? well, here it is. with 4$ chelsea checker cab drafts and 2$ pbr cans - free food is just the cherry on this sundae, i mean monday (from 5pm on). they serve up some pretty decent bbq (as a southern gal, i have grounds to be picky), with potato salad, and hummus. they also have some other specials during the rest of the week, like 4.75$ pints all night on tuesdays and free bagels with a bloody mary or mimosa on sundays (2-6pm). check out their website for more specials - and also check this place out while you're at it.

The Brazen Head
228 Atlantic Ave
Brooklyn, NY 11201-5730
(718) 488-0430

The Rubin Museum, [Chelsea] Manhattan

i know you're thinking - drinking in a museum?? the rubin museum does an awesome happy hour on fridays where they whip up 2-for-1 cocktail/martinis. and they are fantastic drinks. 2 of these liquored delights will run you 12$, so bring a friend and go halfsies! the museum is also open for free after 7pm (admission usually runs 15-20$!), and you can try to suppress your buzz long enough to fully appreciate Himalayan art - but don't kid yourself. i think we lasted 15 mins. well worth it though!

The Rubin Museum
150 W 17th St
New York, NY 10011-5402
(212) 620-5000
Happy hour: Fridays 6-7pm

Pumpkin-Dijon Chicken

After yesterday's successful execution of the use of Pumpkin, I was feeling fall-inspired yet again. Taking inventory of the entire kitchen I found: pumpkin butter, honey-dijon mustard, and frozen chicken. I know I must seem like a crazy-pumpkin-addict to have so many pumpkiny things around the house. And so it goes. In the end, the pumpkin butter was straight-up rockin' in this dish.

Ingredients:
2 chicken breast (frozen or fresh)

2 Tbs of pumpkin butter

1 Tbs of dijon mustard

What to do: 

1. In a mixing bowl, add the pumpkin butter and the dijon mustard

2. Make sure the chicken is defrosted and ready to go - salt and pepper for flavor

3. Heat a few tablespoons of oil into a frying pan

4. Add the chicken pieces one at a time into the sauce mixture and coat liberally.

5. Add to the hot oil and cover.

Let the chicken pieces cook for about 3-4 mins before turning them, and re-cover. I learned that as a trick to keeping chicken nice and moist on the inside - locks in all that yummy deliciousness.

Chicken should be ready in about 6-8 mins - give it a slice down the middle to make sure.

Pumpkin Spiced Belgian Waffles

Come one, come fall!

Fall is in quite a hurry to get here - and might I just say...It's about friggin' time! I love the fall. Hot tea in the morning, long sleeved p.j.s at night, and all the delicious comfort food you can eat in between. On this - albeit rainy - Fall morning, my friend and I decided to make a fall-themed brunch. To make this happen, we needed to use the one ingredient that truly defines the autumn season = PUMPKIN! We decided on pumpkin spiced belgian waffles with whipped cream and pecans. 

Ingredients:
1 can of pumpkin
pancake/waffle mix
milk
cinnamon
pure vanilla extract
pecans
heavy whipping cream

*the measurements that we used made 2 large waffles, so if you want more than that, adjust the rest of the ingredients to your desired amount

what to do: waffles
1. preheat waffle iron
2. pour 1 cup of mix into a mixing bowl
3. add in about 1/2 cup of pumpkin
4. add in 1/2 cup of milk
5. dash of cinnamon
4. splash of vanilla
5. [optional] add chopped pecans
6. mix together, pour onto waffle iron according to instructions

what to do: whipped cream
after the waffles are finished, or if you have an extra hand in the kitchen, start on the whipping cream - easy, double easy.

For the waffle measurements above, pour 1 cup of the heavy whipping cream into a mixing bowl, and mix on med-high speed until it thickens and is, well, whipped cream.