Chipotle-Coconut Chicken and Veggie Spring Rolls

Today, Chris and I did something that I think everyone in the Capital Region should do at least once...a month.We went to one of the many Asian supermarkets that Albany has to offer! Now one of my favorites is Lee's Asian supermarket on Central, but we tried something new and went to the "New Asian Market" on Colvin Ave by the Hannaford on Central and I  must say, I was impressed. Once you get over the incredibly strong fish odor of fish, you will see that the off-putting smell is actually something fantastic. They filet and sell their own fish, which you can pick yourself out of their live tanks!

Anyway, I'm getting off topic...so Chris and I are trying to save some money due to all of the holiday shopping, and are also trying to slim down. The perfect place to go when you have a combination of these two things in your life is an Asian market. As long as you avoid the Musk Melon bars in the ice cream freezer (mmm...musk melon...), you will find the most avoidable, healthiest pasta, tofu, sauces, and even cookies! Our loot today included rice paper, baby bok choy Sriracha, wheat noodles (in which the only ingredient is wheat), coconut crackers, 1 pound of firm tofu, and spring roll sauce that I would have no problem chugging out of the bottle if it were socially acceptable.

Our find, mixed with the hunger that was building from a long morning of dress shopping for my company holiday party (sorry Chris!) gave us the inspiration to take a little of what we had, and mix it with what we bought. So was born the Chipotle-coconut and veggie spring roll!

Here is what you'll need:

1/2 cup Chipotle Panko (yes, it exists...and it is amazing!)
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1 large egg white
1 boneless chicken breast, cut into small strips
4 pieces of rice paper
1 carrot, shredded
8 stalks baby bok choy
canola oils spray (you can use regular oil...if you're a fatty!)...(just kidding, please don't stop reading my blog!)

Preheat oven to 375°F and move oven rack to the middle. Like this!

(Just kidding. This is me being an idiot)

Put the chicken into a medium-sized mixing bowl and add egg yolk. Mix with fork until the chicken is coated. Add in panko and coconut and, again, mix until fully coated.

Next, spray a baking sheet with cooking spray and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until breading is browned and chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, sautee bok choy and carrots in a pan on medium to high heat (try not to burn them like I did...)

When the chicken is done, make a sort-of assembly line with the chicken, veggies, a pan of hot water (large enough to fit the rice paper), and two empty plates.

Take one piece of rice paper and dip into the hot water. In a matter of seconds it will become plyable, but you have to be careful that it doesn't fold in on itself. Lay flat on the first plate, add 2 slices of chicken and 1/4 of the veggies. Then, fold tightly into a spring roll-type wrap (it takes a few tries, but it tastes the same no matter how ugly it is). Do this for all 4 rolls.

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Next, in the same pan used for the veggies (adds extra flavor), spray heavily with cooking spray and cook rolls about 2 minutes per side, or until brown and crispy. 

Now it's time to eat! We ate it with some of that sauce I told you about earlier.It's called Mae Ploy Spring Roll Sauce.

 Damn I love that sauce....

We Love Slidin Dirty!

We love food trucks. One of my favorite times of the year is when the food trucks return in the spring (usually at the end of March or beginning of April) to the park on Washington Ave and State Street. I work downtown about a five minute walk from the park and after being tuck inside all winter, walking down and grabbing some food and sitting outside in the park makes for an amazing lunch. There are a ton of options available and you'll always find something you'll like whether it's something simple like a hot dog with sweet potato fries or something different like fish tacos. But, by far the best food truck I have ever eaten at was one we discovered at Lark Fest this summer.

After a few hours of enjoying Lark Fest Amy, our friends and I were pretty hungry. Amy and I decided to try Slidin' Dirty. Immediately this food truck catches your attention, the truck has been beautifully pained to a sunset orange skyline with the silhouette of downtown Albany. Next thing you'll see, besides some very friendly faces who offer up polite and great service, is the menu. The menu is where you will fall in love. I know I fell in love so much that when I saw that Slidin' Dirty would be a Troy's Riverfront Rocktoberfest this year, that alone was enough reason for us to go, and they even remembered me from Lark Fest!

The menu changes often but the food offered is a similar type. Slidin' Dirty always offers up a choice of sliders, appetizers and/or sides. I highly recommend if your going there for lunch, get the special. Two sliders and an appetizer for $10 is a great deal for your run of the mill food, but these are not your typical sliders. They are not kidding when they say "gourmet on the go." Here is just a few options they offer courtesy of their website, www.slidindirty.com:

Avacado Fries

Fried sliced avocado with panko breading and cilantro lime dipping sauce. 

Bacon and Scallion Potato Pancake

Grilled potato pancake with bacon and diced scallion and sage aioli dipping sauce. 

Fried Risotto Bites

One of our signature risottos breaded and fried served bite size with dipping sauce. 

Jalapeno Jack Slider

Gourmet mini beef burger with sliced jalapeno peppers, pepper jack cheese, fried avocado, arugula, tomato and chipotle cream on a grilled mini bun.

The Dirty Greek Slider

Grilled Chicken with Crumbled Feta, Spinach, Sliced Cucumber and tzatziki on a grilled mini flatbread. 

Prosciutto Caprese Slider

Gourmet mini beef burger wrapped in prosciutto and topped with tomato, basil, sliced red onion, fresh mozzarella cheese and balsamic reduction on a grilled mini bun. 

Slidin' Dirty not only shows up at the bigger events around the Capital Region, but they have a regular schedule of where they will be on their website. You can even place your order ahead of time and pick it up! Slidin' Dirty also has a catering menu for parties, weddings or whatever your big event may be. So trust Amy and I on this one, if you want amazing gourmet food that for very reasonable prices, whether it is by chance or you go seek it out. Go find that amazing orange food truck and start Slidin' Dirty!

Brunch!!

Little known fact about me, I hate breakfast. I know, I know...how do I consider myself part of the human race? Well eggs are gross, bacon makes me nauseous, pancakes and syrup---I cringe at the thought.

Something magical happens, however, when you mix the worst meal together with the best meal (lunch). It become some hybrid, mutant supermeal that could only be named BRUNCH! I am a big fan of this anomaly...how that can be possible due to my disdain for breakfast is beyond me. Must be the power that this brunch mutant has over me...

Anyway, we eat brunch quite a bit so I thought I would share our top three favorite places to go on a late Saturday or Sunday to get our grub on! ( these are in no particular order, because Chris and I have conflicting ideas as to which one is the best...they are all amazing though!)


1)  Cafe Madison

As soon as you walk into this place you can tell it's going to be a good meal. Why? Because most likely if you're going there any time during the weekend you're going to have to wait 10-15 minutes. Yes, it's cramped and yes, people WILL invade your personal space while waiting (not by choice, it's just a tad small in there). But, after all of that you will find that it is most definitely worth it. The menu is different every time, but I have yet to be disappointed. From their Home made toast (about six different varieties-Dill onion is my favorite!) to their perfectly-seasoned, perfectly-crisped home fries, you will neither leave hungry, nor unsatisfied. They are located right on Madison (obviously), next to Juniors and The Point. Check them out!

2) Iron Gate Cafe

Chris stumbled upon this place as a quick place to grab lunch during the week (he works about two buildings down). He would always rave about it to me, and sometimes he'd even bring me home a wrap or some soup. Since the lunch was so amazing, as soon as he mentioned that they had brunch we HAD to go. Sure enough, it wasn't just great...it was better than I could have even expected. It may had been the passion fruit mimosa making me enjoy my sweet potato pancake like it was the last last thing I would ever eat...but I'm pretty sure it was just THAT good. Unlike Cafe Madison, Iron Gate usually keeps their menu pretty standard. I, However have never had anything on this menu. The reason for this is because there are usually about four or five specials that make your mouth water just from reading their descriptions...I usually stop there. What really won my heart though, was the adorably quaint courtyard surrounded by- you guessed it- an Iron Gate. Not something you would expect on Washington Avenue in downtown Albany. Bottom line...go there!

3) Carmen's

Tired of the same ol' bacon-and-eggs routine? Carmen's certainly spices thing up, and gives a heavy Cuban infusion to their brunch menu. Adding chorizo, Plantains and even black beans and rice to their menu. I ate here this morning, and I'm STILL thinking about how good my meal was! Located right over the bridge in Troy, this place is a hidden treasure among a vast sea of run-down brick buildings. Their coffee is something of magic, their staff is super attentive and friendly, and the atmosphere is fun and inviting. Definitely worth going once...or a hundred times.

Chicken and Barley....Stuff??

It's been so long, but we're finally back! We took the summer off due to lots of travel and busy-ness, but I have a recipe that I have made many times that I know you're going to love! It's hard to describe, but once you have tried it you'll realize that there is not need for a name. Right now, the best I can do is "Chicken and Barley...stuff". Good enough for everyone who has eaten it so far, and it will be good enough for you (Dammit!) So let's get on with the recipe, shall we?

ingredients:

- 2 cups barley

- 4 cups chicken broth

- 2 cups water

- 2 celery stalks (diced)

- 3 carrots (diced)

- 4 cloves garlic (minced)

- 2 small onions (diced)

- 2 tsp salt

- 2 tsp pepper

- 3 stalks fresh thyme (or 2 tsp dry thyme)

- 1 tsp Rosemary

- 3 boneless chicken breasts

- 2 Tbsp butter (we use Smart Balance light...tryin' to get slim!)

For the gravy:

- 3 Tbsp butter (again, you can also use a healthier substitute)

- 2 Tbsp Flour

- 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

- Salt & Pepper

Makes approx. 8 servings

Directions:

1) Prepare all of your vegetables in the way they are described above.

2) In a large pot, add 2 Cups water, 2 cups chicken stock and 2 cups  barley. Bring to a boil.

3) Add veggies, herbs, salt and pepper and reduce to low heat. Cover and cook for 30 minutes.

4) Cook 3 boneless chicken breasts (season lightly with pepper) in a medium-sized skillet. When cooked, dice into small cubes.

5) Add chicken and 2 more cups of stock into to barley mixture. Cover and keep on heat for 15 minutes, or until everything is fully cooked.

To make the gravy:

1) make a roux by adding 3 Tbsp butter to the same pan used to cook the chicken, on low to medium heat. (this will deglaze the pan and add extra flavor to the gravy) 

2) Once the butter is mostly melted, slowly add 2-3 Tbsp flour, and stir until it turns into a light brown thick clump?

Like this!

3) Slowly add 1 1/2 cups chicken stock to the mixture. It will be lumpy, but have no worries! Use a wisk to work out the lumps, add black pepper and this is what you should see. (This is all easier than it looks, by the way)

4) Pour the gravy over the...stuff, stir and ENJOY!!

.....................It tastes even better while watching Doctor Who, just ask Chris!.................................

***Optional: Serve it over biscuits or a dinner roll to give it a hearty touch~***

For those of you who have been heckling me to get back on my blogging game (ah hem *Tracey*)... I am sorry to have disappeared on you like this, and Chris and I promise to keep up. How couldn't we? We have our whole summer to tell you guys about!

<333

Cafe 217

Legends, Justin's, Elda's, McGuires...Bombers? What do all of these have in common? They're the classiest ways to get drunk on Lark street! and what do we want most when it's 5am Saturday morning and you're hammered? FOOD! Usually, the default would be to go to Dino's or I Love and get yourself a slice of mediocre pizza that's been sitting for hours. While this seems delicious at the time, our body soon regrets it (and let's be honest, we're already going to hate ourselves in the morning.) So sticking with the classy-on-lark theme, and avoiding feeling like death when you inevitably wake up in three hours...go to Cafe 217! This, ladies and gentlemen, is not your ordinary cafe. It is a comfy, cozy, CLASSY cafe, similar to the likes of Cafe Madison or Iron Gate- only they add in their own little twist. They're hours fit your drinking needs! They are open from 5:30-11pm on the weekdays, and starting Friday they are open from 5:30 all the way until Sunday at 3pm.

Oh yeah, and their food is amazing.

                                                           Pictured: Portobella appetizer


Oh yeah, and they have two-for-one beer specials (at least on the weekdays)

                                                   Did I mention their food is AMAZING?

                                                      Pictured: Chicken Marsala (so good!)


For those of you who love breakfast (I know there's a lot of you, I'm certainly not one of them), they serve breakfast all night long! If it doesn't sound great to you now, it will at around 3:30 on Saturday morning as you stumble out of Lionheart. This place gets a 10 out of 10 in my book, for sure!

visit their website and learn a little more about them! http://www.cafe217.com/

Bananas Foster Cupcakes with Cinnamon Rum Frosting

Today, Chris and I decided that we should spend our Sunday afternoon baking. I adore the sport, and therefore the idea of a baking date was music to my culinary ears. Cupcakes are my specialty, but I always have trouble brainstorming flavor combinations. This is where Mr. English really shines. He came up with the idea that we should make a Bananas Foster cupcake with a rum buttercream frosting. I threw a recipe together using a few good ones that I saw online, and we quickly got to work. The end product was, not to toot our own horn or anything, but pretty awesome. Here is the final recipe we came up with!

BANANAS FOSTER CUPCAKE
(Makes about 24)


3/4 cup butter
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 ripe, mashed bananas
2Tbsp spiced rum (or more to your taste)
1 1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 cup flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup sour cream


CINNAMON RUM FROSTING


1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups confectioner sugar
3 Tbsp spiced rum
2-3 Tbsp cinnamon


INSTRUCTIONS:


1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Mix together dry ingredients
3. Add in wet ingredients
4. Mix until smooth (It will be lumpy, due to the bananas. Just make sure everything else is mixed)
5. Put cupcake liners in cupcake pan (If you don't have liners, grease the inside of the pan very well instead)
6. Pour mix into each liner until just pat full
7. Bake for 15-17 minutes
8. Set on cooling rack, when they are cooled, make frosting and frost those bad boys
9. EAT AND ENJOY! (Let me know what worked for you guys, and what didn't!)


As a finishing touch, Chris caramelized some banana slices with brown sugar and we topped the cupcakes off. This is, of course optional.

This, along with some bangin' chicken that Chris made (and will hopefully also appear in a future post!)
made up this week's Sunday night dinner. So make them, and let me know what you guys think!

Lobster Night!

Last weekend I was in Camden, Maine for my aunt's wedding. It was four days of non-stop eating and drinking with my family and having a ton of fun. I have never been to Camden before but if you ever get the chance, I highly recommend going. It is right on the water, a ton of places to eat, a lot of shops, only a few of which have the "touristy" feel to it and even those are better than other tourist type shops I've been in. There are a number of ships that are available to be booked for a day cruise and there are other towns nearby such as Rockport and Rockland which have their own charm, things to do and of course, amazing places to get the highest quality seafood. Which is what was the highlight of my trip for food. Amy and I love seafood. It is among my favorite types of food, if not the favorite, lobster being at the top of the seafood chain. Unfortunately Amy could not go with me on this trip due to work, so I decided to bring a little bit of Camden, Maine back with me to Albany, especially after devouring the guy in the picture below. One was not enough to get my lobster fix!

This was my lobster dinner at my aunt's rehearsal dinner.
 Words cannot describe how delicious it was.

So in order to obtain these magnificent creatures I did the most sensible thing, asked someone in Camden where the best place to get some fresh lobster to be packed up and brought home is. My aunt and her new husband recommended a place called Graffam Bros. Seafood Market (which also owned the restaurant the rehearsal dinner was at, after having that first lobster dinner, which was incredible, I was fully confident that they were leading me in the best possible direction). So with the car packed up and ready to go, we stopped at Graffam Bros. to get the lobsters. This place was less a seafood market and more heaven for any seafood lover, the selection was amazing, everything fresh and the staff knowledgeable and helpful. I ended up buying three, pound and a half  hard shell lobsters (one for myself, one for Amy and one for a special dinner guest, my sister Pam, who had flown in from Portland, Oregon). Also worth noting is hard shell was recommended as they stay fresher longer, also the smaller lobsters tend to have sweeter and more tender meat versus a large lobster like a larger three pounder.

The reason I am going into such detail into this place, that is not in Albany, is that they ship! You can go online to their website, www.lobsterstogo.com, and order whatever seafood your looking for, including fresh Maine lobsters and have them to you in less than twenty four hours. Their prices are very reasonable for the lobsters themselves, my three lobsters and three containers of seafood chowder was under $60.00 with tax and really can you put a price on the experience of cooking and eating a fresh lobster? The answer is no, you cannot.

With the lobsters wrapped in cold wet newspapers, frozen gel packs on top and bundled into a styrofoam cooler they were good to go. The staff there made sure to tell me that the lobsters had to be cooked within 24 hours or they would go bad or die. Oh darn, had to eat them as soon as I got back into Albany.

Once home, the cooking took place, when you cook your lobsters mentally prepare yourselves for a roller coaster of an experience. The lobsters were kind of cute and on one hand it is a little sad to do the dirty work and toss the poor little guys who were a few days ago chilling on the ocean floor minding their business into a jacuzzi of death. I got over it quick.

There, there guys. It's going to be okay.

Cooking a lobster is surprisingly simple. The seafood expert at Graffam Bros. suggested that if I wanted to cook it tomorrow to half boil them, for about 7 minutes, store them in the fridge overnight and then boil them for another 7 minutes to finish them the next day when ready to eat. I am a big proponent of eating food as fresh as possible, especially when it comes to seafood, so we opted to cook them and eat them when I got back to Albany.

What you'll want to do is get a large pot full of water, large enough to accommodate however many you are doing, I had to use two separate pots because one was not large enough for all three. Place two tablespoons of salt for each quart of water in the pot and then bring to a boil. I have read about people putting herbs and freshly squeezed lemon juice in the water as well but we went the simple clean route. 

Once the water has come to a rapid boil, thank your new friends for their sacrifice, leave the rubber bands on and toss them into the bath. BE WARNED! I have never cooked a live lobster before, some crazy stuff went down right before they got dunked. Amy and I both grabbed the lobsters to get them into the pots, one of them started flapping it's tail violently to the point I thought it was going to drop, another one raised it's claws up and to the side like it was a bizarre lobster Moses trying to part the salty boiling water sea it was doomed to go head first into, and I don't even remember what the third was doing it was so chaotic. Needless to say there was a lot of laughing and shouting and then we got them in.

For this size (1.5 pounds) once they are in cover them and cook for about 15 minutes or until they turn that nice bright red color. 

If you have ever wondered why a lobster turns red, according to the Maine Lobster Institute: "A live lobster is greenish/black because of the many different color pigment chromatophores. When it is cooked, all the pigments are masked except for the astaxanthin, the red background pigment." http://www.lobster.um.maine.edu/index.php?page=22

Also lobsters do not have a complicated enough nervous system, similar to that of an insect, to feel pain according to research. The infamous "lobster scream" you hear when they are cooking, is actually the steam as it is being released through the cracks in the shell making noise. There now, don't you feel better about eating them? Guilt or not, the taste is worth it!

Once the lobsters are done, grab a pair of tongs and pull them out, I would place them on a pan or cooking sheet for a few minutes so some of the excess water gets out before you place them on plates. Once they are out and not dripping a ton of water get them on the plate. You may notice the tail has curled under, this is normal. You can leave it under until ready to separate it and eat it or stretch it out from under the body on the plate. Then, your going to want to get what in my opinion are the two essential things you need to get the most out of eating the lobsters is some fresh lemon wedges and melted butter. 

Once you have those two things you are good to go. We decided to make a salad on the side to go with the lobsters (the salad was baby spinach, grapes, chopped walnuts and a homemade pineapple orange vinaigrette that Amy and I made one night on a date, it is our favorite salad and we make it a ton, we'll post the very simple recipe for it separate from this soon!) and also heated up some of the seafood chowder I brought home. I also grabbed a bottle of wine from a winery in Maine while there as well, it was a wine with apple and pear notes that paired well with seafood, this or a nice light beer would be the best beverage options to make the whole experience come together and compliment the flavor of the lobster.

Lobsters. Devoured.

Table set we sat down and ate. I won't get into every detail of eating a lobster because to me that is one of the best parts of eating lobsters for the first time, is getting into it, that visceral feeling you get when breaking into the shell and using your hands, it's a lot of fun!

 Some basic tips are to make sure you have a seafood/shell cracker and a sturdy fork. My favorite strategy is to take the claws off, crack them open and get the meat out, take the legs off and suck the meat out of those just like a straw, then take the tail off the body and get all that meat out (argueably the best meat on a lobster is in the tail). Hit the claw and tail meat with some lemon, dip in melted butter and enjoy the ridiculously amazing flavor that will bombard your taste buds.

So that was lobster night. A ton of fun and one of the most delicious foods I ever get the chance to eat. Fair warning it is a messy affair, we had a bowl on the table for our lobster shells and it looked like a lobster graveyard.

Lobster cocktail did not go over well.

And while dinner was amazing and delicious what was best about it was who I was eating with. Special thanks goes out to my big sister Pam for flying home for the wedding and hanging out with Amy and I in Albany and to Amy for as usual being my partner in culinary crime and mischief. It was really great to have two of the most important and favorite women in my life meet and be able to spend time with them together. See you in August Pam when I come out to Portland!