miracle of modern science

one of my favorites fruits is the mango, but i've always detested what a mess they are to eat. well now there's been an amazing technological advancement that's turned the mango into an simply snackable comestible.



i don't know what sort of genetic engineering or scientific mumbo jumbo went on in a lab somewhere to make this a reality, but i'm just happy it did.



heaven forbid my dining experience should ever be hampered by napkins or hand washing. now, finally, i can eat my fruit with a plastic fork out of a non-biodegradable container like a civilized human being. hooray for science!!

a vegetarian snack

one of the great things about living in new york are all the amazing vegetarian options available. today i was hungry for just a little snack and was able to whip up this amazing mini-meal.



i started off this tasty treat with some parmesan chunks on table water crackers.



for dessert i indulged in a little ready to go jello cup. but i sweetened it up even more by topping it with some mini marshmallows.



and because it's never too early to get your drink on, i accompanied my nosh with a nice glass of red wine (a shiraz / cabernet).



isn't it awesome all the things you still get to eat while being a vegetarian??

triple berry surprise

okay kids, this recipe is a bit involved, so you might want to enlist some parental supervision. there's prep work and stove usage... but don't worry, no knives! anyway, now that i've been turned on to one of the hot new cooking trends out there, it's opened up a whole world of possibilities to me, not the least of which is wheat berries!



triple berry surprise

• 1 part wheat berries
• 4 parts water
• 1/4 cup raspberries
• 1/8 cup goji berries
• 1/4 cup soy milk
• 1 tablespoon honey

rinse wheat berries in cold water. to cut down on actual cooking time it's best to soak them overnight (or for extra easy cookability soak them for a full day and pretend it has nothing to do with the fact that you forgot they were already sitting there on the stove for a good 12 hours). i used a half cup of berries and 2 cups of water because i don't actually own a full set of measuring cups (a true chef just knows) and the half cup was all i had handy. bring water with wheat berries to a rolling boil and cover pot. let cook until most of the water in the pot has evaporated (for an added crunchy film, ignore pot boiling over and smell of burning wheat and allow half the berries to fuse to the bottom of the pot). drain berries (or not, depending if you went for the crunchy film effect) and top bowl with raspberries and goji berries. add a splash of soy milk and drizzle with honey.



i suppose i've given away the fact that the surprise in this recipe is really just some soy milk and honey, so if you make this for friends be sure not to spoil it! some might also argue that this is more of a breakfast dish than a dinner one. but as you all know, i refuse to be bound by society's norms of time specific food.

oooh swanky!

last night's attempt to go get drinks landed us in a bar with no air conditioning and warm beer taps. since this was clearly unacceptable and we suddenly realized we were craving this crazy thing called dinner, we ventured out into the west village in search of food and drink. this might not sound like a mighty task to anyone else, but i'm not one to just jump into a new relationship with a restaurant on the fly. i like to do my research, go through a little courtship first, you know develop a mutual sort of appreciation with the place. i've got some serious standards when it comes to the quality of my food.



and really, what says class more than a place called señor swanky's?




my dining companions had the cheese enchiladas and the mexican love sticks with swanky glaze [too. many. jokes. must. continue. blogging.] respectively.



i had the vegetarian salad (PS how meat-tastic must a place be when you actually have to sepcificy that a *salad* is vegetarian) and the waiter and i played this fun little game where he offered me different dressings then reported back that they didn't actually serve them. while this taught me that apparently no one in swankyville had ever ordered a meal consisting primarily of greens before, i did get the bonus treat of discovering their delicious carrot dressing which i never would have tried if my first 17 million dressing choices hadn't been shot down.

in the end the nice mr. waiter man comped us a round of swankaritas to make up for the salad dressing debacle. you know when you eat at a place that's officially dubbed a "mexican cafe and celebrity hangout" they know how to treat their high profile guests. never fear señor, your reputation's safe with foodland.

cool summer lunch (aka the boyfriend special al-mode)

i know you're all probably already insanely jealous of the way my significant other wines and dines me, so i must admit i was hesitant at first to post this entry. i'm just going to have to ask the ladies and the gays to do their best to exercise some self control and keep their hands off my man after reading this.



cool summer lunch (by the boy)

• one deli sammich
• one bag of cool ranch doritos (the "cool" part of the summer lunch)
• one iced tea
• one pint of ice cream
  

accept boyfriend's offer to pick up some lunch, and do your best to hide the annoyance in your voice when you realize he's hitting up the deli again. argue with boyfriend over phone while he stands in the deli and insists they don't have any teany or honest tea even though they've had them every. other. time. you've been there. settle for some apricot shit from inko's that tastes like acetone instead. enjoy with an al-mode side of ice cream eaten directly from the container (cause we're classy like that).




i've actually watched them make this meal at the deli several times myself and i think i've nearly perfected the at home version of it. it involves slicing a roll as well as some lettuce and tomato so it's a bit advanced, but i'll be sure to post it anyway once i have it all worked out.

guest blogger: tracey

well my kitchen's still out of commission but luckily guest blogger tracey has stepped in today. i hope you enjoy this awesome recipe she has to share with all of you. thanks tracey for coming through in a pinch!

grilled cheese (by tracey)*

1. dial 617-254-8114 and ask for moogy
2. await buzzer alerting you that food has arrived
3. observe cryptic "GrCh" written on your sandwich's wrapping. does this mean grilled cheese, or greasy cheddar?
   
   
4. the latter, it would seem:
   
   
5. unwrap, observe toasted perfection, and enjoy.
   
   
   

*please note this meal is prepared best in the metro-boston area only

all cooked out

yesterday's 12 blog entries in 12 hours have left me physically and emotionally drained. it truly is exhausting maintaining my top notch standards in the kitchen. i really want to share some new and amazing recipes with all of you, but i'm afraid i'm stuck in leftover hell right now.



not to mention the current state of my dirty dishes.

but never fear, as always i have a backup plan, and will review for you my dinner from a few nights ago.

maoz in union square is one of only two locations in the the US for this vegetarian falafel chain. the sign said "hungry?" and amazingly enough, i was! i knew that if this place specialized both in fine cuisine *and* mind reading then they really must mean business.




the best part of this meal was the fact that they only prepared my food to a certain extent, after which point they deferred to my superior culinary technique. it was like experiencing the joys of cooking and eating out all rolled into one! i ordered a junior maoz royale (small falafel with eggplant and hummus) on whole wheat pita. at the salad bar i really let my talent shine and added tomato, lightly fried cauliflower & broccoli, and tabbouleh with both tahini and garlic sauce.



all the other patrons in the restaurant couldn't stop staring at my clearly superior falafel. of course, that may have also had something to do with the fact that the entire place is about the size of my bathroom and they simply had nowhere else to look. though i think it's quite obvious which of those two explanations makes the most sense.