You Better Get Hip to the Clean Up Woman

Just as teen girls currently dress like their moms, I cook as if I'm in my mom's depression era of the 1930's. I don't like to waste food and always try to use what I buy.  Chicken soups are great for this purpose because you can throw in the last of your jarred hot sauce, vegetable scraps, herbs that need used up and put in fillers, like rice or grains.  This is a great way to use up corn tortillas, to thicken and add a little corny flavor. 

Until You've Seen This Trash Can Dream Come True

A healthier go-to option that always tastes good but I often forget about is Chicken Scallopini.  Lemons, capers, butter and garlic give this thinly sliced chicken breast a gourmet feel and taste for the smallest amount of effort.  Smashed sweet potatoes dressed with only butter and s&p, steamed broccoli and brown sprouted rice.   

After eating a ton of pizza, jerk, Korean BBQ, these kinds of meals come in handy to get your gut back on track. A reminder to partake in moderation of all the fun, delicious fatty take-out food NYC has to offer in order to continue partaking.

You Want to Taste and Help Yourself

Amidst the tomfoolery of the local establishments trying to sell us on silly food themes or gimmicks instead of straight awesome eats, something exciting is taking place on the streets.  Brave cooks are popping up with their makeshift gear and setting up sans food trucks, just hot plates and tables, selling their smoked BBQ or tamales, jerk and assorted other offerings.  If you're not a social media partaker, you have to be lucky to catch them but when you do, it's a kismet!  Like these delicious fall off the bone ribs....

....and this smoked chicken with greens and the meatiest dirty rice we've ever tasted! It becomes more special because when it's a chance encounter, the treat is that much better.

Earlier, the morning provided treats from Alamo Draft house City Point here in Brooklyn in the form of the tenderest chicken tenders and dreamiest queso with chips.  The Accountant 2 matinee and the surprise wonderfulness of Jon Bernthal. 

The Second Time Around

Leftover Plate with added Tater Tots

Like all stewy things, this Chicken braised in Enchilada sauce tastes even better the next day. 

I tried to hide the fact that I made tater tots by making a healthy tray of roasted vegetables and hid them slightly under the pile of cool herby-limed-lettuce. 

Forever and Ever, You'll Stay in My Heart

Smothered Enchilada Sauce Chicken???

My mother's enchilada sauce, well what I believe is the recipe, is too good to reserve only for those special occasions where I have the wherewithal to roll individual enchiladas.  Baked enchiladas are a lot of work, especially in the summer months.  Braising chicken thighs in this delicious sauce after browning creates an excellent stewy meal that you can make on the stove top (or crockpot).  Yes, crocks are great but if  you have to brown the meat first in the dutch oven, which you MUST,then it's much more of a time-saver to keep the party going on top of the stove.  In my opinion, the flavor difference is fairly massive. 

Some days you also must double-carb it with mashed sweet potatoes and herby rice.  The cool, crisp lettuce, onions, and tomato along with a fork-full of chicken and sauce, make up the perfect bite.

I love this sauce and I feel it could be used in several, creative ways but I can barely make it correctly consistently let alone turn it into multiple condiments.  When I do, I'll share the recipe. NOT!  This time I added corn, peppers and onions to the sauce.

You Can Get With This, Or You Can Get With That

Dressed up frozen pizza

My mate and I have gone full circle with frozen pizza vs pizzeria slices.  Money wise, if you have left over toppings lying around, frozen is cheaper and super easy to dress up and call it dinner.  BUT; My argument was since we have a local awesome pizzeria that sells slices near enough to spit at, we're better off paying slightly more and getting fresher ingredients, much better tasting crust, sauce and toppings.  Calorie wise, it might be a wash but health wise, fresh is better.  They use better cheese, lots of fresh vegetables and the crust is hand tossed and doesn't include any preservatives.  There are however, fresh frozen varieties but again, the sauce is better, there is no sugar added, a pizzeria a much better option.  Finally, only after confirming with Google AI would he believe my argument.  Not Ray's here I come!

Also, who wants to put the oven on its hottest temperature setting as we begin to see high heat days?

I See Your True Colors Shining Thru

Shrimp Tacos with Pink Pineapple Guacamole

Spring arrived in all her glory by way of colorful flowers and fresh fruit vegetables at the market.  A pink pineapple  appeared without warning as I peeled away the outer layer and discovered it's pale pink flesh.  Turns out this is a genetically modified product courtesy of Del Monte.  Allegedly made more nutritious and longer lasting by a guy in a lab.

However, I would be fine if it were better than the original. Spoiler Alert! For me, it's not.  It's sweeter and doesn't have that slight sour tang of the yellow pineapple, and in turn lost its burst of freshness somehow, falls a bit flat on the taste-buds.  Do we really believe we can do better than nature?  However, the appearance is lovely and it served well, I just had to add more heat and lime juice to balance all the sweet.

Instead of separate salsa and guac, I combined the two to make a creamy, fruity, limey guacamole to top my spicy, crunchy shrimp tacos.  Carrying on the America's Test Kitchen tradition, I baked the shells with Oaxaca cheese before topping and folding quickly.  A genius way to make way more tacos than you should rightly eat at one sitting. 

Come Pick Me Up, Come Take Me Out

Supporting local businesses!  Yeah, that's the ticket to indulging in take-out lunch specials on days when you could cook but you just can't bring yourself to do it.  You want to eat healthy, but you also want some indulgence.  You planned to plan ahead but you waited too long and now your stomach is making the choices.  If you cohabitate, this is a very familiar place to be.  One hopes the other will 'figure out the meal', so you wait it out and both come up with zeroes.  Grouchy and famished, decision-making can then turn dark.

This is the perfect time to surrender, admit you have no power and order out.  Of course you can still make semi-appropriate choices, like these vegetable heavy bowls (mine had glass noodles underneath, which are heavenly in their light sauce) from Yori Bowl.  Sure, I was weaker and chose the Korean fried chicken chunks in a delicious sauce while P went for the Spicy Pork.  I try not to have food regret, which is a delicate balance, because I also try not to get heavy in weight, as my short frame can't handle much extra stomach bulge or else I begin to feel constricted and lethargic.  

If your biggest problem is that you can't figure out what to eat for lunch, you must remind yourself that life is still pretty effing great.  

Don't Dream It's Over

Spaghetti Carbonara

A girl and her pasta. Pasta to women is like ponies for little girls.  I dreamed of a pasta diner that includes a slew of girly pasta dishes to delight in. I thought of a room made to look like a teen's bedroom with posters and record players, plants and colorful eccentric knick-knacks.  A place for girlfriends to chat for hours while slurping down oodles of noodles of every variety and of course a vintage dessert of the day.  I'd still love to eat at a place like that but also think a drive through pasta pick-up establishment could be awesome too.  A no nonsense biz where you could pick up a vat of piping hot pasta to-go in quart containers.  Only a few choices, but done very well.  

Any way you can get it, it's important to create a giant bowl for yourself and lavish in one of the many delicious classics.  

It's All for You

A simple Taco bowl is a great meal to make for yourself when you're feeling ill but need nourishment, something to stick to the gut and aid in restful sleep, but easy.  Spiced Ground turkey, cheesy beans with corn and hot sauce as the dressing, maybe some pickled jalapenos and sour cream over sturdy crunchy, cool lettuce brings all the textures together in a dish spicy enough to wake up your ailing taste buds, yet comforting.

Months later than this day, I watched Janet Jackson's reemergence after 7 years on the American Music Awards and she looked fabulous, age appropriate, cute as a button and her icon speech left me in tears.  She said sincerely to keep God close in whatever you do because that's where he wants to be.  I thought that was the best thing said in an award speech in ages.  She stressed hard work but more importantly that she was in it for the music, always as was her family and that fame should not be the driving force.  This year they wheeled out all the old broads, Gloria Estafan, Gwen Stefani (who also did a great job btw), Jen Lopez hosted the show and danced like she was 25, all well over 50 ladies.  And as SZA's ass and breasts tried to bust out and have their television debut, it was a reminder that the sexualization of women in all genres seems to be going backwards.  Some say by choice this time, but really?