Easy recipe for Fluffy Ricotta Pancakes! From Kitchn.com

Makes 8 to 10 pancakes

• 1 cup ricotta cheese (we just used nonfat ricotta from Trader Joe's)
• 1 cup flour 
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 
• 1/8 teaspoon salt 
• 3/4 cup milk 
• 2 eggs, separated into yolks and whites 
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla 
• Butter, for the pan

If your ricotta seems to have a lot of liquid, set it in a fine mesh strainer to drain off excess liquid about 30 minutes before you start cooking. If your ricotta seems fairly dry and compact, you can skip this step.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt in a small bowl. Combine ricotta, milk, egg yolks, and vanilla in a separate, larger mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the ricotta and milk mixture, stirring gently until just combined.

Beat the egg whites with a handheld electric mixer until stiff (we did it with our hands - it's all in the wrist)

Stir a small scoop of the egg whites into the pancake batter to lighten the batter, then fold in the remaining whites with a spatula.

Heat a griddle over medium-high heat. Melt a small bit of butter in the pan, just enough to coat the surface. Use a 1/3-cup measure to pour batter onto the hot griddle. Cook the pancakes for about 3 or 4 minutes, until the undersides are golden and you see a few bubbles popping through the pancakes. Flip the pancakes and cook another 2 to 3 minutes, until golden. Repeat with the remaining pancakes (put a small coat of butter each time).

Serve the pancakes immediately, with maple syrup, fruit jam, lemon curd, or powdered sugar.
We used blueberries and blackberries!

Take a look at the recipe at The Kitchn

My Weekend Brunch

So after my favorite bartender at Maialino jumped ship I've decided to start making brunch at home more often.  My go to is soft scrambled eggs, bacon and challah toast.  Sometimes simple is better.  For two, I usually whisk 5 eggs plus a dash of half and half and cook on low heat - stirring often.  It usually takes about 10 minutes to cook, but out come delicious fluffy scrambled eggs.

Add a couple strips of bacon - cooked on medium heat on my DeBuyer iron fry pan (bacon comes out totally crisp - and the more you use the pan, the better it tastes!)
plus toasted challah from the greenmarket and voila!

I've also started grounding coffee beans and doing french press in the morning as well. Nothing is better than fresh ground coffee...!  I use the Chambord french press - after years of using a plastic french press, I realized of course glass is better - retains the heat and cleans more easily!

Easy breakfast in less than 30 minutes!!

Make your own fresh O.J. and Grapefruit juice!

So I got really scared about the "flu epidemic" that seemed to be going around NYC this winter and decided it was time to amp up my vitamin C intake.  Given I don't really believe in flu shots (I know, I know...many people will have me crucified for this), I decided I was going to show everyone that I could protect myself naturally against the flu this year by just sleeping better, exercising and some fresh O.J.!

Knock on wood...so far it's worked.  Anyhow - to help me out I ordered the Tribest CS-1000 Citrus Juicer on Amazon.  After perusing the dozens and dozens of different juicers, this one seemed to be the right fit.  Not very expensive ($43 bucks), electric and simple and easy to use and clean.  The simple and easy to clean was major.

All you do is slice your fruit in half (larger fruits like grapefruits and larger oranges seem to work best) and place on top of the juicer.  Press down and it spins around squeezing all the juice out.  Voila!  So easy!  Not much pulp, all juice.  To clean, there are really only three components that need to be rinsed.  Really as easy as you can ask for..

A warning though - this isn't a cheap endeavor - you have to buy fresh fruit (a lot of it, and often).  For reference it takes about 2 large grapefruits to make one full glass of juice.  For oranges, try 4.  That's a lot, I know...

BUT, it's worth it.  Just order from FreshDirect and it comes to your doorstep - no heavy lifting or anything!

I highly recommend it - although after drinking fresh squeezed, you will become one of those overly annoying people who needs clarification at restaurants on whether the juice is fresh squeezed or not.  Oh well - sometimes we become the people we roll our eyes at...

hehe.

Egg-Perfect Egg Timer from Crate & Barrel

So I have always had a really hard time boiling the perfect egg.  It either comes out too runny (scary!) or too hard (dry!).  I never really know when to take it off the stove and how long to keep it cooking.

Solution - The Egg-Perfect Egg Timer from Crate & Barrel!  (btw, I think you can buy it from Amazon or many other retailers as well...

Anyhow, you just drop the timer in the water with your eggs and as soon as they start to boil, turn off the heat and cover.  Just watch the timer and move eggs to a bowl with cold water as soon as they hit your desired level of "doneness."  Soft, medium or hard.

I did it tonight and it worked amazingly well!  The perfect egg indeed.

Yummy@Home Gazpacho

Since it's been so hot in NYC the past couple of days, anything cold has become infinitely more desirable.

I bought a bunch of fresh vegetables at the greenmarket originally for a bbq, but when it just got too hot to even do that I decided to put them to good use by testing out my new food processor (thanks Foodbuzz!) and make a gazpacho.

You can make gazpacho with pretty much whatever you want - I mean I don't think exact proportions are necessary.

Just use what you have in the house - fresh ingredients are essential and then continually taste test!

My gazpacho had:

• 3 red bell peppers chopped
• 2 large tomatoes chopped
• 2 cucumbers - peeled and chopped (I just left the seeds in)
• 1 large onion
• fresh parsley
  
• crushed garlic
• black pepper and salt

Combine all in the food processor and then refrigerate for a couple hours to let the flavors build.

A perfect way to cool down on these hot and steamy August NYC days....

Yummy@Home White Sangria

So I was told that I had not been doing many Yummy@Home posts lately.  Apologies!  For those of you in NYC - you know it's been so hot and muggy here that the thought of heating up the kitchen is a bit unbearable right now!

My apartment is tiny - as in the kitchen is part of the living room and I think I might suffocate if I were to turn on the oven right now.

Lately I have been just doing a lot of "non-cooking", i.e. "preparing" of food that can be eaten as is.  Lots of simple salads, tomato & mozzarella has become my new go-to lunch dish.  For snacks - you can't beat guac and chips!

To drink - nothing is better than a simple sangria!  And you can just easily make a pitcher and it will last you a week (if you are me and a lightweight).  To complement my red sangria recipe - here is a super easy recipe for white sangria - which I find to be a little lighter and more refreshing.

 Once again you can totally mix and match whatever fruits to your own taste.

• Get a really fun pitcher (it always tastes better in a fun pitcher, hehe)
• Pour 1 bottle of white wine (I used a $4.99 Mediterranean white wine from Trader Joe's)
  
• 1 cup of lemonade
• 1 orange cut into wedges - squeeze the juice and then drop in the wedges
• 1 lime cut into wedges - same as above
• 1 apple cut into small pieces
• 1 peach cut into small pieces
• a cup of frozen mangoes (again Trader Joe's frozen mango chunks)

Let it sit 24 hours before serving and  serve with gingerale or sparkling soda!

Yummy@Home Sangria

So sangria is definitely one of the easiest things to make - kind of like guacamole.

Since it's such a great summer drink, I thought I would just share with you my simple recipe.

Which basically consists of anything and everything!

I just use a really cheap red wine ($2.99 Chuck Shaw Cabernet from Trader Joe's) plus a lot of fruit.

Here you can totally mix and match whatever fruits to your own taste.

• Get a really fun pitcher (it always tastes better in a fun pitcher, hehe)
• Pour 1 bottle of red wine
• 1 cup of lemonade
• 1 orange cut into wedges - squeeze the juice and then drop in the wedges
• 1 lime cut into wedges - same as above
• 1 apple cut into small pieces
• a handful of frozen blueberries

Let it sit overnight - 24 hours is better. Serve with plenty of ice, and some gingerale or seltzer water to add an extra bounce to it!

For a white sangria, I would just subsitute fruits like peaches and frozen mangoes.

$25,000 Sandwich Contest Sponsored by Mezzetta!

Submit your recipe for "The Best Sandwich Ever" contest sponsored by Mezzetta in Napa Valley - one of the top producers of imported and domestic peppers and olives.

The grand prize winner will receive $25,000 + a culinary trip to Napa Valley, while two runner up winners will each win $1,000.

That's a lot of bucks at stake!  Get working.

You can enter the competition in any or all three categories: hot sandwich, cold sandwich and vegetarian and must incorporate some of Mezzetta's products.

Shouldn't be too hard given they have over 100 different specialty food products including their signature deli peppers.

In addition to their deli sliced peppers with such varieties as peperoncini, jalapenos and sweet banana wax peppers, Mezzetta also has delicious pasta sauces made with 100% Napa Valley Wine.  A yummy way to spruce up your spaghetti and meatballs!

Hrmm...what about a meatball parmesan sandwich...?

Enter your recipe at http://www.mezzetta.com and good luck!!!

Make your own Plum Wine - for October...

I've written a lot about my love for plum wine and soda and plum beer.  Today Serious Eats has a feature on making your own plum wine.

It seems a lot like pickling vegetables - only using Sochu instead of water and vinegar...

Beware - if you are planning on drinking your plum wine anytime soon - just go out and by the Choya kind at your local wine & liquor shop.  Your @home plum wine will take 3 months before it's ready!

Go to Delicious Coma for a detailed recipe!

Crab Salad and Potato Salad Ideas for July 4th

Yesterday I decided to make potato salad - and since I had so much leftover dressing I used it again tonight with fresh crab meat to make a tasty crab salad.

I think either dish would be a great addition to a picnic or bbq this weekend!

I don't necessarily recommend serving them together like I did since it is a lot of the same sauce for one plate.

Lets start with the dressing since it is super versatile.

• Whisk together
• 1cup of mayonnaise
• 1/4 cup of milk (nonfat is fine)
  
• 4 tablespoons of country grain dijon mustard
• 1 tablespoon of salt and pepper
• Add chopped red onions (about 1/2 an onion)
• 4 celery stalks
• Sprinkle some rosemary and thyme

This is enough sauce for either 3 pounds of potatoes. We just used approximately 2 pounds of small red potatoes and the rest for the crab salad.

Prepare the potatoes

• Use small red potatoes - don't peel
• Boil potatoes with salt for 15 minutes
• Drain and then replace it over the pot with a cloth over to steam for 15 minutes
• Chop into small pieces

Pour the sauce over the potatoes to your taste...

Crab Salad - use the same sauce over fresh lump crab. Can easily buy fresh crabmeat from your grocer - already cleaned and ready to go!

Serve with buttered grilled or pan fried bread.

A refreshing addition to any picnic or bbq!

Yummy@Home Cream Cheese Flan

Last week I wrote about my wonderful dinner in Los Angeles and mentioned a recipe for a caramel cream cheese flan.  At the time I only had one I got from the Food Network, but now I have the real recipe from my friend Luis - one of the most awesome home chefs I know!

Follow this recipe if you want to taste the most delicious flan - rich and creamy with a texture similar to cheesecake, but the sweetness of caramel...

Caramel:

• Melt two cups of sugar in a sauce pan over medium heat.  
• Stir regularly until the sugar turns into a brown liquid.  
• Pour immediately into a small baking dish.  
• Coat the entire bottom of the dish before the caramel hardens.
  

Flan Mixture

• 1 can evap milk (I use fat free)
• 1/2 can of Sweetened Condensed milk (depending on your palate, you can use more)
• 5 eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 block of cream cheese
  

Blend everything together until you have a consistent liquid.  Pour into the baking dish.  Cover the dish with tin foil and bake for 1 hour in a water bath @ 350 degrees.

Let the flan come to room temperature and then refrigerate for at least 4-5 hours before serving.  Flip the flan onto a serving dish and... tada!  Enjoy!

Recipe courtesy of Luis Lou

Yummy@Home Macaroni and Cheese

Since it was a rainy night we decided to make mac'n'cheese!

It's funny - when I was little I really didn't like mac'n'cheese - and I know everyone has childhood memories attached to kraft mac'n'cheese, but I really didn't like it.

I think it's that to this day I for some reason have a weird aversion to orange cheese...

However, ever since mac'n'cheese began popping up on menus around town, I've become a huge fan!  My two favorites are Five Points and Hudson Cafeteria - but each one sets you back anywhere from $10 - $18 bucks (in the case of Hudson).   Even S'Mac isn't thaaat cheap - plus sometimes it can be burnt.

Tonight we went with an aged cheddar + gruyere version.

Preheat oven at 375 degrees.

Step 1 - Cook the macaroni. (elbow macaroni works the best)

• This is pretty obvious - cook it just like pasta - boil with salt and some vegetable oil.

Step 2 - Make the Cheesy Sauce!

• While you are waiting for the water to boil - start on the sauce.
• Grate one block of sharp cheddar and one block of gruyere - basically we bough two squares from Whole Foods.  I think around 1/2 pound each - doesn't have to be precise...if you like it cheesier do more!
• Heat up 1 quart of milk (whole, or we used non-fat and it came out great too) - Be careful not to let it boil - I kept it on medium heat
  
• Melt one stick of unsalted butter in a large pot.
• Add 1/3 cup of flour and whisk on low heat for a couple minutes
• Add the heated milk and whisk until thick and creamy (couple minutes)
  
• Take off heat and add the shredded cheese, one tablespoon of salt, pepper and nutmeg (could substitute paprika if you want)

Step 3 - Bake it!

• Toast bits of white bread on a pan with melted butter
• Pour the macaroni into baking dishes and sprinkle the bread crumbs
• Toss on some thyme or rosemary
  
• Bake for approximate 30 minutes

Serve with a side of chorizo and caramelized onions!

Perfect for a cold winter night...or in our case a warm summer rainy night! Also might be a good dish to bring to a dinner party.  After all - everyone loves mac'n'cheese right?

Yummy@Home Mussels - $5.99 for 2 lbs at Whole Foods!

Tonight my boyfriend and I decided to do something a little exotic and try our hand at mussels!

Our menu was mussels in a tomato and white wine sauce with chorizo and french fries of course! Need something to sop up all the leftover soupy deliciousness...

Step 1: Clean the mussels

• Bought a bag of 2lbs mussels for $5.99 at Whole Foods. Is is just me or does that seem cheap? Not sure, I mean I don't buy mussels everyday so it could be normal?
  
• Took a tip from Barefoot Contessa and dumped the mussels into a big pot with water and some flour (1/3 cup)
• The flour is to take help separate the dirt and clean the mussels...
• Let them soak for about 25 minutes
• Drain the mussels and clean the "beard" off each mussel
  

Step 2: Make the broth (you can adjust the ingredients as you wish for taste - every chef has their own particular taste!...)

• While waiting for the mussels to clean, start working on the broth
• chop one head of garlic
• two shallots
• handful of parsley
• handful of thyme
• 2 tablespoons of butter or heavy cream if you desire
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 can of tomatoes
• 1/2 bottle of white wine (we just went with a cheap recession white - use less if you are afraid of getting drunk!)

Heat the butter/heavy cream and olive oil on medium. Cook the shallots first and then add garlic (since garlic burns quickly). Add everything else and bring to a boil.

Add the mussels - stir and then cover for approximately 10 minutes. Serve with fries (we just used the frozen ones - baked them for 25 minutes) and chorizo - toss on a pan...and you're good to go!

A super super delicious meal - very easy to cook...but be prepared for quite a mess in the kitchen and a long cleanup.

Yummy@Home Kimchi Noodles

Given we still have a lot of leftover kimchi from our kimchi making experiment last week, my boyfriend decided to make kimchi noodle soup.

His recipe calls for super soft Shanghai noodles that you can easily find at any market in Chinatown.

At 79 cents a batch - this recipe is a perfect cheap eat.

Boil the noodles just like you would any kind of spaghetti. Add some sausage if you want to go carnivore - drop in some kimchi and you have yourself a nice bowl of kimchi noodles.

The kimchi really gives it a nice spicy and refreshing twist - on a hot day drain the noodles and refrigerate for a cold noodle dish.

Grilled Shrimp and Pork - Perfect Summer Dinner in Los Angeles

Last night my friend Luis cooked dinner for a group of us - going all out with meaty slabs of pork on the grill and skewers of shrimp done up with orange glaze.

Set upon a gorgeous view of Los Angeles from a house high in the hills of Los Feliz - it was the perfect meal! It's only on nights like that when I sometimes wonder why I live in rainy old New York.

Unfortunately I don't have any pictures from dinner as I forgot my camera! But hopefully the description is good enough...

The pork was marinated with a sweet glaze and cooked right on the grill - love those dark grill marks you get - and we rarely get to grill in New York so this was quite a treat! The shrimp was seasoned with pepper, lemon and an orange glaze giving it a tangy & sweet complement.

As for the side dishes - they were no slouch either. Orzo with turkey sausage, a fresh colorful salad of tomatoes and red peppers, and finally a salad with apples, tomatoes and avocados. Avocados + apples is a great flavor combination that I was first introduced to at Aki Sushi on West 4th in their tuna mille feuille and I look forward to seeing it on a lot of restaurant menus this summer.

For dessert we were treated with something we were all convinced had to be store bought. Caramel cream cheese flan. I had never had cream cheese in flan but it is delicious! It adds a richness and creamy texture to the flan without the tartness of traditional cheesecake.

I looked up a quick recipe for it from Food Network.

Ingredients:

Caramel:

• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  

Cheesecake base:

• 1 pound 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups sugar
• 1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 6 eggs
• 1 cup heavy cream
• (can also add sweet condensed milk)
  

Directions:

Caramel:
In a heavy metal saucepot combine the sugar, water, and lemon juice. Over high heat cook the sugar to a deep caramel color and pour out into a round 9-inch cake pan, turning around the perimeter so as to cover the sides and bottom of the pan. Set aside to cool completely while you make the cake.

Cheesecake Base:
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
In mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, on low speed work the cream cheese until smooth. Add the sugar, vanilla, and orange zest. Continue to mix for 2 minutes until smooth. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, and scrape down after each addition.

On low speed slowly stream in the heavy cream. Scrape down every 30 seconds. Remove from bowl and pour out into prepared cool caramel pan.

Bake in a hot water bath for 1 hour. When finished the cake will be slightly firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and place in the refrigerator. Make sure to cool down for at least 4 hours before flipping over. The cake can be made up to 2 days in advance.

Flip over by placing a 12-inch flat plate over the top of the cake pan. Hold with a firm grip and flip cake upside down. Let the pan sit on top for a second. Lift pan off the cake and serve on its own or with berries.

Yummy@Home BLT + Avocado + Egg!

For dinner we decided to make a simple BLT - my favorite!  I always end up ordering it at restaurants and it usually sets me back $10-$12!  Which seems like a lot for bacon, lettuce and tomato...

Tonight we tried to make it on our own and jazz it up a bit.

• Toasted sourdough bread
• Lettuce
• Bacon (Turkey if you want to be healthy - we used both turkey and pork)
• Tomato
• Avocado
• Red onion
• And last but certainly not least - a fried egg on top.  Dripping with all that gooey goodness.

Delicious!  And soooo simple and easy to make.  Add a Peroni and you have the perfect meal for watching the game tonight!

Yummy@Home Kimchi Quesidillas - Not quite Kogi, but close enough

After witnessing the stampede that was Monday's Kogi midtown BBQ stop, my boyfriend and I embarked on our attempt to recreate the kimchi quesidillas that were served.

We took a simple recipe from Serious Eats and modified it to our taste (as in doubled everything)- since we like things hot. Super hot!

After a quick trip to Whole Foods we embarked on the three day endeavor...

1. Making the Kimchi
Day 1:

• 1 large head Chinese cabbage (or substitute Napa cabbage)
• 6 tablespoons salt

Cut cabbage into 1-inch square pieces. Place in a bowl, and sprinkle with salt. Add water to cover, and mix well.

Cover the bowl with plastic wrap, and let stand in a cool place overnight.

Day 2:

• 6 scallions, including tops (we love scallions)
  
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 tablespoons Sriracha (the recipe says 1 tablespoon - but like I said, we like it hot!)
  
• 3 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• Added a secret ingredient from our Korean neighbors - Korean crushed red pepper spice from any Asian market. (If you can't find it just use crushed red pepper flakes)
• 1 tablespoon salt

Drain the cabbage and rinse quickly under cold running water.

Cut the scallions into 1-inch lengths, then cut lengthwise into thin slices.

In a bowl, combine the scallions with the rinsed cabbage, garlic, chili sauce, ginger, sugar, applesauce, salt and enough water to cover.

Mix well, and place in a quart jar with a lid. Close the jar, and let stand for a few days in a cool place.

Finally - Taste mixture every day, and when it has a good balance of flavor and acidity, place in the refrigerator.

So we were kind of impatient and shortened this and put it in the refrigerator after two days - if you wait a bit longer the flavor might be more potent...

The kimchi will keep for two weeks.

2. Making the Quesidillas
For our quesidillas, we used wheat tortillas.

Instead of cheese, we actually cooked up an egg (I think eggs make everything taste better!), some onions and put the kimchi on top.

Very simple and easy - kind of like a kimchi omelette wrap!

Overall, while it didn't taste exactly like the ones served by Kogi - it was good in its own way.

A little lighter on the stomach - I think our kimchi didn't have quite the same thickness to it - maybe because we didn't wait long enough...

Although our kimchi wasn't as "red" or "thick" - it definitely had a kick to it - a spicy aftertaste probably courtesy of the red crushed pepper flakes we added.

I would say it is perfect for a light snack or a brunch dish with an extra kick.

Give it a try - let me know how it goes!  We will probably continue to perfect the recipe...will keep you posted!

Yummy@Home Tomatoes and Mozzarella

Since it is tomato season - take advantage of the ripe and plump tomatoes your Greenmarket Farmers Market or grocery store has in stock!

And since tomatoes are nutrient rich with vitamin C and vitamin A and are commonly thought to help fight the risk of cancer - eat up!

Nothing feels more like summer than fresh tomatoes and mozzarella.

Just drizzle some olive oil and sprinkle on some basil - perfect light dinner or appetizer.

Yummy@Home Bruschetta

Here's a super simple recipe for great bruschetta.  I think the secret is starting with really good bread - a good way to finish off an loaf that is a bit aged.

Here I took a loaf of the olive bread I got from Grandaisy Bakery.

Slice bread into small pieces - maybe enough for 3 bites.  Chop tomatoes - any kind is fine and drizzle with olive oil + pepper.

Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 5 minutes or so.

Finish with some fresh basil if you have it - sometimes I just use the McCormick version if I don't have any fresh.

Perfect for a pre-dinner snack or to bring as an appetizer for a dinner party!

Yummy Tip - Choya Plum Wine + Beer

Choya Plum Wine is my favorite brand of plum wine.  It's very easy to find in wine and liquor stores and usually runs around $15, give or take depending on how good a deal you can get.  The wine is very very sweet, as most plum wines are, and the plums inside the bottle prove its authenticity.

I usually drink plum wine either on the rocks or with soda.  Plum wine also is great on top of ice cream or berries.

One last tip - going back to my post on Yummy Beers - Choya Plum Wine mixed with a light beer of your choice makes for a very refreshing and crisp "plum beer."

Yummy.