Blueberry Hand Pies

We realized that visiting our favorite Alstede Farms for berry picking would be a relatively safe activity during the pandemic since it's completely outdoors and extremely easy to maintain social distance.  We had a great time and wound up with a pretty awesome haul of blueberries.

Mel remembered that we had a box of Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry in our freezer, so we thought it'd be cool to attempt some sort of blueberry bake.  A quick Google search yielded this super easy recipe for Blueberry Hand Pies from The Food Network.  

(cutting and pasting all the details verbatim below in case the link ever breaks; they also include steps for making a glaze but we skipped that because we wanted the sweet focus to be on our berries)

Ingredients

Filling

• 3 cups blueberries
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar 
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch 
• 2 teaspoons lemon zest plus juice of 1/2 lemon 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 

Pastry

• 3 sheets frozen puff pastry (from two 17.3-ounce packages, such as Pepperidge Farm), thawed
• 1 large egg beaten with 2 tablespoons water

Directions

"For the filling: Combine the blueberries and granulated sugar in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and cook, stirring, until the sugar is melted and the berries have started to burst, a few minutes. Stir together the cornstarch and lemon juice in a small bowl until combined, then add to the blueberry mixture. Add the lemon zest and vanilla and continue to cook until glossy and thickened, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use." 

We definitely messed this part up.  Mel put everything to simmer in the pot beautifully, but then got distracted and let it simmer too long.  So the fruit wound up breaking down a bit too much, making it a tad runny to be a filling.  Lesson learned.  But we didn't want the berries to go to waste, so we continued knowing full well that our pastry might wind up with the dreaded "soggy bottom." 

(#GBBO #WhatWouldMaryDo #NoHandshakeFromPaulHere)

"For the pastry: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment.

To make the pies: Unfold the thawed pastry and roll out to 10-inch squares if necessary. Cut each square in quarters, making four 5-inch squares from each. Spoon 1 1/2 tablespoons of cooled filling onto one corner of each square. Brush around the squares with the egg wash. Fold the pasty over the filling on each to make a triangle, pressing lightly to remove any air pockets. Crimp the edges shut with a fork. Put the pies on the prepared baking sheets. Brush the tops of the pies with the egg wash. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack set over a baking sheet."

Clearly this part got messy because of our runny filling.  But we figured... can you ever really go terribly wrong with yummy sweet fruit and flaky pastry?  We knew these may not turn out pretty, but they'd likely be delish so we persisted.

Annnnnd... our hunch was right.  Definitely not blue ribbon worthy... bursting at the seams and caught on a few edges.  BUT - SUPER YUMMY!   And we wanted to be sure to blog about it because this recipe is a quick, easy way to make the most of our trips to the farm.

Mason Jar Ice Cream

Yup - still a pandemic going on.  And yup - folks are still posting some pretty creative recipe ideas.  DJ is a bit obsessed with ice cream, so when he saw a New York Times post about making your own ice cream in a mason jar - no machine needed - he couldn't wait to try it.  We were skeptical because the whole process seemed way too simple to be true:

So we gathered our ingredients...

put everything in the jar (a process so simple our 4-year-old did it and had a blast adding the extra flair of rainbow sprinkles)...

shook our little hearts out (it only took about 3 minutes for ours to double in size as the recipe states)...

put it in the freezer, and 3 hours later.... LET THERE BE DELICIOUS ICE CREAM!

We were so shocked our jaws literally dropped.  It tastes like the freshest treat from a creamery stand on a drive through the countryside.  And the best part - it's not sickeningly sweet like so many store-bought brands. 

We can't believe it's so easy to make this delight at home and have full control over all the ingredients.  Next up will be trying different flavors.  Below are a few suggestions from the same New York Times post, but we may go rogue and make up our own.  Can't wait!

Homemade Haitian Patties

Life as we know it will never be the same again - there is a hack for easily making Haitian patties at home!

Mel learned how to make patties from scratch when she was young, but never did it again because making the pastry dough is such a time-consuming project.  And why make it from scratch when the local Haitian restaurant makes them so perfectly, right?  Well, as the old saying goes, necessity is the mother of invention and with so many places still shut down from Covid-19 folks are getting creative.  Her friend posted this AMAZING hack for making the patties with frozen Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry sheets so all you need to do is make the filling of your choice!!! 

The recipe can be found at HaitianCooking.com,

but we cut and paste the details here in case the link ever breaks.  

(Absolutely can NOT risk losing this recipe!)

*   *   *   *   *   *   *

Ingredients

• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 small onion diced
• ½ scotch bonnet pepper Minced (Optional)
• 1 tsp of lime juice
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 1 tsp adobo seasoning
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 egg
• 1 tbs water
• 1 package (2 sheets) Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry Sheets
• ¼ cup of Haitian Seasoning Base (Epis)
  
• 1 tsp vinegar

Method

1. Begin by setting the puff pastry sheets aside to thaw. Approximately 30 minutes from freezer.

2. In a bowl, mix the meat, Haitian Seasoning Base (Epis), Adobo seasoning, and vinegar.

3. In a large skillet or frying pan, heat the oil on medium high heat and brown the meat for about 10 minutes.

4. Add the tomato paste and minced scotch bonnet pepper mix thoroughly and reduce heat.

5. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

6. Unfold the defrosted puff pastry sheets onto a counter dusted with flour and use a rolling pin to flatten out the sheet.

7. Use a pizza cutter or knife to cut the sheet into 3 long strips then cut it in half to make 6 rectangles.

8. Wet the bottom sides of the rectangle, add about 1 tbs of the meat to the center of that side and fold the other half over. Use your finer or a fork to close the corners firmly.

9. Place the uncooked patty onto a baking sheet and repeat the process for the reset of the meat.

10. In a small bowl, create an egg wash by mixing the egg and 1 tbs of water.

11. Brush the top of each pastry with the egg wash.

12. Place the patties in the oven for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.

13. Remove the patties from the oven and serve warm.

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Please note:  One extra tip for making them taste even more authentic:  blend the meat in its own juices to get even more of the epis flavors in the filling.  (The egg wash mentioned at the end of the recipe is also key for that golden appearance.)

Mel's dad (the perfect critic since his mom made fantastic patties) also suggested rolling the dough sheet thinner, sprinkling it with flour, folding it, rolling it again, sprinkling a bit more flour, folding a bit more, and rolling a bit more to make the layers even flakier.  We haven't tried this method yet, but will report back as soon as we do.

In the meantime, we are over the moon with this first attempt at homemade Haitian patties.  EPIC!

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Haitian Epis

(courtesy of HaitianCooking.com)

Ingredients

• 10 Sprigs of parsley
• 1 Onion
• 2 celery stalks
• 2 cups cilantro
• 2 Green Bell Peppers
• 3 scallion stalks
• 1 tsp of clove powder or (3 whole cloves)
• 5 Sprigs of Thyme
• 3 Heads of garlic
• 2 tbs of Lime juice or 1 lime
• 1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tbs of Vinegar
• Blender
• 32 oz Jar

Method

1. Remove stems and seed from ingredients according to your preference.

2. In a blender add the herbs, onions, peppers, garlic bouillon cubes and vinegar.

3. Puree ingredients and then slowly add the olive oil untill ingredients have an even consistency.

4. Pour the epis into the 32 ounce container and refrigerate until needed.

Bacon Roasted Chicken

We had a few strips of bacon left from a pack and wanted to do something creative with them.  We also had a whole chicken we were planning to rotisserie, but the weather took a turn so using the grill wasn't an option. 

Solution:  Bacon Roasted Chicken!

We didn't follow the seasoning elements of this recipes.  We marinated our bird in our favorite Noble Made Hot Buffalo Wing Sauce overnight, and didn't add any other spices or butter.  We also used a bottle of beer instead of beef broth at the bottom of the roasting pan. 

But the recipe did come in handy for some basic roasting-with-bacon guidelines:

• Lay the chicken breast-side up and lay the strips of bacon across like a blanket (use toothpicks to keep them in place.

• Roast at 450F for the first 15 minutes.
• Then lower to 350F for 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Finally, take the bacon off the top to allow the skin to brown for another 15 minutes (we also let the bacon roast a bit longer in a separate pan.)

The end result was super juicy and tasty!  We served it on a bed of sauteed kale, carrots, and peas to balance out the savory bacon.  Delish!

Watermelon Margaritas

Warm weather is upon us but most public spaces are still closed.  So on those days we miss sitting outside at our favorite restaurants with a pitcher of refreshing libations, this recipe for Watermelon Margaritas does the trick.  Only 3 ingredients!

• 1 1/4 cups watermelon juice (1 small ripe watermelon yields ~3-5 cups juice)
• 2 1/2 Tbsp lime juice
• 5 Tbsp silver tequila (5 Tbsp = 2 1/2 ounces)

Mel enjoyed it as is, but DJ added 5 Tbsp of orange juice to his glass to balance out the tart lime.  A delightful treat for sunny days in the yard!  And throw one of DJ's awesome cowboy steaks in the mix and we are #winning!

S.I.P. and Chill

S.I.P. might sound like a great name for a new wine bar, but actually it stands for Shelter-In-Place.  Today marks the start of the 3rd month we been staying home to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic.  No one in our house has gone to school, work, or to any public place since March 12th. 

It seems odd to be writing a blog entry about a virus, but this is a time we will certainly never forget (nor should we) so it felt fitting to make note of it here.  And in fact, staying home has led to many creative food experiments.  We do have the option to do curbside pick-up from some of our favorite restaurants, so sometimes we'll splurge on takeout on the weekends (reheating every dish until steaming/bubbling as a precaution).  But for the most part, we're coming up with interesting ways to make the food we're able to get delivered via Fresh Direct (thankfully we have a reserved weekly spot), Instacart, Whole Foods, and some specialty butchers who offer truck delivery.  The bags are dropped off by our garage door and we meticulously wipe down every item with Clorox to be extra cautious (produce gets washed with soap and water).  Some pantry items we even leave on a shelf in the garage to let them air out longer - we figure it doesn't hurt.  It's quite the system to say the least.  We will definitely never take walking around stores shopping for granted again!


Boston Pork Butt

We ordered this cut of meat for the challenge of cooking low and slow for a long time to make it tender.  Also... it's also pretty amusing for our kid to tell people we're having butt for dinner (the meat is actually from the pig's shoulder; not sure how it got named.)  The sight of the perfectly caramelized skin was so mouth-watering, it was very difficult to be patient waiting for the slow roast. 

After 11 hours, the end result was delish!

Pork Loin Roast

DJ decided to go cowboy-style on this one and sear the loin directly on the hickory wood chunks.  It was then slow smoked on the rotisserie with pecan wood chips.  The flavor was amazing, and we were extremely impressed with how well the meat reheated over the course of the week. Stayed juicy and smokey for days.  Fantastic!

In addition to grilling more, we also decided to keep ice cream in the freezer for days when we really need a sweet treat to soothe our sheltered-in souls.  Ben and Jerry's had announced their new flavor - Netflix and Chill'd - months ago, and Mel was immediately intrigued because it includes all her favorite snack flavors.  A wondrous mix of sweet and salty.  So it was a no-brainer to include it in our grocery cart, and it did not disappoint! 


Pretty great when the name of your snack food mirrors exactly what you're doing during shelter-in-place.  Lots of shows, movies, and chillin.'  Since this will likely be the only blog entry we devote exclusively to this historic window of time, it feels like the best place to share some of the screen selections that are getting us through it all. 

MOVIES

• Knives Out
• Bad Boys for Life
• Planes
• Planes Fire and Rescue
• Despicable Me 1-3
  

SHOWS

• Top Chef Masters - LA
• The Big Family Cooking Showdown (British)
• Tiger King
• Million Dollar Listing NY
• Altered Carbon
• The Expanse
• Indian Matchmaking
  
• Doc McStuffins
• Thomas and Friends
• Ask the StoryBots
• Ready, Jet, Go
• Rusty Rivets
• Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood
  
• Paw Patrol
• Gigantosaurus
• You Tube videos about the solar system & dinosaurs
  

Thankful every day for our good health, our home, our beautiful yard, grocery delivery, liquor store curbside pickup, and Internet access.  These times are challenging, but we remain grateful for everything we have and will be all the more appreciative of all the little things once this pandemic is a thing of the past.

8th Anniversary! Piattino and 16 Prospect Wine Bar

Celebrating 8 years of wedded bliss required some FOOD that made us HAPPY DANCE!

The actual anniversary fell on a weekday, so Mel looked for a creative takeout option for a festive dinner.  As luck would have it, the special of the day at our beloved Piattino was Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe - a dish we fell in love with in Italy.  So it was easy to decide we'd have a pasta feast in honor of our foodie honeymoon!  We also ordered the Duck Maltagliati in case the cacio e pepe was a bust with the added element of cauliflower.  Both wound up being delicious, so it was a double win!

Cauliflower Cacio e Pepe

(Homemade Linguine, Roasted Cauliflower, Fresh Cracked Pepper, Parmesan)

Duck Maltagliati

(Duck and Truffle Sugo, Wild Mushrooms, Thyme, Topped with Fried Egg)

And DJ brought home a delightful, "hearty" (get it? HA!) treat from La Maison du Macaron in the city.  A perfect sweet chocolate mousse bomb to mark the special occasion. 

We wanted to be sure to have a date out of the house to celebrate as well.  So when the weekend rolled around, we headed to 16 Prospect Wine Bar and Bistro in Westfield to see what it's all about.  This spot has come up many times when we search for good eats in the area.  Apparently their big draw is live music at night, but we figured we'd give it a chance during the day since wine bars often have quite a cozy setting.

The setting is indeed cozy.  There are high top tables toward the front next to the bar and stage area, and regular tables in the back.  We agreed that it definitely has a worn-in, dive bar kind of vibe to it.  Lots of memorabilia on the walls, regulars sitting at the bar, and the wine/beer/liquor/faded-cigarettes-from-yesteryear aroma of "these walls have seen many a happy late-night crowd."  This place has history.

Overall the food was enjoyable!  We decided to snack on a few items just to get a sampling.

Garlic Shrimp
(Extra virgin olive oil, hot pepper flakes, garlic, roasted red pepper, four jumbo shrimp, over a garlic crouton)

Roasted Pear & Fennel Salad
(Baby arugula, crumbled bleu cheese, spicy walnuts, apple cider vinaigrette)

Five Cheese Pizza
(Tomato sauce, Asiago, Pecorino-Romano, Mozzarella, Fontina, Aged Provolone, spices)

Our favorite dish was definitely the salad; you can never go wrong with a nice pear/blue cheese combo!  Perhaps we'll keep an eye on their live music offerings and come back sometime for snacks and a show.  In the meantime...

CHEERS TO 8 YEARS!

Quality Brunch at Quality Eats

When we were living in the city, one of our go-to spots for excellent steak was Quality Meats.  At the beginning of 2019 (yes this is a delayed post, and so worth it!), our dear Frenchie Carole (who works for their managing company) encouraged us to try one of their new spots - Quality Eats.    

We actually both wound up going separately at first.  Mel went for brunch with Carole, and (after hearing the rave reviews) DJ took his work team for lunch.  That's when we each had the chance to try one of the restaurant's signature dishes - Grilled Nueske's Bacon with peanut butter and jalapeno jelly.  It sounds crazy, we know.  But WHOA-M-G, it is amazing and deserving of the title "signature dish."  We'll have to go back just to get a picture to add to this entry.  

Finally one weekend back in the summer, we ventured into the city with our little guy to grab brunch TOGETHER at Quality Eats.  Since we'd each already tried the bacon, we decided to explore some of the unsung heroes on the menu.

Spicy Tuna Tartare 

(with Fresno pepper and potato chips)

and

Crab and Avocado

(with cilantro and citrus)

A fabulous, flavorful, and light start to the meal!  Would definitely order either as a main dish with a refreshing cocktail on a hot summer day.

Tater Tot Chilaquiles 

Anyone who reads this blog knows we're OBSESSED with chilaquiles, so of course we had to try this.  The waiter advised that it's pretty filling, so we decided to split it - THANK GOODNESS!  That is one huge skillet heaping with yummy goodness.  The tater tot base added a fun new dimension to the flavor.  We still prefer the classic tortilla chips, but for a once-in-a-while splurge you really can't go wrong with this one.

Sandwich: Strawberry Shortcake Doughnut

(Strawberry Ice Cream, Lemon Glazed Doughnut, Lemon Curd; a collab with The Doughnut Project)

So... this was pretty much as EPIC as it sounds.  The wonderfully soft doughnut surrounding delectable fresh strawberry ice cream with a tangy kick from the lemon curd... as far as desserts go, this one pretty much knocks it out of the park.  What a treat!

Cheers to Quality Eats!  We love you as much as your counterpart and can't wait to return!

Bulgogi for the Win at RoosterSpin

Mel drove by Roosterspin while running errands a while back and made a mental note to check it out sometime.  We finally had a chance to grab lunch there recently and really enjoyed it!

The decor is very modern with a focus on music because the space also offers karaoke at night.  We loved the wall lined with records and the creative lighting.

Roosterspin's claim to fame is their fried chicken, so of course that was the first thing we ordered.  But we decided to make the most of the visit and try a couple of other items from the menu.

Kimchi Fries

(seasoned fries, kimchi cheese sauce)

DJ is a huge fan of kimchi, so it was surprising that Mel actual enjoyed the cheese sauce more than he did. 

Steamed Bulgogi Bun

The seasoning on the beef was fantastic, and the buns were super fresh.

Always Double Fried Chicken

Extremely tasty, but we wished there was a bit more sauce on each piece.  (We know the double fried style is not intended to be super saucy, and totally own the fact that this is merely a personal preference.)

We agreed that while the chicken was enjoyable, our favorite dish of the day was actually the bulgogi!  We noticed the dinner menu has dishes centered around the beef, so we may go back to try that sometime.  We'll report back!

Droppin' in at Dropbox and ABC Cocina

This post is long overdue, but we had to make note of some fun rites of passage back during the holiday season: our kiddo's first train ride into the city and first visit to one of our fav haunts, ABC Cocina.

The little guy is super into all forms of transportation, so he was absolutely pumped to ride NJ Transit like Dad.

We visited the Dropbox office (met coworkers and checked out the cool workspaces), and then treated ourselves to our favorite tacos and margaritas.  

Chipotle Chicken Tacos

(grilled jalapeno salsa)

 

Sauteed Mushroom Tacos

 (cashews, mole, kale, lime)

Charred Octopus

(smoked paprika creme fraiche, guajillo vinaigrette)

The preschooler is still pretty particular about food, so he wasn't interested in tasting anything.  But he enjoyed the lunch we packed for him and was super chill as we all enjoyed the ambience.

Cheers to an epic adventure into the city!  Can't wait for the next one!

Banza Pasta AND Rice = Total Game Changers

We have long been fans of Banza and their great pasta substitutes made of chickpeas. 

 They obviously don't taste exactly like pasta.  But combined with the veggies, sauces and cheeses we usually use in ziti recipes, they really do come pretty close and have tons of protein with minimal sugars.  #Winning! 

So imagine our delight when we discovered Banza now makes legume rice as well!  We eliminated rice from our cooking repertoire a long time ago, and have been pleased with the options of cauliflower rice or root vegetables instead.  But there are certainly times we've missed the texture of rice, especially when enjoying a saucy meat dish just begging for a rice bed to soak up all the extra flavor.

We honestly had extremely low expectations, but with nutrition facts like these we knew we had to try it at least once.

Happy to report, we were SHOCKED at how DELICIOUS this stuff is.  It cooks so quickly and easily, has a texture just like rice, and even tastes great on its own with just a splash of olive oil and dash of salt.  In a word - AMAZING.

We will keep at least two bags of Banza rice in our pantry at all times (right next to the Banza pasta) for those nights when we're craving carbs without the guilt.  Also a wonderful option for meat-free dinners!