BK Brunch with Katz's Finest

Hana and Josh know that Mel is a sucker for great bagels and DJ is a sucker for great meats.  So when we visited BK on a quiet Sunday morning, they created an epic brunch spread featuring highlights from the awesome DeKalb Market Hall:

• delectable bagels from Andrew's Classic Bklyn Bagels by Hard Times Sundaes (the Everything Bagel was... well, everything)
• melt-in-your-mouth pastrami, corned beef, and brisket from Katz's Delicatessen  (truly, no one does deli meats better)
• addictive pastries from Cafe D'Avignon (two words: Nutella croissant)

 

We. Could. Not. Stop. Eating. This. Deliciousness.

 Meat doobies dipped in mustard? Yes, please!

 This Jersey kid can't get enough of the view.

WE LOVE YOU, BROOKLYN!
(Hana and Josh, you're okay too.)

Thai Red Curry Beef a la Trader Joe's

The situation:  Whole Foods had an incredible sale on beef chuck stew meat that was too good to miss, BUT Mel was not in the mood for the usual beef stew or the prep work of trying a new recipe with tons of ingredients.  Trader Joe's to the rescue!  One of our favorite food bloggers (Table for Two) has often said she loves their seasonings and sauces.  So Mel figured slow cooking the stew meat with the Trader Joe's Thai Red Curry Sauce and frozen peppers and onions could make for an easy and tasty meal.

We wound up using two bags of veggies and two bottles of sauce (one for each pound of meat), set the slow cooker on LOW and left it for 8 hours.

The final product:A TRIUMPH!
The meat was so flavorful and tender.  The sauce definitely gets through to each bite without being overpowering.  Love it when an experiment goes well! We'll definitely remember this on days we're craving Thai but don't want to commit to greasy takeout.


Also worth noting: we served it on top of another Trader Joe's treasure - Riced Cauliflower Stuffing.  Sadly we think this might be a seasonal item, but if you ever see it in their freezer section definitely grab it and give it a try!   Nothing can truly replace actual stuffing, but they achieved some great flavors with this that can adequately trick your tastebuds when it's not Thanksgiving.  Ha!

Kudos and thanks to Trader Joe's for always coming up with creative ways to make home cooking affordable yet healthy and tasty.

Santa Mozies and 2020 Taco Buffet

We wrapped up the decade with a very festive holiday season!

This was the first year our little guy fully understood the idea of Santa.  So we had a ball making our favorite Mozies to share with jolly old St. Nick.  The excitement of discovering he had eaten the cookies and left a special present was unforgettable!

Then since Sara, Mike, AND Naomi were in town for the holidays, we realized it was a perfect opportunity to celebrate both New Year's Eve and our little Capricorn's birthday with everyone together.  Over the years, Mel has realized that hosting parties can be stressful because we wind up spending the whole time worrying about cooking the food, serving the food, and cleaning up the food and next thing we know the party is over.  So she tried to think of a way to minimize all that food-related activity and actually enjoy everyone's company.  Idea: 2020 Taco Buffet!  The various components could all be laid out before the party started, kept warm in slow cookers and hot trays for the duration of the gathering, and cleaned up after everyone left.  Woo!

First step: finding the right slow cooker recipes for the meats.  Some Googling led us to two that looked promising:

Shredded Mexican Chicken

Beef Barbacoa

The Shredded Mexican Chicken was so easy and affordable, and yielded a tons of super tasty chicken!

 

The Beef Barbacoa recipe involved a bit more prep work, and the results were tasty but a looooooooooot spicier than expected.  We love spice, and DJ's dad raved about the heat level.  But definitely worth noting that the chipotles and chiles pack a serious flavor punch.  Whew!

As far as the logistics, the plan worked out just as we'd hoped.  The food stayed hot all day, folks could nibble as they pleased, and we didn't have to touch a thing until everyone headed home.  Will definitely try this again next time we have a large gathering!

And for dessert, we enjoyed a New Year's champagne toast, Ibee's rum cake, and a custom birthday cake from Bovella's. 

The birthday boy requested a strawberry cake and his favorite color is red, so we went all out and got the reddest cake possible:  red velvet, strawberry mousse, and fresh strawberries.  We weren't sure how it would actually taste, but it turns out the combination was delightful and surprisingly not too sweet!

HAPPY 2020 TO ALL!  

Cheers to a new decade of blogging and food-happy-dancing!!!

The Big 4-0 at The Cassidy

Mel has officially begun her 4th decade around the sun!  To mark the occasion, we took a trip to our favorite resort in Riviera Maya.  But before we hopped on a plane, we had a quiet lunch at The Cassidy to celebrate on the actual birthday.

Mel was pumped to try the seasonal cocktail, The Great Pumpkin, because it included two of her favorite things: pumpkin and mezcal.  It had a unique flavor, but she didn't love the aftertaste.  Looks like The Cassidy Waltz will remain our first choice for an autumn cocktail.

Avocado Toast

Chilaquiles

Cheers to the next 4 decades and beyond!