Latke-licious

During Chanukah, I love to pull out my favorite kitchen toy, the Cuisinart food processor, and make latkes! I was lucky enough to be given a recipe from a family friend a few years ago, so unfortunately I cannot share it, but for your feasting eyes, I will include some photos of the deliciousness that ensued. Let me also tell you that yes, indeed, there was enough oil involved in these latkes to keep the fuel burning for eight nights (maybe nine).  Chag Chanukah Sameach!

Gotta go eat at Joe's...Stone Crab that is!

 Every once in a while we've all gotta suck up our pride, put our tails between our legs, and walk into the most "touristy" restaurant we can find. In my case, that would be Joe's Stone Crab in South Beach, Miami. Now that I can (somewhat) call myself a local of South Florida, waiting for up to three hours in a crowded restaurant for a few stone crab claws doesn't seem all that appealing- especially when I can enjoy stone crab at almost any restaurant that serves seafood in the area. However, with the future in-laws in town visiting we made the 30 minute drive into South Beach to enjoy stone crabs the best way we knew how- at Joe's!

Despite their "no reservations" policy, and their reputation as THE place in Miami for an authentic stone crab eating experience, the wait can be torture. However, when you show up on a Tuesday evening the restaurant is a whole different place. The bar is easily accessible, there are plenty of tables on their large patio waiting area to sit down and enjoy a cocktail or a glass of wine while waiting, and after a brief 25 minutes our table for 4 was ready! I believe that's a Joe's Stone Crab record (unless you slip the guy a 50 and a seductive wink). 

I am a huge stone crab fan, but I'm a firm believer that anyone with a brain and a kitchen can serve up a stone crab claw that will taste just like the next. There is no great art in steaming a crab claw, and in the end it's really about savoring the delicious crab meat that's naturally tasty. However, regardless of my cynicism, Joe's really does provide the whole package. Diners can select from regular, select, large, and jumbo stone crabs, which all go for the market price. They also have a full menu featuring chicken and beef and other seafood, but honestly, who goes to Joe's for steak? The servers are all seasoned veterans of Joe's, having clearly worked there season after season. They all dress in formal tuxedos, and serve you with a smile and a no frills attitude. Our waiter was 62 and planning on serving for 2 more seasons before throwing in the towel. Whoever is in charge of upper management at Joe's must have a heart of gold, because those servers are loyal employees of Joe's and their knowledge of the menu and the restaurant is apparent. The black and white checkered floors take you back to another time and another place when patrons would get dressed to the nines to enjoy a meal. The restaurant seems to stretch on for miles and still can't seem to turn over tables quick enough- hence the 2 to 3 hour wait on weekends. Our water glasses were never empty, and our stone crab was brought to our table just quick enough to impress me, but not so quick that we felt as if they were rushing us out of the place.

I could go one and on about the side dishes and the soups and the salads (all which were stellar), but the true star of the show is the stone crabs. Joe's is famous for it's mustard sauce, but I think stone crab is so delicious it needs no dressing up. Yet, after one taste of their mustard sauce I was internally debating whether I should continue to be a stone crab purist or if I should dunk my crab meat into the mustard sauce- it has a rather addicting quality to it! After 99 seasons of practice, Joe's has also perfected the art form of cracking their stone crab claws in all the right places. Mallets aren't necessary to pry open the crab claws, which makes the stone crab experience that much more enjoyable!

Finally, one cannot go to Joe's without ordering their world-famous key lime pie for dessert. In all honesty, I'm not a Key-Lime Pie fan, but the other three people I was with were. We ordered three slices, and I had several tastes. I found this particular pie to be a lot less tart than others, with a crust that is what dreams are made of! I could have scooped off the key lime from the top and just dined on the crust, but I restrained myself!

After all was said and done, all four of us were thoroughly content after our meal. The stone crab was superb, and we left the restaurant with a nostalgic feeling of what South Beach used to be and how it used to taste.

The mandatory "tourist" photo in the Joe's Stone Crab bib

The presentation of our Stone Crab claws

Joe's epic Key Lime Pie

Panko Crusted Cajun Chicken Strips with Tabasco Ketchup

I try to consider myself a health conscious consumer. I avoid fast food at nearly all costs (unless I'm craving a diet soda or an occasional Diet Cherry Limeade from Sonic), and I usually try to stay away from most fried foods for my main dish. However, I can't deny the fact that fast food can sometimes be tempting, as well as a nice meal of fried chicken or chicken tenders. Sometimes I can't deny the fact that I am really craving a burger or a chicken tender. When that happens, I try not to give in. Instead, I go for my go-to cheat meal of panko crusted cajun chicken strips with Tabasco Ketchup. They are super easy to make, and I can control exactly what ingredients go into the dish I'll later be consuming. There are two similar versions, one which can be made with buttermilk, and one that can be made with eggs.

In my opinion, using buttermilk makes everything taste better, but using eggs helps to limit the amount of extra fat that goes into the dish. Either way, it's your decision and you get to choose what you are willing to consume and if you don't mind adding a few extra delicious calories, go for the buttermilk!

You'll need:

* 1.5 pounds  boneless chicken tenders

* Half a cup of Buttermilk (or 2 eggs)

* 2 tablespoons Tony Chacheries cajun seasoning

* 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

* 1 tablespoon pepper

* 1teaspoon red chili powder

*  1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

* 1.5 cups of Panko Breadcrumbs

* Ketchup

* Tabasco Sauce

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees while you prepare your workstation. In a small bowl, pour the buttermilk or if you prefer to use the eggs crack the eggs and beat them for several seconds.

Dump all of your seasonings into the buttermilk or eggs. Get a large baking sheet or glass baking dish and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

In another larger bowl dump your breadcrumbs.

To prepare your chicken tenders, dunk each tender into the buttermilk or egg concoction until it's sufficiently wet. Then dunk the tender into the breadcrumbs until it's entirely coated. Lay the tender flat on the baking sheet. Repeat until all the tenders are coated. 

Once you've coated all of the raw chicken tenders with the breadcrumbs, pop them into the oven for 20 to 25 minutes (or until they are cooked through). 

As your chicken tenders are baking, you can prepare your Tabasco Ketchup. I like to use individual sized miniature sauce dishes that I have, so when I serve it each person has their own little ketchup container. However, you can create one bowl of ketchup for the entire table if you'd like as well. This is a meal that's clearly not very formal, and family style is always fun!

Dump the desired amount of ketchup into the bowl. Once you have enough ketchup to sufficiently feed however many people you're feeding, take out the Tabasco Sauce. Pour 6 to 8 shakes of Tabasco into the ketchup, and stir it in. Once it's been stirred in, take a fork and dunk it into the ketchup and taste the ketchup. If the ketchup doesn't have a little kick of heat to it, add several more shakes of tabasco until you have the desired heat. 

Once the Tenders are ready, they will be a delicious Japanese twist on Cajun flavor without any of the guilt of driving through the fast food window! 

Hold the carbs please

With my upcoming wedding only three months away, I've been avoiding one temptation after the next in an attempt to look stellar on my wedding day. With so many Italian restaurants dotting South Florida, it's been tough to stay away from the ultimate temptation-pasta! I got the nifty idea to substitute pasta with different foods that can fake my palette into thinking I'm eating pasta after dining at a restaurant in downtown Miami called "Delores but you can call me Lolita". On their menu, they offered a "zucchini pasta" dish. Instead of spaghetti, they used zucchini. The dish was wonderful, and it inspired me to experiment in my own kitchen.

I have two simple variations of the same recipe, one featuring zucchini and one featuring spaghetti squash. Both were delicious, but I tend to favor the spaghetti squash version if spaghetti squash is in season.

I love to purchase a simple store brand of spaghetti sauce and jazz it up with onions, garlic, mushrooms, and ground meat. During wedding prep, I've been fond of the Jenny-O ultra lean ground turkey. I like to add about 2 tablespoons of olive oil onto a hot skillet. Then I throw about half the package of turkey into the pan and sprinkle red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and dried basil into the pan. Allow it to cook while breaking up the ground turkey into small pieces until the turkey is nearly cooked through. Then, I throw in about a quarter of a cup of chopped onions, and 2-3 cloves of chopped garlic. While the onions cook down and the garlic infiltrates its flavor throughout the skillet I like to add the chopped mushrooms so they can begin to soften up. After the turkey is cooked through, turn the skillet onto a low heat and cover everything with the store purchased sauce.
(Please note the nutrition facts on the can before purchasing. I have found that some sauces are so high in sugar and fat content the sauce itself can ruin an attempt at a lowfat meal).

Now onto the trickery. Instead of boiling pasta, I add either the zucchini or the spaghetti squash.
If using zucchini:
Take a vegetable peeler and peel off the entirety of the green skin and dispose of it in the trash disposal. After the flesh is exposed, begin peeling long strips of the flesh and save them in a bowl or a plate to the side.
Peel until you've obtained about two cups of zucchini (for one person, if serving for two use 2 cups of zucchini, and so on and so forth for additional people).
Set a medium pot of water on to boil, and once the water is boiling, add the zucchini into the boiling water for approximately 45 seconds. Do not leave the zucchini in the boiling water for too long, as it will turn mushy very quickly. Strain the zucchini like you would pasta, and allow to cool for several moments. Once your sauce is cooked to perfection, pour it over the zucchini and enjoy!

If using a spaghetti squash:
The reason I prefer a spaghetti squash is because I think the slight crunch of the spaghetti squash is reminiscent of a slightly al dente pasta, and I personally prefer the flavor of the spaghetti squash over the flavor of the zucchini.

The spaghetti squash can prove somewhat challenging as the squash is initially hard to penetrate with a knife. Use a large knife and work your way around the squash until you've succeeded in splitting the squash in half (oblong-wise).

With so many varieties of squash, this is what the Spaghetti Squash looks like

Once the squash is halved, take a spoon and scoop out the seeds and the stringy membrane around the seeds.

Drizzle a tiny amount of olive oil over each side of the squash, and add a pinch of salt to both sides.
Into an oven that's pre-heated to 375 degrees, cook the squash face down for about an hour (or until soft).

Once the squash is soft, remove it from the oven and allow it cool down enough so that you can handle it with your bare hands.
With a fork, simply grate the insides of the squash, which will naturally come out in a stringy spaghetti-like manner.
After you've obtained all the edible meat of the squash, divvy it up into bowls or small plates and cover it with the pasta sauce like you would spaghetti!

If you want to indulge a little bit, top with some freshly grated parmesan cheese, and enjoy your guilt-free meal. The best part- your main course is your vegetable, so you don't even have to prepare a side veggie for this meal to be balanced!

Delray is Delicious

Since moving to Florida, we've been asked the same question over and over again by new acquaintances "Have you visited Delray yet?" We always answer with a frustrated "no, but everyone asks". Finally, we bit the bullet and decided to make plans with another couple to dine in Delray. After a 20 minute drive north of Ft. Lauderdale, we arrived in the quaint Atlantic Ave greeted by a 20 foot Christmas tree. The restaurants were packed, and hundreds of diners were eating outside on the patios and the sidewalks. We finally understood the hype-this place was adorable and everyone not in Miami seemed to be spending their Friday night here!

Our friends, who live in South Florida, suggested the restaurant and after sufficient yelping we were thoroughly excited about our reservation for 4 at Tramonti. Tramonti is a rather large Italian restaurant with a quaint feel. Upon arriving, we headed to the bar to meet our friends, and then we were quickly escorted through the restaurant to our table. The atmosphere of the restaurant is warm, with chatter from other tables creating a buzz throughout.

We indulged in an appetizer of fried calamari which arrived to our table quickly. The calamari was slightly greasy, but the pieces were thick and not too chewy. The red marinara sauce served with the calamari was garlic goodness, and I ended up dipping some of the extra bread in the sauce once the calamari was gone. After the appetizer we ordered a salad with pears, feta cheese, and various nuts. The salad was large enough for all four of us to have a decent portion. I'd even venture to say the salad was large enough to constitute an entire meal. The pear created a sweet flavor that paired nicely with the nuts, and the dressing was light enough to really shine the spotlight on the marriage of flavors between the pear and the nuts.

For my main course, I ordered one of the specials of the night- Baramundi served with a red sauce with mussels and clams. Since moving to Florida, I have been eating a lot of fish. I thought that Snapper and Grouper were my favorite varieties of white fish, but that was all before the Baramundi entered my life! This dish was uneblievably delicious. The portion was huge, and I usually never come close to finishing my entire dish. Unfortunately, I did not take photo evidence, but by the time this meal was over my plate was clean! The only thing remaining were the shells left from the mussels and clams. The fish was soft yet thick, giving it a heartier feel than snapper. The sauce was a thin red sauce, that would fail miserably if drizzled over a thick pasta, but it passed with flying colors as a compliment to the fish and the clams and mussels.

Carl's veal ravioli tasted homemade, and the wines we chose from Tramonti's large wine selection were a delicious addition to the meal. After our meal was over, Carl and I were already looking for excuses to return to Tramonti. The problem is, there are so many other restaurants dotting Del Ray that we would be hard pressed not to try another restaurant before returning to Tramonti. However, I give Tramonti two enthusiastic thumbs up, and we're looking forward to our next trip up to DelRay. 

Adjusting to a South Florida foodie lifestyle

After a long hiatus, I'm back! After our trip through Asia, Carl and I packed up and drove halfway across the country to our new home in South Florida. While the weather and the sunshine are absolutely fabulous, finding great food is sometimes a challenge. South Florida (Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Boca Raton, West Palm, and all other small cities in the area) is an interesting makeup of residents. Flying into Miami International Airport is like flying into a different country. Spanish is one of the most prominent languages, with English seemingly taking a back seat. Cubans, Puerto Ricans, other Latin Americans, and Haitains have all taken up residence in Miami creating an interesting melting pot of languages, cultures, music, and of course food. Another group of people that flock to Miami and South Florida are retired northeasterners and seasonal northeasterners escaping the brutal winters of New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and any other cold city along the northeastern seaboard. A large majority of these folks from the northeast are Jewish which makes South Florida the first place that I have ever lived where Jews are quite literally everywhere! With so many Jews present in South Florida, I finally get to embrace the Jewish delis that I've always loved! Bagels, pastrami sandwiches, whitefish salad, matzah ball soup and latkes are easy to find! Kosher restaurants and supermarkets are commonplace here, and seeing menorahs decorate public spaces during the holidays is almost as gratifying as spending the holiday season in Israel! Although, I've not yet found an abundance of sufganyot or ruggalach at any of the local bakeries, but then again I haven't looked that hard!

I've always found that in large cities that house significant Jewish populations also tend to be home to large Italian populations. South Florida seems to follow along that same equation. I've run into more Italians here than I ever encountered in Texas, and there is most definitely no shortage of Italian restaurants. As a matter of fact, Italian restaurants dot every shopping center and line nearly every street in my current home city of Ft. Lauderdale. This is wonderful for me, as I love everything about Italian food and Italian culture!

Unfortunately for me, I've found a severe lack in any decent ethnic foods down here in South Florida. Thai food, Vietnamese food, Indian food, and even decent sushi has been hard to come by. One of my biggest foodie pet peeves is the sudden need to fuse Thai food and sushi into one. Nearly every restaurant that claims to be a "Thai" restaurant also boasts a sushi menu. The last time I checked, Thailand and Japan were not the same country, nor were they even near one another. Yes, they're both in Asia, but then again Texas and Hawaii are both in the United States but you don't see too many Barbeque restaurants in Texas boasting an additional Hawaiian fusion fish menu. So why the need to incorporate sushi into every Thai menu? If your Thai or Vietnamese food isn't good on it's own, you should reconsider owning a restaurant instead of simply throwing in a trendy sushi menu to draw in a larger clientele. And if the consumer really needs to have sushi on the same menu as Thai food, there's always P F Changs and Pei Wei which offer consumers a full tour of Asia through their menus.

Another foodie roadbump I've encountered down here is the focus on trendiness over quality. Many of the "hip" restaurants in South Florida are so focused on the scene that their food is significantly lacking. There have already been several occasions where Carl and I have walked into a restaurant filled with gorgeous people and a gorgeous interior but the service and the food simply didn't compare to the final cost on the bill. If we're paying over $25 per person, the ingredients shouldn't only speak for themselves, but the service should be impeccable. Yes, a restaurant's interior has a certain allure to consumers, but at the end of the day we are going to a restaurant for a culinary experience. As a restauranteur, shouldn't the ultimate goal be to satisfying your patrons with a delicious meal and fabulous service? If that's lacking, no patron ever wants to return for a second time to experience mediocre food. Seeing the trendy interior once is enough! Luckily for me, I love good food enough that I'm willing to search high and low for it! I know that after enough botched Pad Thai and fish and chicken curry dishes that I'll eventually find that one Thai restaurant that will be my go-to. We've sampled enough Vietnamese Pho to know which restaurants to avoid at all costs, and which restaurants offer a decent bowl of steaming soup. As a die hard Texan, I've already sampled several steak houses in an attempt to find one that can come close to any given steak house in Texas! I'm willing to keep seeking out the most remote areas to find the most delicious food!

On the bright side, I know I will grow to be spoiled by is the abundance of fresh delicious fish options. I have eaten more Grouper and Snapper since moving to Florida than I have in my entire life. If all else fails in my foodie experimentation in Florida, I know that I'll always be able to walk into any given restaurant and walk out a happy eater after a delicious fresh fish meal!

He works so I can eat

Ok, so I didn't quite come up with the title for this blog post on my own. My fabulous fiance may have been poking fun of my current part-time working status and my attempt at becoming a super blogger so that I can fulfill my dream of meeting Anthony Bourdain when he sarcastically said "he works so she can eat". But lately, it seems as if the benefits of Carl working have heavily benefitted my foodie palette. The most recent "working" dinners I've gotten to attend with Carl have been oh-so delicious, with a pricy bill to match. The best part, neither of them came out of our pockets! Enjoying a nice meal complete with wine always tastes better when the bill isn't hanging over our heads. The first meal we enjoyed together was compliments of Carl's insurance dealer. Apparently discussing the oh-so-exciting topic of disability insurance means a delicious meal.

We met our insurance date at the W Ft. Lauderdale's signature restaurant "Steak 954". I immediately knew our experience at the restaurant was going to be one to remember as we walked past their jellyfish tank. I must say, if I weren't so starving I could have stared into the tank full of mesmerizing jellyfish for hours. If you ever find yourself visiting Steak 954, please allow sufficient "jellyfish staring time", as it only enhances what is going to be a top notch dining experience.

Once at our table on the patio, we took advantage of South Florida's seasonal delicacy, Stone Crab. Stone Crab season just started a few weeks go, so of course Stone Crab found it's way onto Steak 954's appetizer specials menu. We each indulged in one giant crab claw which was the quintessential stone crab experience. Arriving at our table perfectly chilled, it was accompanied with a dipping sauce that I honestly couldn't even tell you about. It was not needed. The meat of the crab was the star of the dish. For those of you who are looking for a "green" dining experience, my future father-in-law puts it best when describing Stone Crab as the perfect "green" food. Stone Crabs can regenerate their claws. The law dictates that when one of these crabs is caught, only one claw can be removed, and the crab must be thrown back so that it can regenerate that claw for next season. This means that no crabs were harmed in the making of this dish. Actually, I have no idea if yanking off a crab's claw hurts or endangers the crab's risk of survival in any way, but hey it's a pretty cool concept! The claws were about the size of my fist, and they were pre-cracked for easy dining. The meat was cold and succulent, and it tasted like it had been swimming that morning.

Since moving to Ft. Lauderdale, my personal goal has been to eat more seafood. Yes, it's ironic, but I find steak restaurants are great places for a wonderful piece of fish. That evening, snapper was featured on the menu, so I opted for the snapper while Carl opted for a nice piece of red meat. The fish was as fresh as the seabreeze that kept us cool that evening. The fish was fileted but served with all the bones in tact, which I believe enhanced the flavor. Yes, the bones prove tricky for eating, but the work was worth it! I also had to taste Carl's steak, as I'm a true steak lover at heart! Steak 954 does not mess around, the steak was cooked to a perfect medium-rare and the seasonings took a back seat so that the true flavors of the meat could shine through. Overall, the entire dining experience at Steak 954 was one I'd love to repeat again soon. Our server knew the menu like the back of his hand, and even suggested several wines. There was no need to call over the sommelier, although if we would have requested the sommelier's help I'm sure he would have indulged us with a smile on his face. Our meal lasted over two hours, and we never once felt rushed by our server who generously kept our wine and water glasses full. I guess discussing insurance benefits does, indeed, have it's benefits!

Tony can you hear me?

I had a foodie revelation the other day. Being a foodie is the things careers are made of. The Food Network is a cash cow, the Travel Channel is less about Travel as it has become about food, and even Bravo (the home of the Housewives) has jumped into the food obsessed culture of today by hosting shows that attract fabulous ratings like Top Chef. There are probably hundreds of thousands of food bloggers, and I am just another little fish swimming in the sea of food blogging. I do love food, and I do love blogging, but I'm no Perez Hilton here. I've been around the world, and I've done my fair share of eating. I can check eating in Italy off my list, I can check eating in Paris off my list, and I can now check eating in Thailand off my list. However, in life everyone has to have that one seemingly unreachable goal. Something that is so outlandish that if it ever does come true, it's as good as winning the multi-million dollar lottery jackpot. My absolutely absurdly laughable goal is to meet Anthony Bourdain. No, I don't mean I want to meet him on the streets of any given city in a whirlwind encounter where I forget my own name and hastily ask him where I should spend 7 bucks on a cheap meal he recommends, but I really want to sit down with Anthony Bourdain at a small unassuming eating establishment that serves something like foi gras on top of escargot with a touch of truffle salt. Tony not only goes to the El Bulli's of the world, but he finds the true hidden gems of our great cities and he lets the world know that McDonalds and Dairy Queen aren't the grand gourmet, but that the tiny establishment down the street that can whip up incredibly creative and fresh meals in a charismatic fashion are the places we should be investing our dining experiences. Because, really, everytime we enter a restaurant and order a three course meal it is an experience that should be savored. The real allure that Anthony Bourdain has is his lack of stuffiness. He doesn't dress in a designer suit and expect someone to kiss his ass, he just expects someone to wow him with a creative dish and some great food. At the end of the day, that's what I want my blog to be about- delivering fabulous food finds to the everyday person. Of course, every once in a while I'm going to get dressed up and spend an exorbitant amount of money on a meal that is, indeed, going to blow me away. However, for the most part, I just want to find delicious food that isn't served from a drive-thru window. One day, perhaps I'll be at the forefront of food blogging and Anthony Bourdain will film a show in my city. Maybe one day I'll get a phone call from his producers saying they would like me to be his tour guide for one afternoon and Carl and I can show him our favorite hot spots. Until then, though, I'll come back down to reality and keep on dreaming the impossible dream! I'll work on my dry sarcasm, and learn how to be a real badass. I'll avoid ritzy brunches that serve the unmentionable eggs benedict (thanks for the tip Anthony), and I'll keep exploring the cities I live in through the food they have to offer. And, hey Tony, if you're ever in South Florida, don't hesitate to give me a call.

Lovable Luang Prabang Laos

I have to admit, the best eats in Southeast Asia, in my opinion, are not found in Laos. However, just because the food is not the best doesn't mean that I didn't love the city that UNESCO declared as a World Heritage Site. The luscious green mountains of the jungle surrounded by the brown flowing waters of the Mekong River engulf the tiny strip of Buddhist spirituality. The chanting of monks can be heard in the early morning and early evening while strolling down the main street dotted with simple Bed and Breakfasts and trendy Boutique Hotels.

After the hustle bustle of Thailand and before the all out craziness of Vietnam, Luang Prabang was a quiet retreat of solitude for Carl and me. The pace of life is pleasantly slow, and the locals seem to walk through the streets without a care in the world. There is no shortage of tourists , but there is no chaos or stress in the site seeing as the real charm of the city is simply being there.

Like the rest of Southeast Asia, I was expecting curries and noodles, soups filled with prawns and squid, and more noodles! I was in a for a bit of a surprise when I found out that their diet is much heartier than that of Thailand, Vietnam or even Cambodia, consisting of sausages, buffalo meat, and stews called "Orlam". Of course, like the rest of Asia, they rely heavily in rice to help artificially fill their bellies during every meal. Rice is the heartbeat of Asia.

During our first evening in Luang Prabang, we found a fabulous restaurant overlooking the main street, and we ordered the two most common typical Lao dishes- Orlam Stew and Buffalo Sausage. As a girl from Texas, I'm used to a greasy sausage with a nice snap accompanying each bite. In Laos, the sausages are completely different. They are tough upon first bite, and the insides lack all remnants of grease, leaving one with a mouthful of gritty shreds of Buffalo meat. The sausage was too tough and dry for my taste, and after finishing one, I chose to leave room in my stomach for the Orlam.

The Orlam was, sadly, disappointing as well. I'm a girl who absolutely loves soups and stews. I've experimented with stews and soups in my slow cooker more times than I'd care to mention, sometimes leaving Carl to finish off a pound and a half of mediocre to inedible concoctions. Needless to say, my excitement about a hearty stew in the middle of Southeast Asia was pretty high! My elation deflated like a popped balloon upon tasting the Orlam, which was predominately overpowered by a strong black licorice flavor (which I found out later is due to the use of a "Holy Basil" plant, which is a key ingredient in many traditional Lao dishes). The one delectable aspect of the stew was the use of elephant ear mushrooms. They are a dark brown mushroom more closely resembling the size and shape of a human ear, but referred to as "elephant ear" mushrooms. I happen to love mushrooms, so the use of this particular mushroom in the dish was quite a treat for me! Otherwise, there appeared to be very little about this dish to rave about. Later in our trip, we participated in a Lao cooking class and learned how to make Orlam, so I'm quite positive that all Orlam is prepared similarly, as both of my attempts at the local favorite tasted equally as disappointing.

There were two traditional dishes that I did thoroughly enjoy! Their green eggplant dip and their traditional Riverweed. We sampled the eggplant dip at two restaurants prior to learning how to make it ourselves at our Lao cooking class. It's a simple concoction, consisting mainly of green eggplant, chilies, and garlic. Each ingredient is seared by an open fire to quickly cook the vegetables and give them a mushier consistency. After they are thoroughly fired, they are all thrown into a mortar and pestle, and ground up to resemble a typical MIddle Eastern Eggplant dip. They look the same, but they taste quite different! Lao eggplant dip has a touch of fire after the initial garlicy goodness. The most surprising part of the eggplant dip is how it's eaten. Accompanied with a bowl of sticky rice, one grabs small balls of sticky rice and dunks them into the eggplant dip, then pops the little ball of rice covered in green eggplant dip into the mouth! It's a snack that's as fun to eat as it is delicious!

Strange as it sounds, the Riverweed was also delicious. Imagine dried strips of seaweed salted and topped with peanuts, and you've got Lao Riverweed. I liked to call it Laos' version of chips and salsa. The Riverweed is dipped into a sweet chili sauce, and eating it brought me right back to any given Tex-Mex restaurant in Texas! Albeit, the Lao Riverweed is hands down a healthier alternative to chips and salsa any day!


Eating the Eggplant Dip at Dyen Sabai in Luang Prabang, Laos


Traditional Lao Riverweed

Supermarkets and Grocery stores are for pansies

A true foodie cannot travel to Southeast Asia without seeing how the local people shop for their food. We visited markets in almost all of the major cities we visited along the way, and each market evokes different sensory experiences. We've all seen travel shows and food shows highlighting the bizarre and obscure foods found in the markets, but what we often don't see or even think to understand is the sheer resourcefulness of the local people. In America, consumers are so far removed from the actual source of our food, typically selecting food goods that have been so processed and removed from their natural state that something as simple as a chicken breast can taste entirely different than a chicken breast in, say, Laos. Don't get me wrong, my track record of food bourne illness at home is a pretty good one, and I'm quite happy to get a nice Tyson chicken breast or a USDA prime rated steak, but seeing the way developing countries eat and shop for food brings me back down to foodie reality.

The first thing that I, as an American, recognize every time I enter a local market, is the sheer amount of food that I can't help but consider to be foreign and strange. A typical example of some fine protein in Laos is pig fetus or congealed blood. In Vietnam, they believe eating a pig penis will help a man's libido. If a family member has recently suffered a heart attack, the Vietnamese will prepare a lovely pig's heart which they believe helps the heart to heal. In Thailand, they will mark their eggs with anumber. The number depicts how mature the chick inside the egg is. It is common for them to eat eggs that are days away from hatching-talk about feathers in your eggs! The people in this region of the world are farmers and gatherers and to them, every meal is precious. It is a disgrace to let any part of a slaughtered animal go to waste, including snouts, ears, testicles, and even the blood. If I were to walk into Tom Thumb or Whole Foods and request a buffalo fetus with a side of pig snout, I think they may call for security! It's a sad shame for us to be so entirely wasteful when there are parts of animals that could be sold cheaply to hungry Americans.

Southeast Asians are not only resourceful when it comes to animal products. The selection of fresh herbs and fruits is unbelievable. Exotic fruits such as the pink skinned dragon fruit, custard apples, rambutan, and the ever popular Durian fruit (which I find to smell like tar, but after six weeks traveling in Asia have gotten more accustomed to the stench) are bursting at the seems of every fruit stall in the markets! Similar to the meat, their resourcefulness when it comes to herbs is equally admirable. Things that I avoid while cooking, such as the skin of garlic or the leaves from the limes, are common ingredients in completing the final touches of a perfect traditional dish. I have fallen in love with so many dishes here and I know that my attempts to recreate them at home will be both costly and difficult as the herbs and fresh ingredients will be extremely hard to come across.

I couldn't complete this post Without mentioning the most fabulous part of these markets-the seafood. Between the Mekong, the Irewaddy, the Andaman Sea, etc the Southeast Asian countries we visited rely on bodies of water as their lifeline which results in the most spectacular showing of fresh seafood I have ever seen. It is not uncommon to see women waking up at four in the morning to go select their fish for the day while it's still swimming, and watch the stall operator clean and filet the fish in front of them. Lobsters, crabs, prawns, eels, and even frogs abound! It makes the seafood case at Whole Foods look like the amateur show. My selection of farm raised, previously frozen salmon is such a bore in comparison. Granted, the Vietnamese people's love for fish of all stages, fresh, fermented, and in sauce, definitely singed my nose on more than one occasion.

Regardless of the unfamiliarity of some of the more bizarre foods I encountered in SE Asian food markets, I was constantly amazed at how well each culture knows their food. They have such an intimate relationship with the food selection process and their knowledge of how to prepare such a vast array of delectable dishes would make even Julia Child envious. For them, each meal is special. It is to be savored and enjoyed, and it is common to spend the entire day preparing dinner. The next time I come home from work tired and reach for an instant frozen dinner or a microwave pizza pocket, I will try to remind myself that cooking a lovely meal is not that difficult. If a farmer in Laos can prepare a decadent meal, why can't I!?


Our cooking instructor showing us the variety of fresh herbs and vegetables at the market in Luang Prabang, Laos.



Dried goods at a market in Yangon, Myanmar (better known to many Americans as Rangoon, Burma).



A selection of fruits in a fruit stand in Saigon, Vietnam

VIP meal in Bangkok

Several months before our trip to SE Asia, Carl and I watched every Anthony Bourdain and Andrew Zimmern episode filmed in SE Asia that we could catch on out DVR. On the "Bizarre Foods" episode filmed in Bangkok, Andrew Zimmern visits a remote restaurant hidden deep in the annals of Bangkok's Chinatown called Jok's kitchen. Zimmern mentioned how Jok's Kitchen is one of the hardest tables to get in town, with reservations often made months in advance. The restaurant has two tables, and the chef, Jok, speaks only Thai. He prepares for his patrons whatever dishes he feels like cooking up on any given day. Carl was determined to go to Jok's Kitchen, and I laughed at his aspirations knowing that two non Thai speaking Americans would likely not be able to secure two seats at this remote restaurant in faraway Bangkok. Much to both of our surprise, our hotel called the restaurant on a whim and was able to fit us in that evening! After sketching a hand drawn map, complete with instructions from the hotel in Thai, our taxi cab dropped us off as close the restaurant as he could, and we were greeted by a young gentleman who escorted us down several tiny alleyways leading to a small room with two large round tables. As soon as Carl and I were seated, the waitresses began bringing out the food.

The first dish we received was a plate of Gingko nuts. They were absolutely divine. Yellowish in color, they had a soft consistency with a semi-sweet flavor. They were each about the size of a small acorn and they were served with crispy onion strings that complimented the slight sweetness of the nut with an even balance. As we were ogling over the Gingko nuts, the waitress brought out a heaping portion of shrimp dumplings accompanied with dark vinegar. Luckily for us, a chipper English speaking Thai woman was dining at the second table with her family and was happy to help us decipher what each dish was, and how to properly eat each dish. She told us that we were meant to dip the dumplings in the vinegar. The vinegar was not strong in flavor and when the dumplings were dipped with the vinegar, the flavor danced on our tongues! In China we had several dumplings, and somehow Jok figured out how to make a dumpling like none other! Trying to save space for an unannounced number of entrees to follow was nearly impossible as each dumpling just whet my appetite for another! Luckily for me, the next dish was just as appetizing as the dumplings. The servers brought out huge chunks of a white fish which our Thai friend told us was called Snow fish. The fish was slightly firm in texture, but easily flaked off with the flick of a chopstick. It was apparent upon first bite that this fish was as fresh as could be and as Carl and I had never eaten this particular fish before it tasted as if Jok had experimented with it enough to know the absolute best way to prepare it. Following the Snow Fish was my favorite dish of the entire evening, crab! A rather healthy portion of crab meat was delivered to our table with two giant crab claws containing juicy white crabmeat that tasted as if it was swimming in the waters of Thailand that morning. Alongside the crabmeat was a unique sauce prepared specifically for the crabmeat. The sauce had more of a Mexican flavor to it rather than Chinese or Thai. The most dominant flavor in the dipping sauce was what tasted like a spicy fresh jalapeno married to fresh cilantro. Providing just enough heat, the sauce enhanced the freshness of the crabmeat without overpowering it. After the crab, the pace with which the food came out began to slow. We were brought a plate of Morning Glory, a green vegetable that I can best describe as resembling broccolini, as well as a heaping serving of duck fried rice- complete with slices of duck.

After the vegetables and rice, we watched the waitress bring a steaming bowl of soup out to the Thai family sitting at the other table and anxiously awaited our soup. After several minutes the soup never came, which prompted our outspoken Thai friend to proclaim that the soup has too many "strange" tastes and since we were American we would not like it so therefore they were ot bringing us any soup! Carl and I immediately knew this was something we had to try! It just wasn't a possibility to be left out of the soup experience so Carl told our friend to tell the waitress that we wanted soup! Sure enough, about ten minutes later a hot pot of soup was brought to our table. We didn't hesitate before digging in, and we were glad we got to sample it because it was divine! The soup was a ginger flavored broth with very little complexity. Besides the ginger flavored broth there was not much more to the soup other than some chicken and a few vegetables, but it was a perfect end note to a giant meal. The soup seemed to calm our full stomachs and leave us with even larger smiles on our faces.

Our Chinese meal in the heart of Bangkok at Jok's Kitchen was definitely a highlight of our trip. The complexity of his dishes and the intricate pairing of flavors was top notch, and we felt like VIP superstars sitting in the tiny restaurant tasting dishes made with intelligence and love. All for 30 US Dollars per person, it was an overall steal of a deal and the memory if sitting deep inside of Thailand's Chinatown in a two table restaurant will last forever!



The first course-Ginkgo Nuts



The Snow Fish


The best part of the meal- the crab!


A photo of us with the chef

My favorite Thai treat!

Much to my surprise, my absolute favorite Thai dish was not Pad Thai, although those delectable street noodles will forever hold a special place in my stomach. Rather, my favorite dish turned out to be the tantalizingly spicy Tom Yum Ga which roughly translates to "hot and sour chicken soup". When I say "hot and sour soup" I am not referring to the Americanized Chinese version of spicy soup but rather the magical concoction including lemongrass, golangal (a close relative to ginger), mouse shit chilis(as the Thais lovingly refer to them),chili paste, and chicken. Even in the humid summer heat of Bangkok, this spicy soup has a tangy edge that makes it oh so refreshing. The sweat dripping down my face due to the intense heat only heightens the slurping experience. With every sip, the first flavor to hit the taste buds is the lemongrass and golangal tang, followed by a mouth numbing spice that causes the lips to tingle, the tongue to burn, and the back of the throat to cry for more!

Let me clarify, Thai spicy is not like Mexican spicy or even Cajun spicy. The Thais seem to prefer the sort of spice that singes one's taste buds into oblivion, which means the spicy soups I consumed were probably about a two on the Thai spice scale, but a seven or an eight on the fabbie foodie spice scale! My absolute favorite Tom Yum Ga experience was at a small makeshift street restaurant down the street from our hotel. It was prepared in an outdoor "kitchen" that likely would never pass any American health inspection. However, due to the fact that soup must be thoroughly heated and boiled prior to consumption, this delicious soup seemed perfectly fine for my tummy to consume! I'll also admit that after the most delicious version of this soup on the street, I did indeed eat it again later that evening in the high end restaurant in Bangkok called Nahm just to see how the street version compared to the restaurant version. It was a close tie, but the Nahm version was so exceedingly spicy that I unfortunately could not taste it thoroughly. I now know that prior to any future Thai meal I eat, it will be tough to pass up an appetizer of this delicious Thai soup-I'll simply have to request it to be made "white girl spicy"!

After sweating it out during an afternoon of sightseeing, I decided to torture myself even more with this deliciously hot and spicy soup!


Just to make sure the soup was really the most delicious soup I've ever had, I ordered it again the same evening. Turns out it wasn't a fluke, this stuff is awesome!

A taste of Thailand

Before leaving for our trip to Southeast Asia I was, hands down, most excited about the food in Thailand. In Austin, one of my favorite spots has always been a hole in the wall eatery called "Thai Kitchen" where I was first introduced to the ever popular Pad Thai. However, as I got older and more brave in my foodie adventures, I began straying from the noodles and tasting other dishes.

I can honestly say that from the moment we stepped into Thailand, the food did not disappoint! Tasty morsels and seducing smells can be found in every nook and cranny of the Thai capital of Bangkok. The most common eateries are the hundreds, if not thousands, of food stalls located throughout every neighborhood of the city. Unlike the street food in Myanmar and Beijing, the food stalls along the streets of Bangkok seemed less intimidating, and somehow safer for us white folks from the west to stomach. Between shopping and sightseeing in Bangkok, Carl and I sampled tons of street food, sophisticated restaurant food, and a few things in between. The next few posts are dedicated to some of our favorite finds in Bangkok and the rest of Thailand.

Chowing down in China

Beijing had some delectable eats. Here are some photographs of our culinary journey through the capital city of China. The two highlights of our trip were the Peking Duck and the traditional Chinese style hotpot. We were treated to a wonderful evening out by our friend Haowei in Beijing at the upscale and famous Da Dong duck restaurant just off of second ring road in Beijing. I had never had authentic Peking Duck and was unfamiliar with the process. The duck is cooked in a special broth which is saved and served alongside the meal as a soup. Similar to an American moo shoo pancake, the pieces of duck are eaten in smaller pancakes. Alongside the pancakes are condiments to be wrapped with the duck including onion strings and lettuce as well as a sweet Hoisin sauce. The waiter delivers the entire duck to the table and artfully carves the cooked duck in front of the patrons. The most surprising part of the meal was the duck skin. It is common to dip the skin in large grains of sugar and pop it in the mouth. The skin is like cotton candy- once it's in the mouth, it just melts. The savory skin and the sweet sugar make for a sumptuous treat.

The hotpot experience was a mixture of great fun and lovely food. Carl and I were still a bit nervous about our bellies in Beijing so we chose a more upscale hotpot restaurant called Din Din Xiang, or Hot Pot Paradise. We were overwhelmed with the huge menu, and had to first figure out how the proccess worked before making ourselves comfortable. The Hot Pot is all about a steaming hot broth served over a lit fire which is used to cook finely cut slices of meat. First, we selected a mushroom broth to serve as the cooking medium as well as the soup base. Then, we selected sliced Mutton and sliced Sirloin. The server dropped two hot pots in front of us, lit the fire under the pot, and pored the broth. As the broth just began to bubble he laid down the two platters of meat alongside vegetables and mushrooms which we added to the soup broth. Gently, so as not to splash ourselves with boiling broth, we picked up the slices of meat with our chopsticks and dropped them into the soup. The meat is sliced so thinly that it cooks in seconds. The sirloin was tender and flavorful but the mutton was a bit tougher and more gamey. I think it had too stroing of a game flavor for my taste, I preferred the sirloin!

Something even food cannot fix

I realize that this is a forum for food, but my recent week long trip to Myanmar (better known to many of you as Burma) opened my eyes and my heart to a sad reality. I have visited many countries in the world, and some are what we call " developing" but I have never been to a country gripped by a military dictatorship like Myanmar. Upon my arriva,l my biggest fears were beng robbed, being held up at gunpoint, or even being caught doing something the government didn't approve of and ending up imprisoned. What I found was the complete opposite. I found a land of the most humble, gracious, and generous people I could have imagined. The country is seemingly cut off from most the world because of sanctions meant to constrain the harsh government. I must admit, I have marched on Capital Hill in Washington urging my congressmen and senators to vote in favor of economic sanctions against equally grueling regimes in the Middle East, and never once thought of the horrendous impact those sanctions have against the poorest and most vulnerable members of that society. Myanmar showed me the effects. Yangon, their previous capital city, is a city of 5 million people. The buildings are crumbling, the taxis are from decades ago, and there are no American (or European for that matter) products in sight beyond the occasional grossly inflated Coca Cola bottles imported into Myanmar from Thailand and Cambodia. What they call sidewalks are a sad excuse for a broken ankle waiting to happen. Uneven square slabs of concrete are placed on the dirt which mildly protect the pedestrians from the mud and filthy sewage water flowing beneath. Tourists can be spotted wandering the markets and streets, but they are few and far between in comparison to Myanmar's neighbors Thailand or even Cambodia. When westerners walk down the streets and alleyways, they are greated with huge smiles and curious questions of where they come from. Amongst the few toursists in the city, even fewer are American. When the locals hear we come from the USA they inquire about our dark skinned president who makes them so proud bc he looks like them. Beyond Obama's dark skin, they know little about our country or our politics beyond the fact that we are a Democracy, something they long for.
A common occurrence in Myanmar is hushed conversations when they are sure they are in a safe area about their "situation". Upon several occasions we had our Burmese guides or taxi drivers look around, scoot close to us, and in near whispers discuss the harsh government who rules over them with an iron fist. "We are in a bad situation here, but I think soon it will change" was a phrase we heard several times. Their hope of change, true democracy, and human rights is inspiring. I wonder how long they have been telling themselves "soon it will change" and I wonder if they actually believe it will change.
Myanmar is home to some of the most fascinatingand breathtaking historical sights I have ever laid eyes upon. I believe some of their sights can easily rival the pyramids and the great wall of China. However, I had never heard of any of these incredible sights prior to my trip here, which I think is similar of many Americans. I debated, and still question, whether visiting Myanmar was a good idea. The majority of the hotels and airlines in Myanmar are government run, and even those that are independently owned and operated likely have to share a percentage of their income with the government. During our time in Myanmar, we tried our hardest to avoid all government owned venues, opting to give our patronage to the locals who need it the most.
Education in Myanmar is not compulsory, and oftentimes families cannot afford to pay for their children's education. We learned that one year of university in Myanmar is around 250 euros a year, a fortune to most. Without proper schooling, the Burmese remain in the exact position their governemnt wants-simple, uneducated, and unable to better themselves and their situations. Many of the Burmese live as they did hundreds of years ago, in shacks without electricity or clean water, relying on the river as their lifeline. As an American, I cannot fathom what it is like to not have clean drinking water, or even a cold shower. For the people in Myanmar, something as simple as a shower as we know it is a foreign concept.
It was after seeing the controversial comedy troupe called "The Mustache Brothers" that my yearning to raise awareness of the situation in Burma was born. The three mustache brothers are no longer able to perform to locals after one of them, Par Par Lay, was arrested for simply talking aout the government in an "unfavorable" way. He spent hard time in a Burmese prison for many years on more than one account. They hardly speak English, but their entire family now performs songs and dances to tourists every night of the week. When we saw them in the basement of their small home, there were no more than ten of us from all over the western world, yearning to get a glimpse into the controversiality of their act. We received nothing more than a viewing of a year's old DVD of an American celebrity PSA campaign attempting to raise awareness of Burma's political situation, and some singing and dancing. We had never once seen any of the pieces from the PSA in America. I was unaware of the Burmese military's use of human shields to protect themselves from mines in the fields, and I was unaware of the Burmese government's policy of raping women.
At the end of the day, the people in Myanmar are simply trying to survive. They smile, and they eat deliciously simple curries and foods cooked on the streets. They work to learn English so that they can read books and communicate with the western tourists, and they fear that being caught speaking negatively about their government, and possible change, will ruin their simple lives by landing them in prison. They have so far to develop, but due to the sanctions and the harsh government which spends roughly 40 percent of the country's budget on the military, developing appears to be nearly impossible. It seems to be a vicious cycle, and I hope that some time in my life I will see it change.

An ode to Austin, Texas

There is no place better than Austin, Texas. That's, in my opinion, a fact. Last weekend I returned home to Austin for my friend Christina's wedding. I've been traveling back and forth between Dallas and Austin a lot for the wedding planning, but it was during this trip that I really saw the "renaissance" that seems to have taken place in Austin over the last 3 years. Austin has always been "weird", but Carl and I spent a pretty significant amount of time in South and East Austin over this trip and I was truly envious of my friends who still get to live in Austin. Yes, Austin is "weird" but it's real. At the bars and restaurants throughout Austin there were signs for the local city council election runoff coming up. People were aware of the local politics as well as the local events going on every week and weekend in Austin. There are the "hipsters" that gather throughout southeast Austin at new bars that seem to be opening up everyday East of 6th street, as well as down home Texas cowboys that frequent the historic places like the Broken Spoke. The food scene in Austin is also "weird". One of the biggest trends to take root in Austin over the last 3 years is the emergence of the trailer eateries. Throughout all of Austin there are several clusters of trailers parked in high traffic areas that serve cuisine ranging from Korean tacos to Thai and Vietnamese, to gourmet desserts, to the famous Hill Country BBQ.

Carl and I had a hard time figuring out which food truck to try, and after finding a few of our first choices closed, we ended up at a trailer located behind the famous Sno Beach snowcone stand called A Touch of Fire. This trailer is run by a wonderful Vietnamese woman and her husband who were very excited to discuss Southeast Asia with Carl and me. She cooks all of her dishes to order. Carl and I were the first patrons of the morning so the dishes that contained rice or noodles may have taken longer as she rice and noodles weren't ready. We ordered spring rolls and a Vietnamese Banh Mi (Vietnamese sandwich). The sandwich was on a perfectly chewy French Roll that was definitely large enough to split. The sauce on the sandwich must have been a mix between mayonnaise and a Sriracha style hot sauce that complimented the delicately fried shrimp perfectly. After a few bites, our mouths were as hot as the scorching temperature that afternoon. There's nothing wrong with a little facial perspiration while eating Vietnamese food though! The delicious mixture of shrimp, spicy mayo, lettuce, and the other accountrements got Carl and I excited for our upcoming trip to Southeast Asia where food trucks and street food are commonplace. If the Vietnamese Banh Mis are anything like the sandwich we had at A Touch of Fire, I may have trouble fitting into my clothes when we return!

Barbeque for Breakfast

This past weekend, Carl and I went to Austin. As per tradition, every time we go to Austin we must try at least one barbeque joint somewhere in the Hill Country or Central Texas. On this trip, we decided our barbeque of choice was going to be from Snow's barbeque in Lexington, Texas. In 2008, Texas Monthly selected Snow's barbeque as "The Best Barbeque in Texas". For those of you non-Texans, winning this award is equivalent to winning the Triple Crown or Miss America. In case you didn't catch the importance, winning that title by Texas Monthly is a big freakin' deal! Snow's barbeque is only opened on Saturday's, and barbeque crazies like us flock from all over Texas to try this stuff, so they typically run out of meat before noon!

Snow's Barbeque has been a topic between Carl and my father for some time now, but the idea of voluntarily waking up at 7:00 am on a Saturday morning to eat a meat feast always made me wince. My father cajoled Carl into it by sending him article after article from Texas Monthly to the New York Times all about Snow's, and that's how my Saturday morning fate was sealed!

The three of us woke up at 7:00am and hit the road by 7:45 to make the hour-long drive to Lexington, Texas. As we turned onto Main Street in Lexington, my expectations where shattered. I had imagined a large market like Kreutz or Smitty's in Lockhart with a DisneyWorld sized parking lot and a line curling around the door. Boy was I wrong. Snow's is quite literally a shack, and Lexington is a town that didn't even appear to have stoplights. At most, Snow's can probably hold up to 30 patrons. Luckily, since skyrocketing to barbeque fame they have built a fabulous outdoors area with several picnic tables overlooking the smoker so barbeque aficionados can blissfully view the barbeque as it is being prepared.

Keep in mind, it wasn't even 9:00am by the time we arrived at Snow's, but their barbeque operation was in full force. We stood in a short line and after about 3 minutes we were up. Sticking to our normal routine, we ordered brisket, sausage, and ribs. I knew as I watched the meat master carving us the moist brisket that this place was going to be above and beyond what our stomachs were expecting. As she carved the brisket, juices were flowing all over the counter. The morning was unusually brisk, so we decided to eat at one of the 6 picnic tables inside. Each of us more eager than the next, we all grabbed for the brisket immediately, and then silence ensued. It is not often that I agree with all the hype surrounding certain foods, but all the hype about Snow's isn't enough hype! Their brisket is perfection. The juices from the brisket are a smoky cocktail that burst in your mouth and make you dismiss every piece of brisket that came before. This is one of those barbeque places that offers sauce on the table, but doesn't actually intend for their meat to be eaten with sauce. This meat didn't need anything extra, because Snow's figured out the perfect equation for smoking their brisket to absolute perfection. The bar has been set very high, and this is the brisket that I will now use as comparison for the rest of my life in determining whether or not I'm consuming decent brisket.

Now onto the sausage. For me, sausage is hit or miss. I sometimes think that for some places sausage is an afterthought, but not as Snow's. They serve a jalapeno sausage (which is common in Central Texas). This sausage hit all the right flavors. It was spicy, but not overwhelmingly spicy. The texture was not crumbly like some sausages I've tasted, and upon biting into the sausage, juices bursting with flavor exploded. The owner of Snow's confirmed to us that they do not make their sausage on site, but that it is a special recipe that they've been tweaking for quite some time, so it is unique to Snow's.

Now onto the mediocre part: the ribs. I tend to favor ribs over brisket, but I've learned that ribs are tough to perfect. Personally, I'm a sauce kind of gal and if the barbeque sauce is great and the ribs are cooked in the sauce, I'm usually a fan (hence my love for the Salt Lick). Since Snow's is one of those "no sauce needed" type places, their ribs have a whiter appearance as opposed to the deeper red appearance of ribs cooked with sauce. The ribs were slightly plastic in appearance which is usually a red flag for me. When I bit into the ribs, they were tough and didn't fall off the bone. I chose to skip the ribs and focus my calories on the succulent brisket and spicy sausage! However, don't let my unflattering review of the ribs deter your from trekking out to Snow's. Their brisket and sausage are by far the best I have ever tried in the great state of Texas!

I would be lying if I said the ambiance and the people didn't positively sway my experience at Snow's। The people at Snow's were friendly, and treated us like old friends. The woman who served us our meat insisted that we try the pork, and before we even had a chance to say "yes" or "no" she had already cut us a big slab of pork and encouraged us to eat it with our hands. This, of course, did not go onto our bill. We chatted with the owner, and made friends from Houston and College Station. On the walls, they have pictures of people ranging from Major Applewhite of the Texas Longhorns to Andy Samberg from Saturday Night Live which made me feel like I was eating somewhere truly special. If you ever find yourself in Texas with several hours to kill, making the drive out to Lexington, Texas to eat Snow's is not a bad choice. Just remember to rise and shine early because if you get there too late, they'll be out of meat and you'll be out of luck!

Snow's isn't completely devoid of all kitchy touristy items, but aside from this side the place is entirely authentic!

A view of Snow's from the outside

Carl and the judge sampling some of Texas' finest


I am clearly one happy eater!

The lone picture of the untouched meal. Staving off our eagerness to dig in was tough, but we knew we'd want this picture afterward!

Getting my fabbie foodie hands dirty

Thanks to a freak icestorm that Dallas had a few weeks ago, Carl and I got creative in the kitchen! I love experimenting in the kitchen, but not all of my experiments turn into fabbie foodie success stories. As any professional chef, or skilled cook will tell you- "practice makes perfect".

One of my favorite Food Network shows is "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives". I love that the host, Guy Fieri, uses his platform to display some of the most creative eateries in America! On one of his shows, Guy stopped at a quaint little restaurant in Philadelphia called "Honey Sit N Eat". I've tried on one occassion to eat there in Philly, but the wait was too long to stomach on an emtpy stomach, so I was thrilled to see what this restaurant had to offer, albeit through the television.

One of the dishes they highlighted was the "Chicken Chili Frito Pie" which looked so delicious. Due to the freak icestorm that left the entire city of Dallas paralyzed, we had plenty of time on our hands to think about our less than stocked pantry. After enough time passed, a very determined Carl figured we could rewind the segment enough times to figure out how to create our own version of this "Chicken Chili Frito Pie". After initial skepticism from this fabbie foodie, I finally gave in and helped Carl figure out how we could concoct a homemade version of the dish. After all, the only place we could feesibly get to was the neighborhood market two blocks away from our apartment, and one does have to eat to stay warm!

Here is the simple adapted recipe Carl and I came up with. If you ever have half an hour to 45 minutes to spare preparing an easy meal, this one is definitely worth it. Our twist on the meal is a healthy (believe it or not) fiesta of flavors guaranteed to satisfy your "frito pie" and/or "chili" craving!

You'll Need:
2 chicken breasts (boneless)
1/2 Red Bell Pepper (diced)
1/2 Green Bell Pepper (diced)
1/2 can white beans (Caneloni , Great Northern, or Navy beans work well)
1/2 can Kidney Beans
1/2 white or yellow onion chopped
1/2 can corn kernels
6 oz can tomato paste
8 oz can crushed tomatoes
1 can pickled jalapenos
1 package shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 of a poblano pepper (finely sliced in 1/8 or an inch strips, and then chopped)
1 can sweet peppers
1 tablespoon cumin
1 tablespoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 bag fritos (corn chips)
1 box chicken stock
2 tablespoons ketchup

Directions:
In a large pot boil your chicken breasts for up to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked all the way through. Once chicken is ready, use two forks to shred both chicken breasts.

In a skillet heated to medium heat, add shredded chicken, 3 teaspoons tomato paste, 1/2 cup crushed tomatoes, 1/2 cup chicken stock, and sliced and shredded poblano pepper (can be substituted for guajillo pepper if readily available). Mix together until the poblano peppers begin to appear to "disintegrate".

In a seperate skillet on medium-high heat add the diced red peppers, green peppers, chopped onion. Allow to cook down for about 3 minutes before adding all the beans and corn. Add about a quarter of a cup of the sweet peppers (chopped), and a quarter of a cup of the pickled jalapenos chopped (if you prefer your dish spicier, adjust accordingly). Dump in the cumin, red chili powder and brown sugar. Allow for flavors to meld together for 5 to 7 minutes. Add contents of the skillet containg the shredded chicken (which should be a red color). Allow for chicken to cook with the beans and vegetables for approximately 5 minutes.

In a seperate baking sheet place several handfuls of fritos (enough to line the bottom of your baking sheet. If you're dieting, you may prefer to add less Fritos, or eliminate the Fritos altogether). Pour your chili from the skillet on top of the Fritos. Liberally sprinkle cheese on top of the chicken chili frito pie and place into the oven at 350 degrees for 3 minutes (or long enough for the cheese to fully melt on top). Remove from the oven and ENJOY! Here are some pictures of our homemade version of Chicken Chili Frito Pie.

My Quest to try every cheesesteak in Philly

I have a love hate relationship with the city of Philadelphia. I love the Philadelphia Phillies. I hate the blistering cold. I love the grittiness of the city. I hate the cold. I love that Philadelphia is a sense of pride to every person who comes from the city (including my boyfriend Carl who could out-Philly almost anyone when it comes to his hometown). Did I mention I hate the cold? If there's one thing about Philly that I love, it's Philly Cheesesteaks! I know what you're thinking: "how does she keep such a fabulous figure when she loves to eat things like Philly cheesesteaks and pizza". Ok, I jest! However, I do enjoy a good Philly cheesesteak, and on my second trip to Philadelphia I was determined to try two of the famous institutions of Philadelphia Cheesesteaks- Pat's and Geno's. If you've ever watched the Food Network or the Travel Channel, then you're most likely familiar with Pat's and Geno's. Pat's is one of the oldest Cheesesteak restaurants in the city, but Geno's makes sure that Pat's won't outshine their restaurant- literally. The two restaurants are located across the street from one another. Pat's is an otherwise unassuming cheesesteak joint built for the blue collar working class cheesesteak aficionados. Across the street you have the can't-be-missed production that is Geno's. Geno's boasts hundreds, if not thousands, of watts of bright neon lights proudly displaying the "Geno's" lightshow that you could probably see from outer space. If you pick out any Philly native and ask if they prefer Pat's or Geno's you'll definitely get a difinitive answer. Pat's and Geno's are like the Capulets and Montagues of Old Verona. It's a town divided amongst cheesesteaks! As you can imagine, I was eager to find out what the friendly rivalry was all about. After a flight headache., Carl and I arrived in Philadelphia around 1:00am (about 4 hours later than we'd originally hoped). When his sister and brother-in-law picked us up, they insisted upon fulfilling my cheesesteak craving and took us directly to Pat's and Geno's. I was surprised that on a Tuesday morning at 1:00am we were not the only folks hanging out in the near freezing temps to try out a cheesesteak. We divided and conquered, separating into two and ordering one cheesesteak from each place. Candidly, I was a little nervous that the Geno's staff would kick us out of their benches after learning that we had a sandwich from their rival neighbor Pat's, but I find it hard to believe that we were the first to do so! Each sandwich was delicious. Upon first bite, I thought that Geno's was by far the superior steak. Upon further eating, the meat on the steak from Geno's started to taste funny. It didn't taste fresh, almost like it had a freezer burn to it. None of my other cheesesteak companions tasted the "freezer burn" taste, but once I caught onto it, I couldn't let it go. Both steaks had fresh Italian rolls that quite literally seemed to melt in my mouth. After both steaks were devoured, I had to pick Pat's because their meat tasted of a higher quality. Unlike those proud Philadelphia natives who grew up on either Pat's or Geno's I don't know if I could stand steadfast behind the Pat's cheesesteak. Who knows, next time I may return to try a steak from both and I might just pick Geno's. To me, it's all about what I'm feeling that day. To Philadelphians it's about pride!

The Pizza Experience

I believe that food can be an experience. It's not always just about the taste or the ingredients, but sometimes the ambiance and the people alongside the food are the recipes that create the entire experience. Having pizza at Dirafa was one of those experiences! I've visited Manhattan several times, but I've never spent real time in Brooklyn which is where Difara is located. Not only is Difara located in Brooklyn, but it's deep in the heart of an orthodox Jewish neighborhood sandwiched between Judaica shops and stores with signs entirely in Hebrew. As we approached the tiny pizza shop with a big reputation, I was genuinely relieved when it was open the day after Thanksgiving without a line. Friends of mine who reside in New York have told me that DiFara is notorious for being closed at random as well as the long lines outside of the shop. We stood behind two or three people who ordered pizza before us. Upon spying an available table amongst the very few tables, I quite literally cut off another patron in a race to the open table while Carl stood in the short line to order our pizza. He and I have a process about ordering pizza at new places. We always order the traditional cheese pizza, because we feel that a basic cheese pizza gives us the best insight into what a pizza joint can really do. If they can mess up a cheese pizza, I don't want to know what else could go wrong!
Imagine a 12 by 15 space with approximately 5 tables totalling about 15 seats and you've got Difara's. Scoring a table to ourselves (with two chairs) was pretty lucky! As I previously mentioned, there were only a very few people ahead of us in line. However, it took over half an hour before our pizza was ready. The reason for the long wait is that there is one man who makes every single pizza. His name is Dimenico De Marco and he's probably pushing 85. He takes pride in every pizza he makes. There are three people working in the entire pizza store- his grandaughter who takes the orders, his helper who appears to keep things orderly, and the pizza craftsman himself who personally clips the fresh basil and pours a touch of olive oil on every handmade pizza he creates. It's him who makes the pizza from DiFara a truly incredible and unique experience. It is very rare that one receives the kind of personal craftsmanship that goes into making a single pizza like at DiFara. At any normal restaurant, there are several people that go into every dish that is ordered, but here at DiFara you can watch Domenico make every single pizza. The idea of a second DiFara location opening up in Brooklyn ( or anywhere for that matter) is impossible because the master pizza maker clearly does not want to jeopardize his pizza, and for good reason. This pizza is perfection. The second this pizza hits your lips, everything else fades away. The only thing left is the semi salty taste of the cheese mixed with the sweet, fresh tomato sauce. The fresh basil dispersed on top of the pizza is the proverbial "icing on the cake" that completes the pie. The foundation with which the pizza is built, otherwise known as the crust, is perfectly crunchy and only moderately blackened. Watching the master pizza maker put each pizza into the fire oven is like watching Michelangelo paint the Sistene chapel. It's simple: no one else could do it as well. The entire pizza costs $28 which seems like highway robbery to anyone who thinks Dominos or Pizza Hut is a good pie, but this place is lightyears ahead of your run of the mill chain pizza store. Every pizza is a handcrafted piece of art that awakens the tastebuds and challenges every other pizza in the Big Apple (or the world for that matter). If you ever find yourself within a 100 mile radius of Brooklyn, New York I highly suggest making the trek to DiFara pizza. Oh, and while you're there pick up a menorah for me!