Bedford, Bleeker, and Cupcakes

My new favorite street in New York is Bedford. Georgie and I have taken this street on our walks the last few days. I love Bedford because it is such a quaint, Old World kind of street lined with quiet cafes and 100 year old town houses (probably older than that!) When you walk Bedford in the evening, you can smell the aromas from each cafe as you pass.

Cafe Henri is one of the cafes on Bedford and also happens to be one of my favorite spots to eat. John and I met here for a very nice lunch today. I had the lemon and sugar crepe with a cafe au lait and John had the leek goat cheese crepe with perrier.
John and I then walked one street over to Bleeker to visit The Magnolia Bakery for some dessert. Okay, so for me it was like a second dessert since I just had a lemon sugar crepe, but oh well. The Magnolia Bakery is one of the those New York land marks that everyone should try when they come to visit. This picture (which is actually an older picture that I found on the internet) shows how long people will wait in line for one of these cupcakes. Luckily, we did not have a line like this today, but there was a line forming out the door as we were leaving!

The best part of visiting the Magnolia Bakery is taking your cupcakes to the park across the street and eating them with your sweetheart.

White Chocolate-Dipped Apricot Coconut Balls

I made another no-bake cookie over the weekend, which was actually not a cookie at all. It was really more of a bonbon, but nevertheless, it was a dessert that did not require baking, so I had to try it. They were DELICIOUS! I say "were" because they have already disappeared after two days. I love this recipe because it calls for so few ingredients. Dipping sauce included, I only need 6 ingredients...so simple. The other great thing about this treat is the white chocolate dipping sauce which was delicious with the leftover dried apricots. I have to say that the original recipe did not include the white chocolate coating...that was totally my idea and it worked out fabulously!

White Chocolate-Dipped Apricot Coconut Balls

3/4 cup dried apricots (ground in food processor)

1 1/4 cup shredded sweetened coconut

1/4 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/2 cup walnuts (ground in food processor)

Blend apricots, coconuts and milk in food processor. Shape into teaspoon size balls and roll in nuts. After they have hardened, dip in white chocolate sauce.

White Chocolate Dipping Sauce

2 cups chocolate chips (white, dark, milk, semi, etc.)

2 tbsp + 2 tsp vegetable shortening (do NOT use butter, oil, or margarine!)

Melt chocolate chips over double boiler. Remove from heat and stir in shortening. Begin dipping immediately.

Chicken Scaloppine with Sugar Snap Pea, Asparagus, and Lemon Salad

This is another recipe from the current issue of Cooking Light that I tried the other night. The chicken was pretty basic, but really good. I didn't know the actual definition of scallopine (or scallopini) until I read in my favorite food dictionary "Eating Your Words" that it is a boneless slice of meat (typically veal) that is sauteed or fried.

The snap peas and asparagus could have been better. My first mistake was over steaming the veggies, my second mistake was not rinsing them in cold water after removing them from the heat. Because it was supposed to be a salad, they just needed a light blanching. The lemon and mint flavors would have tasted much better if the peas and asparagus had been crunchier and greener. One thing I did like about the pea and asparagus recipe was that it called for the snap peas to be julienne-cut, which created really pretty pieces of peas.

Chicken Scallopine with Sugar Snap Pea, Asparagus, and Lemon Salad

1 1/2 julienne-cut trimmed sugar snap peas

1 cup (1-inch) slices asparagus

1 lb. chicken cutlets (sliced thin)

3/4 tsp salt, divided

1/2 tsp pepper

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup dry white wine

1/2 tbsp butter

1/2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp grated lemon rind

1/2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

Steam peas and asparagus, covered, 4 minutes. Rinse in cold water, drain, chill.

Sprinkle each side of the chicken cutlets with 1/2 tsp salt and pepper. Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat and add chicken in single layer. Cook each side for 5-7 minutes and transfer chicken to a covered plate. Add broth and wine to pan; bring to a boil, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Cook until reduced to 1/2 cup. Remove from heat; whisk in butter.

Combine remaining salt, mint, oil, rind, and juice, stirring well with a whisk. Drizzle oil mixture over pea mixture; toss gently to coat. Serve with chicken and sauce.

No Bake Cookies

I made No Bake Cookies last night for the first time in years, one of my favorite cookie recipes as a kid. Since the only "baked" desserts I can make are those cooked on a stovetop, I'm always on the lookout for no bake recipes. The no bake cookie I made last night was the classic chocolate, peanut butter, and oatmeal variety, but after doing some research, I found recipes with other combinations of ingredients: crushed vanilla wafers or graham crackers, dried fruit, flaked coconut, instant coffee, chopped nuts. I was also thinking maybe rice crispies or white chocolate...hmmm. Endless possibilities!

Chocolate Oatmeal Raisin No-Bake Cookies
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 raisins

Combine sugar, milk, butter, and cocoa in saucepan. Bring to full boil, stirring frequently. Let boil for 1 1/2 minutes without stirring. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter, oatmeal, vanilla, and raisins. Drop by teaspoons onto wax paper and let harden, about 1 hour.

For fun I did a little research on the no bake cookie history...

No-bake cookies
Food historians tell us unbaked confections composed of nuts, dried fruit, seeds and sweeteners were made by ancient Middle eastern cooks. "No bake" candies, as we Americans know them today, surfaced in cookbooks published during the Great Depression. Like their ancient counterparts, contemporary "No Bakes" contain dried/desiccated fruit, nuts, and/or seeds glued together with a sugar (honey, Karo) or fat (peanut butter, butter, margarine). No bake cookies (generally pressed into a pan and cut in squares/bars) descend from the same tradition. These recipes appear in the 1950s. The primary difference between bake and no bake' recipes (besides the obvious oven time, of course!) is the "no bakes" do not contain eggs or flour. They are not intended to rise.

Stovetop Roast Chicken with Garlic and Thyme Pan Sauce

I was reading Cook's Illustrated the other day and stumbled upon this recipe, which may be the best roast chicken I have ever made. The best part is that you don't need an oven! This is also one of the rare occasions that I have cooked chicken with skin and bones. It's more fatty, but so amazingly delicious! Not only that, this is also the first time I have cooked with chicken thighs, which I have discovered, are much more flavorful than a breast.

5 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on)
salt and pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 chicken broth

Sprinkle both sides of thighs with salt and pepper.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add thighs skin-side down and sear without moving for 8 minutes.

Using tongs, flip each piece. Add broth and reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and steam chicken for 20 minutes.

Remove chicken and transfer to plate. Pour broth into measuring cup and reserve for sauce. Wipe skillet with paper towel and reheat over medium-high heat.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and add chicken, skin-side down. Cook for 7 minutes without moving.

Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm.



Return the skillet to medium heat to make the pan sauce.


Garlic and Thyme Pan Sauce:
1 large shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 dry white wine
3/4 chicken broth (reserved from chicken thighs)
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, minced
1/4 tsp white wine vinegar
3 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut in 3 pieces

Pour off all but about 1 teaspoon of oil from the skillet once chicken is removed and return to medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until softened, about 1 minute. Add wine, scraping pan bottom to loosen browned bits. Add chicken broth and simmer about 30 minutes, until reduced to 1/2 cup. Off heat, stir in thyme and vinegar, then whisk in butter 1 tablespoon at a time.

Spicy Almond Currant Chicken with Couscous

My mom gave this recipe to me several years ago, but I never made it until last night. What a delicious surprise! I loved it!

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 slivered almonds

2 garlic cloves, minced

6-8 skinless chicken thighs

2 cups spicy salsa (thick and chunky)

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp honey

1/4 cup currants

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp cinnamon

Season both sides of chicken thighs with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in skillet and add almonds, cook 2 minutes. Remove. Add garlic, cook 30 seconds and add chicken. Brown 5 minutes on each side. In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients and add to chicken. Bring to boil, then simmer 20 minutes. Stir in almonds and serve over hot couscous.

Braised Chicken with Baby Vegetables and Peas

Last night I made Braised Chicken with Baby Vegetables and Peas from the current issue of Cooking Light. This dish may look simple and plain, but it is utterly delicious. The recipe calls for baby turnips, but since I could not find those, I substituted fingerling potatoes, peeled and halved. The best thing about this dish is the chicken and wine sauce with thyme.

Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs with Spaghetti

I found this recipe in my new Cooking Light magazine (thanks Mom!). Although I don't know that Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs are "light". I found it on an advertisement for Ragu spaghetti sauce and decided to make it for John's birthday dinner. It was really easy and super delicious!

Combine:
1 lb ground beef
1/4 Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
1 egg

Form into 12 meatballs inserting a small cube of mozzarella cheese into the center of each ball. Pour 10 oz jar of spaghetti sauce into large pot and bring to boil. Add meatballs, stir, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until meat is cooked.

Serve with hot spaghetti and parmesan cheese.

Close Up Crochet

Here are some cool close up shots from my latest crocheted plastic...