By Ari, on February 20th, 2012%
Do you own a slow cooker?
I bet that most of you do. Continue reading Bourbon-Honey BBQ Chicken
By Ari, on January 28th, 2012%
It happened again.
I had a weird, inexplainable craving for buffalo chicken wings.
Of course, at the same time I was also wanting eggplant parmesan and chocolate cake, but in the end the buffalo chicken won out.
I think I’m just excited for the Super Bowl (read: excited for Super Bowl eating!).
This tastes exactly like you might expect. Chickeny, cheesey, spicy, pasta goodness. If you’re looking for a unique dish to highlight at your Super Bowl party next week, switch out the buffalo wings with some other flavor combination (these baked parmesan and garlic wings ought to do the trick) and make buffalo chicken lasagna, instead!
Continue reading Buffalo Chicken Lasagna
By Ari, on January 25th, 2012%
Is anyone else confused by this uncharacteristically warm winter? We received a few inches of snow this past weekend, then yesterday it was 50 and sunny. On the plus side, all the snow has melted. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say warmer days were coming.
But of course I know better.
This dish is delightful. It’s light, but intensely flavored by the warm tomatoes and fresh rosemary. And ready in 20 minutes! Talk about an easy, healthy, weeknight meal.
Sautéed chicken with a light tomato pan sauce? Sign me up!
 Continue reading Chicken with Tomato-Herb Pan Sauce
By Ari, on December 9th, 2011%
Last weekend John and I were lucky enough to enjoy a stellar meal at Momofuku Noodle Bar. Not just any meal, I assure you. Two of our friends were gifted the infamous fried chicken dinner in celebration of their engagement last year. As with all family-style meals at Momofuku restaurants, there is a minimum requirement of four people, and a maximum of eight. How fortunate we were to make the cut!
After ordering a few drinks to toast the bride- and groom-to-be, we started with a few appetizers.
You can’t go to Momofuku Noodle Bar (or Ssam Bar… or Milk Bar… you get the drift) without ordering David Chang’s highly publicized pork buns. Small steamed buns are filled with unctuous pork belly, hoisin, scallions, and cucumber. If you’ve never experienced these before, you are truly missing out.
 Continue reading Momofuku Noodle Bar – FRIED CHICKEN!
By Ari, on December 6th, 2011%
This just in: I made a delicious soup! (And it’s not matzah ball or chili!)
I was really beginning to doubt my soup-making abilities, guys. I told John earlier in the week that I was going to attempt another batch of soup. He raised his eyebrows and said, “Alright,” but what he really meant was, “Please don’t make me eat it.”
As I was prepping the ingredients, I had a feeling this would be good. It’s basically all the spices and accoutrements that I would use to make tacos. But in a soup.
The final verdict? Home run.
Hah! Take that, husband of mine. I’m taking this for lunch every day this week and you’re not getting any of it. No soup for you. Continue reading Chicken Tortilla Soup
By Ari, on December 1st, 2011%
I know what you’re thinking. “Baked wings? Finally! Something healthy after all the holiday gorging from Thanksgiving! I should make these immediately!”
Well, maybe…
These little guys look innocent enough. They smell like buffalo wings. They taste like buffalo wings. But much to my dismay, they contain calories… just like fried buffalo wings.
Apparently we forgot that tiny little detail as we inhaled these bad boys. I will admit that we purchased a family pack of wings for two of us. I will not admit, however, that we finished said family pack. In one night.
It is miraculous that I’m not 20 lbs heavier.
But listen, just go ahead and make these. You’ll only regret it if you, like me, have a problem with portion control when confronted with ridiculously delicious foods.
Continue reading Baked Buffalo Wings
By Ari, on November 8th, 2011%
When I create a meal that is undeniably delicious, I tell you. It should go without saying that anything I promote as “tasty,” “amazing,” or “a huge success!” is actually that. There are, of course, recipes that never make it to the blog. They hang out in the limbo known as “Did Not Post” in my TR files, and they are generally never seen or heard from again.
I’ve had a few too many of those recently.
First there was the “Curried Carrot Soup” which, although not completely awful, tasted far too much like curry powder than anything else and was deemed inedible by both John and I. It met its sad fate with our toilet one cold afternoon a few weeks ago. RIP, carrot soup.
Then there was the “BLT Soup” which left me angry and bitter. The directions called for a certain preparation of ingredients. I went against my better judgment and prepared them as the recipe suggested. I was left with soggy bacon (gross), a mouthful of overcooked lettuce (who puts that in soup, anyway?), and a week’s worth of lunch that I couldn’t bare to throw out (twice in one week is just wrong!). This was edible, though not enjoyable. I suffered through it and took it to work every day this past week.
Am I just not a soup maker?! (This can’t be true. I make a mean bowl of matzah ball soup.)
I was destined for a good meal. I had paid my dues to the food blogging gods (alpha = .05?) and was rightfully owed something delicious. Wasn’t I?
Then I made this: chicken biryani.
 Continue reading Chicken Biryani
By Ari, on October 28th, 2011%
Well this was a surprise. I’m normally not a lover of fennel. My only experience with it has been at restaurants, and I’ve always hesitated to order dishes containing it. (Before last night I had never even cooked with it.) While raw fennel has a very strong licorice and anise flavor (not my fav), the sautéed or roasted version gets sweeter and less intense.
After my first bite, I declared that I had not screwed up dinner (success!). After my second, I realized that it was actually quite tasty. By the time I had finished my plate, I had walked over to our leftovers and began eating the onion and fennel mixture directly out of the pot.
True story.
For someone who doesn’t generally eat fennel, I’d call this a triumph!
Continue reading Braised Chicken Thighs with Caramelized Onion & Fennel
By Ari, on September 16th, 2011%
For those wondering if we’re ever going to move, the answer is “no.” We’ve been looking at apartments (both online and in-person), but nothing has given us that we-want-to-move-right-now feeling.
Regarding Queens, we like Forest Hills — a lot — but it would make for a pretty long commute.
Astoria is great, but I’m not sure that young crowd is the vibe we’re going for.
In Brooklyn, I adore Brooklyn Heights, Cobble Hill, and Park Slope, but I’d like to be able to move into a bigger apartment and feed my husband and dog every now and again. (Yes, it’s that pricey.)
And then there’s Manhattan. Would I die to live on the UWS or UES? Yes, probably. But we need more space for less money than those neighborhoods are asking. Also, moving to Manhattan would indisputably mean selling my car. Sad.
I don’t consider places like Soho or Noho viable living options for us. We’re just not those types of people.
Midtown? Nope. Financial District? Not happening. Harlem or the Bronx? I think I’d rather not.
Hi, I’m the pickiest person ever. Continue reading Pies ‘n’ Thighs
By Ari, on August 28th, 2011%
Got the hurricane blues? Us too. We were supposed to be in Massachusetts this weekend visiting friends, but instead we’re sitting inside waiting for our Super to show up and examine the leak in our ceiling (thanks, Irene). What’s worse? My husband is participating in a weight loss bet at work (yay!) and has given up carbs for the next few days (boo!).
Can you imagine a life without carbs?! I can’t. Bread, pasta, cereal, and more pasta are what I live off of. And while I used to go carb-free every once in a while when I was actively doing Weight Watchers, those days are long gone.
All I want to do is cook. Stormy, rainy days are perfect for that. Everything I want to make, however, is full of carbtastic goodies. Like this pasta. (Have you noticed that I adore homemade pasta?) I would eat this every day if I could.
Continue reading Lemon Fusilli with Roasted Chicken, Goat Cheese, and Arugula Pesto
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