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Orange Roasted Chicken

March 17, 2012

Time for part 2 of our New Zealand adventure (you can check out part 1 here)! After visiting Rotorua, we drove down to see Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand, which fills a caldera created by a huge volcanic eruption, and the Huka Waterfalls.

Taupo is a resort town with a super cute downtown, and I had a very tasty bowl of seafood chowder with mussels, shrimp, calamari in a light creamy broth, at Replete Cafe.

After lunch, we headed down to Tongariro National Park to go white water river rafting with Tongariro River Rafting! It ended up just being us and two guides on our raft, so it was really fun.

We took a break to jump off a few cliffs.

And the rafting company even had a photographer ready on the shore to capture some action shots!

Our picture perfect hotel that night was right next to the three prominent volcanoes in the area, Mount Ruapehu, Mount Ngauruhoe, and Mount Tongariro.

We drove to the top of Mount Ruapehu for some gorgeous views.

And yes, Mount Ngauruhoe was Mount Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies. Here it is peeking out from behind the clouds.

The next morning we drove down to Wellington, which is on the Southernmost tip of the North Island and a bustling big city like Auckland. The five hour drive was a bit of a journey, but a little pit stop for some traditional savory Raetihi pies at Kristy’s Café in Whanganui helped break the drive up a bit. I was also pretty tickled when we saw these sheep crossing the road!

In Wellington, we took the cable cars up to the Wellington Botanic Gardens.

Where we took in a lovely view of the city.

And I really enjoyed the many rose gardens.

We also had our very favorite meal of the trip in Wellington at Ortega Fish Shack that evening. I didn’t take any pictures, but everything was just amazing. We started with whitebait fitters, which are a New Zealand specialty. Whitebait are exactly what they sound like – tiny little fish used for bait. The fritters contained 100s of the little fish all cooked into a patty – really meaty and delicious, but probably not something I would have tried unless it was so highly recommended to us! For dinner, I had gurnard over a mushroom cream sauce with pasta and Apolinars had lightly smoked fish with pork and shrimp fried rice. We decided to drink our dessert at Mac’s BrewBar, right on the ocean that night.

The next morning we took the 3 hour Interislander ferry ride from the North Island to the South Island. Even though the boat was huge, the water was rough, and I got really seasick, ugh, so I don’t have much to say about our time on the ocean. Here’s a cute pic of Apolinaras though.

Then we drove to Marlborough wine country and checked into a lovely B&B called Hillsfield House, which I highly recommend you stay at if you’re ever in New Zealand. We had a causal English pub dinner of fish and chips and beef hot pie at Cork and Keg, which was a short stroll from our B&B.

One of the perks of Hillsfield House is that the hostess, Jo, delivers breakfast to your room whenever you request it. After filling up on hot croissants, fruit, coffee, and freshly squeezed orange juice, we drove to several wineries for tastings!

This wine region is most well known for their sauvignon blanc and Cloudy Bay is probably the most famous winery.

Since Apolinaras isn’t a huge wine fan, we also did a tasting at the only brewery close by – Moa!

We stopped at Wither Hills Winery for lunch and then left our car at the B&B and took some bikes out for a spin to explore a couple more wineries, including one of our favorites, Forrest Estate.

The next morning we drove to Kaikoura, a beautiful town on the ocean with seal colonies, and opportunities for whale and dolphin watching. Along the way, we stopped at Nin’s Bin for freshly caught crayfish (called spiny lobster here in the US) for lunch.

And my very first video on CB&B! I spontaneously recorded Apolinaras’ trick for the easiest way to remove meat from your lobster- no fancy tools needed!

We also visited a seal colony.

And then Apolinaras went for a dip in the ocean. Just gorgeous!

After taking a beautiful hike by the water, we had dinner at Tuti’s, which featured Indonesian/Singaporean dishes. I had a super flavorful green shrimp curry and Apolinaras had duck with an Asian orange sauce, which inspired today’s recipe.

I roasted a chicken with an Asian orange marinade and glaze of orange marmalade, soy sauce, rice vinegar, canola oil, sesame oil, and garlic. I stuffed the cavity of the chicken with an orange and some more garlic. Very juicy and delicious! Oh, and the recipe below is for one bird, but I actually roasted two because one chicken doesn’t last very long in our house! One more NZ recap post to go!

Orange Roasted Chicken
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup orange marmalade
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 4 1/2 to 5 pound chicken, giblets removed, washed inside and out, and patted dry
1 small orange, cut in half
1 head of garlic, cut in half
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions:
To prepare the marinade, stir together orange marmalade, soy sauce, rice vinegar, canola oil, sesame oil, and garlic cloves in small bowl. Stuff the chicken cavity the orange and head of garlic. Tie the legs together with kitchen twice and tuck the wings under the body of the chicken. Place chicken in a baking pan and cover with 1/2 cup of the marinade. Refrigerate remaining 1/2 cup marinade. Cover chicken with foil and marinate in the refrigerator for 3 hours to overnight.

To roast the chicken, remove chicken 30 minutes prior to roasting, to allow it to come to room temperature, and heat oven to 400°F. Remove any large pieces of orange rind leftover from the orange marmalade marinade (otherwise they may burn). Place chicken in a roasting pan and sprinkle evenly with salt. Roast chicken at 400°F for 1 hour and 15 minutes to 1 hour and 30 minutes or until the juices between the leg and thigh run clear and temperature of the thickest part of the thigh is 160°F. Cover chicken with foil while roasting if the skin starts to get too brown (I covered mine after 45 minutes). Remove chicken from the oven and cover with a tent of aluminum foil for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, place reserved 1/2 cup marinade in a small stockpot and simmer over medium high heat for 5 minutes or until thickened. Carve and serve the chicken and top with the sauce. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 328 calories, 13.4g fat, 0.2g fiber, 32.7g protein per serving
Cost: $1.43 per serving

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Mediterranean Lamb with Gnocchi

March 11, 2012

Kia ora! I’m finally gone through all our New Zealand pictures, so my next several posts will be recaps from our trip! New Zealand is just a breathtaking country and has something for everyone – mountains, beaches, wine country, even glaciers, volcanoes, and rainforests. It’s about the size of Colorado and one third of the country is national park, so there are endless possibilities for exploring. Adventure sports, including bungee jumping, which was invented in New Zealand, are extremely popular too, along with rugby. And yes, the gorgeous countryside is home to many sheep (there are more sheep than people in NZ) and cows! My personal favorite fun fact is that NZ was the first country to give women the right to vote in 1893.

We flew into Auckland in mid-November, which is late spring/early summer in New Zealand, and then rented a car to explore both the north and south islands. After making it all the way down to Queenstown, we flew back up to Auckland for another night before heading home.

Our flight arrived at 5am in Auckland, and after renting our car, and attempting to get used to driving on the left side of the road, we enjoyed breakfast in the Parnell Quarter, which is home to many art galleries and cute boutiques. Then we wandered all around Auckland until our hotel room was ready. There just happened to be a World Cup triathlon taking place, so it was pretty cool watching the world class athletes speed past us during the biking and running legs of the race. I totally embarrassed Apolinaras by loudly cheering for all the US competitors!

We were in great need of coffee after our early morning and somewhat sleepless night on the plane, so I had a couple flat whites (regular coffee with milk). I also enjoyed a few iced holiday drinks at Starbucks during our trip. Since it’s hot during Christmas, they sell gingerbread, toffee chip, and cranberry white chocolate Frappachinos! Unexpected, but delicious.

Since we had an apartment suite for a couple nights, we also headed to Countdown, a local grocery store chain, to pick up stuff for our breakfasts and picnic lunch for our hike the next day. I just love wandering through grocery stores in other countries! We tried as many local products as possible, including New Zealand beer, Feijoa juice, and hard cider, amazing yogurt and cheese that I wish we could get here, and of course kiwifruit! They have golden kiwis in NZ, which I’d never seen before. They’re a bit sweeter than the green variety and apparently don’t ship very well, which is why they’re not available in the States.

The next morning we took a ferry to Rangitoto, which is a young volcanic island formed just 600 years ago.

We meandered through the lava fields,

explored the lava caves,

and hiked to the top of the crater to take in a gorgeous view of Auckland.

Due to New Zealand’s location, about 10% of Kiwis are Asian, so we enjoyed a lot of excellent Asian food in Auckland, including Japanese and Thai.

The next day we headed off to the Waitomo Caves, where we were pretty excited to slip into some sexy wetsuits and go caving with Black Water Rafting!

The caves in Waitomo are filled with glowworms on the ceilings, which sparkle like stars on a dark night. Imagine floating in an inner tube down a river through a pitch black cave while trying to take in all the sparkling glowworms above you – so cool!

We also enjoyed one of our favorite meals of the trip that night at Huhu. I had slow roasted lamb shoulder with gnocchi and smoked tomato sauce (which inspired today’s recipe!) and Apolinaras had braised beef with celeriac puree, mushrooms, and broccoli. We split a yummy rhubarb tart for dessert.

The next morning we enjoyed a lovely meal of farm fresh eggs and French toast with bacon at our bed and breakfast, and then checked out the Otorohanga Kiwi House and Native Bird Park. Kiwis, of course, are New Zealand’s national bird, but they’re nocturnal so the only way to really see them is to visit a sanctuary or zoo.

We also thought it was pretty funny there is a bird called a Kaka in New Zealand, because that’s our cockatiel’s name! On our way to Rotoroua, I finally got out of the car and attempted to get a picture with some of the many roaming sheep, but they all sort of ran away – oh well. The highways in New Zealand are mostly two lane roads and the countryside is just gorgeous.

Rotorua is home to many geothermal springs and Maori cultural events. The Maori are the native Polynesians who arrived in New Zealand sometime before 1300.

We spent the afternoon soaking in the tranquil and rejuvenating Waikite Valley thermal pools.

Feeling completely refreshed, we hiked around the lake in Rotorua.

I couldn’t help attempting a ballet pose when we ran into a flock of black swans, haha.

We also encountered some sweet smelling geothermal sulfur ponds.

That evening we attended a Maori cultural show and enjoyed a feast called a hangi, in which the food is slowly cooked in underground pits, at Tamaki Maori Village.

The experience was a little cheesy, but I really enjoyed watching the traditional tribal dancing and singing. Whew, I can’t believe I’ve only recapped 4 days – 9 more to go!

I knew I had to feature a lamb dish in my first New Zealand post, so I used my entrée at Huhu as an inspiration and braised some lamb that I served with gnocchi in a Mediterranean tomato sauce that included chickpeas, roasted red peppers and sun dried tomatoes. Make sure to have some crusty bread on hand to sop up all the extra sauce!

Mediterranean Lamb with Gnocchi
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups chickpeas, washed and drained
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
1 cup chopped roasted red peppers
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Juice of one lemon
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 pounds stewing lamb (ours was cut into 4 pieces), at room temperature
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 17.6-ounce package whole wheat gnocchi
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 300°F. Place chicken broth, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, tomato paste, lemon juice, dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a food processor and pulse for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth. Place sauce in a large Dutch oven.

Rub olive oil onto all sides of the lamb pieces and sprinkle evenly with remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Sear lamb pieces, about 1 minute per side, over medium high heat in a large skillet. Remove lamb pieces and place chopped onions in the pan. Sauté onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until softened; add garlic and sauté 1 additional minute. Stir onions into the sauce and place seared lamb pieces into the sauce in the Dutch oven. Cover the Dutch oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours at 300°F; remove Dutch oven lid and bake at 300°F for an additional 30 minutes or until lamb is tender and sauce is reduced.

Meanwhile, prepare gnocchi according to the package directions. Stir gnocchi into the sauce around the lamb pieces. To serve, divide sauce onto 4 plates and place a piece of lamb onto each one. Sprinkle plates evenly with feta cheese. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition: 729 calories, 22.6g fat, 11.9g fiber, 53.0g protein per serving
Cost: $4.16 per serving

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New York City Foodie Highlights and Milk Bar Giveaway

January 2, 2012

There’s nothing quite like NYC during the holidays. The city is all decked out and just so festive! We were fortunate to spend a couple days eating our way through the city with my parents over Christmas. Read on for our foodie highlights and a fun giveaway from Milk Bar!

The very first thing we did was head over to the Shake Shack by our hotel by Bryant Park. The burgers were tasty and the refreshing beer was cheap, but my chocolate custard “concrete” with chocolate covered pretzels, peanut butter sauce, and marshmallow sauce, really stole the show!

The next day we checked out the Macy’s windows and took the subway down to the Lower East Side to visit Doughnut Plant. This was at the top of my foodie wish list and definitely worth the trip.

The carrot cake and blackout (chocolate cake donut filled with chocolate crème and topped with chocolate frosting and cookie crumbs) donuts were extraordinary, and the valrhona chocolate and seasonal panettone donuts weren’t far behind – go, go, go here if you’re ever in NYC!

Then we headed up to Papaya King for lunch, which I couldn’t resist visiting since 1. hot dog eating is required when you’re in NYC and 2. it was just featured on Anthony Bourdain’s new layover show. Plus, it was super close to the Met, our next destination! I thought the hot dogs were pretty average actually, but the papaya drink was just delightful and after having one sip, immediately regretted only ordering a medium.

On Christmas Eve we walked around Times Square and did our best not to get too cheesy in M&M’s World.

Then we walked around Central Park for a bit and introduced my dad and Apolinaras to Thomas Keller’s Bouchon Bakery, which my mom and I loved during our last trip to NYC. The Chicken Dumpling Soup and Nutter Butter Cookies were just as good as I remembered, and Apolinaras’ shot rib sandwich just melted in my mouth.

That evening we had a terrific time exploring Eataly, a 50,000 square foot “Italian Food Hall” brought to the Flatiron district by Mario Batali and Joe Bastianich. The emporium houses a bunch of restaurants, each featuring one aspect of Italian cuisine (e.g. fish, meat, pasta, panini, etc) and an amazing market with rows and rows of speciality Italian goods. We chowed down on panini, and I had the best hot chocolate of my life!

We took it easy on Christmas Day and just ventured out for a Chinese lunch at Szechuan Gourmet. Other fun activities over the next couple of days included seeing the musical Billy Elliot, touring Radio City Music Hall, and shopping up a storm with my mom. We also visited the United Nations, where Apolinaras’ late father worked as a journalist and checked out the apartment where he lived for four years. On the food front I had a surprisingly good wasabi tuna wrap at Pig ‘N’ Whistle, and we had Kati Rolls a couple of times, which are Indian flatbreads stuffed with delicious meats and veggies, mmm.

And finally, we also made it to Milk Bar, the pastry shop headed by Christina Tosi, which is part of David Chang’s Momofuku empire. We sampled all the cookies and had a scrumptious pistachio croissant. I was scared the compost cookies wouldn’t live up to my high expectations, but I really liked them! My favorite treats, however, were the corn cookies, because they were just so unique and tasted exactly like fresh sweet corn, in a really good way. In fact, I couldn’t help but pick up Christina Tosi’s new cookbook and some of Milk Bar’s freeze dried corn powder, so I can make my own corn cookies at home whenever I crave them! Of course, I was thinking of you all too and picked up an extra set for a giveaway!

To enter to win, just leave a comment on this post letting me know which restaurant/bakery/food truck you most want to visit in NYC. I need to start working on my list for next time! Entries must be in by 11:59 pm EST on Monday, January 9.

The fine print: I’m sponsoring this giveaway myself. The winner will be picked with random.org on Tuesday, January 10 and announced shortly thereafter.

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Fall Breakfast Hash with Cheesy Scrambled Eggs

November 5, 2011

Apolinaras and I recently traveled to Portland, Oregon, for my dear friend Britt’s wedding. Britt, Annika, and I were inseparable during college and whenever we’re together, it’s like nothing has changed – we had soooo much fun! Britt and her new hubby Ben were just beaming all night.

And, Portland is such an incredible town for foodies. I’ve been looking forward to sharing all the restaurants we checked out ever since we got back. We flew in on a Thursday and immediately headed out to get our nails done and begin the wedding festivities with Britt’s bachelorette party. Gilt Club helped us design a lovely family style meal, and then we danced the night away.

The next morning Apolinaras, and I ventured out to Voodoo Doughnut. I’ve heard about this place for years, and being a huge donut fan, couldn’t wait to get my hands on some! My favorites were the Bacon Maple Bar and Old Dirty Bastard, a yeast donut with chocolate frosting, Oreo’s, and peanut butter, which I’m so glad Britt recommended. The donuts definitely lived up to the hype. So much so, that we returned on Sunday to pick some up to bring home with us!

The rehearsal dinner on Friday was at Beast, where we were treated to an amazing six course meal by Chef Naomi Pomeroy, who you may recognize from Top Chef Masters. I was tickled to catch a glimpse of her before we settled in for our meal, and while I don’t usually get my camera out at nice restaurants, I couldn’t help myself this time.

Our favorite courses of the night were the charcuterie plate, which featured many delectable bites, including a foie-gras bon-bon, steak tartare and quail egg toast, and pork pate with prunes and pistachios, and the main course of rib-eye steak with horseradish salsa verde, fallen cauliflower soufflé, roasted radicchio, and duck demi-glace – soooo good!

The next day was the wedding! We spent the morning getting ready and sipping on apple juice mixed with champagne. I loved my hair and just had to share a pic. It’s so fun having long enough locks for different styles.

The wedding was at the funky Jupiter Hotel, where we also stayed. Here’s the beautiful bridal party (plus Sahil, Britt’s bridesman!).

This is a classic shot that Annika and I always take. Everyone always comments on our height difference so we like to play it up. Looking at these pictures make me already miss everyone.

And finally, one with Apolinaras!

Other foodie highlights included brunch at Miss Delta, late night slices at Sizzle Pie, a mouth watering roast beef sandwich from Laurelhurst Market, and brunch at Screen Door. Definitely check out Screen Door if you’re ever in town. They feature Southern specialties, and I’ve already created two dishes inspired by our meal there! The first is based on what I ordered, the fall breakfast hash. It’s nice to enjoy some roasted veggies in the morning.

My hash included lightly curry spiced sweet potatoes, butternut squash, cauliflower, and kale. I started by roasting the potatoes and then added in the other veggies in at different times so they would all turn out perfectly. I baked a couple eggs on top for Apolinaras, who enjoys runny yolks, and scrambled up some cheesy eggs for myself on the side. My second recipe inspired by Screen Door will be up next!

Fall Breakfast Hash with Cheesy Scrambled Eggs
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Fall Breakfast Hash:
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon curry powder
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized cubes (5 cups or 25 ounces)
1 small butternut squash, peeled, and cut into bite-sized cubes (5 cups or 25 ounces)
1 head cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces (5 cups or 17 ounces)
3 packed cups deveined and coarsely chopped kale leaves (2 ounces)
1 teaspoon salt

Cheesy Scrambled Eggs:
12 large eggs
6 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
To make the fall breakfast hash, heat oven to 400˚F. Place olive oil and curry powder in a small bowl and stir well. Place potato cubes on a large baking sheet and drizzle with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Stir well so all potatoes are coated evenly with the oil and spread on the baking sheet. Bake at 400˚F for 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven, add squash cubes, sprinkle with 1 additional tablespoon olive oil and stir well. Bake an additional 15 minutes at 400˚F. Remove pan from oven, add cauliflower, sprinkle with 1 additional tablespoon olive oil and stir well. Bake an additional 15 minutes at 400˚F. Remove pan from oven, add kale, sprinkle with 1 remaining tablespoon olive oil and salt, and stir well. Bake an additional 5 minutes at 400˚F.

To make the cheesy scrambled eggs, whisk eggs, milk, and salt together in a small bowl; stir in cheese. Pour mixture into a large greased nonstick skillet over medium heat and cook until eggs are set, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Serve eggs on top of or next to fall breakfast hash. Makes 4 large servings.

Nutrition: 572 calories, 28.7g fat, 16.0g fat, 26.7g protein per serving
Cost: $2.63 per serving

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Triple Tomato Chicken Panini

August 12, 2011

My parents visited us last weekend! We started things off perfectly by enjoying some delicious pizza at Emma’s Thursday night. Then on Friday, I snuck out of work a bit early to check out the Chihuly exhibit at the Museum of Fine Arts with them – amazing! I think my Dad put it best when he said he felt like we were in a world Dr. Seuss had created. After picking up Apolinaras, we headed out for Blue Ribbon BBQ, which the birthday boy requested, and then drove up to Vermont.

We started the next day by doing the Magic Hat Brewery tour and tasting, where I voted for Wacko, aka The Liquid Song of Summer, as my favorite. My mom was super cute and answered a question right on the tour to win a free pint glass.

Next up was lunch on Lake Champlain at Splash - we were literally on the lake since the tables are on a floating dock. The views were beautiful and our clam chowder was surprisingly excellent.

Then we indulged in a little ice cream during the Ben and Jerry’s Factory tour (which is free by the way if you check in on yelp) and my Dad and I squeezed in a hilly run before our Korean takeout from Yama. It was a very relaxing day and we headed to bed early since the next morning we needed to rise and shine super early for the highlight of our trip, a King Arthur Flour baking class!

I’ve been planning this trip with my mom ever since I took a class there last year with a group of bloggers. While the boys amused themselves by hiking the Appalachian Trail, my mom and I were treated to a tour of the King Arthur Flour warehouse, production facility where they make all their mixes, and test kitchen, led by the lovely Allison Furbish, who is their web media coordinator and set up our blogger baking class last year. Here we are in the test kitchen, where I salivated over their super well stocked walk-in pantry. Thanks so much Allison for coming in on a Sunday to show us around!

Then we headed in for our class called “The Magic of Wild Yeast – Sourdough” where we learned everything we need to know to successfully maintain starter cultures and bake beautiful boules of sourdough bread at home – SO fun! We also hit the King Arthur store, where I loaded up some fun baking goodies, and had a fantastic meal at Foundry on Elm after the drive home. I had such a great mini vacation with my family and wish they could visit more often!

Sourdough is my absolute favorite and I’ve been diligently feeding my starter and plan to make something with it soon! In the meantime, I wanted to whip up some sandwiches with the bread we baked during the class and decided to feature ripe summer tomatoes. I settled on chicken panini with a tomato and feta sauce topped with melted mozzarella and fresh tomato slices. I can’t wait to take a stab at making my own sourdough!

Triple Tomato Chicken Panini
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup of your favorite tomato sauce
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes
4 slices sourdough bread
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cooked butterflied boneless skinless chicken breasts, warmed
1 large tomato, sliced
2/3 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Place feta cheese and tomato sauce in a food processor and pulse until smooth, about 1 minute. Stir in sun dried tomatoes.

Use a pastry brush to evenly spread olive oil over each slice of bread. Flip slices of bread over and evenly spread with feta tomato sauce. Top two slices evenly with chicken, tomato slices, and mozzarella cheese. Top with the remaining slices of bread, tomato sauce side down. Place sandwiches in a preheated panini press and cook until bead is crispy, about 3 to 5 minutes. Makes 2 panini.

Nutrition: 503 calories, 24.0g fat, protein per panino
Cost: $2.60 per panino

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Cheesy Mushroom and Leek Crostinis

June 20, 2011

We started our last day of our anniversary trip to Portland by indulging in a few sticky buns and croissants at the Standard Baking Company. Of course, we also filled up a bag with a few loaves of bread to bring home. The sourdough was excellent!

Then we headed off to Allagash Brewery for a tour and tasting, which was one of the highlights of our trip since Apolinaras has become quite the brewer. He’s made seven beers so far, and I’ve requested his next one be like Allagash White, which is a twist on a Belgian wheat beer with notes of coriander and orange peel. It was so refreshing and perfect to enjoy on a hot summer day.

We started with the tasting and enjoyed some generous samples of Allagash White, Black, Tripel, and Curieux. Then we headed in for the tour and got to see the whole facility. Apolinaras even managed to chat with a few of the brewers. Everyone was so friendly and knowledgeable and we left with a huge box filled with delicious brews!

On our way home to Boston, I realized that we hadn’t had any fried seafood, so I suggested we stop at Bob’s Clam Hut in Kittery, for what else, fried clams! We ended up splitting The Lillian platter, which also came with onion rings, fries, and slaw. It definitely hit the spot – the breading on the clams was light and you could really taste the freshness of the seafood. We had such a fabulous time on our anniversary trip and I’m already brainstorming about where we should go next year!

Anyway, I used one of the baguettes we purchased from Standard Baking to make these easy crostinis when we got home. I spread goat and pecorino romano cheese onto the toasted baguette slices and then topped them with leeks, mushrooms, and provolone cheese – so good!

Cheesy Mushroom and Leek Crostinis
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
1 baguette, cut into 1/2 inch thick slices on a bias (I had 30 slices)
3 tablespoons olive oil
24 ounces fresh mushrooms, sliced
2 leeks, white and light green parts only, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 ounces goat cheese
1/3 cup milk
1/2 cup finely grated pecorino romano cheese
8 ounces sliced provolone cheese, cut to fit the size of the baguette slices

Directions:
Heat oven to 375˚F. Arrange the baguette slices in a single layer onto several large greased cookie sheets. Brush baguette slices with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. Bake at 375˚F for 12 to 15 minutes or until light golden brown.

Meanwhile, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a large nonstick skillet and sauté mushrooms for 5 minutes or until tender. Remove from pan and place in a large bowl. Remove any extra liquid from the skillet and add remaining 1/2 tablespoon olive oil. Add leeks and sauté for 5 minutes or until tender. Return mushrooms to the pan and add garlic and sauté one additional minute. Stir in salt.

Mix goat cheese, milk, and pecorino romano cheese in a small bowl until smooth. Spread goat cheese on toasted baguette slices and top evenly with mushroom mixture. Top each slice with a piece of provolone cheese and return to the 375˚F oven for 3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Makes 15 servings.

Nutrition: 263 calories, 11.9g fat, 1.1g fiber, 12.7g fiber per serving
Cost: $0.97 per serving

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Asparagus Arugula Salad with Ricotta and Goat Cheese

June 16, 2011

Time for our anniversary trip recap! Apolinaras and I got married over Memorial Day weekend in 2004 and we always try to take a little vacation over the holiday weekend to celebrate. This year we went to Portland, Maine, which is a super fun foodie destination right on the ocean. We headed up on Saturday and started our adventure by leisurely checking out the Kittery Outlets, which are about halfway between Boston and Portland. I scored the cutest mini trifle dishes and French onion soup bowls at Crate and Barrel, which will definitely be making an appearance soon!

We were famished after all our hard work shopping, so drove over to the Chauncey Creek Lobster Pier, where we chowed down on New England classics – lobster rolls, clam chowder, corn, and exceptionally fresh mussels steamed in white wine. Mmm, just thinking about this meal makes my mouth water! The staff was really friendly and we definitely plan to go back when we’re in the area again.

Of course, by the time we got to Portland and checked in our hotel (we stayed at the Portland Harbor Hotel, which had a fantastic central downtown location and very lovely rooms – I recommend it!), we were hungry again. Luckily, I had already asked for some restaurant recommendations on twitter and was armed with Adrienne’s reply – “555 is great, Frog and Turtle (in nearby westbrook) is my fave, and I’ve heard good things about Nosh.” Since we were craving a few beers, we headed to Nosh Kitchen Bar for a few local microbrews and sandwiches. Nosh is in the Arts District and I thoroughly enjoyed my Nosh Burger (pork and beef patty/blue cheese/bacon/fried egg/roast garlic jam/brioche bun) and Apolinaras liked his duck gyro. Our waitress also had some fantastic beer recommendations (from Allagash and the Maine Beer Company), so we left feeling very satisfied.

The next day we rolled out of bed, snuck in a little time at the gym, and had breakfast at Becky’s Diner, which is a sentimental favorite of ours because we had breakfast there a few years ago during our anniversary trip up to Bar Harbor. The blueberry pancakes hit the spot!

We spent the afternoon wandering around the (windy!) harbor and city and also did a tasting at the Shipyard Brewing Company. I was really looking forward to this because I love their blueberry beer, but I would probably skip it next time and just go straight to Allagash (which we visited the next day!).

Our next stop didn’t disappoint though – we checked out Duckfat. I could have seriously eaten a boatload of their fries, which as the restaurant name implies, are fried in duck fat and phenomenal – yum! They have a variety of dipping sauces and both Apolinaras and I were happy with our respective choices of Thai Chili Mayo and Truffled Ketchup. Although the sandwiches were pretty tasty as well, next time we’d just go back for beer and fries!

After stuffing ourselves with fries, we wandered back to the hotel to freshen up and I did a little leisurely blogging while enjoying some wine.

For dinner we visited Five fifty-five, where Apolinaras feasted on creamy five onion soup, wild boar ragu, and carrot cake ice cream, and I had an asparagus salad, their signature truffled lobster mac and cheese (incredible – I savored every bite!), and a smores dessert. I definitely want to attempt to recreate the mac and cheese at some point, but the first thing I did when we got home was actually make a twist on the salad. It was described on the menu as featuring “baby arugula, charred asparagus, house ricotta, salt roasted almonds, pickled vidalias, and truffle vinaigrette.” What I especially loved about it was that there was a smear of ricotta cheese underneath the salad, so you could get some in every bite. I’ve never seen this before and thought it was just genius. So, last weekend I made my own version of their salad with a ricotta and goat cheese spread underneath a pile of arugula and asparagus. I did lightly dress the greens with a lemon vinaigrette, but the cheese is the star of this salad. I’ll recap the rest of our trip in my next post!

Asparagus Arugula Salad with Ricotta and Goat Cheese
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:
2 pounds asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch long pieces (I had 4 cups cooked)
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
Juice of half a lemon
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 bunches arugula (7 ounces after chopping off the stems)
1/2 cup toasted chopped almonds
4 ounces goat cheese
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Directions:
Heat oven to 400˚F. Place asparagus on a large cookie sheet and drizzle with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Roast at 400˚F for 8 minutes or until tender.

Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat in a medium nonstick skillet. Sauté onions for 5 to 7 minutes or until tender.

Mix remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until well blended. Place arugula, roasted asparagus, cooked red onions, almonds, and dressing in a large bowl and toss until well mixed.

To serve, mix goat cheese, ricotta cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a small bowl until smooth. Spread ricotta cheese mixture evenly onto six plates. Top evenly with salad, making sure part of the ricotta mixture is still showing. Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition: 287 calories, 22.8g fat, 3.5g fiber, 12.6g protein per serving
Cost: $2.18 per serving

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Sesame Chicken with Soba Noodles

March 12, 2011

I spent the last week at a science conference in Colorado – check out the gorgeous views! While most people ski during the afternoon breaks at Keystone meetings, I decided against pushing my luck with my poor knee that has been acting up again when I jog. I did get to the top of one of the mountains though and went showshoeing with my labmates Joo and Chris.

The peaks were beautiful and the trek was challenging – between the hills and high altitude, I was struggling to catch my breath so it was an exhilarating workout. We also had fun checking out the Keystone village and outlet mall, and the foodie highlight was a tasty buffalo burger at one of the local pubs.

After eating out for so many days, the first thing I wanted to do today was make a nice healthy meal, but of course our fridge was empty and we ended up going out instead. I know what I would have made if all the ingredients had been around though – these delightful soba noodles!

I whipped up this dish a few weeks ago after our trip to HMart, where I scored the frozen buckwheat noodles and black sesame seeds. The soba noodles are addicting with the flavorful dressing and chunks of cucumber and red pepper, and the crispy chicken on top makes it a filling meal. I’m glad to be home and can’t wait to get back in the kitchen tomorrow now that we’ve restocked on groceries!

Sesame Chicken with Soba Noodles
Printable Recipe

Ingredients:

Sesame Chicken:
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
1 cup panko
1/4 cup white sesame seeds
1/4 cup black sesame seeds
2 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts, cut into thin strips

Soba Noodles:
1 pound soba noodles
1 English cucumber, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 tablespoon canola oil
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon honey
1 shallot, minced (1/4 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped

Directions:
To prepare the chicken, heat oven to 350˚F. Place flour and salt in a shallow dish and mix well. Place eggs in another shallow dish and mix well with a fork. Place panko and sesame seeds in a third shallow dish and mix well. Lightly dredge both sides of the chicken in the flour, then the egg, and then the sesame panko mixture until well covered. Place coated chicken strips in a 13×9-inch pan and bake at 350˚F for 10 minutes or until cooked through and no longer pink in the center.

Prepare soba noodles according to package directions, drain, and rinse with cold water. Place in a large bowl, along with the chopped cucumber and red pepper. Mix soy sauce, rice vinegar, canola oil, sesame oil, honey, shallot, garlic, and cilantro in a small bowl and mix well. Pour dressing over soba noodles and mix well. Even distribute noodles into bowls and top with chicken strips. Makes 6 servings. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Nutrition: 609 calories, 18.8g fat, 2.8g fiber, 36.3g protein per serving
Cost: $1.81 per serving

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