Roasted Garlic Parmesan Potatoes

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4–6

3 russet potatoes, sliced
4 tablespoons olive oil
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon paprika
½ cup parmesan cheese, shredded
Parsley, chopped


PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 400˚F/200˚C.
2. Place the potatoes in a large bowl. Drizzle olive oil and toss to coat.
3. In a small bowl, mix salt, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Sprinkle seasoning on potatoes and toss to coat.
4. Spread the potatoes on a baking sheet. Bake for 30 minutes, remove from the oven, sprinkle with parmesan and pepper, then bake for an additional 20 minutes.
5. Sprinkle potatoes with fresh parsley and serve while hot.
6. Enjoy!

Mac ‘n’ Cheese Breadsticks

Makes 8

INGREDIENTS

1 frozen macaroni and cheese dinner
1 tube of premade pizza dough
Olive oil
Parmesan cheese
Italian seasoning


PREPARATION

1. Preheat oven to 400°F/200˚C.
2. Grease a foil-lined baking sheet with cooking spray.
3. Remove macaroni and cheese (still frozen) from the packaging. Using a sharp knife, carefully cut into 8 equal-sized sticks.
4. Unroll pizza dough. Using a pizza cutter, cut into 8 strips.
5. Working quickly, wrap each mac and cheese stick with pizza dough, making sure not to leave any parts uncovered, and place onto greased baking sheet.
6. Brush each with olive oil, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and Italian seasoning
7. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until dough is cooked and golden brown.
8. Remove from oven, allow to cool slightly.
9. Enjoy!

Easy Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo

RECIPE:

SERVES: 2 

Ingredients:
- 2 medium white potatoes
- 1/4 white onion
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning (a blend of basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme, and black pepper)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- 2-4 cloves of garlic
- 1 tsp salt
- 12 oz fettuccine pasta
Boil 4 cups of water in a small pot. Peel and chop the potatoes into 1/2 inch cubes. Cut a quarter of an onion into cubes, and combine with potato in the pot. Boil for 10 minutes, or until soft. Begin cooking 12 oz of fettuccine pasta in a separate pot. In a blender, combine 1/2 cup raw cashews with 1 cup of the water used to boil the veggies. Add the veggies, garlic, salt, lemon juice, and seasonings. Blend until creamy. Add more of the boiling water if the mixture is too thick. Add more salt to taste.

Tip: adding 1 tsp of nutritional yeast, and 1/4 tsp truffle oil will really make this dish pop with cheesy flavor!
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Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta, serve and enjoy!

Parm

One night after helping Mrs. Green M&M and Mr. HP Sauce move, Mr. M&P and I were ravenous. It was still early in the night so we decided to see if we could score a table at the ever so popular Parm. There was a bit of a wait but we were in no rush. So when we got seated, we kind of ordered with our eyes while our stomachs gurgled in hunger.

We started off the night with the Pizza Knots ($5) which were like garlic knots but with sauce and cheese. These were quite tasty but didn't blow my mind. I wouldn't mind order them again but only when I'm craving them.

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Marta

When I asked Dessert Zombie what he wanted to do for this birthday, he didn't hesitate about Marta. This new Danny Meyer establishment has been getting wonderful reviews. What can I say? That man really knows how to run a restaurant. No wonder he's consider the king of New York.

Unfortunately we waited a bit for our table as the guests before us took their time. But once we were seated, the waitress apologized and we were on our way to some delicious food. We started off by sharing a bunch of appetizers like the croquetti di patate e salame ($7) which were just okay. Sure the outside was crispy and the inside was a mix of creamy potatoes, scallions, and soppresata but I've had better. It wasn't bad but certainly didn't shine like the other dishes we chose that night.

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Peasant

For Mr. Peanut Head's birthday, we went to Peasant. He's never been there before but several of us have. It's an oldie but a goodie. Solid Italian food with bold flavors. We sat as a fairly large group so I didn't take pictures of everything. I mainly focused on my own dishes and Mr. M&P's.

To start, Mr. M&P had the Pizza Bianca ($16) which was a white pizza with mozzarella, ricotta, and parmigiano reggiano and in season fava beans. This was fantastic. While I enjoyed the three cheeses, I really thought the fava beans took the pizza to another level adding both mouth pleasing flavor and texture to the dish.

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Barchetta

For Ms. Lollipop's birthday, we went to Barchetta. She is known to love seafood both raw and cooked. Barchetta is David Pasternack's new seafood place. It opened with mixed reviews but we wanted to go and judge ourselves. The space is open, bright, and modern. They didn't change much from the previous restaurant (La Promenade des Anglais) so we recognized it right away.

Due to lighting and our larger group, it was difficult to take pictures of other people's dishes. So I only took my own and the birthday girl's food.



To start, I had the Calamari alla Piastra ($16) which was grilled whole squid with red hot pepper and arugula salad. The squid was cooked nicely and I enjoyed it being left whole with tentacles and all. Inside, they left the ink sack as well so it became a sauce. I enjoyed this and was the perfect amount of food to start the night.

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Salumeria Rosi: La Salumeria

A few months ago, Dr. Mandoo and I went to see Chef Mario Battali, Chef Michael White, and Chef Andrew Carmellini speak about their experiences with Italian cuisine and NYC. It was interesting to hear about their different stories, opinions, and results.

After the event, we headed uptown for some dinner at Salumeria Rosi. What's better than hearing a bunch of well regarded chefs talk about food then go eat that food later on? Nothing.



The nice thing about this location of Salumeria Rosi is that their menu is designed to share. So we picked a few things to graze and snack on while we chatted the night away. First, the charcuterie board ($18) with prosciutto, mortadella, salami, coppa, and other fine cured meats. We really enjoyed the variety of fatty slices of meat.

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Marea

It has been too long since I've last been to Marea. As a big fan of Chef Michael White's restaurants, I really should revisit many of his establishments. The problem is that he keeps opening up more places! How can I balance it all out?

A few months ago, my family and I went out to Marea to celebrate the boys' birthdays as well as Mother's Day. It was an all in one celebration! And was I excited when we decided to go to Marea? Oh heck yes!



The decor remains were beautiful as ever while the tone of the restaurant was bustling with conversation. Service was smooth and attentive as usual. And now the food. The meal started with an amuse bouche of smoked trout and marscapone cheese profiteroles. Little bites of smokey, creamy fish. It tasted rich and lightly of the sea. A really nice savory start to the meal.

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Scarpetta

For our Anniversary this year, Mr. M&P and I toned it down a bit. We had our Spain trip coming up in a week and didn't want to blow too much money now. So we met somewhere in the middle for price and ate at Scarpetta. This Italian restaurant made famous by Scott Conant sits in Chelsea among the other trendy places.

We arrive on time for our reservation and are sat quickly. We ordered some wine then their famous bread basket comes to the table. This is no ordinary bread. They serve meat stuffed bread here for free. Yes, for free. Devour away.

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Perla

Date night in the city with Mr. M&P. We didn't want to spend too much money nor did we want to do something too casual. So we met halfway and went to Perla. We sat at the bar so that we would watch the staff work behind the counter and prep food.

After we sat down and ordered, they brought over some amuse bouche to star. It was homemade ricotta cheese with honey on top. A nice light taste to start to meal.

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Cooking: Oxtail Ragu

Well now that I have started blogging again, I decided to continue with my last real post. Yes, it was the dinner party that I had. You may ask why since I've already posted about it. Well, truth is, I was really proud of that meal. I tried a recipe that I've never attempted before (oxtail ragu) and it was very successful. So I wanted to show you, my readers, how to make it too. It's a fairly easy dish but just time consuming. But don't fret, it is well worth it.

And this is a really good party dish. Not only does it make a lot of food, it also works well being cooked ahead of time then being reheated when you're ready to serve.

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Dinner Party: Italian

Sit down dinner parties make me really happy. So when I host a small group of people, I try to use them as guinea pigs for new recipes that I've been eyeing.

But before all the fancy forks and knives, there's appetizers. Since we were hosting all day, we decided to put out a spread that people can casually snack on.

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The Marrow

When a friend decides to move and leave for greener pastures, it's a sad time. I never want to see anyone go. But I always like to do a last hurrah. And for this dear friend, we went to The Marrow. This Harold Dieterle restaurant in the West Village boast both contemporary German and Italian food. And ode to his heritage and the food behind it.

We started with the bone marrow ($17) with sea urchin, fried potatoes, meyer lemon aioli, and baby celery greens. A fat boasting marrow with briny globs of sea urchin schmeared on some toasted bread. I'm a fan of both marrow and sea urchin but the latter was overpowered by other other strong flavors. The delicate flavors of the ocean was muted although the texture did lend a nice creaminess to the dish without adding more fat.

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Due Mari

I told you I was conquering the rest of Chef Michael White's restaurants for my birthday this year, didn't I? Well to remind you, I went to Costata and Ristorante Morini. Due Mari is the last restaurant to cross off the list. After this, I can proudly say I've been to all of his restaurants! How's that for a fan following? You're probably tiring of hearing me say how much I love this cooking. I'm probably sounding like Charlie Brown's teacher at this point. Buuuuut, before I begin my review, I would like to mention that Due Mari does a 4-course prix fixe meal for $58. That's a steal compared to the prices in NYC. We ordered a la carte at Due Mari but would definitely opt for the prix fixe with a smaller group. So, enough with the yapping, onto the food porn!

To start, we shared a bunch of appetizers like the arancini ($6) which came with 5 generous orbs of risotto balls in pomodoro sauce. Crispy fried breaded crust and creamy filling. Perfect for a group.

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Ristorante Morini

It is no secret that I really enjoy Chef Michael White's restaurants. In fact, I like them so much that I made it a point to visit all of them. And so for my own birthday this year, I decided to go to the rest of the Michael White's restaurants. You know, the ones that he's recently opened and the ones that are not easy to reach (meaning the NJ ones). So for the first Michael White, I went to Costata with my sister and her husband which was a fine meal. But when I went to Ristorini Morini with The Feisty Foodie and Dessert Zombie, I was graced with an even more fabulous meal. It was a meal that brought me back to wonderful Convivio which I had loved so much.

But enough about my love for this mid western chef's food. You're here for the food. But before I start, I would like to mention that we all did the $84 4-course menu but the prices I show below are for the a la carte. And so here are the starters. I had the Capesante ($26, +$6 supplement) which had seared sea scallops, hen of the wood mushrooms, black truffle, and butternut squash puree. Delicious! Sweet tender large scallops with earthy mushrooms, sweet squash, and funky truffles. It was a really great start to a meal. Light yet flavorful.

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Barbuto

Months ago, a bunch of us FBM friends went out to celebrate our dear KC's birthday. She always wanted to try Barbuto but never had the chance. So why would we and not help make that birthday wish come true?

The great thing about Barbuto is that it's a casual restaurant but the place feels fancier. The cool neighborhood decor with lots of windows and the open kitchen are all key. And now the food. Oh my! What can I say about the food? If you don't know about Chef Jonathon Waxman, then you're missing out on something. He's often described as a Jedi with a cool, laid back approach to food. Food can be comforting and delicious if it's sourced well and cooked well. No fancy tricks here. Just good food.



So after our dear KC scared the waiter with her Human Centipede scarf, we ordered a bunch of appetizers to share, and then entrees for ourselves. First, the calamari fritti ($15) with lightly battered squid tossed with frisee salad, chilis, and olive dressing. Fried calamari can often times be very heavy but not this dish. Nope. In fact, it was light, tender, and flavorful. Even though we were in the dead of wintry weather hell, this dish kept it interesting with the heat. This dish is very versatile. It can definitely be served in warmer weather. A good all season plate.

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