Chocolate Delight

When I think about dessert, I think chocolate. And some of the best chocolate I've ever had has come from a chocolatier named J. Dorian. He has a little shop in North Dallas, and when I originally discovered him, he only offered chocolate candies like truffles and chocolate-dipped corn flakes. Now he has taken chocolate to the next level: cupcakes! So delicious. The cake was moist and tasty, and the icing was sweet and buttery. This is the real thing.

Some Grub from The Shed

What I really love about Texas? Chicken fried steak. Preferably served with mashed potatoes and cream gravy in a little backwoods or small town country cooking shack. Some pinto beans on the side don't hurt either. Luckily I currently live within 20 miles of several such restaurants. The Shed Cafe is one I most recently found, and it's located in Edom, Texas, way off the main track. Southern specialties are served up daily, and the pies are fabulous. It was even featured in D Magazine for its delicious food. Good home cooking doesn't get much better than this.

Cinco de Mayo Part 2

Yes, I went back to Cinco de Mayo. About a million times. But this was my last visit. And I am sad. But I'm going back to Texas, so I can have Mexican food every day, not just once a week. I'll still miss my little Mexican place though.

A Guatemalan Lunch

Today I went with a friend to a Guatemalan restaurant in Union City, NJ. I don't remember the name, but it was a small storefront, with a bakery rack near the door, and some seating on the side. It was pretty chilly inside, but the food was fabulous.

First I had a mango shake, which is mango and milk frothed together in a blender. Like a milkshake, but no ice cream. For an appetizer we had some masa rounds with tomato, ground beef, and white cheese on top. For lunch I tried two different kinds of tamal, one with pork inside, the other just masa with some green herb. I also ordered a guacamole tostada because I'm a glutton. YUM!

Cinco de Mayo

Yes, I know it's not really Cinco de Mayo, the fifth of May, but I found a fabulous Mexican restaurant with that name. Okay, so maybe my coworker Betty found it and told me about it. But still, I just experienced it!

This place is a tiny little restaurant, longer than it is wide, and mostly bar seating. The kitchen is just on the other side of your eating bar, so you get to watch the owner cook up all of your goodies, fresh and fast. And boy are they delicious. Above are my taquitos. And yes, I am addicted. Mexican food is like crack.

Paella at Iberia

Last night I went with a friend to a Spanish restaurant called Iberia Tavern & Restaurant in Newark, NJ. It was a wood-beamed restaurant with Spanish flags and heavy wooden tables with low lighting. Cozy and inviting.

For an appetizer we got shrimp in garlic sauce and some Portuguese broiled sausage. Sangria to drink. I could have just eaten that for dinner. For my main dish, I ordered paella. Little did I know that I had ordered enough paella for four people. It came in a cast iron pot, with clams, mussels, shrimp, scallops, and a whole lobster. It was delicious, but I had to take most of it home. The picture is from tonight, when I had it for dinner again.

Daring Cooks: Chinese Dumplings

This month's Daring Cooks challenge was chosen by Jen from use real butter, and she chose to have us make Chinese dumplings from scratch, including the wrappers. Originally I wanted to do a clear dumpling, like har gow or chive dumplings, but for some reason, every time I tried to make the dough, it turned into sludge. I followed the same recipe I have used successfully in the past, but when I added the water, it didn't make a dough, but a watery mess. I still have no idea what went wrong, but after three tries, I decided to make something else.

For the challenge I ended up making a traditional flour wrapper. Unfortunately, I had a filling for a clear wrapper, so the dumplings tasted a little odd, but they still turned out. I have to say, after all of the work, I think the frozen wrappers at the Chinese grocery are worth the money. My wrappers seemed thick (even though you could almost see through them) and tough. I'm not a fan, but it was definitely an interesting experience.

Pie for Research (But Mostly Dessert)

How spoiled am I? My friend just got back from a hiking trip in Maine, and she brought back a beautiful blueberry pie from Bartley's Dockside in Kennebunkport. They have the best blueberry pies ever. I wanted a slice for research purposes since I'm planning my own wild blueberry pie using frozen wild Maine blueberries, but of course I just spent the whole time moaning in ecstasy. It was perfect hot with a scoop of Haagen Dazs Five Vanilla Bean ice cream.

Fruits of the Season

As part of my new effort to not eat preservatives, strange chemicals, and things I can't spell or pronounce, I have started canning my own food. Since apricots and California cherries were on sale this week, they were the first things to make it into a jar. I pulled my recipes from an amazingly simple cookbook called the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. The two recipes I made were the Sweet Cherry Jam (with all suggested additions, including amaretto liquor) and the Brandied Apricot Preserves. And yes, I love liquor in my food. I've got to admit, from what I tasted while filling my little jars, these recipes turn out some pretty fabulous jams and jellies. Next up is Carrot Cake Jam and possibly some Blueberry Butter? And no, that's not butter as in cow's milk, but butter as in a smooth fruit spread. Yummy!

Sushi on a Conveyor Belt

Ever had sushi off of a conveyor belt? It's called kaiten sushi, and for my birthday my friend took me to a place called East. The restaurant is owned by Japanese, and the sushi goes around a central sushi bar on a conveyor belt. You have to pay attention to what's going by and be quick enough to grab anything that looks good. Everything is priced by the plate, and each plate is color coded for the price.

Tonight the conveyor belt was packed with dishes, and everything seemed pretty standard. I had some eel and salmon nigiri sushi, a Philadelphia roll, spicy scallops, and spicy crawfish. Only one thing I picked up surprised me: it was a spicy roll of some sort, and the chili oil burned its way down my throat. Water did nothing to stop the pain, and it took two more plates of sushi before I was able to taste again. I'm not sure what I ate, but I hope I never pick it again! The dangers of the conveyor belt system...