Brunch at the Continental in Philly

A few weekends ago my roommate calls me at work on Saturday and asks if I want to high tail it to Philly for the night?

Random, but of course I said yes!

So we got in the car, and drove 2 and a half hours.  We went out, and we drank and stayed at some little hotel called "The Rodeway Inn" (which actually was a lot nicer than it sounded.....LOL)

Sunday morning we awoke, hungry and hungover, and well what's better to do in that situation than BRUNCH?!  And so we bruncheddd, and it was GOOD :)

Nicole's friend took us to this little joint called "The Continental" which turned out to have one of the coolest menus I've ever seen. 

Please Please PLEASE check out this menu :)

The Continental-Midtown

It was simple, but developed. Familiar but with surprises!  It's everything would want from a "diner" type setting, but with a little twist.  It was perfect. 

With choices like "The Healthy Elvis" a sandwich composed of peanut-butter, nutella, and bananas on whole wheat bread, or "Lobster Mac and Cheese" which has Orzo pasta, Gruyere and Fontina cheese, French Onion soup dumplings, Tiramasu Waffles with marscapone cream and burbon syrup, Banana Fritters with butterscotch sauce, they even had a Chicken Biscut with onion bacon marmalade and sharp cheddar cheese!!!

Ok, I am seriously hungry now after revisiting this menu....I might have to drive to Philly.....


But wait, there's more......The small section at the bottom, the DRINK MENU, well THAT was my favorite!!


and that's what I want to talk about, Mainly the "Wake and Bacon Mary"
*Spicy bloody mary with BACON INFUSED tomato vodka, a lemon, a lime and a skewer full of big fat olives :)

what?!, how??!?!? bacon? vodka???!!!! bloody mary.....well I am hungover, so I'M SOLD.

it was amazing, it was perfection, it tasted like a BLT in a glass, but BETTER.



and as we ordered our round of wake and bacon's, we had to ask the waiter how they made this glass of wonderfulness?!
(the waiter by the way was the cutest, gayest lil' thang, skinny as a bean pole, and polite as a peach.  We offered to take him home with us to NY and he blushed LOL )
He told us in a twangy, mid western sounding accent that they infuse the vodka themselves and" all u need is some tomato vodka, a lil cooked bacon and a few days, and there ya go!"



I'm surprised that I have not tried this ye since I've been home, but I ASSURE you that I will soon.....







TO BE CONTINUED.....

Cold Quinoa Salad

yup, again with the quinoa......LOL, well if i keep posting recipes for fettuccine Alfredo, and vodka sauce baked ziti, i have to balance it out with something healthy or I'd just be giving you "the fat"
so here's the skinny:


We all TRY and bring lunch to work during the week so we don't senselessly spend $ on food that could better made at home.  Homemade lunch is usually healthier for you and MUUUCHHHHH cheaper, but as we all know, it's hard to please the palate when exploring the options of what to fill that lunch bag with. Sandwiches, leftovers, yogurts, fruits and veggies usually make the cut, but there are lots of other options to explore for your mid-day munch....

The other night I was in the pantry staring at what my possibilities were and I saw that bag of red quinoa that I had purchased about a month earlier from Table Local Market in Bedford.  I hadn't cracked it open yet and seeing it inspired me to put together a nice little cold salad for lunch for the next day

Here's what I came up with:

To make this salad you will need:
- 6 Tablespoons of olive oil
-1 Red onion diced
- 2 cloves of Garlic Minced
- 2 cups of cooked quinoa (I used red quinoa in this dish)
- 3 baby cucumbers diced (or you can use one regular, or a half an english cucumber)
-2 cups of quartered grape tomatoes
- 2 tablespoons of rice wine vinegar
- Cracked black pepper, salt, and Lawry's season salt or Adobe


In a pan add two tablespoons of olive oil and sautee half the red onion until golden brown, then add the garlic and cook for a few minutes.  Add the Quinoa and cook until heated through and add a little salt and pepper. 
Remove from the pan,  and let cool.

asemble the vinagrette while the quinoa is cooling:

add remaining olive oil and the two tablespoons of rice wine vinegar to a small bowl and the lawrys season salt & cracked black pepper, whisk to emulsify and set aside


Now to the cooled quinoa add the quartered grape tomatoes, remaining diced red onion and diced baby cucumbers, a little more salt and pepper to taste if needed and the rice wine vinagrette.



Chill until the next day and now you have a delicious healthy lunch option :)








BTW these are the baby cucumbers I used for this dish, they make an awesome snack on their own and how cute are they!!!!!

BRAND FIND: Vermont Bread Company

Now a days everyone is definitely becoming more and more concerned with eating healthy.  We are now more conscious of things like whether our food is "processed" or "organically grown", avoiding products  containing things like trans fat or high fructose corn syrup. 

Some of us even opt to shop at local farmers markets or heath food stores, and places like Mrs. Greens, Trader Joes, or Whole Foods where we know that extra care is taken into carrying produce, meats, poultry, fish and packaged items that are better for you, or clearly stating where the food has come from, letting the consumer make a more informed decision.

While these items may be more pricey on our wallets, they are definitely worth the extra $$ in the long run when thinking of the impact it may have on our health.

Now some of you may be thinking this all sounds a little funny coming from my mouth, being i am FAR from a health nut or a health conscious person.  Well you're right, i am far from that, BUT I do know a thing or two about food, and what is good for the body and what is not.....

One thing I've found is that when trying to make a better BREAD purchase, people are still purchasing breads with all sorts of hidden bad ingredients in them.


Read this article by WEBMD for a little more of what I'm talking about:Tips for buying BETTER BREAD

And now that you're a little more informed, I'd like to share with you my new favorite bread brand :)


Vermont Bread Company

I first found this in the bread aisle at the local A&P while browsing for a better loaf of wheat bread.  I stumbled on it amoungst the rows and rows of bread choices and gave it a once over.  Looked about right to me! It pretty much met all the criteria for a better bread purchase so I brought it home and gave it a go.  I even purchased the English Muffins they had as well.  In the link above you can check out all the different types that they sell and try em for yourself, they have quite a variety and it's good stuff! :)

Uses for Vodka Sauce: a twist on baked ziti and margarita pizza

Tired of the same old pizza or boring baked ziti?  I know,i know,  how dare i call baked ziti boring, it's one of the most beloved meals in my house and to me (being Italian and all) it has most of the major food groups cheese, pasta, MORE CHEESE and marinara sauce! what is better than that?!
But we can all admit that from time to time you do try and spice it up a little bit and add some different ingredients, like spinach,sweet peppers, breaded eggplant, leftover meats like sausage or meatballs.  One of my new twists that I like to do with a nice cheesy, filling tray of baked ziti is swap out the traditional marinara or red sauce for VODKA SAUCE :) sound good? You bet it is

I also have done this swap with some homemade margarita pizzas ( i cannot claim this idea as my own, i have to give credit to the pizzeria down the street from my apartment).  I went in one day and they had some slices on display and I inquired about one of the margarita slices that the sauce looked a little more pink than usual....
"what's the deal with this one?" i asked.
and that's when they laid it on me.....instead of the traditional fresh mozzarella, basil and tomato sauce they swapped out the dollops of marinara for vodka sauce!
I had to try it, and it was as good as it sounded!

So tonight i tried both, baked ziti and homemade pizzas making vodka sauce the star of the show. It ain't just for penne anymore!


To make vodka sauce at home you will need:

 3 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups of diced panchetta (i have found it whole and rolled in the A&P, but most of the time you find it pre-packaged already thinly sliced)
 3 garlic cloves, minced
1 shallot, minced
 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
 1/4 cup vodka
 1 tablespoon tomato paste
 1large Can of crushed tomatoes  (either a 35 ounce can or 4.5 cups of tomatoes)
 4 leaves of Basil, chopped
 Salt and freshly ground pepper
 1/4 cup heavy cream

-in a large saute pan add olive oil and panchetta, and cook until fat renders out and panchetta becomes crisp.  Remove crisp panchetta, but leave the fat in the pan.
-Add onions and shallots, cook until translucent
-Add garlic, cook until golden
-Add the red pepper flake letting the dried flakes come back to life in the hot oil
-De-glaze the pan with the vodka
-Add Tomato paste and cook down and stir for about an minute
-Now add the crushed tomatoes, basil, season with salt and pepper, bring to a boil then reduce heat down to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes or until sauce reduces by one cup.
-Add the cream and simmer for another 5 minutes
-Now add the reserved panchetta pieces and stir in


Now that you have your very own homemade vodka sauce you can add it to just about anything that you would use marinara to, for a nice little change in flavor :)



try it on your pizza:

Or in your baked ziti:

I also added caramelized onions to this batch of ziti, so delish :)





try these new ideas out!

eat and enjoy :)

*Chicken Chorizo Soup*

Chicken Chorizo Soup

You will Need:
1 Package of chorizo (usually a pork sausage, today I'm using Smoked Chicken Chorizo that I purchased from Table Local Market)- chopped into small bite size cubes
1 lb of boneless chicken breast and thighs  *optional
2 quarts of chicken stock
2 small cans of diced tomatoes with chilies
1 cans of diced tomatoes and juice
1 large Spanish onion- diced
1 red bell pepper- diced
1 green bell pepper- diced
5 cloves of garlic- minced
2 cups of baby Yukon gold potatoes- diced
1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed, we don't want the addd juice from the can in this soup)
1 tablespoon of Cholula hot sauce (adjust amount to desired spiciness)
1/8 teaspoon of red pepper flake *optional
1 cup of tomatillo sauce/salsa verde *optional
1/4 teaspoon of dried oregano or 1 tablespoon of  fresh oregano
1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme or 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon of dried cumin
2-4 tablespoons of olive oil
1 lime- zested and juiced
Salt and Pepper

Optional Toppings:
*Diced jalapeno
*Lime wedge
*Tortilla Strips (store bought or make your own by brushing corn tortilla rounds with vegetable oil and bake until crispy :)
*Crema/Sour Cream
*Queso Fresco, Shredded Monterrey Jack Cheese, Cheddar Cheese
*More Chorizo (if you save some to the side or make extra, the crispy pieces make a nice soup topper)
*Diced or Sliced Avocado
*Fresh Cilantro
*Diced Onions (white, yellow or red)
*Chopped Scallions

(you can pretty much top this soup with whatever your little heart desires! )


-in a nice large stock/soup pot heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil  on medium heat.
-*if using, Brown Chicken thighs and when cooked remove and set aside. 
-Then brown chorizo until pieces become dark golden brown and crispy, remove and set aside. 
-Add red pepper flake to oil in the bottom of the pan to let the heat bloom out of the dried flakes
-Add diced bell peppers and a pinch of salt -and begin to cook down for a few minutes. 
-Add chopped onion stir to mix for a few minutes
-Add minced garlic and another pinch of salt and cook down for about 5 minutes
-Add diced potatoes
-Add hot sauce and mix to combine and coat
-Add spices: oregano, thyme, cumin and stir
-Add all cans of diced tomatoes and keeeeeeep stirring
-If using leftover tomatillo sauce/salsa verde/or fresh red salsa you can also add that now (about 1.5 cups tops)
-Add lime zest and juice
-Add 2 quarts of chicken stock
-Add can of drained and rinsed black beans
-Shredded pieces of chicken that have been set aside and add back into the soup, also add pieces of chorizo as well
-Simmer on medium to medium low for 25-35 minutes or until potatoes have softened and the flavor in the soup has developed.

-While soup is simmering oil the corn tortilla rounds, cut into skinny strips and bake until crispy :)

When serving top individual bowls with optional toppings for added flavor :)

Finally Visited Table Local Market in Bedford Hills New York

So as some of you know, I recently moved from Ossining up to Bedford Hills New York.  It's a stones throw from the bustling Mount Kisco, and at first seemed a little too north for my taste.  I'm now starting to explore and have found myself "making friend"s with the area, and one of my most recent finds has made me fall a little more in love with my new residence.

I first came across Table Local Market on a web search of "food shopping Bedford Hills" on Google.

After Shoprite, "Table" was the second "hit" on the list, but I didn't go visit right away and then forgot about it for a couple of days until I came across it again on another food blog.

Check out this blog:   Westchester Eats: Table Local Market – - Fresh and Locally Innovative.

After arriving to Table Market, though small, I felt overwhelmed....I actually looked the store over a total of 4 times before picking out my purchases.


"You took four passes???" 


Yes, yes I did......
The place isn't even that big, but I wanted to make sure I didn't miss anything!

I settled on these items:
Some fresh Smoked Chicken Chorizo, 2 Bell Peppers, and Red Quinoa.  (I know, I know, there goes that quinoa again, I'm a little bit obsessed)

And my plans for these purchases? 

The Chorizo & Bell Peppers will be for a chorizo chicken soup, which I'll use some of my tomatillo sauce in the base so it doesn't go bad and to waste in my fridge.

and the Red Quinoa, well I'm sure I'll find another use for my new found friend.


To be continued..........

Quinoa and Ground Beef Stuffed Peppers

There's this quinoa again sneaking it's way into more of my recipes.....So the other day when I made quinoa for the first time, I made THE ENTIRE BOX.  I don't really know why, but it seemed like good idea at the time.  Well it was, because I've been finding many delicious uses for it. 

After enjoying a few Bud Light Limes on the Patio with my roommate this evening, I became hungry.  So I look in the fridge at the MANY leftovers that have accumulated over the past few days of cooking and blogging and I decide I want NONE OF IT.  Been there, done that, I want something new....

So I look over at a bowl on the kitchen counter full of some sweet peppers I bought the other day and I have the urge to make more stuffed peppers. 

This recipe re-uses two of my lunch ingredients, more quinoa and some more of that sliced Finlandia Swiss.  But like I said earlier I needed to use up all that quinoa!  And as for the Swiss, well I'm just a sucker for Swiss cheese ;)

They were REALLLLLLLLLLLY good, So please try this one :)

You will need:

6-8 sweet peppers (I had enough filling for about 7 peppers, some of the yellow & oranges run smaller than the reds, so try an assortment of peppers that are all about the same size)
2 Cups cooked quinoa
1 pound of ground beef
6 cloves of garlic- Minced
1 yellow onion- Diced
1/2 small red onion- Diced
1 to 2 cups of sweet peppers-Diced (You will get these from the tops that you cut off the sweet peppers, as to not waste any usable/cook-able peice of food, and to add more flavor, u'll wanna dice up these tops and throw them into the the stuffing mix)
4 Thick Slices (or 6-8 thin slices) of Swiss cheese- Diced
1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon of onion powder
5 Tablespoons of olive oil
2 Cups of stock (vegetable, chicken or beef, whatever u have on hand)
Salt & Pepper


And try this spicy mixture to top them:

4 Tablespoons of Ketchup
1 Tablespoon of sriracha hot sauce (try this stuff it's awesome! if you don't have it or don't want to buy it any hot sauce will do, Cholula or Tabasco.  And also adjust this amount if you prefer it more or less spicy)
1 teaspoon of Worcestershire Sauce


now for the HOW TO:

Prepare the peppers:
take the tops off the peppers with a serrated knife and cut about a quarter inch from the top.  Then flip the peppers over and CAREFULLY take a sliver off the bottom, so that the peppers will stand on their own in the pan.  Reserve the tops and bottoms to dice for the stuffing.  Remove all ribs and seeds and put to the side while you prepare the stuffing.


Prepare the stuffing:
In a saute pan, on medium-high heat, add two tablespoons of olive oil.  When olive oil is heated add the onions, and you wanna hear them sizzle!, you want them almost to caramelize. After about 3-5 minutes of cooking and sizzling and stirring, u can lower the heat to medium, add the garlic, and nice a big pinch of salt.  Cook for a few minutes and then add the diced sweet peppers and continue to cook, stirring every couple of minutes. When all the vegetables have softened, then you can add the cooked quinoa, stir until heated through, remove from pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add the ground beef, onion and garlic powder, a nice pinch of salt and 6-8 grinds of fresh cracked pepper.   When beef is browned then add the onion, garlic, pepper, and quinoa mixture back to the pan.  Stir and combine until reheated through and flavors mix.

Remove from heat, set aside and let cool.  You can also pre-heat the oven at this time to 375 degrees.

Prepare the topping:
In a small/medium bowl add ketchup, Worcestershire, and hot sauce and whisk to combine




*Before stuffing the peppers, take the cooled mixture and add the diced Swiss cheese making sure it becomes evenly distributed throughout the stuffing and at this time taste again for seasoning (if needed add more s&p)


Now you can assemble the peppers :)

Take a large spoon and fill each pepper, don't pack them too tightly or they might cause the peppers to tear while cooking but add enough so that they are filled to the top.

Add a half a tablespoonful of olive oil to each filled pepper so that they don't dry out while cooking.

Then cover each pepper with the ketchup mixture (this topping is similar to what you would top a savory meatloaf with but just with some kick)

When peppers are filled and topped you can assemble them in a roasting or casserole pan.  When peppers are assembled in the pan, you can add the stock to the bottom of the pan, this will help the peppers steam while in the oven. 

Cover the pan with aluminum foil and pop 'em in the oven :)
Set the timer for 1 hour and when the time gets to 30 minutes take the foil off and continue to bake uncovered and raise the temperature to 415 degrees. 


You will know peppers are done when they are fork tender, but you still want them to have a little firmness to them, well at least I do, I don't like a soggy pepper, LOL.


These peppers are very filling and a great option for lunch, especially if your trying to covert from ordering out at work.  They're healthy and pretty much a meal in themselves, and they travels well in Tupperware.

Try this recipe, eat & enjoy! ;)