Pistachio Macaroons - Mike's Pastry, Boston

A few years ago, I discovered what may be the best cookie I'll ever eat.

Mike's Pastry is an extremely popular bakery in Boston's North End (the line runs out the door after dinner on the weekends). While they have great cannolis, impressive butter cookies, and beautiful marzipan items, their pistachio macaroons are a hidden gem.

Some may find them a little too sweet or too rich (two things I've never experienced), but these things are amazing. They are covered in powdered sugar, the outside is just barely crunchy, the inside is chewy, almond-infused, and spotted with pistachios. Next time you're grabbing a cannoli, make sure you pick up a few of these cookies as well.

What's for breakfast, Daddy?

Late-Night Dinner

If you're like me, you'll frequently find yourself hungry around 10PM, ready for dinner, but lacking one key ingredient: motivation. After a busy day of doing whatever it is that you do, who wants to cook? Sure... you've heard of folks who write up a menu and go shopping on Sunday night for the whole week... but where's the challenge in that?

When I'm faced with this problem, here's my solution:

Step 1: Fry two eggs in a nonstick pan with Pam. I like to break the yolks and leave them just a touch runny. Meanwhile...








Step 2: Make some toast, or better yet, toast an english muffin. Slice the fried egg in half. Stick a butter knife under the center of the egg and fold it in half, yolk-side out. Put this on top of your toast or english muffin.







Step 3: Top with salsa. I happen to like Newman's Own Black Bean and Corn salsa (which I happen to NOT like on chips) for this purpose. Additionally, I add some jalapeño peppers. Eat it open-face style.





Do you have any ideas for the quick, late-night dinners?

Pickles Rule ~ Olives Drool

I've gone ahead and said it, Pickles Rule. As far as my immature follow up comment, in 4 decades I have only met one olive that I have said "mmm, wow" over. Don't get me wrong, I highly respect Olive Lovers, anyone who can eat them in bulk gets a high rating in my book. But the title comment still stands.

I consider myself an amateur connoisseur of pickles... being raised in Central New Jersey, the land of bountiful diners and Eastern European immigrants, pickles are as common an accompaniment as a napkin or fork to a well balanced lunch. As a kid, I used to love getting a pickle out of the barrel at the Square Deli. Deli pickles are supreme - they have that amazing combination of girth and crunch.

I found this list of pickles from Wikipedia most fascinating... Types of Pickles: Gherkin, Kosher dill, Polish, Lime, Bread and Butter, and Swedish. I'm sure that everyone has their favorite "flavor" of pickle. Under the right circumstances, I won't turn down a gherkin or snub a bread and butter pickle. I think all pickles are created equal, although I'm more partial to the savory garlic variety. I MUST have relish on my hot dog (blog entry on hot dogs to come some time soon), but what really moves the brine-o-meter for me is the consistency of the pickle.

The crunchy refrigerated pickle is the bomb - everything from the snap of the bite to the full texture it has when you chew it. I have a fondness for 'fresh' pickles, ones that are just past being a cucumber with a strong hint of pickle - like a cute little baby, it's innocent and new. Nothing is worse than a bendy pickle, or one of those communal food service pickles - it's sacriledge to have taken the life of a cucumber for such a horrible end.

Share your favorite type of pickle here!

Sharing Pregnancy Cravings

So the big news is out - yes the 'She Said' blogger is pregnant - 26 weeks and sure looking like it. One of the most exciting parts about being pregnant and contributing to a food blog was the anticipation of those insane cravings! Maybe it's an "only time will tell" thing, but I'm sorely disappointed at this stage... I was expecting pickles and pez, or whipped cream on tacos. I've had only a few cravings - but I will share nonetheless my three noteworthy food fests to date.

The most NORMAL one is CORNBREAD.
I craved it enough to make my own muffins (first batch used the coarse grain corn meal - don't do that!) a few times. I've even begged an official southerner for a real cornbread recipe. I think I've eaten more cornbread in the past two months than in my lifetime so far. It's currently my favorite food in bulk.

The most OPPOSITE one to my normal palette is BBQ.
For some reason, I really don't care to order much BBQ ever. Today was a banner day... driving to work 8am craving BBQ. That is not me at all... that is clearly a small child talking through me, or a large tumor in my brain (hopefully the former of the two). The best part is I got BBQ for lunch today, with a side of cornbread.

The STRANGEST craving so far is not so much the choice of food, but the temperature of it. While driving home one evening, I had this insane need for CHILLED YODELS. Not room temp, not frozen, but chilled. There is something about the cool creamy filling wrapped around the thin yodel cake, enrobed in a crisp but thin chocolate layer. Heaven.

After reading the most recent blog entry about Flip Flop waffles, I might have to try those on the new waffle iron my husband got for Christmas. I don't even LIKE waffles... but I bet the baby does. Stay tuned!

Homemade Flip Flop Waffles

Breakfast during the week in our house is definitely a challenge. Trying to get the kids off to school in the morning, speed sometimes trumps nutrition. Breakfast options are frequently Pop Tarts, sugar cereals, mini bagels and a family favorite: Flip Flop Waffles.

On weekends, we generally have more time to make breakfasts. Unfortunately, my kids have come to expect the likes of S'mores Pop Tarts, Cookie Crisp Cereal and of course, Flip Flop Waffles. I've therefore developed a technique for making Flip Flop waffles at home. Additionally, I've taken it a step further to satisfy my pancake-loving daughter, Carly.



The steps are pretty simple. Follow the usual recipe for pancakes/waffles on the back of the box of pancake mix (I use the the Original pancake mix, rather than the just-add-water one. Occasionally, I'll make the mix from scratch).







After mixing up the batter, split it into two equal parts. To one half, add some vanilla extract. To the other half, add cocoa powder.





Mix up the two halves of the batter. Use quarter-cup measuring cups to create pancakes and waffles that are half vanilla and half chocolate. Cook as usual and enjoy!

Build-Your-Own

When it comes to eating food with utensils, I believe there's a natural progression of preferred utensil usage:

• Plastic Utensils - These things are evil. Not only are the cheap ones manufactured in a way that actually can cut your mouth, but they can ruin a dining experience. It's well worth the effort to take a dirty fork from the dishwasher and wash it by hand.
• Fork and Knife - There are many fine meals that require a fork and knife, but I like to be able to just dig in. I can't be bothered... all the effort detracts from the stuffing of the pie hole.
• Fork - Now, we're getting somewhere. Lots of foods can be eaten with just a fork, think Indian Food (already in bite-sized pieces), Jambalaya, Paella, etc...
• Spoon - Somehow the experience of eating with a spoon is preferable to a fork -- soups, chili, yum!
• Hands - I'm embarrassed to say that I love eating with my hands. Somehow the food actually tastes better when you're going directly from hand to mouth. In the comforts of home, there are many foods (some that you would not expect) that can be enjoyed with your hands.
• Build Your Own - Then there's the concept of the build-your-own foods. These are food that you put together (usually with your hands) at the table just before eating them. Somehow putting the ingredients together and stuffing your face makes the eating experience more rewarding.

Maybe my favorite of the build-your-own dishes is Bahn Hoi. If you've ever eaten at a Vietnamese restaurant, you've probably tried those fantastic rice paper roll appetizers (not fried). Often you can order a dish, sometimes called Bahn Hoi, which requires the building of your own rolls. Usually the dish comes with: rice papers, vermicelli noodles, nuac chom sauce, fresh Thai basil, cucumbers, lettuce, pickled cabbage and carrots, and meat (I like lemongrass beef).





Building the rolls themselves can be a bit of a pain, but is quite rewarding. First, you will need a bowl with warm water to be used to soften the rice papers. Dip the rice paper in the warm water, covering it completely. Let the paper sit on your plate as it softens. Then add the rest of the ingredients, pour on some nuac chom and enjoy -- eating with your hands, of course.



Here are some other yummy build-your-own foods:

Bahn Hio and Pho - Vietnamese
Moo Shu/Shi and Peking Duck - Chinese
Korean BarBQ - Korean
Shabu Shabu - Japanese
Fajitas - Mexican.... errr not really Mexican
Fondue - Swiss (see Dawn's earlier posting)