Tag Archives: dinner

Pop on Over

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Happy New Year! Hope 2015 is treating you all well!

I’m not sure if there is any place better than New York during the holidays. Ever since I was little my parents would take my brother and I to Manhattan to soak in all the sites and eats of one of the greatest cities…such great memories!!! That tradition has not stopped and we continue to frequent the city as often as possible. In fact, my mom’s gift of choice are tickets to the theater, so this year for Christmas we got her, what else? tickets to a show and spend the weekend in Manhattan!!

Love My City!

Love My City!

So, naturally, my job was to pick where we would be having dinner. The dining options in NYC are endless, and I am not even close to trying all the city has to offer. I have some favorites that we frequent, but I decided to look through my list of places on my “must eat in NYC” list to try something new and stumbled upon BLT Steak. I had added this restaurant after seeing a segment on Best Thing I Ever Ate when Tyler Florence mentioned their amazingly, delicious Popovers that they bring to your table along with a cute tag that has the recipe!! Reservations, check!!!

Let me first start off by saying that not only was the food absolutely delicious, but the staff made the experience truly the most memorable dinning experience I’ve ever had, ever! period. From the minute we walked in the door we were greeted with such warmth and hospitality that I felt like I was dining at a friends house.

Once we placed the order for our entrees, my eyes quickly darted to a tray of these beautiful, flaky, piping hot, Pop Overs which were being placed on the table with butter and the cutest salt shaker…OMG…you guys…you need these in your life!!! Better than any bread basket…and it comes with the recipe!!! amazing…Tyler Florence knows what’s up!

Popovers...comin' in hot!!

Popovers…comin’ in hot!!

We then had the beet salad with gorgonzola and apples, which was light and delicious!

Beet Salad

Beet Salad

For our entrees, I ordered the branzino, which was fabulous, mom had the hanger steak, the meat was so incredibly flavorful, and dad ordered short ribs, which were fork tender. The side dishes were equally as yummy — The mashed potatoes are out of this world!! The Mac and Cheese was a special and I probably could have had about 7 more orders of it, and I know you are thinking that mushrooms sound boring, but oh no, not these! They were meaty and flavorful and the perfect side dish to accompany the meal.

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Branzino

Hanger Steak

Prime Hanger Steak

Short Ribs

Braised Short Ribs

Side dishes: Mac and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, and Mushrooms.

Side dishes: Mac and Cheese, Mashed Potatoes, and Mushrooms.

Even though our bellies were so full, we knew we had to order some desserts. After chatting with the general manger, he made some recommendations. We are dessert people after all! We were delighted to be presented with three desserts that were the best possible way to end a fabulous meal — A Peanut Butter Mousse with Banana Ice Cream, Carrot Cake, and Doughnuts!! You guys, I didn’t even know where to start…one dessert was better than the next!

Carrot Cake

Carrot Cake

Donuts with Coffee Ice Cream and Peanut Butter Mousse with Banana Gelato!!!!!

Donuts with Coffee Ice Cream and Peanut Butter Mousse with Banana Gelato!!!!!

Please do yourself a favor and put this on your list of places to dine at the next time you find yourself in the city! I promise you will not be disappointed with the food or the service! Happy Eating!

With love and sugar, Kristen xo.

PS- I went and bought a Pop Over pan over the weekend!! I’ll let you know when I try making them myself! =)

Quinoa Salad with Miso Broccoli

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Happy Friday!!! Things have been pretty busy over here, but I can happily say that I’m back with lots of recipes and new things to share. The past few weeks have been filled with spending time with my family and friends and lots of school work, but things are finally slowing down (for now ha!) and with spring break next week, well, this teacher is VERY happy. I have lots planned, but I’ll fill you in on all that throughout the week…

As much as I like to indulge and eat sweet treats, I like to eat and cook healthy a majority of the time. Most of the recipes I have posted so far have been, well, desserts but I do not eat them every day (even though I probably could!) Now, don’t get me wrong…I think eating healthy can be indulgent and has been an important life style change in my family. My dad has type 2 diabetes and both my parents had heart attacks so needless to say, we’ve had to change how we eat on a regular basis. Everything in moderation and balance has always been my way of thinking. (Disclaimer: I am not a registered dietitian nor a nutritionist, just my own personal ideas)  I never deprive myself of anything because I love food too much, but am always mindful and watch my portions. Within the past few years my mom has been going on an off diets, and I’m usually the one who helps prepare the food for her. From South Beach to the currently popular Paleo diet my mom has really done it all. My mom has never really had a weight problem, but now being in her 50’s she has realized that you can no longer eat the same way you did in your 20s,30s, and 40s.

She’s a big fan of Dr.Oz and often asks me to go online and print recipes from his website to try. I happily oblige and sometimes they’re winners and sometimes we never make the recipe again. The one she had me make a few weeks ago was a home run! It was a Quinoa Salad with Miso Broccoli. It was really meant to be a meatless dish, but I decided to sauté some chicken strips and toss it through since we were eating it for dinner. If I was making it for lunch, I might decide to omit the chicken. I know you must be dying for the recipe so I won’t keep you waiting any longer…

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Why not throw some Chinese noodles on top for some crunch?

Quinoa Salad and Miso Broccoli

Ingredients
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp white miso
2 tbsp rice vinegar
2 cups cooked quinoa
3 cups steamed broccoli florets, roughly chopped
2 cups baby arugula
1⁄4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1⁄4 tsp salt

Directions
To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, miso and rice vinegar. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the quinoa, broccoli, arugula and sunflower seeds. Add the dressing and the salt. Toss gently until combined.

http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/quinoa-salad-and-miso-broccoli

*** If you want to add the chicken like I did, all I did was cut up a few chicken breasts into strips, sauté them in a teaspoon or two of sesame oil and add some soy sauce. Toss it with the quinoa salad and you’re good to go!  Enjoy! =)