baked goods for toady and tomorrow

Tonight I am making gluten free mini cheesecakes with a ginger snap crust (cookies bought from whole foods) I will make the crust myself, and put berries on top.  Then I am making mini sweet potato pecan pies and mac and cheese.  I'll try to remember to photograph but my hands are always full. 



Love Life.

apologies

I have not written on here in a long time and there are no pretty pictures like I promised before... bah humbug. Life just crept right up on me there.

Well on Father's Day, I cooked up a storm [I don't have any pictures of these either... surprise!] The best thing I made was pecan shortbread, next was the potato salad, then I made these citrus bars [lemon, orange, lime] with graham cracka crust, mini quiches, mini cheesecakes with berries and a graham cracker crust, banana bread, applesauce, and blueberry muffins. I was a busy busy girl, it took me a few hours to bake all of that stuff, I did the pecan shortbread on sunday. we actually forgot to get the pecans, after a long winded conversation about what size to get, the back and forth confused me, so i guess i forgot to get a bag of pecans. bah. it was ok, we were going in the neighborhood anyways.

All of this baking makes me think about my dream job: baker! ha! so now everyone i meet who has tried my baked goods, I am offering them a deal: if they buy me a bakery, i will bake all day long; it would be like it was perpetually sunday - beautiful. i'm a hell of a baker, i don't know how or why, but it just comes natural i guess. years of practice i guess. i love wingin a recipe, those always come out the best.

win win win

You could win a hand mixer and a cookbook, that's a sweet deal!

Devil's Alley

So after working my full time job at the flower shop I went to work at my part time job helping a lady with accounting stuff - mostly adding stuff. So my friend calls me and wants to hang out but we want food and there is some fashion show at Camac where the love of my life, Dave, works, but we didn't go there, we went to Devil's Alley, and I apologize in advance I have no pictures for this post, but I assure you, the food was quite good.

We were upstairs near the open doors, it was a nice night, there's a huge tree in the middle of the bar upstairs and lots of plants all around. Our server was very patient with us, because, well, we were a bunch of messed up kids by this point. I ordered a strawberry lemonade (I don't remember what was in it, I think vodka and some strawberry stuff and lemonade? I know it was sweet and tasted like a strawberry lemonade but got me drunk, those could be a "problem drink" because it tastes like candy), which was delicious!! For food, our table ordered 1/2 rack of ribs (comes with 2 sides, looked good, she ordered dry rub and ordered extra bbq sauce, she said she was craving them all day, so i bet they are awesome), pulled pork sandwich (came on a brioche-ish bun with cheddar, fries, and cole slaw, looked really good as well), cobb salad (was enormous! he ordered it with no bleu cheese and ranch dressing, it looked really good, and our waiter said that was the "good" way to order it, and i found out that dave does not like avocado or raw yolks, or raw tomatoes that are not cut in small pieces, i learn new things everyday!), turkey cubano (girlled on wheat bread, turkey, bacon, swiss, pickles, honey mustard, girlled and pressed, i almost ordered this sandwich but didn't,) and I got the buffalo chicken sandwich. Evidently, all the food is really really good because everyone was really pleased with their food. My sandwich was quite good and filling, it was breaded chicken slathered in franks hot sauce (i think) and bleu cheese, bacon and cheddar, they give you an option to get fries for $2 more but i figured I would be quite full after eating just the sandwich, I was quite right. i was stuffed to the brim after that sandwich, it was exactly what i wanted to eat, i had a vacation from eating buffalo (insert food stuff here ex.pizza, cheesesteak, sandwich, pizza, etc.) because i just ate too much and the vacation had to end abrubtly last night. I am glad because it was awesome buffalo chicken sandwich goodness.

There were two desserts: chocolate mousse cake and apple bread pudding. They were both good, the cake was chocolatey and sweet, not bad but not the best i ever had, but still good. the bread pudding was definitely my favorite of the two, it was more like a jewish apple cake but it was delicous and it was a huge chunk of it, it was sweet and a bit salty and warm with apples, it was great, i wish there was ice cream with it, but both desserts did have a dollop of whipped cream on the plate which was nice. I know that we all had the itis mixed with food coma after we were done eating, big portions of food that are worth the money because you will not leave hungry, at all!

All in all, I would definitely go here again, i did attempt to go here on a friday after work and it was packed to the brim. good food, great and attentive service, and fun girly drinks!

Devil's Alley
1907 Chestnut St.
215-751-0707
http://www.devilsalleybarandgrill.com/

PICTURES WILL BE UP TOMORROW! I am a big liar, i brought the wrong usb to work, sorry!

Last night, before Harry Potter, some friends and I went to the Good Dog at 224 S 15th St. It has rapidly become one of my favorite center city bars. We, of course, started with some drinks, Amstel light and big boy PBR can for my friends and I drank champagne with guava stuff in it, it was fabulous and only $6 (I forget the name but it is on the list located on the table). For food, I ordered the quiche of the day which was tomato, basil, carmelized onions, and asiago, it came with dressed greens with creamy balsamic; it was fabulous. I am always very reluctant to order quiche anywhere because there have been times when I am served a hockey puck that was obviously microwaved. The Good Dog got it right, the egg was nice and fluffly, like perfectly cooked scrambled eggs and the flavors melded perfectly together, and the crust was exactly what it should have been: buttery and flaky. The quiche was awesome and I can't wait to go back to eat some more.

My one friend ordered the Veggie Cake Sandwich, she enjoyed it and said it tasted good, and it came with their famous fries- sweet potato and regular potato. It was funny because she only wanted to eat the regular potato fries so she picked them all out leaving the sweet potato ones. My other friend ordered a half order of fries that comes with the uber special dipping sauce, and it was quite a bit of fries for half an order.

I do not drink beer but all my friends do and love it, and just because I do not drink it does not mean I have no idea what a good beer is. Although I hate IPAs I have tasted a whole lot of them and know which ones fall falt and which ones are super awesome. Ok, enough with that rant, the Good Dog not only has pictures of dogs all over its walls but it has an awesome beer selection and a great summer mixed drink menu (including my guava champagne drink). I did want to try some sort of lemonade concoction but they were out of the special vodka. This bar has swiftly become my favorite place to go after work or anytime, it has three floors. On the first floor, bar and booths, second floor, more seating for eating and a bar, and the third floor, pool tables, and yes, oh yes, a Galaga arcade game, it is true and glorious, no tables for eating up there but chairs to sit and did I meantion the Galaga? I do have one word of warning, it gets quite crowded once 7:30 rolls around, I tried going on my birthday and there were no tables left but you can put your name in and the waitress will find you when there is some room. Overall, the food is great, the staff is awesome and attentive, and the feel of the place is warm and wonderful, I would go here everyday if I could, seriously.

The Good Dog
224 South 15th St
215-985-1918
http://www.gooddogbar.com/

updated food list

I just read over the things I have and have not eaten, and times are a changin'.

I do not feel as strongly about steak tartare, only because my boyfriend's mom made it from scratch (what other way would there be?) and tried it from bordain's steakhouse book and she said it was amazing, and she is a great cook, so I guess I could try it sometime

I have tried heirloom tomatoes; they were grown by my boss and they were delicious.

I ate oysters and they were not so bad, it was cooked in korean soup called soonn doo boo jigae, it is spicy seafood broth with soft tofu and sometimes meat and eggs in there too, but the egg is raw when it comes to the table but it is in a clay bowl so it cooks the egg as the soup cools down

I ate polenta at chima, they had fried sticks of polenta, tasty, I would love to cook with it, it reminds me of grits.

I really want to have pretty pictures of my cooking on this site, I am working on it, my camera is finally out of the closet and now the arduous task of cleaning my kitchen is left, welp, see you later

I literally just started this blog just so i could talk about this list of food. i am a nerd, i know but i love food and i love talking about food and i love cooking. it almost seems necessary i start a food blog, but my digital camera needs to be set up. i want a food blog like cathy (noble pig).

her blog was one of the first ones i read and now i am food blog obsessed.

So here goes the list o food:

Here’s a chance for a little interactivity for all the bloggers out there. Below is a list of 100 things that I think every good omnivore should have tried at least once in their life. The list includes fine food, strange food, everyday food and even some pretty bad food - but a good omnivore should really try it all. Don’t worry if you haven’t, mind you; neither have I, though I’ll be sure to work on it. Don’t worry if you don’t recognise everything in the hundred, either; Wikipedia has the answers.

Here’s what I want you to do:

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten.
3) Cross out any items that you would never consider eating.
4) Optional extra: Post a comment here at www.verygoodtaste.co.uk linking to your results.

The VGT Omnivore’s Hundred:

1. Venison - it is delicious, especially in salami form
2. Nettle tea- i've never heard of nettle tea but i just read some info on it here
3. Huevos rancheros- have never tried it but know i want to, perhaps at Morning Glory in bella vista
4. Steak tartare- i don't ever want to try this, ever, i mean, i love love rare steak, almost rare, optimal word almost
5. Crocodile - never tried but would like to try as many animals as i can
6. Black pudding - i just looked this up and koreans have this kind of sausage and i like it
7. Cheese fondue- thank you melting pot for making a restaurant with my two favorite foods- cheese and chocolate
8. Carp - would try it maybe, not if it was one of those gigantic goldfish, eep, i owned one of those when i was a kid.
9. Borscht- definitely want to try this, i have also heard that it will get skunk stink off of you
10. Baba ghanoush- i love this stuff, think hummus and eggplant had a love child
11. Calamari - my favorite go to app to order if i am undecided
12. Pho - i was lucky enough to live near chinatown for 2 years and now i live near washington ave- pho motherland. i just remember being freezing in the winter, getting some pho, adding the hot peppers and sarachi sauce and feeling much better about life.
13. PB&J sandwich - always chunky peanut butter, never grape jelly, usually strawberry preserves
14. Aloo gobi - not yet but i hope soon
15. Hot dog from a street cart - oh yes, every once in a while that hot dog craving hits me blindside, but i do have to admit, new york hot dogs destroy philly's. [sad face here]
16. Époisses de Bourgogne- i am not quite sure, it really depends on how stinky and what kind of stinky it is
17. Black truffle- have never tried a black truffle straight up, but have had foods with truffle oil in it
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes- i've had teaberry wine (tastes like bubble gum that gets you drunk) and plum wine (kind of like sake with a nice sweetness)
19. Steamed pork buns - dim sum would not be the same without these bad boys, so yummy, so filling, and about every bakery in chinatown you step foot in has this kind of bun and about 20 more ranging from peanut butter to curry chicken to black bean, you will find something you want to eat in these bakeries. my fav:KC's Bakery
20. Pistachio ice cream - all i have to say is yummy
21. Heirloom tomatoes - have not tried these but my sister says they don't even taste like tomatoes, it just tastes like yummy.
22. Fresh wild berries- strawberries, blackberries, cherries, so good, we had a cherry tree at my old house, it was awesome
23. Foie gras - not yet but i really want to try it at the London Grill
24. Rice and beans- filling, simple, easy, but my rice and beans is not authentic, although i do use adobo
25. Brawn, or head cheese - i ate this without actually knowing what it was, the gelatin part really freaked me out
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper - i want to try this very badly, i like habaneros, i tried one raw with seeds and all, i like hot foods, a lot
27. Dulce de leche - i really want to make this, maybe someday
28. Oysters - i don't remember if i ever tried one but i feel like i ate one when i was really little and i think i hated it, i would take a small bite and give it another go
29. Baklava - i have tried this but it was not authentic, i bought it at a diner, the diner was not in turkey or an iranian country, it was in the suburbs of new jersey, it was drowning in honey and entirely too sweet
30. Bagna cauda - this sounds awesome, i want this
31. Wasabi peas - not for the faint of heart, and as a side note, don't ever ever ever ever ever agree to eat a spoonful of wasabi, i know you should have all learned your lesson from jackass, if not, don't ever do it, you will vomit and it will feel horrible
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl - i have had clam chowda but not in a bread bowl
33. Salted lassi - never but sounds interesting
34. Sauerkraut - i love sauerkraut, i love reubens, i love eating this sour, vinegary, juicy mess of cabbage, i have tried homemade from polish peoples and it is awesome, one of these days i'm going to try to make it
35. Root beer float - of course, i grew up on these, it makes sense i was a chubby kid but nonetheless, it is quintessential to childhood
36. Cognac with a fat cigar - is this some sort of innuendo that i'm missing?
37. Clotted cream tea - can't say that i have but it sounds great
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O - like jello shots? yeah, i've had these, quite a few, i remember in my younger years, i tried to make some and i substituted vodka for water, instead of making a mixture of the two, they were very strong but delicious nonetheless, this is the quintessential foodstuff of college
39. Gumbo - so flavorful, so wonderful, i wish i could even begin to imagine making gumbo from scratch and it tasting half as delicious as it could be
40. Oxtail - it is exactly what it sounds like, the tail of an ox/beef animal, nigel has tried authentic oxtail soup, i tried it on restaurant week, tender and delicious, but i am jealous of nigel
41. Curried goat - not yet but i would try it, i love curry but read #39 and replace curry with gumbo
42. Whole insects - uh, welp, don't think so, the exoskeleton would really get to me, i'm sure it feels like an m&m but i would know it is not and m&m
43. Phaal - anything that contains habaneros is a ok with me
44. Goat’s milk - i remember trying it but don't remember what it tasted like, i do like goat cheese a lot
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more - i have dreams about this stuff, the smoothness, the woody taste, oh my, if only everyday could be johnny walker blue day
46. Fugu - i remember seeing a simpsons episode where homer almost died from eating the wrong part of the blowfish, i would try it but only after knowing that i would not die
47. Chicken tikka masala - i had this at cafe spice in olde city, i don't know if it was authentic or not, but i do know i liked it
48. Eel - i usually eat it as unagi, it's sweet it's cooked and it's sushi, it's quite fatty thought so if you are texture crazy, it might feel a little too mushy in your mouth
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut - oh yeah, they need to build a krispy kreme store in philadelphia
50. Sea urchin - nope never and i don't think i want to
51. Prickly pear - heard of this but never knew it was cactus fruit, go figure, i would def try this
52. Umeboshi - i don't think i've ever tried this but goodness knows what my mom fed me long ago, i would like to try this for the first time all over again though, it sounds interesting
53. Abalone - read #52
54. Paneer - yup, these cubes of cheese are very refreshing, i love indian food
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal- yup drunken softball tourney was the only time this debacle ever happened
56. Spaetzle - have never tried but would
57. Dirty gin martini - have tried it but don't like it 1- gin tastes and smells like perfume 2- salty drinks and i do not get along, bloody mary is not my friend
58. Beer above 8% ABV - go to the foodery if you have not had beer, and when i say beer i mean quality beer, not the piss that they "brew" in cans. as a side note i do not like beer but i can appreciate it for what it is and can tell the difference between awesome and awful.
59. Poutine - i have always wanted to try this, and cheese curd for that matter, but this is on the list of must eat before death
60. Carob chips - never tried but my vegan friend told me it was just as good as chocolate, fun fact: most dark and bittersweet chocolate is vegan; cocoa comes from a plant
61. S’mores - of course, i like burnt marshmallow
62. Sweetbreads - never have and probably never will, it's that texture thing again, just mushy mushy is not cool with me
63. Kaolin - i don't think i will ever want to eat rocks
64. Currywurst - i never even knew this existed, but it sounds like a party in my mouth and tummy
65. Durian - i tried this once with my sister because we saw it and were mesmerized by the shape and just had to find out what was inside, it feels like intestines, it smells like rot, i would not recommend anyone with a weak stomach to try this, years later, nigel had the same fascination, so we bought one, brought it home and abrubtly put it in the garbage, i can only warn you so much, it is a delicacy somewhere in asia, but not in my home
66. Frogs’ legs - i ate them in korea deep fried as part of a buffet, they were chewy and overcooked and tasted like chicken
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake - churros and funnel cake make me think of the fair/amusement parks, they really are the best place to get these confections, i.e. Knobels, i went there for my birthday this year for the first time ever, it was wonderful and i can't wait to go back again and again, as an added plus, no admission fee, just pay as you ride.
68. Haggis - don't think i'll ever order this but i would try a little bit of it just so i could know
69. Fried plantain - it's like if a banana and a potato made love with salt
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette - i have had chitlins in stuffing and it gives it a fuller flavor
71. Gazpacho - it's cold tomato soup, at least that's what it was when i had it
72. Caviar and blini - never had but would definitely try it, even the caviar
73. Louche absinthe - i should have tried this but never have but have lots of interest to
74. Gjetost, or brunost - i will try all the cheeses i can before i die
75. Roadkill - blah, no i do not want to eat something that was killed on the road thank you
76. Baijiu - never had this one, but would be willing to try
77. Hostess Fruit Pie - too much syrup but oh so good on those late night munchie runs
78. Snail - i have never tried snail but would take a bite of one of those slippery little suckers
79. Lapsang souchong - this tea sounds amazing
80. Bellini - yup, they are yummy, alcoholic fruit, yes please
81. Tom yum - i am always down for asian soups
82. Eggs Benedict - i have tried it but i do not like runny eggs
83. Pocky - i grew up on this stuff, i recently found dark chocolate pocky and it actually said "for him" on the box, they are delicious and irresistible.
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant. - i would but i am nervous i will disappear
85. Kobe beef - mostly in burger form but am interested in trying it in its steak form as well
86. Hare - i have eaten rabbit and liked it but not hare yet but as i said i want to try as many animals as i can
87. Goulash - sounds like good soup to me
88. Flowers - i'm sure they taste worse than they smell
89. Horse - never but i think i could try it
90. Criollo chocolate - sounds good to me
91. Spam - oh childhood of fake fried rice consisting of egg, frozen vegetables, and spam
92. Soft shell crab - yum, i like eating this exoskeleton because it is soft and does not crunch as much as i thought it would
93. Rose harissa - this sounds really delicious
94. Catfish - oh yes, lemon pepper kind, i really want to try some catfish nuggets though
95. Mole poblano - i couldn't believe there was chocolate in this when i first ate it! it's one of my favorites
96. Bagel and lox - i love salmon, smoked, cooked, raw, i don't care, give me salmon!
97. Lobster Thermidor - this sounds amazing and i want some right now
98. Polenta - would love to try this corn based grit like substance
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee - wow, i didn't know they made coffee this good, translation, i would like a cup of this
100. Snake - never had it but my mom tried it in florida and said it tasted like chicken, i would try it

So there's the list, and it took me all day at work to do. i don't know what i would do if i had to work at work, probably not have a food blog or read food blogs for that matter.