So Many Recipes, So Little Time
This is it! The burger. From Louis’ Lunch in New Haven, CT. It is here, in 1900, Louis Lassen invented the hamburger sandwich as we know it. Today, the place is run by the grandson of the original owner. Make a note — over the centuries, the dining experience has not changed. You are served…
I love ground meat everything — burgers, meatballs, meatloaves, sausages. You name it. That goes back to my mom’s kitchen. Cooking on empty, she would put all available meat scraps through the meat grinder, pump up the flavor with whatever was on hand — salt, pepper, mustard, horseradish, garlic, onions — pump up the quantity…
Here’s an interesting way to take velveting to the next level and create that particular silky slippery texture so characteristic of Cantonese dishes. This chicken with fermented black beans was prepared in a steamer which produced especially tender and not greasy texture. For the side, I stir fried some water spinach with garlic and hot…
For a while, I have been craving congee, an Asian version of rice kasha. As much as I dislike the sweet form of cooked rice known as rice pudding — painful memories of Soviet kindergarten breakfast — that much I love its savory one. Especially with meatballs. And spinach. And especially with Nam Pla Prik….
On a ground meat streak. That’s my cold weather comfort zone. Found this great one pan meatloaf variation in Classic Lebanese Cuisine cookbook by Chef Kamal Al-Faquih. Tweaked it a bit adding more vegetables and lemon juice for potatoes to keep their shape better. WHAT WENT IN— a few baking potatoes, peeled and cut lengthwise…
Once a high school teacher told our class that most true long lasting friendships form in high school:— The older you get, the harder it is to find like minded people and make connections. True, the older we get, the more we set in our ways, the less we’re willing to budge. And every relationship…
Summer has never been my time of the year. Demi-seasons are my favorite. But this year, for the first time I’ve seen other people doing actual countdowns to fall — hang in there, people, only a few days left. My daughter’s reaction to my this longing for cooler days manifestation was:— You know what, mom,…
Astoria, Queens, is known for its Greek neighborhood. But once off the W train and a little east along Astoria Boulevard, there are three blocks of Steinway Street known as Little Egypt with large Egyptian, Bangladeshi, Moroccan, Tunisian, and Algerian population, their stores, restaurants, hookah lounges, and that specific smell of sweet smoke. This is…
Reunions after some time has gone by make me cautious. People change, I change. Passing time creates awareness of significance of good memories. Should they be challenged, even sacrificed, to an attempt to revisit and make them relevant? Like in that movie, an exchange between a British sixty-something couple returning to Paris after thirty years…
As I rarely cook something twice, rarely we go twice to the same restaurant. Our state is one of the most diverse and inclusive ones. Plus, the city is close and, in the city, there is Queens, the most ethnically diverse urban area on the planet. To choose a place to go to is a…