El Vez NYC: Located just steps away from the new World Trade Center building, and a short walk from the lovely Battery Park, this new Stephen Starr restaurant is a great spot for business lunches, family dinners or a fun night out with friends.

Last April, we hopped on the train to be tourists for a day in NYC. Considering that we live in New Jersey (granted, closer to Philadelphia than New York), this really shouldn't be a story. Especially since my high school friends referred to me as "city girl," as I am in my element when exploring a city. But NYC has never been a destination of choice for me. So, why am I planning my fourth trip since that cold and windy spring visit just one year ago?

The answer is simple: friendship and food.

More to the point: life-long, laughing, crying, there-for-you friendship and really, really good food.

Our trip last spring was to support David LaForce, the husband of said friend (a wonderful person in his own right), who was in charge of opening El Vez NYC as the executive chef. We attended the "friends and family" opening dinner and were thrilled to be a part of his chef's dream.

The food, of course, is amazing. Known for their signature guacamoles and hard-hitting margaritas, be sure to not to stop there... so much more awaits when you explore the menu. Unique tacos (think about trying the cauliflower or lamb) and quesadillas (zucchini blossom and corn, anyone?) highlight a menu filled with dishes that transport you to another (warm and sunny) world. And while a good margarita is always nice, why not tempt your tastebuds with Pineapple Mezcalito?

Now our next trip (any day now) will allow us to try out the new Burrito Bar, recently written up in the NYTimes (yes, the New York Times!). We love burritos. Of course, the only problem is that this will likely ruin those chain places for us. Oh well, it'll be worth it!

Luck of the Irish Soda Bread

Having married into an Irish family, St. Patrick's Day is kind of a big deal in our house. We all don our green, I put up the shamrock wreath, and my son sets a leprechaun trap. We keep it light and fun (no, I do not dye the toilet water green or leave a mess where the naughty leprechaun made his way through our house) and I see it as a welcome sign of spring. (Maybe not so much this year, as it continues to snow outside of my window.)

Despite our love of the holiday, in nearly 13 years of marriage, I have never baked a loaf of Irish Soda Bread. For many years we've been fortunate enough to enjoy a slice (or two, or three) at St. Patrick's Day celebrations with our good friends, Jess and Dave. Jess puts out a feast of corned beef and cabbage, Guinness stew, mashed potatoes, soda bread, Irish potatoes and more. My contributions have included a delicious cheddar and stout fondue, cupcakes with Irish Cream frosting, and homemade bread. It's been a wonderful opportunity to have the traditional favorites while also trying out some new recipes.

This year, we find ourselves at home for St. Patrick's Day (Monday's are so hard!). While shopping for tonight's corned beef and cabbage dinner, I found myself looking at the loaves of Irish Soda Bread in the grocery store. Mark made a point of asking this year that we have a loaf of the sweet bread at home to go with dinner. So, I reached out to buy a loaf and then stopped. Why not just make it? I love making bread. Colleen could help me, giving us a small mother-daughter project.

My decision was made. There is no time like the present -- I am baking some homemade Irish Soda Bread!

All in all, I think we did great. I found a recipe that seemed pretty straight forward on Allrecipes.com. It was easy to follow and resulted in a delicious loaf of Irish Soda Bread.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

New Year's Eve Party Time

New Year's Eve is my favorite excuse to try out those "splurge" recipes I collect throughout the year. You know the ones -- sounds delish, but maybe a little more effort or cost than your average Friday night get together warrants.

We have a wonderful tradition of ringing in the New Year with a group of families from our neighborhood. Each year we put the kids in their jammies and head over to the host house (taking turns hosting means each year is a little different... it helps keep it fresh and special). The days leading up today had texts flying back and forth with preparations... should we fry up wings? what dessert are you bringing? do we want to make a punch? I'll bring pepperoni bread... are you making your famous crab dip? Anticipation for a night of fun fills the air.

So here we are on New Year's Eve Day and I still haven't decided what to make. Yes, I'll do the standard pepperoni bread. My kids love it. But what will my "splurge" recipe be? I think I've narrowed down the choices. Hmmm. Now only to make a decision and get cooking!

Option 1: Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp w/ Bourbon BBQ Sauce (Food & Wine)

This sounds like my kind of appetizer. Shrimp, prosciutto, bourbon. Ok, really, you had me at bourbon. Yes, bacon-wrapped li'l smokies are always a fan favorite, but this takes it to a whole new, grown up, taste-sensation level.

Option 2:  Whiskey, Caramel, Marshmallow and Bacon Bark (endlesssimmer.com)

Here's a decadent dessert option. I already make what we call "cracker candy" which is saltines, butter, sugar, chocolate and almonds. It's simple, yet amazingly addictive. I am quite intrigued by this version. Will New Year's Eve be my incentive to finally try it out? And, I'm starting to notice a theme here...

Option 3: Bacon Wrapped Dates with Almonds

The other evening, we enjoyed a mini food tour of Philadelphia. The night found us enjoying burgers, frites and beer at Eulogy; tapas and sangria at Amada; and fried plantains and margaritas at El Vez. It was a wonderful night spent with good friends. Each of these restaurants offers "slurge"- worthy inspiration. But in keeping with the bacon/prosciutto theme, I've found this recipe for bacon wrapped dates with almonds. Always a favorite treat when at Amada.

Now, if only I could make a decision. Guess I'd better head to the grocery store and see where that leads me. 

Whatever special foods you enjoy tonight, Happy New Year's! Here's to a happy and healthy 2014!

Summer lovin'

I do enjoy fall. Really. The cooler weather, the trees changing color, homemade soup, Halloween, football... It's a fun time! (Maybe not as much fun as summer, but it's hard to compete with sleeping in, good times with friends at the pool and day trips to the beach).

That being said, this year, I am trying hard to enjoy the moment I'm in and not rush into the next season before it's time. And, right now, that means savoring the simplicity of one of summer's finest offerings. A "jersey tomato" BLT. There is no messing around with this classic and no recipe required!

Taco Tuesday: Citrus-marinated grilled chicken tacos with simple guacamole

In the fall, Colleen had a school project about family traditions. One of the questions she had to answer was "if you could create a new tradition for your family, what would it be?" After a short moment's thought, she smiled and announced..."Taco Tuesday".

I have to admit, some weeks I just have no more inspiration for dinner ideas. Luckily, Tuesdays are figured out. Tacos! Or, some variation that includes nachos...her real goal with this tradition. I guess Nacho Tuesday didn't sound as catchy. 

We've started branching out from the traditional beef tacos. I've used rotisserie chicken from the grocery for chicken tacos. One week I made enchiladas. (See previous post for recipe).

This week I had some chicken breasts in the fridge that I wanted to use. On top of that, the weather is warming up and the days are getting longer, so I feel the need to fire up the grill. Here was my "a-ha" moment...I could kill 2 birds with 1 stone. Citrus-marinated grilled chicken breasts: tacos tonight and chicken for lunch sandwiches/salads for the week. Even better, I have a ton of limes on hand, so I juiced two for the marinade. And used another one for the accompanying guacamole. Love it when a dish comes together like this!

Citrus-Marinated Grilled Chicken Breasts

Note: I let the chicken marinade over night and had great results... Tender, juicy, tasty chicken.

Another note: I added the cumin on a whim to try and add a little heat and make the chicken more taco-appropriate. It could have used more. Don't know if 1 Tbs would be too much, but will try that next time).

Directions: In a container large enough to hold your meat, combine the following ingredients. Close the lid (be sure it seals!) and shake. Then add your chicken breasts -- or shrimp would probably taste good -- and re-seal. Shake again to coat the meat. Marinade in fridge several hours or overnight. Grill to taste.

Ingredients:
Juice of 2 limes
Splash (approx 1/4 cup) orange juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 sweet onion, minced
1-2 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro
1 tsp cumin
1 Tbs white wine or champagne vinegar (I happen to have the champagne vinegar)
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and fresh ground pepper

Simple Guacamole

Mash 2 or 3 avocados with a fork. Add juice from 1/2 lime, 1 clove garlic (minced), 1/2 jalapeño (diced, seeds and ribs optional based on heat preference), 1 handful cilantro (minced), salt to taste. Stir together and serve with tacos, nachos, enchiladas, sandwiches, salads, or whatever!

Grilled Garlic Bread

Grilled Chicken Salad with Garlic Bread

As we ease into the longer days of spring, I find myself stationed in front of the grill at least once a week. Tonight is grilled chicken salad and (for a new twist), grilled garlic bread.

Garlic Bread is my go-to use for leftover crusty French bread. We love fresh bread with dinner, especially a spaghetti dinner, but I am often left with 1/2 a loaf at the end of the night. Now here's a fun use for old bread!

To prepare, I simply sliced the bread lengthwise and placed it on the hot grill, cut side down. After about 3 minutes, I removed the bread, spread on some chopped garlic, drizzled it with olive oil and topped with a little mozzarella. Then returned it to the top rack of the grill to toast a little more and melt the cheese. A very simple presentation, but tasty in it's simplicity. This surely could be dressed up with some fresh basil and maybe a little chopped tomato? I think I will continue to experiment this grilling season.

Salsa, salsa, salsa

Back in my college days we used to crowd around a tv in the common room of our dorm to enjoy weekly episodes of Seinfeld.

Yes, this was long ago. Before the time of a tv in every room. Before the time of On Demand, Netflix and streaming. We are talking the early days of email and listserves. We thought our phone was "smart" if it had caller id. But, I digress....

The point here is that those Thursday evenings in the common room were a sacred, social event. Watching shows such as Seinfeld as a group, we developed our own language -- much as today's college students' language is influenced by texting and tweeting, ours was colored by "Seinfeld-isms." No soup for you! It's really quite refreshing. Vandelay Industries. The list goes on, but one of my favorites is "salsa, salsa, salsa." Saying this one little phrase just makes my mouth happy. So does one bite of this roasted tomato and black bean salsa.

Roasted Tomato and Black Bean Salsa
This is a forgiving recipe.  Love bell peppers? Chop one up and throw it in there! Don't like beans? Leave them out. Want a little extra heat? Add a splash or two or two of hot sauce (I have at least three different types in my fridge at all times) or more diced jalapeño. If you are in the mood for sweet crunch, add some corn. I'm looking forward to the summer, when we can roast up an ear of fresh corn on the grill and add that into the mix.

1 can diced, fire roasted tomatoes, drained
1/2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 or 4 plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 sweet onion, diced
1 jalepeno, seeded and finely diced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
juice from 1/2 lime
1 tsp. ground cumin
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper to taste

If you don't want soupy salsa, take the time to pour your canned tomatoes into a mesh sieve to drain excess liquid. Mix all ingredients together and enjoy!