It’s been a long time since a cookbook has really inspired me. Inspired me to the point of having to buy a pasta maker on a Saturday at a store located in the center of the Point Pleasant Beach Seafood Festival and its 60,000 visitors. But, I had to have that pasta maker and embark on my very first pasta making adventure. Anne Burrell’s new Cook Like a Rock Star cookbook has inspired me to not only make pasta once, but three times in the last week. I made the most amazing Ravioli’s which she calls Raviolo Al’Uovo. Each ravioli is filled with delicious ricotta mixture and an egg yolk. It is one of those dishes that you will never forget and would make a very elegant appetizer. Last week on our first pasta making attempt, we made Anne’s Sweet & Spicy Sausage Ragu. My BF compared it to the sauce his Italian Grandmother used to make. Tonight I’m cooking up her Wild Mushroom Ragu. Actually, I think I’ve crossed the line from inspired to obsessed.
»» Review and Giveaway: Cook Like a Rock Star by Anne Burrell
Filed under: Cookbook Reviews,Giveaways | Anne Burrell, Cook Like a Rock Star, Deborah Smith, The Food Network|25 Comments
The holidays provide us with an opportunity to spend time with family and friends and to eat, drink and be merry. However, after the holiday celebrations are over, the ever-tighter waistband serves as an unfortunate reminder of too much food and too little moderation (I know, I know-I ate far too many cookies myself). With New Year’s resolutions freshly written, many people decide to implement a new diet plan.
»» Book Review: Goodbye Holiday Cookies, Hello Cinch!
Filed under: Burlington County,Cookbook Reviews | Beth Christian, diet|2 Comments
I was driving along down a nondescript side street in Englewood the other day when I stumbled upon a little buttery slice of France. Tucked away between drab office buildings and broken-down factories, a pale yellow awning with familiar lettering caught my eye. In the .com heyday when I worked in Soho, I enjoyed many breakfast croissants and intoxicating cafes au lait from the Balthazar Bakery around the corner from my office. Occasionally I would even splurge to sit inside and have a real sit down breakfast to try and spot disguised movie stars in nearby booths. (once the bubble burst, we had a lot of time to kill before the layoffs.)
As I was born and raised in France, I’m a really tough critic when it comes to croissants and baguettes. I haven’t found many in the States that I would even call a croissant. But the Balthazar croissants definitely qualify. I would even venture to say that they are the best croissants I’ve had here. They’re crispy on the outside, revealing flaky inside that taste buttery without being greasy.
»» Balthazar Bakery in Englewood
Filed under: Cookbook Reviews | Englewood|3 Comments
Last night, a group of friends and I had a great time at Taka in Asbury Park. I had heard about Taka from my boxing buddy, Deborah, and some of my other friends had also heard about it through friends, so obviously people are talking about this new hot spot.
»» Taka in Asbury Park
Filed under: Cookbook Reviews,Restaurants | Asbury Park|4 Comments
Yesterday was my favorite kind of day. I spent most of it in my kitchen cooking up a pot of marinara sauce and then putting together this scrumptious Eggplant Parmesan from Cooking with a Jersey Girl by Joyce Ann Staples. Now, you know the minute I saw the title I would be asking the Author to let me review her book. How could I resist?
»» Cooking with a Jersey Girl, Book Review and Recipe
Filed under: Cookbook Reviews | |6 Comments
