I love Madeleine's. The first time I tried one was not at a French bakery, but from a Starbucks, which Niel had brought home for me. Lately I have been seeing them more in bakeries in supermarkets. Niel came home with a box from Entenmann's. I am glad they are so easily accessible.

I made a chicken dish from a recipe I found in
Every Day with Rachael Ray. Yes I made a meal from the devil herself. Whatever. The dinner was just fine. I got Niel to eat mushrooms and he hates them.



Skillet Chicken Stew
From Every Day with Rachael Ray

Ingredients
3 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika, plus more for seasoning
Salt and pepper
4 chicken leg quarters, split at the joint to separate legs and thighs
1 tablespoon butter
One 8-ounce package cremini or white mushrooms, halved
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts thinly sliced separately
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup plain whole milk yogurt
Cooked rice, for serving

Instructions
1. In a large bowl, combine the flour, paprika and 2 pinches each salt and pepper. Coat the chicken pieces with the seasoned flour, shaking off the excess.
2. In a large, deep skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chicken to the pan, skin side down. Cook, turning occasionally with tongs, until the skin is golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add the mushrooms and scallion whites to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and bring to a boil. Return the chicken pieces to the skillet, cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the juices run clear, 20 to 25 minutes.
3. Stir the yogurt and scallion greens into the pan sauce; season with salt, pepper and paprika. Stir to coat the chicken with the sauce.
4. To serve, mound some rice on each of 4 plates and top with the chicken.

I found some French butter in a local grocery store. I didn't realize there was a market for it in my neighborhood. But I guess one can find anything in NYC. It was creamy.

Seriously who would buy this dessert?

If you like Southern cooking or are homesick for some and are in the New York City area I recommend the Parish Diner in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. Yes delicious southern cooking righ in New York city.

Niel found the place one day he was driving home and suggested we eat there. It is an easy drive from our apartment.

The food and service were amazing. I as usual when going to a new restaurant showed no restraint and ordered with my eyes. In addition to the chef giving us a delicious complimentary dish of shrimp and grits, because we had to wait five minutes for one of the main courses(didn't even complain), we also shared three sides:Yucca fries which were cut oh so thin, mac and cheese, and cheesy grits. This was in addition to the bread bowl they give to every table, our meals of pork, fried chicken, collard greens(so buttery), black eyed peas and cornbread. We had no room for dessert.

The decor I would best describe as gothic. Church pews are the seats, and large iron chandeliers. I'm glad Niel spotted the place and we got to try it.

I heart John Stewart.

Lately we have been munching probably the grossest of all salty snacks: Pork Rinds. Don't know where the desire came from but the hotter the better.



Photo from: http://www.fiberdimensions.com/

A company I liked to use when I need savory pie crusts is Pillsbury, with a little egg wash the dough comes out flavorful and crispy. Great for pot pies!

Another first for me this weekend was trying fried macaroni and cheese. It was eating a ball of fried heaven. I assume every restaurant makes theirs differently, because of the recipe. But I was pleasantly surprised that The Cheesecake Factory makes theirs quite creamy and flavorful. Plus the four giant pieces they gave for an appetizer is the perfect amount of food that you don't need a main course and can have dessert. I don't normally have an appetizer, a main course and dessert but I got carried away with being at a new place. Mmmm fried mac and cheese. Delicious!

I finally had the opportunity to eat at The Cheesecake Factory. Niel and I had dinner over the weekend with some friends there. The food and service is really good. As well as their presentation.
The menu options are ridiculous. There are pages and pages of dishes to choose from. It made me dizzy. Their menu really does cover pretty much all the cuisines of the world.
But I didn't have their cheese cake for dessert, which I understand is not made on the premises. I thought it being near fall and the apples will be the best at this time I split an apple dumpling with Niel. It was a wise choice. For a chain restaurant The Cheesecake Factory is quite good.

One one of the episodes of Feasting On Asphalt, Alton visits a Russian Tea Room in St. Paul. A sign promising of Russian Hamburgers(Piroshki) lures him. Piroshki however is not a hamburger it is a savory pastry. A turn over. One large delicious moon shaped deep fried(I guess you can bake it though) dumpling.

The owners of the establishment make theirs a bit differently than my mother does. They covered a thick piece of meat with even thicker dough. Sort of like this picture.



My mom uses ground meat and a thin piece of dough with various spices. We enjoy it with a combo of sweet paprika and a plain yogurt drink. My mom also makes potato with onion, as well as cheese Piroshki. Of course the Russian Hamburger was just a gimmick to attract customers because what American doesn't love a burger. OK I guess their are a good deal of folks who may not. But I just wanted to clarify what a Piroshki actually is. Try it though Piroshki's are quite delicious.

Two of my favorite activities is to try new foods and travel. Although that is not a constant reality for me. I get my fill by watching food and travel shows. My two faves were combined into one when I finally watched Feasting on Asphalt. Chef Alton Brown and friends, ride around America on motorcycles tasting the various dishes the U.S. is known for.
Another good show is Have Fork Will Travel. The host, Zane Lamprey (who reminds me of the host on While You Were Out Evan Farmer)visits places all over the world. Both shows as well as others have been inspired by Anthony Bourdain, of course with distinct styles of their own. I heard Gwyneth Paltrow and chef Mario Batali are going to be cohosting a food and travel show as well about Spain, but I still haven't warmed up to the idea yet of watching it.

I have been reading the books of Mary Kay Andrews recently. I love Blue Christmas. It took me a while to get into her other books. But I did. What I think is the neatest about the books is each book has a recipe or two in the back. Food is a theme in the books, but I never imagined finding a recipe or two of the character in the back.


Photo from Mary Kay Andrews.com

I spotted a jar of Coleman's English mustard at my local supermarket. I was happy because it was the last ingredient I needed for a Nigella Lawson dish I made a few weeks ago.
Growing up we kept strong Eastern European mustard at home. I find it interesting how many different types their are. Mustard is just not for hot dogs.
The English mustard was pretty spicy. It added umph. But not all mustard's are. Depending on the country. There is also brown mustard, yellow(plain) mustard, Dijon, honey mustard. The list is really endless.

Chili's has a neat new dessert on their menu. They are called Sweet Shots. The name and size is adorable. Just a little bit of dessert served in a shot glass to give a person a bit of sweetness after a meal without making you completely full. You can purchase one or all three flavors. Plus they are very affordable. What is not to love about a mini?

Has McDonald's began to sell their Angus Thirdpounder burgers in your area yet?McDonald's is airing a commercial in our area showing three guys from Boston who envy New York because we have the burger. The commercial makes it seem that NYC is the only test market for the new burger. Which is kind of neat because New York doesn't get to be a test market for a lot of things. Niel and I were talking about that the other day coicidentally enough, before we tried the burger. The Angus certainly does taste more meaty, but it is a huge burger. It was good to try but I don't think I would make it a habit of eating it. Not that we do eat at McDonald's frequently. If there is something new we will try it. A few days after trying the Angus, we saw a documentary on how McDondal's makes new products and tests them. It was pretty interesting. Then I read this article that Southern California McDonald's are selling them too. So I don't understand the point of the commercial.

In late July Niel and I attended a Trinidadian wedding. The food was great, plenty of music and I got to try cakes I never had before. They were sweet and spicy at the same time.

I am a bit concerned that a new study shows that microwave popcorn, specifically the fumes from the flavoring, can cause lung cancer. What the heck is being put into it? I guess I am going to have to toss out the box and start popping the corn on the stove top.



Photo from Yahoo News

Found this on Lisanne's site.

1. How do you like your eggs? I like my eggs sunnyside up with runny yolks, with lots of pepper. I also like Toads in A Hole.

2. How do you take your coffee/tea? If I am ever(which is rare) in the mood for coffee it is with loads of milk and sugar. I am not a coffee purists. Blech.

3. Favorite breakfast food: Hmmm I could actually eat anything for breakfast. But normally I just have Cheerios and Activia. I know boring but it works for me. I treat myself to the occasional Pumpernickel bagel with Scallion Cream Cheese. I also enjoy crepes especially with Lingonberry.

4. Peanut butter - smooth or crunchy? Both!

5. What kind of dressing on your salad? We usually make our own with oil, Balsamic Vinegar and this garlic paste from Puerto Rico. Or with Adobo. But I like Blue Cheese if we are out.

6. Coke or Pepsi? Coke! But I only drink it with fast food like Chinese or Japanese.

7. You’re feeling lazy, what do you make? I order out. LOL!

8. You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order? Usually pepperoni. From this excellent authentic pizzeria around the corner. Mmmmm.

9. You feel like cooking. What do you make? Like Lisanne I have loads and loads of recipes I find online, cook books or on the food network. Haven't even begun to put a dent in them.

10. Do any foods bring back good memories? Anything my mom makes!

9. Do any foods bring back bad memories? Not really.

10. Do any foods remind you of someone? See above.

11. Is there a food you refuse to eat? No I am pretty willing to try anything.

12. What was your favorite food as a child? I guess watermelon. Still like it a lot.
As does Niel:)

13. Is there a food that you hated as a child but now like? Okra.

14. Is there a food that you liked as a child but now hate? Mmmm no.

15. Favorite fruit and vegetable: Corn, berries, first apples of the season.

16. Favorite junk food: Potato chips!

17. Favorite between meal snack: Fruit.

18. Do you have any weird food habits? Yes I like cherries but not in ice cream.

19. You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on? Salad.

20 . You’re off your diet. Now what would you like? Ice cream.

21. How spicy do you order Indian/Thai? I can handle spicy. And they are both delicious!

22. Can I get you a drink? Always a nice ice cold water. Everyone's favorite drinks need to have water in it to be made.

23. Red wine or white? Neither. Daqurious are what I enjoy.

24. Favorite dessert? Ice cream, and crisps.

25. The perfect nightcap? Don't need one.

Happy Labor Day everyone. I guess today is the official last day of Summer. Although Fall doesn't actually begin till mid September. However you celebrate today whether it's a final BBQ or get together I hope it brings a smile to your face.
Flight of the Conchords have been bringing a lot of smiles to our faces lately.