Fall TrEATs

How GORGEOUS was the weather this weekend?! This is the first weekend in who knows how long that I haven't had plans and wasn't going home....of course that meant all my other friends did have plans. However, it ended up being a good thing! Many people find this strange or not normal but I love having time to myself to do things. For example, I've always thought it would be nice to spend a weekend at a Bed & Breakfast alone. Just have time to relax, enjoy the scenery, read a book, turn off my cell phone, sketch, etc. People always make faces when I say this...I've gotten to the point where I just ignore them. I'm happy that I feel like I'm in a place in my life where I don't have to justify anything to anyone. I enjoy the little things in life, those moments are what makes me truly happy :)

Saturday, I joined A at Manyunk's StrEAT Food Festival. A's blog, is partly what inspired me to start my own. Regardless of how many loyal readers I do or do not have I enjoy talking about food so why not write about it!!

A used to work for a catering company in the city and a few of her friends she met there just started their own food truck! Street Food Philly was one of the food trucks at the festival this weekend and their food is AHHmazing!! A and I both had their Fried Chicken & Biscuits with Honey Glaze which also had some pickled onions on the side that I loved! And for dessert, the drool-worthy Apple Cheesecake Mousse with Salted Corn Whiskey Caramel. I could have eaten about 10 of these they were so good! You could really taste the whiskey in the caramel, the apples had a great texture to them and the mousse was the perfect consistency and so delicious. Overall it was the perfect Fall treat and oh so heavenly! You can visit Street Food Philly at their usual food truck location at 62 N. 33rd St and I will definitely be returning!!

Saturday night I spent at home snuggled up on my coach catching up on Shark Tank. I was not in the mood to cook and still high off my morning treats. I wanted something tasty and the frozen meals in my freezer were not enticing me. I decided to look for some nearby take-out options and remembered that Bridget Foy's delivers! Who said delivery has to be your run of the mill Chinese combo special?! I called to see what their specials were and right away knew what I was going to order! Pumpkin Ravioli with Sage Brown Butter Sauce with Apple Slices, Pecans, and Crispy Bacon. If you are in the mood for a light meal this is not for you! After the first bite I'm pretty sure my eyes rolled to the back of my head and my taste buds did a happy dance. The bacon and the brown butter sauce gave a really rich savory flavor to the ravioli which was seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg. The apple slices gave a nice sweet tartness that was a great contrast and made the dish! My only complaint is that I wish there was more of it! I will definitely be returning for this meal and possibly attempting to recreate it myself it was THAT good! Anyone want to join me?!

Friday, my co-workers and I are going to order from Federal Donuts which just today opened up a new location in Center City! I have been dying to eat there ever since I moved to the city and have never made it. They sell only two things, gourmet donuts and fried chicken. What a combo!! Stay tuned for pictures/reviews of the incoming scrumptiousness!!

White Wine for the Mussels...White Wine for Me!

The first time I had mussels (as in more than one to try) was just this year at New Wave Cafe with N & her boyfriend. We got together to play some Quizzo and got a few apps to share. N & J ordered the mussels...I promised I would try them. Then I consumed a gazillion calories worth of bread and white wine sauce cleaning the plate once all the mussels were gone. 

In my opinion mussels are all about the sauce. My cousins W & Z are French and are world travelers (this is a big deal because they are both significantly younger than I am). They also have very mature tastes when it came to food. Down the shore, while most of the kids were ordering chicken fingers and fries from our favorite seafood restaurant, W & Z would always order big servings of mussels. One of the cool tricks they taught me was breaking the mussels in half and using one side as a spoon to scoop up all the extra yummy sauce. This is a good trick especially since it is way too easy to eat an entire loaf of bread soaked in the stuff before you realize what you've done...

Anywhooo for those of you who read my blog (thank you!) you know that I made mussels with family at "Camp Tierno". Well actually you know that I didn't make them but rather instructed my cousins to make them! The recipe is based off of a dish I had at Valanni one of my favorite places for drinks & apps in the city! F & I met up and got a few things to split and the mussels were definitely my favorite! We also had some fancy cocktails one of which was named "Boys Gone Wild"....no comment ;)

You can see Twitter Bug sniffing out the mussels!

One thing I've learned in my cooking adventures thus far is to not be intimidated by certain meats & fish. It is very easy to cook these things if you find a good recipe. Follow the preparation instructions and timing exactly and you will be pleasantly surprised with the results!

Mussels are not as hard as they seem! If you buy them at the grocery they are de-bearded and cleaned so there is not a lot of work needed on your end. However, when you make them they say to let them sit in fresh water for 20 minutes to get any sand and grit out. Also, make sure when you take them out of the water you use your hands instead of dumping them into a strainer...makes sense since if you dump them all the stuff you just got out of the shells is being poured right on top again! Also, if there are any shells that are open or broken trash them!

I loosely followed a recipe for this but they use clams and I prefer mussels. Also, the fresh corn at the grocery was not looking so great so I opted for canned corn! It was such a yummy treat while catching up on So You Think You Can Dance. Also the entire meal cost around $25 and was enough for probably 4-5 people. Not bad considering the price for mussels at some restaurants. I have plenty of leftovers if anyone wants to stop by for dinner :)

Until next time...Thanks for following my foodie journey!

Now We're Talking....

Now that Fall is upon us, things are finally starting to resemble a normal routine. Work is picking up like crazy (which is good!), the weather is cooling down (which I love!), and eating out is a much more frequent occurrence...YAY! ...don't even get me started on everything pumpkiny, orangey, scarfy, booty, wonderfully awesome about this season that we are starting to see around town!

Tuesday, M & I went to Pizzeria Stella for dinner since we have been craving it ever since we first ate there this past Spring plus a little celebration for my first successful event of the 2012-2013 season! This place is so nifty! Outdoor seating right in Headhouse Square, "bar seating" where you can watch the chefs prepare and cook your pizza in the wood burning stoves, and indoor seating where you're practically outside when they slide open the walls during warm weather. M & I ate inside this time since there were no open tables outside and again, you're practically sitting outside anyway. The one section of the restaurant we were in was very cool because there was an actual bar and the walls were covered with these funky bottle openers shaped like fish, anchors, people, etc. 

Here is the list of pizzas M & I have tried:
Zucchini: oven roasted tomato, thyme, black pepper ricotta
Mushroom: rosemary ham, garlic crema, smoked mozzarella*
Pancetta: italian bacon, wood roasted onion, tuscan kale, mozzarella*
San Daniele: prosciutto, smoked mozzarella, arugula (I think this one might be my favorite)
*shown in the photo

I also decided to treat myself to their special Heirloom Tomato Salad and I am kicking myself for not snapping a pic because of how amazing this dish looked and tasted. Delicious burrata  cheese (which tastes like a creamier mozzarella), basil pesto, balsamic, arugula, and of course the most gorgeous red and yellow heirloom tomatoes!

On Wednesday, A asked me to lunch and we decided to return to our previous lunch date spot; Green Eggs Cafe. If you are a Philly local and have not had Green Eggs yet you are SERIOUSLY missing out. 
Every. Single. Thing. I have gotten there during my 4 visits since the Center City location opened up in April have been phenomenal. 

They include:
Reuben Frittata 
Burrito 
Crab Cake Sandwich 
Cobb Salad 
Sweet Potato Fries

...and last but certainly not least A & I treated ourselves to the gloriousness you see in the photo a Nutella Donut Muffin. Enough said right?! I will say that it could have used more Nutella but when does anything really have enough Nutella?!

Now these meals above may seem average and nothing super fancy but...Green Eggs will take anything and make it better. I don't know what kind of crack they put in their food but I guarantee if you get their B.L.T. sandwich (which I have yet to try) it would blow any other B.L.T. you've had in your lifetime out of the water. They are just that good.

*Sighhh* there are never enough meals in the day, cash in my pocket, or metabolism in my system to return to all the restaurants I love or tackle my huge list of restaurants I want to try...

Trader Joe's - My Favorites

Finally made it back to Trader Joe's! Due to being home almost every weekend and various vacations this Summer I have been grocery shopping week to week. Meaning I buy the bare essentials and if I decide I want to cook a nice meal I'll just stop by Superfresh on my walk home that day (one of the many perks of living in the city!). 

Now that Labor Day has come and gone and I am officially "Team Fall" I decided I could invest in a few more shopping items to stock up on. However, one of the best and worst parts about Trader Joe's is that they have SOOO many delicious pre-made items that it is very hard to find the inspiration to create something or make an actual recipe. The food is so tasty though, that I don't really mind. That being said, since I may be lacking in the posts in the upcoming week I figured I would share some of my favorite goods from my favorite store!  

Trader Joe's is not one of those places (at least to me) that you go in a grab one or two items. It's a "I'm taking my time, enjoying the process, browsing new products, trying not to go too crazy, not in a rush to get out" kind of shopping day. Every time I go I try and purchase a few new items to try as well as a few staples I always need to have in my freezer. 





AHHHmazing...it says to refrigerate but I keep them frozen so they last longer. The flavor is so intense and delicious that I need some marinara on top and nothing else. I am literally drooling right now just thinking about them!! YUMMY





M introduced me to these yummy guys. Now, I have to be honest. Before I tried a bite of hers when she purchased them for the first time, I had never eaten a corn dog...I know crazy and how un-american of me, but I feel the need to put that out there in case any avid corn dog fans try these and they pale in comparison. However, for a low calorie delicious snack these are great!! I have still not had a legit corn dog but no worries...it's on my bucket list!!








Let's be clear, my mom makes the BEST eggplant parmesan. It is phenomenal. I ask for it every time I visit home. No restaurant has even come close!! But the way to make it is to make it for a family not an individual! These little pre-breaded eggplant slices are perfect to satisfy my cravings! Pop em in the oven and in the last few minutes top with some marinara and fresh mozzarella and enjoy (I like some sauteed spinach on the side!).

I LOVE French Onion Soup! It is so hard to ignore when I see it on a restaurant menu (that and anything with avocado). A few years ago I even asked for some ramekins for Christmas so I could make my own at home...turned out delicious but was definitely time consuming! These are sooo tasty and easy. They do take a while to cook in the oven so not exactly a quick meal but a great treat if you're not in the mood for lots of prep!


I am super picky when it comes to chicken salad. Every once in a while I get a big craving for it, which my old roommates can attest to during a certain mission in Manayunk a few years ago, but I am not satisfied with just plain chicken salad, I like stuff in it. My Nanny makes a delicious curry chicken salad that I request often! This chicken salad (while not the healthiest option when tempted to eat the entire container) is a great summer treat with the addition of cranberries and pecans to the mix!

Homemade Spanakopitas are so much fun to make. I absolutely love the process of making them and the fact that they require so much use of your hands. For that reason, I always think I would enjoy making homemade raviolis but I have yet to tackle that challenge. There is just something about spinach and feta together that is so great. And this boxed version definitely does the flavor justice! I usually need to pre-slice and store individual servings so I don't change the 5 serving suggestions to 2....





Last, but certainly not least! Dark. Chocolate. Edamame. That really is all I need to say but I will elaborate anyway. These little guys are sooo addicting. The edamame is crunchy and the perfect amount of salty. Room temperature or frozen, good luck not eating the entire container in one sitting!







Now, like I said, I always opt for a few new options to try when I shop at Trader Joe's so I thought I would share with you my new purchases!

Spinach & Kale Greek Yogurt Dip - Hopefully a tasty, healthier dip!
Ham, Caramelized Onion, & Gruyere Flat Bread - There is no way this won't be amazing!!
Cookie Butter - To quote the packaging "A deliciously unusual spread reminiscent of gingerbread and made with crushed biscuits" ....umm YUM

Soooo what are YOUR favorite purchases from Trader Joe's and what do you think about mine?! Let me know! Comments make me feel loved :)

When Someone Laughs at How Much Food I Can Eat

http://whatshouldwecallme.tumblr.com/post/30377668179/when-someone-laughs-at-how-much-food-i-can-eat

The 2nd Annual "Camp Tierno" Cooking Class

About 5 years ago my Nanny & Pop-Pop started a new vacation tradition in our family. One week in August became designated to "Camp Tierno" a sort of staycation at their house in Princeton, NJ. All four families would get together for a week filled with trips to the museum, Six Flags, swimming in the pool, golf and tennis lessons at the Country Club and much more. 

My Nanny is a phenomenal cook and we can always expect more than enough delicious food throughout the week. Last year, being in that weird limbo between college and career, I was designated as the "event planner" for the 2011 Camp Tierno week. One suggestion, from my Aunt D, got the idea of a cooking lesson going and before we knew it my brother, sister, cousins, and I had planned 3 different themed dinners; Greek, Italian, and Spanish/Mexican. We only ended up doing two but they were so fun and delicious! 

Master Chefs!

Greek Night: Chicken Souvlaki with yogurt sauce, Greek Salad, Spanakopita triangles, and (store bought) Baklava for dessert

Spanish/Mexican: Nachos, Baja Fish Tacos, and Churros

Everyone had fun and wanted to do it again this year. And true to my personality, I had to top last year and do it bigger and better.

My brother, sister, and I are a big fans of MasterChef and Hell's Kitchen and I thought it would be fun to incorporate more of a game or challenge aspect to this year's cooking class. My idea was to do one night of appetizers and mini desserts and rather than working on one recipe at a time, create stations designated to individual recipes. 

Everyone would start at a station and on my command people would switch and would have to explain to the next person what they are doing, where they left off on the recipe, and any tips or advice from their experience. This year they would be doing all the work and I would be there to supervise and answer questions. The ONLY downside to this whole day was that it was pre-blog and therefore I don't have as many great pictures of the food as I would like, but if you click on the links below you can make them all for yourself!

N slicing potatoes

S working that mixer!

Nanny <3

N saucing the wings

R rolling the cookie dough into balls

Switch!

N preparing the egg rolls

R making homemade pesto

A slicing mozzarella for the meatballs

M & S cutting corn for the mussels

The menu consisted of:

• Southwestern Egg Rolls (Baked, not fried, and very tasty although definitely for those favoring some spicyness!)
• Baked Brown Sugar Chicken Wings with Roasted Red Pepper Cream Sauce (This sauce is to DIE for so delicious and we were putting it on anything and everything...or just a spoon for some!)
• Mozzarella Stuffed Meatballs (Sooooo yummy...combining the beef and spicy sausage makes these so juicy and flavorful. We ended up forgetting to heat up marinara sauce to go with them but didn't notice because they were so good on their own....or in that Red Pepper Sauce)
• Pesto Portobello Pizzas (We actually ran out of time and ended up saving these for the next day to make for a snack!)
• Mussels with Corn & Chorizo (Recipe calls for clams but we preferred mussels...I've had this at Valanni in Philly and it was so amazing that I would dream about it, so this was a perfect opportunity to try and recreate it!)  
• Loaded Potato Skins (So easy and tasted just like something you would buy at a restaurant...if not better)
• Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Pops (My friend at work made these for a baby shower we had and I couldn't stop eating them...If you like Cookie Dough ice cream (which I love) this recipe will become your new best friend!)
• Bite Sized Pies (Instead of the brie and jam we got cherry and apple pie fillings from a can which made this a super easy treat!)
• Peanut Butter Pie Shooters (AHHHmazing...we also made these the day before and they thickened up nicely in the fridge overnight)

It was such a fun time and I'm still impressed that we managed to pull it off without any huge disasters. ALL the food was delicious and we were exhausted and stuffed at the end. Everyone did such a great job and I was so proud of my mini chefs! Next year's Camp  Tierno will be in Vermont at a lake house so I better start brainstorming ways to top this year's cooking class which will not be an easy task!!

Cookie Dough Pops YUM!

Southwestern Egg Rolls

Peanut Butter Pie Shooters

Chicken Wings, Red Pepper Sauce, & Potato Skins

Lemon, Garlic, & White Wine Pasta

Every once in a while I surprise myself when it comes to cooking. Like I've said before, I don't come up with my own recipes. However, I can guesstimate pretty well. We are getting closer to Fall, which I have recently decided is my favorite season, and I'm feeling motivated. Work is getting busier and I have a lot of exciting projects this year! Anyway, this motivation caused me to impulsively purchase a LivingSocial month gym membership and I went for the first time yesterday. Working out is one of those things I hate the thought of, until I'm actually doing it. Afterwards, I was feeling productive and healthy and wanted to make myself a yummy dinner!

I found this recipe on Pinterest but was in no mood to actually follow the directions...therefore I eyeballed some of the ingredients and stopped by SuperFresh on my way home. Met up with M & we  decided to get some wine (Mark West, Pinot Noir - so yummy! M's favorite) to enjoy while watching Bachelor Pad (I'm obsessed). UNFORTUNATELY, it wasn't on due to some stupid Monday night football game. Don't get me wrong, I love watching football, but it's pre-season and I don't like it interrupting my shows.

Now I'm getting off track...I decided to BS the sauce and start throwing things together (taste, alter, taste, alter, etc.). Surprisingly, it worked. And it was DELICIOUS! I'm thinking I should bottle the stuff...

Here's what I did:

• Took some leftover Chardonnay (that was probably sitting in the fridge too long), pre-minced garlic, some butter, salt, and a dash of flour (to thicken the sauce) and let it simmer in a small frying pan
• Chopped up some cherry tomatoes and parsley & cooked some whole wheat pasta
• Once the sauce seemed to taste the way I wanted it to I put in a chicken breast to cook in the sauce and placed a lid over the pan to keep all the yummy flavors in
• Once everything was cooked and ready I tossed it together and sprinkled some parmigiano reggiano cheese on top and served with a slice of fresh whole wheat pumpkin seed bread

Are you drooling yet? Because I was....and still am just thinking about it.

Pruney Tomato Fingers

I love tomatoes. All I need is a little salt & pepper and I could eat slices of beautifully ripe tomatoes all day. That is until I spent about 5 hours this weekend peeling, cutting, and de-seeding them until my hands were ridiculously pruney and covered with tomato guts...I'm talking so pruney that if I had cut myself, I most likely wouldn't have felt it. After that, the thought of eating them wasn't so appealing. 

Oh, and did you know rotten tomatoes have a distinct smell? At least that's what my cousins and their family (who have been making homemade sauce every August for years) say. I couldn't tell the difference, even when they handed me one saying "oh, this one is so disgusting, smell it!", I just nodded my head like "OH of course that's rotten, how gross". Clearly they have all developed super sensitive tomato noses after doing this for so many years, but I just wonder how many rotten tomatoes I've ended up eating over the years...

So anyway, I have been eating this sauce my whole life since we are very close with my Aunt & Uncle and their family and my Aunt M is an excellent cook! Her dad also works at very well know butcher shop on South St. so the meats and sausages I have gotten to eat over the years are absolutely phenomenal! I have always been slightly jealous of their authentic Italian tradition of making their homemade sauce and this year they offered to have my brother, sister and I come help out for the day!

The men start the day around 4am to begin the process of the pureed tomatoes. You can see my Uncle J jarring the sauce and I think the total number of pureed jars was around 140! This is split between three families and is MORE than enough!! 

When it was time for the peeled tomatoes to be done we were ready to get to work! First they get blanched in a large pot. This helps soften the tomatoes and makes peeling them much easier.

Once they are peeled they get the tops cut off and seeds taken out, as well as any yellow parts removed...everyone kept saying that last year's batch was better but apparently they say that every year... 

Let me tell you, this process is not easy! I was in awe of how fast the seasoned sauce makers were, my Aunt and her sister would go through at least 5 tomatoes each by the time I finished one! Once the tomatoes are done they get stuffed into jars with some salt & basil and get cooked again inside the jars when they have cooled down. (There is a video of my Uncle J stuffing the jars below to see the process...with some fun country music in the background!) 

We probably finished around 2pm and in true Italian fashion the next step was to prepare a huge feast! I'm talking fresh bread, salad, steak, pasta, 3 kinds of sausage, pizzelles, and plenty of homemade wine to go around. We were all pretty famished after a long morning of tomato handling and after eating I think we were all ready for a nice long shower and nap!

Overall, it was an awesome day and while everyone kept joking that we are probably going to be "busy" next year when it is time to do this again I would do it in a heartbeat. YES it was exhausting and YES I would only do it once a year, but it was so fun to learn about the process and take part in this tradition that at the end of the day all I really wanted to do was to thank them for allowing me to participate!

Now I just can't wait to get a few jars to start enjoying the fruits of our labor!...haha get it because tomatoes are fruit ;)

Hashtag Foodie Problems

I think it's only right that my first blog post be focused around explaining my title. 

Let's get something out in the open so you can "OMG" and stare in shock at your computer screens now, rather than later. I don't like Reese's. That's right, I said it. The thought of that melted peanut butter and melted chocolate together grosses me out and the smell literally makes me gag. *sigh* I'm sure many of you are cursing my name and contemplating never reading this blog again, but just look at it this way, more Reese's out there for you!

Anyway, the point is that I believe there are two types of people out there, "salty" and "sweet". Meaning everyone has a preference of one over the other. For example, if there were a spread of cakes, brownies, cheesecakes, cookies, etc. at one table and a variety of chips and dips at another (think spinach artichoke, bean dip, queso, salsa, etc.), I would go for the dips every time. Even when I eat ice cream (unless it's a particularly salty flavor like my new favorite Haagen Dazs  Salted Caramel Truffle), I crave something salty, like potato chips, afterwards. My mom, brother, and I are all salty and my dad and sister are sweeties. Let me know what you are! And don't give me any weird answers like I'm tangy or spicy...nope sorry my blog my rules you're either salty or sweet! 

So there you have it! I am 110% a "salty" hence the title "Always Salty, Never Sweet". I think that also explains my personality a bit but you can read into that however you'd like ;)

DISCLAIMER: This blog will not have recipes made up by me. As much as I would love to have that talent of creating combinations and flavors on my own (much like my favorite people on MasterChef can do), it is not a skill I naturally possess. However, I do implement recipes well and love eating out so look forward to not only recipes & restaurants to try, but any type of foodie experiences (or problems!) I feel like sharing!