WOW...you made this?!?!

So it's that time of the year where we will be having/attending dinner and holiday parties...like crazy!! And of course, most of these events requires you to make/bring yummy apps.

I know that you guys do not want to bring something "blah" or store bought. You want something nice and easy to make (I know, because I've had several requests for recipes.....he he ha ha). So here are some great recipes that will make you a "ROCK STAR" in the culinary world...and have people saying"WOW, you made this?!?!"

Baked Tomato and Goat Cheese Dip

• Take a log of goat cheese and slice it
• Lay the sliced cheese in a greases baking dish
• Pour your favorite tomato/pasta sauce on top and spread evenly
• Bake in a 350 degrees oven for 20mins
• Take out of the oven and let it cool for about 5mins
• Take 4-5 leaves of basil and roll it, then slice the basil....this is a chiffonade
• Sprinkle on top and serve with hearty crackers and/or sliced bread

Sweet and Tangy Meatballs

• Take 2 bags of beef or turkey meatballs (original flavor...you can find them in the frozen food aisle) and place them in a slow-cooker or pot.
• Pour 1 jar of your favorite tomato/pasta sauce over the meatballs
• Take one small jar of apricot or orange jam/preserve and put in a bowl
• Take the empty preserve jar and fill with warm water and remove the goodness from the jar and pour in the bowl
• Heat the preserve and water mixture in the microwave for 1min
• Take out the preserve mixture from the microwave, stir then pour over the meatballs
• Add 1/4 cup of cider vinegar and 1/4 cup of mustard (yellow or dijon) to the meatballs
• Stir and let it simmer on medium to medium-high heat for 1 to 2 hours in a slow cooker, but 1 hour in a pot on medium-high heat....please make sure you stir every 20-30mins to make sure the meatballs are coated and heated evenly
• Sprinkle chopped parsley then serve

Black Bean Hummus

• In a blender or food processor, blend 1 can of black beans (drained and rinsed); 1 can of chick peas w/half of the juice (reserve the other half); 2 tbsp of tahini; juice of 2 lemons; and 1 garlic
• If the mixture is too thick, add the reserve juice from the chick peas to thin the hummus...but don't make it too thin
• When you have the right consistency, add 1/8 tsp of cumin; 1/8 tsp of chili powder; and salt and pepper for taste
• Pour in a serving dish then drizzle EVOO on top
• Serve with fresh cut veggies like carrots, celery, cucumbers, radishes and sugar snap peas

Fig and Blue Cheese Bruschetta

• Slice the baguette on an angle and lay on a baking dish
• Toast in the oven for 5-7mins at 350 degrees
• Remove and cool the toasts
• Spread fig spread on toasts, then put blue cheese crumbles on top (do not buy blue cheese crumbles, it's cheaper to buy a wedge of blue cheese and make your own crumbles....I recommend buttermilk blue cheese)
• Place the bruschetta back on the baking sheet and bake in the oven for 7-10mins to melt the cheese, but if you like your cheese to be brown on top...just bake it a lil longer
• Take the bruschetta out and let it cool...do not handle because of the spread, it can burn you when you touch it
• Place on a platter and serve slightly warm

Spicy and Sweet Chicken Wings

• Mix 1/2 cup of montreal steak seasoning; 2 tbsp of paprika; 1 tbsp of chopped or crushed rosemary; 1 tbsp of chopped thyme; and 1 tbsp of crushed red pepper
• Drizzle some EVOO over the thawed chicken wings (the chicken must be completely thawed....no microwave thawing)
• Take the mixed seasoning and sprinkle over chicken wings and toss it to make sure each wing is seasoned...store the left over seasoning, do not have to use the whole mix
• Place the wings on a baking sheet....line it with aluminum foil
• Make sure you do not crowd the baking sheet
• Bake the wings in 350 degrees for 20mins or until the way you like to enjoy the wings (i.e. extra crispy)...you can also grill the wings
• Take the wings out and let it cool for 5mins
• Place the wings in a serving platter then drizzle honey on top before serving

Baked Artichoke and Spinach Dip

• Mix 1 block of softened cream cheese; 1 pkg of marscarpone cheese and 1 pkg of Knorr's vegetable soup mix
• Slowly mix in 1/2 cup of heavy cream....do this 3-4 times total to get the texture of a stew
• Add 1 pkg of shredded parmesan cheese; 1 pkg of chopped spinach (drained/squeezed); 1 can of artichoke hearts (buy the can quartered then chop it); 1/4 tsp of garlic powder; and1/4 tsp of italian seasoning....fold into the creamy mixture
• If the mixture became too thick after adding the other ingredients, add more cream to thin it out and salt and pepper for taste
• Pour in a baking dish and bake in a 350 degrees oven for 20mins or until lil brown on top
• Take out and let it cool for 5mins
• Serve with hearty crackers and/or sliced bread

Brie, Apple and Caramelized Onion Quesadilla

• Butter one side of the flour tortilla
• Place the buttered side on the pan/skillet at medium heat
• Add 3-4 slices of brie on half of the tortilla, then add thinly sliced apples (recommend fuji or gala apple) and caramelized onions (cook thinly sliced onions in a lil bit of EVOO until the onions turn brown)
• Fold over the other half of the tortilla then flip
• Cook until both sides are golden brown
• Remove from pan and let it cool for 3mins before slicing...need to left the cheese settle before cutting or it will ooze out and be every where
• Place in a serving platter and serve warm

Truffle Potato Chips and Blue Cheese and Chives Dip

• Take 2 bags of lightly salted kettle potato chips and pour into a baking pan
• Put in the oven at 350 degrees for 3-5mins to release the oil from the chips
• Take the chips out of the oven and drizzle some truffle oil over the chips, then toss
• Put it back in the oven for 5mins
• Take it out and toss again and set aside
• For the dip, in a bowl mix 1 container of sour cream; 2 tbsp of chives; 2 tbsp of mayo; 1 pkg of blue cheese crumbles; salt and pepper for taste
• Pour the dip in a bowl and put the chips in a basket or big bowl then serve

Trust me when you make any of these dishes, you will be amazed by how easy and delicious they are!! You will be the "ROCK STAR" with these dishes. Good luck and happy eating!!

Oh by the way.......a huge thank you to Travis for taking the pictures while I was making the dishes!! Love you Travis.

I suggest.....

I've been living in Las Vegas for almost 9.5 yrs. During those 9.5 yrs, I became the human restaurant guide. There's been several times where my friends requested list of restaurants to go for business, pleasure or to forward to their friends. Oh, and I cannot forget about the people I've worked with...uh uh hum (you guys know who you are).

So with the latest request, I thought maybe I should write about it and post it. This will save me loads of work. Why create a list every time I receive a request. Why not write about it and tell them to go to the site. This is being smart and maybe at the same time, being lazy.

There are several components to my list and it's created to give options. After all, we are unique individuals and my pleasure might be someone's disgust.

• Ichiza = Located in Chinatown (Spring Mountain and Arville). This place reminds of being in Lil Tokyo. The restaurant is small and always packed. It's like Japanese tapas style. There are soooo many dishes to choose from (from the menu and the wall). If you want sushi, this is not the place for you. The sushi menu is very small but they are loads of other Japanese dishes.....more authentic. When I have friends coming to Sin City, they always want to make a stop here. Not just because it's delicious, it's because of it is cheap and they are open late. I love okra tempura, wasabi octopus, pork buta-kimchi and the black cod. Go there with 4 or more so you have the opportunity to order loads of food to create your own tasting!!
• Peppermill Inn = Located on Las Vegas Blvd (http://www.peppermilllasvegas.com/). This is my diner in Las Vegas. Open 24 hours; large portions at a reasonable price; loads of options; and have the true diner feel compared to most diners in Las Vegas. The other thing about the Peppermill....is the lounge. I will not describe it for you......you just have to go!! It's a must in Las Vegas. But back to the diner/restaurant. It's a great place for breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night eating. I totally pig out when I'm there. I order an appy and an entree. But when my girls are in town we go all out with Nachos and Onion Rings for appy then we order our own entree. You just can't help it but to pig out because it smells sooooo good, and watching the servers walking by with the dishes in front of your face does not help. This diner never tastes like grease.....you actually taste food. You know when you go to a grease pit and you walk out feeling horrible because you feel like you just ate a big plate of grease.....not this place. You will get flavorful, satisfying and healthy (if you want that) dishes!!
• Happy Hour = I decided to do a category of it instead of listing each restaurant... because I have loads of them. You have Cafe Ba Ba Reeba – (http://www.cafebabareeba.com/) have to call for the times but I believe it's 430p-630p (on the weekend they have 430p to close) and they have 1/2price Sangria and $3 tapas; Maggiano – (http://www.maggianos.com/) 4p to 6p and they have $5 Martinis, $2 Beer, $3 Wine and $3 apps; Pink Taco at the Hard Rock – (http://www.pinktaco.com/) 5p to 7p then again at 10p to close where you can get BOGO Margaritas and Beer, 1/2 price apps and $2 tacos (during reverse happy hour only); Yard House – (http://www.yardhouse.com/happy_hour_nevada.asp) 3p to 6p the beer, wine and martinis have special prices but I believe that the apps are 1/2 the price...and a very large selection of them. There are others like The Grape, Paradise Cantina, Cheesecake Factory, Brio, Cadillac Ranch but these are places near or on the strip. If you want off the strip....oy vey is all I have to say because there are endless choices!!
• Grand Lux = (http://www.grandluxcafe.com/) This is a good restaurant when you have picky eaters or if you cannot decide. The menu provided various dishes (Asian to American to Italian to Breakfast, etc). This is a sister restaurant of Cheesecake Factory, but I think the food is better. Large portions and the price are reasonable for the amount of food you get. I love the Edaname, Double Stuffed Potato Spring Rolls, Buffalo Chicken Rolls and the Philly Cheese Steak Spring Rolls for apps; the BLT for sandwich; Manhattan, Sonoma and the Polynesian for salads; and the list goes on. I've had many dishes from here. You can find the restaurant at the Venetian or the Palazzo.
• Pris Fixe Menu = Here's another category. Due to the economy, there are several restaurants in Las Vegas with a Pris Fixe Menu. Here are some places I recommend, but I encourage you to write down the names of the restaurants with Pris Fixe Menu when you do your sightseeing. Craft Steak at MGM – a Tom Coliccho restaurant (you will know who he is if you are foodie) that offers 4 courses served family style for $60 per person…trust me, it’s worth it because you get about 3 apps, 1 main course of choice, 3 sides with the main course and a dessert; Pearl at MGM – offers 3 courses for $50 per person which includes an appy or soup, entrée (General Tso’s Chicken or their Surf n Turf of stir fry sirloin and lobster) and a dessert; DJT at Trump – offers 3 courses for $29 per person which included a soup or salad, entrée (which can be Roasted Chicken, Filet, Pasta with Shrimp and more) and a dessert…fine dining for $29 at Trump, can’t beat it!! There are many more like PF Chang’s $40 for 2 people, $79 at Joel Robuchon L’Atelier at MGM, Verandah at Four Seasons, etc. But to give you more of a discount, try this website for some Pris Fixe Menu listings as well as coupons (Pris Fixe Menus = (http://www.lasvegasrestaurants.com/theme.cfm/theme/22/order/1/StartRow/1 Coupons = http://www.lasvegasrestaurants.com/coupons.cfm)

There are lot more that are missing from this list (i.e Buffets, Italian, Korean, Thai, Mexican, Off the Strip, etc). I usually customize a list based upon the following - is it for business or pleasure; how many people will there; do you want fun, casual or fine dining; portion size; price range; etc. But I think this list will hit most of those areas.

If you are in need of more, hit me up by sending a comment and I will do my best to get you exactly what you are looking for. I hope you will try at least one of these recommendations and enjoy them as much as I do. Happy eating!!

Chicago - July 4th Weekend

I arrived in Chicago the evening of July 2nd. But my evening was not going to start as planned. My girlfriends, Nic and Cynthia had a 5hr delay. So I had to wait for them....and I did, at a bar. But it was no problem, because it's Chicago!!

I love Chicago!! It has everything NYC has to offer but it's more laid back and genuine. Plus, I love this city because this where I learned to cook from my Aunt Mary (aka Mama Mary)....my introduction to my passion.

So I waited for my girls; met some people; girls finally arrived; went to another bar; then called it a night. But before we can do that.....we had to get some after bar food in our system. So get ready, because this is where the food adventure starts!!

Our first night, the dining experience is something we would like to forget. Nic and I wanted something delicious and fast (Angela's Burrito is what we were pushing). However, Cynthia had her own plan. As a result, we ended up at the Golden Nugget. This place is not known for their food or service. So what do you do?? You order the safest thing on the menu......anything fried, burgers -well done and sandwiches!! We shared onion rings for apps (they were yummy); I got the Club Sandwich w/fries (my fries were cold and the sandwich was dry); Nic got egg white omelet w/spinach, shrooms and feta; and Cynthia got the Huevos Rancheros. Let's just say the girls had stomach issues all night and the next day.....where I was bueno!! Thank goodness I asked for mayo on the side.

The second day our dining experience was so much better. We started our day with a food walking tour of Wicker Park/Bucktown area. It was 3 hours long and we went to 6 places for tastings; learned about the development and achievements of the eating establishments; walked around the area; and learned about the area - past, present and the future. It was worth $42 because we totally enjoyed ourselves. You get enough food (unless you're like me because I was still hungry). We had a Chicago Hot Dog at Georges (http://www.georgeshotdogs.com/); Iced Medium w/Homemade Marshmallow at Hot Chocolate (http://www.hotchocolatechicago.com/); Antipasto Pasta Salad at The Goddess and Grocer (http://www.goddessandgrocer.com/); New Haven Style White Pizza and Beer at Piece http://www.piecechicago.com/flash/index.html); Falafel Sandwich at Sultan's Market (http://chicagofalafel.com/); and finally Ice Cream at iCream (http://www.icreamcafe.com/).

Anytime you are in a new city and you want to learn about their culture, definitely find a food tour. It's a great way to learn about the city (i.e. historical facts, the food that's indigenous to the city, etc).

After the food tour, we did some shopping. Bucktown/Wicker Park has great shopping. Very cute boutiques. So if you're one of those people who have to be unique, then definitely go shopping Bucktown/Wicker Park because you will find one of a kind items.

All that shopping we worked up an appetite. We went to a bar and grabbed a cocktail to discuss where we want to go for dinner. Should we try one of the places we went in our food tour or go some where different?? We decided to go to Takashi (a recommendation of the bartender).

Takashi is a contemporary Japanese restaurant with French influences (http://www.takashichicago.com/). We walked in and we were rejected in seating (there were several tables available for seating but if the restaurant want to do their reservations smoothly, then you will get rejected). So what did we do....we asked if there's dining at the bar. If a restaurant has dining available at the bar.....take it!! I love eating at the bar. You learn alot about the restaurant because of the interaction you will have with the bartender and other staff members. Plus, you can ask questions about the menu without feeling like you're being difficult or rushed from the server. I only recommend this if you have 2 -4ppl. Anything above 4ppl, do a table because it's easier to interact with your party.

Nic ordered the Carrot-Ginger Soup for her 1st course and the Halibut for her entree; Cynthia ordered the Beef Carpaccio for her 1st course and the Duck Breast and Confit of Leg for her entree; and I ordered the Terrine Trio for the 1st course and the Skate Wing for my entree. I could go on and on about the food because I got to taste everything due to sharing (always share when dining at a new restaurant, this helps in not over ordering....after all being wasteful is a horrible thing). But what I will say about the food is that everything came out hot when it's suppose to be hot and chilled when it's suppose to be chilled; presentation was simple and inviting; the flavors are delicate; and the textures are balanced. For me the most impressive part was the timing of the food. I felt like I was in France. We had a 2hr dinner. Nothing we did by our indecisiveness or constant yapping. We were actually in a hurry. It was because of the way Takashi manages his establishment. Doing this allows the customer to enjoy their food and capture the total experience. I savored every bite and I'm glad we had our dinner this way because it made me appreciate all the efforts of Takashi and his staff. Overall, we loved the food, the service and the experience. Totally recommend this place!!

For our 3rd and 4th day we did our late morning exercise by walking along the Lake Shore then grab a bite to eat; shopped a lil more; grabbed dinner; then enjoy the nightlife. Some of the memorable places we went to were Perennial, Molly's Cupcakes and The Spice House. I could talk about ALL the places we went to....but if I did, this sucker will be a book. Trust me, I am trying to keep it short. He he ha ha.

Perennials is a great brunch place (http://www.perennialchicago.com/). Thank goodness for the walk we did before coming here because I ordered like it was the last brunch I was going to have. I ordered the Sticky Buns and Breakfast Croquettes for starter. For the main entree, I ordered the Pork Belly and Mushroom Omelet, a side of Fruit Salad and a side of Potatoes Bravas Style. Nic ordered the Tuna Casserole while Cynthia ordered the Smoked Salmon. Yeah, I know I over ordered. But when a menu looks good, I cannot help myself....everything looks good. At least I ordered something unique and what the restaurant is known for. With all that food, of course I shared. I wasn't going to be a complete hog.

After brunch did some shopping on Old Town. I made a pit stop to The Spice House (http://www.thespicehouse.com/). I discovered this place last year. I had to go back and get some spices I ran out of. I accomplished it but also but more. I bought about $60 worth and it was not a prob. All these spices got my creative juice flowing. I was ready to get in the kitchen and start cooking. The White Truffle Sea Salt is what jump started it. The smell of the salt was sooooo bueno. I was thinking of making homemade potato chips with the truffle sea salt and make a creamy blue and chives dip for it. Sounds yummy huh?? I shared the idea with another customer that was next to me....we enjoyed each other's passion of the sea salt. Knowing that they probably did not want to make their own potato chip, I told them to purchase kettle fried potato chips unsalted; place in a 350 degrees oven for about 5 mins to release the oil; pull out and season with the salt. Of course you can do this with any seasoning mix or salt mix. For instance, you can sprinkle barbecue seasoning on the chips and serve with ranch dip. Visit The Spice House and see what kind of chef you can be!!

When we finished our excursion in Old Town we headed back to Lincoln Park. On our path back, we discovered a bakery with swings hanging from the ceiling. We had to go in. It's Molly's Cupcakes in Lincoln Park (http://www.mollyscupcakes.com/home.php) and it puts Magnolia Bakery in NYC to shame. These cupcakes are moist and flavorful. Nothing is overly done....not overly sweet or overly iced. Yeah these cupcakes can be expensive but it's worth it. Because you're paying someone else to do all mixing, baking, icing, stuffing, etc. Imagine if you did that....you would spend about the same or more. We ordered the Strawberry Shortcake; Apple Pie; Tiramisu; Boston Cream; Lemon Meringue; and the Chocolate Mousse. We got our cupcakes and started to speed walk due to the rain. I made sure the cupcakes would not be ruined by the rain. Because of that, I looked like I was in a wet t-shirt contest. It was all good though.....my reward for me efforts was sooooo bueno!!

There was more eating because Chicago has loads of cuisine to offer. But that will be another entry.