Super Cinnamon Bagel with Honey Almond Cream Cheese

If you know me you're not surprised to hear that a few weeks ago I was driving somewhere and got lost. I was making a trip to see my boyfriend and his family in Long Island, NY. One-way, the trip consists of a 40 minute drive, a train, a transfer, another train, then the LIRR (another train). The things we do for love.

Anyway, as I sat there waiting for the train I noticed that there was a Manhattan Bagel just across the parking lot and I could hear the words of one of my closest friends from grad school in my head: "I think I deserve a treat." I was feeling a little stressed as the semester had just ended and I never thought I would find this train station; I deserved a treat. Manhattan Bagel it is!

I roll my suitcase across the parking lot and wait in line at the counter, looking at the 30 or so different kinds of bagels to choose from. In light of this quest to eat something new everyday, and already deeming myself deserving of a treat, I chose the Super Cinnamon Bagel with, get this, Almond Honey Cream Cheese!

I absolutely love bagels but don't eat them all that often, knowing that among other nutrition faults their caloric intake surpasses that of TWO donuts (Sorry if I just ruined bagels for you. Don't fret- there are worse things!) When I do give in to the all mighty bagel my absolute favorite is a whole wheat everything with egg whites, provolone and a slice of tomato. In general I tend to gravitate toward salty and savory foods rather than sweet ones. For some reason I was in the mood for something sweet and intrigued by this bagel. Sometimes I think I'm a marketer's dream - the "super" may have been what got me... who knows.

So I get the bagel to go, grab a huge smart water and make my way back to the train station. With tons of time to spare I take my time savoring every bite of my new second favorite bagel (whole wheat everything still has my heart). It is honestly delicious, I thoroughly enjoyed it!


The bagel its self is a proper bagel, not the Dunkin' Donuts or store-bought versions that I like to refer to as "bread with a hole in it." It is crusty on the outside and soft and doughy on the inside, exactly how a good bagel should be. The outside of it is topped with cinnamon sugar, but just the right amount. It doesn't get all over my face or hands while I'm eating it, and it doesn't fall off and make a huge mess. The cream cheese really put it over the edge. It tastes sweet without making me feel like I'm about to go in to a diabetic coma, and the almond adds an extra flavor to the mix.

What I liked most about how Manhattan Bagel decided to handle this particular flavor was the fact that they didn't try to kill us with sugar. The dough seems to be the same, traditional dough with the sugar added on afterward. This way it still tastes like a bagel, not a doughnut or any other pastry. Not to mention the surprise bite.

You know what I'm talking about. One second your eating an egg bagel and the next you're tasting jalapeno or blueberry. Sometimes the surprise is good and sometimes not so much. In this case, and lucky for me, mine was a suprise bite of an everything bagel. It's the one bite that has a faint taste of whatever bagel happened to be next to at some point on the way from the prep room to the front counter.

I'm happy that I tried this bagel and will most likely find myself indulging in a Super Cinnamon Bagel with Honey Almond Cream Cheese again in the future. If you have a Manhattan Bagel near you I strongly suggest trying the bagel, the cream cheese, or both!



Fun Food Factoid: Apparently the reason why good bagels are usually found in NY and NJ is because this doughy-ness has to do with the water and water in that region has something in it that makes this delicious bagel so good. Same thing goes for pizza dough!

The Holiday Helper

Less than a week until Christmas, two days until the grandparent's move in, and the anticipation turns to anxiety. Whether you're stressed about finances, crowds, questions about what you're doing with your life or the overall hustle-and-bustle, it's nothing The Holiday Helper can't fix.. or at least take the edge off of. Gotta love a great holiday cocktail to help get through the season. Here's a recipe and recount of our family's latest addition to our selection of holiday highballs: The Holiday Helper (more commonly referred to as an apricot sour).


Thanksgiving rolled around and it was time for the family to all get together (at the same place at the same time) for the first time since Easter. "With the current state of the economy," everyone questioning politics and our president, complaints, the standard moans and groans, there's no wonder a few of set down the glasses that correct our vision and picked up the ones that blur it.

My aunt Kerryann hosts the holidays and this year she made a drink we hadn't had before, an apricot sour. I'm always willing to try out whatever drink happens to be inhabiting the infamous red pitcher, but I usually wind up sticking to beer or wine. Not this year. I was all about the apricot sour, or as I have come to call it, The Holiday Helper.

serving suggestion

The components:

• Lots of ice
• Kern's apricot nectar
• Lemon lime soda
• A little cranberry juice
• Seagram's whiskey
• Fresh orange slices

Fill a pitcher, punch bowl, cooler, whatever container you'd like, half full with ice. Add whiskey. This is a personal preference. I suggest thinking about how many servings you hope to get from the container you're filling and measuring out that many shots and adding it to the mix. 

seagramswhiskey.com

Next fill half of the remaining space with Kern's apricot nectar. Fill almost to the top with lemon lime soda, leaving room for the splash (or two) of cranberry juice. Slice as much orange as desired and add to the mixture. Mix well and serve with lots of ice and orange slices for garnish. 

If you let the mixture sit for any length of time, you may need to freshen with ice, a little more soda and a fresh orange. To make it family friendly, leave out the whiskey, instructing the adults to add their own.

kerns.com

This drink is cool and refreshing, as cliche as that may be. It tastes like a light juice with a kick. Neither the citrus nor the alcohol is too strong. It went great with our traditional Thanksgiving meal, the citrus went great with meat, and even later on with cookies and cake. It made me feel hydrated and refreshed after lots of heavy foods. And everyone seemed to get along just a little bit better.



Happy holidays! For those of you who need it, I hope this helps :)

AND don't forget about this drink after the holidays (don't worry, I'll remind you). It will be great in the warmer months, too!

French/Italian Onion Soup

Hi All! Sorry for the hiatus - I've gotten many complaints and I hope to be blogging much more often now that the semester is officially over! Consider yourselves warned about the inundation of blog posts that are to come!

Speaking of the end of the semester, it has become a tradition for a few of us in my program to go out for a brewski or two (or three, or four) with one of our beloved Professors, let's call him Charlie. After class last Wednesday Charlie led the way up the street, just off campus, to the new pub-style bar and restaurant on Main Street called Catherine Rooney's. I've been there before for drinks, but never to eat, so I was excited to give it a try.

I was hungry, but not famished, and being that it was about 9pm I wasn't in the mood for anything too heavy, but I knew a salad wouldn't cut it either. So, I decided on one of my favorites: French Onion Soup. This is an Irish place with a pub feel, so their French onion was likely to be a decent choice, if not a great choice. Well, folks, this is my first negative blog post: I was extremely disappointed in the French Onion Soup. 

Main Street has a number of great places to eat, and being a lover of French Onion Soup, there are a few places to pick from that do a great job with the recipe: Iron Hill Brewery, Kildare's, and Deer Park Tavern. Well, I was wrong to include Catherine Rooney's in this list.

First of all, for those of you who don't share my love for this soup, a little background information. The modern day version of this soup came about in 18th century France and is composed of onions, beef broth, a large crouton, and gruyere cheese. The soup is poured in to a crock or ramekin, then a large crouton is added (crouton chosen over bread so that it can handle the broth without getting too mushy), topped with cheese, and placed in the oven or under the broiler in order to melt and lightly brown the cheese.

Secondly, I have a few personal criteria when it comes to French Onion Soup:

1. The cheese must be a mild white cheese (preferably Gruyere) and it must be melted over the edge of the crock.

2. It must be served in a crock (Not in a bowl, sorry Panera Bread).

3. The crouton inside must not be too mushy.

4. The  onion soup needs to be chock full of onions and super tasty.

5. There should never, under any circumstances, be Italian seasoning on the top. (this one is new)

As the waitress carefully reached across the table to place the piping hot crock (#2- check) of soup down in front of me, I noticed the mild white cheese, (#1- check) but after she placed it down I noticed that the cheese was not melted over the edge of the crock (just kidding, #1 - fail!).  Any French Onion Soup Connoisseur like myself knows that one of the best parts, whether you prefer it first or last, is picking the cheese off of the side of the crock and eating it. This crock was clean around the edges. Not a good look, Catherine Rooney's, not a good look. 

Please notice how the edge is cheese-free and the heap of "seasoning"

Being that the cheese was still completely covering the top of the soup, I let that one slide. As always I slid the spoon between the closest edge of the crock and the cheese to make a hole for some of the steam to escape. I tasted the cheese, which was perfectly, slightly browned on top, and it was delicious. As I waited for the soup itself to cool down I took a second bite of the cheese and... what's this? Is this some kind of seasoning? I look down and notice that there is a spice resembling parsley sprinkled on top of the cheese layer. AND I could taste it. With that second bite of cheese I had forgotten whether I was eating French Onion Soup or Chicken Parmigiana. Again, not a good look.

I ate some soup, sipped some water, and decided to try again with a clean palette. Same thing, still left me thinking about Italian food, which is NOT something I want to be thinking about while eating French Onion Soup.

I do not know what the seasoning was. (Here's where my lack of any culinary expertise really shows). But I do know that it is not the normal seasoning used on a French Onion Soup. If it wasn't for this seasoning, which could have been a mistake, it would have been just fine (still not great). 

Catherine Rooney's has a great atmosphere for those of us who are post-undergrads and looking for a fun place to hang out and enjoy a few drinks. But their French Onion soup is confused and confusing. It is safe to say that I will not be ordering the French Onion Soup from Catherine Rooney's again. I'll leave that one to Iron Hill and Kildare's. 

A bit of a side note: Before the soup I ordered a Hot Apple Cider drink, the Spiced Cider to be exact, which was hot apple cider and Captain Morgan's Spiced Rum. Not so good. I think spiked hot apple cider should be left at home where there is enough time and space to be made in a large pot on the stove mixed with whole apples, cinnamon sticks and slices of orange.

Although I am not new to French Onion Soup, I was new to Catherine Rooney's and, as you can see, sometimes an old favorite at a new restaurant is all you need to have a new food experience. And new isn't always better, but no regrets, just lessons learned! And the lesson here is no French Onion or Spiced Cider from Catherine Rooney's.

Keeping Up!

Follow me on Twitter for more up-to-date details on my new food experiences! @eatsomethingnew

blog posts coming soon: The holiday helper; Pio Pio, NYC; Manhattan bagel; NY Penn Station Breakfast deal; Catherine Rooney's; Deer Park Tavern and.. mindful eating! :)

Happy Holidays!

A quick and easy appetizer... to go.

For me, one of the hardest things about the holidays is deciding what to bring to all of the scheduled gatherings. It depends on the time of day, the people who are hosting, what meal will be served, whether alcohol is appropriate, dietary and allergy concerns, how picky the guests are, the list goes on and on. So far this holiday season I've been asked to bring finger foods to Thanksgiving day dinner and to a work holiday party. To both of them I brought an olive, roasted red pepper, fresh mozzarella dish.

The mozzarella, red pepper, olive dish is one that my family repeats throughout the year, whether it be Thanksgiving, Christmas, graduation parties, casual get-together's, whatever the case may be. It's a simple recipe, doesn't take much time or skill to prepare, and is pretty tasty, if I may say so myself.


You will need:
- 1 package long toothpicks (preferably the kind where one end is flat)

Tip: Trader Joe's Mozzarella balls are SUPER CHEAP!

- 1 tub of fresh mozarella balls in water
- 1 average-sized jar of roasted red peppers
- 1 can large black olives
- 1 jar large green olives (with or without pimento)

You probably already have:
- Olive oil
- Balsamic vinegar
- Garlic powder
- Dried basil and/or italian spices
- Fresh cracked pepper (ground black pepper will do just fine, too)
- Salt

The process:
First drain the mozzarella balls and the green olives to make the whole process a little less messy for yourself. Next cut the roasted red peppers in to pieces about 3/4" by 1/2" (you just want them to be a little bit longer and wider than the mozzarella balls -and don't worry about the shape, they don't have to be perfect- that's part of the beauty of this dish!).

Now, with a clean surface, maybe a cutting board or plate, in front of you, line up the containers of mozzarella balls, black and green olives, and put the roasted red peppers in a pile on your surface. One at a time grab a toothpick and one by add each of the ingredients to the toothpick. It helps to start with one of the olives, then the pepper, then cheese. The pepper is the softest, most flimsy ingredient and therefore doesn't stay on the toothpick all too well by its self. The cheese and an olive do a good job keeping it in its place :). Place each one in a Tupperware container, and they are stackable, so you don't need a huge container. This photo (left) shows the pepper wrapped around the cheese. I prefer not to wrap the peppers, it makes for a neater entrance in to the mouth, and I like to have some with green olives and others with black for those who have a preference. It's up to you, whatever you think your guests would prefer!

After you have exhausted your supply of mozzarella balls (they usually go first), then it is time to make the dressing. You can use a pre-made balsamic vinaigrette, but if you'd like to make it yourself, it's very simple to do so. In a bowl or large mug pour 3/4 cup olive oil and 1 cup balsamic vinaigrette. Add a tablespoon each of garlic powder, basil and Italian seasoning. Wisk until blended. Add salt and pepper to taste. Wisk again. Pour in to the Tupperware container making sure to coat all of the toothpicks and every mozzarella ball. You're done! That's it! Pretty easy :) You can leave them in the refrigerator overnight or serve immediately.

Serving suggestions: Personally I think they taste better room temperature (so traveling is no big deal!) and I'd be sure to leave them out for 30 minutes or so before serving if left in the refrigerator overnight. It is also best to get a large plate or platter and line them up with the flat end of the toothpicks sticking just over the edge of the plate for easy grabbing. It's important to move them to a new serving dish, as the excess dressing is super messy and unnecessary at that point. Serve with small plates or napkins. And be prepared for them to go quickly!

Having a new food experience can mean many things: eating something you haven't eaten before, preparing something you've never prepared on your own, blind experimenting, or simply taking the time to really taste the food you're eating. In this case I prepared something for the first time that I had eaten time and time again. But I never really thought about it until now, when I tried to do it on my own, and tried to explain to you all how to do it on your own.

This experience was about figuring out all of the little things that work, work better, or don't work at all as far as arranging the ingredients, storing the final product, serving it to guests and figuring out the best way to explain the process to an audience. I never would have thought about having the edge of the toothpicks hang slightly over the plate if my grandma hadn't wiped her dressing laden hand on her white sweater and continued to complain about it for an hour.

Oh, the holidays! Speaking of... coming attractions: The Holiday Helper - a cocktail sure to help you get through the holidays, no matter how dysfunctional the family.

New leftovers.. not so oxymoronic

I know that not everyone is a leftover lover. I, however, am a big fan of leftovers. They're right there, already prepared, make a fast and easy sidedish, or even a whole meal. You already know what they taste like, whether or not they will be satisfying, and if you finish them off, you don't even have to dirty a dish. But that can get boring after the 3rd or 4th re-heat.

In light of this trying-something-new attitude, I have begun spicing up my leftovers with more than just spices. Just because your leftovers were originally prepared one way, doesn't mean that's how you have to eat them the next time around.

hormelfoods.com

We all have those comfort foods that have been in our families for years that we love coming home to. On occassion. When mom makes a huge pot of something and expects us to eat it 4 times in 3 days, then take some home with us, it gets to be a little redundant. One of these meals for my family is Galushka (pronounced gul-ish-ga). It is a hungarian dish made with wide egg noodles, cottage cheese, and butter. Growing up we ate it all the time with peas, a cheap and easy meal for our busy mom. For those of you who have never had it, or even heard of it, I know that the combination can sound strange and unappealing. In fact, I had no idea what was in it until I was 18, and I'm glad. Fear not, though, it is actually quite delicious! And here I have added one extra, popular and more mainstream ingredient that brings it over the top.

Gulushka tastes unlike anything else I've ever tasted. The egg noodles taste like egg noodles; if you've never had them, they taste very similar to regular pasta. The butter of course just makes the egg noodles taste.. buttered. Then there's the cottage cheese, the one ingredient that always seems to freak people out the most. I'm not a huge fan of cottage cheese in it's natural state, but that strange, almost bitter or sour cottage cheese taste disappears when it is served warm. The meal tastes like pasta, butter, and a mild cheese. A mild, Hungarian mac and cheese is what my brother and I were told it was when we were kids. And we believed it, because that's really just what it tastes like.

You don't have to change up the entire meal or go to a completely new restaurant to try something new, to have a new food experience. Sometimes leftovers and one new ingredient or two is all you need.

So, after Thanksgiving it was time to break out the Christmas decorations and deck the halls. In the midst of all of the cleaning, rearranging and decorating, my mom and I totally forgot to eat, something that always happens when we're on the go. Once we finally sat down our bodies had time to realize that we hadn't eaten a damn thing all day. So, we opened the fridge, grabbed some butter, happened to have some cottage cheese, and mom always has egg noodles in the house. We whipped up a batch of cottage cheese. The next day it was time for me to head home, and as a parting gift my mom sent me on my way with a tuperware full of gulushka. Two days later I'm still eating the leftovers, and feeling it needs an extra kick. In thinking about what to add, the dish doesn't have any meat in it, and it requires a good amount of salt after being reheated, so I come up with a salty meat: bacon.

That's right, I added bacon, and I bet it would be even BETTER with prosciutto or pancetta. I didn't have any bacon in the house since I don't eat it much, but I did have a small packet of bacon pieces. Now, don't confuse this with bacon bits, they are not hard or nearly as crunchy. The bacon pieces are significantly different. Imagine taking several strips of bacon, removing the fatty pieces, then chopping them up in to small pieces, and that's what I used.

I took the remaining gulushka, added a little bit of Olivo Light margarine (pasta is always dry and difficult to re-heat), and some bacon pieces. Then, a little trick my mom taught me when I was little that I swear by to this day: I took a paper towel, ran water over it, rang it out, and covered the bowl with it. The wet paper towel creates steam in the microwave, leaving whatever you're heating up more moist* than usual. This trick works great for mac and cheese, potatoes, and especially rice!

After heating I stirred the contents of my "new" gulushka, added a little black pepper, and dove in. Awesome. The salty bacon added a whole new flavor, uped the salt and protein, and added a new texture. The pasta, butter and cheese are all soft, and the bacon is more firm, making it distinguishable amungst the other ingredients with every mouthful. It was still the same ol' gulushka I've always known and loved, but even better.

Despite my desire to try something new, this one I'll repeat.

So, with this rapidly approaching holiday season I encourage you to add a little this or that before re-heating your leftovers. Let me know how it goes :)

* Those of you who hate the word "moist" - I apologize, but get used to it if you're going to follow my blog. In my opinion it is one of the most important words when it comes to food. Good bread, chicken and cupcakes are all way better when they're moist. :)

The quickie of the fast food industry... In-N-Out Burger

Recently, while visiting a friend in LA, I tried In-N-Out Burger for the first time. I had heard a lot about this sixty-two-year-old fast food joint, and was more than willing to try it out. "If you've had one you've have 'em all" doesn't apply to food. Restaurants, Chefs, certain days of the week, there are a number of factors that go in to the food experience. And, although I am more of a Taco Bell girl when indulging in such fast-food frenzies, In-N-Out was more than pretty good.

The first thing I noticed was In-N-Out's simplicity. The sign is simple (see below), the decor is simple, the menu is simple, and the ingredients are simple. For an indecisive orderer, this was refreshing. And despite it's simplicity, the flavors were bold and delicious.

In-N-Out was started in 1948 by the Snyder family in California, and despite it's growth to about 140 locations, it still remains primarily on the west coast. The Snyder's, and their successors, pride themselves on three simple philosophies: fresh, high-quality ingredients, friendly service, and a clean environment. I say they get a 10 out of 10 for all three - and, according to my students, I'm a strict grader.

A little hungover and a lot hungry, we parked the car and decided to by pass the drive-thru, place our orders inside, and sit in the outdoor picnic area while we feasted. I let my LA friends order first, hanging back to take it all in and see how it's done. I wound up choosing the #2: cheeseburger (with onions), fries, and a soda. I also ordered a side of (complimentary!) pickles.

After guzzling half of my diet coke mixed with rootbeer I went straight for the burger. Before all of the fresh flavors even hit my tongue it was impossible not to notice the bun. THE BUN. The bun is fresh and, get ready, toasted. A fresh bun that is also toasted makes the burger. And it's what takes it up a notch from frozen to fresh ingredients. It was soft on the inside and lightly toasted on the outside. Once your teeth meet in the middle all of the other flavors come rushing at once: the delicious beef, the secret sauce, fresh, raw onions, juicy tomato, and crisp lettuce. None of the veggies are wilted or slimy, the beef patti is not a perfect circle (or square), and the sauce puts it over the top. And this is no McDonald's "secret sauce" - this sauce is similar to (if not the same) as a Russian dressing and tastes just as fresh as the other ingredients.

Now for the fries. As you can see in the picture, they look just like McDonald's. But, just like with the sauce, the similarities stop there. These fries are not overly greasy and taste like... potatoes. Imagine that! French fries, made from potatoes, that TASTE like potatoes! They literally taste like fried, cripsy, slightly greasy potatoes. If you don't understand why I'm making such a fuss, next time you taste another fast-food restaurant's fries, take a second to really taste them. Leave one in your mouth for a few seconds and see what it tastes like. The answer is nothing. Or grease. McDonald's, and other fast-food chain's fries tend to taste like grease, or like nothing at all, because they're frozen. In-N-Out's fries taste like the fresh potatoes they come from, and again you are reminded of the fresh, quality ingredient philosophy.

Lastly, the pickles were a little disappointing. They were crispy and fresh, not slimy or wilted, but the taste was off. I'm not sure if it's a west coast thing, an In-N-Out thing, or what, but they tasted like dill  mixed with a little bit of juice from a batch of butter chips. Not terrible, but still disappointing. I ate them anyway, so how bad could they have really been?

Personally In-N-Out is no Taco Bell, but if next time I find myself needing a quick meal and in the mood for a burger, I will surely be wishing I was still on the west coast.

Coming Attraction: The process of leaving food in your mouth for a few extra seconds and really seeing what it tastes like is part of something called mindful eating, which I will be blogging about in the future, so keep an eye, and mouth, out ;)

brussels sprout chips.. the new san francisco treat

Apparently ricearoni isn't the only treat coming out of San Francisco. Marlowe, a bistro located on Townsend Street a short taxi ride from Union Square lists "Crispy Brussels sprout chips" as one of just three appetizers on its menu. Marlowe has received lots of press from Time magazine, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times and The San Francisco Chronicle, and it lives up to its reputation.

I tasted the avocado soup, ate the stuffed sole, drank a beer, and savored the crispy brussels sprout chips. Yes,  "brussel sprouts" "chips" and "savory" are all being used to describe those mini, stinky cabbages you usually couldn't pay anyone under the age of 35 to try. Skeptical at first, then reminded of my personal food philosophy, I knew I had to try them.

The leaves from the brussels sprouts are plucked and fried in piping hot rice oil, sprinkled with lemon zest and tossed in sea salt. Simply prepared. Simply delicious.  The chips are, as their name claims them to be, crispy. They're also buttery, salty and... brussels-sprout-y. Yes, they still taste like brussels sprouts, but it's a whole new experience compared to the steamed or boiled brussels sprouts your mom serves up on Thanksgiving. The buttery taste comes first, followed by a light crunch and a hint of salt, then finally the classic brussels sprouts taste. It really was a delightful experience for my entire mouth (that's what she said). But seriously, these chips are great.

photo courtesy of tracey holden

The waitor described them as "A great item to have on the table while you're deciding. You can pop them in your mouth like popcorn." I have to admit, I found myself going back for more in much the same way I do with popcorn.

If you're ever in the San Francisco area, check out Marlowe. If you ever have a little extra rice oil and some brussels sprouts laying around, try it for yourself.






Fun Food Factoid: Brussels sprouts (yes, spelt with an "s" at the end of "brussels" - who knew?) grow well in California with the coastal fog and the year-round cool climate. Also, they are said to possess potent anti-cancer properties that are better preserved when the vegetable is fried as opposed to boiled. Have we finally found the one time fried food is better for you?! Of course that doesn't change that it's  brussels sprouts.