Cowgirl Seahorse

Last night, my buddy Bradley and I went to Cowgirl Seahorse.  He and I are both big fans of Cowgirl in the West Village so we wanted to check out what their take on seafood would be.  We both expected the place to be mellow, based on its middle-of-nowhere locale (our view was of a municipal parking lot and the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge) and yet somehow the place was packed to the gills. Luckily we got seated in back where we could enjoy our pitcher of strawberry margheritas in slightly less of a din.

We were mesmerized with the menu - about 70% of it fried.  Po'boys and other Southern temptations abounded.  We quickly put in an order of fried okra.  At first, we liked it, proclaiming the batter light.  But then we decided we didn't like it that much.  It was kinda too dry. Much was the theme of the rest of our meal - first Yes.. then No.

The okra didn't stop us from ordering more fried options.  My friend ordered a catfish po'boy with a side of onion rings.  I went for the crabcake sandwich with a side of sweet potato fries.  We both wanted hush puppies as well though, so we ordered a side of those to share.  We are serious.

Bradley did a very good job with his meal - finishing his platter, which also came with corn and cole slaw. I was able to grab an onion ring and, naturally, enjoyed it.

I really liked my dinner.  The bun (which was the same as the po'boys) was a soft brioche and the crab cake within was enormous.  I was full after about 3 bites but ended up slowly managing to finish the entire thing.  The corn tasted as if it has been boiled in butter.

My favorite were the hush puppies because they were sweet corn bread and came with a very garlicky dipping sauce.  But overall, by the end of the meal, though we'd both done a great job consuming it, we were kinda not that into the whole thing.  Maybe it's a better place for drinks and a few appetizers giving you enough for a little taste but not enough time to be over it before you walk out the door.

Meal Planning with Martha

Yesterday I was on Marth Stewart Radio. It was a fantastic experience and we had a great converstaion about meal planning.  We discussed how The Dish's Dish helps people eat more homemade meals as well as how people can cook more efficiently for themselves.  We also chatted about Culinista Kitchen, our new video venture! We are revealing the secrets of our Once a Week Cooking Technique™ in a fun, sexy DVD kit.

Take a listen here...



Or right-click and download the mp3 here to listen over & over on your iPod!

Mission to Mars Mac n' Cheese

Last week, my buddy James forwarded me information about a Mac n' Cheese contest, offering $5,000 to one lucky, talented chef with a damn-good recipe. Since $5000 is nothing to sneeze at (his words, I liked), I decided to enter. I'd been cooking with hot smoked paprika the previous day and it provided inspiration for my rendition of Freakin' Awesome Macaroni and Cheese also know as Mission to Mars Mac. Marvel below.

2 pints - cherry tomatoes
2 tbsps - olive oil
1 tsp - balsamic vinegar
1 lbs - orrechiette
6 tbsps - butter
3 tbsps - ap flour
2 1/2 cups - whole milk
1 lbs - Australian white cheddar
1/2 lbs - Emmenthaler
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 cup - plain bread crumbs
2 tsp - cayenne pepper
2 tsp - hot smoked paprika
s + p

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F.
2. Slice cherry tomatoes in half. Toss in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper to taste.
3. Spread in a shallow baking dish and bake for 30 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, cook orrechiette in a big, oven-proof pot of boiling water. Follow directions on box (cook for 10-14 minutes). When cooked, strain pasta and then return it to pot.
5. While the pasta cooks, melt 3 Tbsps butter in a sauce pan.  Add 3 Tbsps flour and stir continuously for 3 minutes (3-3-3!).  Add the milk sloooowly and stir until slightly thickened - another 3-5 minutes.
6. Cut the cheese (wink) into one-inch cubes and add half the Swiss and half the cheddar to the milk mixture.  Stir until incorporated. Add the mustard, 1 tsp cayenne and 1 tspe hot smoked paprika. Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.
7. Add 1 Tbsp butter, the sauce and the remainder of the cheese to the pasta in the oven-proof pot. Stir until incorporated.
8. Remove tomatoes from oven, turn oven down to 350 degrees F.  Distribute the tomatoes in an even layer over the pasta.
9. Melt (in microwave is fine) the rest of the butter (2 Tbsps) and mix in with the bread crumbs and the remainder of the cayenne and hot smoked paprika.
10. Distribute the bread crumbs over the mac n' cheese n' tomatoes.
11. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes. Let cool for 15 minutes before serving.

The top should look like the surface of Mars. Smoked Paprika = Mars dust!

I'm on the radio, like, NOW!

Remember all that hype about Sirius radio a few years ago? Satellite radio. A place where Howard Stern could be as vulgar as he liked.  Well, now might be a pretty great moment to test-drive it. Why? – You may ask.  Well, because I am on it! No, no I haven’t registered my own show but I am speaking today at 2:30pm on Martha Stewart’s channel.
I’ll be chatting it up with Mario Bosquez on Living Today.  The topic: Meal Planning.  Listeners will get an inside scoop on how to cook like a Culinista® - from picking recipes to multitasking in the kitchen.
How can you listen?  Head to siriusxm.com and download a free one-week trial.  You can get (for free) an application for your iphone/ipod and sneak into the bathroom at work to listen to me.  Download the app first, then double back to download the free trial.  You can also start listening on your computer – just click “start now” under free online trial.  If on a mac, you might need Flip4Mac – a simple download as well. Just don’t forget to crank the volume way up!

Culinista Kitchen- A New Product

Hey! Hey! Three years have flown by for The Dish’s Dish and heading into our fourth year, we are launching Culinista Kitchen, an instructional video series about how to cook meals for the week in one extended session. Each video covers 6-8 dishes and walks the viewer through the process of menu planning, shopping, cooking, preparation and instructions for storage and reheating.

That’s right – we want everyone to eat well, even if you don’t have access to our rockin’ Culinistas®. Viewers learn to save money and time by way of efficient menu planning, strategic grocery shopping, and cooking for the week in a single pass.  They learn to cook meals that last throughout the week, merging their efforts in the kitchen into a single event, which also opens the door for greater household participation.  With shopping and cooking done once, there’s more time for socializing, playing with children, going to yoga, etc.  Culinista Kitchen empowers people to eat healthier and enjoy more satisfying in-home meals.

With practice in the technique, you’ll become equipped to utilize your favorite recipes, taking ownership of the process, and making adjustments that make sense for your household’s preferences and lifestyle rhythms.  Culinista Kitchen offers tips to customize recipes to better suit specific tastes, consolidate grocery lists & recipes, multitask in the kitchen and choose dishes that will last longer in the fridge and freezer.

We’ve launched a sister (sista!) website dedicated to Culinista Kitchen – culinistakitchen.com – where DVDs are available via pre-order.  Watch the trailer for the premier video! Learn tips and tricks, available for free!   DVDs arrive via mail wrapped in butcher paper and kitchen twine.  The package includes the complete video plus printable recipes, shopping lists and step-by-step instructions. For those who use iPhones or iPods, the disc also comes with iPhone/iPod ready video and audio files.  Is this the perfect gift for you mother-in-law /child headed to college /husband /girlfriend /BFF /New York-obsessed cousin… or what?! A little preparation buys a lot of peace of mind.  Culinista Kitchen will hook you up.

As part of Culinista Kitchen, we are donating a portion of profit to Feedback Madagascar.  I lived in Madagascar in 2005 and experienced first-hand the highs and lows of living in this resource- and spirit-rich but financially poor country. Feedback funds go towards promoting health care, improving education and developing income-generating initiatives.  All work is done via Ny Tanintsika, an in the field group located in the city of Fianarantsoa – a town that I lived just outside of in a 60 person village.

I especially like this organization because of their focus on potable water, more responsible agricultural practices and education about HIV/AIDS.  Even if you don’t purchase Culinista Kitchen, you might consider donating directly to the organization ;-)

WTW - Martha Radio

Alright, so I am aware that when you do radio, no one actually sees you. But this morning, when I checked out Living Today online, the radio show on which I'll be speaking this afternoon (more to come on this later), I saw that the other guest on the show would be Jacques Pépin! Mon Dieu!  Pépin is nothing short of a legend.  So I decided I need to look angelic, just in case we pass each other in the hall.

I am wearing a Theory dress, purchased in 2006 for my book release party.  Greyish blue with a big bow in front, buttons all the way down.  Shoes are brown Stuart Weitzman and handbag envelope is vintage Gucci - purchased at Henri Bendell in 2000 - I was 16!

If you'd like to listen to me this afternoon (now that you've got a good image of what I'll be wearing), tune into Martha's Sirius channel around 2:30pm.  If Sirius is giving you trouble, don't fret, we'll have a recorded version available here later this week.

Blueberry Cream, Berry Sauce

On Sunday, I cooked like a Culinista®, making enough meals to last the week.  I was using my most favorite kitchen tool - the Cuisinart hand blender - for butternut squash soup and since I had it out, I decided to make blueberry whipped cream as well.  Fruity whipped creams is something I learned to make quite a lot of in Sweden.  Simply pour the berries of your choice into a bowl, add a little sugar, then heavy cream and blend until thick!  It's super easy and super impressive.  I also made berry sauce - just toss a few pints of berries with cornstarch (1 tbsp per pint) and sugar (to taste) and boil until thickened and the berries have released their juices.  Let cool and serve over the whipped cream.  Heaven!