Kitchen Organization

We have a decent sized kitchen for a city apartment and really good appliances, but incredibly limited pantry and counter space.  Adam and I have installed four of these Ikea shelves in the past four years we've lived in our apartment, first starting out with two:

Not sure how I even managed the first year without any of them.  They hold jars full of different kinds of flours, sugars, rice and other goodies.  My teeny coffee maker sits on the shelf, next to a stack of takeout menus, even though we typically only ever order from one pizza place and one Chinese food place, a fancy bar set I gifted to Adam when he was really into being an at-home-bartender, a blender, two coffee grinders (one is for spices only, thank you), so on and so forth.

Do you ever do a spice inventory?  I do one every few months.  I used the back of my friends' wedding invitation (sorry, guys) to write down the name of every single spice, including some assorted condiments, and their expiration dates (still can't part with all of the expired ones, even though I should), and then I mounted it on the inside of the cabinet.  Getting spices out drives me absolutely crazy sometimes, and I've definitely experienced the double stacked glass spice bottles crashing to the counter and/or floor.  Did you know turmeric stains?  Because it does.

It's time for Saveur's 2011 Best Food Blog awards, and I came across one of the most beautiful photos:

Not only are her spices deliciously organized, her white Le Creuset utensil crock only holds wooden utensils!  I love it.  While this is not exactly how I want to organize my spices (I like this even more), it makes me want to cry out of joy because it looks beautiful.  There is still the stacking issue, but who cares when it's so pretty.  It also makes me want to cry when I think about what my cabinet looks like.

A Tiger in the Kitchen: Chapter Eight

Heartened, I took a moment to reflect and admit to myself: I am the bread-baking bomb.

And then I almost burned down my kitchen.

Scene 1: Restaurant

A friend and I were recently talking about how we do not understand why people choose to share bad, not happy and/or surprise news in public places, restaurants in particular.  We were specifically talking about choosing a restaurant as the location, not when it happens to be the location by accident.  Her parents are getting a divorce, and she said they wanted to talk it out over dinner.  Declined.

I was out to dinner with another friend, and he dropped a little fact that he would be moving across the country before the end of summer.   While this was happy and exciting news, it was done in a way that still leaves a terrible taste in my mouth when I think about it.   The news was only let out by accident, and it was let out in front of people I have seen less than ten times in the nine years I've known him in some West Village pizza place with annoying children as the background noise.

Maybe I am just selfish and thought that after years of friendship, news this big would have been shared in a different manner, or maybe Scene 1: Restaurant is just tacky as hell.

Bon Appetit & Easter Dessert

Adam's family has a lot of family gatherings, and I am responsible for bringing the dessert.  His dad is diabetic, his mom has a gluten allergy, and most other family members don't ever end up eating dessert.  True story.

For Easter dinner, I will be bringing half a ricotta cheesecake from the May issue of Bon Appetit.

Let's talk about the new Bon Appetit layout.  I liked it a little bit more after I read through the entire issue, so I can't say the hatred I felt when I first opened the magazine remained, but it still looks like a men's magazine for food.  Pretty sure most of the readership is female based, and that doesn't mean it ever looked like Cosmopolitan, so I don't know why I need to read my pasta tips in the same way GQ sets up their shaving tips for men.  One of their first ads is for Essie nail polish.  Granted, Essie is one of the best nail polish brands out there, but I liked looking at ads for industrial refrigerators in fancy homes and wondering when it would be mine.  Blegh.

Back to food.  I did a test run of the cheesecake the other day and made three mini-cheesecakes and brought them into work.  Success.  No one I know bakes though, so it's tough to really say they are being fair.  I've tasted some things non-baking co-workers have baked and almost thrown up.  But then again, it is nice being praised for my hard work.  I'd say I was overall happy with the way they came out, other than the way they looked.

The recipe calls to drain the ricotta.  Now after having done this twice for more than the time they recommended, I can say this is pointless.  I even bought a new strainer because I did not think the one I had was 1. big enough (it wasn't) or 2. fine enough.  It didn't matter.

There was no crust to this cheesecake, which was nice and easy, and you just had to mix some breadcrumbs with sugar and dust the pan.

 Lemon zest and juice, and the matzo meal and sugar.

I "cut" the cream cheese into cubes with my test run the other day, but like straining the ricotta, it was kind of pointless. Maybe it's just me, but cubing cream cheese is not easy, even when it's cold.  It's too creamy and sticky for that nonsense!  I guess it would have eased a slight strain on my Cuisinart, but that beast can take anything.  And it did.

This is the final result.  The recipe said to take it out once it was golden brown and "just set" but when the coloring was right, the texture was not.   It does not taste burned or crispy or anything, but it is a bit unsightly for me.

So I dusted it with powdered sugar, as the recipe called for, even though I did not really plan on it.

Kids in Restaurants.

Hate 'em.

Foodie Buttons

I ended up in the Garment District after work to replace a too-short-ribbon belt that came with a dress and got distracted by a few things, like these teeny lemon and blackberry buttons at M&J.

Also, I needed to replace this ugly button from a $4.00 thrift store blazer, and I did exactly that with a button that cost as much as the blazer itself.  Here it is, beautifully photographed on a recipe for Potato Leek Gratin from a slightly older issue of the New York Times.

And last, but not least, is Chimpy drinking my leftover cereal milk.  He used to jump on on the coffee table, but that enraged me so much, I just had to put the bowl on the rug.  

Eggs for Brunch

This is where I mentioned how much I hate runny yolks.

This is what I ended up eating for brunch on Sunday, minus my homegirl's torn off sugar packet that flew onto my plate:

The menu read Creamy Polenta and Eggs, and I had meant to ask how the eggs were cooked, because I assumed they would be sunny side up or poached, but I got caught up in the hectic One-Waiter-Serving-The Entire-Crowd-Outside-Sunday-Brunch experience.  I thought about it immediately after I had ordered it, decided to bite the bullet, and suck it up.

It did not turn out that well for me.  I could not stomach eating most of that other egg, and I'm pretty sure I almost gagged with the first forkful.  I guess multiple bellini carafes, water and coffee eased the pain.  Separate egg whites (oh the texture), separate and wet egg yolks, and Jennifer just simply do NOT go together.

This is where you call me boring, unsophisticated and a fake foodie.  This is where I order my eggs scrambled until the day I die and love every scrambled minute.

Chicago: Hot Doug's

While perusing my Fodor's Chicago 2011 book, I came across Hot Doug's.  Adam and I love hot dogs.  Love them.  Rutt's Hutt in Clifton, NJ deep fries their hot dogs (until the skin splits - called "rippers"), and there is absolutely nothing like it.  You have to mentally and physically prepare to eat there, obviously, because you should eat at least two rippers.

Hot Doug's amazingly has a 4.5-star rating on Yelp, which is by no means an accurate view of anything but can prove to be pretty useful, out of 1568 reviews.   FYI - Rutt's Hut has 4 stars out of 162 ratings.

Their menu is hysterical (The Keira Knightly) and fancy (Foi Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Foie Gras Mousse and Fleur de Sel).  I get pretty overwhelmed with new restaurants and extensive menus, so I will have to decide over the next two months what I plan on ordering, other than the DUCK FAT FRIES.

Monday: What was for dinner?

Scallops!

How often are people actually cooking scallops at home?  They are pricey as hell and delicate little suckers.  I can say that this past Monday night was the first night I ever cooked them, and they were the bomb.  I will not be making them again anytime soon though.  

I used Bon Appetit's Sauteed Scallops with Sweet Chili-Lime Butter (super easy, super quick) and served them with an orzo, zucchini, spinach and mint salad with a light balsamic vinaigrette.  I used the left over orzo salad for lunch the next day and just added a lot more spinach.

The recipe called for a dozen scallops, which turned out to be almost a pound, and I thought about halving the recipe.  Six scallops per person sounds like a lot, but three sounded too little, and I thought asking for anything other than half a dozen or a dozen scallops would make me sound too difficult.

Not that it mattered anyway because I had asked Adam to pick them up for us, and I was spared any shame, especially because we bought an easy dozen.  

(Six per person was a lot for me, and Adam ate most of them).

Chicago, here we come!

Since Adam's vacation was finally approved, I can really start planning our trip to Chicago.  I love to plan my meals, why would I not love planning my vacation?   It's not to say I create strict daily schedules or stick to the loose itineraries we do have, but I like to do my research and plan ahead.

That being said, not only we will be in Chicago for the Crosstown Classic, which I have obviously already purchased tickets for, we will be there during the tail end of the Taste of Chicago!!  That is amazing!  I'm sure it will be hot as hell and the crowds will be crazy, but what a great coincidence.  I should have planned our entire vacation around it.

Saveur, I am disappointed in you.

It's funny Alexa mentioned Saveur to me today because I was just thinking about writing an entry about the magazine and how little they valued my subscription and/or customers.

In the past, I had said I was waiting for one of those desperate "please don't leave me" subscription renewal offers before deciding whether or not to renew.  Every magazine does this, some better than others, because they don't want to lose you.  It's the same as most relationships - no one wants to be left behind, whether it's the person, the food or the magazine.

I received my last issue, #137 The Sandwich Issue, a little while back, and last week, I received what is apparently Saveur's best "deal" for current subscribers: $24.95 for one year.  Maybe you don't really care about the cost of the magazine and just send in that slip, or maybe you think like me and think, that does not really sound like a great deal, let's see what they are offering on their own website.

$19.95 for one year!! TWO YEARS for $29.95!!

So again, maybe you don't care or maybe you think like me you're about to get ripped the fuck off and decide to tell Saveur to suck it.

I sent them back their notice, putting a big X over their $24.95 pay now or pay later offer, and wrote that their were cheaper rates available online and it was insulting to refer to their offer as some sort of exceptional deal for current subscribers.

Unlike Applebee's though, I will not say never again and will take any additional discounted rate you provide me.

Crapplebee's

I will never again step foot in an Applebee's.   For a synopsis of my experience from hell, please refer to my Yelp review, otherwise, let's let it rip.

Before last week, I would have easily said I loved Applebee's.  I don't know why, especially every time I saw their Oriental Chicken Salad on the menu I gagged a little, but I did.  It was a love affair, full of highs and lows - the highest when I went around my birthday two years ago, and when the waitress carded me, noticed my birthday had just passed, and brought out dessert and a singing crew.  The lowest (and last) happened last week.

If you think I did not write my server's name down, you're wrong.  Sometimes people need to be held accountable, and I want to be able to prove my traumatic experience actually happened. 

Let me first start off with what I believe is the absolute bare minimum for a 20% tip, or what I will refer to as

Jennifer's Restaurant Rules:

1. Take the drink orders within the first ten minutes of seating, or have anyone, anyone at all, bring over some water.
2. Bring all courses to the table in a timely manner, and if they can't be brought in a timely manner - make up an excuse and/or acknowledge that I'm fucking starving and that the wait is ridiculous.
3. Ask how the food IS, while I'm eating it and offer to refill the beverages, or better yet, bring a new glass before I have to ask.

That is it.  I should say I've never waitressed, but I've worked a job long enough to know that the bare minimum is not too much to ask for.  Apparently, sometimes it is, and then I have to lose my shit.  And by lose my shit, I mean give you a shitty tip.  The only time I ever remember not tipping was when I was in high school when the waiter at TGIFriday's was horrendous and the manager had to be called.  I would be lying if I said it does not make me even angrier to know I have to leave you a tip at all. 

Anyway, back to the meal.  I'm sitting at the table and I'm parched.  Restaurant Rule #1 has been broken already.  We placed our orders and waited patiently for our wonton tacos.  Over half an hour passes, and I'm already scanning the room for our waitress.  She is nowhere to be found, as in there is no way she has been in the dining area for at least half an hour.  She appears eventually, from the back, with what looks like her manager, who looks like he may have received some under the table goods, if you know what I'm saying.  She approaches the table in front of us, to take their orders, notices I'm still looking around the room and says the appetizers are on the way.

They show up, cold as hell.  In fact, after looking over their menu online, nothing on their appetizer menu is served cold.  Fail.  You'd think because the appetizer showed up so late, and so cold, the entrees (the fish and chips for Adam, and the cowboy burger NO cheese for me) would be right up.  Wrong. 

Without me even scanning the room this time, the waitress says the entrees are taking long because they accidentally put cheese on my burger and had to make a new one.  Oh, okay, she is applying half of  Restaurant Rule #2 to improve her chances.  I'm reconsidering my feelings about her and this restaurant.

I don't eat a lot of burgers - in fact, I don't eat a lot of red meat, so I was excited.  That is, until I saw my burger.  Do you know what something looks like when melted cheese is pulled off it?  It looked like my fucking burger.  It looked like what the McDonald's Filet-O-Fish looked like that one time I got it with cheese, and I had to pull it off, except that cost me $3.00.  I've talked enough about my disdain for most cheese, especially MELTED cheese, in this blog and in real life, so it should be pretty fucking clear I was pissed off and disgusted.

I hacked off the melted cheese bits with a fork and proceeded to eat my medium rare burger, even though I ordered it medium well, until I was too pissed to eat it anymore.

Two words: Never Again.

I should add that I was contacted on Yelp about my review by a marketing representative from Doherty Enterprises, the 12th largest franchisee in the US, to help rectify the $36.66 nightmare I had to endure.  One of the few good things about big companies, chains and/or corporations, is what their management and customer service will do to keep you a part of their machine.  Too bad you can't buy me off this time, bitches.

I responded today with the following:

Hi Jerry,
While it is nice of you to contact me, I am not interested in speaking to the Area Director, as I have no intention on returning to this particular Applebee's ever again, or any Applebee's for that matter.
Perhaps if "WOWing" your guests is of great interest, the current servers at the Jersey City location should learn that lying to their customers and being absent from table service for half hours at a time is probably the worst way to go about it.

Thank you,
Jennifer

Moral of the story: You do NOT want to mess with this.

Busy.

Work and life have been keeping me away for a whole week, but here is a gem of a cookbook that I absolutely did NOT buy and did not consider buying for even a second:

I have a story to share soon about a horrid experience at my local Applebee's.

On another sidenote, I will be going to Chicago this summer for four days, so I've got a lot of food planning to do.  Since I will be staying outside of Chicago, at a yet to be determined motel/hotel that offers the option of free breakfast, I will be able to spend more money on fun, and by fun, I mean food and other memorable experiences.

Did you know McDonald's USA First Store Museum exists?  Because it does, right outside of Chicago. And I'm going.

Cookbooks - WHY MUST YOU TEMPT ME SO?

So I hit up one of my local Borders after work, coupon in hand, hoping to peruse a Chicago travel book, as I am planning a summer vacation there, but like many other Borders, the store was closing!  It was a rundown madhouse!  Had I known this store in particular was closing, I would have hit it up much earlier.  You know what happens with "EVERYTHING MUST GO" sales?

People like bargains, and so do I.  50%-70% off?  CONSIDER ME SOLD!  Don't you know how much reading costs?!

I know, I know - another cookbook?  I can't help myself.   I would also be lying if I said I thumbed through more than four pages of this $10 discounted book before snatching it up.  Keywords:  food, blog, cookbook. Done.  And I totally judge a book by its cover - and it was so clean and crisp!  And GREEN!

UPDATE:  THUMBED THROUGH SOME MORE PAGES, NOT THAT IMPRESSED : |

I also picked up A Tiger in the Kitchen by Cheryl Lu-Lien.  The one line summary reads as follows: a book about the author's quest to recreate the dishes of her native Singapore during one Lunar Calendar year, as a way to connect food and family with her sense of home.

One of the things I dread the most when I think about losing my parents, other than the obvious, is the losing the sense of Korean culture I have through food.  Who is going to make me kkakdugi?  How will I be able to go home and know that a pot miyeok guk is sitting on the stove?