May 2012
4 posts
8 tags
josie's adventures: (snaps from my weekend)...
This past Saturday we went to the GoogaMooga festival in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Here are some snaps from the day:
the crowds at GoogaMooga:
Thai Sausages:
More crowds around restaurant stalls:
Cookin’ with Coolio stall:
Coolio’s Soul Rolls:
Ginger Iced Tea:
GoogaCake:
Beer!
Hamageddon:
BBQ and Bacon Land:
Porchetta Sandwich:
BLT:
GoogaMooga:
Sweet...
8 tags
secret recipe club: mini grilled cheese...
It is secret recipe club time again!! Yes friends, it is again the third Monday of the month when i get to post a recipe recreated from another blog. This month, i was assigned Chellie’s blog: art from my table! Fun fact: Chellie was assigned my blog last month and did my recipe for cheesy and gooey eggplant. How awesome is that?!
So now it is my honor to recreate one of her recipes. I...
15 tags
josie's adventures: Wine Enthusiast's 'Toast of...
This past Thursday night, Jully and I got to attend the Wine Enthusiast’s ‘Toast of the Town’ annual gala. We arrived at 7pm at the Oscar Hammerstein Ballroom and were greeted by many food and wine enthusiasts like ourselves, thrilled to be at the event.
There were SO many people!!
The gala welcomed over 500 wines, spirits and beers for the tasting. In addition, there were...
April 2012
5 posts
9 tags
secret recipe club: sausage, peppers and onions...
I am so excited to bring you this post. This month I got assigned Jennifer’s blog: mother thyme! Jennifer is a mother of twins in Buffalo, NY and she has a gorgeous blog. Her recipes look so amazing, i had a tough time picking just one to feature.
I think I’ve mentioned before, my favorite part of the secret recipe club is the chance to get to know other blogs that I may not otherwise had...
9 tags
baked salmon pockets (...or is it envelopes?)!
this is a companion recipe to friday’s post of sauteed bok choy. i made this salmon to go with the bok choy because i wanted something light and healthy. the salmon fulfilled all these requirements and more. it made for an amazing dinner that i will definitely cook again!
i cooked the salmon inside parchment paper “pockets” or “envelopes”. the main reason i did...
9 tags
sautéed bok choy!!
Bok choy is a type of Chinese cabbage chock-full of vitamins A and C and absolutely delicious. I first cooked bok choy about a month ago. I was in the supermarket when I saw the bok choy in the produce aisle and figured, “hey, I can cook this!” (Yes, apparently I am getting very confident about my cooking abilities). So I picked up a bunch, went home and cooked it – and loved it. I have cooked...
8 tags
steamed mussels with pesto & chorizo!
It is time for mussels again! I think you know how much I enjoy mussels, I am always posting a recipe for them. They are just so easy and delicious to make that I cannot help myself.
For this recipe I used pesto and chorizo. At first you wouldn’t think they’d go together well, but oh… they do. Yes friends, pesto and chorizo with some white wine makes for some delicious mussels. the...
8 tags
IACPNYC!
Last weekend, my friend Nelly and her husband came to new york to attend the IACP conference. As you may recall Nelly is the fantastic chef and writer behind the blog cooking with books. I met Nelly online, as today’s friendships come about. I emailed her after I found her blog on a directory and we have been in contact ever since. We met in person last October at the martha’s vineyard food and...
March 2012
3 posts
7 tags
cheesy & gooey eggplant bake!
i made this eggplant bake for dinner a few weeks ago. i started cooking this how i usually start most dishes: with no clear plan of how to make it. a lot of my cooking is an adventure where half of the time i have no idea if it will work out of not. hahahaha! i usually do have an idea of how i want things to taste, in this case: cheesy, creamy and eggplant-y. so i went to work with these words...
6 tags
secret recipe club: peanut noodles!!!
it is secret recipe club time once again!! i love the secret recipe club and all the awesome blogs i’ve discovered thanks to it. i eagerly await my assignment email each week so that i know who’s blog i got. this month i got india-leigh’s blog: a vegan obsession. she has recipes and articles on all things vegan. i was thrilled to look around her blog and pick a recipe.
i...
8 tags
seafood stew... inspired by my friend mark!
happy friday!! i hope you had a fabulous week and an even better weekend!! check out this recipe to get your weekend started. i made this on wednesday after chatting with my friend mark and he described this recipe to me. it sounded so delicious, i had to make it. i had to make it that same night.
mark only used clams for his, but i decided to add some mussels and shrimp to it as well as some...
February 2012
9 posts
5 tags
happy dominican independence day!
today, february 27th is dominican independence day. on february 27th 1844, a group of men gained independence for the dominican people. back home there are usually parades and celebrations. this is also the time for the dominican carnaval, celebrated all through the month of february and it culminates on independence day. during carnaval there are parades and competitions. each town puts their...
7 tags
crab-meat stuffed sole!!
how has your week going? mine has been great! lot’s of work, but fantastic. i am grateful that i have had time this week to share this recipe with you. it is for crab stuffed sole. if you keep keep lent this is a perfect recipe for it. it is made up of nice sole fillets stuffed with fresh crab-meat.
i made this recipe last week. i used this recipe as a guide. it was so easy to make. i...
7 tags
dark chocolate mousse with raspberry liqueur!
i made these delicious mousses last week to celebrate valentine’s day with the irishman and i simply had to share this recipe with you. making mousse can be a scary task to take on, but as you will see below, anyone can do it. this rich dark chocolate mousse was a lovely treat!
here is how the story goes: over christmas, i got my first set of le creuset dishes from the irishman’s...
7 tags
secret recipe club: cheddar & scallions biscuits!
it is secret recipe club time again! this time i got assigned kim’s blog: liv life too! kim is a mother of two in california. her love of cooking started years ago when her husband bought her a cookbook as a present and it has not stopped since. her blog is full of recipes and tales of her travels. cute pictures of her kids and two seriously adorable maltese puppy abound. i am so glad she...
7 tags
happy valentine's day: champagne and chocolate...
happy valentine’s day everyone!! i hope you have a wonderful day filled with sweets and the people you love. i am doing my part by bringing these cupcakes to my coworkers this morning. i wanted to make cupcakes that screamed valentine’s day! and what is more valentine-y than champagne, chocolate and strawberries?! when researching cupcake recipes i came across jenna’s blog: not...
6 tags
butternut squash, peanut and curry soup!!
woah! it is cold! like really cold. like “it seems like winter is here to stay” cold. in my, very humble, opinion the best thing to do when it is this cold is to have some soup. if you are looking for a soup recipe to warm you up, look no further than here. this soup has a lot of flavors going on: squash, curry, peanut and some red pepper and ginger undertones. thankfully they each...
9 tags
hot toddy & irish coffee!
the air is getting colder, it seems that winter has finally arrived. whenever the temperatures drop i like to relax at home with a nice warm beverage. sometimes it is a hot cocoa with a spoonful of nutella melted in (try it! i dare you to have regular cocoa again!). but there are other times when i just want something stronger, and that is when i whip out one of these two drinks.
hot toddys and...
10 tags
tofu sandwich with a guinness/bbq/steak...
i’ve eaten tofu before but i’ve never actually cooked it myself. well, that was until three nights ago when i decided it was time and finally cooked tofu. on my own. at home.
the result was actually pretty amazing (i know, i am surprised too!). tofu sometimes gets a bad rep. i am not going to lie, i was one of those people who thought tofu was soggy and bland. i have since crossed...
9 tags
my family's sazón recipe!
a big element in dominican cooking is the homemade sazón or seasoning. we use this homemade mixture of herbs and spices to marinate meats and as a base for rice, beans, vegetables and soups. in my family, my grandma makes the sazón and bottles it for each one of us. i wanted to try my hand at it and since jully was here over the weekend she helped me make a batch. we even called her mom and our...
January 2012
9 posts
9 tags
jully's barbecue ribs!!
this weekend, jully came to visit me. we had been planning this visit for a while and finally our schedules synced up to make it happen. the plan was for us to exchange our birthday/christmas presents and cook some nice ribs. if you have been reading the blog, you know that i have mentioned jully in a few posts before. jully is one of my many cousins (there are a lot of us in the family, mostly...
3 tags
you guys, i am so sorry for not posting. this past week has been really hectic and i haven’t cooked anything. i will try to cook something for friday and if i don’t, i definitely will have something for next week. please forgive me for not posting.
i will be back soon. i promise.
hope you are having a great week!
xo
josie
7 tags
jully's kale chips!
when i got back from ireland i had an email from my cousin jully (from the chinatown adventures and the cranberry sauce). the email was a simple and to the point missive telling me to make kale chips. the email was followed by text messages urging me to make these chips, and make them now.
Kale chip:
Kale, cut the rib Olive oil Adobo Garlic, i used powder cause i didn’t have fresh but...
7 tags
creamy & spicy potato and leek soup!
today i bring you another soup recipe. this time is for a creamy and spicy potato and leek soup. the potato and leek soup is a staple at many restaurants and it is very easy to replicate at home. i made this on a whim last week and decided i wanted to add a little heat to it as well. i added some red pepper flakes and they definitely got the job done.
here is the recipe for creamy & spicy...
5 tags
pasta with kale and chicken!
have you tried kale? i just started eating it. it was actually jully’s (my cousin) suggestion. when i got back from ireland i had an email from her with a recipe for kale chips (which i made and will share with you soon). she is 100% behind kale and told me i should be too. so i tried kale, and now… i am hooked!
kale is a type of cabbage, from the same family as collard greens....
6 tags
irish lamb stew!
i am very excited to share this recipe with you! i adapted this recipe from the book irish food and cooking by biddy white lennon & georgina campbell. the book was a present from the irishman’s mom while i was in ireland last summer. it has great recipes and a few process photographs which make it a favorite of mine.
one of the recipes is for irish stew. the irishman had told me...
7 tags
carrot and parsnip soup!
well, it seems winter has finally arrived to new york. of course, winter means lots of warm food… soups, stews and baked goods. one of these soups is this great carrot and parsnip soup. it has a very silky smooth consistency with hints of orange and ginger and it could not be easier to make.
it reminded me of a soup i had at a friend’s wedding a few years ago where it was so...
11 tags
christmas trip to ireland!! (part 2)
here is part two of my latest trip to ireland!
on friday we went to skerries. skerries is a seaside town in county dublin. we spent a few hours walking around town and on the beach before heading back into the city to get ready for dinner.
dinner was at the always delicious l. mulligan grocer! i went there last summer upon clare’s recommendation and it was so delicious i had to go...
12 tags
christmas trip to ireland!! (part 1)
nollaig shona duit (merry christmas in irish)!
finally, the pictures from our recent trip to ireland!
i love that every time i go to ireland there is something new for me to see or do. this time we were dublin for christmas which was simply delightful. the city of dublin really got into decorating, there were christmas decorations everywhere. i am going to write about this trip in...
December 2011
11 posts
5 tags
with only a few hours left in 2011...
hi there!
i am back from ireland with a ton of pictures and stories. you guys, it was such a fantastic trip! the weather was nice, the food was delicious and the company was amazing. as usual, everyone was very welcoming and fabulous hosts and hostesses. the post is almost completed and will publish all my stories and pictures in the new year.
can you believe how quickly this year has gone by?!...
2 tags
merry, happy christmas!!
i am writing this from our apartment in new york but as you know i am currently in ireland for the holidays. i will post pictures and stories from my trip once i am back in the states. but i wanted to take a second to wish you a very merry christmas! i hope you are surrounded by amazing food and the people you love.
hasta luego,
11 tags
holiday food & my birthday: arroz con leche (rice...
today is my birthday. yup, december 23rd; happy birthday to me!!
i am currently in ireland!! spending the day in dublin and will have pictures for you when i get back. promise!
every year for my birthday my aunt belkis and my grandma make arroz con leche (rice pudding) for me and the baby jesus (yes, we celebrated the birth of jesus with rice pudding!). to this day, without fail, i always get...
9 tags
holiday food: spiced christmahanakwanza punch!!
have you ever heard/read the word christmahanakwanza? it is a word that combines the words: christmas, hanukkah and kwanza together. this way no holiday during december gets left behind. i am not sure where this word came from but i like it. i like it so much i named this, originally christmas, punch after it. i celebrate christmas but i didn’t want to leave anyone behind. this is an “everyone is...
7 tags
secret recipe club: baked eggs with thyme!!
today i am taking a break from the holiday recipes to bring you another installment of the secret recipe club.
do you remember my past secret recipe club assignment? it was so much fun!
this time i was assigned to the blog: a couple in the kitchen. choosing a recipe was a bit difficult because they have so many fantastic recipes on their blog. in the end i chose these baked eggs with thyme....
6 tags
holiday food: orange and ginger cookies!!
hi friends! how was your week? my week has been going great, lots of cooking, working and a holiday party tonight. i made these cookies last weekend. they are packed with orange and ginger flavors. they make for great homemade presents and since they only take about 30 minutes to make you can whip out a batch really quickly.
here is the recipe for orange and ginger cookies!!
INGREDIENTS:...
8 tags
holiday food: mushroom, chestnut and porto tarts!!
hi friends! how is your week going? what are you up to? i am doing great, listening to christmas music as i type this post. december is definitely my favorite month of the year! i have always enjoyed christmas, ever since i was a little girl. i just love all the food, family, music and of course, presents hehehe. i think part of my love for christmas stems from the fact that my birthday is very...
8 tags
holiday food: cream cheese, bacon and chives...
today i bring you an appetizer, perfect for the holidays. i learned to make this spread a few years ago while on a trip home. my friend was getting married and i was there to celebrate with her. i have known her my whole life and i was there to share with her and her family. the night before the wedding we were all at her parent’s house getting some food ready (yes, it was a self-catered...
10 tags
seafood spaghetti!! (with salmon, shrimp and...
the idea for this dish came to me as a not so subtle suggestion by the irishman. he wanted a pasta and seafood dish, and since it was my day off i complied. i am always in the mood for seafood, must be the caribbean upbringing. i used salmon, scallops and shrimp but you can add whatever seafood you like. this is a very customizable dish. i added lemon zest right before serving...
9 tags
breakfast casserole with eggs, potatoes, leeks,...
i made this breakfast casserole (i’m calling it a casserole, why not?) yesterday morning, this breakfast dish is packed with fantastic flavors that will surely put a pep in your step in the morning. it is a perfect dish if you have a lot of people around the breakfast table since it will feed a big crowd and because it is a one pot dish you don’t have to worry about timing the eggs,...
9 tags
pantry dinner: sze' spam fried rice!
happy december everyone! can you believe a whole year has gone by so fast? crazy, isn’t it?!
today’s recipe was given to me by my friend sze. we were talking about food one day (i tend to talk about food a lot) and he mentioned how one of his favorite comfort food dishes was spam fried rice. i immediately asked him for the recipe because i had never had spam before so i figured...
November 2011
9 posts
8 tags
yuca patties with fresh rosemary and cheese!!
i am very excited about today’s recipe. this is one of those really simple recipes that is perfect to use when you want to impress someone. yuca, cassava in english, is a delicious root vegetable. i have been eating yuca since i was a little girl. we mostly ate it boiled but it can be fried or baked as well. yuca is sometimes added to soups and stews as well. in dominican republic, it is...
6 tags
thanksgiving recap!
how are you? how was your thanksgiving? mine was fantastic! i went to my aunt and uncle’s place where we ate a ton of great food, drank a lot of wine. on the menu were: dominican style potato salad, rice and peas, rice and vegetables, greens and tomatoes salad with jully’s homemade dressing, roast chicken, telera (dominican bread), stuffing and of course turkey. for dessert homemade...
5 tags
happy thanksgiving!!!
i hope you have a great day full of food and family. i am thankful for my family, friends and everyone who reads this blog. i am thankful for my family’s recipes and the ability to cook for the people i love.
9 tags
secret recipe club: pork chops with balsamic...
hello! how was your weekend? did you do anything exciting?
my weekend was great, met up with some friends and cooked a ton of food. food and friends, what else can a girl ask for, right. i am very excited about this post. this post is my first contribution to the secret recipe club!
the SRC is a community of bloggers. each month we get an assigned blog and we have to pick one of their...
7 tags
sausage, cranberry and cornbread stuffing!
we have less than a week before thanksgiving so i wanted to share my favorite cornbread stuffing recipe. i really like this recipe because first of all it is delicious, the sausage and cornbread go really well together. and second, it is so easy to make. check it out: sausage, cranberry and cornbread stuffing!
INGREDIENTS: 4 cups of cornbread 1 tbs butter 2 stalks of leeks 2 stalks of celery...
8 tags
jully's cranberry sauce!
with thanksgiving around the corner i have decided to post a few holiday recipes. today’s recipe is for a super easy cranberry sauce. my cousin jully made this sauce for us last thanksgiving and it could not have been more delicious or easy. i texted her a few weeks ago asking if i could use the recipe for the blog. so, with her blessing here it is: jully’s cranberry sauce recipe!
...
10 tags
niños envueltos (rice and ground beef stuffed...
today i bring you a dominican recipe. this recipe is called niños envueltos which translates to “wrapped children - male children specifically”. i know it sounds somewhat cannibalistic, that’s dominican humor for you. and speaking of humor, here is a funny story related to niños envueltos:
i remember once sitting in my house with my mom, my aunt and grandma. the grown ups were...
5 tags
josie's adventures: cheering on runners at the...
how was your weekend? if you are in new york city, did you go cheer on the marathoners yesterday?
as i mentioned on friday’s post, i knew four people running it. i went to cheer them on, sadly did not see any of them. BUT, they all did fantastic and i am incredibly proud.
i love the new york city marathon, cheering on the runners as they engage in this incredible challenge is...
5 tags
josie's adventures: voltaggio brothers demo at...
last night i got to go to a food presentation by michael and bryan voltaggio (of top chef fame) at the samsung test kitchen in ridgefield, new jersey.
the even was very laid back and the chefs were incredibly personable and charming (and really cute as you can see). they answered all of our questions and since thanksgiving is right around the corner they cooked a few holiday dishes for us.
...