The worst blogger ever

So, I am officially the worst blogger ever. Well, maybe not ever, but pretty bad! I have however, been updating the official get in my belly page on facebook. Lots of stuff going on all the time leaves me no time for posting. So I have decided to not delete the blog but just direct you to the facebook page so that you can keep up with my food finds and stuff until all the holiday hoopla is over. I promise I will be back, until then, eat up kids..

VIVA MEXICO

Well, after starting a blog about cook club, I finally get to write about it! Saturday night we headed over to Nick and Colleen's house for Mexican night. I love doing cook club with Colleen because she is as excited about it as I am. Plus she is the cooking ying to my baking yang! Colin and Melanie as usual brought the apps and this time they were bacon wrapped stuffed jalapenos and Tex-Mex pinwheels.. The pinwheels were amazing. Crescent rolls wrapped around jalapeno cheddar, peppers, onions, and more jalapenos. Top those bad boys off with some Mrs. Renfros jalapeno salsa and it's like dropping bites of love into your mouth! Mrs. Renfros seems to be a staple of cook club, if it's at cook club, it's usually topped with it.. If you haven't had it, you don't know what you are missing....
This week Erin and Chester were lucky enough to get an invite, and they brought the most important part of the meal, MARGARITAS.. These aren't Jose Cuervo premixed junk, we're talking Patron, freshly squeezed lime and orange juice, and pomegranate juice. Unfortunately, these guys were a little late and missed all the apps:( Now that they know what cook club is all about, I bet they show up early next time.. But, good ole Colleen was prepared and we had our first batch of margaritas before they arrived.

nick creating a fajita

prepared fajitas

some of Colleen's art



Michael's dinner, perfectly displayed by him



Colleen was in charge of main course tonight and she outdid herself with a showing or fajita toppings that would impress the president of Mexico. She had shredded cheddar, fresh diced jalapenos, cilantro, pickled jalapenos, sour cream, guacamole, fresh avocado, diced red onion,sauteed peppers and onions, corn and black bean salsa, salsa(two kinds), tomato's, limes, lettuce, corn and flour tortillas, and beef, chicken, and pork. The hubby was skeptical that she could pull off a fajita as good as Puerto Vallarta, he ate his words, and fajitas that night! I had added in some Mexican rice as a side( sounds pathetic after that list, huh?) Everything was perfect, it was like being in a Mexican restaurant minus the mariachi band. Nick even made Michael one of his favorite meals, chicken nuggets, tater tots, honey mustard, and Hawaiian Punch. Kudos to Colleen for a fantastic dinner, and she even did the cleaning.  

Next up was the main event for the evening...... FARKLE.. For those of you that haven't played Farkle, its a dice/betting game that is loads of fun. We add in our own special bonus round and farkle sounds and dances to up the fun factor. Amazingly, the winner usually is Michael(he's 7)  



Erin, after the "I've never had creme brulee announcement"



While all the Farkle fun was going on, I prepped my masterpiece for the night, creme brulee. Creme brulee is usually something you have in a restaurant so it's fun to pull these out as a surprise dessert. Turns out, Nick, Colleen, and Chester haven't had creme brulee before! I find this amazing, so did Erin and the hubby. How do you get to the ripe age of 30 without having a creme brulee?? Well, they quickly saw what the buzz was all about. Everyone ended up having two! That's the beauty of cook club, you want it, you got it, no waitress necessary, and you don't have the guilt of feeling like a fat ass when you order your second creme brulee. I found out later on that night that Nello hid four more in our fridge(because they "did not fit in the case to bring over") I can't tell you how many creme brulee I had this weekend, I can just say, I support the dairy farmers of America! Creme brulee's are really easy to make. If you don't have a torch to brulee the top you can always stick them under the broiler. The recipe is as follows,



Nick and Colleen, their "firs time"



6 egg yolks

6 tablespoons white sugar, divided

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 1/2 cups heavy cream

2 tablespoons brown sugar( i prefer white)



Preheat oven to 375

Beat egg yolks, 4 tablespoons sugar and vanilla in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy.

Heat cream in a saucepan until just under boiling, stirring constantly.

Remove cream from heat and temper with egg yolks( temper is a cooking term for adding a little in this case cream to the eggs and mixing to avoid scrambling the eggs)

Add the egg/cream mixture to the rest of the heated cream and mix.

There will be some foam on top, strain the foam and discard it.



Pour mixture into shallow, heat proof cups(  I used disposable aluminum cups I found at Ocean State Job Lot for a buck)

Set cups in a deep baking dish, place in oven, and fill baking dish with hot water(this is creating a water bath for equal cooking of the custard)

Cook for 15-20 mins. or until the custard jiggles in the middle.(it shouldn't be liquid, more of a jello jiggle)

Cool in water bath for fifteen minutes, then cool in the fridge for several hours, preferably overnight

When ready to serve top with sugar, and brulee.

I guarantee this will be a show stopper at your next event! 

Colleen and I are setting our sights on Cook Club Christmas edition, and we already have Tailgating Super Bowl plans as well.. Just a reminder folks, you're nothing if you're not prepared! But, before then stay tuned for our next adventure........





Gold Rush......

he's going to kill me for this!

THE GOLDBURGER

Here's another nod to one of my local favorites. Goldburgers restaurant is located right on Main Street in Newington and serves up some of the most delish food this side of the river. The menu is full of crazy burger and hot dog concoctions and a few other specialties. There is always a few specials on the board and if you are one of the lucky ones you get a chance to taste the newest development from chef/owner Matt Crowley. And then.......................there are his french fries. These are in a class all of their own! Hand cut, crispy fries like you dream about. I love mine dipped in some goldburgers sauce, a house secret recipe that tantalizes your taste buds.. The hubby loves this place, his fav menu item is the goldburger, two all beef patties topped with cheese, lettuce, onions, pickles, potato chips, and of course the famous goldburger sauce. It's the burger to top all burgers! At first bite you get the soft bun and then, WHAM, the crunch of potato chip just before you hit all the flavors of the goldburger sauce. Its truly a flavor symphony for your mouth. There are a million options for you burger lovers out there.

the bullet proof tiger

the wild card

My favorite item here is a special, the pulled pork sandwich. Every bite of this gem(except the bun) is house made. Were talking smoked pulled pork, pickles, slaw, and sauce. The sauce is just enough sweet, just enough zing, and just enough flavor to leave you salivating for more with every bite. When the pulled pork is not available I head straight to the special board for the feature hot dog of the day. Some of my fav's have been The crouching hot dog hidden jalapeno, the wildcard, this guy is an all beef dog loaded with spicy mustard, kraut, and store made tri-pepper dill pickle relish,  and the bullet proof tiger, another all beef dog topped with relish, maple horseradish mustard, bacon, and pepper jack cheese. My all time favorite dog here is the Franklin Dog, an homage to Franklin Ave. and Italians everywhere. This puppy(no pun intended) is a grilled beef and pork dog with grilled onions and peppers and grated parm cheese.. Minga dat hot dog...



With the chill of fall in the air, Goldburgers has added some soups to the menu. House made specialties like french onion, curried carrot, and hamburger cabbage. I got the chance to try the curried carrot and its fantastic. A sweet smooth carrot flavor, with a ripple of curry to shock your tongue. There are also new additions like gooballs. These little balls of joy are Rollos, or Heath bars, Oreos, or oatmeal cookies, crushed and rolled into a ball with chocolate or caramel, then deep fried..I ask you, my fellow Americans, Is this not AMAZING???







You can check out Goldburgers at 1096 Main Street in Newington, or you can read some of their reviews on Yelp or Urban Spoon. Or you can just trust that fatty cakes knows food and head in for a dog, an order of fries, and some goo balls.. AND, if you're lucky you can have this guy serve you.

Making Strides

Just wanted to do a quick post to let you all know that we raised $1000.00 for the American Cancer Society! A great time was had by all. I wanted to give a big thanks to Amanda, Brett, and her mom Jody for all their hard work during the bake sale and raffle.And a special thank you to Dee's One Good Cookie and The Spicy Green Bean for their donations to the bake sale, and all the other local stores who donated. What an amazing feeling it is to be involved with charity! Below are some pictures from the event. We definitely will be getting involved with more charity events throughout the year, if anyone is interested in joining up with us, drop a comment below. Remember October is national breast cancer awareness month, get involved, it feels amazing..

Saving "Second Base"



pumpkin whoopie pie





breast cancer marshmallow ribbons






dirt bomb muffins



fall goody bars

Tomorrow is the big day! From 12:00pm to 4:00pm you can come on down to Starbucks in Somerset Square and get yourself some amazing goods all for a great cause! 100% goes to the American Cancer Society. We are also having a raffle with some amazing prizes including teeth whitening from Dr. Egan and Fernandez, gift cards from Oggi hair salon, Harvey Lewis, Everything for The Kitchen, Spicy Green Bean, Lux Bond and Green, Bricco Restaurant, and much more. For $20.00 you can get five raffle tickets. October is National Breast Cancer month and everyone knows someone effected by this tragic disease. If you are not local you can donate via the web at www.cancer.org/involved/donate  Get out there and do something to support the cause and help everyone to be safe at "second base".

Here are some of my contributions for tomorrow, come on down and get some!  All baked goods are made by your favorite baristas, The Spicy Green Bean, and Dee's One Smart Cookie(gluten free bakery)  I'll post again this weekend to give the details on what we raised, and all the fun we had!!


pecan shortbread cookies



TO BE CONTINUED.....



If I can, Teresa can, Nello can too!

We had some great weather this weekend, and boaters everywhere enjoyed one last ride on the river, present blogger included. What I did not enjoy was the throbbing back pain that came after Nello hit waves at 50 miles an hour. Nello was feeling a little guilty about my pain and offered to make dinner 4 times this week!! I'll give you all some time to pick your chins up from the floor............................................. Ok, that should be enough time.

 Well, with a little help from me, and Teresa Giudice's Skinny Italian cookbook he had some recipes in mind and a grocery list! This cookbook is awesome. Authentic Italian recipe's, with minimal ingredients, and great flavor. If Nello can cook from it, anyone can! Number one on Nello's list was the steak pizzaiola. Think pan fried steak, with onions, garlic, and tomato snuggled nicely on top..AMMMMAAAZZZIIINNGG.. He did such a great job! The steak was perfectly cooked! He picked tomatoes from our garden, he seeded, diced, minced, all kinds of things, all on his own! I was seriously impressed. He also served some roasted potatos with his meal.  The boy can cook, and I think it's something I might make him do regularly... I'm sure he will love this idea.. He even did the dishes folks... The rest of this weeks menu includes, skinny snapper(another Teresa Giudice recipe), and roasted chicken with brown rice... You may be wondering where the fourth meal he promised is??? We had pizza tonight, lol..

Still, kudos to my man, and ladies, he is available for a price..

The only person unhappy with the meal was Michael.. Of course, he prepared his own fav that night, salami and cheese on white bread with yellow mustard. A true culinary genius this kid. Although, I must say, he understands the art of presentation.. (see his umbrella flare)

A "CHUNK" OF CARROTS

Ah, September in Connecticut! It's 90, it's 60, it's rainy, its sunny, its windy, its 90 again! People all over are sweating to death in a sweater choice that seemed perfect for the morning temps, and then freezing to death at night when the window is left open because "it was so warm all day". Well, I for one have decided to give mother nature the big %!@& you! I started all my favorite fall activities and am going to keep on doing them 90 degrees or 20!

Michael loves to go apple picking and starts begging to go the minute the grocery stores turn from nectarines to apples. We headed over to Roger's Orchard and started our apple picking season. They only had two apples to choose from, Mac's and some type that tasted like a bad tomato. Michael spent over an hour taste testing Mac's and tossing the "bad apples" while shouting "play ball". After purchasing 3 cups of cider at .50 a pop and a dozen apple cider donuts that Nello will inevitably eat on the ride home, we hit the road. Now, what to do with a giant bag of apples??? Caramel apple cupcakes, that's what! The cupcake itself was a masterpiece! Each bite offered up just enough apple chunk and they were popping with cinnamon and nutmeg flavor. The frosting was just like the caramel you would get on a caramel apple. They were the kind of treat that is excellent your first day but loose their ZING on day two. The caramel sweats and makes the cupcake too wet. The cake is a definite do over but this time I am thinking with a caramel butter cream. I'll keep you posted on my next attempt at these goodies.

 I am already thinking pumpkin and made my first pumpkin dish of the season. Michael wanted chocolate chip cookies so, why not add some pumpkin and make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies? They were really good! The texture was more cake like then cookie, but they had a perfect balance of pumpkin and chocolate chip! Jade and Arfur were one of the lucky ones, they got a bag of cookies(and of course 37 pounds of Starbucks coffee). Of course, I feel much more lucky having received a few bags of Arfurs mom's homemade pierogis courtesy of Jade! I'm thinking my next attempt at pumpkin will be some sort of pumpkin ravioli, or some kind of pumpkin pasta. I'm always looking for good recipes or ideas so if you have any, drop me a line, you might just be as lucky as Jade and Arfur..

Recently I took Chunk to the vet and unfortunately he has been living up to his name, poor guy! The doc told me to cut his food in half and supplement with carrots if he is still hungry. His name is Chunk, of course he was still hungry!! So, I found myself swimming in carrots, and being me, my brain started going. CARROT CAKE, better yet, CARROT CAKE CUPCAKES.. So, the carrot shredding began, and an hour later two dozen cupcakes.. They were OK. It's always disappointing to shred three cups of carrots for an OK end result. The cream cheese frosting was to die for. Some reviews of the recipe said the cake itself was too crunchy on the edges but I find that most of the time when only some of the reviews are bad it's a bakers error. This time they were right.(because of course I don't make baking errors) Maybe I should put the cream cheese frosting on my apple cupcakes??  Chunk of course was very happy with the end result.... More carrots for Chunk!

Heaven IS a Place on Earth

Heaven, indeed, is a place on earth, and lucky for us locals, it's right over the bridge in Glastonbury, CT. I had some special friends dine with me this week at The Spicy Green Bean, and they are true believers now as well! The Bean is one of those places you have driven by a gazillion times and one day you stop in and realize that you literally have been passing by nirvana. Its a small place with cute,  hand drawn designs on the windows and quirky paintings all over the walls. It has 12 tables that consist of mismatched tables and chair sets that you would find in your grandmas house each painted with bright colors. It really has that homey feel inside. Now, enough about heaven's decor, let's talk about the real gem.... THE FOOD!

We decided to order four appetizers off the "tummy teasers" section of the menu.(hey it was for research) We got the lobster scampi grilled cheese, spinach ricotta flat bread, hand rolled gnocchi with toasted walnut  parsley pesto sauce, and of course, the BBQ pork short ribs. The short ribs always come out slathered in this tangy BBQ sauce and literally falling off the bone. The only problem with these short ribs is that I always want more. The lobster scampi grilled cheese brought out the true food beast inside me. How on earth do you go wrong with lobster, butter, cheese, and bread?? You don't, but only the bean can make it, oh so right! The bread is toasted perfectly with just the right amount of butter and the cheese just oozes out the sides. There is no skimping on the lobster either, it was bulging out the side and succulent. My son refers to their regular grilled cheese as "the best grilled cheese ever", and now I see why! Amazing that they can take a grilled cheese and turn it into some of the best food around. Next was the flat bread which came out perfectly toasted. Perched above the bread was little clouds of herbed ricotta, cherry peppers, and spinach, and a drizzle of what I call happiness. This was a last minute add on to the app round and an excellent last minute decision. The flavors married together perfectly and the cherry peppers had just enough zing to bring it all together. Again a simple menu item elevated to a masterpiece.(noticing a theme?) Last, but certainly not least was the gnocchi. Being an Italian girl, I was skeptical, but it's possible my grandma was cooking in heaven's kitchen that night and sent our her gnocchi to our table. PERFECTION! It came bathed in a toasted walnut parsley pesto sauce and speckled with roasted butternut squash. I could not get enough! We divided up all the apps, but somehow I got 57% of this dish on mine..  I promised Dave Sena I would give him a section of my blog tonight and label it Dave's Thoughts, so Dave, here you are!

DAVE SENA'S THOUGHTS

"That was almost as good as *&^%$#%&^%^%(*&^(*&^"(use your imagination, it's a G rated blog folks)

Next, was our dinner course, and equally amazing! We dined on surf and turf, clams casino pasta, fish tacos, and  pork chops drizzled with a rosemary demi-glaze. I ordered the pork because my husband hates pork and I never get to eat it. It delivered on every level, perfectly cooked, just enough seasoning to ensure that the natural pork flavor would come bursting thru in every bite. It was paired with a trio of roasted veggies and a squash puree that would make a toothless man OK with being toothless. Cora, got the fish tacos and they came out piled high on flour tortillas, perfectly cooked light, flavorful and topped with my favorite thing on earth, avocado. Nello got the surf and turf, a "sassy seared skirt steak, paired with jumbo herbed shrimp". Again, an excellent dish! But, I must say my favorite dish of the night was Dave Sena's. He ordered the casino pasta toss. Linguini tossed with clams, caramelized onions, roasted peppers, crispy smoked bacon in a casino butter sauce. Let me tell you the name delivers, because I felt like Dave hit the jackpot with his order! I spun my fork in his pasta at least 3, well 7 times that night! Again the bean took a simple clam dish and made it into something only the bean can.

I can't forget my favorite dinner guest of the night! He ordered the chocolate, chocolate chip cookie, the toffee cookie, and the banana bread. All a masterpiece in his eyes!James declared The Spicy Green Bean his favorite restaurant that night! Something has to be said for a two year old to sit thru a 2 and a half hour dinner on his best behavior! People, even your kids will love the bean!

As usual the bean is BYOB and they have whatever you need to mix with your spirits. Cora brought her fav bottle of white which the bean chilled for us and served in wine glasses. The service is like no other here. We were served by Justin this night who happens to be one of the best waiters around.  He missed nothing that night, and even James was saying "thank you Justin" at the end of the meal! Justin, suggested one of the Bean's homemade ice creams for dessert. This week the flavor was almond joy. Justin told us he would create a tower for us. Knowing that whatever he came out with would be perfect, we agreed. To our surprise, it was a literal tower! A block of brownie was the base to this tower and it was cemented with layers of creamy almond joy ice cream and decorated with clouds of whipped cream and toasted coconut! A perfect end to our perfect meal! Seeing as how we could not possibly eat any more, we asked for our bill. The pricing here is amazing. We dine with the Sena's regularly and usually our half of the bill was the entire bill this evening.

I suggest you all make a trip to this local gem! Many thanks to Kathy and the bean staff for always delivering great service and UNBELIEVABLE food. 

The bean is also open for lunch and breakfast. visit them on the web at www.spicygreenbean.com

EATALY

This Sunday I got a chance to visit Vanessa in NYC. I go to see my bff, but mostly to eat my way through the city. There is always a stop at Pinkberry. If you have never been , google it, and make it a point to stop there ASAP. It's this wonderful little "frozen yogurt shop" with trendy toppings. My pick this time was a swirl of original(basically a vanilla) and pomegranate. The "topping master" will top your dish with whatever you want and how much you want. My choices this time were fruity pebbles, captain crunch, white chocolate yogurt chips, and milk chocolate shavings. >>>>>>>>>>>> sorry, I just had to pause to wipe my drool away.

Next we stopped a Sara Jane's pick, Greys Papaya. I love me a hot dog, but this one missed the boat for me. The dog itself was good, but the toppings were like canned kraut with a hot ketchup sauce. However, it was edible and on our eating route.

We continued on with our day, did a little shopping, of course a stop at Starbucks, and a visit to V's job.(VH1) She doesn't think this is as cool as the rest of us do. And then did dinner at Carmines. It's a family style restaurant with GINORMOUS and I am not sure I'm doing that term justice, portions. Me and V got a glass of wine, and Sara Jane a sangria. A cute little Guido waiter gave us the specials and we ordered them both.First out was the romaine salad with roasted vegetables, a dried ricotta cheese, and a creamy Italian dressing. Another, even cuter Guido, dropped off the salad and my jaw dropped when it had 4 heads of romaine on the plate. It was delish... perfectly roasted asparagus, carrots, and swirls of red onion all over, some juicy ripe tomatoes and just enough cheese to go around.  Next up was our pasta dish. I should start out by saying if you are watching your carbs, look away now.. The dish was piled high with a vegetable lasagna(not my fav part of the dish) a ravioli with a garlic cream sauce, a rotini bolognese, and a house made manicotti.. My fav was the ravioli, bursting with garlic flavor and just the right amount of cream. The manicotti was fresh blankets of pasta rolled around soft pillows of herbed ricotta. Amazing food, but we could have had two, or three more friends at the table. V ended up taking home what looked like a catering dish of pasta. (not so bad for my pasta addicted friend)

Our final stop was the new EATALY store on 5th ave. It was like the clouds parted and angles began to sing when the doors opened. First thing you see is a long aisle of fresh local produce. Some of your regulars, nectarines, grapes, etc,.. and some heirloom tomatoes, Japanese eggplant, and figs..It is basically an Italian emporium. This place has it ALL. a microbrewery with rooftop bar, a salumi,,,,cafe, pastry bar, bakery, gelato stand, pasta station, wine shop, restaurants and if i missed it and you are thinking it is there, it is. My fav was the salumi.. What's a salumi you say, it's pretty much a counter of cured meats. WHO DOESN'T LIKE CURED MEAT??? ribbons of prosciutto, the real stuff, not the domestic tastes like wax kind you get at stop and shop, salami, sopressata, speck ham.. ugh,,,, to die for.. I ended up bringing home some imported parm, some fruits, and some Italian cookies for the kid. Next time I have to go back on a slower day and browse the entire store.. Get some fresh pasta to take home, maybe some bakery pizza.

vanessa in Eataly. (check out her bag, its our leftovers from Carmines  haha)

All in all a great day, great food, great friends, what life is all about!!

Hello kids and welcome back

I started GET IN MY BELLY mostly to stop annoying my friends with endless food thoughts. People like to try your food, but no one likes to hear about stuff they are never going to get to eat. It's like watching the food network and Bobby Flay makes some amazing meal and you want to throat punch him when he tells you how great it is. Now, with my blog you can tune in when you want, and tune out when you don't. Mostly I will be posting about my favorite places to eat and what they have going on, and my weekly cook club.

I love food!! I read about it, talk about it, watch it,cook constantly and then talk about it some more. Tune in and you will get to see pictures and recipes from cook club and tips and advice on cooking or baking. AND, maybe if you are really lucky, you can even pick the next cook club theme...