BOOK OF THE MONTH - The Flavor Bible

I love to do what I call "improv cooking." Sometimes I will just make up a dish on the spot or I will use a recipe as a guide and then throw in my own personal flare.

And If you're like me then you will love this book.

The Flavor Bible contains collected information from scientists, top chefs and food connoisseurs from all over the world. It's organized similar to a dictionary. You choose an ingredient, look it up and it lists all the flavors/pairings that go with it. In some cases, they list items that you should never mix with it.

Can we say, genius! If you don't have a copy you should definitely pick one up. It's nice to have someone else do all the leg work for you so you can have the fun. As I always say, "Work smarter not harder."

The Original Rosa Mexicano - Delicioso!

{They make the guacamole in front of you.

Ask for extra cilantro- Que fabuloso!}

{Pescado Al Guajillo - One of my Favs!

Chilean Seabass with a Passionfuit, Pineapple Sauce

Swiss Chard, Potato Gratin}

{One word for this Ay Papi!

Filete Con Hongos

Filet mignon in a Tequila, Mushroom Cream Sauce}

In my opinion, if you're going to go to Rosa Mexicano go to the original one. It's on 57th and 1st Avenue and they're accredited with bringing upscale Mexican food to Manhattan. Yea, they were the first.

The decor reminds me of modern Me - ji - co. You see lots of Kokopele figures and the ambience is relaxed, festive and chic. The staff are very helpful and polite making it a great place to go on a date or with a group of friends.

They're known for their frozen Pomegranate Margaritas, which are a must try. But I've also seen a lot of people get pitchers of Sangria. Some of the best dishes on their menu are:

Enchiladas de Jaiba, which are enchiladas with lump meat crab in an amazing tomatillo cream sauce and pumpkins seeds as garnish. It's light, sweet and a little tangy.

Filete con Hongos (pictured above) is amazing. This dish is filling, hearty, sweet, salty, and savory. You have to try this at least once.

Pescado Al Guajillo (pictured above), the crispy texture of the Seabass, the sourness of the swiss chard, tanginess of the onions and the passionfruit, pineapple sauce, this is so refreshing in the summertime. It's great if you're not starving but medium hungry.

If you like Mexican food you should definitely give Rosa Mexicano a try. You won't be disappointed. Buen Provecho! or Enjoy the Food!

You are What You Eat - 5 Foods to Stay Healthy

Here in New York with the autumn leaves comes colds and sore throats. So here are some foods to continue the fight to stay healthy in spite of the person sneezing in your face on the subway.

Oatmeal - contains selenium, zinc, and beta-glucan nutrients which help to build your immune system.

{Cheat in a good way}

Yogurt- helps to fight colds because of the living healthy bacteria, aka probiotics.

{Try Stonyfield farm}

Hot Tea- helps fight viruses and relieve inflammation.

{ Try steeping your favorite Green or Chamomile tea with Ginger slices}

Dark Honey- has protective substances that help pick up the free radicals produced by the cells in our bodies, aka antioxidants.

{Adding Lemon is a good way to cut the sweetness of the honey and makes it easier to swallow by increasing saliva glands}

Chicken Soup - the saltiness of the broth helps to thin mucous and reduces inflammation.

{Try my recipe for Arabian Nights Chicken Noodle Soup}

Shoeless Joe's - Niagara Falls

Just as I was about to leave one of the most beautiful sights in the world.. Niagra Falls my stomach started grumbling and I knew I couldn't wait until I got across the Canadian border.

So I stopped at Shoeless Joe's. From the outside it appeared to be your average TGIF Friday's kind of restaurant. However, upon looking at their menu I was instantly intrigued by their twists on classic dishes.

Some of the more clever dishes were the Feta Bruschetta, and the Goat Cheeseburger. I decided to get the Goat Cheeseburger.

It came with shoestrings fries and the burger was topped with a delicious, smokey Chipotle BBQ sauce crumbled goat cheese, and lightly sauteed red onions. Lettuce and Tomato were on the side along with 1/4 inch thinly sliced dill pickle. The pickle added the perfect amount of crunch and saltiness to the already sweet, smokey, and succulent burger.

This is definitely a dish you can recreate at home and is perfect for the summer. Stay tuned for a Video How to and watch as I show you how to re-create this dish.

You can check out their menu online:

http://www.shoelessjoes.ca/your_foodlunchmenu.htm

Salmon Farfalle - Ciao Bella Style

I was craving a great, healthy meal to get my week started right. I decided to make a Salmon Farfalle Pasta.

When I was in ATL, Georgia, I worked at this authentic, Italian restaurant called Ciao Bella.

Me and the Chef hit it off because we shared a passion for food and a similar background. He was part Italian and Moroccan. Every night after we closed, all of the staff would sit down for a huge feast. My favorite dish was Salmon farfalle pasta and he made it often because he knew it was my fav.

So this recipe is inspired by the warm summer nights in Atlanta where I would enjoy Salmon Farfalle pasta under the stars.

You will need:

1/2 Vidalia Onion, sliced

7 baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 Lemon

1 teaspoon of lemon zest

2 cloves of garlic, smashed and then finely chopped

1 shallot, finely diced

2 7oz pieced of salmon

Farfalle Pasta

A dash of salt and Peppa

Fresh Mozzarella, sliced in chunks

Parsley, coarsely chopped

Grape tomatoes, halved

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add salt and Farfalle pasta.

Add 1 1/2 teaspoon of olive oil followed by the Salt, Pepper, chopped Vidalia onions, Shallots, and garlic to a skillet on medium high heat.

Let the Onions, and garlic sweat for a moment in the skillet and then add in the sliced baby bella mushrooms.

Once these have become a little softer add the salmon pieces skin side down or flesh side up. Squeeze half of the lemon on top of the salmon and add the lemon zest to the skillet. Add one cup of white wine to the skillet.

Let this cook over medium high heat until the salmon is cooked to your desired taste. Once the salmon is finished cooking remove from heat.

Drain pasta. Gently flake off the salmon pieces into chunks to add to the pasta.
Pour the sauce from the skillet over the pasta.
Add the mozzarella, halved grape tomatoes and coarsely chopped parsley.

Voila you're finished. This meal serves two but depending on how hungry you are you may have some to take for lunch the next day.

This is a great dish to eat outside. Serve it in a bowl and enjoy with a glass of Pinot Grigio or Savingnon Blanc.

Happy 51st Birthday Michael!

{The King Lives On....}

{Mark Ronson and Q-Tip killin it.

Mark Ronson total hottie.. had to Breathe and Stop}

{Ran into my Aunt Marsha}

{Sushi Seki on the Late Night tip}

{Spicy Scallop Hand Rolls. Amazing.

More to Come about Sushi Seki.}

When the world found out that the King of Pop was dead, Mark Ronson and Q-Tip planned to celebrate this visionary's birthday in style.

Fast forward to Saturday night, crowds of people dressed in their best Michael gear waiting outside the Nokia theatre. Once you entered projectors played Michael's videos on jumbo screens. The entire theatre was filled with people dancing and sweating to Michael's music all night long.

It was fabulous, glamourous, and motivizing. It was what a party should be! No pretentiousness, no she spilled her drink on my shoe. Just Pure positive energy and love.

Michael's spirit lived on.

Trip For The Senses- Grilled Swordfish

{Used the Cast Iron Grill Topper I got from work.

Look at those grill marks}

{Sooo Delicious.. and easy to make}

I had an urge to go to the Mediterranean, specifically Southern Italy, but since I don't have an extra $1,000 to take a trip there I decided to make a meal and let my senses do the traveling.

One of my talented, musician friends came over to enjoy this meal with me. He's lactose intolerant so I kept that in mind while making this meal. So if you know someone who is lactose intolerant this is the perfect meal to make when they come to dinner.

On the Menu

Baby Arugula Salad with a homemade Balsamic Vinaigrette

Grilled Swordfish topped with a olive oil, Lemon, mint, basil and cilantro.

To finish it off a Shrimp and Scallop pasta with fresh basil, garlic, butter, white wine, and shallots.

For Dessert I did a hot and cold fruit salad, with Pluots, Pineapples, Oranges, Berries and Mint.

Thai You Got to Try - Chelsea Thai

{Chelsea Market - 75 Ninth Avenue}

{Pad Kee Mao... ummmm delicious}

In Chelsea Market, you will find fresh ingredients and delicious restaurants to try in one area. For a great lunch or dinner spot look no further than Chelsea Thai.

For $8.51, I ordered their delightful noodle dish called Pad Kee Mao with chicken. (Pronounced - Pad Key Mow).

This is a favorite amongst the employees where I work. It's so good that if you're walking down the halls chances are the sweet basil smell filling the air is Pad Kee Mao.

The cool thing is if you like spicy you can customize the intensity by adding extra "kicks" they go up to 5.

I did 3 once and barely made it through the dish. I usually get 2 1/2 and that's enough to have me wincing with a slight pain that never felt so good.

According to one of the workers, there was one reported case of a woman trying 5 kicks, despite being warned. After her first bite, her face turned bright red and she had to be escorted out by her friend. But if you're daring maybe you could handle it.

One of the unique things about Chelsea Thai is their green chiles come from a special farm that us regular folks would be lucky to get our hands on. These chiles are responsible for the dish's fresh, dynamic spiciness.

But if you can't handle spicy you can get it without. The flavors of sweet basil, scallions, sauteed onions and their special sauce will be more than enough to make you a satisfied believer.

They aren't skimpy on their portions so you may even have some left over for lunch the next day.

Some Things to Know:

They ONLY take Cash.

Make sure you get a Preferred buyer card.

After 12 you get a free meal. Who can say NO to that?

THE HANGOVER

To try and calm my nerves after my cold case pizza file I decided to have a laugh and went to see The Hangover. I heard it was really funny but had to see for myself.

I was laughing throughout the whole movie. I think it was edited very cleverly and they did a good job revealing plot in an interesting and dynamic way even though they used very simplistic techniques to achieve this.

This is definitely a must see. But if you're on a tight budget, there's no rush, you could wait until it comes on DVD.

The Power of Vanilla

Vanilla is one of the most amazing aromas in the world and it is one of the five most attractive scents to men. So dab a little on and wait for the effects to kick in.

Cupcake Mania - Eleni's Bakery

Something you should know about me, I love cupcakes. Like seriously love them. I could eat them all the time. And I am always looking for the new, better cupcake and I think I have found it.. in Chelsea market.

The store... Eleni's Bakery and it has been right under my nose for years.

Their cupcakes are so soft and delicious it reminds me of when I was a kid eating homemeade cupcakes. I think they are some of the best cupcakes I've ever eaten.. that's right I said it.. the best. I know what you're thinking are they better than Magnolia's and Billy's.. to which I say YES.

The even better thing is at 7:00pm everyday all the items in the glass case go half price. Which obviously makes it the best time to buy them. They have all different flavors like peanut butter and jelly, lemon, banana nut and many more. I tend to stick with vanilla because that's my favorite. They even have an Obama cupcake that's always in store.

These cupcakes are great to take into work for a co-worker's birthday or even for your kid's school event. Especially if you can get there by 7:00 when that are half off. And depending on the type of cupcake you get the 1/2 off special price makes them some of the cheapest cupcakes in the city.

But like I said I'm always looking for the new, better, more delicious cupcake so let me know what your favorite places are.

Today is Nelson Mandela Day

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won't feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It's not just in some of us; it's in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

by Marianne Williamsonfrom A Return To Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles(Quoted in Nelson Mandela Speech)
Today is Nelson Mandela day and what better way to celebrate then to do some volunteering with NY Cares. Today it was Lenox Hill Center in the Upper East Side. I was prepping and serving food for senior citizens. It was so much fun, great people, and good food. It's always nice to give back and do some good for others and I know the people really appreciated us being there.

If you want to volunteer with NY cares it's super easy all you have to do is sign up online, and go to a 30- 45 minute orientation. Once you've completed orientation you can go on the website and select whatever projects you want to participate in.

I've been doing it for about 6 months so I'm fairly new. It's a great way to meet new, really nice people and you get to do things in the city that you wouldn't normally do, all while helping others and giving back. What more could you ask for?

If you want to check out more information go to their website:

http://www.newyorkcares.org/get_involved/

Chef's - Buffalo, New York

In Buffalo, NY there is an amazing Italian restaurant called Chef’s. The special dish they’re known for is Spaghetti Parmesan.

When I was there I ordered the Calamari, Chicken Parmesan and they’re famous Spaghetti Parmesan.

The calamari was good but had a little too much breading for my taste. However, the calamari had a twist to it. Instead of using a typical marinara sauce for dipping they used cocktail sauce.

Next came the Chicken and Spaghetti Parmesan. The Spaghetti came with a side of meat sauce. Plunging my fork into the gooey, cheesy center and spinning the spaghetti around, I then dunked it into the tomatoey, meat sauce and opened my mouth. Upon the first bite, I tasted the sweet acidic tomatoes, the perfectly flavored meat and the salty, chewy mozzarella cheese. It was delicious. Perfetto. I couldn’t stop eating it. I can see why it is their most popular dish.

For desert I had the homemade tiramisu, which was delightful. It had the perfect amount of creaminess, sweetness and coffee flavor. I will definitely go back here again.

Added Bonus: They sell their delicious sauce. If you want to order you can do it online.

http://www.ilovechefs.com/index.php