Pumpkin Tiramisu Pie

Hi there! So...it's been a while. But we're not completely dead (just yet)!

Before Thanksgiving, BWL subtlely requested this pie - one in a long list of yummy-sounding pies.
It seemed easy enough, so we obliged.

Honestly, the most difficult part was trying to get the strips of parchment to cover the bottom of the pan, while trying to get the bottom latched in. We supposed the point of the strips was to easily transfer the pie to a plate later on, but it really didn't make a difference. Think we'll go with a single parchment piece next time.

K actually has skills (unlike me), taking the effort to pipe on the top layer of frosting, and add in some decorative cookie hearts.

Isn't it pretty? :)

The bad thing about this pie? I couldn't eat it.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Homemade lap cheung bao!

It started with some plain steamed bread as an accompaniment to dinner meats...but a a mom with Chinese sausage at hand will not relent until it is incorporated into your steamed bread. And now we find half of the dinner bao polished off prematurely...

Enjoy the holiday!

Happy Father's Day

(Let's ignore the fact that we haven't posted in 3 months and continue on with the yummies!)

First time using our grill. And our patio furniture.

Happy Daddy Day! :)

Jingle Mingle...6?

Every year, the "kids" uphold the tradition our parents started many years ago. Their parties have gotten too big for us, and so...we've started holding our own. Though we don't do presents, our renditions have included video games, rocking out to xmas songs, watching concerts, ELFing it, and most importantly - EATING.
This year, the party moved to good ole Hobo (thanks M!)...

May all your christmases be just as merry & filling :)

Merry Christmas!!

(Todd English's) Olives

I've been eying this place after its numerous mentions on the FoodNetwork. With the holidays around the corner, it was the perfect time and place (even if you do feel like you're sitting behind a shower curtain) to meet up with friends (whom you haven't seen in I-lost-60-pounds-since-I-last-saw you months!) for the holiday season. The service was in no way top-notch, but who cares when there's WOW!me food in front of you?

Pictured above is the pork chop, which as you may already know (yes, it was so good I have been raving since) was one of the tenderest cuts of meat I've ever had. A pork chop! What a notion! I am more familiar with the thin, dry-with-a-side-of-sauce chop types. So, I rave now.The dessert plate ('for two' they say) speaks for itself. Can I make all of the items on the plate? Yes, probably (no, not bragging), but each item was still excitingly delicious. Those are the most expensive fried oreos and apple fritters I've encountered, but they are without a doubt conversation stoppers. And there were leftovers! To share with the family!

Oh, and did I mention the free pumpkin mini-cakes that came with our check?




Todd English's Olives NYC
in the W Hotel
201 Park Avenue South

Peep Peep!

For our true loyal readers (aka the ones who actually still check this blog after several months hiatus on our part), here is a [**drumroll**] rerun!

But it looks so gooood! With work (I know, repetitious excuse, but it's true!) and home renovations going on, who has time to eat out anymore? Well, it's a new year. So let's make (and keep) them resolutions that encourage more time spent with those we love (but not those we don't).

Le Peep. Their coffee isn't so great, but gosh darn those pancakes are craveworthy. The Pumpkin Pie pancake is pictured here, but we still recommend the Apple one over this gooey-ness. The Grande Skillet is huge! Our eyes saw it, and our brains registered it. Yet, we still ate the WHOLE thing! Bad coffee doesn't stop us. We just stopped by Starbucks on the way home. =)



Le Peep
Design Center Plaza
345 Rt. 9 South
Manalapan, NJ 07726

Happy Weekend #17

With vacation to the UK on our minds, all we can seem to focus on is Shortbread; shortbread this, shortbread that. So, Thanks, Scotland!

These Shortbread sandwiches were made for Valentine's Day and transported directly to Chinatown for the Lunar New Year. Since shortbread is pretty much all about the butter, never skimp on it and always use a high quality butter like: Organic Valley Cultured, Hotel Bar, or Land O' Lakes. Shortbread is a simple recipe to follow, but heightens with spices, extracts, or citrus zests. Also, it's one of the few cookies that retains its shape through baking. So whip out them cookie cutters. Huzzah!

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATE here:
Cafe 360


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #14. Happy Weekend #15. Happy Weekend #16.

Macarons GRATUITEMENT, Le Deuxième

Left to Right: Espresso, Black Sesame, & Coconut

Free macaron, take II. Fail. With our Macaron Day determination sagging, we entered Macaron with three flavors in mind, only to be swayed by the other flavors behind the glass counter.

Though there were no more free macarons, they did offer small samples. We were able to try (and compare) the caramel. Though we very much enjoyed the chewiness of the cookie (which we may even prefer to here) the flavor of the caramel was decidedly lacking (which we definitively prefer here). Macaron, similar to here, does offer those queer (Asian-inspired?) flavors that we very much enjoy (though the French would probably scoff at them).


Macaron Cafe
161 W 36th St
b/t 7th Ave & Broadway

Macarons GRATUITEMENT, Le Premier

From the top, clockwise: Caramel. Hazelnut. Chocolate.

This was OTHERWORLDLY.

Though it was Macaron Day and we were supposed to get these for free, they ran out of their "free" macarons. This just goes to show that "Otherworldly" doesn't come cheap. If you're a chocolate fiend, be prepared that La Maison is not only filled to the rim with beautiful chocolates whispering sweet, tasty nothings, but it also smells like it. Killer.

La Maison du Chocolat
30 Rockefeller Center
49th Street
b/t 5th & 6th Ave

Happy Weekend #14

This one was definitely a Home Adventure at its best. We banded together with our Mom and Aunt to make these 煎堆仔 and 鹹煎堆仔 for the New Year. The ones pictured are filled with ground nuts and sugar. The savory version is filled with Chinese sausage, pork, shitake mushrooms, scallions, and water chestnuts.

We've already gone through this process a few times. Yet, no matter what tricks we pick up each year or what we make sure to write down, we can never get these exactly right. Maybe you have to reach the status of Grandma before you can even begin to replicate Grandma's Home Cooking. (I mean measuring cups? Those are for newbs.)

Well, no matter, we've already patted ourselves on the back for coming up with a finished product that both looks like Grandma's Home Cooking and is edible (key factor). Go us!

HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR!

Read THIS WEEK'S SAKE UPDATES here:
Sake, Part 1
Sake, Part 2
Sake, Part 3


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #11. Happy Weekend #12. Happy Weekend #13.

STOP for Cupcakes

After some belated birthday present shopping, we almost missed the cupcakestop.com truck parked right in front of our eyes - but luckily the brain did a quick compute and we backtracked to order half a dozen of these newfound cupcakes. To get back in time for (a really late) lunch, we swiftly decided on two each of the red velvet, vanilla vanilla, and black forest. It must've been a V-day special since they were all decorated in PINK (E disapproves).
In the spirit of the holidays, we split them up and shared with the rest of the (starving) fam. The red velvet cake was a little on the dry side, but the black forest and vanilla cakes were more moist to our liking. They were good, but...I think I'm more fond of their mascot than their cakes XP. Nevertheless - would love to try some of the other flavors they have listed on their online menu!

cupcakestop.com
we caught it on Broadway
(btwn Prince & Spring)

Happy Weekend #7

Hopefully the state of this blog doesn't foreshadow the state of the upcoming rest-o-the-year. Late, late, late...

We'll start off this year with something to really whet your palate:

WS Peppermint Hot Chocolate + WS Chocolate Marshmallows + E's ON/OFF Mugs = Top-Notch Holiday-Recovery Prescription

With 3 canisters of this stuff, a canister of Williams-Sonoma Classic Hot Chocolate, a dozen packets of Lindt Hot Cocoa, a canister of Second Cup Hot Chocolate, a box of Vosges Aztec Elixir, 2 canisters of Ghirardelli Hot Cocoa, and a Hot Cocoa cone (marshmallows included!), our hot chocolate stash is set for the next year... or ten. But, who's complaining? Come over and have a cup... or seven. ^^

What's your favorite Hot Chocolate brand/flavor?

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATE here:
Brazil Grill


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #4. Happy Weekend #5. Happy Weekend #6.

Cafe 360

There are two things at Cafe 360 that we had to try. OK, more than two things. But we held back! We know. It's hard. It's shocking. It's unbelievable. BUT. WE. DID. IT.

Of course it helped that we entered the bakery with our minds focused on gelato [insert angelic song here]. Not hindered by the freezing temperature outside (yeah! hardcore!), KM ordered scoops of hazelnut, dark chocolate, and dulce de leche. I got amaretto and tiramisu. It was definitely hard pickings, but we resolved to come back at a later [warmer] date to try the other flavors. Dining next to the Hookah paraphernalia and utilizing our Shifu-trained gelato taste buds, we concurred that though it's not the best we've had, it's way more convenient than stopping by-- O' say Italy-- on the way back from the mall. We'd go back, but we definitely prefer other shindigs in NY, NY, and NJ.

Oh yeah, and then there's the rainbow marzipan. Meh. While it's amazingly five layered, the layers actually work against it. The cake is too thick and therefore heavily sugar-soaked, the jam is too prominent, and the chocolate is completely lacking (literally-- where's the chocolate?). Ooooh picky picky.

These are some of our favorite desserts, so we always look for recommendations. So, RECOMMENDATIONS???

Cafe 360
34 East Main Street
Freehold, NJ 07728

Crown Palace

It's hard to find good (authentic) Chinese restaurants in the middle of the suburbs, which automatically makes Crown Palace one of our two staples in the area.

We've been here many times with family & friends, but dim sum outings are too few and far between. What better excuse than the holidays to gather everyone around and "drink tea". ;)

pictured above left = must-have dish

Crown Palace
8 N Main Street
Marlboro, NJ

Happy Weekend #6

Christmas just passed.

...Which is just another way of saying, "We're sorry once again that we cannot keep up with this week-end schedule of posting, but it is a crazy time on our end with the year closing as we prepare for gift-giving, cooking, cleaning, baking, cleaning, eating, shopping, cleaning, decorating, and (oh yeah!) cleaning."

After the new-recipe-thanks-for-nothing-martha-stewart pie mishap, we didn't have much time to do much else than re-make the thanks-for-my-sanity-back-williams-of-sonoma pie crust and these coconut macaroons (four ingredients and they are POW! done.). That pie crust is a whole other post. Here are the macaroons:
They ended up a tad bit overcooked, but that didn't stop our once COCONUT-LOATHING cousin to convert to a COCONUT-LUVA. [credit to our new COCONUT-LUVA for the pics-- her family stole the cookies before we got a chance to take our own photos]

Hope everyone had a great holiday!

Read THIS WEEK'S UPDATES here:
Le Peep
Kyotofu


Related Posts: Happy Weekend #3. Happy Weekend #4. Happy Weekend #5.

O_O

We love hot chocolate. No. We luuuuuuurve hot chocolate. So, to become A Memorable Hot Chocolate on our List, that is an accomplishment worthy of a GOLD MEDAL indeed. I'm not sure if it's the rich consistency, the balance of bitter and sweetness, the desserts that go O' So Swell beside it, the cozy comfort as you sip, or just the fact that the waitress remembers my patronage from more than a year ago. But, ORO is one place recommended to all with no reservations. That's right. Straight Up.

The Top Three Late-Night Go-To Confections after a long, cold walk from the LES in NYC:

1. Hot Chocolate
2. Madeleines, &
3. Tomato soup

ORO does them all. And, does them swell.


ORO Bakery & Bar
375 Broome Street
b/t Mulberry & Mott

Sunshine Bakery

[INSERT IMAGINARY PICTURE HERE]

If you find yourself in the Lower East Side craving dessert, try stopping by sugar Sweet Sunshine Bakery (boy, is that a mouthful!). Two things you must note:

1. No doubt about it, skip the cake for the puddings. We almost left with nothing. So, it's a good thing I spotted their puddings off to the side. We tried the Banana Pudding and Pumpkin Trifle.

2. This is no late-night dessert option. The workers there rushed everyone out at the precise closing time of 10:53 PM.

I thought I left the place with a picture, but it seems we gobbled that up along with all the pudding...


sugar Sweet sunshine Bakery
126 Rivington St
(b/t Essex St & Norfolk St)

The Norry at Kampuchea

This is it. A post-it has been written and decreed, and it is posted! This is the last holiday dinner reunion I plan to plan. After battling ghosts, snowstorms, comedy shows, last-minute drop-outs, last minute drop-out threats, theses, crazed holiday shoppers, half-naked Santa-wannabes, and racist Fort Lee generalizations, The Crew finally made it to The Holiday Reunion Dinner. And, I only had to send one threatening e-mail. Score!

Due to the fault of the host, we weren't able to snag a table at Kampuchea, but we were specially allowed to reserve one at Kampuchea's new sister restaurant, The Nonny. Contrary to my previous verbal redundancy, the food at The Nonny tastes like nothing I've ever tasted. Boasting "Cambodian Street Food", The Nonny is like the picky younger sister who drinks hard liquor, dresses down, and loves loud people and places. That's not exactly me, but the food was great nonetheless. The menu has a small selection of tapas*, a small selection of small bánh mì* (*Yes, I know neither of those terms are of Cambodian descent... ><*), and a large selection of small drinks (try the Jasmine Tea Lemonade!). The Grilled Corn-on-the-Cob was a favorite ("divine" may be an appropriate descriptor). The Sausage was a bit commonplace, but the Short Ribs, Fried Chicken, and Beef Tongue were all tender and well-seasoned. Finally, the Sweet Potato Chips [insert dreamy eyes] made up for any dissatisfaction in the Oxtail Bánh mì and Shrimp Bánh mì.


The Norry (at Kampuchea)
78 Rivington St. (@ Allen St.)