pepper and gorgonzola crostini

Another Angela Abrusci masterpiece.  These are great warm but delicious cold so theyre still great to make or at least prep in advance.  Get at least 2 red and 2 yellow bell peppers, and to roast'em, wash them and throw them in the broiler turning as they start to blacken.  After they're evenly blistered and partially charred, let them cool then remove the stems seeds and the black skin (I like to leave some black). Slice them into strips and set them aside.  Then again in the broiler, on a cookie sheet quickly toast a loaf of sliced French bread. Just before you're ready to serve, add a fork full of peppers on each piece of bread still on the cookie sheet, add a little crumble of gorgonzola cheese, drizzle with olive oil and throw it back in the broiler (or a hot oven) for a few seconds only till the cheese starts to melt.  Plate and SERVE!!!! so delicious!  Feel free to substitute a goat cheese or even leave without dairy and just sprinkle with salt.

easiest pizza ever

My sister Angela just did this for my niece's birthday and it's seriously an no brainer and works every time.  Its fantastic if people are coming and you need just a little something extra, it's great to make early in the week to bring to work for lunch, awesome for picnics and even a great idea to take a couple pieces for road trips.  So, you make your standard pizza dough OR honestly, if you don't have time I know Trader Joes and a bunch of other grocery stores sell them already made, or just swing by almost any pizzeria and they'll sell you enough for a pie of like 2 bucks.  Spread it out in a buttered cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil, push in a bunch of halved cherry tomatoes, spread a chopped onion on top and season with sea salt.  Maybe let it rise another couple minutes at room temperature then throw it in the oven at 375 for about 20 minutes or until its golden brown.  (tip: cut pieces with kitchen scissors instead of a knife) Great if you're looking for low cholesterol low fat meal and much nicer than serving plain bread.

sesame soy vodka chicken over a bed of roasted sweet and hot peppers

This dish was fantastic with a little prep work and just a couple minutes to cook.  I picked up a a flat of chicken thighs from Whole Foods.  They come debonned so its a flat piece of meat much like a thin chicken breast.  An advantage of cooking with the thigh is that it won't dry out but stay nice and juicy.  Throw them in a bowl and cover with about half soy sauce and half vodka* and then add the juice of 2-3 limes.  Let that marinate refrigerated at least one half hour but leave it over night if thats easier.  Next, from the store buy one or two of every pepper you see, long, short, red, green, yellow and orange.  Put them over some foil and in the broiler till they start to blacken (note: they're going to roast at different times since they're different shapes and sizes), take them out and after they cool cut them into strips removing the seeds and stems but keeping the blackened skin and toss with a touch of salt, olive oil, chopped garlic and some parsley. When you're ready, spread some sesame seeds on a little dish, and one at a time take the chicken out of the marinade, coat them in the sesame seeds and gently lay them in a hot lightly oiled skillet.  If you like, for some extra flavor, add a few teaspoons of the marinade over the chicken as it cooks but be careful as it can burn after it caramelizes. Cook the chicken over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side or until they're golden brown, plate over a bed of the roasted peppers and enjoy!  This goes great also with some seasoned rice, avocados and an Asian salad with ginger soy dressing.  This will DEFINITELY impress!

*one advantage of marinating and cooking with alcohol is that it will bond with the fatty and water based molecules so it can draw the flavors from your marinade deep into the meat.

REPOST: rainbow cupcake... i like these better

I like these better than the last post.  This girl is ridiculous though. 

REPOST: rainbow cake

Interesting idea and fun for a ton of occasions.  Flip through it to get a better idea cause it's kinda annoying to listen to this guy talk. I can smell the milwaukee's best on his breath. 

spicy meatball appetizers

Easy to make and can be done a couple hours in advance since these are fine at room temperature. Get about a pound and a half of lean ground beef (I only get beef ground in-store so I don't have mystery meat body parts coming from a far off warehouse), a cup and a half of bread crumbs, 2-3 cloves of chopped or crushed garlic, some ground black pepper, a handful of chopped cilantro, 3/4 cup of Sriracha (or try a full cup to cup and a half if you want them very spicy), quarter cup of white vinegar, one egg and a light sprinkle of salt.  Mix everything together and roll into bite-sized balls (you can do all of this the night before).  If the mixture is too dry and wont stick add a little more vinegar and if its too wet try sprinkling a bit more breadcrumbs into the mix.  When you're ready heat a pot with about an inch and a half of vegetable oil, gently drop in the meatballs and let them fry till they brown -OR- spread them over a cookie sheet and bake @400 degrees for 15-20 till the brown, turning them gently about half way through (I like them better fried- duh). Serve these on platter with an handful of toothpicks and I like to include another small cup or Sriracha sauce and then another 'cooler' sauce like a ranch or blue cheese for extra dipping. 

food and sex ... hahaha shop organic

stuffed cherry tomatoes

Fantastic for appetizers and you can make them the night before. Wash a pint or two of cherry tomatoes, cut the tops off and with a small melon baller scoop out the inside.  You might need to ruin one or two till you figure out the trick.  Set the tomatoes aside and in a food processor make your own concoction of a chunky cheesy pesto.  If you need inspiration for a start, throw in some fresh basil (at least a fistful of leaves), one cup of parmiggiano, black pepper and half a cup of olive oil.  Start pulsing slowly and add ingredients a little at a time till you have an evenly distributed, loose but still tacky mixture you can spoon in the tomato cavity.  Taste your mixture as you go along till you get the combination you're really looking for and if you want to complicate this even more throw in some roasted peppers or balsamic vinegar. Spoon the mixture in your tomatoes and keep cool till your ready to serve.  I did these for my birthday this year and they made AWESOME garnish for bloody mary's the morning after.

snow and syrup

This is quite possibly one of the funnest desserts you can make ESPECIALLY when you're snowed in.  Literally just [clean & fresh] snow and syrup.  Traditionally we would use vino cotto, which is a syrup we make from boiling grape juice just as it starts to ferment but before you get wine, but feel free to use regular maple syrup, chocolate syrup, or anything you would normally put on ice cream OR if you got throw on a vanilla or camel flavor shot like you're at Starbucks.

boquerones, marinated white anchovies

don't cringe just cause you hear the word anchovy.  These taste nothing like what you're used to finding in a can and are honestly some of the most delicate and delicious savory snacks you may ever come across. Some of you may know these as boquerones and you'll find them at almost every tapas bar in Barcelona. Making them really isn't that difficult, just salting, cleaning and marinating the fish but at this point you can find them at Whole Foods, Dean & Deluca and a couple other specialty or international stores. Think of these to add to your spread next time you have people over for drinks and appetizers.