Superbowl 2012

This year for the Superbowl instead of breaking the bank by going out to a bar and spending ridiculous amounts of money on overpriced crappy food and beer, I encourage you to have friends over and make it an appetizer party. They are personally my favorite types of get togethers; you can always make a meal out of just the appetizers! So ever since we moved off campus and got a house of our own, we've held a traditional Superbowl party.

This year I came up with two recipes I was dying to try and my roommate Kait always makes her famous nachos. Between those and wings from a local pizzeria (50 for $20 can't beat that deal) there is more than enough food. Have everyone bring their own 6pack to share and you really do have a party. Superbowl on a budget, I'm all for it.

This recipe is from Iowagirleats.com

Mini Corndog Muffins

Ingredients (makes 48 mini muffins)

• 1/2 cup melted butter (or 1/4 cup butter + 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8-10 all-beef hot dogs, cut into 1″ bites

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine butter and sugar in a bowl, and whisk to combine. Add eggs and whisk to incorporate. Add buttermilk and whisk to incorporate.
• In a separate bowl, combine baking soda, cornmeal, flour, and salt, and stir to combine. Whisk into wet ingredients in two batches.
• Spray a mini muffin tin with non-stick spray, and spoon 1 Tablespoon of batter into each mini muffin cup. Place one hot dog bite into the middle of each cup.
• Bake for 8-12 minutes (oven temperatures vary), or until cornbread is golden brown. Cool in mini muffin tin for 5 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator, and re-heat for 20-30 seconds before serving.

Next, I'm doing baked mozzarella sticks from wearenotmartha.com

Ingredients

• 1 package part skim mozzarella cheese sticks, halved
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 2 eggs
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup dry breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons italian seasoning
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 4 teaspoons melted butter

Directions

1. Cut cheese in 1/2" x 1/2" x 3" sticks.
2. Toss with flour and set aside.
3. In small bowl, beat together eggs and water and set aside.
4. In separate bowl, combine bread crumbs, italian seasoning and garlic powder.
5. Dip sticks in egg mixture, then coat with crumbs.
6. Repeat this process.
7. Place on a plate in a single layer, cover with foil and chill for 2 hours.
8. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
9. Place cheese sticks on an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and drizzle with melted butter.
10. Bake until crisp, about 8 to 10 minutes.Flip after 5 minutes.
11. Heat a little spaghetti sauce to use for dipping.

Happy Superbowl sunday! Go Giants!

Providence Restaurant Week

So I was not planning on doing a blog post so soon but I felt I had to share my good fortune with the rest of you. Yesterday began Providence's restaurant week and it will continue until Sunday, January 28th! Thats over a week for those of you who aren't inclined in math. Looking over the list, I was shocked by the fine dining restaurants participating. Last night, my roommates and I had by far the best steak of our lives. We ate at Ruth Chris Steakhouse. It was really a magically experience for those of you who have never been there before. The service was exceptional and as expected the food was so excellent that I cannot describe it in words. For their restaurant week menu, they offer three courses, starting with : A steakhouse salad or Seafood Gumbo, the second offers: An 8oz filet, A 12oz NY strip, Blue crab-crab cakes, or a Stuffed Chicken breast and finally dessert, which is a duo of berries and a chocolate mousse cup. When looking at the regular menu, the 8oz fillet I ordered is originally $40. But for three courses, steak included I only paid $30.

Restaurant Week is an amazing opportunity that I'm not quite sure if very many people take advantage of. As students who appreciate fine dining and first class food, this is a resource that all of us should be taking advantage of. I looked at other menus and they are all an excellent deal as well. There are over 90 restaurants participating such as Ruth Chris, Capriccio's, Gracie's, and Hemmingway's just to name a few. I highly suggest that if you can, you take advantage of Providence's Restaurant week, for dinner or even lunch (which is priced at $15 but not offered by all restaurants) because it really is a great price for an outstanding meal.

Heres the website: http://www.goprovidence.com/rw/

Mad Dog & Beans

Over the break, I went on an adventure to find some of NYC's best mexican. Besides, I'm a sucker for a good margarita. I decided to take my dad away from work and include him on my quest. This limited my location to the downtown area but after some Yelp research, I settled on MadDog & Beans, Mexican Cantina. MadDog & Beans is located on pearl street and stone street. Stone street is one of New York's oldest cobblestone streets. I have to say, this place was so busy at 1pm on a friday; I was shocked! We ended up waiting twenty five minutes, but it is certainly worth the wait. The place was filled with people at tables and even sitting (and standing) at the bar.

I was so intrigued with MadDog & Beans; I knew I had to look up the background. They have a very colorful and interesting story. Mad Dog was a man who was accused of a brutal murder so was forced to flee to Mexico. He began living peacefully in a town, where the people did not care about his past. There he found a friend (& drinking partner) in a local chef. A man nicknamed Beans. Together they formed not only a friendship but an extremely successful restaurant. Whether this is true or not, it sets a nice background to this restaurant. The inside is decorated in all wood and the lighting is dark. The walls are adorned with black & white photos of mexico and various objects; such as guns and crosses. This creates an intimate yet fun atmosphere.

Moving on to the most important part of going to dinner; the food was also exceptional mexican for the right price. I judge all mexican restaurants by their Guacamole and chips, so we started with an appetizer portion. When it came to the table, it was served in a mortar and pestle which is made of lava rock and decorated with paint. It had fresh, real chunks of avocado and the perfect amount of spanish onion, with a small hint of lime juice. It was very simple, but delicious. The chips were light and crispy. It was the perfect appetizer to go with my corona light while we anxiously awaited our meals.

I decided on the De Raja quesadilla, which was filled with poblano peppers. Since attending Johnson and Wales, my dad usually ordered the chicken tacos. He is notorious for not reading the menu and so as usual we were pleasantly surprised when he got his huge portion including four tacos and a side of rice and beans. There was no complaints from the both of us and we enjoyed the silence that comes from eating a good meal, when everyone is enjoying what they ordered and are entranced by the food.

I fully intend on returning to MadDog & Beans to continue and explore their entire menu some more. It has so many options, from fajitas to Red Snapper. So next time your in NYC and looking for pretty excellent mexican, or even a fun place to get a drink.