Great article on best pizza in the US

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/food-wine/food-and-wine-best-pizza-in-us_b_827096.html#s240077&title=New_York_City

Loved this article on the 25 top pizzas in the US.

The ones I am super familiar with are Pizzeria Mozza in LA, Pizzeria Delfina in SF, Flour + Water in SF, and Pizzeria Bianco in Phoenix.  ALL AMAZEBALLS!

However, there are a ton of other ones in NYC, Chicago, Portland, Boston, Philadelphia, Oakland, and Larkspur that are worth checking out.  Go get yourself some pizza darlins!

Finished Results...

Courtesy of BA MOFO aka my boyfriend.  he begged me to write this.  haha

Nuts for Nutella!

So, I recently have been having some riDONCulous nutella goodies and wanted to share the many ways one can incorporate nutella into their basic foods to snazz them up (besides crepes which we all know is phenom with bananas)......

Spread on a fresh french baguette

Spread on homemade waffles or pancakes.  waffles is really where it's at.  this was my most favorite afternoon snack when I lived in France.  if the waffles are super hot, the nutella becomes totally ooey gooey!

Spread on cupcakes (basically you are using this as the frosting)

Blend in milkshakes.  I recently had the nutella shake at burger bar here in sf.  they have them in sf, las vegas, and st louis.  the guy from fleur de lys owns them.  absolutely mind blowing!!!!  they blend chocolate ice cream, hot fudge, nutella, and hazelnuts all together then top with choc whipping cream and more hazelnuts.  def one of the top five milkshakes I have ever had.  their other shakes (and of course the burgers) are the bomb diggity too. 

Put in fried raviolis like the recipe and pictures below

Dip apples and pineapple or any other sturdy fruit

As a side note, I recently got the hazelnut spread from Whole Foods cause they didn't have Nutella and it's just as good.  it's called Loacker hazelnut spread.

Enjoy!!

Raviolis Galore!

Valentine's Recipes

So instead of fighting all the millions of valentine's couples and horrible prix fixe menus in restaurants tonight, we have decided to prepare our own valentine's feast.  Right now, whole foods has a special on gorgeous roses for 19.99 up in sf.  They prob do in Huntington too.  However, the most beautiful roses I have ever found for cheap is at Mothers market.  They are only $10 a bunch and last forever.  We can all thank Lynnie Line for this tip :). 

Anthony is making petrole sole with lemon butter for the main course but I am in charge of the starter and dessert.  Just wanted to share my recipes with you girls. 

Crab Ravioli with lemon butter

Filling:

1 cup ricotta cheese (8 ounces)

1 cup lump crab meat, such as peekytoe (8 ounces)

coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Ravioli:

All purpose flour for baking sheet

90 wonton wrappers (2 12 ounce packages)

1 large egg, lightly beaten, for egg wash

coarse salt

Sauce:

1 stick unsalted butter

2 teaspoons lemon peel, very finely chopped, plus 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice

Fresh chervil for garnish

Mix together the ricotta, crab meat, ½ teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, and the red pepper flakes.  Lightly flour a baking sheet, working in batches, arrange 45 wonton wrappers on a work surface, keep remaining wrappers covered with a damp towel.  Mound 1 teaspoon crab filling in the center of each.  Brush edges of wrappers with egg wash, and top each with another wrapper.  Press edges to seal.  Cut out circles using a 2 ¼ inch cookie cutter, transfer to baking sheet.  Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Working in 2 batches, cook ravioli until they rise to the top, 2 to 3 minutes.  Meanwhile, make the sauce by heating a large skillet over medium heat.  Melt 4 tablespoons butter, and heat until just bubbling and frothy.  Transfer first batch of ravioli to skillet using a slotted spoon, along with about 2 tablespoons cooking liquid.  Add 1 teaspoon chopped lemon peel and 1 teaspoon juice, and swirl to combine.  Transfer to plates.  Repeat with second batch of raviolis.  Garnish with chervil. 

Makes 45 raviolis (uncooked ravioli can be froze for up to 3 months)

Chocolate chip banana bread

½ cup butter, melted (or at least softened)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 over-ripe bananas
2 eggs
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon baking powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chocolate chips

Mix the butter and sugar until there are no lumps. (This is easier if you melt the butter first.)  Add the vanilla and bananas and mix.  Add the eggs, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and a third of the flour.  Mix on low speed — unless you like flinging flour all over the counter.  Add the rest of the flour in two more batches, scraping down the sides in between each addition.  If you’re including chocolate chips, add two-thirds of them and mix briefly.  Flour a pan and pour the batter into the pan and top with the remaining chocolate chips.  Bake at 350° for 45 minutes, let stand in the pan for a few minutes, then remove to a wire rack to cool.

Nutella Raviolis

*****Another item I am planning on making with the extra wonton wrappers from the crab ravioli is Giada DeLaurentis' nutella raviolis.  Thank you Rachael Timoti Zaldo for reminding me about these stunning little beauties!!!  You can find the recipe on Food network.com but it's pretty self explanatory without seeing the recipe.

Fill wonton wrappers with a spoonful of nutella and egg wash the edges so they stick when they fold over.  Make sure they are completely sealed.  Fry in vegetable oil and sprinkle with powdered sugar while they are hot. 

Happy Valentines Girls!!! xoxox

My top OC eateries and the dishes I normally order...

Sabatinos – stuffed pasta roll with homemade sausage, sausage platter

Javiers – queso fundido, steak tacos, and shrimp plates (any of the 3 they have), mango margies

Five crowns – prime rib with double creamed spinach (instead of potatoes), pride of crowns

salad, choc soufflé

Roys - chocolate souffle, lobster pot stickers, korean style ribs

Captain jacks – crab legs, prime rib

Antonello – burrata, orecchiette pasta with sausage, pasta roll

Basilico’s – linguine with clams

Alessa – mini raviolis, lasagna, Bolognese, bruschetta

The Bungalow – swordfish picatta, Caesar salad

Crivello’s – bruschetta, fried mozzarella, lamp chops, shrimp pasta with olive oil, garlic, tomatoes, and basil

Ruth Chris – au gratin potatoes, au gratin spinach

Mothers Market – veggie chili, guacamole, nayonnaise tuna

Gypsy Den – Tuna Salad, chicken salad, veggie soup

TK Burger – burger, turkey burger, chicken sandwich, breakfast burritos (at

19^th street

location only)

Wahoos – chicken sandwich, fish tacos, chicken or fish bowl, baja rolls, chicken torta

Susie Cakes – funfetti cupcakes, choc cupcake with vanilla butter cream

Cassidy’s – grilled cheese with pickles and hot sauce, cheeseburger

The Galley – chili cheese fries

Aloha Grill – albacore quesadilla

Mutt Lynches – chicken frisko sandwich, chili cheese fries, chicken sliders (with guac not avocado), pizza, garlic chips with sausage, sausage gravy on ANYTHING

Dick Churches – veggie burger, cream of broccoli soup

Polly’s – sourdough burger, backburner soup

Dukes – sweet basil glaze fish, calamari, ahi sashimi, fish tacos

Promelli’s – any panini or burger, guacamole

Catalina Fish Kitchen – shrimp tacos, clam chowder

Don Jose’s – chicken taco salad, always ask for their mild sauce for the chips!!

Jan’s – turkey sandwich, guacamole, broccoli cheese soup

Habana – meat/cheese croquettes, sangria

Memphis – blue corn chicken salad, gumbo, roast chicken, crab cakes

930 sushi – spicy tuna on crispy rice

Cannery – clam chowder, irish coffees

Baskin Robins – choc fudge ice cream, gold medal ribbon ice cream, world class chocolate ice cream, chocolate mousse royale ice cream

Buddha’s favorite – baked crab hand roll

The Little Knight – dollar beef tacos on Tuesday or Thursday only

El Matador – shrimp fajitas

The counter – turkey burger with guacamole, brownie sundae

Golden dragon – Szechwan shrimp, shrimp with lobster sauce, sizzling rice soup

Toms – turkey burger, chili, fries with ranch, breakfast burritos

Baja tacos – shrimp platter

Mahe – calamari

PF Changs – shrimp steamed dumplings, shrimp with lobster sauce, dan dan noodles, sesame cucumbers, egg drop soup, wonton soup

Massimo’s – thin crust pizza with sausage and garlic, turkey sandwich

17h street deli/liquor store (17^th and orange) in huntington – cucumber salad, turkey sandwich on French roll

La Cave – crab legs, shrimp cocktail, halibut, prime rib

Susie Cakes has some competition...

I am die hard Susie Cakes fan but I must say they definitely have some competition with Miette Patisserie here in SF.  I just had their Parisian chocolate macaroon and chocolate cupcake with vanilla butter cream.  Both were incredibly moist, light, and delectable (without being overly rich and heavy)!!!  I would like to bathe in the butter cream actually.  They have tons of flavors of both items and the beer spiked gingerbread cake was rated in the 50 best of the US by Alton Brown.  They do a cupcake in this flavor with vanilla butter cream.  The view from embarkadero on this gorgeous sunny Friday definitely helped their case too :).  Next time in SF, make sure to visit Miette Patisserie at the Ferry Building. 

Superbowl stunners!!

Since it's that time of year again (largest day for domestic violence against women ps), I thought I would put two of my all time fave dip recipes.  Most of you reading this have already had one and you know it is the bees f'in knees!!!  But let me tell you, the second one is where it's at too!!  Try both and your superbowl fans will think they have died and gone to heaven and will be thanking the chef til kingdom come. 

Queso Dip

One package (the rectangle foiled one) cream cheese

One can chili (can use turkey chili too) no beans

Chopped onions, olives, and jalapenos to taste

Melt together in saucepan

Add shredded cheddar cheese at the end and serve with chips or fingerling potatoes

Hoagie Dip

1 medium onion

2 pickled pepperocini peppers (if using chopped ones already, do to taste)

½ head iceberg lettuce

1 large tomato, halved and seeded

¼ pound deli sliced genoa salami

¼ pound deli sliced prosciutto

¼ pound deli sliced roast turkey

¼ pound deli sloced ham

¼ pound deli sliced provolone

½ cup mayo

1 tablespoon evoo

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 ½ teaspoons dried basil

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 10 to 12 inch round loaf of Italian bread

8 hoagie rolls cut into pieces for dipping

Chop the onion, pepperocini, lettuce and tomato into bite sized pieces.  Dice the meats and cheese.  Combine the chopped veggies, meats, and cheese in a large bowl.  Add the mayo, oil, oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes and stir until everything is mixed and tasty.  Refrigerate until ready to serve. 

Carve out center of round bread and cut up the inside and hoagie rolls into bite sized pieces.  Place mixture inside round bread and serve with cut up bread. 

 

Great taste without the GUILT!

I love chips!  All sorts of chips, but especially barbeque or cheddar and sour cream.  I hadn't found a good healthy substitute for either flavor until Kettle Brand's Baked Potato Chips in hickory honey barbeque.  The other baked flavors (salt and pepper, and Wisconsin cheddar) are good too however, the hickory honey barbeque will blow your mind!!  They are 65% less fat than the regular version and only contain 120 calories and 3 grams of fat per serving (which is about 20 chips:).  Please go and get yourself a bag!  You will not be disappointed.  And go ahead and splurge a little, have two servings, why frickin not!!

Whole foods phenomenons

Ok, so I recently moved to San Francisco from Orange County and unfortunately, I left behind my beloved Mother's Market, and more specifically, their nayonnaise prepared tuna.  This was absolutely to die for!  I could literally eat it every day for the rest of my life and never get sick of it.  It was healthy without the health taste.  Super crunchy with tons of celery and a lot of great fresh flavor!  I have been on the hunt for a similar tuna and sadly whole foods' prepared tuna just does not cut my craving.  However, while in search of the tuna, I found two AMAZING substitutes for light things to snack on during the day.  My favorite of the two prepared items is the sesame noodles with cucumber.  Its capellini, scallions, cilantro, sesame seeds, and a sesame oil dressing.  This pasta salad is packed with punch and crunch but still uber light and tasty.  The second is the curried chicken salad.  It contains all natural chicken breast, currents, almonds, scallions, canola mayonnaise, curry powder, chutney, and salt and pepper.  This dish has incredible crunch as well!  Can you tell I am a crunch nazi? haha.  Even though both of these items are not as healthy as the tuna, they have so much flavor and density to them that all you need is a very small portion to get you through.  You can find these in the refrigerated, prepared fresh pack section of the market.  Hope you enjoy!!