All posts by Angela G.

I'm a (pretty) good girl who says (pretty) bad words and makes (pretty effin') delicious dishes. Foodie for life. Delicious to death.
Appetizers and Small Plates, Recipes, Sauces and Condiments, Vegan Dishes, Vegetarian Dishes

Fresh Guacamole (and Bean Tostadas)

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Let’s Get Smashed

Apparently, NYC feels a need to charge a premium for fresh guacamole goodness.  They buy a mocajete (stone mortar) and a pestle, have some dude wheel a cart of fresh ingredients to your table, and for the tableside prep, charge you a hefty $12 – 15 depending on how fancy the restaurant.  You can make this guacamole for around $5 at home.  All that’s left is to buy some top shelf añejo and make some fresh lime margaritas to seal the deal.

I add a couple of extra ingredients for both taste and presentation – the shallots and tomato add lovely color.  And I use a shallot because it’s small and I can use it all with no leftovers, but you can certainly use a red onion if you have one on hand.  For this recipe, you are the controller of spice – the version below is mild/medium in heat, but you can amp up the spice quotient by using the jalapeno seeds and dicing it as finely as possible.  The cayenne doesn’t add much heat so much as offer a fuller pepper flavor.  This recipe works doubled and tripled, so if you are having a large group over, make plenty. Continue reading Fresh Guacamole (and Bean Tostadas) →

Appetizers and Small Plates, Impressive Dishes, Recipes, Vegan Dishes, Vegetarian Dishes

Vegan Potstickers

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It’s SO Easy Being Green

My family hails from Brazil, a country that prizes meat consumption in all its glory.  And yet, my sister has been a vegetarian (and a vegan when her multiple sclerosis doesn’t give her grief about it) since she was in fourth grade.  Always loving to cook for friends and family (regardless of dietary restrictions), I quickly altered my repertoire to include non-meat alternatives for all of my tried and true recipes.  As time went by, I came across more and more good friends looking for some sweet, non-meat dining (Drew and Briana, especially).  I never felt put out making “two dinners” – it just meant more time in the kitchen.

Two little tips to keep in mind – the green food coloring, aside from aesthetic purposes, is an awesome way to quickly separate between the veggie and meat dumplings on a platter.  No meat eaten by mistake.  I use green food coloring for the dye action, but if you are using frozen spinach at any time, you can save the water from it to dye your dumpling skins.  The other tip is that although I list a slew of veggies for these guys, do experiment and use whatever you’d like.  Try spinach instead of the cress, water chestnuts instead of the bamboo shoots – be creative and use what’s fresh and available.Vegetarian, vegan or no, give these dumplings a whirl.  If you make them at the same time as the chicken or pork versions, not only will you have a veritable dim sum spread in front of you, you’ll be winning the favor of your non-meat eating friends.  And friends are a good thing, I hear 😉 Continue reading Vegan Potstickers →

Easy to Prepare, Main Courses, Meat Dishes, Pasta Dishes, Recipes

Weekday Lasagna

Time is On Your Side. Yes, it is.

My grandmother (Vo, if you’ve not pieced that bit of info together yet) makes a lasagna that takes a good two days to cook.  San Marzano tomatoes are gently simmered with tender cuts of pork, italian sausage and homemade meatballs.  My family has been know to ration portions of the dish for fear that it’ll be months (nay, full years) before they’ll be in the right place at the right time and lucky enough to snag a bite.  Men have been known to stab each other with forks for a helping. Continue reading Weekday Lasagna →

Appetizers and Small Plates, Impressive Dishes, Poultry Dishes, Recipes

Spicy Chicken Potstickers

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For When You Want No Pork On Your Fork. I Mean Chopsticks

You know I love you guys.  And I have no problem with your dietary restrictions – I still want to fill your belly.  Which is why, if you are not fine with swine, I am posting this lovely recipe for chicken dumplings.

I call for no less than 4 types of pepper in these, so skip the chili oil and Sriracha (thai chili sauce) if you want it less piquant.  If you aren’t down with meat of any kind, check out this recipe for Vegan Dumplings. Continue reading Spicy Chicken Potstickers →

Beverages and Cocktails, Recipes

Ginger Limeade

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All Tarted Up

Back when I was living in DC, there was a local radio station that would play what they called, “The Wrong Song” – a seemingly inappropriate tune based on the goings on.  My favorite was when they’d crank up the Sly and the Family Stone’s “Hot Fun in the Summertime” when there’d be inches of snow on the ground.  This recipe, my dears (and yeah, I’m talking to you Virginians buried in 30+ inches of unplowed powder) is the culinary equivalent of the wrong song.  It’s cold and slushy here in Gotham, and all I can do is pray for summer and sip on a refreshing glass of ginger limeade.  I feel a few degrees warmer already… Continue reading Ginger Limeade →

Cooking Tips, Culinary Inspiration

Making Better Filling for Jiao Zi

Easy Peasy Pinching and Pleating

Had a lovely chat with my friend Shaoyu today about the ins and outs of her jiao zi, and she gave me some VERY useful tips for making yours even better at home:

  • When adding the water to the meat mixture, stream it in slowly and in batches.  Stir for two to three minutes after each addition to make the filling just right.
  • For the easiest mixing of dough, use a bread machine on the dough cycle.  It does all the heavy work in mixing and kneading the dough, and you can just sit back and relax.

Shaoyu (Dr. Shaoyu Chi) is a fellow tech-wiz and uber-savvy instructional designer – I mentioned to her that I get a kick out of the fact that even in the kitchen we’re applying modern innovation to age-old processes.  We can revamp a dim sum recipe as easily as we can convert a synchronous, face-to-face course into an engaging online or hybrid option.

Hey, you’ve got to be a three-for in this tough economy – why not web designer, instructional designer and culinary tinkerer?

Thanks again, Shaoyu!

Appetizers and Small Plates, Meat Dishes, Recipes

Jiao Zi (Boiled Pork Dumplings)

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Kitty Yum Yum’s Dumpling Emporium

I admit that I’m a bit of a fussy pants about collecting the best version of a recipe possible, to the point of years of trial and error to get things just right.  I believe in a specific set of credos of the kitchen, and won’t accept any substitutions for particular dishes that my palette is craving a certain way.  Was it Anthony Bourdain that said that people that refuse to peel garlic (by way of pre-chopped jarred garlic) don’t deserve to eat it?  I watch Sandra Lee cook out of seasoning packets and processed piles of ingredients, and it reminds me of why I enjoy spending a little extra time in the kitchen getting things just right.  It’s so worth it when the stars align and the recipe you’re working from just works. Continue reading Jiao Zi (Boiled Pork Dumplings) →

Baked Goods, Cakes, Pies and Tarts, Desserts, Recipes

Red Velvet Cake

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Some Like it Red Hot

For those that know her, it goes without saying that my sister, Lexi, is an inspired baker.  Not only does she wield myriad tricks of the trade with prowess and might (think “Gastronomical She-Ra, Princess of Baking”), her time as a vegetarian and vegan have given her a unique perspective on the science and nutrition of baking.  She knows her stuff.

Alas, I didn’t get that gene – I absolutely adore cooking, but baking – not ma’ thang.  I’m pretty sure that I’ve set a cake on fire before.  And yet, this recipe is the one that has proven to be my solitary ace in the hole.  I have a crush on this one.  A big time crush. Continue reading Red Velvet Cake →

Pasta Dishes, Recipes

Rigatoni Bolognese

Phoning It In Can Be Sexy

I seem to collect bolognese recipes like a bad habit – many are more complicated than this one and involve grinding your own meat and tomatoes, slow simmering for days, and babysitting the whole operation until it comes to a savory finish.  “The Big Sauce” as my Vo calls it.  And yet, this recipe manages to conjure up the same “cooked for days” taste with a whole lot less work.

The recipe calls for a few funny things – like baking the bolognese in the oven, simmering the sauce with parmesan rinds and then finishing the pasta off in the pan.  All of these steps will help turn your sauce into something extraordinary. Continue reading Rigatoni Bolognese →

Low Brow Treats, Main Courses, Meat Dishes, Recipes

Classic Meatloaf

“Pass the Southern Comfort, baby.  It’s been a long day.”

And by that I mean spend some time getting a little déclassé and whip up some potatoes and veg for this super light and moist meatloaf.  I know, I know.  You want elegance and style.  You want strings and harps, and saucers of champagne.  But occasionally, you have to trailer-park-trash it up a bit and enjoy some straight up comfort food.  I know what you are thinking – Angela, aren’t you the self-proclaimed ingredient snob?  Truthfully, my deal is that everything be as tasty as possible, which is absolutely not elitist.  There’s room for truffles and tater tots alike in my mind.  Though maybe not in the same dish.  Anyways, the whole point is to put aside your preconceived TV dinner notions and tuck into Mama Angelina’s Bomb Meatloaf…yes, that’s literally what it’s called. And it’s “bomb” for “it’s the bomb”. Continue reading Classic Meatloaf →