Back to food...

Meghan made this recipe last night, and it was super awesome. And easy. Maybe easier for me because all I had to do was grate some cheese (with a microplane!! also awesome!) and chop some basil. Here's the recipe:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Orzo-with-Everything-5608

Someone in the comment section suggested adding some feta cheese, which was good. I think Meghan said something along the lines of "the more cheese the better." Or "the more cheese the feta" if you want to make a pun out of it. I do.

A few notes: Jer, I think you'd like this recipe. I don't really have a basis for that comment, but you should give it a shot since you seem to like fast, easy, and delicious recipes. Who doesn't?

Lastly, Meghan is a good cook. Here's the link to her blog, if you don't already have it. She reviews restaurants and cooks better than your mom: http://cookingdrinkingswearing.blogspot.com/

I guess that was only a couple notes. Oh well.

Charlie's diet: the first days

Agony:

Withdrawal:

Gradual acceptance:

Broccin' Rabin'

Though I always knew I would probably like broccoli rabe, I have typically avoided it, because on a lot of Italian menus, I've seen it written as "broccoli rape." Which doesn't sound particularly appetizing. I don't know much Italian beyond "Prego" and "Ciao," so maybe this was a common typo on the menus, or maybe it's one of the real spellings for it, I don't know. Anyway...

This weekend, KG created a lovely spin on Bittman's recipe for spaghetti with broccoli rabe, toasted garlic, and bread crumbs. Here's the article with the link to the original recipe:
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/15/dining/15mini.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=broccoli%20rabe&st=cse

Kate used penne instead of spaghetti, buffalo parmesan instead of regular (found at the Garden, for all of you Greenpointing cookers), and I slivered the garlic the wrong way, but I think Bittman would have still been proud.

The fixin's, plus Ritz crackers and wine:

Toasting garlic:

Sauteeing the broccoli rabe:

Adding the pasta:

Pre-stuffing my face:

Some tips and observations: I find a lot of Bittman's recipes kind of plain or boring, but this one really hit the nail on the head by incorporating the toasted bread crumbs, so don't leave them out. The buffalo parmesan was a delicious touch, and this was a really good dish for anyone trying to carbo-load the night before a race. And from the chef comes the advice to be careful while putting the wet broccoli rabe into the pan with hot oil. Kate G says "I believe the recipe says exactly that and I did it anyway." Ouch. So please try not to sautee yourself, it's not Kosher.

Plug

Mark this on your calendar, friends (if you want). My dear friend and 2 year Ithaca College veteran Josh Verbanets will be journeying from Pittsburgh with his band to perform at Lit Lounge on Saturday, May 23rd, at 9pm. I can attest to the awesomeness of this band, so you should come and bring your friends. Here's the info:

Meeting of Important People
Saturday, May 23rd
9:00pm - 1:00am
93 2nd Avenue (between 5th and 6th streets)

Also, you can "become a fan" of them on the Facebook. I've refused to "fan" anything thus far, but I'll make an exception. Just this once:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Meeting-of-Important-People/76230978859?sid=bf23b8827c824548cf054dc83833ca96&ref=search#/pages/Meeting-of-Important-People/76230978859?v=info&viewas=13804048

Or, if you still have a Myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/meetingofimportantpeople

New York's finest

Pointed out by Billie and/or Meghan.

Luck of the Draw

I get over excited by some really trivial things, and one of those things is drawbridges going up. Stopped traffic, people cursing, horns sounding, the whole shebang. So the Pulaski drawbridge going up this morning was a welcome obstruction to my commute, even though I was 20 minutes late to work.

Habitual Birthdays

Our friendly neighborhood bar turned 1 this weekend. I'm not sure what my close friends and I would have done over the past year had we not this lovely watering hole to hop, skip, and jump to. And also trip, stumble, and fall home from. The Habitat's company logo is an owl, so Meghan and I made them owl cookies to help celebrate the occassion. Chocolate sugar cookies, which I've never had or made before, with m&m eyes, which makes any cookie 50% more delicious.

I'm not sure if anyone reading this blog has not been to The Habitat with me at some point, but here's the info anyway:

The Habitat
988 Manhattan Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11222
http://www.thehabitatbrooklyn.com/