Cookies and Lipstick

Budapest Street Food.

I was visiting friends in Vienna a few weeks ago and since it’s so close, my husband and I took the train over to Budapest for a couple of nights. Once we checked-in to our hotel, we dropped our bags and went out in search of food. We were staying at The Four Seasons Gresham Palace which is right across from Chain Bridge so we walked for a bit and found a square where they had a lot of different food stands selling goulash, rooster ball stew, sausages, wine and this…
 

 
I have NO IDEA what this is called but it was ham, cheese, sour cream, onions and cucumbers on bread that is kind of like a pita. The dough was made right there in the stand then shaped and grilled, then was passed along to another grill where it was filled with any combination of what I mentioned. At first we thought we would share one then remembered we’re both greedy and hate sharing food so we each ordered one with everything.

Cheese only

Starbucks wants to be In-N-Out Burger.

The secret menu at In-N-Out Burger isn’t exactly under wraps anymore and it seems Starbucks wants in on the game as well.

 
I’m not a fan of super-sweet drinks but I will say I’m kind of intrigued by the Captain Crunch option.

I’M BACK!

Nearly TWO MONTHS (?!?!) after my last post I’ve resurfaced after being swamped with work and then taking a little time-off in Vienna and Budapest (more on that in a separate post). I have to slowly ease back into this blogging thing so I will leave you with my new favorite everyday recipe/menu from Dean Martin.

Crêpe(?) Master.

It takes me twice as long to put together a bowl of cereal.

BuzzFeed via LiveLeak.com

Baked Alaska.

Many people don’t know this but baked Alaska is AWWWESSSOME. It’s SO GOOD why aren’t more people making this?! Why isn’t there a booth at the Fort Greene Flea that solely sells individual sized baked Alasksas? It’s not because they’re hard to make because they surely aren’t. Is it because they seem kind of 80′s and outdated? Do people think the same way about baked Alaska as they do about molten chocolate cake? Because molten chocolate cake, ugh. But, come on! Baked Alaska! Cake, ice cream and meringue?!?!  It’s time for it to make a comeback. It’s time for baked Alaska to be cool again, like this…

This Happened. Red Wine-Braised Short Ribs.

Beef. It’s what should always be for dinner sometimes.

What?

As I said earlier I don’t really “do” Valentine’s Day but I usually make something a little more indulgent than what I normally cook on a weeknight. I was going to go the cassoulet route but decided on short ribs at the last minute. Actually, it was at the ATM machine when I decided on short ribs. I will always order them if they’re on the menu, I’ve read countless recipes for them but never made them. Originally I wanted to do a soy-glazed version but while reading a recipe on bonappetit.com for moon pies, I noticed a link for a red wine-braised short ribs recipe that looked really easy and I decided to go with that one. Here’s what Bon Appetit shows it should look like…

Today Is National Almond Day.

If you’ve been doing a number on your arteries this winter keeping warm with meat and booze, we should definitely be friends. But if you find yourself entirely out of breath after climbing the stairs out of the Lexington Ave./63rd Street subway station because the escalators are out of service again, maybe it’s time to back away from the beef for a bit and try to air out your arteries. Eating almonds might be able to help!

From the Cure Cancer Foundation…

Happy Ballentine’s Day! [UPDATED]

I don’t do Valentine’s Day. I haven’t done Valentine’s Day since high school and even then I didn’t do it because I was fat and sad, smoking cigarettes in the bathroom and was handed no rose in homeroom. Le sigh. Forever alone.

It’s Fettucine Alfredo Day.

When I think of fettucine alfredo the first thing that comes to mind is an order I once took while waiting tables. I waited tables in college -and for a long time afterwards- and worked in an Italian restaurant where fettucine alfredo shockingly wasn’t on the menu. The restaurant stood across the street from a by-the-hour motel you went to to either have sex and/or do drugs so naturally we hosted a very refined and dignified clientele. Especially on the weekends.