Angry Brownies

So there are certain times in a woman's life when she absolutely, unmistakably, inescapably needs to bake something.  Baking is the art of following directions, using technique, and knowing that the end product will be the direct result of all of your hard work.  How many times in life do you get to see the direct result of your actions?  How many times can you visualize, act, and get the result you want?  This is why baking can be so monumentally satisfying.  So, break out the brownie mix, in my case, and start the magic.

This just happens to be the brownie mix I had lying around.  I go for the most chocolate possible.  Preheat oven to 350.  Open mix, pour into bowl.

I'm starting to feel better already.  Whew!  Now, for this mix I needed 1/2 cup of oil and 1/4 cup of water.

 Add two eggs

 

Now comes my favorite part.  Obviously the amount of chocolate and flavor in any generic brownie mix doesn't even come close to what I want.  So, from the self proclaimed food snob, here are my additions!

2 Tablespoons of espresso

 

Then just mix until the batter is incorporated, no more dry stuff.

This is about three quarters of the way through.  Once its incorporated choose the pan you want to cook it in.  I chose a 8x8 inch pan.  In the center of the pan I poured about 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil onto the bottom.

 

Take a paper towel and move the oil around the bottom and the sides of the pan.  This will prevent the batter from sticking to the pan while it cooks!

 

Pour the delicious, chocolaty batter in!

 

I hope that you can understand just how excited I am getting at this point.  The chocolate awesome is on its way.  Then in an act of pure hedonistic pleasure, add semi-sweet chocolate chips to your hearts desire all over the top of the batter.

Put her in the oven and sorry but you have to wait for 30 minutes.  Do something.  Pace.  Or my favorite, watch some trash tv.  Bravo is great for trash tv.  I can't get enough of the nonsense.  Soon enough, not only will you be watching trash tv, but you will be eating espresso chocolate chocolate brownies as you watch the garbage on the screen.  So how can you tell its done?  Well, the timer is a good bet, but let's say you're watching the brownies and you are noticing that the top is starting to look a little dry and the timer hasn't gone off.  Well, check them!  Take them out and put a toothpick into the center of the brownies, in my case I had matches.

 

Remove the stick and if it comes out dry, no wet batter comes out, then the brownies are done!

So they're done, now you need to let them cool.  Trust me.  Aside from not burning your mouth you will appreciate the brownies so much more.  If you're like me, then you want the brownie that is in the middle of the pan.  So, when they are cool, they are more easily accessible.

So now they are cool.  Go for gold.  Go for the middle, you're an adult, its okay.  

Eat your heart out, because you can.  And now you can relax.

Let's Start Reviewing Resaurants! Apsara Palace

Now this is what I'm talking about!  Of all the restaurants in Rhode Island, how does one choose THE one, for the first review?  Well, let's put this into perspective.  Its the beginning of March.  The winter chill hasn't completely worn off, there are a few nice days interspersed with just gross wintery days.  So, take a nice day, around 40 degrees and sunny that is, add in some good company, my boyfriend, and choose an area where you can walk around and have a good handful of restaurants to choose from that won't break the bank.  The answer is, Hope Street in Providence.  Restaurants to choose from include Pizzico, Blaze, Ivy Tavern, Wings over Providence, Apsara Palace, Chez Pascal, a couple of standard Chinese and pizza places.  Now, some of these restaurants will break the bank, or should I say, they should be reserved for special occasions.  The place we chose, Apsara Palace.

Why Apsara?  Well, I just wanted appetizers.  Appetizers that were fairly priced so that I could get a few.  This is not the first time that I've been to Apsara but it is the first time that I just wanted appetizers.  I also chose this place because it has a good mix of American chinese food (i.e. General Tso's Chicken, Crab Rangoons and Egg Rolls) and some harder to find slightly more authentic and diverse items (i.e. Nim Chow, Mee Kraw, etc.)

Onto the food!  I ordered the Nim Chow and Mee Kraw while my boyfriend ordered the Spicy Chicken Wings.  In the meantime I had a chance to look around and see what the place had to offer.  On the table was a wonderful assortment of asian condiments:

There was also complimentary tea, which I think may have some digestive qualities.  After a short period of time our appetizers were brought out.  First the Mee Kraw, which was much larger than I anticipated, a great dish to share.  Its the one pictured in the foreground.

Mee Kraw is rice noodles covered in peanut sauce atop a bed of bean sprouts.  On the side are slightly pickled vegetables.  My boyfriend made a great note, he said the vegetables were like a cole slaw without the mayo!  Perfect example!  There is also a sliced hard-boiled egg on the plate.  I have to say that I didn't eat the egg, I didn't see the point of it.  This is a good dish if you have a peanut craving!  I do have to say that it was difficult to eat however because the rice noodles really stuck together.  But overall the Mee Kraw was pretty good.

Let's talk about the Spicy Chicken Wings:

Hopefully this photo illustrates just how meaty and perfectly cooked these chicken wings are.  There were about 8 to 10 in the order and I really enjoyed them.  They were not soggy at all, in fact they were quite crispy even though they had a coating of thick sauce on top of them.  The sauce was not super hot, I liked that, my boyfriend didn't.  They had a sweet and spicy taste to them and as you ate more of them the hotter your mouth became.  These are definitely some of the best chicken wings that I've ever had.  Different to be sure, but delicious nontheless.

Now the Nim Chow:

I have a lot to say about this appetizer.  Nothing but good things mind you.  Let's start with the rice wrapper, wonderful texture, not too thick and not too thin.  The green inside the wrap is actually thai basil.  It is very fragrant with a hint of lemon.  There are also rice noodles, which were cooked perfectly, bean sprouts and shrimp (you can actually see one of the shrimps in the picture).  Now I have had Nim Chow at other restaurants, namely Seven Moons in North Kingston, and the one at Apsara is better.  The shrimp are bigger and the thai basil is more fragrant.  However the peanut sauce at both I would say are equal.  I was completely satisfied after eating all of this.

Best of all the entire meal was completely dairy free, yippee!!!  The price tag did not break the bank, it came in around $16.00.

What I like about Apsara is that you can eat at really any price range here.  The above appetizers were reasonably priced and the entrees also have a reasonable range.  I will come here again.  Definitely.  I will have a quick bite before and event, a relaxing meal with friends and family, and yes, even a date night out with my man.  I hope you will also give this place a try and tell me your experiences.

Until next time.................

A Beginning

I am a self proclaimed food snob.  I suppose its my mothers fault for being such a damn good cook.  Then I will have to blame the endless hours in front of the television as a teenager watching basically only Food Network, and Discovery Channel, of course.  The Discovery Channel used to have a show called "Epicurious".  This show existed before the Food Network was the Food Network.  It showcased very high-end chefs in seemingly unattainable restaurants serving seemingly unattainable food.  So I drooled.  I drooled and drooled and drooled.  Then I started to emulate the chefs cooking styles.  I remember making my first apple tart.  I caramelized the sugar and everything.  I felt like a chef.  

Before I go on, let me make it clear that I am not a chef.  I am a cook.  I love food....no, I adore food.  We never had much growing up, but we always had food, really amazing food come to think of it.  

Fast forward to now.  I might be lactose intolerant.  Bummer.  But that does not mean that I cannot eat delicious, mouth-watering, change your pants kind of food.  I'm not saying that I can make that food on a consistent basis, or that I eat food like that on a consistent basis when I go out to eat.  I am saying that one of my goals in life is to find food like that on a consistent basis.  Whether I cook it myself, pay for it at a restaurant, eat my mothers food or one of my friends' mothers food who just happens to know her mothers recipe for the best baked ziti you've ever had in your life (and no I don't know that recipe...*#^$%#%@), I am always on the search and when I find it, let me tell you, it is pure bliss.  I have yet to eat food that makes me want to cry, but when I do, you will know.  Everyone will know.

Until then, I will share all things food that I love.  Starting with this.

Penne with Prosciutto, Spinach, and Pine Nuts

This dish is completely dairy-free, but very tasty.  Let me know how it turns out for you!

1/2 pound penne

1 thick slice prosciutto, chopped into about 1/4 inch pieces (should add up to about 1/4 cup)

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lb cooked chopped spinach

1/2 lemon

3/4 cup dry white wine

2 T butter

Pine nuts to taste (2 T or so)

Boil the water, add oil and salt, cook pasta, drain, set aside.

We have used cast iron skillets my entire life, so until further notice, all is cooked in cast iron.  So in the cast iron skillet, add prosciutto and let the fat render out.  Once that has happened, add the cooked spinach, the garlic, and the butter.  Once the garlic has cooked, not browned, add the wine.  Let it cook for a few minutes until the alcohol has cooked out, then add some lemon to taste.  Add the pasta to the spinach/ prosciutto concoction.  

In a separate pan, preferrably something non-stick, and add the pine nuts.  Cook on low heat, and constantly move the pine nuts around so they don't burn.  Once they are nicely toasted set aside.  

Dish out the pasta then sprinkle some pine nuts on top.  Voila!  Bon apetit!

Stay tuned for more, and I hope you enjoy!