More Saving. More Eating.

Growing up in an apartment my entire life, I always relied on the super for home maintenance and repair.  As such, I have little patience for Home Depot, Lowes, or store of similar ilk.  My girlfriend on the other hand is the exact opposite, to the point where she worked at a Home Depot for years.  As you might infer, the suggestion of a Home Depot run can very easily escalate into an argument.  Fortunately for Sandy, the Home Depot on Northern has its very own Chris bait -- Rocco's Italian Sausages & Philly Cheese Steaks.  The name says is all, they do two things and they do them well.

Rocco's Italian Sausages & Philly Cheese Steaks
5010 Northern Blvd
Long Island City, NY 11101
Neighborhoods: Astoria, Woodside
(718) 204-0478

The quality is above average for a place of this profile, easily head & shoulders above most of the street fair/feast vendors. I'd opt for the cheese steak over the sausage, but that's just how I am. The cheese all but absorbs into the bread, blanketing the lean meat in a cocoon of shameful indulgence.

10/10 -- would eat

© 2012 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable - http://www.missioninsatiable.com

Ling-sanity!

The Chinese aren't internationally renowned for their prowess w/ sweets, but they certainly have the street-side mini cake racket on lock.  Mr. Ling is one of the many mini cake purveyors littering Canal street.  The fierce competition drives down prices, and you can often get 15 cakes for $1.  I'm not sure which outpost has the best cakes, but for $1 a pop, you can try a bunch on judge for yourself.

Ling's Mini Cakes
Canal & Mulberry

When fresh, the cakes are crispy and warm w/ an airy center.  They taste a lot like Nilla Wafers, and I imagine they are heaven with some ice cream.  Next time you are in Chinatown or Flushing, give these a go.

© 2012 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable - http://www.missioninsatiable.com

Griddle Vittles

All-Clad LTD Nonstick Griddle - All-Clad LTD

I received this griddle as a gift from my mother two years ago, and have put some serious miles on it since.  Use cases started w/ your typical griddle foods -- pancakes, eggs, french toast, etc..  I took to cooking eggs inside of greased ring molds, making perfect little Chris McMuffins...sorta.

As time went on, I discovered that this heavy-bodied skillet was well constructed enough to handle tasks you'd normally reserve for grilling --  that's All-clad for you.  This simple seared salmon & grilled zucchini dish is now a weekly staple.  It comes together in about 30 minutes and only requires the one griddle pan, making for an easy clean-up during the work week (not that I do the dishes anyhow).  

I toss the zucchini in olive oil, red wine vinegar, a bit of sugar, salt & pepper and grill on medium-
high for 4-8 minutes each side.  The salmon is prepared simply with olive oil and coarse salt.  I sear 4 minutes each side -- starting w/ the skin side down.

© 2012 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable - http://www.missioninsatiable.com

What's in a Name, Anyway?

Officially, it goes by the name Jerusalem Pita House, however, the awning of this Algerian-run Middle Eastern restaurant simply boasts -- PITA HOT.

I can't speak for their meat dishes, but I've been frequenting once a week for the last five years to get a fix of their Mediterranean platter.  Tabouli, fava beans, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, hummus and babaganoush served with lettuce, tomato, cucumber, olives, peppers and tahini w/ a pita on the side.  

The owner lives upstairs and sometimes works the counter, but more often than not, there's a tired young man working all stations.  Service is always prompt and friendly, but these guys work 15 hour days and sometimes it shows.  

They say everything is homemade, but I saw a large store-bought can of stuffed grape leaves the last time I was there.  I don't hold it against them though, the food's always on point regardless, and while there are a lot of great places to get Middle Eastern food in Astoria, I keep coming back to Pita Hot for more.

© 2012 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable - http://www.missioninsatiable.com

Sam's Club

Felines are notoriously stingy gift givers, so it took me by surprise when they chipped in on this cake for Sandy's birthday last week:

They purchased this marble sponge cake from Sam's Club for $20, and it was pretty damn good! The cake was moist and the frosting was dense and super-sweet -- but in a good way.  The half-sheet size is perfect for a party of 15-20.

The humans ate all the cake, much to the cats chagrin.  I tried explaining to them that they don't have taste buds, but they didn't want to hear it...

Sam & Persimmon

© 2012 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable - http://www.missioninsatiable.com

A Bed of Beans for Easter Leftovers

Black, white, red, or otherwise -- beans are King.  How could you not love these things?  They're cheap, healthy, easy to prepare and last forever.  Taking the time to soak and cook dry beans always yields the best results, but this ends up being a two day process.  IMO, the drop-off in flavor and texture of canned beans is not significant enough to deter use, especially during the work week.

A simple white bean ragu is the perfect accompaniment to any pork dish -- be it a chop, sausage or pulled shoulder. The addition of a little cured meat provides a great depth of flavor and fun textural divide.

White Bean Ragu

2 (15-oz) cans of white beans
1 small onion, chopped
1 carrot, medium dice
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 (6-oz) can tomato paste
1 zucchini, medium dice
1 link dry sausage, medium dice
1 cup chicken stock
1 spring thyme
salt, pepper, EVOO

1. sauté onion and carrot over medium high heat until tender, about 6 minutes.  add garlic, cook until fragrant.  add tomato paste and cook for an additional 5 minutes over medium heat.  
2. add zucchini, dried sausage, chicken stock and thyme.  bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.  cook over medium heat for 10 - 15 minutes.  
3. taste, season and serve as a bed to your favorite pork product.

© 2012 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable - http://www.missioninsatiable.com

They're Magically Delicious!

Sandy, our resident cupcake cutie, went all out and cooked off two batches of delicious St. Patrick's Day cupcakes:

• Vanilla cupcakes w/ toasted marshmallow frosting and Lucky Charms to the left.  
• Chocolate cupcakes w/ mint frosting and sour patch rainbows to the right.  

I can't wait to not remember eating these later!  Try not to get into too much trouble, people...


© 2012 c. c. villani @ "mission: insatiable - http://www.missioninsatiable.com