Moroccan Restaurant to Open in Schenectady
I’m excited about this, and I know customers of the Troy Farmers Market and Schenectady Greenmarket will be as well – Tara Kitchen (purveyors of Moroccan cuisine at both markets) will be launching their own restaurant in Schenectady, scheduled to open on Tuesday, January 31.
The restaurant – Tara Kitchen, natch – will be located at 431 Liberty Street in Schenectady, just a stone’s throw from City Hall and the Post Office. Their website is listed as “coming soon”, so I don’t have any details on the menu. All I’m saying is that their incredible chicken harira better be on there (I’m sure it will – it’s gained kind of a cult following at the markets and the recipe made it into Metroland’s 2011 Holiday Entertaining issue).
I’m not very familiar with Moroccan cuisine, other than an occasional tagine and some couscous, so I’m looking forward to a new experience. And, it doesn’t hurt that it’s only a few blocks from my office.
Another thing to look forward to: owner Aneesa Waheed has promised a podcast interview with me in the near future, after opening week.
(for fans of their store on State Street, they have closed it in order to focus their efforts on the new restaurant and the farmers markets.)
Bread Challenge, Week 4: Pain des Herbes de Provence
This recipe actually started out as simple Rosemary Bread, but a search through my spice rack and pantry resulted in no rosemary. Fortuitously, my in-laws recently traveled to France, and brought me back a bag of Herbes de Provence. Since it seemed to contain rosemary (with some other herbs, lavender perhaps? Thyme? Savory? It was impossible to read the French chicken scratch on the herb vendor’s handmade label), I thought it would make a perfect substitution in this aromatic bread recipe.
Herbes de Provence can actually be a blend of many herbs: savory, fennel, thyme, basil, rosemary, lavender – or really just whatever is on hand (if you’re Provençal). The spice industry doesn’t even have a standardized blend:
- McCormick’s helpfully lists its blend’s ingredients as “SPICES (INCLUDING ROSEMARY, MARJORAM, THYME, AND SAVORY)”.
- Penzey’s blend is rosemary, cracked fennel, thyme, savory, basil, tarragon, dill weed, Turkish oregano, lavender, chervil and marjoram.
And I have no clue what was in the bag my father-in-law bought me. Frankly, I’m surprised he was able to make it past security with it – it was a zip-top bag with a bunch of dried green herbs and a scribbled note in French stapled to the top. French security must be très laxiste.
At any rate, this is a nice little recipe – a perfect bread for just snacking out of hand, and would probably be fantastic lightly toasted and served as canapé bread. I hope you enjoy it!
As always, my comments and adjustments are in blue. Recipe and photos after the jump. Read more…
Last Chance to take the Wendalicious Wine Survey!
Only a few days left to take the Wendalicious Wine Survey! If you haven’t taken the survey, help a girl out!
It’ll only take a few minutes of your time, it’s fun, and your answers will help me put together some fun new features on the blog this spring. Click the orange button below to get started. Pretty please?
Bread Challenge, Week 3: Banana-Chocolate-Walnut Bread
Frankly, I’m surprised it took me three whole weeks to make bread that contains chocolate.
Since my challenge did not specify what *kinds* of breads I’d be making – this was deliberate – I felt I was free to dabble in quick breads almost right away. I’m partial to banana bread especially, for personal reasons. And finding one that includes walnuts and chocolate, too – well, you had me at hello.
This is a pretty easy recipe, and yields great results. As always, my comments and adjustments are in blue. Recipe and photos after the jump. Read more…
The Chicago 7 dog from DC-3
If you’ll remember, BFF Sarah and I visited Capitol Hill hotdogggery DC-3 during my November visit to Our Nation’s Capital. And I liked it so much I went back by myself two days later. Anyway, I just saw that the Food Network show “Heat Seekers” (don’t know it, but whatever) recently stopped by DC-3 to shoot some footage for an upcoming episode.
According to the Huffington Post,
The show, which features mouth-scorching cuisine, was lured by two spicy items: The Q’s Seoul bulgogi and kimchi dog, topped with marinated rib-eye bulgogi, pickled kimchi and hot Sriracha sauce; and the Three-Alarm Cruncher, a take on D.C.’s famous half-smoke wrapped in bacon, split and filled with jalapenos and covered in spicy chili.
Anyway, I thought Sarah might find this interesting, since she lives only a few blocks from the place (and because she’s a fan of the half-smoke). I guess we should be glad we got in there, because it’s going to be a madhouse once that ep airs. Get your dogs now!
News Roundup: Girl Scouts, Goop, and more!
A few items that caught my eye:
- Red Wine May Reduce Risk of Breast Cancer: A new Cedars-Sinai study shows that drinking moderate amounts of red wine may lower the risk of breast cancer. Please define “moderate amounts”. I want to make sure I’m getting enough.
- Newsworthy for those of us in NY’s Capital Region: Mazzone Hospitality has launched its “Angelo’s Preferred” rewards program, which gives customers reward dollars based on purchases. You earn 1 point for every dollar spent at participating locations and every time you reach 500 points you get a $25 gift card automatically added to your Rewards Card (plus, you get a $10 Reward just for registering for the card). Additional benefits include rewards on your birthdays and anniversaries (my birthday is coming up soon – February 3 – in case you’re thinking of getting me a little something), and some other perks. You can accumulate points at the following Mazzone properties: Angelo’s 677 Prime, Angelo’s Tavolo (Scotia), The Inn at Glen Sanders Mansion, Patron’s Club at the Hall of Springs, Aperitivo Bistro (Schenectady), Prime at Saratoga National, and the New Prime Bar & Grill in Clifton Park. Go get your card: www.angelospreferred.com.
- If you like Starbucks (which I do – I really really do), then you should head over to your local shop this weekend for a free tasting of their new roasts, and cast your vote for the one you love most. Starbucks even promises a thank you gift. The tastings will be going on in the US this Thursday-Saturday (Jan 12-14). Canadians have to wait til February 9-11 for their tasting. Ha ha, Canucks. That’ll teach you not to live where it’s so damn cold that it takes a whole extra month to get there.
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thaaat's right...bring it right over here....
Take a look around the office – someone there is bound to be carrying around that blasted Girl Scout Cookie order form. Yes, it’s Girl Scout Cookie Time and I’ve succumbed to the crushing pressure of extra calories to help my friend’s daughter earn a badge (you’re welcome, Joe). And coincidentally, Bob also ordered two boxes from his friend’s daughter. So now we’ve got SIX FREAKING BOXES OF COOKIES coming to our house. I’m really only half-complaining: one of those boxes will contain my beloved Samoas. Yeah, baby. Also arriving with our order: this year’s new cookie, the Savannah Smiles. Savannah Smiles are wedge-shaped lemon cookies, dusted with powdered sugar. They’re named after the place where Girl Scouting began, in honor of the Girl Scouts’ 100th Anniversary. DAMN YOU GIRL SCOUT GOODNESS. Don’t you know I went on a(nother) diet this year???
- Speaking of diets, are you feeling a bit filthy on the inside? Do you feel the need…the need to cleanse? Well, our pal Gwyneth Paltrow is offering readers of goop, her ridiculously awful “lifestyle website”, the opportunity to shell out $425 for the goop cleanse. The cleanse consists of…oh, who the f*** cares. Gwyneth Paltrow, you skinny bitch, you can kiss my ass. I’ve got an idea – how about a 99¢ Beefy 5-Layer Burrito from Taco Bell? Same results, 0.23% of the cost.
Well, I’m so disgusted by the thought of Gwynnie’s cleanse that I need to end this here.
Bread Challenge, Week 2: Whole Wheat Pita
This is a recipe that I originally printed out in 2009, and just finally got around to making. The printout has been banging around my kitchen for more than two years, and has become stained with food and other debris in the shuffle. I don’t have any idea what kept me from making it, but I’m glad the paper blew into my line of vision.
I am a huge fan of whole wheat pita – I love making my own pita chips, and I also love just eating plain old wedges with hummus, olives and feta cheese (my all-time favorite lunch combination) . I suppose you could use them for sandwiches, but I can never seem to keep from punching holes in them while stuffing them. Which of course renders them useless as food vessels. So, I’m content to eat them dipped and unstuffed.
This recipe came from Cooking Light magazine (best food mag out there, with Cook’s Illustrated coming in a close second), March 2009 issue (so, yikes, I’ve had that recipe for almost THREE years! Now, I’m REALLY surprised I didn’t lose it). The pitas came out fairly well. I do think it’s a recipe I’d have to try again a few time before getting the hang of it.
Recipe, results, and photos after the jump. As usual, my notes are in blue.
Penzey’s and Trader Joe’s Announce Albany locations; Capital Region Officially Declared “Happiest Place on Earth”
Yep. It’s happening!
Two days worth of joyous foodie news that has made me extremely happy:
- Penzey’s will open a location in Crossgates Mall, opening date March 2012. Love Penzey’s. I’m so excited, and not just because of all the money I’ll save on shipping costs! Steve Barnes from Tablehopping had the news yesterday.
- Trader Joe’s has FINALLY announced (after years of endless maddening speculation and grass-roots campaigning) that they’ll be opening a location on Wolf Road in Albany. The Business Review broke the story this afternoon (Friday).
Well, good thing I just paid off my car. I’m gonna need a lot of spending money.
If you’re interested in reading the press release, it’s after the jump. Read more…
The Wendalicious Wine Survey
I’m exploring some new features for Wendalicious in 2012, and some of my ideas revolve around wine, one of my favorite things to consume. If you wouldn’t mind, I’d love your answers to a few questions about wine, which will help guide some of my writing and other projects for this year. And, if you could share the poll with your friends and family – post a link on Facebook, maybe? – I’d greatly appreciate it.
After taking the survey, please feel free to share any thoughts and ideas for things you’d like to see on Wendalicious! Just click the button below to open the survey (survey pops up in a new window). Thanks! The list of questions is after the jump.
Bread Challenge, Week 1: Oatmeal Flax Molasses Bread
I didn’t waste any time with this project – January 1, 2012 was Oatmeal-Flax Molasses Bread day. I chose this bread for one main reason: I happen to have molasses. I buy one bottle every two years or so, and I hardly ever have any use for it. Why I keep buying it, I don’t know. But today I was glad I had.
I was poking around The Joy of Cooking (my favorite cookbook), and found a recipe for Oatmeal Molasses Bread, which I adapted. It wasn’t too difficult, and produced great results (with some tweaking that I’ll explain in blue). Recipe and photos after the jump.
