"Everything" Cookies

Every couple of months, A & I hit up Nuts to You, a wholesale chain with stores scattered around the city.  We stock up on various kinds of nuts, seeds, dried fruit, and grains by the pound, some of which invariably disappear within a week or two.  With a well-stocked pantry, I got a mid-week urge to make cookies.  I initially wanted to make a rendition of our favorite "Hao's Chocolate Chip Cookies" but I ended up changing it a little too much.  Even though they're totally different, they turned out great!

Ingredients
1/2 c. butter (1 stick)
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 tsp salt
2 eggs (I used flax eggs)
1.5 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cardamom
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup pecans
1/2 cup dried cherries

As the title suggests, these cookies seems to have everything in them.  "Coconut Pecan Oatmeal Cherry Cookies" is sort of a mouthful.

 I melted the butter in a mug in the microwave, then mixed it with the sugar, salt, vanilla, and "eggs."

Flax eggs making another appearance.

In another bowl I stirred together the flour, soda, and spices.

I added in the oatmeal and coconut here as well- optional ingredients that could be replaced with a bit more flour.  The Trader Joe's oats are coarser than typical "quick" oats, which I was excited about- I like my cookies chewy.

Typically I mix the dry ingredients into the wet, but I wasn't thinking when I chose my bowls, so they went in the opposite way.  It made it a little harder to incorporate, which may have changed the texture of my dough.  After everything was mixed together, I added in the good stuff: pecans and cherries.  Chocolate chips, other dried fruits or nuts would also work just fine.

I refrigerated the dough for 20 minutes while my oven preheated to 350F.  Again, I was trying to mimic our original cookie recipe, but at this point the ratios were so off that I'm not sure the refrigeration made a difference.  I did keep the tradition of making enormous cookies- golf ball sized rounds of dough, eight at a time into the oven.

The bake time on these was excruciatingly long- about 18 minutes.  The dough didn't seem wet in the bowl but the cookies just looked so gooey I knew I couldn't take them out early.  They also spread out considerably, and as soon as I deemed them to be cooked through, they fell pretty flat.  So sad.

However, all was not lost.  Even though these were in no way the thick and crumbless cookies of my dreams, they were caramelized on the bottom, quite chewy, and full of good flavor.

A compared the texture to the cookies served at the chain bakery Au Bon Pain, thin but not crispy.  The edges had a bit of a crunch, and each mouthful contained a little bit of sweet dried cherry or piece of pecan, while the cardamom and nutmeg provided a spicy flavor throughout.  Very autumn-y!  Glad I could use up some of the stocked goodies too, now maybe I can ignore them and make them last a bit longer...

Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse

Recap: I'm getting married. We want to eat barbecue on our wedding day. We're looking for a caterer!  Review of the first option we tried can be found here.

Our second barbecue-based outing sent us to a restaurant that has been highly recommended by many people-- Sweet Lucy's.  The trip once again required a car, this time just a ways up I-95 to the northeast part of the city.  Sweet Lucy's (named after a cute black puppy) is located just off the highway, in a fairly quiet, industrial part of town.  The bright lights and country atmosphere seemed a little out of place, but it walking in was like entering a time/travel warp to the South.

Exterior.

Barn decor inside.

Monday nights find diners feasting on an all-you-can-eat buffet- and for only $19.95 it's absolutely the way to go, especially if you want to try all of the items.  The setup is fairly simple: enter, pay at the counter, get a camo wristband (amazing), find yourself a table, go to town on the food.  Everything is steaming hot and frequently replenished, leaving no qualms about freshness.  On my first go at the buffet, I tried to get a small sample (1-2 bites) of a variety of sides, as well as a few bites of some of our meat options.

Clockwise from cornbread: pulled pork, collards, cabbage, spare rib/brisket/rotisserie chicken,
sweet potatoes/cheesy spinach/coleslaw

Let's start with the meat.  Throughout the course of the night, I sampled pulled pork, pulled chicken, rotisserie chicken (thigh), beef brisket, baby back ribs, smoked salmon, and a bite of smoked turkey.  No wonder I was still full when I went to bed.  Regardless, the quality and flavor of every meat was more than I could have asked for.  The sweet, smoky hickory flavor was present but not overwhelming, instead letting the cuts of meat speak for themselves.  The brisket was my absolute favorite- with almost a pot roast falling apart texture, I had to go back for seconds (yes, on top of all that other meat!).

The smoked salmon was also a surprise hit- tender and moist.  The rotisserie chicken was perfectly done- skin smoked to a crackling crisp, with the underlying meat coated in its liquified fat.  A little greasy, but incredibly flavorful- which also describes the baby back ribs.  The meat easily fell off the bone on the first bite, and its smoky essence required no additional sauce.  While this meal might be a vegetarian's nightmare, it's pretty much a meat-lover's dream.

Ribs, brisket, salmon, and smoked turkey.

Moving onto the sides: Sweet Lucy's had at least ten for us to sample.  I'm a sucker for the classics: give me baked beans, coleslaw, collard greens and I'm a happy camper.  However, I'm all for experimenting with some other options, and none of the offerings did me wrong.  On my first go round, I grabbed a bit of baked beans, collard greens, braised cabbage, macaroni and cheese, caesar salad (with cornbread croutons!), coleslaw, mashed sweet potatoes, and cheesy spinach.

Sides on the buffet.  Complete with Halloween and more barn decor.

The baked beans make a good segway from meat to sides, since the little scoop I got actually was primarily meat- shredded pork drenched in the sweet, smoky sauce surrounding the beans.  The addition of generous pieces of meat is a sure-fire way to make good baked beans, but even without it, I'm positive these would still be good.  The collard greens (also made with a bit of meat for extra flavor) were slightly spicy, with the greens retaining a good bite- they went on my "must have" list immediately.

Beans, collards, cucumber salad, mac n' cheese.  Sweet potatoes on the left.

The mashed sweet potatoes were also put on my hypothetical wedding menu- smooth, creamy, with just that hint of natural sweetness that gives them their name.  The macaroni and cheese- while perhaps not my favorite rendition- was solid enough to round out our top choices (I mean, what's barbecue without macaroni and cheese?).  The garlic mashed potatoes were one of my fiance's favorites- whipped with bits of red skin keeping textural interest.  However, mashed potatoes aren't a classic Southern barbecue side- so as good as they were, they're simply not kosher.

Some of the other nontraditional options surprised me, though.  The caesar salad was a sleeper hit- I think the cool crunch of the lettuce really offset the warm saltiness of all that meat.  The cornbread croutons added in that spike of the South- I may never be able to enjoy regular Caesar salad again.  The cheesy spinach was another one I loved, although J disagreed- she thought the smooth mixture of dark greens and melted Cheddar cheese sauce was too salty.  Out of an evening of amazing food, I guess we can nitpick about something.

Chili station complete with amazing cornbread croutons.

You're probably tired of hearing how amazing everything was, but I'm not quite done.  Because I must focus on the homemade cornbread for just a moment.  The buffet held a basket of large, square pieces, stacked upon one another to retain some of the heat from the oven.  The bread was a bit crumbly, but the crumbs stuck together, making it easy to get every last one.  Just a little sweet, it was so good that seconds were necessary.

The buffet price also included a drink and dessert.  J took the correct route, mixing 2/3rds of a cup of unsweet iced tea with 1/3 sweetened tea.  The mixture was still quite sweet, meaning they did their job well.  A big glass of good sweet iced tea is the quickest way to get home, if just for a moment.

After that gut-busting meal, dessert seemed like a bad idea, but after taking a break to talk though our options with the head of catering, we hit up the dessert bar to look at the options.  Chocolate chip bread pudding looked intriguing but the cinnamon apple crisp called my name a little louder.  A little scoop (picking out extra crumb topping) paired with a side of vanilla ice cream was an unnecessary but completely appreciated end to the meal.  A large basket of assorted cookies and brownies was also available, but after a quick survey, I decided that most of them looked unappealing next to the steaming apple crisp.  A last minute pick of a small chocolate chip cookie managed to occur though, and I'm glad it did, as the cookie tasted like it came directly from my mom's oven.

As we rolled out of the restaurant, I reiterated a request to move to Northeast Philly- this is the kind of down-home Southern cooking I would like to eat on a regular basis (although frequent all-you-can-eat meals might not be the best idea for my health).  We're still waiting on more information from the catering side of things, but at this point I would be more than happy to have Sweet Lucy's on our special day.

Sweet Lucy's Smokehouse
7500 State Road

Day By Day

A good brunch never fails to hit the spot- we've waxed poetic about this late morning meal more than once.  After a few days in Florida being slaves bridesmaids in our older sister's wedding, we needed to spend the day catching up on errands and putting in a few hours at work. We decided to treat ourselves to a meal out to start the day.  There is a little weekend brunch spot that I occasionally pass on my way to Trader Joe's, but I had never really heard anything about it.  The name "Day By Day" doesn't do much for me either, but its convenient location between home and work made it a good option for the occasion.

We walked in a few minutes after they opened at 10 AM, and it was already almost full of diners- a good sign right off the bat.  While we were waiting to be seated, I scanned the baked goods menu- each section of the menu is posted at least once on chalkboard menus scattered throughout the space.  In order to cram as many patrons in at once, we were seated awkwardly close to another duo... practically at the same table.  Oh well, I hear communal dining is the new thing.

DBD serves La Colombe coffee, but I had about eight cups more coffee this weekend than I typically do, so I opted to start with a pick-me-up of the sugar variety.  We chose to try the pumpkin bites (2 for $1).  The mini-muffin/donut hole hybrid had a subtle pumpkin flavor that gave way to more of a cinnamon and nutmeg spiciness.  A generous coating of cinnamon sugar added sweetness to balance the spice, as well as giving the moist and fluffy cake a crunchy exterior.

The menu has all the brunch staples- from pancakes to poached eggs to Huevos Rancheros- as well as a specials menu that I assume changes from time to time.  A ordered from the "regular" menu- the potato pancakes benedict ($12.50).  DBD keeps it simple- no heaping sides of hash browns or toast come with each dish, just a few pieces of fruit.  Two flat palm-sized potato pancakes were made with shredded potatoes cooked to a crisp.  I really enjoyed the crunchiness of the pancake, as the toppings are on the soft side.  Poached eggs released their golden yolks over a bed of smoked salmon.  The ultra savory yolks were well complemented by the salty salmon.  A very thin Hollandaise sauce was undetectable, which was actually a nice change- no overpowering flood of butter.

Since A's dish was savory, I was "forced" to order something sweet.  This was a no-brainer for me- the special french toast of the day- caramel apple stuffed french toast ($10).  Four super thick slices of challah sandwiched a gooey cream cheese, cinnamon, dried apple, and walnut filling.  Fried in an egg batter and served hot with a glazed apple topping, this was the definition of indulgence.  I've tried my hand at stuffed french toast, but DBD definitely out did me here, especially with the pool of caramel butter sauce at the bottom.  You had me at gooey cream cheese.

Although the food wasn't anything new or particularly exciting, I think that they seem to excel at making very solid versions of all the brunch classics- and I'm not really looking for anything more.  Judging by the steady stream of customers, Day By Day already has a large group of loyal regulars.  You can call ahead to save a spot if you're planning a mid-brunch-rush visit.  They also serve lunch during the week, and run a catering business.  I need to stop in again soon, if only for some baked goods!

Day By Day

21st and Sansom

Zachary's BBQ

After a couple of months of enjoying the post-engagement bliss, I've jumped feet first into wedding planning.  We're trying to keep it a casual affair, but obviously good food is pretty important to me!  We thought barbecue would be a good option- nothing fancy, just some good Southern down home eats.  In order to keep things as tasty as possible, we're in the midst of researching as many barbecue-based catering companies in the area as we can.  First on our list: Zachary's BBQ.  Unlike many caterers, Zachary's also has a restaurant of the same name- perfect for taste testing.  The restaurant is actually quite a few miles out in the burbs, in a quiet area of Norristown, slightly awkwardly adjacent to a gas station.

View from the street  Source

The place was pretty quiet on a weekend afternoon, so the man behind the counter had all the time in the world to chat us up.  He gave us a full "tour" of the food options available-- free samples of most items are offered to help you make your decision.  We each chose a meat platter, which comes with two sides and the option of a roll (to make a sandwich) or cornbread.

I chose the beef brisket, which is thinly sliced and coated in their signature barbecue sauce ($9.95 for the platter).  The beef was soft and flavorful- with a blackened edge and inner pink rim that are the sure signs of authentic hickory smoked meat.  A touch of fat along the middle added to the flavor without being too greasy.  The sauce gave it an extra spicy, salty zing- not really necessary, but a good addition nonetheless.

J chose the pulled pork platter ($8.95), which is always our favorite barbecue option.  The pulled pork came in a funny jumbled pile-- perhaps I'm used to it on a bun.  The crispy edges and the soft inner strands of meat were done just right- I can't say enough about the quality of the barbecue here.  Zachary's does their pulled pork (and chicken) Carolina-style, with a good dose of a vinegar-based sauce.  We usually wouldn't choose this style, but here it worked perfectly- just a hint of vinegar let the hickory smoke flavor shine through.

I picked an assortment of sides- there are at least a dozen options, but I tried to stick with the classics, since they will most likely be what we will order for our wedding day.  The maple mashed yams (top picture) were one of the only disappointments of the day- overly sweet with an artificial maple flavor. If there is one thing I'm a real food snob about, it's real maple syrup.  The cole slaw (above) was simple, sticking to the classic combination of shredded cabbage and carrots in a thin, mayonnaise based sauce.  I don't love super-thick-mayo coleslaw, so this hit the spot- cool and refreshing.

The collard greens were my absolute favorite side we tried.  Collard greens tend to be either too plain or too salty, but these found a happy medium.  The bite sized pieces were boiled until soft, but not wilted, and the addition of smoked turkey countered the earthy flavor of the greens.  I find it weird to be waxing so poetic about collard greens, but these things were great.  The BBQ baked beans- one of my favorite traditional BBQ sides- were done with a Caribbean twist (the head chef and owner, Keith Taylor- not sure who Zachary is- is of Caribbean descent).  Bits of canned pineapple added textural contrast to the beans, but also provided a saccharin sweetness that I didn't love.  To each their own- props for lending your own touch to a dish, but I personally prefer a more classic flavor.

Even though we probably won't serve ribs at our wedding (what do you think-- too messy?), my fiance chose to order the pork ribs as his meat of choice- and I don't blame him.  They looked delicious!  A half rack (5-6 large ribs) runs you $16.95 for the platter, but is worth every penny.  Dry-rubbed before a long, slow roast, the ribs were also coated with the signature sauce (I really should have bought some of the stuff to go!).

We also tackled an additional two sides, the macaroni & cheese and Hoppin' John.  Mac n' cheese is a necessity for Southern barbecue, and this one was spot-on.  Creamy, cheesy, chewy noodles without a dry spot to be seen.  I'm skeptical about the claim of FOUR different types of cheese, but whatever they're using, please keep on using it.  The Hoppin' John is a bit untraditional for a barbecue, but is classic Southern... plus, I have a secret obsession with black eyed peas.  The little beans are mixed with rice, chopped onion and bell pepper, bacon, a touch of vinegar and a variety of spices.  Super flavorful and very hearty, I could easily eat this as a main course.

Our final food to tackle was the cornbread, a true test of Southern baking.  Each chunk of bread was individually wrapped in wax paper and served warm.  The texture was a good mix between crumbly and cake-like, but a bit lacking in the corn flavor.  Little bits of red and green pepper studded each bite, adding a tiny dose of heat.  The bread was fairly sweet- again, I'm a bit more traditional and prefer a more savory cornbread, but I DID manage to eat my entire slice (plus, cornbread at all is hard to come by in Philly).

Overall, we left very satisfied with the meal- delicious, quality meats and a large variety of solid sides.  I would be more than happy to eat this on my wedding day.  I'm still not completely sold on the catering side of things, but I definitely recommend Zachary's as a good spot for barbecue- perhaps the best I've had in the Philly area.  While it is forty minutes from the city, if you're craving true Southern cooking, it's worth the drive.

Zachary's BBQ
1709 Markley Street
Norristown, PA

Curried Red Kuri Soup

It's officially the Season of Soup.  There's really nothing like a piping hot bowl of hearty soup on a cold, wet day.  Refreshing salads have their place through the steamy summer, but as soon as it turns fall... helllooo soup.  To kick off the season, I made a simple mid-week soup that had an extra warming quality- curry!

Of course, our recipes are still being dictated by CSA items (sadly for only two more weeks), and this week, we got something a little different- a red kuri squash.  This winter squash is similar to a small, ridgeless pumpkin, but with a slightly darker color and a sort of bumpy surface.

While she was menu planning for the week, A found this recipe, gave me a "loose interpretation" of it, and basically let me make it up as I went along.  This doesn't always work out well, so I made a mental ingredients list and made sure to get everything ready before I started- nothing like getting halfway through a recipe and seeing you have 45 seconds to get two onions chopped and three potatoes peeled.  The squash was pretty easy to handle- a quick peel, cut in half, seeds scooped out, and chopped into bite size pieces.  The hollow part is quite large, and completely packed with seeds- almost no pulp (a great squash for making baked "pumpkin" seeds!)

I also diced two small white onions, a cup of carrots, two large garlic cloves, and a small piece of fresh ginger.

Once I had all of my ingredients ready to go, I fired up the stove, heating a couple tablespoons of sesame oil in a cast-iron pot.  I sauteed the ginger and garlic- the "aromatics"- for about a minute before adding in the onion and carrots.  A & I have found that this initial base of flavor- sesame, ginger, and garlic- makes a great start for any spicy, savory dish, especially if you're trying to build an Asian flavor profile.

As the onion and carrot cooked down without needing too much attention, I organized the remaining ingredients of the soup.  The initial recipe called for the following:

1 ½ tablespoons of Thai green curry paste
2 tablespoons Indian curry powder
1 can of coconut milk
5 cups of chicken broth
2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce


We're pretty much pros at improvising when a recipe calls for a long list of ingredients- we mostly make due with what we already have one hand instead of purchasing all new items.  My ingredients list included the following:


1 1/2 T Thai red curry paste
1 1/2 T curry powder (the last bit we had!)
1 can coconut milk
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup water
2 T oyster sauce

I added the curry paste and curry powder in with the cooked veggies and let them absorb a bit of the flavor.  The concept of combining different types of curry was rather novel- the original recipe calls this pairing "complex and delicious," so I was willing to give it a shot.

After a couple of minutes, I added in the remaining ingredients.  I felt that the five cups of liquid that the original recipe called for was rather extreme- two did the trick for me.  The last thing in the pot was the squash.  I gave everything a good mix, popped the lid on, and let it do it's thing.

I've always felt that soups take hours to build flavor, but this combination of spices made for an almost instant depth of hearty spiciness.  It only needs enough time to cook the squash through, which is dependent on how small you cut your pieces.  I gave mine about twenty minutes at a low boil.  To finish the soup, I added 2 T of brown sugar, a can of chickpeas, and a teaspoon of salt- this enhanced the sweet and saltiness of the oyster sauce, as well as bulking up the soup and adding a bit of protein.

I garnished with a bit of chopped cilantro and a drizzle of Sriracha- two ingredients whose quantities are highly dependent on the individual palate.  A little of each does the trick for me. 

Let me just say, red curry paste is my new best friend.  They should just call it "magical paste"- I really think it was the key ingredient in this soup.  However, I loved that the recipe was versatile- I certainly didn't follow it to a T, but it still came out great, with a real sinus soul warming quality.  While I loved the super smooth texture and slightly nutty flavor of the red kuri, it could be easily replaced by a small butternut squash.  The original recipe included chicken, but I think a little bit of lamb may fare well in this soup.  The quantity of broth could be decreased to make more of a stew to be served over rice or naan... OK, I'll stop.  The options are pretty much endless.  Like I said, we're all about improvisation!