Ms. Bear’s Mini Guide to NYC Dining

Hello again for another installment of Ms. Bear’s Kitchen! Before I went to NYC last week, Melissa told me to take pictures of all my food and talk about the culinary experience one can have in NYC. Most of the time, I remembered to photograph my meals, except on the rare occasions that we were starving or that a fantastic looking dessert came…then I forgot all about taking a picture…LOL! So, here is a rundown on some of the restaurants and meals I had while on the Upper West Side of New York! There is a lesson to be learned from my culinary adventures, which I will share with you at the end!

The first day I got in, we went to Shake Shack, which is one of my favorite places! Their food is remarkable. Unfortunately, the calories are right on the menu, so there is that bit of a shock, which we got over quickly! We had cheeseburgers, fries and ice cream, washed down with Diet Coke! We were pretty full that night, so we had cheese, bread and salami from a little deli around the corner from my niece Mona’s. We also had a nice bottle of imported beer to wash it down!

The next day started with bagels and fruit in Central Park while walking Howie, Mona’s dog — he is so cute that he has been stopped and petted by Martha Stuart herself! For lunch, we went to Lenny’s, a nice NY deli, and had sandwiches and salads. Funny story….my salad was super expensive because I didn’t know they charged for each separate ingredient! They also charge for pop refills, just a good thing to know if you ever go there!

Mona made great steaks for dinner that night!

The third day, we went out to a restaurant called Boulud Sud. It was Restaurant Week, and there were lots of specials at the high-end restaurants. Imagine my surprise when my tuna appetizer was raw! We had a phenomenal dessert there too.

The last day we met my sister-in-law, Barb, and went to Sarabeth’s. We had a lovely lunch of soup, salad and dessert. Then we went to the famous Zabars deli and stocked up on black and white cookies — a NY tradition!

I learned a couple of lessons on my foodie trip. First, I am really a plain eater, nothing fancy for me! When we got to the tollway oasis on the way home, I had a slice of pizza and a salad and was very happy! Second, it wasn’t the food that made this trip so special, even though it was delicious — it was being with my family and sharing good times.

And, lastly, if you ever go to NYC, make sure you go to Shake Shack, Magnolia Bakery (cupcakes, cupcakes and more cupcakes!) and visit some of the great delis and street-side fruit stands that they have there. Most of all, enjoy the company you are with.
Until next time…..

Ms. Bear’s Kitchen: Red beans and rice cheesy burritos

This week’s Ms. Bear’s Kitchen coincided with our church’s night to cook for the homeless, so it worked out that I only had to think of one thing to make! I was telling Melissa that I need to branch out more and try some new recipes, but Melissa told me that part of this column should focus on not just the food, but the memories that go along with it. So, we started talking about our favorite trips and the food that goes along with them, and we both thought of New Orleans at the same time!!! We had such wonderful trips to the Big Easy and always enjoyed the food immensely. I made a weird concoction this week, but we all agreed that it was really good. I hope you enjoy it! I also have included my mother’s fruit salad recipe, which really hit the spot after the spicy red beans and rice burritos — we joked that this is a fusion meal, between the Cajun and the Mexican parts of the meal! Fusion cuisine is all the rage now, you know!

Red beans and rice cheesy burritos (weird, but true!)….be sure to crank up the Cajun or Zydeco music as you make this. We were all toe tapping as we cooked. I got so into it that I didn’t realize Janelle had helped Melissa with her bath and washed my swimsuit while I was cooking!!!! Here’s what you need to make this delicious dish…

*1 box Zatarains Red Beans and Rice
*1 can chili starter tomato sauce
*1 can chili ready tomatoes
*1 can corn
*1 package shredded cheddar cheese
*1 package Southwestern chicken pieces or smoked sausage
*Flour tortillas
*1 onion
*1 green pepper

Chop the onion and green pepper and let it simmer with the tomato sauce and drained tomatoes. Add corn too if you want. Cook the red beans and rice according to directions. When it’s done, add beans and rice to a tortilla, add the tomato/veggie mix, top with cheese and either sausage or chicken — or both! Roll up the tortillas and put them in an ovenproof dish. Cover with some of the tomato/veggie mix and top with shredded cheese. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and hot. These were even better the second day!

Elenore Erlandson’s Pudding/Fruit Salad — so easy and so refreshing after a spicy meal!

*1 box of Jello instant vanilla pudding (size depends on how much fruit you put in)
*1 can pineapple tidbits
*1 can sliced peaches
*2 cans Mandarin oranges
*Other fruit that you might like….grapes, strawberries, cherries, etc.

Drain and mix the fruits together. Save the juice from the Mandarin oranges! Add the dry pudding mix to the Mandarin orange juice in a covered Tupperware. Shake until thoroughly mixed. Pour over the fruit mixture and stir. Then chill until it’s cool and serve. It’s really good! For a low-calorie fruit salad, you can leave off the pudding, but you should at least try it once the way my mother used to make it!!!! Everything is better the way your mom used to make it!

If you want the full Cajun experience, you will want to eat this on a Monday because that is the official day to eat red beans and rice down in N’Orleans! And, go to Pandora and search for Zydeco music, turn it up and as the French say… “Bon Appetite!!!”

Ms. Bear’s Kitchen: Taco soup!

Hello again for another installment of Ms. Bear’s Kitchen!! As usual, I couldn’t decide what to make, so I did some browsing online and found a couple really neat new recipes. We all agreed that this may be our favorite meal yet. Plus, it was fast…after I mixed up the soup and muffins, we had time to play our nightly game of Scattergories — and, there is inevitably another funny story about Melissa to be told. So, we are playing the game and the letter was F, which means that all the answers had to start with F. So, we are all sharing all our answers and Melissa’s answers all started with G…we laughed and laughed as our dinner cooked, and a happy memory was made! And, to be honest, we made fun of her a little too!!!! But it all worked to my and Janelle’s advantage since we were able to rack up some major points without having to compete with Melissa — she usually beats both of us! It must be the writer in her!

Anyway, today’s dinner consisted of taco soup (yes, I never heard of it either!), peanut butter chocolate chip muffins (yes, those two things don’t really seem to go together, but we enjoyed them!) and a special red, white and blue fruit medley for the Fourth of July! Here’s what you need…

Taco soup — I modified it a bit, as they called for a slow cooker soup, and as usual, I didn’t have time to do it in the morning. So I just made it on the stove (this is just half the recipe, and we still got enough soup for two nights!)…

*1/2-pound hamburger, cooked
*1/2 white onion
*1 can tomatoes
*8-oz can of tomato sauce
*1 can chili beans (I used 1/2 can kidney beans and 1/2 can chili beans)
*1/2 can corn
*1/2 package taco seasoning mix
*1/2 can Rotel tomatoes with green chili (I only used a couple tablespoons because they are so spicy)
*1 cup water

Cook the hamburger and mix all the ingredients in a pan. Heat for an hour or so to make the flavors come out.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Muffins — Stir together 2 cups flour, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, 1 Tablespoon baking powder and 1 cup chocolate chips in a bowl and set aside.
Mix 1 cup milk, 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup sugar, 1 cup peanut butter, and 1/3 cup oil in a separate bowl. Combine the two bowls and mix until just moistened. Add a few chocolate chips on the top and bake for 14 minutes at 375 degrees. They are like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup in a muffin tin!

Patriotic Fruit Cup — easy and fun! On Tuesday, we had a Fourth of July parade in summer school (that’s where the hat came from…), so the dessert just came together. Mix strawberries and blueberries in a bowl. Top with Cool Whip and enjoy! Red, white and blue, just in time for the Fourth!

And, speaking of the Fourth of July, have a happy one from all of us here at Ms. Blake’s Kitchen! Until next time…..

Ms. Bear’s Kitchen: Summer sloppy joes!

As usual, I just couldn’t decide what I should make for Ms. Bear’s Kitchen this week. But, as always happens, it just came to me in a serendipitous way. I started thinking about it on my anniversary, which got me thinking about what my mom had made for dinner before my wedding. It was my favorite — sloppy joes! Then, I realized that I was cooking the entree for the homeless shelter on my mom’s birthday, so it all just came together. SO! I made sloppy joes in memory of my anniversary and my mom! And, even better, they turned out great! And, the people at the homeless shelter and my family had a great dinner too!

Here is what you need for this week’s dinner…

*1 pound of lean ground beef
*1 can of Manwich Bold
*1 package hamburger buns

Follow the Manwich directions and serve with potato salad, macaroni salad, baked beans and some chips. Of course, we also had our usual canned fruit compote, which we are addicted to (peaches and Mandarin oranges mixed together). Add some fresh veggies for extra health! Serve a light dessert…we each had a small piece of bakery cake.

Yee Haw…enjoy your easy and delicious barbecue!!!!

Ms. Bear’s Kitchen: DIY burrito bowl

Another two weeks have zipped by! I only have seven more school days, so I am on the countdown to summer! Summer school will seem like a breeze after this last month with the 7th graders 🙂

For today, Melissa and I are sharing a new favorite of ours: A burrito bowl. I had mentioned a couple of columns back about my “addiction” to Chipotle Burrito Bowls. The good news is I have managed to give up the chips and salsa, but I sure do like the burrito bowls! Now, here is a bit of gossip about Melissa — she is sooooo stubborn about trying new things. I have been trying to get her to try Chipotle, literally, for years! Well, since the Qdoba Mexican Grill closed here, she finally tried Chipotle, and, you guessed it, she loved it! So, we have started making our own version of the burrito bowls at home. They are healthy, cheap and fast! Here’s the recipe….remember, you can put anything you want in there! Here’s how we’ve been doing it…

*Brown Rice — on weeknights, I use the microwaveable kind
*Black beans
*Mexican-style beans
*Corn
*Spicy tomatoes
*Spicy chili starter tomato sauce
*Cut up white onion
*Cut up plum tomatoes
*Fajita-flavored chicken strips (but this time, I used spicy turkey bratwurst!)
*Tortilla chips

Then you just put what you would like, in the amounts you would like, in a bowl and heat it up!

We also had a cool and refreshing fruit medley to counteract the hot spices! That’s it…filling and delicious and it took me under 20 minutes, with lots of leftovers too! And, under $15 with leftovers!

Eso es caliente (that’s spicy!!!). Enjoy!