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Project Food Blog #1 – “Ready, Set, Blog!”

17 Sep

Being a FoodBuzz Featured Publisher, it’s has been a fun ride. I really like what they do and how they support us bloggers (including a great tasting I won!)  They are now embarking on a big competition to select a blogger who will be featured on the site for a year and win a $10K prize.  (I was shocked when I realized I got more excited about the potential of being featured than the cash prize!) 

The bloggers in the community have to blog about a specific topic each week and then a panel reads the blogs and they and you, my lovely readers, vote (VOTE FOR ME! VOTE FOR ME!).  It is called Project Food Blog and this, my dear readers, is my first entry. 

(As I was typing it, I realized that a text heavy blog is just SO not my style, so I’m adding in some of my favorite pictures of the past 3 years just to give you something perty to look at.  Deep down inside I really am a 4 year old who just likes picture books… if only I could make this a pop-up blog)

Week One: “Ready, Set, Blog!” 

The question is “What defines you as a food blogger and why should you be the next food blog star?”

It would be hard to answer this without some back story.  First of all, I have never, ever considered myself an expert.  In fact, I consider myself a forever student.  Granted… an extremely opinionated student, but a student none-the-less.  I doubt I am alone in the food blogger community when I say that I love food.  I love eating food.  I love cooking food.  I love talking about food. And most of all, I love the way food brings people together. 


(This photo courtesy of my awesome photographer sister, Stacey, who puts my pictures to shame.  If you want a perfect photo of your pet, check out her site or contact her at Wackydog Pet Photography!)

I started on this venture because I was given the very good fortune of being taken out to some of the best restaurants in Manhattan due to my job.  Whenever family and friends would come into the city, they knew I had tried some of the best and always asked my advice.  I have a terrible memory and would always come up with something like “Oh there is this great Italian place in midtown!”  (Big help, Sara!) So I started to write them down.  Then I started keeping an email draft of all the places I recommended so I could shoot that off whenever someone needed a recommendation.  Then I started using Tumblr just to be able to reblog some things I found interesting and realized it made a great repository for these restaurant lists. 

At the same time, I was teaching myself to cook.  I really knew nothing about cooking, and was pretty (in)famous for hermedically sealing a pot the first time I tried to cook on my own at college.

When I discussed that I might start blogging about dining out and cooking with my awesome boyfriend, Mike, he thought about it for a few minutes and said that I should call my blog “Nom Nom” because that was what I always said when I really enjoyed food (sourced to either Cookie Monster or ICanHasCheezburger).  NYC Nom Nom was born. 

What was the question again?  Oh right!  What defines me?  I’m a foodie of the people, an equal opportunity eater. Sure, I may eat at fancy restaurants a little more often and I might know how to make mayonnaise, but, besides that, I think people value my opinions on restaurants because I’m honest and opinionated.  I’m also not stuffy about it… I rank strip mall Italian restaurants in the same respect that I rank 5 star restaurants.  I believe good food is worth paying for and that you can have great food at a diner.  I also just learned how to cook, so I’m still learning and I love to share the things I learn.  And I even share my failures… even the embarrassing ones.

I think my latest venture into Weight Watchers is also an interesting twist since I will not sacrifice good food, yet I still am managing to lose weight (17 pounds and counting!)

So what makes me a star?

You do.  My awesome readers make me a star.  Every one of you who has tried a recipe or restaurant from this blog.  Every one of you who shared a recipe or restaurant with me because of this blog.  Every one of you who has had a chuckle at my epic fails, shared a shaken fist about being poisoned in a restaurant. Cooked me a meal, let me cook you a meal. Shared a snack, bought me a lunch, let me buy you a dinner, and, especially, every one of you that has encouraged me along the way. 

You all rock my socks.

As always… Happy Nomming!

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Tuity Fruity Chicken and Corn Fritters

1 Sep

It is no secret that I love fruit paired with chicken/turkey/pork/scallops. We happened to have a lot of fruit that needed to be used, so we made up a Tuity Fruity Chicken and paired it with a great Weight Watchers recipe for corn fritters.

We cut up some plums, peaches, and sections of clementines and combined it with some Diet Sunkist, garlic, apricot preserves, salt, and pepper.

I didn’t have a broiler pan, so I tried to put a baker’s rack upside down… It actually didn’t work really, however, it was just fine.  Then… we broiled. That’s it!

As for the corn fritters, it was a bit more complex… but ENTIRELY worth it!  The directions were to beat egg whites until they were stiff but not glossy.  Meh? 

As someone that has made many a meringue, I wasn’t sure I had ever seen eggs glossy… so I just went until it peaked.

Then you mix together corn, tomatoes (we substituted these for the peppers), scallions, salt, pepper, and flour.  Then you fold in the egg whites.

Then after you spray down a pan, you scoop a dollop of the mixture onto a heated pan.  I was concerned that they wouldn’t stick together, but oh…

They did.

And they were amazing!

And the fruity chicken was pretty damn good, too.

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RECIPES
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Fruity Chicken (5 points for 1 1/4 pound chicken breast)

Ingredients:

·         1 tsp olive oil   

·         1 medium garlic clove(s), minced   

·         1/8 tsp table salt   

·         1/8 tsp black pepper, freshly ground   

·         1/2 pound(s) uncooked boneless, skinless chicken breast   

·         2 medium peach(es), sliced   

·         1 cup(s) Sunkist Diet Orange Soda   

·         1 small plum(s)   

·         2 small clementine   

·         2 Tbsp Polaner Sugar Free Apricot   

Directions:

1.       In a shallow bowl, mix the orange soda, preserves, oil, garlic, salt and pepper; set aside 1/4 cup of the marinade for basting.

2.       Add the chicken and peaches; refrigerate, covered at least 1 hour.

3.       Preheat the broiler; spray rack with nonstick cooking spray. Transfer the chicken and peaches to the rack.

4.       Broil 6 inches from heat until cooked through and peaches begin to brown, basting with reserved marinade,

5.       7-8 minutes on each side (ours were thick, so it took longer)

6.       Cool slightly; spoon fruit over chicken

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Corn Fritters (3 points for a quarter of the recipe)

Ingredients

·         2 large egg(s), separated (keep egg whites only)   

·         4 medium corn on the cob, kernels removed with a knife*   

·         1 medium sweet red pepper(s), diced the size of corn kernels   

·         1/3 cup(s) scallion(s), diced   

·         1/2 tsp table salt, or more to taste   

·         1/4 tsp black pepper, or more to taste   

·         2 Tbsp all-purpose flour   

·         2 spray(s) cooking spray, butter-flavored   

Directions

  1. In a small bowl, beat egg whites until stiff but not glossy; set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, lightly beat egg yolks. Add corn, red pepper (or tomatoes), scallions, salt, black pepper and flour; thoroughly combine and then fold in egg whites.
  3. Coat skillet with cooking spray and warm over high heat; when skillet is hot, reduce heat to medium.
  4. Spoon a heaping tablespoon of batter onto skillet to make each fritter. (Do not press fritters down with your spatula since they are meant to be fluffy.)
  5. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes; carefully flip and cook until lightly browned and cooked through, about 2 to 3 minutes more.
  6. Remove cooked fritters to a serving plate and cover to keep warm. Repeat until all batter is used and then serve immediately. Yields about 4 fritters per serving.

*Frozen corn can be used instead. Thoroughly thaw before using.

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Weight Watchers Recipe- Rosemary-Grilled Pork Chops with Potatoes and Zucchini

13 Aug

Usually dinner is planned based upon what is in the fridge that day.  This day we had pork chops, yellow zucchini (not summer squash… I wonder what the difference is), and potatoes.  What luck that Weight Watchers has a recipe entitled “Rosemary-Grilled Pork Chops with Potatoes and Zucchini.”

Unfortunately, NYC living does not provide us with a grill, however, our apartment stove luckily provides us with a griddle top!  Usually works pretty well (besides the smoke alarm factor). 

I love mini potatoes, and when they get crispy and brown, they are my favorite.  I haven’t found any healthy way of making them as delicious as when you fry them up, but it’s a fine alternative.

It was easy to use the same top for the pork and zucchini.  The rosemary is key in this.  

The assemblage was delicious and everything went really well together.  It was incredibly easy and, though the potatoes take a pretty long time, it was quick to throw together!

It wound up being about 1.5 servings each based on the pork weight (the recipe called for 4, 4 oz portions but we had 2 6 oz. portions), so the point value was about 9 for the whole meal (would have been 6 with the 4 oz. chops).  To get a full meal this delicious for 9 points? I’m in!

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RECIPE
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Ingredients:

  • 1/8 tsp lemon zest, or to taste  (I used lemon juice only, but I think the zest would have been nice)
  • 1 tsp fresh lemon juice, juice of 1 large lemon  
  • 2 Tbsp rosemary, fresh, chopped  
  • 3 clove(s) garlic clove(s), crushed with a garlic press  
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil, extra-virgin  
  • 16 oz lean boneless pork chop, center-cut, trimmed of all visible fat, 4 (4-ounce)  
  • 1 tsp table salt  
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground  
  • 1 pound(s) Yukon Gold potato(es), or any baby potatoes, scrubbed and halved  
  • 2 medium zucchini, cut lengthwise into 1⁄8-inch-thick slices

Directions:

  1. Combine the lemon zest, rosemary, garlic, and oil in a small bowl. Sprinkle the pork with 1⁄2 teaspoon of the salt and 1⁄4 teaspoon of the pepper. Rub half of the rosemary mixture over the pork. Put the pork on a plate, then cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to several hours.
  2. Spray the grill rack with nonstick spray; prepare the grill.
  3. Toss the potatoes with the remaining rosemary mixture,1⁄4 teaspoon of remaining salt, and 1⁄8 teaspoon of remaining pepper in a medium bowl. Lightly spray the potatoes with nonstick spray, then place on the grill, cut-side down. Grill the potatoes 5 inches from the heat, turning once, until tender, 45 minutes. Transfer the potatoes to a bowl; cover with foil to keep warm.
  4. Sprinkle the zucchini with the remaining 1⁄4 teaspoon salt and 1⁄8 teaspoon pepper; lightly spray the zucchini with nonstick spray. Put the pork and zucchini on the grill. Grill the pork until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the pork chops registers 160°F for medium, about 4 minutes on each side. Grill the zucchini until tender, about 4 minutes on each side. Put the pork and zucchini on a platter. Drizzle the lemon juice over the zucchini. Serve with the potatoes. Yields 1 pork chop with 1⁄4 of zucchini and potatoes per serving.

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