Friday, November 16, 2007

Making Blueberry Pie

This video on making blueberry pie is from the Boston Globe's food section on Wednesday November 14, 2007. I know blueberries are out of season but you can still buy them in your local grocery store to make this pie. I suggest going to Whole Foods which has a very good produce section. Having a blueberry pie for your Thanksgiving dessert is an excellent edition to the feast that everyone will enjoy!

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

Pasta with Meat Sauce

I decided I wanted to make a pasta dish so I looked around my refrigerator to see what I had and this is the meal that I came up with. It was actually really good! Here are the directions for the recipe.
Ingredients:
2 Boneless Chicken Breasts
One Box of Barilla Whole Grain Penne Pasta
One Jar of Classico Spicy Tomato& Pesto Sauce
One Onion
Cracked Green Olives
Salt
Pepper



First cut the excess fat off the chicken breasts and then lightly coat them with salt and pepper to add flavor. Next cut the chicken into small bite-size pieces.



Place a tiny amount of olive oil into a frying pan. Add just enough so the chicken will not stick to the pan. Place the chicken pieces into the frying pan and cook until they are tender.





Follow the directions on the back of the Barilla package to cook the pasta. Boil water in a pot and then add the contents of the package to the boiling water and cook uncovered for approximately ten minutes. When done drain the water from the pot.



Next chop up a large slice of onion (about a quarter of the onion)into tiny pieces. Put the pasta sauce in a frying pan to heat and add in the sliced onions and stir slowly until the pasta sauce begins to boil. Remove from the heat.





Finally, place the penne pasta on a plate. Add the sauce and chicken over top and put two or three green olives on top for extra taste. Bon appetit!

Phantom Gourmet- Great 8- Boston Restaurant Legends

Here is a YouTube video clip about Boston's eight greatest restaurants according to the television show Phantom. Learn about Galleria Umberto, Locke-Ober, Kelly's Roast Beef, Union Oyster House, Modern Pastry, Christo's, Durgin-Park, and Legal Sea Foods.

Tuesday, November 13, 2007

The Cheesecake Factory

The Cheesecake Factory is a chain restaurant and has locations all over the country, but that does not diminish the quality of their food. The amazing thing about this restaurant is that the main meals are as good as their desserts. The first time I went to one of their restaurants I was in Washington, D.C. and I fell in love with the food immediately, so when I arrived in Boston for college I was pleased to find out they had a location in the Prudential Center as well. Here are some dishes that I have tried and I think everyone will like: Pasta Da Vinci-"Sauteed Chicken, Mushrooms, Onions and Garlic in a Delicious Madeira Wine Sauce Tossed with Penne Pasta and Parmesan," Cajun Jambalaya Pasta-"Shrimp and Chicken Sauteed with Onions, Tomato and Peppers in a Very Spicy Cajun Sauce. All on top of Fresh Linguini," and finally Shepard'S Pie- "Ground Beef, Mushrooms, Carrots, Peas, Zucchini and Onions in a Delicious Sauce Covered with Mashed Potatoes and Parmesan Cheese."


However, the Cheesecake Factory, as the name implies, is the most famous for their desserts and of course their cheesecake. When I was a little girl I once had a piece of cheesecake, and it must have been pretty horrible because I decided from that moment on that I hated all cheesecake and refused to touch the stuff for years. I credit this restaurant for helping me to overcome this experience and revealing my new love for this dessert. They have some of the best cheesecake around. Here are some examples of a few flavors I have tried: White Chocolate Raspberry Truffle- "Creamy Cheesecake Swirled with White Chocolate and Raspberry," Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake- "Layers of Flourless Godiva Chocolate Cake, Godiva Chocolate Cheesecake and Chocolate Mousse," Adam's Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple- "Creamy Cheesecake Swirled with Caramel, Peanut Butter, Butterfingers and Reeses Peanut Butter Cups," Chocolate Oreo Mudslide Cheesecake- "Chocolate Oreos Baked in our Creamy Chocolate Cheesecake with a Chocolate-Almond Brownie Crust," Chocolate Peanut Butter Cookie-Dough- "Chocolate Cheesecake Loaded with Peanut Butter Cookie Dough and Topped with Chocolate." Okay, so that is a little more than a few flavors, that is about half the menu. Clearly, I love their cheesecake and you will too! Here is their website to check if they have a location near you (the descriptions above were taken from the restaurant's menu). The Cheesecake Factory