TRAVEL: 5 Ugliest Airports in the US

TheStreet just published their "5 ugliest Airports in the US" report based on their polls rating major airports. I'm sure New Yorkers won't be happy that LaGuardia Airport and Kennedy Airports topped the list at #1 & 2 respectively as the most visually unappealing. Here is the top 5 breakdown



1. LaGuardia (NY)
2. Kennedy (NY)
3. Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
4. Philadelphia International Airport
5. Los Angeles International Airport

Read the full story as passengers sound off.

Stuck in the House Blizzard Meal: Beef Cubes, Steamed Collards and Sweet Potatoes Paired with Porto Tawny

Were you snowed in yesterday with no food because you didn't go grocery shopping? That described me. I was craving a nice hearty stew but had to settle for what I had in the fridge. Here what I made: Slow-cooked beef cubes (seasoned with McCormack's Montreal Steak Seasoning and cooked at 250 degrees for 4 hours), steamed collard greens and sweet potatoes fried in olive oil.



....Paired with a nice glass of Sandeman Tawny Porto (ten years old and aged in oak casks) that has a rich fruity flavor.


Point of this post: Use what ya got to make your taste buds pop!

Whole Foods Market Announces A Recall For Ginger Bread Houses In Twenty-Three States

December 24, 2010 - Whole Foods Market announces that it is recalling assembled Ginger Bread Houses sold in, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin that came from its supplier Rolf’s Patisserie of Lincolnwood, Illinois.


The recalled ginger bread houses may have been assembled, decorated and packaged in clear plastic wrap and sold with a Whole Foods Market scale label; some scale labels also may list “Rolf’s Patisserie” as part of the description. This includes all ginger bread Houses made after Nov. 1, 2010. Products produced by Rolf’s Patisserie have been connected to several outbreaks of Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) food poisoning. Read more.

New Orleans for Christmas, New Year's and more!

You know I can't go too long without talking about one of my favorite cities, New Orleans! Are you looking for a city to travel to for Christmas and New Years that gives you great food, culture and the ultimate experience without breaking the bank? Check out what travel and restaurant experts are saying about the crescent city and more:


NO voted #1 for New Years Eve destination & lots mo' stuff

Travel + Leisure (T+L) recently announced that New Orleans was voted the number one urban destination in the country for New Year’s Eve, Neighborhood Joints and Cafés, People-Watching, Singles/Bar Scene, Cocktail Hour and the overall category of Nightlife in the 2010 America’s Favorite Cities survey.

Most Affordable Dining

According to the latest Zagat Survey, New Orleans is the most affordable dining destination in the country. Zagat surveys more than 375,000 diners from around the world in order to help consumers make informed decisions about restaurants, hotels and attractions.

Take a 7-Night Cruise!

The 1,966-passenger Norwegian Spirit from Norwegian Cruise Lines began sailing from New Orleans on November 7 and will depart year-round on seven-night cruises.

Christmas Action?
New Orleans started their Christmas festivities, hotel discounts and other cool stuff for the holidays on Dec 1 and they still have plenty of Christmas action left to enjoy! Read more!

Sunday FUN Food Pick: Seasoned Kale Chips--in 10 minutes!

Move over potato, there's a new crunchy, tasty chip in town that's going to make you green with envy--Seasoned Kale Chips.

I made some of these early this afternoon to substitute as an healthy alternative to potato chips. I bought a brand of delicious kale chips from Whole Foods, but it was $7 a bag. I figured I could make this myself. And, so can you in 10 minutes flat.

Ingredients:

Dino Kale (preferably organic)
Olive Oil Spray
pinch of salt (optional)
garlic powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Take kale and cut the leaves into 1/2 inch pieces and place in a bowl. Spray kale with a little olive oil. Add pinch of salt. Sprinkle with garlic powder and your favorite herbs. Toss kale. Spray baking pan with a little olive oil. Place kale on baking sheet. Stir and spread kale out evenly. Place in oven for 5 minutes, then stir. Let continue to cook in oven for another 5 minutes.

....When you remove from the oven you will have tasty crunchy kale chips!

Sunday FUN Food Pick: Homemade Chocolate Pudding!

Loving Linda Hall's homemade Chocolate Pudding recipe featured on Cookwork.com!

TheGritsnCheeseDish Featured on Better Recipes!..Monica's "Homestyle Oyster Bagel Dressing" Makes Top 10 Thanksgiving Dressings List!

Double Great news!

TheGritsnCheeseDish.blogspot.com is one of 4 featured blogs on Better Recipes! My Homestyle Oyster Bagel Dressing made with a twist--using pumpernickel and everything bagels also makes their Top 10 Thanksgiving Dressing List this year, landing at #4!

Other blogger recipes on the top 10 list are Food Network's Claire Robinson, Amy of Simply Sugar and Gluten Free.....and more! Learn how we made our knock out recipes!

See Better Recipes "Dressing and Stuffings Galore" Featured blog list
OR
their complete Top 10 Thanksgiving Dressing list

Sunday Fun DRINK Pick: Avocado Date Shake!

Today' Sunday Fun drink is an Avocado Date Shake that I made this afternoon. This sweet n' tasty shake is real simple to make and very nutritious. Although it is a shake, you can also eat with a spoon instead of using a straw. The dates are really sweet so you do not need to add sugar. Interesting fact: Avocado shake is a very popular Vietnamese drink!


Ingredients:

1 avocado (the biggest one you can buy)
One 5 oz can of carnation evaporated milk
5 pitted dates
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Peel avocado, and put in food processor (be sure to remove pit from avocado before placing in food processor). Add in dates, evaporated milk, cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend in food processor for about 15 seconds or when your desired texture is desired....Enjoy your sweet delicious drink!

Psst. Read more fun stuff like my 3-hour Argentine Steakhouse Cooking Class with Top Chef Finalist Casey Thompson.

Sites I Likey!: Eating in South Jersey!

I love sites that give out lots of great information like Eating in South Jersey. Check it out!

Argentine Steakhouse Cooking w Top Chef Finalist Casey Thompson and Viking's Chef Shawn Fair

On Monday afternoon I had the opportunity to attend a 3-hour Argentine Steakhouse Cooking class with Top Chef finalist Casey Thompson and Viking Cooking School's Chef Shawn Fair at Harrah's AC. Our task was to make the following goodies under their guidance and instruction: Argentine Empanadas, Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimicurri Sauce, Roasted Marinated Sweet Peppers, Oven Roasted Potatoes and Flan.

Before starting our 3-hour culinary adventure,Viking prepared Grilled Chorizo on Crusty Bread with Chimichurri Sauce to fill our bellies in the meantime paired with Terrazas de los Andes Malbec.

Chef Casey then talked to us about Argentinian wine and pairing with Malbec.

Chef Shawn first had us prepare the flan, a chilled custard topped with caramel. Flan is made by blending condensed and evaporated milk, eggs, vanilla extract and nutmeg. We made the caramel by simply boiling sugar and water which naturally turns into caramel. We poured the caramel into ramekins (or flan molds) and then poured into our custard. In Argentina, the caramel sauce used for flan is called "dulce de leche."

Ahh, now time for the Argentine Empanadas. There are many versions of empanadas and they are specific to how families choose to make them. Instead of minced steaks which are normally used for the filling, we used ground beef. In Argentina, they place the whole olive and an hard boiled egg wedge inside the empanada. However, we chopped up our olive and egg, then mixed it in with the filling. We put our ingredients in the pan: ground beef, onions, garlic cloves, rehydrated raisins, crushed red pepper flakes, cumin, oregano, paprika,red wine vinegar and more. Afterwards, we placed the filling in the middle of an empanada shell and sealed and tucked it.

Finally, the main course: Grilled Skirt Steak with Chimichurri Sauce and marinated roasted pepper! First we started with the chimichurri sauce which we made with fresh cilantro, flat leaf parsley, oregano, garlic, lemon, olive oil and other ingredients. We mixed the ingredients in the Viking food processor--and that's it!- done for the chimichuri! Next, we roasted a pepper on the stove to make our marinated sweet pepper in balsamic vinegar to compliment our steak once it was served. We poured the chimichurri sauce on the raw steak and gave it a good rub so the flavor can seep inside. Afterwards, we grilled up the steak.

Now the best part, food is served. I have to thank my fellow team members, Sarah, Kay and Maggie of Tasteful Living for our delicious meal. We did good! (Sorry no picture of the potatoes. I ate them all before snapping a pic :)

...By the way a quick little trick from Chef Shawn on how to separate eggs.

Gettin' Ready for Argentine Steakhouse Class with Top Chef Finalist Casey Thompson

I'm Cooking...No Sunday Fun Food Pick Today!

Hi gang,

Good Sunday morning. Today I'm cooking my little heart out.....so I won't have time for my Sunday Fun Food Pick today. Will share my cooking adventures with you this week. Thanks for stopping by. Love ya!

Classic but Good: Chicken Shawarma from Waterfalls Cafe, 144 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn

Went to Brooklyn Heights last week and decided to take a walk to explore the borough. I was referred to Waterfalls Cafe, a Mediterranean restaurant on Atlantic Avenue by one of their faithful customers. Well, they were right. This was some damn good food: Chicken Shawarma (r), Greek salad, hummus and rice.

Simple and classic signature dishes done correctly never lose their greatness or appeal. Pocket damage: $11.

.....For those who love inside visuals

Sunday Fun DRINK Pick!: Heidi Klum's Ghoulish Cocktails! ABSOLUT Fast Mary, Dark Night and Goblin!

Today I'm focusing on some fun drinks for the Sunday pick. ABSOLUT pairs with Supermodel Heidi Klum for her popular annual invite only Halloween party, held in NYC this year, to make some ghoulish drinks: Fast Mary, Dark Night and Goblin!

ABSOLUT DARK NIGHT

1oz ABSOLUT PEPPAR

1oz Chocolate Liqueur

1 Pinch Chili Powder
Shake and strain all ingredients into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with a Jalapeno or other small pepper

Read more at Slash Food!

The GritsnCheeseDish Sunday Fun Food Pick! BBQ Glazed Homemade Meatballs

Love this recipe! Today's Sunday Fun Food Pick is BBQ Glazed Homemade Meatballs from Allrecipes.com

Monica asks Food Network's Paula Deen the Unthinkable!!

Folks, this is the shortest interview ever(smile)! A few months ago at Harrah's Entertainment's Atlantic City Food & Wine Festival, I asked Food Network's Paula Deen about life WITHOUT her favorite ingredient--butter. Here's what she had to say! (by the way that's Kristina Vanni from Better Recipes in the background!)

Food Save: Food Processor is Your Friend!

By Monica Peters

We're all trying to save a buck. When it comes to food, you will definitely save by investing in a food processor which you can purchase for as little as $24 or maybe cheaper. Many of our favorite foods we buy in supermarket are marked up simply because of the labor costs. Here are the cool things you can make at home with a food processor while saving a dollar or two:

Guacamole: Why buy a tiny bowl of guacamole at a price of $3.99 to $6 when you can buy avocados for about $1 each or sometimes 2 for a $1 and make it yourself. Simply peel the avocados (and of course remove the core) and put them in your food processor with your favorite fixings such as garlic, cilantro or whatever you like. Let process for about 15 seconds or less (process time will vary depending upon your processor and desired texture). Ladies and gentleman you have now made guacamole!

Chicken Burgers: Why buy prepackaged chicken burgers in the supermarket or for takeout? Take the skinless boneless chicken breast you may already have in your fridge and put it in the food processor with your favorite seasonings. The processor only takes a few seconds to turn the chicken breast into ground chicken. After taking out the processor, shape your ground chicken into patties and put em’ in the pan for cooking. Total prep and cooking time: 10 minutes.

Smoothies: Spending $3-4 daily on smoothies at our favorite coffee shop or at the market seriously adds up over time. While some folks make smoothies in a blender, I prefer making it with my food processor. Simply buy your favorite fruits and put it in the processor with yogurt and a little water for about 15 seconds. Your homemade smoothly now tastes as good as the store. More importantly you can have your favorite treat every day of the week without breaking the bank.

Got any ways to save a buck with your food processor? Email thegncdish2@aol.com

Foodie Love: Pat & Gina Neeley

Your hit of foodie love this week--Food Network's Pat and Gina Neeley get sassy on stage at Harrah's!

TRAVEL: Dont Let the Bed Bugs Bite!

There's no way in the world I could write a post on how to prevent getting bed bugs and not get the creeps. Thankfully, AOL recently did. These tips may seem extreme but a traveler has got to do what a traveler has got to do.

Tip #1: When settling into your hotel room, place your luggage on a tabletop, luggage stand or other hard surface. Putting luggage on the floor is a no-no. Read more on AOL small business.

France's Gourmet School Lunches

It would be good if the US could follow France's lead on this one. Our children need better, nutritious foods in school.

Love this Blog Post: Food Wishes' Chef John

I love how Food Wishes' Chef John is so open and positive about his experiences. I also like his blog because the food is the star. Chef John recently met with the Food Network in NY about appearing on the Next Food Network Star. Read about how his meeting went on his Food Wishes blog post.

Not only is his blog great but so is Food Wishes' youtube channel!

TheGritsnCheeseDish Sunday Fun Food Pick!

Fun food and Sundays go hand in hand!...Like this Bacon-Wrapped Cheesy Chicken Rolls from BetterRecipes.com

Say it Aint So! Ben and Jerry's Drop "All Natural" Label

What is the world coming to! Ben and Jerry's is dropping "all natural" from their labels. "After much deliberation, we have decided Ben & Jerry’s will transition from our current packaging, removing the “All Natural” label, and focus more strongly on our other core values." Even the cows in this picture looked confused by the change :) Read the official statement from B&J's here.

How to Spot Good Champagne
Bubbles Give a Clue

If the sparkling champagne has big bubbles, it's not the best champagne. That usually means that carbon dioxide was injected into it to make the bubbly effect that we love. Champagne with little bubbles are preferable. This means that the bubbles are formed naturally from oxidation.

-Advice from wine expert from Trinchero Family Estates

Harrah's Supports Local Farmers, Atlantic City Country Club & HBO's Boardwalk Empire

Farm to Table Dinner at Nero's Grill in Caesars

Caesar's Atlantic City hosted Farm to Table on Thursday and Friday. This exquisite culinary feast featured food from local New Jersey farms.

On Thursday evening, our culinary adventure began at Nero's Grill at Caesars. Here's what we ate:

First up to bat is Amuse Bouche: Smoked Duck Breast, Apricot paint, Pistachio, Pea Tendrils and Olive oil powder (above right).




Appetizer was Seared Cape May Scallops, Jalapeno Creamed Corn, Basil Essence with lemon emulsifier. (left)




Spetacular entree: Walu (from Hawaii), Broccoli Rabe, Clams and Tomato Broth. This was my first time eating Walu. Walu is in the barracuda family and has the texture of a tender steak. Declicious. (right)




Triple Dessert: Triple Cream Tiramisu, Warm Chocolate Cake and Apple Cider Cheesecake (left)

Breakfast at Atlantic City Country Club

On Friday morning we ate at the Atlantic City Country Club, a former private golf club founded in 1897. It is owned by Harrah's Entertainment and now open to the public. The club is most famous for being the birthplace of the golf terms "birdie" and "eagle." They will soon be famous for their great food.

Check out what I ate for breakfast: Petit sirloin steak with scrambled eggs, pineapple and strawberry.

The club's Tap Room Bar and Grille (we had window seating with a gorgeous window view of the golf course and premises), and the lake

Lake, golf course and locker room and lockers of some famous folks who have come to tee off at the course

HBO's BOARDWALK EMPIRE

This is a pic of the Boardwalk Empire display at Caesar's Atlantic City. (based on the HBO series)

Check out a clip below of the series which storyline is set in Atlantic City.