Pulled Pork for Superbowl Anyone?

A few weeks ago, Dan and I hosted a Championship Sunday football party at our apartment.  It was awesome not only because we got to hang with good friends and family, but also because we cooked lots of delicious food.  As we usually do, we decided to go all out with the grub, and I broke out the slow cooker.  This was a big deal for me, as I've never actually used it before and had virtually no experience in this department.

I decided to make pulled pork, which later translated into a pulled pork taco bar, and it was a lot of fun.  Cooking the pork for about 8 hours in a slow cooker, the meat got real tender but the outside skin also developed a beautiful crispy texture, which was fun to chew on.  The best part was actually shredding all the meat with a fork, which made it look like authentic pulled pork.  While my version needed a bit of sauce, we dressed it up with fresh lime juice, guacamole, chopped tomatoes, onions and olives.  Hope it's inspired you for this coming Sunday. Go pork, go!

Pulled pork in a slowcooker recipe, adapted from foodnetwork.com 

What to do on Superbowl Sunday

The Superbowl is almost here and I hope you're excited.  I know I'm more looking forward to the incredible eats and drinks rather than watching the actual game - but it all works together to create a great atmosphere during one of the most important sporting events in America.  Still undecided about what you're doing for it? Here are some of my personal recommendations:

Studio Square - Hosting a big Superbowl shin-dig, they're bringing out the big guns with unlimited beer, wine, sangria, S2 Loaded Lemonade, and Red Stag iced tea.  A buffet with piping hot food will be available too - all for $40/person, and it starts at 4 p.m. 35-33 36th Street, Astoria.  718.383.1001

Raven's Head Public House - Come on down to this newish sports haven on Sunday, where they're taking Superbowl reservations for large groups.  They'll have beer and food specials that day, and you can expect a big helping of wings as one of the piece-de-resistance items.  38-04 Broadway, Astoria.  718.777.7565

Astoria Brewhouse - Always down to throw a party, they'll be having a private affair in honor of the Superbowl, which starts at 6 p.m. and goes til the end of the game.  While it's a bit of a splurge at $80/pop, you'll get an open bar, food and a chance to win prizes including a flat screen TV.  28-50 31st Street, Astoria.  718.728.0050  

Malu - Probably not the first place you think of when considering the Superbowl, but they've got all your sweet treats.  If you order your stuff by Thursday, you'll have it ready by the Superbowl - think ice cream cakes, mini cupcakes, cookies, brownies and all sorts of toppings.    12-09 Jackson Avenue, LIC.  718.729.6258

My top Superbowl recipes - And of course there's nothing like making your own grub when hosting or attending a Superbowl party.  Here are some my gametime suggestions:  Bacon deviled eggs, Adam's Thai-style ribs, Chocolate covered bacon, Nutella peanut-butter pie.  

Bringing Back the Fasirka!

You may be wondering what on earth I'm talking about here, but some of you long-time readers may remember me writing about this Slovak dish a few years ago, when I tried to recreate my mom's recipe.  Little did I know that she also uses softened bread (soaked in milk or water) and I inadvertently forget it add it each time.  This time I of course forgot again and used breadcrumbs instead, but they still came out yummy and we gobbled them up in just a short day.

I wanted to bring this mini hamburger treat up to you again, as I think it's a great option for Superbowl Sunday, and your guests will thank you. These patties are so hearty and they have so much flavor that you absolutely don't need a bun to accompany it - just some good ketchup or BBQ sauce.  I usually eat them on their own or with a modest portion of cous-cous with toasted pepitas, red onions and cranberries.  It's a delicious snack and a healthy one too, as I use lean ground turkey meat.  You can always substitute beef, chicken or lamb, but I like to keep 'em nice and light with the turkey.
Here's the recipe - I hope you enjoy it and personalize it your way.

Fooditka's Turkey Fasirky

Superbowl Take-Out Eats - Are you ready?

As many are just thrilled about the big game this Sunday, restaurants are no doubt planning big parties with lots of food and drinks specials.  It's going to get wild!  While I usually do a round up of where to go out, this year I'm switching it up by giving you the scoop on the best places to take-in when hosting your own football shin-dig.  Whatever you do, enjoy and let's hope the G-Men bring it home!

Sal, Chris & Charlie's Deli - Want to ring in the Suberbowl with a big sandwich? This is the place to go, as any true Astorian knows they make the most delectable sandwiches in town with fresh, premium cold cuts and great quality cheeses.  The bread is fantastic, sealing the deal on this big time hero.  Pre-order yours pronto to get it in time for the big game.  33-12 23rd Avenue, Astoria NY 11102.  718.278.9240

Key Food - I know what you may be thinking..."Key Food...really?!" Yeah, really.  Their big hero sandwich is also legit and generally more affordable than the full monty at Sal, Chris and Charlie's.  It's packaged conveniently and comes with all your necessary condiments like mayo, mustard, and a side of potato salad and cole slaw.  32-21 Newtown Avenue, Astoria NY 11103.  718.728.9403  

Palace Fried Chicken - One of the best places for wings in Astoria, you can get them as hot or mild as you want to.  They do a nice job with take-out, as the wings arrive fresh and piping hot.  The fried chicken and biscuits are also really delish and make for a perfect football snack.  27-01 21st Street, Astoria NY 11102.  718.932.8855

The Chirping Chicken -For more chickeny goodness, try the Chirping Chicken where the bird is king.  There's tons of football friendly options to choose from such as buffalo wings, chicken nuggets, mozzarella sticks, and whole or half chickens too if you're interested.  30-15 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106.  718.721.7766

Pita Pan - Although not your traditional football grub, I love their take-out options including the healthy souvlaki sticks, chicken or beef gyros and even a variety of pizza if you're so inclined.  I like that they offer a whole wheat option on the pizza and the portions aren't gargantuan if you're trying to tone things down.  Their delivery is pretty quick too, but allow for extra time on Superbowl Sunday.  37-15 30th Avenue, Astoria NY 11103.  718.204.1633

Sac's Place - If you're in the mood for really nice quality brick oven pizza, treat your guests to Sac's.  You can choose from your basic margarita pizza to fancy options with prosciutto, meatballs, gourmet cheeses and more.  Pasta is a nice complement to your order, and since it's pretty filling, it'll go a long way.  25-41 Broadway, Astoria NY 11106.  718.204.5002

La Vita Mia - Another yummy place for pizza take-out, I love the great quality of their dough on their traditional pizzas, but especially on the thicker-crust Grandma pizza.  You'll pay a premium for the latter but it's worth every penny.  Their wings are pretty delicious as well.  28-01 24th Avenue, Astoria NY 11102.  718.267.0310

La Guli Pastry Shop - Making the food at home but still looking for a gorgeous dessert? My colleagues at We Heart Astoria just spotted this beauty from La Guli Pastry Shop, which is making Giants themed cakes in honor of Superbowl Sunday.  Order yours in advance or pick up a couple of spontaneous treats on game day.  29-15 Ditmars Blvd, Astoria NY 11105.  718.728.5612

Make Your Own Big Sandwich - If you're the one making the grub for the shin-dig, consider making your own big sandwich.  For great quality cold cuts, I highly recommend Rosario's Deli, and in terms of bread, you can't get anything better than at Rose & Joe's right across the street - especially their olive bread, it's amazing!  Rosario's - 22-55 31st Street, Astoria NY 11105.  718.728.2920.  Rose & Joe's Bakery - 22-40 31st Street, Astoria NY 11105.  718.721.9422

Bacon Deviled Eggs - You may remember that I first tried making these a week ago for the championship Sunday party and they were a hit.  I love them for a football party because they're bite sized, easy to eat, and the bacon makes them stinkin' delicious.  See my recipe here. 

Bacon Deviled Eggs - A Smoky Football Treat

As football mania continues with the Giants’ big win last week, I’ve been experimenting with fun football treats that I’ve been trying out on friends and family. Last week’s was a creative rendition of deviled eggs, which were made with sinful, smoky bacon bits inside the egg filling and on top too.

I got the idea to do this from an article in this month’s Bon Appetit that highlighted many non-traditional ways to make a deviled egg. The bacon option really appealed to me, especially since I’ve been on a bacon kick lately (i.e. did you see my chocolate chip bacon pancakes?).

Broiling off some really good quality bacon, I got it nice and crisp, then let it cool down and cut it up into little chunks. This then got mixed in with the egg yolk filling, together with some creamy mayo and also the super flavorful bacon drippings that I saved for myself. As you can tell from the picture, the overall effect looked vibrant and appetizing, and my guests were pretty happy with it too. I stuffed the eggs in a rustic fashion, simply by using a spoon instead of a fancy piping technique, and it definitely fit the occasion.

Hope you have fun experimenting too, and do let me know about the different combinations you come up with.

Bacon Deviled Eggs (serves 6)
Ingredients:
12 eggs, hard boiled
3 tbs of mayonnaise
2 tsp of grain mustard or Dijon mustard
3 - 4 pieces of organic bacon, broiled
Handful of parsley, chopped
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat oven to 475 or set to broil.  Place bacon on a lined baking sheet and cook for about 10 - 15 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool for about 10 minutes.  Chop into small pieces and reserve about 1/4 of it for the topping.  Strain bacon drippings into a small bowl.

Place eggs in a large saucepan, add water to cover by 1".  Bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat.  Let sit for 10 minutes.  Drain.  Transfer eggs to a bowl of ice water and let cool completely, about 10 minutes; peel.  Halve lengthwise and remove yolks.

Finely mash reserved yolks, bacon fat, mayonnaise and mustard in a medium bowl; season with salt and pepper, but use the salt sparingly.

Take a spoon and scoop out the filling into each egg in a rustic fashion.  Top with the remainder of the bacon and the chopped parsley. 

Recipe adopted from Bon Appetit, February 2012 issue

More Football Food - Dan's Homemade Onion Rings

We're probably not unlike many American families on Sunday and Monday nights in that we watch football.  Well not me really, it's more that I watch it by osmosis, as it's always on and I'm exposed to pre and post football banter pretty much all weekend.  I can name every quarterback in the NFL...try me!

In honor of this fun American sport, Sunday and Monday nights are splurge nights in our household.  When we can, we indulge in some good ol' American greasy-spoon food (in moderation of course).  The below recipe for homemade onion rings was made and perfected by Dan.  It uses a classic flour, egg and breadcrumb coating except that it's dipped twice.  The result is a super crunchy and slightly doughy consistency and makes you keep reaching into that bowl for yet another one.

Dan's Homemade Onion Rings (Serves 3)

Ingredients:
1 large white onion cut into 12-15 medium to large sized rings

2 large eggs, whisked thoroughly

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

2 cups of Panko breadcrumbs

Vegetable or canola oil - enough to coat 1/4 of medium saucepan

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Coat onion rings in flour, then dip in egg.  Let sit in egg for a few seconds to ensure it coats thoroughly and then place into Panko.  Rest in Panko for a few minutes and then dip in egg and Panko again.  Repeat until you use up all onion rings.  Position onion rings on a lined cookie sheet and let sit for 5 minutes.

Heat oil in medium saucepan and when oil is hot enough, gently place the breaded onion rings into it.  Watch them closely and take out with a slotted spoon when they've turned golden brown and look crispy.  Add salt and pepper if you want.  Serve warm and enjoy with your pick of ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce or banana ketchup if you have some. I used Baron Banana ketchup that I got in St. Lucia but you can just as easily buy it online.

Turkey Slider Dinner - Perfect for Game-Time

Sundays are fun, as I've slowly but surely adopted the many American rituals that go along with it, including watching football, lounging around and eating comforting game-time food. I always look forward to making a creative, hearty yet healthy meal on Sundays and this one's a good example.

Dan and I tag teamed it with preparation, as he took care of the turkey sliders and I did the sides. You can easily make this at home in under and hour and be back on your couch watching that next touchdown.

Foodista's Sunday Night Football Dinner:

Turkey Sliders - Use Dan's recipe for turkey burgers but cut the size of the burger in half to roughly 2 1/2 inch discs

At the end of the grilling process, Dan topped the sliders with a thin slice of fresh mozzarella cheese. You can use this or substitute with any cheese or toppings of your choice. I used a delicious, tangy SAGA blue on my sliders. We also put caramelized onions on top. If you need guidance on how to make them, click here.

For the buns, look for mini potato buns in the supermarket. We used Martin's brand, which is inexpensive and good.

Herbed Potato Salad (serves 2)

Ingredients:
2 large new potatoes (I used red), quartered
Small bunch of fresh parsley, chopped
1 tbs of unsalted butter
1 splash of low-fat milk
1 tbs or less of crispy bacon
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Boil potatoes in water for about 7 minutes or until they get tender. Drain and place back into the pot. Add rest of the ingredients and toss gently with a wooden spoon - make sure to incorporate all ingredients but try not to break the potatoes too much. Serve alongside turkey sliders.

Honey Mustard Apple Salad (serves 2)

Ingredients:
1 package of mesculin greens
2 handfuls of grape tomatoes (red or yellow), halved and seeded
1 apple of your choice - I used Fuji - peeled and sliced into 1 inch cubes
1 cucumber, seeded and chopped into 1 inch cubes
Cheese of your choice to sprinkle on top (optional)
The juice of 1 lemon
1 tbs of olive oil
1 generous squirt of whole grain mustard
1 tbs of honey - I used clover honey
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Combine the greens, tomatoes, apple, cucumber and cheese (if using) in a large bowl. If you have left over bacon, you can sprinkle that on top too.

In a separate small bowl, whisk the olive oil, lemon juice, mustard, honey and salt and pepper until combined. Pour over the veggies and toss to coat. Serve alongside the turkey sliders and the potatoes.

Enjoy these game-time treats!