Fun Fearless Foodie

Learning a new city, a new home, and an all around new way of life is not an easy task but one that I have been enjoying very much.  Every day that’s gone by I have tried to become more comfortable with my surroundings, learning the subway, how the grid system works, how do I get to the bank, and most importantly where do I buy food.  I was warned that the cost of food in the city was high, but it’s hard to really imagine or quantify that until you see it for yourself.  Sure there are lots of expensive restaurants, but it’s the groceries that stunned me the most.

I made a rookie mistake on one of my first days here and went to the closest store to my apartment, The Food Emporium.  Not anything like my dear old Publix, but a cute little (emphasis little) market.  I spent a solid 20 minutes walking around the store taking it all in before I even picked up a cart and was in shock.  Cereal for $7, soup for $5, pasta for $4! Are you kidding me?!  Needless to say I kept my shopping to a minimum and only bought what I needed and decided there must be a cheaper alternative.  Funny story about my trip, I got home and was looking at my receipt because I was still really in shock and discovered I bought a bag of grapes for $11!!! I could have sworn it said $3.89 a bag, but obviously I was paying no attention to the cute little lb symbol following the price.  I’m sure you’ve done something silly like this before, but I got a good laugh out of it.  For that price my grapes better turn to wine!

After a little research I determined that my best bet was going to be Trader Joe’s.  I’ve been to TJ before while visiting my best friend Shannon in Charlotte and fell in love with the concept of the store which is low priced, organic food sold under the TJ brand.  It almost seems a little too good to be true, but rest assured the quality of their products is just as good as the other grocers and the prices can’t be beat.  The only downside is that the store is on 14th st near Union Square and I live on 73rd, so it requires a 10 minute walk and 15 minute subway ride, but the savings make up for the journey.  I’m not sure how i’m going to factor it in to my weekly schedule but for good cheap food I know i’ll find a way.

My new kitchen in NYC

Finding the best grocery store is only half the battle in seeking culinary comfort, it’s learning your way around a new kitchen that really makes things interesting.  I am blessed to have an actual kitchen in a starter New York City apartment, complete with a gas stove and oven, microwave, dishwasher, refrigerator, and plenty of cabinet space.  It may be more compact than my kitchen back in Orlando, but it’s cute and has everything I need to make a great meal. The challenge comes in teaching my brain where things are.  It’s funny how you get so used things being in a certain place, I instinctively keep reaching for drawers and cabinets that don’t exist when looking for my silverware or dish towels.  I know i’ll learn it well eventually, but it makes meal preparation a little slow.

I’ve also never cooked with gas appliances but was really looking forward to it.  Whenever I would watch cooking shows on TV the chef’s always had gas and it seemed more efficient than electric.  After two weeks of boiling water, sautéing and grilling I can say that my presumptions were accurate, it is faster. So far I’m loving it, but I’m still learning how the advanced heating and temperature settings affect my cooking. I haven’t used my oven yet but know that will bring a learning curve as well.  Anyone out there have suggestions for baking in a gas oven? In my attempt to use the broiler I felt like a complete novice.  It must have been five minutes I had a dish in the oven thinking it was broiling before I realized the broiler was in fact under the oven in what I thought was a drawer for pans!  Thankfully I didn’t melt anything or cause a fire

I was in a particular search for comfort today, feeling a bit homesick and also hungry I wanted to make something that reminded me of home and family.  When I was a kid, one of the dishes my Mom would make for me was macaroni and cheese with sliced hot dogs and I absolutely loved it.  Something about the creaminess of the cheese mixed with the saltiness of the hot dog makes my taste buds do a little happy dance.  I eyed a box of Velveeta Shells and Cheese while at CVS this afternoon and knew that was the remedy I had been seeking.  I happened to have some of those flavored chicken sausages in the fridge as well so my plan was really starting to take shape.

Being the foodie that I am, I wanted to experiment and see how I could turn my childhood favorite into a gourmet meal.  Playing with flavors and being creative in the kitchen is something I love and encourage everyone to try with when they can.  When you are cooking for yourself this activity becomes a lot more fun as you have no one to impress but yourself and the pressure to be great subsides.  Searching my pantry for what I could use to jazz up my meal I eyed some stale bread, a tomato, block of parmesan cheese and garlic.  Throw in some italian seasoning and cayenne pepper and I knew I was on to something.

Mixing the flavors of the cheese, garlic, tomatoes and italian seasoning would go great with the chicken sausage and give the dish an Italian  focus. I love a little heat in everything I eat so a few shakes of cayenne couldn’t hurt. I popped the bread in the food processor to make fresh bread crumbs and mixed them together with some EVOO and parmesan cheese to create a simple topping that would give my mac’ and cheese a crunchy bite.

This dish was so simple to prepare and packed so much flavor that it was hard for me not to eat the whole thing.  I loved how the cheese brought all the flavors together and the crunchy topping gave every bite a salty kick. I felt at home eating this dish and knew my Mom would be proud of the spin I put on it.  Not to mention it was super cheap!  I love how something as simple as Velveeta can be a launch pad for something great.  Never look at an ingredient with tunnel vision, think outside the “box” and you may just surprise yourself.

Grown Up Sausage Shells and Cheese

Ingredients

• 1 box Velveeta Shells and Cheese (or your favorite brand)
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 clove of garlic, mashed with Italian herbs and some evoo
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
• Cayenne pepper (adjust based on desired heat level)
• 2 chicken sausages, cooked (I used a Spinach and Provolone variety) and sliced into 1/4 inch slices
• 1/4 cup breadcrumbs (best fresh if you have stale bread lying around)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Mise en place: get all your ingredients measured out and in arms reach of your cooking area.
2. Bring a sauce pot filled halfway with water to a boil. Salt the water and add in macaroni. Cook until al dente.
3. Strain macaroni and return pasta to the pot.
4. Mix in the butter, garlic, tomatoes, half the parmesan cheese, chicken sausages, cayenne and season with salt and pepper.  Stir until well incorporated.
5. Add in the packaged cheese sauce and mix well. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
6. Pour macaroni mixture into a square greased baking dish.
7. Mix the breadcrumbs and remaining parmesan cheese in a small bowl with some EVOO until all the bread is lightly coated. Sprinkle on top of macaroni mixture.
8. Place under the broiler for about 5 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.  Be sure to watch it so it doesn’t burn.