East Coast Edibles

31 Thursday May 2012

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east coast food, Jersey, jersey food, kohr brothers, macks pizza, wildwood nj

It’s been far too long since I last blogged and I’ve been antsy to do so! Now, don’t go thinking I’ve lost my passion for food just yet…

Proof: I just purchased cupcake flavored toothpaste.

Yes, it’s sweet and flavorful but I’d rather have a tube of straight buttercream frosting. For the sake of my teeth and dentist bills, I’ll resist the temptation.

With vacations occupying most my weekends, I haven’t had much time to dedicate to the kitchen (or to my laptop for that matter). Oh, how miss my tiny kitchen, my hand-me-down crockpot, and most of all, my mellow Friday nights of cooking in.

You better believe I have been eating away on my travels and of course snapping pics as I go!

Over Memorial Day weekend, I headed to New Jersey and enjoyed some of my favorite edibles on the East Coast.

First stop? Mack’s Pizza (formally Mack and Manco). I first tasted this “pie” during my visit last year and couldn’t wait to get seconds this time around. They claim it’s the Jersey water that makes the pizza irresistible and I kind of have to agree. The sauce tastes fresh and the crust is cooked to perfection. Usually I am partial to the Chicago deep dish style but Mack’s thin crust hits the spot after a long day at the shore. Enjoy the casual enviroment and open kitchen while you wait for your pizza to be ready. I opted for the half pepperoni and half mushroom pie but I have a feeling any combination won’t leave you disappointed. Check out Mack’s Pizza in Wildwood, NJ or Ocean City NJ.

Best way finish your pizza dinner? With a boardwalk staple, Kohr Brothers frozen custard. The variety of flavors will make it almost impossible to decide!

I went for the mint flavored custard with rainbow ~~sprinkles~~ jimmies. I demolished it in about .5 seconds flat.

Another boardwalk staple? Water ice. Trust me, this isn’t a snow cone. Water ice is finely graded, served in a cup, and accompanied with a spoon. Unlike snow cones, water ice never feezes over or gets a hard surface. Water ice is light, refreshing, and makes me wonder why California wastes its time with the messy, poorly made versions served in a cone cup. Last year I went for the black cherry flavor…this year I chose cotton candy! Equally delicious and an East Coast must have.

Thanks for the excess calories, East Coast! Until next time Jersey….

Classic Rice Pudding

11 Friday May 2012

Posted by Break the Plate in desserts, recipes

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classic rice pudding, rice pudding

There is something about TV show spinoffs and movie remakes that really irk me. Why do people feel the need to take something with such success and attempt to make it better? (ie. Saved by the Bell the College Years, and the Sex and the City movies).

On a recent drive to work, I started brainstorming ways to make the most unique rice pudding to ever hit the web! I toyed with the idea of coconut, or pistachio flavoring; but after long deliberation, I came to the conclusion that you can’t alter a classic.

Sure, I enjoy taking recipes and putting my own unique twist on them…but when it comes to dishes that make me feel nonstalgic, I prefer them classic.

I’m a rice pudding junkie and love the fact that most cultures have their own version! My preference: simple, not too thick, and topped with tons of cinnamon.

I whipped up a very generic, not so original, version of the sweet rice goodness! Check it out below!

Classic Rice Pudding

On the stove, bring 1 1/2 cup 2% milk and 1 1/2 cup basmati rice to a boil. Stir occasionally so the rice does not stick to bottom of the pan. Once brought to a boil, lower heat and add an additional 1 and 1/4 cup of milk.

In a seperate bowl, mix 1/4 cup of sugar and 1 egg together.

Pour about 1/8 cup of your hot rice milk mixture into your egg mixture while continuously mixing. Once mixed together, repeat by adding another 1/8 cup into your egg mixture. *This will prepare your egg mixture so when you transfer it to your rice milk mixture it will not get ”shocked” and turn into a clumpy, scrambled, mess.

Next, pour the egg mixture into your rice milk mixture on the stove. Let this cook for about 20 minutes. Your rice pudidng will become creamier.

Add cinnamon and remove from heat.

Transfer your rice pudding into a bowl and let chill in the fridge for a few hours.

Thats my favorite classic recipe. Now, what’s yours?

Easy Israeli Couscous Strawberry Salad

04 Friday May 2012

Posted by Break the Plate in recipes

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couscous, couscous salad, israeli couscous, strawberry and couscous

Happy Friday Readers!

It was a long week of working inside a gray cubicle. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t avoid the sporadic daydreams of travel and reminiscing of past vacations. Not long ago, I flew half way around the world to visit my friend, Morlene, in the Holy Land. What started out as a somewhat playful conversation of:

Morlene: Hey Brooke, you should come visit me in Israel.

Me: That sounds fun, I will look into it.

Turned into a $1,500 dollar plane ticket later.

I suffer from impulse ~~shopping~~ traveling. It’s a blessing and a curse (for the bank account) at the same time.

Reflecting back, my Israel trip couldn’t have went any smoother. Even the 16 hours plane ride was a breeze. Perhaps it was the free wine coupons I scored?

Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea, Palestine Territories, and random cities in between… I got to see it all! Not to mention, I had some of the best food in my life. Homemade shakshouka, delicious shawarma, and to-die-for falafel. On occasion, I still find myself craving Aroma Coffee. I’m sorry America, you just can’t compare to the coffee in other countries.

As a tribute to my friend Morlene (who I miss on a daily basis), I whipped up an Israeli inspired couscous salad. This salad requires few ingredients which means it is budget and time friendly.

Easy Israeli Couscous Strawberry Salad

Start with sautéing 1 and 1/3 cup of Israeli couscous (you can find this couscous at Trader Joes or Whole Foods) in a little bit of olive oil.

After a few minutes of sautéing, add 1 and 1/3 cup water and let boil for about 5 minutes. Lower heat and steam until the couscous is fluffed and cooked (no longer has a hard texture). If your couscous looks dry while steaming you may need to add more water.

Transfer to bowl and let chill.

Chop up 1 cup of strawberries, 1/2 cup of goat cheese and toss into bowl of couscous.

Drizzle very lightly with olive oil and fold in the ingredients.

There ya have it- Toda Roba!

Sophisticated Geek

03 Thursday May 2012

Posted by Break the Plate in Uncategorized

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brooke schafer, sophisticated geek, teavana

Teavana has been my obsession for years. With every sip of their Maharaja Chai Oolong tea I fantasize about having a classic tea party. I picture a lush garden, gorgeous table settings, silver utensils, antique tea pots, petite sandwiches, and English biscuits. Let’s not to forget the the timeless vintage dresses and extremely large, dramatic, hats.

But then I see awesome things such as this (a robot tea diffuser):

Picture from http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/kitchen/ea57/

And the image of my sophisticated tea party fades away and my geek side emerges.

Hi. My name is Brooke and I am a sophisticated geek.

Split Pea Honey Ham Soup

02 Wednesday May 2012

Posted by Break the Plate in recipes

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split pea soup, split pea ham soup, backcountry boiler, camping food, campsite ideas

Summer is approaching and my calendar is already booking up! This past weekend one my best friends tied the knot in the lovely Bay Area. The ceremony was just as beautiful as the scenery driving up. My boyfriend and I opted against the convenient short airplane ride since the view while driving Highway 1 is breathtaking. We made a stop 1/2 way up the coast to camp in Big Sur before the wedding festivities began. Typically, I am the one who wears the chefs pants in the relationship but since camping is in his realm, my boyfriend decided to surprise me with the perfect campsite dinner.

Homemade Split Pea and Honey Ham Soup!

My main squeeze started cooking the soup via crock pot the night before. He followed this recipe as a guideline but made a few alterations. When asking what he did differently, he mentioned that chopped ham just didn’t cut it. Instead, he purchased a honey baked ham from, who would have thought, the Honeybaked Ham store and even threw the bone into the crockpot to add the extra flavor (so proud!). The recipe calls for 2 garlic cloves but he added in extra. Also, this recipe does not call for enough liquid so he ended up adding chicken stock a few hours after starting the crockpot.

Once done, he packed up the soup in a cooler and all we had to do was heat it up!

The soup turned out fantastic and I was beyond impressed with his cooking skills. He even made sure to bring my favorite bottle of wine (Lions Peak, Peak Rouge) to accompany the dinner. Dessert included hot cocoa heated up by a backcountry boiler. I must admit, I am pretty spoiled. Usually, I’m not one to rough it but if camping includes being cooked a gourmet dinner, then I might be open to more trips in the future.