Unfortunately, I am going to postpone my quest for the best taco in Columbus, or for the best anything, because I've realized the hard way that this stuff costs a lot more money than I make! So when I have a better paying job and I am done with college, I will start this back up again because I really did it enjoy it thus far.
In the meantime, I will continue to post about my cooking/eating adventures! So keep reading if you are interested. I appreciate any comments or suggestions!
Sheepishly yours,
Celina.
Saturday, June 15, 2013
Friday, May 17, 2013
On Magdoos
Famished, sleepy, and late, I
hurried into the kitchen, eyes searching for victuals even before I had opened
the refrigerator. Cereal, no, eggs, no,
stuffed squash, no, yogurt, no, ahhh magdoos, yes yes yes. A tear of the
pita bread, a pop of the opening lid, a scooping of the salty, preserved,
glistening aubergines, a primal sound of satisfaction escaping through closed,
chewing mouth. The briny, vinegary baby eggplant flesh broke easily to give the
filling center stage: walnuts, red chilies, and garlic collide and meld
together with fruity olive oil to paint a crunchy, heated, unctuous landscape
of flavors upon my tongue. I forgot the clock, forgot the work, forgot all else
so effortlessly and relished a few assertive morsels of something so simple,
and so exactly what I wanted.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Los Guachos Taqueria
Yes, I'm still alive.
No, I didn't forget about my search for the best taco in Columbus.
Now that my first year of college is over, I finally have time to eat out and write and embark on exciting adventures! It's SUMMER!
Los Guachos Taqueria:
It took me a while to try every taco on this interesting menu, but I did! Los Guachos was originally a taco truck, but it became so popular that they opened up a restaurant on Godown Rd. (and kept a taco truck as well). This is a considerably impressive repertoire; more impressive is that anytime I ask about tacos I hear about Los Guachos first and foremost. I've also read rave reviews and articles exalting their "famous" Al Pastor taco, so I had some fairly high expectations given all this hype.
I made a couple of visits to Los Guachos, which is a generally nondescript store nestled in a gritty suburban plaza just off of Bethel Rd. Upon entering, it doesn't seem like much. A pleasant, brisk woman took my order at the counter and told me to sit wherever I wanted. When I found a clean table and sat down, I noticed the surprisingly beautiful carved wooden chairs and tables.
They added a nice touch to the otherwise almost bare taqueria. But, I told myself, I'm sure people come here for the spectacular food and not the ambiance. And the service, even though I didn't expect too much, was sub-par. Nobody asked me how my food was until I was leaving, and my water glass sat forlornly unfilled.
As much of a restaurant snob that I am, I am quite forgiving. Had the tacos blown me away, I would have forgotten all else and been converted into one of the many Los Guachos cheerleaders.
Alas, the tacos did not blow me away. In general, they were rather bland, underseasoned, and unimpressive. I did enjoy some things, like the humongous bowls of sliced limes and habanero-red onion relish, and the green and red sauces in squeeze bottles presented to every table. I enjoyed adding these yummy toppings to my tacos, but I would have enjoyed my tacos a lot more had they been flavorful to begin with. Here are the details, per taco.
(P.S. these pictures were taken after I had eaten a few bites of each taco. Please forgive me, I had to taste while they were still hot!)
Taco Al Pastor: (Corn tortilla, marinated pork, grilled pineapple, chopped onions, cilantro.) I tried this heavily advertised breadwinner twice, on different occasions, and tried so, so hard to love it. But I can't really say I even liked it. The marinated pork is shaved off of the rotating spit to order, which got me pretty fired up, but both times the flavor was lacking, the texture tough and disappointing. Might I just have visited on two bad days? Was the cook deliberately trying to make me dislike the Al Pastor? I'll never know, because I'll probably never order it again. The pineapple was a nice touch, but the "Original Taco Al Pastor" wasn't enjoyable until I doused it with lime juice, habanero-onion relish, and hot sauce, much like the other tacos on the menu.
Presentation: 5
Balance of Flavors:3
Creativity:6
Overall Quality:2
TOTAL: 16/40
Steak Taco: (corn tortillas, cubed steak, chopped onions, cilantro) Quite bland. Needed all of the condiments that could fit on the sad little floppy corn tortilla. I did notice on these tacos, however, that the chiffonade on the cilantro was quite lovely. Well done on those knife skills, Los Guachos line cook.
Presentation: 4
Balance of Flavors:1
Creativity:1
Overall Quality:2
TOTAL: 8/40
Tripe Taco: (corn tortillas, tripe, chopped onions, cilantro) I was pretty adventurous in trying this one. Tripe is the stomach tissue of an animal, usually the cow. When cooked and seasoned correctly, it can be quite good. This was not the case here. Maybe it's because I don't particularly like tripe, but I found this to be overly chewy, gritty, flavorless, majorly lacking salt. Even after topping it liberally with sauces and lime juice, it was atrocious. This is absolutely not the best taco in Columbus, in fact it might just be the worst, and I refuse to grace it with my rating chart.
TOTAL: 0/40
Beef Tongue Taco: (corn tortillas, beef tongue, chopped onions, cilantro) Crispy beef tongue in tiny cubes were crispy on the outside, and fairly tender on the inside. Somewhat spongy texture. Gamey, earthy flavor, only delicious after squeezing a few limes over it and heaping on the habanero relish.
Presentation: 5
Balance of Flavors:4
Creativity:4
Overall Quality:4
TOTAL: 17/40
Brisket Taco: (Corn tortillas, brisket, chopped onions, cilantro) Brisket is a tough cut of meat from the lower chest of the cow/calf. These muscles work really hard, which makes them tough and flavorful, when cooked correctly. (Pro tip: tough cuts of meat should be cooked using slow, moist heat methods, like braising or simmering.) In this taco, I'm not sure how they cooked the brisket, but it consisted of crunchy crumbles reminiscent of bacon bits. This taco was probably one of the better ones I had here, mostly because the meat actually had some flavor. But, like the others, it still needed more seasoning.
Presentation: 5
Balance of Flavors:5
Creativity:6
Overall Quality:5
TOTAL: 21/40
Chicken Taco: (Corn tortillas,white meat chicken, chopped onions, cilantro) Bland, plain jane, needed more of everything.
TOTAL: 0/40
Fish Taco: (flour tortilla, fried fish fillet, shredded iceberg lettuce, pico de gallo, chipotle sauce) This was a pretty good taco. The chipotle sauce really added something, and the fish (not sure what kind?) was juicy, perfectly cooked, hot, and crispy. It needed a little more salt. Lime juice made it great.
Presentation: 5
Balance of Flavors:8
Creativity:6
Overall Quality:7
TOTAL: 26/40
Chorizo Taco: (corn tortillas, chorizo sausage, chopped onions, cilantro) This taco miraculously didn't need salt!!! Maybe it was less a miracle and more that chorizo is already jam packed with seasoning and flavor. This taco had the most flavor out of all of them. It was a bit greasy, but the freshness of the cilantro lifted it and was greatly appreciated.
Presentation: 5
Balance of Flavors:8
Creativity:6
Overall Quality:8
TOTAL: 27/40
My overall impression of Los Guachos is that it is an alright place to go for authentic Mexican food. I haven't tried their other menu items, which do look really good, so I can't give a complete review. Regarding the tacos, I was left wanting more: more seasoning, more flavor, more punch, more char on the tortillas, more of the great authentic deliciousness that is so aggressively advertised. I did enjoy the low prices ($1.50 per taco), the carved wood, the garlicky green sauce in a squeeze bottle that mellowed everything out, and the limes. But I'm fairly positive that I have not yet found the best taco in Columbus. The search continues!
No, I didn't forget about my search for the best taco in Columbus.
Now that my first year of college is over, I finally have time to eat out and write and embark on exciting adventures! It's SUMMER!
Los Guachos Taqueria:
It took me a while to try every taco on this interesting menu, but I did! Los Guachos was originally a taco truck, but it became so popular that they opened up a restaurant on Godown Rd. (and kept a taco truck as well). This is a considerably impressive repertoire; more impressive is that anytime I ask about tacos I hear about Los Guachos first and foremost. I've also read rave reviews and articles exalting their "famous" Al Pastor taco, so I had some fairly high expectations given all this hype.
I made a couple of visits to Los Guachos, which is a generally nondescript store nestled in a gritty suburban plaza just off of Bethel Rd. Upon entering, it doesn't seem like much. A pleasant, brisk woman took my order at the counter and told me to sit wherever I wanted. When I found a clean table and sat down, I noticed the surprisingly beautiful carved wooden chairs and tables.
They added a nice touch to the otherwise almost bare taqueria. But, I told myself, I'm sure people come here for the spectacular food and not the ambiance. And the service, even though I didn't expect too much, was sub-par. Nobody asked me how my food was until I was leaving, and my water glass sat forlornly unfilled.
As much of a restaurant snob that I am, I am quite forgiving. Had the tacos blown me away, I would have forgotten all else and been converted into one of the many Los Guachos cheerleaders.
Alas, the tacos did not blow me away. In general, they were rather bland, underseasoned, and unimpressive. I did enjoy some things, like the humongous bowls of sliced limes and habanero-red onion relish, and the green and red sauces in squeeze bottles presented to every table. I enjoyed adding these yummy toppings to my tacos, but I would have enjoyed my tacos a lot more had they been flavorful to begin with. Here are the details, per taco.
(P.S. these pictures were taken after I had eaten a few bites of each taco. Please forgive me, I had to taste while they were still hot!)
Taco Al Pastor: (Corn tortilla, marinated pork, grilled pineapple, chopped onions, cilantro.) I tried this heavily advertised breadwinner twice, on different occasions, and tried so, so hard to love it. But I can't really say I even liked it. The marinated pork is shaved off of the rotating spit to order, which got me pretty fired up, but both times the flavor was lacking, the texture tough and disappointing. Might I just have visited on two bad days? Was the cook deliberately trying to make me dislike the Al Pastor? I'll never know, because I'll probably never order it again. The pineapple was a nice touch, but the "Original Taco Al Pastor" wasn't enjoyable until I doused it with lime juice, habanero-onion relish, and hot sauce, much like the other tacos on the menu.
Presentation: 5
Balance of Flavors:3
Creativity:6
Overall Quality:2
TOTAL: 16/40
Steak Taco: (corn tortillas, cubed steak, chopped onions, cilantro) Quite bland. Needed all of the condiments that could fit on the sad little floppy corn tortilla. I did notice on these tacos, however, that the chiffonade on the cilantro was quite lovely. Well done on those knife skills, Los Guachos line cook.
Presentation: 4
Balance of Flavors:1
Creativity:1
Overall Quality:2
TOTAL: 8/40
Tripe Taco: (corn tortillas, tripe, chopped onions, cilantro) I was pretty adventurous in trying this one. Tripe is the stomach tissue of an animal, usually the cow. When cooked and seasoned correctly, it can be quite good. This was not the case here. Maybe it's because I don't particularly like tripe, but I found this to be overly chewy, gritty, flavorless, majorly lacking salt. Even after topping it liberally with sauces and lime juice, it was atrocious. This is absolutely not the best taco in Columbus, in fact it might just be the worst, and I refuse to grace it with my rating chart.
TOTAL: 0/40
Beef Tongue Taco: (corn tortillas, beef tongue, chopped onions, cilantro) Crispy beef tongue in tiny cubes were crispy on the outside, and fairly tender on the inside. Somewhat spongy texture. Gamey, earthy flavor, only delicious after squeezing a few limes over it and heaping on the habanero relish.
Presentation: 5
Balance of Flavors:4
Creativity:4
Overall Quality:4
TOTAL: 17/40
Brisket Taco: (Corn tortillas, brisket, chopped onions, cilantro) Brisket is a tough cut of meat from the lower chest of the cow/calf. These muscles work really hard, which makes them tough and flavorful, when cooked correctly. (Pro tip: tough cuts of meat should be cooked using slow, moist heat methods, like braising or simmering.) In this taco, I'm not sure how they cooked the brisket, but it consisted of crunchy crumbles reminiscent of bacon bits. This taco was probably one of the better ones I had here, mostly because the meat actually had some flavor. But, like the others, it still needed more seasoning.
Presentation: 5
Balance of Flavors:5
Creativity:6
Overall Quality:5
TOTAL: 21/40
Chicken Taco: (Corn tortillas,white meat chicken, chopped onions, cilantro) Bland, plain jane, needed more of everything.
TOTAL: 0/40
Fish Taco: (flour tortilla, fried fish fillet, shredded iceberg lettuce, pico de gallo, chipotle sauce) This was a pretty good taco. The chipotle sauce really added something, and the fish (not sure what kind?) was juicy, perfectly cooked, hot, and crispy. It needed a little more salt. Lime juice made it great.
Presentation: 5
Balance of Flavors:8
Creativity:6
Overall Quality:7
TOTAL: 26/40
Chorizo Taco: (corn tortillas, chorizo sausage, chopped onions, cilantro) This taco miraculously didn't need salt!!! Maybe it was less a miracle and more that chorizo is already jam packed with seasoning and flavor. This taco had the most flavor out of all of them. It was a bit greasy, but the freshness of the cilantro lifted it and was greatly appreciated.
Presentation: 5
Balance of Flavors:8
Creativity:6
Overall Quality:8
TOTAL: 27/40
My overall impression of Los Guachos is that it is an alright place to go for authentic Mexican food. I haven't tried their other menu items, which do look really good, so I can't give a complete review. Regarding the tacos, I was left wanting more: more seasoning, more flavor, more punch, more char on the tortillas, more of the great authentic deliciousness that is so aggressively advertised. I did enjoy the low prices ($1.50 per taco), the carved wood, the garlicky green sauce in a squeeze bottle that mellowed everything out, and the limes. But I'm fairly positive that I have not yet found the best taco in Columbus. The search continues!
 |
| Lauren enjoys the limes, too. |
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Mistake Pasta
Mistakes are inevitable. Everybody makes them, everybody gets upset about them, (almost) everybody wants to fix them. Most of the time, whatever error one has made can be either fixed or forgiven. And I think one of the wonderful things about food is that it makes up for those mistakes that we can't really fix or forgive ourselves for. How, you ask?
Well, I respond, 1) food is delicious and its deliciousness usually induces temporary amnesia, which is nice when you really don't want to think about how you screwed up that interview; crispy bacon is the perfect food choice for mistake amnesia because the crunch drowns out your thoughts and honestly, how can any self-respecting carnivore be unhappy while munching on bacon? Impossible.
2) when cooking, lots of mistakes can be made, but almost all of those mistakes can be fixed! Which brings me to the inspiration for this post.
Spaghetti squash caught my eye while strolling through Kroger, so I grabbed two, nestled them in my basket next to the salt and vinegar chips, checked out and went on my way. I ended up roasting them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Simple, classic, yummy; squash usually tastes best when it isn't too dressed up. But after roasting them, that evil devil, Wanna-Be-Chef-Celina, piped up and persuaded me to saute the strands of squash with basically everything I could find...that ended up including garlic, onions, shallots, LOTS AND LOTS of lemon zest and juice, lime zest and juice, herbs de Provence, parsley, and butter. This might not have been too horrible if I had gone much easier on the citrus, and actually cooked the garlic. But I didn't. This is one of the many reasons I will never be a chef: when I'm in the middle of cooking and a crazy idea crosses my mind, I employ that idea without a second thought.
It was a mistake. I ruined the dignity of that spaghetti squash. I tried to eat it but it was so acidic that it hurt my teeth, and so generally icky that I grimaced while chewing. So I plunked it all into an opaque tupperware container, tossed it in the back of the fridge, and tried to forget about it.
A couple of days later, when my teeth had recovered, I decided to face up to the pungent result of my impulsiveness. Here is a rough breakdown how I fixed it:
Mistake Pasta
Ingredients:
-a bunch of lemony, garlicky, icky spaghetti squash mistake mess
-linguini or spaghetti pasta noodles, 1 box
-1 part butter
-1 part flour
-milk
-salt and pepper to taste
-crushed red pepper flakes to taste
-Onion, sliced
1) With the butter, flour, and milk, make alfredo sauce. I didn't have a block of parmesan to grate into it, but if I did I would have totally gone for it.
2) Caramelize the onion in some butter and then add spaghetti squash to heat through.
3) Meanwhile, cook the pasta (al dente of course). Drain and do not rinse (the starch left on un-rinsed noodles helps sauce to cling to them. Pro tip! Rinse pasta only when you're making something like a cold pasta salad, so the noodles don't get gummy)
4) Add the onion and spaghetti squash mixture to the alfredo, then add the pasta. Stir, stir, stir. Add salt and pepper to taste, and crushed red pepper flakes.
Not too shabby for a terrible spaghetti squash dish gone awry, eh? It doesn't look like much, but alfredo usually never does. It tasted pretty good; creamy and mild, definitely citrus-y but not acidic (the alfredo cut through that). And my brother wanted me to mention that it won his apparently prestigious seal of approval.
So next time you think you've completely messed up any hope of being friends again with somebody, or messed up a supposedly easy broccoli recipe, try to look at the problem from a different, more delicious and definitely more positive perspective.
Cheers (I've always wanted to say cheers to somebody),
Celina.
Well, I respond, 1) food is delicious and its deliciousness usually induces temporary amnesia, which is nice when you really don't want to think about how you screwed up that interview; crispy bacon is the perfect food choice for mistake amnesia because the crunch drowns out your thoughts and honestly, how can any self-respecting carnivore be unhappy while munching on bacon? Impossible.
2) when cooking, lots of mistakes can be made, but almost all of those mistakes can be fixed! Which brings me to the inspiration for this post.
Spaghetti squash caught my eye while strolling through Kroger, so I grabbed two, nestled them in my basket next to the salt and vinegar chips, checked out and went on my way. I ended up roasting them with some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Simple, classic, yummy; squash usually tastes best when it isn't too dressed up. But after roasting them, that evil devil, Wanna-Be-Chef-Celina, piped up and persuaded me to saute the strands of squash with basically everything I could find...that ended up including garlic, onions, shallots, LOTS AND LOTS of lemon zest and juice, lime zest and juice, herbs de Provence, parsley, and butter. This might not have been too horrible if I had gone much easier on the citrus, and actually cooked the garlic. But I didn't. This is one of the many reasons I will never be a chef: when I'm in the middle of cooking and a crazy idea crosses my mind, I employ that idea without a second thought.
It was a mistake. I ruined the dignity of that spaghetti squash. I tried to eat it but it was so acidic that it hurt my teeth, and so generally icky that I grimaced while chewing. So I plunked it all into an opaque tupperware container, tossed it in the back of the fridge, and tried to forget about it.
A couple of days later, when my teeth had recovered, I decided to face up to the pungent result of my impulsiveness. Here is a rough breakdown how I fixed it:
Mistake Pasta
Ingredients:
-a bunch of lemony, garlicky, icky spaghetti squash mistake mess
-linguini or spaghetti pasta noodles, 1 box
-1 part butter
-1 part flour
-milk
-salt and pepper to taste
-crushed red pepper flakes to taste
-Onion, sliced
1) With the butter, flour, and milk, make alfredo sauce. I didn't have a block of parmesan to grate into it, but if I did I would have totally gone for it.
2) Caramelize the onion in some butter and then add spaghetti squash to heat through.
3) Meanwhile, cook the pasta (al dente of course). Drain and do not rinse (the starch left on un-rinsed noodles helps sauce to cling to them. Pro tip! Rinse pasta only when you're making something like a cold pasta salad, so the noodles don't get gummy)
4) Add the onion and spaghetti squash mixture to the alfredo, then add the pasta. Stir, stir, stir. Add salt and pepper to taste, and crushed red pepper flakes.
So next time you think you've completely messed up any hope of being friends again with somebody, or messed up a supposedly easy broccoli recipe, try to look at the problem from a different, more delicious and definitely more positive perspective.
Cheers (I've always wanted to say cheers to somebody),
Celina.
Friday, March 22, 2013
The Best of Columbus: kickoff!
I'm almost ashamed to admit that, before today, I had never had a real taco. Taco Bell, despite being named after them, doesn't count. Neither does a reheated hard taco shell stuffed with ground beef (that has been seasoned with taco seasoning mix).
I have to also admit that I can't recall ever really craving tacos. But again, today was an exception. The entire morning at work (shoutout to Winans Fine Chocolates and Coffees!) I couldn't stop thinking about tacos. It may have been my foodie subconscious nagging at me to start this search for the best [enter food item] in Columbus. But that still doesn't answer the question: why tacos?
I guess that will remain unanswered until I find the taco in Columbus that makes me close my eyes and think, yes. THAT'S why tacos. Even better, a taco that makes me say that out loud, in the restaurant.
So today marks the beginning of this challenge I created for myself. Basically, I've made a list of different food items (buffalo chicken sandwich, oysters, cheese pizza, fried chicken, croissant, sushi, wings, taco, etc.) and for each item I will embark on a search for the absolute best one in Columbus. Hopefully along the way I'll learn some new things about the culture, history, and techniques behind each item.
Thanks to my random aching for traditional Mexican food, tacos are the first! I am really excited to find the absolute best taco in Columbus, especially because today I went to the first taquerÃa on my list, had my first authentic taco, and fell in love. But I still have many more tacos to enjoy, and only one can win! muahahahahaha side note: I do an excellent evil laugh in person.
Criteria for best taco:
-Presentation: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-Balance of Flavors: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-Creativity: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
-Overall Quality: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
The "grades" for each taco I try will be included, as well as comments and mini reviews of each restaurant.
I leave you with the sexiest, funniest song you will ever hear about tacos: Taco Grande
Critically yours,
Celina.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Ginger Cookies with Pomegranate Molasses (AKA Anger Cookies)
I should say straight away
that I am by no stretch of the imagination a baker. A baker is patient,
practically OCD with the measurements, and wicked organized. I am, of course,
non of the above with a delightful mix of insanely messy, too proud to admit that
maybe I should have measured out that flour, and inability follow a
recipe. That being said, working at a chocolate shop has really activated my
once-dormant sweet tooth, so the prospect of eating dessert is actually enough
motivation for me to make it!
Today, I made ginger cookies
but substituted pomegranate molasses with the regular molasses in the recipe.
This was the lovely idea of a lovely man named Josh Cook, who " love[s]
ginger cookies and just got far too excited at the prospect of such a treat!!!!"(the
treat being pomegranate ginger cookies). So thank you, Josh! Be sure to use a
sweeter pomegranate molasses for this. The bottles don't really say whether
it's sweet or super sour, but you can either ask the store owner or tilt the
bottle. If the contents look a bit clumpy and really dark, almost black, then
it's most likely the sour kind. If the contents are very smooth and lighter,
and the nutrition label says it has over 5 grams of sugar in an 8.8 oz bottle,
it's the sweet stuff. I don't recommend drinking the sweet stuff. Blech.
Other adjustments I made to this recipe include:
-grinding my own spices (1
tsp whole cloves, 1 tbsp chrystallized ginger, 1 stick cinnamon) This isn't
absolutely necessary but the difference between freshly ground spices as opposed
to God-knows-how-long-that's-been-in-the-cupboard spices is staggering. I also
grated a 1-inch piece of fresh ginger and mixed that into the wet
ingredients.
-omitted 2/3 of the sugar in
the cookies. I still rolled them in sugar, but I'm not a fan of super sweet
cookies, and cutting a bit of sugar out helps. These turned out, in my
opinion, perfectly, faintly sweet.
-took out my anger into the
creamed butter and sugar. Yes, I tried to get my little brother to be my
assistant. Yes, I asserted my dominance over him by using a condescending tone
of voice and throwing him out of the kitchen when he acted skeptical of
pomegranate molasses in cookies. No, I did not feel good about it. I think the
cookie gods punished me by making some of the cookies run together on
the cookie sheet, which i just HATE. Also, my spatula may or may not have snapped in half...
So here is the recipe with my
adjustments included, go wild! Remember to throw some forgiveness and humility
in yours, and the cookie gods might smile on you. But who knows, they are
fickle SOB's.
INGREDIENTS:
|
2 1/4 cups all-purpose
flour
½ tsp whole cloves, 1 stick
cinnamon, 1 tbsp chrystallized ginger, ground together
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-inch piece of fresh
ginger, grated
|
3/4 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup white sugar
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1/4 cup pomegranate
molasses
2 tablespoons white sugar
|
DIRECTIONS:
|
1.
|
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour, ground spices , baking soda, and
salt. Set aside.
|
|
2.
|
In a large bowl, cream
together the butter and 2/3 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the
egg, then stir in the water, fresh ginger, and molasses. Gradually stir the
sifted ingredients into the molasses mixture. Shape dough into walnut sized
balls, and roll them in the remaining 2 tablespoons of sugar. Place the
cookies 2 inches apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet, and flatten slightly.
|
|
3.
|
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in
the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes
before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Store in an airtight
container.
Note: try not to break your
spatula in half, it only fuels any possible anger you might be feeling.
Yields 24 cookies.
|
My results: Absolutely delicious cookies, but I couldn’t
really taste the pom molasses, which is rather unfortunate. Since I’m not a
baker, I don’t really know if doubling the pomegranate molasses would completely
ruin the cookies or not. If you really want to go for that pomegranate flavor,
it’s worth a shot! They did, however, have just a hint of tangy-ness, which I enjoyed. Besides that, the cookies were crumbly, had a nice sugar
crust on the outside, and tender on the inside. They’d be perfect with a cup of
coffee in the morning, especially since they’re not cloyingly sweet.
What I learned today: Ginger is the queen of spices. Mmmmm.
Spicily yours,
Celina.
Sunday, February 17, 2013
10 Benefits of Eating Chinese Food
1)
It’s
the perfect TV watching food. Nothing too crispy to overpower the sound of the
TV, perfect balance of savory and sweet, nice chewy noodles that are perfect
for munching on while contemplating The Doctor’s next move…
2)
The
first bite makes your heart smile. Nevermind that the last bite makes you feel
desperate and sad and also a bit guilty now that you’re mopping up the leftover
sauce with your finger…You can always order more!
3)
If
all you’ve eaten all day are sodium free foods, it provides at least a day’s
worth of sodium! If you have eaten salt all day, then you have enough sodium
for tomorrow!
4)
It
satisfies one’s craving for sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy, and greasy, all in
one!
5)
General
Tso’s sauce makes eating broccoli more fun than does Hidden Valley Ranch.
6)
Fortune
cookies: free therapy session.
7)
Induces
sleepiness, and sleep is imperative for a healthy brain and body. Therefore we
can assume that Chinese food is healthy!
8)
It
tastes good cold. Better than cold pizza.
9)
It’s
a delicious example of America’s impeccable knack for turning a traditionally
healthy food culture into a cheap guilty pleasure.
10) Its
deliciousness distracts from life’s problems for a little while.
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| This man's face speaks truth. |
Now that you have ten reasons to pick up the phone and order 25 crab rangoons, a quart of hot and sour soup, and 3 orders of General Tso's chicken confidently, go on! For cheap and sinfully delicious Chinese, I recommend Hong Kong on Hard Rd. and Smokey Row Rd. Their food is consistent, they offer hot tea while you wait (i don't know about you, but free hot tea is definitely a deal breaker), it's family owned, and they have a lunch special of basically any dish you want with a side of rice and any soup for just $4.75! I have yet to find a better deal than that.
Hungrily yours,
Celina.
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