We were in the mood for chocolate chip cookies. But not just any chocolate chip cookies.  Toll House Chocolate chip cookies. I know, I know, we promised to cook healthier.   Well my lovely wife and partner in culinary crime Aimee suggested adding dried cranberries.  I love cranberries, so I thought that was a great idea and figured I would make chocolate chip cranberry cookies!  I decided to tinker with the recipe to adjust the amount of sugar and butter going into the mix as well.  Here is what I did to make it better:

The chocolate chip cranberry cookies turned out better than I expected. I was afraid that the Splenda would throw off the browning of the cookies, but they looked great! They are not too soft and not too sweet.   Aimee loved them too, so I guess they are a hit. I will continue to try and be more creative with some of favorite desserts. Perhaps I’ll even try to lighten up  famous carrot cake recipe next time!

Now if you decide to use a different type of sweetener, such as Splenda, or something of that nature, please read the conversion measurements.  It will be an unpleasant surprise if you use too much sweetener!  Also, you can use self rising flour in a pinch, but be prepared for a cookie with a more cake-like texture.  Not bad, just different.

As with all the recipes we post on Foodies 101, we welcome your input and suggestions.  We love experimenting with food, so any fun things you find, we would love to know about it.  You can always reach us at info@eatsandtreats4u.com.  Enjoy!
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Foodies 101 husband and wife columnists Aimee & Kevin Ellis came to our attention when they guest blogged for HVRW Fall 2012 for the first time.   By day they both work in customer service & sales but in their downtime they love to travel, try new restaurants and experiment with recipes in their own kitchen.  They strive to support small and local businesses and really enjoy blogging about their experiences.   With Kevin being an adventurous eater and Aimee being picky, they form an honest, unique and curious voice that will easily allow you to go along with them for the ride.    They blog at Eats and Treats.  You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

The post Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies on Foodies 101 – Small Bites appeared first on Small Bites.

My friend Nicole wanted to take me out for my birthday. She lives about an hour away so we were trying to figure out someplace at the halfway mark to meet.  Me being in Carmel and her in Hyde Park we decided on Route 9 in Fishkill.  The biggest issue now was to figure out which of the countless eateries to dine at.  She mentioned an Indian Restaurant on Main Street/Route 52 called Tanjore. At first I was skeptical because it had been so long since I’d been to an Indian Restaurant, easily 5 years ago.  But the the plan was made and the more I thought about it, the more excited I became!

We got there at almost exactly 6pm on a Monday night. The place was empty except for a few folks I who were there for take-out. We were seated and a friendly waiter came and filled our water glasses and gave us menus.  I had basically decided right off the bat to stick to what I knew, which was Chicken Tikka Masala.  Nicole wanted the same thing and we ordered a Vegetable Samosa appetizer which Nicole said was really delicious. We also asked for some garlic Nan.

Within 10 minutes or so our appetizer came out and Nicole went right for what we think is Tamarind sauce.  I have researched it a few times and can’t come up with any other possible answer, and of course I forgot to ask our waiter!  It’s a sweet, fruity dipping sauce, a purple-red in color.  There was also Onion and Cilantro chutney on the table.  I stayed away from both of those, but the purple stuff was so tasty!

Getting back to our appetizer, the vegetable samosa came to the table with 2 on the plate.  They were large, almost the size of my fist!  Perfect for the 2 of us to share.

They were fried and crunchy on the outside and inside they were filled with a mixture of mashed up potato and green peas with some different spices.  It had a tiny kick but it was nothing we couldn’t handle. I loved the crunchy outer shell and the warm soft flavors on the inside.

Pretty soon our waiter brought out our entrees.  We each had our own bowl of the Tikka Masala and a shared bowl of white rice and of course the garlic nan.   Everything smelled divine!  Now for those of you who have never had Indian food, let me tell you what is in the Chicken Tikka Masala so you don’t think it’s some kind of smelly, gross, scary food that you will never want try, because I promise it’s really good!

Chicken Tikka Masala consists of boneless chicken breast grilled in the tandoor (clay oven) and slow cooked in a creamy tomato sauce.  It has a small kick from the spices but when you put it over the white rice, that seems to cut the heat almost immediately.  The creamy tomato sauce is so good!  It’s not like Italian tomato sauce (gravy) its very smooth and full of traditional Indian flavors.  Oh man, we had a party with that food.  I was so full by the time we were ready to leave that I had to take the rest home with me.  I had it 2 days later for lunch at work and it was just as delicious.

Nicole and I did have some dessert.  She had something called Rasamalai which is something of a cheesecake (2 bite-sized cheesecake-like balls) soaking in a milky sauce.  Nicole loved it. I tried it and the texture was definitely not to my liking so I stuck to homemade vanilla ice cream with pistachios on top.

I have found the Tikka Masala simmering sauce at both ShopRite and Trader Joe’s but so far, nothing compares to having it made the right way, fresh from a great restaurant like Tanjore!

If you’re ever in the Fishkill area, stop by Tanjore at 922 Main Street Plaza (Route 52), Fishkill, NY.  Or call ahead and pick some up if you like, 845896-6659. Here is a link to their MENU, check it out!

Take care and happy eats til next time!
-Aimee Ellis of Foodies 101
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Foodies 101 husband and wife columnists Aimee & Kevin Ellis came to our attention when they guest blogged for HVRW Fall 2012 for the first time.   By day they both work in customer service & sales but in their downtime they love to travel, try new restaurants and experiment with recipes in their own kitchen.  They strive to support small and local businesses and really enjoy blogging about their experiences.   With Kevin being an adventurous eater and Aimee being picky, they form an honest, unique and curious voice that will easily allow you to go along with them for the ride.    They blog at Eats and Treats.  You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

The post Indian Restaurant Review: Tanjore, Fishkill, NY appeared first on Small Bites.

Aimee and I were coming home after visiting some good friends and we were talking about the article we  read about Joe Willy’s being filmed to be on Food Network. We were driving on route 9 South, coming from Hyde Park.  Since the restaurant was on our way home, we decided to stop and check it out.

The atmosphere in the restaurant was very lax.  It was a Sunday night, kind of late (around 7pm), so the dinner crowd was heading out.  We were just about the only people inside.   There was some loud talking from the bar area.  I believe it was the owner of the establishment.  There seemed to be some locals seated near there, and it was nice to see that the owner was out in the dining room connecting to his patrons.

The service was pretty quick and our server was friendly and attentive.  We ordered appetizers from the new menu Robert Irvine from Restaurant Impossible put together.  I ordered crab cakes and Aimee had clam chowder. She thought the chowder was creamy, thick and tasty. The crab cake was great!  Crunchy on the outside, warm on the inside with a little kick of heat. The corn remoulade sauce complemented it very well.

For the main course, I ordered fish and chips.  It was fresh cod that was friend in beer batter. I added shrimp to my order and they were beer battered as well.  It was accompanied by a side of steak fries, slaw, and tartar sauce. The fish and shrimp tasted fresh and the batter was fried just right.  The tartar sauce was very good, and I do not usually eat tartar sauce, so that is saying something!  The only downside is that I thought  the beer batter needed a touch of salt.   My wife thought the Penne ala Vodka was great.  She said the shrimp was fresh and perfectly cooked.

Overall, Joe Willy’s is a nice place for dinner.  I do wish we had visited before the renovation so we could give you a better idea of how much it has improved since Restaurant Impossible took over.   I hope from our observations that it will give you an idea of what they are all about now.  Please check out their website and see the pictures for yourself and stop in for a bite and try it out!
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Foodies 101 husband and wife columnists Aimee & Kevin Ellis came to our attention when they guest blogged for HVRW Fall 2012 for the first time.   By day they both work in customer service & sales but in their downtime they love to travel, try new restaurants and experiment with recipes in their own kitchen.  They strive to support small and local businesses and really enjoy blogging about their experiences.   With Kevin being an adventurous eater and Aimee being picky, they form an honest, unique and curious voice that will easily allow you to go along with them for the ride.    They blog at Eats and Treats.  You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

The post Joe Willys Seafood House – Funky place to grab a bite appeared first on Small Bites.

Corned beef hash is one of my guilty pleasures.  I try to order it whenever we go to breakfast at our local diner. My wife turns her nose every time I order it &  says it looks like dog food.  I beg to differ!  Maybe it’s not the most attractive of food item on the menu, but the bold flavor and salty bite from the pickled brisket mixed with the fluffy, creamy potatoes and the warm, buttery onions?  It’s like all my food fantasies rolled into one forkful.  Aimee doesn’t really like corned beef and cabbage so it’s not something we would normally make at home.  But let’s face it..this time of year changes everything.  Since we are near St. Patrick’s Day, the essential ingredients of this dish are on sale everywhere!  So this passed weekend my cravings and the supermarket flyer joined forces and convinced me to attempt to tackle a corned beef hash recipe in my own kitchen.  I have always wanted to make it myself, I guess I just never thought to do so when it’s so commonly found on the breakfast menu of most restaurants.  Once the thought was in my head, there was no stopping me from going out to buy a corned beef brisket just for this very occasion!

According to all the recipes I found online, corned beef hash calls for pre-cooked corned beef and pre-cooked potatoes.  (Basically, lots of great recipes meant for leftovers). I was thinking of going all the way and corning my own brisket, but that is way too much work for me.  So, I purchased a 2.5 lb. Flat Cut Corned Beef Brisket.  I followed the package directions in cooking it, and it let it simmer for about 2 hours.   Then took it out of the water and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before trimming off any excess fat.

Then I cubed it up small and stored the beef in the refrigerator to cool down while I peeled and diced 6 Yukon Gold potatoes.  I boiled them until tender, drained them, and put them aside.  Yes, I was going to be making a lot of hash!

Once everything had been cooked and cooled, I finely chopped a medium yellow onion. I heated a 12 inch cast iron skillet to medium and melted 3 Tbs of unsalted butter. I added the onions in the skillet and cooked them until translucent. While they were cooking I combined 2 cups of potatoes with 2 cups of corned beef. I added the mixture to the skillet and pressed it down, letting it cook until brown on the bottom, then flipping it over to brown up a little more.   The smell wafting through my kitchen was making my mouth water. I could not wait to taste it!

We sure hope you all have a yummy, safe Saint Patrick’s day – don’t forget to wear green!
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Foodies 101 husband and wife columnists Aimee & Kevin Ellis came to our attention when they guest blogged for HVRW Fall 2012 for the first time.   By day they both work in customer service & sales but in their downtime they love to travel, try new restaurants and experiment with recipes in their own kitchen.  They strive to support small and local businesses and really enjoy blogging about their experiences.   With Kevin being an adventurous eater and Aimee being picky, they form an honest, unique and curious voice that will easily allow you to go along with them for the ride.    They blog at Eats and Treats.  You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

The post Homemade Corned Beef Hash: Foodies 101. appeared first on Small Bites.

Aimee is the creative cook, whereas I like to follow a recipe so I am almost guaranteed to enjoy what I make.  But this time, I was trying to not only think outside the box, but cook outside the box as well.  The PIZZA box that is!  We love pizza.  But what we had at Bellota was still so fresh on our tongues and I was so excited to give this a try – recipe or not.  I was still stumped on how to make the tasty flatbread pizza and have it come out somewhat similar to the Tapas version from Bellota.   When I got home with the ingredients,  I immediately oiled a metal bowl and placed the dough inside and covered it with a dish towel.  I placed it in a warm area of my kitchen until I was ready to use it.  After a few hours, I took the dough and turned it out onto a floured surface.  I pre-heated the oven to 425 and then rolled the dough out until it was very thin and placed it on a baking sheet  sprayed with non-stick spray.  I put the dough in the oven for 5-7 minutes to see if it would brown up a bit.  It was pouring outside and not to mention chilly!  I knew I couldn’t grill the dough, but I was trying to match the grilled effect by making it crispy on the bottom.   While that was in the oven I grated the small brick of Manchego and mixed it with a handful of mozzarella because it wasn’t quite enough to cover the pizza.  My wife thinks I’m too heavy handed when it comes to herbs and spices so she was very specific: a pinch of Thyme, a pinch of white pepper, 2 pinches of Italian seasoning and a pinch of garlic powder.

When I pulled the pizza out of the oven it looked amazing!  Beautiful with brown bubbly cheese and nice and crispy underneath, just how we like it.  I took the white truffle oil and drizzled it sparingly over the top and cut it into little squares with the pizza cutter.  White truffle oil is very strong and trust me when I say a little goes a long way.  Aimee and I were excited to taste it.

After the first bite, we were in heaven and our tongues had found what they had been craving since that day at Bellota!  We will be making this again very soon for a picky-food party at a friends house in a few weeks.   Although the ingredients are a bit expensive, (White truffle oil was $8.99/bottle at DeCicco’s and the Manchego cheese was $5.99 at Hannafords) this is definitely something we will want to have at least once a month going forward.

We hope you will try this sometime yourself and enjoy it just as much!

xoxo,

Kevin & Aimee Ellis – Foodies 101
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Foodies 101 husband and wife columnists Aimee & Kevin Ellis came to our attention when they guest blogged for HVRW Fall 2012 for the first time.   By day they both work in customer service & sales but in their downtime they love to travel, try new restaurants and experiment with recipes in their own kitchen.  They strive to support small and local businesses and really enjoy blogging about their experiences.   With Kevin being an adventurous eater and Aimee being picky, they form an honest, unique and curious voice that will easily allow you to go along with them for the ride.    They blog at Eats and Treats.  You can follow them on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest.

The post Foodies 101: Cooking Outside of the Pizza Box! appeared first on Small Bites.

So that will bring us to our New Years Eve adventure.  My mom wanted us to go to her house to watch the ball drop, have a nosh and some champagne.   This was our chance to bring something that we didn’t just pick up at the store.  Kevin & I discussed making Sweet Onion Tartlets which is a recipe we had made a year or two ago and it was a big hit.  But I really wanted to try to make something I’ve never made before and somehow that ‘something’ turned into two something’s, which ended up as three something’s.  Yes, everything got out of hand and now it looks like a bomb of flour, chocolate and confectioners’ sugar went off in my kitchen.  But it was so much fun and we wanted to share it with you guys.

After some thought and web research, I decided that I was going to try my hand at making fudge.  Of course, me being me, I wanted something quick and easy.  I managed to find  a ’10 minute Fudge’ recipe.   Almost immediately after that,  I found these Lemon Ricotta cookies that I wanted to try out on my family’s taste buds.  I love lemon, so I may have had a bit of an agenda there.   And who doesn’t love ricotta cheese?  As soon as I saw this recipe, I was sold.  There were a lot of ingredients and we’re not used to baking from scratch but we were determined not to let that scare us.   So I printed out the two recipes I found and immediately the gears started turning.  I was already making my own edits and I knew my husband would be over my shoulder checking my work to be sure I was following the recipe properly.  I was getting stressed out just thinking about it!  I went to work on New Year’s Eve (we had a half day) and put the cooking and baking out of my mind until it was time to do it.  When I got home that afternoon, Kevin had already thinly sliced 4 large, sweet onions and had started to caramelize them in a pan with butter, thyme and a pinch or two of sugar.  They smelled so good.  I love onion!  I started up the stand mixer and got down to the business of measuring out the flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, vanilla, lemon zest & juice that was required in the cookie dough.  By the time the dough was ready to be dropped onto the cookie sheets, Kevin had already lined them with parchment paper.  Together we prepared 4 trays of cookies (about 10-12 cookies per sheet) and baked them.  The texture of these Lemon Ricotta cookies is more on the cakey side, but they were so good!  Next, we combined more lemon juice & lemon zest with confectioners’ sugar for the glaze.  Now, even though we followed the glaze recipe word for word, the glaze was too thick to spread on the cookies without breaking them.  And that’s when it happened folks – my husband made an edit!  He added more lemon juice to the glaze mixture and it loosened it up enough to spread. We wrapped them up in a cookie tin so they would stay fresh.

Now it was time for my little fudge project.  I added sweetened condensed milk to a preheated pot and then added the semi sweet chocolate chips one bag at a time, on low heat.  When the chocolate was melted into the milk, I added the second bag and let it come together before adding a few handfuls of chopped walnuts.   I greased a glass baking dish with unsalted butter and then lined the bottom with crushed pecan halves and on one side of the dish I also sprinkled some coconut.  Kevin was wondering what the heck I was doing, but fudge is a blank canvas!  It’s chocolate.  Just add whatever you love that goes with it—Dried cranberries or cherries, raisins, or any assortment of nuts.   When everything was melted together, I quickly poured it over the pecan and coconut mixture and pressed it down and around evenly.  Then I added another sprinkle of walnuts on top and pressed that into the fudge with a spatula.  I stuck it in the fridge for about 45 minutes to an hour.  Later, we would cut them into little squares.

Kevin was taking a video game break while I was preparing to make something really neat our friend Lorin gave us the recipe for over Christmas dinner.  It’s a serving tray made out of mint candy.  This is such a great idea and would even be fun for your children to get involved with, you won’t believe how easy it is.  You will definitely want to try this for your next party.  (I’m already trying to figure out what pink hard candies I can use to make one for Valentine’s Day). So, I got down to the business of unwrapping over 120 ‘Star Brites’ mint candies and placed them side by side on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  I was getting frustrated because the parchment paper kept shifting around.   So, Kevin taught me a neat trick; Spray the baking sheet with a little non-stick spray and it actually helps the parchment paper stay in place on the cookie sheet!  I finished putting all the candies in place, leaving about an inch on all sides so it can melt without going over the edges.  On 350, the melting process takes between 7-10 minutes depending on your oven.  Never leave the oven while the candy is melting, it can easily burn.  We had attempted to make this the night before.  I had removed it from the oven and after about 5 minutes I removed it from the cookie sheet and within 30 minutes it had cracked right in half!  Oops.  It’s okay, the mint candy can easily be crumbled up and added to another dessert.  So, once my little red and white candy creation was finished, we removed it from the oven and just placed it on top, letting it completely set up and harden for about an hour before handling it.  I didn’t want another mishap like the night before. When everything was finished, I decorated the candy serving tray with the fudge.  Kevin, my own personal mad scientist & husband was fascinated with the candy tray.  He gently turned it over in his hands checking all the corners for cracks.  Although he was clearly excited to see how well it held up, you still have to be careful not to overload the tray and to fully support it from the underside with both hands.

While the fudge cooled, it was Kevin’s turn in the kitchen again.  He cut the crusts off of some thin whole wheat bread, then sprayed the bread on both sides lightly with non-stick spray before lining muffin tins with each slice.  He toasted the bread cups in the oven for a few minutes.  When he took them out, he dropped a small spoonful of the caramelized onions into each toasted cup, adding a sprinkle of shredded Jarlesburg cheese on top.  He broiled them on the bottom oven rack for a few minutes until the cheese melted.   We covered the onion tartlets with foil and set them aside to take to my mom’s where they would be reheated and served.

When everything was finished, we packed up the cookies, fudge and onion tartlets and headed to my mother’s for a fun filled, delicious new years eve.  Everything we made was thoroughly enjoyed by all and we were very excited and proud of our involvement in the ‘nosh’ part of the evening.  It just goes to show you, you don’t have to know what you’re doing or be a well seasoned chef to make delightful food!

I wanted to formally thank all of the loyal readers of Small Bites, Foodies 101 and our own blog, Eats & Treats.  It is because of all of you that we have started to participate in the real world of food!   We realize now, that it’s not about what’s easy or cheap anymore.   Kevin & I have found that we are not only partners in life, but partners in cooking, mess-making, food-tasting and food blogging.   This whole experience has brought us closer together and given our hobby a purpose.   It’s a great feeling.  We hope that if you haven’t already found something wonderful like this in your life, that you are able to do so in 2013.  This could be your year to do something you are proud of.  Wishing each and every one of you a Happy & Healthy New Year!

-Aimee & Kevin Ellis, Foodies 101
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Foodies 101 husband and wife columnists Aimee & Kevin Ellis came to our attention when they guest blogged for HVRW Fall 2012 for the first time.   By day they both work in customer service & sales but in their downtime they love to travel, try new restaurants and experiment with recipes in their own kitchen.  They strive to support small and local businesses and really enjoy blogging about their experiences.   With Kevin being an adventurous eater and Aimee being picky, they form an honest, unique and curious voice that will easily allow you to go along with them for the ride.    You can check out their personal food blog at Eats and Treats, you can also LIKE them on Facebook, and follow them Twitter and Pinterest.

The post Foodies 101: New Year, New Food Adventures! appeared first on Small Bites.

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Maybe you remember us, we’re The Ellises, guest bloggers from the HVRW Fall 2012.  I’m Aimee Ellis, and standing in the kitchen covered in confectioners’ sugar is my husband, Kevin.   We were recently asked to write our own contribution to Small Bites.

This amazing and unexpected opportunity makes us a little shy.  But just being ourselves; genuinely curious about food and all it has to offer, is what got us to this point.  That being said, we can’t wait to share our adventures (and misadventures) through this culinary existence with you!

In our HVRW intro we mentioned that we have different ways of cooking. Kevin is the technical cook, and I am the “abstract” cook.  Together we love to try out new recipes and share our culinary triumphs and calamities with the world through our own blog.  ‘Eats & Treats’ really began because I enjoy writing and Kevin loves to cook.

What happens when you combine those things in the pressure cooker of life?  KABOOM – love at first bite.  We don’t have a ton of money and can’t go out to eat that often, so we like to attempt new creations at home.

When we do go out on the town, we have so much fun;  trying to discreetly take photos of our food, Kevin laughing at my expressions when I try something new, me laughing back when he inevitably spills something. We love this roller coaster ride and thankfully it makes many stops along the way.  Small Bites is just one of them and we would love to hang out for while, if you’ll have us!

We hope you have enjoyed what you’ve read so far and that you will keep learning with us on this epic journey through Foodies 101.

The post Foodies 101: Meet Aimee & Kevin Ellis, HVRW Guest Bloggers turned Small Bites Contributors! appeared first on Small Bites.