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| Photo taken from http://www.kbbqbox.com/about.php |
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Food Truck Friday: Korean BBQ Taco Box
This week I'm writing about a food truck that I've been heaping praises on for weeks now; ever since I first tried the Korean BBQ Taco Box on my very first Official Food Truck Adventure, I just cannot stop singing this awesome eatery's praises.
Friday, June 3, 2011
Food Truck Friday: The Treehouse Truck
I am loving the local Orlando food truck scene, and so I've decided to devote a day each week (Friday!) to one of the awesome trucks around town. I figure that they are multiplying so quickly at the moment that it will be a LONG time before I run out!
I first tried the Treehouse Truck at The Daily City's second Food Truck Bazaar. It was my last truck of the evening, so I was incredibly full at the time, but I still managed to try a few bites of the chimoo and a fried PB&J, and they were both delicious.
I got the opportunity to try another item from this awesome truck a couple of weeks ago when they were set up in Thornton Park with the Big Wheel Truck for the evening. This time, I rushed over after work to get there before they closed up for the night, and the truck was not nearly as busy as it had been at the food truck bazaar. Because of this, I was able to chat with a couple of the guys at the truck for a few minutes while waiting for my Aggie's Porto Sammie to be made. These guys clearly love what they are doing, and that make the fact that what they are cooking up is fantastic all the more excellent. The Porto Sammie was so delicious and messy; the marinated portobella mushroom along with red peppers and melty provolone cheese is so hearty you will NEVER miss the meat!
I first tried the Treehouse Truck at The Daily City's second Food Truck Bazaar. It was my last truck of the evening, so I was incredibly full at the time, but I still managed to try a few bites of the chimoo and a fried PB&J, and they were both delicious.
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| The Chimoo - a huge sandwich filled with skirt steak, chicken, sweet potato fries, cole slaw, and mango BBQ sauce. Genius. |
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Recipe Quickie: Homemade Hot Pockets
When I cook at home (cook, not bake!) I do try to use fresh and relatively healthy ingredients as often as possible. Last night, however, I found myself with limited time and threw together a quickie meal. I went with the idea of a pizza hot pocket, but instead of just popping one full of preservatives and such into the microwave, I quickly created this out of items I had on hand, including a container of Philly Savory Garlic Cooking Creme that C purchased by accident awhile ago. Since this is a quickie recipe, none of the ingredients require accurate measuring; just toss them together in whatever amount looks good to you!
Ingredients:
Ricotta cheese (I used Sargento part-skim ricotta, but any would do just fine)
Philly Savory Garlic Cooking Creme (or another garlic cheese spread of your choice)
Shredded cheese (I used a "pizza mix")
Mini pepperonis (turkey pepperoni works great, too!)
Tube of crescent rolls (I had Pillsbury extra large crescent rolls on hand)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to the temperature listed on the tube of dough (mine was 350).
Mix the ricotta with enough of the cooking creme to add the garlic flavor and enough creaminess for your liking.
Unroll the crescent roll dough and use your fingers to pinch every two triangle rolls together so that you have several rectangles of dough. You could also use a tube of thin crust pizza dough for this, which would give you a crispier crust, or really almost any biscuit/roll/crust dough. I just used what I had in the house.
Spread a generous amount of the ricotta/creme mixture over about two thirds of each dough rectangle, leaving space around the edges to seal the crust (see photo below).
Sprinkle the mixture with mini pepperoni and shredded cheese.
Fold the dough over on top of itself, carefully sealing around the edges and moving each little packet to a cookie sheet covered with parchment paper and sprayed with cooking spray.
Using a sharp knife, cut a slit or two for venting into the top of each packet.
Slide these goodies into the oven and let them bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Let cool for a few minutes, and then dig in!
Ingredients:
Ricotta cheese (I used Sargento part-skim ricotta, but any would do just fine)
Philly Savory Garlic Cooking Creme (or another garlic cheese spread of your choice)
Shredded cheese (I used a "pizza mix")
Mini pepperonis (turkey pepperoni works great, too!)
Tube of crescent rolls (I had Pillsbury extra large crescent rolls on hand)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to the temperature listed on the tube of dough (mine was 350).
Mix the ricotta with enough of the cooking creme to add the garlic flavor and enough creaminess for your liking.
Unroll the crescent roll dough and use your fingers to pinch every two triangle rolls together so that you have several rectangles of dough. You could also use a tube of thin crust pizza dough for this, which would give you a crispier crust, or really almost any biscuit/roll/crust dough. I just used what I had in the house.
Spread a generous amount of the ricotta/creme mixture over about two thirds of each dough rectangle, leaving space around the edges to seal the crust (see photo below).
Sprinkle the mixture with mini pepperoni and shredded cheese.
Using a sharp knife, cut a slit or two for venting into the top of each packet.
Slide these goodies into the oven and let them bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown and crispy. Let cool for a few minutes, and then dig in!
Saturday, May 28, 2011
Orlando Food Trucks: The Crooked Spoon
I had been trying to get to The Crooked Spoon for lunch for the past few weeks but life (or laziness!) kept getting in my way. So, when I was ready for work a bit early the other day, I decided to stop by their spot at the Citgo station on the corner of E. Colonial Dr. and Fern Creek. I ordered both the lamb burger and the macaroni and cheese, and even filled my car with gas while I waited for my food to be ready!
The folks working at this awesome truck are super friendly (and responded to my tweeted question regarding whether or not they take credit cards-they do-in the time it took me to drive from my house to their location), and the food is super tasty.
I opened my lamb burger as soon as I sat down at work and it smelled and tasted amazing. I had never had ground lamb before in anything but a gyro, and now I can't wait to experiment with it at home! So, so good. I shared about a third of it with my friend and found myself wishing I hadn't!! Of course, I was completely full by the time I finished the burger and accompanying chips, so the mac and cheese was put into the fridge for the following day.
The next day for lunch I warmed the mac and cheese up in the microwave at work and brought it back to my desk, eager to enjoy the item I'd heard the most good things about from this gourmet food truck. I will be honest; I am a bit of a macaroni and cheese purist. I like noodles, cheese (preferably a variety), seasoning, and some sort of crispy topping. I am not much of a fan of veggies or meat mixed in; at that point, I feel like it has become a casserole, not macaroni and cheese. That being said, the cheesy flavors and topping on the macaroni and cheese from The Crooked Spoon were great, even after being reheated in the microwave. I was not a huge fan of the peppers and bacon scattered throughout but again, that is more due to my feelings about macaroni and cheese in general and not that the flavors were bad. They weren't, far from it.
Would I go to The Crooked Spoon food truck again? You bet. Over, and over. I only wish the lamb burger was part of their regular menu. However, since it isn't, I'll have the opportunity to try the other items this truck has to offer.
The folks working at this awesome truck are super friendly (and responded to my tweeted question regarding whether or not they take credit cards-they do-in the time it took me to drive from my house to their location), and the food is super tasty.
I opened my lamb burger as soon as I sat down at work and it smelled and tasted amazing. I had never had ground lamb before in anything but a gyro, and now I can't wait to experiment with it at home! So, so good. I shared about a third of it with my friend and found myself wishing I hadn't!! Of course, I was completely full by the time I finished the burger and accompanying chips, so the mac and cheese was put into the fridge for the following day.
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| This photo SO does not do the burger justice :( |
The next day for lunch I warmed the mac and cheese up in the microwave at work and brought it back to my desk, eager to enjoy the item I'd heard the most good things about from this gourmet food truck. I will be honest; I am a bit of a macaroni and cheese purist. I like noodles, cheese (preferably a variety), seasoning, and some sort of crispy topping. I am not much of a fan of veggies or meat mixed in; at that point, I feel like it has become a casserole, not macaroni and cheese. That being said, the cheesy flavors and topping on the macaroni and cheese from The Crooked Spoon were great, even after being reheated in the microwave. I was not a huge fan of the peppers and bacon scattered throughout but again, that is more due to my feelings about macaroni and cheese in general and not that the flavors were bad. They weren't, far from it.
Would I go to The Crooked Spoon food truck again? You bet. Over, and over. I only wish the lamb burger was part of their regular menu. However, since it isn't, I'll have the opportunity to try the other items this truck has to offer.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Disney Series #2: Kouzzina by Cat Cora
C and I stayed at Disney for our anniversary back in January and took advantage of the Disney Dining Plan as part of our mini-vacation. I know this post is way late but hey...I didn't have a blog back in January! On the first night of our stay we decided to try out Kouzzina by Cat Cora (here's a link to the full menu, a new-ish restaurant (it opened in August of 2009) that took the place of Spoodles at Disney's Boardwalk Resort. I had made reservations a few days prior, and boy was I happy that I had!
I have been a fan of Cat Cora's since her show Kitchen Accomplished aired on the Food Network, and love watching her on Iron Chef America, so when I saw that she was opening a restaurant nearby, I was psyched. Mediterranean food is a particular favorite of mine and C enjoys it as well, so it was a good choice for us for our anniversary trip. The anticipation was high enough as it was, but when we got to the restaurant and checked in for our reservation and saw a sign stating that Cat was actually at the restaurant that night and meeting the patrons, I got a little bit star-struck. Movie stars and famous singers do nothing for me. They might as well just be really rich (and often very attractive) random people. For the most part, anyway. Chefs and writers that I admire, though? As much as I say "oh they are just normal people, why would I get all worked up over meeting so-and-so"...I am 100% full of crap. When I saw Cat Cora walking around her restaurant and greeting people, I got positively giddy. Please forgive the horrible quality of these photos; they were taken with my old and incredibly crappy cell phone.
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| Photo taken from WDW Info |
I have been a fan of Cat Cora's since her show Kitchen Accomplished aired on the Food Network, and love watching her on Iron Chef America, so when I saw that she was opening a restaurant nearby, I was psyched. Mediterranean food is a particular favorite of mine and C enjoys it as well, so it was a good choice for us for our anniversary trip. The anticipation was high enough as it was, but when we got to the restaurant and checked in for our reservation and saw a sign stating that Cat was actually at the restaurant that night and meeting the patrons, I got a little bit star-struck. Movie stars and famous singers do nothing for me. They might as well just be really rich (and often very attractive) random people. For the most part, anyway. Chefs and writers that I admire, though? As much as I say "oh they are just normal people, why would I get all worked up over meeting so-and-so"...I am 100% full of crap. When I saw Cat Cora walking around her restaurant and greeting people, I got positively giddy. Please forgive the horrible quality of these photos; they were taken with my old and incredibly crappy cell phone.
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| Me looking ridiculous and giddy and Cat Cora....not looking at the camera. Oops! |
Friday, May 20, 2011
Oishi Japanese Hibachi Restaurant
I bought a coupon from EverSave awhile back for $40 worth of food at Oishi Japanese Hibachi Restaurant for $20 and kept forgetting to use it. So, when I realized I had both a free evening and a craving for sushi, a foodie friend and I went off to take advantage of my awesome deal. I had read very mixed reviews of Oishi on Yelp so went in with an open mind and fairly average expectations.
Oishi is located at the corner of International Drive and Central Florida Parkway in a shopping plaza. It looks unassuming from the outside, but the decor is very nice. The tables are made to look like natural wood, and while there is a lot going on, it is tastefully done. Since it was relatively late (almost 10pm, and they close at 11), we decided to sit at the sushi bar with hopes of seeing some exciting stuff being made right in front of us. Alas, the clear window was a bit too high to see anything going on behind the counter. A little disappointing, but no biggie; we could decide what we wanted from the menu instead of just picking and choosing as things that looked good went out to other tables.
We ordered four rolls (spicy tuna roll, sex on the moon roll, spider roll, and ninja roll) plus two pieces of octopus sushi. I'll be honest, I tend to like to order rolls that sound a little different, so I was excited about both the sex on the moon and the ninja rolls because of their wild descriptions, but I was really most pleased with the simpler rolls.
Oishi is located at the corner of International Drive and Central Florida Parkway in a shopping plaza. It looks unassuming from the outside, but the decor is very nice. The tables are made to look like natural wood, and while there is a lot going on, it is tastefully done. Since it was relatively late (almost 10pm, and they close at 11), we decided to sit at the sushi bar with hopes of seeing some exciting stuff being made right in front of us. Alas, the clear window was a bit too high to see anything going on behind the counter. A little disappointing, but no biggie; we could decide what we wanted from the menu instead of just picking and choosing as things that looked good went out to other tables.
We ordered four rolls (spicy tuna roll, sex on the moon roll, spider roll, and ninja roll) plus two pieces of octopus sushi. I'll be honest, I tend to like to order rolls that sound a little different, so I was excited about both the sex on the moon and the ninja rolls because of their wild descriptions, but I was really most pleased with the simpler rolls.
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