After some banter back and forth, I compromised and chose Creole food. I saw a picture of smothered pork chop, and I tried to convince my roommate to go to Harlem so we can get some, but since he’s from a small town in Ohio, Harlem has way too much culture for him. When people hear Harlem, they think of drive-by shootings and thugs. It’s only partially true, and not all of Harlem is bad. I couldn’t convince him, and out of nowhere, he decides we’re going to Island Burgers and Shakes in Hells Kitchen. How did that happened? When we got there, it was packed, which is typical of many eating establishments on a Friday night. We didn’t eat there and end up walking to find a place to eat. We walked, and walked, and walked, and walked. Back to being indecisive again, and I’m walking, which is what I don’t want to do. After I spew some frustration, he decided to eat at the first interesting place he sees. Lucky’s Famous Burger got lucky tonight.

It was a small and bright burger joint in Hell’s Kitchen. Their menu is small and consisted of burgers, hot dogs, chicken sandwiches, sodas, and shakes. Typical fast food fare but with higher quality ingredients. I got the Lucky’s All American Cheeseburger Combo ($10) which includes a fountain drink (free refills! whoo!) and crinkled fries. The cheeseburger was medium cooked, served with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, pickles, mustard, and ketchup. I asked for no mustard and ketchup, and they were nice enough to make it to order. The fries are crispy but didn’t taste fresh. They are your typical frozen french fries.

Overall I thought the cheeseburger was tasty. The ground beef tasted like mostly chuck with a little bit of sirloin. It was a bit chewy and gritty, but it tasted fresh and juicy. It wasn’t overly seasoned or bland. Since it’s in Manhattan, expect the burger to be small. It’s served on a Martin’s potato bun. It was a great choice. The bun absorbs the grease well and held the burger together better than normal buns. It didn’t crumble or all apart as I was eating. I would definitely go back, but I wouldn’t go out of my way to get there. It was good but not great or superior.

Lucky’s Famous Burger 370 West 52nd Street New York, New York 10019

This week has been quite crazy. I feel like my life is moving at 75 mph, and it’s not slowing down any time soon. I’m a broke ass student at the moment so my penny pinching days are back. Although I may not have much, I always eat well. It’s not about buying expensive or exotic food. It’s about balancing flavors and making it tasty. Kimchi is quite cheap, and I can get a medium jar for $6.99 at Hmart in Manhattan, and it’ll last me for 2-3 weeks. I finally found some recipes, and below is a kimchi fried rice that I would make when I have left over meats. It’s a quick and easy meal.

Whenever I have leftover kimchi, I’ll make kimchi chigae or kimchi fried rice to finish the rest. The spicy, salty, and sweet combination makes this dish intensely flavorful and would makes it hard to revert back to normal fried rice. It’s also a versatile recipe to get rid of leftover meat as well.

Kimchi Fried Rice

Ingredients

2 cups cooked white rice (cold and day old is best)
3/4 cups kim chi, chopped
2 slices of turkey bacon, chopped (you can use 1/2 cup of chopped spam or meats)
1 large clove garlic
1/4 c. chopped onions
1/2 c. frozen mix vegetables
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 to 1-1/2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 sprig of green onion, chopped
garnish with sesame seeds
oil for cooking

Directions

1. Cook up the selected meat and set aside.
2. Heat a frying pan or wok on medium high heat, and add some oil and cook the chopped onions for about 5 minutes. Stir frequently so the onions cook evenly.
3. Add the chopped garlic. Cook until it’s lightly golden brown.
4. Add the frozen vegetables and meat in the pan. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
5. Add the rice into the pan. If it is clumpy, let the rice heat through before stirring it. Be careful not to mash it or else it’ll be mushy.
6. Add the chopped kim chi and mix as needed. If it is too sticky, drizzle just enough oil to separate the rice.
7. Stir as necessary to incorporate the fried rice thoroughly.
8. Create a well in the center of the fried rice, and add the egg. Cook the egg thoroughly in the well before mixing the rice into it.
9. Add soy sauce and sugar to the rice and mix well.
10. Remove from heat and garnish with chopped green onions and sesame seeds.

On Friday night, I broadcasted and made this robust sauce live on Justin.tv. I decided to make something low key as I don’t want to be laboring in the kitchen all night long to appease my fellow viewers. I pulled out one of my most reliable recipe that I know. It’s so versatile that I use this sun-dried tomato sauce on all sorts of pasta, including raviolis.

I make this frequently during week nights. Making homemade tomato sauce with pasta takes about 30-45 minutes. You don’t need alot of fancy ingredients to make a good sauce.

I got the large jar of sun-dried tomatoes at Costco. It’s halved tomatoes soaked in olive oil with Italian herbs. This is my must have item for the kitchen pantry.

The chopped garlic and onions are also very important in this sauce. I cooked them down so they are soft and tender before adding the tomato sauce to the pan. The sweetness from the onions lends perfect harmony to the acidity of the tomatoes.

The sun-dried tomatoes get a blender treatment. You can hand chop it or use a food processor as well. I add 1/4 cup of water to make the blending easier.

Sun-Dried Tomato Sauce

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of pureed sun-dried tomato
• 1 can tomato sauce
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 3 tsp. chopped garlic
• 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
• 2 tsp. dried basil
• 1/2 – 3/4 cup water (depending on how thick you want your sauce)
• 2 tsp. white sugar
• 1/2 Tbs. olive oil
• salt to taste

Directions

1. In a medium saucepan, add some oil saute the chopped garlic and onions until the onions are soft but not brown. This will take about 5-7 minutes.
2. Add the pureed tomato sauce, canned tomato sauce, water, dried oregano, dried basil, sugar, and salt to the pan. Turn the heat down to low and cover the pan if necessary to avoid splatter. Let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes and stir occasionally.
3. Add the olive oil to the sauce and turn off heat.
4. Serve over pasta and enjoy.

Variations:

• To make it spicy, add some dried red pepper flakes to the sauce and let it simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
• For a Mediterranean twist, add some chopped olives to the tomato sauce, and sprinkle with feta cheese before serving.
• You can add meatballs, chicken, seafood to the sauce for a heartier meal.
• This is also a great sauce for dipping!

I tried to use the time wisely by visiting my family and spending time with them. Shortly after returning to New York City, I ended my relationship of nearly 3 years. We were trying to make it work, but we weren’t working together on our issues nor did we worked on the same goals. I decided to spend the rest of the year with my family, nurse my broken heart, and re-prioritize my life. It was nice being close to my family, reminding me how much I am loved and cared for.

In 2010, I turned a new leaf. New place. New roommate. New job. New website. I won’t be live casting anytime soon as that would require me to purchase some equipment and upgrade my broadband service, but that will be in the works. In the meantime, I’m back to enjoying life, food, family, friends, and back to loving myself.

To start off Cooking With Casa, this blog is about enjoying food, whether it is cooking or eating it. I will occasionally write about Mew Mew, my cat that I rescued almost 6 years ago in Texas. He’s an adorable furball that keeps me company so I put up with his excessive shedding.

Breakfast is the most important meal, and a loaded breakfast burrito is a quick and easy food to make. You can even eat it on the go. This is one of my mom’s popular item at her store, Skymark Deli.

INGREDIENTS
4 small flour tortillas
1/3 – 1/2 cup cubed potatoes, cooked
1/2 – 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4-5 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
4 breakfast sausage links, cooked and chopped
4-5 large eggs, scrambled
salt to taste
black pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Divide the ingredients onto the 4 flour tortillas.
3. Roll each tortilla up and place it on the cookie sheet.
4. Bake for 5-8 minutes until lightly golden brown.

Make 4 servings.

Healthier Versions:

• Use egg whites instead of whole eggs
• Use turkey bacon and sausage instead of regular bacon and sausage
• Use whole wheat tortillas instead of white flour tortillas
• Use low fat shredded cheese

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup flour
3 cups milk
2 large potatoes
6 Tbsp margarine or butter
1 tsp salt (to taste)
1 tsp ground black pepper (to taste)
1 small onion, chopped (white or yellow)

Toppings:
6 slices of bacon
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream

DIRECTIONS

1. Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned.
2. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
3. Wash and place potatoes in a plastic bag. Place bag in microwave and cook for 7-8 minutes or until fork tender. The microwave and plastic bag mimic steaming for the potatoes. Be careful of the steam when opening the bag. Insert a fork in the potato to check for doneness. Peel and cube potatoes and set aside.
4. In a 3-4 quart pot, melt the margarine over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth.
5. Add the chopped white or yellow onions and cook for about 2-3 minutes. Be careful not to brown the onions.
6. Gradually stir in milk, whisking constantly until thickened. Stir in potatoes. Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.
7. Reduce heat, and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. You can add milk if it is too thick.
8. Season with salt and pepper.
9. When serving, ladle soup into bowl and top with crumbled bacon, cheese, onions, and sour cream.

Enjoy!!

Healthier versions:

• Use skim milk instead of whole milk. If you do, increase the flour to 1/2 cup to thicken the soup.
• Use olive oil instead of butter or margarine.
• Use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon.
• Use light sour cream and low fat cheddar cheese.

The restaurant has the elegant classy vibe to it. For being on Bourbon Street, it doesn’t have the touristy feel nor does it feel gimmicky. We sat near the windows, and it’s a nice view out. My little brother was excited to be in a nice restaurant for once, and since he’s 21, he ordered his first alcoholic drink. The drink set me back $15.00!

The fried calamari was crispy and had Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top, but it wasn’t the best I’ve tasted. The sauce they served with the calamari was mustard based, and I’m not a fan of mustard. It was an OK appetizer.

The oysters on the half-shell, however, were excellent. They were cold, fresh, and flavorful. It was served with fresh grated horseradish and cocktail sauce. I’m usually not a fan of horseradish, but it tasted great with the oysters and cleared my sinuses along the way. I wished I could’ve ordered a dozen, but it was $20 so I had to pass on that. The salad was a plain salad. It wasn’t a superior salad, and it was topped with a stale piece of bread.

My crawfish dish was disappointing. Firstly, it was warm instead of hot when it was served. Secondly, I wasn’t a fan of having a whole dead crawfish on top of my plate. I tried opening it and eating it, but it was inedible. As I was digging into my plate, I realized that there was a piece of French bread underneath, ladled with a creamy sauce with crawfish meat. In addition to that, they forgot to bring my side of sauteed wild mushrooms. When I did receive it, it was just sauteed button mushrooms. There wasn’t anything wild about that. Paying $6.00 for a very small side of button mushrooms was exorbitant.

My little brother loved his dish. He got two veal fillets, which were breaded and fried, topped with a mound of fresh lump crab meat, and it was all sitting on top of garlic mashed potatoes, which had whole roasted garlic pieces in it. It was so much that he had to take half of the meal home with him. I didn’t tried his dish because I made a public pledge to never eat veal. He assured me it was good.

I was beyond full at this point, but the server mentioned dessert, and I couldn’t leave without sampling something. I got a creme brulee. It was simple, classic, but unfortunately, they didn’t serve it well. It didn’t have that crisp slightly charred sugar top. I’m glad my little brother enjoyed his meal. We came in on a week night and near the end of the night so I can see why things are a bit lacking. I wouldn’t write them off completely, but if I choose to dine there again, I do have higher expectations.

Bourbon House 144 Bourbon Street, New Orleans, LA 70130

Mew Mew is my 5 year old cat. He’s turning 6 next month. Mostly, he thinks he’s invincible as he gets away with almost anything. He loves to snuggle, and he’s warm and friendly, but he’s anti-cat and anti-dog. He doesn’t like other four-legged creatures in the house. I don’t even know if he knows that he’s a cat.

On this occasion, I ordered the Swedish meatballs ($4.99), which was served with mashed potatoes and gravy and lingonberry jam. It wasn’t the greatest meal, but it was tasty and cheap. The portion and price was good, and it was very filling. Overall, it satisfied my belly and my wallet.

Coffee was $0.99 with unlimited refill. You can also get BBQ Ribs (1/2 rack) on Wednesday night from 4 p.m. – close for $7.99. It is served with french fries and corn bread. On the Ikea website, they have a $0.99 breakfast plate with scrambled eggs, 2 strips of bacon, and potatoes. I haven’t tried it yet, but I’m a student with a budget, and a $0.99 breakfast plate to me is like a fat man at a buffet place. Now all I need to do is try to get myself up early enough for it.

Also, below is the Ikea menu. Can you see which word is misspelled? Remember. Proofreading helps save jobs.

Ikea Brooklyn 1 Beard Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231

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