Kevin White
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‘Peace Pentagon’ Stores on Lafayette Street Vacated Ahead of Demolition and Redevelopment
Roasted Cauliflower Broccoli Stuffed Potatoes with Cheesy Butternut Sauce.
Whyyyy do I do this.
Just when I’m really getting in the groove of eating vegetables by themselves, without covered in something fabulous, probably how they should be, I throw it back and cover them in CHEESE SAUCE.
But at least it’s adult cheese sauce. And by adult cheese sauce I don’t mean vodka cheese sauce, though that doesn’t sound terrible. (does it? whomp.)
I mean butternut cheese sauce! Technically, I put another vegetable inside of my cheese sauce so I’m eating vegetables on vegetables.
In other words, brilliance?
Potatoes were my absolute FAVORITE food when I was growing up. Favorite, I tell ya. If you asked me what my favorite food was, I’d say scalloped potatoes, baked potatoes, mashed potatoes – even my mom’s cheesy potato chip topped potato casserole. POTATOES gave me all the feels.
It was a rare occasion that we ate fast food when I was a kid, but my brothers and I were desperately obsessed with the idea of happy meals. Apparently I have always been a marketer’s dream?
We had fast food maaaaybe if my mom was going out with her card club friends (who never play cards) or if my grandpa took us after school one day, but it was only a handful of times a year. I obviously see the good in that NOW, but back then it was a special kind of torture.
There was a hot minute when I had the biggest fascination with the Wendy’s baked potatoes. Do they even still have them? After dance class I would beg my mom to get me a broccoli cheese potato, but I’d remove all of the broccoli because it was broccoli. And I’d just eat the cheesy potato.
I was the worst.
But I figured out the solution. They should have been ROASTING(!!) their broccoli. Because then I probably would have eaten it.
Obviously.
Let’s talk about the sauce. Cheesy and melty, made with butternut squash and actual cheese. I’ve done this before in butternut mac and cheese recipes. But I know that most butternut cheese sauces you can find on the good old internets are vegan versions made with nutritional yeast. I will be the first to say how much I LOVE nutritional yeast – it really is super cheesy and is the only thing I put on my kale chips. However.
I was sold on making cheese sauce with freshly grated cheese. And my favorite squash. It’s been a minute since I’ve made anything with squash (typical after a full blow obsession, as usual. obsessed > forget about for four months > repeat.) and it’s still so abundant in my grocery store that I should be taking advantage.
So I am!
Over the years I have detailed my love for meatless meals when Eddie is away. Three years ago those meatless meals were very much centered on wine and cheese but today, it’s not just me that I have to feed.
With that, I’m absolutely wacky over this meal. I had one of these potatoes with my favorite house salad for dinner a few nights last week and it was so satisfying – not to mention incredible comfort food. And it was so much better than the drive thru potato my highlights-reading, tap-dancing twelve year old self wanted back in the day. Super glad I discovered that now.
Roasted Cauliflower Broccoli Stuffed Potatoes with Cheesy Butternut Sauce
Yield: makes 6 potatoes, is easily multiplied
Ingredients:
- 6 yukon gold or butter potatoes
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 4 green onions, thinly sliced
cheesy butternut sauce
- 2 cups cubed butternut squash
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, freshly grated
- 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Poke holes in all of the potatoes with a fork. Brush the potatoes with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Place them on a baking sheet.
On another baking sheet, place the cauliflower and broccoli. Toss it with the remaining olive oil, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with the garlic powder.
Roast both the potatoes and the veggies for about 20 to 25 minutes. Check the veggies - they might be done (totally depends on how roasted you like yours. I like mine VERY roasted.) Roast the potatoes for 15 to 20 minutes more, until fork tender.
Remove the potatoes and cut them down the center. To serve, spoon some of the cheese sauce into the potato, then top with the cauliflower and broccoli. Pour more of the cheese sauce on top and sprinkle with scallions. Top with some freshly cracked black pepper or crushed red pepper. Serve immediately.
cheesy butternut sauce
Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the squash cubes. Add 1/4 cup of water, cover the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the squash is fork tender and soft enough to be pureed. Sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Transfer it to a blender or a food processor, add the garlic and blend until totally smooth.
Heat a saucepan over medium heat and add the milk. Cook until the milk is warm and bubbles appear around the edges, then whisk in the pureed squash. Heat again until warm, just a few minutes. Toss the grated cheese with the cornstarch until the cheese shreds are coated. Reduce the heat until the milk to low add in small handfuls of cheese, stirring until completely melted. Repeat with remaining cheese. Have patience! Stir in very small amounts of cheese slowly so it melts evenly and doesn't get gritty and separate. If it does become too thick, whisk in a few teaspoons of milk.
Bacon next time. For sure.
Baked Char Siu Bao
Happy Lunar New Year! I’m really excited to bring you this post today, albeit a bit later than usual. I got slammed with work yesterday. And by work, I mean that it was imperative that I go to a bar to eat wings, drink beer, and watch grown men in tight pants slam into each other while crowds booed or cheered. It was fun! Not only were there wings and beer, but tater tots, fried pickles, and mozzarella sticks made an appearance. Oh, and also Beyonce. All in all, a really great night. But of course, I am e-x-h-a-u-s-t-e-d today. No matter. We’re here now. Welcome, friends, to my second New Year celebration, but with, dare I say it, much, much, much better food. My kingdom for a Lunar New Year feast every year. My boy Donny Tsang is the genius behind these char siu bao – he got a bunch of my favorite bloggers and photographers together to make Chinese baked goods for the holiday this year, and I’m so happy that he did! I probably wouldn’t have had the guts to make these otherwise.
Chinese breads are super soft and pillowy, thanks to a little something called the “tangzhong method“. This method is a lot easier than it sounds. Basically, you’re making a roux. A really light roux, in fact, so you don’t even have to stand over the stove stirring anything for very long. I have no idea what the chemistry behind the magic really means, but what I do know is that every time I go to a Chinese bakery and try the bread, it’s always this soft, cloud-like texture that apparently uses this same technique. So, ye of little faith, go ahead and carry out that extra step if you dream of light, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth bread. Seeing as how we just recently got back from China, I’m stoked that I can still eat these little pockets of deliciousness right in my very own home.
Sooooo yeah. I made char siu bao! Well, baked char siu bao. It’s typically steamed, but I don’t own a steamer, so I went for a more Westernized route. They were still so good, though. I would have eaten all of them if I hadn’t already planned to stuff myself full of Super Bowl food later on. It may seem like a lot of work to crank these suckers out, but it really wasn’t that bad, and plus, the recipe makes twice as much pork as you need for the buns, so you have leftovers to eat with eggs in the morning or to add to some veggies for weekday lunches. I was so pleased with how these turned out – golden, shiny tops that crack open to reveal soft, fluffy bread and slightly sweet, tender roasted pork. Put these on your to-do list for the weekend – it’s worth it.
Roastin’ some pork.
Makin’ the dough.
Whiskin’ some roux (are you guys sick of this yet?).
Let it proof.
That roast pork, though.
Proofed dough, ready to be rolled out.
Let your buns rise one more time after you’ve stuffed them with the roasted pork.
Bake until golden and enjoy warm with a bit of honey.
- 3 pounds boneless pork butt or shoulder, cut into large pieces
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- ¼ cup rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon chili oil
- 1 tablespoon black bean paste
- 1 tablespoon marmite (optional)
- 1 teaspoon Chinese 5-spice
- 1 3-inch knob of ginger, grated on a microplane or finely minced
- 4 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane or finely minced
- 1 pound of your roasted pork, diced into ¾-inch cubes
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 6 tablespoons water
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon black bean paste
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- ½ cup water
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- ⅓ cup warm milk (about 115 degrees F)
- 1 tablespoon instant yeast
- ⅓ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- 5 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cubed
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 egg, lightly beaten
- sesame seeds, for garnish
- honey, for garnish
- chives, thinly sliced, for garnish
- First, roast your pork. Cut your boneless pork shoulder or butt into 5 or 6 pieces and place it in a sealable back or container. Whisk together all of your marinade ingredients, and pour it over the pork. Marinate for at least 3 hours, or as long as overnight. When ready, preheat your oven to 300 degrees F, place your pork in an oiled baking dish, cover with foil, and roast for 2½ to 3 hours, until the pork is very tender and shreds easily. Remove the pork from the oven, uncover, and let cool slightly. You will only need about ⅓ of your pork for the buns - the rest makes for great leftovers! Toss it with some roasted or stir-fried broccoli and you've got lunch for the rest of the week.
- To make your char siu filling, chop ⅓ of your roasted pork into small cubes and set it aside. Finely dice an onion, heat your vegetable oil in a medium-sized pan over medium heat, and add the onion. Cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Whisk together your water, cornstarch, vinegar, hoisin sauce, sugar, black bean paste, soy sauce, and sesame oil. Add your pork to the onion, and add your sauce to the pan. Stir to combine, and cook for 5-8 minutes, until the mixture has darkened and thickened - be careful not to burn the filling, as the sugar will quickly caramelize. When ready, remove the pork from the heat and set aside until ready to use.
- Now, make your dough, starting with the roux. In a small skillet, whisk together ½ cup of water with 2 tablespoons of flour. Heat to medium, and whisk constantly, until thickened. Do not let the roux darken, simply thicken it until it is the consistency of yogurt. Once thickened, remove it from the heat and set it aside to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of your mixer, whisk together the milk and the slightly cooled roux (it shouldn't be warmer than the milk). Add in your yeast and let foam for about 3 minutes. Add in your sugar, vanilla, and lightly beaten egg and gently mix together. Add in 1 cup of your flour and gently mix, then add in your butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing each tablespoon in before adding in the next. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed, then switch to your dough hook and add in the remaining 2 cups of flour and 2 tablespoon of cornstarch. Knead for 5 minutes or so on medium-high speed, until the dough is soft and smooth. Remove from your mixer and knead a few times by hand before transferring to a large oiled bowl. Roll the dough around in the oiled bowl to coat it, then cover tightly with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to proof for 45 minutes or so, until doubled in size.
- Once doubled, punch the dough down and lightly knead a few times by hand on a lightly floured surface. Roll the dough out a bit, and divide into 16 evenly sized pieces. Spread out 16 muffin liners, then roll each ball of dough out into about a 4-inch circle. Place about 1-1/2 tablespoons of char siu filling into each round, then pinch the bao together. Place the bao seam-side-down in your muffin liner, and place into a muffin tin. Continue until you've filled all of your bao. Cover your muffin tins with plastic wrap and let the buns rise once more for 30 minutes or so, until puffed up nicely.
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly brush your bao with your beaten egg, then sprinkle with sesame seeds. Bake until golden, about 15 minutes, then brush lightly with honey and sprinkle with chopped chives. Serve warm. These will keep well for up to 5 days - just heat them up for 15-20 seconds in the microwave before serving. Enjoy!
The post Baked Char Siu Bao appeared first on The Crepes of Wrath.
A Light in the Dark
“Shwedagon temple is one of the most photographed icons in all of Myanmar,” writes Your Shot community member Brett Rylance. To get the shot they were hoping for, Rylance’s guide had to plead for access to the top of an office building. “Our guide and I wanted an aspect not often seen: We wanted Shwedagon's sacred pagoda atop Singuttara Hill at sunset with Yangon’s pulsing city elements below to create juxtaposition.”
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>
The Army Has Invented a Pizza That Can Sit on a Shelf for Three Years
Kevin WhiteTHEY'VE DONE IT!!!!!!!!!
The latest invention by the United States Army? Pizza that lasts for three years, and according to Tech Insider, it “actually tastes good,” too. It’s the newest MRE (meals-ready-eat) ration that the Army will be handing out to soldiers staring…
The post The Army Has Invented a Pizza That Can Sit on a Shelf for Three Years appeared first on First We Feast.
Eat Fried Chicken Out of a Shoe Box at This Hybrid Sneaker Store-Restaurant
Kevin WhiteThis just seems to reinforce sterotypes
The retail-restaurant hybrid has been one of the most enduring trends of the past couple years, spawning all sorts of creative mashups of food and commerce. First there was Daps Feltman Mart, a hybrid shop that combined a streetwear boutique and…
The post Eat Fried Chicken Out of a Shoe Box at This Hybrid Sneaker Store-Restaurant appeared first on First We Feast.
This 79-Story Glass Tower Of Banal Is Ready To Dominate The Queens Skyline
Behold, the Court Square City View Tower, a 79-story, 963-feet-tall glass megatower that will reflect so much sunlight it will be impossible to look directly at Queens County. [ more › ]
New York City, February 9, 2016
★★ A shocking burst of cold wind met the children bustling out the lobby door. Thin snow clung here and there in the scars and joints of the sidewalk or on the arms of the scoop of a parked backhoe. Salt granules, still intact, whitened other sidewalk cracks. After midday, warm tones began imposing themselves on what had been unchanging gray. The clouds thinned to ivory in places, and then even on to blue. The glow of real sunlight appeared somewhere nearby. Gray strengthened again, but the expected new snow kept failing to appear.
The Gawker Lunchtime Walkout Is Cancelled, BTW
Kevin WhiteGawker has a Union?
As of last week, the Gawker editorial union was planning to walk out and take the sites dark this Wednesday because management would not negotiate over a guaranteed annual cost of living salary increase—the union had asked for around six percent, management offered zero. Well, the walkout threat maybe… worked? Because we’ve heard from a few people that the walkout has been cancelled, for now, with everyone returning to the negotiating table. Good job, everybody.
Photo by Cory Doctorow
Sweat and Swing
Muscle Beach in Santa Monica, California, has been a popular spot for fitness fanatics since it was first built in the 1930s. It’s also one of Your Shot member Dotan Saguy’s favorite places to photograph “because of the layering opportunities as well as the opportunities to compose ... frames within the frame.” Saguy had been alerted to the main subject of this image and was intrigued by the intense facial expressions the man made during his workouts. “I had been trying many different ideas there,” Saguy writes. “One day [I] was lucky enough to bump into this particular situation which had a strong subject in the foreground and its complete opposite in the background, both of which were framed by the bars.”
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>
Palm Springs with Bentley!!
In California this week hanging with my good friend Louise Roe driving around Palm Springs for Bentley Motors.
She’s been complaining how bad the reception is on her Louboutin but everyone knows the Louis Vuitton shoe phone is much more reliable!!! (And the heel camera is better)
First Snow, First Light
Your Shot member Nick Ocean caught the first snow of the season in Utah’s Bryce Canyon National Park in November 2015. This early morning shot, taken from the aptly named Sunrise Point, required some off-road driving and skirting around a downed tree. All that work earned Ocean the privilege of being the only person in the park to enjoy this particular scene.
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>
Primary push in New Hampshire
Kevin WhiteGreat photo of the bern
Bernie Sanders addresses the crowd during a “Get Out the Vote” rally at Town Hall in Exeter on Feb. 05. (Craig F. Walker/Globe Staff)
Eye Candy for Today: Isaby crayon portrait
Kevin WhiteNapoleon could do better
Lady of the Court of Napoléon I, Attributed to Jean-Baptiste Isabey
In the Metropolitan Museum of Art, roughly 10×7 in (25×18 cm).
Though graphite pencils largely took the place of chalk and crayon in the late 19th century, this beautiful portrait drawing — done at the turn of the 19th century and attributed to court painter Jean-Baptiste Isabey — shows some of the delicacy and surface quality that can be achieved with crayon.
Elements of the drawing are highlighted with what is likely white gouache.
On the Street…Via Verri, Milan
Kevin WhiteTODAY ONLY: Update your google security settings and get 2 GB of storage free
http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/9/10940046/google-drive-free-2gb-space-security-checkup
Commitment Phobia
Kevin Whitei feel like this all the time but without any of the anxiety
In addition to my book-commitment-phobia, I am seeking help with committing to create new comics. If I reach my first Patreon goal I will publish two new Incidental Comics each month in addition to my weekly comic. Visit my Patreon page for details.
Rays of Color
Kevin Whitei really hope i get to go to iran one day
Nasir al-Mulk, a traditional mosque in Shiraz, Iran, is known as the Pink Mosque for the use of pink tiles throughout its interior. Your Shot member Miguel Quental came across a moment splashed with much more than pink in this early morning shot in the mosque. “I went early in the morning so I could capture the natural light in its splendor,” Quental writes. “When I got inside I knew that [it] was a very special place; the colors and the energy flowing can make anyone feel [at] peace.”
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>
Super Bowl Context
Kevin Whitei'm impressed that its not over 50% of the country
Birdcall
While at a fund-raiser at the Carolina Raptor Center in North Carolina, Your Shot member Matt Cuda snapped this dramatic photo of an apparently outspoken eastern screech-owl. "It was vocalizing and possibly working on its breakfast," he writes. "The [center] takes in wild birds that were injured, rehabilitates them, and then releases them back into the wild."
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>
miso black sesame caramel corn
Kevin Whiteom nom nom
... Read the rest of miso black sesame caramel corn on smittenkitchen.com
© smitten kitchen 2006-2012. | permalink to miso black sesame caramel corn | 67 comments to date | see more: Candy, Photo, Snack
If You Like Delays You'll Love The NYC Subway This Morning
We were forewarned that snow might make a brief return today, but willing winter away with the power of one's mind doesn't work, apparently, and this morning the city's been smacked with fat, wet, white stuff and a boatload of wind to boot. Surprise! And it looks like no one was as surprised as the MTA: [ more › ]
1983 to 2016: An East Village blizzard then and now photo essay
[1st Avenue near 5th Street from 1983 by Raphael Lasar]
Two Fridays ago, we shared photos that EVG Facebook friend Raphael Lasar took of the Blizzard of 1983 (the Megalopolitan Blizzard). This storm produced some 22 inches of snow on Feb. 11-12 that year.
We posted these photos the day before the blizzard (Jonas, if you'd like) dumped nearly 27 inches here on Jan. 23.
Following this, Cassondra Bazelow, an art director who lives in the neighborhood, went out and took post-blizzard photos at the same locations that Raphael did.
Here then, one location, two blizzards, 33 years apart...
[1st Avenue near 5th Street]
[1st Avenue looking north toward 6th Street]
[1st Avenue at Sixth Street]
[1st Avenue at East 3rd Street]
[2nd Avenue between East 6th and East 7th streets]
[Astor Place]
[Astor Place]
[Astor Place and the Alamo]
[St. Mark's Place between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue]
Previously on EV Grieve:
When the Megalopolitan Blizzard hit the East Village (and NYC) in February 1983
Deal To Drastically Limit NYC Carriage Horses Falls Apart
Kevin Whitelong live the ponies
The City Council announced this morning that it will not be voting on a controversial deal that would have restricted horse-drawn carriage operations to Central Park. By extension, the bill would have banned pedicabs from operating in the park below 86th Street. [ more › ]
An incentive to spend some time on East 9th Street this month
Several of the merchants on East Ninth Street between First Avenue and Second Avenue are having a block-wide sale this month.
Here's info that we received: "From now until Feb 29, come and take advantage of some great bargains. Each participating merchant will have their own take on the 9.99% off sale theme. Shop the block, score some fab deals, meet the neighbors, and even better, support small, local businesses."
[Images via Clayworks Pottery]
H/T EVG contributor Steven
Dangerous Stretch Of Sixth Avenue Will Finally Get A Protected Bike Lane
Last night Manhattan's Community Board 4 unanimously approved a DOT plan [
Sleep When You're Dead: De Blasio Defends NYPD's "Shake-And-Wake" Subway Strategy
During yesterday's monthly briefing on crime statistics, Police Commissioner Bill Bratton vowed that the NYPD would start waking up sleeping straphangers, ostensibly to prevent them from being victimized by criminals “Subways are not for sleeping,” he said, citing statistics that 50% of reported crimes on the subway "involve sleeping passengers." "I know people have gotten out of work and are tired, but we are going to start waking people up." [ more › ]
'Picturesque and Curious'
Out for an anniversary stroll with his girlfriend, Louis Schneider had to step "a bit over the edge" to capture this shot of the Manneporte, a rock formation in Étretat, France. The area has attracted photographers and artists for well over a century: "The cliffs at Étretat are among the most interesting on the French coast," reads a 1915 National Geographic magazine article, "The Beauties of France." "Étretat is a noted resort, especially affected by artists and literary men, who are attracted by its picturesque and curious situation."
This photo was submitted to Your Shot, our storytelling community where members can take part in photo assignments, get expert feedback, be published, and more. Join now >>
Suicidal Woman Survives Leap Off George Washington Bridge
Kevin WhiteShe can't do anything right
A 25-year-old New Jersey woman survived a 200 foot leap from the George Washington Bridge Tuesday night. Rescue divers pulled her from the water at around 5 p.m. yesterday, the Post reports. [ more › ]