Baked Garlic Fries with White Truffle Garlic Aioli

I'm being very honest when I say I have yet to meet a French fry I did not like.  They are pretty addictive, but of course not very good for you.  When I found this recipe I knew I had to try it.  The results were AMAZING!  I added a drizzle of white truffle oil to the aioli for a little extra richness.  This is sure to please any fry craving and you don't have to feel so guilty about it.

My Top 12 Food Posts of The Year

{January - Pastelitos de Guayaba y Queso}

As you may have noticed cooking is one of my passions.  Here I present to you my favorite food posts from every month of 2011.  I truly enjoy sharing my recipes as well as recipes I have tested with you.  I hope you have enjoyed them as well. 

{February - Arañitas}

{March - Homemade Peanut Butter Caramel Twix Bars}

{April - 1st Birthday Cakebite Pops}

{May - Hello Kitty Cakepops}

{June - Lunch at Ah'Pizz}

{July - Coconut Quinoa Granola}

{August - Fleur de Sel Blondies}

{September - Mixed Berry Oat Muffins}

{October - Halloween Mini Oreo Pumpkin Cheesecakes}

{November - Topaz}

{December - Gorgonzola Walnut Crackers

 

Gojee.com

Ever have a craving for something, but you just don't know what to make with it? Enter Gojee.com. This new site has recipes from over 75 of the best known food bloggers. I entered avocado and a recipe for Potato Tacos with Avocado and Tomatillo salsa popped up. Um, AMAZING! Next time you are in a cooking rut definitely check out the site (it's my new obsession).

 all images via gojee.com

My First Food Video: Chopped Greek Salad w/Artichoke Hearts & Cannellini Beans

Hooray for my first food video!  This is a take on the traditional Greek salad.  The addition of cannellini beans and artichoke hearts makes it extra special.  When served along side some pita bread this makes for the perfect summertime meal.  Click here for the original recipe sans artichokes.

A humongous thanks to the hubster for filming and editing.  Love you, you are AMAZING!  You can check out his blog here.

Food Porn of The Week: Lunch at Ah'Pizz

This past weekend my mom, sister Elissa, and I had lunch at Ah'Pizz a Neopolitian pizzeria in Montclair. We started off with the stuffed zucchini flowers as an appetizer. They were filled with fresh ricotta cheese and prosciutto and served along size some kind of Caesar dipping sauce. Amazing! I just wished they would have offered a bigger serving. Next was the mango salad which consisted of arugula, sliced mango, goat cheese, dried cranberries and almonds in a lemon vinaigrette. So delicious and perfect for summer. We chose the Capricciosa pizza which was topped with Italian imported ham, salami, crushed tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, artichokes, mushrooms, basil, Parmigiano Reggiano, and extra virgin olive oil. The pizzas are made in a wood burning brick oven so the crust was perfectly crisp and light. The mix of all the toppings was heaven. The perfect ending to this incredible lunch was NUTELLA PIZZA and cappuccinos. I can't even deal it was just too good. I wanted to run out the door with one of the huge jars of Nutella they had on display. Let me just say I cannot wait to go back. Next time I'll bring a bottle of wine since they are BYOB. Everything was perfect from beginning to end. 

 {stuffed zucchini flowers and mango salad}

 {Capricciosa Pizza}

 {Nutella Pizza & Cappucinos = the perfect ending}

{I wonder if they sell these at Costco? ; ) }

Food Porn of The Week: Balsamic Steak Sandwich with Gorgonzola

 I was having a serious craving for a nice juicy steak, but I didn't want to go through all of the fuss of making all the sides that accompany a typical steak dinner (mashed potatoes, creamed spinach, etc). I was inspired by a delicious steak sandwich I had at Park & Sixth called the 2 Points to Genius. The Park & Sixth version consists of marinated skirt steak, gorgonzola cheese, mixed greens and roasted garlic mayo. Believe me it is as good as it sounds. My version stuck to the original's marinated skirt steak and gorgonzola, but I made it my own by adding balsamic onions and mushrooms, baby spinach and herbed mustard mayo. Dare I say I liked mine better?  For a similar recipe click here.

Food Porn of The Week: Truly Mexican Cookbook Preview

This is the ULTIMATE in Food Porn.  Roberto Santibañez releases his new cookbook, Truly Mexican this week.  Watch the preview to get a feel of the book.  Mexican is my favorite so I will have to go out and buy his cookbook ASAP.  Be sure to wipe the drool off your keyboard after you are done watching.

Food Porn of The Week: Spinach Artichoke Quiche

Quiche and spinach artichoke dip are just two of my favorite dishes.  So when I found this recipe for spinach artichoke quiche I instantly knew I had to give it a try.  The results were absolutely delightful.  Instead of using asiago and parmigiano-reggiano cheese I opted for gruyere.  The recipe calls for pine nuts.  These gave the quiche a nice texture.  This is perfect for brunch accompanied by a mixed green salad. 

Food Porn of The Week: Mini Pineapple Upside Down Cakes

When I found these muffin top liners at Marshall's I knew I had to get them.  Instead of making the obvious choice of a muffin top I decided making mini pineapple upside down cakes might be an even better idea.  They did not disappoint.  I bought Pineapple Supreme cake mix and just followed this easy recipe.  These are perfect for entertaining.

Food Porn of The Week: Mini Buffalo Chicken Meatballs

{iphone photo}

The guys from The Meatball Shop were on the Martha Stewart show and made their super easy recipe for mini buffalo chicken meatballs.  I decided to make them and bring them to my mom's house as part of our traditional Sunday lunch.  Its safe to say they were a hit because they were all gone in about five minutes.  I will definitely be making these again for my next get together. 

Food Porn of The Week: Homemade Peanut Butter Caramel Twix Bars

Peanut butter Twix are one of my favorite candy bars so when I saw this recipe for caramel-peanut butter bars I was sold.  I made a few adjustments to the recipe {omitting the peanuts on top, making my own chocolate coating, using chunky peanut butter in place of smooth, and sprinkling sea salt on top of the caramel}.  Nestling some Reese's peanut butter cups into the cookie dough and swirling a few hefty spoonfuls of chunky peanut butter into the caramel was perfection.  These are pretty rich so one bar definitely does the trick.  I'll never look at a store bought Twix bar the same way again.