Sandwiches and Suds

For those in the know for Dallas sandwich shops, I may be a bit late to the game but I finally tried out East Hampton Sandwich Co. in Snider Plaza.  A friend had the day off, so we ventured there for a sandwich and some beer to celebrate the holiday.  Touted as offering excellent gourmet sandwiches, locally grown greens and a lively bar, East Hampton has become a new local hanging. And now that I’ve been there I agree that the sandwiches, salads and suds are all outstanding. 

After sidling up to the bar and ordering some Fireman’s 4 Blonde Ale, we decided to check out the menu.  While not a large menu, everything at East Hampton sounded fantastic.  They are known for the lobster roll, but I wasn’t feeling something that rich in the afternoon so I checked out some of the lighter options. 

After some contemplation between the lemon or honey chicken sandwich, I went with the Honey Grilled Chicken Sandwich.  Two perfectly grilled chicken breasts were topped with fresh, locally-grown yellow tomatoes, grilled lettuce and a honey bourbon mustard sauce.  The chicken itself was so fresh that it didn’t even need seasoning to cook.  I was nervous about the idea of two chicken breasts but none of the flavors overpowered each other.  Grilled lettuce seemed like a weird idea but rather than being wilted it still had a nice, crisp taste. 

Honey Grilled Chicken Sandwich

Thank goodness that no matter what sandwich you order you still get the side of homemade potato chips.  Thinly sliced, perfectly crisped and lightly seasoned, I could have made an entire meal of those.  I even dipped them in the side of honey bourbon mustard for an awesome sweet and salty combination. 

Overall, East Hampton is a great place for a good sandwich, great chips and a chance to chill out with friends.  I can’t wait for next time to try out the famous lobster roll and get some more of those amazing chips. A

The Way to My Heart

You've heard the saying that the way to a man's heart is through his stomach. Well the way to this woman's heart has many options, but one of my favorites is chocolate! With Valentines coming up, I figured what better to showcase my chocolate adoration than sharing one of my favorite chocolate recipes? This chocolate chip pound cake is easy, requires one bowl and is practically fail-proof even if you aren't the best baker. 

Ingredients

The ingredients are simple:
1 box yellow cake mix (I prefer Duncan Hines but any kind will do)
1 box vanilla instant pudding
1 box chocolate instant pudding
1/2 cup milk
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
4 eggs
8 oz (1/2 bag) mini chocolate chips (you can also use the regular size but I like these better)
Pam spray
Sugar (to coat pan)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a large bundt pan with Pam, then pour sugar in to coat. I have found the best way to do this is to pour the sugar on the inner ring letting it fall to the center. Then rotate the pan to coat the outer ring. Use as much sugar as you want and pour out any excess that doesn't stick.

Sugar Coated Pan

In a large bowl combine the cake mix, both pudding mixes, milk, oil, and eggs. Beat until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips until evenly distributed in the batter.

Pour into the bundt pan. Try to pour into the center so as not to take off any of the sugar coating. Bake at 400 degrees for 50 minutes (but depending on your oven it may take 55 minutes.). After 50 minutes test it with a toothpick and leave it in for another five minutes if the toothpick doesn’t come out clean  Let it cool 5-10 minutes and flip out onto a plate.

Enjoy and Happy Valentine’s!

Baking Cake

Chicago - Part 2

Blame the holidays, blame the new job, blame whatever it is you want but after quite the hiatus I am back!  My apologies for the delay and enjoy.  If you are just tuning in to my Chicago adventures, please check out Chicago - Part 1. 

Being my first time in Chicago there were a few things necessary to check off of my travel list. I needed to see a game at Wrigley Field, have a Chicago dog, and get a slice of authentic deep-dish pizza. Saturday morning started with a light drizzle and a trip to Wrigley to watch the Chicago Cubs play the San Francisco Giants. Now I am a true blue Texas Rangers fan, but being hosted by a Cubbie, I donned my Cubs baseball cap and headed out. It wasn’t too hard to cheer against the Giants based on the 2010 World Series, and the camaraderie of the fans made it lots of fun. Before going into the stands we headed over to Wrigley’s Captain Morgan Club to listen to the live music and start the morning with a beverage. While it may no longer be the official beer of the Cubs, having a pregame Old Style is still quite the tradition.

Great seats at Wrigley

Touted as Chicago’s version of Nattie Lite, Old Style is known as the “beer of the cheap seats.” With that in mind, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea of starting out with a Chicago Nattie Lite but figured, “when in Rome…” Lest you think I know nothing about beer, let me preface the review by saying that I was given VERY low expectations on this beer. I was expecting stale, sour tasting foulness that wouldn’t allow me to consume more than a tiny sip. With such a yummy preface, my hesitations were great as I took a VERY small sip and realized... it wasn’t half bad! The beer was watery and didn’t have much taste to it but I wasn’t running for the nearest trash can. While I didn’t enjoy the Old Style enough to order more than one, I did finish my beverage before moving on to something with more flavor. C

There really isn’t anything better at a ballgame than a dog and a beer. Seeing that I had begun my beer drinking early, the next step was—of course—a Chicago dog. If you ever happen to be craving a dog at Wrigley, find the stands that sell only Chicago dogs. They go through them the fastest so you will have a better chance at a fresher hot dog rather than one that has been sitting in a crockpot of tepid water for hours. Chicago dogs are your regular meat on a poppy seed bun with grilled onions, relish, mustard, sliced tomatoes, a pickle and a hot pepper on top. I am not usually one for onion on a dog, but the fresh grilled onions smelled so sweet and flavorful that I had to ask for a few to be as authentic as possible. The rest of the creation process was up to me. I sidled up to the table of toppings and tried not to look too much like a rookie. After some mustard and fresh tomato slices, I added some hot peppers and decided to nix the relish and pickle. I’m not a fan of either condiment and while wanting to be authentic I also wanted to actually enjoy my hot dog. I had tried to look like a pro as I added toppings but apparently very quickly showed my lack of knowledge when I added about six hot peppers to the top of my dog. Little did I know the traditional Chicago dog usually comes with one or maybe two hot peppers. Oops! What can I say, I’m a Texan who likes her food spicy. Of course, Carrie was nice enough not to mention anything until after I had finished but said she had never seen anyone put that many peppers on a dog. She kept expecting my mouth to catch on fire, but luckily my love of natural spice only made me enjoy the hot dog more with all that kick in each bite. The Chicago dog is something I will eat again. The freshness of the tomato slices and peppers was not only great texture but didn’t make me feel like I was eating a cheap hot dog. Big fan of the Chicago dog! B+

Notice my plethora of hot peppers... oops!

Unfortunately the Cubbies lost so we decided to do a little walking and drown our sorrows in ice cream. I am a fan of almost any kind of frozen sweet so I was excited to try out what Carrie touted as some of the best ice cream. Having spent two years living together and knowing her sweet tooth is as great as mine, I knew she wouldn’t speak lightly. We walked in to Bobtail Ice Cream and felt like we were back in time. With the old-fashioned soda fountain, aluminum tallboys, and ad campaigns from decades gone by I was back in Pleasantville and ready to turn on some tunes at the jukebox. Another great thing about Bobtail Ice Cream—they don’t skimp on the portions. I ordered peanut butter chocolate chip in a waffle cone and was given one of the biggest single scoops I have seen. The picture below was about halfway through my “single”. I know that peanut butter chocolate chip isn’t your traditional flavor but it certainly eased my baseball sadness. The ice cream tasted like real peanut butter and the sliced chocolate chips were large enough to bite into without overpowering the flavor. My waffle cone was still warm, crunchy, and light and had enough thickness to use as a scoop when I broke off an edge. It was a perfect dessert treat while we window-shopped around town. B+

Half of my Single Scoop!!

My final day in Chicago, Carrie and I headed downtown to do some shopping along their major boulevard and grab an authentic Chicago deep-dish pizza. We headed to Uno’s Pizza to eat at the 1943 originator of the “deep dish”. As the story goes, Ike Sewell developed the idea of creating a pizza with a tall crust like a fruit pie thinking that by having a thicker crust he could include more cheese and toppings. And there at Uno’s the Chicago-style deep-dish pizza was born.

Due to the crust thickness it takes 45 minutes to cook one pizza, so once we were seated they almost immediately took our order. We stuck with a classic and ordered the Numero Uno^® with a veggie plate to nibble on while we waited. The celery, peppers and carrots were crisp and refreshing with a large side of hummus for dipping. Nothing special, but after a weekend of rich foods, the veggies were exactly what my tummy was craving. If you get a chance to stop by Uno’s when the weather is nice, I highly recommend sitting upstairs. The upper area is great, with covered outdoor seating and spectacular people watching from your perch above the street. With greenery and fans that kept us cool while we waited, Uno’s upstairs patio is a peaceful oasis in the middle of the skyscrapers of Chicago. After a time frame that felt much shorter than 45 minutes we were greeted with the distinct aroma of crust, veggies, tomato sauce and bubbling cheese. A two inch thick dish was placed on our table and my eyes almost popped!

Any qualms I had about deep dish pizza were gone. We cut into the pie and went to work. The cheese had a beautiful brown bubble without frying the roof of my mouth as soon as I took a bite. The peppers and sausage were from the garden, fresh with a kick that left you wanting more. I’m not usually one for onions on my pizza but they fit in perfectly to give some crunch to the thick dough. The cheese, sauce, and dough ratio was perfect! My biggest problem with deep-dish pizza is the overwhelming nature of the dough. I wind up feeling like I am eating bread with a little bit of other stuff piled on top. Not here! I ended up eating three pieces and if I hadn’t been shopping for skinny jeans later, might have been able to down a fourth. Uno’s, I don’t know your secret but I love it! A+

With a full stomach and an appreciation for Chi-town I hit the road for home having experienced a wonderful city with a wonderful friend.  I will definitely be back and my tummy will be happier for it!  Thanks Chicago, see you soon.