Friday, January 29, 2016

A Spoonful of Sofrito: ChefsFeed App!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

ChefsFeed App!


Sofrito Lovers,

Once again, I've got an App that will make your foodie adventures through New York City extremely easy: ChefsFeed! ChefsFeed helps you find nearby restaurants, features professional cooking tips, and input from well-known and up and coming Chefs.

Recently, I fell in love with ChefsFeed the moment I downloaded it. I enjoy the amazing tutorial videos, gorgeous food photography, and easy to use search functions. 

Being a modern day foodie, I need the proper tech and apps to help me explore NYC's food culture and ChefsFeed has made that process very easy.  I highly recommend this app; it's fun, easy to use, and very informative.

Check out the App link down below and go enjoy some good food!  ¡Buen Provecho! 



Thursday, January 28, 2016

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Americans try Latino Sodas!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.
Americans try Latino Sodas!
Sofrito Lovers,

You already know that tasting videos give me life! If I've said it once, I've said it a thousand times: Watching people's reactions to new foods and beverages is hilarious and extremely entertaining!


The FLAMA video below features a group of Americans tasting sodas and beverages from throughout Latin America.  Their reactions are priceless; it's clear that their palates are designed for only Pepsi, Coca Cola, Sprite, and just about anything American.  They found most of the Latino sodas nasty or off putting.

I'm thinking of organizing a counter taste testing video! Usually, I find most Americans love those very same sodas when they taste them.  ¡Vamos a ver!

Check out the video and see if you can find the sodas and taste them for yourselves.  ¡Buen provecho!


 

Wednesday, January 27, 2016

A Spoonful of Sofrito: The Ultimate Snickerdoodles!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

The Ultimate Snickerdoodles!


Sofrito Lovers,

Do you remember Snickerdoodles?  Most people don't, they  respond with, "What?" or "What the hell is a snickerdoodle?"

Snickerdoodles are those delicious cinnamon and sugar cookies that are gooey in the middle and taste like heaven.  Occasionally, you could buy them in a pack in a Bodega or they were served as a treat in your school lunch.  

Snickerdoodles have never been as popular as chocolate chip cookies, oatmeal cookies, or your various Oreo-like cream filled cookies, but that have that distinctive cinnamon and sweet taste everyone remembers from childhood.  They were a random delicious treat that popped up here and there and were always a delight!

Well. to everyone's luck Serious Eats has published an amazing Snickerdoodle recipe on their website; I couldn't help but share it with you all.  I'm still a baking novice, but this is going to be one of my first projects.  Can you image an endless supply of rich, gooey, cinnamony treats?  I can!  I'm going to make it happen!  When I do, I'll blog about it and let you know how they turned out!

Check out Serious Eats Recipe for Snickerdoodles and taste for yourself!  ¡Buen provecho!


 


Tuesday, January 26, 2016

A Spoonful of Sofrito: 10 Ways to Spot a Fake Chinese Restaurant!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.
 
10 Ways to Spot a Fake Chinese Restaurant!
 

Sofrito Lovers,
 
Did you know that most Chinese restaurants don't serve Chinese Food? Yes, folks, this is true!  Those pot-stickers, tostones, fried chicken wings, crab rangoon, and chicken with broccoli aren't real Chinese fare.  Now you're wondering, "How can I tell what is real Chinese food?"  Keep reading!

A few months ago, the video I embedded below was posted on Youtube by Strictly Dumpling and it has changed my life!  These 10 facts have helped me comb through the endless "Chinese" restaurants in NYC in order to find the true delicious diamonds in the rough! 

Strictly Dumpling's videos are wonderful!  Whether its fun facts about Chinese cuisine, cooking tutorials, or tasting videos, this channel is an amazing resource for all things Chinese food related.  After you watch the video below, skim through the channel, you won't regret it.

Take a look, find a good Chinese restaurant, and Buen Provecho!


Monday, January 25, 2016

A Spoonful of Sofrito: My Secret Chicken Recipe!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: A pinch of advice that will add a lot of flavor to your life.

My Secret Chicken Recipe!


Sofrito Lovers,

I don't want to brag, but I make the best Fried Chicken ever. Yeah, I'm sure some of you must think I'm crazy, but it's the truth.  My recipe is incredible and everyone who tastes my chicken agrees.  The Colonel has nothing on me and that lady on the Popeye's commercials wishes she had my recipe. Those two losers don't come close to my incredible Pollo Frito!

Being an altruistic soul, I shall share my recipe.  Read it, cook it, taste it, and ¡Buen Provecho!

Ben's Famous Pollo Frito Recipe


Ingredients:
2-3 lbs of fryer chicken parts
3 eggs
1/3 cup of water
1-1.5 cup of white flour
Canola oil for frying
1 tsp of pepper for flour

Wet/dry rub for chicken:
1 tbsp of white vinegar

1 tbsp of olive oil
1 tbsp of fresh made Sazon
1 tsp of fresh made adobo
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp oregano powder
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp cilantro powder
1 tsp onion powder


Directions:

Wash chicken parts in cold water and pat dry.

In a large bowl, season chicken with wet/dry ingredients together.  Set aside the bowl for 15-20 minutes, or overnight, to marinate.  If you refrigerate the chicken overnight, then take it out and let stand until room temperature.  Never cook cold chicken.  Make sure you pat the seasoned chicken dry as well!

In a medium size bowl beat eggs and water.  In another bowl, mix flour and 1 tsp of pepper together.

Dip chicken into egg mixture and then lightly coat in flour.

Heat canola oil in frying pan on medium-high heat.

Fry the chicken until brown and crisp on both sides.  Usually, it takes about 4-5 minutes on each side, but you should use your instincts as well.  
If it looks cooked through, then remove from heat.

Place on a plate covered in paper towels to absorb the excess oil and enjoy!