A Spoonful of Sofrito: 25 Terrific NYC Chinese Restaurants!

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

25 Terrific NYC Chinese Restaurants!

 

Sofrito Lovers,

Chinese food in NYC is quite the controversy.  Some argue that the food in China town is horrible and others say the food in Flushing is better. Die hard Brooklynites say their borough's Chinese food beats both Manhattan and Queens. It's a never ending argument for superiority and bragging rights!  It can make finding a Chinese restaurant to enjoy a deep political battle.

I love Chinese food and appreciate the amazing cuisines in all NYC's China towns (Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens)!  The amazing foodies at Eater.com have compiled a list of 25 Terrific NYC Chinese restaurants from all over the city!

I'm excited, I've never heard of most of these places.  After the holidays, I'm going to pound the pavement and check out these amazing eateries!  I hope to see you there as well!  I don't know about you, but I'm going to taste for myself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

25 Terrific NYC Chinese Restaurants

by Eater Staff Dec 22, 2016, 6:21pm EST 

Here is a list of 25 restaurants that Eater editors love.  This is not a comprehensive guide to New York City's best Chinese restaurants — there are some heavy-hitters and critical darlings that are definitely not on this list. But herein you will find over two dozen restaurants that reliably serve comforting, delicious food. You might consider going to one on Christmas, or any day after that. Collectively, the editors of Eater have been to these establishments hundreds — maybe even thousands! — of times. Please share your favorite neighborhood haunts in the comments.

Check out the rest of the article here!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies!

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

Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies!

 

Sofrito Lovers,

I am a huge chicken shit!  I am totally terrified of my oven.  This is why I haven't baked anything yet!

I have this weird irrational fear that my oven will explode, kill me and David, and burn the whole apartment building down.  I have no idea where this insane fears comes from, but it is there...BUT, I am going conquer this fear by facing it head on and making Christmas Cookies.

Last week, Chowhound posted an awesome tutorial for making Easy Christmas Sugar Cookies!  I'm going to watch this video on a continuous loop, until I know the steps by hear! Then, I'm going to to walk over to that hot box of death and create the most delicious Christmas Sugar cookies ever!  

As I write this, I keep repeating to myself, "The Oven won't explode" over and over.  Watch the video posted below and make your own Christmas cookies.  I am so scared...I am so scared!  Go taste for yourself!  ¡Buen Provecho!

 

 

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Rice, Gandules, and Pork!

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

Rice, Gandules, and Pork!

My delicious Arroz con gandules con cerdo!

Sofrito Lovers,

Sunday night dinner is my jam!  Last night, I made a pretty amazing Arroz con Gandules con Cerdo (Green Pigeon Pea rice with pork) that knocked my and David's socks off!  I'm telling you, we were both left sock-less and speechless!

This yummy recipe comes from one of my favorite YouTube cooking channels, Sweets and Beyond, hosted by amazing Boricua cook Ida!  I love her channel; the tutorials are easy to follow and the meals are always delicious.

When I saw the tutorial for this recipe, I knew I had to try it for myself!  It was was a slam dunk; my bearbear David loved it!  As I've stated countless times, there's no better praise than that!  

Check out Ida's channel, Sweets and Beyond, and subscribe to her channel!  I know You'll love her channel as much as I do! Watch, cook, and taste for yourself! ¡Buen Provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: FreakinRican Pasteles de Guineo

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

FreakinRican Pasteles de guineo!

Sofrito Lovers,

The holidays are upon us and for many Caribbean Latinos this a time for us to make PASTELES!

Pasteles are a gift God gave us that we happily share with the world!  Pasteles look like Mexican Tamales, but are made from either green banana, plantain, or Yucca dough and are filled with any type of stewed meat (traditionally pork) and veggies.  Pasteles are the perfect example of our cultural culinary fusion; they were created by combining Taino, African, and Spanish cooking styles and ingredients together.

Wrapped in a banana leaf, they're boiled for about an hour and, then served as a side dish or on their own.  Usually, they're made during Christmas, Thanksgiving, or Easter time as a special holiday treat, but you can eat them year round.  

Making Pasteles is a serious process!  Many Caribbean Latinos have fond memories of waking up early to be a part of an all day assembly line of family making these delicious suckers!

In order to inspire you to make your own pasteles, I've posted an incredible Pastel tutorial below by Derrick Lopez, the host of the FreakinRican restaurant channel!  I love Derrick's tutorials; they're quick and easy to follow!  I consider him one of the best YouTube Culinary instructors online...plus, he's really handsome, so watching him cook is an all around treat! 

Check out Derrick's amazing tutorial below and subscribe to his channel for more content!  Watch, make those pasteles, and taste for yourself!  ¡Buen provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Try Our World Snack Box!

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

Try Our World Snack Box!

 

Sofrito Lovers,

Three weeks ago, I decided to give myself an early birthday gift and subscribed to a monthly snack box series called, Try Our World. Try our World sends its subscribers a monthly package full of incredible international treats, goodies, and candies.  You can choose from several different subscription boxes of all different sizes with all types of treats.  I chose the basic $20 a month box, which contains 6-8 delectable snacks for me to enjoy!

Yesterday, I received my first box and I can't believe how delicious the treats have been!  My box came with 7 goodies and a few description cards with information on the content and how to order more.

I haven't sampled the entire box yet, but the Japanese Pineapple gummy cakes were incredible!

The South African Toffee was chewy, delicious, and decadent!

 

The Canadian (not so exotic, I know) maple cookies were a sweet blessing from the great White North! They were rich, moist, and tasty!

Let me be clear, I'm not a sponsored consumer or anything like that!  I'm just a customer that loves this product and thinks you will too!  Check out the website and treat yourself to a subscription, better yet, get one for a foodie friend you love for the holidays.  He or She will love it!  YOU NEED TO TASTE THIS FOR YOURSELF!  ¡Buen provecho!

Try Our World Website

A Spoonful of Sofrito: Latino Pea Soup Recipe!

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

Latino Pea Soup Recipe

Sofrito Lovers,

For Sunday night dinner, I made a caldero of Latino style Whole Green Pea Soup! The inspiration for this meal came from watching a cooking tutorial from this amazing YouTuber named  Evelyn Dominguez.  I love Evelyn's videos, her recipes are incredible!  Please check out her channel!

Quick, simple, and delicious, this was the perfect meal for a cold and snowy night in Washington Heights.  Winter is here and it's time for some hearty and tasty soups to warm our bones and soothe our souls!  Evelyn's soup recipe helped fight the chill!  As always my litmus test of success is if my partner David liked it...HE DID!

Check out Evelyn's tutorial below!  Watch, cook, and taste for yourself! ¡Buen Provecho!

A Spoonful of Sofrito: 15 NYC Restaurants to Visit on Christmas or Christmas Eve.

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

15 NYC Restaurants to Visit on Christmas or Christmas Eve!

Sofrito Lovers,

If you're in the mood to eat out for the holidays, then you'll find today's post, from Eater.com, extremely helpful! Find the right holiday dinner venue can be hard, but as usual, the good people at Eater.com have created an amazing list of eateries that will help you usher in the holiday season with style and delicious eats!

If I decide to go out on Christmas Eve, then I'm trying Chef Tom Colicchio's Fowler & Wells or Joh Frasser's Narcissa.

Check out the post below and start planning your Christmas Eve out as soon as possible!  Happy Holiday Planning! Go taste for yourself! ¡Buen Provecho!

15 NYC Restaurants to Visit on Christmas or Christmas Eve

by Patty Diez  Dec 7, 2016, 5:00pm EST

[Fowler & Wells] Nick Solares

While many restaurants are closed on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, there are still plenty of good options for those who prefer to leave the cooking to someone else. Here is a guide to 15 great New York restaurants that will be open on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This map includes restaurants serving everything from a classic Christmas goose to roast beef with Yorkshire pudding.

[Restaurants are listed by geography: south to north in Manhattan, north to south in Brooklyn]

Check out the rest of the article here!