Anna Steve Papoutsakis

Party Remedies

The past few months I have been focusing on my new web project, Party Remedies. This extensive project has been taking up much of my time, so I may not be updating to this site anymore. I will leave it up for the purpose of my clips and writing samples, otherwise, you can catch me at PR.

Thanks much - Anna

Easiest Chicken Salad

This is a ridiculously easy recipe for a chicken salad simply using four ingredients. It works well with leftover roasted chicken, but is even tastier with boiled chicken. This salad is particularly tasty as a wrap, but you can use it in sandwiches or just eat it by itself.

1 Pound Chicken, chopped into 1/2 cubes or chunks
1 Cup Blue Cheese Dressing
1/2 Cup Walnuts, roughly chopped
1/2 Dried Cranberries

• Combine the four ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Chill for at least four hours and mix before serving.
• The ratio of ingredients above is simply a guide, adjust the amounts to your taste preference.

New Recipes

As part of my new web project, I'm going to take advantage of the space I have on this site to post some of my recipes. Be on the lookout...

Coming Soon

I have not updated this site recently because I have been spending my time on a new web project which I hope will launch in the next few months.  I'll keep you posted (but not too posted, because it will be a surprise!).

Still Alive

So I disappeared the last couple of months.  Life in my world has been beyond hectic, and sadly my food and food writing projects had to take a back burner.  Since early July I have been juggling 60 hour weeks between 3 jobs in the hopes that one of those jobs would pan out into full time.  Until I knew if I would get the job I needed to keep my other jobs just in case.  Just in case became a reality, and come this Friday I should be back down to two jobs. Sigh.

So good news with the Flat Belly Diet.  I lost about 15 pounds and have kept it off even though I mainly returned to my normal eating habits.  The only thing I am disappointed in is that I have not been good about making sure I have a MUFA (mono unsaturated fatty acid) at each meal.  Again, the good news with this is that I know if I do want to lose more weight, the diet is very doable and has results, even without working out. :)

Sneaky Calorie Cutting

Once again, I have not made time for the blog.  What can I tell you?  Summer is an extremely busy time with activities almost every weekend.  My borderline psychotic obsession with the New York Mets season also does not help matters, as my food hobby is replaced by my baseball hobby.

The past month I have been watching what I eat in honor of summer and in honor of the wedding party that  I am in next month (must be able to fit loosely in the dress to account for the obscene number of calories which will be consumed on August 16th).  In finding ways to cut calories, I have a new fav lunch/dinner treat.  It's an avocado cheeseburger, but made with one of my new 100 calorie fake meat patties, Morningstar Farms Vegan Grillers.

Vegan Burger with Cheese and Avocado
1 Morningstar Farms Vegan Griller Patty
1 oz. Shredded Light Cheese
1/3 Avocado, sliced
1 Multi-grain English Muffin or Sandwich Pita
1 tbsp. Ketchup
1 tbsp. Sweet Hot Mustard

Fix up the burger whatever way you want - grill, microwave, pan-fry, etc.  The whole sandwich is 360 calories, 14.5 grams of fat (the majority of which is from the heart-healthy avocado), 26.5 grams of carbs, 25 grams of protein, and 11 grams of fiber.  More importantly, it tastes bangin.

I'm Becoming a Conformist

Monday I am doing something I really haven't ever done in my life.  I have enrolled in a diet, specifically, the Flat Belly Diet.  I am going to be living alone for about six weeks as my family is in Europe and other parts of the country, so I have decided this would be a good time to go on a plan and not be bugged for not eating what everyone else is eating.

I know how to watch what I eat, I just often choose not to.  I love food too much.  I enjoy thoroughly enjoy exercise and feel incomplete as a human being when I am unable to hop on the treadmill or lift some weights.  However, as I approach the age of 30, the food is showing how much it loves me back.  Plus, I have been cursed all my life that when I do gain a few pounds, they go straigh to my waistline and not really anywhere else.

I have several friends who went on the diet with positive results, we'll see how it all goes down...

Another Disappointing Dining Experience

I was craving American-Italian food last night.  Every now and then I get the urge for something smothered in Italian cheeses and tomato sauce.  Living in Norther New Jersey, there are countless Italian dining options beyond the chain restaurants.  Opting to do something different than our staple Italian retaurants, my mother and I set out for Sicilian Sun in Ho-Ho-Kus.  My sister used to live in Ho-Ho-Kus and often sang the priases their amazing pizza, and my mother had been there before, so we were off.

Right off the bat, the atmosphere is so-so.  We were given the option of dining in the "pizza" side of the restaurant, or the "dinner" side.  I wanted dinner, so off we went.  The dining room is in need of a serious upgrade.  Too many mirrors, too many tiny lights, not enough booths, etc.  The colors were also quite washed out, but at the end of the day, if the food is good, a less-than-desirable atmosphere will fade away.

Things started out promising.  We were offered drinks right away.  Then the kiss of death.  For once in my dining life, I was indecisive.  I am not an indecisive diner normally, particularly when I have a craving, but last night I was torn between Manicotti, Lasanga, Tortellini Bolognese, Fettuccini Bolognese, Veal Parmaggiano, Veal Francaise, and Veal Milanese.  So when the waiter returned with our drinks and I was still poring over the menu, he gave us more time....too much more time.  He did not return to the table for our order for another 10 minutes.

As a "sister of the service industry," I am hugely put off by poor service, particularly poor, unapologetic service.  I have been in the weeds, screamed at, overwhelmed, known someone's meal was bad, etc.  I've been there, I allot for circumstances beyond the staff's control, but this was just poor service. 

We ordered sauteed escarole as an appetizer.  It was superb - fresh, hot, spicy, crunchy, garlicky... up until the last bite, which was like biting into a handful of sand.  I couldn't even complain, as it was literally the last bite.  How do you clear your plate and then say it sucks?  Credibility was totally lost at that point.  So I let it go.

I noticed throughout our meal "mama" going around the dining room, greeting regular patrons, helping to serve, etc.  Mama appeared to be the owner, and like a bad mother, was visibly playing favorites.  Now restaurant owners, I ask you this, how do you expect to expand on your clientele and draw in more regular customers if you treat the new customers like the dirt on your shoes?  Naturally, when the meal took a downturn, Mama was nowhere to be found.

On to the main courses.  My mother got Veal Piccata over Spinach and I finally had settled with Veal Parmaggiano.  I took the first bite and it tasted okay, minus the fact it seemed to be floating.  The veal was not as crispy as I would have liked, but it was still pretty tasty.  After another bite I realized it was soggy.  I am not sure if the sauce was too watery, the mozzerella fresh and not drained prior to placing it over the dish, or what, but I literally lost the last bit of dining KLASS I had and drained my dish onto my bread and butter plate.  The food was still soggy.  Naturally, Pancho Villa our waiter was nowhere to be found...so much for the "2 minute, 2 bite" rule of hospitality.  My mother flagged down a busperson for me and said something about my food being bad, and the busperson then in turn entered another dimension to pull out the waiter.  I showed him the pool of watery sauce and how the cheese was squishing over the veal and sauce.  The one thing he did next was perhaps the only quality service move he maked, he offered to get me a new dish, no questions asked.  What's happening back in the kitchen is beyond me, but I have faith in many kitchens, as again, a veteran cook.  But we'll see...

I had a dish of angel hair pasta to accompany my food which was left behind, but when the waiter took my food, he took my untensils with it.  Being a stubborn Greek, I refused to let my mother grab a fork off another table.  Instead, I fantasized about the final scene in Coming to America - "Taste the soup!  Taste the soup!"  "Where's the spoon?"  "AH-RHA!"  Naturally, the moment didn't come.  The pasta got cold, the runner apologetically (perhaps the classiest of the service bunch) set down my food, and I asked for silverware, which he in turn took off another table and never replaced.  I felt sorry for the bastard who was going to sit there next.

Near the end of my meal the waiter asked if my food was better, but that was perhaps because I stared him down.  Luckily, the new dish was, and it arrive much hotter than my first order.

Another couple sat down next to us, obviously regulars.  As we waited for the check (another eternity), I listed to the waiter tell them about the specials - a luxury we were denied when we first ordered.  I began to realize eventually the place must be a front, and as a Greek mother-daughter combo, we obviously were not connected.  It still upsets me, though, because the place really did have good food...okay, minus the sand incident.

I'll take the Olive Garden over this place just about any day.  I figure it's the difference between purgatory and hell.

Queens Burger Battle

The smoke that had filled the grand ballroom of the Astoria World Manor slowly began to clear as the cooking was winding down. Between endless samples of libations, including sangria, Sapporro, and sorbet made from wine, the crowd managed to either muster up -- or at least feign -- sobriety and focus on the activities in front of them. After all, they were not just attendees at the 6th Annual Cuisine of Queens & Beyond, nor, despite appearances, were they extras being filmed for an upcoming episode of Ugly Betty. They were all witnesses to New York food history.

Whether you're a lover of White Castle, brag about the three-meat blend in your own otherwise secret recipe, or are willing to spend $175 for Kobe beef, foie gras, and black truffles stuffed between two pieces of bread, everyone is a critic when it comes to burgers. To set the bar for what makes the ideal sandwich, this year Dish du Jour Magazine's food and wine event introduced a cooking competition to the usual tasting festivities, complete with some of the better-known New York based food personalities: the Burger Battle of the Boroughs.

Griddles, timers, cast iron pans, meat grinders, a seemingly endless supply of Heinz ketchup, and even a blowtorch.  These were just some of the supplies furnished and used by the seven fierce competitors, representing four of New York's five boroughs.  The event was hosted by Dish du Jour Magazine's Chef Armand and led by emcee and hamburger documentarian George Motz. The judging panel was comprised of a colorful mesh of well-known foodies -- Josh Ozersky from New York Magazine's Grub Street; Arthur "Food Maven" Schwartz; the model-esque Kelly Choi, host of Eat Out New York (who also had a camera crew documenting the event for her show); chef Terrance Brennan of Artisanal; and Tony Tantillo, food expert for CBS2 HD.

Competitors included Brgr and Resto representing Manhattan, Farm on Adderely and 67 Burger representing Brooklyn, Harry’s Water Beach Taxi and Joe's Bestburger representing Queens, and Coals representing the Bronx. No one really had an answer as to why Staten Island was not on board.

The competition was a whirlwind 40 minutes and the competitors cooking times were scattered so that a fresh, new burger arrived to the judges every few moments. Each burger was assigned a number and the judges were seated in front of the cooks to ensure a blind tasting.  A burger could earn up to 20 points: up to 5 points for Appearance, 5 points for Originality, and up to 10 points for Taste.

As the burgers arrived for the judges' inspection, each had its little indosyncrasies. Some had english muffins instead of buns, while others were topped with blue cheese or bacon laden. There were double deckers, flame-melted cheese, grilled, pan-fried burgers, and more. The burger that was declared the winner had a simplistic, all-American soul that sat well with the judges. It was comprised of fresh, juicy meat sandwiched between a buttery toasted bun, and was accompanied with little more than pickles, tomato, and a dab of a Russian dressing-like sauce. Two bites in, Josh Ozerky held the burger, looked towards Kelly Choi and Tony Tantillo, and quietly proclaimed, "It just feels right to me.  It feels like a burger." The winner: Queen's own Harry's Water Beach and Taxi.

The judging panel awaits the first team's burger.

Dish du Jour's Chef Armand discusses what makes a perfect burger with Arthur Schwartz.

The evening's emcee George "Hamburger" Motz overlooks the judging table.

Chef Terrance Brannan matter-of-factly explains his ideal burger would include --  surprise -- Artisanal cheeses.

A burger could earn up to 20 points (5 Appearance, 5 Originality, and 10 Taste).

Councilman Peter Vallone putting his two cents in.

"It just feels right to me. It feels like a burger," uttered Josh Ozersky as he examined burger number 6, which was soon to become the "Best Burger in the Boroughs."

Burger King: Harry Hawk of Harry's Water Beach and Taxi accepts his prize.

Images by Anna Papoutsakis

Not Alone in My Quest for Lard

I came accross this on AOL, "25 Things We Wish Would Make a Comeback."

No. 22: Lard in Pastry

As WalletPop's Sarah Gilbert puts it, "My mother made pie crusts with lard when I was a girl, and I grew up with the firm belief that there was no better part of the pie than the crust. Pie experts know that lard 'makes the flakiest, most flavorful crust known to man.' It's due to the chemistry of lard's lipids, which form unusually large crystals." Worried about lard's unhealthy reputation? You shouldn't be eating enough pie so that it's an enormous portion of your diet, anyway.

http://www.walletpop.com/2008/05/16/comebacks-wed-like-to-see-22-lard-in-pastry/