LHT's Profile
What to do with LOTS of goat cheese?
plop a slice on a bowl of soup as you serve it & guests mix it in. Was wonderful with butternut squash puree soup - gave it a great zing!
Best Cheesesteak in Queens?
totally unexpected, but John's Pizza on Astoria Boulevard (between Crescent & 21st St) has a number of different & really good cheesesteak options.
Forest Hills Takeout
we used to do take-out from QThai. Sometimes walk in & order & have a glass of wine at the little bar while waiting, or othertimes just call ahead & swing by for the goods. Not sure if they deliver, it's been quite a few years since my husband lived in FH & we used to do this
Lard Bread/ Prosciutto Bread in Queens
In Astoria, try Rose & Joe's Bakery on 31st Street/Ditmars Blvd
In Corona, don't know exact address, but there's a salumeria & bakery right near the Parkside Restaurant & Corona Ice King. that bakery had delish lard bread.
Best Chinese in Astoria - Take Out OK
Honestly, stay away from Chinese in Astoria. We have almost everything else you could imagine that could help out a lazy cook, but Chinese is just no good here at all.
Go with caution!
Need a birthday cake for 50 people from an Astoria bakery
Costco isn't a terrible option to consider, but if you're looking for something a bit 'more' consider -
Artopolis - 31st Street in Agora Plaza shopping area
LaGuli - Ditmars between 31st & 29th
these places might also deliver for you too.
Q Thai Bistro-Not Sripraphai but Still Good
Q Thai is truly one of my all-time forest hills favorites! Haven't been there in quite a while, but glad to here they're still going strong.
Tony Roma's to open at Bay Terrace Shopping Center
Interesting - wonder how it'll fare/compete with the Outback & Appelbees already in there.
Luna de Juarez on Steinway in Astoria
Agree, totally great place, friendly service, amazing portions. Haven't tried the brunch buffet either, but next time you're there try the fried avocado appetizer - totally decadent & delish!
Best Japanese in Astoria?
On the newer side, check out Linn on B'way. Beautiful space with japanese artists displaying art that's also for sale. Food was very, very fresh, authenticly prepared standards & imaginative twists on rolls. Sushi was not cheap, but fairly priced for the high quality.
linnrestaurant.com
Peter Luger Creamed Spinach Recipe?
I was shocked at how similar this recipe was to steakhouse creamed spinach. don't let the list of ingredients fool you - it's really great, especially when made with a good quality frozen spinach. I like the bags of Cascadian Farms Organic best for this recipe
10 3/4 can cream of celery soup
1 tbs. flour
1/4 cup butter or margarine or canola oil
1/2 tsp. garlic salt or to taste
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
20 oz. frozen chopped spinach, cooked according
to package directions, well drained OR
2 pounds fresh spinach, cleaned, stems removed,
chopped, cooked and drained
1 tblsp dry onion, chopped, OR
1 small onion, peeled, ends removed, diced
In a large saucepan over medium heat, whisk together celery soup, flour,
butter or margarine or canola oil, garlic salt, salt and pepper until smooth
and piping hot. Add cooked and drained spinach, dry chopped onion or diced
onion. Serve.
Soft Shell Crabs
Oceano on Ditmars & 35th actually had a wonderful soft shell appetizer that would be worth trying out. Very light, fresh & nicely seasoned. Can't remember sauce exactly, but do remember garlic!
Five Boroughs Ice cream new flavors
Same texture issue when I tried Soho. Loved the ingredient list, but was waiting to find a piece of biscotti somewhere...alas, nothing found.
Seamless Web Midtown - What are your favorites?
Berger's Deli for matzo ball soup and pastrami/corned beef combo sandwich on rye. Onion rings are also amazing from there
Best Dumplings in Astoria?
Not sure what kind of dumplings you're searching for, but I really enjoy the beef 'momos' at Himilayan Teahouse on 31st Ave (near Brick Cafe). Seems that 'momos' are a traditional tibetan dumpling and they're very good. I think they also have veggie & chicken ones, but I've only had the beef. The hot sauce they serve with the dumplings is very good too. Most importantly, they're home made right there, not something that's mass produced and shipped frozen.
In Search of Salad with Halloum
Just fry up that haloumi, drizzle with some olive oil & lemon & enjoy with some crusty bread.
Brownie recipe using whole wheat flour and splenda?
Thanks very much for the sources. I actually tried to do this again last night and used some of the suggestions above. Use 1/2 ww 1/2 ap flour and instead of straight splenda, I used the splenda brown sugar blend. These were so much better than the 1st try. I think next time I'll actually go with 2/3 ww 1/3 ap flour without any significant change and stick with the splenda brown sugar blend.
Thanks again for the help!
Brownie recipe using whole wheat flour and splenda?
any online sources for WW pastry flour you could recommend? My local markets have a large selection, but couldn't find it there.
Shellfish at Fresh Direct
There's usually a button to click on where you can specify packaging instructions. I've done this with their steaks so they can easily go right in the freezer. Maybe same could be done for shellfish. You should try giving them a call, they're always very helpful on the phone.
ISO Good bakery in Astoria for ciabatta/focaccia
Try Artopolis in Agora Plaza on 31st street (between the Astoria Blvd and Ditmars stops). We ordered breads for a huge Thanksgiving Dinner and were thrilled with them. There was a rosemary/olive oil one that was delish! It was somewhat of a non-traditional focaccia, but just excellent.
Egg drop soup
For an italian twist with very similar ingredients, try stratachella (sp?)
don't be ashamed, use the boxed broth
throw in a box of frozen chopped spinach
simmer until spinach is broken up in broth and heated through
whisk 2 eggs with a good handful of parmesan
add egg/cheese mixture to hot broth as you would for egg drop soup
enjoy & feel better!
Brownie recipe using whole wheat flour and splenda?
Wow, really great information - many thanks to both of you. I didn't realize there was a new splenda for baking, so I'll be on the lookout for that, as well as WW pastry flour. I didn't realize the variety that exists in ww flours, either. Again, many thanks for the advice and suggestions.
Brownie recipe using whole wheat flour and splenda?
Absolutely not too much info - many thanks ben61820! The recipe didn't call for creaming butter/sugar, but you were supposed to beat it w/ the eggs until pale, which would never happen with the splenda.
Chowser - I used King Arthur Organic Whole Wheat. After checking the package, it's ground from hard spring wheat. Not sure if that's white or red, but I think the 1/2 & 1/2 approach might be the way to go.
THE secret ingredient?
Completely agree with the butter, salt, and the best ingredients you can afford, but a true insider tip is bullion concentrates - prefer demi-glace consistency or liquid over the powder stuff, but that will do in a pinch. Go easy on the salt when you use these, but a spoonful will add a restaurant taste to almost anything.
Brownie recipe using whole wheat flour and splenda?
I agree it was likely the whole wheat flour, not the splenda, that dried it out. Just not sure if I should add more eggs, butter or a bit of oil to the mixture to bring back a chewy & moist texture. I was just searching around and found old posts that credit the shiney/crackled top to use of granulated sugar and even one gave credit to the addition of brown sugar. Maybe I should try the new Splenda brown sugar blend?
Brownie recipe using whole wheat flour and splenda?
Tried to do a simple substitution with Martha Stewart's double-chocolate recipe and it was terrible. Way too dry. Not sure how to adjust it. Goal would be something along the lines of a chewy Betty Crocker box mix texture. Thanks for any suggestions.
Greenwich-Manero's Butchers Back in Business
Wow just hearing the name Manero's brings back amazing childhood memories - my first taste of gorgonzola! From the other posts, I'm assuming the restaurant is no longer in business?
Mr. Wasabi (Bayside)
They also do very nice and reasonably priced catering trays -keep them in mind for holiday parties
Dinner near Lake Placid - Whiteface, Mirror Lake or Dear's Head in Elizabethtown?
I personally really enjoyed the Mirror Lake Inn and would recommend it. We so enjoyed a special onion tart and bread pudding and when I mentioned to the waiter how I would love to recreate it at home, he returned to the table with the recipes.
