Eating in NYC with Kids, Day Two

We started the morning of Day Two by hopping on the subway to head up to Central Park.

After visiting the Eloise Suite at The Plaza Hotel and Dylan's Candy Bar, we stopped for lunch at Patsy's Pizzeria, which has been serving up thin crust, brick oven pizza since 1933.

The girls were in heaven because the restaurant served buttered noodles, their absolute favorite meal.

I had a slice of their Ricotta Mozzarella "white" pizza with a Caesar salad. The cheeses were so fresh, and the crust was perfectly crisp. Delicious!

We had dinner reservations at Big Daddy's diner for that night...but we had impulsively bought tickets to see Matilda on Broadway (so cute!) that morning, and the location of the restaurant just didn't work with the location and time of the show, so we had to adjust.

My sister picked STK, a favorite restaurant of hers that she's visited in Atlanta. As advertised, it "artfully blends two concepts into one--the modern steakhouse and a chic lounge." The decor was certainly striking.

This wasn't particularly kid-friendly, but the girls rolled with it and had their mac and cheese. I had the 6-ounce grilled skirt steak (medium rare)...but the star of my meal was the crock of sweet corn pudding I ordered as a side dish. It was AH-mazing!

Forgive the photos below...this place was DARK! But, even though it was an impromptu decision, and a little highbrow for kids, the food was delicious.

Two more days of good food ahead!

Eating with Kids in NYC, Day One

The day after Christmas, I headed to New York City with my mom, sister, and three nieces for a long weekend. I was in charge of food arrangements for this visit, just like my trip back in October. I had fun picking out kid-friendly places for us to eat. 

After checking into our hotel near Times Square, we stopped in for lunch at Chevys Fresh Mex. They have a separate kids' menu, and they also offered crayons and activity pages for the girls.

We started off with their queso...and the girls were so thrown that it was yellow instead of white like cheese dip at Mexican restaurants in the South. But, they quickly became big fans. In fact, all three wanted this as their lunch (instead of ordering), so we just got another bowl, and they made their own nachos. Their chips were light as air, and the dip featured diced green and red bell peppers.

I had the Fajita Nachos, which were composed of individual tortilla chips topped with refried beans, grilled chicken, and jack cheese. It also had scoops of guacamole, sour cream, and pickled jalapenos. It was a TON of food! (I was so overwhelmed that I forgot to take a photo!) 

After spending the afternoon hitting spots like the American Girl store, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Rockefeller Center, we headed to Guy's American for dinner. The girls are big Food Network fans, and they were psyched about eating at Guy Fieri's restaurant! (They were SO hoping he would actually be there.)

As you can imagine, the space was very eclectic and in keeping with his larger-than-life personality. The photo below is from the restaurant's website...but it's our exact view from our booth.

They had a kids' menu, as well as more activity pages and crayons, so the girls were perfectly happy with that and their cheeseburgers. 

I had the BBQ Buffalo Meatloaf, which was made with ground buffalo and Italian sausage, BBQ glaze, crispy sweet onion straws, ranch dressing, and bacon bits and served with roasted garlic mashed potatoes.

I can't even do this dish justice with words. It was the most incredible meatloaf I have ever had (and I make Dolly Parton's family recipe, so that's saying something). The combination of meats gave it the most unique flavor. I honestly couldn't stop eating it (and neither could my mother, who kept reaching over for another forkful). 

Stay tuned for more!

Cinnamon Caramel Monkey Bread

(Again, excuse the iPhone photo...last one.)

It's been awhile since I made something from Plain Chicken, so when I was thinking about what I should make for Christmas morning, I looked through her Breakfast recipes...and came across this dish.

My family meets at my sister's house to see what Santa brought the girls. I always bring something on the sweet side to accompany all of the savory dishes we have that morning. I left out the nuts to make it niece-friendly...and they couldn't keep their hands out of it, even before we made our plates and sat down. 

They are always skeptical of any food that they don't recognize, so I was surprised (and pleased) that they enjoyed this so much. It's super easy and quick to put together!

Printable recipe

6 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 jar caramel ice cream topping
1 can refrigerated cinnamon rolls

Stir together butter and caramel sauce in a large bowl. Separate and quarter the biscuits; toss pieces with sauce. Place in greased baking dish and bake at 350 for 20 minutes.

Baked Cheesy Taco Dip

(Note: The battery in my camera died on Christmas Eve, so this photo is courtesy of my iPhone. I apologize for the poor quality!)

My family spends Christmas Eve at my parents' house, and we always have grilled beef tenderloin and baked cheese grits for dinner. I brought this dip (idea courtesy of Averie Cooks) to munch on while we waited for everything to be ready.

There's so much goodness going on here...my brother-in-law pulled up a chair and just camped out next to it. Full of gooey, melted cheese, with a little kick from the taco seasoning and picante sauce, this is a perfect dip for a crowd!

Printable recipe

10-15 tortilla chips
1 can Cheddar cheese soup
1 packet taco seasoning
2 cups shredded cheese, divided
1 8-ounce block cream cheese, softened
1 8-ounce jar picante sauce

Line a greased pie plate with tortilla chips until bottom is completely covered. Spread soup evenly over top. Sprinkle with taco seasoning. Cover with 1 cup of the cheese. Pull apart cream cheese into dollops and scatter on top. Spread picante sauce evenly and then top with remaining cup of cheese. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes. 

BBQ Ranch Pepperoni Pasta Bake

I've been following Shea over at Dixie Chik Cooks for awhile...and I recently had the pleasure and opportunity to meet and become friends with her (makes sense...we both live in Birmingham!). Thanks, Plain Chicken!

She created this recipe for a Ronco contest/sweepstakes, and I was so intrigued by the ingredients that I had to try it out for myself. 

I made a few changes, like incorporating the pepperoni into the sauce (instead of placing on top) to ensure every bite had some and reserving some of the cheese to cover the pasta for a nicely browned "crust."

I was so surprised at just how well these flavors worked together! This is decadent...and a neat change to traditional baked pasta. I'm already looking forward to leftovers today for lunch!

Printable recipe

1 12-ounce box rotini pasta, cooked
1-1/2 cups Ranch dressing
1 cup BBQ sauce
1/2 cup milk
2 cups Mozzarella cheese, divided
25 pepperoni slices, cut in half
Italian seasoning

In a large bowl, combine Ranch dressing, BBQ sauce, milk, one cup of cheese, and pepperoni to make "sauce." Add cooked pasta and stir to coat well. Pour into greased baking dish. Top with remaining cheese and some Italian seasoning. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Savory Breakfast Muffins

I saw these on Pinterest last week, courtesy of Shanty 2 Chic, and even though she made them with sausage, I thought it would be a great way to use up leftover Thanksgiving ham.

These are super easy and scrumptious. I made these on Sunday, and they have made for a perfect breakfast-on-the-go this week.

These got a little browner/more done than I wanted, so be sure to keep an eye on them the last few minutes of cooking.


Printable recipe

1 pound cooked sausage or ham
1 cup Bisquick
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese

Stir together all ingredients and spoon mixture evenly into greased muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Pimiento Cheese Stuffed Pickled Okra

My sister had us all over this past Saturday for the Iron Bowl (WDE!), and I remembered that I had pinned this from Southern Living. I figured nothing said GameDay in the South like pimiento cheese and pickled okra! 

They include a recipe for the pimiento cheese, but if you want to make it easy on yourself (like I did), you can just used prepared (my favorite is Palmetto Cheese, particularly the one with jalapenos).

This is more of a method than a recipe, so I'll just describe. I used one jar of pickled okra, which ultimately yielded 22 pieces (easily doubled for larger crowd). Blot the okra dry, and slice in half lengthwise. Gently scoop out the seeds; I started off using a spoon, but it's much easier to just use your fingers. Scoop pimiento cheese into each half. I sprinkled some ground red pepper over the top for some color and a little heat, but you could use paprika instead, too. 

These were a big hit! Perfect finger food...and the presentation is so pretty! Everyone gobbled them up...I should have made more. This would make a great Christmas Eve appetizer!

Note: I have to give proper photo credit to Mae Shaw, my middle niece, who is nine years old. She asked to borrow my camera, and later, when I was going through the 107 pictures she took, I realized that she actually snapped the best one of this dish. Go figure!