BabyCakes: A Culinary Conundrum

If you've read any of my past articles, you'll recall that I have a certain fascination with cupcakes. I'm not sure what it is exactly...the simplicity, the frosting, my obsession with personalization taken to the extreme as it's a tiny cake made just for me...I'm willing to accept any of the above. While visiting the Lower East Side on a bright Saturday, Shaun and I stopped in at BabyCakes, the chic vegan bakery hidden on the corner of Broome and Ludlow. I had heard tales regaling BabyCakes for their fabulous cupcakes, and given my history with the teeny confections, it really seemed necessary to check it out (for research purposes, of course). I went with the carrot cupcake - admittedly a stray from my usual repetoire of anything vanilla buttercream, red velvet, or peanut butter flavored. I was so excited at the possibility of finding a new, fabulous bakery that I savored the simplistic beauty of the frosting yet couldn't wait to dive right in.

After the first bite, my only thought was (please don't hate me for this)...I don't really like this. I hate to say it, but between my cupcake and Shaun's cookies I was a little disappointed that I had wasted the calories and the stomach space on it. I know, it's vegan and healthy and made from real products, not processed...but isn't there something a little off about that? These are cupcakes we're talking about, not salads. Though I was amazed at what they could do without using real fat or sugar, I can't say that I'd seek out BabyCakes again. And yes, I do realize that they are gluten-free and for those of you with that unfortunate allergy, I am truly happy that you can too bask in the joy of a fabulous cupcake. And with that stipulation, I'll admit, they were pretty good. But as a stand alone cupcake? It just didn't live up to the hype for me. The bakery itself, however, was sweet and charming and essentially the perfect little bakery.

What do you think? Is it just me? I feel as though it's a bit overrated and kind of like Pinkberry...all I could think was that maybe this place was good solely because of the upscale, urban vibe around it, but not necessarily due to the tastiness of said sweet treats (I won't go any further into Pinkberry...all I can say, Fruity Pebble topping aside, is really?). Was there too much hype before I got to experience it? Did I choose the wrong flavor? Or is it just my unsophisticated palette?

Game Day Eats: Roasted Garlic & Goat Cheese Crostini

I don't know about you, but I'm still on a high from the Jets big win this weekend. Not only were the Jets - Chargers the highlight game of the weekend (let's face it, the other games were doozies), but it solidified New York representin' in the final playoff game (the winners of which head off to the Superbowl on February 7). Though I'm a born 'n bred Giants fan, I still fulfill my wifely (and local citizenly) duties by rooting for the Jets since they are Shaun's number one team. And since the Giants just couldn't make the cut this year, Shaun and I can both bask in New York wins with the Jets. When I first started watching football a few years ago, one of my favorite aspects of game day quickly became (what else?) the food. I mean, really, is there anything better than curling up on the couch in your favorite jersey (mine is now a toss up between my Jacobs and Boss tee's) or hitting your favorite bar for a frosty mug of brew and a basket of wings? I think not.

In honor of the upcoming biggest game day of the year, the Superbowl, we're dishing up some fun and fabulous (and super easy!) game day eats. First up is Roasted Garlic & Goat Cheese Crostini. Not only is it easy and delicious, it's chic and pretty to boot. Check it out...

Roasted Garlic & Goat Cheese Crostini

2 heads garlic

4 oz herb goat cheese

1 baguette

1 tbsp butter

cooking spray

olive oil

kosher salt

pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

To make the crostini:

Slice baguette into thin slices on a diagonal.

Place on a foil-lined baking sheet (yep, this will make clean up a snap), drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake for 7 minutes then turn the bread and bake 5 minutes more. This simple technique turns simple bread into crostini (which sounds so much fancier, doesn't it?). 

To roast the garlic:

Slice off the top part of the garlic - not the wide bottom, but the thin top so that the garlic cloves are exposed inside the peel.

Place 1/2 tbsp pat of butter on top of each head of garlic. Place buttered garlic face down in a small baking dish coated with cooking spray - I use a sweet little ramekin which is just big enough to hold two heads of garlic. Cover with aluminum foil and roast until garlic is browned and soft, about 30 minutes.

To serve:

Spread goat cheese on crostini. Dig out a garlic clove and spread on top of the goat cheese. Enjoy and be prepared for lots of ahhh's and mmmm's.

One Avid Appetite

There's something you should know about me. I have a major crush on food and everything about it. You might even say I’m a little bit of an addict, though not in the traditional sense as my new found obsession isn’t just about stuffing my proverbial piehole. It stretches from learning about new foods in and out of my own tiny apartment kitchen, how the stuff’s prepared, and where it hails from to honing my own (albeit inexperienced) culinary skills, and alright…ultimately eating the goods.

Here's how it all started...
I grew up in a house where my mom always cooked, entertained and was essentially a domestic goddess. Though I had no desire whatsoever to learn to cook, after getting married a year and a half ago, I vowed to be the ultimately awesome wife who knew how to cook and who would watch football for hours on end. While I mastered the football obsession without a hitch, cooking, on the other hand, was a bit more of a challenge (being as I had never done it before). I gravitated toward the stove, opened my many cookbooks and just learned by doing...and watching many, many hours of Food Network. And then I figured, why not share my adventures (and misadventures) in cooking and eating with all of you? And so, The Avid Appetite was born. The bottom line is that I’m not a trained chef or even a very experienced foodie or cook for that matter, but I’m a firm believer that if I can do it, so can you…and who knows? You may even develop a food addiction just like me.

A Shared Love...
Shaun and I dated for 8 years before getting married in the summer of 2008, though it wasn't until after we got married that we realized we shared something major in common: that we both love food - making it, testing out various restaurants, and of course, eating lots and lots of it. Fueling the fire to this food crush, Shaun and I live in Jersey City - a sweet jumping off point to New York City, one of the major culinary hubs of the world. And we haven't wasted a moment testing out fun and famous restaurants around the city. On any given weekend, you can find us eating pastrami sandwiches, standing on a longer-than-necessary line at Shake Shack (yep, that was Valentine's Day 2009), hunting down local food festivals and traveling the world exploring local cuisine. 

And so...
All of that being said, I really hope that you'll drop in and read about my culinary adventures, in and out of the kitchen. If you're following me over from It Happened Between Jersey City & Manhattan, I hope you like the new direction (and thanks for the support!). And as a side note, all of the content has followed me over as well, which you can access in The Pantry archives on the sidebar so for those of you who are just not down with change (like me), you will still see remnants of the old site, just with a prettier layout to frame them. Oh, you'll also notice that on the top nav bar, we've got links to Recipes and Reviews for your easy access. I've got lots of tricks up my proverbial sleeve, so I hope you'll keep coming back for more. For some info about the site, check out the About and FAQ pages, and of course if you have any comments or questions, drop me a line in comments or send me a direct email. Welcome to my new site...it's going to be a delicious ride!

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