tour food

Here's some food-related photos from my tour to the East Coast. Well, most our from NYC here...because let's face it, that city is a food mecca. You can get anything you want in the world and any hour of the day/eve. The one bummer was the I've been suffering from TMJ (my jaw hurts), and with every single thing I ate on the trip I was in absolute pain. God, the lengths I'll go through to have my NY slice....my bagel. Anyway, for those concerned, I'm having some massage work done on my jaw and it's helping a lot. I'm not in nearly as much pain.

When I arrived in NY and my friend Jenny's we decided to order Patsy's pizza. Thin crust...some of the best you'll find in NY. Pizza anywhere else in the country just doesn't compare. But hey, I'm from NY. I was spoiled on great pizza from the start. It's all about the crust for me. And it's gotta be thin. We ordered a margarita...easy, just mozz and basil. They have several locations in Manhattan.

Okay, I wasn't actually watching my calories on this trip, but it was "Tour-cation!" Next stop, the famous Shake Shack. They have several locations. We went to one on the upper west side. So it's sorta like McDonald's but amped up like 10 times. It's a better burger for sure. The fries are krinkle-cut and crispy. And the shake is outstanding. I chose vanilla.

One of my favorite treats that I swerve through traffic and pull over to get when I spot from the road is Carvel ice-cream. Again, this is another childhood memory and there ain't no Carvel in the midwest. Sorry Dairy Queen...you're not the same. Carvel is the BEST SOFT ICE CREAM!  I worked at Carvel in Chilmark, NY when I was in high school. That Carvel store is still there! I loved it. I learned how to make the swirly cones and apply the sprinkles....not "jimmies" folks...sprinkles. You make your cone and then dump it into a rectangular container of chocolate or rainbow sprinkles and you spin the cone until the ice-cream is covered in the sprinkles. The ice-cream is soft, but hard enough to withstand being turned on it's side. It's brilliant I tell you. But any Carvel I visit now does not use this method. They spoon sprinkles on top which really doesn't do the trick. Weak....

The commercial on TV were hilarious and memorable. Tom Carvel, founder of the company would appear in one of his stores, with his raspy Bronx (or maybe Brooklyn) accent and shout out the cake options. And remember the flying saucers? Oh Boy!

I worked at Carvel with my friend Kassie Callaghan. She was an expert at making the Carvel ice-cream cakes. They are famous for having the chocolate crunchies in the middle! There was the " Fudgie Whale of a Dad" Father's Day cake, the "Cookie-Puss" and your standard birthday cakes. I've noticed you can buy the cakes at Dominick's here in Chicago, but no ice-cream stores. Needless to say, I pulled over to the ugliest rest stop off of the Jersey turnpike last week to get my Carvel fix. Vanilla-Chocolate swirl...best of both worlds! I refrained from ordering sprinkles for fear of the spooned-over technique.
Ready....here's the cheer...sing it with me..."Carvel....ice-cream....Carvel....ice-cream!" I like the little plastic cone jacket they give you now.

At last but not least....breakfast in Cleveland, served by my good friend Jennifer Teeter. It was nice that she had Challah bread....nice and soft on my jaw!

I'll have a hot hot hot Hot Dog!

A Chicago-style Hot Dog from Huey's in Andersonville.

Well, I'm back from tour and had a fantastic time! I'll post some food shots soon. For now, how about some breakfast in Connecticut?

Or some breakfast in Cleveland?

LD on tour!

Hi friends,
I'm off on my "LD in the City" tour through New England/East Coast....playing kids shows in Northampton, Philly and NYC! I won't be blogging for a couple weeks but check back after Oct. 23 for more "food for thought". I'll miss all 7 of you.

To check out where I'll be on tour, go to: http://www.lauradohertymusic.com

-Laura

Thai Red Curry Shrimp

This recipe is sooo good, and you can use the Lite coconut milk..it's tastes the same as regular. The recipe is from the back of the "Thai Kitchen" red curry paste bottle (you can buy at most grocery stores in the Asian section). I made it with whole wheat pasta, but it's great with rice too. Also you can substitute chicken instead of shrimp. I also added red and yellow bell peppers and broccoli.

Red Curry Shrimp

Thai Kitchen makes red curry paste the traditional way: in small batches that taste as fresh as homemade. We take the labor out of cooking authentic curry. I used regular lime rather than lime leaves, and I threw in tons of cilantro! I love lime and cilantro in Asian dishes.

1 (14 oz.) can Thai Kitchen Pure Coconut Milk (Regular or Lite), (divided)
1 1⁄2 Tbs. Thai Kitchen Red Curry Paste
1 Tbs. brown sugar
2 kaffir lime leaves, minced
1 lb. large shrimp, shelled and d eveined
2 Tbs. Thai Kitchen Premium Fish Sauce
1⁄4 cup basil, chopped
Thai Kitchen Jasmine Rice
Optional garnishes: sprigs of fresh basil and red chilies, thinly sliced

In a wok or heavy skillet heat half a can of the coconut milk. Stir in red curry paste and cook until well blended. Add the remaining coconut milk, brown sugar and kaffir lime leaves and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add shrimp, and cook until shrimp are orange-pink in color, about 1-2 minutes. Stir in fish sauce and chopped basil. Place on a serving platter and garnish with sprigs of fresh basil and red chilies. Serve with cooked Thai Kitchen Jasmine Rice. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Kaffir lime leaves are optional in this recipe.

Good morning

Latte, poppyseed muffin with jam, from The Grind Cafe in Lincoln Square. I love that they take the time to make a leaf design. Have a great week!

Everything tastes better with Bacon! part deux!

Chocolate chip cookies with....BACON. Hits the salty-sweet combo right on the mark.