Recipe Alert! Oven-Baked Sweet Potato Fries

I love ordering this as a side whenever available, but never actually took the initiative to make them until I recently saw the easy recipe in a magazine.This is a healthy alternative to french fries to pair with chicken, oven baked fish and chips or a hotdog and hamburger. These fries are also provide good vitamins that keep your face's healthy glow. This is also a great dish to have kids help you make. Not too messy and allows the kids to work with their hands.

Serves 4

2 Medium Sweet Potatoes Peeled and cut into 1/2 inch wedges
2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 tsp kosher salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl or on a baking sheet lined with foil, coat the potatoes in olive oil and salt. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until tender and a little crispy.

A quick and easy dipping sauce is one part ketchup and one part mayonnaise with black pepper to taste. Let me know how you like the fries.

Ruby's Cafe New York

On a trip to SOHO, Sarah and I decided to walk around Little Italy looking for a bite to eat. I almost went in the opposite direction, but Sarah guided me down a street that held the café with the best lunch I had in a long time. We ran across Ruby's Café. The café itself is small, with picnic table seating, it is definitely a perfect place to meet some friends. The menu had a lot of interesting choices, but I was very, VERY happy that I chose what I did. Sarah chose the Tomato Mozzarella Panini, which had Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil and Prosciutto. I chose the Bronte burger, which had a sweet chili sauce on the most delicious bred ever. Each meal came with a side salad, a great alternative from fries, and definitely doesn't distract from the sandwiches. The setting was casual, with a wide open window towards the street where Sarah and I sat, and the attractive male server was an extra treat!

Tomato Mozzarella Panini

Bronte Burger

FLAVABOOM!

After a good shopping day on the Avenue of Americas, my friend Sarah and I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood. We walked past Flavaboom and the decor immediately caught my eye. I am not a fan of frozen yogurt but there were baked goods and espresso drinks available as well. The whole store is white and purple with in-wall futuristic-looking cushioned seats that I immediately went and claimed for the two of us. I ended up gathering my courage and sampling some of the frozen yogurt. I have had Pinkberry before and did not enjoy it, but the flavors at Flavaboom blew me away. There are about 10 flavors (I got the raspberry-pomegranate, but the strawberry cheesecake was delish as well) with an assortment of toppings you can add yourself, ranging from fresh fruit ( I got peaches and strawberries), to candy, and cookie bits. The best part....you pay by weight! I am not forced to get more than I expect to eat and waste 3/4 of the yogurt. There is only one location in New York, but it will definitely be a go-to-spot for my shopping trips.

Sarah and her "crazy face"

I Am Back!

I am back with ideas for a new and improved blog. Some ideas will be as follows:

1. Sarah in the City - Posts about my culinary adventures with my friend Sarah, including new food finds and trying out different plates at old favorites.

2. Restaurant/Lounge Reviews - I will give personal reviews of new restaurants and lounges on my outings around the city, starting with my summer adventures during my internship.

3. Recipe Adventures - Trying out new recipes are no fun without being able to ell someone about them.

Look out for the first installment of Sarah in the City this week focusing on our past vacation at home: The Empire State!

Serendipity 3 experiences

I am Back!

Serendipity has come up in a few of my conversations lately. A hotspot for NYC tourists who are looking for a place to dine, Serendipity is known for the name it shares with a popular movie and has a reputation for delectable desserts.

First thing you notice, is how small the actual place is. Low lighting and close seating creates a inviting atmosphere for friends and lovers.

I have been here about 3/4 times already. I tried the famous frozen hot chocolate my first visit. Personally, I don't care for dark chocolate, but just looking at the huge goblet that held the drink was enough. My mother and I were not able to finish that in one sitting, but is a great drink for a group of close friends to share.

The food is average, but the desserts are what I went there for. There is no need to even buy food before, just go for dessert. So many choices and I have never been dissapointed. The desserts are served in portions that no human should consume in one sitting, but everyone still buys their own hahaha. I have never ever finished a dessert, even when I shared with my bff/partner in crime, but I have years to complete this challenge.

If you are looking for a new place to eat with friends, or with your bf/gf, Serendipity will give you a different experience you will like :-)

Pantry Must-Haves

After a weekend of cooking, I realized that there are quite a few things that everyone should have stocked in their pantry:

1. Seasoning salt and Adobe seasoning- Easy seasoning when in a rush. These seasoning must-haves help to make food deeeelicious.

2. Chicken/beef stock- Helps give food a slow cooked taste.

3. Pasta and Pasta Sauce- Good for a quick meal.

4. Bread crumbs- They last long and are good for a frying alternate.

Chicken and Sausage Pasta

I invented this recipe one evening while I was stumped on what to cook for my family. This is my taste of Italy.

Ingredients:

14 oz smoked sausage
2 chicken breasts chopped
1 pack of spaghetti
1 24oz bottle of pasta sauce
3/4-1 cup chicken stock
1/2 an onion diced medium
3 garlic cloves diced small
2 tsp Seasoning salt, black pepper
3-6 dashes of hot sauce (Depends on heat tolerance)
1 tbsp flour (optional)
3 leaves of parsley roughly chopped
Olive Oil


Instructions:

Season chicken with seasoning salt and black pepper. Not much seasoning is needed, since you will be adding more herbs and aromatics as you go. Coat a deep pan with olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook the chicken breasts until cooked through and then remove from the pan. Add the onion and garlic to the same pan and saute (constantly stirring) until onions are a little soft. This is when we add the chicken stock, which helps to pick up the flavor that the chicken left in the pan. Stir constantly for 2 minutes in order to ensure that all the flavor has been picked up. Add pasta sauce next and stir well. Now we add both the chicken and smoked sausage. Adjust the heat to high since we are adding more things to the pan. We added the sausage so late because it is partially cooked. Add the appropriate amount of hot sauce and stir. Let simmer for 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. While simmering, begin cooking the pasta according to the instructions on the box. If sauce is not thick enough, add flour and stir until no flour can be seen. Let simmer for another 2 minutes to ensure that flour has been cooked, and you won't end up with a flour taste to sauce. Add parsley and stir. You can also add some parsley on top when serving for presentation.

I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as my brother did. He only ate the sauce, completely forgetting the spaghetti :-)

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