Joe Squared Pizza, huh?

So, what do you do when you have a broken fridge, no food in the house, two hungry warriors, and one food Groupon? You use the Groupon and yay lovely food! Luckily yesterday Groupon had a great deal for one 16in pizza and one 2-liter soda from Joe Squared pizza for $14. I have always wanted to try them out, but never had the time to go to their North Avenue location. Now they have a new location in Power Plant Live and our Groupon was set for this one; perfect opportunity to try some good pizza. Well that's what I thought anway.

I don’t know who crowned Joe Squared the best pizza in Maryland, but I feel like I need to ask them where they have been getting their pizza from. This was a sad sad foodie moment for me, because I truly was excited to try their pizza only to find that it was not worth the hype. This sad story starts with us ordering our items over the phone and driving down to pick them up. The ordering process was painless; the girl took the Groupon with no issues. We ordered their meatballs and spaghetti pizza, mozzarella balls, and sausage and carrot risotto. I was a little sad with the lack of any sweets on their menu, but honestly when you go to a spot like this you’re more interested in the alcohol and hot chicks waitressing then you are the food. No I mean you HAVE to be interested in something else because this pizza was uninspiring. I’m going to take this review slow just so you can get a feel of how mad kid I am over this.

I will start with the spaghetti and meatball pizza which is one their signature pizzas. It’s a thin crust square pizza with red sauce, oregano, meatballs, onion, roasted red peppers, spaghetti, parmigiano, romano, asiago and mozzarella cheeses. With all of this on it you would think this pizza would have some kind of taste to it, but it was bland. This was probably due to the spaghetti to sauce ratio. They had too much pasta and not enough sauce or season to counteract the blandness of the pasta. I’m sure the “meatballs” was supposed to help with that, but their meatballs were just ground hamburger sprinkled lightly across the pie. I mean come on if you’re going to try something different and call it a signature item then that signature item should be spot on every time. This made me wish I would have just ordered Papa John’s and called it a night.

The mozzarella balls were just as tasteless as the pizza. It comes with a generous amount of red sauce to coat them on, but it really does not save the taste. The star of this whole meal was the sausage and carrot risotto. This small little tube of creamy goodness SAVED this meal for me, and is the only reason I will ever grace Joe Squared doors again. It was cooked perfectly with a nice creamy smoked Gouda and tasty amount of sausage that kept my tummy so happy.

All in all I am underwhelmed by this place, and I have GOT to ask why anyone would vote this best pizza in Maryland. Zella’s Pizzaria is not too far from Power Plant Live, you can hop on the orange circulator to get to it. Their piazza is AWESOME and oh so under talked about; probably because of the location of their venue or maybe because they don’t pander too much to the drunken college crowd? (Yes they do have a bar that serves alcohol, but you don’t have to put with the asses that I had to put up with just trying to get into Joe Squared. Plus Zella’s has dessert, you can’t beat dessert.) I don’t know what it is, but you have to be drinking something funny to think this pizza is the top anything in this city let alone all of Maryland. Thanks guys… thanks for wasting my Saturday. ::sadface::

When Cooking Goes wrong!

When Cooking Goes wrong!

So not every cooking adventure turns out as a culinary masterpiece, sometimes

they are just disasters. Well about two weeks ago everything from the ingredients or idea

I had turned into a failure. Even though it was a tasty failure, it was a failure none the

less. So my goal on Labor Day weekend was to cook some Jambalaya, cornbread, and

the Chocolate-Cherry cupcakes that I wanted to cook all summer. I figured with Labor

Day signaling the end of summer for many, I thought it would be fitting to finally create

this meal. Also, two of my Good Friends allowed me to use their kitchen. So I made a

checklist to make sure I had everything. I knew I was good on the Jambalaya because I

was using the Base mix from Harry and David just wanted to add meat and some extra

items. I checked to make sure I was good on eggs and Milk for the Cornbread. I made

sure I had the Chocolate Cake and Cherry stuff to make the Chocolate Cherry cupcake. I

still haven’t made Chocolate Cake from scratch but that will be my Birthday treat to me.

After getting off from work I went to my aunt’s house to get the tomatoes,

chicken, and sausage. So you may wonder why I going to my aunt’s house for some of

the ingredients. Well I have unique circumstances and it works to my benefit to store

food at my aunts since I am usually over there it’s easier for me to cook while over

there. So I go to here Freezer and start searching for my Italian Chicken sausages. After

5 minutes, I ask my Aunt “Where are the sausages I brought over last week?” are her

response “If they are not in the freezer, well then we ate them”. The chicken Sausages

were gone, plus they were unhappy because they were spicy. (They are Italian Chicken

sausages; they are seasoned but not spicy.) Ok, so I shift gears and search for my Veggie

Crumbles, I was like “I can make a vegetarian Jambalaya with Vegetable stock instead.”

Well I couldn’t find the veggie crumbles either. This was beginning to look like an epic

fail.

So I headed to my friends house to make some tortellini pasta salad, cornbread

still and the Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes. Everything was going along smooth. Pre-heated

the oven mixed the cornbread together added some Charred- Grilled Pineapple relish.

Next I, started cooking and began with the pasta. While going through my friend’s pantry

I found Cherry syrup which I thought would make the Cupcakes pop! I couldn’t find any

red wine vinegar or any vinegar for that matter; for the vinaigrette for the pasta salad. I

asked both of my friends, and they responded they didn’t have any vinegar. (I feel this

was an epic fail on my part) o_O? No vinegar. So the tortellini was just that tortellini.

My timer for the cornbread dinged. I went over to pull out the corn bread to find out it

didn’t quite bake. I felt like that was weird, until I looked into the egg carton and saw all

the eggs I brought were still in the carton. Yes I had baked cornbread with no eggs…

.

Let’s just say it was nothing short of wet non-congealing type pudding. So I decided

something that may make all people question if I should even write about cooking and

baking. I poured the baked corn sloop into a clean bowl added two eggs and mixed than

re-baked it. Hence the creation of twice-baked cornbread. (I mean if you can twice bake

a baked Potato than why not cornbread.) (There are several reasons why you should

not do that but I am not getting into them today.) So the only thing that appeared to be

a success was the Chocolate- Cherry cupcakes/Cake. I was too lazy to make 2 dozen

cupcakes so I made 12 cupcakes and 8x8 square cake. The recipe is below, I used a cake

mix that was on Target Clearance section for $.88 cents. Also my icing totally failed so

I ended up with Vanilla-Spiced Butter cream Glaze. But everyone who ate the cupcakes

seem to love them (one of my co-workers ate three of them). So all’s well that tasted

Good and was moist.

Chocolate-Cherry Cupcakes (p.s. these are not from scratch)

• 1 box of Duncan Hines Butter Recipe Fudge Chocolate Cake Mix
• 2 Tablespoons of Harry and David Cherry Conserves
• 1 teaspoon of Cherry Syrup
• ¾ cup of Vanilla Milk
• ¾ cup butter
• A splash of Vanilla extract
• 3 Eggs

Follow the directions as listed on the box. Substitute the water for the Milk. Mix for at

least 10 minutes adding in air as you go. Oxygen will help with certain chemical rations

but it’s the Hydrogen that helps with creating the bonds in the reaction.

Add the batter to each cupcake liners. Than add an extra cherry to the center.

Place in the Oven and bake for 25 minutes on 350*F. Or as the box directs you to bake.

Take out the oven and allow cooling for at least 15-20 minutes. I usually forget I have

cupcakes are cooling.

Vanilla-Spiced Butter cream Glaze.

● 2 cup confectioners' sugar

● 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

● 1 tablespoon Vanilla Milk

● 1/8 teaspoon cinnamon- sugar or (nutmeg-sugar mix)

● A splash of vanilla extract

Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Than pour over the cupcakes and cake. It will absorb into the

cake or maybe becoming an icing like topping. For me it looked like a glaze more than an

Icing.

• 

Cooking for someone you love

Cooking can be very intimate. You take time, energy, focus, talent, money and you create something that will provide nourishment, sustenance, and hopefully joy to the person you are cooking for. When you cook someone something, you give a creation of your own making to someone with the hope that they can feel all the love, and a bit of pride you put into what you cook. I have been blessed enough to cook for people that I hold close to my heart and I hope to do more of that in the near future.

A few weeks ago through BrownEyedBaker I found out about Jennie and her husband, Mikey. Mikey died of a sudden heart-attack leaving behind is wife and two young daughters. Mikey loved this Peanut Butter pie Jennie made for him. Jennie didn't get a chance to make the pie for him again before his death as he had recently requested. She thought she had time. As so many of us do.

There is something special, beautiful, and sexy when it comes to cooking for the man you love. Not just throwing together the usual dinner, but making his favorite. That meal you make that no one else can. The one that gets instant praise, satisfaction, and hopefully kisses. There is something old fashioned and ultra-feminine about providing that nourishment. I think it can be one of the most sincere gifts to give.

Jennie requested that we all make this pie for those we love, and I did. Not every single person I hold to my heart got a slice, but I will make this pie again and again. For the people I love, and for Mikey.

From inJennie'sKitchen:

Creamy Peanut Butter Pie

Serves 10 to 12

8 ounces chocolate cookies (peanut butter oreo cookies)

4 tablespoons butter, melted

4 ounces finely chopped chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips (60% cocoa, dark)

1/4 cup chopped peanuts

1 cup heavy cream

8 ounces cream cheese (fat free cream cheese)

1 cup creamy-style peanut butter (Spippy all-natural honey peanut butter)

1 cup confectioner's sugar

1 – 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

Add the cookies to the bowl of a food processor and pulse into fine crumbs. Combine melted butter and cookie crumbs in a small bowl, and stir with a fork to mix well. Press mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 9-inch springform

pan.

Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. Pour over bottom of cookie crust and spread to the edges using an off-set spatula. Sprinkle chopped peanuts over the melted chocolate. Place pan in the refrigerator while you prepare the filling.

Pour the heavy cream into a bowl and beat using a stand mixer or hand mixer until stiff peaks form. Transfer to a small bowl and store in refrigerator until ready to use. Place the cream cheese and peanut butter in a deep bowl. Beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low and gradually beat in the confectioner's sugar. Add the sweetened condensed milk, vanilla extract and lemon juice. Increase speed to medium and beat until all the ingredients are combined and filling is smooth.

Stir in 1/3 of the whipped cream into the filling mixture (helps lighten the batter, making it easier to fold in the remaining whipped cream). Fold in the remaining whipped cream. Pour the filling into the prepared springform pan. Drizzle the melted chocolate on top, if using, and refrigerate for three hours or overnight before serving.

*Notes:

*Pictures are of my pie*

1. the next time I make this pie I will probably add a half of an envelope of gelatin. This is a loose pie even after sitting over night.

2. I will mix cream with the chocolate for the layer of chocolate on the bottom of the pie. It shouldn't be skipped but it can be a bitch to break through. Ditto for chocolate decorations on top.

3. I will add a pinch of salt and a bit more lemon(1/2tblsp). during the creaming phase. This pie is sweet as fuck.

Black Pepper Bellavitano Cheese Scones

I know the name sounds fancy but pretty much these are just cheese scone with pepper. I got the idea while studying; I wanted something savory and delicious. Also the morning after Hurricane Irene there was a slight chill in the air. I decided I wanted to make a something that that reminded me of Fall. When I think of fall, I think of Scones. I must confess these scones are not made from Scratch I used Harry and David Original Scone Mix. I love this mix because by itself it makes simple scones with no extra frills. If you want to get creative than this is the mix for you it lends itself to sweet or savory scones. Before I describe the recipe I would like to give a little history on the origin of scones.

Scones are British quick bread more specifically Scottish in origin. Scones are popular in the United Kingdom, and countries colonized by the UK (ie United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland), but are also eaten in many other countries. They are usually made of wheat, barley or oatmeal, with baking powder as a leavening agent. The scone is a basic component and complimentary portion of the cream tea. The original scone recipes were round and flat, usually the size of a medium size plate. Originally scones was made with unleavened oats and baked on a griddle, then cut into triangle-like quadrants for serving. When baking powder became available to the masses, scones began to be the oven-baked, well-leavened items we know today. Modern scones are widely available in bakeries, grocery stores, and supermarkets or (overpriced at Starbucks). As of 2005 market report estimated the UK scone market to be worth 104 million dollars. The increase is partly due to an increasing consumer preference for impulse and convenience foods. But instead of purchasing Scones here is a recipe to make them at home.

Black Pepper Bellavitano cheese Scones
1 package of Harry and David Scone Mix
1/3 cup ice cold water
½ cup of Heavy Cream or half and half
2 tsp of Course Ground Black pepper
¾ cup of Bellivanto Cheese (if you don’t have this type of Cheese than you can try this with another rich, nutty, creamy artisan cheese or Parmesan)

1. Preheat the oven to 425*F. Grease you cookie sheet and set on the side.
2. Mix the Scone mix, cold water, and Heavy cream together in the bowl. I like to mix it for at least 2 minutes. While mixing slowly add in the black pepper so it can be evenly distributed. Due to the fact that the cheese also has black pepper you may want to add less black pepper.
3. Begin to slowly add in the Bellavitano cheese, you can save some of the cheese to place on the top of the scone.
4. Bake for 11-13 minutes. I suggest 13 minutes for a nicer golden brown scone. But 11 minutes is sufficient also.

Serve these scones by themselves or with an evening dish. I made these on Sunday and my little cousin decided to eat the scones with his tortellini. I did find that they tasted amazing fresh out of the oven. The cheese and black pepper will play with your senses and is very delicious. The day after, the cheese flavor dissipates and the black pepper is more pronounced. Next time I make these scones I will use less pepper and let the pepper from the cheese be enough to give hints of a peppery flavor.

If I rated this recipe it would be 3 out of 5. There is always room for improvement.

--Deaverster

References

1. ---

Harper, Douglas (2001). "Scone". Online Etymology Dictionary. Dictionary.com. Retrieved 2009-11-19.

2. Weiner and Albright. "Simply Scones." St. Martin's Press, 1988, p. 3.
3. Ingram, C., Shapter, J. (2003). Bread: the breads of the world and how to bake them at home. (Originally published as The World Encyclopedia of Bread and Bread Making.) London: Hermes House. p. 54.
4. "The History of Scones". Food History. The Kitchen Project. 2001-03-01. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
5. "History of Scones and Griddle Cakes". CakeBaker.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-09-09.
6. Goldman, M. (2007). A Passion for Baking. Birmingham, Alabama: Oxmoor House, Inc.. pp. 85.

Food Truck Review for July

Food truck review for July: ( I know I am Late)

On July 1, 2010 Baltimore Food Truck Gathering took place (422 N. Central Ave) it had all the food trucks from Baltimore City. I went with three friends and got to try several items from different food trucks. On July 1^st I went to Miss Shirley Café Food Truck, Soup-er Freak, and Dangerous Delicious pies. On June 27^th 2011 the Gypsy Queen Café advertised a mini food truck gathering that include them, the Silver Platter and again Dangerous Delicious Pies. So below, I ranked trucks from “average” to “I will be their again no matter what”:

Miss Shirley Café was okay. Service was prompt and friendly. I ordered the The Alonsoville ($11.99) which is a sandwich with smoked turkey, brie, Granny Smith apples, sprouts, lettuce, tomato & honey mustard on ciabatta. It was served with mixed greens with Balsamic poppy seed vinaigrette. I also copped an order of gumbo ($4.99) which had andouille, chicken, shrimp, crawfish meat, okra & tomatoes served with brown rice. The salad was amazingly fresh!!!!!! I loved the salad AND dressing. The gumbo was ok; it was sort of bland. The sandwich was ok; filling if you’re starving, but not super flavorful.

The Gypsy Queen Café was average. I always read their menu on Twitter, so I picked a safe item: the Crab tacos, which on that night were 2 for $10. I have never had cabbage on a taco and I loved it. I love all the insides in the taco but not the shell. The shell was weird. The Crab meat was sweet and the sauce on top was peppery and delicious. I will give the gypsy Queen another chance cause they had other things I wanted to try so I will track them down and see them again!

The Silver Platter: So I ordered Pulled Pork for a friend. He seemed to enjoy every bit. I ordered the Coney Island Ribbon Fries ($2.50). My fries were interesting, and they were good. I love potatoes and they were super thin , like eating fried strings of potatoes. I loved every bite of the potatoes. My only issue was that you could taste they fried the potatoes in oil with another product - probably the vegetable ribbons, because there were hints of sweet potato and carrots. But overall I will be ordering the ribbon fries again.

Soup-er Freak: OMG just with one soup you have won me over!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I had your Chilled Sangria soup made with Broody sangria and melons. Oh, this soup was refreshing and sweet. I have daydreams about this soup. I want to come back and try more food. You have a loyal customer in me when you come back!

Honorable Mention: Dangerously Delicious Pies

I keep ordering pies and never get to try it, but everyone who I give the pie to loves them! So until I get a chance they get a good. I love your customer service!!!

Kooper's Chowhound Burger Wagon: I only had your fries and I loved them when I find you again I will order some and may even check out other items on your menu!

P.S. There is another Wednesday Night Food Truck gathering Tonight with Kooper's Chowhound, The Gypsy Queen and the Sliver Platter. The Gathering- Take 2 on Friday August 5th from 5-9 pm in Fells Point more specifically: ‎901 south wolf street in fells point across from redstar

Links are below:

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=256318074395492

https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=221138714595648

After Cafe' is truly a Party in my Tummy

Set the scene: July 4th around 3 pm driving northbound on Charles Street with a friend. As I was driving, I was pointing out places I’ve been and wanted to go. To the right of me a little café with a very clean look called “Afters.” I screeched in the car (slammed my brakes maybe?), eyes big like a cartoon lemur. I quickly make it to my destination to text half of my friends about the new place in Federal Hill that serves frozen yogurt, espresso, and desserts. I vowed to myself that I will come and try their food. Fast forward two weeks later during the Heat-apocalypse 2011 a small legion of over heated individuals decided to go to the new café in Federal Hill.

Anyway, Afters is a new café in Federal Hill that specialize in desserts and coffee. When I walked in, I loved the décor – it was clean, fresh, and simple, with cozy sofa in front and tables for 2-4 lined along the side to the back. The place is narrow and will fill up quickly so you really have to know what you want when you walk in. The have self-serve frozen yogurt in 4 flavors: Traditional, French Vanilla, Caramel Custard and Mango. Then they have fresh topping to the side that includes blackberries, strawberries, and pineapple. If you want to get fun, they haveOreo crumbles, maraschino cherries, sprinkles, and several sauces that you can drizzle over your yogurt. One of my friends got the Mango Frozen yogurt with kiwi and pineapple.( They let me try some it was smooth and rich) I got the French Vanilla frozen yogurt with Oreo cookie crumbles, strawberries and special dark chocolate sauce. Both were delicious, sweet, cold and smooth. I get chills thinking back to that yogurt.

Furthermore, they sell specialty Macaroons such as Strawberry, Vanilla, Lemon and Chocolate. They also have specialty dessert bars and espresso. The macaroons were good. The dessert bar was good, too – I had no gripes. The coffee: beyond good. It was strong but sweet, and didn’t need any extra sugar. I don’t remember the exact flavor I ordered but it was Espresso with Caramel and Mocha. Either way it was one of the better coffees I had that week. In short, if you want a cool night out with close friends, Afters is the place to go. If you are partying in Federal Hill you should stop in – the prices are reasonable and the desserts are good. Frozen Yogurt is $0.45/ oz. Coffee is about $3~$4 cup same as another coffee place that remains unmentionable but taste so much better. The service is pretty good. My only suggestion is to bring cash so you can tip the cashier.

Go to Afters’ and see if you like it!

Banana- Honey Cupcakes CMD Style

Yesterday was one of those days where I wished I could hit the re-do button, but I can’t – I have to move forward. So to cope with this feeling, I decided to bake for my job’s summer picnic. I wanted to try this recipe I came across in my 500 Cupcake calendar from March 7th, 2011. I was slightly shocked at the fact that I didn’t need eggs or milk. I have a friend that is a vegetarian and figured he would like it. Before I made them, I wanted to do some research on banana honey cupcakes. So I went to Martha Stewart's Website:

http://www.marthastewart.com/314063/banana-cupcakes-with-honey-cinnamon-fros

to see her take on banana-honey cupcakes were; I also went to the Bread & Honey Blog.

http://bread-and-honey.blogspot.com/2008/07/honey-banana-cupcakes.html

The author of the Bread & HoneyBlog used the same recipe that I had from the 500 cupcakes. So I proceeded forward, As with any baking I usually do: I tasted the batter first and found it ok. But I don’t want just OK baked goods - I want baked goods that make people smile, so I added more “bananas.” I added some 99 Banana liqueur (49.5%) and vanilla in the batter, and the batter tasted heavenly!!!! I whipped the ingredients into submission; I had to get my feelings out, since I was upset and angry!!!!! Plus it good to add as much air as possible to the batter for lighter cupcakes ( I may be wrong), I blended for at least 10 minutes, changing the speeds on the mixer.

Earlier that day, I got some news that made it seem like everything I am working for was being taken away. I decided to relieve the stress by cooking in a full house, which is always fun - especially when my little cousin decides she wants to stand over my shoulders and cook ramen noodles in the microwave. On top of that, cooking in my Aunt’s kitchen around dinner time was like doing the Electric Slide. Boogie Woogie Woogie!

Near the end of baking, my Darling Mom called and asked me to pick her up from the light rail stop. I wanted to scream because I had 18 minutes and 32 seconds to get her and come back to the house why was time such an issue? Because I had just put the cupcakes in the oven I like to stay around and make sure they don’t explode. ( Yes Food can explode it is still a chemical reaction)

So my cousin and I sped down Druid Hill Ave to fetch my mom. I am pretty sure I gave my cousin a heart attack with the way I drove, but we got there in record time - 6 minutes. Of course, trying to get my mom to get in the car was an issue, and performing an illegal u-turn is always fun. Suffice it to say, I made it back just as the timer for the cupcakes went off.

I have been thinking a lot and these cupcakes helped me clear my head. My Aunt, being ever so wise and not looking a bit close to her age, reminded me that we as people are blessed with a multitude of talents and sometimes we should explore those talents that have been bestowed upon us. But I don’t know…I just know that I made some kick ass cupcakes with PICTURES!

PS: So no my cupcakes did not win the Dessert Competition at my Job's picnic. But that okay cause I can try again another time. Also if you don’t have time to bake these, email me and I will bake them for a fee plus delivery charge, but only to residents in the Central MD area. Why Cause I am a genuine legal hustler!

Until Next time, Deaverster

My Wonderful Aunt eating a Cupcake!

Banana and Honey Cupcakes: ( This is my take of an adapted recipe)

Ingredients:

2 cups (about 6) mashed ripe bananas

1 cup packed light brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

6 tablespoons butter, melted

2 cups self-rising flour

1 teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1 teaspoon Cinnamon sugar

75 ml of Banana Liqueurs (Imitation Rum or Banana Extract)

Pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
2. Line muffin pans with paper liners.
3. In a large bowl, combine the bananas, sugar, honey, and butter.
4. Beat with an electric mixer until well blended. ( I mix the batter for 10 mins)
5. Slowly add the flour, baking powder, and salt, and mix well.
6. Spoon the batter into the cups.
7. Bake for 20 minutes.
8. Remove pans from the oven and cool for 5 minutes
9. Remove the cupcakes and cool on a rack than cool for another 10 mins.
10. When completely cool, frost or sprinkle with powdered sugar ( if you want to keep it low fat)

Cinnamon- Honey Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon honey

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon milk

1 teaspoon Southern Comfort Bourbon ( it more like 2 splashes of Bourbon)

Directions:

1. In a medium bowl using an electric mixer, beat confectioners' sugar, unsalted butter, honey, and ground cinnamon until smooth for 4 to 5 minutes.