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Leena Cooks n Eats: More Dinner Parties than You Could Shake A Stick At, pt.1

Leena Cooks n Eats: More Dinner Parties than You Could Shake A Stick At, pt.1
First course: Select Paulina Meat Market salami, homemade bread and butter pickles, homemade chicken liver n bacon pate, marinated mozzarella, dijon and stone ground mustard. Surrounding plates: melba toasts, homemade pickled caramelized onions, and Skillet Bacon Jam.

So guess who is the dumb ho that decided to host not one, but TWO dinner parties in one week because it sounded like fun? That would be me, folks. I also considered delivering a litter of puppies and solving world hunger, but I didn’t want to overfill my dance card, you know? Also, as you might remember from a few of my past dinner parties, this bitch knows how to cook some food. I put on some Jay-Z, grabbed an apron and got ready to throw down. Read the rest of this entry »

August 31st, 2009
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Gastro Fridays: Finding My Culture

Gastro Fridays: Finding My Culture
My big fat Indian weekend.

As I’ve mentioned before, as a kid I wasn’t the biggest fan of Indian food. It was weird, occasionally spicy, and smelled funny. No matter how many times my dad would say, “Leena, hou bhakri cavoo chu?”, he couldn’t fool me. I knew bhakri was just really thick, really dry flat bread that made the worst peanut butter and jelly sandwich EVER. And despite the fact that I was not fluent in Gujarati, I knew full well when my aunts and uncles were talking about me in another language. Read the rest of this entry »

August 28th, 2009
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Leena Eats: Her Weight in Indian Food

Leena Eats: Her Weight in Indian Food
My khaki hard at work on vedimee.

Last weekend, I had the joy of learning how to cook proper Indian food with my aunt, Lila Khaki. Of course at the end, there was a giant feast to be had, and I was there to document it. This was a meal I had eaten a hundred times before, but it tasted like the first time I had ever tried it. The spices, the cooking methods, all so foreign and yet so similar. It’s amazing what happens when you actually ready and willing to pay attention to the world around you. And to entice you to keep reading, some obligatory food porn:

Leena Eats: Her Weight in Indian Food
A pile of poori. What choo gonna do?

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August 26th, 2009
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Leena Cooks: the Perfect Poori w/ Khaki!

Leena Cooks: the Perfect Poori w/ Khaki!
Two perfect round, perfect puffed pooris, made by Khaki.

In case you haven’t noticed, I am brown. My specific color of brown can only be achieved through biracial parents, in my case, one Caucasian woman and one Indian (dot not feather) man. For the longest time, I ignored my brown side, especially the food, because it was stinky, full of spices and hot peppers. As a kid, Taco Bell was much more hip and exotic. Thankfully, I got over that stage. Recently, my father took me down to visit my Lila Khaki (Gujarati for aunt) and get a proper cooking lesson. My father’s side of the family happens to hail from the state of Gujarat in Western Indian, so all of food we eat tends to be inspired by the food of that region. Read the rest of this entry »

August 24th, 2009
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Gastro Fridays: Canning: my dirty little habit.

Gastro Fridays: Canning: my dirty little habit.
My 2009 canning haul thus far. Good thing I decided to keep it small this year, huh?

I don’t even know what to tell you. I had planned on not canning as much as I did last year, for the simple fact that I am a hoarder and instead of eating my canned goods last winter, I just starred at them. Now look what I’ve done. And except for the apricot jam, all of the food I have canned came in my csa and would have gone to waste otherwise! Read the rest of this entry »

August 21st, 2009
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Leena Cooks (n Cans): Pickled Beets for Little Sharon!

Leena Cooks (n Cans): Pickled Beets for Little Sharon!
Beets: once you go pickled, you never go back.

For as long as I can remember, Little Sharon has been in my life. My mother’s best friend for decades, Little Sharon is indeed short in stature, but not in personality. She is outgoing, loud, friendly and always one to go for a drink and a round at the local karaoke joint. She appreciates a good lobster and was the first person to buy me a shot after I got married. Most important, she has remained close friends with mom through thick and thin, through tough times and celebrations. Little Sharon can sometimes be a picky eater, unless I am cooking. I have rocked her world and changed her opinion on lamb, chicken liver, and countless other dishes. Plus, she always laughs at my jokes and likes to tell me I am gorgeous, which sort of makes me want to shrink her down and keep her in purse so she can constantly remind me of that. My family is so close with her, she is practically part of the family. Little Sharon also loves pickled beets. The sweet-sour combination is perfect for highlighting that earthy beet flavor without becoming too overwhelming, and after stealing a few of Little Sharon’s, I had to agree–pickled beets are addicting! So I decided to try canning a few for her last year.

Leena Cooks (n Cans): Pickled Beets for Little Sharon!
Red and golden beets, waiting to be pickled!

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August 20th, 2009
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Leena Eats: Naha

Leena Eats: Naha
Tartare of Hawaiian “Yellowfin” Tuna, Citrus Cured Arctic Char and Door County Golden Whitefish Caviar, Hard-Cooked Quail Egg with a Mosaic of Nicoise Garnishes, Aigrelette Sauce and Toasted Brioche at Naha.

I have been DYING to try out Naha for a long time. The restaurant is known for doing upscale versions of Mediterranean/Armenian specialties, and when one of my husband’s vendors wanted to take us out to eat, I knew we had to try it out. Mainly because I am a writer. And writers are what folks? Say it with me now…”POOR!” Read the rest of this entry »

August 19th, 2009
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Gastro Fridays: Food Tours around the world

Gastro Fridays: Food Tours around the world
My first food tour in NYC’s Lower East Side with The Enthusiastic Gourmet circa 2005.

There is no better way to explore a new area than to take a food tour and here are my five reasons why: 1. You get to eat. 2. You learn about the history and culture of the area. 3. Sometimes you get to pet adorable and/or overweight kitties. 4. You get to walk off whatever you indulge in. 5. You GET TO EAT. Read the rest of this entry »

August 14th, 2009
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Leena Eats: NYC- The Greenwich Village Food Tour (more food porn than you could shake a stick at!)

Leena Eats: NYC The Greenwich Village Food Tour (more food porn than you could shake a stick at!)

The Foods of NY Tours Greenwich Village tour with Cindy.

There is so damn much food in NYC, I feel that no trip is complete without a proper food tour. On my last trip, I took an awesome food tour of the Lower East Side with The Enthusiastic Gourmet. This time, I wanted to cover a new neighborhood, so I went with the Foods of NY Tours Greenwich Village tour. The Village, as the locals call it, was the birthplace of the Beat Movement and tons-o-hippies back in the day. Thanks to gentrification, the place is just as cool as it was back then, with only twenty times the rent cost. And the food is still freaking delicious. Read the rest of this entry »

August 13th, 2009
Posted in Leena Eats, New York City | View Comments

Leena Eats: NYC- The Lower East Side (Mainly photos, I swear!)

Leena Eats: NYC The Lower East Side (Mainly photos, I swear!)
The Doughnut Plant: Satisfying chunkies and gourmands for years.

Sorry for the absence mates, but hey, at least I have good food porn to show for it. In dire need of a holiday, a proper meal and a few good friends, I took myself to NYC for an extended weekend. It was a rejuvenating, drunk-karaoke-ing, gourmet doughnut-filled escapade, because that is pretty much the only way I roll, you know! **********************************************************************

Leena Eats: NYC The Lower East Side (Mainly photos, I swear!)
The precious! My coconut cream pie filled doughnut from The Doughnut Plant.

Once upon a time, a doughnut changed my life. In all fairness, it was mind-blowing. It was a coconut cream pie filled doughnut, which also happens to be my favorite pie filling, and it gave me a total mouth-gasm. I discovered it on my first trip to NYC four years ago, when I did a food tour of the Lower East Side.

Leena Eats: NYC The Lower East Side (Mainly photos, I swear!)
The outside of my doughnut mecca.

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August 12th, 2009
Posted in Leena Eats, New York City | View Comments
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