Sara Sara Cupcakes

Despite being absolutely stuffed from the Iguana Grill, our lunch party took a (super-short) walk next door to Sara Sara Cupcakes. LaShauna had told me about this place a lonnnng time ago, and it was definitely on our trip roster. Keep in mind that I had to fly out of OKC early the next morning to get back to work, so we were on a tight timeframe. I wish I'd had more time so I hadn't been so stuffed, and so I could have visited with so many other people in OK!

Sara Sara is in an old house, painted bright white inside with matching furniture and decor. Bright, funky, fun. If only it weren't for the developing storm in the background, I might have relaxed a little bit more. As we ordered cupcakes, which I could barely imagine eating at the moment, thunder was rumbling in the distance and growing ever closer. I noticed, and I wasn't super thrilled!

We looked at the tall display case of sweet offerings, and as I was still stuffed to the gills with chimichanga, I let ABF do the picking. He chose the Crimson & Cream (a sort of red velvet, I believe) and the Vanilla cupcake with Vanilla icing. He also got a glass of ice cold milk--we were surprised to see regular milk, chocolate and strawberry available (don't tell Jamie Oliver!)

As we made our way back to the table, I saw 'looks' on LaShauna & Gene's faces as they watched me take a seat. I stopped in my tracks and said "What?" That's when I heard the sirens. Awesome (as in NOT awesome). I stepped outside and saw a sight I haven't seen in a good 10 years or so--grey-black skies, the wind whipping up the undersides of leaves on the trees, and the unsettling wail of tornado sirens( Click the video below for an earful of what we heard that day).

Yeah. This is one of the things I will never miss about living in Oklahoma. I do believe it was ABF's first experience, and God bless him, he was enjoying it. He thought it was cool (I did NOT!) and even called his parents from the porch of Sara Sara, telling them to turn on the Weather Channel. I was thinking "oh Geez, they're going to wonder where in the heck I brought their son," but apparently they all got a kick out of it! Fortunately my mother didn't realize how close I was to the storm's center, and I wasn't about to tell her. Until now, of course. (Hi, Mom! Everything turned out fine, even if it sounded awful for wayyyy too long!) More storm sounds in the footage below--just click play!

We waited through the booming thunder, the insane lighting, and even the sudden hailstorm. I must admit it was very hard to think about cupcakes at this point. I was thinking along the lines of 'Listen for the freight train sound and find a place to go!' Happily, it never came to that. Tornadoes touched down in areas around us and unfortunately, caused awful damage, but we were safe.

On to less life-threatening matters: the cupcakes.... If you're not a huge frosting fan, this is the perfect cupcake for you! It has just enough icing for most people, I think (I am a frosting fiend and love the frosting at NYC's Magnolia, Buttercup BakeShop, and above all, Little Cupcake Bakeshop!) The crimson & cream was good; I enjoyed the moist cupcake part, but not the odd icing, which was more of a slick sour cream frosting than the tangy sour cream buttercream I'm used to with a typical red velvet. I'm weird, though, so keep that in mind.

The vanilla/vanilla combo was a win/win, however. The cake part was light, strong but not overpowering vanilla flavor, and the icing was yummy. The texture was interesting--it had a grainy sort of texture to it, as if maybe the sugar crystals weren't completely whipped into the frosting. I liked it a lot.

These cupcakes tasted fresh, weren't too sweet, no overkill on the icing, and the store is just charming. The cupcakes are $3.25 each, which is actually more than most cupcakes here in NYC, but if you're in the area, I think they're worth a trip. I do prefer the cupcakes I've had at my favorite local shops, but these are still good! I'll have to swing back one of these days and try another one when I'm a little less distracted by the impending fury of Nature! Thanks again to LaShauna for putting Sara Sara on my radar!

Iguana Grill

My trip to Oklahoma was chaotic at best! It was for Jenezuela's wedding, and the days leading up to the wedding kept me busy. The day after the wedding, ABF and I packed all our stuff in the car and we drove allll the way out to Tulsa so ABF could finally meet my mom and sister (post coming soon!), then we drove back to stay with my friend LaShauna.

LS set up plans on Monday for a quick lunch in OKC with a former coworker of ours, Gene the Edit Machine. ABF gamely came along for the ride. We hit up Iguana Grill and settled in for a late lunch.

First things first: LOOK at the size of the water glasses there!!! What!??! It is literally, actually, truly as big as my head. You're welcome. :)

Since I wasn't driving, I ordered their spicy margarita, which had a swirl of salsa in it (Update--Gene just reminded me it was called the Coral Snake!) Holy sombrero, Batman, this was SUPER spicy. Just one sip and the heat cascaded through me. It was great for the sinuses, because I was having an allergy attack/cold of some sort trying to set up camp in my head, and this just kicked it right out for a little while. It was so spicy, just right, and it also took a long time to drink, so yay on all points! You know I do like spicy things!

We started off with the chips, salsa, and some guacamole. The guacamole was good, but it could have used another few squeezes of fresh lime juice. Still, I enjoyed the presentation (in the hollowed out avocado peels) and everybody got a good sampling of it. This was totally mild, but still interesting. The salsa was super-chilled, but very tasty and fresh, with lots of black pepper. The white corn tortilla chips were super crunchy.

I ordered the adobo chicken chimichanga...I used to love chimichangas, but it's tough to find a really good one outside of OK/TX. Or rather, tough to find a good one here on the East Coast. I was all over this one! It said it came with a chipotle sour cream sauce--YES PLEASE! I also got the cilantro-infused white beans, which the server recommended.

The beans were deliciously smoky, onion-y and flavorful, and the cilantro infusion was awesome. The server did not steer me wrong here!

The chimichanga was pretty good, but I wish it had been a little more crispy. The chipotle sour cream was very mild...I couldn't even taste the smoky heat I so love in my chipotles, but it was still delicious.

ABF got the enchiladas and the green rice, which I believe had cilantro and spinach. He was quite happy with his dish. I think he might have been the most satisfied customer at our table. That man knows how to order!

Gene also got the enchiladas. We were so busy laughing about old times at our former station, KOTV, that I didn't get his full review, but I think he liked his dish, too. Update--Gene liked his food but wished it were more spicy--I couldn't agree more! MORE HEAT!

I know LaShauna liked her dish, the crab BLT taco (which also came with those delicious cilantro beans), but we were all surprised to see that the dish comes with one, SINGLE taco. Really? Two would have been better. It was a surprisingly skimpy portion for the dish. Delicious, but not a lot. She also enjoyed a sangria swirl margarita.

Overall, we had great food at super-affordable prices (lunch special goes til 4, people, FOUR P.M.!) and walked away super-stuffed and super-hydrated (I mean really--those water glasses? INSANELY HUGE!) I would definitely recommend it to others, and might just have to come back one of these days when I have a much less hectic trip planned!

Turkey Stroganoff

Foodbuzz recently selected my blog as one that regulary offers healthy, nutritious posts. I'm excited! I applied for the spot by explaining that I'm not a registered dietitian, and I'm not a skinny minnie, but I am a regular girl who struggled for a good 10 years with PCOS before anyone figured out that's what I had. I don't eat healthy 100 percent of the time, but I eat healthier than most folks I know, and I do like to showcase recipes that are easy and good for you. I totally believe that eating well does NOT have to be difficult, expensive, or confusing. Now that I've known the story about PCOS for a while, I also know that eating lower-carb, healthier, fare is best for me. That doesn't mean I eat steak and butter every day, but it does mean I try to avoid white flour, white sugar, and other pointless (though sometimes tasty) foods. It's tough, given my affection for margaritas and whatnot, but in the past few months I've been buckling down again.

One of my go-to cookbooks is George Stella's "Stella Style," which offers lots of tasty, healthy, realistic recipes. If you're not familiar with Stella, he is a former chef who lost more than 250 pounds by switching to the low-carb (not NO-carb, but low-carb!) way of life. His whole family lost more than 500 lbs together! This past weekend I tried Turkey Stroganoff, and holey moley do we have a winner! And I bet you have half the ingredients already in your pantry (instant Recession Recipe qualification!)

The only thing I didn't have on hand was the ground turkey, which I ordered for Friday delivery on FreshDirect.com (how I heart them!) I had everything else, celery, mushrooms, tarragon, sour cream, onion, and salt & pepper on hand.

There is nothing to putting this recipe together. Sauté the onions and celery, brown the turkey, add the mushrooms and seasoning. I had some leftover Chardonnay in the fridge and added that towards the end, too. The turkey was so lean that there was NO fat to drain, and it needed a little more liquid. Once everything has cooked, you remove it from the heat and stir in the sour cream. Deee-licious!! The mushrooms are soft, the celery still crunchy, and the tarragon is just such a wonderful flavor.

On the side I made some roasted zucchini (split, light olive oil, salt and pepper, in the oven at 400 for 15 min) and a bunch of fresh Romaine lettuce drizzled with dressing and half a tablespoon of Gorgonzola crumbles. The best part is it took less than 30 minutes to put this all together. Who says home cooking has to take forever??

Street Sweets!

Every day I find another reason to love this city. The amazing quality of our street food is one! I had read about, heard about, searched for, the Street Sweets Dessert Truck for a while now, but it was just the other week (when my friend Jenny was in town) that my friend Melanie & I wandered past the truck, parked a few blocks from work. It was after a long, crazy Friday, and we zoomed right in on the teal-green truck.

We hemmed and hawed for quite a few minutes--there was a lot to choose from: mini chocolate chip loaves, cookies, whoopie pies, etc! I knew I was getting a whoopie pie. I'm constantly on the lookout for one that's anywhere close to as good as my Mom's. The filling is the toughest part to match. I took a chance on this truck's version.

Mel opted for the 'fat-free' chocolate walnut cookie, which is made mostly with egg whites, chocolate, and walnuts (no butter). I am sure it's low-fat, but anything with walnuts isn't going to be fat-free. Whatever, close enough! The brunette woman running the truck said this is her favorite by far, so Mel grabbed one. And holey moley was this cookie rich!! If you spot this truck, try. this. cookie.

My whoopie pie was pretty good too. The cookie parts were light and cakey, with just enough heft to them. The filling was good, but...not great. Something was missing to make it like my mom's filling, but it was NOT greasy, either. I hate greasy filling! This is a close contender to the original, that's for sure.

Our desserts were around 2 bucks each, and we definitely felt they were worth it. This stuff was clearly made from scratch. If you see this truck parked near you in the city, stop by for the chocolate-walnut cookie! And then text me the location! ;)

Fika Espresso Bar

Cafe Fika is a Swedish coffee/sandwich place that has several outposts uptown ("fika" is Swedish for coffee break). 2 Christmases ago I stopped by the one near 57th street to pick up some pastries and coffee for Christmas with ABF's family (his dad's side is Swedish). They were all delicious, but that particular location is so small that I felt almost claustrophobic waiting to pay at the cash register. When ABF told me there was a new location opening up on Pearl Street near his office, I couldn't wait to try it!

I met ABF after work one chilly day. This spot is just a few steps from the R train, within sight of the bustle of Stone Street. While I waited at a table outside, I snapped a few photos of the buildings around us. I never, ever get tired of looking at all the buildings here. There is always something new to notice, even on a building you've passed a thousand times before.

ABF showed up just a few minutes later, and we decided to stay outside. It was a little cool, and random raindrops were plinking down around us, but we dared to brave the weather. I hopped inside and picked out two sandwiches for us. Unfortunately the beet-stuffed burger ABF has tried before was not available, so we opted for the meatball and the curried chicken. ABF took the curried chicken, because I've never been a big fan. That was about to change! This was SO good! Perfectly seasoned, tender chunks of chicken, and just enough sauce. The bun was a bit unwieldy, and sesame seeds rained down all over our table, but this dish was a winner.

I took the Swedish meatball sandwich, which was slathered with chilled beets. Why don't I cook beets more at home? Few things are as vibrantly delicious as a perfectly roasted beet. In fact, I'm ordering some tonight from Fresh Direct! Back on track...the beets were a sweet complement to the meat, which I wish had been even a little salty. The meatballs were a bit bland, but the beets and the sauce picked up some of the flavor slack.

Just as we finished our sandwiches, the rain started to come down a bit more seriously. We packed up our dishes and went inside for coffee and dessert. There is a lot to choose from when it comes to this part! I ordered regular coffee with my dinner, and when you get coffee with an entree, you get free refills. Woo hoo! The friendly server freshened up my cup and made a latte for ABF, finishing it off with a lovely little foam heart.

I ordered an oversized macaroon, which is about the only way I like to eat coconut. This was soft, moist, and chewy, a perfect pairing with my strong Swedish coffee.

I meant to order a shortbread cookie for ABF, but apparently I wasn't clear enough. I pointed at the dish of shortbread cookies, not realizing a crumbly type of sugar cookie was there as well. That's what the server brought us, and I didn't realize it until ABF & I sat down in our booth. He went with the flow and tried it, but I think we both would have preferred the shortbread. This has to be THE crumbliest cookie I've ever seen. One bite and it literally fell apart in ABF's hand. It has a nice almond flavor (I looove almond!) but it was just too crumbly to handle.

This store, which is Fika's flagship location, also offers their own chocolates. I'll have to sample those on my next trip, but they did look delicious!

I wouldn't put Fika under Cheap Eats, but it is moderately priced, and it is quality food. If you're in the area, uptown OR downtown, definitely pop in and take a fika AT Fika!

Fika Espresso Bar
66 Pearl St
New York, NY 10004
(212) 832-0022

St. Benedict Street Sandwiches

I just wrote about St. Benedict Street Marketplace, as it's where Jen had her rehearsal dinner, but my first experience was earlier that day at lunch. I met up with a former professor (and the chair of our TV/Radio Production Department) for lunch. I hadn't seen him in a long, long time, so it was great to catch up with him. He also brought along a graduating senior student, and I talked with her about where she'd like to go, and gave what I hope was helpful advice. But this post is really about the sammiches. ;)

I stopped in during the busy lunch hour, and the place was hopping. We took a seat by the window and browsed through the menu. I was a bit busy talking to Dr. H and hadn't quite decided when our server came up. We asked for a 2 more minutes, but it was more like 20 before another server came back and took our order (I'd read reviews online that said the food was great but service was spotty). The student joining us, Andrea, ordered the chicken salad, which comes on a croissant. She said it's what she always orders because it is just that good. I thought about it for a second, but then something else caught my eye.

I had noticed the Tori sandwich (Andrea explained a lot of the employees come up with their own sandwich combos, and they get their creations named after them), which had chicken, pepper jack cheese, bacon, and ranch dressing on a sourdough bread. Yes, please! Dr. H ordered the same.

As I had read earlier, the service was pretty slow. It took us about 20 minutes to get the food once we ordered it. I didn't mind having the chance to catch up with Dr. H, but I was also technically still on Maid-of-Honor duty, so I was watching the clock and hoping I wouldn't have to rush out once the food came!

While the food was a bit slow in coming, they never let your iced tea glass get more than half-empty. I drank more tea last week than I think I've had all year in NYC! Fortunately, it was excellent tea. NYC may have just about everything, but I've yet to find more than a place or two that can really nail iced tea. I never have that problem in OK or TX!

Then came the sandwich. It took a while to get there, but oh, was it worth the wait! I didn't realize the chicken was sliced, deli-style, but I really enjoyed it. The sandwich was perfectly toasted--crispy and crunchy on the outside, but soft on the inside, snaptastically crunchy bacon, hot and spicy cheese, and just the slightest hint of ranch (I've never been a huge fan of ranch, so I was glad it was in the background). I was surprised how awesome it was! Seriously. Yum.

I'd chosen the fruit salad as my side, and it comes with a little dollop of whipped cream on top. Bonus! The grapes and strawberries were super-fresh and super-sweet all on their own, and I even ate a piece or two of canteloupe. I ate everything but the melon, which is probably my least-favorite fruit. It was a lovely, bright, cooling companion to the tangy, zippy sandwich.

This sandwich was absolutely outstanding. Dr. H and I ordered the same thing, and we both agreed it was awesome. If I ever find myself back in Shawnee, I'll be sure to try something new. Okay, I'll probably just get THIS sandwich again, but whoever is with me will have to let me try theirs. ;)

Benedict Street Marketplace
613 N Pottenger Ave
Shawnee, OK 74801
(405) 273-2001 (Phone)