In honor of Memorial Day weekend I thought I would share an easy BBQ recipe that does not require an actual barbecue. This meal was inspired by a delicious batch of homemade BBQ sauce that my friend gave me, and 2 large Russet potatoes that I had lying around my kitchen. The BBQ sauce was created using a recipe for “Mutha Sauce” from the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que cookbook. For simplicity’s sake, you can use your favorite store bought brand, or purchase one of the many BBQ sauces that Dinosaur offers online. Enjoy!
Oven BBQed Chicken
3-3 ½ lb. chicken, cut into pieces (skin optional)
2 cups BBQ sauce
2 large carrots cut in half lengthwise.
Preheat over to 450 degrees.
Place carrots in roasting pan.
Place chicken pieces on top of carrots.
Cover chicken in majority of sauce, reserving a small amount for later.
Bake for 40 minutes. If chicken begins to blacken, cover pan with tin foil.
Baste with remaining sauce and cook for 10 more minutes, or to desired doneness.
Creamy Twice Baked Potatoes For Two
2 large potatoes
4 T butter
1 ¼ cup milk
3 T sour cream
1 large clove of garlic minced
¾ tsp salt
Touch of pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Wash and scrub potatoes. Pat dry. Pierce each potato with fork and wrap individually in tin foil.
Bake on the lowest rack for 45 minutes-hour until tender (depends on size of potato and oven).
Remove potatoes from oven carefully and let cool for 10-15 minutes.
Cut off the top third of each potato lengthwise and scoop out insides with a small spoon into a medium bowl. Try your best to leave the outside skin in tact to form a shell that looks like an empty boat.
Add the rest of the ingredients listed above to the bowl of potatoes.
Beat with mixer on medium setting until creamy. Season further if necessary.
Spoon mixture into shells-- For a fancier look, place half of the potato filling in a piping bag with a large star-shaped tip. After filling half of each shell by hand, use a piping bag to fill the top portion and create a festive design.
Top with paprika and shredded cheese if desired. Reheat in oven for ten minutes on a baking sheet.
It was a rainy Thursday morning when I unexpectedly wandered past and into Java Girl Inc., a small homey coffee shop on the Upper East Side. The seating area was snug but inviting, the servers and customers were friendly, and my green tea latte with cinnamon and homemade raisin scone were perfect. What a great way to warm up!
My final moments of daytime culinary fun brought me to Morningside Heights to meet a friend. After some research, I decided we should get some Thai at Sookk. The lunch special at Sookk was one of the best deals that I’ve experienced in a long time, in Manhattan or elsewhere. For 7 dollars you get a vegetable soup, choice of appetizer and entree, plus a free soda or coconut ice cream (Hint: go for the ice cream!). The Ginger Chicken and Rice dish was very flavorful and a good portion size. The whole meal made me smile from beginning to end.
I recently purchased a wonderful book about the famous candy shop and tourist attraction Dylan's Candy Bar: Unwrap Your Sweet Life. Written by the shop's founder, Dylan Lauren, this colorful coffee table book details how she turned her passion for sweet things into a successful business venture. For any candy lover like me, it’s a knockout, full of fun facts, vivid graphics, and creative ways to use candy. No matter what your favorites are-- gummy bears, jelly beans, Twizzlers, M&M's, you name it-- there is something for everyone in this book. Candies are more than just snacks to Dylan, they are masterpieces, storytellers, and memories. Unwrap Your Sweet Life provides new ideas for celebrating holidays, birthdays, or everyday. I’m truly inspired by the playfulness and artistic viewpoint that comes through on every page. This book would make a great gift for kids or adults alike.
Hi everyone! It's great to be back blogging on my new site. At the end of March I took some time off from my day job and had a semi-planned/semi-spontaneous food staycation. It started out on a disappointing note when I got to the World's Largest Bake Sale in Grand Central, at what I thought was a good time, only to find out all the food was gone! I felt bad for all of the sad foodies who left empty-handed, but the good news was that all the proceeds went to NY Food Bank. Next time I will show up a lot earlier! Day 2 of my food adventures went much better, as I traveled to two food trucks on Wall Street that I've always wanted to try, Wafels & Dinges and the Rickshaw Dumpling Bar. The waffle truck delivered up a perfect liège wafel (soft and chewy) with signature Spekuloos sauce and berries. Spekuloos sauce is hard to describe but shouldn’t be missed. It looks like peanut butter, but tastes like buttery gingerbread goodness.
My second truck stop for dumplings left me with a difficult choice- which one of the 3 dumplings of the day should I try (Chicken & Thai Basil, Vegetarian Edamame, or Classic Pork and Chinese Chive)? The crowd was giving me split advice, so I tried all 3. My favorite? The pork dumpling with sesame dipping sauce. Thanks Wafels and Dinges and Rickshaw!
Hi everyone! Welcome to my new and improved website. Follow The Hungry Bee in the markets, on the street corner, in restaurants, bakeries, specialty stores, in the classroom, in the kitchen, and more. The Hungry Bee is about enjoying old ideas, trying new ones, and staying inspired. It’s about supporting local businesses and taking culinary adventures in your own backyard and beyond. This blog is meant to encourage you to get hungry and stay hungry, wherever you may go. So enjoy!
. Written by the shop's founder, Dylan Lauren, this colorful coffee table book details how she turned her passion for sweet things into a successful business venture. For any candy lover like me, it’s a knockout, full of fun facts, vivid graphics, and creative ways to use candy. 
