Ladies Who Brunch
 My Nochella weekend has turned into a brunch frenzy! I decided to gather some friends and have everyone bring their favorite bottle of Champagne & brunch dish! My table was littered with homemade goodies.  Homemade jams & muffins, Avocado toasts & tofu scrambles, we even whipped up some peach & mango puree for our champagne. My egg salad tartines were stellar & perfectly light for our 85 degree weather.  In my past restaurant days I used the same egg salad recipe but stuffed it between a large buttery croissant.  Either way this is a no fail egg salad recipe that leave your guests with smiling faces and full bellies.

Egg Salad

hard boiled eggs or cold tofu
mayo (full fat, light or vegenaise)
shallots
tarragon
lemon juice 
salt
pepper

Mix 2 cups of mayo with 5 shallots and 3 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice in a food processor. I use a dozen hard boiled eggs for this recipe but you choose whether you want your salad more or less creamy. With gloved hands mix eggs and dressing in a bowl by crushing all de-shelled eggs using your fingers. Chop up 3 tablespoons of tarragon and toss into your mixture along with salt and pepper.  If you're not a tarragon lover substitute for dill.  Extra lemony lovers can grate lemon zest on top or add an extra tablespoon of juice.  A dash or 2 of hot sauce for an extra kick goes a long way also!

Dogs, Dogs, Dogs

 Yes I know it's baseball season, yet again.  The reason I know this so well is my apartment is directly around the corner from Dodgers Stadium.  In a sea of blue Dodgers shirts & hats I sat stuck in traffic a mere 2 blocks from my apartment. I started thinking about what makes sporting events fun for people who don't necessarily enjoy the main event & obviously, it's booze and food.  That brings me to the elusive Dodger Dog.  Such an event is this hot dog that it has its own Yelp page!! One little hot dog has its very own star rated review page! I find this hilarious so naturally I grabbed some tickets & some girlfriends and walked on over for my first Dodger Dog.
 Ok, so its basically a hot dog with whatever toppings you decide to throw on top. Eh. Most of the Dodger Dogs positive yelp reviews were based on fun childhood memories rather than the quality of taste. I completely understand as I grew up with dirty water hot dogs off of a cart in the middle of Manhattan.  Where ever you currently live the love of a hot dog most likely comes from a fabulous backyard BBQ childhood memory.  It's so American of us, hot dogs & beer.  My grown up hot dog has some fun twists & will definitely turn some heads at your next BBQ.

The Ditch Dog
package of any beef, turkey or veggie hot dogs
package of any hot dog buns
an onion
ketchup
chipotle peppers in Adobo sauce
prepared Mac n Cheese (homemade or boxed)
lot's of butter
a bottle of red wine (for cooking & drinking while cooking)
deep pot filled with oil

Caramelizing your onions will take the longest.  My signature caramelized onions are cooked down with a ton of butter and 1/2 a bottle of red wine.  This brings out an incredible taste to any sandwich or burger.  Cook this down in a pan on medium heat, keeping your eye not to burn them (1/2 hour-45 minutes).  In a blender or food processor mix ketchup and peppers together starting with a small amount of chipotle & keep tasting until you've reached your spice level. Have your Mac n Cheese warmed and ready to go - I always make mine from scratch and the main cheese I use is Smoked Gouda- it adds an intense extra flavor.  When you notice your oil is hot, using tongs, drop your dogs very carefully into your pot.  Once the skin starts to crack and deepen in color your dogs are done.  Toast up some buns and start to assemble. Onions on the bottom, deep fried dog in the middle topped w/ chipotle ketchup & creamy Mac n Cheese!

Borough Eats
Planning a trip to New York?  Fabulous!  But don’t forget there are other places to visit in New York besides Manhattan.  Grab a subway map, a metro card & make your way into the outer boroughs.  I was raised in Queens NY, attended university in Brookville Long Island & lived in Brooklyn for 4 years, so my connection with all of New York is  something I always want to share.  My recent visit to the big city brought back a lot of old memories. It also made me realize that New York City is way more than Manhattan, since this trip there was no 'big city' visit.  This brings me to nne of my favorite places in Queens.... Austin Street!  Hop on the Long Island Railroad or take one of the many subway line’s to the prestigious Forest Hills.  Take a walk through the  tree-lined roads with gorgeous private homes staring back at you.  Once your feet hit the English Tudor-styled cobblestone square, your in for a great experience.   Narita Japanese Cuisine is the first spot to hit.  In high school, even before I started eating sushi, I would always come here for their Japanese Noodles with Veggies in a White Sauce.  Opt for the small dining area where your shoes slip off and dangle below you at a table. The Maki rolls here are endless!  Three full pages of the most interesting rolls I found so far. The small salad is to be had only for the creamy ginger dressing that comes with it.  The winner of the menu however is the best spicy-crunchy tuna roll EVER.  I have eaten a lot of sushi here in Los Angeles, but this roll is outrageous.  Creamy, crunchy, spicy & sesame ..all of it together is over the top delicious.  A good tip : do not share this roll &  get multiple bottles of Sake.
10708 70TH Rd
Forrest Hills, NY 11375

Jalapeno Aioli

Rainy day eats are my favorite! These rare Los Angeles rain days, where practically everyone runs for shelter, is the perfect time to cozy up to the kitchen & create some deliciousness! That's exactly what I did today while testing different types of cheese melts.  The consensus was a creamy, spicy Avocado Melt.  You can't skimp on the avocado though, thats the star of the sandwich.  I packed in a few slices of mozzarella, a handful of greens (I'm an arugula girl) & jalapeno aioli!  I've made this several ways & lately I've been sticking to raw jalapenos mixed with your favorite mayo.  When in my commercial kitchen I like to toss jalapenos in olive oil and grill over an open fire to get that nice smokey flavor.  Roasting on a baking sheet & peeling off the skin is another delicious idea. In any variation I always leave the seeds in to enhance the flavor.
Jalapeno Aioli
 2 cups of mayo (whole fat, light, Veganaise)
 2 tblsp of fresh lemon juice
 7-10 jalapenos (depending on size)

Roasted, grilled or plain, toss jalapenos, mayo and lemon juice in your food processor and pulse until combined.  You can add more mayo at the end if aioli seems too spicy. Throw in a mason jar, refrigerate & enjoy your new sandwich spread !