Oreo Balls!

What dessert only requires three ingredients and no baking? Oreo balls! I participated in my first cookie exchange and decided to give these a try since I was short on time. Total prep time was only 30 minutes-this does not include the hour it must chill in the fridge. 

Ingredients:
1 package of Oreo cookies
1 8oz tub of Philadelphia's cream cheese
1 6oz box of Baker's white chocolate baking squares

Directions:
Take a one-gallon Ziploc bag and dump all of the Oreos in them. Put four aside to use as a topping.

Using a rolling pin, can, masher, really anything hard, mash the oreos until they are in powder form.

In a large bowl, mix together the crumbled oreos and tub of cream cheese. Soften the cream cheese to make mixing easier.

Once mixed, start rolling them into balls, a little smaller than a golf balls, and place them on a tray lined with wax paper. The mixture should give you 30-35 balls.

Place the tray of balls in the fridge for one hour.

Once chilled, melt a few squares of the white chocolate in a bowl. Cover each ball with the melted chocolate. Coat them completely.

Take the four cookies you set aside and mash them up. Sprinkle each ball with the cookie crumbs as a finishing touch. (Make sure to sprinkle the cookie crumbs before the chocolate hardens.)

Put the balls now coated with white chocolate in the fridge until the chocolate hardens.

And that's it!  I have to say, they're a tad bit rich, but EVERYONE loved them. Enjoy! :)

Au Cheval, A Place to Crave

My craving for salted cured meat finally got the best of me and I got my fix at Au Cheval (800 W. Randolph). I've seen write-ups on this place for weeks now and the one item that peaked my interest was the fried bologna sandwich.

I went on a Friday evening with my girlfriend and our two friends. It's a pretty small place and they have it set up diner style with booths and a counter. They have an open kitchen set up in the middle of the restaurant and because of this it got quite toasty in there. Note - We went on a day when it was over 100 degrees and I'm sure that played a part as well.

Here's what we ordered:

Cocktails:

• Horse's Neck - Amazing and quite refreshing for a whiskey drink.

• Hemingway Daiquiri - It was a little sour for my girlfriend's taste

Appetizer:

• Crispy Fries - This was by far one of the best items on their menu. It came with mornay sauce, garlic aioli and a fried egg. Yes, it's a heart attack waiting to happen but the flavors from the sauce, aioli and egg elevated their fries to another level. It was so good we ended up getting a second order.

Dinner:

• House Made Fried Bologna Sandwich - The whole reason why I dragged my friends to this restaurant...and it did not disappoint. It can be salty for some people, but if you're a salty/savory person, you'll love it.

• Winter Green Salad - My gf and friend ordered this and they loved it. I personally don't consider salad a meal, but that's just me. :)

• Salmon (House Special) - I can't remember what this dish was called but it was the special of the day. My friend could not stop raving about how fresh and  perfectly cooked it was. 

All and all we would definitely go back. The service was great, the food exceeded our expectations and the pricing wasn't too bad considering the location. Now if only they delivered, craving salted cured meat again...

High Plains Bison Dog

I played hookey for the Cubs last Friday and boy was that a good call. It ended up being a gorgeous day AND the Cubs actually won! I typically only enjoy ball games for the food and I was not disappointed at Wrigley. We know the drill when it comes to ball park hot dogs, they come plain in a steamed bun. To my surprise and excitement,  I found a stand called High Plains Bison that sold bison dogs. Apparently they're the "Official Lean Meat of the Chicago Cubs," who knew? I'm a huge fan of bison meat because it's healthier and leaner than regular beef and I love the "meaty" flavor. I've only eaten bison burgers never hot dogs so I decided to try one. My bison dog came in a poppy seed bun topped with grilled onions for $5.75. What's the verdict? Absolutely delicious. I plan on ordering a box of bison dogs for my next cookout.

Dryhop Craft Brewery & Restaurant coming to Lakeview East

A new gastro-brewery is coming to Lakeview East. Dryhop Craft Brewery & Restaurant (3155 N. Broadway) is expected to open Fall 2012. Acccording to their site, they are committed to "building a craft beer experience; a place where artisan ales, food, and people are respected." Some craft beers people can expect are Wheat IPA, Coconut Stout and Saison. I've been on a mussels kick lately so I was excited to see mussels on their sample menu. People can choose between "White Belgian and Shallots, Sweet Chili-Garlic and Coconut Milk, or Chorizo and Vermouth." I just hope the food and the people aren't pretentious like a certain restaurant that just opened in the 'hood. I'm optimistic and if they're as friendly as the person behind their Twitter account, I know this will be my go to after work hangout.

Photo courtesy: http://www.facebook.com/dryhopbistro

Pepperoni Pizzadillas, My First Pinterest Recipe

As a I've mentioned on this blog, I'm a foodie. I love to eat, but I'm not a huge cook. That's all changed now that I've joined Pinterest. It's not only food porn, but it has recipes anyone can make. I've even created a board called Super Easy Recipes. I came across a recipe for pepperoni pizza quesadillas or pizzadillas as I like to call them via Snixy Kitchen. As soon as I saw the photos I was hooked. I pretty much followed Snixy Kitchen's recipe, but I switched out a couple ingredients. Instead of regular pepperoni I used turkey pepperoni and instead of regular mozzarella cheese I used reduced-fat mozzarella cheese. I also cooked the turkey pepperoni in the microwave. How did it turn out? Well my girlfriend enjoyed it!

Pepperoni Pizzadillas Ingredients - Serves 1 (total 650 calories) or 2 (total 325 calories)

• 2 whole wheat flour tortillas from Trader Joe's (380 calories)
• 1/2 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese from Target (140 calories)
• 1/2 cup pizza sauce by Ragu (60 calories)
• 17 slices turkey pepperoni by Hormel (70 calories)

1. Cook turkey pepperoni in the microwave for 30 to 60 seconds (depends on how crispy you like them, I prefer crispy)

 2. Using only 1/4 cup of the pizza sauce, spread thin layers on one side of the two tortillas. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of the cheese on top of one the tortillas (sauce side). Next, layer the pepperonis on top of the cheese and sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of that. Take the other tortilla and lay it on top like you're making a sandwich (pizza sauce should be on the inside).

3. Next heat skillet to medium heat. Use a squirt of olive oil spray and lay the pizzadilla in the pan. Cook for 3-5 minutes on each side or until the tortilla is nice and crispy.

4. Cut into quarters and enjoy with the remaining pizza sauce for dipping :)

I made my pizzadilla extra crispy and threw in some salad because I need my veggies!

Oreo's Rainbow Support

Oreo recently tweeted "Celebrate your pride for love!" with a photo of a cookie filled with layers of multicolored filling to represent Pride's famous rainbow flag and the caption "June 25 | Pride." The same photo was posted on their Facebook wall. I think it's a wonderful that such a famous brand is honoring Pride month. Unfortunately there are haters out there who have unfriended the brand because of this support. But let's end this on a happy note, according to the Chicago Tribune over 150,000 Facebook users "liked" the post. That and an Oreo cookie puts a smile on my face. 

Kitchen Advisors

Saw these cute bobbleheads at World Market. Three bucks a piece and well worth it. I can't help but smile whenever I'm in the kitchen. And we of course bought ones that looked like us :).

Sleepy time tea

I find tea to be soothing to the soul. It reminds me of home and it's a great way to get yourself relaxed and calm for bed. My tea of choice is genmai cha tea, a blend of green tea and brown rice. It may sound weird, but the brown rice gives it a nice nutty flavor. The box I have is a loose leaf tea so make sure you have a tea strainer. I found the perfect one at Argo Tea. As you can see it's just the right size for a mug.

Welcome to Foodielation!

Happy Pride 2012, Chicago! Now that Pride month is coming to a close and the festivities have ended, I'm ready to kick off my first ever food blog. Now what do Pride and food have in common? Well they both make me happy! I'm not a professional chef nor do I claim to be a professional food writer. I'm just a gal who loves food. In this blog I hope to share my take on Filipino food, my love of new restaurants and really anything food-related. Stay tuned!