Monday, September 29, 2014

Coffee Is GOOD For You

COFFEE LOVERS REJOICE !!!
 
 
 
COFFEE IS GOOD FOR YOU !!!
Yes Boys and Girls, all you Coffee Lovers out there, it's True, Coffee is Good for You. Ye-Ha! Don't you just love it. You might have heard from time-to-time that coffee is not good for you, bad for your health. Not So, but just the opposite, Coffee is Good for you. Coffee is High in Antioxidants, which can protect against damaged cells and  reduce your risk of chronic disease including Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Strokes. 
Now this is really good news, Great News in fact, the prevention and reduced risk of getting Heart Disease,   Diabetes, and Stoke is major, and anything any sane person should be ecstatic and rejoice over, "I am." Coffee can help prevent Alzheimer's and Parkinson Disease. Awesome!
Just remember, moderation is the key, too much coffee can cause nausea, jitters, and a rapid heart beat. It is safe to drink up to 5 cups a day, if you start getting over 8 cups you may have problems and adverse side affects. So remember, enjoy your coffee, you can love it, but stay moderate and it will love you back. As for me, I just love and adore my morning coffee. I usually have a second cup in the late afternoon, but hardly ever after 4 PM and I'm finished for the day, until my next glorious morning cup to start another day, my Coffee, in the Cafe, the newspaper and I'm set, Buon Giorno!
 
 
 
*THIS ARTICLE FOCUSES PRIMARILY ON THE POSITIVE BENEFITS OF DRINKING COFFEE, ALTHOUGH THERE ARE CIRCUMSTANCES WHERE DRINKING COFFEE CAN BE BAD FOR YOU, SUCH AS PEOPLE WITH ANXIETY OR SLEEPING DISORDERS.  IN TERMS OF HEALTH, COFFEE IS BEST DRUNK WHEN IT'S BLACK OR WITH VERY LITTLE SUGAR AND MILK ADDED. DRINKING A VENTI MOCHA WITH WHIPPED CREAM FOUR TIMES A DAY ISN'T GOOD FOR ANYONE.  
 
 
[caption id="" align="aligncenter" width="282"] Secret Italian Recipes[/caption]

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

PJ CLARKES


PJ CLARKE'S
New York

Are you a True Downtowner who has found themselves for one reason or another on the Upper East Side and needed a good place to have a drink and grab a good Burger. You need a good joint, not a obnoxious Sports Bar with 20 annoying Flat Screen TVs. You're not from BumFu_k Iowa, so Applebee's or Tj McFunsters just won't do. You're a Downtowner, you need a inexpensive, unpretentious, non-contrived place with a Cool Vibe. Well for years now, my Go-To all-around place on the Upper East Side (for the Rare Times I'm in that neighborhood) is without question PJ Clarke's. The ambiance is beyond compare, wonderfully well worn, charming, and awash in History.
    PJ Clarke's was one of Sinatra's Favorites along with the 21 Club, Jilly's and Patsy's on 56th Street. And speaking of Sinatra who recorded a wonderful version of "One For My Baby" which was written at PJ Clarke's on a Cocktail Napkin by the great Johnny Mercer in 1941.
    When I go to PJ Clarke's, I'm thinking of a Burger, a Beer or Bourbon Old Fashion, and an order of Onion Rings. With all the rage of Burger's these days, PJ Clarke's has been serving one of New York's tastiest Burgers for close to a Hundred Years. Even Jackie Kennedy loved PJ Clarke Burgers and ate them often. And Nat King Cole proclaimed after eating a tasty Bacon Cheeseburger that it was the Cadillac of Burgers. "You know Nat, I agree." And combined with the wonderful ambiance, History, and allure of the place, PJ Clarke's just ca not be beat. Try it!
by Daniel Bellino Zwicke PJ CLARKE Facts One of Sinatra's favorite joints ..... Johnny Mercer wrote One For My Baby a Sinatra Favorite on a Cocktail Napkin at PJ Clarke's  ..... Jackie Kennedy often brought John F. Kennedy Jr. for a Saturday lunch Burger....... Popeye Doyle (Gene Hackman) orders a Burger here in The French Connection ...
Author Charles Jackson was a regular at PJ Clarke's and in the movie version with ray Miland, PJ Clarke's was used and called Nat's Bar in the movie ... On June 20, 1958 Buddy Holly proposed to his fiancee there ... Johnny Depp gave a gift of a Guitar to Keith Richards and Keef played on the spot Brown Sugar .... PJ Clarke's was a Favorite of Ted Kennedy, Richard Harris, Jake LaMotta, and Dick Clark, all of who love the burger ... Regular Liza Minelli loves the PJ Clarke Burger as well ...






  SUNDAY SAUCE



The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK
The BIG LEBOWSKI COOKBOOK

Sunday, September 7, 2014

VESUVIO





Vesuvio Bakery

by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke





SECRET RECIPES
in
SEGRETO ITALIANO



SEGRETO ITALIANO

Secret Italian Recipes

by DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE


Sunday, August 31, 2014

Mommy's Stuffed Peppers




Stuffed Peppers alla Lucia

As I walked out of my apartment in Greenwich Village, something hit me. It was an unmistakeable smell ... A smell and aromas that instantly brought me back to my youth and my mother cooking the dish. Yes I know that smell quite well and can easily identify. The smell? Why Stuffed Peppers of course! As the peppers roast, stuffed most likely with ground beed mixed with rice (to strecth-out the beef), garlic and grated Parmiggiano Reggiano with tomato sauce. Yes the smell is quite wonderful and when I remember as my mother cooked the dish often. Stuffed Peppers along with; Meatballs, Stuffed Artichokes, Meatlaof, Eggplant, Braciole, and Stuffed Shells were one of the main-stays of my mothers Italian roots repetoire. A dish I always loved, but releived as I walked out my door the other day, a dish, just like Stuffed Shells and Chicken Cacctiatore that are hardly ever eat these days. I pondered why, and decided there was no good reason and I have to remedy this little delema, and soon.
I haven't had the dish in quite some time,  and decided I must have it soon. I went to the supermarket and got all the ingredients,; the Green Bell Peppers, ground beef, a can of San Marzano Tomatoes, and rice. I bought the Grated Parmiggiano at Raffetto's around the block and I was all set to go.
First things first, so I put the rice on to cook.  I got a little tomato sauce going with garlic, olive oil, Pepperoncino, and the San Marzano's,   I chopped the Italian Parsely, onions, and Garlic for the stuffing, and got things ready.
  I got 6 peppers that I would cut the tops off, then pull out the core inside. 
So the rice had finished cooking and cooled down, and it was time to put in a mixing bowl with the ground beef, garlic, chopped onions, grated cheese, and parsley. Season with salt and Black Pepper, throw in one egg and mix with my hands till everything was well mixed, just they mommy did. The stuffing was ready to stuff into the peppers. Fill all the peppers with the beef mixture, top them with their tops, pot some tomato sauce in the casserole dish, place the peppers in there, and throw them in the oven. In a little more than an hour they'd be done.
I pot on some Sinatra and Louie Prima, cracked open a "Nice Bottle of Chianti," as Anthony Hopkins would say, and waited for the Peppers to cook. 
Now I was making my own again, and I'm sure some of the neighbors were jealous as I was the other day, smelling those tasty Stuffed Peppers one of my neighbors was making, but none would I have. Not that day anyway, but now, and time for others to be wanting and not me. I'm sorry I can't feed everyone. Now anyone who knows me, knows that I love to cook and feed others. My friends, family, whoever, and this often do, of which many will attest to.
Well noone is coming today. I'm gonna eat a couple of these suckers today, and the rest I'll leave in the frig and have 3 or 4 more meals of these babies during the week, Stuffed Peppers, Chianti, and Sinatra, "yes life is good at times," times like these ....



Daniel Bellino-Zwicke


LUCIA'S STUFFED PEPPERS
in
Daniel Bellino's
SUNDAY SAUCE

When Italian-AMericans Cook



Saturday, August 30, 2014

NEW YORK BEST CAFES






CAFFE DANTE

Macdougal Street GREENWICH VILLAGE
New York

100 YEARS OLD Next YEAR 2015

Is
NEW YORK'S BEST ITALIAN CAFFE


BEST ART in a CAFE
Caffe Reggio

photo Daniel Bellino-Zwicke


CAFFE REGGIO

Macdougal Street

BREENWICH VILLAGE

New York

For Great Art in a Cafe, You Can't Beat CAFFE REGGIO
in GREENWICH VILLAGE .. Caffe Reggio Boast
a Painting from The SCHOOL of CARAVAGGIO
and
a RENAISANCE BENCH From a MEDICI PALACE
Florence, Italy



Le COLOMBE

LAYFAYETTE STREET
Near ASTOR PLACE (8th Street)

East Village, NY

GREAT AMBIANCE & GREAT COFFEE

A Winning Combination!



STUMTOWN COFFEE
at
THE ACE HOTEL


WORLD'S PRETIEST BARISTA

STUMPTOWN COFFEE

GREAT COFFEE & GOOD LOOKING BARISTAS

And A Great Hang in The Lobby
of The ACE HOTEL

photo Daniel Bellino-Zwicke


ABRACO ESPRESSO

NEW YORK'S BEST CORTADO
and
BEST OVERALL COFFEE

If 
A Bit Much on Attitude at Times ...



PORTO RICO COFFEE

BEST COFFEE in NEW YORK

WHY The HELL Would ANYONE Be DUMB
Enough to Buy COFFEE BEANS at STARBUCKS  For $12.95

When YOU CAN BUY NEW YORK'S BEST COFFEE
For 5 DOLLARS LESS At $7.95 a Pound?

Guess Some People are Just Plain DUMB ???













Friday, August 29, 2014

GREENWICH VILLAGE NEWPORT STEAKS

Image


  Greenwich Village Newport Steak, French & Italian Wine Dinner on Thompson Street in "The Village."  My buddy Chris B. and I had another nice little Wine-Dinner this past Sunday with his girlfriend Maria ... It was quite the dinner ... We had some really nice wine to drink, with cheese a Steak-House Salad, and the famed Newport Steaks of Greenwich Village ... Chris gave me a call on Wedsday and said we where on for dinner this coming Sunday Night (Jan. 12, 2014) .. We were both quite phyched for a nice dinner and the prospect of drinking some great wines and The Newports, our favorite steaks. "A little Cote de Beaune" Chris uttered, immitating Miles in the greatest wine movie of all-time "Sideways" And so it was to be "a little Cote de Beuane" from Michele Bouzereau  2001 and  Sancere from Les Mont Damnes 2012, both wines quite lovely and very good examples of their prospective zones ... Chris always picks out nice White Burgundy's and the Bouzwereau was no exception, it was wonderful ... Anyway, let me get back to the Newports and the order of things as concerned the dinner which was awesome as usual, and maybe a bit more awesome than usual ...  So Friday I called Chris and asked hwo many we were gonna be for dinner as the butcher shop is closed Sunday and I was going to get the steaks on Saturday for Sunday .  We agreed on the 3 of us so I was set with the number of Newport Steaks I needed to pick up ... Oh yes, and the butcher shop in question was none other than the butcher shop where the Newport Steak was invented by one Italian-Butcher named Jack Ubaldi way back in 1947 ..  Jack wanted to able to sell his cuts of Tri-Tip Sirloin more readily, so instead of selling 

Image

  Our THREE NEWPORTS From FLORENCE MEAT MARKET,  GREENWICH VILLAGE continued Tri-Tip in one piece which didn't sell as well, Jack cut the Tri-Tip Sirloin into 3-4 individual Steaks from the one triangular cut of beef .. He named the Steak after the Nike-like logo on a box of Newport Cigarettes and the rest is history as they say .. Florence Prime Meat Market is still open on Jones Street in Greenwich Village and that's where I get my Newports, either there or at Pino's Prime Meats on Sullivan Street which cuts a Great Newport and makes tasty home-made Italian Sauages as well .. Pino's is great, but I prefer and give an edge to Florence Market as they are the originator of the Newport and they look of the shop is much "Cooler" with all its original old fixtures ... 

Image

OUR LINEUP of WINES For The NIGHT: 

BURGUNDY, SANCERE, BRUNELLO & SAUTERN


   NEWPORTS in The PAN

NEW PORT STEAKS In The PAN

NEWPORTS COOKING on 2nd SIDE


NEWPORTS COOKING on 2nd SIDE[/caption] So I go to Florence and ask them to cut me 3 nice Newport Steaks .. One of the butchers goes to the walk-in (Refrigerator) and comes out with a nice fresh looking Beef Tri-Tip .. He puts it down on the thick wooden butcher block and starts trimming the tri-tip of some of its fat .. He then cuts me off three nice 2 1/2" thick Newports and wraps them in butchers paper .. The counter lady tells me it $18.99 for the Newports (about $6.50 a piece for 3 Prime Steaks). "A Bargain." I pay the lady, get my steaks and walk the 3 blocks back to my apartment, where I put my Newports in the frig to the next day.

The Hearts of Romain with Tomato Onion & Bleu-Cheese Dressing "A STEAK HOUSE SALAD"

The Hearts of Romain with Tomato Onion & Bleu-Cheese Dressing 
"A STEAK HOUSE SALAD"

So I get to Chris's house and as I'm climbing the stairs to his apartment I can hear some great Jazz playing . It was Dexter Gordon and quite fine . I was tired from walking up 5 flights of stairs, so I told Chris to crack open a bottle of wine, "I need to relax." Chris cracked open the Cote de Beaune Bouzereau, and it was quite nice and everything you'd expect from a nice mid-road White Burgundy. We both loved it .. Chris broke out some nice Brie Cheese and we sipped the wine, ate cheese and relaxed listening to some nice tunes before I started on the dinner; prepping the salad, the mushrooms, potatoes, and onions for our dinner to come ..

..FLORENCE MEAT MARKET GREENWICH VILLAGE "HOME of THE NEWPORT STEAK"
FLORENCE MEAT MARKET GREENWICH VILLAGE "HOME of THE NEWPORT STEAK"

Learn How To Make GREAT STEAKS, SUNDAY SAUCE MEATBALLS and More in SUNDAY SAUCE When Italian-Americns Cook by DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE

 NEWPORTS on The PLATE With MUSHROOMS & ROAST POTATOES ...

NEWPORTS on The PLATE With MUSHROOMS ROAST POTATOES
2014-01-12 13.51.58

REESE'S PEANUT BUTTER CUPS "THE PERFECT DESSERT"
 by DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE
  LEARN HOW To MAKE GREENWICH VILLAGE NEWPORT STEAKS


SUNDAY SAUCE alla SINATRA alla CLEMENZA "RECIPES in SUNDAY SAUCE by DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE"

Tuesday, August 26, 2014

CHICKEN & CHET Chet Baker




Chet Baker


Came up with a new one the other night. It was at one of our dinners that we have a coupel time a month, when we cook, drink wine, and listen to some great music on Vinyl .. Vinyle Records that is, and some great music, not like any of the crap they make today, but great artist of the 20th Century like; Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix, Johnny Winter, Albert King, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and greats like Chet Baker. What's that? You never heard of Chet Baker? You're forgiven, many have not.
Chet Baker was one of the 20th Cenury's greatest and most unique Jazz Artist. He played Trumpet and had a positively unique singing style that was Super Cool and all his own. Baker played with Jazz Greats Charlie Parker and Jerry Mulligan before forming his own band and going out on his own in 1953, when he recorded and released Chet baker Sings ...
Chet Bakers most famous recordings are; My Funny Valentine and Let's Get Lost ...

OK, back to the Chciken & Chet Dinner ...  So my friends and I were having one of our little dinner parties at Chris's place on Thompson Street (Greenwich Village) .. As we usually do, we decide what we are gonign to eat, we buy the food, get some wine and cook dinner. As always the elements of our little dinner parties are; the food, some very good wine, and lots of great music, some on vinyl, some on CDs ... No matter what we make, we usually always have some nice cheese to start the meal, we decide on some music, and crack open our first bottle of wine. This night, Chris had already decided on chicken, which we all agreed would be great. He made some buttered carrots and Couscous to accompany the Chicken. Chris picked up a nice bottle of Au Bon Climant Pinot Noir from Santa Barbara that was quite nice, and I brought a bottle of Fausto Maculans Brentino ...

Chris was cooking the chicken, and we were listening to Eric Clapton, Ron Wood, and Pete Towsend's Raibow Concert LP .. A great album that's a bit obscure, but can you imagine, Clapton, Pete twonsend and Ron Wood all playing together? Friggin amazing. I myself had never heard of this concert and live recording album until Chris turned me on to it. It's awesome. Chris had some Zeppelin playing when we sat down to dinner, and I told him we had to tone the music down while eating. Like most civilized people I can't listen to loud music when eating so I requested a slow down. Chris asked what I wanted? He had been playing some Chet Baker when I arrived at his apartment, so I said I could go for some more Chet. He obliged.
The chicken was quite tasty, the wine was flowing and Chet Baker sounded just fine. 
The next day I sent Chris a Text thanking him for the Chicken & Chet, and so it's been coined. Everytime we have a Chicken Dinner now, we must also have some Chet, Chicken & Chet, it's our latest thing .. A dinner theme to add to our already famous Chianti Rolling Stones & Newport Steaks (dinner), as well Pork Chops Vino & Soul ... 
Oh and by the way, dessert is always Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and all is well with; Chianti Steak or Chicken, The Rollign Stones and Rock N Roll, R&B, Chet Baker and Peanut Butter Cups .. What more could one ever ask for?


by Daniel Bellino-Zwicke



CHICKEN
&  
CHET