I've moved!

It's official! Chip Chip Hooray is movin' on up.

Head on over to http://chipchiphooray.com and check out my new digs! And don't forget to update your readers or RSS feeds to make sure you still get all my awesome posts--I wouldn't want you to miss out!

Mom-Mom's Boxty (Irish Potato Pancakes)

Let's face it: the Irish aren't exactly know for their cooking abilities. When there is no meat temperature other than well done and the starch part of your meal often consists of a dark stout, it's likely that you'll be passed over when it comes to gourmet food tours. (Disclaimer: Stereotypes! :) )

Maybe so. But when my mom and my aunt talk about Sunday night dinners growing up, they always, always reminisce about the boxty my grandma (affectionately known as "Mom-Mom" by her gaggle of grandchildren) would make them. ("Boxty" is the Irish term for potato pancakes--like latkes, for my Jewish brothers and sisters out there.) My mom loved them hot off the skillet, while my aunt preferred them cold the next morning for breakfast (with granulated sugar sprinkled on top).

Pumpkin Oatmeal Raisin Cookies -- Happy Halloween!

First things first: I guess that October decided to dress up as December for Halloween this year, huh?

For serious. Not cool. I'm still having nightmares about commuting in last year's epic snowstorms and I'm completely not ready to start dealing with all that mess again. Fall, come back for awhile, k?

NYC Eats: Dinner at Queens Kickshaw

Now that I finally feel settled into my new neighborhood, I figured it was time to start sampling the local cuisines! A friend of mine read about a place that specialized in "fancy grilled cheeses" in the Gothamist--you don't have to do much arm-twisting to convince me that grilled cheese is a fabulous dinner. Throw in a bangin' list of hard ciders? I'm all over it.

S'mores Explosion Pie, and a Pie Party Live recap

Have you ever imagined what life would be like if you took every and any ingredient and made it into a pie? Can you even conceive of that many different kinds of pies?

Ladies and gentlemen, I have seen the promised pie-land. And let me tell you, it is yoga-pants-wearing good.

This past Saturday, I had the fantastic opportunity to take part in Pie Party Live, a NYC food blogger event organized by the fabulous Jackie and Ken. The potluck o' pie was held at Rodeo Bar, whose fine establishment graciously provided us with space and smiling service for the whole three hours of pie gluttony. Thank you, Rodeo Bar!

The only requirement for admission to the event? Bring a pie!

A Jolly Olde Time in London Towne!

Cheerio, mates! As those of you on Twitter may remember, I've just returned from a wonderful, whirlwind weekend spent visiting my sister (affectionately, Middle Chip) in London, where she's studying for the semester. We had such a fabulous time, and I was so sad to leave her again until December! But it's definitely a weekend I'll always remember sharing with her. :)

Now, the two of us didn't get up to all that much cooking this weekend (although we did manage one kitchen creation!), but what follows is a bit of a tour through our antics and escapades...most of which involve a lot of sugar...

Chicken and Black Bean Enchiladas: Welcome, Fall!

Fall is here, fall is here!

Okay, well, technically fall has been here for a week or so now, but it's only really started to feel like fall here in the New York City area since October started this weekend. The weather has been crisp and cool, with that smell of the coming holiday season in the air. I love it.

I think these gooey, cheesy enchiladas are a great fall meal, whether you eat them for dinner fresh outta the oven or freeze a bunch for easy meals-in-a-minute later in the week (I'm a big fan of this method, as we all know!). They might not be the most photogenic food in the world, but I promise they taste better than they might look. :)

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies: Who Have You Hugged Today?

Most of you probably know that October is breast cancer awareness month. Now, I know it's not October yet, but it's pretty darn close, and I think this post is deservedly a bit early.

Tricked-Out Brownies: When You Need Yum Quick

I sincerely wish I were one of those people who liked when life threw her curve balls. You know the type--they relish the volatility of the everyday and meet the various and sundry obstacles they encounter with this superhuman optimism that makes the rest of us want to steal their cookies. Or maybe that's just me.

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is, the road of life has been decidedly bumpy this week. Remember back when Charlie had his knee surgery and I made those awesome Chocolate Revel Bars as a get well soon treat? Well, regardless of how undoubtedly delicious those bars were, it seems that they weren't powerful enough to guarantee a quick and easy recovery...

Dinner on a Budget: Lasagna with Turkey Meat Sauce

Well, I've officially been living in my new apartment for a week, and things are starting to get easier. I've figured out which subway lines will get me to the office fastest in the morning, which grocery stores have the best prices for produce, and which pizzerias I do not want to frequent. All important knowledge to have!

One of the things that's been surprisingly overwhelming for me has been figuring out how to plan weekday meals that are affordable and (somewhat) healthy. You'd think I'd relish the endless opportunities, right?

Where Have I Been?

Wow, Labor Day weekend has come and gone. Seriously? It's officially fall now?


Well, that's okay, I guess. But only because it means stores have started stocking candy corn. Have I mentioned that I have an unhealthy obsession with candy corn? Yeah, there's that.

I have been way, way behind on everything in my Google Reader these past few days, and Tweeting? Fuhgeddaboudit. Know why?

I moved!

Funfetti Pancakes, aka Hurricane Comfort Food

How are all the rest of you on the East Coast holding up after Hurricane Irene? I know there was a variety of different effects depending on what region people found themselves in. I was lucky enough to be in a mostly unaffected area--we got a ton of rain and wind, but because my house is on a hill, we didn't get any flooding. There were a lot of leaves and twigs to be raked up on Sunday afternoon, but no damage to the house or cars or anything, thank goodness. I know we're among the lucky ones!

Perhaps you found yourself cooped up inside as a result of our dear friend Irene--whether in anticipation of her coming, during the storm itself, or in the aftermath of the cleanup. Whenever I find myself housebound and stir-crazy, I crave the mother of all comfort foods: pancakes.

Chocolate Revel Bars: Get Well Soon!

So, remember when Charlie left for Africa a-way back at the end of June?

Well, he's back. Yay! However, there is a not-yay part.

Back in the spring, he tore his ACL and his meniscus (in a dancing competition...on a cruise ship...trust me, the story is as good as it sounds) but it went undiagnosed until right before he left for Africa. You'd think that couldn't happen, right? That doctors with medical degrees couldn't miss something like that? Yeah, I'm with you on that. But anyway, by the time they figured out that significant connective tissues were separating, he was already so close to leaving that the surgery had to be scheduled for when he returned. Welcome home...now let us cut you open.

Williams Sonoma Cupcake Mixes: Reviewed

Photo courtesy of metrolic.com

What are the first things that come to mind when you think about the UK?

Tea and crumpets? Big Ben? Prince William?

All fine answers. Now, your list probably doesn't include cupcakes. It's okay; I understand, really. But if you've been reading this blog for any appreciable length of time, you'll know that my sisters and I have a deep affinity for these darlings of the baked good world, and we manage to find a way to work them into any occasion, if not all.

So what was the most recent of these occasions?

Well, my dear Middle Chip has decided to spend her fall semester abroad in jolly ol' England. She departs in just under three weeks--I can't believe it! And so this weekend, we had all of our extended family and friends over for a UK-themed Bon Voyage party. It was, to quote the lovely Julie Andrews, "practically perfect in every way."

Paella! La comida de España

This, mis amigos, is a true Spanish paella. The photo above was taken in a restaurant two friends I visited on a weekend trip to Valencia, a large city on the eastern coast of Spain, during my semester abroad there. This has to be one of the best meals I ate in the country--paella valenciana is renowned for its authenticity, even though you can get paella in mostly every Spanish cafe or restaurant.

(Paella is one of the most typically "Spanish" dishes. It's almost like a giant casserole, made with saffron-infused rice and any number of added ingredients. Seafood paellas will include mussels, clams, calamari, shrimp, and prawns. Mixed paellas will have some seafood elements as well as chicken or rabbit. And vegetarian paellas have peppers, snap peas, and other yummy legumes.)

I was doing a bit of reminiscing about my time in Europe this weekend, so I decided to share with you a recipe I inherited while I was there!

A delicious vacation recap

So don't get me wrong. I love you guys. But I'd much rather be here.

I just got back from eight wonderful days in the Sunshine State, and this whole back-to-work-real-life-still-exists thing is a rather unpleasant surprise. To distract myself from the inevitable post-vacay slump, I present to you: a recap of some of the culinary highlights of the trip!

A Roomie Reunion--Sugary Sweet!

Once upon a time, there was a girl named Tara. (I promise, this story isn't autobiographical.) She was the first one in her family to go away to college, and she'd chosen to dorm. She was also getting randomly matched with a roommate. Cue scary music.

Cupcake Crawl 2011!!

Well, if you follow me on Twitter, you'll know that Sunday of last weekend was the day Middle Chip and I had been waiting for: Cupcake Crawl 2011!!

And here it is, in all its recap glory...read on for cupcake gluttony!

Peanut Butter Cereal Bites: Snackers Rejoice

Full disclosure: I am a compulsive snacker. When I bring my lunch to work, I also have a snack for mid-morning, a snack to go along with my sandwich/salad/entrée du jour, and a snack for that 4 p.m. hour when it’s not quite time to go home yet but my tummy’s getting rumbly. 

Lunch Break: Chocolate & Crepes in Alphabet City

I work in Midtown Manhattan. Now, normally this provides for some pretty interesting sights. Free movies in Bryant Park, more food trucks of every conceivable ethnic variety than one could possibly choose from, and a whole lotta tourists (okay, so sometimes that part is exasperating).

But at other times? At other times the constant hustle and bustle and GOGOGO of Manhattan just gets to me. And so last week, thanks to an about-to-expire Groupon, I decided to take a field trip waaaay downtown to St. Marks Place during my lunch break. People, it's a whole different world south of 14th Street.

Pecan Cinnamandies

My boyfriend's going to Africa. Did I mention that? Oh yeah. For like five weeks. And sure, I mean, it's with his grad school program not like an Iron Man-style walkabout (oh wait; that's Australia...whoops), but c'mon...Africa's kinda far away.

So clearly, the thing to do when one's significant other is departing for a foreign country is to make them cookies.

Perfectly Portioned Pancakes

What are your thoughts on breakfast? If you're anything like me, it's your favorite meal of the day. I mean, breakfast is so versatile! It can be sweet; it can be savory; you can even have it for dinner on occasion. What could be better?

Sometimes after one of those weeks--those weeks when your train breaks down, everything at work that has been running late suddenly gets back on schedule all at the same time, and you feel under the weather to boot--you just want to wake up on Saturday, when the weekend is finally here, and treat yourself to a yummy breakfast. But I bet you're a good person. And when the thing you really, really want is pancakes, you say to yourself, "Oh, no, I shouldn't make pancakes. A whole batch? And only me around to eat them? No, that would be wasteful."

Well, kids, thanks to the always ingenious stylings of Joy the Baker (and a little freestyling on my part), that is no longer an issue.

Dinner for Two: Tomato & Mozzarella Crostini and Spicy Roasted Red Potatoes

I like food.

I think that's pretty obvious, right? That's what I thought. And while there is a very warm and fuzzy and often-hungry place in my heart (and stomach) for dessert, by no means does that lessen my love for all those parts of a meal that come before the sweet stuff.

Without further ado, Chip Chip Hooray ventures into the realm of the savory.

Chocolate PB Sand Pail Cupcakes: An entry for Cupcake Project

True confession: The very first baking blog I started reading was the Cupcake Project. Day after day, I found myself heading back to Stef's page to read about these fantastical cupcake (and other) creations that I never imagined I'd have the skill (or courage) to try myself. One day, months after I'd started reading and a few weeks after my own fledgling blog took its first steps, I saw it: the 2011 Ice Cream Cupcake Contest! Along with the fine folks at Scoopalicious, Stef challenged her readers to create a recipe for ice cream cupcakes.

Hooked yet? That's what I thought.

Lunch break! Noshing in Philadelphia

There are certain days that are absolutely made for open-air dining. You know the ones--blue skies, zero humidity, light breeze--when those friendly little street-side cafes just seem to call out, "Come! Stay awhile! We have wine!"

Okay, well maybe not always that last part. In any event, my boyfriend and I found ourselves in Philadelphia on just such a Saturday not long ago. We contemplated our dining options: Reading Terminal Market? Always a hit--no matter what you or your dining partner are in the mood for, you both can let the spirit move you until you find the cuisine you fancy. Margaret Kuo's? One of our favorites during undergrad, but alas, neither of us were having that very particular craving for Asian at the moment. The choice, it seemed, was clear:

Creperie Beau Monde.

Snickerdoodles: Sugar-Coated Nostalgia

This past weekend, I hopped a train and chugged down the Northeast Corridor to the City of Brotherly Love--Philadelphia, home of such illustrious denizens as the Liberty Bell and the cheesesteak. I was invited to a party given by a friend of mine who'd just graduated from college the week before, and as I welcome any excuse to return to Philly, I was more than happy to attend.

Cookies for a Cause! -- Share Our Strength Bake Sale

This weekend, I had the privilege of helping out at the Great American Bake Sale's New York City location. The event was organized by the nonprofit group Share Our Strength, which works to educate people about childhood hunger and, by increasing awareness, take steps to supply children with healthy, affordable food. I found out about the bake sale as I was perusing one of the other baking blogs I frequent, and I thought it sounded like a fantastic opportunity to give back (after volunteering became second nature to me during my undergrad years, it seems odd to me that it's so hard to get involved now).

If you give a Tara a cookie...

Well, clearly she'll want some milk to go with it, but the cookie is the only real non-negotiable part. On this, a gorgeous Mother's Day weekend, Middle Chip and a took a mid-morning jaunt to a lovely little mecca called Milk & Cookies. We oohed. We aahed. We got there 20 minutes after opening.

Cookie porn after the jump.

Throwback: The Boss

No, not Bruce Springsteen.

I'm talking about a far sweeter sort of boss...the Cake Boss. A few months ago, the Little Chips and I decided to make a journey--a pilgrimage, really--to the now-infamous Carlo's Bakery. We had seen too many delicious cookies and pastries and cannolis consumed on our TV screens to go another day without tasting them ourselves.

Hoppy Easter cupcakes

Whether you celebrated Easter or Passover or simply the arrival of a disconcertingly large rabbit last week, chances are you noticed some sort of seasonal cuisine. This season brings with it such tasty morsels as pizza rustica, hot cross buns, and anything matzo. My tastes, I'll admit, are a little less refined.

Unless we're talking refined sugar. Then we're getting somewhere.

This colorful cake above is only the beginning of the Easter baking fun the Little Chips and I had last weekend. Follow the jump for more adventures in cupcakery!

"The most dangerous cake recipe in the world..."

Well, it's another manic Monday. Although my day way bookended by events that normally would bum me out (namely, (a) my eyeliner broke at 6 a.m. so I looked either extremely ill or like an insomniac all day long and (b) the LIRR had massive delays system-wide thanks to a stall in the tunnel, so I had to make a mad dash via an express subway to Brooklyn and hope I made a different connection there [I did]), I am still flying high from my awesome weekend.

Why so awesome, you ask?

Well, my delightful college roommate sent me a message at 11 p.m. on Friday night, putting forth the proposition that we go back to campus to visit. The next day. As in, I would get on a train in eight hours and come meet her in NJ and we'd head to PA together.

Now, those who know me well know that I am not a spontaneous girl. My nickname in high school among my friend group was The Planner (yeah; not very catchy) because if I didn't pick a time, name the place, and call everyone, nothing would ever happen. To quote a line from a scandalously overused Broadway musical that's stuck in my head thanks to Glee, "I make lists in my sleep, baaaaaby."

But on Friday, I asked myself, "Why the hell not?" I had no plans this weekend. I haven't seen my roommates in forever. And it just sounded like fun. So I threw some clothes in a beach bag, grabbed a few hours of sleep, and hopped on a train at 7:30 the next morning en route to good old alma mater.

I think I need to start incorporating more impulsiveness into my life. We surprised a bunch of people who had no idea we were coming, braved a monsoon just to get from campus to the car, and ate pizza and chocolate eggs at 3 in the morning. Glorious, simply glorious.

Anyway! In honor of my college throwback weekend, I've got a Monday night treat for all of you who might not be riding the wave of happiness that I'm lucky to be surfing. Courtesy of the very same college roommate who convinced me to step outside my box of routine...

Bite-sized? Fun-sized!

Happy Friday! In honor of the weekend (weekend), you could watch this video. Or, if your brain cells can't take it anymore, you could look at these yummy (yummy) pictures and plan your next cupcake excursion in New York. I know which one I'd pick. But that's just me.

So, today my coworker found out that her boyfriend got his job placement (he studied to be an air traffic controller) and...it's in New York! Yay! (Yay because it could have been at any airport in the country. Oof.) And to celebrate with us, she went out and bought a tray of these teeny little cupcakes from Baked by Melissa. Now, I had never heard of this place before--a rarity when it comes to me and cupcakeries--but I was, of course, immediately enchanted by the meticulously applied toppings that each tiny cake had. (It's hard to tell from this picture, but each cupcake top is only a little bigger than a quarter in circumference.)

What a lovely Friday treat! Clearly we'd already started to indulge when I whipped out my phone to take this picture.

Know what my favorite part of mini cupcakes is?

You can eat a bunch of them and they all add up to one regular cupcake. True story.

S'mores on the left, and Cookie Dough on the right

Above are my initial two choices, and both were scrumptious. All of these cupcakes had a super moist cake--one of my coworkers commented that they almost didn't look like they were done cooking (they were; never fear). But as a girl who's had many an unfortunate crumbly cupcake, I'll take that just-baked taste any day. Also, in spite of their deceiving size, the majority of the cupcakes were filled! So the S'mores cupcake had a tiny bit of graham cracker inside, and the Cookie Dough one was packing another little daub of dough like the one you can see in the picture. The icings on both were also spot-on--that delicious fudge-y chocolate that's not quite a ganache but richer than a buttercream. Mmm.

I may or may not have gotten peer pressured into having a third cupcake. No, it didn't really take a lot of arm twisting. But the Chocolate Chip Pancake was calling my name (it's the one with what looks like vanilla icing [it's actually maple syrup buttercream] and chocolate chips in the picture above). That little guy was actually made out of pancake batter-dough, according to the menu:

And it tasted like it! Now, perhaps you're not interested in the uncanny experience of eating a pancake in cupcake form. (I don't know why you wouldn't be.) But if you are, this cupcake somehow made that magic happen.

Thankfully (or not so much), I was able to stop myself at three. But according to my fellow noshers, all of the other flavors were equally divine (Red Velvet was lauded in particular).

If you'd like to celebrate spring's arrival (finally), or maybe just escape the April showers, Baked by Melissa has not one, two, or three, but four locations in NYC! Chances are, there's one near you. And if there isn't...I  mean, that's what lunch breaks are for, right?


Links in this post:
http://www.bakedbymelissa.com/#

Peace, love, and ice cream

So, today was Ben & Jerry's Free Cone Day.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough on the left, and Triple Caramel Chunk on the right.

I know you're jealous. It's cool. I'm just gonna leave it at that.

Night, kids!

Saturday Night Baking Fever

I ask you this question: What does one do on a weekend evening with no plans and nothing on TV?

Obviously, one bakes three batches of cookies. And, since one is bored and lonely, one convinces Baby Chip to help by giving her the job of Baking Photographer. Thus, all photo credits for this post go to my aspiring photographer sister.

TGIF, f'realz

So, just a short post to say that in spite of the fact that today included:

• savagely burning myself on the office toaster oven
• a wicked paper cut resulting from jogging my proofs too earnestly
• hellacious email drama and
• walking out the office door to rain--surprise!--with no umbrella,

I did not throw myself in front of a passing city bus because my dear Middle Chip brought me a cupcake from Magnolia Bakery. Vanilla cake with chocolate buttercream frosting. In its own jaunty little Magnolia Bakery carrying case. I may or may not have shut my office door at 4 p.m. to eat my cupcake in peace because it was the bright spot in my life at that moment. So, dear sister, thanks from the bottom of my heart to you.

(Please excuse the crappy photo quality; I had to use my iPhone camera due to the spontaneity of such a wonderful gift.)

I think the cute boxes are half the reason I like boutique cupcake shops so much. Okay, maybe 25%.

Bringing much more joy and happiness to my office than my fake gerbera daisies ever can.

Just before digging in. :)

Happy weekend!

Links in this post:
http://www.magnoliabakery.com/home.php

Having my (cup)cake, eating it too

I'm sure most everyone is aware of the cupcake craze that's swept the American food industry. Cupcakes are the new cool kids, and boutique cupcake stores can be found in literally any town or city.

Does that make me any less interested in sampling as many delicious cupcakes as I can. Hell no.

I've been hearing about the wonder that is Robicelli's for some time now. A rotation of cupcakes with flavors like Rue McClanahan and Butterbeer? Whose interest (and taste buds) wouldn't be piqued? So when I happened to read last Friday that Robicelli's had started stocking at Joe in Grand Central Station--aka the very location where I happened to be getting dinner that evening--I knew it was fate.

And here goes...let the chips fall where they may.

I'm starting with the bad puns already...that can't be a good sign.

So, I actually created this blog a few months ago. Buuuuut I've been putting off writing my first entry because I got cold blogger's feet--what did I actually have to say? Maybe this was a terrible idea. And why did I ever think that was a cute name for a blog, anyway?

I finally told myself to shut up (inside me, that is. Blogger me, we want her to talk).

What is Chip Chip Hooray? Well, on the one hand (and on the most literal level), I want it to be a record of my culinary exploration. I've always had a healthy (or perhaps unhealthy) appreciation for baked goods, and, more recently, really excellent food of the savory variety as well. I'm fascinated by food blogs, sometimes to the detriment of my actual, paid employment. And I love the idea of having a sort of e-storage of my ponderings and musings about all things yummy. New recipes I tried? Particularly interesting article on food I saw? Delicious restaurant or rogue food cart I think everyone should visit rightthisminute? Now I have a place to write all that! But on the other hand, I don't want to just limit it to baking and food shtuff. Because, frankly, I don't always have all that time to dedicate just to ogling pretty dishes (much as I may wish I did). So you may occasionally get bits and pieces from my Real Life, aka the world of books that dominates my 9-to-5 day, or whatever miscellany may be bouncing about when the writing urge should strike. You have been warned!

The recipe I decided to use for my very first post is a bit of a family affair...follow the jump!