Cupcakes make people happy.

In honor of my birthday.....A motto I live by:

Artichoke's Pizza. Believe the hype

I have been meaning to try a slice of Artichoke Pizza forever. Located down near Union Square, this pizza is known for being a late night hot spot. It is not your average $1 slice of NY pizza you buy off the street. This is a more gourmet classy kind of slice. It is probably the most decadent slice of pizza I've ever had. Not quite as thick as Chicago Deep Dish, but definitely in competition with them for richness

I visited their Dine-in location in Chelsea. I actually can't imagine eating this off the street. I had to eat it with a fork and knife because of the ooey gooey sauce. On the street I feel like things would get real messy.

I requested to go here for my birthday we bought a whole pie, which was MASSIVE. I don't think we knew what we were getting ourselves into. Because of the richness it is quite filling, so we had leftover not that I'm complaining!

The pizza combines artichoke hearts, spinach, cream sauce and cheeses. Words can't even express how amazing this pizza is. Believe the hype. It is out of this world.

I love the simplicity of their place too. They sell only a handful of kind of pie, a handful of appetizers, and drinks. No need for more!

Get yourself a slice!!!! You won't be disappointed!

Butter Lane's Frosting Shots: Best Idea Ever

No Birthday is complete without cake. This weekend my mom and sis came into town and we got some cupcakes to celebrate.....me.

I wanted to try a different shop, since NYC has so many to offer. We tried out Butter Lane. These people are genius. This doesn't even have anything to do with their little cakes. Look at what they have on their menu:

Frosting Shots!

Frosting is my favorite thing on the planet. Being able to just order is genius. Forget cupcakes! I want to skip right to frosting. But no I actually had cupcakes too!



The cupcakes were good, but not my all time fave. The cakes was pretty decent, not super dry. The frosting I chose for my shot was peanut butter, which didn't give me the best first impression. I guess it comes with their name, but they are more of a buttery then sugary frosting. The vanilla frosting on my cupcake was much better. I also tried their cinnamon honey one. This one could have used a different flavor cake. They paired the special frosting with regular yellow cake. I think I would have been more into it if the cake had cinnamon in it as well.

Lovely little shop though. I'd love to take one of their classes sometime!

Soup!

This recipe was made for me by the lovely Cindi. She passed on the recipe and I've been meaning to make it myself ever since. She followed Rachael Ray's recipe although, but I opted to refrain from adding the sausage and bacon. I ate the sausage when she shared it with me and I actually didn't mind it, but I was not about to go and buy some sausage. I was worried it wouldn't be as flavorful sans sausage, but it was still jam packed with flavor!

Here is the recipe:

Cassoulet Stoup

(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil (EVOO)
- 1 onion, chopped
- 2 leeks, cleaned and thinly sliced
- 1 carrot, peeled and chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed
- 1 dried bay leaf
- salt to taste
- pepper taste
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1/2 cup white wine
- 1 can white bean (15 ounces), drained
- 4 cups chicken stock
- 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped

Directions:
1. Place pot over medium-high heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
2. Add the onion, leeks, carrot, garlic, thyme and bay leaf to the pan. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the veggies are tender, 5-6 minutes.
3. Add the tomato paste to the pan and cook until golden brown and aromatic, about 1 minute.
4. Add the white wine and cook until the mixture is reduced by half.
5. Add the white beans and stock to the pan and bring up to a bubble. Simmer the soup until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
5. Right before taking it off the heat throw in chopped parsley.