We woke up super early to get through TSA for our 7:45am flight. And actually, getting through TSA in Albany wasn’t too bad. I didn’t know what to do with my wad of money (a $20 wrapped around 20 $1s), and one of the ladies mitigating the line got a little frustrated with me, but I made it through. After I made it through, I decided to get breakfast. Albany International Airport doesn’t have many good places, and I had a pocket full of McDonalds gift cards which I think we got as a wedding gift. So I bought a damn sausage and egg biscuit, hash browns, and a soda.

It kind of looks like the picture on the menu…

It reminded me a lot of being younger and eating a lot of fast food. I was actually pretty full after having that, which is surprising since it used to take at least two McD’s breakfast sandwiches. This was the first “egg” sandwich I’ve had that I didn’t make for myself in a while. It was what it was. Gift cards, baby; gift cards.

Our Southwest flight left on time, and we arrived into MCO (Orlando) on time. Part of the Disney package we purchased included transit to the Disney Complex by “Disney’s Magical Express.” It was actually a good deal, but we literally had to go from one end of the airport, take a monorail, and walk to the opposite end. It also was just a bus. I’m not complaining or anything; I’m just telling the freaking story.

The guy who drove the “Magical Express” was a real character.

His voice reminded me a lot of Chris Farley’s motivational speaker character from SNL. He was a really nice guy, and made an effort to talk with some of the people in the front of the bus. He seemed to have an obsession with sports because he kept flopping between baseball and basketball conversations. He had a towel and a hat on the dashboard. He would put the hat on for 5 minutes, then take it off and throw it on the dashboard. He’d frantically wipe his head with the towel from time to time, even though it was freezing on the bus and there was no visible evidence of perspiration on his brow. When we approached the Disney gates, he made sure to give us a big heads up and made a big deal about how we were going to miss it as he sped through it.

He warned us, so I was able to snap a picture.

I swear, I thought it was Wally World.

He played this game where he wouldn’t tell us which hotel he was going to stop at first. It turns out we won the game, and he stopped at Coronado Springs, our hotel, first. I love #winning!

But anyway, that 40 minute bus ride was fun.

When we got to the hotel, we couldn’t check in because they were performing maintenance on the entire Disney computer system. That means we couldn’t get to our room, get our luggage, nor could we get our included dining voucher. It was frustrating, but, at least they had one of these at the counter where we were trying to check in…

If there is one of these on the counter, I will always push all of the buttons!

We swindled the manager to give us a temporary park pass so we didn’t lose the day. I said swindled because they weren’t exactly forthcoming with information or accomodations. Then we had our honeymoon for a few days.

—————————————————————————–

Coming back, the travel was a little more annoying than fun.

The Disney’s Magical Express bus picked us up at our hotel three hours before our 10:15am flight (yeah, we were up early to pack). The TSA line at MCO was very long. One thing I noticed when I was on the line was a number of young kids with inflated helium balloons. I made the comment to Cassie that I was going to be very surprised if those balloons made it through security. That really made me question whether the TSA scanning system is really looking for the right things.

Once we got into the main part of the gate, I picked up breakfast. You guessed it! McDonalds. Gift cards, baby! This time, I had a steak sandwich on a bagel. It was what it was.

In the terminal, we noticed this really inappropriately dressed woman. It was hard not to. She was a fairly overweight woman wearing a bathing suit that really had too low of a chest line cut. Lets put it this way, this thing was low enough that you’d expect to see breasts, but you never did. We somehow knew this person would be accompanying us through our connection all the way to Albany. (Clarifying: I’m not judging her for being overweight – duh – I’m judging her for not being dressed like a decent person.)

Our flight to BWI (Baltimore) went off without a hitch. Well, there were inflated Mickey Mouse balloons scattered through the plane, but what are you gonna do. There’s a neat little food court in the Southwest terminal. They have Chipotle, Arby’s, McDonalds, and a handful of other places. You’ll never guess where I had lunch.

Gift cards, baby; gift cards!

It kind of looks like the picture on the menu…

After my Big Mac with fries meal (which left $0.71 in gift card balance that is somewhere in a landfill), we got a little Pinkberry (which I’d never had before), and waited for our connecting flight. That’s when the whole food truck thing was happening in Troy. It was entertaining but disappointing to read the tweets of frustrated attendees. If it’s any consolation to any of the people who were frustrated, at least they weren’t stuck in an airport!

They lined us up for boarding, but then told us there was going to be a delay. The plane was at the gate, but there was an unnamed maintenance issue. My money was on someone on the previous flight clogging the toilet. After about an hour with no update, they finally said it was a light bulb that needed to be replaced. o.O Part of me really hopes it was the light in the bathroom.

I noticed that my boarding position was a nice little nod to LOST.

…but it was a little horrifying.

We finally got on the plane and headed back home. It was an exhausting day of travel, but that’s the small price you pay for having a good vacation.

Leo’s Restaurant in Southbury, Connecticut.

Leo’s is nestled away in the corner of a complex of buildings and is completely unassuming. There’s some irony when you realize it’s located at 7 Poverty Rd right off of a fairly lavish stretch.

The place itself is really cute. There are a mixture of tables and booths, and it’s very bright and wide open with lots of windows. The staff is very friendly too. It’s definitely the type of place you’d bring out of town guests for breakfast if you lived nearby, and it’s definitely the type of place you’d want to go to if you were an out of town guest.

There are the usually breakfast mainstays and a bunch of creative things on the menu, but what Cassie thought would appeal to me was their breakfast challenge, The Kitchen Sink.

According to description, it was “a large platter topped with French toast, pancakes, sausage, bacon, home fries, scrambled eggs, and fresh fruit.” I gotta say, the rest of the menu sounded absolutely amazing, so it was really difficult for me to actually commit to trying this challenge. That and the fact that the menu description was rather vague about the amount food besides the term “large platter.”

Once I finally committed to it, the wait wasn’t long before the massive platter was before me; maybe 10 minutes, but I doubt it even took that long.

The Kitchen Sink Challenge

So let’s go over what was in front of me:

Three or four fried scrambled eggs

Three slices of bacon, two long pork sausages, hash browns

Three pancakes

Three slices of challah French toast

Grapes, cantaloupe slices, and orange slices

In all honesty, it felt like a totally do-able challenge, and, had I not overdone it on dessert the previous night, I probably could have done it.

The failed “Kitchen Sink Challenge”

[I guess it's true that when you lose weight you become a lightweight!]

Yes, I failed the challenge, but I was able to enjoy everything on the platter. The pancakes were nice and fluffy and were slightly sweet. The French toast was seriously awesome, and it was great to wrap some of it around the sausages and eat those together. I really loved the juicy and fatty sausages. The bacon was fairly common, and the hash browns and fruit were just about what you’d expect. The eggs were somewhat dry, and this is the main contributing factor to me not wanting to finish the platter.

I thought $17 is a completely reasonable price for the platter, and it’s especially worth it if you finish it and win the free t-shirt.

Ohh well. I tried.

Recently, since Cassie works very close to Tara Kitchen’s restaurant (located at 431 liberty street in Schenectady), we took the opportunity to have dinner there on a Saturday night while she had to work. It was fairly early, about 5:15pm, and all of the tables were occupied. We didn’t have a reservation, but there was plenty of room at the counter.

A young lady behind the counter poured us glasses of a delicious, warm house blend tea. It was sweetened with honey and laced with mint. It was a great way to warm up for a meal.

The menu has a heavy Moroccan influence, and, for dinner, most of the entrees are prepared in a tagine, a clay apparatus designed to cook on relatively low heat with little additional moisture. They have a very distinct shape and come in various sizes (and look like they also may be sold at Tara Kitchen).

If you’re eating in the front portion of the restaurant, most of the prep area is visible except for a separate raised area. The kitchen is equipped with a few burners and a griddle for the fish dishes. There’s also a cold station.

As an appetizer, I picked two items to try.

Spicy harrisa marinated picholine olives

The first was spicy harrisa marinated picholine olives ($4). These were great. Harrisa is a red pepper sauce that has some sweetness, some heat, and some smokiness. Along with the olives and thinned with some light but delicious olive oil, it was amazing. It’s the type of thing where you savor every bit of the harissa as it dissolves on your tongue and then you bite into the salty olive and discard the pit.

Eggplant, roasted garlic and tomato dip with pita bread

I also ordered the eggplant, roasted garlic and tomato dip with pita bread ($3). This dish was served slightly warm but wasn’t as outstanding as the olives, but it was very good. I thought it lacked salt, but the textures and flavors were interesting.

As my entreé, I tried the chicken with preserved lemons and green olives ($16).

Chicken with preserved lemons and green olives

It arrived at the counter with the dome, which the young man who ran it over lifted the dome before my eyes. Out poured an almost unbelievable fragrance of lemon and parsley.

With both preserved lemons (which are basically lemons pickled in salt) and brined olives, I knew this was going to be an assertively seasoned dish. The flavors penetrated the chicken pieces all the way to the bone, and everything melded together nicely.

I think there was about half of a chicken in the dish, and the preserved lemons, olives, and herbs cooked down to make a tight sauce that was rich, salty, acidic, and delicious.

A few moments after the tagine was served, the young man brought over some pita bread and couscous. The couscous was served cold. The raisins were plump and brought a burst of moisture to bites of the otherwise dry couscous. The pita bread was great to sop up the sauce around the chicken.

Throughout the meal, they refilled our tea a number of times. It was delightful.

While we were there, we saw our friends, Valerie and her husband, Drew, who looked like they were enjoying their meal. In fact, all of the patrons seemed to be having great meals. What a great place!

So there are a few weeks of spring left, and there are a bunch of events that are happening before we can officially ring in summer. Some are activities that are central to me and this blog, others have to do with my friends and cohorts and other things I think are worth your time.

Here’s a reminder: you have about a week left to sign up for the cooking class I’m teaching at Different Drummers Kitchen. I have all the recipes typed out and will be ready to give you an entertaining and informative 150 minute class. I’ve jammed a lot of preparations into the session, I want to make sure you feel like you’re getting your money’s worth. I’ve taught chemistry in a similar group setting, and what I like about it is that it’s a very amenable environment for interactivity; I don’t want to talk at you, I want to talk with you and learn together. There’s going to be a little science, lots of cooking, and lots of fun.  If you’re free on Tuesday, May 28 in the evening (6PM), I implore you to join us! I’ll be there in style!

Another awesome thing going on is an art gallery put together by my friend, Chuck Miller. For this, you have until June 27 to check it out (details at aforementioned link). I’m going to emphasize the word “awesome” here, as it’s the best word I can think of to describe how stunning the images that Chuck has worked so diligently to prepare are. There is a lot of attention to detail that went into the exhibition, and, while the images will blow you away in person, the selection of frames and borders adds another layer to the absolutely fascinating imagery. My favorite is the centerpiece of the exhibition, Chuck’s award-winning “Midnight at the Palace.” I’m blown away by the image; the absolute darkness and the ethereal pops from the light is a really great contrast, and reminds me of some of my favorite Stanley Kubrick photography. Seriously, this is something you don’t want to miss.

Remember about five months ago, there was a humble little fish shop called Fin that opened up in Star Plaza? Well, they’re having their grand opening celebration on June 1. I’m hoping to be able to stop by for a little while and check out all of the great things they have planned. If nothing else, use this event as an excuse to check out a truly superior seafood experience.

The last reminder is that our 3 year party is fast approaching (It’s June 8 at Ted’s Fish Fry in Lansingburgh for those of you who don’t want to click links). I’m still actively seeking out things for the fun packs this year, so if you want to contribute, let me know. I’d be cool just about anything small, but I’m thinking things like artwork, trinkets, treats, or other fun items would be best. Think about it and let me know by May 31. Also, mark your calendar for June 8 at lunch time, because you’re not going to want to miss that.

(Also, there’s a little matter of a new feature that I’m working on. It’s been something that’s been hush-hush. There are only two people alive who know what the crux of it is. Join me at Gus’s Hot Dogs in Watervliet at Noon for lunch this Saturday -5/25. I’m going to divulge some details on this exciting new feature then! And, yes, your input is important for it.)

I’ve talked a couple of times about how we spent the few days we took for our honeymoon doing Disney World in Orlando. I finally had a chance to collect my thoughts and map out a plan of how I want to blog it. As I’ve mentioned, we purchased the deluxe dining plan, which was really no joke, so I have a lot to say about a bunch of premium dining spots in the parks and resorts. I also have some fun stories from the parks and from the travel, so it’ll be a pretty rich number of posts about vacation, which is great because I get a lot of feedback that people like to see posts about vacation. But it will also be a nice little way for me to be able to look back on what was overall a very nice honeymoon.

So here’s a rundown of what I’m thinking right now:

• Flying from Albany to Orlando and back – derryX Disney Edition
• derryX Disney Dines: Backlot Express (Hollywood Studios)
• How is Hollywood Studios these days?
• derryX Disney Dines: Hollywood Brown Derby (Hollywood Studios)
• derryX Disney Dines: Pepper Cafe (Coronado Springs)
• Living like animals in Animal Kingdom
• derryX Disney Dines: Yak and Yeti (Animal Kingdom)
• Did derryX feel the magic of Disney’s Magic Kingdom?
• derryX Disney Dines: Crossroads at the House of Blues (Downtown Disney)
• derryX Disney Dines: Kouzzina by Cat Cora (Boardwalk)
• derryX travels the world in Epcot
• derryX Disney Dines: Coral Reef (Epcot)
• derryX Disney Dines: Rose and Crown (Epcot)
• You can always go – Downtown
• derryX Disney Dines: Rainforest Cafe (Downtown Disney)
• derryX Disney Dines: Monsieur Paul (Epcot)
• Would I do Disney again?

This will probably take a few months, easily.

For now, I’ll leave you with some pictures, in no particular order (CLICK TO ENLARGE).

It’s been far too long since the last visit, so I made a reservation. When we arrived at 7pm for our reservation, tables needed to be turned before we were seated. The staff in the front were super nice and even greeted us with “buona sera,” which means “good evening” in Italian. After about 15 minutes, we were seated in a nice booth toward the front of the building. We got a good view of the kitchen from there.

Our waiter was very friendly. When going over the menu, he tried like hell to sell us on their calamari, saying it was the best in the area. I’ve had experiences where such proclamations led to frustration, so I went with my cravings upon seeing the starters and ordered the gorgonzola chips (“Saratoga” potato chips layered with creamy Gorgonzola cheese - $7).

While there’s little to comment on technically, the chips were delicious. The gorgonzola cheese was nicely melted into a sauce in some areas and was slightly amorphous chunks in others. It was a healthy amount of strong gorgonzola cheese, but I’m sure some would argue it’s not enough. Not me, man. Not me.

For a more elaborate “secondo”, I tried the lobster pappardelle (ribbon pasta with fresh Maine lobster in a lobster cream sauce -$15).

This was a strong dish. There was a good amount of lobster claw and tail meat tossed throughout, and the lobster cream sauce was nicely balanced, seasoned, and integrated into the pasta. The pasta itself was nicely cooked, although there were some areas where the pasta was raw because multiple strands had stuck together during cooking. (I don’t believe these pappardelle were freshly made in house, but I could be wrong.)

For dinner, I had the saltimboca ‘Romano’ (veal cutlets topped with prosciutto & sage - $22).

This was a fine plate aside from the underseasoned mashed potatoes. The spinach served alongside the potatoes were very good. The veal itself was overcooked (not by much), but the sauce was very pleasant, and everything went nicely together.

For dessert, I tried their tiramisu. As you know, I’m a bit of a stickler for tiramisu.

The portion was (I hope) intended for sharing; this was more apparent when we received the bill and its price was listed as $11. That’s a lot of dessert for even this person who loves dessert.

I liked that the lady fingers were barely grazed in espresso; they could have used a hair more of a soak because the cookies didn’t pick up much flavor from the coffee. The cream itself was very nice and clearly not thinned out with whipped cream as so many places tend to do. It’s exactly what tiramisu cream should be. The garnish was the most outstanding; there were some chocolate covered espresso beans and some espresso infused chocolate syrup decorating the dessert. Again, I would have liked a bit more espresso in the dessert rather than on top, but it was decent.

My meal was rather enjoyable from start to finish. There were strengths to all of the dishes, and the ambiance is very nice. There aren’t many other good Italian-style restaurants on that end of town.

Some time last week, I asked around on social media for a local source for fresh bison. I’ve seen it at the farmers market, but, like a good variety of things at the farmers markets, the price seemed a little high. Oddly enough, the Hannaford near my apartment has been carrying ground bison (which I’ve been buying and loving for burgers), but they don’t stock steaks; I’ve heard that other local supermarkets (including other Hannafords) have both ground and medallions.

But thanks to recommendations on facebook and twitter, I came upon an even better place to source bison.

Gem Farms in Castleton, a mere twenty minutes outside of the city of Albany.

I looked over the prices on the website, and I was definitely intrigued. I went on the first chance that I could this past Saturday.

The farm is tucked away on a side road, but it’s not difficult to find my any means. The first thing you notice on your way in is the live buffalo. They’re such an awesome animal that you’ll probably get distracted by their glory and drive past the store across the street like we almost did.

Inside of the store, there are a number of items that are made from the hide of the buffalo, and there are lots of nods to other local resources. In the back, there are a few large freezers that the people at the counter manage; that’s where the various cuts of bison are stored.

I spent a little over $60 for a decent haul: some flank steak, some sirloin tips, a NY strip steak, and some short ribs.

It all came frozen, so I kept most of it that way but defrosted the short ribs and prepared them the way I like them. I served the braised bison short ribs over cheesy grits and with roasted asparagus, and they were epic (maybe a touch tougher than beef short ribs cooked using the same technique, but with a nice, slow braise, the meat was still tender and easy to eat.)

Circling back to my original point, the reason I sought this out was because bison is a great alternative to beef. If the numbers cited by the National Bison Association (to which Gem Farms is a member) are correct, bison is an even leaner protein source than chicken breast. I am keen on the flavor when prepared properly, as I’ve tried a number of preparations in recent weeks.

There’s a big emphasis on “when prepared properly” because such a lean meat as bison is very easy to overcook, and it’s pretty miserable when it is overcooked.

I think it’s pretty awesome to know that I have such quick access to dazzling, hormone/antibiotic free, grass fed buffalo meat and that it’s all being raised right in the area!

I can’t believe another year has passed!

It’s time to start planning a get together to celebrate three years of the existence of this blog. I’m always on the fence about whether I want to keep doing get togethers like this to celebrate something as silly as a blog birthday or “blog-o-versary”, but with the way turnout has grown in the last two years and the inquiries I’ve gotten about whether or not I was going to plan something, I figured what the hell!

I’ve also lapsed on putting together “derryX Dines WITH YOU!!!” events, so this will make up for that. I’ve been freaking busy, ok!?

The first year, when we invaded Gus’s and then gorged on ice cream at Snowman, turnout was well into the teens. And for year two, when we took over the pavilion at Pig Pit and then gorged on ice cream at Snowman, attendance was double, something like mid-30s.

With numbers like that, it’s difficult to think of places that could accommodate our group comfortably, so I think a good plan is to stick with the model of counter service for our first stop, and, of course to gorge on ice cream at Snowman afterward.

This year, I’m thinking of doing lunch at a place I’ve never been able to wrap my head around fully and to order something I said I’d never order.

Ted’s Fish Fry.

Until now, the idea of a skinny piece of fried fish on a hot dog bun never seemed appealing to me. Actually, even now, it doesn’t, but as MetalFrog has reminded me, fish fry is a regional institution. So I’ll give it a shot, and you’ll be there to cheer me on and snack on your own fried goodies (they have chicken fingers and onion rings and other stuff that isn’t fish, too).

What’s going to happen?! I guess we’ll find out!

There’s a fairly quiet Ted’s at 350 2nd Avenue in Troy, NY, and it’s something like ten blocks or so away from Snowman.

I’m thinking we’ll convene around 12 noon at Ted’s, have lunch, hang out, chat, laugh it up, and then head over to Snowman when we’re good and ready.

There will be fun packs, but there will be a limited number (so get there early to score one). This year, I’m going to try something different. If there’s something small you’d like to contribute to the fun packs, contact me. I’m thinking this could be fun way for friends to promote their ideas.

There will also be a giveaway.

I created a facebook event so that I can get a rough idea of what the turnout is going to be. I know a lot of you aren’t on facebook, so I ask that you let me know if you’re coming either by contacting me via email or twitter (or you can call or text me if you have my number).

I’ll remind everyone a few days before the event.

Baked chicken fingers are pretty simple. For every pound of chicken, you need a couple of tablespoons of whole wheat flour, some seasonings, two egg whites, and a cup to a cup and a half of panko bread crumbs.

I’m vague about the seasonings because you can stash whatever seasonings you want under the breadcrumbs. I went with a mixture of onion powder, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and salt.

But you can do just salt, jerk seasoning, whatever you like.

Slice the chicken into strips about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick. From there, it’s standard battering. Flour, egg, breadcrumb. But really pack the breadcrumbs on and shake off the excess. Place each one onto a non-stick baking sheet sprayed with olive oil.

Spray them lightly with the olive oil and bake at 400°F for 15 minutes (flip after about 8 minutes).

Mac and cheese is also pretty simple. For every 1/2 pound of pasta, you need two tablespoons of butter, two tablespoons of flour, two cups of milk, about 6 ounces of shredded cheese, and an egg yolk.

Cook the pasta a minute or two shy of the instructions on the box. You want it harder than aldente because it’s going to bake for a few minutes.

Build the roux by heating the butter and flour over medium heat for about 3 minutes mixing constantly.

Add the milk and slowly bring back to a boil, whisking vigorously to avoid lumps. Season with (a little) salt and pepper once it starts to bubble.

Cook out the sauce for about five minutes. Remove from the heat and add the cheese (I threw in a dash of hot sauce, too.). I used Gruyere cheese to get a melty base and flavored with some blue cheese; I went with a half and half mixture of the two cheeses. Taste the cheese sauce for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper accordingly.

Mix the pasta with the cheese sauce and egg yolk.

Transfer to a baking dish and top with enough bread crumbs (I used whole wheat) to just create a thin layer on top. Drizzle with your favorite oil or dab some butter on top.

Bake that for about 10-12 minutes at 400°F and let it sit for a few minutes before you dig in.

(I made some Buffalo sauce for dipping by combining a little butter with hot sauce.)

Plate it up and eat away!

The above ratios make three reasonable servings of chicken tenders and at least four of mac and cheese.

What I love about this type of meal is that you can customize it as much as you want. Sure, it’s difficult to make mac and cheese healthy, but, instead of buying inferior cheeses with fats removed, I say use good ingredients and good cheeses and eat a little less. I used Hannaford Ultimate Pasta which has a bit more protein and fiber than regular; it doesn’t taste too much different.

The baked tenders are actually pretty awesome because chicken breast is just about as lean as you can get. If you use whole wheat flour and bread crumbs (they make whole wheat panko, but my market didn’t have it that day), you get to add some fiber.

Plus, there are so many ways you can customize these simple recipes to make them your own.

But, anyway, my friend @kimelodic suggested an Indian restaurant on Lark street called Jewel of India (187 Lark Street  Albany, NY 12210). I figured a complexly spiced Indian dinner would be a great prelude to dessert.

After parking on the street around the corner, I arrived at the restaurant around 5 pm on a Saturday, and I was the only diner in the restaurant. [Note on parking: according to their website, they have parking available, so call ahead if parking downtown frustrates you or if you are going when there's an event going on near Lark Street.] The phone was ringing off the hook with orders. The young man who waited my table was unnecessarily apologetic for having to sneak away to answer the phone a few times while I was placing my order.

As an appetizer, I tried the meat samosas (spiced minced lamb, chopped ginger, and onion in a flaky pastry – $3.99).

The portion was modest for $4, and it was served with tamarind, onion, and mint chutneys. [But, yes, it was served on a bed of lettuce which is a bit of a peeve of mine with fried foods.]

Upon cracking open a samosa, the fragrance of the ginger and spices was very prevalent.

What was inside was dry but flavorful. There were some peas inside in addition to the lamb, but the chutneys really helped to add some moisture and other flavorings. I was keen on the slightly thin tamarind chutney, which had just the right sweetness and tang.

As my main course, I ordered morag hari mirch (Spicy. Chicken flavored with curry leaves and hot green chilies. Served with basmati rice. – $10.99).

I decided on this because the young man told me it was spicier than their vindaloo. I’m a madman when it comes to spicy Indian dishes.

It was served with a giant cauldron of fragrant basmati rice spiked with cumin seeds.

I opted for roti (basically whole wheat naan – $1.99) to use to pick up meat and sauce.

The chicken dish was good. It had a great balance of seasonings, including curry leaves and mustard seeds which provide a great little pop to stews. I thought it was a bit on the salty side, and it could have been because the hari mirch peppers were added to the stew as a pickle (or achar).

I really did enjoy the dish, though, and I thought that $11 was totally reasonable considering they give a modest amount of rice. Had I not been mentally committed to cheesecake for dessert, I would have topped the meal off with either kheer (Indian rice pudding laced with cardamom) or gulab jamun (fried milk balls soaked in honey syrup with cardamom.).

The past ten days or so have been so enjoyable, but they have gone by so fast! It’s going to take me some time to regroup and plot out how I want to document it.

The wedding was a huge success. I really enjoyed myself, and all of the feedback we’ve received has been positive.

Actually, here’s a fun story about the day of my wedding. Most of the events were planned for later in the day, so I kept my morning free so that I could make myself breakfast and workout a little. I really wanted eggs Benedict, but I didn’t want to drive anywhere to get some. I also didn’t want to spend my morning whisking to make Hollandaise again. A few days prior, I had come across Serious Eats 2 minute Hollandaise recipe, and as the proud owner of a shiny, new Breville immersion blender, I figured I’d give it a shot.

The first time I tried their technique, it didn’t work because the container I used wasn’t snug around the blender. The blender has a weird oblong shape, but I did find a coffee mug in my cabinet that could work. On the wedding morning, I had one failed attempt too. For the second try on wedding morning, I turned the blender all the way up to high and very slowly added the butter.

It worked, by golly!

The wedding ceremony and reception went off without a hitch. Well, there were a few minor but noteworthy hiccups in the days leading to the wedding and maybe one or two on the wedding day, but nothing that impacted our ability to have a good time. Maybe I’ll share those stories one day.

The food was good, the music was great (and that includes a special presentation of Lady Gaga’s “Bad Romance” by my karaoke alter ego, Huge McCool). My brother gave a pretty sweet best man speech. The desserts were insane; there were leftover cupcakes from here to Voorheesville.

It was seriously a great day.

The honeymoon in Disney is now behind us as well. We had an absolutely amazing time. The one comment I have for now is that the Disney deluxe dining plan is no joke, and after the second day of dining, I was completely sick of food. (Now, how many of you ever thought you’d hear that from me?!)

It was good to be away from the blog and all for a week, but, now, it’s back to business. Actually, the little time away gave me a chance to reflect on the last couple of months. I think, in that process, I’ve come up with a new feature for the blog. It’s somewhat of an extension of “derryX Dines,” but I need to sit down and brainstorm exactly how I want to present it.

I also have to start thinking about what, if anything, I’d like to do for a 3 years of derryX get together.

And I have to type out my recipes for the cooking class I’m teaching at Different Drummers Kitchen. Sign up here or in the store in Stuyvesant Plaza. It’s going to be an awesome time!

I told you I have a lot of catching up to do!

I want to thank everyone for extending well wishes to me and my family during this eventful bunch of days. Between blog comments, facebook comments, and tweets, your response has been touching and is really appreciated.

I’m taking a little break from the blog to enjoy our honeymoon.

But I first wanted to share something awesome that our photographers, Andy Kainz (and Roller Derby Rock Star Marcie aka Short Temper), sent to us.

Some pictures from the big day! (Just a few)

NOW…

I’m taking a break!

And, with that, I thought I’d do something a little different and look back on how this blog came to be. (It does relate to the wedding in a strange sense; bear with me.)

I’ve always been interested in social media. Meeting people is something I really enjoy, and social media makes it easy to connect with people with similar interests and ideals. I’ve made quite a few very good friends and forged many relationships via social media (and I’ve met some real scums, too, but we’re going to focus on the positives here.). Actually, Cassie and I met in person at one of the social media “tweetups” that she used to put together [I've told that story before]; our mutual friend, Humberto, coaxed me to go, guaranteeing a good time. Well, it was a very good time, and I even met two other people whom I now consider very close friends, John Jordan and MetalFrog.

At that time, I mainly was active on twitter, but I was also using facebook to keep in touch with family. Years before, I used to write a blog that I stopped to focus on professional development, and I really had no desire to write a blog about anything or to expand my social media presence until I started actually delving into some of the local blogs that were going around and realizing that I had a whole lot I could say that could add to the community. Cassie was one of my motivating factors to start my own.

At the beginning, things on the blog were a little more random. I was posting about food and stuff early on but probably not on the frequency as I do now. All along though, I’ve maintained that I’m going to keep my own interests at the forefront. Sometimes I’m thinking about food, others, I’m thinking about music or television or some sort of entertainment. Occasionally, I’ll tell a story about a random experience. For me, as a blog reader, I start tuning out when content gets tediously repetitive. I always say the point of doing this is to have fun.

And it’s been a fun ride. I’ve gotten a lot of support from some local heavy hitters. Kristi Barlette and Steve Barnes from the Times Union have helped get my name out there, and Mary and Greg from All Over Albany continually link to my content and try to get me involved in their community events.

That’s a big word here: “community.” There’s a great local community that is comprised by the area’s dense social media “web.” I really have to say that the community around here has really made it feel like it’s worth it to keep up with the blog. And that’s pretty damn cool.

I’m really glad to have this space to be able to share somewhat personal things like our engagement story to photos of Cassie and me enjoying one of the local farmers markets, and I really have to credit Cassie for being there for support to encourage me to do it and also to continue to put up with it.

The next couple of days are going to be super busy, but it was nice to sit down and think about how everything here started and how it relates with my growing relationship with Cassie.

Next time I post, I’ll be a married man!

Within the 2.1 square miles of the village, almost smack in the center is a little place called Smith’s Tavern.

It’s more or less your standard neighborhood bar. Cassie, who grew up in Voorheesville, took me to Smiths when we first started dating. She really wanted me to try the pizza. Since then, it’s become one of my favorite places to go for a good pub style pizza.

Inside, there are two main areas, a front bar area with some small tables and a larger area in the back where there are some banquet tables and chairs. There’s lots of wood around the place; inside, you’ll feel like you’ve been transported to a bar in the 1970s. That’s not to say it’s bad, because it obviously still works.

One Saturday, my brother and my uncle joined me for some pizza at Smith’s, which also has the reputation of being called “Smittys” among the locals. We decided to start with an appetizer and to bulk up on pizzas.

The menu is fairly simple. There are a few appetizers, most of which are baked since they don’t deep fry, some salads, some sandwiches (I hear the Reuben is awesome!), and lots of pizza options. We opted for nachos supreme since I wasn’t keen on the chicken fingers I’ve had there in the past.

While this was nothing more than some pre-made ingredients thrown together on top of bagged tortillas, the portion was hefty.

But the pizza is really the main event at Smittys.

For the price, I would classify all of the pizzas as a great deal. The crust is thick, the cheese is plentiful, and they don’t skimp on toppings. The large is really enough for at least three people.

We ordered a large with pepperoni and ground beef topping ($12.35).

And we also ordered a small “Roundabout” (bacon, fresh tomatoes, onions, mozzarella, parmesan and ricotta cheeses, garlic, herbs, and olive oil – $9.75).

This pizza isn’t the New York type that’s cooked in a dry brick oven. Although it’s cooked in a heavy pan with oil like Chicago style pizza, the crust isn’t flaky and brittle. The crust at Smith’s is dense, chewy, and crispy, and the toppings meld into it. The pizza reminds me of my childhood memories of Pizza Hut (before the crust got so airy that it disintegrates as soon as you bite it).

A slice of this pizza is substantially heavy, and that’s without the toppings!

The pepperoni and ground beef pizza was very good. The ground beef on its own had little seasoning, but it picked up some spices from the pepperoni.

The roundabout was really interesting. It was impossible to pick up a piece without the spatula. With the three cheeses and garlic, it’s extremely rich. Throw on some bacon, drizzle on some olive oil, and it’s over the top. Delicious, but over the top. The tomato and onion serve to cut through a lot of the fat and add some flavor.

Needless to say, the three of us didn’t finish the pizza, and we walked out of there stuffed. The bill came to a little over $30, and that included a couple of sodas.

It was fun to look around and see the handful of families with young kids sharing pizzas. And it was also fun watching the model train set circulate around the periphery of the restaurant. The staff is also really nice.

It really is the type of place that belongs to the community.

(I’ve resolved to only concentrate on the positives of the interactions with the vendors to date for this post. If you’ve seen my updates on twitter and facebook within the past few days, you know there have been some bumps in the road, to put it mildly. I’m not going into those here.)

Wedding Ceremony Venue - First United Methodist Church of Voorheesville

This is the church that Cassie attended in her home town. On the weekend we got engaged, when we went to pick up Emma at Cassie’s parents’ house, her mom, Holly, was at a social function at the church. We stopped by the church to tell Holly, and she shared our joy with the church members. The funny part of the story is that she immediately gave me a tour of “the church [we] were getting married in.”

Wedding Reception Venue - Indian Ladder Farms

When Cassie and I were brainstorming ideas for our reception, we were both clear that we didn’t want the usual banquet style event. The very first idea Cassie had was to see about using the apple barn at Indian Ladder for the reception, and, after looking at a couple of the more conventional places, the idea became better and better to us. The farm is feet away from where Cassie grew up and her family has some history with Indian Ladder, but, aside from that, I thought it would be cool to do a more casual, “down home” wedding.

We’re doing the entire evening cocktail style with various stations for food, so the openness of the barn will make it amenable to mingling and partying. It’s also pretty awesome that the date we picked is the week before they open for the season.

Catering - Elegant Touch Catering

We met with a number of caterers who deal with off-site events. The prices quoted by some were outrageous. Elegant touch gave us a reasonable quote with a menu that we really liked. After sitting down for a tasting, we were happy with the food. It’s a big plus that they’ve done events at Indian Ladder and are familiar with the space and kitchen there.

Photography - Andy Kainz Photography

I wasn’t going to hire the “higher end” photographers in our area. While they do great work, we had something a little different in mind. After All Over Albany’s 4th Birthday Party last year, Cassie and I were impressed with Andy’s more photojournalistic style, and we really wanted our special day captured with that type of eye. We worked with Andy and Marcie, local Roller Derby legend who helps Andy, late last year on an “Engagement” photo session at the Troy Farmers Market and Thatcher Park, and they did an amazing job.

Flowers - Anthology Studio

Evan and Kara at Anthology Studio are awesome. I’ve had them prepare things for me for various occasions, and they do impressive work at very reasonable prices. It was only natural that we’d want them involved in providing many pretty flowers for our wedding. This is another connection that I’m glad All Over Albany made happen.

Men’s Formalwear - Tuxego

Anthony, proprietor of Tuxego, and I worked together on an event six years ago, and I’ll work with him on every event I can. He and his staff are awesome and are dedicated to making everything perfect. [It is also very likely that he and I are related; you take care of family.]

Jewelry - Hannoush Jewelers (Wolf Road location)

You can’t have a wedding without rings. For the past few years, Albert at Hannoush has been doing the right thing for me, including when I went to buy the engagement ring. Besides dealing directly with Albert, my favorite part of the experience is that the staff doesn’t crowd you when you’re browsing the store (at least at the newest Wolf Road store). That’s the one thing I’ve hated about jewelry shopping, and it is important that the sales staff maintain their distance while I’m thinking.

Cassie picked a nice band that alternates some small sapphires with diamonds. I opted for a shiny, black tungsten carbide band. Very simple and very me.

DJ - Danny Marcil (AAAA Total Entertainment)

Holly recommended Danny to us. We recently met with him and think he’ll be a great fit. He gets extra points in my book since he does some karaoke events in the area.

Dessert - Cheesecake Machismo + Indian Ladder Farms

Wedding cakes are boring. We thought it would be a lot more fun to do a mixture of baby cakes from Cheesecake Machismo. Not only are their cheesecakes amazing, but the little baby cakes are the perfect size.

(Relax. We’re cutting a wedding cake, but it’s just for us. Holly and company are going to make some cupcakes too.)

We’re also having apple cider and cider donuts from Indian Ladder Farms. And we know that they quite possibly make the best cider donuts in the area.

Favors - DreamPuff Sweet Shop (plus something else)

Cassie and I put our heads together and came up with a unique marshmallow flavor that combines our individual favorite things, so our guests are going to get a special treat that isn’t normally available. This isn’t like stacking two dimes and getting a small stack of dimes; it’s like putting together robotic lions to form Voltron!

Cassie and Holly also worked hard on a second part of the favor, but I don’t want to give away the surprise.

Transportation - Today’s Limousine

Cassie took the lead on this one. I trust her opinion since she’s worked in the industry for a few years now.

Honeymoon – Walt Disney World (in Florida)

Cassie’s been there a lot of times, but I’ve only been there once. I suggested it as a fun and relatively inexpensive thing to try for a honeymoon. There are plenty of things to try to do in the few days that we’re there. My main objective is to say “Andy’s coming” to all of the Toy Story characters I meet. (Supposedly, when they hear that, they stop what they’re doing and drop.) I also want my picture taken with Twitch.

Now that it’s all in writing, it actually looks pretty impressive. Fingers crossed that things go smoothly from here forward.

These boxes are very good, and my Indian co-workers actually swear by them.

All I really did was follow the instructions on the box. I think the ingredients for both dishes costed about $12, including a pack of multigrain pita that I bought to serve along side.

At one point, I had all four burners going with the chana masala, chicken mahkani (butter chicken), brown basmati rice, and a cast iron skillet to heat my pita.

The butter chicken came out nice and velvety. I added Greek yogurt instead of heavy cream to try and save some calories and add some nutritive protein and carbohydrates instead of pure fat; it tasted a fair bit tangier than I expected because of this, but was rich and creamy. I didn’t miss the cream at all. I followed the instructions and let the chicken marinate in lemon juice for 30 minutes; I won’t be doing that again because it was too prevalent in the sauce.

The chana masala also was delicious. I started with dried chickpeas, soaked them overnight, boiled for a couple of hours, and then added the seasoning. Then I sauteed up the chana with a mixture of butter, olive oil (a slight modification to the recipe on the box), and an onion. The Shan mix might have a little more cumin than I’d like it to, but otherwise, the chana masala comes out great. It’s also simple to reheat the refrigerated leftovers in a pot with a few tablespoons of water.

I like using brown basmati rice on the side.

And I like serving everything on the same plate so the flavors mingle in spots. That’s where I like to use the pita to soak everything up.

It was a commitment and a little bit of work, but for $12 for at least six servings, I really did good that day.