Photo Friday: Getting Through Winter

Happy 4:20! There may be some of you who decide to celebrate the unofficial holiday today. And if that’s the case, my thoughts are two fold:

1. People might not have the concentration to read words
2. People might still like to look at pictures of food

Even if you aren’t going to wake and bake, it has still been three months since the last Photo Friday. So let’s take this moment to share some of the photographs I’ve taken as winter has stretched into spring, and I’ve tried to eat my way out of the cold.

There are a lot of pictures like this one. I’ve probably shared something similar in the past. While I love kimchi fried rice, this is not kimchi fried rice. The technique for making the dish can be applied to any leftover starch. On the day I made the above, I had leftover spaghetti. Kimchi fried spaghetti doesn’t quite have the same ring to it, but it’s delicious.

The bacon, egg, and cheese biscuit at little pecks was something I thought might have been lost forever. But it’s back. And it’s on the lunch menu every day. At least for now. Here’s my advice. Do not miss this delicious treat. Seriously. Get there. Eat this. Be happy.

Meet one of my new obsessions. This is the crispy shrimp with crunchy pepper at Northeast Chinese II. So many peppers. So crispy. So crunchy. So flavorful. Yes, it’s spicy. But not mind-blowingly so. I can’t say enough good things about this place. Get over it’s location, and try to put aside its ramshackle appearance. The food at this restaurant is fantastic.

This winter I also went through a clean out the freezer project. We had in there a couple of frozen Korean pancakes from Trader Joe’s. They are good, if not particularly healthful. But pair one crisp cake with a little kimchi, and you’ve got a hot and cold, crisp and tender, spicy and comforting, lunchtime treat.

I visited chef Rob Handel at fin – your fishmonger and got a few things. I think my favorite may have been the fried shrimp po boy. Actually, looking at this period, fried shrimp really seem to be an ongoing theme.

Part of my healthful diet included an effort to eat more sardines, avocados, and whole grains. So here are all of those things piled up together. They made for a satisfying and tasty lunch, with some chili peppers and hot sauce. The trick though is I can only eat this when Mrs. Fussy is not around.

There is always coffee. This is the cortado from Stacks on Broadway. It’s my favorite in the region, and I’m thrilled to have such a quality operation in our corner of the world. Soon, they will be celebrating their fourth birthday! More on that later.

One evening I found myself in Troy, needing some solid food, but not quite dinner. Lo and behold I found this quiche at little pecks. And amazingly, I was able to have this delicious energy boost for under five bucks. The crust on that quiche was fantastic.

Speaking of pie, I learned that I loved the banana cream pie at Blue Ribbon in Schenectady. Seriously, this is fantastic. The chocolate cream pie wasn’t nearly as good. I look at this, and I ache for another bite. And don’t have a sweet tooth. It’s the custard. Man, that’s good stuff.

My claim about not having a sweet tooth might be threatened by my new love of Villa Italia based entirely on the excellence of their lobster tails. But again, it’s the creamy center that gets me. I mean, just take a look at that thing. But they aren’t always in the case. In fact, it would seem to be a rare occurrence to find one. Should you see these in the case, don’t miss out on the opportunity.

Back to Northeast Chinese II for Szechuan noodles with minced pork. Damn, these are spicy. They are also addictive. And that causes a problem. Because there I was eating these, sweating profusely, and not able to stop. Now all I want to do is return for more. It’s an addiction. An addiction to deliciousness.

Put an egg on it. Yep. It’s avocado toast. Like I said, I’ve been trying to make healthier choices. And now that I have a better soft boiled and hard boiled egg technique, I’ve been trying to put them to good use. This really helped turn what could be a snack into a satisfying meal.

It may not be fried shrimp, but the shrimp taco from Ama Cocina was part of the Historic Downtown Albany walking food tour. So were the chips and guacamole. Ama Cocina does some great work. Their tacos are packed with flavor, color, contrasting textures, and are well thought out and executed.

But this, this is fried shrimp. Specifically, it’s the salt and pepper shrimp at Hong Kong Bakery and Bistro. I was trying to find something there that Little Miss Fussy might love. And with this dish, we found it. That’s a girl who loves some fried shrimp, maybe almost as much as her father.

Whew.

Have a great day today. Be safe out there. Eat well. And maybe I’ll see you tomorrow at the Albany Distilling Company’s 2nd Annual Cocktail Competition Finals.