Tuesday, April 26, 2011

The Team Sundae

This might be seen as just another ice cream recipe, but no! It is an entire experience. This is designed for those team dinners, where the sense of community created by O'Donovans' mood lighting is just as important as its gourmet fare. If you want raw, unadulterated satisfaction, this is it.

Ingredients:
Cookie Crumbs
Ice Cream (several flavors)
Sprinkles
Butterscotch Chips
M&Ms
Cookie pieces
Hot Fudge

Special Equipment:
Pasta/Stir-fry size bowl
Several Spoons

First of all, make sure your bowl is COLD!  Create a bottoming base of cookie crumbs. Then fill it with 7-10 scoops of ice cream, strategically placed for optimal complimentary flavors. This means separate raspberry from mint and peanut butter, use chocolate as a transition, etc. Add toppings--again strategically distributed with respect to their proper ice cream bases, i.e. no Reeses' on the Raspberry Road Runner. Top with 3-4 cookies, broken into smaller pieces, add a sliced banana, and load it up with hot fudge and/or caramel. Serve with many spoons for your many co-diners to enjoy.


Monday, April 25, 2011

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Best (and worst) of the Bistro

We hope that all you Hoyas had a revitalizing Passover (shoutout to all my Jewish friends in the yay area) and Easter break; Scott ventured back to the untamed woodlands of New Jersey whilst I played countless hours of frisbee golf and pokémon at Georgetown. We both enjoyed taking a break from Leo's food, and were two of only 10 brave souls on the Catholic Justice ultimate frisbee team to capture 2nd place in the Colonial Conference! #300-esque ratio of warriors to ass-kicking

Onto the good stuff, this week's simple pleasure gives insight into many students' go-to quick eating station: the Bistro. The hallowed grounds of unlimited pizza and other grilled/roasted entrées, the Bistro is a time-sensitive station that lets you and the entire Georgetown football team carboload in a matter of seconds. Here are our picks for the most delectable--and unsatisfactory--dishes that the Bistro offers.

Gourmet:
-Barbecue Chicken Pizza: this pizza is garnished with just the right amount of chicken pieces, combined with an exquisite tangy bbq sauce and an underwhelming yet robust amount of garnish. A must-have for those who have realized that a bbq chicken MYOP is not the way to go (give it up already!).
-White Pizza: a surprisingly quaint and delicious pizza, this pie is made simply with dough, cheese, and olive oil. It may come out a little greasy, which is why patting it down with a napkin before diving in might not be a bad idea. The white pizza lends itself to being topped with your preference of oregano, parmesan cheese, and/or crushed chili flakes.
-Grilled chicken: this protein-packed staple is rather succulent by itself, but the true magic of the grilled chicken lies in its versatility. It can be used on many MYOP dishes, or as per the previous post, a meat add-in for pasta.
-Grilled Vegetable Medley: This delightful combination of grilled carrots and onions is the perfect compliment to the Bistro's heavier dishes. Far preferred to the spinach (see below), these veggies are cooked just right and pack a surprising amount of flavor. Cmon, who doesn't like grilled onions? Admittedly, it's not great date food, but if you're having a date at Leo's then you have bigger problems to address...

Stay away:
-Meat lovers pizza: although we appreciate the concept of the meat lovers, the overwhelming combination of sausage and pepperoni simply doesn't cut it. The sausage is perhaps the least complimentary to the pizza, adding unnecessary girth to an already heavy pizza. If you thought dabbing the white pizza was a good idea, you'll need a role of Bounty triple-ply to get through this one.
-Spinach: We like to think that spinach has gained a bad rap as America's least favorite green along with brussel sprouts, but the Bistro's rendition definitely doesn't do the vegetable justice. Often overcooked and soggy in its own juices, we recommend going for a salad at the Deli station and holding out until the grilled vegetable medley makes an appearance.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Meat Add-Ins for Pasta

I had seen people doing this on occasion, but it was only yesterday that I truly realized the value of this delicious combination. I love pasta, but I am continually bored by the limited options for special sauces and dishes that Leo's offers. One of my favorites is the occasional "Penne with Italian Sausage," but even this sometimes tastes slightly unsatisfactory. However, I now know you can truly "Make your own" (which we're clearly a fan of) Pasta, using whatever meats are available on a given day. Bear in mind 2 things: 1) This is extremely dependent on what is available. I can't quite imagine pasta mixed with turkey pot pie. 2) The Pasta Palate is vegan: do not attempt to have them cook meat into your pasta, as they will not let you.

Ingredients:
Pasta with sauce (either from veggie station or the Pasta Palate)
Vegetables (optional)
Sausage/steak/chicken

Assembly is relatively simple. Top your pasta with your desired vegetables and meat, and that's it. However, many diners may choose to challenge the stir-fry chefs to toss up their pasta with some meat. The stir-fry station is known to be lenient in allowing other add-ins, and we encourage you to try some out. You can of course ask to have the stir-fry meats added, but I'd be willing to bet that they could also just cook up a pre-assembled mixture for you if you asked nicely. Keep in mind that you should cut up your sausage, steak, or chicken into smaller pieces to allow for even mixing and cooking.

My personal favorite for this is quite simple. Get pasta from the veggie station, top with marinara sauce and some cheese, and add an Italian sausage, peppers, and onions from the Flavors of Home, if you're blessed to be at Leo's on one of those days. Credit to Matt Kerrigan on this one.

An additional option that I developed after a home-cooked meal is as follows. Start by going to the Pasta Palate, and in your bowl put spinach, mushrooms, onions, and anything else you might want. Cook that up with some pasta and a little bit of pesto sauce. I would suggest asking them to use less sauce than normal, I tend to find that it's too much. Afterwards, you can add some cheese, then bring it over to the stir-fry station, have them add in chicken, and maybe some peppers. Enjoy.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

White Pasta/Chicken MYOP

Thanks to Heather Flynn and The Hoya staff for the article in today's paper! Sadly, there is no link in the article, so I hope those of you coming from there could find us. For our regular readers, please share your knowledge with others interested. In the meantime, enjoy more new recipes!

Following a suggestion from Fonzi, I tried out this pizza and was enormously satisfied with the results. In terms of flavor, it's not that revolutionary, but it's a lot more full-bodied than the typical MYOP. It's also slightly less work than some of our other pizzas, provided that you remember to grab pasta and alfredo sauce from upstairs before you go down to the Bistro.

Ingredients:
Pasta-from veggie station, penne or rotini
Alfredo sauce
Grilled Chicken (1.5-2 pieces)
MYOP crust
Mozzarella Cheese
Pizza additions- Parmesan cheese, oregano, garlic powder, crushed red pepper
Spinach leaves

Start by getting a large bowl about half full of pasta and a small bowl with some Alfredo sauce. Go downstairs and get grilled chicken and cut it into small pieces. Spread a MYOP crust with Alfredo sauce, then spread the pasta on top of the sauce. Fill in the spaces with the grilled chicken, making an almost uniform layer on top of the crust. Then top with the mozzarella cheese, additions (oregano is a MUST), and several spinach leaves for color and texture. Hand in your pizza and enjoy.
The main difference with this pizza is that most of the toppings are under the cheese. The pasta doesn't change the flavor much, but the added starch and volume makes it seem almost like a thick-crust pizza, which falls more to my preferences. The chicken is most of the flavor, along with the oregano, so don't be shy on either of those. The cheese melts on top of the pasta and chicken, creating a nice blanket that blends very well. This is definitely worth investigating.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Custom Orders at The Diner

Beloved readers, thank you for your patience during our rather sparse past week of posting; Scott and I have been swamped with both ultimate and essays. Of course I struggled to embellish the wording of my sentences to have my paper reach the lower page limit (the COL way) while Scott struggled to cut 1000 words from his paper in order to reach the upper page limit (the SFS way). Nevertheless, Simple Pleasure Mondays are back and better than ever.
This week's hidden gem hails from the mezzanine level of Leo's: the Diner. The paragon of what you wished your middle school lunches had been, the Diner offers a virtually infinite supply of battered, fried, and grilled entrées. Although many O'Donovan's regulars are privy to this special inconspicuous aspect of the Diner, patrons are actually able to write in the margins of the Diner order sheets to request items/add-ons that (within reason) the kind Leo's staff will make especially for you. A few of our favorites include medium rare burgers, grilled cheese, a fried egg on top of a burger (now a special called the egg burger), and adding bacon.
Keep in mind that if you ask to customize your order during a time that is not incredibly busy, the Leo's staff is more likely to accommodate your request. Also we've found that writing "thank you" on your order is a great idea; it's courteous to let the staff know you appreciate their hard work, and it appears to make your order come faster.
Enjoy your newly discovered culinary freedom, and stay tuned for more ODOTW posts this week!

Friday, April 15, 2011

Fruit-on-the-bottom Yogurt

I must preface this by explaining how my mother has eaten Dannon Coffee Yogurt for breakfast nearly every morning since before I was born. She was furious when they dropped from 8 oz. to 6, and even got a voucher for some free yogurt when she complained about the consistency of several containers. Thus, I always tried to eat yogurt, but could never really get too into it. However, I do know the value of the "Fruit on the Bottom!" types, and the surprising sweet deliciousness of getting bits of fruit with your yogurt. It was that experience that led  me to this O'Donnovation. Admittedly, it's not very difficult, or even different from our other yogurt parfait. But there are a few options to vary it, and it was quite delicious.

Ingredients:
Fruit (from near waffles, or other fruit station)
Plain Yogurt
Granola
Honey

The only truly revolutionary part of this is the use of new fruit. This morning, I went with the strawberry topping by the waffles. It helps to get as little syrup as possible and as much fruit. However, you can also use the applesauce there, or even the peaches from the regular fruit station. Put this in your bowl first, and top it with plain yogurt. Sprinkle with granola, drizzle with honey, (less since the fruit is already sweet) and enjoy.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Thai Noodles

Due to the fact that approximately half our blog is devoted to MYOP recipes, we're hoping to branch out a little more in the future. The following is a variant on Scott's Thai Chicken Pizza: a noodle dish that incorporates the same peanut sauce. The sauce when made right is a perfect compliment to stir fry, and is a great alternative to those pre-made sauces that contain twice your daily value of sodium per teaspoon. This simply prepared dish leaves much up to the preferences of the chef, however I suggest my favorite combination of items:

Ingredients:
Chicken from stir fry station
Noodles from stir fry station
Bell peppers from stir fry station
Water chestnuts from stir fry station
Ginger from stir fry station
Peanut Butter from Deli
Water

Directions:
If you haven't guessed already, order a dish at the stir fry station with chicken, noodles, bell peppers, water chestnuts, and ginger (add or subtract items as desired). After the dish is finished, go downstairs and put a scoop or two of peanut butter in a bowl. Add a small amount of water to the bowl (Scott prefers milk; either works, but don't do both) and mix at least a little bit. Place the bowl in the microwave for 15-20 seconds--not longer or things will go wrong--and continue mixing/adding water until you get a nice syrupy consistency. Mix the peanut sauce in with the stir fry until evenly coated, and enjoy.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Bottomings

After an epic weekend of Tardy Gras and a trip to the amazing state of Georgia, it feels great to be writing once again about the simple things in life. Although I will never again be able to think of Leo's "Southern" cuisine as culinary equivalents of the real deal, the enamel-melting sweet tea of the American South has inspired me to write about this Monday's dessert-y simple pleasure: bottomings.
Bottomings--as opposed to toppings--are today's simplest O'donnovation to ensure that your ice cream accoutrements are evenly distributed throughout your culinary creation. We all appreciate the effort that Leo's has put into making ice cream toppings more plentiful and accessible with their new dispensers. As many have noticed, however, the dispensers release the toppings in a clump that more often than not ends up entirely on one side of your bowl or cup (if not on the floor). The simply pleasureful solution? Dispense the toppings you desire into your bowl before you scoop the ice cream. This way, you not only are able to more evenly distribute the toppings, but also you get a pleasant second round of toppings toward the end of your dessert.
If you are quite concerned with the distributing of your toppings you may want to try Scott's suggestion of mix-ins, but bottomings are a simpler way of the lazier individuals like myself to have nicely distributed confectionary dishes. Next time you indulge in Leo's fine ice cream selection, take a moment to turn some of your toppings into bottomings for a more delightful dessert experience.

Special thanks to Tom Fagan for contributing!

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I went to Leo's the other day really wanting to try something different. There had been talk of a Barbecue Chicken Pizza, but I think a lot of people already know about that one. Instead I decided to do something Buffalo. And wouldn't you know it, when I looked up Buffalo sauce, it's just melted butter and hot sauce. The resultant creation was one of the greatest looking and satisfying creations so far.

Ingredients:
4 pats of butter from near the waffle machine
Hot sauce (near salad dressing- not Tabasco)
1.5-2 pieces Grilled Chicken
MYOP Crust
Sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Onions
Peppers

Start by unwrapping the butter into a small bowl and microwave it for 20-30 seconds until its completely melted. Mix in enough hot sauce to make a slightly thicker, deep orange Buffalo sauce. You should be able to tell what's enough by the color, but I would estimate that it's about a good 2 Tablespoons or so. Get your chicken and cut it up into small pieces, then mix it all up in the sauce until its nicely coated. Prepare your pizza crust with some sauce (not too much, you'll see why in a moment) and a good portion of cheese. Sprinkle some onions and peppers around for color and flavor enhancement, but don't take away from the chicken's spotlight. Arrange your chicken all around the pizza, and don't be shy at all. You should have chicken in every bite. Then drizzle the remaining buffalo sauce on top of the finished pizza and let it cook. (yes we are definitely trying to cause heart attacks here) When the pizza is done, you should be taken aback by the brilliant color and grease that has collected in the middle. Ignore it, this is absolutely worth the extra calories. Enjoy thoroughly.

Friday, April 8, 2011

Fruit Sundae

A quick suggestion for an alternative type of dessert. This was suggested by a lactose intolerant student as a good substitution for an ice cream sundae, but you can also try it if you're just not in the mood for ice cream. I definitely prefer ice cream, but it's an interesting change and don't let the concept of it scare you away.

Ingredients:
Peaches
Pinneapple
Melon
Any other fruits you desire
Ice cream toppings such as cookie crumbs, rainbow sprinkles, Reese's Pieces, etc.

First get your fruit in a bowl, but don't fill it up too much. Cut the fruit up into bite size pieces, especially the peaces and melon. Add whatever toppings you want, mix it up to coat the fruit, and enjoy.

P.S. Rainbow sprinkles are a must.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Thai Chicken Pizza with Peanut Sauce

I tried out this bold recipe (suggested by Alyssa Huberts) a few days ago, and though it needed a few adjustments, it turned out quite well. It requires some extra work outside of the pizza station, but still isn't that difficult.

Ingredients:
Stir Fry Chicken
Stir Fry Vegetables (such as peppers and water chestnuts)
Spinach leaves
Peanut butter
Milk
MYOP crust
Mozzarella Cheese

Start at the Stir-Fry station. Order just some chicken with your desired vegetables, no noodles, rice, or sauce. Then head downstairs and add some spinach leaves to your bowl. Now you have to make the peanut sauce.
Get a few tablespoons of smooth peanut butter in a bowl and microwave it for about 30 seconds until its very soft and stir-able. Then add enough milk and stir it in until you get a nice tan mixture that has a consistency only slightly thicker than tomato sauce or thick salad dressing. Its very important that your sauce is liquid enough, otherwise your pizza will be dry and too heavy on peanut flavor.
In any case, you're now ready to assemble your pizza. Spread your sauce across a MYOP crust and sprinkle with cheese. Distribute the spinach on top. Rip or cut up the stir-fry chicken and spread that out evenly, and fill out with your vegetables on top. Enjoy!

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Philly Cheesesteak Pizza

I will start this post with a confession: I have never actually been to Philadelphia. I am a sheltered, California grown hippie-inspired left leaner who can tell you more about fixed gear bicycles and bay area farmers markets (Davis, CA tops the list) than you care to know. That said, I ventured to capture the essence of the Philly Cheesesteak in yet another creative pizza. Scott, an east coast native, gave his grunt of approval, so while I cannot say this measures up to an actual Philly Cheesesteak I dare say it's a reasonable Leo's MYOP adaptation. I am still experimenting with the proportions, but have what I believe to be a solid recipe so far.

Keep in mind that any form of "steak" that you can find in Leo's will suffice. Roast beef is always available, but if you ever find something at the carving station, that could really bump up the level of quality.

Ingredients:
MYOP crust
Half a serving of pizza sauce
10 pieces of provolone cheese from the Deli
3 large pieces of roast beef from the Deli
Chopped onions from MYOP station
Chopped bell peppers from MYOP station

Directions:
Start by spreading only HALF of a ladle's worth of pizza sauce onto the MYOP crust. This is very important, as the objective of the sauce in this pizza is moisture and not flavor. Grab a stack of provolone slices from the Deli and break each slice into bits; spread about 7 slices across the pizza and save the other 3 for after the roast beef is put on. Take the roast beef and break into small pieces as well, spreading throughout the pizza; follow with the rest of the cheese. Finish by putting the chopped onions and peppers on the pizza--it's important that these be put on last because you want them to cook well, and even I know that raw onions and peppers would be a major Philly faux pas. Enjoy, and let me know if you can think of any ways to improve the recipe.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Simple Pleasure Mondays: Delights of the Vegetarian Station

O'Donovan's On The Waterfront is proud to celebrate its 1 week anniversary! Thank you all for spreading the word; we currently have over 1400 views to date. We are excited to announce our new weekly posting entitled Simple Pleasure Mondays. Every Monday, we highlight a simple yet under-appreciated facet of Leo's. These simple pleasures are perhaps not as O'donnovative as our regular posts, yet they represent the spirit of what this blog is all about: easy ways to make your Leo's experience more enjoyable.

This Monday's simple pleasure hails from the upper floor of O'Donovan's on the Northern end of the facility: the Vegan/VegetarianStation. Many shy away from the Station, as they are neither vegan nor vegetarian. Others may show a preference for different vegan/vegetarian options, such as the salad bar or certain items at the Bistro. Even further, some may not view the items at the Station as tasty compared to alternative dishes.
While we certainly show a propensity toward dishes that include meat, we would like to shed light on a few particularly appetizing aspects of this station:
1. Brownies: Perhaps the best-made dessert option in Leo's, the vegan brownies are touted as better tasting than their non-vegan counterparts. Unfortunately the vegan brownies are only made about once a week, so it is worth keeping a sharp eye out for them; they are often gone as quickly as they are served. For non-vegans, the brownies go great with a tall glass of milk or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. They also go great just by themselves.
2. Banana Bread: Another inconspicuous treat served about once a week at the Station is the vegan banana bread. Even without the use of eggs, butter, or milk, the bread is incredibly flavorful and moist. As is the case with most anything, the inside slices are far better than the ends. The bread is fantastic as a snack or a more healthful dessert substitute.
3. Toasted Flatbread Triangles: Usually served at lunch next at the far left end of the Station, these skinny flatbread triangles are a perfect compliment to a main course--they go especially well with pasta dishes. They are reminiscent of pita chips, toasted and seasoned to perfection with what appears to be parmesan cheese and herb spices; a fantastic alternative to bread rolls.

Stay tuned for our regular O'Donovan's posts throughout the week, and take a look at the new pictures of some of our previously posted dishes!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

MYOP Victory Pizza

We have over 1,000 page views now! Thank you all, and continue spreading the word.
We are very grateful that you can now make your favorite custom pizzas again.

In celebration, Scott made a pizza with nearly everything on it.
Meaning: Double-crust, spinach, onions, mushrooms, pepperoni, tomatoes, garlic powder, cheese on top.
It was actually so much food that he couldn't quite finish it. And he hadn't had a real meal since 7 AM.
And... we have our first picture!
New Original recipes will resume tomorrow.