We Survived Thanksgiving!!

 

 

 

 

 

Bryan's soup was a HIT!!! Thanksgiving for us is all about spending time with family... wait, did I just say that? Of course it's about family, but the main even is the foooooood!!! My grandmother and aunt brought our beloved stuffed mushrooms, of which I had too many to count, we brought the soup, my sister brought the stuffing (apple, sausage and fennel) and the rest was provided. Thanks to Pam, who brined the turkey, it was easily one of the best I've ever had. Juicy, moist and so perfectly seasoned I only wish I had more. We laughed, we cried, we ate some more. Who doesn't love Thanksgiving?

Brooklyn's Belly: Thanksgiving Style

We hope you all had as wonderful a thanksgiving as we did. Frankly, we're still full. To check out our contribution to Thanksgiving dinner see this week's foray into Brooklyn's Belly on DumboNYC.com

Poached, Boiled, and Fried

Tonight's dinner was an easy throw-together sort of meal. What do we have in the house? Can any of these things go together? What's the easiest way to prepare them?

After a few quick decisions we settled on a potato, asparagus, sausage and poached egg mash up. As you guys know by now my go-to meal for dinner when I don't feel like cooking is always eggs. I love eggs, and frankly, I can't think of anything that's more versatile to work with. And now that we've learned how to poach them, it seems like such a way to fancify a pretty basic meal.

So into salted boiling water went some sliced potatoes to cook. In a small frying pan we fried up our favorite Chicken and Truffle sausages. Once done they were put aside to cool. As the potatoes were close to done I threw in some chopped asparagus to par boil  - drained everything, put it on the plate with the sliced sausage and topped it all with a beautifully poached egg. A little salt and pepper and you're good to go. Enjoy!

Shopping With Julia

 

 

 

 I haven't been to Boston in years, and I mean years. So long ago that I had no concept of it whatsoever, save for some deep, dark, distant memory of visiting the Cheers bar. So when my nephew Michael decided to go to college at Boston University we were thrilled beyond belief to make it a really good visit.

The weather was gorgeous, the drive up was smooth, and seeing Michael was the best. We got lots of quality time with him, but while he had stuff to do back at the dorm (like, ahem, shower) in the middle of Saturday afternoon we decided to take our own little city tour. First on our list was the beautiful Beacon Hill. Can you say picturesque? I mean, really people. Gas lanterns lining the sidewalk, perfectly gorgeous brick brownstone after brownstone, cute storefront shops.. even the Starbucks was charming and quaint! But the real reason for our visit was to check out the famed grocery Savenor's - where Julia Child herself used to shop.

One look in and you can see what makes this place so very special. Shelves of vibrant, gorgeous vegetables and fruit lined the right, imported cheeses on the left, a butcher in the back with fresh, luscious cuts of meat. We strolled around and took everything in, and as I was glancing in the freezer section something very interesting caught my eye. Something with a tail, and spiny skin. What?? It can't be. I look closer and I see a FROZEN IGUANA!!! I mean, I have never! And right next to that, was a coiled up, and ginormous, frozen RATTLESNAKE!! Could you die?? Now I really know why Julia loved this place. Who couldn't get inspired and excited in here?

 

Bryan's (pork) Chop Shop: Raw vs. Roasted

 

 

Why is it always a Hail Mary come Monday night? Wait, why am I even bothering to ask??? All I can say is that if this keeps up, I'll have to prey for loads of veggies "on their way out" every single night. With the end of our wonderful CSA last week, we'll have to be as diligent as ever when shopping in the coming months to continue the inspiration! On to tonight's dinner...

First off, the brussels sprouts practically dissolved in my mouth before my teeth had the chance to grind down on them. Following a recipe from "the angry vegan neighbor" Monty (thanks buddy!), these puppies were coated in a little olive oil, salt, pepper and pepper flakes, then brushed with a little maple syrup. I swear if my Mom cooked brussels this way when I was a kid, there wouldn't have been the song/dance of filling my mouth up, only to dump them in the toilet when I had to "go to the bathroom." About 35 minutes on 400 deg (or keep going if these aren't good and golden), and these will be the star of your future meal! The addition of the baby carrots I was given from last week's work food shoot carried the sweet tones right through the warm part of the meal.

The salad was absolutely delicious, using shaved (very thin, using a mandolin) golden, white and pink heirloom beets, shallots and a small, spicy pepper left over from the CSA. These veggies were placed atop a small pile of greens, with one of Bryan's yummy salad dressings, this time using a healthy amount of rice vinegar to cut through the sweetness of the beets and roasted veggies.

So to answer the question posed in the post, I have to say that the roasted wins the race tonight folks, undisputed. Those brussels easily edged out a victory with their savory/sweet undertones, and have forever allowed me to turn a corner on these funny, dreaded veggies from my past!

Easy Primavera

What a way to use up all the odds and ends veggies in the house! I was feeling like pasta, but also feeling like I really didn't want all our CSA goodies to go to waste. So the solution? A pasta primavera of sorts! Boil your pasta water and when your pasta is a few minutes close to being done, throw in your chopped veggies to par boil. Green beans, broccoli, cauliflower, whatever you've got. Strain it all together, add some chopped cherry tomatoes, sliced shallots, garlic, herbs, lemon zest, whatever you like, add a healthy helping of grated parmesan and some of the preserved pasta water, and voila!!

Dumpling, My Dumpling

Oh Dumpling, what makes you so delicious? Is it your delicate skin? Your chewy bite? Perhaps your steamy and savory filling that gets me so? Whether fried or steamed, frozen or fresh, it is no matter. I love you in all shapes and sizes. I love you filled with vegetables, chicken, and most especially pork. Oh Dumpling, you have never done me wrong.

A Food Shoot: The Best Part of My Job

 

 

 

 

 

 

I spend the last two days at a photo shoot, for food, with foodies. Heaven. How is it work to sit in a test kitchen, talking about food and making it look really pretty? It's not. I mean, it is! It's really hard work, ahem, REALLY hard!!

It's really amazing to watch everyone at work, from the talented and lovely prop stylist Gerri Williams, to the smart and gifted food stylist Margarette Adams who had her assistant Lara pluck out all the juiciest raisins from three giant containers - ensuring we had the most beautiful food. And our photographer Mary Ellen Bartley, what a joy. Aside from being lots of fun to be around, she's an amazing photographer who lives in the Hamptons (sigh!) and is working on some really interesting side projects.

I got tons of food to bring home, and with our last CSA pickup being yesterday my fridge is busting at the seams...I need to start a catering business or something - what else is there to do with all this food??

Weekend at the Catskills: Bryan's Chop Shop Edition

 

 

 

 

 Our recent visit upstate wasn't just filled with brunching and boozing, but with LOTS of cooking and eating too.

After a drizzly and chilly Saturday afternoon we were all looking forward to making that fire and cozying up back at the barn. Jamie's Survivor skills were put to the test and within minutes he had a gorgeous roaring fire going, Kim poured the wine and I shuffled a deck of cards. Heaven.

Bryan, meanwhile, was unpacking the totes and coolers of food he brought up from Brooklyn and was beginning to prep for dinner. He was planning this menu all week and I know it was his truest pleasure to be able to cook in a big country kitchen for his friends. Now, let me backtrack for a second here. Picture this: I enter the apartment Thursday night, home late from work, and this one is in the kitchen, pans everywhere,  smelling like marshmallows, making popcorn balls. Popcorn balls!! There was stuff everywhere, but I didn't care because the second I saw that giant bowl of popcorn mixed with fluff and m&m's I knew I had married well.

So there he was, filling the barn's fridge with juice, milk, butter, red snapper, vegetables, and popcorn balls. For dinner he had prepared a feast: Baked whole red snapper stuffed with lemon, fennel and garlic, roasted garlic smashed potatoes, and roasted zucchini with parmesan. Dinner was SO delicious, made even better by actually sitting at a dining room table (someday we'll get one!!), several bottles of really good wine, and great friends. Afterward we sat on the floor around the fire and played some crazy version of rummy that Kim has played all her life with her Newfoundland relatives. And after that, as if we didn't have enough, we moved over to the couches and watched old episodes of Tales From The Crypt and ate chocolate dipped popcorn balls while the rain poured down around us. And by the way, if you haven't seen this show in years it might be worth renting - it's beyond campy and totally ridiculous. We saw two episodes with Demi Moore and Kelly Preston, directed by Schwartzenegger. God I loved the '90's.

The next morning we woke up well rested and ready for some sunshine. It was glorious outside, the kind of crisp weather where you wear a shirt and sweater, some sunglasses, and you're good to go. Bryan made us some Costa Rican coffee that we still have from our honeymoon (we smartly got several bags) and we chilled on the back deck enjoying the view. Breakfast was a light and delicious treat, grilled grapefruit and buckwheat pancakes with fresh pears. No one wanted to leave, but we had to and we each took with us our own dreams of being out in the country. City life will do that to you...

 

 

Barn photo by Trey Speegle

Brooklyn's Belly: Acorn-y Recipe

Yes it's a major time suck. but Twitter has done me some good. I've connected with a network of likeminded foodies that inspire me every day. My friend Anna posted a luscious recipe for Pumpkin risotto, so I riffed off that for my latest foray's into Brooklyn's Belly.

Click here to check it out:
Dumbonyc.com

Matsui Inspired Take-Out

The Yanks win the World Series and we chowed on plenty of takeout sushi! Having lived in Dumbo for over two years we only recently discovered Miso, literally down the block from our apartment. I can't tell you what took us so long to figure out that this place was really good, but I'm sure glad we did. The game was exciting, the food was great, and what made it all so much better was that no one had to cook!! Huzzah!

Hallelujah, Some Crunch!

Hey mouth, remember what it feels like to chew something crispy? Crunchy? To feel that lovely crackle between your teeth? I know, I know, it's been a rough week what with all that blended food. But you're doing a good thing, you're supporting your ill husband and being a good little spouse. So I'm going to reward you. Now, I know what you're thinking. Since when is a salad a reward? Right? I know! But hey, trust me on this one. Just take one bite, fill your mouth up with that leafy goodness, and now... are you ready? Bite down!! That's it! Do you feel that sweet, sweet CRUNCH? Put those chompers to work, dammit! And enjoy every last bite - you DESERVE it!!

Potato Potahto: Week Two of Soft Foods

 

Entering week two of Bryan's sans wisdom-teeth diet I was running out of ways to make soft food good enough for me to eat as well. Staring into the fridge I saw an abundance of veggies in dire need of being used, so I do what I do best. I started prepping a soup.

I chopped up a shallot and a clove of garlic and sauteed them in my lovely Mario Batali cast iron soup crock (hey, Le Creuset is tres cher!). Once translucent I threw in about 5 large fingerling potatoes peeled and chopped. I have potatoes growing out my ears from the CSA, and while fingerlings are definitely best roasted they'll do the trick here too. I also had some carrots that I chopped and threw into the pot. I cooked everything for 5 or so minutes and poured in 6 cups of chicken stock and threw the lid on.

While this simmered I made 1 cup of rice in a separate pot. I used water and half a boullion for an extra layer of flavor.

Once the potatoes were cooked through I added 1/4 of a head of cabbage I shredded, one chopped hot pepper (no idea what kind, I got it at the CSA) and cooked another 5 minutes.

Into each bowl I portioned some of the cooked rice and ladled the chunky potato soup over each. Grated some fresh parmesan into each (you know how I do), and voila. The soup was brothy and rich in flavor, with nice soft chunks of potato and just the right amount of heat from the peppers. Perfectly filling as an entire dinner, but if Bryan had functioning teeth I'd most certainly accompany this with some hunks of crusty Italian bread. Oh to dream....

*Note: When storing a soup like this in the fridge, be sure to  keep the rice in a separate container than the rest of the soup. This way the rice doesn't absorb all the broth, which will leave you pretty... soupless. 

No Fry Zone

Best. Invention. Ever.

While down at my parents in Florida last month I noticed this odd thing in their kitchen. A flat strainer of sorts with a handle. When I asked mom what it was she was shocked I had no idea.  
Why, she said, it's a splatter screen. 
A what?
A  splatter screen. You know, when you're frying up oil and it gets everywhere? Just put this on top of the pan and you're covered.

For months, dare I say years, I have been grudgingly cleaning up sprays of oil from the stove top to the backsplash to the tea pot quietly sitting on the back burner minding it's own business. Well no more, I say!!! With one foot in front of the other I marched my little self over to Bed Bath & Beyond and got ourselves a set of three, count 'em THREE, splatter screens for all of ten bucks.

Eat THAT, breakfast bacon!