tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-53871399753675678882011-09-25T11:55:40.282-04:00A place to share stories and recipes of baking, cooking, and eating good food.Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.comBlogger821100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-70574441010608784562010-07-01T18:06:00.000-04:002010-07-01T18:06:05.033-04:00

Steve and I have been pining for a new slicing knife for ages.  We considered getting one after Christmas using our Macy's gift card.  But opted for new bath towels instead.  Then we almost got one using a CB2 gift card, but couldn't.  (Side note: did you know that you can use Crate & Barrel gc's at CB2, but you can't use a CB2 gc at Crate & Barrel.  What?!) So now, here we are six months later,

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-16464809831745682952010-07-01T17:54:00.000-04:002010-07-01T17:54:25.489-04:00

As soon as the weather turns from snow and ice and wind chill to humidity, sun, and long days, we break the grill out.  Our grilling season started early this year, but it was a bit of a false start.  The weather warmed up only to cool off again.  But now, here at the start of July, the grilling season has been in full swing for at least a month.  We find ourselves grilling at least once a week

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-80296785641682677852010-05-05T20:16:00.001-04:002010-05-05T20:19:20.070-04:00

At Harcourt, we loved food.  The children's marketing department was often the epicenter for food at the company and we would use any excuse as a reason to bring in some tasty treats.  We all had skills in the kitchen from beginner to advanced, and our palates varied enough that we often had dishes that ran the gamut from sweet to savory. Sampling each others culinary output led to the

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-15968796050916003582010-04-23T18:56:00.001-04:002010-04-23T18:56:25.520-04:00

Yum, yum, yum!  After two days of work, these little beauties are finally ready for consumption.  Delish!

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-18051122400351662312010-03-19T14:08:00.000-04:002010-03-19T14:08:15.514-04:00

In the past couple of days, I have received emails or links about some interesting food news tidbits.  Thought some of you might be interested to know about these as well so I've rounded them all up here.  Click away my friends. Not sure what to do with all those wine corks cluttering up nooks and crannies in the kitchen?  Or maybe you are wondering where all those corks come from and if they

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-11214416147978709402010-03-14T12:36:00.000-04:002010-03-14T12:36:26.323-04:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day to everyone a few days early.  Wanted to share with you a delicious Irish Soda Bread recipe before the actual holiday in case you actually want to make it for yourself.  As I type this, I am taking breaks to eat some of this very bread.  I made mine yesterday. A friend at Harcourt made this one St. Patrick's Day for our pot luck lunch in the office.  It was so delicious

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-84939476372275886002010-03-08T09:36:00.000-05:002010-03-08T09:36:29.008-05:00

(Published yesterday on Goodreads)  Rose's Heavenly Cakes  by Rose Levy BeranbaumSeptember 2009Wiley, 978-0471781738 This book is gorgeous to look at. I've had my eye on it since Christmas.  It finally dawned on me that instead of pining for a $40 cake cookbook, I should just see if the library had it and give it a test run.  Tah-dah! They did!  Several things I noticed about this book: -The

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-57896637320730601462010-03-04T12:04:00.000-05:002010-03-04T12:04:05.619-05:00

During the first week of February, I found myself in New Orleans. How, you ask, can an unemployed gal afford a four day trip? Simple - most of it was paid for by Steve's company. Steve was getting shipped down to NOLA for some web-techie something rather conference. His company covered his flight, hotel, taxis, and up to $40 a day for food. Steve had never been to New Orleans and he downright

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-24048584969020186952010-01-24T20:33:00.014-05:002010-01-29T10:08:17.150-05:00

When I worked at my first publisher, there was a ritual of eating lunch in the lunchroom with other people from the books for young readers department. I was from marketing, and joined by several from editorial and design. Later, we had one from subrights join our little lunch group. All in all, we were at most, a group of six. Being a frugal group, usually we brought our lunch from home

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-13065410829989714992010-01-23T14:03:00.006-05:002010-01-23T14:24:43.178-05:00

Yesterday, I received my February issue of Bon Appetit. Oh boy. Are we in trouble.In addition to this scrumptious-looking grilled cheese and short rib sandwich with caramelized onions, other recipes that caught my tastebuds's attention:Beef Tenderloin Medallions with Potato "Risotto"Potato Gnocci with Pork and Wild Mushroom RaguBison and Red Wine Shepherd's PiePork Stew with Hard Cider, Pearl

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-81587043957772899602010-01-11T11:19:00.013-05:002010-01-11T13:45:10.762-05:00

Over the past couple of months, I have had the pleasure of dining out. In December, I met with the other members of the TNTE Club at Becco, a Lydia Bastianich establishment for our annual holiday dinner. If you recall, last year we went to Perilla. Six of us squeezed into our chairs around a tiny round table that should really have been set for no more than four, but the whole dining room was

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-68955336791988439382009-12-22T11:55:00.005-05:002010-01-11T11:19:47.971-05:00

So, I've had a bit of a hiatus from the blog. Have you noticed? There's no good reason for the looooong break other than I was bored and uninspired. Since October.But now that Thanksgiving and Christmas have come and gone, I figured that I couldn't ignore the wonderful food and cooking that has been going on around me. Food is a key player during the holidays. Almost as big as presents and

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-75076287992516259112009-10-15T16:19:00.004-04:002009-10-15T16:52:18.631-04:00

As you know, mac and cheese is one of my favorite foods. But it isn't something that can made and eaten everyday thanks to the butter, milk, and cheese usually required. And sometimes bacon.I own exactly one "light" cookbook. It's from those good folks at America's Test Kitchen, so you know they are going to try to make the best possible light recipes they can possibly make and still call them

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-43429665445961766292009-10-09T12:32:00.005-04:002009-10-09T12:52:42.884-04:00

The holidays are coming. Besides the Halloween and Christmas decorations at Target, and pumpkins in the grocery store, the other indicator that the seasons are changing is when Trader Joe's starts to stock their fall/holiday items, expensive meats/appetizers, and expands the baking section. Some of my favorite TJ products are only available this time of the year and that makes them extra

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-69455476255741743952009-09-30T09:41:00.007-04:002009-09-30T09:59:57.592-04:00

Usually, I think salad recipes are silly. Really, does anyone need a recipe to tell them how to make a salad? It's lettuce, dressing, and whatever other veggies and toppings you want, right? And dressing is oil and and acid of some kind, whether it's a vinegar or lemon juice. Salads are idiot proof dishes. All that being said, a salad recipe from my Sept. issue of Bon Appetit caught my eye.

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-57340970054020079702009-09-28T15:51:00.008-04:002009-09-28T16:23:41.501-04:00

In my weekend blog updates, I mentioned that we picked up a lobster shaped cookie cutter at Sur La Table.With a little help from Steve on Sunday, the cookies got made. I have to say, rolled cookies are not my favorite things to make. I do like the novelty of them, decorating, and of course, eating them, but making them is sort of a pain. The dough for this kind of cookie usually has so much

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-7553728859286548002009-09-26T17:42:00.002-04:002009-09-26T17:47:07.800-04:00

These videos have to be some of the strangest things I've ever seen a cat eat, or attempt to eat. What weird things to your cats eat? You should film it and put it on YouTube and then the world can see it and say, "what a weird cat."

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-40962580371550356212009-09-26T16:49:00.004-04:002009-09-26T17:42:38.560-04:00

This morning, I used orange juice to wash down a cinnamon roll, some eggs, and bacon before heading to the big island of Manhattan today. We were hitting up Crate & Barrel and CB2 to look for lamps. Lamps aside, our trip today really revolved around food, or at least the things that go in a kitchen to make food. We went into a few shops - Muji, CB2, and finally Sur La Table. It was at Sur La

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-55618598666289559862009-09-25T16:55:00.008-04:002009-09-25T17:20:07.318-04:00

Just couple more things to tell you about.Last week, in addition to the cinnamon rolls, I believe I mentioned that I was going to test a recipe sent to me by Cook's Country. I did make the recipe - cat head biscuits - and answered their survey. It was really kinda fun to be a guinea pig for one of their in development recipes. In the magazine, the recipes usually get a write up about the

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-1238852846935552192009-09-25T16:08:00.006-04:002009-09-25T16:44:16.927-04:00

I've wanted to make peach ice cream for a while and I finally did about a week ago. I bought some beautiful end-of-summer North Carolina peaches from the local produce stand and let them ripen. Letting them ripen was like torture. I wanted them to be ready NOW! About four agonizing days later, I determined they were ripe. (I even used that "trick" and put an apple in the paper bag with the

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-1666256055149999472009-09-25T15:07:00.006-04:002009-09-25T16:08:16.057-04:00

A week has gone by. It was Gleesday last week when I said I was going to make cinnamon rolls. Those rolls only got made yesterday, Gleesday a week later than promised. As I assembled my mise en place, I realized that the recipe for the sweet dough called for instant/rapid rise yeast. I only had packets of active dry. I knew we were out of or very low on a few other things I like to have on

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-42522903877409415162009-09-16T09:36:00.004-04:002009-09-16T11:17:42.232-04:00

Will update this post later with results.On the plan today is to bake two things. The first is a recipe I received from Cook's Country (of America's Test Kitchen) about a week ago. A while back, I noticed a small notice on one of ATK's e-newsletters. This notice was soliciting readers to sign up to become part of the expanded ATK and try new, unpublished recipes at home. Readers were being

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-77716077138570764542009-09-11T13:28:00.004-04:002009-09-11T19:02:28.496-04:00

A break from the food today.It's the 8th anniversary of 9/11. It is also my first one back in NY since I left in 2003.My 9/11 story starts twenty five years ago in 1984. We moved to Governors Island that year. Our historic apartment building faced lower Manhattan. Our playground was in a courtyard that faced the gleaming Twin Towers, which my family affectionately called The Trades. We could

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-12368585945382610272009-09-03T14:44:00.004-04:002009-09-03T15:40:40.208-04:00

Welcome back folks. In case a blog isn't ego-centric enough, I just added a sidebar widget that will display my five most recent tweets on Twitter. After signing up for Twitter months ago, I am just starting to get comfortable with it and can appreciate it's good and not-so-good points. I have actually bored of Facebook and use FB just to play WordScraper and the asinine time-waster known as

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-40813732049238794802009-08-28T10:08:00.013-04:002009-08-28T11:31:14.618-04:00

I was in the land of guidos, Sopranos, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Newark, weird smells, and target of SNL's Governor Paterson's wrath. (In this clip he also does a good job at insulting most of NY state, too.) Aren't those things that most people associate with Jersey? I learned that the beach in New Jersey is pretty great. I know the Jersey shore if famous and a popular get-away destination

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-50105685560357823422009-08-28T09:33:00.008-04:002009-08-28T10:05:06.311-04:00

I have so much to tell you about but I'll start with things that I promised updates on last week before I went to New Jersey.The first and most headline worthy food-related thing I did was make ricotta gnocci using homemade ricotta. I have made ricotta gnocci only once before. I have made potato gnocci several times. The first ricotta gnocci attempt was okay. The recipe I used called for

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-84530081055593222482009-08-21T21:56:00.002-04:002009-08-21T21:59:57.882-04:00

But I don't have time to write right now. It's already 10PM and I haven't packed for a three-day minimum trip to the Jersey shore. Yikes.When I get back, here is what will be covered:-making ricotta & ricotta gnocci-pizza success again-new recipe: lemon poppy seed muffins from Dorie Greenspan's Baking-Top Chef: the new season has started and Masters concluded-Twitter: food related people/places

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-38113617815570416172009-08-16T16:40:00.003-04:002009-08-16T17:28:27.845-04:00

Julia Child has just been introduced to an entirely new generation of cooks thanks to the yummy film, Julie & Julia. I finally got to see it yesterday, and not since Big Night has a movie made me so hungry. With Big Night I wanted that perfect risotto into which Primo pours his heart and soul. With J&J, I want the boeuf bourguignon or that duck en croute thing she made at the end. Bird stuffed

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-61732501968078478522009-08-16T16:35:00.003-04:002009-08-16T17:29:15.059-04:00

I just finished up my second attempt at a Dutch baby (aka German pancake). I don't get it. It's a very simple recipe and ingredient list. I used the correctly sized cast iron skillet this time. I used pretty strawberries and free-from-mold raspberries, and nada. Unlike the first try, in which the sides puffed up correctly, this one hardly puffed around the sides at all. But the entire thing

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-71251546203359080992009-08-12T13:14:00.003-04:002009-08-12T14:00:01.018-04:00

I last told you about the dinner menu for the week. Thought I'd give you a progress report on all of it so far.Sunday night was chicken piccata, one of Steve's favorites. I couldn't remember where I found the recipe when I made it last time, so I used the one from the Bon Appetit Easy, Fast, Fresh cookbook. If my memory accurately remembers the first recipe, then I would say I preferred the one

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-24632458338960211422009-08-09T16:09:00.004-04:002009-08-09T16:19:42.778-04:00

This morning, Steve and I put together our dinner menu for the week. With the exception of breads, I'm going to make everything from scratch. For instance, one night we are going to have ricotta gnocci. I'm going to make the ricotta with which to make the gnocci. Ricotta appears to be extremely simple to make, so why not try it at least once? Other first attempts will be made, including a

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-50987522890757564682009-08-07T12:22:00.009-04:002009-08-07T13:42:29.807-04:00

August 6th is the anniversary of Hiroshima, the day after Marilyn Monroe's death day (8/5/62), and the day before Philippe Petit walked on a tightrope between the Twin Towers in 1974. I also happens to be the birthday of three people I know: My dad's (a milestone age was reached), Amy's husband's Gareth's, and Steve's birthday (also a milestone age). While I was not able to celebrate with Dad or

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-15657986265042134152009-07-24T14:07:00.003-04:002009-07-24T14:19:55.637-04:00

Yesterday, I whipped up a delicious, summery, easy peach cake and posted the picture of the finished result to Twitter and FB. Thanks for all the responses to the pic! Here it is again in case you don't do the whole Twitter and FB thing:I also promised to post the recipe for this cake, so here it goes.Rustic Peach Cakefrom Cook's Country, June/July 2008 issueServes 6 to 8"Since overly ripe

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-83417555083748754342009-07-07T09:28:00.004-04:002009-07-07T10:19:48.728-04:00

How did your holiday weekend go? Ours was fun but way too short. I kicked off the weekend on Friday with TNTE club. They came over for a night of playing Shanghai (a card game that is ridiculously tension filled. "It's just a game!") and food. We had a feast of fresh figs, perfect strawberries, veggies, warm olives, cheeses, bread/crackers, and grilled pizzas. I made two.I used my same trusty

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-39146695013015745822009-06-26T10:46:00.004-04:002009-06-26T11:32:34.734-04:00

Yesterday it didn't rain. The sun was actually out. I heard on the news that it has rained something like 19 days of the last 23 in NYC. And on the days it hasn't rained, it's been gray and dreary and cool. I really haven't minded the weather at all. I'm at home most of the time so going out in the rain isn't an issue for me. What I have missed thanks to all this rain is the grilling. We had

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-28180926405870337352009-06-24T09:18:00.003-04:002009-06-24T09:33:48.805-04:00

Father's Day weekend here was a non-affair. As neither of us were able to travel to visit dad's, we took ourselves out for Father's Day brunch. We have a favorite coffee shop over on Court Street that makes quite excellent pancakes, with or without blueberries. It's called Cobble Hill Coffee Shop. That's kinda a no-brainer name, I know, but it suits it just fine. The coffee shop decorates for

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-68165373818658866992009-06-19T09:18:00.005-04:002009-06-19T09:33:01.830-04:00

A couple days ago, I made my second attempt for the perfect fresh mint chocolate chip ice cream. My first attempt wasn't bad, mind you, but it was lacking a balance of flavor between the mint and chocolate, and it wasn't quite creamy enough. It was intensely minty, but the chocolate got lost. My first batch also turned out green tea green rather than a nice pretty light green. Here's a

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-90049041616007134982009-06-10T12:13:00.005-04:002009-06-10T12:39:06.352-04:00

A while back, I made a decadent macaroni and cheese recipe. It turned out really yummy, but I'm always looking out for new versions to try. I want a mac n' cheese that has cheese flavor, richness, and a creamy sauce. Last night, I tried a new recipe. This one is included in the Cook's Country Best Grilling Recipes cookbook. Steve won a free copy of this book for guessing how much money is in

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-89677939108396022952009-06-03T15:28:00.003-04:002009-06-03T16:36:53.527-04:00

And baseball season. The two things to so well together. Summer is hands down my least favorite season, but that's mostly due to the obnoxious weather. I like other things about summer - baseball and ice cream being two of those things. Hot dogs and other meats cooked over the grill also can't be beat when served with cold beers or slushy margaritas. Sangria, Mexican Coca-Cola in a glass

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-24287098203206850932009-05-14T11:36:00.004-04:002009-05-14T11:45:18.617-04:00

As usual, things have been busy here. I suppose you've heard that frequently enough that you don't believe me. But it's true.Here's what's been going on culinary-wise since I last wrote:-we grilled!-I found & ate Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla ice cream in NYC (this is probably the most exciting thing to happen all week!)-Texas-style BBQ-gummy tummies-chocolate chunk cookies-strawberries-rosemary

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-67763711219707768862009-05-11T16:27:00.001-04:002009-05-11T16:27:53.503-04:00

I believe the menu will include burgers and homemade fries and/or potato chips and maybe something green. Will keep you posted.

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-40095946608204389702009-05-06T10:25:00.002-04:002009-05-06T10:48:05.901-04:00

On the food-front, it's been a little calm around here. Last night I made brownies. From a box. Shame! Actually, the box brownie mix from Trader Joe's is pretty good. It is very chocolate-y and has chips in it. The biggest excitement here is the arrival of our black and shiny brand new Weber grill. We got a charcoal one not gas. We still have to get the proper fire extinguisher (required

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-85098507604733008332009-04-28T11:57:00.008-04:002009-04-28T12:14:27.318-04:00

As I mentioned, my birthday was Saturday. Steve surprised me by offering to make me a birthday cake. He let me pick any kind of cake and he'd make it. From scratch. I gave him the chance to make it from a box, but he said he'd do a scratch cake. Even though I've never seen him bake anything, he's not a bad cook, so I figure he could handle making a cake. Cakes are pretty straight forward in

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-45063877693476973702009-04-28T10:48:00.005-04:002009-04-28T11:48:20.913-04:00

Since this blog is about food and related topics, I'm only going to cover the food portion of my visit to Citi Field last night. We arrived at Citi Field at 6PM, and after taking a few pictures of the outside and Jackie Robinson Rotunda, we wound our way on the field level to the high-end food court behind center field. Once there we had the following selections:-BBQ from Blue Smoke-Burgers,

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-78860366928575867652009-04-27T10:42:00.005-04:002009-04-27T11:27:09.642-04:00

My birthday was Saturday. Unfortunately, I had a headache all day which meant the planned dinner at Union Square Cafe was pushed back to Sunday. USC is one of my favorite restaurants here in NYC for several reasons - 1) the service doesn't get any better than this 2) the food is always rich, slightly unexpected, and fresh 3) the ambiance is relaxed, not stuffy, but casually elegant. I like to

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-13057190146353163102009-04-24T14:51:00.002-04:002009-04-24T15:40:58.845-04:00

After being preoccupied by a work event for several weeks, delayed by my healing finger, and overcoming all-around laziness, I am back to tell you about my recent adventures in food.Going all the way back to the end of March was the Second Annual Village Voice Choice Eats event. I went with other members of TNTE club. Basically, this event was packed to the gills with dozens upon dozens of

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-81734503841138039782009-03-30T17:14:00.002-04:002009-03-30T17:34:18.362-04:00

I made a pound cake yesterday. This pound cake, to be exact. It was fabulous. (The picture above is not the cake I actually made, but mine looked just like this.)If you look though the ingredients, you'll quickly understand why it was fabulous:-six eggs-3 cups of sugar-one brick of cream cheese-3 (!!!) sticks of butterDid your thighs suddenly gain a pound just by reading that? Mine did. I did

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-39074063243328108272009-03-26T13:16:00.003-04:002009-03-26T15:09:51.336-04:00

A week or so ago, quiche was somehow mentioned on tv, an article, or maybe it even came up in our conversation. I'm not really sure. But Steve thought a quiche would be a nice change of pace and I agreed. I haven't made a quiche since . . . um, ever. But it couldn't be that hard since it's basically an egg pie. Which is my new name for quiche - egg pie.I looked up quiche in my bright shiny

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-91599248916487018562009-03-25T12:19:00.006-04:002009-03-25T12:51:44.857-04:00

I'm a member of the Bonny Doon DEWN wine club. A week or so ago, I received a new DEWN shipment. I love BD wines because they are relatively affordable, extremely drinkable, and feature grapes that are not highly produced here in the US making them different. This is not a vineyard that does your typical California Chard or Cab Sav. For the past couple years, BD has produced a label called Ca'

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-32233997522518722672009-03-23T15:18:00.004-04:002009-03-23T15:50:30.822-04:00

I was getting caught up on all the food blogs I read, and I copied several recipes for future use. When I finished, I looked over the list of recipes and I noticed that all the recipes shared one thing in common - they were all carbs. Hmmm, it doesn't take a genius to know that I love carbs. Carbs, carbs, and more carbs. I love 'em! Here are the recipes I copied:BiscuitsButternut Squash &

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-34471832111780592972009-03-22T19:56:00.004-04:002009-03-22T20:07:49.024-04:00

This morning, I met with Susan K. and Reka at Char No. 4 for brunch. Steve and I have been to Char a couple times for the morning meal, but Reka and Susan have only had the pleasure of dinner there. It was high time that they also experienced brunch and the (in)famous bacon cheddar grits that I adore. Char fills up around 11AM, so we were sure to get there before that in order to secure a

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-83897566585113770952009-03-22T19:31:00.004-04:002009-03-22T19:51:02.100-04:00

On Saturday, I tried a new recipe from my April 2009 issue of Bon Appetit - Tagliatelle with baby vegetables and lemon-Parmesan sauce. Ooh, we really liked this.The ingredients are pretty basic - pasta, veggies, cheese. How can you go wrong? Not at all, apparently. I loved this because it was so fresh tasting, simple, and satisfying. The prep time is minimal - I could get most of the prep

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-71853769238947224542009-03-22T18:44:00.003-04:002009-03-22T19:27:04.183-04:00

I had been looking forward to our St. Patrick's Day dinner for a couple weeks before the holiday actually rolled around. Here is what we had on the menu:Soda bread with golden raisins and carawayColcannon soupIrish bangers and mashPeasgravyGuinnessI took care of the bread and the soup in the morning. The bread is really the easiest thing I've ever baked. Even easier than those salted chocolate

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-7021535365466765922009-03-22T18:30:00.011-04:002009-03-23T15:51:12.836-04:00

Tonight, Steve is cooking. He is making a roast chicken. I love roast chicken that has been packed full of butter, herbs, lemon, and garlic. We are having this with salad, green beans, and rice.Here is the picture story of making the chicken.Steve butchering the chicken, which we bought at Paisanos this morning.Chicken waiting next to bowl of deliciousness - lemon zest, rosemary, garlic,

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-69027203054156729742009-03-22T18:20:00.005-04:002009-03-22T19:55:44.799-04:00

Apartment 138 is another restaurant along Smith Street here in Brooklyn. Steve and I had dinner here once a few months ago, and we repeated this past Friday with Susan K. Apt. 138 is a good neighborhood, crowd-pleasing place with good solid food that satisfies the taste buds. On our previous visit, we split the chicken fried steak and a salad. Both were good but we seemed to remember that the

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-89666463176720279062009-03-22T17:55:00.008-04:002009-03-22T18:19:51.676-04:00

So I was rushing off with warm batches of salted chocolate and cranberry cookies to meet Reka and Laura for the book event at Idlewild Books starring Orangette herself, Molly Wizenberg. Unfortunately, the book event turned out to be a zoo (RSVPs and spotty emails from the bookstore were involved), so while we would have loved to purchased Molly's new book, we decided drinking yummy, potent, and

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-6599857420926190582009-03-22T17:41:00.004-04:002009-03-23T10:53:33.345-04:00

My friend Laura doesn't bake. Despite the fact that she is going to be going to culinary school later this year, baking is not her thing. That's okay because I can help her out. In order to get baked goods, she will post item on her blog and challenge one of her baking friends to make it for her with the promise of something delicious in return. She posted a call for salted chocolate &

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-43319051958586028242009-03-22T17:12:00.005-04:002009-03-22T17:40:42.249-04:00

I bet you were wondering if I was ever going to update this again. The answer is yes. Sorry for the hiatus - it was a busy week.But this week brought lots of yummy food that I want to tell you about. I'm afraid this will be long, Alex, but hopefully your eyeballs can handle reading this much. I will break the week up into individual posts.Last Saturday, I met up with TNTE club at Buttermilk

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-7359877838498285022009-03-10T14:24:00.003-04:002009-03-10T14:54:38.232-04:00

So it's been a while since I wrote. Sorry, readers, I was feeling rather unenthusiastic last week and blogging was just too much effort. Hope all of you are doing well.We started last week strong with the winter squash & apple bisque and the braised short ribs, but then it all went downhill. Not sure why. Even though I shop with a list, I missed ingredients, had to go to about five different

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-59743384546541009682009-03-02T12:08:00.004-05:002009-03-02T17:14:05.276-05:00

Man, this was a good recipe. High off the braised short ribs at Chestnut, we had our home version yesterday (and leftovers will be dinner tonight, pushing all the other planned dinners back one day). Since we loved the pureed rutabega at Chestnut, we decided to have pureed turnips instead of rutabega or mashed potatoes.While our recipe didn't use the same flavors the Chestnut dish had, it still

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-9419002371016664722009-03-02T11:16:00.009-05:002009-03-02T17:22:45.309-05:00

Another weekend, another lovely meal with friends, AKA The Not Timid Eaters Club (TNTE). Again, staying close to (my) home, we hit up a boite on Smith Street called Chestnut. Originally, we were supposed to go to Buttermilk Channel, buuuuut things didn't work out quite as planned for our group of six - the earliest reservation we could get was at 10:30PM! So we decided to put chicken & waffles

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-17391779003420250162009-03-01T12:26:00.005-05:002009-03-02T17:12:20.643-05:00

I received my first issue of Bon Appetit this month (March). It was a Christmas present from Steve's parents. I poured over it yesterday, and it had features on three of my favorite foods - cheese, potatoes, and caramel! There are so many delicious recipes crammed into this issue that it's hard to choose what to make first. I find that recipes are like books - there are so many good ones that

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-5832343181318801952009-02-27T22:28:00.005-05:002009-03-01T12:58:21.644-05:00

Thanks to the DVR, Steve and I watched this past Monday's episode of Anthony Bourdain's No Reservations. Thanks to notices on Facebook, I knew that Monday's episode was a special titled, "Disappearing Manhattan." I had to watch this episode. The old places in NY are what make NY the city that it is. They are cathedrals to the old way of doing things where people took time to do things the

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-14551733944131518702009-02-27T13:27:00.009-05:002009-02-27T13:57:24.518-05:00

I previously posted on Facebook and here about a four cheese mac & cheese by Pithy & Cleaver. Well, last night I made this delectable and sinful comfort food. It took a while to prep my mise en place - I won't be winning any timed Top Chef-style challenges, that's for sure - but once everything was set in little prep bowls, the cooking didn't take too long and went smoothly. The P&C recipe was

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-73141330843878489762009-02-25T11:40:00.002-05:002009-02-25T11:51:08.208-05:00

I love ice cream and am very happy to see this wonderful sounding recipe for maple pecan ice cream at Chocolate & Zucchini today. I am so making this. Too bad Steve doesn't like pecans - more for me! Ice cream is actually pretty simple to make. Granted, I've only made it once, but it's really not that difficult. I received the Kitchen Aid ice cream maker attachment for Christmas, and I've used

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-78689258039228948762009-02-25T10:56:00.003-05:002009-02-25T11:34:51.694-05:00

Last night, I tried something that my dad has wanted to try - a pork tenderloin "wellington." It came out pretty well and I'd do it again with a few experiments. Basically, we had something that didn't really resemble the classic beef wellington, but rather pork wrapped in puff pastry with some herbs. But it was full of flavor and the pork turned out to be cooked just about right. Here is

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-40266112401359778332009-02-21T18:09:00.011-05:002009-02-22T18:19:12.450-05:00

King Cakes 2009 are here! I did use the Southern Living recipe as a guideline for these cakes. I pulled the one off of All Recipes, and even though I've made this before, I had forgotten that not everything in that recipe adds up. For instance, the amount of sugar called for in the ingredient list does not match up to the amount in the step-by-step directions. Since I only make this once a

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-6896226341930228382009-02-21T17:07:00.007-05:002009-02-21T17:20:08.246-05:00

Saw this on a children's lit blog, and thought it ought to be shared here, too. Have a need for some Mario Bros. mushroom shaped cookies? Look no further than Snack or Die Video Game Cookies. Really. Or maybe you're needing instructions on how to make a Super Mario Bros. 2 Phanto Sugar Cookie. Or a PacMan cookie. Or a Super Monkey Ball cupcake. They are all there. With good step-by-step

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-79307873700835614462009-02-20T18:14:00.009-05:002009-02-23T11:53:24.393-05:00

I met Steve for lunch yesterday. He works in the Flatiron building, and we stuck to the neighborhood - we went right across the street. Despite working in the vicinity five years ago, I had never even noticed Eisenberg's. And no wonder. It's a hole-in-the-wall place no more than 20 feet wide and four times that deep. Narrow and skinny. However, the food is not skinny food. As the

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-77594520138163875272009-02-19T17:21:00.005-05:002009-02-21T16:41:51.346-05:00

After a week off, I'm getting caught up with blogs. This one in particular caught my taste buds. I think I'll have to try it but counter the fat, cholesterol, and sodium massacre with grilled chicken and leafy green salad the rest of the week. Laura over at Pinot and Prose has also thrown down a baking request seeing how she doesn't bake. I'm happy to bake anything if it gets me a seat at the

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-85743445346108315312009-02-17T11:33:00.004-05:002009-02-21T16:42:15.697-05:00

Not much to say about food this week. We've been eating a few noodle-based casseroles, and skipped the lobster this trip.A couple days ago, we went to Yummie's, a mega candy store. According to Steve's mom, Yummie's has 10,000 pounds of candy on display for sale every day. I liked Yummie's for the retro candies they carry - Charleston Chews, Clark Bars, MallowCups, Chuckles, Dots, Bit-O-Honey,

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-51454717679327872612009-02-13T13:26:00.003-05:002009-02-21T16:42:58.240-05:00

Yesterday, Steve and I flew to Maine via JFK on Jet Blue. Neither of us have ever flown JB, and overall, had a fine time. No JB horror stories of being stuck on the tarmac for hours.After an hour long subway and Air Train ride to get to the airport, we arrived at the bright, white, shiny, and spacious terminal five. Check in was a breeze - I love travelling on weekdays - and we zipped through

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-74350178863341627832009-02-10T17:21:00.002-05:002009-02-21T16:43:17.109-05:00

Pulled this link off of Chocolate & Zucchini's twitter feed. How awful.

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-83208710725229983052009-02-10T09:51:00.005-05:002009-02-21T16:44:32.404-05:00

In the coming months, I hope to be able to report on several special food events going on here in the gastronomic city.First, and the only one which I am already committed to attending, is the Village Voice Second Annual Choice Eats event on March 31. This event features tastes from over 50 restaurants from all boroughs (although I don't see any representatives from SI or the Bronx on the

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-65086386630926689102009-02-08T17:27:00.007-05:002009-02-27T13:58:32.494-05:00

Yesterday, Steve and I made a return trip to Char No. 4 for brunch. During my first trip, I enjoyed Char's dinner menu, and the brunch menu was just as meat-heavy and rich. I mentioned the six-person booths but I didn't mention that the only other seating in the dining room besides the booths are two-tops running along one wall. When we arrived around 10:30-10:45, all the two-tops were full (

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-90788039829135634102009-02-04T14:30:00.002-05:002009-02-21T16:45:43.661-05:00

Homemade mozzarella. I'm totally doing this. Now where am I going to find rennet? Thanks for the link, Susan H.!

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-62325124968949990532009-02-04T12:31:00.003-05:002009-02-21T16:46:08.611-05:00

Thanks to everyone who has already written back to me or posted comments about this new blog. Reka pointed me to two new links, which I've added. 101 Cookbooks looks FABULOUS! Caramel Cook looks good, but I noticed he hasn't posted in quite a while.And in case you haven't already seen this sinful, bacon-concentrated-not-recommended-for-the-living item, Donna sent me the link to The Bacon

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-30735505997710383702009-02-03T13:03:00.005-05:002009-02-21T16:47:03.849-05:00

I went out today in the snow and accumulating slush on a mission - to find no boil lasagna noodles for the manicotti I'm making for dinner tonight. I went to five different markets and none of them had them. One of them didn't even have lasagna noodles. I'm disappointed, and I know Steve will be too since he requested the manicotti, but we'll have to make do with baked ziti instead. Sigh.The

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-23401385951755819132009-02-03T09:55:00.010-05:002009-02-21T16:47:38.167-05:00

Over several weeks, I spent a lot of time gathering ingredients and baking dozens upon dozens of cookies. Since I had little money, I couldn't buy gifts, so I had the intention of sending these cookies out to family as their Christmas present. But things got a little off track. First, it turns out that even though I had enough time and money to make the cookies, I lacked funds to afford

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-22409533488009659382009-02-03T08:42:00.004-05:002009-02-21T16:48:08.828-05:00

Last night, I tried out a new recipe, Thai-Style Chicken Soup, from a Cook's Illustrated (Jan/Feb 2007) issue. Usually, we love the CI recipes. They are very well written and the outcome is always delicious. Well, I was a little disappointed in this one. Sure, this recipe called for lots of yummy coconut milk, cilantro, and lime juice - all things I love - but it was lacking some serious

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-18650779466455935352009-02-02T17:17:00.005-05:002009-02-21T16:48:37.918-05:00

This past Saturday, I met up with the girls - Donna, Reka, Susan C., Susan K. - for drinks and dinner celebrating Reka's Newbery Honor and other awards. She edited several books that picked up ALA awards last Monday.Reka is a Brooklyn resident. We live about 10 minutes walk from each other. Since it was her night, she wanted to stay in Brooklyn and wanted to stick to places in the vicinity of

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5387139975367567888.post-38161035307223004602008-12-19T16:11:00.003-05:002009-02-21T16:49:14.773-05:00

On Wednesday, I met up with six girlfriends for the annual holiday dinner. The dinner is in lieu of having to get gifts for everyone. My friend Donna suggested Harold Dieterle's restaurant, Perilla. Harold is the first season winner from Top Chef. All seven of us are Top Chef fans and all of us really like food, so it was easy to agree.The restaurant is small with a bar on one side and tables on

Ellenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02497330388375680648noreply@blogger.com0