Recipes

Cooking At Home in NYC

14 September 2009

Brooklyn, Food and Drink, Lifestyle, Photography, Recipes

Everyone warned me that I would be eating out and ordering in all the time after moving to New York–isn’t it funny that I’m inclined to call it a warning? As if it’s a bad thing! I think eating out is a LOVELY and wonderful and delicious treat. Especially here! Where there are so many world renowned restaurants and chefs in such a concentrated area! Certainly I can’t quite afford (yet) the elaborate meals, but after saving some more, I plan to eat out most heartily!

It’s more the ordering in part that gets to me. First and foremost, the steps I’ve taken and skills I’ve honed as a home cook have only made me more critical about ordering in (and sadly, sometimes, eating out, too). If I can make something equally well (if not better) I wind up disappointed by the experience. And almost completely unrelated, I would rather walk to the store and cook for myself because it means spending less and I don’t have to tip anyone.

So regardless of my opinions and feelings, I’m happy to pronounce that we have cooked LOTS since moving to NYC! We’re fortunate to have ample kitchen space (thank you Brooklyn!) and a patio where we keep our grill. Moreover, we are SO lucky to be near such a wonderful resource in the Bartel Pritchard Square Greenmarket just around the corner. I believe ALL of the meals below featured ingredients from there.

Tasty Morsels

13 August 2009

Food and Drink, Photography, Recipes

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There are a few meals I haven’t told you about. One was pre-move, and the second was post-move. I won’t go into excessive detail, but I did take pictures for you!

The Wednesday right before we moved, we made sausage burgers with grilled red peppers and red onions. Because it was a dreary, rainy day, we grilled it all on the grill/griddle we have. They were so delicious with some stone ground mustard, spinach, and cheddar cheese.

On my first visit to the farmer’s market in Brooklyn, I purchased some round zucchini.

They are so beautiful. I just like looking at them, but because this recipe from Bon Appetit refused to leave my mind, I stuffed them. The recipe calls for them to be stuffed with mortadella, but I chose sweet sopressatta. And where it called for fresh parsley, I used fresh rosemary.

So, it was very different from the original recipe, but it was delicious. Next time, I will probably use sweet Italian sausage for a little more interesting texture.

Just some tasty images for you, while I explore my new neighborhood and have guests and try to think of interesting things to write about for you.

SUPER SUMMER SUNDAY

19 July 2009

Food and Drink, Lifestyle, North Shore, Photography, Recipes

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Today was a wonderful day.

I deposited Boyfriend at the bus station so he could journey to NY to achieve job hunt joy. And so I says to myself, on a sunny, 83 degree day I really cannot rot in front of the television (we spend many Sundays with Mike Rowe, Adam and Jamie, and Tony Bourdain… or the Red Sox). I made a decision about how I’ll spend the next two days in the apartment all by myself: BEACH VACATION. I won’t put on makeup if I don’t feel like it, I’ll lounge in my swimsuit all day if I so choose, and if I want to have a beer with my lunch, goddamnit, I will have one. So, today, I started by taking a bicycle ride to the beach!

Beverly beaches are different from other Cape Ann beaches. There aren’t many tourists because the beaches are flat water, so it’s mostly the locals you see laying out. It makes for a much nicer, less crowded beach day. Also, Dane Street Beach has a grassy area (see below), which means you aren’t forced to get sand in uncomfortable places when you do go!

After the beach, I relaxed and reclined (bikini-clad), in the apartment. I followed that with a grocery store run… actually, it was more like a produce department run. All of the things I needed could be found in that section alone. PERFECT for vacation if you ask me.

A friend and her friend who was in town to visit came by for dinner. They had also been at the beach, so we were all a little sun-weary and ready for a refreshing summer meal. Oh, it was good. We had some fresh spinach fettucine I had made a few weeks ago and had frozen, and I mixed that up with some steamed asparagus, tomatoes, basil, avocado, goat cheese, and prosciutto.

The real showstopper, however, was the cocktail. I noticed it in Real Simple magazine, and I had to go for it. They call it a Cucumber and Lime Spritzer but I would call it something a little different (classier!). I also adjusted it a little bit, and made it in individual portions. My version is as follows:

Cucumber Lime Gin Fizz

1 part Gin (I used New Amsterdam)

2 parts Limeade

2 parts Club Soda

3 slices Cucumber

Stir, and serve on the rocks.

It was crisp and summery and refreshing. Mmmmmm. Make it. Soon. I don’t even like gin much and I LOVED it.

FAJITA MEANS SKIRT STEAK

17 July 2009

Food and Drink, Recipes, Video

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Last night we had friends over for dinner. These friends also enjoy cooking, so while it seemed generally assumed I ran the show, everyone helped in one way or another.

The menu: Chips with guacamole and steak fajitas with homemade flour tortillas.

Guacamole ingredients in the molcajete before mixing.

Now, I’d like to point out that I’ve never made flour tortillas. I have a very specific and distinct memory of their taste from when my dad made them years ago. I wanted to taste that taste again, and this seemed a perfect opportunity. I don’t have his recipe, so I looked for some on the world wide web. I found the following video (after the jump!) and went into it thinking I’d get a chuckle out of it.

HISTORICAL INFORMATION AND THE MAN IN THE ORANGE CROCS

3 March 2009

Books, Boston, Food and Drink, Lifestyle, Recipes

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…should I go out on a limb and just go to culinary school? It’s now been my “backup” career for YEARS, and lately all I want to do is have people over so I can cook for them and fill their bellies and then fill them all over again if I can con them into staying for another meal.

The above quotation is from my last post. Since it hit the internet waves, I have gotten an overwhelming response from friends and family that I should indeed attend culinary school. The thought of switching careers has become more sharply realistic since my coworkers and I are facing the elimination of our jobs (if the district initiates full-day Kindergarten for the 2009-10 school year). As I continue to scratch my head about all of this, I am also continuing to cook up a storm… perhaps more than ever.

Three of my most wonderful friends came to visit this weekend (hi guys!), and for once I chose to welcome them with a lunch instead of a dinner.

Photo Credit: Gourmet Magazine

(THIS RECIPE AND OTHERS AFTER THE JUMP!!)

—REASONABLY SO

a curated collection of notions

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