Brooklyn Bourbon Shake

with homemade whipped cream

A few weekends ago, our friend Matt asked us if we wanted to shoot a video with his friend Dan who owns a candy store in Williamsburg, Brooklyn called Handsome Dan’s Snocone and Candy Stand. Yeah, like you have to twist my arm to get me into a spot that sells old timey candy like Abba Zabba, malted milk balls, chocolate covered blueberries, and hand crafted snocones made with flavors like rose and passion fruit, all topped with sweet, creamy condensed milk. I was immediately game, and Kramer figured that he might get a free piece of candy or two as well, so he was happy to come along. I’ve been trying to work with other local Brooklyn business owners, anyway, so this seemed like yet another perfect opportunity to do so after making a video with Diana of Appetite for China and demoing at the Housing Works Book Store for DISH. If you’re ever in Brooklyn, do yourself a favor and stop by Handsome Dan’s – it’s in the best, most walkable part of Williamsburg and Dan himself will probably be there to serve you a snocone or ring up your mason jar full of awesome candy.

After I filled up my own personal mason jar I wanted to make something fun with what Dan’s store had to offer. I figured that it’s hot as hell outside, the humidity is killing all of us, why not cool off with a big, delicious milkshake? With booze, of course – I am an grown adult, I am allowed to put bourbon in my milkshakes, and I will exercise that right as often as possible. Dan suggested that we make a shake with a Big Cherry candy, which I was totally on board with, as candied cherries are one of my favorite treats (I take after my grandfather in that respect). I coated the inside of a glass with chocolate syrup, then blended together vanilla ice cream, milk, a good splash of bourbon, and an entire chocolate covered cherry candy until relatively smooth, poured it in, then topped it all off with homemade bourbon whipped cream and a candied Luxardo cherry, because we fancy. I had a few people over to taste test and I believe that the entire room agreed that these shakes were A+. I don’t think that I had ever made a milkshake before, so I was pretty pleased…although how hard is it to screw up chocolate, ice cream, and candy, right? You can omit the bourbon if you like, or get crazy and add something else, like maraschino liqueur or vodka, both of which would pair swimmingly with this shake. As I’ve stated before, we like our cocktails in Brooklyn, so I felt it was appropriate to title this milkshake as such. Go out, grab a snocone or a milkshake, stay cool, and enjoy your summer!

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Chocolate Swirl M&M Cookies

with sea salt

I’m really nervous about today. I’m probably going to have a bit of a breakdown come 3 or 4 PM this afternoon. Why is that? Oh, no big deal, I’m just running a damned 5K after work with my office. Why do I hate myself? I am not a runner! I’ve been trying to “train” over the past month to get ready for it, but so far I’ve only worked up to about 2.5 miles and that last half mile is a total killer, in that it is slowly killing me each time I attempt it. Granted, up until a month ago I could hardly run a mile without wanting to keel over and die, so two and a half is quite the improvement, but a 5K is just over three miles, so who knows what is going to happen. The worst part is that I completely forgot to add new music to my four year old iPod mini (yes, I still have an iPod – my Android phone is too big to put in an armband for running) so I’m going to be powering through this thing blasting Blink 182′s Dude Ranch and a crappy rip of the Violent Femmes’ first album. I guess that’s not the worst music to listen to when you’re trying to convince yourself to keep running – I do know all the words. If any of you remember running your first 5K, please regale me with tales about how great you did and how I am going to do just fine, too. Otherwise I may go home sick later as my doubts become more prevalent. Stay tuned.

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Kramer and I headed home on another rainy day.

Other than my imminent demise via running, this week has been pleasantly uneventful. I went to the gym on Monday night, then rested up last night while making wings and doing a few random chores around the house. Kramer and I were also pleasantly surprised to find out that Falling Skies is back on the air. If you like sci-fi, especially if you liked Battlestar Galactica, do yourself a favor and start watching Falling Skies. It is produced by Stephen Spielberg, for crying out loud, and you can tell. The attention to detail and sweet, sweet shoot ‘em up alien scenes are fantastic, plus my man Noah Wyle plays a great leader in the face of human destruction against extraterrestrial forces. It’s weird that it’s on TNT, yes, but just give it a chance – I promise you’ll love it. There’s not enough good sci-fi on TV. I tried watching Defiance but I couldn’t get into it. Should I get it another shot? Hannibal only has a few episodes left, so I need to get involved in a few other things so that my depression doesn’t sink too deep as I realize that I have to wait another year to see Mads Mikkelsen’s beautiful face again.

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Like the peanut butter sandies I showed you two weeks ago, I made these M&M cookies for Kramer’s birthday last month, but haven’t gotten around to posting them until now. I figured that these would be perfect for a birthday party, what with their bright colors and whatnot. I don’t think anybody can say no to an M&M or ten when they see a bowl of them out, so I figured these cookies would have the same effect. They did. They were gone by the end of the night, which I was happy to see. The chopped chocolate melts in your mouth with each bite, while the crunchy M&M shells add a nice textural element and the sea salt cuts through the milk chocolate’s sweetness. The outsides of the cookies are nice and crisp, while the insides remain chewy and soft. If you want, you can under-bake these a bit and they’ll be just like the Subway cookies that everyone loves so much, but I needed mine to be a bit sturdier for travel, so I let them go the usual length of time. However you decide to make them, the bright colors of M&Ms dotting these chocolate swirled cookies make them simply irresistible. Make some and see for yourself.

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Brooklyn Lemonade

with bourbon & bitters

Good morning, universe. Welcome to another Monday. I hope that you all had a nice little weekend. After the biblical rain that we experienced on Friday, I certainly did. Seriously, though, I couldn’t believe the torrential downpour that we got on Friday. I’m really glad that I had my umbrella in my giant Mary Poppins bag that I lug around with me everywhere. It’s not always such a bad thing to be attached to 10 pounds of miscellaneous items now, is it? I’m sure that carrying around my purse is messing up my back one way or another, but what can you do? Maybe one day I will have a car, but until then, the umbrella, along with a water bottle, sunglasses, chapstick, my wallet, camera, and whatever else I deem important that day gets slung over my shoulder and onward we go. Oh, and a sweater, because even if it’s 90 degrees now, what if it gets a little chilly later? I must maintain an even room temperature at all times – being too hot or too cold is literally the worst.

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The 104th Street Community Garden.
Anyway, this past weekend we were invited to a barbecue on the Upper West Side, a neighborhood that I think I’ve only ever been to one time. I’m glad we made the trek, though. Our friend Shahab is a member of a community garden up there, and it’s gorgeous. I’m always excited to be around nature of any kind, seeing as how we live in a concrete jungle where no grass can possibly grow, so when I see gardens and trees and whatnot, it’s fun. Meats were grilled, beers were drunk, and I had an absolute blast. I made miniature apple pies, as my obsession with miniature desserts will never end, and Shahab had the genius idea of putting hot dogs and sausages on baguettes, which with plenty of mustard and some pickled things, were absolutely delicious. However, an all day barbecue didn’t stop Kramer and I from grabbing a slice at 11 PM on our way home – you know us better than that. On Sunday, we slept in for the first time in a while (and I mean really slept in, like 10:30 AM slept in), did some chores (mopping, vacuuming, being productive adults, etc.), then went for a walk up to a new restaurant and bar called OTB, followed by a walk down to Maison Premiere where the wait was nuts, so we hopped on over to Noorman’s Kil for an ice cold gin martini with big, briny olives. Even though Noorman’s is a fantastic whisky bar, we watched Casino Royale recently (because my main man Mads is the villan) and I’ve been craving a martini ever since. We came home and watched Game of Thrones before bed, and I really wish we had just gone to bed because talk about one of the most boring, anticlimactic season finales ever. I feel like I didn’t watch anything at all.

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Anyway, if I had a pitcher or two at home, I would have brought this Brooklyn Lemonade with me to the barbecue on Saturday. It’s got everything I love in a cocktail: beer, bourbon, and bitters. Obviously we like our cocktails in Brooklyn quite a bit, and seeing as how I just so happened to have made this one with Brooklyn Summer Ale, I figured it’d be an appropriate name. You can use simple syrup in place of the maple syrup for a sweetener, if you like, but I like the depth of flavor that the maple adds to the cocktail and it’s just one less step if you don’t already have simple syrup in your fridge. The bitters are optional, too, but I am a huge fan of bitters and think it makes almost any drink better with a dash or two added. I’ve actually got a bottle of baked apple bitters that would have done quite well in this drink, but decided to keep it more straightforward, as I’m sure you all don’t have the weird bitters collection that I do. Only I spend money on speciality bar items that get used once every few months. Or am I? Either way, shake up a few of these drinks, enjoy the warm weather, and maybe come give Brooklyn a visit! It’ll certainly put you in the mood.

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Greek Couscous & Chicken Salad

with olives and tomatoes

Thank jeebus that the heat wave is over and I can get back to my normal life. I’m alright sweating to death in July, but New York is supposed to still be pretty alright in June. Last weekend I thought I was going to pass out. But, everything is right in the world because it’s Thursday, and that means Hannibal is on. It is my absolute new favorite thing. Kramer and I can’t get enough. Every night, after we’ve done everything we need to do, gone to the gym, made dinner, whatever, and finally sit down on the couch, we lament the fact that it is not yet Thursday and there is no new Hannibal to watch. Is it weird to get so involved in a television show? Not for us. I’ve gotten as many people hooked on the show as possible so we can speculate with them as to what is going to happen, although I suppose we have some idea (or do we). Summer is usually a wasteland for good dramas, but we still have three episodes of Hannibal left, and I am going to savor them like Hannibal would a nice plate of liver with fava beans and a nice chianti. I’m even reading Red Dragon right now, at the suggestion of a friend who loves the books, so obviously the next step are the other books. I think I will have plenty to do this summer. I know that you were super worried about my after-work free time. Well, fear not. I’ve got my books and my stories, and for now, the ability to leave my windows open all day to let a little bit of a breeze come in.

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Prospect Park this past weekend.
Anyway, the other day Kramer and I took a pasta making class at The Brooklyn Kitchen before my parents got into town. It was a lot of fun! I’ve made pasta before, but you can always be better at something and hey, there was glass upon glass of red wine included, so who was I to say no? We actually got a gift certificate from Kramer’s dad to attend a class, so thanks, Jay! We had a blast. It only took us so long to go because it seems everyone else also got a gift certificate and classes were sold out until now (plus I wanted to find a Friday night class so I could eat and drink to my heart’s content). We made fettucini and ravioli, and I definitely learned exactly what to look for when kneading my dough and rolling it out. Hopefully I’ll have some time before it gets too humid again to show you what I learned!

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Last week, though, when it was sweltering, this is what I made on Sunday for Kramer and I to eat for lunch during the week. I made a massive pot of it and we tore through it happily. I poached the chicken breasts in water and spices, then removed them and cooked the couscous in the leftover broth of lots of flavor. To that, I added kalamata olives (side note: autocorrect suggested ‘Kalamazoo’ for kalamata, hah!), grape tomatoes, feta cheese, cucumbers, and bell peppers, with a generous pour of extra virgin olive oil, of course, and a large pinch of fleur de sel. I felt full and satisfied after a nice, cold serving of this each day at work. Some days I put it over a green salad, other days I ate it as it, and some days I even drenched it in a little nice balsamic vinegar – the couscous soaks it up and becomes even more delicious. I’m always trying to make our brown bags a little more interesting while still keeping some semblance of a healthy, well balanced meal. I’m pretty sure that this did the trick, and it keeps well for at least a week, so make a big batch and see for yourself.

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Home Cured Gravlax

with fresh dill

I had a really great weekend, but it all ended in waking up at 2:30 AM on Monday morning feeling the sickest I’ve felt in a long time. I couldn’t even get back into bed – by 4 AM, I was laying on the couch watching season one of New Girl trying to forget how horrible I was feeling. I’m still not doing that great, but as long as I can make it to the subway in the morning, I will consider it to be a win. I have no idea where I would have gotten it from – I can’t tell if it’s food poisoning or just a bug. Kramer and I ate all of the same stuff all weekend and he seems just fine. Oh well. Here’s to hoping tomorrow is a better day, and I guess that if nothing else, I got a ton of sleep on Monday as soon as I finally knocked out. Maybe it was just the heat from Saturday and Sunday – we were outside quite a bit, much more than we’ve been in a long time, and I did feel woozy all day on Sunday. Summer, am I right?

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Hanging in the park, waiting for my parents.

Anyway, on Saturday we went to Prospect Park with my parents, which was fantastic. We went to the market, grabbed some bread, cheese, and wine, then found a shady spot under a tree to enjoy our little picnic. Prospect Park is just gorgeous and there are plenty of trees to hide from the sweltering sun. After that, we walked through the park and a few blocks more to go to the Brooklyn Flea. By this point, I was absolutely dying from the humidity and heat, so we grabbed a car and headed over to a bar that ended up not being all that well air conditioned, but they did have $1 oysters, so we took advantage of that. My favorite part of the night, though, was our late night jaunt over to Criff Dogs for corn, chili, and BLT dogs. It was nice to spend a beautiful, albiet crazy hot, day with my parents and I think that they enjoyed it, too, even though they were just as miserable getting all sweaty. There is no way to prepare yourself for a New York summer. I suppose you just have to embrace being smelly and gross with your fellow man.

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I’m only a little sad that my dad didn’t get to try any of this gravlax, but I didn’t get it until Friday and it had to cure for 2 days. He would have definitely loved it. I was lucky enough to get offered a shipment of Copper River Salmon, the first of which arrived late last week. I already adore salmon, so this is the best thing that could have happened to me. Copper River salmon is rich, firm, and absolutely delicious. It’s got a lovely bright, red color, which only intensifies with the curing process. Gravlax is the easiest thing in the world to make – just wrap your salmon in a mixture of sugar, salt, and fresh dill, let it sit for 48 hours in your fridge, and boom! Gravlax. It’s great on its own with a little mustard or creme fraiche, but we all know that the best way to eat any cured fish is in the true New York fashion: on a bagel slathered in cream cheese with onions, tomatoes, and big, salty capers. Hopefully I can finish the rest of it up when I’m feeling better tomorrow, and if not, I know that Kramer will fall on that grenade for me.

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Peanut Butter Sandies

with vanilla bean & chopped nuts

I’m really excited for this weekend! Even though one of my closest friends (and coincidentally, my sister-in-law) moved back to Phoenix this week, bringing unprecedented dispair amongst the Kramer household, life goes on and there are still things to look forward to. For example, my parents will be in town for a brief 24-hour period, so of course, I’ve got lots and lots of activities packed into a short amount of time. I’ll meet them for a drink at their hotel tonight, since they get in kind of late, then tomorrow the fun begins. I’ve never been to the farmer’s market in Prospect Park, so I figure we will start there, grab some cider, bread, cheese, and whatever else looks good, then find a shady tree since it is supposed to be hot as hell tomorrow, and have a little picnic. Prospect Park is perfect for this sort of thing – there are way more trees than in Central Park. After that, I want to stop by the Brooklyn Flea, then continue our way up into Williamsburg, stopping in some nice, air conditioned bars, or at least bars with gardens, on our way back. If we are all fat, tipsy, and happy by 7 PM, I’ve done my job. That is the duty of a daughter, right? To overfeed her parents and force them to walk all over Brooklyn in search of more delicious thing? I’m sure that has to be right because if not, I’ve been living my life as a terrible daughter.

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I like to party.

This past weekend, though, our friends Matt and Amanda were kind enough to host a barbecue for Memorial Day. I picked up some out of this world hot dogs and chorizo from The Meat Hook and made a radish salad, while Matt made excellent cheddar and jalapeño burgers, all of which were happily consumed in a matter of minutes. We drank plenty of beers and ended up overstaying our welcome, I’m sure, as we closed out the night singing old Weezer songs at the top of our lungs on Matt and Amanda’s roof. I’m sure that their neighbors were thrilled – who doesn’t want to hear a bunch of drunk twenty-somethings singing really poorly as you try to celebrate the holiday? Hopefully they will forgive a little too much merriment on our glorious three day weekend. On Monday, we had brunch with Rachel one last time at Walter Foods, had one last cocktail at Roebling Tea Room, then said our goodbyes as Rachel left to go make the rounds with her other friends. To drown our sorrows, Kramer and I went and saw Fast & Furious 6, which was exactly what we needed to lift our spirits. If Vin Disel and The Rock can’t make you feel better, I don’t know what can. We walked home, ordered Thai for dinner, finished Arrested Development, and went to bed early; we definitely needed the sleep!

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I made these Peanut Butter Sandies for Kramer’s birthday last month, and I am really proud of them. I love how much sugar ended up sticking to the outside. I credit this with liberally sprinkling sugar on the outside of the cookies after rolling them, instead of rolling them directly in sugar. Rolling them leads to the sugar dissolving before they hit the oven, but with the sprinkling, the sugar sits on top of other granules of sugar, leaves a nice, crunchy layer that keeps you coming back for just one more. I actually baked these a week beforehand, froze them, then thawed them out, and the sugar still stayed intact, while the cookies themselves got even chewier and tastier the second go around. Go figure. I used a whole vanilla bean in these since it was Kramer’s birthday and I wanted to make him feel special, but vanilla extract does the job just as well. Add in plenty of peanut butter and chopped nuts, and you’ve got yourself a nearly perfect peanut butter cookie.

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Clams on the Half Shell

with an apple-ginger mignonette

The past week has been a whirlwind of dinners, gatherings, and parties. It feels as if we’ve gone out every night, but thankfully we’ve still managed to sleep and eat just fine, as you might imagine. We went from a beautiful Saturday afternoon out on the lawn of Prospect Park for the GoogaMooga food festival, to delicious 50 cent wing night in Bed-Stuy, to planning and shooting a video for Handsome Dan’s Candy Stand (get excited and visit if you’re ever in Williamsburg) with Matt, all with a few happy hours in between as we enjoy Kramer’s last week of a break from school before he goes back for the summer session (he’s such a hard worker). That’s what summer is for, I suppose, but maybe this week will be a chance for us to slow down a bit, hang out at home, and for the love of all things that are holy, finish watching Arrested Development’s new season. We’re almost done, but still, I’m slightly disappointed in our slow performance this time around. Don’t worry, we’ll get there.

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Rachel graduating from Pratt at Radio City Music Hall with Kramer.

I think that the real reason for all of these shenanigans is that my sister-in-law, Rachel, moved back to Phoenix today. She graduated from Pratt with a degree in photography, but her real passion is tattoo design and artistry, so she’s gotten herself an apprenticeship with her artist back home in Arizona. Kramer and I are really proud of her for living in New York on her own for four years, all while her then-boyfriend-now-fiance worked and finished up school in AZ. She’s been working at Wolfbat Studios here in the city, but now she gets to go and do what she truly loves, which is rare and exciting. I’ve personally learned a lot from Rachel, and I count myself among some of the luckiest people in the world to have such a close relationship with my sister-in-law. I’ve heard some horror stories, but Rachel and I have become great friends since Kramer and I moved out here and I am going to miss her deeply. I’m sure it won’t sink in that she’s gone until this coming weekend, when I will inevitable reach out to my phone to send her a text asking what she’s up to, only to remember that she’s 3,000 miles away. Rachel is one of the most caring, non-judgmental, understanding people I’ve ever met. She never jumps to conclusions or makes up her mind about something until she really knows everything she can about it. Most people, myself included, will talk out of their asses about things that they don’t necessarily know anything about, but Rachel’s never been one to do that. She’ll keep quiet until there’s actually something of value to say, which is a quality I wish I possessed instead of my usual M.O. which is to just talk until I’ve run out of things to say. She’s taught me to be a better person and I admire her for going back to the desert to make her dreams come true. Not many people would be willing to do that. Kramer and I will miss her immensely, but we are both incredibly proud of her and I know that she’s going to be the most bad ass tattoo artist that ever existed in a couple of years. I just hope she and her fiance Eric come to visit as often as possible.

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Anyway, enough with all the sentimental blubbering, right? Rachel is going to do great in Phoenix, Kramer and I are going to keep on keepin’ on in Brooklyn, and all is well with the world…minus the heat. It’s actually been beautiful and breezy the past few days, but I know that gross, thick humidity is just around the corner (we had a little last week), and when that time comes, all I can think about is fresh, cold, raw seafood. I don’t want anything cooked when my hair is frizzing out three feet above my head and I feel like I could cut the hot New York air with a knife. Kramer and I usually head over to Maison Premiere (and Rachel would come, too – boo hoo) for an oyster fix when we needed it, but we’ll order a small side of clams sometimes, too. When I saw some fresh ones for purchase the other day, I thought, hey, let’s shuck some clams at home! Fun! Wrong. I am super bad at shucking clams. I don’t know why I thought that it would be just like an oyster, but I feel like these were way harder to open. Kramer and I watched a bunch of YouTube videos and read about it, but there’s nothing like a ton of practice to make you good at shucking clams. I’m still not great at it, but after about ten clams and some choice words, I was able to do it at an alright pace. It’s kind of fun to sit there, cursing that damned clam, because when it finally opens, nothing can make you happier. I feel like Rachel would have loved to be right there with us, frustrated and laughing as we pathetically tried to open clam after clam. I will say, though, that once they are opened, they are just what you want on a hot summer day. Cold, slightly salty, and refreshing, especially with my apple and ginger mignonette sauce on top. If you’re looking for a project this summer, grab some clams and gives shucking a try. Even if you’re not good at it, like me, it’s still fun to try and I promise, you’ll eventually get the hang of it.

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Crock-Pot Lamb Tagine

a slow cooked Moroccan meal

Kramer and I had a phenomenal time at GoogaMooga on Saturday, and I feel really bad that they ended up having to cancel the event on Sunday due to the bad weather. If you didn’t get to go, my condolences, because Saturday ruled. We got there right when the gates opened and the rest was just a whirlwind of food, drinks, and outdoor activities. We had a beef tongue pastrami sandwich from Craftbar (with potato chips on the actual sandwich), a smoked meat sandwich from Mile End, duck corn dogs from James, phat Thai from Pok Pok, oysters bolognese from M. Wells, grilled oysters from Maison Premiere, a burger from Umami Burger, and I’m sure a few things in between that I can’t remember. This is all in between tastes of excellent beers and handmade cocktails from the cocktail pavilion. Don’t worry too much, all of this was consumed over the course of many hours – I think my heart may have exploded if I just sat down for a feast of this magnitude, although it was pretty epic. I know that the festival keeps having problems, between the bad lines last year and the weather this year, but I really hope that they can figure out a way to bring it back again next year because it’s always a blast to be able to try food from all over New York in one location, especially when that location is the beautiful Prospect Park.

Other than gorging ourselves this past weekend, we did manage to sneak in the new Star Trek movie. I really enjoyed it, although I do remember liking the first one a lot more; I guess it was something new to me at the time, such a well done sci-fi epic without too much cheese. Benedict Cumberbatch really won me over, though. I’m not a big fan of the BBC’s Sherlock (I much prefer the obviously superior Elementary with my main man Johnny Lee Miller), but he was such a creepy villan in this that I’m looking forward to seeing him do more. On Sunday, we obviously needed to take it very, very easy after our performance on Saturday. We had smoothies for breakfast and salmon for dinner in an attempt to reset our cholesterol levels and caught up on TV (Hannibal is so good you guys). Monday, however, we were back at it for 50 cent wing night in Bed-Stuy. I guess we will never learn.

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No, I didn’t cook this in an actual tagine, but don’t worry! The word tagine can refer to both those beautiful cooking vessels and the food that lies within, and I promise that you’re going to want a taste of what’s inside this crock pot. Tender lamb with just the right amount of lovely, marbled fat is slow cooked together with ras el hanout (a Moroccan spice blend), shallots, hot chile peppers, raisins, pine nuts, and a few other tasty additions. Ras el hanout is truly the key ingredient here. You can buy it, or you can just as easily make it on your own by combining chile powder, cinnamon, cumin, coriander, paprika, and turmeric. Kramer and I use ras el hanout on everything from potatoes to asparagus, so we figured that it was about time to use it for something more traditional. This lamb tastes almost buttery, and the sauce and leftover fat are perfect for adding richness to other dishes that you may be cooking up. Plus, there’s nothing as gratifying as having your home engulfed in the sweet and savory aroma of luscious lamb and its spices without having to turn on the stove or the oven. Kramer and I ate this over rice for dinner one night, over a salad for lunch the next day, and once again, for dinner with a fried egg on the following night. Waste not, want not.

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Rainbow Carrot Salad

pickled & sweet

It’s finally here! GoogaMooga weekend! For those of you who are either not obsessed with food-centric events or don’t live in New York, GoogaMooga is a giant food and music festival in Brooklyn’s Prospect Park. Kramer and I went last year and had an amazing time. A lot of people said that they had a terrible time – there were crowds, food ran out, it was hard to get beer and wine, etc. but to those people I say, duh! It was a free festival in Brooklyn. Over 1,500 people were there each day. Of course there were lines! Of course there was no cell phone reception! Kramer and I, being the nerds that we are, got there right when the gates opened, got out beer tickets, ate the food we wanted, then just hung out on the lawn and relaxed in the sunshine. I had a duck confit hot dog with black garlic, my first taste of Mile End Deli’s smoked meat sandwich (which consequently started my love affair with the restaurant), and more. I was in total heaven. This year, I’m looking forward to Toro’s (all the way from Boston) braised rabbit and snail paella and I’m definitely getting something sweet from Big Gay Ice Cream. Anyone else headed over that way this weekend? Kramer and I will be there on Saturday and I’m just counting the minutes!

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Kramer and I walked all around last weekend in search of Steve Burns’ awesome house – we just needed to see its beauty in real life.
As far as what’s going on this week, well, not too much, which is good. I’ve actually recently started a feeble attempt at running. I ran two miles on three days this week. I don’t know if it’s necessarily getting easier yet, but I do love being outside in the nice weather and exploring my neighborhood more than I have in the past couple of years. I’m obviously very slow, but it’s all about just working on it and not giving up, right? Right now, the first mile is great. I feel excellent and think to myself, “I could do this all day!” Then, around mile one and a half, I fall right off. At this point, I’m thinking to myself, “Oh sweet lord, just keep moving your feet.” One foot goes in front of the other until finally I’m home and I collapse on the cold stone floor of my apartment’s kitchen. Maybe sometime soon I’ll be able to do three miles, but for now, I’m just going to work on not feeling like I am going to die after two. My whole family runs or used to run, but I never really got into that. I rowed crew in high school, and we did have to run during training, but I was also 16 or 17 at the time, where nothing can stop you and physical activity is no big deal. Now, I sit on my ass all day in front of a computer, so running is a serious challenge. Hopefully I can keep it up this summer and maybe I’ll even go from pasty white skin to slightly beige skin. A girl can dream!

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As we head into the summer months, things are going to get real, people. Cooking is not fun in the summer, especially if you live in a place like New York where air conditioning barely works, if you’re lucky enough to have a unit at all, and everyone is packed into close, sweaty quarters. Kramer and I eat a lot of raw vegetables and fish when it’s hot outside, as I can’t be bothered to even turn on the stove for a few minutes to boil water. I was wandering around the farmer’s market one day before work and happened upon these beautiful rainbow colored carrots. I had to get them and do something to showcase their different levels of sweetness, along with their refreshing crunch. As it happened, the day I made this salad was warmer than usual (we’ve been having a lot of strangely warm days followed by chilly, breezy days lately) and I didn’t feel like cooking the carrots, plus I was afraid that their color would fade when put to heat. Therefore, into a red wine vinegar, sugar, and spring garlic mixture they went. Add a little freshly ground black pepper and lemon zest, and you’ve got yourself a lovely summer salad, that’s almost pickled but not quite. I liked to eat this nice and cold out of the refrigerator, but it’s perfect for a room temperature picnic side dish, too. You obviously don’t need different colored carrots for this, but if you can find them, they really do pop and make your plate look alive with purples, oranges, and yellows.

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Summer Sangria

with grilled citrus

Kramer had a fantastic birthday weekend, or at least I hope that he did! We celebrated a bit each day, which he absolutely deserves after completing his first full year of grad school. His last day of class was yesterday. Congratulations, Kramer! I’m so proud of him for working so hard during the day, studying at night, getting up and doing it all over again each day. I certainly couldn’t do it and I am in awe of his will power and determination. In light of that, I decided we really needed to do it right this year. On Friday night, we went to Burnside with a bunch of friends to have some drinks and stay out what ended up being a little too late, but it was my husband’s birthday party and we do what we do when we do what we do. I even brought over 100 cookies to the bar, and I think they were received well. I brought a box for the bartenders, because they are awesome, then enough to feed the entire bar. They were gone by the end of the night, and there’s nothing a baker likes to see more than all of her treats completely disappear.

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Off topic yet still important – I met Jeremy Allen White last week after the Salamander Sauce party.

On Saturday, we dragged ourselves out of bed to meet with Kramer’s dad, his girlfriend, Jill, and Rachel for brunch at Roberta’s before driving up to New Rochelle to see his aunt, uncle, cousins, and grandmother. Kramer’s aunt always makes us a big, special dinner whenever we make it up there. This time was no different. We had bread, cheese, caprese salad, spinach dip and crudites, Caesar salad, spaghetti and meatballs, sweet sausage, and garlic bread, followed by two different kinds of cake, cake pops, and my favorite, Girl Scout cookies (which I have certainly not had enough of this year). And that doesn’t even include the freely flowing wine and beer. Needless to say, we had a fabulous time. We were tuckered out and in bed by 10:30, where Kramer and I proceeded to sleep without waking up once until 8:30 in the morning. We definitely needed the sleep. On Sunday, Kramer’s dad generously treated us to yet another delicious meal at Craftbar – I think it was probably one of my favorite restaurant meals ever. Get ready for this. We started with fried artichokes, soft-boiled egg salad bruschetta with white anchovies, bread and cheese, and my favorite, duck hearts with dumplings and a fried egg. I’m drooling just thinking about it. Then we got to the main courses. I had halibut with pickled ramps, morels mushrooms, and the most pillowy, soft, incredibly gnocchi of my life. Kramer had veal breast with roasted ramps, potato puree, and wonderfully crispy sweetbreads. I had to finish the meal with an almond semifreddo, and then I immediately fell into a food coma (which was remedied with a quick drink at Raines Law Room with Morgan).

Sangria-13

You probably feel full even just reading about all of that incredible food, but you have to do it right when family is in town, there’s a birthday to celebrate, and Kramer’s sister is graduating from Pratt. Speaking of Kramer’s sister, she certainly loves herself a glass of red wine, so when I made this sangria, I had to invite her over for a glass or two. I actually made this because I did a photoshoot for McCormick Spices, and this was one of their recipes. I would never have thought to grill fruit before adding it to sangria, but it added a real depth of flavor to the red wine, as well as making for some lovely garnishes. A lot of people will add Sprite or something similar to their sangria, but I really prefer ginger ale. You can really even use diet and not notice a difference, which can help cut back on the sugar and make you feel a little less guilty about indulging in a cocktail or two mid-afternoon. Or is that just me? Whatever, this is a judgement-free zone. Hopefully it will warm up a bit more in NYC so that I can sit out in the sunshine with a big, cold glass of this grilled fruit sangria.

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©2013 The Crepes of Wrath