Bon Appetit

NYC is known for many things: fabulous shows, great restaurants, beautiful people and crazy nightlife (among many other things). Conveniently enough, T has family in Connecticut, just a short train ride to NYC. We spent a beautiful, sunny weekend in NYC. We saw Avenue Q Off-Broadway, ate dinner at a fantastic French restaurant called DBGB, and spent time with friends in the city. All in all, it was a relaxing weekend filled with some great people we hadn't seen in awhile.

DBGB was famous for its burgers, but after eating there, I'd say that people should definitely be talking about their desserts. yum.

T and I shared a delicious romaine salad with avocado, red pepper, carrot grapefruit & ginger-sesame dressing.

 

For my main course, I had the escalope of chatham cod with grilled artichokes & fennel, ramps, arugula crispy chickpea panisse, sauce vierge. Simple and perfect.

T had the ranch pork loin schnitzel with capers, cornichons, hazelnuts & french ham, asparagus
chanterelles and a sunnyside egg.

For dessert, we shared Baked Alaska (which the chef lit on fire at the table - awesome).

Pistachio lemon sundae, warm lemon bread pudding heaven...

 Mint and chocolate ice cream sandwhich with homemade fudge sauce.

And we left feeling incredibly full. Mind you, this restaurant also had about 30 different beers on tap and an incredible wine list. Yes, we will be coming back.

I know, I know...the picnic theme is getting old fast. But I swear, the sunny warm days are so few and far between that it really is an absolutely necessity to get outside while you can.

This picnic was on the healthy side. Because we don't have a grill at this new apartment, we are stuck roasting vegetables (which can be a bit limiting). But nevertheless, roasting veggies can be equally delicious if you are patient and get them juuuuust right.

This picnic included:

roasted broccoli, onions and sweet potatoes with homemade garlic tahini hummus.

Peanut noodles with homemade peanut sauce (incredibly simple recipe: heat 1/2 cup peanut butter, 2 tbls soy sauce, 2 tbls sesame oil, tsp cayenne pepper, 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic, and whatever spices you'd like to add - yum!)

Baked tofu in Thai almond seasoning - never gets old. A little salty, but delicious.

And a few long trail ales to wash it all down.

We're getting good at this picnic thing. :)

By the way - it should be noted - the more picnics you attend/host, the most you learn the bare necessities of picnic-ing.

Our bare necessities:

A warm blanket that you don't care for so much that you'll be devastated when it's covered in dirt, food, etc.

A cooler/sturdy bags to carry everything

Plastic plates, utensils, cups, napkins, etc.

A good book

Delicious finger food & ice cold drinks

And of course, someone to share your food with (or maybe just the blanket)

If you want to take it to the next level - grab some portable speakers & an iPod.

Okay - now I've clearly over-shared my picnicking obsession with you. Go eat & enjoy :)

The best kind of Saturday

The best kind of Saturday's start with the best kind of Farmer's Market. This day went a little somethin' like this...

Sleep in. Big jumbo sized coffee. Quick breakfast. Farmer's Market (which usually includes sampling, lots of bread, puppies galore and good friends). Walk along the waterfront. Vanilla creemee with rainbow sprinkles. Quick shower. Drinks & a night on the town.

 

 This bread is to die for. We are constantly re-visting this baker for fresh breads. This one was topped with rosemary, black olives and goat cheese. Our best yet - fresh wheat bread stuffed with kale, garlic, parm cheese & onions. Amazing.

Let there be light

 The rain has continued....until today. One brief day of sun, amidst what feels like an eternity of rain. It's actually incredibly depressing. The only upside to all of this rain....everything is in full bloom. The grass is green and all of the flowers are beautiful. Because we knew we'd only get a short time with this sun, we decided to venture down to the waterfront for a sunset picnic after work. We grabbed a few Red Stripes, a massive salad, blankets, some reading materials...and we were off.
Amazing salad that we both ate way too much of. And an even better sunset.

Business or Pleasure?

....more like 1/2 business, 1/2 pleasure. And yes, I'm referring to these beautiful treats. The cake balls were all pleasure, but the Cannolis were all business (aka a work related purchase)....

I still enjoyed tasting them, regardless of the purpose.

Sun is shining.

After hundreds of days filled with nothing but rain and snow, we received a day of sun. Believe it or not, there was no snow and no rain. We decided to seize the day, hit our favorite local market and soak up the sun. Belly was full, skin was toasted and I was happy. :)

Brussel sprout walnut salad, steamed broccoli, cabbage and carrot salad, curried cauliflower and a spinach tofu salad on the side.

Tofu Perfected

You can eat something for the majority of your life and never really know how to prepare it....until you really know how to prepare it. I will have no ego in saying that this tofu wasn't prepared by me, yet prepared for me in a perfect way. First, it was sliced into rectangles, pressed to remove excess water, dipped in extra virgin olive oil and rugged with a spicey thai almond spice. Baked at 400 degrees for 30 minutes or so. Perfect, crispy - but not fried.

The tofu was served with baked veggies and of course, a sweet potato with almond butter.
Heavenly.

Cake Balls.

Working for a dessert company, I'm forced to think about dessert on an everyday basis (rough life). I am always learning about new dessert trends and different ways to prepare traditional sweets. Cake balls are said to be a new, hip and trendy way to eat cake. Is this why I wanted to make them? No way. These just looked incredibly tasty. With a friend coming into town and some hungry roommates - these were just the trick.

It goes a little somethin' like this...

Directions:
Prepare a 9 inch cake (yellow or chocolate - your preference) Nothing wrong with store bought!

Remove cake from oven and crumble into a bowl while still warm.

Prepare frosting (vanilla, chocolate, buttercream, etc.)

 Use hand mixer to mix cake and frosting until smooth.

Refridgerate cake/frosting mixture for 3 hrs or overnight

Remove mixture from fridge.

Use melon baller to create small round balls.

Place balls on wax paper and keep in fridge for at least one hour.
Melt semi-sweet chocolate (or white chocolate) over boiling water until smooth.

Roll cake balls into chocolate until covered.
Place covered balls onto wax paper and sprinkle with rainbow sprinkles/nuts/assorted chocolate.

Place cake balls in fridge for at least one hour and enjoy.

WARNING: It is nearly impossible to consume just one cake ball. Do not be fooled by their size - this is not an individual serving - in any way, shape or form. :) 

While I did not make this because of their trendy, cute appeal .... I have to admit, they are pretty darn adorable.

The fruit parfait that fell from heaven.

One of my favorite cafes lives in the small town where both my parents grew up. This cafe is filled with local, natural foods and delicious baked goods. They have a perfect cup of coffee and even better fruit parfait.

Vanilla yogurt with homemade granola, strawberries, mango, kiwi, mango, blueberries and a spoonful of honey. I swear, it really is perfect.

Boston knows Italian food

I was lucky enough to travel to Boston for work last week and I am even luckier that one of my favorite people happens to live in the city. Ms. B and I met up at a tiny wine bar off of Newbury for dinner and drinks. We stuffed our faces with a caprese salad, Artichoke and goat cheese stuffed pasta in a creamy tomato-basil sauce, and a mushroom risotto with wild mushrooms, arborio rice and truffle oil essence. We had a few glasses of chianti, followed by a cappucino and two very full bellies. All very worth it.

Just one of Mom's specialties

Angel Food Cake is one of my Mom's all time favorite desserts. This was our Easter dessert (yea yea, a little behind). Served with fresh whipped cream, strawberries, blueberries and banannas. You can almost pretend like it's healthy....almost.

 

The best part is...fresh fruit means that summer is around the corner. :) weeee

Pizza at its best.

Nothing is better than a spontaneous night at Flatbread. Only the best flatbread pizza in Vermont. The key is to always get one of the specials - no matter how bizarre and unusual it sounds. It will be magical.
We split a large pizza - half punctuated equalibrium (goat cheese, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, etc.) and the other half, of course, was the vegie special (black beans, queso, cream cheese, assorted local vegies, etc. etc.)

AMAZING.

On top of the amazing pizza and atmosphere, the beer list is divine. Zero gravity beers on tap are all wonderful.

Homemade Lotion & Scrub

Thanks to my wonderful friend, Emily, I now use the best homemade face lotion and scrub everyday. I have always had pretty sensitive skin and I've tested every lotion at the drugstore. Emily's takes the cake. It's moisturizing, smells like coconut, and feels great on my skin. All natural and amazing. Luckily, for you, she has given me permission to share her secrets.

Baked kale, broccoli, onions and parsnips. 400 degrees for 35 minutes. Dash of sriracha and peanut sauce. Heavenly.