Crock Pots and Rooftops

Remember...

2011-04-29T18:12:00.001-07:00

Amy and Eric from here, here, and here? Check out their amazing wedding video over at Three Sisters Three Cities!

Bacon and Grape Chopped Salad

2011-04-28T06:21:00.000-07:00

Check out how to make this bacon and grape chopped salad over at Three Sisters Three Cities!

Banana Cookies with Brown Sugar Frosting

2011-04-26T13:20:00.000-07:00

Check out the recipe for these beauties over at Three Sisters Three Cities!

Parmesan Kale Chips

2011-04-11T18:17:00.000-07:00

New recipe for kale chips over at Three Sisters Three Cities!

I'll be posting my recipes and stories there from now on with my sisters :)

Baked French Toast and my sisters

2011-03-29T11:28:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone,

I am putting Crockpots and Rooftops on hold for a bit! My sisters and I are working on a blog together called Three Sisters Three Cities. We have been trying to work on a project together for awhile as another way to stay close and are really excited about Three Sisters Three Cities! My younger sister lives in San Francisco, my twin sister lives in Chicago, and I'm here in New York. We are going to be posting on fashion, beauty, culture, food, design, and anything else a 20 something has on their mind. I will be posting my recipes and pictures on there from now :)

Check out my post on baked french toast here.

I would love it if you followed me there!

threesistersthreecities.blogspot.com

Happy Friday and...

2010-12-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Merry almost Christmas weekend!

Images taken by our friend Phil at a Christmas Party photo booth

Here are some of my favorite Christmas inspired recipes out in the interweb:

101 Cookbooks posted links to her favorite past Holiday cookie recipes.

My favorite is the peppermint bark chocolate chip cookies!

Or try this olive oil popcorn recipe from Love and Olive Oil for a warm movie night in :)

These garlic butter roasted mushrooms from Smitten Kitchen look like the perfect dish to bring to a Holiday dinner party.

And this spinach, sausage, and shallot quiche looks SO good. It would make a great Christmas morning dish!

Pie in Jar :)

Last, but not least, fruit cake. Don't worry, this is not your grandma's fruit cake.

Happy Friday!

Shuff's Whiskey Sweet Potatoes

2010-12-16T09:00:00.000-08:00

Whiskey Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

- 4 pounds sweet potatoes

- 1 cup chopped walnuts

- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 3/4 cup maple syrup

- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

- 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt

- 1/4 cup of whiskey

- 2 cups crisp apples, cored, peeled, and sliced

Directions

Step 1.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

Place potatoes whole on a baking sheet (do not pierce)

Bake for 1 hour

Let cool

Step 2.

Toast chopped walnuts in a small frying pan

Add butter and let simmer on medium heat

Once melted, add syrup, kosher salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg

Let simmer 4-5 minutes

Add whiskey

Let simmer for 4-5 more minutes

Step 3.

Peel sweet potatoes

Cut into 1/2 inch slices

Lay on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan

Step 4.

Place the apples in between the potato slices

Pour the whiskey walnut mixture over the top

Place in the oven

Bake for 30 minutes

Step 5.

Take out of the oven and baste with whiskey

Serve and EAT.

Shuffle's Asparagus Bundles

2010-12-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

Megan and her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Shuffle. They flew in Thanksgiving night for a visit :)

Meet my sweet friend Shuffle. First name: Megan. She was one of the first few people I met in this city and I can't imagine what life would be like here without her. She has had a few different paths since moving here (like most of us), but has recently landed as the Program Coordinator for Broadway Dance Center's Professional Semester. She has some of the best dance moves I've ever seen - I dare you to turn on the soundtrack to Footloose around her, and see what happens. She will whip you up some Texas shaped pancakes, drop the needle on a record you forgot you loved, sit you down for some good conversation, and then hand you a book you never knew you loved on your way out. And she'll do it in the perfect shade of red lipstick.

Shuffle brought these beautiful bundles of asparagus to Thanksgiving dinner and sweet potatoes with a splash* of whiskey - the way she likes most things. Next post will detail that recipe :)

Asparagus Bundles
Ingredients
- 1 pound of asparagus
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- pinch of salt
- pinch of fresh ground pepper
- a bunch of green onions
- fresh cranberries

Preperation
Step 1.
Pre-heat the oven to 450 degrees
Clean and dry asparagus

Step 2.
Place the asparagus on a baking sheet
Drizzle the olive oil on top
Sprinkle the salt and pepper on top
Toss asparagus
Let bake for 10-15 minutes (depending on the thickness of the spears)

Step 3.
Place cranberries in a frying pan
Let simmer for a few minutes, until cranberries are soft
Set aside

Step 4.
Cut green onions to the desired length
When spears are done, bundle together and tie with the green onion
Garnish with the cranberries

Step 5.
Serve and EAT (or just stare because they're so pretty)

Pan-Browned Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Onion

2010-12-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

You've met Chinae before over here and I am happy to say that her distaste for cooking is slowly melting away. She may not admit that just yet, but these Brussels sprouts beg to differ. These babies are so easy and were a HIT at dinner with sprout eaters and non-sprout eaters alike.

Ingredients

- 1 pound of Brussels sprouts, cleaned and cut in half

- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

- 1 cup of onions diced

- 5 strips of bacon

Directions

Step 1.

Cook bacon over medium heat in a large pan

When done, remove from pan and place on cutting board

Step 2.

Add the diced onions to the bacon grease, let simmer for 2 minutes

Add Brussel's sprouts and butter, stir until pale golden color

Crumble bacon strips on top, stir and let simmer for 2 more minutes

Step 3.

Serve and EAT.

Everyone needs a Double Cake on Thanksgiving

2010-12-14T09:00:00.000-08:00

Joe showing his double cake to his mom in Texas via Skype

Remember Joe? His contribution to Thanksgiving was a double cake. That's right people, two Funfetti cakes with chocolate frosting in the middle. A lovely homage to this youtube sensation.

This cake has to be tied with Chinae and Shuffle's Bunny Gaga cake for Easter last year:

Glazed Pineapple and Bacon snack mix

2010-12-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

Des, Abbey, Roxy

Abbey rolled up into our lives about a year ago with her giant smile and laugh inducing ability to tell it like it is. She spends her days in the non-profit world placing adults with disabilities in jobs at the National Institute for People with Disabilities, her nights out on the town with Mo and Roxy, and her weekends yelling at the TV shouting for the Jay Hawks. She is a down to earth city girl, something that's pretty unique here.

And she brought an AMAZING snack mix to Thanksgiving. Bacon, chewy glazed pineapple, peanuts. It was glorious and I will definitely be making this for a dinner party or two in the new year.

She found the recipe for this snack mix on Food and Wine here.

Mo's Mac and Cheese

2010-12-13T09:00:00.001-08:00

We didn't get a good close up of the Mac and Cheese, but you can see it right next to these sprouts (that recipe is coming soon too!)

You've met Mo before over here. If you haven't checked out her style blog yet, you're missing out! Take a look at her Holiday gift guide here or here :)

She has made her famous Mac n' Cheese for almost all of our family gatherings. Below is her basic recipe and then feel free to add in other ingredients to the mix! Mo has added bacon, or truffle oil, parmesan cheese, brussel sprouts, peas ... the list goes on and on. There's never a dull moment with Mo's Mac and Cheese. In fact, there's never a dull moment with Mo. So that makes sense :)

I made this this weekend for a dinner party with crumbled blue cheese on top and it was a hit.

Mo's Mac and Cheese

Ingredients

- 1 package elbow macaroni
- 3 T butter
- 3 T flour
- 1 QT of milk
- pinch of nutmeg
- pinch of dry mustard
- 20 oz cheddar cheese
- palm full of Parmasean cheese
- salt and pepper to taste

topping::
- 1 T butter melted
- 3 T plain bread crumbs
- 4 oz shredded cheddar cheese

To Start::
Preheat your oven to 375 and place a large pot of water on the stove to start boiling.

Once water comes to a rolling boil, add salt and then the macaroni noodles

Cook noodles until al dente and then drain water. *** noodles have a tendency to start to stick together once drained however I avoid adding butter to them. I find that it repels the cheese sauce from sticking and baking into the noodles.***

Cheese Sauce::
Melt butter in the same large pot you cooked the noodles in.

Once melted add the flour and whisk until all is combined and bubbling (keep an eye on the rue, you don't want it to burn).

Once the flour and butter has combined and cooked for about 30 seconds, continue whisking as you add the milk over medium heat.

Whisk in the nutmeg, mustard, and pepper.

Do not leave the stove at this point! You must continue whisking to keep from burning and sticking as well as to thicken the milk.

In 5-10 minutes your milk mixture should be significantly thicker due to the rue. Turn off the burner and stir in the shredded cheese.

Once well combined, add salt to taste and stir in the cooked noodles, then transfer to a casserole dish.

Combined melted butter with the bread crumbs and sprinkle on top of the casserole dish.

Bake in the oven 15-30 min until sauce if bubbly and edges have browned.

2-3 minutes before I remove from the oven, I sprinkle some extra cheese on top of the dish to melt before serving.

Turkey Time.

2010-12-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Every year for the past three years our dear friend Tyler (I have known Tyler for awhile, he grew up two houses away from my grandparents in Lake Bluff, IL) makes the turkey. He wouldn't have it any other way - in fact, I don't think anyone else would dare ask to make it instead. It's his job. And he's good at it. Our turkey has increased in size over the years, starting in the low 20 pound range, last year pushing 27 pounds, and this year weighing in at 32. That's a big boy. I emailed Tyler for his turkey preparation instructions and got the following sentence in return: "An oven bag, bacon bits, makers mark, and butter."

That was the entire email. And that is why I love Tyler. He knows what he likes and that's all he needs. He's somehow figured out how to make a living doing what he loves, even though what he loves doesn't make an obvious career path. chess and jazz. And when he's not doing those things, he's making the most out of this city he loves so dearly. Tyler will tell you without flinching the best way to prepare a martini and the proper way to tie a tie and he'll quote a sonnet and the score from last night's basketball game in the same breath. And now we can add bad a** maker's mark turkey bastin' to his repertoire.

Tyler doesn't exactly measure things out when he makes the turkey, so I am guessing at some of these measurements. Enjoy!

Tyler's Turkey

Ingredients

- 1 turkey

- 1 stick of unsalted butter

- 1/4 cup of Makers Mark

- 1 cup of crumbled bacon bits

Materials

- roasting pan

- baster

- oven bag

Directions

Step 1.

- Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees

- Melt the stick of butter over the stove

- Wisk in Makers Mark and bacon

Step 2.

- Rinse the turkey and pat dry.

- Lightly stuff with your favorite stuffing recipe

- Brush turkey with the butter, bacon, Makers Mark mixture

Step 3.

- Add the rest of the mixture to the oven bag

- Place in roasting pan at least 2 inches deep

- Place the turkey in the bag

- Close oven bag

Step 4.

- Cut six 1/2–inch slits in top

- Insert meat thermometer through bag into thickest part of inner thigh, not touching bone

- Tuck ends of bag in pan

Step 5.

- Cook according to time listed on the Turkey

- A 32 pound turkey took 5 hours

Step 6.

- Carve, serve, and enjoy!

Christmas trees, cookies, and ornaments

2010-12-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend this guy and I got our first real Christmas tree. The last two years our apartment was so small we could only fit a Charlie Brown like fake tree in it. Don't get me wrong, I loved that tree. But just like I loved our 225 square foot first apartment, I love it even more now as a fond memory and funny "remember when..." story. Things like that are our New York City living war wounds. We all have them.

And this year we added another scar to our city dwelling selves. We found this beautiful (and slightly misshapen at the top) tree about 4 avenues and 3 blocks away from our apartment. So we walked it home. Actually, first we tried to hop on the bus with it - but we got quite a few angry stares and when the net wrapped around the tree got caught in some guy's jacket as he was trying to get out, we felt it was best to take our tree and leave. So we walked. The heaviest side of the tree under Nathan's arm and the tree stand we purchased in his other hand, and the other side of the tree under mine.

We got that tree up our stoop and up the two flights of stairs to our apartment and leaned it up against the window. Proud. We set it up that night and the next day had two friends over for some chili, cookies, and decorating. In my family decorating the tree is a ritual. You bake cookies, make hot chocolate, turn on a Christmas movie or music, and watch as my dad puts on the lights (thanks dad). Then we would all pounce to put the ornaments on, watching as my mom winced a little bit when we would put the gaudiest, biggest ornaments right in front - all on top of each other. That's one of the reasons I love the holidays, remembering old traditions and creating new ones.

This weekend we are going to put some more lights on the tree and I'm going to make a few more ornaments. We also have some holiday parties coming up and I love the idea of baking some cookies, filling a jar (or tin) full of them, making one ornament to tie into the twine you wrap the cookie jar (or tin) in, and then sticking a cute vintage tag with the words "thank you" on it as a hostess gift! Here are some cookie and homemade ornament ideas:

Cookies

One of my favorite cookie recipes is Nestle Toll Houses. No matter what chocolate chip cookie recipe I try, friends end up always liking these more.

I do add:

- some oats to bulk up the cookies (I never measure this- but I would guess my eyeballing equals to about 1/2 cup)

- a pinch of nutmeg in the winter

I also make sure to:

- cook them for the shortest amount of time suggested and then let them sit out of the oven on the pan for at least 5 minutes to continue baking

- store any leftovers in Tupperware with half a piece of bread to keep them moist.

Or if you want something different check out these 50 cookie recipes over at Real Simple.

Ornaments

- Check out these DIY embellished ornaments from the ladies over at Thursdays and while you're there check out their other cute Holiday crafts!

- Or these amazing felt ornaments here and here over at Bright Life. Have you seen this blog before? Because if you haven't, you should! Cute DIY projects, recipes, and thoughts on life :)

Happy Friday!

Friendsgiving

2010-12-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

We spent our third Thanksgiving in this city at the Anderson's apartment. Everyone brought a dish, Amy set the table beautifully for all 25 people, Otis was on the record player, some Lady Gaga inspired songs were sung, and we celebrated. We celebrated new jobs, new friends and neighbors, new marriages and relationships, new art created and organizations started, new music made and pictures taken, and new dreams cast. We celebrated surviving another year in this city.

Check out these amazing pictures below of our day by Mr. Anderson (and their amazing apartment too!). It is crazy to think that that first Thanksgiving was just two years ago.

Recipes for these dishes coming soon :)

Alegria Benefit

2010-12-07T21:12:00.000-08:00

Pictures taken by Karen Kristian

On Nov. 18th we held a benefit for Alegria at a gallery space in a luxury furniture design store in Soho. We hung the children's art on the wall, invited our friends, coworkers, and co-creators, pored some drinks, and told the story of the orphanage community we were lucky enough to encounter this past September. A few us spoke about our experience and our dear friend Adam debuted his documentary. It was a beautiful night.

And while this post is not giving you a recipe, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to share this here. Alegria was born and raised around makeshift kitchen tables all over this city, in early morning conversations over really good coffee, and in corner booths in New York diners. Three years of talking over good meals not only produced some amazing friendships, it also produced this.

Learn more about Alegria and watch our documentary here.

Check out some beautiful shots of the night over at Des' blog here.

Roasted Squash and Arugula Salad

2010-12-07T20:20:00.000-08:00

This picture was found on facebook :) And it is awesome.

Note: I've never seen her wear pink. ever.

Remember elementary school lunch? No matter what your mom packed, you always wanted what was in the other kid's lunch boxes. That was when I first started to understand the concept of jealousy. That and watching the Little Mermaid. Ariel was just so cool.

This last month I haven't had much time to make lunch for myself, so I just shoved whatever was in our fridge into my work bag. Then lunch would role around and I'd pull out my flimsy turkey and cheese sandwich and stare longingly at my co-workers desks. One coworker in particular always has the best lunches. Lauren. She and I started at around the same time at our organization and I have coveted her lunches ever since. And when she pulled out this roasted squash and arugula salad (pictured above) the other week, I really felt like I was back at that elementary school cafeteria again. But this time instead of asking her to trade, I took a picture and asked her to email me the recipe.

Go here so you can do the same :)

The thing about Lauren is that she has a knack for making healthy food look tasty.

She also has a knack for pointing out the absurdity in life and helping you laugh about it, offering up her ear to listen and then really listening, and just plain getting sh** done. Oh, and she looks like Ariel. So she gets the 8 year old me cool vote for that.

Thanks for sharing girl!

It's December already?

2010-12-07T20:03:00.000-08:00

I realized today that I haven't posted in a month! Yikes. There has been lots of cooking and gathering ... just not enough time to write about it. I went to California for work and sandwiched that trip with a visit to my sister in San Francisco and a visit to Nathan's dad in San Diego for an early Thanksgiving. Logged in some late nights to catch up, plus there was the benefit gallery event for Alegria, then Thanksgiving, and this last weekend away in Chicago to celebrate a college friend's marriage.

And now it's December. How did that happen?

I am back on the blogwagon and will be posting recipes, pictures, and stories regularly starting.... now.

Image by Andrew Ryan Sheperd

Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup

2010-11-04T21:04:00.001-07:00

I had to break out my winter coat this week as November made its way into the city. Perfect weather for some tomato soup and grilled cheese. This week we made creamy tomato soup (and by "made" I mean Nathan poured it out of the can and into the a pan on the stove) and grilled cheese with sharp white cheddar cheese and bacon. Comfort food is just that, comforting. And who doesn't need a little comfort when it hits 30 degrees?

Check out these Grown-Up Grilled Cheeses from MarthaStewart.com

Or these 4 ways to make a grilled cheese from Real Simple

I'm headed out of the cold and to San Francisco this weekend for work and to visit my sister. I can't wait!

Happy Friday!!!

Spinach and Tomato Frittata

2010-11-04T20:23:00.000-07:00

We had two friends over for brunch on Sunday and we all ended up wearing our pajamas, crowded in my kitchen - mixing, cutting, frying, stirring, drinking coffee, and talking. As much as I complain about the size of my easy bake ovenesque kitchen, on cold mornings like Sunday, with good friends crowded around the stove, I can't help but love it.

We ended up making a spinach and tomato frittata, silver dollar pancakes, and bacon. It was delicious (even though I wasn't that happy with the pancake recipe). So, call up some friends on a weekend morning, tell them to come over in their pajamas, and cook up some breakfast together. You can use this frittata recipe below:

Spinach and Tomato Frittata

Ingredients
- 8 eggs
- 1/4 cup of milk
- 1 cup sauteed spinach
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 large tomato thinly sliced
- 1 medium sized onion chopped and sauteed

Directions
Step 1.
Grease the bottom of a 13 x 9 inch pan.
Pre- heat the oven to 350 degrees.

Step 2.
Crack eggs in large bowl and beat.
Slowly add in milk as you are beating.

Step 3.
Add 3/4 cup of cheese and stir.
Next add the sauteed spinach and onions.
Pour mixture into the greased 13 x 9 inch pan.

Step 4.

Top the pan with the thinly sliced tomatoes.

Sprinkle the remainder of the 1/4 cup of cheese on top.

Place in the oven for 35 minutes.

Halloween.

2010-11-03T06:11:00.000-07:00

Photo taken by Nate

Pumpkin carved by Chinae

Halloween is to New Yorkers as Easter is to the Bible Belt. A sacred, community centered celebration where everyone looks fabulous. Halloween after all is a Holiday focused on letting your freak flag fly. And isn't that why most of us flock to New York in the first place?

Like every good holiday should be spent, our weekend was filled with friends, food, costumes, candy, and traditions. We spent the weekend visiting Washington Irving's house outside of Tarrytown (a very cute date planned by my history loving husband), at the annual Restore Halloween party (restore is an amazing organization doing phenomenal things here in the city to rehabilitate young women who have been rescued out of the sex trade market), making brunch with friends, carving pumpkins in Prospect Park (this was our 3rd annual pumpkin carving gathering), and handing out candy to tricker treaters in Chelsea.

This guy chose our Halloween costumes this year, and we dressed as what he thought was a hilarious take on a couple costume. Can you guess what we are?

Sitting still with Alegria

2010-10-29T07:14:00.000-07:00

It's been a crazy work week this week, which meant no time for cooking or blogging. I have been in the office late with kids, planning and putting on one giant celebration for our students and their families with my co-workers, and at a Gala for one of the organizations that support our students with scholarships. It's felt like there's been no time to look up.

Then I got this video in my inbox from our friend Adam who traveled with us to Peru to document our trip last month. It's a 2 minute "teaser" to the 10 minute documentary short he's making of our experience. I sat and watched it at least 10 times. In a row. I remember a really powerful moment when a few of us on the trip were sitting in a room with Miguel, the man who founded and runs the orphanage. He was saying thank you to us, and his last sentence was "In a world that moves so quickly, thank you for coming here to sit still with us."

When we got home from Peru we jumped head first back into our lives. The chaos and fast pace of the city swept us up. This video caused me to sit still with them again. So thank you my friend for making this :)

Happy Friday!

Chicken and Bow Tie Pasta.

2010-10-20T18:15:00.000-07:00

Nathan and I had this quick and easy pasta for dinner on Tuesday night. No story here, it just tastes good and I wanted to share :)

Chicken Bow Tie Pasta

Ingredients

2 boneless chicken breasts

2 cups of whole wheat bow tie pasta

1o oz. of frozen peas

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 clove of minced garlic

1/4 cup of pine nuts

1 cup of shredded sharp white cheddar cheese

Directions

Step 1.

Pre-heat oven to 350.

Begin boiling water on stove according to pasta package directions.

Step 2.

Place chicken breasts in dish with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.

Bake in oven for 35 minutes.

Step 3.

Prepare pasta according to package.

Prepare peas according to package.

Step 4.

Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 clove of minced garlic in a skillet.

Place pasta, chicken, and peas in skillet.

Toss with pine nuts and shredded cheese.

Step 5.

Serve and Eat.

Makes 3-4 servings

Beans, Apples, and Karen.

2010-10-20T05:48:00.000-07:00

Karen took pictures of the Hurd's Family Farm apple picking trip again, and they are beautiful! Even though Nathan and I couldn't go, looking at her pictures makes me feel like I was there :) Take a look here, and while you're there, stay awhile! I absolutely love her blog and her work, there is a grace to her picture taking that's hard to explain - but once you see them you'll know. She captures beauty and strength simultaneously and draws you in to whatever world she had been lucky enough to bring her camera into.

The picture above is my favorite from the day - her name is Loretta, we all call her the "bean" for short, and she is the daughter of Stacy and Zach. Zach is a phenomenal musician and has a show coming up soon at Rockwood in the East Village. Check out his music here.

Meatloaf. Beatloaf.

2010-10-18T09:39:00.000-07:00

That's right, you read the title of this post correctly. Meatloaf. When I used to think about meatloaf, three things came to mind:

1. That he would do anything for love.

2. That scene from A Christmas Story where the little boy refuses to eat meat loaf and his mom gets him to eat it by acting like a little piggy. That movie played every Christmas morning in my house and was the only movies that really got my dad laughing (that and Sandlot)

and..

3. Old people

So when I was thinking about what to make for dinner last night, I was surprised when meatloaf popped in my head. I wanted something that was relatively easy and that I could put in the oven for a bit without worrying about it. I am in the middle of The Girl Who Played With Fire, and the idea of sticking something in the oven and sitting for 45 minutes with a glass of wine, on the couch, curled up with my book while dinner cooked was very appealing. I looked around the Internet for basic meatloaf recipes and then put together what I liked and made turkey meatloaf. I cut up some baby red potatoes and drenched them in butter and garlic for a side, and when the potatoes and meatloaf had 10 minutes left I made a quick salad by tossing some balsamic vinaigrette, tomatoes, and lettuce together.

Nathan and I loved it and while I was eating that delicious loaf of meat, I realized something. Hipster parents everywhere are naming their kids Ruth, Betty, Mildred, and Harry. Girls are in knee length full skirts and floral pattern tops, wide rim plastic framed glasses are perched on top of every one's noses, and suspenders and bow ties are all over the streets of Brooklyn.

Old is the new new.

Which means meatloaf is making a comeback. I have never felt so cutting edge.

Turkey Meat Loaf

Ingredients
1 lb. of ground turkey
2 eggs
3 stalks of celery chopped
1 bell pepper chopped
1 medium Spanish onion diced
1 cup of barbecue sauce (my favorite is Sweet Baby Ray's honey BBQ)

Directions

Step 1.
Pre-heat oven to 350.
Mix turkey, eggs, chopped celery, chopped pepper, diced onion, and 1/2 a cup of barbecue sauce together in one large bowl.

Step 2.
Place mixture in one ungreased loaf pan.
Cook in the oven 350 for 45 minutes.

Step 3.
Spread the remaining BBQ sauce on top.
Cook for an additional 20 minutes.

Step 4.
Serve and Eat.

Serves 3-4

This recipe is easily doubled and tripled, so Monday Night Dinner crew, get ready for some meat loaf :)

Apple Pickin' Season.

2010-10-14T19:59:00.000-07:00

Images from last year's trip taken by Karen

Our friends are taking our annual Apple picking trip up to Hurd's Family Farm (don't let the cheesy website fool you - this place is amazing) this Saturday, but this guy and I are headed to upstate New York. Nathan was asked to moderate a panel discussion on Christianity and the media for an organization based out of Harvard and they are putting him up in a swanky hotel (and by swanky, I mean a Hilton- but free hotel suite is swanky to us!) and they invited me to come along. I couldn't pass up a weekend in a hotel and a Saturday spent with my phone off, swimming laps, and sitting pretty in a sauna.

Although when I look at the pictures here from last year's trip, I can't help but feel a little sad. Corn husks, apple trees as far as the eye can see, my city friends covered in mud and with apples falling out of their pockets, and apple cider donuts. It feels like I can't let the Fall pass me by without those things. There are a few of us who aren't going to be around this weekend, so maybe we'll have to take our own trip sometime soon :)

I've asked people to pick some extra apples for me and have started the hunt for some quality apple recipes. Karen left a great apple pancake casserole recipe a few posts back that I can't wait to try.

Any other suggestions for recipes that call for fresh apples?

For apple picking places in the greater New York area, check out Thursdays compiled list here.

Happy Friday!

Mr. and Mrs. Anderson

2010-10-12T06:23:00.001-07:00

Above image by Josh Goleman

Above 2 images by Nate Poekert

Amy and Eric's wedding this past weekend was absolutely brilliant. Brilliant in both the smart kind of way (all of the details were thought of and through), as well as actually brilliant - full of bright, palpable, joy. Joy radiating from them as they took their vows, walked down the aisle as husband and wife, had their first dance together as a married couple, and joy in their face as they would steal glances at each other if they had gotten swept away for a minute. Everyone else in the room was not just responding to the visible joy they saw in Amy and Eric. We came in with our own :) There was an entire community of friends and family who wouldn't have wanted to do anything else that day but see those two get married.

In my next few posts I'll be detailing some of the creative, DIY, aspects of their wedding. It was absolutely gorgeous. The church, the service, the venue, the flowers, the dress, the hair, the music, and the desserts - which turned out beautifully, but involved a minor melt down in my kitchen due to a pie mishap the night before :)

However, I wanted to start with this post because at the end of the day a wedding is about two people entering a covenant together to commit to honoring God in the way they honor one another, with their friends and family there to witness it. All of the other details are accents.

Dessert Table Friday

2010-10-08T07:31:00.000-07:00

Image by Our Labor of Love

Image found on Oncewed

Image by Tec Petaja

Nathan and I are heading to Cold Spring this weekend to celebrate the marriage of two of our very dear friends. There are so many wonderful things about this wedding, all of which I can't wait to share with you later! There was one thing in particular that struck me this morning as I woke up with my "to do list" bouncing around in my head. Their friends are (and were) really involved in the planning and preparing for this day.

We've all stood by them and watched as their friendship turned itself into a relationship and then into an engagement and tomorrow we get to stand by them - some of us literally, some in our styling, in our baking, our designing, our DJing, our photography and videography, and some in our music - into a marriage. They've invited each of us to weave ourselves - our art, our passion, our creativity - into the fabric of their day. What a blessing that is :)

A few of us are in charge of putting together the dessert table for tomorrow and I have had quite a lot of fun over the last few weeks pouring over wedding reception images. The images above are some of my favorites.

Check out some fantastic dessert table ideas on what has quickly become the best wedding website I know - OnceWed.

Happy Friday!

Elastic waistband, Elastic Summer

2010-10-07T20:00:00.000-07:00

I didn't make enough food on Monday Night Dinner for my dear friend Joe. I know he looks quite skinny (he's the dapper young man on the right) - but don't let his size deceive you. That boy can eat. And talk. We've all spent many a Monday night dinner listening to Joe's stories and slightly (I'm being generous here) off kilter humor. He's going to kill me for saying this - but beneath that salty, sarcastic, tattoo laden exterior lies one of the kindest people I know. He is quick to make fun of you, but even quicker to stand by you.

And he's also pretty talented. Joe - you didn't get any chicken pot pie casserole, but your new band gets my vote :)

Check out Elastic Summer here.

Don't worry, I also owe you a meal!

Image by Eric

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole

2010-10-07T18:21:00.000-07:00

Monday Night Dinner came back into my life with a vengeance this week. Between my time away in Peru and at home and then working late before and after that time in order to prepare and recover, I had not been to an MND for over a month. So we had everyone over to our house for some chicken pot pie casserole. And by everyone - I mean 16 people. We have been lucky enough to get 5 new neighbors over the last month and that night we also had 3 guests. I left work and had exactly 1 hour to grocery shop and cook a meal. Yikes.

This recipe below ended up being perfect for the occasion. I have made this before with homemade basil biscuits on top, however there was no time for homemade or basil :) I ended up using the Pillsbury pre-made biscuits to go on top. I'll make sure to share the basil biscuit recipe here soon. I took the recipe below and multiplied it by 3.

One problem .... I still didn't make enough. Cooking for that many people has a large learning curve - and I guess I'm still stuck in that middle of it :) I filled all the casserole dishes I had, but when two of our friends showed up a little late, nothing was left. I guess this girl needs another dish. I'm so sorry Joe and Roxy!! Next time you get a whole meal to yourself.

Chicken Pot Pie Casserole (half homemade version)

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery (In my mad Super Market Sweepesque dash through the grocery store, I forgot this! And I could tell - never again.)
1/2 cup chopped baby carrots
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1 (10 ounce) can peas, drained
1 (10 ounce) can corn, drained
4 cups diced, cooked chicken meat

Directions
Step 1.
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan with butter.

Step 2.
In the skillet, melt the butter over medium high heat.
Cook the garlic, onions, carrots, and celery in the skillet until tender.
Slowly mix in the flour, salt, sugar, and pepper.
Pour in the chicken broth and stir until boiling.
Once boiling, reduce heat and stir in peas, corn, and chicken.

Step 3.
Pour the mixture into the 9x13 greased pan.
Pop open (my favorite part) the pillsbury pre-made refrigerator biscuits and layer them on top of the mixture.
Bake the casserole for 15 - 18 minutes in the oven.

Step 4.
Serve and EAT.

Pancake lovin'

2010-10-06T13:47:00.001-07:00

On Saturday I made chocolate chip pancakes for Nathan's faux birthday :) I didn't get any good photos that morning, but these two above are from a trip we took with some friends up to Brooklin Maine last summer. Whenever there's occasion to celebrate, sleeping in and making a big breakfast is one of my favorite ways to do it. Here's the quick and easy recipe I use to make these beauties.

Ingredients

1 cup all purpose flower

(to attempt to be healthier, I'll put 1/2 cup of white flower and 1/2 cup of whole flower)

1 egg

1 cup of milk

1 tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons butter, melted (optional!)

Directions

Step 1.

Sift together all of the dry ingredients: flower, sugar, salt, and baking powder in one bowl.

Make a well in the center.

In another bowl mix together the egg, milk, and melted butter.

Pour the liquid mixture into the well, mix until smooth.

Step 2.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan at medium heat.

Scoop 1/4 of the batter onto the pan.

Place whatever fixins' you want on top (chocolate chips, bananas, blueberries, etc.)

Brown on both sides and serve hot.

(if you double this recipe, put your oven on "warm" and place the pancakes on a cookie sheet in the oven while you make the rest)

Makes 4-5 servings

Fall is here :)

2010-10-04T06:33:00.000-07:00

It's officially fall in New York and although it's a bit dreary today- this last weekend was beautiful. This guy and I celebrated the arrival of this cool, crisp season by making Saturday Nathan's official faux birthday. On his actual birthday we were flying home from Peru and then in the hospital with my mom. So, I declared this past Saturday as a re-do. I made him some chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast- and then we spent the day doing all of his favorite Saturday Fall activities. Strolling through the Farmers Market here in Prospect Heights, checking out the flea markets in Park Slope (ok, maybe that's my favorite activity), and picnicking in Prospect Park for lunch.

And to top off the weekend, tonight Monday Night Dinners are back!

Be on the lookout for my favorite pancake recipe and other Fall weekend recipe posts coming in the next few days :)

For more pictures of the Farmers Market and Park Slope, check out my sweet friend Karen's blog here. She is a fantastic photographer. And person. And soon to be another one of our neighbors. Heck yes.

Taste the Madness

2010-10-03T19:46:00.000-07:00

No, your eyes are not deceiving you - that is indeed a burger with two Krispy Kreme Donuts as a bun. Watch here as my friends Jon and Tyler try this, and a few other "mega-sandwich-calorie bombs" for Time.com :)

What do you think, would you ever eat that?

Image found on vegansoiree.com

Happy Friday!

2010-09-30T21:17:00.000-07:00

I have been helping to plan the dessert table for Amy and Eric's wedding next weekend and have come across some amazing looking cookies, muffins and drinks on the world wide web :) Take a gander...

Chocolate chip cookies made with bacon grease? Yes. Please. Thank you Homesick Texan!

I'm going apple picking in two weeks and these Old Fashioned Apple Muffins look like a perfect recipe to dive into with some fresh off the tree goodness.

These Apple Brandy Cider cocktail look amazing :) Apparently I was on an apple kick when I was bookmarking recipes :)

Happy Friday!

Sausage and Goat Cheese Pasta and Sausage and Veggie Pasta Salad

2010-09-30T20:12:00.000-07:00

My love affair with leftovers continues. On Tuesday night this week I made enough sausage and goat cheese pasta for two dinners. I also made extra sausage and pasta to make a yummy cold pasta salad for one lunch. This dish was added to our regular dinner rotation after my friend Angie made it for us when we were visiting Chicago. It's easy, makes a lot of servings, and tastes like it took a while to make :)

Angie's Sausage and Goat Cheese Pasta

(with extra pasta, sausage, and onions made at the same time)

Ingredients

1 lb. of Penne Pasta

1 24 oz. jar of Newman's Own Vodka Pasta Sauce

8 sweet Italian turkey sausage (or regular Italian sausage)

1 cup crumbled goat cheese

1/2 cup of diced Spanish onions

1 cup of cut green beans (I've tried a few different veggies in the pasta, my favorite so far has been mushrooms)

Preparation

Step 1.

Cook pasta, while the water is boiling...

Take the casing off the sausage by cutting the end and using the edge of the knife to slice and pull off the casing

Once the casing is off, slice sausages into quarter size pieces

Step 2.

Place 1/3 cup of diced onions with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a sauce pan at medium heat

Let onions saute for 5 min. to bring out the flavor

Place the sliced sausages in the pan with the onions

Cook until the sausages are no longer pink (around 7 min.)

Once cooked, separate around 1 cup of the sausage and put aside in Tupperware (for the cold pasta salad!)

Step 3.

Drain the pasta

Put 1 cup of the cooked pasta in the Tupperware

Heat the Vodka pasta sauce in a sauce pan on high for 3-5 minutes

Step 4.

Place the pasta, sausage/onions/green bean mix, and sauce in a large serving bowl

Crumble goat cheese on top

Step 5.

Serve and EAT. And then eat again for another meal :)

Then, take the leftover pasta and sausage and make...

Sausage and Veggie Pasta Salad

Ingredients

1 cup of cooked pasta

1 cup of cooked, sliced sweet Italian sausage

1/3 cup of diced Spanish onion

1/2 cup of diced tomatoes

1/2 cup of diced cucumber

2 tablespoons of low fat Italian dressing (my favorite is Newman's Own - love that man!)

Preparation

Step 1.

Only 1 step here, mix all above ingredients!

Tacos, Omelettes, and some leftovers

2010-09-28T19:48:00.000-07:00

Last week was a little crazy as I attempted to catch up after 3 weeks away. There was no time for Monday Night dinners, grocery shopping, laundry, or even going near the kitchen. I knew this week was going to be similar, so over the weekend I grocery shopped with two main goals:

1. Buy foods that can be used in multiple recipes (the way I used the cabbage for both the asian chicken salad here and the cole slaw here)

and...

2. Make dishes that leave good left overs :)

Left overs tend to get a bad rap, people think they'll just never be as good as when you first had them. Why not just toss them out and on a night you don't want to cook or don't have time, order chinese food. While I love Chinese food, I couldn't disagree more with this left over mentality, and this week my affection for them has only grown. I will be documenting my week long affair with said leftovers in the next two posts.

On Friday night we stayed in, made tacos, and caught up on all of the TV premiers we missed. After all of our moving and shaking over the last month - a night in with Tina Fey, the New Directions, a Modern Family, and Amy Poehler couldn't have been more perfect. The next morning we indulged in another weekend activity we hadn't done for awhile: sleeping in. We made a big breakfast, put on some music, and sat at the table talking.

We ended up eating left over tacos all throughout the week in various ways - nachos, taco salad, black bean soup with fixings on top :) I also ended up using the Pico de gallo to make a delicious egg white omelet the next morning. Here is how I made the tacos and the omelette:

Quick and Easy Taco Recipe

Ingredients

- 1 lb. of ground beef

- 1 pack of Ortega taco seasoning (again - crazy week, I didn't want to make my own seasoning)

- 2 vine ripened tomatoes diced

- 1/2 a Spanish onion diced

- 2 tablespoons of cilantro

- 2 cloves of garlic minced

- 1 cup of lettuce chopped

- 2 tablespoons of sour cream

- 1 package of flour tortillas ( I prefer Goya)

- 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese grated

- 1 can of black beans

Preperation

Step 1.

Cook the ground beef in a large frying pan

Leave in pan until meat is browned

Follow the directions on the taco seasoning package

Step 2.

While the ground beef is cooking, make the Picco de Gallo:

Combine tomato, onions, garlic, and cilantro in a bowl

Step 3.

Heat the flour tortillas on a cookie sheet in the oven at 200 degrees (or the warm setting if you have it)

Heat the black beans in a covered sauce pan

Put out the beans, cheese, lettuce, pico, and sour cream to make your own tacos!

Step 4.

Serve and Eat. AND then serve and eat another night.

* This recipe makes 12 -14 tacos

Tomato and Goat Cheese Egg White Omelette

Ingredients

3 eggs

1 tablespoon of goat cheese

1 tablespoon of pico de gallo (made for tacos the night before)

Preparation

Step 1.

Separate the egg whites (go here for how)

Whisk egg whites in a bowl with 1/4 a cup of milk

Pour egg whites in a small sauce pan, covering the entire bottom of the pan

Step 2.

Let the eggs fry on low heat until the bottom is hard

When there is only a small amount of liquid egg left, use your wrist to dip the pan and spread that liquid to the outside

Step 3.

Put pico de gallo and goat cheese on one side of the omelet

Pick up the side without the pico and cheese with a large spatula and flip it on top of the other side

Gently slide the omelet out of the pan and onto a plate

Step 4.

Serve and eat (my favorite way to eat this omelet is with some greens tossed in balsamic vinaigrette on the side)

Feta, Tomato, and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts

2010-09-17T09:47:00.000-07:00

Last night my parents let me do something they never have before - cook for them. It's not that they don't trust me in the kitchen, it's that they love to cook for us when we're home. My mom and dad never outright say that, but I can see it on their face. When we get in the car at the airport the first thing my dad tells us is what's for dinner. I get it. There are no more diapers to change, school clothes to buy, or scrapes to clean off. But there is still dinner to be made :)

However, last night my dad was tired and he took me up on my offer to cook. I made chicken breasts stuffed with feta, tomatoes, and spinach. The first time I had this meal was at my friend Shuffle's house (you may remember her as one of the phenomenal hostesses of Amy's garden bridal shower). She stuffed the chicken with feta, tomatoes, and mushrooms and after I had it once - it's been added to my weekday dinner repertoire.

Dad didn't stay too far away from the kitchen though - I put him to work mashing some potatoes. We didn't talk much while we cooked, just stood next to each other - chopping, washing, and mashing, each with a full glass of red wine and a hint of a smile on our faces.

Feta, Tomato, and Spinach Stuffed Chicken Breasts

Ingredients

6 thin boneless, skinless chicken breasts

1lb. l of fresh spinach (it will cook down to about 1 cup after sauteing) washed and dried

2 standard or beefsteak tomatoes chopped

1 large Spanish onion chopped

4 cloves of fresh garlic

1 cup of crumbled Feta cheese

Olive Oil

Step 1.

Preheat oven to 400F

Thin out each chicken breast by placing them on a cutting board and pounding them with a meat mallet

*If you don't have a mallet, any hard surface would work (try the bottom of a soup can)

Place a plate for later

Step 2.

Coat the bottom of a large sauce pan with olive oil

Add the chopped onion and tomatoes and let saute for 2-5 minutes

Take out half the onion and tomato mix and place in a large shallow Pyrex baking dish

Step 3.

Chop or press the 4 cloves of garlic into the olive oil and remaining onions and tomatoes

Heat and let simmer for 1 minute

Add 1lb of fresh spinach and toss

Let saute for 3-5 minutes until wilted

Pour the remaining olive oil and water from the sauce pan into the baking dish with the onions and tomatoes

Step 4.

Lay out 3 chicken breasts in the baking dish

Crumble the feta onto one side of each of the breasts

Spoon the spinach, onion, and tomato mixture onto the same side of the chicken breasts

Fold over the other half of each chicken breast and press the two sides together

Repeat the process with the other 3 chicken breasts

Step 5.

Pour the remaining onion, tomato, and spinach mixture around the chicken breasts in the pan

Shake some sea salt and fresh pepper on top of each of the chicken breasts

Place in the oven and cook for 35 minutes

*Make sure you don't cook it for any longer or else it will dry out!

Step 6.

Serve and Eat.

This is a great recipe to experiment with and add or change the "stuffing" ingredient :)

Enjoy!

Kids, Cusco, Cousins, the Hospital, and a Chicken

2010-09-16T08:34:00.001-07:00

Hello :)

This blog has been quiet for the past few weeks because this girl has been running around like a chicken with her head cut off. There has been a lot going on, in life and in my head, and quite a few stories to tell, people to introduce you to, and recipes to share. I should be up and running this weekend with all of my posts that have been waiting in the wings as I've been attempting to find my head and put it back on. Until then, here's a little bit of what I've been up to....

First, I boarded a plane with 12 of my friends and headed to Lima, Peru. There I woke up at 6am every morning for 7 days and headed an hour outside of the city limits to teach art at La Sagrada Familia. A community that I can't believe I was lucky enough to participate in. My dear friend Jean-Michelle took this shot during our morning time with the toddler house before we headed into our art workshops.

Next - we boarded an even smaller plane and flew threw the Andean Mountains to Cusco, Peru where we stayed for a few days of vacation. One of those days we woke up at 5am and headed by bus, train, and then another bus to see Machu Picchu. Our friend Rachel snapped the below shot on her iPhone :)

After we sat on top of the world for awhile we headed back to the Midwest for a visit. My cousin was getting married that weekend, so all along we had planned to go straight from Peru to Chicagoland. Our plans changed around a bit right before we left when my mom found out she needed open heart surgery and I extended my stay. Since we got back home it has been a whirlwind of hospital visits, errands, and wedding activities. Below is a picture of all my siblings, every one's significant others, and my grandparents. Still kicking it at 88.

We made the grandparent rounds as we headed to Nathan's grandparents farm for a day after my mom came home from the hospital. This farm has been in the family for over one hundred years and it was absolutely beautiful. It was my first visit and on our way out Nathan had to re-convince me of why we live in the city. Maybe I can just be a vacation farmer :)

And now I'm back at home helping my mom out while my dad heads back to work. While I'm here I'm taking the time to learn my dad's cooking secrets - his sweet and spicy spaghetti sauce, a meat marinade (I'm enjoying the luxury of a grill in the suburbs), and the classic pot roast - a Midwestern staple (I've had that meal twice since being home, once on the farm and once last night).

Stay tuned for more stories, people, and recipes :)

Alegria.

2010-08-27T07:00:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow I am headed to Peru with this guy and 12 of my good friends. We are going to teach art workshops in La Sagrada Familia (an orphanage outside of Lima). We will be facilitating 5 seperate workshops teaching multiple art disciplines in 5 days. On the last day the children who have been participating in the workshops will be putting on a gallery show for the whole La Sagrada Familia community. There are 800 kids that call this orphanage home.

Alegria is the brain child of our friend Shay.

She has been to this community multiple times with a team of people from her aunt's church. Shay always taught the kids art. Chalk drawings, self portraits with Indian ink, clay moldings. And everytime she was blown away by the artistic talent that came pouring out of their hands. And the joy that beamed out of their faces when they stepped back to see what they had created. A piece of them, either from their story or the one they have in their head, was put into something tangible. Something other people could see and touch. And know. There is so much joy to be felt when that happens. When we are known.

Alegria means joy.

By the 5th time Shay had gone, she came back to her friends and artistc community in New York with this idea. We, she said, are going to teach art workshops in the Andean region of South America, starting with La Sagrada Familia. She went on to explain, we have resources, talent, and a community of people that have the ability to push an idea forward into action. Will we push with her she asked? Yes. You see her absolute love for children, for art, and for the stories and lives of the Andean Region was (and is) clear. You can't say no to that.

So in a studio apartment in the Upper East Side with 16 people crammed inside, Alegria was born. Launching Alegria was a little more than we bargained for, but I think if we knew how much work would go into it, we may have stopped ourselves. Sometimes a little naivete is quite a gift!

And here we are. Launched. And about to take our first artist trip.

I will be updating this blog with stories from our time and the food we find in the restaurants in Lima and Cusco. You can also take a look at our website here for more information!

Meet Mo and her Apricot and Mozzarella Grilled Cheese.

2010-08-27T06:43:00.000-07:00

*Photo taken by Nate

Meet my friend Mo. This is the first time you're meeting her directly, but you have seen her face in many pictures. And it's not the last time you will see one of her recipes! She and I have been friends the whole time I've been living in this crazy city and I'm so thankful for that. She is a stylist, fashion blogger, insanely talented cook, and the type of person that lifts your spirits by just being around her. Another thing, her laugh. I don't totally know how to describe in words. It just comes bursting out her and it's contagious, which is sort of like the rest of her. Mo kind of bursts into a room with her eclectic style, confidence, and kind, kind heart. I love this lady.

In the last few days some exciting things have happened for her.

First, the Rachel Roy Fall Lookbook came out and she's one of the model's featured for it! She usually is on the other side of this industry, dressing and styling shoots. But dang, she looks good :) Can you spot her in the right corner?

And second, she made this masterpiece.

Apricot and Mozzarella Grilled Cheese on Sourdough Bread

Here's her recipe:

*1 apricot per sandwich (or more if you'd like) cut in half, pitted, and then sliced into small wedges

*sprinkling of cinnamon and sugar on the apricot

*a few slices of fresh mozzarella cheese

*2 pieces of sourdough bread

*butter on both sides of the sandwich

Peach and Plum Brushetta

2010-08-24T06:30:00.003-07:00

Similair to the Caprese Salad, I had one idea for this appetizer and when I got to Harlem, I switched my plans around and used the ingredients available to me. My first idea was to make Raspberry and Goat cheese crostinis. I got up there and there were no raspberries in sight. So, I stuck with my fruit/goat cheese/bread theme and made these! And they were actually pretty good :)

Ingredients

1 french baguette

1 (5.03 ounces) package of soft goat cheese

2 peaches (in this case I used doughnut peaches because they were all that was available)

3 plums

1/4 cup of brown sugar

Preparation
Step 1.
Pit and dice the peaches, place in mixing bowl
Pit and dice the plums, place in the same bowl
Pour brown sugar over the peaches and plums and mix
Put to the side

Step 2.
Cut the baguette into 1 inch thick slices
Spread a light layer of goat cheese on top of each slice

Step 3.
Place the peach plum mixture on top of each slice

Step 4
Serve and Eat.

Caprese Salad

2010-08-24T06:30:00.001-07:00

Amy only eats a few things and tomatoes, Spinach, and Mozzarella are high on that list. I originally planned on using this recipe to make the salad, but that week my schedule changed quite a bit and I ended up leaving my grocery shopping until I got up to 148th and Broadway. There was no round, fresh mozzarella or basil. But there were tomatoes and fresh spinach and good old Paul Newman. You can always count on his presence in grocery store. So, I improvised and made some "rustic caprese salad".

Ingredients
4 large tomatoes
1 lb. of mozzarella
A bundle of fresh spinach
6 tablespoons of balsamic vinaigrette

Preparation
Step 1.
Wash and slice tomatoes thickly, place to the side
Wash spinach and cut stems, place to the side
Slice Mozzarella - I sliced it with a serrated edged knife to make it look a little more ragged- instead of in squares

Step 2.
Place 1 tomato slice, 1 spinach leaf and one slice of tomato on a flat serving dish.
Repeat until tomatoes are gone

Step 3.
Drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette on top
Salt and Pepper sparingly

Step 4.
Eat and serve.

Amy's Garden Par-tay

2010-08-24T06:26:00.000-07:00

Two Saturday's ago a group of girls gathered to shower Amy with love, good food, drinks, and pretty things for her new apartment with Eric before they get married. If you haven't met Amy and Eric yet, you should. We took over our friend Adam's Harlem apartment to use his fantastic garden. A few ladies got together the night before and furiosly folded, cut, and crafted for the day. I trekked my wedding china from Brooklyn on the 2 train up to 148th and Broadway, packed in my trusty hiking pack and the largest shoulder bag I own. Totally worth it.

The party was the brainchild of her two NYC bridesmaids, Chinae and Shuffle. And it was amazing. Take a look...

We started with a garden.

Added some vintage lace, towels found at a London street fair, and china to the table.

Place settings were placed.

Pom Poms were hung.

Flags were hung next. And re-hung throughout the afternoon.

Flowers were set out.

And plenty of floral dresses were there too.

A surprised bride showed up.

A wall full of photos was displayed. And stories were told.

20 reasons why he loves her were read. And a few tears came with it.

Then there were pink drinks with grey straws to toast that love.

"Pretty things" for their new home together were given.

An appearance by the groom was made.

And a Saturday was spent celebrating what's soon to be :)

Oh! Right, and the bride did it all in some killer heels.

We love you Amy.

Check out my good friend Mo's post on the day over here.

Eric and Amy.

2010-08-18T07:51:00.000-07:00

Photo by Andrew Shepherd

Meet Eric and Amy. You've met them before, each separately in different posts. And you're going to meet them again in October as Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. They have been dating for 2 years and are getting married in 42 days :) There is so much to tell about their stories- each one of them individually - and now their story, the one they've begun to create together.

He grew up in Texas, where he sat around the dinner table most nights with his two little sisters and parents, was one of those guys in high school that was every one's best friend, went to Texas A&M, put on a suit and tie after graduation, crunched some numbers from 9 to 5, and somewhere during this time picked up a camera. After a little while he realized he wanted to take the tie off and hold that camera for a living, so he quit his job, started photographing buildings, friends, and bands, took his savings, and moved to New York where he lived in a restored warehouse with other artists.

She grew up in Iowa, with her hilarious and fiercely supportive dad Clint-dawg, was a gymnast, golfer (though she doesn't admit this part) and all around high school bad ass- getting in trouble and breaking some hearts, then found herself at Texas Christian University, met people there that changed her life and welcomed her into their family, lived in London for a little while managing a band, then that same group of people that she now called her family started their own band, so she came back and helped them get started, they happened to be the same band that Eric photographed way in the beginning of his self -taught- drop- everything- to -pursue- my -passion career move. But that's not when they meet.

They meet here. In this city. After graduation she and her dad packed up a U-Haul and hauled her behind to Hell's Kitchen to start her job at William Morris. As this makeshift family I write about here started to form, the two of them became friends. There was no first date. There was a conversation on a rooftop after a few months of friendship. He said he wanted to be with her, to pursue her and that this wasn't something he was taking lightly. These feelings he had for her were real. She said she wanted to be with him. And she was ready to be honest about these feelings she had for him.

So, now here they are. 2 years, many more rooftop conversations, one very tender Hudson River engagement, and thousands of pictures later. Ready to commit to growing old together.

I thought it was important that I took a second to introduce you to them for a few reasons:

One, I'm better for knowing them, so I figured you would be too.

Two, in my next two posts I'll be detailing a shower we threw for Amy on Saturday and it's always good to know the story behind something :)

And three, I need your help. I've been commissioned to put together the dessert table for their wedding. I'd love to hear your thoughts on cake toppers and what should be served. Any suggestions?

See their proposal story told in Polaroids here for inspiration. We were all there the afternoon after he asked her to be his wife. On a picnic blanket to surprise them with tears, hugs, and lunch, and then later around a dinner table with our glasses held high.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies. And Emily.

2010-08-15T11:55:00.000-07:00

Meet Emily. She sits across the room from me in our lovely bull pen style office, talking to herself, making jokes in funny voices, correcting our grammar, and dreaming about birds (in her previous employment life she worked for the New York Audobon Society). She's always ready to do something to help out, has lived a million different lives that I never tire hearing stories of, and serves the kids she works with well. Really well. When I look up from my computer I'm glad that that's who I get to see :)

Another important note about Emily: she bakes when she's stressed. Our job is stressful - as any job working with high school kids tends to be - therefor, you can often find her in her Green Point kitchen well past midnight mixing, pinching, and tossing baking ingredients. Which means I am often greeted by some type of cookie, bread, or brownie in the morning. I also often come into the office having not eaten breakfast. That's a lot of oftens. Here's one more:

Emily+stress+baking+my inability to get out of bed at a decent time= me often eating dessert for breakfast.

Dang good dessert I might add.

Thanks Emily!

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cranberry Cookies

Ingredients

Variation on nestle toll house cookies:

· 11/2 cups all-purpose flour

· 1 1 teaspoon baking soda

· 1/4 teaspoons salt (if use unsalted butter, use 1 tsp salt)

· 1 cup (2 sticks) salted butter, softened

· 3/ 4 cup granulated sugar

· 3/ 4 cup packed brown sugar

· 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (co-worker accidentally added ¾ tbs of vanilla extract)

· 2 large eggs

· 1 ½ cups oats

· 1 ½ cups cranberries

· 1 tsp nutmeg

· 1 tsp cinnamon

· 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels

Step 1.
PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

Step 2.
COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl.
Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy.
Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Gradually beat in flour mixture.

Step 3.
Add nutmeg and cinnamon. Stir in oats. Add cranberries and chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

Step 4.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.

Step 5.

Serve to hungry co-workers and EAT.

A summer salad for Summer Search.

2010-08-15T11:01:00.000-07:00

*I kind of love these shots - they look like they came from some old shoe box full of family photos*

Last week my coworkers and I gathered at an apartment near Union Square for a work retreat. We took the day to learn about our different work styles, how best to work together, and to talk about our goals for this upcoming school year with our organization. My task for the retreat was to plan the lunch. I figured the best way to "team build" was to make lunch together, instead of ordering out. So, I decided on a salad bar. I figured that it covered most bases with food preferences (vegetarian, healthier options, etc.) and would get all 13 pairs of hands chopping and frying next to each other.

We served the salad with Quesadillas on the side and cookies for dessert. Unfortunately, because of a few different things, I wasn't able to make it in the morning. I missed the opportunity to join in the food preparation and team bonding and I also lost the opportunity to take pictures of the food (for this here blog) as it was being prepared. But, when I showed up right around lunch time everything was set out and looked amazing! The prep instructions for the salad are below. Stay tuned for the cookie recipe my coworker used to make our dessert :)

To learn more about the hands that prepped this salad, visit our website here.

Or watch a video about what we do here.

Chicken Taco Salad & Peach, Pear, and Shrimp Salad

Remember those amazing combo pen and highlighters you discovered in 6th grade? Where one side was your favorite highlighter color (my 11 year old self preferred bright blue) and the other was a pen? This salad is kind of like that.

Ingredients
Base Salad
2 heads of lettuce
2 12 ounce cans of corn kernels
*you can also use 3 corn earns, shucked, boiled, and the kernels cut off
3 avocados pitted and diced

Chicken Taco Salad
4 thin chicken breasts
Taco seasoning
4 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
2 cloves of minced garlic
6 ounces of sour cream
1 can of black beans

Peach and Pear Shrimp Salad
2 pounds of uncooked shrimp, peeled and divined
3 peaches, pitted and diced
2 pears, diced
1 onion, diced
1 lime

Preparation
Base Salad
Step 1.
Wash, dry, and cut lettuce heads
Place in large bowl

Step 2.

Cut and dice avocados, place in lettuce bowl

Fry corn with a little olive oil until some of the kernels brown

Toss the corn in the lettuce bowls with the avocados

Chicken Taco Salad

Step 3.

Cook chicken in the frying pan until tender

Add taco seasoning per directions on the packet

Dice chicken and set aside for salad bar

Step 4.

Pico de gallo

Place diced tomatoes and chopped onions in a bowl

Mince garlic, place in bowl with onions and tomatoes

Mix contents

Chop parsley and place in mixed bowl

Step 5.

Empty can of black beans into a frying pan, heat until the juice starts to bubble

Place beans in a bowl and set aside for salad bar

Scoop sour cream out of its container into a serving bowl and set aside for salad bar

Peach and Pear Shrimp Salad

Step 6.

Saute shrimp in olive oil until lightly browned, set aside on serving dish for salad bar

Step 7.

Peach and Pear Pico

Place diced peaches, diced pears, and chopped onion in a bowl

Mix

Squeeze 1 lime over the mixed fruit

Mix again and set out for salad bar

Step 8.

Serve:

- place lettuce, corn, and avocado bowl in the center

- place chicken plate, beans, sour cream, and pico de gallo to one side

- place shrimp plate and the peach and pear pico to the other side

And EAT.

Appetizers Schmappetizers.

2010-08-13T11:41:00.000-07:00

I can't wait to celebrate my dear friend Amy and her upcoming wedding to Eric at a "Pretty Things" shower on Saturday. We've all been charged to bring something "pretty" for their apartment - a vintage store find, flee market treasure, or anything and everything from Anthropologie home - as well as a heavy appetizer to share. Here are some of my finds this week as I've been searching for appetizer ideas. Enjoy!

Amy LOVES hummus and this recipe from 101cookbooks look lovely.

Who doesn't love a good deviled egg? And I love that this recipe from pinch my salt is keeping it simple :)

These shrimp and kale quessadillas found on Serious Eats by way of the Paupered Chef look amazing and are so easy to whip up! What a great twist on a standard appetizer.

I am in love with this site! Especially the posts on the YBF dinners - creating a 9 course meal based on the top 9 songs of 2009? Yes please.

Happy Friday!

Chocolate chip banana bread.

2010-08-11T11:31:00.000-07:00

Here's the recipe I used to make the banana bread for last weekend's camping excursion. This recipe from Cat Can Cook is my FAVORITE. It's really easy and tastes delicious. You can use this batter for muffins or bread - it will either make 12 large muffins or 1 large loaf of bread. This weekend I used it to make 12 mini muffins and a medium sized loaf of bread. Enjoy :)

Ingredients

3 to 5 large bananas mashed

* I like to use bananas that have gone bad that I store in the freezer

* I try to take them out the morning I want to bake, but if I don't have time for that I'll scrape the peel off the frozen bananas with a knife and stick the bananas in the microwave to soften faster

1/2 cup white sugar
1 slightly beaten egg
1/3 cup melted margarine or butter

*I always cook with butter - my mom says it just tastes better and I have to agree :)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup of nestle toll house chocolate chips

Step 1.

Mix the mashed banana, sugar, egg and margarine together.

Set aside.

Step 2.

In a separate bowl, mix together baking soda, baking powder, salt and flour.

Mix wet and dry ingredients all together and add the chocolate chips!

Step 3.

Pour into loaf pan, and bake in 350 degrees F oven for approximately 30 minutes (20 minutes if making muffins).

Step 4.

Serve (or in this case, store and gently shove into a hiking backpack) and Eat.

Burgers, beer, and some perspective.

2010-08-11T07:56:00.001-07:00

That cat's got skills.

Nathan and I headed up to the Catskills this past weekend for some time away with each other. The first night we were there we spent the late afternoon at a lake and then headed to a small, slightly run down pub along the side of the road for dinner. The inside was dimly lit with a jute box playing in the corner. We ordered a greasy burger to share and two beers. At one point Nathan turned to the white haired women with a smile next to us to ask the time. She politely told us and then asked where we were from. Apparently flannel shirts are a dead give away that you don't live in the area :)

When we answered "Brooklyn" her smile grew bigger. She said, "ah, I'm a Jersey girl myself." It was clear that phrase had very different connotations to her then the rest of this post- Jersey Shore world. She went on to explain that she had grown up in there, gone to Rutgers, and met a boy from upstate. They married and she made him promise that if she moved up into the mountains with him they could have 4 children. See, she explained, she was the oldest of 3 and always felt bad for her younger brother because she felt like he was often left out. They ended up having 5. Her oldest was in the corner playing pool with his daughter.

She nodded in her granddaughters direction. "Smart as a whip that one." Looked down at her coffee, clicked her tongue, shook her head, and exclaimed "oh man did my life change after I met that man". As she looked up at us through the frame of wrinkles around her eyes, she said, "you know he passed too young. My husband." There was a deep pause. "When I get on the other side I'm going to give him a peace of my mind for leaving me so early". She started to laugh again, wiped her nose, looked at the table as her finger drew a pattern along the top, then looked back at us. There was another pause and Nathan and I didn't quite know what to say to fill that silence. We looked down, at each other, in the direction of where we thought the waitress/bartender/hostess was going to bring out our food, and then back at her.

After a while her voice squeaked out, "Where are you from?" Confused, I replied "Brooklyn". "Oh, I'm a Jersey girl myself. Grew up there, went to Rutgers."

Nathan and I spent the next two days not taking each other for granted.

And eating. We ate like little kids on this trip- burgers and fries, grilled chicken and cheese sandwiches, pizza, Popsicles, ice cream, and one amazing sub sandwich. This behemoth of a sandwich survived a semi-haphazard hike to the ledge of the top of one of the peeks. I also ended up making my favorite banana bread from Cat Can Cook before we left to snack on in the mornings. I'll have the recipe up in the next post :)

Camping and breakfast.

2010-08-06T08:22:00.000-07:00

This guy and I are headed to the Catskill Mountains this weekend for some camping, hiking, and swimming to celebrate 2 years of being hitched. We will be in Peru with Alegria (more on that later!) on our actual anniversary, so Nathan planned a little weekend away early. The last time we headed up north for more than an afternoon was almost a year ago with this motley crew.

I love this city. But I also love weekends out of this city:)

We're probably going to grab most of our meals up there, but I've been searching all week for some good breakfast options to make and bring with us.

Here are some things I found as I was getting ready for the great outdoors:

I love this easy sugar crusted raspberry muffin recipe over at Real Simple.

While I was searching that site, I found this amazing breakfast sandwich. I can't quite swing it this weekend for camping, but you can bet I stashed it away for later. Bob Jones - brother in law extraordinaire - let's make this the next time Nathan and I are in Chicago :)

This vegan banana chocolate breakfast bar is a healthier breakfast option I found over at Chocolate and Zucchini.

Happy Friday!

Cherry Ice (with a kick of Vermouth).

2010-08-05T06:10:00.001-07:00

Here we are at the end of this amazing meal Roxy made for us on Saturday! For dessert we had these wonderfully fresh Cherry Ice's that she adopted from a recipe found at marthastewart.com. They were a perfect end to a really great summer meal. Thanks for the amazing food Rox, but thank you even more for getting nine busy New York women around a table on a Saturday afternoon. I say we have more ladies' lunches :) Who's with me?

Cherry Ice

Ingredients

5 cups fresh pitted red cherries

* it would be ideal if you had a cherry pitter, but Roxy pitted all 5 cups by hand!!! Now that's love!*

1 1/4 cups vermouth

2/3 cups honey

5 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Step 1.

Whisk together wine, honey, and lemon juice until combined

Step 2.

Place cherries in a food processor and pulse until finely chopped

* if you don't have a processor you can use a blender, it will just come out more like a slushy*

Transfer to bowl with liquid mixture and stir until combined

Step 3.

Pour into a shallow metal pan and place in freezer

Stir with a fork every half hour until the mixture is slushy and partially solidified

Step 4.

Garnish with whole cherries

Serve and Eat

Chicken Avocado Sandwiches and Edamame Salad.

2010-08-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

Here is post 2 of the recipes from Roxy's Saturday ladies lunch menu. This salad and sandwich were the main course and they were delicious! Go here for post 1 on the drinks and appetizers and stay tuned for the next post on dessert. Thanks again for the recipes Rox :)

Edamame Salad

Ingredients

2 cups cherry tomatoes

4 persian cucumbers

2 cups shelled edamame

2 limes

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

Step 1.

Slice tomatoes in half

Peel and slice cucumbers in disks

Step 2.

Combine tomatoes, cucumbers and edamame

Step 3.

Combine juice from limes, and olive oil

Toss with salad

Add salt and pepper to taste

Step 4.

Serve and Eat

Chicken Avocado Sandwiches

Ingredients

1 french baguette

2 ripe avocados

1/2 lb swiss cheese

1 1/2 rotisserie chickens

1/4 cup dijon mustard

4 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

salt and pepper

Step 1.

Shred chicken into thin pieces

Step 2.

Mix mustard, vinegar, lemon juice, and pinch of salt and pepper

Combine dressing and chicken

Step 3.

Slice baguette

Slice avocados and layer on bottom half of baguette

Layer marinated chicken over avocados

Finish with layer of cheese

Step 4.

Serve and Eat

Peach Tequila, Lime Vodka, and Dill Dip

2010-08-04T14:47:00.000-07:00

Here is the first of 3 posts (I thought I could do it in 2, but there's just so much!) with recipes for some of the food and drinks Roxy served at our Saturday afternoon lady lunch. Enjoy! We all did :)

lime vodka

1 part freshly squeezed limes

4 parts sprite

5 parts vodka

1lime sliced for garnish

peach tequila

3 parts tequila

1 part peach schnapps

3 parts peach nectar

1 white peach sliced for garnish

Step 1.

Mix and garnish

Step 2.

Serve and Drink

Dill Dip

Ingredients

1 6oz. container of 2% Fage plain Greek yogurt

1 1/2 cups plain "European style" low fat yogurt

1/4 cup dried dill

1/2 tsp minced garlic

1 Persian cucumber

salt

Step 1.

Shred cucumber with cheese grader and drain on paper towel

Step 2.

Combine all ingredients and add salt to taste

Step 3.

Serve with toasted pita chips and Eat

water.

2010-08-03T09:23:00.000-07:00

"Tell me, what do you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"

- Mary Oliver

Water is something we use everyday here in the city. To cook with, wash with, to drink. On Sunday I was reminded that not everyone has that same opportunity. I sat in a church pew listening to Scott Harrison, the founder of charity:water, speak. I had first learned about charity:water because a friend of Eric's (friend, Monday night dinner regular, and amazing photographer) does a lot of photography for them. Her name is Esther and you would be doing yourself a favor if you checked out her brilliant images on her website and blog.

This was my first time hearing Scott speak. He told a story. A story where the main character spent the majority of his 20's as a well known night club promoter in this city. Drinking thousands of dollars worth of alchohol a night, and getting others to do the same. And then something happened. A very large man met him in an alleyway with a gun. When he walked away from that situation without a scratch, he started to question the life that had been threatened. How was he using it? What story was he a part of here? That question lead him out of the city and half way across the world on Mercy Ships. When he returned to the US 2 years later, with his 30th birthday around the corner, his story had taken a drastic turn. He had now pledged to use his time, resources, and energy to build thousands of clean water wells all over the world, and get others to do the same.

Today, when I heard the quote by Mary Oliver above, I immediately thought of Scott. Of what he's chosen to do with his one wild and precious life.

Watch a video about Scott's story here.

Learn more about the charity:water story here.

Go here to find out more about how you can get involved in what they're doing.

See them on CNN and read about them in the New York Times.

* All photos found on the charity:water website*

Ladies who lunch.

2010-08-02T10:50:00.000-07:00

I've been fortunate enough to have had two amazing women's cooking this past week. In this post I want you to meet Roxy. She emailed some girl friends earlier last week and asked us all on a lady date. Since she's leaving in a few weeks for Tokyo to work for Issay Miyake for a little while, she wanted to spend some quality girl time.

Here's the thing about Roxy- she's way too cool to be my friend. Seriously, this girl has this amazing boho (I feel like a phony even writing the word "boho") style that far transcends my - this outfit needs some creativity so I'll add a belt - philosophy. And yet she's not embarrassed to hang out with me. Because here's the other thing about her, this girl's got heart. She sort of bowls you over with it when you meet her.

And on Saturday Roxy showed some of that heart by making us lunch. We're not talking PB & J-lunch here. We are talking 3 courses of mouth watering goodness. She invited us to the beautiful apartment building she lives in and then stuffed us full of good food and conversation. It was quite a lovely way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

What she served is listed below.

In the next two posts I'll be sharing some of her recipes :)

:Drinks:
- Peach tequila
- Lime vodka

:Appetizers:
- Toasted pita chips
- Cut red and yellow peppers
- Dill dip
- Prosciutto wrapped melon slices

:Lunch:

- Edamame, cucumber, and cherry tomato salad
- Chicken and avocado sandwiches

:Dessert:
- Cherry ice (with a little kick of vermouth)

That girl can cook (mushroom and zuchini baked ziti)

2010-08-01T11:56:00.000-07:00

Meet Chinae. She and I have been friends for just about 2 years now, but it feels like we've known each other forever. She is fiercely loyal, able to do her whole make up routine on the subway without smearing or smudging a thing, always ready to listen, can plan an amazing birthday party or dinner gathering in 10 minutes flat, has a knack for knowing how to make you feel loved, and... in all of my time knowing her I can count on one hand how often I've seen her cook. It's not because she can't, she just doesn't like it. Note her face in the top picture.

But, for last Monday Night Dinner she put her feelings towards cooking aside and offered to make the meal. Nathan and I hosted and Chinae came a little early. She told us to expect an easy breakfast for dinner meal- pancakes and eggs - but when Nathan opened the door she had a bag full of pasta, rolls, tomato sauce, cheese, and fresh veggies. And then she went about chopping, boiling, and sauteing things. Now this was something I hadn't seen before and I liked it :)

That night we ate well. Really well. Mushroom and zucchini baked ziti, breadsticks, ceasar salad, and chocolate chip cookies for dessert. I and my stomach thank you very much my dear!

Mushroom and Zucchini Baked Ziti

Ingredients
2 large mushrooms
2 zucchinis

1 lb of ground beef
2 cans of tomato paste

1 jar of your preferred pasta sauce

1 bag of shredded mozzarella cheese
1 box of ziti pasta

Step 1.
- Prepare the pasta al dente per directions on the box

Step 2.

- Cube the mushrooms and zucchinis
- Pre-heat the oven to 350

Step 3.

- Place the ground beef in a frying pan until browned

- At the same time place the mushrooms and zucchini in the frying pan with some olive oil and once they start heating up toss them with some salt and pepper

Step 4.
- mix the browned meat, vegetables, pasta sauce, and cans of tomato paste into one large bowl
- drain the noodles

Step 5.
- place the pasta in a 13x9 baking dish
- pour 2/3 of the contents of the bowl over the ziti and mix into the pasta
- pour the leftover 1/3 on top to make a thin layer
- place a layer of the shredded mozzarella on top of the sauce layer
- put in the oven for 20 min.

Step 6.

- Serve and Eat.

*top picture by Eric, watermelon pictures by Nate

Sweet Treats and Cold Drinks.

2010-07-29T11:22:00.000-07:00

It's supposed to be hot and sticky this weekend. To fight off the crankiness that humidity inevitably brings, here are some tasty drink and dessert recipes I've been eyeing this week. Keep cool and have a great weekend!

:DRINKS:

Don't these home made sodas from fellow Brooklynites Brooklyn Soda Works look amazing? They make it look so easy, it's got me wondering if I should invest in a soda siphon. Take a look at the "how to" video on their blog as they make cherry and Thai basil soda. Thanks Dear World, Inspire Me for the heads up!

If you need something with a little more kick to it, this 10-second Sangria from the guys at The Bitten Word looks like it will do the trick :) Seriously, it takes 10 seconds. Amazing.

:DESSERTS:

This Raspberry Brown Sugar Gratin from smitten kitten looks way too good for how easy it is to make.

And this Triple Citrus Cheesecake Bar recipe from Joelen looks like the perfect end to a summer meal.

Happy Friday!

Buttermilk Cole Slaw

2010-07-29T08:29:00.000-07:00

As promised, here's the recipe for the Cole slaw with buttermilk dressing. This was served as a side dish to our Thomas' turkey burgers for last week's Monday Night Dinner. I had left over cabbage and scallions from the Asian Chicken Salad I made that Friday, so Cole slaw seemed like the best option.

Enjoy! This makes for a great summer side dish :)

Buttermilk Cole Slaw

Recipe adapted from here.

Ingredients

- 1/2 head of regular cabbage

- 1/2 head of purple cabbage

- 3 thinly sliced scallions

- 1/2 an onion sliced (red or otherwise)

- 3 carrots thinly sliced

- 1/4 cup fresh cilantro chopped

- 1/2 cup of buttermilk

- 1/4 cup of sour cream

- 1 tablespoon of Dijon mustard

- 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt

- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

- 1/4 teaspoon of celery seed

* This makes a light dressing for the Cole slaw, if you prefer it heavier you can adjust the ingredients accordingly

Step 1.

In a large bowl combine the cabbage, scallions, onion, carrots, and cilantro.

Step 2.

In a separate small bowl whisk together the buttermilk, sour cream, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt, pepper, and celery seed.

Step 3.

Mix together

Serve and Eat.

:serves 12:

*Pictures by Eric Ryan Anderson - amazing photographer and Monday night dinner regular

Thomas' Turkey Burgers

2010-07-26T13:21:00.000-07:00

This past Monday for our regular Monday night dinner we made Turkey burgers and cole slaw and served it with chips, hummus, carrots, and home mixed crandberry seltzers. This was a group effort with our friend Joe mixing and making the patties (his first time doing it by the way) and another one of our friends Chinae flipping the patties. I'll post about the Buttermilk Cole Slaw we made as a side later this week! For now, take a look at this recipe for Thomas' Turkey Burgers.

Thomas' Turkey Burgers

Ingredients
- 3lbs of ground turkey
- 2 cloves of fresh minced garlic
- Mrs. Dash seasoning salt
- 24 Thomas' English muffins (2 packs of 12)

* English muffins make for really soft burger buns and are an easy twist to the traditional burger
- Extra Sharp white cheddar cheese

Step 1.
- Mix the ground turkey, a couple of shakes of the Mrs. Dash, and the minced garlic in a large bowl
- I use my hands to mix

Step 2.
- Make small to medium sized patties (3lbs of ground turkey made us around 20 patties the size of a drink coaster)
- The ideal way to cook would be on a grill, but we didn't have one so we coated the bottom of a frying pan in a small amount of Olive Oil and cooked the burgers in there

- We could only cook 4 at a time that way, so to keep the burgers warm as we cooked the rounds of patties we placed them on a cookie sheet with the oven set to "warm" (you can set it to 200 if there is no warm setting)

Step 3.
- When we cooked around half of the patties we started to toast the Thomas' english muffins for the buns.
- We also put the english muffins on a cookie sheet in the oven to keep them warm as well.
- Then, as the last batch of patties were cooking we placed slices of the sharp white cheddar cheese on the burgers

Step 4

- Assemble the burgers
- Serve and Eat.

These are really easy to make and delicious!

Here are 3 other toppings you can serve these burgers with:

- Blue cheese crumbles
- Brie and two apple slices

- Crumbled queso and salsa

*pictures by Eric - great photographer and Monday Night Dinner regular*