eat make read

I’m so excited for my weekend reading. First I have a new cookbook…yippee! I was looking for a new one and did some research. I thought I might get this one, but then I saw Mexico One Plate at a Time by Rick Bayless and I thought, YES! I already had a handful of general cooking books, but I don’t have any about Mexican food, and guess what, I love Mexican food! Hopefully I’ll be whipping up some new recipes soon.

My other two reads are magazine. I kind of have a problem with magazines. I’m addicted. I saw the cover of Gourmet and was sold because it has Profiteroles, or as I call them, cream puffs, on the cover. I think I should steer clear of the cream puffs, but I’m sure there’s some other delicious finds inside. The other magazine, or shall I say Journal, I bought is one I’ve never seen before, Diner Journal. I just did a little research and realized it’s somehow linked to the people from Marlow & Sons and Diner in Williamsburg. I really like the design of it, plus it talks about cheese. What more could you want?

Now hopefully I can find the time to peruse my new finds.

Sighhh. Our dear friends Erik & Dana have decided to move back to California. Instead of flying there, they decided to take a two week cross-country road trip. I’m so jealous. It sounds like so much fun. I thought I’d make them a little care package to help them remember what I’m sure will be an amazing adventure.

I included two journals/sketchbooks, two photo/ephemera books, a set of postcards and some writing utensils all bundled up in an envelope that they could keep in the car with them. I had this idea in mind for awhile but just couldn’t think of what I wanted to print on everything. Then one night I was talking to Erik about the trip and he said “it’ll just be no jobs, just free spirits” and it clicked. I ran and wrote the line down so I wouldn’t forget it and tada, I love the way it turned out. I have to give credit to Aaron for designing the awesome typeface, Great. I really love it.

So, to Erik & Dana, I hope you’re on the road and soaking up the best of what America has to offer. I can’t wait to hear about your great adventure. We miss you already.

I came across this article on the kitchn the other day and it made me happy. Ever since I made a variation of these brownies when I was in college and realized how easy they were, I haven’t thought about using a box. There’s something exciting about seeing something you whipped up change from simple ingredients to a delicious treat.

It’s official. I am a terrible plant mother. I was so happy when I got this flower at the farmer’s market on Saturday but by Tuesday my plant was on it’s way out. I don’t know what my problem is, I put it in front of a window so it gets sun, but not too much, and I’ve watered it almost daily.

The truth is, this is about the fourth plant that has lost it’s life in my hands, the worst being a mint plant. When I purchased the mint plant, I told the woman about my inabilities as a grower and she said “Oh this is the easiest plant to grow, they almost never die”. So I put it on my fire escape, watered it and then a few days later looked out my window to see that it had fried to death.

Maybe one day I’ll get the hang of it, but for now, I think I have to stick to cut flowers. Bummer.

When I was at the farmers market this past weekend I picked up a bag of frozen rhubarb. I had a handful of recipes for desserts that called for rhubarb, but I wanted something different, maybe jam. So I did a little search and found this recipe for rhubarb ginger jam. It sounded absolutely delightful, like yes, those two flavors were meant to be.

This recipe is super easy, however, it did call for candied ginger, something that I was too lazy to go out and buy. So I just picked up some ginger root at a local store and decided to make my own by following these directions. That was pretty easy too.

In the end, I think this whole process could be done in less than an hour. The candied ginger took about 20 minutes and the jam took about the same time. And the result is super tasty. I had it for breakfast this morning and it’s got a nice sweet, but not too sweet, flavor with a touch of zing thanks to the ginger.

Candied Ginger

1 cup chopped ginger root (slice pretty thin, maybe 1/8″-1/4″)
1 1/2 cup sugar, plus more for coating ginger
1 cup water

1. Bring the sugar and water to a boil.
2. Toss ginger in sugar water and let simmer for 20 minutes.
3. Drain ginger with strainer and dry off with paper towel.
4. Sprinkle sugar to coat ginger.

Rhubarb Ginger Jam via epicurious

1 1-pound package frozen sliced rhubarb (unthawed)
1 1/4 cups sugar
3 tablespoons chopped crystallized ginger (about 1 ounce)
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel

Combine all ingredients in heavy medium saucepan. Stir over medium-high heat until sugar dissolves. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until jam thickens and mounds on spoon, stirring often to prevent scorching, about 20 minutes. Transfer to bowl. Cover; chill. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Keep chilled)

Ahh bacon. It’s hard to go wrong with it. I found this recipe on Martha and couldn’t resist trying it. It takes a little bit of preparation and it gets a little messy in the oven, but oh boy, the result is so so delicious. I easily doubled the recipe to take to a party as an appetizer. They were eaten up in a snap.

Devils on Horseback from Martha Stewart
Makes 24

24 large dates, pitted
12 slices bacon, halved crosswise
1/3 cup crumbled Stilton cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place 24 toothpicks in a small bowl filled with water; let soak 15 minutes. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and fit with a wire rack; set aside.
2. Halve dates lengthwise being careful not to cut all the way through. Place a small amount of cheese in the center of each date. Wrap a piece of bacon around each date. Secure bacon with a toothpick.
3. Place dates on prepared baking sheet. Bake until bacon is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes.

I spotted these awesome vintage travel books in ladiesandgentelmen’s etsy shop the other day and had to have them. I love the bright colors and beautiful type on the covers. The interior pages are two-color printed, but each book includes a set of full color stamps that you can paste on the pages. They are so cute, they just make me happy.

We made a trip to Five Guys Famous Burgers and Fries last night for dinner. You may remember my remarks about my experience with a $13 burger, this place is why I feel that way. You can get a magical burger for a mere $5! I guess it’s not totally equal to compare, because Five Guys is a very casual place where you go up to the counter and order your food. However, none of their meat is ever frozen, so it comes out tasting delicious and fresh. Plus, all their toppings are free. What more could a girl want?

I ordered a little cheeseburger (meaning single patty, by no means “little”) with jalepeños and an order of cajun fries. The burger was moist and misshapen, in a good way, with the cheese all melty and just the right amount of fresh peppers were scattered about it. The fries were crispy and spicy and man oh man, were there a ton of them. Fair warning, only order 1 order per 3 people.

While the restaurant isn’t quite date-worthy or anything, it’s a great place to go for a delicious burger.

Yum! I had a drink the other night at Vintage New York in Soho with some friends. Whenever we go, we have to get an order of their stuffed apricots with blue cheese and almonds, they are so dang good! Although, they’ve changed it up recently and started rolling the apricot in crushed almonds instead of using a whole almond stuffed inside…boo. There’s something so nice about the contrast of the soft apricot and bleu cheese and then, snap, you hit the crunchy almond.

I took it upon myself to recreate the older version of Vintage’s stuffed apricots. Here’s what I did.

Stuffed Apricots with Bleu Cheese and Almonds

1 container of dried apricots (approx 40)
1/4 lb blue cheese
almonds (as many as apricots)

1. Slice apricots almost in half, making sure to leave the two sides connected (like a book).
2. Take a small slice of the cheese and stuff inside apricot.
3. Stuff the almond in and pinch the apricot closed.
4. Try one and smile. So delicious.

I made a trip to the greenmarket at Grand Army Plaza this morning. The air was nice and crisp without being bitter cold, very refreshing. I picked up this little potted primrose because it was so bright and happy. When I brought it home I realized I didn’t have a pot to put it in, so I looked around to see if there was anything I could convert. I thought about a coffee cup, which I think would look cute, but then my eye caught the oatmeal container and I had an idea. I poured the oatmeal into another container and then collected the following items.

Flower Pot

1 oatmeal tube/container
1 sheet of your favorite patterned paper
a ruler
a pencil
scissors
double sided tape

1. Measure the height of your flower pot, add 1/8″ to it, then mark that height on the oatmeal container.
2. Cut the oatmeal container to desired height.
3. Next you’ll cut a strip of paper that matches the height of the oatmeal container.
4. Put a piece of double sided tape on one short end of the paper and attach it to the oatmeal container. Wrap it around and seal the other end with another piece of tape.
5. Place your flowers into your new pot and admire.