happy hour: tasty ideas

Woohoo! We made it to Friday! I don't have a recipe to share, but I do have a little inspiration. Last night our neighbors, Kyle and Larissa invited us over for some very delicious infused beverages that I think you're going to like. Drinks included a Jalapeno Margherita, Buttered Rum and Coke (!!), Bacon Infused Bourbon and 90 years of aviation (gin, maraschino liquer and lemon juice). Do those sound tasty or what? All of the infusions took 18 hours or less, so you could make them tonight and have them ready for tomorrow's happy hour. Thanks Kyle and Larissa for some tasty beverages and inspiration! I have some exciting things in the works for next week that I'm eager to share with you. I hope you all have a fantastic weekend! Cheers!
Filed under happy hour by Kelly. June 19th, 2009 . 0 Comments

tomatoes + peppers: week 16

Holy Smokes! Are my plants growing or what? I can't believe it, especially if you take a look at where they were two weeks ago! Between constant rain and putting fertilzer in my pots these things have turned into green giants. I even added more dirt to the pots but it doesn't even look like I did. I've also figured out that two of the plants in my big white pots are pepper plants, so I'm down to two tomato plants, four pepper plants, one rosemary plant and the new addition of a sage plant. But now I have another question. Should I trim some of those leaves off the tomato plants? They're feeling a bit bushy. I'm feeling much better about my garden and I owe much of it to you out there who read my posts and give me advice, so thank you, thank you, thank you!
Filed under gardening by Kelly. June 19th, 2009 . 7 Comments

garlic scapes + sugar snap peas

A few weeks ago I came across these crazy green vegetables at the greenmarket and was instantly intrigued. I asked my favorite vendor what they were and she explained that they are garlic scapes, which are basically the shoots of young garlic. They don't yet have the full garlic flavor but instead have a bit of a spice to them and a little bit of garlic flavor I love so well. Well, she had me at garlic, but when she mentioned spice I practically ran home to start experimenting. A few dishes later, I have a super easy, tasty and simple introduction into the world of scapes. Let me introduce you to my favorite market find, the lovely garlic scape. This dish consist of three ingredients, sugar snap peas, garlic scapes and onions. That's it. Simply add a little oil to a frying pan, toss in the onions, then add in some trimmed scapes and split peas. Cook them up til their lovely and bright, but still a little crispy. That's it! What you'll get is a deliciously flavorful bunch of flavors. The sweet peas provide a great crunch and a bit of sweetness while the scapes provide a hint of spice and garlic and the onions unite them. I ate these with the chickpeas I posted earlier this week and they worked great together, but something tells me this little veggie mix would work well with just about anything you have on your plate. garlic scapes + sugar snap peas makes about 4 servings 6-8 garlic scapes, bulb removed, ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces 1 1/2-2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed and sliced the long way 1 yellow onion, chopped 1 Tablespoon oil 1 Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Toss in the onion and scapes. 2 After about 3 minutes or when the onion becomes translucent, toss in the peas and cook for a few more minutes. 3 After about 5 minutes, remove from heat and eat up!
Filed under eat and sides by Kelly. June 18th, 2009 . 5 Comments

a little love and some salted black pepper crackers

Thank you to everyone who sent happy thoughts my way yesterday. You are all so lovely! We had the most delicious dinner at the good fork here in brooklyn. As soon as I tasted the butter I knew we were in for an amazing meal and oh boy, was it. Two things, isn't that bouquet that Aaron had waiting for me at the restaurant bueatiful? It's complete with cotton blossoms (cotton is the traditional second anniversary gift). It was created by the lovely folks at saipua. So dreamy. Also, please check out a little guest post I did over at Ofifteen. Mmmm, salted black pepper crackers.
Filed under read by Kelly. June 17th, 2009 . 2 Comments

strawberry coffee cake

You may have noticed that I'm a fan of strawberries. Perhaps more like a fanatic, but that's beside the point. Every weekend I go to the market and every weekend I come home with pint of strawberries that are better than the previous week's bounty. Sometimes we just eat them up as is, but this weekend I was tempted by a recipe for strawberry coffee cake I saw over on Joy the Baker. Doesn't that sound like the perfect way to start your Sunday? Yup, it was. Now, you should make sure that you have some special people to share this with, because it takes a little work, but they'll love you all the more once they taste this. The recipe is divided into three parts, the crumble, the filling (which can be swapped out for any fresh fruit) and the coffee cake, which uses sour cream as a base. Once all the parts are made, simply lay down a thick layer of the cake batter, then cover it with the entire strawberry filling, use the remaining batter to top off the strawberry filling and then sprinkle the crumble over top. The hardest part is putting it in the oven and waiting an hour for what you know is going to be a brilliant coffee cake. The good news it is a pretty amazing coffee cake. It plumps right up into a robust, moist cake that hides a sweet, fresh, ruby red layer that takes the whole thing up a notch. I love the addition of sour cream to the batter as it adds an extra uumph to it and pairs well the berries. I think next time I might actually add a little more filling to the recipe because I love a nice juicy layer in there to balance out the cake a bit more, but that's just nitpicking. I think the cake will definitely be my go-to coffee cake batter. I can only imagine it with a cinnamon filling, oh how the wheels are turning. strawberry coffee cake via Joy the Baker who adapted a recipe by Panache at Rose Hill topping: 3 Tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 3 1/2 tablespoons sugar .......................................................... filling: 1 heaping cup sliced strawberries 1/3 cup sugar 2 Tablespoons cornstarch 2 teaspoons water .......................................................... cake: 1/2 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 2 eggs 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 8 ounces sour cream 1 teaspoon vanilla extract a few drops of almond extract (optional) .......................................................... Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. To make the topping: Combine all the topping ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly.  Set aside. To make the strawberry mixture: 1 Combine strawberries, 1/3 cup sugar, water and cornstarch in a small saucepan. 2 Cook over low heat for 5 to 7 minutes, stirring constantly until the sauce is thickened and strawberries are soft and somewhat broken down.  Set aside to cool. 3 Grease and flour a 10×10-inch baking dish, knocking out excess flour, and set aside. To make the coffee cake: 1 Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. 2 Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 3 Add vanilla extract, and almond extract if you’re using it. 4 Sift dry ingredients together. 5 Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter in 3 parts alternating with the sour cream in 2 parts, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients.  Beat just until combined. 6 Spoon 2/3 of the batter into the prepared pan.  Spread the cooled strawberry mixture over the batter. Spoon the remaining batter onto the strawberries and spread evenly.  Top with streusel topping and bake in the upper third of the oven. 7 Bake for 50-60 minutes, until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
Filed under breakfast and eat and sweets by Kelly. June 16th, 2009 . 4 Comments

k&a

Today marks two whole years since Aaron and I got married. I feel so happy and lucky to have such a supporting and hungry man as my husband. I love you Mr. Carambula! Cheers!
Filed under events by Kelly. June 16th, 2009 . 11 Comments

chickpea patties

I'm a late convert to the awesomeness that is the chickpea. After the success of this little recipe though, there are sure to be more chickpea experiments in my future. I know I probably say this a lot, but this recipe is so simple. Simplicity is one of those things that makes me really happy... I don' t need it all the time but if something is simple it definitely gets bonus points. Of course that only goes so far, because flavor is the factor that will keep me coming back and oh boy, do these little chickpea patties pack a punch. The key to the simplicity factor is a food processor. Just toss in some parsely, the chickpeas, a clove of garlic and a little cumin and zing away. After a few zings the chickpeas will have crumbled enough to form patties. Next you just gently form about 8 little patties, coat them in a little flour and pan fry them. In total, the whole shebang takes about 20 minutes from start to finish. I love everything about these little gems of goodness. They're just slightly crispy on the outside but delicate and soft on the inside. The flavor is rich and garlicky and just plain full. I made a little yogurt dipping sauce and paired it with some sriracha hot sauce to give it a little kick, but honestly I would have been happy eating these little nuggets without any sauce. These will definitely be making another appearance on our table soon. chickpea patties from real simple 1 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley 1 clove garlic, chopped 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin Kosher salt and black pepper 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 2 tablespoons olive oil 1/2 cup low-fat yogurt (preferably Greek) 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 1 teaspoon sriracha hot sauce, optional 1 In a food processor, pulse the chickpeas, parsley, garlic, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper just until coarsely chopped and the mixture comes together when gently squeezed. Form into eight 1/2-inch-thick patties and coat with the flour, tapping off excess. 2 Heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the patties, turning carefully, until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes per side. 3 In a small bowl, whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Stir in the sriracha if using.
Filed under dinner and eat by Kelly. June 15th, 2009 . 12 Comments

san francisco goodness

Today's happy hour is extra special. It's not the usual cocktail, but more a recipe for how to eat yourself silly in San Fracisco. On our recent trip out west I fell in love with San Francisco. The food, the coffee, the people... I just loved everything about it. I've compiled a little recap of some of the highlights of this awesome city. Chez Panisse As soon as we booked our flight to San Francisco I knew we had to make reservations at Chez Panisse. I dutifully called the restaurant exactly one month before the day we wanted to dine and secured a reservation. We arrived in Berkeley early and wandered the quaint streets, even happening upon a little farmer's market. The restaurant is small and comfortable, intimate without being intimidating. Everyone was extremely nice and helpful. The menu changes daily and there aren't any choices, you simply get what the kitchen is making that evening. Each course that came out was simple, yet full of flavor and each topped the next. From the most amazing, fava bean, fennel and spinach soups to a pork entreé topped peas and turnips to a mouth-watering meyer lemon and passionfruit ice cream dessert, I was in a happy, happy place. To top things off, if you ask your waiter, you can tour the kitchen and meet the people who make your food. It was definitely a dreamy place and most certainly worth a trip to Berkeley. Chez Panisse 1517 Shattuck Avenue Berkeley, California 94709 ................................................................................................................................... The Ferry Building I would have moved into this place if I could have. Screw the hotel, I'd rather camp out on the back porch and wake up to the potent aroma of Blue Bottle coffee being brewed each morning, stinky cheese from Cowgirl Creamery tempting my tastebuds and the smell of fresh baked bread from Acme Bakery each morning. The Ferry Building is an old converted warehouse right on the bay and filled with an assortment of artisinal makers of delicious food, beverages and condiments and is definitely a must-see. As if that weren't enough, every Tuesday and Saturday a farmers market wraps around the outside of the building. Here you can find a wide variety of fresh goods like fruit, vegetables, meat and flowers but also handmade olive oils, simple syrups, jams and baked goods. Ferry Building Marketplace One Ferry Building San Francisco, California 94111 Cowgirl Creamery Farmers Market at the Ferry Building Blue Bottle Coffee Co ................................................................................................................................... Bi-Rite Creamery Oh. My. Goodness. The ice cream at Bi-Rite will knock your socks off. All their ice cream is made with Strauss Family dairy and flavors are artisinal and seasonal. With flavors like salted caramel, balsamic strawberry, honey lavender and toasted coconut you're sure to try something you'll fall in love with. Bi-Rite Creamery 3692 18th St San Francisco, CA‎ ................................................................................................................................... Pancho Villa Oh sweet Pancho Villa. Ask anyone what to eat when they come to San Francisco and they'll tell you a burrito. Everyone has their own burrito place and when you get there you'll realize that the streets are lined with them. We ended up at Pancho Villa thanks to my friend Dennis. This is where I tried my first burrito. Now there's a chance I may have eaten a burrito in the past but I can guarantee it was without beans. And that's not really a burrito. So anyways, I tried one with pork, beans and their famous salsa and I'm a convert. This burrito changed my life. It was so dang delicious. Moist, flavorful, and a little messy, but all good. Pancho Villa 3071 16th St San Francisco, CA 94103 ................................................................................................................................... A-16 I first read about this read on Orangette, but almost immediately I started seeing it pop up in Bon Appetit and other food related articles. This place was packed when we arrived but luckily we'd made reservations. Unluckily, we'd spent the whole day stuffing our faces and had very little room to enjoy the food here. Of course we still ordered way more than we should have. We tried out some calamari, fresh pasta and the famous wood-fired pizza. All were really delicious and pure, if that makes sense. It's almost like you could taste each ingredient that went into each item. A-16 2355 Chestnut Street San Francisco, CA ................................................................................................................................... Citizen Cake Any place called Citizen Cake will get my attention. We just popped in and picked up a lemon cupcake to go. We saved until the we'd walked up an appetite and the first bite into that lovely little cupcake was heavenly. It was so incredibly lemony without being too tart or too sweet. Think of it as lemonade in cake form. Citizen Cake 399 Grove Street San Francisco, CA 94102 ................................................................................................................................... Miette Is this the cutest little shop ever or what? They have three locations and I made it to all of them. Is that sad? Eh, whatever. They're filled with homemade candy and baked goods along with jars and boxes of old fashioned candy. Miette 449 Octavia Street San Francisco ................................................................................................................................... In-N-Out Burger I couldn't leave out the famous In-N-Out burger. I'd never eaten at one but had heard raves about it's goodness. They use all fresh ingredients and make everything from scratch. And let me tell you, it is good. Real good. We pulled off the side of the highway and picked up a tasty burger and fries. In-N-Out Burger ................................................................................................................................... Tartine Bakery & Cafe I wish I could capture smell because if you could smell this place you might just fall in love. Tartine wins the award for best smelling eating establishment, as it's filled with the sweet scent of fresh baked goods that you can just tell will blow you away. We decided to try the tres leche cake and oh, my, sweet, goodness. It was moist and creamy and caramely... I kind of miss it. It's probably a good thing that I couldn't spend any more time there because everything in their case looked as good as this. Tartine Bakery & Cafe 600 Guerrero Street San Francisco, CA 94110 ................................................................................................................................... Thank you to Lisa, Caroline, Erik, Dennis and everyone who offered suggestions.
Filed under read and restaurants/shops and travel by Kelly. June 12th, 2009 . 9 Comments

food inc.

Last night I was lucky enough to attend a screening of Food Inc. held by the awesome folks over at Brooklyn Based. I'm not going to lie, it's a bit depressing, but it's a movie that everyone should see. The movie features interviews with Eric Schlosser of Fast Food Nation, Michael Pollan author of Omnivore's Dilemma and superstar farmer Joel Salatin along with in depth looks at the industrial farm system. If this doesn't make you want to hug your local farmer, I don't know what will. Food Inc. opens in New York, LA and San Francisco June 12 and even more cities June 19. Take action here.
Filed under events by Kelly. June 11th, 2009 . 3 Comments

graham crackers

The other day as I was browsing through smitten kitchen I saw a recipe for graham crackers they looked so tasty. Graham crackers were always a favorite snacks as a kid but one of those things that I would have never thought to make. I couldn't get that recipe and the thought of grahamy goodness out of my head, so I set out to make them this weekend. The recipe takes part in stages, so these are good to make on a lazy day or in between running errands. The first part starts with a little mixing in the food processor. Once the dough comes together, just wrap it up and pop it in the fridge for a few hours. After the dough was thoroughly chilled, I rolled it out on a well-floured surface. I dug in my way-too-full utensil drawer and found a ravioli cutter that hasn't been used in about 4 years, but this seemed like the perfect time to test it out again. I cut as many little squares as I could and then used some wooden skewers to add little decorative dots to them. Then, back in the fridge they went. Finally, after they're last chilling, I sprinkled a little cinnamon sugar over top and popped them in the oven. Pretty soon the apartment started to fill with the sweet graham crackery smell of opening a box of Honey Maid. Only this time when I popped one in my mouth it was warm and fresh and full of flavor. They were a little denser and chewier than the boxed kind, but the flavor was deep and honey hued. They're perfect on their own, but I keep thinking they would be awesome with a little ricotta and honey. graham crackers from smitten kitchen Makes 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers or 48 2-inch squares 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (375 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour (a swap of 1/2 cup with whole wheat flour or 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour works well here, too) 1 cup (176 grams) dark brown sugar, lightly packed 1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda 3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt (4 grams) 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces or 100 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen 1/3 cup (114 grams) mild-flavored honey, such as clover 5 tablespoons (77 grams) milk, full-fat is best 2 tablespoons (27 grams) pure vanilla extract Topping (optional) 3 tablespoons (43 grams) granulated sugar 1 teaspoon (5 grams) ground cinnamon Make the dough: 1 Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade or in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Pulse or mix on low to incorporate. 2 Add the butter and pulse on and off on and off, or mix on low, until the mixture is the consistency of a coarse meal. [Alternately, if you don't have a food processor or electric mixer, you can cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender. Just make sure they're very well incorporated.] 3 In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. 4 Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. 5 Meanwhile, prepare the topping, if using, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside. Roll out the crackers: 1 Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. 2 Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. 3 Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. [This makes a traditional graham cracker shape. I rebelled and made mine into 2-inch fluted squares.] 4 Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. 5 Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll. Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F. Decorate the crackers: 1 Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough (again, this is for the traditional cracker shape). 2 Using a toothpick or skewer (I like to use the blunt end of a wooden skewer for more dramatic dots), prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line. Bake the crackers: 1 Bake for 15 to 25 minutes, until browned and slightly firm to the tough, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. [The baking time range is long because the original recipe calls for 25 minutes but my new oven -- which I suspect runs crazy hot but have yet to confirm with the actual purchase of an oven thermometer -- had them done in way less. Be safe, check them sooner. Nobody likes a burnt cracker!]
Filed under eat and snacks by Kelly. June 10th, 2009 . 10 Comments