date + oat slices

I’ve been seeing recipes popping up from one of my favorite cookbooks, Breakfast, Lunch, Tea: The Many Little Meals of Rose Bakery by Rose Carrarini and it’s inspired me to dig a little deeper. When I read this recipe, it totally reminded me of fig newtons, just a little more dressed up. A layer of date compote is sandwiched between two layers of a brown sugar and oats. My only fear was that these would be a bit dry, but I figured what the heck, I had everything on hand, why not try?

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Filed under eat and sweets by kelly. March 30th, 2011 . 7 Comments

Studio tour + Remedy Quarterly

Hello friends! I’m sorry to say that I’m feeling a little under the weather and therefore didn’t get to whip up a tasty beverage. Boo! I’m thinking happy thoughts though and hoping that I might be able to get something together this weekend. Because come on, what’s a week without a happy hour? Unacceptable, that’s what.

In other news, I have a few exciting posts to share. First, the lovely Tuesday Bassen at Studio-Sweet-Studio invited me to share my workspace with her readers. I feel honored and I hope you like the little sneak into my kitchen and dining room. Second, the fine folks over at STACK magazines interviewed me since Remedy Quarterly was one of their independent magazines sent out this quarter. We’re quite delighted to be a part of such a cool idea.

Have a fantastic weekend!

Filed under events and remedy quarterly by kelly. March 25th, 2011 . 6 Comments

blood orange + pea shoot salad

Spring is here my friends! Sure it may have snowed here yesterday, but I’m thinking happy thoughts and quite frankly I’m willing to put blinders on when that white stuff shows up. This weekend I happened upon some pea shoots at the greenmarket and just couldn’t resist. Perhaps because they’re one of the only green things at the market right now, but whatevs.

Have you ever had pea shoots? They’re flavorful, wispy little greens that bring a real brightness to any salad. With such lovely greens, I wanted to make an extra special dressing, so I looked to my favorite citrus and whipped up a blood orange vinaigrette. I ended up with a salad that says, “Hello Spring, let’s hang out.”

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Filed under dinner and sides by kelly. March 22nd, 2011 . 8 Comments

happy hour: behind the scenes + orange rye

When happy hour rolls around in our house, Aaron and I aren’t the only ones who get a little excited. Our boston terrier, Maude’s giant ears instantly perk up when she hears the cocktail shaker being pulled out of the cupboard. She immediately jumps into action—which usually means waking up from a comfy slumber on the couch—dashes into the kitchen and patiently waits. When it’s time to get the ice from the freezer, Maude gets her own cube and you’d think I just gave her a T-bone steak. She rushes to the hallway and just goes to town on that ice cube. This is what really puts the happy in my happy hour.

Cheers! To taking time to enjoy the little things and to willing Spring to stay for good! I hope you have a fantastic weekend!

Just in case you need a little more than an ice cube, here’s a little something I whipped up last night.

Orange Rye
makes 1 cocktail

1 oz blood orange
1/2 oz honey
1 1/2 oz rye whiskey
drop of angostura bitters

1
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and combine ingredients. Shake well for 10 seconds.
2
Strain into glass and enjoy.

Filed under happy hour by kelly. March 18th, 2011 . 4 Comments

pita chips

Sometimes I just want something simple. Oh, and easy. Easy is good. So this weekend as I was running around gathering ingredients to make homemade bitters (so much fun!), I decided to whip up a batch of pita chips. They turned out perfectly golden and crisp, with just the right amount of salt and perhaps a pinch of garlic to make things interesting.

Pita chips require little effort. I simply opened a bag of pitas—made fresh at one of our local shops, the smell was amazing—and split them in half or opened the pocket. Basically I had two flat circles, each with a rough side and a smooth side. I then cut pitas into bite-sized wedges. Next I divided the wedges among two pans, tossed them with some olive oil and sprinkled a little salt and garlic powder over them. Into the oven they went, and about 15 minutes later I had crispy pita chips! Well, actually a few turned out a little too crispy, but I know why! Some of the chips burned because I put them on the bottom rack in the oven. Lesson learned: it’s important to keep them on the upper rack. All of them that were housed up there turned out lovely, golden and crisp, I promise. Continue reading »

Filed under eat and snacks by kelly. March 15th, 2011 . 5 Comments

happy hour: pomelo sake splash

This week was the final straw. I’m so over winter! In the grand scheme of things, I know I have it good. At least it’s not 0° and snowing, but I’ve just had enough of wearing my big coat and walking outside with lovely hair and having the wind immediately make me look like a crazy lady. Blerg!

Ok, enough of my grumpiness. I made this drink as a way of thinking happier thoughts. A blend of pomello (my new favorite fruit!) and lime juice, a splash of ginger syrup and sake. Not only is it invigorating—if a cocktail can ever be—but it makes me forget about the dreariness outside.

Cheers! To looking towards brighter, warmer days! And a happy weekend!

pomello sake splash
makes 1 cocktail

2 oz pomello juice
1/2 oz lime juice
1/2 oz ginger syrup
2 oz dry sake
slice of lime, to garnish

1
Combine the ingredients in a cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake for about 10 seconds.
2
Strain into a tall glass filled with ice. Garnish with a lime slice and take a sip.

Filed under happy hour by kelly. March 11th, 2011 . 4 Comments

read: home dairy

Today I’m thrilled to share Home Dairy with Ashley English with you! It’s part of the Homemade Living Series that includes Keeping Bees, Keeping Chickens and Canning and Perserving. You may be familiar with Ashley’s Small Measures column over on Design*Sponge where she tempts us every Friday with recipes and crafts that are not only tasty (well the recipes are at least) but also eco-friendly.

Ashley was kind enough to contribute a story to Issue 2 of Remedy Quarterly, so when she asked me to contribute to Home Dairy, I jumped at the chance. It’s no secret that I love dairy, I mean, I’ve been known to publicly profess my love for cheese (why can’t it be a vegetable?!) and now it’s in printed form. You can find me in the dairy book under “Portrait of a Dairy Lover” and I couldn’t be happier!

This book is chock full of inspiring recipes that make me want to get in the kitchen and start whipping up all sorts of tasty treats, from butter to mozzarella to strawberry, chevre & balsamic ice cream. In addition to the recipes, it has helpful equipment guides and instructions, which I always find reassuring. Check it out here. Congratulations Ashley!

Filed under read by kelly. March 9th, 2011 . 5 Comments

caramelized apple dutch baby pancakes

Ok, I just have to start by saying, whoa. Why have I not made a dutch baby pancake until this weekend?! Do you know what a dutch baby is? Sometimes they’re called German pancakes, or Bismarks, but basically they’re a giant puffy, slightly less sweet pancake that’s baked in the oven rather than fried. As it’s cooking in the oven, the edges begin to puff up a grow over the pan, with the center following. I decided to take it up a notch by adding caramelized apples to the mix. Yeah, that was a great idea… maybe the best one I had all weekend.

When I was thinking about the caramelized apples, I decided I wanted them to be thinly sliced rounds that I could line the pan with, then hopefully add more as topping. So of course I carefully sliced two apples, trying to keep the slices uniform, only semi-succeeding. Next I melted some butter in large skillet, then I added some brown sugar and let it meld with the butter. When I had a lovely brown sauce, I placed the apple slices in the sauce and let it simmer. Pretty soon the apples were releasing moisture and I stirred the apples a bit, making sure all of them got covered in the sauce and were starting to soften. About 15 minutes later, I had a pan full of beautifully golden apple slices swimming in a fragrant, sweet sauce that would be a perfect substitute for maple syrup. I folded in a little cinnamon and ground cloves, turned down the heat and started working on my dutch baby.

The dutch baby pancake is easy. Like, majorly easy. Perhaps the hardest part is remembering to heat your skillet in the oven as you mix the other ingredients together. It’s just a bunch of mixing flour together, adding milk and eggs and a little lemon zest and shazam. You’re ready. I pulled my cast iron skillet out of the oven, lined the bottom of the pan with some of my apples, poured the batter over top and popped it back in the oven.

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Filed under breakfast and eat by kelly. March 7th, 2011 . 10 Comments

weekend happy hour: easy bloody mary

It’s a bloody mary kind of morning/afternoon. I think it’s going to be a good weekend.

easy bloody mary
makes 1 cocktail

2 oz vodka
3 oz McClure’s Bloody Mary Mix
lemon and lime slice to garnish

1
Place in cocktail shaker filled with ice. Shake well.
2
Strain into a glass filled with ice and drink up!

Filed under happy hour by kelly. March 5th, 2011 . 3 Comments

happy hour: brooklynite

Yay! It’s Friday! It’s been a busy week in these parts and I am so happy the weekend is here! All issues of Remedy Quarterly have been sent to our subscribers… yippee! Don’t forget to sign up for the raffle over at Enormous Champion to win a bundle of the first four issues.

In other news, if you’re in the New York area, perhaps you’d like to come cook with me at the Community Cooking Club Monday, March 14? Not only will we whip up some of my favorite dishes and eat the finished product together, but it’s a mere $13! Sign up here.

Alright, so in honor of my Brooklyn restaurant round-up from earlier this week, I whipped up the Brooklynite. A sweet and strong combination of rum, lime, agave and bitters, this cocktail will leave you feeling nice and relaxed and perhaps ready to pack your bags and take a trip to Brooklyn.

Cheers! To the weekend! Let’s have fun!

the brooklynite
adapted from Trader Vics
makes 1 cocktail

2 ounces dark rum
1/2 ounce agave (honey works too)
juice from half a lime, or around 1/2 Tablespoon
dash of angostura bitters
slice of lime, for garnish

1
In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the rum, lime juice, agave and bitters. Shake well.
2
Strain into a highball glass and garnish with the lime slice.
3
Cheers!

Filed under happy hour by kelly. March 4th, 2011 . 1 Comments