savory sips.

Yes, my expertise in the cooking department is slowly growing but that doesn't mean I don't still love a great kitchen task that requires little effort but yields yummy results. Pinterest has been blowing up with people's spring and summer wishes: shorts, sunglasses, bathing suits, beach vacations, etc. My summer wish? Refreshing, delicious, and unique beverages.

I've never been a Martha Stewart type but lately, I can't help but dream of buying a beautiful glass pitcher and keeping it full all summer long with various and delicious fruity drinks. Pinterest keeps throwing these drink suggestions my way and finally, I have learned my lesson and have been keeping track so that when summer finally hits us head-on, I'll be there to offer you a refreshing and thirst-quenching glass of something special.

Lavender Lemonade

Pomegranate Cooler

clever icecubes

Blackberry Sage Cooler

Watermelon Margarita

kale & veggie soup.

My least favorite part of cooking is the prepping. I hate our garlic press so I always cut the cloves by hand. I have tried every trick in the book to protect my eyes from onion-cutting but somehow I always have to step out of the kitchen and take five while my eyes dry back up (give me some more tricks people! my eye sensitivity to onions is enough to dread cooking for the rest of my life!). And because we have a small kitchen counter, I dirty every dish we have by trying to keep everything in separate bowls with separate seasonings and separate cookware in various places all over the kitchen.

Anyway.

I knew I would blog this recipe before I even cooked it because of the lack of prepping needed. That's how excited I was about not having to dice my onions, you guys.

The recipe sent to me was unclear, leading me to ask my mom a lot of questions before I started cooking. As a result, the recipe below is in my own words.

Ingredients:

3 medium carrots, cut in 1/2 inch slices

2 tomatoes, cut in wedges

1 yellow onion, peeled and cut into wedges

6 cloves of garlic, peeled

1/2 butternut squash (OR eggplant), peeled and cut into cubes

1 bunch kale, chopped (stack it, roll it, thinly slice it)

1 can cannellini or white beans, drained

6 cups of veggie stock

1 heaping tsp. thyme

1 bay leaf

salt & pepper to taste

*my butternut squash was a fail -I had never worked with it before and when I couldn't cut it easily, I decided to bake it anyway, thinking I would scoop out chunks after. It came out undercooked in some parts and overcooked in other parts. What's the deal with butternut squash? Help me. Anyway, my soup didn't have any squash in it. And it was still scrumptious.

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

On a baking sheet, place butternut squash (ha!) and carrots on one side and tomatoes, onions, and garlic on the other side. Roast for 30 minutes or until the vegetables are starting to brown. I like my carrots to still have a crunch so I used them as my indicator.

Pull ALL veggies out, but scoop the tomatoes, onions, and garlic, and throw them into the blender. Briefly puree ingredients in the blender. Set carrots and squash aside.

Pour puree into your soup pot. Add the veggie stock. Bring to a simmer.

Add the thyme, bay leaf, and kale. Cook for about 30 minutes or until the kale is tender (I only had to cook it for 20-25 minutes). Meanwhile, if you're like me and you know by now that the butternut squash is not your friend, maybe you'll decide to make some garlic bread on a whim! See below.

Add the carrots, squash (ha!), and white beans and cook for about five minutes more. Remove the bay leaf. Pour servings into bowl and add parmesan. And garlic bread.

My garlic bread had melted butter, diced garlic, and a little sprinkle of sage. I placed it on the same baking sheet and broiled it in the oven for maybe 8-12 minutes (just check it and pull it out when it's the way you like it). 

When I dunked the the garlic bread in my soup and it soaked up the tomato-y broth like a sponge, I swear I saw a little piece of heaven.

Sorry for this monster of a blog post, but I loved this meal that much. Enjoy!

you just have to care.

When winter (if that's what you want to call it) hit, I started making black bean soup on a weekly basis - it's cheap, easy, quick, and delicious. Last week, however, I tried to make it again while Nick was at the gym and while taste-testing it, decided I had too much onion in the soup. The onions from our grocery store are extremely large and even though I hadn't put the whole thing in, I felt that the onions were dominating the beans. Feeling exasperated and like a loser for messing up such a simple recipe, I grabbed a wooden spoon and the garbage can and actually tried to take out the onions piece by piece, figuring that if I just kept doing that while the soup cooked for another ten minutes, I could make some leeway.

While slaving over the stove and the garbage can with such tedious detail, I couldn't help but remember something that Nick's dad told me once a long time ago. I had been laughing about how the kitchen and I had never been friends when he said to me, "If you want to succeed in cooking, you just have to care." He was so right and his words have stuck with me ever since. I could have left the black bean soup alone but I wouldn't have enjoyed it and Nick probably wouldn't have either. By caring, and making the effort I felt it needed to be successful, our soup was simply delicious that evening.

I have many friends who are wizards in the kitchen but if there are any of you are like me - too hesitant to step outside their comfort zone, too self-deprecating to have hopes of success, too unfamiliar to know that many recipes are actually very easy to follow - well, it just takes some effort. I'm nowhere near being a wiz of any sort but I'm having fun trying.

While I'm at it, here's the recipe we use for the Black Bean soup. Save it for a lazy night when it's still cold out. It's delicious.

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/black-bean-soup-with-crispy-tortillas

mmm, cooooookies.

So, I don't really do the recipe thing on this blog, mostly because any cooking I do never includes my own twist - I only copy other people's recipes and always by the book. What can I say, I'm boring in the kitchen.

However, the following recipe I'm about to provide you with is completely relevant. The following recipe is for the classic chocolate chip cookie.

The thing is...I have a thing for chocolate chip cookies. The people in my life know that I'm a sucker for sweets in general but when it comes to cookies, I only have one true love. Give me a chewy, buttery, decadent chocolate chip cookie over a snickerdoodle or oatmeal cookie any day.

I've tried several different recipes of my own in the past (Ok, fine, 99% of my life consisted of just sticking a roll of Pillsbury dough in the oven, but I've come a long way since then!). Most recipes are satisfactory, each one only slightly different from the other by maybe an ingredient or two.

And then I came across this recipe. It was listed in the New York Times as the best chocolate chip cookie recipe out there. I used this recipe to make M&M cookies for Nick (his one true love) and it was....delicious.

So, I'm sharing this recipe with you now in case you might be a fellow cookie lover who is in search of the best. These are it, I swear.

Enjoy.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (minus 2 tablespoons) cake flour
• 1 2/3 cups bread flour 
• (I used AP flour instead of the above two flours and it was still delicious but I've read in multiple places on the internet that these specific flours contribute to making the perfect cookie - a crispy edge with a chewy center)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) unsalted butter - softened
• 1 1/4 cups light brown sugar
• 1 cup (plus 2 tablespoons) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/4 pounds chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet Ghiradelli chips but really, you can put in whatever you want here - chocolate chips, nuts, dried fruit, etc.)

Directions:

• Sift flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a bowl and set aside.
• Using a mixer with a paddle attachment, cream butter and sugars until light and fluffy - about five minutes. 
• Add eggs (I recommend adding one and mixing completely before adding the second).
• Stir in vanilla.
• Reduce to low speed and add dry ingredients slowly, mixing until just combined.
• Fold in the chocolate chips. 
• Refrigerate dough for 24-36 hours (not necessary).
• When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350.
• Drop spoonfuls of dough onto baking sheet.
• Bake for 10-12 minutes (or until they look the texture/color that you want - I prefer a light golden brown).
• Remove from oven.
• Let cool.

Well, all this sharing has been fun. I think I have to make a batch of these immediately so my mouth stops watering. Seeing as how student-teaching is over, all my homework is done, and I'm just killing time this week until I finish my last two classes....I might just bake indeed. 

one Thanksgiving down, two to go.

In Burlington, potlucks became a staple. There was nothing we loved more than whipping up a delicious entree or appetizer, grabbing a bottle of wine to contribute, and trekking the sidewalks of Burlington to the apartment of whoever decided to host that night - and the trek was never longer than fifteen minutes. What could be better than an insane variety and amount of food to enjoy with your entire group of friends? Not much.

Fast forward to the days of living in NYC. There are a good amount of us who live in the Big Apple but getting together is so much different than it was in Burlington - instead of walking, we take the subway. Instead of popping by each other's houses unannounced, we make sure our hour commute to someone's home is planned out. Instead of hosting get-togethers in homes with big kitchens and living rooms, we meet at restaurants so we can all fit around one table. I missed these Burlington potlucks and all the warmth and security they provided in our everyday lives.

Until last night.

Our dear friend Lou decided he wanted to bring back the annual Thanksgiving potluck (it was genius thinking, really). He made some phone calls, convinced people to free up their Saturday night, and found a friend of ours, Pun, to host the party and provide the turkey. The hardest part was deciding how and when and where to cook our food - could it be cooked at home and then reheated at the party? Did it need to be baked at Pun's house because it would only be edible fresh out of the oven? Would there be enough room in that oven for the people who needed it? Tricky, tricky. The five of us who live in Astoria did our best to cook or prep our dishes before-hand, then had to shlep our steaming hot tinfoil baking dishes in bags from northern Queens to downtown Manhattan (we decided to take a cab rather than the subway to make our lives a little easier). We were very late, our arrival was chaotic with the final food preparations necessary, and there was just barely room for all our food in that little New York City kitchen.

But it worked out.

And oh, the joy.

Pun, prepping the stuffing in the microwave. Soup and cider on the stove.

Elyse's delicious orange-infused rum and cider with cinnamon sticks

Arden to the rescue with her turkey carving skills

the spread

thank god I made green beans...

holiday parties are the best

semi-homemade cooking.

Did I tell you guys I have been cooking? And I mean cooking. Not "Ok, Nick, you make the amazing tomato sauce from scratch and I'll just boil some water for the pasta." I mean that this girl here spent last Tuesday not only baking chocolate chip cookies from eggs and flour with a hand mixer, but also making real pizza dough with flour and yeast and all - and yes, I made a real pizza with it! To Giada de Laurentiis, this may mean a boring afternoon. For me, it means a major milestone. Although I made a few first-timer mistakes (too-thick dough, burnt sauce around the edges of the pan), the pizza was actually not only edible but oh-so-delicious because it came from my own hands. When attempt #2 happens (and hopefully improves) I'll document the results.

Anyway, the whole thing with cooking is that as fun as it is...it is time-consuming. Who does this every night?! Well, lots of mothers across America, but I digress.

So, how does one continue to improve her comfort level in the kitchen without slaving away each night between a gym session and an episode of Glee? (Did I mention I had the day off when I made the cookies and pizza? So I mean, really....)

My new friend: semi-homemade cooking.

Case in point: Mondays have become "vegetarian night" for our household (which really is for Nick's sake since I'm not the world's biggest carnivore anyway). Our first Monday vegetarian staple was whole wheat pasta with olive oil, garlic, grape tomatoes, peas, and chopped asparagus. Delicious. But soon we needed a new dish to change the pace of our Mondays. We were lured one evening to a box of Near East's Toasted Pine Nut Couscous, but knew it wasn't enough - so we made it the base. We decided to spice it up with chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, and parsley and it was delicious. And guess what - it cooks in FIVE MINUTES. Just chop up the parsley and tomatoes while you're boiling the water/olive oil/seasoning for the couscous, heat the up the beans in a separate pot once you pour the couscous in the boiling water, then drain the beans and mix everything together five minutes later once the couscous is done. It's delicious and it's also a great leftover. Last night was round 2 and Nick discovered that adding a healthy dose of olive oil to your bowl is a special and tasty touch to the dish.

Lesson learned = creativity in the kitchen doesn't need to go hand-in-hand with hours of free-time. Feel free to keep things simple while still adding your own special touch. And the more you experiment, the better your ideas get over time.

what a weekend!

The past three nights have restored my faith in New York life and reignited a desire to eat up any opportunities I can while I still live here. Granted, my wallet took a slight beating this weekend but nothing to be too aghast over. I'll be sure to be on the lookout for more free activities and events for the spring and summer but for now, a weekend summary:

Friday night, Nick and I decided to have date night since we missed it two weeks in a row. We had heard rave reviews about a new Mexican food place called Pachanga Patterson which fully supported local farmers and produce. The best part? It's right here in Astoria and only a short subway ride or leisurely stroll away.

The place was small, cute, romantic, and HOLY MOLY was the food good. I wish I had snapped a picture of my phenomenally delicious lettuce wrap tacos or the cherry red margaritas we had for dessert. We are definitely planning on coming back.

Saturday morning we did errands - Nick forced me to go jean shopping since I was down to two old and hole-y pairs. The man actually sat outside the dressing room and provided advice and suggestions while I stuck it out and tried on several pairs until I found two winners (on sale nonetheless!).

As for the latter part of the day, Nick had no plans and I was scheduled for my regular dinner-and-a-movie date with one Zoë "Medusa" Gerry-Bullard. Lo and behold, however, Nick's friend Ian called up with aspirations of heading to Citifield that night to see the Mets play the Nationals. Now, Nick is a die-hard Yankees fan but on such a gorgeous day and with $35 field-side tickets, how could we say no? Even Zoë was game after a long day of play/choreography rehearsal. It was such a blast to meet up with Nick's Albany friends, have a few beers and chats, then head in for astounding seats and delicious stadium food. Oh, and getting free Mets ski-hats wasn't too shabby either.

Finally yesterday, Nick and I had tickets to see the blues singer Taj Mahal at Brooklyn Bowl. We had a productive day of laundry and going to the gym, then headed to Brooklyn to have a beer at the rooftop biergarden Berry Park. We didn't stay long as the food at Brooklyn Bowl was calling our names and we wanted to eat before the show started. I knew what I was ordering before I even walked in the door. The fried chicken dinner - a heaping plate of unhealthy, heart-attack-inducing, fattening delectable goodness. BEST. FRIED. CHICKEN. EVER. I dream about it, seriously. I didn't dream about it last night though, as I spent two hours with indigestion and a desire to throw up in the wee hours of the night from overeating. So worth it though - just look at that chicken perfection, accompanied by bread and butter, mashed potatoes and gravy, and collard greens with bacon and honey. Sidenote: I'll definitely be going back to the gym tonight.

All in all, what a great weekend - a perfect combination of relaxation, productivity, and city fun. With spring and summer silently approaching, I hope to have many more weekends of such pricelessness. New York City...you're kind of growing on me.

cupcakes.

While I love spending some of my free time perusing the "net" for sources of admiration and/or inspiration, I tend to not post much about things that actually inspire me. I would say that's largely due to the fact that while I love the idea of doing things, I don't actually do them. Dear readers, I'm hoping to change that here and now. While I might only be posting things I want to do rather than things I actually do, hopefully sharing these ideas here will get me another foot through the door in my desire to be creative and crafty.

What's been on my mind lately? Cupcakes. Maybe it's the fact that Astoria has three bakeries between the subway station and my apartment. Maybe it's the fact that my friend Zoe recently posted an entry about New York City's best cupcakes. Maybe it's the fact that I've stumbled across countless blog entries and pictures about cupcakes this week (coincidence or guided by a Hallmark holiday? you decide). Whatever the reason, I'm starting to collect favorite ideas. Two that have stuck with me in particular:

Apple Cupcakes.

How adorable are these?! The link attached to this picture (Cheeky Kitchen) actually has these cupcakes full of apple spice flavor, but I also stumbled upon a similar idea for a country wedding: trays full of chocolate, vanilla, and marble cupcakes but disguised as apples to match the harvest/barnyard event theme. This is a great reminder that your cupcake's exterior doesn't have to match the cupcakes interior - you have fun with both worlds.

Another idea idea I absolutely LOVE is that of a cupcake in a jar.

cakies

I mean really, such a simple idea but why hasn't it been brought to my attention before?! Cupcakes are so scrumptious that they are hard to chow down without causing a crumb avalanche on your shirt. And don't even get me started on trying to get the perfect ratio of cake:frosting per bite. In a jar, they look simply delectable as you can see each layer as it sits on display through glass rather than underneath paper. Being able to dip in with a spoon means no crumbs, no trash aftermath, and a perfect ratio with each bite. What's not to love?

While the cupcake-in-a-jar idea might seem a bit silly for a party of two at home, it is on my to-do list for my hypothetical future cupcakes-and-tea party. In the meantime, I'll work on picking out my favorite flavor and maybe, just maybe, start baking up some goods around here.