Hot Town

Wondering where I've been? Why I haven't been bloggin'?

You might have guessed I've been working hard, but it is also possible that I have melted. Can you melt from humidity? Sure feels like it.

Check out tomorrow's forcast:

Trashy Treasures

This weekend Brad and I headed out to Coney Island to sample the Siren Music Festival. We didn't actually end up listening to much music, but as we hoped for, Coney Island was a true pleasure. If the people watching alone isn't enough for you, here are 5 other things that make it special:

1. Hot Dogs! Not to mention that Nathan's also has the best deal in town on beer. A giant cup of a cold draft (we guessed about 40 oz.) for only $4.50. Try to beat that! And while your at it, try to hold on to the beast while eating your dogs at the same time.

2. The board walk. In the past I have been drawn to the break dancers and roller skaters, but you tell me - what's better than oiled-up, shirtless, hip hop boys of fitness selling and autographing calendars for a good cause? Mr. January (on my left) even wrote me a personalized message.


3. The beach. Where you can also eat cotton candy.

4. The view from the Wonder Wheel. Over 85 years of service and never an accident.



5. The CLYLONE! Every year it costs a dollar more and seems even sketchier than the last time I rode it, but you can't buy a more thrilling 40 seconds.

Saved

If any of my other 5 readers aside from Brad were finding this blog as 'hard to take seriously' as he was, due to my frequent spelling mistakes and occasional grammatical errors - you are about to be saved:

I FINALLY FIGURED OUT HOW TO USE BLOGGER'S SPELL CHECK.

But I don't have an editor yet and I wasn't an English major. So you'll have to bear with me on the grammar.

Something Fishy is Always Good

While we were in Mexico this spring, one of the highlights of our trip was eating the fish we caught on a deep sea trip. I will note that I was sea sick for 3 out of 4 hours out of that trip, but bringing back bags of freshly caught and cleaned tuna and mahi mahi for the kitchen at our hotel to cook up for us, almost made me all but forget about my earlier discomfort.


Brad has reminded me that in my recent post about the farmer's market and it's prominence in our life at this time of year, I have yet to mention the best part of our new market at Grand Army Plaza - Fish! The line for Blue Moon fish is always long, but worth the wait. Fresh from Long Island, in recent weeks I have not been able to resist the tuna. Although it goes for $13/lb - all it takes is some salt, pepper and a quick sear on each side to taste heaven.

We have also enjoyed scallops, sea trout, steamers and best of all, mussels. This past weekend I couldn't resist the price on their mussels and it was a most rewarding experience. After making the purchase I happen to come across this recipe in Real Simple that was so easy and unbelievably delicious. If you can get your hands on some fresh mussels, I can't reccomend it enough. You don't even need the fries if you've got some great bread.

And since I mentioned it, here is my other favorite photo taken by Shawn Linehan in Mexico, where we ate more fresh fish than we could have dreamed of. A la plancha!

Fresca Season

So in this post I will try to address several different topics, seamlessly integrating them under the general subject of "fresca". Read on . . .

Farmer Market Season is in full bloom with the excitement of new seasonal arrivals each week. Strawberries and asparagus are old news already and I just can't get enough of those summer beans. Even more exciting for Brad and I, this year's CSA share has finally commenced! No longer are we eating veggies from the Garden of Eve, but for he next 23 weeks, we will be enjoying both fruit and veggies, from Wildflower Farm, in upstate NY. This week's bounty included such goodies as strawberries, radishes, Tokyo Bekana (similar to both Broccoli Raab and Bok Choy), lots o' greens and even a potted thyme plant!

Last year's surplus of basil from our farm share aided in my perfection of pesto. However, with all the strawberries in my fridge I was excited to stumble upon this recipe for strawberry pesto at chocolateandzucchini.com. What an excellent idea! It brings back fond memories of Nectar, in Mérida, where Brad and I experienced the most amazing dessert, when we were served basil ice cream topped with starwberries and honey. You drooling yet? Well, for those of you who have been in need of new recipes and culinary inspiration like you are probably experiencing right now, but are disapointed by me recent lull in blogging, might I also recommend, some amusment from The Amateur Gourmet and as a resource, Epicurious.com.

But wait, I am still here right now - typing away. And on the subject of summer surplus recipes, the other thing we began to have more than we could handle from our farm share last season was tomatoes. You might ask yourself, what else do you do with tomatoes besides make pasta sauce? Salsa, silly! How surprised I was when I whipped up a batch at a BBQ the other night (hosted by a friend on the roof of a stranger for whom he was housitting - what fun!) and the general public response was "Wow, this is good. How do you make it?" It is so easy, my friends, just check out my recipe below:

Salsa Fresca
to make a party-sized batch
(Ingredient quantities need not be precise, this is just how much I used last time. Experimentation is encouraged.)

2.5-3lbs ripe tomatoes, chopped
1 large or 2 small red onions, chopped
As many jalepeños as you dare, but at least one, chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
Juice of 3 limes
A few tablespoons of olive oil
Freshly ground pepper and sea salt
One bunch of cilantro, chopped

Mix all the above ingredients in a bowl and serve with good corn chips.

That's all there is to it, so make some salsa. And while you're at it - here are some fun "upgrades" reccomended in my most recent issue of Real Simple:

1. Black beans and corn
2. Bell pepper
3. Mango
4. Diced cucumber and sliced radishes.

Oh, and doesn't that remind me of the most delicious sandwich I ate for lunch yesterday from a gourmet deli near my work in SoHo. On a beautiful 7 grain roll I was served, grilled chicken, havarti cheese, endive and cucumber. That's all, and it was deeelicious. So warm and soft and salty the havarti was . . . mmm. It was actually quite a culinary day for me. Brad and I had dinner later in the evening at a local green market restaurant, Restaurant Sorrel, here in Brooklyn where I ate some truly inspiring dishes as part of a three course $25 prixe fixe menu, including braised, organic duck legs. We will be going back!

My Apologies

Lately the work days have been leaving me burnt out and exhausted with little energy left for blogging. So, if you grew tired of seeing the picture of our busted Honda whenever you visited this site over the past two weeks, I'm sorry.

This past weekend Brad and I traveled to NJ to drop off our card to be fixed with salvaged parts and then carried on to Chéz Marold for my brother's college graduation party. We drank beer, played drinking games suitable for such a collegiate celebration, and I ate more pork in the form of various BBQ dishes than any one person should ever be allow to consume in one day - topped only by Brad who later confessed that he ate 3 pulled pork sandwiches, as well as his plates of sausage and peppers, seared pork and onions, grilled chicken, cheese steak, french fries . . . need I go on?



So now I am back to the grind, and a bit worse for the wear. This article is the most fascinating thing I have come across over the past few days and I thought I'd share. I came to me in an email from Brad with a subject line that read, "This will get you riled up" - if you're wondering my feelings about it, Brad was just about right. Do read about all that is good and bad of Walmart's hunger to join the organic craze. When I showed it to my Creative Director, he asked, "What's next, organic Bud Light?" -Gross.

Workin' For The Weekend

It's funny how idealized the "weekend" becomes when you spend your week slaving (did I say slaving?) at a full-time job. Friday night and the two days that follow glisten with endless possibilites as the work week comes to an end.

***
Brad and I properly rung in the weekend following my first real work week with a drunken night out. Several friends joined us in eating cuban food and drinking beer in a smelly bar. We beat the hangover that followed with a nice Saturday of walking in the park, shopping and lounging at home. Sunday was looking fine as well, when we walked over to the the 5th Avenue street fair, here in Park Slope, and ate quite a bit of yummy food while browsing the local vendors. However, the lovely weekend and perhaps our recent string of seemingly good luck and happy days came to a screeching hault when we headed to our hockey game.

While driving over the Manhattan Bridge at approximatelt 45MPH, thinking how good the car was running after having it's exhaust problem fixed by the mechanic this past week, the hood of the car flew up, tore off by all but one hinge and slammed against the windshield. It all went down sort of like this - driving . . . thinking . . .driving . . . WHAM!!!!!!!!seeing nothing but the black car hood. I don't remeber stopping the car. But I do remember saying to Brad "What the F@%! just happened?" And then I looked up to see that the sun roof had shattered from the impact and later noticed the rear view mirror was lying on the car floor.






If you're wondering why the car is all tied up, it is because Brad is a manly man and was keeping some string in the trunk for unseen events demanding string, just like this one. (Or so he claims - I don't know if he really "put" it there.) We used it to tie the nearly detatched and now inverted car hood on in order to drive it the rest of the way across the bridge and then back over the other side to return it to Brooklyn.

To answer your questions: Yes, we're OK. Luckily nobody was behind us. And no, The Dark Winbows didn't win the hockey game - we never made it and the team lost 2-1 in overtime.

And speaking of crap luck. Tonight I stepped in Francine's fresh dog poop while I was walking over to clean it up. So much for the wonderful weekend. Looks like I'm going to be working for the car payments from now on.

This Blog Needs a Jump Start

It will not die. Hopefully the regularity in my life, due to my recent change in employment status, will help this blog to prosper - Once I am adjusted that is.

In the mean time, how about a recipe?! I've been cooking, I just haven't had the time to be blogging about it.

For Brad's birthday I made a dish that was so good we already repeated it, last night. If you've been reading this blog I bet you can guess where it came from, still my favorite cookbook, Tyler Florence's Eat This Book. If you love sausages and artichokes - wait, should I stop there, because aren't those foods so intensely satisfying alone that it might actually be dangerous to combine them? Hold on tight - you will LOVE this dish. And although it takes a little time, it is easy.

Artichokes With Lemon, Sausage and Sage

Artichokes
1 handful of fresh, flat leaf parsley
4 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 lemon, halved
salt and pepper
4 whole artichokes

The Rest
olive oil
4 pork sausgaes (6 oz. each)
4 fresh sage leaves
2 shallots
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 lemon, cut into paper-thin slices
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 tbls unsalted butter
chopped parsley for garnish

1. Combine parsely, garlic cloves, wine, bay leaves and lemon halves in a large pot and add 2 quarts water. Bring to a simmer.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the artichokes by trimming the end of the stem and shave the outer layer with a pairing knife to expose the tender green flesh. Snap off the outer leaves until you reach the soft , pale green leaves and cut approximately 1 inch off the tops of the artichokes.

3. Slide the artichokes into the simmering broth. Cover and cook for 20 minutes. A knife inserted in the stem should have no resistance when done - remove them from the broth with tongs. Halve the artichokes length-wise and with a spoon, remove the hairy choke. Be gentle and try to keep the artichokes in tact.

4. In a deep skillet heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat and brown the sausages for 7-10 minutes until cooked. Remove them to a separate plate.

5. In the remaining oil, toss the sage leaves and allow to cook for 2-3 minutes to infuse the oil. Add the shallots, lemon and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Then add the chicken broth, bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer.

6. When the stock has reduced and thickened, swirl in the butter. Add the artichokes and toss them to warm.

7. Serve the artichokes and sauce over the sausages and ENJOY!!!!

MMMmmmmmmm. Oh my!

It's All About To Change

My freelance lifestyle as I know it is over.

Last week I accepted an offer to become a full-time designer with Public New York. I start tomorrow morning around 10am and from that moment on I will continue to work five days a week, every week, for a long time . . . I don't think I can even express in writing the anxiety I am currently experiencing over this commitment to change.

Exciting though, isn't it?

Another Milestone

So many important occasions and events have been passing for Brad and I lately that I have had little time to sit down and write about the day to day stuff. Having just finished traveling on occasion of our first wedding anniversary, this weekend was no exception. Yesterday we celebrated Brad's 30th birthday!



A few days previous, Amanda (sister-in-law for those who don't know her) arrived from San Fransisco to take part in the festivities. She and I spent Friday afternoon enjoying spring in Park Slope and shopping for Brad's gifts. Later on the three of us attended the Whitney Biennial, where there was a suprise (for us anyway) performance by Matmos, and ended the night with dinner and cocktails.




On Saturday, Brad's birthday started with a big brunch including coffee from his new french press, presents and a beautiful day. Many preparations were in order, and some decorating was done, for last night when we threw a party (the first in our new home) worthy of such a memorable date. In the company of some great friends, we ate great food, drank great wine (beer and wiskey!), ate great cake and partied well into the night. I nearly singed my eyebrows - 31 candles creates a lot of heat - and we even hosted a raffle of our most desireable unwanted belongings, which our lucky winning guests stumbled home with. I'm pretty sure we all fell asleep happy.





Today, I am finally experiencing downtime. The party has been cleaned up, Amanda has gone home, and Brad is now in his third decade. In an hour or so, we'll head off to our street hockey game (for hopfully a fifth consecutive Dark Rainbow victory). And then finally, we'll come home to a quiet house, with our precious little pets, and relax.

Como se dice "BLOG"?

Although it has been nearly 24 hours since we left the beautiful Yucatan penninsula, I have not stopped trying to speak in my poor, broken Spanish. To ward off the onset of post-mexico depression that I feel coming with the end of vacation, depleted finances, the reality of returning to work, and the sad knowlege that yes, my tan will fade, I am contemplating the idea of a siesta during which I hope to dream of mexico. But first, I will leave you with an itinerary highlight and the promise of a flicker set with more photos of our 8 days spent discovering the Yucatan, than you could ever hope for.

Just a few of the things we did in Mexico:

Day 1: Driving through the smoke of slash and burn farming on our way to visit the Mayan ruins at Chichen Itza.


Day 2: Being escorted through the market in Merida to shop for our cooking class with David Sterling of Los Dos.


Day 3: Aside from our 1st wedding anniversary. Flamingos, mangroves and a celebratory dinner at the hippest, and possibly tastiest, spot in Merida.


Day 4: Mas pueblos and beautiful churches as we logged more miles crossing the peninsula. For the first time we feared Montezuma's Revenge but I forgot about it when we were greated by friends and cold cervezas on the beach in Tulum.


Day 5: Ahhhhh, la playa. And a refreshing snorkle trip to a cenote.


Day 6: Biking (and sweating) around the ruins of Coba. We climbed the tallest pyramid in the Yucatan and visited los cocodrilos before attending a great wedding.


Day 7: Como se dice "sea sick"? The deep sea fishing trip we went on was NOT a highlight. I spent three of the four hours that we trolled the ocean hugging the boat with my head hanging over the side. But sitting down to a table of twenty, drunk on the biggest margarita I have ever been served, to feast on the fresh tuna and mahi mahi we caught, all but made up for my earlier discomfort.


Day 8: Massages and papaya wraps, lounging on the beach in the shade of a palapa, and a double dinner date at an amazing beachside restaurant in the jungle made for a marvelous day. The food was so delicious at Hechizo I didn't even mind the insects that joined us on the table. And as if this wasn't a most satisying day in Mexico . . .


Day 9: We partied into the early hours of day 9 with tequilla, limbo and - no Mexican vacation would be complete without it - skinnydipping.


Hasta luego con mas fotos, mis amigos!!!

Time Flies

This Friday, April 21st, marks the very first anniversary of Brad and I getting married. How quickly the year has passed us by. So much has happened , yet it seems like not so long ago we were embarking on what came to be known as the wedding tour - the ceremony in Santa Fe, NM, the celebrations in Colorado Springs, CO and our final shindig in Mendham, NJ.


For more photos, if you haven't already seen, click here.

***
Tomorrow morning we are off to Mexico, were we will first travel to Merida to take a cooking class and celebrate our anniversary. Then, on to Tulum for some lounging on the beach and the wedding of our friends Reid and Maria. Check back for photos and stories upon our return next week.

Adios!

Untraditions

One of the nicest things about being newly wed, is creating newly traditions that we intend to carry thoughout our time being wed. For example, during our Christmases together Brad and I have created our own little tradition of going out to a big restaurant meal on Christmas Eve, prior to the start of a series of family dinners - the inaugural of which was a huge Christmas Eve Sushi dinner!

In that spirit, today Brad and I hosted The Great American Barbeque Easter Dinner for my parents and our good friends Josh, his sister and Megan. In lieu of the traditional ham, we opted to recreate an elaborate menu of barbeque dishes that Brad learned during the cooking class that he recently attended at The New School.

The menu included the following dishes, which we made from scratch - sauces, spices and all, and was a feast in every sense of the word. But what better than an easter spent with family and friends, when everyone goes home with not only a full belly, but a goody bag of yummy home-cooked BBQ for days to come?

The Great American Barbeque Easter Dinner Menu:
Spicy Boiled Shrimp with Red Remoulade
Soft BBQ Dinner Rolls (the interactive fun is when you have your dinner guests help you roll the fresh biscuit dough :)
Wilted Slaw Salad
Oven-Barbequed Brisket (hours and hours in the works my freiends, and worth every minute!)
Scalloped Tomatoes
Souffleéd Cheese Grits (by far, the CHEESIEST)
'Real' BBQ Spare Ribs (spice rubbed and served with special rib sauce, mmmmmmm. . .)

Dessert:
I wish I could give Megan's creation more due credit, but it involed lemon meringue, almond flour cake, whipped cream and fresh rasberries - and I think everybody licked their bowl!
***


The weather Gods graced us with a warm afternoon to drink and enjoy those shrimp on the patio, and the perfect setting for an after dinner walk in the park.

And of course, of all days, I forgot to take pictures . . . But here are some photos of the booty, when we returned home from the grocery store, more than 24 hours before the meal, and started cooking!

Socializing In Our New Community

Yesterday Brad and I joined the Park Slope Food Coop (pronounced co-op). Ever since we found our new apartment, the Coop and it's proximity to us has been mentioned as a huge bonus in the neighborhood from sources as varied as one of my creatve directors to our broker. I had also seen some chatter about it on another food blog that helped pique my curiosity.

After wandering around and finding the various, nearby food markets to be dissapointing and inferior in both price and quality to my beloved Williamburg huant, Tops on the Waterfront, I decided it was time to investigate. Late last week I walked into the Food Coop to find out how to get a membership. As the ladies working instructed me to take this pamphlet and that and plan to attend a workshop, another woman popped up behind me and asked if I wanted a tour. Why not?

We wandered the aisles while she pointed out the food and other wares for sale, adding a bit of Coop trivia and philosphy here and there. All was very nice until we reached the checkout area at which point she said to me, "Well, if you'd like to join you should plan on attending an orientation. But uh, I'm going to have to escort you to the door now and you'll have to leave. You see, this is a member-based organization and I can't let you just wander around unsupervised . . ." An akward silence followed as all my plans for running feveroushly through the aisles stuffing my pants with low-priced organic meats and vegetables then forcing a cashier via headlock to let me pay for them without a membership card went down the drain. "OK." I said, "Well, thanks."

So, yesterday morning Brad and I woke up bright and early to attend the 10am mandatory member orientation where we learned the Park Slope Food Coop's moto, "Good Food at Low Prices." We also learned about the other costs of this good food, including a membership fee (per household member, therefor x2), a financial "investment" (also per household member, but refundable should you leave the Coop) and most importantly, a work shift. That's right, it's a cooperative so we have to work, but they tell us that also makes us owners who bear the right to attend meetings and voice our opinions as well as request new products to be stocked and propose new policies and procedures (like a much needed debit or credit card pay system that is supposedly in the works).

I realize that this all might sound silly at this point, which it is, but it is also cool. The Coop's policy is a fixed 21% mark-up on prices from wholesale as opposed to the 90%-100% mark-up in grocery stores (I learned this during the slide show). And as well as carrying a lot of organic and natural items, with 12,000 members shopping the turnaround is fast and the food is fresh. So after the presentation, tour and Q&A session, we joined. We had pictures taken and we signed up for our work shifts. Brad (the lucky dog) will be wearing a crossing gaurd vest and walking members to their cars or homes (within a three block radius) and returning their carts for 2.5 hours every fourth Wednesday afternoon. I however, not being able to predict a regular available weekday, was subjected to the bottom of the ladder options for evenings and weekends and will be working as a cashier for 2.5 hours during every fourth, Monday night closing shift.

After our eventful morning of orientating followed by shopping (and yes, we got some good stuff), we headed around the corner from our house to a Mediteranean restaurant where we had some delicious merguez sandwiches for lunch. Over our baba ganoush appetizer Brad said to me, "I'm going to have some coversation with my Dad when I tell him we joined a socialist super market."

Farewell and Hello

10 +1 things I will miss about living on Jackson Street in Williamsburg:

1. The pool and the new astroturf field at McCarren park.
   
2. The I-talians. Fuhgetaboutit.
3. Settepani - and the yummiest canollis I have ever had.
4. The sweet italian sausages from our local butcher.
5. All our friends that were in walking distance and the frequent dinner parties with the greenpoint bunch.
6. Spacial and my other Bedford Avenue faves being just a short stroll through the park away.
7. Easy street parking.
8. Hana Foods - the best health food store meets 24 hour convenience, EVER.
9. Tops - the most perfect independently owned grocery market I have ever shopped in.
10. All our favorite local restaurants and Pete's Candy Store.
11. The Dine's farm vendor and the Greenpoint Farmers market in McCarren Park.

*I could probably also list 10 things I won't miss, mainly about our building on Jackson street, as well. But hey, let's keep things positive here.

10 Things I already love about living on Lincoln Place in Park Slope:

1. Our apartment. You'll see . . . and the view from our bedroom window into our garden of a backyard.
2. The luxury of doing laundry at home.
3. Dog walks in Prospect Park.
4. The Brooklyn Conservatory of Music is our neighbor and the Brooklyn Museum and Botanical Garden are just a few blocks away.
5. Local coffee shops, many of them.
6. Cousin John's bakery - where we experienced the most delicious lunches and brunches, always involving fresh baked croissants. Did I mention it's around the corner?
7. The Grand Army Plaza Farmer's market.
8. Living a stone's throw off of 7th Avenue and not too far from 5th. We have MANY new shops and restaurants to explore.
9. Going to movies at a neighborhood movie theater.
10. Having closets.

An Introduction

Eight days ago, Brad and I moved from our apartment in Williamsburg to our new home on Lincoln Place in Park Slope. One week before that we came in and painted the place from one end to the other for three grueling days - that might be the last time you heard from me. I had planned to blog through the course of the painting, packing, moving and unpacking - but there just wasn't any spare time and for the past week my computer has sat unpluggled in a corner of the new apartment. But I'm up and running now, connected to the internet and all.

That said, welcome!


I know there are some readers of this blog who have been anxious to get a peep of the new apartment. I had actually taken some pictures after the painting to share, but couldn't get to the computer to post them. However, I have since decided that rather than ruin the surprise, I'll wait to share the rooms until we finish them.

You might not be surprised to learn that the first room in our new apartment that we can truly call done is the kitchen - and I love it! Brad chose the color and we put up all sorts of smart hanging rails and racks to keep our many kitchen tools organized. It is a small but highly functional space, and so far it has been a lot of fun to cook in.





There you have it! A taste, and there is plenty more to come, hopefully in the near future.

If anyone ever tells you that moving is easy, they are lying. Don't listen to them. Moving is hard, and exhausting, and in our case seemingly never ending. . .

Latest and Greatest - Part 5

Here we go, as promised and last but not least - the first great new recipe I cooked in 2006.

I made this for a dinner party with friends just after the holidays, and although it took some planning and cooking ahead of time, it was worth it. I served the stew with basmati rice, cooked in chicken broth with a cinnamon stick and a bay leaf, as well as some grillled pita breads that Brad made. Both us and the guests gobbled this one up and I loved it just as much the next day. Hurry up and make this recipe, because spring is almost here and this a very cozy dish.!

Lebanese Lamb and Bean Stew
*From Gourmet Magazine, adapted from George's Downtown Cafe and Diner

Serves 8.
Active time: 45 minutes Start to Finish: 10.5 hours (includes soaking beans)

1 lb dried navy beans, picked over and rinsed
1lb boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1.5" cubes
1 cinnamon stick
9 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoons black pepper
3 tabelspoons tomato paste
fresh, chopped parsley, paprika and lemon wedges for serving

1. Cover beans with cold water by 3" and let soak at room temperature at least 8 hours. Drain well.

2. Bring lamb, cinnamon and water to a boil in a 6-8qt heavy pot, then vigorously simmer, covered, until meat is tender. (1.25-1.5hrs). Add beans and cook, uncovered, until beans are tender, about 1 hour more.

3. Meanwhile, over moderate heat, heat oil in a large skillet until hot but not smoking, then cook onions, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, stirring until onions are pale golden and tender (8-10 minutes). Stir in tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

4. When beans are tender, stir in tomato-onion mixture and simmer until just heated through (about 5 minutes). Stir in remaining 1.5 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.

*This stew can be made up to 3 days in advance. Cool completely, uncovered, then chill in an airtight container. Reheat in 5-6qt pot over low heat until warmed through.

Serve, garnished with chopped parsely and paprika, with a wedge of lemon. ENJOY!!!

****
Stay tuned readers, I promise to post again very soon with moving and new apartment updates. Things are just a bit hectic here in Brooklyn these days!

Very Important Matters

Or perhaps I should say 'Very EXHAUSTING Matters', because this week has been a long one.

Ironically, I was about to post this entry on Friday afternoon, but just before I had a chance to read through it one last time and press the 'publish post' button, I got absoultely swamped at work. I have not had a spare moment until now, more that 24 hours later on Saturday night to get back to it.

****
Several major events have taken place involving Brad and my transition to our soon-to-be new home. Firstly, we finally signed the lease and got keys! Starting tomorrow our wonderful color pallete will start gracing the walls and I promise, finally, pictures. In addition, after weeks of window shopping for the right one - Brad and I experienced the fortune of good timing, when we stumbled upon a great couch and chair at a very thifty price, from a moving sale posted on craigslist. I can't wait to add them to our new living room.

Aside from the fact that I have had early starts and long finishes to work days this past week, I have also been racing to post my, yet again, revised personal website, now in flash (!) and with the addition of my joint web design endevour with Brad, Bad Feather. The version that is up now is what I will call, beta, as it contains many glitches and design flaws that will still need to be corrected - but it is a major start.

Right about now, as the work day is not nearly close enough to an end, I feel a giant yawn coming on. No time to rest though, tonight I have a dance performance to attend, there are mailing addresses that need to be changed, cleaning . . . and of course, the painting.

Birds of a Feather

From what I have been told, most successful relationships are formed in one of two ways, either opposites attract or you and your other are like two peas in a pod. Those of you who have known me for a long time know that I am unusually prone to unique injuries and accidents that wouldn't happen to most people. However, Brad is not most people, and after seeing the photos below I think you'll agree that the relationship he and I have is definitely the latter. . .



That is what happened on the way home from a party where the following events took place:


Would you believe those items fell out of a piñata?

How to Cook Like A Gourmet

Or at least like you read Gourmet Magazine.

A few weeks ago, desperately missing my summer garden share, I signed us up for Urban Organics. Since then I have been delivered a box full of organic fruits and veggies every Thursday, and trying to use them all within the week has been shaking up my choice of recipes.

Yesterday we stopped by the farmer's market and I sought out my favorite meat vendor to find the perfect accompaniment for a buch of green beans I wanted to use. My choice was two beautiful duck breasts. And so, upon returning home I sought out some cooking inspiration on epicurious.com and found a recipe that was so absoultely drop-dead-delicious (and easy!) that I just had to share. . .


You can find the recipe for Duck Breasts with orange, honey and tea sauce here. I recommend eating it as we did, garnished with orange wedges, and paired with roasted sweet potatoes and some green beans tossed with toasted almonds in lemon butter. (You starting to imagine just how many fruits and veggies I now have around the kitchen thanks to the delivery?) But seriously, this is an great dish, simple to make, and sure to impress some dinner guests. Quack!