Posts

Showing posts from July, 2011

Pika's Farm Table

Image
I bought this quiche from the Troy Farmer's Market last week. It was carrot curry with feta cheese. I love the way curry and carrot go together, especially because of the little bit of sweetness that carrots have.The crust was crispy, buttery and flaky. The filling was extremely flavorful and fluffy. Totally delicious. The previous week I also purchased the spinach and feta one, but I haven't tried it yet. They also sell gazpacho and salsas, which I'm sure will be equally as delicious. 

Gluttons for Diets

Image
"Somewhere between emaciation and obesity lies good health. And somewhere between those extremes there is also a definition of beauty that is inclusive, sound, and honest."-Robin Givhan My experience as a bride was marked with questioning the wide array of expectations associated with the experience. I was very against going on any kind of crazy diet .  What I didn't anticipate is that when you are super busy and slightly nervous you do happen to eat less and you can't help it. After the wedding I couldn't help but think that there was nothing more relaxing than not planning a wedding. Funny enough, I also found myself much more perceptive of food smells and felt much more excited about all the treats we normally have laying around in the office ( pastries! truffles! ) that I didn't even have time to notice while thinking about tablescapes and place cards (even as I tried to not be the person who cared much about those types of things). For the c

Mushy Peas and Clotted Cream

Image
Two years ago this week I was getting ready to go on a study abroad program in London. It simultaneously feels like a lifetime ago and like it was just yesterday. That summer, I knew if I didn't go abroad that I would never have a chance like that again. I thought (rightly so, it turns out) that upon finishing graduate school I would get a job and a car payment and all of a sudden become a lot more tied down. It was exhilarating. It was the trip of a lifetime, and it certainly was an adventure (for better or worse). The problem was I hated the food. I will say that I have read defenses of English food online, and most of these have the qualification that if you spend a lot of money there is good food in London. Well, I will counter that with saying in NYC some of the best food is inexpensive, and that definitely a person who is not wealthy can acquire tasty food there. Here were some causes of my misery: mushy peas, lack of seasoning (even salt and pepper), limp bacon, soft fish a

Buttermilk Poundcake

Image
I made this to take to our friends' house for 4th of July. It is from the book The Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook . It is so good that when I gave Scott a tiny piece to try he actually got back up to try more. He also called me a genius which was pretty funny. I think what is so good is the flavor from the buttermilk and the nice texture from the brown sugar. It really has a great, tangy, unique flavor. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a loaf pan. Sift together two times 2 cups cake flour, 1/4 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon mace (I didn't have so I used pumpkin pie spice). In a measuring cup whisk together 4 eggs and 1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract. In another bowl, beat together 2 1/2 sticks butter, 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 1/4 cup dark brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons regular sugar. (I think this combination is important for the overall flavor, and I think if you used all dark brown sugar you would overwhelm the flavor of th

Beirut Restaurant

Image
We had a great time yesterday in Troy. Embarrassingly, it was actually our first time making it to the Troy Farmer's Market . We have lived here for two years now, but always seem to sleep in on the weekends. It was a great time, and we bought a whole range of things. I don't want to be acting like one of these girls , but there are really so many great products and you can walk in without any idea of what to eat for dinner and buy a group of things that all go together. I am also totally obsessed with marshmallows thanks to lunches at Jean-Georges in NYC, and I was able to feed that obsession. Anyways, there are a lot of good lunch options in Troy, but I had been interested in the Beirut Restaurant since I'd seen their products for sale here . It was a short walk from the Farmer's Market. Everyone there was super friendly. I started out with a Lebanese coffee which I thought was so delicious I ended up ordering two of them. I love coffee in general, and it was re

Watermelon Gazpacho

Image
I made watermelon gazpacho from this book . My coworker brought in a watermelon the other day andsaid she didn't know what to do with it, and I think there are actually a lot of things that can be done with watermelon - salsas, cocktails, sauces, sorbets. It is not just for eating out on a picnic table with the ants. As I was wandering around the grocery store looking for the ingredients I was also thinking of a firecracker popsicle inspired cocktail I had at New World Bistro last Fourth of July weekend, and I realized I was just trying to recreate that meal of a year ago subconsciously, and that seemed sort of funny to me. Anyways so you have a watermelon and you chop it up and purée it. I used my immersion blender we got as a wedding present, and I can't believe how fast and effectively it works. It helps to start out with a little bit and add 1/4 cup cider vinegar and 1/4 cup water, and then once that is puréed add more watermelon in batches until it is all liquified.

Thrift Store Blues

Image
I'll admit that I love clothes. I love the process of picking out things that go together in an interesting way. I believe that fashion does affect one's psychological state. You look professional, you feel more professional. You have a fun outfit on, it lifts your mood a little bit. I do have some problems with the high fashion world, but I love the process of coming up with outfits that work in an interesting way in the real world . However, I also have a boatload of student loans, just finished planning a wedding and furnishing a house, and I work in an art museum. A girl has also got to eat. Put that all together and the first thing to go in the budget was my appreciation of J. Crew and Ann Taylor Loft (enter Target and Marshall's!). I won't even mention the cost of a dress I once bought at Harrod's in London or my totally awesome straw hat from the horse track in Lexington, KY in more carefree times. But I have always loved thrift stores. In MI where I am fr