Full Swing

It's the end of July, we're on the other side of a brutal heat wave and I'm two days away from an entire week on the New Jersey Shore with my family. 

I haven't made any more progress on my list, but I did get to go out of town over 4th of July weekend.  

We drove 3 hours north of the city to the Catskills to stay with a friend and her husband on their land.

It's just far enough out of the city so that you feel removed from the hectic energy, but close enough that a city mouse like me isn't totally afraid.

I felt like Marie Antoinette, gathering wild strawberries, while right over the next hill you could just make out the sounds of the highway.  Our friends were the most gracious hosts, serving foie gras and champagne by the fire and Brittany salted butter and French press coffee for breakfast.

Last weekend I finally put my toes in the sand and, get this, we picked up our car!  That's right, a car.  Just think of all the adventures we'll be having now!

So, I'm off on vacation and much needed quality time with my family.  It's the first time since I was 16 that we've taken a vacation together and I cannot wait.  It's going to be so much fun!

I'll check in once in a while. Catch you on the flip side.

Not That Far From Home

Last week I got to cross something off my list!  That didn't take long, did it?

Just a 30 minute train ride puts us smack in the middle of the largest Chinatown in New York City.

It's amazing to me that I can be somewhere that feels so utterly foreign so close to home.

There produce I don't recognize and signs I can read, but there is for sure some food that I want to eat!

Biang! is the latest in the small empire created by Xi'an Famous Foods.  I first ate there in the food court at the Flushing Mall, but this the first retaurant with waiter service.  The food is just as good and the atmosphere very pleasant!  We had the famous Cumin Lamb Noodles and fiddlehead fern salad.  Both were amazing.

Then, just a little bit further down Main Street is the Queens Botanical Garden.  It's rather small, but very charming and if you pause a minute in the little grove of trees, it completely possible to forget you're in New York City at all.

It's free on Sundays from 4-6pm.  I'm thinking it's the perfect place to have a little picnic.  That is if this rain ever lets up!

What about you? Cross anything off your Summer To Do List? Go any place exotic this weekend?  Eat anything delicious?

Dog Days

Summer is in full swing now and I owe you guys a list!

I don't have very ambitious plans for this summer.  There's a wedding to attend in July and a week planned at the Jersey Shore with my family.  Other than that, I just want to take in the best NYC (mostly Queens) has to offer.

Maybe this is the year I finally get to the Jazz Age Lawn Party.

Since I live in Queens, the Met's are my adopted baseball team.  I really want to see a game.

And also in Queens, is the U.S. Open for tennis.  The Man and I have been talking about going for years.

Maybe the Queens Botanical Gardens and a lunch date here.

I've also been trying to eat here for almost a year.  Maybe this summer?

And certainly I have to get back out to Rockaway Beach, at least for a fish taco!

What are you hoping to do this summer?

Summer Kick Off!

Memorial Day was last Monday and what should have been the (unofficial) kickoff to summer was cold and dreary.  I was in Minneapolis visiting a college friend, so at least I had good company.

 I've visited Minneapolis twice now and each time I go, I fall in love a little more.  It was fun to walk down the streets and fantasize about which house we would buy.

I got a taste of a lot of what it had to offer, which is, in itself, quite a lot.

Famous Bloody Marys!

 Didn't actually get see any music, but cheap beer!

 Minneapolis Mule (that mug has a $25 deposit!).

 Downtown.

Skeeball, 25 cents!!

Send-off breakfast.

Today, I'm back in NYC and it's 90 degrees!  This weekend feels a lot more like the kick off to summer.  I'll be headed to NJ wish my brothers happy birthday (they were born 1 week and 6 years apart) and hopefully log in some hours by my parents' pool.

Summer weather means another summer list!  I'll be back soon with the 2013 edition. 

Here's 2012, 2011 and 2010.

"Doing" vs. Doing

Not too long ago, I was lamenting the fact that I didn't get to "do" anything on my one free weekend in a while.  No movie, no happy hour, no museum visit, no cool flea markets, or parks.

But then I went back through my Instagram feed and realized that I "did" quite a bit.  Maybe I need to re-evaluate my idea of "doing".  Living in a big city like NYC makes me feel like I'm constantly missing out on EVERYTHING.  If I haven't hit every major cultural high point one weekend, I feel like a complete and utter failure.  

There are a lot of other things to DO, though.  Sometimes it take a little reflection to realize how full your days really are.

 Finally installed this mirror.

 Finished some handmade gifts.

 Tested out my grandmother's much-prized pierogi recipe.

Finally got around to putting together (and painting and staining) my new dressers from Ikea.  Inspired by this Ikea Hack.

What about you?  Do you ever feel pressure to "have fun"?  

There's a long weekend ahead of us - what will you be "doing"?

Secret Weapon

Have I told you about my secret weapon?  

It's this very unassuming recipe from Jamie Oliver, from this book.  I've used it once to twice to make regular pancakes.  My favorite thing about it, is that it's easy to remember, so I never have to look it up. It's just 1+1+1.  Do you recall how I love these little formulas?  I've talked about them before.

Here's the recipe:

1c. self-rising four

1c. milk

1 egg

That's it!  Can you believe it?!  It makes 12 pancakes, 1/4 cup portions.  I don't even add sugar or anything when making them, but you totally could.  Or vanilla.  Mmm.

I was pretty content with my little pancake recipe, but then I saw this recipe on TheKitchn and it was the answer to all my CSA prayers.  For (almost) every vegetable that I stumped me, I now had a secret weapon.

The recipe says, and I quote,  "Make one recipe of your favorite homemade or store-bought pancake mix."  I have one of those!  It was meant to be!

So, you take that magic, secret weapon, easy-to-remember recipe and add about 10oz of most any vegetable, shredded.  I find the tender, spring/summer variety work best.  Nothing that needs to cook too long.  Think, carrots, zucchini, corn, asparagus (chopped), bok choy, spinach, etc.

(10oz is the sweet spot for me.  1lb. was just way too much.)  

Then, go crazy.  Add herbs, onions, garlic, whatever kind of seasoning you like.  Use the recipe I linked to as a guide and let your imagination run wild.

The first round was carrot, parsley, scallion, garlic.

The second round was corn, cilantro, cheddar, scallion, garlic.

I was dreaming of a version that was pan-Asian, with soy sauce, cilantro, ginger, carrots and bok choy.  With a green salad on the side and a large dollop of plain yogurt (or sour cream) it's a light, but satisfying dinner.

It's almost too easy.  And I almost can't wait for zucchini season.

Time Machine

This new project from the New Museum is amazing.  I love this kind of interactive exhibition.

I wouldn't come to NYC until 6 years later, in 1999.  Even then, I only commuted from NJ, taking the train to work in Soho and back every day.

By the time I moved for real, in 2004, this world seemed to already be rapidly changing.

Full Disclosure

I have a formula for clothes shopping/getting dressed.  It's really more of a color theory, but let me tell you, it's genius.  And it makes packing for vacation really, really easy.

The secret is I only buy clothes of a certain color so they all go together. 

I have my building blocks of neutrals, which are denim and khaki and sometimes army green.

Then, basically everything else I buy is navy or grey, with occasional yellow and orange accents.  Most of my tee shirts are navy or grey.  I have some special silk blouses that are gold.  A striped shirt in cheerful orange.

To be fair, the navy and grey kind of act as neutrals, too, but take one from each category and you have a complete palette.  So it's goes something like this: khaki + navy + gold = outfit. 

This spring I was inspired by Pantone's Spring 2013 color report and I expanded a bit.  See, the Linen is my neutral and the Nectarine and Lemon Zest are already there.

So, I added two new colors to the rotation!!! Pantone calls them Princess Blue and Kelly Green.

I know, crazy, right?  But what about the formula?? How will I ever get dressed in the morning?! 
Let me fill you in on another little trick.  I use the color wheel.  It may seem really silly (or crazy), but if you ever feel paralyzed facing a rack of clothes, this will help.  I find that if I stick to Complimentary or Analogous colors, then I can always come up with a perfect combo. 

Complimentary colors are across from each other on the wheel and Analogous colors are next to each other.  So, by following my new formula, Princess Blue and orange are Complimentary and Kelly Green and yellow are Analogous.

Here are some ways I plan to use my new spring palette.

 

Neutral khaki shorts + blue checked shirt + cute orange bag

 

Neutral denim jeans + bright blue sweater + dotty orange scarf

Neutral denim tee + kelly green skinnies + yellow sandals

Neutral grey tee + kelly green skirt + yellow flats

I'm super excited about my new spring palette!  Do you use a formula when shopping or getting dressed in the morning?  Have you ever resorted to something like the color wheel? Or am I the only (OCD) one out there?

Now back to our regularly scheduled program

Whew.  That was quite a break.  I never intended to be gone for that long, but it first it was the holidays and then I went on vacation and before I knew it, it was March!  

We've got a bit of catching up to do.  While I was away, this blog turned 7 and I turned 36.  It was a quiet celebration for both of us.  Oh, and my hand-me-down camera went kaput so I've been relegated to Instagram, which is actually a lot of fun.

Here's what I've been up to for almost 3 months.

 Christmas at home

 Edible gifts

 Handmade gifts

 My birthday, here.

 Homemade bread.

Kings County Distillery

 Singlecut Brewery

 The prettiest beach

Fancy drinks

 Queens speakeasy

Follow me on Instagram: rebacrea

Handmade Holiday

Well, that time is upon us.  I leave work today for NJ to spend some time with loved ones and then I'm on vacation for a whole week!  Woot!

 

This year's holiday continues to be a scaled down one.  A few years ago, my immediate family (brothers, mom and dad, and sister in law) decided that we would all draw a name and buy one gift instead of five.  It was the best decision we ever made and tell that anyone who will listen to me.  It somehow makes the whole gift-giving process 100% more relaxed and exciting.  (Who am I going to get this year?!  Who got me?!)  Trust me, if you haven't already, suggest the idea to your family.  They just might heave a huge sigh of relief!

 

I do like to make homemade gifts for a few special people and I turned to the old reliable recipes I've been using for a while now.  This one, this and this.  So easy!  My favorite part is finding cute packaging.  The best find this year? 1/2 lb. coffee bags at the Container Store.  39 cents!  And they look so fancy.  

I hope everyone has a happy and safe holiday.  This year, especially, there feels like there is a lot to reflect upon.  Make sure you tell your loved ones how much they mean to you and keep the spirit of the season in your heart.

See you next year!

 

1st Annual S.H.A.C. (Sunnyside Holiday Apartment Crawl)

Last weekend, my brilliant friend, Danny, put together an apartment crawl in our neighborhood.  I'm always listing the fact that I have so many people I know within a 10 block radius the #1 reason I love my 'hood.  The only problem is, I never see any of them!  

Danny came up with the idea of a bunch of us all visiting each others' home in one night.  We started at one apartment and, after about an hour (or one cocktail) moved on to the next place!  It was genius.  You only had to worry about having enough booze and food for about and hour and clean up was minimal!  

The only problem was my house was second to last, so everything I made had to be done ahead of time - I really wanted to spend next to zero time prepping once the party arrived at my place.  

This is what I came up with.

Meatballs in Marinara Sauce (made that morning and kept warm in the crock pot)

with homemade sourdough bread, courtesy of The Man

Endive "Boats" with Blue Cheese, Toasted Walnuts and Pomegranate Seeds

Chocolate Ganache Tart with Whipped Cream

Want my super secret meatball recipe?  It's a crowd pleaser!

For the Sauce:

2, 28oz cans of crushed tomatoes

10 Tbs butter

2 med onions, peeled and cut in half

2 tsp kosher salt

For the Meatballs:

2 1/2 lbs. of ground beef and ground pork, the combo is up to you as long as it equals 2 1/2 lbs.
1c grated parmesan cheese
1c seasoned Panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cloves of garlic (I grate these with a microplane)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes 

1/2 tsp salt (this is optional, sometimes I even leave it out if I'm using a stronger cheese like Pecorino Romano)

2 Tbs chopped basil or parsley or  a mixture of both

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and start on the sauce.  The recipe is this one.  It sounds crazy, but it's the only sauce I make now and The Man says it tastes like his Grandma's, so that's pretty much they highest compliment it could get.  You just put everything in a somewhat shallow pot (I have a 6 qt dutch oven that works perfectly) and let it simmer as low as possible.  By the time the meatballs are done, the sauce will be too.

For the meatballs, you just mix everything up with your bare hands, so that it's just barely mixed.  You don't want to over do it.  Then I use a scoop to make 50 perfect meatballs.  I'm a little OCD that way, but once I started using the scoop there was no turning back.  Just scoop them out and round them a little in your hands and plop them on a cookie sheet.  You'll need two cookie sheets.  Once they're all dished out, give them a generous drizzle of olive oil and bake for 20 minutes.  

Take them out of the oven.  Take the onions out of the sauce and throw them away.  Put the meatballs in the sauce and you're done!

The Chocolate Tart is even easier and you make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge.  Use the crust recipe from here.  It never, ever fails.  Let it cool and then fill it with chocolate

For the ganache:

12 oz dark chocolate (I use 70%), chopped

1 c heavy cream

4 Tbs butter, cut into pieces

Put the chocolate and butter into a heat-proof bowl.  Bring the cream almost to a simmer and then pour it over the chocolate/butter mixture.  Let it sit for about a minute and then stir it up so that the chocolate fully melts and it looks all smooth and shiny.  Then pour it into the tart shell.  Tap it a few times on your counter so that the surface it totally even and smooth and put it in the fridge until party time!

The Endive Boats don't need an explanation do they?  You separate the leaves of the endive so they make little boats and then fill them with crumbled blue cheese, toasted walnuts and pomegranate seeds.  I love these because they're basically finger food and they taste light and refreshing.  I will give you my super secret honey dijon vinaigrette recipe, though.

For the Vinaigrette:

1 Tbs Dijon mustard

1 Tbs honey, (If you happen to have super fancy black truffle honey from a trip to Tuscany, awesome.)

1 Tbs white balsamic vinegar , white wine vinegar, or sherry vinegar (Don't use regular balsamic for this because it won't look pretty when you dress the salad.)

3 Tbs walnut oil 

1 tsp water

Make the vinaigrette and store it separately from your Boats.  You can make the Boats ahead of time and wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in the fridge so they won't wilt.  When the guests arrive, unwrap and drizzle with dressing. 

Taa DAA!  You're welcome!  

I hope you have some fun plans for the weekend, maybe a party or two? 

Enjoy!!

** Those clementine are left over from the party.  Oranges always make me feel Christmas-y, in a Little Women kind of way.  Am I the only one?

Ever Mindful

One day this week, I found myself curled up in bed, tearfully texting a dear friend that I just wasn't in the spirit.  This is nothing new.  Every year around this time, I start to feel a little overwhelmed.  

I'm not enough of a planner to start preparing for the holidays in September, so suddenly December is upon me, and I don't have a tree and my gifts are half made and there's just not enough time!  And then I remember to take a breath.  And that I don't have to do it all.  Least of all, live up to some trumped up expectations that I have for myself.

  I'm going to be mindful of how fortunate I am this year and not overreach.

I started the project above on Wednesday.  It's a skirt for a tree that I don't have.  I'm expecting a houseful of friends on Saturday who will have fun even if that tree skirt isn't finished and if I serve them store bought bread instead of homemade brioche dinner rolls.  

So the table is set for tomorrow and tonight I will sit and stitch and be mindful of all the reasons that I love this time of year and all the wonderful people in my life and all the ways that I am so, so lucky.

 

In Which I Learn I'm Ill Prepared for Winter

In the weeks directly following the storm, the weather was unusually cold and inclement.  It was then, that I realized I didn't really have what I needed to get me through a NYC winter.

My beloved Hunter boots keep me dry, but not warm.  These boots are perfect for stomping through the snow.

How did I make it through last winter without smart gloves?  Constantly pulling your gloves off to use your smart phone is not smart! These gloves will keep you warm, while you Google.

I was forced to commute by bike for a few days last month and New Yorkers ride their bikes all year long in call kinds of weather.  But being safe doesn't mean you have to look like a dork!  This helmet is stylish and the bright white, will help you be visible if you have ride after dark.

My early morning visits to the gym have survived daylight savings, but the cold weather has me rethinking what I wear on the walk over.  These sneakers are nice and lightweight so I can cram them in a bag if its snowing.

Happy December everyone!  Let the count down to winter begin!

Week of Salads

I had this post planned for a while, but then life took a serious turn.  Now, though, with Thanksgiving looming, I though it might be appropriate.  Maybe you want to do your own week of salads after an indulging long weekend.

The idea came to me when we were hit with quite a lot of leafy items in our CSA box.  Instead of trying to make radicchio risotto or another plate of kale and polenta, I thought I would just let them shine as the center pieces of beautiful salads.  

I have to say that we never ate so well or so colorfully.

Day One (and Five): Roasted Butternut Squash with Spinach, Pepitas, Parmesan and Shallot Vinaigrette

We liked this so much we ate it twice!  The colors can't be beat and the vinaigrette is the key in my opinion.  Substituted squash and cheese types, but it was very close to the recipe.

Day 2: Radicchio, Green Olives and Parmesan with Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

The sweet balsamic and salty olives and cheese really, really balance the bitter radicchio.  We've been eating some variation of this salad ever since discovering this recipe.

Day 3: Kale Caesar with Whole Wheat Croutons and Chopped Egg

 

I use Martha's caesar dressing recipe all the time, except I do it in the food processor and I use half the oil.  It's fool proof and makes enough for 4 servings.  And, yes, I make my own croutons, but I just toast mine in my cast iron skillet on the stove top.  Chopped egg for a little extra something.  Some folks might balk at the notion of raw kale, but it's sooooo good and satisfying.  Make sure to remove the stems and chop it finely.

Day 4: Escarole, Fennel, Parmesan and Pepitas

Loosely based on this recipe.  We still had Parmesan and pepitas in the house so we used those and I made my usual Dijon Mustard Vinaigrette, which is basically this recipe, minus the dried herbs and creme fraiche.  I also love escarole with mint!  

 

So there you go!  Do you ever have salads for dinner?  Would you consider doing it for a whole week?  

 

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!!!