In which I have a revelation

There's been a lot of talk on this blog lately about compromise and choosing and picking.  There's also been a lot of griping off-blog about quality of life and not having enough time and not *wanting* to choose.  I was in a really grumpy state - always having to compromise felt like never really having what I want.

Then, something amazing happened.  One morning this week, I opened my eyes around 6am and instead of groaning and rolling over for another hour of (fitful) sleep, I got out of bed.  Then I had a cup of coffee. And then I. Went. To. The. Gym.

I know.  Shocking.

And that night I realized something.  As 6pm rolled around, and I got ready to leave work, instead of feeling the dread of having to choose, I felt liberated.  I could DO ANYTHING.  Last night, I went and spent an hour with a dear friend.  Then I went home and cooked dinner and watched a few of these while I knit.  I know!!!  Those are, like, all the things that I wish I had time for every day!  

This is not news for many people.  I know this because my gym was packed at 6:30am.  But it's news to me!  I'm one week in and so far, it feels like it might stick.

I'm on vacation next week.  We'll be staying in the city, mostly and I have a long list of stuff I'd like to do, which includes

visit the zoo

amateur night at The Apollo

Mets vs Nationals

 happy hour at Small's (no cover!)

opening night in Chelsea

 maybe see this, if I'm lucky

oh, and definitely at least one trip here

 

Anyone have any other suggestions?

Weekend Escape

Whew!  What a weekend, right guys?  I was a pretty un-happy camper most of the time, content to hide in the bedroom (where it's easier to cool down), eat breakfast and bed, and read slightly trashy books.  

I couldn't hide away the whole weekend, though, and so when I did venture outside, it was all about escaping the city.

 

We didn't have to go to far on Saturday afternoon.  We waited until about 3pm and then took the Q39 bus to Rockaway beach.  It's only an hour ride from Sunnyside, but you feel worlds away.  The above picture was taken at Rippers, on the boardwalk, where my friend asked me, "Where are we?"  It certainly didn't feel like New York City.

A few hours later we walked over to the Rockaway Beach Surf Club (where there's a constant reminder where you are) to watch the New York City premier of Here & Now.  On the way home, we dozed on the bus  and walked home in the middle of a tremendous downpour! 

Sunday, we still had designs on leaving the city, even if only in the planning stages.  We visited a few big Outdoor Gear stores and actually bought a tent!  We hope to escape later in the month to the Great Outdoors.

While we were downtown, I wanted to visit the Manhattan outpost of Despana Foods.  I was familiar with their tiny story in Queens, but in the city, not only do they sell all their wonderful foods, but they offer a small menu of sandwiches and tapas, along with wine and beer.  We shared two bocadillos and pretended were back in Barcelona for an hour.

Seeing Green

I know I promised you vintage housewares for sale in my last post and they're coming, really they are.  It just takes a while to photograph all that stuff!  Also, I've been distracted by the state of my refrigerator.

I mean, look at it.  Isn't it gorgeous?  I was a little daunted this week when the contents of our CSA box couldn't fit into my shopping bag.  I was really worried that a full share might be too much for us and a lot of produce would be going to waste, but then I put it all away and it looked pretty manageable.

This time last year I was lamenting the amount of lettuce we were getting.  But now, after a full year of only (mostly) eating seasonal veggies from our CSA, I am psyched!!  After a winter full of parsnips and potatoes I was craving green things; I couldn't wait for the spring greens to start rolling in.  Now look at us!!

This is what we got: 

beets, boston lettuce, carrots, cilantro, escarole, fennel, kohlrabi, romaine, scallions

This is what we're going to eat this week:

poached cod with beet puree and beet green salad

indian carrot salad with ground turkey and curried yogurt

linguine with clams and fennel (and kohlrabi)

escarole and cannelini beans baked with breadcrumbs and parmesan

pasta with boston lettuce, peas and prosciutto

I'll probably use the romaine lettuce for lunch throughout the week.  As you can see, when the veggies start coming fast and furious we eat pretty vegetable-centric meals, with just a little meat, fish or beans to fill things out.  

Also, I want to let you know that all of those vegetables, which come from a certified organic farm, cost us $20 a week.  Yup.  Waaay cheaper than Whole Foods because we buy directly from the farmer.

Just thought some of you might be curious to see what we're getting and how we're using it. Have a great weekend!!!

In which I sell a lot of stuff

This was the state of things at The Works as of Friday morning.  We've had some really unwanted critters visitors for the last couple of months and, after trying a few different approaches, I had to call in the big guns.  This decision, required me to unload the entire contents of my kitchen cabinets to other areas of the apartment.

Yes, I have a chalkboard wall in my kitchen and, yes, I writ out the week's menu on it.  It helps me plan how we're going to use the week's CSA delivery (and tells The Man what's off limits in the fridge!).

Everything was cleaned, purged and reorganized before being put away just in time for the folks' visit on Saturday night.  

What does this all mean to you?  Well, it means that the contents of what I affectionately call The Prop Closet, will soon be for sale on etsy.  Over half of my collection of vintage plates and glassware is going to be up for grabs.  Stay tuned.

Instagram Weekend

Whoa.  Hey there.  That was quite a weekend.  And from the looks of it, I finally discovered Instagram.  I'm always late to the party on these kind of things.

Friday we made these cocktails at home.  Followed by this roast chicken.  It was the best.

Saturday we had lunch at our favorite neighborhood Mexican place (where I am becoming addicted to the enchiladas verdes).  They make micheladas and serve them in these funny mugs.

Sunday we rode our bikes to the Greenmarket in Jackson Heights and made a enormous lunch with our loot, including asparagus, radishes, tomatoes, green onions, goat cheese and duck bacon!

That evening we saw a Wes Anderson retrospective at The Museum of the Moving Image and had cocktails before hand at The Astor Room.  I love date night when everything is in walking distance!

Monday we went (with everyone else in the city, apparently) to the beach in Far Rockaway.  It was crowded, but the day was perfect.  I couldn't leave, though, without having a fish taco! 

Tonight is the first installment of our CSA for the year.  I'm so excited I can't stand it.  It's silly, but I look forward to getting these boxes so much.  Also, this year we signed up for milk and yogurt from here.  Double excited!

Quick and Dirty

I was staring at my computer wondering if I should post about soup on such a nice, sunny day, when I saw, far in the distance, dark clouds rolling into Brooklyn.  Ah, well.  It rained for a moment and now it's sunny again.  The weather sure is fickle this month, but this soup is one thing that's been constant in my life.

You know I love my soup.  I've posted about it here and here.  For me, it's the perfect thing to eat for lunch - it's wholesome, filling, and I can freeze large batches at a time.

I call this one Quick and Dirty, because it's really like cheating.  You just open a bunch of cans and dump them all in a pot.  Seriously.  Ok, so when I make it I use my homemade stock and beans that I've frozen, but whatever.  It's just as easy.  Dump and cook.

Quick and Dirty Italian Tomato and Bean Soup

1 box (4 cups) good quality organic chicken broth (or veggie)

1, 15oz. can diced tomatoes with their juices (fire roasted, with garlic and basil, just plain, any kind you like really)

1, 15oz can of cannellini beans

1 tsp kosher salt (or to taste)

1 Tbs Italian seasoning

1 med onion, finely chopped

2 med carrots, finely chopped

2 med celery stalks, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

Take a big ol' pot and dump in the first 5 ingredients.  

Turn the heat up to high and while it comes to a boil, chop your onion, carrots, and celery and mince your garlic.

Once the soup is boiling, add your chopped/minced ingredients.

Reduce heat to a gentle simmer (med-low) and simmer for 30-45 minutes, or until all the veggies are soft and tender.

(If you have a Parmesan cheese rind in your refrigerator or freezer drop it in while the soup is simmering.  It's adds a nice depth of flavor.)

Makes 3 pretty hearty or 6 small servings, like as a starter.

Serving suggestions:  Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and olive oil or top with grated Parmesan cheese
or just serve as is with some nice Italian bread and a little salad.

Full Disclosure

For almost a year now, we have been getting all of our meat and vegetables (and some fruit) from a series of farms in Long Island, upstate New York and Vermont.  We are members of a CSA and there is an amazing farm that works with over 30 CSAs in the New York City area from Astoria to Yorkville, even West Chester and Long Island.

Lewis Waite Farms partners with a number of other farms to bring fresh products to people who care about things like organic, humanely raised meat, eggs and cheese.  They also offer products like honey, granola, bread, flour and beans.

The amazing thing is that you don't have to be a member of the CSA to order from them!  They simply use these drop off points as a matter of convenience.

What you see above is a month's order of meat, which arrives frozen straight from the farm.  All that you see there cost me $107.00.  That comes to about $25 a week and this order will feed us for the whole month.  That's 28 meals for 2 people for $25 a week.  This is how it breaks down:

Turkey breast, 1.5lbs: This is 2 meals, easy.  I cut it up so I end up with 4 cutlets.

Pastured Pork Sausage, 1lb: This is 4 meals.  It gets browned, one link at a time, and added to soups, pasta, or eggs to add a little flavor.

Two, 3lb. chickens: 6+ meals.  One night it's the best roast chicken you ever ate.  Then the leftovers get frozen to be made into tacos or to go into chicken soup.  Then, each carcass becomes 4 quarts of chicken stock (which also goes in the freezer) to be made into soup or risotto. (So really that's 14 meals.)

Pork Shoulder, 5lbs.:  This is about 6+ meals.  I'll braise the pork on a Sunday afternoon and serve it over polenta or mashed potatoes with some fresh veggie slaw.  The rest gets portioned out (about 1 cup per portion) and frozen.  This will become tacos, added to tomato sauce for a heart pasta, or bulked up with veggies and more broth for a pork based stew.  This is bone in, too, so add 4 quarts of stock or 8 meals.

1lb. each ground pork, beef and turkey:  This is 4 meals.  Destined to become chili.  Several lunches or dinner for friends.

A dozen eggs: This 6 meals. We eat eggs for breakfast, but also often for dinner, in the form of nice frittata with some cheese, sausage and veggies, or poached on top of a pile of kale and polenta.

Marinated feta in herbs and olive oil:  This is, like, 12 meals.  No really.  The feta will be eaten, little by little in salads and omelets, but the olive oil, infused with herbs and sun dried tomatoes, becomes a vinaigrette!  (OK, so vinaigrette isn't a meal, but think of the money you save not buying that fancy bottled salad dressing.)

38 meals, for $107. that's about $3 per meal.  Obviously, I'm not counting the extras, like olive oil or pasta, and our CSA share costs us $20 a week, but add it all up and it's still maybe around $50 a week. For two people.  That's not bad.

I learned my lesson early.  The fancy lamb chops, at $15 a pop, were not really a bargain and best saved for very special occasions.  It was best to get the more humble cuts of meat and let them do more work.  I do spurge on $15 chickens, but they are soooo worth it.  (I actually look forward to roast chicken night like it's Christmas Eve.)  But is it really a splurge if one chicken can give us 7 meals?  Also, thick cut, hardwood smoked bacon, without nitrates.  The best bacon you'll ever eat.

This post isn't sponsored by Lewis Waite Farms.  I just think what they're doing is really great and want to spread the word.

And I want people to know that getting really good, really healthy, humanely raised meat is not a luxury reserved for people who have lots of money to throw around.  It's affordable if you go right to the source.

Our CSA starts up again in 2 weeks and I am insanely excited!  I want to share more of that with you as well and maybe some sample menus.  What do you think?  Is that something you'd be interested in?

Did you know...

.... that I'm obsessed with owning chickens?

It's true.  My idea of heaven is a town house in Brooklyn with bees on the roof and chickens in the yard.

It's actually more common than you would think and organizations like Just Food raise money so that they can donate chickens (and training) to a couple community gardens and schools every year.  It's called the City Chicken Project and you can read about it here.

Chickens only need three to four square feet of space each so you can have two chickens in an 8'x8' coop!  (They also need access to the outside so they can scratch and hunt for bugs.)  Most chickens lay eggs two out of every three days so you'd have a constant fresh supply!

Here are answers to a lot of questions about raising chickens in the city.

Here are some young families raising their own chickens.

here, here, and here.

The Man's Birthday

The Man had a birthday last week and, while he likes to keep it low key, we did celebrate.  I wanted to share with you a little bit of what went down.

First, we went to a special dinner at North Square that had a beer pairing for each course!  The Man is always looking to try new and different beers, and this selections seemed pretty special, so I though it would be a great choice for his birthday.

North Square is the loveliest restaurant in the historic Washington Square Hotel, which is actually quite romantic.  (Plus a friend of mine is the manager there, so if you go, tell Chuck that Rebecca sent ya!)

I was too excited to remember to snap a single photo until dessert, which was a delicious spice cake with beer ice cream!  The whole menu can be viewed here.

AJ, from Ommegang Brewery, was incredibly nice and came around to each table to talk to us about the pairings and ask us our opinions.  This is the first of many special chef's dinners that they have planned for the hotel's 150th anniversary, so I'm looking forward to going again soon.

As if that wasn't enough, last week, we got on a plane to Raleigh. NC to visit a friend, who, conveniently, also has an April birthday.  We arrived in Raleigh Thursday afternoon and packed up the car the next day to drive out to Wrightsville Beach.

Wrightsville Beach is a small beach town with only about one block of restaurants, but it was exactly what we were looking for.  Our friends have a little one (15 month old, Lucas!) and so we rented a condo from here.  It turned out to be the best choice!  There was plenty of room to spread out and Lucas could go to bed and the grown ups could hang out.  (Except for the first night when he wanted in on the action!)

I ate grits for breakfast and we ate Mexican food from this place both days we were there.  There was coffee on the beach in the morning and, ultimately, the visit was way too short.

But, even though it's still early Spring, it felt like the perfect kick off to Summer!!  We're both looking forward to a lot more beach days (and Mexican food).

I'm Nice Men

Oh, dear, Han Solo.  You were my first love, my only love for a long time. 

Then came Indiana Jones.  And, well, let's be honest, they're really just different incarnations of the same guy.

Finally, you get the respect you deserve.  In Forbes, no less.

Also, yes, please!

Photo from here.

Cycling Fantasy

I've been having the same recurring bike fantasy all month.  The one where I get to ride to the park with a picnic and spend the afternoon in the sun.

This basket is perfect!  I have on of those things (what's that called?) on my bike and it would fit very nicely.

Of course you need something to go inside the basket!  Swing by Brooklyn Larder and get one of their pre-made boxes of snacks.

Espadrilles are the idea bike riding shoes.  I tested this theory in Barcelona.

Big shades double as goggles in the city - keeping out wind and dust, while looking snazzy.

P.S.  I've had this post ready to go for a couple of weeks and then, last week, The Man was hit by a car while riding his bike home from work.  As bad as it was, it could have been worse and we're both very grateful that he was wearing his helmet and wasn't gravely injured.  Bike safety in the city is a real concern and while I don't want to make a PSA, I want to make a point of telling everyone that no matter what kind of cute bike riding fantasies I have, I always wear my helmet and stick to the bike lanes whenever possible.  But last week's events will prove that even then, you're never invincible.  Ride safely, people.

Hi ya.

Oofph.  I've been having a little trouble this week with what I'm calling, The Re-Entry.  Boy, it's been a bumpy one.

Coming off of a week in Costa Rica, I'm finding New York and little hard to handle right now.  I've always considered myself a City Mouse, and all I ever wanted was to grow up and live in "The City".  I would go away on vacation, but was always glad to come back.

This time around, though, it's been hard to adjust.  The trains seem too crowded, the crowds seem too loud.  My tolerance of peoples' neuroses way too low.  Everything seems disproportionate and out of focus.

Is is just a product of my beach vacation?  Is it a shift in priorities?  Am I changing as a person?  Growing up?  

I hit my 30's in stride, but 35 is turning out to be kinda a tough one.  

More later.

Pura Vida!

Have any of you ever been to Costa Rica?  I'm going to be traveling there next month.

It's my first time going to Central America and my first time going somewhere tropical! (Miami doesn't count, right?)

Of course no vacation would be complete without a little wardrobe day dreaming on my part.

I've had my eye on this beach cover up from Lemlem for a while, but even on sale, I can't bring myself to pull the trigger.

I could maybe use a new pair of shades.  I love this take on a classic style.

I'm not really a backpack kinda girl, but I'll need something utilitarian for tossing into the 4x4 and carry on the plane. 

While a good part of our time will be spent on the beach, there will be some days spent walking through rain forests and nature reserves.  Just because sneakers are sporty, doesn't mean they can't be cute!

Oh, and did I mention the rain forests?  Best pack a waterproof jacket just in case!  I love the classic/vintage look of this one.

I'm going to be there in 2 weeks and I'm open to any suggestions.  We're renting a car and are going to be splitting our time between Montezuma, on the Pacific Coast, and Puerto Viejo, on the Caribbean Coast.

Did you know?

I love hedgehogs!  

 

It's true.  They might be my favorite animal even though I've never seen one in person.

People keep them as pets in Europe, but it's illegal in the U.S.  I may just have to settle for this:

Not as cute, though.

Welcome back

Hello there!  It's nearly two weeks into the new year and I'm finally getting around to saying hello to you all - how rude of me!

I had a week off of work between Christmas and New Year's and it was the loveliest week ever.  I had very little expectations as far as plans go and it was just the perfect balance of relaxing and doing.

We had fancy coffee every morning for breakfast.

We did silly things like make our own baguettes so we could recreate sandwiches that we had in Spain.  (OK, I didn't make any baguettes, but the Man did.  And they were awesome.)

Of course the sandwich fixin's required a special trip to a store in Queens that makes their own chorizo.

And I made these napkins just in time for New Year's Eve dinner.  

Did you also know that my blog turned 6 years old?  I've been doing a lot of thinking re: the blog and I'm going to try to shake things up a bit.  The blogisphere has changed so much since I started in 2005 and a lot of the blog friends I had are no longer writing.  

I have big plans for 2012 - how about you?

Merry, merry!

Well, Christmas Eve is Saturday.  The last present was purchased yesterday.  All my goodies are wrapped and ready to go.  We have a really scaled down holiday this year and I'm feeling pretty good about it.  Most family members are getting homemade gifts from the heart.

If you looking for some quick last minute gifts for people, this is what I made this year.  

sugar & spice candied nuts

chocolate "blocks"

candied orange peel

parmesan & black pepper biscotti

Most of them require very little time (chocolate blocks) or little effort (citrus peels; I actually skip the blanching and simmer them for about 3 hours), the biscotti take a little more of both, but are totally worth it!

I hope everyone has the warmest happiest holiday possible!  See you in the new year!

Wishin' & Hopin'

I've been a good girl this year and this is what I'm asking Santa for.  Hopefully one of these things will be under my tree Christmas morning.

I'm all about investing in solid pieces for my kitchen.  I imagine my granddaughter will use this one day, too!

Our local pub has a bunch of board games, but Jenga is my favorite!  Now I want one of my own.  (Though it does get more challenging as the pints add up!)

I'm not really a gadget person, but the Mia from Clarisonic is getting rave reviews and, let's face it, I'm not getting any younger.

The Lulu Frost collection for J.Crew is sooooo pretty and pretty affordable!

And, c'mon, a girl can dream, can't she???

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

It's that time of year again!  The 3rd Ward Handmade Holiday Fair!

Every year I think, "This is the last."  Then I have a moment of weakness and I find myself surrounded by scraps of fabric, and knitting like a mad woman all the month of November.

I'll be there with Jess, from Little Bunny, so stop by and say hello (and buy something!).  Support your small business owner (crafter) this holiday season and give with a clean conscious.

Somethin's Cookin'

December 1st is tomorrow and, today, it seems, the sense of foreboding or melancholy or whatever-it-is-that's-been-bothering-me, has come to a head.  For the last couple of weeks I've been plagued by some very un-Christmasy thoughts.  Thoughts that were very Bah Humbug and very, well, not me.

I couldn't figure it out.  I didn't have the holiday spirit and I always have the holiday spirit and then it hit me - this was what some people call stress.  That feeling of having too much to do and not enough time to do it all in.  On top of the hype of Black Friday that seemed to creep in well before Thanksgiving, pile on the multitude of blogs that I flip through during the day (don't tell my boss) where perfectly adorable bloggers are decking the halls and making homemade salted caramels and wearing vintage frocks and, well, I'm quite primed for a melt down.

Then I remembered this post, from earlier in the month (Seriously, read it.) and I told myself to take a deep breath and pick two.   Honestly and without irony, I literally choose two things I can do from this list each night and let the other ones go without feeling guilty. 

Here's the list:
gym

cook dinner

clean up after dinner

make (sew, bake or knit)

quality time with the man (this means eating dinner at the table and talking, instead of watching TV or choosing a movie that we both want to watch together)

If It means giving up the gym one night so I can finish up a project or putting a project on hold so we can linger a little longer over dinner with a glass of wine then so be it!  It's a small list, but I'm also adding to it some Christmas cheer.  

Here's another list.  A list of holiday goodies I want to make as gifts, instead of buying into the holiday crush of consumerism.

linen napkins

coffee cozies

building blocks

hot chocolate

candied citrus

I'll try to get to them all, but if I don't, then that's OK, too.

Roar!

 

 Is anyone else going crazy over the leopard print trend this fall?  I bought these babies on super clearance and have been using the unseasonably warm weather as an excuse to wear them every day.  My daily wardrobe trends a little on the preppy side and I feel like these give me just the right amount of Ooh-la-la!  The key, I think, is the classic silhouette.

 Now I've got leopard on the brain!  I want this belt to add a little oomph to my fall dresses and cardigans!

Or this headband.  It could go Gossip Girl really quickly, but I'm imagining it as the ultimate way to hide bed-head on a Sunday - just throw on some jeans, a striped tee and a red lip and you're ready for brunch!

What about you?  Any trends you're crazy for this fall?  Trying to avoid boot weather like me?  Inquiring mind(s) want to know!