a camera in the kitchen

Afternoon at the Pub

maheimerman — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 01:00:06 +0000

It’s been awhile since I’ve stayed in my own neighborhood, but this past weekend I decided to venture uptown to Five Lamps Tavern. Located in close proximity to Columbia University, this whole area is buzzing with great places. While their food is pretty standard pub fare, they have an impressive craft beer list, and fantastic back garden space. Although the snow stopped us from a seat at the picnic table, next time around I’m hoping for more spring-like temps.

Sliders

Corned Beef

Beer flights including Third Shift Amber Lager and Radeberger to name a couple

Back garden area

Swoon Kitchenbar

maheimerman — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:56:21 +0000

If you’re hungry and in Hudson, I recommend spending a lunch or dinner at Swoon Kitchenbar. Their fresh, locally sourced menu changes weekly based on the season, and it was top of my list to check out. To keep with our cheese trend of the day, we opted for a sampler plate including Humble Pie, a cow, sheep milk blend that was creamy and tangy from Woodcock farm in Vermont, Ewe’s Blue, a sheep’s milk blue veined cheese from Old Chatham Sheepherding in New York, and of course our favorite Hudson Red from Pampered Cow. The shoestring fries with spicy aioli were a perfect extra snack. Although we stopped in during a quiet midday hour, the bar is known to attract a crowd and the tables fill up quickly in the evening hours, so be sure to get there early for a seat.

Ewe’s Blue cheese

Fries

Bread & Olive Oil

Cheese plate

Cheeses of New York

maheimerman — Sun, 03 Mar 2013 23:03:09 +0000

During our weekend upstate, we certainly got our fill of cheese. Some favorites included Sprout Creek Farm’s Point of Origin– a raw cow’s milk cheese that is aged with Red Hook’s Sixpoint Ale, another local favorite. This unique beer/cheese combo is soft, pungent and buttery with lovely hints of malt and coffee. Next stop was a bit further north at Pampered Cow’s creamery at Twin Maple Farm. Situated in a picturesque country landscape a short drive from Hudson, we were lucky enough to get a private tour and learn a bit about the cheese-making process. Best known for their Hudson Red– a funky, washed-rind, raw cow’s milk cheese, we also got a sneak peek of their truffle cheese, which was amazing, and their garlic cheese curds were another favorite of mine. I can’t wait for a return visit and photoshoot this spring when everything is in bloom.

Hudson Red & Point of Origin Cheese

Sprout Creek Farm’s Point of Origin

Sprout Creek Farm

Pampered Cow’s Truffle Cheese

Hudson Red

Inside the creamery

A Hudson Preview

maheimerman — Fri, 22 Feb 2013 13:57:11 +0000

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend! Here’s a preview of my recent Hudson River Valley excursion. One of those spontaneous trips planned in a matter of just a couple days, the jam-packed itinerary allowed us to see and eat our way through the beautiful region.

Hudson River Valley

The Heart of Winter

maheimerman — Fri, 15 Feb 2013 14:12:52 +0000

Last weekend we saw our first significant snowfall in awhile. There’s nothing quite like waking up on a Saturday morning and venturing through the neighborhood as the sledders, skiers and snowshoers come out and transform Central Park into a great outdoor adventure. Feeling a bit lazy by the afternoon, I pulled together a meal for the apartment to enjoy thanks to Zabars. It included a couple pastas to warm us up– pesto and three cheese with mushrooms, our favorite rosemary bread with sun-dried tomato tofu spread and a side of asparagus.

Sun-dried tomato tofu spread

Pesto pasta and asparagus

Rosemary Bread

Three cheese and mushroom pasta

Pesto pasta

Upper West Side

Rosemary bread with sun-dried tomato tofu spread

Shake Shack

maheimerman — Mon, 04 Feb 2013 02:07:58 +0000

If you’re in New York and craving some fast food, you should make a stop at one of the quintessential burger joints of the city, Shake Shack. The other day I opted for their Smoke Shack burger– including cheese, applewood smoked bacon and peppers. About to get a milkshake for dessert, once I laid eyes on the Mast Brothers chocolate bar made just for Shake Shack, I had to splurge and try out the latest from my favorite Brooklyn chocolatiers instead. It was well worth the $9 for the delicious dark chocolate blend with earthy notes of cranberry and cinnamon, and of course the adorable packaging and artwork certainly helped sway my decision.

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! x

Smoke Shack burger with cheese, Niman Ranch all-natural applewood smoked bacon and chopped cherry pepper with fries

Smoke Shack burger

Fries and ketchup

Mast Brothers Chocolate Bar– A Shake Shack dark chocolate blend with earthy notes of cranberry and cinnamon

Breakfast Frittata

maheimerman — Wed, 23 Jan 2013 23:38:27 +0000

There’s nothing better on a cold morning than staying in and warming up in your kitchen. We recently cooked up this delicious frittata– pretty much using every breakfast essential, including eggs, sausage, bacon, tomatoes, zucchini and sharp grated cheese. Home fries and toasted cheddar bread from Wegman’s made for the perfect side dish.

Frittata and cheddar toast

Frittata

Homefries

Some Syracuse Home Cooking

maheimerman — Tue, 15 Jan 2013 13:36:39 +0000

This weekend was spent in Syracuse, which meant a Sunday afternoon filled with delicious homecooked meals. We decided to go with a Greek inspired menu, starting with a flatbread pizza, topped with spinach, feta, tomatoes, mozzarella, parmesan and shredded basil. That was followed by a Greek lemon chicken with mushrooms.

Wishing everyone a wonderful week ahead x

Greek Flatbread Pizza

Greek Lemon Chicken

Happy 2013!

maheimerman — Mon, 07 Jan 2013 02:21:56 +0000

Happy New Year! I’ve had such a wonderful couple weeks spending time with family, friends and relaxing– and hope you did as well. In between the holiday festivities, I’ve been working on my new website that I’m looking forward to sharing soon. As for the latest food shoots, I spent an afternoon in Downtown Syracuse grabbing some sandwiches to go. Of course, whenever I’m in the area, my first stop is Pastabilities for their infamous hot tomato oil. For the sandwiches, I decided to stop at Kitty Hoynes, a casual Irish pub, for a reuben, and lastly made my way to Franklin Square’s Boulangerie for a chicken salad sandwich.

Pastabilities Hot Tomato Oil

Reuben Sandwich from Kitty Hoynes

Reuben Sandwich

Fries and pickles

Chicken salad waldorf with apples, raisins, cheddar and nuts

Franklin Square

Chicken salad waldorf with apples, raisins, cheddar and nuts

Merry Christmas!

maheimerman — Mon, 24 Dec 2012 19:44:52 +0000

My contribution to Christmas Eve dinner this evening is the cheese platter. I decided to go with a goat cheese, provolone and fresh ricotta. To add a bit of holiday color, I rolled the goat cheese in dried cranberries and chopped pistachios. The ricotta I placed on french baguette slices with prosciutto, honey and thyme. The provolone I kept simple, ready to be sliced with crackers. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas! x

Goat cheese with cranberries and pistachios

Pistachios

Provolone

Ricotta, prosciutto, thyme and honey