Oktoberfeast
November 2, 2011
My friend Donna and I cooked up a seasonal menu the other day featuring some of our favorite ingredients like pumpkin, sage and cranberries. It was one of those quintessential autumn days with crisp blue skies and cool temperatures, so I enjoyed my afternoon outside making my way to the farmers market and then taking the ferry over to Long Island City to relish in the beautiful day.
Cranberries and Maple Sugar Candies
Butter & Sage Pumpkin Ravioli
Farmers Market Ingredients: Ardith Mae Fresh Chevre and Bread from Hot Bread Kitchen
Pumpkin Nut Bread
Butter & Sage Pumpkin Ravioli
Cranberries, Apples & Pears with Bread & Fresh Chevre
Pumpkin Nut Bread
Bread & Fresh Chevre dipped in Pumpkin Bisque
Cranberry Chutney on Bread
Fall Harvest Pasta
October 21, 2011
How cute is this pasta? Knowing my love for this time of year, and anything autumn, my mom sent it to me the other day, and I’m so excited to make a festive pasta dish in the coming days. Now I just have to brainstorm a recipe.. Happy Friday! x
Pumpkin and Leaf pasta
Garlic & Pears
Pasta
Peacefood Cafe: Eat Differently
October 6, 2011
This adorable cafe planted itself conveniently just on the corner of my apartment a little over a year ago, yet it wasn’t until my vegan roommate introduced me to their delicious food that I became a regular. One of my favorite snacks happen to be their chickpea fries with home cream dressing, and I hate to admit, but their homemade vegan brownie bites are usually consumed at least 3 times a week for dessert.
Chickpea fries
Vegan brownie bites
Chickpea fries
A Taste of Luxury in Southern Iceland
September 20, 2011
Hotel Ranga, one of the world’s top destinations for viewing the Aurora Borealis and Southern Iceland’s only 4 star resort, has everything you could possibly want for a relaxing stay in the countryside, not to mention an outstanding dining room and extremely friendly service from everyone. The hotel’s rustic luxury accomodations sit on wide open land overlooking the East Ranga River. Their chef prepared his modern Nordic cuisine with local ingredients of only the freshest quality, and brought out a beautiful array of dishes. Although the weather conditions weren’t conducive to check out the Northern Lights, on the positive side, it’s just one more reason for me to start planning my return trip.
East Ranga River at the hotel
Dining room at Hotel Ranga
Smoked Puffin served with beerbread crumble and "cumberland" sauce
Hotel Ranga's Wine bar
Icelandic Cod served on a bed of nuts and local barley with whitewine sauce
Local wild salmon with sweet potato and white chocolate puree, lobster foam and local strawberries
Local wild salmon with sweet potato and white chocolate puree, lobster foam and local strawberries
The hotel's porch
The best chocolate cake dessert
Icelandic Mountain lamb and lobster combo with potato terrine and blueberry demiglaze
Icelandic mountain lamb and lobster combo with potato terrine and blueberry demiglaze
International Suites
Dinner with Friends
September 1, 2011
My friend, Leslie, and partner in crime for dinner parties, recently took up a holistic health practice. With training from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, she’s ready to roll and the girl to call if you’re looking for a health coach. You can check out more of what she does at her website. Lucky for me, I got a preview of some of her meal plans last night. We had a great dinner with a few friends to catch up before we part ways with our holiday weekend travel plans. For apps we had curried lentil and pea dip, pita chips with sweet curry seasoning and spicy corn avocado salsa. As if we weren’t full enough from that, for dinner she brought out turkey meatballs, sprouted quinoa with golden raisins, sliced almonds and citrus vinaigrette, a spiced carrot, ginger and tofu soup, and a spinach salad with pineapple dressing and whole wheat croutons. Last but not least, prune and oat cookies for dessert. Of course the lovely floral arrangements for the table were created by Jess, using only the best farm fresh flowers from the Union Square flower market.
Sprouted quinoa
Pita chips with curried lentil and pea dip
Spiced soup and turkey meatballs
Turkey meatballs and quinoa
Jessica's floral arrangement
Soup with sage and corn avocado salsa
Pita chips and flowers
Love, Weddings and Food
August 26, 2011
Earlier this summer I photographed a friend’s wedding at her family farm in Upstate New York. Going along with the whole rustic outdoor theme, she styled the decor and menu accordingly. Catered by L.M. Townsend based out of Cooperstown, the buffet style dining featured make your own salads and edible bowls. The presentation was lovely, and one of my favorite ideas– taking extra martini glasses, and transitioning them into the perfect dish to eat your side of potatoes in style.
Buffet dinner
Salad
Cheese at cocktail hour
Bread bowls and potatoes
Do or Dine
August 18, 2011
Saturday afternoon I biked to Brooklyn to visit a friend who recently moved to Bed Sty– not exactly a neighborhood I’m most familiar with, nor do I usually think of when I want to go out for a great meal, but hidden behind the doors of what appears to be an old, run-down Indian fast food joint, is actually a recently opened restaurant, Do or Dine. With dishes like deep fried deviled eggs or the controversial foie gras doughnut, it’s worth the trek out for an evening. The owners and wait staff have fun with the place, giving off personable charm to their customers. It’s BYOB, so drinks won’t drain your wallet, and the back patio is a great place to spend an evening.
Lamb Breast, with cumin and lime
Octopus tacos topped with nori strips
Prawns with cherry tomatoes in clam broth
Deep fried deviled eggs with bacon and culantro
Smoked salmon spread
Foie Gras Doughnut
A Summer Dinner Party
August 15, 2011
I’m excited to announce a new project for the blog. I’m going to host themed dinner parties for each of the four seasons throughout the course of the year, and share the menus, styling tips and of course photos with you. To kick-off the project, I invited 8 friends over for an al fresco summer dinner. I spent the morning grazing the farmer’s market and Zabar’s, my go-to specialty food store, for the ingredients, and my afternoon prepping the dishes and shooting.
The Menu…
• Drinks: Raspberry mint lemonade made by blending raspberries, peeled lemons, ice, sugar and mint until the consistency of a slushy and garnishing with dried hibiscus flowers
• Appetizers: Rosemary bread with sundried tomato tofu spread and prosciutto wrapped asparagus and breadsticks
• First Course: Martha’s tomato, cantaloupe and basil salad
• Second Course: Lemon grilled chicken, chopped onions, goat cheese and lettuce placed in tortillas molded and then baked into baskets with pesto pasta and a side of grilled vegetables
• Dessert: Chocolate mint brownies with whipped cream
Styling Tips…
•Scanning a page of my grandfather’s notebook from the 70’s and travel photos from my parent’s travels to Greece in the 80’s as the background for personalized menus
• Folding cloth napkins in an envelope style with the menu inside and tying it all together with twine-resembling yarn
• Using typewriter letter stamps and gold ink on ivory cardstock for name cards and clothespin it to the table runner
• Floral arrangement created by my friend, Jessica, who just completed the New York Botanical Garden Floral Design Intensive
• Vintage lanterns for centerpieces
• Mason jars with twine resembling yarn tied around them to hold the utensils and candles for lighting
Table setting & tomatoes
Menu & ingredients
Fresh pasta & Jessica's flower arrangement
Raspberry mint lemonade
Tomatoes & name cards
Asparagus & pesto
Prosciutto wrapped asparagus and breadsticks
Table setting and a cantaloupe, tomato and basil salad
Grilled chicken baskets, pesto pasta and prosciutto appetizers
Place setting and grilled chicken baskets
Hampton Chutney Co.
August 9, 2011
One of my go-to dinner spots when I’m home is the Hampton Chutney. A huge fan of dosas, a popular South Indian staple, my typical order consists of the #12: grilled chicken with goat cheese, roasted tomato and mango chutney. Also pictured here is my roommate’s #4: grilled portobello mushroom, spinach and roasted onions with goat cheese. With other locations in Soho and the Hamptons, it’s a quick and easy answer for an eccentric craving.
Grilled chicken dosa with goat cheese, tomatoes and mango chutney
Portobello mushroom dosa with spinach and roasted onions
Tomato and mango chutney
Newport Classics
August 5, 2011
Aside from the wonderful meals at Belle’s and Corner Café, here are some other highlights from Newport that I highly recommend if ever traveling through. We grabbed a late lunch at The Landing, and ended up staying there until sunset, which offered phenomenal views with an acoustic performance in the background and the bar becoming lively by evening. The Clarke Cooke House, also a popular destination, is just around the corner with four floors of various dining options. If you’re feeling ambitious, a stroll through the market at Aquidneck Lobster Co. provides plenty of options for a home-cooked meal, yet Barking Crab just up the road has delicious seafood prepared for you. As for drinks, it doesn’t get much better than Del’s Lemonade, a Rhode Island favorite, and their trucks are conveniently plotted around town for easy access.
If only I could go back again this weekend to do it all over again. Have a good one! x
Yellow tomatoes, feta cheese, asparagus and vinaigrette from The Landing
Salad at The Landing
Aquidneck Lobster Co.
Fresh fish at the Lobster Aquidneck Co.
Del's Lemonade
Spinach and artichoke dip at Barking Crab
Naked lobster roll at Barking Crab
Penne with chicken in a parmigiano cream reduction with mushrooms, tomato, basil, and toasted almonds at Clarke Cooke House
a camera in the kitchen 