Time for a BBQ
April 16, 2012
After a gorgeous summer-like weekend, how can you not be in the mood for rooftop and backyard barbecues. One of my top picks for quick and easy recipes on the grill are these chicken spiedies marinated in Lupo’s Original Endicott Style Spiedie Marinade. A local Upstate favorite that has an amazingly tasty flavor, if you aren’t in the neighborhood you can check their flavors out online.
Happy Grilling! x
Chicken Spiedies
Twice baked potatoes
Easter Desserts
April 12, 2012
My parent’s house was a makeshift bakery this past Saturday. Filled with the aromas of melting chocolate, bread cooking in the oven, and bits of flour trailing around, the end result was well worth it. We baked the usual Italian chocolate filled cookies and banana bread to share with friends and family. Luckily they’ve lasted me through the week and I even have a loaf frozen. A great find and prop for the shoot was the 1950’s mixer I took home from my grandmother’s house. Still need to get it working, but for now, it’s a perfect vintage accent to keep as kitchen decor.
Chocolate filled cookies
Banana Bread
Chocolate Filled Cookies
My favorite dough
Banana bread
Morning Mini Quiches
April 10, 2012
Mini quiches are the perfect answer when you have a late afternoon brunch on the weekends, but need something quick and easy to hold you over until 2 or so. Easter morning, my father cooked up these delicious muffin size quiches. Quick and easy to make, he threw in some eggs, cheddar cheese, spinach, asparagus, bacon and ham– a little taste of everything in one bite.
Mini Quiche with cheese bread
Ingredients
Ham
Happy Easter!
April 8, 2012
Painting blown eggs for Easter
Stripes and dots
Spring Snacks for the Park
April 6, 2012
With the flowers blooming all across Central Park, taking an enjoyable walk home is a far better option than the subway. The sun was setting to create a beautiful golden light on the cherry blossoms, lilac gardens and midtown’s skyline. After all that walking, why not take the time for a quick snack. Local favorites of mine include breads from Sarabeth’s and Ciao Bella’s Green Tea gelato from the new foodie shop in town– Gastronomie 491, that is part cafe part gourmet market.
Happy Weekend! I’m heading Upstate for Easter, so be sure to check back soon for all the holiday menus! x
Green Tea Gelato
Central Park
Green Tea Gelato
Sarabeth's breads
Sarabeth's raisin bread
Trees in bloom
Cafe Lalo
April 2, 2012
Famously known for Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks’ meeting in You’ve Got Mail, the Upper West Side’s Cafe Lalo has always been a favorite of mine, and quite honestly am surprised I’ve waited this long to feature it. Not only do they have great brunch options, but their large selection of cheesecakes and other desserts makes it a great late night stop as well. With it’s Euro-feel, it’s the perfect spot to go on a warm spring day when the floor to ceiling windows are open, and you can people-watch the sidewalks below.
Coffee
Steamed eggs with Bulgarian feta cheese, olives and herbs served with roasted potatoes and a Mediterranean salad
Mediterranean salad
Breads
Purple Potatoes
A Taste of Sprüngli
March 28, 2012
A couple weeks ago a friend from Zurich was visiting, and brought me a box of my favorite Swiss chocolates from Sprüngli. The bright package of miniature truffles included a taste of hazelnut, plain, cappuccino and bourbon vanilla flavors. Immediately wishing I was back on my 2010 summer holiday in Switzerland, I ate my dessert while browsing through my photo archive to pull up those summer days spent out on the lake taking in the fresh air of the Alps. And now I’m ready to go back.
Lake Luzern Bath House and Sprüngli chocolates
Bourbon Vanilla & Hazelnut truffles and Lake Luzern
Sprüngli
Lake Luzern & Bourbon Vanilla truffles
Zurich and a cappuccino truffle
Sunday Sauce
March 23, 2012
One of my favorite days of the week are Sundays. Nothing beats a morning browsing the farmers market and and an afternoon cooking with friends or family before yet another work-filled week begins. After hearing such great things about D.C.’s Eastern Market, it was on my list of places to check out. Comparable to New York’s Brooklyn Flea, but with a great indoor food market as well, we explored the cute streets of Capitol Hill, shopped and stocked up on fresh food to make homemade sauce for dinner. I couldn’t have asked for better hosts, as they prepared a delicious salad, sauce and pasta all the while I had fun shooting and using their fantastic Anthropologie-inspired kitchenware. Happy Friday and don’t forget to explore your own local farmers market this weekend! x
Foccacia and fresh basil
Salad with dried cranberries, blue cheese and nuts and garlic
Eastern Market
Fresh basil and a Capitol Hill garden
Eastern Market mushrooms
Cooking up the sauce
Taste test on toasted foccacia and garlic chive cheese
Eastern Market asparagus
Short ribs and pasta
Grapes for dessert
A Day in D.C.
March 20, 2012
This past weekend I had a wonderful time visiting friends in Washington D.C. Saturday was spent partially at Clyde’s, a pub in Georgetown to cheer on my alma mater, Syracuse, in the NCAA basketball tournament and celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, and the other half was spent enjoying the beautiful sunshine around the neighborhood’s quaint streets. We started off the morning with delicious chive and goat cheese biscuits from Baked and Wired, followed by their best-selling cupcakes, a vanilla cake with fresh strawberries folded in the batter and finished with a swirl of pink buttercream. It’s never too early in the day for one of these! We filled our appetites in the afternoon at Clyde’s with their top recommendations– wings, Bloody Mary’s and a crab tower. Lucky for me, with the early spring temperatures, I was even able to catch a glimpse of the beautiful cherry blossoms around the city’s sites.
Chive and Goat Cheese Biscuit
Georgetown
Chive and Goat Cheese Biscuit
Baked & Wired
Best-selling strawberry cupcake
Baked & Wired
Cupcakes & the Capitol
Cherry blossoms and the Jefferson Memorial
Strawberries
An afternoon snack
Wings from Clyde's
Is it Summer Yet?
March 14, 2012
Last night I was strolling around the neighborhood in short sleeves after I thoroughly enjoyed a dinner at the New York Historical Society. The streets were buzzing, the restaurants overflowed onto the sidewalks and the smell in the air was that of a summer evening. Whether it’s here to stay or not, I’m daydreaming of the months to come, especially for those weekend trips out to the Hamptons. Here’s a little taste from Donna D…
Last April the bf, babies, and I headed to the Hamptons for a weekend of rest and relaxation. It was one of our first times experiencing the far East-end of Long Island and it was the perfect escape from the craziness of NYC. I am quite happy that we chose April because it saved us some major money and it wasn’t crowded with all the cool kids that come during the summer. The weather was also perfect despite forecasts of rain. We stayed at the charming Hampton Beach House and spent the weekend playing on the beach, eating good food, and touring the many dog-friendly wineries. Some of the highlights of our trip included breakfast at the Mexican inspired Estia’s Little Kitchen, sampling wine at Paumanok, Duckwalk, and Pindar vineyards, shopping for our picnic lunch at the The Village Cheese Shop, and watching the beautiful spring sunsets on the beach.
Paumanok Vineyards & Pindar Vineyards
Owner, Rosemary, putting together the cheese for our picnic at the The Village Cheese Shop
The Village Cheese Shop
Owner, Rosemary, preparing a sample of cheese at the The Village Cheese Shop
The Village Cheese Shop
Lunch
Duckwalk Vineyards
Paumanok Vineyards' wine & Bread, goat cheese, fig jam, and olive
Blueberry Port at Duckwalk Vineyards
Bread, goat cheese, and fig jam
Pindar Vineyards
Picnic Lunch
The Cook at Estia's Little Kitchen preparing our breakfast
Sophie’s Crab ‘n’ Eggs with avocado on an english muffin at Estia's Little Kitchen
Guacamole, chips and salsa at Estia's Little Kitchen
Morning coffee at Estia's Little Kitchen
Spring sunset on the beach
Sunset
a camera in the kitchen 