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
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
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
Happy Friday!
March 9, 2012
With spring-like temperatures, daylight savings beginning and the weekend arriving, it’s the perfect day to get out the vegetables. Prepared by my roommate, she whipped up this tofu salad spread and alfalfa sprouts on spelt bread with a side of vegetarian stuffed grape leaves. Have a great weekend!
Vegetarian stuffed grape leaves and a tofu salad sandwich
Tofu salad sandwich
FIELD Beef Jerky
March 5, 2012
A few months back I introduced you to my friends’ new all-natural beef jerky, FIELD. In the months following, they’ve grown tremendously, distributing nationwide and becoming ever more popular. Saturday afternoon we all met in Williamsburg at Moon River Chattel, an enchanting antique shop near the waterfront that is filled with inspiring treasures and the perfect backdrop for our shoot. Capturing not only the uncut beef jerky, it was fun to shoot the other ingredients and spices used in their three flavors, Original No. 3, Honey Spice No. 11 and Teriyaki No. 23. To keep up with their latest news visit their facebook page, website or get yourself to the grocery store for a taste!
Original No. 3
Ginger root and other ingredients
Jerky and spices
No preservatives, added MSG or nitrates
Ginger root
Original No. 3
Garlic and Dube Putz homemade red pepper flakes
Honey Spice No. 11
Beef jerky
Jerky and spices
Photo Montage of the day
Sunday Family Dinner
February 29, 2012
This weekend I was back in Syracuse spending time with the family. Sunday was the perfect winter day with crisp blue skies, a few inches of freshly fallen snow, a fire in the fireplace and the aroma of my father’s Northern Italian dish for dinner filling the house. We started with a couple fresh loaves of Columbus Bakery bread, followed by an antipasto platter with lettuce, tomato, greek olives, cucumbers, salami, ham, provolone, blue cheese and topped with a white balsamic vinaigrette. The main dish was homemade marinara sauce with tomatoes, chicken stock, fresh garlic, onions, zucchini and a touch of sugar. After simmering for a few hours with the chicken breast and thigh meat, it was poured over fettucini and garnished with parsley and parmesan cheese.
Marinara sauce with chicken and fettucini
Antipasto platter
Columbus Bakery bread dipped in olive oil
Grating parmesan cheese and Columbus Bakery bread
Antipasto platter
Bread and Pasta
White balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing
Pasta and bread
Antipasto
Ski Scene
February 24, 2012
For a local New York ski escape, Hunter Mountain isn’t too bad of an option. I recently hit the slopes for a taste of winter– and a taste of Scottie’s Summit Lodge’s delicious chili, chicken noodle soup and grilled turkey and cheese sandwich. Housed in a circular lodge boasting beautiful views of the Catskills below, I could very easily curl up by the fireplace amongst all the antique skis displayed from various years. With outdoor seating for warmer days, it’s a great change of pace from the lively base lodges and perfect to warm up before that next run. Happy Friday! x
Snacks & Scenery Combo
Grilled Turkey and Cheese Sandwich
Chicken Noodle Soup
Chili
A Rustic Post-Thanksgiving Picnic
November 27, 2011
It’s that time of year for my second seasonal themed dinner party. For autumn, I decided to go with a rustic outdoor picnic, inspired by my family’s leftover Thanksgiving food and style inspiration from my great grandfather’s fishing gear. For the ingredients I couldn’t find in the fridge, I spent the morning in the quaint village of Cazenovia getting fresh, local food from Troyer’s, a general store opened by the Amish (I have a whole other post on this I’ll share soon).
The Menu…
Drinks: Pellegrino Sparkling Orange Drink and Saranac Craft Beers
Appetizers: Maple Popcorn, Roasted Edamame, Vegetable chips and Homemade Trail Mix from Troyer’s Country Store
Main Course: Roasted Turkey Sandwich with homemade toasted bread, lettuce, tomato, basil infused mayonnaise, provolone and caramelized onions
Side: Saratoga country fried potato crisps seasoned with oregano
Dessert: My mother’s chocolate Italian roll cookies and homemade banana bread
Styling Tips…
• Pack each meal individually in a small cardboard to-go box for an easy transport to your great outdoor picnic location. Cut gift wrap from Anthropologie in thin strips and adhere to the sides of the box and label the menu on a strip of tape on the top of the box
• Birch bark as name cards and propped up at each place setting with one of my grandfather’s fishing lures
• Brown paper bags folded over, tied with ribbon and a burlap bow make for great serving bowls for snacks
• Sprinkle the center of the table with leaves and pine needles
• My great grandfather’s blanket from World War I as a table cloth
• Centerpiece floral arrangement, dried hygendra with a plume from ornamental grasses
Roasted turkey sandwich
Table setting and packed lunches ready to go
Homemade Trail Mix from Troyer's
Floral arrangement
Roasted Edamame
Country fried potato crisps with oregano
Boxed meals and Saranac Craft beer
Maple popcorn and birch bark place cards
Dried vegetable chips
Roasted Turkey sandwich
Drinks and cookies
Chocolate Italian cookies and banana bread
a camera in the kitchen 