CANELES ET LES MÛRES

Two of my most favorite things to eat while at home: canelés from Café Demeter at the Friday Harbor farmer's market and fresh picked wild blackberries. Preferably while wearing stripes.

PICK YOUR POSEY

Somehow in the last few months, we ended up with two bottles of St. Germain in the house. Which is fantastic, because St. Germain tastes and smells like delicious flowers, which is exactly what it's made of. I've been known to drink it with nothing but soda, but ever since a bartender flat out refused to serve it to me that way (Too sweet?? Maybe for you, sir...) I've been trying to come up with something extra creative to do with it. After having a lychee mojito the other night, and finding fresh lychee at my local Over-Priced Fruit Store, I came up with this little doozy. Might make a nice addition to your weekend? If you can find time between Dark & Stormies that is...

Pick Your Posey
Juice of half a lime (which is enough for two drinks)
Fresh mint leaves
1 lychee fruit
1 Part St. Germain
1 Part Vodka
Seltzer/sparkling water

Juice the lime half and split the liquid equally between two smallish tumblers. Muddle a couple mint leaves and one pitted lychee fruit in the bottom of each. Add one part vodka and one part St. Germain (size of the "parts" depends on taste, the glass is usually about 1/3 full when I'm done with this step.) Top it off with seltzer. Add ice cubes and garnish with a lime slice.

I don't have any "fancy" tools like a real muddler or a cocktail shaker, but if you do you can probably find a way to incorporate them to positive effect. Enjoy responsibly, preferable in a reclined/semi-nude position.

Pomegranate Season

It's always a sorry day when the last of the fresh berries disappear from the Farmer's Market. As a life-long devotee to both oatmeal and yogurt as year-round breakfast foods of choice, the winter time tends to leave my cereals and live cultures a bit less than, er, lively--and granola only gets you so far!

Thankfully, it's around this time of year that pomegranates descend onto supermarket shelves. I've been in love with the wondrous fruit since I was a kid (I always got one in my stocking, though sometimes it was a challenge to shake it out of there!) They are a bit time consuming to take apart, but I find it kinda meditative, standing barefoot in the kitchen in my boyfriend's sweater, slowly separating fruit from pith. Once removed, the ruby red seeds last several days in the fridge. I like to sprinkle a handful over hot six grain porridge, slice up some banana, and add a splash of oat milk and orange blossom honey. Such a perfect, simple winter breakfast.

do this now: world's best pancakes

Friends, today I am issuing you a plea. As I am a simple girl, I make only a simple request: in the name of all that's delicious, find a reason to make pancakes this weekend (or tomorrow...or RIGHT NOW.) Why? Because I truly believe that I've found what can only be described as the world's greatest pancake recipe--and I'm here to spread the gospel.

Let me preface by saying that these are no ordinary pancakes: they are Pumpkin Spice pancakes. So if you don't like pumpkin and you don't like spice...I suggest you get the hell outta my kitchen! I found this recipe, of all places, on the Opening Ceremony blog a little over a week ago, and have made them twice since then (and that is a serious show of self-control.) Both times they cooked up like fluffy little piles of warm, soft, moist clouds from heaven--and in the perfect quantity for two hungry people who REALLY like pancakes.


Assembling the troops.


Mmmmm, spice pile.


Go whole or go home!



A couple of tips:

• I've been adding a good spoonful (or around a tablespoon) of molasses to my wet ingredients, which gives the finished product an amazing gingerbread flavor.

• Seeing as it's fall and all, I really gotta urge you to make the pumpkin puree from scratch. Pumpkins are cheap and in season, and those things practically cook themselves. Here's a quick how-to. (And while we're at it: here's how to make buttermilk from scratch.)

• I haven't gotten around to making the Vanilla Bean Syrup they recommend (though I can only imagine the wonder) but I cannot impress upon you enough how crucial the Cinnamon Butter is. Seriously, it takes all of five minutes to whip up, and it will increase the yum-factor twenty-fold.



Aaagh looking at these photos is literally like torture right now. Maybe we can make these a new Halloween breakfast tradition? Or like...a Tuesday breakfast tradition?? Whatever it takes guys, I'm telling you: do this now!!

finger food

Ok, I admit, this is totally dumb BUT--one of my favorite things about the changing of the seasons is an excuse to buy new nail polish. Hey I mean, there's certainly bigger seasonal splurges I could (and, possibly, should) be making...

My collection is in a pretty sorry state at the moment, and I just know that all those robin's eggs and corals and delicate peaches of summer wont seem right under a cloudy October sky. As much as I'd love to outfit myself in some Khakis, odds are that ain't happening! So I'm looking instead to the Essie Fall collection. My favorite, hands down (ha!) is Little Brown dress, above. So rich! So moist! So choclatey. Eheheh. Mmmmm, lacquer.....

P.S. I made those brownies for my bf's birthday this year and they are the BEST. Ever. Put them in the fridge over night and they taste like fudge the next morning. (Just don't over beat, don't overbake, and good gawd DON'T bother with that stupid frosting...)

(first photo via Polish or Perish)

home, so far...

One of the things I look forward to the most about home is the abundance of insanely fresh (we're talking from the ground to your plate in less than 30 minutes or your money back!), delicious, plentiful foods! So I figured I'd lead off my vacay updates with a shot of a plate I shared with my friend Dag at a little place called The Market Chef in Friday Harbor. The roasted vegetables cannot be matched...





...except, perhaps, by the sandwiches! Here, Dag enjoys a little number entitled "My Sister's Favorite" which is a warm pile-up of sprouts, apple, melted cheese, sunflower seeds and spicy mustard. Yeeeeeah.







A few things about Dag: she lives in a cabin in the woods with three ducks, seven chickens, three finches, and a cat named Zowie; she loves glitter nail polish, Marc Bolan, and tiny backpacks; she has the most amazing cache of beautiful weird old clothes, mostly gathered from the local thrift store (to which we have been every single day since I've arrived. So many scores!); she pretty much always looks this awesome, and yep, you'll be seeing a lot more of her on here during the next few weeks, you lucky things!

great sandwiches I have known

Seeing as how I'm a fan of blogs that successfully mix food and fashion, I want to try and start sharing a bit about my own eating adventures. My bf and I both love food and treats and trying new stuff, so I've got ample fodder (literally!)

'Couple weeks back, we spent the afternoon in Prospect Park, but not before stopping at Naidre's for what I have officially deemed the Best BLT I've Ever Eaten, no small feat since the classic BLT may be my very favorite sandwich. And I LOVE sandwiches, of all kinds. I think the secret is in their herb mayo...and the bread...and how fresh it all is. So gooood!



Last week we stopped by The Meatball Shop. I ended up getting the veggie balls in meat sauce (thought I'd split the difference?) and while I wasn't crazy about my balls (mostly just lentils) Alex's sliders were delicious! My fave was the special of the day, lamb with feta, olives and peppers (I think) all in a ball.





The most delicious part, though, was their mix 'n match ice cream sandwich option. You choose from an ample list of homemade cookies and ice creams, and they sandwich it up for you on the spot. We went for ginger cookies (which were possibly the best ginger cookies I've ever had, a bit chewy with little chunks of candied ginger in them) and the special, mandarin ice cream. Creamy AND dreamy.

THE DELICIOUS

Growing up, Sundays meant one thing: waffle day! Saturday was often a work day, selling our produce at the Farmer's Market in the spring, summer and fall, but Sunday was a lazy day, a day to gorge ourselves on berries and cream and yeast waffles that my father cooked using a special, old-fangled waffle iron designed to fit over the fire box of our wood burning cook stove. The cream was heavy and flavored only with vanilla, the fruit whatever was in season--strawberries, raspberries, and the odd tayberry, loganberry or wild blackberry.

This Sunday, Alex and I put the fancy, electric, non-stick waffle iron we scored from his dad's place to use making a batch of waffles on our own. Not quite as good as when my father makes them, and I think they could do with just a touch of woodsmoke for flavoring, but pretty dang tasty nonetheless! Below is the recipe, as relayed to me by my dear old dad, if anyone would like to give them a try.

Raised Whole Wheat Waffles

1/2 c. lukewarm water
1 Tbsp. yeast
2 c. lukewarm milk
1/4 c. melted butter or oil
1/8 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
2 c. whole wheat pastry flour
2 eggs, lightly beaten

Place water and yeast in large bowl and let stand 5 min. Add milk, butter or oil, salt and sugar. Beat in flour and eggs, do not over-beat. Batter will be thin. Set in a warm place until it just begins to rise, about 15 min. Cook in a preheated, oiled waffle iron.

If you don't have whole wheat pastry flour, you can use all purpose flour. Maybe use just a little more and be very careful not to over-beat it. The waffle iron temperature is very important. Too cool and it will stick. Too hot and it will burn and stick. The batter should sizzle nicely and begin to bubble as soon as it hits the iron. A little butter works well to oil the iron.

Good luck. I haven't made these for a while. I'm getting hungry just thinking about them.

Love,
Dad

Japains

Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!!

So I guess I kind of failed on the whole "keeping you posted" thing, sorry! We've been in Melbourne for the last couple of days which has been pretty awesome (shout out to Elizabeth who came to the Polyester Records instore today and said hey!), but before I get any further we have to talk about Japan. JAPAN!! I only left three days ago and already I want to go back so badly it kills me. Most of my favorite memories involve food and/or beverages (Chu Hi!) so here is a smattering of mostly food-related photos from Alex's digicam. I'm just about through my fifth roll of print film, but for that we'll have to wait!



I'd be lying if I said I didn't have Crunky for breakfast on more than one occasion. It's like a Crunch bar but about 1000x better, just like pretty much everything in Japan: like something familiar, only far superior.



Basically, everything in Japan is cute and/or delicious. Just like those adorable, mouth-watering Pandas.



Not only do these cigarettes cost about $3.50 a pack from a vending machine, but they will fill your lungs with Hope and Peace. Not both though, you have to choose just one I guess.



This is a pet store in Kyoto. The one we went to in Osaka sold tiny monkeys in the back, which is probably terrible but yeah, you guessed it, also really really cute and a little scary.



This small Jamaican person is really into Japanese maple leaves.



We just popped down to the 105 Yen store in Kakogawa to pick up a fresh pack of finger sacks, nbd. Actually no, we didn't, but we did get a hamburger sponge and several cell phone charms shaped like toilets with light-up poop inside.



I find this pack of baby squid strangely enticing, probably because I'm imagining them being made out of sour gummy candy. Which isn't exactly out of the question by Japan standards.



Banana bread filled with banana flavored bean paste shaped like a banana and stamped with the word "banana". This is what I'm taking about.



And I did, and how.



I still can't believe I didn't buy one of these dancing cat dolls on Miyajima Island. They got down to "I'm Gonna Getcha Good" by Shania Twain, which isn't weird AT ALL. This would have easily been the best $12.00 I'd ever spent in my life.



We left a little calling card in the green room at Kobe Blueport, scrawled among the likes of Fuck You Heroes, Sweef, and Mislead Balds. Japanese band names are almost as ridiculous as New York band names. Ha!

Ok, I've got another day in Melbourne tomorrow and then it's off to Brisbane to wade through some 74% humidity. Hopefully I can get anohter batch of photos up in a few days. Be back soon I promise!

two colorful, otherwise unrelated things

1)


In case you were wondering to whom that glorious head of hair (and those spandex-spackled thighs) belong on page 38 of the newest issue of FADER...it's me!! Man, I wish you guys could see the rest of the pictures we took that day, let's just say that folding chair and I got familiar. Photo by John Francis Peters.

2)


I made a watermelon cake. Everyone thought it was a Christmas cake at first, but no, watermelon. It really freaked out my eyeballs. You can learn how to make your own over on Sweeetheart Fever, thanks to Cassie, my partner in baking crime. Photo by Ben Scheim.

Enjoy!

Growing up, my family didn't particularly favor junk food. One of the few extravagances that was unfailingly allowed, however, was a big box of Coca Cola Classic in cans, kept in the icebox for cooling down on hot afternoons in between stints of garden work.



These days I mostly find the stuff a little too intense, but every now and then it really hits the spot--especially the Mexican variety, paired with chorizo tacos and salsa verde. And let us not forget the frozen JB-and-Coke slushie as purveyed by Bushwick Country Club. Yeah, I'd like to buy the world one or two o' those...

(click photos for sources!)

food notwork

Lately I have been focusing on cooking (...and eating) as my preferred method of general life/school procrastination. Too bad everyone I know professes to be sick to death of cupcakes, or I might try and replicate these beauties. Hell, I might do it anyways. I've got an awful lot of other things to (not) do. Can you imagine if those roses were strawberry flavored? There is nothing finer in this world than strawberry icing made with fresh strawberries, the smell alone will knock you flat.

What are some of your favorite things to cook?

(Photo from janedear on flickr, click for original)

Oh yum

Pretty/tasty.

(Photos by Todd Selby from the Selby)