recipe #5: pi(e) day.

okay well it was actually just a happy coincidence that i made pies for pi day, but the realization of the occasion and waiting until 12:01 AM on 3.14 to eat them not only provided enough time for my cinnamon ice cream to harden (i used a different recipe than my own and it was a try new things FAIL) but also gave people time to drink enough before eating them that they tasted amazing (a redeeming WIN!). the real occasion was my good pal sam's 27th birthday/homecoming/housewarming, who left us for most of 2009 to explore the appalachian trail, drive across the country, build a house in south carolina, attempt to lead bike tours in guatamala, but recently found his way back to us, rightfully so, in NYC.


sam's dislike of chocolate+my never having made a pie = me making two pies and also ice cream to overcompensate because the first pie looked wonky and i got nervous.

recipe #5: caramel apple pie.
soundtrack: carolina chocolate drops
servings: 8
ingredients: A LOT of these things - crisco, unsalted butter, flour, sugar, macintosh apples, caramel chews, cinnamon, nutmeg, water. oh, and a little salt.

the plan: ugh, i hate baking and making a crust from scratch is  a perfect example of why. so the first time i thought i used too much water, and also i was drinking wine and watching "30 rock" so i was distracted, but in the end the first crust i kind of made up held together much better than the recipe on the inside of the crisco box. so! do this: dump 2 cups of flour into a bowl, then "knive in" 1 1/2 cup of crisco, or use a pastry blender, which i didn't have, so i just guessed and tore the crisco into little bits and then mixed it together until it was reasonably void of huge clumps. then i added a pinch of salt and tsps of water until it was easy to shape. split into two balls, one a little larger than the other, then rolled the small one out into a circle(ish) and lined a pie pan with it. 

next, my favorite and most insanely delicious part. i chopped up about 5 macintosh apples and threw 3 tbsp of unsalted butter into a saucepan on high until it was melted. then, i dumped in the apples until they were coated and covered for about 3 minutes. then i cut up chunks of about 10 caramel chews and threw those in with a cup of sugar and pinches of cinnamon and nutmeg, and covered again for about 5 more minutes. zomg it smells so good. when it's all melted and mixed, pour out onto a baking sheet until it cools to room temp. then, throw into the pie pan, roll out the other ball of dough, and cover the pie. mark some holes in the top, or if you're me, carve a big "S" for your friend sam. cook at 350 until middle is boiling, about 30-40mins. i also decided to spread a little butter  and sprinkle cinnamon on the top before sticking it in, apparently you can do egg yolk too but mine were spoiled so, um, i couldn't.

now, i eat and make a lot of things, but the next day all i could think about was the next time i make this pie. should i try throwing in pecans? or peanuts like a real caramel apple? what do you think? bring it on because i already look forward to testing many, many combinations.

birthday ftw! ignore my big head and focus on sam's joy, please.

happy friday.

recipe #4: spaghetti and meatballs.

this year, i spent valentines day with 9 amazing people and (1 amazing dog) in a creepy/cool home tucked away in the vermont mountains. i love these folks because we could spend four days cooped up laughing about 80s workout books and 3-D dog pictures without feeling crazy. on the final night, maddy, josh, rizan (in spirit) and i teamed up to prepare the ultimate meal of homemade comfort for the group: spaghetti & meatballs. ahem, meat-hearts.
recipe #4: spaghetti and meatballs.
the soundtrack: frank sinatra - nothing but the best (although my rad sous chefs let me cook to a playlist no one wanted to listen to instead)  
ingredients: 1 lb ground chuck, 4 slices of dried bread - ripped up into small pieces, 2 eggs, 1 cup mushrooms, 1 medium sweet onion, 1 clove garlic, olive oil, 4 jars of pasta sauce (okay so we cheated), 4 boxes of whole wheat spaghetti, salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary and basil.
the plan: cut up onions, mushrooms and garlic into tiny pieces. in a skillet, sweat onions over low heat in olive oil until carmelized, then add mushrooms and garlic, salt and pepper until cooked. mix ground chuck, eggs, breadcrumbs and mushroom/onion mixture together in a bowl as well as oregano, rosemary and basil. next, heat sauce in a soup pot over low heat. make balls of meat mixture (or hearts, if you're maddy) and in an olive oil-coated skillet, brown until cooked halfway through and then dump into the sauce and let cook for about 45 minutes. cook pasta when sauce and meatballs are about 15-20 minutes away from being done. then serve, enjoy and make as many "that's what she said" jokes as possible.

my heart-shaped (music) box.

in honor of matters of the heart, i've assembled a playlist with some of my favorite songs of adoration and agony. and yes, i realize there is a severe lack of old-school country croons. anyways, enjoy and happy valentines day! click here for a free download of this playlist.


my heart-shaped (music) box:
1. "night and day" - ella fitzgerald
2. "a little lost" - arthur russell
3."evergreen" - the fiery furnaces
4."i can see the pines are dancing" - aa bondy
5."in the heat of the morning" - david bowie
6. "the book i read" - talking heads
7."the star-crossed lovers" - duke ellington
8."i'll believe in anything" - wolf parade
9."ram on" - paul mccartney
10. "temptation" - new order
11. "hey, that's no way to say goodbye" - leonard cohen
12. "handle with care" - traveling wilburys
13. "let's stay together" - al green
14. "lullaby + exile" - m. ward
15. "dreams" - fleetwood mac
16. "wouldn't it be nice" -the beach boys
17. "the way you look tonight" - tony bennett
18. "baby, we'll be fine" - the national
19. "let's get lost" - chet baker
20. "something" - the beatles (paul performing live on george's ukulele) 
21. "gentle hour" - yo la tengo
22. "i don't want to get over you" - the magnetic fields
23. "i'd have you anytime" - george harrison
24. "moon river" - frank sinatra
25. "strange vine" - delta spirit
26. "can't help falling in love" - elvis presley
27. "love will tear us apart" - joy division
28. "bullet proof... i wish i was" - radiohead
29. "laudate dominum" - mozart
30. "signed, sealed, delivered i'm yours" - stevie wonder


p.s. it's over...

recipe #3: chicken wings.

good wings are hard to find. i have even been recommended an iphone app for this plight by a caring and similarly wing-conscious friend. so! instead of continuing this trial and error, this year i made my own brand of wings to slop all over myself while watching the super bowl.
Chicken Wings
Time: 1.5 hours
The Soundtrack: Prince's Purple Rain (since i think we can all agree that that he was the best halftime performer we're ever going to get)
Ingredients: 20 chicken wings (or in this case, drumsticks since i couldn't find any wings at the store. sigh.), 1 cup frank's red hot, 1 cup soy sauce, 2 TBS melted butter, garlic powder and pepper. 
The plan: mix red hot, soy sauce and butter in a bowl until consistent and marinate wings (or drums) with mixture for at least an hour, leaving 1/4 cup of the marinade for later. wrap in aluminum foil and cook at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, then turn wings, douse in more marinade and cook for another 10 minutes. Then turn heat down to 400 and cook for another 10-15 minutes until cooked through, constantly turning to make sure they don't burn. 
remove from oven and sprinkle both sides lightly with garlic powder and pepper. let cool then enjoy, while wistfully thinking about a time when the patriots were good enough to be in the super bowl and we get a bonus round of ogling tom brady.
Things I learned: to not to wait until the last minute to buy chicken wings for the super bowl, because they will be sold out and you will have to use drumsticks instead. i also learned that when friends are drinking and the wings are good, you can get dangerously close to consuming a drink called a "wing bomb."

happy birthday, dad!

 

thanks for keeping me in line.

in his honor, this week i will perfect a recipe for one of his favorite foods and mine to prepare for the super bowl: chicken wings! more soon...

my funny valentine.

i picked up my new valentine in the dollar bin at target, so i don't have high expectations for things to really flourish with him.  still fun to give it a try, no? 

Soundtrack: Curtis Mayfield- "Move On Up" 

ps - it's restaurant week, nyc! i'm still glowing from the stout-braised lamb shank with aged cheddar polenta and green apples at park avenue winter last night. thank you to mo for great company and bite swaps.