This past weekend our friends Mike and Rissa got married at her Dad's estate in CT. It was one of the most beautiful properties and weddings that I have ever seen.
It was like something out of a wedding show on the Oxygen network. We had such a great time eating, drinking, and dancing the night away.
For dinner there was a 4 course meal with wine pairings. The food and the wine was outstanding. Especially the Chablis and the Champagne. So delicious!
I don't have a photo of the dessert but they had a biscuit with a berry compote and whipped cream and some kind of delicious sweet honey cake.
They were also giving out affogatos and espressos AND gelato on a cone. mmm
I have been a fan of this for years! Most people are, except for Carly, because she isn't fond of sharks. But I can understand, as I would not be very excited if the discovery channel started running Spider Week. ew.
Anyway, they have this sweet site up for the event. And if you love sea creatures as much as I do, you will totally nerd out on the site.
The bf's sister Chelsie informed us of this site- which is pretty sweet.
Groupon.com has daily deals at a low price. They just need a certain amount of people to sign up for the deal to go through.
Right now it's a deal for some art gallery thing- but they had deals on food/sports/dance classes kinda the something-for-everyone vibe.
And they have different deals for different cities. I'm actually really hoping that the dance class deal comes back. (classes get expensive-it is only now that I truly appreciate my dad paying for my 16 years of dancing) Thanks dad : ]
I've been in one of my blog funks again but I am going to try to bring myself out of it.
There has been a lot going on recently. We had a weekend wedding in the Catskills and Monday was my 26th birthday.
Both were quite nice, and tons of fun. The wedding was at a beautiful resort in the mountains. Though not being a true friend of nature I was definitely ready to head home on sunday. The bf however could have stayed forever.
Definitely danced my butt off on Saturday night. It was awesome.
The birthday was good too. Can't believe that I am 26. I don't feel old or anything like that- but last time I checked I was 23. Times flies when you are having fun I suppose, which must be true because these last few years have been fantastic.
Gah, it's time for me to go on a dress hunt. We have another wedding on August 8th. and mama needs a new dress.
I feel like Rosemary Clooney should have been serenading my in my kitchen this week.
Besides my love of cooking, my financial state has kept me in the kitchen and out of restaurants..
So we've been cookin' a lot. Sunday was a Strawberry/Orange/Fennel salad
with a spicy sausage risotto with asparagus and squash.
It is hard to photograph risotto, it looks like a lump of random stuff, but believe me...it is delightful. And super easy, I just took the same recipe that I used for the ramp risotto awhile back and just substituted ingredients!
Also last week I made Raspberry Muffins. Which were awesome as well, light fluffy and very berry-ful.. You can find the recipe here, it says strawberry muffins but the market didn't have strawberries that day-so they magically became raspberry. And I suppose you could really add anything that you so desire. Next time I'm thinking chocolate peanut butter and banana mmmmm.
Last nights dinner was my first try at my mom's beef stroganoff-which is one of my favorite things that she makes. It came out pretty well for my first try, but I did overcook the beef a little...as I often tend to do (eek) But it was still delicious, definitely one for the recipe box.
I have so much more to write but I am falling asleep at the keyboard. I took an amazing ballet class this morning and am completely exhausted.
So, this calls for a power nap and part 2 of blogging.
The 4th of July has come and gone, this means that we are mid summer. (which blows my mind every year)
This past 4th was quite enjoyable, we spent it on a rooftop on E 5th St.
We had an amazing view of the city and of the fireworks later. The day was spent eating, drinking and dancing. To my suprise and enjoyment "rhythm is a dancer" came on whilst we watched fireworks..
definitely haven't heard that song since I danced to it when I was 11. It was an awesome throwback.
ahh i can still hear my teacher saying "touch. touch. pas de bourree" oh nostalgia.
ah anyway, on Sunday I participated in the Williamsburg Flea Market.
I shared a table with Christina (lady seen above) I sold cards she was there to give advice.
This was loads of fun, but pretty lame on the sales end of things. But it was also a holiday weekend, so I think that a lot if people were still out of town. I'll probably give it another chance in a few weeks.
Another highlight of yesterday was dinner @ Egg. One of my favorite restaurants! I got a huge bowl of grits and a fried chicken sammy. yum!
***To my dear friend Carly Valentine: You may want to skip this blog entry.
With recently having my mind blown by the goblin shark, I decided to re-visit an old friend.
The Great White;Carcharodon Carcharius.
I have been a fan since the first time I watched Jaws. Excessively large sea creatures always peak my interest, and this shark does not disappoint.
The great white can grow as large as 20 feet- 20 FEET PEOPLE!!! That is huge, and he eats meat. So this is a 20 foot creature that could potentially eat you. amazing.
There was an article that came out recently that compared great whites to serial killers. As if people aren't scared enough, this comes out and scares them even more. Because now he is not just a killer, but a premeditated murderer.
(This is a cool article, just worded in the wrong way. Lets not put the words "shark" and "serial killer" in the same phrase..)
The article doesn't really say anything new, though it did point out that the motives of serial killers and sharks was different. good thing they pointed that out... because I was beginning to wonder.... -sarcasm-
I've started rambling. ugh it happens often. anyway, my point in all this, is that people need to be raising awareness about how awesome and possibly endangered this shark is. and not how it will stalk you like Ted Bundy.
The great white is also the next subject for a card, I drew this up yesterday. It's definitely one of my favorites.
Also, here are some videos/pages that are excellent for Great White info.
I actually remember seeing the goblin shark for the first time in a small shark book that I used to have. I always thought he was cool, but I didn't even realize that his jaws retracted like that. ahhh deep sea awesomeness!!
I am going to refrain from posting photos, as my very dear friend Carly does not really like them.
So please, if you are a shark lover. click on the links and watch this dude in awe.
After weeks of not cooking all that much I am getting back into the habit. Last night I made chicken fajitas and this morning I baked up a lovely batch of Strawberry Shortcake cookies.
I found the recipe whilst looking through the past issue of Living. It was on the very last page, and I could not believe that I had missed it before!!
Well here it is, they came out semi scone like which is still pretty awesome.
12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
2/3 cup heavy cream
Sanding sugar, for sprinkling
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour,baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
The only changes that I made to this was using half whole wheat flour, and using cane sugar instead of white. The bf approved and I like them too. We'll see what the co-workers think!
It's only been 8 days since I last posted, but it feels longer. Maybe because I've been a busy bunny.
I spent last weekend in NJ, seeing family, attending a wedding reception, and hanging out with friends.
As always, it was an excellent time.
Now I'm back to city living again, and was completely thrilled to go to the green market yesterday and find, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, sugar snap peas, and squash. All of my favorites are finally coming back!
Now all I need is some decent weather. This rain really isn't doing much for any kind of motivation. le sigh.
I only have about a week left before I sell at Artist and Fleas in MacCarren! I need to get a move on.
Today was the perfect reminder of why I love being a New Yorker.
I had brunch with Rebecca and Anna, and then we headed over to the Renegade craft fair!
For those who don't know, Renegade is like the holy grail of craft fairs. Awesome artists and crafty folks come from all over to sell their stuff, and it is all awesome.
So much good stuff it's hard to decide what to buy!
The bf and I have long been obsessed with these- I restrained myself from buying half of their stock and just stuck to these two.
and this, this glorious print is my greatest purchase ever. Freddie will definitely be framed. This was made by PrismPop.
I also managed to find a cheetahbunny necklace! cheetahbunny is a nickname, and twitter name haha. I tried to photograph it, but the light in my living room was just not right for jewelry photography.
Another awesome thing was meeting a blog buddy! I had the pleasure of meeting Elise and her husband Justin from Argyle Whale. I'm a big fan of her stuff, and a regular reader of her blog so it was really nice to meet in person!
After the craft fair, my guy friends and I went over to the waterfront park
to say Bon Voyage to our friend/co-worker, Patrick. It was so nice to be on the waterfront hanging out in the sun. Then we had dinner at Roebling Tea Room, which was delicious as always.
I finally printed the yeti crab today, and sadly the screen didn't shoot properly.
His right claw and the words are spotty, so I will have to reprint once my supplies makes it here from Japan.
rawr. oh well. Besides the prints, I have also been working on notebooks to put my images on, and they are turning out ok. All turn out to be different sizes in attempt to align the side, so I have that glitch to work through but I am generally happy with how the first few turned out.
If I can get some to be a consistent size I'll sell them at the artist and fleas market on the 27th. But we shall see about that.
I don't think that I have ever eaten so well on any vacation. Or so adventurously for that matter.
If anyone reading this has known me for more that 3 years you will know that I used to be an awful eater. Think no veggies, and many pizza rolls. It really makes me cringe when I think about it.
Thankfully that is no longer, and I am proud to say that on the trip I tried escargot
foie gras
a stuffed pigs foot
and bone marrow.
Of the 4 I'd say that I enjoyed the foie gras and bone marrow the most. I ate 2 snails but the second was hard to get down- it wasn't bad. the texture just got to be too much. And the stuffed pigs trotter was good, but it just had a whole lot going on. Many different parts were stuffed in there..
A note about the foie gras....the 2 dishes pictured are foie gras stuffed ravioli in cream with truffle oil, and then there is foie gras carpaccio with honey and toast. These 2 dishes were absolutely outstanding. Rich, delicious and totally different from our culinary norm.
The bf and I returned to nyc after a long flight yesterday afternoon. I am obviously still on Paris time as it is 6.40am and I am wide awake.
I don't really know where to begin with the trip. It was amazing.
The city has a kind of charm and beauty that is completely hypnotizing. It was my second time visiting and I am so glad that I really got to know the areas a little better this trip.
I did some things that I wanted to do last time like, eat ice cream from Berthillon
I had a scoop each of wild strawberry and peach, and the bf had chocolate with a rasberry creme' chantilly aka. rasberry whipped cream...yes. fact.
This time I couldn't miss the Sacre Coeur, so we caught the view and I went in and lit a candle for Mom Mom. We then picked up baguettes and wandered the non-seedy Montmartre area. FYI: There is a definite distinction between the two areas...
We really had such a great time, it's definitely going to take more than one blog to talk about it all. The next will be the food blog on all the places that we ate.
