Author Archive
If You Can Make That You Can Make This: 5 Easy Labor Day Desserts
Posted by: | CommentsMy Labor Day cooking tends towards the simple – basically burgers as often as I think I can get away with them, and for dessert I want to stay in a relaxed holiday mood, to expend as little effort as possible to get the biggest reward. I want my desserts to look spectacular, to taste summery and delicious, and in honor of the occasion, I want as much red white and blue as I can muster.
I’m a believer in a theme, a fact which can occasionally sucker me.
On the last big American holiday of the year, the 4 of July, I was charged with bringing dessert to the party. Being British, I was anxious to please, so I sought advice and was told, “Oh everybody has flag cake on the 4 of July. Not having Flag Cake would be like not having chocolate eggs at Easter”.
Speaking as one whose Christmas would be entirely ruined if there was no Christmas pudding at the end of the meal, I am sympathetic to food expectations when it comes to holidays, and I was determined that my flag cake would do my adopted country proud.
I had never heard of flag cake before, but a quick internet search educated me. I tracked down a recipe. I bought the enormous tin that the recipe required. I carried bags of berries home from the fruit stand. I had several practice runs at the cake and decoration thereof. Jon drew a flag template for proper berry placement. I bought a wooden board to fit the enormous confection, then a box to fit the board, and then I heaved it on the ferry across the river to West New York (New Jersey) and set it down on the picnic table that my friends had erected on the shore with a great view of the fireworks.
“Is that a flag cake? Somebody made a flag cake? I’ve never actually seen one of them before. Would you look at that. Actual flag cake.”
Southern Stewed Tomato Sauce
Posted by: | CommentsRecipe contributed by Ken Green and Tammy Towers, a father daughter cooking duo
Tammy Towers is my sweet BF’s sister in law. Her father, Ken, lives with Tammy and her hubby. But that’s not a bad thing – having your father live with you can havesome major perks – especially when he’s a great cook! I’ve had his chili at a superbowl part, and let me tell you – it was DELICIOUS. This week Ken a made a southern stewed tomato sauce, and Tammy was nice enough to share the recipe and a photo with all of you. Try it out and let us know what you think!
Thanks, Tammy and Ken! Recipe after the jump. Read More→
The Last Supper
Posted by: | CommentsIt was the last home-cooked supper in 135 South Second Street before the divorce. Naturally, for our last home-cooked meal together, I went back to an old favorite: beet risotto with goat cheese. Creamy, rich, delicious comfort food.
For those of you who don’t know me in real life, don’t be concerned. The sweet BF is just fine. (more intimate details after the jump.) Read More→
Garden Update: Mid-August 2010
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It’s mid-August. And this is the most excitement I’ve seen from my garden all summer. Three cucumbers, some basil that hasn’t been attacked by either a bug or a disease, and a handful of cherry tomatoes. Cute, but pathetic. Especially considering my plants grew 7 or 8 feet tall! Pics after the jump. Read More→
YAY! Weekends: Road Trip To the Petrified Forest and Gallup, New Mexico
Posted by: | CommentsWhen I said that we’d be heading to New Mexico for a wedding, my BF was instantly excited. And no, it wasn’t for the open bar and fear that I would catch the bouquet. It’s because, apparently, there are a plethora of National Parks in that part of the country. The BF loves National parks more than just about anything. I, on the other hand, am not quite so enthusiastic. So, naturally, when he told me that we were going to drive four hours to look at some petrified wood, I was like, “Um, really? Why?” Which was quickly followed by, “Um, what IS petrified wood?” But I got in the car, anyway, staring (literally) at this for four hours each way:
But you know what? The Petrified Forest National Park and Painted Desert were really amazing! And on the way back we
stayed in another hotel on the register of historic places – The El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico. The El Rancho was a hub for the movie stars of the old west during filming – including John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Errol Flynn, Kirk Douglas, Ronald Reagan and others. The grand lobby – decorated in traditional New Mexican decor – is filled with pictures and notes from these stars. It wasn’t the most modern hotel we’ve ever stayed in, but we loved the kitschy-ness of it all, particularly looking at the pictures from the 1950s when the El Rancho was much more of a hot spot. If you’re ever driving through Gallup, you won’t want to miss it. More details and photos after the jump! Read More→
Labor Day BBQ Recipe Ideas
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Heading into labor day, we’re on a hunt for the best BBQ recipes – side dishes, main dishes, desserts, drinks, the works! Do you have a good recipe you want to share? Email us! Today’s recipe comes from one of our favorite blogs, Ramshackle Glam. In one of today’s posts Jordan Reid gives the recipe for her favorite potato salad – YUM. Potato salad is always a crowd pleaser!
Check out Jordan’s post here for the whole recipe.
Photo courtesy of Ramshackle Glam.
YAY! Weekends: Road Trip Across New Mexico: Santa Fe and the Gruet Winery
Posted by: | CommentsA few weeks ago, my BF and I packed our bags and headed to New Mexico to celebrate my good friend Steph’s wedding. I’d never been to New Mexico before, and the BF had only driven through it, so we decided to turn it into a vacation/adventure. We researched and researched, and came together with a very good itinerary that had something for us both: national parks for him, wine and fancy hotels (at a steal!) for me. We ventured to Santa Fe, the Petrified Forest National Park, spent a few days in Albuquerque and stayed in a hotel frequented by old Hollywood stars of the Wild West movies in a town called Gallup. This will be a two part post, filled with recommendations of what we enjoyed the most, and what you may also enjoy, if you’re planning a road trip, or long weekend to New Mexico.
The Bishop's Lodge
Day 1: Santa Fe:
Country Living’s Clothes Pin Crafts
Posted by: | CommentsMuch to my sweet BF’s dismay, I am a hoarder. Whether its leftovers, old magazines, clothes that are too small or too
big, or random items that I think I may refurbish….one day…I save it all. When he was moving recently, I “rescued” two large full-length mirrors that were headed straight to the trash can. Even though they were probably $9.99 at Wal-mart many years ago and their plain wood frames had seen better days, I knew I that years from now eventually get around to doing SOMETHING with them.
Enter in Country’s Living’s latest issue. How adorable is this idea? Using clothes pins to decorate a mirror? LOVE it. And more importantly, I love the functionality of it. You can use the pins to hang little notes of inspiration, or a few favorite photos or postcards along the mirror. I may try placing a few clothes pins the other direction, too, to hang things on both sides. Now I just have to find the perfect color….
To see Country Living’s other ideas of things to do with clothes pins, click here. Photo courtesy of Country Living.
DIY In-N-Out Burger! At Home! For Real!
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Delicious hamburger photo courtesy of A Hamburger a Day.
Lia’s vegan for the next 25 days. I, very un-nicely sent her this link yesterday. It wasn’t on purpose. It’s just that I was so excited I forgot she was trying to be a vegan. Because, really, who can live without cheese and bacon?
I was never one for food – until recently. And now I eat it all.the.time. I can talk to you about the wonders of a McDonald’s chicken nugget, a taco bell bean burrito, or Sonic’s pepper poppers forever. But the one thing I still don’t eat from fast food places is burgers. Unless, of course, its an In-N-Out buger. Then there’s no question what I’m ordering.
However, In-N-Out burger hates the East coast. So what’s a girl to do? Follow “A Hamburger a Day’s” instruction’s from their food lab and recreate a perfect burger in your own home, of course! AMAZING!!! This will be my new favorite DIY project. Check out the instructions and commentary at A Hamburger a Day’s Burger Lab.
Hanging Frames – Light Enough to Hang Anywhere
Posted by: | CommentsPosted by Erin…
Earlier this year I moved into a new apartment where my bedroom is in a second floor loft space, overlooking the family room. Due to a combination of my claustrophobia and sheer laziness, we decided to hang a curtain to separate the rooms instead of having one of Manhattan’s famous prefab walls built – the same walls that turn every two-bedroom Upper East Side apartment into a convertible three-bedroom. I’m a sound sleeper, so not having a wall doesn’t bother me at all. ..except for the fact that it makes hanging things on the walls nearly impossible. My very handy, sweet boyfriend hung the curtains from the ceiling for me, but warned me that rods definitely couldn’t support that much weight. With a lack of wall space, I found that I had very little surface area to hang picture frames, vintage posters, or the decorative hooks that I used for my faux pearls and grandmother’s purses. After thinking about this situation for a short while, I found the perfect solution to combat the photo problem and help give my room more personality.
I love the look of picture frames that hang in a row, like these from Target, but knew that they would be way too heavy. Eyeing some Grosgrain ribbon, I was determined to recreate the look of the frames, minus the weight. Checking out my finished project, I think I did a good job!
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Southern Comfort Summer Cocktails
Posted by: | CommentsI’m sure this comes as no shock to anyone, but I love a good summer cocktail. One that’s a bit fruity, goes down easy, and makes you want to sit on a deck and drink them all day long. So obviously, I was super excited when Southern Comfort sent us a bottle of their Southern Comfort Lemonade. My little head was reeling with recipe ideas when it arrived – particularly since I’ve been slightly obsessed the summer with the lemonade mint cocktail I made last month. I named our two original drinks the: Lemon Pomegranate Surprise and the Spiked Arnold Palmer. Here they are, Pomegranate on the left, Arnold Palmer on the right, more details after the jump!
