Homemade English Muffins

English muffins have been a regular part of my eating habits since I was in university.  Usually they are served up with two egg yolks on them, but with my love of carbohydrates, you never know when I might pop one of those savory doughy muffins slathered in butter in my mouth.  Then I saw this, and thought, what a wonderful idea.  I could make my own. 

I decided to go with this recipe by Alton Brown, it supposedly makes the best English muffins around, just full of nooks and crannies.  I had to modify it a bit, I don't exactly have a griddle, but I made it work.  The recipe was super simple, and I can't wait to use them for eggs benedict!

My Favourite Things In October

With October coming to a close, I've looked back on the month with a smile.  I've hit a few bumps in the road (getting laid off from my job), but have come back with a vengeance.  So here are a few of my favourite things I've enjoyed this past month:

• Ronnybrook Farm Pumpkin Ice Cream 
• Visits to The Brooklyn Kitchen, which is conveniently down the street from my house
• The Higgins's Sarsaparilla cocktail from The Richardson in Williamsburg
• Trying both the dinner and brunch menus at Traif in Williamsburg
• Horror movies all month on AMC
• Pumpkin Beers on tap at all my favourite bars
• NBA season openers
• Making an amazing list of costume ideas and storing it up for costume parties
• CMJ Music Marathon 2010
• Currently knitting this scarf
• Listening to T-Rex while cooking
• Reconnecting with friends that I haven't spent enough time with

I can't wait to enjoy these last few days of October and head into November full force!  Happy Halloween!

Image via http://mpeabody.blog.uvm.edu/

Buttermilk Pumpkin Pancakes

For the first time in my adult life, I was up earlier then anyone else in the house (ie: boyfriend, roommate, and puppy), and I conveniently had all the makings for buttermilk pumpkin pancakes.  I took to the internet and found a great recipe by one of my fave food bloggers, The Pioneer Woman.  I love trying new recipes, and The Pioneer Woman has some of the best and easiest to follow recipes that I've used.

Now that I'm starting to understand baking a bit better, it takes me no time to whip up simple recipes like pancakes.  And they were a hit with the "family," even the dog loved them (and she's the most picky eater in the group)!  I used a little bit of left over cinnamon butter on them, and they were sweet enough to not even need syrup.  Paired with some coffee, they were the perfect Saturday morning breakfast recipe!*  A great way to say hello to the fall!

Canned pumpkin is one of my must-haves for my fall pantry!

Voila! The perfect fall breakfast!

*I'd love to find a vegan way to do these pancakes, so if you have any suggestions, please send them my way!

Glazed Doughnuts

Being unemployed gives me far too much time to myself.  And as much as I would love to sit and watch awful tv all day while job hunting, I would just feel so unproductive.  So instead, I've taken to baking again.

Yesterday, I took the afternoon and (with the help of my roommate) whipped up some homemade glazed doughnuts.  Using this recipe, it took me far longer than I would have thought.  I haven't worked with bread doughs too much, so I'm always a little unsure when it comes to letting something rise and just how long that takes.  The glaze was a super easy recipe from Alton Brown, and I loved it because you could add any flavouring you want to make it a flavoured glaze.

The finished product was a great fresh doughnut, with a super sweet glaze.  I can't wait to take this recipe and experiment with different flavours and toppings!

Delicious Dinner

Last week, I got laid off.  So, while I'm busy finding a new job, I've been working at cutting back in certain extravagant areas of my life, and the main culprit of that is eating out.

So Friday night, the boyfriend and I decided that we would spend the night in and whip up a great meal that would provide us with leftovers for days.  We decided to make a roasted pork tenderloin and tons of vegetables, but in true foodie style, JB couldn't seem to decide on just what we were going to have, so we also made a stuffed brook trout and some oysters for an appetizer.

JB prepping the tenderloin

And, as always, my job was to take care of the dessert.  I turned to my new favourite recipe book, French Women for All Seasons, and whipped up some pears and chocolate mousse.  It was surprisingly one of the easiest desserts I've made, and I still have tons of mousse leftover.  Yum!

Buttermilk Pancakes and Sweet Cinnamon Butter

A while ago, my roommate and I tried some amazing sweet cinnamon butter from Ronnybrook farms at our local market, and we haven't stopped thinking and talking about it ever since.

But, in true DIY fashion, I decided to try to make butter myself.  Surprisingly, it was super simple.  I simply took some heavy cream, a mason jar, and a marble, put it all together and shook it like crazy.  About 20 minutes later, I had butter!  Who knew it was so easy?!

But one of the best parts of doing this was that I had leftover buttermilk to use for pancakes.  Now, I didn't have a ton of buttermilk, so my pancake yield was small, but they made delicious fluffy pancakes that went amazing with the sweet cinnamon butter.

It'll be difficult to ever go back to regular butter now!  I think my next project will be roasted garlic butter.

My September in Food

I have become quite the foodie as of late.  Between our trip to Fire Island, and the weather turning colder, I have been spending a lot more time indoors cooking and baking.  I thought I'd share some of the pictures of the various foods I've eaten/prepared/bought over the past month (and yes, I'm becoming one of those people that takes pictures of their food).

I'm obsessed with my new garlic chopper, and I find an excuse to use it every Saturday by buying a loaf of fresh Italian bread from the Greenpoint market.

A bowl of fresh produce from the Greenmarket, so amazing!

Roast chicken with fingerling potatoes, shallots, garlic and leeks.

Late night snack- bruschetta made from Roma tomatoes, sage, thyme, garlic and french Gruyere style cheese. 

I can't wait to see what delicious food October will bring!

Hipster Hideaway- Fire Island

Sorry for the delay in regular scheduled programming, but I was MIA this week enjoying the wonders of Fire Island.  I spent the past three days sitting on the beach, reading a book, taking walks, and being lavished with amazing food via the boyfriend.  Just thought I'd share a few pics from the trip.  Cheers!

A wonderfully beachy sunrise

The fresh smell of saltwater and the sand of waves are perfect therapy in the fall

I fell in love with this beach house

This couple was so cute with their dog and baby, kind of a perfect existence.

On of my favourite meals JB prepared.  Fresh pasta with hen of the wood and crimini mushrooms, herbs, onion, garlic in a white wine reduction.  Served with a great big salad and grilled veggies!  Yum!

Vegan Pumpkin Cupcakes

Lately, I've been eating mostly vegan.  Now, I'll spare you all the gruesome details as to why I made this "crazy" choice, but part of the reason is that I wanted to have the opportunity to experiment with vegan cooking and baking.

So last night, I decided that I would welcome my love of fall with these vegan pumpkin cupcakes.  I used a  modified versions of this recipe, and then topped them with a vegan cream cheese cinnamon frosting.  I added some crystallized ginger on top.  So far, they are eliciting great responses!

The heat in our house made the frosting a little bit melty last night, but after popping them in the fridge they got much better!

Sorry that the pictures aren't great, I'm still learning to use my new camera!

Why We Love Cupcakes

I have had Cupcakes on the brain recently.  1st I interviewed at a cupcake speciality location yesterday, and then last night after dinner, a friend of mine went to seek out dessert and stumbled upon the same chain and stopped to pick up cupcakes.

We decided on three overly decadent, disgustingly sweet, pretty little concoctions, got them to go and headed back to his place to eat them.  In the midst of this conversation, I figured out why everyone loves cupcakes.

Yes, they are pretty, or cute, but so is a regular cake.  Yes, they are convenient, but most of the time you put them on a plate and eat them similar to a regular cake.  No no no, these are not the reasons for the mass cupcake love.  The real reason is that we don't like sharing.  Sure, we will donate money to causes, and we will give half our sandwich away, but a cupcake is different.  Perhaps it's because it's wrapped in wax paper, or maybe because it's a complete decoration on top as opposed to part of a picture, either way, cupcakes give us permission not to share.

I distinctly remember feeling this way when I was a selfish only-child in preschool.  Whenever it was blueberry muffin day, I loved the fact that I got a whole muffin to myself, and it was just mine.  Well, it's 18 years later, and I think I still love the fact that with a cupcake, you can be as selfish as you want.  And when you buy a cupcake, you get to pick your flavor, instead of being left with chocolate cake and chocolate frosting, like every other kid in the third grade.

Perhaps that's why cupcakes have caught on so much in NYC.  With our constant sharing of personal space, we need something to let us escape and that we feel ok about not sharing.  And hey, it being NYC, we will just walk off the calories on the way home from the subway.

I have a new goal in life, to make the entire Nintendo series of games into cupcakes.

This Might Make You Hungry: Julie & Julia

As I've mentioned before, I rarely, if ever attend any sort of movie in New York. Lately, due to my recent unemployment, I have had a lot more time on my hands, which means that I got off my lazy butt on Saturday, went into the city, and accompanied my roommate to the movies.

There was difficulty deciding what movie to see. My top three choices were: The Cove, Food Inc., and It Might Get Loud. Yeah, I'm no fun, when I go to the movies I want to see a real story, or zombies. My roommates top three choices were: Harry Potter, District 9, and G.I. Joe. Choosing movies can create a problem for the two of us, so we reached a compromise and choose a lighthearted film based on actual people, actual events, and actual food.

Not to anyone's surprise, but both Meryl Streep and Amy Adams delivered wonderful performances. Streep's accent alone was worth the $12.50, she was Julia Child. I learned so much about Child's life that I would have never known otherwise, as well as learning a very small amount about French cuisine, which I am also somewhat new to. Adams, as the blogger on a mission delivered a believable performance full of happiness, sadness, and determination.

And of course, it is impossible to not talk about the food. Oh, the food. Raspberry creme, duck, mushrooms, and butter, lots and lots of butter. I left the theater not only wanting to eat everything in sight, but also enroll in a cooking class. Food is more then just fuel, it is an experience, and Julie & Julia proved that food can be a lifesaver, as well as a soul saver.

I laughed, I cried, my stomach rumbled, and I left the theatre feeling as though my time spent taking various classes, trying various internships, and learning new things has not been in vain. After all, Julia Child didn't become Julia Child until late in her life, and her legacy is one we cannot escape today. I can honestly say that this is one of the few movies I've seen recently that I strongly recommend to anyone, old, young, male, female, omnivorous, plan-ti-vo-rous? It may not teach you about Japan's whaling policies, or the food industry, but it will leave you feeling happy and hungry. Bon Apetit!

Hipster Hotspot: Teddy's

I have grown quite affectionate of my neck of the woods. Having hated New York for the first few (okay, 9) months I lived here, after spending some time in Brooklyn I have grown to call it home. Part of what I love about Williamsburg is all the great places to eat. A self-proclaimed foodie, I have a weakness for interesting menus, casual eateries, variety, and cocktails.

In the past two months, I have been to Williamsburg hotspot, Teddy's at least 5 times. Located on North 8th and Berry, I have made the trip to Teddy's at 1 AM (kitchen is open until 2), in the pouring rain (twice), and when my parents came to visit from Montana.

Teddy's atmosphere is great, just hipster enough to be cool, and not so hipster that I feel out of place. The bartenders and servers are super friendly, and the building is beautiful.

Over the weekend I made two appearances at Teddy's. The first was for a mission all about wings. As a wing connoisseur, I am rather picky. They must have the right crunchiness, the perfect wing sauce, and come with a side of blue cheese dressing without me asking for it. Much to my surprise, Teddy's passed this test (which seems to be harder in this city then you could imagine), and with my 7&7, I was in late night, post-work bliss.

My second Teddy's venture included brunch with my roommate on Sunday. As much as I love going to brunch there, part of me always dreads it, I always take forever to make up my mind. My most difficult decision is usually whether or not I want savory versus sweet. Luckily Teddy's has come up with a solution to my conundrum, the French Toast sandwich. My roommate and I decided to split the sandwich and get an order of nachos. Not only were both huge portions of food, but I left feeling so sickly satisfied I didn't eat for the rest of the day.

Teddy's has quickly become one of my regular hangouts, and for anyone who either lives in Williamsburg or visits there often, I strongly suggest you check it out :)

Where to Eat: Elephant and Castle

Located in the West Village, Elephant and Castle is a small, reasonably priced restaurant that a close friend and I happened to stumble upon one night. I am all about trying new places to eat, trying new cuisine's and pairings that I would have never originally thought could go together.

I guess I actually didn't really do that this time, but she did, so I'll live vicariously through her decisions. For a casual, late-night dinner, she decided on a shrimp and bacon sandwich, while I stuck with potato, leek, and bacon soup. Both sound like standard, American fare, but ended up being a pleasant surprise to the palate. A surprising element was added to her sandwich with the basil vinaigrette. And my soup? A complete surprise. While I had expected a creamy tomato with nice chunks of leek and bacon, I ended up with a brothy tomato based soup with lots of veggies, somewhat disappointing until the first bite.

For dessert? Roasted hazelnut, chocolate, and whip cream crepe (split between the two of us). Elephant and Castle isn't anything super special, but it IS delicious, so if you're in the area, looking for something reasonably priced with a great atmosphere, check it out.

http://www.elephantandcastle.com/

Where to Eat: KIF

A couple weeks ago, I met a guy. Nothing particularly special, just a guy I met at work, and he asked me one of the best questions I've ever been asked: Good Sex or Good Food? Well, most people will initially react with the answer, good sex. However, I found myself pondering this question for a few minutes before answering, a good meal beats good sex any day of the week.

Shortly thereafter, I headed down to Fort Greene to have dinner with my best friend, Paige. She suggested we try a restaurant in her neighborhood that she had yet to try called Kif. Kif doesn't look too fancy, moderately priced, and dimly lit. It was also Moroccan food, which due to my sheltered small-town Western life, I had yet to try.

I decided on Tagine, a traditional Moroccan stew made with meat, veggies, and a side of couscous. I went with lamb, seeing as I never buy lamb myself, and had decided to spoil myself on this given night. The meat was tender, falling off the bone everytime I tried to take a bite. The veggies were hot and juicy and moist, and the couscous collected all the extra sauce at the end of my meal. Top it off with a Casa (the only Moroccan beer they had on the menu), and I was in heaven.

I don't know what it is. The fact that my taste buds have been completely satiated, the pleasant company of my best friend, or the cozy atmosphere, but I have not been able to stop thinking about that meal at Kif. It has only inspired me to try more exotic cuisines and be more brave with my restaurant choices, it's also made me make an entire batch of couscous to have in my fridge at my disposal.