Summer is Out

the few days before summer officially ends, the sunsets rush off into the night faster than the day before

18:19p, new brunswick

Because a Fresh Coconut is Better

....than a not fresh coconut...and heck, why not?!!

we ventured into the exotic fruit world and stood up to a wild coconut.  Ben was sure we would be able to crack it open.  It's amazing:  it has two tiny holes that "happen" to be perfect to puncture to let its silky, smooth, yet delicately thin and pure milk flow through.

Anyway, we had plans for this coconut, but it perfected itself with its leftovers serving as a perfect way to make non-dairy milk.

Voila!

new brunswick

"the mighty Raritan" ...at sunset!

Impromptu Fritter

I shredded two potatoes (one was purple) and made some Potato Fritters with Goat Cheese and heirloom cherry tomatoes as a last-minute-Oh-we-need-to-eat meal.  The goat cheese is from a small goat farm in Ithaca  (Ben insisted we stop in...glad we did!) and the tomatoes are from our Community (Shiloh) Garden in New Brunswick.  While the photo was snapped in a jiffy, they were more yummy than they look, and also last about all of a few minutes.  Observe:

Quick fried in a skillet  (just to seal the potato shavings), then baked at 400F for about 10 minutes.

Paella Schellacked

Recipe Mash-up!  We took two recipes and came up with the following:

Chicken and Shrimp Paella
with roasted red peppers, onions, and eggplant (!)
with an array of carefully picked spices and seasonings

For the first time ever, I took a knife and scissor to poultry, thanks to Ben picking up a Cornish Hen ("heirloom", he calls it) from the PA Dutch Farmers' Market.  I bet people would eat a lot less meat (forget the emotional part of cutting into, and prepping the chick!), if only they knew how much work they had to do, and do it every time they wanted meat.

Anyhow, it was absolutely delicious.  I'm looking forward to the leftovers for lunch this week.

Millions of Peaches...

Summertime in NJ, especially late-July and August is near-synonymous with peach season.  And the best thing about it is, you can get great, local peaches at every (yes, bold statement), EVERY farmers' markets!  There are more peaches than you know what to do with.  Ben has incorporated them into our morning smoothies, I've made a peach tart, and they are the perfect way to accompany and perk up a Swiss Chard salad (b/c Swiss Chard is intensely in bloom during this time as well).

So when its 80 degrees, rip up some chard, honey your peaches, throw together a light, oil/white wine vinaigrette, and chop up some almonds for a salad that even men will thoroughly enjoy in the summer!

August Summer Salad, 28 August

Civilian Conservation Corps at work

we should put more money into doing stuff like this...make our assets more accessible, because it is too unfortunate a waste for people to be missing out on vistas such as these!

They built from this:

This:

So you could see this:

Morphology

This is a pwHelms Bread recipe, which yields a TON of dough.  So what better way to use it up than to make tight, little cinnamon rolls that are perfectly crusty on the outside and unreasonably (yet deliciously) moist on the inside?

What would you make with extra (half-wheat, a little sweet) bread dough?

One Too Many Dimensions

26 April 2011 - hidden and abandoned architectural pieces

3 years ago: "Last Chance"

On the way down from Lookout Mountain--it's almost mystical:

A trip to the Moon --Revisiting Roots

This was pretty ambitious, but I was determined to do it: Black Bean Mooncake, Taiwanese-style!

I must admit:  I am pretty proud of these--mostly because a certain someone (Benjamin) loved them! I snagged the recipe (and then modified it, of course) somewhere from the interwebs, which, who knew: it's impossible to find a good recipe for this.  So perhaps, I'll come back one day and write it out.  The most difficult part of the mooncake fiasco?  -->trying to purchase a rolling pin.

Blueberry March

Thurs, 30 June

Everyday, since we've returned from Italy, Ben has made a SMOOTHIE (without fail).

We purchased a flat of BLUEBERRIES since they were on sale (can I get a "'hooray' for harvest season in NJ!"?) and threw them in the freezer.  Anytime a smoothie (or SORBET!) needs to be made... voila!  These little suckers are perfect for any LITTLE SUMMER TREAT.

Castellina Curb Quartet

Sat, 11 June

Okay, okay...I know this can't pass off as food, but a GIANT TUBA on the curb of a small Italian hill city was just too beautiful to keep to myself:

Castellina in Chianti

Sat, 11 June

Italy isn't just about wine, but it definitely knows how to do it right.

Wildflowers, and vino, and soaps, OH my...!

Clear Flour Bakery - Boston

Sat, 9 April 2011
Off to Boston for an APA Conference.  Stayed with some friends in Brookline, and of course, had to stop at:

who also offers Terroir coffee.  Good to know good coffee and baked goods are slowly coming into people's lives.  Get a chocolate croissant here...or hallah bread.  So good.

Now, we just need OQ Coffee to open up shop in New Brunswick, NJ.

ruins of ancient italy

while our absolutely unforgettable stay at Podere Patrignone, we took one morning to take an easy hike across the hills, with one big, furry horse of a dog tagging along on our heels.

Volterra Bicycle Parking

because in Italy, it's always better with a bottle of vino ;]

a beautiful mess

after hours of late-night construction, Rachel, Adel, Shayne, and Abby (who dominated flower-design and construction) have secured (thanks to Pete) a beautiful trunk full of flowers for the wedding--they were beyond gorgeous, in anyone's opinion.

While all these girls made it happen, check out Adel's site--she's up for hire, if you're lucky!

two of the most delicious things in life...

of course, had to be showcased at the wedding: coffee and chocolate!

A small mason jar of a single-origin from OQ Coffee and impulse bars, 70% dark from Green & Black's organic.

Being that I am back-dating this entry, I am recalling from memory the amazing friends who executed this and made all the things during Wedding Season and the wedding itself go off without a hitch, many things which we were not aware of until waay after the day--some, we may never even know!  We are so immensely blessed beyond imagination.   And beyond these things, continue to be thankful for incredible friendships and support. Thank God! 

Chocolate Raspberry Souffle

Wed, 5 Jan 2011:

Make use of your ramekins:  make a soufflé.