Easter holds a happy place in my heart.  No, not because I was the fat kid and my family would give me fruit baskets instead of chocolate to open up (every Easter morning for a number of years) that was terrible! But because Easter - in our home - was celebrated with an all out protein party. We’re talking salamis, provolone, ricotta salata, hard boiled eggs, lamb and or goat. I still recall sitting in church, in my too tight and too pastel Easter costume - scalp itching from some stupid straw bonnet - with a bow, of course - fantasizing about young spring goat and lamb and how tasty and tender they are.  I was 9.  What kind of 9 year old fantasizes about goat meat covered in wine, eggs, cheese and peas?  A smart one, yes. That was me. 

I didn’t think I’d celebrate Easter this year.  I imagined it would be much like my Christmas Day.  A good one on one chat with the Chinese food take out lady, an order of steamed chicken and broccoli shows up and I stone myself on Netflix and dark chocolate until I fall asleep - waking up only to realize my hand is down my pants and I should really go for a late night walk and see a depressing film.

Instead, I took control of the situation.  With my family no longer close by, I decided it was time to woman up and cook goat for some friends.  

I contacted my Aunt Jo - and by contacted - I mean she texts!  I can’t believe my little Italian Aunt texts.  But when the goat and artichoke instructions got too lengthy, we settled on a phone call.  And I’m glad we did.  Between my Aunt and my Mom’s memories of grandmas goat, I was armed to cook a true Neapolitan Easter dinner and maybe even channel the spirit of my grandma.  My Aunt reminded me that my Uncle Gino would serve an antipasto of hardboiled eggs, ricotta salata and salami.  All deliciously salty and  belly bloating, so we’d be pretty full before we even arrived to the presentation of the goat and oil slicked artichokes.  

While scoping out the Astoria scene for an abundance of ingredients, I set my eyes on some fava beans and asparagus.  Spring is in the air indeed - and  I love a fresh green fava bean and long lean stalk of asparagus.  

I started feeling guilty for not having enough vegetables on my table, so the addition of a fava salad and roasted asparagus quelled the fear I had of my guests frowning on my fatty protein fest and my own fear of never pooping again.  I was going for a Spring green motif with my table, with some pops of color by adding in tomatoes and salami where I saw fit.

Traditionally, our family would have a fuit plate and pastiera di grano for dessert - which is a grain pie that could be likened to a lumpy cheesecake with citron chunks in it.  I made it one year, omitting the citron because that shit is sticky and gets stuck in your teeth.  This is also dessert people and fruit  is not dessert.  I know, I can hear all of the women in my family - but it’ll help you digest.  Bullshit.  In my adult life I’ve read enough food combination books to know that fruit should not be eaten within an hour of any meal. Simply put, fruit is a pre-cursor to dessert so you don’t feel like you’re being a total fatty by closing right in on some cake and cookies.  I have no shame.  I always go right for the good stuff.  

I served homemade truffles for dessert.  Thank you, Ina Garten, you’re brilliant. Rather, the little gnomes in your test kitchen are.  I delicately placed some strawberries beside the truffles and, wouldn’t you know, we ate them all.  Ok, I was responsible for eating one because I could hear my mom yelling at me for skipping over the fruit.  

Although I miss holiday arguments, crowded tables, my grandmother walking around hunched over with a corning ware dish, rationing out portions of goat and artichokes - I’m glad to know I can cook a meal, like her, without a problem or a worry as to whether or no it will taste ok.  Sure, I’m insecure before I cook a meal - but Easter goat was proof to my palette that a little old Italian woman lives inside of me. Creepy, I know.

And I wish I knew then what I know now, maybe I wouldn’t have been so hard on myself about my weight and food and emotions.  Who knew that being a smallish, chubby food loving fiend would make me nostalgic and appreciative later on in life.  That things wouldn’t be so bad and that I’d lose 160lbs and grow up to have a good job and a nice apartment and friends that indulge my food memories.   

If grandma could only see me now.

I’d like to think she was smiling all day on Sunday - although she’d probably say “Teenoocha, you lose a all of this a weight and can make a this meal - and you still no have a boyfriend? What do you do?  You make a nice with the boys or no?  I told you - marry a someone who make a money and make a you happy.”

I’m working on it grandma.  All of it.

I’m also still working on my St. Patrick’s Day blog post which, I’m guessing, I’ll get to this weekend.

Fava Bean Salad

1 c. fava beans, cleaned and removed from pod
10 red cherry tomatoes
10 small yellow tomatoes
1T. olive oil
Kosher Salt
Fresh Lemon juice
Shards of Pecorino
Endive leaves

-Pepare a large bowl with ice water and put aside 
-Bring a pot of salted water to a rolling boil and add fava beans, boiling for 1 minute
-Strain fava beans and quickly place in ice water bath (this will ensure your beans stay bright green)
-Remove fava beans from ice water and peel back the waxy outer shell of the bean and discard (repeat)
-Place fava in a bowl with tomatoes, salt, lemon juice and oil - then toss to coat
-Spoon fava salad into endive leaves and top with pecorino
-Nom happily!

 Steamed Artichokes

6 small artichokes, cleaned and quartered
6 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
20 black Italian olives, pitted
1/4 c. good olive oil
1/4 c. water
Kosher salt

-Begin to clean artichokes and, as you’re cleaning, place them in a pot with cold water, lemon and 1T. of flour - this will keep them from turning black
-Over medium low heat, add oil to a large stock pot, then add artichokes + garlic cover for 5 minutes
-Remove cover and add water
-Replace cover and continue to cook for another 7-10 minutes - watching that there is enough liquid in the pot so the artichokes do not stick and burn
-Remove cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes, until outer leaves of the artichoke are tender (admittedly, mine were a little tough - I should have peeled back more leaves)
-Salt and serve with cheese

Roasted Asparagus

1 bunch thin asparagus, trimmed
2T. good olive oil
Kosher salt

-Preheat oven to 425 degrees
-Line a baking sheet with asparagus and toss to coat with olive oil and salt
-Roast for 12-15 minutes until asparagus are medium brown but still maintain a somewhat firm stem

Grandma’s Goat With Eggs + Peas

1 1/2 lbs. goat, cut into 2” pieces, rinsed and patted dry
1/4 c. good olive oil
3 shallots, minced
1 1/2 c. white wine
1 1/3 c. peas
3-4 eggs beaten + 1/2 c. grated Locatelli cheese
Fresh parsley + lemon for garnish 

-In a dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot, set over medium high heat, add olive oil 
-Add goat, cooking until browed and remove from pot and put aside
-Add shallots and reduce heat, covering, and cooking onions for 20-30 minutes until melted down 
-Transfer goat back in the pot, add 1 c. of wine and cook uncovered until wine reduces - about 30-40
-Add peas and the remaining wine and cover, cooking for an additional 30-45 minutes 
*If your liquid is not reducing, cook with lid slightly open
-Add eggs and cook until eggs are completely formed - but they should be soft and fluffy, coating all of the goat and peas
-Remove from heat, plate, garnish and serve

Chocolate Truffles 

 

Roasted Chicken With Fennel, Lemons, Brussels Sprouts & Root Vegetables

My blog is woefully out of date, and the 8 people that do read my blog have reached out to me personally about updating and posting my kitchen musings.  So, this is for you Lily, Owen, Chris, Natalie, Eve, Aunt Deb, Aunt Joyce and Aunt Marian.  

I opened up my world and let Martha Stewart inspire me.  Sure, I try not to take advice from her because I’m jealous that she has so much money, her own line of glitter (ok, I don’t want to be in a dispute between Macy’s and JC Penney - but on the bright side she’s in demand), but secretly I want to be you Martha Stewart.  If I could be the hybrid version of Martha and Ina Garten, in the home, with the hair and bod of Kim Kardashian - life would be a dream.  The pretty photos and helpful hints on cooking and crafting in last months issue of Martha Stewart Living really rocked my Saturday - hard.  

I settled on making a roasted chicken for my girlfriends.  I switched things up just a bit, and Instead of spatchcocking the chicken (essentially butterflying and removing the whole backbone) I took the lazy route and butterflied (it all looks the same when it’s lubed up and set in a roasting pan, kinda like sex with the lights off).

Once again, call me lazy, but I’d like to think it’s just rustic … as of late I’ve been roasting all of my vegetables whole. It saves a ton of prep time and still looks pretty when plated.  If you’re not in a rush (they do take a touch longer to cook) - this is a great solution to feeling daunted by slicing, cubing, and doing fancy knife tricks.  Shit, I’m totally disregarding what I did learn in my knife skills class.  Maybe when I do have a date night, I’ll impress said suitor with my skills - but for now - whole veggies for the friends and myself.  Chef Brendan McDermott would be really upset at me.  

Come to think of it, I should sign up for his butchering class.  Maybe if he showed me how to spatchcock I’d be into putting a little more effort into my meat prep.  A good looking man standing beside you or behind you with a knife can be both hot and distracting, but I’m willing to take the risk again.  

On that note, I’m back in the kitchen and on the net - bitches.

Happy Roasting. 

Love,
Nomnoms.

Roasted Chicken With Fennel, Lemons, Brussels Sprouts & Root Vegetables

1 chicken, butterflied
4-6 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 lemons, sliced
3 large onions, sliced
2 bulbs of fennel, sliced a 1/4” thick 
1/4-1/3 c. olive oil, divided
4-6 large carrot, peeled and halved
4-6 parsnips, peeled and halved
12-14 brussels sprouts, halved
Kosher salt 

-Preheat oven to 400 degrees
-Slice lemons and lay 6 slices, making a circle, on a roasting pan - and drizzle with olive oil
-Place half of your onion slices on top of your lemons and drizzle with a little more olive oil
-Set chicken a top lemons and onions, rubbing with olive oil and sprinkle with salt
-Take 4-6 more lemon slices and stuff under the skin of the chicken, along with sprigs of thyme
-Roast chicken for 30-35 minutes until skin is brown
-While chicken is roasting, prepare vegetables - placing carrots, parsnips and brussels sprouts in a roasting pan (be sure the pan isn’t crowded or they will not brown) and put aside
-Place fennel slices and remaining onions in a bowl and coat with olive oil, salt and thyme and put aside
-Remove chicken from the oven, carefully draining off excess oil/fat into a bowl and use excess oil/fat to coat carrots, parsnips and brussels sprouts (drizzle with a little extra olive oil if necessary)
-Place fennel and onions around the chicken and place back in the oven, continuing to roast for another 30-35 minutes - until meat thermometer reaches 160 degrees
-Place vegetables in the oven and roast until browned
-Hack up, I mean - cut chicken into pieces, serve with roasted vegetables and nom

Nancy, Matt and I set out to the East Village one partly cloudy Saturday to discover some new noms to write about for Real Cheap Eats.

Nancy: aka Love Muffin

Matt: aka 40 lbs. We called Matt 40 lbs. when he was younger because he actually weighed 40 lbs.  Personally, I skipped over those kinds of numbers and went right to triple digits. 

There was a lot of eating, eating and walking. I also managed to find the perfect shade of pink lipstick while out on my journey.

We started at Senor Pollo, unassuming and surrounded by brunch spots and college bars - I was drawn in to this quaint Peruvian paradise because it’s anything but trendy (and it was cheap and had a pretty and properly decorated dining area).

Given the name of this joint, one might assume I went in for the chicken (1/4 of a bird and 2 sides will only set you back $8.50 and I’ve heard from friends that portions are hot, heaping, moist and bursting with rotisserie flavor), but I didn’t.  I closed in on some favorites of fried yucca ($3.25), tostones ($3.00) and a delightful treat I’d never tried before - that of the papa a la huancaina ($5.00).  Needless to say, I want to smother my body and someone else’s in huancaina sauce (made with aji amarillo, a yellow pepper native to Peru, which is combined with queso fresco and evaporated milk to make a super special somewhat spicy sauce) that covers a perfectly boiled potato.  

Here are some photos and descriptions of what went down at Mr. Chicken: 

Chicha Morada: Purple corn drink spiced with cloves and cinnamon, this beverage tastes best when washing down yucca dipped in hot sauce.  It’s sweet, spicy and its fall flavors suit October in NY. 




Papa a la Huancaina: boiled potato smothered in huancaina sauce.  The sauce is cheesy, creamy - mildly spicy and made from queso fresco, aji amarillo (yellow pepper native to Peru), evaporated milk and oil. It’s served on a lettuce leaf and topped with a hard boiled egg and olives. Senor Pollo’s rendition was tasty and satisfying.  

Chimichurri, Tostones and Fried Yucca: I’m still trying to figure out what the best part of this experience was - the fact that  the waitress told me how to perfectly fry my yucca at home or the fact that you can purchase Senor Pollo’s chimichurri and hot sauce to go.  Yes, to go (8 oz. for $3.00, 16 oz. for $5.00).  The spicy fun can continue at home.  The tostones and yucca both delicately fried and perfectly golden - make the perfect vehicle to get their stellar dipping sauces into your mouth and coating your belly. 

Post Peruvian noms, we waddled over to St. Marks where the sign for the Dumpling Man drew us in.  Pork and chive soup dumplings were had and enjoyed ($3.95 for 4).  At the Dumpling Man you can also watch the dumpling making go down.  Sit at the bar, take in the man and his two ladies while they make massive mixtures of veggie, pork and shrimp dumpling filling.  See the stuffing and sealing happen first hand, then get your nom on. 

Pork & Chive Soup Dumpling: thick skinned, purse shaped and generously packed with a tender, soft and somewhat fatty pork filling these soup dumplings were made with care.  And the broth - not half bad.  The ginger aftertaste, not too overpowering and pretty pleasing to the palette.  Overall, I may go back for a little to go action on my way to a proper meal.  Sometimes I can’t wait for dinner and a lady needs a scooby snack.

And in case you need to fit in a sweet, which we did, head over to Momofuku Milk Bar.  I recommend taking on a slice of the crack pie (butter and brown sugar sex in your  mouth) over the compost cookie (basically a kitchen sink like deal - with chips, pretzels, butterscotch and chocolate chips) - for a super sugar high.  

Crack Pie at Momofuku Milk Bar

This little jaunt left us stuffed and carb loaded.  I run a lot so I need to carb load.  I only speak the truth here.

In case you’re interested in venturing to any one of these joints, here’s the info:

Senor Pollo
221 1st Ave.
NY, NY 10003
212.777.0362

Dumpling Man
100 St. Marks
NY, NY 10009
212.505.2121 

Momofuku Milk Bar
251 East 13th
347.577.9504 

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

My living room (this is where I do most of my laying and writing of this blog, thought you should know about the recent updates to my space)

The best part about autumn in New York, aside from the obvious - like no longer sweating, wearing hoodies, phenomenal hair weather, diving into a more neutral make-up palette (I can’t pull off reds when I’m pale, but boy did I hit the jackpot on some gorgeous pouty pink lipsticks), rocking big, bold colored scarves with long sleeved tees and reuniting with my couch after a long summer of running around …

BAKING!

Me and my oven are back together, bitches. 

The best part about baking this bodacious chocolate chip banana bread pictured above … giving it to a man that I adore.  

My buddy, Crobin, just completed his first short film.  A labor of love, Alan Smithee is a coming of age story, telling the tale of a young boy - who’s somewhat of a loner - growing up on Long Island.  I was lucky enough to attend a screening of the film, which left me happy, sad and wanting to live in Crobin’s brain for just one day.

I keep asking him if I can, but he won’t let me.

Please, watch the trailer - you’ll be intrigued and swept away with stunning visuals.  The trailer is big, and the film - with it’s killer audio, stellar writing and cast - make Alan Smithee memorable.  We all have a part of Alan in us.

I’m so glad Crobin completed this film and that he’s sharing it with the world.

Chocolate chip banana bread was his nom request, since it wasn’t feasible to bake enough for all of the folks at the screening.

Here’s to Fall, films, baking and big dreams coming true.

http://alansmitheemovie.com/

Thanks for inspiring me to turn on my oven, buddy.

xo

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

3 c. bananas (mashed)
1/4 c. milk
1 T. vanilla extract
1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 c. sugar
1 stick of butter (room temp)
2 eggs 
2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking sode
1 tsp. salt
1-1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocoalte chips 

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and coat a loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray.
-Place flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl a whisk.  Put aside.
-In a large bowl, mash bananas, add milks, cinnamon and nutmeg. Put aside.
-Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla, mixing until incorporated.
-Add banana mixture to creamed mixture and stir until combined.
-Little by little,  incorporate dry mixture to wet mixture until flour is mixed in (do this gently).
-Fold in chocolate chips.
-Pour batter into prepared loaf pan (and place on a large baking sheet in case there’s any overflow while baking) and bake for 50-60 minutes until deep brown and testing toothpick comes out dry. 

 

Roasted Tomatoes

Fava Bean DipFried Zucchini with Red Wine Vinegar, Basil & Garlic

Recipes follow story

I love dinner guests.
I love cheese plates.
I love small noms served with bread.
I love social food and snacking rather than sitting down to a stuffy dinner.

I eat this way when I’m alone.
I eat this way when friends gather.

The sun-dried zucchini and pickled eggplant (I posted these a few weeks ago) were originally whipped up for a dinner I hosted for my aunt and uncle.  Were it not for them, I wouldn’t have pictures hanging in my apartment, I’d probably be sitting on boxes, and I would undoubtedly be surrounded by the parts needed to assemble my kitchen dining island.  

Admittedly, I am terrible at putting shit together.  IKEA living is a no go for this single woman.  I would probably be living in shambles without the good help of my Uncle Al and Aunt Deb.  God bless their abilities.  I like to think I look cute when I’m holding a level and power drill, but the truth is I’m not good with either of those tools.  

I paid my aunt and uncle in noms because they’re pains in my ass and never let me pay for anything, and scold me when I show up at their home with wine and goods I’ve purchased.  I say pains in my ass with a whole lot of love.

In addition to the zucchini and eggplant, I made fava bean dip which is a lovely alternative to hummus or white bean dip.  Surprise your dinner guests and friends with a porky bean dip, they’ll love you for it.

Pair said dip (tomatoes, eggplant, zucchini, olives, and prosciutto) with some Murray’s Cheese selects, fall in love with Lucca - one of the tattooed cheesemongers - and tell your dinner guests the story of how you imagined yourself moving on from crushes on chefs to men with a little edge who love their cheese.

Dinner.  Done.  

Ah, there were also mussels in white wine and butter - but the photos are shitty and this is supposed to be a feast for your eyes.

Use your imagination - that’s what I’m doing about Lucca.

Fried Zucchini with Red Wine Vinegar, Basil & Garlic

Pickled Eggplant

Fava Bean Dip

1 bag fresh frozen fava beans (skin removed)
8 oz. smoked bacon (roughly chopped)
4-5 cloves garlic (minced)
1/3 c. good olive oil 
1/4 - 1/2 c. water
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper 

-Set frying pan over a medium high flame, add 2 T. olive oil and render bacon
-When bacon is semi-cooked, about 5 minutes, add fava beans, a sprinkle of salt & pepper and cook for an additional 7-10 minutes until bacon is cooked and fava beans are soft (pretty mushy)
-Allow mixture to cool
-Once cool, place mixture in a food processor fit with a steel blade, sprinkle with salt, add minced garlic and add olive oil (via the feeding tube) and puree until smooth 
-Remove from processing bowl and place in a separate bowl and slowly add water and mix until incorporated (the fava beans are pretty dense and the puree is quite thick/pasty so I added water to soften it up a bit) 
-Serve with bread/crostinis and cheeses 

Roasted Tomatoes

4 beefsteak tomatoes
2-3 T. olive oil
5-6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp. sugar
Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper

-Preheat oven to 450 degrees
-Slice tomatoes into 1/2 thick slices and place on a baking sheet
-Sprinkle with salt, sugar and drizzle with olive oil
-Lay sprigs of thyme atop tomatoes
-Roast for 20-25 minutes until tomatoes are browning (but not burnt or falling apart)

Murray’s Cheese

Petit Billy: light, very slightly tangy, soft and delicate - delicious when sandwiched between a crostini and roasted tomatoes, works well on crostini drizzled with honey and topped with bacon crumbles (not shown here), and whipped into scrambled eggs (not shown here).  I had fun using this $9.50 round of cheese. It was a little gift that kept on giving.

Pecorino Ginepro: salty, tangy (eat the rind, for the cheese is aged in a balsamic vinegar bath for 4 months), delicious grated atop the fava bean dip, tomatoes, and over pasta.  My new favorite grating cheese.  In fact, I could grate it into my palm and do cheese shots.  Cheese shots anyone?

Preferes des Montagnes: buttery melt in your mouth goodness, very very slightly stinky - we ate it solo on plain crackers, but I imagined it would’ve worked extraordinarily well on honks of sourdough bread, brushed with butter and caramelized onions and made into a grilled cheese. 

Toma Walser: soft, light, melts easily (Lucca recommended it for use in grilled cheese) - it worked with the tanginess of the pickled eggplant and zucchini. 

Challerhocker: this was supposed to accompany the anchovy dip I never made, it was recommended over a gruyere and instead of crackers.  Mildly nutty, with crystals that melt in your mouth - this cheese was enjoyed even without an anchovy bath.   

Pickled Eggplant

Pickling eggplant, preserving tomatoes and sun-drying zucchini were signs that summer was coming to a close in the Corrado household.  Late August through early September my family was purchasing and preserving fresh vegetables in an effort to stock up for cooler weather months.  Even in October, my grandmother’s sandwiches held on to summer.

I wish to do the same, so I went wacky with the pickling.

Spend this weekend jarring something tasty.

Pickled Eggplant

1 large eggplant (cut into match sticks)
1 1/2 c. white vinegar
3/4 c. water
Kosher salt
Garlic
Red Pepper Flakes
Extra Virgin Olive Oil

-Cut eggplant and place in a large bowl, layering and sprinkling with salt
-Cover eggplant with vinegar and water and let refrigerate over night 
-Using a ricer, strain the eggplant until all excess vinegar/water is removed
-Place eggplant slices in a sterile jar, layering with red pepper flakes, garlic and olive oil; repeating until all eggplant has been used and jar is full
-Cover and allow to sit (the longer the eggplant sits, the stronger the flavor) 

Stef and I had our very first wo-cation planned.  We got our shit together (sometimes it’s hard for us to make a game plan), decided on New Orelans, booked flights and a room and were ready to go a month out from our decided departure date.   

Wo-Cation:  when two women that are lifetime friends go away on vacation to rage or, in our case, eat, shop and be merry.

With Hurricane Isaac on the horizon, wo-cation 2012 was in danger of not happening.  We spent two nights on the phone, Stef in DC and me in NY, deciding whether or not we should brave the storm.  

If there’s flooding and power outages, we’ll put on sundresses and galoshes and make it work!

If there’s flooding and power outages, we’ll be miserable and sweating!

We went back and forth, watched videos on the internet, tracked the storm on weather.com and even called the hotel to inquire about the state of things in New Orleans.  Al Roker was standing in water as high as his thighs, Lester Holt almost blew away and the hotel couldn’t be reached. It was decided - we were not going away on wo-cation.  Maybe sometime in the Spring we’ll come for you, New Orleans.  

Where do two non-driving adults with expired passports go on vacation?  The thought of re-booking and re-researching was too much for our Brooklyn-ness to handle. 

Last year, Stef and I did a DC stay-cation - so this time around, NY was up for grabs.  

Stef would arrive on a Friday and we would do things like eat homemade jambalaya and whiskey soaked bread pudding.  We even went on a walk to score a massive horchata at Los Portales, a local Mexican restaurant. 

Jambalaya
Bread Pudding

On day 2 we hauled to the beach, something Stef and I would often do together when we were younger.  B82 to the B9 to the Q53 to Neponsit Beach.  This time we took the  LIRR to Long Beach.  The LIRR on Labor Day Weekend may leave you with anger, anxiety and regrets for the human race, but the beach sure was killer.

Long Beach style

At the beach we chowed on shrimp po’ boys (which never tasted so good).

Shrimp Po’  Boy

We also ventured to a carnival. I don’t recommend the Long Beach carnival. Actually - I do. Go and frighten your children, they’ll never ask you to take them to a carnival ever again.  Stef did remind me that most of the carnivals we went to as kids were just like this one, low budget and a little shady. 

Ferris Wheel

On day 3 we got wild, walking and shopping (it’s kind of impossible to walk 5th Ave. without weaving in and out of Lord & Taylor and other shops), eating and afternoon drinking (a bottle of Rose, fish and a gelato topper were had at Eataly), and visit to  the Museum of Sex (just so we could say we at least went to a museum).

Panda style (Stef coined panda style)

After the museum, we had an appetite - so we went off to eat once again.  I had to take Stef to the Arepas Cafe for a Venezuelan treat, it’s one of my go to spots for late night noms and beers in the neighborhood. 

On the morning of day 4, there was a bagel breakfast (Brooklyn Bagel makes the best around) and some quality time with Wendy Williams.  We went for massages (because who doesn’t like getting their but rubbed and being mounted for $50 an hour), saw a Broadway show (Newsies - one of Stef’s all time favorite movies brought to the stage), dinner of mac & cheese, mussels and salad with a side of antics at William Hallet and dirty pickle martinis at Sweet Afton.

Day 5 was all about touring the city and not walking.  The best way to do this? Clearly by taking a ride on a double decker bus!  This ride will change your view of the city.    As a native New Yorker I never thought about doing it, but the view from the top of the bus coupled with a nice breeze make for a perfect day.  

The double decker bus tour was followed a hop-on hop-off boat ride.  What views you can take in during a torrential downpour! I had also just gotten a dirty water dog before boarding the boat. When it started to rain, I nearly slipped and died. If I were to go, it would certainly be fitting if I had a hot dog in my hand. 

The evening ended with an episode of The Mindy Project on hulu; over which we consumed an entire pizza pie from Sac’s Place.

Every night Stef would watch me fall asleep on the couch.  If I’ve been out all day,  stop to fill my belly and then sit - there’s no chance I’m staying awake - the need to sleep takes over my body.  Stef could tell you that I’ve been this way since I was a wee-T.  

Having Stef over gave me an excuse to cook.  An excuse to serve and do and act like my mom (who I’m realizing I really am turning into despite my efforts to fight against).

Thanks for the jambalaya,  shrimp po’ boy & bread pudding recipe, Emeril Lagasse. 

I upped the ante by using double the amount of Bayou Blast in the jambalaya and for the po’ boys.  The whiskey sauce for the bread pudding seemed like a little much, so I opted to free pour whiskey into the cream/milk mixture for the bread pudding.  Chocolate chips also trump raisins in any dessert, so I replaced natures candy with the good dark stuff.

But, most of all, thanks for the lifetime of friendship -  Stefanie Covey.  I love you with my whole heart.

Fried Zucchini with Red Wine Vinegar, Basil & Garlic

For as long as I can remember I’ve wanted to live in a home with a backyard and a pool. 

During the summer of ‘88 my grandma made my dream come true.  She finally caved at the repeated request (can’t we have a pool?  why can’t we have a pool? there’s so much space in the yard for a pool?) and somehow managed to convince my grandfather that it was a good idea.  We had one of the biggest yards on the block, so much of it was going to waste - you know, like the huge garden we kept, rose bushes, grape vines, the cherry tree.  Get rid of that garbage, we could have a pool!  

I was chubby, but man was I stoked at the thought of cannon balls and running on grass in the privacy of my own home – instead of skipping over sprinklers mounted on concrete, fire hydrant scouting, and long summer days at free camp.  A pool.  I could have my first pool party.  A pool.  I would never pee in it.

Much to my dismay, instead of the pool going on the lush green grass that lined our side yard it was erected on the concrete slabs that made up our backyard.  The concrete backyard, where the clothes lines hung and where my grandmother would dry out zucchini and collect grapes.  The concrete yard where we had a giant shed full of steel, old fabric, fireworks and our bicycles. 

Don’t get me wrong, I was thankful for the pool.  I was thankful my grandma gave up a portion of her work-space for the betterment of our childhood.  I’d like to think seeing me play in the street, fire hydrant water striking my rotund behind, made my grandma pro-pool.  But I’m sure it was more than that, she always wanted to see me happy.  

The clothes lines blocked the street view of my abonormally large and awkwardly shaped 8 year old body and gave me and my brother a place to cool off.  The pool was only 3 feet deep, square and had no ladder (we used to just hop in over the side).  Outfitted with no deck or any frills, our pool sat a top a giant piece of tarp.  I’d watch my grandfather pace the grass, while I frolicked and splashed and cursed at my brother in a muted tone.  Sometimes my grandmother would sit in a lawn chair beside the pool and watch Lou and I act like caged animals.  It beat free summer camp in every way.  

Trays lined with zucchini were far enough away so as not to get splashed with the chlorine water.  I’d venture out in the morning, in my striped bathing suit, always first stopping to stare at the fleshy pieces of zucchini, as they began to bead up with moisture. Throughout the day, they would shrivel up – taking on the likeness and texture of the  Weight Watchers dried apple pieces my mother would pack in my lunch box.  But grandma wasn’t feeding us dried zucchini, she was frying it, layering it, and smothering it in red wine vinegar, salt, basil/mint and garlic.  These zucchini could make a sandwich sing, although my preference was always to eat them plain – oil and vinegar coating my fingers (yes I picked with my fingers, never with a fork, and grandma wouldn’t yell).

As of today I’ve no pool.  I’ve no backyard. I’ve not one family member to speak of that still lives in Brooklyn.  I have a delightful apartment in Queens that’s equipped with a fire escape.  On most brutally hot summer days, I think about clearing out my living room and placing a giant inflatable kiddie pool on my rug so I have a private space to cool off (that’s slightly larger than my bath tub).  

The fire escape seemed like the only natural place to dry out the zucchini.  I stared out my window and watched as they became moist.  They didn’t suffer the brunt of pigeon poop.  Nothing flew away and my management company never found out I was using the fire escape to conduct a cooking experiment.

After 8 hours in the sun, I brought the zucchini inside and continued to let them dry overnight.  By the next morning, they were dry, slightly spongy and shriveled – just like they were supposed to be.

The zucchini were served at dinner with my Aunt and Uncle, along with my grandmas pickled eggplant.

When I move to a farm, somehow conveniently located near a beach or close to water (my other favorite place on this earth), there will be summers of jarring tomatoes, making wine and more zucchini and eggplant than one woman could possibly consume. 

Fried Zucchini with Red Wine Vinegar, Basil & Garlic

2-3 zucchini (cut in half and slice lengthwise in 1/4” pieces)
1/4 c. olive oil for frying
2-3 T. red wine vinegar
4-5  cloves of garlic (minced)
10-12 leaves of basil (chiffonade)
Kosher salt 

-Sun dry zucchini (The more time the better, a full 24 hours in the sun will do it.  In my case, I had to avoid the elements and pigeon poop, so drying them in a hot room over night did the trick.)
-In a large frying pan, heat olive oil
-Add zucchini and fry for 1 minute on each side (You’ll notice the dried zucchini will fry/brown super quickly because all of the moisture is now gone.)
-Let drain on a paper towel
-Layer zucchini in a 8x8 pyrex dish, sprinkling with salt, lightly dousing with vinegar, garlic and basil (repeat until layering is complete)
-Refrigerate for a few hours or overnight (The longer this dish sits, the more flavorful it gets)