Apartment Dining

My senior year of college was a scramble to cram as much of the “college experience” into my days as possible. This involved a lot of assisting— I was an assistant music director at the radio station, a teaching assistant for a creative writing class, and an intern for a professor finishing his first book. I sang in a co-ed a cappella group (let’s keep that piece info just between us, though), and I held down a coveted job as Subway Sandwich Artist to help fuel my addition to overpriced coffee and clove cigarettes. Fifteen hour stretches would go by with only a few minutes to stop by my on-campus townhouse to switch books or change into my work uniform.

This year of limited time and funds lead to an equally limited diet. I existed on frozen pierogies and Subway sandwiches, but I would occasionally indulge with baba ghanouj from the Mediterranean Bar at the local supermarket. After days of running around, I would find a moment to pull out some pita bread, sit down on the couch, and enjoy bad television and an eggplant spread.

Despite my love of baba ghanouj, I didn’t try making it until this afternoon when I found myself with two beautiful eggplants and a bit of time. Here’s the simple recipe: » Read the rest of this entry «

This week has been a roller coaster ride of uncertainty, and when I’m uncertain about things that factor largely into my life and well being, my mind turns into a simulator of worst case scenarios. Like the NASA astronauts or people playing SimCity, it prepares me for anything that could come my way, for better or worse. It’s why I carry a sewing kit and a pair of socks in my purse at all time, I had a sleeping bag in the trunk of my car throughout college, and I always leave my apartment with an extra half-hour to spare if traveling by subway. I mentally note easily accessible bathrooms around the city, and if you called me from most neighborhoods below 23rd Street or in northern Brooklyn, I could probably give you directions to one.

I was sprawled on the couch last night in the midst of one of my “What if…” sessions when I made an important decision. It was time to relax. It was time to make some brownies. For me, there is no dessert more comforting in both taste and texture, especially when they contain more butter than is found in many homes these days. Forget chocolate chip cookies. These childhood icons are low maintenance and no electric mixer needed.

This is one of my favorite brownie recipes, and while it does require a little time on the stove, the results are completely worth it. If you make them, cut them into small pieces because they are very, very rich. Relax and enjoy.

Photo by Ramsey (he stole my camera while I was in the kitchen and took the best shot of the evening)

Most people cite family members as having the most influence over their personal taste and culinary development, but for me, that person is my friend Vince. We’ve known each other since I was born, and without him, I would have never experienced such a wide range of foods and cooking styles over the years. He’s managed to track down every wonderful restaurant off the beaten path in our declining upstate NY hometown, including Korean restaurants hidden in strip malls, Thai restaurants on residential side streets, small restaurant/bars serving cocktails and sticky toffee pudding. He researches new restaurants in New York and is always ready with a recommendation when he is in town (he took me to Momofuku Ssäm Bar for the first time). The man even gives me cooking supplies and candied chestnuts as gifts on holidays.

Culinary finds aside though, I believe what’s had the most influence on me is Vince’s attitude towards food: he works hard to find the best and shares it with those around him. Meals are meant to be shared with friends and food is a glue that holds together the social fabric of a circle of friends, or brings together new ones.

One of Vince’s finds during our college days was a dish listed on a menu as “Awesome Chicken” at a Thai restaurant in Buffalo. It was chicken with peanut sauce over rice, but as I discovered during one of my visits to the city, the restaurant was correct in their assessment. I tried to recreate it last night, and while I don’t think it reached “awesome” status, I’d dub it “pretty good.” » Read the rest of this entry «

I tried to make a peach and blueberry galette on Sunday and failed miserably. The tart’s sugar levels were off and crust wasn’t rolled thin enough, turning it into a rock hard biscuit surrounding a pile of roasted fruit. This happens from time to time when I’m making up recipes and trying new dishes, but usually Ramsey offers a comforting, “Oh no, it doesn’t look that bad, I’m sure it tastes fine.” However for the galette, he conceded that there was no way to spin it.

Feeling defeated, I turned to one of my favorite simple desserts: roasted stone fruit. I usually serve them with a small scoop of vanilla ice cream, but I made a cinnamon whipped cream instead and I think it worked well. Plums, peaches, and cinnamon feel like a natural combination, and they can all be thrown together and cooked in under 30 minutes. » Read the rest of this entry «

I have tried to start an apartment garden a number of times and have always been met with failure. The first plants died during an ill-timed vacation, the next (pictured above) wilted for reasons unknown, and my beautiful basil plants became infested with whiteflies. I can keep my non-edible houseplants alive, but when it comes to plants that can help me cook and save me money, I might as well be watering them with Roundup Weed Spray. It’s for this reason that I’m envious of Brooklynites that are not only succeeding with their urban gardens, they’re thriving.

Eagle Street Rooftop Farm is exactly what it sounds like: a 6,000 square foot farm on a warehouse roof in Greenpoint where you can find organic produce being grown. It’s a fantastic concept and from what I’ve been reading, it’s working. Local restaurants have started using the produce (delivered the day it’s harvested by bicycle) and the public can come buy fresh produce, learn about farming, and even pick their own vegetables on the roof on certain days. Check our their official site for full details.

Pictured above: Me at age 4 or 5, along with the neighborhood gang. Identities have been concealed to protect the innocent.

I will officially turn twenty-five at 2:53pm today. The combination of high temperatures and my birthday means no cooking for me, save for possibly throwing together a salad for dinner. In the meantime, I leave you to ponder the ultimate birthday question: cake, pie, or other dessert?

I have always been a fan of cake. The cakes for most of my childhood birthdays were made by the same woman in her home on the South Side of Binghamton, decorated to match the themes of my birthday parties. The flavor and texture of the buttercream frosting was the best part, with its cavity-inducing sugar levels and a light crust.

My father scanned a few photos for me so I could share a few past cakes and a few theme parties. Take a walk down narcissism lane and enjoy a few classic Mo birthday photos after the jump. » Read the rest of this entry «

I only cooked one night this weekend for a dinner party to celebrate the visit of my friend Inbal. She moved to Israel last year, but she’s back for the month to visit friends in all corners of New York State and she spent the weekend on the lovely futon in my living room. (Lovely is a bit strong. Creaky and lumpy may be more appropriate adjectives.) I decided to keep things simple by using existing recipes, so we made salsa, salad, and a summer tomato tart. We finished the night with cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar and a tasting of our friend Sean’s amazing home brewed beer, along with a few rounds of Rock Band.

This afternoon was my first time back in the kitchen, and as I assessed the contents of the fridge, I was faced with a wall of questionable leftovers. The three items that held up were the blueberries, figs, and a forgotten lemon (it should have been zested for the tart), so naturally I thought, “Muffins.”

These muffins are a take on the traditional blueberry muffin with pureed fresh fig and a dash of lemon zest. I think they have just the right level of sweetness, but you could get away with cutting down the sugar to 3/4 cup. They’re also a great way to use leftover ingredients if you make the Fig and Goat Cheese Salad I posted last week. Recipe after the jump. » Read the rest of this entry «

As a child, I despised Fig Newtons more than any other lunch bag item. I couldn’t stand the mealy texture of their filling or the moist cookie surrounding it, even though the commercials hailed them as a refined confection. They had no animated mascot or commercials featuring rebellious kids with fruit heads. All I wanted was a pack of Dunkaroos or a bag of Gushers before running off to band practice, so more often than not, the Newtons would end up traded to an unsuspecting 2nd grader or in the trash.

This hatred of Fig Newtons resulted in me never trying a fresh fig until last year. They were easy to avoid in the Northeast, however when I came across a fig and prosciutto salad during my lunch hour, I decided it was time to grow up and I’m so glad I did. Fresh figs are nothing like their mashed and mangled cousins in Fig Newtons. They’re incredibly sweet and have a texture unlike any other fruit I’ve tried.

I was inspired by this salad from Last Night’s Dinner and I made my own version for dinner today. It’s a combination of figs, goat cheese, blueberries, and greens that come together with a balsamic vinaigrette. Recipe and more photos after the jump. » Read the rest of this entry «

Despite temperatures in the nineties, I continued my trend of incredibly easy desserts this afternoon by making a blueberry crisp. It’s cheap, it’s fast, and you can usually make it without having to run out for special ingredients as it follows a simple formula of fresh fruit + sugar + oats, flour, and butter topping. If you’re really lucky, blueberries will be very ripe and on sale at the local market (a whopping 3 pints for $5 was what I found today). You can also get away with eating it for breakfast, however adding a scoop of ice cream in the morning may go too far. A dollop of whipped cream might be the perfect compromise. Full recipe after the jump.

» Read the rest of this entry «

When I think of pie, my mind immediately goes to setting up a workstation complete with flour, ice water, a rolling pin, and plenty of wax paper. I recall the careful waiting game of chilling the dough, then rolling it out (but not too much!), and trying to place it into a pie dish without ripping it. It’s a rewarding but stressful process that I’m not always prepared to undertake.

Enter the graham cracker: a buttery, sweet angel to the rescue of those who want to bake a pie but don’t want the hassle of a flour-based crust. It’s the crust of choice for chocolate and banana cream, but it’s most notably found lining the pans of key lime pies everywhere.

I made my first key lime pie this weekend for a small gathering of friends. Although I had consumed more than my weight in the pie as a child visiting my grandparents in Florida, I’d never even looked at a key lime recipe before. This was the simplest version I could find, as I wanted to skip the meringue topping.

Overall, it was one of the easiest baked goods I have ever made, save for the labor involved in squeezing the limes. No stress, no rolling pins. I was unable to find key limes in Greenpoint, I so I used regular limes, a dash of lemon juice, and 1/2 tsp. of lime zest in the filling to make sure it had the right balance of tart and sweet. My only recipe suggestion is lightly greasing your pie dish with butter because the graham cracker crust may stick a bit.

In place of photos from my baking process (I was frazzled getting ready for company and forgot to document), I offer you photos from a yo-yo competition I attended the following day at South Street Seaport. » Read the rest of this entry «