Farmer's Market Recipes

Luckily, since my last post, the summer weather returned and I snapped out of my winter baking kick and went back into summer mode. And one of my favorite things about summer is farmer's markets! Bright, fresh, colorful fruits and veggies from local farmers, usually in odd, imperfect shapes and shades that clearly are not genetically engineered to look perfect, and as a result, are tasteless. I mean, just look at all these different kinds of eggplants!

Over the weekend I made two recipes from fresh farmer's market produce. The first was Balsamic Strawberries - which sounds weird, but just give it a try. And be sure to pair it with some cool whip or vanilla ice cream, and mint leaves!

The next day I made Pan-Cooked Summer Squash with Tomatoes and Basil, all ingredients from the local farmer's market. It was beyond delicious, and so fresh and flavorful! And take a look at these adorable little yellow squashes that I picked up:

I used a few of those yellow squashes, a zucchini, and both a red and yellow tomato, and this was the colorful result:

Serve over whole wheat spaghetti, top with chick peas and parmesan, and enjoy!

Autumn food in August

The chilly rain over the past few days, combined with the realization that I won't be able to have Thanksgiving and Christmas food this year, has put me in the mood for some good old-fashioned winter comfort food.

Probably my absolute favorite autumn food is pumpkin. Pumpkin everything. Pumpkin pancakes, pumpkin scones, pumpkin pasta. (Okay, I might be able to get that last one in northern Italy. But Sicily? I'm not sure.) This weekend I took it upon myself to bake pumpkin banana muffins, and their perfect pumpkiny accomplice, pumpkin spice cream cheese.

Yum.

Pumpkin Banana Bread and Pumpkin Spice Cream Cheese

But alas, the chilly rain lasted through the weekend and into Monday. And nothing makes an inherently depressing Monday even more depressing than rain! As a result, I was hit with a craving for a steaming bowl of hot, spicy chili, and I had no choice but to indulge in this craving. Sorry, no photos, but it turned out delicious - despite the fact that we didn't have chili powder (oops!) and had to improvise. Here's the original recipe, with the chili powder. Get a nice loaf of bread to accompany it and a bottle of Merlot and you're set for a cozy winter's night...or a slightly chilly, damp August night.

Lentil and Black Bean Chili

1 1/2 cup(s) dry lentils, French-variety, picked over for debris
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 large onion(s), diced
1 large sweet red pepper(s), diced
2 Tbsp minced garlic
3 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp Durkee ground cumin, or other brand
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
29 oz canned diced tomatoes, fire-roasted with chiles, undrained
31 oz canned black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup(s) cilantro, fresh, chopped

Place lentils in a large sauce pan and cover with water by several inches; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until lentils are tender but retain a little bite, about 10 to 15 minutes; drain well and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, pepper and garlic, stirring often, until vegetables are softened, about 10 minutes.

In a cup, combine chili powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne and salt; add to skillet and stir well to combine. Cook, stirring often, about 1 minute.

Add tomatoes and their juice, and beans to skillet; stir well to combine. Cover skillet and simmer so flavors can blend, about 5 to 10 minutes. Fold in lentils and cilantro; serve. Yields about 1 cup per serving.

Museum Extravaganza

This weekend I went to 6 museums in 2 days, all for free! That's what I call a successful weekend. And I also a friend in for free with me at each of museum, thanks to my museum ID from my internship. Here's a recap of what I saw:

Day 1:


1. Neue Galerie
I'd never been to this small gallery on 5th avenue that specializes in German and Austrian art. They have a lot of paintings by Gustav Klimt in the permanent collection, and their current exhibition is "Vienna 1900: Style and Identity"which was really cool. A little impressionist painting, a little decorative arts, a little sculpture. It's up through August 8th, go check it out!

2. The Guggenheim Museum
A trip to the Guggenheim is worth it for the building alone. Walking in and looking up at that spiral and art deco window ceiling, then getting to the top and staring at everyone spiraling down to the ground floor is pretty cool. However, this weekend the building was the best part of the experience. I've seen great exhibits at the Gugg before (Chaos and Classicism last November, for example) but the current exhibit "Lee Ufan: Marking Infinity" was the kind of abstract contemporary art that makes me go...this is art?! Think a single brush stroke on a large canvas, or a room of large rocks sitting on pillows. I mean, I've taken art history classes, I get it from an academic standpoint...but really? Seeing this after the beautiful art in the Neue Galerie made it clear there was no comparison, in my opinion. To each his own, but it did nothing for me.

3. The Jewish Museum
We stopped by the Jewish Museum because it was only a few blocks north of the Guggenheim, and they had two really interesting exhibits. The first, "Collecting Matisse and Modern Masters: The Cone Sisters of Baltimore" is pretty much like it sounds, the private modern art collection of two sisters at the turn of the century. The art was great, but since it was their collection, the wall panels were explanations of the paintings in relation to them and the collection, rather the art itself, which bothered me a little. I didn't really want to know what this or that person thought of the painting when she bought it, I wanted to know about the artist and the subject! But it was an exhibit worth seeing. The second exhibit, "Maira Kalman: Various Illuminations (of a Crazy World)" was fantastic, and closed July 31st. Kalman has illusstrated New Yorker covers and writes a graphic arts blog for the New York Times, and the exhibit was eclectic and entertaining. The original print of her most famous New Yorker cover, New Yorkistan, was one of my favorite pieces.

Read it closely, it's hilarious!

Day 2:


4. Museum of the City of New York
Lael and I went to this especially to see the exhibit "Joel Grey / A New York Life." Yes, that's right folks, Joel Grey has his own museum exhibit. It was both artifacts from his stage and film career (like costumes, props, ticket stubs, and even his Tony award) as well as photographs he'd taken of New York life over the decades. Apparently he's a photographer with a knack for capturing the details of New York life...who knew?

Liza Minelli and Joel Grey in Cabaret

5. Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Met was PACKED to see the Alexander McQueen exhibit, but luckily, I saw it in May when it first opened. (But I never blogged about it...oops.) There was a 2.5 hour long wait to see McQueen. The Met has extended the exhibit's end date twice, has created a pamphlet telling visitors what galleries they'll see on their long wait as the line snakes through the museum, and has even decided to stay open until midnight the last two nights of the exhibit, next weekend. Phew! It's a great exhibit, but no way I'm fighting the crowds to see it again. I was actually there to see the new exhibit "Frans Hals in the Metropolitan Museum," which features all of the Hals paintings at the Met, plus some from private collections and museums in the Netherlands. Definitely worth a trip.

6. The New Museum
Okay, by this point, I was pretty burnt out. My feet hurt, and I was sick of standing up looking at paintings. Yes, even me. And the New Museum has never thrilled me - its appeal is that it's in the neighborhood, and the view from the roof of Lower Manhattan really is worth seeing. The constantly changing contemporary art exhibits are less than thrilling. Worth a trip for the roof...and that's about it.

 The Financial District

Looking west on Prince Street 

Fourth of July Weekend

Last weekend, I took a few college friends out to the Hamptons with me for the Fourth of July. There were 7 of us all together, 3 of whom had never been to the Hamptons before, so I really wanted to show everyone a good time.

The girls (the three boys not pictured)

We did it all - the ocean, fireworks at the bay beach, barbeque, even the Montauk Lighthouse. It really felt like a vacation, even though it was only three days, and it was hard to come home!

All's Well That Ends Well

A few nights I got to see the other show playing at Shakespeare in the Park this summer, All's Well That Ends Well. Since they're doing both shows in repertory, most of the actors perform in both casts. Two of the actors who played supporting roles in Measure for Measure, for example, were the leads in All's Well. It was very impressive - not only are the actors talented performers in one show, they're talented in two, that play alternating nights! Many of them have to play different types of roles in each respective show, and are not typecast into specific characters. Some, however, are - the jester/fool character is played by the same actor in both shows.

We happened to win tickets for the night of the Shakespeare in the Park Gala, so most audience members were sauntered into the theater from a fancy shmancy outdoor dinner party on the lawn behind the theater. These were people who either donated money to the Public Theater (read: bought tickets) or work for the corporations who sponsor Shakespeare in the Park. We, however, were sitting up in the back with the other people who had won tickets in the virtual lottery, but it was nonetheless a great show. Before the show there was a recorded message from Lily Rabe, the lead in last year's Measure for Measure, which is currently playing at the Roundabout Theater, who thanked all of the sponsors sitting there that night. The cast also did a few extra bows in thanks to the special audience. Once again, it was a perfect summer's night, not cloudy, not humid, not hot, not cold. Perfect weather for Shakespeare al fresco!

Measure for Measure

My absolute favorite New York summertime tradition is Shakespeare in the Park. Every summer, the Public Theater produces two plays at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park FOR FREE. The caveat is that you have to wait hours and hours and hours in a line that snakes through the park (which, if the weather is nice, is usually a really fun experience in itself) UNLESS you win tickets in the virtual lottery. Which I did, yesterday!

Usually there are two plays performed with separate ones (roughly a month each), but starting last year, they've done two Shakespeare shows in repertory, which means that they have the same casts (or almost the same casts) for two different shows, which then alternate throughout the two-month run. Last year's season consisted of The Merchant of Venice (with Al Pacino) and A Winter's Tale. The production of Merchant of Venice went to Broadway after its summer run in the park, and was nominated for several Tony Awards. This year's shows are All's Well That Ends Well and Measure for Measure, which we saw last night.

I thought it was a great production, and I also enjoyed it a lot because I was in a production of Measure for Measure my senior year of high school. I had forgotten a lot of the plot since then, but it all came back to me as I was watching it performed in the park. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to see All's Well That Ends Well too!

Summer so far

The beach on Memorial Day

Sheep Meadow, Central Park this weekend

When it's too hot and humid to cook, this blended soup is the perfect solution. It's quick and easy, doesn't weigh you down in the heat, and takes advantage of all the wonderful vegetables in season in the spring.

 Scallions, asparagus, and cucumbers

 Cucumbers

Baby spinach 

Avocado

Spring Green Soup

Adapted from Martha Stewart

This soup can be served straight from the blender, when it is still frothy, or well chilled during warmer months. Use sorrel as a garnish; its bright, lemony flavor is a wonderful accent. If you are unable to find pencil-thin asparagus, you can trim thicker stalks with a vegetable peeler or paring knife. 

INGREDIENTS

Serves 4.

• 1 cucumber, peeled
• 1/2 pound pencil-thin asparagus, tough ends trimmed
• 2 cups cold water
• 1/4 pound spinach, tough stems removed, rinsed well
• 4 scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1 ripe avocado, pitted and peeled
• 1/2 cup chickpeas
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Halve cucumber lengthwise; cut one half into eighths and the other into 1/4- inch dice. Set aside. Cut asparagus spears into 2-inch lengths. Puree in a blender with 1/2 cup cold water until smooth.
2. Add spinach, scallions, cucumber eighths, and another 1/2 cup water. Blend until thoroughly pureed. Add avocado, basil leaves, and lemon juice; puree until smooth, adding remaining water a little at a time until soup is desired consistency. Add salt, and season with pepper. Scrape down sides of blender with a rubber spatula, and puree 5 seconds more.
3. Divide soup among four bowls; garnish each with diced cucumber, chick peas, and a sprig of basil. Serve immediately.

The Rooftop of the Met

One of my favorite places in New York in the summer is the rooftop of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. 

Every summer there's some kind of sculpture exhibit on the roof. Last year it was the awesome Big Bambù. This year it's an exhibit of steel sculptures by Anthony Caro.

But the real star of the show, as you can imagine, is the city skyline across Central Park at dusk.

 

I met my friend Sofia there with two of her friends, and while the real reason for meeting for drinks on the roof was to say bon voyage to Sofia before she leaves NY for the summer for a European adventure, it turns out we also had all just finished up internships in the past two days, so it was an all-around celebration of summer and freedom and doing great things. 

View of the skyline through one of the Caro sculptures.

Sister Act on Broadway

Last week I got to see my best friend since 8th grade dance on a Broadway stage, which she's been dreaming of since she was a little bumpkin in ballet shoes in Sparta, NJ. She plays a nun and a 70s backup singer (or "fantasy dancer") in Sister Act on Broadway, playing at the Broadway Theater on the corner of 53rd & Broadway. And she was FABULOUS!

Lael has already been on The View twice, since Whoopi Goldberg is producing the show. Here are her two appearances - in the first she's a nun, and in the second, she's a fantasy dancer:

Also up for Tony Awards this season, I had the chance to see Anything Goes and Catch Me If You Can. I was in a production of Anything Goes in middle school, and really, it's just the kind of good old-fashioned musical you can't help but love, and Roundabout did a great production .Catch Me was good, some parts better than others...and some actors better than others. But the 1960s song-and-dance numbers were very entertaining and the two leading male actors were great. We'll see how they all fare at the Tony's on June 12th.

Car Bomb Cupcakes

My friend Carly and I had been eyeing this recipe for months, without a good occasion to make it. My birthday celebration at a beer garden turned out to be the perfect excuse.

Carly baked the cupcakes (which have Guinness baked into the cake) the night before my birthday, and in the afternoon on my birthday we, together with Lael, filled and frosted the cupcakes. Together with the filling (dark chocolate whiskey ganache) and the frosting (made with Bailey's Irish cream), the cupcakes are really out of this world.

As a former professional cupcake decorator, I swirled the frosting on each cupcake, and then we sprinkled cocoa powder on top. We still had a lot of ganache left over, so we squeezed a dollop of ganache in the center of the swirled frosting from a piping bag with a ridged tip, and it looked like a little chocolate flower.

Not only were they beautiful, they were DELICIOUS. A lot of work to make by yourself, but since we made it into a group activity it didn't feel like work at all. And they were the perfect dessert to bring to a beer garden (although when eaten with beer, they tasted a lot less alcoholic than they did when we were assembling them earlier - the taste of actual beer definitely overpowered the subtleties. But no less delicious - they got rave reviews from my birthday guests!)

Here is the recipe for car bomb cupcakes if you want to try them out yourself. 

Cheers!