Summer Refreshments

We’ve had a hot spell here in NY for the past few days, and I’ve discovered my new favorite lunch to make it all better—Gazpacho! I’ve always loved the Spanish-inspired dish for special occasions, but I was so excited when I saw a small cup at Pret a Manger (the extremely convenient and super-quick lunch spot across the street from work). And - it’s only 100 calories! I’m absolutely loving it. Some other refreshing foods for summer:

• dill pickles
• flavored seltzer
• sliced Jersey tomatoes
• pears with cheese
• beer/margaritas
• sweet corn

What do you reach for on really hot days (other than ice cream, of course!)?

Pasta Dish for the Veggies

My great friend Anthony is a vegetarian, and last night I decided to make dinner for him. I love when he comes for dinner because his no-meat credo somehow makes me think outside my normal recipe box. This summer (and really, in general) I’m into the concept of one-dish meals. It’s easier, and I’m usually just cooking for myself so I don’t need tons of stuff on my plate. Last night I tried out a recipe from The Simpler the Better: Sensational One-Dish Meals. I did a variation on the author’s Penne with Gruyere and Cremini Mushrooms; I even went to the fancy cheesemonger—Saxelby—at the Essex Market and picked up something that was Gruyere-esque. When I’m making a simple dish, I feel less guilty about splurging on one really delicious ingredient. For the full recipe,

California Strawberry Mint Sangria

Had the pleasure of eating some California Strawberries and some fun recipes prepared by Top Chef contestant CJ (the really tall one). I didn’t try this yet, but doesn’t this sangria recipe sound so yummy and refreshing??

Ingredients

• 1 pint Strawberries
• 1 cup Mint Leaves
• 1 bottle Chardonnay
• 3 tbsp. Sugar
• 1 cup Water
• Squeeze of Lime Juice
• Mint Sprigs and Sliced Strawberries for garnish

To read how to prepare,

The Contessa’s Hamburger Secret

Very special news: It’s my birthday on Sunday. I’m going to be 25—which is exciting and terrifying all at the same time. So to celebrate, J and I are throwing a little rooftop BBQ. It will all be very makeshift as I never have all the utensils, tools, etc. to throw a proper party (that only happens when you’re a real adult and probably live in a house with actual storage space). But we DO know the secret to a yummy burger. One day while watching Barefoot Contessa, she showed us how to make her recipe for “Real Hamburgers.” She adds all sorts of yummy things to the meat before she cooks it like steak sauce, eggs, and pepper. But here’s the secret: she makes a little indentation in the burger meat and sticks a small sliver of butter in the middle. Blew my mind! It keeps the burger really moist and buttery in the middle. Friends: expect this deliciousness at the party

Best Sandwich Ever

I was looking at YumSugar’s ‘Wich of the Week today, and it reminded me of something I used to make for dinner all the time in college—the Spanglish Sandwich. Yes, I watched (and still own) the movie Spanglish—I actually saw it in the movie theater and cried my eyes out… though, it doesn’t take much to make me teary. Then, on the DVD, there’s a special feature where you can learn how to make the late-night sandwich that Adam Sandler (playing a prominent chef) makes at the end of a long day at his restaurant. The recipe was actually created by celeb chef Thomas Keller of Per Se fame, and it really is the perfect, satisfying meal for tired, late-night cravings. For the recipe,

Sweet, Sweet Sangria

Monday night meant a roof-top Cinco de Mayo party at the apartment which featured Erica’s signature and delicious Strawberry-Grapefruit White Sangria. Here’s how you make it:

Ingredients:

4 bottles of Sauvignon Blanc
1 cup White Rum (although I did it with raspberry vodka once and it was delish)
2 Pink Grapefruit Juiced (about 1 cup)
1 Pink Grapefruit
1 Pint of Strawberries
1/2 cup sugar

Instructions:
- thinly slice strawberries, mix with sugar and let sit covered at least 15 minutes or refrigerate overnight (it will turn into a kinda strawberry simple syrup)
- juice two grapefruits, mix with rum and let sit covered at least 15 minutes or refrigerate overnight
- cut the other grapefruit in circles (optional)
- mix wine, strawberry and sugar mixture, and rum and grapefruit mixture together, float grapefruit circles on the top)
- enjoy

I don’t have a photo of the actual finished product, so use your imagination with the one above.

Yummy Yogurt Dip

How delicious does this look? I know yogurt and warm days don’t really seem like they go together, but for some reason, now that the sun’s shining, I have a craving for this Greek Yogurt, Lemon, and Herb Dip. Actually I have a craving for Greek food in general! But maybe this dip (found via The Kitchn) with recipe from Chez Pim will do the trick?

Pretty Bacon Baskets

Friend and birthday girl, Dacshiesanddesign, sent me this link—it’s a BLT in a bacon basket! Looks pretty easy to make—you just weave the bacon strips on the underside of a muffin pan (see below). I was thinking this weekend, while making turkey bacon for breakfast, that it’d be good to make the baskets and then put some scrambled eggs in the middle. Might get messy, though. Must test this weekend. Click here for instructions.

What the… ???

All the butter and sugar have officially gone to Paula Deen’s head and turned her crazy. Check out this recipe for “The Lady’s Brunch Burger.” Yeah, that’s ground beef, egg, and bacon on a glazed donut bun… what of it?

I Love Herbs

And no… I’m not talking about weed. A while back I gave J an AeroGarden, a smallish contraption that lets you grow fresh herbs or spices on your countertop through the magic of hydroponics (there’s no soil; the roots grow in water alone). It’s almost totally self-sufficient (no need to water or change the soil) and it’s all automated so it’s very difficult to kill your budding plants (it’s even got it’s own light source to keep it alive and well). We started to grow things like oregano, parsley, basil, savory, mint, and garlic chives about a month ago, and now we have full size plants to pick from as we cook. It’s such a great way to try to make your meals more healthy without cutting out the flavor. Last night we made a version of THIS, and it was delicious and super quick.

Thanksgiving Leftovers

Over at GoodyBlog, we posted the Slashfood feed about Thanksgiving leftovers. I am still (4 days later) eating leftovers, and I’m about to burst from too much turkey, stuffing, and mashed sweet potatoes. But I’m kind of obsessed with the Slashfood feed about how to use leftovers to make the perfect turkey sandwich. I have my own genius recipe for a Cran-Gravy Turkey Stuffed sandwich. Here’s how it goes: toast 2 pieces of whole wheat bread, spread cold cranberry sauce onto the bread like jelly, warm some turkey and stuffing with a small amount of gravy in the microwave, and then layer the stuffing and turkey onto the bread. Delicious. What’s your favorite Thanksgiving leftover recipe?

Photo via.

Pre-Thanksgiving Dinner

Last night was our annual pre-Thanksgiving dinner at Eric’s, and he made the most amazing turkey. Click here for the recipe from Epicurious for a delicious Herb-Roasted Turkey with Apple Cider Gravy… it got 2 thumbs up from the entire party. Eric’s turkey looked much prettier than this photo, but everyone was too hungry to stop and take a photo. Sorta a bummer, but believe me when I say it looked and tasted sooooo good.

Also, the night featured a heated debate about which is better: canned cranberry sauce or homemade. I fought steadfastly for canned, but apparently I’m outnumbered according to this vote.

Thanksgiving Recipes Galore

In case you haven’t clicked over yet, GoodyBlog is doing a 2-week-long recipe fest with tons of great ideas for Thanksgiving. I posted Jo the MasterBaker’s Pumpkin Swirl Cheesecake, and it’s been a huge hit! There’s everything from pie, to Irish cheesecake, to deep-fried turkey, and there will be more coming every day until Thanksgiving.

Also, in case you missed it, the NY Times did a huge round-up of Thanksgiving recipes that all sound amazing.

I can’t wait for turkey-day! I love stuffing so much.

Create Your Own Cookbook

Check out this brand-new way to create your own cookbook. Over at TasteBook.com, you can browse the recipes at Epicurious, pick your favorites, and then have TasteBook bind them into one, cohesive cookbook. Pretty awesome. It’s much cleaner and prettier than that dingy 3-ring binder your mom gave you, or that weird folder that you stuff tear-outs into. If you want to add a personal touch, you can include some recipes of your own with the Epicurious ones. The books can hold up to 100 different dishes. Or, if you’re lazy, you can buy one of their pre-filled books (things like Holiday Cookies or Kids’ Favorites) and add recipes later. I was surprised at how well-designed and professional these books look, and the price isn’t too bad either: $35. Is it something you’d buy?

Graffiti for Your Kitchen Cabinets

I really love when magazines use fun, quirky handwriting in their designs. J and I went to a talk/book-signing for the creator of a new book called Hand Job, all about handwritten fonts and designs, and the entire book is full of stuff I want to steal. Hand drawings give such a personal element that you can’t find with proper fonts, and there’s this fun feeling that you’ll never see it done the same way twice. But anyway, to the point—I want to make my own cabinet graffiti like this one that I saw on Apartment Therapy Kitchen (it was originally on Cookie). I think it’d be fun to get recipes from all the important people in your life and then stick them up on the inside of your cabinets with the help of Wonderful Graffiti. Or I could do a breakfast cabinet, a lunch one, and a dinner. Fun!