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kitchen of the year 2012

July 20, 2012

field trip friday

I had the greatest rainy day in New York City!

Have you heard of House Beautiful’s Kitchen of the Year?  Each year, a designer is chosen to create the ultimate kitchen in Rockefeller Center and the public is welcome to visit.   It is such a fun event.  It runs for five days and there are associated activities throughout the week.  This year,  I attended on the last day because I planned to be in the city on that particular day anyway.

The 1,000 square foot, 2012 kitchen was designed by Mick De Giulio.  My three favorite things in the kitchen did not even relate directly to cooking!  Not the stove, oven, or any of the appliances…my favorites were:

1.  The butler’s pantry.  WOW.  I have always dreamed of having one of these.  Every show house I go to seems to have one and I WANT ONE.  Too beautiful considering it is not a room your company would ever see!  The best part about the 100 square foot space was the cove ceiling with venetian finished gilded iron lights.

2.   Another thing I loved was the fireplace in the kitchen.  Could you imagine making s’mores in your kitchen?  Great item.  I am also a huge fan of white,  so I loved the white seating and table in front of it.  I guess it may not be real practical for some families…but,  who is talking about practical?

Photo of the fireplace in the 2012 Kitchen of the Year.

3.  Probably my very favorite thing in the entire kitchen wasn’t even a permanent part of the display…I am talking about Executive Chef Michael Ferraro from Delicatessen.

Photo of Executive Chef Michael Ferraro from Delicatessen

He was giving a presentation on preparing a pan roasted herbed chicken with shaved brussel sprouts.   A very informative presentation and a super guy.  I was so glad I got the chance to meet him.  I was just disappointed I could not fit in a visit to his restaurant this trip – a rainy day would have been a great time to have some great comfort food…next time.

Can’t go wrong with truffle oil! Photo of Chef Ferraro from Delicatessen giving a demonstration at the 2012 Kitchen of the Year.

A photo of Chef Ferraro during a demonstration at the 2012 House Beautiful Kitchen of the year – inserting herbed butter under the skin of a chicken to be pan roasted

 

A photo of the pan roasted herbed chicken and shaved brussel sprouts prepared by Chef Ferraro at the 2012 House Beautiful Kitchen of the Year. I got to taste!

If you want to see more photos of the 2012 Kitchen of the Year, you can check out the House Beautiful website  www.housebeautiful.com/koty     To see more about Chef Ferraro and Delicatessen http://delicatessennyc.com/

Any other day, visiting the Kitchen of the Year would have been the highlight of my day – not this day…I had the chance to spend time with my great friend  Lisa, and also had the opportunity to watch her lovely and talented daughter perform in the Rockettes Showcase!  Bravo Regan!  :)

Thanks for visiting!  Enjoy your weekend, Jackie

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in search of a ‘beachy’ wine

July 6, 2012

friday field trip

This week’s Friday field trip is to a liquor store…not very characteristic of me, since I am not a big drinker and I am not usually the one in the family to make the trip to the liquor store… but, I am on a mission…I am looking for a ‘beachy’ bottle of wine!  I am one of those people that has to love the packaging as much (or more) than the product I am purchasing.

At this time of year, there should be plenty of beautiful  summer labels to choose from…my only criteria is that it can’t be a red and it can’t be expensive.  (Although I am pretty sure for the right awesomely beautiful label/bottle, the criteria may just fly out the window.)

Instead of showing you photos of a liquor store or some of the contenders, I will cut right to the chase and show you photos of the winning bottle!  It is a wine called SeaGlass.  Love it!  This bottle happens to be a sauvignon blanc.

 

Now, this selection is merely by aesthetics.  I won’t know if the the taste measures up until the tasting,  over the weekend.  The label indicates it is a perfect choice for light summer fare, so it sounds perfect!   I will give you a full critique of the tasting on my facebook page, if you want to check it out at the end of the weekend.  https://www.facebook.com/insimplethings

 

Great, isn’t it?  Growing up, I always called the glass I collected along the shore, ‘beach glass,’ but it seems most people use the term ‘sea glass.’  Either way, it is beautiful.  The website for the manufacturer, SeaGlass Wines, is just as beautiful…if you want to check out their other varieties of wine, or just admire their website: www.seaglasswines.com

With temperatures in Connecticut in the 90’s, I think I will put my bottle of SeaGlass right in the fridge to cool down until the testing!

Does anyone have a ‘beachy’ bottle photo they would like to share on facebook or twitter?  I would love to see them!

 

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making pesto

June 22, 2012

friday field trip

This week, Friday field trip is to a cooking class at Terrain.  And, I have included one of the recipes in this post!

You know how much I love (the newly opened in CT) Terrain…well, I recently noticed a pesto class on their calendar… I was determined to attend!  With a little creative scheduling, I was able to make it happen.

Kelly, one of the Terrain chefs, led the class.  She is a Culinary Institute of America (CIA) graduate and just a lot of fun to be around.  I guess I didn’t really capture any great photos of her… it didn’t help that her Sicilian heritage was kicking in…plenty of hand motions and enthusiasm didn’t bode well for a clear photo!  Believe me, she was adorable…a  huge smile and dressed in her ‘farmer chic’ (Terrain’s dress code) attire.

The ‘students’ soon discovered that pesto is not just about basil, oil, garlic, and pine nuts.  Kelly really opened our eyes to experimenting with different greens and nuts.  It was a lightbulb moment for me to consider using new and different combinations of greens and nuts in pesto rather than relying on the traditional basil and pine nuts.  We were able to taste test all the creations Kelly demonstrated.  I eagerly tried the arugula and sunflower seeds, and LOVED the basil and kale and almonds.

The taste tests were accomplished by spreading the pestos on warm bread…yum!   This is something I never do with pesto.  I use it on pasta, but haven’t ever used it as an appetizer ingredient or as a condiment…where have I been?!

Terrain only uses the freshest of ingredients in their cafe, restaurant, and cooking classes.

 

A photo of pesto made in a Terrain cooking class.

Kale Toasted Walnut Pesto (makes about 1 cup)

You can make this pesto with plain (raw) walnuts, but toasting them gives them a little extra flavor that can hang with the slightly more intense (and bitter) taste of kale.

Ingredients

  • ½ cup plain/raw walnuts, roughly chopped
  • 1 garlic clove, smashed
  • About 3 cups chopped kale
  • ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ – 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Directions

Heat a frying pan over medium heat.  Add walnuts and stir constantly (or gently shake pan) until toasted, about 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and let the walnuts cool.

Pulse garlic clove in food processor until it is chopped finely, about 30 seconds.  Add kale, toasted walnuts and Parmesan cheese and pulse until chopped.  You may have to stop the food processor, open the top, and push the kale down toward the blades.

With the food processor running on low, add olive oil in a steady stream until you get the consistency you want, I went with almost ¾ cup of olive oil.

Season to taste with salt and pepper (we used about 1 ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon black pepper).

Kelly also suggested trying the combination of pistachios with spinach.  I can’t wait to try this combo!  Other ingredients  suggested included cilantro, mixed herbs, watercress, parsley, hazelnuts, and pecans.

I left there with a jar of freshly made pesto and feeling much more adventurous about trying new ingredients to add variety to the pesto I make at home.  If  you want to attend a class or other event, check out the Terrain website for the event schedule:  www.shopterrain.com

By the way, I stopped and bought a loaf of good bread on the way home ;)

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strawberry fields & recipe

June 15, 2012

friday field trip

It’s prime strawberry picking…that’s what the recording said when I called Jones farm to find out if strawberries were still in season.   That’s it then, I decided…I will pick strawberries for my Friday field trip.  Gee, I  can’t even remember the last time I was in a strawberry field.  I took my kids to pick strawberries (more like ‘eating’ strawberries) when they were small…those trips were all about the children having a good time and about providing them with a learning experience.

This time, my trip would be a solitary one.  I headed out to Jones Farm in Shelton, CT, a 400 acre farm run by the fifth and sixth generation members of the Jones family.

Under no pressure to pick any certain quota of strawberries (heck, we have a fridge full),  I spent my time at the farm really enjoying my surroundings…

 

 

 

And, I found a new ‘go to’ recipe for strawberries that is certain to replace the standard shortcake recipe for me – different and delicious.  I have included it here for you…complements of Jones Farm. (Click on photo to enlarge.)

A photo of recipe for Mystere Strawberries

 

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spiked milkshakes for memorial day

May 28, 2012

bobby flay’s vanilla bean bourbon milkshake

A photo of Bobby Flay’s Vanilla Bean Bourbon Milkshake for Memorial Day.

Here in Connecticut, it is a beautiful weekend, in spite of the weather reports leading up to this glorious Memorial Day. I planned on planting myself in front of the computer all weekend because of the stormy predictions…instead, I don’t want to come in from my backyard!

I did manage to come into the house long enough to make a wonderful Memorial Day treat to celebrate our good fortune with the weather! A spiked milkshake! A vanilla bean bourbon milkshake! Yup…the one Bobby Flay serves at Bobby’s Burger Palace. The same one I fell in love with when my daughter took me to his restaurant on her campus in Philly for the first time.

 

The bourbon I used to make Bobby Flay’s Vanilla Bean Bourbon Milkshake.

I am not going to take much time to post since I have a date ;) with that comfy empty chair sitting on the grass in my backyard , BUT I am just stopping long enough to give you the recipe for Bobby’s shake in case you too would like to add it to your Memorial Day menu!

A photo of the delicious Vanilla Bean Bourbon Milkshake I made for Memorial Day from Bobby Flay’s recipe.

It may not be a complicated recipe, but like everything Bobby Flay creates..it tastes incredibly delicious! There are plenty of other shake recipes in Bobby Flay’s Burger, Fries & Shakes book if you want to pick up a copy.

Bobby Flay’s Vanilla Bean Bourbon Milkshake

yield: one 16-ounce milkshake or two 8-ounce milkshakes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup whole milk
  • 1/2 fresh vanilla bean, split and seeds scraped (reserve pod for another use)
  • 11 ounces premium

    vanilla ice cream (about 1 3/4 packed cups)

  • 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) bourbon

To make:

Combine the milk, bourbon, and vanilla bean seeds in the blender and blend until combined, about 5 seconds. Add the ice cream and blend until smooth, about 10 seconds.

For those of you that may not like or want bourbon, it is equally as yummy without it.

Enjoy your Memorial Day and Bobby Flay’s Vanilla Bean Bourbon Milkshake! Back to my chair…

 

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fleet week nyc and other excitement

May 25, 2012

field trip friday

I am one lucky girl!  I toured Food Network!  There aren’t many things that would get me as excited.  Not since meeting Khaled Hosseini, has my heart beat so fast.  Even more exciting was that a friend and I were given a personal tour by a high school classmate who I would have enjoyed spending time with no matter where I was….the combination of the two sent my happiness through the roof :)  Adding to the excitement of the day…it was Fleet Week!  Fleet Week is a United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard tradition – active military ships recently deployed in overseas operations dock in a variety of major cities for one week.  On the walk to Food Network, we were able to witness the Parade of Ships that signaled the start of Fleet Week NYC 2012.  Check it out:

A picture taken while walking along the Hudson River on the way to Chelsea, we got a great view, even with the overcast day, of the Parade of Ships marking the start of Fleet Week – a tradition in New York City since the early 1980’s.

Another photo of the NYC Parade of Ships for Fleet Week 2012.

Watching the Parade of Ships signaling the start of Fleet Week creates such a patriotic spirit!

Three of the 6,000 men in uniform descending on NYC for Fleet Week. Does this remind you of a particular Sex and the City Episode :) ?

(See pleasureinsimplethings facebook page for more Fleet Week photos – click the facebook icon on the homepage)

How cool!  Now, off to Food Network!

 

A photo of a view of the Food Network set from ‘behind the scenes.’

I got the chance to not only see the inner workings of the network, but so much more.  My former classmate is a senior executive and his insight into, not only the Food Network (and some cool history about the buildings in Chelsea), but the industry and the future of media, was totally fascinating. The technical aspect of the station is overwhelming, the physical space is visually interesting, and the people that work at the network were all so fun to talk to…all happy to explain their roles and answer questions posed by a ‘groupie.’  I think that is probably what I am…a Food Network ‘groupie’ (some may say ‘junkie’)…or maybe they just call me crazy?

The Food Network kitchens sign really got me breathing heavy :)

A photo of the Food Network kitchens.

 

A photo of the Food Network set. Standing on this set, where so many I have admired have stood before, was definitely a highlight for me!

On the visit to Food Network, Melissa d’Arabian was filming a promo for Ten Dollar Dinners.

The Food Network is located above Chelsea Market, an enclosed urban food court and shopping mall located in the Chelsea neighborhood of the borough of Manhattan in New York City.

The Chelsea Market has so much history surrounding it – dating back to the 1890’s and the National Biscuit Company complex.

A photo of the salad I had for lunch in a little organic restaurant located in Chelsea Market.

After the walk TO Food Network from Grand Central Station and witnessing the ship parade, I never expected the walk BACK to be as interesting, but I was wrong – my Food Network friend suggested we check out The High Line as we were leaving the Network building and it ended up be a really cool walk back as well.  It was reminiscent of visiting a botanical garden.

The High Line is basically the recycling of the former elevated New York Central Railroad into an urban park. It was redesigned and planted as an aerial greenway.  It runs from three blocks below West 14th Street in the Meatpacking District, up to 30th Street, through the neighborhood of Chelsea to the West Side Yard, near the Javits Convention Center.

A photo taken on The High Line walk…notice the old train track in the lower left corner.

This was a tough post to edit.  I had so much I wanted to include.  Fleet Week, Food Network Tour, and  The High Line…what a fun day!

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cold cous cous salad recipe

May 20, 2012

a recipe for 2012

It is hard to imagine eating some of the “Betty Crocker” type meals I ate as a kid. Creations like casseroles made out of canned soup, jello salads, and shake and bake chicken were common meals, but I would never think of making them today. I own a copy of the Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook (circa 1963) with the red and white check cover. I love looking at some of the photos of the tablesettings and picnics from the 60’s…wow! How things have changed! Just as interesting as the food and tablesetting decor, are the outfits people wore to backyard events…according to the photos, dresses and pearls were the dress code for women attending picnics in the 1960’s!

Picture of cold cous cous salad for 2012.

When I was young, my mom would bring potato or macaroni salad to the picnics we attended. Or, a jello salad made in a Tupperware mold. I have never brought any of these salads to a picnic. When I first started bringing food items to picnics, potato salad was updated with a cold wild rice salad, macaroni salad became tortellini salad, and jello salad became fruit salad – maybe with an added yogurt dressing.

The dressing is made with fresh lemon juice, garlic, and extra virgin olive oil.

As the decades changed, so did my cookbooks….I went from the old Better Homes and Gardens to Julia Child to Martha Stewart to Bobby Flay. Today, cooking trends happen so much faster and there are networks full of cooking shows instead of the one or two that were shown in my mother’s time. Cookbooks are no longer a necessity since countless recipes are so easily accessible by way of the internet. Instead of a cookbook, I am usually carrying my iPad around the kitchen to look up new recipes or to research other cooking information.

A more recent salad update happened after attending a friend’s party…she was

serving a tortellini salad made from a recipe I had shared with her years earlier… it seemed so out of date…I realized the tortellini salad had seen its day. Do you need a salad intervention? If you are still making the same old salad, why not try something new? Here’s one of my current favorites…

Move over tortellini…

Cold Cous Cous Salad

Cook 2 cups cous cous as directed and rinse with cold water.

Add to cous cous:

  • 1 cup corn (I use frozen…no need to thaw)
  • 1 cup peas (same here)
  • 1 1/3 cup craisins
  • 1 cup chopped dried apricots
  • 2 cups chopped fresh spinach (I make the salad ahead and add this when ready to use so it won’t become too wilted)
  • 5 scallions, chopped
  • 1 cup shredded carrots

Dressing:

  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
  • 2 cloves minced garlic

Mix all ingredients and keep cold.

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ice cream nostalgia

May 17, 2012

field trip friday

ice cream nostalgia

Yes, I do love ice-cream.  And while so many others post photos of crocuses to show the change of season, I gauge its coming by when Dairy Queen opens its windows.  In the same way, while others look forward to a green bagel or green beer to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day every year, I can’t wait to have the celebratory Shamrock Shake.  Summer for me is marked by the moment I step foot into our local Baskin and Robbins each year.  The young boy I know that works there starts preparing the scoop of bubblegum in a cup before I even attempt to place my order.

When I look back on why I enjoy these ice-cream moments, I realize it is not as much the taste of the ice-cream, as the memories of these three places.  Dairy Queen was a place I would walk to with my grandmother as a very young girl.  My grandmother didn’t drive and we would walk to the Dairy Queen on the main road a few blocks away – all the while she would hold my hand in a death grip.  The Shamrock Shake came later….I worked at a McDonald’s when I was 16 and was so proficient at the register I was proud to attain the coveted ‘highest cashier of the hour’ award.  This meant you had the most sales of any cashier for a specific hour.  In essence, it meant that you were able to work the register and pack the food faster than anyone else.  (I won’t say how long ago that was, but prices from that time are etched into my brain, and I know the hamburgers were 30 cents back then)  It was at this job that I was introduced to the Shamrock Shake, and even if it didn’t taste all the wonderful, it held the significance of being part of my whole employment experience…… Baskin & Robbins bubblegum ice-cream was my treat when I was a kid for completing the 15 mile bike ride from my home to the closest Baskin & Robbins store.  We did not have a Baskin & Robbins in our town, so I would make the ride to the town my grandmother lived in to purchase the limited edition bubblegum flavor.  It was only sold for a short time in the summer, so in my mind, it quickly became associated with summer.

The nostalgia, not the taste, is what really drives these ice cream purchases.  Truth be known, I am actually very much an ice-cream snob.  Other than the few nostalgically motivated choices I mentioned, my ice-cream selections are pretty much exclusive to the natural variety.  My favorite being handmade and served from a little shop located in a small neighborhood by the shore.  The best flavor?  Lavender & fig.  Hard to believe the same person that would eat a Shamrock shake could truly appreciate the subtlety of lavender and fig, but it is certainly the case.

Walnut Beach Creamery’s ‘sandi annie’ ice-cream – blue vanilla, graham cracker sand, and chocolate covered pretzel goldfish

The International Ice Cream Association has vanilla, chocolate, and butter pecan as the top three ice-cream flavors – with vanilla way out in front.  This would not be true in the little shoreline community where Walnut Beach Creamery operates.  The current bestseller is cupcake.  What is your favorite ice cream flavor to celebrate the season?

 

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chef irvine in the house

May 4, 2012

field trip friday

I am slightly obsessed…okay maybe a little more than slightly… with shows on the Food Network.  That being said, you can only imagine how excited I was when I found out that Restaurant Impossible had chosen a restaurant IN CONNECTICUT to feature on the show!  If you haven’t seen the show, the premise is that a failing restaurant is transformed in two days with $10,000 and a lot of ingenuity.  Chef Robert Irvine stars in the show, revamping every facet – including the concept, décor (utilizing a design team), and menu to makeover the chosen restaurant.  Two days sounds like a quick turnaround to totally makeover a restaurant…and, it certainly is, but actually witnessing the process up close and personal rather than watching it on television makes the whole process even more amazing.

Stella’s updated look…with a lemon motif.

 

I drove by and checked out the activity during the two days the workmen toiled in the makeshift tents set up in the parking lot of Stella’s (the restaurant they transformed).  Everything seemed pretty low key…granted, the workmen were VERY busy, but there were no other people, like me,  that wanted to check on the progress…at least not while I was there.  A friend that lives near the restaurant said he saw Chef Irvine in the nearby Dunkin Donuts hanging out and being very personable, but unfortunately I didn’t happen to be buying coffee at the appropriate time to be able to witness his demeanor.

One of the tasty appetizers I enjoyed at Stella’s.

Anyway, it definitely was an impressive restaurant overhaul….not just in respect to the aesthetics of the place, but also updating the menu.  Chef Irvine tweaked the menu selections and gave suggestions on food presentation.   I think the part that impressed me most, when I actually sat down to dinner, was the energy from the employees….they certainly had to be exhausted and emotionally drained after the intense two days they had been through, but everyone was so friendly, and…the best word to describe them … energized.

 

It will be fun to watch the design team create this room divider when the episode airs in July.

The restaurant just needed a little attention to rediscover itself.  (Don’t we all!)  Who doesn’t like a good makeover?  A tired, dated restaurant benefited from an updated look and some new energy…breathing life into an old favorite.   I have to think the experience made the entire crew closer to each other and their community.  I will definitely be visiting the “new” Stella’s again.  Hopefully, this new-found energy continues beyond opening weekend.    The episode doesn’t air until July, but the photos here provide you with a sneak peek of the facelift.

Michael Savoie’s family has been in the restaurant business since 1919. He has owned and operated Stella’s since 1998.

The ‘energized’ Stella’s crew posing with Chef Irvine.

 

My favorite? Popeye Pizza made with fresh tomato, spinach, ricotta cheese & fresh garlic.

 

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the original sweet & salty

April 29, 2012

easy sweet recipe using saltines

Long, long,  ago – when I started my first serious full time job, the woman I worked for brought in a dessert that she had made from saltines crackers.  At the time, it seemed very mysterious and unusual.  Looking back, it was the first time I really enjoyed the combination of sweet and salty.  With salted caramels being so trendy, I was reminded of the old favorite saltine recipe.  It is one of the few dessert recipes I have committed to memory, because the measurements are so easy to remember.  A nice thing about the recipe is that it only uses four simple ingredients.  More recently, I made it for my twenty-something son and he went nuts over it.  Makes sense….when I think about it, I was his age when I first went nuts for it.  The recipe:

2 sleeves of saltines, 1 stick of butter, 1 cup brown sugar, 2 cups of chips

Ingredients

  • 2 sleeves of saltine crackers
  • 1 stick of butter (I use unsalted)
  • 1 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 cups chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Cover a cookie sheet with a piece of aluminum foil and give it a light coat of cooking spray.

Arrange the saltines on the foil, covering all the space.

Arrange crackers in a single layer to cover all the space on the pan…you may need to use a couple broken ones to fill in all the spots.  Take 20 of the crackers you have left and seal them in a zip-loc bag.  Use a rolling pin to crush them up and set the bag aside.

Use a rolling pin to crush 20 of the saltines in a zip-loc bag

Put the butter and brown sugar into a medium size saucepan and stir until it is boiling strong enough that it can’t be stirred down.  Then, pour it slowly over the crackers, covering them the best you can.  I use a dull knife to carefully spread the mixture evenly, trying to cover most of the cracker layer.

Bake in the oven for 5 minutes..the topping will be bubbling.  Remove the pan from the oven and let it sit for about a minute.  Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top.  After a minute or two the chocolate will be soft and you can use a dull knife to spread the chocolate evenly over the crackers.  Then, take the bag of crushed cracker crumbs and sprinkle over the top of the hot chocolate.

Let cool slightly, then put the cookie sheet in the refrigerator to set.  After about 45 minutes or so, remove the cookie sheet and break the crackers into irregular pieces.  Store in a plastic airtight container in the refrigerator…enjoy!

 

 

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