Cooking Solo

Cooking for one can be both liberating and depressing. Because there is no one else to impress but yourself, the pressure is less than when cooking for a large group. Also, with only your taste buds to satisfy, you don't have to worry about catering to picky eaters or special diets. But at the same time, cooking for one can be lonely. One of the main reasons I love to cook is to nourish and (hopefully) bring joy to others. Personally, I never find a meal as exciting when you have no one else to share or express it with.

Going solo in the kitchen has always been a challenge for me. I can never seem to get the portions right when cooking from a recipe. I like to use fresh vegetables and herbs, but these often go to waste when a recipe only calls for a tablespoon of chopped basil, and you don't need a whole head of broccoli to feed yourself. By the time dinner rolls around I usually think, "What's the point in putting so much time into a nice dinner if it's only for me?"; and I wind up making something boringly simple: stirfry, an omelette, or worse, a frozen dinner.

But now that I have devoted myself to this food blog and moved to New York in hopes to pursue a career in food, I figured it is time to stop making excuses. For someone who claims to love food and cooking as much as I do, one would think I'd jump at the chance to cook anything, whether it be for a Thanksgiving feast or my solo self.

To prepare myself for this cooking challenge I invested in a new cookbook: "Table for One: Perfectly Portioned Meals for the Single Cook" by Camille Funk. The attractive photos, organized layout, and helpful planning tools won me over on this title. In each recipe Funk highlights the perishable ingredients, and in the back of the book, lists all of the recipes that contain each perishable item, so that you can plan your meals for the week accordingly. For example, if you want to make a meal that contains asparagas, but you only need a few spears, you can look up what other recipes need asparagas and cook those later in the week--extra asparagas saved!

Before food shopping this week, I chose 3 recipes from this book, which I plan to make for dinner this week, and then did my shopping as needed. My choices for the week are:

1. Chicken Curry--this recipe uses mostly pantry items, such as curry powder, nutmeg, honey, and dijon mustard. So the only fresh ingredient I had to buy was the chicken.

2. Tomato-Basil Chicken--I can use the extra tomato, mozzerella cheese, and fresh basil to make a caprese sandwich or salad for lunch.

3. Mushroom Fettucine--this also used many ingredients that I already had on hand. The extra mushrooms and asparagas I can saute to have with the curry chicken or tomato-basil chicken on another night.

After coming home from my internship in the pouring rain, I decided I was in the mood for something hearty and comforting...the mushroom fettucine it was!

The dish was very easy to make; it took only about 25 minutes from start to finish. I was surprised at how luxurious the meal tasted for something so simple. The sauce was rich and creamy, without being too heavy; and the dijon mustard gave it a nice kick and depth of flavor. The mushrooms added a good meatiness, while the asparagas served for a little refreshing crunch. Overall I was pleased not only with how delicious the meal tasted, but also with my efforts to rise up against my solo-cooking phobia. Afterwards, I felt accomplished and satisfied. Already, I'm starting to realize that making the extra effort to cook yourself a nice meal can be just as exciting as cooking for others.

Mushroom Fettucine (recipe courtesy of Camille Funk, author of "Table for One")

-4-6 oz. fettucine (I used whole wheat)

-1 tbsp flour

-1/2 cup milk

-1 tbsp heavy whipping cream (I substituted light cream)

-pinch salt and pepper

-1 tbsp dijon mustard

-2 tbsp butter

-1 tsp garlic, minced (I just minced a 1 small clove)

-1 tsp. fresh thyme (I substituted a dash of dried thyme)

-1 cup sliced mushrooms (I used cremini mushrooms. They have more flavor than plain button mushrooms)

-3-4 asparagas spears

1. Fill medium saucepan with water. Bring to boil. Add fettucine and cook until al dente. Drain and return to pot.

2. Melt 1 tbsp butter in saucepan. Add flour, milk, cream, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Stir for about 3 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat and stir in the dijon mustard.

3. Heat remaining tbsp butter in another skillet. Add garlic, mushrooms, asparagas, and thyme. Saute over medium heat until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Toss together with sauce and pasta.

Fall Flavors

As much as I don't want the summer to end, I look forward to fall every year. I have always loved the smells, tastes, and colors of fall. For me, the fall brings feelings of comfort and beloved traditions. Foliage, pumpkins, and football (even though I could really care less about the game) bring back such fond memories of my childhood: jumping in the leaves, carving pumpkins, wearing a boy's jersey to the high school football game. These memories have grown even more dear to me over the years as they remind me of such strong feelings of comfort, security, and love. Crisp fall mornings and the smell of pumpkin pie bring me back to that childhood innocence, when I didn't have a care or worry in the world.

One of my favorite autumn traditions is apple picking. I remember going to the apple orchard in my town, bundling up in sweaters even though it was probably still 60 degrees outside, and picking what seemed like hundreds of apples. After our return, my mom would always make apple pie. Even though my mom doesn't like to cook, this is one of my favorite things she makes (along with a mean tollhouse pie and banana cream torte). And yesterday I had the chance to take a step back into my childhood...

A couple weeks ago my friend invited me to go apple picking with some of her friends from work. As soon as I heard the words "apple picking" I had to accept. So I had been looking forward to this fall activity for a couple weeks now. Everyone woke up early so that we could meet at Grand Central at 10:30--but the day was well worth the loss of sleep. After a train ride to Croton Falls that seemed to take forever (it was actually about an hour and 15 minutes) and short cab ride from the station, we finally arrived at Outhouse Orchards. Our cab driver probably thought we were a bunch of ditzes as we oohed and awed at how adorable the orchard was. The sweet, pungent smell of apples hit me the second I stepped outside of the cab. Set in the lush, rolling hills of northern Westchester County, it stood as quite the contrast to New York City. As we waited for eveyrone else to arrive, we browsed through the cozy, country shop. But this was more than just a gift shop; they sold everything from corn on the cob, to fudge and pies, to pancake mix. Everything looked and smelled so good, I wanted to buy (and eat) it all.

Since it is still relatively early in the apple picking season, only the McIntosh apples were ready for picking. McIntosh aren't my favorite for snacking, but these were quite tasty. They were more tart than other McIntosh apples I've had in the past, which I liked. I also think the fun of picking an apple right off the tree would make any apple taste better. We quickly filled up our bushel so that we could return to the country store and indulge in other fall treats.

There were samples of pumpkin cheesecake, which I obviously loved. I also sampled pumpkin pie ice cream and wished I could have brought home a whole quart if not for the hour-long train ride. But the star of the sweets had to be the cider donuts. Surprisingly, I never had a cider donut until last fall when I went apple picking with my brother and sister; and I have been waiting for fall ever since just so I could eat another! If you have never tried a cider donut, get yourself to an orchard ASAP to try one. They are such perfect little pillows of cinnamon-y, doughy, fried goodness.

After a fun-filled day of fall activities and fall treats, the only logical thing to do was to make an apple dessert with all my newly picked apples! Now that I'm at my grandma's house and don't have all my cooking tools from home, I decided to make an apple crisp instead of an apple pie. I found a very simple recipe on Martha Stewart's website--the most difficult part was just peeling all of the apples--it only took about 25 minutes to assemble the ingredients. The best part of making an apple pie or apple crisp is always how amazing the entire house smells as it bakes. On this gray, dreary Sunday, there was nothing more comforting and warming than the smells of cinnamon and apples wafting through the house. But the one thing that is better than the smell of apple crisp is the taste! Just add some vanilla ice cream on top, and you've got the perfect recipe for stirring up some beloved autumn memories.

Martha Stewart's Apple Crisp Recipe

Reunited And It Feels (and tastes) So Good

Being back in New York City sure does feel good! The past few days have been filled with all sorts of reunions: from meeting up with old friends, to eating my most beloved cupcakes. This celebration of sorts began on Thursday night with dinner at Caracas--an arepas bar on East 7th Street. My friend Elana and I were in love withthe place before we even stepped inside. The joint is a quaint, hole in the wall donned in sexy red paint, with kitschy Spanish paintings on the walls. The tables are packed closely together, but it only adds to the intimate, energetic vibe of the place. Our waitress was so sweet and she had such a beautiful accent. We both started with a glass of Tinto de Verana--a sparkling wine cocktail, similar to sangria. Very refreshing and fun-tasting.
Elana and I have always been big on sharing food when dining out. In Europe, we would each order a seperate entree, and then switch plates halfway through the meal so that we could try as much food as possible. (In a recent issue of Bon Appetit, Andrew Knowlton chastised those who switch plates in a restaurant. I have to agree that it can be a little obnoxious and rude to eat off someone else's plate in a nice restaurant, but I think it is totally appropriate at casual places or when trying new cuisines). So being that this was both our first arepas experince, it was the perfect occasion to share and taste as much as possible!
We first split La del Gato (quayenes cheese, sweet fried plantains, and avocado) and De Pabellon (shredded beef, black beans, white salty cheese, and fried plantains). Both were delicious, but the La del Gato was definitely my favorite--the cheese was soft and milky, similar to mozzarella; avocado tastes good on just about anything; and I go CRAZY for fried plantains whenever I see them on a menu. Next up was the De Pollo (grilled chicken, carmelized onions, and cheddar cheese) and La Jardinera (sundried tomatoes, grilled eggplant, carmelized onions, and guaynese cheese). De Pollo was good, but definitely the least exciting of the four arepas we tried. La Jardinera was deeee-lish! The warm, sweet sundried tomatoes melted the cheese so that it dripped off my chin, but it was well worth the mess! And the arepa itself--made of corn flour, but more cakey than a tortilla--was such a delight! Moist and slighty sweet, they made the perfect encasing for all the yummy goodness inside.
Elana and I planned to go to Caracas not only because we wanted to try arepas, but also because of its prime location: 2 doors down from Butter Lane. Butter Lane was one of the stops on my cupcake list I didn't get to try last summer, so my anticipation for these cupcakes had been building up for over year. Something unique about Butter Lane is that you get to customize your own cupcake. There are 3 several different cake flavors (that night it was chocolate, vanilla, and banana) and several frostings from which you can choose to make your own cupcake combination. I went for vanilla cake and maple pecan frosting, and I really cannot express how HEAVENLY it was!! The frosting was so luscious and smooth, with the perfect amount of maple flavor and sweetness. The cake was equally delicious--moist, light, and flavorful. Some cupcakes can lack on the cake part, relying heavily on the frosting to carry the taste. Vanilla cake can sometimes taste more like sugary air than actual vanilla flavor; but this cake was so good, it could have stood on it's own. While in Butter Lane, Elana noticed a sign that offered a free "frosting shot" if you become a fan of Butter Lane on Facebook. So we of course whipped out our Blackberries to friend Butter Lane while still in the bakery to get out free frosting. Being a huge fan of all things pumpkin flavored, I chose the pumpkin frosting. What a treat! Again, light, creamy, sweet, and pumpkin-y without being too overpowering or sugary. For me, an indicator to a great cupcake is when the cake is so light and the frosting so fluffy that you don't even feel like you're eating something unhealthy. Butter Lane's cupcakes had the perfect balance of sweetness and lightness that I could have eaten 10 and still not felt full.
Elana made the bold claim that Butter Lane's cupcakes are a smidge better than Sugar Sweet Sunshine's--my all-time favorite cupcakes. It was hard for me to agree, being such a loyal cupcake eater and not having had a Sugar Sweet cupcake in over year. But there is only one way to find out: return to Sugar Sweet Sunshine and have a cupcake! And now that I'm reunited with some of my favorite things--New York, friends, and food--that will not be a problem!

To-Food List

Day 1 of my new internship and I am feeling both content and tired. Today was my first day at Regan Communications, and already I'm learning about our clients and the day-to-day duties in a PR firm. I'm particularly excited to work more with Regan's food and restaurant clients. We have an event coming up on September 21st called Cuisine of Queens. Queens-based food magazine Dish du Jour will host the 9th annual food and wine tasting event, featuring special guests Rocco Sacromone of Trattoria L'incontro and Andrea Beaman, natural foods chef and contender from Top Chef Season 1. I'm already looking forward to working at the event and hopefully tasting some of the food!

After a busy day of interning and commuting, I was too tired and hungry to make myself anything when I got home, so I resorted to a frozen dinner. Although, it was an Amy's organic broccoli pot pie, and I must admit, it was pretty tasty!

My not-so-exciting dinner and tonight's episode of Top Chef left me craving some goooood food (although I always crave food no matter how hungry or satisfied I am). Now that I'm in New York, there are ENDLESS options when it comes to goooood food. A New York foodie friend of mine has been sending me restaurant recommendations in anticipation of my arrival back in the Big Apple. These emails have been piling up in my inbox for weeks, so now that I'm here, it is time to get organized! So as I sat in bed, craving a yummy meal, I put together a spreadsheet of all the restaurants I hope to try in NY. Sounds obsessive, I know, but I want to try as many new places as possible! Now if only I could get a paying job to fund my eating excursions...

Here are a couple places I hope to try soon...

-Caracas--arepas (bread made of corn, similar to a tortilla, often filled with yummy things) in the East Village. I'm actually going here tomorrow night for dinner and cannot wait! Will give my reviews soon thereafter.

-Luke's Lobsters--I don't go crazy for lobstah like some people, but I've heard rave reviews from several people on this one.

-Motorino's Pizza--my friend recommended this one to me, and then I saw Rachael Ray raving about it on "Best Thing I Ever Ate". Rachael Ray is not my favorite, but the footage of Motorino's pizza had me sold!

-Cienfuegos--Cuban in the East Village. The decor is so charming and chic, and the menu looks even better.

-Txiktio-Basque food in Chelsa. I have to admit I didn't even know of the Basque Country (region in northeastern Spain and southwestern France) until I heard of this restaurant. The menu is a bit indecipherable, but I'm willing to try anything new!

Big Girls Don't Cry

For someone who loves variety and spontaneity in my food, I sure do not enjoy change in the rest of my life. Transitions have never come easily to me. They stress me out and make me anxious. I hate the feeling of not knowing what tomorrow will bring. I like to have a schedule and feel settled in my environment. I seek comfort and security in the little routines of everyday life. So when these routines are upset, my mind goes into a whirlwind of panic and distress. This may sound dramatic, and it probably is, but it literally feels like my head is spinning out of control as I worry about every minute detail of my new setting.

Going away to college never got easier for me. As much as I looked forward to seeing my friends, nothing could top the comfort of home. I was usually fine once I got back into the swing of things, but that initial transition between home and school was always difficult.

Here I am, graduated from college, and finding myself in another transition period. Not going back to school for the first time in 20 years is a transition in itself; but this weekend I also moved to New York to start an internship in the city. I am staying with family outside the city, so I don't have to worry about rent and bills yet. But already I am stressing about where to park my car, not knowing how long my commute will be, not knowing my general surroundings. Not having internet was also driving me crazy, until after a $30, 30 minute phone conversation I finally had working internet on my computer!

You see, it's all these little things that get under my skin in times of transition. I'm a big girl now and should be able to figure these things out without it being such a big deal. I know that everything always works out eventually. The world isn't going to end if I don't have a set routine for a little while. So on top of this transition being an opportunity to pursue my job search, it's also a chance for me to work through my transition phobia. Time for me to suck it up and grow up. New York, here I come!

God's Love

My summer of indulgence continues. On this sweltering hot day, my mom and I savored some of nature's fruits in liquid form. Wine. With only a few days left at home until I move to New York, we wanted to do something fun and different. My mom suggested a trip to Nashoba Valley Winery in Bolton, MA. She had been for dinner before, but neither of us have done their wine tasting. Unfortunately, tours of the winery are only offered on the weekends, so we had our own little "tour" by eating the food and sampling the wines.

We first dined in J's Restaurant, which is set in a restored rustic farmhouse. The dark wood and unique light fixtures creates a homey, cozy atmosphere that looks across the 52 acres of vineyards and orchards. For lunch I had seared rainbow trout with a garlic herb crust, brown rice, and cucumber creme fraiche. The fish was light and flaky, and the cucumber creme fraiche was so refreshing on such a hot day. My mom had a roasted turkey sandwich with sun-dried tomato mayo. I didn't try hers, but she said the mayonnaise was especially delicious! Although each item on the menu is also listed with a suggested wine pairing, my mom and I both stuck to our favorites: Riesling for me and Pinot Grigio for my mom. Both of the wines were from the Nashoba winery. My Riesling was perfect--crisp and fruity--just the way I like it!

Then it was off to more fun for the wine tasting! The wine shoppe is set in a barn-like building with quirky sayings on chalkboards, such as "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere!" and a

quote from Ben Franklin: "Beer is God's proof that He loves us and wants us to be happy". The inside is cool and calm, with beautiful bottles of wine, beer, and spirits everywhere.

The sampling was only $4 per person, which included 5 samples and a complimentary wine glass. What a deal! My mom and I started with the Dry Pear--a dry, white wine that has won the winery several awards. It had a surprisingly strong aroma, which my mom was not too fond of, but the taste was much softer and more delicate. This was not my favorite, but I imagine it would be good with some cheese.

Next we tried the Blueberry Merlot. We both tend to go for white wines, so the server suggested we try this merlot for its milder taste. This wine smelled strongly of alcohol.

As my mom said, "I don't like to smell the alcohol when I'm drinking it". And I would have to agree. This was probably my least favorite that we sampled. Guess I'll be sticking to white wines for now...

Third up was Maiden's Blush, a semi-sweet wine. Ding, ding, ding! We found a winner! Maiden's Blush was definitely my favorite wine that we tasted. This wine has also won several awards for its clean, refreshing, and fruity flavor. Our little wine guidebook informed us that the Maiden's Blush is a great comparison with a variety of cuisines, which is a good thing because I bought a bottle of it!

Fourth on the list was my mom's choice--Upland White--another semi sweet wine. This was also very good. Not as fruity and sweet as the Maiden's Blush, but very light with a tart flavor, like fresh apples.

Last, but certainly not least, I tried the winery's seasonal beer: Blackberry Ale. I told the woman I like fruity beers, such as Blue Moon, so she suggested this one. After finishing my entire sample, I think Blue Moon has met its match! The Blackberry Ale had a subtle berry flavor, without being too fruity or overpowering, but still tasted like beer.

I also bought a six-pack of this one. (Don't worry, I won't drink the bottle of wine and the beer in one sitting. Although they were both so good, it is tempting!)

Instead of the beer, my mom tried the raspberry dessert wine. This had a very intense, sweet flavor. The woman said this wine is delicious poured over some vanilla ice cream. Of course, this had both of us sold, so also bought a bottle.

After leaving with an assortment of wines and beer fit for any meal or dessert, we now can indulge in the charm of the Nashoba Valley Winery in our own home!

Click here for more info on the winery: Nashoba Valley Winery

Canoe-dling

Today marks one of the most depressing days of the year: the last day of summer vacation before school starts. Well I'm not starting school tomorrow, but my younger brother is, and I feel his pain. I used to dread this day every year. I'd lie awake at night, trying to hold onto the last minutes of summer. I even used to cry on the last night of Christmas break, because I didn't want to go back to school. But I don't think it was school that I was actually dreading. I secretly liked doing homework and seeing my friends everyday. I hated the end of summer and winter break because it marked the end of freedom. No schedules, no to-do lists. Each day of summer lead by whatever my heart desired. This, of course, was not true. I always had something going on, whether it was sports practice, voice lessons, or summer reading; but I at least felt most like a free spirit during the summer. So on this last day of summer vacation, my brother and I soaked up the last moments of freedom and sunshine by canoeing.

It was the perfect day to canoe. The air was calm, the sun was shining, and the lake was quite peaceful now that all the summer camps have ended. We rowed out to one of the islands where we ate a picnic lunch of peanut butter and jelly (me) and peanut butter and fluff (Michael) sandwiches. After canoeing some more and working up a sweat, we took a dip in the cool, refreshing water.

Between the peanut butter and jelly sandwich and playfully splashing in the water, it was the most quintessential summer afternoon. I felt like I was back in high school, trying to hold onto every last second of summer freedom. As I sat on the rocky beach I said to Michael, "It was eight years ago that I started high school". Eight years??!! That sounds like such a long time when you say it out loud.

I still remember my first day of high school clear as day. I remember what I wore and what I ate for lunch. And I remember feeling so completely lost in what seemed like a massive school.

It's funny how your perspective of space and time changes over the years. Compared to NYU and BC, my high school is just a little fish bowl. During my senior year of high school, I could not wait to get out my town and move to the big city. Time could not move fast enough. Now I look back and can't believe I was in college for four years. Or how the quizzes and tests in high school seemed to be the determining factor for the rest of my future. And by now I've completely forgotten what these tests were about and probably anything I learned for them.

But no matter what our age or perspective, where we come from, or where we're going, the feeling of summer freedom is ageless and timeless. With all our preoccupations, anxieties, and busy schedules, we could all benefit from taking an afternoon to dig our toes into the sand, soak up the sun, and hold onto summer like we're in high school.