scenes from this weekend...

a wonderful weekend...

{beautiful gala apple}

...in an apple orchard.

with a plan to fill my gut with apples and other wonders from the farm's kitchen, i started my day with a glass of freshly made green juice (not pictured). and, since i hate produce waste, i could make good use of some greens threatening death and start the produce clearing process before leaving for a week. it was bright and refreshing with the spicy zip of ginger.

we forwent our saturday scone tradition in lieu of fresh apple cider donuts and coffee.

{sugared apple cider donut}

i didn't think to capture a shot the donut in its right setting: atop a small stack of napkins, next to a paper cup of coffee, all set at a wooden picnic table. the weather was perfect. cool enough to enjoy sitting in the sun and still be able to enjoy hot coffee. the perfect starting note of the day.

the donut wasn't too sweet. a coating of cinnamon sugar complimented both the cakey donut and the coffee.

when we finished, we were off to get our collecting bag. we went with the larger option, as the smaller one didn't look like quite enough {though i'm sure a peck would be sufficient for two normal folk, i love my fruit}

once amongst the trees, our eyes bulged like the proverbial kids-in-a-candy store. we couldn't wait to get our hands on the jewel of the apple season that is the honeycrisp. we plucked a well-blushed {and massive} specimen from the first tree we reached. balanced. with an acidity that cuts the sweetness. juice ran down our hands as we hunted for apple perfection.

our first row was lined on one side by honeycrisps and galas on the other. a beautiful apple, galas just don't offer enough flavor for me to justify adding them to my bag. however, since i was not hunting solely for myself, we threw in a few for good measure.

once my picking partner had deemed our honeycrisp collection sufficient, we moved on to the ginger gold - a young golden delicious varietal. deciding i needed a sample, i pulled a small one for immediate enjoyment. i should have tried one earlier. it was a close rival to its orchard-mate. the dwindling space in our half-bushel bag was almost enough to start throwing apples overboard to make room (the galas perhaps? he tried one in the field and decided they were not so glorious as the appeared. so why not? remember, i'm not a waster.) so i made due with the space we had, leaving just enough for one last stop.

{our 17-plus pound apple haul}

when we'd first arrived to the fields we were surprised to learn we could gather both apples and peaches...so we did.

{a pretty peach in her tree}

being the last peach-picking weekend of the season, i'm sure in weeks past the trees hung heavy with sweet fruit. that said, it took little effort to find plenty of heavenly, tree-ripened bulbs (some the size of large apples). 

{our modest peach harvest: more than seven pounds}

once home, the remainder of the day was comprised mostly of football watching highlighted by a visit to a yummy food truck.

{mama kim's: beef bulgogi with rice and kimchi, veggie dumplings}

mama kim's is our first and only experience with Korean barbecue. how we've thus far not experienced such cuisine is a sad thing indeed. not much a beef-eater, the shaved beef bulgogi dish is one that i now can't pass up.

a great end to a great day.

{apricot pecan white chocolate chip scones}

sunday started with scones and kept us on the couch with NFL sunday ticket. it also featured way too much taco dip (not pictured - sadly).

a delicious weekend.

next weekend: wisconsin

the weekend wrap

An on-call weekend usually means, starting Saturday morning, not venturing beyond walking distance from our apartment {and even that's a stretch}. What it doesn't usually mean is David actually getting called into work...

By that measure, this weekend was not usual. Of course it wasn't. Because, after months of waiting, we finally had an appointment with the DirectTV installer for Saturday morning and David was ready to do all the question asking and paying attention that might accompany such an appointment.

With breakfast just out of the oven David's pager bleated angrily.

"We need you in an hour."

A busy operating room summoned {read: running two rooms and adequately staffed with two anesthesiologists...one of which who preferred to supervise).

At least we had an hour to eat and for David to brief me on the keynotes.

Saturday scones? Not this morning. {Perhaps breaking our tradition negated any possibility of a usual weekend. Should have known}

I saw some beautiful blueberry muffins on one of the many food blogs I ogle and decided I'd give them a whirl. 

This was a risky choice, being that, when given the option, I never choose a blueberry muffin. Just not a favorite. But David loves blueberry muffins. If given the option, that's the one he'd pick. And they were so pretty. So, decision made.

I call my adaptation: superstuffed, jumbo blueberry muffins.

Superstuffed Buttermilk Blueberry Muffins
yield: 7 oversized muffins
adapted from: gourmade at home

2 cups + 1 Tbsp flour
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup low fat buttermilk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
3/4 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 500°F. Grease muffin tins or line with paper liners. Set aside.

In a large bowl, sift together 2 cups flour, salt and baking powder. Whisk to combine. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the sugar, eggs, butter, buttermilk and extracts. Whisk until well combined.

Create a well in the flour mixture. Pour in the wet ingredients. Gently stir until ingredients are well distributed and moistened. Be careful not to over mix, lumps are okay.

In a small bowl, combine the blueberries and the remaining Tbsp flour. Toss to coat. Gently fold into the batter.

Evenly divide the batter between muffin tins, filling two-thirds to three-quarters full. If desired, sprinkle tops with raw sugar.

Place muffins in the oven and immediately drop temperature to 400°F.

Bake 20-25 minutes, depending on muffin size, or until a tester inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean.

The original recipe called for 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract, however David is not a lemon fan and I don't typically keep lemon extract on hand so I just upped the vanilla factor. This change met mixed reviews: David thought {thinks} the muffins are perfect {he continues to eat them for breakfast before work}. I think they needed the tartness of the lemon to give them a little something. I also think wild blueberries would bring that tart element, though I probably won't be going back to the blueberry muffin well any time soon...not the traditional style at least. {I did see blueberry goat cheese muffins which are alluring}

The muffins were moist and muffin-y. Good, I guess, if blueberry muffins are your thing. {okay. that is a horrible sales pitch, but I am a really horrible judge. so, really, if you're into blueberry muffins these are probably worth trying - with or without the lemon since the blueberry-muffin-man enjoyed them as is}

With breakfast done and David out the door it was only moments before my phone was ringing, Mr. Install on his way.

I had formed a picture of Mr. Install in my head based on name alone. He was tallish and rather slender. White hair, parted in the middle, kind of dry, thick. He had a salt and pepper mustache. Thin-ish nose...I'm pretty sure my picture was of a maintenance man at Chico's whose name may or may not have been the same as Mr. Install.

Boy was I surprised when his voice came over the line. That's not what he sounded like in my head. Then when he arrived I was bowled over. I even had to email David to tell him how far off he was from my picture. {David, having heard Mr. Install's voice over the phone pictured one of his uncles. also not correct.} I don't think I ever would have pictured this man. He was actually slightly shorter than I {me in bare feet, he in boots}. He had coarse and curly-ish dark blond hair, kind of swept to one side but it may have done that on its own. Prominent darker blond/light brown beard and mustache. Same texture as his hair. Round nose. Not heavy by any means, but he had a stockiness about him. I most liken him to a gnome. Again, not the image I had created on my own.

And he was no quick worker. He arrived around 10:30a and was out the door (some work still-to-be-completed) just before 1p. This part should really not have come as a surprise, seeing as we first contacted him about switching to DirectTV on Feb 1st {please note Saturday's date was June 25th}. He was very nice, however. Tried to joke about his being MIA. I didn't joke back. The disappearance seemed a bit unprofessional to me, the customer {paying more than double for our prior cable service}.

Though Mr. Install has to return to finish the setup, when he left we were up and running with DirectTV - and that made me happy!

David timed his return home impeccably, calling no more than 20 minutes after Mr. Install's departure.

The rest of the day was business. Errand running {notably out of character, but David had already been called in so chances of a second call were slim}. We even ran all the way out to Warwick {this can truly only be appreciated if you've ever lived in a place as small as Rhode Island after living in a more spread out location - like Florida. any venture that takes you beyond your small city is a journey}.

In our adventure we stopped by Whole Foods in hopes of finding vegan marshmallows. No such luck, but we did come away with some ab fab homemade tortillas.

So they aren't really what I would classify as tortilla chips, more like really good, big chow mein noodles. With salt. You can taste the calories applying themselves to all your favorite spots. They're sooooooo delicious. {yes, we went to a "health food" store and just bought junk}

Sunday started with croissants and otherwise was completely uneventful. We made a very brief attempt at bathing suit hunting - to no avail. Seriously there's not much out there. Thank heavens for the internet!

pow pão: scenes from a monday in

We've gotten into a habit of off-day grocery shopping. Yesterday was the day.

Our grocery store normally has a cart of random foodstuffs that are seriously marked down. On occasion some goodie in the cart catches our eye.

This week it was some italian wafer cookies. We've picked up a bagged version of these treats  (from the same cart) in the past. Milk & vanilla creme. They were so light and wonderful. At 50¢ a piece how could we pass them up. David originally grabbed the dark chocolate, but then I found a few more to try. Mmmmm.

In other deliciousness, David had mentioned pão de quiejo not too long ago. For those unfamiliar, it's an interesting and scrumptious Portuguese cheese bread. They're similar to my {relatively} new favorite bread: pandebono (Columbian cheese bread aka the special little breads at Rayuela and Calle Ocho in NYC). It's chewy and gooey inside and crusty on the outside.

our {remaining} pão

Last night I whipped some up with the tapioca flour we had left over from our last attempt at these little breads. They were heavenly. {for my dinner i split a couple and topped them with fried eggs with onions and green peppers...fabulous}

Pão de Quiejo

makes about 20-25 little breads

2 1/4 cups tapioca flour
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 cup whole milk
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1/4 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, freshly grated
3/4 cup sharp cheddar cheese, freshly and coarsely grated
1 tsp kosher or sea salt

NOTE: feel free to try with different cheeses.

Preheat oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet lined with a Silpat or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the tapioca flour and salt. Whisk to combine.

In a small saucepan, heat the milk and oil until scalding over medium. Turn off the heat. Slowly stir in the tapioca flour. The dough will be very dry and lumpy.

Let the dough cool slightly. Add the eggs, one at a time, breaking up the eggs with a spoon and kneading them into the dough. Mix until just incorporated.

Turn the dough out onto a clean surface. Lightly knead the grated cheese into the dough. The dough should be very tacky and lumpy. Don’t overmix.

Using oiled hands, pull off ping-pong ball-sized pieces of dough. Roll gently them between your hands to smooth. Place them on prepared baking sheet.

Bake 20 minutes or until the outside starts to firm. Reduce the temperature to 325° F. Bake an additional 15-20 minutes.

Serve warm.

from: globetrotter diaries

I came up about a quarter cup short on the flour and adjusted the other quantities accordingly. Halving a recipe is easy enough. I wouldn't recommend weird adjustments like mine, even though the breads came out just fine.

Next time I think I'm going to try subbing goat cheese for the cheddar. And in the meantime I will continue to search for a pandebono recipe...

scenes from [last] weekend...

Scenes from last weekend?

I just got back to posting last week, how could I fall off so quickly?

Well, I was fiancé-sitting. {excuse} But really. I was. David had his wisdom teeth pulled Thursday morning and I am super-strange about how I divide my time. I make arbitrary rules for myself {more to come on that front another time} and, as I've said many times, I am a creature of habit. When David is home I spend my time with him.  And therefore scenes from last weekend were never blogged and based on our weekend there were no scenes worth capturing.

This weekend I was tasked as care giver. I had to change David's gauze and try to get him to eat at least a little. Now, I have always considered myself a maternal person. I know I'm domestic, I kind of thought maternal went with the bag. Well, not so much. I love to cook and, for the most part, actually enjoy cleaning. But I think I failed this test. David wasn't by any means a needy patient. Actually, he slept most of the time. I just felt like I should be doing more. Checking on him etc. I tried to limit his walking around, but often was stopping him more often than preventing him {if that makes any sense}. I really sat around doing nothing. I am currently missing my maternal instinct. Perhaps it will come when I feel like we're closer to the children stage. Don't get me wrong, I'm great with kids, but when it comes to ache or illness {or irritation, for that matter, though that wasn't a factor in this instance} I lack all sympathy. Okay, that's an exaggeration. When David was in pain I was very attentive. I wished I could do more. But when it comes to his concerns about whether or not things are normal, my feeling is always that "you're fine." I'm just, for whatever reason, a bit too tough. This toughness comes out in force when it comes to illness and injury. Meaning: I typically say "it's fine" unless there is evidence that whatever it is is not fine, like severe swelling, bone breaking the skin, coughing up blood. Clearly extreme cases {none of which we've actually experienced}, but trips to the doctor are preventative and otherwise rare. My lack of sympathy makes me feel guilty, but it is what it is.

So what did I do for those four days? I made endless bowls of soup. Ran to the grocery to hold us over until we can do a full trip. A few chores {i had to do the dishes. who knew a sick person tore through so many? the piles were killing me.}. And I ate. A lot. All weekend (which spanned Thursday to Sunday). No gym. But I certainly ate. 

This has been a new trend for me. Eat when I'm hungry, try to be healthy during the week. {though, looking at my weekday diet, I think healthy is even a stretch} Then when the weekend comes I let myself eat junk. Tons of junk. Almost exclusively junk. I typically skip dinner, being so full of junk I'm not hungry. This weekend was a bit more problematic because it spanned more than half of a week. On top of that it seemed like I was trying to out-do my eating with each passing day. {and again with my lack of sympathy, some might not eat in solidarity or sympathy pain for the other. this proved quite the opposite for me.}

I would certainly consider myself a bulk eater. I would rather eat a bowl of snack food than a real meal {whether it's popcorn or grapes or broccoli, I choose what I can eat most of}. That methodology usually works out. That is, when I'm trading these snacks for that meal. It also works when I have structure. This care-taker weekend was an example of the plan not working. I had no structure. We literally didn't do anything. I had nothing to frame my day around. Our wake-sleep cycles were off. The weather was awful. I was still off from our recent trips. Plus, no scone or croissant traditions with David not being up to solid food. All-in-all: recipe for disaster. So, now, back to normal. But this time a new normal. An improved normal. And David will join my revamp once he's back to full speed {and after we go out for his first solid meal - he wants to do it right}. {and i've totally lost focus}

So, now, on to scenes from last weekend. And there is only one to speak of:

May I introduce Chocolate Chip Bacon Brown Sugar Scones.

These were intended to be Bacon Chocolate Chip Scones but I went a bit overboard with the chocolate chips. When the mix was dry it all looked in balance...it was not. Next time {meaning next time we take this route, which will not be next time we make scones. never the same thing twice}

Chocolate Chip Bacon Brown Sugar Scones

makes 8 massive scones or 12-16 regular scones

3 cups all purpose flour

1/3 cup brown sugar

1 tsp salt

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed and chilled

1 cup buttermilk (I did about an 1/8-1/4 cup more than this but the dough came out a bit too moist)

10 slices bacon, crisped and crumbled

1 cup chocolate chips (next time I will reduce all the way down to 1/3 cup)

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Pulse to combine. Add butter. Pulse to form a coarse meal with pieces of butter no larger than pea-sized. Add bacon and chocolate chips. Pulse to distribute. Stream in buttermilk, pulsing just until dough starts coming together.

Turn dough out onto a floured surface. Pat to pull dough together. Knead slightly to even consistency. Roll to 3/4-inch thickness. Fold in thirds. Repeat, folding in thirds in the opposite direction. Roll to 3/4-inch thick disk. Cut into wedges. Transfer to baking sheet. If desired, brush tops with egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar (or cinnamon sugar - mmmm).

Bake 20-25 minutes, begin checking at 15 minutes, or until evenly golden.

Enjoy!

memorial day travels: part ii

**This recap has spiraled into a play-by-play but I love New York so much I want you to experience it with me. Feel free to skip the post.**

Leisurely. Late. Lovely. Perfect first evening in the bustling city.

Our Sunday tradition had to be upheld {in style} with "the best croissant" in the city according to Serious Eats. So we hoofed it down Spring Street {a well worn road on every trip to NYC} to Ceci Cela. Then, armed with our pastries and an iced coffee for me, we wandered to a park in Chinatown to enjoy our pre-brunch treats. We stuck out like strangers in a strange land but it was shady and we were more concerned with the food at hand. The croissant were scrumptious. We were surprised when he tossed the cooled treats in paper bag {we always eat ours hot out of the oven} and they weren't quite as flaky as I like, but the flavor. The flavor, was buttery perfection. I would no doubt return, but likely after hitting up some others on the list.

Next up, more wandering to kill time {a trend we don't really mind, we love a pedestrian city}. The heat was picking up so we did some pre-registry browsing in the massive Crate & Barrel. Before long it was time to trek back east to Rayuela for brunch with friends, including my aforementioned cousin & beau {we were late because along the way we stumbled upon the Rebecca Taylor boutique. she's my new love. i couldn't resist. but we walked out empty handed because we were late...which worked out to our advantage later}. We were hoping to enjoy sangria brunch in the UWS at Calle Ocho {one of the best meal deals in the city if you can swing a reservation. unlimited sangria and breakfast - with a ridiculous bread basket - all for less than $15. but according to open table this would not be an option for our group within 8 weeks of our trip. so that was out}. So back to our actual brunch destination: Rayuela. Omigoodness. Okay, so the sangria is an additional $10 and so is the bread basket {go with the pan. it was worth it}. But I must say the food is certainly superior to that of Calle Ocho. The sangria is made with cava so it's got that bubbly edge and it comes in 3 flavors (as opposed to 6 uptown). I was partial to the apricot-guava. mmmmm. Add that one to the list. Half our table of 6 ordered the same thing - a rarity in this group - arepa con huevo. David, a man averse to a runny egg and not the biggest fan of cornmeal of any kind so far (a la polenta or grits - though I try and try) put his away handily. Add it to the list as a place return. It's just too bad it's on the east side. I seem to be partial to the west.

What grand way did we spend the rest of the day? Last year it was a long day of wine in the park followed by the most sinful pizza at Keste and a night out at Joshua Tree. This year we spent it like the low-key folks we are. On the roof deck of my cousin's apartment once again. This time armed with booze, lots of snacks and great conversation. Not that we should have been hungry, but David and I ventured down to our favorite cart to treat everyone to Halal (how none of these New Yorkers had had it before was offensive!). Needless to say, the meal was {gluttonously} enjoyed by all.

Monday started downtown {shocking}. This time in Tribeca at Bubby's for brunch {cash only. be warned}. The meal was as enjoyable as always. We ate too much...fuel for our next adventure: starting our registry (details to follow).

When we'd had enough for the day {and it was a long day making decisions} we switched gears to shoes. I was too overwhelmed on our first trip to the Bloomie's shoe department {too many women jostling for a deal}...plus I had peaked on the Bloomie's site and found a perfect replacement for my ratty gold espadrilles.

They had them. They had them in my size. They looked great with my dress. They looked great on my feet. SOLD. At the register we learned that these lovelies we not on sale {twice in two trips, unacceptable}. This time, however, we were armed with a smartphone {on sale online} and an incredibly helpful sales associate {if you haven't gotten the message: shop Bloomie's}. He gave us the discounted price. Plus our additional 20% for being insiders. We walked away paying less than half. I would have felt guilty not taking them.

Just one more stop before we could leave. Can you guess? Rebecca Taylor. And I found a dress I'd tried on at the store. I'd loved it already from afar. Considered it for Easter but never tried it on until our stop into the boutique. Then when I had it on, it just wasn't right. It was pretty. I just didn't have to have it {which is the way I shop}. But there she was. There were a bunch of them on the sale rack. One in my size. I'd give it one more shot.

And it fit just right. So I bought it. It was on sale in the boutique. It was significantly less at Bloomie's. The day was moving along the right track.

Then it was finally time for David's lone request: corn dogs from Shake Shack. There is a buzz around these corn dogs. Not a loud, bring-the-whole-city kind of buzz. But a soft buzz. An in-the-know buzz. Three weekends per year Shake Shack makes corn dogs. Memorial Day. Fourth of July. Labor Day. They're only available at the UWS location. We were expecting to stand in line, and when we arrived we did. But it wasn't bad. We're Floridians. It was no Disney line. We've seen worse for food. We've waited in worse for food. This was doable. It might have been 15 minutes. It might have been a half hour. Soon enough we were ordering corn dogs, fries and milkshakes. I wasn't even hungry yet...Then we waited. It takes time. Then the people in front of us (who ordered about the same meal) got theirs. And the people behind us got theirs. After half the line behind us also got theirs I had David pop up to the counter to check on our food. "The corn dogs take longer. It'll be coming." Okay, maybe other people were just having burgers. As I sat on the bench and watched order after order of corn dog come up and get passed to someone else I sent David up one more time. It had to have been close to 40 minutes by that point and we had, in the past fallen victim to the phantom check that somehow never made it to the kitchen. I didn't think I was hungry but I'd started to shake a bit. David talked to the guy at the counter again. He looked surprised. He called one manager over. Then another. It looked like a lot of apologies. David waited. I joined. Phantom check. Great service. Our meal came right up. Our voided check came up soon after. The meal was so good in a bad way. Hot dogs. Battered and fried. Yukon gold french fries. A peanut butter shake for me. Vanilla for him. My shake was heaven in a cup.

But we weren't done. We were still uptown so we had one more stop to make before heading back to the hotel. Levain Bakery. We needed to add more sinfulness to our trip. This time by way of a massive chocolate chip cookie (one for each). We couldn't pack it in right then, but I couldn't resist a little nibble when we got back to the room. And it was heavenly.

We finally had a fancy night, just us two. I put on my pretty (full-priced) dress. David put on his nice jeans and his new shirt. We just went to the hotel bar (Bar Basque), which was actually kind of nice. We normally go with beer or wine. This time we each opted for something a little fancier. My first concoction was called an Aduriz Martini. Cantaloupe, grapefruit, gin and campari. It was delightful. Flirty. It had the little kick from the grapefruit juice. But the next drink I call crack (actually an Azrak Peach & Saffron Cobbler). It was a wine base with muddled peach and lemon juice and simple syrup. It was dangerous. Nectar. Fabulous.

Tuesday was our last day. I was sad when I got up. I took one last hop in our fun, though temperamental, shower. Then I got dressed and packed our things. We didn't do much with our last day. Breakfast at Balthazar. Price adjustment at Bloomingdale's. We stumbled onto Eataly on our long journey up to Rockefeller Center. That place could be dangerous. It all looked so good. The fresh pasta, the produce, fish, the salumi, even the meat counter. Then there's the gelato. And the café. Nothing exciting happened on this final shopping day. No great deals or must-have pieces. Just enjoying our last walk around.

Our last excursion brought us back to Prince Street (the same street on which we started our weekend). This time to Cafe Habana {a tip from my last boss, T}. She insisted that we get the corn. It's grilled. "Mexican style". Slathered in mayo, coated in chili powder, lime and cotija cheese. Ridiculous. So good. And that was just the starter. The mojitos and entrees were just as yummy. So was our company, more cousin love.

we received our checks on postcards. love it!

The end of our meal marked the end of our trip. We took the subway up to our hotel, grabbed our bags and went off to wait for the bus. We didn't want to leave. David was as attached as I was this time. The ride home we talked about how we wished we could stay. How we would love to up and move {David's under contract}. Eventually we'll make it there. For now we will love it from afar and try to make it back as often as is feasible.

On the home front, we expected to return to a scene from Jumanji (given the rate our tomato plants had been growing prior to our trip).

The result wasn't far off.

I also woke up Wednesday with a sore throat and exhausted. Back to routine? Gym? I don't think so. Thursday? My throat really hurt. Gym attempt? 5 minutes on the treadmill and out. Friday, decided against the gym, for recovery. I'm still sick but I think I'm finally shaking it.

Another note from the balance of the week: I had an incessant craving for more cart food...'til next time.

scenes from this weekend...

New traditions.

David and I love food. We enjoy cooking, but dinner is usually quick food. Breakfast, fried rice, spaghetti...We used to make "real meals" at least a couple times a week, but we've let that go. We're as happy eating easy stuff as we are with the more involved.

I have also always enjoyed baking. I didn't do it often because there are only so many cookies, cupcakes, etc. that two people can eat. That is, I didn't bake often until I started making scones.

Breakfast has to be my favorite meal. We have scrambled eggs, bacon and biscuits for dinner about once a week. A couple months ago I bought the Williams-Sonoma frozen croissants as a surprise for David when he came home from a conference. These have since become our Sunday morning staple. I don't know what we'll do when we finish them. I'll be crushed. Then I made scones and David fell in love. It's become our new Saturday tradition.

I get up, prep the coffee, preheat the oven when David's rousing. David gets up a couple hours after I do and, now, makes the bed. Then the coffee goes on and the scones/croissants go in the oven. It is such a nice routine. We wake up together every morning and sit together while he has breakfast and I have coffee. But our weekend mornings are lovely. And special.

This Saturday: Bacon & Cheddar Scones. {after 2 rounds of sweet scones we introduce the savory}

They were heaven. Soft. Layered. Crisp exterior. They had a pretzeliness about them so I dipped mine in cream cheese. 

I must admit my failure, albeit minor. They were supposed have chives. I typically pull the dough together while David is still at work and we didn't have chives...well it turned out that our cheese was also bad so the dough would have to wait until after a trip to the grocery store anyway. However, by that point I had "bacon & cheddar" in my head so I missed the chives, which would have been a lovely addition. Maybe next time.

Bacon Cheddar Scones

3 cups all purpose flour
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup butter, cubed and chilled
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3 Tbsp chives, thinly sliced
10 slices of bacon, cooked to crisp and crumbled
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg + splash water

Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper

In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour, baking powder,  salt and pepper. Pulse to combine. Add butter. Pulse until mixture forms a coarse meal, with butter no larger than pea-sized. Add cheddar, chives and bacon. Pulse to combine. Add buttermilk. Pulse until just starts to come together.

Turn the the dough out onto a floured surface, form into a loose ball. Gently pat down to 1/4 inch thick disk. Fold the dough in thirds and gently pat down again to 1/4" thickness. Fold in thirds again and pat down to 1/2" thickness. Cut into wedges.

Place on cookie sheet.

In a small bowl, combine egg and water. Whisk until combined. Brush egg mixture over scones. Sprinkle the tops with a bit of sea salt.

Bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Allow to cool 5 minutes on a baking rack. Serve warm.

Adapted from: lemon drop

Saturday proceeded as usually. Scrabble, snack food, minimal productivity {though we did get all of the million grocery bags, magazines and boxes to their respective recycling places - now we don't look like crazy hoarders}. We finished the day with David's favorite snack/meal: spinach dip...which is right up my street since I don't really do dinner on the weekends, opting instead to eat continuously all day {mom calls it grazing}.


We had grand plans for Sunday. Transferring our sprouted herbs, getting some new digs for our trip to the city. David played L.A. Noire. I watched. He loved it. I was actually {very} interested in his game. It's so fun. You're a detective and you have to search for clues and interrogate people to solve crimes. I love any game that requires thinking.

We did dinner Sunday. American Chop Suey. David's never had it. I haven't it had since I was a kid. It was so easy to throw together. And it was delish! 

American Chop Suey {no picture, sorry}

modified from Grandma Landry

feeds 1 million

1/2 box Elbow Macaroni

1 lb ground beef {we used 91/9, it seemed really fatty but we haven't made ground beef in a really long time - next time I'd probably go leaner}

Sweet onion, diced - as desired {I used a bit over 1/2 an onion)

Green pepper, diced - as desired (I used 1)

1 clove garlic - more if desired

2 cans condensed tomato soup

Salt & pepper to taste

In a medium saucepan, cook elbow macaroni 3-4 minutes to al dente, it should be a bit underdone as it will continue cooking with the rest when combined later. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, brown the beef over medium-high heat until pink has just disappeared - again don't overcook, it will continue cooking later. If using onions and green peppers, use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat to the reserved macaroni, leave the fat in the skillet. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onions and peppers to the skillet. Cook until colors begin to change. Grate the garlic into the mixture. Cook until the onions and peppers have softened. Add the macaroni and beef back to the skillet. Stir in the tomato soup. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Heat through. 

Serve hot with soft bread {the way grandma would}.

All-in-all a nice weekend, thought not as productive as we would have liked. No worries, I got the herbs moved today {again, no picture - the result wasn't worthy}.

Next weekend: New York!

scenes from this weekend...

{don't they look delish? P.S. those mums are 2 weeks old)

We love our lazy weekends. That's why we try to go to the grocery store on Friday night. Friday afternoon I through together some scone dough. David had requested more scones as soon as he finished eating them for the Royal Wedding. Two weeks later...wish granted. These were lighter than the first {better technique with experience and all}. David said they were glorified chocolate chip cookies. Maybe. But biscuit-y. Delicious.

Brown Sugar Chocolate Chip Scones
Makes 8 scones
Adapted from: evil shenanigans

2 cups all purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
6 Tbsp butter, cubed and chilled
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (less if using minis)
1/2 cup cold buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg + 1 Tbsp water

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set aside.

In the bowl of a food processor combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Pulse to combine.

Add the butter. Pulse until coarse meal forms and the butter is in small pieces, no larger than peas. Add the chocolate chips. Pulse to mix.

In a liquid measuring cup, combine the cold buttermilk and vanilla. Add to the food processor. Pulse until liquid is just absorbed. The mixture will be very crumbly (not very dough like).

Turn out onto a sheet of plastic wrap. Use the corners and sides of the plastic wrap to press dough into itself to form a ball. Seal with wrap. Refrigerate at least 1 hour. 

Turn dough out onto a floured surface and roll out into a disk. Fold the dough in thirds (like a letter). Flatten slightly. Fold in thirds again (bringing the short ends toward the middle). Roll into a disk, approximate 1/2" thickness.

Cut the disk into 8 wedges.

Places the wedges on the prepared baking sheet.

In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Brush mix over the scones. Top each scone with as much sugar as you like. {i added a bit of cinnamon to the tops of some too}

Bake 15 – 18 minutes, or until the tops are golden brown. 

Enjoy!

So that was our great start to Saturday. The rest of the day? Nothing. Well a little Scrabble. TV. Lotsa junk food. No real meals {other than breakfast, of course}. We needed to go to the mall. We reassigned that task to Sunday...

Sunday was dismal {and the same forecast has been given to the rest of the week}. As soon as we were ready to walk up to the mall {just in time for it to open. get in. get out.} the sky opened up. So we checked the radar, saw a break coming soon and took to the Scrabble board to kill the time in between. Fast forward to us walking up to the mall in that chilly, nasty mist that sticks to you and laughs at your umbrella {which, in my case, was turned inside out by the wind anyway}.

The mission of this poorly timed excursion? Planters for our quickly-growing tomatoes. We are aware that the seed starter is really only supposed to start the seeds, we just kept putting off the transfer. That is, until the tomatoes demanded a new home...and the herbs are making demands too...but we're out of soil so they have to wait until next weekend.

The result:

Two pretty birdie planters for Crate & Barrel. Red tomatoes in one. Yellows in the other. They are sooo much happier. So are we. They can't help but make you smile.

scenes from Bradenton...

So I'm still working on using my camera. I always have it on hand, but I find that I end up not taking pictures {frequently due to the fact that most of my photo ops include food and typically by the point that I can get a picture I'm starving or otherwise don't have time}. 

I'm working on it.

This trip was originally intended as pure vacation...when planned last September. Turned out to be 50% wedding business {though we hoped to fit in more}, 25% driving {not including the trek down} and 25% vacation {all surrounded by food}.

So here goes: the basics of a weeklong trip to Florida as highlighted by few photos and lots of food.

We drove Bella {the marshmella aka my car} to Bradenton to start our trip. We'd just brought her up here in November, but she was getting more dinged up in the parking lot than she was getting used - by a considerable margin no less. 

Along the way, we dined at CPK in NJ, stayed at the Hyatt Place {our favorite "budget" hotel} outside of DC, drove past South of the Border {which was surprisingly busy and unsurprisingly scary-looking} on the NC/SC border, stopped for obligatory McDonald's {Cheeseburger Happy Meal no pickles} and pretzel & cheese Combos {travel junk food}. We also drove through speed trap city (Starke/Waldo, FL) and through Gainesville via Williston Rd {we wanted to do a more thorough drive-by for nostalgic purposes but time didn't allow. <sadface>}. [Driving time: Rhode Island to Chantilly, VA: 9 hours, Chantilly, VA to Bradenton, FL: 14 hours]

Plenty of missed photo opportunities fo sho.

Prior to our departure, I decided to make Rice Krispie Treat eggs for the fam for Easter {inspired by all the commercials of the mom and kids making them}. I filled them with the almond m&m's {intended to alternate almond and peanut, but the almonds were too good to sub out}.

The result + setup Easter morning:

{Note: the bunny dish was full and in no time before I got my camera everyone destroyed the bowl}

Missed Easter Ops:

*our Easter baskets. {yes, we're a little old to get full on Easter baskets, but it's fun! I special ordered Reese's Pieces Eggs from the EB and somehow all but a lone egg was devoured in the few days that David and I weren't in Bradenton. This consumption was later denied by both of the only two people that were home in this time.}

*Blakester's Easter Egg Hunt {I was cooking Easter dinner}

*my Easter must-have entree: Phyllo-wrapped Salmon with mustard cream sauce

*my Apple Chevre Tart {first time I've ever made a tart, complete with homemade Pâte Brisée. and it was really freaking good}

Mom reminded that I didn't get any pictures on Easter. I reminded her that I spent literally all day in the kitchen.

Monday through Thursday: missed photo ops galore.

Monday consisted of breakfast with momma, Braendi and David at Gulf Drive Café. Even though we didn't make it out there 'til after noon, I got my standard Spinach & Feta {plus tomatoes} omelet with fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. The service was unusually atrocious, but the food was yummy as expected. Then we spent a few hours on the beach, after which I had little color to show for it with the exception of random sunburnt splotches. The evening was wedding work focused. Cards & cupcakes. All from scratch. Pictures to come.

Tuesday meant getting some business done so we drove over to West Palm for a couple photog meetings {both at Starbucks, which brings David and I up to 4 Starbucks meetings in 2 Florida trips and no coffee to show for it}, between which we squeezed in a light{ish} lunch at Cheesecake. Before heading down to Ft. Lauderdale to meet up with friends, we poked our heads into Anthropologie - a big beautiful Anthro at City Place in West Palm - and picked up a couple of goodies, though none for ourselves. [Driving Time: Bradenton to West Palm: 3 hours, West Palm to Ft. Lauderdale: 1 hour]

In Ft. Lauderdale we stayed again at a Hyatt Place. Tuesday night we met my friend-now-maid-of-honor at Cantina Laredo for dinner. {if I haven't mentioned it before, it's worth checking out it there's one nearby. if I have mentioned it, it's worth checking out if there's one nearby.} We ate way way too much then moved on to Yard House for some assorted beverages. By the end of the night I was convinced that I had far exceeded my stomach's prior capacity. 

Wednesday, we hurried to grab a bite to eat before heading back up to West Palm to meet with one more photographer. When we arrived she had coffee and homemade banana bread and cookies waiting for us {what a touch}. [Driving time: Back to West Palm: 1 hour]

Following our meeting we were back on the road to Cape Coral. [Driving time: West Palm to Cape Coral: 3 hours]

To keep with our theme of nonstop consumption we made a detour at one of my favorite Ft. Myers haunts: Chef Brooke's Natural Café for some juice. 

I went more fruit than veggie this time with Ogre's Delight (green apple, lemon, ginger & parsley) - it just tasted like ginger lemonade {David said it was too earthy}, and it soothed my unhappy belly. It may not be the prettiest thing ever but I miss getting my juices with my former boss.

Next on the agenda? Need you really ask? Food! Truth be told we had a little break where we actually just got to sit and relax with David's dad. But that filled the space between appointments with food. Dinner was from Chicago Pizza in Cape Coral {my personal order: double pineapple & green pepper}. 

The evening was perfectly uneventful. Just family time and relaxation. And I got a little kiddie time in with David's nephews, my little loves, 4 years and 6ish months {seriously the cutest kids ever}.

Thursday morning was more of the same, low key and kiddie-full. Thursday night brought us up to Tampa for dinner at Ceviche with another bridesmaid date and more way-too-much eating, topping our record Tuesday consumption by, oh, at least double. But it was too good to stop. Ceviche is tapas style and I love tapas. By the time we got home (tres late) I was stuffed and completely wiped out. [Driving time: 1.5 hours Cape Coral to Bradenton, 1 hour Bradenton to Tampa, 1 hour back]

Good morning sunshine, time for a royal wedding! Friday started too soon after Thursday ended but we were surprisingly up and at 'em. I made scones to celebrate the occasion. 

Apple cinnamon scones to be exact. Again, first time I'd ever made scones. First time I can ever remember eating scones. They went over decently. I made 8 of good size. I had one, Braendi had 2, Mom had 2, David had 3. David's new favorite breakfast food {he has already put in a request for more of the same for this Saturday morning - and the recipe was half ad-libbed!} We also planned on having tea, but we all needed coffee.

Don't for a minute think that was the only epicurean venture for the day...

Friday's Favorite {4.29.2011}:

Central Café. A must-stop every time I'm in Bradenton. Always the same meal too: Tomato Blue Soup & Chicken Salad Salad. Clearly I decimated the soup before I even thought about my shot. It was soooo delish. And, following the week of nonstop eating, I was totally filled to the brim by this starter. I proceeded to devour every last morsel of the salad...followed by a couple of nibbles from mom's {she ordered the same thing and I can't resist candied nuts}. What can I say it was so delightful!

Saturday morning was wedding business yet again. This time in St. Pete. Super-productive planner meeting. Also super long.

Two and a half hours later we bolted home grabbed the fam and booked it to Publix for the best subs you'll ever have {also a requirement for Florida beach outings}, then made it to the beach by 2p. The weather was unbelievable. Breezy. Warm. Perfection.

We spent hours reading and relaxing for our final day. Braendi found what she thought was a hermit crab...turned out to be a conch {which was really cool and then really gross when it started its attempt to return itself to the water}.

Our final must-stop was Tyler's Ice Cream. Again, nothing compares. David's go-to: a Chocolate Malt. 

Mine: a banana milkshake {this time prepared with fresh banana and praline ice cream. Heaven in styrofoam. **pumpkin milkshakes are a must-get in the fall}

Dinner {as if it was necessary at this point} would have been leftover subs though mine was lost in a terrible beach accident in which it was somehow placed in the one plastic bag that had a massive hole in it in the ice-filled cooler. The poor sammy-half was waterlogged beyond saving, a sad moment indeed. Mine was the only one lost...

Sunday we were on a plane bright and early back to RI, a lovely and accomplished trip under our belts {including 4 bridesmaids and 1 ring bearer richer). [Driving time: 1 hour. Flying time: 4.5 hours (including a short stop in Philly)]

Other notable highlights:

*teaching Scrabble to Braendi. multiple games played. mom is too good {and I think I play a pretty good game myself}

*candy consumption. it was Easter week after all.

*consideration of travel to Cape Canaveral to see the penultimate shuttle launch. good thing we decided against it as the launch was scrubbed.

[Total Driving time: 35.5 hours (not including any local stuff)]