Walking in a winter wonderland...

Yesterday, the East coast braced for yet another snowstorm. For us in New York City though, yesterday was the blizzard that wasn’t. Old man winter didn’t come to the party like I had secretly hoped for. The snow came, but not so much of it and it was cold wet snow wrapped in a ferocious wind. The kind that feels like little pin pricks on your face. Mean snow, not the fluffy floating snowflakes that land lightly on your hair and face and can be easily brushed off your coat. I must be a California girl at heart, because I really don’t care for the cold weather that comes every winter. Dan teases me that when the seasons change and the thermostat plunges, I always act surprised, as if it’s my first winter here in New York City. I just always wish the fall could last a little longer. He likes the cold. It’s refreshing, he says. No, refreshing is an icy cold drink on a hot sticky summer day. Not 23 degrees. 23 degrees is just cold. He did manage to drag me out for a walk last night, after the snow was winding down. I ventured out in the cold, long enough so I could get some fresh air and take a picture or two. It’s hard to see, I realize my camera skills are lacking, but the picture posted is the front door of our building. I was tying not to shake from the cold as I took it.

Tonight, it’s back into the cold, headed to school. Yesterday, the lucky Wednesday students had a snow day. Not often you get one of those as a grown adult! Tonight is my last night at the canapé station. On the first night, I had to come up with what to serve. We presented a goat cheese, roasted red pepper and radicchio salad mix on a homemade potato chip with a basil reduction sauce. The sauce was a beautiful green swirl on the plate. It was a simple colorful dish, but quite tasty. On Tuesday night, Jim made a gorgeous and sophisticated Thomas Keller creation. A hollowed out egg, filled with savory custard topped with a veal reduction sauce. Into the custard went a homemade potato chip with a chive center. The egg sat perfectly perched in an egg cup. It was a canapé to be proud of, it was decadent and rich. Tonight is Joe’s night. He has yet to share his recipe, so it remains a mystery. I’ll make sure to take a picture of it and to share tomorrow. I’ll also get back to my usual blogging too…it was a crazy week of school, studying, tests and work. Those are my truthful, if lame excuses. Like I have said before, I am a work in progress!

It's a bird, it's a plane...

No, it’s the beautiful plump blueberry. Some call it the perfect food. I am inclined to agree. When time permits, I like to pick up a pint at the fruit stand on the corner as I head to work in the morning. They are delicious right out the container, with no embellishments. I nibble on them all day. The blueberry does keep good company with other super hero foods such as oatmeal, honey, bran, mangoes, and yogurt. Often at the top of a nutritionist’s list, they beat out numerous other fruits and vegetables in their antioxidant super powers, able to neutralize free radicals that can damage your cells in ways that lead to cancer, heart disease and the effects of aging. Anything that aids in anti aging is my personal hero. High in fiber and low in calories make them guilt free. And who needs more guilt in this world. In my effort to become healthier this birthday count down year, the blueberry has become a good friend. Right up there with my old stand by broccoli, long known to be a super veggie. I have always said that broccoli is going to save me from all my evil ways, since I have been eating it like its going out of style since college.

Blueberries are delicious with a little honey drizzled on top. On Sunday mornings when I have extra time (a screaming blender isn’t so jarring at 10am) I love to put them in the blender with vanilla yogurt, honey and milk. Toss in some ice and blend away. The ingredients swirl and combine together to make a pale violet colored smoothie that tastes decadent.

Tonight I think I’ll see if I can find a nice healthy recipe for a muffin or scone to go with my coffee in the morning. Perhaps not the ideal healthy breakfast, but those perfect blueberries will certainly help balance the scales.

Bread 101

One of the best things about school is the bread kitchen. In fact it might be the best thing. If I have time, I can’t resist sneaking upstairs and grabbing a baguette or two. Some nights there’s a variety of breads, all equally delicious. Pullman loaves, croissants, rye bread, sometimes even a little chocolate works its way into a recipe. I love to place the crusty bread right under my long nose and inhale deeply, the warm comfortable smell of baked bread filling my nostrils with such an aroma, it almost feels therapeutic.

After my brief therapy, I wrap the bread up and take it home. Slicing it for sandwiches, I never get tired of it. The bread makes the best sandwiches, especially the ones that go on the panini press. The mozzarella, tomato and arugula sandwiches I find mouth-watering are now hugged by two slices of homemade love. Warm and gooey on the insides, it’s surrounded with the perfect crunch on the outside.

Lately though there hasn’t been time to run upstairs and grab a loaf or two, so I am left with the bread we pick up at the grocery store. It just doesn’t compare. It doesn’t have the crunch, the tanginess, the texture. I hate to say it, but I am utterly and completely spoiled. Apparently man cannot live by bread alone, but if he had bread from the French Culinary Institute, he might have a fighting chance.

With that thought and the realization that getting to the third floor is difficult in Level 6, I attempted yesterday to make my own bread. The process isn’t difficult, its just time consuming.
I was delighted when I first saw the bread as I pulled it out of the hot steamy oven. I had resisted peeking and instead paced around the apartment, hoping the bread would rise and develop a crust. Well, it did both. I tapped on it for that familiar hollow sound but it sounded more like knocking on a door. A solid door unfortunately. An ominous start…After the bread cooled, I sliced into it still hoping for the best. The taste was there but the texture wasn’t. The bread was all good looks, but no substance. Certainly not like the baguettes from school. I’ll have to work on the recipe, perhaps I overworked the dough. Or used too much flour, who knows? Of course, Dan said it was fine for consumption, kind and loyal tester that he is. I didn’t tell him, but that bread is headed right into the food processor. The loaves may not make for a great sandwich but they will be delicious bread crumbs!