A while back, I hopped on board the Meatless Monday bandwagon and made an effort to post a meatless recipe every Monday. Unfortunately, that only lasted a few weeks. I've found new inspiration in Meatless Week, though, and have decided that I am going to start back up again. As of next week, I'll be posting a new meatless recipe here every Monday.
Hopefully many of you have already had a great meatless start to your week and are thinking about trying to make it through to the weekend as well. Head on over to The Cookbook Chronicles to hear about Lorna's first day and check out a list of many of the bloggers taking part in the challenge.
Last week, for the first time in four months, I cooked meat in our kitchen. For the first time in my life, I roasted and carved a whole chicken. And, after carefully reviewing the photos, I’m pretty certain I roasted the poor bird upside down.
Aside from the fact that turning it over would have resulted in something that looked slightly less like the Rancor, it came out beautifully. I used the recipe for Thomas Keller’s “favorite simple roast chicken.” The skin was salty and crisp, the meat was unbelievably tender and juicy. Not to toot my own horn—though I suppose I’d actually be tooting Mr. Keller’s here—but it was by far the best roast chicken I’ve ever eaten.
Credit is also due to the farmer here. This particular chicken came to us from Herondale Farm a couple hours north of NYC. Herondale raises certified organic, grass-fed beef and lamb, as well as pastured chicken and pork. If you’re going to eat meat responsibly and conscionably, you would be hard pressed to find a better source. The people at Herondale are great as well. Chris and I hosted Christmas Eve dinner this year and we ordered up a massive prime rib roast for the occasion, about which I traded some truly pleasant e-mails with Christine at the farm. It feels great to be supporting wonderful people doing such admirable work.
That all having been said, none of these are the reason why roasting that chicken the other night was significant. It was significant because, since the beginning of the year, we haven’t been eating much meat around here. In fact, for the month of January, I went vegan. The decision to veg out was in part a result of having seen Food, Inc. for the second time, reading Alicia Silverstone’s The Kind Diet, and sheer curiosity. I had this naughty feeling about veganism like I imagine some people do about drugs—it was intriguing to me and I wanted to try it but was afraid and never had the balls to follow through.
One month seemed doable, though, and during the month that I ate vegan I felt fabulous. If you’ve seen Alicia Silverstone on any daytime programs over the past year or so, it was exactly like she says it was for her. Everyone started telling me how great and healthy I looked, that my skin was glowing. We ate really well that month, too. I got creative in the kitchen and we never once felt deprived or like anything was missing. Actually, that first week, Chris told me every night that whatever I had made was one of his new favorites and asked mid-meal “When are we going to have this again?”
When I wasn’t relying on things like meat or cheese to fill out and flavor our meals and started focusing on vegetables, beans, grains, and herbs, the quality and variety of what we ate expanded immensely. I wouldn’t say we ever ate particularly meat-heavy prior to this, but meat was definitely a part of our diet. We were both surprised to find that neither one of us was sad to see it go.
Since that vegan trial in January, we’ve incorporated both eggs and dairy back into our kitchen (organic as much as we can, of course, and pastured/greenmarket-bought when possible). I will say, however, that we use these items with much less frequency. And the meat had remained absent entirely until last week. Which brings us to now.
Today I am, as many of you are, celebrating Mother's Day.
I am celebrating it for my own mother, who is wonderful for all the reasons that mothers are. I am lucky enough, however, to not only celebrate a parental figure but a really great friend. From a young age, I began to know my mom outside of the archetypal image of Mother, Parent, Guardian--I got to know her as Woman, Person, Human. My parents' divorce broke my childhood illusions about both of them, I saw them at their best and worst, watched as they found and redefined themselves. Some would be sad to have this bubble broken, and it wasn't always easy, but I feel so fortunate that this has been my experience. Because I know my mom in this way, and because she in turn views me not only as her daughter but as an individual, we have the most amazingly honest relationship. There is no judgment--just a constantly supportive, endlessly sympathetic, and, when necessary, critical understanding of our unique human experiences. I love this and I wouldn't change it for the world. I hope the children I have will one day will know me in this way, as a woman and a person above all else. Mother is just one of the very many things my mom is. It is a part of her and not the definition, and I celebrate her today for all of her parts as a beautiful whole.
I am also celebrating Mother's Day for all of the mothers in my life. For those in my extended family and those who are soon to become my family. I am celebrating the women that I knew when we were girls who now have itty bitties of their own. It's a surreal experience to watch as old friends and new begin to build families and have children--from ultrasounds to baby bumps to that very first photo and "Oh my goodness, it's a mini you!"
And, though I'm not officially a mother, I did wake up to a card from my four-legged baby. So, I also celebrated at home with lots of wet kisses and a wagging tail.
Today is also special for another reason. One year ago today, I started this blog. That first time I pressed "Publish" I had no idea what a huge part of my life GF in the City would become. I didn't know if anyone but friends and family would ever read the words I put out here, but have been surprised and delighted to see the occasional unfamiliar name pop up in the comments section. It's also been a bit dizzying to see that recipes that were created in my kitchen are actually being made and reinterpreted in other kitchens. There's something about this that strikes me profoundly--the thought of something that I've put out there bringing joy to someone else, that maybe they're experiencing the same delight or comfort that I felt in that recipe, or that they've now been inspired to create something new. It's humbling and connecting and thoroughly wonderful.
I guess, in a way, I'm celebrating the day that I became a blog mom. Maybe it's a stretch, but it almost feels appropriate that my blog's one-year anniversary fell on this day. It's hard to believe I've been at it for this long; sometimes it still feels like I just started. I am so thankful for these past twelve months, though, and I sincerely hope to be celebrating again next year.
So Happy Birthday to my little blog and a very Happy Mother's Day to all you mommies out there--hope it was a great one!
This past weekend, Chris and I trekked down to the Brooklyn Botanic Gardens for the Sakura Matsuri spring festival. We went with hopes of seeing some cherry blossoms, but considering the early spring that we've had and the fact that the flowering trees in our neighborhood have almost all dropped their blooms, we should have known we'd be too late. In any case, Saturday was the warmest day we've had so far this year (80 degrees!) and it was nice to be outside, walk around the gardens, and exercise my camera muscles a bit.
Many people came out for the festival, some carried Japanese parasols and a few dressed up for the occasion.
I hear it in some form at some point at least every other week—and I’m sure I could hear it every other minute if I felt the need to seek it out. A snarky comment. A snide remark. A long-look-down-the-nose criticism. In whatever form it comes, it seems that a lot of people take issue with Rachael Ray.
On one hand, I totally get it. She’s incessantly perky, which many find annoying. She has a lot of cutesy catchphrases, including but not limited to: yum-o, delish, and EVOO (I actually get behind this one; it’s a convenient abbreviation.). She tells the same stories over and over again. Yes Rachael, I know you’re going to put nutmeg in your greens because your Grandpa Emmanuel used to do it. We get it, you always burn the bread. Yeah, Worcestershire sauce…Bugs Bunny. Oh, and seriously, if I have to hear one more time how whenever you use cilantro “Jon pulls out his SAT words and calls it verdant”, I might scream.
Unless you’re talking about Oprah. But that has less to do with like and more to do with fear.
There are a plethora of reasons to be personally annoyed with Rachael Ray. Despite the fact that I can see those reasons, she’s never made my skin crawl. All this aside though, I have to say that a good chunk of the criticisms I’m seeing have nothing to do with her being cheeky and cheerful. Instead they trend toward what she’s actually doing in the kitchen. But if you take an honest look at what she’s actually doing in the kitchen, I have to ask you, What’s so wrong with Rachael Ray?
Chris and I will be getting married in seven months.
Eight was that funny place where it still sort of seemed like a long time, but here at seven that sense is gone. Rather, it feels as though we've rounded the top of the hill and are standing in that moment just before gravity takes hold. That moment where you realize how high you are, the vertigo landing in the pit of your stomach, and you feel the anticipatory dizziness of how fast everything is about to move.
It's unsettling but it's exciting.
We've made a lot of decisions in the past month. We've decided on the music, I found my dress (something that I was beginning to fear would never happen), and I had the initial meeting with the florist just the other day. It's slowly beginning to come together and is mostly a matter of details at this point. We made the biggest decisions right after we got engaged, the first of which being the venue. I think I can safely speak for us both and say that, aside from the heart of what the day will represent, the venue is the part about which we are most excited.
The Easter Bunny made a stop by Chris' parents' house this weekend. I guess he knew we'd be coming, because when we arrived there were little packages of goodies awaiting us. There was the requisite chocolate, a little something for Nilla, and then this:
No, this was not taken with a tilt shift lens (but wouldn't that be fun?). These little utensils are not decorative miniatures, they are not dollhouse wares, nor are they intended for making teeny tiny meals.
Where is your food coming from this year? The supermarket? The greenmarket? In the past, this is where most of the food that Chris and I eat has come from. This year, however, we’re going to be exploring some new options.
First of all, we’ve decided to join our local CSA. In case you’re unfamiliar with the concept, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. Participants pay a set amount of money for a “share” at the beginning of the growing season. This money helps farmers cover their costs during this more financially straining time of the year when their resources are being put toward seed/growing and little to no income is yet being generated. The participants then receive a portion of the crop as it ripens and becomes available. Usually on a weekly basis, shareholders will collect a sort of grab bag of produce. You get a share of whatever is at its peak at that very moment.
It is a bit of a gamble, though. If the weather decides not to cooperate and a crop fails, participants will share in that failure. On the other hand, they also reap the successes. And aside from the fresh produce, it’s a great way to directly support local farmers. You get involved with their business in a more intimate way than when you go to the market (our CSA even requires that you put in a certain number of volunteer hours). You have a real interest in how the crops perform and you get to see "snapshots" of their progress in real time.
As excited as I am about that part of it, I’m also excited to receive produce that I may not normally purchase on my own. An assortment of veggies will be thrust at me once a week and I’m looking forward to finding creative ways to use up our lot. Maybe we’ll even get to taste a few things for the very first time. We know very generally what we should expect, but it will still be a surprise each week. I think it’s going to be fun.
I've mentioned on this site, more times than I'm sure was necessary, that I have issues with censorship. Namely me censoring me. I think this is something that many bloggers struggle with at some point. How much is appropriate to share? While there are things in my life that are very clearly off limits, there are many others that I feel an urge to tap out here in this space. This isn't strictly a "personal" blog, though. Many of you that read this site are not stopping by to see how the wedding planning is coming along, what my latest hobby is, or what Nilla is up to.
Though you probably should be, see cutest face in the entire world below. She loves you too.
I'm willing to bet that many of you are simply looking for recipes and kitchen tips, restaurant reviews, or the latest decent-tasting g-free goodie that I keep on hand to occasionally make my life a little easier. And that's great. Perfect really. That's exactly what I intended this space to be.
But.
I feel like I have to expand beyond my initial intentions with this site. At the end of the day, this is my space and while I want all of you to feel warm and cozy here, I need to feel that too. Instead, I've been feeling constrained and that's completely and totally my fault. Though I realize it's an option, I don't really want to start a whole second blog so that I can put down my personal tidbits. It would almost be more difficult to try to extract them from this space as they have a tendency to overlap with my "intended" content. For example, a post about a vacation that Chris and I took could very well also contain a restaurant review and maybe even a recipe on top of all that.
for the second time, reading Alicia Silverstone’s 
, and sheer curiosity. I had this naughty feeling about veganism like I imagine some people do about drugs—it was intriguing to me and I wanted to try it but was afraid and never had the balls to follow through.
, 
, and even 
. Let’s face it—we all know that nobody likes anybody who’s too damned famous.
