Monthly Archive for February, 2011

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Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

Published on February 14, 2011 in Chocolate, Cookies and Holiday. 1 Comment Tags: , , .

So, I ended up making macaroons for Valentine’s Day. And not those fancy colored cookie things with the almond filling (not that there’s anything wrong with that), but your basic coconut macaroon. But it wasn’t so basic because we did a little dipping. In chocolate. As one is wont to do, especially on Valentine’s Day.

There are lots of macaroon recipes — a lot involving separating eggs and whipping them, and I just didn’t feel like it. I was in a bit of a rush (and who isn’t?). And when I say rush, I was actually in a rush, plus I figured why do something the hard way when the easy way is just as good?

And sweet Jesus, this was easy. I almost had nothing to photograph. It’s literally mixing five ingredients together and plopping them on a sheet pan. And then melting some chocolate. And dipping those macaroons into said chocolate. And then trying to wait for the chocolate to harden before eating. And failing.

That’s all folks. Genius. Seriously, I’m afraid of how easy they are. This may become an addiction.

Chocolate-Dipped Macaroons

2 large eggs
1/2 cup sugar (preferably organic cane)
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2-2/3 – 3 cups unsweetened coconut

Topping:
4 ounces dark chocolate (I recommend 70% cacao)
1 teaspoon vegetable shortening or canola oil
PLEASE NOTE: I’m almost embarrassed to write these instructions.

Preheat oven to 350ºF/180ºC. Mix the eggs with a whisk. Whisk in sugar, salt, vanilla. Add coconut (start with 2-2/3 cups; if it’s still really wet, add the rest). Scoop about a tablespoon onto a Silpat- or parchment-lined sheet pan (I used my hands to form little mounds — ooh, is that where they got the name? Discuss.), leaving about an inch between cookies.

Bake for about 15 minutes or until tops and bottoms just start to brown. Cool on a rack.

While the macaroons are cooling, melt the chocolate and shortening in a double boiler or a glass bowl over simmering water.

Dip the tops of the macaroons in the melted chocolate. Or if you want to be fancy you can take a spoon and drizzle some lines across the tops (although personally, that’s not enough chocolate for me and too much ends up underneath the rack and then I’m forced to scrape it off and eat it and that’s not a good use of one’s time especially for people in a rush like me). [Please note these macaroons were going to my son's school for Valentine's Day, so I did drizzle if only to slightly lessen the sugar/caffeine content for the little monsters.]

Feed seductively to your valentine (or just shovel them in your own mouth before he gets home from work).

Happy Valentine’s Day

Published on February 14, 2011 in Chocolate, Holiday, Inspiration and Travel. 2 Comments

Here’s where I wish my two valentines and I were today. Isn’t this glorious? It’s a photograph by Christian Chaize of Praia Piquinia on the south coast of Portgual (sold via 20×200, but this one’s sold out. Boo.). He’s done a series of images of the same beach and they’re all just mesmerizing. I have the page bookmarked and often go look at them when I’m feeling the urge for an escape.

Despite my health kick (and yes, I realize this is the problem with health kicks — they’re always so brief), I’m going to have to make something chocolatey today. I’m going to attempt to keep it healthy by using dark chocolate, which we all know is actually a health food. Did you know that chocolate improves blood flow to your heart? How fitting is that for Valentine’s Day?

Results tomorrow…

What are doing with your valentine today? And more importantly, what are you eating?

Glazed Tofu with Bok Choy

Published on February 11, 2011 in Asian, Main Courses and Tofu + Tempeh. 0 Comments Tags: , , , , .

NOTE:
I originally wrote this post when we were living in Buenos Aires, but somehow I never took photos, so it’s been languishing in my drafts pile. Well, as part of my recent health kick, I’ve pulled this recipe back out and let me tell you, I’m so glad I did. It’s delicious — a great mixture of crunch and creaminess, tang and sweetness. And it’s healthy without being bland. It’s kinda jazzy. And while technically, the tofu is the main attraction here, it’s the bok choy that I’m really crazy about. It’s just so good. I really do love a nice substantial green.

Also, unlike my BsAs experience, I have more than one sauté pan here in NYC, so this dish is actually quite quick and easy (although it does dirty two pans, and you know how I hate that).

Anyway, I thought I’d keep the original post because I’m terribly sentimental and reading about Buenos Aires makes me a little weepy…in a good way, of course!

I love going to the Japanese and Chinese markets in Barrio Chino. That’s where I can usually find peanut butter (not an easy task), as well as all the standard Asian cooking necessities like sesame oil, sriracha sauce, curry paste and bok choy. Yes, I do love bok choy. It’s crisp, light and low in calories, but chock full of Vitamin A, Vitamin C and calcium. And that’s good because the kid is not much of a milk drinker (although he does chow on yogurt and cheese, I’d prefer he gets calcium from other sources rather than only dairy).

This is another great recipe from Real Simple. Some of my favorite recipes are from this magazine, which I used to read back in the day when I worked for Time Inc.  I know they continue to have great stuff, but because I don’t read the magazine regularly (another trauma living abroad — no magazines!), I haven’t tried any of their new stuff. So if you have any favorite recipes from Real Simple, let me know.

NOTE: You can make this in one large sauté pan, which I do because I don’t have two large sauté pans, but it’s better to make it in two. If you use one, do the bok choy first and keep it in a covered dish while you cook the tofu.

GLAZED TOFU WITH BOK CHOY

1 14-ounce package firm tofu, drained and cut width-wise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons safflower or canola oil
2 heads baby bok choy, rinsed well and sliced into 1-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
3 garlic cloves (1 thinly sliced, 2 minced)
1 14-ounce/210 g can vegetable broth (or homemade if you have it)
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, peeled and grated (it’s very easy to handle if you freeze the ginger)
2 teaspoons tamari (or fish sauce)
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 teaspoons brown sugar (regular sugar is an okay substitute)
2 teaspoons sesame oil
2 tablespoons cornstarch

Drain the tofu between several layers of paper towels (or a clean kitchen towel). Heat half the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bok choy and sliced garlic; cook until wilted, about 4 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the broth; simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes or so.

While that’s cooking, combine the minced garlic, ginger, tamari soy sauces, brown sugar, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Heat the remaining oil in another skillet over high heat. Add the tofu and brown the slices, about 3 minutes per side. Pour the soy sauce mixture over the tofu and simmer uncovered and reduce the sauce down until it’s syrupy, about 4 minutes.

Stir the cornstarch into the reserved broth; add to the bok choy and cook for a few minutes to let the sauce thicken up.

Serve the bok choy and tofu in shallow bowls. It’s great as is, but if you like, add some brown rice for a little heft.

Inspiration

Published on February 10, 2011 in Inspiration. 0 Comments

Sorry for my lack of posting this week. I’ve been working on something that’s taking a lot of my time (sorry to be so cryptic, but don’t want to jinx anything).

Plus I’ve been trying to eat really healthy this week. For some reason, the holiday pounds are not miraculously disappearing. Do you think I’m going to have to exercise and stop eating cookies? Really? Sigh.

The good news is I’m working on some clean food dishes and will share one tomorrow. Clean, but still yummy. Don’t worry; I haven’t gone all macrobiotic on you.

In the meantime, just to torture you, check out some gorgeous food images (many of delicious and healthy things, I might add) courtesy of Morgan Ione. Morgan is an amazingly talented photographer and recently moved to Brooklyn to pursue her career. And she just so happens to be related to my husband and is a lovely girl (and I’m not just saying that because she offered to babysit the kid — although, that certainly bumped her up a few notches).

Enjoy Morgan’s photos and blog and get inspired!

G’s Room: Before & After

Published on February 4, 2011 in Design and Family. 3 Comments

I know, I know. I was all giddy with decorating excitement a couple months back, thinking that we’d be all moved in and sorted within a matter of weeks. Baaaa-haahaahaa!!!! Yeah, that would be a big no. The fact is when you have to buy everything for an apartment except a kitchen table and some artwork and accessories, it’s sort of stressful. Buying under duress isn’t as fun as stumbling upon that perfect occasional table or picking up a new rug. It’s overwhelming.

But the kid’s room is in pretty good shape and has been for awhile (I finally got my act together to take photos). In fact, dare I say, it’s my favorite room (and not just because it’s the only finished one). It’s just warm and cozy and yes, he has the best view in the joint.

So, without further ado, let’s take a look at the humdrum “before” shot:

And now the “afters”:

The best thing we did was cover that heinous floor with this Dash & Albert rug. I love the way it looks. Plus it’s very soft and good for playing on (and lying down on at 6:30 in the morning). Ryan painted one wall in “Google” blue (yes, I am married to a geek), and the curtains were ones we already had from Pottery Barn (I still need to hem them, but for now, their awkward length is hidden behind the chair and the bookshelf). I picked up the wrought iron black bookshelf at an auction upstate years ago for around $5. I love the curlicue sides. G’s big boy bed is from KidKraft and we love it (especially the little bench/bookshelf at the end).

This chair was my favorite chair in our house growing up and has been recovered so many times. It now has a sage green slipcover, which I had made in Buenos Aires by a crazy Russian woman, who inexplicably made a slipcover for a SOFA instead of CHAIR (never mind that the word, “silla,” is the same for both; I clearly requested one for “uno cuerpo,” not “dos”. *And* she had the original slipcover to copy! Good thing I discovered it two days before we were leaving the country…).

But I digress. It’s a great chair — and also a pretty good spot for reading books and napping hounds. The ottoman is from IKEA (discontinued). It’s the perfect size for the chair width. The lovely organic cotton blanket on the chair was a gift from my sister which I had completely forgotten I had. I was especially pleased when I realized it matches the room colors. The pillow is a Jonathan Adler sample sale score from a few years back.

The white IKEA cabinet used to be in our kitchen in the East Village, which had hardly any cabinets and not a single drawer (did I mention that I have three — count ‘em, three — drawers in my kitchen now? Yeehaw.).

The fabric and felt wall map was a splurge, but seeing as how we love to travel and I’ve collected globes for years, it was a no-brainer for us (this homemade version from Fern & Feather is fantastic, and the kid is pretty cute too). The tall baskets are from Land of Nod; the smaller brown and blue ones are from Pearl River Mart (great spot in Chinatown for bamboo blinds, dishes and other fun stuff).

The school desk was a street find from the fashion high school in Chelsea (where we sublet before moving to this place). We still need to hang some more artwork, and I’m working on a little pennant project. I’m also kicking myself for donating a small wooden shelf that would’ve been perfect on the wall above G’s bed (a double kick because my mom just told me the shelf was in her house growing up — ack). But overall, I’m rather pleased with how this room turned out. It was one of those happy situations where you just kind of know right away want you want to do and it all works out. Doesn’t happen that often (see: all the other rooms), but I’m glad it turned out to be in my son’s room. It’s a very happy place.