Rainy days and Mondays…sigh… Let us consider today’s weather as an answer to yesterday’s summer-y heat and a reminder that it’s still spring, friends. I only wish I liked my raincoat more. In other news, Recipes Gone Wild is about to go on summer vacation! But in case you still want a little cooking inspiration, worry not. We at Greenpointers will still be putting up lots of recipes in the coming months! So anyway… I attended my first BBQ of the year the other weekend, where I ran into my neighbor and friend Dan. He’s been promising for weeks to send me his risotto recipe, and surprise, surprise– he came through! Loaded with fresh green veg (I’ve been watching Jamie Oliver lately and that’s what he calls vegetables), this recipe is insanely delicious and will knock the socks off of you and whoever is lucky enough to dine with you! And if you run into Dan (perhaps at one of the local beer shops), I’m sure he can give you some great ideas on what beverage to pair with this dish. Continue reading →
Feeling like a bit of a sloth this morning? Suffering perhaps from a case of the Mondays? I concur. It’s more than a little tough to feel energized knowing that you’ve got a solid work week ahead of you. Memories of leisurely bicycling, beers with buddies, ice cream in the park, strolling in the sunshine, and other weekend-ish whims linger as you fill up your “world’s best” (fill in title here) mug. No time for daydreaming now. Time now to focus, to work, to make the donuts. How can one muster the energy and positivity in a healthy way? Thanks to Karolina Gumpert of Awakening Café (on Manhattan Avenue), I’ve found a lovely way to get that healthy boost. A bit of background about Awakening if you haven’t popped into this little spa and café yet, they’ve got a wonderful fresh juice and smoothie bar as well as an extensive menu of wellness services such as craniosacral therapy, Reiki, sound therapy, and yoga. I recently ran into Karolina from the café, and she recommended this lovely recipe to me as an energizing way to start the day, so I whipped it up in the blender and gave it a go. Delicious and clean-tasting, this nutty, vegetal, sweet treat was supremely satiating as well. A nice, clean, and simple start to the week! Now, I beseech you. Go forth and blend! Continue reading →
Mother’s Day is this Sunday, and perhaps you’re looking for something fun and brunchy to make for that special lady in your life. Waffles topped with caramelized bananas? That’s been done. And she already knows you can poach an egg. So how about Toad in the Hole! No, no, no… I am NOT talking about one of those predictable (but tasty none-the-less) pieces of toast with an egg-filled hole in the middle. The recipe I’m in fact referring to is the BRITISH version, which is essentially a family-sized Yorkshire pudding topped with little breakfast sausages. And if you really want to say I love you with breakfast, top that toad with onion gravy and add a side of beans. It’s quite simple, really , I say with an unconvincing British accent. This week I went to Kate Coats, lovely Brit and mother of the ridiculously entertaining Avery and Oliver, to find out what her brood’s been eating these days. Thank god the word “nuggets” was not uttered. With a smile, she answered that Avery’s favorite dish is Toad in the Hole. Says Kate, “Avery normally makes the batter for me. It’s his favorite meal to make AND to eat. Plus we pretend that it’s real toads that we’re eating.“ You know what? Eatin’ toads with some cool kids sounds pretty fun. So grab your whisks, you Yankees, and ready yourself for a British breakfast invasion. Continue reading →
On behalf of Greenpointers Recipes Gone Wild, I spent last Saturday at the Food Book Fair Foodieodicals asking attendees to share with me the wildest thing they had ever eaten. Some of the answers were not too shocking, but most people’s wildest food stories were actually pretty incredible! I did a little photo documentation of the answers, which you can see on our facebook page, and I’ve kept anonymous the identities of those who participated (by way of some hand-painted animal masks, naturally). Special thanks to Rose D for helping me with the photography!
Happy Friday! Have you looked at your superfluous (but super cool-looking) wall of international clocks lately? Because it’s 5 o’ clock in Paris, comprenez-vous? The Manhattan Cocktail Classic, NYC’s celebration of all things boozy and bibulous, starts next week (I’ll drink to that) and there will even be a bit of Brooklyn representin’ on this side of the river. New York Distilling Company (located at 79 Richardson in Williamsburg), will be hosting a guinguettes-inspired, Parisienne-themed brunch at their distillery on Saturday, May 10, hosted by Allen Katz. But all brunches aside, why not cheers to the freakin’ weekend tonight by stirring up some lovely, springy cocktails chez vous? I asked Patrick Dacy, of Greenpoint’s own Duke’s Liquor Box, on Franklin, what sort of flavors he’s been into lately, and he sent over the specs for a gorgeous, little libation he’s deemed “Le Rana”— a nod to its mingling of French and Mexican spirits. Notes of wood, smoke, ripe fruit, and bitter quinine are brightened up with fresh citrus juice and a splash of crisp ginger beer. Allons-y! Vamos! Continue reading →
Cara Livermore of Chickpea Magazine, a vegan quarterly, talks about her passion.
Combine food with literature, and what do you get? Foodieodicals!
A festival within the three-day Food Book Fair, this event-within-an-event on Saturday (4/26) celebrated creative food publishing, featuring more than twenty inspiring culinary publications from across the globe.
About the Fair
The Third Annual Food Book Fair, running from April 25-27, brings together food enthusiasts, chefs, artists, writers, designers and publishers to celebrate the intersection between food culture and food systems. It is the brainchild of Elizabeth Thacker Jones. This year’s three-day fair spans a pop-up bookstore with more than 200 books, 20-plus food magazines, 60 visionaries, panel discussions, a film screening, pop-up brew pub and pop-up farm, an entrepreneurial resource clinic, and a second annual Pitch Competition.
Spring meditation exercise: Close your eyes. Picture yourself clothed in billowing white linen, ocean waves spanning before you, skin kissed by rays of golden sunlight. One hand holds a frosty piña colada, the other a frivolous periodical. You gently rake your outstretched toes through the warm, white sand. Ahhhhhhh, Key West. Wish you were here, my friends… SMACK! Yeah, I slapped you. Snap out of it! A) You’re still in freezing-cold New York and B) since you’re still in the city, I’m guessing you don’t have time to meditate. But one lucky Greenpointer, Yana Gilbuena, of the Salo Project, has escaped frigid NYC and is in that crazy city of Key West, kicking off her 50 states/50 dinners series tonight! In celebration, she shares with us her recipe for sinuglaw–a spicy ceviche of pork belly, cucumber, fresh tuna, and spices– a dish native to Davao, Philippines. Continue reading →
Libby rocking an official Greenpointers fanny pack!
GET YOUR GREENPOINTERS ZINE, T-SHIRTS & TOTES!!!
If you were able to pay us a visit at the Holiday Market yesterday, maybe you noticed our lovely Illustrator Libby (who made the amazing poster for the market!) – who was manning our table shaking guests down for $1 raffle tickets. Our Writer’s Fund is very healthy thanks to her skills of persuasion! Continue reading →
A friend of mine and I were just discussing which of our senses we could live without. After a bit of thinking I had settled on smell— a decision directly related to living in a city where ambient smells are cheap, plentiful, confusing, and often punishing as summer wears on. But it’s autumn now, thankfully, and the air is crisp (or it’s going to be soon? Next week? By Halloween?), and if I couldn’t smell I’d miss some of the best things about this season…leaf piles, wood stoves, hot apple cider, and fresh concord grapes!
