post holiday beverages

It's been quite the holiday week here at the Urban Whisk. Now that we're back in NYC, relaxing & enjoying a day of pajamas - I have to post about this certainly edible wedding gift we got a few weeks ago. 

4 delicious bottles of wine ( 2 red, 2 white) from Ventosa Vineyards in upstate NY. Our reds are already gone, so I chilled the white today. YUM. Cheers!! 

I'm a sucker for kitchen accessories

While making icing last weekend, I had to separate eggs. I did pretty well if I do say so myself. But it wasn't easy. And it was def. messy. 

So today at Target (while waiting for 3 prescriptions!! damn sinus infection) I wandered to the kitchen section and found this, the wonderful egg separator. There's a hook on the back to hang from the side of a bowl. I think for now I'm done with making icing & decorating cookies, but I know this will come in handy! 

My favorite breakfast

Since living here in NYC I have fallen in LOOOVE with the wonderful weekend meal that is : Brunch. Seriously, is there anything better than eggs available from 11- 2 on the weekends?? I think not. 

One of my favorite places to have brunch here is Yuca Bar. I love their brunch menu & yummy drinks as well. 

For Thanksgiving...I wanted to find a recipe for making my most favorite brunch meal - Huevos Rancheros. I went a head with this recipe from the Food Network. Tho, instead of 12 tortillas, I think I only used 4 or 6, there is only 2 of us. It was simple to fry the tortillas and assemble everything together. YUM. 

Instead of pics, here's some lovely video thanks to you tube of our breakfast. It's not exactly a pretty breakfast - but it tastes delicioius! I highly suggest it for any upcoming holidays, weekend or not. Pajamas optional... 

Cookie Making

Thanks to some Pillsbury dough in plain Sugar & Gingerbread, we made cookies tonight.  This is the finished product. More pics over on Flickr. 

It's really not Christmas until Christmas cookies are made! And, near the end of cookie making, we found Meet Me in St. Louis on TV. One of my favorite Holiday movies! 

I used Martha Stewart's royal icing recipe: 1lb confectionary sugar & 2 egg whites. Yummy stuff. 

What kind of things do you do to welcome the holiday season? 

SUCCESS

I'm happy to report that I completed my holiday mission and bought some overpriced christmas cookie cutters at Williams Sonoma this week. I got all the way home (about 30min on a crowded rush hour subway...) only to realize I don't own a rolling pin. Doh! 

Can't really roll out dough with no rolling pin. 

So after a busy week of a broadway play, a winter themed Cirque show & a sorority alumnae holiday party (in short no home cooked meals this week, sorry honey) I really wanted a rolling pin. Where oh where to go on a busy Friday night? BLOOMINGDALES! 

I give you - the Calphalon Pastry Set. Touches of pink make it fun. Large Rolling Mat, Dough Blender, Serving Knife and of course - the Rolling Pin. 

Snow falling outside this weekend, gingerbread making inside! Pics to follow...

Holiday Mission

I'm in need of Cookie Cutters. 

After a childhood where we had a whole drawer in the kitchen with cookie cutters, alas I have none in my apt. Sad really. 

There's pre-made store-bought gingerbread dough on the door of the fridge just waiting for some! 

I think Chelsea Market may have but I'm not sure. Target doesn't I looked last time I was there. William Sonoma? Perhaps. I want the huge selection like at the Moravian Bookshop in Bethlehem!! 

They say you can find anything in the big city...we'll see about the cookie cutters this week! 

Where do I get my food?

I get asked this a lot - by non-urban dwellers. Mostly they ask about the deal with my 'stove' but that's another post. 

"Where DO city ppl get their food? Do you eat out/order in every night? "

Well duh - we DO have supermarkets & small markets and no we don't always eat out, sometimes we cook!

I have a really great large Supermarket & a gourmet market both within walking distance. Usually we make it a Sunday errand to stock up for the week so we're not stopping by after work. So here's how it usually breaks down. 

Gourmet Store - meats, cheeses, olives, fruit & produce, nutella, chocolate and anything 'special' there are a lot of ethnic foods here I can't wait to try both freshly made & pre-packed. 

Supermarket - milk, cereal, eggs, pantry items, anything in a box/can. There is a fairly good tasting 'organic' brand that our supermarket sells which I try to buy a lot of. Snacks from here usually too. Coffee since we have an awesome coffeemaker. 

So yes - you can find enough to keep a kitchen full here in the city! 

The Other White Meat

 

I got this recipe from a great cookbook: Everyday Food: Great Food Fast from the Martha Stewart Living Mag. A great paperback book with simple easy to follow recipes along with great pictures.  Broken down by season this is a great great book. It really is quick and easy. A great work week dinner! 

Crispy Apricot Pork Chops

serves 4 - prep time 10 minutes - total time 30min

1 Tablespoon olive oil - plus more for baking sheet

2 slice multi grain sandwich bread

4 bone in pork loin chops (about 8 oz each, 3/4 to 1 inch thick) patted dry

Coarse salt & fresh ground pepper

4 teaspoons apricot jam

1.  Preheat oven to 425F. (I used my convection toaster oven!!) Brushed a rimmed backing sheet with oil, set aside. 

2. Tear the bread into large pieces; place in food processor. Pulse until large crumbs form. (I tore up the bread into smaller pieces as I have no food processor) Drizzle with the oil; pulse once or twice, just until the crumbs are moistened. (You should have about 1 1/2 cups remaining)

3. Season the pork chops generously with salt and pepper; spread one side of each chop with 1 teaspoon jam. Dividing evenly, sprinkle the bread crumbs over the jam, and pat them on gently. 

4. Transfer the pork, coated side up, to the prepared baking sheet. Bake until the crust is golden and the pork is opaque throughout (the meat should register 150F on an instant-read thermometer) 14 to 16 minutes. Serve immediately. 

I paired it with some grilled asparagus. I used my always reliable George Foreman grill. I made a simple oil based 'dressing' for the veggies. Some olive oil, lemon juice, black pepper and garlic. I spread it on the asparagus while grilling. Smelled SO good. And tasted great too. As noted by the 'clean plate club'! 

For more pics click here...

Getting To Know Me

How do you like your eggs? "Dippy" as we say in my family aka over-easyish 
How do you take your coffee/tea? Coffee with plenty of the sweet stuff & tea with a little bit
Favorite breakfast food: Waffles, Bacon, fresh fruit, mimosa & coffee
Peanut butter: Crunchy!
What kind of dressing on your salad? Balsamic Vinaigrette or Ranch
Coke or Pepsi? Diet Coke
You’re feeling lazy. What do you make?  Penne & Red Sauce.  Minute Rice with organic canned Black Beans. Really lazy (and there's nothing in the house) -- cereal or PB&J
You’re feeling really lazy. What kind of pizza do you order? Oh...thick Sicillian or fresh Margarita. Or just cheese from the closest pizza place here. 

You feel like cooking. What do you make? Dinner probably. Typically chicken parm of sorts and a green veggie on the side. 
Do any foods bring back good memories? Doll Birthday Cake (obvious) McDonald's Breakfasts (family road trips) and Corn Flakes (the last meal I ate with my dear grandpa!)
Do any foods bring back bad memories? Fish - I watched too many fresh caught fish be cleaned as a kid, never a pretty site! 
Do any foods remind you of someone? Cookies & Cake - grandma always baked. 
Is there a food you refuse to eat? Hmmmm...eel?? Can't do it! 
What was your favorite food as a child? Cheerios! Veggies - loved them raw.
Is there a food that you hated as a child but now love? Parm. Cheese. 
Is there a food that you loved as a child but now hate? Hmm. 
Favorite fruit & vegetable: Not a big melon fan - but just about everything else I love
Favorite junk food: Hostess Choc. Cupcakes, Cookie Dough, Diet Coke, Sour Cream & Onion chips with dip.
Favorite between meal snack: Raw almonds, triscuits
Do you have any weird food habits? I'm very particular about cheese. Yes to grilled cheese sandwiches, baked zitti, lasagna, sliced and or melted on crackers, fried motzerella, but no to nachos, mac & cheese and the laughing cow kind.
You’re on a diet. What food(s) do you fill up on? Veggies & Fruits probably.
You’re off your diet. Now what would you like? CARBS! 
How spicy do you order Indian/Thai? No spice
Can I get you a drink? Fruit juices. Orange, Cran..so refreshing! 
Red wine or white? Yes Please!
Favorite dessert? Favorite? Anything with fruit inside, choc cake or a good thick slice of NY Cheesecake
The perfect nightcap? Milk or tea & a few cookies. 

Ta-Da!

After a Thanksgiving weekend "feast" and a week of thinking about a cute name...the Urban Whisk is born! 

(the KitchenAid Cook for The Cure Utility Whisk, in Pink of course!)