new address, same blog.

I’ll see you over at notenoughspoons.com. Au revoir!

Friday is Painting Day

Painting day went beautifully well, originally uploaded by ahemler.

Not only did I paint a lime, I also ate plenty of homemade guacamole, chips, smoothies, popcorn, and an English muffin with peanut butter and wildflower blossom honey. Indulgent.

It’s hard to blog when my stomach’s so full all the time. Between that and scholarly communication, internet, I will make time for you.

Cookware inspirations and a week without sugar.

Lately I’ve been staring at my 3 1/2 quart Le Creuset dutch oven lovingly, awaiting inspiration, simplicity—oh hell I basically just want the dutch oven to make something for me. Do I really have to sit around and wait for it to caramelize those onions or simmer those lentils? My impatience gets the best of me. So lately it’s been sitting. A fine cut of meat begs to be purchased; all the butchers of the West Village must be awaiting my pure, hungry little face, crying for a fine pork shoulder or—even better—pork belly. “Oh Allison, can’t you just purchase just one pound and try me out? I taste better than bacon, and you can actually eat me this week!”

Oh, right. I can’t eat bacon this week. Depends on where you purchase it I guess. For the past week I’ve been on a sugar fast. Don’t get too hyper yet. No processed sugar. No evaporated cane juice. None of that sugar cane shenanigans. Instead I’ve been eating fruit, and tiny portions of agave nectar or honey when I’m craving something to slightly sweeten my oatmeal or tea. This means I’ve had absolutely no pastries. No ice cream. No cake. No cookies. This is the first time in, well, ever, that I’ve given up sweets. It actually feels amazing among all the temptation. It’s beginning to feel unnecessary to ingest all of that deliciousness (sacrilegious maybe?). And along with all the exercising I’ve done, my body’s really loving me right now.

I attempted to cut out coffee at the same time. When your workplace sells only sugary pastries and coffee, you’re doomed. So, that will wait. After the sugar fast, dairy might be the next victim. This is some kind of experimental elimination diet without a doctor’s approval. So don’t start getting all high and mighty and telling me I should take it easy.

I know I should take it easy. It’s so difficult to not be hard on myself.

2008: The Year In Review

When our year began, I was employed full-time in a 9-5/8-8 office job managing administration & human resources for the Electric Sheep Company. And surprisingly enough, that lasted half the year, until I officially left on June 1 to do a month-long program at NYU in arts administration. I’m not sure exactly what I was thinking, quitting a FT job and throwing down $3500 on a program where the outcome and benefits to me were uncertain. While learning how to manage nonprofit finances and write grants, I met two amazing ladies from Germany and Turkey who became my first official overseas friends. I interviewed at a Chelsea gallery and for two positions at MoMA, only to realize a certification sometimes is not all it takes to get the job of your dreams (curses for not getting those four weeks of vacation).

When it came down to it, a girl can’t stay unemployed for long—and this was before the world officially declared its full-on recession. I joined the staff at Joe: The Art of Coffee in the West Village, and the rest is history. Serious Eats welcomed me with open arms even without a background in food writing or glamorous words for describing my meals. I came in with a beginner’s perspective on how everything works, and now I can declare myself the passionate, obsessed with simple ingredients, ice cream, French fries, and everything you loved as a child. (Not only, but during the summer I tried duck and rabbit for the first time, leading to my obsession with weird cuts of meat and butchering.)

I visited San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle for the first time, and ate at more take out spots, restaurants, and food trucks than you can shake a fist at.

And then I finally decided to attend graduate school in library science, with future plans of working in the field of digital archives.

Does none of this make sense to you or have any coherence or relevance? Of course not. This is the life of a girl who collects experiences, revels in meeting new people and forming new friendships, and thrives when life’s circumstances throw her in vastly different directions. I love where everything is going, and somehow I’ll combine every last one of my interests into a career where I’m like a walking encyclopedia. (In a way I already am, and I can’t begin to divulge how many people have asked me where “library science” even came from.) I can only say I’m predisposed to providing information where people need it most. And making sure there aren’t any unanswered questions.

Electric Pink Food (And An Obsession With Ricotta)

What do you get when you combine fresh pasta, shredded roasted beets, and ricotta cheese?

Why… pink pasta!

If you’ve ever eaten ricotta, you’ll know it goes with various foods. In the savory category we have pasta, roasted potatoes, any vegetable really, bread, crackers, chicken, God who knows what else. With the sweets, we have cheesecake, jam, muffins, sweet quick breads (ever tried it on banana bread?). It truly is one of my favorite foods (preferably in a whole milk version) due to its versatility, slightly tangy taste, and creaminess. I adore it in anything Italian. So I had these beets, and absolutely no red sauce, so I combined two of my favorite foods to make a very unrealistic-looking savory (yet sweet!) dish. Perfection.

Now that the temperature remains in the 30s outside, it’s perfect climate for making your own ricotta at home. A few months ago I attended a ricotta-making workshop with the ladies of Salvatore Bklyn, who inspired me greatly to go home and kick out a batch. Before grad school starts in three weeks, I’m setting a goal for myself to make at least a half-pound of homemade ricotta to share it with friends. And perhaps in celebration, a delicious ricotta-themed party. Now that I have a candy red dutch/French oven, massive amounts of braising and odd cuts of meet will enter my Jersey City home, ready to be made for others.

Happy New Year, all. A resolution is to post more tasty bites for you. You’ll be seeing more of me on Serious Eats: New York as the days and weeks progress into 2009.

Back in Action.

Thanks Adam for the mention today, even if you did get my name wrong.  I mean all we ever really shared was a few bites in Hoboken and my now favorite sundae in the world at Marco & Pepe.

I stopped by Momofuku Milk Bar yesterday evening in the midst of rush hour, and arrived without a single person in line.  It’s like this place was meant for me.  Without first reading the menu, I chose a few of the treats that stood out to me (and then the only cookie available).  Blondie Pumpkin Pie, Chocolate Chip Cake, Salted Pistachio Soft Serve, and a Peanut Butter Cookie.  My first bite into the blondie pumpkin pie was one of the most unexpected taste deliveries I’ve ever experienced.  While this pie is just enough pumpkin, the huge surprise was the crunchy caramel layer underneath the pumpkin concoction.  It’s all I could think about today since I woke up at 6 a.m.  The chocolate chip cake delivered an instant recognition of passion fruit, and I should probably take another taste to remind myself if there really is coffee buttercream in there.   This cake has the perfect amount of sugar, and just enough salt for you to tell it’s salted without tasting the granules (seriously, some of you bakeries need to stop using coarse salt in your baked goods).  I won’t say very much about the salted pistachio soft serve, which didn’t even feel like dessert to me.  I’ll just let Zach Brooks speak for me.

The peanut butter cookie grease came through the paper bag, so I knew I was in for something special.  Without feeling like it demands jelly, the cookie has enough peanut butter to be recognizable, without getting an immediate stomach ache from all the butter that must be in there.  While the ingredients are currently a mystery, I’ll say you’re most likely better off not eating the entire cookie in one sitting.  It’s probably the size of half my face—and at that, maybe at my thinnest weight.

Note: My card reader is MIA, so take a gander at my dear friend Serious Eats examination of the treats.

36 Hours Until Vacation

So, this coming Monday, I am leaving for a vacation to San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle.  I’ll be back in the NYC area on Thursday night the 13th, but between now and then you can expect updates from each city with some of the tasty bites I’ll be taking each day.  And if you have any suggestions–please do share.  Ciao!

Newsflash: Sugar and Butter Make Us Fat

I am currently making Monkey Bread from a Williams-Sonoma mix.  It incorporates a ridiculous amount of sugars and at least one stick of butter.  It has been painful to make because this is the reason why Americans overeat and get fat.  Yet I still can’t seem to dissuade myself from licking the spatula.  I have to make it tonight or else: Monday morning I am planning on bringing the masterpiece into the SE offices to get other people fat.  A picture to come in before midnight.

Update (10:12 p.m.): Holy crap.

Cafe La Rustique: Jersey City, NJ

Went to La Rustique at 611 Jersey Avenue in Jersey City (map) this afternoon. I’d heard a lot about it through posts on Serious Eats, but also some comments from my latest post on John’s Pizzeria. The weekend they opened, I got a slice, and enjoyed the crispy crust, but I was in a terrible mood at the time (going through a breakup) and any kind of pizza would’ve been sufficient.

This time around–I was not impressed. The sauce was not strong enough of tomatoes for my preference, and I could barely distinguish the fresh mozzarella. Crust is phenomenal, crispy yet chewy when need be. I’ll forgive the sauce/cheese issue based on the fact I had a slice instead of a pie. I don’t want a pizza that is overwhelmingly crust. I had enough carbs today; a girl needs her serving of vegetables.

Expect a full analysis at Serious Eats in the next few days to come.

Note: I’ve just started reading SE god Ed Levine’s book Pizza: A Slice of Heaven, and my life is changing with every page. Never think about pizza the same again.

Living Single, Eating for One

What's left. Not that tasty-looking, that's for sure.

First off, hello Serious Eats readers!

As someone who is recently single (though I believe I’m nearly always single), I realized I tend to cook a lot more than when I’m in a relationship–and also tend to eat larger portions.  When I make sauces and spreads I’ll usually make the same amount whether I’m cooking for one or two.  And half the time I’ll end up eating the entire portion by myself.

Case in point:  This evening I made a hand-chopped pesto on the cutting board with purple basil.  First I chopped the basil, then chopped in the garlic, then walnuts, then salt and pepper, and then folded in olive oil until I reached the desired consistency.  (It was delicious in case you’re wondering.) I poached a chicken breast in chicken stock and balsamic vinegar, then mixed it with caramelized onions. Then stirred it all together, chopped up a green heirloom tomato.. done. Beautiful dinner.

Conclusions:

1. I would’ve never made this dish if I was cooking for someone else. Would you experiment on someone else, knowing he might be skeptical of what you produce? Perhaps this is what’s led to all of my breakups in the past 3 years (there’s been 3 failed relationships in that time).

2. If I was making this for someone else, I would’ve used the same amount of onions and pesto, but double the chicken breast. Therefore leading to less caramelized goodness, less garlic, less excitement.

Which leads me to believe that cooking for one is way better than cooking for two. You’re never really setting out to impress yourself, but when you do, you realize pleasing yourself when you cook is of utmost importance. (At least when you are single, childless, and in your mid-twenties.)