Focaccia Pizza

Like all good pizza- this one started with the dough.

Baking is not my strong suit, but the Shockingly Easy No-Knead Focaccia recipe from Bon Appétit was calling my name. What could go wrong.

Did I have to remake the dough three separate times? Yes.

Was doing so entirely avoidable? Yes.

But was it worth it every ill conceived second? Also yes. (Learn from my mistakes: test your yeast + and don’t forget to add salt!)

For the bread:

For full instructions, see here.

• ¼-oz. envelope active dry yeast (about 2¼ tsp.)

• 2 tsp. honey

• 5 cups (625 g) all-purpose flour

• 5 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1 Tbsp. Morton kosher salt

• 6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided, plus more for hands

• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus more for pan

• Flaky sea salt

• 2-4 garlic cloves

For the toppings:

• tomato sauce

• shredded mozzarella (I used Tillamook)

• fresh mozzarella

• thinly sliced onion

• basil

• cooked hot sausage

Upstate Chicken & Salt Potatoes

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Grilled Chicken & Summer Pasta Salad

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Hilton Head Island

Lazy Morning Dutch Baby

There's nothing I love more than finding a recipe that is not only delicious, but simple in every sense of the word. Normally I avoid recipes like the plague. Seems an awful lot like someone telling me what to do & defiance has always been my strong suit.

Baking of any sort leaves me no choice. Often times, even when following a recipe the results leave much to be desired. When in doubt, I google the name of whatever I want to make and add "Martha Stewart" to the end. She usually has videos. 

I'd seen pictures of this giant fluffy pancake-like creation floating around the internet for weeks & I knew I had to hunt down.

The beauty of this is that most of the ingredients you'll have hiding somewhere in your kitchen at any given time. No real foresight necessary- making it the perfect lazy Sunday morning go-to. 

• 2 tbsp Butter (plus more for on top, obviously)

• 1/2 cup Flour

• 1/4 cup Sugar

• 3/4 cup Milk

• 3 Eggs

• 1 tsp Vanilla

• Pinch of Salt

• Lemon

• Powdered Sugar

• Berries for topping

• Cast Iron Skillet

Set your oven to 425. Melt a pat (or three) of butter in your skillet & pop it in the oven to melt while it preheats. 

In the meantime throw your milk, flour, sugar, vanilla, and eggs in the blender and give a whirl. 

When you're sure it's combined, pull your skillet out of the oven & pour the mixture over the melted butter.

When the oven is finished pre-heating, pop the batter filled skillet right back in for about 20 minutes until it firms up & starts to brown. Don't worry if it puffs up & looks like it's about spill over. It'll deflate once you pull it out.

Once out of the oven, rub a "healthy" amount of butter over the top, add your berries, a squeeze of lemon, & shake on some powdered sugar. 

Take some time to admire your handiwork...

And dig in.

The perfect bite. 

The last piece disappeared shortly after this picture was taken...no need to worry about what to do with leftovers.  

Once finished, you'll need to go directly outside to take a nap on the grass and finish off your Sunday by doing absolutely nothing. 

You successfully followed a recipe. You deserve it. 

What do your "Lazy Sundays" look like? 

DIY: Ping Pong Lights

I love a good DIY. But ever come across those projects that seem like a good idea until you realize they either cost you a fortune, took forever, ended up looking like shit…or worse, all the above?

Thankfully, this is not one of those projects.

The whole thing costs around $10 and can be done in just as many minutes. Similar products out there cost at least double that. Not to mention, you get only a fraction of the lights and zero of the satisfaction that comes with telling everyone you made them yourself.

What You’ll Need:

-String Lights

-Ping Pong Balls

-Scalpel or X-ACTO Knife

String Lights

While you can get these lights pretty much anywhere around Christmas time, I found the big box hardware stores like Lowes and Home Depot have them for cheapest. I got mine at Lowes- they have a string of 100 lights for just under $2. They have a choice of green or white wire, depending on how you plan to string your lights. (Green will blend into your Christmas tree.)

Ping Pong Balls

The beauty of this project is the cheaper the quality of the ping pong balls, the better. Thinner plastic just means more light shining through. You can’t beat Amazon who has 144 of them for $8.

Scalpel or X-acto Knife

I happened to have a surgical scalpel laying around that worked perfectly, but any sharp knife will really do. Keep in mind, the smaller and sharper the blade, the easier the project will be. An X-ACTO knife would be ideal. With the 40% off coupon on the Michaels app, you can get yourself one for around $3. Worth it.

How To:

The process of making these lights couldn’t be easier. Just use the knife to score a small “x“ into the ping pong ball, then slide the light bulb right in. I suggest for the sake of efficiency, making all your X’s in the balls first before stringing them. If you make your X too small the bulb won’t fit, too big and the ping pong balls will slide off. Once you get the hang of it, the whole string shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.

inspiration:

Try these lights on your tree- either by themselves or add some contrast by stringing them up with smaller traditional lights.

While these lights beg to be used as Christmas decorations, don’t stop there. The possibilities are endless and can add character to any space year round.

They even act as a great prop for impromptu photoshoots.

My lights, but not my child.

Give it a go, leave me a comment or send me pictures of how you they turned out!

Winter Blues? 5 Ways to Ease Into the Gardening Off Season

It’s that time of year in upstate New York. Temperatures are dropping as fast as the leaves and days are noticeably shorter. While it’s nearly impossible to ignore the beauty of the foliage reaching its peak color, it’s just as difficult to ignore the cold stretch looming around the corner.

The change in seasons can bring out the winter blues in anyone, but the feelings are often intensified for gardeners who are left with a void as the growing season draws to an end.

Luckily, there are some ways to ease your way in.

Plant a Transitional Garden

One of the easiest ways to prolong your growing season is by planting a variety of vegetables that will be harvested at different times. Peppers are a great choice because although planted in early spring along with other vegetables like tomatoes, they take longer to bear fruit. Once your tomato plants show the first signs of slowing down, it’ll be time for your pepper plants to take their rightful place on your table. But beware: peppers are heat loving plants and are very sensitive to the cold. The plants will wilt at the first sign of frost, so make sure to harvest any lingering fruit to prevent a ruined crop.

Lettuce and other leaf vegetables are a great choice to plant late in the season due to their quick harvest times. Choose a handful of seed varieties that have a low number of “days to maturity” and boast resistance to cold temperatures. Some cold hardy spinach varieties are known to stay crisp and tender long after the first frost and stay so even under a coat of snow. Arugula is another great addition to your transitional garden and can add some much needed freshness to your plate throughout late fall. It earned its nickname “rocket” from its impressively quick growing rate and ability to sprout within just five days of planting.   

Take It Indoors

Once you’ve accepted that all good things come to an end and your days of outdoor gardening are temporarily over, it’s time to take your green thumb indoors. Fresh herbs are greatly missed in the off season, and there is nothing more heartbreaking than paying $3.99 for herbs you had in your backyard all summer. Remedy this by bringing them inside. Herbs such as rosemary and basil are easily propagated from cuttings. Within a relatively short amount of time you can have new plant growing on your windowsill. Simply place the cuttings in water for a few weeks until they begin to grow roots, then plant them in some potting soil and watch them take off. Remember: while basil cuttings will sprout roots within a few weeks, rosemary cuttings can take up to a few months to get started- so be patient.

Another way to bring your green thumb indoors is by expanding your house plant collection. House plants are a great way to breathe life into every room year round.  If you are already an avid “house planter”, consider taking on a new variety or finding larger home for some of the rootbound plants you already have. Hesitant about indoor plants? You’re not alone. Many outdoor gardeners are unsure of their ability to keep plants alive without the help of Mother Nature. Keep an eye out for low maintenance species such as spider and snake plants that tolerate (and even thrive on) neglect.

Get A jump start on Next Year

When all else fails, spend some time getting yourself ready for a successful upcoming season.

Come spring, you’ll want to be focused on your actual garden- not on cleaning up your potting shed. Once your garden has been officially closed for the season, prepare your beds for the long winter ahead. Supplement your soil with organic fertilizer such as manure and cover with a thick layer of mulch like leaves or straw. This will replenish your soil with much needed nutrients for the upcoming growing season while blocking out weeds that will be eager to sprout at the first sign of spring. The warm snaps throughout the winter, though few and far between, are a great time to rebuild any raised beds that might need tending to, fix holes in your fencing, and to create an overall plan of action for spring.

Take time to start or update your gardening journal. Map out next years garden and decide what are you going to plant and where. Go over what worked for you this past year and what didn’t while it’s fresh in your mind. Take the opportunity to learn from your mistakes and do some research on everything from pruning and maintenance to soil and sun requirements. While it’s impossible to avoid all gardening mistakes, you can certainly avoid at least a few with a little winter research.

Light at the End of the Tunnel

As hard as it is watching your garden turn from green to brown, there’s something beautiful in knowing that it’s only temporary- like everything else in life.  

While it’s tempting to be envious of those who enjoy more moderate climates and year round harvests, the change of seasons gift us a natural break and allows our excitement to be renewed come spring- which will be back before we know it.

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.”

— Anne Bradstreet

Smashbook: Wanderlust

Big Sur, California

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Wodapoloza 2018, Miami

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Is it nice knowing you're without question the least fit person in a sea of 3,000 people? No.

But did that motivate me to go home and get in shape? Also no.

Summer Clams in White Wine

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So far as I can tell, one of life's simplest and greatest pleasures is eating outside on a beautiful summer day. Nothing says summer like seafood, and nothing goes with seafood like pasta. So grab a bottle (or two) of white, and make these for someone you're looking to impress without putting in any actual effort. 

Brick House (Brick Veneer Wall)

Much like bacon, brick just makes everything better. 

Unfortunately I have a little bit of a "champagne taste on a beer budget" type of situation here, and buildings with brick tend to fall a ways out of our current price range.

Lucky there's hope for us all. It's called brick veneer. 

*Thin Brick Image*

What you end up getting is all the charm and benefits of brick with  ̶n̶o̶ less hassle. They're basically the Budlight of brick- lighter, cheaper, and they get the job done. 

It's exceedingly rare to find a project that is not only forgiving of imperfections and fuck-ups, but will actually enhance it. 

The beauty of this project is any idiot with a wall and a free weekend can do it. Take us for example. 

You'll also need mortar, a troewl or two, wood spacers, tile saw, and beer. Lots of beer. 

1. Order Brick. After shopping around a bit, we went with the Old Chicago Rosse brick from Home Depot. Taking into account price + square foot coverage per box, this made the most sense. *Koni Box Image*

2. Lay out pattern, cut brick. This was the most time consuming part. After choosing your pattern, measure and lay out a few rows of brick.

3. Apply Mortar. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.

4. Lay Brick.

5. Grout.

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Here's the wall before. Thoroughly underwhelming, no?

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Prosciutto & Egg Piadina

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Thai Mussels

Mussels in a coconut curry broth with plenty of crusty bread for dunking. 

To be honest Thai flavors have never really been on my radar until a recent trip to Flex Mussels where I saw the light. I was a little hesitant when the waiter told us their Thai mussels were their most popular...but Phuket, right? 

We followed his recommendation & I've never been less disappointed in my life. 

Fast forward a month & I'm still daydreaming about these things. So what else to do than jack the flavor profile from their online menu & make my own.

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, no?

Don't be like me & let the idea of cooking mussels intimidate you. Not only are they quite impressive to those who don't actually have a clue how exceedingly simple they are to make, but they can be whipped up in less than 20 minutes & are cheap as hell to boot. 

Here's what you'll need: 

• Mussels

• Ginger & Garlic (minced)

• Broth (chicken or vegetable)

• Unsweetened coconut milk

• Lemongrass

• Red curry paste

• Lime juice

• Wheat Beer (or white wine, if you prefer)

• Chopped Cilantro (optional but recommended) & Crusty Bread (mandatory)

First thing you're going to want to do is clean & debeard your mussels. If that sounds extremely unsettling to you, you're not alone.

The good news is it's not as bad as it sounds. The even better news is that if your mussels are farm raised, you have good chance of not having to "debeard" a damn thing.  

Just in case though- Serious Eats gifted us with a foolproof guide. 

As far as I can tell, there are really only two real steps in cooking mussels:

1. Concoct a delicious broth.

2. Add your mussels, cover & wait for them to pop open. 

Doesn't get much easier than that. 

Start by sauteing some chopped ginger & garlic in oil until fragrant, stir in a dollop of both red curry paste and lemongrass, then let that cook together for a minute. Deglaze the pan with about half a bottle of beer and a splash of broth & let it simmer away while the flavors marinate.

Taste & confirm that you're on the right track. 

Now it's time for the coconut milk. 

I had never cooked with coconut milk so I wasn't sure what to expect. I just dumped in the entire can & didn't regret it one bit. It gave the broth a thick creaminess that you really can't get from heavy cream or anything of the like, so don't skip out! 

Add the juice from a lime (or two).

Give the broth another taste & make sure the flavors are to your liking.

I'm usually quite generous when it comes to salt, but when I'm cooking mussels or clams I try to show some restraint. Once they begin to open up, a brine is released which naturally salts your broth and leaves you with very little need for any additional.

A little pepper never hurt anyone though. (Okay, and maybe a little more salt.)

Time for the mussels. 

Add them to your broth in one even layer & cover. The best part about cooking mussels is that they tell you when they're done. Once a majority of your mussels pop open (about 6-7 minutes), remove your pan from the heat. Give your covered mussels a shake to help the stragglers along. Remove the stubborn ones that are clamping shut for dear life. Actually it's the exact opposite...this means they were dead on arrival.

Seriously, toss em. 

Now crack yourself (another) beer, garnish with some cilantro & and dig in.

Oh & don't forget the buttery, crusty bread. It might actually be the most important part. 

Throw an artery-clogging amount of butter in a skillet, add the sliced bread & simmer away until the bottom is crisp. Flip & repeat.

Tip: I've found the best type of bread to use for this is the day old sliced ciabatta or another artisan bread which you can usually get for a fraction of the price.

Yes.

...just yes.

Bottom line is this... go to Flex Mussels.

Eat their ridiculous food. Then come home & make your own. 

Goat Cheese Wontons with Blueberry Honey

Like most, I've always been a fan of all things deep fried & wonton wrappers happen to provide the perfect vehicle for doing so.  

Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it), I've just recently discovered the life-changing combination of cheese & honey. 

So why not have them join forces to create the perfect nibble of sweet & savory.

And crunchy.

And creamy.

And tangy.

 And slightly spicy. 

Okay, you get it.

Here's what you'll need: 

• Wonton Wrappers
• Goat Cheese
• Blueberries
• Lemon
• Honey (local if possible)
• Red Pepper Flakes
• Vegetable or Canola oil for frying

Dollop your goat cheese right in the middle of the wrapper and add a couple flakes of red pepper. Dip your finger in a little but of water to run across the edges & seal shut into a triangle.

Like so...

Once you're finished wrapping your pretty little packages, stick those babies in the freezer for a little bit. 20 minutes will save you the disappointment of helplessly watching the cheese ooze from the seams & into the hot oil which then splatter all over everything you own.

Or just learn your lesson the hard way like I did.

In batches, add to hot oil & fry until golden brown.

If planning ahead is something you're into, you can make the blueberry honey quite a bit before you actually need it & store it in the fridge. 

Or if you're like me, just do it while your wontons are sizzling away.

All you need to do is dump a handful of blueberries in a small saucepan and add enough honey to cover them. Let the berries simmer on low while they start to burst and pass on their color & flavor to the honey. 

Pour the berry mixture through a sieve & add a squeeze of lemon to your strained honey.  

Since you can't have cheese & honey without wine, I suggest pouring yourself a tall glass while you inhale your wontons. 

The classic pairing for goat cheese is usually Sauvignon Blanc, but I took a hard left and went with a Cabernet Sauvignon because, well...that's all I had. 

Drizzle on your honey or just dunk those suckers right in. Personally, I did both. 

While these little nibbles are a delicious & reliable combination, the options for stuffing wontons are seriously endless. 

Try these ones out & let me know how it goes...or give me some recommendations on how you like to stuff yours! 

Fridays are for Shucking

Shellfish is my new thing. Oysters, crab, shrimp, lobster, clams (in that order)...you name it. It all stemmed from my love of cocktail sauce.  Since eating it by the spoonful seemed rather uncouth, I had no real choice but to learn to love it's acceptable vehicles. But I digress. 

Mussels have always have been hit or miss for me. I could eat gravel if it was bathed in a delicious enough broth, but the texture of mussels themselves have always fallen a little flat for me.

Until now that is. 

Enter Flex Mussels. A friend of mine had heard great things about the place so we decided to check it out. Up until this point mussels weren't exactly my go-to, but I was on board solely for the oysters & cocktails. (Specifically "the one with the spicy tequila") 

The place itself was smaller than I imagined, but despite the amount of people there (always a good sign), it never felt crowded (another plus). 

After a drink at the bar, we were brought past the galley style bar area where the restaurant opened up into the dining room. 

The menu was split into two parts. "Mussels" and "Not Mussels". Simple enough. 

Before we dove into the mussel selection, we started off with some oysters & burnt fingers (fried calamari, shrimp, & oysters with a spicy aioli for dipping). Both fabulous choices. 

Now on to the main event. The list of mussels was quite extensive and included every possible flavor profile you could possibly imagine. 

Sure, there were the one's you'd expect- Classic (white wine,garlic) & and Fra diavlo. But that's just the start. From Mexican (think chorizo & adobo) to Italian (red wine & roasted garlic), to Southern (ham, dijon, corn & bourbon) and everything in between. 

Narrowing it down to one was out of the question, so the four of us decided to share. 

Classic. White Wine, herbs, garlic.

Parma. Parmigiano cream, lemon, scallions, toasted garlic, shallots.

Puglia. White beans, chorizo, tuscan kale.

And the crowd favorite...

THAI. Coconut curry broth, lemongrass, kaffir lime, coriander, lime, ginger, garlic.

Above are the Thai. None of us had ever tried anything with that type of flavor profile but the server said that was one of their most popular, so who were we not to try them. Any my god were they delicious!

As if things couldn't get any better...DONUTS. I very rarely save room for dessert, but there was no way these were passing me by.