recipe

the cheese list.

in ,
{my favorite cheeses and how i like them}



fresh mozzarella
in the summer
by the pool
on a sandwich with tomatoes and basil
from mum's garden


smokey gouda + pepper jack
in mac&cheese




cypress hill midnight moon
by itself


swiss emmental
in fondue

on a cold winter evening
with some apples and grapes to dip


chimay
{yes! as in the beer!}
at a picnic
on the tanglewood or ravinia grounds


cheese whiz
on a triscuit
at summer camp
after lights out


epoisses berthault
on a rich buttery cracker
as an afternoon snack
{when i have a spare twenty dollars}



fried mozzarella
dipped in red sauce
at the back of a smokey jazz club


saganaki!
opa!!!


brie
baked
and with wine
after a benjamin britten opera
at lorin maazel's farm in virginia


port salut
to bring me wayyy back,
when a three year old me would
send mum to the store just for this cheese




{...and when i don't like cheese}


-at receptions when it's served in cubes along side crackers. 
it's always such a game to see how one really does get equal proportions of cheese and cracker. it's just so impractical! i realize cubes probably look better than slices, but, people, let's be real. i'm done fighting with my cheese.


-when it slides off of my koronet pizza after the first bite. 


-cottage cheese. BLECH.


-when my poor blocks of pecorino romano get mold :-( r.i.p.

nevertheless...




i love cheese!!
you got any faves??


xoxo




yeh


red velvet whoopie pies

in ,
these. are. so. good.
if i were still in elementary school, i'd want THESE in my princess lunch box.
make them right now.

mum and i used this recipe:

ingredients

1 1/2 cups of sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil
1 ounce red food coloring
1 ounce water
2 tablespoons cocoa
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon of really good (not that mccormick shit, trust me) vanilla
1 cup buttermilk
3 1/2 cups flour
1 tablespoon vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

filling

3 egg whites
3 teaspoons vanilla
6 tablespoons flour
3 tablespoons milk
2 1/4 cups butter flavored shortening
5 cups powdered sugar
a pinch of salt

directions
(or as friend craig calls them, "clues")

1. combine cocoa, food coloring and water.
2. set aside to dissolve.
3. blend together oil, sugar & eggs.
4. add food coloring mixture.
5. combine buttermilk, salt & vanilla.
6. add to mixture.
7. add flour.
8. dissolve soda in vinegar.
9. fold into batter.
10. drop with an ice cream scoop onto parchment on cookie sheets.
11. bake about 10 minutes at 350.
12. fill with whoopie pie filling.

filling:
1. beat egg whites until stiff.
2. add vanilla, flour & milk and beat well.
3. add shortening, sugar & salt
4. whip on high speed for 3-5 minutes
5. poke your finger in and taste...



i'm convinced.
whoopie pies are the cupcakes of the new decade.


xoxo


yeh

24 hours in jacksonville

in , , ,

after my thanksgiving in tampa,
i headed up to jacksonville
to visit one of my very best friends,

aziz
{a.k.a. z }

we had exactly 24 hours from the time he picked me up in tampa
until my flight back to new york.
here is what we did...

17:00 pound red bulls
{for we shall be awake for all 24 hours}

18:00 on the road...

19:00 interview z
for the upcoming post,
"the zinterview"

20:00 first stop in jacksonville, whole foods
for some mac and cheese supplies

the finalists:

port salut
pepper jack
jasper hill clothbound cheddar
midnight moon
grés des vosges
romano

21:00 begin mac and cheese production.
mac and cheeze with aziz has been somewhat of a tradition
ever since i was in high school,
ever since we realized how well "cheese"
rhymes with "aziz"

22:00 mac, you are dunzo
yes, that is applewood smoked bacon
and
no, you are not kosher


bachelor + first house = no furniture =
picnic!

23:00 seconds on the mac, please.
add count basie as needed

00:00 midnight xylophone

1:00 attempts at staying awake for all 24 hours fail miserably.

11:00 brunch at brick

12:00 still at brick...

13:00 still at brick...

as the conversation has unfortunately been plagued by political discussion.
fyi
me + politics = bad.
me + z + politics = run for your life.

14:00 z shows me his new work place!
{jacksonville symphony's concert hall!}

right on the water!


15:00 i get a tambourine lesson

16:00 snackees at the airport
(does anyone else like airport food?)



17:00 bye bye, z! bye bye, florida!
{hello, holiday season...}



xoxo


yeh