North 7th & Bedford

Brunch!

September 1, 2014 2 Comments

Having a backyard has always been important to Spencer and I. We love hosting, having a little sanctuary and being able to enjoy a meal outside.

This holiday weekend we decided to stay home and make a delicious brunch together. On the menu:

Sweet Italian Sausage & Cherry Tomato Frittata
Paprika Potato Medley
Arugula, Beet and Parmesan Salad

Sweet Italian Pork Sausage & Cherry Tomato Frittata (serves 4)

2 Sweet Italian Pork Sausages
4 Eggs
4 Egg Whites
1 tbsp of Half & Half
1 cup of Cherry Tomatoes
1/4 cup of fresh Basil
1/2 cup of finely grated Parmesan
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
In a small frying pan cook sausages (remove casing) until they are nice and brown. Make sure to crumble with a wooden spoon.
While sausage is cooking, crack 4 eggs and 4 egg whites into a bowl. Add 1 tbs of half and half and beat for a few minutes.
Add fresh basil, grated parmesan and salt and pepper to eggs and mix well. Set aside.
Slice cherry tomatoes in half and place in a greased 9″ x 7″ pan.
Drain grease from sausage and add crumbled sausage to pan.
Pour egg mixture in pan and bake for 40 minutes.

Paprika Potato Medley (serves 4)

1 lbs of mixed Potatoes (I like to use Trader Joe’s gold, red, purple “Potato Medley”)
1/4 cup of Olive Oil
1 tbsp of Sea Salt
1 tsp of Paprika
1 tsp of Garlic powder
1 tsp of fresh ground Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut the potatoes in quarters and place in a bowl with cold water. Soak for about 15-20 minutes. You can soak overnight to get crispier potatoes
Dry potatoes and place in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, pepper, and paprika; toss until the potatoes are well coated.
Transfer potatoes to a sheet pan and spread out into 1 layer.
Roast in the oven for 45 minutes or until browned and crisp.

Arugula, Beet and Parmesan Salad (serves 4)

4 cups Arugula
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 cup Beets
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Place Arugula in a large bowl and mix in olive oil, sea salt, and lemon juice.
Top with beets and parmesan.

When it comes to sea salt I like to use Sal de Ibiza. You can find it here and add to your own dishes!

Style

One of my favorite things to do in NYC is people watch. What I never realize is that sometimes people are watching me too. Spencer and I were asked to take street style photos this weekend. Here is the outcome…

Photo by Jing Chen

Home

#PledgeToPlant

March 9, 2014 No Comments

Yesterday was the first “No Coat” day we’ve had this year in NYC. Obviously, the city was crowded with happy New Yorkers taking in the the sunshine. Our FOMO helped us get out of bed and hit the streets in very little layers.

First stop was the Union Square Farmers Market on 14th Street. The Union Square Farmers Market is a great place to pick up some local produce, cheese, meat and beautiful flowers. There are also some great community booths like Seeds of Change who were there yesterday to promote their grant program. Founded in 1989, their mission is “to make organically grown seeds available to gardeners and farmers, while preserving rare heirloom and traditional seed varieties, and promoting sustainable organic agricultural practices”. Sounds pretty amazing to me!

This year Seeds of Change is giving away $190,000 in the form of two $20,000 grants and fifteen $10,000 grants to communities and school gardens around the country. The grants will be awarded to programs that “demonstrate their ability to enhance the environmental, economic, and social well-being of gardens, farms, farmers and communities”. In addition, Seeds of Change is also awarding fifty individual prizes of $550 to people, like you and me, to help start a garden in their very own backyard! All you have to do is make a #PledgeToPlant on social media.

Spencer and I walked off with a stack of free 100% Certified Organic seed packets of Muskmelon, Pinecrest Lettuce, Beefsteak Tomato, Dill, Snow Peas, Basil, Spinach and Sunflowers!

If you’re lucky enough to have a backyard in NYC, or anywhere in the country, are a teacher, student or just someone who loves growing your own food please apply here to the Seeds of Change Grant. It’s such an amazing opportunity to create a healthier and more sustainable community!

Home

Baking Sunday

February 10, 2014 No Comments

Sundays are my favorite for a few reasons: I get to sleep in, make a huge breakfast I have no time for during the week, cuddle with Schiap and bake whatever I’m craving in the moment.

Today it’s almond-meal-chocolate-chip-coconut cookies. I made these a few times at the start of winter and brought them into the office. My co-workers loved them! So, tomorrow I think they’ll be pleasantly surprised when I bring in this new batch to kick off our last week of insanity before the RL Fall 2014 Runway show…

From The Sprouted Kitchen cookbook by Sara Forte.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups almond meal
1/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (recipe calls for cacao nibs)
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/3 cup coconut sugar (recipe calls for muscovado)
1 egg
3 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

In a large mixing bowl, stir together almond meal, chocolate, coconut, baking powder, sea salt and coconut sugar.
In a separate bowl beat egg
Whisk in the coconut oil and vanilla
Add egg mixture to dry ingredients and mix well
Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Shape dough into 1-inch balls and place on baking sheet
Bake until edges begin to brown, 10-12 minutes.
Enjoy!

Travel

Brooklyn Flea + Smorgasburg

February 9, 2014 No Comments

Yesterday was Brooklyn Flea+Smorgasburg day. They’ve moved both events into the second floor of a warehouse at 80 North 5th St at Wythe Ave. I never really attend flea markets in the summer because they seems like more of a summer event. I’m glad we decided to go as we were pleasantly surprised to find the quality of vendors and food was the same.

A few flea finds…

1. Flux Productions is a small craft company based in Fort Green. Everything is made by hand using the highest quality leather and hardware. I fell in love with this Cork, Felt and Rubber iPad case $90

2. I’ve seen APOTHEKE products at West Elm but I finally had a chance to stop by their booth and sample their goods. The candles are exquisite and I want every single soap bar they carry. Everything is hand made in Brooklyn using 100% soy wax fragrance and essential oils. Candles $28, Soap Bars $8

3. It wouldn’t be a trip to Smorgasburg without Spencer sampling at least 4 food boths…he loves food! We had heard through Gothamist that the Ramen Burger was incredible so we finally tried it and its amazing! In simple terms the Ramen Burger is a burger made with ramen discs fried in sesame oil instead of bread. The patty is grilled and topped with shoyu sauce, peppery arugula and sprinkled with scallions. Yum!

Brooklyn Flea+Smorgasburg is open Saturday and Sunday from 10:00am-6:00pm. It is held indoors through March 2014 with 120 Goods Vendors and 60 Food Vendors.

Uncategorized

Peter Pilotto for Target

February 8, 2014 No Comments

I have to admit, I’m an absolute sucker for Target colabs. Ever since the Proenza Schouler (i still have a dress from that collection) for Target line I follow every launch. Last year was 3.1 Phillip Lim and this year the guys at Peter Pilotto designed a colorfully busy collection that makes me pine for Spring. I never thought I’d say this but please, New York, no more snow!

You can find the full collection that hits stores tomorrow here.

My favorite looks from left to right:

Belted Dress in Red Floral $44.99

Swim Cover-Up in Green Floral Stripe Print $34.99, Tote in Green Floral Print $39.99

Bikini Crop Top in Black/White Print $24.99, Pencil Skirt in Light Blue Floral/Check Print $34.99, Tote in Black/White Print $39.99

Rash Guard in Black/White Print $29.99, Skirt in Black/White Print $34.99, Slip-On Shoe in Black/White Print $29.99

Cropped Sweater in White/Blue Print $29.99, Motto Jacket in Blue Netting Print $59.99, Short in Blue Netting Print $29.99

Source

Home

Snow Day 2014

January 3, 2014 No Comments

Growing up in Southern California I never really knew what winter was. Christmas was usually spent outside in 75 degree weather. When I moved to New York the idea of a snow day blew me away. It’s now my favorite day of the year!

On a snowy day I love making apple cider and staying in with Spencer and Schiap.

Recipe

Ingredients:

1/2 apple
1/2 orange
1/2 a gallon of apple cider
1 cup of orange juice
1 cinammon stick
6 cloves
all spice
1 pot

Instructions:

Pour the apple cider and orange juice into a large saucepan.
Place the cinnamon sticks, cloves, allspice, apples and oranges in the saucepan.
Place the saucepan over moderate heat for a few minutes until the cider is about to boil. Keep on low heat for 20 minutes.
Ladle the cider into mugs

But going sledding is usually the best part of snow day!

I recommend Riverside Drive for sledding. The best hills are there and it’s a lot less crowded than Central Park.

Portugal, Travel

Lisbon, Portugal

October 2, 2013 No Comments

Lisbon and San Francisco were separated at birth. No doubt about it. The feel, the fog, the bridge, the trolleys…all the same! I loved visiting Lisbon with Spencer because we had both been wanting to go for quite some time. We stopped at this lovely cafe called Pensao Amor. It was perhaps the most beautiful cafe I have ever been in. Full of bright pink walls, velvet chairs and cute balconies. And of course the coffee was delicious.

After coffee we braved the rain and tried some shots of Ginjinha – a sour cherry liqueur. It was delicious but very strong!

In the afternoon we headed out for Spencer’s birthday dinner and came across this beautiful trolley and street.

We went to Cervejaria Ramiro which we heard about on No Reservations. Of course, it did not disappoint. The food was incredible and although we ordered FAR too much food I’m glad we were able to try a little bit of everything. If ever in Lisbon do not skip out on this.

Portugal, Travel

Lagos, Portugal

September 30, 2013 No Comments

Lagos, you are SO beautiful!!!

Morocco, Travel

Tangier, Morocco

September 27, 2013 No Comments

Today, Spencer and I took a boat from Tarifa, Spain to Tangier, Morocco. It’s been a forever dream of mine to travel to Morocco and experience the beauty of their markets and the taste of their tea.

After walking around for a few hours, people watching and seeing the wonderful tiles outside of every home we stopped to eat some traditional food and drink some tea. The food was delicious and the tea refreshing. Although I don’t think I’ll ever return to Tangier I am dying to return to Morocco. Perhaps our next trip will be Marrakech.