if every day were valentine's day, the post office would be thriving.
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Banana Cake
after a week away (four days in turks and three in dallas for work),
i came home and found some ugly bananas on my counter.
i broke habit, and rather than turning them into my favorite banana bread,
tried out this banana cake recipe for something different.
nico will be getting the "monkey cake" for his first birthday,
(i love how the mini version is for the toddler to get creative with)
but for now deb's recipe was used just for the cake part.
i adjusted portions to make just enough for one springform bundt,
used two large bananas instead of one, and in the spirit of the tropics,
added a good amount of turks & caicos bambarra rum to the batter.
the ingredients are very similar to the bread (same amount of sugar, for example)
but the bit of extra butter and the extra egg made the cake much lighter, and fluffier.
also, as i'm writing this i'm realizing that i should really turn this thing into a
banana rum cake, and perk it up with some bambarra glaze.
this edit will be happening tonight.
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Kale & Sausage Soup
the good thing about going on an island vacation in the winter is the weather.
the bad thing about going on an island vacation in the winter is the weather...
when you get back home.
seriously, new york? 26° for my homecoming?
and summer is still 4 months away?
the only thing i could think to do was to make soup.
one of my favorites, which is so so easy from martha stewart.
i substituted in chorizo chicken sausage and veggie stock, used lots of extra celery,
and accidentally used split peas this time instead of lentils. (a pleasant surprise)
the addition of a few bay leaves, thyme, and a bit of garlic did the trick.
if it has to be winter, might as well eat some damn good winter food.
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Turks & Caicos, Resort Style
on sunday morning aaron and i caught a 7am flight out of jfk.
by 11:30am (no time change), we were sitting on the beach in providenciales.
the temperature was about 82° and the water about 60°.
we took a 2 hour kayak adventure one day, a 3 hour walk on the beach another,
and filled the time in between with naps on the beach,
pitchers of sangria, and floats in the nearly empty pool.
the gansevoort was a very different experience of turks & caicos than when
middle caicos was a bungalow on what felt like an island to ourselves,
complete with indian cave exploration and what felt like private beaches.
the gansevoort was my first resort experience: a relaxing, lazy, luxurious vacation.
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Weegee at ICP
last friday sebastian and i went to check out the weegee exhibit
icp is in the building i have worked in for a year, yet i had never been.
in addition to collecting an impressive amount of the photographer's work,
icp recreated weegee's bedroom, displayed his camera and hat,
and even recreated the photographer's original one man show,
"weegee: murder is my business" which originally showed
at the photo league in 1941 (and is where the icp show gets its name).
definitely worth the visit. oh, and icp is "pay what you will."
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Mark's Bears
selections from my friend mark's series of bears on antique furniture.
delightful!
sad i got to them so late, and that these two are already sold.
but happy sebastian has smart enough to snag the coffee table one.
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Karen Walker
i'm a sucker for a clever merchandising idea.
these re-imagined models from karen walker are brilliant.
(and i'd like to buy the pair at the top)
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Freshen Up
j.crew madison avenue got a facelift, and it includes my favorite: charcoal grey paint.
also love these vintage looking targets,
which are made out from what i'm guessing are old table tops.
lamps are new too: somewhat surprisingly they are these from west elm.
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Homemade Ricotta
mccall told me she had made ricotta, and insisted it was easy as could be.
i wasn't sure i believed her, until i read this recipe.
ricotta is: 4 ingredients + 5 minutes of prep + a bit of patient waiting.
put the ingredients in a pot.
boil to a designated temperature (varies by recipe). strain.
now you have ricotta.
and can put it on a homemade pizza.
next time, purely out of curiosity, i'll try this ricotta recipe, which varies slightly
(and also looks like a great way to use up that buttermilk in that's in the fridge.)
(and also looks like a great way to use up that buttermilk in that's in the fridge.)
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