recipe: poached peaches

my kitchen is a mess.  for reals.  a hot, hot mess.  as i mentioned before, we're upgrading our microwave cart and it's now in the middle of our dining room underneath a drop cloth.  it's been sanded, but it has not been fully primed yet.  once primed we will then have to let it dry and then paint it.  we're also going away this weekend to visit family and friends in boston which means i am panicking about getting this done.  not having a microwave cart in my little kitchen means i'm down major countertop space.  which means major cooking headache.  which means really grumpy gina.  not even kidding.  can you sense the anxiety?

the point of my story is... i didn't really cook tonight.  just an arugula salad and three different types of bruschetta.  it was actually yummy.  we had a tomato, a pesto, and a beet and goat cheese.  despite my crankiness in the kitchen, dinner was good.  but i didn't come here to tell you about bruschetta.  no way, jose!  i came here to tell you about peaches.  poached peaches.  in bourbon.  i am now dancing because even typing that makes my mouth water.  uh huh...  i got this recipe from the latest issue of martha stewart living.  i tweaked it a bit, but the core is from ms. martha.

2 quarts peaches
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
dash of nutmeg
1 cup of bourbon

bring a large pot of water to boil.  cut a small X into the bottom of each peach.  boil peaches for about 2 minutes and transfer to ice water bath.  let cool.  peel and pit and cut into wedges.

bring 4 cups of water, sugars and nutmeg to boil in large saucepan, stirring until sugar dissolves.  add peaches and bourbon and simmer until peaches are tender.

spoon out peaches and transfer to to large bowl.  cook syrup over medium heat until reduced by half.  pour over peaches and let cool.

divide peaches among jars (this filled 2 one liter jars for me).  pour syrup over peaches.  refrigerate.

these are hella good.  messy to make, but worth it.  apparently i stink at peeling peaches.  i have enjoyed them thoroughly over vanilla ice cream.  i also think these would be a super cute gift to bring to the host at a dinner party.  or you could serve them for dessert at your own dinner party and then give your guests a jar to take with them.  how cute is that?  the magazine also has some cutie labels to put on your jars.  adorable!  i would have taken a picture of the peaches over ice cream, but i ate it too fast.  my bad.

our new bar

what's up, peeps?  i can't pull that off, can i?  ho hum...  well, i hope you all had a great weekend.  i did.  i wasn't hot in the least.  nope.  this weather did not make me feel like i was crawling around inside of satan at all.  wait, no it did make me like i was crawling around inside of satan.  holy mother!  it was sizzlin'.  and not in a good way.  i actually took a nap yesterday.  a nap.  and i'm not 5.  or 80.  this weather kills me.

moving on... i did have a great weekend despite mother nature trying her best to hurt me.  i cooked, i had new cocktails with friends, and i saw the alexander mcqueen exhibit at the met.  hello, gorgeous (in my best barbra streisand voice)!  it was unreal.  it felt like theatre to me in some ways.  my only complaint was that it was so crowded.  i have never seen anything like that at an exhibit.  never ever.  the line to get in was blocks long.  on a hot sunday.  bananas!  but, once i got in it was totally worth it.  if any of you in nyc can make it before it closes (august 7th), go.  you will not regret it.

and after my fun weekend was almost done josh and i decided to do some rearranging.  we've lived in this apartment for a little over a year.  it is super tiny, but we love it.  and we don't feel smushed which is bizarre.  a couple of weeks ago, josh picked up a cabinet from one of our local antique shops.  i saw it in the window and josh did his bargaining magic and now we have an awesome cabinet from 1965.  woop woop!  we use it as a 2nd bar.  (our first bar is this really cool 1920s radio cabinet.)  now, i need to restain this piece, but we're in the middle of sanding, priming, and painting our microwave cart and there is only so much room for home projects in this joint.  in the meantime, we've set it all up.  i wasn't sure what i wanted on top.  did i want some of my liquor and bar tools or did i want to keep it clean with a vase of flowers?  well, i played around last night and loved the showing of the liquor.  josh then had a brilliant idea (this is why we love him) of putting my super pretty and feminine bedside lamp on top as well.  i wasn't sure at first, but it looks awesome.  when the main lights are off but the lamp is on it looks so warm and cozy.  i want to sit on my rocking chair with a sazerac and read away.  in the winter with the fireplace going it's going to look extra rad.  what do you think?  should we give josh an ol' pat on the back for this one?

btw, i now need a new bedside lamp.

recipe: heirloom tomato pasta

this week has been hot.  huh-uht.  so hot it deserves two syllables.  which means that cooking has been pretty tough this week.  i didn't use the oven at all and i found a recipe in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living for a great pasta dish that inspired me.  i can't find the link to the actual recipe, but below is what i put together.

you will need:

3 cloves of garlic, thinly slices

olive oil

2 pints of heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

fresh torn basil (about 2 tbsp)

1 tbsp capers

2 tbsp lemon zest

red-pepper flakes

salt & pepper

8 oz. pappardelle, cooked al dente

heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a sauté pan.  add garlic and crisp, tossing occassionally, until golden.  set aside and let cool.

combine tomatoes, basil, capers, lemon zest and a pinch of red pepper flakes (more if you like extra spice) and a generous pinch of salt in large bowl.  pour garlic and garlic crisps over tomato mixture.  let sit for about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

add warm pasta to bowl and toss.  sprinkle with basil, pepper, and additional lemon zest.  

see how easy that is?  i was able to make that with limited amounts of sweat in my teeny tiny kitchen after the gym for a great weeknight meal.  and we didn't even have to eat it at 10pm.  yay!  thanks, MSL!  i'm thinking about making it the next time we have people over for a summer meal.  this dish with a glass of nice, cold, white wine?  um... word.  word.

i'm in love...

with this cake!

super awesome, right?  i know they're kind of all of the place right now, but i am new to them and i need to make one.  i'm not sure when, but it will happen, people.  it.  will.  happen.  

anyway, it was super hot tonight so  cooking was a pain in the behind.  i did cook though.  even after urban rebounding class.  even though i was so hot i couldn't think.  i still cooked.  i'm a team player.  it wasn't anything special.  easy italian sausage sandwiches with a mozzarella and tomato salad over it.  the sausages were from our favorite butcher down the street.  i also got some sweet white corn from the farmer's market today.  aw yeah.  it was actually tasty.  and easy.  because nights like this make me want to order pizza.  or chinese food.  or mexican.  anything that doesn't involve my kitchen.  but i did it for the love of home cookin'.

[photo credit: marthastewart.com]

weekend stuff

happy monday!  so, this weekend was a bust on the met front.  we were supposed to go on sunday, but it was too darn hot.  i walked outside for about 30 minutes and turned right around.  i get extra grumpy when hot.  ask josh.

anyway, we did get some stuff accomplished.  we started painting some shutters that we have as a sort of room divider.  we bought a new cabinet to use as an extra bar from one of our local antique shops.  we took boo to the vet (poor boo!).  see?  lots done.  i'll tell you all about that stuff some other time because i also...

baked!  woop woop!  this is the nutella cookie recipe from The Yuppie Lifestyle.  again, used her exact recipe.  and now we're loving life over here in cobble hill.  sidenote: check out my cool new milk glass cake stand.  from the very same antique store we got our new bar/cabinet.  it's called Brownstone Treasures and it's right here in my lovely neighborhood.  yay!  back to the cookies - they are seriously insane.  so, so tasty.  the recipe is also extremely easy so these will now be a house staple.  it's also something simple that i can bring to people's homes.  i mean, everyone should love nutella.  if you don't you're probably a communist.  just kidding!  you're probably just a weirdo.  phew!

what's coming next...

so, i took it easy on dinner.  i was still traumatized from peeling and deveining shrimp.  tonight it was tuna salad with onions and celery.  it was simple and tasty.  i had extra hot dog buns leftover from last night's dinner so we had another summer sandwich and salad night.  we also finished off the pickles.  boo!  i will be making more though.  i've also pickled some cukes for a friend of mine as a surprise.  i'll let you know how he likes them.

anyway, this weekend i want to make this:
nutella cookie sandwiches.  um... yes, please!  found this via the kitchn.  it's from a great blog called The Yuppie Lifestyle.  this girl is seriously cool and has so much fun stuff that i have been going thru all night.  anyway, i think i'm going to try these on sunday.  seems doable.  and i could eat nutella straight from the jar so this could spell big trouble for me.  and my thighs! tee hee hee.

i'm a dork, i know.

the other thing i'm looking forward to doing this weekend?  going to see the alexander mcqueen exhibit at the met!  woop woop!  finally.  i have been dying to go and it closes in august so josh and i are finally getting our act together.  it should be beautiful.  i'll tell you all about it.

[photo credit: L. Morello for The Yuppie Lifestyle]

Recipe: Shrimp Salad

shrimp salad sandwich.  yummy, yummy.  summer makes me crave things like lobster and shrimp and fish tacos.  aw yeah...  tonight, i chose shrimp.  this was my first time with shrimp salad and i think it went well.  let me just say this though, the cost of peeled and deveined shrimp now seems worth it.  i did not think this prior to dinner.  but after, covered in shrimp juice and completely grossed out by deveining, i was all for it. aside from that nonsense, dinner was a success!

and yes, that is a ms. pickle on my plate!  even more delicious day 2!

for the shrimp salad: i took about 3/4 of a pound of fresh medium sized shrimp.  put them in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes (they should be pink and should float to the top.  it's a good idea to test one).  when done, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.  after cooling, peel and devein (eck!) and chop into smaller pieces (i wanted mine a bit chunky).  put them in a bowl and add the following:  1 1/2 celery stalks - chopped, 1/4 red onion - chopped, generous amount of salt and pepper, a pinch of garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder.  mix and add desired amount of mayo.  

i served my salad in toasted hot dog buns with a nice piece of lettuce as a cushion on the bottom of the bun.  on the side i had a red leaf lettuce salad with steamed asparagus and shaved asiago.  oh, and a pickle!

it was a good meal.  josh had two sandwiches which spells success to me.  i think i would have been happier if i didn't have to spend all of that time peeling shrimp, but now i know.  maybe next week my fingers will smell normal again.

ms. pickles

that's my new name.  yep.  i made my first attempt at pickling and... it.  is.  awesome.  i want to try all different kinds, but this first one tasted like your standard half-sour pickle.

yum, right?  they're your standard kirby cukes quartered lengthwise and put in a jar.  in a separate bowl take about a cup of white wine vinegar (i think you could do a little less than that.  it was a tiny bit too much) and add a teaspoon of peppercorns, a tablespoon of sugar, an exaggerated pinch of salt, a teaspoon of caraway seeds, 3 cloves of smashed garlic and a bay leaf.  add 1/4 of a thinly sliced sweet onion.  mix that all together and then add about 1/4 cup of warm water.  mix everything together and add to the jar of cukes.  let them refrigerate for at least one day.

i really do like the taste.  like i said, next time i'm going try a little less vinegar and a little more water.  i might add some different spices too.  i think they're going to taster even better tomorrow after another day of sitting.

ciao!

ciao!  hola!  why, hello there...  i'm excited.  this is my new blog.  i hope you like it.  that's my cat up there. boo radley.  she's hanging out on our bar, reading books.  she's very smart, that one.

anyway, i'm gina.  i live in the cobble hill area of brooklyn.  i love it.  no, i more than love it.  i lurve it.  for realz.  i live with ms. boo radley and joshua.  we're one big (small) happy family.  i like to cook.  i love to eat.  and i love exploring brooklyn and all it's funness.  that's totally a word.  look it up.

so, i figured while watching brainless tv i would give myself something to do and write about some of the stuff i get to do in my 'hood and some of the stuff i cook and eat.  i hope you like it.  and if you have anything good to make, bake and/or eat,  please share!  this is just a little something i did yesterday.

it's from a fantastic blog called Fat Girl Trapped in a Skinny Body.  this gal is amazing.  seriously.  i'm now obsessed with her blog after finding it only a few days ago.  it's a coconut peach upside down cake.  go to her blog right now to look at her much, much prettier version and details on how to make it.  delicious!