15 seconds of fame!

Jamie sent me this a link today to an interview with a woman from Brooklyn who bakes gorgoues organic cakes and recently published a cookbook.

You can read the full interview here, but see what she says about her favorite farmers market:

EC: What’s your local farmer’s market? Care to give them a shout-out?

SM: McCarren park! The park between Greenpoint and Williamsburg, Brooklyn, every Saturday morning. This year there are some fabulous new booths such as a mushroom stand and a bean stand. Fresh black beans are a revelation when you cook them! Ronnybrook Farms makes creamy yogurt drinks that my kids love, and the woman who runs it remembers my kids when they were babies.

It’s true! I do!

Swine Stock 2009

Let’s face it. This city girl could use more country in her life.

So when I found out that Ronnybrook (the farm that makes the milk I peddle at the market) was having their annual pig roast — “Swine Stock” — I did what any country-starved city girl would do. Grabbed a handful of friends, some tents, her Chaccos, and got very, very excited.

We got there right at sunset, which meant that minutes later the fireworks started. I’ve never sat that close before! We literally laid down and were looking straight up at them — and they filled almost our entire range of vision.

What follows fireworks? A bonfire, of course!

This one was as big as a house, complete with a boat painted like a shark carrying three little piggies. Very “Kirk E. Wood.”

After that, we made trips back and forth from the keg truck (keg TRUCK!) to the dance floor where there was a cover band playing everything from Marvin Gaye to Blink 182, and just had a whole heck of good old fashioned fun.

Next morning, we ran up a mountain…and I do mean ran. The hike was actually pretty steep, but that meant it just went quickly. You could hardly stop and rest, it was so steep! Worth it for the view, though:

Wouldn’t ya say? That right there is the Hudson Valley, an idyllic place if I ever saw one. Second maybe only to The Shire of Tolkein’s imagination. Or our own Perry County, of course.

Then Pete met us and gave a tour of the farm. It turns out, the cows really do come back to their own stall to be milked each time. Here are the spots for Sassy and Aggie:

And we met some calves who tried to eat our hands:

Before packing up and heading home, there was one last order of business: a dip in a nearby lake.

A pretty perfect 24 hours in the country, wouldn’t you agree?

Check out Tanveer’s blog for some more (gorgeous!!) photos of the fireworks and bonfire:

http://www.tanveerbadal.com/

‘Twas the week before Christmas

Going right from Thanksgiving to Christmas without missing a beat..

Yesterday was the 3rd Annual Holiday Crafternoon at my house. Crafternoon is basically where my friends come over, and everyone brings a project they’re working on. The intention is that folks can get stuff done for the holidays (cards made or written, presents made, cookies baked) — but we can all do it together, with snacks and hot cider and a Muppet movie. Fun, right?

I’ll get some photos up soon, but to give you an idea of what Crafternoon is like, allow me to tell the tale of this year’s that I just posted on my other blog (with apologies to Clement Clarke Moore):

‘Twas the week before Christmas and all through Brooklyn
Not a hipster was stirring (are they just too darn thin?);

Christmas trees were stacked along sidewalks with care,
In hopes that a buyer soon would be there;

But though Christmas was coming at a quickening pace
All things related just felt out of place

Fin’lly Crafternoon dawned, long-awaited all year,
My fave for one reason: Build holiday cheer!

Linds and I prepped the house, and put up the tree
Party favors this year! The thrill left me giddy.

In poured the folks, with cold cheeks from the streets,
I tied on my apron and churned out some treats.

Mugs of nog were nestled all snug in our hands,
“Make it Feel Like Christmas!” our desiring command

Katie took pictures and Lindsy typed cards
And Dory cut squares out of fabric, from yards

Ryan designed thank-you notes for his Ma,
Kurt printed cards, ones that left us in awe.

Sarah crocheted, and Nancy’s knit needles flew
Joined by Rach, Kelly, Lexi: A spectacular crew!

Wiley chopped onions, and Kate trimmed the shrooms
Soon dinner surfaced, then the crafting resumed

We had Sufjan and Ella and Kurt’s fave: Jackson 5
And slowly but surely, Christmas love, it arrived!

Still one thing was missing, a favorite of flicks
The Muppets, of course! Turn them on, quick!

Voila: Kermit, Scooter, then Rizzo the Rat!
We knew every word, had ev’ry song learned down pat

Now Gonzo! Now Rowlfe! And now Miss Piggy!
On Animal, Beaker! Waka waka, Fozzie!

Our eyes — how they twinkled! Our dimples, so merry!
(And cause of the rum?) Our cheeks, red like cherries!

The sky darkened, the tree brightened, the cozier we got
Any holiday joy slack was promptly forgot.

The hour grew late, and folks started to go
But the spark in our eyes, it truly did glow.

And I heard them exclaim, as they went out of sight:
“Great crafternoon, guys! We’ve done it up right!”

—

Also posted at The Lovely Ride.

Thanksgiving in Brooklyn

Is it too late for a Thanksgiving recap? I hope not…

I hosted Thanksgiving again this year, mostly on account of my issue with putting on shoes and going somewhere on a holiday, and also my preference for drinking wine in my own house. I missed you all, and Erik, and some other folks, but all in all, it was a smashing success.

I started cooking a couple days in advance, with roasting chestnuts to make ice cream.

Aren’t roasted chestnuts pretty? I think so.

The day of Thanksgiving, first order of business was the stuffing. Recognize this handwriting?

Even though the fun for me of Thanksgiving is putting together a cool menu and trying out some new recipes, I always go back to Grandma Fischer’s stuffing recipe. It’s an absolute classic.

The biggest task I had was, of course, the bird. This was by FAR the biggest bird I’d ever done — 24 pounds! But it turned out perfectly. Look how huge:

Here, for your viewing pleasure, a carving montage:

Lindsy thinks we both look pretty in this one, so I’ll share it, to see if you agree:

I think she just likes it because I’m up to my wrists in turkey meat. Yum!

Here is a shot of the table, which only includes about half of the dishes that showed up:

This one cracks me up. The dudes eying the food:

Before we ate, I made everyone gather round and take a group shot.

See many folks you know? (Here is a bigger one.) What about that pretty little lady directly under the chandelier?

And how did the night end? You probably already know the answer:

Now, lest you think I’m still caught up in turkey mode, I’d like to show you something I’m really excited about. Can you guess what’s in this box?

Presents! YOUR presents! I’ve been poking away at my Christmas shopping since, oh, January, and they’re all wrapped and ready to be shipped to Webster Groves. I’m sure the bows will be a little crunched, but maybe do me a favor and pretend not to notice?

I can’t wait to see you guys.

New guys

I have either good news or bad news, depending on what side of the pet fence you fall.

We got cats. “We” being the office, and actually, they are officially Amanda and her friend Greg’s cats. They paid for them, they are naming them, but they live at work!

I know we were all raised in the Church of No Cats, but…over the last year or so, I may have fallen away from that church a bit.

But come on! Look at these guys!

They don’t have names as of yet, but they will get awesome ones soon.

Don’t worry. I still listen to Prairie Home Companion and think puns are evidence of sheer brilliance. I’m still a Frye!

Making Mom and Dad proud

When: Thursday, August 14, 11 pm

Where: Emily’s orange living room, Brooklyn

Who: Emily and Rob

What: “Hey, let’s watch some Olympics!”

“Yeah, okay!”

“Well, we might have to figure out my TV first…I don’t know if it works…”

“Oh don’t worry, I can do it.”

Rob tinkers, unplugs things, presses buttons.

“It looks like you only get two channels…7 and line…”

“Ha ha!”

“Ha! Well maybe I can find Channel 5 if I use the remote…”

“Oh, well…wait! Channel 5? You mean NBC? Channel 5 isn’t NBC here in New York…”

“It’s not?”

“No, it’s…it’s…hm…I don’t know what NBC is!”

“Ha! So I guess NBC isn’t Channel 5 in Chicago either…?”

Why: Clearly, NBC hasn’t been on either of our radars since living in The Lou. Points for Ellen and Steve and their minimum-TV upbringing ways!

Where I’m going this summer!

Compost this!

Alright, family. I’ve got a project that’s been bumbling around in my brain, and I think you are the best five people I know who can help me with it.

I want to start composting.

Now, I know, I know. I should be composting already. I should have been composting ever since leaving the house where composting happens constantly. Yes, it’s probably because I never had to take the compost out that I don’t compost now. I’m sure of it, actually!!

But, some things are just tougher than they need to be in good ole NYC, and composting definitely goes in that category. Sarah and I tried it for about a month, but then we heard tell of a mouse in our building, and we weren’t sure if the two things were related. So when Lindsy mentioned it in passing, I thought maybe it was time to revisit. Also, summer is coming which means cooking with lots more fresh food is coming which means creating lots more food waste is coming, and I’d like to curb that as much as possible.

Believe it or not, composting isn’t absolutely out of the question in this fine metropolis of mine. The Lower East Side Ecology Center mans a stand at the farmers market on Wednesdays where I can drop it. I think there’s even some kind of a compost co-op in my neighborhood that I looked into at one point, but — being a co-op — it required me to do something I couldn’t have done (like, work on Saturdays).

But first things first. Provided I can figure out a place to take it, I’d love to hear any ideas you guys have about the cleanest ways I could keep a compost bucket in my teeny tiny kitchen, assuming I can empty it once a week at most.

So, I turn to you! Do you compost? What works? What doesn’t?

Brooklyn Dispatch, Issue No. 1

I think I decided this weekend that singing in church choir is something to which I give a lot of energy to, but I don’t get a lot of energy from. When I got up on Sunday morning, I got in the shower as part of the “Get ready to go to church choir” plan. When I got out of the shower, I had a whole different day planned, none of it which included church choir. I think a hiatus is in order.

I spent my morning rearranging my kitchen, cleaning, and putting away laundry that I washed earlier that week. Then I went to a birthday brunch party, did an awesome round of yoga, and had dinner at a friend’s apartment. The whole day was so satisfying!

It’s a new thing for me, being tired from work and wanting to savor every last drop of my down time. Learning to say no, and all that. I’ll still sing in the big concerts, but I think I just can’t do the twice-weekly commitment anymore.

It’s been a long time since I quit something, apart from my old job. We’ll see how this goes.

Indoor spring

So even though I still have to wear a coat during the day, and an extra blanket* at night, it feels very much like spring in my apartment, thanks to these:

Pear blossoms!

I made the flower guy promise to charge me full price because these were the hottest item at the market last week, but in the end he still only let me trade him for milk.

Whaddya think?

*Bonus points to anyone who can guess which blanket that is!