Happy Hump Day

Today I dream of spring, and all the lovely things I'll be doing out of doors very soon...



A few links for your perusal:

Poly pong deserves a spot at all gaming bars starting now!

Since losing my butterprint Pyrex bowl I've been heartbroken. This helps fill the void.

My two favorite snack foods have joined forces. I can die happy now.

There was once a time when selfies were not ironic.

I have a nagging feeling that my coffee will taste better if I get this.

I can't believe it's not Parmesan!

and lastly -
If you like cupcakes and bacon and Brooklyn and new music, go here this Sunday.

Tiramisu For You!

Everyone needs a good pick me up* now and again. This user friendly tiramisu recipe will do just that, especially when paired with a good strong caffè latte! While we may no longer agree about all of the aspects of this recipe, I did originally get it from my Nonna. Mine always winds up with a bit more booze in it than hers does ;-)

*Quite literally actually, the term tiramisu actually means "pick-me-up" or "to lift up") 









 

For the custard:

• 6 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup & 2 tsp sugar, separated
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 TBSP vanilla extract
• 1 lb. Mascarpone cheese

And the rest:

• 2 or 3 cups espresso, brought to room temp
• as much dark liquor that you're comfortable with (lol I usually use 1 cup of brandy)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• dash salt (trust me)
• 1 & 1/2 packs of lady fingers
• cocoa powder for dusting

Set up your espresso to brew while preparing the custard. 

In a medium pot whisk the yolks with the 3/4 cup sugar, add the cream and bring to a low boil over medium heat while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Fold mascarpone into egg mixture in three or four parts, whisk until smooth and set aside.

Whip egg whites with 2 tsp sugar until soft peaks form, then fold into custard so that there are no visible streaks. 

Add your liquor of choice, vanilla, and salt to your espresso in a shallow bowl (for dipping) and stir to combine. 

In a 10x10" deep pan alternate layers of lady fingers (quickly dipped in espresso mixture) and custard. You should be able to get three full layers, ending with custard. Refrigerate, and dust with cocoa powder just before serving. 

Enjoy!

The Friendliest Flower

I had a "You've Got Mail" moment this afternoon at Starbucks ordering my coffee. You know there's something wrong when you're embarrassed by how ridiculous your order sounds out loud -

"tall and dirty chocolate chai latte for Jacqueline!" 

What I thought I ordered was a small chai with an espresso shot. Of course I was asked to clarify if I wanted it with milk or if I wanted real tea - umm.... somehow I wound up saying yes to the brand new chocolate chai they were featuring and the rest is really not that important. I will have to order red eyes all next week to make up for that ridiculousness.

Anywayyyyy - here is the reason I've got Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan on the brain:



My lovely boyfriend, bless his heart, has endured "You've Got Mail" far too many times than he probably cares to admit. It is my favorite movie. And as such, I watch it every time I'm sick enough to stay in bed, or if  I get bored of whatever's on TV that week, or whenever I feel like I'm falling out of love with New York.

In this movie, Meg Ryan proclaims that Daisies are the friendliest flower - and I agree! They do a damn good job of brightening up a room :-) Jeffrey remembered this, and surprised me with a bunch for our anniversary last night! He gets an A++++ for that!

It has officially been three years since we dove into this thing head first, so to celebrate we splurged on a super tasty, super french dinner last night in the West Village. We ate snails and lots of delicious meat and we shared a crème brûlée that was absolutely perfect. 

I hate to be that girl that turns to mush but seriously - I feel very lucky.
I feel like I'm slowly becoming the best version of myself, and it's got a lot to do with this wonderful guy I get to spend my days with <3

In other words...
Jeff you complete me

Free and Easy Down The Road I Go

     
    
 


1 & 2: Good morning LES! - not for morning people
3: The remnants of a delicious pancake breakfast at Shopsin's General Store in Essex Market
4: On our way to the 'burbs
5: Jeff - Grill Master Extraordinaire
6: Golden Nugget Flea Market!
7 & 8: Some serious looking carvings and a cow without a bell
9 - 12 & 14: In and around New Hope, PA
13: How does Homemade Sunflower Honey Ice Cream sound? I'll tell you. Delicious.

.......

And the perfect ending to my long weekend?

Coffee at Bercli Parc with the boyfriend


:-)

Tea Nerd Moment

This past weekend marked the 8th (2nd for me) annual Coffee and Tea Festival NYC, thousands of square feet of tables filled with special brews for your tasting pleasure. I sipped and sampled for hours until all the caffeine finally hit me and I bolted for some food :-) I did however pickup a few great blends before jitters set in. This years shindig was held at the 69th Regiment Armory, a national historic landmark that still houses the US 69th Infantry Regiment and hosts special events in it's spare time.

One of the more interesting vendors (if you can call it that) was Michele Brody's Reflections In Tea, a sort of  ongoing performance art piece where volunteers sit down for a cup of tea and a chat inside Michele's lovely house/cabin sculpture assembled with copper pipes and stained tea-bags. 

image courtesy of michelebrody.com at the Brenda Taylor Gallery NY, NY

These chats organically evolve into a discussion about a moment in each volunteer's life in which tea plays a role. The resulting story is then immortalized on a tea bag and absorbed into the ever growing art piece. 

....

What goes best with tea? Honey of course! 

And what do you do with all the left over bees wax?

Make adorable bunnies and honey bear shaped candles!!! I took a few home for myself!

Lasty, I'll briefly mention the gift bag/totes we got upon arrival. 

I was really looking forward to these. They come filled with plenty of samples, just in case you didn't get your fill throughout the day, as well as yummy snacks! Short bread cookies, delicious KIND Fruit and Nut bars, and these awesome boxes full of single serving flavored agave packets - perfect for traveling or keeping in my desk at work :-) 

It was a fun day hanging with Mom - my tea partner in crime! 

Maybe next year I'll even sign up to be a vendor, who knows.