Ingredients

• 1 cup of chopped ham (we used leftovers from dinner the night before – so there was some honey, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg on it already…)
• 5 eggs
• 1 shallot sliced
• 3 tbs sliced leeks
• 1/2 cup sliced shitaki mushrooms
• dash of salt
• 2 tbsp butter

Method

Preheat the over to 350 degrees. On the stove top, In a caste iron skillet, saute the shallot, leeks and mushrooms in butter until they are soft and slightly browned. Add the ham and saute a while longer until it is browned on the edges a bit. Spread the meat and veggie concoction over the surface of the pan and then crack the eggs on top. Throw it in the oven and bake for 10 minutes or until the yokes are set.

Serve hot out of the oven.

YUMMMM!

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• dash of all spice
• 1/4 tsp of cardamon
• 1 tsp cocoa powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 large carrots grated
• 2″ piece of ginger grated
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts & pecans
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2-3 tsp agave nectar or honey if you want them to be a bit sweet

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all the ingredients together. Grease muffin pans with olive oil. Pour into pans. Bake in the center rack for about 40 minutes.

Paleo Coconut Lime Cupcakes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup coconut flour, sifted
• 1/2 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 6 eggs
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon lime zest
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut

Method

In a medium bowl, combine coconut flour, salt and baking soda. In another bowl, blend together eggs, agave and vanilla. Mix wet ingredients into dry and blend with a mixer until smooth. Pour batter into well oiled or lined muffin tins. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes. Cool completely before icing!

Not-so-paleo Coconut Lime Frosting

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup shredded coconut flour, sifted
• 8oz cream cheese
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1 tablespoon lime zest

Method

Mix it all up! Til Smooth.

Garnish with with toasted coconut & a lime wedge

BRANDING WORK:

When developing VINE’s branding, I started with the design of their wine bottles. That would be the primary place people would see their logo and it needed to work there first and foremost. I used white coated clear-glass bottles to allow for a clean modern aesthetic which would reflect VINE’s modern take on an old-world process and allow for the concepts used within the architecture to unfold on a smaller scale. The white coating is slit from the neck of the bottle down, similar to the way the wall erodes down into seating. This slit becomes the ‘I’ of the word VINE and, against the clear-glass, it allows a peek at the wine within the bottle. This use of their name became their identity and was then used in their architectural branding, business cards, letterhead, and other packaging designs.

I thought today (Super Bowl Sunday) would be a good day to add a new category to the blog, APPETIZERS! Speaking of superbowl sunday… is it me or is the National Anthem getting more and more ridiculous every year? What the hell was that Christina?

Anyway… Crispy Spiced Onion Rings. This is the first time I have attempted onion rings, without a deep fryer I always thought they wouldn’t turn out. They did, and they were delicious! The corn meal makes them so crunchy and the chili powder & cumin are such an amazing addition to the onion and corn flavors. They are exceptionally tasty served with cilantro and lime. I ALMOST made guacamole to dip them in, but I got lazy (it might be a good idea though).

Ingredients

• 1 large onion Sliced into 1/3″ slices and separated into rings
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp sour cream
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp chili powder
• dash of cayenne pepper
• salt
• cilantro leaves & lime to top
• 1-2 cups of vegetable oil for frying

Method

Slice the onion. In a bowl, whisk the eggs and sour cream together until smooth and creamy. In another bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together. Pour oil into a large pan and heat to high heat.

Dip the onion slices into the egg and then into the breading until coated fully.  Drop it in the hot oil. Do this with all the slices until the pan is full (you may need to do a couple batches). If the oil doesn’t cover the onion slices, flip them once they are slightly browned (less than a minute on each side). Once they are browned on both sides remove them from the oil and lay them on a paper towel. Once all the onions are finished serve them with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.

Enjoy!

My friend Marko came over a few nights ago and we decided to bake a couple quiches for dinner! It was a fantastic evening of listening to jazz, drinking wine, baking, drawing, and by the end of the night…. giving eachother haircuts (go figure).

I  had never made a quiche before, so it was Marko’s recipe that we followed – they were seriously delicious! We used pre-made crusts and a variety of ingredients for the filling.

Ingredients for Quiches (makes two)

• 6 eggs
• 1 cup of milk
• salt to taste
• fillings (see suggestions below)
• 1 pie crust

Fillings  for Quiche #1  – Inspired by my recent infatuation with Spanish cooking

• 3-4 spears asparagus sliced
• 1/4 onion chopped
• 1/2 cup grated smoked Gruyere
• 1/4 cup grated cheddar
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 clove of garlic pressed

Fillings  for Quiche #2  – What we called “The Mexican Quiche”

• 1/2 onion chopped
• 1/4 red pepper chopped
• 1/4 green pepper chopped
• 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
• Guacamole (see below) & Sour Cream to top
• 1 clove of garlic pressed

Guacamole Recipe – Mix up the following ingredients until smooth and creamy

• 1 avocado mashed up
• 1/4 onion diced finely
• Juice of a lime wedge
• Salt to taste

Method

Preheat the oven to 450F. Line two pie pans with the crust. In 2 separate bowls beat  together the eggs, milk, and salt (half in each bowl).  Once the eggs are thoroughly beaten add the fillings for each, mix again and pour into the pie pans. Cover with tin foil (we didn’t and you can see in the picture that we burnt our crusts) and bake for about 45 minutes or until a knife comes out clean when inserted into the center of the quiche.

(and…here is a picture of the haircuts!)

Enjoy!

My altered version of Alice Medrich’s Olive Oil Pound Cake in Pure Dessert, includes lime rather than orange zest. Everything else is the same – but since lime is my fave… I thought I would give it a shot. It. Is. Delicious!

Ingredients

• 3 cups (13.5 oz) all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• ¼ tsp salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup flavorful extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp grated lime zest (from 1 lime)
• 5 large cold eggs
• 1 cup medium (amontillado) sherry

Method

Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 °F. Grease and flour the pans – I used a spring form pan because it is the only cake pan I have and my bread loaves are way to small for this.
Mix the flour, baking powder, and salt thoroughly in a large bowl and sift together. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer (with the whisk attachment if you have one), beat the sugar, oil, and orange zest on high speed until well blended. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; continue to beat until the mixture is thick and pale, 3 to 5 minutes. Stop the mixer and add half of the sherry. Beat just until blended. Repeat with another third of the flour, followed by the remaining sherry, and then the remaining flour.

Scrape the batter into the pan(s). Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, 50 to 60 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan(s) on a rack for about 15 minutes before unmolding.

Dust with powdered sugar & lime zest.

Wrapped airtight, the cake keeps well at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.

“Baby, it’s cold outside!“

Welcome to January in Brooklyn! There is a two month old disgusting black and yellow mountain of snow on every corner. Walking my dog is no longer fun, cute, or a nice way to meet my neighbors. Going to the post office is just NOT going to happen. I have grown to HATE the giant windows that I used to love with all my heart. And I am lusting for spring to return. IT’S FREAKIN’ COLD!

In lieu of this, The G Force (I hear that’s what people are calling us now) presents –

10 Tips for Keeping Warm

(without breaking the bank)

1. A Stylish Space Heater

I seriously need to get one of these in my apartment! I assume, that since this was Tayef’s suggestion for the list, she has one – and I am OH SO ENVIOUS!

There are tons of space heaters available, you can almost undoubtedly find one that looks bad ass in your apartment and fits your needs/budget. Check out these adorable little heaters that sit on the floor.

And, can you even believe these AMAZING wall installed radiators by Caleido??? (Yes, that beautiful piece of art is a radiator)

2. Soup

Since I don’t have a space heater yet, I have been opting for tip #2, Soup. I made this Vegetarian Chili a few weeks ago when three feet of snow came crashing from the sky.

Ingredients

• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, diced
• 1/2 of a small zucchini, chopped
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can crushed tomatoes
• 1 small green chili pepper, diced finely
• 2 tbs chili powder
• 2 tbs cumin powder
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 cup water (less if you want it thicker)
• 1/4 cup Textured Vegetable Protein (TVP – available at whole foods. It is the vegi alternative to ground beef — picks up the flavor of whatever broth you put it in, and has a good texture to bulk up the soup)
• fresh chopped cilantro (and if your not vegan, maybe cheddar cheese) for the garnish

Method

Saute the onion & garlic in a small amount of olive oil in a metal pot until onions are browned. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 10-15 minutes. Top with fresh cilantro and cheese if you would like.

YUMMM!!

3. Knitwear!

(We got our hats in Iceland. They are just as handy in NYC)

Learn to knit! Or…check out Etsy for Hats, mittens, scarves & sweaters. Another item I personally love, are my Felted Boots! Hand-made by Debbie Brown-Zellner (Ground Up’s Accountant – and a woman of many talents) they keep my tootsies warm no matter how cold it is in my apartment <3

4. Hot Toddies

Honestly, who wants to walk to the bar in this weather? For a fun and festive night in the G’s love to make Hot Toddies! Here is our favorite recipe

(6 servings)

Ingredients

• 6 cups water
• 2 heaping teaspoons of loose tea or 4 teabags (whatever kind you’d like – Chamomile is nice!)
• 2 tbsp ginger, chopped
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 3 tbsp honey (or if you’re like Kristen…more)
• d1/2 tsp cardamom
• Lemon cut into wedges
• 6 stars of anise
• 6 oz whiskey

Method

Boil the water in a large tea kettle. Steep the tea until it’s ready and remove from the pot. Add the honey, ginger, cardamom, and whiskey. Stir and let sit for a couple minutes so the flavors can seep in. Serve in mugs or glasses. Garnish with a cinnamon stick, star anise & lemon wedge.

Drink up and stay warm!

5. Draft Dodging

Keep what heat you do have, in your apartment! A helpful article from Rent Chicago (a city much colder then New York) states…

“Not only lock your windows during the winter and refrain from opening most if not all of them, but make sure storm windows are properly in place. Most windows have an upper and lower storm window or perhaps only 1 extra glass protector. Ensure the upper and lower are locked in proper place surrounding your main windows.

With a single storm window, identify what parts of the window (top, bottom, middle, etc) allow the draft to enter, and then place the extra window accordingly. Here is a diagram to help identify storm windows: Diagram.

If windows let in cold air (non-energy-efficient windows and generally older windows), take a trip to the local hardware store. The stores sell several types of plastic covering for the windows.

One way to install the plastic: staple-gun the plastic around windows and window trim. Another type of plastic: a cling-plastic that holds securely over the windows when heat is applied (from blow dryer perhaps?). My dad was the first one to tell me about this ‘old school’ but efficient method.

Don’t like the idea of plastic? Cover up the plastic by purchasing drapery to cover the windows (also helps keep cold air out).

Scratch the idea of plastic ALTOGETHER? Try applying caulk or putty to any cracks in or around windows/doorways. If your landlord is easy to get ahold of and also handy, ask he or she to come over and help seal the windows. It’s always worth a shot to ask landlords to fix even the minor problems; many of them own the buildings and can make small investments to improve their property.

My roomie & I faced SERIOUS problems with drafty doorways. eHow.com suggests placing towels over doorway gaps. I also suggest buying a plastic extender that is easily installed on the bottom of doors (here are some examples: draft stopper or draft stopper). OR buy the typical crafter’s style door stopper (since I have a Dachshund, I might be interested in one like this)!”

6. Yoga

Last night I attended Yoga with Marisela Gonzalez at LaunchPad on Franklin Ave. They offer donation based yoga classes all day Sunday and Monday. I have to say it was probably the warmest I have been in months. To get beyond warm and into the realm of HOT you can do like Tayef and hit up a Bikram class!

7. BAKE!

Heat up that apartment while making it smell good! Try this lemon sponge cake – it needs to bake for over an hour Plus leftovers can be used for the most amazing french toast ever!

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups flour

Method

Preheat the over to 315F. Lightly grease and line a 9 1/2″ spring form pan. With an electric mixer, mix the eggs and sugar for about 15 minutes or until light and creamy. Beat in the lemon zest. Fold in the flour gently.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes. Turn off the over, let cool completely within the tin.

Once cool, enjoy a slice it is delicious and you beat the egg for 15 minutes!

8. Embrace your inner recluse

You don’t really NEED to leave the house today, do you? Stay in those blankets as long as you can.

9. Socks

Lots and lots and lots of socks! (until you just can’t fit anymore on)

10. Get close!

Gather your closest friends together, cook them some food, and serve them hot toddies! Your apartment will be warm in no time.

I made a lemon sponge cake, which was good. BUT THEN…. I made french toast with it, which was GREAT!

The night/day before you want this breakfast make the cake:

Lemon Sponge Cake

Ingredients

• 6 eggs
• 1 2/3 cups sugar
• 2 tsp grated lemon zest
• 1 1/2 cups flour

Method

Preheat the over to 315F. Lightly grease and line a 9 1/2″ spring form pan. With an electric mixer, mix the eggs and sugar for about 15 minutes or until light and creamy. Beat in the lemon zest. Fold in the flour gently.

Pour the batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes. Turn off the over, let cool completely within the tin.

Once cool, enjoy a slice it is delicious and you beat the egg for 15 minutes!

Lemon Sponge Cake FRENCH TOAST

Ingredients

• 6 slices, 1/2″ thick, of the Lemon Sponge Cake
• 3 eggs
• 1/4 cup milk
• dash of cinnamon
• 2 tbsp powdered sugar (for dusting)
• honey, to serve
• butter to grill

Method

Whisk the eggs, milk, and cinnamon together. Heat a pan to medium-low, add a tsp of butter. Dip the bread in the egg mixture and lay on the pan. Do this for all the bread (you know, like your making regular french toast). Flip them over once browned. Serve with powdered sugar, honey, and some fresh fruit if you’d like.

Enjoy the rest of your sponge cake with milk on top, YUM!

“Gross or delicious?”  That is the question I asked myself for much of last night’s ‘at home dinner date’ with Jeff.

Jeff and I we feeling a date, but we weren’t feeling the whole ‘drunkenly walking home in the blackened , three week old, New York City snow’. So, I took the subway to SoHo to meet him after work and we walked to Whole Foods and planned a dinner to enjoy at home. While we were there, we picked up a little bit of everything and decided to do some sort of weird Tapas style dinner (aside from Jeff’s steak, which was far from “Tapas style”, it was huge). We got some Manchego cheese, a bunch of olives, some citrus smoked salmon, some beer, some wine, a steak for Jeff and ….for me, I bravely decided to purchase some Baby Octopus. I have had these many times at restaurants and I always love it – but this would be the first time I made it myself. I can’t say I enjoyed watching their little bodies curl up, but overall the recipe I put together was pretty tasty.

Ingredients

• 1lb cleaned baby octopus (if you can’t deal with the thought of putting a whole creature in your mouth [which is weird], chop them into 4 pieces)
• 1 tsp paprika
• juice from 1 lemon
• 1/4 cup basil, chopped
• 1 tbs chopped lemongrass
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp olive oil.

Method

Put everything in a bowl, mix, and let marinade for a half an hour (or more, if you can). Heat a pan on medium-high & once heated plop it all in the pan.  Stir a couple times, and cover. Let them simmer within the juice they make for about 5-10 minutes, stirring half way. Once the tentacles curl, and the octopus are tender the whole way through, remove them from heat, add some salt & a splash more lemon. Enjoy!

Serves 2-4 people as appetizers.