A Cherry Tree Grows in Brooklyn

"I'm fascinated by the Japanese fashion scene

Just an American girl, in the Tokyo streets"

(Gwen Stefani, "Harajuku Girls")

This past Saturday was a perfectly sunny and warm spring day. Sam had to work so I spent most of the day with my sister, brother-in-law, nephew and niece, brunching, strolling around Park Slope, and visiting the Brooklyn Botanic Garden for the annual cherry blossom festival, Sakura Matsuri. There were trees that hadn't reached peak bloom yet, so this weekend would be a nice time to visit the gardens as well, but they won't have any performances or activities featuring Japanese culture.

I previously posted about cherry blossom festivals in "Sakura" and "Spring 2011 Events", but it had been several years since I last went to the one in Brooklyn, and I was surprised to see how many young people came dressed up to show off their Japanese street style-inspired fashions; and I don't mean traditional kimonos or geishas, though I did see some of those. I'm talking about cosplayers, like Harajuku girls meets manga and anime and Sailor Moon, meets Goths and top hats and parasols. Not really my thing, but it was interesting to look at.

I snapped a quick photo of a mini fashion parade of people, but the sights for me were the lovely cherry blossoms.

We walked back to my apartment and ended the day by ordering Japanese food for dinner and watching Ice Age on the Blu-ray player. I've always liked Ice Age, and Peter wanted to watch it, but have you ever noticed that there are no female characters in the first film other than the baby's mother who just disappears? (I found an article that goes into more detail on The Hathor Legacy, a site that "searches for good female characters in TV, books, movies, comics and other media," called "Ice Age: setting female characters back a few millennia...".)

Spring It On

"sweet spring is your

time is my time is our

time for springtime is lovetime

and viva sweet love"

(e.e. cummings)

Congratulations to Grace and Tommy on having their 3rd baby this weekend! We're so happy for you, and excited for the new addition to our growing nephew and niece clan. We can't wait to meet baby Micah soon.

It finally feels like spring, and I just want to put away my winter coat with confidence and slip on some sandals. In the meantime, I'll enjoy the beautiful weather while it lasts. Below are some photos, mostly from my Instagram, from the start of this season.

Jennifer Chun Sample Sale

With my friends Leslie and Christine, I helped fashion designer Jennifer Chun plan and coordinate her sample sale 2 weeks ago. Jenny is so talented and her clothing is gorgeous, and I'm lucky that we're family now through marriage.

Preview SS 2013/shop FW 2012, flower arrangement of wrapped roses/tulips/greenery,
dessert, and labeled water bottles

Easter

I was sad not to spend Easter with my nephew and niece, but was happy to see them a few days earlier when we spent the day together at the American Museum of Natural History. We went to the Whales: Giants of the Deep exhibit, and of course saw the dinosaur bones and the Hall of Ocean Life. I gave Peter clear pastry bags full of Annie's Cheddar Bunnies, made to look like carrots, which were great museum snacks.

Cheddar bunny "carrots"

On Easter Sunday morning, Sam and I went to Grand Central Terminal to take the train to Westchester for church, but we just missed it by seconds. We took the subway up to Redeemer's East Side morning service to celebrate the day with Reverend Tim Keller instead, and enjoyed some of Handel's Messiah by the choir and orchestra. I also enjoyed a cup of coffee in the morning and a Bloody Mary in the afternoon, which was significant because I had fasted from coffee and alcohol during Lent. Later, we watched Michigan easily beat Florida to make it to the Final Four for the first time in 20 years.

Redeemer Easter bulletin, post-Lent drinks, and Michigan basketball

I Love Candy

Despite not spending Easter with the kiddies this year, I've been having my own fun with Easter sweets and treats! I would say that after Halloween, Easter is the holiday with the next best candy selection. I think I even prefer Easter candy, with its pretty pastel packaging and adorable bunnies and eggs.

Red velvet egg, Swedish Fish eggs, classic chocolate bunny, and marshmallow egg

Spring-Inspired Nails

In addition to Easter candy, I've also been entertaining myself by painting my nails with spring-inspired colors.

Loving the spring-y nail colors

{Clockwise from left: OPI Hawaiian Orchid with Sephora by OPI Only Gold For Me / Essie Cantaloupe / Essie Turquoise & Caicos / Sephora by OPI Iris I Was Thinner with Sephora by OPI Flurry Up!}

Flowers

Outside, the flowers have started blooming. The photo below is of a small bed of tulips on my street that are still pressing toward the sky.

Purple tulips coming up

I'm heading out now for dinner in the city and to watch some Final Four NCAA March/April Madness as Michigan hopefully defeats Syracuse. Have a great weekend!

Winter 2012/2013 Brooklyn Eats

"From morning till night, sounds drift from the kitchen, most of them familiar and comforting. On days when warmth is the most important need of the human heart, the kitchen is the place you can find it; it dries the wet sock, it cools the hot little brain."

(E.B. White)

Today is the first day of spring! Though last winter was unusually mild in the New York region, this winter was snowy and stormy. I'm glad the past few days' blustery, wintry mix seems to be slowly but surely giving way to clearer and eventually milder weather. After all, March is supposed to come in like a lion and go out like a lamb, isn't it? While I'm excited for spring, I want first to share a long, photo-heavy post with recipe links to some of our winter meals at home: 1) breakfast and brunch; 2) dips and spreads; 3) soup and chili; 4) salads; 5) pasta; 6) seafood; 7) poultry; and 8) desserts.

Breakfast and Brunch

I love breakfast, brunch, breakfast for dinner, 24-hour diner breakfasts in the middle of the night, you name it. I would normally drink coffee with my morning meals, but I'm fasting from coffee as well as alcohol during Lent, so it seems fitting that I made chai for the first time a little while back, with a little light coconut milk. In addition to breakfast classics such as eggs, pancakes, and muffins, I also made some savory oatmeal dishes that work for other times of the day as well.

Coconut chai tea

Crustless cauliflower-cheddar quiches (recipe uses broccoli
but I had cauliflower) and quick and easy home fries

Savory Sriracha oatmeal via HuffPost Taste via YumSugar

Savory oatmeal and soft-cooked egg

Homemade flaxseed pancakes and turkey bacon egg cups

Basic pancakes with added whole ground flaxseed meal

Mini turkey bacon egg cups

Quiche Lorraine with turkey bacon via The Nest

Blueberry flax microwave muffin via BuzzFeed Food

Cream cheese and chive scrambled eggs

Eggs baked in avocado with paprika

Blythe Danner's blueberry muffins

 

Dips and Spreads

I have a red KitchenAid Chef's Chopper that comes in handy when a smaller recipe calls for a food processor. With it I made a simple and tasty white bean and rosemary dip, and fromage fort following Smitten Kitchen's tips, using the random cheese scraps I had on hand, fresh rosemary, thyme, and garlic, and leftover Chandon Rosé.

White bean and rosemary dip

Fromage fort

Soup and Chili

Building on my autumn soup repertoire, below are several varied recipes for soup and chili. Warm soups are comforting throughout the year -- not just during the colder months -- but I hope to also experiment with chilled versions this spring and summer.

Mushroom and leek soup with thyme cream

Easy mushroom soup

Tomato soup with poached eggs

Slow-cooker vegetarian chili with sweet potatoes
and part of a Zingerman's bread club loaf

Thai chicken noodle soup



Salads

I've never been a salad girl. I usually go for non-salad-y salads, like ones with lots of cheese, nuts, fruits, and dressing, on top of a few leaves. I've gotten much better at consuming healthy greens and vegetables, but a basic garden salad just isn't exciting or flavorful.

Chicken, walnut, golden raisin, and feta salad with kale and spinach

Tuna, chickpea, and beet salad

Avocado and pink grapefruit salad with feta

Greek quinoa and avocados

I made the next 2 chicken salads using the wonder that is the rotisserie chicken: Union Market in Park Slope carries 3 varieties, and they seriously sell out like hotcakes. You can't buy raw chicken cutlets for the price of a fully-prepared, flavorfully-roasted whole chicken.

Union Market's rosemary and garlic rotisserie chicken

Cranberry apple chicken salad made with Greek yogurt

Asian chicken salad with added mandarin oranges, slivered almonds, and spinach
(I made a finger food version for our August cocktail party)

Pasta

I haven't made much pasta lately -- especially with recent notable restaurant experiences at Ai Fiori, Osteria Morini, and Restaurant Marc Forgione -- but I did try a few recipes, 2 of which are shown below. The spaghetti with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach was especially good, with crispy slices of garlic and a nice salty bite.

Spaghetti with sun-dried tomatoes and spinach

Creamy goat cheese pasta with spinach and roasted mushrooms
(I used Barilla veggie rotini made with puréed spinach and zucchini)

Seafood

Salmon is such a universally appreciated fish, probably because it is not delicate, it is very forgiving, and can be prepared in so many ways: grilled, baked, poached, seared, broiled, smoked, steamed, or just plain raw. Shrimp is quick to cook and easy to grill, broil, steam, etc... but I mostly like it fried.

20-minute hoisin skillet salmon with steamed broccoli

20-minute shrimp and couscous with yogurt-hummus sauce

Poultry

Chicken is one of the most popular sources of protein in our household; it's so versatile and can be used in any cuisine or as a meat substitute in a variety of recipes. While I've never been too keen on ground meat, ground turkey has started to become a staple for us as well due to its versatility, and it's perfect in the meatloaf below, when I first put together the Creole seasoning I used on Super Bowl Sunday.

Skillet rosemary chicken with red potatoes and mushrooms

Chicken tikka masala and naan with Passage to India simmer sauce
(my sister bought that and the whoopie pie mix, below, at Chef Central)

Eric Ripert's coconut chicken

Turkey meatloaf with garlic mashed potatoes,
also great in a sandwich the next day

Simple turkey meatloaf

Garlic mashed red potatoes
(I've made these a few times and they are easy and delicious!)

Grilled cilantro chicken (Sam made this one!)

Quinoa with Latin flavors to go with the cilantro chicken

Desserts

I still love baking the best. I enjoy sharing sweet treats with friends and family, and unlike a hot meal, their goodness can be extended over a longer period of time. Cookies are my favorite, and I recently revisited a trusty recipe for oatmeal cranberry cookies from the 2001 Martha Stewart Holiday Cookies Special Issue (photo below shows part of my old copy).

Snickerdoodles

Mini apple pies

Stonewall Kitchen red velvet whoopie pies

Chocolate chip cookie in a cup via BuzzFeed Food

Giant Nutella-stuffed chocolate chip cookies with sea salt

Cakey lemon bar "brownies"

Oatmeal cranberry cookies

My 3rd time making old-fashioned banana cream pie in 4 weeks

Winter Meals by Local Eateries

As I did for summer and fall, I've made note of dining establishments in Brooklyn that we've newly gone to or ordered from in the past season, as far as I can recall.

American & Breakfast/Brunch: Dizzy's on 5th, Stone Park Cafe
Bagels: The Bagel Market
Cheese & Provisions: BKLYN Larder
Food Court: Barclays Center
Mexican: El Pollito Mexicano
Thai: Leelawadee

It's probably not surprising that our winter Brooklyn restaurant list was significantly shorter than our fall list and summer list. Now that we're into spring, the weather will get nicer and the daylight longer, so I hope to continue getting out and trying more local food spots!