Stopover in Pittsburgh

To break up our drive home from New York, Frank and I stayed in Pittsburgh on Thursday night. Neither of us had been there before and we thought it was a great city and wished we had some time to wander around and discover the city more.

After checking into our hotel we headed out to dinner at Primanti Brothers. Opened in 1933 to sell sandwiches to truckers and dock workers in the Strip District, Primanti's is famous for serving fries and coleslaw on their sandwiches instead of on the side so that workers could eat with one hand and keep working.

Although Primanti's has several location around the city we went to the original restaurant which had cool old signage and a neat mural of Pittsburgh luminaries. Frank had a cheese steak sandwich, I had the kolbassi and cheese sandwich and we split an order of Smallman Street fries topped with chili, cheese, bacon and sour cream. I loved my sandwich and thought the combination of kolbassi, melted cheese, fries and cole slaw on soft, thick slabs of Italian bread was amazing.

In the morning we headed to Shadyside to try breakfast at Pamela's Diner. My corned beef hash was one of the best I've ever had with amazing amounts of corned beef and large chucks of perfect potatoes. Frank tried Pamela's famous crepe style pancakes which were light and fluffy and had wonderful, crispy edges.

On our way out of town we stopped at the West End Overlook which provided a great panorama of downtown and the Allegheny, Monongahela and Ohio rivers. It was quite overcast but the view was still lovely and I can only imagine what it would look like on a sunny day.

If we had more time I would have loved to explore the city more and in particular visit some of the museums like the Andy Warhol Museum and the Carnegie Museums of Art & Natural History. Hopefully I'll have a chance to go back someday... 

Last Day in New York

Thursday, sadly, was our last day in New York. It was absolutely gorgeous weather. Who would have thought we would have a sunny day in the high fifties in December in New York?

After getting packed up at the hotel we headed to Katz's Delicatessen for an early lunch. Opened in 1888, Katz's is a New York City landmark and has great deli food. Katz's has also been used as a location in several movies, most famously in When Harry Met Sally for the "I'll have what she's having" scene.

There are too many amazing things too chose from at Katz's but Frank got his favorite pastrami and chopped liver sandwich and I decided on a bowl of matzo ball soup and half of a reuben sandwich. For drinks we had Dr. Brown's Cel-rey soda, a deli classic. The sandwiches were amazing with the meat practically falling apart and I've never had a matzo ball that was that light and perfect. I also loved the old signage and pictures around the deli and the ticket system for adding up your order.

After Katz's we popped into Russ & Daughters for a minute to ogle the amazing foodstuffs there. It was packed so we didn't buy anything, but the pickles looked very tempting...

We then walked down 2nd Avenue to Momofuku Milk Bar to grab dessert and a copy of the latest issue of Lucky Peach. We were still stuffed from Katz's but couldn't resist getting a red velvet cake shake (it truly tasted like drinking red velvet cake batter) and a cereal milk shake (imagine the tasty goodness of the milk left over after you finish a bowl of sweet cereal in milkshake form). We also got a slice of crack pie, which is as addictive as its name implies, and a few cookies for the ride home. After our stop there I am seriously considering getting the Momofuku Milk Bar Cookbook.

After dessert it was time for us to hit the road and head back towards Ann Arbor. We had a fabulous time in New York and hopefully we will be back again soon.

If you are interested, check out the rest of our New York trip here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3.

Seafoam Salad

I think it has to be a law of nature that every family in the Midwest of the US must have a time honored, treasured family Jell-O recipe. For my family that recipe is none other than the fabulously delicious seafoam salad.

Trotted out only for the special occasions of Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, seafoam salad was the highlight of the holiday meals for my sister and I while we were growing up. For a seemingly disastrous period in the nineteen-eighties my grandmother tried an experiment where seafoam salad was served for Thanksgiving and a red and green Jell-O ribbon salad was substituted for seafoam salad at Christmas. Needless to say there was a major revolt in the ranks.

Even though my tastes have changed and grown, as an adult I still love this simple Jell-O recipe. Seeing the pale green Jell-O salad topped with whipped cream and maraschino cherries is like a time machine for me. It just tastes like the joy and magic of the holidays and makes me feel like a little kid again.

Ingredients List
- 1 can of sliced pears in heavy syrup, drained with juice reserved
- 1 package of lime Jell-O
- 1 package of cream cheese (8 oz.)
- 2 Tbsp. warm water
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream 
- Pear halves (optional)
- Maraschino cherries (optional)

Directions
- Over a medium heat burner heat pear juice to a simmer
- Remove pear juice from heat, stir in Jell-O until dissolved and set aside
- In a separate bowl, use a potato masher to mash cream cheese with warm water
- Add slightly stiff Jell-O and beat until fairly smooth
- After Jell-O mixture has cooled, use potato masher to mash pear slices into the mixture
- Whip up whipping cream and fold half into the Jell-O mixture
- Pour Jell-O mixture into a dish and place into the refrigerator
- After Jell-O has set up (about a half hour) finish by spreading the remaining whipped cream on top 

Tips and Tricks
- Although a potato masher works best with this recipe, in a pinch you could use a dinner fork to mash up the cream cheese and pears.
- For best success with whipping up whipping cream make sure that both the whipping cream and bowl are very cold. I like to pop my mixer bowl in the freezer for a few minutes prior to using it.
- I like to garnish my seafoam salad with pear halves that I have thinly sliced and maraschino cherries.
- To make sure that the maraschino cherries don't bleed red juice all over the whipped cream I rinse my cherries and blot them dry with a paper towel before adding them on top of the seafoam salad. 

New York Day 3: Museums & Eataly

If Tuesday was all about holiday markets, then Wednesday was all about museums. We started off our morning by heading to the Whitney Museum of American Art where we ate breakfast at the museum's cafe, Untitled. Frank had an omelette and I had lox and egg salad on an everything bagel. Everything was delicious and with our appetites sated we headed upstairs to see the Whitney's exhibits.

As a big fan of Edward Hopper (I have a print of New York Movie in my house) I was excited to see two of his works, Early Sunday Morning and Seven A.M., as part of the Real/Surreal exhibit. His paintings have such a lonely, haunting quality that always moves me. One of the most interesting things about our visit was the connection of seeing Man Ray's La Fortune as part of the Real/Surreal exhibit and then seeing Sherrie Levine's derivative work, "La Fortune" (After Man Ray:1-4), as part of the exhibit on her work on the floor above. Unfortunately, pictures aren't allowed at the Whitney, but I linked photos of the works from the Whitney website for anyone who is curious about them.

After leaving the Whitney, Frank and I walked through Central Park, stopping at Belvedere Castle. Built on Vista Rock in 1869, the National Weather Service has used measurements from atop the tower to report the weather in Central Park. Belvedere Castle has an interesting history but my favorite tidbit is that it has been used on Sesame Street for exterior shots of Count von Count's castle. 

After leaving Central Park we headed to the American Museum of Natural History for the rest of the afternoon. Neither Frank nor I had ever been there before and we were really impressed with the extensive collections in the museum. A person could spend a week or two if they went through and looked at and read everything the museum has on display. Among the many interesting things I learned was that the Native Americans in the plains area developped a system of sign language to communicate between tribes which spoke different languages. My favorite exhibit (being the engineering nerd that I am) was The Scales of the Universe which illustrates the relative scale of everything from sub-atomic particles to galaxies. A close second was Picturing Science: Museum Scientists and Imaging Technologies which showcased the ways that different optical techniques are used by scientists in their research. Very cool! 

By the time we left the American Museum of Natural History, Frank and I were starving and headed to Birreria, Eataly's rooftop beer garden. Being a beer garden they were brewing cask ales on the rooftop and so I tried the Ruby which I really enjoyed. We started with a cheese plate (asiago fresco, robiola bosini, provolone madrone, taleggio, gorgonzola dolce) and meat plate (speck, sopressata, mortadella, cacciatorini, coppa) which was delicious. For dinner I had a chopped mixed kale salad topped with grapefruit, poppy seed frico and anchovy vinaigrette while Frank ate the beer braised pork shoulder with apricot. The food was great and the atmosphere on top of the roof was really laid back and cool.   

After finishing dinner we headed back downstairs to the Eataly Market. The market sells everything you can imagine to make an Italian feast with amazing varieties of cheese, meats, pastas, vegetables, and more. Although we didn't buy anything it was fun to wander around and look.

After leaving Eataly we spotted the Shake Shack in Madison Square Park and even though we were still stuffed from Birreria we just had to stop for a shake. Frank's chocolate malted shake and my Arabica coffee shake were both awesome and a great cap on the night.

As we were heading to grab the subway back to our hotel we had an amazing view of the Empire State Building. It was festively lit up and the foggy evening made it seem like it was vanishing into thin air. It was a beautiful way to end an awesome day.

If you are interested, check out the rest of our New York trip here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 4.

New York Day 2: Holiday Markets & Tasty Treats

On Tuesday, our second day in New York, Frank and I started off the morning by picking up breakfast at Sullivan Street Bakery which is just around the corner from our hotel. I opted for a pastry filled with ricotta, gruyere and pancetta while Frank had the Pizza Bianca (olive oil, rosemary and sea salt) and Pizza Patate (potato, onion, olive oil, rosemary, and black pepper). Not only was it convenient but it was absolutely delicious.

After breakfast the rest of the day was all about the holiday markets. We started off by walking up 8th Avenue to the Columbus Circle Holiday Market. The market was festive with red and white striped tents festooned with greenery and lights. Wandering around looking at all the vendors was really fun. The stalls were bustling with people and we even saw a CNN camera crew interviewing shoppers. I ended up buying some cool postcards with graphics of transit lines from cities across the U.S. and around the world from Line Posters. We also couldn't resist picking up a snack of a yummy truffle-cheddar pretzel from Sigmund's Pretzels and a hot chocolate from No Chewing Allowed! The hot chocolate was ridiculously decadent and had a chocolate truffle placed in the bottom of the cup before the hot chocolate was poured over it.  

From Columbus Circle we walked down Broadway and through Times Square en route to Grand Central Terminal. With all the hustle and bustle and the buildings plastered with enormous advertisements there is nothing quite like Times Square.

Grand Central Terminal was teeming with people when we got there. Frank was particularly interested in checking out the new Apple Store which opened up there earlier this month. At 23,000 square feet it is enormous and has a cool atmosphere taking up the whole east balcony overlooking the station.

From Grand Central Terminal we hopped on the subway to visit the Union Square Holiday Market. Many of the vendors were the same as those at Columbus Circle so we didn't do a lot of browsing, but being late in the afternoon we were hungry and ready to try some of the food stalls. First up was pork meatballs topped with a sweet and spicy cranberry horseradish chutney from Mighty Balls. Still hungry we got lentil soup and Persian chili from Taste of Persia. The soup had a delicious flavor and was chock full of beans and vegetables. We finished off with a trio of miniature canoli in eggnog, girl scout cookie, and white chocolate macadamia flavors. 

After getting our fill of tasty treats we grabbed the subway again to go to Kalustyan's. It is an amazing shop full of all sorts of food stuffs but the reason for me to go is the fabulous selection of high quality spices. Frank and I stocked up on bulk packages of all sorts of things. Who needs a pound of poppy seeds? Me, of course!

We then headed to 601 Lexington Avenue to visit a friend of Frank's that works there. Frank's friend's office is on an upper floor of the building and the conference rooms have amazing views of the Chrysler Building and Rockefeller Center.

After a short rest at our hotel we headed to Broadway for a production of Rock of Ages. Booking last minute during holiday season we had limited options and the campy aspects of the show really weren't my style. Despite the show not being my taste the performers were talented and I like the cozy atmosphere of the Helen Hayes Theater where the production was staged.  Two years ago at the Helen Hayes Theater I had a chance to see The 39 Steps, a farce based on the Alfred Hitchcock movie of the same name, which being an old movie buff I absolutely loved.

At ten o'clock we ended our evening by dining at Momofuku Ko which was an amazing experience and deserves it's own post later. It was another wonderful day in New York.

If you are interested, check out the rest of our New York trip here: Day 1, Day 3, Day 4.

Curried Apple Pumpkin Soup

With winter well underway I am constantly craving soups. There is nothing like a hot bowl of soup to warm you up after coming in from the chilly weather. It makes me feel all warm and cozy inside.  

My favorite soup in the fall and winter is my Curried Apple Pumpkin Soup which I made last night for dinner. It is rich and creamy with a great slightly spicy flavor. With a baguette of crusty bread it is a perfect comfort food meal for me.

It is a pretty simple soup to make, especially if you have an immersion blender to puree the soup. Without further ado, here is the recipe.

Ingredients List
- 1/2 c. butter
- 1 bunch of leeks (2 big leeks or 3 small leeks): white part chopped
- 1 small sweet onion: chopped
- 1 Tbsp. curry powder
- 3 apples: peeled, cored and chopped 
- 2 c. pumpkin puree
- 4 c. chicken stock
- 1 pint heavy cream
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Cayenne pepper (optional)
- Pumpkin seeds (optional)

Directions
- Over a medium heat burner melt butter in a stock pot and then add leeks, onion and curry powder, cooking until nearly translucent
- Add apples and cook for a few minutes more so that apples are soft and onions are translucent
- Stir in pumpkin and chicken stock and simmer for 20 minutes until all vegetables are very soft and tender
- Remove from heat and use a blender to puree soup
- Finish by stirring in cream and adding salt and pepper to taste

Tips and Tricks
- I like to use pumpkin puree that I made from sugar pumpkins but you can also used canned pumpkin
- For blending I love using my immersion blender (best $24 I ever spent!) since I can puree it right in my stock pot which means less clean up 
- If you do use a traditional blender be sure to only fill the blender less than halfway otherwise you could potentially make a hot, exploding mess (unfortunately, I know this from personal experience)
- If you are vegetarian you can substitute vegetable stock for the chicken stock 
- For a little extra zing try adding some cayenne pepper to the soup
- I like to reserve a little cream and use it along with some pumpkin seeds to garnish the soup

Holiday Party

With being out of town to Japan, New York and New Orleans this month I'm not going to be able to host a holiday party this year but I thought I'd share my Christmas decorations and food from my party last year.

For decorations I made table runners out of teal and white fabric. I also made pillows out of coordinating fabric and used white felt to add a snowflake motif on one of the pillows.

I kept things simple for my tree decorations with white lights, teal and silver ornament balls, pinecones that I spray painted silver and teal, and silver pipe cleaners that I twisted into spirals.

For the tables I filled vases with extra ornaments and some extra branches I trimmed from my tree. I also put some of the painted pinecones and ornaments in a wooden bowl on my serving table. 

I like to try to make some food ahead for my parties so I made three different cheese balls a few days before that just required garnishing before serving.  The lemon-parsley gougeres can be made ahead and then baked right before the guests come. I also made individual shrimp cocktails by putting a little bit of cocktail sauce in the bottom of a small glass with shrimp and a slice of lemon.  For something sweet I made honey-poached pears with marscapone drizzled with chocolate. I used whole small pears and cored them from underneath to keep the pear intact for presentation. I was happy that with so much I could make ahead everything was stress free for me at the party and I could spend my time enjoying the food with my guests instead of in the kitchen cooking.

Hand Rubbed Sage Holiday Gifts

With two weeks until Christmas I've been in full swing with holiday preparations. I thought I would share a holiday gift that I made for some friends and family last year.

At the end of the summer I had huge quantities of sage left in my garden. I didn't want it to go to waste so I harvested it and dried it by hanging it upside down in a dry location using twine.

To turn the dried leaves into hand rubbed sage powder I placed the leaves in mesh colander with a bowl underneath.  Using my fingertips I rubbed the leaves through the collander which turned it into a fine, fluffy powder. 

For storage I found cute plastic containers at Target and filled them with the hand rubbed sage.

To make the labels I used a picture of sage from my garden as a background. I added "sage" and "from Lisa's garden" using word art and then printed it out of matte photo paper. I trimmed the prints into circles and attached the labels to the containers with craft glue. 

The sage containers went over well with the recipients and it turned out to be a great way to use up my over abundant supply of sage before the frost set in.

Favorite Eats in Toyota-shi

One of the fun things about going back to Japan for work is that I get a chance to eat at some of my favorite places in Toyota-shi. There's a great Taiwan Ramen shop a block south of the train station that will serve up seconds of noodles for practically free.  Masu Masu is a great izakaya (Japanese pub) with wonderful food, especially the grilled pork belly with leek.

For something a little different there is a wonderful Indian and Vietnamese restaurant on the top floor of the T-Face building which serves a cheese naan that is so enormous you have to see it to believe it.

Hanabi is another of my favorites.  It is a yaki-niku restaurant where you choose nice cuts of meat and then grill it yourself on a little charcoal brazier set into your table.

Unfortunately there is never enough time to visit every place that I would like to go but there is one restaurant that I make sure to eat at on every trip, Tsubasaya. It is a fun izakaya that has good, inexpensive food and a wonderful, lively atmosphere.  They are famous for their tebasaki, which are chicken wings with a sweet and spicy sauce covered in sesame seeds.  I'm also partial to their ebi mayo, fried shrimp dressed with a sweet chili mayonaise sauce. Absolutely delicious!

If you are interested, check out the rest of my December 2011 Japan Trip here: Visiting Hieizan Enryaku-ji, Kobe: Luminarie + Beef, Autumn in Kyoto, Favorite Eats in Toyota-shi, Centrair Airport Bath  

2011 Season Michigan Wolverines Tailgate Cakes

In honor of Sunday night's announcement that Michigan is going to the Sugar bowl, I thought I would share a few of my favorite cakes that I made over the course of the season for the tailgate that I am a part of.

I already posted the Ohio State cake for the final game of the regular season, but here are the rest of the 2011 home game cakes.

The picture to the left is from the Eastern Michigan game.  The tailgate theme was Far Eastern so I used fondant to cut out the Chinese characters for Michigan to put on the front of the cake. To top it off I made a fondant fortune cookie and used a food write to write "Michigan will beat Eastern" as the fortune.

For the collage below I'll describe the cakes top to bottom, left to right.  For the Nebraska game I decorated the cake around their mascot by making corn stalks out of fondant and writing "Beat the Huskers" across the top of the cake.

The Minnesota tailgate had a Mardi Gras theme so I made a doberge cake and decorated it with a harlequin pattern and a mask.

The first ever homegame at Michigan Stadium played at night was the Notre Dame game and there was a lot of memorabilia being sold with the "Under the Lights" logo emblazoned on it.  I thought the logo looked neat and recreated it out of fondant for the top of the blue velvet cake.

The Purdue game was on Halloween weekend so I made a pumpkin cake shaped like a pumpkin. I used some brown edible glitter to give the cake some dimension, made the stem and leaves out of green fondant and finished it off with a big block M on the front. 

For the Luau themed tailgate for the Western Michigan game I made a pineapple cake with coconut cream cheese icing. I completed the cake with a block M on the top and a border of blue hibiscus flowers made of fondant.

The San Diego State game had a Mexican theme so I cut my cake into a block M shape and wrote "Vamos Azul" across the banner (Go Blue in Spanish).  

Making the tailgate cakes is a lot of fun for me and gives me a nice excuse to bake.  I'm sad that the regular season is over but I am excited about heading down to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl. Go Blue!