Eat Your Colors

So where have I been? The past, oh, 4 months have been a blur. Like putting your life on fast-forward xx4? Yeah. Welcome to mine. Life really should come with a pause button.

While I have been cooking, there isn't anything wild and crazy you haven't seen yet... so I'm going through some of the posts I should have posted back, oh, WHEN I TOOK THESE SHOTS?!?! But there are times when you gotta hunker down and work hard.

So, this is the second installment in a series of "Remember When" food shots from when the grass was green and the temperatures were consistently above 30 degrees F. I had just ridden 60-70ish miles with a dear friend from Vermont to raise money for the Krempels Center for those who have suffered from brain trauma. We were so gung-ho on getting a beer (or two...) that by the time the ride was over, there was no more food! Armed with some chocolates, I decided to forget meandering around southern New Hampshire seeking food and beelined it home, where I promptly cleaned off all the road grime, poured myself a large glass of wine, some salty macadamias and apricots, then napped until dinner time.

This is what I awoke to, to go along with another much needed glass of wine. A brilliant salad, full of color. Cherry tomatoes. Avocadoes. Orange segments. Cucumber. Sweet red pepper. Leafy Boston lettuce and baby greens. And, of course, brilliantly purple edible flowers. Dressed with a light maple-champagne vinaigrette, it was the perfect thing to round out a busy day.

The Pizza that Changed My Life

OK, maybe that is exaggerating a bit... But then again, since going corn-, gluten-, semi-dairy-, oat- (and a whole bunch of other things) free, I haven't had a slice of pizza. None at all. It was once my 3am, post night-out-on-the-town, pre-bed go-to. Now it's rice cakes. And believe me, there is no real comfort or greasy satisfaction there.

So you'd imagine my delight, the former pizza-lover I was, when I discovered some thin crust, gluten AND corn free pizza crusts from Venice Bakery in CA. I was skeptical at first... I mean, how could these taste good? And there is no cornstarch - an evil ingredient, still sadly eponymous in many a GF food - in them?!! Hard to beat. Still doubtful that these were edible, the information I had was further compounded by the fact that these were vacuum-sealed and shelf stable for a week or so at least (I'd rather not test this; mine are in my fridge as the freezer is just too full).

Nevertheless, I trotted on with visions of pizza in my head, and the taste of homemade pesto and caramelized onions in my mouth. I just hoped with all my might that these would not disappoint. And I'll stop keeping you in suspension there. They were OUT OF THIS WORLD. Super crisp on the outside, tender on the inside, and strong enough to withstand even my super-loaded curry version. Plus not too big that you would fill up with more bread than goodies. Don't get me wrong - it's not Lucali, Roberta's, Al Forno, or Zero Otto Nove - but it's gluten free, and delicious. DELICIOUS!

For starters, don't nibble on these unbaked (well, un-reheated, as they come cooked already). Kind of bland and dense, but it wasn't any surprise. Baked is better, isn't it? While my pizza stone heated to a blazing 450 degrees, I slathered some pizza sauce, and a sprinkle of mozzarella and parmesan cheeses (See, semi-dairy free. Nothing replaces cheese on pizza, and this was worth the splurge), on one half of the pie. A garnish of sun-dried tomatoes, and dollops of my homemade pesto, and I was halfway there.

On the other side, I got crazy. With visions of this Thai Carrot Pizza from Thomas Hill Organics in Paso Robles, CA on my mind, I was thinking of Kashmiri Curry flavors, plus caramelized onions, bacon, avocado, cilantro, toasted walnuts, and some swiss cheese for good measure. An insane combination, but take it from me, IT WORKED. The once-dense crust crisped up nicely, absorbed a bit of the oil let off by the cheese and pesto, and I even baked it until overly golden, which I usually don't like when it comes to normal pizza crusts (because they burn to dust), but suited these babies oh-so-well.

With three more crusts tucked in the fridge, and plenty of pesto, tomato sauce, and cheese on hand, there is plenty more experimenting to be had. Pesto, raisin, and toasted pine nut is a favorite. Perhaps a breakfast pizza, with scrambled eggs and bacon on top. Or, as the crust has a slightly sweet flavor, what about a dessert pizza, toasted with browned butter, topped with nutella, and a sprinkling of caramelized banana slices or something even more indulgent?

What are your favorite pizza topping combinations?

Harvest Kale Salad with Honey-Miso Dressing

I love dark winter greens, kale in particular. It's fabulous in hearty vegetarian stews, sautéed, or used in risotto. My favorite preparation, however, is in a salad. Tossed with a good dressing, it never wilts — in fact, I almost like it more the next day.

Harvest Kale Salad with Honey-Miso Dressing

This recipe was inspired by the number of colorful vegetables you can find in the dead of winter (yes, color does exist in a deep freeze). Rich butternut squash, possibly roasted with garlic and rosemary, tart dried cranberries, and buttery toasted nuts. You could also add caramelized onions, or roasted purple potatoes to the mix. And of course, a dusting of snowy, white cheese, if you're so inclined.

For the salad:
1 bunch dinosaur kale, cut into a fine chiffonade (aka Lacinato or Tuscan kale)
1 1/2 cup roasted butternut squash
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
1 avocado, cut into small chunks

For the dressing:
1/4 cup white miso, at room temperature
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/3 cup grape seed oil
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

For the salad:
In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients except the avocado. Toss well and set aside.

For the dressing:
In a glass jar, combine the miso, honey, and vinegar and mix well. Add the oil and ginger and shake well. (You can also let it sit 24 hours, at least overnight, for the ginger to mellow and infuse.)

Spoon over the kale salad and toss to coat. Let sit for about 30-60 minutes or overnight to allow the leaves to slightly wilt. Add the avocado and serve immediately.

NOTE: If you don't have honey, you can also use maple syrup. No roasted butternut squash? Explore using other roasted root vegetables, like beets, baby potatoes, or carrots. A garnish of goat cheese or blue cheese would also make a nice addition, if you can tolerate dairy.

Servings: 4
Dairy-free, Vegetarian, Gluten-free

How to Have Lobster for Breakfast (or Easy Lobster Towers with Mango and Avocado

A family friend once said the best way to eat healthy is to have a rainbow of colors on your plate. And, as we feast with our eyes just as much as with our bellies, this does matter when plating.

So, when I was lucky enough to get my paws on a whole lobster recently, I had to think beyond lobster cobb salads and lobster rolls, the sorts of things I now (with a recently found love for lobster) enjoy all summer long. What would add a complement of color to the rosy-tinged meat? Creamy avocado and summery-orange mangoes!

If you're lucky enough to get lobsters fresh from the boat, the still warm, just-cooked lobster meat needs little garnishing. They're great alone with lemon juice, warm drawn butter, or even mayo (if you're of that camp). But rather than serve my lobster meat in a hot dog bun, now that I'm gluten-free, I like it nearly alone.

This is great for a light lunch, or a fancy appetizer for a small dinner party. Or breakfast, even, as I did. Hey, when you can't do cereal or oatmeal, and you crave protein, what's the problem with a little lobster in the morning, too?

I recommend assembling this dish with a round ring mold, layering each ingredient before removing the ring. If you don't have a ring mold, however (like me), don't fret — the dish is still just as delicious layered free-form.

Lobster Timbales with Mango and Avocado

One 1 1/4-pound cooked lobster, meat removed and cut into bite-sized chunks
2 scallions, finely sliced, plus more for garnish, if desired
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Salt, to taste
1 avocado, flesh cut into 1/2-inch chunks
1 mango, flesh finely diced

In a small bowl, combine lobster meat, scallions, and olive oil. Toss to coat. Season to taste with salt.

Using ring molds, layer ½ the avocado into the bottom, gently packing down the flesh. Then add ½ the mango, again packing gently. Top with ½ the lobster mixture. Carefully and gently remove the ring, if using, and garnish the timbale with scallions.

Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Serve at room temperature immediately.

Makes: 2 timbales
Total time: 15 minutes
Special Designations: Dairy-free, Gluten-free

Mango-Avocado Salad

This salad is super easy to make and easy to eat. While I can't imagine eating a whole one nowadays for lunch, given my much-lighter exercise regime, it's a perfect thing to have when you're craving something tropical in a far-from-tropical locale.

Don't like almonds or blue cheese? Try using macadamia nuts, toasted walnuts, or even pistachios or peanuts. Substitute blue for Manchego - or go without it and add a garnish of poached or barbecue chicken.

1 mango, peeled and sliced

1 avocado, peeled and sliced

1 handful baby spinach

Dressing, to taste

Handful of almonds, for garnish

Handful of blue cheese, for garnish

What to Cook When It's Too Hot to Cook: Tuna Seviche

When the weather gets warm, nothing quite beats a cool and refreshing seviche (also known at ceviche). In this recipe, cubed fresh sushi-grade tuna is tossed with lime zest and juice to gently “cook” a portion of the fish (the beauty of tuna – especially sushi-grade – is that it is so good eaten raw). Finely chopped jalapenos give the mixture a kick, while cubed avocado offers a creaminess that cools the heat of the pepper.

For a dinner party, serve the seviche in a martini glass for a decorative look. At cocktails, fry up wonton or plaintain cups and add a tablespoon of seviche on top. Dining a deux? Seviche atop a bed of greens, coupled with a warm flatbread or toasted crostini, is a light and healthy meal that is great for those nights when it’s too hot to cook. That's my favorite preparation. What's yours?

1/4 pound sushi-grade tuna, cut into 1/4 inch chunks

Zest and juice of 2 limes

2 small jalapenos, finely chopped

2 avocadoes, cut into 1/4-inch chunks

1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish

Salt, to taste

2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted

Toss together tuna and limes. Let the mixture sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Add jalapenos, avocadoes, and cilantro and season to taste. Add sesame seeds, stir. Serve.

Serves 4 as an entrée, 8-10 as an appetizer.

Total time: 20 minutes

Holy Muac-a-mole!

I love avocadoes. The creamy texture, slightly sweet, green taste. My mom got me hooked on serving avocado with mango over a green salad, and one of my favorite breakfasts consists of my favorite nutty German-style bread, toasted, served with a smear of avocadoes and topped with prosciutto. 

Lucky for me, when my stomach started grumbling today around 5 p.m., I was lucky enough to have an avocado and a jalapeno on hand. What to make? My favorite guacamole, of course.

I used to use lots of garlic and jalapenos in my guacamole -- until a time came when I tried making the recipe from Josefina Howard, one of the co-founder's of Rosa Mexicano here in New York City. The combination of white onion and jalapeno is incredible, especially when served with my favorite thick-cut corn chips from Native Kjalii. Oh wow...

The key to making this guacamole is to finely dice half of the onion and jalapeno, and then toncreate a paste with the two using the side of your chef's knife, and a sprinkle of salt (Rosa Mexicano uses a molcajete; I have yet to invest in one for my tiny apartment just yet). The juice of the onion and the jalapeno, combined with the first half of the avocado, helps create a smooth paste with lots of flavor. Then, add in the other half of the onion, jalapeno, chopped avocado, with a smattering of salt, to make a chunky guacamole. While one usually adds a chopped tomato to the avocado mixture, the so-called red tomatoes in the market right now just don't cut it. So, I added in a couple of finely chopped sun dried tomatoes -- consider it my wintertime kick.

Winter Guacamole

Inspired by Rosa Mexicano

1 jalapeno, seeds removed and finely diced

1/3 cup finely chopped white onion (about 1/4 of a large white onion)

Salt

1 avocado

4 sun dried tomatoes (not in oil), finely chopped

Finely chopped cilantro, to taste

Combine half of the onion and jalapeno together with a pinch of salt and, using the side of your knife, create a paste. Place in a small bowl. 

Add 1/2 of the avocado to the paste and stir well to create a smooth paste. Add in the rest of the jalapeno, onion, and avocado. Add the sun dried tomato, and optional cilantro (I usually use it but didn't have any this time... nor did I miss it) and season to taste.

A Little Bit of Tuscany in Rhode Island (in March)...

My favorite salad of all time from my time spent in Tuscany this summer was a grilled Radicchio salad from a tiny place in San Casciano del Bagni. Grilled radicchio, amazing olive oil, syrupy sweet balsamico. And a hunk of fresh bread to finish it off. 

A couple of nights ago, I realized I had some radicchio (Treviso -- oblong not round) in the fridge. And my grill was already going to cook some sausages. Instead of a plain jane salad, why not grill some radicchio? Chop and toss with some cheese, a bit of mixed greens, some avocado slices and a simple dressing made with olive oil, balsamico, salt and pepper? So simple, so tasty. SO good.

Everyone's Favorite Pre-Dinner Snack

Who doesn't love avocado?

I recently just came back from a week long ski trip to my favorite ski area - Alta. Lots of snow, lots of sun, wonderful company, and fabulous food! The ultimate apres-ski snack, I think, is a strong margarita and spicy/garlicky guacamole. Well, while I'm on the subject of guacamole, I might as well confess that I think it is also the perfect "healthy"-snack-while-I-make-dinner treat, too. 'Cause I made some tonight, while I was famished and making dinner. Mmm...

I've learned a couple of things over the years that makes my guacamole all mine -- and much loved by those eating it.

To start off - if you need to hold the guac a bit, toss an avocado pit or two in the mixture. Not sure why it works, but it helps to keep the oxidation (browning of the lovely green hue) at bay.

More tricks? Finely mince your garlic -- DO NOT use a garlic press! If you have a molcajete (those lava mortar and pestle bowls), you can pulverize the salt and garlic together to make a paste. It's better, trust me, and there is a more pronounced garlic flavor.

Another secret ingredient? Serrano chilies, finely diced (please don't rub your eyelid like I did after chopping! It kind of burns!). I love the hint of spice, and certainly the added depth of flavor these add. One is PLENTY for two avocadoes (unless you're looking to set your mouth on fire).

My good friend from Mexico, Mercedes, will often add finely diced onion (for sweetness) and never diced tomato. But, I like the finely diced roma tomatoes, minus the seeds and pulp, for color.

Many argue whether to add lime or lemon juice. I love adding lime, but in a pinch will add lemon. I don't find the difference too earth shattering.

And what to serve with my guacamole? Considering corn and I have a rocky relationship, I only buy organic corn chips with a little (lot of?) oomph -- favorites being Blue Corn chips and Multi-grain (by Food Should Taste Good). Even better, a hunk of red bell pepper, or a big spoon!

Next time you're a little hungry -- or a lot -- while making dinner, whip up a batch of my guac, and enjoy!

Heavenly Guacamole

1 serrano chile, finely diced
4 small garlic cloves, finely minced
pinch of salt
2 avocadoes
1 roma tomato, finely diced
1/2 lime, juiced
salt, to taste

Mix together chili, garlic, and salt to form a paste (as best you can). Add avocado, tomato, and lime juice. Mix til only slightly chunky. Season to taste and serve as you wish!

Beyond this borough, and on a budget

A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriends and I decided it was time for another semi-monthly "girls night out" dinner, as we've been so busy. Getting the four of us together is a task!

We set a date for Sunday night. Amy and Meredith were free, but sadly Susan was away that weekend. What were we up for? We had been talking about margaritas, as we typically do mid-week when we're stressed. Mer mentioned Hecho en Dumbo, a mexican place by night (and a general store/housewares shop by day), might be just the thing: good food, reasonable prices, and a mean margarita. I had heard about the spot before - and recalled it used organic, locally-sourced, free-range and antibiotic free ingredients! Yum! Plus, the website says that it is an "Authentic Mexican Restaurant," as certified by The Mexican Ministry of Agriculture and Sabores Autenticos de Mexico. It was unanimous that it would be the spot!

Sunday came, and it was a cool, drizzly day. Blah. All day long, I was looking forward to meeting the girls for dinner! The plan was to meet at 6pm at Hecho. I hopped on a downtown C train around 5:15 and read the whole way down to High Street. I got off the train and climbed up to street level. Though it was gray and wet outside, I was quickly reminded how much I love DUMBO and the Brooklyn waterfront!!! The hill, the quiet, the old quirky streets and restored lofts. Sigh. I will have to move here some time...

Thank goodness Mer had warned me that Hecho didn't have a sign, but a simple "Bar" sign outside. I walked in to what I thought was the restaurant. Hmm. A rustic space, couple of tables, a great bar, housewares in back. Check. But, didn't seem like a "general store" in my mind. Plus, the menus on the wall featured paninis and salads...nothing mexican. But, I was impressed with the space. I could see myself sitting here for a couple of hours, in fact, cappuccino and book in hand I walked back out, doubting my choice in venue, to await the arrival of one of my friends. I walked down the block, peering into an interesting gourmet market on the eastern end of the block. I could live here, I thought!

Mer soon arrived and confirmed for me that the space I was in earlier was indeed Hecho. Yay! I surveyed the scene as we sat down at a table by the door to await Amy. Young friends, families made up many dining that evening, but don't fear - it wasn't overrun with loud kids. In fact, the low lighting was soothing, and there was audio equipment set up for a live musician later on!

It wasn't five minutes before Amy arrived, and the waiter promptly came over to see what we wanted. After looking at the menu with the variety of Micheladas and tequila drinks, I quickly decided that I'd be going with tried and true - and so were Mer and Amy - margaritas with salt all around.

We caught up quickly as we waited for the drinks, which didn't take long at all. When the drinks arrived, so too did some delicious chips and salsa. Quickly hit the spot for me - I was quite hungry having not had anything since oatmeal for brunch. Sipping and nibbling, we perused the menu. Guacamole, sopes, queso, chorizo - oh my! So many options, and all looked delicious, but guacamole and "molletes" quickly jumped out at us. More thick cut homemade chips, with a creamy fresh avocado guac sounded delicious, while the molletes - warm ciabatta with black bean puree, melted mozzarella, with pico de gallo - sounded divine. Most of the dishes are small, perfect for sharing and and splitting among friends. But what else to get? We decided that the sample platter would suffice: we could taste the molletes, sample each taco, sopes, and burritas, and then still have room to order one last dish!

The molletes were better than we had ever imagined. Soft ciabatta, gently warmed and spread with black beans, and the melted mozzarella and pico de gallo on top. Heavenly! Next, I sampled the steak tacos. I didn't care much for the corn tortillas, but the steak! SO good! I then tried the cactus burritas. Wasn't sure what to expect - CACTUS? It was surprisingly good. The cactus was roasted until tender, kind of like a perfectly roasted green pepper. It was mixed with a chile cream sauce (but it wasn't creamy...) and then served in a small flour tortilla. A delicious combination of flavors...but I wanted more meat.

My favorite dish was definitely the sopes de pollo: slow cooked local and organic chicken in a chile sauce, served in a handmade, stone ground corn masa medallion that is coated with black bean puree, crema fresca, crisp lettuce, and cojita cheese. The medallions were so tender, and warm - reminded me of the tortilla making set up that was offered at meal time on morning when my family travelled to Costa Rica last year.

Having finished the first round of drinks, and our guacamole and sample platter, we still had room for one more dish - and another round of drinks. What to get? The sopes de pollo!!

Satisfied and not full, yet completely "full" from the fresh flavors and ingredients, I was so happy with our decision to dine at Hecho en Dumbo. I definitely want to go back - to sample the chorizo, the picaditas de jiaba (crab!!), and the ensalada rosaura. And, of course, the pastel tres leches cake, a classic cake with lime creme fraiche frosting, served with a dollop of mexican caramel ice cream...

Hecho en Dumbo is a real treat - the way food should be prepared: clean, fresh flavors, modest portions (and prices), and attention paid to source on the highest quality ingredients. Now, I just have to take my Texan friend there...I hope she loves it, too!

Canned Creativity

Mondays. The beginning of the week, an opportunity to start the week off right. It's true! But these days, I'm so darn busy that Monday blurs into Tuesday, then to Thursday, then Friday (and in my case, to Saturday and still working hard). Sigh.

I've been working these past weeks to "clean" out my cabinets of food, as I'm moving out of the city back home to start on a new adventure in food. So far, so good! But, I've had a major surplus of canned tomatoes and am definitely sick of tomatoes - tomato sauce, tomato soup, more tomato sauce. Luckily, there was some other "random stuff" in there - lentils, brown rice, a can of black beans...wait! Eureka! Spacing out on the subway home, I had an idea!

My friend The Lunchbelle had brought some cilantro to my place Saturday when I made dinner. I still had some left over, and was craving a "fresh" spin on dinner, and I thought up just the combination: canned whole tomatoes, chopped up, mixed with my can of black beans (no salt), and a lot of cilantro. The perfect topping? An avocado, so I stopped off at the market on my way home to grab one.

The prep was easy - open cans, smush with a spoon, season liberally with salt to taste (I'm a huge fan of Maldon salt - there is no comparison!). I was utterly famished, so I served my black bean and avocado salad with some cold leftover mac and cheese from Saturday's dinner - a quick and complete dinner in a bowl.

I still have a pint of this salad left over - maybe for lunch later this week? A late dinner? Whenever it's eaten, I hope it's even better than before now that flavors have had time to blend.

Entertaining on a dime, and in a kitchen that isn't mine...

As I'm moving out of NYC at the end of May, I have been subletting an apartment on the Upper West Side, near Lincoln Center. The apartment itself is amazing - a large layout with a new kitchen in a great full-service building. The location, too, is perfect - 15 minutes to my office, right near a huge Food Emporium, a block from one of my favorite wine bars (Barcibo Enoteca), and of course the UWS Magnolia Bakery (I've never been!). The best part? I'm on the 23rd floor, so the views over the West Side, Central Park, all the way to Roosevelt Island are amazing!!!

All this talk of mine had my friend, The LunchBelle, craving to come uptown for a girls night on the Upper West Side. Given the economy, and the fact I'm about to leave my salary

behind, we are two girls looking to save a penny or two here and there. So, instead of dining out, we were going to dine in! I was saving my bottle of Chandon Brut Classic from my California trip last November, and this was the perfect celebratory dinner to pop the cork! Having worked a lot in the past couple of weeks, I was also in need of some comforting indulgence - but, watching my waistline for an upcoming gala, I knew that I couldn't go over the top. Creaminess without the heft, nutrition, flavor and texture maximized, and the calories minimized.

I decided to make my favorite mac and cheese from my college days, when a trip to the cheese shop wasn't in my budget. Add to the fact that my sublet's kitchen is NOT like my kitchen - no baking dishes, no graters. So, I had to improvise. I really don't like boxed pastas, but given I now had to create my cheesy masterpiece on the stove, not oven, I knew the preparation from my college days would be the trick. I love whole wheat pasta, so I decided on whole wheat shells, combined with a bit of plain elbow pasta. While the pasta is cooking, I mix together two cheese packets (I like one white, one regular cheddar - good contrast later in the dish) with a cup of 2% milk - this is like my bechamel, the glue of the dish that brings things together - til smooth. To the fully cooked pasta, I toss in two tablespoons of good butter (European-style: Plugra is a favorite) and let it melt. I then pour in my sauce and stir. I then add about a cup of 1/3" cubed part-skim mozzarella to the pasta and stir. I let it sit covered over very low heat till the sauce thickens, and the mozzarella begins to melt. Then the most important addition - a drizzle of white truffle oil! I turn the heat off after about 5-10 minutes (it varies) and let it sit for about 10-15, so the cheese really melts.

I had been up early that morning for work, and wasn't going to make it out late that night, so we knew this would be a relaxing girls dinner. Lindsay arrived around 6:45pm, with a bottle of her favorite Moscato D'Asti in hand (Neirano Pitule) and our dessert - Haagen Daaz's Fleur de Sel Caramel bars (we're both in love with salted caramel and chocolate!) - plus a special surprise! Fresh and perfectly ripe avocadoes and cilantro! I popped open the Chandon, and we toasted to dinner, the UWS, and my upcoming job changes. While our pasta was...melting (??), Lindsay and I caught up and I prepared a simple avocado salad tostart the meal - sliced avocadoes, sprinkled with fleur de sel and fresh cilantro.

Once ready, Lindsay refreshed our glasses of bubbly while I served the mac and cheese. The lightly golden cheese sauce contrasted slightly with the white cheesiness of the mozzarella, and with a drizzle of truffle oil again on top, the meal-in-a bowl was complete! I first dove into the avocadoes, having already been mesmerized by its ripeness. The crunchy salt was the perfect compliment to the creamy avocado, and the cilantro added the perfect mexican touch. It also went divinely with the mac and cheese. I took a bite of the pasta - perfect. A rich flavor, thanks to the truffle oil, and a lot of cheesiness, thanks to the mozzarella. All without the heft of a lot of cheese or fat!

Plus, the whole wheat pasta rounded out the dish, adding the perfect nuttiness.

Once dinner was finished, we then popped open the cork of Lindsay's moscato for our dessert! I do love sweet wines, recently becoming obsessed with Chateau St. Michelle's riesling - not too sweet, but just perfect when you're craving a little sweetness without eating dessert. The moscato was just what I like - light bubbles, light sweetness, and easy to drink. My only complaint was that the flavor could have been a bit bigger for me (I love full bodied wines, oaky chardonnays, etc), but I was quite happy. Talking about travel and life, we opened up our ice cream bars and enjoyed the last part of our meal. What a treat! The salty caramel combined with the sweet chocolate shell, and the creamy caramel ice cream was just perfect. It was like a more sophisticated and refined version of one of my Ben & Jerry's favorites, Chubby Hubby. I will definitely have to take Lindsay's word and purchase a pint of this ice cream, where there is even more saltiness and caramel.

Our bottles empty, dishes cleared, and night fallen, the evening was coming to an end. Lindsay and I took a walk around the neighborhood before she got in a cab. Of course, we followed our noses to Magnolia Bakery. Unlike the one downtown, I swear this one never has lines (I walk past it daily!). Already warm outside, we walk in to what I likened to an oven with cupcakes baking - it was hot in there, with all the baking treats! Lindsay had to pick up a little gift for a friend, so I accompanied her down the line, thinking about what I was going to purchase later in the week as my sweet treat. Vanilla frosted chocolate? Chocolate frosted vanilla? Or a slice of coconut cake? I spotted a slice of my favorite - carrot cake - and paused. My old favorite from the Good Food Store in Darien, CT had recently been replaced by the amazing version of my current favorite at Two Little Red Hens. Could this be better?

As I write this, I'm enjoying the little surprise thank you Lindsay got me at Magnolia - one of their peanut butter patties. Anyone who knows me knows I LOVE peanut butter! This hits the spot: graham crumbs combined with peanut butter (freshly ground, I think!) and covered in a dark chocolate shell. A definite home run! As for that carrot cake, stay tuned, as I'll be sampling a slice in the coming weeks.