Soup-A-Dee-Doop

I've found that the easiest way to navigate around this whole weekly vegetarian thing is to make the occasional pot o' soup. For guidance, I search the internet and pull out our Moosewood Restaurant cookbook, and occasionally a few other cookbooks, but as with most recipes I end up using them for a bit of knowledge (how long to soak beans) and then wing it for the final product. At its worse, this can make for a bland recipe. (Which always gets me so down. Why should it? At least we get won't go hungry.) At its best, you get this simple, tasty soup. And, as always, play with the ingredients! Wouldn't sweet potatoes be good in this??

Black Bean Soup
- 1/2 lb. dried black beans (this is half the bag; soak overnight)
- 1 small onion, diced
- 2-3 stalks of celery, diced
- 2-3 carrots, diced
- 1/4 to 1/2 green pepper, diced (use any pepper in any amount; I'm not a huge green pepper person, but this is what we had on-hand)
- one quart low-sodium vegetable stock (or homemade)
- 1-2 tbsp. each of cumin, chili powder
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. each salt, pepper and red pepper flakes (if you have jalapenos lying around, use one! Can't wait for summer...)
- 1 lime, zest and juice
- for garnish (optional, but greatly improves the effect): avocado slices, plain yogurt, feta cheese, additional sprinkling of salt/pepper/red pepper/lime

Combine the first seven ingredients in a pot and start a-boilin'. When it has reached a boil, turn the heat down to allow the soup to simmer for around 30-45 minutes (until the beans have softened). Once they have softened, add the salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and zest and juice of lime (if you add the salt earlier, it interferes with the cooking of the beans) and allow the flavors to come together, cooking for another 10-15 minutes (or longer, if you wish). You can eat it as-is, or use an immersion blender to make a smooth soup (we ate as-is).

This also happened to be the night that we discovered that our 10-month-old is a huge fan of avocado. I hope his adventuresome spirit continues well into the future (and not just with cuisine)!

Gray, Gray or Gray

(Or grey?)

I'm obsessing about my foundation, which I'm hoping to paint this summer, along with scraping, cleaning and painting the basement windows and trim. (If I found the energy, I'd do the garage, but one insane project at a time, please.) Here's what it currently looks like...

Er, that's what it looked like last year after I did some planting and shutter painting, hee hee. *Busted.* Anyhoo, it's currently a sort of bluish gray with some spots that need scrubbing or patching and re-painting. With a (cruddy) white facade, glossy black shutters, hunter green roof (sorry you can't see it here; just envision with me), bright red front and back doors, and soon-to-be-painted-white deck and front porch, what would you go with for the foundation?

This one's kind of charcoal, which I'm admittedly kind of into. It makes the black seem a tad less harsh and grounds the house...y'know...into the ground. ;-) 

Then, we have a not-as-dark, not-as-light gray. It also helps to ground the house a little but still has some "color" to it (if that makes sense).

I'm also considering using a floor paint on the treads of the deck and porch that will match the foundation (everything else white), so the color really does make a difference.

So, time to vote! 

Which foundation color should I use?

Quick Quiche

It was one of those nights. You know what I mean. Low (and I mean low) on groceries and in the middle of a hell of a week with more of it to come. Yeah, one of those.

The hubs was asking what he could do to help, so instead of saying "nothing" and running around like a bitter idiot trying not to stress him out, I asked him to head to the grocery store. By the time he got back, I hoped, I'd have dinner ready and the baby fed and bathed. And, dude, it totally happened like that. Score!

My directions for this recipe aren't very specific because, well, I was ALMOST out of milk (I would've used 1/4 - 1/2 cup more if I'd had it) and was winging it 100%. Oh, and we were so starved by the time we sat down to eat (after the baby was down, well into the new Office episode), I didn't take pictures. Let's pretend it looked something like this picture on the left, shall we?

Actually, it kinda sorta did (sans the pretty little parsley). I cooked mine for around 35 minutes (when the directions I was using as a guide suggested 45+), and it came out a tad darker than I'd have liked. I like my quiche softer, but it was still tasty enough to write about on the ol' blog! So, okay, here's the vague recipe:

(Relatively) Quick Quiche

Thaw your frozen pie crust for 10 minutes and turn the oven on to 400° (this was demanded by my pie crust's instructions; do what yours tells you and all will be fine). While this is pre-heating, mix together 4 (or 5) eggs with about 1 cup of milk (or half-and-half, or cream, it ain't no thang). To this mixture, sprinkle in a couple of dashes of paprika, nutmeg, and a grinding of pepper. Also grate yourself about one cup (more if you like) of sharp cheddar cheese; again, use whatever cheese you like, this is just what we had lying around. Prick the crust and bake it on a baking sheet (you'll see why) for 10 minutes.

Decide what else you'd like in your quiche. In my case, to make it faster, I had already thawed out some asparagus I froze back in the day (you can use broccoli, too...or get creative! Way faster and easier if it's already cooked, to an extent). If you want the taste of onion, you'll want to saute some, but I just chopped up a few scallions, instead.

When the crust is ready, layer in half of the cheese, then your green veggies and onion, then the rest of your cheese and pour your wet mixture on top. This was a vegetarian option, so if you want meat, feel free to use your fingers to pull apart a few slices of deli ham, or go nuts and cook off some bacon. Seriously, we didn't even notice the lack of meat, 'twas that yummy.

Bake the quiche (it's officially a quiche, yay!) on the baking sheet (it catches overspill in case the thing decides to vomit in your oven...and it may) for 35-45 minutes or until it reaches the consistency you prefer (no longer jiggly). Take it out of the oven and allow it to rest/set up for 30 minutes (ours appeared ready to eat once we took it out of the oven, though, so this IS actually kind of a quick meal...if you don't follow directions...wink, wink).

Eat as is or pair with a simple side salad. (And wine. I can't have wine, still. So, yeah. Drink wine...for me.) We had a couple humongous pieces, plus enough to gobble a quick bite down before heading to the theater for a show the next night -- two dinners in one? Score!

Finding Our Style

I've always been a tad schizophrenic when it comes to interior design. Even in this post from over a year ago, I agonized over the types of design blogs I'm drawn to -- from fun and modern to eclectic to clean cottage, I'm all over the place. In an attempt to nail down my opinions and to see where my husband stands (I'm one of those ladies who likes to design keeping in mind everyone who shares the home, not throw flowers and frills everywhere and relegate the dude to a man cave; besides, mine would be more like a Batcave or something, anyway. And, yes, I'll probably quiz my son when he's old enough to answer questions, too.).

The results were a bit of a shocker, in more ways than one.

Your Style is Mid-Century Mod

Open, airy, organic spaces, all about form and function.
Sophisticated and sleek yet approachable, alluring.
My home is Mid-Century Modern.

Dude. Our house isn't Mid-Century Modern in any way. MCM is downright impossible to come by in the Mohawk Valley, to be honest. When you look on Craigslist, you'll mostly find over-priced antiques and outdated couches from 1989...also over-priced. (We live in a long since financially depressed area, which means wicked low priced houses. Why people think their furniture should fetch such a pretty penny eludes me.) So, of course, our house is filled with hand-me-downs (grateful for 'em!), re-purposed thrift store finds (again, hardly any MCM), and the occasional transitional piece (because, as I said, I had no clue what our style actually was!). Nary an Eames chair to be found.

This does, however, help me to obtain a focus. I know what our personalities are as a duo. We're both creatives; in general, writers, but we dabble in sketching and painting (poorly, but it happens) and, of course, acting. We have a huge dorky fandom for the old, be it black 'n white movies, classic music, vintage books and comics, antiques, and so on. On the whole, we're pretty eclectic ourselves, appreciating the past in a big way but very much living with modern sensibilities and priorities (yet adhering to many traditional social restraints).

But, as I sit and look around our living room, this $#%& ain't sleek. Organic pieces, maybe. Approachable? Hopefully. Perhaps there's a touch of sophistication mixed in. But, without certain cheaper options (such as the elusive Ikea) around to help us fill our spaces with more modern pieces, we're kind of S.O.L.

It's refreshing to know what my man likes, though. Seriously, watching his selections as he took the quiz, my eyes were opened. A light fixture that hovered like a spaceship over a dining room table had me going, "Seriously?! I mean, if I'd seen that in a store, I wouldn't have said I liked it because I would've assumed you'd HATE it." He shook his head. Well, I'll be damned! One thing about life; the surprises never stop! And, in this case, it was pretty awesome to have my eyes opened.

So, I'll be doing some more research on what it actually means to be a fan of MCM (we're still mostly transitional, I think; heck, I'm gonna, SOME day, inevitably throw some chevron in here SOME place...can't be afraid of the trends, folks, embrace 'em) and analyze how to add a little here and there on a budget such as ours. After all, our surroundings help to sculpt how we live our lives; they can alleviate stresses, inspire change, and invigorate our souls. They can also do the exact opposite when they suck.  

Oh, and I'd love to hear where y'all fall in the spectrum of design!! Are you a country girl? Funky? Old school Italian? Take the HGTV Style Finder quiz to find out and let me know in the comments.

And since when did it become FUN to take quizzes? Weren't they quite the downer in high school??

A Tailor-made Meal, Cooked Perfectly

See what I did there? "Tailor..." "...Cook(ed)"? Yeah, you know this is gonna be good.

This year for my "birthday dinner" (observed the Saturday after my birthday), I opted for something a little different. Usually, our go-to meal would involve Beardslee Castle, a venue that acted as the sight of our wedding reception (delicious food -- can't wait to get back there and offer up a review!). Actually, Dave even said, "Want me to make reservations at Beardslee?" I had to stop him with a different suggestion.

The Tailor and the Cook is a Utica restaurant that's been open shy of one year. It's a unique place in more ways than one; not only does it feel like an eating experience straight out of a larger (more modern) city, but many of the ingredients used by the talented chefs are locally sourced. We've heard nothing but good about the place, so I've been itching to get there. It's one of those "demands reservations" joints, so Dave hooked us up, and our mouths were watering and minds were wandering in anticipation.

Upon entering, one can tell that the experience would be special. Located in a newly up-and-coming area of the city, the bare brick walls are accentuated by local art and reclaimed wood trim. Edison-style bulbs dangle precariously above tables with mixed long, shared booth-style seating (which creates an intimate, yet still open and private atmosphere). Three large barrels (wine or whisky? Does it matter which?) have been repurposed into light fixtures for the front bar, which double as conversation pieces. The mix of modern and earthy is well-executed from front door to back bathrooms (which, before I even get to the food, I must say were incredible. The ladies' room held an antique Singer sewing machine with vintage cookbooks, stark black-and-white industrial photography on the walls, a plethora of lotions and a sink that could double as an art installation. Yes, it was THAT worth mentioning).

After being politely seated and informed of jaw-dropping specials, we were offered sparkling spring water or tap water. We shot the moon (don't usually drink sparkling), but I was equally as impressed that they reuse (cleaned) wine bottles filled with chilled tap water which stay at the table. It sounds simple, but the efforts to reuse items and the simple air of class that the stylish bottles gave to each table struck a sweet chord with us.

It took some doing, but we finally decided upon our meals (I considered going vegetarian, but this was a special occasion and it was a Saturday, so...I went for it): mine, a glass of Newman's Own organic Chardonnay and the pork chop meal; Dave, a glass of Ommegang's Three Philosophers brew and the hanger steak (which his curiosity taught us that this is the cut that butchers used to bring home to their own families without offering them to customers). We opted to share a cheese platter, and our entrees came with salads.

Okay. Let me stop right here. Saying "Dave got steak, I got pork" sounds mundane, boring, average. This was anything but. The meals were served as courses; not dumped in our laps while our waiter juggled a dinerful of other patrons. We were brought each item in a royal fashion, each plate constructed lovingly as if by a doting father. It was far from your average experience. Even our bread was brought to us by a guy carrying a basketful of the stuff (from Old Forge), doling it out one at a time on our plates with a delicious honey butter.

The cheese platter was one of the specials (which usually means you're paying more for it), but it was reminiscent of a cheese platter that we shared during our Vermont honeymoon and anniversary trips. Only better. There were five cheeses, each from local farms -- a bleu cheese, a smoked gouda, a goat's milk chevre, a cheddar, and I totally forgot the last. (Sorry!) Alongside these were a couple of dried fruits, apple slivers, honeycomb (yes, on the comb...how do you even EAT that? Who cares, we had fun with it), grainy spicy mustard, cornichons (baby gherkins!) and rustic crackers. They were all impeccable and we had a blast sharing combination of flavors and choosing our favorites. Rather, I chose my favorite (that gouda was da bomb); Dave couldn't choose. Oh, and we clearly didn't get a picture.

Even our salads were impressive. Everyone had the same molasses vinaigrette (it wasn't that sweet or heavy-tasting, really) and local hydroponic greens topped with sunflower seeds and beans. It was the first time that we realized how salt (and pepper) can heighten the flavors of a dish SO MUCH. I'm pretty sure it was a fancy schmancy type of salt, but a sprinkling brought out a taste that we couldn't devour fast enough.

Here's where things get embarrassing. Have you ever eaten something so good that you make noises you wouldn't normally make in public, no apologies? Yeah. It happened. I should also say that we were the only folks in the place losing our cool enough to do this. Still not apologizing. We don't go to a restaurant like this for the "scene", or to BE "SEEN". It's for sharing in a special experience and, in this case, the best meal we've ever had in the Mohawk Valley. Onlookers be damned.

So, Dave's meal was actually the pan roasted hanger steak with fingerling fries, fresh arugula, Gorgonzola butter and a red wine demi glace. Yeah. It was insane. (C'mon, steak with bleu cheese AND fingerlings? Shut the front door. One good thing about humans is that they've come up with seemingly CRAZY food combinations that can change a person's thinking.)

I got the pan roasted pork rib chop (medium) with braised local ramps and celery, hazelnut and barley risotto, and rainier cherry gastrique.

***I had gastrique and I liiiiiked iiiiiit...the taste of that cherry saaau-aaauce..."

Even after trying a bite of Dave's meal, I had to declare mine the winner. (Not sure he agreed.) Man, do these folks know the meaning of "complementary flavors." The impeccably cooked chop, the excitement of the first ramps of the season (and the surprise of the evening: braised celery as a side vegetable? Delish!), creamy nutty risotto with a sweet-but-slightly-bitter cherry sauce to pull it all together? Doubly insane. Seriously, all I could tell the waiter when he checked on us was "Insane. Just insane."

Since we were shooting the moon, we grabbed dessert -- Dave enjoyed the Jones Family Farm cheesecake (we LOVE their cheeses, and I just happen to have their daughters in school; it's awesome to know that it wasn't a 100% selfish act in eating here; we were also supporting local farms who deserve the heck out of it!) and a Utica Roasting Company's Drip coffee (they just happen to be TTATC's neighbor; talk about local!) while I got buttermilk panna cotta with a blueberry sauce and DELICIOUS graham-style cookie, plus a decaf cappuccino (also courtesy Utica Roasting Company).

Ultimately, one of my favorite parts about this meal (aside from the flavors, the execution, the incredible service, the local sourcing) was the conversation it brought up. Since this meal was obviously costlier than most (like, a once a year sort of meal), we discussed what we were actually paying for. Simply put, it's costlier to ensure that your ingredients (all the way down to the herbs) are quality and responsibly sourced. The lives of the animals that we eat have value beyond that of a dollar value menu. The food deserves to be respected as it's grown, as it's prepared, and as it's eaten.

That being said, we'd give this joint a 5 out of 5 possible spoons. It was THAT GOOD. (Maybe we could take off half a spoon for price, but we think it was worth the splurge.) We even told the hostess (whom Dave knows from work) and our knowledgeable waiter that it was the best meal we've ever had in the valley. Makes some of the usual local fare seem like heavy loads o' crap. (Yes. Yes, I said that.)

If you're interested in visiting "The Tailor and the Cook", find out more at their website. You can see their menus (and cost) as well as their sourcing practices. Oh, and as for one of those challenges that folks face more than we'd like to admit: Dave wore jeans with a button-down shirt (he brought a blazer along but didn't wear it) and I wore a nylon skirt, top and 3/4 sleeve sweater, although we saw a complete range in clothing -- from shorts to preppy orange/coral/pink slacks (on a gentleman) to dressy. So, I guess anything goes, but keep it classy, folks. Not that I have to tell you that. ;-)