Summer in a jar

This post brought to you by the fabulous (parent)thetically speaking.

Smitten Kitchen strikes again! Deb has got to be one of my top 3 favorite food bloggers. I’ve made her homemade marshmallows, banana bread, Dijon brussles sprouts among a ton others, and this is my go-to out-of-this-world chocolate frosting. I find, that with recipes at least, I’m much more prone to search out a recipe for something specific (a chicken dish, an outrageous dessert, etc) via Pinterest or Google, rather than just making a recipe on a whim because it showed up in my Bloglovin feed (<- thanks for that tip Merry Meri!). However, I saw the post on Monday and….

I made my first batch Tuesday night and I have a second batch pickling as I type. (I already had the dill, so I thought, what’s the big dill? I’ll just make some more!)

Maybe it’s the bright green color, or the fact that you store them in a mason jar, or the ease with which you make and consume them, but right now, these pickles are just the essence of summer.

What’s summer for you right now? Watermelon? Time spent outside? A cold, boozy drink? Weekends at the pool? Family trips? All of the above? (lucky duck).

For all things fabulously (parent)thetically speaking, click HERE

A Foodie's Farewell

Preach!

Last night Dr. H and I went out to dinner with a bestest friend who is moving to Costa Rica for several months. A mutual bff between the two of us, Q is about as special a friend as you can get, so when his departing flight got delayed (for 2 days!) due to weather, we were honored that he and his lovely lady wanted to share his last, last supper, with us. We told him to pick anything he wanted for his "Farewell to NYC" meal and Q went to work thinking about what would be the perfect thing to hold him over until he comes back this summer. The following is a summary of the epic NYC culinary adventure my boy Q took us on last night... hats off to you Q, you definitely know how to eat :)

Located at the corner of Ludlow and Houston since 1888 (though across the street and not called "Katz's Delicatessen" until 1917) Katz's is a New York City institution. If you do deli, you must do Katz's... if you don't do deli, you still must do Katz's (their matzoh ball and split pea soups and knishes are BEYOND). Made even more famous by THIS iconic scene from (my most favorite movie) When Harry Met Sally, Katz's is one of those wonderful places that absolutely refuses to change - the atmosphere is only rivaled by the pastrami.

At Katz's, you order at the counter from a deli guy (ranging from younger than you to as old as your Grandpa), a hot foods guy and a drink guy, all of whom stamp your ticket with what you get and you pay on the way out (unless you want to use credit card; the knish/latke guy can help you with that!) When I go to Katz's, I'm tempted by the brisket and corned beef no doubt, but in my opinion, the pastrami is a no brainer.

Get. In. My. Belly.

When you order your sandwich, the guy fresh slices the meat right from a giant hunk. He even gives you a slice on a little bread plate to nosh while he constructs your masterpiece. Naturally that monstrosity of meat on rye was not enough for this fatty (<-- actual endearingly used high school nickname) so I ordered a side of potato latkes (I miss you Channuka!) Everyone also gets two huge pickles on the side (and you know how Dr. H and I feel about pickles).

We ate until we could eat no more (along with a latke, I packed up 1/4 of a half sour pickle because I was so at my limit, but clearly couldn't leave it behind) and then Q informed us that it was time to move on to dessert. Good lord. "We have to you guys... before I go I need tiramisu." How could we deny that plea? So we cabbed it west to Mezzogiorno for "the best tiramisu in the WORLD" (as declared by Q).

Turns out, Q has been going to Mezzogiorno (Spring at Sullivan St) since he was a little dude visiting NYC with his family so I wondered if the deliciousness he felt was actually nostalgia until I took a bite... You guys, this tiramisu is NO JOKE. Light and sweet, perfectly combining flavors, I'm not even a big tiramisu person and this thing was just... Wow. We also enjoyed a ricotta cheesecake and sweet pudding (both the bees knees). Then we rolled ourselves out the door into the wintery night.

Q, thank you for reminding me just how much I love New York City... and food... and you! Good luck in Costa Rica and come home soon!!

Funnies for your Friday

Pickle girl 4 eva.

Hey-o. No better way to kick off the weekend than with a smile, so enjoy these witty images and then grab a beer and head for the beach (that's what I'm doing!!) See ya on the other side!

Herd love.

That party will be out of this world:)

I love ice cream and Sesame Street.

So glad that they met.

Have a great weekend! Go bananas!!

All of this silly courtesy of time spent (wasted?!) on Pinterest. Click here to follow me on my creative (procrastinating!?) adventures!

We're in a pickle (and we like it).

The cucumber's sexier cousin

Confession: Dr. H and I are addicted to pickles. And this isn't just a favorite snack or passing fad... we eat So. Many. Pickles. To give you an idea of what I'm talking about, last weekend we went to the farmer's market on the upper west side (awesome stuff, check it out) and this happened:

Ooooh yeah.

The reason we needed two tubs was (a) these were actually purchased from two different pickle vendors; and (b) all pickle connoisseurs know that you cannot mix your sours with your half sours. It's a pickle juice thing.

We think pickles are great for lots of reasons: they are flavorful, healthy, cheap and can serve as a delightful snack or awesome side dish. Dr. H and I rock a little pre-dinner pickle while we cook (or wait for takeout!) nearly every night because its the perfect light nosh to hold you over until chow time. Most people either love pickles or hate them, but we no doubt  are lovers. So happy weekend, happy holidays and happy pickles to all!