Author Archives: Lorien

For this week’s ‘That’s What She Said’ Joanna and I are picking our favorite recipes that are perfect to take on a picnic. These recipes are not only delicious but easy to make and easy to travel with. With the warm weather, hopefully, here to stay, I know these recipes are going to be in our repertoire for a long time.

Lorien’s Picks: I wanted recipes that were easy to make, things I could easily whip up on a whim and items that would travel well (or easy assembly). A good quiche or frittata recipe is always a good one to have on hand, and I thought this Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake from 101 cookbooks similar to a frittata but …. a little more heavenly since it has a ricotta batter as the basis. The zucchini and dill will for sure lighten it up. Can not wait to try.

Between the pistachios, snow peas and english peas, what attracted me to this salad was the crunch factor (would also be a wonderful side dish to the Zucchini Ricotta Cheesecake). A simple salad, I love that there are raisins and honey to add sweetness, and lemon to brighten it up… this Three Pea Salad by The Forest Feast is a go-to for the warmer months.

While humus with pita bread, olives and veggies is a no brainer for a picnic, for my next picnic I want to try this Spicy Red Lentil Spread made with red lentils and sriracha from The First Mess.

When I was putting together this post, I asked a few of my friends around me if they would be interested in these Little Apricot Cakes by Bon Appetit at a picnic, and everyone gave a VERY LOUD YES, followed up with a when can we have the picnic. These would work with apricots or plums depending on the season, both sound delicious to me.

What’s a picnic without a refreshing drink. I love this recipe from for it’s simplicity… 1 part Romy’s Pineapple Mint Syrup, 2 parts Prosecco and mint to garnish. It’s a reipce that can easily be made for a crowd or for two.

Joanna says: What makes a recipe particularly good for a picnic?  Hmm….well, I’d say it should hold up to traveling, hot temps, it can be prepared ahead of time, and it’s not too heavy (to eat or carry).  I can’t think of a recipe that fits the bill more perfectly than this Watermelon Salad with Mint and Lime (and cayenne) from Food and Wine.  It’s easy and inexpensive to make, can be prepared the day before, and travels well.  This and a refreshing beer sound like the perfect way to start off a picnic. 

I love carrots raw, and even better when they’ve been marinating in a dressing of citrus, herbs and garlic.  I’m guessing this Sunshine Carrot Salad from Good Things Grow is tastiest the next day, which makes it perfect for a picnic.  Prepare ahead of time, grab and go.

I would enjoy these Spicy Lentil Summer Rolls from the Sprouted Kitchen just about anywhere and anytime.  They have cilantro, grated beets and carrots, lentils, sriracha, and sesame oil.  Yum!  I would leave out the avocado for the picnic (doesn’t travel well), and instead maybe incorporate a peanut sauce.

Chicken salad is a no-brainer for a picnic, and chicken salad can wear so many hats.  This recipe for Chicken Salad with Blue Cheese and Grapes from Food and Winepacks together a whole bunch of strong flavors (grapes and blue cheese are so good together), so no need to make a sandwich (bread will get soggy).  Just bring a fork and some crackers.

It’s nice to have a little sweet to finish things off, and chocolate isn’t exactly the best thing to pack in warm weather.  These Lemongrass Squares with Coconut Shortbread from Simply Scratch sound absolutely amazing.  Picnic or not, these are on my list to try.

Top image from Oh Happy Day

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Food and Wine Magazine’a latest issue is all about grilling and they shared some pretty tasty recipes, including a pretty brilliant idea: Char in a bottle. Ok, the name is less than desirable, but char in bottle is really charred-leek oil. They say charring leeks and stepping them in oil will create a charred-leek oil that will “give any food a fantastic fire-roasted flavor”.

I’m excited to try play around with it this summer. It sounds amazing on roasted potatoes, corn on the cob, seafood tacos…. what else? To have that grilled (always put you in a great summer mood) flavor in a jar, yes please.

How to make Char in a Bottle, via Food and Wine Magazine:
Grill leeks until they’re thoroughly blackened
Then grind them up and steep the powdered leek ash in oil overnight
Strain

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I know people who are making a move cross country soon, they will be driving from the east coast to the west coast with the goal of making as few stops as possible. So I thought I would make a little care package for them to help ease the stress and boredom that could come with driving cross country. I picked items that would help pass the time (interesting and fun audio books), a little homemade treat (I found this recipe in the latest issue of Food and Wine and can’t wait to try …brown butter and pistachio, sounds heavenly), and things that would make the car ride and hotel rooms more comfortable (blanket, pillow for the neck and a nice smelling candle).

I also thought a sleek coffee mug that would fit in any cup holder would be ideal, hopefully it will help keep the mess of empty cups to a minimum. And on the less glamourous side of things, I would also add a thing of Advil or Tylenol, and maybe some Pepto Bismol just in case they eat a lot of fast food.

1. Dark Chocolate Espresso Beans, Dean & Deluca
2. Brown Butter Pistachio Financiers, Food and Wine
3. Audio Books – Tinker, Tailer, Solider, Spy and Bossypants, wbur.org
4. Therapedic™ Memory Touch Neck Pillow, Bed Bath and Beyond
5. Stainless Steel Slender Tumbler and gift card, Starbucks
6. Room Essentials® Microfleece Blanket, Target
7. Decorative Tin Candle, Beauty.com
8. Sunday Crossword Puzzles: 50 Sunday Puzzles from the Pages of the New York Times, Barnes and Noble

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In this new series, I’m going to share with you some books that I thought were worth trying and I’ll write about if it was indeed worth trying. I’ll share cookbooks, design books, novels, how-to books….

First up: The Brokeass Gourmet Cookbook by Gabi Moskowitz (she also has a blog). I love her approach of sharing her wisdom for eating and cooking on a budget, she even tells you how to stock a full pantry and a full bar on a budget. While the book and recipes aren’t groundbreaking, there are several recipes perfect for weekday dinners and when you’re entertaining. The simplicity and her use of making sure to use fresh ingredients, definitely inspired me to want to cook.

My notes:

1. Love her guide to stocking your pantry with all the necessaries, for only $50 she tells you everything you should have.
2. She seems to share my affinity for siracha, she showcases it in many recipes.
3. There are several recipes that call for a food processor, blender or an immersion blender. So if you don’t have one, the cookbook may not be worth it to buy.
4. She has an easy recipe for Pork Pho, one of the few foods that I crave, guaranteed, every few weeks… so that’s a plus for me.
5. Also uses lots of fresh ingredients, lots of herbs. She also uses things that you may already have in your fridge or can incorparte easily into other meals so you really are buying on a budget and not wasting food.
6. Features a lot of Mexican recipes. Huge plus for me, but maybe not for others.
7. I could see myself cooking alot of the recipes after a long of work vs. having to save the recipes for an all day affair on the weekend. She tells you long how it will take to prep and cook.
8. I do wish there was some pictures to go along with the recipes.

My Top 5 Recipes I Can’t Wait to Try:

1. Pea Soup with scallops, basil and parmesan
2. Summer Capellini with red pepper sauce
3. Chipotle cheddar burgers with cilantro aioli
4. Spanakopita burgers
5. White corn and spring onion soup

Find the book here.

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Ugh… Mondays. I wish I could approach Mondays with vigor and enthusiasm, but instead I am usually rolling our of bed with only on eye open. And when it comes to getting dressed, I throw on the least fussy, which means the most casual outfit in my closet. But I would like to change that, which is something I think anyone can relate, to wanting to elevate your style just a bit…

Recently, a style muse for me has been Lara Melchoir. While I don’t know her, she seems to have such style. Her sophisticated simplicity is something I envy and admire when it comes to getting dressed.

Here’s to trying to putting more effort in on Monday mornings!

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All the blooming flowers and this DIY project, has inspired my next home improvement project: pressed flowers in frames. While my home is very much perfect in many ways, I do have a slightly long list of little improvements I love to start tackling – get a bigger table, paint that piece of furniture, buy new curtains, find a way to hide all my messes and (finally) decorate my walls.

Finally feeling motivated and inspired, I decided to start with this project because I can do it slowly, perfect for my indecisive brain, and I love that it will be something personal. Although I would love to get a flower press like this one from Terrain, Martha Stewart has approved the phone book method, so… phone book it is.

I’m still debating whether I want to do one big piece or several smaller frames. Thoughts? I do know that I want the overall look to be bold, bright and vibrant; with lots of greens, yellows, oranges, purples and reds. I do know that the more organic and rustic the look, the better.

The above images are my inspiration for this project, but I know I will be spending lots of time looking at flowergirlnyc.tumblr.com for more inspiration.

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Mother’s Day is coming up and I thought I would do a little round-up of items that I think would make great gifts. I won’t tell you which item is my favorite, don’t want to give it away incase my own mom is reading… but I will admit that I selfishly want several of these items.

The Smart One by Jennifer Close has received rave reviews, and seems like an interesting book given it’s topic. I’m also coveting several pieces from the jewelry line Seaworthy. Besides this necklace, I’m also loving the Hammered Wrap Ring and they have gorgeous cuff links, something to keep in mind for father’s day. And I would recommend Pinhole Press to anyone who wants to create a personalized gift for someone, no matter what the occasion (it’s so easy to use).

1. Lotta Cake Stand, Fishs Eddy . $36.95
2. Alpaca Infinity Scarf, Cuyana. $65
3. Dogs Mug (14oz), Fish Eddys. $12.95
4. Mango Wood Bread Boards, Toast. $39
5. Aster Layers Necklace, Seaworthy. $70
6.The Smart One by Jennifer Close, Amazon. $16.43
7. Magnetic Notepad and Annual Framed Calender, Pinhole Press. $13.99-$15.99 and $39.99
8. Floral Milk Bath and Sea Scrub, Fig + Yarrow. $12 and $46
9. Edible Game Tiles and Racks, Andie Specialty Treats $58.

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In my efforts to build a repertoire of gluten free recipes that are easy to make (the minute I see more than two kinds of flours I freak a bit) and are crowd pleasers (I don’t want them to think it tastes gluten free) I found the easiest chocolate chip cookie recipe. The easiest.

This is the perfect recipe to make when you’re craving something sweet at home or have unexpected guests coming over. If I have every ingredient needed in my cupboards then you know it’s an easy recipe. Recipe taken from Pastry Affair.

Almond Butter Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies {Gluten-Free}

Yields about 16 cookies

1 cup (250 grams) peanut butter (the original recipe calls for almond butter, I used the mix of crunchy peanut butter and flax seed peanut butter)
2/3 cup (150 grams) sugar
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup (60 grams) miniature chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the almond butter and sugar. Mix in the egg, vanilla, baking soda, and salt until evenly combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Drop cookies by the tablespoon onto a baking sheet and bake for 10-12 minutes. Cool on the baking sheet for at least 5-10 minutes before moving to a cooling rack to cool completely (the cookies will be very fragile and need to set-up before they can be moved).

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It’s amazing what one week can do. After taking one week off, we’re feeling inspired and we’re ready to start blogging again. Expect a few more personal posts, more joint posts from Joanna and I, more interviews, more recipes…. For today’s post, it seemed only fitting, to do our first post back with my new monthly series: In Season. Things that I’m doing, eating, looking forward to, all inspired by the current season.

I think with loving the warmer weather that Spring is bringing, I’m craving everything green. We had the most amazing pea risotto last week with mint and scallops, it was the perfect seasonal dish. We’re sharing it in our first joint point on Thursday.

I’m on the hunt for a backup pair of sunglasses, which sounds silly, but my current ones are pretty scratched up and I would hate to be without sunglasses, it’s like the feeling you have when you forget your cellphone at home. I’m feeling inspired by Elise’s (from Pennyweight) pair and am loving Warby Parker’s selection

This summer will be my first time going camping, we’re headed to Maine to catch a lobster boat race. I would love to get this backpack for Chris before we go. I know he was eyeing it as we were looking for briefcases/attaches/messenger bags for guys, which is surprisingly hard to find nice and affordable ones. Recommendations?

French 75 my new favorite drink. Light and refreshing (and strong), it’s the perfect match for this Spring weather. French 75′s are usually a mix of gin, lemon juice, sugar and sparkling wine. Justine’s (if you haven’t been already, definitely go already) makes the perfect one and Esquire also has a recipe for the ‘Perfect French 75′. I’ll have to try and compare.

Even though it’s only April, I’ve already had my first trip to the beach and my first seafood feast. We walked the beach with no shoes but definitely were bundled up. We watched people surf and paddle board, then headed to Aunt Carrie’s in Narragansett to feast on clam chowder and clam cakes. There has to be a way to balance the upcoming bathing suit season with eating as much fried seafood as possible? Right? Delicious.

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If you follow us on Twitter and Instagram, you’ve probably already know about my lemon cake adventures. I’m not much of a baker, I prefer cooking because there is more freedom/ I need more freedom to make mistakes, so I was very happy to find out my cake looked good and tasted even better. (Confession, I may have forgotten the eggs the first time around, luckily the batter was so easy that it was easy to whip up again.. oops.)

I used Ina Garten’s recipe, I think that helped with my confidence since her recipes are 99% amazing. I added poppy seeds because we were doing a Game of Thrones themed potluck dinner (I can’t believe I’ve admitted that) and I also needed 3 or so lemons for the icing.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1/3 cup grated lemon zest (6 to 8 large lemons)
3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, divided
3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
For the glaze:
2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 1/2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour 2 (8 1/2 by 4 1/4 by 2 1/2-inch) loaf pans. You may also line the bottom with parchment paper, if desired.

Cream the butter and 2 cups granulated sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on medium speed, add the eggs, 1 at a time, and the lemon zest.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl. In another bowl, combine 1/4 cup lemon juice, the buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the batter, beginning and ending with the flour. Divide the batter evenly between the pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean.

Combine 1/2 cup granulated sugar with 1/2 cup lemon juice in a small saucepan and cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves. When the cakes are done, allow to cool for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and set them on a rack set over a tray or sheet pan; spoon the lemon syrup over them. Allow the cakes to cool completely.

For the glaze, combine the confectioners’ sugar and the lemon juice in a bowl, mixing with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over the tops of the cakes and allow the glaze to drizzle down the sides.

Full recipe here.

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