Brighten Your Day with Roses

I love fresh-cut flowers. There is simply no other substitute.  Waking up with a fresh bouquet makes me so happy.  These are actually long stem roses.  I wanted to display them differently rather than placing them in a tall vase.  I found this short fat jar laying around that is slightly bigger than a mason jar so I thought this was perfect. I chopped the stems off leaving the ones on the outer edge shorter and the ones in the center longer and cut them to a bulbous shape.  How beautiful is this display!  So elegant and effortless. If you want a more modern look, this is perfect rather than the traditional tall vase.  The roses in the back are pink and yellow, but I dried those out.

Clam Linguine Recipe

This is a really easy recipe. It requires minimal ingredients and minimal cooking skills. If you haven't tried cooking too many recipes yet, try this one! 

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt

1/2 pound linguine

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

2 cloves garlic, thinly chopped

1 medium onion chopped

1 pound clams, scrubbed

1 tablespoon red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon oregano

1/2 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon fresh flat-leaf parsley, coarsely chopped 

Head of Broccoli (optional as side)

INSTRUCTIONS

Cook pasta in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water. Add pasta and cook until al dente. I served this with a side of steamed broccoli. Chop broccoli, and add to a pot with just enough water to cover the bottom. Boil on high and remove when broccoli is steamed to your liking, about 5 minutes. Add red pepper flakes. Drain both when finished.

While pasta is cooking, heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until hot. Sauté the onions, stirring until golden, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, and oregano and cook until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in wine and boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced, about 3 minutes.

Stir clams into sauce and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until cockles open wide, 4 to 6 minutes.  Add pasta to clams along with parsley, red pepper flakes, and salt to taste, then toss with sauce until combined well.

Just Because I LOVE Puppies

Happy Friday! Here's your daily dosage of happiness. How cute are they!!

David Burke, Soho, New York

Recently I tried an amazing restaurant in Soho called David Burke's Kitchen. The restaurant is beautiful. It has a barn-yard feel with its crisp images of produce, poultry, and farmers on the walls. There is gingham accents sprinkled throughout the place, such as the table napkins and woven baskets. The ceilings are wood planks, the tables are bare wood, the beautiful "tree-house" bar is wood, and there is a visible beautiful wood carving station. It is downstairs of the James Hotel but it feels like a modern airy industrial loft with its high ceilings and infinite windows that are street-level. The food is unique and modern American, presented in the creative and whimsical style that is Burke’s trademark. The ingredients taste like they are the highest quality, as if it were fresh off the farm. Whether you choose to go here for breakfast, lunch, or dinner, you won't be disapointed by the quality or the service.

23 Grand Street at James Hotel

Cheese Board

Tuna Tartare Tacos with whipped Avocado and Tobiko Caviar

Lobster Soup. Lobster Dumplings in Coconut Fennel Cream and Red Watercress

Dry Aged Prime Rib Eye

Panna Cotta

Monkey Bread Dessert.

It is constructed in front your table.

Monkey Bread with Rum Roasted Bananas and Maple Pecan Ice Cream

Original Cheesecake Lollipop Tree. Bite-size goodness.

Classic Italian Lasagna

I first got the inspiration to make lasagna in preparation for a hurricane in New York City last summer. Hurricane Irene caused all the subways to be shut down and lower Manhattan to be evacuated. So knowing I wasn't going anywhere that weekend, I just wanted to stay in and eat. Given that I had all the time in the world, I really wanted to challenge myself with a recipe. I chose lasagna because I always felt that good lasagna could only be made by a fat italian mother who has been cooking in the kitchen from the day she was born. But I'm happy to say it came out glorious - with all of its crispy edges (thats the best part!). It involves a little more prep-work compared to other recipes, but it's well worth the labor. Below is a recipe that I used mainly from Giada De Laurentis on Food Network. I combined elements from a few lasagne recipes I found online and created this simplified one in just 3 easy steps.

Total Time: 1 hr and 15mins
Prep: 30 mins
Cook: 45 mins

INGREDIENTS 

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground chuck beef
Salt and pepper
1 1/2 pounds ricotta cheese
3 large eggs
1 pound lasagna sheets, cooked al dente
2 packages (10 ounces each) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
3 cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 onions
1 clove garlic
Fresh basil
Fresh Parsley 

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce, a recipe follows: 

Simple Tomato Sauce: 
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional 

Béchamel Sauce: 
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 2 tablespoons for the lasagna
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
4 cups whole milk at room temperature
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make Your Sauces First.

 
Tomato Sauce
In a large casserole pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at a time to round out the flavors. 
Tip: If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.

Béchamel Sauce:
In a 2-quart pot, melt 5 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. When butter has completely melted, add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the milk, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps from forming. Continue to simmer and whisk over medium heat until the sauce is thick, smooth and creamy, about 10 minutes. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of wooden spoon. Remove from heat and add the nutmeg and tomato sauce. Stir until well combined and check for seasoning. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

2. Meat and Cheese!

In a saute pan, heat extra-virgin olive oil. When almost smoking, add the ground beef and season with salt and pepper. Brown meat, breaking any large lumps, until it is no longer pink. Remove from heat and drain any excess fat. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

Cook the lasagna noodles per the instructions on the box to al dente. Salt the water to prevent the noodles from sticking together. While the noodles are soaking, make the cheese filling. In a medium sized bowl, thoroughly mix the ricotta and eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

3. Now Let's Start Building the Layers!

My best tip is to arrange all the ingredients of the layers in a assembly line! Trust me, this will do wonders to minimize confusion. Begin by spreading a layer of bechamel sauce in the bottom of a 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Arrange the pasta sheets side by side, covering the bottom of the dish. Evenly spread a layer of all the ricotta mixture and then a layer of all the spinach. Arrange another layer of pasta sheets and spread all the ground beef on top. Sprinkle 1/2 the mozzarella cheese on top of the beef. Spread another 1/3 of the bechamel sauce. Arrange the final layer of pasta sheets and top with remaining bechamel, mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Cut the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into 1/4-inch cubes and top lasagna. Top it off with any remaining béchamel sauce. It will coat the top of the lasagna nicely.

Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place lasagna dish on top, cover and put on the middle rack of the oven and bake until top is bubbling, about 30 minutes. Remove cover and continue to bake for about 15 minutes. Remove, let cool, and enjoy. Resist the urge to break off all the crispy noodle edges on top! I try to, but I usually cant resist!

Naughty & Nice: My 2 Favorite "Cheap" Wines

My two favorite cheap wines are Cupcake and Bitch. Both are delicious and such a bargain for the price. 

Cupcake is a little more well- known because the vineyards are located right here in the states.  The vineyards are located in California, which I would love to visit one day.  It is offered in most medium to high-end restaurants in the country for quadruple the price. The wines offered are red, white, and sparkling. I personally like their red and white selection. It is so ridiculously smooth and delicious. 

I think Bitch is the lesser known of the two but has gained notoriety because of its provocative name. Needless to say, I've never seen it carried by a restaurant and have only seen them in select wine and spirit stores.  This is a wine from South Austrailia and is more fruitier, packed with raspberry and strawberry hints. It is pretty delicious and serves as a great ice-breaker! 

And the price?... Both are generally priced around $20! I've actually seen them cheaper online! Not only do I recommend these wines to enjoy for yourself in general, I especially recommend these for dinner parties and when you have guests. These have always been excellent conversation starters and ice-breakers. I can see Bitch served at the Bachlorette party, and Cupcake served at the wedding! And these make great gifts! Around Christmas, give Bitch to your girlfriends who have been naughty and Cupcake to your friends who have been nice! They're perfect. 

My personal wine bar stocked with Reds, Whites, Rieslings, Grey Goose, Bacardi, and Baileys, and more.

MacarOn Cafe, New York City

Ever since my trip to Paris last Spring, I have been so nostalgic about everything French.  One of my favorite desserts of all time is Macarons! A French macaron is a sweet meringue-based cookie made with egg whites, sugar, almond flour, and is filled with either a buttercream, jam, or chocolate ganache. They're soft, chewy yet flakey, and so dainty and beautiful! The best macaron shop in the world is Laduree on Champs Elysees in Paris. One actually just opened one up in New York on Madison Avenue that I need to go there the next time I miss Paris! Well luckily, I happen to work near an amazing macaron shop that's just as good and is so much more convenient than Paris or Madison Avenue called MacarOn Cafe. The lines are out of the door in the morning and at lunch, but well worth the wait. The coffee is always fresh and organic and the macarons are gluten free and delicious. If you haven't tried a macaron yet, you need to ASAP! Next time you see this shop either in Midtown West or their other location in Midtown East, be sure to stop here for a quick break!

MacarOn Café is located on 59th Street between Madison and Park Avenues

MacarOn Café is located on 36th Street between Broadway and 7th Avenue

MacarOn Cafe on 36th Street

The assortment is so beautiful!

 Box of 24 Delicious Goodness. YUM!