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by gansie

Better Than a Diamond Ring

I’m not much of a proper lady, hailing from New Jersey and all. But in the South, there is etiquette all fucking over. For instance, brides not only get their “ONE DAY” but they also receive a luncheon in their honor the Friday before the wedding.

This past weekend I attended a wedding in Durham, North Carolina and also attended the Bridal Luncheon. The woman who hosted the event owns a vintage shop, Dolly’s, filled with eclectic housewares and get this, multi-colored tutus.

I’m not usually a sucker for cutesy, bridey crap, but this woman accomplished an adorably sassy feel by serving miniature bottles of Rionda Pink Processo with white and bright pink stripes; and for the bridesmaids, Cosmo Ring Pops.

Cosmopolitan Ring Pop
Recipe by Dolly’s owner Jennifer Donner

2 and 1/2 cups cranberry juice
5 T triple sec
1 cup FRESH lime juice
5 T cointreau
1/4 cup favorite vodka
1 and 1/2 cups crushed ice

Combine all ingredients in a pitcher. Pour into Tovolo ice pop trays, insert sticks and freeze for at least 12 hours. Remove from freezer and let stand for a minute or two at room temperature before removing from molds. This makes 24 – 2 oz ice cube tray pops, 6 – 8oz. pops, or 8 – 6oz pops.

Find more cocktail recipes in Endless Cocktails

by gansie

Artsy Photo of the Day

All in all it’s just another milk in the wall

in Photos 0 comments

by gansie

Viva la Leftovers

When my brother moved out of my parents’ house after college he couldn’t wait to leave the land of Tupperware behind. To our amusement, my brother received Tupperware from every member of the family as a housewarming gift.

My dad keeps all plastic containers. Imagine portions of horseradish hummus in old Philadelphia cream cheese containers, half melons stored in old pre-made cookie dough containers and cucumbers being pickled in old plastic pretzel containers.

As much as I want to break the family habit of collecting vehicles for leftovers, I just can’t.

I’ve started saving glass though. Wide and short salsa jars, long and narrow caper jars, filling them with couscous and mysterious grains.

But then I was sent Cover Mate’s Stretch-to-Fit Food Covers. And while my addiction to Tupperware has not lessened I now have found a new, easier way to never throw out food: whatever bowl or dish or glassware I have baked or served or eaten something in I just cover it with this dishwasher safe swatch of plastic.

Viva la Leftovers.

in Rants & Raves 9 comments

by gansie

Ginger Ale, My Hero

I’m Beatles over Stones. Briefs over boxers. Cantaloupe over honeydew. There are just some things you must chose one of in life and classic bands, boy’s underwear and melon require that level of commitment.

However, I am up for a compromise. (Wild Horses almost gets me, but it’s mostly The Sundays version).

Anyway, upon my not so frequent market visits this summer (I’m looking at you out-of-town weddings and the Jersey Shore), I found the honeyloupe. Yes, part cantaloupe, part honeydew.

Unfortunately, while the fruit still tasted sweet, it tasted much more like honeydew and not the brighter, more pronounced flavor of the cantaloupe. I ate half the honeyloupe by spoon but saved the rest for a cocktail. Cue my sister’s 23 year old boyfriend, Shane.

Have You Eaten Meat Today?

ES fav Kim O’Donnel, aka The Notorious KOD, refuses meat on Mondays. And she’s a goddamn meat lover. Meatless Mondays, in my opinion, might just help save the planet. Or at least extend humans’ time on it.

O’Donnel’s ode to Meatless Mondays, The Meat Lovers Meatless Cookbook, will be published in September. Above is her rant on why we should give cows and pigs and shrimp a day off.

in Trends / Veggie 3 comments

by gansie

Continued: I’m Not Eating Ice Cream Every 15 Minutes

When I first started working virtually I was nervous I would eat ice cream all day, which you can read about in my post aptly titled, “How Not to Eat Ice Cream Every 15 Minutes.” I got some wonderful suggestions, such as Summer‘s guidance to eat away from my desk and to drink coffee, a natural appetite suppressant. (I’m looking at you, red-headed Olsen with the Starbucks taped to your palm like you’re playing Edward 40Hands.)

So I usually drink tea or coffee in the morning, as I’m not a normal breakfast eater. And actually, the binge eating hasn’t been so bad, especially with the abundance of fresh fruit this time of year. Although there have been some ups and downs in this whole work from home thing, I’m actually loving it.

My favorite part—besides no commuting, no dressing, no showering—is cooking lunch. I look forward to it all morning, if not the second I’ve finished dinner the night before.

I’m Not Familiar

Sundays at the Eastern Market flea market feature a few cooking related vendors, at least they did six years ago. There was this one vendor, a bearded man in his 60s, with a massive collection of old cookbooks and an even older collection of cast iron pans. I indulged in both.

Let me be clear though, six years ago I didn’t know a fucking thing about food. I didn’t know about cookware or ingredients or experts. I did know, however, that I needed to learn more than what I picked up by casually watching 30 Minute Meals after work.

One very thick cookbook stood out in the bearded man’s collection with its firm tone and streamlined recipes. I flipped through the pages thinking this could be a great, general cook book. The bearded man asked me, as I kept flipping, “Do you have any of his cookbooks at home? Familiar with James Beard?”

“No,” I smiled, “I’m not familiar.”

He encouraged me to buy it. And so I took home the 1981 version of The New James Beard and read it like a novel, well, a novel’s sequel. That fucker James Beard is clever.

In his recipe for “Chicken Salad with Fresh Coriander” (side note: he calls cilantro “Chinese parsley”), Beard instructs: “Roast the chicken according to directions in Theory & Practice (page 83)” and then proceeds with the duration of the recipe.

I’m not sure if he assumes everyone already owns his previous book or he wanted to boost his sales, or both, but I went back to Eastern Market. The bearded vendor stocked it. I bought it. Both Beards won.

I take out New everyone once in a while when I’m looking to cook something basic, like rice. Or want some inspiration for a new way to cook a vegetable. Beard didn’t disappoint as I made the best fucking cucumbers of all time.