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Vanilla Ice Cream with Strawberries and Balsamic Syrup ReductionPIN

The last couple of weeks have been a bit of a blur. I’ve been pretty lazy if I’m being totally honest. I’ve been spending too much time in my sweatpants, cozied up on the couch. I have been editing a lot of photos, looking at a lot of cookbooks and cooking a ton. This time of year something takes a hold of me and I feel the need to stock the freezer with soups and easy dinners. We are having this strange extended summer here with insanely beautiful fall days. The rain is supposed to show up tomorrow and stay put for a while so I’m going to get up and go today and hold onto the last sunshine and vitamin D of the year. Luckily you can buy ice cream all year round so I don’t have to let go of summer altogether. This dessert has become my favorite. It doesn’t feel exclusively summery. The rich balsamic and maple syrup add a rich zing to the simple treat. It’s insanely good. Rain or shine.

VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH STRAWBERRIES AND A BALSAMIC AND MAPLE SYRUP REDUCTION

Ingredients.
vanilla ice cream
large fresh strawberries, washed, trimmed and cut in half
balsamic vinegar
maple syrup

Directions.
In a small saucepan combine 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup of maple syrup. Simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until it has reduced to 2/3 cup. About 10 minutes.

 Pour into a serving dish and allow to cool for about 10-15 minutes.

Scoop your ice cream into bowls, top with strawberries and drizzle with a good amount of the balsamic and syrup reduction. Mmmmmmmmmm.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
VANILLA ICE CREAM WITH STRAWBERRIES AND A BALSAMIC AND SYRUP REDUCTION

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Grilled Eggplant and Chicken Pitas with Tzatziki RecipePIN

One day when we were Paris we grabbed our maps and slipped out of our apartment for an adventure. We had a huge list of places to eat with L’As Du Fallafel somewhere in the middle of the page titled, “The Best of Paris”. The list was made for us by our good friend Bill who loves food as much as, if not more than we do. He lived in Paris for years and undoubtably/enviably ate his way across the incredible city. We got off the metro and walked through the bumpy streets of Marais, until we spotted the bright, colorful restaurant. Then we stood in a long line on a warm fall day and, when it was our turn, ordered pitas stuffed with the most insanely delicious eggplant, red cabbage, and tahini. There’s never any seating so you just take your fallefel and walk until you find a park bench or a curb then you sit down and savor every bite. When you’re finished licking your fingers you only wish you had room to eat another.

I wouldn’t call this recipe a replication of that amazing fallafel, but it holds us over in between trips to Paris. The eggplant is marinated in lots of olive oil and smoked paprika and the tzatziki is flavorful and has a little bite. We devour these hot or cold, for breakfast, lunch or dinner. They remind me just a tiny bit of Paris.

PITAS WITH GRILLED EGGPLANT AND TZATZIKI

Ingredients for Pitas:.
pita bread
feta cheese
1 large eggplant, cut into large chunks
1/2 red cabbage, cut into shreds
2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 lemon, zested
1 teaspoon fresh dill, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 teaspoon dried parsley
smoked paprika
dried oregano
extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper
kosher salt

Ingredients for Tzatziki.
1 large slice red onion
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon fresh dill, minced
1 lemon, zested
juice from 1/2 lemon
3/4 cucumber, zested and water squeezed out
kosher salt

Directions.
Place the chicken in a large bowl with olive oil, a large pinch of salt and pepper, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, the dill, lemon zest, and 1 garlic clove. Toss to coat and set aside.

Place the eggplant in a large bowl with a large pinch of salt and pepper, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, dried parsley, 2 garlic cloves. Drizzle in 1/4 cup of olive oil. Toss and add more olive oil until the eggplant is pretty saturated. Set aside.

To make the tzatziki place all of the ingredients except for the cucumber in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Transfer to a bowl and toss in the cucumber. Mix together and set aside.

Heat up the grill on medium high. Grill the chicken and eggplant directly on the grill. For the eggplant, gently toss and turn periodically until it’s nice and dark in color, remove from the grill. For the chicken turn once, check to be sure it’s cooked through and remove from the grill.

Fill your pitas with the chicken, eggplant, cabbage, feta cheese and tzatziki. Enjoy!

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
PITAS WITH GRILLED EGGPLANT AND TZATZIKI

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Having a Hot Toddy on a chilly evening is one of the things about fall, winter, and spring that I look forward to. There is something about curling up on the couch with a sweet, spicy Hot Toddy and a good movie or book that I just love. I have been making this Hot Toddy with Ginger for years. I always have the ingredients on hand, in case the weather calls for it.

Hot Toddy with GingerPIN

 

HOT TODDY WITH GINGER

Ingredients.
Boiling water
1 thin lemon slice
1/2 lemon, juiced
1 cinnamon stick
2 slices fresh ginger, peeled
pinch nutmeg, freshly grated
1 tablespoon honey
1 1/2-2oz bourbon or whiskey (I love Maker’s Mark)

Directions.
Pour the lemon juice and honey into a glass along with the ginger slices. Pour boiling water into glass until it’s halfway full. Stir until the honey is dissolved. Toss in the cinnamon stick, grate in a pinch of nutmeg. Add about 2oz of bourbon (adjust to taste). Stir. Top with a lemon slice. Enjoy.

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
HOT TODDY WITH GINGER

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I spent all last week catching up on summer photo editing, which meant meticulously editing and organizing all my photos from Europe and… I completely forgot we went to Amsterdam. By this point in our trip we were all pretty exhausted so somehow our twenty-four hours in the Netherlands slipped my mind. Here are a few photos from our short visit to one of the coolest cities on the planet…

family travel amsterdamPIN

family travel amsterdamPIN

family travel amsterdam

family travel amsterdamPIN

family travel amsterdamPIN

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ROASTED CARROTS WITH A BALSAMIC AND MAPLE SYRUP REDUCTIONPIN

Around here the root vegetables are bursting from the still-warm-from-summer-soil. I chose to prepare a delicious dish with carrots to share with you. In the fall I love roasting them in the oven with a bit of dijon and maple syrup. Roasting carrots brings out their sweetness which is enhanced with a balsamic reduction in this recipe. You can pick carrots from your garden or find them at the local farmers’ market. I used both orange and purple in the recipe but use whatever you can find that looks fresh and colorful. Happy cooking.



ROASTED CARROTS WITH A BALSAMIC AND MAPLE SYRUP REDUCTION

Ingredients.
2 lbs organic carrots
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbs. dijon mustard
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. real maple syrup
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
chevre (goat cheese)
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

Directions.
Wash and trim the tips and tops off your carrots. Halve smaller carrots, quarter larger carrots so they are uniform in size. Place in a large bowl.

Whip together 2 tablespoons maple syrup, the dijon mustard and extra virgin olive oil in a small bowl. Pour the marinade over the carrots. Season with the salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Dump the contents of the bowl onto a large cookie sheet that has been lined with aluminum foil.

Place the carrots in a cold oven, then turn it to 425ºF. Toss and flip the carrots every 10 minutes until they are vibrant and caramelized. About 30 minutes.

Meanwhile combine the 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar and 1/2 cup of maple syrup in a small saucepan. Simmer over medium heat, whisking occasionally, until it has reduced to 2/3 cup. About 10 minutes.

Remove the carrots from the oven and transfer to a serving dish. Drizzle the carrots with the balsamic reduction and, using your fingers to break it up, sprinkle with a couple tablespoons of the goat cheese. Serve immediately with the extra balsamic reduction on the side for those who wish to add more.

 

PRINTABLE RECIPE.
ROASTED CARROTS 
with a Balsamic and Syrup Reduction

ROASTED CARROTS WITH A BALSAMIC AND MAPLE SYRUP REDUCTIONPIN

ROASTED CARROTS WITH A BALSAMIC AND MAPLE SYRUP REDUCTIONPINROASTED CARROTS WITH A BALSAMIC AND MAPLE SYRUP REDUCTIONPIN

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