at martha's offices

I haven't been posting much lately, but I've been stockpiling my cooking ventures for future posts. Work has kept me too busy for writing, and my weekends have been hectic too, mostly with early holiday shopping. Jen wanted to check out this Martha Stewart Holiday Craft Sale, over at the Martha Stewart Omnimedia offices on West 26th Street. Apparently so did everybody else in the NYC area -- it was a total mob scene, but at least the 100-person-long line to get in was moving quickly.




It was actually pretty cool. They had loads of crafters and artisans selling their wares. Showcases featured items from recent issues of the magazine. And there were even some work tables for trying out the cool "hole punchers."

I'm very curious about the pimen'a cheese that sold out before I got there.

There was a spot for purchasing Martha t-shirts, sweatshirts, bags, cookbooks, etc., of course.

And I think Jen was really happy we went.

cupcakes... so bacon-y!

I stopped by the Manhattan outpost of the Brooklyn Flea this weekend to do a little holiday shopping, but the highlight for me had to be the bacon cupcakes from Kumquat Cupcakery. Besides being so tiny and adorable, these were impeccably moist with just the right amount of sweetness.

We tried the red velvet cupcakes too (another winner), and I think next time I might just pick up one of these assortment boxes (cool logo). Don't forget to chat it up with Keavy Landreth, the owner of Kumquat -- she's working the booth herself. And oh yeah, she's got a blog here.

I've written about the Brooklyn Flea before, so you might know I don't mind making the trip out there. But I'm still excited about the Manhattan version (aka, "Gifted") in the old Tower Records annex space on West 4th and Lafeyette. You can check it out on weekends through Christmas this year!

Chang's soft opening

There is something to be said for subtlety, especially when it's coming from the most hyped chef in the country (with a brand-new book out, no less). This sign at 15 West 56th Street is the only evidence David Chang's new restaurant, Ma Peche, even exists. In fact, the door next to the sign is chained closed. At least for now, you enter the hotel lobby and head up to the balcony level. I'm told the restaurant is still in its soft-opening stage and the sandwich-focused menu is temporary, but first I'll talk about the style. I'm not sure if this will eventually change, but right now there are small, low tables and couches scattered around the space. I took the day off today and was dining alone, as was a designer named Marcus Siciliano, who was also waiting to be seated when I arrived. They asked us if we wanted to share a table and each enjoy a couch to ourselves. I think we were both pretty excited by the prospect of lounging in comfort for lunch -- not an everyday mid-town experience. So Marcus and I got to chatting, we had a couple of interesting things in common, and it turned out to be a very social lunch, much the opposite of what I was expecting. We both ordered the house banh mi, aka three-terine sandwich. (Marcus also ordered the popcorn and a big plate of cookies -- this guy can eat!) The sandwich turned out to be a good call. As you may know, I'm a little crazy about banh mi. Chang's version may not be all that traditional, but nobody will mind. After two or three bites, the juiciness overcomes you. You can see the sliced meats inside the darkly toasted bread, but the texture sensation was more reminiscent of succulent roast pork. And the sandwich is even better with a couple dashes of the hot sauce, so don't forget to make use of the squeeze bottle they bring you with your meal. Was the portion a little small for $10 (including a bottled water)? Yes, I suppose so, but I'd go back in a minute. And maybe if we all scream and yell, they won't drop the sandwiches for pricier dishes the way it's been reported on some other sites.

can beef stroganoff be good for you?

Some day I'll stop talking about Ellie Krieger in my blog, but that day isn't today. I just got about the best news a book editor can possibly get. Ellie's new book, So Easy, just made the NY Times best-seller list. I don't think words can describe how happy I am. Yes, there has been some celebrating. And I've been making even more recipes from So Easy, so here's another teaser. Somehow Ellie was able to make Beef Stroganoff good for you, but honestly, nobody will be able to tell. This dish has all of the creamy goodness you'd expect.

The recipe calls for serving green beans with grainy mustard on the side. Shhh, don't tell anyone, but I hate green beans. I always have, and I can't really explain it. But I do love mushrooms, and this recipe starts out with a whole big batch of them, not to mention onions and garlic.



The recipe is super easy to follow, made with your choice of top round, London broil, or flank steak. One of the keys to the recipe is the 2/3 cup of Greek-style nonfat yogurt you add at the end. This was my first time cooking with the Greek-style yogurt, and it worked out really well. My own special addition was a nice sprig of rosemary from my potted plant. The addition of the rosemary was so good in fact, I'm going to insist you try it too. The whole apartment smelled fantastic, and it made the stroganoff so much more aromatic. I think Ellie would approve.

figs & ginger

My warning to you is the same I gave to my co-workers today -- only try these if you really love figs and ginger, because the flavor is strong. The So Easy giveaways on my blog may be over, but there are still a lot of cool recipes I made from the book to talk about, like these Fig and Ginger Truffles.

If you have a food processor, the recipe is insanely easy. Blend up some dried figs, crystallized ginger, a bit of honey, and a little cinnamon. Then you just make little balls out of the mixture and roll them around in melted dark chocolate. (Yes, I'm sure you can use other types of chocolate, but the dark tasted right to me.)

They look really cool on the inside, so I had to take this photo. And like I said, these are intensely flavored, so you're not gonna sit down and eat the whole tray yourself. I think they'd make a nice surprise treat with tea after a holiday dinner, and they're "so easy" to prepare, you can even make a double batch for people to take some home.