The Best Thing In My Mouth - South Brooklyn Pizza

Sorry I don't have a picture, but just had to tell you about what a delicious slice of cheese pizza I had from South Brooklyn Pizza.  And no, this location is not in Brooklyn (although there is one in Carroll Gardens), but in the East Village.  Thin, crisp crust, tasty sauce, cheese, and basil leaves.  And if you want to add a bit of pep, add the hot peppers, or roasted garlic that are kept in little pots along the wall.  And they are open late - real late, perfect for after a drink at CultureFix.

Click here to read my Clinton St. Baking Company review.  Yummy.

Christopher Boffoli

Photo by Christopher Boffoli via My Modern Met.

Check out these amazing pictures made by Christopher Boffoli.  Tiny people rock.  Click here to see more of his fun scenes.

Have a great weekend.  Happy Memorial Day everyone!  And if you are looking for something outdoorsy to do - why don't you plant an herb garden.  Click here to learn how.

Rhubarb Crumble Pie

I made this Rhubarb Crumble Pie Sunday morning (I made the dough the day before), and it has been a treat this whole week.  There are a couple steps - pie dough, crumble topping, and filling, but truly it is a simple pie.  Not the most eye-appealing pie in my opinion, but still delicious - sweet, tart, gooey with a bit of bite from the crumble.

Fiddlehead, Potato, and Ramp Pizza

I can't tell you how nice it is to go to the Greenmarket early Friday morning.  I am almost hesitant to tell you, because I don't want people to hear and it to become crowded!  Anyways, I made my rounds last Friday on a mission to get ramps, rhubarb, asparagus, and fiddlehead ferns.  I ended up with all of those and a small basil plant, eggs, and shiitake mushrooms.  In the booth where I bought the fiddleheads and ramps, some guys from The Spotted Pig (my favorite restaurant) were buying a hefty load of fiddleheads!  By the way, I am noticing a trend - if you carry herb plants with you, someone is bound to talk to you.   It happened to me with my rosemary, and it happened to with my basil on Friday.

The Best Thing I Had In My Mouth - Caracas Arepa Bar

People who me, know I love Caracas, the arepa bar located both in the Lower East Side and Williamsburg.  It was one of the first restaurants I ever ate at in New York, and it was one of  the first foods I had never tried, but instantly liked.

The Best Thing I Had In My Mouth - The Meatball Shop's Vegetarian Meatballs

Have you ever been to The Meatball Shop?  If you live in New York and haven't, you must go.  The Meatball Shop is just that, a meatball shop.  Fortunately the vegetarian is not left out this time though.

Asparagus, Mushroom, & Caramelized Onion Pizza

Last Friday was pizza party time.  I got up early and went to the Greenmarket.  It was one of the best Friday mornings in a long time.  The farmers market is so peaceful at 8:00 in the morning.  I ended up buying fresh eggs, a small rosemary bush, asparagus, and a variety of mushrooms.  The rest of the day was spent sniffing my rosemary plant sitting on my desk, and daydreaming about making asparagus, mushroom, and caramelized onion pizza.

The Best Thing I Had In My Mouth - Rosemary Butter Cookies

This weekend I made Rosemary Butter Cookies again, and I almost had forgotten how good they are, until I took a bite!  I am addicted to these little cookies.  They are great on with a cup of Earl Grey tea, and just as good by themselves.  This batch of cookies turned out much better than my first attempt a couple years ago.  For one, the butter was not as soft,  second, I made my log into a skinny rectangle instead of a round tube, and third, I kept the dough in the freezer for two hours instead of just one.  These changes all allowed for more even baking, and the cookies actually held their shape.  Click here for the recipe.

Click here for a homemade pizza recipe.

Click here to learn about asparagus.

Dinosaur Bar-B-Que

Photo by Marcus.

Okay, why would you trust a vegetarian's opinion when they tell you to go to Dinosaur Bar-B-Que?  I don't know, but does it help that I am from Kansas?  And every time I walk by this place on my way to Fairway, the strong waft of BBQ aroma hits me and reminds me of home?  A few of my friends and I got together and checked it out.  None of us were disappointed, even the vegetarian.  The service was friendly, the food was really, really good, and I even tried a fried green tomato for the first time - yum.  I am not going to go on and on, but I will say if you want to make a trip up to Harlem, try Dinosaur while you are there.  Just make a reservation, or expect to wait a long time, this place is popular and rightfully so.  See pictures below:

The Best Thing I Had In My Mouth - Cranberry-Apricot Scones

The first day after my BluePrint Cleanse, I really thought I was going to stay on the healthy track.  I woke up and had pineapple for breakfast, an apple for a snack, and a salad for lunch.  I was in even on the subway with my friend Anna chatting with her about how now that I can have "bad" things, I have no desire to eat them.  That flew out the window real quick.  Once we got to my place, and I set up a platter of City Bakery treats, homemade scones, and bread with honey and cheese, I had a bit of this and little bit of that, and before I knew it I had sampled a whole cranberry-apricot scone, half of a pretzel croissant, an edge of the coconut and chocolate chip cookies, and bread with cheese and honey.  I was back into the swing of things.  Whoops.  Anyways, the best thing I had in my mouth were the cranberry-apricot scones I made.  This recipe is adapted from the Clinton Street Baking Company Cookbook, and they are sooooo easy.  Seriously, I can get these in the oven in under 4 minutes.  It's that easy.