Sunday Funday In The Kitchen

What a beautiful weekend it was in the Big Apple. I couldn't believe how nice it was when we're supposed to be suffering through winter. This time last year, it seemed like it would snow every other day and it was bitter cold. I am not complaining one bit that the sun was bright and warm over the weekend, that's for sure. I filled it up with good friends and, always most importantly, good food! I'd been itching to get back in the kitchen for a full day so I dedicated Sunday afternoon to making a couple of new recipes. After a lovely brunch with Allison and Colleen, I was excited to put on good music and cook the day away.

During my trip to Sicily, I was introduced to what ricotta cheese - real ricotta cheese - should taste like and I vowed that I'd try my hand at making it when I returned. One of my favorite memories of the entire trip was spending the morning at beautiful Emanuela's summer home by the sea where she invited us over for an authentic Sicilian breakfast. One of the signature dishes was bread and homemade ricotta served in a bowl with a ladle of whey right over top:

It was one of the most delicious things I've ever had, truly. My trip was in September which means far too much time has gone by without me making good on my promise to try it homemade. That said, I decided Sunday was the day. If I'm being honest, I've gotten myself back in the kitchen more recently for a couple of reasons. I'm keeping up with my resolution to do so, but I'm also testing a few recipes for when Bryan is in town (less then 3 weeks, hooray!). Having a boyfriend in Denver obviously greatly limits time in the kitchen together, something he and I enjoy so much, so I want to have several homemade things waiting on him when he arrives. I'm pretty sure the two of us could exist on bread and cheese alone - okaaaay maybe wine, too - so what better treat than to eat said cheese that's homemade?!

I wrote previously about my new obsession with Smitten Kitchen and this is exactly where I got the ricotta recipe from. It's also where I got the fabulous oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe from as well that I made while waiting on the cheese to finish, mmm. I followed the ricotta recipe to the letter and it couldn't have been easier, really. It simply requires some extra care but it was overall a cinch. Milk, cream, salt and lemon juice - that's it. I had fun testing this out:

After you've added the lemon juice, you strain the mixture through cheese cloth for 1 - 2 hours which separates the curds and whey:

The result? An absolutely delicious, rich ricotta cheese. It has full flavor, a beautifully creamy texture and it didn't need one single thing extra:

Colleen, are you proud of me for my all natural light photo?! I was, considering how awful I usually am, haha. I was so excited it turned out well. I have several crostini ideas in mind to test out using different acids that I think will cut the richness perfectly so I'm psyched to give them a whirl.

Though I'm not a sweets person, I'm working my way through some recipes that sound terrific yet easy and I'm having fun doing so. While the cheese was straining, I baked the previously mentioned cookies and those were delectable, too:

These cookies were reminiscent of the holidays for me. They have accents of clove, nutmeg and cinnamon with the bright addition of fresh orange zest. I left the pecans out of mine and the only thing I'd do differently is add more oats. Other than that, they are perfectly chewy and delightful. Deb, you're three for three so far in my recipe book. First, the vibrant grapefruit cake I made last week and now these two. I might just be in love with you.

It was a good day to be a guest in my kitchen. Just ask Allison. :)

Ami, This Post Is For You!

As I mentioned in my last post, I've been so sad about the fact that I haven't written much lately. Guess what? I'm still sad about that. Even Ami reprimanded me about not writing so I officially know that it's unacceptable. That's why I dedicate this post - my attempt at getting back to the blogging grind - to Ami. It's fitting too because it's about cake and we all know what an amazing baker that girl is!

Lemme get right to the point. I love grapefruit. Everything about it. I love to eat it, smell it, wear it (mmm, Jo Malone!)... I just love the vibrant, lively, bold characteristics of it. Since I'm a pretty big citrus person all around and I adore citrus dishes in the summer, I get so excited that things like grapefruit and clementine are in season in the winter. I know I'm way late to the game on this one, but I recently came across the amazing Smitten Kitchen blog and boy, am I head over heels. The way Deb writes is so genuine and approachable. I feel as though I've known her for years and, to be honest, I should after the amount of hours of my life she's taken up with her photos, recipes and writing! I was looking through her winter recipes last week and one jumped out practically screaming my name: grapefruit-yogurt cake. Since I am by no means a baker, I read through the recipe and it seemed like something even I could do. Well, minus the panic that set in when it calls for you to 'grease and flour the pan'. People, if baking recipes aren't 'mix together and dump in a pan', I usually avoid them at all costs. However, one of my fun resolutions for 2012 is really to get more serious in the kitchen when it comes to baking. Mainly, I just don't want to be afraid to try my hand at things like pie dough just because I have to roll it out. It really is funny how I can be so good at and confident about cooking yet have no desire to bake... Getting off topic, sorry!

After I zested the grapefruit, I cut into it to juice it and I about died. I haven't seen a grapefruit this perfect in ages:

I squeezed myself a cup of juice and it was heavenly. Perfectly tangy but sweet. I literally texted the photo to six friends and my sweet boyfriend (who is ever so patient and encouraging when it comes to sharing in my food obsessions), because I was that excited about how lovely it was.

The cake overall couldn't have been easier! Since I'm a horrible photographer and do not write this blog for sole food/food photo purposes, I only took shots of the finished product (minus the glaze which I added this morning):

It really is delicious. Spongy, moist, tart and sweet, all complete with that lovely outer crust that provides just the perfect texture contrast. If this sounds good to you, check out the recipe (and entire blog!) here.

Ami, are you proud of me that I've baked AND written a post about it?! This is all for you, my friend. Now, if only you were here to try it. I can guarantee your mind would surely be changed about not liking grapefruit!

Holy Moly, It's A New Year!

Even though we're hitting mid January, it's still acceptable to say happy new year, right? I personally think it's acceptable to say so the entire first month of the new year but that's just me. It boggles my mind that it's already 2012. When I was home for Christmas, we were watching 'Back to the Future' and, since it came out in 1985, it seemed that "30 years into the future" seemed so very far away. Oh Doc, I wish I could go back in time and tell you how life edging toward 2015 has changed since your first DeLorean trip...

I've been asked by several people recently when a new blog post would be up. I feel so sad that there's been such a big lapse in my posts, particularly because I still have yet to do a marathon re-cap! I honestly thought that life would calm down after the marathon but it just got busier, especially with the holidays mixed in, so I haven't had the uninterrupted time I crave to devote to writing. I really hate that. One of my lesser resolutions this year is to make more time to write even when nothing particularly significant is happening.

I hope everyone had such a beautiful holiday season. Christmas is my very favorite time of year (Thanksgiving is a close second) and I usually feel so down when it's over. I suppose that's because I always go home for Christmas and often it's the only trip I make down south all year. I have warm, sweet memories of the holidays growing up and sometimes you never lose those childlike feelings, at least you hope not to. So, for me, January is often tough and I like to fill it with as many fun, silly things as possible so it helps ease me out of that funk.

On that note, I'm off to Denver tomorrow morning and couldn't be happier! I'll get back into the swing of things with writing just as soon as possible when I return. I truly do wish each of you a happy new year. Let's make 2012 the very best, yet!

Sisters Gone Wild In Denver

This post makes me oh so happy for about a billion reasons. I smile even as I write, thinking back on what an incredible few days away I had in Denver. Yes, I'm still catching up on posts from back in August (!) but it's kinda fun to do so when it means "re-living" such a wonderful weekend.

Colleen, Allison and I had talked forever about going away somewhere together so, when Colleen suggested going to visit her sister, Christina, in Denver, we both jumped at the chance. I've never visited some of the most beautiful places out west and Colorado most certainly has been on my list for some time. It's always more fun too to visit a place where you've got a local to take you around so I really was excited for this trip! Let me just tell you...it was one of the most wonderful trips I've taken, ever. I say that with sincerity.

Coming off a high of Abbey's terrific birthday celebration the night before, the three of us were on our way to the airport after work and so giddy. The flight felt super quick and, before we knew it, beautiful Christina was there waiting to pick us up. She took us to her apartment where she showed us to our suite (yes, I said suite) that was basically the penthouse. See, she works for the building and they have a corporate suite that they rent out which just so happened to be free the weekend we were there. Christina got it for us at no cost. It was absolutely gorgeous! Talk about staying in Denver in style... We visited for a while over some vino back at Christina's place before heading to bed around midnight.

Waking up Friday morning was just awesome because, right out my window, you could see the gorgeous mountains in the distance:

This might seem like no big deal to most but I've never seen "real" mountains before. We'd talked about taking a drive through the mountains that morning for brunch in a little town called Evergreen so I was really dying to get out and see all that I could. Once we finally got ready, we were off and I honestly felt like a little kid. I was in awe as we drove closer to the Rocky Mountains. At one point, Allison kinda giggled and, when I asked her why, she says you think those are the mountains, don't you? I was totally confused and told her yes only to find out I'd been looking at just the FOOTHILLS the whole time:

Let me just tell you how amazed I was when we finally hit the true mountains. It was so majestic and glorious, truly. I really was blown away at how beautiful everything was. I swear, you could almost feel god's presence surrounding you everywhere you looked. It was a moment I won't soon forget, I'll tell you that much.

When we finally got to the oh so sweet Wildflower Cafe, I pretty much decided then and there that I'd be moving to Denver after culinary school. In all seriousness, I think that really might be my path but that's a story for another time! Colleen had told me this place was one of her favorites and it quickly became one of mine, as well. Adorable (once again, using Colleen's awesome photos):

Bacon bloody mary? Um, yes please:

After brunch, we took a beautiful drive into the cute town of Golden where we were definitely ready to be tourists at the Coors Brewery. I swear, we have fun any/everywhere we go:

Our small tastes of beer may or may not have gotten us a little tipsy in the altitude... After Coors, we went on to Golden City Brewery which was seriously the greatest little home brewery, ever. This guy basically converted his house and yard into a brewery and it was so awesome:

We camped out there for a while before realizing we needed to get a move on to change and get ready for the baseball game that night. I'm telling you, the four of us were seriously having more fun than I can explain. Everything from conversation to laughter to experiencing the beauty of Denver...it was all amazing so we intended to not waste a minute. We went for drinks before the game at a fun rooftop bar and then had a total blast seeing the Rockies in action:

After the game, we went to Wynkoop, another awesome brewery to meet up with some of Christina's friends. We were there for a while before taking the party back to Christina's apartment. I will keep repeating myself but we literally had so much fun:

In addition to meeting Christina's friends/boyfriend, I also met Bryan. We'll leave it at that for now but it's most certainly worth noting. ;) Fun, fun times:

Friday overall was so fantastic and it was hard to believe we packed in all that we did.

Saturday, we decided to head to Boulder. We stopped for lunch at a cute little Brazilian joint and spent the day shopping and taking in the town:

It was so gorgeous out! When we had our fill of browsing around, it was time to introduce me to what the real Rocky Mountains are all about. We drove super high up, parked and got out to overlook what is some of the most stunning scenery I've ever encountered:

In. Awe. Truly. I had a couple of moments where my palms actually got sweaty due to how high up we were. Realizing you've never been in the mountains like that before is a very trippy feeling but it was totally amazing.

After spending a phenomenal day in and around Boulder, we went back to Christina's to regroup before our Yonder Mountain show at Red Rocks. Ok, if I thought I was mesmerized before, I just died seeing Red Rocks and the surrounding area. The show was awesome but nothing compared to how incredible that venue is:

It really was something, I tell you. What a memorable evening, all around.

On Sunday, we woke up early and it was off to Breckenridge for the day. I swear, I remained in awe every time we drove into the mountains. I felt/feel such a connection with Colorado and it was  a true joy to experience every place we went. Breckenridge was really fun for me since I had several 'firsts' including my first gondola ride and oxygen bar visit! We walked all over, had a terrific lunch sitting outside and all of us just basked in the beautiful weather and scenery:

You can't fake this moment of awe:

I really loved the town as a whole. I could just picture it covered in snow, so beautiful and peaceful. All of us totally enjoyed spending the day there:

Oh J4, we love you:

Hehehe:

When we sadly had to head back to Denver, we decided to stop for drinks at Colt and Gray which ended up being simply tremendous. We could've stayed there forever:

The day honestly flew by and, before we knew it, it was time to pack up and head to dinner before going on to the airport, boooo. We met Christina's boyfriend, Tim, at Steuben's and appropriately toasted to our weekend with amazing moscow mules, my new favorite drink:

As if you can't tell by this epic blog post, my weekend in Colorado was one of the best experiences I've had in quite some time. Being with the girls was so special in itself and then adding every experience we had to that just made it priceless overall. I still smile thinking of every detail. I'm pretty certain that a lot of this trip was life changing in a sense so we'll see if I'm right in time...

All I know is I can't wait to get back there, soon. I feel so blessed to have the means to take trips like this and the fact that it affected me in such an amazing way is a gift. Thank you for the wonderful hospitality, Christina! This will be one of my greatest memories for a very long time.