Oh, the difference a knob can make!

Posted on January 31, 2011 by LiliBitting

One of the problems with renting apartments is that management companies, as a rule, don’t pay much attention to the details. With that said, one of my favorite parts of “nesting” into a new apartment is putting some love into all of those forgotten details! One of my first and favorite improvements is in the knobs!

Changing the knobs on anything from your kitchen cabinets, closet doors or the drawers of an old inherited dresser not only gives a personal touch but can also provide a huge face lift for relatively small amount of elbow grease!

In my kitchen I replaced the standard shiny gold knobs with these classic birdcage knobs. Not only did the upgrade change the feel of the space but I love how the tapered ends can be used as “finger pulls” when 4 out of 5 fingers are dirty with whatever I’m cooking. When taking on a large scale knob-change (I needed 18 for my whole kitchen!) I recommend using your best Google skills to find them at a discount.

When looking to replace only a few knobs, I think that you have much more of an opportunity to really go crazy and indulge in a pricier upgrade. My favorite place to look is at Athropologie – I found both the knobs above, which are in my front hall, as well as my closet knobs (below) there this past fall. Although, understandably not everyone’s style, I love their whimsy – often vintage – look.

For a more classic upscale look Restoration Hardware can be a good place to start your search (thanks Ashley for the recommendation)!

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Easy Weeknight Dinner

Posted on January 27, 2011 by LiliBitting

While I wish it was possible to make every dinner special, some nights I have to focus on simply feeding myself. On those nights, this is my equation for a quick, tasty and healthy meal:

  • at most 1 cup pasta (dry) or other grain of your choice
  • at least 1 cup vegetables
  • 1/2 cup protein

Specific to the photo above:

  1. While pasta comes to a boil and cooks (the variety above has to boil for 15 minutes!) Heat oil in saute pan, add yellow onion followed by sausage and saute over med-low heat until onion softens (and starts to caramelize) and the sausage browns.
  2. Add fully cooked pasta, tomato sauce and chopped spinach, combine to wilt spinach. Top with grated Parmesan if desired.

A couple notes about my go-to quick meal. Firstly, Garofalo Farfalle is unbelievable – unlike any whole wheat pasta I have ever had! Although it takes much longer to cook, I believe it is well worth the wait. Also, who doesn’t love bowties? (They do make several varieties if farfalle isn’t your thing).

Next, chicken sausage – I am never without chicken sausage in the fridge. There are so many flavor varieties and uses, it is my go-to quick protein! For dinner stir-fries I usually stick to hearty Portobello, spicy Cajun Style Andouille or the classic Sun-Dried Tomato with Mozzarella Cheese. For omelets or egg scrambles I like sweet Chicken & Apple or savory Spinach & Feta. (I only use half when adding to eggs or any dish that has additional protein.) I do always chop my sausage either into rounds (shown) or smaller. Also, I think it is important to brown your sausage – it improves both the appearance and texture.

Finally onto the yellow onion. Although it seems like a throw-away, don’t skip the yellow onion! It will pick up some of the flavor of the sausage and bring a wonderful dimension to the sauce. Onion is cheap, has a long shelf life (it does great in a ziplock in the crisper) and can bring that “something special” to your quick dish. Rao’s sauce (all varieties) really is superb and I recommend that everyone switch brands to Rao’s! However, if you decide to skip the sauce in lieu of olive oil, I would replace the onion with 1 diced garlic clove.

Above all else, quick dishes are meant for improvisation – take inventory of what is available to you and make it work!

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Kale Chips – It’s possible!

Posted on January 27, 2011 by LiliBitting

You can tell it’s still resolution season if I’m attempting to make kale chips! The process is super easy:

  • Tear kale into 1.5″ pieces
  • Toss with 1 Tbs Olive Oil and S&P to taste (less is more when it comes to the oil, if there is too much the kale wont crisp and when soggy it is inedible)
  • Spread into a single layer on a baking sheet (one head of kale will fill two baking sheets)
  • Bake at 300 for 15-20 minutes until crisp but not browning

Although I am a health conscious cook, I wouldn’t go as far as to say that I am a healthy cook – I love food and taste matters. Unfortuantely when it comes to Kale Chips, the texture is right on but the taste leaves much to be desired. They are light and airy but mostly taste like seaweed.

Too delicate to be used for hummus or white bean dip – maybe they would hold up to some good old ranch? I’m also considering a re-do using either hot chili powder for pizazz or honey with the olive oil for a sweet touch. Has anyone had success flavoring Kale Chips to taste like more than just kale?

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Real Simple Broccoli Soup

Posted on January 26, 2011 by LiliBitting

This wonderful broccoli soup is both from Real Simple AND is really simple (couldn’t help myself)! Seriously though, I can not say enough good things about this soup.

Creamy Broccoli Soup, (with minimal adaptions) from Real Simple

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 1⁄8-1/4 teaspoon red pepper
  • 1 can low-sodium vegetable broth, plus 1 can water
  • 1 bunch broccoli, chopped into florets
  • 1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
  • salt and pepper
  • sharp white Cheddar, grated or thinly sliced to top
  1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and red pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 4 to 6 minutes.
  2. Add the broth, water, broccoli, potato and salt & pepper to taste to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until the vegetables are very tender, 18 to 20 minutes.
  3. In a blender, or with an immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth. Top with the Cheddar before serving.

Starting with simplicity and convenience: I love recipes where all the ingredients are whole things. As anyone with a small kitchen or minimal pantry storage will tell you, being able to get just what you need (without having to store remainder) is a big deal. Also making this recipe could seriously not be any easier – an added bonus for it’s quality flavor and healthfulness!

So about that “quality flavor” – the addition of the potato adds wonderful thickness as well as the taste of cream without having to add dairy! I did top with a bit of white cheddar cheese, which melts and swirls in for a wonderful little zip. Also I nearly doubled the quantity of red pepper, and used red pepper flakes (they got crushed when blended) which added a great amount of heat – a pleasant surprise for broccoli soup!

Finally a note about the immersion blender. I finally own one (thanks Mom!) and I do not know how I lived without it – seriously! It does the job just as well as my blender in half the time with half the effort and half the clean up. When I think about the number of times I went through the arduous process of pouring half the soup from the pot into the blender then to another container while I blended the second half and returned it all to the original pot it makes me sad. Best of all they are inexpensive and take up next to no storage space – if you regularly make blended soups you simply have to invest in one! If you need a product recommendation I have the Cuisinart SmartStick and so far it works great!

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Wow, look at those cool tabs!

Posted on January 25, 2011 by LiliBitting

(Look up in the black) Yea, those tabs there!

I added tabs to the menu that link to the category archives. Why did I do that – to make your viewing of this wonderful blog even easier! Say you only interested in one aspect that I write about, can go right to that category of content. Or say you remember seeing a great recipe but forget when it was posted or what it is called – searching through the archive of culinary adventures will be much faster than the whole blog.

Enjoy!

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Gotta try a Minneola!

Posted on January 25, 2011 by LiliBitting

I love most everything about Fresh Direct. I am a huge fan and highly recommend it to every New Yorker. Since I have started buying from Fresh Direct, I have found myself much more adventurous in trying new fruits and vegetables. One of which is the Minneloa Tangelo – sometimes called the Honeybell. Highlighted as a “President’s Pick” (read, on sale) I decided to give it a try based on the description provided:

The Minneola is a cross between the sugared spiciness of a tangerine and the zippy tartness of a pomelo (a relative of the grapefruit). The juice is sweet and sour, and the uniquely bell-shaped stem end makes the Minneola a dream to peel.

Let me tell you, the Minneola is all that and more! With a super thick rind the fruit inside is incredibly delicate and juicy – it melts in your mouth more than any citrus I’ve ever had. Best of all – no seeds!

Image Courtesy of Fresh Direct.

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I love my WeWOOD Watch!

Posted on January 23, 2011 by LiliBitting

I am so excited about my new watch! It’s made out of the wood from the red wing celtis tree, which is often used for flooring. And although it’s big on my wrist, because it is made out of wood it’s still super light! The company, WeWOOD even partners with American Forests to plant one tree for every watch it sells – I’ll take that bonus karma!

I discovered this wonderful watch thanks to the very cool company AHAlife:

1 New Discovery. Every 24 Hours. 100% Inspiring—that’s what we’re all about. We showcase and sell a new hand-selected item each day and tell the story behind the making of the product, along with a designer profile and sometimes a video or audio slideshow that takes you inside the creative process.

We feature a range of lifestyle goodies—fashion, food, beauty, accessories, home decor, travel and tech, to name a few—but all are united by their craftsmanship, unique provenance and amazing aesthetic.

The daily emails from AHAlife are one of the few that I always look forward to – and open right away! The products are well curated and although they range from outrageous indulgence to reasonable indulgence they are always so interesting I love reading about them. Best of all I love their attention to what they call AHAkarma: conscious consumption and giving back through your purchase.

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The many uses for Vogue

Posted on January 22, 2011 by LiliBitting

First I’ll say that I love magazines! I probably subscribe to too many, as I never have enough time to read them and they seem to constantly pile up. It turns out, almost without realizing it, I have started using magazines around the house for more than just reading.

I would also like to say that I consider myself decently handy. Although I also recognize that nearly every project I embark on includes some “mistake” for which I found a creative (and usually less than stable) solution. This is how magazines became incorporated around my apartment.

That’s right, my TV sits on 3 Vogue magazines – and it has been like that for over a year already. See my wonderful new (Christmas 2009) flat screen TV was too wide for the sides of my family’s old TV cart. Instead of declaring defeat (or the need for new furniture), I grabbed 3 Vogue’s from the shelf to lift to TV up and allow the it to clear the sides. An easy solve to a household dilemma.

Another household dilemma came when my new bedside table arrived. As you can see my studio’s “bedroom” set up is very tight and to make matters worse, the heater is also right there. Typical of NYC apartments, the floorboards are not entirely level, especially against outer walls and the heater. So, when I put the new table in place it was horribly wobbly! As a initial reaction I grabbed another Vogue off the stack and slid it under – a perfect fit!

I agree that picture is comical – as is the solution. But hey, if no one can see it – why not?! Save yourself some stress and just grab an old Vogue!

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My Favorite Teas

Posted on January 21, 2011 by LiliBitting

I will be the first to say that I consume an above average amount of tea and I see nothing wrong with it! Tea is relatively cheap and much healthier anything I would be drinking as an alternative. I have even replaced most morning’s coffee with tea – unless it is a real I need coffee kind of day! To celebrate my second favorite beverage (seltzer is #1 and I’m discounting anything with alcohol) I’ve complied all of my favorite types together into this one post.

Morning Tea:

Mate Factor’s “Tropical Lime” (sometimes called Hibiscus Lime): I love this tea, I have had it every single morning since Ice Coffee season ended. (On those must-have-coffee mornings I have both this tea and coffee.) The reasons I love it are plenty: it is extremely flavorful, naturally sweet and brews strong very quickly (with it’s no-tag construction I throw it into my travel mug and let it live there until the cup it done). Best of all, Yerba Mate is very energizing and filled with antioxidants. Read more about the nutritional benefits for Yerba Mate here.

Afternoon Tea:

Yogi Teas: Yogi tea is one of my favorite brands, I have tried dozens of their varieties and have loved nearly all of them. Their “Stomach Ease” single-handedly got me through a flu last winter! My two favorite varieties are “Kava Stress Relief” and “Green Tea Muscle Recovery“.

Kava Stress Relief is simply heavenly! It is warm and rich with spices and cinnamon. It is caffeine-free so it is a good choice for late in the afternoon.

Green Tea Muscle Recovery is a caffeinated green tea, so it is better for an afternoon pick-me-up. It has a fruity taste but is not as sweet as the Tropical Lime Mate. Originally called “Active Body” I do find that it can reduce soreness and aches from either your morning workout or craning your neck over the computer screen.

Pukka “Refresh”: With tea, like wine (or books), I often choose new varieties based on their packaging. This brand has by far the most aesthetically appealing design of anyone, in my opinion. For that reason, I bought it – and boy am I glad I did! The “Refresh” tea is light and dare-I-say refreshing, while still having enough flavor and dimension to stay interesting. It is caffeine free and best after lunch (the peppermint in it is great for digestion)!

Chocolate Tea:

That’s right ladies, I said chocolate! I will admit that I crave something sweet after a meal – chocolate tea can be a great alternative!

Guayaki “Mate Chocolatte”: Guayaki is the original Yerba Mate brand in my eyes. Their chocolate mate is honestly not very chocolaty – it has lots of spices that make it dense and a little smokey. It does contain caffeine so it’s better after lunch than after dinner.

Mighty Leaf “Chocolate Mint Truffle”: This is the real deal in chocolate teas. Thick and almost creamy this tea is a dream! With the hints of mint giving dimension, a cup of this is almost as good as real chocolate!

Night Time Tea:

Pukka “Night Time”: Again, I decided to try Pukka based on the packaging and was completely delighted by the product! With chamomile and lavender it makes me immediately sleepy. Best of all it brews thick and flavorful to further lull you to your sheets.

Although these are my favorites, I continue to try and devour new teas constantly and will be sure to share any new gems as they are discovered – happy brewing!

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Jimmy/Jerry/Jury Rigged – what is it called?

Posted on January 21, 2011 by LiliBitting

My father kindly pointed out to me that in my paperwhite maintenance post I say “Jimmy-rigged”, which isn’t the right term. So I looked it up! The correct term is “Jury rigged” and it actually has an interesting origin:

Jury rigging refers to makeshift repairs or temporary contrivances, made with only the tools and materials that happen to be on hand. Originally a nautical term, on sailing ships a jury rig is a replacement mast and yards improvised in case of damage or loss of the original mast.

Thank you Wikipedia for this fun fact to start my Friday and thank you Dad for caring so much about all I have to say.

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