Friday Favorites: Sweet Treats (Mostly Chocolate)

I come from a long line of noshers, and just like my dad I’ve got a serious sweet tooth.  So for my new blog series called Friday Favorites, a weekly round-up that will feature curated collections of food, recipes, fashion and design, I thought I’d start with some sweet treats and delicious bites that make me happy…and yes, they are mostly in the form of chocolate. In the words of Charles Shultz, “All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt.” Happy weekend! xo, Batya

1. French Macarons from La Maison du Chocolate (Manhattan + Paris)

2. Chocolates from Marie Belle (Manhattan)

3. Bars from Mast Brothers (Brooklyn)

4. The Mount Baum Trio from Glaze The Baum Cake Shoppe (Denver)

5. Caramel Sauce from Helliemae's (Lakewood, Colorado). Also try the Chili Palmer Sauce!

6. Fondue au Chocolat Noir from Aux Anysetiers du Roy (Paris- beg someone visiting to bring it back! + Online) 

7. Chocolate Bark from Jacques Torres (Brooklyn)

8. Classic Salt Caramels from Helliemae's (Lakewood, Colorado)

9. Chocolate Bars from Ritual Chocolate (Denver)

10. Caramel Popcorn with Dark Chocolate from Jacques Torres (Brooklyn)

11. Boxes (Salt Caramels shown) from Nunu Chocolates (Brooklyn)

* How could I have forgotten Theo Chocolates out of Seattle. Try the Pili Pili Chili!

Have I missed a favorite of yours? Tell me which one. I'll try it and feature it in a future Friday Favorites! 

Note: This is not a sponsored post. It is a collection of sweet treats that remind me of good times and good people. Thanks to my colleague Carly at DLovesDesign for making this collage graphic! 

inspiration: the populist's cauliflower + pear soup with help from Food52

Ladies night boils down to this: great food, wonderful conversation, a few drinks and good friends. It's absolutely essential to my mental well-being and I'm quite certain that it makes me a better mother. I return home feeling refreshed and renewed and I should probably do it more often...

Back in November my friend Jo Ellen and I went to The Populist, one of Denver's best restaurants according to pretty much everyone. Now The Populist isn't cheap and ladies night isn't always this high-brow. Most of the time I opt for hole-in-the-wall type places that serve hummus platters, tacos, pho or Ethiopian food. But this get-together was special since my friend gave birth to her third child and this was our first time out together since mid-summer. We also really wanted to try the restaurant and the post-baby celebration gave us good cover. So on a chilly November night we went out on the town, got to the restaurant and sat down at our table shortly after we finished our first round at the bar (and yes, the cocktails were excellent). 

Now here's the thing about the meal: I'm still thinking about it. It was stellar. Exceptional! We ordered a bowl of cauliflower + pear soup, the butternut squash salad, curried chick peas and for my entree I chose the huitlacoche ("the Mexican truffle") agnolotti. Now I'm more of what you'd call a home cook and I thought the agnolotti was above my chef grade. But I'm really comfortable in the soup realm and so I though I'd take a stab at the cauliflower + pear. 

I scoured the internet for a recipe and found this one from the Food52 Community. It got great reviews and sounded like it would work really well. It was simple, straightforward and could be made using a cutting board and one pot (a.k.a. not much to clean). I loved the flavor of the pear and the sherry made it pop. Was it similar to The Populist's version? Not really. It was missing the dehydrated pear, which really adds a lot of texture, and it wasn't quite as smooth. But it was very good and the boys ate it by the bowlful. And in my book that's a success story. Next time I might serve it alongside some grilled cheese sandwiches. 

In case you were wondering how we finished off our ladies night...we concluded the meal with an excellent slice of lemon ice box cake that was lip-smacking good. I can't wait to go back to The Populist again and sit in their outdoor patio (that's covered with vines) once winter passes...

In the meantime, keep warm and enjoy the soup.

Cauliflower and Pear Soup (Adapted only slightly from Food52)

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of olive oil

2 tablespoons of butter (you can make this vegan by omitting the butter and adding another tablespoon of olive oil)

1 large leek, white and light green parts, chopped

1 small shallot, chopped

1 head cauliflower, green leaves and trunk removed, florets chopped

2 small yukon gold potatoes, peeled and chopped

2 medium sized pears, peeled, cored, and chopped

5 leaves fresh sage (or about 2 teaspoons chopped)

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves

5 cups homemade vegetable stock or good quality store-bought

kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper

2 to 3 teaspoons sherry vinegar, or to taste (champagne vinegar also works)

2 tablespoons finely chopped chives, for serving (optional)

Preparation
Heat the oil and butter in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the leek and the shallot, and cook until they are soft, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.

Add the cauliflower, potato, pear, sage, and thyme, stirring to thoroughly coat them with the oil and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly browned, stirring frequently, another 8 to 10 minutes. You're aiming for a little caramelization around the edges for depth of flavor.

Add 5 cups of vegetable stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, lower the heat to just maintain the simmer, and cook until all of the ingredients are very tender, about 30 minutes.

With an immersion blender or regular blender, puree the soup until it’s smooth. If you're using a blender, you may need to do this step in batches, then return the soup to the pot. You're looking for a smooth, velvety texture, so take your time to blend thoroughly. Thin with more chicken stock, if needed, until you reach desired consistency.

Season to taste with vinegar and salt and pepper (this is key!). Serve the soup in heated bowls, garnished with chives...or with large pieces of french baguette (I picked up mine from Babette's at The Source). 

hello + the best of 2013

Happy 2014! I hope the end of 2013 treated you well. We wrapped up the year with a quiet dinner at home, the ball drop on t.v. and fireworks (which we could see from the upstairs window in the boys' room). Then we hosted a New Years Day brunch for some friends and neighbors…which lasted until well past dinner time. That's pretty much the way I like things- a bit of down-time and introspection, followed by too many mimosas and a celebration with friends. 

I find that the end of the year is the perfect time to take stock of where I've been and where I'd like to be. I no longer make unrealistic or overly ambitious resolutions that I'll never keep. Instead I prefer to make a list of little improvements I'd like to try, without any pressure. I'd like to read more, stay hydrated (you really need to drink lots of water in Colorado), yell less and be patient with my kids, love deeply, be kind, hike weekly, call my mother daily (which as of now I'm doing) and build community here in Denver. I'd like to send out more postcards, hop on the computer less, and spend quality time with my favorite people on this here planet. Professionally, I'd like to strengthen my skills and grow our business…which will take a lot of time and effort, but I'm up for the challenge. 

As I look back on the past year, there have been many wonderful moments. There were quite a few weddings, a steady stream of friends came to visit us in our new home, and we celebrated the births of little ones. There were challenges too and hours spent worrying about my dad's health. I hope there are fewer difficulties this year. 

May 2014 bring you peace, love, happiness and health. Adventure too and the courage to make big decisions, even if they seem hard at the time. I also hope, that in the year to come, mistakes are made...

"…because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something. So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever." - Neil Gaiman

Best wishes for the new year.
xo,
Batya

…and here are a few of my favorites (both in the kitchen and on the road) from last year.

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette

Pistachio-Rosewater Meringues

Molly Moon’s Scout Ice Cream

Heidi’s Simple Fire Roasted Tomato Soup

Almond Citrus Olive Oil Cake

Asparagus DillBisque + Denver's Congress Park 

Warm Garbanzo Bean Salad with Fennel, Onion + Parsley and Lettuce + Apple Salad

St. Mary’sGlacier

Rose Lemon Sorbet

Hanging Lake + Glenwood Hot Springs

Cherry Picking

El Dorado Canyon

Aspen +Maroon Bells

Grilled Corn and Herbed Chowder

Ottolenghi + Tamimi's Spinach Salad with Dates, Almond + Sumac (the best!)

Paint Mines Interpretive Park

CastlewoodCanyon

Broncos Football + Pumpkin Cheese Soup

ChocolateMolten Cake

Shakshuka 

cocktail round-up and happy new year!

I love New Year's Eve. I truly do. I’ve spent the night of December 31st trying to speak Italian in Rome, toasting in the new year on a boat sailing down the coast of Chile, in the French Quarter of New Orleans, in San Francisco's Castro District, in Peru near Machu-Picchu, getting lost in the Sinai dessert and inside a few clubs in Manhattan and Brooklyn- all celebrated with the best of friends. Then I settled down and I had kids…

..whom I love dearly, but let's be honest, New Year's Eve is not exactly the wild celebration it once was…
Finding a babysitter can be a bit challenging and (it might be age) but everything seems so crowded. So recently I’ve kept it simple: a home cooked meal, a bunch of friends and some good cocktails. Which is all one ever really needs, right? 

Here's a little round-up of some of my favorite drinks this year. Enjoy them!
I hope that your new year is bright and filled with peace, love, friendship and adventure. Thank you for tuning in and being part of my little space on the very busy internet. 

See you all next year! Be well and cheers!

xo, 

Batya

1. Apple Cider Hot Toddy by Cookie + Kate

2. Golden Raspberry Lillet Cocktail by 101 Cookbooks, Quitokeeto 

3. Mango Raspberry Bellinis from a House in the Hills

4. Clementine Limoncello Champagne Cocktail from In Good Taste

5. Limoncello Raspberry Prosecco Cooler by Comfort of Cooking

6. The Roman Holiday by the Pharmacie on Design Sponge

7. Concord Lime Vodka Collins by Brooklyn Supper

8. Cardamom Rose Cocktail by Apothecary on Design Sponge

9. Winter Sun Cocktail by Two Tarts

Special thanks to Carly Loman, the Jr. Account Executive at DLD PR (which is where I work!), for putting this collage together. She's great!

rocky mountain arsenal wildlife refuge + a breakfast shakshuka

If you are a parent with a small child (or children), my guess is that you are about to (or already have) spent a whole lot of time with your kids. It's winter break and most preschools are closed for the holidays. My own children have been off since December 20th and classes don't resume until January 7th! Yup. There's a whole lot of quality time taking place up in here...

Since winter break began, we have visited the Children's Museum, the Clyfford Still Museum, the Denver Art Museum, and the Museum of Nature and Science (also referred to in our household as "The Dinosaur Museum"). Joyce, our fabulous realtor, cooked a five-course dinner at our home for some friends (party!) and we ate lots of delicious food at Christmas Eve dinner…and even more yumminess at a lunch the following day. I felt like a walk was in order and I wanted to do something new…

So when my friend Kelly asked me if I wanted to go to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, I was game. It was also going to be 60 degrees in Denver (we are having a stretch of mild weather), so really, how could I refuse? I don't know why I hadn't visited the refuge before-- it's so close and so cool!

The refuge sits on about 15,000 acres and it's only 10 miles outside of Denver. I would liken it to the distance between Manhattan and Jacob Riis beach; you can't believe it's so close and yet it seems so far away. The refuge has gone from Native American hunting grounds, to homesteader farmland, to a WWII weapons arsenal and an Army chemical manufacturing facility (I believe sarin and mustard gas were produced here), to land leased to the Shell Oil Company. The arsenal was quite controversial until it closed in 1992, but then it was cleaned up (a major urban achievement) and turned into a wildlife refuge, managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Today you can find more than 330 species of wildlife at the former arsenal.

We parked in the lot near the Visitor's Center and immediately spotted two coyotes. The kids colored coyote masks, howled a bit, alarmed some of the other visitors, and we snagged free exploration packs (borrowed for the day), complete with magnifying glasses, nets and bird charts. Then we set off in the direction of the bison (you have to drive, you can't walk or bike due to safety concerns).


After viewing some bison (we saw calves too!), we walked around both lakes and set up a picnic lunch. The views of the Rocky Mountains were breathtaking. If you are looking for someplace near the city and want to see wildlife, this is the place to do it! It's a hidden gem that's right in your own backyard. 





 


Getting there: It takes about 15-20 minutes from our home in the Congress Park section of Denver (close to the Botanic Gardens). 
Admission: Free!
Activities: The new Visitor's Center has a lot of information, colorful wall panels and a kids activities room. Pick up an exploration pack too!

***

Hiking or walking on an empty stomach is a big no-no in my book. I get grumpy and so do the boys. So before we set out on our arsenal excursion, I made this simple and super tasty dish. Shakshuka, eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce, is one of my favorite things to eat in the morning and it's relatively easy to make. I've posted the dish before and I've been playing around with the recipe ever since.
For that post I used an old Saveur recipe, adapted by Smitten Kitchen. This time I futzed around with the original recipe and made a few adjustments- but they were pretty minimal. Instead of using 8 cloves of garlic, I used 5. I also used 3 jalapeño peppers instead of 5 Anaheim chiles. Instead of crushing the tomatoes by hand, I pureed them (I like the sauce a little bit smooth, though there is some bite thanks to the peppers and onions) and I cooked the sauce longer than suggested, until the garlic was really soft (that's just my preference).
I firmly believe that recipes are meant to be tinkered with, so fool around with it until you find what tastes best to  you. 
Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce, Shakshuka
(Adapted from Saveur)
Serves 4-6
Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

1 small yellow onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. paprika

1  28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained (I puree them)

Kosher salt, to taste

8 eggs (I always use at least 6)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Warm pita, for serving

1. Heat the oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat (I love using my cast iron skillet for this dish). Add the chiles and the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes (this step takes me 5-7 minutes).

2. Put the tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush them with your hands (see note above, I favor pureed tomatoes). Add the crushed (or pureed) tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened slightly, about 20 minutes (sometimes longer, taste it). Season the sauce with salt.

3. Crack the eggs over the sauce so that the eggs are evenly distributed across the sauce's surface. Cover the skillet and cook until the yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle the shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pita, for dipping.

You can find the original recipe here.

Share it with a group of friends, a loved one, some kids…or just gobble it up yourself! Enjoy!
xo,
Batya

Other shakshuka recipes that I can not wait to try:
This one from David Leibovitz
This one from Kate Bradley's Kenko Kitchen
This one from Melissa Clark at the New York Times