friday favorites: all things copper

Have I mentioned how much I love copper?  For this week's Friday Favorites I compiled a little round-up of the copper designs and products I'm loving right now…

Enjoy your weekend and see you on Monday!

Xo,

Batya

1. Small Copper Spica by Iacoli & McAllister

2. Soapstone Stock Pot from Anthropologie 

3. Hex Champagne Bucket by Tom Dixon

4. Professional 620 Stand Mixer by KitchenAid

5. Moscow Mule Mug Set, Hammered Copper by Sertodo 

6. Copper Patina Planter by Leif

7. Vintage Copper Saucepan, from Food 52 Provisions

8. x3 watering can by Paul Loebach for Kontextür *

9. Copper Shade Pendant by Tom Dixon

10. Copper Cookware by Mauviel (Ruffoni Copper Cookware Set is pretty spectacular too!)

11. Copper Real Good Stool by BluDot 

12. Solid Copper Mule Mugs by Paykoc 

13. Copper Bicycle by Van Heesch Designs

Special thanks to Carly Loman, my colleague at DLD PR, for helping me with this collage.

* Note: The principal of my firm has a working relationship with Kontextur, but this is not a sponsored post. 

cook the book: the family table's macaroni + cheese

About two months ago, we flew back east for the wedding of my husband’s best friend. Andrew (the groom) and Matt (my husband) have known each other since they were in kindergarten. If you ask anyone who knows these two guys well, they would all agree that when Matt and Andy are in the same room- or even on the phone- they kind channel each other. Not in a creepy sort of way, but in a way that is a testament to over three decades of friendship. And their friendship is something special; it's something truly unique. 

Matt and Andy both love music, art, and searching for off-the-grid food spots. They also love road trips, and every summer that we were living in Brooklyn (7 to be exact) they embarked on journeys that took them to places as obscure as Centralia, PA and Morgantown, West Virginia. There was also the summer when they departed for Toronto and changed their voicemail message to inform callers they would be "traveling out of the country" - as if heading a few hours north constituted a major international excursion. They spent time boating around Lake Placid, and in Vermont where it rained non-stop the summer they visited, the two of them camped out at the Ben & Jerry’s Factory Store- which happens to be the most popular tourist destination in the state. Let's just say these two have spent a lot of time together and they know each other well. And since I've been in a relationship with Matt since 2002 (yikes, that's 12 years already), I've grown to know Andy too…and I love him just like a brother.

When Matt and I were trying to make this move to Colorado work, Andy let Matt camp out in his apartment. Andy’s kitchen (affectionately dubbed the "K-Room") was where Matt slept on a futon mattress for 8 months as he commuted back-and-forth between Brooklyn (where he was still working as a public defender for Legal Aid) and Denver (where he was applying for jobs). Did I mention that he crashed with Andy for 8 months?! Not many relationships would survive that duration or inconvenience, but their friendship grew stronger.

Anyway, back to Andy’s wedding. He married one of the nicest people I've ever met and their celebration was beautiful. We laughed, we cried, we ate, we danced…and yes, we drank and made toasts well into the late hours of the night (and early morning). When we got back from the wedding I felt homesick. So did Matt. Not for New York City as a place- for my lifestyle doesn’t really jive with the city anymore and I hardly recognize it as the place of my childhood- but for the people, our closest friends. Our relationships that span decades…

Back in my Colorado kitchen I decided to make comfort food... and I couldn't think of anything more appropriate than the Family Table's mac and cheese. The Family Table is one of my favorite cookbooks and it's a collection of staff meals from the chefs and sous chefs at Danny Meyer's various NYC restaurants. This pasta dish reminds me of home, good friends and lots of laughter…and I'll have a big pan of bubbly, cheesy goodness waiting for Andy and his new wife Carly when they come to visit us again in Colorado. And I can't wait…

Happy eating,

xoxo,
Batya

“The Dish You Love The Best” Macaroni & Cheese

Courtesy of Family Table: Favorite Staff Meals from Our Restaurant to Your Home

10 – 12 servings

For the Sauce:

Ingredients

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup thinly sliced shallots (3-4 medium)

3 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

Freshly ground black pepper

2 fresh thyme sprigs

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3 cups good quality vegetable stock (the book has a recipe for stock, but I went with store-bought)

3 cups heavy cream

3 cups coarsely grate sharp cheddar (about 1 pound)

1 1/4 cups grated Grana Padano (about 7 ounces)*

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

Kosher salt

Butter for the pan

2 tablespoons kosher salt

1 pound penne, fusilli, or other short pasta

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs or fine dried bread crumbs

1/3 cup grated Grana Padano*

* The first time I made this I was able to find Grana Padano cheese. The second time I made this dish I couldn’t find any, so I picked up a very good quality Parmesan from Cured in Boulder and it worked beautifully.

TO MAKE THE SAUCE: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the shallots, garlic, 1 teaspoon pepper, and the thyme, and cook, stirring, until the shallots are translucent, about 5-7 minutes.

Slowly add the flour, stirring constantly, and cook for 5 minutes, so that the flour loses its raw taste. Add the stock (very slowly), stirring constantly, then increase the heat to medium and bring to a boil. (If you add the stock too quickly, the roux will break.) Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, so the flavors come together.

Add the cream, bring to a simmer, and cook until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon, 7 to 10 minutes longer. Strain the sauce into a bowl.

Clean the saucepan, add the sauce, and return it to low heat. Add the cheeses and the mustard, stirring constantly. Once the cheese is completely melted, season to taste with salt and pepper and remove from heat. (You can make the sauce up to 1 day ahead, covered, and refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature and reheat slowly before using.)

TO ASSMEBLE AND BAKE: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 9-x-13-inch baking dish.

Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add the salt. Add the pasta to the boiling water, stir, and cook until just al dente. Drain well.

Combine the pasta with the sauce and pour it into a baking dish.

In a small bowl, combine the panko and the Grana Padano (or good quality Parmesan). Sprinkle it over the pasta. Bake until the top is golden brown and bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve (with a smile!).

walking wednesdays: winter hikes in boulder

My dad is one of the kindest, soft-spoken, and gentle souls I’ve ever known. He’s been sick for many years, but in the past 6 months his condition has deteriorated and hospital rooms have become a big part of his life. There’s been rehab too, which provides only a bit of laughter as my brother and I joke that it’s not the kind of rehab Lindsay Lohan goes in-and-out of but the other kind…

My mother bares the brunt of the stress these days, for she is with him day in and day out. She advocates for him, feeds him, challenges doctors when they need to be challenged, and has put her life on hold in order to tend to his needs. My brother and I both left New York so my mother is the go-to-person. And while she has an incredibly tight-knit community and a large circle of friends, I can't stop worrying about them both. This has been the most difficult part of living in Colorado. I'm not there. 

I don't usually talk about how challenging this time period has been for everyone, or how depressing it can be to have a parent who is very, very ill. That's mostly because there isn't a lot that anyone can say or do to alleviate the pain, the frustration, or the anger.  But I do rely on a small group of friends and I'm thankful to have a loving husband and a wonderful family. I've also discovered a place I can go that gives me peace and a bit of calm…

The mountains, being out in nature. It makes me feel like there is a bigger plan in play and that life is wonderful and beautiful even when there is sadness, stress and heartache. And for that I am grateful. I am hopeful that things will get easier and my father's health will improve. In the meantime I will focus on all the truly important things that matter in life and let the rest fall by the wayside...

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. 

Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. 

The winds will blow their own freshness into you, 

and the storms their energy, 

while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.

                                                                                                                          - John Muir  

Chautauqua National Historic Landmark. Boulder, Colorado: 
Red Rocks Trail off Canyon Drive at Settlers' Park. Boulder, Colorado:

friday favorites: food round-up

For this installation of Friday Favorites I’ve put together a little round-up of food products that are tasty and interesting…and a good number of them are made in either my adoptive state of Colorado or in my native state of New York. Quite a few of these will be making an appearance this weekend as we celebrate the Broncos winning the Super Bowl, er, I mean watching the game and hoping Denver takes the cake. Let me know what some of your favorite companies are doing!
Enjoy your weekend, Happy Chinese New Year and Let's Go Broncos! 

xo, 

Batya

1. Noosa Yoghurt: Honey, Blueberry, and Lemon are always in my fridge. (Colorado)

2. Mm Local Foods: The Pickled Boulder Beets are awesome, and the Western Slope Peaches are to-die-for! (Colorado)

3. Happy Leaf Kombucha: Denver's only kombucha brewery. (Colorado)

4. McClure's Potato Chips: Garlic Dill Pickle potato chips, for real. (Brooklyn)

5. Old Field Farm Maple Syrup: Perfect on almost anything. (Upstate NY)

6. Dram Apothecary Bitters: Cocktail bitters and Colorado herbal extract. I haven't been to the Bread Bar/Tasting Room, but it's on my list! (Silver Plume, Colorado)

7. Sweet Deliverance Jams + Chutneys: Delicious! (NYC)

8. Justin's: Nut butters + peanut butter cups! Hello. (Colorado)

9. Empire Mayonnaise Co.: With flavors such as lime/pickle + smoked paprika, it's hard to go wrong! (Brooklyn)

10. Rare Bird Preserves: Lemon Curd! Have I mentioned how much I love lemon curd? The make wonderful preserves and there are seasonal options too. (Illinois)

11. The Real Dill: My favorites include the caraway garlic dill pickles + their Bloody Mary Mix!

Thanks to Carly Loman- my colleague at DLD PR who put this montage together. See you next week! 

cook the mag: bon appetit's beet salad with miso + black sesame

I’ve had a sweet tooth for as long as I can remember. It became more intense with my first pregnancy and by the time my second son came around, well, I couldn’t walk past a bakery without stopping in and buying something. I have self-restraint in some areas, but this is not one of them.

It’s been 2 ½ years since I gave birth to Theodore and I still have a pretty intense desire for a daily sugar hit…evidenced by the fact that almost everyone who works at a bakery, pastry shop, cupcake store, or donut plant near my home knows me by name. Within a minute of walking through the door I’ll hear “Oh hey, Batya. How was your trip?” or “Did that biscotti come out right?” or “Is Otis feeling better? I hope so…” and knowing that I’ve been looking for a good deal on a mid-century modern piece I’ll get asked, “Did you find that credenza for the dining room?” It’s possible that I’m a little bit too regular, a bit too familiar,  at some of the local establishments selling sweets.

That said, I can’t and I won’t give them up. But I am determined to get a bit more balance back into my diet. I cook a lot and there aren't a ton of preservatives in the foods I eat, but I've kind of lost my way a little bit. I feel more lethargic and sluggish than usual. Some of this I attribute to the exhaustion that comes with raising two young boys. Game of Thrones marathons that run well into the night don't help either (I need more sleep!). But I just haven't been eating right and that causes drag too. I know it, I really do. I'm keenly aware that when I eat well I feel better. So I've started picking up juices at a fabulous local place my friend introduced me to (and I joke that I'm "juicing"-- not in the hey-my-neck-is-gonna-disappear-athlete sort of way but in the cold-pressed-raw-vegetable-and-fruit sort of way) and I'm incorporating lots of super foods into my diet.

As I celebrated my 38^th year on this Earth, I made myself a promise that I’d add more salads to my repertoire and treat them as meals (which I rarely do) and if I really crave something sweet then I will walk to get it…but maybe only once a week. Two times, tops! For now, let there be salad...

Beet Salad with Miso + Black Sesame  (Courtesy of Bon Appetit Magazine) 


Ingredients

         6 small beets (about 1 lb.), preferably golden, scrubbed, divided

         3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

         Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

         ¼ cup white miso

         2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

         1 bunch watercress, trimmed

         1 teaspoon black sesame seeds or toasted white sesame seeds

        

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place 4 beets on a large piece of foil and rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and close up foil around beets. Place on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender. Bon Appetit says 30–40 minutes but mine took about 1 hour and 10 minutes (maybe because I used larger beets) until they were tender.

Unwrap beets and let cool slightly.  Peel and cut into ½” wedges.

Meanwhile, whisk miso, vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and 3 tablespoons of water in a small bowl. Set dressing aside.

Thinly slice remaining 2 raw beets on a mandoline. 

Arrange watercress and roasted and raw beets on a platter and drizzle with reserved dressing; top with sesame seeds.

Do Ahead: Beets can be roasted 2 days ahead. Cover separately and chill.