F is for Focaccia and Freakish amounts of Carbohydrates.

This week marks the end of the week in which I have eaten, tasted, re-tasted and devoured the most ridiculous amount of carbohydrates imaginable. We began with pasta fresca, moved into more pasta like pasta asciuta and pasta ripiena (dried and filled), then gnocchi with potatoes, with ricotta, with bread. The next day was risotto, as many times as we could make it in an attempt to master it (all'onda - like a wave so to speak). Tasting and tasting. Tweaking and re-tweaking, all the way through, each dish, each time, over and over. Mind you, I am NOT complaining about this. I have been given this magical license to do so. So, I will eat, as my waistline now shows. Damn you delicious food and your protocol for more butter and salt. The following day was a slight break, working with eggs.  However these little uovo's couldn't stop us from dipping crusty fresh, warm baguettes from the downstairs bread kitchens, into a luxurious poached yolk, which melted out onto a plate like paint escaping from a bucket.
Then of course, the mecca of all carb days, Pizza day, to end the week.
Why no pictures you ask? Well, first of all, my hands were perpetually greased with di olio extraverrgine d'oliva for one. Two, the pizza's were either devoured instantly, or shipped off to other floors of the school (in hopes of a trade for pastries, cakes, breads and the like) faster then I could whip my camera out to snap a shot. Our hot pizza stone oven cranked out about 30 pies that day, all of which were gorgeous. But all this pizza talk aside, I will say a certain pizza purist in Southern California still makes the best pies I ever had. I'm looking at you M and M.  

My favorite fun fact of the week came from our Chef Jessica stating, "Pizza is a triumph of imagination over a scarcity of ingredients." I couldn't agree more.
So my week of self loathing for eating all of these deliciously carbo-loaded fantasies came to  a close over a nice drink with some school friends, and a few fantastic slices of Focaccia with Sea Salt and Rosemary from a fellow student who really nailed their dough. Mine was more like a cardboard flavored version of his, which was donated to the compost.
So, this dream of making and eating all these starchy items for weeks on end. Mastering the Art of Fullness.  This, a craft or design of the gods. A fantastically bright beacon of light which has decided, fate and good fortune,  will shine on me? I get to eat Carbs? Loads of them?! Non-stop! And HAVE TO for quality control purposes?! (Sounds incredibly ideal right?)
Not such a dream for my jeans or personal satisfaction with myself. It has sent me straight to the gym in a full sprint.
So if you see me running down Lafayette to get to my destination of sweaty glory and hopefully back to a size 27, don't be alarmed, I probably just ate a mountain of Pasta Fresca alla saliva de burro or a new favorite Risotto con Fungi e Pomodoro. 


If you don't desire to make your pizza or focaccia at home, no judgements. There are loads, hundreds, millions of places where they serve up the best of the best. Here is a link to an article from the lovely and wonderful Magazine La Cucina Italiana all about where to go to get the best pizza imaginable across the globe. Brooklyn's own Motorino made the list!

The Perfect Pie - From La Cucina Italiana

E is for Eventually, it will all come together.

The last few days at school were pasta days! 
Hard to beat good pasta. Really, who doesn't like pasta? It's addicting in its chewiness, salinity, sauce accompaniments, aroma and taste. It was also particularly exciting to learn the basics because now, I can practice without feeling like I'm lost in the dough. 
Lost in it "not coming together" properly. So, get ready for a pasta frenzy. You need it? I'll come make it. I wanna be the best. Which is a good thing considering, to master the art of it is quite a challenge and on top of that a coveted position at restaurants around the globe. But, I haven't been making it my whole life like most of those people have, so I have a lot to work on. 


Our Chef Haley Stevens whipped up a bunch of different little shapes to show us, and man was that a sight. Seriously, a total motivator.  

We began small, with simple fresh egg pasta or pasta all'uovo, then moved into colored pastas like pasta verde which gets is brilliant green from spinach, and of course the mystical black pasta, pasta al nero di seppia, which is colored with squid ink. Thirdly, was a pasta with just water and semolina flour, used to make a variety of shapes and sizes of pasta, but we practiced our Oreccchiette (little ears).  I personally like this one best because of the ease of mailability as well as it's "coming together" properties. 


Really, these have been great days to be in the kitchen. Flurries of activity, smiles and it puts everyone in a good mood when we get to work with our hands. However, the best was yet to come for some of us on Wednesday.


Jacques Pépin the Dean of Special Programs at our school, master French chef, friend of Julia Child, author of a few culinary bibles and absolute-all-around-genius held a demonstration at the International Culinary Center this afternoon. 
We rushed downstairs to get seats, but alas, we were forced to stand on stools in the back of the auditorium. He lectured, reminisced and regaled us with old tales and lovely fragrances from the stove at the helm of the room. Walking into the room as he removed the skin, deboned and essentially used every part of a duck, was actually quite amazing. Not only that, there were samples for everyone. 
The smell of the duck skin roasting in the oven, well, it was sublime. Excitement enveloped the room as he handed out tastes of duck breast ladled from a saute pan. Food made with his own hands. Once in a lifetime, you might say. 

It has been all around extremely educational. Waking up at the crack of dawn to learn Italiano, rushing to the kitchens upstairs to begin pasta class, then hurrying down to watch a master chef prepare amazingly wonderful food. I've got to say, just like the pasta, "its all coming together" slowly, but surely. 


Thursday was Lasagna day, which also caused a buzz around the school. People were coming in with Tupperware for leftovers, and delivering the personal sizes to different departments cause some to nearly faint. Needless to say, it was pretty damn good. We used our fresh made Spinach Pasta, Bacemmella, Ragu di Carne and grated Parmigiano. Delicious, and really pretty color contrast. 


Here is a simple recipe for you to try! Making pasta can be easy, fun and fast, but practice will definitely make perfect. I'll be right along side you, believe me. 




Pasta Verde (Green Pasta)
Y. 1 pound of dough
By: The Italian Culinary Academy 
Ingredienti:
225 g (8 oz) 00 Flour - very low gluten flour from Italy
2 fresh eggs
70 g (2 1/2 oz)  blanched, chilled, drained fresh Spinach
Salt
10 g (1/3 oz) Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Semolina flour, for kneading and rolling

Procedura:
1. Food Processor method - yields a speckled pasta. 
    Place Eggs, spinach, salt and Olive oil in food processor bowl. Blend until smooth. Add Flour. 
    The dough should just be coming together in a ball. 


2. Knead on cold surface for 4 to 6 minutes until smooth. (like a baby's bottom, a term actually used in class today.)


3. Divide in half and wrap with plastic wrap immediately (or it will dry out) and refrigerate for 30 minutes, if not using right away. You can leave it out of the fridge if you will roll it out within the hour. Just let it rest of 30 minutes. 


4. If you have a pasta roller, roll it out starting on the highest setting, folding over 2 to 4 times, then moving down a setting, one at a time until you have reached the desired thickness. After which point, cut into desired sizes, shapes, etc. 


5. If you roll it out with a rolling pin, just make sure to have enough bench flour so it doesn't stick and rip.


6. Pot of boiling salted water, drop in for 1 to 2 minutes. 


7. Remove from water and put directly into sauce of your choice. Preferably a light in flavor sauce. We used butter and sage with a little pepper. But really, it's a personal thing. 






Eventually, it will all come together. I promise. (But here's hoping!)

D is for Developing Flavor that is "Divine" and "Delicate".

Ahh, Culinary School.

Are there finer words? Yes there are, and they come in the form of a compliment from your chef instructors.

Our group has been together in the kitchen for 10 sessions now. Slicing, dicing, drizzling, gobbling, straining, draining and stirring our way though lesson upon lesson; mixing and blending our way through the lovely cuisine of Italia. After many days of antipasti and 

perfecting our knife skills, or taillage (the practice of cutting vegetables into uniform size and shape) we have begun to pick up the pace, or at least some of us have.

I now have an enlightened respect for all those tiny little uniform pieces of vegetables I have found on my plate over my years of eating out. Making a perfect brunoise, jardinière, julienne, or dadi piccoli is not as easy as it looks. TRUST ME. This take A LOT of practice. I’m an amateur at best, but one day I will be able to chop with the best of them. It’s my holy grail so to speak. 

So today was soup/bean day. Perfect day for it, considering the weather here in New York is dreadful, rainy and cold.

So soups’ on? Yeah, I’m there.

The day before was stock day, which, I also have a new found respect for because making the perfect stock, is seriously a work of art. Anyway, the kitchen was lively today. Happy little culinary students, working to create inspired dishes, but mostly working to please the boss. (Both of whom, by the way, are awesome and absolute inspirations whom you will hear about more in the future.) 

However, the ultimate result is usually something not quite near the standard of the dish we are to most resemble in the end result. But I listened intently today to the words of our teachers and “developing flavor” was definitely key.

 The Development of Flavor should be a manual. You could go out and buy all the expensive ingredients in the world, and still not know how to develop flavor. The one thing I must stress, if you too desire to develop this skill of deepening the flavor of a dish, I recommend getting really comfortable with carmelization. It is a technique that is 

learned by practice, so go out there and try it.

Today we made Minestrone as well as another dish called Zuppa di Farro (Farro Soup). Both were beautiful to look at, but more so to eat.  The deliciousness of them was because of developing flavor. Both, however, called for different development of flavor, but used almost identical ingredients to do so. The minestrone was lighter in flavor and brighter in contrast, while the zuppa di farro was richer, deeper and more complex and earthy. Its always so interesting how the same vegetables, when prepared in a different manner, can come out tasting dramatically polar opposite.

Farro, incidentally is absolutely amazing for you! It is an ancient grain packed with protein, fiber and lots of  vitamins which are heart healthy, and it’s an environmentally conscious choice because a little goes a long way.

Although I loved both, I will only feature Minestrone, because, not only is it Veggie friendly, it was absolutely superb with a dollop of our fresh made pesto from the day prior. I recommend making your own pesto, but if you have to buy the jarred stuff, the Trader Joes brand is pretty good. Also you could get some excellent stuff from Dean and Deluca.

Minestrone con Pasta (Vegetable Soup with Pasta)

Recipe : International Culinary Academy – Italian

Yield : 6 to 8 servings

Ingredienti:

25 g. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Onion, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 carrot, peeled, diced

¼ fennel bulb, diced

½ leek, light green and white parts, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

Pinch of red chili flakes

1 L Water. Or Vegetable Stock, warm

1 medium Russet Potato, peeled and cut into ½ inch cubes

½ zucchini, seeds removed, diced

2 asparagus stalks, peeled, chopped into ½ inch pieces

¼ cup frozen peas

6 Green Beans or Haricot Vert, trimmed, and chopped into ½ pieces

2 plum tomatoes, remove skins and seeds, diced

10 g chopped fresh parsley leaves, no stems

2 large leave of Swiss Chard, stems removed, julienne leaves

70 g cooked white cannelloni beans, drained

100 g cooked pasta, preferably shells or Orecchiette

Fresh grated Grana Padano or Parmigianino cheese

Pesto (adding Pesto to the top makes it a Genoa preparation of the dish)

Salt and Pepper to taste

Procedura:

1. In a heavy bottom soup pot, heat Olive Oil on medium heat, add onions, celery, carrots, fennel, leeks, garlic and chili flakes and cook for about 4 – 5 minutes. Make sure not to brown vegetables.

2. Add Water, or stock, if using, and increase heat to medium high, add potato. Bring boil. Add Salt 

(about 1 tablespoon) and pepper (about 1 teaspoon.)

3. Lower heat to simmer and add zucchini, asparagus, peas and green beans. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

4. Add tomatoes, parsley, swiss chard, beans and pasta.

5. Let simmer gently for 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning.

6. Ladle soup into bowls, drizzle with pesto, Extra Virgin Olive Oil and sprinkle with grated cheese. Serve to those you love!  

AMAZING.

By the way - the chef's compliment's so far have been "delicate" and "divine". Which,

I mean, were sooooo exciting to hear. I know, it may not be that big of a deal, but hey, I'll take what I can get. So thank goodness for the D entry!

C is for Coffee. What else?

An ongoing study following some 126,000 American's has been percolating for some 22 years now, and with some rather pleasing results. The Harvard analysts' data shows moderate coffee consumption may lower the risk for Parkinson's, Type II Diabetes and Colon Cancer. Quite remarkably, the more coffee the participants in the study drank the less risk for diabetes there was! In fact even some Parkinson's drugs have caffeine added.  The healthful benefits are plentiful. Other studies have shown it reduces the risk for gall stones by half and has been shown to cause an 80% drop in chances for cirrhosis of the liver.

Millions of people wake up to the steaming roasted bean beverage (actually, it's a seed from the coffee berries) daily. Now, we have something else to grin about, besides out morning energy boost. Other research shows that a cup of good java can help control asthma, reduce incidence of cavities (although this one I find difficult to believe considering so many of us add sugar to our cup) as well as stop a headache and boost your cranky-pants mood. 

Since there are many ways to get that caffeine fix, I will not discriminate, nor elaborate on the benefits, or difference in types or flavors. In fact I should really leave that to someone who knows whats what in the coffee world. There are people out there who really take quite a bit of serious time to understand all the subtle nuances of the delicious beverage. Just like a sommelier, but bats for the perky team, its called cupping (which sounds odd to me, but hey, no judgements). Also, since my access to the many devices one can use to brew a mug is limited, I will elaborate briefly about my obsession with the French Press. Incidentally invented by an Italian, the French Press is an excellent way to incapsulate the flavor of coffee most accurately and efficiently. Usually producing a stronger, richer, thicker cup of coffee, it is made by adding the coffee grounds of a thicker grind and nearly-boiling water together. Letting it sit for a few minutes to extract the essence of the roast and then, by use of the plunger, the grounds are forced down to the bottom of the cylinder. A delicious and creamy cup of coffee awaits you. I like the Italian Roast, and I always try to buy Organic, Fair Trade and Sustainable. Not only is this good for the planet, it usually tastes better too

So wether you are a grande-double-half-caf-non-fat-cappuchino with one sugar, a large coffee black or a soy-iced-latte, remember these words, not all coffee is created equal. Even though there are health benefits, this doesn't mean you need to drink more of it. So don't go running to your nearest deli/Starbucks/coffee house etc. In fact, and of course, other studies show rather contradictory conclusions as far as health is concerned. For example, a study has shown it can increase your low density lipoproteins (LDL's) or in laymen's terms the "bad" cholesterol in some people. 

A rule of thumb, try to keep the caffeine consumption under 250 mg's a day (2 - 3 cups). And for those who don't know, 1 cup is 8 oz. So If you get a daily "grande" fix, thats 2 cups, fyi. Those who reach an upwards of 500 to 600 mg's (7 to 8 cups) are susceptible to insomnia, irritability, anxiety, gastrointestinal problems as well as increased heart rate. I too, should probably heed this advice, but alas, I forget to measure out the amount every time pour my intoxicatingly delicious wake up call in to my over sized mug. 

Contradictions never have steered me off course from what I love though. But, I do like a nice hot yerba matte every more than once in a while. 

There are so many more wonderful things I could say about coffee, but you know, I'll leave that up to the comments section, and you, my dear reader. 

Click on the links above to check out some great Washington Coffee roasters! I was enamored with the Raven's Brew Organic Deadman's Reach.

My current favorite place to buy a cup on the go : Ninth Street Espresso at Tompkins Square, 341 East 10th St. (Between Ave A & B). 

My current favorite addition to coffee : low fat vanilla soy milk with a dash of cinnamon.

My favorite "caffeinated" beverage that isn't just cafe au lait : triple non-fat cappuccino from Whole Foods market on Houston. 

My current favorite coffee past time : a big big hot cup, accompanied by gi-normous bowl of organic oatmeal mixed with juicy blueberries, KCRW on a sunday morning and some hand holding. 

 OR the smell of coffee brewing when camping in El Captain, I always was more partial to the hot chocolate at the time, but I remember the coffee smell vividly. 

B is for the Best? Well, Perhaps.

There is one thing about New York that I cannot get over : the food culture.
People eat and drink to their utmost desires without care but with a lot of conviction. The choices for dinner are astronomical, the choices for lunch are astounding. As for breakfast, well, it is usually a coffee accompanied by a handheld pastry of sorts. Most opt for brunch nowadays.

This plethora of choices makes for a mecca of foodies. The discerning clientele isn't picky necessarily but they demand really good food. No wonder some of the best restaurants in America can be found on a strip of land a few miles long and wide. It's because of the people. New Yorkers' are trend setters for fashion of course. And these fashion forward, walking gastronomes obviously are setting the trends for food, the best food. The people have voted, and the votes are : New York has, quite arguably, the best food in the world.

Let me elaborate. Reading food magazines, I always tend to come across ad's for Las Vegas. Gigantic restaurants, in over-worked over-ari conditioned, over amped hotels in the desert. The chefs are great, the food is probably amazing, but 8 out of 10 of those places started in New York City. Obviously, there is a reason these hotels want these chef's restaurants there. Destination eating is becoming a huge market. But, typically, the food is so much better from the original location. It has the real soul. It worked the hardest and  these new "celebrity" chef empires were born out of them. Where would Mario be without Babbo in Greenwich Village? Do you think Wylie Dufresne's wd-50 could have made it anywhere else besides the Lower East Side?  I mean, come on Daniel Boulud, Nobu Matsuhisa the list is endless really. From off the top of my head those are some stars that began in the "apple". Now even super stars from the west coast have come to stake a claim, eh-hem Thomas Keller. 


However, press and adoration aside, restaurants in New York have a definitive style. Because the city is cramped, lack of space between tables isn't burdensome to the diner. We understand. Because the city has so many options, the food you serve has got to be better than the other choices we could have made that evening. That is why there are people like Keith McNally who take restauranteur-ing to a new art here in the city. Go to any major area in Manhattan and your bound to spot one of his places (among them, Balthazar, Moradni, Pastis, yeah, he's good). It is people like him who know and understand the food culture here, and finesse it to the point of absolute perfection. 


If you have never worked in a restaurant before, front of house or back of house, you really cannot fully appreciate the astounding amount of food that is produced here in New York. Not to mention the attention to using locally produced/grown products. Among all of the menus I have seen, the bold faced type on most is: LOCAL, ORGANIC, and RELATIONSHIP. Relationship being with the farmers and producers themselves, a hand shake and a safety in the knowledge that if these farms keep producing top quality ingredients the chefs and their chef friends alike will come a' flocking. 


So, best food in the world? Well, the attention to detail, the care taken to make a dining experience in the city a true experience, the overwhelming amount of choices, the cramped quarters, little elbow room, all the sounds and smells, and the excitement one finds in the atmosphere of a restaurant, big or small, reputable or not, when dining, is magic. 


After a week here I already feel like I have so much to learn, try and taste. The experience of the city will not be lost on me, I guarantee it. My vote is in, and New York, you are number one, so far. B is for BEST EVER. 

One Best Ever moment I had, was last Friday night at a small kinda doggy place in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Roberta's, a pizza place with family style seating, loud great music, good service, campfire in the back patio, elbows on the table kind of place. However, amazing oyster's from New Brunswick fancied it up a bit. My favorite though, the Hen of the Woods Mushrooms, which were cooked until just tender and crispy with a slight hint of garlic and thyme, lighty salted and a finish of sweetness from a touch of excellent olive oil. Out of control. Least not I forget their pizza crust, which managed to achieve the soft fluffy texture we all like in a dough, with a crunch and a wood fire oven tinge of charcoal that really takes the whole pie to a new place. 

Oh did I also mention, they do Brunch? Expect to see me there on a regular basis, the of course the gym to follow. 

A is for Absolutely Amazing Almonds

Like most nuts, these are not only fantastic for your heart but rich in antioxidants, densely packed with important nutrients and a handful, or 23 Amazing Almonds (about 1 oz.), a day can really keep the doctor away. So move over apples, there is a new boss in town.

Almonds top out with the most protein per bite for nuts (6 grams), as well as fiber (3 grams) and calcium (75 mg). They are also the lowest calorie nut too! But the bragging doesn't end there. They are a source for Vitamin E which helps to reduce free radical damage to the body. Also those 23 Almonds you're now eating every day is about 35% of your Daily Value (DV%) needed for that essential antioxidant.

So with all that said, what else could these tasty morsels do? They fight hunger with their fiber and provide you with mono-unsaturated fats, the "good" fats. Not only that but they serve as a prebiotic to help produce good microflora in your intestines and aid in digestion.

I found this nifty little Conquer Those Cravings application to see how you can incorporate a little Almond essence into your life instead of the tried and true popcorn, chips or candy.

Since almonds are in such an abundance in most grocery stores (even as a replacement for good ol' peanut butter, if you are looking for a lower saturated fat alternative or if you have a peanut alergy), I expect everyone to be lowering their cholesterol and gaining in heart health everyday from now on.

So go over to the bulk bins at whole foods and find a favorite, or pick up a bag at Trader Joes. I like the Dry Roasted Organic Almonds, but you can always go for the spiced or maple almonds. Although don't forget, unsalted is usually a better choice, for health purposes. If you need a little salt and spice though Try these Chipotle-Roasted Almonds.

So chop then up into a bowl of oatmeal, toast and toss into a salad, or snack on a handful a day to keep a craving away.



My boy and best friend is a fiend for these :

Almond Butter-Jelly Tortilla Rolls

Ingredients:
2 Organic Flour Tortillas (preferably the 8 inch kind, or whatever you like. The Gluten Free Rice Tortillas a good too!)
3 tbl divided Organic Unsalted Crunchy Almond Butter (Trader Joe's brand rocks.)
2 tbl divided Organic Low Sugar or Sugar Free Jelly ( Your favorite flavor of course. I like Blackberry or Boysenberry. But today I am showcasing my Cranberry-Strawberry Jam from this winter, a little star anise and cardamom really kicked it into its full potential similar to the recipe in the Q blog.)

Directions:
1. Toast tortillas in a dry skillet on medium high heat for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until toasted to your liking. Try not to burn then, all those carcinogens will cancel out the positive effects of the Almonds!



2. Let cool slightly and spread 1 1/2 tbl of Almond Butter down the middle.
Follow with 1 tbl of your jelly on top of that. Repeat for second tortilla.
3. Roll bottom in 3/4 inch and then roll up side closest to you like a burrito!
4. Devour. 

Remember portion size is key here, so try to measure your ingredients and it will save you calories in the end.

These are excellent for breakfast, lunch and just do one roll up as a snack! Genius Joel. Truly Genius.

Today I begin a New Order

Not the band, although I do love me some New Order. But I need a new order to this blog-digity.

So here it is. The Big Reveal, The order I will be going in is, drum roll please....

We are going: Back to Alphabetical Order.
I know, big deal, but hey, it was working well for me. Plus, it will work out well when I publish my book in the future, which will incidentally also be in alphabetical order.

So get ready for a rockin' good time with the amazing Alphabet!
(I may even throw a little Italian in there.)

Arrivederci for now! 

Awaiting arrival of the A entry? Stay tuned, more tasty treats, good eats and sweet sensations to come. Only this time, I'll be slightly more qualified.

Seat Backs and Tray Tables in Their Full Up Right Positions

When making rash decisions, do not dye ones hair out of frustration.
Secondly, always follow your heart. This may seem like an oxymoron, however, these two bits of information are the key insight to the last month of my life.


I have been biting my time to let the news out, however, now after finding that I have a knack for making it work I can say with all my excitement and enthusiasm, I am moving to New York City in two weeks.


2 months ago, I was denied from my dream school (NYU). So as most girls do when they are upset, they do something empowering to compromise, or at least alleviate the pain of rejection. I turned to what I know best: spending money frivolously, baking and cooking a lot, eating peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon, yoga and debating a new hair color. Then of corse came the disappointment of eating all of that peanut butter and dying my hair some ridiculous mahogany, but, nonetheless, still in search of dream school number two. When I remembered, what other dream have I had for such a long time? What would connect all faucets of what I love to do? Culinary School.

In my search I thought of many solutions to aide me in my quest for spreading health and tastiness. But one  place still remained at the top of the list. The French Culinary Institute, or I guess, better yet The International Culinary Academy. So I combed the website, filled out an application paused for a moment on the submit button and clicked my mouse. (Mind you, I did not do this with a glass of wine in my hand. I have learned to never do internet searches accompanied by wine, this does not a good paring make.)

From that moment on it has been a process of figuring out how to move across county, but not only that, move across continents in June. The program I joined is actually The Italian Culinary Experience and it couldn't be more exciting. We begin in NYC, SoHo for 10 weeks and then fly to Parma, Italy to continue training at ALMA for 9 weeks. After which point we are sent off (by we I mean our class of 20 or less) to different reputable restaurants across the country in Italy for 9 more weeks. People wait their whole career for an opportunity to work in a restaurant in Europe, and its a part of this curriculum.
How amazing is that?!

So without any more jibber-jabber about how exciting my new adventure is going to be, I invite you to join me on my journey! The Cauliflower Lollipop will be going global, finally!

After my return from NYC this sunday, with the airport in full Super Bowl mode, I was elated, and a little hung over from wine with friends at The 6th Ward the night prior in New York. Celebrating my finding a sublet in Williamsburg, celebrating moving to the city, celebrating anything we could really. We toasted to having  friendships with those we love, toasted to having the courage to move into new dimensions of ourselves and toasted mostly to having the balls to do what we want.

Visiting New York City always has left an impression on me. I can feel it in my bones. All around me. But right now mostly I can feel it in my feet, because this girl is in need of some good shoes.

By the way, I'd like to make an extra special shout out to Miss Leslie Behrens, friend, beauty and baker extraordinaire. Without whom my trip would not have been such a success. Check out Momofuku Milk Bar, a new obsession of mine and an old one of Anderson Cooper's.