Buttered Popcorn Cookies

Fall brings many things that I like, not least of which is cookbook season. For some reason, all the good cookbooks get released sometime around October. Is it because people are hunkering down in their homes and getting in more kitchen time as the temps do their annual deep dive? Not sure, not sure. But regardless, as soon as November hit, I signed onto Amazon and clickety-clicked my way into owning upwards of five new tomes full of new recipes. File under: things that make me abnormally happy.

One of these books was the long-awaited Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, by Deb Perelman, based on the author's ridiculously popular (for good reason) blog. Perelman guides you through her excellent, incredibly detailed recipes, chatting with you as though you were a friend in her kitchen. This ensures (1) a highly entertaining read and (2) great results every time. When I came across this recipe for Buttered Popcorn Cookies, I went straight into the kitchen to give it a go. Popcorn and cookies are two of my most favorite things in the world, so it's not exactly surprising that I loved the two together. And I'm pretty sure you will too. xo

Buttered Popcorn Cookies
From The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, by Deb Perelman
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil or canola oil
1/3 cup popcorn kernels
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg, room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Directions:
To make the popcorn: Heat oil over medium-high heat in a large saucepan until hot. Add the kernels, and cover, shaking the pan to make sure all the kernels are in contact with the bottom of the pan.  As soon as you hear the first few kernels pop, shimmy the pan until all of the kernels pop (5 minutes or so).  Remove from heat, add melted butter and salt, and transfer to bowl.

Dough: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a large bowl, beat together butter, sugars, egg and vanilla until smooth. Whisk flour and baking soda together.  Stir flour mixture into butter-sugar mixture, until combined.  Fold in popcorn, making sure to get dough well distributed.  It’s okay if the popcorn breaks as you’re mixing, and don’t worry if it seems like there's too much popcorn for the amount of dough.  It all works out in the end. 

Bake: Roll dough into mounds the size of a golf ball or slightly bigger.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet, making sure to leave a 2 inch gap between cookies.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.  Let cool for a minute or so on the baking sheet before transferring to a rack to finish cooling.

Makes about 24 cookies
 

The New Potato

The New Potato featured me on their site today! Click on over HERE to read more. xo

Food for Thought

A little less than a year ago, I took my first yoga class. I was in Hawaii over winter break and thought it would be a good way to break up my sloth-like vacation routine of eat/beach/read/eat/shop/eat/repeat. At the time, I didn't really have a fixed workout routine, other than going on long, meandering runs a few times a week, which was getting old pretty fast. And so, I wandered into the yoga studio straight off the beach, sun-soaked, a little groggy, swimsuit full of sand, and dubious about what I was about to get myself into. Fast forward almost a year later, and here I am, making sure I get to class at least 4 or 5 times a week, and mastering poses I never thought I'd be capable of, like headstand and crow. I'm more centered, calmer, and over time, my body has grown leaner, stronger, and more toned. I sit up straight. I remember to breathe. I smile at strangers (sometimes). It's been a seriously life-changing practice.

A lot of what I love about going to class, though, isn't necessarily about the movement or asana practice. It's about all the wisdom that comes out of it. Yoga puts a big emphasis on the mind-body connection, so almost every class is devoted to an idea or a thought. These thoughts are called sutras in yoga terms and they've been around for ages. There's something very grounding about practicing something so ancient. And since it's become such a big part of my life, I thought I'd share some of that wisdom with you now and again.

One of the central messages I get over and over again is about the power your mind has over everything in your life. When you choose to look at something in a slightly different light, there can be very significant effects. When you change your mind about something, everything around you shifts. It's like a domino effect. See it differently and it will BE different. I love that.

P.S. I practice at an amazing studio called Yoga Vida. Check it out if the mood ever strikes. xo

Sweet and Sour Potted Meatballs

Happy Friday, dear readers. This has been a complete doozy of a week in my world. Catching up on everything work-wise after the hurricane meant that I was pretty much in a state of constant emailing and to-do-list-making for every waking minute. Not to mention the dozens of meetings and interviews (yes, CA Creative is hiring!) we've had to fit in. Oh, and then there was the ArtWalk benefit that I was on the committee for that happened to fall right in the middle of the NYC snowstorm. Picture me in open-toed shoes and a gorgeous Fendi cocktail dress, that the press office was sweet enough to send me, tip-toeing (and cursing) my way through banks of snow and puddles of water. Nevertheless, it ended up being a completely lovely, successful event that was impressively well-attended considering the weather. 

That said, I am exhausted. I haven't been home during a weekend since early October (Key West wedding, LA work trip, hurricane), and I've never been more excited to curl up with a stack of books, several cups of steaming tea, and do absolutely nothing for 48 straight hours. I'm also planning on cooking lots of comforting food like these Sweet and Sour Potted Meatballs from the most recent issue of Saveur. It's going to be awesome. Wishing all of you peaceful, relaxing weekends as well. xo

Sweet and Sour Potted Meatballs
From Saveur magazine, November 2012
Ingredients:
FOR THE SWEET AND SOUR SAUCE:
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 medium yellow onion, minced
1 15-oz. can tomato sauce
Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
¼ cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

FOR THE MEATBALLS:
2 lb. ground beef chuck
2 eggs, beaten
⅓ cup long-grain white rice, parboiled for 3 minutes
1 cup bread crumbs
1 medium yellow onion, grated on the coarse side of a box grater
2¼ teaspoons. kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Prepare the sauce: In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil, then sauté the minced onion over medium heat until tender and golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the tomato sauce, and rinse out the can with ½ cup water to loosen any sauce that remains, adding that liquid to the pan. Stir in the sour salt or lemon juice and brown sugar. Bring to a simmer, uncovered, over medium heat. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Make the meatballs: Put the ground meat in a large bowl and push it to one side. Add the eggs, rice, bread crumbs, onion, salt, and pepper to the other side of the bowl and combine with a large fork. Work in the meat, handful by handful, until everything is thoroughly blended. Return the sauce to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Using a ½-cup measuring cup, shape meatballs measuring about 2½" and drop them gently into the sauce. You should have 10 to 12. Cover and simmer slowly for 30 minutes, gently rotating and pushing the meatballs around halfway through the cooking so that they are thoroughly coated in sauce after about 15 minutes. Correct seasoning with salt and pepper if necessary. Serve very hot.

Relocating to Brooklyn

Mast Brothers Chocolate (111 North 3rd Street)

Since I relocated to a friend's Brooklyn apartment this week, I've been doing a lot of exploring. My office is currently still out of power, so all of us have been working from our various homes and/or friends' couches. The positive thing in all this is that I have a totally new appreciation for Williamsburg. Here are some of my favorite discoveries of my week as a Brooklyn refugee.

The Blue Stove (415 Graham Avenue): best pies ever

Catbird (219 Bedford Avenue): one of my favorite jewelry stores

Beer Street (413 Graham Avenue): lots of great beers and these amazing caramels

Kula Yoga Project (85 North 3rd Street): a friendly Brooklynite led me here after breakfast at Marlow & Sons when I was desperate for a yoga class

Finally got to check out Gwynnett Street (312 Graham Avenue). They name their dishes poetic things like Autumn Roots and cook with tobacco oil and ash. So, so good.

Hurricane Sandy

I want to say thank you to everyone who has so sweetly and thoughtfully reached out to me to make sure I'm okay in Hurricane Sandy's aftermath. I'm still a bit in shock about the whole thing. Never, in my wildest imaginings, did I ever think it would be this bad. I don't think anyone did.

My Financial District apartment lost power really early on during the hurricane, so I hung out reading by candlelight until I was sleepy enough to go to bed. I assumed that when I woke up, the power would be back on and things would be on their way back to normal. Not so much. The next morning, everything was still down, both my iPhone and my Blackberry were dead with no way to charge them, and there was no food or anything open anywhere around me. I ventured out, phone and charger in hand, hoping to find somewhere that had a generator. Finally, after about an hour, I stumbled upon a little motel with two outlets that were working with a line of people behind them waiting to charge. After waiting another hour, I finally plugged in only to find that I wasn't getting service anywhere. With no way to get in touch with any of my friends, I had no choice but to pack a bag and try to hail a cab uptown to see if there was availability in any hotels. I was in the midst of throwing stuff into an overnight bag when a friend in Brooklyn finally got through to me. By that time, I was very hungry, cold, exhausted, and just trying to stay calm. I've been in Brooklyn ever since, crashing at a friend's apartment, and I've never felt more grateful for having good friends in my life.

I took a drive through Manhattan last night and it was one of the eeriest experiences of my life. My prayers go out to everyone affected. I made a donation to the Red Cross here today. Hope everyone is doing well and being safe. xo

Blueberry Pancakes

To me, there are few talents in life quite as important as being able to whip up a good, satisfying breakfast at a moment's whim. I mean, if everyone went around making pancakes for each other on lazy Sunday mornings, the world would be a better place. It's just a fact. Which is why I'm trying out new pancake recipes and improving on old ones on a pretty constant basis.

This classic Martha Stewart recipe for blueberry pancakes is easy as can be, and best of all, it can be executed as soon as the mood strikes, unlike other recipes that sometimes require that you refrigerate the batter overnight. Pancake-making needs a little room for spontaneity, in my humble opinion. xo

Blueberry Pancakes
From Martha's American Food, by Martha Stewart
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted, plus more, softened, for skillet and serving
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons neutral-tasting oil, such as safflower
1 cup fresh blueberries, plus more for garnish
Pure maple syrup, for serving

Directions:
Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, whisk buttermilk, eggs, vanilla, melted butter, and 2 tablespoons oil to combine, then whisk into flour mixture (do not overmix, batter should be slightly lumpy). Fold in blueberries.

Heat 1 teaspoon softened butter and remaining 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, pour in 1/3 cup batter per pancake. Cook until small bubbles form on the surface, about 3 minutes. Flip; cook until underside is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add more butter as needed between batches. Serve warm with butter and syrup, garnished with additional blueberries.