the babiest.

the absolute end of the carrots.

lindsey asked why i thought parnsips were lacking in comparison to carrots. sugar, i replied. carrots are like candy in my mouth. big fat love.

is this christmas?

so, i did yoga this morning and ate a vegan cookie and came back to the house and had peppermint hot chocolate with shira and took the dog for a hike.

almost christmas.

shira and i apparently only make risotto together. given that it requires one to stand and stir the pot for almost an hour, it's nice to have someone in the kitchen.

having both read the december 2010 bon appetit magazine, we decided on its "meatless main dish" of risotto with butternut squash, leeks, and basil. however, leeks were not to be found and we both had leftover winter squash from the csa. so, it was really winter squash risotto with scallions and basil. we added salt and pepper but mostly followed the recipe. i have no idea why it looks like scrambled eggs in the photo.

delish. especially with some fancy brother thelonious belgian abbey ale.

the smallest.

this is the smallest carrot i have ever seen.
it came in the last CSA share. holy moly.

(yes, i am writing about food-borne illness and eating at the same time. yes, i need a haircut.)

ro-tel, hotel, holiday inn.

today is the day i discovered ro-tel in the grocery stores of NC. 5 kinds. i brought home spicy, obviously.

it is a holiday.

yes, npr.

npr is increasingly teaching me how to make different foods, like maple syrup caramels. maybe when i finish this paper, i will actually make them. thank you, public radio; i should give you some money.

a baked deviation.

so, today was supposed to be my third baked sunday, but the monkey bubble bread required only items that i did not have. and with few people in town, it was never going to be eaten in its entirety.

and then, shira came over and brought a challah. so it was settled: baked french toast. the best thing i've had for breakfast in ages. (yes, still by the bakery baked.)
it calls for a raspberry sauce, but we did it with blueberry. the recipe also said to soak the bread in the egg-milk-cream-vanilla-cinnamon mixture overnight, but we did it for about 20 minutes and it went unharmed.
and i have tons of hazelnuts so i broke them up and added them to the almonds. yes.
i mean, don't you want to eat it now? the above photograph is immediately after it came out of the oven. insane beauty and deliciousness.
like dessert for breakfast. maybe better. (recipe to come.)

i did.

today, i held a warm egg. why was it warm? it had JUST been laid. like i saw the hen sitting there and she got up and there was an egg. so damn awesome.

and then casey let me take a dozen and half of them back to chapel hill for me and shira. it's an eggstravaganza! (yes, i had to go there.)

weeks ago.

i made the nytimes mac n'cheese recipe weeks ago. a fraction of the whole recipe. in my toaster oven. with a little too much cayenne.

years ago, michelle (zoe's mom) emailed me this recipe. she said it would make my heart stop a little. and it's become my favorite. it's delicious. and easy. and probably pretty fattening. i don't mind. it's not like i eat it every day, kids!

right this minute.

this food is absolutely, incredibly delicious: rosemary toast with chevre and a salad of radishes, cucumbers, and carrots with sea salt and olive oil. and a fat tire. a big bottle. (i took my economics exam; i deserve to drink early.)

i tried.

i have rare blood and think i should give it to other people.

i was supposed to do just that this week. in the past, i have been low in iron (not anemic, courtney, just too low to donate) and so i ate LOTS of kale before i went to donate. i ate two tortillas with kale, beans, and goat cheese (not my most creative breakfast). i usually eat yogurt on weekday mornings.

and then?! still too low. totally sucks. mostly for the people who might need it.

in preparation.

this is getting complicated. let's count: there are 2 caseys, 2 alexes, 2 michelles. both caseys have a last name that starts with "w" and both michelles live in new york. there are probably more duplicates but seems as though i am in favor of mentioning caseys and michelles. (additionally, shira has at least 3 friends named amy, 2 in the triangle. we each have a hannah, but she also has an anna and a suzannah. did i mention i am moving in with her? MUCH better things are on the horizon, and more confusion as to which friend is being referenced.)

so, on saturday, casey (who has the hens in his yard) drove me to a million (actually 3) grocery stores plus the liquor store to buy things for the punch. when we came back, i made us some rye toast with cheese and a fried egg. and he put potato chips on top of it! blake and i are huge fans of potato chips IN our sandwiches but never really ventured into the open-face potato chip realm.

maybe because they fall off? no idea. he looks very serious in the photo. a jedi mind trick to keep the chips on top? i hope.

until then.

almost to the end of the semester. SO close, yet so far still: economics final, grading of the 101 exams, an independent study to finish. i'll be done by christmas.

for now, this is what michelle called romantic soup: lentils with greens and tomatoes and carrots and rye croutons.

algonquin punch.

yes, i threw a little party for the policy girls and made algonquin bar punch. casey white made a frozen ice bundt packed with lemons to keep it cold and not diluted.

it was potently delicious. you missed out.

(please excuse my very messy table.)

the last.

a little party this afternoon. this is the final list of things i am going to get in the rain.

eating instead of econ.

first of all, i took 15 pictures using photobooth before i got a decent one.

second, this breakfast is incredible. rye toast with a fried egg (sunny-side up), tomato, avocado, and maille mustard. with cinnamon coffee, the grateful dead, and the beatles.

torchy's tacos.

on tuesday, november 23rd, i went to work with blake. it was very "take your hermana to work day," as i stood in the back of terra burger and drank double strength organic coffee (yes, FROM terra burger) and watched blake do things like play with meat. did i learn much? that's debatable. but the coffee was delicious.
ok, so he wasn't really playing with it, just taking it out of packages. he also cut lettuce. (is his hair in a ponytail? YES.)
i was really excited about all the labels they had for sandwiches and things. they were just so specific. lots of vegetarian-related ones. surprising for a burger joint, huh?
but then, courtney retrieved me and took me to torchy's tacos. torchy's started out as a food truck and now has brick-and-mortar shops all over austin. courtney told me that these tacos were big and not to order too much, especially because we were going to have chips and queso, a lovely part of every healthy breakfast.
the queso was incredible. what did they do it? no idea. but i put in on my taco (egg-potato-cheese) and ate mouthfuls of chips and drank more coffee.

and they gave me 4 sauces for my taco. for one taco! i don't know which ones they were but i ate them. seriously, i could eat tacos all the time. for every meal. i am not sure i would get tired.

i would be a very round girl if i lived in austin with all those tasty food trucks and tacos and sometimes tacos in food trucks. holy hell.

hey, hermano.

what happens when you stay with baby brother for thanksgiving? a six-pack of imperial sugar dr pepper in glass bottles. always the best; i think i drank three during my visit.
*my pet monster obviously likes it, too.

so much basil.

i bought $2 worth of basil in the farmers' market last week. no, the week before. it must've been a couple of pounds. i put it on everything. in my sandwich, my salad, my eggs. i made pesto. it was everywhere.

and super fresh and almost minty. just delicious.
i am a little sad i ate it all. but only a little.

to die for.

week 2 of the baked baking adventure: sweet & salty brownies.
this recipe was incredibly easy, and oh-so-delicious. they took a little longer than indicated, but it might be my oven. i had some extra caramel so i drizzled it over the top of the batch. i am not even a huge fan of caramel but this one is especially light and delectable.

on another note, i am in need of a proper double boiler. i am tired of always being so makeshift.

hanukkah.

it's december. and hanukkah. last night, we got an inch of snow and it stuck. (i really thought that we weren't going to get snow before the kids in new york.)

to celebrate the festival of lights, shira and i made her mama's latkes.
i want to believe these are top secret family recipes, so i am not going to ask for them. but, we made sweet potato ones with scallions and russet potato ones with onions. and it was all lovely and greasy and delicious.
we probably should have consumed a healthy vegetable with this meal. but we really just wanted the latkes. and there was apple sauce. that's got nutrients, right?

S510.

the FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (S 510) is going to be voted on tonight. the house voted on its version in 2009.

michael pollan and eric schlosser did a nice op-ed in the nytimes yesterday about the whole thing (no surprise there). they actually mention that americans were outraged about the Wright County Egg inspection and salmonella scandal of late summer, which i don't really believe.

but they ended with a super quote from teddy roosevelt (who is always awesome):

“Unfortunately,” he said, “the misdeeds of those who are responsible for the abuses we design to cure will bring discredit and damage not only upon them, but upon the innocent stock growers, the ranchmen and farmers of this country.”

pretty sure that says it all.

joe's bakery.

austin adventure, day two.
(yes, i realize that i have yet to discuss day one.)
blake took me to joe's bakery for breakfast tacos. and mexican pastries. i had two tacos: potato, egg, and cheese & miga taco con todo (migas, tomatoes, onions, jalapenos, and cheese). i am pretty sure that most people in the place were regulars. LOVED it.

of course.

i ate tacos 3 mornings of my austin thanksgiving eat-a-thon. also, treats from 2 food trailers. and 2 texas cameo apples. and thanksgiving, with pinata!

posts to come.

wah.

the insane cookies at the biweekly policy seminar. the size of my head. maybe bigger.

please note that someone actually placed each individual m&m into the top of the cookie. they are not mixed into the batter. the whole experience was silly.

the hens.

there are hens at casey's house. in raleigh. in the city.

lady city chickens. including one named elvis.

i am really excited about these hens, mostly because they are literal egg-making machines. casey likes eggs at least as much as me (maybe more, it's unsure) and sometimes he brings eggs to my house. yes.

they are all different colors and sizes and are super good. LOVE.
so i photographed/videoed them for y'all.

bake. it. up.

so it begins. the baked explorations adventure. this morning, nutella scones. no skimping in this book--dark cocoa, lots of nutella (they even tell you how to make your own!), toasted hazelnuts, heavy cream. mmmm.

this was a pretty easy recipe; you don't even need a stand mixer. or a mixer at all. but, the dough was especially dry and wouldn't stick so i added some extra cream. i know, the problems of the first world...

but really, they are pretty awesome. see everyone's here.
this adventure is going to be really fun. i have to make sure i don't stop riding my bike; my belly is going to get HUGE.

writing writing writing

i spent the last month(ish) writing a literature review on food safety. it makes a person the opposite of hungry. i continued to eat my way through the assignment, but with lots of meals like this one: grilled cheese on rye with lots of arugula and sauteed kale and turnip. it's done, and i am baking.

yes, sir.

i just ate cold matzo balls (a childhood fave) and am ready to get in bed and watch some tv (on the computer). back to the blog soon. paper complete, for better or worse.

(i am also starting to think i need a "childhood" tag for reminiscing. to compile everything in one place?)

i know.

dearest,
i am a little behind writing this blog and my paper, which is due wednesday. and then i'll be back.

the baked explorations extravaganza starts next week! and then, thanksgiving. the best food holiday ever. and so much more.

xoxo,
smashedgoods.

baked.

baked explorations.
the most talked about cookbook in the interwebs.
well, maybe. i see it A LOT. so i bought it; it arrived today.

i told my friend, renato, one of the baked masterminds, that i wanted to bake my way through the new cookbook. like julie and julia but better and cutier. and then, he posted a link on facebook to a group that is doing that very thing.

i am joining up. i love the idea of a nationwide (worldwide?) baking club. shira is probably best going to benefit from this adventure. she does not even know it yet.

ready? set.

with bows.

and then shira and i decided that when eggs are gifted, they should have little bows. the cutest!

inter-library.

this ode of sorts is sort of for lindsey, the bestest librarian.

i love the library. like big fat nasty love. miles and aisles of books and journals and magazines and films and even records and photographs if you dig deep enough. it's probably apparent that i spent lots of time in the local library when i was small (smaller).

and, i am one of those people who continue to use the library; i love borrowing books. i enjoy the entire system of it all; it makes sense i am back in school, committed to the library for many more years (well, 4).

one of the coolest things about being a member of a library is the inter-library loan feature. if you want a book that your library does not hold, you can request it and they will have it sent from another library. any library! it could come from anywhere!

so, i wanted (needed) good meat for a paper i am writing. i put in a request, unsure if it would be possible; i mean, it's a cookbook. but then, it arrived! in 4 days. and it's awesome; i actually recommend it to you meat-eaters and cookers out there. it's almost 400 pages of intelligent writing and seemingly easy recipes: a meat bible.

and now? i plan to order all kinds of cookbooks via ILL and test them out before i buy! how smart. i can't believe it took so long for me to come up with this plan; i did borrow ina garten's parties! book once, but i thought nypl only had it because it's like a party guide.

how wrong i was.

so exciting.

my friend, casey, has hens. at his house. which means that sometimes he brings me eggs. (photographs to come.)

for now, last weekend's breakfast: fried egg, salad of tomato, cucumber, & basil, various greens with onions, and sourdough toast. and carrots. one of those eggs came from one of casey's hens. you can't tell right now but the yolks are much orangier than the ones from the grocery store (yes, even the organic, free-range blah blah).

secretly.

once a year, usually in the darkness of winter, i eat a box of velveeta shells and cheese. i love it. it's got a weird packet of cheese that i know would survive nuclear fallout and pasta that cooks way too fast. is it because it is enriched? i have no idea. and truthfully, i don't really want to know.

but i always preferred velveeta to kraft mac n'cheese (which the canadians just call "kraft dinner"). i thought the powdery cheese, as a child, was even more bizarre than the processed velveeta. you can't use the whole packet; it's just too damn cheesey, but that means you can eat it again the next day. and then i am satiated for another year. i go back to over-thinking everything i put in my mouth.

oh! upon further research, i learned that velveeta is a kraft product. they just dominate the mac market. don't talk to me about annie's or any of the versions they probably sell at the cooperative. potentially tasty, also with a powdered cheese, but not the taste of my childhood. the taste of zoe's, maybe.

to say.

three nytimes articles that are practically permanent tabs:

• recipe for preserved lemons. shira asks what i will do with them once i make them. no idea. but i want to make them.
  
• an article on food stamps, now know as SNAP. thank you, lyndon johnson, for making this program happen, and damn you, michael bloomberg, for suggesting that low-income earners should not get to choose what they eat.
  
• more on punch, and my old hood in brooklyn. it's the punchiest.
  

oh. my. god.

the barefoot contessa is on hulu. my life is complete.

going out of style.

we went to maple view. the ice cream they make is so good and creamy and delicious and we wanted to do a little drive into the country (which became a big drive) so we went to sit on the porch and eat copious amounts of ice cream.
i ate maple. yelena REALLY wanted a waffle cone and ordered it with both chocolate and blueberry ice creams. there was probably an entire pint of ice cream in there. seriously.
she ate almost all of it! she looks so skinny yet she was so very impressive.

carolina barbeque.

let's begin with the fact that i apparently don't know how to spell barbeque. the computer really wants me to spell it "barbecue," and i accept that, but i think it should have a "q."

yelena was visiting so shira and i took her to the pit. i knew i would eat this barbeque at some point while i lived here and, well, yelena just brings out the meat-eater in me.

north carolina bbq differs from texas in that it is usually pulled pork, but definitely pork, and no ribs or brisket or anything like that. and the sauces are less sugary and smoky, more vinegary, but certainly delicious. it's another beast altogether. it's like they should not even share the name "barbeque."
the pit starts by bringing us a basket of biscuits and hushpuppies and i swear those goods are not vegetarian anyhow; it was all too delicious in that way that there must be lard or bacon fat or something in the batter. like a good pie.

and so i ate a chopped pork sandwich with sweet potato fries (sweet potatoes being a major crop in north carolina) and cole slaw. and a beer. and since yelena got a platter of pork, not a sandwich, there were mashed potatoes and mac n'cheese to eat as well.
it was really was a vacation meal. to say i was full is an understatement.

**and, these incredible photographs that scream 1970s are courtesy of shira and the hipstamatic, where everything looks dated in the best way.

katie eats.

i am in love with this girl's blog. i want to eat it all. i want smashed goods to look like that.

gotta go back to practicing photoshop.

from new york.

yelena came to visit (many posts to come) and brought bagels for me and shira. we have been dying for some; they sort of exist here but they are not close to real. weird and fluffy and kinda like the frozen ones. so, shira came over and we devoured them.
additionally, she brought apples from her upstate apple adventure. baby ones. yes.