Thursday, April 30, 2020

where the feet meet


together apart, new york!
stay safe!
x

last week, farmers market uws....
@grownyc_manhattan

yes we have no pineapples today

there are no pineapples at the farmers' market but her pale yellow tote still made me smile from a social distance....


@grownyc_manhattan farmers market
fridays, w97th street amsterdam ave


stay safe, new york!!
xx

Monday, April 27, 2020

when life gives you lemons...

my father is turning 88 years young tomorrow!

we will not be sharing a family dinner in new jersey but my mom is of course making him his favorite, lemon meringue pie.

he is a lucky guy to have her.

we are a lucky family to have him.

happy birthday, bob!

stay home!!

eat pie!




lemon meringue pie, from mary cooks....

pink is always popular

even when it rains, there are still the flowers! 






riverside park.... 

stay home! xx

Sunday, April 26, 2020

tot lot one hundred ten

three x's three o's, waiting for new days of tic tac toe.... 





110th street, riverside drive....

xxx , stay safe, new york!

Wednesday, April 22, 2020

nature study


quarantined since March 16th, and learning every tree in Riverside Park....

i think this is the eastern redbud but if you have more expertise on the subject, please do share.

happy Earth Day! stay home!










https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cercis_canadensis






Tuesday, April 21, 2020

Sunday, April 19, 2020

mary cooks continued: Easter egg cake and frosting recipes

hi again, fellow quarantinistas!

so, i found a great photo of my mother's mini egg cakes and also haver her reply to the questions posed in my pre Easter blog post asking her for the recipe and frosting details.

she writes from isolation with my father in New Jersey:

Hi,
The cake is a Dromedary pound cake (sadly extinct!) (she uses Betty Crocker now) 
The cookies are in the book--Veronica's Xmas cookies!  (referring to the cookies i asked about) 

The icing recipe is as follows: 
1 cup granulated sugar.
1/4 cup  unsalted margarine
1/4 cup shortening (I use Crisco)
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup milk
3 cups confectioner's sugar
1 1/4 t. almond extract
Food coloring

Combine first five ingredients in saucepan.   Bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring  constantly.  
boil vigorously 1 minute.   Remove from heat.   Beat in XXX sugar  and  almond  flavoring until smooth.
Tint with food coloring as desired.  Cool 2 or 3 minutes or until icing is a good consistency to use.
Using fork to hold cakes, cover top and sides with icing.  If icing gets too thick to pour over cake, reheat a fews seconds in microwave!  

If Decorating tops of cakes with rosettes, use buttercream icing!     
For chocolate glaze I use Shirley's glaze :  

XOXX Mom

Mary's mini egg cakes, Easter, 2017

here as well is the recipe for Shirley's chocolate glaze: 

1 pkg. (4 ounces) sweet chocolate (German's) or
3/4 cup chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. butter
3 Tbsp. water
1 cup powdered sugar
dash of salt
1 tsp. vanilla

Break chocolate and melt with butter and water. Remove from heat. 
Beat in sugar and salt til smooth . Stir in vanilla.


and the buttercream icing is:

3 cups XXX sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1t. vanilla
1-2 TBSP heavy cream (or milk)

Cream together butter and sugar. add vanilla then gradually add milk to desired consistency.

p.s. she adds, if you are doing icing for fewer eggs (i made 55 last time) you can probably half the recipe. or use leftover to ice cupcakes when you make them. (it can be frozen).



and while we are at it, Veronica's Christmas Cookies recipe follows as per below.
if you cannot read it clearly, let me know and i can always type it out for you! it is obviously adaptable to Easter, Valentine's Day, or any holiday or occasion for which you have a favorite cookie cutter!



butter cookies recipe
mary, with her granddaughters abby and charlotte and my sister eleanor


really. mom?  55 mini egg cakes?!  extraordinary!
xx

dear Gilli

found this in my blog drafts from April, 2014, not sure how it got stuck there!

the first time i visited Florence was possibly in the year 1995 (or was it 2004?) to meet up with my parents, sister and cousins who were already there, renting a house in the hills of Chianti. 

i remember that it rained for most of the trip, poured at times, and that my parents and cousins took us for coffee at Caffe Gilli on the morning i arrived.

we sat outside in the damp Piazza della Repubblica on cold, wet metal chairs. it was divine.

thought work took me to other areas of Italy, i  do not think i returned to Firenze until 2014, when i took a week or so to join a food tour coordinated by the daughter of a designer friend of mine.

we again stayed in a house just outside the city gates and had daily field trips into the hills for various culinary focused adventures. we also made it into the city several times as we were so close by.

i think i took this photo as we grabbed quick morning coffees at the little bar inside.

sending love and light to Italy!

stay safe!


caffe gilli, florence, 2014