Happy Trails

Christmas in NYC: Purl Soho

As mentioned previously, last weekend I took Salmaan to NYC as his big Christmas present. We both needed a change of scenery, and a friend suggested this as the perfect holiday getaway--and he was right.

It was a quick but jam-packed trip. We left on Saturday morning (and met a very nice ER doc who was on our same flight, and he recommended some Flonase for my incessant 4-week long cough. I've been using it now for 5 days, and it's working! Thanks, Rob!) and flew into JFK around noon. By 2:00 we were checked into our absolutely beautiful hotel room (who gets to say those words when referencing accommodations in NYC that often?) and were starving. One of the staff at the front desk recommended Sarge's, just a few blocks away, for an authentic NYC delicatessen experience. 

It was a good suggestion. It was packed, and there were lots of things on the menu that we had heard of in movies, but had never tasted. We were in a hurry to get down to Purl Soho before it closed, and knew we wanted something quick and satisfying, so we didn't venture far away from our comfort zones. The sandwiches at Sarge's are....well, monstrous. We couldn't believe the sammies coming out of the kitchen were just ONE ORDER, but they were! After noshing on the pickles and coleslaw they had brought out upon seating us, we decided on a combo of turkey and roast beef. It came with slaw and russian dressing, and was friggin' fantastic.

It was the first time I had tasted rye bread in at least 10 years...and dang...we've been missing out! With the roast beast being so rare, Salmaan felt like he had died and gone to heaven. Definitely a fork and knife deal--definitely good.

From there we hopped on the subway down to Soho (I LOVE it down there--the foot traffic was twice was it was on Park Avenue, and everyone had bags from numerous shops--you really felt the Christmas spirit down there!)

We both enjoyed the way the evening light was glinting off the cobblestone streets. Managed to nab this shot in between traffic lights.

And then, it happened. We finally made it to 459 Broome Street, and I heard angels singing!

Purl Soho. The mecca of all things beautifully handknit and handcrafted. I love their blog--can you tell? Salmaan was wonderful, knowing that I wanted two hands free he took the camera and melted into the (sizeable) crowd inside.

I love the way the store was put together, most of the yarns were arranged first by weight, and then by color. Of course, I did come with certain things in mind--mostly Shelter by Jared Flood, as Purl is the only NYC retailer of this yarn at the moment. I found some (though not as much as I had hoped) and Salmaan very kindly purchased it for me for a Christmas gift, along with a few choice needles and a couple of skeins of Koigu.

It was only fitting to wear my Turn a Square hat on this most momentous adventure. Probably one of the neatest parts of visiting this famous shop was people-watching, and just generally listening to the conversations of other patrons. I wasn't eavesdropping, promise. You're smooshed so close with other people it's hard not to become a PART of their conversations!

To my right there was a husband almost as sweet as Salmaan. He kept urging his wife to take her time, and to just find something that made her feel creative, and express herself! Too cute. Then there was the lady with absolute ARM FULLS of cascade yarn, in every gauge, but each bunch was in sweater quantities. One of the employees patiently explained to a customer why knitting in the round created stockinette stitch, and when the girl kept looking at her blankly, promptly took a pair of dpns and cast on to demonstrate.

My happiest finds were of course the Shelter (for which I am still pattern-surfing), and some absolutely beautiful koigu kersti crepe merino, which I had seen Kirsten Kapur use a few times on Through the Loops, but had never tried. It is really gorgeous stuff--a joy to knit with.

It was a great visit, and I'm so happy to be able to say I've been there! More on Day #1 (an amazing dinner and Christmas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall) later. For now, it's snowing outside, my tummy is full of Lobster Pot Pie, and my knitting is calling.

 

Day Off

It's mid afternoon, and I'm sighing with contentment as I sit down to write. I took today off. A nice, simple, uncomplicated day alone at home, doing the things I love best. 

This morning I enjoyed eating my breakfast (cereal with fresh, organic strawberries) in the backyard, admiring our recent handiwork while observing the progress in the garden.

Salmaan and I are both particularly proud of the new fence we installed around the garden. It may look like it was easy, but it wasn't. I have to say though, I really did enjoy taking out my frustrations on the fence posts with the large rubber mallet we purchased for this job. Talk about cathartic...only thing was, I got a little carried away, and Salmaan almost burst about fifty blood vessels as he wrenched some of the unlucky few back out of the ground. He was a good sport about it, though.

I used some of these in my lunch today--see below--yummy.

The radishes were the first things to come up. I'm hoping I'll have better luck with these than last year. I think I got better seeds this go round, so we'll see.

This is a row we're particularly excited about--a half row of fennel, and a half row of swiss chard--both first tries for us. On the far left, you can JUST see the row of leeks--another veg of first impression. I wish they were all a bit further along, but I know I planted late, so we'll see how they do. Regardless, the fact that they came up is quite encouraging!

And now, what I've been waiting to share for nearly a month!

Introducing, Ms. Suzie Q. 

This is my birthday present. My amazingly generous husband's brainchild, with a contribution from my parents. I. Am. In. Love.

The pedals on Ms. Suzie are dreamy. They're smooth and soft and don't make any noise. I love the color of the wood grain as well--New Zealand Remu. 

I have to admit, I've been getting to know my new wheel for a little less than a month now. It arrived in a huge box that couldn't be hidden, and Salmaan couldn't say no to my pleading eyes. He helped me put it together (an education for both of us in all of the parts of a double treadle wheel), and stood back watching while I went nuts and marveled at how quiet, smooth, and just generally gorgeous it was. 

I'm on my second batch of roving--here's a sneak peak: This is over 8 oz. of merino in the Lady Cluck colorway by Sheepish Creations.

Most of today has been spent plying. The first of what I think will be two skeins is hanging drying right now, and I'll have a go at round two in a little while. I'll share my first completed skein with you in another post, otherwise this one might become a bit epic!

Lastly, here's a shot of my delicious lunch before it was quickly devoured.

You'll never guess from looking at this (or tasting it) that it's only 5 points on Weight Watchers. A great day off, and it isn't even over yet! Happy Friday, everyone!

Ghoulishly Good

This was our first Halloween in the new neighborhood, and both of us were feeling pretty festive. I decided there were a few pumpkin recipes that I needed to try out, and I'm glad I did. First up? Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies. After checking this out over at Cosmicpluto, we had to give them a go.

I have not enjoyed something this tasty (dessert-wise) in a long, long time. They are light, fluffy, cakey, and delicious. Initially we were going to hand them out to parents as an adult treat, but after taste testing one of the smaller ones, Salmaan begged to keep them just for us. I didn't tell him at the time, but I felt the same way. You HAVE to make these. About five seconds after we tasted them, we each locked eyes and said, our mouths full, "We've GOT to make these for Thanksgiving."

Next up we baked these Pumpkin Muffins. They made the house smell amazing, and we gave away half a dozen to our neighbors who very kindly helped us dispatch the fallen tree. 

I'm waiting to try these tomorrow morning with a steaming cup of coffee. 

While I was inside baking, Salmaan decorated the outside with some lights we had leftover from our pumpkin carving party a few years ago.

We were the only house illuminated to the hilt, and I think it was fun for the kids to approach for candy. 

Dinner this evening was a fast affair, I basically wolfed it down in one gulp, only to discover afterwards that I'm not sure I even liked it that much. We made Black Bean Pumpkin Soup--a recipe that I got off of the Smitten Kitchen. 

A few notes on this soup--it wasn't at ALL orange (the photos on Deb's site are electric), and I didn't taste the pumpkin. Not even a little bit. Not even at all. Additionally, I found the overall flavor to be a bit sour, and I think that was due in large part to the sherry wine the recipe called for--I think it could have done without that entirely, and instead of finishing it off with sherry vinegar, I believe a bit of red wine vinegar would have done the trick. It did, however, introduce us to one of the most wonderful ingredients--pre-cooked ham. It came in this huge chunk, and was smokey and delicious. I plan to use it in a quiche tomorrow, and probably make a club salad later this week complete with beets and other numerous accoutrement. There might even be a ham salad sandwich in our future. (This is a big deal. I very rarely do any sort of meat salad. They tend to make me barf. But, this ham has non-barfing saladish potential. Very cool.)

All in all, the evening was a bit anticlimactic. We met a few neighbors that we hadn't seen before, so that was nice, but all in all, only SIX children darkened out door to trick or treat. One of them had so many food allergies that his parents went by to every house beforehand to drop off a gift to give him instead of candy. I threw in a glow stick for him as well. Not like the kid who is allergic to everything under the sun needs to glow in the dark, but hey, they're cool!

When Gluten Kid and his family were walking away, the kids asked the parents, "Hey, can we go trick or treat at that house over there?" [referencing our neighbors that live across the street] The mother promptly responded, "No, their porch light is out, see? That's the universal sign to stay away. That family never comes out. Not even for Christmas. That's why we call them the Vampire Family." I. Laughed. My. Ass. Off. And then I thought it was kind of inappropriate that they said that within earshot of us, which of course, theoretically meant they were in earshot of the Vampire Family. Suburbia? You are FASCINATING.

In any event, Happy Halloween, everyone! And if you find yourself with a sweet tooth this evening, come on by. We have about $30 left of unclaimed candy. 

Soup's On!

There has been a lot of this going on here at Chez K. the last few weeks.

A few weeks ago on Columbus day, I made homemade Chicken Soup for the first time (using the FANTASTIC recipe out of Food to Live By) and it changed my life. While I have made many a batch of potato leek soup over the years, I've never been a big homemade soup fan. I always thought it took too long, and was a lot of work for something that never ended up being very satisfying. I have been converted.

All in all, it took about 4.5 hours from start to finish, and the house smelled tremendously good. The aroma brought back memories for me: late mornings on Saturday; Dad would be sitting at the kitchen table with his notebook--wearing jeans and a ratty old sweatshirt. His curly hair would be wiry and tousled, not having showered yet that day. He would watch cooking shows for hours, taking notes and writing out recipes (this was YEARS before the internet, food network, etc.). Meanwhile, a homemade soup would be simmering on the stove, with a lemony bunch of parsley from the garden sitting on the wooden cutting board, ready to be thrown in at the very end. I never really appreciated the hard work of it all until this month--or the quick comfort that can be achieved from a savory spoonful. That was one memory, and the other, my Granny. Nothing specific...just a home filled with earthy slow-cooked goodness. That was my Granny. Good things.

Last weekend I made up a batch of Mexican Albondigas soup (again, another recipe out of Food to Live By). I had made this previously last year (albondigas are mexican meatballs), but had used ground turkey. This go round I substituted ground sirloin, and the difference was marked. From now on, I'm going beef all the way with this soup. 

We shared this meal with a co-worker who stopped by to haul away that tree that busted our deck. Turns out, it made him very happy to have free firewood. The next day, we tried a new recipe out of Fine Cooking--French Onion Soup. It was time-consuming to caramelize the onions (and honestly, they could have steamed a bit longer), but the time and watery eyes were WELL worth the wait. Gorgeous.

Next up was Parker's Beef Stew out of one of Ina's cookbooks. Salmaan took the lead on this one, as he normally does whenever wine, beef, and potatoes are involved. This was an incredibly hearty stew, and although many of the same components were present, I felt it was totally different from the bourguignon we made a few weeks ago. The presence of the potatoes and peas were wonderful, and there was a richness to this dish that was completely different from the other.

And last, but definitely not least, we enjoyed this wonderful concoction this evening. Amy is often posting about dishes she's tried from Smitten Kitchen, and so I finally visited and checked it out. I will be back again, and again...and...well, you get the idea. This soup was excellent, and truly fit the bill for what was in the pantry. We used the acorn squash we purchased at the orchard a few weeks ago, and surprisingly, had just about everything else on hand. It's strange how your staples as a cook change as you evolve. Lately, mine have been butter, cream, french baguette, gruyere, and chicken stock. Perhaps this new trend would account for the extra pounds I have been carrying around the last few months. ;-)

At any rate, grab a great recipe, and get to simmering. It does a body (and soul) good. Soup's on!

My Grass is Blue

A few weekends ago Salmaan and I headed on down to Puny Bueny (the rolling hills from which I hail) to check out some bluegrass and local organic cooking. The Punch Brothers were playing at Lime Kiln, and I purchased the tickets months ago. I'd never really heard anything from the Punch Brothers previously, but I had heard numerous live performances by Nickel Creek involving Chris Thile, and knew that if Punch was anything like NC, it would be a great show.

First, though, we headed to The Red Hen--a relatively new establishment that has found its home in an old law office in historic downtown Lexington. The location is pretty awesome--walking inside it's very small, and the kitchen is open to the restaurant. Given the nice weather, we opted for the patio, which was also unique--a roughly hand carved wooden fence separates the patio from the brick sidewalk, and we were told this was the only place in Lex where you can formally eat outdoors. 

We started of course with some wine--there is an emphasis here on organic, biodynamic wines, which I thought was fabulous. We enjoyed a Napa Valley Zinfandel which I will be purchasing again, and the homemade rolls that came out, as well as the aperitif of sorts (a juice of rhubarb, beets, and vanilla) was interesting and inventive. For the first course, we enjoyed a Rabbit Osso Bucco. It was very good (I don't think I've ever had rabbit before, but there were definitely some liver and kidneys included that were very rich and flavorful). Then came the entrees, and this is where the Red Hen disappointed me. 

I had some local trout on a bed of Kale with wheat berries and bacon. Honestly? Everything was cooked very well, but there wasn't anything GREAT about it. The flavors were good but not wowing, and all in all I found it to be pretty bland. Salmaan got the pork chop with grits and broccoli, and he felt the the same way--that we could have made something more flavorful at home. I liked knowing that the trout was local, and that the kale and pork had come from a farm less than an hour away...but did that make for an amazing meal? Not so much. We dropped over $100 for dinner that night, and I felt like it was overpriced and not worth it. I would be EXCITED to drop $100 at many establishments here in Richmond--Osaka, Verbena, Ruth's Chris...I don't think we'll be back to the Red Hen again, unless it's to enjoy a few more of their appetizers, which as I mentioned before, were in fact, exceptional. 

After dinner we headed to the show. Lime Kiln is nestled back into a few acres of woods right outside of downtown Lexington, and it's a great venue. Natural and intimate, the crickets chirp as the sun sets, and the soul of bluegrass finds its home here. Most of my pictures were pretty blurry, but I got a few decent ones.

The band is fun and witty. Some of the music is difficult to understand--there are numerous tempo and key changes that don't feel very organic to me, but it's interesting, and always keeps you guessing. Thile's vocals were impressive--I didn't find him to be out of key once, and the banter between he and the rest of the band was very entertaining. It was also fun because we got to see the pianist and singer who performed at our wedding--and they each remembered us and said our wedding was the most fun they've ever had! Maybe they were just being nice, but it felt good to hear, all the same. The show lasted for a good 2.5 hours, and we enjoyed every minute of it. Seats were first come, first serve, and as you can see, we were very close to the stage. Here's a short video I took of the encore, which the crowd really enjoyed.

The next day we ambled our way home, and stopped at Veritas Vineyards for some Cabernet Franc and a cheese plate. 

So gorgeous there--we'll have to go back soon. River enjoyed it as well.

Hope your weekend is full of good music, views, and tasty wine. We have a baby shower to attend this afternoon, and I'll probably be spending the rest of the evening reviewing materials for a Trial Advocacy program that I'll be attending all next week starting Sunday. It's in a different town, and I believe this will actually be the longest amount of time that Salmaan and I have spent apart since we've been married. Not looking forward to that aspect so much, or the idea of "homework" again, but I anticipate I'll learn a lot and hopefully meet some fun people along the way! Happy Saturday.