Summer Birthday Celebration NYC

For my birthday this year, I decided to get my family together and have a picnic lunch in Central Park. The weather was perfect; sunny, breezy, and in the low 80's.  We entered the park around 72nd and 5th and were greeted by a row of beautiful American Elms.

 Canopy of elms 

 Summer planter in Central Park.

The picnic lunch from Bouchon Bakery. We brought our old plaid blanket along- perfect for relaxing on Sheep's Meadow.

We had a terrific time canoeing around the Central Park Lake-the midtown view in the background.

Model sail boats at the Conservatory Water.

A view of the Chrysler Building from our hotel.

 Hudson Clearwater in the West Village was the perfect spot for a casual and delicious birthday dinner. A side of Potato-cauliflower gratin.

We spent Sunday morning in Williamsburg and had a relaxing brunch at Cafe Mogador

The ferry ride view of the Brooklyn Bridge from Williamsburg to Dumbo.

Sunday Smorgasburg in Dumbo is an eclectic mix of food vendors.

Summer Pasta Salad: inspiration from a new cookbook

Lately I've been carving out time to peruse A Simple Feast admiring the striking photographs and clever layout as much as the seasonable recipes.

I was inspired this morning due to the 90 degree day ahead to make a jump start on a summer favorite- pasta salad. 

Rather than follow the same recipe in A Simple Feast,  I used the main idea along with some of the ingredients as inspiration to make pasta salad with what was already in my kitchen, then followed the cookbook's vinaigrette recipe to lightly dress the pasta.
Next time I'll follow their recipe to add to my pasta repertoire.

My version of summer pasta salad ( I usually use whatever is on hand and in season). 

8 ounces penne pasta

pint of organic cherry tomatoes cut in half

2 cups of frozen peas cooked for 3-5 minutes then drained

mint leaves torn in small pieces

parmesan cheese shaved with a vegetable peeler

Vinaigrette recipe from A Simple Feast:

whisk 1/3 cup of olive oil plus more for tossing the pasta ( I used Olio Santo from California- really delicious) 

finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 shallot, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

Freshly ground pepper

Arden Theatre Presents: Incorruptible

During the opening scene of Michael Hollinger's play Incorruptible, at the Arden Theater in Philadelphia, the medieval stage design, semi-circular seating and Gregorian music draw you in before the actors even speak a line.

The setting is a 13th Century French Monastery that is in dire need for some income.  The source of the income, the bones of Saint Foy, has ceased all miracles and therefore all "paying" pilgrims have disappeared.

The four monastery monks hatch a deviously brilliant plan to ensnare a local minstral to solve their monetary problems and bring back the crowds.  The play was good fun and drew lots of laughter from the audience!

Arugula salads

So what did I do with all of that lovely arugula from Tait Farm? Made salads of course- thanks to the recipes that were included. Their website has other recipes and serving ideas, and you can mail order their terrific selection of vinaigrettes and preserves.

Arugula Potato Salad
recipe from Tait Farm

Minty Arugula and Pea Salad
recipe from Tait Farm

The radishes were so fresh and crunchy and went well with slices of buttered toasted baguette. The arugula salads were really delicious-a terrific way to enjoy farm fresh vegetables lightly dressed with Lemon Vinaigrette.  

Tait Farm: a final stop

My daughter graduated from college this past weekend and we had such a lovely time exploring the area that surrounds Penn State. The family hiked Mt. Nittany ( This time around I relaxed with a book and enjoyed the quiet surroundings) for the second time- each time the views more beautiful, and we said goodbye to our favorite farm stand- Tait Farm. On a return trip to pack up the college grad, a quick stop at the farm for some fresh arugula and radishes and of course some of their homemade preserves.

Look at those radishes! And the arugula is peppery and so delicious. Lemon Vinaigrette, Raspberry Shrub (great with lemonade), and Blueberry Preserves. 

Simple dinner with added lively flavors of mint, basil, and chives

Our favorite crabapple tree in full bloom…the first sign that dining alfresco is finally here.

The zucchini side is from David Tanis' Heart of the Artichoke Zucchini Antipasto minus the fresh mozzarella.
 I wanted to keep it light and let the fresh mint, basil, chives and lemon juice stand out so I omitted the mozzarella and instead added a few crumbles of fresh feta to the spring mix salad.
The swordfish is prepared with olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt, pepper, and grilled over medium heat for 4-5 minutes on each side. 

A few good cookbooks… a hearty vegetable side for Easter dinner and holiday chocolate

The chef/owners of Philadelphia's Vedge, have just published a cookbook bearing the name of the restaurant. That along with two of David Tanis' latest cookbooks have kept me busy reading for the last couple of days.

For our Easter dinner this year I've decided to keep things super simple with a main dish of  grilled salmon and a livelier side dish, which lead me to swiss chard al forno from David Tanis' One Good Dish. 

Our local market had rainbow chard available so I substituted that for the Swiss chard used in the recipe.

The chard before the béchamel and cheese is added. The rainbow stalks add a nice depth of color with the deep green chard. 

Chard al Forno 

After dinner we enjoyed a delicious Easter Egg from Le Petit Mitron Chocolatier 

A surprise of  dark and white chocolate and sugared candy pieces inside the Easter egg.