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I'm not sure if this is run by the same establishment as Kelly's Roast Beef in Revere, but I feel as though I heard that once. Anyway, I came upon it on my ramblings through Ball Square in Somerville last week and it was an unusually sunny day. I just loved the way the clouds became a blinding backdrop for the diner-style lettering. Hmm, even when I'm not wriitng about food, I'm wriitng about food. I guess it's hopeless.
I met up with my sister for lunch at Toscanini's the other day. Prior to this, I only knew they specialized in ice cream, but when I got there, I was made privy to a sandwich special (the mozzarella/tomato on rosemary foccacia). Mozzarella-Tomato-Basil is my Favorite ingredient combo, so I was overjoyed.
From this angle, in this light, New York City looks like a calm place. None of the whizzing yellow cabs, $350 honks, police sirens, sidewalk pigeons, socialites, or street market crowds. Although, that's New York, and if you don't like it, get the %@*! out.
This is how they do the breakfast burrito at the Miracle Grill on Bleecker Street. Save your pennies!!
Go on... take my hand. This door belonged to apartment number 2 1/2. They have no room for integers in the big apple, but they certainly have style.
Bryant Park has some really interesting trees. There was an alley of them forming the most beautiful walkway, right next to an outdoor cafe. We picked the right weekend to be in New York. I also just found out this is where the Project Runway portion of Fashion Week took place... I had no idea we were so chic.
One of those binocular thingies atop the Rockerfeller Center tower (TopOfTheROCK) in New York City. From this particular vista you can see all of Central Park from above. The binoculars also vaguely reminded me of Number 5 ("Alive") from Guttenberg's Short Circuit movies...
A fantastic little diner in New York City where we stopped for a late lunch (5 pm) this weekend. It was actually one of three dinners that night - poor planning on our part, but they do say the food in New York is not to be missed! I had my first milkshake in years at a table over by the window - prime spot for people watching...
I took this one as I walked under incredibly tall sunflower plants in Cambridge the other day. I like how they look like they are as tall as the house in the background in this shot.
Here's one from the archives, but one that took me right back to the fall of last year when I saw it again. I am very sad to know that summer is now ending with all of the wilting plants, bad circulation, and back-to-school angst that comes with it, but the next entry will likely be an ode to autumn of some kind, because, as you can see here, there are some beautiful things to the season - so stay tuned, polar bears.
Here's a whole pile of star-shaped sugar cookies my sister made (and I helped cut out and decorate) for my very first artist's open studio this weekend! We could have gone store-bought, but for the rave reviews these babies got, it might just have been worth it. Soph, feel free to comment... ;)
Even though we're going to sell it, I like the detailing on this small bookshelf of Jason's. We're giving it up now that Jason has built in shelves for the living room. What a difference!
Ladies and Gentlemen - I give you Timballo! Here is a concoction I've made only once before at Oscar Party 2005 and this time it came out pretty differently - still delicious, though. You may remember the name of this dish from the movie "Big Night." It's like a wine and cheese party in your mouth (I recommend a dry red).
Timballo
3 tbsp olive oil
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 28-oz can whole Italian plum tomatoes in puree
1 tbsp tomato paste
6 anchovies (or, I prefer 5 large strips of bacon, crisped or a few slices of smoked prosciutto)
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 lb dried tagliatelle or fettucine pasta
3 tbsp butter, divided
1 cup pitted and roughly chopped kalamata olives (I used whole)
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, divided
2 tbsp panko (or fine dry bread crumbs)
12 oz smoked mozzarella, grated
Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until aromatic, 2-3 minutes. Finely crush tomatoes and add to pan along with puree. Stir in tomato paste, anchovies/bacon, hot red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring often, 20 minutes.
While sauce cooks, bring large pot of liberally salted water to rolling boil. Add tagliatelle and cook according to package directions until not quite al dente. Drain well, turn into large bowl. Toss with 2 tbsp of butter to keep noodles from sticking together. Add tomato sauce, olives, and 1/2 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano to pasta; mix well to distribute ingredients evently. Set aside until cooled. (Note: cooling is not essential as long as you distribute the smoked mozzarella evenly between layers of pasta so it doesn't all melt on top.)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Use remaining butter to thickly grease 9-inch springform pan. Dust with panko, turning to coat bottom and sides of pan, shaking off excess. (If breadcrumbs are not fine enough, ok to add some flour to help coat the grease.) Add mozzarella to tagliatelle, again mixing well to distribute cheese. Scrape pasta into prepared pan, pressing to compact it and smoothing top. (I used the base of a cup measure for this.) Sprinkle with remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano. Bake 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes. Run thin spatula around inside rim of pan to loosen; remove springform. Using sharp knife, cut into wedges to serve.
Serves 8-10.
I couldn't resist the urge to buy a bouquet of my first summer Gladiolas... The color is hard to describe in any other way but a photo. Strangely, I was just discussing the unmatchable nature of this color (relative to anything in my wardrobe, that is), when I came upon these at Whole Foods, seemingly mistakenly priced at only $5.99! Bargain buy!
I was getting bored of defrosted veggie burgers for dinner so I decided to change it up with this nutty recipe called Beef and Artichoke Fettuccine. Take this as a testament to my faithfulness to written recipes: the recipe calls for beef and toasted pecans - this dish has neither. However, with a few deli slices and some honey-roasted cashews it wasn't half bad! The judgment came in unanimous for making this one again (with a little less sugar, maybe).