Gotham Gal

More with zucchini, swear

I found this recipe on Food52.  I love lemon and I have plenty of zucchini to it was the perfect find.  Really interesting and a nice change of pace.

Here is the recipe for zucchini lemon cookies which I doubled and it worked perfect.  I thought this recipe made too few cookies for my brood.

• 2 cups All-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 pinch coarse salt
• 3/4 cups unsalted butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 Egg
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon zest
• 1 cup shredded zucchini

 

Preheat oven to 375.

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.

Combine butter and sugar in a mixer, beat until light and fluffy.

Add egg and mix until incorporated. Add lemon zest and zucchini, mix until fully combined.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until all of the flour has been added and is completely mixed in. Do not overbeat.

Drop by rounded teaspoon onto parchment paper covered cookie sheet and bake for 14-16 minutes, or until edges of cookie are golden

 

Yum.

summer is about the farm stand

There is nothing quite like your local farm stand in the summer.  I definitely have my favorites that I go to over the course of the week but there is a roaming group of vendors that move from town to town over the course of the week.  This particular farm stand is held on Wednesdays in Amagansett and they are in Montauk on Thursdays. 

Many of these vendors are either local farms or local artisans.  I bought a variety of things from the local artisans.  This is Fresh Flavors.  He makes pies, tarts, fresh mozzarella and these delicious products to bring home in a jar.  I picked up a jar of the duck leg and pistachio rillet. 

These women started their business not that long ago.  Amgansett Sea Salt Company.  Made by hand from small batches from the Atlantic Ocean that is then filtered and dried.  Really good.

A variety of honeys from the area.  This woman harvests honey from a variety of beekeepers on the end of Long Island.  I picked up the cream honey which needs to be kept in the refrigerator.  It is super thick and is perfect spread on a piece of bread.  Thinking about peanut butter, honey and banana sandwiches this weekend.  

How could I not pick up a bag of natural treats for Ollie?  He is enjoying his pumpkin biscottis.

I am excited to see the husk cherries in bloom.  They are really interesting and flavorful.

Let There Be Light is a line of handmade candles and soaps.  Really smells amazing.  No ecommerce yet.

Estia's Little Kitchen makes spicy bottles of sauce that is perfect to zest up your taco or anything for that matter.

I am a supporter of Amber Wave Farms and I love that they are pushing it to the limit out there growing wheatberries on top of an array of zucchini that I got last week.

There is really nothing like the homemade products made at the local farmers market.  RIght up my alley. 

 

How many things can you make with Zucchini?

Zucchini can be used for savory and sweet.  Maybe that is why it grows in abundance in the summer.  I might have to start making pickled zucchini. 

My friend turned me on to Punchfork that searches the web for recipes from top sites.  Happy to see Food52 on there in abundance yet you don't have to click through to get the recipe so that made me take pause but that is for another post.  I tried two recipes for zucchini bread.  Unfortunately the grocery store didn't have the right tins so I used a tin for cakes so not exactly perfect but what can you do. 

This is called a low-fat Zucchini chocolate chip bread.  Not sure what makes it low fat except that whole wheat flour is involved.  I really like this one.

• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1-1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips
• 1 large egg, beaten
• 2 tbsp melted butter
• 1 cup apple sauce
• 1-1/2 cups shredded zucchini

Preheat oven to 325.  Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl.  Combine the egg, butter, apple sauce, vanilla and zucchini in another bowl.  I used a whisk for this.  Add in the dry ingredients with a spoon and mix thoroughly.  Bake in a bread tin.  Probably fits just one.  Bake for about 45/50 minutes or until done. 

This is your classic Zucchini bread and I used dried cranberries and spicy pecans.

3 eggs
1 cup olive or vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups sugar
2 cups grated zucchini
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 350.  In a large bowl beat the eggs with a whisk and add the oil and sugar.  I used a really nice olive oil which does give the bread a different consistency.  Now add the zucchini.  Combine all the dry ingredients in a different bowl and mix well.  Add this to the wet bowl with the cranberries and nuts.  Really mix well.  Divide into two bread loaf pans that have really been greased.  Bake for about an hour or until done.

My guess is these won't last the weekend. 

Related articles

• How to Make Sugar-free Pineapple Zucchini Bread (notecook.com)

What should I do when I graduate?

A few weeks ago I was contacted by William Channer who runs a site called Dorm Room Tycoon.  He interviews people and puts up the podcasts for others to hear and learn from.  It was great talking to him.  He asked me to write a few things down for him prior to posting the podcast.  It isn't so different from what I have been asked before from young people who are in college or about to graduate. My advice is always the same. 

I know that the job market is super tight right now but I still believe in my convictions.  My answer was simple. "Follow your passions. If there is an area that you really want to work in then pursue that until you find a job in that area and preferably go work in a start-up. Be true to yourself. Work hard, play hard and stay focused on finding the opportunity that makes you happy be it starting a business, working in a start-up or taking time off to figure it out."

There is a reason I said that because I ended up in a job path when I was younger that I didn't love.  That is probably one of the reasons that I got off the train for awhile when we moved to the suburbs when the girls were 3 and 1.  Josh hasn't even made an appearance yet.  I didn't love what I was doing.  In many ways, maybe I have always been looking for what to do when I grow up.

After jumping ship from Macys I found myself working in the Garment center, I wasn't so sure I had found my calling as I went through a few different jobs at that time of my life.  When I was at Macys one of the jobs I had was that I ran the cosmetics department in Kings Plaza, Brooklyn.  It was there that I started thinking about possibly pursuing opportunities in the cosmetic industry.

At the time of this interview I was working in my first job in the garment center.  I worked for a family business that manufactured large sized womens clothing.  The guy who ran it managed the sales staff like they were 2 years old but my sales proved that I was a good hire so he almost let me be.  Regardless the job was incredibly boring and the environment was not somewhere that I saw myself staying for long so I looked for other opportunities. 

My first interview was with the man who ran Chanel cosmetics.  Pure luck and connections.  My father's old friend ran a large retail business in Philadelphia and set up the meeting.  I was thrilled and nervous at the same time.

We met at the Plaza for breakfast.  That was in the day when there were many power breakfasts taking place there.  I got there early and waited.  While waiting and pacing, the right heel of my pump broke off.  I was now 2" shorter on one side.  It is 9am, this guy is about to walk in any minute to meet me so
what's a girl to do?

I took the heel and shoe and attempted to cobble it together by going to the marble floor and trying to pound the heel back in.  He walks in, we shake hands and of course "his table" is in the back of the room.  Half way to the table my heel falls off.  I feign complete surprise and he doesn't even notice or care as I hobble my way back to breakfast.  I took this as a bad sign.

As the breakfast wrapped up, it was evident that this was not going to be the job for me.  However, I did not let up.  I wormed my way, again through a contact, into an interview with the woman overseeing Estee Lauder.

It was a great breakfast.  Loved her and the woman who worked with her.  I knew I would enjoy working with them.  We started to talk about what opportuniites were available and where I would start in the company. Then they told me what I would make.  My jaw dropped.  At that very moment I experienced what "golden handcuffs" meant. I couldn't afford to take that job.  I was making great money almost more than double than they were offering.  I wasn't loving the work yet walking away would not pay the rent.

I found myself in a job that I didn't like making enough money that my life style had changed significantly at every turn.  Perhaps if I had really thought about what space really got me excited then I would have started in a different industry and loved it at an age where I could afford to take the salary they were offering because I didn't know anything else.  Waiting all those years to pivot into another industry left me unable to afford to make the switch. 

A lesson learned that I can pass on today. 

Apricot Hand Pies

This is definitely a bit laborious and I learned alot in the process.  I'd make them again and you could use anything for filler in a hand-pie. 

I was able to eke out almost 24 pies out of a full recipe of pate brisee.  If I did it again I would only make 16. 

Dough:

2 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1 tsp sugar

2 sticks unsalted butter - cold and cut into pieces

1/4-1/2 cup cold water

In a cuisinart blender together the flour, salt and sugar.  Add the butter and pulse about 5/6 times until the butter is crumbly.  Add the water and pulse until the dough gets wet.  It might not form a total ball but you can see that the crust is wet.  Divide in two and wrap in plastic wrap.  Refrigerate for a few hours. 

8 Apricots - cut in half and pitted

2 cups water

3 strips of lemon peel

1 small piece of ginger - peeled

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 vanilla bean split and seeds scraped

cheesecloth

Bring the water, sugar, lemon peel, ginger, cinnamon and vanilla beans to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes.  The liquid should get a little thicker.

Put the apricots in a large frying pan with the skin side up.  Then take cheesecloth and wet it under cold water.  Then place it over the apricots so they are totally covered with cheese cloth.  Pour the liquid over the apricots and bring to a simmer.  Let them simmer for about 5 minutes or until soft. Take off the heat and let cool.  I put this and the liquid (don't forget the liquid) in the refrigerator for a day before using.

Roll out one half of the dough and cut into 16, 3-inch rounds.  Put them on a parchment lined cookie sheet in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes. 

Preheat oven to 425

Roll out the other half of the dough and cut into 16, 4-inch rounds.  These rounds have to be a little bigger or it is a total hassle.

Take the cold rounds out of the refrigerator.  Brush cold water around the edges.  Take the apricot (half) and soak up the juice with a paper towel. Place is on the cold round.  Take one 4-inch round and place it on top and crimp the edges.  Repeat this with all 16.

Use a knife and cut open an x on top to let the pie breathe.  Brush cold water on top of each pie, not a lot and then sprinkle sugar over the top.

Bake for about 10 minutes then reduce the heat to 325 and bake another 15 minutes until browned.

Serve warm or room temperature.

 

One.org

I was asked to participate in the campaign that One.org is putting on right now.  Trying to get as many women bloggers to write about their mission as a group of people are in Africa right now creating awareness on many of the issues One.org is involved with. 

Women seem to be the leaders in different communities where change takes place.  In Africa, it is the women that are the driving force behind the economy as they are focused on making a better life for their children. 

One.org's mission is to fight extreme poverty and preventable diseases in Africa.  They work with government leaders to support cost-effective solutions to makes those changes in Africa.

I applaud all the people who are trying to make Africa a better place.  From an investor perspective, I hear about a variety of investments that are now taking place in Africa that are socially driven.  Socially driven because although the companies might be manufacturing suits or making cotton they are hiring many women who for the first time will have the opportunity to make money and put food on the table. A win win for everyone.  As more organizations like One.org create awareness in Africa, the more opportunities for creating economies take place.

If Africa was a place where the best and brightest people wanted to stay in their homeland instead of leaving to find jobs somewhere else because they felt safe and empowered by their community as well as had opportunities for personal growth then the world would be a better place.  I am a big believer that many businesses in local communities make for better global economies.  We need that in Africa. 

Go to One.org and see what they are doing, what they really need is your voice in supporting their role in persuading governments to support effective policies in Africa.

 

 

Not my kids...

Image via Wikipedia

I continue to be amazed when I hear people talk about their kids and suggest that there is no way that they are having sex or doing any kind of recreational drugs from drinking to smoking pot.  Someone has a daughter who is a senior in HS and has been seeing the same guy for two years but is adamant that they are absolutely not having sex.  Really?  Or someones kids friends are all busted in school for getting stoned but their kid has never tried it.  Really?  I hear parents laugh that they did all this stuff when they were youngr but their kids shouldn't and they act as if their kids aren't but truthfully their kids are. 

In the NY Times this weekend there was an article about Teenage Sex called The Sleepover Question.  The article made me think about the book that I just finished called Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mom.  Although different topics, at the end of the day both articles/books come down to how you raise your kids.  Everyone does it differently and I am sure most people would think we are so ridiculously liberal but at the end of the day it works for us. 

I could write about the drugs and drinking but will save that for another day.  Today I am going to write about the sex.  When kids want to understand how babies are made, they ask and that happens when they are quite young.  Honesty is the best policy here none of the stork thing.  I am a huge believer that if a kid asks you something out right, then you should be honest in your answer again it is all relative to how much information is necessary based on the age. 

Next step is when kids start having boyfriends and girlfriends.  As kids enter puberty, actually in their pre-teens, they want to start experimenting.  Remember spin the bottle?  This is really the first opportunity to have some life lessons.  For instance,  no means no.  Your body is yours and there is nothing wrong with being curious but do things that make your comfortable.  Sex is private and between two people not to be blasted out to the world like sending someone a picture online of something that could be sent out to the whole school. Use your brain. 

Then comes the time when relationships get more intense or there is a lot of hooking up going on among the kids.  So the conversation is about being safe.  To say don't do it is just closing a huge door of conversation.  Embrace your kids life, your kids friends and keep that door open to what they are doing.  Not only teaching them about birth control but making sure they have it. 

My Mom was great about that.  She knew exactly what was going on and asked us straight out.  Made me make an appointment with a doctor to get birth control to insure that I was having safe sex, as in sex without getting pregnant.  These days that means at a certain age going to get tested to prove to each other that you and your partner are healthy before having sex without a condom but just having sex with birth control. 

In addition to no means no there is the conversation about making sure you are just as satisfied with the sex you are having as much as your partner.  If they don't hear it from you where do they hear it from?  Sex education classes or their friends or perhaps a magazine article.  Be a parent and have those conversations with your kids.

I loved that in the article The Sleepover that the statistics say that 6 out of 10 girls say that their parents talked to them about pregnancy and contraception before they were 16.  Do we think that happens in the US?  Those widespread conversations makes for healthy active sex lives and less teenage pregnancies. 

These conversations are certainly awkward but it is only one step on making that transition from being a parent with a young kid to being a parent of a young adult.  When they are young you teach them good manners and if you continue to teach them the rules of the road relative to their age, the door has a better chance in remaining wide open. 

Lauren Remington Platt, Capturing Beauty at Vensette, Woman Entrepreneur

How often do you wish that there was a company that had trained make-up artists who knew how to get the job done in a professional and timely ( that would be the opportune word here ) manner come to your house or office before an event.  If there was a destination location that you could book a group of artists for a wedding, a bat/bar mitzvah, a special evening or even for the hell of it at a price instead of heading off to a Department store.  Lauren Remington Platt has created a booking service that has a menu of services from make-up to hair that have been already thought out and created to do the job in less than 90 minutes that is called Vensette that I for one think is brilliant.

Lauren grew up in NY and went to Columbia University where she made pocket money as a professional runway model.  Freelancing as a model during college was the perfect way to get to Europe and travel.   Senior year, she had a series of interviews with investment banks.  She always wanted to be in the finance world.  Lauren ended up working in private wealth.  She liked the structure.  The internship lasted for about six months before she headed off to Paris for a year even though she had only one class left to take until graduation. 

When Lauren returned, she went to work for a hedge fund focused on the global water industry.  It was not a fun time to be in the hedge fund business so applying to graduate school seemed to be the logical next step. 

Instead Lauren found herself interviewing make-up artists and figuring out how to help them make a living through one entity, Vensette.  She started to grow Vensette out of her living room.  She puts the make-up artists through a three day vigorous program to insure that anyone who represents Vensette is excellent.  She streamlined the concept through this program and a website.  Before Lauren knew it, she was an entrepreneur with a growing company.

There are a variety of ways for Lauren to expand from city to city to web presence to launching special products to doing weddings, bar/bat mitzvahs, photo shoots, etc.  I am really excited about this business.  Lauren has figured out the void in the market and she is filling it.  That is what makes a smart entrepreneur.  Just an added bonus, she's tall, smart and beautiful.

 

 

Gazpacho

This is one of my go to recipes for summer.  It is simple, it is light and it can stay in the refrigerator for a few days so people can just grab some when they have a hankering.

2 red peppers chopped

1 yellow pepper chopped

1 small vidalia onion chopped

2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded and then chopped

4 pieces of celery chopped

10 Italian tomatoes chopped

1 can of Tomato juice

1/2-1 cup of Apple Cider vinegar ( depending on how tart you like your soup )

1 few shots of tabasco sauce for spice

plenty of Kosher salt for taste

You can chop your veggies chunky or small.  I go for something in between.  Put them in a bowl, add the tomato juice until the veggies are covered, add in the vinegar and stir for taste.  Add salt for taste.  Add tabasco for taste.  This is definitely one of those recipes you have to play with. (BTW, you can add a green pepper too if you like them)

Put in the refrigerator for at least four hours so the flavors gel.

Enjoy.

Pulled Pork Sandwich with the works

I got carried away in the kitchen this week.  I wanted a full refrigerator for the weekend instead of continuing to cook daily.  One of the items on the menu was pulled pork which got me thinking about what would I put in a pulled pork sandwich and more items followed.  Here is the sandwich and what is in it.

Pulled Pork:

Pork Butt or Shoulder

Chinese 5 Spice Powder

Kosher Salt

Rub the pork down, fat up.  Put in a 225 degree oven for 8 hours or until the meat is literally falling apart

 

Asian BBQ Sauce:

1/4 cup Hoisin Sauce

1/4 cup Soy Sauce

1 tbsp. grated fresh ginger

1 tbsp. rice vinegar

1 tsp. sesame oil

1 tsp. sherry vinegar

1 tsp. shriracha sauce

Stir together and refrigerate.

Peach Chutney (I found this in Food and Wine magazine)

1 jalapeno - seeded and cut in small pieces

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

3 tbsp. fish sauce

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 tbsp. water

6 peaches, peeled and diced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 tbsp. chopped mint

In a cuisinart, blend together the jalapeno and brown sugar.  Then slowly add in the fish sauce, water and lime juice.  In another bowl put the peaches, cilantro and mint.  Pour the liquid over the peach mixture and blend.  This is better after a few hours in the refrigerator.

Cole Slaw:

1/2 head of red cabbage - sliced and chopped

1/2 head of green cabbage - sliced and chopped

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. soy sauce

2 tbsp. light brown sugar

sesame seeds

Mix together the liquids and pour over the cabbage.  Add enough sesame seeds to coat.

 

Take the hamburger bun and coat both sides with the bbq sauce.  Put the pork, the peach salsa and the cabbage on the bottom and put the top on, slice and serve.

Damn good.