I do know it’s Thursday, and I’m sorry for the late Tourist Tuesday – but I’ve been lazy and thoroughly enjoying my vacation. However, now I’m back in London and probably just in time too because being on holiday was making me…doughy.

Ryan and I left Colorado and arrived in Farmington, Connecticut on December 29 and my parents fed us incredibly well all the way until we left on January 6. Hence, getting doughy. When we arrived, we had Christmas Part 2 and my dad made an amazing, and giant, steak. And the eating did not stop there. Wonderfully, my family made sure to check off everything on my American food check list. The next day we went out for bagels slathered with cream cheese, and I had mine topped with lox. We also went to a cute place called Monte Alban. I had steak fajitas and the meat was marinated in some awesome citrus marinade. There was also a delicious corn mash that was so good we asked for extras. We also went out for burgers, I had a milk shake, and another day I had a Philly cheese steak. My parents also cooked us seafood lasagna and a Puerto Rican feast. See what I’m talking about? I’m lucky my clothes still fit! 

Meals weren’t the only time we went crazy. Snacked on a lot of Oreos. Oreos remind me of the lunches Papa used to pack for me when I was in school. My parents had “winter” Oreos, which have red cream and cookies with cutsey winter designs. Ryan and I later went to Target and were a little overwhelmed by the amount of Oreo choices. It’s crazy! There are regular and double stuffed Oreos, but then there are birthday cakes, golden, mint, fudge, peanut butter, mega stuff, chocolate, pumpkin spice, and triple double. And there might even be more kinds that I can’t even remember. It was a little overwhelming. In fact, I fear I’m acclimating to London too well. I was walking through Target trying to buy ingredients for a recipe and everything was so huge. I kept saying things like, “I don’t need this much flour!” and “why is this can of oats so gigantic?” That felt weird and vaguely un-American.

But, I promise you I did more in Connecticut than eat – sort of. For New Year’s Eve we went to Barley Vine, a restaurant owned by my mom’s cousin Victor. Barley Vine is a really cute gastropub that offers tons of craft beers and really delicious cocktails. They had a few signature ones for New Years Eve, but generally they also have really inventive cocktails and interesting flavors of moonshine. It’s yummy. We had dinner – and of course it was decadent – a steak with a lobster tail. Then we danced, saw the ball drop, danced some more, then drove home quoting lines from the movie Nacho Libre. Why? I don’t know. The movie is funny and maybe we’d had a few cocktails.

Ryan and I also spent some time exploring Farmington and the nearby areas. I drove “my car,” which is the red one in the photo at the top. I call it my car because it was mine through high school and college and even though it’s now over 10 years old, I still love it. It’s a stick shift, and I hadn’t driven a car since before moving to London, and I haven’t driven a stick since our honeymoon… but when I was in that car it felt like old times. I felt 16 again, even though both me and the car are definitely not as young and fresh as we used to be. Ryan is super kind about my car and says things like, “I see how this was a cool car.” But also, that car is so old it feels rickety and makes some rattly noises when it drives.

I also went on a gorgeous walk with Ryan and my mom. We drove a little ways outside of Farmington and drove toward this path by a river. There were some houses along the path and they wrote semi passive-aggressive notes on the road telling people to be quiet. It was chilly and crisp, but the sky was bright and blue, and the river was lovely. I’m glad we took our walk when we did, because the next day it snowed.

My mom has been talking about visiting a nearby museum called the Hill-Stead and I finally went. The Hill-Stead is a Colonial Revival house designed by a woman called Theodate Pope Riddle and in her will she asked for the house to become a museum. The exterior of the house and the grounds are very pretty, but I expected the tour to be like any other historic house museum tour. I was totally wrong. This place is really special! I’m so mad visitors aren’t allowed to take picture inside – so I hope you can suffice with the pretty snow scenes. Anyway, Theodate’s father was an incredible art collector. In the house there are numerous paintings by Edgar Degas, Claude Monet, Eduoard Manet and many others. My favorite Degas is called Dancers in Pink. The ballet dancers are wearing these vivid, almost shocking, pink costumes. I feel like it’s rare to see such bright pinks. The house also has two of Claude Monet’s haystacks. Seeing the art at the Hill-Stead was better than seeing it at any museum. It was so intimate! As visitors we could get closer to the paintings and see all the textures and brush strokes. Beyond paintings, there were fancy clocks, Asian pottery, and even some Greek vases.

Ryan and I also popped to New York for a day to meet up with Ryan’s mom and sister. We had a great time walking around the city. I made them go to a lot my old stomping grounds. We went to Chelsea Market and the Donut Pub. We walked passed my old building, I lived somewhere in the yellow-ish part of the building on the top right. We ate pizza at John’s of Bleecker Street, which is Ryan’s favorite. They didn’t have cream soda this time, but the pizza was still good. (You see I can’t stop eating!) We walked to Washington Square Park and looked at NYU and then on to Momofuku Milk Bar (for more eating). We also saw puppies in a shop window. I know, I know, puppies from a shop like that probably come from a puppy mill but they were so damn cute. I definitely squealed “please Ryan please can we have one!” Sigh. We also went to Eataly and passed the Flat Iron Building. I may have eaten a lot, but at least I was walking it off. I spent the last day in Connecticut on the couch subjecting my whole family to a Harry Potter movie marathon (Eric bought me all the DVDs for Christmas, so it is his fault). It was nice and cozy just relaxing with my family. We ended the day by celebrating Three Kings Day. We exchanged presents and ate an amazing seafood lasagna my mom made (yes, even more eating). Overall, I had a lovely week in Connecticut with my family and a great two weeks in the US. But, after a lovely vacation I’m happy to be back in London. I’ll be back next week with more recipes – hopefully nice healthful ones for the New Year.

Deva Curl Light Defining Gel

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My 29th  birthday was a little over a week ago! I went to New York to have a last hurrah. I actually hadn’t been to New York since my graduation, and I was excited to go back and see the city one more time. On Friday (the 20th) I went to Staten Island and stayed with my friend Inga (who also has the same birthday as me). It was so great to catch up with her. She and I were roommates years ago when we studied abroad in Rome. Visiting her, I got to see her new house, meet her  beautiful daughter, and celebrate our birthdays. We had sushi and cake and it was wonderful.

I then went into Manhattan and met up with my  friend Chris, from graduate school. We sat in Battery Park, talked, and looked at the Statue of Liberty. It reminded me of the times when we used to pretend to go for a run along the water, but really we’d just walk and gossip. Then, I met up with my parents and my brother and we had a blast! Seriously, we indulged in New York. We ate at a few of my favorite restaurants. Lunch at Ippudo, dinner at John’s of Bleecker, and dessert at Max Brenner’s. We also found a tiny place that only sold macaroons! We bought six and shared them all. There were amazing flavors like passion fruit and lavender-honey. We also went shopping on 5th Avenue and browsed books at the Strand. It was a great New York weekend with some touristy activity and some old favorites.

After New York I hopped on the train back to DC. I got dolled up in a fancy dress and went as my friend Anna’s date to the Ford’s Theatre Gala. I saw some great theater, had a tasty dinner in the beautiful courtyard at the Portrait Gallery, took pretty pictures with my friend, and said goodbye to some of old colleagues. Great night. I stayed out way too late, but loved it anyway.

Then Monday and Tuesday were my last two days at work. I don’t talk about my job very much on the blog but I have loved working with Live It Learn It. While at Live It Learn It, I’ve had a wonderful time. In this job I’ve been busy running all over DC, I’ve taught lessons, met great students, befriended some awesome coworkers, and led field trips throughout the city. I’ve eaten more Wendy’s than ever before, I’ve sent group texts of just emojis, and I’ve helped create hilarious and weird Mad Libs. And I’ve laughed so so much. Live it Learn It has been everything I was looking for in a job and even though I’m moving they can’t get rid of me yet. I’m hanging on even while abroad.

And today’s recipe is truly for them. In the last year, almost every dessert I’ve made has been shared with my Live It Learn It family – including this one. I decided to dabble in gluten-free baking because one of my coworkers keeps a gluten-free diet. Baking is fun for me because I like sharing the finished product with others – so it’s more fun if everyone is included. I have loved bringing in cookies and treats for them and it doesn’t hurt that they always say nice things and eat everything I bring. I will miss baking for them.

I then spent the rest of the week packing up my apartment. It was stressful and I had a hard time deciding what to ship, store, and pack. It might sound trivial but I had a hard time editing down and Ryan got more than one crazy phone call from me. My parents came down and helped me pack, trash things, and move out. Thank goodness for them because they helped me be decisive and keep from completely losing my marbles.  I could not have done everything so effectively without them! During this move weekend, we also went to my friend Lisa’s wedding. I have known Lisa for over 20 years and it was wonderful to see her get married. She looked amazing – and unfortunately I didn’t take any pictures of her! Her wedding was at the Center Club and it has the most beautiful view of Baltimore I have ever seen. The wedding was a blast. I danced with my friend’s 1 year-old son, I chatted with old friends, I danced some more, and then I sobbed when I said goodbye to my girls. We group hugged, and I felt loved and lucky. All in all, a great night and a wonderful farewell from Baltimore.

Now I’m sitting in my friend Charlotte’s guest room while her cat snuggles up on me. For those of you who know me, you know I’m anti-cat, but I’m actually liking this. What’s happening to me? My flight leaves later tonight – but until then my plan is to go to the pool and then out for dinner.

It’s been a busy ten days or so, but it’s been great. I said goodbye to many of my old homes – New York, Baltimore, and DC. I am deeply going to miss my wonderful network of people here, but being farther away doesn’t mean we’re really separated. To get a bit emotional, I want to say thank you for all the celebrations, activities, and fun I’ve had as I prepared for the move.  I’m so lucky to have so many wonderful people in my life.

But now I’m ready. I’m ready to go to London. I’m ready for new adventures, new jobs, new restaurants, new friends. Mostly, I’m ready to be back with Ryan. Get ready London, here I come.

This recipe is adapted from the America’s Test Kitchen Cookbook, How Can It Be Gluten Free? This book is awesome with lots of really clear and helpful advice and suggestions. I’ve changed it by adding a bit more xantham gum than ATK recommended. I thought it helped hold the shape of the cookie a bit better. These cookies are great and the only difference between these and regular cookies are the thin and delicate structure and shape. The other change was that I used chips and Reese’s pieces instead of normal chips. Gotta spice things up now and then, and get a little creative with the cookie add-ins, right?

Ingredients:

3/4 cup + 2/3 cup King Arthur All-purpose Flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp xantham gum

1/2 tsp salt

8 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

3/4 cup packed, light brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

2 tbsp milk

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1/8 cup mini chocolate chips

1/8 cup mini Reese’s pieces

Directions:

1. Whisk together flour, baking soda, xantham gum, and salt in a bowl.

2. Whisk melted butter and sugars in a large bowl.

3. Add the egg, milk, and vanilla to the butter-sugar mixture. Mix until smooth.

4. Add in the flour mixture.

5. Add in the chips and Reese’s pieces.

6. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit for 30 minutes.

7. Preheat oven to 350°.

8. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Use two spoons to arrange 1.5 tbsp size rounds of dough onto the baking sheet. The two-spoons advice is important. The consistency of the batter is stickier and softer than a regular cookie. The spoons help make sure you can make normal looking cookies.

9. Bake cookies, one sheet at a time, for 11 minutes. Rotate baking sheet halfway through. As they cook, cookies will spread and they can get dark quickly, so be sure to check on them!

10. Let cookies cool for 5 minutes before serving. The cookies are more fragile than gluten-full cookies so let them rest!

Messy level: This recipe is easy – there are only two bowls for this recipe and you don’t even need an electric mixer.

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Skillet egg with toast and shredded cheddar cheese

This post is going to seem like a lot of talk about brunch in New York City. It is. But really it’s about eggs so bear with me.

I don’t often make eggs. I like eggs when I bake or when I need hamburgers to stick together, but I don’t often have a hankering for eggs as a centerpiece for a meal. Seemingly simple, eggs take a bit of finesse. Flipping that omelette neatly? Unlikely. Making a hard-boiled egg without the ring between the yolk and white? Mostly, but not always. Basically, I’d rather have cereal. And if I’m going to make brunch at home, I’m going with chocolate chip pancakes.

However, although it’s rare I always really, really want eggs when I go out for brunch.

In New York, brunch is a big deal. It’s what people do on Sunday morning. When I lived in New York my favorite brunch was the basil and goat cheese egg dish from Good in the West Village. The eggs are fluffy, the basil is fragrant and fresh, and the cheese is gooey and delicious. The eggs are truly decadent and wonderful. Also, in case you’re interested, my favorite brunch Bloody Mary is at Home, also in the West Village. It is the right amount of spicy and it has a pickle in it!! Yum. Now all this rambling about New York brunch isn’t totally out of the blue. It’s brunch in New York that got me interested in poached eggs.

Years ago before I lived in New York, Ryan and I went to the city a few weeks before Christmas. The city was wonderful! There was snow on the streets, decorations in the shops, and although super crowded the people on the street had a festive and happy atmosphere. At the end of the weekend, we met up with my friend Inga, and her boyfriend – now husband, Jonathan for brunch at Jane (also in the Village, sorry I like that area). It was my very first New York City brunch. I know it sounds silly, but the streets of New York are relatively empty on Sunday mornings until 11am when people stream out for brunch. People wait up to an hour to eat at their favorite place. And brunch can be at a trendy spot, it can be outside in a cafe people watching, it can be in a dingy dive bar that still smells like last night’s beer and drinking mistakes. And so another recommendation, if you can stomach the stale beer smell, the Sunburnt Cow has great steak and eggs and a bottomless mimosa.  I’ve been to brunch to catch up with out of town friends, I’ve seen famous people (Jesse Tyler Ferguson from Modern Family), and I’ve done it to avoid writing my thesis. Brunch is an important social event and if you’re a tourist and you want a real New York feel, I think brunch is what you should do.

I think this picture nicely shows a plump, round finished product. Ryan said it looked a little sad like the egg was just plopped there. Either way, here’s what it looks like once cooked.

Anyway, back to Jane. It is a serious delicious place to eat! When I lived in New York, Ryan and I went there one year for Valentine’s Day. We treated ourselves to the works and when it came time to order dessert we ordered milk & cookies. All night we had seen these giant cookies with fat chunks of chocolate chips, cups of frothy vanilla ice cream, and tiny cups of icy milk pass by. So when the waitress asked for our order, we asked for TWO milk & cookies. Yes, it was Valentine’s Day, a day for love and sharing but that dessert looked too darn good to share. And I assert, that’s real love. We loved each other enough to be honest, to go for the indulgence, and to be comfortable enough to leave the restaurant waddling and explosively full.

The Eggs Benedict at Jane are also memorable years later – and I didn’t even order them. Jonathan and Ryan ordered the Eggs Benedict. When they got their meals the two them were all “ooo’s,” “ahhh’s,” and eyes rolling back in to their heads. They made it seem like the kind of deliciousness where you have to put your utensils down, stop, and emphatically moan “MMMM!” I had never had a poached egg before and when I got to try it, I fell in love. It was fluffy, well cooked, but still liquidy on the inside. And it was pretty looking! It was round, bouncy, and bright white. I was obviously intimidated. But my life was changed. I loved poached eggs and I loved brunch.

It had to be difficult to make! How could it be so delicious, perfectly cooked, and nice looking without being difficult? Going forward, I ordered poached eggs when I was out, but never really looked into it how to make it own my own. And it wasn’t until the last two years that I really started cooking anyway. And of course, as I said, I prefer cereal so I don’t make eggs at home. But I thought about it a lot.

Not enough cereal!! GASP. I have to cook myself something.

Opportunity presented itself last week and I couldn’t put off trying any longer. I had a closing shift and didn’t have to be at work until 1:00pm, so I had plenty of time to cook and clean up after myself. Also, we were pretty much out of cereal. So no excuses, I was making eggs. And it came out well, wasn’t nearly as hard or scary as I thought it would be, and it was yummy.

I looked to Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything and Alice Waters’ In the Green Kitchen, for guidance on how to poach eggs. Sorry for another digression, but I strongly recommend How to Cook Everything and How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. It has basic recipes, add-on suggestions for how to spice up dishes, and easy to use language and pictures that explain how to do more difficult techniques. Also, it’s great when you have an ingredient you aren’t sure what to do with. I can always flip through the book and find something to do with that funny vegetable or a way to update chicken breasts.

And we’re back. One book called for using a skillet and the other called for “pan.” I tried both, using a deep skillet and a small sauce pan. I cooked the egg for the same time in both vessels (5 minutes). I found that in the skillet the egg came out lighter, fluffier, and the yolk was still runny, which I like. In the sauce pan, the egg came out a little prettier, but it was dense and the yolk wasn’t runny. Going forward I think I’d either use the skillet again, or I’d use the sauce pan but cook for fewer minutes. You just can’t get as much water in a skillet, so what you use really depends on what sort of tools you have at your disposal. But, at the core you need at least enough water so that the egg is completely submerged. I wouldn’t go beyond using 3 inches of water.

Before I get on with the directions, I wanted to share some posts I’m working on for the future. I’m working on a post on sushi. I’ve made it twice before, but want to do it once more so I can take step by step pictures. Ryan and I are also going to try to make mozzarella cheese. We also just got back from a long weekend in Montreal so I’m planning to share all my eating adventures.

Egg made in the pan with toast and mild salsa

Ingredients:

Water

Eggs

1 tsp salt (or less if you like)

1 tsp vinegar (optional – I used it)

Directions:

1. Fill a pan with 1-2 inches of water.2. Bring the water to a boil.

3. Add the salt and vinegar. Lower the heat so the water is barely simmer. Few to no bubbles should be coming the surface. If you see the bubbles on the bottom of the pan as if they are threatening to rise, that’s ok.

4. While you’re waiting for the water to cool a bit, crack the egg into a separate bowl.

5. Once the water is ready, tilt the bowl so it’s level to the water and slide the egg into the pan. I did it so that the edge of the bowl was a little bit in the water and then I slid the egg in.

6. Cook for 3-5 minutes. To tell if the egg is done, use a slotted spoon to lift out the egg. Use your finger to gently press on the yolk to see if it’s set to your liking and to test that the white is cooked.

7. When it is done use a slotted spoon to remove the egg. If necessary, drain the egg on a paper towel or clean dish towel.

Mark Bittman recommends only cooking one egg at a time. I think this is partially so there can be enough space for the egg. If you look at the picture of the egg in the water you can see the egg white is also swirly and slightly up to the top of the water. I think it’s also because the level of the heat is so important that two eggs wouldn’t get enough heat if they were in there together. In summation, it was delicious, easy, and I didn’t make any mess. Amazing right?!

Messy level: One spoon, just boil water, cook, and scoop out!

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