Seen Around Town

The city is pretty nice when everyone goes away for the long weekend and

the town fills up with tourists and out of towners. This is a rather muddled picture of a garbage truck reflected in the window of the now defunct Viceroy diner on 8th Avenue.

This man is waiting to cross 17th Street. A century ago people would have been aghast to see a woman in pants.....equal opportunity in clothing for all.....

People in general on 14th St and 9th Avenue.

A rather retro dry cleaners.............

I'm not quite sure where this character (seen here on the corner of 23rd St and 8th Avenue) gets his costume laundered. For some reason I sight him about once a year.

We used to have one crossing guard who actually crossed children and handicapped people. We now have three who chat to each other........

Anyway, I managed to walk on the little bit of The High Line between 20th and 23rd Street that for some reason I'd missed. A nice soft lawn for sitting on.....

and a grove of trees to emerge from.......

Some friends have recently enjoyed a Central Park Sightseeing tour

which makes me think that visitors know much more about New York than I do.

Rain until the end of the week - rather a relief after much too hot!

Buttered Rosemary Orange Nuts

I don't know about you, but when I am throwing any sort of little (or big) dinner party, I have no trouble with the main course, and no trouble with the dessert, but the appetizers always leave me a little stumped.  Maybe I've used all my culinary brainwaves on the later courses, but my mind goes completely blank and all I can visualize is a wooden board with a hunk of cheddar and some Triscuits.  Maybe a few nice grapes.

So when I actually come up with a passable appetizer, like the watermelon bites from last summer and the recent fig crostini, I feel ridiculously proud of myself.

However.

I can't be satisfied with just ONE nibble before dinner, because God forbid anyone leave my house without feeling completely stuffed, and that is where these delectable and easy little nuts come in. You start with whatever brand or mix of mixed nuts you like.  The Southern husband buys them in those large (obviously) plastic jugs at Costco, so we always have some around.  Melt about a tablespoon of butter in a large skillet and toss in 2 cups of the mixed nuts, three tablespoons of sugar, two tablespoons of coarsely chopped fresh rosemary, and two tablespoons of orange zest (most of a good sized-orange.  If you have a microplane zester, this will take you about 90 seconds tops).  Stir the whole thing around just until the sugar is melted and everything is well-combined, which will take about 2 minutes.

Now pour the whole thing onto a piece of parchment paper or non-stick foil and let it cool.  That's it...and just WAIT until you taste them.  Sweet and salty and rosemary and orange and completely addictive.  Try 'em!

Buttered Rosemary Orange Nuts, adapted from Real Simple

• 2 cups salted mixed nuts
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 3 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh rosemary
• 2 tablespoons orange zest

1. Melt about butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  When melted add the mixed nuts, sugar, rosemary, and  orange zest.  Stir just until the sugar is melted and everything is well-combined, which will take about 2 minutes.  

2. Pour onto a piece of parchment paper or nonstick foil and let cool before serving.  This will keep for at least a week...if it lasts that long!

Click here for printable recipe

Mixed Nut Vanilla Brittle

OK, our week of Gifts from the Kitchen continues with this super-easy brittle that I pretty much adore for two reasons: you make it in the microwave, not on the stove, and there is no candy thermometer required. I actually do own a candy thermometer, but I'm a little afraid of it. I only have a dim sense of what things like the "soft crack" stage is, and usually anything with terminology like that is enough to make me move on to something safer, like chocolate chip cookies. But THIS particular recipe is a whole 'nother story.

You need a nice big microwave-safe bowl and a baking tray with sides. Line the baking tray with non-stick foil, and either give the foil a good spray with Pam or butter it well. Now measure out all the ingredients, including the butter and the vanilla and the baking soda, because this baby is going to go FAST at the very end.

OK! So you start by putting sugar and corn syrup in the microwave, first covering the bowl with plastic wrap and then uncovering it. That mixture is going to melt and bubble dramatically, which is exactly what we want. Now, throughout all of this, be very, very careful when taking that bowl out of the microwave - molten sugar is as hot as hot gets. Next you drop the nuts in, and nuke it one minute longer. Now comes the really fun part - drop in the butter, vanilla and baking soda, and it will literally transform before your very eyes into something that looks like liquid brittle. Now pour it FAST into the foil-lined baking sheet and spread it around with a spatula or spoon that you have cleverly sprayed ahead of time with Pam. That's it! Once you have spread it out as best you can, leave it alone on the counter for about an hour, and when you come back you will have a glorious sheet of hardened brittle.

Lift the brittle off the foil - it may be a little buttery on the bottom from the butter or Pam, and if so you can blot it with a paper towel. Now break it up into chunks, and congratulate yourself for making brittle with No Candy Thermometer. Triumph!!

Next up: Chocolate Pretzel Bites. Oh, baby.

Mixed Nut Vanilla Brittle, adapted from Southern Living

• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 12 ounces lightly salted mixed nuts
• 2 tablespoons salted butter
• 1 tablespoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. Line a large baking sheet with non-stick foil, and butter or spray with Pam.

2. Combine sugar and corn syrup in large microwave safe bowl, stir well and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 4 minutes. Carefully uncover and microwave for an additional 8 minutes.

3. Carefully stir in nuts and microwave for 1 more minute.

4. Working quickly, stir in butter, baking soda and vanilla. Quickly pour into foil-lined pan, spreading to edges with a spoon or spatula that is sprayed with Pam.

5. Cool in pan on countertop. Once fully hardened (about 30-60 minutes) break into pieces.

Click here for printable recipe

Chocolate Nut Clusters

It's that time of year again!  We are racing around shopping, wrapping, decorating, making our lists and checking them twice.  And if you are like me, either cooking, getting ready to cook, making notes about what to cook, or cleaning up after the cooking.  My kitchen and I have our closest relationship at this time of the year, and even though it is EXHAUSTING at times, I do pretty much love it.

And one of the things I like most is making things that I can give as holiday gifts,  things that are sweet and salty and just a little bit decadent.  And at this time of the year, if they are easy and reliable, that's a gift to ME as well.  So while I usually try and make my weekly blog posts a well-balanced mixture of main dishes and sides and desserts, this week we are going to have a steady diet of sweet treats, all of which are easy and scrumptious and just right for popping in a pretty bag with a ribbon and handing over to someone you love.  Ready?

Here's the first and probably the easiest one - this one will be ready to wrap in about 30 minutes from start to finish.  It's a sinfully good, completely addictive nut bark made with (and this is the full list of ingredients): mixed nuts, semi-sweet chocolate and sea salt.  Yep, those three ingredients are the only things standing between you and one more gift checked off your list.  Here's the deal:  Spread out 2 cups of salted mixed nuts on a baking sheet lined with parchment or no-stick foil.  Now pour six  ounces of semi-sweet chocolate chips into a bowl and microwave them for 30 second increments, stirring after each 30 seconds, until they are smooth and melted.  (This took me 90 seconds with my microwave).  

Once your chocolate is nice and smooth, scoop it into a ziplock bag.  Cut the teeniest bit you can off of one of the bottom corners of the bag, and squeeze the melted chocolate down towards that corner.  You have now made yourself a pastry bag!  Now squeeze the chocolate out of that opening into lovely little drizzles all over the nuts, making sure you cover all of them with at least a little chocolate.

Now take just a little sea salt - about 1/2 teaspoon is plenty - and sprinkle it lightly over the chocolate nuts.  Make sure you use sea salt and not regular table salt, which will be too intense-tasting.  Now pop the whole thing in the fridge, and in about 20 minutes it will be hardened enough for you to break into glorious little chunks.

Now all you have to do is summon the willpower not to eat all of it before you package it up for that lucky someone.

Mixed Nut Vanilla Brittle coming next so stay tuned!

Chocolate Nut Clusters, adapted from Real Simple

• 2 cups mixed nuts
• 6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate (I used Ghiradelli morsels)
• Sea salt

1. Spread nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

2. Pour chocolate chips into a bowl and microwave them for 30 second increments, stirring after each 30 seconds, until they are smooth and melted. 

3. Spoon melted chocolate into a ziplock bag. Snip off of one of the bottom corners of the bag, and squeeze the melted chocolate down towards that corner. Squeeze the chocolate out of that opening into lovely little drizzles all over the nuts, making sure you cover all of them with at least a little chocolate.

4. Take just a little sea salt - about 1/2 teaspoon is plenty - and sprinkle it lightly over the chocolate nuts.  Make sure you use sea salt and not regular table salt, which will be too intense-tasting.  

5. Put the tray in the fridge for about 30 minutes or until chocolate is hardened.  Break into chunks.

Click here for printable recipe

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars

I love granola bars. I especially love those ones that come two to a pack - the crunchy oats and honey ones? I always try and tell myself that I am being so healthy, but I know in my heart of hearts that I am really just eating a couple of nice crunchy cookies. Just keeping it real.

However, that doesn't keep me from eating them, and so I was happy to discover this recipe for homemade granola bars on CHOW (and if you don't know this very fun foodie website, you should check it out). Not only does this recipe make pretty great granola bars, but it is a great way to use up those odds and ends of nuts and raisins and seeds and perhaps even chocolate chips that are hanging around in almost-empty bags in your cupboard. If you are anything like me.

The trick with this recipe is to cut up them up into bars while they are still warm, so they don't harden into crunchiness and then break into a million pieces when you try to slice them up. I learned this lesson the hard way when I made my cashew brittle chunks. Give the tray about 10 or 15 minutes on the cooling rack once you take it out of the oven and then cut them into bars or squares or whatever you like. (I like bars, but that's just me.)

Here's the super-easy recipe.

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars, adapted from CHOW

Combine 3 cups rolled oats, 4 cups assorted mix-ins (nuts, dried fruit, chocolate chips, dried coconut, wheat germ, or whatever similar ingredients you have on hand), , 1/8 cup of molasses, and a can of sweetened condensed milk. Press into a greased pan and bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is lightly browned. Cool on a rack and cut after about 10-15 minutes.

Click here for printable recipe