Birthday Bites

You may have noticed that I'm fond of the edible birthday. It's true. I hardly need gifts anymore. Just feed me.

This year's birthday was another good excuse for eating with friends. I was surprised (truly surprised) by a birthday brunch of some favorites from Pies 'n' Thighs -- chicken and waffles, chicken biscuits, and a doughnut "cake." What you see above are the delicious, delicious remains of that party. Thanks, friends!




Because I didn't have time to bake myself a cake to share with family and friends, Dan brought home "cookie pies" from The Blue Stove. One was chocolate chip, one chocolate crinkle, and one snickerdoodle.  Happy Birthday to me! We shared two after dinner and had one with breakfast the next morning. Frankly, I liked them better than traditional whoopie pies, though they had a little too much cream filling (event for my taste) in their middles.

My favorite almost-four-year-old also helped her mom bake me a "proper" birthday cake the next night.  It was lemony and rich (not pictured). We all enjoyed large pieces with whipped cream. I probably need the recipe.



Finally, on a whim, I bought myself a package of these limited edition Birthday Cake Oreos. Don't you hate it when the store is out of classic Double Stuf? It leads me to all sorts of wild experimentation. Anyway, Happy Birthday, Oreos (their 100th birthday is TODAY!), but I really didn't like the Birthday Cake flavor much. I have a sweet tooth, but MAN, are they ever sweet. And Dan was out of the country during the week that followed my birthday, so I was forced to eat them all myself. Total Oreo-filling-plus-weird-sprinkle-pieces overload. But I managed. I nearly always do.
 
I miss you, Double Stuf!! You're my true birthday wish. Be back in stock soon!

------

Shower Power!

Jeff and Michelle are having a baby (they beat me to it).  I felt privileged to attend one of their baby showers last weekend -- and not just because the food served there was excellent.



But it was.







The party was held in the back room of, and catered by, a charming local bar called The Richardson.  They laid out a great spread of grilled sandwiches/panini, veggies, pickles, cheese, deviled eggs, pretzels, and meats.



I believe I ate quite a bit. 





Seriously intense, moist, and attractive cupcakes (chocolate, vanilla, red velvet, and carrot cake) were provided by another local favorite shop, The Blue Stove.

Congratulations, Jeff and Michelle!  And thanks (also to Jeff's mom, who hosted) for the party!

Birthdays at Bars

Chocolate Bourbon Birthday!

Two charming friends had birthday celebrations over the weekend.  The weather was hot and steamy here in Brooklyn, so I appreciated that both get-togethers took place at bars with outdoor spaces.

James' birthday soiree happened at The Woods.  The bar's outdoor space is large and there's a mighty fine taco truck parked out back.  This worked to my advantage, as a delicious dinner was one of my goals for the evening.  Dan had an asparagus taco and a chicken taco  ($2.50 each).  I had a chicken burrito filled with chicken, rice, corn, verde salsa, and beans ($5).  Nice.

We also enjoyed reading the geopolitical equations someone had written on our table with black marker:



My favorite, not pictured here, said "USA - Australia = Jesus Camp."  While I doubt the scribe of this sentiment really knew what he/she was talking about, I like the idea that she/he was thinking  a good dose of Australian values is the only thing keeping the U.S. from becoming one big Jesus Camp (a fine documentary, by the way).

I wasn't drinking much at the Woods, but I was talked into trying a "pickle back."  This is a shot of whiskey (often Jameson) followed by a shot of pickle brine.  Now, I love pickles and had no problem thinking about drinking the pickle juice.  The whiskey was what worried me.  But I found that once I took the plunge everything was just fine.  The pickle flavor wiped any bitter alcohol away.  I felt refreshed and ready for more.  This could be a dangerous drink for me!



The second birthday gathering I attended this past weekend was Kelly's.  She celebrated with a "day drinking" session at Spuyten Duyvil.  We enjoyed plates of cheese, pickles, and olives from the bar.  I drink a sparklng wine from Juve y Camps and a (non-alcoholic) ginger beer.  But the highlight of that afternoon was snacking on segments of mini chocolate bourbon bundt cakes from The Blue Stove.  They're quite a deal at $3 each, tasting moist and sweet like cake and frosting all swirled into one.

More summer birthdays, please!

PopLab and Potluck

Here's where you go to buy the meat bread to take to a potluck lunch.  Vegetarians, fear not!  I also bought blueberries.

A few weekends ago, pepperoni and cheese "meat bread" in hand, I attended the inaugural PopLab event, held at Judson Memorial Church.  This was a (free) day-long interactive seminar or creative think-tank of sorts, in which participants explored our pasts, presents and futures in small groups -- through the lenses and intersections of faith, culture, politics, and activism.

Here is part of how the event was described by the founders:

Ever ask yourself why the progressive left doesn't do a better job at capturing America's political imagination?
Ever reflect on why life is so interesting and yet church can be so boring?

PopLab is the place for you.  Join us Saturday, April 10th for a creative workshop/retreat.  Join us for socializing, discussion, brainstorming games, and food. (Yes, FOOD.)  Our primary agenda is a very laid back one: reconnecting, free-associating, and talking smack about the future, progressive politics, and making a scene in order to make a point.  Maybe there's a more interesting (or just more fun) way to develop our collective voice and build the kind of future we all dream of?

Also: it was always our intention to have this be the first meeting of an ongoing conversation, a kind of "artistic and political think-tank for populist theology," so if you can't make it on the 10th, but want to be in the loop on what grows out of this, please let us know.  And please feel free to email us with any questions, concerns, or ideas...

You see how "FOOD" is written in all caps in the text above?  That certainly captured my attention.  And, yeah, the rest of it was intriguing, too.  I made sure to attend.

This first event was themed loosely around the idea of "superheroes," and all that might imply/encompass.  Over the course of the event, we were asked to answer the following questions on paper and in person:

• When was the first time you can remember being politically “activated,” (however you define this)? 
• What was your earliest moment of insight (or inspiration) in regards to the spirit, God, or religion (for or against, however you define this)? 
• What was the first time you can remember being truly moved by a work of art?  Could be a book, play, song, or painting, but what was it? 
• Name one superhero you have personally known.  Imagine what his/her icon might be.

• Where are you most “hooked” politically?  What are the issues that motivate you?  Wherever possible, push yourself to ask “what am I for?” 
• What are your spiritual values (however you define that), and how do they manifest themselves (or not manifest themselves) in your life today? 
• Give an example of artistic expression that truly moves you today.  This could be a song that’s stuck in your head, a movie you saw, or something you are creating yourself. 
• What is the greatest living super villain of our times?  And what might his/her icon be?

• What next step do you see yourself taking to actualize your ideal political future? 
• What action do you see yourself taking in your ongoing spiritual evolution? 
• What creative endeavor are looking forward to most?  Is it yours?  Is it someone else’s? 
• Describe what kind of super hero you’ll be, along with one element of your costume.

Have any answers in mind?  Much discussion ensued, to say the least.  At the end of it all, I found the day challenging, exciting, fascinating, inspiring, and delicious.  And just what was so delicious? Why, that aforementioned FOOD.  We enjoyed a buffet breakfast and outrageous potluck lunch.  Take a gander:


A welcoming breakfast table.  I committed one misstep and drowned my blueberry green tea bag (brought from home) in coffee.  I thought it was a hot water urn!  Strange as it might seem, I sometimes forget people drink coffee.


What to do when your breakfast clashes with your pants?  Eat quickly.  Also, I think it was Suresh who found the sea salt in the kitchen closet.  A thousand blessings upon him!  A little salt makes tomato slices so much more divine.


Incredibly incredible potluck spread.  Ah, deviled eggs.  How you bedevil me.


Grainy phone photo spotlight on my meaty meat bread.


My delightful lunch.

-------

I'm looking forward to future soul-searching, stomach-filling installments of PopLab.  If you're in NYC and you'd like to know when the next one happens, just comment below.  I'll make sure you get all the details.

-------

BabyCakes, meet Baby Cakes

BabyCakes vegan bakery's Banana Bread





Baby Cakes by Brad Neely, Creased Comics (watch 'em all!)

Breakfast of Cham-peens.

(Chocolate Macaroon by A-Roma Bakery)

When room temperature is over 80 degrees Fahrenheit, an unrefrigerated chocolate macaroon is a transcendent experience.


Still, that was more chewing than I really wanted to do.

Who's that girl eating bacon while weeping?

I don't want to admit it, but I guess I officially eat pork again. I've been in denial. I don't eat pork. I just taste it. And only in little pieces, mostly cured or dried. But for about a year now I've just been tasting a little prosciutto here, a little bacon there...and then a little more sopressata here, a little more salami there... *sigh*

In many ways, I really wish I could be a vegetarian, guys. I do. There are so many things wrong with the meat industry, so many cruelties practiced on animals. But then, on the other hand, I just wish I could merrily eat meat without guilt. Alas. I have not the willpower for either choice.

I am not (obviously) and have not ever been a vegetarian. Never made it. I stopped eating beef and pork in high school after reading The More with Less Cookbook, which describes how inefficiently our world consumes its grains through animals, as well as how much more easily we could feed the poor if we all ate less meat and tougher cuts of meat. I decided to eat as much "less meat" as I personally could, but I couldn't manage to cut out poultry or seafood ( I love dairy so much that veganism was clearly out of the everlovin' question).

I do try to eat meat in a manner as ethical and sustainable as I can afford, but I know that's cold comfort to the passionate vegans and vegetarians out there.

Anyway, clearly I would be dealing with some issues when Paul brought me a ham-inclusive Korean breakfast sandwich one afternoon last week. He said, "Would you eat some pork?" And in truth, I would. And I do. Plus, I love trying new things -- especially if they're from cultures other than my own. That's part of the reason I started eating pork again (still working up to beef). I would like to be a respectful world traveler, able to eat with the natives without too much fuss.

Back to the breakfast sandwich. I'm glad I didn't miss out on it. The moderately-sized beauty had a nice, light, chewy bun or roll surrounding a kind of ham salad with ham, mayo, peas, cheese, and perhaps some onion. I couldn't identify all of the ingredients. It was tasty. And seasoned perfectly -- no extra salt or pepper needed. The mayonnaise was tangy and a little sweet. It beat the pants off of "egg on a roll," a classic NYC breakfast I still don't understand (or want).





Later, Paul brought by half of a mashed potato doughnut from the same bakery (info below). It had peas and carrots mixed into the potato and was better seasoned than any knish I have ever tasted. Paul called it a "New World Samosa." There was just a bit of sugary doughnut sweetness in my last bite. I liked this one a lot, too. Even better, no meat = no liberal guilt to end my tasting. Sweet.

Now that I know where these came from, I hope more Korean breakfasts are in my future -- even if my choice of pastries involves the guilt-inducing specter of ham. But I do want to note that, while I won't hyperventilate if the sandwiches have a little meat in them, I'm going right back to my, "as little meat, as responsibly chosen as possible" diet in my day-to-day life. I may have issues, but at least I'm aware of them, right? Right?



from Koryodang Bakery
31 West 32nd Street
between Broadway and 5th Avenue.
p.s. Paul says they have delicious green tea cake here, too!

Daily at Your Door

Dan and I are in Los Angeles. We're staying in Culver City, where the historic Helms Bakery, home of the official bakers of the 1932 Olympics, is now a gigantic furniture store.



The old building has numerous decorative elements on its walls. My favorite was this seal celebrating "Scientific Baking."



I like Culver City even though I haven't been able to compare it with other cities in this metropolitan sprawl. I have experienced that, unlike much of the rest of LA, it is possible to see a lot of this area on foot. There are sidewalks and everything! And like much of the rest of LA, or so it seems from my research, food and the promise of food can be found around every corner. Both of these factors have made Culver City perfect for this particular trip. So far, we remain car-less and well-fed. I don't mind either situation.

Poetry Tuesday: 1926 Jazz Stove

Grandma's blue stove's in The Blue Stove now
Bopbop be diddle. Ba-daaaaaaaaaaa dow!
And coal or wood'll burn your pants
If you give it half a chance
Now fridge cold, its ghosts still dance.
Skiddly, askiddly, skadiddly pow!

Crinkle cookies melt with grace,
Go brownie soft inside your face,
And oatmeal raisin - it ain't dry
Hearts soar; mouths smile; tongues do fly.
They do fly.

da da da da da da pyoooooo!

Two dollars buys you a coffee
Two dollar cider, that too - sha SHA!
Mustabeenhot, littlegramma -
She was. For pies. For cakes. For mygoodgoshsakes
that hot little stove colored blue.
Even COLD it can do.

be-da ba-da-ba ba-doo....




[The Blue Stove opened last Friday. Corner of Withers and Graham. Dee dop a wow.]

Peanut Butter and Parrot

We picked up some treats from Pittsburgh's Allegro Hearth Bakery -"Crusty European Breads" - at 2034 Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill.

I felt right at home - the woman behind the counter even used to live in my neck of Brooklyn. Then again, I never have found myself feeling out of place as long as I'm surrounded by baked goods.

Above, Roscoe looks on as we prepare to sample our haul: a lemon bar, a pumpkin pie bar, 2 peanut butter and chocolate cupcake-shaped items (I've forgotten the official name), and one chocolate "petite four" (which also had a longer name).



My personal favorite - and the treat that started our avalanche of purchases - was the petite four, which had ribbons of thick chocolate frosting on top of alternating moist chocolate cake and whipped cream layers. It was like a homemade Zinger. Brilliant!

The cupcake-shaped items had the consistency of dense brownies or thick but soft peanut butter cookies. They weren't cakey or light like cupcakes at all, but the peanut butter flavor ruled and they were not too sugary. The pumpkin pie bar was a good concept, executed tastily and well-spiced while still being subtle, and a sweet-tart lemon bar is always classic.

Desserts aside, they also sliced and sold us a swell loaf of sourdough bread, perhaps my favorite sort of bread. Another winner, the sourdough has an open, lacy crumb and zingy flavor.