Consolation Cupcakes

I interrupt the NY posts (all one of them so far) to tell you about some cupcakes. There was a day last week when what were planned to be celebration cupcakes turned into consolation cupcakes. And I tell you, consolation has never tasted so sweet. I used Ina Garten's recipe again (it's just so good!) and then dipped the tops in a simple ganache. It was the perfect balance. The cupcakes are sturdy-- not dense or dry, but they are just substantial. The tops even have a type of crust, and that's actually what I love. They don't crumble or fall apart, yet they are still moist and delicate. (And, as a batter-eater, I can tell you, it is worth licking the beaters.) But because the cupcakes could stand on their own, they don't need copious amounts of intensely sugared frosting. A light coating of ganache is just enough to make them interesting and indulgent. The ganache was easy enough: I used semi-sweet chocolate chips and some half and half (leftover from making dutch babies). Fill a little dish with the chips then heat the half and half (or cream or whole milk, but let's be honest, I've even used skim milk in a pinch) in the microwave until it is very hot and very steamy. Then poor it over the chocolate-- just enough to not quite cover all the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute or two before using a fork or whisk to slowly bring it all together. Dip some freshly baked cupcakes in it, and there you have it: consolation on a dish.

NYC Take One: In Which We Vow to Never Take a Rush Hour Bus Again

Instead of one long post detailing every moment and morsel of NYC, I'm going to break it up into pieces. So here we are, part one!
After dropping Bria off at her cousins' house, driving to and parking in Bethesda, taking the metro to DC, and meeting Sam at Union Station, we sprinted through rain to catch our bus to NYC leaving at 4:30. Now let's think this through: 4:30. On a Friday. In the rain. All of this led to a 6.5 hour bus ride to New York. We weren't particularly thrilled-- especially when the wifi didn't work the entire ride. I think we'll try Bolt bus next time.
Anyway, we arrived in the Big Apple at 11 pm and were absolutely famished (note to selves, bring heftier snacks on the bus). We thought about just grabbing something quick and easy, but I stuck to my guns: we had very few meals in NYC, and I wanted to make each one count. We had originally planned to eat at the Burger Joint, so we mapped it on our iphones and hoped it would be a quick subway trip to Midtown, which it was.
The Burger Joint is this little place inside a fancy hotel. Le Parker Meridien bought the space and tried to buy out the Burger Joint, but they wouldn't leave. They had to take down all signage and advertising, but they are still going strong! You have to walk into the luxury hotel, past the fancy concierge and then disappear down a tiny hallway. A tiny neon burger on the wall points the way behind a curtain, and you have a tiny little burger place full of hipsters.
When you combine our level of hunger with the quality of the burgers, you have one tasty meal. We scarfed it down in record time. The burgers were substantial (I couldn't finish my last bite), and we even splurged on a chocolate shake that was out of this world. We sneaked a couple shots before the girl at the register yelled "NO PICTURES!" at me and I tried to play it cool while I turned beet red. (So much for trying to get a picture of the two of us!)
I may have felt sick the rest of the weekend from my red-meat indulgence, but it was totally worth it. So glad we didn't scratch our plan just because of our late bus. A perfect start for the weekend!

In Which I Only Met Half My Goal

I have a loooong New York post brewing (Sam and I went to New York for my birthday!), but being married to someone who works in film means there is a very, oh, particular way I'm supposed to organize files on our computer, meaning I haven't even learned how to upload pictures from our fancy new camera yet, so you'll have to be patient. Until then, I have a (completely non-food-related) book list.
My sister-in-law Rachel read 365 books last year (really!), and it inspired me to read more. I read a ton the year after Bria was born, because, well, I didn't really have anything to do. But then things got slightly busier, and I just haven't been in the habit of reading like I used to. So sometime last year I decided I wanted to read 25 books when I was 25. Not a lofty goal, sure, but more than I was used to and totally doable. But I didn't do it. I blame it on two really long books (and a little laziness), but whatever. So it may not be 25, but here is the list of books I read in my 25th year. (And I am aiming for 26 books this year, and I think I have a better shot this time around.)
**Also, disclaimer: This is not a book recommendation list. I never recommend books because I know too many people who would probably be offended by my love of postmodern literature. So take from that what you will.

1. The Hunger Games
2. Catching Fire
3. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
4. The Glass Castle
5. The Time Traveler's Wife
6. When You Are Engulfed in Flames
7. A Brave New World
8. Mockingjay
9. Pillars of the Earth
10. Revolutionary Road
11. Rich Dad, Poor Dad
12. Stress Free Potty Training
13. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay

I have linked all the books to Goodreads, so if you're curious about my specific ratings for each book, you can check them out there. It's actually pretty difficult to pick my favorite book. I might say Hunger Games just because it was so exciting, thrilling, and captivating that I read it straight over two days. I was absolutely floored by the quality of writing in Revolutionary Road as well as Kavalier and Clay. I do recommend The Glass Castle to almost anyone, and The Pillars of the Earth is the longest book I've ever read or care to read again.
I am starting the year off with Bossypants by Tina Fey, which is making me laugh my socks off. That woman is a comedic genius. As for the rest of the year, I have a long and ever-growing list of books to read, but I always accept recommendations. So now please tell me books you love!

Ebel what? Ebelskiver.

The first time I heard of ebelskivers was when I worked at Williams-Sonoma during Christmas a couple years ago. Those pans have been haunting my food dreams ever since. I mean, let's just think about this for a minute: a small, hand-held pancake filled with the confections of your wildest dreams. So a couple weeks ago, Hannah suggested she and Rob come over to make them, and the answer was a clear and resounding YES. a thousand times, yes.
I made some bacon and eggs just to counter the incredible and copious sugar intake, but the true stars were Hannah and Rob. They slaved away at the stove, crafting the skivers, delivering batches for our immediate consumption. The balls of joy were full of various concoctions of jams, cheeses, BACON, apples, carmel, chocolate, and nutella-- the last of which was the (obvious) winner in my book. If you are the lucky owner of an ebelskiver pan, I do highly recommend the bacon (possibly dipped in maple syrup). I also highly recommend inviting me over to help you eat any ebelskivers you happen to make.

give me all the bacon and eggs that you have

Last weekend Sam, Bria, and I wandered around Old Town before meeting some friends at BGR. It's always a delight to wander down King Street and see this friendly face in one of (yes, one of) the wig shops.
I used to refer to him as Burt Reynolds or John Stossel, but I haven't been to see him since Sam and I started watching Parks & Recreation last fall. So, imagine my delight when I realized the true doppelganger to our mustached monsieur.It was like a gift from the universe.

le jour d'amour

Remember when it was Valentine's Day almost two weeks ago? Well, it was actually probably the most successful V-Day thus far. We planned a night in. I made a fancy dinner, Sam made dessert, and we Netflixed Breakfast at Tiffany's (which neither of us had seen). A completely delightful, low-key, and romantic evening.
As for dinner, it was nearly everything I hoped for. I went to Whole Foods to find the nicest food I could, and I still wasn't settled on a main dish. I headed over to the fish counter and the fishmonger (I really wanted to say that-- don't know that I've ever had a reason to type it) immediately sold me on the wild Alaskan salmon. And let me tell you, it was the best decision I've made all year. I never buy salmon, and this did not disappoint. It was pricey, but nowhere near ordering it in a restaurant.
Here is an incomplete cast of characters:
The menu:
french onion soup
green salad with herbed buttermilk dressing and homemade croutons
roasted and mashed cauliflower
grilled salmon with lemons
grapefruit italian soda
and s'mores for dessert

And the ugly photo of the food all laid out.
The french onion was soup was a complete and total bust. Like, seriously, so disgusting. I have no idea what happened to it, but it tasted like oily, salty water. We each took a bite and threw the rest out. Fortunately, the rest of the food was so deliciously marvelous, it completely made up for the french onion fail.
I was so happy to make my Sandlot reference when Sam suggested s'mores for dessert via text. "Do you like s'mores?" said Sam. "S'more what?" I replied. Ha. So it wasn't the perfect set-up. I still loved it. And I rarely (if ever) think of s'mores as a treat I would like to make myself, so it was a lovely and simple and surprising. (Though, this is actually the second time in the last year I've eaten s'mores. Before that, I think it dates back to about 2001 at girls' camp.)It should be mentioned, that I also made homemade peanut butter cups, but they went unpictured. But they are every bit as mind-blowing as you could ever hope or dream.
The lesson we learned was we much prefer the low-key holiday to the hyped up craze. I also learned I want to eat salmon every day. (oh wait. I knew that already.)

Link Love

My own creativity remains in hibernation. So, try these two borrowed lovelies, which constituted our dinner tonight (it is Meatless Monday, after all):

Bran muffins. I promise they are divine.

Soup. Hearty, tasty, filling soup.