A Lovely Day in Brooklyn

Saturday was such a sunny and (fairly) warm day so we decided to spend it in Brooklyn! We started our afternoon at Smorgasburg, a weekend outdoor food flea market in Williamsburg with almost 100 different vendors selling all sorts of delectable food and beverages. Since we hadn't eaten anything beforehand, we were super hungry and ready to eat! We started with fries at Home Frite that had been mixed with truffle oil, parmesan and parsley, with a lemon aioli for dipping. The fries were thick cut, perfectly seasoned with a fresh citrus flavor from the aioli. Next up was a small slider size brisket sandwich and pulled pork sandwich from Mighty Quinn's, a BBQ restaurant in the East Village. The pulled pork was really good, but the brisket was awesome. The meat just melted in your mouth, with the right amount of fat and flavor. We can't wait to actually go the restaurant now! Last stop was at Oaxaca, where I picked up two tacos, one with pork carnitas and the other with ceviche. Both were really fresh, with a nice kick of spice and acid from the lime. We made some good choices, ending with a refreshing beer in the beer garden at the center of the space.

As we were heading to our next destination, we had a lucky discovery that OddFellows Ice Cream was on our way! I have been wanting to try their ice cream as they are known for having for creative and wacky flavor combinations. We had a double scoop of burnt marshmallow and the big winner, miso cherry. The miso was very prominent, but not too overpowering, and the macerated cherries added the right amount of sweet and tart. I could eat that flavor of ice cream every day - trust me, I'm not joking.

Our next destination was Radegast Beer Hall, where we had several German beers - hey, we're just doing research for our trip to Europe in the fall! Some friends met us there and we hung around for awhile longer and enjoyed a pretzel because it was National Pretzel Day after all!

Our last stop, and the one I had been waiting for all day, was at a fairly new restaurant called Emily in Clinton Hill. I was drawn to it, of course, by the name, and was even more excited when I heard really great reviews! They are predominantly a pizza place, but also have some pasta dishes and sides/appetizers as well. We ordered the Emily and the Matt pizzas, of which we both agreed the Emily was the clear favorite. Loaded with mozzarella, truffles, pistachios and honey, it was the perfect balance of sweet, savory, salty and earthy. I would go back solely for that pizza. We also had the opportunity to meet one of the owners, Emily, which was a really nice treat!

I can't wait for another fun Brooklyn day, especially as the weather continues to warm up. Where are your favorite places in Brooklyn? Let me know so I can check them out this summer!

Chocolate Banana Smoothie

I have a major sweet tooth that I'm constantly trying to satisfy. I pretty much always want ice cream, Pinkberry, chocolate, cookies...the list could go on and on. My craving always seems to kick in right after dinner and it's hard to say no! There are so many times when I'm asking Matt if we can go for a late night Pinkberry run. It's semi healthy, right? I just keep telling myself that to justify it. 

I've been on the search for some healthier recipes so that I'm not constantly consuming tubs of ice cream and boxes of cookies. Easier said than done, but I found a great chocolate banana smoothie recipe that really satisfies my late night craving. It's so easy to make with only three ingredients - bananas, cocoa powder and almond milk. What's easier than that?

I had a bit of a chocolate smoothie explosion.

I prefer freezing my fruit instead of using ice cubes in my smoothies, just because I think it makes for a smoother, more creamy frozen drink. We have a fruit stand guy right near our apartment where he sells fruit and veggies for much cheaper than what you'd pay for in the grocery store. I usually buy strawberries and bananas from him, chop them up, and freeze them. My go-to smoothie is strawberry banana because it's so simple and delicious. I recently added some plain Greek yogurt to it and it made it a million times better. Delicious!

I've made this smoothie a few times now and have tried it both ways - with fresh bananas and ice and with just frozen bananas. I definitely prefer it with the frozen bananas because it does come out a lot more smooth, instead of having the slight icy texture to it. There's another smoothie that I recently found that I want to make soon with raspberries, peanut butter and plain Greek yogurt. Let the smoothie search begin!

Thai Tea Ice Cream

Now that I have my ice cream maker, I keep dreaming up different flavors that might have some potential (or really won't) to taste delicious. Avocado? It's creamy so why not. Beets? A bit more questionable. Curry? I may have been watching Chopped tonight when red curry paste was one of the mystery dessert ingredients. 

My list could go on and on, but a lot of the time, my ice cream ideas come from one of my favorite beverages - tea! The options are never-ending - chai, matcha, jasmine, earl grey...I could keep going, but then you'd probably stop reading. All of this rambling brings to me to the point of this post - the most recent batch of ice cream I made! Thai tea ice cream. Doesn't that just sound delicious? The ice cream seriously tastes just like the drink, probably because all of the ingredients are more or less exactly the same.

While I was steeping the tea leaves (which I purchased at least six months ago if not more from a wholesale Thai store in Chelsea Market), next thing I knew my hands were bright orange. Be warned! As soon as the leaves mix with the milk, you've got a bright orange mixture that will stain anything in its path.

Despite the orange hands, this ice cream turned out just the way I was hoping, tasting just like the delicious beverage I can't help but order every time I go to a Thai restaurant. Matt and I ate all of it in one sitting. I only made a quart, but it really didn't seem like that much ice cream. Maybe the container I bought to store it in the freezer is just deceiving me into thinking there isn't much there...

Oh! I forgot to mention that I had used my ice cream maker a few weeks ago to make grapefruit tarragon sorbet. The pictures were less than exciting and the flavor was...interesting. I'm not sure tarragon is the best herb to use in frozen treats, but it was a fun experiment to try! It was just weird enough that I had to know what it tasted like. I think I'll stick to just grapefruit next time. On to the next frozen treat! I'm thinking match ice cream is next on my list!

Date Night: Mexican Food and Pottery

My husband and I try to have date night at least once a month, which is sometimes easier said than done. But we did it this month! Last Thursday, we made the trek out to Williamsburg after work for dinner and painting pottery (and some ice cream, of course). I'm not too familiar with restaurants in Williamsburg since we don't venture out of the city too often, but good reviews and the convenient location to the pottery place made a winning combination. 

Dinner at Cantina Royal was a quirky Mexican dining experience and we both agreed that we want to go back as there were dishes we were very intrigued by, but couldn't eat them all! When we first walked in, the server was really friendly and let us choose where we wanted to sit (there was only one other couple in the small restaurant). Once we were seated, I started to look around at the decor. This is one of those places were all of the pieces individually clash with one another, but together they just happen to work. From the giant crystal chandelier to the giant pictures of galaxies to the showcasing of liquor bottles and electrical equipment on the walls, it was a fun atmosphere.

We started with guacamole and chips. The guacamole was really well seasoned, but had a bit too much red onion so it left that raw onion taste in your mouth. The tortilla chips were crispy and salty, just the way I like them.

We decided to have drinks (hey, it's date night after all!), sticking with the Mexican theme and ordering margaritas. Matt had the margarita tradicional and I had the cucumber margarita (based on our server's recommendation). It was delicious! I've only had a handful of cucumber based cocktails, but this one was so refreshing. I drank it slowly just so I could savor every sip.

For our main dishes, Matt ordered La Mission, which is a fish filet with jalapeño cilantro mayo dressing, pico de gallo and a flour tortilla. Despite being a small portion, the dish was excellent. The pico de gallo was incredibly flavorful and a great compliment to the fish (which was fishy, but not too much to overpower the other flavors). 

I ordered Enchiladas De Mole Chocolate, three chicken enchiladas covered in mole sauce made using Mast Brothers Chocolate with a side of rice and refried beans. This was my first time having mole so I don't have anything to compare it to, but the mole sauce left something to be desired. When I first took a bite, I tasted a subtle chocolate flavor combined with a variety of spices, but it quickly faded as I began to taste the flour tortilla and chicken within the enchilada. A bolder sauce with more depth of flavor would make this dish great. The rice was so fluffy and I loved the pieces of corn and carrot incorporated throughout. I honestly felt like the rice was my favorite part of the meal, with just the right texture and flavor. The refried beans were so creamy (and I'm not a bean fan in the least) and well seasoned, topped with some crumbled Mexican cheese. 

As we were leaving, the other server (who we actually think is the owner as he was watching over the restaurant throughout the night) came over and gave us each a shot of tequila complements of the chef. It was a really nice touch to end the meal and gave us a little buzz to head over to the pottery place! I can't wait to try the octopus BLT, Mexican pork ribs, and salsa sampler next time.

The second half of date night was painting pottery at Baked in Brooklyn. You choose a piece of pre-made pottery and they provide all of the paint and supplies to create whatever design you choose. Since I'm avid tea drinker, I went for the teacup and saucer. Matt wasn't sure what he wanted to paint so he let me choose. I went with a serving bowl since we can actually use it at home, as opposed to the Angry Birds bank that will just sit there collecting dust (although it was quite cute!). The studio is also BYOB so we enjoyed a few beers while painting. Although our pieces haven't been fired in the kiln yet to get the full effect, here they are!

Matt's masterpiece - serving bowl

My masterpiece - teacup and saucer

On our walk back to the subway, I hinted at getting some ice cream from a shop I saw on our way to the restaurant (I'm always keeping my eye out for dessert!). We stopped at Williamsburg Creamery and shared a cone of the chocolate cabernet wine ice cream. It was creamy, rich in chocolate with a subtle wine flavor that gave a bit of a kick at the end of each lick. Another frozen treat to check of my list - boozy ice cream!

Overall, date night was a great success! We don't try a lot of new restaurants, primarily because we tend to get stuck in a rut with the places we know we like, but it was really nice trying something different and delicious. We both have a bit of a creative streak, so it was nice to get some arts and craft time in (especially when you pair it with beer!). Here's to our next date night!

Springtime and the Frozen Treats are Fine!

Finally, the beautiful spring weather is here! I can't believe we hit 80 degrees today - I only had to wear a cardigan over my dress today. Speaking of my dress, I love love love it. I just bought it a few weeks ago at Loft and the second I put it on, I knew I had to get it. It just fit like a glove and I felt so pretty.

Back to the beautiful weather. I'm a lover of all things sweet, especially frozen treats. The warm weather only makes me want to eat ice cream/custard/frozen yogurt/anything cold and delicious all the time. So after looking at endless recipes and seeing many for frozen desserts, I figured, why not do it myself? So the exciting news for Tuesday is that I am now the official owner of an ice cream maker (well in two days when it gets here)!

I can't wait for all of the concoctions that will be produced with this beautiful machine! In preparation for the arrival of my newest kitchen gadget, here are a few of the recipes I can't wait to make:

1. Pink Grapefruit Tarragon Sorbet - I can only imagine the tart and herb combination will be delicious
2. Grapefruit Sorbet - Only two ingredients to make? You can't go wrong with that
3. Basil Chip Ice Cream - I love basil and choclate so this sounds like a delightful duo to pair together
4. Peach and Honey Frozen Yogurt - I can't wait for peaches to be in season so I can make this! I've had fresh peach ice cream once so it'll be great to make my own variation
5. Coffee Ice Cream - I've become much more a coffee drinker since living in New York so why not turn it into ice cream?
6. Thai Iced Tea Ice Cream - One of my favorite drinks is Thai iced tea - I even bought a bag of the Thai tea leaves awhile ago and yet to use them so this seems like a great opportunity

Bring on the frozen sweet treats in my very near future!