Cooking: Cherry Vanilla Granola Treats

I was hankering for a sweet snack and didn't have any yogurt to go with my cherry vanilla granola. However, I did manage to scrounge up marshmallows. A little butter in a pan and in they went! Once the marshmallows were melted, I dumped the entire bag of granola in there. To make things easier for snackage, I molded the mix into muffin tins.

I'm getting better and better at shooting my food porn, huh? I liked these a lot because they were much less air than Rice Krispies and probably better for me in the end.

Cooking Jam: 8bit bEtty - And I know that you're happy (Ballad of a lonely spaceboy) via Free Music Archive

Video: cTrix at Spike Hill

I failed to get footage of our Aussie friend, cTrix, at Emily's birthday--BUT I got him in full form at Spike Hill. Chris played over an hour to a rowdy birthday crowd celebrating Facundo's birthday. I'm mad I didn't catch it on camera, but Chris broke out a birthday song where the hook was "Everybody Get Facundo'd!" Stage dancers in full effect, too!

cTrix dropped a rework of Boys Noize's "Frau", it's pretty bangin'! Check it below:

Photo: Boro Hall Greenmarket Show N' Tell

After a whimsical bike ride downtown in my brand new contact lenses, I decided to stop by the Boro Hall Greenmarket in front of the court house. It's a tiny set up with ~5 tables, but boy, are they awesome! A nice young man offered me a sugar snap pea and told me that due to the short season, they'll only be around for two more weeks. I bought 'em. Plus, they were substantial peas! Very crunchy.

I took a sample of the red cherries and made a mess of myself, so I opted for the Rainier variety. Plus, they look like the little fruits that Yoshi eats.

I don't know why, but the mini squash made me laugh to myself. Two of them were only $1.35! I got really excited when I saw boxes of shelled peas, instinctively added a bunch of mint to my bag, too. A police man asked me about the brightly colored tubes on the counter, they're flavored honey. I recounted a story to him about the farmer's markets in California. I'd buy a bunch of them and walk around with my mom, little stick of honey hanging out of my mouth like it was a piece of straw or a very long toothpick.

I also wasn't that little girl that planned her wedding from the age of 6, BUT if I were to have a party resembling a wedding (er...again) or were tricked into getting some nuptials, I'd make the bridesmaids carry garlic scapes down the aisle. They're also in short season, so I guess at this time every year you can check if I see my shadow and suddenly am married or something.

Cooking Jam: Trash 80 - "Missing You" via Free Music Archive

Tweets This Week

I'm competing in the Grits Takedown today at the Tobacco Warehouse for the NY Food Film Festival ! Let's high five!

• I love pedaling all the way home without any red lights.
• July 25th ! THIS IS WAR ! http://ow.ly/23t3O 
• OK. FRYING UN-DREDGED GRITS IS A BAD IDEA. OUCH.
• Twinkie casserole doesn't look half bad: http://ow.ly/23nKR 
• Things my Angela says, "Rain on Tony Stark's wedding day = Irony Man." Re: "Alanis Irony"
• @Dauragon Consider me disciple from the church of Spice.
• Carrot flowers are difficult when your market carrots are all snaggley.
• Shirt is coming off. Mighty mushrooms ish hot outside.
• If you want to come support me at the Grit's Takedown on Sunday, I have a discount code for tickets! http://ow.ly/22imH
• Ethical quandary. Do you steal the t-bone steak on the counter or just make your breakfast smoothie?
• Hi, I'm in the Scott Pilgrim movie (not really) http://ow.ly/22cfd
• You, too, can build the internet! http://ow.ly/21KeN cc: @nickrbrewer
• I got a Jennifer Parks greeting card in the mail yesterday, it was a good day for mail. http://ow.ly/21DsY
• A dog tried to get fresh with me yesterday. http://ow.ly/2169L
• Alan Wake adverts + prequels, so high budget! Giving me dreams of having billboards with LSDJ tracking on the highway http://ow.ly/20Q94 

Video: prince_S at Spike Hill

prince_S trekked out from Texas to play #CNBFTW 2 / Facundo's birthday jam at Spike Hill. I love this long song, it really builds.

Video: Zen Albatross at Emily Chiptune's Birthday

Emily's cake was pretty exciting. Can you imagine calling a bakery in Long Island and asking for this?

We thought it was \m/

When it was time to light the candles, Emily stuck 16 giant taper candles into the cake and dedicated some of them to her family and really close friends. Hilarity ensued.

Zen Albatross also played a set at the party, check out the video!

Cooking: Creamy Mushroom Crostini

When I was working at a restaurant, my least favorite prep chore was cleaning and chopping the mushrooms for saute. I'd always tackle it first because it took the longest and I'd rather do the chores that I liked later. After a year of blazing through pallets of shitakes, I got to know the practice pretty well. Since my restaurant departure, the tweaked recipe has been my failsafe when people didn't know exactly what to ask me for.

The mise of shallots and garlic get thrown into a saucepan with 2 tablespoons of herbed oil. I toss it around until they're glossy. Any further will burn them as the mushrooms cook. Toss the mushrooms every couple of minutes until they release their water.

Instead of deglazing with wine, I've switched to beer and instead of finishing with another shot of herbed oil, I throw in a generous pour of heavy cream to bring it together.

 Now, the assembly! Take a herbed toast point and thin slice of hard washed rind cheese, like Appenzeller. Put it under the broiler until the cheese gets a little oil shine, don't worry about making it super melty because a spoonful of hot mushrooms will finish it for you.

Cooking Jam: 

Cooking: Grav Lox Crostini with Caviar Cream Cheese and Chevre

Holy crap, I finally went to Russ and Daughters! I always remembered seeing the dried apricots in the window on my way to Cake Shop or Mercury Lounge. And I would think, "God, I hate apricots." So my crippling aversion to apricots prevented me from really seeing what was behind those doors! Oh ! Glorious cured fish products !The things that immediately caught my eye were the house-made Grav lox and the caviar cream cheese. Oy, what a bagel that would be!

I took herbed toast points and spread caviar cream cheese on three of them (what? I ran out, do you think I'm made of money?). Chevre went on the other three slices before I delicately laid on the thin pieces of salmon. The plate was finished with shards of lemon zest. Accompanying my happy dinner was a lemony mache salad tossed with herb oil and garlic.

Cooking Jam: Bear and Walrus - "Wye, the bend" (via Bandcamp)

Restaurants: Coney Island Dessert

When I think of funnel cake, I remember that my family had season passes to Six Flags Magic Mountain when I was in high school. My parents were able to get them at a discount and we were constantly driving 25 minutes out there to ride the roller coasters. After looping around the park and finishing at the Revolution coaster, we'd stop by the bakery on our way out to get a funnel cake with strawberry jam on top. The one at Coney Island isn't nearly as satisfying, but brings back memories nonetheless.

I also tried the deep fried oreos and they were pretty disappointing. They were probably dipped in batter a long time ago and frozen until someone ordered them. The ones at Led Zeppole are far far more superior.

Well, I had to get my sugar fix somewhere! 

Coney Island Jam: failotron - "hullámzórét" via Muxtape

Restaurants: Coney Island Breakfast

I've had it in mind to visit Coney Island early on a weekday because I hate crowds. Even moreso, I hate the trek back after a long day in the sun. I got onto an F train around 9am on a Friday when people were heading off to finish their workweek. I love that part after Carroll Street when the train emerges into the sunlight and you get that amazing view of South Brooklyn. Once arrived, the stalls were still setting up and the boardwalk was sparsely occupied by photographers, bikers and a bunch of a kids wearing yellow t-shirts as part of a "fun run."

My Coney Island breakfast consisted of 6 Littleneck clams with cocktail sauce, tabasco and lemon-- shucked and separated from the shell before my eyes. I also couldn't help but order the onion rings that were obviously from a freezer box.

When I was choosing between the clams, my eyes bugged out at the giant ones that were the same price as the Littlenecks. Not sure I could swallow such a filter feeder of that size. The Littlenecks themselves were not so little. Each one was muscly and still beating when I slurped them up.

The onion rings were probably happy cousins of Funyons: more artificial flavoring and batter than onion. I wouldn't have wanted anything else while I was enjoying the sea-breeze and the...strange...Geico banner flying overhead...

Coney Island Jam: Memoryhouse - "To the Lighthouse" (Millionyoung Remix) via Pitchfork

Tweets This Week

• Not sure I liked the pea and corn gratin I made for snackies. Mmm..uh...
• Got a new keyboard, Casio CK 500 http://drummachinedatingservice.info/
• Your party was pretty ok, Rachael Ray.
• Wishing Dad DLV a happy birth---er..Father's day. http://bln.gs/b/1vbfcl cc: @MrDLV , suck on that one, brother!
• Wot! RT @SuzanEraslan: OH MY GOD, THEY ARE OPENING A SHAKE SHACK 2 BLOCKS FROM @TheTankNYC. #psa #immagetfat
• Spent the day at the beach, BEING AWESOMEEEE http://twitpic.com/1y03g1
• Conducting some research at the beach. Yes, research.
• Ang and I made hollandaise for white asparagus to go with our lemon zested roasted squash and garlic scapes.
• Heard an Aberfeldy song in a life insurance commercial last night! Heyyy, quit stealin' from my Summer playlist!
• WHY OH WHY IS THE CHEESEMONGER INVITATIONAL THE SAME NIGHT AS @PULSEWAVENYC ?! http://ow.ly/1ZUvY
• Guess who can wear sunglasses now!! http://twitpic.com/1xkgpa
• SQEEEE!!! Lullatone iphone app ! http://ow.ly/1ZhqX
• Not much barley in this mushroom barley soup, Juice Generation. #getittogether #heyyourenotbreadfactory
• For my Umi Nom dinner: Cheese & crab amuse bouche, soft shell crab special with watermelon, water cress, shredded veggies + calamansi juice
• Look! Tristan Perich on Notcot! http://ow.ly/1YZ2Z Yay for seeing friends on the internets.            

Cooking: Broth in a Coffeepot

Sometimes I crack myself up. Inspired by the Alton Brown video below, I tried to improvise broth in a coffee pot.

I put leftover mushroom stems, shallot peels, 3 cloves of garlic, leftover herbage (sage, thyme, rosemary) and water into the carafe. I left it alone for about 4 hours and came back to the whole room smelling of savory broth!

Cooking: Fiddlehead Ferns

Fiddlehead ferns look like the end of a violin curl ! The green little swirlies are available only during the Spring season and have been likened to asparagus. Some varieties of Fiddleheads are toxic when they are unfurled, so be careful to consult an expert before harvesting them yourself.

I quickly tossed a batch in a pan with herby olive oil, garlic, salt and thick swipes of lemon zest.

Cooking Jam: 

Video: Oxygenstar at Emily Chiptune's Birthday

Oxygenstar came out for Emily's Birthday along with some of the Boston 8-Bit crew. So many chipbr0s hanging out in one backyard!

The party wound down and my camera battery didn't last long enough to catch Chip Hydra or C-trix at the end (more on THAT later). Mother Corvi packed up a bunch of food for us to take home because she was expecting 90 people to show up from Facebook. I hope everyone sent a thank you card to their house, they know how to throw a party!

Knife City looks on while DaPantz and L-Tron handjive.

Event: Project Parlor's BBQ Championship Week 3

I got down and dirty with Project Parlor's Megyn Florence in an interview for The Hoopla Hoop. She was kind enough to go on camera to demonstrate how they make their awesome chocolate orange old fashioned. Since I'm poor and don't have the capacity to edit videos, I said "We're going to have to do this in one take." And Megyn held it together even when someone came up to the bar to ask her a question.

Last Sunday, I threw down against Chris Barsch who's had line experience at Daneil Boulud's DB Bistro and Jean George's Perry Street. AFter we traded dishes, Chris' rib meat was falling off the bone and I couldn't help but shove it in my mouf:

The most notable dish of the evening was Chris' grilled apricots with salt, pepper, yogurt, lemon zest, candied nuts and a drizzle of honey. I hate apricots, too ! He's made me a believer.

It was a close battle despite Chris' late arrival to the grill that day. I did get a little cocky with my 45 minute head start, but was definitely humbled by his general awesomeness and grilled skewer of baby octopus, chicken and chorizo. My trusty sous chef, Dylan Garret helped me push a Home Depot shopping cart of supplies in the rain. 

After almost burning the rain tent down, we prepped for a menu of Filipino adobo marinated chicken, crunchy elote or grilled corn slathered in lime crema, rolled in cotija and Parmesan, then pressed into crushed spicy pork rinds; miso cole slaw and grilled cilantro garlic bread. Halfway through competition, I ran home to get our secret weapon of banana pudding, which we topped with toasted marshmallows. Check out the Maillard reaction going down with this chicken!

 It was a tough battle against a worthy competitor and in the end, Dylan and I walked away with a win for the day. When Megyn announced the results, Chris and I were hugging. We agreed to cook dinner together again outside of competition. That's what it's all about, right guys?

Save the date! My next round of competition is at 2pm on July 25th at Project Parlor!

Cooking Jam: Florence and the Machine - "You Got The Love" (The XX Remix) via rcrdlbl

Video: L-Tron at Emily Chiptune's Birthday

Friends from Philly made it out to Long Island for Emily ChipCon!

L-Tron came all the way out from Minnesota to play a couple shows out in New York. Pardon my screaming in the video as people disassemble the tent over Luke's head.

 And the party raged on.

Video: Kris Keyser at Emily Chiptune's Birthday

I ate like a champ during the BBQ. It was like a family party, where the younger ilk naturally separated from the rowdy drunk "adults." Feast your eyes on my Chicago'd hot dog, baked beans with bacon and macaroni salad. I washed everything down with a large cup of rum and soda. Don't worry, Mom took everyone's car keys away so we wouldn't do something stupid out on Long Island.

Kris Keyser took the stage at what many people started to refer to as "Emily ChipCon" or her 16th birthday party in Long Island.

Party on, br0s.

Tweets This Week

• @starscreamny just got iced by @anamanaguchi
• Totes just freaked out some old ladies while eating bone marrow at Prune.
• My life is performance art
• fresh littlenecks & onion rings, seaside http://twitpic.com/1vtsx6
• Right guys ? RT @ZenAlbatross: RT @DaPantzBX: Party snake, it's time for you to leave #cnbftw
• $1 Chang beers at Lychee in the East Village! #cnbftw
• Wish this chicken gumbo from The Bread Factory had chicken in it.
• @emilychiptune Awww, we love you and your house little Huoratron.
• Ooooh NYT burns Sandra Lee http://ow.ly/1V21A 

Hey dudes! Come drop by Project Parlor for some BBQ today from 2pm to whenever I run out!

Video: Knife City at Emily Chiptune's Birthday

I ventured to the Atlantic Center to meet up with the fellowship of C-Trix, Zen Albatross and our friend Dustin to take the LIRR to Dix Hills. I've never been to Long Island and it was entirely fascinating to me. We stopped by A & S Bagels and I couldn't have wanted to kick myself more for not bringing my camera into the shop. I asked for bacon and cheese on my onion bagel and the bacon was piled 1 inch thick. Because I'm only human, my body could only take half the bagel. We made it to Emily's house and were greeted by Mother Corvi who enforced mandatory party hats. For those of you that don't know who Emily is, she is one of the most hardcore chip fans in New York State. And she was turning 16 that day.

With a heavy gait and stern face, Emily's dad manned the grill to crank out dozens of burgers, hot dogs and veggie patties.  The backyard had a tent with a mini stage area in front of the deck and a bunch of tables with snacks, sodas and bbq fixings.  The first person to grace our ears was Knife City, also known as Luke from Anamanaguchi. 

Cooking: Bacon Cups with Spicy Mango and Avocado

Jeff sent me a photo of bacon cups filled with fruit. Of course I had to try it! Luckily I had a bunch of tiny muffin tins to use as molds. I cut a bunch of bacon strips in half and wrapped them around the outside of the pan. If you use the inside of the muffin cup, the oil will well in the cup and might burn the bottom.

I baked the cups on a flat pan so it would gather the bacon fat. You don't want that well of oil at the bottom of your oven. I'm an idiot and didn't think about how bacon shrinks. Most of the cups were stuck to the pans!

I broke a whole lot of them and they were not uniform. For the filling, I mixed a cubed half mango, half an avocado with chili powder and lemon zest.

The final products tasted great, but they were pretty UGLY. Maybe thicker cuts of bacon would work?

Cooking Jam: Marcus Price & Carli "Mat, Bira, Kvinnor, Weed" (Kingdom Remix) via xlr8r