You guys.

We have so many sweet potatoes.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s so great to have them for meals and I am having a lot of fun trying all sorts new things with them.

Seriously. I have not even cooked the same thing twice with them.

I have run them through the spiralizer making baked curly fries. I have added them to frittata’s as a crust. I have mashed them. Roasted them. Tossed them in with scrambled eggs. I have even made them into chips.

I even found myself, mid shower no less, wondering if sweet potato risotto is a thing. (Don’t judge. I am a pregnant foodie. I think about food everywhere… even the shower.)

Sure enough, it is.  This recipe was dinner this past Friday to satisfy the craving and the curiosity.

And, I would be lying if I didn’t also say, with the hopes of putting another slight dent in the 150 pounds of sweet potatoes we harvested this fall.

Yep.  150 pounds.

When I purchased two pots of slips at a roadside farm stand this summer I was hopeful, but could have never imagined yielding so many sweet potatoes come fall.

Sweet potatoes don’t grow from seeds like other plants, but rather from slips, or shoots that are grown from mature sweet potatoes.  You can easily order slips online, or just keep your eyes peeled at the farmer’s market, nursery’s or farm stands in the late spring.

And, in true gardener’s paradox, our largest yielding vegetable of Garden 2015 is the one we gave the least amount of energy, time and love.

Sweet potato slips will actually try to thrive, and will likely be successful, no matter where they are planted, dropped, left, whatever, so long as the soil is warm and moist. However, they need a large area for their roots and vines to roam. A little natural fertilizer in the soil and weeding in the first few weeks of growing sweet potatoes will help them be even more successful.

Sweet potatoes like it hot and take a long time to grow basking in the summer’s heat. But, if it is dry you should be sure to water them occasionally. We planted our sweet potatoes in early June and water was no issue this summer.

As easy as it was to plant and grow the sweet potatoes, harvesting and storing them took a little more thought.

Sweet potatoes are ready for harvest when the vines begin to yellow in mid-autumn.

For us, we kept an eye on them and had varying opinions about what was “truly yellow.” We wanted to to this before the first frost, but also while there was still heat during the day because the potatoes need to cure for about ten days in order to bring out their sweetness.

Finally, we decided on a morning in mid-October to head out to the sweet potato beds with a garden fork and get to work. The potatoes varied in size from typical to long and thin to down right huge. Adam was cautious when digging them up so not to stab or bruise them.

I brushed the excess dirt off the potatoes and placed them in large potato sacks to cure. (The ones in the photo above.) Curing the potatoes not only locks in the sweetness but helps to heal any scratches and bruising. We cured the potatoes for two weeks in our garage as it is suggested to keep them in a warm, humid location.

(Adam and I couldn’t help but agree that a greenhouse would be great for this… Maybe next year!)

After curing for two weeks we moved the potatoes to our unfinished basement where it is always cool and dark. It’s not as ideal as an actual root cellar, but it’s the closest we could get.

And, three months later, it’s obviously still working great because they are on the menu once at week.

They should last another three months in this location.

That is, if we don’t finish them first!

Ah. January.

The days of cookies, cocktails and creamy goodness are behind us and every where you look it’s “New Year, New You!” “Whole 30- this.” “21 Day Fix-that.” “No sugar!” “No carbs!” “No booze!”

For the last ten days, healthy eating resolutionist’s have been in full force showing images of their “clean eating” dinner plates on Instagram and posing for selfies with their icy protein shakes on Facebook.

All the while, I can’t help but giggle a bit.

Not because I don’t believe that their new intentions will make it to Valentine’s Day, at least not completely; but, because this year, I have zero plans of joining them.

I have before. I have done the “Dry January” thing. (Zero fun when your team is in the play off’s… let me tell ya.) I have vowed not to eat sugar or eat past seven in the evening. I have pulverized veggies on veggies into green smoothie concoctions all with the hopes of a fab bikini body come April... Err, I mean good health.

Part of the reason that I am not jumping on the dieting bandwagon is that I already know that this coming April, thanks to a baby due on the 16th, I will be the furthest thing from bikini ready. In fact, in the next three months I will probably put on more weight than I ever lost with my best lived resolution.

Surprisingly, even to me, is that I am totally cool with this for many reasons. However, I think the biggest reason actually has nothing to do with baby.

After giving body image, dieting, and food way too much thought over the years, I am now finding myself almost completely content with what I put in my body.

In my home, we do our best to make nearly everything from scratch.  And, because we grow much of our own food– and you can’t grow a Big Mac- things tend to run pretty healthy without even trying.

So, I happily eat a cupcake at a friends wedding shower because I know it’s something I don’t do every day. Not to mention, my friend is worth celebrating. A super indulgent meal won’t kill me because I balance the week out with plenty of other healthy meals. Wine is special, not something to regret, but rather meant to be savored with a good meal and better company… even if it’s just a good book.

But, come on. What fun is January without a new goal?

So, Adam and I put our heads together and decided that this year we will start working towards a long term goal of ours: To grow, or know someone locally who grew, all the food that we consume.

We have talked about doing this for years now and have found that in the summer this isn’t too hard.

But, in January?

It’s a little more challenging.  So, we just don’t try as hard as we do in the summer.  Eating totally local takes a back seat and I have been known to buy things like the mixed greens flown in from California every week at the store without batting an eye.

The reality is that greens like these can be grown in Indiana, even in January. You just have to look for it.

Fortunately for us, we didn’t have to look too far.

Less than two miles from our home is Greener Side Gardens. Owner, Alan Davidson grows organic produce that is found at our local farmer’s market in the summer, but he also has a great green house allowing him to grow fresh, local produce all year round.

Adam and I reached out to him and he said we were more than welcome to come pick our own kale and he bagged up some super fresh spinach for us.

This has been such a treat to have in early January.

I have been loving my lunch salads tossed with chopped hardboiled eggs from our hens. We have also used some of Greener Side’s kale alongside some of our free range chicken meat and homemade broth in a warm, hearty yet veggie packed soup this week.

This soup is inspired by similar recipes that feature ground turkey, but I am a big fan of using things that we already have in the kitchen so some shredded chicken leftover from a night we cooked a whole bird worked great.

The kale, onions and carrots are great winter veggies and can easily be found this time of year despite the chilly temperatures. The tomatoes and peppers were preserved this summer so the whole soup fit right in line with our local intention.

And, if your intention is to eat healthy it’s packed with vegetables, good grains and is perfect for you too.

But, if eating locally is something you would like to give a try in 2016 as well, check out resources like eatwild.com to see what is available near you.

For my Indianapolis friends and readers, farmersmarket.com is also a good resource. It is a new online service where you can order local groceries of your choosing and pick them up on Market Day. Currently, products are available at Moody’s Meats in Fishers but more and more market locations will be opening throughout the year.

I have never been much of a budgeter.

I know there are plenty of other people out there who are pros and absolutely love it.

I also know plenty of people must think that I am into budgeting because of the garden, hens, canning, purchasing meat in bulk and whatnot.

… Not quite.

While there are occasional bursts of good intensions and I totally understand that I can’t just buy anything and everything, but actual budgeting?  It’s just not my thing.

Bargin hunting? Ha.  I wish.  But, I don’t have the gift… or, the patience.

I even struggle to know when a price is completely out of bounds or a good deal because I just don’t pay that much attention to sales… or, embarrassingly, in general.

One place I am especially bad at being aware of prices is at the grocery store.

I meal plan based around what is in season and in my pantry, but don’t even think about looking at ads or looking at prices per ounce and different brands when in the store.

However, despite my personal ignorance in the store, I still am decently aware of food prices in the marketplace due to my job in food service.

I work for a company that partners and manages professional chefs in sororities and fraternities and one of the biggest topics of conversation this past semester has been the cost of eggs.

Between the Avian Flu and McDonald’s implementing all day breakfast, the cost of eggs is way up.

In early October, as McDonald’s was just rolling out the new all day breakfast, I heard that the fast food giant would consume nearly a quarter of the nation’s egg market.

So, even though new chickens are now laying at farms across the nation affected by the Avian Flu, consumers will still see the price of eggs rise upwards for 30-40%.  Wholesalers will continue to see increases as well.  (If they even can find eggs at all because in some regions they may be unavailable.)  In one conversation, I heard that prices are not projected to decline until late 2017 or even into 2018.

Because of this and my own general curiosity as we start to sell more of our own hen’s eggs, I have tried to make an effort to keep an eye on egg prices each time I visit a grocery store.  In doing this, I even have seen signs posted at our local stores sharing justification as to why the prices are so high.

And, they are high.

Last week I was at a major real food retailer and the carton of a dozen eggs that best compares to my organic, non-antibiotic, pasture raised eggs was $7.99.

We sell our eggs at $3.00 a dozen, which has seemed expensive to some in the past.

But, $8 bucks?!

Holy cow. Even I know that’s crazy and makes our “expensive” eggs look like a heck of a deal.  Amiright?!  (See Also: Message me if you are in the area and want some.)

It makes both Adam and I so thankful for our little layers and their delicious eggs.

This month, Adam has given the gals a little more attention and has spent some time trying to figure out ways to ensure they are productive– in more ways than one- throughout the shorter, colder winter days.

After a couple days of low egg production early this month, he did a little research to try to get things back up to par.  In looking at potential natural diet supplements he came across information about food grade Diatomaceous Earth and it’s many essential minerals that help chicken lay at their best.  We use food grade Diatomaceous Earth in the garden as natural pest control so we already had some on hand to add as a supplement to their diet.

Food grade Diatomaceous Earth is crushed fossilized algae and can easily be found at natural food stores.  In addition to helping in egg production and ensuring stronger shells, it can help to guard against internal worms as well as kill hard shell insects like ticks and fleas.

Adam has also added apple cider vinegar as a supplement to the hen’s diet in order help keep their immune systems strong as well as to aid in calcium absorption which helps keep the layers laying large, strong eggs often.

To learn more about other natural supplements for chicken feed, check out this post on Fresh Eggs Daily as she explains that Apple Cider Vinegar, Garlic and Diatomaceous earth is the “Holy Trinity” in her coop.

Adam is also keeping the hens active and occupied this winter by letting them wonder our large garden space everyday.  We have a moveable fence that we set up on a pivot outside of the coop giving the hens new grass to scratch around every week or so.

Now, the fence has been positioned all around the boundaries of our empty garden.

This is fun for the hens and also great for the garden.

Each day, the hens are adding more and more nitrogen to the carbon materials in the dirt through their droppings.  This nitrogen will act as a great natural fertilizer come spring.

Their activities, such as scratching and dust bathing, helps to till and turn the composted dirt.  Compost needs oxygen, that’s why you need to turn a compost pile.  But, with the dirt in the garden, our chickens are doing the work.

Our happy hens are loving life in their new space and we are loving their eggs and cannot wait to reap the benefits of their “fun” in 2016’s garden!

 

Recently, I re-watched Ken Myszka’s Ted Talk. Ken is a well researched chef, farmer, and a real food advocate inspired by chefs like Thomas Keller and author Micheal Pollen.

But, what really struck me when watching this talk was when he shared the root word of “restaurant.”

It’s “to restore.”

Something I never knew, but it seems quite obvious when you look at the word and really think about it. And, isn’t that exactly what a restaurant should do?

That is exactly what is done at Cerulean, a casual yet fine dining restaurant in downtown Indianapolis. Cerulean restores not just patrons with beautiful, inspired dishes, but also restores Indiana food systems by sourcing ingredients that are sustainable and local.

At Cerulean, the chef, Alan, and owner, Caleb, are both young and passionate about sustainablity and supporting local growers. They have created connections with a handful of local farmers such as Tyner Pond Farms and Silverthorn Farms, both just a short drive from the Indy area.

The Indianapolis Cerulean turns three this year, but Caleb first created the restaurant’s concept in 2006 at Winona Lake in north east Indiana. Thanks to the success of the restaurant’s beautiful and thoughtfully created Asian-Inspired dishes and the praises of lake goers, he opened a second location at the boutiquey Alexander Hotel in downtown Indianapolis as part of the new CityWay development.

The Indianapolis restaurant is full of style and sophistication yet bright and airy. The menu changes often to keep up with what is in season and available from local growers.

At lunch in early December, parsnips and root vegetables were very prevalent on the menu, featured in a soup, salads, and side dishes.

Chef Alan shared that it is common for the menu to feature different dishes made with the same ingredients. When developing menus and dishes, he draws on his own creativity and extensive culinary experience. He works closely each week with his farm partners to determine not only what is in season, but also what they need to sell at the farm. He also explained that it is a win-win for the farmer and the restaurant, as it keeps food costs down, but ensures that a grower’s product is consumed.

The lunch menu used to exclusively feature Bento Boxes, but they recently updated the menu to include plated entrees and sandwiches. This makes it an excellent spot for a business luncheon or even a take-out meal during a busy lunch hour. It is also especially great because the new YMCA just across the street just opened. Professionals can easily work out and grab their lunch on the way back to the office.

When at Cerulean earlier this month, I opted for their Prix Fix menu: a lunch portioned, three course meal that includes a salad or soup, a few main choices options and a small sweet.

While sharing the cheese plate, complete with house made pickles, and slightly spicy sweet potato gnocchi to start, I learned that Caleb has a fabulous relationship with a sustainable fisherman in Sitka, Alaska for procuring wild salmon. He has even had the opportunity to visit this fisherman and see him in action. The fisherman practices pressure bleeding right on board the ship just as the fish is caught to ensure freshness and quality.

In light of the recent news in regards to authenticity of salmon, I ordered the Sitka Wild Caught Salmon alongside the roasted beet salad with no hesitation.

The salad was sweet and bright thanks to the super-local beets and sunny orange-goat cheese vinaigrette. The salmon was perfect and had fun Asian flare with a fresh lemon-miso glaze. The size of both were perfect for lunch and I still had a bit of room for one of the three boxed macaroons for dessert… the other two made it home to share with Adam after dinner and they were divine.

The pastry chef, Peter Schmutte, a well-traveled Indiana native, is another culinary rock star. He competes in and has won prestigious pastry competitions. His plated dishes are a work of art and the flavors are uniquely delicious.

Other great looking lunch options at my table on that day in early December were the very vegetarian Cauliflower Steak and Tyner Pond Chicken Confit Sandwich. Something that I knew would have made my husband go weak in the knees on it’s own; but, thanks to the runny yolk I am pretty sure he may have reevaluated our marriage and ran off with this sandwich.

Check out Cerulean in Indianapolis for lunch or dinner. The artfully designed dishes raise the bar for fine dining in the city while still being approachable thanks to it’s down to earth mission of supporting local growers.

And, while you’re there, have a cocktail for this pregnant gal. Their drink menu looked superb!

Cerulean
339 South Delaware Street
Indianapolis, Indiana
317-870-1320

Lunch: Monday-Friday, 11:00-2:00,
Dinner: Monday- Thursday, 5:00-9:00, Friday-Saturday, 5:00-10:00
Closed Sunday

http://www.ceruleanrestaurant.com/indianapolis/

Winona Lake Location
1101 East Canal Street
Winona Lake, IN
574-269-1226
http://www.ceruleanrestaurant.com/home/

I am a self proclaimed “Jane of All Trades.”

I am pretty good at a lot of things, but not truly expert level *great* at anything.

But, if I had to pick one thing that I do do particularly well it’s Christmas trees.

… A vital life skill. I know.

As a kid, decorating the tree was an art to my dad.  We always had a huge tree and decorating was a process.  Under ten, it was hard to have patience, but now I can appreciate the process and all the mental notes I took.

First, the nonnegotiables:

1. It’s gotta be real.

Puhlease. I don’t do fake food, friends, or designer brands. You think a Christmas tree would be any different?!

2. It’s gotta be huge.

We have high ceiling’s in our living room. Anything smaller than 12 feet would just look silly.  Plus, it’s just so much more fun…!  Don’t ask Adam about this one…

While this sounds like it would make shopping for a tree a chore a la Lucy Van Pelt, but it really isn’t. I know within a few moments if we have a winner or if we should keep walking.

When decorating  I really have fun.  To make a tree truly magical, there is a system to stringing the lights deep into the branches then out.  The placement of shiny ball ornaments deep in the tree is key as it helps to reflect the lights.

As an adult, Adam and I both have learned that a pitcher of festive cocktails or bottle(s) of wine really help to get the creative juices flowing and just makes everything that much more memorable.

But, just a couple weeks ago, Adam looked at me with a slight bit of sadness on his face.

“Oh no,” he exclaimed. “You won’t be able to drink wine when we decorate the tree this year!”

Don’t worry, Trost.  The thought had already crossed my mind as well as all the other times throughout the Holiday season when I might miss an adult beverage.

It’s not just when decorating the tree that I enjoy a cup of cheer, but I also love a cup of hot cocoa and Bailey’s when sitting by the fire and our fabulous tree on a relaxing Friday night.

I believe in having a good glass of red wine that warms your soul while watching Christmas movies.

In my opinion, on Christmas Eve, it just makes sense to toast Jesus’ birth with a glass or two of champagne.

Life is just better smiling with friends and a fresh cranberry cocktail at a holiday party.

And, my Dad is known to make Santa’s Cap’s, basically a layered strawberry daiquiri with with whipped cream made to look like Santa’s hat, every Christmas day as we open gifts.

… I get that the list of drinks I associate with different events throughout December seems a little… umm… suspect.  There is no problem here. Bible.

It’s just that, just like food, there are drinks that evoke memories and emotion too.

And, even while I’m overwhelmed with happiness this pregnancy and totally fine with abstaining this Christmas season, I still will miss these drinks. And, sometimes I still want to feel like an adult.

Plus, there are plenty of days where I get a little bored with just plain old water. But, at a bar or a party? All of these feelings grow… immensely.

So, to give myself an early Christmas gift I created a few “mocktails” to put into rotation this December.

I really enjoy making cocktails because I have learned to love the process of making simple syrups. I love how the flavor from fruits, vegetables, spices and herbs can be manipulated and found in a drink.

So the first drink plays with thyme and cranberry simple syrup. Both thyme and cranberries are seasonal and offer huge compliments to one another.

Cranberry Thyme Spritz:

Cranberry Thyme Simple Syrup-

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1 cup whole, fresh cranberries

5 sprigs thyme

Add all ingredients to a small saucepan and bring to a boil while stirring so that the sugar does not burn.  Once sugar dissolves and cranberries pop open, about 5 minutes, reduce heat to a simmer for another 7 minutes.  Remove from heat and strain.

Cranberry Thyme Cocktail-

2 tablespoons cranberry thyme simple syrup

2 tablespoons cranberry juice

Ginger Ale

Add simple syrup and cranberry juice to a glass.  Mix then fill with ice and top with ginger ale.

 

For Thanksgiving I bought myself some Italian sodas from Whole Foods thinking they would be great in a wine glass to give myself a little something more fancy to sip on. They are good, but so sweet that I could really only enjoy one glass.

When drinking anything, wine or cocktails or whatever, I am not a huge “sweets” fan. There should be a hint of freshness and sweet, but I avoid super sugar drinks. From what I have found, when ordering mocktails things go sweet very fast without the bite of booze.

So, I have mixed up the blood orange Italian soda with some tart grapefruit juice, herbs and club soda in the next mocktail to cut the sweetness a bit and really build on the flavors.  The combo is fresh but festive.

Blood Orange, Grapefruit and Basil Cocktail:

3 large basil leave, sliced

2 ounces Ruby Red Grapefruit Juice

4 ounces blood orange Italian soda

2 ounces club soda

Add basil and grapefruit juice to a glass and muddle until fragrant.  (If you do not have a muddler, the base of a wooden spoon works great.)  Ad the blood orange soda and club soda. Mix well and top with ice.

The third mocktail is super easy. I like for open bar situations like office parties and weddings because any good bartender will have all the components right in front of them.

It just a little cranberry juice, ginger ale and a splash of lemon or lime (sugar rim optional, but encouraged…) and you have a sparkling drink that won’t have you missing the booze… until they play the “Wooble”- again.

I told you. I am good at most things. Not great.

So, sorry. I can’t help you there.

Cranberry Sparkler:

3 ounces ginger ale
3 ounces cranberry juice
A squirt of fresh lemon or lime juice
2 tablespoons of sugar, if creating sugar rim

To create sugar rim- Rub a lemon or lime around the rim of the glass then dip into sugar on a plate.

Fill glass with ice, add the cranberry juice, the lemon or lime juice and top with ginger ale.

 

 

In my opinion, there is no city in the world that identifies with the Christmas season as much as New York City.

Maybe it’s because the whole season is kicked off with the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.  Or, maybe it’s the huge tree at Rockefeller Plaza.  Maybe it’s the shopping.  Or, the Rockettes.  Or, it could be movies like Miracle on 34th Street, Elf, and Home Alone 2.

Whatever the reason, for me, Christmas and New York are nearly synonymous.

And, maybe that’s because until recently, I had never been to New York City so I just didn’t know better.

(This is a bit of a sore subject for my New York born father, who still kicks himself for never taking me to the city.  But, don’t fret.  I earn my street smarts when he instead sent me off to the world’s other most cosmopolitan cities like Sydney, Madrid, London, LA, Barcelona, Florence and Geneva alone.  All before I could legally order a cocktail… in the USA.)

But, this summer, my younger sister took a job in New York City to be closer to her college sweetheart and I had a good reason to finally visit.

With my great friend, Betsy, and sister, Kerry, by my side, we took on the Big Apple.

And, then some!

Kerry’s job is in NYC, but she lives in Hoboken, New Jersey just across the Hudson.  Hoboken has come into it’s own after being kind of dull, sketchy even, about twenty years ago.  It was a great home base for the three of us after busy days in Manhattan.

Here are five other reasons that Hoboken is great:

1. Carlo’s Bakery– We set foot in Carlo’s Bakery not once, not twice, but three times during our long weekend.  TLC’s Cake Boss put Carlo’s on the map and most days it has tourists lined out the door.  But, the treats were so worth the line.In fact, I think Betsy is still having dreams about the cheesecake.

   

   (Fun Side Note: Kerry is taking one of the many cake decorating classes that the bakery offers later this month.  They are making a snow man.  Love. It.)

2. The Food Scene– Carlo’s isn’t the only spot in town that has become “TV Famous.”  We had a great brunch at La Isla which has been featured on Diners, Drive In’s and Dives.  Kerry loves the el Cubano sandwich.  And, if I wasn’t concerned about my ever growing pregnant waistline, I would have been all about the stuffed french toast.  Instead, I was good and had an omelette.

   (Another Fun Side Note: In the last six months Kerry created a popular Instagram account called “Good Eats Hoboken” so she was a great guide for the off the beaten path spots like La Bouche, a super cute french bistro, that was perfect for a working brunch on a Friday morning.  Follow her!)

3.  The Vibe– Hoboken is so close to busy New York City, but it was quite different.  It felt more like a neighborhood.  A little more quiet and less rushed.  It is a great area for young people and couples starting their own families.  And the view of Manhattan?  Pretty amaze

4.  The Price– Kerry took us to a Happy Hour on Friday night and we were blown away by the $3.00 glasses of wine and half price apps.

(Not So Fun Side Note: I sipped on a virgin mojito that cost more than a real drink during the happy hours.  Cool.)

But, in all seriousness, I was honestly pleasantly surprised with the prices for meals, coffee, and more in Hoboken.  It didn’t seem much different than prices in the Midwest.

5. The Path– The PATH is the public transportation system that connects Hoboken to Manhattan via a train that runs under the river and takes a whopping 7 minutes to get from Jersey to Midtown.  This made it super easy to get into the city for days of sight seeing.

Kerry, Betsy and I really took NYC by storm and saw a lot in the few days we were in town.  While Kerry lives and works there, she hasn’t had many opportunities to be a “tourist.”

So, we did the touristy things like Times Square, Rockefeller Plaza and Central Park, but we also did quite a bit that was a little more unique.

Here are a few of my favorite highlights from my first time in one of my new favorite cities:

• The Whitney Museum– The Whitney Museum is a beautiful, modern building full of American modern art exhibits of impressive sculpture, design and paintings. We also visited to Museum of Modern Art which had a fabulous exhibit full of Picasso’s sculptures.And, while I enjoyed both museums, the view at the Whitney was so spectacular and it wasn’t as busy as the super popular MoMA.

• The 9/11 Museum and Memorial– This was so incredible.It is amazing how much has been curated from the day.  Desperate emails, heart wrenching voice mails, belongings like watches and wallets, more and more. You could spend hours there.  The website suggests allowing for two hours in the museum, but that’s no where near enough time.  I really think you need at least four.Yes.  It is sad and I caught my eyes stinging more than once; but, honestly, I walked away very glad that the museum exists for future generations to understand the impact of that day.
• Serendipity– Once flights were booked, Betsy and I started dreaming of all the different places we wanted to go for food and/or drinks.Real New York bagels.  Betsy
  Rooftop Cocktails.  Me
  Pizza the size of our face. Betsy
  Serendipity Frozen Hot Chocolate. MeI have wanted to go to Serendipity for years. Celebrities are sometimes found there. There’s the whole movie thing. And, ever since I saw the famous frozen hot chocolate floating around on Pinterest, I wanted to give it a try.

  Then, I found myself expecting a baby about a month after flights were booked. So, no cocktails for me NYC. With all the free calories to spare and an increasing sweet tooth, I made sure we got reservations at Serendipity for lunch. (I would suggest reservations. It’s a small place and gets busy.)

  

  Serendipity is cute, a little tacky, but still fun.  A good place for little girls or lunch with a group of girl friends.  The frozen hot chocolate was good, but the mint, hot fudge sundae was great!

(We did do cocktails at the champagne bar at the Plaza Hotel and visited a really fun rooftop bar at The Refinery Hotel. Both places were able to make great mocktails for me and baby.)

• The Spotted Pig– I got April Bloomfield’s A Girl and Her Green’s cookbook last spring.  It’s great and full of many almost total veggie recipes.  It’s a really nice book to have with all the garden produce and it would make one think that she must be a vegetarian.  But, here’s the thing.  AG&HG isn’t April’s first cookbook.  The other cookbook? A Girl and Her Pig.And, let me just say, the girl does meat right.So right, that she has won James Beard’s Best Chef award and is one of ten female chef’s to boast a Michelin Star… at both of her humble, down to earth gastropubs, The Breslin and The Spotted Pig.(Side Note: At the Spotted Pig they don’t take reservations and it’s always packed.  We showed up at 5 and asked to put our names in for a table around 7. They honored it, so give it a try!)

And, now… The most exhilarating and, evidently, impressive thing we did in New York City:

We landed seats in the audience for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon.

It was so cool.

Tim McGraw, Elizabeth Banks and John Glaser were guests.

And, they were all so fun.

My face hurt for hours afterwards from smiling so hard.

Kerry was totally in her athletic element throwing elbows to make sure we got seats and was on a serious adrenaline high as we exited.

And, Betsy?

Well, Betsy cried… Twice.  As he came out to start the show and when he- oh.em.gee!– high fived her.

So, how did we do it?  Here is what we learned:

1. It’s apparently a little tricky.  (Everyone we spoke with was amazed that we got in.  Many New Yorkers we met said they have tried for tickets hundreds of times but it never works.)
2. We owe it all to Betsy.

Betsy loves all things celeb.  (Maybe I should have mentioned that before I told you that she cried at the sight and touch of Jimmy Fallon…?)  So, she knows that a month’s complimentary tickets are released on a specific date at a specific time.  She marked said date and time for the November shows, told her boss she would be late to a meeting (Priorities. Duh.) and hit refresh over and over until the dates we were in town were posted.

She also made an in depth profile, complete with photos, on all three of us.  We really think this helped our cause because the NBC execs were able to see our beaming personalities and made for TV faces… obvi.

Then, about two weeks before the show, she got an email saying we had been selected.  (Cue major dance party!) But, it still didn’t mean that we were totally “in” because they over sell the show to ensure that the audience is full.

So, we arrived to 30 Rock early.  You can’t “wait in line” because they don’t open one up until about an hour before the show but, there is plenty of cool stuff to look at at 30 Rock from the NBC fan store to the Today Show studios and more.  It went fast.

But, it became clear about thirty minutes out that the other people in the hallway were there for the same reason we were and it started to feel a little competitive.

So, obviously we inched closer and closer.

Finally, a woman rounded us up (Which took no effort at all.  We were all right there and ready to go.) and led the mob upstairs where we fell into line to get our ID’s and tickets checked.

After security, they had us wait in a fun lounge where images of past guests crossed the many screens in the room and interns set the tone for a good time.

We didn’t see any one get turned away or kicked out, but they were very serious that they would if they caught anyone taking photos.

But, we have this to prove we were there… and it was awesome!

 

 

Confession: I really, really enjoy reality T.V.

Housewives, Teen Mom, Project Runway, The Kardahasian’s, whatever.

I know I might now garner a little judgement; but, I love them.  And honestly, I really couldn’t tell you why.  It’s just my thing.  

So, there.

It’s kind of a little escape, I guess.  Plus, I have always enjoyed real stories from real people.

Okay, okay. So, maybe the Kardashian’s life is pretty far from the “normal” reality people like you and me encounter.  But, there are still moments on the show that make me laugh because sometimes it sounds just like the conversations that happen with my sister, friends, or even in my own home with Adam.

In fact, this (nearly…) exact conversation happens about once a week.

PS- Kourtney is my soul sister.  And, I am still rooting for her and Scott.  (Cue more judgement… but, whatever.)

Adam and I are always approaching each other with ideas.  New projects.  Things to do around the house.  Goals for the garden and beyond.

So, when one of us approaches the other saying, “You know what I have been thinking about?”  We sigh with a laugh and brace ourselves for the (potentially) outrageous statement(s) to follow.

In the past month we have had quite a few outrageous thoughts and it all started with garlic.

Could we make the backyard a real income?  Could we create a CSA?  Convert more of the farmed land to pasture for cows and pigs?  Have farm dinners with our customers?

With the thought of garlic, could it be a good place to start?  What if we were to plant a lot of it and try to sell it.  Maybe online.  Maybe at farmer’s markets.  Maybe to restaurants.

And, instead of staying just a thought, things turned into action really fast.

Calls were made and research was done on the potential avenues to consumers as well as to a family friend of Adam’s who grows garlic on the large scale.  Within days, we were breaking down fifty pounds of garlic bulbs and putting 2500 cloves into the ground.

How we did it is actually pretty simple and I will get into it soon, but more importantly is why we did it.

Growing garlic has been a topic of conversation at our house more than once and we have done it before on a much smaller scale.

Garlic is one of the things that I am most passionate about sourcing locally and there are handful of reasons as to why but each reason stems from one problem: A majority of the garlic at a standard grocery store comes from China.

I am not a fan of this because of:

1. The fossil fuels that are used to get something that I can grow easily in my own backyard halfway around the world.
2. The time that might go by before I purchase the garlic at the store which leads to diminishing flavor.
3. Conversations that garlic from China is bleached in order to improve the white color so it is more appealing to consumers. Isn’t that ironic…
4. Not to mention, there are many sources out in the internet world saying that Chinese garlic is grown in untreated sewage. (Listen.  I totally get that anything can be posted to the internet; but, the chance that this is true is enough for me to hunt for new solutions.)

So, in true fashion, Adam and I followed our typical solution when there are things we just don’t want to accept: We decided to take things into our own hands and do it ourself.

We connected with a family friend of Adam’s that grows garlic that had plenty of seed garlic to spare. We received fifty pounds of eleven different kinds of garlic. After spending a couple evenings splitting the garlic bulbs into individual cloves we were ready to get things going.

Garlic should be planted after the first light frost in the fall so that the soil is cool.  Fall planted garlic is recommended in much of my research, but cloves can be planted as the ground begins to thaw in late winter as well.  We planted our garlic right around Halloween.

Prior to planting, we prepped the garlic bed with an organic compost and top soil mix in order to make the ground soft so that the new bulbs will be able to grow without disruption and they will be easy to pull from the earth in the summer.

We also prepped the cloves with liquid seaweed, a natural fertilizer, and rubbing alcohol so to kill any fungal disease. Below is how we prepped the cloves:

Soak cloves in 1 tablespoon of liquid seaweed (can be found on Amazon) and 1 heaping tablespoon of baking soda per gallon of water for 16 hours.

We used large coolers and were able to fit 30 pounds of garlic per cooler full of five gallons of water.

After 16 hours in the liquid seaweed bath, soak the cloves in rubbing alcohol for five minutes.

Then plant immediately.  Cloves should be poked into the ground, pointed ends up, about four inches deep.  The cloves should be placed about 6-8 eight inches apart.  We made marked 2×4’s to make this quick and easy.

Once planted, cover with organic mulch.  We used about 5 inches of straw.

We will harvest this garlic around July and will know that it is ready when the green leaves begin to turn brown.  The bulbs are delicate and need to be pulled from the ground gently.  They will cure for two weeks prior to consumption and will keep for months.

Even if we have a low yield or don’t even try to sell a bulb, it’s okay.  This was easy!

And, if we get a ton of bulbs, that’s okay too.  We eat garlic so often as I love it’s fresh, spicy flavor in everything from salad dressings, canning projects, stir fry, pasta and more.

As our wild ideas go… This one is pretty good.