Mah-Ze-Dahr Bakery

Mango Tapioca

I love mushy food. Like love. It’s like I am a 90 year old woman with no teeth. So what is one of my dream desserts? TAPIOCA!. I experimented and created my own LACTOSE-FREE (aka vegan with an egg) mango tapioca recipe. Refreshing, soothing, delicious. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

Ingredients.

* 2 and 3/4 cups almond/soy milk
* 1/3 cup of sugar
* 3 tablespoons of minute tapioca
* 1 beaten egg
* 1 mango
* 1/2 cup of coconut milk
Directions:

* Mix milk, sugar, tapioca and (beaten egg) in a saucepan and let mixture sit for 5 minutes.

I didn’t listen to my own directions and simply placed the egg into the mixture before beating the egg. WRONG, beat the egg before you place it in the milk mixture.

Blend.

* On medium heat, cook the mixture until it comes to a full boil while constantly stirring.

Boiling tapioca.

Getting thicker. OH MY GOD, watching tapioca form is like finding a split end! And then examining it under the microscope. #highschooldays #itsthesmallthings #obsessive

Print This Post

Monday June 03, 2013

36 Hours

Every Sunday, The New York Times Travel section has a column titled “36 Hours” where they highlight all that you can do in a specific city for 36 hours. The popular column helps you create a a dream weekend with realistic and approachable itineraries — ideal for us OCD planners. The Times and book publisher Taschen came together to create a series of books with updated and new versions of the columns– a perfect gift for Father’s Day, an anniversary, a housewarming, or just a token to say I-love-you.

The colorful trio of books.

Not only are these books incredibly informative and practical, but they are also beautiful and special. Put them on your coffee table to stir up a conversation or place them on your nightstand to read before bed!

On shelf.

I bought three books from the series, USA Northeast, USA Westcoast, and 150 weekends in USA and Canada (which is the whole American/ Canadian series in one book. Ken would point out that buying all three of these is unnecessary. OOPS!).

West Coast Love.

Northeast Like.

USA weekend trips!

Below is a sample of 36 Hours from the Times online. Auckland, New Zealand!

Print This Post

Tuesday May 28, 2013

7 Comments

The Meadow – Gourmet Salt, More

The highlight of the past long weekend (aside from being reunited with Ken who had to go to the Philippines for a week) was my visit to the store The Meadow. I can’t even begin to describe the pure AMAZINGNESS of this store. It is everything in one tiny little room- cozy, sweet, interesting, unique, bizarre, and simply, pure bliss. What type of store is it? A boutique that specializes in salt, chocolate, drink, and flowers. Seems obscure, but when you think of it, do you really need anything else? (Don’t answer that.)

And of course, the store has two different locations. The West Village in NYC and Mississippi Avenue in Portland, Oregon.

The store has two different locations. The West Village in NYC and Mississippi Avenue in … Portland, Oregon. How picture perfect is this store? Too cute for words!

The Meadow

The gourmet salt, artisan-made chocolates, cocktail bitters, and fresh flowers all come together to provide an amazing shopping experience. The owners, Jennifer and Mark Bitterman (“selmeliers”) know their stuff! Walking into their store for 30 minutes made me want to learn and discover more about everything they sold.

Rows and rows of salt. Over 120 finishing salts from around the word! Each has its own special mineral and crystal properties. They also carry salt sets to help beginners start learning more about the process of how salt gets made.

The salts had different sizes of crystals, smells, and colors. The thought of adding an extra sprinkle of love to a food dish seems so romantic and delicious.

Different sizes of crystals, smells, and colors. The thought of adding an extra sprinkle of love to a food dish seems so romantic and delicious.

Different sizes.

The view out the window. Perfect for a movie!

Print This Post

7 Comments

Friday May 24, 2013

Best Babka in NYC!

True story: On Saturday night, a friend brought me a loaf of babka (jewish sweet bread) form a new bakery (Breads Bakery). By Sunday, I had eaten the entire gift (with the help of my husband) and was so in need of the another loaf that I traveled 46 blocks to get my fix on Monday. Yep, a babka junkie. Because OH MY GOD, this sweet delicious amazing ridiculous cake slash bread is to-die-for. I literally had one hour free of time between a work commitment and my kids waking up from nap, but I had to HAD TO go get another loaf.

Or four.

babka

This heavenly piece of cake is from Breads Bakery, an Israeli bakery in Union Square that opened in February 2013. Israeli (Danish trained) Uri Scheft is a seasoned baker with a store in Tel Aviv and now in NYC. The bakery carries a variety of savory breads, cookies, rugelachs, and most importantly, babka.

breads

This babka is worth the calories and the travel time. You want (and will) eat every crumb. The babka is made with cultured butter from France, and then a mixture of Nutella and Belgian dark-chocolate chips. This sounds amazing, right? But then it is topped off with sugar syrup that gives it a rich, crisp crust with a moist, soft inside. Holy crap, that good (thank god I am not diabetic). The babka lasts several days, and tastes good defrosted (so if you stock up like me and want to hoard them, they still taste good!) During checkout, my first question to the cashier was whether or not they deliver (answer: not currently).

Old time bakery feel.

Everything about Breads Bakery looks and smells delicious. They are dedicated to producing artisanal, handmade breads using traditional baking techniques (and many made with whole grains). Being in the bakery makes me want to run away and become a baker. But since that is not going to happen, the next best thing is eating a loaf of babka every week.

The cashier asked me if I was throwing a party (when I bought 4 babkas and 8 rugelachs). OOPS! Party in my BELLY!!!!!

Some more sweet options on the menu.

Three of the four loaves.

Print This Post

Friday May 17, 2013

Broccoli Tofu Peanut Dish

Here is a simple, fresh, and delicious vegetarian dish. One of my go-to mid-week meals that is filling, satisfying, and easy to make. Enjoy!

Ingredients

ingredients

* 1 pound firm tofu

* 1 pound broccoli (including stems)

* 2 cups chopped onion

* 1 tablespoon canola oil

* 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger

* 3/4 teaspoon salt

* 1 chopped scallions (green and white part)

* 3/4 cup peanut (or almond butter)

* 3/4 cup hot water

* 6 tablespoon rice or cider vinegar

* 3 tablespoon soy sauce

* cayenne to taste

Directions

* Cut the tofu into 1 inch cubes and place them in a pot. Cover the tofu with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for about ten minutes. Drain and set aside (this helps the tofu keep its shape)

Nothing better than cutting something into a perfect cube.

* Cut the broccoli, shaving the tough parts of the stems off, but using most of the broccoli.

Soak the broccoli in cold water to maintain the color.

Ginger, onion, scallions! chop chop chop

* Heat the oil in a skillet. After a minute, add the oil and onion. Cook for two minutes over high heat.

Print This Post

Friday May 03, 2013

Coconut Obsession

Call me obsessed, but I am a sucker for anything with coconut in it. Remember this and this, well now, I have three MORE coconut products that I can’t live without! All three are delicious, flavorful, coco-nutty goodness!

Decadent, coconut, deliciousness!

1. Health Warrior Chia Bars, Coconut flavor

health warrior

These little itty bitty bars are stacked with more than just taste, as they have antioxidants, omega 3’s, fiber and plant-based protein. Amazing, right? Chia seeds are the new goji berries! Sold at Whole Foods, health food stores or online.

Favorite flavor BY FAR is coconut. YUM.

The size of my hand

These bars are gluten, dairy and soy free. 100% vegan. 100% natural.”Grab a bar and find your warrior.”

Unwrapped.

2. Emmy’s Macaroons

Print This Post

Friday April 26, 2013

Smorgasburg

The best reason to skip breakfast on a Saturday or Sunday is to save space to party at the Brooklyn Flea’s giant all-food market, Smorgasburg. Set at the East River State Park in Williamsburg or in the old tobacco warehouse under the Brooklyn Bridge in Dumbo, it is a full-on adventure in deliciousness.

Smorgasburg

Some highlights:

Hash Bar:

No — not that kind of hash

Hash and eggs.

Bon Chovie:

Fried Anchovies, Jersey style. WHAT WHAT????

Butter & Scotch Bakery:

S’mores Pie. Absolute perfection.

Print This Post

Monday April 22, 2013

theSkimm

I spend way too much time on the internet on pop culture, hot gossip, and the perfect outfit. Superficial, girlie, and way-too-blonde. I am trying to change, and one of my goals in 2013 is to make more of an effort to read and be more up to date with current events. No one likes a blonde who can comment solely on US weekly tabloid press….but watching the news puts me to sleep (seriously), and I barely have enough time to read the styles section of the NYTimes, let alone the front page! But I think I have a solution…

Thank you, theSkimm, for making keeping up with current events and news so cool, easy, and fun!

the Skimm

theSkimm is a daily newsletter that simplifies headlines for the educated professional (or stay-at-home mom). Delivered to your inbox before the start of the day (around 6 am), the Skimm summarizes all the current events in a fresh, smart, and tongue-and-cheek manner. It gives you enough information to have an educational conversation and does so in a fun and interesting voice! Their motto is “We read, you Skimm.”

The beginning of today’s newsletter

the Skimm was launched in July 2012 by Danielle Weisberg and Carly Zakin; two young, savvy, professional roommates who happened to meet while studying abroad in college. And look at them now! theSkimm is taking off and inspiring us all to be more informed, aware, and in touch with the news! I had the opportunity to interview Danielle and Carly — take a look! And don’t forget to subscribe immediately!

Carly and Danielle. Photo taken by Sophie Elgort.

Question: How did you come up with the idea?

theSkimm was born out of what we saw as a void in the market. In our former careers as TV producers, we saw that our friends, who were highly educated and had great jobs, had no time. They wanted to be informed. They wanted news on the go but there was no product out there that they felt connected to and wanted to come back to each morning. We created theSkimm as a way to get your news in a way you enjoy and start your morning off right.

Print This Post