Bakeri

Discovered Bakeri while galavanting through Williamsburg this past weekend. A charming blast from the past. I could have sat there all day had there been a fan in sight. Instead, I grabbed a business card and took my iced coffee to go.

Mast Brothers Chocolate

Springtime Brunch in Gramercy

Spring has sprung! And what better way to enjoy the warm weather than with good friends and delicious food. Jake and Silka recently relocated to the Berkshires to pursue their agricultural and culinary endeavors, yet returned this past weekend to hold a brunch for a few friends. It was bittersweet, as it reminded us of what we are already missing without the Butcher & the Baker living around the corner. We miss our neighbors and good friends, the spontaneous get-togethers and of course, their incredible leftovers. We are thrilled to see what Jake & Silka cook up in their new home and hope they'll make room for two more at their table 'cause we're coming to visit!

Haven's Kitchen

'NOLA

For Christmas Silka & Jake gave us a jar of homemade granola. Needless to say it was delicious and so didn't last us very long. As soon as they filled us in on the recipe I made my way over to Kalustyan's on Lexington to pick up all the ingredients for Nigella Lawson's totally perfect granola.

Chai Time

A while back I had posted about my love for the Shah-family chai, and now I'm excited to share the recipe. I'm in the habit of picking up ginger and mint with each trip to the grocery store so that I can make the tea on a regular basis.

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 tbsp. Wagh Bhakri brand tea, a granular black tea found at Indian grocery stores
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 inch ginger, peeled and finely grated
• 6 fresh mint leaves

Makes 3 cups

In a small saucepan, combine the water, milk, tea, sugar, and ginger. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once the tea reaches a boil, reduce heat and stir in the mint leaves. Return the tea to a boil and then promptly remove from heat. Strain tea and add more milk and sugar to your desired taste.

Oat Meals

They say the closer you live to work, the more likely you are to be late. I can attest to that! Recently I’ve been waking up 45 minutes earlier so that I can take my time at home and still get to work on time. When I was living in Brooklyn, I spent that extra time commuting-- now I use that time to catch up on reading, write lists and make breakfast, the best perk of working so close to home.

This new routine of mine coincides nicely with our joint goal to eat healthier breakfasts. This week we started each day with a bowl of McCann’s quick cooking oatmeal. Oatmeal can be a bit boring, so to keep it interesting we've been changing up the toppings:

Monday: Bananas with Toasted Pecans & Brown Sugar

Tuesday: Blueberries with Brown Sugar & Flax Seeds
On this day, I had an ripe banana lying around so I mashed it up, and mixed it right into the pot of cooking oatmeal. Delicious! (Thanks to Phoebe for this tasty idea!)

Wednesday: Apples & Cinnamon.
To make the apples: Peel, core and dice 2 medium apples. Place them in a small pot with 2 tablespoons of water and a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon of sugar and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Cover and let simmer until the apples are soft and the juices are mostly evaporated. About 5-7 minutes.

All this healthy eating has us thinking about the bagels, eggs and bacon we’d like to have this weekend!