Fat Ghost

Fat ghost. Fat ghost. Fat ghost. Fat ghost. Fat ghost. Fat ghost. Fat ghost. Fat ghost. Fat ghost.

Fat ghost. Fat ghost. Fat ghost. Fat ghost. Fat ghost. Fat ghost.

OMG2 WGSFCB

Double post day! So, Trader Joe's is around the corner from my office, and currently has come up with the best idea in cereal since Cinnamon Toast Crunch (CTC). It is called Whole Grain Strawberry Filled Cereal Bites (WGSFCB). WGSFCB consists mainly of a crunch puffy square surrounding a dollop of strawberry jam. That's right. Jam filled cereal. I've yet to have it in milk, since it is super good for just snacking on.You know who would like WGSFCB? Bears.

OMG AHOY!!!!

You might think that Jonathan Adler these days is just a constant sponsor/commercial/host on Bravo's "Top Design." Which would be true, except that he has brilliantly created this WHALE BUTTER DISH. (See also: Matching Whale Pitcher).

You need this if: You are having a Moby Dick themed party, you are having dinner at any time in New England, you have a blowhole. The pitcher would look adorable filled with pretty blue flowers. Plus they are both somewhat reasonably priced under $100.

XOXO

I have no shame in admitting that I find "Gossip Girl" totally addicting, it is my cinnamon toast crunch of TV- full of empty calories and completely devoid of nutritional value, but sweet, crunchy and satisfying.
Bluefly.com isn't helping any, as they've gathered pages and pages of each character's wardrobe to scan through. My only complaint is that there's no female-inspired Chuck Bass options.

Potirons vrais!

Not to double post on pumpkins- but before I head off for a weekend of gluttonous indulgence in Portland, OR ( Beast, Le Pigeon, etc.) I wanted to expand a bit on pumpkins. While they are a usual fall staple, this year it seems to be taken further as a TREND in some respects. Specifically, heirloom pumpkin varieties and pumpkin seeds.
Lately I've seen pumpkin seeds toasted in guacamole, and candied into brittle. Pumpkin seed pesto, popular in Austria, is also showing up quite frequently.

Fake pumpkins.

Until yesterday, I was unaware of the existence of Funkins. They are fake foam carvable pumpkins that won't rot like real pumpkins. This is cheating. If you don't carve real pumpkins, how are you going to make homemade candied pumpkin seeds? What about getting your hands covered in cold, damp, borderline gelatinous pumpkin guts and spongy pumpkin flesh under your fingernails?Plus, they're a little pricey. I wouldn't want to screw up carving one of these.

Food Statistics

Nate Silver is dreamy. He's brilliant, adorably geeky-skinny, a hero among baseball fans, and currently is getting a ton of press for fivethirtyeight.com, his political analysis site. But the election will be over in a month, and baseball season is drawing to a close. Can we only hope that there might be a smidgen of time left over for him to resurrect his food blog, The Burrito Bracket, which seems to have been deserted almost a year ago? Or maybe come over for dinner?
I doubt it, but a girl can dream.

Fakesgivings!

Fakesgiving is this weekend, and everyone is getting pretty excited. What is Fakesgiving?

Fakes·giv·ing (fakes′giv′iŋ): noun

1. the celebration of Thanksgiving, usually between friends instead of family, held on a date preceding the fourth Thursday in November. Like Thanksgiving, it is celebrated as a day of giving thanks and feasting, commemorating the Pilgrims' celebration of the good harvest of 1621.
"Fakesgiving" appears as a common term among bloggers but still does not have a Wikipedia article. It also appears in this Food and Wine article, which includes a delicious looking recipe for pumpkin bars, as well as alluding to "bourbon/apple/maple" jello shots.

OMG OMG WORLD EGG DAY OMG

It has finally come, WORLD EGG DAY! But the best thing you can do with an egg? Hard boil it and then mold it into adorable shapes. Thanks Japan!

Egg molds can be purchased on ebay. I want the bear one. Bear eggs!

LEEKS

I'm currently in the middle of a leek love affair. The leek is a member of the onion family, but is much sweeter than most of its counterparts, tasting like a mix between a shallot and a scallion.

Last night I had leeks with spicy Italian sausage and fresh pasta, and tonight I'm whipping up a classic Vichyssoise. But, since it is World Egg Day Eve, I give to you: Marinated Leeks with Poached Egg, Sheep’s Milk Cheese & Mustard Vinaigrette.

"Spooky" Eggs

What's better than bacon and eggs for breakfast? Poaching the eggs in a bottle of red wine. France gains another point with the brunch classic Oeufs en Meurette. Toasty country bread, rich red wine and butter sauce (add some onions and foie gras) and thick lardons (lardons!) of bacon.
Bonus points is that this dish generally looks unappealing and kind of like bloody body parts. Perfect October Halloween brunch idea.

Egg Week!

Friday Oct. 10 is World Egg Day (!). So, to get prepared for the big day, this week will feature slightly more egg recipes than usual. To start off, we have more poached egg goodness from Italy, Zuppa alla Pavese.
To begin, fry a thick slice of bread in a little bit of butter till it is golden brown on both sides. Place the bread in a bowl and carefully crack and egg on top of it. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese over the egg. Bring one cup of chicken broth to a boil, and immediately but carefully pour over the egg/bread. Ta-da! The egg gets cooked, the cheese melts, and the bread slowly dissolves into your soup.

Cheering Up Things, Pt. 3

Things to be happy about:

1.) Old Navy now sells dresses on their website in TALL sizes, so your skirt isn't too short and you don't look like a hussy.

2.) Fall-flavored cupcakes. What about Pumpkin Cupcakes with Pistachio Cream Cheese Italian Buttercream? Topped with candied pistachios and pumpkin seeds? This is just an idea I had.

3.) My dog is my dog.


What makes you happy?