A Letter to Myself

This past Sunday afternoon, I made Ricotta gnocchi entirely from scratch. I was standing alone in my kitchen for a few hours, carefully mixing, kneading, and shaping. Entranced by that methodical rhythm, I had ample time to reflect. I cook primarily because I am truly present in the process of making, second only to cooking because well, I love to eat.

My mind wandered to years past. I took an inventory of all that I have come to believe today, as a woman, but would have gladly known as a younger person. As I shaped each gnocco, I retreated further and further.

I tend to show love with food, because food tastes better than words, but consoles heart and soul just the same. Oftentimes I search for meaning through making and sharing food. So with floury hands and a mess of dough and cheese, I crafted a letter; here is what I remember of it, jumbled but sincere. 

I harvested some basil from the garden and stored it in a mason jar. The inspiration from the gnocchi came from Food52, and they were paired with a hearty bolognese. 

Dear Francesca,

One of the only concepts you will consistently have to concern yourself with regarding your actions and beliefs is "are they honorable". Forget the remaining periphery. You do not have to seek assurance, or confirmation that being as you are is ok. Every nuance is another thread in your beautiful and unique tapestry. 

Hold on to your aspirations and views but do not try to change others. Not everyone is the same and they shouldn't be. It takes all kinds of kinds. Focus instead on the joy that remains, and the commonalities between you and the next person. There are more than you think.

Has worrying changed your life at all? Has anything been different? No matter what you do and how you act, someone, somewhere will have a problem with you, and that's ok. Know your worth, but stay humble. You are no better nor worse than the next person. If you find yourself displeased, keep fighting to find what will bring you peace.

Let go of resentment and hostility as these emotions are tiring and harvest more stress and negativity. Re-evaluate your priorities and focus on what is actually important. When you are fifteen, life seems volatile but it gets better. A few eggs that crack become part of something bigger; it will make sense in years to come. 

Messes are lovely in their own way.

You're not perfect, but certainly not awful so lighten up on yourself. Know your audience, know your aggressor, and get to know yourself most importantly. Learn where you can thrive and where you should take a step back. This will take lots of practice, blunders, and awkward encounters. Remember to laugh in the process. Everyone wants to feel worthy. Everyone is striving to gain ground. 

Pause before leaping into hot water. 

Fatigue, discontent, anxiety, impatience, and sadness happen. Do not always attach a value judgment to them. They just are, and will pass like all things good and bad eventually do. Do not assume that fallibility is a weakness and the tendencies that make us most human are unacceptable. If you do so, you're holding yourself to impossible standards. Figments of our minds are the greatest rivals. 

Be content to experience things for yourself. The world is yours for the living. You are not exactly alike any other human being on this planet so why feel like you have to completely align with anyone’s sentiments. Not even the people you love. You can retreat into the depths of your mind every so often, but be sure to come up for air. Change the tune and go on.

Find the time to admire the fruits of your labor.

There is value in sharing experiences and communicating. More people feel like you than you would think; you're not alone. If you make a mistake, acknowledge it and move on. You are not entrusted with ensuring anyone else’s ultimate happiness. Only you can control your own happiness. Remember that when you are trying to please everyone else. 

Show the people who love you understanding and appreciation. They've walked in your shoes.

Today is another beginning, and the present is all we ever actually have. Everything else has already taken place or will in the future. Meet it when it comes, or think fondly on times past but do not neglect the present, it is fleeting. 

Lastly, make time for dinner with your family and friends. Coffee chats, games of monopoly into the wee hours of the morning, and summer nights with ice cream. They will affect you greatly and shape the woman you are to become.

Breakfast Cups

Alice laughed. 'There's no use trying,' she said. 'One can't believe impossible things.' 

'I daresay you haven't had much practice,' said the Queen. 'When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.

- Lewis Carroll 

--- 

I've been intending to become an earlier riser for some time now. Early enough to exercise, read, write, or better myself in some way during the dark, quiet morning hours. To believe the impossible. While I have not mastered the habits just yet, I've been more diligent about making breakfast at least. 

I am shamelessly fond of desserts for breakfast. Two days ago, I made a Cherry Chocolate-Chip Upside-Down cake from Food Network magazine and ate it in the morning with a glass of milk. It was a lovely mix of summer and sin; Food Network even showed some love on Twitter.

Fresh off that sugar high, I concocted a breakfast that reminded me of dessert (even used a cupcake tin) but contained traditional breakfast elements: Biscuits. Eggs. Taylor Ham. Cheese. 

I crisped up some finely chopped Taylor Ham. For non-New Jersey folks, Taylor Ham, or Pork Roll,  is a pork-based product that was developed in 1856 by John Taylor of Trenton and is only available in New Jersey and parts of Philadelphia. We put Taylor Ham on everything from bagels to burgers. At Little Town in Hoboken, they put Taylor Ham inside Arancini, or rice balls. 

Next, I grated some Muenster cheese and greased a cupcake tin. I stretched and arranged Pillsbury biscuits in the bottoms of the cupcake wells. Tomatoes, onions, grilled leftovers, and other proteins like turkey or sausage make fine toppings as well. 

Crack large eggs one at a time on each of the biscuits. I left a few of the cups naked, and topped the others with Taylor Ham and cheese (at the halfway mark). Into the oven they went and baked at 425 degrees. I tested the eggs for doneness at 11 minutes. I proceeded to cook the bites for an additional two minutes because I like a firm yolk. For a runny yolk, remove sooner. 

The breakfast cups popped out of the pan with ease, biscuit on the bottom and warm egg on top. I prodded them gently with a butter knife to free them from the tin. 

James leaves at 6 am for work, so I ate quietly by myself. One breakfast cup was filling enough so there were leftovers; I'll be enjoying them again tomorrow. Cheers to breakfast in Wonderland.

Breaded Eggplant Stacks

Growing up Italian, fried eggplant was as much a staple for dinner as Sunday sauce. My grandmothers, and their mothers before them lived out of the garden. Squash, basil, figs, tomatoes, lemons. The season dictated what was cooking. The season coupled with a serious sense of waste not anything in your possession. And there was no cowering away from oil in a pan. This, I am especially grateful for. 

The extended hours of summer have ignited in me a renewed energy to channel the women before me and get resourceful at home. I have taken to using basic ingredients to make food  that is often simple, and always comforting. 

We received an assortment of vegetables from our friend who works his own farm. My line of reasoning to discern the best use for the produce went something like this.

"Eggplant would make a darling little portion of Eggplant parmigiana, but it's too hot to turn the oven on. Parmigiana reminds me of Caprese, less the heat. Summer IS Caprese salad. Oh goodness, I want fried eggplant though. Ok, let's just stack the eggplant on a vertical Caprese salad."

I sliced the eggplant first. 

James recommended using Panko in lieu of regular bread crumbs for breading because it gives the otherwise soft vegetable a nice crunch. Coat each eggplant slice with egg, followed by Panko and set aside while the oil, (I used canola), heated through in a shallow pan. 

I dropped the Panko breaded eggplant into the hot oil and it began to sizzle over medium-low heat, as that indistinguishable "fried" smell I know and love permeated the kitchen. It brought back vivid imagery of meal times at home or at Nana's when I was a growing, hungry little girl.

Gently press your thumb into the center of the unheated side of the eggplant. When it is soft and warm, flip with a fork or spatula. Fry for an additional few minutes on the other side and check for desired doneness, and brown color. 

I sliced the beautiful tomatoes as thin as I was able. Tomatoes still give me a little trouble and James doesn't trust me yet with his extra sharp Chef knife;  I don't necessarily blame him. Before I purposed the tomatoes into the stacks, I paused to take in just how bright and inviting they looked, in red and yellow hues.

Once the eggplant cooled, I lightly salted each slice as I did not season the Panko. You can season the Panko before coating the eggplant if you wish, but I like biting into the coarse sea salt. 

I don't have an advanced grasp of flavor profiles. The complex concepts I leave to James, the actual chef, to execute until I can learn them. For me, salt, pepper, and olive oil are the ingredients I consistently use. Flavorful basics speak for themselves: bread, cheese, vegetables. I've said time and time again I could live on bread and cheese alone, and a cantaloupe every so often. (and chocolate, obviously.)

This refreshing summer fare came together as easily as playing with building blocks. Eggplant, tomato, mozzarella, eggplant and so on. I drizzled each stack with extra virgin olive oil, added a touch more salt and pepper, and adorned with basil and balsamic reduction. 

We ate outside, without utensils, and licked our olive oil soaked fingers clean. 

Scenes from Sunday: Backyard Mint Ice Cream

It's difficult to recall a time I wasn't contented and at peace while eating ice cream. Ice cream is made for happy times, summer warmth, and running outside with sweat dripping down your forehead. Actually, I must amend that statement. I can remember vivid exchanges, pouring my heart out to a girlfriend or listening on with angst as we both tucked in to a pint of Very Chocolate Chunk, distressed and vulnerable. But nonetheless, we were not alone, and there's value in that at least.

I received Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams at Home as a gift. A gorgeous body of work, it set my summer off on a promising trajectory - countless flavors boasting inventive combinations and beautiful applications. For my first pass at Jeni's ice cream, I made Backyard Mint, both my favorite flavor and quintessentially indicative of summer. 

I cleared a Sunday afternoon and stood in the corner of my kitchen, alone, prepping all the components. First, a slurry (semiliquid mixture) is made of milk and corn starch. Milk, cream, sugar, and corn syrup are brought to a boil in a saucepan. 

The cream is removed from heat, and the slurry is whisked in.

Then, fresh mint goes into the cream; it's a welcome holiday for the senses.

The hot cream is transferred to a plastic bag and cools in an ice bath, then into the refrigerator to steep. 

She instructs 4 to 12 hours for steeping. I was seriously excited for ice cream sundaes, so I took out my mixture at 4 hours on the dot. The mint is strained and the cream is poured into the frozen maker. Note: The bowl must be entirely frozen so freeze well in advance of any ice cream-capades.

I am using this maker by Cuisinart.

Within 15 minutes or so of churning, the ice cream should be ready and placed in the freezer to harden. Meanwhile, I began preparing the cookies. While I intended to make ice cream sandwiches per Jeni's serving suggestion, my macaron cookies came out a bit flat. Fortunately, they still made a nice garnish, and were fun to prepare. I had to trace biscuit cutters as a guide for the cookie batter - I felt like a preschooler learning new things about the world all over again. 

While the cookies baked, I shaved some chocolate and stored it in the freezer. I'm fond of cold and almost crispy chocolate, like day old bread. 

Mom's favorite is Lindt milk chocolate, so milk it was. 

Making homemade ice cream is an exercise in patience. The initial steeping phase for the cream, and then the ice cream hardening in the freezer brings you to about 5 hours or so start to finish, minimum. 

When the ice cream has set, garnish with fresh mint, shaved chocolate of your choice, and chocolate wafers. 

But as the adage says, good things take time. We were all pleased with the outcome and will look to Jeni's book for more ice cream adventures this summer. And if I am really lucky, I'll make it to one of her shops. 

... and indulge.  For more tidbits from Jeni, click here. 

Life is 2Sweet

For over eight years now, since the birth of her twin girls, Angela Shafer has been helping people create memorable occasions. Invitations, party favors, candy buffets and decadent desserts are the heart of her business. She has mastered the cake pop, made her fair share of diaper cakes and diaper tricycles, crafted a fully edible version of nearly every Disney icon adored by children, and planned as well as executed themes and decor for celebrations ranging from Bar Mitzvahs and weddings to birthdays and baby showers.  Recently, Angela opened 2Sweet's doors in Woodland Park, NJ, transitioning from a home based business to a retail location and party planning haven. 

As a cake pop lover and fond of all things handmade, I am grateful to have a store like this in my hometown.  I am also overjoyed for Angela and her loved ones, for a selfish reason. She is my cousin and having an entrepreneur in the family means two things: 1) She is an inspiration to anyone who hopes to turn a passion into a sustainable living.  2) Our family gatherings always have the best treats. Duh.

Paramount to her business success is Angela's ability to heed the wishes of her clients and incorporate their style into a deeply personal, innovative solution. She made my graduation from high school memorable with Georgetown themed invitations. Blue and orange cake pops made a perfect gift for a dear friend, a die-hard Mets fan. This fortieth birthday screamed the eighties, every single detail. 2 Sweet facilitates moments that are not easily forgotten.  

Angela began with some basic materials in her home, baking savvy inherited from her talented mother, moral family support, and a vision. Since 2Sweet's inception, Angela has built a following of customers and admirers through resilience, creativity, and a need for very little sleep. The finest bi-product of her entrepreneurialism - the example she has made for her young daughters. 

Have a look below at some noteworthy 2Sweet moments and please consider casting your vote for 2Sweet in the Best of New Jersey 2014 .  

Cake pops, quite possibly, to kill for. 

Need a centerpiece for your next party? 2Sweet is a one stop shop for all your party planning needs. 

Pictured clockwise from top left: Chocolate peanut butter fudge, Red Velvet, S'more, French Toast (with BACON)

Mini cupcakes, Candy, and Kisses, oh my!

Even the boxes are sweet.

Chocolate Covered Oreos

XOXO

It's always sunny in 2Sweet. (Even if it is not sunny outside, light reflects off the white furniture, the smell of cupcakes abounds, and you immediately feel happier anyway.)

More than just cupcakes.

Lemon Creme, Raspberry Chocolate Fudge, and Mint Chocolate Chip 

And did I mention cannoli cones!?

Are you salivating yet? Or dreaming of sprinkle topped cake pops. For additional information be sure to visit 2Sweet's website or stop in for a visit. 

Summer Hours

Monday: Closed
Tuesday: 11-7
Wednesday: 11-7
Thursday: 11-7
Friday: 11-9
Saturday: 10-5:30
Sunday: Closed

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