Watercolor Workshop and Cookbook Signing

Shout out to anyone in Connecticut! I will be doing a cookbook signing and watercolor workshop event on Sunday April 13th in Westport! If you haven’t heard of Terrain, it’s an amazing online shop / store / cafe / plant nursery - I visited last spring and basically wanted to live there. It’s gorgeous. It’s a sister store of Anthropologie, and sells all kinds of amazing home and garden items. The main Terrain is a sort of farm/shop in Pennsylvania, and this Westport store (that I’ll be at) is a stunning newer addition.

WHEN: Sunday April 13, 2014

WHERE: Terrain: 561 Post Road East, Westport, CT 06880

Watercolor Worskhop & recipe demo/tasting, 2-3pm ($30 tickets here). We’ll be painting little dinner party related items like menu cards, buffet cards, and place setting cards, plus making (and eating!) a new recipe from my book.

Book Signing, 3-5pm (free and open to the public) Books will be available for purchase.

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If you’re in that area and can’t make this, the NYC launch party will be on May 8th at the Anthropologie store near Union Sq (16th & 5th Ave) from 5-7pm! There is a list of other signings, here.

Kale Tacos

I’ve been getting lots of green garlic and kale in my CSA box lately, so I thought..why not make tacos?! Green garlic is simply young garlic that has been thinned out of the vegetable beds. It resembles and tastes like scallions, but with a more garlicky flavor. It’s often at the farmers market in spring, but you can use scallions if you can’t find it. I cook it with a bit of kale and serve it with black beans inside of warm corn tortillas. Top with some greek yogurt and hot sauce, and a squeeze of lemon, if you like. I like to serve them with a platter of crispy cucumber spears, drizzled with lemon juice, cayenne and garlic salt. Yum! This recipe (with one can of beans) makes enough for about 6 tacos. Enjoy!

Two Tomato Carrot Ribbon Pasta

Weekend (or weeknight) recipe idea! When making a pasta dish, sometimes I like to replace half of the pasta with carrot ribbons to make it a little lighter.

TO MAKE (serves about 4) : Use a potato peeler and shave long ribbons off 3 carrots (I use the peels too, but feel free to discard). Press hard for thicker ribbons. Boil 12 oz long pasta (like fettuccine) as usual then with 30 seconds remaining add the carrot “ribbons” . Strain the whole pot as usual, then toss with chopped marinated sun dried tomatoes, halved cherry tomatoes, mini mozzarella balls, fresh parsley, garlic powder, olive oil, salt and pepper… plus a squeeze of lemon if you wish. Enjoy!

I adapted this recipe from a Better Homes & Gardens recipe and posted it on their blog.

Related Posts:

Carrot Ribbon Salad with meyer lemon

Carrot & Zucchini Ribbon Salad with edible flowers

The Golden Mary

I love a good spicy Bloody during a weekend brunch, don’t you?! Stoli is doing a big round-up of Bloody Marys in cities across the country and I was excited when they asked me to create a recipe inspired by the city of San Francisco! Our little cabin in the woods is just 45 minutes from SF, and we try to get there weekly to wine, dine and walk. Inspired by the city’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge, I created a recipe that has carrot juice in addition to tomato juice, to evoke that orangey-red hue of the bridge. And because the city is known for its fog, I added a bit of Humboldt Fog cheese to the garnish. Enjoy!

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The Golden Mary

inspired by the city of San Francisco and it’s iconic Golden Gate Bridge!

serves 1

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Stoli Vodka

• ½ c tomato juice

• ½ c carrot juice

• juice from one wedge of lemon

• 2 dashes Tabasco Sauce

• 2 dashes Worcestershire sauce

• 1 pinch smoky paprika

• 1 pinch salt

• 1 pinch ground black pepper

Garnish:

• carrot ribbon

• cube of Humbodlt Fog cheese

• additional salt & pepper (about 1 t each) for the rim of the glass

Directions:

Wipe the lemon wedge around the rim of your glass, then dip the glass into a small plate of salt and pepper to coat the rim. Combine all ingredients ingredients and stir. Serve over ice.

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This post was sponsored by Stoli. I was so happy to work with them because I have been enjoying their vodka for years!

Recipe, photos and illustration by Erin Gleeson.

Savor Stoli Responsibly. STOLICHNAYA® Premium Vodka and Flavored Premium Vodkas. 37.5%-40% Alc/Vol (75-80 proof). Distilled from Russian Grain. Stoli Group USA, LLC, New York, NY ©2014 Spirits International, B.V.

Brussels Sprouts Caesar Salad

Brussels Caesar! A tasty Caesar salad with some heartier greens involved…use a mandolin to shred the Brussels sprouts, or simply cut them into very fine slices. Toss all with your favorite Caesar dressing and enjoy!

Have a great weekend!

PS- this is what Brussels Sprouts look like when they grow!