We Saw a Bear || July 4th Hike Up Mt. Tammany

New Jersey, the Garden State - home to deer, the Jersey Shore, outlet malls, Six Flags, good schools, and oh, that's right, bears.

Now-Forager's Roasted Strawberry Thyme Shortcakes

The fourth is almost upon us, and that means that many Americans are getting ready for barbecues, picnics, and pool parties. 

Our July 4th celebrations have become less and less traditional over the past few years, but I still enjoy standing in solidarity with the traditional celebrants when I see the amazing pies on Instagram. 

Food (and increasingly, shopping) dominates nearly all of our holidays, and I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. Developing a culture and heritage centered around food can be beneficial, especially when it encourages people to slow down, take the time to prepare food, and enjoy the company of others. Notwithstanding, the essence of most holidays commonly extend beyond our annual eating rituals, and it's still important to remind ourselves why we celebrate. 

Seaside Sunset (Avon by the Sea, NJ)

Historically speaking, I'm not the most spontaneous person you'll meet - I'm a planner. Over the past year, I've learned to set aside spare time to allow for spontaneity, but having a flexible schedule right now makes accommodating for last minute plans even easier!

DUMBO, Brooklyn

Night at the Met

Photo Journal :: Favorite Photos From Cornell (College Year II)

Some of my favorite photos (DSLR and iPhone) from this past school year:

Byron Talbott's Steak and Potatoes

My take on Byron Talbott's "Steak and Potatoes" recipe for my brother's birthday (if you missed the birthday cake, take a look at it here!). Wilson loves mushrooms, so I threw in maitake mushrooms from Shibumi Farms into the pan, sauteeing with the residual juices/garlic/rosemary as the steak rested. The farmers working the stand that day recommend them to me, saying that maitakes are "the gateway mushroom".

(Unrelated note - I love talking with farmers and learning more about where my food comes from! Seriously, I can't recommend going to your local farms/farmers' markets enough. Your level of respect for farmers will skyrocket, and you'll appreciate your ingredients by ten-fold.)

We don't really use sour cream in our home, so I used Greek yogurt instead. Couldn't find horseradish either and mixed the yogurt with scallions. I'm no good when it comes to cooking steak; you can tell from the photos that the steak was quite rare ("umm, Hannah, it's a little too rare for me..."). I had to throw some pieces back into the pan for a few seconds ;].

Will, I hope you had a great birthday. Your big sis is so proud of the way you treat everyone with so much kindness. You're more sympathetic than anyone I've ever met, and I admire the way you lead with humility and a level-head. Love you, bud!

Momofuku Milkbar's Birthday Cake

My (not-so-little) brother, my best buddy, turned eighteen this past Monday! Historically, he's always requested a red velvet birthday cake from Coldstone's, but he finally got tired of it last year. I've been begging him to let me bake a cake for his birthday, so this year was my year. 

I developed an obsession with Christina Tosi, the genius behind Momofuku Milkbar, a few months ago. I couldn't stop listening to podcast interviews and watching YouTube videos of her baking and talking about her creative process. She was a transfer student, loves math, can eat cereal all day long, and took an unconventional path into the culinary world. It's like we're twins. My dream is to become the mom who can bake like Christina Tosi!

This birthday cake is one of Milkbar's most popular items, and it's also one of the trickier recipes that other recipe/food bloggers have struggled with. As you can tell from my photos, the cake didn't turn out perfectly, but I was still pleased with the results - and more importantly, my brother loved it! I'll definitely be making this again in the future, using the tips that I've picked up from this trial (listed below). 

Almond Crusted Coconut Milk French Toast

My love for Beth Le Manach's and Randy Sharp's dinner party videos will be put into action this summer - this summer, I plan on improving my cooking techniques by hosting a few dinner parties! 

To warm up, I cooked a simple brunch for my high school best friends last Friday. The menu included coffee from a French press, almond crusted coconut milk French toast (topped with a mixed berry compote and coconut cream), and a strawberry-pecan salad (Jersey grown red bibb lettuce, strawberries, toasted pecans, 12 minute hard boiled egg) with a mustard vinaigrette. We were fortunate enough that the rain held up and allowed us to sit on the patio as we ate and caught up. 

So much happens when we're apart, yet we're always able to pick up where we left off and enjoy both lighthearted and deep conversation topics. If you're lucky enough to have friends like that, go tell them how much you love them!

Recipe: Almond Crusted Coconut Milk French Toast
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Eight 1" thick slices of bread (day-old or stale works best; I used a whole grain/seeded variety from Wegman's)
1 cup of full fat coconut milk (reserve the solid cream on top)
1 egg, beaten*
1-1.5 cups of almond flour

butter/oil to cook with

reserved coconut cream 
2 cups of mixed berries (I used frozen that was defrosted overnight in the fridge)
maple syrup


Preheat the oven to 375*F. Mix the coconut milk and beaten egg in a shallow dish. Place the almond flour in a separate, shallow dish.


Add the berries to a saucepan. Cook the berries on medium heat, until the berries have released their juices and are soft, about 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, soak each slice of bread for 30 seconds on each side. Let the excess custard drip off and dredge both sides in the almond flour. Place the dredged bread on a cooling rack set above a baking sheet.

Heat a pan (or griddle) over medium-high heat with a little bit of butter/oil. Once the pan is hot enough (flick some water onto the pan - it should start "dancing" and sizzling), add the bread, making sure to not overcrowd the pan. Just cook to brown both sides. Once browned, remove the bread and place back onto the cooling rack contraption. Bake for 5 minutes.

To serve, top each serving with the berry compote, a dollop of the reserved coconut cream**, and maple syrup.

*To make this a vegan recipe, simply omit the egg! The coconut flour will be more pronounced, but the recipe still works!
**If the reserved coconut cream is too runny, place it in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to set up. 


Want another French toast recipe? Try this one:

Almond Crusted Milk Bread French Toast with Maple Caramelized Bananas

Princeton Memorial Day Parade 2017

Cascadilla Gorge (with Michelle!)

 

Monkey Run

Two runs: 7 am on a 70 degree, humid, sunny morning, and 4 pm on a 60 degree, windy, cloudy afternoon. No matter what the conditions are, this place will look stunning!