I hope everyone enjoyed a very happy and healthy start to 2022! The end of the year brought meaningful reflections on personal health and well being and of course an opportunity to travel and try a few new and old recipes.
Although I am religious about walking 5 miles each day, this was a year that required some indulgence, so I made sure I savored everything I ate and enjoyed a few cocktails or two on my break! Why not? This is what makes life worth living and I think all of us deserved it. It was quite a year with lingering residual issues from the pandemic. But it’s also a time to persevere and apply a bit of what a friend of my husband calls ‘dedicated discomfort’ to keep your body in good working order. It’s not easy walking in ice and snow and sub degree temperatures, but I do feel better for it even as I’m cursing myself for being so stupid walking in the dark and nearly taking spills on the unseen black ice and branches that fell during the storm, we had last week.
Getting outside no matter the season is important to me. Fresh air, connections with others – it feels good and seeing the wildlife and beauty year-round is lovely. We’ve seen foxes, deer, rabbits, hawks, Bald Eagles and even beavers on our travels. Even last week during 18-degree temperatures I was talking with my neighbors, and it felt great.
Speaking of getting out, we made it to New York for the first time in two years and it was perfect, even for a short while. I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I only booked a hotel for one night. Fortunately, it was absolutely lovely and we were able to do everything we wanted and more from going to my favorite bookstore McNally Jackson in Nolita (and a stop at the Adidas store for the boys) to visiting Central Park and Rockefeller Center like everyone else to see the tree, which happened to be from Maryland this year.
The trip to Central Park was particularly meaningful as I took some of my dad’s ashes with me and found a nice place to plant them unobtrusively in a spot overlooking the expanse of the park with the Wollman Ice Rink in view and a grouping of the original Manhattan rocks that existed well before the city was even in existence. I took my dad’s ashes with me on my last trip to Italy in 2019 and he (they) will travel again with me later this year. I tried to think about the places that meant a lot to him, so this was a trip long overdue. He grew up not far away in Newark, NJ where he lived for several years with his family and spent a lot of happy days in the city when his brother Frank was still alive (he died tragically very young), and he treasured his memories from that period. Afterwards, we went to the bar at the Pierre Hotel not far away and had an official toast to my dad with a glass of champagne. He would have loved every minute and it was great thinking of the many times we went to the Pierre with him together.
Other stops included a trip to Black Tap, which is famous for crazy milkshakes and burgers. We went to the Soho branch and enjoyed every second. I also made sure to stop at Rice to Riches, a rice pudding shop with a crazy number of flavors from Oreo and praline to rocky road and cheesecake. I ended up buying banana coconut and the regular flavors with no toppings and loved it. We also went to Pastis for dinner, another request from the kids who enjoyed brunch there on our last trip back in 2019. On this journey, we had escargot, steak tartare and an array of French specialties including profiteroles for dessert! Completing our food tour, Luke and I went to Koreatown and visited Grace Street for a burnt Basque cheesecake and rose flavored boba tea. It was terrific to see how restaurants have successfully dealt with the pandemic, installing Korean barbeque fixtures even in the outdoor dining sections.
Finally, no trip to New York is ever complete without visits to Zabar’s for an array of deli specialties and Kalustyan’s for spices. The boys are very used to coming inside with me while John stays with the car and rushing around to gather items needed. We usually buy the wonderful soups, a few prepared dishes, bagels, and rugelach. I love it and wouldn’t leave without the provisions. Having a fridge in our hotel room was a huge help!
We also took a few trips to Baltimore and DC during the break. While In DC, I stopped at Bold Fork Books to pick up a few titles. The store was buzzing with activity in the lead up to the holidays with many people in the store grabbing books. It was wonderful to see all the people enjoying the shop and I hope it means more successful days ahead to come as I know the owners have some plans to schedule events with authors and cooking sessions.
In Baltimore, we visited the Whitehall Market, which had some awesome merchants including Crust by Mack, which makes some superlative pies; the Firefly Farms Market; Homebody General Store and Gundalow Gourmet. While in the Clipper Mill area, we also went to SoBotanical, which is an amazing maker of essential oils and elixirs. I picked up some wonderful finds including hair pudding for my dry strands and evening facial cream that smells wonderful. The store was a real find with specially formulated natural remedies and a workshop to create special formulations for visitors.
I also made a ton of food as usual. Some items were more successful than others. I’m certainly not perfect and have my good days and bad days when it comes to things I’m making. I tried to make a banoffee pie using my sister’s gluten free graham crackers and that was a total disaster as the crumbs hardened and it was difficult to extract pieces of the pie. We also made homemade pizza using gluten free flour for my sister who struggles with gluten sensitivity. It didn’t make the grade so to speak and wasn’t very edible. My advice? Stick with the tried and true when it comes to baking or use alternatives that work better like cauliflower when making pizza crust!
One thing that went well was making a beef tenderloin for a buffet on Christmas Day. I was very nervous about it since I attempted to make one many years ago and ruined it (sorry Jill and Marc!), but thankfully John has a meat thermometer, and we were very careful to use it appropriately to ensure perfect results. I am happy to share the recipe below for how we did this. I served it with bake and serve rolls that were a might too small (options were limited due to the pandemic!) along with arugula, sliced red onion and horseradish sauce and some hot mustard. I also made macaroni and cheese with gruyere and crème fraiche. This was a special request from my son since it’s not something I make very often. I think because my family is Italian American, it is just something we don’t serve. My mom always said her mom said certain foods were “americani” and this certainly falls into that category for us, but a really good high quality cheese used with pasta can make a superlative dish!
For breakfast on days when I have company, I like to serve a healthy spinach and artichoke frittata. Sometimes I add crab but given that it’s $75 a pound for crab meat right now, we kept it veggie friendly. One other item made during the break was homemade crepe manicotti that were very similar to what my aunt used to make for us growing up. They are so delicate and light – nothing like the pasta tubes you see in the grocery store. If you have never tried crepe manicotti, I highly recommend giving them a try! The main thing I focused on though that was very important were my cocktails. I like to make a mimosa bar with prosecco and several mixers. This time I had pomegranate juice, fresh passion fruit, elderflower syrup, grapefruit, and crème de cassis. Who doesn’t love a sparkly cocktail to celebrate?
I’m back on the health train wagon now, so it’s water throughout the day, very little sugar (except in my blueberries and dark chocolate) and healthy proteins and vegetables. I still indulge, but I do so much more thoughtfully.
I also love reading good books and binge-watching TV shows like everyone else. What am I reading and watching? I enjoy reading murder mysteries like A Slow Fire Burning by Paula Hawkins. I also am deep into Steven Van Zandt’s memoir Unrequited Infatuations. I spent a good deal of time recently watching the Beatle’s Get Back by Peter Jackson on Disney+. I really enjoyed it and tuned in each night to see John, Paul, Ringo, and George play their hearts out and joke with each other during the famous taping sessions for Let It Be. I also watched the Tender Bar and Lost Daughter and really enjoyed both, which were unique portraits of people at different stages of their lives. If you haven’t seen either film, I highly recommend both available on Amazon Video and Netflix.
So, back to dedicated discomfort. Although I dodged a few areas of black ice walking my dog Murphy over the weekend, I am a true believer in this whole walking and eating right thing. My goals for the year ahead include trying to get more sleep, drinking more water, sticking to my routine of only drinking alcohol on the weekends (well, except for skinny margaritas on Thursdays, because you know…), reading something not having to do with work without disruption for at least 60 minutes a day, continuing to use my dry brush as much as possible, and getting outside as often as I can to enjoy fresh air no matter the temperatures!
I think it is doable. I’m a winter girl. I love every aspect of this season from warm fires and hot chocolate to hearty stews on the stove and comforting hot toddies. Whereas some prefer summer, I love my wool hat and gloves and new purple parka. I hope everyone finds their Zen this season and enjoys their January!
The following recipe is for the beef tenderloin we made for the holidays. It was very simple, and I highly recommend it for your next gathering if you enjoy such items:
Beef Tenderloin for a Crowd
Ingredients
One 5–7-pound whole beef tenderloin, trimmed
4 tbsps. Butter, softened
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.
2. Place the beef in a shallow roasting pan with foil and rub it with butter, covering the entire loin completely. Sprinkle with a generous amount of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.
3. Bake for 25 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into a thick portion of the meat registers 125 degrees for medium rare meat. This is the tricky part and may involve some testing and placing the meat back in the oven. It needs to be precise. Above all, what you do not want to do is overcook it, so be careful to use the meat thermometer to get it just right! Cover the meat loosely with foil and let it stand for at least 15 minutes before slicing.
4. Serve the tenderloin sliced on a platter with a basket of hot yeast rolls baked in the oven, arugula, and sliced red onions. We also serve hot mustard and horseradish sauce with the meat.
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