Some Good Stuff!

 

Classic Bread Stuffing, courtesy of GOOP

 

 

• Note: I used to hate stuffing. You know the "stuff"....the sticky, gloppy stuff that came from a box (or was it a tube?)....yeah, that stuff. Never cared for that stuff and convinced myself I hated stuffing because of it.  
• Note: Now I love "my" stuffing.

• Note: I am a disciple of Gwyneth Paltrow. Specifically, her style, her GOOP, and anything she does involving food.
• Note: "My" stuffing is Gwyneth's stuffing.

 

This is the story of how this all came together:

 

Leading up to Thanksgiving 2009, Gwyneth had written about some of her favorite Thanksgiving dishes in her GOOP Newsletter. It seemed there was nothing extra special about her Classic Bread Stuffing. In fact, the recipe reads incredibly basic. But she did say you could use challah. Love challah! And like I said, I do what Gwyneth does. So Classic Bread Stuffing (using challah) was happening!

 

Thanksgiving Dinner 2009 was held at my tiny studio apartment in New York City. (The picture to the right is a picture of my kitchen. Yes, you can prepare a Thanksgiving feast with just 8 inches of counter space, so long as you don't mind resting pans on the top of your garbage can or on the floor. I do miss that apartment!)

 

The attendees: two of my sisters and me. The menu: Thanksgiving food, as organic and fresh as possible. I combed through my recipe files and put together a rather lovely, veggie-heavy meal. The turkey took a backseat to side dishes that year! The sautéed carrots and Brussels sprouts were nice. I was quite proud of the green bean casserole (no cans of mushroom soup here). But in my humble opinion, the pièce de résistance was the stuffing.

 

I'm a little bummed that I can't describe the taste and texture in mouth-watering detail; I don't remember the specifics. I just remember loving it! And I remember thinking that from then on, if asked to make something for Thanksgiving dinner, this would be my go-to dish. I will never be in charge of turkey. I want nothing to do with yams. My mother's mashed potatoes (with skins left on) are too good to mess with. My aunt's bread wins every time. And my pies will never look as pretty as my sister's pie. But "my" stuffing will follow me wherever I go.

 

So here it is.....this is what all this fuss is about....

 

 

Classic Bread Stuffing

Generous on the onions and fennel seeds, this stuffing is hearty and satisfying but not soggy or heavy as stuffing can sometimes be. Made with good vegetable stock, it’s vegetarian-friendly.

 

Serves: 12, with leftovers

Time: 2 hours, a lot of which is completely unattended

 

Ingredients:

· 15 cups of 1/2˝ bread cubes (challah, wholegrain, or ciabatta)

· 1/4 cup butter + 1 tablespoon cut into small pieces

· 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil

· 1 very large onion, very finely diced (roughly 2 1/2 cups)

· 2 stalks celery, very finely diced (roughly 1/2 cup)

· 2 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds

· 3/4 teaspoon celery seeds

· 2 generous tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary

· 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

· 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

· 2 1/2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley

· 2 1/2 cups high-quality vegetable stock, divided

 

Preheat the oven to 300º F. Spread the bread cubes out on two cookie sheets and bake for about ten minutes or until a bit dried out, not browned.

Meanwhile, heat the 1/4 cup of butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add the onion, celery, fennel and celery seeds, rosemary, salt and pepper and sweat the mixture for 20 minutes, keeping the heat low enough so that the vegetables don’t color – you just want them to get soft and sweet. Turn off the heat, add the parsley and let the mixture cool for about ten minutes in the pan. Add the bread cubes and 2 cups of stock; stir to evenly distribute. Let the mixture sit for about an hour to let the flavors really get into everything (now’s a good time to work on your other Thanksgiving dishes!).

Reserve two cups of the stuffing for the turkey if desired.

Set the oven to 350º F. Put the stuffing into an ovenproof baking dish (you could even leave it in your sauté pan if it doesn’t have plastic handles – one less thing to wash!). Pour over the remaining stock and dot with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.

Feel free to claim it as your own!

To the friends and family I will share Thanksgiving dinner with this year, get ready for the good stuff[ing]!

And Happy Thanksgiving to all!

- E

p.s. This is GOOP: http://www.goop.com/

Tied up and Hanging out

Alice Rosignoli's "20 Hangers" Wardrobe

For every one "thing" I've tried, vouch for, and want to tell you about, I've got at least 27 things I read about/ heard about/ saw in a store/ tracked down online/ really want to try/ know I'll love/ and just can't wait to talk about. With the holiday shopping season right around the corner, I think I may pepper my posts in coming weeks with some fun things that you, too, may enjoy. Or, maybe you'll just get a kick out of some of the random things I drool over. Either way, come friends, let's delve into the "E files." (Yes, there are files.....kind of a lot of them, actually.....)

So artist/designer Alice Rosignoli is over in Europe, working with ordinary hangers and dreaming up a way to transform how things hang. She fashions the "20 Hangers" wardrobe. The design world notices. New York Magazine features the product in their recent Fall Design 2011 issue. I see this. And I'm in love.

The concept: 20 common wood hangers and black ropes, hanging from cables attached to your ceiling or wall. Senior industrial designer, Sally Rumble, describes it as a chandelier of sorts. (Great way to think of it!)

The real-life application: E's dry cleaning and freshly ironed threads move from their assumed positions on the back of doors and closet door handles to a Maypole-like installation hanging as the art currently missing from her bedroom.

You see, while many people may look at "20 Hangers" as a brilliant invention for the closet space-deprived, I look at "20 Hangers" as an awesome opportunity to play around with the clothes I already hang outside my closet. I imagine some of my tanks and sweaters getting reacquainted, and my otherwise very neutral wardrobe looking rather handsome mingling loosely as a group.

This:

Looks way better than this:


Wouldn't you agree?!

Price: 120 euro, plus shipping. That comes to 150 euro, or a little more than $200. I know - I know!! - that is a lot of money for hangers. When it comes to household items worth spending money on, I realize for most people hangers are right up there with paper towel holders and drawer dividers.

"So E," you ask, "you haven't actually tried these, they're not across-the-board practical, they're pricey, and, frankly, they're a little 'out there' for everyday living, why are you telling us about these?"

Well, if you love 'em and you can afford 'em, go for it! (http://alicerosignoli.it/) If you're intrigued by Alice's ability to take make some ordinary objects cool, then do what I do and print some of these pictures and stare at them. Finally, we're entering gift-giving season. Your takeaway? Gift inspired.

"Gift" being a verb...the act of gifting. Think outside the box. Notice what people like, what they do, what they use, and what not everybody else has. Absorb the options. Allow yourself to be inspired. And gift inspired.

Speaking of hangers and gifts, a few years ago, I gave one of my sisters a [rather pricey] knitted hanger as a gift. She's the fashionista of our family and is the one I knew would appreciate something like this. It's great for delicates, but absolutely perfect for the heavy vintage coat she cherishes. She never would have purchased a knitted hanger for herself, but was happy to receive it as a gift! I was in awe when I saw them, allowed myself to think beyond her "wish list," and purchased confidently.

I sure hope I didn't lose you here today. I'm hung up on the "20 Hangers" (yes, pun totally intended!) and am in the midst of pulling gift ideas for several projects, so this is a glimpse of where my head is these days. I have not succumbed to Pinterest. Pretty sure that's where I belong. For now, consider this my pinboard manifesto.

- E

Be a Super Hero!

Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company

Bloggers who post daily: you are my heroes! How do you do it?

When I started this blog, I was between full-time jobs, and looking for a creative outlet. I figured a post per week would do. But now, I've got a whole lot goin' on! At any given moment, there are at least 12 things I (a) wish I was doing; (b) should be doing; (c) am thinking about doing the second I finish what I'm currently doing. Tending to this blog has been a, b, and c since I started it. Sometimes I wish I was Evie from the late '80s/early '90s TV show "Out of this World." Remember her? Her father was an alien from the planet Anterias. Being half-alien, of course she has superpowers, including the ability to pause and un-pause time! Why wish for more hours in the day when you could wish for the ability to pause time, check everything off your list without interruption, then un-pause and resume?!

What superpower would you like to have? Who did you pretend to be when you were a kid? Growing up, I loved to "play house" with dolls and Barbie; I was always the mom! Other than that, I put my creative juices to use rearranging furniture in my bedroom for fun, and sketching floorplans for my parents to use to remodel our house. Yeah . . .

Anyway, I don't have kids of my own, but hear more and more friends and relatives talk about the importance of "dramatic play." Who knew that there was such an official term for what a lot of folks in my age group knew simply as "dress up."

Well, parents (and adult dreamers and seekers-of-all-things-cool-and-unique), I am super excited to introduce to you to the Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company. Let them handle "dramatic play" for you, for when it comes to helping your kids make believe, you will never come close to what BSSCo has put together! This truly is one of the most unique lines I've come across in years, maybe ever. (And I don't use "unique" lightly. When I was PR, churning out press releases for consumer products, my co-worker, Janet, begged us to avoid using the word "unique." It was/is an over-used word. But what can I say, we were 20-somethings trying to convince reporters to pay attention to what we were hawking. We thought we were slick.) But I digress. I'm going for it; I'm calling Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company UNIQUE! Let me sell you on this. . .

[Stop here if you live in the New York City area. You need to just strap on a cape and soar over to 372 5th Ave. in Brooklyn and check this place out for yourself!]

Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company: purveyors of high quality crimefighting merchandise. Finally dear heroes, one-stop shopping!

You'll start with your Secret I.D. Glasses, or go a step up and get your "human identity" Starter Kits. You may need a new Cape. Depending on your identity, you may need to add a gallon of Muscle, X-Ray Glasses, or a Sequin Belt. Surely, you'll need some gear (a Mind Reader, perhaps) and lab supplies (some Matter, a case of Kryptonite, and some Chaos, which is for use by licensed heroes only). Manuals will come in handy, but some Speed of Light fluid will help you navigate the Index of Good & Evil.

Superheros don't deal with dollars, but for what it's worth, you humans can purchase a Vortex for $11M or Time Portal for a cool $3.8M. For now, maybe just the Red Phone?

You know what? I'm not any more imaginative and creative that I was when I was 8, so I'm going to stop trying to describe all of this in a clever way. You really need to check out for yourself. Go to the website NOW!

Ack! Wait! Before you go, I want to mention two things to keep in mind:

• ALL PROCEEDS from the sale of Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company products go directly to support the free writing and tutoring programs at 826NYC, which is a nonprofit organization that assists students ages 6-18 with their creative and expository writing skills, and helps teachers inspire their students to write.
  


• The BSSCo store in Brooklyn is staffed entirely by volunteers.
  

They are heroes in their own right. So, without further ado, Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company: http://www.superherosupplies.com/

- E

[All images courtesy of Brooklyn Superhero Supply Company]

WIN-ning UPDATE

News you can use. . .

I ran out of WIN detergent this past weekend. And it was replaced by a "lesser" product at the store where I usually bought it. I told the store manager all about WIN and how they needed to reconsider the decision (as if 26-year-old Tim really had any say in the chain store's product offering).

So I went home, figuring I'd buy it online or find another store that carries it. Then, this:

"WIN Detergent has been sold to a new management team!We expect to have WIN available online and in specialty retail stores by the end of October, 2011. Follow us on Facebook for more updates!"

It's coming back, folks! Wait for it!

-E

WINning!

WIN High Performance Sport Detergent

In recent years, my workout clothes rested comfortably at the bottom of my dresser drawers. I may have pulled out a pair of yoga pants to lounge in on a Sunday or a t-shirt to paint in, but for the most part, I wasn’t putting them to work.

But a year ago, I decided to take a break from my workaholic ways, moved to a city full of people who live for their sports and outdoor activities, and slowly but surely, I am discovering my inner athlete. So my workout clothes are now in constant rotation. And on any given day, worn workout attire is strewn about my apartment – draped over a shower door or hanging on a drying rack – to air out/dry. You see, in a perfect world, I’d come home from exercising, throw my clothes in the wash immediately, and then let clean clothes dry on a drying rack. Scratch that; in a perfect world, I’d come home from exercising and someone would do all of the above FOR ME!

But, life it was it is. Until I hit it big and/or hire a personal valet, my sweaty workout clothes go unwashed for days, and I rely on WIN laundry detergent. It’s marketed as “High Performance Sport Detergent.” It’s apparently used by and endorsed by the U.S. Olympic Team at U.S. Olympic Training Centers. And it claims to “eliminate embedded sweat and odor.” It is. It probably is. And it so does!

The same day I wrote this blog entry, I washed a big load of workout clothes using WIN. And then I conducted a very thorough sniff test. I swear, from sports bras to sweat-wicking shirts and everything in between, it’s all as fresh and clean as a field of daisies on a warm summer day. And unlike the toughest of common detergents (which sometimes seem to just be put a top layer of “detergent smell” on clothes, rather than actually taking care of the problem) , WIN seems to really get into the fibers of clothes to eliminate odor and dirt. They call it “oxy cleaning technology.” Whatever that means, it works! And by the way, it works for both normal loads and high efficiency front-loading machines.

Following is a link to the WIN brand website, where you can follow the “Buy WIN” link to search for a retailer near you. (What’s great is that in addition to sporting goods stores, many sports clubs and fitness studios are now selling WIN.) A 21oz. bottle retails for under $10.

http://www.windetergent.com/

Something to keep in mind though, when I saw that a nearby Sports Authority carried WIN, I went in and scanned the shelves that housed similar products. When I didn’t see WIN, I asked a sales associate who said she remembered seeing it in the store, but couldn’t remember where she saw it. Ten minutes and 4 store employees later, we found it on an end-cap in the clothing area. You may have to search for it, but it’s time well spent!

- E

p.s. One of my sisters is an athlete who has been in training full-time for several years. Obviously, her threads take a beating! She swears by Bac-Out Stain & Odor Eliminator (a Biokleen product). I haven’t tried it, so I can’t endorse it, but I know she would!

From Breakfast Room to Boudoir, Penthouse to Pool House…and everything in between!

A sampling of the Lafco "House and Home" Candle Collection

(l to r: Master Bathroom: Marine, Game Room: Blue Bamboo, Media Room: Spike Lavender)

How you doing on candles? Let me guess – you’ve got a few choice ones scattered around your place? A couple on the mantle for decoration, your new favorite one on the coffee table, a few votives near the bathtub (because you envision yourself taking baths by candlelight)? And then a drawer or cabinet full of the ones you’re currently sick of. Something like that, right?

You may even go through phases with candles. I know I have! Discovered them initially for my college apartments. Then I went on to work at Pier 1 Imports for a while. And let me tell you – the last thing a candle-loving 21-year-old needs is an employee discount on candles. Let’s just say I amassed a collection! Then on to Party-lite candle parties. . . It was out-of-control there for a while. And then I lost interest in candles.

Sure, I’d still sniff every candle in a store (and still do), but for the longest time, nothing “wowed” me. “Practical E” was always in my head telling me I had plenty of candles at home to light and love.

Then along came the “House and Home” Collection by Lafco.

Before I commence with the love fest, I should get this off my chest: these were part of Oprah’s “favorite things” last year. And I got a little uppity because I figured everyone would think that I jumped on the Lafco bandwagon because of Oprah. No people, no. In the most immature, obnoxious way, I’m here to say, “E discovered them first!” But thanks, O, for agreeing with me. :)

Annnnywayyyyy….the candles! You know I’m going to say they’re great and worth every penny! They are soy-based wax candles, with a natural cotton wick, housed in a wide hand-blown glass jar (approx. 4” x 4”) that’s pretty just sitting there doing nothin’. A 16oz candle will yield about 90 hours of burning. Retail is $55. I currently own “Kitchen: Cilantro Orange.” I tend to move a lot and it’s made sense in every kitchen I’ve had it in. And you know why it makes sense in every kitchen? Because it was designed for the kitchen; it’s in the “Fragrance Floorplan.”

Yes! You heard me! There is a Fragrance Floorplan! And let’s pause for a moment to discuss the Fragrance Floorplan, shall we? Um, it’s F-a-n-t-a-s-t-i-c! I need you to picture me reaching through your computer screen, grabbing you by the shoulders, and sticking the Fragrance Floorplan in your face. And then I’d tell you to take a good long look at it, concluding that yes, it’s the coolest thing you’ve seen all week! (Link to the coolest thing you’ve seen all week – when you’re done reading this – below.)

I’m going to go ahead and put this Fragrance Floorplan up near the tippy-top of my “loves.” Other companies may woo you with fragrance and packaging (which, don’t get me wrong, will often work for me), but Lafco doesn’t stop there. The Fragrance Floorplan gives these beautiful candles a story. They were thought about and planned for. They were incorporated.

As if all of this weren’t enough, a sub-group of the “House and Home” Collection is the “Dream Home Candles” Collection. Oh yes, a candle for your ski lodge, a candle for your beach house, a candle for your ranch house, and a candle for your treehouse (yep!). On and on the options go…..

So, buy yourself a Lafco candle. Buy one for a friend. Lafco candle(S!) would make a GREAT housewarming gift - - you could buy for several rooms of the house and put them in a great basket! Or, best of all - - buy a TON of them for a wedding gift. I am waiting for just the right people to get married so I can gift them a boat-load of room-specific candles, setting the tone for their blissful, tasteful, beautiful, Lafco life together. (I’m corny, but I’m serious!)

The very least you could do is follow this link so you can see the Fragrance Floorplan in all its glory, hovering over all the rooms, then moving on to see the “Dream Home” collection. Look. And Love.

The "Fragrance Floorplan": http://www.lafcony.com/hh/floorplan.php

- E

p.s. If you find yourself in New York City, visit the Lafco collections at Santa Maria Novella on Lafayette St. in SoHo. It’s a beautiful store full of beautiful things!

PB + J [J is for Justin]

Oh, Justin - - you and your nut butters! You and your squeeze packs!

Take any kind of food. Divvy it up and make “travel-size,” “to-go,” “snack-size,” or “minis” and I’m probably going to buy it. Why? Well, because it’ll probably make my haphazard lunch-packing easier. And they make portion-control, well, happen….

So there I am, about a year ago, taking my time in the aisles of a giant, clean, quiet, Whole Foods store near my new home when I get to the peanut butter section. Keep in mind that I force myself to buy the organic, natural stuff now because I’ve been convinced, but I remain annoyed that I have to keep the stuff refrigerated (I don’t like how it hardens and isn’t as easy to spread). And I turn a sour face every time I have to stir a layer of oil with ¾ of a jar full of what amounts to dry nuts. But I digress. Back to Whole Foods, circa July 2010. I find these:

That’s right - - little packs of nut butters. Multiple flavors. Squeeze ‘em instead of stir. Fridge not needed. Justin – you rocked my shopping cart that day! And for the past year, I’ve never not had a box of Justin’s Nut Butter in my cupboard!

I’ll skip past the convenience factor; I’m sure you get it. Instead, let’s get to the flavors. (By the way, the company’s high standards mean the highest quality, locally sourced, natural and organic ingredients for you.) The Almond Butter is available plain, or with chocolate, honey, or maple. The Peanut Butter is available plain, or with chocolate, honey, or hazelnut. I’ve tried them all and can’t think of a reason why you shouldn’t do the same! My favorite is Honey Almond on toast. But I also really enjoy Maple Almond on a banana. I was reading about “Team Justin” on the company’s website. Lance Gentry (President of the company) likes to put Maple Almond Butter on cinnamon rice cakes. Now that I know cinnamon rice cakes exist, I’m going to hunt them down so I can try this!

And it turns out I am going to belabor the convenience factor. . . How great that you can throw one of these in your bag, along with a banana, apple, rice cake, crackers, etc. and go?! As soon as I reach my desk in the morning, I forget that I have food shoved in my bag so things that won’t spoil on me are great! Remember how I said I hated having to deal with the oil/nut separation? Well, herein lies the genius of the packets: I give that little pack a few squeezes and done! Moms – this is a no-brainer. Picnic-goers, same. Portable protein; it’s perfect! Ooooh, and here’s an added tip – when you’re at the grocery store and you see the little boxes on display that the packets come in, I don’t know how the grocery store people feel about this, but I shuffle packs around and leave with an actual box full of the packs I want. Easy storage/display for you once you get home!

Individual 1.15oz packs retail for about $1 each, and I always find them at Whole Foods. For those of you who enjoy a good old jar of peanut butter that you can dig a spoon into every once in a while, Justin’s got you covered. Sixteen-ounce jars range from $6 to $10, depending on the flavor. I see the jars at most mainstream grocery store chains these days.

Time for some links:

#1 On Justin’s “Nut House” page, scroll down to the bottom of the page and take the very brief survey they link to. YOU COULD WIN A CASE OF NUT BUTTER!!! I think it would be really cool if one of my readers won because not only would they enjoy their prize, but it would prove that people read this blog of mine and actually follow links. Let’s see who’s actually still with me! [insert smiley face]
http://www.justinsnutbutter.com/nuthouse.php

#2 Here’s a link to “Nuts Near You”:
http://www.justinsnutbutter.com/shop.php

#3 Here’s a link to the Justin’s e-store (where I discovered that they now carry Justin’s Peanut Butter Cups!!!):
http://justinsnutbutter.elsstore.com/

Ok, you know what to do! Enjoy!

- E