my mother gets credit for finding this one: the graham & co hotel in phoenicia, ny.

seriously, i’d pack my bags this second for a weekend of hikes, bikes, fire pits and hammocks in the Catskills. wouldn’t you?

their branding is great, too. i love how they describe themselves: an update on the traditional weekend away. like this place, the vibe seems to be like summer camp for adults in the best possible way….probably with a lot less attitude, though.

(images courtesy of the graham & co website)

i love erin’s artwork – from animals to food to streetscapes, she manages to capture something truly delightful. i hope you will look forward to seeing her work here as much as i am! recipe for ramp pesto below…

 (recipe and images provided by erin mcgill. see more of her work here, or follwer her on twitter: @wallcojr)

chia seed chocolate “pudding”

add 1/2 cup filtered water to 2T chia seeds. let it sit and thicken for about 10 minutes, transfer to the vitamix, and add:

1 cup raw unsalted cashews, 5 or 6 dates, (remove the pits!), 1T unsweetened cocoa powder, 1T maple syrup or agave nectar, 1t vanilla. start with 1/2 cup of coconut milk (or almond milk) and pulse, adding more milk to achieve desired consistency. i usually add about 1 cup of the milk total. also, if you like a stronger chocolate flavor, you can add another tablespoon of the cocoa powder.

it’s good to eat right away, but i think it’s even better once it sits in the fridge for a few hours. it seems like the chia seeds keep thickening even once they’re ground up, and the texture is just great.

(photos by laura kinsey for bklynprairie.com)

amazing work…

now, for you by-the-book types, i know my version is kind of japanese and maybe kind of thai, and kind of not really authentic at all. but this is how i do it, and it’s good!

for the sauce:

2T tahini

2T creamy peanut butter

1T each of mirin, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, and siracha. either regular sesame or toasted sesame oil is fine, and you can add some hot chili oil as well, if you have it!

1t grated ginger

juice from 1/2 a lime

for garnish:

handful of rough-chopped cilantro, thinly sliced scallions, and sesame seeds.

for the noodles:

the options are many. in the picture above, i used regular old pasta noodles (actually my last choice – just what i happened to have on hand) but you can use ramen, udon, rice noodles, or buckwheat soba noodles. my new favorite noodle is the black bean “spaghetti” from the brand Explore Asian. they have two ingredients (black beans & water!) and about 25 grams of protein per serving and almost half your daily requirement of fiber. they’re a perfect backdrop for the sauce.

the sauce! oh yes. easist thing ever – mix everything in a bowl, and toss with the cooked/rinsed/drained noodles. scatter the sesame seeds, scallions, and cilantro over the top. if the sauce seems a little thick, add a tablespoon or so of the pasta cooking water or regular hot water to thin it out.

(photo by laura kinsey)

via yatzer. 

what you’ll need:

half a bunch of kale (i like the tuscan kale, or cavolo nero, for recipes like this) washed & ready to use

7 oz. white cannellini beans (about half a can)

1 garlic clove, minced

1/4 t crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 c white wine

2 T diced canned tomatoes, fresh tomatoes, OR 2 T tomato paste*

juice from half a lemon

1 scallion, thinly sliced (optional)

olive oil for the pan

make it:

take your kale leaves and cut in half. i remove the stem from the lower half because they get kind of tough at that end, but skip it if you don’t mind a little extra chew. rinse and drain beans so they’re ready to go. set both aside.

put a glug of olive oil in the sautée pan, add minced garlic clove and crushed red pepper. turn on the flame. when garlic starts to sizzle, add kale leaves. before the garlic starts to smell weird and burn, add the lemon juice, white wine, and tomato paste. using tongs, turn kale leaves over and around in the pan for about 2-3 minutes. add beans, and pop the cover on for another minute or two so beans can heat through. if the pan starts to make that hissing dry sound, add a splash more lemon juice or wine.

transfer to a bowl. dress with another little glug of olive oil, sea salt, and fresh cracked black pepper. sprinkle with sliced scallions and EAT.

* i use about 2 tablespoons of a fresh tomato sauce made from canned San Marzano tomatoes that i try to make and just keep on hand. tomato paste works well too, as would some chopped fresh tomato or 2 tablespoons of canned diced tomatoes, just straight out of the can. if you buy tomato paste – buy it in the tube! you can use a little at a time and it’s won’t go bad like it will if you try to save the remainer of the can. i love the kind from Amore. (i’m dying to try their anchovy paste in something, too!)

recipe and photo by laura kinsey for bklynprairie

today is the first day of spring, according to ms. calendar. but in nyc it is still so cold that i would need a coat to go over this coat. plus a hat and a big, big, scarf.

tomorrow’s forecast calls for snow.

image credit

i am a huge summer fan… i love the beach, the sun, and being able to go outside without having to layer on a sweater, jacket, scarf, gloves, hat, and sometimes, boots. that’s six extra things!

but every year when it starts to warm up, i am stricken with anxiety about what to wear. this is mostly because even though winter isn’t my favorite season, i love winter clothes. there are two other issues, though:

1)  i am a creature of habit and once i find the thing i love, i like to wear versions of it a lot. i like to find one great pair of sandals that i can wear every day all summer. i will wear one pair of jeans for a year. i like one bag to keep all my crap in. i am not one of those girls who switches up the bag to match the outfit. no. that is how i lose stuff…

2) i am not into your typical “spring looks”. florals have to be basically amazing for me to consider them. i effing hate that mint green trend from last year and have my fingers crossed it does not resurface. (i feel the same about you, emerald green, a.k.a. color of the year. no thank you.) my favorite colors to wear are black, grey, navy, khaki, ivory, and sometimes, blush tones. these colors don’t exactly scream “spring”, and it can be hard to find stuff in this palette at this time of year. so, for lack of anything seasonally appropriate to wear, i cling to my too-warm winter clothes for way too long. they’re familiar and i don’t have to think too hard about getting dressed. i like that.

this year, though, i’m going to try not to procrastinate. i’m going shopping. and i’ve made an executive decision to wear my favorite nail polish colors all summer long, even if they scream winter.

1. allsaints top/ 2. rag & bone scarf/ 3. madewell t-shirt/ 4. mz wallace clutch/ 5. essie nailpolish in Hot Cocoa and Power Clutch/ 6. pants from joie/ 7. club monaco shorts/ 8. rag & bone camo jeans/ 9. madewell denim shirt/ 10. knotted leather ring from by boe/ 11. linen sneakers from superga/ 12. allsaints t-shirt