Fall in Seattle

I flew home to Seattle for a weekend to play with my adorable 3 year old nephew. 

Champagne and Beer, Part II

Continuing on from my food adventures in Nice and Monaco...We missed our flight to Munich, but luckily we were quickly moved to the next flight out and were well on our way to Oktoberfest extravaganza.

Champagne and Beer, Part I

If there were ever a more gluttonous trip than this one...

Champagne at all hours of the day and night, a decadent four course meal at one of Alain Ducasse's restaurants, sausages and beer. In other words, a visit to Nice, Monaco, and Munich.

There was so much to write about that I split this up into two posts, one on Nice/Monaco, and one on Munich.

Beantown!

Yay, Boston! It is always fun to visit the town where I spent my fond college years. My college friend, Ky, was getting married, so it was going to be a mini college reunion. My cousin currently attends my alma mater, and one of my old colleagues was back from her stint abroad in London, so yet another impossibly huge reunion was in store for me.

I arrived at Logan with an ear to ear grin on my face - I couldn't recall the last time I flew into Boston, as usually I take the train. I know it had to be senior year, because my friend had just accepted a position at the company we now both work for, and I recall smiling proudly when I saw said company's advertisement in one of the terminals. Well, that advertisement was still there, in a slightly different format, so I couldn't help but crack a smile.

My Kind of Brownie

I have been reading about something named a "Slutty Brownie" for quite some time, but haven't really felt the need to bake it. Sanjay, I know what you are thinking already.

I started reading a fun blog named The Londoner, and she had a post about said brownies. Since this is my last weekend in New York until Halloween (weddings, engagement parties, Oktoberfest, a few west coast visits, etc etc), I decided to bake these indulgent treats and lounge on my couch all night.

Caprese Salad

I had basically a whole package of basil left over from my Aubergines & Quinoa dish, and I wanted a quick way to get finish it up. I knew I would be going to the farmer's market on Saturday, and would find some tomatoes, and some kind of artisinal mozzarella cheese or the other. My mind was basically made with what to make - CAPRESE SALAD! Done.

Aubergines and Quinoa

I have a few more weeks left of my 2012 CSA, and I haven't really experimented with eggplant yet. I found a great grilled eggplant recipe on Sprouted Kitchen, so I figured this would be a perfect attempt for me to try something healthy and get a variety of veggies into my regular diet (apart from my beloved kale chips). I actually dislike eating vegetables and I am on a quest to find easy and/or fun recipes in which I can cram in as many different types of veggies as possible without cringing. If I had my way, I would likely have the black label burger from Minetta Tavern (medium rare, of course) every night of the week.

P.S. I think that eggplant may actually be classified as a fruit.
P.P.S. Doesn't the word aubergine remind you of that yellow box of 64 count crayola crayons you got every year as school started again?