Air Head

I never used a hair dryer growing up. The mild weather of the Bay Area and a succession of low maintenance hair styles made such a gadget unnecessary. But once I moved to the east coast, frigid temperatures (and an increasing awareness of general grooming needs) forced me to join the hair dryer-wielding masses.


So for years I used whatever $29.99 Conair-type model the local drugstore offered up, and they always seemed to work perfectly fine. They'd break after a year or two, and my hair was never as smooth and shiny as the hair stylist would make it, but nothing lasts forever and hair stylists make hair smooth and shiny for a living, which I do not so I figured this was just the natural order of things.


After I moved to New York, I was lucky enough to meet Nikki, the most wonderful hair stylist/colorist that has ever lived. Since moving here from England several years ago, she has always worked at salons that are far, far out of my price range, but because she is a friend of a friend of a friend, she keeps me as a private client. Now this may sound very glamorous, but in reality it just means that either she comes to my apartment or I go to hers and I pay her far, far less than her salon would charge. In exchange for the discount I have to wash my hair in the kitchen sink and sweep up my own hair. But no matter, we have a good time and I am loving my hair once she's done.


Anyway, one night she came over to cut and color my lovely locks and forgot her hair dryer, which meant that she had to use my pathetic excuse for one. And lo and behold, once dry, my hair looked as if it had been blown out by me, not by the talented professional that Nikki is. So all this time it was my hair dryer, not me?!!


I felt tremendously vindicated, and immediately went online to do some professional hair dryer research. After a bit of searching, I settled on the Super Solano 232.





I think I paid about $60 for it at the time (the lowest price I can find now is $71.99 here) and I swear it is the best $60 I've ever spent. Four years later, the power of this thing is undiminished, and if I take the twenty minutes or so that it takes to do a good blowout, I am always rewarded with smooth, phenomenally shiny hair. And you know how people rave about blowouts that last for three days? Well, with the Super Solano in my arsenal, that's mine.

Ye Olde Butcher

Following the holidays, my usually well-stocked freezer was looking a bit depleted, so this past weekend I vowed to embark on a mission of mass stock production. If all went according to plan, chicken stock and veal stock would soon fill the shelves, resting in deep freeze until their tasty services were required.

Now stock is one of the easiest things in the world to make...outranked only, I think, by toast. I mean, really, it's basically meat tea. The only vaguely difficult aspect is collecting the necessary meat scraps, which can be a little challenging if you don't have a good butcher. Thankfully, I do.

I have been a serious devotee of Florence Meat Market since my early days in New York. Although I wish I could call it my neighborhood butcher (partially because I would love to be able to pop in anytime, partially because I would love to live in the West Village), I do have to travel a couple of subway stops in order to get there. But I am never disappointed that I have made the trip.

I can't say for sure that it is a family-owned establishment (given the plethora of family snapshots and communion photos on the walls I assume it was at one point), but regardless, it has a distinctly familial feeling about it. I always see the same people in there, performing the same functions (Maria answers the phone and works at the counter, her merry band of butchers prepare various cuts behind her), and everyone, customers included, always seem to know each other.

The quality is unfailingly high (do not miss their fantastic homemade sausages), the butchering is nearly perfect (it seems to be done with an almost surgical precision) and I cannot recall ever asking for something that they did not have or could not get for me in fairly short order (with the exception of chicken feet, which I occasionally like to throw in my chicken stock, but they are an addition that I can certainly live without).

I would recommend calling ahead to place your order, even if it is something you plan to pick up the same day. Occasionally, they run out of certain items towards the end of the day, so it's not a bad idea to put a claim on your cut of choice, and because they custom cut everything, you may have to wait for a bit for them to prepare your order if you are just walking in. But waiting is not the worst thing in the world. There is quite an entertaining cat to play with (just to give you fair warning, the cat is a bit difficult...it will love some pets until it decides that it hates them and then turns around and bites you) and the crowd is always convivial.

Well, all did go according to my plan, and I now have ten quarts of stock in the freezer.

My chicken stock, in the early stages:

My veal stock, about halfway through cooking:

By the way, why is it that everyone (I guess by everyone I am referring to certain Food Network personalities) always makes such a fuss about how hard beef and veal stock is to make? Aside from roasting the bones, it is exactly the same process as making chicken stock!

If homemade stock is of interest to you, my recipes, if they could even be called that, follow:

Chicken Stock

4 lbs chicken parts (backs, necks, wing tips, feet)

2 carrots (I peel them, but I doubt it is necessary)

1 onion (red or white, halved, I peel them but again, probably not necessary)

3-4 celery ribs

2 leeks (wash them very well, but only use them if you have some knocking around, the stock is fine without)

few sprigs of parsley

1 bay leaf (fresh if possible)

few sprigs of thyme

2 garlic cloves (once again, I peel them, but do as you please)

1/2 teaspoon whole peppercorns (do not crack them, it will make the stock too spicy)

If you have a pot for cooking pasta (one with a strainer insert, like this), fill the strainer (while in the larger pot) with all of the ingredients. Otherwise, use a large pot, and put all ingredients in the pot. Then fill with cold water to cover, and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim off the foam at this point (unless you have particularly scummy bones, I find it much easier and less wasteful to skim all at once rather than bit by bit along the way), and turn the heat down to low and let the stock simmer for 2 hours, skimming occasionally if necessary.

Remove from heat, either lift strainer out of pot or pour stock through colander, catching liquid in a large vessel, depending on what kind of gear you are using. Then decant into storage containers. If you will be using the stock within three days, you may refrigerate it, otherwise, freeze it. However, prior to freezing, let stock chill in refrigerator until fat on top has turned solid. Skim fat off, then freeze for up to six months.

I do not salt the stock at this point. I find it easier just to salt whatever dishes I use the stock in when I am cooking them.

Veal Stock

3 pounds veal soup bones (ask your butcher to crack them)

excluding chicken bones, same ingredients as above

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roast veal bones for 45 minutes. When finished roasting, pour a bit of water into the roasting pan to loosen any bits that have dripped down. Place roasted bones and water from roasting pan (along with any bits you've been able to loosen) in large pot (again, preferably one with a built-in colander). Add rest of ingredients, cover with water, bring to a boil over high heat. Skim, then turn heat down and simmer stock for two hours.

Remove from heat, strain stock, and follow storage instructions for chicken stock.

English Gardens in L.A.

Despite the fact that my own home decor is closer to run-of-the-mill than outrageously stylish (I think the only defining feature of our apartment is an extraordinary number of plants...I could do with getting rid of one or two but Paul refuses to leave them out on the curb to "die a horrible death"), I have always been a little obsessed with design.  I love Elle Decor, Domino, Dwell, Maison Francaise, and now that I have discovered the world of design blogs, I am able to obsess on a daily, rather than monthly, basis.

My latest love is a blog called A Bloomsbury Life, which I came to through another fantastic blog, Habitually Chic.

Bloomsbury is written by a very cosmopolitan woman who, by way of Europe, New York and London, ended up in L.A.  She and her husband apparently bought their house a year or so ago and have been decorating it ever since, and from what I can tell, the woman has more style in her pinky finger than me and my twenty closest friends possess collectively.

Her very sexy yet smart dining room (how amazing is the wallpaper?):

I love that the kitchen looks classic but somehow avoids that Restoration Hardware trap (i.e. looking like every catalogue kitchen)...plus I'm absolutely obsessed with Aga stoves:

I think the sheep is hysterical and that bench is so hip and unexpected with that wallpaper: 

And the piece that really made me fall in love?

I find these to be so wonderfully morbid yet whimsical.

Anyway, turns out that she not only has excellent taste in all matters aesthetic, but she also has the most interesting taste in books.  A woman after my heart.

Noble Resolutions

I've really never been one for New Year's resolutions.  The dead of winter does not seem to me to be a natural time to get your life together.  Who wants to start eating healthy food and working out when the weather dictates that you should be hunkering down and eating food that will provide you with insulation?

But that said, I do have one...let's call it an aspiration rather than a resolution:  to be more thoughtful about the wine that I drink going forward.

Now I was actually given a bar a few years back (a wooden table thing with wine shelves, I'm not referring to a bar bar here), along with a few sets of Reidel wine glasses.  The bar can accommodate 24 bottles of wine (and the glasses).  However, at any one time it holds an average of two bottles.  What this means is that I never have what I'm in the mood to drink (want a minerally white?  well, I have a dusty bottle of chianti over here), and if I go out to buy wine, I just swing by whatever store is near, blindly pick a few bottles (sometimes based on little blurbs posted) and generally am vaguely dissatisfied with whatever I have bought (except if I've bought it at Winesby.com of course)

But I have a plan.  I will make wine decisions outside of the store, based on the musings and recommendations of oeniphiles whose taste I respect.  But where might one find these experts you ask?  I have two sources that I have become very excited about of late.

First, the blog Good Wines Under $20.  I love this guy.  There's something quite compelling about the way that he writes, but beyond that, I'm always excited to try whatever bottle it is that he's featuring.  Plus I'm very into his wine book club idea.  If the library had his latest selection, I would have been all over it.

Also, I have recently rediscovered a newsletter that I used to receive (and apparently still do receive, I just hadn't checked my old email in quite some time...several years to be exact).  Laura Holmes is the woman behind Gourmet Grrrl, and although she also writes about food (and does it pretty well), I think she really shines when it comes to wine.  I fell a little in love with her after reading her "bubbly for the holidays" issue a couple of weeks ago (I am such a sucker for pink champagne it's just ridiculous) and have been hooked ever since.

And, as if Wine.com had read my mind with regards to my new wine purchasing habits, I just got an offer in my inbox for unlimited shipping from them for $49 per year!  $4 a month...even if you're a very moderate wine drinker it seems like quite the deal to me.

So I'll see how this little experiment goes...I'm hoping that I have sufficient emotional strength to stick with my very strict drinking schedule.

Another Demise of Whatever?

Jason Epstein's latest musings on The Daily Beast are provoking my thoughts today. He argues that the internet will save the book industry, that the physical book will be a thing of the past. I find it so interesting that the publishing, music and movie industries all seem to have fallen prey to the same problem (over-reliance on blockbusters, and not enough attention to the smaller, less immediately profitable, more artistically challenging projects), and in a way are moving towards the same solution. Larger inventory/booklist/catalogue, of the type that used to be available, and now is newly available through iTunes/Amazon, taking the place of the small but commercially popular "hit lists".

The record/tape/CD has become a thing of the past, the DVD seems to be on its way out...does this mean that the book will follow?

I for one, hope not. I don't know what my excuse would be for carrying a giant purse if I had no book to stuff in it!

Hitting the Spot

I don't know why, maybe because I'm feeling a little traumatized about going back to real life after the holidays or something, but I have been craving soup something fierce lately.  I attempted to sate this desire on Sunday, but the results were shockingly bad.  Paul asked what that "stench" was, I maintained that there was no stench, but of course secretly knew that the apartment smelled god-awful.

Note to self:  In future, do not waste a perfectly good rutabega and some dried fava beans on a recipe from an unknown food blog.  

Anyway, it was all very depressing and put me off of the soup idea for a whole day and a half.  But then, yesterday, the most wonderful chicken soup recipe landed in my inbox.

A bit of history:  Terry Paulding is a dear friend of my mom's (actually, really of the whole family).  She has always been a phenomenal cook, and maybe fifteen years ago or so, she decided to go to culinary school, and then upon finishing she started a catering company.  She eventually opened her own kitchen, out of which her company operates and where she, along with other talented food-types, also teaches wonderful classes and host various cooking events. 

I've always thought she should go on Oprah to discuss how to go about following one's life's passion.  But I digress.

Every month, she publishes a newsletter.  It usually discusses events at the kitchen, what's good at the farmer's market (this I always love...she discusses the markets I grew up going to with my parents so it's a nice connection, however small, to home) and includes a recipe of Terry's to try.

This month she must have read my mind, because her recipe of the month was a Turkish Style Chicken and Leek Soup With Yogurt, Mint and Rice.  I am totally obsessed with dried mint in soups, so I rushed to the store to pick up the ingredients and started chopping and sauteing the minute I landed in my kitchen.

Forty-five minutes later, I had the soup of my dreams.  It's no surprise to me, but the dish was fantastic.  Comforting yet light, aromatic without being too challenging.  The ultimate winter food. 

Turkish Style Chicken And Leek Soup With Yogurt, Mint and Rice

Serves 4-6

1 pound skinless, boneless chicken thighs

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1 medium onion

2 large leeks

3 stalks celery

1 tablespoons olive oil

4 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup long-grain rice

2 egg yolks, at room temperature

1 1/2 cups whole milk plain yogurt

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon dried mint

Pinch of cayenne pepper or hot paprika

1)  Place chicken in a pot large enough just to contain it.  Add water to cover by 1/2 inch.  Add one teaspoon salt.  Boil over high heat.  Skim any foam from the surface, turn the heat to very low, cover and simmer for 3 minutes.  Remove pot from heat and let stand, covered, for 30 minutes.

2)  Meanwhile, quarter and slice the onion.  Trim and discard the dark green tops, and discard the leathery outer layer from the leeks.  Slice through each leek vertically and was them well, making sure you get all of the dirt out from between the leaves.  Slice them crossways into thin half rounds.  Wash and thinly slice celery.

3)  Choose a heavy bottomed soup pot, preferably 4-6 quarts, and add the olive oil.  Warm it over medium-low heat, and then add the vegetables.  Stir to coat with oil, then cover the pan and cook, checking vegetables and stirring frequently, until meltingly tender, about 10 minutes.

4)  Remove chicken from pot and let cool.  Add cooking liquid and the rice (if using Asian rice, be sure to rinse first) to the vegetables along with the additional 4 cups of broth, and cook for about 30 minutes, tasting for salt and adding it, along with pepper, as needed.  Meanwhile, shred the chicken.  Add the chicken shreds to the pot once the rice is cooked.

5)  In a medium-sized pot, mix together the cornstarch and 1/4 cup of cold water.  Add the egg yolks and yogurt.  Bring slowly to a simmer, stirring constantly in ONE direction.  When the mixture is thickened, add it to the soup.  The soup can now be served.

6)  In a small frying pan, melt the butter.  When the foam has subsided, add the dried mint and cayenne pepper.  Fry for a few seconds, until fragrant.  Garnish each serving with a drizzle of the mint butter (I personally just mix it with the rest of the soup...I don't even have a dining table so feel a bit ridiculous garnishing things).

Note:  This soup is great reheated the next day, but don't boil it or the egg mixture may separate and curdle.

M + J Savitt Jewelry Sale!

I have sort of a love affair with M + J Savitt jewelry. Marissa, whose dear friend is the daughter and niece of the two owners, was kind enough to take me to their sample sale last winter. Since it is, you know, nice, real, jewelry for the most part, the only thing I own is the one piece that I picked up there (the MOST awesome humungous chain necklace...and it's electric blue!). There were two rooms at the sale, the expensive one and the cheap one. You can guess which one I spent my time in.

But Gilt Group is running a sale for the line through tomorrow at noon, and thankfully, the cheap and expensive rooms are not quite so clearly demarcated. The cheapest piece is $44, and the most expensive is $325...not $2,000 or whatever it was at the physical sale (I guess this means the high end stuff stays off the internet, but whatever, it still makes me feel a little less cheap).

So quick, before the lovely necklaces and bangles are gone, take a look!

Oh, and if you're not a Gilt member, send me your email and I'll "invite" you (in the interest of full disclosure, if I invite you and you buy something, I get $25...see? I am cheap, cheap is me).