chickinthekitchen.com

Crumbs, 6/11

• Another “we deliver” farm share serving Westchester county, aptly named Farm Share. The veggies are certified organic, and tomorrow is the last day to sign up for a spring/summer share.

• Need more than just your organic veggies? I came across an ad for Greater Organic Foods recently, which basically acts like a Whole Foods-type personal shopper, delivering groceries to your door in BPA-free packaging. (Man, I am a sucker for a beautifully designed Web site!) It’s not a service I’m in the market for, but I like looking through their suggested menus anyway.

• Table Local Market in Bedford Hills, NY is on my short list of places I want to try to both shop and eat. Table is built as a year-round farmer’s market, featuring bread, cheese, meat, prepared foods and of course, fruit and vegetables from local producers. The NY Times recently wrote them up, too: “A Farm Market in a Store.” I plan to drag some friends up there with me this summer.

Leave a Comment June 11, 2009

Sweet Grass Grill, Tarrytown

J. and I went to see Demetri Martin at the Tarrytown Music Hall on Saturday night, and we wanted to grab a quick, early dinner beforehand. I had read on Small Bites about a new restaurant, Sweet Grass Grill opening on Main St. in Tarrytown, just across and down from the Music Hall. In fact, the restaurant just opened this past Friday night, and at 5:30 in the evening — just their second night in business — we were able to walk in and sit right down. (more…)

2 Comments April 19, 2009

Cupcakes! Flour & Sun Bakery in Pleasantville

Mmmm, cupcakes! Flour & Sun Bakery opened at 19 Washington Ave. in Pleasantville recently — it’s in the space formerly occupied by the kitchen-gadget store Steel Mandolin, and across from MacArthur’s. When I stopped by on Friday, almost all the cupcakes gave a nod to St. Patrick’s Day, either with green-tinted frosting or ingredients like Guinness stout.

I bought 6 cupcakes for $17.25. Ouch. Regular cupcakes cost $2.75, specialty cupcakes are $3, and some with liquor in them go up to $3.35 apiece. These are the same size as cupcakes you’d bake at home — 2½” in diameter, with lots of height from the frosting. The store has a few seats at a counter that looks out onto the street, and they sell coffee, tea, and milk too.

The thing that struck me the most about all the cupcakes is that they were restrained in their sweetness. There was none of that supermarket-type, clench-your-jaw reaction from the sugar in the frosting. To me, this made them taste much more like a treat I’d craft in my own home: high quality, good ingredients, made thoughtfully.

My official tasting panel included both boys, my parents, and me — we cut the cupcakes into quarters so we could each get a taste of most of them. Overall, we all liked them a lot and having them for dessert felt like a special treat. Cupcakes — any cupcakes — are just a happy food. They remind us of birthdays and childhood and other easy, simple pleasures. It is hard to go wrong with a frosted cupcake!

Clockwise, starting from the top and ending in the center, here’s what we tried: (more…)

2 Comments March 14, 2009

Crumbs, 3/13

• There’s a new cupcake bakery in Pleasantville, NY! Flour & Sun Bakery is having its grand opening on the 21st, but it’s open now. I bought a half dozen assorted cupcakes today — I’ll taste test them with my parents and the boys after dinner tonight. (Denise, the owner, sealed my box with a sticker so I’m not tempted to sneak one beforehand.) I’m particularly excited about the chocolate Guinness with vanilla buttercream.

• GoPicnic seems almost too good to be true: ready to eat meals, all-natural and with no high-fructose corn syrup or trans fats, all in a cool package. Kosher, vegan, and gluten-free varieties are available. Seems like you can only buy them online right now. I can see these being terrific if you’re on airplanes a lot, are taking a road trip, or just have a very busy schedule with kids where you’re eating in the car between activities.

• I can’t stop reading about food storage and emergency preparedness. I’m not interested in extensive food storage for our household, but the organizational aspect of it appeals to me! Check out Shelf Reliance, which sells a wide range of freeze-dried foods and some can rotation systems for the very serious stockpiler. Jodi and Julie’s Food Storage Made Easy blog is also a fascinating read.

2 Comments March 13, 2009