I Like Children Better as Animals

I found some nice yarn my friend Sherri game me once that I never got a chance to use. I wanted to knit something small and cute, quickly. Like a kid's hat. Plus, I like kids better when they dress up as animals. Now I have to figure out who to give this to.

I LOVE Barefoot Contessa...

...and her blueberry crumb cake recipe.

For the streusel:
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
For the cake:
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature (3/4 stick)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon zest
2/3 cup sour cream
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup fresh blueberries
Confectioners' sugar for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and flour a 9-inch round baking pan.
For the streusel:
Combine the granulated sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Stir in the melted butter and then the flour. Mix well and set aside.
For the cake:
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment on high speed for 4 to 5 minutes, until light. Reduce the speed to low and add the eggs 1 at a time, then add the vanilla, lemon zest, and sour cream. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the batter until just combined. Fold in the blueberries and stir with a spatula to be sure the batter is completely mixed.
Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and spread it out with a knife. With your fingers,
crumble the topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool completely and serve sprinkled with confectioners' sugar.

Fattening up for the Winter with Pumpkin Muffins

I really love pumpkin and I really love cream cheese so I slapped those two things together and got this!
It was tasty, soft, moist, and creamy. Wish I could send you some.

Food In Art

My friend Elana reminded me about this piece that I did a year ago. I noticed it was on her phone as her main picture. I was so honored she had it on there.
It reminds me of how it seems like most of the time when the Griffins (Family Guy) are eating in the kitchen, it's usually eggs (or is that just me), or on Rosanne someone or another would be walking around in that t-shirt with the chicken and eggs on it.
I like eggs. I like eggs in ramen. I like 'em scrabbled, poached and soft boiled. Eeeeeeeegs.

Chicken Fried Steak

I made this tonight. Yum. That's all I gotta say.

Slow Food Is Coming To Town

I just saw the latest episode of Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods. He went to Paris where they are popularizing SNAIL CAVIAR. Looks just like regular caviar but white. And now, they're bringing it to NYC. I guess if you're ready to try some expensive snail roe then you can get them at The Modern on 9 W. 53rd St (between 5th and 6th). I'm like Andrew, I'd try it once or twice!

Storm King Leads to The Commons

The ladies and I went up to Mountainville, NY last weekend to check out some outdoor artwork at Storm King while the weather was still decent. We took the tram around the 500 acres. It was pretty serene. But that was just a short quiet part of our day because we didn't start having the real fun until we hit Woodbury Common Premium Outlets! A shop-a-holic's dream come true. With 220 OUTLET STORES, how can you go wrong? Like Burberry, Diane Von Furstenberg, Jimmy Choo, Lucky Brand Jeans, Betsey Johnson and lots, lots, more! Those be the best times of them all.