Avec Alan

I encourage you all to check out this video of Alan Richman and Eric Ripert going on a field trip to Costco...and then discussing the results of their suburbian forage:

A few of my favorite parts:

Eric Ripert saying "Costco". I never knew Costco could sound quite so charming.

Mini quiches. Don't ask me how many times I have had these same Costco mini-quiches in my youth. So many I can't answer.

Eric Ripert commenting that "...in that store [Costco], nothing looks like it's coming from Planet Earth". And then later calling it, lovingly, the "Evil Empire"

Alan Richman looking like a very disheveled Albert Einstein (I mean, can't he at least tuck in his shirt?)

Tuesday afternoon hodgepodge

Lots of fun random links to share, after catching up with my RSS feeds this morning...

Making your own butter. I am definitely going to give this a go for Thanksgiving dinner.

via EatMakeRead

New ramen joint in Greenpoint. Previously exclusive, now inclusive. I wonder if it will be any good...

Roald Dahl loved chocolate candy bars and Beethoven. Big heaving sigh for still not having gone seen the Fantastic Mr. Fox! (Maybe this weekend)

100 rooms, all 100 square feet. Man, I thought living in NY was tight quarters....

Michael Wolf photography via Apartment Therapy.

I am such a sucker for fine stationary. Here's my newest fave, Rifle Paper Co.

They're all over the interweb on all the blogs!

I was recently gifted a jar of this honey, from BeeRaw honey (based in New York). Orgasmically decadent.

Finally, a shoe diary. Just what every girl needs.

from Elle Blog via Cup of Jo

Dining Trends Article

Dining Trend Forecasts for the next year make me realize that I'm a food snob.

It could be worse.

John Robshaw

DC introduced me to John Robshaw sometime last year.

Artsy, free, patterned prints in bold colors, sheets and covers and quilts that are warm, soft, sturdy, and thick- all at the same time. The bold, Eastern-inspired prints are not for everyone, nor for every room, but I really love them all. Sample sale, TODAY (sorry for the late notice!)!!!

I haven't been able to create the lifestyle where I can outfit all my beds with his linens (and by all, I mean one.) definitely not at full retail and perhaps not even anything today. But who knows, maybe I'll be able to snag a pillowcase or two at this sale.

John Robshaw Sample Sale

245 West 29th Street, 11th Floor

@ 29th and 8th.

TODAY! until 8:30pm

mystery field trip

I have a secret.

It's one of my favorite little hole-in-the-wall businesses that I'm going to share with you. Can you guess what goes on here?:

Hmm. Mysterious slop. What could it be?

It's Tofu! See the little blocks, all lined up and ready to be put into bags for us? And, do you see their brothers and sisters, waiting in the metal vat, floating in all their splendid tofu juice?

If you ever find yourself in San Jose, definitely make your way down to the San Jose Tofu Company, in downtown SJ's Japantown. It will change your tofu-eating life, forever.

San Jose Tofu Company
175 Jackson Street
San Jose, CA 95112
Telephone: (408) 292-7026

Apartment Therapy's Marketplace

Apartment Therapy is where I go to dream about my future indoor spaces. So many pretty paints, fabrics, textiles, beddings, furniture, antiques, storage ideas...and more!

They've just opened up their "marketplace", where readers will be able to source all the lovely sorts of things they feature on their blogs (and more). Just from looking at it, I am thinking it's kind of like an Etsy but specifically for home design. Brilliant!

Now if only I had the apartment to furnish...

Fall in the Burg

Over-exposed camera phone pic. Doing the best I could to capture the feeling of the moment.

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

I spent the afternoon today at Donna's with her and Coco, cooking and hanging out (what else do we do?). Donna holds Martha in high regard (rightfully so) and we decided to whip up a batch of chocolate chip cookies that she had bookmarked in last month's Everyday Food magazine.

As the name of the recipe attests, these are the ultimate chocolate chip cookies, gooey in the middle and slightly crisp on the edges, buttery and sugary and chocolaty. Just like a chocolate chip cookie should be. The recipe is quite large and seems like a huge amount of butter sugar chocolate and butter, so I guess it would be okay halved, but what's the harm in having a stash of frozen chocolate chip cookie dough in the fridge? And really, after tasting how good these come out of the oven, they probably won't be going in the freezer.

Prep time: about 15 minutes

Makes 2 dozen cookies

Adapted from Martha Stewart's recipe

3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 1/4 tsp. baking powder

2 tsp. salt

2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups packed light-brown sugar

1 cup granulated sugar

2 large eggs

1 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cups milk chocolate chips

8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped (use a good kind!)

1. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Arrange oven racks to upper and lower thirds of oven, preheat to 350 degrees.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the first four (dry) ingredients.

3. In a larger bowl using a mixer, beat together butter and both sugars until combined and light & fluffy. Reduce speed and beat in eggs, one at a time. Beat in vanilla. Mix in flour mixture in three batches until just incorporated; then fold in the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks.

4. Using a large spoon or better yet, a 1/4 cup ice cream scoop, drop dough onto lined baking sheets about 2-3 inches apart. You should have about 12 cookies. Store the remainder of the dough in the fridge for the time being.

5. Bake for 13-15 minutes, or until the edges are slightly golden. Take the cookies out of the oven and let sit for 2 minutes on the baking sheets, then transfer to a wire rack to cool. After the pans cool down a little, bake the remaining dough using new parchment.

Martha's recipe originally calls to refrigerate all the dough for an hour before baking. Though I sure this will yield even fluffier and chewier cookies, we didn't have the patience for this. And guess what, I thought our cookies were just as chewy and fluffy as any I've ever tasted.

11/4/09 Update: Visit Donna's blog to see what other goodie we made that day!!!