Naturally Dyed Easter Eggs from Fresh and Fancy Farms

Spring is creeping in. And we may not feel it as the wind graces our faces but we can see it with each blooming bulb and sprouting seed. To celebrate spring we decided to create some natural dyes for our eggs and a few simple ways to decorate them. We put together a color cheat sheet so you can create some of your own!

What you need:

White Eggs

White Vinegar

Jars or bowls for dipping

String, Lace, Twine for decorating

A spoon or two for scooping (avoid beet dyed fingers)

What to do:

Red - Cranberries

Simmer 1 cup of cranberries in 1 cup of water for 20 minutes. Add 2 tsp. white vinegar.

Pink - Red Beets

Simmer a large beet or two small beets add 4 cups of boiling water. Stir in 2 tsp. white vinegar

and cool at room temperature. Remove beets.

Orange - Paprika

Stir 2 Tbsp. paprika into 1 cup of boiling water, make sure to stir in all of the particles. Add 2 tsp.

white vinegar

Light Yellow - Carrot Greens

Simmer 1 cup of chopped carrot tops in 1.5 cups of water for 15 minutes. Strain. Add 2 tsp. white

vinegar.

Deep Yellow - Turmeric

Stir 2 Tbsp. turmeric into 1 cup of boiling water, make sure to stir in all of the particles. Add 2 tsp.

white vinegar

Light Blue - Red Cabbage

Cut .5 a head of red cabbage into chunks and add to 4 cups of boiling water. Stir in 2 tsp. white

vinegar and cool at room temperature. Remove cabbage.

Deep Blue - Blueberries

Mix 1 cup of frozen blueberries with 1 cup water, bring to room temperature. Remove blueberries.

Add 1 tsp. white vinegar.

Lavender - Grape Juice

Mix 1 cup grape juice and 1 tsp. white vinegar.

Brown - Coffee

Mix 1 cup of strong coffee and 1 tsp. white vinegar.

Our new barn is almost complete and to celebrate spring we are having an egg decorating event this Saturday, March 23 from 10am - 1pm. If you want to take a day trip from NYC, take NJTransit Train to the River Edge stop and Head east on River Edge Rd toward Columbia St and turn left onto River Rd. We are up on the left!

Fresh and Fancy Farms

575 River Road

New Milford, NJ 07646

Snapshots from Puerto Rico

A couple weeks ago, I decided I couldn't take it anymore.

"It" being this east coast winter. Every time I stepped a toe outside my door, my soul shriveled in pain, recoiling from the very thought of going outside.

And let's be clear, this is how I dress warmly when I venture out. The elements have a job getting past this thing. Even so, I couldn't do it. So, after a needless lecture from a cab driver who lightly reminded me it was still winter, after all, I booked a trip to Puerto Rico, and convinced Marmo to come with me.

Our break was not long, just a few days. But it was long enough to get sunburned, eat something called a Mofongo, drink copious amounts of frou-frou drinks, explore a rainforest, and generally forget that I needed to return home at all.

That is what I call a successful vacay, people. Below are a few highlights from the trip – food included!

Our hotel: El Conquistador in Fajardo

The round-up of drinks...

Just like a Corona ad...Mango and Strawberry daquiri's on Palomino IslandFajardo Sunrise (Tequila, Passoa (local passion fruit liquor), passion fruit juice and guava juice) from La Estacion in Fajardo

Mojitos at the harbor-side bar

After the mojitos featured above, I decided to commandeer a small sea craft and set sail for lands unknown.

But I got hungry, so I weighed anchor and heaved to, to La Estacion in Fajardo. La Estacion is owned and operated by Kevin Roth, originally from Brooklyn and a Culinary Institute of America graduate, and his wife. After many years in NYC and vacationing in Puerto Rico they decided to move to Puerto Rico and open La Estacion. I wonder, being from Brooklyn if Mr. Roth visited Roberta's in Bushwick. The vibe of the restaurants is similar, with ramshackle, garage-like encasements joined together at (what appears to be) random:

The hostess check-in areaThe pool and bar area.

Outdoor eating area

The first time we visited, we ordered the Jumbo Shrimp Pinchos and the Grilled Red Snapper. As Marmo, said, this was enough food for three people, but we handled it pretty well. This place does something special with shrimp. Moist, peppery and tangy these little guys were skewered gems.

Shrimp Pinchos

Our Red Snapper arrived with head attached, charred and flaking, alongside some just-out-of-the-fryer arepa accoutrements:

Red Snapper, wrestled out of the water that very day.

Incredibly pleased, and full, we returned to the restuarant and contemplated a return trip for the next night, this time sampling a Green Papaya Salad and 2 different "Mofongos": BBQ Chicken and Shrimp with Mahi-Mahi.

A Mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish. It involves smashing green plantains as you would potatoes, and combining it with a hearty amount of garlic, perhaps some broth and then the chicken, fish, pork or vegetables of your choosing. Ours was served in what looked like a giant wooden Tiki jar and topped with one, long fried yellow plantain.

Green Papaya Salad

Mofongo View #1Mofongo View #2This was my favorite meal of the vacation. The smashed plantains were mushy, gritty, garlicky and packed with all sorts of flavor including chunks of Mahi-Mahi and seasoned shrimp.

And we followed it up with this Banana Fritter.

Marmo and I were very pleased. Very pleased, indeed. And did I mention sunburnt? And lazy? Those too.

St. Patty's Pesto

Happy St. Patrick's Day! As an Italian girl, I never got into wearing green, or sporting decorative shamrocks. So what do I to celebrate this holiday? I like to jump on board in a way that suits me...because I have many Irish friends, and I love them like an Italian girl loves...pesto.

Pesto? Yes, pesto. I choose to eat green, instead of wearing it. So today, I'm bringing you three (yes three - like a shamrock!) pesto recipes: a traditional Basil and Pine Nut, an Arugula and Pistachio (my favorite) and an unlikely Parsley and Walnut (mild and nutty).

And for a healthier version, you can leave out the Parmesan cheese, as you don't really need it. Taste as you go, however, Parmesan is a salty cheese so by leaving it out, you may want to add a bit more salt.

Let's get started:

Basil and Pine Nut Pesto

What you Need:

1 large bunch fresh basil
2 cloves garlic (optional, unless you feel like breathing fire for the day)
Extra Virgin olive oil - about a half a cup, but you might want to use more or less
Grated Parmesan cheese - about 3/4 cup
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup pine nuts

What To Do:
Place the basil, garlic (if using) and half the olive oil in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to process finely. Check the consistency. You will most likely need to add a bit more oil (throw in the rest). Now, add the cheese (if using), pine nuts, salt and pepper. Give it a few more twirls in the processor and check both the consistency and taste. Is it dry? If so, add more oil. You can also add more salt, pepper or cheese if you feel it's necessary. 

Scoop the entire mixture into a bowl and drizzle a blanket of olive oil over the top. You can either serve immediately on some toasted bread or you can stick it in the fridge and save it for later.

Arugula and Pistachio Pesto

What You Need:

1 package arugula
Extra Virgin olive oil - about a half a cup, but you might want to use more or less
Grated Parmesan cheese - about 3/4 cup (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup pistachios (shelled and unsalted)

What To Do:
Place the arugula, and half the olive oil in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to process finely. Check the consistency. You will most likely need to add a bit more oil (throw in the rest). Now, add the cheese (if using), pistachios, salt and pepper. Give it a few more twirls in the processor and check both the consistency and taste. Is it dry? If so, add more oil. You can also add more salt, pepper or cheese if you feel it's necessary. 

Scoop the entire mixture into a bowl and drizzle a blanket of olive oil over the top. You can either serve immediately on some toasted bread or you can stick it in the fridge and save it for later.

Parsley and Walnut Pesto

What You Need:

1 large bunch of Italian flat leaf parsley (as opposed to the curly kind)
Extra Virgin olive oil - about a half a cup, but you might want to use more or less
Grated Parmesan cheese - about 3/4 cup (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup walnuts

What To Do:
Place the parsley, and half the olive oil in a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse to process finely. Check the consistency. You will most likely need to add a bit more oil (throw in the rest). Now, add the cheese (if using), walnuts, salt and pepper. Give it a few more twirls in the processor and check both the consistency and taste. Is it dry? If so, add more oil. You can also add more salt, pepper or cheese if you feel it's necessary. 

Scoop the entire mixture into a bowl and drizzle a blanket of olive oil over the top. You can either serve immediately on some toasted bread or you can stick it in the fridge and save it for later.

Now, you may be thinking, what do I do with all this pesto? It's a fair question. Here are my suggestions:

1. Top a breakfast pizza with it, like this one.

2. Add to pasta with roasted tomatoes for dinner.

3. Scramble your morning eggs with it, along with some sun dried tomatoes.

4. Slather it on some toasted bread (we like to call this "bruschetta).

5. Bathroom tile caulking*

6. Face mask*

7. Wet suit lube*

* Numbers 5, 6, 7 are not really recommended uses, but give them a shot and let me know what happens...

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Top Your Pizza – Brought to you by Colavita

Around these parts, we are getting quite the reputation for being pizza aficionados. I honestly can't imagine how anyone got this idea, can you?

It's a thinker.

It appears that Colavita and Fine Cooking Magazine did not have to think too long about it. I created for them, an exclusive online Top Your Pizza Cookbook. You can flip through it above. But you can download a free copy, by heading over to Colavita and liking their page. Like the page, then you get to download the book.

No thinking there.

The new Top Your Pizza Book has 5 pizza recipes. Some of them are old favorites. Like the Caramelized Onion and Gruyere Pizza.

Others are brand-spanking new, like this one for Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Pizza.

It also comes with a few bonus recipes, including one for sautéed garlic broccoli rabe, and a gluten-free polenta pizza crust.

All the photography and design is mine. Marmo was a very helpful photo assistant (Hold that white board, like THIS!), The Box agreed to taste-test (When do I get to eat them??), and John offered some emotional support (You made a pizza book?).

Many, many thanks to Colavita for sponsoring this labor of love and to Fine Cooking for featuring it in their e-newsletter. So head on over to Colavita and get the latest Top Your Pizza book!

Battle of West Village Coal Oven Pies (John's Pizzeria on Bleeker)

George Carlin - R.I.P. - had a funny segment towards the end of his career in which he railed against uppity male names in "guys named Todd." In the tirade, Carlin yearns for the day and age of more basic male titles, and implies our culture would be stronger with a male population identified by more traditional monikers.  If Carlin liked pizza, I imagine he'd stick to the basics - Ray's, John's, Arturo's - and bristle at the thought of going to one of nyc's many artisan pizzerias like Keste, Motorino, or Franny's.  Well, like Carlin, the blog lately has been sticking to the basics in terms of pizzas; not owing to any preference of the former vs the latter.  It's just where we've been going.  And I sort of miss George Carlin. 

Recently, I wrote about the mostly positive experience Elana and I had within Arturo's Coal Oven Pizza, which was a very solid, well made pie.  Just up the street is John's - yet another Coal oven, New York institution.  Heck, why not make this a comparison test?  Not they are trying to pick a fight with one another but, both make coal oven pies and are located within a pizza toss of one another; both have been around for quite some time; both are considerably popular.  Which one was better?  I'm going to say John's, by a slight, but noticeable, difference. 

The two pizzerias, atmosphere wise, are quite similar.  Each have that same, old institution feel.  In John's case, there is black and white tiled floors, tin ceilings, and fading colored wall murals of Mediterranean vistas. Their 52 variations of pizza are crafted in the perpetually glowing, coal brick oven seen above.

And the pizza is of fine quality.  Honestly, there is not much wrong with this pie.  Myself and three friends ordered two pies - (1) the sausage and (2) the meatball and mushroom.  Each slice has the markings of a well made, brick oven pizza in that it effortlessly fuses opposite characteristics toward a glorious result; it is burned, but moist, charred, but chewy, crispy, but floppy, soupy, and scrumptious.  And here is where I feel it edges out Arturo's; John's is a more satisfying and succulent slice, whereas Arturo's, in my opinion suffered slightly from being a shade too dry/bland at times. 

John's could be considered thin crust, but it's really not.  There is a cushioned, substantial make-up despite its thinner appearance.  It also features a full, flavorful and tangy tomato sauce, ample amounts cheese (not too much), and crust that is perfectly salted. I eat four slices without contemplation, hesitation, or regret.  It's a very, very good pie.

The bathrooms, well, are not one of John's strong points.  Just a tad unsightly and sloppy.  Still, it has everything you need to emerge satisfied and sanitized, I suppose; but the experience could be better presented.

Ultimately, John's is nonetheless a force to be reckoned with, an all star within the city's pizza landscape, and easily up there with Grimaldi's for New York's best coal oven slice.  Now, that, would be a good show down.

Overall Experience - Animal House