Summer Streets

Aug 13, 2012 By Smith & Ratliff in Living, New York 2 Comments Tags: bikes, flatiron district, midtown, photos, summer

For three Saturdays in August, Park Avenue—undoubtedly one of Manhattan’s busiest thoroughfares—is transformed. Gone are the honking cabs, squealing sirens and incessant traffic jams, replaced by the whiz of rollerblades, the occasional ding of a bike bell, and the clatter of training wheels.

Summer Streets, put on by the New York City Department of Transportation, closes nearly seven miles of Manhattan streets to all traffic except for bikes and pedestrians.

It might be fleeting, but for a few hours, you get a glimpse of how serene Manhattan would be if more people rode bikes. Even the smallest of children can successfully navigate the avenues and after 10 miles of riding, I saw not one accident—just a lot of smiles and sweaty people (and a few weird unicyclists).

Summer Streets also gives you a chance to ride (or walk) through some parts of the city that are rarely seen from outside of a cab. Racing down the ramp of the Grand Central viaduct and out onto Park Avenue is exhilarating, especially when you can look up and take in the skyscrapers as you ride.

The final Summer Streets for 2012 is this Saturday, August 18, from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Will we see you out there?

- Laura

A Daily Dinner: Grilled Kale Salad with Ricotta and Plums

Aug 9, 2012 By Smith & Ratliff in Food, Living 2 Comments Tags: daily dinner, kale, plums, salad, summer, vegetarian

In the summer, I must admit, it becomes all too tempting to forego cooking for a night (or two, or three…) and order delivery from the sushi place around the corner or pick up a slice from the pizza place one street over. Even as someone who loves to cook, I find myself giving into these temptations far more often when the weather is warm.

After feeling like I was stuck in a cooking rut for about a week, I needed something fast, fresh and easy to remind me just how much better home-cooked meals are. This kale salad turned out to be a welcome reminder.

With just three main ingredients, this salad exemplifies that simplicity is sometimes best. There are no rare ingredients, no complicated techniques, just good-quality produce prepared simply.

The kale leaves are brushed with olive oil and salt before being charred over a grill until they’re a little bit crispy. Meanwhile, the plums are bathed in a honeyed vinaigrette, all before being placed over a pile of fluffy fresh ricotta.

Grilled Kale Salad with Ricotta and Plums
Adapted from Bon Appétit

4 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
3 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
2 tsp. chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp. honey
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
4 medium plums, halved, pitted, thinly sliced
12 large or 16 small curly kale leaves
3/4 c. fresh ricotta

1. Whisk 3 Tbsp. oil, vinegar, thyme, and honey in a medium bowl. Season vinaigrette to taste with salt and pepper. Add plums and toss to coat; transfer plums to a plate.

2. Build a medium-hot fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to high. Brush kale leaves with remaining 1 Tbsp. oil; season with salt. Grill kale, turning once, until crispy and charred at edges, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a work surface; let stand until cool enough to handle. Remove large center stems with a knife and discard (just trim the tough ends from smaller, more tender kale stems).

3. Divide ricotta among plates; season with salt and pepper. Stir vinaigrette again. Tear larger kale leaves into pieces (leave smaller leaves whole). Place leaves in a large bowl and toss with some of the vinaigrette. Divide leaves among plates. Top with plums and drizzle some vinaigrette over.

Our plums were very, very ripe so we ended up with almost a chutney, but it was delicious either way. This is definitely a salad that can be easily adapted upon for almost any occasion. As much as I love our occasional delivery indiscretion, our neighborhood slice shop can’t quite compete with this.

- Laura

A Nip of New York History

Jul 27, 2012 By Smith & Ratliff in Living, New York 4 Comments Tags: antiques, flea markets, gin, hotels, waldorf astoria

Last month, when we visited the massive Rose Bowl Flea Market in Los Angeles, we had no idea that we would bring home a little piece of New York. Among our finds at the flea—a perfectly broken-in pair of vintage Sperry Top-Siders, a silver track-and-field trophy from the 1950s, and a delicate mirrored tray—we came home with a petite bottle of gin from New York’s famed Waldorf-Astoria Hotel.

Other than thinking it was a cool trinket (and inexpensive too, at just $2), we put it on our bathroom’s new tray and didn’t think much of it. Until this week. I was quite surprised to open up the website for the magazine I work for and discover this blog post, written by our assistant web editor: The Waldorf Astoria Wants Its Stuff Back.

The hotel is searching for anything and everything from the hotel since its opening in 1893. So far, they’ve amassed restaurant menus, photographs, and coffee pots, all of which will join hotel’s historical archives.

Matt Zolbe, the hotel’s marketing director, said the items don’t even need to be valuable. “We are not necessarily looking for items that others would think are of great value—an old hanger or an ashtray or even old kitchen equipment,” he explained.

As for our little bottle, I haven’t yet decided whether or not to part with it. I do like it in our apartment, but at the same time, it’s fun to know that we’ve contributed to a hotel’s historical archives through something we bought thousands of miles away! What would you do?

- Laura

A Daily Dinner: Cucumber-Avocado Soup with Prosciutto Toasts

Jul 19, 2012 By Smith & Ratliff in Food, Living 5 Comments Tags: cucumbers, daily dinner, soup, summer, vegetarian

The ingredients for this dinner might not look like much on their own—two cucumbers, a homely avocado, some plain yogurt, and dill—but once they’re whizzed together in the blender, everything changes.

I find that to be true for most recipes involving summer produce; just think about those ugly, beat-up heirloom tomatoes that make beautiful salads, for example. Even a plain vegetable like a cucumber (admittedly not my favorite) can be transformed with just a bit of seasoning and complementary herbs.

The soup involves little more effort than chopping the cucumbers and dumping the rest of the ingredients in a blender. While the soup itself is vegetarian (and could be made vegan), we chose to eat ours with a few triangles of toast, piled high with salty prosciutto.

Cucumber-Avocado Soup with Prosciutto Toasts
Adapted from Real Simple

2 English cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 avocado, pitted and peeled
1/2 c. plain low-fat Greek yogurt
2 tbsp. fresh dill, plus more for serving
1 tsp. grated lemon zest, plus 3 tbsp. fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and black pepper
2 slices multi-grain bread, toasted
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 oz. thinly-sliced prosciutto

1. In a blender, purée the cucumbers, avocado, yogurt, 1 tbsp. dill, lemon zest and juice, 1 c. of water, 1/2 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper until smooth. Adjust consistency with more water as needed and season to taste.

2. Spread the toast with butter and top with prosciutto. Sprinkle soup with remaining dill and serve alongside toast.

We’ve been having a terrible heatwave, which was finally mitigated by a powerful thunderstorm yesterday afternoon, but on Tuesday, when we ate this, the mere idea of turning the oven on caused my body temperature to rise by about 10 degrees.

Luckily, this soup was the perfect antidote and the leftovers were just as great yesterday, before our cooling storm arrived.

- Laura

A Kitchen Garden Update

Jul 16, 2012 By Smith & Ratliff in Food, Living 9 Comments Tags: garden, summer, vegetables

Last month, I wrote about starting a kitchen garden in a wine crate. Now, a month later, my humble beginner garden has expanded dramatically.

Thanks to Ryan and our generous downstairs neighbors, I added a bunch of nice pots to my collection and, of course, went crazy buying seeds from Fire Escape Farms. They have a great variety of seeds and tools for those of us relegated to gardening in small spaces.

Now, I’m growing salad greens, edible flowers, radishes, beets, zucchini and cucumbers, in addition to an assortment of herbs and few lone petunias for that pop of color. I also started a few small tomato plants and am hoping that they’ll produce a few luscious tomatoes before the first frost.

I’ve been surprised at how therapeutic my little garden has become. I check it first thing in the morning and am always amazed to see how things can change in just a few hours. I think Ryan even gets a little excited when I tell him about a new bud or blossom.

Next I just need to decide what to do with the mint that’s taking over the wine crate! Any ideas for great minty recipes?

- Laura