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Archive for January, 2011

Chicken & Pasta w/ Easy, Sweet Tomato Sauce

Inspired by a dish that I had at Italianissimo the other night, this simple, hearty pasta is perfect for a cozy night in.

Serves 2.

What you need:

1 large chicken breast, grilled and shredded

1/2 box dried (or 1 whole box fresh) pasta

1/2 cup diced fresh mozzarella

2 large handfuls spinach, wilted in a little olive oil (just saute for a minute or two over low heat)

1 small onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1/2 cup white wine

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1/2 tsp sugar

Salt & pepper to taste

What you do:

1. In a large pan, saute onion and garlic in a little olive oil until onion is translucent (about 8-10 minutes). Add the wine and let cook down until the smell of alcohol is gone.

2. Add the tomatoes to the pan and let simmer about 20 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions. I used perciatelli because that’s what I had laying around, but for this dish I actually recommend smaller, thicker pasta; it’ll hold onto the sauce and chicken better.

4. Stir the balsamic vinegar and sugar into your sauce, and add salt and pepper to taste.

5. Drain pasta and return to pot. Add the sauce, spinach, and half of the mozzarella and toss for a few seconds, until coated.

6. Serve sprinkled with the rest of the fresh mozzarella cubes.

If You Like This, Try These:

Pappardelle with Sweet Tomato Sauce, Asparagus & Ricotta; Pan-Fried Chicken with Red Wine Linguine; Chicken Cacciatore



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Jars Filled With Light

This idea (sent by Kat of fabulous site Dancing Kitchen) is just so sweet, I had to show you.

(And speaking of jars, Jackie just sent me an email letting me know that there are tons and tons available at the Duane Reade on West 4th and Waverly for just $1.)



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Simple & Straightforward For Spring

See that?

That’s a perfect Spring outfit, in my opinion.

Nothing crazy, nothing flashy…just comfortable, simple, and a tiny bit sexy.

Clockwise from top left: TopShop Knitted Speckle Cardigan ($100), H&M tank, RUM Light Tan Twist Strap Sandals ($135), Chantecaille lip gloss ($28), Essie polishes in Lady Godiva and Sugar Daddy ($8 each), House of Harlow Sunglasses ($138), Gerard Yosca Oxidized Brass & Pearl Multi-Layer Chain ($49 on sale), Badge Denim Shorts ($22).

Cheaper options for the pricier items:

Heritage 1981 Crochet Knit Cardigan ($32.90); Charlotte Russe Nautical Knotted Raffia Wedge ($35.50); Carmex Moisture Plus Tinted Lip Balm in Sheer Pink; BCBGeneration Cat-Eye Sunglasses ($10).



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Weekend Snapshots

So in my personal opinion, the three best pizza places in the world are Grimaldi’s, Pepe’s (in New Haven), and John’s Pizzeria (pictured above), our Saturday lunch pick. Over our olive, pepperoni & onion pizza, Kendrick and I had a bit of a debate over which is the best best…and couldn’t decide.

In my opinion, Grimaldi’s is far and away the best-tasting…but you have to deal with the hour-long wait. John’s has the best location (Bleecker Street) with the most potential for post-brunch wanderings…but the pizza, while delicious, isn’t quiiiite as spectacular. And Pepe’s is…well, it’s in New Haven. But that usually means we’re mid road-trip (and I love road trips).

Like The Rusty Knot, John’s encourages (allows?) patrons to carve their names into the tables and chairs. Happily, someone had already taken care of this little chore for Kendrick.

After John’s, we walked North through the Meatpacking District (where I discovered a perfect – and completely unaffordable – summer purse from Kotur), and then turned East to make our way through Union Square.

In the Greenmarket, I picked up a bunch of watermelon radishes, which are basically larger and sweeter radishes with a gorgeous hot-pink center and pale-green “rind”. They’re excellent for adding flavor and crunch to salads, but I like eating them as a healthier (and, I think, even more delicious) alternative to popcorn, with butter and salt. (The Windfall Farms stall, by the way, is where I bought the edible borage flowers that I featured in a video that I made ages ago on the best fall produce.)

Another purchase from Union Square: a bunch of dried lavender ($5) from Lavender By The Bay, which also sells lavender plants, lavender sachets, and lavender honey. They have a beautiful U-Pick Lavender farm (I saw pictures)…but it’s unfortunately inaccessible without a car, or I’d already have a day trip planned.

Saturday night, we ate frickles (fried pickles; up there in my favorite things on the planet) with Morgan and Tyler at Brother Jimmy’s, and discovered the wonder that is 16 Handles (sort of a DIY Pinkberry with bazillions of different frozen yogurt flavors and toppings).

Sunday was Project Day: after a quick stop into Naruto for some fortifying brunch ramen, I headed down to the Home Depot on 59th and 3rd to pick up a can of chalkboard paint.

Black chalkboard paint and spray, incidentally, are easy to find, but the colored stuff (I was in search of dark green) seems to sell out all over the place (although if you’re more patient than me, you can order it online here). At Home Depot, though, you can buy tintable paint and customize it in any of the shades pictured above (I went for Schoolhouse Green) in just 5 minutes.

I spent the rest of Sunday coating myself from head-to-foot in green spatters, and getting very excited to show you my new favorite thing (coming up soon!).

Click here to learn how to make DIY chalkboard paint wineglasses (a fantastic – and fantastically inexpensive – hostess gift!).



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Sunday Morning Sunbeams

My favorite thing about our apartment is all the random little details, like the 1950s-style energy meter in our water closet that someone painted teal blue, the light fixture built into our bedroom ceiling with slightly creepy, high-relief cupids on it, and the non-working doorbell set into the wall of our kitchen, nowhere near any of our doors.



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White by Vera Wang for David’s Bridal

Pretty blown away by Vera Wang’s new collection for David’s Bridal.

My favorites:

When it comes to wedding dresses I usually favor streamlined over elaborate, but these are just spectacular (specially the one on the right with the added sash).

From $600-$1400; sizes 0-14. Available for special order starting Feb 11 (allow 5 months for delivery). Also: sometime around mid-year they’ll be adding bridesmaids’ dresses and shoes to the line.



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Nest Fragrances Candle Giveaway Winner

JanuMary! (Check out her Tumblr here.)

Congrats to the winner, and thank you to all who entered. There are lots more fun giveaways on the horizon, so stay tuned :) .

Winner chosen via Random.org.



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