Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Chicken Noodle Dill Soup


Chicken Noodle Dill Soup is the perfect soup to start of with Fall. I am making this for dinner tonight for my friends with side salad and homemade bread. This recipe is quick and easy and the amazing smells it produces through your home welcomes your family and friends.
I hope you enjoy this recipe and it will be your go to recipe on the weeknight for a quick and stress free dinner with family and friends.

Ingredients:
10 cups of homemade chicken stock
3 medium carrots, diced
1 large stalk of celery with the leaves, diced
3 tablespoons minced fresh garlic
6 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups egg noddles
4 cups shredded cooked skinless chicken breast
4 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Direction:
1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a large dutch oven. Add carrots, celery, ginger and garlic. Cook uncovered over medium heat until vegetables are just tender, about 20 min.
2. Add noodles and chicken, simmer until the noodles are just tender 8 to 12 min.
3. Stir in Dill and Lemon juice

Serve in large soup bowls with a Fall salad and hot sour dough bread and you have the perfect Fall dinner.

Monday, October 3, 2011

How To Decorate With Fall Apples In Your Home












Are you ready to start to decorate your home for Fall? I was thinking today would be a great article to kick off Fall with some simple Fall decorations for your home. I always get emails from readers about decorating on a budget and this project will be great on anyone's budget and welcome any guest to your home with a hint of Fall.

Go and Enjoy Fall !!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Fall Caramel Apple Cider






Welcome to October!! As I sit at my kitchen table and writing this first article for October, I am looking at a basket of fresh picked apples. I am going to share with you my favorite Fall recipe for a Fall Caramel Apple Cider drink. This Fall Caramel Apple Cider drink can be served after dinner next a warm fireplace with family and friends or can be used for the up and coming Halloween parties.
I hope you take some time out of your busy weekend schedule and find a apple orchard that you can pick your own farm fresh apples this Fall season.
I have so many Fall recipes that I am going to share with you this month and the main ingredient will be apples of all types.

Enjoy and welcome to October!!
Garrett

Caramel Apple Cider

Ingredients:
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup crown sugar
3 cups fresh pressed apple cider or you can use store bought
1/2 cup water

Caramel Whipped Cream
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon brown sugar

Instructions:
Bring the cream and brown sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the cider and the water and raise the heat to medium high, heating just until the cider begins to steam, about 5 minutes.
You, can divide the caramel apple cider into 4 large mugs, top each one of the mugs with the caramel whipped cream and serve to your guest.

Instructions for Caramel Whipped Cream:
In a small chilled bowl, whip the heavy cream with the brown sugar until soft peaks form and store in a air tight container.


Wednesday, September 28, 2011

A sample Of My Latest Work From My New Collection

My Chocolae Oatmeal No-Bake Cookies




I want to share with you my all time favorite cookie that I have to admit that I make at least once a week. This cookie is so easy to make and trust me they will be gone in one day. The ingredients are so simple and I have the staples for this cookie recipe in my pantry at all times, its great for a late night snack for your family. I hope you have plenty of cold milk in the fridge???

Ingredients:

2 cups of sugar
1/2 cup of cocoa
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of milk
1 tsp. vanilla
3 cups of quick-cooking oatmeal
1/2 cup of peanut butter

Directions:

Combine sugar, cocoa, butter and milk in a saucepan. On mediumheat bring to a boil for one minute.
Remove from the heat stir in peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal.
Drop by spoonful onto wax paper, Let cool for at least 30 min. before serving.
Place your cookies in a retro decorative dish and serve with ice cold milk and you and your family or guest will be asking for seconds. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do growing up this was my all time after school snack.

Enjoy!!

Monday, September 19, 2011

Picture Of The Day



Picture Of The Day Enjoy!

Picking The Perfect Jack-O-Lantern





Have you started to see the signs of Fall? We have seen Fall decorations going up in our neighborhood when walking to the farmer's market and strolling through the parks. I think everyone is ready for the season change and looking forward to the Fall with Jack-O-Lanterns sitting on the porch with creative carvings for Halloween.
We have been on the search for pumpkin patch's and pumpkin stands in our area, we are looking forward to carving jack-o-lanterns and placing them in the window seals in our brownstone.
I have some basic rules when picking or buying Jack-O-lantern. I am going to share them with you and when you go and pick or buy your Jack-o-Lantern to decorate your home this Halloween.

1. Choose a pumpkin with a stem and never carry it by the stem. Pumpkins without a stem will not last long.

2. Select a pumpkin with a flat bottom, so it will stand upright when finished being carved.

3. Avoid pumpkins with holes, cuts or soft spots. These are will rot in matter of days after being brought home.

4. Light colored pumpkins are easier to carve because the skin is not as hard as the darker orange Jack-O-Lantern.

5. Wash the Jack-O-lantern with warm water and dry before carving.

6. TO make the Jack-O-Lantern last longer, keep it in a cool place until you are ready to carve. After carving, coat the cuts with petroleum jelly this will seal the cuts and keep away insects away.

I hope enjoy searching for the perfect Jack-O-Lantern for your decor and the window seals in your home. We have so many Fall Ideas coming up at Brooklyn Living the Art Of Entertaining, from decorating to Fall recipes.

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Carrot Cake Simple and Easy





Carrot Cake: The Perfect Dessert For Any Occasion

Have you had to come up with a dessert for your dinner party or even a birthday cake? I have the perfect solution for you, why not try a homemade carrot cake with a rich cream cheese icing that is bursting with flavors of vanilla and fresh zest of lemon. I have made these cakes numerous times for my own dinner parties, and if any of my friends who have a birthday, they always receive a homemade carrot cake.
I hope you try this recipe for your next special occasion, and trust me it will be a winner for anytime occasion.


Carrot Cake Ingredients:

3 cups of unbleached all-purpose flour
2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of baking soda
2 tablespoons of cinnamon
1 1/2 cups of olive oil
4 extra large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons of vanilla
1 1/2 cups of shelled walnuts, chopped.( I like to toast my walnuts in a pan for about 1 min.)
2 cups of finely grated carrots
1 1/2 cup sweetened, shredded coconut
1 cup of drained crushed pineapple

Cream Cheese Frosting:

8 oz cream cheese, at room temp.
6 Tablespoons of unsalted butter, room temp.
2 1/2 cups of confectioners' sugar
2 teaspoons of vanilla
2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
1 zest of a lemon

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, Butter two 9 inch cake pans and line the bottom with parchment paper and butter on top of the parchment paper.

In a large mixing bowl sift together the dry ingredients. Add the oil, eggs and vanilla beat well. Fold in the chopped walnuts, coconut, carrots and pineapple.

Pour batter into pans. Set on the middle of the rack in the oven and bake for 45 - 50 minutes. Bake until the edges of the cake have pulled away from the sides and a tooth pick or knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Place on a cake rack and cool till room temp.

To prepare the cake frosting, cream together the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl. Slowly sift in the confectioners sugar and the lemon zest and beat until mixture is free of lumps. Stir in the vanilla and lemon juice and mix well.

Once the cakes have cooled on the cake rack its time to frost, take first cake and turn upside down and frost the first layer add the second cake and begin frosting the cake starting from the top and work around to the sides.

Decorating a carrot cake is very simple, I have seen the carrots piped on top but I like to add what ingredients the cake has. On top of the cake after I frost it, I add chopped walnuts and smaller chunks of pineapple which gives a great presentation. Your guests will have a idea what is inside the cake. If you want, you can add sugar carrot strips to the cake with the chopped walnuts and chunks of pineapple.

Luigi's Picture Of The Day

Monday, September 12, 2011

luigi's Picture Of The Day

Late Summer Rustic Tart





Summer Rustic Tomato Tart

Have you noticed the fabulous tomatoes this summer with the vibrant colors of reds, yellows and oranges? The one tomato that I enjoy cooking with would be the Heirloom Tomato and they are easy to find at your local farmer's market, or the produce department in your grocery store when in season.
This is one of my favorite recipes for brunches, or a simple dinner with a side salad. This makes you have the perfect dinner. You can also use this tomato tart as an appetizer for any party by baking as the directions call for. Let the tart cool for 15 min. and use a round biscuit cutter and cut into small circles and place on a platter with fresh herbs, serve your guests with a fresh mouth bursting of Summer flavors.
I hope you add this summer recipe dish into your next summer get together with friends, made with local seasonal produce.

Ingredients:
Pre heat oven to 400 degrees
1 sheet of frozen puff pastry thawed
4 tomatoes (color of your choice) thinly sliced.
3 tablespoons of olive oil
4 teaspoons of sea salt
3 teaspoons of fresh ground black pepper
5 tablespoons of fresh minced Marjoram or Basil
1 cup of crumble goat cheese or fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

On a lightly floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to a 1/4" thickness. Transfer the dough to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Pierce the dough with a fork leaving a 1" border intact. Refrigerate for 20 min. Remove from the fridge and place in the oven and bake for 15 min.. till lightly golden brown and remove from the oven and let cool.
Place your sliced tomatoes on the tart, with the cut side up. leaving a 1" inch border. Drizzle the tart with the olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and fresh-ground black pepper, crumbled goat cheese or Parmesan cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 20 min. till the crust is a golden brown. Remove the tart from the oven and let stand for 15 min. before slicing. Add your fresh marjoram or Basil and serve.
This makes a great summer dinner with a fresh organic salad on the side with a squeeze of lemon.

Enjoy,

Garrett

Friday, September 9, 2011

A Great Way To Start A Saturday


What A Great Way To Start A Saturday Morning


Saturday mornings we like to wake up to a hearty warm breakfast, which is a great way to start out our busy day. If you are like us and Saturdays are our farmers' market day and running to the dry cleaners, art stores for supplies then you need a good breakfast to start out your day. I found the perfect breakfast quiche that I can use any vegetable that is in season and it goes with anything and if you have weekend guests, this will make the perfect wake-up breakfast for anyone.


Ingredients:

6 extra large eggs
3/4 cup of plain yogurt
1 teaspoon of fresh minced basil
1 teaspoon of fresh minced thyme
1 teaspoon of fresh ground pepper
4 tablespoons of fresh grated parmesan cheese
1 zucchini, diced in small cubes
1 yellow squash diced in small cubes
1 yellow onion diced
1 cup of red cherry tomatoes sliced in half
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell


Directions:

Pre heat the oven to 375 degrees
In a large bowl, combine the eggs, yogurt, fresh herbs, black pepper and parmesan cheese. Beat well and add the onion, squash and tomatoes combine.
Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake for 45 minutes until cooked.
The quiche should be firmed to the touch and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Helpful hint: if you want to, bake the night before. This is a great idea if you have a really busy Saturday, serve with a warm sourdough bread and jam and you have the perfect go to Saturday breakfast.

Have a great Saturday,
Luigi And Garrett

Luigi's Picture Of The Day

CATM Chelsea Fund Art Now

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Happy Labor Day Weekend

Happy Labor Day Weekend From Brooklyn Living





Luigi's picture of the day


Easy Summer Couscous Salad With Turkey



Easy Summer Couscous Salad With Turkey



Why stay in the kitchen on this fabulous Summer evening, I have created the perfect Summer salad that takes minutes to make.

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of orange juice
1 1/3 cups of couscous
1/3 cup of raisins
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons of olive oil
1 cup of shredded carrots
1/3 cup of toasted walnuts
1 cup of cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 cup of scallions, chopped
2 pounds of turkey breast cut in strips
3 cups of torn fresh baby spinach

Directions:

In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in 1/2 cup of orange juice, the couscous, and the raisins. Cover the pan, them remove it from the heat and let it stand for 5 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff the couscous with a fork and transfer the mixture to a large bowl to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining 1/4 cup of orange juice, 1 teaspoon of salt and the pepper. Slowly whisk in the oil until it's well blended.

Add the remaining vegetables to the couscous,( you can layer on top or you can mix together which ever you prefer). Pour in the dressing and you have the perfect Summer salad to enjoy the evening and watch the sunset as you enjoy your dinner.

Happy Labor Day Weekend From Brooklyn Living



Thursday, September 1, 2011

Luigi's Picture Of The Day


Art Live Turns Five


Please join us September 1 as we celebrate our annual global review of the state of things.

This year's creative drive is likened to beating a dead horse, on the one hand the intensity of the conviction is admirable, while on the other there exists an element of blindsidedness. Such determination is valiant, but is mired by its own conflictive nature.

The question of culture and its survival in a world brought too close too quickly has come to surface. The assimilation into a new referential culture, losing distinction in stride with the loss of physical boundaries and borders, has the purity of differences sacrificed at the hands of technological overkill. A modern reflective now exists and the cry to return and hold on to cultural truths is persistent. Reliance on mythos and the retelling of olde seems to preoccupy youth. The revalidation of historical lines of thought are sought after and the unsequestered purity of ancient simplicity desired.

Displacement, loyalty and home,all questioned by the newly exiled, are under scrutiny. The emigrant struggle and reclamation of place in both country and society runs prevalent in a world where the powerful still attempt to suppress artistic expression and ignore the precedence of such ill conceived notions.

An assemblage of like minds are in unison and their voices against complacency and the habitualization of Man can be heard. The struggle to awaken society and help it come to terms with value and purpose in the face of perpetual distraction is a fight not easily won. Paralleled to this desire to shake society from its copacetic sleep is the direct contradiction of a persistent escapist movement. The desire to transport and redirect society to a more personalized introverted reality weakens the promise of intellectual evolution. The allure of respite is strong; the reemergence of fantastic landscapes offers solace as contemplative future ventures.

Presently the world is lacking and seeking renewal of its relationship with nature along with a renewed sense of discovery. Reining in the intangible through analytical trial has brought the discussion of the natural world into play. It is a misguided attempt to rationalize and tame the shrew of free will. Through cheap mimicry, from the frivolous to the near fanatical, attempts to recreate and better natural beauty by unnatural means are at odds. The overeducated and overintellectualized battle through the creative process blind to its wildness. As language is changed to suit contemporary needs the discourse and redefinition of "natural" is falsely balanced alongside urban integrity.

Expanding on escapist virtues alternative realities to suit a generation longing for past glories have been created only to be realized as hollow relics. As the aesthetic ideal is turned inside out , as re-imaging and re-imagining diminishes humanity's ugliness to the point of comedic gesture, history obsessed youth question the repetitiveness of Man's foibles.

ART LIVE 2011...society's next step forward

MAXIME BERNAUDIN FRANCE ANTONIO AUGUSTO BUENO BRAZIL FAVIO CASTAN CUBA SHOLEH DALAI IRAN TIBOR CERVENAK CZECH REPUBLIC/IRELAND SARAWUT CHUTIWONGPETI THAILAND VIRGINIA DUTTON USA WAHOO GUERRERO PHILIPPINES DAVID RIOS FERREIRA USA JOEL HANDORFF USA NAUMAN HUMAYUN PAKISTAN JANIS JANULIS LATVIA MEHWISH JAVED PAKISTAN/AUSTRALIA MAGNO LARACUENTE DOMINICAN REPUBLIC JOHN SEUNG-HWAN LEE SOUTH KOREA/USA CLAUDIA LIMA BRAZIL/PORTUGAL PETE LONGWORTH AUSTRALIA JULIAN LORBER USA SILVIA CONTE MACDONELL ARGENTINA ARTEM MIROLEVICH BELARUS IGOR MOLOCHEVSKI UKRAINE DMITRY MOROZOV RUSSIA IFE NIKLAUS SWITZERLAND KWAKU OSEI GHANA ZMIRA PORAN-ZION ISRAEL CLARISSE REBOTIER FRANCE BRUNETA REINERT GERMANY NURIA ROMAN SPAIN DAVID ROUSELL USA/AUSTRALIA JEAN SARIANO ALGERIA YASUTO SASADA JAPAN CHAW EI THEIN BURMA ARTURO TOULINOV RUSSIA/USA MISHA TYUTYUNIK UKRAINE DALVIS TUYA VALIDO CUBA ADRIANA VARELLA BRAZIL MARKO VELK SERBIA MARK WIENER USA YOUNGDAM SOUTH KOREA