What could be more American than hot dogs and popsicles that are layered red, white, and blue? When I was a kid, I opted for the Rocket Pop every chance I could because of the white layer that was tangy and sweet at the same time. I was well into adulthood before I found out that layer was lemon flavored. Lea Leong Ringler comes through again with an easily assembled, healthy, and delicious popsicle.
The absolute best part about living in New York is that the world comes to you. You don’t have to travel across any oceans to experience holiday food traditions of other countries. With a holiday like Easter, there are hundreds of church services in whichever tradition you choose to attend, and foods from all cultures are available here. I was at Amy’s Cafe inside the New York Public Library and they had Hot Cross Buns for sale.
Fondue is one of those dishes that bring you closer to your dinner companions. Not only is there warmth emanating from the candle burning beneath the pot of melted chocolate or cheese, but as a communal meal, fondue magnifies the chemistry between people, whether friends or lovers, acquaintances or family.
I have very limited memories of pie from my childhood. In my family, fruit was mostly consumed as a dessert or snack, always in its raw form, and never cooked. Pie was something I associated with my Strawberry Shortcake Atari game where I had to avoid the bad guy, the Purple Pie Man. I discovered Marie Callender’s pies sometime during high school and I became addicted to their Fresh Strawberry pie.
I’m interviewing Caroline Miller on her blog, Let’s Bake Our Feelings, where she’s baking her way through the Bouchon Bakery Cookbook and has posted an article on making Witch’s Hats. I also have two fun and festive recipes from Lea Leong Ringler that you will want to make for Halloween.
I had heard many things about Arthur Avenue but I never took the time to visit because it is all the way in the Bronx. Since Little Italy in Manhattan is basically surrounded by Chinatown and some foodies consider it to be a tourist trap, I finally had the opportunity to head up to the Bronx after being promised my own personal tour of Arthur Avenue.
I wanted to catch up with a former co-worker of mine, Guiseppe Maione, the founder of Alchemy Creamery which produces vegan, gluten free and kosher ice cream in New York City. This is a very busy season for him, especially with the hot and humid weather that New York has been experiencing recently.
I had brunch at The Boat Basin today and on the menu were early Cinco de Mayo items. Cinco de Mayo is a holiday I always heard about but never really knew anything about it. I finally looked it up on Wikipedia and discovered that it is not actually Mexican Independence Day, as is the common misconception, but it is a holiday that Mexican-Americans celebrate. It is observed in honor of General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin who led the Mexican Army to an unlikely victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. It is much celebrated in California but virtually ignored in Mexico.
I have been sporadically watching the new hit sitcom Fresh off the Boat which is about a Chinese American family with immigrant parents. It never fails to make me laugh and the latest episode introduced a Chinese boy who was adopted by Jewish parents. It really illustrated differences and similarities between two cultures in a gut-busting hilarious way. Fresh off the Boat is set in Orlando, but one of the wonderful things about living in New York City is the incredible diversity that you encounter every day.
It wasn’t until I read the headline about a beloved bar in Washington Heights closing, that I stopped to think about just how many Irish Pubs there are in the city.
