Your Literary Adaptation Man Crush Interpreted

Hi, I'm Emily. I have a MA in English. This means that I usually win at Trivial Pursuit, sound smart at dinner parties, and can tell you all about the meaning behind your literary adaptation crush. Or at least try to:

 "What does a guy have to do to win a wet t-shirt contest around here?"

Leftovers

*Look at these curtains I made for the kitchen! Just don't look too closely. It's my first go at sewing something beyond loose buttons or holey clothing. I used this Toile print. Next up: This handbag from BurdaStyle. Actually, next up is taking down that hideous light fixture...

*Spring semester started this week so I've been pretty busy getting stuff together. It's like starting completely over, which has its' advantages but for now, mostly challenges.

*Taste of Hartford is on until February 5th. Check out my previous posts from past years here and here. The Dish menu and Carbone's look particularly good. You can also never go wrong at Feng. 

Warming Winter Meals: Battle of The Beouf

As I've mentioned (whined about) before I pretty much hate winter. Why I continue to live in New England is a mystery to me--well, I guess there's James, my friends, my family, and my commitment to pale skin. But other than those things, there's no real reason why I continue to stay here. 

However, one of the few benefits of living in a cold place is it encourages (ne:forces) me to stay inside and try new things, like sewing curtains or making recipes that take hours and hours. 

As soon as I got my dutch oven for Christmas I knew I wanted to make Beouf Bourguignon, that classic French stew. I looked over a bunch of recipes before deciding on an amalgamation of Julia Child's take and Ina Garten's interpretation. 

Two culinary powerhouses. One classic dish. The battle of the beouf!

Ok, not really. Ina's is designed to be made in around 2 hours while Julia's takes about 4. What I liked about Ina's was her inclusion of Cognac to the carrots and onions. It also provided me with my first opportunity to flambe something, which was scary but fun. You can watch a video of her here but mine in no way flamed that much. I'm calling shenanigans on Ina. 

For the most part though I followed Julia's instructions for the first half of the recipe, up until it comes out of the oven. I did include the onions with the carrots but made sure to braise them first. Seriously, brown braised onions are amazing. Tossing the beef in flour and then putting it in the oven to crisp up is a really important step, but I also loved the flavor the cognac added to the stew. For some reason we had an unopened bottle of Remy Martin in the freezer, so I made good use of that.

I cooked the stew for about 3 hours but then didn't bother with the skimming and sieving of the fat from the gravy as Julia's recipe instructs. I just simmered it for a bit on the stove top and then served it over mashed potatoes. I made Ina Garden's fool-proof roasted Brussels sprouts as an accompaniment, but be warned, this is quite a hearty dish. The beef was super tender, but the sauce is the real star here. Somewhere on the internet someone commented that this whole recipe is basically an exercise in making the best sauce ever, and I concur.

Voila! Maybe wintertime has its perks after all.

Postcard From Key West Part Two: Trip Highlights

You know how when you get back from an awesome vacation you're in a bit of a funk for awhile? Well, that's how I've been the past few days. I blame this mostly on the weather here in New England. I am not much of a winter person to begin with and going from a breezy 78 degrees to a windy 10 plus chill factor doesn't help. At all. It feels like all the R&R I got down south evaporated as soon as I stepped off the plan. But, enough of my grumbling. We still had a great trip that I'm excited to share.

And to think, this was my life just one short week ago...

Key West has long been known as a haven for artists, writers, and the generally off-beat. Even though it's a part of Florida, it's technically closer to Cuba and has long exuded an 'anything goes/anything is welcome' atmosphere. But, like most awesome things, it has gotten quite touristy over the past few decades, no thanks in part to the massive cruise ships that dock off Mallory Square every day, but you can still find plenty of Old Key West off the beaten path. The best places we went to were away from boozy Duval Street and hectic Mallory Square. Here's some highlights:

The Truman Little White House, Presidential vacation home for decades and favorite of Harry S. Truman, who ran the country from here for 175 days. 

We walked over to the Southernmost Point, but did not wait in the ridiculously long line for a photo op, so enjoy this one of some people I don't know.

  

Hartford, CT is 1552 miles from here. Not far enough, I say.

The greatest name for a store I have ever seen. Some day I will open my own CT branch of Mr. Cheapee's.

Ok, I'm embarrassed to say this but this is the only shot of the sunset I got during the whole trip. It kept happening at like, 5:30. So early!

I took James to Latitudes for his 30th birthday. It was super nice (and expensive) and right on the beach of Sunset Key. Unfortunately, it was after sunset, so this was the best shot I got. We also saw a 'celebrity' there. Ignacio from season 7 of Weeds! I made eye contact with him when I went to the bathroom!

Our hotel was across the street from American Literary powerhouse and ultimate Man's man, Ernest Hemingway's house, which he lived in for ten years with second wife Pauline.

 It features lush gardens, roaming six-toed cats, and a wrap-around second story balcony.

Of course I took a picture of the kitchen.

His writing studio, much the way it was when he left Pauline to marry third wife Mary. Hem wrote 300-700 words every day. A good habit I need to get into.

The infamous pool, and the largest on the island.

Admiring Papa's foliage.

We had lunch at Blue Heaven one day, which encompasses that Old Key West vibe--relaxed and laid back. Chickens and roosters run underfoot and guests can sit outside, shaded by large trees and umbrellas. Live music is often played and it really does feel like your own little piece of Blue Heaven.

As you may have guessed, I'm partial to restaurants where I can eat outside. Key West is king for that. In addition to Blue Heaven, Kelly's bar and grill also has a lovely outside patio. It's named for former owner Kelly McGillis of Top Gun fame. They also had the best happy hour deal we came across. A couple of these Key Lime margaritas and you'll definitely be on the highway to the danger zone.

Pepe's Cafe was another great local spot for dinner and 'The eldest eating house in the Florida Keys'. It had a nice rural Southern vibe with simple but delicious food and Yuengling for $1.50.

As I said before, we tried to stay away from Duval St. as much as possible but made an exception for the nearby Captain Tony's Saloon. I feel like this picture encapsulates the spirit of Old Key West best.

Captain Tony's was the original home of Sloppy Joe's, Hemingway's old hangout. I don't think bras hung from the ceiling back then.

I ate a lot (a lot) of Key Lime pie. Blue Heaven had the best presentation, but I'm partial to Kermit's. It was the most tart and featured real whipped cream.

As Cuba is only 90 miles away, its' influence can be found all over the island. We had awesome coffee and breakfast sandwiches at the Cuban Coffee Queen. Cuban coffee is quite strong, but it is brewed with a little sugar, taking away any bitterness.

We had a nice casual meal at B.O.'s Fish Wagon (or the BO Wagon, as I kept calling it)--a local favorite with good, fresh seafood and a lot of crazy crap on the walls. The grouper sandwich was particularly delicious.

All in all  it was a great trip. Do yourself a favor and pay the Keys a visit sometime. Eat fresh fish, have some pie, and enjoy the show. 

Postcard From Key West Part 1: Rain Delay

An afternoon thunderstorm has forced us inside for now making this the perfect time for a blog post! Yesterday we went down to Fort Zachary Taylor, a Civil War-era Fort, and site of supposedly the most beautiful beach in Key West. See for yourself:

Question: Does it get any better than this?

Answer: Of course not.

I tried to get rid of some of the pale but only managed to give myself an oddly shaped sunburn. Serves me right. After bemoaning the fact that I didn't bring my suit and making James promise we would return for a swim later in the week, we grabbed some lunch from Garbo's Grill, a little food truck serving uber-fresh local fare like gulf shrimp mahi mahi along with the classic hotdogs and burgers. 

I went for the fish tacos, while James tried the fish burrito. They were as good to eat as they are to look at.

Roosters and chickens are all over the island--in the street, in your backyard, outside your window (ahem)--and Garbo's was no exception. We saw this guy who must have lost his comb in a cock fight.

Welp, it looks like the storm is passing and just in time for happy hour! More later!

Two Tickets To Paradise

Oh hi! I'm on vacay right now in a lovely little place called Key West. Yeah, it's super nice. I'm eating a lot of key lime pie and spending the majority of my time at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville. KIDDING. Actually, I just walked by it and it was totally empty. Like it should be. Anyways, I'll be back next week with full report. For now, enjoy the view that I get to wake up to every morning. 

Things I "Like": Sticky Toffee Pudding

For my belated Christmas party last week, my cousin Katie brought over not one, but TWO of these. Since we already had a massive amount of dessert, I froze one and ate the other (James helped).  I've always been slightly obsessed with England and their food. It all just sounds so much more magical: Crumpets, fools, bubble and squeak, jacket potatoes, their habit of calling everything 'puddings'--way better than hot dogs or spaghetti with meatballs. Booooring. 

The Sticky Toffee Pudding Co., which made my pudding, is based in Austin, TX and was founded by a British woman living in the states. All their products are said to be made from authentic British recipes. In case you didn't know, in Brit-speak 'pudding' is simply a catchall name for dessert...unless it's referring to black pudding or Yorkshire pudding. Those are savory. Now, what we know as pudding, they call custard. All clear? 

Sticky toffee pudding is just as good as it sounds, though I'd describe it as more gooey than sticky. The cake itself is a very moist and crumbly sponge cake, perfect for soaking up that delightful toffee sauce. In fact, the sauce reminded me a lot of a recipe for toffee sauce from English chef Nigella Lawson. It's also really easy to make. My favorite.

Sticky Toffee Sauce

* 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon soft dark brown sugar
* 2 tablespoons dark corn syrup
* 3/4 stick unsalted butter
* 2/3 cup heavy cream

Put the sugar, syrup and butter in a pan and slowly bring to the boil, allowing the butter to melt and the sugar to dissolve. Let the mixture bubble for a couple of minutes before carefully adding the cream. Cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until the sauce is thick, sticky and glossy.

I freaked out when my sauce didn't seem to be turning thick and glossy, but not to worry! Once I turned off the heat, it came together like gangbusters. I also added a pinch of salt to the mix during the cooking process. Next time I'll add a little more though to really get that salty n' sweet flavor--alternatively, I wonder what would happen if I used salted instead of unsalted butter?


I served the sauce warm over chilled bowls of vanilla haagen daz. The sauce starts melting the ice cream right away, so I suggest pre-scooping your dishes and sticking them in the freezer for a bit before adding the sauce.

Welcome, 2012

How was your NYE? Mine was epic in a 'Next year I'm playing Scrabble and drinking tea' kind of way, which is fine. In the words of Danny Glover playing that guy in Lethal Weapon, "I'm getting to old for this sh--"

The big take away from the night was that I should never wear heels to the bar. Even if it's just a once-a-year thing, I can't do it. It feels like I ran a marathon on Saturday night, except without the sense of pride or accomplishment.

Today after recounting our respective NYE highlights (ok, lowlights) with my friend Elizabeth we both came to the conclusion that our New Year's Resolution is: Just be different. 

"That sounds like a manageable goal," she said.

Really, that's what these resolutions are supposed to be, right?

Ok, but for seriously, I plan to spend more time this year on my 'career'. My personal life has definitely taken over ever since I got my Masters in 2010, which I suppose made sense at the time. Simply put, I was burnt out from school and didn't really care what I did work-wise. Now things are better. I feel more grounded and have had some good work experience. Now I just have to do something with it.

Also:

Join a gym for the winter

Find an agent for The Book

Live somewhere for a month

Get another personal essay published

What are your resolutions?