Thursday, March 5, 2015

snippets // late January + February, turned into early March


1 | 2. neighborhood glimpes as i make my therapy visits.
3 | 4 | 5. blue hour in the kitchen + our favorite spicy, roasted carrots (recipe below).
6. evening beer runs with my guy, headed home on a Friday night to cozy up with some take-out or tapas and a movie on demand.
7. a slow morning breakfast at home after a busy work week with my husband's over-easy eggs and muffins (these a lovely Glorious Morning blend of apple, carrot, raisins, coconut, and walnuts - recipe from Whole Foods). truly, there's nothing like that Saturday, slow morning ease... and with a good cream cheese smear on these toasty muffins, friends, 'cause that's just how you do it.
8. lots of weekly market hauls: anyone else really into sautéing and braising winter greens and roasting up all the root vegetables and squash you can get your hands on? that about sums it up.
9 | 10. all the coffees and lingering possible.
11. winter wonderland hibernating practices on a Sunday, complete with snacks and tea and naps and a hearty, roasted chicken.
12. the magic that is the soft and hazy orange glow which lights up the sky on a snowy, winter night. do you know what i mean?  ~ you couple that with a post (Valentine's day) dinner date arm-in-arm walk with my love in Greenwich Village, and it just amounts to be that snow-globe memory you hope to close your eyes and relive forever and always. the dinner feast of Peking duck and dumplings + the laughs and conversation over cocktails and nice wine? these are all the details that replay each and every time i close my eyes and shake up that night. 
13 | 14. late night laundry and cham tea rituals + a love gram to my husband before a night of dancing and celebrating a good friend's 30th.
15. easy weeknight poblano + chicken red enchiladas and good table beer to round things out.
16 | 17 | 18. coffee and Sunday pie love at our favorite little shop,  Four & Twenty Blackbirds. on this particular day, David had the Black Bottom Spruce, and i, a slice of Salty Honey, both of which are now delicious, newly-found alternatives to my favorite, Black Bottom Oat.

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/Recipe:

easy, Spicy Roasted Carrots


Ingredients 

- 1 1/2 lbs of petite carrots, rinsed and scrubbed clean with carrot greens cut to about an inch in length.
- 2 tbsp of EVOO
- 1 tbsp dried, French thyme
- 1 tsp chili powder 
- 1/4 tsp sweet paprika 
- 1/4 tsp dried piri piri 
- coarse salt & whole pepper corns, freshly cracked to taste

Directions

Preheat your oven to 420. In the meantime, line a baking pan with aluminum foil or prep a baking pan to your liking. Spread your carrots out on the pan evenly and drizzle olive oil until all carrots are fully coated. Add your French thyme, chili powder, sweet paprika, and dried piri piri to your carrots, and toss until combined throughout. Add freshly ground salt and pepper on carrots to taste. Roast for about 30 minutes until caramelized and browned and tender.

*Variations: this simple blend of spices also makes for wonderful spicy, roasted sweet potato fries. in our home, we love both carrots and sweet potatoes done this way. we enjoy either of them paired with roasted chicken or with a fried egg, avocado, and spicy ketchup to taste atop.