Schmear - It's What's for Brunch

I'm bowing out of the kitchen on this one. I can make a lot of things - but bagels are not one of them.  At least not yet... 

If you're looking for NYC's best bagels, look no further than Pick A Bagel on 23rd and 3rd. Boo and I have been coming to this location since we met, and he even before that. For years. And years. We don't live anywhere near this bagel shop, but it's our go-to because it's just that good. 

They have everything from sweets (muffins, cookies, rugelach, muffins, pastries) to savory items (bagels, rolls, sandwiches, salads, eggs, deli items). They also have juices and smoothies and a really impressive make your own salad bar. This is a one-stop-shop for goodness. Literally. Oh, and the coffee?  It's really good. Hazelnut with skim is where it's at.  And you know, I love my coffee.

They also have the best cream cheese. Ever. It's just so good. I wish I knew the recipe. 

But lets be honest: you come for all that other stuff, but you stay for the bagels! They are so big, and they are just perfect.  Crusty on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside.  Love.

My favorite order is a whole wheat everything bagel (not toasted -- the bagels are so fresh you literally do not need to toast them and they are better that way, thats how you really know they're fresh) with walnut raisin cream cheese*.  I have a thing for salty/sweet things. Boo's favorite is whole wheat everything with plain cream cheese and nova with sliced red onion. The first time my sister tried these she ordered everything with plain cream cheese and loved it. If you love plain cream cheese, you know it's good. 

*In case anyone wants to surprise me with breakfast, you should know that my 2nd favorite is an everything flagel (i.e., flat bagel) with veggie cream cheese, lettuce, tomato and red onion.  It is like a salad on a bagel. Or in this case, flagel.  Also, I can't stop saying flagel.

Salad bar:

Juicing station:

Cream cheese:

And more cream cheese:

The best (!!) cream cheese - walnut raisin:

Homemade black and white cookies:

Or just black or white if that's what you fancy:

Smoked fish:

Very simple egg salad:

Pickles:

The coffee:

Copious amounts of bagel options:

14 in a dozen?  Yes:

There she is:

My favorite combination:

I wish I could tell you I was getting paid to write this, but I am not. Just an informed NYC bagel eater sharing her go-to stop for all things schmear. 

Where is your favorite bagel shop? Do you top with butter or cream cheese?

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

Scallops + Potatoes + Brussels Sprouts

I pride myself on making simple, tasty and healthy weeknight dinners that I can get ready with little effort after a long day at work (Do you hear that sound? That is me patting myself on the back).  But every now and then, a girl wants to treat herself.  I had a little bit of time Sunday night, so I treated Boo and myself to a dinner of seared scallops with a lemon-butter-wine-caper sauce, roasted Brussels sprouts and potatoes, and a simple mixed green salad with pear tomatoes and yellow peppers (because we know Boo loves peppers ).

The scallops are actually super-easy to make.  The key is getting some quality ingredients, and making sure that everything is ready to go.

Ingredients (makes 2 servings)*:
3/4 pound of scallops
1/2 shallot
2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped
1/4C white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc, but anything you like to drink is fine. The hardest part of the recipe is actually making sure you have a little wine left after Saturday night)
1tbsp olive oil (portioned 1 tsp and 2 tsps)
1/8C capers
1 lemon, juiced
1/2tbsp butter
salt and pepper, to taste

*Maybe it was just the fact that I was resting on the weekend, but I was a complete maverick in the kitchen.  I did everything by feel, so my measurements may not be exact.  But that is what makes cooking fun.  Not as fun as getting presents, but fun...

Directions:
1. Take scallops out of the fridge, let them come to temperature, and dry them really well with a paper towel (by making sure that the scallops are dry and not too cold, they will sear nicely)
2. Butterfly scallops by cutting them in half, parallel to the top.  I bought fresh, U-10 scallops from Whole Foods (U-10 means less than 10 scallops per pound). These guys were so big, that my 3/4 pound had only 6 scallops.  In order to let them cook more evenly, cut them in half through the middle, so that they are just as wide, but 1/2 as tall.  Does that make sense? I hope so!
3. Salt and pepper scallops on each side
4.  Heat 2 tsp of oil on medium high heat, and sear the scallops
5.  Cook them about 3-4 minutes on the first side, then flip and cook another 2-3 minutes  Then take the scallops out of the pan, put them on a plate, and tent them with aluminum foil
6.  Add 1 tsp of olive oil to pan, and brown shallot and garlic
7.  Add wine, lemon juice, butter and capers, stir, cover and let the sauce reduce
8.  Add the scallops back to the sauce, making sure to add the juice that seeps out from the scallops onto the plate (it sounds a little gross, but I promise it is super tasty, and you don't want to lose that flavor)

I apologize for not taking more pictures, but Boo may or may not have been distracting me.    But most importantly, I can offer you before:

And after:

The potatoes were literally the easiest thing ever.  But really good.

Ingredients:
1/2 pound mixed, baby potatoes
1tbsp olive oil
2tbsp garlic powder
2tbsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Wash potatoes, and pierce them with a fork to help them cook faster
3. Coat with olive oil, garlic powder, oregano, salt and pepper
4. Cook 45-55 minutes in the oven

When these guys come out of the oven, the skin has started to shrink and get crispy, but the insides are soft, creamy and delicious.  So simple, so tasty.

Again, shout out to Boo for distracting me and so that I have few pictures.  But, I offer you before:

And after:

Sometimes you just need to spend a little time to treat yourself for Sunday night dinner.  What is your favorite Sunday night dinner?

xx,
The Future Mrs. Wolf. 

A Gussied Toilet Tank

Let's talk about the toilet tank, shall we?  Since I have already welcomed you into our master bathroom a few too many times, I figured why not once more?  There was the DIY stereo, the bathroom stripes and now the toilet tank! 

Are you someone who tops the toilet tank?  I think that's a girl thing for sure.  You can be certain Boo did not have anything on his before I moved in.  

Anyway, we I decided it would be nice to use the tank as a display!  Enter: another DIY project. 

What you'll need:
1 candle
2 jars 
1 tray to display your items*

*I bought our tray at Pottery Barn, because I had a gift card there, and I decided the money was better spent on this tray than $25 off a $4,000 couch. Do you agree?  These trays (or similar ones) are available at Homegoods and the like.

Directions:
1. Similar to the candle to vases method, soak a glass jar in warm soapy water until the labels can be easily removed, wash and dry well
2. Fill glass jars with items you frequently use (in our case, cotton balls and q-tips)
3. Collect all items (candle and jars) on tray and place on toilet tank
4. Admire your prettified bathroom

Here's where we started:

And here's where we ended:

You can see our hurricane-turned-toilet paper holder in the bottom left of this photo - that's a Young House Love trick:

What do you think of our addition?  Do you like it?

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

Brioche French Toast

If you read last night's post, you'll likely remember I promised you brioche French toast.  And that's just what I made for this morning's breakfast.  French toast is stick-to-your-ribs goodness.  Every once in a while won't hurt you...girl's gotta live, right? 

Ingredients for two servings:

4 thick slices brioche (really, any thickly sliced bread will work; but challah and brioche are especially good because they are eggy)

2/3C milk

2 large eggs

1tsp cinnamon

1/2tsp vanilla extract

pinch of salt

butter for cooking (I used about 1tbsp for 4 slices)

optional toppings: Greek yogurt, toasted walnuts or almonds, sliced strawberries or blueberries, maple syrup or honey

Directions:

1. Make the egg custard by mixing milk, egg, cinnamon, vanilla and salt together, whisk very well to combine

2. Slice the bread and submerge in egg custard

3. Place each slice of bread on a plate to transport to the stove

4. Over medium heat, melt 1/2 tbsp of butter

5. Cook each slice of bread until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side*

6. Plate French toast and garnish with your choice of toppings

*If you are making a large batch of French toast, you may wish to keep the finished pieces warm in the oven while the others are cooking.  To do this, heat the oven to 200 degrees and place on an oven-safe dish or cookie sheet.

What you'll need:

Egg and milk:

Whisk custard until frothy:

Use a serrated knife to slice the bread:

You want nice, thick slices to really sop up the custard:

Dredging the bread:

When cooking the bread in butter, be sure not to heat the butter on high heat because the pan gets increasingly hot, and you want to avoid burned butter. Brown butter is another story, though, and you'll likely have that leftover in the pan:

After one flip:

I topped our French toast with toasted walnuts:

Golden brown and ready to eat:

Not everyone here likes syrup, so I plated ours with syrup on the side:

One final close up:

Nutrition information per serving, without toppings:

345 calories, 45g carbohydrates, 10g fat, 17g protein, 4g fiber

How do you like your French toast?  I'd love to hear from you if you try this version.  Hope you enjoy...

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf

Blue Ribbon Bakery Goodbye Dinner

Last night, a group of friends and I bid adieu to our friend leaving the country for a short while.  She's off to London! How exciting! We celebrated her last night in NYC at Blue Ribbon Bakery.  

We were a large-ish party and were seated in the private room downstairs.  For those unfamiliar with this restaurant, the downstairs room is across from the bakery.  Which means it smells insanely good throughout your whole meal.  I'm not talking about good smells because it's a restaurant, and that's what usually happens.  I'm talking about freshly baked bread.  And butter.  I mean, come on.  What is better?

Our table in the sweet little room:

Bakery:

 Much anticipated bread and butter:

A variety of dishes from our night...

The hummus plate:

Seared duck with honey orange green beans:

Our guest of honor enjoyed the cheeseburger:

Grilled salmon with asparagus and mustard vinaigrette:

Seared big eye tuna with tomatoes and shaved cauliflower:

 Brussels sprouts with Parmesan cheese:

Sweet potatoes:

Surprisingly, not one person ordered the fried chicken they are known for...hopefully our friend makes up for that with plenty of fish and chips in London! 

At the end of the night, our waiter mentioned there was extra bread upstairs.  As in bags. And bags. And bags of Blue Ribbon Bakery bread leftover from that day.  I helped myself to one more than one variety.  Brioche French toast tomorrow, anyone?  And, let's be honest - by anyone...I mean Boo. 

What do you do with day old bread?

xx,

The Future Mrs. Wolf