another hiatus...

Dear Readers,

I have to take a break from the blog. Sadly, I've become way to busy to work on this and will resume in June.

Please stay and eat well!!!

Much Love,
Kendra

What the hell am I doing?

It's 4:40 in the morning and I just cut two leeks. They are currently soaking and when my alarm goes off at 6:20am, I'll skim them off the dirty water surface and throw them into a pot of boiling water. Still, the question remains: what the hell am I doing?

I'm 26 years old and already feel over worked and under paid in a position that is known to be thankless. I'm not saying my boss doesn't appreciate me, but the truth is I'm completely unhappy. Last night Mike and I went to dinner and I spent $78 on mashed potatoes, sauteed broccolirabe, 3 glass of wine, calamari, and his chicken pot pie and beer. What the hell am I doing?

I don't make enough to spend money like that! However, they say that when we are stressed we go into survival mode and bulk up on high carb foods in case we need to run away from the enemy. You can't run away from the enemy if the enemy is the situation you've created for yourself. Because I feel like a big fat blob that has stopped exercising and started drinking way too much coffee, I'm making the leek-cleanse and forcing myself to only drink the broth and green tea. I hope it works.

Clarity, is something I've completely lost. I go through these times, every so often. I bog myself down with too much to do and too little money to really do it. I'm not going to blame myself for everything, but there is something to be said for being unhappy - stop doing what it is that depresses you so, and start doing the things that lift you up.

Ok. It's 4:47am and I feel slightly better. Onward and upward. Water, tea, leeks, and fruit. Go.

The Importance of Catharsis

I forgot how important it is for me to write. I've spent countless days trying to mimic what other food writers are recording and have, in the process, lost my voice. It took going to Breuklyn Coffee House Friday evening to remember why it is I started writing in the first place.

The cafe was crowded with artists and hipsters alike. We all shuffled in and out of each others' way like atoms vibrating almost too close for comfort. The first series of photographs feature women, nature, and mirrors. The grecian-esque style caught my attention and I found myself staring at the black and whites in simple frames. My thoughts were basic and my breathing came to a relaxed pace... finally, art.

Next down the wall was Nella's art. Bright and a little unfocused, I grew connected to the amateur lines and colors. I spoke with Nella after purchasing her poetry book. She is a nurturing and caring Russian woman who lives two blocks from my old apartment in Flushing. Instantly engaged in conversation, I felt a heat flow through my veins, I have to start writing right now.

I went to Franklin Park (around the corner from Breuklyn) and pulled out my notebook. It felt good. Mike met me about an hour later and I felt like a new woman.

Saturday morning I went to Bristen's Eater for breakfast. I wrote. I listened to music. I drank coffee and ate. I left feeling like a new woman.

We get caught up in our minds and have to remove ourselves in order to think clearly. The days become endless minutes of monotonous activity, unless we have a catharsis. Writing is my catharsis and I don't ever want to forget it again.

My experiments went ok...

Tuesday evening I experimented with homemade sweet potato gnocchi and black eyed pea and lentil curry bread.

Well, I should have mashed the peas and lentils better before baking them, lesson learned. However, I did manage to salvage the loaf yesterday when I paired it with boston lettuce and raisins! The curry wraps turned out being satisfying. Next time I do this I'm going to form them into smaller balls and bake them as such.

The sweet potato gnocchi I had high hopes for. Note to self: whole wheat flower is too intense for gnocchi, just stick with white and semolina. It totally overpowered the sweet potato and I really wanted that to be the star. Also when it comes to gnocchi balls, SIZE MATTERS. The smaller the better, in my book. However, a happy surprise was substituting polenta for an egg. I mixed in about 1/2 a cup of polenta and this helped with the cohesiveness of the pasta. Not terrible, but I know that next time will be MUCH better. The sauce, however - a scampi style with butter, sage, garlic, EVOO, and lemon - was super yummy.

Yesterday was also Cinco De Mayo so of course we had our mini Petron station. After a crazy busy day, those shots were totally satisfying and fun.

Back in the Kitchen

Sweet potato gnocchi dough is resting in the fridge for the night and the black eye pea and lentil curry bread is done in the oven.... can't wait to taste!!

A weekend in Brooklyn

Friday, 4/30/2010, was mental health day. After purchasing an awesome new bike helmet and bike lock, the mister and I rode the streets of downtown Brooklyn. The Gardens, the Slope, the Heights... nothing went uncovered.

We stopped by an awesome old school joint on 5th Ave for the classic burger, fries and Brooklyn Seasonal. Delicious. I'm not much of a meat eater but sometimes a lady craves a cheesy, greasy piece of beef... needless to say, paired with spicy curly fries, I was a happy camper.

The rest of the weekend was fairly uneventful food wise... BUT, last night was another superb oyster evening courtesy W & T Seafood. Matthew served up 6 samples of those zinc packed slippery suckers and Billy, Cornelius's bartender, poured me a glass of Chardonnay from LI. Yummmmmm. Fanny Bay, Kummamoto, and Beavertail remained my top favs!