by Paula D.
on March 22, 2020 11:17 am in Food / Recipes
I was flipping through a magazine and came across a recipe for homemade jumbo soft pretzels. It struck a chord.
I remember as a kid going into Manhattan to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree with my family. My sisters and I would beg my dad to stop and get us pretzels from the corner cart. It was December and cold outside. The steam rising from the twirling pretzels inside the glass case was all I could focus on. It reminded me of the animated Christmas displays – the ones in the windows at Macy’s that we’d also visit. My father would cave and buy us the pretzels, despite knowing we’d be covered in mustard for the rest of the day. Holding the warm pretzel in our hands was pure joy!
When I was a teenager, my friends and I would take the LIRR into the city to hang out at bars or just to walk around. We’d grab a pretzel almost every time. It became a ritual of sorts. Also, as teens, we were scraping together our money for the day and those pretzels were perfectly priced, filling and delicious!
And yet again, pretzels pop into my memory thinking about those long days commuting from Long Island when I first started working in the city at Morgan Stanley. My saving grace those nights were getting a mini-bottle of red wine and a pretzel from Auntie Anne’s in Penn Station for the train ride home. Butter, bread, and salt is the cure for any terrible day of work.
When I finally moved out of my parents (against their wishes at 28 yrs old), I moved to Ridgewood, Queens. My home away from home was an old German watering-hole called Gottscheer Hall Before the bar became hip, a few friends of mine would hang out with the old-timers, having beers and sharing Gottscheer’s super-large pretzel. It’s probably 15 inches square! A hot pretzel with cheese sauce and a cold Hofbrau on tap were on the menu for me many Friday nights back then.
Clearly, I love soft pretzels. I had to try this recipe. This was my first attempt at making homemade pretzels. I’m not much of a baker and to be honest, this was a big project for a beginner. All the work (and cleaning) did pay off.
The pretzels were salty, buttery and delicious! My friend Rob was over and tried one. He said the texture was more like focaccia than a dense pretzel. Italian pretzels anyone?! I’m sure my baking mathematics played a role in this. My dough was soft and airy, not as dense as a standard pretzel. I had the idea to make it again and add cured black olives! Give the recipe a try. It’s worth the effort!
P.S. I hate hard pretzels.
Soft Butter Pretzels
(Makes 10 medium sized pretzels)
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 1/8 teaspoons active dry yeast
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/8 teaspoons salt
1 cup bread flour
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups warm water
2 tablespoons baking soda
4 tablespoons butter
4 Coarse salt to taste
Mustard for dipping
Directions
Sprinkle yeast on lukewarm water in a mixing bowl; stir to dissolve. Add sugar and stir to dissolve; add flour and salt. Knead dough until smooth and elastic. Let rise till doubled in size or at least 1 hour. While dough is rising, prepare a baking soda water bath with 2 cups warm water and 2 tablespoons baking soda. This process is the trick for a shiny, salty exterior and a chewy center)
After dough has risen, punch the air out of it. Divide the dough into 10 pieces, roll into a long rope. (about 1/2 inch or less thick) and shape. Shape the rope like a U and cross the two ends over each other, pull the ends down and attach them at the bottom of the U.
Carefully dip pretzel in soda solution for 20 seconds and place on greased baking sheet. Allow pretzels to rise again till doubled in size. Baking at 400°F for about 10 minutes or until golden. Brush with melted butter, add salt and enjoy!
Recipe from www.savoryonline.com
Oxalis regnellii, better known as the Shamrock Plant is a lovely little one that will bring bright color (and maybe good luck) into your home well past St. Patrick’s Day.
The Shamrock Plant reaches a max height of 8 inches tall. The leaves are clover-shaped and in the spring, fall, and winter, small delicate flowers appear. There are over 570 species with a rainbow range of color, from bright and dark greens to the sought-after burnt oranges and dark purple foliage. Exposure to the sun will cause these color nuances in either the green or purple varieties.
Oxalis grows from rhizomes or bulbs, which is a unique feature for a houseplant*. And it’s easy to care for because of this. For example, if you miss watering for a while the bulbs go dormant. Start watering again and the plant reappears like magic! Another little trick this plant pulls out of its hat … at night the leaves fold up and close, reopening in the morning with the sunlight.
Speaking of sunlight, Oxalis regnellii likes sunny indirect light. A southeast facing window will work best but it’s a hardy plant and can tolerate various lighting conditions. I water my plant once a week in the winter and 2 twice a week in the spring/summer. It likes moist soil. Let it dry in between waterings to prevent root rot.
The Shamrock Plant can easily be propagated by separating the rhizomes and replanting in soil.
All of us remember as kids searching through the grass to find the lucky four-leaf clover. In 11th grade, at lacrosse practice I scooped up a four-leaf clover as I was going for a ground ball, I swear! I framed it and have it somewhere in my parents’ basement.
So, what is the difference between Oxalis, Clover, four-leaf Clover and shamrocks? Here’s the breakdown.
A shamrock according to Encyclopedia Britannica, is any of several similar-appearing trifoliate plants (leaves divided into three leaflets). Plants called shamrocks include the family Oxalidaceae, or any of various plants of the pea family, including white clover, suckling clover, and black medic.
Therefore, clovers, the ground clover plant, and the house plant Oxalis are both considered shamrocks. Four-leaf clovers are a genetic mutation of the clover. They are rare to find, but not impossible with the luck of the Irish.
For more on plants and gardening follow Paula for the day to day on instagram – @theglorifiedtomato
*Oxalis regnellii, can also be grown outdoors in our garden zone 7. It must be dug up and brought in before the frost.
New York City has finally passed a ban on most single-use plastic bags, catching up to 300 towns and cities across the U.S. and 55 countries in Europe. According to the Dept. of Environmental Conservation, New Yorkers use an estimated 23 billion plastic bags annually — each for about 12 minutes — and approximately 85% of this staggering total ends up in our landfills, recycling machines, waterways, and streets. And oceans! Living so close to the ocean, I feel a responsibility to respect and protect wildlife and our coastal environment. I’m thrilled about the New York State Bag Waste Reduction Act, as I’m sure many of you are too.
Beginning this Sunday, March 1st, it is illegal for most retailers to give you a plastic bag to carry purchases in. NYC has opted for a 5-cent paper bag fee just in case you forget your reusable tote bag. The restrictions and rules can be a little confusing as we transition into this plastic-free shopping realm. Gothamist.com as an in depth article outlining everything you need to know about how the plastic bag restriction will affect individuals and business owners. I strongly recommend reading about it here.
For the past several years, I’ve gotten into the habit of bringing my tote bags food shopping and to other stores. I’ve built up a large collection. For those of you who need to purchase reusable tote bags or want to “shop in style”, I’ve compiled a list of fashionable totes sold by our favorite local business. And men, don’t you worry, “the man bag” is so trendy these days.
Cuisine by Claudette sells a sturdy tote with their iconic hand drawn logo design on it. Take it to the gym or to CVS, it’s versatile! Purchase the Cuisine by Claudette tote at either of their two locations: 143 Beach 116th Street, Rockaway Park 11694 or 190 Beach 69th Street, Arverne
Have you been to the new eatery Thank You? The food is delicious. Drop by to try it and also pick up one of these rad reusable totes! Located at 214 B 116th St, Rockaway Park.
Buy a bag of books or take this fun typographic tote anywhere you go. Visit Avoid The Day’s new brick and mortar at 9904 A Rockaway Beach Blvd, Rockaway Park, to get this fun bag and others.
The Swellife has a few reusable tote options and they’re all adorable. Perfect for the farmers market or the beach! Visit the shop located at 91-08 Rockaway Beach Blvd, Rockaway Beach.
I love this hip, leopard, hand-painted tote bag from Life Eclectic. The bag is made of natural cotton fiber. Wear it out on the town or take it to the grocery store. It’s on sale now! Visit the website Free delivery within Rockaway!
Shop local and do your part to reduce single-use waste — it’s a win-win!
by Paula D.
on February 7, 2020 10:06 am in Recipes
My husband thinks I’m silly for decorating the house for Valentine’s Day. He tolerates Christmas and Easter but he can’t help making snarky comments about this Hallmark holiday. I tell him, “But… it makes me happy!” I enjoy rearranging and switching things up in the house. Re-designing makes your living space feel fresh and It’s also an incentive to clean! Or, in Matt’s words “Yo this is corny.” Whatever.
In addition to seasonal decorating, I also love seasonal cooking. My mother-in-law Maureen dropped off a bunch of old magazines a few weeks ago. She knows I like flipping through with my morning coffee. In the Savory, May 2019 edition, I found a whole section on strawberry recipes, which would be in season at that time. It just so happens strawberries are perfect for Valentine’s Day desserts too.
The magazine had some tips worth sharing. “Pick like a pro” – look for bright, shiny strawberries, skip containers with smashed or shriveled ones. The color should be deep and even, without white or green patches and they should smell fragrant. “Wash and wait” – (This one I’m familiar with), water increases mold on strawberries (and most fruits). So leave the berries in their original packaging and rinse in cold running water just before serving or cooking. Their shelf life is short, use within 2-3 days of purchase. “Get your vitamins” – despite their sweetness, strawberries are relatively low in sugar, they provide fiber, antioxidants, and vitamin C. In fact, strawberries contain more vitamin C per serving and oranges!
The recipe that caught my eye was “Easy Strawberry Almond Tart ”. I think it was the ”easy” part that appealed to me. Using a flour tortilla you can make a delicious seasonally appropriate Valentine’s Day tart. Mine came out great. I could smell the strawberries as they came out of the hot oven. The butter, sugar, and berries formed a glaze. Make sure you slice the strawberries thinly, mine could have been a little less chunky. Use a pizza cutter to slice it up, that worked well for me. It looks impressive and is a quick dessert to make that will impress guests or your significant other.
As I was preparing the dish, I realized you can make this with blueberries, raspberries or experiment with other fruits. Maybe honey or maple syrup can be a nice sugar substitute. Shaved milk chocolate?!
Ingredients:
(Serves 4, ready in: 30 min.)
8-16 oz. strawberries
4 tbsp butter, softened
2, 8-inch flour tortillas
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp slivered almonds, toasted
Directions:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Hull and thinly slice the strawberries. Spread the butter onto both sides of the tortillas and place them on a baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops of tortillas with the sugar. Arrange strawberries on tortillas. Bake 20–25 min., until golden and crisp.
While the tart is cooking, lightly brown the almonds in butter on med-low, in a small frying pan on the stovetop. Occasionally stir. Remove the tart from the oven. Top with the almonds. Cut into quarters and serve. Eat hot, right out of the oven!
There are a few other noteworthy strawberry dessert recipes in that edition of Savory. Find them here. If you try any of them, let me know how they turn out.
Happy Valentine’s Day to all my readers, I love ya!
