New Year, New Site

Have you been missing me here?  I haven't gone far, just a new website with all things Jill: www.jillieofalltrades.com


And to tease you a little, come check out my Christmas Cookie post!

Moved!

Bye!  


I've moved, but not far.  You can find me over at my brand new site, jillieofalltrades.com.


Still lots of New York City and lots of food.














Jillie

Destination: Wordpress. And Another Doughnut

I've been with Blogger/Blogspot for over 2 years now.  And it's been great.  But I've been using Wordpress for another little project and really like the functionality.  So the goal this week is to move Jillie of All Trades over there.  I'll be honest, they make it sound pretty easy, so figure I can import it in about 5 minutes.  I'm not sure what that means for my email followers or anyone reading via RSS.  But will figure that out and provide the link to the new site.

In the meantime, why not end the weekend with this week's doughnut?  The Pumpkin Cake Doughnut from Doughnut Plant.  Not really pumpkin-y enough for me, but still enjoyed it with my Lavazza at Eataly.  When they put out a seasonal doughnut, I feel the need to try it (if you remember, I had the pumpkin yeast doughnut a few weeks ago).  But still need to get to the Tres Leches and a few of the other standards. 

Book Club: The Lotus Eaters

Book Club again, a small group of us, but we are continuing on!  This month was The Lotus Eaters, which follows a female photographer in Vietnam.  I thought it was very fascinating for a fiction piece.  And I had to speed read through the end to find out what happens.   So there was no talking over coffee last Saturday.  I'm Type A and like a good student, read the book...even if we never talk about it.

I hosted this month, so neatened up the little apartment, bought some more plates (I am short!).  And made Elizabeth's Pumpkin Pie Squares.  I realized too late that I had thrown away my 9x13 and didn't replace it.  So at 5 am that morning I had to go with the 9x9 pan.  I might reassess the topping amount in a smaller pan.  And then Deb's Chicken Square's for dinner.  

And my guests were so sweet to bring more tasty desserts, macaroons and cookies.

Noodles in Chinatown: Lam Zhou Handmade Noodle

Our Sunday lunch discussion started with Red Farm, a new dim sum place, in the West Village.  You know, Chinese food that appeals to the professional Chelsea/New York crowd.  It was closed for lunch.  So we jumped right to very authentic, in Chinatown.  Lam Zhou Handmade Noodle.


4 stars on 228 reviews?   That's pretty darn good.  4 stars on at least 100 reviews is Mark's minimum.  We jump on the F train and head south.  We get to 144 East Broadway and think "this is it?".  But they had an "A" rating, and the cool little wine bar near us got a "C".  So it can't be that bad.  I'll admit, the beef had some beef parts there were chewy, which I kind of expected after having eaten calf's calf muscle soup in China.  But I left some broth to cover that at the end.  The noodles and broth were so good, though.  The dumplings were great.

They rolled out handmade noodles on the table next to me (it's loud, the banging of the dough, sort of a "thwack thwack" every time it hit the counter).  And they wrapped dumplings behind me.

And you can't beat the prices.  Now, I hear the place to go for really authentic Chinese is Flushing, it's not even Chinatown.  But we are starting to test the limits of our comfort zone.  You basically pay by walking to the back of the store when you are done and handing over cash.  I'm not sure a tip is even really necessary.  Prices are great. How can you not order a dozen dumplings for $3?

Wedding Cake: Peanut Butter!

I like cake. Plain and simple.  And Sarah lined up something right up my alley.  Peanut butter and chocolate, in cake form.  Kudos!

It doesn't end there, though.  We had a table of desserts to enjoy.  This is after the sorbet between courses at dinner.  

Enough of the food posts...at the reception!

Wedding: Wine & Chocolate

S&S's wedding weekend continues...
Between the ceremony at St. Christopher and the reception, all the guests were invited to Rustico on Love Point (how appropriate!) for wine and cheese and chocolate.  Right up my alley!  I tried 2 of the reds and a white, starting with the Sierra Collado above.  I really liked the red by the little roast beef toasts, I think it was the shiraz.  Anyhow, loved having glass in hand and catching up with friends I hadn't seen in a while!


And look at the chocolate lobsters and buckeyes!  You know I couldn't say "no" to these.

 Guests spilled out to the patio area, lingered in side, sipped and ate.

Wedding Weekend: Sarah & Steve

Wedding weekend.  A beautiful weekend.  The setting was perfect, the couple was obviously happy, and it was a crowd of friends and family.  My dear friend Sarah got married this weekend in Maryland.  It's crazy for me to think how long we've known each other now.  Nearly 10 years, since it's 10 years since we applied to Darden, and we were roommates that first year.  Sight unseen, just an exchange of emails and maybe a phone call.  And clearly worked out quite well.

The flowers at the church and the reception were gorgeous.  I couldn't help but take a few shots.  And the bridesmaids bouquets were pretty in pink.

 We were right on the water, so sipped champagne while the sun set.  

And I'll have a whole week of posts because I can't just sum it up with these pictures. More to come!

Pumpkin: Trader Joe Pumpkin Bread & Muffin Mix

This is my test of the TJ's pumpkin bread mix.  I actually wasn't allowed to buy the mix.  It went something like this:

"If you make it, I end up eating it all"

So to be supportive, I just sampled the pumpkin bread with chocolate chips at the sample station (three samples, I'll come clean).  That counts as enough for a pumpkin report out, right?

Last year I bought three boxes to stock up.  I do really like it, but love 2 recipes: one from his mom and the other from my mom.  Clearly, moms are good at homemade pumpkin bread.  I may have to make so I can report back with the recipe!

And I'm off to Maryland on Friday for Sarah's wedding!  Lots of picks to come, will be a great weekend with some very very good friends.

Apples Are Fall

It couldn't get any more "fall" than bins of apples.  I grew up in Ellington, CT.  We apple picked all the time, riding the tractor up to the orchard (or just walking), and filling a tote full of apples.  As it became September, then October, new varieties were ready for picking.  I took it for granted, apparently, because people spend hours trekking out to NJ or Westchester from the city for the same experience.  Just more crowded.  Good 'ole Johnny Appleseeds.  I think some of the orchards have become developments and it's not quiet the same experience, but good memories.