Little Piglet Links

A Blogger outage followed by a bachelorette party last week slowed me down a bit and the dreary weather we have in New York right now isn't helping matters. The photos above are from a lovely Sunday we spent at the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens a few weeks ago. I can't wait for more warm spring days like that one. And I really hope all this end of the world talk is bogus, because I have a very important wedding to attend in June. Considering how much fun I had toasting the bride-to-be with 17 hilarious ladies on Saturday night, I know we're all in for a very good time.

I hope to be up and running again with some new posts soon, but for now, here are a few links I've been meaning to share.

Jordan Ferney is a blogger who is spending the year in France with her family of four. All of her posts are making me so nostalgic for the city I lived in for almost a year and I wish I could whisk my family away to these tulip fields right now.

Her sister Gabrielle also moved her family to France this year, and the house they're renting in Normany looks incredible. This photo of her cruising through the airport with her 6 (!) kids makes taking two little boys to Brazil seem like a piece of cake.

I'm already having trouble keeping up with all online design mags out there and now I have a new one to add to the list.

I think I mentioned that I kind of like Glee. I lied. I love it. And just like my Dancing with the Stars obsession (which I'm happy to report is over), I'm thinking about buying tickets to this. Does that make me a Gleek and a Glerd? 

On the rare occasion that we order in, we always want Thai. We mixed things up a few weeks ago and tried this new risotto place in Windsor Terrace. The two we tried (sweet gorgonzola, apple and arugula; and broccoli rabe, garlic and sweet sausage) hit the spot and if I didn't have a big pot of soup in my frige, I'd be trying them again tonight.

During Lent, I saved a bunch of dessert recipes I want to make. This pound cake, these chocolate cupcakes and these carrot ones are at the top of the list (and I found them all on The Wednesday Chef).

I've been making this granola for the past few years, but now I want to try every single one of these.

Based on today's weather report, it won't be warm and sunny till Sunday. Good timing, considering the inaugural NYC Food Truck Rally will be taking place at Grand Army Plaza that day.

Last week, I was craving cupcakes. Today, I really want donuts and I wish the Brindle Room was just a little bit closer because their cakey donuts sound amazing.

See you soon!

10 years

Ten years ago today, Daniel and I got married. It was sort of a secret wedding since we had a bigger celebration seven months later and didn't tell many people about this one at first. I remember getting dressed that morning and how my roommate Marie urged me to wear something white. She even pulled out a curling iron and did my hair which was blonde back then. We took a taxi to my Mom's office and when we arrived, my brother was waiting outside. He'd flown in from California to surprise us and was holding a bouquet of flowers for me.

A few friends served as our witnesses and one even picked up a wedding band from a street vendor for Daniel. I remember us laughing a lot in the waiting room before it was our turn to go in. Afterward, they all had to go back to work, but my Mom took us to The River Cafe for lunch, an interesting choice since we moved to Brooklyn three months later and have lived here ever since.

We refer to our City Hall ceremony as wedding #1 and I'll admit I really like celebrating twice per year. This anniversary tends to be low-key and for our October one, we like to make a bigger deal. Since we're marking a big milestone this year, we want to do something special. We're dreaming about a trip to Italy, a place we both love, but have never visited together. But that's not going to happen for a while, and when it does, we'll have two little ones in tow. I really loved that bicycle wedding I mentioned last week, so last night, Daniel and I spent some time thinking about ten of our favorite places in Brooklyn—one for each year we've been married. We thought it'd be fun to visit all of them on one day, maybe for a special 10-year anniversary scavenger hunt with friends. On bikes, preferably. Here's what we came up with.

1. Superfine: A really fun restaurant in DUMBO where we've celebrated birthdays, anniversaries, played pool with our friends, and eaten the best breakfast burritos.

2. Vinegar Hill House: We've had some amazing dinners here—upstairs, downstairs, and in their small outdoor garden. I could eat a slice of their Guinness chocolate cake with cream cheese frosting every day.

3. Saul: One of our favorite restaurants on Smith Street that's perfect for a special occasion.

4. Bar Tabac: Before we had kids, we ended up at Bar Tabac for late-night foosball a lot. It'd be fun to go back and get a game going.

5. Robin des Bois: We love the secret garden, French food and quirky decor.

6. Franny's: An ideal place for a long, leisurely lunch with lots of wine, pizza, and some of the best salads I've ever eaten.

7. Trois Pommes: We discovered their jelly doughnuts while taking long walks when I was pregnant with Nico and have been fans ever since.

8. Brook Vin: We've had a few dates here since becoming parents. We like to sit at the bar and split a bunch of tartines and some glasses of wine.

9. The River Cafe: The atmosphere might be a little too stuffy, but nothing beats the view. It'll always remind me of wedding #1.

10. Bklyn Larder: If we lived closer, we'd eat their sandwiches more than we already do. The toasted almond gelato, too. And if Bklyn Larder existed back in 2001, and we'd had a big budget for wedding #2, it would have been fun to surprise our guests with baskets full of their amazing foods.

Little Piglet Links

It's been a busy few weeks. I haven't cooked much aside from some butternut squash soup and a simple bolognese sauce. At night, Daniel and I throw together big salads for ourselves or make really basic meals. We've been drinking a lot of smoothies. Our apartment search is taking up the little free time we have and I'm ready for it to be over. I want to know where we'll be living in a few months, especially now that someone else will own our apartment very soon. So, I don't have many stories to share right now. What I do have are some links. Recipes I keep meaning to make, a restaurant I want to try, and other random things. Hope everyone is enjoying the first few days of spring. It's amazing how uplifting some sunny weather can be. Oh, and how about that full moon on Saturday night? I was at my Mom's apartment for a girls-only get together with her, my aunts, two cousins and some friends who feel like family. She served her award-winning lasagna. There were eight of us. A group of wise women who have all had their fair share of struggles. They remind me to not sweat the small stuff.

Some links:

Remember how I said I didn't want to throw Nico a birthday party this year? Well, after discovering this adorable cake studio on Columbia Street this weekend, I'm starting to reconsider. After showing him some of the cook cakes on their website, he requested a vanilla one with chocolate frosting with a G train, digger, fire truck and snow plow on top.

Speaking of Nico, he's been rejecting most vegetables lately. But when I made him this kale, spinach and pear smoothie that was the same color of his beloved G train, he gulped the whole thing down and begged for more. Leo loved it, too. 

When I have more time to cook again some day, I want to make these homemade bagels and fresh cream butter.

If Daniel and I could plan our wedding day all over again, I'd love to do something like this. Riding bikes with some of our closest friends all over NYC would be so much fun.

I love how Aron and Ashley, the couple behind the blog Hither and Thither, take a photo each year while holding up how many fingers they've been married, a tradition they adopted from Aron's parents.

I've only been to Seattle once and wish Delancey, the pizza place opened by one of the best food bloggers and her husband, had been around back then. Molly recently wrote about their newest venture, The Pantry at Delancey, and now I'm dreaming about taking a quick trip to check both places out.

Digital magazines that help me miss Domino less

Like many people, I mourned when Domino folded. Getting their issues in the mail always made me giddy and I couldn't bear to throw a single one away. I have yet to find a replacement for a magazine I regularly read cover to cover, but these four digital ones, and another that's only available in print but can be previewed online, are helping to fill the void. To be honest, they all kind of overwhelm me with their perfect photos of unbelievable homes, cool clothes, and articles on inspiring people. I'm still figuring out the best way to flip through them and prefer holding a magazine in my hands and ripping out pages to fiddling with a mouse or zooming in and out. Web surfing struggles aside, I'm in awe of all the creative and ambitious women behind these publications. If I had more time, I'd click through every page of all their recent issues. For now, I'm just taking quick peeks when I can and saving photos that speak to me like the ones below. I'd love to cook in all these kitchens and am tucking the Paris tips away for a future trip.

Rue

Lonny

High Gloss

Anthology

Matchbook

Little Piglet List: The Best of Bococa

{One Girl Cookies, my favorite place in Bococa}

When Daniel and I moved four years ago, I wrote a post about my favorite places in Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill and Carroll Gardens, a group of neighborhoods known as Bococa. Since some spots have closed and I've found many new favorites, it's time to update the list. I've added categories to make it easier to read and included a few recommendations that aren't food-related. If you've never been to Brooklyn, I hope my list inspires a trip.

COFFEE 
Cafe Pedlar
210 Court Street (at Warren), Cobble Hill
Most people go for the Stumptown coffee. It's where I stop for chai tea and snacks before movies at Cobble Hill Cinemas or trips to Cobble Hill Park. The olive oil cake and blackforest bread are good for breakfast and I could eat their pretzel knot with brie and butter  any time of day.

SWEETS
One Girl Cookies
68 Dean Street (between Smith and Boerum Place), Boerum Hill
By far my favorite bakery in Brooklyn. I love the light blue walls, the swirly brown wallpaper, the buttery cupcakes and the cookies with pretty names. I'm addicted to their homemade yogurt and granola, too.

Nunu Chocolates
529 Atlantic Ave (near 3rd Ave), Boerum Hill
A lovely couple and self-taught chocolate makers, Nunu's owners use a single origin cocoa bean from a family farm in Colombia to make hand dipped caramels, ganaches and and other treats in their small shop. A big window encourages visitors to watch. Unlike other sweet shops, they serve beer and wine and are open till 9pm every night.

Betty Bakery
448 Atlantic Ave (between Bond and Nevins), Boerum Hill
When Daniel and I got married, we met with Cheryl Kleinman in a commercial kitchen on Atlantic Avenue to design our cake. A few years later, she and another cake designer added this bakery to the space. They have a big selection of sweets, but I usually lean toward the lemon bundt cake.

Brooklyn Farmacy & Soda Fountain
513 Henry Street (at Sackett), Carroll Gardens
I'll always think of Brooklyn Farmacy as the place that introduced me to egg creams and Early Bird granola. It's one of those neighborhood sweet shops that everyone wants and kids of course are more than welcome. On my first visit, the owner treated me and a friend to some samples while our boys ran laps around the place. Oh, and the the back room is stocked with boardgames.

Blue Marble
196 Court Street (at Wyckoff), Cobble Hill
I was disappointed when a Tasti D-Lite opened on Court Street and not surprised when it closed and Blue Marble took its place. Best ice cream in Brooklyn, hands down. The sorbets are always tempting, but the strawberry ice cream makes me weak in the knees.

Sweet Melissa
276 Court Street (between Butler and Douglass), Cobble Hill
Before Cafe Pedlar opened up, I'd always stop by Sweet Melissa for six gingernsaps (crispy with an extra spicy kick) and a cup of milk before movies at Cobble Hill Cinemas. Now, I can rotate between the two.

RESTAURANTS
Saul
140 Smith Street (between Bergen and Dean), Boerum Hill
For a special occasion, Daniel and I favor Saul, one of a few restaurants in Brooklyn that has a Michelin star. It used to be a stone's throw away from our apartment, and though it felt funny to walk so little for a fancy meal, we did it any way.

Bar Tabac
128 Smith Street (on corner of Dean), Boerum Hill
A Boerum Hill fixture, Bar Tabac was also steps away from our apartment. The food is standard French fare, but you know what I really miss? The live jazz and bluegrass bands they have on the weekends. During the warmer months, the music would sneak through our windows.

Bacchus
409 Atlantic Ave (at Bond), Boerum Hill
A French bistro that holds a place in my heart for two reasons. My friends Mark and Allison had a lovely wedding there and it was where I celebrated my 26th birthday (or was it my 25th?) with a big group of friends. The food is good, but the backyard garden is better.

Lucali
575 Henry Street (at Carroll), Carroll Gardens
Inspired by Di Fara and way better than Grimaldis, this is one of my favorite pizza places in Brooklyn.

Prime Meats
465 Court Street (at Luquer), Carroll Gardens
Frank Castronovo and Frank Falcinelli are building a mini-empire on Court Street. With Prime Meats, they focus on German-influenced food, old-fashioned cocktails and local ingredients. I love the big, messy salads that are perfectly dressed and homemade soft pretzels. If only they took reservations and the wait on weekends wasn't so brutal.

Seersucker
329 Smith Street (between President and Carroll), Carroll Gardens
I love Seersucker for many reasons. They've brought solid southern food to Smith Street (not another French or Italian place). It's where I discovered Red Hook rose and that scallops and watermelon make a surprisingly good combination. They're steps from the subway and are for open breakfast at 8am during the week. Parents take note: Trips to nearby Carroll Park are best with buttermilk biscuits.

 Chestnut
271 Smith Street (between Sackett and Degraw), Carroll Gardens
I love the huge hidden garden and it doesn't get much better than homemade chocolate chip scones and poached eggs with wild mushrooms, toast and caramelized shallots for brunch.

Frankies 457
457 Court Street, Carroll Gardens
Frankies 457 is best with a bunch of friends because the bigger the group, the more Italian small plates you can sample. I'm partial to the pork braciole (make sure to get a side of gnocchi) and butternut squash ravioli. For a no-fuss dessert you'll never forget, their wine-soaked prunes are perfect. No reservations, lines are long and for warmer months, they have a wonderful garden.

Buttermilk Channel
524 Court Street (at Huntington), Carroll Gardens
Daniel and I like to go here on dates. The food is always top-notch and past meals have included duck meatloaf, fried chicken with waffles and a delicata squash tart. Maybe some day we'll bring the boys for brunch and see what they think of the $10 children's menu.

Breuckelen
268 Clinton Street (at Verandah Pl), Cobble Hill
Formerly Cafe on Clinton, a place where my friends Marie and Joe had one of the most intimate weddings I've ever been to, this landmark building is now home to Breuckelen, a restaurant with innovative food and a rustic fruit tart that my friend Olivia compared to those her French mother makes. Don't forget to check out the pretty row houses and adorable Cobble Hill Park next door. 

Henry Public
329 Henry Street (between Atlantic Ave and Pacific Street), Cobble Hill
Many people go for the old-fashioned cocktails. I prefer the humongous turkey-leg sandwich with fries.

Brucie
234 Court Street (at Baltic), Cobble Hill
A casual Italian restaurant and market that's good for a big group of friends or a quick meal at the bar. The space is warm and funky with mason jars covering light bulbs and cool tiles along one wall. I love Eataly in Manhattan, but would be just as happy with any of Brucie's prepared foods.

Cafe Luluc
214 Smith Street (between Butler and Baltic), Cobble Hill
I've had many long lunches at Cafe Luluc. I love the bright red leather booths and for a French bistro, they make some pretty good fish tacos.

SPECIALTY FOOD SHOPS 
Los Paisanos
162 Smith Street (at Bergen), Cobble Hill
The first year I lived in Boerum Hill, I begrudgingly bought my meat at Key Food. Then a co-worker told me about Los Paisanos. In the neighborhood for over 40 years, this is a place that seems so Brooklyn. After a few visits, I felt like family. I'm a sucker for their specialty sausage, grilled olives and pumpkin ravioli.

Sahadi's
187 Atlantic Ave (between Court and Clinton), Cobble Hill
A Middle Eastern market that's great for olives, coffee, dried fruit, cheese, sacks of spices, nuts, grains, and fresh loaves of bread, Sahadi's just might be the place I've missed most since leaving the neighborhood. I'd always go in for a few things and leave with a cart full of stuff. Go during the week, if you can. Weekends are a nightmare.

Fish Tales
191 Court Street (at Bergen), Cobble Hill
When I lived in Boerum Hill and Brooklyn Heights before that, I would buy my meat at one shop, my cheese at another, and for seafood, I'd go to Fish Tales. The fish is by far some of the freshest you'll find.

Smith & Vine
268 Smith Street (at Degraw), Cobble Hill
I always make a beeline for their $12 and under table, the perfect place to get a good bottle for cheap.

Stinky 
261 Smith Street (between Douglass and Degraw), Cobble Hill
Opened by the owners of Smith & Vine, Stinky is conveniently located across the street. Cheese is the star here, but they carry all sorts of other gourmet stuff. I like to give their Stinky onesies as baby gifts.

HOUSEWARES
Enamoo
109 Smith Street (between Atlantic and Pacific), Boerum Hill
This quirky shop has everything from plants to armchairs. Our apartment in Boerum Hill didn't have air conditioning so we picked up a few vintage fans that I'm sure we'll have for years. Their selection of Bklyn shirts and sweatshirts is good, too.

A Cook's Companion
197 Atlantic Ave (between Court and Clinton), Cobble Hill
Whenever Daniel and I had big dinner parties, I always found myself running to Cook's Companion for a tablecloth or a ramekin and on one occasion, a 9-quart Le Creuset.

KIDS
Acorn
323 Atlantic Ave (between Smith and Hoyt), Boerum Hill
Full of handmade and wooden toys that don't blink or make noise, this is my favorite place to buy gifts or new foods for Nico's play kitchen.

CLOTHES
Dear Fieldbinder
198 Smith Street (at Baltic), Cobble Hill
Overall, I don't like shopping for clothes, unless I'm at Dear Fieldbinder. The owner and her staff help, but don't hover and I always end up wearing everything I buy again and again. It's where I always go when I need a new dress or something special.

SHOES
Soula
185 Smith Street (at Warren), Cobble Hill
My three pairs of shoes that get the most compliments are all from Soula, including La Canadienne winter boots that my friend Karlyn loves to tease. Looks can be deceiving. They might be suede with a wedge heel, but they're unbelievably warm and waterproof.

GARDENING
GRDN
103 Hoyt (between Atlantic and Pacific), Boerum Hill
At our old apartment in Boerum Hill, we had a lavender tree, roses, hydrangeas and grass that Daniel had to mow. For the three years that we could garden, we splurged on plants and other outdoor essentials here.

HOLISTIC THERAPIES
Element Natural Healing Arts
518 Henry Street (at Union), Carroll Gardens
I started going to Element for acupuncture in 2002. Those days, the owners were working out of a doctor's office in Brooklyn Heights. Now they're in a much bigger space. Acupuncture is still their specialty, but they offer yoga, massages, other holistic therapies and even occasional dinners with local chefs on their roof deck as well. My midwife recommended acupuncture to kickstart labor with Leo. I went to Element for a few visits and wouldn't you know, he arrived right his due date.

Little Piglet List: Three Cookbooks

When I was pregnant with Leo, I started a book club with a group of moms. For our first meeting, we read a book about the Taj Mahal and ordered Indian food. Unlike other book clubs I'd been in, this one was serious. We always talked about the book. We usually hung out together with our kids and had choppy conversations about naps and discipline. It was refreshing to talk without interruptions about other topics. When some other friends heard about that book club, they decided to form one. Inspired to read a lot, I joined as well. We talked a bit about the book the first month, but by our second gathering, we focused more on the wine and food. By the time Leo was born, I could barely even start a book. One of the groups slowly dissolved around the same time and last month, I took an indefinite leave of absence from the other. For now, I'm focusing on cookbooks. On iVillage this week, I shared three of my current favorites.

In other news, I recently started writing for baby gooroo, a parenting site that covers pregnancy, breastfeeding, nutrition, news and more. Founded by Amy Spangler who has written a number of books about breastfeeding, it's a straightforward site that's easy to navigate and full of really helpful information about babies and young children. 

Fresh Picks is  a new weekly feature I'm writing that explains how to select, store and serve fruits and vegetables. The first one was about apricots. Today, I'm sharing ideas for cauliflower. Now that Leo's eating solids, I plan to refer to all of them a lot. In fact, I've been meaning to make a roasted cauliflower recipe I referred to this week for a while. Bon Appetit describes it as vegetable candy. I hope this is the weekend I finally do it.

Little Piglet List: 25 Recipe Resolutions

I thought about posting my 2011 resolutions right here, but decided to keep them to myself. Except for one. You've probably already figured it out.

I want to write more this year.

I started This Little Piglet before I had kids. Back when I traveled a lot, planned parties and knew all the best restaurants in New York and abroad. I always wanted to write more. I just never got around to it. Eventually, I stopped writing altogether.

Life certainly isn't calmer now. Parenting is a different sort of busy and I have a lot less time for myself. Still, I'm trying to write whenever I can, even if it's late at night when I should be catching up on sleep. It's nice to have a creative space of my own. A place to share recipes, restaurants, inspiring people, sites I like, or stories about life in Brooklyn with two little boys.

Thanks to Sitemeter, the site I use to track stats, I know people are reading. Many find me via Google and probably just come for a certain recipe or restaurant and don't stick around. Others have subscribed through readers and seem to check in whenever I post something new. Even though most of you are keeping very quiet, it's nice to know you're out there. If you feel like commenting here or on Facebook, I'll be your best friend forever. It'd be so nice to hear from you.

So while I'm not going to share any personal, potentially embarrassing resolutions, I will tell you about 25 food-related ones that I recently shared on my blog for iVillage. I came up with the idea after frying a few strips of bacon—for the first time in my life—the other night. The bacon was for a very decadent quiche that I'll write about soon, but it got me thinking about all the other foods I've never made and cooking techniques I still must conquer.

I'll admit it's a pretty ambitious list. If I want to make some progress, I have a lot of work to do. Tons, actually. It's a good thing food resolutions are much more fun than personal ones. Plus, there's no real pressure to plow through them. It's best to check off promises like these slowly. One by one.

Calendar image from statingtheobvious via Etsy

Little Piglet List: 5 Restaurants

Starting today, I'm going to launch a Little Piglet List every week. I've always loved making lists. So much that my Mom once surprised me with "Lia's Lovely Lists" notepads. In college I carried a Filofax and scribbled random ones on blank pages in the back. Trips I wanted to take, places I'd been, books to read, future baby names. My blackberry now holds most of my lists. I even have one for Nico's funny sayings. How else would I remember gems like this: "It's nice to be naked sometimes. But only sometimes."

Daniel and I are going out to dinner this weekend. A night to ourselves is long overdue. I have lots of restaurant lists and my head is spinning with all the places we could try. Somehow I've narrowed it down to these five.

Dino
The owners of this Italian restaurant in Fort Greene named it after their 2-year old son. My Mom once said we should open a place and call it Cafe Nico. The manager and chef are both veterans of Frank, a restaurant I really like in the East Village.

Del Posto
I went to Del Posto when it first opened during my Food Network days. I thought it was so-so. The New York Times recently made it the first Italian restaurant to get 4 stars since 1974. I'm ready to give it another try.

Brucie
This Italian newcomer in Cobble Hill just crossed itself off my list. They're closed till January 11. I peeked inside while passing by a few weeks ago and it looks really cool and cozy. I remember when it was Cube 63 and a toy store before that.

El Almacen
The owner of Play told me about this Argentine spot, one of his neighborhood faves. I checked out their website and love its antique feel. Short ribs braised in Malbec sound nice.

Fatty 'Cue
This has been on my list for a long time. Fatty Crab is an old favorite and now they've brought Southeast Asian fermented funkiness and a whole helluva a lot of smoke" to Brooklyn. Sign me up! The bowl of noodles with meat juices, scallion and chili would be perfect on a snowy night.


Which would you choose? We're leaning toward Fatty 'Cue, but there's still time to decide, or to add more to this list.


Notepad image from LetterLoveDesigns via Etsy