Spring Cleaning

Isaac and I have been spending a lot of time Upstate recently.

First there was Mother’s Day and my step-sister’s new baby. Then there was Father’s Day. And there’s been a few other trips as well. It’s wonderful to spend time in the country, but it can also make the weekend feel even more compressed and shorter by adding six hours of traveling.

On Sunday, we arrived at my mom’s house bearing gorgeous dry-aged steaks from Piazza Mercato for my dear old step-dad. He happily grilled them to perfection while I whipped up a batch of grilled radicchio, but that’s the most cooking I’ve done in a week.

We had planned to make a big picnic sandwich and a kale salad and pull up a spot on the hill in the park on Saturday to watch the sunset, but alas, the weather had other ideas. It rained and rained and rained and rained, so, even if it had paused just long enough for us to run down to the park, the earth would have been far too soggy for lounging. So we scuttled those plans and went out for curry instead. Flexibility! It’s what’s for dinner!

So rather than a recipe this week, I figure I will indulge in a little spring cleaning. Plus, it’s an excuse to finally post all these pretty Upstate pictures I’ve been saving for just such an occasion!

First, I’d like to send a huge virtual hug and a very real, very warm thank you to Ximena, of the always beautiful and entertaining Lobstersquad, for the wonderful drawing she sent me. It was the most wonderful surprise and I can’t wait to give it pride of place in my kitchen!

One of the things I never expected when I started writing this blog was how fun it would be to trade “things” with people that I “meet” on the Web. First there was a beans for pickles exchange with Christina. Then there was a Helprin for M.F.K. Fisher exchange with Lily. Now, mushrooms for… what? I’ll need to think this one through.

Next, it seems like everyone is making pizza these days. Okay, maybe just three people–Luisa and Deb and me–but three’s a trend, no? I’ve discovered the joys of substituting pizza for bread in a meal. I’ve been making The Bread Bible‘s dough a day in advance, allowing it to proof and develop flavor by rising overnight in the fridge, then topping it with herbs and salt and olive oil, almost like a focaccia, as an accompaniment to, well, just about anything.

It’s quick, easy, requires no stand mixer, is light, fluffy and incredibly tasty. Of course, it wouldn’t hurt anyone if you chose to throw some fresh mozzarella on there. Or perhaps some tomatoes. Or maybe a little sausage and peppers. Or a few mushrooms. Or maybe a little pesto. Or… Or… Or… The possibilites are endless. But one thing is for certain, the pizza dough in the book is perfection. If you have the book, try it. You can thank me later.

Finally, I don’t know if anyone cared or ever even looked at it, but I’ve 86-ed one of the auxiliary sites that I started over the winter, the Granny Cart. I just didn’t have time to keep up with it, as I’m sure you four friends of My New York have noticed. I’ve been a bad blog mommy! But, it’s on my list of things to do, right after going for a run every morning, not staying at work too late and drinking more good wine. So, you see, I’ll get to it soon!

So I hope you’ve enjoyed the pictures and I hope you’ll try the pizza and I hope you’ll forgive me my lack of attention to the other site. I also hope that any of my readers along the Mississippi and in other flood-affected places are okay.

Have a lovely week everyone!