time to party...plan

abby's officially one year old! this calls for a big birthday bash!

kavin and jade took care of the venue + food and entertainment, so it left me to figure out decorations, goodie bags (for kiddos only), and anything else i felt like doing ;)

starting with decorations, i kept them to a minimum with two abby-centric displays: one infographic poster and one with month-by-month photos.

i perused pinterest to find inspiration for the infographic and found some helpful diy tips and examples, but the real challenge was designing it myself. i have zero experience using photoshop or the like so it took some time and lots of tinkering to get the poster just right. i used a free photo editor called gimp and downloaded a BUNCH of fonts to play around with (mostly from dafont). once i finished creating the poster, i had it printed at costco as a 20x30" lustre print and mounted it to foam poster board. for my first time playing with a photo editor, i was pretty happy with the result. i think the hardest part was actually picking all the different fonts to use and which of abby's 'loves' to highlight.

next, i enlisted jade to narrow down thousands of abby pictures to just twelve to use for the monthly photos. this was not an easy task, but after a few nights of scrolling through pictures and a final vote, we had our top picks. i used card stock in varying hues of purple and assorted decorative paper to mount and frame each 5x7" print. (only after i laid out the pictures in order did i realize that each row and column never repeated colors or patterns; it was like an accidental craft sudoku!) instead of creating a poster board, i decided to attach ribbons to the photos and hang them in a grid, which i felt was more visually appealing. (looking back, i probably should have included numbers to indicate each month, but even without them everyone seemed to enjoy seeing all the pictures.)

on to the goodie bags. we expected 23 kiddos, ranging from 3 months to 11 years old. i decided early on that i'd bake treats for all and vary the non-edible favors based on age. the general dividing age was 3 years old with some exceptions for the oldest and youngest. i picked up some simple chalkboard-labeled gift bags that i personalized with each kid's name and filled them with an assortment of toys from target, party city, and homegoods:
  * mini bottles of bubbles (wrapped with tissue paper to look like purple flowers)
  * play doh
  * glitter bouncy balls
  * fun-shaped mini erasers
  * 'very hungry caterpillar' jumbo crayons
  * squirty bath/water toys (for the under-3's)
  * mini 'feelings' board books (for the under-3's)

last to go in the bags were the edible treats, which i baked and packaged the day before:
* italian rainbow cookies (in shades of purple instead of the usual red and green)
* bite-sized rice krispie treats
* brown butter chocolate chip cookies
* oatmeal raisin cookies
i packed the rainbow cookies and rice krispies in dixie cups turned mini treat boxes and the cookies in clear bags with purple fuzzy twist ties shaped into tiny hearts. (i brought the leftover goodies to kavin and jade and got their mmm's of approval.)

now, what kind of birthday party would it be without cake?? thankfully, i was only in charge of abby's personal smash cake. since there were going to be close to a hundred guests, kavin let costco provide the birthday cakes for everyone else (two sheet cakes: one chocolate, one vanilla, to which i added a couple homemade cake toppers--gotta keep things pretty and on-theme :P).

::phew:: i don't think i'm quite up for baking cakes to feed 100...a mini 6" cake, though? i'm down. i knew exactly what i'd make for abby: a purple ombre vanilla cake with vanilla buttercream.
i baked a test version of the cake a week before to see how the colors would turn out and made slight adjustments for the final cake. (i had some reservations about using food coloring, but i figured in small doses it's okay...) i wanted distinct yet well-transitioned layers and kept the buttercream plain. i completed the cake with a small cluster of tiny purple flowers and a personalized cake topper.

when it came time for abby smash, we got more of a 'pat the cake and have grandma wipe my hand clean' moment. she's such a little lady :) took a few more pats and pokes before we decided to just feed her some cake directly, haha. from the looks of it, she seemed to enjoy it. success! baby's first cake~

after weeks of putting together all the details, the party was a major hit. the food was tasty, and katie balloons was beyond awesome. i hope all the kiddos liked their goodie bags and that everyone got to check out the poster and pictures. the smash cake was so pretty i'm secretly glad abby didn't smash it. but most importantly, we got to celebrate my favorite little being: miss abby peechaphand!

happy 1st birthday, abby!

can you believe it's been a year since this happened???

in just twelve months, abby has grown into the most lovable, sweetest, happiest, silliest little person. did i mention super adorable, active, and smart too? ::proud aunt moment::

i can't wait to see what every day, week, month, year brings with this girl. she's truly the best~

happy birthday, abby, i love you!

mother's day bonus: mini pretzel dogs

when i was still planning the menu for brunch, i casually mentioned pretzel dogs to jade, and she enthusiastically responded with, "yes, hot dog anything." haha. so, as a special treat to our newest mom, i baked up some mini pretzel dogs as a bonus mother's day snack.

i had been meaning to try this recipe ever since joy the baker posted it. i never got around to it because yeasted doughs intimidate me, and i never had a 'reason' to make 16 mini pretzel dogs. so finally i had a reason. i only had to figure out the timing/baking since i knew i wouldn't be able to get it all done at my mom's. luckily at the end of joy's post, she mentioned that the dogs could be stored in the fridge/freezer and reheated--granted they wouldn't be as good as fresh out of the oven (most things aren't).

the whole process of making the dough went surprisingly well. the dough came together all smooth and elastic and rose just like it should have. phew~ i portioned it out into 16 little balls and began rolling them into ropes to wrap around the hot dogs. as i made my way through the dough and dogs, i discovered that the pack of dogs i got only had SEVEN, instead of the expected eight. hmph, thanks a lot, hebrew national. once i was certain i didn't accidentally lose a hot dog, i made the last two dough balls into mini twisty pretzels.

with all the hot dogs wrapped up, into the baking soda boiling water they went. the baking soda is what gives the pretzel their distinct shell and chew. after a quick dip in the water, an egg wash, a sprinkling of salt and pepper, and some time in the oven, the pretzel dogs were ready to eat. they had the perfect brown pretzel shell but were still nice and soft inside. yay! they came out great :) and were relatively easy. my worries about working with yeast were put to rest, and reheating the pretzel dogs later worked just fine (but definitely better fresh from the oven).

hot dogs wrapped in pretzel dough--seriously, where can you go wrong?

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
:: mini pretzel dogs ::
(recipe from joy the baker)
makes 16 pretzel dogs (made from cutting hot dogs in half)

1 ½ cups warm water (between 110 and 115 degrees F)
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 ¼ teaspoons (1 package) active dry yeast
22 ounces all-purpose flour (about 4 1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled
about 14 cups of water
1 cup baking soda
1 large egg, beaten, with a splash of water
salt and pepper for topping

in the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a dough hook, combine warm water and sugar. sprinkle the yeast on top of the water and set aside for 5 minutes. the mixture will begin to foam and froth. if it doesn’t, throw the mixture away and start again with new yeast.

once the yeast and water is frothy, add the flour, salt, and melted butter. using the dough hook, mix on low speed until well combined. increase the speed to medium and knead the dough until it is smooth and pulls away from the side of the bowl, creating a ball of dough around the dough hook. beat on medium speed for approximately 4 minutes.

remove the dough from the bowl. the dough will be soft, pliable, and just a bit sticky. that’s perfect. scrape any residue out of the bowl and coat the bowl with a bit of vegetable oil. place the dough back in the bowl, sprinkle with flour, cover with plastic wrap, and store in a warm place to rise. allow dough to rise, until doubled in size, about 1 hour.

place baking racks in the center and upper third of the oven. preheat oven to 425 degrees F. line two baking sheets with parchment paper, and lightly brush the paper with oil. it’s important to brush the parchment paper or the pretzels will stick!

combine water and baking soda in a large pan (8 quart is fine) saucepan and bring to a boil.

while the water comes to a boil, turn the dough out onto a clean, slightly oiled work surface. divide dough into 8 or 16 pieces, depending on how large you’d like your pretzel dogs. 8 pieces of dough for whole hot dogs. 16 pieces of dough if you’re doing to slice the hot dogs in half.

start with the fingers of both hands in the center of the dough, and roll, moving your hands outward as you roll. roll the dough along the oiled surface until you have about a 24-inch or 12-inch piece of rope (depending on how large your piece of dough was...the more dough the longer the rope).

wrap pretzel around a hot dog, making sure to seal the ends.

when water has come to a boil, gently lower a few pretzel dogs into the boiling water. boil for 30 seconds. remove carefully, using a flat, slotted spatula. place on prepared baking sheet. brush boiled pretzels with beaten egg, and add coarse sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper.

bake until deeply golden brown, about 12 to 14 minutes. transfer to a cooling rack for a few minutes before serving warm.

soft pretzels are best enjoyed the day they are made.


if you’re not going to enjoy all your pretzel dogs, double wrap them in plastic wrap and store in the freezer. when ready to serve, transfer out of plastic and into a piece of foil. wrap well and bake in a 350 degree oven for 12 minutes, or until heated through.

ladies in blue

mother's day 2014 came with life promotions for all of us: great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, aunt, and abby. four generations in one room! i feel incredibly lucky being together and seeing all the love and grace in these women. it's pretty amazing.

we spent the day in connecticut, brunching and relaxing--pretty good plans if you ask me. for brunch i kept things simple with baked stuffed french toasts, sautéed asparagus, shaved fennel salad, and dairy-free lemon cremes with an oat crumble and mixed berries. the only downfall of the meal was the lemon creme; they melted on the drive up, never fully reset, and tasted not-quite-right. that aside the rest of the meal was a nice balance of richness and springy freshness. everything came together easily too, which is always great since that means less kitchen time and more family time.

the french toast recipe came from martha stewart and was similar to a croque monsieur minus the bechamel. i assembled the toasts in advanced, letting them soak up the egg mixture overnight. all i needed to do on sunday was bake them. i also made the lemon cremes and oat crumble and prepped the salad beforehand. eliminating tasks for the day-of is crucial to keeping things moving and low-stress.

when we got to my mom's, in went the french toasts to the preheated oven (texted mom when we were a few exits away, heh). next up was the asparagus: snapped off the ends and sautéed the spears in a little bit of butter. the salad was mostly done--fennel and zucchini sliced and dressing made--a quick toss with the arugula, and it was ready to plate. as the toast edges were coming to a nice brown, i topped the cremes with the crumble and berries. (good and bad, they looked much better than they tasted. the crumble and berries faired well, but those sad, liquidy cremes...-sigh- let's not dwell on that though.) after about thirty minutes everything was ready, and brunch was on the table!

the rest of the day was filled with laughs, photo sessions, more food, abby playtime, and general family togetherness. a truly happy mother's day~

... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ...
:: baked stuffed french toasts ::
(recipe from martha stewart)
serves 8.

unsalted butter, room temperature, for baking dish
1 14-inch loaf rustic bread, cut into 8 slices
8 thin slices ham, plus more for topping (optional)
8 ounces gruyere, thinly sliced, plus more for topping (optional)
8 large eggs
2/3 cup whole milk
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
pure maple syrup, for serving

1. butter bottom and sides of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. make a deep slit in each bread slice to create a pocket. stuff each with one slice of ham, then divide cheese evenly among pockets.
2. whisk together eggs and milk in a bowl until combined, and season with salt and pepper. pour egg mixture into prepared baking dish. add bread slices in a single layer, gently pressing into egg mixture, and let soak 15 minutes. flip bread and gently press again into egg mixture. let soak 15 minutes. (you can soak the bread in the egg mixture for just 30 minutes, but the french toast will be even more delicious if you let it sit overnight. if preparing the day before, refrigerate up to 12 hours, loosely covered, then let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.)
3. preheat oven to 350 degrees. top bread with remaining ham and cheese. bake until egg mixture is set and cheese is melted, 20 to 25 minutes.
4. turn oven to broil, with rack 4 to 6 inches from heat source. broil until bread is toasted and golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. serve hot with maple syrup.

my oh may!

can i tell you how much i love the month of may? i mean, it's not just because it's my birthday month...well, maybe it is...but also because may marks the peak of spring and occasions to celebrate. birthday, cinco de mayo, kentucky derby, mother's day, memorial day--all sorts of reasons for getting together. party time.

this year my birthday fell on a saturday, AND sean had a week off from school, so we were able to spend a full week building up to the big day :)

i started off the week with all-day abby time (before she headed on holiday to the island~). couldn't have asked for nicer weather--full sun and perfect for strolling. we hung out in the apartment for most of the morning--had breakfast (a small latte and a kashi granola bar for me, blueberry yogurt and banana for her), napped (abby, not me), played--then after lunch ventured out to prospect park. abby loved being outside and seeing the trees and plants in bloom, not to mention all the doggies and people out and about. squeals from the stroller are always a good sign. when we got to the playground she was just starting to drift off, but we managed to get in some time on the swings. perfect opportunity for her to people watch. i couldn't tell if she liked the actual swinging or just liked being able to watch the other babies. either way we had a good time. we continued our sunny walk through the park, and abby fell asleep along the way. after the stroll-nap, we had an afternoon snack, played some more, danced a little, another nap (again, abby, not me, but i was tempted...), and more food. this whole babysitting thing is pretty easy, huh? ;P

once jade and kavin got home and relieved me of my duties (heh), sean and i went to see mike birbiglia perform at union hall. he was in town between shows of his national tour, so he scheduled a couple nights "working it out" at his old stomping grounds. we got there just before the set started and had to stand in the back, but because the place is rather small it didn't really matter. the show lasted about two hours, and he had on two other comedians as guests, chris gethard and jesse klein. mike started and ended the evening, and my cheeks were sore from laughing the entire time. such a great way to start the week!

the next few days all kind of blurred together; rainy weather will do that to you. on tuesday we watched wes anderson's 'the grand budapest hotel' at cobble hill cinemas. the theater is small and funky, but for $8 a ticket i'm not complaining; i kind of like that independent feel. as for the movie, i enjoyed most of it, but i'm still figuring out wes anderson. visually, i think his style is so interesting, but story and feel i'm not totally on board yet. we bookended the movie with coffee: the first cup was free from cafe pedlar (they were filming something and had to close the cafe but gave away free coffee around back for the inconvenience), and the second was from blue bottle's newest location (opened in february on dean street). we chatted up the barista at blue bottle who was more than happy to discuss coffee brewing and beans. we left with two bags of beans: costa rican and ethiopian. job well done, blue bottle. to soak up some of the coffee, we made a quick stop at one girl cookies (where they were also filming something!) and got a tiny brownie and a vegan chocolate sandie. sean gobbled down the brownie so i don't know how that was (he says "good"), and i had the sandie which was fine (but i've had/made better).

most of wednesday was spent indoors and out of the pouring rain: grabbed lunch at zito's on 5th, bought some pricey bottled beers at bierkraft, coffee at cafe regular, nap and tv time, and dinner at yamato (so-so). the cats (yup, casey was in town along with sean) were finally getting along (we think) so i held mini photo sessions with them. that kept me entertained for wednesday night and thursday morning. hahaha, i've become a cat lady! o.O ::meow meow:: 

after the thursday morning session, sean and i walked to runner + stone for coffee (iced for me) and breakfast pastries (pain au chocolat for sean, almond croissant for me). their almond croissant was excellent; the almond filling tasted freshly ground and not like that weird artificial-tasting paste that you sometimes find, and the croissant held its shape but was still properly layered. next time i'd like to try their chocolate-almond croissant which serious eats claimed was the best (they were out by the time we got there). we worked off some of the morning carbs with a light run around prospect park. even though i don't consider myself a runner, running in the park feels super nice and rewarding. heck, just being outside is nice. of course, the next to think about was dinner (hah!). we were meeting up with a couple friends from montreal (sean's classmate and his wife) who were visiting for the weekend. they wanted something nice and "new american" which is pretty easy to find around here, and we decided on stone park cafe. three of us did the market menu and ordered the olive oil poached octopus starter, grilled lamb chops, and bunuelos with butterscotch and chocolate dipping sauces. perfectly portioned and all-around delicious. oh, did i mention the sparkling we had with dinner? bubbles! i love bubbles.

friday was another wandering food day (are you sensing a pattern?). headed into manhattan to meet our friends near nyu/washington square park. quick lunch at kati roll (aloo masala, unda aloo, and chana masala to share), coffee (iced for me, pour over for sean), and beers at the blind tiger. we parted ways with our friends on the r train, and sean and i headed back to the apartment to relax a little before dinner. oh man, non-stop eating; we needed to adequately prepare. luckily dinner wasn't until 9pm, but it was going to be a big meal--chef selection at traif for nine people. we went to dram for pre-dinner drinks (gold rush royale, lambrusco, 'if it's the beaches', and lagavulin 16). nice and liquored up, we took a quick walk over to traif, ready to eat!

this was the second time for most of us (first time was for kavin's birthday a couple years ago), and it did not disappoint. we indulged in about a dozen courses, thankfully all of which jade documented :) from start to finish, each dish earned major props from the group. 

here's a rundown of what we had:

* amuse of spring onion soup

* golden beet salad

* seared scallops with risotto

* spicy tuna tartare with tempura eggplant

* baked muenster cheese with chorizo, apples, and crostini

* strawberry-cinnamon glazed baby back ribs

* spring gnocchi with peas and fava beans

* sweetbreads with braised artichokes and mushrooms

* mustard seed and fennel pork with cauliflower

* bbq pulled pork sliders with sweet potato fries and smoked paprika aioli

* passionfruit panna cotta with fresh berries

* bacon doughnuts with coffee ice cream

* fresh pineapple bite with a hint of maple syrup

needless to say, we left very full and very happy. it's probably good we only come here every two years ;)

BIRTHDAY saturday! i'm no longer thirty but IN my thirties. oh my. it's cool, i can deal. anyhoo, what better way to start the day than with family dim sum. vip seating at my mom's favorite place in chinatown--no waiting and free tea. heheh. it was a slight struggle to eat everything, coming off of the previous night's dinner, but we managed to get our usual selection plus birthday noodles AND finished with mini italian pastries from dimare. we are eating champs ::flexed arm:: 
after dim sum, sean and i proceeded to walk from chinatown, across the brooklyn bridge (extremely crowded but worth the views), around dumbo, through brooklyn heights, through bococa (just learned that name from my iphone photo collections), and back to park slope. we made a couple beverage stops along the way and got back just before the rain started--excellent timing.

by the time sean and i were ready for dinner, the rain had mostly stopped, and we enjoyed a cool evening in cobble hill at hibino. we shared a bottle of sake (still not quite sure what's considered 'good'), gyu miso yaki (garlic miso marinated grilled hanger steak), kona kampachi sushi, fluke sushi, sashimi plate, and two rolls (salmon and yellowtail-scallion) for dessert. YUM, sushi, i've missed you. this was definitely a treat for both of us and a great way to top off my birthday. i couldn't have asked for a better birthday week!

coming up next: time to celebrate all the wonderful mothers in our lives! see, isn't may the greatest?