Happy Halloween!

Here are some very cool, creepy and weird pumpkins to admire on this all hallows eve. If only I were this artistic, or had the patience to attempt some of these!

 

Apocalypse Now

Regrouping post-Sandy. Be back tomorrow!

My New Favorite Pizza!

I have been on a complete fried eggplant kick these days. I think it has stemmed from recently visiting Tod English’s restaurant Figs in Boston where they have an eggplant pizza. This pizza is so amazing I had to use all my will power not to eat the entire thing. Since then I have tried time and time again to recreate the perfect fried eggplant pizza. This recipe comes pretty close and is absolutely heavenly!

Ingredients

• For the Eggplant:
• 3 TBS Canola Oil
• 1 medium eggplant – cubed into 3/4 inch pieces (roughly 4 cups)
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 TBS flour
• 1 egg plus 2 egg whites
• For the Eggplant Coating:
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup regular bread crumbs
• 1 TBS garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• Other:
• 1 pizza dough
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 cup Italian 6 cheese blend
• 3-4 Basil leaves, chiffonaded
• Corn Meal
• For Basic Pizza Sauce (makes enough for 3 pizzas):
• 28oz Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400º F or heat grill. I like doing my pizzas on the grill.
2. Placed cubed Eggplant into a collander and sprinkle with 1 tsp salt (toss to coat well). Allow to rest for 5 minutes. Sprinkle flour over eggplant one TBS at a time and toss until coated.
3. Beat one egg plus 2 egg whites in a medium bowl. Add the eggplant to the egg wash and gently toss until coated. Remove making sure to shake off any excess eggwash.
4. In a 3rd bowl, mix together eggplant coating ingredients (Panko, bread crumbs, garlic powder, pepper, and dried basil). Add the eggplant that has been coated in egg wash and gently toss until coated..
5. Coat pan with oil and fry eggplant until crispy on either side. (for a healthier version coat the bottom of a baking sheet with oil. Bake for 20-25 minutes flipping halfway through. Eggplant should be nice and crisp, and beginning to brown. Remove from oven and set aside.)
6. Move pizza stone to middle rack and turn heat up to 450º. Roll out or hand toss the pizza dough (we hand tossed it to make a nice thick crust). Sprinkle some corn meal onto pizza stone right before putting dough on it (this helps prevent sticking). Poke the center of the pizza dough with a fork to prevent it from bubbling up. Close oven and bake dough for 3-5 minutes. Remove dough from oven with a pizza peel (It should be firm and puffy, but not browning).
7. Add desired amount of pizza sauce  Next, add cheese and eggplant. Bake for another 5-7 minutes. Last, turn oven on broil and allow crust to brown (only about a minute or so). Keep a close eye on it while it is broiling! Remove from oven, sprinkle with fresh basil, slice with a pizza wheel, and serve.

IN YOUR FACE

 Last night I attended the opening of photographer Mario Testino’s show “In Your Face” at the MFA. The exhibit is composed of his works over the last 30 years which include some of the most notable fashion photographs as well as the Royal Portraits. Flipping through the pages of Vogue you would most likely come across an ad campaign or editorial done by Testino as his images are littered through all notable fashion magazines. Testino is one of my favorite photographers and it was hard to choose which of his images to include in this post. He has captured the careers of Kate Moss and Giselle from the beginning which include some of my favorite images. In your face truly describes the style of Testino, his photos are loud, bright and exciting. If you are in Boston I highly recommend a visit to the MFA, seeing these images in person is definitely worth it!

Images via Thecut.com and Pintrest.com

Tasty Tuesday: Moroccan Quinoa Salad

During the week I try to eat as healthy as possible so I can splurge on yummy baked goods on the weekends. I have been experimenting a lot with quinoa over the last few weeks to see what kind of healthy, but still delicious, meals I can whip up. This salad has such a fresh taste and the combination of the feta and apricots gives it a great flavor!

For Salad:
1 cup of Quinoa, cook as directed
Arugula
¼ dried apricots
Feta cheese
Mint
Scallions
Sliced Almonds
For Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1 shallot
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 pinch salt
1/3 - 2/3 cup excellent olive oil

1. Cook quinoa as directed. Refrigerate for half hour until cool or at room temperature.
2. Dice mint, scallions and apricots.
3. In a medium sized bowl combine quinoa, arugula, apricots, mint, scallions, feta and almonds.
4. To make vinaigrette peel the shallot, dice them very finely and mix with the vinegar and salt for about half an hour. Whisk in the olive oil and pour over salad. Toss to combine and enjoy!

 

From Paris With Love

Sadly the month of fashion has come to a close but here are some of my favorite looks from the Paris shows!

Pumpkin Time!

I rarely make snickerdoodles when I have the urge to really bake something. They are such a simple and easy cookie that they are generally reserved for a quick fix kind of situation. Not to say they aren’t delicious, but their simplicity just has a lack of appeal to me when I really want to get my hands dirty. However, I came across a photo of pumpkin snickerdoodles on Pintrest the other day and my mouth began to water. I started to grow excited for that sugary pumpkin taste that one craves during fall and that was that, I was hooked.

Pumpkin Snickerdoodles

Ingredients:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 large egg
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
2 tablespoons ground cinnamon

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cream of tartar, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and 1 1/2 cups sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the egg and beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the pumpkin puree and beat at medium speed until combined, about 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds, scraping down the bowl as needed.
Place the remaining 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon for rolling in a shallow bowl. Roll a heaping tablespoon of dough into a 1½-inch ball, roll the ball in the sugar mixture, and place it on the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining dough, spacing the balls about 2 inches apart
Bake the cookies, one sheet at a time, until the edges are set and just beginning to brown but the centers are still soft and puffy, 10 to 12 minutes, rotating the baking sheet halfway through baking. Cool the cookies on the baking sheets about 5 minutes; using a wide metal spatula, transfer the cookies to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Hello Fall

Today it officially feels like fall! Although I am missing summer more and more each day I starting to embrace fall and all it has to offer. Specifically cozy sweaters, scarves and leather pants! Leather is definitely everywhere these days and I have been searching high and low for the perfect pair of leather pants. I finally found some from Zara this weekend and I cannot wait to wear them!