West Elm Ice Cream Social

I've told you before about my love of West Elm.  And I'm human so I'm a big fan of ice cream.  So when I heard that, in honor of National Ice Cream Month, West Elm locations nationwide were having an ice cream social event two Saturdays ago, I couldn't resist stopping in.  I popped by their Chelsea location on West 18th Street and a store associate presented me with a coupon for a free ice cream as well as 15% off a West Elm purchase.   

I then made a beeline for the ice cream truck that was parked outside.

I'm such a little kid sometimes.  For some reason, ice cream trucks make me ridiculously happy and I can't help but smile when I see one.  This particular truck was from Van Leeuwen Artisan Ice Cream, a company that is based out of Brooklyn and is dedicated to using fresh and natural ingredients that are sourced from small producers.  One of the cool things about the West Elm Ice Cream Social (other than the obvious free ice cream + shopping equation) was that each West Elm location had partnered with a local artisan ice cream producer instead of just handing out some Ben & Jerry's.

Van Leeuwan offered some really unique flavors like palm sugar, ginger, and earl grey tea.  But I'm a sucker when it comes to anything involving chocolate and hazelnut, so I went for a scoop of the gianduja, rounded out with a scoop of the pistachio.

I was a bit disappointed in the pistachio because I didn't get a strong flavor from it, but the gianduja was just what I had been hoping for.  Both flavors were also wonderfully creamy but still managed to feel light at the same time, and there was none of the heavy feeling that you sometimes get after consuming certain other kinds of ice cream.

 

I took my cone inside and happily noshed while admiring the furniture and housewares.

 

As you can see from my face, it took some immense willpower and effort to stop slurping the ice cream long enough to snap some pics.

I was particularly smitten with the lantern lighting options....,

this bedroom vignette....,

and these bottles, vases, and votive holders that reminded me of the sea.

I've been desperately in need of a new jewelry chest though, so I used my 15% coupon and came home with this beauty.

Not only do I love the aesthetic of West Elm stores and products, but I also admire and appreciate the fact that they collaborate with artisans making handcrafted products, both locally and around the world.   Keep these collaborations coming, West Elm, and please consider making the ice cream truck a permanent fixture.  I'm happy to ogle your interiors any time, but I'm especially ready and willing when you throw sweet treats into the mix.

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Foodie Friday

 A new lentil chili recipe that I tried this week.

 The carrot cake at Peacefood Cafe, a vegan kitchen and bakery.  I've never been tempted to become a vegan, but if all vegan desserts tasted as amazing as this stuff, I might reconsider.

Happy Weekend!

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La Pizza Fresca

On Friday, I started a new job in the Flatiron District.  I had plans to meet G for dinner in that general area later that day, but we hadn't decided upon a specific restaurant and planned to make it a game-time decision.  Luckily, on my way to the new job's corporate headquarters, I passed what appeared to be a lovely little Italian restaurant that looked very cozy and inviting.  I suggested it to G and she was game, so when we were both done working, we met up at La Pizza Fresca Ristorante.  The first thing that we noticed upon taking our seats was that each table had a wine glass centerpiece with a real, white rose floating inside.

 

It's details like this that make going out for dinner feel truly special, in my opinion.  We looked around at the softly lit interior and the exposed brick walls and commented that it would be a great date spot.

We didn't want to let the romantical atmosphere go to waste so we tried looking longingly into each other's eyes for a bit, but then we got bored and decided that it was time to order a bottle of wine instead.

 

We went for a bottle of pinot grigio that proved to be a nice, light complement to the food that we ordered.  Speaking of which, we started by sharing the Insalata di Rucola, with wild arugula, endives, and shaved Parmigiano Reggiano.

The bite of the Parmigiano Reggiano juxtaposed with the slightly bitter, earthy arugula was a great way to wake up our palates for the meal.  We followed up the salad with the Funghi pizza:  mushrooms, bufala mozzarella, and San Marzano tomato.

 

The pizzas at La Pizza Fresca are wood-fired Neopolitan-style pizzas that adhere to the standards of the Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana.  And you can certainly taste it.  The pie was light and delicious and it was clear that the ingredients were high-quality and extremely fresh.  We devoured the entire pizza before we knew it and didn't even feel guilty about it.

At this point, our waitress came by and asked if we were interested in dessert.  G politely declined but I was having none of that and ordered the Tartufo.

I'm so glad that I didn't skip out on dessert because this was incredible.  A chocolate ice cream truffle with a white cream center, topped with chopped hazelnuts.  It was like a little ball of nutella ice cream heaven.

It was quite the happy accident that I walked by this place and actually noticed it (I can be a rather unobservant passerby at times) because it turned out to be a little gem.  I will definitely be back to try more of the pizzas and to work my way through the dessert menu, although it would be painful to not order the tartufo again, I have to admit.  

G and I finished gabbing and then parted ways, and I walked back towards the subway through Madison Square Park, where I stopped to admire the glow from the Empire State Building.

All in all, it hadn't been a bad day.  A new job, a newly discovered restaurant, good food and drinks with a good friend, and a sparkly view during an evening stroll.  And best of all, the next day was Saturday.

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Foodie Friday

I have two breakfast snaps to share with you today.  One is a healthy way to start the day and the other is a bit of an indulgence.  See if you can tell which is which:

  Toasted cinnamon raisin Ezekial bread topped with almond butter and strawberries. 

 The French Toast Sandwich with challah bread, bacon, and two fried eggs at Flo Lounge.

Happy Weekend!

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Oreo Funfetti Chocolate Chip Cookies

I've been meaning to pass this recipe on to you for a while.  I made these Oreo Funfetti Chocolate Chip Cookies with my sister while visiting her and my brother-in-law a few months back, and they were pretty addicting.  As you may know, oreos are one unhealthy habit that I just can't quit, and my brother-in-law loves anything that is funfetti/cake batter flavored, so we knew that we had to give it a go.  And just to convince you to do the same, take a look at the finished product:

Sold?  I thought so.  To whip up your own batch of funfetti oreo happiness, you will need:

20ish oreos
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup rainbow sprinkles
3/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 3.5 oz. packet of instant vanilla pudding mix
1 tsp. baking soda
A pinch of salt

Once you've assembled all of your ingredients and made sure that your oreos taste okay (you can never be too careful, right?), coarsely chop or break up the oreos by hand.  We broke each cookie up into halves or thirds as best we could.

Set those aside and try not to look at them until later.  Remember, you need to add them to the cookies.  Then combine your flour, baking soda, salt, and pudding mix in a medium-sized bowl.  

Set this aside as well (it will be easier to ignore than the broken up oreos that are staring at you, I promise) and get your electric mixer ready.  Using the paddle attachment (if you have one), cream the butter, sugars, egg, and vanilla together until well combined, for about 4 minutes.

Next add your dry ingredients, and mix for only about a minute, until everything is just combined.

Now it's time to add the fun stuff.  Toss in the sprinkles, chocolate chips, and oreos.

 

 

Turn on the mixer again and mix for about 30 seconds, just until all of the goodies are stirred into the batter.

Isn't it pretty?

Now, I'm usually all in favor of eating raw cookie dough (I laugh in the face of the danger of eating raw eggs), but sample this dough at your own peril.  Once you start, it's difficult to stop, and you'll start talking yourself into forgoing the baking part and just throwing back the dough.  Trust me, it might be better to not start down this road....

Once you've won that battle with yourself, it's time to chill your dough.  The original recipe suggests that you form the dough into cookies and refrigerate for at least two hours right on the baking sheet, but we lacked the refrigerator space to do that so we just refrigerated the dough in the mixing bowl.  When we took the chilled dough out of the fridge, it was a bit hard to work with, which might be why the recipe suggests the baking sheet method, but the cookies still turned out just fine.

Whatever you decide about the chilling method, form the dough into 1/4 cup mounds, roll them with your hands so that all the chips and sprinkles and oreos stay put, and then flatten them a bit onto a cookie sheet that's been sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 9-11 minutes, until edges just start to brown.  If you're unsure as to whether or not they're done, I say err on the side of underbaked.  In my experience, everyone loves cookies that are more on the gooey and soft side.  

Let them cool for a few minutes and then dive in.  (Share if you're feeling particularly generous.)  There are some baked goods out there that I think taste better after a day or so, but these babies tasted best fresh out of the oven when they were still gooey and hot and the chocolate chips were a bit melty. 

If you manage to have any left over, you can keep them in an airtight container for about a week, but they will get harder as they cool.  If you want to keep them soft, put a piece of bread in the container with them.  I know that it sounds weird but the cookies will pull the moisture out of the bread and stay soft while the bread dries out.  Works like a charm.  Just be prepared to explain why the rando piece of bread is chillin' with the cookies if you plan on taking them to a party or offering them to houseguests.

They would be a great option to take to a birthday party since the funfetti sprinkles give them a really festive look.  Then again, they'd be just as good split among you, yourself, and a glass of bubbly, in front of the T.V., on a Tuesday night.

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