Strawberries and Cream

How did you spend Valentine's Day this year?

I spent it in typical romantic fashion...

Snuggling and kissing....

this cutie:

I went home to PA for the weekend to see Daisy (and my parents), and, since it was snowy and ridiculously cold, we spent a lot of time indoors, reading, napping (mostly me and Daisy again), and baking (mostly me and Mom.  Daisy was not helpful). 

For our Valentine's Day treat, we made one of my favorite desserts, which I hadn't had in a long time, despite the fact that, during my childhood, it made an annual appearance around this time of year.  I've heard similar recipes called by many names, but in my family we just always called it by the very original moniker of the "Strawberry Pretzel Dessert."

Like many wonderful things in life (parfaits, cakes, outfits from JCrew), it has layers.

It's also has that wonderful combination of salty AND sweet, while still being light and refreshing.

Let's get started, shall we?

To make enough to feed a crowd (or only about 6 if they are pros like my parents and me), you will need:

2 cups of crushed pretzels
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 sticks of butter, melted

2 cups of Cool Whip
1 8oz. brick of cream cheese
1 cup granulated sugar

2 3oz. boxes of Strawberry Jello
2 cups hot water
2 10 oz. bags of frozen strawberries

For the bottom layer, mix your crushed pretzels, sugar, and melted butter together and then press into a 9 x 13 pan. 

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10 minutes, and then allow it to cool completely before moving on to the next layer.

For this one, you'll need to blend your cream cheese and the cup of sugar, and then fold in your Cool Whip.

Once everything is combined, spread the mixture over your pretzel crust.

Pop the pan in the fridge to chill while you finish the final layer.  Start by emptying the Jello packets into a bowl and adding the hot water (it should be close to boiling). 

Stir until the Jello dissolves and then add your strawberries.

Allow the Jello to set up for a few minutes and then layer it over the top of the cream.

And you're done! 

I know that it may be tempting to dive in right away, but stick the pan back in the fridge for a few hours.  You need to give it time to chill and set up.  Otherwise, when you serve it, you'll have a bit of a runny mess (which no one appreciates, especially on Valentine's Day).

It'll be worth the wait, I promise.  This is what you have to look forward to:

A cool, creamy, and fruity dessert that's a festive choice for Valentine's Day (and more unexpected than chocolate) but just as good at any time of year.

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Foodie Friday

A Banana Cupcake with Peanut Butter and Buttercream Frosting from Crumbs Bake Shop.

Happy Weekend!

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Bar Virage

I've got another fun brunch place for you.

Last weekend, G and I met up for the first time in months, having planned on catching up over brunch at Cafe Orlin, which I've told you about before.  However, the line was long and the day was rather chilly, so, instead of waiting in the cold, we hoofed it around the corner to Bar Virage.

We were seated right away and immediately brought a little platter of mini blueberry muffins and bread with our coffee.
These were a delightful way to start things off, as were the passion fruit mimosas that came next.

I appreciate a brunch place that doesn't fool around and serve you mimosas in tiny champagne flutes.  Bring on the goblets, baby.  And the passion fruit really took these to another level.  Just the bright, fruity flavor that was needed to perk up a cold day.

G and I had a lot of catching up to do, so we put in our food order and expected to have some time to sip, chat, and take in Virage's bustling atmosphere before the plates arrived.

However, it seemed like only a few minutes before our server came back with our food (which was great because, as usual, I was starving).   G had ordered an egg white omelet with tomatoes and mushrooms.

I went a little more decadent with the Lobster and Eggs over Easy:

I love it when an X made of bacon marks the spot.

Underneath the eggs lay a lobster, pepper, and potato hash and the entire thing was drizzled with a spicy hollandaise sauce and served with toasted brioche (which was awesome) on the side.

Ready for your closeup, gorgeous?

If that doesn't get you excited on a Sunday morning, I don't know what will.

Both of G and my dishes were off Bar Virage's Prixe Fixe brunch menu, which includes a main, the mini muffins and breads, and coffee and fresh squeezed orange juice, all for around $16.  Not a bad deal, especially in New York. 

The cocktails are extra but totally worth it.  

And with the money that you've saved, you should probably get two.  It's the weekend, after all.

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Foodie Friday

Weekend breakfast inspiration:  a stack of veggie-lobster-egg-bacon amazingness.  

I'll share the details about the brunch place where I found it next week, so stay tuned!

Happy Weekend!

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Brunch at the Standard Grill

The second day of GK's visit dawned ridiculously rainy and cold.  Some part of us just wanted to stay in bed, but the other, more dominant part was growling with hunger, so we headed out and made our way through the rain-sloshed streets to the Meatpacking District for brunch at the Standard Grill.  Nestled inside the ground floor of the Standard High Line Hotel, the Grill was just what we needed on such a dreary day:  cozy, warm, a little bit glamorous, and full of delicious smells.

We settled into our table and got things going with some caffeine.  Coffee for me and tea for GK.

I was thrilled by the fact that they give you your own little carafe of joe.  I tend to guzzle my coffee very quickly, so it was lovely to not have to flag down a waiter for refills.

After we had had a few sips and felt a bit more awake, we decided that some cocktails needed to enter the picture (What is brunch without them, amirite???).  GK went for The Professor & Mary Ann:  gin, strawberry-champagne shrub, lime, and prosecco.

I opted for the Orchard Bellini:  champagne, apricot liqueur, and fresh peach puree.

 

With our drinks taken care of, we finally had a look at the food menu, and since everything sounded so good, we decided to order it all. 

The feeding frenzy began with vanilla-rum custard brioche donuts. 

They arrived at the table warm and in a cute little carton.  I think that we had both expected them to be smaller, but we were not to be daunted and dove right in.

 

These were amazing.  The exterior was light and flaky while still having that delicious fried flavor, and the vanilla-run custard was creamy and decadent without being too heavy or sickeningly sweet.  And you didn't get that nasty feeling afterwards that usually follows the consumption of coffee-shop donuts.

Next came the entrees, which we shared like the old married couple that we are. 

Eggs benedict with ham on sourdough with rosemary potatoes....

and a whole wheat waffle topped with spiced apples, pecans, and bourbon cream...

with hickory smoked bacon (it's not brunch without bacon either) and creamy cheddar grits on the side.

It was quite the spread.

We kept going back and forth, trying to decide what we liked the best.  I think that the Eggs benedict won in the end for me....I could eat those poached eggs on that buttery sourdough every morning for the rest of my life. 

After chatting and chewing our way through most of our haul, we reluctantly waddled back out into the rain, lamenting the fact that we had to leave.  The food was amazing, the people-watching was fun, and the staff was friendly and attentive without being overbearing.  If we could have stayed all day and kept the cocktails and the food coming, I'm sure that we would have.  But alas, we've not yet reached the point in our lives when we can be professional, full-time brunchers.

If you want to check out the Standard Grill, I'd recommend making a reservation, which you can do here.

Just be sure to show up hungry. 

And order the donuts. 

And invite me. 

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Caffe Grazie

Upon leaving the Met, GK and I went on the hunt for dinner. Since it was such a cold night, we didn't want to venture too far out of our way before returning to my place for a girls' night in of movies and wine, so I suggested we hit up Caffe Grazie, a cute little Italian restaurant on 84th street that I had noticed while making my way to the Met on another day.  The friendly staff greeted us and showed us to a cozy booth right inside the door.

Caffe Grazie's vibe feels kind of like a trendy but relaxed bistro....the kind of spot that would be a great place to while away an evening with good friends and a bottle of wine after a day at the museum.  

Speaking of wine, we had some red to go with our starter of garlic crostini with goat cheese and tomato.

Isn't that presentation lovely?  Don't worry, that didn't stop us from devouring it in record time.  I'd like to kiss the person who originally thought up the whole goat cheese + tomato + crusty bread combination. 

After we had finished that (and waxed poetic about it), we decided to keep the carb fest going with some pasta.  GK went for the Linguine Amalfi with tomatoes, black olives, capers, mozzarella, garlic, basil, and olive oil.

I chose the Trenette with short rib ragu, peas, and carrots.

There's nothing like a plate of pasta on a cold night, is there?  Both dishes were full of bright, complimentary flavors and, while they might look like small portions in the photos, trust me, they weren't.  GK and I left feeling rather fat and sassy.

On our way back to the train we paused in a few places to admire some rather mysterious-looking architecture that would have been at home in a Gothic novel....

as well as the fairy lights covering the trees on the avenues...

Pasta, wine, a BFF, and fairy lights.  If you know of a better way to spend a Saturday evening, do tell me what it is.

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