birthday feast

hi hi! i missed blogging yesterday - one of those days i just couldn't find the time to squeeze it in - so a happy belated birthday to my love, sam, who turned 29 yesterday. smooches.

knowing that i work during the week, and usually don't get home until 7 pm or later, i decided to make him a big birthday dinner sunday night to celebrate. so considering his birthday dinner was on the 7th and his birthday gift (tickets to tUnEyArDs in manhattan on september 19th [get yours here]) is 43 days later, that's a lot of birthday. lucky man.

as i mentioned in the last post, sam likes his food with more food on top of it, and then maybe a side of food stuffed with food. so i tried to push my own preferences aside and make a meal that he (well, okay, we) would really enjoy. i settled upon a chilled soup, a ceviche, and a roasted chicken - all things, coincidentally, that i think he either hadn't tried or wouldn't eat when i met him two years ago, sweet, innocent vegetarian that he was. times, they are a-changin'.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

savory chilled peach soup with bacon



(based off a recipe i found here.)

**note: i thought this was good, but it didn't knock my socks off. i think you have to be pretty into the sweet/savory contrast, which i definitely am, but adding the cold element to it was maybe one step too bizarre. that said, i still really enjoyed it, but i think sam did a little less. just in case you're thinking of making it for your new in-laws or something. maybe test it first.**

6-8 ripe peaches, peeled (mine were small, farmers market peaches, so i used 8)
about 4 ounces plain yogurt (half a container)
1/2 - 1 cup milk
1/4 cup sweet white wine
pinch of cayenne pepper
1/2 t smoked paprika

garnish: 1/2 peach, cut into 1/2 inch dice
2 strips bacon, baked in the oven until crispy
chiffonade of basil, mache, sage, or another herb

place the peaches in a food processor and blend until they are pretty smooth; add milk until it is nearly the consistency you want in the soup. add yogurt. add wine. add cayenne & paprika. place in a container and let it chill for at least an hour.

to serve: crumble the bacon on top, add peaches, and finish with greens. voila! i think our peaches weren't the best, so that played a part - the flavor of the soup itself was a bit flat. next time i might try roasting the peaches first with some honey and herbs. still, we both cleaned our bowls, so it wasn't bad!



+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

spicy scallop ceviche




3/4 lb fresh bay scallops
1 peach
1 jalepeño
1 red onion
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 avocado
1 lime
salt to taste
tortilla or plantain chips, for serving

dice all fruit & veggies into small cubes; reserve the lime. (scrape the cherry tomatoes of their seeds and juice, as much as possible.) place them in a bowl and cut the lime in half and squeeze all its juice over the diced veggies. cut the scallops into small cubes and add to the mixture; mix well, ensuring that the scallops are covered with lime juice. add salt and cover; refrigerate for at least two hours. the scallops will go from being a kind of translucent beige to a very opaque white when ready. serve with chips.






this was SO GOOD. light, cold and crisp; perfect for a mid-summer dish. i only served us little glasses, but we had a whole tupperware leftover and i pretty much ate it all with a spoon for dinner the next day.

and finally, the crown jewel of dinner: stuffed cornish game hens. sam loves almost nothing in life more than a good roasted chicken (that "almost" reserved not for me, mind you, but for any kind of fishing,) but i wanted to do something a little more fancy; these were a perfect compromise. i improvised a stuffing out of things we had lying around, and they turned out really, incredibly delicious - succulent, crispy in all the right places and really bursting with flavor.

+ + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + + +

bacon & apple stuffed cornish game hens with crispy potatoes




2 cornish game hens
3 strips of bacon (i used this really tasty uncured stuff we got at the farmers' market saturday)
1 apple
about 1/2 baguette, crust removed & torn into bite sized pieces
about 2 ounces of mushrooms, cut into bite sized pieces (i used oyster mushrooms)
2 T butter, melted
salt & pepper
about 1/2 lb potatoes, cut into 1 inch cubes (i used purple potatoes 'cuz that's what we had lyin' around)

preheat oven to 350. cut bacon into 1 inch strips, then start it in the pan; once it starts to brown, and fat is rendering off, add the mushrooms and cook until they're browned and soft. remove from heat; stir in bread; dice & add apple. set aside.

i used a roasting pan, like this one found at crate and barrel [thanks kenji! wedding presents are the best] because i was doing 2 birds instead of one; it also allowed me to place the potatoes underneath the rack, so that all the drippings would fall on to them. but i'm getting ahead of myself.

stuff the birds as full as you can of stuffing. i managed to get all of it inside of them, with a bit spilling out the top; any that fell out was just added to the potato mix, so it was all deliciously good. brush the birds liberally on both sides with butter; sprinkle with salt and lots of pepper. with potatoes underneath, place the birds on the rack and pour a splash of liquid in with the potatoes; i used wine, because it was handy (don't hate) but water or any stock would work, too. or beer! whatever. liquid. not milk.

roast the birds at 350 for about 30-40 minutes, then crank the heat to 400 and cook until they look good, crispy and brown - about another half hour or so. take them out and let them rest for ten minutes or so before serving. for my beer-loving man, i'd picked up a growler of local heffeweisen, which i served alongside.







tender, juicy, delicious. the potatoes had a chickeny, bacony flavor and were crispy on the outside but practically burst when you bit into them. it was hot and heavy, to be sure, but i think that's appropriate for sam's first birthday dinner as my husband (or, as someone referred to him when wishing him a happy birthday, mr. dettmar.)

more from me tomorrow! my camera battery is dead and i can't find my charger anywhere, so wish me luck! and i hope to see some of you at rebecca minkoff tonight! i'm wearing bright red and shoes that i'll be more surprised if i do NOT sprain my ankle in. say hello.

xo audrey

magic bus

saturday evening, after rousing late in the morning, ordering some mexican brunch to be delivered, eating in bed, and falling back asleep for a couple of hours, i got spruced up and headed into manhattan to celebrate a friend's birthday in true style: on a limo bus. it equipped with multi-colored strobe lights, a karaoke machine, and a stripper pole; one of the instructions we were given was not to hang from the bars near the ceiling whilst dancing. so, imagine that, absolutely packed with drinking 20-somethings, shimmying to lady gaga, and you probably get a vague picture of the night; it was an absolute blast. we stopped at a bluegrass bar and an old haunt of mine in williamsburg before i had to call it a night (and while sam and i were still undefeated foosball champs.)



dress: etsy
tights: DKNY
shoes: devotte
necklace: from my ma

it was a perfect night to get dressed up, since we got dropped off and picked up from each location as we went through the night, and i didn't have to worry too much about staying warm.

aaah, it is 1 am. i'd best be getting to sleep!

xo audrey

brown's pond house

(photos courtesy of mr. morgan mirvis and his fancy camera.)

sooo, a couple weekends ago sam and i spent the weekend with 9 friends in a big, beautiful house on brown's pond in upstate new york to celebrate my dear friend jared's birthday. it was absolutely gorgeous - still warm enough to sit outside in nothing but your flannel or a sweater, and all the leaves were at their brightest but still filling the trees. we spent most of the time drinking spiced cider, eating, or playing dorky word games, and it was one of the best weekends i'd had in a while. i brought the cake.




to say that jared is the biggest sally field fan i know isn't really saying much, but it is absolutely true, so i spent a little time at work the day before we left drawing ms. norah walker herself (anyone get that reference? no? you're better for it.) in chocolate on his devil's food cake.



tonight i attempt to deep fry turkey drumsticks. stay tuned.

xo audrey

there's too much love to go around these days

belle and sebastian, sing me a song to set me free.

whew. what a long, exhausting, fantastic weekend. i got into chicago thursday morning and got picked up from the airport by my dear friend erika. we met up with my friend linsey and had a quick brunch, and then spent most of the afternoon making about 100 little coconut-infused flans for sam's big birthday party on friday. that night me, sam, and a bunch of friends went out for beer and pizza before heading back to the space to get it ready for the show. friday morning i visited my old office to say hello to everyone then went straight to the space to clean and hang the last of the photos. the party started at 6, and there were many highlights, but too many and too foggy to recount. if you are interested, my friend ben photographed the night, and you can see the photos here.


left to right: my little sister esther, me, my friend erika

i had been saving my birthday outfit for the party, and a friend took some photos of me in it yesterday afternoon. i am a pretty awkward person when there's someone behind the camera but she is incredibly talented and i really love some of the shots she took.





the skirt is from lorick, i bought it on sale at buydefinition.com.

you can see more of her work here. i really think you should.

friday was long, lovely, and champagne-fueled, so saturday we slept in and got brunch at paramount room (their bloody marys feature not only cheese, pickles, and tomatoes on the toothpick, but also a slim jim stirrer,) stopped at a vintage sale some friends were having (for the first time in memory, i was too tired to shop and shuffled home, leaning heavily on sam, for a 3 hour nap.) we had dinner reservations at my favorite sushi restaurant at 8, met some friends to see up at 10:30, then moseyed home and went to bed.

sunday we met a couple of friends at lula (one of my favorite restaurants in chicago, possibly the best brunch in the city) and then sam drove me up to evanston for my birthday present. he kept putting off giving it to me all weekend; i knew that it involved a journey north, but wasn't sure exactly what it would be. well. it is the most stunning, charming, quirky 1960s cruiser you have ever laid eyes upon.



now i just have to wait 3 months until i'm back in chicago to get to ride it. (torture.) it can't come quickly enough.

and that was my weekend! i flew back into laguardia late last night and met a friend from chicago who's in town for the week for a beer near my place, then fell quickly into a fast sleep. and here i am, back to the real world, to work and school and sore ankles. friday, come quickly.



skirt: vintage, from dee, from vanessa, hemmed by me
shirt: gap
shoes: vivienne westwood for melissa
necklace: ebay
belt: thrifted

against my better judgement, i made the journey to chicago without a blowdrier, and my hair is showing the consequences this morning. the insane new york humidity doesn't help.

happy monday everyone, until tomorrow!

xo audrey

it's my birthday too, yeah

good morning! this is the last day i have to get through before a nice, four-day weekend in chicago. boy, am i ready. i was up until about midnight last night studying for a test today (well, okay, studying in between drinking wine and gabbing with my friend kristen) and didn't get any packing done at all, so tonight is going to be kind of a shitshow. no birthday celebration for me - work, school, test, ONE drink, home, pack, shower, sleep, airport. i am tired just thinking about it. oye.

and of course i woke up late today (pretty much par for the course) and let me tell you, these shoes are not good for running-late days. i wear heels a lot, and there are some i can job in, and most i can at least do a stupid-looking fast-walk, but these are too tall and teetery for me to do anything but take small stiff steps.

since i'm going out of town this weekend, i have a lot to do, so yeah, i should do it.



dress: an old express skirt from like 1998
brooch: shoe clip from my mama
socks: american apparel
shoes: aldo

i think i wore damn near this exact same thing on my birthday last year. i spent that one in a wine bar with a bunch of friends in chicago; how time changes things! i can honestly say, though - a lot of people have asked me what i want for my birthday, and i can't think of a thing. i am a very lucky girl and i can't think of anything else i could possibly need. thank you guys so much for reading, and have a wonderful week (if i don't talk to you before monday!)

xo audrey