Dickson's Farmstand - The Whole Beast - Part 1



Dickson's Farmstand Meats, in Chelsea Market has a wide variety of locally-sourced meats.  For Christmas, my parents got me two "Whole Beast" gift cards, one for beef and one for pork, which entitle me to a TON of FREE MEAT. Woohoo!  See the results, after the jump...


Bake: Pear-Ginger Hand Pies


Thanksgiving 2012 is upon us already.  This year has flown by, and we at 2FW certainly have a lot to be thankful for - my solo law practice has surpassed its 1-year mark, this blog passed its 3-year mark, we were basically unaffected by Hurricane Sandy, and our family and friends are all happy and (despite ups and downs) healthy.

Tomorrow, I'll be cooking up some rib steaks from Grazin' Angus Acres (I hate cooking turkey) and brussels sprouts with bacon (cooked in duck fat).  The wine, bread, salad, potato gratin, and a chocolate dessert will come courtesy of our friends J^2.  For my dessert, I decided to make pear and ginger hand pies.  The pears at the farmers market looked amazing, and I wanted to stray from the classic apple and cinnamon flavorings.  I've also made a number of pies recently and felt like branching out to the hand-pie arena.

This recipe can be made with store-bought roll-out crust, if you must.  I had some Food Emporium brand crust that I attempted to use, but it was bland and lifeless, so I went back to the store mid-recipe to pick up ingredients for my cream cheese dough.  Definitely worth the trip and extra effort.

Hurricane Day 1: Brown Butter Sugar Cookies


Not much in the apartment besides butter, sugar, flour, and eggs, and the last remaining grocery store has a line out the door.  Stranded inside, with train service suspended, tunnels closed, and flood waters rising, what's a girl to do?  Bake!


The World's Best Wedding Cake



I am delighted to announce that on August 10, 2012, we (M & J of Second Floor Walkup) got married at NYC's city hall!  It was an immediately-family-only gathering with a casual "backyard" (read: 1BR apartment terrace) BBQ afterward.  As an avid baker, I decided to take on the challenge of making our wedding cake - a two-tiered gluten free chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream.  It shall henceforth be known as The World's Best Wedding Cake.