Nina C.

I reached for it without thinking, but then realized how appropriate it is! Not only am I doing this foodblog, but I'm also currently writing about the new Mets and Yankees stadiums which will open in 2009. It will be a special call-out box inside my Bronx/Queens/Staten Island chapter. If you were/are a Dodgers fan, the new Mets stadium honors their history. Oh, and there are rumors that there will be a Shake Shack stand inside the stadium. These are unconfirmed, but at least it brings my foodblog back to food!

Sorry for the long delay - I had a very exciting nibble on something I pitched, so had to drop everything to get them more information. I won't say what it is, as I don't want to jinx it. Such is the life of the freelance writer. When we last left off, it was breakfast, now it's well past lunch: Leftovers! A little garlicy steak sliced thin, with horseradish sauce on sourdough. The israeli couscous has a little bit of harissa stirred in to give it an underlying heat. This was all part of last nights dinner. I find that now that I work from home I actually use my leftovers instead of letting them go to waste. I also made my pie crusts, but didn't get much further than that. The idea is to do a photoshoot for pieathon, to accompany press releases. I'll also give the pies to editors I know, in hopes they'll mention it in the papers. Doing a fundraiser all by yourself is a lot of work! (edited to add lunch picture! Sorry for my shadow in it - no pretty morning light anymore!)

I was trying to figure out what you meant by this! I finally realized that when filling out my profile I had simply filled in month and date, without the year. I fixed it now.

You know what they say about the road to hell being paved with good intentions. The gym didn't happen. My sweetheart wasn't feeling well, so I took care of him, then went for a walk around the neighborhood to pick up one thing at the store. Perhaps I'll do the sweating-thing later tonight. Perhaps I'll just eat bon bons instead. It's almost the same thing, right? Doing something that makes your body happy? Thanks all for the responses. Peter that's a good starting point for knowing about Brooklyn. In fact Spike lived and worked for many years in the neighborhood next to mine, Fort Greene, and many of his films were set in Bed-Stuy, the neighborhood on the other side of mine. This is my street, which looks like many other leafy brownstone streets in Brooklyn. Although gentrification has hit the neighborhood, the majority of people on my block have lived here for over 25 years. My 95-year-old next-door neighbor has lived here for over 60 years, and has 5 neighbors who check on her daily in spite of her old-age orneriness. At the corner is the restaurant Locanda Vini e Olii. (The drug store sign used to be the original one from the previous occupant, but it cracked and fell down earlier this year. The restaurant made a new Lewis Drug Store sign!) Run by a husband and wife team, this Umbrian restaurant does nice simple food in a friendly and warm atmosphere. It's a little overpriced for the nabe, so it's usually a mix of a few local people and Manhattanites/other Brooklynites who have made the trip. They do an amazing pappa al pomodoro - a rich tomato and bread "soup" so thick you don't need a bowl. It's served warm, sprinkled with basil and drizzled with olive oil, and is intensely comforting. Most restaurants in my neighborhood are West African. 2 blocks away is Kush Café, which serves fantastic French-African food, yet it always feels a bit like a ghost town. The fish from my teaser pics came from Kush: It was rubbed with harissa and grilled, then served with peppers and cilantro and a rich broth. The grocery store here is pathetic. This is the entirety of the produce: Yup, one half of one short aisle. Most of the veggies have been shrink-wrapped half-to-death: God help you if you only want a few jalapenos. You're going to have to buy 30. Corn is only available pre-shucked and in sets of 3. And forget wanting to pick out your own vegetables individually. Even the ones that aren't shrink-wrapped are of dubious quality: They used to sell pocky, but I couldn't find it this trip. They do have a good selection of international foods and even some fancy chocolates and cheeses. Fortunately, all I needed was some brown sugar. Then it was time for breakfast: Fage yogurt, June Taylor peach butter, a few pecans, and some straight-from-the-farm raw milk. This came from Neighborly farms in Vermont, and survived the journey home in a cooler with an ice pack. It's so good and earthy, although it's not quite as tasty as it was when drunk by the side of the road, still frothy and warm.

Good morning! I'm so excited to be your next food blogger, as I have long been an avid – though often lurking – reader. I'm Nina Callaway, a freelance writer who lives in Brooklyn, NY. Now, I know what you're thinking: We've had a lot of New York City food blogs. But, most of them have been very Manhattan focused, and while I like Manhattan, I'm in love with Brooklyn. This amazing borough is at once big city cool and small town heart. While most of the world's eyes are pointed at Manhattan, Brooklyn isn't some groveling parasite – it's the largest of all of the five boroughs. At approx. 2.5 million residents, if Brooklyn were an independent city it would be the 4th largest city in the US. It boasts the 3rd largest business district in the city (first 2 are midtown and lower Manhattan), a vibrant independent arts scene, awesome restaurants and, most importantly, some of the friendliest and most interesting people in the city. (A quick vocabulary/geography lesson: New York City is divided into 5 boroughs – similar to counties. Brooklyn was its own city until 1898, when its residents voted to become part of the new New York City, along with Manhattan, Queens, Staten Island, and the Bronx.) I'm just finishing up an assignment for Fodor's, writing the chapters of "Brooklyn" and "The Bronx/Queens/Staten Island" for the general New York City guidebook. With limited space, it necessarily covers the neighborhoods closest to Manhattan, for easy jaunts, as well as Prospect Park and Coney Island – essentially places that readers have already heard of, and want to know more about. As it's organized into neighborhoods, its hard to include some of the really interesting sites farther afield. But the process of writing this chapter made me think about what I'd write if I were only writing for myself. And so the title of this food blog: Around the World in Just One Borough. My plan for the week is to visit just a few of Brooklyn's neighborhoods. I'm hoping to show you my nabe of Clinton Hill, as well as Polish Greenpoint, Middle Eastern Atlantic Avenue, Latin American and Chinese Sunset Park, and Russian/Asian Brighton Beach. (Hey I'm a freelance writer. It's all research!) But that's not all that's going on. I'm working on my Pieathon! – a fundraising project that had its start here on eG. And on Sunday, many of my friends are coming over for brunch. Today is going to be a baking day, rather than a show-you-around Brooklyn day. But, I've just returned from a short vacation through Massachusetts and Vermont, where we spent a day visiting small cheese farmers. So I thought I'd recap some of that for you to hold you over. (A little city mouse, country mouse action.) I'm off to the gym now. When I get back, breakfast.

Thanks again to everyone for your advice! I'm excited to announce that I am going ahead with this project. Check out Pieathon.blogspot.com I found a recipe for sugar cream pie in one of my family's cookbooks, and it is delicious! I'm so glad to have found this pie, pieathon not withstanding. It will definitely become a permanent part of my repertoire. Tomorrow is the Brooklyn Pie Social; I'll be there with a t-shirt that says "Eat Pies, Save Lives" and flyers with my website on them. And, of course, pies: Pumpkin, Strawberry, and Sugar Cream!

I love a good thick gingerbread but what about a guinness or stout ginger cake? Applesauce cake Would your audience like quince? Indian Pudding if you can serve things warm warm apple (crumble, tart. pie), use hazelnuts in the pastry, serve with warm salted caramel sauce chocolate-walnut tart honey and walnut tart pecan and pumpkin pie (the two together in one pie is awesome) Apricot tart with pistachio garnish Brown Sugar Cake Caramel Cake Good luck with your Mom's health. I recently read that keeping a patient adequately hydrated is incredibly important with dementia - it can lessen the affects. I'm sure you knew that already but just throwing it out there.

That cookie cake is so cool! Did you use a regular chocolate chip cookie recipe? and what's between the layers?

Sparrowgrass - I hope you are taking pictures! Think of all the great yeasts that will be in your kitchen air after letting all that bread rise for so long. Eileen - Great idea! I asked my friend who is a caterer, and he suggested a pro kitchen run by a non-profit nearby. They charge about half the rate of other pro kitchens, so then I could bake more pies at a time, and also have friends come to help. Only downside is they are only open during "normal" working hours, so I'd have to do half the work at home, and half there. Kouign Aman - I know! It's the crusts which are most daunting, but I'm also hoping to gain a lot of new skills from this process. Hopefully I won't be too tired at the end to remember them! Gfron - thanks for the recipe! It sounds delicious, and the ingredients are relatively affordable. I'll make some this weekend to try it out.

BrownieBaker - Thanks for the tips. I think I'm going to try baking two different recipes of Sugar Cream Pie side by side this weekend. I've never made it, but it sounds wonderful, and I found a similar recipe in my family's handwritten cookbook (I think the handwriting in question is my mom's but even if it's not, no matter.) Lindacakes - Sorry to hear about your mother's health care problems. I'm guessing we're both facing the age of being our parent's parents. (Fortunately my dad's partner is 12 years younger, so I've got backup! Have you thought of marrying her off to someone younger? LOL. ) Since most of my mom's friends and family live outside of the area, I'm thinking it will be easier to get pledges than it will be to actually sell the pie. (Similiar to a walkathon, I'll ask people to sponsor me for each hour of baking.) However, I did do a complicated spreadsheet today showing how much ingredients/kitchen rental (to have a bigger oven)/etc. would cost compared to potential income. I was concerned about the too little money raised for money and time spent. But fortunately, it looks like I can raise over $500 on selling the pies alone, and hopefully with the sponsorships make more than $3600. Not too shabby for 24 hours work. Dianabanana - I'm already thinking it will be an annual thing too! But first things first - I have to see if I can make this year work! And stay tuned, I'm brainstorming on how bakers in other parts of the country can be involved.

I like your type of crazy! Okay so maybe I should shoot for making 35 pies. I have to figure out if I can fit 4 pies in my oven. Pecan! Of course. Do you have a favorite recipe for sugar cream pie? I didn't see one in recipe gullet. Okay good, that's about what I was thinking too. I might do $25 for pumpkin and $35 for pecan. I bet through my network of friends and family I can sell 35 pies in the NYC area. Thinking about this, I wouldn't want to have to go to Brooklyn to pick up a pie the day before Thanksgiving. There's enough else going on around the holiday. I was thinking of making it a group effort - that if other people I know wanted to join in the pie baking fun, they could get a t-shirt or something for making a minimum number of pies. But my priority is probably my individual effort. Thanks for all of your advice! ←

The 10-year anniversary of my mom's death is coming up (at the beginning of January) and I've been looking for creative ways to honor her memory. I'm thinking about raising money to support an organization that helps low-income folks get cancer treatments. Does a Thanksgiving pie bake-a-thon sound possible? I imagine asking people to sponsor me by the hour of baking and/or buy one of the pies I make for their Thanksgiving table. There are probably more efficient ways of raising money, but I want to be creative and have fun doing it. My mom loved to make pie, and she had a big sweet tooth. I'm not a professional baker and the most pies I've ever made in one day was three (for national pi day March 14!) I did spend a weekend baking for the Katrina refugees my dad's church was feeding; I managed to send down three huge boxes of baked goods. In my little circle of friends and family, my pies are known for being especially good. Questions: 1)Am I crazy? 2)How many pies do you think one person with a normal home oven and kitchen can make in one 24-hour period? (I am a freelance writer, so I could clear my schedule for a day or two to get this done.) 3)I was thinking of making pumpkin pie, because the filling can be made relatively quickly in bulk quantities. Any other ideas that are Thanksgiving appropriate? 4)How much would you pay for a homemade pie that raises money to support a good cause? (homemade crust, homemade or store-bought filling, delivered to your home) 5)Does it make sense to make the pies on Monday and Tuesday, and deliver them on Wednesday? Would a pie made on Monday still be good on Thursday? (I only ever make pies for the same day I eat them. I like things fresh.) 5)What pitfalls and other considerations am I not thinking about? Thanks so much for any advice you can give!

Here are a few recent desserts! then a dessert from this week, a fig and raspberry galette, served with slices of gorgonzola dolce drizzled with wildflower honey. So amazingly good. I could eat this every day.

I think you are replying to me? Could be - my family is from Texas so a lot of things are Mexican-influenced. On the otherhand I've known Southern cooks from other states to make them as well. I wonder which country gave them the name Bollitas?

I am not a professional baker, although I do bake fairly often. I made this wedding cake from epicurious a few years ago, without the fondant covering. It was delicious and although time-consuming, relatively easy to make. One thing to consider is that you want a cake that can stand up to its own weight. A friend and I had planned to make a topsy-turvy cake a few years ago, and he volunteered to make the cake layers on his own so that all of our time together could be spent on decorating. He ignored any of the recipes that I sent him, and made his favorite chocolate cake recipe instead. What a disaster! It fell apart, wouldn't be sculpted, or manipulated in any way. On the other hand it was really moist and we had fun anyway.

This was a summer of pie. There were lattice-topped, double-crust and open, tarts and galettes, and even hand pies. And the summer's not technically over yet! I kept trying to improve on perfection. I've always used a butter/shortening crust, but I worry about the chemical properties of the shortening, as well as the impact on mouthfeel. (Unfortunately many of my friends are vegetarian or don't eat pork products, so lard is out of the question except on rare occasions.) I tried lots of different kinds of pastry recipes, working my way through both the canonical Ruth Levy Berenbaum's recipes and the scribbled-on-the-back-of-envelope recommendations from friends. (I must admit that I rejected out-of-hand any shortening only recipes.) Only one do I remember having egg in it, but it wasn't flaky enough. (I blame the liquid fat of the yolk.) In the end, I'm back to my tried and true. It works how I expect it too, it gets rave reviews all around, and with the trans-fat-free shortenings I'm trying not to worry too much.

This is not my style of cooking but, a long-held rule of entertaining is that if the host is stressed out, the guests will be stressed out. Can you really pull this off and have fun doing it? You might want to check out Slkinsey's Thanksgiving week diary, especially this post on dinnertime logistics.

It seems like every holiday weekend is afflicted with Devious-God-Weather-Curse. Someone upstairs says "Ha Ha Ha. You want to go outside and play, don't you? Well too bad because it's going to rain AND be too hot to do anything." But yesterday those devious gods must have been sleeping because it was absolutely glorious weather. My sweetheart and I decided it was worth bagging work for the day to go on a picnic. The spontaneous outing meant that we could only bring what we had in the house but thankfully, we generally have a well-stocked fridge. We had a loaf of sourdough bread, some tartufo semi-soft cheese, cracked pepper smoked salmon, yogurt and herb dip, roasted eggplant-cilantro spread, persian cukes, pear and cherry tomatoes and sugar snap peas. For dessert, some fresh plums, and (in the aluminium foil) fresh figs that I sprinkled with sugar and ran under the broiler. Several hours lying in the park and (pathetically on my part) playing football was just what the doctor ordered. Now back to work! (Being self-employed means I have to yell at myself and occasionally, when procrastination gets really bad, break out the flogger. I'm a mean boss. )

Shelby - I just had to reply to your Dove pictures! My grandparents were big dove hunters, and so that looks like my childhood! Unfortunately, I couldn't stand it as a kid - too fussy, too gamey. Perhaps I'll have to try it again now. Of course, take an old shoe, wrap it in bacon and grill it, and I'd probably eat it happily! But the peppers look like a particular interesting recipe. wattacetti - I understand the dilemna of learning a new style of plating. Looks like you're getting the hang of it! I'm eating a few ground cherries as I type. Aren't they grand? David - What I wouldn't give for a bowl of that soup right about now. That will be on the menu the next time I grill!

cheddar olives - an old southern hors d'oeuvre. proportions are roughly 2 cups grated cheddar, 1 cup flour, 1/2 stick of butter, healthy pinch of cayenne, and a large jar of pimento-stuffed olives. I grate the cheese in my food processor, then add the next 3 ingredients and pulse until it forms a dough. each olive gets wrapped in dough, covering it completely. Then you can bake at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes, or freeze and bake directly from frozen. I always make them while watching TV a week or so before a party. Then reheat in batches. easy peasy!

I had thought Marlene as well, but the American food writing is making me think perhaps Fabby?

Hi, Thanks, but I'm looking for one that is more like a bread rather than a cake. I need to serve tarragon chicken salad on top. ← Do you have any idea what issue it was in? Because of my writing work, i ahve many copies of MSW.

This sounds like such an awesome idea! Thanks for putting this together! I just wish that my sweetheart hadn't just announced a renewed commitment to eating healthy. Perhaps I can convince him that the vitamins in a fruit pie outweigh the fat and sugar?

What a great blog. I love your style of writing - it's informative while remaining friendly and chatty. I can't wait to read more!

I've made the cupcakes from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World and they were pretty good! (I might not put them head-to-head with some of my favorite non-vegan recipes, but they were very tasty and much appreciated) Here's a summary of the recipe: Mix together 1 cup soy milk and 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar and set aside, allowing to curdle. After a few minutes, add 3/4 cup sugar, 1/3 cup oil, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract. Beat until foamy. In a separate bowl, sift together 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1 cup AP flour, 3/4 teasp. baking soda, 1/2 teasp. baking powder, and 1/4 teasp. salt. Add dry ingredients to wet in two batches, and mix until there are no large lumps. Pour into muffin tins lined with cupcake liners (3/4 full) and bake at 350 for 18-20 mins. I forget what I used for icing - I think a simple recipe from the Joy of Cooking. Sorry I can't be more help on that end!