“In My Kitchen” May 2018

Last month I complained about April being the cruelest month (à la T.S. Eliot).   On the flipside of that, May is a month I look forward to every year.   The weather begins to even out.  Flowers are blooming.  The garden is in.  SCHOOL IS OUT!  (And, I may have a BIG announcement to post up soon.)

I have a few things of interest I want to highlight this month “In My Kitchen.”

A dear friend got me this book for Christmas and I feel like a bum but I just got around to reading it.   

It’s more of a “family” book than a cookbook.   What I mean by that is that this is a history of the Germanotta family and their foray into the restaurant business with Joanne Trattoria in NYC, their history, family recipes, and family photos.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some great sounding recipes in the book, but I also enjoyed the “Remembrances & Musings” of family and staff in each section.   If you’re a Lady Gaga fan, you will recognize the restaurant and the Germanotta name.  (My friend and her daughter, our goddaughter, dined here last summer on a trip to New York, hence the gift.)

Sections include “Gravy,” Antipasti, Entrees, Thanksgiving Dinner, Salads, Desserts, and Cocktails.   Chef Art Smith contributes recipes as well.

I have been on the search for the perfect Old Fashion and trying to perfect my own rendition.   I am a firm believer that ice is the key to a perfect drink; therefore, I invested in these funky trays.   I think I like the large cubes better than the spheres, but more research and development is definitely needed.  Here’s the info for purchasing.

For a pretty darn good Old Fashion recipe (if I don’t say so myself), see my last post.

I am probably most excited about this discovery:  Amelia Yogurt.   This company is local and artisanal and delicious.   The French style yogurt is a bit thinner than the Greek yogurt I am used to but I may convert.   Amelia’s is smooth and sublime.

Plus, they come in these really beautiful terracotta containers.   Although they cannot be re-used for food purposes, I am using them as cacti planters.  (Of course…)

On a recent antique outing with some friends, I found a piece of Dryden pottery (for $5)!   We visited the pottery factory/studio some years ago (in Arkansas) and I fell in love with their work.

I think that was a very reasonable price but regardless, I love the colors.

One last thing:  I’ve gotten totally into kombucha.   Well, I haven’t gotten so into it that I’m making my own yet, but I have found another company I love—Buddha’s Brew out of Austin, TX.    I haven’t tried all their flavors yet, but the the Cranberry one I’m sipping on now is mighty fine.  

That’s all I got for this month.  Hopefully next month’s post will boast some garden produce.

I’m linking up with In My Kitchen hosted by Sherry’s Pickings.

I’m also linking up with Foodies Reads for May (because of my blurb regarding Joanne Trattoria Cookbook).

Postscript:  We bagged up our wine that I mentioned was fermenting in our guest bathroom on the last IMK post.    Here’s a box (which came with the bags) that The Hubs personalized (with a laser) for our hosts at a recent party.

Post-postscript:
Hopefully the two cacti pictured above in the yogurt cups will grow up into these, their mother plants:

Purple Peanut Cactus (Echinopsis chamaecerus “Jubilee”)

Monodenium ritchiei.  This is actually classified as a succulent and not a cactus.   The snake is fake.