emmaneezer is moving!

Jason and I are joining forces in our new blog,

www.dork-a-thon.com

All previous emmaneezer posts have been posted to the dork-a-thon page, so you won't miss a thing. I will probably not be posting anymore on emmaneezer.

See you soon at the new site! (And stay dorky!)

xoxo,
Emma

to the beach!

I have today off...the first Saturday in a long, long time that I've had off.


So, I'm off to the beach!

New York!

We spent the last week in the big apple! It was pretty cold, compared to what we've been used to in Miami, but we still had a great time. Jason had a concert at Carnegie Hall on Wednesday with the Cleveland Orchestra; an amazing show. The balance and sensitivity in that orchestra are really incredible; no one is trying to outplay anyone else. It's just sensitive, amazing music. It must have been amazing for my dear boy to be on stage with them.



We stumbled upon Magnolia by accident one day (apparently this was a new location), and had to stop in for a cupcake and some hot cocoa. I've wanted to have a Magnolia cupcake for a long, long time, and finally my dream was realized. And YUMMMERS!!!!

Check out the hat I'm wearing! I knitted it on the flight. You can find the pattern here.



Also, I did lots of shopping while Jason was doing the tuba thing. I found these cute salt and pepper shakers from Fishs Eddy for a friend who let me borrow her coat for the trip. (it was freeeeeezing in New York and I don't have a need for a winter coat in Miami). I also stocked up on notebooks and a new datebook at Muji - 70% off all 2009 calendars!
The sale rack at Anthropologie was the biggest Anthropologie sale rack I've ever seen in my life. I found this beautiful top to wear to the Met's production of Eugene Onegin. It was a breathtaking performance and Thomas Hampson was fantastic. It is such a pleasure to be able to watch a production where you find yourself just enjoying the show rather than always listening so critically.

And last but not least, we saw the New York City Ballet do their 20th Century Music Masters production. Honestly, I wasn't too keen on the first Balanchine piece. I felt like the dancers and musicians alike were struggling with the music of the Stravinsky. La Valse was much more enjoyable, and I LOVED LOVED LOVED the costumes. West Side Story Suite was so well executed and really fun to watch. I've always wanted to see the show live, and I think seeing the dancing alone, done by some of the most talented dancers in the world, may have been even better.

What a great trip! I really wish we could have stayed a few days more, but it's time to get back to the grind, my friends.

Turkey Burgers & Sweet Potato Fries

So I know I'm a little late on this, but we had an awesome dinner on Superbowl Sunday. Honestly, I've always felt that the food and commercials are what makes Superbowl Sunday special. (I'm not much of a football-watchin' girl, much to the dismay of my boyfriend.)

These turkey burgers with zucchini and carrots from Real Simple are a real winner. We used toasted English muffins for the bun.

And then there's the baked sweet potato fries. Yummy and nutritious. Can't beat that!

Rice Pudding

Awhile back, Jason and I became obsessed with rice pudding after eating at the infamous Rice to Riches restaurant in New York. When we moved to Miami, it became our main goal in dessert life to find or create the perfect rice pudding recipe. We spent months slaving over the stove, debating whether to cook the rice in water first or just milk, use cream, add raisins, what to do, what to do....

Eventually, we came across an old recipe book and found a simple recipe for stovetop rice pudding. We did some tweaking and here's what we came up with. And you lucky devils get the final pick!

2 cups milk
1 cup cream
1/2 c long grain rice (we use Jasmine)
1/4 c sugar
1 tsp vanilla
nutmeg

Heat the milk and cream in a medium saucepan until just boiling. Do not scald. (It helps to use a candy thermometer so you don't go overboard on the heating. Hot milk likes to boil over pretty quickly and make a big ol' mess). Add the rice and reduce heat to low. Cover and cook over low heat for 35-40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add sugar and vanilla. Let sit for 10 minutes or so to thicken. Spoon into dessert bowls and top with a pinch of nutmeg. Serve warm. OR let cool down and refrigerate overnight. It's super yummy cold too.

ENJOY!

Moroccan Stew! YUMMERS

I found this recipe on the Smitten Kitchen blog and knew right away I had to make it. The writer mentions that she first had Moroccan stew at Chez Omar in Paris, and when I read that I was all "OH MY GOD OH MY GOD OH MY GOD ME TOO ME TOO ME TOO! I ate at Chez Omar in Paris too!" (well I said that in my head anyway).


So, it was Moroccan Stew for dinner the other night and it turned out nicely. We added some carrots to the recipe, thinking you can really never get enough orange in a butternut squash stew. The problem was, I was too cheap-o to buy saffron and couldn't for the life of me find any preserved lemons. The flavors came out a little bland, although they it was much better the next day. So, if you decide to make this recipe, spring for the special ingredients. I think it would make it much, much better.

Also, as an added bonus, you get to make couscous, which is pretty much the most fun grain to cook. It fluffs up so quickly! Like magic!

Enjoy!

I can Mashed-Potato

Every night I have this dream.