It's That Time of Year . . .

Brooklyn Flea moves outdoors!

The days may not be warm just yet, but the Brooklyn Flea is hinting at sunny days to come with its move from inside its winter location back to the great outdoors. Previously based out of One Hanson Place in Atlantic Center, it will now be in Forte Green on Saturdays and in Williamsburg on Sundays. Yesterday was the opening day in Williamsburg, based right along side the East River. To help celebrate, an official ribbon cutting was held at the entrance, a Brazilian marching band traveled throughout, and the amazing scents of various NYC food vendors filled the air–including the ever popular Red Hook ball park carts, delicious treats from Momofuko Milk Bar, and my favorite Brooklyn pickle vendor, McClures.  

My main reason for going yesterday was to hunt for items to add to my latest collection of vintage medicine, liquor and soda bottles. The Brooklyn Flea happens to be the perfect place for such a collection. In fact, it's the perfect place for sussing out just about every type of collectible imaginable, as the vendors hail from all over the place and there always seems to be someone specializing in whatever you're looking for. Other things you might happen upon include vintage clothing and jewelry, repurposed furniture, and art and crafts by local artists and designers. 

Photos by Cate

I had to hold myself back from purchasing a gorgeous handmade farmer table that was both too big for my apartment and too expensive for my budget, as well as these incredible aged tin mirrors. Let's just say, I could have left the Brooklyn Flea with a truck full of finds, but I managed to locate some semblance of self control and left with a few vintage bottles priced at about $3-$6 per piece, and  a vintage wooden gardening box to hold my prized collection–priced at $20 and negotiated down to $15. Oh yes, negotiating is definitely a possibility! Admittedly, I also left with a slice of Crack Pie from Momofuko Milk Bar and it was well worth it!

Photos by Cate

A visit to the Brooklyn Flea is a great way to spend a day out of your weekend. I do recommend going on a full stomach, otherwise you will definitely be spending the majority of your time trying to sample every yummy food you see (and there are a LOT!).

This post is courtesy of our lovely production assistant, Cate. Expect a more formal introduction to her soon!

Aled Lewis

Here's a little humor for your first day of April (where is this year going?!?), courtesy of Aled Lewis. I highly recommend going and checking out this whole series. Aaand, there's some profanity after the jump. Just warning you. Hope you all have a happy day and a happy weekend--can't wait to show you what we have in the works for Saturday!

Opening Day!

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(Kid Squirrely of the Boston Beaneaters, JangoArts on Etsy)

I love baseball. Some people count down to Christmas or their birthday, and I count the days until opening day. Baseball to me is as much about the sport as it is about the season. At the beginning of the season, it heralds the onset of spring. The middle of the season is all about pickup games of catch in the park and checking scores in bar windows as you're wandering the city. And by the time the world series rolls around, those final baseball games signal a drive for excellence and a return to seriousness from the carefree summer. So for those of you who feel the same way I do about baseball (Hi, Dad!), I wish you a sincere and heartfelt Happy Opening Day!

Kitchen Basics, Lesson 4, Standard Breading Procedure

photo by Barbara Bonisolli

Or, SBP as it's known to most cooks, is one of the fundamental lessons in the kitchen. As a young culinary student myself, I was shocked when so much classroom time was devoted to mastering the subject. Shouldn't it be common-sense? A little egg… a little crumb… some heat and voila, done!? Turns out, there's a little more to it than that.

There are three basic components in SBP. They are flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs - in that order.

First is the flour, which should always be all-purpose. Cooks will sometimes season this with salt, pepper or spices for extra flavor. That is optional.  

Next, are the eggs. Traditionally, this is a mixture of cream and eggs. Cream will make for a heavier crust. If you prefer not to use cream, you may substitute milk, or even water. The crust will be a little bit lighter as a result if you do. Whatever you decide, make sure to always beat the eggs until well-blended. 

Breadcrumbs are the last treatment. You may use store-bought, or make your own by grinding bread in a food processor. I like to use Panko, which is a flaky, Japanese breadcrumb.

Your station should like like this:

Notice how the raw ingredient is to the far left, followed by the flour, eggs, breadcrumbs, and finally the finished tray on the right. It is important to set this whole station up before you begin breading..

Organizing and arranging all of your ingredients before you begin cooking is known as mise en place. A french term which roughly translates to having "everything in place."

After you're all set up, you may begin to bread. Designate your right hand to be your "dry" hand, and your left hand to be your "wet" hand.

With your dry (right) hand, pick up your ingredient to be breaded and toss it around in the flour. Make sure it is entirely coated. Remove it from the flour and shake and pat it to remove any excess flour.

Drop it into the egg wash. Use your wet (left) hand to lift it out of the eggs and let the excess drain off. Then drop it into the breadcrumbs.

Using your dry (right) hand, pack on the breadcrumbs until they are evenly distributed. Then, lift the ingredient out and shake off any excess. 

Place the breaded item onto a prepared tray, and repeat this process until everything has been breaded.  


Feel free to experiment! Add buttermilk to the eggs for a tangy and moist breading. Or grind day-old brioche, sourdough, whole wheat, even pita bread for homemade breadcrumbs. The options are endless, and always delicious.


illustration patterns by sonia delaunay

A Toast to Old Fashioned

It’s time for full disclosure, Miya is my sister-in-law, so nepotism could very well have played a part in hooking Jackalope up with the You+Me* blogging gig. I tell you this, because this past weekend, my entire immediate family came down to Nashville to check out the progress on the brewery, so Miya and I got to hang out. One night I took Miya and my brother out on the town and brought them to a bar we have here called Patterson House. Patterson House is supposed to have a speak easy type vibe, they make amazing drinks. They also have an ice maker that apparently cost $25,000 and makes giant spherical ice cubes (and other cool ice makers too). It’s pretty cool. I got a Moscow Mule (the ice was one giant rectangular ice cube!) Jordan got some sort of whiskey mojito thing (a giant spherical ice cube!), Miya got some campari drink (another spherical cube! --- can you tell I’m mildly obsessed with the ice machine?) and Bailey got something with vodka and elderflower which sadly had regular shaped ice cubes. Very disappointing, but she didn't seem to mind. While we were all enjoying our drinks, Jordan mentioned that places like Patterson House made him wish he knew how to make some of the more classic cocktails, like an Old Fashioned.

This conversation popped right into my mind the second Miya sent me this week’s glassware assignment.

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They scream Mad Men to me and I love them. I want to wear a Joan Holloway dress, do my hair up all fancy and sip something classic out of these glasses. Like my brother, I had no idea what goes into an Old Fashioned, so I figured we Virballs can’t be the only ones lacking this knowledge and maybe I’d look it up and share it with you all.

You’re welcome.

Old Fashioned (from Esquire Magazine)

1 Sugar Cube

3 Dashes of Angostura Bitters

Club Soda

2 ounces of Rye Whiskey

Place the sugar cube in the glass, add the bitters and a splash of club soda. Muddle it all together. Swish the glass around so the sugar/bitters/club soda mixture coats the sides. Put in an ice cube and the whiskey and enjoy.

There, now don’t we all feel a little bit smarter and a little bit cooler?

(source)

Randal Phenning

via

From his Goodbye Darkness series. Pretty, right? 

How to: Spoonflower!

What is Spoonflower, you ask? Well friends, Spoonflower happens to be one of the coolest websites out there. It allows anyone (yes, even you) to create original fabrics without having to leave the comfort of your computer chair. Seriously, check out how easy it is:

Start off making a simple design. Remember, this will be going into repeat - so don't make something overly complicated. In this example, I chose to make a basic triangle. I used Photoshop, but there are plenty of other options if you don't have such a program. I recommend downloading one of these for free: GetPaint, or Gimp. You can also design your own motif by hand, and scan it.

Once you have your design ready, upload it into Spoonflower. Within seconds it   will be put into a basic repeat:

          

Easy breezy. Now you can play around with all the repeat options they have to offer. This is my pattern using a mirror repeat:

Totally awesome, and so simple! Once you've decided on a favorite, decide how much yardage you'll need, and what fabric you prefer it be printed on. Then, head on over to the checkout. In just a few days, you'll be delivered your very own textile design. Hooray!


**Take a tip from the Pro's: Before requesting a bunch of yardage, make sure to order a test swatch, or fat quarter first. You'll want to make sure everything looks perfect before making the big investment.

**While you're at it, check out these cool sites that offer custom designs as well!
Fabric on Demand
Karma Kraft
Pixeladies   

Queenie Cooks: Watermelon, Cucumber and Pepper Salad

Hello, my lovelies! Since last we spoke, I've been gallivanting here and there around balmy Austin, Texas. I headed down for South by Southwest and made the most of all the music, food and, well, food the city has to offer. Toward the end of my good times binge, my friend (and hostess) Louisa and I spent a day sitting by her beautiful pool. It was 85 and sunny, and we decided a salad would be just the thing for lunch.

Louisa knows well my proclivity for all things cucumber and had purchased three gorgeous ones ahead of my visit. She'd also picked up a perfectly ripe honeydew melon, thinking it'd be just the thing to combine with the cucumber in Deborah Madison's cucumber and melon salad. By the time we got around to actually making it, though, we were practically out of limes, a key ingredient, and there wasn't a scallion to be found in the house - another important element.

While Louisa worked diligently on copy edits for her latest novel, I got to work in the kitchen. I chopped and seeded and peeled and arranged, substituting champagne vinegar for lime juice and spiking the dressing with a bit of zest. In went chives in lieu of scallions, along with a shower of mint (a faithful element at last).

All in all, I think our version is more suited to my tastes. I tend to like a hit of citrus here, a pinch of it there; the lime level in this adaptation is much more me than the original. Come summertime, this would be absolutely incredible with some fresh local watermelon, or even a thin-skinned tiger melon. Yes, indeedy.

Cucumber and Melon Salad
Adapted from Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone by Deborah Madison

2 cucumbers, peeled, cut in half lengthwise and seeded
1/2 honeydew melon, cut into 3/4-inch chunks and chilled
2 tbs. mint, finely chopped
2 tbs. chives, finely chopped
Zest and juice of one lime
3 tbs. champagne vinegar
1/4 cup neutral oil, such as grapeseed or canola
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups arugula

Slice the cucumber halves crosswise on the bias into 3/4-inch wide slices. Toss with the honeydew, mint and chives in a small bowl. Set aside.

Mix together the lime juice and zest, vinegar and oil. Add a healthy pinch of salt and whisk to combine into a dressing.

Divide the arugula in half and pile each half onto one plate. Top with the cucumber mixture, then spoon the dressing over the top. Finish with lots of ground pepper and some more salt. Serve immediately.

Serves two.

Make Your Bed!

Okay, so we said it was going to be good, and this is what we've been working on:
The lovely ladies of Rue got in touch a while back and asked us to style their exclusive peek at the new Kate Spade bedding line, and then topped it off with asking us to make a stop motion video with Trent Bailey Photography (and you know we can never say no to working with Trent!). You'll have to go take a look at our spreads in Rue, which comes out today, but here's our video, because you know we hate to keep you waiting...

Make Your Bed for Rue from You + ME* & Trent Bailey Photo on Vimeo.
Isn't it the funnest? Did you catch little Claire and Emi and Dex and Tahoe in there?
We worked with some amaaazing folks on this one--special thanks to:
Makeup: Jerry Johnson for Laura Mercier
Hair: Fetch Beauty
Collage art in kids' room: John Murphy
Headbands: Preston & Olivia
Props: Find Home Furnishings & West Elm
 

Day of Silence

Words seem meaningless in the wake of the unfathomable devastation in Japan.  As we struggle to articulate the heartbreak we're experiencing, we want to join Utterly Engaged and Ever Ours in taking a day of silence to honor those who lost their lives, send strength and love to those who are struggling to make their way through this disaster, and consider ways we can support those who are providing critical services there.  Consequently, we will not be posting tomorrow, Friday, March 18.

If you haven't already, please consider donating.  You can visit For Japan With Love to provide emergency shelter and lifesaving supplies to families affected by the disaster via a contribution to Shelterbox.  In light of Jack's very recent birth, the plight of children in Japan has been weighing especially heavily on my mind.  I'm thankful for the work of UNICEF, whose efforts are focused on supporting and protecting children who are particularly vulnerable in an emergency. 

Our hearts are with everyone in Japan.