cocktail round-up and happy new year!

I love New Year's Eve. I truly do. I’ve spent the night of December 31st trying to speak Italian in Rome, toasting in the new year on a boat sailing down the coast of Chile, in the French Quarter of New Orleans, in San Francisco's Castro District, in Peru near Machu-Picchu, getting lost in the Sinai dessert and inside a few clubs in Manhattan and Brooklyn- all celebrated with the best of friends. Then I settled down and I had kids…

..whom I love dearly, but let's be honest, New Year's Eve is not exactly the wild celebration it once was…
Finding a babysitter can be a bit challenging and (it might be age) but everything seems so crowded. So recently I’ve kept it simple: a home cooked meal, a bunch of friends and some good cocktails. Which is all one ever really needs, right? 

Here's a little round-up of some of my favorite drinks this year. Enjoy them!
I hope that your new year is bright and filled with peace, love, friendship and adventure. Thank you for tuning in and being part of my little space on the very busy internet. 

See you all next year! Be well and cheers!

xo, 

Batya

1. Apple Cider Hot Toddy by Cookie + Kate

2. Golden Raspberry Lillet Cocktail by 101 Cookbooks, Quitokeeto 

3. Mango Raspberry Bellinis from a House in the Hills

4. Clementine Limoncello Champagne Cocktail from In Good Taste

5. Limoncello Raspberry Prosecco Cooler by Comfort of Cooking

6. The Roman Holiday by the Pharmacie on Design Sponge

7. Concord Lime Vodka Collins by Brooklyn Supper

8. Cardamom Rose Cocktail by Apothecary on Design Sponge

9. Winter Sun Cocktail by Two Tarts

Special thanks to Carly Loman, the Jr. Account Executive at DLD PR (which is where I work!), for putting this collage together. She's great!

rocky mountain arsenal wildlife refuge + a breakfast shakshuka

If you are a parent with a small child (or children), my guess is that you are about to (or already have) spent a whole lot of time with your kids. It's winter break and most preschools are closed for the holidays. My own children have been off since December 20th and classes don't resume until January 7th! Yup. There's a whole lot of quality time taking place up in here...

Since winter break began, we have visited the Children's Museum, the Clyfford Still Museum, the Denver Art Museum, and the Museum of Nature and Science (also referred to in our household as "The Dinosaur Museum"). Joyce, our fabulous realtor, cooked a five-course dinner at our home for some friends (party!) and we ate lots of delicious food at Christmas Eve dinner…and even more yumminess at a lunch the following day. I felt like a walk was in order and I wanted to do something new…

So when my friend Kelly asked me if I wanted to go to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal Wildlife Refuge, I was game. It was also going to be 60 degrees in Denver (we are having a stretch of mild weather), so really, how could I refuse? I don't know why I hadn't visited the refuge before-- it's so close and so cool!

The refuge sits on about 15,000 acres and it's only 10 miles outside of Denver. I would liken it to the distance between Manhattan and Jacob Riis beach; you can't believe it's so close and yet it seems so far away. The refuge has gone from Native American hunting grounds, to homesteader farmland, to a WWII weapons arsenal and an Army chemical manufacturing facility (I believe sarin and mustard gas were produced here), to land leased to the Shell Oil Company. The arsenal was quite controversial until it closed in 1992, but then it was cleaned up (a major urban achievement) and turned into a wildlife refuge, managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service. Today you can find more than 330 species of wildlife at the former arsenal.

We parked in the lot near the Visitor's Center and immediately spotted two coyotes. The kids colored coyote masks, howled a bit, alarmed some of the other visitors, and we snagged free exploration packs (borrowed for the day), complete with magnifying glasses, nets and bird charts. Then we set off in the direction of the bison (you have to drive, you can't walk or bike due to safety concerns).


After viewing some bison (we saw calves too!), we walked around both lakes and set up a picnic lunch. The views of the Rocky Mountains were breathtaking. If you are looking for someplace near the city and want to see wildlife, this is the place to do it! It's a hidden gem that's right in your own backyard. 





 


Getting there: It takes about 15-20 minutes from our home in the Congress Park section of Denver (close to the Botanic Gardens). 
Admission: Free!
Activities: The new Visitor's Center has a lot of information, colorful wall panels and a kids activities room. Pick up an exploration pack too!

***

Hiking or walking on an empty stomach is a big no-no in my book. I get grumpy and so do the boys. So before we set out on our arsenal excursion, I made this simple and super tasty dish. Shakshuka, eggs poached in a spicy tomato sauce, is one of my favorite things to eat in the morning and it's relatively easy to make. I've posted the dish before and I've been playing around with the recipe ever since.
For that post I used an old Saveur recipe, adapted by Smitten Kitchen. This time I futzed around with the original recipe and made a few adjustments- but they were pretty minimal. Instead of using 8 cloves of garlic, I used 5. I also used 3 jalapeño peppers instead of 5 Anaheim chiles. Instead of crushing the tomatoes by hand, I pureed them (I like the sauce a little bit smooth, though there is some bite thanks to the peppers and onions) and I cooked the sauce longer than suggested, until the garlic was really soft (that's just my preference).
I firmly believe that recipes are meant to be tinkered with, so fool around with it until you find what tastes best to  you. 
Eggs Poached in Spicy Tomato Sauce, Shakshuka
(Adapted from Saveur)
Serves 4-6
Ingredients

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 jalapeños, stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped

1 small yellow onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tbsp. paprika

1  28-oz. can whole peeled tomatoes, undrained (I puree them)

Kosher salt, to taste

8 eggs (I always use at least 6)

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1 tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Warm pita, for serving

1. Heat the oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat (I love using my cast iron skillet for this dish). Add the chiles and the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, and paprika, and cook, stirring frequently, until the garlic is soft, about 2 more minutes (this step takes me 5-7 minutes).

2. Put the tomatoes and their liquid into a medium bowl and crush them with your hands (see note above, I favor pureed tomatoes). Add the crushed (or pureed) tomatoes and their liquid to skillet along with 1/2 cup water, reduce the heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened slightly, about 20 minutes (sometimes longer, taste it). Season the sauce with salt.

3. Crack the eggs over the sauce so that the eggs are evenly distributed across the sauce's surface. Cover the skillet and cook until the yolks are just set, about 5 minutes. Using a spoon, baste the whites of the eggs with tomato mixture, being careful not to disturb the yolk. Sprinkle the shakshuka with feta and parsley and serve with pita, for dipping.

You can find the original recipe here.

Share it with a group of friends, a loved one, some kids…or just gobble it up yourself! Enjoy!
xo,
Batya

Other shakshuka recipes that I can not wait to try:
This one from David Leibovitz
This one from Kate Bradley's Kenko Kitchen
This one from Melissa Clark at the New York Times

a last minute holiday gift guide: kitchen + dining accessories

This blog has been up and running for over 3 years. And while I usually focus on food, family and the places we go, I thought it would be nice to switch things up a bit! And so, I present to you, my very first Holiday Gift Guide! Okay, okay. It's a little bit late, but better late than never (and maybe you'll even spot something that's great for…you!)

While this blog is a labor of love, and I do love putting it all together, what pays the bills is my real job. When the kids are in school, the vast majority of my time is spent telling the stories of small design companies— putting their voice into words and curating a behind-the-scenes look at the company’s personality, character and lifestyle. I do this through the channels of social media and content driven posts at D Loves Design PR- a boutique PR firm that is based in Brooklyn…that has now expanded to Denver!

Because of my work (which overlaps with some of my hobbies and interests) I spend a lot of time pouring over designs of all kinds: from kitchen gadgets and accessories, to lighting and rugs, to wallpaper, ceramics and other beautiful objects. And since I curate design boards, I thought it would be fun to share a few of my kitchen favorites this season. I bet they would make the perfect gift for someone on your list! I'm hoping to have these sorts of collages (design, food, recipe round ups, etc.) as a regular feature on the blog- so please let me know what you think…

Special thanks to Carly Loman, the Jr. Account Executive at DLD PR, for putting the image sheet together! Happy holidays to you and yours!

1. Vaso Sake Set by Sempli*
2. Apron by Stitch & Hammer
3. Escape Glass Tumblers by Aruliden (because who doesn't love the mountains!)
4. Arrow Spoon by Amelie Mancini (small world: I went to high school with her fiancé!) 
5. Herringbone Salt Cellar from Leif
6. Alhambra Coasters by Fiyel Levent*
7. Star Cutting Board from Fern
8. Geometric Coasters by Koromiko
9. Kitchen Aid Professional 620 Stand Mixer (if you win the lottery…it's a beauty!)
10. Copper Foil Recipe Cards from Yellow Owl Workshop
11. Wooden Mini Bowls from Wind and Willow Home
12. Tea Towels by Skinny LaMinx (because you can never have too many tea towels!) I buy mine locally at Hazel & Dewey in Denver.

Please note: I do not benefit financially from any of the items in this post. An asterisk indicates that the principal of my firm has a relationship with the designer or artist—but I only have indirect and tangential relationships with these companies. The suggestions are my own and this is not a sponsored post. Enjoy!

love + chocolate molten cake

It’s been 5 ½ years since my husband, Matt, proposed to me on Calder Hill at the Storm King Sculpture Garden in Upstate New York. About a week after the proposal, we were legally married at City Hall in Manhattan (which is also the same building where my husband’s grandfather used to work as a condemnation lawyer for the city- just a fun fact!). We filled out the marriage certificate, repeated a few phrases, there was perma-smile, laughter and a few tears of joy. And in an instant we were legally wed. In that moment my husband gave me two of the most valuable gifts of all: his commitment to our love…and health insurance.

Our legal marriage was followed by a religious ceremony in my parent’s backyard near the roses. It was important to them since they are observant and religious people. There was a ketuba, a rabbi, mumblings in Hebrew...and just like that, our union was sanctioned by the Lord (and though my husband and I are both agnostics and our interest in Jewish culture boils down to customs that revolve around food- it was important to our loved ones, so we did it).

By the time our third wedding came around, this one at Wave Hill in NYC in early November, all of the legal and religious requirements had been satisfied, so we could really just have a party and do things our way. We wanted the celebration to feel like “us”- so we asked our friend Rigsy to assemble a four piece Jazz Band - which we knew would set the tone we wanted. We walked down the aisle to Louis Armstrong’s What A Wonderful World and concluded the ceremony with Down by the Riverside- which admittedly is a baptismal song with Gospel roots, but it’s a song that we’ve always loved and reminded us of our time in the Big Easy, which is where we met and fell in love. We also got married next to the Hudson River, so it kind of tied together nicely.

There were speeches about love and the early parts of our union. Our dear friend Megan read Walt Whitman's poem Crossing Brooklyn Ferry and my father-in-law recited a Scottish sonnet that everyone remembers loving, but no one can remember where it came from or what the title was (if you know, let me know!). 

My mother- who's a really a great orator which I attribute to her years in education- presented the sermon. She talked about doing good and honest work (at which point many of my husband's Legal Aid colleagues erupted into applause) and then she talked about the significance of the chuppah, the bridal canopy. 

Standing under the chuppah, surrounded by 160 of our closest friends and relatives, was a truly wonderful moment-- one of the best of my life to be truthful. Our chuppah was constructed of poles, linen and what seemed like a million flowers (which were later donated to the Hebrew Home for the Aged for crafting projects). Traditionally, the chuppah symbolizes the couple's first home together and it is also usually associated with the tent of Abraham-- since it is open on all sides. The idea is that newlywed couple should be able to build a home that is welcoming to passersby, neighbors, friends and family.

When we bought our home in Denver, it was our hope that it would be filled with a never-ending stream of loved ones and neighbors. And in that sense, our hope has come true. For almost nine weeks straight, family and friends came to stay with us- beginning in July and ending in the early fall. Friends who were road-tripping across the country, friends who were making Denver a pit stop on a larger trip to explore national parks, and friends who just wanted to see where we finally landed (and missed us!) all made their way to our new abode in Congress Park. My parents, my brother, in-laws, aunts and cousins came too. We all cooked together, ate together, drank together, and sat outside on the porch talking and laughing. There was warmth and love…and somehow, in our fair city by the mountains, we managed to create our own little chuppah-- where the door is always open…and if you come and visit you'll be greeted by something warm coming out of the oven…maybe, even, this chocolate molten cake.  

See you all soon! 

xo, 

Batya
Wedding photography by: Courtney Davidson Photography

Last month Matt and I celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. To celebrate the milestone I made Chocolate Molten Cake, which was the dessert served at our wedding! This recipe comes from a former law school classmate, Laura Marasco, who like me, seems to have developed a love of cooking and baking. So thank you Laura for sending this my way. The recipe is an amalgamation from several sources and Laura cobbled it together about 10 years ago. If it is attributable to any one particular source, she can't remember. My only tip is: DO NOT over bake it! For all you Denverites out there, I suggest pulling the ramekins out of the oven at around 9 minutes!

Chocolate Molten Cakes

Ingredients

1 stick butter

2 tablespoons flour

6 ounces bittersweet chocolate (Laura uses Hershey's Dark. I went with a bulk bittersweet block- label unknown)

2 tablespoons cold cream (or milk or half & half)

1/4 cup cocoa

2 large eggs

2 large egg yolks

1/4 cup of sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pinch of salt

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Grease and flour the ramekins or mugs.

In a double boiler (or a bowl set over a pot of simmering water), melt the stick of butter with the chocolate, stirring until smooth. Remove from the heat.

Whisk in the cocoa (sift it in) and cream. Sift flour over top and whisk that in too.

In a bowl, whisk together (or use a mixer) the eggs, egg yolks, vanilla and salt until thick ribbons form, about 3 minutes.

Add sugar and mix until well incorporated. Mix a little of the chocolate into the eggs to temper. Add the rest gradually. 

Divide among the dishes and bake until the sides of the cake are set but the inside is still soft- about 10-12 minutes* (*Denver or altitude bakers- mine took 9 minutes). DON'T OVERBAKE!

Remove from the oven and let cool in the ramekins for 2 minutes. Then unmold (or you can serve in the baking dishes) onto dessert plates. 

Serve with a little coffee gelato or fresh whipped cream. I served it with a tiny bit of powdered sugar and berries.

Enjoy! 
Makes 4