I did a ton of cooking for my family when I was in Sag Harbor, NY last week, which I love to do because they’re an extremely enthusiastic bunch when it comes to eating. Okay, most of them are. I say “most of them” because there are children involved. Nuff said, right? For those of you that have children, you’re probably accustomed to all the exceptions and alterations to your cooking. I do not and am not.

So I figured I’d do a pasta dish that everyone could enjoy! Cause everyone loves pasta, right? Wrong. One has food allergies and an aversion to certain textures and anything “chunky.” One will try things but will more than likely dislike them and ask for pizza instead. And one is currently a pescatarian who hates eggs because of one runny egg incident over a year ago.

Look, I get it. We all have our thing, and I sure as hell have a few of my own. But man, kids can be brutal. “This is disgusting (sour face),” my cousin’s son tells me after sampling the couscous. I have to laugh. I’m coming to understand more and more, that things can get really complicated when there are children involved in the dinnertime equation.

The solution: I make spaghetti and red sauce for dinner. Three different kinds of red sauce. One with meatballs, one that has veggies in it and one that comes straight out of a jar. You know, to accommodate everyone. Don’t you just love this generation of children that have a voice? I swear there were like 30 different bowls on this table. But what can I say…everyone was happy and at least all the kids liked the garlic bread!

So that was that. And of course, there was leftover spaghetti.

The following morning, we’re all sitting around the table when my aunt Loretta (grandmother to the aforementioned children) cheerfully announces that she’s going to make a frittata with the leftover pasta from the night before! Nobody seems interested and I already hear mumours about eggs being “so gross.” But a frittata sounds great to me. And though I’ve never had one with spaghetti per say, I have faith in this woman and I’m sure as hell not about to tackle breakfast after the night’s fiasco. Good luck, Loretta.

But Loretta doesn’t need luck. She’s been feeding this family long enough to know what she can pull off. She tosses the spaghetti in the pan with some olive oil and veggies (zucchini, onion and mushroom), pours over some beaten eggs, sprinkles a little feta on top and lets it cook – first on the stovetop and then in the oven to brown the top.

It was fantastic. No, it was perfect. The texture of the spaghetti was so good blanketed inside that fluffy egg! And I just think it’s a brilliant use of the leftovers – Loretta, you’ve done it again.

Side note: Some of Chamomile’s healing properties include
Anti-inflammatory and anti-irritant, digestive aid, stress reducer, sleep inducer and a whole slew of others.

When I was at the Tweefontein Herb Farm last week, Sarah was nice enough to give me the rundown on all the fantastic things they’ve making with the summer’s herb harvest. Among all the healing herbal salves and soaps that smell good enough to eat, she casually mentioned that she’d been making chamomile honey sorbet to sell at the market as well. Okay, wow. I don’t even think I let her continue the conversation before insisting she let me try some. Immediately.

If you drink chamomile tea, then you’re probably already conjuring the flavor and imagining what it would be like as a sorbet. But let’s be clear, this is so not your cup of tea! The classic pairing of chamomile and honey in this silky, icy form take on a whole new meaning. I have no idea what that meaning is exactly… But anyway, this sorbet might be one of the most fantastic things I’ve tasted all summer. No exaggeration. You must try it to understand. So soothing and perfectly sweetened. And the texture – fluffy and light like cotton! OK, I’ll stop before I sound like a real freak about it.

The process of making it is much like making a cup of chamomile tea – well, a very large cup of chamomile tea.

Boil water, add tea herbs, add honey, let steep.

You can use green chamomile, but the recipe calls for the dry herb which actually has a much stronger flavor (so if you use green, you may need to use more or steep a little longer).

The perfect guiltless dessert (Well, more guiltless than most desserts anyway. There is a good amount of sugar in it). I haven’t actually tried doing this, but I was imagining that a little lemon zest might also be nice in it.

See, even tough dudes who lean on trucks love its delicate flavor.

Hey, If you’re even in NYC on a Wednesday or Saturday, you can get some of this delicious sorbet from Sarah and the Tweefonteiners at Union Park Farmer’s Market. They post up on the SW corner across from the Gandhi statue on Saturdays and right in front of the Gandhi statue on Wednesdays.

First, we spent a couple fun, yet more hectic than we were in the mood for, days in NYC.
Marlow and Sons.
Frankies Spuntino.
Moon River Chattel.
Brook Farm General Store.
Brooklyn Flea.
Northern Spy.
Artichoke Pizza.

From there we took the train upstate for some fresh air and to visit my dear childhood friend (recently turned farm boy), Jens.

Jens and his girlfriend Sarah currently live, work and give life to the 19th century farmhouse (pictured above) on the Tweefontein Farm in New Paltz, NY. It’s the kind of place where kitties and pups come and go as they please and someone is always in the kitchen preparing freshly plucked produce. Also, there’s a shower head connected to a hose strung from a tree where you can shower alfresco. AND a miniature harp in the living room that I’m still dying to know if anyone actually plays. That kind of place.

We spent two days with Jens and Sara and the eight or so farm hands and friends that make up the Tweetfontein Farm. And let me tell you, these guys really kill it. They raise chickens and bees (and soon goats) and grow more than 15 kinds of vegetables and 30 varieties of herbs, which they use to make the all natural hand salves, soaps, pestos, teas and sorbets that they trek down to NYC to sell at the Union Park Farmer’s Market every week. Jason and I mainly did a lot of listening, learning, observing and taking it easy as they went about it all…though they did let us get our hands dirty weeding and seeding a little.

There were breathtaking sights everywhere we looked…

Squash blossom bounty.

Best scarecrow ever.

Herbs hang to dry in one of the many old barns/sheds on the property.

Now, let’s pause and talk about following image for a second. Not the one you see digitally here, but the real-life scene I actually witnessed with my actual eyes. Sometimes you find yourself in these sorts of surreal moments, right? Where like, everything is silent and you go to yourself, “Um, is this most beautiful sight of nature creeping in through the attic floorboards of a hundred year old barn actually happening? And could there really and truly be a random church pew sitting here collecting light from a windowless window? Maybe you know what I mean, maybe I’ve lost you.

If you’re even in NYC on a Wednesday or Saturday, you can check out the Tweefonteiners and their awesome product line at the Union Park Farmer’s Market. They post up on the SW corner across from the Gandhi statue on Saturdays and right in front of the Gandhi statue on Wednesdays.

From the farm we took the train out east to Sag Harbor, where we spent the rest of our time in and around this house. It’s one of our favorite places to be.

Lots of windows. Lots of fresh air.

Lots of relaxing and looking cute.

We basically just hung out, did some walking, some beaching, some boating, some antiquing and lots of family style cooking and eating outside.

There is officially nothing, NOTHING, like gathering clams from the backyard shore and throwing them directly on the grill.

P.S. Oh yeah, I of course have a couple awesome recipes from the trip that I’m really excited to share with you in the next few days!

Anyway, there’s nothing like quitting your job and taking off for a 2-week vacation. Poor me, right? Well, if it makes you hate me any less, I am currently going on 6 hours of sitting at the Orlando International airport because I missed my flight due to no fault of my own.

In the meantime and to keep my face from falling off, I just wanted to drop a note to let you all know the blogging will be slow for the next couple weeks as I give things a rest and soak up some family and friend time in New York. I’m sure I’ll have plenty to share from the trip upon my return.

ALSO, I need to announce the winner of last week’s Baby Baggu giveaway. That would be Sabine of Melbourne, Australia. She seems sweet…but that’s not why I chose her. Every email and comment was assigned a number and then I had a friend pick one random number. I promised myself I would not be strategic or favor anyone based on their response ;) So congrats, Sabine!

And a big THANK YOU to everyone else who participated! I must say, I was so very touched to hear your stories (no matter how long or short). I was constantly running to the computer to read the next one! This giveaway was a great chance for me to get to know you guys better and feel connected. It was also really interesting to learn how varied our jobs and routines are.

I appreciate all the support and kind words about my leaving my job. It’s certainly helpful to hear some positive feedback and the stories of all of you out there who have done the same.

Talk soon, gabi.

(Please note the empty bottle of wine and the nail polish remover. Trouble.)

Anyway, it was so great to spend a couple days with my two nearest and dearest and ever-talented girlfriends, Jen and Dana. We’ve been friends for almost 15 years…which I think is definitely something worth celebrating every so often.

Over the course of this gender-specific weekend, we invented a couple pretty fantastic cocktails so let me tell you about those before I get to the later refined Aqua Verde Aperitif.

First there was The West Palm Peach – muddled peach and ginger root with vodka and soda water and a twist of lemon. Fantastical.

Then there was the Cool as a Cucumber Cocktail – muddled cucumber (Apparently we love to muddle?) with vodka, a little raw sugar, mint, soda water and a twist of lemon. Oh so refreshing.

It’s actually kind of funny the way we came upon concocting this little aperitif.

(Nice nails, Jen)

We had some leftover cucumber infused vodka in the fridge and decided to let it keep stewing so to see if the cucumber flavor would get stronger. It did! After 48 hours, the sharp, alcoholic edges of the vodka became smoothed out, and once strained, the vodka tasted fantastic!

Then we took it a step further and busted out our muddle, again. Muddled up some mint, agave and lemon juice and added that to our homemade cucumber infused vodka. (Impressed yet?)

Then strained it all out and were so delighted with the translucent green color it yielded – hence the name, Agua Verde! The color mainly comes from muddling the mint leaves, not the cucumbers. The flavor is very smooth, subtle and natural. Not sweet and artificial like a gross and sticky shot you might get at the bar. It kind of reminds us of the best parts of a mojito (minty cool and easy to swallow) with a very apparent cucumber undertone. Remember though, it’s essentially straight up vodka so you might not want to actually suck it down like a mojito.

(Though color blind, Oscar the Pouch is shocked by how marvelous Agua Verde looks!)

This is precisely the kind of thing you want to sip on after a light meal on a back porch as the sun is setting. Or when the heavens rain down on your beach day. I’ll definitely be making more Agua Verde to get me through the hot weather and tornado warnings down here.

P.S. Can you spy the itty bitty baby cucumber on the vine?

So in honor of my leaving this place of employment and retiring my favorite little striped Baggu lunch bag, I’m going to be giving away a new Baggu Bag (winner picks the color and pattern) to one lucky lunch carrying reader. But, before I give you the details on the giveaway, I’d like to divulge a little more about this big change in my life and hopefully help draw some context around things.

I’ve been planning my exit at the ad agency I work at for several months now. Well, at least in my head I have been planning it. Carving out the exact conversation I’d have. Waiting for the right time. Anticipating the moment that I’d blow up, allowing the undeniable truth that this job is not for me, carry me straight into my bosses office where I’d say, “I QUIT!” Of course, after months of this scenario building in my head, it wasn’t actually until last month that I finally got the courage to tell my boss that, “I need to explore other creative opportunities.” Translates to: I just can’t do this shit anymore.

I don’t enjoy it. And someone else will. Therefore, that someone should have my job. I think that’s fair enough. But most importantly, I wasn’t learning anything anymore (not anything I cared about anyway), and there’s just no future for me at a job like that.

(A retrospective of me at my desk doing various things, none of which appear to relate to work in any capacity, over the past 3 years. God, this place has aged me.)

So then, if coming up with creative marketing campaigns and writing ad copy for an unappreciative client base isn’t really my thing anymore, what is? If I’m not destined to be a writer of short sentences, what am I destined for?

Don’t pressure me, I’m not quite sure yet. Um, this blog thing is fun. Maybe that’ll take me somewhere? Recently, some opportunities seem to be surfacing as a result of it so who knows. I’ll do some freelance copywriting too I guess. Well, maybe. I don’t know. Way to have a plan, Gabi. Luckily we don’t have any children to worry about providing for right now. Plus, Jason gets it. It was a little scary for us when he quit his job three years ago to start Makr, but it ended up being the best decision he could have made. He couldn’t be happier today and I couldn’t be more proud. (gush.) So it’s my turn now and he’s being wonderfully supportive as always, even promising not to let me starve to death. So sweet, I know. But I have some money saved and fortunately, there’s never anything at the mall I want to buy anyway.

Upon starting my last week at work, a good friend asked me if I was sad at all. Like if there was anything I would miss about it my job. This question left me dumbfounded. I had not considered this at all. How terrible of me that nothing came to mind. The answer finally came to me three days later.

Thing one: I will miss my parking pass, which gives me free and unlimited access to one very convenient and centralized parking garage downtown.
Thing two: I will miss lunch.

I will miss my lunch hour the most. I like the routine of it. Packing an awesome lunch and looking forward to eating it all day. Reading a book under a tree with my bagged meal. Watching stupid youtube videos at my desk while I eat. Walking around the lake and grabbing sushi on the way back. Running errands. Blogging with one hand and feeding myself with the other. I even adore my lunch bag itself! A couple days a week I might meet up and eat with somebody else, but usually lunchtime is my time. My lunch hour has always allowed me to break up the crappy workflow and enjoy the hours between 9am and 5pm a little more. I love it. Yes, I realize that I’ll continue to have lunch every day regardless of employment, but it just won’t be the same.

Are any of you with me on this one? Is your lunch more than just a meal to hold you over until dinner? What’s your routine? Do you eat out or pack a lunch? What do you typically bring? Do you do something special…maybe with someone special? Or do you just shove a sammie down your throat and keep moving along? What does your lunch hour mean to you?

Rules for the Baggu Bag giveaway: *UPDATE* The time to enter for the giveaway has now ended – August 12, 2010 2:30 pm EST.

1. You don’t have to answer all of the above questions (or even any of them), but I would love to hear something about your lunch hour and what it entails. Maybe lunch is nothing special to you, and that’s fine too. I’m curious either way. Tell me about it. I will enter you no matter how interesting, funny, long or short your response.
2. Either post your response as a comment or email it to Gabrielle{at}honestfare {dot}com and I will enter you for the giveaway. Email is probably better if it’s a longer or more personal story ;) Please use Baggu in the subject line.
3. One winner will be randomly selected a week from today – Thursday, August 12, 2010.
4. The lucky winner gets a Baby Baggu (perfect for carrying your lunch or just about anything in)! Winner selects the color they like and the bag will be sent to them at no cost.

FYI: Just so you guys know, Baggu did not influence this post in any way. I want to be transparent and tell you that I decided to write a post about my last lunch and incorporate my special Baggu lunch bag. The company was happy to contribute a free bag for my continued support as a customer and blogger over the years.

So without further ado, I guess I should go enjoy my last lunch on the job and then clean out my desk…

Bitter sweet.

Fried okra. Amazing. Stewed okra. Amazing. Pickled okra. Amazing!!!

I know some people get weirded out by the slimy “goo” texture cooked okra often results in. I can see why. This usually happens a lot when okra is stewed. You can actually minimize the slime factor by leaving it whole and only quickly cooking it, flash frying it or even cutting it lengthwise and grilling it. Of course, pickling happens to be the best way to enjoy okra without the slime. It’s SO good. Please try it. It couldn’t be easier to do.

Right now there are heaps of okra everywhere. I picked up a giant bag of it at Clemon’s produce market the other day with the intention of pickling some so I could have it around for snacking.

My pickling brine was nothing fancy. I just used garlic, salt, sugar and horseradish and jalepeño pepper to spice things up a bit. You can actually use more pepper than you’d think cause the vinegar really cuts the fire. I packed them in there pretty good cause once the liquid is added, they like to float around.

We ate a few after just 48 hours and they were good, but by day 3, 4 and 5, they were fantastic. Wait it out…it’s worth it. And they only get better after that.

(See what I mean?)

So I made her one lovely vegan vintage strawberry shortcake and posted it on her blog for her birthday this weekend.

You guys know that a lot of what I cook is vegetarian and can be easily made vegan anyway, so when she asked me to post a vegan recipe, I immediately wanted to bake something vegan for a change. Get that butter outta here.

This recipe is fun cause it basically mimics those little individual store bought strawberry cakes you used to love when you were a kid (or maybe you still love them, which is fine). This would be the GAINT, healthier version of one of those.

I was pretty pleased with how it turned out and I’d definitely recommend it for a healthier/vegan rendition of this cute little favorite. I made the whipped cream/custard style filling using a silken tofu base (a protein-packed dessert).

Details on all that and how I turned the cake into a cup are in the post on Rachel Red Lips so go check it out. And while you’re there, you can have a look through all the adorable stuff in her vintage store too!

p.s. I can’t stop eating this!!!