Fall 2013 Brooklyn Eats

My long two-pointed ladder's sticking through a tree

Toward heaven still.

And there's a barrel that I didn't fill

Beside it, and there may be two or three

Apples I didn't pick upon some bough.

But I am done with apple-picking now.

Essence of winter sleep is on the night,

The scent of apples; I am drowsing off.

(Robert Frost, "After Apple Picking")

I'm really behind on updates. Since I got married over a year and a half ago and moved to Brooklyn, around the end of each season I've posted new recipes and nearby restaurants I've tried, apart from special occasions or holidays. I wanted to post this in early December, but the holidays came with a vengeance and there just weren't enough hours in the day.

There are now fewer than 3 days left until 2014, and I truly cannot wait until 2013 is over and done with. It's been a rough year, and I'm looking forward to bigger and better things to come.

A Smoothie and Baked Goods

In September, I went apple picking at Harvest Moon Farm & Orchard in North Salem, NY with my husband, sister, nephew, niece, puppy niece, and mother. With the apples we came home with, I made several days of Harley Pasternak's Breakfast Smoothie, which was like healthy apple pie in a glass.

Some of the baked goods I made included Liv Life's Whole Grain Pumpkin Banana Nut Bread and The Baker Chick's Soft Frosted Pumpkin Spice Cookies.

Peter scampering around the apple orchard

Harley Pasternak apple pie breakfast smoothie

Whole grain pumpkin banana nut bread

Soft frosted pumpkin spice cookies

Soups and a Stew

This past autumn, I tried a few new soup recipes: Williams-Sonoma's Mexican Lime Soup with Chicken; Oh She Glows' Spiced Red Lentil, Tomato, and Kale Soup (this was so delicious, I made it a couple of times and plan to make it again soon!); and Scaling Back's Red Lentil Coconut Soup.

I also made Hip Foodie Mom's Kimchi Jjigae, or Korean kimchi stew -- an adaptation of the Kimchi Chronicles recipe -- for the first time.
  

Mexican lime soup with chicken

Spiced red lentil, tomato, and kale soup

Red lentil coconut soup

Korean kimchi jjigae with chicken

Salad, Dip, Burgers, and Arroz con Pollo

The following dishes didn't fit into neat categories: MyRecipes' Greek Salad (made without olives because I didn't have any); Everyday Food's Creamy Avocado Dip; What's Gaby Cooking's Cheddar Jalapeño Chicken Burgers with Guacamole; and Women's Health's Healthy Arroz con Pollo.

Greek salad

Creamy avocado dip

Cheddar jalapeño chicken burgers with guacamole

Healthy arroz con pollo

Shrimp and Salmon

I had frozen shrimp that I wanted to use up, so I made a lighter Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits. I also still have lots of herbes de Provence (which I first used in my freezer cooking spaghetti sauce), so I tried A Less Processed Life's Baked Herbes de Provence Salmon.

Lemon-garlic shrimp and grits

Baked herbes de Provence salmon

Pasta and Italian

I try to find a balance between embracing healthier recipes and sticking with the more indulgent, comforting ones. One of the lower-fat recipes I tried was Martha Stewart's Lighter Three-Cheese Mac. I made Eat, Live, Run's Cheesy Spinach Stuffed Shells a little lighter by using some part-skim cheeses, and Chef Michael Symon's Angel Hair with Olive Oil, Garlic and Chili Flake was already very simple.

Finally, Sam baked Ellie Krieger's Chicken Parmesan to eat along with whole wheat spaghetti.

Lighter three-cheese mac

Cheesy spinach stuffed shells

Angel hair with olive oil, garlic, and chili flake

Baked chicken Parmesan

Fall Meals from Local Restaurants

The list below is of local restaurants we tried for the first time this autumn.

Barbeque: Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, Morgan's BBQ
British/Fish & Chips: ChipShop
Caribbean/Latin American: Ideya
Chocolate: Cocoa Bar
Italian: Peperoncino
Japanese/Sushi: Kami Asian Restaurant, Yamato
Mediterranean/Falafel: Chick P
Thai: Olieng
Turkish/Mediterranean: Istanbul Park

Next up, I'll share some Christmas-related activities and details. Happy holidays!