Nuts for Nuts (Candied Nuts)

The week before Easter, we bought a tin of butter roasted nuts from T. J. Maxx. We just love the random food selection in that store. We put them out on Easter and Amy's mom loved them so much we let her take them home. Then the cravings set in. Amy just had to have some sweet and crunchy nuts, something that made her think of the ones she gets on the streets of New York City.

Thankfully, there's this thing called "The Internet," where we found a copycat recipe for the NYC original Nuts for Nuts. Honestly, it took about 5 minutes to make a batch, and while they were not exactly the same, they were good enough for the time being. Until we can get to NYC again, anyway. (We booked our hotel room yesterday.)

Next time, we might experiment with a little salt, or cayenne, or...who knows what? Let us know if you come up with something delicious!

Nuts for Nuts Copycat Recipe

from Todd Wilbur's Top Secret Recipes

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons water

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 1/2 cups raw nuts (we used Fisher Nuts Brand "Chef's Naturals" Cooking Nuts)

Bring the water and sugar to a boil in a medium saucepan. Once the sugar has dissolved, lower the heat to medium and stir in the nuts. Cook for two minutes, stirring occasionally. At the 2-minute mark, stir vigorously for one minute. The water will evaporate and the sugar will crystallize onto the nuts. When this happens, turn off the heat but continue to stir until the sugar browns slightly. Pour coated nuts onto a plate to cool.

Motorino Pizza, New York City

A few weeks ago, we found ourselves wandering around New York's East Village. We made our way through the maze of the subway system in order to visit Obscura, the antiques store featured on the fantastically creepy Discovery Channel's show "Oddities," and to see what else could be found in this particularly eccentric little neighborhood.

After a few hours (and one slightly twisted ankle) we decided to stop for lunch, and this was when we discovered Motorino Pizza. The unassuming storefront led us into a narrow eatery with tin ceilings, stainless steel tables, and of course, an open view of the most important thing in the joint - the oven. Beer and wine were available, and the service was friendly and attentive. When we spotted the sign advertising the daily special (right), we knew we were in the right place.

Pizza is a big deal in New York, and this pizza certainly lives up to that reputation. We had never heard of Motorino before this, although a little after-visit research tells us both Rachel Ray and The New York Times love their pies. No doubt! This is wood-fired, Neapolitan-style pizza, with crust that is blisteringly crisp on the outside yet pillowy soft within. The mid-weekday special, in which we indulged, featured a big, beautiful, fresh green salad, dressed simply with a little balsamic and black pepper paired with a pizza for a mere $12. We each chose the soppressata picante, featuring tangy tomato, fior di latte (a cow's milk mozzarella), garlic, red pepper flakes, and plenty of soppressata (a spicy Italian cured dry salami). We couldn't believe the amount of food at such a bargain price (we could have split one pizza!), and would definitely recommend Motorino for a cheap NYC meal that is out of this world.

An Afternoon in Eataly

Amy writes:

A few weeks ago, my mom took me on a Girlfriend Getaway tour to New York City. Between shopping and lunch in the Flatiron District, we spotted Eataly, Mario Batali's Italian food mecca on Fifth Avenue. Our tour did not allow much time, but we had to go in! We managed to sneak into the Eataly wine shop where mom picked out six bottles of Italian reds and had them shipped back to CT for our anniversary gift. See, we were engaged in Italy, and to celebrate, we had a case of special Italian wines shipped to us, so it was a thoughtful and very fitting gift. Mom and I grudgingly headed out the door to rejoin the tour, but had every intention of going back to Eataly someday soon.

That day came, for me at least, when Chris and I went into the city for an overnight this week to celebrate our ninth anniversary. In town for a mere 36 hours, we spent two of them gawking, hungering, shopping, lusting, and reminiscing in Eataly. I have been blessed with the opportunity to travel to Italy six times, two of them with Chris, and the food has always been the highlight of the trip. That said, if Italy is unattainable, on a culinary level at least, Eataly is the next best thing.

Every meat and cheese we ever tried in Italy was there, ready to be tasted and/or purchased. The fresh-made mozzarella (of which we were given a complimentary tasting) had the perfect briny flavor and soft texture that we've only had in Rome and Tuscany. The variety and freshness of the vegetables on display was worthy of the Campo di Fiori itself. The fish market's offerings were plentiful and stunning. We didn't even count the different types of salt, there were so many.Each display was a marvel of colors and textures, even the inedibles. In addition to the various market spaces, there are also several spots to grab a taste - of wine, gelato, panini, pastries, and more. There is even a steakhouse inside Eataly! We only shopped, but here are some scenes from our excursion for you to enjoy until you are able to make the trip yourself.



A great selection of cheeses



Giant wheels of parmigiano reggiano



Imported pasta of all shapes and sizes



Bright summery dishes



Salts from around the world



Tomato to-mahh-to



This is just the mushroom display

Vegetables

More vegetables

And even more vegetables!





Scampi

Fresh snapper

We never knew Chris had a garlic named after him!