"Crudite Basket" for "Thanksgiving"

the table was set when I arrived.

My Crudite was for Cocktail Hour before the Dinner.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner at our friends John & Jonathan's home in Greenwich Village.

This past Summer I made a vegetable basket for John's Birthday Party. I guess they liked that contribution, so they asked me to make a Fall Version of that for this occasion. 
It all depended on what I could get at the green market the day before. Mainly I looked for what looks good and will stay fresh for a few hours.
The things I bought on that morning were,Orange Cauliflower, Purple Broccoli, Watermelon Radishes, Rainbow Chard,  Persian Cucumbers, Small Carrots in Yellow Orange Red and Purple, Peppers, Japanese Radishes, and Radicchio...

Vegetables I've got for the Basket. 

The hardest part of making a "Crudite Basket" is washing those Veggies, after that you have to do only peeling and cutting, if necessary. Somethings I keep in the cold water for couple hours to get clean. Of course you have to keep them pretty as much as you can.
If food looks good, you are almost there to succeed making a great appetizers. 
It is all about presentation. If you made it beautiful, taste will be better already. 
I think I'm very good at it, and I enjoy doing it !
Making things pretty is my specialty.  Mind you, that takes practice and you needs to have good eye to find things in the market. What colors of vegetables make people say "What is this?" or "Where can I get this veggies?". 
I've been going to the Farmer's Market for long time. I know which vender to look for what, and what is available each time of the year.
If you need to make "Vegetable Basket or Platter" for the Party, look for the Colors. Everybody expected to see Green and Red and White, so look for other colors, Bright Colors !
Keep stems with them if you can. Because that makes different from the platters you will get from the Super Market. Keep everything eatable on the platter.  Use Bell Peppers as containers for dips. Use leaves for liners instead of Plastic Wrap.

"Broccoli & Cauliflower" 

cut into bitable florets then keep in the water.

dry them well just before putting into the basket.

 

"3 kinds of Dips in Bell Peppers, and Japanese Spiced Salt."

Yogurt Dip, Miso &Bblue Cheese Dip, Tahini & Sesame dip.

This was for 19 people, I could have used a smaller Basket, but it is always a good things to have more than you think enogh, specially for Big Holidays.  Besides, it is always good to have left-over vegetables to make Turkey Soup the next day...
I made 3 dips for the vegetables this time, not including Japanese Spiced Salt which contains "Yuzu-Kosho", "Black & White Sesame Seeds" ( this one is good for Japanese Radishes, and Green Mangos in summer.)
Miso & Blue-Cheese Dip has very saturated flavor and people love it.  Greek Yogurt with Small Pickled Red Pepper is a new invention of mine for Vegetarians who doesn't like any cheese in their diet.  When you make things for parties you have to think about those people. These days, many people are becoming vegetarians therefore we can't forget about them.
Tahini & Sesame Dip, I also created this time. Which is mixture of Ground White Sesame Seeds and Sesame Oil and touch of Soy Sauce and Agave and Tahini. 
I thought those 3 dips would go with hardy fall vegetables.
By the way, you have to cover the basket with Damp Paper Towels to keep vegetables fresh during transport. Keeping vegetables fresh is crucial !

"Baby Turkeys and Baby Pumpkins" 

keeping eyes on my "Crudite Basket" 

This is how my "Crudite Basket" looked before gusts started devouring.
Although, it stayed as was for while until John picked one Carrot. Because nobody wanted to destroy my edible composition. Taking off the cap of  Bell Pepper did help...
Guests liked best "Tahini & Sesame Seeds Dip" in a Red Bell Pepper. The most surprising New Vegetable for guests was "Watermelon Radish".  Nobody knew there is such a vegetable and it looks so pretty. I recommended them to try it without dip for the first bite. They kept asking me "It's so sweet, where can I find them?".  
My answer to that was, "Don't you know where I go every Saturday Morning to meet John & Jonathan ?"
What a lovely evening it was...

"Osage Orange"

Do you know what is an "Osage Orange" ?
More than a few years ago when we were in some life-style shop in Paris we found a candle with "Osage Orange". That sounded very exotic. As I said,  this was quite some time ago.  I did not know what that fruit was and if I could find it in New York City.
When you research it in the Dictionary this is what they will say about this exotic sounding fruit.

They are Very Strange Fruit, you may find in the Fall at the Farmer's Market. 
"Hodgson Farms & Garden Center" brings them from Walden NY to the City along with Broccoli,Cauliflower, Eggplant, and Pumpkins.
You do not buy "Osage Orange" to eat.
I don't remember where it was or who told us that "Osage Orange" is good as a Cockroach repellant.
We have been placing under the kitchen sink and vanity for many winter seasons.
I don't know for sure if it is working or not, but we certainly did not see any Nasty Creepy-Crawlies in our home.

Now it is the time for us to get a few of them to hide where we don't have to see every day.
The fruit will get black sometime within the month. But, we are supposed to keep them until they get Brown to Black.  I think we can keep them at least a month or so. We get more than a  few to keep in home.
It has faint smell and sticky surface, but they are so much better than any chemicals you get for cockroach protection at drug store. "Osage Oranges" are light Green, so they go well with your X'mas decorations. Most of all they are Fruits, they won't cause any harm to you, as long as you keep them in a safe place for your four legged friends in your home.
They are cheap enough for you to try them under the sink at least once. Unless you don't mind seeing those Little Black Crawling Things in your home.
By the way, did you know cockroaches in Japan are much bigger and they Fly ?
So, now you know I'm not always telling you that Japanese things are always better.
One final thought, why do other languages have such cute names for Cockroaches ?
In Spain "Cucaracha", Yugoslavia "Bubaschawaba", and in Japan "Gokiburi".....

"Au Revoir, Eileen"

Saturday was the last time to see Eileen from "Buzzard Crest Vineyards"of upstate New York.

We had been seeing her at the Farmer's Market in Union Square since September.
They are growing organic grapes for more than 30 years. Every week they brought us seedless and seeded varieties from north in the Finger Lakes. Some were Green, others were Deep-Red. 200-miles trip to NYC gives them one of the longest drives of any farmer at city markets.

They had been bringing those delicious Grapes to us for almost 3 months.  They also make Wines and Grape-Juice. Thanks to the warm weather we had this year, we did enjoy those grapes a little longer. Believe it or not, their grapes stay plump almost week on the table. They are my choice of fruit for past 3 months.
Sadly, it was time to said "Good Bye" to them until next Fall.

As I blogged before, we had been buying them since Labor Day. The last few weekends I bought more than I could eat for the week. Yes, I've started to freeze them. Some of them are ready to try as Cold Sweet & Sour Little Ball Candies.
Sometimes its better to keep them on the kitchen counter for few days before starting to freeze them. If you do, it will make Grapes even sweeter. 
I have to tell you again, you must wash them well and dry them completely before you put them into the freezer. One of  Eileen's stand helpers told me that you can soak the Grapes in "Concord Wine (sweet wine)" before you start freezing them.  I did not try that method yet. 
If somebody is going to freeze them with that extra step, please let me know how they taste.
Some may say it is not great idea, but I drop one or two in the White Wine Grass when I want my wine to stay cold.  
You can surly put them in Yogurt as a desert. That will give you a surprise cold bite. 
In the Holiday Season, along side a Chocolate-Truffle you can serve them as well.
Sometimes it is great to have a cold sensation in your mouth when you are in the very warm home with your family ! 

Unseen Side of New York Marathon.

They were the First and Second Runners passing us.

Some of the Handicap Runners and others running togerther.

As you all know, we had New York Marathon through out the city last Sunday. 
For the first time I went to the Central Park to cheer Runners on at the 24 mile point. 
I met our friends behind the "MET'.
Central Park was completely closed for the event.  I had to enter the Park by following the 81st Street Cross Town Bus Route. When I go to the MET, that is the street the Bus will take. I've never seen people walking on that cross town street.  I did not even know that street has sidewalks.
Half way though the Park, I found steps to leave the street.  From there it was easy to get to the meeting point.  I was so surprised to see that many people were there to cheer Marathon runners on !
There were already Bicycle Runners inside the Park, trying to finish the Marathon Course. Within 20 minutes or so, we were told that First and Second Female Runners were approaching the Park.  Sure enough, there they were!  They run so fast, almost like the speed of me running 100 Meter Dash. What shape they were in !  They were incredible...
After a few more female runners, there came a few policemen on motorbikes.  Right after that the First and Second Male Runners came.  As you can see they were so fast it was almost like they just started to run.   After that, runners kept coming, one after the other. There were Cowbells and Cheer Sticks and Megaphones.  We kept screaming "You're Looking Good !!"  "Keep Going !!"

As the crowd of runners thickened, I noticed some of runners were in costume. 
I thought "Halloween" was over.  For some people, I guess, "Halloween" never ends.
We saw Minnie Mouse, a band-member of KISS, Spiderman, a Hot-Dog.  I even saw a Swan. Many runners were wearing the Wigs as well. 
I thought that Marathon is Serious Business.
In New York, you can always find some dedicated crazy people who are up for anything. That's why I love this City.
Seeing those Runners in Costume made me think how many Famous Marathons in the world would have costumed runners we had in New York ?  
New York is a such a Special City isn't it ?

One of my friends in Japan is serious about doing the New York Marathon next year.
If he gets permission to run I'll have to go back to the Park next year.  Maybe I have to make some more stops along the Marathon course before the Central Park, so that I can catch him at several points of his run.
On the way to the Park last Sunday, I met a few family members of the Runners who were doing exactly that. For that I have to thank the New York Subway System.  Did you know if you run the Marathon you can ride the Subway for free ?   I never knew that. 
But I won't run the New York Marathon just for a free ride.
The friends I met in the park were saying if my friend comes from Japan for that, we have to throw a party for him.  So shall I start making plans ?
I have to ask my friend in Japan, how soon he will learn if he will come or not, and what he is going to wear for that day ?  The colors of his running gear is very important for us to spot him in the crowd.  And also I have to coordinate the party theme with it, don't I ?

After crossing Finish-Line they met each other, and picked up their belongings.

And get those Fantastic Wind-Breaker to keep warm !

"Poncho" is the Fashion Choice in the Park !!

Halloween is over, Time to Start Eating Pumpkins !

On the way to Hyde Park, NY, we stopped at "Outhouse Farm Stand".
They had a great Pumpkin Patch. That Orange Pumpkin Field reminded me that Pumpkins are not for only "Halloween" decorations.
I had to start cooking Pumpkin for dinner.  Did you know how many different kinds of Pumpkins we can get in New York ? 
My personal choice for dinner is "Kabocha"
Some say "Kabocha" is a squash, but I think it is definitely a Pumpkin !
When I was in Japan there were only a few ways I had them; "NImono(stewed)" or "Tempura".  We sometimes mix with Sweet-Potato or Chestnut to make sweets. 
But now, I choose to roast them. If you never tried roasting "Kabocha", I think you should try it. The hardest part of cooking is peeling the skin. Other than that, the oven does all the work for you. It will get so sweet when you roast them.
If you care to know how I do them, here are the steps.

First before you start, wash it very well.

Pre heat your oven 300 ~ 350F.

Cut into half then seed them.

Carefully peel the skins.

Cut into 3/4 ~ 1 inch wedges. 

Toss them with olive oil.

Oil should be just enough to coat Pumpkin Slices.

Sprinkle Sea-Salt.

Place sliced Pumpkins on the foil lined cookie sheets.

Put into the oven.

Wait until you smell when they get Brown. Ready to be turned.

Carefully turn every slice. Put them back into the oven.

Whole cooking time will be 30 ~ 45 minutes.

By the way, I roasted Green-Califlower at the same time.

This is how it will come out.

If you'd like to have some kick, sprinkle Black Pepper when they are still hot.

Since we don't like to use Black Pepper, I use "Kuro-Shichimi" from Kyoto.

It is a Black Japanese Chili Powder.

"Ichimi  & Kuro Shichimi" from Kyoto.

This is a lovely gift package I got from Tomoko-K's Mother in Japan. She got them for me when she visited Kyoto. It is from the Shop in Gion Kyoto that specializes in Japanese Spices.

You will see "Too-Karashi"( which means Chinese-style Japanese Ground Chills ), in most of Japanese Restaurants. We use them to add some heat to dishes, specially for "Udon" or "Soba".  Come to think of it, we use them for almost everything. I think we use them so much more than "Wasabi" which is basically for "Sushi" or "Sashimi".  We originally got "Too-Karashi" from China in the 6 ~ 7 century.  The monks who went to China to study "Buddhism" and "Culture" brought them back to Japan, along with the idea of noodle making.  

"Too-Karashi" are nothing like Black Peppers nor White-Pepper. They are more like Ground Chills.

In this gift package, I've got "Ichimi" and "Kuro-Shichimi". "Ichimi" means one flavor, so this one is made from only one kind of chill. The other one is "Shichimi", which means a Chill made from 7 ingredients. It is usually Orange to Red. But, this particular one is in Black. I think this is the only shop that makes "Kuro-Shichimi"( Black Chill made of 7 ingredients). It is more like ground Ancho Chili. But it has a Sesame-Seed flavor to it and something more.

It is not just adding Heat, it adds Nutty Taste to Pumpkins-Slices.

If you have chance to go to Kyoto you should visit this fantastic Spice-Shop.

Trees with Colors.

This is yet another scarf from "NUNO"

Now I know why I chose that scarf for that day.

There is always a reason for everything, isn't there ?

Over the weekend we met our friend Julie at the train station of her town, then we drove up to Hyde Park New York.
On the way to Hyde Park, the highway was surrounded by trees which changed colors from Bright Yellow to Dark Brown. Occasionally spotted with bright Red to almost Pink. 
Mother Nature has been very busy painting trees with many colors from her pallet...
In Japan, when you say "Foliage" it means all about "Red" especially in Kyoto. Those Japanese Maple Trees get so Red nothing but Red. I have to admit that they are stunningly beatiful to look at.
But some how I love the foliage of Up State New York. Seeing the variety of colors makes me so excited. Mountains are not covered in just one color, all sorts of colors all mixed in. Those colors do not blend into each other. Same color of trees cluster in one spot. Then next group of trees has completely different leaf colors. Just like mountains are painted by numbers. From far away, mountains were covered with mixture of colors. But when you see them up close you could see it was all about dots of colors. Mountains and Forests were all made of many colors of trees !
Some colors you could see there were beyond our imagination. How many different shades of yellows and browns have you seen in the crayola set ?
Believe me you will see so much more variation of those colors in the natural wonder ! 
I did not know those colors exist in Nature. You have no idea that leaves get so red or sometimes pink. I don't think I've ever seen trees get that shade of Pink before...
You still have time to see it,  I think this week maybe the peak for Foliage. If rain did not knock them off. It is too fantastic to miss !

When we arrived at FDR's home (beloved President Franklin Delano Roosevelt), we took a guided tour to see the house, which is frozen in 1945. They kept it the way he lived. 
It almost felt like we time-traveled into that era. Rooms on the first floor were very dark, and surprisingly very modest. I guess I was expecting to see more Velvet and Silk-Jacquard and Gold everywhere. In a way it is so nice to see a president such as FDR was living in such a modest way. 
His Wheel-Chair was a kitchen chair mounted on 2 big wheels and 2 small wheels behind them.  The only way for FDR to get to the 2nd floor was by elevator, which was only a modified Trunk-Elevator.  He had to pull the ropes to move it up and down by himself. We were told by the guide at the end of the tour that he used to say "I have skinny legs but look at my arms! " 
One thing I must say, the upstairs was bright. Especially his bedroom was so sunny and over looking Hudson Valley. And his closet was fantastic, many drawers and cleverly designed Clothes Racks and Hats Shelves. I wish I could have that walk-in closet in my home.
Later, the third floor was added for their 5 children along with both wings of the first floor. The tour did not include the third floor and servants' quarters, and sadly the kitchen.
Unfortunately we are not allow to take any pictures in the house, therefore I have nothing to show you what his house looks like inside. You have to go visit the house if you want to see what I am talking about. I think it is worth going up there to see the estate, especially in the Fall.
The Rose Garden was still blooming. Just like the roses were keeping company for Him and Eleanor and their beloved dog"Scotty". Do you know they all sleep in peace together in the Rose Garden ?

From the main street the formal entrance road approaches the house, where he repeatedly tried to walk with 2 canes. By this time, that was lined by beautiful yellow trees. Many geese were roaming peacefully... 
On the front lawn, many of big old trees were changing colors. I loved the grounds where the grass was still green and covered with fallen leaves. It was almost like round orange colored carpets spread under the yellow/orange trees. 
And finally, there was one Japanese Maple Tree standing alone near that Rose Garden. It was so Red almost like the ones in Kyoto. I had to have picture taken under that tree.
Guess what color scarf I was wearing ?

"Bungie Knots"

I forgot to put in one more photo for "Big Bambu".  It's a my scarf photo. 
This is what I was wearing that day. Just remember I didn't know what that installation was all about.  I had no idea how many Bungie-cords were used for it, and how many beautiful colors of Bungie-cords exist and how they kept those cords at the site. Just like tons of yarn are knotted on the bamboo racks. Looks like a "Yarn Shop", doesn't it ?  
I guess that is the best way to keep them in order, it is funny to see I'm wearing my scarves same way as bunches of Bungie-cords are knotted.
This scarf was given from "NUNO" when Jonathan threw a fantastic Big Birthday Bash for me in Paris some years ago.
Sayuri-san was one of many friends who came from many countries to celebrate my birthday in Paris.  She brought me this stole from Tokyo with a lovely note. I do have to talk about "that day" someday.
The scarf is 100% Rayon. Mixture of Blue, Yellow, Gray and Black & White all woven into one stole.
Believe it or not, I reach for this one so often I've started washing it myself in the washing machine. It is still holding up nicely after more than few years.  This is one of many reason I reach for this one so often Fall to early Spring.
Shall I talk about this Coat/Jacket ?
It is one of my favorite fabrics I found in NYC. It is "Needle Punched Cotton Velvet".  Think of a Cotton Velvet Burn-out Fabric laying the table, and then you put one more layer of light weight Wool Felt on top. Then needle punch them together.  That is the fabric this Coat/Jacket made of. It is light but keeps me warm, especially with a great stole with it !