The Mood That I'm In

 Sweet Salty Earthy Gooey TRUFFLE-y Grilled Cheese...

 You probably just sighed? Or drooled?

Today was my first day (night) back to school. Ugh. I was reminded of the reasons I was so unhappy last semester, mostly the two hour commute. I think it’s mainly rush hour on the subway that’s so horrific. Everybody looks like they just got beaten up…It’s a real downer. All these people are smushed together, wanting nothing more than to be home with their families, or by themselves for that matter. Instead they’re smelling the stranger next to them, close enough to see every pore on their face. Everybody is silent, collectively hating the person blasting r&b through their headphones unaware of how loudly they’re chomping on their gum. Am I right? People are nodding off, staring ahead with a dejected emptiness in their eyes. The ones with any energy left are playing games on their phones or reading on their nooks. I’m writing in my little red moleskin, about how much I hate the subway. 

Anyway, I had just gotten out of class and stood the majority of the subway ride home, thinking all sorts of things, but mostly what I was going to eat when I got home. Stepping off the platform into the wet cold night, visions of cheesy, bready, hot, gooeyness danced in my head. I had an insatiable craving for mac n’ cheese, but since I just had pasta out the other night, I moved on.  Grilled cheese? YES. With that truffle oil Michael got me…and the truffle salt I got yesterday…and that cheese I got the other day…and hmmm…something sweet…The honey my mom brought me from home. There you have it ladies and gentleman…Pretty damn fancy comfort food to cheer up my beat-down spirit on a cold rainy night in my Queens apartment.

 I have no measurements, temperatures, or specific instructions for you on how to make this. I will just tell you that as I opened the bottle of truffle oil, I almost fainted. That smell makes me crazy, seriously. It’s like cat-nip. I even wrote a college paper on truffles. I'm absolutely obsessed.

Did you know that: "Legend has it that the first being on the planet to devour truffles was a female wild boar. A farmer watched the sow dig up and eat the presumably poisonous underground fungi and waited patiently for her to die. Instead, she flew into a fit of passion and attracted so many lovesick suitors that the species began to proliferate in hot haste. Hoping to become fruitful and multiply, the story goes, the farmer sampled the magical tuber. His previously childless marriage reportedly gave rise to a brood of 13."(ParisTempo)

I brushed the sides of some multi-grain bread with truffle oil, layered some tome chabrin cheese (I think gruyere cheese would be best) in between the slices, sprinkled some truffle salt, drizzled some honey, and peppered it with some dried thyme I had hanging in the kitchen. I grilled it on my cast-iron skillet and there it was! Absolute gooey perfection. You might even say I burnt it a little bit. But I'd tell you that you were wrong...It's just the way I like it. I kept going with the fungi motif and also made a hot bowl of mushroom broth (since the usual tomato would not exactly go with honey and truffle). This combination was magnificent.

The Queens Kickshaw

 (Wearing lots of flower print today...Oh the irony...)

Global warming…Global cooling…Who knows what the hell is going on? Perhaps we’re all so shocked by this level of FREEZING because the past few winters were abnormally warm. This is the end of January…11 degrees is totally normal, right? Never the less, BRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR! 

My (temporary) unemployment has for the most part been a sort of blessing in disguise. Of course it absolutely blows not having money at times, especially living in the city, but I’m pretty grateful to have so much time to myself to do all the things I told myself I’d do when I was too busy working at the farm stand.  I’ve been spending more time in the kitchen than anywhere else, which is AWESOME. I literally can’t fall asleep at night because my mind is racing, plotting my meals for the following day.  I wake up and basically spring out of bed after stretching so hard that all the blood rushes to my head  just so I can get started on all my projects. 

Anyway, today I really needed to get out of the house. Since it’s way too cold to head all the way into the city or go for any kind of  leisurely walk, I bundled up and speed-walked to The Queens Kickshaw just a few blocks away from my place for their ultra-superior cappuccinos and some writing. I didn't even bring my headphones, because I'm so appreciative of their taste in music and interesting eaves-dropping opportunities. :-X.

I love this place. The first time I came, I was sent on a mission by a cider-distributor named Anthony, showcasing hard ciders at Murray’s in the West Village. He told me The Kickshaw had THE BIGGEST hard cider list IN NYC! Peace out, Anthony! I headed back to Queens, chatted with the bartenders and eventually with the owner Ben and his wife Jennifer, who just happened to be pretty obsessed with cider varietals. Ben was excited to have me try the “Oliver’s Gold Rush”, explaining to me how it was “like sticking your nose up a horses butt. It’s awesome!” Mm...They even knew about our cider Annadale Atomic Hard Cider and turns out they've made several unsuccessful attempts to carry it here. We were all ecstatic in making this connection and planning for the future. We browsed the list together, mused over our favorite cider apple varieties and fermentation processes, and tasted a good amount of cider. I left with a warm and excited buzz, anxious to return again.

II really, really suggest taking a break from ultra-hip Brooklyn and ultra-suave Manhattan and making the trip to Astoria, Queens to check this place out.  There’s a healthy blend of locals enjoying their lattes, using the free wi-fi and of the out-of-towners, anxious to try their extensive cider list, beer list, and delicious food. Their brunch includes comfort foods such as scotch eggs, french toast, shepherd’s pie, mac n’ cheese, baskets of knishes, tomato soup, and grilled cheeses, as well as $4 snacks like miso-mustard pickles, curried pumpkin seeds, and lemon coriander olives. 

 My favorite hole in the wall. (In Queens)