The Blocks of Brooklyn

I finished my first art project since moving to NYC (let's call it a pre-New Year's resolution)! And what better to use as my muse than good ole Brooklyn? "The Blocks of Brooklyn" poster was a straight forward exercise in delineating every block of NYC's best borough--Brooklyn.

Visit my Etsy page for more info: www.etsy.com/shop/bstaresnick

No apologies for the plug...I'm broke :)

-BStar

How many pictures was I in today?

I bicycle commute most days. I ride over the Brooklyn Bridge and always see tourists snapping photos. There haven't been as many recently, but they are still there. And I'm pretty sure I am in the corner of some one's photo every day I cross. I prefer the downhill if I'm going to be there, I'd like to be a blur and I really don't like being in the ones where I'm unsure if I'm front and center on purpose- the "Look, people ride their bikes on the bridge" pictures. But as long as there are still enough so that I'm wondering as I climb and coast just how many have a wheel, a bag, some flying hair, I know it's still bike weather. And in the middle of November, it is unusually great bike weather.

On a related bike note, if you've got one in the area, pull it in or lock it up obnoxiously securely. One of my bikes was stolen last week and since then I've been scouring CL in case it pops up. No luck, but a few others in the neighborhood have posted similar woes.

New topic- I've spent the last month having a "Thursday Night Special". It pretty much involves me going to Safe Haven and enjoying some music. It started when I heard a fellow BHer (there is some disagreement about this term... what do you think BH residents should be called?) Bryan Baker would be playing at Safe Haven. After he spent a while helping me fix my now stolen bike, he said he had to go to his gig. A few of us trotted along after. A month later, I've been every Thursday. The music, by Damian Quinones and his band, is excellent for a low key night out. I don't know enough about musical genres/appreciation to accurately classify it, but it is new and familiar. A cozy sweater that you can dress up. Last week, immediately following giving the police the rundown on my bike theft, I went and learned something very special about SH: $6 for a PBR and house shot. I went for the scotch... and learned that there are some reasons to drink PBR. Anyhow, the evening is highly recommended unless it gets too crowded (nearly there). Eh, even so.

Go take a hike

So I know that it is getting colder and the leaves are almost gone, but today was a perfect day to get outside and move around the neighborhood. I took a little walk in Greenwood this afternoon and it was so nice. They are blowing the leaves to the road to bag up and it really made me want to make a big pile to jump in, considering they were already a foot deep, this would not be not be hard. I'm not sure what if this would be appropriate in a cemetery or not, but it would be fun.
This weekend is going to be nice too, perfect in fact for a little hike up the hill to visit Minerva and send a what's up to the statue of liberty. Who knows how long this weather will last and the days are getting shorter so take advantage of it. Go take a hike!

the hill, prioritize your land.

back in september yale's environment 360 published an article on new york's future with the current climate change stats.  check the full report here. 

"By the end of the century, New York’s climate could resemble that of present-day Raleigh, North Carolina and its harbor could easily rise by two feet or more. Faced with this prospect, the city is among the first urban centers to begin changing the way it builds its infrastructure — and the way it thinks about its future."

that's pretty serious talk, especially when the talk is rooted in money!

picture this:  temperatures begin climbing rapidly, water levels rise faster than expected.  the city drowns overnight thanks to a storm surge.  8 million people living only 10 feet above sea level now knee deep in water, tunnels flooded, subway offline, "business as usual" disrupted.  the wealthy pay their way out of town while losing billions in damage, the impoverished are left stranded asking not for a penny but dry socks and shoes.

what goes on in those land policy meetings?  who decides what alternative use a landscape can have provided disastrous conditions prevail?  If large quantities of people then needed to evacuate and flee their homes where would they go?  battle hill, a high(est) point on long island sits next to two large tracts of land, greenwood cemetery is 474 acres and neighboring prospect park about 585 acres both at higher points at the top of the slope!

so what happens?  rather than a large stadium we have large parks/cemeteries, how many people could those spaces inhabit? and for how long?

high ground is dry ground.

Little Buddy's Biscuit: Welcome to Battle Hill

Some of you may have noticed a new biscuit shop that has opened up on 5th Avenue between 18th and 17th Streets. Little Buddy's Biscuit Company is amazing. Before they opened up, there was some debate as to what it actually was, a specialty dog biscuit shop, a human biscuit shop or a cafe? When they first open it was a simple walk in walk out pastry shop with some great biscuit (the human variation), scones, coffee, and desserts. They now have a bit of seating in the front and a small bar setting along the wall. They have also acquired a espresso machine and will started serving lunch on October 27th which has some promising sandwich options.

While we must wait to assess how the lunch is I can tell you that the baked good are amazing. They have a lot of little things that are excellent for breakfast like a cheddar and black pepper, oatmeal currant or lemon blueberry scones. The dough of these is wonderful. It is not super heavy (dense) or dry like some scones. For the cookies the best ever cookie goes to the Maple Cranberry Oatmeal with Pecans. It is so soft and chewy, just the right amount of sweetness and perfect for an afternoon snack. The espresso frosting is definitely a top choice in the cupcake realm and the Lemon Cloud Cake with a strawberry center layer and vanilla buttercream frosting is perfect for two (although I will definitely eat it all myself if given the option).

The employees are great and never rude and you can find the owner in the open kitchen creating the next amazing batch of biscuits. I also love the little stickers by the register of the logo biscuit doing random things.

It will be interesting to see how Little Buddy's holds up to the coffee houses in the neighborhood and how their lunch menu holds up compared to the biscuits and other pastries. For now, they definitely take the cake for best neighborhood pastries and desserts.

Mac N Cheese Off : The Results

The Mac N Cheese off was by far one of the best ideas ever and the tastiest. There was not one kind that was not absolutely wonderful and it made the voting a bit difficult and our stomachs a bit full. Still, through the food induced coma, decisions had to be made and the results are in and one recipe rocked Battle Hill.

Best Texture : Beery Cheesy tied with Penises & Cheese
Most Classic: Gruyere Mac N Cheese
Best Effort : Apple Mac N Cheese tied with Taleggio & Prosciutto Mac & Cheese
Most Creative Ingredients: Dessert Mac N Cheese
Best Presentation: Beery Cheesy tied with Dessert Mac N Cheese

And the top prize Best Overall went to Dessert Mac N Cheese.

Who knew that sugar, figs and macaroni could be so good? The best part is the creator, Melissa, just decided to put things together and see how it came out. A job well done as we found out. She has shared her recipe with us, although as stated, she just "threw" it together and so we only have the ingredients for you to take to your kitchen and try to make some magic.

Dessert Mac N Cheese

Fusili Pasta (or any fun pasta, she is also fan of bowties/farfalle)
Ricotta Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Brie Cheese, Cut off rind and melt
Mascarpone Cheese
sugar, to taste
Cinnamon to taste
Vanilla to taste
Dried Figs
Ginger Snap Cookies

Cook pasta as directed. Combine Cheese and add spices. Chop figs. Combine pasta, cheese mixture, and fig in oven safe dish. Crush ginger cookies in a food processor or by hand. Sprinkle over top of pasta and bake until warm. Enjoy.

We can only hope that next year produces even more creative and delicious Mac N Cheese. Look for the info to be popping up next fall for the next battle on the hill.

WooHoo

More to come on the mac'n'cheese off, but let's just say that you want to eat in BH because the locals know how to cook!

In the meantime, I'm taking a moment to celebrate a path to success by a BHer and blog contributer. Flowers and standing ovations to Majo, whose hard work on her book is turning into an impressive response from agents. The snippets I've read a fantastic, and I'm partial, but it is great to see some hard earned success up close. You can keep up with her beyond BH by clicking on her profile or clicking on this link to check out Muy Majo.

Cheers, Bravo, Bien Fait!