Perhaps It May Be Confusing...

So it has been brought to my attention that perhaps the name rust belt love is confusing for people who don't know what the Rust Belt is! (My brother has told me it scares him because he literally thinks of a rusty belt... and adding "love" to that makes him uncomfortable... and several people have referred to it as "Rust Bucket"... so perhaps an explanation is called for!)

As wikipedia explains here, the "Rust Belt" is the Great Lakes region that was known at one time for the booming steel industry, and all the factories in Buffalo, Pittsburgh, Cleveland, as far as Detroit and Flint. Once these great manufacturing hubs began to close – and rust – in the 70's, they were dubbed "the rust belt," and had a pretty negative connotation. Entire cities closed down, abandoned, and left to rust...

Probably the most famous of the failed steel mills was Bethlehem Steel, pictured above is the Lackawanna Plant circa 1950 (image grabbed from here.)

But now the WNY area is experiencing a new urban revitalization. People (especially young people) are moving into – or back to – the more urban section of the area they grew up in, or maybe just fell in love with when they came here for college (as this is still very much a "college town.") This movement is a whole new generation of people shrugging off the inferiority complex of being New York City's cold, destitute, once-mighty-now-fallen little brother, and yelling from the rooftops (to anyone who will listen) all the POSITIVE things Buffalo has to offer. There's a pride swelling up from the gentrified neighborhoods of the West Side, Elmwood, and Allentown, and moving outward.

Eclectic Allentown, The Drakosha Darkroom, grabbed from here.

This is where the name rust belt love comes from. A love for a city that can laugh at itself, and it's reputation. A city that doesn't take itself too seriously, or pretend to be something it's not. Yes, it snows here. A lot. Yes, if you drive for 40 minutes in any direction you will run into farmland. Yes, there are people who will do anything for a t-shirt, including diving into a kiddie pool of bluecheese to "bob" for a chicken wing... But there are also people who will do anything for their neighbors. I, on more than one occasion, have had complete strangers push my car out of a snow drift. Last year my sister's car broke down on the 90, and one of my friends I haven't seen since high school recognized her and pulled over to help. Strangers say hi to you when you pass them on the street. We have our problems (okay, a lot of problems), but we're a stubborn, resilient people.

And that's what rust belt love is based on. An idea everyone can get behind, even if you're not from or in the Great Lakes Region. That a good idea, and a good attitude, can only do good. Happiness begets happiness, and one good deed leads to another. Whether that's pushing someone's car out of a snowbank, or providing a service in a chill, honest way. Upscale, funny, sophisticated, and/or sometimes snarky design for everyone. No BS, no attitude... just doing the right thing. And hoping the next person passes that on.

Daring, You Say?

So my West Coast Parallel convinced me to join an online group/community/cult called Daring Kitchen. It's pretty awesome, you register as either a Daring Cook or a Daring Baker – actually, you need to be ACCEPTED – and once you are you have one month to make a recipe that someone in the group decides on. Then, EVERYONE blogs about it on the same day – which happens to be TODAY! So guess when I made mine? You got it, last night! The idea was for the parallel and I to make it on the same day but... a three hour time difference, two birthdays and a wedding anniversary kind of got in the way... SO, right down to the wire, luckily last night my youngest brother, Kevin, was there to help...

And so was George...

On the menu: Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada

Now, I understand the theme behind this one was "Cinco de Mayo"... but not a whole lot of Mex cooking goes on in our house... needless to say, I've never bought a tomatillo, didn't really know what the sauce was even supposed to look or taste like... I even had to ask the parallel if by "peel the peppers" they meant peel the skin off (she thought I was joking...). SO being an almost completely new experience for me, this took roughly three hours from start to finish. Meaning we ate around... 10pm. Awesome.

So first I roasted, seeded and peeled the peppers...

And Kevin helped with that... making fun of my gloves... and apparently making the same face as me! (Can you tell we're related?)

Next we roasted the tomatillos... which are kind of gross, and I like tomatoes! They just look like green tomatoes, but they are sticky for some reason, probably something to do with the weird papery leaves around them... After roasting we pureed them in a food processor.

Add some onion and garlic (I used more than the recipe called for, because man do I love onion and garlic!)

Add it all in a saucepan with chicken broth, oregano, salt and pepper. My first thought was "Oh my God, this is WAY too much chicken broth" - but trust it, it DOES thicken up in the end.

While that was simmering, and thickening, and such, I cooked the chicken in the skillet, and then wiped it down to warm the tortillas. (which I've never done before, and must say - win!)

(you can see what a mess I'm making of the stove!!)

Once you have prepared all the layers, it's time to layer and put in the oven (I apparently only made enough chicken for 3, so you will see three come out of the oven!)

About half an hour later...

Okay, I have to admit, the ooey gooey cheesy goodness is my fav! These were very wonderful! Especially with some low fat plain greek yogurt, or sour cream, on the side! They were not my most favorite thing I've ever made, and I'm not sure they're three-hours-good... but I'm SO glad I made it, and even though the hubs (who is not a huge fan of the Mex) didn't LOVE it, he did like it (which is a win in the "picky eaters book" as far as I'm concerned) and my brother really enjoyed it, so I am happy.

Not officially being a food blogger (more just a fan of cooking, and other people's food blogs!) I'm not positive how this is supposed to go, but I will post the recipe I used, plus some of the variations I made [in red]. I don't THINK they make it unauthentic, but it started to remind me a bit of a mexican lasagna toward the end soooo... you can see where my cooking expertise lies :)

You can find the full recipe, with notes, tips, and suggestions, here.

AND - can't forget this bit of info: Our hosts this month, Barbara of Barbara Bakes and Bunnee of Anna+Food have chosen a delicious Stacked Green Chile & Grilled Chicken Enchilada recipe in celebration of Cinco de Mayo! The recipe, featuring a homemade enchilada sauce was found on www.finecooking.com and written by Robb Walsh.

Ingredients

1½ pounds Fresh Anaheim chiles (about eight 6 to 8 inch chiles) 24 ounces 678 grams - roast, peel, remove seeds, chop coarsely.Other green chiles (NOT bell peppers) could probably be substituted but be conscious of heat and size!)

7-8 ounces Tomatillos (about 4-5 medium)212 grams - peel, remove stems

4 cups Chicken broth (32 ounces/920 grams)

1 clove Garlic, minced

2 teaspoons yellow onion, minced
 [I used way more, like, half an onion, but I love onion]

1 teaspoon dried oregano


½ tsp Kosher salt (add more to taste)

¼ tsp Black Pepper (add more to taste)

2 tablespoons Cornstarch (dissolve in 2 tablespoons water, for thickening)

Hot sauce, your favorite, optional [I used Franks, more for a "local flavor" than for more heat]

2 Boneless chicken breasts (you can also use bone-in chicken breasts or thighs)

3 tablespoons Olive oil or other neutral vegetable oil (use more as needed)

12 Small Corn tortillas (5-6 inch/13-15 cm). (you can also use wheat tortillas or other wraps)

6 ounces grated Monterey Jack, 170 grams (other cheeses (cheddar, pepper jack, Mexican cheeses) can be used. Just be sure they melt well and complement the filling)

Cilantro for garnish, chopped and sprinkled optional [hey Pammy, guess whether or not I OPTED to use it :)]

Directions:

Roasting Fresh Chiles

1. Coat each chile with a little vegetable oil. If you are doing only a couple chiles, using the gas stove works. For larger batches (as in this recipe), grilling or broiling is faster. [it was thunderstorming outside so I used the broiler for chiles and tomatillos, and pan seared the chicken. If you can grill, I definitely recommend, I think it would have added better flavor!]
2. Lay the oiled chiles on the grill or baking sheet (line pan with foil for simpler clean-up). Place the grill or broil close to the element, turning the chiles so they char evenly. They should be black and blistered.
3. As they are completely charred (they will probably not all be done at once), remove them to a bowl and cover with plastic, or close up in a paper bag. Let them rest until they are cool.
4. Pull on the stem and the seed core MAY pop out (it rarely does for me). Open the chile and remove the seeds. Turn the chile skin side up and with a paring knife, scrape away the skin. Sometimes it just pulls right off, sometimes you really have to scrape it.
5. DO NOT RINSE!

Green Chile Sauce

1. Put a medium saucepan of water on to boil and remove the papery outer skin from the tomatillos. Boil the tomatillos until soft, 5 to 10 minutes. You can also grill the tomatillos until soft.
2. Drain and puree in a blender or food processor.
3. Return the tomatillos to the saucepan along with the chicken broth, chopped green chiles, minced onion, oregano, garlic, salt and pepper.
4. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. Add the cornstarch/water mixture and stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened and reduced to 4-5 cups, another 10-15 minutes.
6. Adjust seasonings and add hot sauce if you want a little more heat.

Stacked Green Chile and Grilled Chicken Enchiladas

1. Heat a gas grill to medium high or build a medium-hot charcoal Coat the chicken with olive oil and season well with salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Grill the chicken until just cooked through, 4-5 minutes a side for boneless chicken breasts.
3. Cool and then slice into thin strips or shred.
4. In a small skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until very hot. Dip the edge of a tortilla into the oil to check – it should sizzle immediately.
5. Using tongs, put a tortilla into the pan and cook until soft and lightly brown on each side, about 15-20 seconds per side (at the most).
6. Drain on paper towels.
7. Add oil as needed and continue until all 12 tortillas are done.
8. In a baking dish large enough to hold four separate stacks of tortillas, ladle a thin layer of sauce.
9. Lay four tortillas in the dish and ladle another ½ cup (4 ounces/112 grams) of sauce over the tortillas.
10. Divide half the chicken among the first layer of tortillas, top with another ½ cup of sauce and 1/3 of the grated cheese.
11. Stack another four tortillas, top with the rest of the chicken, more sauce and another third of the cheese.
12. Finish with the third tortilla, topped with the remaining sauce and cheese.
13. Bake until the sauce has thickened and the cheese melted, about 20 minutes. Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
14. To serve, transfer each stack to a plate. Spoon any leftover sauce over the stacks and sprinkle with cilantro, if you wish. The stacks may also be cooked in individual gratin dishes.

NOTE: It may cause you to use every bowl, cutting board, pan, skillet, and utensil in your kitchen...

However, if you're lucky like me, not only will your husband clean all of it up for you when you're done, but he'll be late for work the next morning because of unloading the dishwasher and loading what wouldn't fit the night before, so you get to come home to a nice clean kitchen. I'm a lucky lady.

Smitten

Sold.
Letterpress, I love you as much as I thought I would! Tomorrow I join the WNYBAC (pronounced "winny-back" by the in crowd) so that we can be together always.

Because That's How the Italians Roll

Mangia, mangia! If there is a fault to be found in Thelma and Louise's (AKA Karen and Sandy) cooking, it is that they always make too much. AL.WAYS. Whether it's for six people, or sixteen (a normal family get-together when everyone is in town) or, apparently, sixty... which is approximately how many we had at Cole's Christening Party. Although it's hard to call it a fault when it means everyone takes home leftovers... So without further ado - to the DELICIOUS photos taken by the very talented, Miss Seren Davis...

The ladies themselves, getting everything together.

Paul Jr. helping with [or getting tangled in] the balloons.

Libations...

Now for the appetizers:

Pinwheels of deliciousness...

Buffalo Chicken Wraps...

(If your mouth isn't watering by now, check your pulse...)

Whatever your dip fancy, we've got a cold, hot, veggie, seafood, sweet, or tangy dip for you!

Now for the main dishes...

All the gloriousness of a chicken caesar salad... on a ciabata roll... does it get much better than that?

And don't forget the rolls, brisket, rosemary potatoes, baked mac and cheese, and jambasta (a delightful substitution of pasta for rice in a traditional jambalaya.)

So, as you see, a feast fit for... several kings... Unless you are a Gluten-free-er (Sorry Pammy) in which case, don't worry, we DO offer wheat-free options, despite what you see here!

Where's the party?

We like any excuse to go a little overboard for a party, even a baptism where the guest of honor doesn't understand what the heck is going on!

You saw the invitations, now here are some pictures from setting up the night before!

We got flowers and made small centerpieces, with ribbon and "God Bless" tags on glass vases. By using the same graphic, font, and colors from the invitations on the vases (and the menu tags) we kept a unified theme for the whole event.

Paul is a volunteer firefighter, so this shindig was held in the Brighton Fire Hall. Even the simplest events and venues can be given that little something extra by something as small as using linen table clothes and napkins. You can usually rent the linens through a company, or ask if your caterer offers them, often for a little more than plastic table clothes and utensils, and paper napkins would cost. It's also "greener!"

Setup is usually easier with a few extra people to each take on a small job, rather than leaving lots up to few. Kevin was in charge of remembering which centerpiece went on which table. You can see what an excellent job he's doing!

Here you can see a bit of the menu tags, one went in front of each dish to let people know what exactly they were in for. And by that, I of course mean the deliciousness that was about to take over their senses! Tomorrow I will have just what deliciousness was offered, with some equally delicious food photography (NOT taken by yours truly!)

Pressing Letters

So after months and months of talking about it, I finally did it. I signed up for a letterpress class, and yesterday was the first of two sessions. I think I'm in love...

(Tsk, tsk, tsk, irresponsible blogger am I. My apologies for the crappy cellphone pics, next time I will have to remember my real camera!)

So first, can I just say, I have a serious new-found appreciation for my computer, my Adobe software, and my keyboard... I don't know how ANYONE managed to print a newspaper... much less a bible! Setting type is TRULY a lost art.

Second, in regard to my addiction to all things old, worn, carved, useful, historic... let's just say this is like the Bellagio to a person with a gambling problem... a bar to an alcoholic...

Row after row, with drawer after drawer after shelf after box of type, spacers, slugs, chases, and the other printing paraphernalia I've been reading about and not truly understanding until now.

So what do I have to show for it? 3 lines of type. Not printed. Not finished. Yes the class was three hours long, yes, I MAY have spent the first hour and a half just pouring over the different fonts, characters, and doodads...

I am, admittedly, not the greatest student, and I was nervous that I would be staring at the clock, waiting for the class to be over... but when I saw we had gone 11 minutes over, and I didn't even realize it, I knew we were meant to be. And like new true love, now I cannot WAIT to get back to that little studio to see them again...

Weddings, weddings, weddings!

I'm excited to post these two weddings, since they are some of my favorite designs, and favorite people!

First up is my friend (and one of my bridesmaids!) Marrakech. Her's was one of the first invitations I ever did (hence it looking a little beat up), and definitely one of the most fun! And exotic - the wedding took place in Lebanon!

The menu that goes with it is actually from her bridal shower, not her wedding. Possibly one of the most gorgeous bridal showers I've ever attended! It was pretty special to see my menus in front of each person's seat.

The second wedding we're invited to today is a friend of the family. We all kind of grew up together, and our mothers are best friends now. I loved her laid back attitude the whole time she planned her wedding. Nothing better than a chill bride!

I love the differences in texture you can see between the two. Even though they are both almost the same color, the pinstripe texture on Marr's and the linen texture on Amanda's give each an individual look when they're printed. Color + texture = happiness!

Golden Anniversaries

50 years ago (well, I guess 52 now) a pair of couples who were all friends from college got married the same year. So naturally they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary together, because when you're friends for that long, your children are friends, and your children's children are friends, and your friends are friends!

It was a great party, with great people, and I felt so lucky to be a part of it!