Of Blood and Liver: (Looking For Liver In All The Wrong Places)

You see of have a bit of a problem. My chemo sessions are coming to an end ( only three left, YIPPEE!) which is wonderful but my body is done with it now. My blood counts have dipped so low that I skipped my last session. I was given what I like to call my "get out of chemo free card".

Even though I was thrilled to skip a week, having low blood counts is really not good because I am now scheduled for a blood transfusion, which I would like to avoid if at all possible. Which is where the liver comes in. The doctor has told me that there isn't anything I can do to raise my hemoglobin, which registered 7.5 last week (normal is 11.5-16), and needs to be above 8 to avoid the transfusion. I have trouble believing that nothing will help and have heard tell that copious amounts of iron-rich foods might actually help raise my hemoglobin. Liver tops the list but finding the grass fed/local/organic variety in Jersey City is a different story.

I put out a plea on Facebook and made a few phone calls. A couple of offers came in. M. a teacher at Izzy's school offered to bike some over from Brooklyn and E., a neighborhood friend, offered to make some for me. I was holding out for some from my sister who works at a veritable mecca of local livers and other meaty bits. Sadly I never saw that liver and was forced to send A. out foraging this morning. He went to every local supermarket on his scooter and only unearthed livers of questionable provenance. Best not to eat those conventional livers as they would only be adding more toxins to my body which surely doesn't need any extra. I resigned myself to being liver-less, and continued to gorge on lentils, Floradix, quail eggs and greens.

In the late afternoon, my luck changed. The phone rang. It was E. and she made my day. She was checking in to see if I had procured any liver. When she heard that I hadn't, she offered to stop at Whole Foods and bring some over. She also offered to cook it but I declined, welcoming the opportunity to cook something new with the bit of energy I had. She showed up at my door with a bag filled with the fixins for a Greek feast; a pound of local veal liver, baby spinach, Brussels sprouts and an onion. She explained her method for making liver Greek-style and I followed her instructions. Her liver recipe is quite similar to this one, only she substitutes lemon juice for the vinegar. The heaps of onions are the best part!

She also shared her recipes for the side dishes. The first was Jasmine rice with Baby spinach. I cooked 1.5 cups rice in one pot and in another pan I sauteed 1 diced onion until tender, added a heaping tablespoon of tomato paste, a bit of water, and two large packages of spinach which I cooked briefly until wilted. I sprinkled the spinach with plenty of salt, pepper and chopped fresh dill. Then mixed in the rice and the juice of one lemon.

The other side were simple Brussels sprouts which were blanched and tossed with sauteed garlic, olive oil and lemon.

Aside from a slight overcooking of the liver, the meal was a success. As I ate I imagined each bite of liver boosting my blood cells and I was grateful for having someone like E. to make my liver wish come true. This livery meal is only the beginning of my liver experiments as I am expecting liver deliveries from my brother G. and my friend Y.

Tomorrow I will find out if the liver did the trick. Fingers crossed!

A Jeweler, A Diner, A Butcher, and A Chocolatier..A Trip To Williamsburg

We hadn't been to Williamsburg since my usual partner in Brooklyn adventures (S.) up and left us for Portland. My friend Y. (a jewelry designer) came to the rescue, as she too is often up for food adventures, especially those of the meaty kind. There she is above, displaying one of her latest creations.




Our first stop was Diner, housed in a relic of the past, replete with tiny floor tiles, counter stools and creaky wooden booths. The menu was small and to the point. Y. and I zeroed in on the two meaty selections, a grass fed beef burger which she ordered and a sandwich of house-made pastrami, which was calling me. Izzy had his eye on the mussels.




My sandwich arrived with a slab of pastrami (instead of the usual slices), some gorgeously addictive fries and tasty red slaw. It was pleasantly chewy and not as salty as the New York Deli variety, which I admit to preferring. Izzy delivered the simplest comparison. "Much less salty, I like it better. I HATE Katz's pastrami."

Y.'s burger was cooked to perfection and provided ample bites of grass fed deliciousness.

Meanwhile, Izzy's mussels arrived and when he went to eat one, he noticed that a seafood fork was lacking. When we asked about this, he was told to use a mussel shell to extract the critter from the other shells. He must have looked crestfallen because someone (not our waitress), graciously went off and found one for him from their establishment next door. He was finally able to tuck into his meal but after stuffing in too many fries, was unable to finish.

Appetites sated, we left Diner and made our way to their butcher shop, Marlow and Daughters, just up the block. If only a butcher shop like this existed in Jersey City. Slabs of beautiful cuts of organic beef graced their enclosed glass case, along with sausages, cured meats and a hearty looking house made pate, which looked more inviting then some pates found in Paris.



We both brought home a few well-chosen items, including house-cured pancetta, chorizo and the irresistible pate. The store not only carries meats but a wide array of other locally sourced products, including cheeses and dried beans. Later on, Izzy and I dined at the pate and wished that we had more for later. If Y. is equally smitten we may just find our way back there before long.

Our next stop was Mast Brothers Chocolate, for no foray into Williamsburg would be complete without a visit there.

Our final destination was Brooklyn Kitchen but I will reserve discussion until I receive a personal tour from my dear sister upon our next visit.

Back in the car, during the trip home, Izzy reflected upon the day...From the backseat I hear Izzy say smilingly, "Mama, what does it mean to butcher the English language?" Which I knew was a phrase he had heard on a Word Girl video. And so he came to terms with one of his first homonyms. Worth the trip for that alone!

In The Realm Of Red Hook: Gowanus Nursery, Tiburon and Baked (yet again)

This time I was on a mission. A trip to the Gowanus Nursery to purchase the beginnings of a small, ornamental garden and a visit to Tiburon, a recently opened, handmade dress shop. And of course no outing to Red Hook would be complete without a side-trip to Baked, which completed the day.

My initial plan was to stop at the nursery first but we somehow ended up at the dress shop instead. One dress led to another and before I knew I had tried on nearly all of them. Meanwhile, my friend S.was trying to drag me out of there so we could attend to our gardening so I eventually selected one adorable dress and some bloomers and we left. The owner was kind enough to alter the dress within the hour and I picked it up on our way home.

We eventually made it to Gowanus Nursery which features an eclectic selection of plants, trees and garden accessories. My friend S., with a greater vision of gardening than I, helped me choose as I wandered aimlessly amongst the delightfully beautiful offerings. I ended up with some gorgeous plants which Izzy will help me transplant into our garden patch within the next few days.

Of course by this time we had worked up an appetite so after my garden was outfitted, we couldn't help but stop at Baked. I bought a sandwich for my upcoming trip and then I had to try their Apricot-Rosemary Shortbread bars. What an inspired combination. These are a textural delight; a crunch oat topping covers soft, sweet apricot, all atop a fragrant rosemary-kissed crust.

Baked goods in hand, our trip was complete and I am already contemplating the next one. So far my friend S. has driven me there but I have been investigating ways to get to Red Hook by public transit. Word has it there is a ferry from South Street which goes to Ikea, and from there the other shops are within walking distance. Sounds like an adventure to me!

Salt And Pepper Chocolate: Mast Brothers Williamsburg

You can definitely judge this book by its cover. The elegantly wrapping on these bars is the first inkling that this chocolate is out of the ordinary. Mast Brothers chocolate is made in small batches, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn and it is plain to see that great care and thought has gone into the entire process.

My first sample of the Dark Milk Chocolate Salt and Pepper bar had me swooning. Within a glossy exterior were crunchy bits of salt, with just a hint of pepper. The 60% cacoa bar itself bears characteristics of both milk and dark, which is an unusually satisfying combination.

The factory is open to the public on the weekends. Make a day of it and visit a few of the other food destinations as well.

Outrageous: Of Cats and Cupcakes

Who does MimiMama think she is anyway? Our resident feral is now so brazen that she thinks nothing of jumping on our kitchen table, even while I am eating. At least she didn't jump up while we were eating these cupcakes.



Here we see a trio of the phenomenal cupcakes that emerge from the ovens of Baked in Red Hook. Today we sampled two as yet untasted varieties, their "Hostess" version and the "Oreo", with the cream and crumbled cookie on top. Sheer cupcake heaven. As is their salted caramel version, which we return to, time and again. I urge you to make the trek out to Red Hook for a stellar cupcake experience. Definitely worth the trip, as there are many other local treasures to be had there.

Winding Our Way Through Williamsburg In Search Of Treasure

With friends S. and T., we spent a day hopping in and out of their car, on a mission to check out many of the destinations highlighted in a recent NY Times article on Brooklyn's local culinary treasures.

We began with lattes at El Beit, a local coffee bar. Way too strong for me but according to my latte aficionado they were perfect. Izzy appreciated the heart-shaped design on top. Too much attitude but if you are a coffee-lover, worth a visit.

So fortified, we were off. We poked into a clothing shop or two and then we did make it to Mast Brothers Chocolates, only to find a sign stating their weekend hours. Noting people inside, I left the others in the car to go inside to investigate. Although they were not officially open for business I was allowed to purchase some of their intriguing chocolate bars, each one of which comes beautifully wrapped. I chose the salt and pepper version. I haven't tried it yet but will keep you posted.

All shopping and no play makes for unpleasant offspring so we had to stop at this tiny urban garden, conveniently located across from Urban Rustic, one of the stops on our list. While there I was able to pick up some much needed local organic eggs, since I didn't make it to Union Square this week.



Between lattes, lunch and a few clothing shops thrown in, we didn't quite make it everywhere we had intended. All tuckered out, we piled back into the car for the trip back to JC, which took us far longer than it should have, given that it was Good Friday. Still and all, a fine time was had by all.

Ketchup A Condiment For Some...To Others Much More

One President tried to classify it as a vegetable. Our friend here insisted that it was her lunch (with a few fries thrown in for good measure). If left to her own devices she would have likely devoured the entire jar!

Hunk Of Halvah

I have fuzzy memories of eating Halvah as a little girl, standing in the Jewish deli eating it as my grandma placed her order for "extra lean" pastrami (little did I know that pastrami is supposed to have fat on it) , tongue and corned beef. At that deli it was sold in bars which were fine since I didn't know any better.

What is Halvah? You ask...It is a Middle Eastern sweet typically made from sesame paste and sweetener.

Freshly made Halvah is far better than the type I used to eat and if you come across it anywhere (they have it at Zabar's) grab a hunk and bring it home to nibble. Supposedly it has a very long shelf life but it need not because it certainly doesn't last very long around here. I picked up this chunk of it at Damascus Bakery and Izzy and I managed to polish off a half pound of it in just a few days.

I brought some over to my grandfather who was more than pleased. He hadn't eaten any Halvah in years so it was a real treat for him, something other than his usual chocolate.

If you haven't tried Halvah, you ought to. As far as treats go, it does have some nutritional value, including iron. Some websites even tout it as healthy so you may as well indulge!

Damascus Bakery Brooklyn: More Than Just Pillowy Pita

I don't make it to Brooklyn that frequently but now when I do I will be sure to make a stop at Damascus Bakery. It is chock full of fixings for a fabulous "fast food" meal, delicious, nutritious and affordable. I discovered the place on a previous foray to visit Sahadi's, another Brooklyn gem. They are neighbors on the Atlantic Avenue strip and definitely merit a detour. They even merit the $8 toll through the Holland tunnel (since I rarely drive I had no idea it costs that much to cross the river).



I stopped in there today with the sole intent of picking up some of their ultra-fresh and soft pitas ( a steal for less than $1 a bag) and left, $35 later with all manner of goodies for dinner and more. As I made my way to the pita area, I got a whiff of something from over the counter. I zeroed in on these odd-shaped, crispy-looking filo-wrapped pastries and had to find out what was inside. The owner had quite an effective spiel. He told me they were filled with lamb and before I had finished oohing and aahing he asked if I would like a dozen. Since I had never tried one I was hesitant so he handed one over and said "After you try one you I will wrap them up." After one bite he saw I was smitten and he began to box them up even before I gave him the go ahead. I added some falafel balls (50 cents each) hummus, yogurt dip, pitas and halvah to accompany them and I was set for dinner.

As for the lamb pastries, they are reminiscent of Moroccan Briouats which are made with a sweet ground pigeon or chicken (maybe lamb too) encased in filo dough. this rendition also had a hint of something sweet and were crispy, lamby deliciousness.

At dinnertime, I prepared platters for all of us, adding some beets, cucumbers and salad to round out the meal. I look forward to our next excursion to Brooklyn so I can stock up on more of this wonderful food. I will buy extras of everything to freeze so that I will always have the makings of a wonderful Middle-Eastern meal.