{in my kitchen} apple + raisin matzo kugel

Since I am away from family this holiday, I planned a little Passover lunch at work with some fellow 'chosen people'.  Along with some chicken + matzo ball soup, I decided to bake the Apple + Raisin Matzo Kugel recipe that my mother gave to me. It honestly took every ounce of willpower to not eat this right out of the oven...

Recipe - Cooks 45 mins, 350*

• 4 Matzah
• 2-3 apples, pared + chopped
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 TSP salt (optional)
• 1 TSP cinnamon
• 3 eggs

While you get everything together, break up the matzah and soak in water until soft.  Once soft drain the water out, but don't squeeze the matzah!

Beat eggs, sugar, butter, cinnamon + salt together.  

Fold matzah into mixture.  Then fold in apples + raisins (you can also add nuts, but obviously, I did not).

Add the mixture into a pre-greased baking dish, dot with butter + bake for 45 minutes.  If you want a crispier end product, which is always good, bake longer.

Mazel!

photos: Robin West 

{design} Costis Psychas' Greek haven

 Imagine the life you would lead living along the coast of Santorini.  The thoughts you would have sitting on your terrace, breathing in the ocean air.  The meals you would create for your friends + family that would indulge in your indulgence.  Until then, this is Costis Psychas' 'humble' home on the island of Santorini as share through the pages of Elle Decor.

photos

{snack'd} Laudree macarons

This is going to sound crazy coming from someone who's been in NYC on and off for 12 years, and who is obsessed with macarons, but I've never experienced Laudree macarons until a walk back to the subway after a trip to the MET. I was lucky enough to not only walk out with a box of their traditional flavors, but a box of the dark chocolate Reed Krakoff flavor.  The only way I can explain the taste of that dark chocolate ganache is the way I felt after that first bite - weak in the knees.

photos: Robin West

{a look back} Smile Jamaica Concert

As with clothes, food, friends + everything else, I find myself going through cycles of the kind of music I listen to depending on where I am in life.  It's been a long time, but I find myself listening to the reggae + dancehall stations more at work for a little extra motivation instead of the calm sounds of Radiohead.  With that, I have planned a girl's night back in Jersey this Friday solely to dance with my favorite Reggae cover band play + I am currently watching Marley from Netflix.  

Where am I going with this?  Back in 2008 I was working as an Editor at Jamrock Magazine + found myself front row at the 2nd Smile Jamaica Concert in Jamaica.  This concert was a pivotal time for me behind the camera + was the night that I took my favorite pictures of all time - the photo of Ziggy Marley performing solo.  Something about it speaks volumes to me + embodies his father in my eyes - definitely one of those lucky shots.  And why is it that I always forget how lucky I was at that moment to be a few feet away from the Marley brothers performing together, keeping me intranced until the sun started rising again??

Anyway, here is a collection of some of those  photos captured among the love + intoxicating air that evening that I haven't shared since then - Bunny Wailer, John Legend, Rihanna, Ziggy, Damian, Stephen, Ky-Mani - I need to allow myself to celebrate these moments more.

 photos: Robin West for Jamrock Magazine

{good eats} Salt & Fat

While house sitting a few weeks ago I picked up a new dish from an old favorite, Salt & Fat in Sunnyside, to take home for a luscious treat.  This place is insanely good - the kind of place that is always crowded at 6:30 on a weeknight with vibrant smells permeating from the kitchen + bold flavors on every plate in front of you.  

This new Scallop dish is no exception.  Roasted carrot puree as a sweet base, with a perfectly tender scallop + truffled corn salsa, topped with salty, crispy fried capers for a seriously balanced flavor combination on every forkful.  My only wish was that I ordered 2 instead of 1...

photos + styling: Robin West