So going into Monday, we were bleary eyed but fairly positive.  Unfortunately, in the early afternoon, we learned that the apartment we had already applied for and paid our security deposit on had been taken away from us:  the owners suddenly wanted to “keep it furnished and rent it out to travelers”.  Talk about putting a damper on the rest of my Monday!

Okay, back to the meal.  I wanted something simple, quick, fresh, and at home.  On my way out of work, I stopped at the Union Square Greenmarket and picked up several kinds of pole beans and cherry tomatoes from Maxwell’s Farm, as well as some basil from Lani’s.  Justin came home from work and created a delicious summer pasta that cheered both of us up.  Try it for yourself the next time you need a pick me up (though that’s not a prerequisite!).

Here’s what I’m liking at the moment!

This print from Yee-Haw Industries for the front entry way:

This adorable piglet print by animal photographer Sharon Montrose.  I don’t know why, but I could see this little guy fitting in perfectly in our bathroom.

This vintage pear crate for all of my magazines, courtesy of one of my newest favorite stores, Terrain:

And finally, I already own the ceramic strawberry basket from Roost, but I’d love to complete my set with the plum and raspberry baskets.

The island has a varied history, serving as a base for multiple different Army operations, that spanned the Revolutionary War through the Cold War.  In the 1960s, the island was given to the Coast Guard.  The Coast Guard used it as a self-contained residential community and at the peak of its operations 3,500 people lived on the island.

Governors Island opened to the public in 2007 after being sold to the residents of New York in 2003 (except for 22 acres that are maintained by the Park Service).  In the three years since its purchase, the island has hosted hundreds of thousands of visitors each summer and early fall, all eager for a relaxing retreat.

The island felt other worldly.  The yellow homes, military housing, and apartments (except for those being used as test sites for firefighters!) were in well maintained physical condition. It seemed like those who had lived there had peacefully disappeared, leaving everything in a neat state.  There’s even a drained swimming pool behind one of the houses.

The most common sound I heard on the island was laughter.  Honestly, I haven’t been around so many relaxed people in quite a long time.  Visitors were biking on both bikes and quadricycles, picnicking, participating in ‘fitness boot camp’, learning how to trapeze, reading in giant red Adirondack chairs, and napping in hammocks.

For our first visit, we chose to simply stroll around the island.  Our walk gave us up close and personal views of the Statue of Liberty, a giant cruise ship, and the Staten Island Ferry.  The island provides a  unique view of lower Manhattan; Wall Street and Battery Park City eclipse most of the other other buildings on Manhattan, leading to a skewed perspective of the city.

Landscape architecture firm West 8 continues to work on renovating the island.  You can read about their truly amazing plan in its entirety here.

And the best part?  It’s only 3 minutes from our apartment!

Moving away from the rat– for obvious reasons–if you haven’t made ratatouille yet, what are you waiting for?  Seriously, the time is now!  Almost everything you need for this amazing dish is currently available at your farmers’ market.

Ratatouille is a traditional French Provençal stewed vegetable dish, originating in Nice.  It can be served as a side dish with fish or meat, yet it’s hearty enough to stand alone, with a side of crusty bread.  The key ingredients in a ratatouille include tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, and onion.  When you go to the farmers market this weekend, you’ll find all of those ingredients heaped in boxes and bins and scattered on tables.

Be sure to put your personal spin on the ratatouille.  There are multiple varieties of eggplant at the market, so pick the kind of eggplant you want.  Mix red and green bell peppers; use heirloom or vine ripened tomatoes.  It’s completely your choice.  The most important thing is to get these ingredients at your local farmers’ market—this dish is uninspiring unless you’re using inspired ingredients.

There are many variations on ratatouille; the recipe I recently used is from Tom Colicchio, of Craft Restaurants.  My zucchini came from Garden of Eve, my tomatoes from Queens County Farm Museum, and my peppers and eggplant from Norwich Meadows.

When he gets home from work, I’m usually at my computer, the cherry pits in a bowl, the evidence out for all to see.

Though it’s just a summer romance, I didn’t want to get in a rut with this special fruit.  Last night, I gave them the star treatment.  Instead of simply eating them, I poached the cherries in sherry and served them with my favorite vanilla ice cream, Van Leeuwen, and my favorite chocolate, Mast Brothers.

It made for a decadent dessert.  The chocolate sauce contained the entire bar of 81% Venezuelan dark chocolate!  I also poached the cherries with more sherry than the recipe recommended…because I could.

Last night was fun, but today it’s back to normal and predictable, a bowl of cherry pits at my side.

The current rainy, slightly chilly weather is a much welcome break from the agonizing heat we’ve had this summer.  Am I being a tad dramatic?  I don’t think so.  I’m staring out through the rain splattered windows and willing Fall to come, despite the calendar being stuck firmly in the middle of August.

The most refreshing Summer 2010 weather I’ve experienced only happened because last weekend I left the city and went to Cape Cod.  I was met with cool ocean breezes, day time temps in low 80s, nighttime temps in the 50s (!), and  zero humidity.  I just finished organizing and editing the pictures from our trip.  We spent the weekend sitting by the water, wandering antique stores, eating fresh fish, and catching up with family and friends.

If it were possible, next weekend I’d leave the city again–which seems to be 75% tourists at this point–and head straight back to a chair on the beach, my toes in the sand.

See more pictures from our Cape Cod trip HERE!

We’re spoiled and lucky with our milk choices in New York.  Nearly every grocery store or farmers’ market carries one or more of the following dairies:  Ronnybrook, Milk Thistle, Hudson Valley Fresh, Battenkill Creamery.  These dairy farms let their cows live in accordance with their species-specific needs, allowing them pasture grazing, extra time with their calves, appropriate feed, and even cow mattresses!  The dairies never inject their cows with hormones and have created self-sustaining operations, through the use of re-usable glass milk bottles, solar power, and creative distribution networks.  Each dairy has a loyal following, but for me it’s like picking a favorite child:  I can’t choose.

Once in awhile, as a special treat, Justin and I will buy a small container of Hudson Valley Fresh’s chocolate milk.  I first bought a quart of it on a whim…and then we promptly drank the entire creamy, ‘just-as-good-as-ice-cream’ bottle.

This past weekend, while shopping for dinner ingredients at a Massachusetts Whole Foods, we saw one solitary bottle of this:

A quick back and forth proceeded.

–Ooooh what’s that?
–Dark chocolate milk!!
–Should we get it?
–Of course!!
–But we don’t know anything about the dairy…and it’s $7.
–I really want to get it; it’s the last bottle–we’ll do the research when we get home.  It’ll be fun!

Cocoa Metro’s bottle and graphic design had enticed me and there was no turning back.  The paper label on the front loudly announces ‘Don’t be afraid of the dark’, with the words ‘Premium Belgian Dark Chocolate’ in large font.  Combine that with the fact that a quick scan indicated that the milk came from Vermont cows and the bottle could be returned and we were sold!  Or rather, the last bottle was sold…to us.

The brains behind Cocoa Metro are husband and wife team Mike and Lizzy, self-proclaimed chocolate lovers.  A few years ago, they decided to create their own chocolate milk–one that ‘didn’t leave them hanging’.  They experimented with ratios, chocolate, and milk before settling on their final concoction that uses Callebaut Belgian Chocolate, Vermont milk (I have a message out to them to learn more about which dairy/dairies they source from), evaporated cane juice, and natural vanilla flavor.

We poured ourselves half-full glasses of the milk and savored each sip.  (Actually, one of us chugged down the whole thing in 3 seconds.)  The dark chocolate flavor was readily apparent, with a well-balanced ratio of milk to chocolate.  Cocoa Metro’s milk definitely uses the most high end chocolate of any chocolate milk I’ve had.  Our only caveat with the milk was the actual milk:  it tasted like skim. We felt the milk should be full  and that glasses of Cocoa Metro  would be even more decadent with a creamier milk.

Cocoa Metro is available in Whole Foods throughout Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island, as well as specialty shops in Boston.  Indulge yourself next time you’re in New England!

Follow Cocoa Metro on Twitter for the latest updates.

Apparently, the town eagerly anticipates next year’s bake as soon this year’s is over.  Each time the cooks checked on the food’s progress, the crowd rose from the picnic tables and excitedly rushed over to the long table.  All of the food bakes in wooden crates, deep inside a fire pit.  The crates are wrapped together in thick plastic and the food–lobsters, mussels, clams, corn, potatoes, onions–bakes for as long as it takes.

After the food was read, it was proudly carried over and laid out on the long table.  Then, you just pick up a plastic tray, load it up with everything you want, and dig in.  Just don’t forget your bib…or the butter!