This One's For Kate

As I was leaving the store the other day I got a text from my best friend, Kate, “I need another blog post, one about food, I’ve read the tomato one multiple times and I need something new.” So Kate, this one’s for you. 

There’s something magical about the striper run each season. (Striper, rockfish...whatever you call them they’re delicious.) When those beauties arrive off the coast it’s all I can do not to shove Joseph out the door and onto the boat to try to catch some dinner. He never objects of course. 

So when he finally caught a couple last week after weeks of coming up short we were both so ecstatic, a flood of recipes came running into my head. Look how excited he is :)

After some narrowing down I settled on one of my favorite ways to enjoy fresh fish in the spring. Over wilted spinach from the garden in a miso broth. Gather your ingredients, spinach, ginger & green onions come first. 

Isn't Joseph's spinach so pretty? Anyway, clean and chop your spinach, removing any thick stems. Peel and mince 1 T of ginger. Thinly slice the dark and light green parts of 3 green onions and set aside. Mince the remaining white parts and place in a  small bowl. 

The miso and mirin are the only kind of strange ingredients in this and depending on where you live they might be hard to find. The mirin, a sweet rice wine, is available in the Asian section of most supermarkets and it's a great ingredient to keep in your pantry. I found the miso on a trip to Whole Foods in the refrigerated section, near the yogurt. The only place I've seen it locally is at Grub Grocery in Rehoboth (next to the Cultured Pearl) but it might be available at any of the health food or organic stores in the area as well. It keeps forever in the fridge and a little goes a long way.

Whisk 1 heaping T of the miso with 1 cup of water until mostly dissolved and set aside. Place your chopped spinach and sliced green onions in a large saucepan and cook over medium high heat or until the spinach is mostly wilted.

Add the mirin, cook until dissolved, then add the miso and water mix and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and let simmer slowly while you prepare the fish. 

Mix the minced white parts of the onions, the miso, minced ginger and grapeseed oil in a  small bowl and spread it over one side of the fish. 

Sprinkle the panko over this mixture and press to adhere. 

Place these panko side down in a hot pan with the remaining grapeseed oil. You can definitely use vegetable oil instead but I like the grapeseed oil here because it has a high smoke point and not very much flavor so it won't detract from the flavors of the ginger spread or the rockfish. Cook the fish panko side down until golden brown and then carefully flip. You have two choices at this point, finish it in the oven or add a little water, cover it and steam it like I did. I've done it both ways and honestly it comes down to whether I remember to preheat the oven or not. It's great either way but I went the steam way this night. 

Cook, covered or in the oven until the fish is just cooked through, taking care not to overcook it or it will dry out. If you have a tough time determining when fish is done, use a meat thermometer in the center thickest part of the fillet. It should reach 138º-140º. When your fish is done, remove it from the heat. Using tongs or a slotted spoon, divide the spinach and green onions between two shallow bowls and pour the miso broth over. Top each bowl with a piece of the fish and enjoy! (Preferably with a glass of cold white wine, in a painted TaDa wineglass!)

Here is my recipe for the rockfish, adapted from epicurious.com Check it out and hopefully you'll enjoy it as much as we do!

xo,

Blair & The TaDa Girls

Rockfish with Wilted Spinach and Miso Broth

Serves 2

For the spinach & broth:

large bowl of spinach

3 green onions, dark and pale green parts, whites reserved

1 heaping Tbsp miso

1 cup water

2 Tbsp mirin

For the fish:

2 fillets of Rockfish (or black cod or sea bass)

1 Tbsp minced ginger (or you can totally cheat and use the tube of 'fresh' ginger from the herb section of the produce department)

1 Tbsp miso

4 Tbsp grapeseed oil, divided

1/4 cup panko

Reserved white parts of green onions from above

1/3 cup water

Clean your spinach really well and remove any thick stems. Chop it into a rough chop. Thinly slice the dark and pale green parts of the green onions and set aside. Whisk the 2 T miso with the 2 cups of water in a small bowl. 

Add the spinach and green onions to a large saucepan over medium high heat. Toss gently until spinach is wilted, 2-3 minutes. Add the mirin and cook until dissolved. Pour the miso and water mix over and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer while preparing the fish.

Rinse your fish under cold water and pat very dry with paper towels. Mince the white parts of the green onions and mix together with the ginger, miso and 2 T grapeseed oil in a small bowl. Spread the ginger mix on one side of each of the fillets. Sprinkle with the panko and press to adhere. 

Heat the remaining oil in a large sauté pan over high heat. Place the fish in, panko side down and cook 4 minutes or until panko is golden brown. Turn fish over, pour in water, reduce heat to medium and cover. Continue cooking 5-6 minutes or until fish is cooked through. 

Divide spinach and green onions between shallow serving bowls, pour miso broth over and top with fish. Serve immediately. 

In Pursuit of the Perfect Bag

We all know (and love) the saying, a girl can never have too many handbags. There are entire blogs dedicated to the art of collecting purses, handbags, totes, clutches...everything. Some women have separate sections of their closets dedicated to their collections, and insurance policies to match.

For those of us living in the real world, we try to find a reason to justify each new bag we buy. I hear it all day long in the store. "Oh I love this turquoise purse! I don't really wear that much turquoise, but there was that adorable top I saw at Bruder Hill that would match this perfectly. Oh, I'll just get them both then I can wear them with those white pants I have that I never wear." Ladies, I understand. I justified buying a pink rolling Longchamp carry-on while I was backpacking through Europe after college with 3 of my best friends. Pink. Rolling suitcase...while I was  BACKPACKING.

Some might say I have a purse problem. Some might, I wouldn't. I can give you a completely sane (to me anyway) reason for each bag I currently have in rotation. These are the bags I couldn't live without right now.

For everyday use, my long handled, large Le Pliage Longchamp in dusty blue.

This bag is about as utilitarian as it comes, big and open inside with one small pocket that perfectly fits a cell phone and chapstick. I have been lucky enough to travel to Paris three times and Nice once and each time I've picked up a Longchamp as a souvenir. I know you can buy them at Nordstrom and other places in the states but to me they equal France and make me smile and think of my favorite city whenever I use them. And I figure whenever one gets too worn down it must be time to go back to France, ahh I wish it were that easy!

An almost everyday tote, for a pop of color and pattern, my Big Buddha Sonara tote from TaDa.

Sonara bag by Big Buddha, $69.50

It's a great size with zippered and open pockets inside and it brightens up my boring black or brown clothing days. Plus it looks really cute with some of the bright Oka B ballet flats we have in right now. And who doesn't love ikat?

The farmers market is a big part of my week and after a couple of years of looking I finally found my new favorite market bag this spring.

It's huge, sturdy, lightweight and without any metal framework that might rip the delicate spring greens I've been bringing home. Best of all, it's really easy to wipe clean. I cheated on the store and found it at Crate & Barrel but we've got our own lightweight but super durable totes in a beautiful basket weave or bright stripes. They even have an advantage over my tote because their handles easily fit over your shoulder.

Toss Designs Resort Tote, $25, available in basket weave

orange & white, red & white or navy & white stripe

The only bag I've convinced myself I still need in my rotation right now is a work bag. Something that will easily hold my laptop, charger cord and all of my paperwork for the store. I think I've settled on this beauty, also from Toss Designs.

The navy and white stripes are irresistible and with all of the pockets inside and out there shouldn't be any trouble finding a home for everything.

See, those are totally sane reasons for needing more handbags. Okay, maybe I do have a purse problem, but it could always be worse right? I'm sure next week when the next shipment of bags arrives I'll find another set to obsess over, but for today I'm all set. If you're still working on your collection, stop by and I'll see what I can help you justify, whatever the reason.

xo,
Blair & The TaDa Girls

Christmas in April...Or Why I Can't Get Anything Accomplished Some Days

I know I said the buying process was the best part of owning a store, but I have to amend that statement. The best part is when all the things you order finally arrive in the store. Take yesterday, I was all set to spend my cold and dreary Monday on paperwork and tethered to Quickbooks when UPS came and saved the day. Nine boxes of picture frames, signs and pillows. Adios bank statements, hello box cutter!

Tucked away in that pile of boxes was a pop of happiness, pinks and blues, pearls & starfish, just waiting for me to get my jewelry loving fingers on them. 

Chunky tortoise chains mixed with pearls, bright beaded statement necklaces, enameled bangles...summer came screaming out at me so fast I forgot that I spent my morning digging my Uggs out of the back of my closet so I could brave the 35º drop in temperatures from this weekend. As my mind raced to sandy toes and umbrella drinks a rumble and a dark shadow across the front of the store jolted me back into the reality of the pool of bubble wrap and cardboard I was knee deep in. It was the FedEx Freight tractor trailer. With 15 more boxes. 

I never mind seeing a pile of boxes like that when I'm excited about what's inside them. It's a new line for us called Fruits & Passions. We picked up their Cucina collection, just in time for Earth Week. It features kitchen accessories, hand soaps & lotions, diffusers and best of all, biodegradable dish detergent. Everything smells like coriander & olive leaf so it won't interfere with your spring cooking scents in your kitchen like those over the top flowery fragrances can.

Doesn't it make you want to clean everything? Okay, maybe it's just me, but trust me, once you smell and try this stuff you'll be addicted too.

You know what the best part of the whole day was? My mom showed up just to break down the boxes and haul them to the recycling bin for me. Patty's pretty awesome (in many ways)! So next time your Monday is looking pretty dreary, keep your fingers crossed that the UPS & FedEx guys might show up with 24 boxes for you to unpack, or whatever the equivalent of Christmas in April is where you work. And if not, just stop by TaDa and let us brighten your day with all of our new arrivals!
xo
Blair & The TaDa Girls

Cookbook Obsessed

One of my favorite things about owning a store is the buying process. So many people ask, "How do you know what to buy and how much of it?" To be honest it's somewhat of a guessing game. I always joke that I'm just really good at spending money. In fact, I was born on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving & the biggest shopping day of the year) and my parents have always teased me that I was born to shop. So now I actually get to put it to use at the store!

Oddly enough though, some of my absolute favorite things to buy, for the store or myself, are cookbooks. I cannot control myself when it comes to new cookbooks, and after our last shipment to the store I added 8 more to my personal collection at home. Joseph wanted to die, again.

So what does one do with dozens and dozens of cookbooks? Start cooking! Since the store is closed on Sundays this time of year (don't worry, it's only a few more weeks until we go back to 7 days!) I spend most of my Sundays in my favorite place, the kitchen. Yesterday I made one of my favorites, slow roasted tomatoes. It's a perfect way to use up early tomatoes that aren't as sweet as those beauties we get in July and August. There are countless recipes for this process out there but my personal favorite comes from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg. It's a great book if you haven't checked it out.

The key to this process is making sure you're going to be around the house for 4 to 6 hours. Set your oven to 200° and line a baking sheet with parchment or even better, a Silpat or silicone baking sheet. Cut your tomatoes in half and if they have big stems, trim off the stem end. Toss them in some good olive oil, a generous sprinkling of kosher salt and fresh ground pepper and my favorite (courtesy of Molly Wizenberg) a little ground coriander.

Oh and if you're in need of some good olive oil, pick up one of these next time you're in the store. 1492 Olive Oil, it's delicious and perfect for this kind of recipe where you're really going to taste the oil. 

Back to the tomatoes...once you've tossed them in everything, spread them out on your baking sheet and let them go for 4 to 6 hours, depending on the size of the tomatoes. I had cherries so mine went in for about 4 hours. 

When you take them out they're so soft and the tomato flavor is so intense, they're hard not to devour on the spot. If you can manage to make them last, just store them in a glass container in the fridge with some extra olive oil to keep them covered. I added them to a salad of quinoa, arugula & feta with a sherry vinaigrette to go with our grilled lobster Sunday night (I know, being the wife of a seafood restaurant owner has its perks!). Last night they topped crostini with pesto and mozzarella, alla Christine. In fact, these would look great on top of one of our Cake Vintage papers for your next party! 

So if you're in the mood for a new cookbook stop by and I'll show you some of my favorites. And if you've already got a great collection at home, get in the kitchen and put them to use!

xo,

Blair & The TaDa Girls

Brighten Up!

One of my favorite things about spring is putting away all those bulky sweaters and coats and pulling out my spring and summer clothes. My closet looks like a preppy Jackson Pollock went to town on all the fabrics. There are bright pinks, greens, blues & yellows everywhere and suddenly I'm so much more excited about getting dressed in the morning.

If you haven't started your transition yet, maybe some of our new & bright spring arrivals will get you in the mood!

Give your kitchen, bath or entry a new look with one of Dash & Albert's colorful cotton rugs, in sizes 2'x3' to 9'x12'.

Dash & Albert Cotton Rugs

image courtesy of Dash & Albert

If you're in the market for some smaller accessories, try a picture frame pillow or a Lilly Pulitzer photo album. 

If it's your personal style that needs a little color, we've got a ton of ballet flats and sandals from Oka B as well as a ton of purses, clutches & wallets from Big Buddha.

Clean out that closet, bring out those spring and summer brights and get out and enjoy this gorgeous weather! 

xo

Blair & The TaDa Girls

Green & Black Thumbs

Some of the TaDa girls are lucky enough to have green thumbs, I am not one of those girls. Joseph (my husband) teases me that I must have a black thumb because I kill everything I touch. Seriously, herb pots in the kitchen, hydrangeas in the front yard, and then there was the hanging basket incident of 2008. I managed to kill 6 of them in less than two weeks.

So I have been officially banned from the garden, I think the plants are a little more relaxed. Luckily though, Joseph has a great green thumb and we're starting to see all the plants he's been nursing from seeds start to produce some yummy results.

baby spinach, organic of course

peas, working their way up the lattice.

I still can't believe he let me get close enough to take these pictures. I promise I didn't touch them and the plants are still alive, for now. 

So for those of you who are stuck with black thumbs like me, I found something even I can't screw up. 

The Mushroom Growing Kit from Back to the Roots. This thing is awesome, all you have to do is take the bag out, cut an x on the front and soak it in a bucket of water overnight. After the soak, stick it back in the box and spray it twice a day with water with the little misting bottle that's included in the kit. 

I swear, if I can handle this, anyone can. 

What do you do when you've got a box full of yummy mushrooms? Eat them! Grilled pizzas with caramelized onions, homemade ricotta (that's another story) and mushrooms, pasta sauces, on top of polenta, in a salad, inside Vietnamese summer rolls, I could go on and on. So if you want to try the whole mushroom growing thing, green thumbs and black thumbs alike, swing into TaDa or give us a call and we'll ship one your way. 

If you're feeling ambitious or the raised bed/container garden is more your speed, like Joseph, pick up one of the new gardening books from the store. The last one is his personal favorite, it's apparently changed his whole grand plan for this year. Ask me in July if I'm still craving arugula and we'll know how well it worked. 

 

If you decide to give this whole gardening thing a shot or you're already a pro, let me know how it's going and if you have an abundance of any one fruit or veggie and I'll see if I can help you think of some new ways to use it. But if you've got any gardening questions, direct them towards Patty or Christine because we know I won't be of any real use!

xo,

Blair & The TaDa Girls

Hello Spring!

Yay! It's TaDa's first foray into the world of blogging! We hope you enjoy a peek into our world, from what's new in the store to home decor & style advice to all the fantastic events in our own little Whoville-esque town of Berlin.

Spring is officially here, even though it's felt like it for months, we think Easter weekend is the true arrival of the season. The store is absolutely packed with goodies and we've got that spring cleaning bug in us, so out with old and in with the fabulous! 

One of our favorite new arrivals came from Cake Vintage. They have a collection of serving and dining papers that we are seriously in love with! Use them as placemats, put blocks of cheese or crusty bread out for serving and then when the night's over, crumple them up & toss them in the recycling bin. They're a perfect way to update your table without any long term commitment!

Gold Chevron paper $21.50/pack of 50, Round Rosette 14" paper $18.75/pack of 25,

Long Classic Cheese Paper $17.25/pack of 25, Printable menu notes in Italian Scroll or

Artichoke pattern $10.95/pack of 50, Waxed 12" Bloom Cheese Papers $18.75/pack of 25

Call 410.641.4430 or Email to order & ship!

One of our other favorites, no matter the season, is from our friends in Chicago at Nora Fleming. Nora and her brother Jon design these beautiful and 'why didn't I think of that?!?!' serving trays with interchangeable inserts for the seasons and holidays. Check out the triple dish below with the adorable carrot insert and some of our other favorites for spring, the yellow rose, blue bird and birds nest with eggs...too cute! They have tons of other inserts as well for Christmas, summer (the blue crab is adorable!) & even your favorite sports, baseball, tennis, golf & basketball...don't worry, we're already begging for a lacrosse insert!

Nora Fleming Triple Tray $34.75, Inserts sold separately $10.95 each

Call 410.641.4430 or Email to order & ship!

All in all, we're super excited for the changes this spring has brought to TaDa & we can't wait to share everything with you. Stay posted for more product arrival updates, recipes, style ideas & info on what's new and exciting in Berlin and the Fabulous World of TaDa!

xo, 

The TaDa Girls