Spring has sprung, and these first bursts of garden color brighten more than just the front of my home, they brighten my very spirit. Grandpa Joe used to talk about food in terms of three things -- if it looks good and smells good, it more than likely tastes good. I'm not so sure about the tulips, but I'll tell you one thing, it was difficult not to keep coming outside to look at them today. After cooking and experimenting with food, gardening had to be my favorite hobby. However backbreaking, however much I detest weeding, the rewards of seeing the beautiful flowers blossom in the spring greatly outweigh any of the pain. But, since I'm mostly a food (and cooking related) blogger now, I'll share with you a bit about some fun and tasty things before I get back to the flowers opening in the garden this week.

I love New York for many, many reasons, but one recent addition to the top of that list is Babycakes bakery. On my way home from a consulting trip into the city, I stopped by to see what was fresh. This is the piece of blueberry coffee cake that made it home with me yesterday. I ate the other piece (with my fingers, mind you) while stuck in traffic at the Holland Tunnel. It was so wonderfully moist and tasty. The flavor of the blueberries and cinnamon was delightful. It was light and luscious. The only detractor, and hardly one at that, was the heavy icing (most likely the same as their cupcake icing--it reminded me of it). The coffee cake didn't need it, although that didn't stop me from enjoying it on it's own with the last of the streusel stuck to it. I should have bought the entire cake. ;) Greedy, greedy Deb. What I really need is the recipe. I ordered some agave nectar so I can start making my own cupcakes just for me. I'd thought about selling baked goods with Deb's Delectables when I first started, but I'll just keep the focus on the chocolate.

Yep, more Babycakes cupcakes. I had to!!! Besides, I really went to try to buy matzoh (again!) at Streits, but no dice. They were closed before 5 pm. Oh well. This time I was prepared for Babycakes, though. I brought my airtight container with me because I knew it would be at least 4 hours until I'd be home with these fine fellows. I still haven't had one yet, though because I've been enjoying the coffee cake.

Back to the food... I'm sorry these Arancini di Risi are out of focus. If you think they look like huge lumps here, you're right. They were. I stopped in at Pala on my way to the Holland Tunnel yesterday and picked up these lovelies and a few slices of their great pizza. I'll blog about the pizzas next time. In the meantime, let me tell you about these risotto balls. First, I didn't have them right after I ordered them. I nearly ate an entire one cold for lunch today, it was that good. I can only imagine how heavenly it would have been to have had it right after they made it. Their red sauce (what the arancini are sitting in here) is the perfect match for the flavors of the risotto, the cheese and the spinach inside. Traditionally, I've seen these made with meat, so I was very happy to have them just with the yummy cheese inside. I'd definitely go back and just have these and a salad next time. More importantly, I plan to sit there and enjoy them right away. Pala is located at 198 Allen Street (between Stanton and Houston Sts.). Not to be missed.

This single tulip was a surprise in the side plot by the garage. Looks like the hyacinths will be in full bloom by Sunday. I'll have to water again tomorrow evening if it doesn't rain again. When I did the big clean-up, I really cut back the creeping phlox because it was choking all the tulips that were breaking through the groundcover.

It's a weird angle, I know, but otherwise, my shadow would have obscured the tulips. It's interesting how wide open they spread at the end of the afternoon, only to fold closed nearly completely again when the sun dips behind the other houses across the street.

The only way to make a hose attractive -- plant some tulips around it.

I have a couple of these primulae with the gold center and the purple petals strategically placed near the first-opening, yellow tulips. When it gets too hot for them, the blue forget-me-nots start flowering right next to them, so there's always a blue/purple theme in that spot.

A rose red primula about to bloom. After I watered on Monday, a few of the primulae were primed to open their flowers. I'm so glad they survived the winter. It was a dry one.

One of my favorite early spring flowers is the primula. Last spring (you can see in my April and May 2005 archives), I planted a ring of primulae in assorted colors around the Japanese red maple tree. This is not one of them. This is the first plant you see in the plot on the left as you walk toward our front door. It's such a happy, bright greeting! From the looks of it, there will be many blossoms on this wee plant.

These were the first flowers to bloom in my garden this year. They opened after I'd done a big garden clean-up and watering on Monday after work. By the time I'd finished, the sun was setting and my back was aching. I really enjoy seeing the first blooms of the year, with the plants still clinging to the browned leaves of the cold, dry winter.

My new toy. It was on sale at Crate and Barrel for about $79. Since all my other Krups appliances are still alive and well after many years of hard and clumsy use, I figured I'd go with this rice cooker from Krups. I'd wanted a rice cooker for about 3 years or so, and finally decided to take the plunge. It's super-easy to use and operate. Only a couple of cons -- it's a heavy appliance and it takes only about 15 minutes less time to cook the rice.

This is the before photo. The rice cooker came with a small spoon-like paddle to use with it since the interior of the cooking bowl is non-stick. Good thing too -- John likes the paddle. We also liked the condensation collector at the back hinge. Very handy.

The little booklet that came with the rice cooker says it's normal to have a little rice stick to the bottom. See that small gray spot in the middle of the photo? That's the bottom. Nothing stuck to it. The rice was definitely fluffy, but a little chewy. Next time, we'll add a little more stock or water than they asked for in the booklet. Just a little though. Also, we'll most likely add more seasoning since it was a bit plain. The booklet warned not to over-season since the cooker uses less liquid than used when boiling rice normally. We erred on the side of caution. Either way, it was fine, and we'll be trying it again soon. Next time, with Jasmine rice.

No, this isn't another Ode to a Global Knife entry. It's really about some really inexpensive tools to keep you and your knives safe from harm. John and I bought a couple of Knife Safes (plastic shields for sharp knives) online, but you can get them in most high-end cooks tools shops. I spent a total of US$7 on three of them. They're well worth it if you don't have any empty slots on a knife block (or you don't feel like using another knife block)(we have two in use right now) or you don't have room for or budget for the matching magnetic knife holder. We want the matching magnetic knife holder, but it's really expensive, plus we don't really have a spot for it right now.

The Knife Safe has a note inside that tells you always to face the blade toward the hinges. The little gray rubber bits keep the knife immobilized.

Our Global knives safely put into their Knife Safes. When we lifted the knives, they didn't move within the plastic holder. The Safes also were tough to open, so I don't think there will be any unpredicted Safe openings while they're in the drawer. Yay!

One of the best birthday gifts John gave me this year was one I requested, "Vegan with a Vengeance," by Isa Chandra Moskowitz, the founder of the Post Punk Kitchen. I was enamored with her site, so I decided to get the cookbook. As you can see here from the blue and yellow post-it tags, I found plenty of recipes to try. If you don't already have this cookbook, it's definitely worth a read. It's not just recipes. She tells stories. Interesting stories. While most of the recipes are pretty high in fat, calories, and sugar (and/or soy), they're written in such a way that you can make substitutions easily.

Of course, my first recipe would be a cookie. In this case, it was Raspberry-Chocolate Chip Blondie Bars. Mine were a bit (ok, a LOT) different since I made many substitutions. It wasn't that I didn't think the recipe was good--I just have some dietary limitations that require alterations here and there. In the next series of photos and blog entries, you'll see what I mean.

If you know, please let me know--should it have made a difference in the outcome that I used unbromated, unbleached white flour instead of all purpose flour?