Rye Bread

1 cup lukewarm water    1 tbls yeast    1 tbls salt    3 tbls caraway seeds
2 cups white flour    1 cup whole wheat flour    3 cups rye flour

In a large bowl, blend together the yeast, salt, and water. Blend the flour and seeds together in another bowl. Sift in and mix together one cup of dry ingredients into proofed yeast at a time. Cover and let rise in a warm location for two hours. Pre-heat the oven to 425*. Pull out desired amount of dough and form gently on a lightly floured surface. Slice the top and set aside for thirty minutes. Place dough on a well greased pan with a pan with water in it on the bottom shelf of the oven. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes. Cool on a rack.

Slice thin for sandwiches or thick and serve with butter and soup.

Globe Market

On a cool, damp, breezy early afternoon I went to the Globe Market for their 1/2 & 1/2 lunch special. The market is so inviting, with it's warm colors and cozy corners, that I found myself wanting to tuck into more than just a quick lunch. A meal here could quickly turn into a leisurely multi-course visit.

The choices for meals and the platters and bowls loaded with food in the deli case are plentiful and enticing.




Prepping pork in the kitchen. Marinating in spices and freshly squeezed oranges.

The prep kitchen efficiently makes use of every surface.

So many beautifully constructed cold salads to choose from!

Winners of Buffalo Spree's The Best of WNY 2012 Best Small Caterer, Artvoice's Best Soup and Best Salad, and they are proud to serve Elm Street Bakery's freshly roasted coffee.

 
I picked the Beef Minestrone which came with a slab of light molasses multigrain bread, and a grilled cheddar and tomato panini. Both were full of flavor and beautifully done.

I highly recommend visiting with family and friends. They have large round tables that can comfortably seat everyone without fear of knocked elbows. I'll be back for certain!

The Cheesy Chick Truck

Earlier this morning, I passed the 464 Gallery located on Amherst Street, on the edge of the Black Rock District and saw the Cheesy Chick pull up front as I headed back home from Wegmans. After lazing on the couch and watching Everything Must Go, I decided to head back and check out the grilled sandwich truck that was making quite the splash here in the city.

The tidy truck has the cutest menu ever! I had a hard time choosing for no other reason than wanting one of each.

Angie Bernier was slicing apples and prepping food in the front of the truck while Catherine Frandina manned the window taking orders and Alexis Andrzejak, the food truck's owner, zipped between the two prepping sandwiches and chatting with the girls and customers.

They had the most cheerful smiles and easy going attitude.

Truck license number 3. In my opinion the requirements and related fees are outrageous. I lived in Albany during my adolescence and one of my favorite things to do was come down to the Capital and eat with my Mom at the park outside of the State Legislature. Ten or so trucks would line up around the edges of the park and they would be mobbed for three hours every day the weather was clear.

From what I understand the Capital Region plays it loosey goosey with the food vendor rules and everyone seems to be pretty happy about it after all this time. Speaking of eating with parents, Catherine's Dad stopped by to have lunch too.






The gallery was having a sale in the side yard. The place was packed with people, dragging unwilling children and dogs to and fro, admiring the whimsical pieces in the window and sitting on the concrete steps munching down sandwiches.

On Alexis' suggestion, I had the ABC sans onion mayo. She and Angie built such a pretty sandwich with wafer thin slices of apple, cheddar, and bacon in between very crunchy slices of sourdough bread.

For a treat I picked the Nutella panini with slivered bananas. This I took home to share. It was rich, sweet, nutty and reminded me of mischieveous childhood moments of sneaking spoonfuls of Nutella out of the kitchen pantry.







The menu is very accessible, making even the pickiest eater happy. The prices were very reasonable and I was so happy not to see a single fried potato option! These sandwiches didn't need any accompaniment. They were perfect just on their own! Congrats to the Cheesy Chick for going after their dreams and making others happy with their playful and ingenuous food creations.

Dolci - Desert Bakery Gelateria

Dolci's Dessert Bakery and Gelateria

Mint Chocolate Vegan Cupcake with the fluffiest dollop of cream. Almost too big to take a bite of!

David's shop is flavorful and complex like his dishes and sweets.

Hidden corners for canoodling

or

espionage...

what ever your flavor....

Paintings done by local artist Kim Baer who also bakes all the vegan treats!

This scrumptious soup was chock full of sweet potato, kale, and mushrooms.

The pulled chicken salad sandwich with it's side salad was an excellent lunch just on it's own.

Double Dessert Day! Hazelnut Gelato topped with a vegan Mexican Chocolate cookie....so ridiculously delicious!