[Kelly Carambula is cool. Not only does she run a fantastic blog, produces a beautiful food journal, she’s a great person to hang out with at a cocktail party. Speaking of cocktails, she made one for us!]

This little number is inspired by the delicious fruit desserts that Tim shares. Blackberries, an ode to summer, are paired with a fall staple in my house, Fuji apple cider (regular apple cider works too) and bourbon to create a cocktail that’s sweet and satisfying. Finished with a rim of cinnamon sugar, it’s a perfect welcome to the beginning of a new season and another year of delicious treats from Tim.

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I had read Helen Rosner’s writing for many years before I finally had the pleasure of meeting her. She is as charming, witty, and warm as her words and I am very happy that she agreed to take a break from her work at Saveur and contribute to the anniversary celebration. I wanted a poem (we needed some culture around here), and she provided.

Visit the website of Lottie + Doof
Not yet having eaten your dinner,
And there you will find irrefutable proof
Of why you don’t get any thinner.

Each photo will drive you to whip up a snack,
These exquisitely cropped coups de grace:
From an overhead shot of a pie on a rack
To a beautifully-laid mise en place.

Whatever your taste, you’ll know what to make;
Your delight Tim will aid and abet,
With his black-pepper tofu, his poppy-seed cakes,
His lebkuchen, his cider vinaigrettes.

When I’m hungry I’ll visit, my palate to sweeten
With mouthwatering pictures and text.
And even if (as ever) I’ve only just eaten,
I’ll dream of the meals to come next.

 – Helen Rosner ♥

This is Henry, one of my favorite Brooklynites. In addition to being adorable, he seems to really love my tomato soup.

(Thanks, Remy! xoxo)

Adventures with Lottie

Episode 346: The Tale of the Spicy Soufflé by Amelia Morris of Bon Appétempt

My phone rings at 4:00 am. The hour of the wolf. No one calls at this hour with good news. Nervous, I lurch at my end table and flip open my phone.

“Amelia. It’s James Oseland. Editor-in-chief—”

“I know who you are.”

“Tim needs your help.”

In one long, breathless sentence, he explains: As winner of Saveur’s Best Food Blog 2012, Tim is being sent to Paris as part of a Saveur-sponsored celebrity blogger tour. “He’s insisting you join him. A private jet is waiting for you at a super secret airstrip just south of Beverly Hills. A car is outside your house. Go now!”

“I need to think.”

“You can think when you’re dead. Now, go!”

I bounce around in the back seat of a black town car. A wave of nausea washes over me—did I mention the driver gently blindfolded me before screeching off into the crisp pre-dawn? Even though I’ve grown somewhat accustomed to these adventures with Tim, something about this one—the blindfold, perhaps?—is making me uneasy. read more+++

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Dear you,

This week we are celebrating four years (4!!!!) of Lottie + Doof. Where does the time go? I am celebrating by taking a break, and turning over this small piece of internet real estate to some of my favorite writers, photographers, eaters and makers. Over the next few days you will be visited by a wonderful mix of people, sharing and celebrating with you. It is going to be beautiful, delicious, weird and wacky. Think of it as a variety show, of sorts. It is a great line-up and I am excited to see it all unfold.

But before the show begins, I want to thank you. Where would I be without you?! Thanks for making this such a cool place to hang out. After four years, it seems like we’re off to a good start. I am looking forward to many more years of cooking together.

Enjoy the week—I’ll see you in the comments!

xo, Tim

Are you as surprised as I am that this post is about chocolate?

My dislike of chocolate has probably been overstated. It is more like apathy. I just don’t care much about it, and chocolate will almost always be my last choice for dessert. It just isn’t my jam. But then, occasionally, chocolate crosses my path that makes me really happy—chocolate soft serve ice cream, for instance, or pain au chocolat. Bryan says I just like chocolate that isn’t very chocolatey, which is probably true. I think I like chocolate as an accent, rather than a focus. Except in the case of chocolate chip cookies, which I always hate. Um…. Enough about me, let’s talk about chocolate-juniper cake. read more+++

It has been a strange, hot summer. I’ve complained a lot. You see, I only like perfect weather: autumn, spring, mild summer days and moderate winters. Anything else I find annoying.

I am silly.

One thing I did not complain about was the food. Even with no power and 100°F+, I appreciated the amazing bounty of a Midwestern summer. When else can you eat salads like this? read more+++

I’ve been thinking about the frustration I often feel after travel. You can never share the profoundness of the travel experience with people who were not there, but still we try.

I was in Nova Scotia last week. Cape Breton, to be more precise—the distinction is important. We were there with Bryan’s family, celebrating his nanny’s life and reconnecting with each other. It was a week that none of us will forget. Cameras always disappoint at times like this; all of the pictures I took on the trip seem flat and empty compared to the experience.

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Ashley English is one of a new classification of friends that entered my life a few years: Internet Friends. People who I know through their blogs and correspondence but have not yet met in person. Often these relationships become real-life friendships, but it hasn’t happened yet with Ashley, we live in different parts of the country. Someday!

What you all should know about Ashley is that she’s awesome. I love following her life and creative output on her blog, and I love reading her books to learn how to do more things myself.

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