American-Made Things Loved This Month

A pair of jeans, a pop-up market, a Cabernet, wool socks, legwarmers over leggings, a tote bag, two shirts, oranges, and a leather protector spray. Here are more than a few American-made things that I'm loving this month:

American-Made Gifts for Holiday Traditions

Here are five American-made gifts for some memorable holiday traditions:

American-Made Gifts for At-Home Cooks

Here are five American-made gifts for the at-home cook in your life:

Baseball Season and Summer End

A couple of weekends ago, my family met up in Baltimore. To go to one of the Yankees v. Orioles game, one of Jeter's last. To go to some of the festivities for the 200th anniversary of the Star-Spangled Banner. And, of course, to eat, drink, and relax.

Some highlights:

Spinach Pesto

The other night I didn't want to make too much of a fuss with dinner so I decided to make some pasta. Although, I have some tomato pan sauce in my freezer, I opted to make some fresh pesto with spinach instead. Best idea ever. We've been eating it every day since we made it.

American-Made Friday Links

Some recent news in the world of American-made: kitchen items, bike helmets, stuff for kids and babies, Brooklyn, Chicago, the American salmon fallacy, a tour of a NYC Garment District sewing studio, an LA shop with made-in-America items for guys, why iPhone will not be part of American manufacturing, fake 'Made in USA' labels (yep, apparently it's a thing), the FTC getting strict on those labels, the most 'American' companies, and more.

Here are 16 articles and videos you need to see if you haven't already:

Kansas City and the Belfry

On this year's trip to Kansas City, my friend Josh and I made a great discovery... The Belfry, a new bar located in the Crossroads. We loved it so much we went five of the eight nights we were in town. And on our final night, a beer dinner pairing the fine food of Celina Tio and beers of Jolly Pumpkin brewery.

Consider this Part II of my account of my trip to Kansas City during Craft Beer Week.

Kansas City and Craft Beer Week

I just got back from Kansas City, where I was drinking and eating working for the past week. As fate would have it, it just happened to be their American Craft Beer Week and, boy, did I really take advantage. I drank, rubbed elbows with a great chef, and made a few key purchases that made in back to NYC with me. Here's what happened.

This is part I of my account of my trip to Kansas City during Craft Beer Week.

American-Made Things Loved Today

Five American-made things I've been loving lately: a bath mitt made of honeycomb material, a leopard calf-hair belt, a Pinot noir from Oregon, a trio of eyeshadows, and espresso gelato.

Gun Hill Brewing Co.

Some photos of my visit to the opening event at Gun Hill Brewing Co. tasting room in the Bronx. I spent the afternoon tasting their beers, eating food, and hanging out with friends. I tried their Gun Hill Gold (easy, golden ale) and Thunder Dog Stout (dark chocolate-like stout). Both very good.

Apple Spice Oatmeal

When it's cold, there's nothing like a bowl of piping hot oatmeal to start the day. I like to make it even better with some apples and spices.

The Craft of American Beer

Today is a big day for beer. Americans consume an estimated 50 million cases of beer on Super Bowl Sunday. Some football fans will buy domestic light beer, some NFL watchers will drink imported fancy beers, but some will be happiest drinking some quality American-made craft beers. Luckily, my best friend, Jeremy, works in the beverage industry and is a bit of an expert on the subject. Here's what he has to say about American craft beers, their place in U.S. history, and their impact on local economies. 

My Christmas, as Told by Instagram

I finally did it, I finally was convinced to get myself on Instagram. Here's how my Christmas vacation was spent, as told by my Instagram.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Be jealous. This is what I will be having for dessert for Thanksgiving.

Spotted at the Outdoor Cafe

"Cups made from plants make a difference."

This Greenware cold drink cup is not only environmentally-friendly, it's made in the USA.

P.S. See more in the Spotted... photo series.

From Farm to Table

Rabbit, served up in Heath Ceramics

Last week, a few girlfriends and I went out to eat at Print Restaurant in Hell's Kitchen. This restaurant is not original in the growing trend of farm-to-table dining, however, it is NYC's first to have a full-time staff member solely devoted to seeking out local and seasonable items to put on the menu. My girlfriends and I had a great night, and Print didn't disappoint.

American-Made Halloween Candy

Are you all set for Halloween trick-or-treaters? In my neighborhood, we don't get to pass out candy. Most children go early to parade around in their costumes and get treats from the local businesses. I kind of miss the tradition of scaring little children passing out candy. If you do get candy for your neighborhood kids, here are five great options for American-made candy for Halloween:

Banana Bread Muffins

Banana bread muffins fresh from the oven in vintage EKCO muffin tins

Maybe it's a sacrilege to mess with a recipe from James Beard, but that's how I roll sometimes. The original banana bread recipe was originally published in Beard on Bread 40 years ago and it makes the best banana bread I've ever tasted. I got my own copy of this cookbook from my mom 10 years ago (probably after calling for the recipes from hers too many times) and this is the recipe that is the most used from this book. It's a great way to make use of overly-ripe bananas and I bet James Beard would approve of my rendition.

A Just Peachy Day

Ray, Lena, and Amy

I had such a great day yesterday. I spent the morning taking care of business (Pilates, haircut, blog things). My neighborhood was buzzing with delivery trucks, film crews (lots of TV shows and movies film on location here), and people going about their day. In the afternoon, I had the pleasure of hanging out with two of my girlfriends that I don't see nearly as much as I'd like. On the docket: a concert, some drinks, and a good old-fashioned girls night out.

American Bubbly

I recently joined a group of women that meet up once a month to drink wine. It was not too hard a decision to join, mind you. The idea of a group focused solely on a mid-week excuse for a couple of drinks is A-plus in my book. The theme for my first event: bubbly. I was armed and ready to go.