• About Vbar

    The Story of VBar

    Told by Riane

    Vanessa (VBar) Barton is a crow near and dear to my heart, although we often find her soaring the globe. Vanessa’s true passion is traveling; her most recent adventure brought her to India where she had been yearning to go for years. She will undoubtedly picks up a few tricks on her Indian adventure and always incorporates her cultural findings into her own culinary repertoire. I can’t help but draw the conclusion that this 'spice monster' developed her palette from her exotic adventures, I (and I know her boyfriend Mark has my back on this one) have definitely had to bring this heat crazed crow down a notch, after nearly catching my mouth on fire. But I have to say, I’ve gotten her back with another flavour; being a huge fan of mushrooms, I have forced VBar, on more than one occasion, to get past her inhibitions and eat whatever mushroom laden dish myself and the other crows have created. Well hats off to you Vanessa, who can now confidently say ‘I don’t mind mushrooms’ from her initial, ‘I hate mushrooms.’ On that same note, she’s the only vegetarian of the group but is slowly warming up to meats, given her sister crows’ influences. Proud’a you.

    Her second passion is cooking which emanates with her Italian heritage. Her Sicilian roots are evident in her flair in the kitchen, often cooking up Italian classics including, but definitely not limited to: Homemade marinara, not to mention PASTA like her Sicilian Grandma used to make (which has been borrowed on more than one occasion), pumpkin risotto, tiramisu and even homemade limoncello! She’s a crafty crow, jarring her own sauces, tackling homemade booze and even growing her own kitchen herb garden. Always ready with open arms and a delicious cocktail, VBar is the Italian flair in our flock.

    http://crowsinthekitchen.com

    Best of the Minimalist

    by Vbar • January 26, 2011 • Uncategorized • 2 Comments

    Seeing as I’ve referenced him a few times on this blog, it’s pretty common knowledge that I’m a big fan of the New York Times food writer Mark Bittman and his weekly column, “The Minimalist.”  In honnor of his final NYT column running this week (Bittman is moving on to greener pastures) the Times is running [...]

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    Getting Baked

    by Vbar • January 11, 2011 • Uncategorized • 3 Comments

    In 2010 I might have said “I’m not a baker.”  But it’s a new year, full with new possibilites, and in 2011 I have resolved to move on to saying “I have not been a baker.” Baking as a urban-dwelling early-twenty-something is a frustrating activity; shared kitchens with minimal counter-space and unreliable appliances do not [...]

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    Boozefruit Mania

    by Vbar • September 22, 2010 • Homemade/DIY, cocktails, dessert, vegetarian, wine • 0 Comments

    Check out this amazing article in the NYT style section today on preserving fruit in alcohol rather than canning. The crows do an awful lot of booze-fruit eating in the summertime when we fancy-up our white wines and simple cocktails with a little fruit garnish to be munched on at the end of the drink.  [...]

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    Late Summer Ratatouille and Life Bliss

    by Vbar • September 5, 2010 • Uncategorized • 2 Comments

    Sigh. Let me start this out with a little personal statement. As it may be possible to surmise from my pathetic lack of posts recently, this summer has been absolutely insanely, pull-your-hair-out crazy/busy/chaotic for me. This summer I have started a new job and been promoted, become engaged and started planning a wedding, begun the [...]

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    Keep it or Toss it?

    by Vbar • July 16, 2010 • Uncategorized • 1 Comment

    Have you ever looked at that 2 month old sliced cheese in your fridge and wondered if it’s still safe to eat?  Or if that soy milk really does need to be used in 7-10 days?  Check out www.stilltasty.com to find out!  It’s a great resource for all your refrigerator quandaries.

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    Summer Love

    by Vbar • July 13, 2010 • cookbooks • 1 Comment

    Hello all!  I admit to laziness lately, mostly because this intense urban heat has left me with little desire for time in the kitchen and more inclination towards things like frozen veggie burgers and take out.  Of course, there are always ways to get around it being “too hot to cook” and I think that [...]

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    Crow Retreat

    by Vbar • May 14, 2010 • Uncategorized • 0 Comments

      Hello All! The Crows (sadly, minus Riane) will be away and together this weekend at Casa Del Emily in Connecticut.  Hopefully out of all the cawing with arise some awesome posts.  Please send inspiration our way via the comments and drool over this gorgous photo/article in the meantime.

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