By Valerie Zweig

I had a life-changing experience about a month ago.  I was shopping at the Farmers Market in my neighborhood on a Friday morning, and after I had loaded up with spaghetti and delicata squash, white and orange cauliflower and tons of winter herbs, I grabbed a Honeycrisp apple from Locust Grove Farms to nibble on for breakfast.

I walked into my apartment, dropped my bags, and took a bite... and stopped... and actually stared at the apple in wonder—it was like nothing I’d ever tasted before. Sweet like honey, slightly floral with a hint of tartness, this apple actually tasted beautiful.  It was so good, in fact, that I took a different route to work that morning so I could stop by the stand again and load up on more apples.

Honeycrisp apples are so good it’s almost a crime to cook them.  Lucky for me, fall means tons of apples to bake into apple cakes, cook down into apple butter and even slice into salads.  Some of my favorite apple dishes include homemade apple butter (which I grew up eating at the Apple Butter Festival in Berkeley Springs, West Virginia), apple pies (with loads of whipped cream) and spinach salad with apples and pungent blue cheese.

In fact, I plan on making this recipe for spinach and apple salad a bunch over the next few weeks.

Spinach, Apple and Gorgonzola Dolce Salad

Serves 2

2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 small shallot, minced

2 tablespoons sherry vinegar

1 tablespoon apple juice

1/3 cup olive oil

3 cups baby spinach

1/4 cup gorgonzola dolce, crumbled

1 apple, thinly sliced with skin on (I love Macintosh, Pink Ladies or Honeycrisps, but feel free to use your favorite apple)

1/3 cup candied walnuts (available at the grocery store, or make your own!)

1.     Make the dressing: Combine mustard, shallots, apple juice, sherry vinegar and olive oil in a plastic container. Put the top on and shake to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper and reserve.

2.     Make the salad: Combine spinach, apples, candied walnuts and cheese in a large bowl.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with dressing and toss to coat. Taste for seasoning and serve immediately.

What I’m:

Reading: Comfort Me with Apples by Ruth Reichl

Drinking: Ciders at Braeburn in the West Village

Watching: The Cooking Loft with Alex Guarnaschelli on Food Network

Listening to: The Black Crowes

By Jillian Tuchman

I like meat.  Better yet, I love meat.  Jessica Simpson says it best, “Real Girls Eat Meat” (although, the fact that she feels the need to wear a t-shirt—stretched across her debatably natural chest—with said declaration does make me wonder if she actually does eat meat; c’mon, we all know that the girls who actually do like meat need not advertise their carnivorous habits).

Yes, I can wax poetically—and endlessly—about my love of meat, but it’s actually a relatively recent epiphany; up until a year ago, I hadn’t eaten red meat since I was ten.  And no, I wasn’t some politically correct kid, espousing the importance of animal rights, it was really all about one thing:  I was a hypochondriac.  Sitting down for dinner with my dad 15 years ago, I ordered a hamburger medium-rare (all Bullfrogs know that “well done” isn’t in a foodies’ vocab; I was prematurely ‘frogged’), until the waiter informed us that I’d have to sign a waiver, considering the recent outbreak of E-Coli.  Shocked?  Yup, that was pretty much my reaction—along with horror, disgust, fear, I could go on, but you get the idea.  My solution? No more red meat. 

Well, thank god for anemia, ‘cause that’s what started me eating it again—and I’m never going back to the other side.   

Every meal is a chance for me to discover new meats—yes, you read that correctly, there are hundreds still to be discovered, which is something I discovered when I was in Africa—Botswana, South Africa and Zambia—in September.  So you think you’re a foodie, huh?  Pretty confident that venison is deer, aren’t you?  You sure about that?  Turns out that in Africa, “venison” implies that it’s of the antelope family, which consists of close to a hundred species.  Kudu, Impala, Red Lichwe—they’re delicious, more please!  Offering “venison” on a menu in Africa is pretty much like offering and entrée of “fish” in the States—you’ve got to specify the type.  So, of course, my favorite game was talking to the chefs at our safari camps about the types of venison they like to prepare most. 

Yes, “venison” was superb in Africa, but I’m not missing it too much—I’m too busy loving the Six Spice Crusted Rack of Lamb and Cumin Crusted Hangar Steak at Pranna, the soaring new Southeast Asian restaurant on Madison Avenue.  Should you like to experience it for yourself, you’ll find me there. 

So when you’re deciding what to order for dinner, just remember: Real girls eat meat.

(Ed. Note: While for the most part, I’ve grown out of being a hypochondriac, don’t be too quick to think that I’m not convinced I have malaria, despite the strict regimen of non-hallucinogenic anti-malaria pills and the fact that it wasn’t malaria season.)

What I’m:

Reading         Walter Isaacson’s Einstein

Eating           Meat, of course

Drinking         Pranna’s Butterfly Whisper cocktail

Listening to    Vampire Weekend

By Pamela Spiegel

Hi, my name is Pamela and I’m a beauty product addict. As a member of the Bullfrog & Baum Lifestyle team, it is my job to stay up on the latest and greatest trends in the beauty industry and I am ever excited to do so.

From early on I was raiding my mother’s makeup cabinet sneaking lipstick to wear in junior high, as my mother wondered what happened to her favorite shade of red. And when I was old enough to have my own makeup, I remember going to purchase my first lipstick and foundation at the Prescriptives counter.

My passion for beauty products never faded and eventually led me to an industry that allows me to indulge in my addiction. Luckily, I am not alone. My fellow frogs have indulged me and shared their favorite beauty addictions below:

Vaseline

I put this on my eyelashes, before I apply mascara, so they stay separated.  Also, it keeps them looking even more black!

–         Lindsay Sargent

Clinique's All About Eyes eye cream

I've been using this for eight years and I'm convinced that it has helped me ward off the signs of aging around my eyes. This particular cream feels really good going on - soothing and silky - and is one of my favorite affordable indulgences.

–         Amanda Hathaway

Astara Blue Flame Purification Mask

This is the first mask I ever used. It has a great lavender smell and you can use a thin layer for a quick fix or a thick layer for a deep cleanse.

–         Samantha Bryant

Chantecaille New Stick

Almost like a reflex, I put this under eye concealer on before every meeting, big event and just before I step out of a cab.

–         Evyn Block

framesi by Chill Paste

My favorite beauty product is framesi by Chill Paste.  When my stylist, Antonio at Senses NY Salon & Spa used it on my hair for the first time, I found the perfect product to create texture, while staying lightweight and not sticky.  It also keeps my scalp cool and dry in the summer, unlike most other texturing hair products.

–         Clark Nesselrodt

bareMinerals SPF 15 Foundation

I have incredibly sensitive skin, I would often breakout either from an allergic reaction or in pimples from the foundations I tried. And then I found bareMinerals. It has great coverage and is so gentle on the skin.

–         Pamela Spiegel

What I’m:

Reading         The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd       

Watching       Dirty, Sexy, Money on ABC   

Eating           Cottage Cheese and Fruit Salad       

Listening To   Leona Lewis