But then it hit me: Hadn’t I seen Mimi Chun’s cookie tribute to Mark Rothko on Aesthetics of Joy? And didn’t they look so easy and fun to make? So we Googled a sugar cookie recipe and scrounged up enough food coloring to kill a horse. Then we put on some Paul Simon (parent-tested, kid approved) and got to work on our own edible masterpieces. Below, our mixed results.

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My cookie rendition of Matisse’s The Dance

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My mom’s stab at Vermeer’s Girl with the Pearl Earring (I love the little sprinkle earring.)

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Munch’s The Scream (I’d be screaming too if someone did this to my painting.)

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My take on Van Gogh’s Starry Night with yellow sugar crystals (Clearly losing steam here …)

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I am so sorry, Mondrian

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My dad’s Mona Lisa (Still can’t tell if she’s smiling or not … )

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Clearly we’re not as talented as Van Gogh or Vermeer. But it was an awesome way to spend a frigid day with the fam without ever leaving the house.

Jon Beacham really wants to talk pleasantries with you over a warm cup of tea.

But he’ll settle for sending you love notes of sorts.

The cordial bookmonger-turned-letterpress artisan has launched a new correspondence subscription to bring people closer together and share his adoration of the written word.

Here’s how it works: Send $125 to Beacham, and he’ll mail you five pieces of art and letterpress ephemera over the course of a year. The postal curiosities are never repeated and range from poems and books to collages and poster-size broadsides.

Give Beacham insight into your interests (Hemingway novels, antique maps), and he’ll do his best to customize deliveries. More often than not, though, they’re dictated by whatever he’s working on at the moment.

Minus the tea bag.

To subscribe, mail payment and address details to Jon Beacham, 190 Bedford Avenue, number 228, Brooklyn, New York 11249. For more information, go to thebrotherinelysium.com.

The temperature is plummeting, and along with it your enthusiasm to leave the house. When cabin fever strikes, grab one of our recommended books (or download it onto your Kindle) and get cozy at any of these six low-key cafes across Brooklyn.

The Place: Milk and Roses | 1110 Manhattan Avenue | Greenpoint
Why Try: If you took everything you loved in a café (legit food, unpretentious baristas, room to spread out) and shook it up like a snow globe, you’d get Milk and Roses. This bistro, run by a charismatic French transplant, is aaaaall the way up on Manhattan Avenue – just shy of Queens – but well worth the journey.
Suggested Reading: There’s a strict “No laptop” policy on the weekends, meaning you can uncover the hidden symbolism in Chad Harbach’s The Art of Fielding minus the distracting clickety clack of a keyboard.
How to get there: G train to Greenpoint Avenue, exit at Manhattan and Java and head 6 blocks north.

The Place: Van Horn Sandwich Shop | 231 Court Street | Cobble Hill
Why Try: There’s only enough seating for four people at the window overlooking the always-bustling Court Street. Though it’s prime real estate and there’s always a ton of traffic, you’ll never be asked to move or pressured to ordering something from the waiters (though we dare you not to).
Suggested Reading: Reading Adam Gopnik’s The Table Comes First: Family, France, and the Meaning of Food will certainly make you hungry. Order arguably one of the best chicken sandwiches in Brooklyn as you chew on the role of food in your life.
How to get there: F or G train to Bergen Street, exit at Smith and Warren and head one block west.

The Place: Sit & Wonder | 688 Washington Avenue | Prospect Heights
Why Try: As the name suggests, this is the place to go to do your best thinking. It’s library-quite and the patrons are happy to keep to themselves. Stumptown Coffee flows like water, which means you’ll be fully fueled for your marathon reading session.
Suggested Reading: The café houses an impressive selection of books at your disposal. One may come in handy when you need a break from Julian Barnes’ heady The Sense of an Ending.
How to get there: S train to Park Place, exit at Prospect and Franklin, head west three blocks and make a right at Washington Avenue.

The Place: Atlas Café | 116 Havemeyer Street | Williamsburg
Why Try: offManhattan asked three bibliophiles for their favorite place to devour a book, and they all said Atlas. They credit the big open windows and the natural light that abounds in this no-fuss café. Apparently the word is out, they admitted, and it can get a bit crowded at times, so have a back-up plan.
Suggested Reading: There’s free wifi if you need to look up that massive word you just read in Infinite Jest by the ever-sesquipedalian David Foster Wallace.
How to get there: L train to Lorimer, head west on Metropolitan Ave and make a left at Havermeyer.

The Place: Union Hall | 702 Union Street | Park Slope
Why Try: Fireplaces. Comfy couches. Book-covered walls. Late hours. If this place doesn’t scream Stay a while, I don’t know what does. Being a pub, you can order an adult beverage like a seasonal drink served warm (hot toddy, coming right up) while losing yourself in a book.
Suggested Reading: Reading Mindy Kaling’s Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me? has you questioning your true friends. Screw ‘em all and make new ones during a pick-up game of bocce ball.
How to get there: D, N, or R train to Union Street, exit at Union and Fourth and head east on Union one block.

The Place: UrbanVintage | 294 Grand Avenue | Clinton Hill
Why Try: Not only is the owner of this corner bistro slash home goods boutique an absolute pleasure, but she also makes a mean chicken noodle soup. But that’s not to say the vegan pastries, pressed sandwiches, or crop-to-cup coffee should be overlooked.
Suggested Reading: If it’s a trip down memory lane you seek, purchase an antique relic for your home after going back in time with 11/22/63 by Steven King.
How to get there: G train to Clinton/Washington Avenue, exit at Lafayette and Waverly, head west on Lafayette one block and make a right onto Grand Avenue.

View Six Places to Read in Brooklyn on a map.

Originally published for OffManhattan.com.

There’s nothing like a home-cooked meal, especially when it’s prepared by people who know their way around the kitchen. See if you can score yourself a spot at any of these five hush-hush supper clubs throughout Brooklyn for a delish dinner.

Eat with Neighbor
What: E.W.N. is run by Archie and Emily, an adorable couple serving up wholesome American food (think dishes like wild mushroom toast, hazelnut and chard ravioli) in their artistic loft.
Where: Williamsburg
When: Approximately once a month.

Ted and Amy
What: Ted and Amy (named after chef favorites Ted Allen and Amy Sedaris) is hosted by Kara Masi, a self-proclaimed “decent home cook” who brings omnivores together at her apartment for themed dinners that revolve according to seasonal ingredients.
Where: Ft. Greene
When: Once a week.

Whisk and Ladle
What: Classic cuisine is the star of the menu at this (mostly) weekly supper club hosted by three friends in their 95-year old renovated factory building on the Williamsburg waterfront.
Where: Williamsburg
When: Most Sunday nights.

Brooklyn Edible Social Club
What: This cooking collective is led by a chef with over a decade of prestigious dining experience (think The French Laundry and Gordon Ramsay) and a food-loving designer. The five-course artisanal dinner parties they host feature seasonal ingredients from local and responsible farms.
Where: South Brooklyn
When: Every Saturday.

The Cardamom Club – Update: The Cardamom Club has suspended operation.
What: Buds Biss & Auria have (at least) one thing in common: They love cooking with Cardamom. Hence the eclectic dishes (everything from pan-Asian to Indian) they whip up at their place or yours for groups of 10 or more.
Where: Midwood, Brooklyn. A short walk from the Newkirk Station on the Q line.
When: Just about every Saturday.

Photo: Courtesy of psfk

Originally written for Offmanhattan.com

Detective: I’m going to ask you one last time, sunny, and this time I want the truth. Where were you the morning of July 16?

Sun: I already told you. I was up in the sky.

D: Then how do you explain this? (lifts up his shirt and points to his pale belly)

S: Were you wearing a shirt from Mott 50? The innovative men and women’s clothing line uses fabrics that absorb harmful rays before they can cause sun-related skin damage.

D: All right, hotshot. What’s the difference between a regular old tee and one from Mott 50?

S: Ordinary cotton tees protect you against sunburn-causing UVB rays alone. Mott 50 clothing guards you against UVB and UVA rays, so you’re guarded against cancer and premature wrinkles as well.

D: I’m warming up to this idea. Keep talking.

S: Mott 50 makes more than just T-shirts. Think jersey maxidresses, poplin tunics, piqué polos, and bamboo zip-ups in a variety of playful prints and solids.

D: All right, you’re free to go. Those were all my burning questions.

Available online at mott50.com, $35-$145.

Originally written for DailyCandy Everywhere.

June 6
I’m bummin’, diary. Been dying to check out that Frenchie place on Randolph, but it’s shaping up to be a ramen kind of night. When did it get so hard to meet new people?

June 10
Discovered Grubwithus, a new website connecting people through meals across Chicago. Members choose a restaurant, date, and time and create an open reservation. Anyone interested in tagging along can purchase a spot at the table, which covers the cost of a prix fixe menu served family style. Pretty neat, huh?

Before you snag a seat, you can see who else is attending and what dishes will be served. Good food and hungry strangers? We’ll find plenty to talk about.

June 14
Grabbed Japanese food with some Grubwithus peeps last night. We’ve already made plans for next weekend. Can’t wait to dish all about it.

Available online at grubwith.us.

Photo: Noel Hendrickson / Getty Images

Originally written for DailyCandy Chicago.

The simplest way to make a ho-hum sandwich fancy? Embellish it with artisanal condiments, of course. Below, our favorite new accoutrements for moving beyond the standard red and yellow fare:

• As devout French-fry drenchers, we were thrilled to discover Sir Kensington’s salty-sweet Gourmet Scooping Ketchup ($9). Sweetened with agave nectar, honey and raw, brown sugar, then boosted with Dijon mustard and chile peppers, the distinct combo turns any burger into a culinary event.

• As the name suggests, Jaime Oliver’s Jme Marvellous Mayo ($15) adds unrivaled zing, probably because it’s made in small batches with free-range eggs, extra-virgin olive oil and grape-seed oil. Use it as a regular sandwich-topper or as a base for creamy salad dressings.

• Though all of Anton Kozlik’s Canadian mustards are slather-worthy, our favorite is the savory Triple Crunch ($6), so called for its bursts of whole white, brown and black mustard seeds.

• The all-natural ingredients and extra-sweet flavor of Wayne’s Green Tomato Relish ($5) earned Wayne Cox a Blue Ribbon at the 2003 Macon County Fair. Good thing his family decided to bottle the 40-year-old recipe (which includes green tomatoes, bell peppers and turmeric) and share with the rest of us.

• Mega-chef Thomas Keller’s rustic Ad Hoc Apple Bacon BBQ Sauce ($16) is made with bacon, apple juice, caramelized Vidalia onions and maple syrup. The result? An irresistible fruity-smoky flavor.

Originally written for PureWow.

Life to you is black and white. Though you’ll want to consider a few Shades of Grey when it comes to choosing accessories.

Jewelry designer Attalie Dexter crafts eclectic baubles from a combination of vintage and modern elements for an anachronistic mash-up. Think mix-matched corrugated beads on delicate, oxidized vintage chains.

The true gems in Dexter’s collection are her necklaces, which range from simple (a dead stock vintage bow hanging from a thin copper chain) to complex (hexagonal brass beads, Japanese jet glass beads, and Chicago-sourced feathers strung on a brass chain) to both (a long chain with a dangling cluster of charms like etched stars, brass sequins, and a translucent blue-gray heart).

Every piece is one of a kind. So you can show your true colors.

Available at Workshop, 818 West 18th Street, at Newberry Avenue (312-226-9000); online at shop.shadesofgreyjewelry.com.

Originally written for DailyCandy Chicago.

I too lived—Brooklyn, of ample hills, was mine;
I too walk’d the streets of Manhattan Island, and bathed in the waters around it;
I too felt the curious abrupt questionings stir within me,
In the day, among crowds of people, sometimes they came upon me,
In my walks home late at night, or as I lay in my bed, they came upon me.

So writes Walt Whitman in Crossing Brooklyn Ferry, his poetic account of a trip across the East River. In addition to Whitman, many other scribblers call Brooklyn “home,” from comedy writer Simon Rich to fiction tour de force Jonathan Safran Foer. It’s only natural, then, that Brooklyn be teeming with literary points of interest. Here are ten of our favorites.

1. 826 NYC | Park Slope
Dave Egger’s superhero store cum non-profit tutoring center for kids offers a variety of lit programs, as well as products like Sasquatch Mucous and Invisibility Detection Goggles.

2. 175 Carlton Avenue | Fort Greene
Richard Wright lived in this brownstone while he wrote Native Son, his epic novel about an African American grappling with the harsh racial climate in Chicago during the 1930s.

3. 662 Driggs Avenue | Williamsburg
Tropic of Cancer author Henry Miller lived in this modest brick walk-up in the Fillmore Place Historic District from 1892-1901, when he was just a boy.

4. Brooklyn College | Midwood
This CUNY senior college is the alma mater of authors Daniel Keyes (Flowers for Algernon) and Frank McCourt (Angela’s Ashes), and is where Allen Ginsberg taught creative writing and Beat Generation courses as a Distinguished Professor.

5. Green-Wood Cemetery | Greenwood Heights
Green-Wood Cemetery is the resting place of Horace Greeley, founder and editor of the NY Tribune, as well as poets Alice Cary and Elizabeth F. Ellet.

6. 169 Clinton Street | Brooklyn Heights
Weird Fiction pioneer H.P. Lovecraft lived in this then-decrepit Brooklyn Heights apartment after leaving Flatbush in 1924.

7. 70 Willow Street | Brooklyn Heights
Truman Capote lived in this lavish five-story Brooklyn Heights townhouse while he wrote “Breakfast At Tiffanys” and “A House on the Heights.”

8. 31 Grace Court | Brooklyn Heights
Arthur Miller lived in this Brooklyn Heights house when he completed Death of a Salesman in the late 40s. Later, he sold it to W.E.B. Du Bois, the civil rights activist and intellectual leader.

9. Brooklyn Public Library | Prospect Heights
While this may seem like an obvious choice, what’s not so apparent is the myriad of literary-inspired animals on the 40-foot bronze entry doors. See if you can spot Edgar Allan Poe’s raven, Paul Bunyan’s Babe the blue ox, and Jack London’s White Fang.

10. The Emerson | Clinton Hill
You’ve no doubt worked up a thirst by now, so stop into The Emerson bar for a poetry-themed cocktail like the Emerson or the Sir Walter Scott.

Originally written for offManhattan.

Forget the greenbacks, socialists, and tea baggers: We’re card-toting members of the sausage party.

So when we learned about City Provisions’s new Meat Share program, naturally we were in full support. Starting March 18, Chicago’s inimitable eco-deli and catering company will offer biweekly pickups of sustainable proteins, selected by chef Cleetus Friedman and available solely through the meat club.

Options rotate over a ten-week period and might include humanely raised duck breasts from Indiana’s Gunthorp Farms, all-natural bison rib eyes from Pinn-Oak Ridge Farm in Wisconsin, and house-cured bacon. But there’s always a chance you’ll score farm-fresh cold cuts, organic charcuterie, and locally sourced pâté. Think of it as your very own meat grab bag.

Yeah, we totally flipped our Whigs, too.

City Provisions Delicatessen, 1818 West Wilson Avenue, at Ravenswood Avenue (773-293-2489 or cityprovisions.com).

Originally written for DailyCandy Chicago.