Things I know....

I will have pies at my wedding.


Glazing makes anything prettier.


I love marshmellows. Especially authentically roasted in your house fireplace.


I'm terrible at chopping/cutting/peeling, anything involving knives.


I prefer cookie cutters. Or in fact, you don't need one to make lattice pies - just a square shape in your dad's desk will do just fine.


Cranberry is an awesome christmas color!


Burned pumpkin pies will sink.


You can always fit more pie filling in the pie dish.


Egg whites can be whipped into perfection.


Hand written recipes always turn out the best.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Vegetarians Beware

I have never claimed to be a vegetarian, however sometimes I realize that I haven't eaten meat, chicken, or even fish, for a few days or a week at a time. Which then makes me question my overall protein intake and I end up dining on said meat, chicken, or even fish for the next weeks to make up for it. Ironically, I haven't been lacking protein in the past few weeks (mostly due to my stash of chicken sausages from whole foods - too many flavors to ever get bored)! However, I somehow managed to consume more meat in 1 meal this weekend, than I think I ever have, or will again... at least until my next bbq excursion ;)

Yes, that's right, on Sunday night (when nothing counts right??) I headed to Hill Country in Flatiron/Chelsea. I heard plenty about this unique place, but have never ventured inside. It's a little intimidating at first because it looks like a market where you bobble around with trays and pick and choose what you want. Not so fast though because there is a hostess at the front with a vibrant pig tattoo on her arm, and she is taking names... Needless to say, the staff is very friendly and explained how everything would work, once the initial shock of entering into this haven for meat-lovers wore off. Basically, each diner gets a ticket and you have a waitress for drinks, but otherwise, you bring your ticket up to each individual counter and the staff will check off what you order -- super simple!

First stop -> BBQ. Seeing as how we were totally out of our element, we asked the man with the giant meat cleaver for suggestions. He promptly stated that for the two of us: "3 lbs, moist brisket and pork spare ribs". Mmm Done and Done.

The sides table was where I really got excited and picked up a "Healthy Eatin'" Portion of smashed sweet potatoes and a cucumber salad. We may have snagged a piece or two of cornbread on the side ;)



Dig In!


Diner TIP - 3 lbs of meat is waaaaay too much, even for two people. I loved the pork spare ribs and had about two, but the moist brisket was just way too fatty for my liking. It comes with white bread so I put a few pieces into one slice and folded it over, but the texture and taste are just not my cup of tea. My dinner guest, on the other hand, just couldn't get enough of it! :)

Needless to say I had to be rolled home, but it was a fun dinner date for sure.

Additional recommendations: There is live music here! Check out the music schedule if you are planning on going and make sure you get in a good square dancing round!

Stuffed [my face off] French Toast

Hoboken is continuously climbing the list of the top cities to find good eats! I know I know, I live in New York, the city of a million cultures and cuisines and good good food! But, alas, sometimes too many options are not a good thing...

A few weeks ago I was home in CT playing around on the tv and settled on Bobby Flays' show "Throwdown". B Flay was in the midst of challenging a poor soul on his Stuffed French Toast. Lo-and-behold, this restaurant was located in Hoboken, NJ! La Isla - oh i have walked by this cute little awning and fake bamboo trees multiple times on Washington street, however, never managed to stop in. The head chef, Omar Giner, definitely held his own against Mr. Flay and won the competition! So, I said to myself, I must try this delectable looking french toast that clearly rocked the judges socks off.


O - M - Y - G- O - S- H

I think this may go down as the best thing I have had for breakfast ... ever. I clearly tried to make my own version of this brunch specialty right after watching the episode, but after tasting this creation today, my was an embarrassment - to put it lightly.
Two thick slices of egg bread, dipped in a cinnamon batter, coated with crushed almonds and corn flakes, and then stuffed with a strawberry and guava cream cheese filling.


I was a little afraid that the filling was going to be a little too overbearing or sweet, but it was just perfect. And no syrup necessary :)
But honestly, the kicker to this culinary perfection was the crunchy cornflake crust. That little boost of texture on french toast makes such a world of difference! When I tried to make this at home, I burned the pieces pretty spectacularly - so I'm thinking there is a trick to this cooking technique that I will master one day.

If you are ever in the area and have a hankering for some delicious sweet breakfast, stop in at La Isla, order the Stuffed French Toast and an Iced Cuban Latte and give Chef Omar a pat on the back because you will not be sorry ... ahh love sunday eats !

San Francisco loving

I feel like my posts are getting few and far between but between work, friends, summer and sunshine I'm finding less and less time to sit in front of my computer! So I could feel guilty but really I'm still having a fabulous time and while my eating and workouts have potentially slacked from the way they used to, I don't think that I've lost all of the good habits that I picked up when I first started the blog, and I"m still feeling good!

As I said before work has been rather hectic and traveling has definitely been a part of it. Going back and forth between NYC, Boston and San Francisco is something that I'm still getting used to but just trying to make it as stable a transition as possible right now. I recently just returned from amazing San Francisco! San Francisco is pretty well known for their thai and asian food and so I did my fair share of testing the fare - and let me say it was de-licious! A few recommended spots in case you ever make your way out there:
1. Ozuma Sushi
2. The Slanted Door

and most importantly...

3. In-N-Out Burger! I'm normally not a big fan of fast food burgers but this was actually really good! I think probably because they toast the buns :)

Other than the spectacular restaurants, I was able to utilize the hotel menu a few times also

(Oatmeal with walnuts and bananas for breakfast)

- not to mention the mini bar staring at me for a few days. Man those prices are multipled by 5 what they should be, it's insane!
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Until next time..!

Time Flies when you're having fun!

And its the end of another fabulous yet very tiring weekend....
This weekend started off with a little get together at one of my co-workers apartments in the West Village. He has the cutest little set-up in the back with a patio and little antiques hanging up on the fence, lots of foliage, and christmas tree lights hanging up!

Seriously, I need either a patio or rooftop in my next apartment - ah what a wonderful life that would be :)
I stayed around to relax a little after a busy week and have a drink (champagne actually) with some work friends, and [obviously] munch on the lovely spread that he had out.


I only stayed about an hour or so and then rushed home to eat a quick dinner and go to bed. I was getting up relatively early for a Saturday for this:

The Healthy Kidney 10K! I did this race last year, my first 10K, and really enjoyed it, despite the intense rain that started right away. This year however was absolutely beautiful weather :)
I haven't run 6 miles, without taking a mini walking/water break in a while so I was definitley nervous. However, the adrenaline and gorgeous Central Park surroundings really get you motivated and I ended up with a PB of 53:13! I was very excited :)

Having a great workout like that in the morning definitely kicked my butt for the rest of the day (after walking about 3 miles in addition home and running errands) so I napped up and rejuvenated just in time to celebrate with Sushi & Sake for lovely Erica's bday!! Happy birthday bebe!!

Lover of the Arts [& Music]

Hi-yo! Wow my longest hiatus yet..my apologies. I guess my eats/events lately haven't been that blog-worthy? On the contrary, I feel like April flewwww and so quickly that I didn't even have time to take out my camera and document. Luckily, I had my handy dandy photo-taking device this weekend at the Hoboken Arts & Music Festival!
Any one who lives in NY knows that there are these random street fairs that pop up on blocks or avenues throughout the summer and feature a plethora of sunglass stations, dress shops, street meat vendors and fried dough concoctions; aka they're faaabulous. This weekend, hoboken had their own version however it was much larger and more involved: there were art vendors from all over with really nice jewelry and paintings, photographs, signs, the works! Plus the street food - of course:

Sweet potatoes fries sprinkled/doused in cinnamon & sugar. Soo delicious! I kept searching around for the extra crispy ones :)

Kebabs! Decided on a chicken kebab with hot sauce. i tried to be bad-ass and it backfired tremendously. Apparently Franks Red Hot is tooo hot for this girl - my lips were on fire! Still, the two bites I had before running for the ice water were very tasty. My first time eating street meat!
It was so hot out that we didn't last long so a pitcher of red&white sangria was in the near future. mmm mmm

I.Love.Pilates

Hello there! I am writing from the lovely city of Boston (Cambridge to be exact) tonight as I'm traveling for work. We just had dinner at this amazingly delicious restaurant called Chez Henri - kind of french cuban cuisine it is considered. I ordered the pan seared trout with langoustine & gremolata, a cauliflower puree, and smoked bacon. There were some green beans thrown in there for some good measure so all in all a seriously delicious and well-balanced meal if I do say so myself! Sorry no photos :(

While I enjoy traveling for work, some things I don't like about it are the fact that I have to miss out on some things that I plan ahead for - such as my pilates classes! I've been buying these classes off of groupon.com and now am on to my five mat classes at Pilates on Fifth. The cool thing about this place is that a mat class also covers this special Barre class (such as a ballet bar?). I haven't tried it yet but eventually!! I had a spot reserve this week but had to cancel due to work obligations ... ah priorities. This place is on the top floor of a building and the first time I walked in I immediately was reminded of a gymnasium when I was little. Pilates is fabulous and if you haven't tried it I seriously recommend them - I think it can do wonders for your body! ... but that being said, it's kind of wierd! Sometimes walking into these pilates studios can look like some sort of torture chamber with machines and chains and wheels and pulleys. Very strange.



Still, a great workout. Hopefully I'll get another class or two in before the weekend!

Goooo Knicks!

Happy Thursday! I love thursday because it means the week is almost over but it's not quite over yet so the weekend anticipation / brain dead feeling that occurs on friday hasn't hit.
This week has been flown by so far since I was traveling for work yesterday and on Tuesdsay I got to go to the Knicks vs. Nuggets game at MSG! The last time I'd been there was actually with my brother and his friends for a Knicks game (yes I spent an evening with some high school boys chauffering them around and had a great time thank you very much). But this time I had better company and ridiculously better seats! We were in the fourth row at center court - aka I didn't even need my glasses, although they were readily packed in my purse in the horrific event that I would actually need to put them on (Im not the biggest fan of them in case you couldn't tell).





While the game was fun and all, especially because they WON, I spent most of my time trying to celebrity site. Spotted: Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Capote) and Chloe Sevigny (Big Love) - not to shabby!
Undocumented eats included 2 beers and some chicken fingers. I confess, there was a sushi bar down where we were which I debated but something about sushi at MSG didn't sit right, not to mention I was at a sports game where it's kinda an unsaid rule to eat hotdogs and beer!

Do you like going to sporting games?? What do you get to eat when you are there?

Full Circle

Looking back on my first post from this blog, and thinking about why I started it in the first place, really makes me feel accomplished regarding what I've created here. I was in a "rut" of sorts and just needed to spice things up, so to say; or at least try to put my thoughts and actions into words and photos so that I could better see what was missing and what things were apparent in my life. Even though this site is still new, and I have [recently] not followed through on continual updating, especially in regards to what I eat and how I exercise, I still think that the posts that I have written have helped to reshape my outlook on the past few months and the future ahead that I have in New York. While there are a number of things that have changed, for the better, in my life since this blog started, I think that it really has come full circle when last Thursday I attended a blogger potluck at the lovely Leslie's apartment.
Getting together to meet, eat, and chat with five other ladies such as myself who have been able to find an interest and a common ground around food, exercise, and the blog-o-sphere was definitely the highlight of my "blogging career".

When is the last time you've contributed to a potluck and were you nervous about making something that everyone would like!?

While I do not proclaim to be a chef by any means, it was fun to experiment and add to the gorgeous potluck spread that not only looked unbelievable but tasted so good.

Katie's Peanut Hummus which added a nice and unique flavor that I had not yet had in regards to hummus, especially with some Mary's Crack[ers].
In the background there is a creation from Leslie's of white bean pesto with asparagus and roasted peppers which went great with the crackers as well.


Leslie also made this coconut sweet potato dip which I could have/did eat au naturale. Anything with sweet potato is unbelievable in my book and this was no exception.


Danielle's quinoa and broccoli bites - so simple yet so good.


Sophia's Lentil and Roasted Tomato bruschetta that tasted so delicious I think due in part to the fabulous spices and marinades that she explained went into it...mm mm


I prepared some spinach balls that consist of an easy mixture of frozen spinach, 1 chopped sweet onion, some butter, thyme, smashed bread crumbs, and salt and pepper. This recipe was easy to put together and was especially convenient for me because I had 20 minutes from the time I got out of work to get to the dinner - and therefore knew that I would have to make something before hand. After baking these guys for 20 minutes or so you can pop them in the freezer and then reheat them whenever you need!

And last but not least...

Megan's homemade peanut butter and chocolate cups. There is something so satisfying about homemade desserts that always makes me enjoy them just a little more than that store bought ones.

All in all a delicious night of wonderful people and wonderful food. I can truly say that these ladies were a joy to meet and I can't wait to do it again soon!! Not to mention I get to start catching up on all of their blogs now, which is always a treat...

Highlights

Hey hey! Again, I have not kept up with my daily eats, but in all honesty, they really haven't been anything special: morning oatmeals, lunch ab&j's (which I am so happy to have reinstated), fruit as an afternoon snack, yada yada.
However...I have had a few highlights this week that I am happy to report:

1. Grocery Shopping at Chelsea Market last Sunday! The fruit exchange has amazing produce and is NOT expensive - who knew! I picked up a few goodies, including some almonds, tomatoes, apples - the basics.


2. My family came in for dinner, since it's my brothers Spring Break, and we went to Market Table It's this nice little restaurant in the west village with great ambiance (personally I think it would be better for a date with a boy, than a date with a my family, but...ah well) The food was really good though...
I had a cod dish with butternut squash risotta; I forgot how much I loooove risotto. Must be the italian in me ;)
My brother god a whole fish -- legit whole thing. And he completely butchered it. I triiied to teach him how to do it correctly, since I lucked out the other night and had my own lesson, but boys will be boys...c'est la vie

Topped off with a fabulous homemade gelato from an ice cream shop on Bleeker.

And 3. saving the best for last...I have been walking by the Cake Boss in Hoboken for the last few weeks just dyyying to go inside but the line is OUTRAGEOUS! Always! All I want are some cannolis...and I don't know how I got so lucky but I got a little gift later that day <3 and let me just say they were everything I dreamed of and more. mmm mmm mmm

Headed to a beer garden tomorrow to resume my favorite past time of day drinking [in the rain]?! Have a great weekend!

Disappearing Act

Whoa, it's been a while since my last post! Between a plethora of vacations and trying to fend off this little cold that I will not let get the best of me, I have been so tired and overwhelmed and as a result have not been eating well at all. I figured, there is not better way to stabilize and regroup than to return from my disappearing act and starting accounting for all of my eats! And having all of you keep me in check ;)

I lucked out last night and had this ah-maze-ing dinner at Barbuto. Seriously so delicious, I'm not joking. I started with a grapefruit salad and then ordered the Seabeam as an entree. The fish comes whole (eyes and all) so I got to cut off the head and take off the spine. There is no harm in playing with your food as an adult!

Fun Fact: if you are stranded on an island, eat the eyeballs of fish for hydration. (Yes I learned this last night...and no I did not eat them, I had a glass of water / wine in front of me so I was all set)

Dessert was an indulgence but well worth it: coffee semifredo icecream, lemon almond pound cake and mint gelato. Mm mm. No worries! I split this between 5 people, but I wish it was all for me :)

After my extra-large dins last night, I started off the morning on the right foot with a killer spin workout (I created 40 wats of energy on the new Green Revolution bikes!) and a protein shake:

1 C organic skim milk, 1 Scoop vanilla protein powder, 2 T ground flax, handful of frozen cranberries. This was delicious, and pink!

What is your take on protein powder? Is it chemicals? Is it better to get protein from "real" foods? I don't know that much/anything about it so any information would be helpful and interesting!

Great to be back folks!

L O S T?

Happy hump day folks! After Wednesday's are over I feel so much more refreshed...it's amazing what little things can do for your spirit huh?

In case you live under a rock and were unaware of last night's festivities, it was the LOST premiere (or in case you have more productive/educational hobbies that preoccupy your time - to each his own)!! My roommate was so excited she almost printed out these:

We were having a little get together at our place with some friends from college that we hadn't seen in ages! LOST was something we all used to look forward to at school and watch together so getting together for an ol' pasttime was half of the enjoyment in my opinion. :)

Dinner consisted of take-out pizza and beer (did I mention we were with boys??).

We loaded upon on a Cheese pizza with mushrooms, mozzarella sticks (for the veggie in the house!), meatballs, and a salad. Random combo I know. I don't particularly like the cheese on my pizza, unless it's mozzarella or super fresh so I ate two pieces of pizza sans the cheese, half a meatball (no, I am not the veggie - I would never survive), and some of the salad since I have been feeling seriously devoid of greens these days!

This was the beer we picked up from our snow tubing trip. Gets better every time!

The premiere was great! However, while this might make me sound like an idiot (unlike all of the other incredibly intellectual things that I say ;) ) I seriously do not understand time travel and this show is chock-full of it - I was LOST, pun intended. I'm hoping that it tones down a little this season or at least gets explained a little better!

Overall a great night, topped off with a great spin class this morning and a clean and simple breakfast of vanilla protein powder shake with lots o' cinnamon . mm mm.