"Match" made in NY

A Word About Jeremy Lin (and have a great weekend!)

2012-02-10T19:46:00.001-05:00

He's become a superstar in NYC over the last few weeks. I can't tell you how excited I am to watch him (and I'm not even a basketball fan). Can you believe he's the first Chinese American to play in the NBA (really the first!). I love that he persevered and that he's representing so many Asians in a sport that has barely any Asians - no pressure man! The press and fans are going crazy and finding an amazing number of different ways to use Lin - Linning, Linsanity, Lincredible, Lin-ktastic. Hopefully his fifteen minutes of fame last much longer.

And have a great weekend! (I started my long weekend with a cup of coffee and pistachio hazelnut biscottis from Toby's Estate. Ridiculously delish.)

What Makes a Thursday Even Better?

2012-02-09T10:52:00.000-05:00

Having the next the next two days off. I've already slept in late, got the gym out of the way, had the Costa Rican coffee we brought back while having time to read my NY Mag, and then I'm off to meet Michael for a lunch date. I'm so relaxed right now and I don't have to think of the office for another four days. Hope you're enjoying your day too...

I Love This Print

2012-02-08T10:18:00.002-05:00

Perfect for Valentine's Day. Perfect for the bedroom, but let's see if Michael agrees and doesn't think it's too cheesy. Ooh, how I love cheese.

You can find it at 20x200 (by Dylan Fareed) but hurry, there's only a few left.

Tea Bag Holders

2012-02-07T15:37:00.005-05:00

Tea bag holders - one of those unnecessary necessary things you should have in your kitchen. I first saw them at Fish Eddy's and thought it would be such a great hostess or houswarming gift since no one would ever buy one for themselves.

This past weekend though, my neighbor who hosted the Superbowl party whips out three square glass tea holders she got on etsy. I couldn't find the exact ones she got, but etsy has a very large selection. Who knew! Too bad they don't have zombie ones (perfect for the hubby).

mypolkadotpottery

mudworks

Hello February

2012-02-06T21:27:00.002-05:00

I know, we're already into the first week of February so it's not really timely to start a post the way I did. I'm obviously way beyond in posting. I still have to tell you about our four Chinese New Year dinners. That's right...four...but that will have to wait until tomorrow. Let's recap the weekend. This past weekend and the entire year so far has been a great example of global warming. It was in the 50's...in February! Anyway, I started out with a bridal shower in Chappaqua. It was originally going to be in Manhattan, but there was a little confusion about party-booking fees and all that fancy Manhattan ho-hum. Ideally, the next option would have been in Brooklyn since the bride, several neighbors who were in attendance (yeah, me) and the groom's family were all coming from Brooklyn. We all ended up in Chappaqua at one of the bridesmaid's house. I admit it's beautiful up there and we drove through Pleasantville (sound familiar?), but after 45 minutes driving and only going 5 miles through Queens, almost having a car side-swipe us, and the GPS giving us bad directions, we had wished the lovely party was closer to home. They did have delicious food (including a drop dead delicious pesto pasta salad) and a tiramisu cake, which saved trip. Thank goodness for the delicious dinner at Jadis and much-needed dancing at Fat Baby with my girls that night to celebrate Cyndi's birthday to make up for a long afternoon. As someone said to me today we partied like we were in our twenties. (Sad...)

Yesterday, we went over a neighbor's place to watch the Superbowl. Michael made pulled pork sliders. Ridiculously delicious, and I'm not just saying that because he feeds me on a regular basis. The host wanted to hide them so that she could have the leftovers for lunch. They were gone in about 15 minutes. They were that good.

Like most of his creations, no formal recipe. 5 lb. pork shoulder cooked in the crock pot for 6 hours (garlic and onion powder, orange juice, and a packet of beef ramen seasoning). We cut hot dog buns into thirds and topped the pork with pickles. Oh, and I guess the game was fantastic too!

Snow Day

2012-01-21T23:40:00.001-05:00

It's the first snow storm of the season! Technically the storm in October was in the fall so this is our first official winter snow storm. It's freezing, but it's beautiful. Just enough snow where it hasn't shut down the entire city and still pretty enough for pictures.

12 in 2012

2012-01-03T22:12:00.001-05:00

Can you believe it's 2012? It always takes me a month or two for all of it to sink in. By then though, I'm wishing for the warm spring and before you know it, it's the end of the summer. Ok, I'm getting way ahead of myself. This year is going to be wonderful my darlings. The predicted apocalypse, an election year, summer Olympics, big birthdays and anniversaries, lots of babies and weddings on the way. I love the way the new year brings hope and excitement. It also brings expectations and big plans. Can you hear another big all-year to-do list coming? Here's mine, in no particular order...

Learn how to use my camera. That means using the manual settings and not just pointing and shooting. Quiz me in 6 months and hopefully I'll the difference between aperture and depth of field (or maybe the fact that they're not related at all).
Put together our wedding album, make one for my Mom and make a wedding film. We still haven't watched our wedding video and even though it just home video, it'll be nice to put something together that comes somewhat close to this or this.
Be healthy. This is for overall good health, but I also had specific goals - eat more fruit, swim at least ten laps like a champ and not be out of breath, get rid of this persistent shoulder, neck and jaw pain (all stemming from my bad posture at work).
Step it up at work. Now that I'm not new in my new role, I need to push it up a level and instead of just getting work done, I want to initiate new projects and build stronger relationships with the business unit I support. I want to be that go-to Compliance officer that they go to, not just the person testing and monitoring bad behavior.
Cook more, bake more, blog more, explore more. For this blog, you'll start seeing more inspirational posts - design, food, party planning, quotes. Last year it was all about original content. I'm keeping that, but I also want to incorporate all the inspirational things I see and find and make it a scrapbook (for lack of a better word).
Finish the apartment. Ok, this will probably never happen since decorating, etc. is an ongoing process, but there are a few big projects that need to get done. Finish the bedroom with a few art pieces. Paint the nook cut-out in the living room (with the same Cathedral Grey as the bedroom). Last year was all about creating our living space. This year, I want to live in it. I saw a post today where Ivanka Trump said "I don't want to work on decorating my apartment. I just want to enjoy it." That's exactly how I feel right now.
Dress up more. I've fallen in the trap of black pants and a different top/blouse/shirt for work again. Time to step it up in the wardrobe department. Dresses, suits and lots more accessories.
Be a New Yorker (which may mean sometimes acting like a non-New Yorker). I watched Tony Bourdain's Layover episode on New York and he visited a few places that I've never been, but should have been places I've gone years ago. Sad, sad Erica. I consider myself a New Yorker, but I coming to think I don't really take advantage of what that means. Right now, it means for me (which really means us) to experience the good, bad and ugly (and expensive and cheap), even the tourist traps - Empire State Building, St. Mark's Bookshop, 11 Madison Park (this might be a stretch), Ippudo, 9/11 Memorial, buying shoes at Barney's, Kin Shop, momofuku (all four of them), Meatpacking District, etc. etc. I should give myself a little credit since all of last year, I photographed 52 weeks of the city so it's not like I'm sitting around being lazy or haven't been anywhere. Oh, and in the same vein, explore Williamsburg (and more of Greenpoint, Red Hook, Bushwick, etc.).
Gaining a new perspective and letting go. I'm not sure how it happened and I didn't realize it until recently when I wasn't feeling like myself. I was boxing myself in - professionally, personally and mentally. I've always cared too much about what other people thought which stopped me from moving forward with opinions and actions and made me second guess myself a lot. I was resting too much of my feelings and actions on what I thought might be other people's reactions. It's amazing that as an adult, I still hold on the chip on my shoulder that I had as a kid (a kid!) and the persona that I had decades ago. Even after growing up, getting married, getting promoted, buying an apartment and living the life that we live, I still feel like a kid sometimes and trapped thinking I'll be judged for the things I say or do. So after realizing that I put myself in a box again and that I really have to just snap out of it, it's time to move on from that chip.
Volunteer
Take better care of my husband, family and friends...this means being thoughtful and un-selfish, making time for the people in my life, and remembering what it's all about.
Live every day to the fullest. Ok, that's really cheesy, but it might be the end of the world soon according to the Mayans (or not) so we might as well figure out how to fill each day full.

Something to Help You Start Your NYE Weekend

2011-12-30T14:39:00.001-05:00

Have an amazing and safe New Year's. See you on the other side...

52 Weeks: Week 52, NYE Centennial Ball

2011-12-29T07:03:00.001-05:00

We made it my darlings! 52 weeks of photographs. 52 weeks of this crazy city. 52 weeks of another year in the life. It's amazing how time flies. It's even more amazing that I finished this project! It was inspiring, labor-intensive, nostalgic...and absolutely totally fun. I'm going to put together a coffee table book of all the photos...if you can guess which was my favorite photo of the year, I'll send you a copy of the book. Here's a reminder of all the fabulous things I saw in 2011. (Leave me a comment with your guess by January 15.)

Christmas 2011

2011-12-26T22:06:00.000-05:00

Christmas this year was a little different, a little off, but definitely one to remember. We went out to NJ to my sister-in-law's for Christmas Eve and then my parents' house for Christmas day. We ate, watched a horror St. Nicholas movie, hung out with a cousin we didn't expect to see, didn't see a lot of others we expected to see, went out for Chinese food for Christmas dinner, celebrated my uncle's birthday, tried to Skype my cousin but failed miserably, and miraculously didn't have traffic coming home. We somehow came home with more stuff than we left with. I'm not sure how we're going to fit everything into our apartment. Oh, and I got this bad boy (yeah, still can't believe it!). I'm sad this holiday has passed, but this year, it was very anti-climactic. I think I hyped it up too much (even though I didn't really blog about it). I just need to enjoy what's going on in front of me and not think about three steps ahead. I keep missing all the good stuff!

Happy Holidays!

2011-12-23T13:29:00.000-05:00

Some scenes from the week...

Have a wonderful holiday!

52 Weeks: Week 51, Hoboken

2011-12-22T12:26:00.000-05:00

Lots of Holiday Parties

2011-12-17T23:33:00.003-05:00

My work holiday party was uneventful, which is always a good thing for a Compliance department. Two co-workers did end the night with an ugly sweater showing though. These were one of the guy's mom's old sweaters! I told them I wouldn't post showing their faces, but would ask which one everyone thought was the "ugliest". I'm not sure... they're both pretty awesome.

On a very different note, we had our annual Jingle Mingle last night. Most of the NJ kids made it and we had an amazing amount of food. I was in a food coma most of the night and I'm not sure how I managed to get home from Hoboken with more food than I brought. Adele, Elf and DDD also got us through the night. Another fun night!

52 Weeks: Week 50, Gray's Papaya

2011-12-15T22:58:00.002-05:00

Done!

2011-12-13T07:29:00.001-05:00

And because I can't resist showing another Target Christmas commercial....

Holiday Hostess Gift Ideas - All Under $30

2011-12-12T13:10:00.004-05:00

M is hosting this year's annual NJ kids holiday party. We've all grown up and are following in our parents' footsteps by throwing a holiday party for all the friends one generation later. (I love that!) Well, what to get the hostess? Here are a few ideas...M, you'll have to wait until Friday to find out what you're getting.

1-Whimsy & Spice tea towel; 2-Letterpressed coasters (Red Bird Ink); 3-Ceramic coffee drip; 4-Holiday wine bags (Towne9); 5- Murray's Cheese; 6-West Elm ornaments.

The Weekend

2011-12-11T20:32:00.030-05:00

How was your weekend? I never thought I would say it, but I'm excited it's gotten colder. It didn't feel like December (or the holidays for that matter) with 60 degree weather. Now that it's 30s/40s and windy, I feel like we can enjoy our holidays Northeast style. I started the (long) weekend with a gift wrapping party at work. Every year, our division holds a toy drive and then we have a party to wrap all the toys. It was as close to Santa's workshop (with beer and chips) as we could get. We wrapped 350 gifts and now they're off to the Children's Rescue Fund. Now if only I can motivate my neighbors to donate more than the 12 gifts we have right now for our building toy drive...

We also had a building holiday party. Seriously, this place is amazing...the holiday party had a sushi station, pasta station and a band. It was nice to mingle but there are so many more people that have moved in that we didn't know. It was nice when we knew all our neighbors and people in the elevator, but it's starting to feel like the large building it really is and can get lost in.

And I stumbled on the Holiday Train Show in the Grand Central's NY Transit Museum Annex. I've been trying to go every year, but couldn't seem to find the tiny store. Finally, as I was trying to make my way home before our holiday party (first trying to catch the ferry connecting bus but missing it even after tracking the bus with the website's gps, then walking the entire Grand Central Terminal, and connecting twice on the subway), I found my way to the train show. So cute...there's something about miniature scenes that are so wonderful.

52 Weeks: Week 49, Sixth Avenue Holiday Lights

2011-12-08T07:18:00.000-05:00

Washington Irving H.S.

2011-12-07T08:51:00.025-05:00

Did I tell you that one of the schools we play Zogsports volleyball in is my Mom's high school? It's strange and special to walk through the same halls that your mother did 40 years ago. I sent her these pictures and she remembers it to be exactly the same. We go through living out these fantastic days of our lives in the city and I blog about the places that we've been to, and I forget that my mom and her friends did the same thing decades ago.

Urban Exhaustion

2011-12-06T07:44:00.002-05:00

Apartment Therapy posted an article few weeks ago about how living in a big city can be exhausting and you have to finds ways to get away and relax to keep your sanity, even if it's retreating to your apartment for the weekend. Living in NYC is definitely stressful and can take its toll. From high-stress jobs and high standard of living to the tourists (apparently the greatest number of tourists ever this year), noise, grime, crime... I hate the honking (although I can sleep through ambulance sirens) and the $11 lunches. I wouldn't trade it for a quieter and slower living and love the flow and pace of the city, but it definitely can become exhausting sometimes.

This blog has certainly helped in beating the New York City urban exhaustion. By chronicling our life here and finding hidden gems to visit/eat/photograph, it makes the city more unique. It feels like all my own that I get to explore. I think moving out of Manhattan has helped too. Brooklyn, especially Williamsburg, is its own beast and even though it can crowded, I love walking down the street and seeing only 6 story townhouses - no skyscrapers!

So how do you beat the city exhaustion?

Mini Spiced Pumpkin Donuts

2011-12-05T07:36:00.001-05:00

A few weeks ago I made these pumpkin donuts (via say yes to hoboken) and they were delicious! It was one of the most fun recipes I've made and now that I have a mini donut pan, I'm expanding beyond my cupcake-making obsession.

Petite Pumpkin Spice Donuts - Makes 24 mini donuts
For Donuts:
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoons ground cloves
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup milk

For Coating:
1/2 cup butter, melted
2/3 cup sugar
1-2 tablespoons cinnamon (more if you're a cinnamon lover)

Preheat oven 350 F. Butter a mini donut pan and set aside.
In a bowl, mix flour, baking powder, salt and spices together and set aside.
In a large bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment) whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until combined. Slowly add the dry ingredients into the mixture and stir until just combined, careful not to over mix.
Using a pastry bag or a steady hand and a spoon, fill each donut cup with the batter. The donut cups should be fairly full, but not overflowing. Bake for 8-9 minutes, until donuts spring back when gently pressed (if you're using a larger donut pan, allow them to bake for 12-15 minutes). Turn donuts out onto a wire rack and allow to cool for a few minutes.
While the donuts are cooling, melt butter in one bowl and combine the sugar and cinnamon in another. When donuts are still hot (but not too hot to touch), quickly dip each donut in melted butter, then coat in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve immediately.

Betto

2011-12-03T22:47:00.002-05:00

52 Weeks: Week 48, Roosevelt Island Tram

2011-12-02T07:54:00.001-05:00

December 1st

2011-12-01T10:33:00.005-05:00

I've been a complete slacker on posting these past couple of months. It's been a combination of being lazy (sound familiar?), being busy and just not being blog-motivated. Here goes though... I'm going to blog every day for the rest of the year. I know there's only a month left of the year, but it's my favorite time of the year...cue holiday music...so they'll be lots to blog about.

Let's start with the Rockefeller tree lighting last night. And the Target Christmas commercials are back (yay!) with that crazy, scary and wonderful Christmas lady. By the way, my favorite Black Friday commercial this year was the one for Kohl's wher they sampled Rebecca Black's "Friday Night"... "black Friday, black Friday"...

52 Weeks: Week 47, Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T23:37:00.001-05:00

52 Weeks: Week 46, Flannel-Wearing Hipster Teasing

2011-11-17T14:33:00.002-05:00

11-11-11

2011-11-11T11:11:00.021-05:00

Since repetitive dates or any kind of crazy time/interval/sporadic phenomenon are cause for celebration and seem magical, here are 11 things that have been extraordinary lately (all in their own little way):

Someone drilled tiny holes in the sidewalk by our apartment and they sparkle with light at night. It's like a constellation in the sidewalk. Either it's lit up underground, someone filled it with iridescent somethings, or it's fairy magic (I like to think it's the last explanation).
A full moon tonight.
Sitting on a bus taking us to a Costa Rican resort, listening to Jack Johnson with my husband and friends, and thinking life is wonderful right now.
My boss telling me after I return from vacation that she can't imagine how she can get through all the work without me.
A boxer puppy on the subway platform being carried by its owner and getting enough attention from other riders to last him the rest of the month.
Katy Perry songs
Watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean with my favorite person 5 days in a row.
Having the US Customs agent at the airport tell us "welcome home" as we arrived back in NY and knowing that it's good to be home.
Taking out and wearing my warm wool bootie slippers for the winter.
Knowing that there are jerks (yeah, you neighbor who kicked us out of your Halloween party because we didn't bring alcohol) and finding the good people through all the mess.
Actually being content.

52 Weeks: Week 45, Costa Rica

2011-11-10T22:22:00.002-05:00

It's Beginning to Feel A Lot Like....

2011-11-09T22:15:00.000-05:00

Even though it was almost 70 degrees today (in November!), it's beginning to feel like the holidays. Yay! Store commercials are in full holiday mode, stores have been stocking Christmas decorations since early October (TJ Maxx & Macy's are just two examples), they picked a tree in Pennsylvania to be this year's Rockefeller Christmas Tree, the trees along Sixth Avenue are being hung with holiday lights, and (here's the biggie) McDonald's has a new holiday Peppermint Mocha. It's on people! Since you already know how much I love this time of year, I'm starting my holiday giddiness earlier, like, as of right now.

52 Weeks: Week 44, Coco MoCA

2011-11-03T21:35:00.007-04:00

The New York Museum of Conan Art at the Time Warner Center

Halloween Weekend

2011-10-31T09:29:00.020-04:00

Happy Halloween!

Since we stayed at home for Halloween this year for a party thrown by our building, we recycled our costumes from last year. Does this look familiar? They were out again this year and hubby won best male costume. Our prize...$50 maid service which means we're throwing a big party soon and we don't have to clean up afterwards! A few of my favorite costumes...the classic couple socket & plug and Mr. 1%.

Oh, and if you haven't heard, it snowed...a lot....in October. I can't remember it snowing before Halloween. Next week, it's supposed to be in the 60's. Go figure...strange weather people.

Scenes From the Weekend

2011-10-24T08:17:00.008-04:00

Dinner at Radagast and pool with friends we haven't seen in a long time. Visit to Bayside to see my parents' new apartment renovations. House party with lots of food, drinks and dancing. Baking spiced pear muffins.

Spiced Pear Muffins - from The Kitchn (Makes 12 muffins)
1/2 cup (4 oz) packed brown sugar
1/4 cup (2oz) white sugar
1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (5 oz) all-purpose flour
1 cup (5 oz) whole wheat flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (4 oz) milk
2 to 2 1/2 cups pears, unpeeled and diced small (2 medium-sized pears, about 11 oz whole)
Cinnamon-and-Sugar for sprinkling on top
Optional: 1/4 cup chopped candied ginger, 1/2 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

Heat your oven to 425°F. Spray the top of your muffin tin with non-stick coating and place muffin cups in all the wells.
In a mixer on high speed, cream together the sugars and the softened butter until they resemble fluffy frosting, about 1 minute. Mix in the eggs one at a time until fully incorporated, about 1 minute each. Mix in the vanilla extract.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, mix 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture followed by 1/3 of the milk. Continue alternating between the flour and the milk, mixing just until the flour is incorporated. It's ok if there is still some flour on the sides of the bowl. Do not over-mix
Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and stir gently to incorporate the last of the flour. Add the diced pears all at once and fold them into the batter.
Divide the batter between the muffin cups. The batter will fill the cups and mound slightly on top. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon and sugar.
Place the muffin tin in the oven and immediately turn down the heat to 400°F. Bake for 20-25 minutes, rotating the pan once in the middle of baking. The muffins are done with the tops looked cracked and toasted, and when a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean.Let the muffins cool enough to handle, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Leftover muffins can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days or frozen for up to three months.

52 Weeks: Week 42, Clouds over Queens

2011-10-20T21:35:00.004-04:00

52 Weeks: Week 41, Brooklyn Mural

2011-10-13T21:33:00.001-04:00

Any Given Sunday

2011-10-09T19:20:00.000-04:00

What's better than fresh figs drizzled with honey for a midday snack?

Maybe homemade bbq chicken and cole slaw for dinner....And homemade chocolate cupcakes with Nutella for dessert (plus one for breakfast and a midday snack).

Photo by chockylit

I used this recipe for the cupcakes but ~~was lazy~~ didn't have time to make the buttercream frosting so I just spread Nutella on top. It was still delicious to say the least. The recipe was super easy and the cake comes out ridiculously moist and spongey. Warm these bad boys up in the microwave for a few seconds and it's even more mouth-watering. Believe me.

Devil’s Food Chocolate Cake (makes 24 cupcakes / 350 degree oven)
2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 cup butter
2 teaspoons vanilla
2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Measure out everything but the eggs directly into your mixer bowl.
Mix on low speed just until incorporated.
Beat on high speed for 2 minutes.
Add eggs, beat on high speed again for 2 minutes.
Measure out into cupcake pan lined with cupcake papers. A 2″ ice cream scoop works great for this. Bake for about 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let cool slightly in the pan then transfer to a rack to cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Buttercream (enough to lightly frost 24 cupcakes)
1 stick butter
1/2 cup cocoa
4 cups confectioner’s sugar
~1/4 cup milk

Beat butter on high for about 30 seconds until soft.
Add cocoa and 1 cup of sugar and beat until incorporated
Add half of the milk and the remainder of sugar and beat until incorporated.
Continue to add milk until you get to the consistency you want.

52 Weeks: Week 40, Whisk

2011-10-06T21:23:00.000-04:00

52 Weeks: Week 39, Owls

2011-10-06T21:00:00.002-04:00

Completely obsessed with all things owl...

52 Weeks: Week 38, Moon Cakes

2011-10-06T20:48:00.002-04:00

The Mid-Autumn Festival (which our family usually calls the Moon Festival) is always around my Mom's birthday. Part of her Chinese name is actually from the name given to the Moon Goddess. It's been tradition that every year we give her moon cakes since they're only available this time of year (mid to late September). I love these things. Filled with lotus seed paste and sometimes having one to four salted duck egg yolks. Delish.

The Weekend

2011-10-03T06:52:00.013-04:00

On Saturday, hubby, a couple of friends and neighbors and I took a road trip upstate. People told me that Westchester, Dutchess and Ulster Counties are not really upstate, but isn't anything north of the Bronx upstate? Believe me.

We started with lunch at Horsefeathers in Sleepy Hollow and then drove through the Sleepy Hollow Cemetery. We somehow missed the Headless Horseman bridge made famous by Washington Irving's story, but driving through was a little spooky enough. We drove up a little more and stopped by Sprout Creek Farm for cheese. Lots of cheese - they gave us all a cheese tasting of twelve delicious cheeses. My favorite was the Madeleine - something close to a Parmesan. We walked around the farm which reminded me of farm from Marky Mark's fabulous film The Happening. (If you haven't already seen it, I was just being sarcastic right now. Don't bother.)

We ate again (of course) before heading up to Ulster Park for the main reason for the road trip, the Headless Horseman Hayrides. I was a little freaked out before we went since everyone who had gone before said it was pretty scary. It was fun! Definitely scary though - there are actors dressed up as zombies and freaky monsters that jump out at you. The worst part was a little corridor that was completely dark and you had to feel your way through. Freaked me out.

Black Eyed Peas Concert at Central Park (Robin Hood Foundation fundraiser)

2011-10-01T23:38:00.000-04:00

Tonight the girls and I went out to Central Park for Robin Hood Foundation's second attempt at a (free!) Black Eyed Peas concert. This was one of the most amazing concerts I've been to! The Great Lawn is ridiculously big and held almost 60,000 people for the concert. It started to downpour rain at the end of the concert, but that made it that much more fun. My favorites of the night...when they played the LMFAO's Party Rock Anthem video on the big screens during intermission/stage change (we shuffled like no one's business) and BEP's last song of the night, I Gotta Feeling...yeah, wedding flashbacks.

I'm so glad my girls partied like rockstars and stayed out in the rain. It made the night with all of the music, dancing and craziness one of the top 10 nights!

First Fall Friday

2011-09-16T09:16:00.001-04:00

It's not technically fall yet but it feels like it. This season and I always have a love-hate relationship. Hate that the weather is getting cold and winter is around the corner. But then I remember how much I LOVE fall clothes. It was a chilly 50 degrees this morning and I wrapped myself in a big sweater and scarf. It felt so nice to jump into warm and cozy clothes again.

Enjoy the colder weekend!

(I know I'm way behind in posting. Catching up this weekend.)

52 Weeks: Week 37, Clown in Brooklyn

2011-09-15T20:43:00.000-04:00

52 Weeks: Week 36, Coffee Cart

2011-09-08T13:30:00.000-04:00

Outside Artists & Fleas, Williamsburg

52 Weeks: Week 35: Bowling Shoes

2011-09-02T09:37:00.001-04:00

Frames Bowling Alley in the Port Authority

Surprise Showers and Bowling

2011-08-31T21:57:00.001-04:00

Today I had two very different work events. The first was a surprise bridal shower for one of my co-workers. She had no idea we were setting up the large conference room with streamers, cake and lots of food. She came in thinking there was a big meeting, notebook and all. It was the perfect surprise though, and you can't go wrong with cake from Magnolia. Love the bride cake topper.

I then met up with co-workers from my old group for bowling at Frames in the Port Authority. I am a terrible bowler! Seriously, I actually bowled a 35 one time! Tonight I wanted to hit at least 100. I didn't get triple digits but I came close - 88. We're going bowling again in a couple of weeks so I have to redeem myself. By the way, have you been to Frames? It's really nice in there! It has a lounge and restaurant too so if you need a quick bite before catching your bus, it's the perfect place.

August Spending Hiatus - Weeks 3 & 4 and the Wrap- up

2011-08-31T11:54:00.002-04:00

It's been a blur these couple of weeks. Plus with the hurricane, we stocked up on a lot of things we didn't have, so it's a strange week to wrap up a spending hiatus. Overall, the month went really well. I feel lighter (maybe because I worried less) and accomplished. I'm finally in the habit of bringing breakfast and lunch to work every day. Lesson learned - keep doing something for a month and it'll become your routine and much easier to continue to do.
Michael and I also started using the slow cooker we bought and it's fabulous. He gets the pork shoulder or butt, which is relatively inexpensive compared to other cuts, and pops it into the slow cooker for a few hours. A five pound cut can easily feed six people and we still had leftovers. Last week I had pulled pork four meals in a row. Try it, you'll love it.

Stuff sold at Crossroads Trading

This month, I didn't make any non-essential purchases either. No clothes, no shoes, no home goods. That made a big difference too.

So what does this all mean...

GOALS:
1. Spend less (which also means save more)
2. Eat healthier
3. Conserve by reusing and recycling more. (I didn't really talk about this during the month but it ended up being a nice by-product of the whole process)

RESULTS:
1. The amount I saved equalled one student loan payment, about $300. Breakfast $3 per day + Lunch avg $8.50 per day = $230
Resold clothes and cellphone: $80
2. I definitely have been eating better. By bringing and preparing food from home, you can control the amount of sugar and processed foods you eat. I've been having lots of oatmeal and whole grains. Lots of veggies and fruits.
3. I actually don't know how conservation is connected to spending less money but somehow I've been really good about recycling and reusing stuff around the house this month. I'll figure it out...

Not bad...

The Weekend - Hurricane Irene Edition

2011-08-29T22:13:00.000-04:00

Friday night: We watched the news as everyone along the East Coast was preparing for Irene. It was really calm in Brooklyn and a gorgeous night. We were going to stay in, but last minute we headed out for dinner at the Thai restaurant down the street. Their food is always delicious and drinks we got (me, lychee bellini & hubs, cucumber citrus something) were amazing. We walked around the park and the pier for one last look before the storm. It really was beautiful - like they say, the calm before the storm.

Saturday, waiting as the storm rolls in...filling bathtubs just in case.

Saturday night...eating and drinking everything we can. (A neighbor made vodka and Crystal Lite - aren't those blue glasses adorable!). There were a few neighbors who also stayed in the building and ignored the mandatory evacuation. We all got together and had a hurricane party, which began at our place. Cheese plate, bottles of Kraken spiced rum, Blue Label, White Hennessey, and lots of wine. The guys had to watch UFC so we apartment hopped a few more times. The rain came down pretty hard but we still were able to sneak outside for a little bit to see what the storm was all about.

Then Sunday...(Michael went out with the camera and took a few photos of the neighborhood.) Luckily not too much damage, no flooding and no power outages where we were.

Hurricane Irene - Watch with Us!

2011-08-27T13:09:00.000-04:00

Although we're in mandatory evacuation Zone A, we're staying put (along with a lot of other neighbors). We've got water, food, and a go-bag. We've filled our bathtub with water. We have flashlights and batteries. We're set! Don't get me wrong though, I think this storm is going to be bad and we're not taking it lightly. Be safe everyone!

A neighbor set up a webcam to stream the hurricane live. In case you want to watch along...

Live video from your iPhone using Ustream

52 Weeks: Week 34, Lee's Art Shop

2011-08-25T20:07:00.001-04:00

Pictures and Recipes from the Weekend

2011-08-22T22:32:00.001-04:00

Michael's Pulled Pork
5lb pork butt
garlic powder
onion powder
paprika
honey
BBQ sauce
1. Trim the fat off of the pork butt. Sprinkle dry ingredients and honey all over to form a rub. Cook in slow cooker for 5-6 hours.
2. Once the pork is cooked, use a couple of forks to separate the meat - it should be falling off the bone and easily "pulled". Add your favorite BBQ sauce.

Michael's Mac & Cheese
1 box of extra large shell pasta
6 oz block of monterey jack cheese, cubed
6 oz block of sharp chedder cheese, cubed
2 tbsp. of butter
garlic powder
paprika

1. Cook the pasta until al dente. Drain. Add butter and cheese and stir until cheese melts.
2. Sprinkle paprika on top (we didn't have breadcrumbs so if you do, you should use that instead)
Broil for a few minutes until golden crust forms on top

No Mayo Cole Slaw (adapted from Rachael Ray)
1 head of cabbage, shredded
4 carrots, shredded or largely grated
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
2 tbsp. of sugar
2 tbsp. of olive or vegetable oil
Garlic powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Whisk red wine vinegar, sugar, garlic powder, salt, pepper and oil until combined. Mix cabbage and carrots together. Add dressing and combine. You can serve right away, but it'll taste a little better if you let it soak for a couple of hours.

Switchfoot to Start Your Weekend

2011-08-19T08:38:00.002-04:00

Every Friday, by my office, there's free Bbq from Famous Dave's and a free concert (this week with Switchfoot). It stopped raining for a second so it's fantastic to start the weekend with good food and music. I forgot how much I love this band.

HAVE A HAPPY WEEKEND!

52 Weeks: Week 33, Alan Wolfson's Canal St. Cross-Section

2011-08-18T07:23:00.002-04:00

I read about Alan Wolfson's work awhile ago and was so excited when the Museum of Arts and Design had one of his works on display.

Spending Hiatus - Week 2

2011-08-17T14:32:00.015-04:00

Another week successfully bringing breakfast and lunch from home (for the most part). Em bought me a can of Financier coffee (people actually read my blog!) which comes in the cutest tin can. This baby will be properly reused after the coffee is all gone. I've also been having Trader Joe's frozen pasta for lunch. Affordable and delicious. You can usually get two servings from each bag but lately I've been having the entire bag in one sitting.

My "bad" day was Tuesday. I was lazy in the morning and didn't prepare lunch. Luckily, Cafe Metro had a 25% off discount if you ordered online (use the code 25OFF). I had to buy but I bought it on sale. Tuesday night I also went out with my neighbor Annie to trivia night at the Brooklyn Winery. No discount on the wine or food but I did get the fig crostini that was to die for. Roasted figs with honey, cheese and a balsamic reduction.

M and I had to buy some toiletries and took advantage of CVS' coupons and sales, although one of the allergy medicine boxes we bought BOGO 50% off only had half the packs inside. Not worth the sale! This weekend we had a family BBQ so again we did big bags of food shopping, but for the most part, we cooked meals at home the rest of the weekend. Otherwise, I'm feeling good. I realized that even if I didn't freeze all spending, I'm taking baby steps with bringing breakfast and lunch to work, which will make that much of a difference. On to the next week....

New York City Bar Panel

2011-08-16T10:00:00.002-04:00

Back in June, I spoke on a panel at the City Bar Association's "Careers in Compliance". I have to tell you - I was so nervous! It was a good nervous though and it was thrilling to sit up there and describe my work and my career path. The other panelists and I prepared questions beforehand and I had an idea of what I was going to say, but at one point, I remember I was digressing into some long winded explanation on how I got to where I am now, and I forgot what the question was. It was so easy to talk about myself but I went on forever. I said "um" a lot too. The rest of the night went really well and people came up after the program to ask more questions. It really surprised me how intrigued people were about my current position and what jobs I had.

I learned a lot though: I realized that I have a lot to say and know a lot more than I think I do. I learned that what I thought was a hilarious joke wasn't funny to anyone else and I was left in dead silence. I found it also important to have an elevator pitch - if you need to say something important, sum it up and make it memorable but it has to be conveyed quickly enough as if you're riding up the elevator with someone. I found this extremely helpful when describing myself and what I do - sum it up and do it fast and impressively. And always have something to say. It should be constructive and insightful, but don't just sit there and let others answer. Be involved and participate - it makes a huge difference.

The Weekend

2011-08-15T07:30:00.027-04:00

We had both sides of the family over this weekend for a BBQ. Michael was a pack mule again and hauled a IKEA bag home with meats and veggies from the Meat Market in Hell's Kitchen. We had pretty much the same menu as we did with the birthday BBQ: grilled skirt steak with homemade chimichurri sauce, sweet and spicy sausage, grilled veggies marinated in olive oil and balsamic vinegar. My Mom added a grilled shrimp dish and I made tiramisu and cupcakes. Good thing we made a lot of food because besides our family members, we had a few neighbors pop over.

(Yellowest squash I've ever seen)

(Of course there were cupcakes)

We ended the night with a ceremonious opening of the Johnnie Walker Blue that I bought for hubby for our wedding. For the last two years, we never had a chance to open it, so we figured we should do so with the family around. I'm not a big Scotch drinker, and even though it went down really strong, it was pretty smooth and delicious. Hubby and my sister's boyfriend were in heaven. Lovin' summer BBQ's.

Here are some recipes from the weekend:

Michael's Chimchurri Sauce:
1 bunch of cilantro
1 bunch of flat leaf parsley
4 cloves of garlic
olive oil
Sriracha hot sauce

- Pulse the cilantro, parley and garlic in a food processor (hubs uses the mini food processor which works perfectly). Add olive oil until sauce is a thick but liquidy consistency. Add sriracha to taste.

Tiramisu (adapted from Debi Mazar & Gabriele 's Cooking Channel show, Extra Virgin)

3 cups brewed coffee, cooled

2 (8-ounce) containers mascarpone

5 eggs, separated

14 ounces savoiardi cookies (firm ladyfingers)

4 ounces sugar, plus 2 tablespoons or more, for the coffee

2 shots rum or Italian Marsala, optional

Pinch salt

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 cup shaved dark chocolate

Prepare the coffee (I used a French press) and pour it in a bowl and allow to cool off.
Mix the egg yolks with 2 ounces sugar, and mix until you obtain a creamy light mixture.
Work the mascarpone in a bowl using a wooden spoon, making sure you eliminate any lumps (I used mascarpone from Whole Foods and it was creamy so I skipped this part), then add the mascarpone to the sugar-egg mixture and continue to mix well.
In a separate bowl, mix the egg whites, pinch of salt, and the remaining 2 ounces sugar, until they reach a somewhat firm, but fluffy consistency, then add them to the mascarpone mixture.
Dip the entire savoiardi cookie (firm ladyfingers) in the coffee, and one by one lay them flat into a 13 x 9 pyrex tray. Only dip the entire cookie for 1 second, making sure you do not soak the cookies, as you want to make sure they maintain their firmness.
Once the first layer of cookies has been laid out, spread a layer of the mascarpone cream on top, and dust with 1 tablespoon cocoa powder.
Prepare another layer of coffee-dipped cookies, cream and cocoa powder. Garnish the top of the cake with the shaved dark chocolate.
Cover the tray with plastic wrap and refrigerate for about 3 hours so the flavors can marry and the tiramisu can settle.

Lemon Thyme Roast Chicken & Caramelized Onion Mango Sweet Potato Salad

2011-08-12T14:54:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite go-to recipes is Ina Garten's Perfect Roast Chicken. It takes little prep time and once prepped, you just pop it in the oven. No fuss. I first saw her prepare it on Barefoot Contessa while I was in law school and since then I've used this recipe, sometimes with a few tweaks, whenever I want an easy recipe to prepare for dinner. Since hubby was out last night, I was able to take my time with dinner (we usually make a speedy dinner in about half an hour when we're home together). On the menu, Ina's abbreviated roast chicken recipe and my adapted version of Bobby Flay's Caramelized Onion Sweet Potato Salad. For the chicken, I didn't include the carrots or fennel this time, and for some reason it took forever to cook. I pan seared it first, then baked it, and it still wasn't fully cooked so I pan fried it again. Weird. For the sweet potato salad, I added mangoes, which turned out to be a fantastic addition and perfect for the summer. Next time, I would use less orange zest since the orange flavor was a bit intense. No photos this time, but take my word, it was delicious.

HAVE A HAPPY WEEKEND!

52 Weeks: Week 32, Radio City Music Hall

2011-08-11T08:39:00.002-04:00

Spending Hiatus - Week 1

2011-08-10T14:08:00.000-04:00

I think I did pretty well for week 1. This week was all about decreasing the number of times I went out to eat, and for the most part I was on track.

I brought breakfast and lunch from home every day during the work week. I even got treated to lunch at Sushiden last Thursday. Michael and I (to be completely correct, just Michael) cooked dinner during the week except for Thursday when Alysse and I grabbed dinner at Hummus Place before our (free) INXS concert. I also had AMC coupons I bought ages ago through work that discounts movies at any AMC theater and I used them for movie night with the girls last week.

Unfortunately for this spending hiatus, this weekend made it difficult to stay on track since we had our anniversary dinner and had to prep for the birthday BBQ. It's only once a year though so we went all out, and it was worth it! Otherwise, no other shopping last week. Back on course and will delete back next week.

The Rest of the (Long) Weekend

2011-08-09T14:13:00.001-04:00

I started the long weekend on Thursday night with a free INXS concert at the Beacon Theatre. Free! I won them from a radio contest. Earlier in the week, WPLJ was giving away free tickets to INXS if you were caller 95. Michael thinks I was the only caller that morning to they had to give the tickets to anyone who called. Whatever - I love INXS. My favorite song is Beautiful Girl and I remember buying all their albums decades ago when I first heard the song on the radio. M and I actually went to their concert in 2006 at Radio City Music Hall right after the reality show ended and the band found a new lead vocalist. That concert was amazing - we didn't have any expectations and it was so much better than we thought it was going to be. the new lead vocal JD Fortune was spot on and it was a little spooky how he sounded like Michael Hutchence. Tonight's concert was for their Original Sin album which are remakes of their old songs. I was really disappointed because I didn't like the new version of Beautiful Girl, which was the one song I was looking forward to. I'll see them again (if I win free tickets).

On Monday, we threw a birthday BBQ for the hubs (Happy birthday my darling!). I made a second batch of jello shots and a Macedonia berry salad (recipe is from Debi Mazar's show Extra Virgin on the Cooking Channel - recipe is here). Meatball Shop was my inspiration of the orange creamsicle jello shot - when we went a few weeks ago, the orange creamsicle was delicious. I couldn't resist to make it on a large scale for the party. The party was fun and we had a lot more people than expected. Ed Westwick made an appearance too... yeah, because we roll like that.

(posted with L's permission)

Just a note... to my husband and very best friend. It's been 2 & 6 years together. I'm thankful for every day and it's definitely an amazing ride. I get weepy because I always daydreamed how I would be all grown up, and this life right now with you is better than I could have ever imagined.

The (Long) Weekend

2011-08-09T08:37:00.000-04:00

I took a couple of days off from work and this past weekend felt like a whole week off. It was great. On Friday, I started my day trying to find vanilla vodka and then making a test batch of orange creamsicle jello shots (more on that in a bit). We agreed to dog-sit our friends' dog which seemed like a fantastic idea - I've always wanted a dog. Our friends came by to drop off Allie, an adorable poodle mix, and told us she wouldn't be trouble at all. Generally, she was a delight and such a cutie. Specifically though, she freaked out wen we put her in her cage at night to go to bed and wouldn't stop crying and barking. We felt bad so on Saturday night we let her stay in our room, but she was up all hours. Every hour, she would circle the bed, want to play and tried to jump on the bed. It felt like we were new parents with a newborn! So sadly, I've changed my mind about having a dog. Or only having a dog that doesn't shed and sleeps through the night. I also met up with the girls that night to watch Crazy, Stupid Love. Loved it. It makes me ~~secret crush~~ adore Ryan Gosling, although not as much as when I saw him in the Notebook (in case you needed a frame of reference). The movie was sad and funny at the same time, Steve Carrell was good like that.

On Saturday, Hubs and I were exhausted (him more than me since he got up to take care of the dog a few more times). He was still able to haul massive bags of meat and vegetables back from the Meat Market in Hell's Kitchen (near our old apartment) back to Brooklyn for the party we were going to throw (more on that in a bit). I'm not sure how he got all that food home in one try, but he did and saved a ridiculous amount of money since that meat market is so inexpensive! The meat section is a big meat locker that you walk into and the butchers are inside butchering the meat right in front of you. I'm not sure why it's so cheap though... Saturday night, we celebrated our anniversary and Hub's birthday at Zenkichi. We've passed this place every day and it's like a secret garden on the outside and a haunted house on the inside. It sounds strange, but if you go there, you'll know what I mean. We had the omakase menu and sampled eight delicious small dishes: Japanese yam miso soup, a late of amuse-bouche (my favorite was the baby yellowtail sashimi), asparagus-scallop-corn tempura, homemade tofu salad, miso cod, lamb chop tataki (I wish she had ten of these!), tuna donburi and frozen black sesame mousse (hubby had the Mineoka Tofu that tasted like panna cotta). The meal was absolutely amazing! We were both ridiculously full and ridiculously content after dinner. If only we could go every night...

On Sunday, we continued our long weekend of anniversary and birthday celebrations, and Michael planned a full day of surprises. I have to say I hate surprises... ok, not true. I hate not knowing what the surprise is, I love the other side of the surprise and the end result of whatever the surprise will be. I asked Michael dozen of times what we were doing but he held strong. Finally, I found out (when we were actually there) that were were having brunch at Maison, one of favorite crepe places, AND the Cirque du Soleil show Zarkana. The show was amazing - my favorites were the Wheel of Death, where two brothers are doing leaps and somersaults, at one point blindfolded, on two gigantic spinning wheels, and Ellen Chen who fingerpainted in blue sand these amazing (AMAZING) images of the first half of the show and then a preview of the second half of the show.

Ok, I think we need a little break before I get to the rest of the weekend....

The Easiest Sangria Recipe

2011-08-09T07:17:00.003-04:00

Everyone knows you need a pitcher (or two) of sangria to help you get through the hot summer weekends. Here's my foolproof white sangria recipe.

1 bottle of white wine (the fruitier the better)
Lemon lime soda
Fruit - any kind works. I like peaches and nectarines be size they're crunchy. Frozen berries work well too.

1 - Cut up any seasonal fruit.
2 - Pour the bottle of wine into a pitcher. Add your fruit. Fill the rest of your pitcher with the soda. Add ice and/or frozen fruit.
3 - drink right away or let the fruit soak for an hour or two. Either way it's delicious.

* For larger parties, it might be more economical to buy the magnum size bottles of wine. If you do that, pour wine about 3/4 of the pitcher full and refill with wine and soda as needed.

Heatwave in Brooklyn

2011-08-05T11:57:00.003-04:00

It isn't a heatwave in Brooklyn without open fire hydrants. That's right, the suburbs have their sprinklers and the city has their fire hydrants. While we waited outside for dinner one of the nights of the heatwave a couple of weeks ago, a dad opened a fire hydrant by us and the kids were having a ball. It should have been a sign that the place we were waiting to get in didn't have enough air conditioning when the waitress and bartender ran out of the restaurant, splashed around in the hydrant water and ran back inside. Who knows what kind of fire hydrant germs they left on our food and drinks!

Have a great weekend!

52 Weeks: Week 31, The Watchtower publication headquarters in Brooklyn

2011-08-04T13:58:00.005-04:00

52 Weeks: Week 30, Wall Street's Charging Bull

2011-08-04T10:51:00.001-04:00

52 Weeks: Week 29, Sunset over Manhattan from Brooklyn

2011-08-04T10:39:00.002-04:00

52 Weeks: Week 28, The Costumed Characters of Midtown

2011-08-04T10:35:00.004-04:00

Meatball Shop

2011-08-03T13:09:00.000-04:00

This place is amazing. (Cyndi we got your email and owe you a trip there!). It can be an every-night-of-the-week dinner spot since you mix and match items and there's so much to choose from.
A couple of weekends ago we had an impromptu back-in-college night when we ate there. Orange creamsicle Jello shots and grape Kool-Aid rum punch. The first was delicious, the other was totally gross, but the meatballs were ridiculously amazing. We all had meatballs but four different ways: naked (I had the classic beef with the spicy meat sauce), sliders (hubby's favorite was the Greek lamb special), smashed and meatballs on top of risotto. Ridiculously delicious.

Then hubby and I found ourselves there again this past weekend. More meatball deliciousness. This time I got the smashed chicken meatballs family jewel style. Go! What are you waiting for?

No Debtmaggedon...for now

2011-08-02T14:16:00.004-04:00

Last week, someone told me to stock up on food and water and be prepared for the end of the world today. So the world has been saved (I hope you can hear my sarcastic tone) and there won't be a debtmaggedon today. Maybe tomorrow, but not today. Hubby and I love to watch zombie and apocalypse movies and talk about how we would fare. He would be brilliant and although I think I would be great, I'm going to make sure he's by my side. Pack those flashlights and extra cans of food my darlings!

{44th & 6th Ave}

August Spending Hiatus

2011-08-01T09:54:00.000-04:00

Ok, it's been awhile but I'm back. Let's just say that life had to settle a bit in the last few weeks before I could be back on track. Yes, I'm totally being vague on purpose....

Anyway...

Spending hiatus - I haven't done one of these in awhile. I think I've been doing ok with generally spending less although last month money seemed to be flowing out without any regard. So to tighten the belt a little and to get into shape fiscally before the end of the summer, I'm putting myself on a one month spending hiatus. Like the other ones I've done, it's not technically a complete freeze on spending, just a month of being mindful and trying to spend less - a lot less. It's hard with birthdays, anniversaries and summer outings, but this can be a good test of living frugally. Plus, I fit a few big ticket items in last week - haircut, baby shower gift, and new cellphone - so this month might be easier on the wallet.

Day 1 ($0): I've been making coffee at home for the last few weeks and it's been working out really well. Since I'm already preparing coffee, it makes it easier to also prepare breakfast and lunch for the day. Quaker oatmeal and Daniva vanilla yogurt with granola have been my staples for the last few weeks. I also supermarket shopped this weekend for different lunch options so I'm trying to brown bag it for the rest if the week. As for dinner, no big plans during the week do turkey burgers and sweet potatoes will do just fine. I packed a lot of snacks for work too so foodwise, I'm good so far.

I also put a few things up on eBay that were worth selling. My old cellphone and a few new, never-been-worn work items that have been sitting in my closet for way too long. They'll only bring a few bucks in but it's nice to clean out my closet and earn a few $$.

I'll keep you updated on my progress this month...

Taking a Little Time Off

2011-07-15T10:08:00.010-04:00

Just want to let you lovelies know that I'll be MIA for a little while.

Don't worry, it won't be for too long and I promise lots of good stuff when I'm back.

My Four Summer Items

2011-07-13T23:07:00.002-04:00

There are certain things this summer that I can't seem to live without it feeling truly like summer:

Sun tan lotion. I know, there was a song about it and you hear the same old story - wear sunscreen! 30 SPF or higher, the higher the better. I was slathering tubs of the stuff all last week. There's also a new product from Neutrogena that sprays on wet skin, sweat and all, and it's fabulous. Essential when you're at the beach or pool all day.
Bright nail polish. Bright summer colors always make me feel happy and well-groomed so I've been doing my nails every week. Something about a bright pop of fuchsia screams summer. And I've been really good about doing my own. Not only does this save a LOT of money, it also gives me peace of mind that I'm in a clean environment and won't catch anything nasty. A neighbor of ours caught an infection after getting a manicure the other day and has a gross abscess on her finger. Ok, not every place is gross, but I'm terrified of picking something up from the nail salon.
Fedora hat. I bought one of these cuties at a street stand that sells sunglasses and I Love NY t-shirts, among other things. I adore the hat because it shades my eyes and more importantly, protects my scalp which always seems to burn. Hopefully it prevents a few wrinkles and sunspots too. I think fedoras might already be "so-last-year" but it's serving me well so far.
Kmart shoes. Sometimes I'm a little embarrassed admitting where I buy some of the things I get because they're not designer or cool. Only slightly embarrassed though because bottom line, I like to spend less! Like these shoes from Kmart. There were only $15. Slightly shy admitting where they're from...but they're ridiculously comfortable and make me feel like I fit into Brooklyn when I wear them. They remind me of the slip-on shoes we wore in the 90's.

What We Did During the Last Ten Days

2011-07-11T22:45:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful week off! I was back at work today and although I'm not jumping for joy to be back, I feel completely recharged after our staycation. We certainly took advantage of being close to home and did a lot of things during the weekday that we wouldn't have otherwise attempted during the insanely busy weekends.

For the 4th of July weekend, we started with a baseball game at Citi Field for the Subway Series. Besides visiting Citi Field for the first time, the highlights of the night were watching dozens of planes fly ridiculously close o the stadium and having the Yankees win (sorry Met fans!).

We were able to watch the Macy's fireworks on our roof and I couldn't believe there were so many other firework shows throughout New Jersey and Brooklyn.

During the week, we headed out to Michael's sister's house in Jersey for a pool party and were pleasantly surprised to have his grandma visit too. We visited the second phase of the Highline and ate the most delicious pasta and pizza at Eataly. We relaxed by the pool. We watched Transformers and ate BBQ. We took a cooking class at the Institute of Culinary Education and made Italian Surf & Turf (M & I made the rice balls). The other dishes: homemade pasta, fish soup, veal cutlets, fritto misto (fried seafood), and blood orange panna cotta. We celebrated by sister's boyfriend's birthday at Brooklyn Bowl and Brooklyn Brewery, then we out for antelope burgers. We met up with Alysse and Matt for brunch, toured the Red Bull Creation invention challenge in McCarren Park, and got really bad shoulder sunburns. All in all, it was a fabulous vacation! Back to work and back to the real world...

52 Weeks: Week 27, Near the Highline

2011-07-08T11:00:00.001-04:00

Quick Re-Canvas DIY

2011-07-06T22:18:00.010-04:00

When I bought the canvas art for our living room from Overstock the first time, the canvas was torn and some of the stretchers were broken. It must have been crushed during shipping because it was pretty bad shape.

Overstock sent a new one and let me keep the broken one rather than have me return it since they couldn't resell it. So now we've had an extra oversized canvas that's been sitting in our storage unit waiting to be tended to. We couldn't paint over it since the bottom corner had a substantial tear. I decided to instead cover it up and repurpose it into a bright and cheery art piece for the hallway. I had extra fabric I bought from Parons Fabrics awhile ago and stapled the fabric over the canvas. I didn't fix the broken canvas stretcher and although I don't see the difference, M does and he suggests replacing the stretcher so it's not lopsided on one side. We'll see...

If you're doing something similar, here are some tips:
- Iron the fabric before stretching it over the canvas.
- Staple the top first, then the bottom (pulling the
   fabric as tight as possible), finish by stapling the
   sides.
- Fold the ends and corners as if you're wrapping
   a present to make it nice and neat.

Seriously, this is the easiest DIY project you can do. I was able to finish it in less than an hour. And yes, I did this on our staycation. You're supposed to do what you want on a staycation, right?

Staycaytion

2011-07-05T11:15:00.018-04:00

Michael and I are off this week from work and we're taking a staycation. The thought of having a full week of work off makes me completely giddy. We'll be lounging by the pool (here in Brooklyn and in New Jersey), taking surf lessons at Rockaway Beach (ok, maybe not surf lessons, but the beach is definitely in), visiting the second phase of the Highline, taking a cooking class at ICE, and eating and drinking like it's our job. I feel so relaxed already!

Happy 4th of July!

2011-07-04T11:13:00.003-04:00

I hope you had a great long weekend. Enjoy the beautiful 4th of July weather today!

52 Weeks: Week 26, Where You Can Usually Find Me

2011-06-30T07:44:00.003-04:00

Lately, all I've been doing is people-watching out of our living room window. I'm like the cat sitting by the window watching the day go by.

The Weekend

2011-06-27T07:16:00.002-04:00

Last weekend of June...Mr. M and I tried the new restaurant Two Door Tavern on Friday and took advantage of their great happy hour. $5 drinks, a HUGE bowl of mussels that fed four people and Maine Lobster Mac & Cheese as their Friday night dinner special. I also had, for the second time last week, fried pickles. I've never had so many fried pickles since I moved to Brooklyn - it's like water here. Plus, I have to repeat that the Friday night dinner special was fabulous. There were huge chunks of lobster in the mac & cheese - I'm definitely headed back next Friday for another helping.

On Saturday, we celebrated my brother's birthday with dinner at Social Eatz, birthday cupcakes from Crumbs, and drinking and dancing at Volstead. Dinner at Social Eatz was ridiculous - bulgogi burgers, bibimbop burgers, finger-licking good ribs (seriously, one of the most delicious), and lots and lots of fries. We had a few issues with the manager at Volstead who wasn't as accommodating as he should have been, but after a few drinks, we were happy and partied the rest of the night. It was nice to see my brother having fun - he deserves it! Happy Birthday bro!

52 Weeks: Week 25, Two Dogs

2011-06-24T18:56:00.002-04:00

(Outside Aurora, Williamsburg)

First Day of Summer

2011-06-21T22:32:00.002-04:00

Happy first day of Summer! If you haven't already realized, summer is my favorite season of the year. I love it hot. I love how the city is buzzing. Everyone is trying to fit all the hot weather activities in a short three month time frame. It's exhausting, but since the season flies by so quickly here, you have to keep going. Just go!

Here's a prime example. Why have a little concert inside when you can set up on the sidewalk. Seriously, this was a first. They brought all the speakers and cables out to the street. I'm not sure who the band was, but they were amazing. I think a few people brought their lawn chairs out and sat across the street to watch and listen. Love. It.

And since the summer is a short 3 1/2 months, here comes another to-do list. We're going to make sure we get stuff done before the leaves starting falling off the trees.

Free Bike Friday at Governors Island
Watching Back to the Future and Jurassic Park on the Intrepid. Make a picnic and enjoy the movie.
Get to the pool and beach as much as possible.
Finally watch the Dragon Boat races in Flushing
Eat and drink outdoors as much as possible.
Camping (I know this isn't going to happen, but it would be fun!)
Visit the new second opening of the High Line.
Take the tram to Roosevelt Island
....

A Weekend for My Dad

2011-06-20T09:23:00.001-04:00

Since my Dad's birthday is a day before my brother's, we've always celebrated both birthdays together. This year, my Dad had his very own birthday celebration and we threw a little Father's Day into the mix. He's simply happy if all his kids and son-in-law are home and just hanging out - it really doesn't take a lot and he never asks for much.

We went for dinner at Outback Steakhouse. I know, we really know how to treat our dad to a classy meal! It was delicious by the way. We ended with a strawberry shortcake (from Wegman's) for birthday cake. (Have you had their shortcake - ridiculously delicious!)

Love you Dad!

52 Weeks: Week 24, East River Ferry

2011-06-16T10:29:00.002-04:00

East River Ferry

2011-06-14T15:14:00.000-04:00

The East River Ferry has come to north Williamsburg! Yesterday the ferry started its free two week service and you know I was there to take advantage. The ride in the morning was amazing! It was a much more pleasant ride than the elbow-to-elbow commute I've been taking on the L train, and it was much shorter than I expected (35 minutes door to door). Oh, and there was free coffee on the boat!

I'm going to test this freebie out for the next two weeks and if all goes well, it might be the perfect substitute for my subway commute. I'm hoping! People on the subway are starting to really tick me off. Some people (to be fair, I said "some", not all) have 1) no sense of personal space - they will constantly knock into you but not feel a thing; 2) no sense of personal hygiene - especially relevant now that summer is approaching; 3) no sense of of decency - as I was walking up the subway stairs, I saw a guy look up a girl's skirt as she walked up the stairs. Gross.

On our way back home though, this was the ridiculously long line at 34th Street. I'm hoping it's only crowded because it's free for these next two weeks.

Panna Cotta Weekend

2011-06-13T21:42:00.005-04:00

This past weekend, I tested Tartelette's red berry almond milk panna cotta and it came out delicious! I love having it at restaurant and didn't realize how easy it is to make from scratch. The basic ingredients - cream, sugar and gelatin. You can add almost anything to personalize it - berries, vanilla, chocolate or caramel. After making it on Saturday, sharing a couple of bowls with the French when they came over, and giving two ramekins away ot a neighbor (in exchange for homemade banana bread!), I was dying for some more and made another half batch on Sunday using up the peaches we had.

Serves 4-6 depending on the size of your glasses or ramequins

Kitchen Notes: freeze the glasses once they are filled with the fruit puree while you prepare the panna cotta. Make sure the liquid is at room temperature before pouring it into the glasses or you will shatter your glass.

1 cup raspberries
1 cup red currant
1 cup almond milk (Almond Breeze)
1 cup dairy free creamer
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons powdered gelatin bloomed in 2 Tb water (means to
pour water over gelatin and let it sit while you prepare the panna cotta

In a food processor, puree the raspberries and redcurrant together and divide the mixture among 4-6 glasses. Freeze.
Combine all the ingredients, except the gelatin, in a saucepan over medium high heat and bring to a boil. Heat the gelatin in the microwave for 8 seconds and quickly stir it in the cream mixture.
Let the panna cotta mixture cool to lukewarm. Remove the glasses from the freezer and slowly pour the cream over the red berry puree and let set in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours.
Decorate with fresh berries if desired.

The recipe uses non-dairy creamer, but I used heavy craem instead. For those who are lactose intolerant, stick with the non-dairy creamer! I also added a teaspoon of vanilla extract for extra flavor. Raspberries were ridiculously expensive at the market so I substituted blackberries and peaches for the recipe's raspberries and red currant. (I'm not even sure what red currant is!)

I may tweak the recipe going forward - less sugar; half & half instead of heavy cream; and if using fruit puree on the bottom, freeze the fruit for at least two hours so that the fruit doesn't mix into the panna cotta when you pour the milk mixture into the ramekins.

52 Weeks: Week 21, Green Chairs (Union Square)

2011-06-10T07:41:00.001-04:00

52 Weeks: Week 23, Andy Warhol Statute

2011-06-10T07:38:00.002-04:00

Our First Place: Our Den

2011-06-09T13:00:00.002-04:00

Also known as the man cave...although it's a very chic man cave. Although our sales agent and the building call this room a home office (because it doesn't have a window), it's become our very cozy den. I love calling it a den because it evokes a warm and homey lived-in space. It definitely feels like a home.

We didn't start from scratch with this room so it was completed much quicker than the living room (yes, still in progress and I promise to post soon). We have our red couch, side tablles, media console and our TV from the old apartment. We added a small couch for more seating, wall decor and a bookcase (from IKEA), and an ottomon and pouf for nice and relaxing leg rests. Michael wanted to decorate this one room on his own without any input from me and he did a fantastic job. Yes, it was difficult keeping my mouth shut and I would add a few more things, but that's a compromise, right? My favorite things in the room: the new brown couch (it's incredibly soft and comfortable - perfect for falling asleep while watching TV) and the New York City map print (I love the dark graphic style and it's of NYC).

(Somehow one item is still around. Remember this?)

Taste of Times Square

2011-06-09T10:37:00.007-04:00

M and I made it to the Taste of Times Square on Monday with a few friends. Every year we try to get to the big food festivals and this one is always on the list. They moved the tents from along 46th Street to the pedestrian plaza in Times Square along Broadway. There seemed to be a lot more vendors this year, but it was definitely just as crowded. I guess with so many tourists already in Times Square, there were that many more people who wanted a bite to eat. The portions this year seemed bigger which was a plus, and even though it seems like $20 worth of tickets (with dishes at 2-4 tickets each) wouldn't be enough for the two of us, we always have extra tickets. What did we eat you ask...crab cakes, Cuban sandwich, been empanada, spicy steak tri-tips, riblets, shots of Snapple's new Amazing Race papaya mango iced tea, and a slice of Junior's cheesecake with strawberry topping. Delicious!

{gothamist.com}

Hot Child in the City

2011-06-08T14:32:00.000-04:00

Hi Summer! We all asked for hot weather and here it is! We were supposed to check out BeerParc tomorrow night but it's expected to be in the 90's (with real feel in the 100s) so it's probably not the best idea to be outside drinking. We'll need a nice indoor, air-conditioned space instead.

Stay cool! Make some popsicles!

(Recipes here and here)

{popsugar}

Lady Gaga in the House!

2011-06-07T21:42:00.001-04:00

I had the most fabulous celeb sighting today... Lady Gaga! She was going up for a XM Sirius Satellite show and she came through my office building. I was arms length away from her and she was totally fabulous!

I used to think she was a bit annoying and a copycat of Madonna. I actually told the DJ at our wedding not to play any of her songs (the horror!). I watched her in a few interviews though and read her bio in New York Mag recently, and I adore her now. What caught me was that there are so many people, especially those who feel like outsiders, who find inspiration and hope in her and her songs. She's a bit freaky but she's honest and real, or as real as a person who wears a meat dress can be!

Wedding Weekend

2011-06-06T22:12:00.002-04:00

This weekend I helped a friend's friend plan her wedding at the Bronx Zoo. It was a lot of fun but completely exhausting. I felt hungover on Sunday even though I didn't drink the day before! I've said a few times I'm done with wedding planning but somehow I keep getting sucked back in. Despite the endless (seriously, endless!) emails and telephone calls, when I watched the bride and groom take their vows during the ceremony, listened to the bridal party speeches and watched a slide show of the couple's photos, I remember why I love weddings. No matter how much drama there was or how much stress was created leading up to the big day, the wedding day is filled with joy and happiness. Always! (At least the weddings I've been to!). It also reminds me of my darling husband and how amazing our wedding day was.

The Bronx Zoo is a wonderful place to have your wedding. It's a bit magical since there are animals all around you. Peacocks were walking around the zoo grounds and one was even hanging out on the zoo center building during the ceremony. The cocktail hour was in the Madagascar exhibit, which houses the lemurs, and it ended at the sea lion pool.

I'm not sure why I didn't take more photos - I think the only one I took was one of the groomsmen boutonnieres. Once the photographer has photos up, I'll send them through. I have to point out one vendor, the florist (Starbright Floral) who is completely AMAZING. The bride's bouquet was especially gorgeous with roses, orchids and a peacock feather.

52 Weeks: Week 22, Kimberly Hotel

2011-06-03T10:05:00.003-04:00

Growing Up and Passing Along Some Wisdom

2011-06-02T22:03:00.000-04:00

How did I get to a point where I was the adult and the one giving advice? I know I never give myself credit and I still feel like a kid, but in the last month, I've been asked to impart wisdom and the experiences I've had in my career over the last 6 years to those who have started their careers after me.

Last week, I met up with someone who was trying to get a Compliance position in my company and we met up for drinks. I know she's been anxious to leave her current position and usually networking is to learn more about the company or business before flat out asking for a job, but I guess I'll help wherever I can. I told her awhile ago I also love party planning and have been planning weddings for fun, and when she told her boyfriend this, he said I was the person she strives to be. Amazing! I look up to all the women who have these amazing design and lifestyle blogs and here's someone who looks up to me. Just passing it along...

Also, a co-worker who has been organizing a mentoring program through work asked if I would mentor some of the high school students in the program by doing mock interviews. The interviews were so much fun! I've interviewed people before (for actual positions in my old department), but helping high school students through such a stressful process was a lot more exciting and rewarding, especially when they were interviewing for positions at Starbucks and Macy's (two of my favorite stores).

At the end of June, I'm speaking on a panel at the New York City Bar Association about Careers in Compliance. I'm really excited for this event, although I'm super nervous. I've been to a lot of panels for school or Continuing Legal Education but I've always been the student or attendee. Here I'll be presenting and up on a podium talking about myself and giving advice! Very exciting, but again, totally scary! I certainly didn't follow the typical post law school path by going into Compliance (and not practicing!) so I'm sure sharing my experiences and career choice will help another person find their way. Sometimes I wish I had someone telling me which way to go...

The Weekend

2011-05-23T09:56:00.002-04:00

How was everyone's weekend? I hope you enjoyed the short bursts of summer we had on Saturday!

We had a friend's 30th birthday BBQ party in our building on Saturday. I love that we didn't have to go very far (you can tell I'm making not traveling far a theme lately). M's friend is the executive sous chef at Union Square Cafe and he made the most gourmet bbq party food I've had (sorry Dad). Juicy and flavorful burgers, chile-rubbed shrimp, grilled asparagus, and mango-fennel slaw. Seriously, I wish I had more of everything right now - it was that good!

The party may have made it up to one of the empty penthouse apartments at one point. How else can you get such a gorgeous sunset (courtesy of the hubs).

Our new neighbor friends are fantastic, and we just met their friends who opened up to us as if we've been friends for a long time. I love people who are like that. It was really nice be with new people and be completely comfortable with them. And we were just invited to our neighbors' wedding in Costa Rica in November!

Happy Weekend!

2011-05-20T07:37:00.001-04:00

Today I'm off from work but still have a lot on my plate. I'm visiting the Bronx Zoo ahead of the wedding I'm planning there in June, going downtown to get out of jury duty, doctors appointments, pick up a present for M's niece's birthday, drinks with someone looking for a job at my company and possibly stopping by hubby's IT happy hour. I'm exhausted just thinking about it, but as always, I do better under pressure and when there's a lot on my plate. I'm sure it'll feel completely satisfying tonight after I'm done with everything.

Any plans for the weekend? The rain has stopped so go enjoy the beautiful weather! We're going to stop by Smorgasburg's opening day tomorrow and we have a 30th birthday party in the building. Oh yeah, and if you haven't already heard, it's the end of the world tomorrow too. On Sunday, we're off to Staten Island for the whole day (with a stop at IKEA).

Yesterday, I got lunch at the free Korean food truck near my office. It was hosted by the "Taste of Korea" Food Truck and I got a nice FREE portion of LA kalbi (not sure why it's called LA, it looked like regular kalbi). The line was ridiculously long but the truck is only promoting free food and itself until today so it was worth it. The portion was a bit small, but hey, it was FREE!

Food trucks have really blown up in the city lately. They were always popular, but it seems there are now at least two food trucks on every block in midtown. More on them in a later post soon...

Have a great weekend!!

52 Weeks: Week 20, Street Chess at Union Square

2011-05-19T10:11:00.002-04:00

Rain Rain Go Away

2011-05-17T07:24:00.003-04:00

Does anyone remember what the sun looks like? Or a warm spring day? It's day four of the rainy weather and it's expected to continue to rain until the weekend. Boo for the rain! This weather puts such a damper on my mood. I've been grumpy and sleepy all day. All I want is to take a nap or watch a movie in my pj's. Even though it doesn't feel like it, it's spring and in couple of weeks, the official start of summer, a time to be productive and outdoors!

I have a few projects coming up: a wedding I'm planing at the Bronx Zoo, possibly a baking event in my building and finishing up the (first round of) home decorating of our apartment. So this weather betters start cooperating and boost my motivation and get my lazy butt into gear.

{Photo by nycpix}

Haircuts & Yankee Games

2011-05-13T23:12:00.051-04:00

Last night we went to our first Yankee game of the season. Ok, we were in the 400 section, but they were $5 seats and the view was still really good. The highlight of the night was the food (it was 6-0 Kansas City in the second inning which was basically the story for the entire game): garlic fries, hot dogs, cracker jack and (watered down) beer. Delicious and we were happy campers.

Have you ever seen that Mastercard commercial showing a family at a baseball game and Frank Sinatra's Summer Winds is playing in the background? It always reminds me of going to games in-person and invokes such a wonderful feeling and how wonderful a day like that can be.

I finally got a haircut today too, and it's been way too long between cuts. I went back to my old stylist, Jeffrey, in my old neighborhood. I've been going to him for years, but after moving to Brooklyn, I thought it would be more convenient to find a place near my apartment. Even though my old salon is now a little out of the way, I'm back for good. Jeffrey is Cantonese, knows how to cut my Chinese hair and I always feel better once I leave the salon. The lady I went to a couple of times in Wburg was ok, but she stunk of cigarettes and body odor. Yeah, not a good combination when you're inches away from her for an hour at a time. The haircut cost twice as much too so it was a no brainer. Don't you feel wonderful after a new haircut?

Have a great weekend! What are you up to? (We have a wedding tomorrow and it's in Manhattan so no travelling - yay!) Don't forget - the 9th Avenue Food Festival is this weekend. Of course we're going!

52 Weeks: Week 19, Ai Weiwei's Circle of Animals: Zodiac Heads

2011-05-12T08:22:00.001-04:00

{Grand Army Plaza outside the southeast entrance to Central Park}

Bergdorf Fifth Avenue Windows: Alexander McQueen's Savage Beauty

2011-05-11T18:18:00.000-04:00

Bergdorf's window are showcasing items (on loan) from Alexander McQueen's archives in London. The windows are complimenting the Met's Alexander McQueen exhibition.

From the Bergdorf blog: "We designed these windows after spending several weeks researching the work of Alexander McQueen. We looked at every runway look from the past 12 years, as well as viewed videos of all his shows. In doing so, we uncovered the sensibility unique to Alexander McQueen: Gothic elements, love of nature, iconoclasm, unusual shapes, clothing-as-armour, rigorous tailoring, striking use of materials, exquisite craftsmanship. Among other revelations, we found that in McQueen there is seriousness of purpose with many parallels to contemporary British art."

I love how edgy he and his designs were. Obviously it takes a little skill to take photos of store windows without the terrible glare of the glass reflections. If you want more fabulous photos of the windows, you should also go to Bergdorf's blog.