Birthday Wishlist Obsessions

Today is my Champagne Birthday!
I'm 27 on the 27th
(how time flies...)

Here is a list of things that I want
to have or do as a lady of 27.

Puff Pastry.
Yes, I've talked about this before.
It's still stewing, I've been reading recipes
and watching videos and soon, I hope to
be able to make it myself.

Charleston.
I really do miss it. That city is easy to
fall in love with. I often find myself daydreaming
about walking along the battery, eating a sammy
from Groucho's, and staying at the Mills House.

Ice Cream Maker.
Just another thing on the ever-growing list of
things that I want to master.

French 3 and 4
I'll be re-taking french 3 because the summer
course just seemed too short. I really want to take
the time and really understand what I'm learning.

Paris.
I want to be in Paris. Just the idea makes me
want to swoon. I want to sit by the Seine and
eat baguettes and drink wine, explore the maze
that is Montmartre, and gorge on rich pate's/
terrines/marrows/cheeses. ah Paris...

The forgotten shows.
When the bf and I moved in together we decided
to nix the premium channels because they were just
too expensive. Alas, I lost track of Dexter and the Tudors.
This year I want to catch up, I'm putting it on the list
because it's a must.

New Mexico.
I have a dear dear friend that moved there recently.
My first NYC friend. I miss her terribly.
I want to get out there and have western adventures.

Vintage Dresses.
Etsy is an amazing resource for vintage shopping.
I've been obsessing over these 50's style cocktail dresses
and I will get one this year.

Lucky Leo

Yesterday was my pre-birthday celebration,
and it was wonderful. A fun filled day with
many of my favorite people.

I lounged around at Spa Castle with the bf
and our friend Pete. Then we took Pete to
Flushing Mall to show him the magic that
is the food court. We picked up a red bean
cake, some Vietnamese Shaved Ice, and my
favorite little corn shaped cakes.

For dinner a group of dear friends met us at
Sripraphai for a huge mega Thai feast!
My favorites were the Crispy Watercress salad,
the fried fish topped with green mango, chinese
broccoli with crispy pork, and my usual fav
pan fried noodles with chicken, shrimp and
bamboo shoots. I wish I had taken pictures-
it was such a good meal with great company.

Dessert and Prosecco were served @ chez nous,
and when the night was over I went to bed with
the biggest smile on my face. Feeling so fortunate
to be surrounded by such wonderful people.
It was easily one of the best birthday celebrations I've had.

Now it's just one more day til my actual birthday.
I can't wait to see what the bf has planned.

Latest Obsessions

Puff Pastry.
I'm thinking that I'm going to give this a try
on Monday. Not sure how it will go-
but I am determined to get it right.

Conserving Energy
With this ridiculous heat wave it's been
necessary for the AC to be on. Our last Con Ed
bill had doubled and I'm dreading this months.
I've been trying to keep all other appliances
and lights off while it's on.

Patricia Field Store.
It's way over the top and they have a
variety of sequined hotpants.
What's not to love?

Haagen Dazs Limited Edition flavors.
So far we've had Peanut Butter Brittle,
and we currently are eating Bananas Foster.
Find them and buy them.

Tastespotting.com
Food Porn (and recipe ideas)

Sick Day

I've found myself a little under the weather
these past few days. Today was the much needed
day of rest.

I hate being sick, but I kinda love being able to
take a day and just relax. It's given me a chance to
draw up a shark and cut out some bits for collages.
Now I'm snuggled up on the couch, watching
Masterpiece Mystery (which I really need to get
on dvd) I'm normally a strict Miss Marple fan, but
this Poirot is quite good as well.

This downtime has also given me a chance
to catch up on my reading. Which right now is
My Life in France by Julia Child and let me say
that it is one of the best books that I have read.
(and I'm not even halfway through yet!)
For anyone that loves France, food, and/or
cooking this is definitely worth picking up.

Her enthusiasm for cooking is contagious
and has me thinking about puff pastry and
beef bourguignon. I might have to pull
a Julie and Julia and work my way through
one of her cookbooks. I'll put that one
on the back burner for now. Maybe that will
be my winter project...

In other news my Champagne Birthday
is just a week away! Lets hope I am 100% by then

And the Winner Might Be......

Paul the octopus is my new favorite cephalopod.
I have 3 opinions on his genius abilities.

1.)He is a picky eater

or

2.)He has been following soccer since the last World Cup
and has noted how each team has been playing. Putting one
against the other and choosing the most likely to win.
Clearly this man has a chart somewhere.

or

3.) It's a conspiracy, probably going back to the Giant Squid.

Latest Obsessions

*Brewing my own kombucha
(I recently had success with my first batch,
and am extremely proud of this achievement)

*NYC Icy
(the peach flavor changed my life)

*Washed Out-Feel it All Around

*Chinatown.
(Used to hate it and now I can't
get enough of it)

*Watching the World Cup
(Germany)

*This corset

*Visiting Charleston
(I want the bf to see how
awesome it is)

*Summer Pies
(Though my crust making abilities need
some serious work.)

Summer of Sammies #3

This past 4th of July was ridiculously hot,
possibly too hot. But the bf and I braved the heat
and headed into the city for our friends rooftop party.
Because we wanted to avoid being on a rooftop while
the sun was still at it's worst we decided to take our
good old time getting there.

We found ourselves at This Little Piggy had Roast Beef.
A tiny sammy shop on 1st Ave and 9th St that specialized in
a-m-a-z-i-n-g roast beef sandwiches. As recommended
by NY Mag we ordered the "That Way" (about $8) ,
which is a delicious roll, topped with freshly sliced roast beef,
gravy, and fresh mozzarella.
We even got a few complimentary french fries!















This sammy is a monster. I couldn't make it through
the last few bites of my half-and I was pretty much full
for the rest of the night after consuming this at
4pm. This will definitely be a place that I return to
again and again.



















The rest of our 4th was nice, we found a bar that
has a cider on tap. (It was perfectly refreshing on
a 90+ degree day) We then meandered over
to the boys rooftop, where we were met with a crowd
of at least 100, which eventually grew to about 200.
We had a few drinks and watched the fireworks, then
just as the rave began-yes some people did have glowsticks-
we made our way back to Queens for one last drink at our
favorite local bar.

It was an excellent 4th spent with friends and without pants.

It's Like Buttah.

Inspired by a recipe in Milk: The Surprising Story
of Milk Through the Ages by: Anne Mendelson
I decided to finally make my own butter this morning,
and it was ridiculously easy!

A few minutes in the food processor turns
plain old heavy cream( unhomogenized)
into 2 magical things. Butter and buttermilk.















After some mashing and draining..
Voila! Delicious homemade butter.

Summer of Sammies #1 and 2

Last Sunday the bf and I began our journey
through the 101 Best Sandwiches of NYC.

Our first sammy was at Katz's Deli on the LES.
For $14.95 you get a delicious pile of Pastrami
with mustard on rye. This was the most buttery, rich,
and satisfying deli sammy that I have ever had.



















If you have the $15 bucks to spare, this is
definitely worth trying but, if you are strapped for
cash then check out their hot dogs and soups
Much more affordable, and who doesn't love
matzoh ball soup!?

We then meandered down Orchard St
towards our next place. Cheeky Sandwiches.
If you didn't look out the window, you would
think that you were in New Orleans.
We got the Oyster Po' Boy and a Root Beer
that was only found at Cheeky's and NOLA.
*I should also note that I'm not really any oyster fan,
I've even had fried oysters that I've hated.
But this was perfection. So many flavors coming
together to make one delicious sandwich.



















After that I truly was stuffed, though I did managed to
make some extra room for a Chinatown Ice Cream Factory
cone. As we made our way into Chinatown, we continued
our search for the elusive Dragonfruit.
This time we found it!!! After months of searching
it was finally ours.
It was quite good, very kiwi-esque.























Another wonderful Sunday.

Fun Stuff

You can now find Littlebunny cards at Stray in Sunnyside!
It's so exciting to have my creations in a store!

I also received a large version of this photo
courtesy of my dear friend Carly Valentine.
It was a fun filled day in Atlantic City-
we didn't win any $ but I got to frolic
on the beach in a leotard

A Good Week

This week has been filled with good things.

*Lunch with Christina @ 5 Leaves
(allow us to recommend the Housemade Ricotta
and the Pimm's Cup.)

*2 New Dresses. Yes, I am fully aware that my fashion
choices cover all sides of the spectrum.



















*My friend Molly gave me a new scoby, so this morning
I tried to brew Kombucha for a second time. Looks
good so far, I'll keep everyone updated.


















*My second batch of strawberries is growing!
The first consisted of only 1 berry, so to have 4
is super exciting.















*One of my cupcake cards has already sold @ Stray!

*Had an impromptu night in with the bf, we made a delicious
dinner, had a bottle of Lessona Nebbiolo, and finished watching
Seven Samurai

Just have to get through one more shift and tomorrow
will hopefully be a beach day!

Latest Obsessions

*The food at Village Whiskey in Philadelphia
(This past week, a friend and I went and it was
AMAZING. The picked truffle lemon artichokes
blew.my.mind.)

*This ice cream sammy recipe.

*"Tighten Up"-The Black Keys
(The singing t-rex makes it even better)

*Milk:The Surprising Story of Milk Through the Ages
by:Anne Mendelson (so pumped to make my own butter and yogurt!)

*This print by Banquet

*Planning my champagne birthday!! July 27th is closer than you think!

j'aime l'ete.

I have my usual list of things that I would like to do,
see, eat, and drink this summer. here it is (in no
particular order)

*I need a trip to the zoo. any zoo.

*Sunday's in Long Beach (this includes a 5 guys burger
and 1 ice cream cone)

*Spa Castle trips followed by Flushing Mall binges.

*Spend a few nights @ the Mills House in Charleston.

*Visit Chelsie and Peter in Chicago, and eat these.

*Drive down to Baltimore for the Aquarium and see this.

*Have dinner at Blue Hill Farms in Tarrytown

*Explore the West side of NYC-just because I never do.

*Work through the 101 best sammies list with ZachMack

*Take Serg to Central Park

*Go crabbing/fishing

*Have picnics. fancy picnics.

*Go out to a Mets game and to the US Open

*Drink large amounts of Pratello Marzemino, Gerbino Rose, Corvina,
and U Tabarka Vermentino.

*Hopefully get down to Myrtle Beach with the fam.

*and maybe...just maybe..a girls weekend in Vegas.

I'm Calling it Summer.

It's been in the 80's the last few days,
so I'm considering it summer.

The bf and I spent the day at the beach on Sunday
and it was glorious. We got our usual 5 guys burgers,
laid out, walked around, and I got my necessary ice cream cone.
(this time sans sprinkles after the mutli-colored disaster
that happened last time) It was a great day,
and a perfect way to kick off summer.

Today in food nerd news,
I went to the greenmarket today and came home
with these things.















*Chive plant
*Peonies
*summer squash and zucchini
*beets
*cucumber
*1/4 of a tuscan bread (that I am totally obsessed with)
*asparagus
* a head of romaine and a bunch of arugula
*tri-star strawberries (seriously the best strawberries ever)

Such a good day at the market, I'm now awaiting the
comeback of peaches and berries
Once I can get my hand on some peaches, I am going
to make a Peach & Creme Fraiche pie.

Oh! and this Sunday, June 6th I will be selling my cards
down at the Fulton Stall Market @ the South St Seaport!
Apparently they have pretty good food vendors lined up for this too,
so come out and say hello!

Latest Obsessions

*The Clock Without a Face by Gus Twintig

*Sea Salted Brownies. (these got rave reviews)

*Totoro Lunch Box

*The Daytrip Society

*This crab dish on etsy

*Quarts of fresh strawberries from the market

*The Barbera d'Asti and Cannonau that we have by the glass at work.

Mother's Day Ideas.

I've been trying, for about 3 weeks,
to find Mother's Day gifts for my mom
and godmother. No store seems to have
anything that I can really get excited about
so I'm thinking that, once again, I'll
make them something.

(Last year it was a lemon/olive oil scrub-
which they both loved so much that they also
received it for Christmas!)

So here are some excellent DIY
Mother's Day Presents. I'm thinking
that I might try the teacup candles.

The ever popular Hand Scrub

Rhubarb Strawberry Chutney This can be used on toast, pancakes, yogurt. (I only used about a half teaspoon of ginger in this-I'm not a huge ginger fan and too much of it can be overpowering.)

Found Terrariums

Monkey Bread (and mimosas!)

Herbed Pickled Asparagus or Pickled Beets -I've made the beets before and they are fantastic and surprisingly easy.

Infused Sugars

Teacup Candles

Latest Obsessions

*visiting the unknown places in Designsponge's Philly Guide

*Dragonfruit Juice/ finding an actual dragonfruit

*Art by William Kentridge (been a fan for awhile but
after the exhibit at the MoMA I've become infatuated
with it all over again)

*Rhubarb Upside Down Cake Recipe from this months Living.

*Luke's Lobster Rolls. They are just so delicious.

*Salty Sea Dress from Anthropologie

Hidden City

I've lived in NY for about 5 years now,
and after that amount of time you get
pretty familiar with your surroundings.

I could basically find my way blind through
the East Village, I know the ins and outs of
Sunnyside, and I even have a handle on parts
of Brooklyn. Yesterday however, I discovered
a new part of NY.

If you asked me to name my least favorite areas
of the city I'd have to say Times Square and Chinatown.
I dislike them for the same reasons, they are crowded
tourist traps. But a friend told me that I should check out
the Chinatown Ice Cream Factory, saying that they had
delicious Black Sesame ice cream. Since we were at the
Hester St fair we decided to meander over and see
about this ice cream situation.
( but first! the delicious Luke's lobster roll we had at
Hester St, jealous?)
















Who knew that this part of Chinatown was actually
pretty cool!? A big beautiful park, cute little eateries,
asian grocery stores, (I love foreign food products.)
and fun little shops. (Oh and these.
Stuffed(?) hot orange squid.
Doesn't suit my palate but found them fascinating.)















Lets talk about the deliciousness that is
Chinatown Ice Cream Factory. I did try,
and very much enjoy the black sesame flavor.
The bf opted for a flavor called Zen Butter,
I think that this was a combo of peanut butter,
vanilla, and another zen ingredient-it was quite
good as well.
















From there we found a lush park where
musicians played instruments that you
don't see everyday, and a lady sang in a voice
that was, well, interesting. But if they had
a cd for sale, I would have bought it. They
were great, and so was the vibe at this park.































Don't get me wrong, I still loath Canal St, but
I do have a fondness for the hidden part of
Chinatown.

Happy May!

The first day of May has been a lovely one.
I spent the bulk of the day meandering around
the Brooklyn Flea. I had planned on buying
necessary presents for Mother's Day and various
upcoming b-days but no...instead I managed to
stuff my face with delicious food.
Not productive but definitely awesome.

Check out my Asia Dog. A hot dog done in
the style of a banh mi sammy.
















I also had a pretzel, some lemonade, and
I couldn't resist another bag of Liddabit
salted caramels or their new rhubarb gummies.


I came home and finally made the Rhubarb Upside
Down Cake that I've been talking about all week.
Unlike my Cranberry version, this turned out lovely!















The whole cake managed to come out of the pan this time!















After that I made a quick asparagus risotto, opened
a bottle of Corvina and caught up on my tv shows
for the week.

I love Saturdays like this.
Have a good weekend!

Take a Look at Me Now.

I've had thyme, basil and strawberry plants
for about a month now, and I am proud to
announce that they are STILL ALIVE!!
















Can you believe it!? (because I can't)
In addition to the 2 flourishing plants
I have also managed to get little strawberry
seeds to grow! This is a big deal for me.

















Remember in grade school when everyone
planted bean seeds in science class?
Well, mine either didn't even sprout or
died almost immediately.

I've had a black thumb for as long as I can
remember...I think it actually runs in my family.
But this is a new year and I'm keeping my
fingers crossed that my strawberry plants
actually bear some fruit.

On a side note: The Spring Handmade
Cavalcade was a huge success!!
Lots of people came out and I had a very
nice amount of sales!! So many thanks to
those who came out to buy handmade!