Dinner at Nikki's

Nikki wanted to have a small dinner party and invited Kris and myself. She & Tom had a race to run earlier at the Bronx Zoo and a party after 9pm so they had a pretty full day. Kris & I arrived around 5pm.

I made an appetizer of roasted asparagus, Prosciutto & mozzarella on thinly sliced toasted French baguette. Kris made bacon cheddar cheese stuffed mushrooms. Nikki roasted a chicken surrounded by root veggies. And I brought along a "sinfully chocolate cake"...and yep, it was pretty sinful.

My appetizer dish was very good. The roasted asparagus was very easy to make...tossed it with olive oil & salt and in the oven at 425 for 7 minutes. I melted mozzarella on the bread while it toasted and then added the spears before draping it with paper-thin strips of Prosciutto.


Kris' mushrooms which was a stuffing of bacon, garlic, bread cubes, mushroom stems and cheddar. The combination was very tasty...it was, as Nikki said, as if we were having a mini cheddar bacon cheeseburger.



Nikki stuffed a chicken with lemon, garlic & thyme and roasted it with potatoes, carrots and onion. The skin was crispy and the meat juicy and fragrant with the citrus-y flavors.




I brought along my Soda Stream machine and made seltzer water which we flavored with an orange/mango mix. So easy. Cold glasses of milk accompanied our dessert.



Lupe danced around us hoping for any stray tidbits. When he knew he was going to get a treat, he sat patiently waiting at attention.


He's gotten so big!


We had good food with lots of laughs. It was a fun night.
Thanks, Nic!

7776

That is the number of runner: Nicole Woo in the NYRR 4 mile race held today in Central Park.

But enough about her. LOL. I woke up at 7am to a very dreary, drizzling day to get ready to cheer my daughter on. It was a rain or shine kind of event. I drove to 72nd St East side and found parking meters on Madison Ave. Walked to the park and the event and Nikki spotted me which always astounds me since there were hoards of people. It was chilly and you could feel the rain drops. But Nikki was in shorts and a t-shirt and as a mother, I asked her if she had other clothing but she didn't. I could only hope that she would warm up while running.





I went with her to the starting line-up. They staggered the runners by their numbers. Considering the dismal weather, there was quite a turn-out.






As the race started and she ran off...I went to look for the finish line to try to capture her crossing over. Well...good luck with that! It was fun watching the first runners arriving but then as more and more runners started to appear, I was anxious that I would miss her. It was actually a good thing she had on that white t-shirt since it was much easier to spot. But it was still raining and I had an umbrella and there were other people around me also with umbrellas and it was just a wet messy juggling act. I did spot her but she whizzed by me so fast that I wasn't able to get my camera on her. Darn! As it were, she was drenched from head to toe.

But she made great time: 37:40 Pace: 9:25

So proud of my girl!!

After cleaning up and drying out - We celebrated by having breakfast at Big Nick's...waffles for me...eggs for Nikki:



Then I drove back to Queens where I took a much needed NAP!

Hog Heaven

What would possessed me to make a pork shoulder roast for myself? Especially since they are usually sold in size: huge. I was watching a cooking show..."Mad Hungry" and Lucinda Scala Quinn was making a pork shoulder - Cuban Style. I happen to simply love "pernil". The crackling skin, the garlicky tender meat. I didn't set out to make it but I was in the supermarket and there was a sale and a shoulder that was just under 4 lbs. It looked tiny compared to the other gargantuan ones. It was do-able.

In the end, I didn't follow Lucinda's recipe which entailed grinding limes and garlic. Instead I found a recipe on-line and it was Tyler Florence's. It was easy and I had all the ingredients.

It called for at least 3 hours marinating time. I first stabbed the pork, making slits all over the meat. Then I mixed minced garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, oil and vinegar making a paste which I rubbed all over the pork. Wrapped it in plastic wrap and put it in the fridge to marinate for the allotted time. It probably would have been even better overnight but I didn't have overnight.

I recommend using a disposable aluminum pan or wrap your roasting pan with several layers of foil very well. Otherwise, be prepared to be doing a lot of scrubbing.

When the 3 hours were up, I pre-heated the oven to 350 and once heated, popped the roast in the oven for another 3 hours.

While that was cooking, I made white fluffy rice and my favorite side for this fragrant dish. Red Onion and Tomato salad. I thinly sliced red onion and squeezed a couple of limes over it to "cook" it. Then I seeded a tomato, sliced that thinly and tossed it with the onion. It's fresh and tangy flavor is a perfect compliment to the heavy pork.

The house was filled with the aroma of roasted meat and garlic making my mouth water.
I could hardly wait and stood by the oven counting down the last 60 seconds. I pulled it out of the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes.

When I made the first cut, the knife slid into the fall-off-the bone meat. And after plating it and finally making that first "perfect bite" - I actually closed my eyes and went to some sort of Nirvana. I wanted to do a happy dance and it was happening in my mouth. The meat was juicy and the skin crisp.

It was just oh-so-good and totally worth the wait.

Freckles, Waffles & Birds

Oh boy...what does it mean when hundreds of birds poop on your car?? I hope it means good luck is around the corner because it just happened to me.

Winnie invited me to see "Freckleface Strawberry" (tickets she won) and yes, it's geared to children and there were many little girls aged around 5 years or so, and although we sat in the first row, all the kids around us were so well-behaved that it was a pleasure. It was an easy breezy 70 minute musical that was quite cute. It reminded me of shows that I took Nikki to when she was that age. And I could see this would be a sweet thing to do on a sunny Sunday morning with your kid.

The show started at 11...finished at 12:10. Just in time for brunch...my favorite meal! Winnie was treating for my birthday although I feel she's been treating me all month...but I am older and wiser and took her up on it with no argument!

She asked me to choose the place and after much investigating, I opted for "Georgio's Country Grill". One, because it was near the theater and two..it had a brunch menu that included the stuff I love!

I have to admit I have seen this place for years but thought it was either a "hole in the wall" or a local hang-out". It's located on the corner of 9th Ave & 53rd St. I've noticed it many times on Menu Pages and had even considered it when I was looking for a breakfast place one morning before attending the Wendy Williams Show but never went for it. But this time, I decided to try it.

I didn't think to make reservations so it was a surprise to see a horde of people waiting outside and the place was jumping! I was told it would be a 10 minute wait which wasn't a problem. Today happened to be a beautiful sunny day. It was less than 10 minutes when my name was called and we were led to a perfect table for 2 next to a wall and window.


(Stock Photo)

Winnie & I ordered the #3. Waffles with bananas, strawberries, whipped cream and a side of sausages. The brunch special comes with juice and coffee or tea.



That first perfect bite of waffle, strawberry, banana, whipped cream, syrup and sausage was heaven. The waffle was fluffy inside, crisp outside and soaked up just enough syrup that it was sheer delight when it touched my tongue. I ate every single bite.

Being a Sunday...I was able to park on the streets of Manhattan free of charge. I found a spot on 9th Ave and 50th St. I hadn't noticed it but I was under a tree. Not even a large big branch tree. But it turned out to be a "toilet tree" because yes, my car was covered. Winnie is my witness. It was...to say the least...a sight to behold. Obviously this wasn't my fault but I felt judged all the same. My first thought was to head to the closest car wash but then remembered it was forecast to rain the next day. When I got home...I pulled on rubber gloves and was able to clean it all off. I saved the car wash cost and worked off some of that waffle and sausage. Life is still good. :-)

Ireland & Italy For A Day

Today I spent the day with Leslie in the city. I had not seen her since our last get-together in May, 2010 so this was long overdue. I love driving into Manhattan on a Sunday morning because there is plenty of parking on the streets! Although a chilly day, after our brunch and a walk through the abundant Eataly which was simply amazing...we sat in the park across the street. Choosing a sunny bench, we were very comfortable and caught up on the last 10 months. We ended the day by returning to Eataly and having gelato. Coconut and Dark Espresso for me. Pistacchio and Stracciatella (chocolate chip) for Leslie. I was so in awe of the creaminess & smoothness that I forgot to take a photo!

This was an easier way to post my photos of the day which was so delightful - looking forward to doing it again.

This free greeting card created with Smilebox

Pretty Underneath

I wanted to post the card I made Nikki...but didn't want to do it before she saw it in person.

Inside was indication that I am treating us to a Spa Day of her choice...


Yesterday I met Winnie by Union Square to cash in on some of my birthday coupons. First stop...DSW to use the $5 they sent me. I know $5 doesn't get very far but they got me in the store. I looked through every department: handbags, wallets, scarves, boots, sneakers, shoes and more shoes. Nothing was $5 but there was also nothing that I wanted to add much more money to. I ended up getting a pack of socks because I can always use the socks. I had to add $6!

Onto Big Daddy's a few blocks away to take advantage of my free burger and shake. I ordered a bacon cheddar cheeseburger but realized now that was way over the top and I should have just ordered a regular burger. The reason is the coupon of a free burger and shake is valued at $18. A regular burger is $12 and a shake is $6. Free.
Ordering the bacon cheddar burger cost an additional $2. And that was added to the bill. Okay. There is a nice selection of milk shakes and although not a huge fan of shakes, I ordered "The Milky Way" - chocolate milk shake chocked-filled with caramel and boy - was it scrumptious and decadent! The shoestring fries that came with the burger was crispy and perfectly cooked. I was so full that I forced myself to take the last bite of burger. The catch to this "deal" is there is a 2 person minimum and so Winnie had to pay for her meal. I will "repay" her when her birthday rolls around but I thank her for allowing me this treat. :-)

We went on to Victoria's Secret to use my $10 birthday gift card even though I swore I wouldn't shop there anymore. It's a long story having to do with their credit card. The problem is I happen to really love their panties! I've tried to switch brands but nothing matches up. So armed with my $10, I was hoping to get a pair or two. They are costly...$7.50 each. Maybe I would be lucky and run into their 5 for $25 which is still more than I wanted to pay. Most of the ones I own now were "free" from promotions but they were getting worn and needed to be updated. Lo and behold, VS was having a "Panty Raid" - 7 for $25.50! I quickly ran to the bin that held the ones I like the best...cotton hi-leg. And it was a smorgasbord!! I was so happy. And then using my $10 off - made up for DSW!

Celebratin' continues on.....

My Day Filled with Favorites

It's been a great start to celebrating my birthday starting with brunch with Nikki on Sunday. Thursday, the Sister's Birthday Club met at the 42nd St Regal Stadium Cinemas and attended a pre-screening of "Limitless" starring Bradley Cooper. This was Winnie and my 19th free movie screening! I enjoyed it very much and even more because I had my "girls" with me.

The next morning, we met again in Queens bright and early to what is becoming an annual trek to Tanger's Outlet out on Deer Park, Long Island. It was a gorgeous day...warming to the 70's. I had received my $10 Tanger's birthday gift card and redeemed it at Le Gourmet Chef...one of my favorite stores and picked up a jar of the Raspberry Honey Mustard dip and Kathy found an insulated picnic tote reduced to $9.98 from $19.99. I even had a 20% discount coupon for it! Love when that happens. I shopped at Old Navy, the Gap and on Winnie's recommendation...my newest favorite place...The Christmas Tree Store. And there was nothing Christmas in there! Just a whole bunch of fanastic finds at fabulous prices. Kathy & I could only say "O-M-G!!". We'll calm down and the next time will be less in awe and more in focus!


Connie, Kathy, Me & Winnie

I was treated to one of my favorite meals - sushi - back in Queens where Tony joined us and then was able to drive the ladies back home.

I came home to find one of my best "presents":



Thanks to all involved...you make life good! ♥