3 on Thursday

I am so excited for my Mom to arrive in the city tomorrow!  Her idea of a good day in Manahattan is EXACTLY like mine so I imagine there will be plenty of exploring, meandering, and eating going on.

've always wanted to go to a movie screening in a park, but after six years in NYC I only just made it.  It sounds like something you could just pop by last minute, but it actually takes some planning.  The park fills up hours in advance and since no movie would be complete without snacks, forethought is necessary.  Albert and I went to one of the HBO Summer Film Fest screenings in Bryant Park and even though the park was too full for us to use the blanket I toted along, we got seats at one of the small tables around the park.  We could still see everything and were actually able to beat the crowds when it came time to leave.  The movie of the night was Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (the 70s one with Gene Wilder - a personal fave).  The audience clapped and cheered when Charlie found his golden ticket and when the Oompa Loompas watched Veruca Salt go down the chute with the other bad eggs.  I also loved that they played a Looney Tune to start off the evening and the old school HBO movie intro just before the feature.  One of the coolest things I've done in the city.

One of the best parts about bubble tea is puncturing the plastic film with that fat straw.

For my birthday this year my parents offered to get me the tablet of my choice to replace my laptop.  They helped me research the options and about 2 weeks ago I went to pick up my shiny new iPad.  I absolutely love it!  It was such a generous gift so I am definitely putting it to good use by writing up a storm and watching HBO Go in bed.  It's so much fun having a new toy and even better when that toy can improve your daily productivity thanks to some handy dandy apps.

Greek Yogurt Pasta with Mint and Thyme

I love lemon cream pasta.  Carbonara is pretty good, too.  Basically pasta with cream sauce is decadent comfort food.  Have I told you anything you didn't already know?  If you're like me and you love creamy pasta, read on.  I followed this recipe and couldn't believe how amazing it tasted.  You don't feel like you're sacrificing anything so go ahead and gorge without guilt.  One note: because it's not actually made with cream, you need to serve and eat immediately so the yogurt doesn't get clumpy.  But why would you want to wait anyway?

Avocado, Edamame, and Grapefruit Salad

Avocado goes great with citrus and anyone who's eaten at a sushi restaurant knows that avocado and edamame work well together.  Just a hunch, but that means grapefruit and edamame could work together with avocado doing the back end work of bringing them together.

I just told you the three main ingredients for this salad.  Put them on top of arugula, squeeze a lemon on top, drizzle some olive oil over it, sprinkle on some sea salt.  Done.  I very rarely like salads without cheese, but this was amazing.  None of the flavors are too powerful so it can go with any main course.

Book Review: Yes, Chef

We've seen tons of chef memoirs recently - even I've gotten sick of them.  But it's hard not to be intrigued by Marcus Samuelsson's story.  Samuelsson was not even three years old when his mother walked him and his sister to the nearest town in Ethiopia in search of care for their tuberculosis affliction.  His mother succumbed to the disease and he and his sister were soon adopted and raised in Sweden.  

The Ethiopian boy raised in an all white world is a great hook, but I was most interested in the fact that he grew up in Sweden - regardless of his race.  My knowledge of Sweden goes about as far as Swedish fish so I loved learning about their unique culture and cuisine.  I also enjoyed reading a memoir about chef life that didn't revolve around crazy drug use in the kitchen.  Samuelsson went out to prove how hard work and good values are the basics for building a successful career.  You can tell he is inquisitive of and in love with food.  

He is also in love with Harlem.  Everyone should love their neighborhood the way Samuelsson loves Harlem.  He has been at the center of Harlem's second renaissance and I don't think the area would be where it's at now if it wasn't for his passion.  

3 out of 5 stars.

Spicy Shrimp Breakfast Tacos

Years ago my family took our boat out for a weekend camping trip.  On the last morning I was put in charge of making breakfast out of whatever we had leftover.  I ended up making breakfast burritos out of shrimp we caught straight off the side of the boat and some cajun seasoning we had used on steak the night before.  I basically just threw stuff together, but everyone loved it.  Looking back, that's probably when I realized how happy cooking and feeding others makes me.

I decided to re-create that first cooking experiment for brunch the other weekend.  After scrambling some eggs I threw some grape tomatoes in the pan to start blistering.  I coated shrimp with cayenne, paprika, chile powder, and garlic powder (really get em good with that spice mix) and cooked them alongside the tomatoes.  It only takes a few minutes (about 2/side).  There's not much to assemble: tortillas, arugula, eggs, shredded cheese (barely any - the shrimp have tons of flavor), shrimp, and tomatoes.

It may have been simple enough for me to quickly whip up in my early cooking days, but that didn't make it any less delicious now.

3 on Thursday

Getting this week's 3 on Thursday in with just 30 minutes to spare. That should be an indication if how crazy work has been. Can't tell you how ready I am for the weekend. I'll be kicking it off with a Yankees game and 6 pm on Friday can't come soon enough!

Albert received this book through work but gifted it to me knowing it would go to much better use in my kitchen.  I've flipped through it and can already tell it's basically a bible for grilling.  Beef, chicken, pork, seafood, even veggies - they all get a large section devoted to their specific grilling needs.  Most recipes actually seem simple enough (as it should be - let the grill do most of the work) but full of flavor. Can't wait to try it out!

Before and after my first 5k, The Color Run. Though it's not a long distance for most, I had to train for it and felt a huge sense of accomplishment when I finished. It was the perfect 5k to start with because it's pure fun. You wear all white and get doused with color at several checkpoints throughout the run. I don't think I'll be doing further distances, but brjng on more 5ks!  P.S.: the best part of doing a run is the post run brunch. 

Maple goodies are big in Canada and a friend from work just brought these back from a recent trip to Montreal. So super sweet and unlike anything we have in the US. It's like a cookie pancake!

Defonte's of Brooklyn

Defonte's is a Brooklyn institution.  It's an old school Italian sandwich shop where you shouldn't dare ask for substitutions on these large sandwiches that look like they could feed the whole firehouse.  These are manly sandwiches at girly prices (nothing over $11).  The Manhattan branch may be a little shinier but from what I hear, the food is just as good as the original.  It's a no-frills place and the sandwiches thrive on the simplicity of good ingredients and classic Italian combinations.  I went with the Hot Roast Beef.  The meat was sliced paper thin and piled onto a soft roll with a thin layer of fried eggplant and fresh mozzarella.  I split my sandwich up into two meals partly because it was so large and partly because I wanted to have the experience of eating it twice.