pok pok

we ate at pok pok last week with some friends and i cannot stop thinking about how good this meal was.  this was the second time that J and i ate here, but we hadn't been in so long.  i now want to go all the time.  i also want their cookbook.  but i i really just want to eat there.  everynight.  has anyone been?  their chicken wings are to die for.  it's also a great place for a group of friends.  you just get a bunch of plates and share.  yum!

my weekend

this was such a beautiful holiday weekend.  i had originally wanted to go away, but J convinced me that staying in town was a much better idea.  he was right.

friday was so low key.  after the gym i came home and we cooked dinner and relaxed.  saturday had us out and about enjoying the day.  we had a beer at our favorite beer bar in the neighborhood and then had dinner at one of my most favorite restaurants.  this place makes me so happy and every time i have been it has been an amazing experience.  we were so lucky to get last-minute reservations!

sunday was my birthday and i started off by going to the gym.  i figured i should start my new year as strongly as possible, right?  J made a fantastic breakfast and then we went for a walk.  for the past few years it's been a tradition to get Blue Bottle coffee on my birthday.  love their coffee!  we walked to their store in our neighborhood and we both got the iced New Orleans.  and then J dropped his.  they were so nice in the store and immediately gave him another one, but i could not stop laughing.

we walked back home and after a few minutes of being back the doorbell started to ring.  J surprised me by having a bunch of our friends come by for cheese and wine and cake!  it was so wonderful and it was such a fun-filled afternoon.  i love these people so much.  plus, i got to have cake for breakfast on monday.  ;-)

we managed to eat half of this huge cake!

my weekend

this was a great weekend filled with lots of hanging with my girlfriends.  friday night i had dinner with women from work at this great restaurant in Tribeca called Pepolino.  this place was fantastic and i cannot believe i've never been there before.  it so Italian and Tuscan and it made me long for our honeymoon.  the whole dinner was delicious, but we ended with their caramel panna cotta and it was nothing short of amazing.  the creamiest panna cotta i have ever had and i will get that every time i visit this restaurant.

weekend additions: new rug and new coffee table book 

saturday night two of my best girlfriends came over for dinner so the afternoon was a busy day preparing.  i decided on an Italian meal (surprise, surprise) so we started with lots of italian cheeses and some soppresatta that i got from Stinky.  if i had to create the world's most perfect shop it would be this place.  for dinner i decided to make a roast pig with roasted potatoes.  it was the second time i used this recipe and it is fantastic.  the other great thing about it is that after the preparation you just let it roast for 5 hours.  you can visit with your guests and not worry about too much time spent in the kitchen.  perfetto! we finished off the meal with this mascarpone dessert.  now, this was the first time i   used this recipe and i cannot wait to make it again.  we devoured it!

sunday, my sister, her boyfriend and their kids came into the city for the day and we walked so, so much.  we got pizza and took them over the BK bridge and got ice cream and just had a wonderful day of visiting and exploring.  it was so nice having them here even if it was only for a few hours.

and then sunday night got sad because my favorite show ended.  saying goodbye to Mad Men was so hard! i know it's only a television show, but this was the best of the best.  i will miss these characters and the writing and the stories dearly.

an old fashioned for a favorite show

now i've done it

i have been feeling crazy lately and i totally ate my feelings tonight.  i bought a pint of ice cream.  for myself.  because J isn't home.  and i ate it.  a lot of it.  by myself.  not all of it, but a lot.  and the guilt!  but, it was a delicious pint from Ample Hills so you can't hate on it too much.  maybe i had too much gelato in italy.

and now i shall get into my comfy pajama pants because these jeans have become way too tight.  yay!

the best gelati in Montalcino

recipe: heirloom tomato pasta

this week has been hot.  huh-uht.  so hot it deserves two syllables.  which means that cooking has been pretty tough this week.  i didn't use the oven at all and i found a recipe in the latest issue of Martha Stewart Living for a great pasta dish that inspired me.  i can't find the link to the actual recipe, but below is what i put together.

you will need:

3 cloves of garlic, thinly slices

olive oil

2 pints of heirloom cherry tomatoes, halved

fresh torn basil (about 2 tbsp)

1 tbsp capers

2 tbsp lemon zest

red-pepper flakes

salt & pepper

8 oz. pappardelle, cooked al dente

heat about 1/4 cup of olive oil in a sauté pan.  add garlic and crisp, tossing occassionally, until golden.  set aside and let cool.

combine tomatoes, basil, capers, lemon zest and a pinch of red pepper flakes (more if you like extra spice) and a generous pinch of salt in large bowl.  pour garlic and garlic crisps over tomato mixture.  let sit for about 30 minutes, tossing occasionally.

add warm pasta to bowl and toss.  sprinkle with basil, pepper, and additional lemon zest.  

see how easy that is?  i was able to make that with limited amounts of sweat in my teeny tiny kitchen after the gym for a great weeknight meal.  and we didn't even have to eat it at 10pm.  yay!  thanks, MSL!  i'm thinking about making it the next time we have people over for a summer meal.  this dish with a glass of nice, cold, white wine?  um... word.  word.

what's coming next...

so, i took it easy on dinner.  i was still traumatized from peeling and deveining shrimp.  tonight it was tuna salad with onions and celery.  it was simple and tasty.  i had extra hot dog buns leftover from last night's dinner so we had another summer sandwich and salad night.  we also finished off the pickles.  boo!  i will be making more though.  i've also pickled some cukes for a friend of mine as a surprise.  i'll let you know how he likes them.

anyway, this weekend i want to make this:
nutella cookie sandwiches.  um... yes, please!  found this via the kitchn.  it's from a great blog called The Yuppie Lifestyle.  this girl is seriously cool and has so much fun stuff that i have been going thru all night.  anyway, i think i'm going to try these on sunday.  seems doable.  and i could eat nutella straight from the jar so this could spell big trouble for me.  and my thighs! tee hee hee.

i'm a dork, i know.

the other thing i'm looking forward to doing this weekend?  going to see the alexander mcqueen exhibit at the met!  woop woop!  finally.  i have been dying to go and it closes in august so josh and i are finally getting our act together.  it should be beautiful.  i'll tell you all about it.

[photo credit: L. Morello for The Yuppie Lifestyle]

Recipe: Shrimp Salad

shrimp salad sandwich.  yummy, yummy.  summer makes me crave things like lobster and shrimp and fish tacos.  aw yeah...  tonight, i chose shrimp.  this was my first time with shrimp salad and i think it went well.  let me just say this though, the cost of peeled and deveined shrimp now seems worth it.  i did not think this prior to dinner.  but after, covered in shrimp juice and completely grossed out by deveining, i was all for it. aside from that nonsense, dinner was a success!

and yes, that is a ms. pickle on my plate!  even more delicious day 2!

for the shrimp salad: i took about 3/4 of a pound of fresh medium sized shrimp.  put them in salted boiling water for about 5 minutes (they should be pink and should float to the top.  it's a good idea to test one).  when done, drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking.  after cooling, peel and devein (eck!) and chop into smaller pieces (i wanted mine a bit chunky).  put them in a bowl and add the following:  1 1/2 celery stalks - chopped, 1/4 red onion - chopped, generous amount of salt and pepper, a pinch of garlic powder, paprika, and onion powder.  mix and add desired amount of mayo.  

i served my salad in toasted hot dog buns with a nice piece of lettuce as a cushion on the bottom of the bun.  on the side i had a red leaf lettuce salad with steamed asparagus and shaved asiago.  oh, and a pickle!

it was a good meal.  josh had two sandwiches which spells success to me.  i think i would have been happier if i didn't have to spend all of that time peeling shrimp, but now i know.  maybe next week my fingers will smell normal again.

ms. pickles

that's my new name.  yep.  i made my first attempt at pickling and... it.  is.  awesome.  i want to try all different kinds, but this first one tasted like your standard half-sour pickle.

yum, right?  they're your standard kirby cukes quartered lengthwise and put in a jar.  in a separate bowl take about a cup of white wine vinegar (i think you could do a little less than that.  it was a tiny bit too much) and add a teaspoon of peppercorns, a tablespoon of sugar, an exaggerated pinch of salt, a teaspoon of caraway seeds, 3 cloves of smashed garlic and a bay leaf.  add 1/4 of a thinly sliced sweet onion.  mix that all together and then add about 1/4 cup of warm water.  mix everything together and add to the jar of cukes.  let them refrigerate for at least one day.

i really do like the taste.  like i said, next time i'm going try a little less vinegar and a little more water.  i might add some different spices too.  i think they're going to taster even better tomorrow after another day of sitting.