I often like to cut recipes in half, sometimes it's because there's only two of us, sometimes it's because I want to try the recipe (usually for desserts) before I waste a whole bunch of expensive ingredients (chocolate, nuts, etc....). WithOUT fail I will inevitably forget half way through the cooking process that I am halving the recipe and start following the recipe as written. It's typically not a problem if I'm cooking and I add too much garlic or something, but it's a big problem when I'm baking and it's important to keep the measurements exactly.
So yesterday I was trying a new gelato recipe. The other day I went to the bookstore and jotted down a few recipes from a book since I had trouble finding recipes online. I'm not sure if that is exactly against the rules, but two employees walked by me while I was doing it and didn't say anything, so I don't feel too bad about it. Anyways, I was trying a chocolate hazelnut recipe. I started out a-ok, I halved the hazelnuts and the milk. I "measured" the chocolate (the measured is in quotes because all I did was guess how much I should use since the recipe called out ounces of chocolate for which I had no way to measure - I need a scale) and then I put the sugar in a separate bowl and was adding the egg yolks when I realized I had done it again. But I realized that I had a larger problem on my hands. The recipe called for 3 egg yolks and I would therefore need 1.5 egg yolks. Shiiiiiiiit. Clearly, I didn't think through this one.
So I had 2 egg yolks and 6 tablespoons of sugar in the bowl and I needed 1.5 egg yolks and 3 tablespoons of sugar. Nice. So I started randomly spooning the ingredients out of the bowl until it looked right to me. What a mess!! I had egg yolk goop everywhere: the floor, counter, my arm, why is it that when I screw something up it always involves egg yolks being everywhere? And how did it get everywhere? All I needed to do was take it from the bowl to the sink (which were next to each other). Perhaps it was because the counter was completely full of bowls and pans and dishes because I had baked a batch of cookies in the morning and had not yet done the dishes. You may begin to be imaging the mess in your head. It was a disaster zone.
I continued on with the recipe and finished it. When it came to the tasting, I was a little unsure. It looked good, but how would it taste? Remarkably though, it was quite tasty. WAY too chocolatey, but that's probably because I didn't actually measure the chocolate at all. But, overall, pretty darn delectable. But it seemed like there was a touch too much sugar. I think next time I'll make full recipes, it's not worth all the egg yolk mess, for all the "savings" I get for not using as many ingredients I get much more heartache with trying to fix what I messed up.
So today is my last official unemployed entry, no Fieldtrip Friday tomorrow, and my postings may not come as frequently. Hopefully though, I'll be posting at night now, so there should be a new one bright and early for you, I'm still aiming to post close to every day, but we'll see how it goes.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Yankee Fans
So I'm about to make some very large and sweeping generalizations, and I am very well aware that this does not apply to all Yankee fans, as I certainly have some very good friends that are Yankee fans, but alas I will proceed at my own risk.
So I come from a big baseball family. For any who attended either my or my sister's wedding can attest, from the "Chrovian sister toasts," there's a very deep rooted history of baseball in our family. We'd always go to opening day, plus many a visit to the ballpark during the season. Unfortunately for us, with the exception of the 1984 season, we only had the Tigers to root for. Bummer. So as I got older, I watched fewer games on tv because I think (unless it's October) that it's nearly as dull as watching golf, or watching grass grow, but I still love going to the park.
Anywho, back to the Yankee fans. So yesterday afternoon I headed to the gym. I am very very selective about my workout equipment (like most things in my life), and there is only one brand of a certain piece of workout equipment that I'll use. So I hopped on it and started my workout. I noticed two things as I began sweating to the oldies:
(1) my iPod had the last sliver of battery showing, kind of mocking me as I started the workout. This is serious bad news in the workout world as it means I would be forced to watch some nameless, faceless awful daytime show they have on the tvs which were directly in front of me
(2) two of the tvs in my direct line of sight were showing the same channel
So I was very careful about choosing my fast forwards, as I believe this quickens the drainage of the battery (I don't know if it's true, but the backlight comes on for a brief moment - I know I can change that setting, but once you've realized you're on low battery I try to not make any sudden moves around the pod). I still got the battery of death symbol about half way through the workout.
Right about the time when the battery of death popped up, I saw a guy making hand gestures in front of the tv and the channels started flipping on the tv in front of me. So, he's changing the channel. Fine, I realize that two of the tvs are showing the same thing, but this was the one RIGHT in front of me. No polite "do you mind if I change this" or "are you watching this" which is pretty standard protocol. Especially if it's right in front of someone.
So, as you may have guessed, he wanted the Yankee game on. Not only did I now have no dreamy workout soundtrack of my choosing blaring in my ears keeping those legs pumping, but I had to watch baseball. And not just baseball, Yankee baseball. Yankee baseball is what is wrong with this country, it's like silver platter baseball. Like the 20-somethings who feel like they deserve everything and really already have a whole heck of a lot, or really, everyone who is given everything on a nice silver platter. Not that I've really had to claw my way up, but at least I never felt like I expected everything, and I'd have to say I've put in my fair share of blood, sweat, and tears. Any questions on that can be referred back to my sister and brother-in-law whom I lived with last fall (for one recent example).
Anyways, Yankees, right. It's the team that's always good, so even if you're a fair weather fan, there's always something to cheer for. I would describe myself as a fair weather fan for many sports, but I think those seasons of poor performance give you a chance to rebuild your love for the team when they come back strong and you love them even more when they're good again. It's way better than buying your way to the top. So I strongly dislike the Yankees and I strongly dislike Yankee fans. I won't say hate, that's a strong word.
I especially dislike Yankee fans who change the television station at the gym (without asking) while I am forced to watch it. I also dislike the Yankee fan who changes the channel at the gym and then WALKS AWAY. I even more dislike the Yankee fan who then comes back to check the score 20 minutes later and cheers audibly and claps at and INSTANT REPLY FROM ANOTHER GAME. I also dislike the Yankee fan who gets his weights, brings them back and stands in front of the tv (and me) lifting the weights AND who bends over in his white shorts while I'm trying to work out. Speaking of white shorts, I dislike the Yankee fan who wears white shorts, black tank tops, white wrist (sweat) bands, black gloves and a white bandana with black accents. Who matches their outfits for the gym?
I think I'm going to cheer for the Mets. Unless the Tiger's get good again, of course. My sister always told me that I liked to cheer for whomever was going to win. She was right, for the most part, but I'm not sure I'll ever cheer for the Yankees.
By the way, I don't really hate all Yankee fans, I don't even think I can generalize this experience to one other Yankee fan, but it sure was funny. I don't even hate the Yankees, I don't even think about them enough to hate them (or strongly dislike them).
So I come from a big baseball family. For any who attended either my or my sister's wedding can attest, from the "Chrovian sister toasts," there's a very deep rooted history of baseball in our family. We'd always go to opening day, plus many a visit to the ballpark during the season. Unfortunately for us, with the exception of the 1984 season, we only had the Tigers to root for. Bummer. So as I got older, I watched fewer games on tv because I think (unless it's October) that it's nearly as dull as watching golf, or watching grass grow, but I still love going to the park.
Anywho, back to the Yankee fans. So yesterday afternoon I headed to the gym. I am very very selective about my workout equipment (like most things in my life), and there is only one brand of a certain piece of workout equipment that I'll use. So I hopped on it and started my workout. I noticed two things as I began sweating to the oldies:
(1) my iPod had the last sliver of battery showing, kind of mocking me as I started the workout. This is serious bad news in the workout world as it means I would be forced to watch some nameless, faceless awful daytime show they have on the tvs which were directly in front of me
(2) two of the tvs in my direct line of sight were showing the same channel
So I was very careful about choosing my fast forwards, as I believe this quickens the drainage of the battery (I don't know if it's true, but the backlight comes on for a brief moment - I know I can change that setting, but once you've realized you're on low battery I try to not make any sudden moves around the pod). I still got the battery of death symbol about half way through the workout.
Right about the time when the battery of death popped up, I saw a guy making hand gestures in front of the tv and the channels started flipping on the tv in front of me. So, he's changing the channel. Fine, I realize that two of the tvs are showing the same thing, but this was the one RIGHT in front of me. No polite "do you mind if I change this" or "are you watching this" which is pretty standard protocol. Especially if it's right in front of someone.
So, as you may have guessed, he wanted the Yankee game on. Not only did I now have no dreamy workout soundtrack of my choosing blaring in my ears keeping those legs pumping, but I had to watch baseball. And not just baseball, Yankee baseball. Yankee baseball is what is wrong with this country, it's like silver platter baseball. Like the 20-somethings who feel like they deserve everything and really already have a whole heck of a lot, or really, everyone who is given everything on a nice silver platter. Not that I've really had to claw my way up, but at least I never felt like I expected everything, and I'd have to say I've put in my fair share of blood, sweat, and tears. Any questions on that can be referred back to my sister and brother-in-law whom I lived with last fall (for one recent example).
Anyways, Yankees, right. It's the team that's always good, so even if you're a fair weather fan, there's always something to cheer for. I would describe myself as a fair weather fan for many sports, but I think those seasons of poor performance give you a chance to rebuild your love for the team when they come back strong and you love them even more when they're good again. It's way better than buying your way to the top. So I strongly dislike the Yankees and I strongly dislike Yankee fans. I won't say hate, that's a strong word.
I especially dislike Yankee fans who change the television station at the gym (without asking) while I am forced to watch it. I also dislike the Yankee fan who changes the channel at the gym and then WALKS AWAY. I even more dislike the Yankee fan who then comes back to check the score 20 minutes later and cheers audibly and claps at and INSTANT REPLY FROM ANOTHER GAME. I also dislike the Yankee fan who gets his weights, brings them back and stands in front of the tv (and me) lifting the weights AND who bends over in his white shorts while I'm trying to work out. Speaking of white shorts, I dislike the Yankee fan who wears white shorts, black tank tops, white wrist (sweat) bands, black gloves and a white bandana with black accents. Who matches their outfits for the gym?
I think I'm going to cheer for the Mets. Unless the Tiger's get good again, of course. My sister always told me that I liked to cheer for whomever was going to win. She was right, for the most part, but I'm not sure I'll ever cheer for the Yankees.
By the way, I don't really hate all Yankee fans, I don't even think I can generalize this experience to one other Yankee fan, but it sure was funny. I don't even hate the Yankees, I don't even think about them enough to hate them (or strongly dislike them).
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
Back to the Basics
So yesterday, with about three hours on my hands to make dinner, I decided to go for the easiest simplest dinner, one which would take very little effort and time. One of those "let's see what's in the fridge and what I can make with it." Well, obviously, since I was the one who went to the grocery store and picked out everything I had a pretty good idea of what was in the fridge and what I could actually do with it (or at least I had thought briefly about it when I put the groceries into the cart).
Anyways, I wandered into the kitchen and started pulling everything out of the fridge. I decided on simple roast chicken breast, yukon gold potatoes (preparation was not initially defined), and something with green beans, asparagus and tomatoes and maybe edamame. So I started with the chicken, because I knew that would take the longest. Onto a pan, a little olive oil, a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper and into the oven at 375. I had about 35-40 minutes until that was done so I focused on the potatoes. Since I like my roasted potatoes crispy I usually cook them at 425, and the oven was already in use at a much lower temperature, so I decided to just saute them. But, I don't always like pan sauteed potatoes because I have found that I have to use more oil because they need to cook for awhile (although I suppose that I could put a lid on and partially steam them), I decided to par boil them and finish them off in the saute pan. Then I could add some garlic because it would be a quick cook and the garlic wouldn't burn. I freakin' love garlic and potatoes.
Chicken and potatoes done. Now onto the vegetable. Since I had some boiling water (from the potatoes), I decided to blanch some green beans, asparagus and edamame. I chilled them and sort of looked at them trying to decide what to do. Back to the fridge/pantry. Out came: dijon mustard, feta cheese, onion, red wine vinegar, olive oil and tomatoes. So I made a dressing with the mustard, vinegar and olive oil. Sliced some cheese and tomatoes,diced the onion and tossed it with the greenies. With a quick taste...mmm...delicious!
I also grabbed some thyme from the fridge and threw it in the pan with the potatoes, again with a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Chicken came out and everything was done. All at the same time even, which is always a big big problem for me. To my great surprise this very simple, quick dinner was delicious. Jeff even ate the green beans...a rare feat. I think feta cheese helps him to digest it, or maybe he was just starving and I gave him no choice.
Then, last night was the first night in which we had an ice cream craving and didn't go get some after the gym (actually I had an ice cream craving...but then again I'm usually the motivation for the post-work out ice cream treat), but that's because we had strawberry "gelato" at home. Although it isn't my perfect gelato, it still tastes awesome after the gym.
Soooo...recipes! I haven't posted any in awhile, but here's the recipes for my super simple recipes from last night (if you couldn't have figured them out from my descriptions):
Roast Chicken Breast
2 chicken breasts, skin on, bone in
olive oil
salt and pepper
Pre-heat oven to 375. Put chicken on pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Put in oven for 35-40 minutes until skin is crispy and juices run clear (I think the internal temperature should be 165 but don't quote me on that).
Garlicky Delicious Pan Sauteed Potatoes
About 4 handfuls of Yukon Gold Potatoes (enough for two)
1 T olive oil
1 clove of garlic
thyme (or any of your favorite herb, fresh)
salt and pepper
Put potatoes (whole) in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt to the water. Cook until the potatoes are almost cooked through (knife goes in with a wee bit of force). Keep the water on the heat if you're also cooking the veggies. Cut the potatoes in quarters (I like keeping them whole while I boil them because I think, maybe it's not true, that when you boil the potatoes already cut they get a little water logged) Heat a saute pan over medium heat, and add the olive oil when hot. Add the garlic and immediately add the potatoes. Add salt and pepper. If it looks like the garlic is going to burn add a LITTLE white wine or broth or something (it will reduce the crispiness of the potatoes a touch, but at least you won't have burnt bitter garlic), then reduce the heat cause it's too high. Cook until the potatoes are done and add the thyme towards the end of the cooking.
Green Bean, Asparagus, Tomato, Edamame, Feta Salad
Any combination of green beans, asparagus, tomatoes and edamame to fit your taste
2 -4 T of finely chopped onion
~ 1/4 cup diced feta
1 heaping teaspoon dijon mustard
splash of red wine vinegar
1 T olive oil
Handful of parsley
Blanch the greenies in boiling, SALTED water. Chill in an ice water bath. Chop the tomatoes into large-ish pieces and cut the feta into cubes. Whisk together the mustard, vinegar and olive oil. Toss everything together and add some salt and pepper. Taste and make sure it's delicious.
Anyways, I wandered into the kitchen and started pulling everything out of the fridge. I decided on simple roast chicken breast, yukon gold potatoes (preparation was not initially defined), and something with green beans, asparagus and tomatoes and maybe edamame. So I started with the chicken, because I knew that would take the longest. Onto a pan, a little olive oil, a generous sprinkling of salt and pepper and into the oven at 375. I had about 35-40 minutes until that was done so I focused on the potatoes. Since I like my roasted potatoes crispy I usually cook them at 425, and the oven was already in use at a much lower temperature, so I decided to just saute them. But, I don't always like pan sauteed potatoes because I have found that I have to use more oil because they need to cook for awhile (although I suppose that I could put a lid on and partially steam them), I decided to par boil them and finish them off in the saute pan. Then I could add some garlic because it would be a quick cook and the garlic wouldn't burn. I freakin' love garlic and potatoes.
Chicken and potatoes done. Now onto the vegetable. Since I had some boiling water (from the potatoes), I decided to blanch some green beans, asparagus and edamame. I chilled them and sort of looked at them trying to decide what to do. Back to the fridge/pantry. Out came: dijon mustard, feta cheese, onion, red wine vinegar, olive oil and tomatoes. So I made a dressing with the mustard, vinegar and olive oil. Sliced some cheese and tomatoes,diced the onion and tossed it with the greenies. With a quick taste...mmm...delicious!
I also grabbed some thyme from the fridge and threw it in the pan with the potatoes, again with a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Chicken came out and everything was done. All at the same time even, which is always a big big problem for me. To my great surprise this very simple, quick dinner was delicious. Jeff even ate the green beans...a rare feat. I think feta cheese helps him to digest it, or maybe he was just starving and I gave him no choice.
Then, last night was the first night in which we had an ice cream craving and didn't go get some after the gym (actually I had an ice cream craving...but then again I'm usually the motivation for the post-work out ice cream treat), but that's because we had strawberry "gelato" at home. Although it isn't my perfect gelato, it still tastes awesome after the gym.
Soooo...recipes! I haven't posted any in awhile, but here's the recipes for my super simple recipes from last night (if you couldn't have figured them out from my descriptions):
Roast Chicken Breast
2 chicken breasts, skin on, bone in
olive oil
salt and pepper
Pre-heat oven to 375. Put chicken on pan and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Put in oven for 35-40 minutes until skin is crispy and juices run clear (I think the internal temperature should be 165 but don't quote me on that).
Garlicky Delicious Pan Sauteed Potatoes
About 4 handfuls of Yukon Gold Potatoes (enough for two)
1 T olive oil
1 clove of garlic
thyme (or any of your favorite herb, fresh)
salt and pepper
Put potatoes (whole) in a pot of cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Add salt to the water. Cook until the potatoes are almost cooked through (knife goes in with a wee bit of force). Keep the water on the heat if you're also cooking the veggies. Cut the potatoes in quarters (I like keeping them whole while I boil them because I think, maybe it's not true, that when you boil the potatoes already cut they get a little water logged) Heat a saute pan over medium heat, and add the olive oil when hot. Add the garlic and immediately add the potatoes. Add salt and pepper. If it looks like the garlic is going to burn add a LITTLE white wine or broth or something (it will reduce the crispiness of the potatoes a touch, but at least you won't have burnt bitter garlic), then reduce the heat cause it's too high. Cook until the potatoes are done and add the thyme towards the end of the cooking.
Green Bean, Asparagus, Tomato, Edamame, Feta Salad
Any combination of green beans, asparagus, tomatoes and edamame to fit your taste
2 -4 T of finely chopped onion
~ 1/4 cup diced feta
1 heaping teaspoon dijon mustard
splash of red wine vinegar
1 T olive oil
Handful of parsley
Blanch the greenies in boiling, SALTED water. Chill in an ice water bath. Chop the tomatoes into large-ish pieces and cut the feta into cubes. Whisk together the mustard, vinegar and olive oil. Toss everything together and add some salt and pepper. Taste and make sure it's delicious.
Monday, April 10, 2006
The Early Rounds
This weekend I decided to break into the ice cream attachment and see what I could do. I wanted to start slowly, with a sorbet, and seeing I had strawberries in the fridge, I decided to shoot for a strawberry sorbet. I found a recipe (I wasn't going to go it alone for my first try). After making my strawberry puree I realized that I didn't even have a quarter of the amount that I needed to make the recipe, so I started rummaging through the fridge.
I came up with a partial bag of frozen blueberries and a frozen banana, and in they went. Adding a bit of sugar, a touch of milk and a splash of freshly squeezed orange juice, I thought to myself that this was incredibly simple, and I hoped for the best. I had to chill the mixture for a couple of hours before putting it in the ice cream maker for 20 minutes. After that, into the freezer for a couple more hours. Hmmm....maybe this is the annoying part of ice cream making, and I am NOT a patient person.
After dinner Saturday I busted out the strawberry, blueberry and banana sorbet. Boy, did it taste good. It was however, very strong on the banana flavor, in fact it was mostly banana sorbet (which sounds disgusting, although it was quite tasty) with a hint of blueberry and a touch of strawberry in the background. The texture was great though. Not bad for the first try. Motivated by the results, I stuck the freezer bowl back in the freezer for round 2 on Sunday.
I scoured some of my cookbooks and a few websites for a gelato recipe for Sunday's attempt. In one of my Italian cookbooks I found a recipe for a strawberry gelato and zeroed in on that one. The recipe had three ingredients: strawberries, sugar, and cream (I know, gelato is not supposed to have cream, but it only called for a quarter of a cup, so I went for it). It was, again, super simple to make, although, again requires a few steps which is kind of annoying. Although, I have to say, it is a fantastic weekend activity.
So after our tasty ragu bolognese dinner, we certainly needed an Italian treat for dessert as well, so out came the strawberry gelato. I would call it "gelato," it was tasty, but lacked that characteristic creaminess I love in gelato. Maybe it was because I don't actually really like strawberry ice cream, but I don't think so. So, this isn't going to be as easy as I would have hoped. At least all these trials have been pretty darn tasty. Keeps me motivated. I think I'm definitely going to have to go for a hazelnut trial next. I am having some trouble locating gelato recipes though; I found one that included corn syrup and powdered milk - I'm not sure that gelato, which prides itself (if an inanimate object can pride itself) on having all natural ingredients, is supposed to have corn syrup. Gross. I think I may have to take a trip to the bookstore and see what I can find.
I'm not giving up yet, you can't break me this easily Mr. Ice Cream Maker.
I came up with a partial bag of frozen blueberries and a frozen banana, and in they went. Adding a bit of sugar, a touch of milk and a splash of freshly squeezed orange juice, I thought to myself that this was incredibly simple, and I hoped for the best. I had to chill the mixture for a couple of hours before putting it in the ice cream maker for 20 minutes. After that, into the freezer for a couple more hours. Hmmm....maybe this is the annoying part of ice cream making, and I am NOT a patient person.
After dinner Saturday I busted out the strawberry, blueberry and banana sorbet. Boy, did it taste good. It was however, very strong on the banana flavor, in fact it was mostly banana sorbet (which sounds disgusting, although it was quite tasty) with a hint of blueberry and a touch of strawberry in the background. The texture was great though. Not bad for the first try. Motivated by the results, I stuck the freezer bowl back in the freezer for round 2 on Sunday.
I scoured some of my cookbooks and a few websites for a gelato recipe for Sunday's attempt. In one of my Italian cookbooks I found a recipe for a strawberry gelato and zeroed in on that one. The recipe had three ingredients: strawberries, sugar, and cream (I know, gelato is not supposed to have cream, but it only called for a quarter of a cup, so I went for it). It was, again, super simple to make, although, again requires a few steps which is kind of annoying. Although, I have to say, it is a fantastic weekend activity.
So after our tasty ragu bolognese dinner, we certainly needed an Italian treat for dessert as well, so out came the strawberry gelato. I would call it "gelato," it was tasty, but lacked that characteristic creaminess I love in gelato. Maybe it was because I don't actually really like strawberry ice cream, but I don't think so. So, this isn't going to be as easy as I would have hoped. At least all these trials have been pretty darn tasty. Keeps me motivated. I think I'm definitely going to have to go for a hazelnut trial next. I am having some trouble locating gelato recipes though; I found one that included corn syrup and powdered milk - I'm not sure that gelato, which prides itself (if an inanimate object can pride itself) on having all natural ingredients, is supposed to have corn syrup. Gross. I think I may have to take a trip to the bookstore and see what I can find.
I'm not giving up yet, you can't break me this easily Mr. Ice Cream Maker.
Friday, April 07, 2006
Fieldtrip Friday V: The End of an Era
Today's a big day, as it revolves around my favorite morning soap opera/news show. So in order to continue with today's posting, I must reveal what my favorite trashy morning show is to my four loyal readers; it is The Today Show. I'm a loyal fan. Every morning I tape it and watch it. Granted this only started happening once I stopped actually having to get ready to go somewhere, but in the past whenever I haven't needed to go to work or school I was also dedicated to the show.
Since this week Katie Couric announced she was leaving the show after 15 years, I decided that my fieldtrip today would be to go down to Rockefeller Plaza and try to get some pictures of her on the show (no, I was not trying to get on tv, but that did happen to be an unintended consequence, I guess I'm two for two for the past two Fridays). I actually had to set an alarm this morning; 6:45 my phone/alarm went off. I had somehow convinced Jeff to walk with me to get a bagel and then walk together down to his work/Rockefeller (they're relatively close, or at least one is mostly on the way to the other). So we both rolled out of bed before 7 this morning and got out the door just after 7. And, YES, I did remember my camera AND I put fully charged batteries in before I left as well. Although I was feeling slightly under the weather (what I fondly refer to as "the day before you're sick" feeling), I pushed through for the sake of Fieldtrip Friday.
Since I am a freakishly loyal Today Show fan, I knew they always headed outside around 8 AM, so my goal was to get there by then. I walked up around 8:05 and saw Matt Lauer and Al Roker "out on the plaza" but no sign of Katie. I was desperately hoping that I hadn't missed my chance. I snapped a few (not so great) pictures of Matt and Al and hoped for another appearance. I positioned myself so that I could see them when they came out from inside, so no matter where they ended up taping the segment, I would at least get a view/shot of Katie if she came out again. LUCKILY, I had my chance about a half hour later. I saw Al and Matt come out and, gasp, stand right in front of a group of Ohio University students (Matt's an OU alum, see I AM a freakish fan) which happened to be standing right next to me. I was disappointed, no Katie. And then, at the last minute she ran out (literally), and I think my heart actually sped up a little. I didn't actually think I was that big of a fan, and I'm terribly embarrassed to admit it, but alas there it is. I'm usually not so excited when I see famous people either (in fact I mostly think to myself, "huh, there's so and so").
Anyways, I got two pretty darn good pictures, one of Matt and one of mostly Katie with a random OU student.
Pretty exciting stuff, huh?
So, anyways, it was a pretty exciting morning for me. But, today's title, "The End of an Era" not only refers to Katie, but unfortunately it also refers to my Fieldtrip Fridays. Some of you know, I'll be starting as a Sales Associate at a major national retailer next week. While I still plan to go on many fieldtrips (I'll be off at least one weekday a week), they may not be appearing exclusively on Fridays, I'm really just trying to keep you guessing. I'm sure though, with this position, I'll have many an exciting story to tell, it may just provide enough material to launch this blog to prime time (highly doubtful).
Stay tuned!
Since this week Katie Couric announced she was leaving the show after 15 years, I decided that my fieldtrip today would be to go down to Rockefeller Plaza and try to get some pictures of her on the show (no, I was not trying to get on tv, but that did happen to be an unintended consequence, I guess I'm two for two for the past two Fridays). I actually had to set an alarm this morning; 6:45 my phone/alarm went off. I had somehow convinced Jeff to walk with me to get a bagel and then walk together down to his work/Rockefeller (they're relatively close, or at least one is mostly on the way to the other). So we both rolled out of bed before 7 this morning and got out the door just after 7. And, YES, I did remember my camera AND I put fully charged batteries in before I left as well. Although I was feeling slightly under the weather (what I fondly refer to as "the day before you're sick" feeling), I pushed through for the sake of Fieldtrip Friday.
Since I am a freakishly loyal Today Show fan, I knew they always headed outside around 8 AM, so my goal was to get there by then. I walked up around 8:05 and saw Matt Lauer and Al Roker "out on the plaza" but no sign of Katie. I was desperately hoping that I hadn't missed my chance. I snapped a few (not so great) pictures of Matt and Al and hoped for another appearance. I positioned myself so that I could see them when they came out from inside, so no matter where they ended up taping the segment, I would at least get a view/shot of Katie if she came out again. LUCKILY, I had my chance about a half hour later. I saw Al and Matt come out and, gasp, stand right in front of a group of Ohio University students (Matt's an OU alum, see I AM a freakish fan) which happened to be standing right next to me. I was disappointed, no Katie. And then, at the last minute she ran out (literally), and I think my heart actually sped up a little. I didn't actually think I was that big of a fan, and I'm terribly embarrassed to admit it, but alas there it is. I'm usually not so excited when I see famous people either (in fact I mostly think to myself, "huh, there's so and so").
Anyways, I got two pretty darn good pictures, one of Matt and one of mostly Katie with a random OU student.
Pretty exciting stuff, huh?
So, anyways, it was a pretty exciting morning for me. But, today's title, "The End of an Era" not only refers to Katie, but unfortunately it also refers to my Fieldtrip Fridays. Some of you know, I'll be starting as a Sales Associate at a major national retailer next week. While I still plan to go on many fieldtrips (I'll be off at least one weekday a week), they may not be appearing exclusively on Fridays, I'm really just trying to keep you guessing. I'm sure though, with this position, I'll have many an exciting story to tell, it may just provide enough material to launch this blog to prime time (highly doubtful).
Stay tuned!
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Leader of the Pack
No, no, no, the leader of this pack is not me. No, not Jeff...yes it's absolutely our crazy cat. Seriously, crazy. She'll follow us around and then bite us (fine, nip us) when we pet her (which we'll only do after she gives us the squeak which we have interpreted as wanting to be petted, perhaps we need to refine our cat language skills). She has the most energy of any 3 year old cat that I know of, perhaps it's because we feed her kitten food? Somehow I doubt it. She's either sleeping or running wildly around the teeny apartment, it's like she's a goldfish, she forgets that she just ran through the living room and does it again.
She has been especially spoiled since I arrived without work to this great city. Tuna for lunch, sometimes turkey...prompt feeding times in the morning, hours and hours of head scratching and petting, and pretty much all the attention she wants, she gets.
So in return, we ask little, maybe a little purring every once in awhile, and for pete's sake, if you see a bug, KILL IT! Don't watch it run by and go under the sink. Don't wait for us to half kill it for you to finish the job. You have one instinct, and that is to chase birds and bugs, so come on little kitty, we've held up our end of the bargain, now it's your turn. You chase your little stuffed bear around the entire apartment for hours. Think of it as training for you.
As you may have guessed, we had a little buggy visitor last night, and the cat was interested in it, but not enough to actually get it. She camped out by the sink after it ran under there, but I'm not sure that counts. So after the bug debacle we went to bed, only to wake up in the middle of the night to the cat pushing both Jeff and I completely out of bed. She had taken over the middle section of the bed, lying sideways, pushing each of us to our respective edges of the bed. And, of course, she got all sorts of head scratching all the while she's pushing out of bed. Wait...this is her reward for not killing the bug? Hmmm...sounds like we're the enablers.
And then, this morning after her morning ritual (kick us out of bed, get breakfast and going back and sleeping in our still warm bed) she wandered out into the living room while I was "housewifing it" (read: watching morning crap tv), meowed at me until I made room on the couch for her, jumped up, flopped down on top of me and then proceeded to bite me until I got off the couch. And that, my friends, is the last straw. I'm not sure what kind of recourse I have, perhaps next time I won't make room for her, maybe today she'll only get 1 hour of head scratching.
Yeah, if I think I'm lucky, it's nothing compared to our little show girl. Yeah, fine, so we got her de-clawed, but I think she leads a pretty good life, right now she's got the whole couch while I'm in the crappy chair. Maybe if she weren't so furry it would be easier to kick her off her throne, unfortunately the furry little face is irresistible. But I swear, if I'm pushed out of bed again tonight, I will not pet her in the process.
She has been especially spoiled since I arrived without work to this great city. Tuna for lunch, sometimes turkey...prompt feeding times in the morning, hours and hours of head scratching and petting, and pretty much all the attention she wants, she gets.
So in return, we ask little, maybe a little purring every once in awhile, and for pete's sake, if you see a bug, KILL IT! Don't watch it run by and go under the sink. Don't wait for us to half kill it for you to finish the job. You have one instinct, and that is to chase birds and bugs, so come on little kitty, we've held up our end of the bargain, now it's your turn. You chase your little stuffed bear around the entire apartment for hours. Think of it as training for you.
As you may have guessed, we had a little buggy visitor last night, and the cat was interested in it, but not enough to actually get it. She camped out by the sink after it ran under there, but I'm not sure that counts. So after the bug debacle we went to bed, only to wake up in the middle of the night to the cat pushing both Jeff and I completely out of bed. She had taken over the middle section of the bed, lying sideways, pushing each of us to our respective edges of the bed. And, of course, she got all sorts of head scratching all the while she's pushing out of bed. Wait...this is her reward for not killing the bug? Hmmm...sounds like we're the enablers.
And then, this morning after her morning ritual (kick us out of bed, get breakfast and going back and sleeping in our still warm bed) she wandered out into the living room while I was "housewifing it" (read: watching morning crap tv), meowed at me until I made room on the couch for her, jumped up, flopped down on top of me and then proceeded to bite me until I got off the couch. And that, my friends, is the last straw. I'm not sure what kind of recourse I have, perhaps next time I won't make room for her, maybe today she'll only get 1 hour of head scratching.
Yeah, if I think I'm lucky, it's nothing compared to our little show girl. Yeah, fine, so we got her de-clawed, but I think she leads a pretty good life, right now she's got the whole couch while I'm in the crappy chair. Maybe if she weren't so furry it would be easier to kick her off her throne, unfortunately the furry little face is irresistible. But I swear, if I'm pushed out of bed again tonight, I will not pet her in the process.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Day of Ice Cream
So to "indulge" and treat myself yesterday on the big day, I decided, that instead of sitting home all day feeling old (which I felt), I would seek out the best ice cream place in New York (at least best according to 2 sources). Not just an ice cream place, but a gelato place.
Now I have very very high standards for gelato, which is why I have been eyeing the KitchenAid ice cream attachment for my stand mixer (so I can make it myself). When we went to Italy in 1989 (see, I am old), I was introduced to gelato and even at that age I instantly appreciated its creamy texture. I fervently talked about the goodness which is gelato until I was able to go back to Italy two years ago. It was February when we were there two years ago, but that certainly didn't stop me from feeding my gelato obsession. I made a beeline for the gelato shop as soon as we arrived. I was a little nervous that I glorified it in my memory, but it was just as good as I remembered. So anyways, I'm always a bit nervous about eating gelato in the U.S., because I never think that it's going to be as good, just for the sole reason that it wasn't made in Italy. Zingermans, however, pretty much has nailed it right on the head, unfortunately we don't live walking distance from the Creamery anymore (maybe that's a good thing).
So anyways...I found a gelato place in NY, lower east side, pretty close to Chinatown, and I decided to make that my indulgence for the day. I was actually saving it for a Fieldtrip Friday, but I figured it would be appropriate to enjoy a sweet treat while I was feeling old. The shop, Il Labortorio del Gelato, offers 12 new flavors every day, and I was lucky enough that the classic (well my classic) flavor, Hazelnut, was available. They also had some very non-traditional Italian flavors, including red bean and black sesame (red bean is a very traditional Chinese flavor, and I'm not sure about black sesame). I decided to be a bit adventurous and a bit classical and went for hazelnut and black sesame, and they definitely lived up to my expectations. The black sesame was a gray color (it was kind of gross looking, a little like squid ink) and tasted sweet with a hint of sesame seeds. Quite and unexpectedly tasty.
So what makes gelato so much more tasty than any ice cream ever made? What's the line between gelato and ice cream? Things I had heard through the grapevine...fresh ingredients, less (!) cream, more eggs, but I decided to investigate...
According to Wikipedia, it does have less cream, does use fresh ingredients (should be made and eaten in the same day), but doesn't use any eggs (or maybe it can, but it's not necessary). It contains about 4 - 8% fat (vs. 10 - 18% for ice cream) and is made with whole milk. The big difference is the freezing technique. For gelato, a forced air freezer is used not a regular freezer, to hold the entire product at the same temperature, and it is super cooled as it freezes and ice crystals are broken up as it cools (I'm guessing this is why it's so creamy) and also has less air than regular ice cream. It is served in a semi-frozen state, again unlike ice cream. So what does this mean? That I can't make it myself, DAMNIT! I guess I have to wait until I open my restaurant/store so I can buy myself a special gelato freezer.
But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try...with my new ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid...getting older does have its benefits.
Now I have very very high standards for gelato, which is why I have been eyeing the KitchenAid ice cream attachment for my stand mixer (so I can make it myself). When we went to Italy in 1989 (see, I am old), I was introduced to gelato and even at that age I instantly appreciated its creamy texture. I fervently talked about the goodness which is gelato until I was able to go back to Italy two years ago. It was February when we were there two years ago, but that certainly didn't stop me from feeding my gelato obsession. I made a beeline for the gelato shop as soon as we arrived. I was a little nervous that I glorified it in my memory, but it was just as good as I remembered. So anyways, I'm always a bit nervous about eating gelato in the U.S., because I never think that it's going to be as good, just for the sole reason that it wasn't made in Italy. Zingermans, however, pretty much has nailed it right on the head, unfortunately we don't live walking distance from the Creamery anymore (maybe that's a good thing).
So anyways...I found a gelato place in NY, lower east side, pretty close to Chinatown, and I decided to make that my indulgence for the day. I was actually saving it for a Fieldtrip Friday, but I figured it would be appropriate to enjoy a sweet treat while I was feeling old. The shop, Il Labortorio del Gelato, offers 12 new flavors every day, and I was lucky enough that the classic (well my classic) flavor, Hazelnut, was available. They also had some very non-traditional Italian flavors, including red bean and black sesame (red bean is a very traditional Chinese flavor, and I'm not sure about black sesame). I decided to be a bit adventurous and a bit classical and went for hazelnut and black sesame, and they definitely lived up to my expectations. The black sesame was a gray color (it was kind of gross looking, a little like squid ink) and tasted sweet with a hint of sesame seeds. Quite and unexpectedly tasty.
So what makes gelato so much more tasty than any ice cream ever made? What's the line between gelato and ice cream? Things I had heard through the grapevine...fresh ingredients, less (!) cream, more eggs, but I decided to investigate...
According to Wikipedia, it does have less cream, does use fresh ingredients (should be made and eaten in the same day), but doesn't use any eggs (or maybe it can, but it's not necessary). It contains about 4 - 8% fat (vs. 10 - 18% for ice cream) and is made with whole milk. The big difference is the freezing technique. For gelato, a forced air freezer is used not a regular freezer, to hold the entire product at the same temperature, and it is super cooled as it freezes and ice crystals are broken up as it cools (I'm guessing this is why it's so creamy) and also has less air than regular ice cream. It is served in a semi-frozen state, again unlike ice cream. So what does this mean? That I can't make it myself, DAMNIT! I guess I have to wait until I open my restaurant/store so I can buy myself a special gelato freezer.
But that doesn't mean I'm not going to try...with my new ice cream attachment for my KitchenAid...getting older does have its benefits.
Monday, April 03, 2006
What you can find on a 9 mile walk
Lesson learned...it is not nice to take your house guests on a 9 mile walk through the city. There was a groin injury and countless blisters suffered by our guests, but there were some good things. We certainly saw lots of the city, especially lots of the east side. It would have been a bit shorter if my 2006 restaurant guide was indeed up to date. Alas, it was not, and we were forced to back track to a new (and undeniably better, even though we didn't actually taste any food from our original choice of restaurant) restaurant. The "new" and "second" option for lunch on our hike from hell (actually, I'm not sure anyone would characterize it as such, but I felt really bad since it wasn't really advertised as a 9 mile walk) was Katz's Deli. We were on the lower east side and we wanted a deli, so we were in the perfect place for the best deli sandwich, EVER. EV-ER.
Apparently, we were the only ones in the dark about the deliciously unbelievable deli gem. I had actually heard of it, but it was not what I had thought of when I had heard of it previously. And with all of my Zagat grazing, I'm surprised I hadn't made a bee-line for Katz's 6 months ago. Regardless, I made it, and I'm in love.
It's a much different deli experience than I have ever had in the past. You walk in the door and get a ticket, much like a raffle ticket, and told not to lose it (if you do, it's a $50 charge). There's a bunch of tables, a huge long deli counter and lots of guys working behind it. You can get in line at any of the "carvers" - which was a little confusing although there were signs everywhere. We also found that there were a few tables that had waiter service, but I actually think I kind of liked the do it yourself nature, plus we didn't have to wait long at all. The carver then marks your ticket with what you ordered and you pay as you walk out the door.
So my absolutely favorite deli sandwich is: turkey, corned beef, cheese (preferably muenster or provelone), cole slaw and russian dressing on rye. Not seeing it on the menu, I just went to the counter and ordered turkey and corned beef with russian dressing (that too was not on the menu, but I figured it would be reasonable to expect they could make it, which was true). I'm not sure why I didn't get all of my favorite ingredients, but I figured I'd test the waters, you never know, too many things and your order may come back wrong or if you're not familiar with the restaurant the flavors may compete too much with another (if they don't have it on the menu, there may be a good reason why). While the "carver" is carving the meat for your sandwich he cuts a little taste nugget for you while you wait. To wet your appetite I guess, at least that's what it did for me. The most tender juicy turkey (warm) that I had ever had, and a corned beef that wasn't too corney and just perfect (also warm). The dressing wasn't mayo based (I don't think at least) and I was a little afraid I wouldn't like it. But turns out that was fan-freakin'-tastic too. Anyways, there were three of us and we got 2 sandwiches and an order of fries. The other sandwich in our party was their famous salami.
Now, I've always been a salami fan, one of those things that (in the words of my dad), "I like so much I can't eat." And this is one of the best salamis ever, I think it was because there was a hint of garlic in it. Regardless of what it was, it was delicious. And apparently everyone else knows how good their food is, because there are a million pictures on the wall of all the famous people with Mr. Katz (I'm guessing it's Mr. Katz in all the pictures, but I'm not really sure who Katz is). It is also where the famous scene from "When Harry Met Sally" was filmed...you know the one..."I'll have what she's having."
So the food was awesome, but unfortunately, I thought sadly to myself that it's so out of the way for us, that I'm afraid it's only going to be a "when we have visitors" type place. Which makes me very sad. It was the perfect food to feed our bellies through the trek through the city. Next time I promise to do a little more planning ahead of time, although, this time, we found the best deli ever (and yes, it's way way better than the Carnegie Deli). Maybe I shouldn't be in charge of plotting the route. Just finding the restaurants.
Apparently, we were the only ones in the dark about the deliciously unbelievable deli gem. I had actually heard of it, but it was not what I had thought of when I had heard of it previously. And with all of my Zagat grazing, I'm surprised I hadn't made a bee-line for Katz's 6 months ago. Regardless, I made it, and I'm in love.
It's a much different deli experience than I have ever had in the past. You walk in the door and get a ticket, much like a raffle ticket, and told not to lose it (if you do, it's a $50 charge). There's a bunch of tables, a huge long deli counter and lots of guys working behind it. You can get in line at any of the "carvers" - which was a little confusing although there were signs everywhere. We also found that there were a few tables that had waiter service, but I actually think I kind of liked the do it yourself nature, plus we didn't have to wait long at all. The carver then marks your ticket with what you ordered and you pay as you walk out the door.
So my absolutely favorite deli sandwich is: turkey, corned beef, cheese (preferably muenster or provelone), cole slaw and russian dressing on rye. Not seeing it on the menu, I just went to the counter and ordered turkey and corned beef with russian dressing (that too was not on the menu, but I figured it would be reasonable to expect they could make it, which was true). I'm not sure why I didn't get all of my favorite ingredients, but I figured I'd test the waters, you never know, too many things and your order may come back wrong or if you're not familiar with the restaurant the flavors may compete too much with another (if they don't have it on the menu, there may be a good reason why). While the "carver" is carving the meat for your sandwich he cuts a little taste nugget for you while you wait. To wet your appetite I guess, at least that's what it did for me. The most tender juicy turkey (warm) that I had ever had, and a corned beef that wasn't too corney and just perfect (also warm). The dressing wasn't mayo based (I don't think at least) and I was a little afraid I wouldn't like it. But turns out that was fan-freakin'-tastic too. Anyways, there were three of us and we got 2 sandwiches and an order of fries. The other sandwich in our party was their famous salami.
Now, I've always been a salami fan, one of those things that (in the words of my dad), "I like so much I can't eat." And this is one of the best salamis ever, I think it was because there was a hint of garlic in it. Regardless of what it was, it was delicious. And apparently everyone else knows how good their food is, because there are a million pictures on the wall of all the famous people with Mr. Katz (I'm guessing it's Mr. Katz in all the pictures, but I'm not really sure who Katz is). It is also where the famous scene from "When Harry Met Sally" was filmed...you know the one..."I'll have what she's having."
So the food was awesome, but unfortunately, I thought sadly to myself that it's so out of the way for us, that I'm afraid it's only going to be a "when we have visitors" type place. Which makes me very sad. It was the perfect food to feed our bellies through the trek through the city. Next time I promise to do a little more planning ahead of time, although, this time, we found the best deli ever (and yes, it's way way better than the Carnegie Deli). Maybe I shouldn't be in charge of plotting the route. Just finding the restaurants.
Pay a lot for dinner...get breakfast too
Don't worry, I'm back. After a week of fun filled adventures, and preparing for fun filled adventures, I'm here to write about them. I'll begin with Saturday night, we went to Gramercy Tavern, the #1 rated by Zagats for 2006. We arrived at 6 PM for our three course prix-fixe menu, unsure of exactly what to expect. After a false Simon Cowell we settled on some delicious cocktails to start. And then the bread man came, the first of at least 5 visits to our table. No, you don't get a basket of bread, a waiter comes and puts the bread on your plate each time the last morsel of bread is gone. I love that. Especially when they're on top of it and always there with the next piece when you're ready. It helped that the bread was really really good.
It became clear very early that this was going to be the 3-hour meal for which I was hoping. Shortly after we selected our first and second courses (or perhaps it was right before), they presented us with an appetizer, yes, that's right, presented to us. Simultaneously, two waiters came and gave us each the appetizer at the exact same time. That would continue for each course throughout the meal, I think that was my favorite part of the meal. The appetizer (not included as one of the courses) was the teeny tiniest bruscetta, or maybe crostini (I'm still not sure I know the difference) that I've ever seen. Smaller than bite size, but still quite delicious. We got three of these bonus mini courses, the second one coming after our first course (that sounds weird) and the third coming right before dessert. Each was just as small as the first, but all very very yummy.
So if you include all the itsy-bitsy courses, it was a six-course meal, which took about 4 hours. The wait staff had an uncanny ability to know when we were ready for the presentation of the next course, we were left alone just long enough before each course, which I probably appreciated the most about the meal...or maybe, it was the fact that they gave us breakfast for the following morning. What? Yes, that's correct, a nicely packaged muffin for our enjoyment after we left the restaurant. It's a whole new realm out there...go for dinner, get breakfast. Maybe that's why it's so expensive, if you just divide the price of dinner by two (because you're getting two meals "for the price of one"), it doesn't look so bad. I'm definitely a fan of this trend. No more chocolates with the bill; it's like going to a wedding and getting to take a piece of cake home. I think it's a trend that should definitely be adopted. Thumbs up for the breakfast with dinner.
Definitely a few firsts for me. Bonus courses, bonus breakfast, all very very good. So good in fact, I had to come home and go straight to bed. I got all worn out from the marathon eating. Actually, the amount of time we spent at the restaurant was about the same time it might take someone to run a marathon (not me of course), isn't that crazy? I'll take eating at a fancy restaurant over running any day - a big thank you to my eating buddies for the indulgence!
It became clear very early that this was going to be the 3-hour meal for which I was hoping. Shortly after we selected our first and second courses (or perhaps it was right before), they presented us with an appetizer, yes, that's right, presented to us. Simultaneously, two waiters came and gave us each the appetizer at the exact same time. That would continue for each course throughout the meal, I think that was my favorite part of the meal. The appetizer (not included as one of the courses) was the teeny tiniest bruscetta, or maybe crostini (I'm still not sure I know the difference) that I've ever seen. Smaller than bite size, but still quite delicious. We got three of these bonus mini courses, the second one coming after our first course (that sounds weird) and the third coming right before dessert. Each was just as small as the first, but all very very yummy.
So if you include all the itsy-bitsy courses, it was a six-course meal, which took about 4 hours. The wait staff had an uncanny ability to know when we were ready for the presentation of the next course, we were left alone just long enough before each course, which I probably appreciated the most about the meal...or maybe, it was the fact that they gave us breakfast for the following morning. What? Yes, that's correct, a nicely packaged muffin for our enjoyment after we left the restaurant. It's a whole new realm out there...go for dinner, get breakfast. Maybe that's why it's so expensive, if you just divide the price of dinner by two (because you're getting two meals "for the price of one"), it doesn't look so bad. I'm definitely a fan of this trend. No more chocolates with the bill; it's like going to a wedding and getting to take a piece of cake home. I think it's a trend that should definitely be adopted. Thumbs up for the breakfast with dinner.
Definitely a few firsts for me. Bonus courses, bonus breakfast, all very very good. So good in fact, I had to come home and go straight to bed. I got all worn out from the marathon eating. Actually, the amount of time we spent at the restaurant was about the same time it might take someone to run a marathon (not me of course), isn't that crazy? I'll take eating at a fancy restaurant over running any day - a big thank you to my eating buddies for the indulgence!
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