Loving summer, don't mind the heat, always better than the cold! Even though I'm sweating to death all the time LOL.
Speaking of hot, made soup yesterday....
Loving summer, don't mind the heat, always better than the cold! Even though I'm sweating to death all the time LOL.
Speaking of hot, made soup yesterday....
Just sayin', no one's really reading these so if I write it will be less frequently and when I have something to say, or photos to post.
Just a few phots from the past few weeks of cooking at home :)
Michael's favorite bake of mine are chocolate chip cookies (sometimes with other chips ie; espresso, white, Heath). This week I decided to make my favorite (which I make and eat less than once a year) shortbread. I added espresso chips for an interesting change.
Last night Michael and I went to dinner at Rolo's on Onderdonk in Ridgewood. Made reservation on Resy. Unfortunately, reservations can only be made on Resy either early (5pm ish) or late (after 9:30), but we had a party to go to at 7pm, so we took a 5pm reservation. First ones in the restaurant. Parking is usually pretty bad, but Michael snagged a good spot!
Lovely service by all staff. Many staff members around to take care of all your needs, even when not asking. Really nice, take plates and silverware and replace as needed, fresh water carafe brought several times, table cleared and cleaned. Atticus was a great and friendly server, always around to see if we needed anything, but not pushy.
We shared wood-fired polenta bread with olive oil and salt (they have other styles) but we wanted to see what it really tasted like without heavy toppings and it was absolutely delicious. Chewy and light and flavorful. Then we shared a dish of golden beets with Gouda cheese crumbled on top tossed in a citrus vinaigrette. That was the show stopper. Super flavorful, sweet and savory and great texture from the crumbles. I had grilled artic char over cauliflower. The char (think salmon) was PERFECTLY cooked and seared and I was in heaven with each bite. Michael had the double cheeseburger with coppa bacon and yes it's pricey for a burger (comes with no sides) however, the flavor was outstanding and it was juicy and yummy.
We had two cocktails: Mezcal old-fashioned (with 3 cherries) and a dirty vodka martini (with 3 olives). They were made and presented perfectly.
Dessert was an apple brown butter galette that while delicious, should have been served warm or room temp and not cold...Added a cordial of Forthave "Brown" coffee liqueur (https://forthavespirits.com/) and we were done and off to Finback Queens for a friend's birthday celebration.
Great and fun night, as always, with Michael. xo
Yesterday I met with retired and on-sabbatical school friends for lunch at Grand Lux Cafe near Roosevelt Field. Yes, they have a large menu and all the items are described nicely...the food, however, does not live up to the hype of either the restaurant or the décor. The service was lovely though and much appreciated. The best part of lunch, the people we ate with, and talked with and laughed with and caught up with. Let's do it again!
When I got home I started to make dinner. Rack of pork from Costco. Lately their bone-in pork chops and their racks of pork have been fantastic. Firstly, 6 double cut bone-in pork chops were $14 for the pack. Secondly, the rack of pork with 8-9 ribs was $17. Can't beat the prices. The flavor and consistency of the chops were surprisingly flavorful, soft and well trimmed.
I don't have photos of the chops (they were from a few weeks ago) but here are photos of the rack:
During the week, I cook dinner and bake a bit. On the weekends, we go out to dinner usually Friday and Saturday nights and I bake occasionally.
Recently I've made Banana cake.
4 overripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla (or maple syrup if you like)
2 eggs
1/3 cup melted butter
1 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
chips for inside and outside
Pre heat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients (I do wet, then add dry) and pour into a baking dish you've sprayed previously (or buttered). Add chips on top (streusel works well too).
Bake for 30 minutes uncovered, then cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes more. Check for doneness and take out or adjust time to your oven.
Serve warm. Michael's 2nd favorite (after chocolate chip cookies).
Yesterday afternoon ('cause I'm retired bitches, and don't have to wait 'til after 5pm)I went to the Union Square Holiday market with my friend Barbara. We used to go to the Bryant Park market every December which was especially great when the kids were little and we could go during the day, more hectic when we worked and went afterwards. Anyhoo, we've been to the Union Square market before (one exceptionally freezing evening a few years ago) and decided to try it again.
Thanking our lucky stars, the weather cooperated and we were not cold at all so we could walk leisurely. Very beautiful jewelry, interesting felt ornaments and decorations, really great hats and scarves, yummy smelling food vendors too.
We thought it would have been bigger, there is certainly space for more, but all in all we bought a few gifts and felt festive. Which is really the point of it all...getting into the holiday spirit.
Afterwards, we had reservations at Max Brenner. Barbara had always wanted to go, I'd never heard of it, but knew the "chocolate theme " would be right up her alley. Nice little chocolate shop in the front, beautifully packaged gifts (didn't buy any).