what have I been eating

I've been using the always handy cell phone camera this week to snap some summer food photos....enjoy!

Delicious summer salad from must-eat & HH spot, The 79th Street Boat Basin. Celebrated the last day of school there with my co-workers. This salad had it all - greens, fruits, feta cheese. YUM. After a long last day of cleaning up I was full after this hearty bowl. And a few Coronas. 

Great views of the Hudson, worth the wait for a table during the busy evenings & weekends. A must must must for the summer.

Wbrunched at Community Food & Juice in Morningside Heights Saturday. It was a bit late for eggs, so I opted for the Heirloom Tomato salad. It was good, but portion wise it was too tiny. I'll try the eggs or waffles next time. 

lunch box from Tomo, Morningside Heights. I love veg. tempura! Mmm sweet potatoes & zucs!

I also love when I get the 2 roll lunch special and get to snack from my husband's plate :) He hates the seaweed, but I can't get enough!

Green

I'm a bit late to the Oprah sensation that is Dr. Oz. Tho I love to catch him on a show I don't think I've blogged about his good ideas. Oh wait that's Martha...oh well. Anyway, Dr. Oz has a great sounding recipe for a green drink that was featured on the "go back in time" health episode. Oprah called it a "glass of fresh" which is good enough for me!

What's in Dr. Oz's green drink?

• 2 cups spinach
  
• 2 cups cucumber
  
• 1 head of celery
  
• 1/2 inch or teaspoon ginger root
  
• 1 bunch parsley
  
• 2 apples
  
• Juice of 1 lime
  
• Juice of 1/2 lemon

After everything is combined in a blender, this recipe makes 28 to 30 ounces—about three to four servings.

les fraises

How delicious does this sound?? Not only is does this recipe call for my most favorite fruit, the strawberry, but it's frozen and just in time for summer!!

Strawberry Granita with Cracked Black Pepper

• 6 cups ripe, cleaned, and quartered strawberries
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 2 cups water
  
• fresh, coarsely cracked black pepper
  

Boil all the ingredients (except the black pepper) together on a low flame until the fruit is tender and the liquid is a syrupy consistency.

Strain the mixture into a shallow glass baking dish that can fit into the freezer. Be sure to mash as much fruit through the strainer to maximize the flavor.

Freeze for 20 minutes or until ice begins to form around the edges. Begin to stir the mixture every 20 minutes until you have shaved crystals.

Serve in ice cream sundae cups with a generous sprinkling of cracked pepper and a dollop of creme fraiche. Garnish with mint. Enjoy!

yummies! If the strawberries ever last beyond a day (i love love love snacking on them as my dessert) I'll be trying this recipe!

Glitz, Sparkle & Shine

Sparkles yay!! I cannot express fully how much I love this photo & concept. There comes in a point in a girl's life when she deserves a special night out & this night was one of those. The guest of honor looked lovely and by the looks of the other pics had a wonderful evening . I should say we all had fun because really how can you not when there's sparklers & some yummy beverages. Yes that's actually a sparkler on the bottle. They bring every bottle out that way. Talk about making you want what someone else has!

The thing is bottle service is great, but really it's not. Ok maybe it's 50-50. Great things - a table to sit down at, not having to deal with the long line at the bar, security guard who will take care of you (Hi Steve!) all in all, basically getting to be a princess for the night. Not so great thing - the crazy overpriced bottles. 

But the sparklers - worth every penny! 

Cheers!! 

great shop & blog!

Three Potato Four - just the name alone sounds cute. Please tell me ya'll know the song this name comes from? Anyway. 3P4 has so much cute stuff for house & home.

I am in love with the cafe mugs: mugs that come with a little mini dish for a yummy sweet treat with your coffee or tea. Personally I'd go with tea, always tastes better with a cookie! I'm a fan of the pear too. 

One word of caution about the site. Ok 2. 1) it's sooo addicting and 2) stay away from the sold part of the site, the stuff that's gone is so great it'll break your heart, but luckily not your wallet! 

It's the cheesiest...

Had a great Italian meal Saturday night with great conversation, laughs, food & wine.  Accademia Di Vino, my review is up on Yelp already. While we did not get a cheese plate to share, it's one of my favorite things (along with Montepulciano D'Abruzzo, Fonteluna, Abruzzi 2005..a delicious red, even I liked!). I love to be the one in charge of ordering the cheeses to share and thankfully dear husband, in true Libra fashion, doesn't mind one bit that I make these types of decisions. 

Urban Whisk's Picks for a Yummy Cheese Plate

• Jarlsberg - how can you go wrong with the Swiss?? Cow's milk at it's best (besides ice cream of course) Jarlsberg has a thick dark yellow rind and a light yellow interior. It has a very mild flavor which you may want to spice up with a flavored cracker. It has holes, but they are pretty irregular. 
• Parmigano - Reggiano - can't get more Italian than this! Made in a few areas in Italy included Parma & Reggio Emillia, this is a hard cow's milk cheese as well. Has a sharp, sort of fruity/nutty taste and a slightly gritty texture. I love it on a crusty slice of bread.

These are my two stand-bys. Something basic in taste, the Jarlsberg & a good basic Italian cheese with the Parm - Regg. Since most cheese plates ask for 3 selections or more, I get adventerous from here on out. Ask your server for a suggestion. Try something different. There was a Vermont made cheese on the menu Saturday that bore a name very special to me, would have loved to try some! Pecorino is a good choice, as are Piave for it's full bodied flavors, or Bra Tenero for it's softer texture. In addition to the Swiss & Italian cheeses I love to try something made locally! 

Staying Cool

The hot weather is upon us! I'm doing my best to drink as much water as I can to stay cool & comfy. I've also started using Propel Fitness Water's Powder Packets. They are a great way to get a yummy hint of flavor, vitamins & cool refreshment. And at 10 calores??? YES! If you don't know about powder packets yet - many of our favorite drinks are available now in these easy to use single servings. It literally is a packet of powder that you add to your water bottle, glass, etc of water, mix & enjoy. So great.  I use my 14oz Nalgene bottle for mixing up my powder packets. 

happy cuppycakes!