mission: saturday in the city

after a great friday night out, patrick and i were raring to go for a day of city adventures. there are many things that we still want to see and do while we are living here for the time being. what ends up happening most weekends is that the two of us are either not home, at home doing chores, or doing the same old things we always do. well not this time! we were off to be tourists in our own city.

our first stop was the doughnut plant located on grand st. near chinatown. you might have heard of this place or have seen it featured on the travel channel or food network. it is world renowned, and there is a reason for that: these doughnuts are

superb! we decided to get three (because they are so big), each of us eating one and then sharing the third between us. patrick had the blackout, chocolate cake doughnut with chocolate filling and chocolate icing...aka the triple threat of chocolate doughnuts! i had the valrhona chocolate, a yeast doughnut smothered in a rich chocolate glaze. now these were both tasty treats, but then our third doughnut topped them all! we enjoyed a glazed hazelnut that was topped with bits of hazelnuts. patrick declared that it was the best glazed doughnut he has ever tasted! i concurred.

next on our tourist trip was MoMA! our neighbor gave us free passes about 2 years ago, and we hadn't used them yet. we entered the museum with excitement, and a sugar rush, and made our way to check out some art! we saw works by picasso, matisse, and warhol. however, my favorite was the special exhibit of monet's water lilies. these larger than life paintings of classic impressionism was absolutely breath taking. i walked into the room filled with the art, and i told patrick that i thought i was going to cry because monet is my favorite artist....ever! patrick was most excited to see van gogh's starry night, and that too was awesome to see in person!

after MoMA, we walked to central park to go ice skating at wollman rink. i think the last time i went ice skating was back in 2002! i was a little nervous and heavily relied on patrick to help me skate around until i felt more confident (but i still held his hand most of the time because that was more romantic). we took a break after several turns around the rink to eat a hot dog, and it was the perfect snack to get us back on the ice. we skated until the zamboni came to smooth the rink's surface, which was about the point we had had enough skating (my feet were killing me...the rentals are not easy on the tootsies). from there, the two of us headed to the upper west side to go to michael's to buy a few craft items for my sister's up coming bridal shower.

we then decided on the subway that it would be fun to go to ollie's in lincoln center for some chinese food and then go see a movie afterwards. it felt so nice to sit down after all of our walking/skating we had done that day. unfortunately, our neighbors who sat next to us were the two nosiest ladies in the world, and so our conversation was kept to a minimum for fear of being eavesdropped on by them. after our bellies were full of lo mein and sesame chicken, we crossed the street to go see sherlock holmes. the movie was great (nice work guy richie...and robert downy jr.) but we were ready to head home and sleep in our bed.

patrick and i had a wonderful time touring manhattan, and we felt satisfied with all the activities we accomplished in one day. if you have done the same old same old in nyc (times square, rockefeller plaza, seeing a show, getting lost, etc.) try some of the things we did this weekend. it promises to be an adventure.

this is beth signing off.
mission: accomplished...oh yeah!

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mission: craft

patrick and i have been so busy going here and there, we decided that this weekend was to be devoted to our beloved manhattan. it all began on friday night, and work was done for the week. there was an excitement in the air! patrick had received a bonus from his job, and so we wanted to celebrate in style! we were able to get reservations at tom colicchio's restaurant, craft, but i couldn't show up to a top chef's eatery looking like i just babysat all day. so, as patrick was walking his way to me, i stopped by anthropologie in rockefeller plaza to fin a new shirt and hair accessory (unfortunately i did not have time to get new shoes, and so i was left to wear my beat up converse all stars...oh well).

we set off from there in a cab, and when we arrived it was like a dream come true! the decor inside was cool, industrial, sexy, yet comfortable all at the same time. patrick convinced me to order the tasting menu (we both had to get it in order to try it), and thus we commenced on a culinary adventure, trying new things and divulging in delicious flavors. this is what we had.

course 1- raw tuna with cured lemon, field greens and wasabi salt. this is the first time i have ever had tuna sashimi style in my life, and being a big texture person (eww to the mushy, slimy things out there) i was a little hesitant to try this. however, the texture was rather tender like meat, not slimy like i had imagined. i learned my lesson right then and there that i cannot judge a food until i have given it a go. that way i could truly enjoy the rest of the menu.

course 2- crab and sea urchin fondue. this was rich in flavor and smooth in texture. it was sheer heaven on earth! it was my second time tasting sea urchin, and the second time i did not like it. but the crab and cheesy sauce i inhaled!

course 3- a white fish (i totally forget the name of it) with crispy fried skin, with a lovely sauce of snails and cockles. for those of you who have never had the pleasure of eating snails before, please do not stick your nose up at the idea. try it! you might like what you taste. the texture is meaty, not chewy, and snail has an earthy flavor. it was so amazing with all the flavors that was put together in that dish, and i am glad i tried it.

course 4- blue footed chicken with black truffle shavings the chicken was complemented with root vegetables and a flavorful stock. this was a tasty course and was much more in my comfort zone.

course 5- beef cheek and 30 day aged sirloin sided by bone marrow. the cheek was tender and fell apart then melted in your mouth. the sirloin was perfectly crusted on the outside in buttery goodness, and perfectly pink on the inside. the sauce brought out the flavors of the beef very well. the marrow, on the other hand, was not my favorite. where the flavor was tasty, the texture left little to desire for me. patrick did not seem to mind and gobbled his up. it is just a matter of preference, really.

course 6- a vanilla bean panna cotta topped with kumquats paired with blood orange sorbet. this was a perfect course to cleanse the palette. the panna cotta was velvety and not too sweet. so good!!!

course 7- our final tasting! chocolate tart with cheesecake ice cream, candied cashews, and a cinnamon sauce. this was my favorite of the night! it was rich, satisfying, and chocolate!

so the meal was FANTASTIC, and the service was impeccable, so much so that i would say that this is my second favorite restaurant in the city (the first is blue hill...but this is a close second). and that was how our weekend began! more to come next blog around.

this is beth signing off.
mission accomplished.

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mission: relaxing at home

boy does it feel so nice to be at home! after a busy weekend of helping out my sister with wedding details, i can end my three day weekend by unwinding in the comfort of my little apartment. i think i am going to read my travel and leisure, dream of my next vacation i want to take, maybe play a little wii, and just enjoy the quiet of the night. patrick doesn't get home from his business/visit family trip until tomorrow, so maybe i will sneak in a little bit of the bachelor in tonight, just to catch up on some of the drama that those ridiculous women create for themselves!

oh! i did want to mention that i have begun talking to my future bro-in-law about getting the ball rolling with the design of my website! so readers, keep your eye out for some new creativity in the next couple of months (i will probably get it all together after he marries my sister and they are no longer under the pressure of planning a wedding...but still it was fun to talk about it in the mean time).

so i am off for some chillin out maxing relaxin all cool! hope everyone enjoys the freedom of their MLK jr. day....free at last!
this is beth signing off.
accomplishing my mission.

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mission: bridal mania!

this time of year is not a busy bridal season, except for my family! my little sister, tori, is getting married in six weeks, and i am up to the task to help her out this weekend. being the maid(tron) of honor, i have tried to help my sister make the planning of her own wedding go as smoothly as possible. this is not easy, but i put forth my best effort. having experienced planning my wedding almost three years ago, i know the ins and outs of how to go about making appointments, knowing what and where to get all those little things that make up all the ridiculous details of a wedding, and organizing people to actually show up to events like a bridal shower (but anyone with a phone, a michaels, and the sense to delegate can do what i am doing...aka any woman ever!)

so this weekend i am spending my time in NJ and PA to accomplish the minute details. our first stop is leigh florist in audubon, NJ. i have spoken with this lovely little florist and am excited to see what kinds of floral arrangements they can come up for the wedding! flowers are not my sister's thing, so lucky for her they are mine (or not so lucky...depends on how you want to look at the situation)! after that we are meeting up with our mom for some sushi and then dress fittings! this will be tori's second and my gorgeous dress, in blue, only needs to be hemmed. from there i get to have a desperately needed hair cut while tori talks to our hairdresser about wedding do's. our next stop will be the ever-daunting king of prussia mall to pick out make-up and some other accessories for the wedding day.

it is bridal mania for sure, but promising to be lots of fun for the three of us ladies. i leave tonight right after work and will be on matron of honor duty from here on out till monday. i think i can do it. good thing patrick is in L.A. for the weekend so that he does not have to endure any of my wedding planning conversations.

this is beth signing off.
mission: it has only begun!

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story: feeling heavy hearted

today i am feeling a bit down from my usual state of joy. maybe it is because the news is overflowing with the sadness of haiti, maybe it is because patrick is away for the next five days, and maybe it is because i see many people everyday who struggle to make ends meet. maybe it is everything!

for some reason, the earthquake in haiti has affected me more than other natural disasters that have occurred in the past several years. for my social work senior seminar class that i took in college five years ago, my professors had us read mountains beyond mountains by tracy kidder. this extraordinary true life account tells the story of a doctor's mission of helping the country of haiti by offering medicine and health care for those suffering with tuberculosis and AIDS (usually those two diseases would go hand in hand). this doctor, dr. farmer, gave up everything, his life's work, his family, sometimes his dignity, to reach out and help those who were in terrible need. i was remembering this book as i was engaged in conversation with patrick over the dinner table last night, telling him how that story is touching me again as these people live in complete devastation, disease, and hopelessness. my heart is burdened, and every bite of food i eat and every drink of clean water i ingest, every warm place i can run to for shelter i thank God and then pray for the haitians who do no have these things not only on a regular basis, but especially because of this week's event. so, i pray. i pray. i pray.

something else struck me this morning and moved my heart into thoughtful prayer, and this is an occurrence i see nearly every day here in the city. as i was exiting the subway at my stop, i noticed two men with about 6 large trash bags full of plastic bottles and soda cans. many people collect recyclables in order to get money back by putting them in collection machines. it is quite resourceful, and green of them, but heart-wrenchingly sad and a demeaning task in order to get a mere nickel for each piece of trash. usually i walk by such individuals without giving them a second thought, but today i considered their lives and all they must go through. many will criticize their actions and the fact that they are homeless or jobless. well, i guess they find their own sense of employment, and you never know how one entered into their situation of poverty. who are we to judge? why are we so stingy on compassion? how can i love them better? how can i be like Jesus to them?

i guess my "mission" for today will be to look for the humanity in people and to try to put myself in their shoes. i will continue to pray for haiti, and give what i can. i will take my being saddened by the things going on in the world and turn my heart to God knowing that he is the one who will take care of these peopl, and will use us in any way he can. that is the hope that i have.

this is beth signing off.

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mission: albany

this past weekend, patrick and i headed up to the albany area to visit some friends of ours. the draw to get us there was that, chad (friend) built a table and wanted to have a poker night to break it in. we obligingly said, "YES!!!!" and drove up saturday afternoon to see them. lindsay (married to chad) also requested we bring some fresh nyc bagels up with us, and so i went to a wonderful bagelry, dyker park bagels, to buy a bakers dozen for our beloved friends. as i was in the store making my tasty purchase, patrick was getting gas for our vehicle. when he came to pick me up, he asked what i had gotten for our friends, and as i began listing off all the different kinds, he gave me a puzzled look and asked, "where's the cream cheese?" i said, "oh well we can get some later if you want bagels, but i think lindsay already has some at her house." again a confused look spread over patrick's face, "but what about now?" "what do you mean, what about now?" i was becoming impatient, and patrick then began to explain that he thought we were going to eat some for breakfast while we on our way. "but i already ate breakfast." he just looked at me with some disdain for my unclear communication, and i felt badly that he had to eat a dry untoasted bagel for breakfast. fortunately it was a french toast bagel with lots of cinnamon and sugar on the outside (i am saying that to make myself feel a little better about my lack of telling him i had already had food).

so it was a rough start to our trip, but we let bygones be bygones and made our way on the road. when we arrived at chad and lindsay's house, we were excited to see them and to see this table. in my head, i had pictured a nicely made table, maybe like a simple dining table that was big enough for some card playing. boy was i wrong. i should have known better because this is the man who built a 6 foot wind chime! his table was a true poker table, complete with a felt playing area, cup holders, and a leather cushion arm rest! it was gorgeous, and i was certainly impressed, as was everyone else who came over to play. we had a fun time breaking in the table, and we had an intense poker game going (i was the 2nd one out....oh well).

i cannot forget to mention the food lindsay made for us while we visited!!! it was incredible! before out poker game, lindsay made mango curry chicken to top over jasmine rice. the curry had chicken and mangoes, red pepper, and coconut milk. it was so good! i need to obtain that recipe so that i too can impress my guests with my cooking. after church the next day, she made us bbq chicken pizza and a lovely mixed green salad. thanks linds, we ate very well at your house.

after a good weekend, i am once again returned to work.
this is beth signing off.
mission: accomplished.

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mission: snow time in the city

has it been a week since i last posted? sorry folks, i have not been on my writing a-game this week, but i assure you that will change. this week has found me trying to readjust into my regular work routine (i have had trouble waking up every morning...6:30 just seems too early in the winter when it is still dark outside), yet i am slowly getting back into the swing of things being back in my lovely city.

today, when i woke up a little later than normal, my first question to patrick was, "did it snow last night?" he answered in the affirmative adding, "and it is still snowing." how i wish that i could still have snow days from school, but that is virtually impossible with our mass transit system and the fact that i am an adult now, not a child with wide-eyed snowy hopes. so i started off my day in good spirits and even exercised on our new wii (my other reason for not blogging at all this week...i have been preoccupied with getting into shape via the wii fit plus). feeling happy about life, and declaring so to my empty apartment, i left for work where i am currently typing up my thoughts.

i did want to blog about the other day when my dear friend, sarah, and her two children came over to hang out with me for the day. i had the chance to make some homemade tortellini soup for them and together we baked homemade oatmeal cookies with craisins and white chocolate chips. yummy! here are the recipes for those who want to warm up on these chilly wintery days.

tortellini soup

6 cups of chicken broth (i use swanson, but use your favorite stock of choice...or make your own)
3 carrots cut into circles
3 celery stalks cut up into half circles
1/2 onion diced
1-2 bags of frozen tortellini (depends on how much you like...i like a lot and used 2 bags)
a dash of pepper
a sprinkling of garlic
1 Tbs of parsley finely chopped

in a large soup pot (about 5 quarts) cook veggies over medium heat until tender. add all of your stock and spices until boiling. simmer your soup for about 20-25 minutes and then add the tortellini (they can get mushy if you add them too soon). let that simmer for another 10 minutes or so. serve with grilled cheese for my perfect and most favorite meal of allllll time!

oatmeal cookies:
just follow the recipe on the top of any quaker oatmeal uncooked oats can. just replace the raisins with craisins and add half a bag of white chocolate chips and voila! deliciousness!!! i like to eat them with hot chocolate.

well i am off to grab some lunch.
this is beth signing off.
mission: staying warm as much as i can!

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mission: bahamas day 3

i am out on my balcony for our last morning here in the bahamas to bid adieu to our vacation! it is raining, which makes me feel good about leaving. better to leave on a day with crappy weather than with sunshine.

yesterday was our most relaxing yet. a true vacation in paradise day, beginning with a trip to a "straw market" near our hotel. the walk to these flea market type souvenir shops was a pretty path lined with green grass and marked with trellises covered in bright pink and yellow tropical flowers. it was quite lovely.

when we began perusing the items of t-shirts, sweatshirts, and tchotchkes of all sorts, every vendor welcomed us to buy from them. "i'll give you a special deal" was everyone's motto. "it is $25, but for you i will make a deal." they certainly know how to work the psychological aspect of getting you to buy their wares, even though every vendor has pretty much the same things. our favorite seller of the day was cinderella. we bought two coffee mug sets (they included mug, saucer, and a spoon) from her and she was amazed at how young we looked, and that patrick and i were married. she couldn't believe it! cinderella was so charming and completely delightful, we just had to buy the beautiful mugs from her. conversation was her draw, and that works better for me to buy something.

cinderella then found us buying water from her friend, and told us that when we fly back to the u.s. we just need to trust in God to get us home safely. judy told her that we all trusted in Him with our lives, and cinderella's friend commended us on our faith. we said our goodbyes, with souvenirs in hand and a feeling that should we return we have a friend who will greet us at the little market.

after making our purchases, we headed back to the sheraton to get in lots of sun and pool time. we ate our lunch on the beach, taking heed of the sea gulls hovering around us. i made one of the servers laugh when i yelled at someone who lost a fry to the flock..."what is wrong with you?" i shouted. from that point on, i covered my sandwich in between bites and was on bird watch for any potential harm that should come our way.

as lunch ended, and sunbathing began, patrick and i decided to swim in the pool, and emily and amanda eventually joined us. we then watched patrick compete in a hold your breath and swim laps race. when it was patrick's turn, he surpassed all those who went before him by a lot! but as soon as he raised the bar higher than all the others, the final two just had to beat him. at least he didn't come in last.

when the race was over, patrick and i headed back to our room to get dressed and get ready to play some games in the casino with judy. while patrick played at a black jack table, we ladies hit up the game king slots! by the time i lost $9, patrick came over with a chip, seemingly losing money. judy then sighed in sadness, only to be encouraged as patrick opened his other hand revealing more chips declaring his winning $200! we rejoiced in his good luck, and he began to tell us that the guys at his table were upset with his winnings because he was too lucky and took away theirs. good thing he left because the guys (who were very drunk) could have become belligerent. anyway, we are going to use this money to buy a wii, so winner winner wii play time!!!!

from there we began to prepare for celebrating the new year. we ate a buffet dinner then went to judy's room to play games. we watched the ball drop and counted down the seconds, hollering "happy new year" from her balcony! we laughed and drank champagne and headed to the beach for the most amazing fireworks display that we have ever seen! the finale was spectacular and lasted for a long time. the five of us were in awe as we drifted back to our rooms, feeling satisfied with ringing in the new year, full of excitement and ready to sleep.

and now, on this rainy new year's day, i leave with much rest and happiness. i am glad to head back home to sleep in my bed again and get back into the routine of life. thanks to everyone here in the bahamas and the sheraton for making this a wonderful trip. and thanks to my family (judy, amanda, and emily) for a wonderful vacation. until we meet again, i love you all and will miss spending time with you!

this is beth signing off.
mission: fully accomplished and time to go home.

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