Chowing Through Fort Greene

I spent some time this weekend exploring my new neighborhood, Fort Greene, Brooklyn.  My mom was in town so we took a stroll to Fort Greene park. 

Here is the Prison Ship Martyrs Monument - it was the tallest Doric column in the world when it was built in 1908.  There is also a crypt below where the remains of the soldiers are buried.  You can learn more about it here and here.  Oh man I cannot tell you how cool it is to live so close to a stop on the                           New York Freedom Trail and the Revolutionary War Trail. 

Note to self/mom: Here is another cool NYC walking tour too!  I think its for Scouts but it could be fun for regular people too. 

Speaking of mom - she totally got shortchanged on the breakfast front!  We tried Olea, a cute little Mediteranian place a few blocks from my place.  We got there right when they opened at 10am, and were the first people there.  It filled up totally within just 15 minutes!  A popular joint.  Mom got the goat cheese croquettes - they looked tasty, but were so tiny!  And non listed under the appetizers but should have been.  She got lamb sausage too, but the whole meal looked fit for an elf.  My mom is tiny but not that tiny! 

I went with the granola, yogurt and honey combo which was good and human sized. 

We also shared some nice baguettes and jam.  I liked the food at this place, but was a little annoyed that they didn't tell Mom she was ordering an ap, as opposed to a meal. 

Can't wait to check out more cool new places in my 'hood! 

Decadence, Sandwich Style

Kitchenette

Macaroni & Cheese BLT, with cheese, minus the Bacon.  Over the top?  Perhaps.  But kind of amazing.   

She Don't Eat Meat...

But I sure like animal shaped food! 

Check out this sweet cow cookie I got from a lovely gentlemen!  It was actually quite tasty too - not just fun to look at! 

AH!  It is decapitated!  Oh noooooo!  If you want one of your own, check out Kitchenette - a seriously darling restaurant, with an adorable assortment of baked goods too.  Plus mini pies!  My dream come true. 

Soup's On!

One thing that's great about chilly weather is sitting down to a nice hot bowl of soup - I made some lentil this weekend and it came out great!  Very simple and good for you too.  Try it!

CLASSIC LENTIL SOUP

from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman

Makes 4 servings.  Time: About 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 cup dried lentils, washed and picked over

1 bay leaf

Several sprigs fresh thyme, or a few pinches dried

1carrot, cut into 1/2 inch dice

1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2 inch dice

6 cups vegetable stock or water (more as needed)

salt & pepper

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions

1. Put lentils, bay leaf, thyme, carrot, celery and stock into a deep skillet or medium saucepan.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then turn heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, put olive oil in small skillet over medium heat.  Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and stir, then cook for 1 minute more.  Turn off heat.

3. When lentils are tender, fish out bay leaf and thyme sprigs and stir onion mixture into the soup.  Add more stock if soup it too thick, taste and season if needed.  Serve. 

This was really tasty and you can reheat it for a later meal too!  I didn't have celery so I omitted that, and added more carrots for fun.  Happy cooking! 

Hot Dog!

I'm the worst vegetarian ever.  Two posts in a row about hot dogs?  What the heck. 

 But look at these guys - so cute!  They are called curly hot dog snakes - from Canadian Living.  Recipe here if you want it - my favorite part is that they suggest you "serve with “bloody” ketchup and “snake gut” mustard."  AWESOME! 

Krafty Halloween Food

This idea just made me laugh, laugh.  Look at those little guys sticking out!

Its a recipe from Kraft Foods for a Halloweeny dinner - made by sticking hot dogs in mac n cheese, then drawing eyes on said dogs with mustard.  Insane?  But I kind of want it.  Hot dogs and mac n cheese are two of my favorite things.  Even if I haven't had a hot dog in 3+ years.  (The veggie one from Crif Dogs on Saturday night notwithstanding.)

If you want the recipe its here, but I'm sure you can figure it out on your own from the picture. 

Dinosaur BBQ

So this is not going to become a blog where I post all of the food I consume, but check out my Friday Night!  We visited Dinosaur BBQ in Harlem for a birthday celebration. 

 Have you ever had Fried Green Tomatoes?  Delicious - but then again, anything fried and dipped in ranch has got to be good, right?

Divya, Julie M and I get ready to chow down!

And we so did.  Some chicken, mac and cheese, cornbread - sliders in the background were yet another choice. 

Jim heartily approves of his fare, and Kristy concurs. 

I bet you are wondering, what would a vegetarian like myself eat at a place like this?  Don't worry, my amazing portabello burger, topped with cheese and extra veggies, plus collard greens and mac and cheese left me stuffed. 

Stefanie poses with her Pork Slap beer - so cute!

And of course it wouldn't be complete without pie.  Sweet potato and pecan - yum! 

Happy Belated Birthday, Frank! 

A Good Snack

You know what is so great to eat?  Frozen grapes. 

Good and good for you, especially in the summer.  Have you tried this before?  I love it - I buy a bag of grapes from the fruit man (I like the green ones), rinse them off and stick them in the freezer.  Soon they are done - like little frozen candy popsicles!  Delightful. 

Brooklyn Food & Film Festival

Hello!  I hope everyone had a stellar weekend.  I spent a lovely Saturday with some dear old pals at the NYC Food Film Festival. 

Here is my lady Sasha enjoying a strawberry rhubarb Popsicle from People's Pops, thanks to The Cooking Channel.  I tried the Raspberry Basil variety - sounds strange but it was delish!

There were a ton of vendors to be had. 

And new friends to meet! 

It was great to spend time with some good old pals from CT - including Becca, Billy and Greg. 

There was a neato vendor called The Green Truck run on solar panels and vegetable oil!  I got a watermelon fresca there.  Basically just smooshed up watermelon in a cup but so refreshing!

Oh also when we were leaving there was some crazy crowd noises - we found a ton of people crowded under the Manhattan bridge watching the World Cup on a giant drive in screen!  It was cool.  I would like to see a movie there!

Oddly enough, we didn't really see any films at the festival - they had technical difficulties for most of the afternoon, and then we watched a few minutes of The Bread Maverick but it was just too hot to sit around and watch a movie about baking bread. 

Easy Treats!

Here is another Father's Day treat for you - you can use it for anytime though, and it makes a great favor/gifty type thing.  My sister Bessie came up with idea and it is a good one!

This is Bess. 

So, all we did was get a jar or pretzel rods - we got ones that were about 4 inches long.  We melted chocolate chips in one bowl and white chocolate chips in another, and dipped away!  Then, we topped them with nuts, heath bars, coconut - even chopped up craisins! 

They were good, looked festive, and simple to make!  Try it - be creative with your toppings, too!  I make up fun names like "Lunchlady", "Queen of Hearts" and "The Golden Girls."   This would be a good project for kids too. 

Have fun!

Deep in the heart of Texas!

Hi I'm back from Texas!  I had such a great time with my cousin and my sis - and have a TON of fun pictures to share!  It's going to take all week I think, so get ready!

So, my cousin lives in Houston.  Apparently Houstonians eat out more frequently than any other city in the USA, and they seem to have every single chain restaurant that you can imagine.  And also many that you can't.  Like, the Kolache Factory! 

Free Pinkberry Today!

Happy Friday my friends!  To make it even happier, why not start the weekend with a FREE mango pinkberry tonight!  From 5-9pm this evening, you can snag their new flavor for free (with toppings, even) at participating stores.  Score!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a delightful holiday with your friends and family!

Pietown here I come!

Free Carvel today!

So, this goes under the banner of thrift related - I love to get good deals and free stuff! Like, LOVE. Even if it is something I wouldn't normally want, if it is free, I must have it.

Today is Carvel Customer Appreciation Day, which means that from 3-7pm you can get a free Oreo Lil Rounder - basically, a giant oreo with soft serve in between the cookies instead of cream. Check out the link to see if there is a carvel near you! Now, I don't like ice cream sandwiches or Oreos - but I may still go.

I know it is probably unamerican to not like Oreos and ice cream sandwiches, but I don't. I could spend another blog post or 10 on my weird food aversions, but that will be another day. For now, enjoy your free ice cream!