I was out of the house by 5:30 am this morning, which means I was forced to arise far earlier than anyone should ever have to. Nothing is right at 4:45 am. Nothing.
So here I am at work, unable to fully concentrate on any one thing because the dull ache of tiredness resides behind my eyes rendering me incapable of thinking on a productive level. However, I do seem to have a consistent stream of random thoughts, which are not necessarily connected to the other, and in an effort utilize this little blog space of mine to share my thoughts, no matter how irrelevant, I am going to list them here. In no particular order:
-I have a penchant for Moleskin journals off all sizes, and while doing some morning blog reading I came across this one which I now covet.
-I will also continue to covet an in-home inversion table. The idea of being able to hang from my ankles and strech my spine make the knots in my shoulders relax just thinking about it.
-I find myself desiring to learn how to take pretty pictures of pretty things. I have no idea how to use a camera aisde from pointing, clicking and zooming (and I am a photographers daughter! the shame!) but should I learn on a film camera or a digital? Help...
-I think having two frisky one year old kitties is somewhat akin to having a toddler in the house. The constant need to explore, knock things over and put undesireable objects in their mouth can be trying at times. Except a toddler doesn't look at your with a furry face and no ability to understand what you are saying. But then they get all cuddly on you and you forget you had to yell at Stanley who was chewing on the metal end of a power cord.
-I recently got a burger from the NYC Buger Joint, The Stand which is supposed to have some of the Big Apples Best Burgers, and I am here to totally debunk that theory and tell you it's all lies. My burger was totally underwhelming, chewy and not seasoned. The fact that it cost $12 only added insult to injury.
-To me, I will know I have succeeded in my life when I can end each day with a glass of good wine and a plate of some nice cheese. I think this goal is attainable.
-I wish I did a better job at keeping up with a day planner, I am sure it would help make me a better person.
-We still haven't done our taxes, crap. Although between the two of us I think we have over ten w-2 forms, which still confuse me despite the number I have had to fill out.
-We recently began making bread in our shiney, new bread machine. However it appears to be flawed in all it's shiney-newness and we have to send it back. Blast.
-The idea of making my own greek yogurt intrigues me, although I wonder if after you spend the money on yogurt and cheesecloth it really saves you any money?
And with that, my time here at work is wrapping up. Isn't being inside my mind wild and fanciful? Clearly I spend a lot of time thinking about food, which may be something worth looking into. Also I thought I would share with you this little fun fact about my time here in NYC so far,
I have encountered a grand total of five celebrities since I moved to NYC: Goldie Hawn, Mariska Hargatay (she is super nice), Maggie Gyllenhall and Peter Saarsgard, and Emma Roberts (niece of Julia Roberts, and all she did was make out with her boyfriend the whole time. Very uncouth). I will let you know if I ever encounter the ULTIMATE in celebrity sightings...Sara Jessica Parker. I heart her.
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Spring in your Step
There are many things I miss about Chicago, however there is one thing which surprisingly I do not miss one bit: driving. Yes, it would have been convenient during the monsoon on Saturday do be able to hop into a vehicle and save the life of an umbrella, but for the most part I am quite happy to rely on my two feet and the NY Subway System. I do love the car that waits patiently for me back in Chi-Town, it's sleek, fuel efficient, I bought it all by myself, and heck I even knocked a brick wall down with it just to see what would happen. It's a good car, but I am happy to be apart from it, for now anyway.
Most often as I walk through the city I am usually pretty destination focused. Which subway stop will bring me closest to my desired end point? How many avenue blocks must I walk? That kind of thing. It's a fairly common affliction here in NYC, we are busy people with places to go and people to see. However, last week when the gods above decided to give us a sampling of spring weather, Jürgen and I accidentally indulged ourselves in a walk with no real destination. I say "accidentally" because our afternoon didn't start out with "wandering" on the agenda. We happened to be in the city at Macy's so I could return something, and we suddenly found ourselves with two hours of free time before either of us needed to be at work. So we started to wander, which I wil admit didn't come naturally to me from the onset. "What are we doooing? Where are we goooing?" were typical statements from me as we started, but thankfully I took a self prescribed chill pill and began to enjoy the crisp fake-spring air, and vitamin-D enriched sunshine.
We walked past the empire state building, stared up at it and made ourselves dizzy. We gazed into store windows, we even stopped into the NY Public Library and took in a free exhibit on maps. Yes maps. Not thrilling, but informative, and free, can't argue with that. Plus I had not seen the inside of the library before and it really is quite beautiful. After the library we found our way to Bryant Park, which I of course knew all about (ooohh fashion week...fancy!) but never knew quite where it was.
The trees clearly aren't ready to donn their spring green just yet, but they sure looked stunning with their branches intermingling to form a canopy above the park. We sat at a table below the trees and took in the scene, and I realized: had we not allowed ourselves to simply walk, with no real agenda, we may not have thought to stop here.
A similar thought crossed my mind a few weeks ago when Jürgen's parents were in town, when we took the subway down to battery park and spent a few hours walking. We saw:
The Statue of Liberty in all her Glory.
We walked into St. Pauls Chapel, an Episcopal (represent!) Church which was crucial to the volunteer effort at Ground Zero. Inside the church is decorated with all kinds of memorabilia from that time:
Letters from Children offering words of hope.
Healing paper cranes from Japan
A chausble pinned with hundres of badges in honor of those who were lost.
It was incredibly moving, and I had no idea it even existed.
We also walked to water street where we saw some majestic boats,
And finally we weaved our way through the financial district and happened upon a historic federal building which housed all kinds of information about Alexander Hamilton, and this stone:
Most often as I walk through the city I am usually pretty destination focused. Which subway stop will bring me closest to my desired end point? How many avenue blocks must I walk? That kind of thing. It's a fairly common affliction here in NYC, we are busy people with places to go and people to see. However, last week when the gods above decided to give us a sampling of spring weather, Jürgen and I accidentally indulged ourselves in a walk with no real destination. I say "accidentally" because our afternoon didn't start out with "wandering" on the agenda. We happened to be in the city at Macy's so I could return something, and we suddenly found ourselves with two hours of free time before either of us needed to be at work. So we started to wander, which I wil admit didn't come naturally to me from the onset. "What are we doooing? Where are we goooing?" were typical statements from me as we started, but thankfully I took a self prescribed chill pill and began to enjoy the crisp fake-spring air, and vitamin-D enriched sunshine.
We walked past the empire state building, stared up at it and made ourselves dizzy. We gazed into store windows, we even stopped into the NY Public Library and took in a free exhibit on maps. Yes maps. Not thrilling, but informative, and free, can't argue with that. Plus I had not seen the inside of the library before and it really is quite beautiful. After the library we found our way to Bryant Park, which I of course knew all about (ooohh fashion week...fancy!) but never knew quite where it was.
The trees clearly aren't ready to donn their spring green just yet, but they sure looked stunning with their branches intermingling to form a canopy above the park. We sat at a table below the trees and took in the scene, and I realized: had we not allowed ourselves to simply walk, with no real agenda, we may not have thought to stop here.
A similar thought crossed my mind a few weeks ago when Jürgen's parents were in town, when we took the subway down to battery park and spent a few hours walking. We saw:
The Statue of Liberty in all her Glory.
We walked into St. Pauls Chapel, an Episcopal (represent!) Church which was crucial to the volunteer effort at Ground Zero. Inside the church is decorated with all kinds of memorabilia from that time:
Letters from Children offering words of hope.
Healing paper cranes from Japan
A chausble pinned with hundres of badges in honor of those who were lost.
It was incredibly moving, and I had no idea it even existed.
We also walked to water street where we saw some majestic boats,
And finally we weaved our way through the financial district and happened upon a historic federal building which housed all kinds of information about Alexander Hamilton, and this stone:
I am not sure if you can read the inscription, but this is the very piece of stone upon which President George Washington took the oath of office.
All of this was discovered because we simply put one foot in front of the other. I know it seems obvious, but if you are looking for free entertainment, try taking yourself on a walk! Even if you don't live in a big city, you can always find unique neighboorhoods, or some pretty trails where you can literally stop and smell the roses. It's an activity you can do solo, if you want some personal time, or you can always find yourself some walking buddies. The possibilities are endless, and so many new expierences await you!
Any other ideas for great (and cheap!) Spring entertainment? I am all ears.
Sunday, March 14, 2010
War Torn Umbrellas
Mother Nature has declared war on New york, and her chosen weapon of mass destruction: rain. Massive amounts of rain. She can be so cruel sometimes, and after a few days with winks of spring weather, she pulled out all the stops in the forms of fat, cold, dense raindrops coupled with gusts of wind that rival the winds of Chicago. Those winds I was more than happy to leave behind yet they seem to have journeyed East. You see the terror on everyones face as they walk through the doors from the outside: the pink cheeks, hair plastered to the sides of their faces, droplets falling from their earlobes. Everyone wearing the same expression of disbelief mixed with frustration. Being wet and cold is no fun. No fun at all.
Then there are the carnage lined streets. I wasn't prepared for such a sight but everywhere you turn you see the remnants of a life cut short. A life that was meant to travel miles, to serve and protect.
It was on my walk home when I chose to capture the final moments of this young ones life. I have no idea where it had been or to whom it belonged but I swear it whispered to me "please tell the plastic polka dotted angel, with her faux-wooden handle, who I met in the coat check of The Oak Room...I never forgot about her..."
How the mighty have fallen.
My poor umbrella also saw it's demise all too soon. It was on the way to work this morning and she just didn't have the strength against the wind, not even even her darling multi-colored poly-fiber fabric could save her.
It was a rough day. I had plans to meet up with two dear Chicago friends, their names are Jess and Cassie, but was secretly hoping we would all decide to flake out on one another in an attempt to stay off the violent streets. However none of us wanted to be "the one who flaked", so despite the danger we convened in midtown for some inexpensive thai food. I had to seek shelter at one point while on 45th street for fear of becoming MIA.
(I wish I had a fancy camera that could capture rain falling....)
Thankfully we all made it, despite Cassie's train being shut down halfway through her commute, and we managed to ignore the events outside and focus our attention on being three ladies living it up in New York City. It's hard to believe that I met them almost five years ago, when were all performing in a production of The Wild Party. We had all recently graduated and danced and sang our tails off in a tiny Chicago storefront, with no air conditioning, in the middle of August. Oh the days of being young, sweaty and performing in your underwear (I didn't let my parents see that one). I am so glad we are still friends. We gabbed about Chicago, New York, theatre, the brilliance of Sex and the City, being in our late twenties, high school reunions*, and many other topics. It was incredibly lovely and worth fighting for. Plus we were able to pay only $15 for a prix-fix dinner menu of chicken coconut soup, thai salad, veggie spring roles, chicken pad-thai and coconut ice cream! I didn't even touch my pad-thai, I boxed it up and plan on savoring it tomorrow during my lunch break. Victory is mine!
Go to Yum-Yum Bangkok on 9th avenue. Go now. But be kind and leave your umbrella at home.
Also, while waiting for the train I caught site of this colorful fellow:
His sign read: Let us not forget that in this great big beautiful world that there are only two things that are really worth living for and they are love and happiness. Spread Joy.
You hear that Mother Nature? Make Love. Not War.
*I had a mild panic attack while at work the other day when I thought my 10 year high school reunion was approaching this fall. However I was comforted to know I was a year off, which means I have until the fall of 2011 to become wildly famous and successful. I will get right on that.
Then there are the carnage lined streets. I wasn't prepared for such a sight but everywhere you turn you see the remnants of a life cut short. A life that was meant to travel miles, to serve and protect.
It was on my walk home when I chose to capture the final moments of this young ones life. I have no idea where it had been or to whom it belonged but I swear it whispered to me "please tell the plastic polka dotted angel, with her faux-wooden handle, who I met in the coat check of The Oak Room...I never forgot about her..."
How the mighty have fallen.
My poor umbrella also saw it's demise all too soon. It was on the way to work this morning and she just didn't have the strength against the wind, not even even her darling multi-colored poly-fiber fabric could save her.
It was a rough day. I had plans to meet up with two dear Chicago friends, their names are Jess and Cassie, but was secretly hoping we would all decide to flake out on one another in an attempt to stay off the violent streets. However none of us wanted to be "the one who flaked", so despite the danger we convened in midtown for some inexpensive thai food. I had to seek shelter at one point while on 45th street for fear of becoming MIA.
(I wish I had a fancy camera that could capture rain falling....)
Thankfully we all made it, despite Cassie's train being shut down halfway through her commute, and we managed to ignore the events outside and focus our attention on being three ladies living it up in New York City. It's hard to believe that I met them almost five years ago, when were all performing in a production of The Wild Party. We had all recently graduated and danced and sang our tails off in a tiny Chicago storefront, with no air conditioning, in the middle of August. Oh the days of being young, sweaty and performing in your underwear (I didn't let my parents see that one). I am so glad we are still friends. We gabbed about Chicago, New York, theatre, the brilliance of Sex and the City, being in our late twenties, high school reunions*, and many other topics. It was incredibly lovely and worth fighting for. Plus we were able to pay only $15 for a prix-fix dinner menu of chicken coconut soup, thai salad, veggie spring roles, chicken pad-thai and coconut ice cream! I didn't even touch my pad-thai, I boxed it up and plan on savoring it tomorrow during my lunch break. Victory is mine!
Go to Yum-Yum Bangkok on 9th avenue. Go now. But be kind and leave your umbrella at home.
Also, while waiting for the train I caught site of this colorful fellow:
His sign read: Let us not forget that in this great big beautiful world that there are only two things that are really worth living for and they are love and happiness. Spread Joy.
You hear that Mother Nature? Make Love. Not War.
*I had a mild panic attack while at work the other day when I thought my 10 year high school reunion was approaching this fall. However I was comforted to know I was a year off, which means I have until the fall of 2011 to become wildly famous and successful. I will get right on that.
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Simple Pleasures: Homemade goat cheese. And oven roasted tomatoes. And Crostini. And Other lovely things.
Every Tuesday (since early February) I wake up with the excitement of a kid on Christmas morning, because Tuesdays bring something no other day of the week can bring: a new episode of LOST.
I jumped on the LOST train about a year and a half ago and have never looked back, not even during this season when the writing gets a bit clunky and deliberate, no not even then, and I suggest you do the same. It's quite a ride, I assure you. Thankfully Neill has been a passenger on the train as well, so we are a content party of three, who gather in front of our tiny TV, mouths agape (in fascination or disappointment...) for a full hour followed by at least thirty minutes of discussion about what we just witnessed. Good times indeed.
(Stanley is a fan too!)
Of course we can't just get together and watch TV, no no no we need to drink. So we have decided that our drink of choice during the duration of this season will be Absolut Mango as sort of an ode to the fruits they may find while on the island. Also, eating is helpful, and Jürg and I do our best to put some sort of food on the table. Some nights (like last) we don't have our act together and it ends up being pasta, but other nights, like last week, we hit a home run, and we make our very own goat cheese.
Yes you read that right, we (well, I) made cheese. It may very well be one of the most thrilling things I accomplish all year (I aim high), and I simply had to share this with all of you so you can experience the excitement for yourself. You don't need a must see Tuesday night show to inspire you, goat cheese can be consumed any time, and in an ideal world I would have some every day. I'm serious. There are few things I love more that goat cheese in all its creamy, tangy, sometimes herby splendor.
I never realized that making my own would be so easy, until I came across this incredible blog. I found it one Sunday evening when the blog creator made a comment on my first Sunny Side Up post, making her the first "stranger" to comment on my blog. Which was thrilling in and of itself, but find the recipe for goat cheese, and so many other delectable dishes was the real prize. Thank you Giao!
She does an incredible job of teaching you how to bring the pleasure of homemade cheese into your kitchen, and beautifully depicts it in photographs, so I will simply provide you a link rather than recount it here. However I will tell you that a quart of goats milk cost me $3.50, which is the same price as a typical "log size" goat cheese, and this recipe yields at least two "logs" worth. Not only do you get the joy of becoming a novice cheese maker, but you save money in the process! Love that!
We paired the goat cheese with some homemade oven roasted tomatoes, homemade crostini, and homemade potato leek soup (not pictured). The soup was also from the same blog, and simply wonderful. We already had enough potato's on hand so all we needed to buy was a few leeks and some chicken stock. Dear friends, I tell you it's possible to eat like a gourmand on a tight budget.
Oh yes! The drinks! How could I forget? So far we have tried three different types of Mango drinks, one of which does not bear repeating, and we continue to search for more. There are ten episodes left this season, so we have plenty of time to find a favorite.
They are the Absolut Caliente and The Absolut Firefly, which certainly don't lack in either flavor or color. You would pay $14 a pop for these in Manhattan, but here in Queens we shake and stir to our hearts (and wallets) content. The Absolute Drinks site has all kinds of great recipes, take a gander for yourself!
Tuesdays are the new Friday's in my book, well for the next ten weeks anyway.
I jumped on the LOST train about a year and a half ago and have never looked back, not even during this season when the writing gets a bit clunky and deliberate, no not even then, and I suggest you do the same. It's quite a ride, I assure you. Thankfully Neill has been a passenger on the train as well, so we are a content party of three, who gather in front of our tiny TV, mouths agape (in fascination or disappointment...) for a full hour followed by at least thirty minutes of discussion about what we just witnessed. Good times indeed.
Of course we can't just get together and watch TV, no no no we need to drink. So we have decided that our drink of choice during the duration of this season will be Absolut Mango as sort of an ode to the fruits they may find while on the island. Also, eating is helpful, and Jürg and I do our best to put some sort of food on the table. Some nights (like last) we don't have our act together and it ends up being pasta, but other nights, like last week, we hit a home run, and we make our very own goat cheese.
Yes you read that right, we (well, I) made cheese. It may very well be one of the most thrilling things I accomplish all year (I aim high), and I simply had to share this with all of you so you can experience the excitement for yourself. You don't need a must see Tuesday night show to inspire you, goat cheese can be consumed any time, and in an ideal world I would have some every day. I'm serious. There are few things I love more that goat cheese in all its creamy, tangy, sometimes herby splendor.
I never realized that making my own would be so easy, until I came across this incredible blog. I found it one Sunday evening when the blog creator made a comment on my first Sunny Side Up post, making her the first "stranger" to comment on my blog. Which was thrilling in and of itself, but find the recipe for goat cheese, and so many other delectable dishes was the real prize. Thank you Giao!
She does an incredible job of teaching you how to bring the pleasure of homemade cheese into your kitchen, and beautifully depicts it in photographs, so I will simply provide you a link rather than recount it here. However I will tell you that a quart of goats milk cost me $3.50, which is the same price as a typical "log size" goat cheese, and this recipe yields at least two "logs" worth. Not only do you get the joy of becoming a novice cheese maker, but you save money in the process! Love that!
We paired the goat cheese with some homemade oven roasted tomatoes, homemade crostini, and homemade potato leek soup (not pictured). The soup was also from the same blog, and simply wonderful. We already had enough potato's on hand so all we needed to buy was a few leeks and some chicken stock. Dear friends, I tell you it's possible to eat like a gourmand on a tight budget.
Oh yes! The drinks! How could I forget? So far we have tried three different types of Mango drinks, one of which does not bear repeating, and we continue to search for more. There are ten episodes left this season, so we have plenty of time to find a favorite.
They are the Absolut Caliente and The Absolut Firefly, which certainly don't lack in either flavor or color. You would pay $14 a pop for these in Manhattan, but here in Queens we shake and stir to our hearts (and wallets) content. The Absolute Drinks site has all kinds of great recipes, take a gander for yourself!
Tuesdays are the new Friday's in my book, well for the next ten weeks anyway.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Breakfast of Champions
A few days ago, I had a day off, and the night before I proclaimed "tomorrow for breakfast I am going to have oatmeal, an egg and a half of a grapefruit." I don't know why I felt the need to make such a statement, but I went to bed very excited about my upcoming first meal. it was everything I hoped it could be. Easy to make, so very healthy to eat, and I didn't find myself feeling hungry until much later in the afternoon. My usual breakfast consists of greek yogurt with granola and honey, but I think this one may need to make an appearance more often.
Speaking of champions, I have been devouring the Winter Olympics with the same fervor as I did with this breakfast-I am a huge Olympics fan. Be it Summer or Winter I love seeing athletes at the top of their game, their eyes filled with dreams of standing atop a podium with the coveted Gold hanging from their necks. When the Olympics are on there is always entertainment just a remote control click away. You have all the drama, the excitement, the anticipation, the despair, and the joy you would find in a movie of the week but it's live and unscripted. I can't get enough of it.
Perhaps my favorite moment in any Olympic event is the moment before. The brief period of time before the athlete takes off down a hill, or around a rink, or onto a beam or into a pool. The look in the athletes eyes, the mental prep going on inside their head. I always try to imagine what that moment must feel like, knowing that in seconds they will be chasing after a lifelong dream, but not knowing if it will be realized. How do they even handle themselves in that moment? How do they cultivate that competitive edge that keeps them in control? It's fascinating to me. It's theatrical.
Athletes and Actors have oft been thought of as totally different specimens. You have those who are sporty and strong, and those who are expressive and sensitive. However as I have been watching these games, it has occurred to me that Actors and Athletes may not be so different after all. Both of us must possess a competitive spirit, which keeps you going even when you don't perform to your personal best. Oftentimes our "fate" is determined in a matter of seconds, be it 16 bars of a song or .16ths of a second at the finish line. We train, we get judged, we size up our competition, and many people think we are crazy for putting ourselves in such a position in the first place. No I doubt there has been an audition which has landed an actor in traction, but the emotional wounds of some auditions can seem just as painful (albeit way less dangerous thank god).
However, one thing I always envied about being an athlete is you usually know your outcome right away. If you have the fastest time, or you attain the highest score, then you know where you stand. As an actor you get to be a contestant in the waiting game, which is not a fun game in which to compete. Getting cast in a show rarely comes down to "who is the most talented" but rather "who is the right height?" "who's has a certain 'energy'?" "who looks good with whom?" Still at the heart of it, the prizes aren't always awarded to the "best" but rather who was the best on that day.
To me, it seems crazy to ski down an icy slope at over 90mph, but to many it would seem insane to sit on the floor of a crowded studio, at 7am, as you wait in line to sing for one person sitting behind a table.
Yes, I do believe that Actors and Athletes may have more in common than we think. Perhaps we should have shared a lunch table more often back in the days of "jocks" and "theatre geeks." We could learn a thing or two from one another.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Simple Pleasures: Snowy Days and Snuggly Kitties
It has been a long day folks, when you arise at 4:45am after a fitful night of little sleep the wrong side of the bed is the only side from which to emerge.
Apparently the word on the street is that a good half of the country is blanketed in snow, with potentially more looming in the wings. Here in NYC we certainly saw our fair share throughout the day yesterday, but amazingly enough the damage seems to be minimal as the early trudge to work this morning was not slowed down by drifts of snow. They move fast here in Ol' NY, and with the heat from the subways underfoot and the snow plows which appeared from every corner out of thin air, the city really only had time to take a breath before it was back to the daily grind.
However, this evening I allowed myself to take more than just a breath, and really lay still. In a rare occurrence Jürgen and I both had some simultaneous free time and spent a good portion of it laying on the bed cuddling with our beloved feline friends. It was so calming to just sink into the down comforter and feel the warmth and low hum of their purr, and my heart swelled a little with my love for them. They have been such an amazing addition to our lives and they have an incredible way of centering you when the days are long and cold.
Stanley didn't allow us to photograph him for posterity, but Toaster didn't mind snuggling with me for a few extra minutes.
It's a lovely little gift when life affords you the opportunity to take a breath and feel the love around you.
Apparently the word on the street is that a good half of the country is blanketed in snow, with potentially more looming in the wings. Here in NYC we certainly saw our fair share throughout the day yesterday, but amazingly enough the damage seems to be minimal as the early trudge to work this morning was not slowed down by drifts of snow. They move fast here in Ol' NY, and with the heat from the subways underfoot and the snow plows which appeared from every corner out of thin air, the city really only had time to take a breath before it was back to the daily grind.
However, this evening I allowed myself to take more than just a breath, and really lay still. In a rare occurrence Jürgen and I both had some simultaneous free time and spent a good portion of it laying on the bed cuddling with our beloved feline friends. It was so calming to just sink into the down comforter and feel the warmth and low hum of their purr, and my heart swelled a little with my love for them. They have been such an amazing addition to our lives and they have an incredible way of centering you when the days are long and cold.
Stanley didn't allow us to photograph him for posterity, but Toaster didn't mind snuggling with me for a few extra minutes.
It's a lovely little gift when life affords you the opportunity to take a breath and feel the love around you.
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Sunny Side Up: Vol 3
Well the pots are on the stove a simmerin', and things are in the oven a bakin' and bubblin', and due to the huge new number of food blogs I have been devourin' (see my growin' list to the right), I have many recipe ideas a brewin'!
Whew!
I'll have to admit that while I have enjoyed making a dish and having it sustain me for days on end, basically taking the guesswork out of "what should I eat" it does begin to weigh a bit on your spirit after you have eaten the same lunch/dinner/or both after more than a few days. My wise mother suggests I make a bunch of dishes and freeze parts of them so I can add a little variety to my life. She has a valid point (don't you hate it when she does that?) but I am just not quite there yet when it comes to my planning and organization. So until that day comes, monotony will be my guide. Ima tellin' you though, this following dish was a fun one to chew on each passing day.
(©Quentin Bacon-Food and Wine Magazine)
Free Form Sausage and Three Cheese Lasagne: Followed pretty much by rote from Food and Wine Magazine (January 2010)
You can tell it's winter and our household is craving stick-to-your-ribs-and-warm-you-from-the-inside dishes. First Chili and now this. However it makes sense to crave hearty dishes this time of year. Still, even I surprised myself when I found myself turning back to page 60 and slightly drooling over a lasagne dish. I couldn't tell you the last time I ate a lasagne, as I have never been a huge fan of the family style classic. In the past I have found so many of them to be laden with ill-flavored meat, buried in tomato sauce, with rubbery cheese (usually a chalky textured ricotta) and heavy noodles. All converging together to create a mass that doesn't impart any individual or distinct flavors, and promptly rests itself in the pit of your stomach and overstays it's welcome. I'll say it here first: I haven't been the biggest supporter of lasagne. Until now.
Not only did this dish pique my interest because it seemed to fit my mission of finding dishes which are affordable and lasting, but the individual components of the dish intrigued me. I am sucker for the term "three cheese"-kill me now, along with the fresh basil and the subtle sweetness of an Italian sausage. It was definitely a reason to jump back on the lasagne bandwagon.
Honestly, I think I could be so bold as to write "this is the best lasagne I have ever eaten." I know, quite a big statement from this little blog, but I stand behind it (and I think Jürgen would agree). The fantastic thing about this dish is while it is filling, and certainly hearty, it's also quite light. I ate it while on a break at work many times and never returned feeling weighed down and semi-comatose. After all, when you are dealing with persnickity Upper East Side housewives, you need all the energy you can get. Also, this is the first lasagne I have had the pleasure of tasting where each individual flavor was able to shine through while complementing the others. The use of the whole tomatoes created a fabulous caramelized oven roasted tomato flavor, the sausage was sweet and crumbly, and the cheese rounded out the dish with the fontina being the real winner. It brought an unexpected creaminess along with a pinch of tartness to keep your tastebuds excited. All in all, it was good enough to make a lasagne convert out of me. Never say never my friends.
(source: authors personal collection-I am no food stylist so please don't judge the dish based on this photo)
When you first take the dish out of the oven it needs to rest for ten minutes, however if you eat it the night of its going to seem a bit "soupy" but do not let that worry you. All this means is you have an incredibly delicious tomatoy juice to sop (or in my case slup) up after you are done. Trust me on this one.
The entire recipe can be found here, but again here is a breakdown of the ingredients (with a few substitution suggestions) and the total cost:
1/2 lb of lasagna noodles (we got two boxes for $3.00)
3 Tbls of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for tossing (had)
1/2 lb of Sweet Italian Sausage* (bought a package of 6 links, totaling 1lb for $3.29)
1 cup water (had)
4 large garlic gloves, thinly sliced (had)
One 28-Ounce can of Whole tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved ($1.99-we used Hunts)
Salt and Pepper (had)
Freshly Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (we always have a block on hand, but it usually runs between $7-$8 and lasts at least a month...make it a staple in your house, I'm telling ya!)
1/2 lb Fresh Mozzarella, cut into 8 pieces ($8.15)
6 Ounces Italian Fontina**, cut into 8 pieces ($4.99)
2 Tbls unsalted butter, softened (had)
1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves ($3.49 for a package)
*For those of you who don't eat pork or perhaps any meat products, you could easily substitute turkey/chicken/veggie sausage in it's place.
**If your grocer of choice doesn't carry fontina, Gruyere, Emmental or Gouda came up as similar alternatives. But do everything you can to find the fontina, it's worth it.
We made this dish on a Tuesday night and it fed us (primarily me) through Sunday.
Total Cost: $32.41 which breaks down to about $5.40 a day.
However-not only did we like this dish SO much, but we only used half of the sausage we purchased, so that Friday night (we had a bit of Lasagne overlap) we made an entire second helping of this yummy treat. The only ingredients we needed to purchase for the second go-round were:
Another ball of mozzarella
A block of fontina
A can of tomatoes
Total: $15.13
With this second serving of lasagne I was able to feed myself for another full week (Jürg got a few digs in, and Neill got a taste as well). This means a grand total of TWELVE days of lasagne bringing the daily total down to $3.96 a day!
Lately with all this talk of snow, I canot think of a more fitting dish for a snowed in evening. We paired it with a viewing of the Disney-Pixar Classic Monsters Inc. on a Friday night, and I am not sure if it was the yummy-ness of the dish, or the sweetness of the movie, but I was definitely left in a puddle of tears by the end of the evening. Fuzzy monsters and cheesy lasagne...they get me every time.
Whew!
I'll have to admit that while I have enjoyed making a dish and having it sustain me for days on end, basically taking the guesswork out of "what should I eat" it does begin to weigh a bit on your spirit after you have eaten the same lunch/dinner/or both after more than a few days. My wise mother suggests I make a bunch of dishes and freeze parts of them so I can add a little variety to my life. She has a valid point (don't you hate it when she does that?) but I am just not quite there yet when it comes to my planning and organization. So until that day comes, monotony will be my guide. Ima tellin' you though, this following dish was a fun one to chew on each passing day.
Free Form Sausage and Three Cheese Lasagne: Followed pretty much by rote from Food and Wine Magazine (January 2010)
You can tell it's winter and our household is craving stick-to-your-ribs-and-warm-you-from-the-inside dishes. First Chili and now this. However it makes sense to crave hearty dishes this time of year. Still, even I surprised myself when I found myself turning back to page 60 and slightly drooling over a lasagne dish. I couldn't tell you the last time I ate a lasagne, as I have never been a huge fan of the family style classic. In the past I have found so many of them to be laden with ill-flavored meat, buried in tomato sauce, with rubbery cheese (usually a chalky textured ricotta) and heavy noodles. All converging together to create a mass that doesn't impart any individual or distinct flavors, and promptly rests itself in the pit of your stomach and overstays it's welcome. I'll say it here first: I haven't been the biggest supporter of lasagne. Until now.
Not only did this dish pique my interest because it seemed to fit my mission of finding dishes which are affordable and lasting, but the individual components of the dish intrigued me. I am sucker for the term "three cheese"-kill me now, along with the fresh basil and the subtle sweetness of an Italian sausage. It was definitely a reason to jump back on the lasagne bandwagon.
Honestly, I think I could be so bold as to write "this is the best lasagne I have ever eaten." I know, quite a big statement from this little blog, but I stand behind it (and I think Jürgen would agree). The fantastic thing about this dish is while it is filling, and certainly hearty, it's also quite light. I ate it while on a break at work many times and never returned feeling weighed down and semi-comatose. After all, when you are dealing with persnickity Upper East Side housewives, you need all the energy you can get. Also, this is the first lasagne I have had the pleasure of tasting where each individual flavor was able to shine through while complementing the others. The use of the whole tomatoes created a fabulous caramelized oven roasted tomato flavor, the sausage was sweet and crumbly, and the cheese rounded out the dish with the fontina being the real winner. It brought an unexpected creaminess along with a pinch of tartness to keep your tastebuds excited. All in all, it was good enough to make a lasagne convert out of me. Never say never my friends.
When you first take the dish out of the oven it needs to rest for ten minutes, however if you eat it the night of its going to seem a bit "soupy" but do not let that worry you. All this means is you have an incredibly delicious tomatoy juice to sop (or in my case slup) up after you are done. Trust me on this one.
The entire recipe can be found here, but again here is a breakdown of the ingredients (with a few substitution suggestions) and the total cost:
1/2 lb of lasagna noodles (we got two boxes for $3.00)
3 Tbls of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more for tossing (had)
1/2 lb of Sweet Italian Sausage* (bought a package of 6 links, totaling 1lb for $3.29)
1 cup water (had)
4 large garlic gloves, thinly sliced (had)
One 28-Ounce can of Whole tomatoes, chopped and juices reserved ($1.99-we used Hunts)
Salt and Pepper (had)
Freshly Grated Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese (we always have a block on hand, but it usually runs between $7-$8 and lasts at least a month...make it a staple in your house, I'm telling ya!)
1/2 lb Fresh Mozzarella, cut into 8 pieces ($8.15)
6 Ounces Italian Fontina**, cut into 8 pieces ($4.99)
2 Tbls unsalted butter, softened (had)
1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves ($3.49 for a package)
*For those of you who don't eat pork or perhaps any meat products, you could easily substitute turkey/chicken/veggie sausage in it's place.
**If your grocer of choice doesn't carry fontina, Gruyere, Emmental or Gouda came up as similar alternatives. But do everything you can to find the fontina, it's worth it.
We made this dish on a Tuesday night and it fed us (primarily me) through Sunday.
Total Cost: $32.41 which breaks down to about $5.40 a day.
However-not only did we like this dish SO much, but we only used half of the sausage we purchased, so that Friday night (we had a bit of Lasagne overlap) we made an entire second helping of this yummy treat. The only ingredients we needed to purchase for the second go-round were:
Another ball of mozzarella
A block of fontina
A can of tomatoes
Total: $15.13
With this second serving of lasagne I was able to feed myself for another full week (Jürg got a few digs in, and Neill got a taste as well). This means a grand total of TWELVE days of lasagne bringing the daily total down to $3.96 a day!
Lately with all this talk of snow, I canot think of a more fitting dish for a snowed in evening. We paired it with a viewing of the Disney-Pixar Classic Monsters Inc. on a Friday night, and I am not sure if it was the yummy-ness of the dish, or the sweetness of the movie, but I was definitely left in a puddle of tears by the end of the evening. Fuzzy monsters and cheesy lasagne...they get me every time.
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