SNOW DAY! HobNobs and Hot Chocolate

ANOTHER OFFICIAL SNOW DAY!!!  19 inches in Central Park.  NYC is nine-tenths of an inch away from setting snowfall records.  So.... WE'RE HOME UNDER BLANKETS!!!  :)

But.... we have very little food.  lol  We didn't know we needed to stock up!  It's okay though.  Alllllll the way in the back of the fridge, Mel found a package of HobNobs that DJ had brought back for her from London in October 2009.  The expiration date was listed as "19  JUN  10".  Now, that seems open to interpretation.  It's probably June 19, 2010, but these are the Brits we're talking about so it could mean June 10, 2019.  We opted to believe in the latter, and enjoyed dunking them in our hot chocolate.  Of course, DJ then said, "Taste's expired."  But, it's all good!  We had a quintessential snow day snack while we watched a cool sci-fi flick.  Sweeeeeeet.

 

The King's Speech, The Frenchie's Saga, and Mimi's Hummus

We hadn't seen Carole since the holidays, so we met up with her to see The King's Speech.  SUCH a fabulous movie.  Highly recommend it.

Afterward, we stopped by a cafe for some hot chocolate and catching up.  Carole told us all about her epic journey to get to and from France for the holidays.  After hearing about 3-day delays, scary hotels stays, and train station bravery, we were exhausted on her behalf and grateful our friend actually made it back in one piece!  

Later on we decided to have a celebratory Bloversary dinner at Mimi's Hummus.  It was so freezing out that we both immediately ordered the mint&sage tea (had a delicious hint of honey!). 

 And since we were chilled to the bone, we chose soup for our entrees: Mel got the lentil (dairy-free and impressively creamy) and DJ got the special Iraqi soup with beets and beef dumplings (unique sweet/savory flavor combination).

The Grill Master Strikes Again!

We had lots to celebrate at the end of this week (including a Bloversary!), so DJ went all out.  He trekked all the way to Whole Foods, picked out two amazing steaks and a fabulous corn salsa side dish, and grilled up a meal fit for kings.  The outside was a perfect brown, the inside was a perfect pink, and the seasoning was a perfect taste to savor.

Three cheers for The Grill Master!  

(and for having enough for leftovers! :-D )

Spice Market Part Deux: Toto's Tasting

After our first entry about the tasting menu at Spice Market, Mel's dad mentioned that he'd always wanted to try one.  So we were finally able to make that happen in honor of his birthday!

The food, as always, was amazing.  The ambiance, as always, was entrancing.  And the company, as always, was entertaining!

The menu started off with the shaved tuna and the lobster rolls.  Great light flavors!

Then they moved us on to the chicken samosas (the spice knocked our socks off!), and the chili rubbed beef skewers (reminded us that we need to break out the grill as soon as summer comes!).

Next came the piece de resistance: the cod.  We all agreed it was absolutely perfectly done - tender, savory, and not too fishy.  Toto said it was the best cod he'd had in some time.

Though we were tempted to lick the plate from the cod, we refrained so we could be ready for the final main courses: the fried rice (served with a poached egg on top that the chef suggests mixing in for maximum flavor) and the blackened chicken.  Toots was a big fan of the rice!  And since we were getting close to stuffed, we were able to pack up quite a bit of both for the Birthday Guy to take home.  :)

Once we had the chicken and rice bagged up, we were totally ready for a bit of sweetness:  thai jewels and Ovaltine kulfi.

 Toto loved the flavor of the condensed milk in the thai jewels...

 and Toots couldn't resist the mouth-watering chocolate of the kulfi.

We'd been looking forward to this tasting menu experience for quite some time, and it did not disappoint.  So glad we could share it with two of our most loyal Delicious and Nutritious readers!

Rice and Beans: A Novice Attempt

Winter weather begs for comfort food, so Mel decided to attempt making her dad's rice and beans.  Intimidating?  Yes.  But a good challenge.  :)

In the end, Mel was really pleased with the seasoning.  She improvised a bit, throwing in spices that she knew would complement the flavors of the rice and beans, and everything blended nicely.  So, tasty beans?  Check.

The tricky part wound up being getting the consistency of the rice correct.  It came out a bit stickier than Dad's.  Both Mel and DJ like sticky rice (and DJ really enjoyed the dish, along with the juicy jerk chicken!), but Mel's new goal is to keep that seasoning balance and perfect the fluffiness of the rice.  Perhaps using a rice cooker or getting a real cast iron pot will be the answer.  To be continued...

Natalie's Tuscan Birthday

Natalie (and her little bundle of joy!) ate quite well for her birthday this year.  James planned a wonderful surprise dinner for her at one of their favorite local spots in Forest Hills: Tuscan Hills.

Since we were a large party, the meal was family style.  The food was delicious, and it didn't stop coming!  

We started out with a fabulous salad,

then moved on to antipasti of sausage and peppers and a salami/cheese plate,

and then came two options of mouth-watering pasta:  one with meat sauce, one without.

There was still more to go (a meat course and dessert), but DJ and Mel had to take off for a prior commitment in Manhattan.  But it was great to see the birthday girl and wish her well!

 Gen (a fellow Capricorn) with the birthday girl

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NATALIE!

Rachel and Mark Visit BK

Rachel and Mark decided to take a jaunt out to Brooklyn to check out our borough.  The original plan was to go to Picket Fence, but it was packed so we hopped across the street to The Castello Plan.  

We've learned that their serving sizes are relatively small (perhaps because they're working off of a hot plate at the bar), but the wonderful thing was that we had the circle booth in the corner and they didn't rush us out.  We sat there for 4 hours chatting!  It was so quiet that they didn't have to push us out for waiting customers.  (They're probably more known for the live music at night than their brunches.)  So this will likely be our go-to place if everywhere else is packed and we just want a low-key place to sit and nosh on little things.

even their salt/pepper shakers are small!

Goodbye, 2010... Hello, 2011!

The end of 2010 was filled with celebration up to the very last minute!

On the eve of New Year's Eve, we met up with Dave and Elim at Clandestino for her birthday celebration.  Not only did we love this place because of its proximity to the subway stop (less trekking in the snow), but it's a super friendly spot.  The vibe is very low-key, and they allowed Elim to bring in food for her guests to snack on while chillin at the bar.   The bartender also took time to make perfect Hot Toddies for Dave and DJ to help them kick their cold symptoms.  Great place for a comfy birthday gathering!

 

Then on New Year's Eve, we hunkered in for a quiet night free from snowy travel.  DJ, The Grill Master, worked his magic using the oven and fabulous seasoning to cook us up some mouth-watering steaks.

 

Coupled with some glasses of Prosecco and a movie marathon of The Bourne trilogy, we rang in the new year with happy hearts, happy tummies, and HAPPY DANCING!!  :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!