Transit Eats

I guess my stomach's already used to eating more (and better!) and I was sort of in a constant state of being hungry or thinking about being hungry.

Before I left for the airport, I made a sandwich to take with me: cranberry sauce, sharp cheddar, spinach, apple and mustard on baguette.


All wrapped up and purdy like a present:


Luckily we figured out my flight was delayed 3 hours before I left, and my dad got me on a different flight on a totally different airport. That one was also delayed, but at least I got on and didn't have to take the 8 AM flight tomorrow morning!

I had a Fage 0%/pumpkin/pecan/honey snack before I left:


An apple at the airport:


Apple cake on the plane:


And finally (I hope), an Oatmeal Squares/Wheetabix/skim milk clemmie snack when I got home in St. Paul.

I already miss New York! That break felt like such a tease. I missed my kitties (Betty Ford is sitting on my arm as I type this) and friends though, and I'm going to try to get right back into my routine tomorrow morning by going to the gym at 7.

Hope you've all had lovely Thanksgivings. How many days until Christmas break...?

Cozy Sunday at home

In typical Sunday fashion, I snoozed late (11:30!) and woke up to an abundance of baked goodies. My dad picked up a cornucopia of treats from Silver Moon, my favorite New York bakery. We used to stop there every morning on the way to my high school, and I would get a chocolate chip brioche (on the right, under the baguette).


Coffee, OJ, raspberry brioche, chocolate chip brioche.


Baguette (I sampled 4 jellies and a honey):


I ended up finishing up the whole chocolate chip brioche throughout the morning. They're pretty hard to resist!

I've got to pack up my stuff and leave for the airport in the next hour. I'm sad to leave, but I'll be back in 12 days. Doesn't that seem a little silly? But I'm not about to complain!

Warning: Bad Lighting!

Hello hello! My eyes are droopy with sleepiness so, again, this'll be a quickie. I had a little pour of this Zinfandel before dinner:



At Karahi, Caitlin and I split a Kingfisher.


I LOVE INDIAN FOOD. I haven't had any (unless you count Ethnic Gourmet frozen dinner, which I really don't) for months.

Vegetable samosa (YUM), curried chickpeas, cauliflower fried thing, sauces.


One piece each of potato and onion naan. Sorry about the lighting!


Caitlin and I split orders of vegetable korma and palaak paneer. I had two smallish helpings of each (with a little rice), but by the second I was soooo stuffed.




I visited the restaurant I worked at last summer and the summer before that to say hi to my friends there. When I came home I hacked into this monster...


I had a thin slice (and more crumbs) with a glass of skim milk. My dad apparently could barely finish a bite, but I had no problem with this guy! But boy, is it rich. I'm glad I'll be leaving it behind when I go back tomorrow, I don't trust myself around it!


My flight leaves for St. Paul at 5; we're going to have a nice brunch from my favorite bakery in the morning. Off I go to get my beauty sleep... Have a wonderful Sunday!

How many days does it take to bake a cake?

I've got a lot of pictures coming, but first things first!

I had one of these Hot'n Healthy bars that Jenna has been raving about quite a bit. I tried the Banana Nut flavor, and thought it was pretty good. The package said to heat it for 8 seconds; I heated it twice for that duration. The texture was great; chewy like a cookie and not too protein-y. My only complaint was that I could have done with a little less sweetness, and about half the icing.


After going to the soup kitchen this morning, my mom and I spent a while assembling the cake (pictures to follow). I ate an absurd amount of frosting, ganache, and chocolate creams... definitely proof that there is such a thing as too much of a good thing. I felt pretty sick! I made a mini layer cake as well, but the picture is pretty terrible.



I was so full of sugar that I didn't end up eating lunch until 3:30. I had a light multi-grain English muffin with half sharp cheddar, half B&B and cloudberry jam:



More soup (recipe to follow) with shredded coconut on top:



Even though I personally did not make this soup (my dad did), it was so delicious and seems very easy to make that I had to share the recipe.

Mushroom Sesame Tofu Soup (Vegan!)
From New Recipes From Moosewood Restaurant


2 tablesponos peanut or vegetable oil
1- 1/2 cups chopped oinions
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root
3 celery stalks, sliced
2 cups sliced mushrooms (8 oz)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 or 3 bay leaves
4 cups undrained whole tomatoes, chopped
1 cup vegetable stock
2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 cake tofu, pressed and cut into 3/4-inch cubes

Sauté the onions and ginger in the oil for 4 minutes. Add the celery and continue to sauté for about 5 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms, cover and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes. Stir in the cayenne, salt, and bay leaves. Add the tomatoes, their juice, and the stock.

Simmer covered for about 20 minutes. Add the tahini and peanut butter, stirring briskly to dissolve. Finally, add the cubes of tofu. Continue to simmer on very low heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching.

Serves 6


Gallery of cake-baking!

This is from the December 2008 issue of Bon Appétit.

Devil's food cake batter:



Mother-daughter licks! (Excuse the morning face/bedhead/PJs)


The cakes came out perfectly.
Chocolate ganache :



Mixing up the white chocolate cream:


Getting the peppermint frosting ready:


Making the frosting into stiff peaks:



Almost there! In between each layer is ganache and white chocolate cream.


Proud Mama shaving dark chocolate (from Israel) curls:


Ta-da!

I can't wait to try some tonight! I'm having dinner in the Village with Caitlin and her family. I can't believe how well I've been eating! I'm a lucky girl. Have a great Saturday!

Strange things are awry..

I just typed the whole thing up and then in magically disappeared. It's funny how that happens.

When Kalle and I go out, we go to one of three places because they are all fabulous for their own unique reasons. Tomo, tonight's (and most frequent's) choice, is where we go when we want to talk. Talk in an-I-haven't-seen-you-in-a-year kind of way, with good service.

Hot tea, salad:



L-R, CW: shrimp/veggie tempura (not the healthiest, but worth the splurge for these dinners) with dipping sauce, California rolls, ginger and wasabi, brown rice, soy/seaweed salads, sashimi (2 tunas, 1 white tuna, 1 salmon... I always try to eat it last).



We met up with Greg and a bunch of his friends at the Abbey Pub , had a couple drinks, then left in search of ice cream and an unfrosted cake.

Mama was asleep, so to Tasti D we went. Only, it is not longer called Tasti D, it's "The Lite Choice." Hmm. Well, it's still light, so we got small snickers soft-serve with fat free hot fudge. Yum yum.


To bed for me... Soup kitchen tomorrow early. Bonne nuit, belles rêves!

Arts & Crafts

I spent the day baking and working on the quilt my mom and I started (and almost finished...) over a year ago. Like my dad said, "Not a lot has changed since 3rd grade..."

The cake is still not done... it's very labor intensive! But judging from the ingredients, it's going to be well worth the wait!


I had one of my favorite sandwiches: cheddar and apple sandwich on cinnamon raisin bread.


The top got a little charred... K, you would like it!


Still melty and delicious.


My mom had this coat when she was my age!






My dad made a soup from the Moosewood Cookbook. It has tofu, peanut, tomato, celery... really delicious. I'll type up the recipe if I have time later. I had a little bowl as a snack:


Off to meet one of my favorites, Miss Kalle. Have a lovely night!

Refresh, refresh

Although it took me forever to fall asleep (like, post 2 AM), I feel pretty good this morning. Being home is so nice! And since I didn't bring any schoolwork with me, I can just relax, guilt-free. What's better than that?

Last night I was a little snacky around midnight (how, after all that food, I just don't know), so I had an apple. And yes, I still sleep with a teddy.


We all slept in this morning (a rarity for my madre, but she's been feeling a little sniffly) so it felt just like a Sunday morning.

I had a cup of this green with ginger tea:


Kashi Honey Oat waffles with 3 oz 0% Fage, 1/2 banana, cinnamon and Vermont maple syrup.



I'm back in bed again... this is such a luxury! And I can stream the Current off iTunes! My mom and I are going to be making a very special cake later, so keep your eyes peeled!

Gobble Gobble

Well hello! I hope that anyone and everyone who is reading this is pleasantly stuffed and has had a wonderful time with family and friends. We had a really nice dinner this evening, as usual. Instead of saying what we were thankful for this year, my dad asked what everyone's last meal would be. They were pretty interesting! I said sushi if I was going out, and if I was making it myself, probably sweet potato, tofu and chocolate. I don't know if that's truly what I'd want, but that's the first thing that came to my head.

Mommy Dearest holding my Jack on the rocks:


The Thanksgiving table:


Crudité, one cracker with three cheeses (sharp cheddar, roquefort, camembert), and an olive that I ate before taking this:


I've decided to throw my vanity to the wind and post only horrible pictures of me. But everyone else looks very nice!


Judy oh so skillfully carving the turkey:


From left to right: sticky bun, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, vegetarian stuffing, steamed green beans, Georgie D's famous mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce (that I mixed with pretty much everything). Missing is corn pudding, that I added right after the picture was taken.


Seconds on Brussels sprouts:


The pie spread! Pecans, maple cream, punkin'.


I had two little slivers of pie: pecan and maple cream. I cut the top crusts off; with a regular sized piece of pie, you can shave off about 100 calories by chopping off the crust. I ended up having three little pieces, so that probably equaled out to a normal sized piece.


Another sliver of pecan... I don't know what it is, I never used to like this! It's Ari's favorite, so maybe that's why I enjoy it now.


Daddy-o and George:



The Thanksgiving gang. I don't know what's going on with my sassy smile, but this was the only one that turned out.


I'm pooped! Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekends!