The Big Tree Comes Down Tomorrow

I was looking for a place to skate today. I brought my skates back with me the last time we went home, and I figured I'd try to go out this morning and do a little gliding. I looked up Wollman Rink and Rockefeller Center on line, and at Rockefeller Center you can skate for $5 during lunch (11:30 am to 1:00 pm). Bonus! And, tomorrow the tree comes down, so today is a good day to go.











I pulled out my skates, and tried them on. Holy crap - I can't even get my toe in them. Grrr. I guess my feet are a bit larger than they were back about 7 years...

Well, now that I know the tree comes down tomorrow, I still have to go!






You can see how the plaza is practically barren. Even the ice is empty. Looks like early January is a great time to visit New York City. I'd imagine just after New Years would be a little better as more decorations would be up, and the shopping would be great. I got a couple of nice deals myself today :)

TV When You Can't Sleep in Manhattan

The other night I woke up at o-dark-thirty, and I didn't want to wake up Rick by continuing to toss and turn, so I got up and turned on the TV. Although we are living in the city that doesn't sleep, most TV at 3:30 am is pretty crappy.

Then I came upon 2 shows back to back that really looked interesting. First I watched Perfect Day - a show that visits some remote location in the world, sometimes does a little tasting of local specialties and then cooks a few local dishes. Then I came upon Cool in Your Code - what a fun show! This show takes a neighborhood or zip code in NYC, and highlights the interests, shopping, activities and restaurants in the area. Really, just illustrating what makes the neighborhood unique.

So as a result, I have a couple new TiVo options, and I don't have a new food dehydrator or a new piece of fitness equipment guaranteed to make me a size 8! Much cheaper!

Zocalo at Grand Central Terminal

Today I met Rick for lunch, and we went back to Zocalo in the Dining Concourse of Grand Central Terminal.

I have to say - the Shrimp Tostada Salad is one of my very favorite dishes in all of NYC. The greens are a mixture of shredded dark green lettuce with shreds of fresh cabbage and cilantro leaves, and they are tossed with seeded, chopped tomatoes and cubes of mild cheese with dots of green in it - a queso fresco. The salad is lightly dressed with a fresh cilantro dressing, and mounded on a medium tostata which has been spread with a nice bit of fresh guacamole. If that is not enough, fresh chilled shrimps are placed on top of the salad and a bit of creme fraiche is thinly drizzled over the top. Oh my - so delicioso!

Today Rick chose the steak tacos - today it came as steak cubes on the tortillas - I snuck a taste of the meat - it was well seasoned and very tasty - but not as tasty as the shrimp tostada salad!! We drank water and lunch was $35.00 with tax and tip. Yes, pricy for lunch, but did I mention that the shrimp tostada salad is one of my favorite dishes in NYC? It's worth a stop if you find yourself in Grand Central Terminal and you'd like a place to sit and eat :)

One Lovely Blog Award

Thank you Julie, from The Sporadic Cook, for your kind comments about my blog :) I often visit Julie's blog, as I do all the blogs on my blog list (see left). She's always cooking something, eating something or trying something new and interesting!





To accept my award, I'm pleased to nominate the following 7 blogs:

Judy at Cheery Tomato Productions - fabric artist, photographer and philosopher

A Good Appetite - Lots of recipes, travel and stories about family and tradition

Rick at RickLafleur.com - techie tips, search industry data and the cool clustermaps link

Kristin at the Upper East Side Scene - fabulous restaurant reviews and things to do in the Upper East Side of Manhattan

Faith at I Pray to Gouda - lots of interesting recipes, and a stationery lover

Shelley at I'm Changing My Name to Ouisa - Disco lover, singer and comedienne

Robert at Raw Exposure - a NYC photographer collecting beautiful images

These awardees just need to follow these simple rules to receive this award and pass it on:
Add the logo to your blog
Link to the person from whom you've received the award
Nominate seven blogs of your choice
Leave a message on the nominees' blogs

Please do enjoy the links for these awardees :)

Blackened Fish Burrito at Cilantro on the UES

Rick and I were a little antsy today and decided to go out for a late brunch. It's a gorgeous day today - about 40 and sunny, and there isn't a lot going on. Even the offerings at the movies weren't grabbing us. Mexican food - that was grabbing us. I always think yumm - guacamole, but somehow I never seem to get any!

We walked over to Cilantro's and picked up an Onion on the way. We ordered a couple of diet cokes, and perused the brunch menu. I remembered a phone call from my parents on New Years Eve sharing with me that they were at the Palm Street Pier and that there were some fish tacos coming their way. Hmmm...no fish tacos here, but there is a nice blackened fish burrito! I ordered that, and Rick ordered the philly cheese steak quesadilla. It was good to get out, read some of the jokes in the Onion and fill our tummies with something that didn't make the kitchen messy!

My New Desk!

Rick and I went for a stroll around the neighborhood yesterday, and I brought him to Pier I so he could get a new dish for his shaving soap. Yay! They had them there for $1. Such a deal.

While we were there we came upon this nifty little desk. It has a flip top, and a nice size so it could be used for lots of things if we decide to move to a new space. BTW - nice size is another word for small :) It's called the Santosa Writing Desk, and it has a great spot for my laptop :)

Next I'll be looking for a chair - something that swivels I think :)

Roast Pork and Sour Kraut

Happy New Year!

Given everything going on with the economy, I decided I needed to follow the advice of my father's German born family. Eat pork and sour kraut on New Years Day for a prosperous new year!

Reading other blogs and web sites, it seems the southerners really go for the black eyed peas for a prosperous new year - one food network chef has what she calls a "Money Salad" which is not too unlike my chopped salad. But nobody seems to be talking about the pork and sour kraut tradition. When I was growning up, my mom kindly made all different preparations of pork and sour kraut every New Years day. As kids we only had to have one small bite of the sour kraut, but you know kids. Even a small bite came with lots of whining and complaining. One year my mom even went so far as to make a chocolate sour kraut bundt cake. It was pretty good too, as I remember. The kraut reminded me of coconut as really you just had the texture at that point. Now, why didn't people say you could have German Chocolate Cake for a prosperous new year??

I ordered a boneless roast from Fresh Direct. They sent me this enormous piece of meat. I rinsed it and spread some olive oil over the top. Then I crumbled some of the rosemary and thyme from my herb wreath I bought at the Union Square Farmers Market. I used quite a bit as I have lots - probably a couple of sprigs of each. The flavors together were divine. I'm not a huge rosemary fan, but when it is paired with thyme it has a whole different flavor. I roasted the meat for an hour, and then added baby veggies I got from the Grand Central Terminal Market. Baby zucchini, and patty pan squash, and teeny brussel sprouts and hericot vert. They were all bite sized and fun for a holiday. Rick asked for mashed potatoes with sour cream and I made those as well. He liked them a lot! Less calories to add sour cream than to add butter :)

So, hopefully as a result of eating pork and sour kraut, as well as love and luck, we'll have a prosperous New Year. Hope you do too!