… and it has nothing to do with food or fitness!
I’d say it has a lot to do with health, though, and overall mental well being. B and I decided that once a week, we would make a conscious effort to do at least one thing with friends and one cultural or “New York-y” thing. This may not seem too difficult to achieve, but after an exhaustion work week, it’s easy to phone it in and stay at home with Netflix.
We did some cool things in the earlier stages of our relationship, like explore a neighboring island and forage for dinner. Time Out NY, which I received a gift subscription to, is a great source for things to do in the city. NYCgo is also a good place to look for quirky activities, and it, like Time Out, has a section of fun FREE things to do.
So, Friday night I found myself at the Asia Society with my friend Howard for their annual holiday party. B was stuck at work, but Howard and I had a great time at Lin Tianmiao’sBound Unbound exhibit.
I wasn’t able to take photos of the most of the art, but click through the gallery! It’s an ethereal, almost cerebral, show. Inside the gallery, everything was white, and the floor was covered with silk. We all had to put cotton booties over our shoes so we wouldn’t get the room dirty. (Some were more eager than others.) And no, I’m not under house arrest… I have peroneal tendonitis (sad face) and have to wear a soft brace almost all the time.
For the “see friends!” part, B and I went to a really fun party on Saturday night our friend Danielle’s beautiful apartment in Fort Greene. On Sunday morning, slightly dehydrated, we had Heather and Gus over for brunch. They brought bagels, and we made mimosas to celebrate our return to the neighborhood and their departure (they’re moving to California in a few days (major sad face).
We ate well, too! We’ve been making an effort not to eat out so much, and have been doing a pretty good job. Still, it’s a festive time, so Howard and I celebrated with moules frites(mussels and thick, hand-cut French fries) at Maison.
Breakfast fit for a queen! B made English muffin stacks with sautéed spinach and tomatoes, blueberry goat cheese, and poached eggs, with tomatoes and avocado on the side. With fresh, hot coffee, we read the newspaper in our pyjamas before watching The Vicious Kind (still in our PJs).
I’ve been craving faux sausage for over a month now. I don’t know what to tell you… I have no idea where this craving came from, since I’ve eaten it maybe twice in my life. Anyway, I picked up a package of Trader Joe’s Italian sausage-less sausage (I think it’s the generic version of Tofurky’s), and it was pretty good! It’s not something I think I’ll buy regularly, but it was a nice treat.
I sautéed an onion in olive oil with mushrooms, then tossed in a couple sliced sausages and two tomatoes and heated them up.
Served over arugula with vinaigrette, and pizza crackers on the side (next to our tinsel tree!):
The next night, I heated the leftovers and tossed them with a big handful of arugula, some of B’s pasta sauce, and chunks of mozzarella. Comforting and hearty.
We brought our coffee table into the bedroom and had an old-fashioned TV dinner while we watched The Sound of Music. The perfect Sunday night.
Apartment photos to come soon! What have you been up to?
