It’s been awhile! How does this find you? It’s hard to believe I used to blog three times a day. Now it’s more like once a week, and I miss it! I miss the daily interaction with awesome blog readers, although I’m happy to say I still feel really connected with a lot of you. Since thebig blog change back in 2011, I’ve been trying to figure out what I want to use this space for. Recipe sharing? City loving? Travel writing? Book reading? Social work thinking? It’s been kind of a hodgepodge of all of that lately, and I guess I’m just waiting to see how it organically evolves.
We’re experiencing a major cold part in these parts, and I actually had to bust out my crazy parka. Goodbye, crisp Fall days… hello, hot cocoa nights! I was craving hot cider last week, but also really needed to use up some of these apples before our next CSA share came in. Enter… applesauce! All I did was dice a bunch of apples (skins on) and toss them into the pot with cinnamon, ginger, cloves, nutmeg and orange peel. I kept the heat on low for about 10 hours, and when I got home from class, the apartment smelled delicious!
I tasted it right out of the pot with a bit of Greek yogurt, granola + pistachios.
Last week on Election Day, my mom and I made a fun morning out of voting. We went toJosie’s, thinking gluten free options would abound… sadly, while the restaurant is quite vegetarian and vegan-friendly, they haven’t yet gotten there with the rest of it. (Even their corn bread has wheat!) Still, we had a lovely lunch: seared tuna salad for me, and a cheeseburger for my mama. And, because it was a holiday, we had glasses of white wine. Très français!
Have I told you I’ve been having breakfast with my parents every week before work? It’s been lovely! Depending on how much time we have, we either go to Le Pain Quotidien for oats, yogurt, or a coconut parfait, or a diner for omelets. Last week, we all had hot bowls ofsteel cut oats with bananas, pecans and maple syrup. I haven’t used sweetener in my oatmeal for years, and it’s kind of amazing how much it changes the taste! ’Twas delicious. And speaking of being French, how chic is it to drink coffee out of a bowl?!
Last week, after I submitted my last beast of a midterm, I treated myself to delivery. We found this great Japanese restaurant nearby with really fresh fish, and their bento box is a steal! I always have leftovers for lunch. With a glass of red wine and Netflix, this TV dinner was just what the professors should have ordered
B’s been traveling a lot for work, so we took advantage of a night when we were both in the same place to have a night out. We started with a couple rounds of 3.5-oz red pours to share, then had an Indian feast. We tried a new-to-us dish: aloo chana paneer. It was like a combination between saag paneer (spinach + cheese) and aloo gobi (chickpeas + potatoes), and it was awesome! (Sorry, no photo.) I think I’ve ordered baingan bharta (delicious roasted eggplant) every time I’ve had Indian food in the last few years, so this was a nice change.
On Saturday, I went on a mini trip for work and stayed through Sunday. The person who was supposed to share my suite wasn’t able to make it, so I had this massive place to myself! The photo doesn’t really give it justice, but it was at least the size of my apartment. Two separate bedrooms, a living room/office area, a kitchen, and an unheard of number of closets (at least to a New Yorker!). I actually had a somewhat terrifying experience there at night… it’s possible that an inebriated person tried to get into my room. At least I hope that’s what it was….
I didn’t know what the food situation was, so I brought my own stuff. I knew I would be there from about 4 PM on Saturday and into the afternoon on Sunday, so I brought a salad (a version of this), roasted chickpeas, an apple, hummus, crackers, a packet of muesli, and peanut butter. I’d explained my situation with our staff coordinator before the trip, so I wouldn’t offend anyone by whipping out my tupperware during meals.
I ate the salad at dinner (where there was a prime rib, chicken + potato buffet), and in the morning, went to the hotel lobby to mix muesli, an apple, peanut butter and hot water in a coffee cup. We had to be up at 5 so I did this with my eyes mostly closed…
I’ve mentioned that I work at an organization that serves the military and their families, and we had a fun event in honor of Veterans Day. I met so many interesting people, and I’m excited to do more in the next few months!
While I was away I didn’t get much sleep, so after I woke up from my epic nap, we had a really simple dinner: reheated spicy red lentil, peanut + pumpkin soup (I made B a match before I left so the boy wouldn’t starve
For dessert: Reese’s trees!!! B got them as a special surprise treat, which we enjoyed while wearing our holiday PJs. We don’t eat processed candy often, but when we do… it’s got to have peanuts + chocolate!
B and I both had a busy week, so I threw a ton of vegetables in the crockpot on Monday to make a big stew for the week. I used cauliflower, sweet potatoes, celery, carrots, peppers + onions, seasoned with caraway seeds and a bay leaf. I poured in enough broth to come halfway up to the vegetables; I use Better Than Bouillon, which you’ll see is that brown splat in the middle.
Soup doesn’t always look so pretty, does it? I’ve eaten it every day this week, garnished with parmesan. It’s quite good! Next time, I’ll throw in some beans to make it a little more hearty.
Tuesday marked two years of B and I liking each other. I picked him up some flowers after school, and he picked some up for me on the way home from the airport after another work trip. We know each other too well…
Last night after class, B picked me up from school for a semi-spontaneous date. We went to Beyond Sushi, excited to taste November’s roll of the month (featuring… persimmon!). This time, I remembered to tell the counter staff that I needed everything to be gluten free. I’m still teaching myself to do this… it’s a big learning curve, coupled with the fact that I often feel embarrassed or a burden about expressing my dietary needs. But it’s a real need, and I’m learning to advocate for myself a little better. Anyway, Beyond Sushi had no problem accommodating us; they had to change a few of the sauces that contained soy sauce or teriyaki, so things did taste a little different but our was still awesome as usual! In addition to the Roll of the Month, we shared Green Machine, La Fiesta, Mighty Mushroom, and a piece each of enoki mushroom + persimmon. I could eat here every week… good news for my bank account that they’re not too close to our home!
For dessert, we headed to the newly opened exclusively gluten free Crumbs bakery on 8th Street. Crumbs isn’t my favorite bakery, but I was so excited about getting to eat a “normal” cupcake. We shared two small treats: carrot + Oreo. The frosting was pretty sweet, and I remembered why I haven’t been there since high school… but it was still fun!
Do you have special dietary needs? How do you communicate them with friends, family, or restaurant staff?