Amber & How We Met

I sure have had a hellish week.  All of the crazy work that kept me from blogging, getting home in time to vacuum, and remembering my hat until I got outside in the cold culminated yesterday with me wearing this shirt with a ridiculous bow on it to distract from the data on my Keynote slides.

Clever, right?  And check out Kevin in his dress shirt.  Fancy times.  ("Is that chart showing the price of a New York pizza slice over time..? Wait, look how fancy the New York staff is dressed.  What's going on with that bow on Amber's shirt?"  Etc.)

But, tonight, I am seeing some Lang at Film Forum with Kevin, then I am having Twin Times with Amy Bee (to be blogged and explained later, blexplained?) and then meeting Nick for a pub crawl and fancy dinner.  To celebrate our seven years of friendship, I wore the shoes that spurred our first non-work conversation.

That went something like this:

A: Here is that budget variance report I mentioned earlier.
N: Thank you.  Those are great shoes.
A: Thank you.  They are this kind called Fluevogs.
N: Oh, I know.  [shows shoes he is wearing, also Fluevogs]
A: Oh!  You are now my best friend ever.  Let's go to River House together!

Something like that.

Amber & As Good As You Remembered

I used to love Northern Exposure.

I used to watch it every week and delight in the exploits of the big city doctor who finds himself in a quirky (but charming) small Alaskan town.  When I visited Talkeetna, I took pleasure in knowing that knowing it was the real life location inspiration for the show.  And, I even got the cookbook!

Now, I've watched the show recently and it does not stand the test of time.  The doctor is a trite caricature of a New York Jew ("oy!"  "bagels!"  "moose!"), the "natives" are an embarrassing mystical wise yet simple people and... it's just not that funny.

But, that cookbook still stands the test of time in the form of a baked burrito recipe.  I don't have the cookbook anymore (I think Ed was the character to whom it was attributed?), and I've made the recipe so many times I don't actually refer to it anymore.  And, I think the original called for some kind of chicken or beef, but I used ground turkey.  And I added spinach.  And I forgot the cilantro.  So, really, maybe I'm not making the exact recipe.

But boy are they delicious all the same.  So much more enjoyable than the show.  And longer lasting.

Amber & Dinner

What to do with my farm share abundance of potatoes and carrots?  Beef stew.

It would have been better if I had a dutch oven, I think.  But, why are those Le Cruesete ones so darned expensive?  And are they better than the other ones?  Like, $200 better?

And then?  Delightful red chai with honey and milk served in a pretty cup.  (Thank you, well-wishing friends.)

(P.S.  I may or may not ever finish painting that wall, and I totally washed my hair today.)

Amber & Winter Sharing

Despite my fashingles, the associated skin pain, and the now four-day headache, I ventured out today to get my penultimate CSA winter share.

And it was so totally worth it.  Carrots, beets, potatoes, onions, frying greens, apples of two varieties, on-cob popcorn (you remove it before you pop it, Jimmy), a butternut squash, eggs, frozen kale, frozen squash puree, frozen blueberries, frozen golden tomatoes and frozen roma tomatoes, and a cup of coffee from Sugar Café.

My fashingles are going to be so well fed.

Also, we are calling them fashingles now, thanks to Erl.

Amber & New Year, New Waffles

2011 is already off to a fabulous start.  Yesterday, there was plenty of petting kitties, then La Palapa brunch with friends, and then cider at DBA.  And, there was the acquisition of what may prove to be the most life-changing piece of technology introduced to my household since the Swiffer Sweeper:

a waffle iron.

Making waffles is a process, and it will take several batches before I get them toasty enough and spread all the way to the edges.  But, that's reinforcement of key life lessons.  Everything is a process.  We are constantly changing.... and breakfast is the most important meal of the day.

And, just like life, investment in your foundations can reap buoyant, soul-lifting rewards: you can make lots of waffles in advance and freeze them and then enjoy them for quick toaster breakfasts during the work week.

2011, I already love you.

Amber & Two Things Kitties Love That Are Hard to Photodocument

1.  Woody loves spooning under the covers.  See him?  He's curled up against me on his side under the blankets which my arm in the foreground is holding up?

(I love it super super much too.  He is so warm!  And he purrs the whole time.  So do I!)

2.  Ginger loves arugula.

(That's hard to document because his eating technique involves biting onto the leaf and then shaking his head to rip off a bite-sized portion.)

Amber & (Wiki)Leek and Potato Soup

Today, a day where I woke up with feeling under the (cold) weather and had a so-called "lady" start a fight with me (pushing!) over a dryer at the laundromat (Oh woe that Splashing Laundromat is still not opened after the fire in the building), is the perfect day for leek and potato soup.

Thank you, CSA, for the potatoes and leeks.

Amber & 'Tis The Season

A tower of delights from a vendor. Really, mediocre chocolates. But still.

Amber & Back In The Day

A often forgotten fact about me is that, for a brief time, before I left the island (only to come back in season 6 because, well, life was better for all of us on the island, even with the smoke monsters and ridiculously crowded 1 trains) I lived uptown.

My LaSalle Street apartment was lovely and significantly less expensive than Avenue B.

There was a large, lovely kitchen.

There were lovely French doors to the bedroom which was a totally different room than the living room, unlike Avenue B.

And there was a lovely claw-foot tub in which I took many, many bubble baths...
 

...and sometimes, kitties took naps under.

 

And then there was the "second bedroom."  Now, by most standards this was a closet.

True, a closet big enough to fit a computer desk, but it was a closet.  The rods for hanging outfits and the shelves gave it away, as did the fact that it was too small for either a couch (living room) or a bed (bedroom).  But the real estate lady insisted it was a bedroom.  When I pointed out it was too small for a bed, she explained, "You can put your baby in it."  And that, I certainly could have.

One not-forgotten-about thing about living on LaSalle Street (other than the fact that real estate agents lie like sound-absorbing rugs in rent-controlled closets that you can put your baby in) was that it was super close to Dinosaur BBQ.  They've recently moved across the street (to a new site which seats 30 more hungry clients and will have outdoor seating in better weather) and are now in that weird area under the bridge on 125 near Fairway (don't even get me started on how awesome having Fairway as my main grocery store was--except for the walk back up the Tiemann Place hill carrying way too many impulse purchases).

Dinosaur is definitely a place I would take visitors who craved ribs.  I can't tell you if the brisket is any good because I just get sucked in by the ribs every time.  The sides are awesome, too.  I love the sauteed greens (which are vegetarian, vegetarian people!) and the mac & cheese and the Syracuse Salt Potatoes.  And they have a super beer menu.  And it is festive; there is a painting of pigs, a steer, a goat and some dinosaurs playing cards!  (That seems like the very definition of festive.)

And did I mention the ribs?

Sigh.  I miss living way down on 125th.  James took this great photo of me at Dinosaur once, and you can tell I am super happy (even though I lived in Wisconsin at the time and am probably just happy to be in NYC).

He also took this one of CRD, but CRD looks more pirate than happy.

Happiness means different things to different people.

Amber & Good Math

Chopped brussel sprouts...

+ bacon....

= my favorite vegetable.

The photo is blurry because my hand was shaking with excitement.

Amber & Step Three

Bird seasoned, and garlic cloves and onions hidden in cavities.  In pot.

Amber & Stuffing

I forgot to add the cranberries, but it is ready to bake once the
turkey comes out.

Amber & Pumpkin Soup

To add cream and reheat for a starter.

Amber & Pie: After

It was a little too juicy over there on the right side and the crust
looks sort of seeped in apple juice. But that left side is lovely.

Amber & Pie: Before

 

Tune back in after 55-65 minutes for the final product.

Amber & Chortling Over Chestnuts

Diana and her mom, Kate, are sure enjoying poking holes in the chestnuts so they don't explode when they roast.

Amber & Pulping the Poms

Mmm. Pomegranate. Dinner at Kevin and Diana's involves the prep of many unusual foods.

Amber & Top Foods Challenge: Day Two

I love brunch.  I love not eating first thing I wake up, and I love making a mid-morning meal into a social event (even if "social" just means me and a book at Plum Pomidor).  And, readers of this blog know how much I love La Palapa.

My visitors are sure to be treated to a meal at La Palapa--either the eastern or western options, depending on how much said visitors enjoy walking and how tolerant of east village youth I am feeling.  (Also, there is a waiter at the east one with the most beautiful hair ever.)  All of the breakfast options are great but must be accompanied by café de olla, the orangey sweet deliciousness that makes, if you can believe it, coffee even better.

My favorite brunch option is to get the brunch special and upgrade the coffee to the café de olla on my second cup.  The brunch special also comes with a bloody mary (or bloody maria if you have a better relationship with tequila than I do) or michelada, fresh fruit (you can have my pineapple and mango), and then your choice of entrees.  I recommend the huevos rancheros con salsa verde.

Eggs, just perfectly runny, on delicious fresh tortillas with tons of queso fresco and crema, swimming in a sea of the most delicious salsa verde ever (I could just eat a bowl of the salsa verde and be happy).  If you visit NYC for two weekends, we might have to go there twice.  I wish they were serving brunch right now.

Amber & Top Foods Challenge: Day One

Long, long ago, and in a galaxy about six hours by direct flight away, Erl (aka Isaac) issued a challenge to create a list of my favorite New York eats.  Herewith, my first entry to that list of things you absolutely, positively should not visit New York without putting in your mouth.

1. Ramen, especially the Akamaru Modern variety, from Ippudo.

(Photos by James)

Yes, the wait can be ridiculous, but it's worth it to skip lunch and get there right at five.  The ramen are that good.  Frankly, I think it's a better bowl than Momofuku (if you want David Chang, go to Ssäm Bar for lunch.)  The appetizers are good, yes, but the ramen are amazing.

 

Also, you may want to bring James since he takes such great photos of ramen.  And since you are bringing James you may want to bring me since I eat such great ramen.

Amber & Target Audience

Wait... what?

Eating a breakfast bigger than my head is supposed to appeal to me?