Thanksgiving moments

I'm sure I don't need to explain my absence to anyone reading this, the handful of you that do (hi mom!). The holidays are a time where we are forced to put down our laptops because we're usually double fisting plates of food, preferably in the form of meat and cheese. I wanted to share with you a couple snaps from the last couple weeks. I attended my cousin's wedding (more pictures and a better description to come) which was unbelievable. Thanksgiving is no doubt my favorite holiday. Last year I spent my Thanksgiving in Italy cooking dinner for friends. Despite it being hard to find Thanksgiving ingredients in Italy (I had to swap out chicken for turkey), it was one of my best Thanksgivings to date. This year the highlights of my (count 'em three) Thanksgivings was buying cheese by the pound for mac and cheese, my mother's seemly magic ability of being able to fit a large number of people in a small space, my brother's brussels sprouts, and going from house to house bundled up in the cold with my boyfriend. Trying to fit multiple families into one day meant a tight schedule, fun times and beyond full bellies. In between traveling and holiday craziness I was all about my moment to sit and relax, preferably by the fire. I hope you all are enjoying the upcoming merriness that begins with my favorite holiday! I'm back in my apartment, bundled up under the covers, excited for more winter cheer!

Kids

I feel like my to do list of things to see and places to visit constantly gets longer, with things rarely getting checked off. I finally got to do something that I've been meaning to since moving to Brooklyn, which was visit the Brooklyn Museum! My internship enables me to go to many museums for free with a guest, so I need to take advantage of it as much as I can! Ella came over yesterday and we spent the day wandering around Brooklyn - going to Prospect Park, the Museum and up and down Fifth Avenue in search of iced coffee and food. Our adventure clocked around six miles, which meant by the end of the day we couldn't wait to get our shoes off and just sit. Whenever Ella and I get together we are constantly in a fit of giggles. We become those girls that get stares at in public places for laughing too hard for far too long. We bring out the little kids in each other, which is why we tend to do activities like go on the carousel in Prospect Park and eat Mr. Softee after our visit to the Museum. 

The Brooklyn Museum has an expansive collection - including rooms and rooms of Egyptian art, something I'm very fond of. I took an Egyptian art class a couple semesters ago and I was entranced with it, especially the funerary objects. Just before we were leaving we found something that we both couldn't believe - the Visible Storage for Study room! Cases and drawers filled with furniture, bikes, clocks and of course miniature things. At first it seemed like a place we probably weren't allowed to be in. We checked to door to see if it was locked and then entered into the room, treading lightly incase we were yelled at because we had accidentally gone to a restricted section. Though the layout means it's hard to see items on the top shelves, it was one of the most interesting museum layouts I've seen. I felt like it combined two of my favorite things - libraries and museums.

After the museum we made alcoholic ice pops called poptails, which I haven't tried yet. After we made cocktails and sat out on the patio eating olives and crackers with brie, raspberries and honey. I had never had the cheese/berry/honey combination before, but I highly recommend it! All the items balance each other well and it's the perfect snack for a summer day - light and sweet. We watched Nanu run all over the porch, she's so happy when she is outside. Her ears are always perked up and listening, her eyes always watching the outdoor movements.

Tater tot casserole recipe

Chloe's tater tot casserole recipe:

1 Bag frozen tater tots

1 Bag shredded cheddar cheese

1 Can cream of mushroom soup

1 small onion, diced

3 Tbsp milk

Dash of garlic powder

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking dish. Sautee the onion in a sauce pan with oil until translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Add the mushroom soup, milk and garlic powder and combine. Place half of the frozen tots on the bottom of the dish. Next add 3/4 of the gravy mixture and half the cheese. Then layer the rest of the tots, gravy and cheese. Bake it for 45-60 minutes until the tots are golden brown. 

**my tip: add some chipotle chilis in adobo sauce for spice and flavor

Sunday Sandwiches: The Original Sandwich Shoppe

It's been a while since Chloe and I have been able to do our favorite sunday sandwiches. This week we went to the Original Sandwich Shoppe on Greenwich Ave. It's a small place with bare walls, wooden tables and classical music playing softly. I got a cuban with ham, pork, pickles, swiss cheese, mustard and mayo. All of their sandwiches are on fresh bread that is super crispy. They also have good coffee which was much needed since I will be spending the rest of the day in the library trying to get some work done.

Sunday Sandwiches: Bagels on the Square

For this weekend's Sunday sandwiches I went with Chloe and her cousin, Ellen, to bagels on the square. I got my favorite bagel sandwich combination which I stole from Francesca - egg whites, cheese and avocado on a whole wheat everything. I was starting to feel sick so I got an aloe drink. I heard about them from someone and forgot that they told me it has pieces of aloe! Have you guys tried this? It's weird, but refreshing. We ate in the park between 6th and Bleeker since it was so nice out. Currently in my last week of midterms and I can't wait until I'm done! Wish me luck.

Providence//Gnocchi recipe

I got back yesterday from a visit to Providence for the long weekend. It was really nice to get out of the city and see Jeff. I didn't take many pictures, but I did document our eats. When Jeff and I get together we eat, seriously eat. On Friday night we made gnocchi based off the baked gnocchi from Osteria Santo Spirito, which you might remember from this post. I bought the actual gnocchi pre-made from Faicco's on Bleeker, but we made the four cheese truffle oil sauce. Other foods include turkey clubs and breakfast foods, Jeff and my favorite. Here is the gnocchi recipe adapted from this recipe for four-cheese, truffle oil and mushroom mac & cheese.

Ingredients:

1 package of premade gnocchi (or make your own)

8 tbsp. (1 stick) salted butter

7 tbsp. flour

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups half & half

1/2 cup havarti

1 cup Jarlsberg

1 cup Gruyère

1/2 cup grated parmesan

1/2 cup white wine

2 tsp. white truffle oil

3 tsp. salt, plus more or less to taste

1 1/2 tsp. white pepper, plus more or less to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add gnocchi until slightly aldente, about 2-3 minutes. Strain gnocchi then return to large pot.

In a large saucepan, melt butter and flour over medium heat until bubbly and thick, but not browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add whipping cream and half & half. Stirring constantly, let mixture thicken, about 8-10 minutes.

Add four cheeses, salt and pepper, and continue stirring. Pour cheese sauce into pot of gnocchi and stir together. Add truffle oil. Season with salt and pepper as needed. 

Place gnocchi in a casserole dish and bake for 20 minutes.

How to Survive a Blizzard

1. Dinner with Mom and Chloe at Annisa - Barbecue Squid

2. Annisa - grits with lobster and frogs legs

3. Annisa - salted butterscotch beignets with frozen bourbon milk

4. New stadium that Jay-z built in Brooklyn, Barclays Center

5. Mumford and Sons Concert, Barclays Center

6. Silly selfies and overpriced beer

7. Chili cheese fries

8. More selfies, pumped for the concert

9. Whole wheat pita with avocado, cheddar and tomato

10. Mint tea perfect for snowy days

11. Chloe down for the count, snow days

12. Homemade butterscotch blondies

13. Snowball fights during nemo

14. Faicco's on Bleeker

15. Epic italian sub from Faicco's