I Am Still Alive

Contrary to what you might think given the paucity of posts lately, I have not in fact perished, nor have I become suddenly incapacitated.  Rather, I've been taken unawares by how much of a time suck wedding and honeymoon planning can be.  I've spent quite a lot of time mocking those brides-to-be who run around like chickens with their heads cut off attending to the minutiae of the big day, but I have to admit, as simple and low key as our wedding is going to be, getting it together is still a stunning amount of work.  Ideas for posts come into my head, but by the time I have a minute to sit down the idea has left me and I am face to face with a blank screen.  And lately my cooking has consisted mainly of bought rotisserie chickens from Whole Foods and some variation on the cream/ham/pea/pasta classic (occasionally adapted to accommodate the contents of my freezer...edamame is quite a nice stand in for the peas) so I have no particular culinary inspiration to share.  Hence the great silence.

I won't pretend that I'm coming to you today with anything ground breaking, but there are a few things I've been enjoying lately that perhaps bear mention:

Internet Wandering


Do you know Svpply?  If, like me, you enjoy vicarious shopping, this website is your dream come true.  Various users tag items that they like, providing a glimpse into the tastes of those with more taste (or perhaps more time) than I.  Those users with whom you feel a particular kinship can be "followed", like a chic version of twitter.  Through this borderline stalking behavior I've developed an unhealthy obsession with the following fantastic yet superfluous items:

From the looks of it, I'm in the mood to sit down in the sun and enjoy a little romance.

OK, I Am Cooking Just a Little


I'm working out these days, consistently, for the first time in ages, and am making an effort to match my eating habits with my new regime.  So no cookies, no pastries, but I have to have a little something sweet.  So I've been snacking on Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall's Breakfast Cheesecake, a lovely cake made of oh so healthy cottage cheese.  Mix 650 g cottage cheese (or cream cheese, goat cheese, or whatever you fancy at the moment) with 75g unsalted butter, 3 tablespoons of semolina or wholemeal flour, a pinch of salt, 100g sugar, 2 eggs, zest of 2 oranges, 1 tablespoon orange juice, 3 tablespoons of raisins and combine.  Bake in a springform pan at 330 degrees for 25 minutes, or until reasonably set, and voila, a gorgeous, not terrible for you snack.

And I Am Eating Out Quite a Bit


A new crush...I'm always enamored with dark restaurants with lots of wood and good prices.  Bocca di Bacco has got all of those in spades.

After a mirth filled dinner there with some of my favorite people the other night I'm sold.  Too bad it's in midtown.  But then again no one's perfect.

Revisiting an Old Favorite...back in the day when Paul used to work in Soho, we and the posse of the day spent half of our time at the bar Toad Hall chowing down on those lovely bowls of party mix and quaffing beers, and the other half at Lucky Strike right next door.  Opened in 1989, it was an early addition to Keith McNally's retro french bistro empire, and it has stood up to the ravages of time quite well.

I had nearly forgotten about the old dear until Saturday evening, when I attended a birthday dinner there, but oh how happy I was to be reintroduced.  Festive without being obnoxious, warm, comfortable, good but reasonable food (I mean where else can a girl get a steak with roquefort butter for $18?), it's everything you want in an evening out.  I promise, dearly Lucky Strike, not to be a stranger anymore.