Category Archives: Plateful

blogs dealing with food of course!

Five Things (8)

Posted in Bookish, My New York, Plateful by

These five things are brought to you by the sunny days of summer!

— Thing One —

I took a plane to Canada for my cousin’s 30th (again) surprise birthday party. His wife put it together for him and he was very surprised! It was fun hanging with my family for the weekend. I don’t get to do to Canada often because the price of tickets are often ridiculous – I mean, the flight is not even an hour, do I really need to pay 400$ for a round-trip? – and when there are folks driving up I usually cannot go due to work.

I had a great time there, the birthday was fun and the food delicious but, the best part was the cake! Not only was it delicious it was a beautiful thing to behold.

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— Thing two —

I went up to a retreat at Nyack college. First off, that campus is AMAZING! The views from the campus are spectacular, the grounds are quaint and quite beautiful and the buildings are fun! The retreat was also AMAZING. I had a great time and hung out with friends and met some lovely people. It was rainy the first night, but the next day the weather was perfect. A few of us went into town and the stores in the town were so adorable! There was a bookshop called Pickwick (I know, cute!) and I wanted to go in to see if they had any Dickens. Such a lovely place, I’m so glad I went away for the weekend.

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— Thing three —

I was at a conference where the speaker was talking about the power of word of mouth advertising and he mentioned a speakeasy that exists in New York where you enter in via a telephone booth inside of a hot dog shop; when I heard this I knew I had to go visit!

It was definitely an experience. They took reservations on the day off, but you had to call after 3pm! I called about 10-15 times before finally getting through and making our reservation. I think it’s a great spot for a small group of friends to relax and have a good time. I loved that it wasn’t crowded and that we were able to hear each other talk. It was strange, but it was really peaceful, I’d go back again!

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— Thing four —

I have a set of pink clubs, I haven’t taken it to out in about three years – since my black car! A weekend ago I did take them out, I went with a friend and her hubby to the driving range where I attempted to teach him how to hit a golf ball. For me though, the best part of the trip was seeing that I was better than I expected. I hit the balls about 95% Of the time and got it out past the 100 mark most of the time – which is pretty amazing since I only recall barely making the 75 mark. There were a few times where I even hit it past 150! I was shocked!

I forgot how therapeutic hitting a golf ball was, I think I’ll have to do it again!

— Thing five —

When you get the right group of people, the right music and the right mood, Karaoke is pretty awesome. I definitely had the right group of people this past Friday. I loved it! We wanted to go for an hour more, but alas, the rooms were all booked!

You know, I really love New York. It might not be as old as European cities but there is a lot of history here. I also enjoy the cultural mix. The fact that I can go to a speakeasy one night, Karaoke the next night and if I want some Korean food with girlfriends, I can find it if I just walk down a block or two.

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~*~

Five Things (4)

Posted in Bookish, Broadway, Plateful, Thoughts by

We are in the fourth month of the year 2013. Spring has officially begun, but Mother Nature didn’t get the memo. I’m thinking we need to rename the seasons, there is Fall from November to January and then Winter from February to April. May is Spring, June/July is summer and everything else is a sort of muggy uncertainty.

Enough with the weather, that universal topic of conversation; it’s time to talk about FIVE THINGS!

— Thing One —

I love Broadway, so I try to go to a show at least once a year (or more). 2013 started off with Rock of Ages, and it was wonderful! I would recommend this show to anyone – it’s electric!

— Thing Two —

I love getting together in small, intimate groups with friends, especially friends that I consider dear to my heart. This past month I got to hang out with some of my old workmates who are dear friends of mine. We met at someone’s house and spent the day around the table, having brunch then supper and talking about life, work and babies! I think I’m going to pass on the babies! haha

Since it was a brunch get together, we each made dishes and I decided to try a recipe that I found on Pinterest. I’ve done a few successful ones and some not so successful ones, my fave being the Personal Lasagna Rolls, but ever since I started my “Delightful Dishes” board, I’ve always wanted to try the French Toast Bake. So, after some consideration, I made it for brunch and, I have to say, it was DELICIOUS! Instead of brown sugar, I only had white sugar in the house, so I added some molasses (yeah, we have that and not brown sugar) and it gave the base a sort of pancake syrupy taste. Of course one serving was about 500 calories, but, hey, it’s the weekend, I can let my hair down (and loosen the belt).

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Other such intimate hangouts included time spent with three other ladies, one who I haven’t seen in a loooong time due to time and distance. That was an awesome evening, I started out hanging with C and we talked about a ton of things and I shared some funny (and disturbing) stories about men, that I was experiencing at the time. Watch this space for a detailed post in a month or so. (hehehe)

Then spending the night at the movies with my soon-to-be-published cousin A.J., watching Jack the Giant Slayer and making fun of the predictable plot. I don’t usually talk during movies in cinemas, but when there aren’t many people there it really is a lot of fun laughing and talking about what’s going to happen next. So predictable.

Then this past Sunday there was a spontaneous Sunday lunch (well I had two lunches, like a hobbit) because I was missing some faces, but only lunch #1 was considered intimate. Large gathering does have it’s time and place as well.

— Thing Three —

Girl Scout Cookies!!!!! The Girl Scouts know about demand and supply. I can’t tell you the number of cookies I’ve consumed in the past two weeks … I’m ashamed to count them! But those Thin Mints and Tagalongs are just SO GOOD!

Just the other day I was on my way to the threading salon where I passed a group of Girl Scouts strategically located right outside of the salon, I was going to purchase 1 box of Thin Mints, but ended up purchasing 2 boxes of Thin Mints and 1 box of Tagalongs. I’m a little tempted to buy a bunch and hoard them, but I’m afraid that might lead to the over-consumption of cookies over the span of a few hours.

— Thing Four —

This might have been my first bookish event this year – I’m slacking, I know! I saw Andrew Jenks, Alaya Dawn Johnson and Eireann Corrigan. I wrote a bit about the event on my book blog, so you can check it out there if you’re interested (and see photos from the event).

— Thing Five —

Finally, The Good and Beautiful God book club met for the second time a few weeks ago. I love reading and discussing books with others, it really does amaze me how two people, reading the same text, can find different insights. I love the sharing of inspiration and ideas that come out from the text. I also love how everyone reads differently and react differently to the text. Discussing books shows me how diverse our world is, I absolutely love it!

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~ * ~

Harney and Son – Tea Time in SoHo

Posted in My New York, Plateful by

On Broome Street, just a few blocks away from my office, is a little tea shop called Harney and Son. They have a large collection of teas – in bags and loose leaf – for any type of tea lover. The front of the shop has tinned teas and a little tea tasting area where you can taste the teas that they have brewing, or shop for tea accessories.

Or, you can go to the back and sit for some tea and scones – and other treats. They have these large cups, and I usually get a small teapot which fills the cup about two times. The only downside to this is that you have to drink your tea quickly if you like it hot (like I do), or you have to pour it out a little at a time.

Their scones are pretty good, I’d count it up there in the “top 3 scones that I’ve had at tea shops in New York City”, and they come in pairs so you can share it with a friend.

I haven’t tried their ice cream yet, but I have it on good authority that it’s really good, especially the chai ice cream.

I love the utensils that come with the food, everything adds a woodsy feeling, like you’re picnicking outside, not sitting in the back of a tea shop. Of course, you can also order to go, but since it’s never really busy (or, I’ve always gone during quiet times) it might be worth it to sit and read or chat. I know that everyone that’s gone there with me has loved it! The next time you’re in SoHo, give it a try (and … um … invite meeee!!)

Il Laboratorio del Gelato

Posted in My New York, Plateful by

In lower Manhattan (near Houston street) you will find il laboratorio del gelato and its extremely long list of gelato flavours.

Try not to fill up on samples, you will want to have your own delicious scoop or two, or more! And definitely try to be a little adventurous, it might pay off.

I had a scoop of Choclate Amaretto Crunch and one of Honey Lavender, it was a bit of an odd combination but it was so tasty!

I love the consistency of the gelato, it has just the right amount of sweetness and flavour that it doesn’t overwhelm your taste buds.

If you’re in the area (or even if you’re not) you should give it a try! Especially on these last days of summer.

Enjoy!

Big Gay Ice Cream Shop

Posted in My New York, Plateful by

Take a walk down 7th Street and find Big Gay Ice Cream Shop between 1st Ave. and Avenue A. Continuing our Saturday outing, my friends and I stopped by this shop for some desert. There are a lot of interesting concoctions to try – Vanilla Ice Cream with Toasted Curried Coconut might not sound appetizing, but you wouldn’t know for sure until you’ve tried it!

I’m not usually an ice cream fan, but once I saw this unicorn, I was sold! Surely a store with a unicorn mural will have the most out of this world ice cream? I was not disappointed. I got the American Globs – Vanilla Ice Cream, Pretzels, Sea Salt and Chocolate Chips, and it was delicious. I loved the vanilla flavour, it was clean and smooth and everything vanilla soft serve should be.

Delicious!