Dessert for Breakfast?

I’m sorry if my title is misleading.  You may have assumed I would be rationalizing eating pie or cake or cookies for breakfast. If you need any help with your rationalization, mine usually goes something like this “if it’s home made, it’s probably healthier than a donut…”  or “if I drink a glass of milk with it, I’ll get some protein.”

But today’s dessert as breakfast discovery is a Cacoa/Avocado Smoothie.  Hear me out on this.  This taste treat was like drinking the most delicious dark chocolate mousse/pudding/truffle for breakfast and being left energized and ready for your day—not ready to crash from your pumped up blood sugar.

Some of the ingredients used in a Cacao Smoothie

I started by looking through the new cookbook from Gwyneth Paltrow “It’s All Good” and found an awesome recipe for a Creamy Avocado + Cacao Smoothie.  Gwyneth doesn’t need my help promoting her cookbook, but I must highly recommend this one.  My wonderful husband gave it to me on Mother’s Day–I think he purchased via the GOOP.comweb site, and it was even personally inscribed by Ms. Paltrow.  As a collector of cookbooks, my autographed ones are highly prized and bring back lots of memories for me.  There are also many, many greatrecipes on the web site–delicious and easy to prepare once you start keeping the ingredients in your pantry.

“It’s All Good” Gwyneth’s new cookbook. Viagoop.com.

So, back to the smoothie–alas, my almond milk was expired.  Plus I was debating adding protein powder for that extra boost to keep me powered through a long Saturday morning of activities and errands.  Here is what I ended up with:

Cacao Smoothie

1 small container goat milk yogurt, plain (giving me that protein boost!)

1 ripe avocado–pitted and scooped out of the peel  (also boatloads of protein here)

1 c coconut water

1/2 t almond extract

1 T raw honey

1 small packet XyloSweet (a xylitol sweetener) or your sweetener of choice

1 T raw cacao powder

1 small scoop ice

Blend all together and presto chango–healthy breakfast!

I’m telling you, this is super delicious.  If you haven’t tried an avocado in a smoothie you really need to get on that bandwagon.  Gives it a great smooth texture and you don’t taste it at all–even with fruit.  I think the pickiest of eaters would even like this if you didn’t tell them what was in it!

Market Flowers

Orchids are my favorite flower.  So delicate, so easy to care for, so seemingly exotic, even though many of the species really aren’t.  Visiting several vegetable, fruit and flower markets in Thailand was a visual treat.  Orchids and lotus flowers abound.  A large bouquet of orchids could be had for about $1 USD.  Oh to have cut orchids in large bowls around my house!  I will settle for two or three stems in a plant!  I will let the flowers speak for themselves:

Pile of Orchids–$1 USD for a large bunch.

Take your pick! The choices are overwhelming and all beautiful.

More varieties of orchids. How to decide?

Fresh Lotus Flowers–I’d never seen these in such abundance.

The subtle flowers are inspiring. Remind me of watermelon tourmaline jewelry…

Lotus in their natural state.

Sampaguita Flower leis. The Sampaguita flower is a type of jasmine and has a wonderful scent.

Making Sampaguita Leis in the market. Bangkok, Thailand.

Thai Coffee

 I’ve been out and about lately–when I found myself in LAX every weekend for four in a row, I thought I had died and gone to heaven!  Not what you might expect me to say, I know, but if I’m in an airport that means I am coming or going from an adventure and that makes me happy.

When I travel, I love to experience food.  Really, food is my souvenir.  A recipe I brought back from my trip is for Thai Coffee.  This really helps a person make it across time zones, believe me!

Thai Kah-Fe

1 double espresso

2 T sweetened condensed milk

Spoon the condensed milk into a glass of double espresso and allow the milk to settle at the bottom of the glass.  Serve hot with a coffee spoon and stir to combine the coffee and milk before drinking.

Also, completely delicious over ice!!!

This recipe is courtesy of “At the Table of Jim Thompson,” an amazing Thai cookbook.

Lady-like Pumps

 A beautiful shoe trend I noticed on my recent trip to NYC is the predominance of lady-like pumps.  The trend points back to the pointed toe, kitten heel, single soled shoe.  Still available are the more rocker style platform pumps, but the new trend makes them look down right tart-y!

Manolo Blahnik–always classy.. Via Barneys.com

I am particularly loving the new heels–the thin, flat heels at Louis Vuitton and the inventive whimsical heels at Marc Jacobs.  When worked in combination with the mod black and white palette it feels like a combination of the 50s and the 60s–in all the best ways!

Here’s the idea…black and white looks fresh again! Via NYTimes.com.

I’m so happy I saved some of my old pumps from the early 2000s, but I’m sure I won’t be able to resist a new pair.

Musings on Tennis Shoes

 I’ve had a struggle with wearing tennis shoes in cities and on trips.  I have always felt too touristy or out of style, but my feet sure appreciate the support and ease of walking in tennis shoes.

I recently consulted with a fashion maven to see what her opinion might be about how to get around a city and still be on trend.  What to do?

Her advice was tennis shoes!  She had specific brands in mind, depending on your budget…

For the flush of bank account, behold the Lanvin tennis shoe:

Lanvin Suede Sneakers via Barneys.com.

Yes, Lanvin, the French fashion house, makes a tennis shoe!  It is adorable, I must admit.  So, instead of dropping beaucoup dollars on the stilettos you only wear once a year, why not get your price per wear with a tennis shoe?

Also saw these Golden Goose tennis shoes while perusing the Barney’s site–I like the skater boy look:

Golden Goose Tennie–image via Barneys.com.

Oh the other side of the budget coin, consider Chuck Taylors by Converse.  Long worn by hipsters, musicians, and other creative types, Chuck Taylors come at a price point that is definitely easier to swallow.  I recently went on the Converse web site and you can even customize your own!  I’m debating on a pair of washed gray ones and think I may pull the trigger.  Maybe some bright colored ones for summer…

Chuck Taylors via The Finish Line.

Marimekko/Chuck Taylor collab via Zappos.com. Hits the black and white trend!

Spring Time Chucks! Via Zappos.com.

Lunch & Dessert in NYC

 On our recent long weekend in NYC, we spent a fun day strolling from SoHo to lunch in Greenwich Village at Minetta Tavern to dessert at Milk & Cookies.  It was the perfect way to recuperate from the overindulgence of the night before (and I will speak for myself in that department…) and to get a little bit of fresh air.  Although maybe we should have started with lunch and the restorative cheeseburgers and fries and ended with shopping because, really, our hearts and heads were just not into the shopping…

Cozy interior of Minetta Tavern. It’s probably never this empty except when closed!

Minetta Tavern looks unassuming from the exterior, but the inside was hopping and full to the brim.  It seems that reservations are crucial–at least at noon on Saturday.  The menu is stocked with delicious brunch items and one person in our party veered from the cheeseburger/fries to experience the ham/grits/eggs combo.  The beverage menu looked worth exploring–but Diet Coke is such a perfect complement to a cheeseburger that I couldn’t resist.

Next stop:  Milk & Cookies!  I love this cookbook and was so excited to actually enter the bakery that chef Tina Casaceli put on the map.  It was quaint and adorable and evidently a stop on many walking tours.  It was rated 4.8 out of 5 on the Foods of NY Tours by over 180,000 guests!

We’re Open!!!!

Too many cookies, too little time!

Now that I’m home, I plan on getting out my cookbook to savor some memories from last weekend.  I love the way the cookbook leaves room for some creativity–by providing recipes to five different base doughs, then having examples of how to elaborate on them.  I’ve gotten fond of throwing in my own mix of goodies, depending on what’s laying around, into the various bases.  Try it on a cold winter day!

Happy 100th Birthday Grand Central Station!

On a cold, cloudy day, it was warm and toasty inside!

I had never been to Grand Central Station until last weekend.  What was I waiting for?  Even though we weren’t catching a train, we made a pitstop at Grand Central to admire the beauty and grandeur of the structure.  Got treated to a quick flash mob singing Bob Marley’s “One Love.”  It was a perfect Valentine’s Weekend moment!  My only tip would be to plan your visit around the hours of the Campbell Apartment–we missed it by a couple and it sounds like a heavenly place for an old-timey cocktail!  There’s always next time!

Happy 100! They just don’t build them like this any more….

Easy, Impressive Winter Meal

We’ve had some friends in from Chicago the other evening who are total foodies.  We love to eat, drink and be merry with these guys and their visit was coming mid-week, so going out and about didn’t seem like the preferred option.  While I consider myself a good cook, there was the added pressure of coming up with something delectable and special for these two.  Also, cooking mid-week doesn’t lend itself to anything too elaborate.  It seemed like an impossible challenge–find some quick to prepare, easy to execute recipes that are impressive AND delicious.

Ina Garten and Ree Drummond to the rescue!

I must say I love each and every cookbook I own that these two have published.  They are my go-tos and my fall backs.  Here is the menu I ended up making:

From “The Pioneer Woman Cooks:  Food from my Frontier”:  Herb-Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Cornmeal Cakes and Roasted Vegetables.  For the vegetables I roasted chopped carrots, parsnips and butternut squash. I used fig preserves for the sauce and while I did use the 1 cup of water called for in the recipe to make the sauce, I then needed to boil it WAY down to get the consistency I wanted.  In the future I will start with 1/2 c and see how it goes.

Image via the Pioneer Woman Cooks web site.

I also made her Crash Hot Potatoes, from the same book.

Crash Hot Potatoes via the Pioneer Woman Cooks web site.

My friend commented that the cornmeal cakes reminded her of her grandmother’s mush she used to make her for breakfast with maple syrup!  I only made half of the recipe called for, but what we didn’t eat on our plates, got gobbled up just by dipping them in the sauce!  Any leftovers would have made a great breakfast treat, but we had none!  I will make the entire recipe next time.

For dessert, one of my all time favorites is Ina Garten’s Brownie Pudding, found in “Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics.”  The recipe garners 5 out of 5 stars on the Food Network web site.  Need I say more?

Buy this cookbook now! If you like autographed cookbooks, Ina sells them from her web site! Fun!

 The intense chocolate dessert has the best consistency–the top forms a somewhat crunchy crust that yields to an amazing gooey delicious mess of chocolate.   My husband and son rose to the occasion and plated the desserts with fresh raspberries and drizzled chocolate syrup on the plates. I wish I would have thought to take a picture of them, but we gobbled them up so quickly that their artistic efforts weren’t memorialized.  Still, it was a perfect end to another memorable evening of friends and laughter.

Ice Cream or Gelato makes a nice accompaniment to the Brownie Pudding

Winter Walking in the City

We’re getting ready for some travel in THE city–NYC–and very excited, but I’m worried about my poor little feet.  How to look stylish, stay comfortable, be ready to hit the pavement and walk many blocks–these are age old questions.   But then add the element of  weather that may be cold, icy, snowy, rainy or all of the above?  My snow boots tend towards the outdoorsy or the ski resort look. For this trip, I want something urban and cool and grown up, but that won’t get ruined if I step into a slush puddle!

Zappos to the rescue!  I love that web site for ease of shopping, massive selection, and especially ease of return.  The other evening, in the comfort of my flannel PJ pants, I ordered 5 pairs of boots that seemed to fit my requirements.  After receiving the shipment in short notice and trying them on here are the winners:
 

The winner in the fashion forward category!

LOVE these Aquatalia by Marvin K black suede numbers.  The 3″ heel is tempered by a 1/2″ platform.  They are super comfortable to walk in–you can really take a nice stride. I also like that the fleece top is subtle and not too thick and wide.  They look great with skinny jeans and with black tights and a skirt.  These will be my museum going, nice lunch pair!

The winner in the comfort, utilitarian category is….drum roll….

The Merrell Captiva Mid Waterproof!

I cannot over-exaggerate the comfort of these boots!

While some of the reviews of this boot don’t give it high marks for being stylish, I kind of like it.  It feels a little like a chunky, motorcycle type boot that happens to be weatherproof.   And really, it is so super comfortable. I will be ready to walk many, many blocks in these without worries of sore feet or the elements.

So, NYC here I come!

Not expecting our weather to be quite this nice….

A Magical Time of Year

Traditionally, for me, some of the magic of the season has come from classic department store windows.  A minor trivia quiz to play with yourself–can you guess where they were taken before you scroll to the last picture?

Have you guessed the location yet?  Here is a shot of the street….

Any guesses?  If not, here you go—the location of these wonderful window decorations is Chicago at: