I'll be back

So sorry I have been so absent. It is finals week for me with school so I have had my head buried in my books! Grad school is so time consuming! Luckily after this week school's out for Summer!

Weekend wrap up.

I had such a busy weekend! On Saturday I got to go to the Brooklyn Brewery. While riding my bike from Queens to Brooklyn I saw a cool photo op. I stopped to take my camera out of the bag and plop....my camera fell straight to the ground! My worst nightmare! No camera. I am taking it to get fixed tomorrow morning! If you haven't ever been to the Brooklyn Brewery, I strongly suggest you go! It's cheap and fun and right across from a great vintage store! Just don;t try to take a picture while riding your bike over the Pulaski Bridge!

On Sunday my boyfriend and I took part in the Lincoln Tunnel 5K! As gross as waking up at 7am on a Sunday morning to run in the rain sounds, it was actually a lot of fun and it's all for a good cause! I wish I had some pics to show you guys.

Last night I finally got a chance to break in my new sewing machine. I made a dish towel...no big deal I know. I am going to try and tackle something a little more fun tonight and get pics up as soon as possible!

Whale of a tale

I have always had a weird obsession with whales and elephants. My whale obsession mainly lies with the blue whale. This I can explain. It's simply that I find them interesting. I am not ashamed to say I have netflixed every available documentary made on the blue whale. My second animal obsession is a little weirder. I just think elephants are super cutie pies! Soooooo my first order of business when my sewing machine arrives (yes. I still don't have it!!!!) will be to make this...

Well maybe not my first order of business, but I will make it. Thank you, Hannah for the suggestion!

Spring has sprung

This is my favorite time of year to be in New York. I took advantage of the newly budding flowers and took tons of pics last weekend. One can never have too many pictures of flowers!

Hurry up mail!

What a whirlwind weekend! I ordered a new sewing machine. Unfortunately the mail system in my neighborhood is not the best and after many trips to the post office, my sewing machine is STILL not in my hands...yet!

I can't wait to make a bunch of goodies. It has been years since I have used a sewing machine so getting back into it will be so much fun!

I did get a lot of bike riding in this weekend. I'm so glad I'm putting that bike to use! I will be frequenting the park much more this spring/summer.

I finally started on my scrapbook album for Chris' & my cruise last February...pictures coming soon!

Some cook to remember...

I love lots of things about cooking and baking! I find it to be calming, fun, and I love picking at the ingredients while I cook (I bet you do it too!). I generally try to bake or cook to concentrate solely on what I'm making and not worry about anything else going on in my life. When it comes down to it being in the kitchen not only gets rid of my stress, but lets me look back at good memories I have with family, friends, and whoever else has had the privilege to cook/dine with me (just kidding!!!). My favorite thing about cooking is how food can translate into a memory. A few of my favorite examples are:

-whenever I smell food on a grill I think about being down the shore
-whenever I see a raisin I think about baking a certain Christmas cookie with my family
-cream of mushroom soup, egg salad, vienna fingers, V-8, and pink mints will always remind me of being at my Nannie's house

When I set out to make Smitten Kitchen's New York style cheesecake it was like any other night of baking/cooking for me. I was happy and taste testing the yummy mix of cream cheese, sugar, eggs, and whatever else gives cheesecakes the magical powers they have! When I took my first bite of the finished product I was instantly reminded of the greatest most perfect cake I've ever had!

I was born with this pesky gene that makes me unable to turn down a piece of cheesecake. Does anyone else have that one? I wish there was a cure, but no such luck. My Nannie had a friend who made a cheesecake with cherry filling topping on it that would make even Martha's knees weak. I would request this cake whenever I had a birthday, holiday, special day, or any day ending in "y" to be honest. My young adult self's life revolved around this cheesecake (and convincing my parents to get me a dog). I remember going to my Nannie's and there would be a cheesecake from "the cheesecake lady" in her dining room and I would get so excited, give her a big hug and basically act like I won the lottery. I am a gal who has had her fair share of cheesecake and this was the best. No contest. When I was 14/15, the woman I knew only as, "the cheesecake lady" moved far away and my days of perfection were over. I was too young too remember if I ever met her in person. She has since passed away but I hope she knew how much I enjoyed her cheesecakes. I like to think she did because there were times when there would be a surprise cheesecake, on a day when there was nothing to celebrate. I'm sure my Nannie let her know that she had a grand-daughter who lived and breathed for her cheesecake.

I had not thought of that woman or her cheesecake in years. That one bite of Smitten Kitchen's cheesecake is the closest I've come to cheesecake that is on a whole different level since I was 13.

I strongly suggest you make this cheesecake, share it with others, and hopefully make a delicious memory of your own.

Mac and cheese that's sure to please!

I have always considered myself a baker who likes to occasionally cook . Lately it has been the other way around. On nights I get home and actually I am usually cooking myself a big dinner! I have been pretty into mac and cheese lately getting much of my inspiration from 30 days 30 ways. Up until a few months ago I was strictly a Velveeta shells and cheese kinda gal, not that there's anything wrong with that. I still always have a few boxes on hand! I would try and spice it up by adding veggies or making Mexican mac and cheese (add salsa and hot sauce!)

Last night I tried my own thing. There is a great little fruit and vegetables shop down the street from my apartment. I went there after a nice jog last night and the plum tomatoes looked too yummy to pass up. I am a sucker for asparagus so I bought some of that and fresh basil. I went home and whipped up a goat cheese mac and cheese recipe that I was a little nervous about but I loved the end results. Here's what I used:

1/2 pound of penne (you can use any type of pasta you like)
1/2 cup of goat cheese
1/4 cup sour cream
4 stalks of asparagus boiled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
2 plum tomatoes chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
basil chopped to taste
2 tsp salt
pepper to taste (I used a lot!)

I really liked how this turned out. I've tried something similar before except I used a lot more goat cheese and I put lemon juice in it. I think the combination of too much cheese and the strong taste of the lemon made it a "fail". I think adding that little bit of sour cream makes the dish lighter. This will make a yummy dinner to make again later in the Spring/Summer! If you want to add protein I'm sure grilled chicken would be a yummy addition!

Spring has sprung!

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend/holiday! I took advantage of the great weather and went on a bike ride! We got an up close and personal view of Lady Liberty!

I am on the hunt for some new jewelry. I came across these funky rings and bracelets. This artist makes the most amazing gems out of colored pencils! I love the concept and her color combinations! I have tons of boxes of colored pencils that have accumulated over the years. I need to try and do something useful with them. Maybe a new ring or bracelet is the answer!

What to do with leftover Easter eggs!

I love dying Easter eggs and went a little overboard last night! It was the first time my boyfriend had dyed eggs in a while. He did a great job! I know I will never be able to eat all the Easter eggs we dyed so I did some hunting and found some great ideas for things to do with leftover eggs! i think the soy sauce eggs and the crab, avocado, and egg salad sound the best!