Shoe of the Week

I go back to being a working woman today which means I have to drag out my career heels.  I thought I should feature an office appropriate Coach shoe since that is what I will be working on now.

Camille heel $188.00

Flaming Shots (with video!)

I mentioned that I was at my husband's brother's wedding this past weekend in sunny Palm Springs, California.  There are lots of things to do in the desert, like 1) drinking, and 2) lighting things on fire.  At the rehearsal dinner, my husband's cousin combined those two things - watch him below:

It is unbelievable that he didn't burn up like Richard Pryor.  You may need to watch it again.  Notice in the upper left hand corner at the end you still see him on fire.  People tried to pat the fire out, but it wasn't going out so they finally had to rip the shirt off of his back and beat him with it.  Sorry I missed the rescue, but my natural reaction when a human being is on fire is to put my camera down.  Somehow he managed to make it through and continued partying.

A note to all you bartenders out there - don't pour a flaming shot comprised entirely of Bacardi 151 - just top it with 151 and use a less flammable alcohol as the base of the shot.  Regardless, I won't be joining my husband's family when they do flaming shots in the future.

Shoe of the Week

This week's shoe is probably my absolute favorite shoe I've ever owned.  It's a special occasion shoe - so far this pair has only come out for the Kentucky Derby, my best friend's 30th birthday party, and tonight for my brother-in-law and now sister-in-law's wedding.  I'm thrilled to wear my favorite shoes, but even more excited to be at their celebration.  Just maybe they'll motivate my husband to get down on the dance floor.  Who can resist dancing with mirrored disco ball feet?

These beauties called my name as soon as I saw them.  I mean, come on, it can't get any more perfect than hot pink, glitter, AND a bow!  September 14, 2010, I was watching Oprah on DVR.  The guests that day were the dysfunctional Judd family, and for a second the camera panned down to Momma Judd's feet, and I saw the most unbelievable shoes...

The shoes weren't ever even the topic of conversation.  They just instantly caught my eye.  I started yelling for my husband to come in the room and check them out (because I know how much he cares about stuff like this).  I had to rewind and pause the screen to get a good look.  They didn't mention the brand, but I was on a mission to find them.  It didn't take long with the help of the world wide web.  There they were - the Kate Spade Charm - just waiting for me to find them and take them home.  Except there was one problem.  They were sold out of my size!  The next morning I called the store, and they didn't have my size either.  Just like the name, I found a charm of a sales associate who called other stores around the country and found them for me.  They showed up at my door in a pretty pink and orange box (I told you they were perfect for me) a couple of days later.  At the time, I thought they would be my perfect wedding shoes.  (That was back when we had our perfect wedding venue).  Later, I went wedding dress shopping and the dress I picked was going to snag on the glittery shoes.  I couldn't justify the price tag anymore, so I returned them teary-eyed.  I think the sales associate felt awful taking them for me.  It's no surprise, I regretted the decision.  I kept thinking about those shoes, and how impossible it was going to be to ever find them again.  I decided to give it a shot anyway, and put in a request that Zappos notify me if they ever got them in stock in my size.  One morning I woke up to the Zappos app ding on my phone that they had them!!!  I couldn't believe it.  I instantly added them to my cart and returned them to their loving home.

True story.  I can't make it up.  

By the way, Kate Spade decided to make them again, so you can find them on their website now in navy, silver, platinum, or multi glitter.

Custom Closet

I dream about having a custom walk in closet, but living in NYC that dream hasn't ever been a reality in any of the apartments I've lived in thus far.  (It's already on my "Want" (not "Wish") list for the floor plans for upstate though!)  I have two very basic closets in which I have to try to maximize the space.  I've always liked the shoe shelves you can find at Target or Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  (I got them a long time ago, and I think that's where I found them).  They have lasted the test of time.  Two of them fit nicely above my hanging shirts, but there was a little space left over that I wanted to utilize.  (Every inch counts!)  I used to just put a tall pair of boots up there, but in my week of being a housewife and getting things organized, I decided to make it into more shelving.  The space was a little wider than the other shoe cubby holes, so I thought it would be perfect for fall booties.  I went to our local Home Depot and the very nice people there helped me find some wood that would work.  All I really needed was ply board, but since Manhattan Home Depots don't have fancy table saws, they couldn't cut it to size for me.  I found a piece of wood that was close enough in width and long enough that I could cut it the right depth and get all of my shelves out of one $10 board.  The sign in the department clearly states they will only make one cut per piece of wood, but without even having to wink or bat my eyelashes the nice gentleman pulled out his old school saw and clamps and made three cuts for me.  So, I walked out of that place with all of my shelving pieces!  While I was there I also picked up two yard sticks (to use as $2 shelf supports) and a staple gun and staples because 1) I've been wanting a staple gun, and 2) we left our tool box upstate so I didn't even have a hammer or nails to work with at home.

Here is the gap in between the shelves...

At home, I pulled out our old school saw (the ONLY tool we had in the apt.) and stool workbench and cut the yardsticks down to about 9" pieces.    My dad would not have been happy with my "work station."

Then all I had to do was staple gun them to the sides of the existing shoe shelves and place my boards on top.  Good thing I had the iHandy level app or else it would have driven my husband nuts to have crooked shelves.  

Voila!  

The Smith

Last Friday, my husband and I celebrated our ten month anniversary and my last day at Ralph Lauren.  We recently noticed a new restaurant under construction in the neighborhood.  I was elated to see a glimmer of hope for something new among all of the vacancies in the neighborhood.  I've seen way too many restaurant and store closings over the last year or so.  Luckily it opened just in time for our night out.  The Smith is an American brasserie.  They already had a location in the East Village, but I've never tried it.  The Midtown East location was bustling the night we were there.  I, of course, called at the last minute to try to get a reservation and, of course, they were all booked.  But the hostess gave me a wonderful suggestion to call ahead and put our name on the wait list.  So I called at about 6:15 to put our name on the list, we showed up at about 7:00, had a drink at the bar, and were seated by 7:30.  Perfect!  Because my husband HATES waiting for very long at restaurants to be seated.

It has a bistro atmosphere with a lot of white subway tiles, mirrors, glass bottles, and vintage industrial pendant lights.  They bring sparkling and still water to the table, as well as fresh bread with yummy butter.  We started with the Moroccan meatballs.  I should have taken a picture of the little dish they were served in.  I had never seen something like it before.  It was almost like a dish for deviled eggs with curves cut into it, so the meatballs fit perfectly in it.  The meatballs were good and had just a bit of a kick to them.  I liked them but prefer a marinara sauce to gravy with meatballs.  I had the special of the day which was a lobster roll.  I had some reservation in ordering it because I've only ever had a lobster roll in Maine where they are the masters of lobster rolls!  But it didn't disappoint.  The sauce was light - not too creamy.  It even had a little bit of chopped up celery in it, which was a nice, different touch.  It was served with their homemade potato chips.  Which were also good but would have tasted even better with a beer.  My husband had the pork chop - he said he really liked it.  I had an Allagash White beer to start and Moscow Mule with dinner and my husband stuck to their Midtown Manhattans.  All were given the thumbs up.

They claim they are open early till late, so I hope to go back to try brunch and the late night scene.

Dig Inn

You may remember my previous post about the Spicy Dilligan at The Pump.  Well, last month, they broke my heart and re-vamped the entire restaurant and menu.  It's not even called The Pump anymore, it's called Dig Inn (stupid name!) and it traded in its fitness theme for some kind of rustic farmhouse feel.  I think the floral wallpaper just makes it look outdated.  I'm so sad that the Spicy Dilligan is no longer on the menu.  Although it is the same type of ordering process (with different veggies), you can no longer combine the ingredients into a delicious Spicy Dilligan.  They even have a new recipe for the yogurt dill sauce.  It is now made from Greek yogurt and called tzatziki sauce.  It tastes great, but is no longer included in the complimentary sauces so it will cost you an extra $1.15.  The only thing I like so far about the new Dig Inn is that they offer a smaller portion which only costs about $5.00.  It's perfect for a lighter meal, or to pair with a snack or fruit, or when you're trying to save calories for an awesome dessert afterwards.

Martha Marcy May Marlene

I previously mentioned the movie Martha Marcy May Marlene.  Well, last Friday was its national debut in limited release.  My husband and I headed downtown to the Angelika Film Center & Cafe where it was being shown in NYC.  It was a good thing we bought tickets in advance because the theater was packed - completely sold out.  It was also boiling hot inside - I'm not sure I'll ever be able to drag my husband back there it was so uncomfortable.

In the movie, you never see our actual property, but about half of the movie was filmed at the lake.  So you get a lot of great lake views.  Elizabeth Olsen, the younger sister of the evil munchkin Olsen twins, stars in the movie.  And she also didn't hesitate to jump into our own Tennanah Lake in the buff!  But the movie hit a little too close to home, especially during a home invasion scene that was filmed at a neighbor's house.

H¡PT!X & Anything Goes

I have no idea why I didn't know about H¡PT!X sooner, but I'm glad I finally got in the loop.  H¡PT!X provides discount Broadway show tickets for 18-35 year-olds.  You can get $20 Broadway tickets to all Roundabout Theater Company shows.  It's easy to sign up, but you may have to plan the show date a couple of months in advance.

Last week, I saw Anything Goes with a couple of girlfriends.  I would highly recommend it under the H¡PT!X deal but not for full price tickets.  There was a fantastic tap scene in it, and I really enjoyed the Titanic-era costumes, but overall I thought it was too long and would have been better if an editor had shortened the experience - also like the Titanic!

New J-O-B

So the main reason why I haven't posted much over the last couple of weeks is because I have been switching jobs.  I decided it was time to polish my resume, start networking, and begin interviewing.  I was at Polo for about 4 years, and I really enjoyed it.  I was really lucky to have such a great boss, and I got to walk 6 blocks to work (and come home for lunch!) everyday.  But I got to a point in my career where it was time to make a switch.  Luckily, things didn't take long even in this economy.  So, I recently accepted an offer to work on Coach shoes - out with the ponies and in with the C's!

I'm really excited for the opportunity.  It is going to be a big switch to start commuting an hour each way! At least it should only be for about 6 months or so, and then the offices will be in the Empire State Building.  I will be traveling to their factories, so you may find updates from China in the future.

French Onion Soup

Since the temps have dropped and Fall is officially upon us, I thought it was the perfect time to really break in our new food processor by making French Onion Soup.  It's not just any onion soup recipe, it's Famous Barr's French Onion Soup.  Even though it's the department store's recipe, it feels like a family recipe to me.  My parents are originally from the St. Louis area where this is a favorite and my mom regularly makes it for me when I'm home in the wintertime.

This was my first time to make it and boy am I glad I started in the middle of a Sunday afternoon.  I didn't realize how long it takes!  Be prepared to make this one day and eat it the next because it takes 4 1/2 hours to prep and cook.

You start with 5 pounds of onions...

And then you have to chop 'em all up.  Thankfully I had this machine to easily tackle the task.

It is A LOT of onions.

You melt the better and add all of onions which cooks for about 1 1/2 hours.

Add all of the seasonings to the onions, let it cook for 10 more minutes stirring frequently.

Add broth and wine...

Dissolve flour into the 1 remaining cup of broth and add it to the boiling soup mixture.

Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 2 hours.  Refrigerate overnight.  When you're ready to serve, pour the soup into oven safe crocks, top with a slice of french bread and a slice of swiss or gruyere cheese.  Heat under the broiler until cheese bubbles.

This makes a lot of soup, leftovers can be frozen.

MIA

Have you missed me?  It's not that there hasn't been anything to write about, in fact, it's been the opposite. I hope over the next couple of weeks to get back to regular postings and update you on all that has happened.

Please follow my blog or like my City and the Sticks facebook page.  I'd like to try to keep the posts there, so people who aren't interested don't have to suffer through my rambling posts.  (I can't imagine why anyone wouldn't be interested though?!)  And it would make me feel loved.  :)

I'm putting my thoughts together now for a series of posts soon, so keep an eye out!

Shoe of the Week

We've had a lot of rain in the northeast and this weekend is no different.  It makes me want to curl up with a good book and stay indoors.  These heels have the right idea...  ;)

Bookbinder Heels at Anthropologie $168.00

Shoe of the Week

I've kept my eyes peeled for a new pair of great boots.  I always look for something with a low heel so I can comfortably walk all over the city.  I recently spotted these Chain-Linked Knee Boots.  I think they'd look darling with jeans tucked in to really show off the detail, and they look like the perfect heel height.

Homemade Pizza

Our last meal together was quite a delicacy.  There aren't words to describe how good this pizza was.  Papa B made us pizza from scratch.  It blew anything I ever thought was pizza before out of the water. 

He threw a little of this and a little of that together to make the dough.  Here he is stretching it out in the pan.

Added a little olive oil and some homemade sauce we had leftover from when we had homemade pasta a couple of nights before.  Cut up some FRESH mozzarella...

I didn't even know fresh mozzarella would melt like that.  I'm used to the junk Kraft sells already shredded.  Never again.  Added some chopped up onion and pepper...

And fresh basil...

Then he sliced up a couple of the leftover homemade meatballs...

And topped it all off with some Parmesan...

The Master Chef with his artwork.

 How did he do that without a brick oven?!

That is PERFECTION!

Hear that nice crisp crust?

And we had a really nice wine to accompany it.  What a meal!!!

And to think he could create that in a little kitchen that didn't even have a pizza cutter.  ha!  I have to re-arrange my top pizza list now.

1.  Papa B's
2/2a.  Lombardi's/Hideaway
4.  Imo's

5/5a.  Papa John's/Oxford Cafe

7.  Gino's East

I'm such a lucky girl.  I have the best in-laws ever.  Thank you for visiting!!

Labor Day continued

It. rained. every. single. day. all. day. long.  We didn't get much time on the lake, so it's a good thing the bar was stocked.

We were able to fit in one quick trip on the boat in between showers.  I caught 4 perch and 3 blue gill, my father-in-law caught 10,000 minnows, my mother-in-law was drowning worms, and my husband was busy baiting my hook.

Other than that we were stuck inside watching the frozen concoction maker do its thing.  Good thing, it's pretty entertaining.

And after making a few concoctions we were entertaining ourselves...

The grill master (my mother-in-law) was able to get the charcoal grill going despite the rain, and we managed to cook up some burgers, hot dogs, and chicken that didn't taste so bad.  I might share the favorite recipe later on.

We also ate many a meal at the Roscoe Diner.  Their hot chocolate is as good as I remember it.  Mmmm... it could be dessert.

Roscoe has had way too much rain...

On our way home, we tried our luck at the Monticello Casino and Raceway.  They don't have any table games, but you can play roulette or craps digitally.  It was fun to watch, but I wouldn't recommend it if you don't want to lose all of your money.  We went upstairs and watched a few of the harness races.  We won a trifecta but somehow still lost money on the bet. 

Afterwards, we made the drive back home for our last night of vacation.  We had the most amazing last supper that it deserves it's own post. 

Labor day

We enjoyed an extra long Labor Day weekend with my in-laws.  We spent a busy couple of days in the city and a few more relaxing, rainy days upstate.

They arrived late Friday night. so we stayed up late with a couple of cocktails catching up.  The next morning we went to Eataly as soon as they opened to avoid the crowds and loaded up on all kinds of tasty treats.

Then my husband and father-in-law went to Yankee stadium for a game and thoroughly enjoyed the Jim Beam bar while my mother-in-law and I saw War Horse.  It was a terrific play (this year's Tony award winner).  The mechanics were incredible - it took three people to operate one horse.  If you've seen Lion King on Broadway it's the same idea but with even more animation.

We met up at our apartment afterwards to make homemade pasta.  If Michael White is the pasta king, then I'm the pasta queen.  I've gotten the hang of the pasta roller attachments.  And now I look the part too in my real chef shirt!

Sunday morning we all met the other in-laws.  My brother-in-law is getting married in California this fall and none of the couple's parents had ever met each other.  So, since all of them just happened to be on the east coast for the weekend, they arranged to meet for brunch in NYC.  We started off with mimosas at our apartment and then went to the very appropriately named restaurant, Jane.  They are super sweet people, and I'm so glad we got to enjoy each other's company before the big wedding.

The Vanilla Bean French Toast looked out of this world.

Then it was time to head upstate for the second half of the trip...

Shoe of the Week

With all that has happened recently in New York... earthquake, hurricane, flooding, terror threats... I'm not sure how much more we can all take.  I thought it was time for something light-hearted like the Prada Bi-Color Suede Mary Jane Boots.

I think these are hilarious.  The $1,400.00 price tag not so much.  But what is even crazier is the line on Saks.com stating "DUE TO HIGH DEMAND, A CUSTOMER MAY ORDER NO MORE THAN 3 UNITS OF THIS ITEM EVERY THIRTY DAYS."

On the subway on 9/11

More KitchenAid cooking

The KitchenAid mixer has still been getting plenty of use.  (Husbands, if you wish your wives would cook more often, simply supply them with awesome kitchen gadgets like this!)  The latest recipes have included meat and sweets (but not together)...  more meatballs, mini meatloaf, chocolate chip cookies, and Mountain Dew cupcakes.

The meatballs are a secret family recipe that I've vowed not to share, but this Cooking Light recipe is a low fat version of meatloaf that I think sometimes tastes like a McDonald's quarter pounder... it's gotta be all of the onions and ketchup/mustard sauce.

  

I'm not sure if I'll keep making my signature Toll House cookies in the mixer.  I think mixing by hand is part of the trick to making them puffy.  They turned out a little flatter than what I'm used to and got drier quicker, but they still tasted pretty awesome.  The look on my husband's face proved he wasn't lying.

The Mountain Dew cupcakes really tasted like the caffeinated citrus beverage, but the icing was very soft and runny.  I have a feeling I didn't add enough powedered sugar, but after my hand starting cramping from sifting I was done.