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!