Firetrucks and Neckties

Cooking

I think I am a contrarian at heart, often in spite of my own better interests.  When it comes to cooking, I automatically scan the recipe and make mental notes of what ingredients and/or quantities I will change before any cooking begins.  For some, this approach is what makes a sophisticated cook, but I don't make food enough to warrant any kind of higher status.  It's just a given that me and the recipe start off on an adversarial foot.  I've only been enlightened to this fact for a few months.  In the past, the whole improv thing never seemed to get me into too much trouble and sometimes I might have even improved a recipe here or there.  With the kid, I've learned that improvisation plus distraction does not always taste nice.  The good news is, the at-times inedible results have made me think about why I'm always trying to break the rules.  Recently, I've tried, with success, to actually follow a few recipes...contrarian be damned.

Tonight however, I was up to my old tricks.  And it came out yummy!  I didn't have a recipe at all.  I will call it "Contrarian Chicken with Green Vegetables".  One big disclaimer is that the quantities were not actually measured - and I am counting on you to make adjustments according to your better judgement...

Contrarian Chicken with Green Vegetables

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
3/4 cup Trader Joe's bruschetta "tomato topping" (or any chunky tomato sauce)
1/4 - 1/2 cup breadcrumbs with Italian herbs
1/4 - 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (you could do a mix with parmesan cheese - I didn't have any)
1 egg, beaten

4 oz pasta of your choice (I like Eden Organic Kamut Udon - it has 10g of protein and 3g of fiber per serving)

1 1/2 cups green vegetables of your choice (I used a mixture of frozen peas, broccoli and spinach)

1 TB butter

Preheat the oven to 350F.  Boil water for pasta and prepare according to the directions on the box.

Slice the chicken breasts horizontally once or twice to make two or three thin fillets from each breast (you may also have little extra bits - use these too), set aside.  Cover the bottom of a pyrex pie dish with the tomato topping or sauce.  Arrange the chicken fillets to cover the tomato so they are touching but not overlapping.  Brush the chicken fillets with the egg (you will have extra egg, discard it or use it for something else).  Sprinkle an even layer of bread crumbs over the egg covered fillets.  Sprinkle the shredded cheese over this.  I added another dash of breadcrumbs for good measure.  Bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.

While the chicken is cooking, steam the veggies in a medium sauce pan with 1/4 inch of water and 1TB butter until done to taste (approximately 10 minutes or less).

Mix the pasta and veggies together.  Depending on the age of your diners, serve a portion of chicken over the pasta and veggies OR dice the chicken into small pieces and offer with ketchup alongside the pasta and veggies.

Serves 3 - 4

M and I were solo tonight and this was easy to make "with" her and she seemed to enjoy eating it too! The only shortcoming was that I didn't take many pictures.  

Dessert

Sweet

A Year Ago

Snow Day

Slow

I have a clear recollection of waking up on the day R and I got married wishing that the next 18 hours would go as slowly as possible.  M triggers this same wish.  I liken her to a very addictive drug - under her influence I alternate between feeling totally euphoric and goofy and, later, bleary eyed and emotional - and I'm always begging for more.  In the haze of this see-saw (or roller coaster) it's easy to forget that within a few months her elaborate gibberish will be a distant memory and we'll fold up and stash away her "tiny" clothes that looked so big just a year ago.  I try, as much as possible, to slow it down.  But how can I, when much of what makes these moments so painfully delicious IS their fleetingness.  And, as our baby becomes an opinionated toddler, and sleeping (more) through the night results in an earlier "morning", and her struggle to communicate turns into a screaming and biting tantrum, and how long have I been wearing this yogurt on my shoulder? ...sometimes the slowing-it-down mantra seems like it got lodged under the sofa.

One goal of this blog is to give structure to living in the present, living up to the opportunity and responsibility of enjoying my life.  Maybe I've gone off the deep end, but right now I can't think of anything more important.

Stir Crazy

It was six degrees outside Monday morning.  As the weather started to get cold several months ago, I was 100% committed to going to the playground through the winter.  I'm tough, my kid is tough, end of story.  The reality is, it's just too cold and the playgrounds started to be devoid of other kids starting in November.  The few times we went when it was below 45 or so I went from feeling like a badass to possibly a bad parent.  

Aside from indoor playgroups with other kids and moms/nannies (which are great), the other non-outdoor activities are just ok.  We spend a lot of time rearranging the inventory at Boarders and Whole Foods.  On Monday, we also hit Williams-Sonoma.  I can't believe I never thought of this before - it's a toddler dream come true.  Endless kitchen utensils and gadgets for the taking (well, not exactly, there was some delicate negotiating upon departure).  M was lobbying hard to adopt a new whisk.

She also went to the Museum of Natural History three times in the past five days.  Her favorite area seems to be the mineral and gems section.  You go girl!  Ha, no she hasn't acquired a taste for the bling yet, it's the architecture of the space - lots of hidden ramps and little spurts of steps everywhere - and it's all carpeted.  I'm still getting used to the fact that she can run, fast.  

I should also mention that M and I had lunch at Shake Shack twice this week.  Once with her Auntie L and later with R.  Shake Shack's proximity to the MNH makes the duo a chicken and egg thing.  Plus, there is something about really cold weather that triggers a primal urge to horde calories and Shake Shack basically does the work for you, so it's a win-win.    M got intimate with her cheese fries and ice cream and, on both occasions, we managed to escape without wearing too much ketchup.  

At home, other cold weather activities included important phone calls, dress up, modeling and pitching practice.

A City Woodpecker

Today I saw this woodpecker on West 53rd Street.  According to my sources (the internet) it's a male downy woodpecker.

Food

By New York City standards, I would say that I am average hip. As in, 50% of the local population is more hip than me, 50% is less hip. As in, I just recently got my first iphone, I'm writing a blog on blogger.com, I'm reading Jay-Z's new book, I let my New Yorker subscription lapse, I like to sew clothes for my child, I don't own a car, the last time I saw live music it was the Cure two or three years ago, I drink decaf coffee... I will let you judge these facts against your own hip-meter.

As in, I've been to momofuku noodle bar - but I went for my first and only time last year (according to their website it's been open since 2004).  By the time we went my expectations were really high and I was disappointed.  It seemed like there were a lot of tourists for one, and I wasn't into the wet fatty pork thing.  Or we ordered wrong.  Miraculously, we managed to slip in without much of a wait but the line that had formed at the door by the time we left made me never want to return.

Fast forward, David Chang opens a few more restaurants and finally one in Midtown, má pêche.  Based on the proximity to where we live, I felt an obligation to try it out.  I've returned repeatedly and it's more amazing each time.  For some reason, we've primarily gone in the middle of the day when the place is nearly empty and feels kind of un-hip.  The dining room is in a basement and not exactly where you want to be in the middle of a pretty day - plus the empty thing can lead to some second guessing.  When we went most recently, I noticed at least one other diner taking pictures of her food (that's not very hip - I don't think).  As I mentioned, it's in Midtown.  However, the music is great (by my average hip standards) and the food is hands-down amazing.  In other words, it feels right.  My favorite dish is the the crispy brussels sprouts with pickled cranberries and scallions (pictured).  It's tart, sweet, and salty in just the right amounts.  Somehow the sprouts remain perfectly crispy even though they are drenched in a sauce which is drinkable.  Since Chang is renowned for his pork-magic it's strange that by avoiding all primarily-pork dishes, my love for this place is head-over-heels.

Upstairs, at street level, is milk bar where things are sweet, literally.  Worth trying are the pretzel cake truffles, any of the cookies (my favorite cookie flavor is conflake-marshmallow-chocolate chip), the 'cereal milk'...  There is also something called 'crack pie'.  Go. Eat.

Random

The kid got the camera.  The self portrait and foot/boot portrait she did on her own.  We helped a little with us.

Old News

Don't come here for current events. The impetus for this post is an article from last week's New York Times about the Central Park sheepfold (former location of Tavern on the Green). I am obsessed with Central Park. It's my sanity and amazing by any standards. Starting when M was just a few weeks old I would walk with her in the sling for hours, miles, sometimes all the way up to the Reservoir, around, and back home. We did this through December on a daily basis, rain, sleet, snow or shine. I vaguely recall at some point it was really nasty out and I discovered that I could hold her and dance to Ave Maria to get her to go to sleep without going outside.  Looking back, the walks were completely insane but at the time it was just what we did. I would pack a ziploc bag with an extra diaper, a few wipes and a burp cloth and off we'd go, usually along the Bridle Path (passing the spot where R and I got married). I don't even know if I have pictures of this since we were almost always solo and I didn't have a camera phone at the time and I remember thinking that the camera weighed too much to bring (it's a small camera I don't know what I was thinking). It sounds kind of sad and crazy but in some ways it was one of the happiest times in my life.  I do remember occasionally reaching a point of exhaustion, hunger, not sure if I could make it home in one piece. Sometimes I got a fried fish sandwich at the Boathouse.  I explored the Ramble and spooked myself out a few times (too much SVU).  One time when I happened to bring the very large stroller we got caught in a massive rain storm up near the Great Lawn (25 blocks from home). R was out of town and I didn't see any way to take a cab home with the stroller (I wasn't even sure if I could get a cab). M started to freak out so I put her in the carrier and huffed it home. I was soaked to the bone but she was snug as a bug. Even this, I loved. At some point in the springtime I discovered the Sheep Meadow. It was a mom and baby mecca, everyone brought a blanket and threw their kid down and you were almost always guaranteed to find a few moms with babies the same age as yours. Shortly, M became obsessed with pushing her cart everywhere and we figured out a way to hook it on to the stroller so we could take it to the park. Being unsteady on her feet, the best place for cart pushing was the large paved playground at the south end, so we went to the Sheep Meadow less. Once she started walking unassisted, party time shifted to the playground across from the Sheep Meadow. I couldn't help but notice they were messing around with Tavern on the Green and then one day !....aaahhhhh...! (cue rainbows and unicorns) these amazing food trucks arrived. All of a sudden, heaven got a lot better. Hot dumplings and Mexican hot chocolate? I'll take it. I don't want to undersell my other favorite new development in CP which is a Le Pain Quotidien smack in the middle of the park (just north of the Sheep Meadow, east of the croquet green) - also incredible and fantasy-like.  Anyway, we're not as tough as we were last winter (this city mouse is rubbing off on me) and we've been missing the park. Though we were there last weekend and trucks are still representing. Can't wait for spring.

Food

I think I set my own trap.  I was really pleased with my 'over thinking' post - so much so that I kept thinking and then rethinking what I was going to say next.  Dear Reader, I apologize if you're bored already.  I promise to try to think less in the future.  Well, it's true that I am an amateur at this (blogging and thinking less) so I guess some hiccups are to be expected.

On to the topic at hand, Food.  Looking back, I realize that I happened to ingest bacon in a variety of forms over the past few days, and it was good.

1. At home, on Saturday, I co-hosted a baby shower for a dear friend.  The entire day was blessed and I felt so honored to be a part of it.  One of my contributions was something we call the bacon date thing.  It's a date, stuffed with an almond, wrapped in 1/3 of a slice of bacon, speared with a toothpick and baked in the oven until it looks done or you remember that you forgot it.  I overestimated the enthusiasm that others might share for these little pieces of heaven (or I underestimated how much other amazing food would be served).  Lucky for me, there were leftovers.  I can see how cold, day old bacon date things might be unappetizing to some, but not me.  Anyway, try it!  You'll like it!  Hot is better and it's rare to have leftovers.

2. On Monday night R and I went to one of our favorite restaurants, Casellula.  It happens to be in our neighborhood so we've had many an opportunity to confirm its hall-of-fame status.  In advance of going, the thought crossed my mind that I might end up writing about our experience.  Fast forward, we are at the restaurant and I was enjoying myself so much that I didn't want to spoil the moment by whipping out my phone to take pictures.  And then, the cheese plate arrived.  Casellula has the best damn cheese plate you ever did taste.  It's the cheese for sure, but actually just as much the pairings that they offer with the cheese.  Monday night our cheese plate arrived and the first cheese was paired with three small exquisite pieces of maple syrup glazed bacon.  Bacon and cheese, are you kidding me?  After this, I'm surprised that I was able to pull myself together enough to take a picture.  Needless to say, in my useless-pile-of-drool state I didn't retain any further information about the cheese so you'll just have to trust me that it was incredible.

3. Today, I went to Books of Wonder to buy M a book about feelings.  Yes, this sounds nuts but if I have to read another book about a cow, dog or walrus I might lose it.  How is being able to identify a walrus useful in any way?  Feelings, I can get with that.  After the bookstore, I went across the street to the City Bakery where they have amazing hot chocolate this time of year (it's the consistency of shampoo and after you drink it you feel like you just took a shower in chocolate and sugar).  I resisted the hot chocolate.  While I was ordering my tea, I noticed a new (to me?) baked good: the maple bacon biscuit.  It was a moist scone like thing with sweet (maple syrup) and salty (generous chunks of bacon) mixed into a pliant, a little crunchy on the outside, dough.  Wow.  The bacon Gods are shining their light on me and I don't mind.

M had some food adventures of her own recently.

As a parent, there is no sweeter sight than your toddler stuffing her face with fistfuls of frozen peas.  For the obvious, there is a deep visceral satisfaction when they eat vegetables, but also because zero prep work went into this nutritious snack.  What could be better?

Before you hate me for having a perfect child, I will describe the other end of the spectrum.  She has recently expressed a strong interest in butter.  Ideally, straight up.  She seems to call it TT and things can get a little crazy when she wants TT and doesn't get it.  Sometimes she has an almost supernatural influence on me and all of a sudden, there I am feeding her TT straight off the (butter) knife.  R caught us in the act recently and was understandably concerned.  So now we try to always hide a little piece of toast under the TT.

Obviously, I need to document the butter episodes.  Clearly, I'm guilty of sugar coating history.

This Week

Over Thinking

I've engaged in a generous amount of over thinking in my life.  Many of my favorite people are guilty of the same.  You could say that New York City is an over thinking epicenter.  On a good day it's being smart, on a bad day it's neurotic and/or self defeating.  Any way you slice it, a lot of energy is expended and it's not always productive.

When it comes to kids, most parents I know will tell you that from the moment a child is conceived (sometimes well before) a lot of over thinking happens.  When the kid arrives, it starts to set in that this over thinking business is only just getting started.

That said, one of my favorite aspects of parenthood right now is that it couldn't be more obvious that M is incapable of over thinking anything.  I think it's rubbing off on me.  Her state is ridiculously contagious and I love it.