photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
American Heart Month, Valentine’s Day – RED is everywhere!
Posted in Fab Fotos, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged American Heart Month, Central Park, Entertaining, Holidays, Murray Head, New York City, Photograph, snow, United States, Valentine's Day on February 18, 2011| Leave a Comment »
photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
American Heart Month, Valentine’s Day – RED is everywhere!
Posted in Six Word Memoirs, tagged Christmas, Deepak Chopra, New Year, New York City, Northeast, Northeastern United States, Six-Word memoir, snow, What I Was on February 14, 2011| 1 Comment »
Those of us in the Northeast are still in throes of winter, regardless that a lot of it has melted. I know we can expect more snow, only hope it is a snow fall and not a storm or blizzard. Looking forward to the last snow of the season because I think I’m going to sprinkle grass seed all over the top and let it melt right down to the ground; I might have a greener spring! Ah but I digress…the reason I mentioned the snow was due to the fact that our Six Word Memoirs still speak to the long and bleak and snowy season we are in.
Shoveling driveway, sidewalk and now roof! – Susan Celtic Lady
Goodbye paycheck, hello insomnia and headaches – Weez
My tan marks have all gone – Susan in the Grove
Day 1, Diet # 199, trying again – Me
And now from the book, Not Quite What I Was Planning – Six Word Memoirs by Writers, FAMOUS & OBSCURE:
Recent doctorate means overeducated and underemployed -Philip Sternberg
Taking a lifetime to grow up – Mirona Iliescu
Living for Jesus because earth sucks – Johnny Johnson
Bad breaks discovered at high speed – Paul Schultz
Dancing in fields of infinite possibilities – Deepak Chopra
Posted in Six Word Memoirs, tagged California, Larry Smith, Mother Nature, New York, New York City, Six-Word memoir, Smith Magazine, Texas on January 31, 2011| 5 Comments »
Every couple of weeks I remind everybody about the origins of the Six Word Memoir and/or the Six Word Project. Last week I printed an excerpt from the Smith Magazine website and surprise of surprises, I got a comment from LARRY SMITH himself!!! I am so excited that he noticed the blog and our own little Six Word Memoirs.
Please read his comment on last week’s Monday blog; he invites all of us to visit the site and leave a Six Word Memoir. Let’s do it!!!
Here are the contributions from some of my most faithful readers – love you guys!!
Snowing again,when will it stop? – Susan Celtic Lady
New York is the Frozen Apple – Gail
White, white…nothing here has color! – Susan
New York City here I come? – Weez
Snow, sleet, rain, my brain drains – Me
Sorry for you readers in California and Texas, I know it must seem like we have a one track mind here in the Northeast. It’s not us who has it, it’s Mother Nature. Snow is the only thing on her mind lately.
And from the book, Not Quite What I Was Planning, Six-Word Memoirs by writers Famous and Obscure.
I did ask to live backwards – Helen Gynn
Forest peace, sharing vision, always optimistic – Dr. Jane Goodall
Bespectacled, besneakered, read and ran around – Rachel Fershleiser
Supported the sublime with uncurbed enthusiasm – Jeff Newelt
Followed white rabbit, became black sheep – Gabrielle Maconi
Posted in Fab Fotos, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged Bethesda Fountain, Bow bridge, Central Park, Michael Bloomberg, National Weather Service, New York City, Northeast, Northeastern United States, snow, snowman, The San Remo, Winter storm on January 29, 2011| 7 Comments »
The Northeast is getting slammed this winter with snow storms, blizzards, snow lightning , you name it and we’ve gotten it. This past Wednesday night we had yet another snow storm. By morning 19 inches had fallen in Central Park. Central Park is Manhattan’s emerald jewel in the summer and alternatively a sparkly diamond and an iridescent opal in the winter.
As my regular readers know, many many of my Fab Foto Friday photos are taken in Central Park. There’s just so much to see at any time of the year. The birds, the flowers, the trees, the ponds, the landmarks, the bridges, the kids, the artists, the playgrounds, the picnicker, the runners, the skaters, the mimes, the jugglers, the acrobats, the break dancers, the gardens, the sculpture, the boats and ever so much more!
This Friday (and yes I am once again a day late) our Fab Fotos are from Central Park in all its beauty enhanced by 19″ of snow! This is what life in the City is when it snows!!!
Photo by Murray Head
Photo by Murray Head
Photo by Murray Head
Photo by Murray Head
Photo by Murray Head
Photo by Murray Head
Posted in BY THE WAY, Friends, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged Alfred Stieglitz, California, Edward Steichen, Florida, Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York City, Paul Strand on January 28, 2011| 1 Comment »
She (Georgia) made a fortune painting scenes which she referred to as “A View From My Window” and her husband, Alfred Stieglitz also cashed in on the same views…except he photographed them. If my friend Trish is reading this, she would know this is just how the 80/20 rule works!! For those curious readers who would like to see some of Stieglitz’s work, it is on exhibit now at the Metropolitan Museum of Art along with Edward Steichen and Paul Strand. The exhibit is huge and encompasses several rooms – definitely worth the trip. Ahhh but I have digressed a bit!
Back to the view from my window which is a) not my view, b) not my window but c) a generous contribution from my friend, Gail. So for your viewing pleasure, although other than your envious friends in Florida or California, I’m not sure how much pleasure you can take in YET ANOTHER BLOODY SNOW STORM!!! Snow doesn’t paralyze the City BUT this one did a good job because with the 19 inches that fell Wednesday night, bus service was suspended, cars were buried completely, the streets were not plowed very well if at all and generally the only people who really enjoyed it were the kids! Mothers and kids everywhere on Thursday were toting saucers, snow boards, sleds and toboggans of all sizes heading to the parks around the City to enjoy YET another snow day.
Posted in Fab Fotos, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged Central Park, East Coast of the United States, Jersey Shore, National Weather Service, New York City, Philadelphia, snow on January 21, 2011| 2 Comments »
SSSsssss, well it may be a stretch but I just thought that the S sound was a twisty title for this blog post. And how apropos since there seems to be snow in the forecast every couple of days. Either it’s impending or we’re told about storms forming in the Gulf or Canada or wherever but they all seem determined to touch down on the East Coast. If New York City isn’t getting sleet or snow, then surely our little cottage on the Jersey Shore is getting slammed with several inches of snow!
But kids everywhere even big ones, will be kids, and kids and snow go together like rum and coca cola – I know – that’s a weird analogy considering rum and coca cola is usually a summer cocktail.
Photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
Posted in Everyday Food, Tasty Tidbits Tuesday, tagged Black pepper, Chicken, Cook, Dutch oven, Food Emporium, Garden State, New York City, San Diego on January 19, 2011| Leave a Comment »
This evening the kids were here and had dinner. To define kids: I’m referring to my daughter and her husband Tom, my son Joel who is visiting from San Diego and my nephew Justin, who is home from Japan for a visit and his mother, Juanita. With Peter and me, that makes 7 and besides not being sure how to stretch my pre-planned dinner, I wasn’t sure we could actually get 7 people around the table – this IS a New York City apartment you know!
I planned on making Chicken Paprikash and Spaetzle and needed a vegetable and a salad. Chiara was assigned the dessert, Juanita would bring some wine. So during the rainy afternoon I ventured out and walked up to the German market, Shaller and Weber, one of the few remaining vestiges in this neighborhood which used to be known as Germantown. I bought some spaetzle there and headed to the Food Emporium for broccoli. It’s been weeks since the vegetable vendors have been out on the street with all this bad weather and I forgot what great deals you can get from them. I love buying 5 bananas for $1. but the thought of buying broccoli for for close to $3 per lb in the store was ugh! I settled for a pretty good size cauliflower which cost $4.50 and two heads of iceberg lettuce for $2.49 each. Why am I telling you how much these items cost? Well first of all the title of the blog is Dinner Under $10 and by the way, that only refers to the main dish. And I’m used to shopping in New Jersey and certainly not paying those prices for fresh produce – hey it IS the Garden State.
The menu: Chicken Paprikash, Spaetzle, Roasted Cauliflower(see prior blog) BAKED WHOLE CAULIFLOWER and Iceberg Lettuce wedges with a Blue Cheese Vinaigrette (see prior blog) Tasty Tidbits Tuesday- A Light Summer Supper.
Chicken Paprikash
4 chicken leg quarters, cut in half at joint (about 3lbs)
coarse salt and ground pepper
2 tsp. vegetable oil
1 large yellow onion, cut in half and thinly sliced lengthwise
3 garlic cloves roughly chopped
2 Tbs sweet paprika
3 Tbs flour
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1 can (14oz) diced tomatoes
1/2 lb egg noodles or spaetzle
1/2 cup sour cream or yogurt
Season chicken with salt and pepper in a large Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat oil over high. Cook chicken skin side down until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Flip chicken and cook another 6 minutes. Transfer to plate.
Discard all but 1 tsp of fat from pot and reduce heat to medium. Add onion and cook stirring frequently and scraping bits from bottom of pan with wooden spoon, until beginning to soften, 2 minutes. Add garlic and cook stirring frequently, 3 minutes. Add paprika and flour, season with salt and pepper, and stir constantly until mixture begins to stick, 1 minute. Add broth and whisk till smooth. Add tomatoes and bring to boil over high. Return chicken to pan in single layer, skin side up, and reduce heat to medium. Cover and cook until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook noodles according to package instructions. Drain noodles, divide among four bowls; Top with chicken. Stir sour cream into sauce, then ladle sauce over chicken and noodles.
Recipe from Every Day Food
Posted in BY THE WAY, Thursday's Top Ten, tagged Ben & Jerry's, Frozen yogurt, Google, grass, Ice cream, King's Speech, Mary Jane, New York City, pot, weed on January 14, 2011| 4 Comments »
And they call it weed.
We used to call it Mary Jane and they call it dope.
We used to call it reefer and they call it smoke.
We used to call it Maui Wowie and they call it Superman.
We used to call it Blue Heaven and they call it Blue Dream.
We used to call it Jamaican Gold and they call it spliff.
We used to call it Texas Tea and they call it herb.
We used to call it Ganga and they call it hemp.
We used to call it a joint and they call it a dubby.
We used to call it loco weed and they call it orange cough.
And generation after generation has, does and will call it grass!
Soooo, tonight as we got ready to go to the movies and as an enhancement to the viewing of The King’s Speech, we thought just a couple of drags and it would be like the old days…. I mean WHO didn’t go to see 2001 Space Odyssey stoned out of their minds or as we liked to think – totally into our minds. Well as you know (or may not) grass just isn’t what it used to be!
Those were the days… when sitting around someone’s living room passing a joint around, first one, then another, and drinking a little, munching a lot, talking a lot and maintaining a serene high was a pleasant way to spend an evening. Nowadays, if you tried to do that, in less than 30 minutes you’d be in the ER hallucinating to the point where you might even end up in Bellevue. This new “stuff ” is really strong; if I ever got stoned on something this strong years ago I ‘d be sure it had been laced with PCP.
Two good drags later and in no time we were in the no-time- time-warp. First there was a request from Joel for a scarf and/or a hat – like I didn’t tell him it was friggin freezin here before he left San Diego! He wants a hat with ear flaps but maybe a scarf will do. Now when he says scarf, he is conjuring up something long, soft and capable of wrapping around your neck and knotting. My husband being from a whole other generation (or generations!), his scarves are shorter, woolier and meant to be worn inside a coat laying over the lapels of a jacket; you can see where the gap is going….
Soon every scarf and hat were laid out on the piano like a habadashery banquet. Ear muffs couldn’t be located, I think they’re at the Shore. What about gloves? Well it is the coldest night of the year. Just about the time when all the necessary accessories had been accumulated, Peter leaning casually against the door frame states. “I don’t think it’s practical to go to the movies anymore, I mean it’s not in the cards”. WHAT are you saying? The time warp widens and uncontrollable laughter ensues. I mean he already bought the ticket, for God’s sake and now he just didn’t think he could make it up the street and into the theater and certainly not sit there for any great length of time. So much for The King’ s Speech!!!
Believe it or not, I still made dinner although there are parts of it that seemed to cook themselves, lol. Needless to say, everything tasted soooo good and we ate everything on the plate, quell surpriz!! And of course this most definitely seemed like a dessert night; but alas not a cookie in the house! Ah ha, lucky us, this is New York City and whatever you want whenever you want it, you can get it. Mmmmm good…ice cream sundaes feel like the thing to have. After much deliberation, Joel and I decide on coffee ice cream sundaes with fudge sauce, wet walnuts and whipped cream and make it light on the cream since we know it’s not whipped but rather aerosoled! Actually we didn’t have a lot of choices since the only close ice cream place is pricey and it was too cold to go up a block or two to Ben & Jerry’s , so it was to be the coffee shop for our dessert. Joel returned with the ice cream sundaes and just what do you do when you’re still high and before you is a mass of ice cream, nuts, whipped cream and a cherry? You melt peanut butter and pour it on top and then you are in heaven and if you’re lucky like we are tonight, TCM is showing I Love You Alice B. Toklas.
Posted in Fab Fotos, New York Speaks, Only in New York, tagged Blue Jay, cardinal, Central Park, Independence Day (United States), Metropolitan Museum of Art, Michael Bloomberg, Murray Head, New York City, Sundays on January 12, 2011| 2 Comments »
Sundays in the Park with Murray could be a whole photo series unto itself…but for today I selected a few that make up a Fourth of July celebration in the middle of January. Central Park, as you know, is a photographer’s canvas for all seasons. Well if you read this blog, of course you know because I publish Murray’s photos depicting Central Park and its flora and fauna all through the year. Our most recent snow fall provided a great backdrop and an integral component of this RED WHITE and BLUE series.
photo by Murray Head
Photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
photo by Murray Head
Posted in BY THE WAY, Ha-P 2 B in OG, Smooth or Crunchy, Thursday's Top Ten, tagged Christmas, Dr. Phil, Facebook, Holidays, New York City, Winter storm on December 31, 2010| Leave a Comment »
The Blizzard of 2010 arrived as predicted (so we can’t say we didn’t know it was coming) and in less than 3 hours our world was blanketed in a white powdery mantle. Oh it looked so pretty coming down in big flakes. And I noticed how quickly it was accumulating and decided to chronicle the snow storm – see previous blogs beginning with: Chronicle of a Snow Storm .
Taking pictures from the front door or the back door only took a few moments so uh now, what do I do? The photos in the Chronicle blogs tell the story of how white your world can be when 28″ – 30″ of snow fall in 24 hours but what was going on inside the house. Well when you are house-bound for four days, you gotta do something!! It was definitely easier for me than my husband, basically because I always do more things AND I have my computer.