I'm writing the Concrete Jungle Gym series for Brokelyn- check out the first edition here!
Monday, October 31, 2011
An Afternoon Show and Date Night in K-Town!
Saturday morning in NYC (and most of the Northeast) looked like this! Well HELLO winter! Holy moly. I hope no one had any races planned!
As much as I would have loved to stay snuggled all day, I had tickets to Manhattan Theatre Club's We Live Here- myself and fellow Brooklyn College MFA students got a great deal on tickets through our professor Mark Blum, who was in the show! The writing, acting, set, light and sound design were all beautiful and after the show Mark took us on stage and backstage to explore! Thanks, Mark!
After the show I swung by the Drama Book Shop to pick up a few plays for school and then I met up with Joe for dinner at Food Gallery 32 in K-Town (32nd St. between 5th and Broadway). Food Gallery 32 feels like a really exciting food-court with stands offering bibimbab, hot noodle dishes and tteoguk.
All of the menus looked delicious, but Joe and I opted to order at Korea House (all the way in the back to the left on the first floor).
While we waited for our food, Joe sipped on this Extra Dry Ginger Ale from Grown-Up Soda. It was mild and clean-tasting without being overly sweet- we really enjoyed it!
As is the tradition when dining at new places, Joe and I mutually agree upon two dishes, eat 1/2 of one and then trade. We decided upon the tteokguk to start- a hot brothy soup with sliced beef, spring onions, seaweed, rice dumplings and sliced rice cakes.
Hot, satisfying goodness. Savory, steamy and a texture-lover's paradise!
EVERYTHING is served with pickled veggies and house-kimchi, natch. Ever the adventurer, Joe took a nice-sized bite of kimchi out of curiosity. He won't make that mistake again. I really liked it, but in very, very small doses- the ingredients vary by region, but this fermented veggie condiment is pretty much always hellishly spicy.
For our second dish, Joe and I split bibimbap, which was served cold and consisted of sprouts, cabbage, carrots and other delicious veggies topped with ground beef and a fried egg- served with white rice, broth and condiments.
I really enjoyed the crazy textural variety in this dish, too, and though I wasn't expecting it to be cold, I really dug it.
Ready to dig in!
After dinner we headed east- Joe's in a show called Vampure (he's the vampire all the way to the right on the header- check him out!) running Saturdays until December 17th, and I was planning on attending but we got a last minute phone call- one of the cast members had been injured and the show was cancelled! Bummer! I hope she feels better!
So we promptly turned around and prepared to head home once we fulfilled our dessert craving. Paris Baguette beckoned and we heeded it's call.
I've mentioned my thing for Asian bakeries before... though this one does have some more traditional French, Italian and American baked goods, they also offer glutinous rice cakes, cream buns, etc.
Literally every. single. thing looked perfectly delicious- deciding on a few to try was tough! We ended up with:
A mini creme brulee. Caramely and custardy with a soft moist center and caramelized-chewy exterior.
Deep-fried, cinnamony crunchy heaven- basically, a churro.
The Choux Cream Pastry. Be still, my heart. A perfectly crisp glazed croissant filled with custard cream. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
Hiding in the back, we also enjoyed a pumpkin sesame bun and washed it all down with a hot chocolate. Mmmm.... cozy.
In addition to individual serving pastries, they also offer an impressive selection of cakes and other desserts, all decorated with meticulous attention to detail.
If you find yourself in K-Town anytime soon (a VERY short walk from Penn Station...), feel free to copy this date-night, and let me know what you think! :)
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Out and About
Catch up time! Annnndddd.... GO!
Thursday evening after class Joe and I headed to the Atlantic Terminal Applebees to support the Miss Brooklyn Scholarship Program (I was Miss Brooklyn 2009)- it was great to meet some of the contestants and catch up with pageant pals!
From L to R- Amaris (Southern NY Field Director of the Miss NY Org), Brittney (Miss Brooklyn's Outstanding Teen 2011), Nekia (a 2012 contestant), myself and Chrissy (Executive Director of the Miss Brooklyn Organization).
Friday I paid a surprise visit to my former students! It was a pretty beautiful reunion- I miss these kids more than I can express. They were having a Halloween party so I got to see some of their costumes!
Miss Keelie misses you all!!!!
Later that evening, Joe and I were starving and NOT in the mood for cooking. We headed over to Bay Pizzeria for some slices. The regular slice is your standard, delicious Brooklyn pizza.
The BEST part of Bay Pizzeria, in my opinion, is this heavy hitter- the Baked Ziti slice.
Great. Googly. Moogly.
Despite it not being heated all the way through (sad face), this baby was pretty darn delicious.
Craving some sweets, Joe and I headed to the Chinese bakery on Sheepshead Bay Rd. for some dessert!
Joe got a Cream Bun- spongy mild goodness.
I loved on a Sweet Cream filled pastry. Chewy dough plumped with a mild vanilla-y custard. One day I will explain the full depth of my love-affair with Chinese bakeries. It will take an entire post. Or two.
What treats have you enjoyed this weekend?
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Creamy Apple, Pumpkin and Delicata Squash Soup
Fall cooking is my absolute favorite! I adore creating filling, warming, sweet and savory creations that taste decadent but pack a nutritional punch, which is why I was so excited to participate in Swanson's Blogger Recipe Contest! I love shopping at Swanson Health because of their wonderful variety and incredibly low prices- check them out! This recipe is as simple as can be- I'm a HUGE crockpot fanatic, but if you don't have a crockpot this could also easily be adapted for a stovetop.
It is with much pleasure that I present to you my
Creamy Apple, Pumpkin & Delicata Squash Soup!
Get the Ingredients for My Recipe from Swanson Health Products:
-2.5 cups 0% Greek Yogurt (I used Fage)
-1 Delicata squash
-6 small-medium sized apples (variety is great- I used Macs and Empires)
-1 cup water
-2 heaping tablespoons NOW Nutritional Yeast Flakes
-1 tablespoon Swanson EFAs Certified Organic Milled Flaxseed
-1 tablespoon Swanson Organic Garlic Powder
-1 tablespoon Swanson Organic Agave Nectar
-1 tablespoon cinnamon
-1 tablespoon curry powder
-1 tablespoon Soy Flour (can substitute with most any flour)
-shaved carrots and asiago (or another sharp cheese) for garnish
1. Get your game face on.
2. Rinse and half a beautiful delicata squash! Scoop out the seeds (for roasting, if you wish)! Place squash halves face down in a microwave safe dish with 1/4 inch water and microwave for 10 mins. Scoop out squash meat.
3. Rinse, peel, core and slice apples.
4. Combine all ingredients in a crockpot set on high, stir well, and leave for 2 hours.
5. Remove from heat, blend and garnish with carrot shavings and shredded asiago cheese!
I recommend this for an appetizer or side dish- it's VERY rich. If you'd like to serve it as an entree, I'd suggesting adding chunks of roasted squash or pumpkin or perhaps a protein- chicken, white beans... to break up the richness...
Give it a try and let me know how it turns out!
What's your favorite fall soup?
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Flash Fast
Yesterday felt like a complete whirlwind! I had a peanut butter english muffin while running out the door to my first class. When we reached our break, I was STARVING.
HELLOOOOO, Cliff Kid ZBar!
Kid-tested, Keelie-approved. So. Yummy.
On Wednesdays we have Movement in the AM. We've been working in small groups and next week we'll have our first individual sessions with our professor. I'm very excited to work one-on-one with her to hopefully figure out what's going on with my cranky psoaz.
Our afternoon class is Acting- I'm working on two scenes from the play Proof by David Auburn. Class was great, and I was famished by the time we finished.
I rushed home to fix up a flash-fast dinner.
+
=
And now- I'm LATE! :) Today I have Voice, then Speech, then Kinetics and then I'm dashing to the downtown Brooklyn Applebees to support the Miss Brooklyn Organization's fundraiser/ meet & greet. I was Miss Brooklyn 2009 and I'm excited to see some familiar faces and greet new contestants!
What is your busiest day of the week?
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Tuesday's Eats and Tweets
Yesterday was a typical manic school day- I grabbed a red banana and an English Muffin with PB to snarf on the train.
We had a double class with our Voice professor and we worked up a sweat during our dance-party warmup, so on our 10 minute break I fueled up with a Clif Mojo Bar! I. LOVE. THESE. That is all.
Our lunch break was abbreviated due to the double class, but we had enough time to sit outside and enjoy the sunshine! I had some TJ's Seaweed Snacks, an Olympus Strawberry Greek Yogurt (SO. GOOD), some Food Should Taste Good Lime Tortilla's and some TJ's Tatziki. Dessert was 2 PB chocolate cookies! Naturally, I also sucked down a huge iced coffee... Addict...
We got sweaty in our Speech class as well- we played a game where each of us spoke the piece of text we're currently working on (Tennyson's Lady of Shalott if you're curious...) while physically trying to cross the room and touch the back wall. Our classmates served as human barriers. Lots of bear hugs, slide tackles and clotheslines ensued. By the end, we were all sweaty messes, but our breathing was free and organic, so our delivery of our lines was far less manufactured. Mission accomplished!
After class I rehearsed for a few hours with one of my scene partners and then headed home. I enjoyed leftover Stirfry-urry and set to work finishing my Everest-sized pile of homework (with a little multitasking thrown in)! The lovely Katy Widrick hosted Fitblog Chat last night- one of my favorite questions was:
"What has surprised you most about blogging?"
Fact. You guys inspire me.
Happy Wednesday, pals!
Tuesday, October 25, 2011
Manic Monday Recap
Happy Tuesday, friends! I'm still sore from my Saturday run, but in a very, very, very good way. It wasn't epic-ly long or fast but having been away from running for over 4 weeks, it just felt so darn wonderful to get back out there!
Yesterday AM the hubs whipped up some french toast while I prepared to dash out of the house. Yummmm...
I had a rehearsal with a classmate in the AM- she's a wonderful hostess- we noshed on crackers, hummus, tofu salad and tea while discussing the piece we're working on.
Her super adorable pups watched.
I had Improv class in the afternoon followed by another rehearsal. I headed home and assumed what's become a very familiar position...
Homework fort.
And Joe made dinner! Whole wheat pasta, spinach, craisins, almonds and tempeh. So. Good.
We snagged some of this happiness at the grocery store- I. LOVE. MAPLE!
I'm off to school- on today's docket: 2 Voice classes, a Speech class, 2 rehearsals and HOMEWORK.
I'll be eating breakfast on the run this AM but this link is making me drool... Which is your favorite breakfast from around the world? My top choices are #'s 2, 4, 10, 13, 16, 21, 27, 35, 41, 42, 45, 47, 48, 49. So basically... all of them....
Monday, October 24, 2011
NYC Blogger Playdate #2
The October 2011 NYC Blogger Playdate was a success! It was so wonderful to see so many beautiful blog friends! We began the day at Yoga Vida's 99 University Pl. Studio, where we took the 12p Flow class with Alex.
The studio is gorgeous and very reasonably priced- $5 per class for students and $10 for a first time visitor one-week pass for anyone!
Yoga Vida also offers mat storage- a must for anyone who rides the subway every day!
Alex's class is quick paced and challenging but not too difficult- we all left feeling centered and relaxed. Ahhh...
Their $11.95 brunch special includes a beverage...
I chose sangria! Pretty much the only boozy beverage I enjoy...
Allie and I both ordered the steak and eggs, served with homefries and creamed spinach.
The food was good and the conversation was EXCELLENT! It was such a pleasure getting to know Allie and Laura and learning more about Ashley and Juliette!
From L to R: Myself, Laura, Ashley, Juliette and Allie. Thanks for such a wonderful afternoon, ladies! :)
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