Wednesday, October 29, 2014

Homecoming


Homecoming Weekend was just the most wonderful, sleep-deprived two days of catching up with friends, basking in the gorgeous weather (do you see the sky in all these photos?!), and stuffing my face with Bodo's. This work week has been quite the bummer in comparison haha. Bye UVA, you were wonderful and I miss you a ton. 

Do:
Hike Humpback: We completely failed at our original plans to wake up for sun rise, but the hike was still great. NYC has deprived me of grass and trees and I couldn't get enough of being out in the mountains.
Go Wine tasting: There are all kinds of wonderful vineyards in the Charlottesville area. It's a great excuse to get out, get a drink, and drive among the beautiful farmland.

See:
UVA Grounds: The campus ain't a UNESCO World Heritage site for nothing :) I took a run to The Lawn early Sunday morning and it was just perfect. I had it all to myself and proceeded to geek out at how pretty the campus is. 

Eat: 
Bodo's: PSA - Order the pastrami sandwich from Bodo's. It'll rock your world. My go to is the pastrami sandwich on everything bagel w/ provolone, horseradish, lettuce, tomato, onions, and sprouts.
Cookout: Cookout is disgusting, but when it's 3am after a night of drinking, the chicken strips tray is what dreams are made of. 

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Fall

This post is an ode to fall and all its beautiful foliage. Please find the nearest park/woods/gaggle of trees and admire the gorgeous ombre of leaves. Happy fall and have a wonderful weekend! I'll be going to UVA for Homecoming and am soo excited to be reunited with friends and eat my way through Charlottesville. 

Monday, October 20, 2014

Seaport

A lunch time stroll through the South Sea Seaport. 

Wednesday, October 15, 2014

Travel Diary: Milan


1. Random street // 2. Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II // 3. Il Duomo // 4. Stained Windows in Il Duomo // 5. Interior Il Duomo // 6. Stained Window in Il Duomo // 7. Italian Desserts // 8. Gelato // 9. Piazza del Duomo // 10. Top of Il Duomo // 11. View from top of Il Duomo // 12. Milano Central Railway

These pictures are from the last day of Liza and I's trip to Italy and Switzerland. At this point, we were beat from running around the whole week so we resigned ourselves to a pretty lazy last day in Milan. It was a gorgeously clear day so my highlights were: napping on the top of il Duomo and dining al fresco with some gigantic glasses of spritz. Till next time Milan, ciao!

Do:
Walk around. I find European cities just so gosh darn charming and the only way to do them justice is by feet. Stroll through the beautiful light streaming into the Galleria Vittorio. Get harassed by hawkers and pigeons in the Piazza del Duomo.  Go window shopping on the Via Monte Napoleone. 

See:
Il Duomo.  Do a few loops around and inside to admire this spectacle of Gothic architecture. Pay extra euros to take pictures of the interior and climb the 250 steps to the top. Lay out in the sun and take a nap, you deserve it.

Eat:
Spritz. Try out this Italian cocktail made of wine, Campari and sparkling water. 
Gelato.  Eat it. This is a completely biased answer because Liza and I are gelato monsters and ate gelato literally every day we were in Italy. 
Aperitivo. It's like happy hour on steroids. Kick back with a glass of spritz and enjoy the free spread of stuzzichini (appetizers) that bars lay out. Shout out to the sweet bartender that gave me a whole plate of salami. You made my day.

Thursday, October 9, 2014

Caprese

caprese salad recipe
I am in denial that fall has arrived, and instead will continue to refer to what I was up to this summer. Making the most of the bountiful summer produce (my mom was giving away tomatoes we had so many), I was eating caprese salad all through August and September. Caprese is so simple, I feel silly even writing up this 'recipe', but I know you're all here to admire my charming wit and humor, so:

Ingredients:
Cherry tomatoes fresh from the garden
Basil fresh from the herb box
Mozzarella fresh from my cow...and by my cow I mean Trader Joe's

Directions:

1. Half the tomatoes. Squeeze out the seeds. Chop up the basil. Shred the mozzarella with your hands. Mix it all together with olive oil, salt, and pepper.
2. Marvel at the super beautiful colors. Update all your social media so your friends, family, and secret admirers can bask in your cooking prowess
3. Spoon out a serving yourself but then quickly realize what you made was the bomb and proceed to eat the whole bowl.

Monday, October 6, 2014

Panoramic

Doin' work with my Iphone. Some panoramas from this summer:
panorama mount tammany new jersey
panorama top of the rock nyc sunset
panorama top of the rock nyc night
panorama us open

1. Mount Tammany // 2. Top of the Rock // 3. Top of the Rock //  4. US Open

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Sunrise Sunday: Jones Beach

jones beach pier sunrise
September 2013 - Jones Beach, New York

My birthday last year, I was up at the crack of dawn....to go fishing! I know, party animal over here.  But really, I'm super low-key and watching this sunrise with my family was more than I could wish for.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

Eggplant Parm

italian eggplant parmesan
This recipe highlights everything I love about cooking in the summer: gorgeous, fresh produce that needs minimal cooking. Instead of the usual fried heavy stuff, this eggplant is broiled and then layered with a simple tomato sauce and some melty cheesy goodness.

italian eggplant parmesan steps

Ingredients:
2 pounds of Italian eggplant
6oz of mozzarella
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
bunch of basil chopped up
olive oil, salt, and pepper

Tomato Sauce:
2 pounds of cherry tomatoes
4 cloves of garlic
2 tbs olive oil
salt, pepper, oregano and red chili flakes to taste

Honestly, most of these measurements are estimates. I was freestylin' the cheese and seasoning to my personal preference.

Directions:
1. Slice eggplant about 1/4 inch. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Broil for 10 minutes or until slightly browned.

2.  Heat olive oil over medium and cook up garlic till it's nice and golden. Halve the cherry tomatoes and dump them in. Bring to boil, covered, and stir occasionally for about 10 minutes. Season to taste w/ salt, pepper, oregano, and red chili flakes. Use a wooden spoon to help break up the tomatoes.

3. In a baking dish, put down a layer of broiled eggplant. Put a thin layer of tomato sauce. Add some chopped basil. Top with shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan. Repeat. Do not put basil on top layer.

4. Heat oven to 400 F and bake for 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes because it'll release a whole lot of juices. Mine was still really wet after sitting so I spooned out some of the extra liquid. Sprinkle with basil and enjoy.

italian eggplant parmesan