New York City with the Gilmore Girls

The kids and I had a taste for NYC ever since our 20 minute of spontaneity when we were visiting Philly last summer. Feeling a little like a run-on sentence ...We started out on a college visit to Princeton with my oldest son Jake but couldn't resist a side trip to see Buddy and his famous bakery in Hoboken NJ. 

Carlo's tip: Order online the day before you go if you want to see people drool as you stroll up and they hand you your order (Although, they won't let you come in!)  The line to get in wraps around the building even at 8am on a Sunday morning!

With cannoli in hand ... we couldn't resist. Just a look... the allure of the Holland Tunnel in sight.. Who knew one look at Lady Liberty and some spontaneous singing on and off-Broadway would set the stage for a return visit so soon! Fast forward to this Spring and Maddy and I along with two tag-a-longs (my sister Karen, and my M.I.L, Kathi) were off to get a closer look at the Big Apple. With a Visa Gift card in hand compliments of The Pampered Chef, A girls trip to New York was a must do.

We compiled a list of must sees from my Facebook friends that would have taken a month to accomplish. We put a good dent in the list and I have to say we had almost no regrets!

Here are the highlights:

Times Square 

What a sight to be seen! The walls of TVs on the outsides of buildings are electrifying! Gawkers galore stand mesmerized by the spectacle. And when I say gawkers galore I mean thousands and thousands! There are grand red steps that people just sit and gaze out on. It is a sight to behold! Dozens of characters dress up for you to snap pics with for a few bucks. This is one of many spectacles of this tourism mecca.

Broadway shows

We only got two shows in during our short visit but wow they were fantastic. Clearly I need to diet, as the seats and leg room seem much smaller than I have ever experienced in a theater... but the show must go on! We saw Newsies and Jersey Boys: 

Newsies was a Disney production. Great for the kids. Tons of dancing and acrobatic newsboys fighting in a "David vs Goliath" themed show.  Be prepared for the busloads of children on their NYC outings. Personally, I felt it was still worth it. 

Jersey boys is the story of the Four Seasons group and their colorful ride to stardom with Frankie Valli as the catalyst. PG14 for the colorful language and "coming of age" moments. Slightly awkward with your 14 year-old, but I guess I can't shelter her forever. It was a couple scenes and a truck full of F-bombs ... all in all not too terrible. 

The best bang for your buck is to go to the TKTS booth under the famous red steps (47th and Broadway) and stand in line for the deals of the day. Shows that don't sell out will sell for up to 50% off. ***The BIG tip: If you want to see more than one show you can get a fast pass (It's just your ticket stub) to the front of the line to buy your second show tickets. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TKTS.   So just tell a worker you have your ticket stub!   And I absolutely LOVE that they have an app so you can see what shows are out there from the convenience of your smart phone or ipad. 

Dining 

We had an extremely eclectic dining experience in NYC ... it was varied to say the least:  I will list them in order of price range but EACH one had it's GREAT NYC points. 

Hot Dog Cart: Location: Everywhere.  Don't you have to do that once? Pretzel? Dog? Fresh Fruit? They had them all and on probably every corner you passed. 

Baked by Melissa Location: SoHo. bite sized cupcakes Baked by Melissa Mini Cupcakes 577 Broadway between Prince and Houston, New York NY 10012. This was a tiny treat. And yes, I mean really tiny. But it was really a fun treat. And the detail on these was crazy cute.

Shake Shack: Location: 691 8th Avenue (44th) Most wonderful Peanut Butter Shake there. Could have gotten a meal and I definitely would have gone back had time permitted for those cheese fries... they looked soo good. But this was an after dinner stop for us. 

Pershing Square:  Location: across from Grand Central Station.  We had breakfast with Bill & Robin & Kylie Shalz who we NEVER have had breakfast with in Aurora! HA! We live 1 mile away from Bill and Robin and we stayed about 1 mile away from them when we went to NYC. This restaurant was a great place though. But get there early by 830 am there was a long line out the door.   

Carnegie Deli: Located at 854 7th Ave (55th street).  Super fun spot with the celebrity visitor pictures wallpapering the place. Lightening FAST service and the portions were fit for a GIANT appetite. Do yourself a favor and split something. You don't want take a doggie bag in to the theater with you. 

Ellen's Stardust Diner

Ellen's stardust diner, home of the singing waitstaff.  Located at 1650 Broadway (51st)   I have to say I sensed hesitancy in my companions when I told them that the people of Facebook insisted we go here.... and it was one of the highlights for sure!  I read the reviews suggesting that the food might be sub-par but the atmosphere is delightful. We went for dessert and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. The waitstaff was crazy fun singing, dancing and strutting on the booth tops. Some of them were Broadway ready and all were Broadway want-to-be... and they were ALL wonderful. 

Cafe Bari: 529 Broadway SOHO.  This was the stop we made on the way from World Trade Center to Greenwich Village when Madeline said "I am READY to eat lunch NOW!"  HAHA. We were all thinking it but were trying to hang on. So we caved in and thank goodness suddenly this place seemed to pop out and reveal itself to us somewhat like 12 Grimmauld Place (Sorry... Harry Potter fans will get it.) 

  

IFC:  Italian Food Center, Location: Little Italy: 161 Mulberry Street.   *****  This was my favorite spot. Amazing people watching and fantastic food. The bartender was Australian, the waitress was Russian, the waiter was African, the model sitting next to us was Norwegian, the Photographer was an NY local and the place was just really cool. Maddy and her Grandma Kathi had ditched Karen and I to take a nap back at the hotel, so Karen and I were here solo for QUITE some time... it COULD have been the drinks talking... but we didn't want to leave and we didn't ... we were there for a very long time. 

Circo, Location: 120 west 55th st.  Family owned Italian restaurant sophisticated, whimsical, and decorated like the old style European circus tents. Only slightly creepy. Just don't stare at the clowns and instead keep your eye on the Ravioli di mamma egi which was a hand made pasta with buffalo ricotta, spinach, butter and sage that I ordered. I gave a bite to my 3 companions, and hands down my dish won. Everyone was dreaming of this ravioli and talking about it for the rest of the trip.

Other Favorite things: 

World Trade Center Memorial - this is a must see. I would have felt un-American if we hadn't gone.   Visitor passes are no longer needed and the Museum is now open.


Greenwich Village NYU Campus - Stroll through Greenwich village/NYU campus with a memorable visit to Washington square park. It was wonderful and heartwarming to see so many enjoying the sounds from the street trained musicians beating their buckets to the NYU students and their violins adding some fresh air to their strings.

Empire State  - Very cool to see this view.  Tip: wait to see if there is a line before you buy fast passes! We did do the fun sky ride - it's one of those Universal Studio type of things where you sit in a large roller coaster type car and it jostles you around like you were on a real helicopter ride. The best part was that your tour guide was Kevin Bacon. (I thought that was the best part...)



Cirlce Line Boat Tour: http://www.circleline42.com/new-york-cruises/home.aspx    We did the FULL island tour. It was a bit too much. Try the half island tour. It was very cool and the view was fantastic. Remember your layers though. Because depending on the day it can get soo cold on the water. 


Today show - Get there early and bring your cup of coffee, cause you will be there for a little while. Can you tell by my "I"m not quite awake yet" face? (I'd say 630?am). On Fridays they often have a musical group so get there even earlier those days (530am they suggested) if you want to get in the first row of the fence. Have your clever sign made up ahead (they have poster board for you on the week days) but not on Fridays. But they have a convenience store across the street you can get some supplies. 

We did a lot more, China Town, Brooklyn bridge, Strolling around all over the place, took a subway, took a lot of cabs... overall we had a WONDERFUL trip and we can't wait to do it again.  LOVED LOVED every bit of it. 

If you're LUCKY enough to be IRISH...

Then you're lucky enough! so the saying goes... With St. Patrick's day coming up, I was thinking about how I have always loved this holiday. It's a funny thing, I'm only barely half Irish, thanks to the Blessed Breen side of the family (Shout out to the Breens!)  But I have always felt 100% Irish. And a few years ago when my Grandma Emily told me that she was interested in going to Ireland one more time, I was all in. Unfortunately the trip didn't happen. She said that she was only kidding and that she was just not up to the rigors of the trip and that she could not bear the thought of staying in the hotel and resting instead of sitting with us all night at the pubs and climbing the rocky paths to see the castles and the Blarney Stone. And after also dismissing the idea of having 99 tattooed on our butts as a consolation (she was turning 99 that year), we decided to have the most fabulous Irish themed birthday party!  The party was complete with Irish dancers, a baked potato bar and an Irish-Car-bomb cake ... with Jameson's whiskey and Bailey's inside. (Thanks to our amazing cake-making sister, Megan.)  I have to say it was a wonderful time.


So, as the saying also goes: on St. Patrick's day - EVERYONE is a little Irish. So I would like to share with you a few ideas that might spark the Irish in you. You may not be the corned beef and cabbage with a tall Guiness type? But here are some fun things you can contribute to a St. Pat's day party or one you can throw together at home with the kids.   


Take a green pepper and slice the bottom off and keep on slicing - the rings look like clovers and if you put them on top of a cheese pizza now you have a FAST Irish looking appetizer. Or add it to an all green veggie tray (cucumbers, zucchini, snow peas to name a few).  And one more fun idea - you can also take that same pepper and make into a stamp (see picture). 


"Shamrock" Fondue is a favorite of mine. It's a twist on Cool and Creamy Chocolate Fondue, by The Pampered Chef. But instead of semi sweet chocolate, instead use white chocolate and a little green food coloring. Add in some mint extract instead of vanilla and you are only a small step away from a Shramrock Shake. (See below for recipe)


Reubens are always a fun choice. Traditionally, the ingredients are rye bread, sauerkraut, thousand island dressing and sliced corned beef. But you can always shake it up a little and make mini Reuben sliders on small buns, or Reuben Quesadillas.(See below for Recipe)


Soda Bread screams Irish to me and I found an EASY recipe that you might try for fun. If you aren't into baking your own bread, pick some up at the local Jewel. They do a fantastic job. (See Recipe Below)


Potatoes. If you ask someone what food is most closely associated with Ireland, I'm guessing Potato would come up in the top 5. At Grandma's party we did a baked potato bar as a fun idea. Baking the foil-wrapped potatoes ahead, and then adding sides of cheeses, bacon, sour cream, chives etc.But I was thinking back to the last time I was at my favorite Irish Pub, and I seem to remember Boxty being on the menu. 

An old Irish poem says:

Boxty on the griddle,
Boxty in the pan,
If you can't make boxty,
You'll never get a man

Boxty is a simple, easy, and tasty Irish potato recipe.

It's wonderful served with a tart apple sauce. This Irish potato recipe is also traditionally prepared as part of an "Ulster Fry", the hearty Irish breakfast, with loads of bacon, fried sausage, fried eggs, black pudding, and fresh soda bread.


Boxty (Irish Potato Griddle Cakes)


Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound raw potato
• 1/2 pound cooked mashed potato
• 1/2 pound plain flour
• Milk (as needed, see directions)
• 1 egg
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• Salt and pepper 

• Directions:

Grate raw potatoes and mix with the cooked mashed potatoes. Add salt, pepper, onion and flour. Beat egg and add to mixture with just enough milk to make a batter that will drop from a spoon.
Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a hot griddle or frying pan. Cook over a moderate heat for 3-4 minutes on each side.

Read Original Here: The Essential Irish Potato Recipe Collection : Fantasy Ireland http://www.fantasy-ireland.com/Irish-potato-recipe.html#ixzz1pIutflIF
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Share Alike 

Soda Bread

by Kelly Rossiter (TLC COOKING)

Browse the recipe Soda Bread

Unknown.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL Easy

YIELD Makes one loaf

Now that you are ready to try baking, I'll introduce you to this soda bread recipe which is just about as easy as it gets. Soda bread is the traditional bread of Ireland; it uses soda as the leavening agent rather than yeast so it rises in the oven during baking. I started this recipe at 11:00 a.m. and we had warm bread and cheese for lunch. This is a very dense bread, so it isn't really suitable for sandwiches, but it is great as part of a Ploughman's Lunch.

INGREDIENTS

3 3/4 cups	unbleached all purpose flour
1 tsp	salt
1 tsp	baking soda
2 cups	buttermilk

PREPARATION:

1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
2. Measure flour, salt and soda and mix together in a large bowl.
3. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in 1 1/2 cups of buttermilk. Stir, adding more buttermilk if needed; the dough should be soft, but not wet or sticky.
4. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead just enough to bring the dough together. Turn it over and pat it into a round loaf about 1 1/2 inches high.
5. Place on a baking sheet and cut a cross into the top of the loaf with a knife. Cut fairly deeply into the bread, being sure to cut all the way to the edges; this helps the bread to rise properly.
6. Bake for 15 minutes, then lower the temperature to 400°F and bake for another 30 minutes or until done. To test, tap the bread on the bottom. It will sound hollow when done.

Reuben Quesadillas
Ingredients:
2 cups (500 mL) broccoli slaw mix
1/4 cup (50 mL) Thousand Island salad dressing
12 (6-in./15-cm) flour tortillas
12 oz (350 g) shredded Swiss cheese
12 oz (350 g) sliced corned beef, chopped

Directions:
1.  In small bowl, combine slaw mix and dressing. To assemble quesadillas, place one tortilla onto (10-in./24-cm) Sauté Pan; top with 1/4 cup (50 mL) of the cheese, 1 cup (250 mL) of the corned beef and 1 cup (250 mL) of the slaw mixture. Top with additional 1/4 cup (50 mL) of cheese and second tortilla.

2.  Cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes or until golden brown on both sides and cheese is melted, turning once. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Yield:  6 quesadillas

Nutrients per serving:  (1 quesadilla): Calories 580, Total Fat 34 g, Saturated Fat 14 g, Cholesterol 110 mg, Carbohydrate 36 g, Protein 31 g, Sodium 1220 mg, Fiber less than 1 g

(C)The Pampered Chef, Ltd. 2012


Cool & Creamy Shamrock Chocolate Fondue

Ingredients:
3/4 cup white chocolate morsels
1 container (8 ounces) frozen whipped topping, thawed
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract (optional)
Green Food coloring (optional)

Dippers: pretzels, graham crackers, marshmallows etc.

Directions:
1.  Place chocolate morsels and half of the whipped topping in Small Batter Bowl. Microwave, uncovered, on HIGH 1 minute or until chocolate is melted and smooth, stirring after each 20-second interval. Fold in remaining whipped topping, extract, and food coloring, if desired; mix until smooth. Cover; refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

2.  To serve, spoon fondue into small bowl. Serve dippers, if desired.

Yield:  2 cups (16 servings)

Nutrients per serving:  (2 tablespoons fondue): Calories 80, Total Fat 5 g, Saturated Fat 3 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Carbohydrate 7 g, Protein 0 g, Sodium 0 mg, Fiber 0 g

If preparing the fondue ahead of time, store covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Stir in 1-2 tablespoons milk for a creamier consistency.