Happy Easter! April 24th

Hope everyone had a good Easter! I just spent mine at home with mom and Peanut. Peanut was pretty tired this morning... I think he was up all night waiting for the Easter Bunny! ;)

Oh and he likes sleeping in his carrier. His carrier is like his own room! lol

Now on to the Easter eats!

My chocolate bunny (a baby/mini one).

Leftover pizza from last night... we ordered in from Astoria Pizza (and I think this is the best pizza place I've found since moving to Astoria... their delivery is good too!).

Deviled eggs (not all of them, but this is the lovely tray mom made).

For dinner we made a pasta with artichoke dish (you can see the recipe here).

And of course, cheesecake! (See my recipe here.)

Ok, just a brief update today. I'm working on finishing my real estate course and have the exams to pass in early May. But please comment and let me know how you guys have been doing!! :)

Brunch & other news... March 21st

On Saturday, Melissa and I got together for brunch at Athen's Cafe here in Astoria. I had been eyeing that place ever since I found out they served nutella french toast! They have a pre-fixe brunch menu, which includes your choice of drink (I chose orange juice) along with coffee or tea (I got tea). And of course for my entree, I got the nutella french toast, which looked (and tasted) fabulous!

This was really good, but I couldn't even finish it all! Melissa liked her omelette as well. The only thing we didn't like was the service (or lack of it!). But I'd definitely go back again!

Sadly Astoria is really lacking in good asian and chinese food! So when I do make it into Manhattan, I make sure to stop by my old favorites...

Like Tue Thai in the village, where I got my spring rolls & pad see ew with tofu lunch special (they really make the best pad see ew, otherwise known as, broad rice noodles here).

And Suzie's, which is also in the village, where I get their bean curd homestyle lunch special (which comes with vegetarian egg roll and wonton soup).

Mom and I also tried another pasta recipe this past week which we both really liked... Fusilli with Artichoke Hearts and Parmesan Cream (you can see the recipe here at Delish.com).

This was excellent and really easy to make! I used all organic ingredients too (and my mom, which normally frowns upon organic stuff, claiming it's just over hyped, really loved the way this came out!).

And tonight for dinner I tried Gardein's seven grain crispy tenders, which I heard great things about, but was skeptical...

I am so mad at myself because I forgot to take a picture! Although this is truly a testament to how good they really are!! I absolutely could not believe it. They blow any other vegetarian chicken nuggets out of the water! I give these my highest review EVER!

In other news, Peanut has been has been up to the usual... ever since we moved here, he keeps a constant eye on things out all the windows (something he was not used to, because our old apartment didn't have nearly as many windows, and wasn't as high up as well!).

But of course, napping is still another one of his favorite activities...

Oh, and I'm looking forward to going to the NYC Vegetarian Food Festival! It'll be my first time going to one, and it's going to be on April 3rd this year. You can get more details here!

Reviews & Recipes (February 25th)

One of my resolutions this year was to cook more, specifically learn to cook vegan dishes. So I've been busy doing a lot of that lately. I also have some Lightlife products to review as well. So let's get started!

I started off by making the quiche that we had at the Lightlife event a few weeks ago, using the recipe they gave us at the event and Lightlife's Gimme Lean Sausage (which they sent me to try).

My mom and I followed the recipe exactly, but it came out a little too mushy and not solid enough, so we'll have to revise it next time. The sausage was really good however and gave the quiche a nice, flavorful taste.

The other Lightlife product I tried was their original Smart Ground crumbles (which they also sent, thanks Lightlife!).

I used this to make tacos...

In the past I had used the frozen crumbles that other brands make, but I thought this was a nice change. The Smart Ground seemed fresher than the frozen kind and tasted better. I just mixed it in with regular taco seasoning and I swear there was NO difference (this is the perfect product to "trick" your husband or boyfriend with! lol They'll never know it's not meat).

Peanut has some "product reviews" too! :) He apparently loves Newman's Own pineapple salsa! (Which is probably not good for cats, but as you can see, I let him have a taste!)

There are very few "people foods" that Peanut likes. But anything with spices or peaches he goes crazy for! Speaking of peaches, for old time sake, he still loves his Mott's peach medley apple sauce too!

(Note how I even let him eat things on my bed! I am a bad mother-- clearly. lol)

Now on to the recipes... I printed out some vegetarian recipes from EatingWell. And here's how they came out...

The first thing I tried was the Portobello "Philly Cheese Steak" Sandwich (you can see the recipe here).

This was really good and I can't wait to make it again! Although next time I won't be adding red pepper just because I'm not really a fan. And the recipe is vegan if you use vegetable broth or stock (which I did). I did use organic provolone cheese (just a bit) to melt on top like the recipe said though, but it's easy to omit if you want.

The next EatingWell recipe I tried was their Bean "Bolognese" (you can see the recipe here).

This recipe is also completely vegan if you don't put parmesan cheese on top (which I did, again an organic and rennet-less kind). This was SOOOO good. And this is an INCREDIBLY healthy dinner because you get your protein with the beans, not to mention all the veggies! Can't wait to make this one again too!

And the last recipe I tried is courtesy of Mama Pea, and that is her Italian Wedding Soup. I modified the version a bit like my fellow blogger, Gabriela did (and you can see her version here).

Basically the only difference was, Gabriela and I used Trader Joe's meatless meatballs (a favorite of mine!) instead of making our own like Mama Pea. This came out great, and I was really impressed! (The picture didn't come out that great though, but you can see how it looks and all the cooking instructions on their blogs.)

I have not given up dairy completely yet (as evidenced by the cheese I throw on top of things!) and I couldn't help but get a frozen yogurt on one of our few warmer days we had a week or two ago at Red Mango (I went to the one here in Astoria on Steinway St.).

I got my usual, a medium original with granola and strawberries.

All this food is finger lickin' good...

Or maybe Peanut just decided to clean himself instead!

If Peanut could talk he'd say, "Mom, stop embarrassing me!!!" So that's all for now!

Also, thank you for the birthday wishes on the last post! I appreciate them!

Weekend Eats & Peanuts! March 5th - 7th

I've been feeling a bit better, although I had another migraine last night, but it's been more manageable. Peanut's first birthday is this coming Saturday if you can believe it! I have lots of pics of him that I'll post below, but first, the eats...

For lunch on Friday I had my usual at Qi Asian Eatery... spring rolls & pineapple fried rice.

For dinner I had pasta with veggies and a new great find, Alexia's french rolls! These are amazing and you can heat them up in only 10 minutes in the oven!

My dinner last night was one of my favorites, eggplant parmesan and spaghetti.

This morning I woke up early and made some cinnamon buns-- nothing fancy, just the Pillsbury kind. They look good though, don't they? :)

I had a late lunch/brunch at a place I'd been wanting to try in Chelsea, called East of Eighth (which is on West 23rd St. just off 8th Ave.).

They gave me a nice bread basket, and while the picture is of a muffin with jam, I actually ended up eating the Italian bread with butter instead because it was much fresher and nicer quality.

I decided to get their three egg omelette. It came with hash browns and choice of 2 fillings. I chose mushrooms and cheddar cheese. It also came with a complimentary drink, and I opted for orange juice instead of the alcoholic ones they were offering. Overall, I thought this place was very good.

Like I said, Peanut is almost a year old already, and he's growing up to be such a handsome boy! Here he is in the bathroom (which is really his play room, because he's in there all the time!).

Sleeping in his carrier... he used to be SO tiny in this carrier (see here!).

In every kitties favorite, the laundry!

And my favorite pic, Peanut kissing mummy! :)

Is anyone watching the Oscars tonight? I guess I'm the only person left who hasn't seen Avatar and doesn't care to. lol Still, Steve Martin is co-hosting this year, and that is worth seeing!

Sugar, Spice & Blogger Meet-Ups! February 17th

A lot of you have been asking me about meet-ups and whatnot, and I've been planning to do a blogger meet-up at Wild Ginger for a long time now. So, if you would like to come to a future Wild Ginger meet-up, please e-mail me (see advertisement on the right). Let me know when you'll be in town (or if you already are living in the NYC area), and when you could make it. Because I want to try to arrange it when some out-of-towners are here too! I'll be updating you guys once I get a better idea of when to have it, so keep checking back! I'm going to be having my own private dinner there this Saturday for my Birthday (I think).

Now, on to the eats... and because of Maggie (from Say Yes to Salad), I have a new restaurant to tell you about! She told me to check out Spice the other day... there are several locations in NYC, and the restaurant is owned by the same company that owns Sea Thai Bistro, so they're very similar and she thought I would like it. Turns out... she was RIGHT! I actually ended up trying TWO of the Spice restaurants this week! One in Chelsea, and one in the Union Square area (see pics below!). So thanks again for telling me about these restaurants Maggie! :) Now, here are some of my eats over the last several days...

Breakfast from the other morning...

A Naked Juice and a Clif Mojo PB & J Bar.

Lunch was at the Spice in Chelsea (at 8th Ave. & 20th St.). And just like Sea Thai Bistro, you get a free appetizer, which is always a plus in my book!

I got their spring rolls... these were very similar to Sea Thai's... same sauce and everything! But I actually prefer the way Sea Thai presents them, because they aren't already in the sauce. These were a little cold because of this. Good though, none the less.

I got the broad black noodle dish with tofu. Again, it's pretty much the exact same thing that I got at Sea Thai. The portion here seemed a bit smaller though... it was actually just the right amount!

After lunch I stopped in New London Pharmacy, which is an "old school" pharmacy in Chelsea. Not at all food related, but I liked how the store had pet cats in it! :)

Later on I had some brownies... I made some more Ghiradelli ones... they were on sale this week, and I was depressed... don't judge me! lol

Yesterday's breakfast was some cran-apple juice and a s'mores Luna bar.

We had more snow yesterday, and it was actually kind of a mess out! Peanut enjoyed looking out the window at it though!

For lunch I made my own egg mcmuffin with organic egg whites & american cheese on a sandwich size english muffin, with some baked chips alongside.

For dinner I made my own "colorful" pasta creation with mini bow-tie pasta, peas & carrots, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes in a marsala sauce (with parmesan cheese on top-- of course!). This was excellent!!

Today I was running some errands in Union Square, so I tried the Spice nearby (at East 13th St. & University Place, which is just below Union Square Park).

For something different I tried their vegetarian vegetable dumplings. These were REALLY good! I decided to get them because you can't get this appetizer at Sea Thai Bistro-- only the Spice restaurants have them.

I couldn't help but get the same broad black noodle dish because it's so delicious! I've become addicted to this for whatever reason. lol

So, I really like the Spice restaurants as a whole. The Chelsea one was much quieter and empty, so I liked the atmosphere more, but despite how busy the Union Square one was, the food was really fresh and excellent. I can't believe I've lived in NYC all these years and never went to them until Maggie pointed it out to me! lol Life is funny like that, because they are literally scattered ALL over the city... there's ones in the East Village, Astor Place, and Uptown too.

And for the "sugar" portion of my blog, aside from the brownie (above), I also got a black & white cookie from this organic/natural stand in the farmer's market in Union Square that I always go to!

That's all for today! And don't forget to e-mail about up-coming blogger meet-ups! I'm composing a list of people who want to go, and then I'll sort something out soon.

I'll leave you with Peanut cleaning himself. :)