updates updates

After a very long hiatus from this blog, I have decided to make a food porn update:

Eating crabs in Baltimore is the only right way to eat 'em:
(though taking a day trip and driving 3 hours just to get them is a bit....awesome!)After another shot at Philly Cheesesteaks,
Pat's still beats Geno's by a landslide:
Day trips for the sake of food are fun.
I should make this a weekend routine =D

And....

February is National Pancake Month!

Enjoy some special pancakes at Clinton Street Baking Company~Bananas Foster Pancakes

summer fun.

Today marks the beginning of Summer Restaurant Week. I'm hitting up only 3 restaurants this year:

• Le Perigord
• Gordon Ramsey's Maze
• August

$24.07 for lunch
$35.00 for dinner
(excludes tax and tip)

Make reservations now if you haven't already!

Updates later for how they all went.

heat wave.

Summer is in full attack as the typical New York heat has unfortunately hit the crowded streets of NYC. The horrid humidity permeates the city (especially the subways), making me sticky and sexy after walking two blocks. I'm surprised no one has fainted yet from heat stroke. There's nothing I like better than rubbing against sweaty people on my daily commute. It really keeps me connected to the city, you know?

Luckily, I have discovered my new drink for the summer: -drum roll-
Small Iced Coffee with a shot of Mocha, ice on the side
(impt to capitalize on volume)

Not that exciting, I know.
But, it's the little things that make life fun, right? =D

Cafe hopping anyone? Or, if anyone has a fav cafe in the East Village that they'd like to share, I'm very open to suggestions. =)

BBQ baby.

Last weekend was the long awaited Big Apple BBQ Fest @ Madison Square Park. Though overpriced for the amount of food they give, it's fun to spend a relaxing day in the park with BBQ enthusiasts galore! I've gone every year since finding out about it (that is, starting from last year), despite the $7 price tag on every BBQ platter. Coupled with ridiculously long lines, I have to wonder, is it worth it?

I'd have to say no, but for some reason I still end up going. Maybe it's that heavenly smell in the air, the allure of a roasting rack of ribs cooking right next to you, specialty of a pit master from out of town.

Mm, fun times were had, as usual. And thankfully I didn't drop a precious piece of meat on the concrete this year =)

homemade.

Home sweet home. I've taken a slight hiatus from Manhattan since the semester ended. In my spare time (ah, busy days filled with 1000 piece puzzles and Heroes), I get around to cooking and baking some goodies. It's nice to have a full service kitchen with actual ingredients and equipment to work with.

Hot dog, Kathy style

Penne with Veggies & Curry Sauce

Frittata with Mushrooms, Onions, Green Beans, & Mozzarella

Curry Chicken with Potatoes & Carrots

Ground Pork with Chives & Red Bell Peppers

Veggies sauteed with Garlic and Peppers

Derrick & Paige's Bday BrowniesPeanut Butter CookiesChocolate Covered Strawberries

Banana Nut Muffins

Yummy yummy =)

THE 5 second rule.

The 5 second rule. We've all heard of this golden rule since childhood. But, in case you haven't, picture the following scenario: you are absolutely famished, so hungry that durian is starting to look yummy. You make your absolute favorite dish ever, (and i mean, ever) but alas, you're a clumsy idiot and it falls on the floor right as you're about to take a bite. What do you do?

Thankfully, your friends told you about the 5 second rule: food that has fallen on the floor is safe for ingestion if and only if it is picked up within 5 seconds of being dropped.

I'm sure that at some time in our lives, we've all lost sleep, sanity, and (possibly a healthy stomach) over the validity of the rule. In a recent article in the NYTimes, researchers at Clemson University put the age-old rule to the test. And its findings? Well, if you're a brave trooper, often if food is picked up within the allotted period, it is relatively safe for ingestion; Bacteria still attaches to the food, but it isn't enough to make you sick. So the question then arises, can we still follow the 5 second rule?

"Of course we can never know for sure how many harmful microbes there are on any surface. But we know enough now to formulate the five-second rule, version 2.0: If you drop a piece of food, pick it up quickly, take five seconds to recall that just a few bacteria can make you sick, then take a few more to think about where you dropped it and whether or not it’s worth eating."

late night fun.

Eric: great Kathy
Eric: just great
Eric: you’re a jerk
Eric: i’m tired and i can’t sleep cause i have my head full of thoughts
Eric: and then i read your blog
Eric: so now i’m
Eric: tired and i can’t sleep AND hungry
Eric: GREATTT

Silly Eric, Trix are for kids.