Going to the Beach (whether I like it or not)

I've been a total glutton for a week straight. I normally try to to maintain a healthy, well-balanced diet, but without deprivation. I treat myself often, but within reason. This week, my treats were not within reason. I was on a bakery kick (discovered 4 new ones) and literally ate 2-3 sweets/baked goods every single day. I had cheesecake, cookies, brownies, ice cream, slabs of sourdough bread, muffins, you name it. I also slacked off at the gym (when your stomach is jam packed full of carbs and sugar from the time you wake up until the time you brush your teeth at night...spin class is a bad idea). Whatever. I was pleased with myself for finding so many delicious snacks. It was totally worth it....maybe until an hour ago.

An hour ago, I got phone call to work a job tomorrow on a tv show. This gig will provide me with my third and final waiver, which will make me eligible to join the union. The only catch is, I have to wear a bikini.

I just wish they'd called me before bakery exploration week. Figures.
The gym opens at 5:30 tomorrow morning. I'll be there. Uggh.

A few of the calorific goodies I sampled this week:


L to R:
Black Sesame Frappe from Cafe Zaiya- Amazingly cheap and tasty Japanese joint near Bryant Park. This thing tasted like a peanutbutter shake and kept me full for 5 hours.
Mochi Donut: So good. It had a chewy texture and was covered in sugar and cinnamon. It tasted just like these Rosette cookies my mom makes.
Bread from Sullivan Street Bakery: I got a loaf of sourdough and made homemade croutons and sandwiches with it. It tastes so fresh.
TKO from Bouchon Bakery: The grown-up oreo cookie
Fluffernutter from Bouchon Bakery: A fluffy peanutbuttery cream sandwiched between two giant peanutbutter cookies. I bought this for Daryl (hardcore PB Lover) and ended up eating at least a quarter of it myself)

Wait, there's more!


L to R:
Cookies from Momofuku Milk Bar: Blueberry Muffin+Cornflake/Marshmallow+Compost Cookie= Sugar Coma
Yakimochi from Cafe Zaiya: Fried mochi filled with red bean. Mmmm.
Black Sesame Macaron from Kyotofu: Love macarons. Love black sesame flavored sweets. Love Kyotofu. Love that it's by my apartment.
Cereal Milk Soft Serve from Milk Bar: It tastes exactly like the milk at the bottom of your Frosted Corn Flakes bowl.

There is more....
This is all that I could find pictures of. And I need to go to bed so I can wake up and do some crunches.

Pixie

I have had many different hair cuts throughout the years: long hair, short hair, razored, layers, one length dos, bangs of all kinds, and different variations of a bob (I've been sporting a chin length version for a year now). I like my hair. It's manageable and healthy and dries stick straight. I've been getting great free cuts and products for years through hair modeling. The truth is, no matter how amazing the cut is, my hair is thrown up into a ponytail 90% of the time...even when it isn't technically long enough to be pulled back. My current one length bob only takes 5-7 minutes to "fix" but I just don't have the will to bother. I know that hair is often regarded as a woman's crowning glory, but I've never really regarded my own hair as a precious thing. After all, it grows back. Lately I'm obsessed with cropped hair and I'm itching to chop it all off. I've never rocked a style this short before:




Cute, cute, cute! I suppose there is a small chance that I could be mistaken for a boy, and I'd probably have to put on a little makeup, and supposedly men prefer long hair (don't know what lame poll this came from), but I don't care.

Unfortunately, I can't cut my hair off until I can afford new headshots. If I submit a photo with bob hair and walk in with no hair...I don't think that would go over so well. So until then, I will admire this short and sassy do from afar.

Marathon

November 1st was the NYC Marathon. I love being at race events because of the wonderfully positive and uplifting vibe that is present. It is so inspiring to see people from all walks of life come together and accomplish their individual goals. For this particular race, we're talking 26 miles! I can barely run a mile without feeling like I'm going to burst a lung. We went out to support our friend, Joe, who was running his 1st marathon. All of the runners wear a device so that you can actually track them online. It was awesome to see him coming down the bridge with hundreds of other runners. We cheered him on with a mob of supportive onlookers. Daryl plans to start training for a marathon this spring. While I do not aspire to run a marathon in my lifetime, I am inspired to work a little harder at the gym. Or maybe I'll just stop eating cookies for breakfast.

You can see some of the marathon crowd behind me. This is my mustard hoodie-coat. I wear it so much you could say it's my unofficial fall uniform.

Pantry Thief

At the request of certain family members :)

We have an insanely small kitchen...if you can even call it a kitchen. It's more like a cooking station. We're talking half-sized appliances, 1/4 of a counter top and maybe 5 cabinets. I like to keep the apartment well-stocked with ingredients, but there is not enough space to accommodate a portable pantry/food shelf. Fortunately, an old cd storage tower ended up being a great solution. It is perfectly suited for storing cans, bottles and other non-perishables. Here is a reference photo, to give you an idea:
Until this past July, Larry was not able to have free roam of the apartment while we were gone. While he was staying with my sister this summer, he proved that he could be left unattended so when we got back from Europe, we slowly let him have run of the apartment while we were out. It was nice to be able to leave the house without luring him to the bathroom. Plus, we didn't feel so guilty knowing that he could enjoy lounging on the bed or couch all day long. Nine times out of ten, we'd come home and find him in the exact (slothful) position we'd left him in. Larry enjoyed his freedom for a good 3 months. Then he discovered the pantry.

This makeshift food storage unit had been sitting peacefully in the corner for almost a year. One October afternoon, we came home to find the bottom shelves bare. Don't let his innocent looks deceive you. This dog is a ninja.
He somehow managed to drag a (full) bottle of canola oil to the middle of the living room floor, along with a glass bottle of olive oil. As you can tell from the picture, this dog has no snout. These containers are also bigger than his head, and they're heavy. Thankfully, the bottles remained intact. He also brought a (mostly empty) bottle of honey onto the bed and finished it off before turning it into a chew toy. Have I ever complained about how annoying it is to do laundry when you live in a 5 story walk up and don't have a machine in your building?
We had to wash the sheets again the next night after he lugged a brand new, unopened GLASS bottle of sweet and sour sauce to the bed and licked it clean.
The next morning, the sheets came off for the 3rd time in three days because he puked up all of his stolen treats. I was particularly angry because I didn't even get to try the sauce before he helped himself.
At this point, you're probably thinking it would be naive or just plain stupid to give him another chance. Call me a sucker, but I did. Consequently, our bed (and the whole bedroom, really) wreaked of vinegar for three days straight. Between the honey and the vinegar, he stole various other items from the trash/recyclables/pantry and proceeded to chew them apart on our newish white, wedding-gifted sheets. I'm sad to say that he officially can no longer be trusted. Once again, he must spend his alone time locked in the bathroom. He will get another chance when Daryl makes a door for the CD tower-pantry.

Cake Wrecks

Are you having a boring day at work? Are you feeling blue? Go to this website:
cakewrecks.blogspot.com
It's brilliant. I laughed so hard for so long.

Pigs in the Blanket

Pigs in the blanket





Pigs in the blanket
AKA cabbage rolls, stuffed cabbage, etc

I don't know the origin of this dish but I grew up eating these things and they are good! The other day, a craving kicked in and I made them myself for the first time. It's a little bit labor intensive, but it's an extremely economical and filling meal. I created this recipe with help from my Grandma. Daryl approved:

Ingredients:
1 large head of cabbage
1 15 oz can of tomato sauce
1 15 oz can of diced tomatoes (undrained)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 pound hamburger meat
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 cup cooked rice

Directions:
1.Cover the bottom of a casserole dish with a thin layer of juice from the diced tomatoes
2.Tear off cabbage leaves and boil them until soft
3.Mix all other ingredients (except tomato sauce) together and form into balls (approx. 2-3 inches)
4)Wrap tightly in cabbage leaves and place into a casserole dish, tightly packed
5)Pour tomato sauce over cabbage rolls
6)Cover and cook @ 350 degrees for 60-80 minutes

I had a little cabbage leftover so I'm going to invent some sort of cabbage soup, too. I'll let you know if it ends up being worth sharing.